Kudos

Kudos to you for reading all my K blogs, or some of them. Kudos to me for making it through the month. I've had enough K words and blogging for awhile so it's time for a break. I'm glad I managed to stick with it, though. I realize how hard it must be for those who have to write every day, especially for a job or other commitment. Although I suppose it does get easier once you get used to it. It's not hard to write, but it is hard to write something worthwhile. Happy New Year to everyone. I'll be out of touch with cyberspace while I go celebrate 2010 with my extended family. Who knows what 2010 will bring to this space?

Kittens

No list of K words could be complete without kittens. Who doesn't love kittens? They are adorable and cute and cuddly. Elizabeth is in Japan and hopes to go to a "cat cafe" - a place where you can hang out with cats. Aaron and Kim visited one when they were in Japan. Lucy wouldn't do well with a kitten around here so I have to admire them from afar. I'm glad I'm about to the end of the month, as I'm running out of k words. One more day to go!

Keurig

This is the brand name of the coffeemaker we have. It brews coffee one cup at a time by the way of little plastic cups you put in the machine. I'm not a coffee drinker but you can make hot chocolate the same way, or use it to make tea by just heating the water. It's fast and easy. We got one for Elizabeth for Christmas and she was delighted to be able to fix her own coffee in the mornings. A nice cup of hot anything sounds good right now- we got unexpected snow today and it's still hanging around. It's beautiful on the trees and bushes, since they were already frozen when it began to fall. It was supposed to be rain by now but we've still got a winter wonderland!

kaleidoscopes

I really like Kaleidoscopes. I like all the pretty designs they make and I like how you can move one just a tiny bit and get a totally different image. When the kids were little we seemed to have a lot around and I think we even learned how to make them. They can keep me entertained for hours. We had one that was a glass tube with colored water and beads in it and then an attached mirror to look in. The designs were so pretty. Sometimes life is like a kaleidoscope, it only takes one little movement to change the whole picture.

Kibble

Today Lucy was out in the garage with Jeff and left to her own devices got into a big bag of dog food kibble. Not sure how much she ate but she's been dragging around ever since, obviously stuffed. Sort of how we feel after all the Christmas goodies. It's time to hide the dog food and throw out the Christmas cookies and go back to better eating, less oversnacking. If you'd like to help out some other doggies who maybe don't have a big bag of food to sneak into, visit freekibble a site started by an Oregon girl to get food for dogs at humane societies.

Kristof, Nicholas D

Nicholas Kristof is a columnist for the New York Times. He grew up in nearby Yamhill, Oregon and went on to Harvard and Oxford and has travled and written all over the world, winning the Pulitizer Prize twice. He has a new book out, written with his wife Cheryl WuDunn, called Half the Sky. I've just started it, but it is great and definitely required reading. It's subtitled "turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide" and that sums it up well. I frequently read his column on the New York Times website and it's always compelling. For Christmas, he has a list of little known charities worth donating to. Check it out here.

Kris Kringle

He managed to make it to our house last night, even though there are really no children here anymore. We've had nice day together. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Kith and kin

Kith and kin means friends and neighbors and dates from the 1300s, kith being "one's countrymen" and kin being relatives. I am certainly blessed with wonderful kith and kin. Especially today, I am reminded of what special friends and family I have. I am lucky to have such good friends that I can chat with about anything and I know would jump to my aid in an instant. My family is truly wonderful. I have three amazing kids that I am so thankful for as well as terrific in-laws, siblings, nieces, nephews, and extended family. I cannot even begin to name you all. Just know that I feel like the luckiest person alive to have such great people in my life. Thank you, my kith and kin!

Keel

The keel is the foundation of a boat. For a sailboat, it's what provides stability and counteracts the force of the wind. It also provides ballast, for more stability. There are different kinds of keels, from full keels, that extend all along the bottom of the boat, to fin keels, to wing or bulb keels. They all have different purposes. This summer we sailed a boat with a wing keel and that meant we could sail in shallower water than a boat with a deeper fin keel. I am thinking tonight about keels and what they do for boats and how important they are. We sometimes talk about people being "even keeled", that is being balanced and centered. When you realized where that phrase comes from, it makes sense. The keel is the structural center of the boat, the spine, and the major source of strength. When people have a good source of strength and good foundations, it is easier to live a balanced and centered life. When the central foundation is missing or broken, it is easy to get off track. How important it is then, to provide our children with a good solid foundation that can help provide stability their whole life.

Another related term is keelhauled. This is what sailors would use for punishment "back in the day". They would tie a sailor to a rope that went under the boat and then throw them overboard and then pull them up on the other side. They would likely get scraped up on the keel and all the barnacles, etc. that were on the keel. If the boat had a deep keel and they pulled the rope slowly, they might drown before coming up to the other side. Pretty harsh punishment and one that was eventually abolished. When someone is not even keeled, or lacking that good foundation, it is tempting to want to have them keelhauled!

K-9

This one's for my husband, who had K words swirling around his head all night, and thought this was the best one. Our favorite K-9 is Lucy, also known as Lucy-fur the devil dog. She is now 8 1/2 years old and provides plenty of entertainment for us. She's definitely getting older with whiter paws and face all the time and seems to wear out sooner but she never turns down an opportunity to play ball. Her favorite spot is on the couch, preferably with some pillows and blankets to snuggle on. She seems a bit more neurotic these days, jumping up at any odd noise and nervous with all of us coming and going. What she'd like most for Christmas is to eat all of our food, especially the good smelling stuff. She definitely knows who is most likely to toss her a treat and who will take her for a walk and I think she knows what day it is - Thursdays mean Jeff is off and might walk her to the coffee shop, Saturday is time to play ball after morning chores are done, Tuesday is everyone out the door early and there is no need to get off the couch. She can sit, shake, lie down, and tilt her head cutely when you say certain words like walk, play ball, or squirrel. She's a good companion!