CastleLyons

Fish Again!

2009-07-12T15:26:00.003-05:00

We finally got a couple fish in the tank! It's been a long time since our ich disaster. We waited the full 10 weeks for the parasite to die off, but when our wait was over, the fish store didn't have the kind of fish we wanted. So we wound up waiting another couple weeks. The owners were in Fiji for several weeks, so a new order for fish didn't go in for some time. We stopped in today and learned they had gotten new fish in last Friday, but all the new fish were gone that same night. Seems everyone's been waiting long and were anxious to buy.

So we picked up these two darling Black & White Clownfish that they've had for some time, and that we've had our eye on. The price had come down, so that clinched it for us. We're naming them Rebo and Zootie, in memory of our last two Clownfish. Rebo is the one with the third white stripe at the base of the tail. Zootie has only two stripes.

Aren't they cute? I love their little orange faces. I think they'll lose the orange when they mature, though.

Marine Mayhem

2009-06-08T15:21:00.006-05:00

It's been a sad several weeks at our house. We lost all our fish to ich. Apparently a few people in the reefing community had the same thing happen at the same time. Don't know why.

Ich is a parasite that lives on wild-caught fish. Usually the fish have a slime coat that protects them. But if they get stressed, they shed their slime coat, then the ich burrows in. When one fish gets it, the parasite will breed, the eggs will drop off, then the larvae will swim about and look for a host. Eventually all the fish will get it.

When we realized what was happening with the two tangs we had gotten (tangs are notorious for developing ich), we followed the advice given by the experts at the store, but nothing worked. One by one, the fish died off. Spike was the last to go, being the hardiest of the fish that we had. He hung on, suffering, for several days before he succumbed. He died on April 12.

Spike, Rebo, Zootie...farewell. You were our favorites.

The tank has had nothing but invertebrates since then. Just starfish, shrimp, snails, and feather dusters. The shrimp have been entertaining at times, which is nice. With no fish to clean, they eagerly jump on our hands.

We decided to wait the full 10 weeks of the ich life cycle before reintroducing fish to the tank. Some people wait as little as 4 weeks, but since we're not very experienced, we're going the full 10 weeks. Meanwhile, the wait is allowing us to build up a good population of pods for the Mandarin Dragonet that we'll be getting to replace the one we lost (below).

Good-bye, Gollum.

The good news is, we're getting close to the date when we can put fish back in the tank...Father's Day! We've been stopping in at the store regularly and being introduced to some new varieties that are good, hardy species for beginners. We've decided to stay away from tangs from now on!

So now we're excited about starting up again. And we've taken the best precaution against ich...we've set up a quarantine tank (QT). It's just a little 10-gallon used to house newly purchased fish for observation before putting them in the main tank. It will also be used to house fish that develop any illness in the main tank. Not only will that keep the illness from spreading, it will allow us to treat only the sick fish and not the whole tank. Some treatments are lethal for invertebrates, so quarantine is necessary.

We'll definitely be getting another Foxface and naming him Spike II. We'll also be getting clownfish, but we've seen many different varieties at the store and aren't sure which to get. We like them all!

Most importantly, we'll be sticking with species known to be hardy and ich-resistant. No more tangs! (Except...well...the store just got in all these really little blue hippo tangs [Dory from "Finding Nemo"] and they are SO CUTE! Picture the below only 2 inches long.)

No! Stop it! No tangs!

Red Starfish

2009-05-14T09:37:00.004-05:00

Check out this strange phenomenon. Don't know what's happening to my red starfish. I'll have to ask my friends at The Seas forum.

ADDENDUM: Turns out no one at The Seas knew what was going on. One person thought the starfish was puking his guts out. That didn't seem to be it. It's been a week now and the little guy is doing just fine.

Easy Freezer Meals

2009-04-07T13:01:00.010-05:00

I like to have a nice lunch at work, but I don’t like paying the price of café meals. Some store-bought freezer meals are inexpensive, but they’re usually devoid of nutrition and taste. I love those Tai Pei frozen meals that come in a take-out type of box, but at $2.50 a box, that’s more than I want to spend each day for lunch.

So I decided to make my own healthy Asian frozen lunches. It was a fairly simple procedure with a minimum of cooking. Essentially all I cooked was rice and chicken, and also some instant noodles. In one setting I made a total of about 30 lunches.

I buy the rice, chicken breast, shrimp, and frozen vegies from Sam’s Club for further savings.

Here’s how I did it. Maybe the next time I do this, I’ll take photos and put them up here.

Items Needed:
Quart-sized zip-top freezer bags
10 cups dry white rice (or a combination of white and brown for added healthy benefits)
1 bag (10 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breast, thawed
1 bag (2 lb) frozen cooked shrimp (Keep frozen. Buy the ready-to-eat kind: already peeled, cleaned, and deveined)
4 packets (4.7 oz) Asian Sides® Teriyaki Noodles
2 large carrots
1 bag frozen peas (keep frozen)
1 bag frozen corn (keep frozen)
1 bag (4 lb) frozen Asian stir-fry vegies (with sauce packets)
Sesame seed oil
Olive oil (or other cooking oil)*
Any Asian sauce as desired (soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, stir-fry sauce, oyster sauce, etc.)
Other options: green onions (diced), Asian cabbage (chopped), celery (diced)

*Since sesame oil is expensive, I like to augment it with another healthy oil, such as olive.

Preparation:

Cook rice according to package directions. I do this in a large Dutch oven.

While rice is cooking, cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Begin stir-frying with sesame oil and olive oil. (I do this in a large electric skillet at 350-400 degrees.) Cook just until done. Add Asian sauce as desired.

While rice and chicken are cooking, cook 4 packets Instant Asian Teriyaki noodles according to package directions. I do this in a second Dutch oven.

While those are cooking, peel and shred two large carrots.

If adding green onions, celery, and/or Asian cabbage, you can lightly stir-fry them if desired. Cook only until tender-crisp.

When each item is done (rice, chicken, noodles), set aside to cool. This works best in large flat pans, such as cake pans.

If desired, stir-fry some of the cooked rice with sesame oil and olive oil. (I did half of the rice.) Add Asian sauce as desired. (I used a mixture of oyster sauce and Kikkoman's stir-fry sauce.)

Packaging:

When everything is cool, put the following in quart-size zip-top bags. (Amounts can vary. For my husband, I’ll pack in as much rice, chicken, and vegies as the bag will hold. For my own lunches, I like to keep it around 8-10 ounces.)

3 oz fried rice or Asian noodles
3 oz cooked chicken pieces / OR / 6 pieces frozen shrimp
4 oz vegies

OR

1 cup steamed rice
3-4 oz chicken pieces
Frozen Asian stir-fry vegies
Portion out the sauce that came with the vegies.
Add any other sauce as desired. Just pour a couple tablespoons into the bag.

Squeeze all the air out of the bags and zip shut. Lay flat on freezer shelves, preferably in a single layer. When frozen, rearrange the bags as desired.

To serve:
Partially open bag (to allow steam to escape) and lay on a plate or in a bowl.
Heat in microwave 4-5 min or until heated through. (Allow more cooking time for larger meals.)

Our New Aquarium: Post #13

2009-03-25T18:11:00.004-05:00

Here's a great shot of the mandarin goby. She's crazy with color! Green swirled with red, and blue on her fins. We haven't come up with a good name for her yet. NO, we will NOT name her Mandy. We're considering getting a male to keep her company. I've heard they'll mate in captivity. At the very least, they'll display toward one another. That could be fun.
I moved the coco worm and it's much happier now. Came right out and posed for this shot. It actually looks like it has two heads...see the two red blooms?

Our New Aquarium: Post #12

2009-03-24T18:34:00.010-05:00

Lots of new fish to talk about, and all thanks to having added that eco-system (see my previous post). Here is a power brown tang, named Tango. He's picking on our new coco worm. The coco worm is red, but he's in his tube cuz he doesn't like being picked on.
The tang family of fish is identified by a sharp razor-like bit at the base of the tail. You can see it clearly on Tango, although not so well in this photo. It's surrounded by the yellow splotch just in front of his tail. Tangs will flick this at you if they feel threatened, and those razors can cut you!

Next is a sailfin tang. Due to the color of his "striped pajamas," we named him PJ. In this photo you can get an idea of his size. Tango is about the same size as well. It's nice to have several larger fish now.

We couldn't resist this cute little honey damsel. We named him Pinky cuz he's so tiny. Here's a closeup, then another photo for perspective.

The last of the new fish is a mandarin goby. She's actually quite beautiful, with red, green, and blue all swirled about. It's hard to see since she found this nice hiding place. Yes, I know for sure that she's a female. Mandarin gobies eat only "pods," or copepods, miniscule arachnids that live in the live rock. Just to make sure we had enough of a population of pods, we bought a jar full and dumped them in the eco-system below the tank, where they can live in the cheato and be fruitful and multiply.

In addition to the coco worm, we got these three feather dusters. We got three because they were all stuck together. I like that they're different shades of brown. See Angel and a fire shrimp in the background?

I think we're just about done with new additions. There's just one more fish that we have our eye on--a blue hippo tang. (Remember Dory from "Finding Nemo"?) We'll probably be picking one up at the end of the week.

Our New Aquarium: Post #11

2009-03-24T18:19:00.008-05:00

We finally got our eco-system up and running. This is the high-falutin' filtration system, used by serious owners of saltwater tanks. The water flows out of the tank via this black overflow box, then is siphoned to the clear box on the back, and from there flows down a tube.
The tube takes it down to a tank under the aquarium. First it enters the section with the blue bio-balls. Those catch a lot of particles and need to be removed and cleaned on occasion. That might get to be old, so eventually we might replace them with live rock rubble.

The water then moves into the main chamber. This houses "miracle mud," live rock rubble, and an algae called cheato (CHAY-toe). Cheato looks and feels just like Easter grass.

Another cool thing about this system is that we can keep the heater down there, which you can see in the closeup below. It was so unsightly in the main tank.

The water continues into a third chamber, which you can't see--it's behind the center support beam. This section holds plain-old polyester fiberfill (quilt batting) and more bio-balls.
Lastly, the water goes into the fourth chamber, out to a pump, up a tube, and back into the aquarium. In the photo below, in the blurry darkness on the right, you can see a white pipe that comes up and around and connects to that bumpy black piece. Everything looks so calm and peaceful, you'd never know that the water is really rushing out of there.

The really amazing thing about this system is that the water travels at a rate of about 500 gallons PER HOUR! And it's only a 55-gallon tank!

Our New Aquarium: Post #10

2009-03-22T19:06:00.005-05:00

We got a couple new critters today. We've had our eye on these fire shrimp, and this weekend Planet Coral had them marked way down. Must have gotten a big shipment of them. So we got two. They're a nice bright red with a few white dots. They're not as gregarious as the cleaner shrimp. They prefer to hide under rocks but will come out during feeding time. This one found a great rock to hide under, and we can still see him!

The aquarium inhabitants are checking out the newcomer.

We also got a red starfish. I guess today was "red" day. This guy will add some nice color to the place.

He didn't waste any time but started climbing around on the rock right off. That's especially good after that long acclimation time he had. The guy at the store warned us that this guy needs a long time to acclimate. He showed us how to set up a drip line and said to let it take a couple hours. So it was good to see him move around so much as soon as he got in the tank.

Intermission

2009-03-07T14:44:00.005-06:00

After all the attention I've given to the saltwater fish, I thought I shouldn't leave Mr. Snerdley out. He's my betta fish. He's the last of five that were from my daughter's wedding. She had them inside vases for the centerpieces at the reception tables. Mr. Snerdley has lived almost two years since the wedding day. It's hard to believe that he was mostly white when we first got him.

And, of course, let's not leave out my bestest pets, Shama and Rhema. Here Shama's singing her greeting song. She's always so happy to see me, even if I've only been a few steps away. She lifts her nose and gives a happy little sing-song howl. Rhema will sing too, but not as often. She has a nice alto voice, so the two make good harmony.

Our New Aquarium: Post #9

2009-03-07T14:29:00.011-06:00

The mushrooms have really blossomed since we got the new lights. Is it right to use the word blossomed when you're talking about animals? I have to admit, I find it hard to think of these things as animals.

Check this out... a mushroom is growing inside this shell (to the right of the feather-duster worm).

The starfish really gets around. Here he is coming off a rock and heading toward a worm.

Then he crawled right over the worm. The worm didn't care for that too much...he shot up inside his tube.

More worms...

Our New Aquarium: Post #8

2009-03-07T14:03:00.013-06:00

Some rare shots of Scooby...although not so rare anymore. He's been coming out of his hole more often. If you look closely, you'll see some crabs in this first photo.

Scooby even ventures higher up and swims around the rocks and ship now and then.

Now here's a face only a mother could love...

Snuggled in his hideaway...

Our New Aquarium: Post #7

2009-02-24T18:10:00.016-06:00

More aquarium photos...

Here's Spike having a snack. Also see the feather-duster worms on the sand. The one immediately under Rebo is open, the one farther left is closed. Between them you'll see a white mound. That's a dead brain coral that we found on a beach in the Caribbean. The camera flash took away the shadows, so it's hard to see the ridges on it.

Peekaboo!
Angel's going through what my grandson calls "The Shrimp Wash":

This shrimp is busy on a mushroom:

This baby snail must have stowed away on one of the rocks we bought!

Another hitchhiker. This little guy on the glass is only 1/4-inch in diameter. He's some kind of starfish, and this is all the bigger he gets. We found several of these on some of the Fiji rock. In fact, those two light blobs behind him (one above, one below) on the rock are his cousins, I think.

Our New Aquarium: Post #6

2009-02-24T17:33:00.010-06:00

Miscellaneous aquarium photos...

Angel and Zootie:
Spike, Zootie, and Rebo:

Wow, got nearly everyone in this shot! Including a shrimp. (Scooby is missing, as usual.)

We used three pieces of Fiji rock to create lots of nooks and crannies for the fish. It accidentally turned into a nice apartment complex, with upper and lower units. Spike and Angel get along famously and make good neighbors.

Looks like a shrimp has come to visit in the apartment. Also see the clownfish in the background.

We picked up two of these feather-duster worms and just love them! They zip back into their tube when something comes near, then come out when they feel safe.

Starfish and feather-duster:

Our New Aquarium: Post #5

2009-02-24T17:19:00.004-06:00

Well, here's the big picture. We have a backdrop now, and we've installed new lights...a special kind that are best for fish and coral. (By "special" I mean "expensive.") We hooked the lights to a timer so the fish get a regular cycle of light and dark.

The light-colored rock on the left is from Tonga; the darker rock on the right is from Fiji. You can see the mushrooms on the Fiji rock.

We've upgraded our filtration system as well. Here's the basic setup, but we're not quite done yet.

The dirty water will come down into the left-most segment of the "eco-system," where we'll have put live rock rubble, then it flows into the large center segment. In that segment will be "Miracle Mud" and an algae called Cheato (CHAY-toe). The live rock begins the filtration, then the mud and algae really clean things up. From there the water flows into the right-hand segment and is pumped back up into the tank. Once we get everything in place, I'll put up another picture.

Many, MANY thanks to our son-in-law Chad, who worked several hours putting everything together for us! That includes shopping for all the plumbing hardware, measuring and cutting...we could never have done it without him.

Our New Aquarium: Post #4

2009-02-20T14:32:00.000-06:00

February 20th was my husband's birthday, so guess what he got? Another fish! (Oh, you guessed it.) Our daughter Monica and her husband Chad took us to Planet Coral so he could pick one out. In the end, the guy at the store gave us the fish for free and said, "Happy Birthday." Way cool! So Monica's going to have to take Tim shopping again so she can actually buy him a fish.

The new guy is a Coral Beauty Angelfish. We haven't decided on a name for him yet, so we're calling him Angel for now. Isn't he pretty?I gave Tim a piece of live rock with plants growing from it. This is a really neat, bubbly kind of plant. It's actually a type of algae called caulerpa.
Turns out Spike likes to eat the caulerpa, and he's a pig, so I don't know how long the plant will last. But it looks pretty in the aquarium.

Somewhere along the way we had also picked up some coral. Here's a picture of one.

Our New Aquarium: Post #3

2009-02-10T14:12:00.000-06:00

It was hard to wait a full two weeks after adding those last three fish, so we added another after only ten days. It's a diamond gobe, who's into sand sifting. He scoops up sand, cleans the algae from it, then it comes out through his gills. We appropriately named him Scooby.

Scooby immediately got to work building himself a home. He likes the ship, apparently, and scooped out a section under the bow. Here he is digging out rocks (crushed coral) from under the ship...

...and spitting it back out into a neat pile.

By the time he was done, he didn't have just a pile...he built an entire fort! On the next photo, I've marked the perimeter and the entryway so you can see it better.
After that, we didn't see him for a whole day or more. We hardly ever see him...he's even more skittish than Spike.

Speaking of Spike, he rarely gets moody anymore. He even eats from our hand! I'll get a picture of that later.

And speaking of the ship...nuts to all you reefers who don't like fake objects in an aquarium. All our fish love it! The shrimp have made it their home, and the fish swim through for a cleaning now and then. The fish will also hide there when spooked.

Our New Aquarium: Post #2

2009-02-10T13:55:00.000-06:00

The tank is clean! That means it's time for fish. Here again, you're supposed to start slow and add fish only gradually. We started with a couple hardy varieties: two small clownfish and a foxface.
We named the foxface Spike because when he's upset, he'll spike out his fins. Don't touch...they're venomous!Foxface are moody critters...they get upset easily. Not only do they spike their fins, they change color and find a place to hide and pout. Here's Spike during one of his moody times.

The original names we had given the clownfish were too multi-syllabic, so we decided to change them. Now we call them Rebo and Zootie. (Only B5 fans will understand the reference. Zoot! Zoot!)
We also added more live rock. At this point in the game, we have to make sure to buy rock that's already been cycled. Otherwise it'll put too much ammonia in the system while it's cycling...and that's bad.

The new live rock has mushrooms on it. Mushrooms are sort of like anemones...actually somewhere between anemones and coral. Here you can see the starfish making his way around the mushroom rock.

Our New Aquarium: Post #1

2009-02-01T13:30:00.000-06:00

We finally did it! For years we've been talking about starting a saltwater aquarium, and now we've taken the plunge! Although keeping a marine aquarium is a lot easier nowadays than in the past, we're finding it's still rather difficult, with a lot of work and expense. But the rewards are great. We're very much enjoying the view. Sometimes we even pull the couch up and just sit and watch it.
As you can see, we started out rather bleak...didn't even have a backdrop until recently. Just a large piece of live rock and a sunken ship. Oh, and some live sand on the bottom. Live rock is actually dead coral that contains bacteria natural to the oceans. The bacteria in the live rock and sand are natural filters for the aquarium. It's the live rock that make saltwater aquariums easier than in the past. This particular piece is from Tonga.

We purchase the saltwater already mixed. Our favorite store here in Springfield is Planet Coral. The people there have been very helpful to us newbies.

Anyway, we put in the live rock and live sand and waited for the water to balance. One thing they tell you about saltwater aquariums...you have to be patient. It took over two weeks before the water was properly balanced. You can tell because it starts to grow algae. See the brown slime on the top of the rock? That's the stuff we were waiting for.Once the tank has cycled, you can add the clean-up crew: snails, crabs, and cleaner shrimp. We also got a sand-sifting starfish.
The cleaner shrimp are loads of fun! They keep very busy all the time, and they'll even clean your hand. Here my granddaughter is having her hand cleaned. Their feet tickle, and their pincers feel like pin-pricks.

Now we have to wait until the critters have the place all cleaned up before we can add fish.

Finding God in The Lord of the Rings

2008-11-26T08:00:00.005-06:00

Any fan of Tolkien who has read The Silmarillion knows without a doubt that the story is a mythical retelling of the biblical Creation and Fall. Less apparent is the existence of Christian theology within The Lord of the Rings. Most people today are more familiar with the movies than with the books. While the movies did a fair job of bringing Tolkien’s work to the big screen, fans of the movies are often hard-pressed to recognize the Christian truths hidden there. This article is meant to identify some of those truths and hopefully help you understand a little more about the God behind the myth.

Myth, as Tolkien understood it, was more about reality than is journalism. Both Tolkien and C.S. Lewis believed that a regular reading of The London Times would make a person lose sight of reality. They believed that if one would truly understand reality, he should first understand myth.

Christ

One of the biggest arguments against the idea that Christian truths are inherent in The Lord of the Rings is the fact that there is no central Christ figure, nor a central God figure. Yet Tolkien himself said, "Of course God is present in the stories. He the one who is always present and never named."

Tolkien did include many symbolisms of the Persons of the Trinity. The best picture of Christ can be found in three central characters: Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn. Each of these characters embodies one part of the threefold nature of Christ: prophet, priest, and king.

As prophet, Gandalf helps the others understand the path they must walk. He guides people, he sees things that others do not, and he acts as a servant to the people. His greatest virtue is pity; his greatest act is self-sacrifice.

"I will raise up for them a prophet like you from
among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account." (Deuteronomy 18:18-19)

As priest, Frodo is the image of the suffering servant. Out of his love for the Shire (representing Christ’s love for the world), he carries a burden to the heart of hell. As Jesus carried our sins to the cross, so Frodo carries the Ring—the embodiment of sin—to its destruction.

Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. (Hebrews 5:1)

Only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, wich he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
(Hebrews 9:7)

As king, Aragorn is a strong Christ motif. He had the kingly pedigree, as did Christ. He embarks on a quest to win Arwen’s hand, as Christ’s goal was to win the Church as His bride. He is a healer—only in the coming of Aragorn does any hope exist for the healing of Faramir, Eöwyn, and the entire city after the final battle. His greatest virtue is humility, which is most apparent when he is about to be crowned. He gives his crown back to Faramir to give to Frodo to give to Gandalf to place on his head, thus giving glory to those who helped him.

"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" (Luke 19:38)

Sin

The Ring is the embodiment of evil. Elrond says as much at the council in Rivendell: "We cannot use the Ring … it is altogether evil."

Tolkien took the concept that sin is destructive and displayed this in the effects that the Ring has on the one who carries it. Over time, the Ring had totally corrupted Smeagol (Gollum). Its power gradually overcomes Frodo, who nearly succumbs to destruction at the very end.

In Tolkien’s mind, there is no way to use a tool of the enemy without ultimately becoming like the enemy. That is why characters like Aragorn and Galadriel would not dare to take the Ring from Frodo. They knew the Ring’s power would corrupt them. As Tolkien once said, "Any use of the devices of the enemy, even for good ends, is the idea of the Ring."

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. (Romans 7:11)

The True Hero

To me, Sam is the true hero of the story. His role is like that of the beloved disciple, and yet he can also be seen as another Christ figure. When Frodo can go no further, Sam takes Frodo upon his own shoulders and carries him the last steps of their quest. The weaker Frodo becomes, the stronger Sam becomes.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. (1 Corinthians 1:27)

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ¨. NIV¨. COPYRIGHT © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society¨. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Creative Beings

2008-11-15T08:48:00.000-06:00

Mankind is unique among the creatures of the earth. We are creative beings: we build, we draw, we paint, we write. And why wouldn’t we? We are made in the image of the ultimate Creative Being.

God thought up wondrous things and spoke them into being. On this planet we see a great variety of flowers, birds, fish, mammals, and more. The variety of life forms on earth were limited only by God’s imagination.

So we too, as creative beings, are limited only by our imagination. Nowhere is this more evident than in the writings of fantasy authors. Within the pages of fantasy we find elves and oliphants, dwarves and dragons, boggarts and balrogs, fauns and fairies, and even more fantastical but less-known creatures, all spawned by the imagination of the author.

This brings me to a question. If we write about creatures that exist only in our imaginations, does that make our writings any less valuable than true-to-life novels? If your answer is "Yes," I am interested in hearing your reasons.

I would also like to pose a scenario. Think about the sea creatures and birds that God created on the fifth day. Come the morning of the sixth day, they woke up to find some new creatures walking around on land. This was unheard of the day before! I can just imagine the birds saying, "The only creatures on earth are those that swim in the sea or fly in the air. What are these things walking around on four legs on the land? These are fantastical creatures indeed!"

And yet, God’s imagination had only begun expressing itself. His crowning creation—man—was yet to rise from the dust. "What now is this?" the birds ask. "What is this thing walking around on two legs, with no feathers and no fur? What? He is to rule over us? How can this be? He wasn’t created on the fifth day. He isn’t one of us."

I hope you agree that this sounds quite ridiculous. God did not intend to stop creating when evening fell on the fifth day. I wonder how many different, "fantastical" beings He might have created if He did not stop after day six.

The fact is that He did choose to stop there. But He has placed His creative spirit within each of us, and we carry on the business of creating in innumerable ways.

Writers of fantasy step outside the borders of what is considered normal. They dream up beings and worlds and physical forces that do not exist in this world at this time. But who is to say that such beings, worlds, and forces will not exist at some time in the future? Perhaps on the "sixth day" of our future, we will see things we did not expect.

The Nicodemus Family in History

2008-11-04T09:06:00.002-06:00

Hats off to my father, Donald E. Nicodemus, who spent long hours putting together a detailed family geneology, gathering info from many other dedicated Nicodemuses. Here are just a few interesting tidbits.

Origin of the Name

According to one Nicodemus researcher, "Circumstantial factors lead to the belief that Nicodemus genealogy originated in ancient Greece." The Greek meaning of the name is "leader of the people" (nico = leader or victor; demo = people [root for words such as democracy and demographic]).

The name was prevalent in ancient Greece and used for cities such as Nicomedia (known today as Izmit), which was ruled by a man named Nicomedes from 278 to 250 B.C. Nicomedia later became the seat of the Roman Empire under Diocletian (early 4th century).

People of differing ethnic origins often adopted names of eminent Greek families. The Hebrew Pharisee who questioned Jesus in the Book of John very likely adopted the name in this manner.

The move of Greco-Roman culture into Europe brought the Nicodemus line northward, particularly into Germany and Britain. The name underwent some spelling variations, depending on the region where the family lived. Nichodemus was used in Britain and persisted well into the 19th century. At least two variations appeared in Germany—Nickodemus and Nikodemus—purportedly because there were so many Nicodemus families that the postal service had difficulty sorting the mail. The short form of "Demus" has also been found to be an offshoot of "Nicodemus."

Origin of the Line of Nicodemus in America

One dedicated man, Fritz Otto Nicodemus (1905-1980), discovered records of two lines of Nicodemuses in the neighboring towns of Herborn and Medenbach, Germany. The first Nicodemus to emigrate to America was Johann Henrich Nicodemus of Medenbach, in 1751. He was followed by his father (Johann Adam), and three brothers (Johann Frederick, Johann Conrad, Johann Adam). It is quite possible that most, if not all, persons in North America with the name Nicodemus descend from this family.

Frederick Nicodemus is listed in the Archives of Maryland as a lieutenant during the Revolutionary War. He served in Captain Daniel Clapsaddle's Maryland Militia Company. I come from his line, as follows:

Frederick's first child was Conrad (Johannes Conrath), who was the first Nicodemus born in America (1755) and the first to begin migrating westward (in 1788).

The ninth child born to Conrad was George Nicodemus (1799).

The twelfth child born to George was Samuel S. Nicodemus (1840).

The first child of Samuel S. was John Stoner Nicodemus (1882).

The second child of John Stoner was John Chalmer Nicodemus (1906).

The sixth child of John Chalmer was Donald Eugene Nicodemus (1934).

The second child of Donald Eugene was Lisa Joy Nicodemus (1957). That's me!

Interesting Stories

Runaway Rescue

In 1829, John H. Nicodemus (an older brother of my ancestor George) along with his wife Mary (nee Hay) learned of a seven-year-old runaway slave named Emily Smith. Always interested in the welfare of others, John brought Emily to his home. Many attempts were made by others to recapture Emily, but after some years the attempts were abandoned and she could go about safely. For seventy years she was a faithful servant in a good home.

Mary Hay Nicodemus had stated in her will that Emily was to continue to live in the Nicodemus Farm Homestead with all of the belongings of the Nicodemus household until her demise. Emily lingered only a few years after the passing of Mary, whom she called "Grandmother Nicodemus."

Indian Lawman

Thomas Frank Nicodemus (a nephew of my ancestor Frederick), was an Indian lawman in Tennessee in the mid-1800s. After his death, his wife Sarah (Taylor) married an Indian and moved to Oklahoma. "Frank," as he was known, is buried where he resided, in Tahlequah, Indian Territory.

West Point, Custer, Lee, and Lincoln

In 1852, William Joseph Leonard Nicodemus (nephew of my ancestor George) applied for an appointment to West Point. The appointment came in the form of a letter written by a Maryland representative to then U.S. Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis (later president of the Confederate States of America).

The superintendant of West Point at that time was Robert E. Lee. One of William's classmates was George Armstrong Custer.

William received several demerits during his first two months at West Point for minor infractions such as: losing step at drill, inattention at parade, late at inspection, and laughing in ranks.

Despite the minor infractions, William did graduate from West Point in 1858. He received a promotion "for gallant and meritorious service" at the Battle of Valverde, New Mexico, in 1862. Also serving at that battle was Colonel "Kit" Carson.

Later that same year, William was promoted to colonel—a big step but not uncommon during the Civil War. However, shortly after his promotion he resigned his position and reverted to his rank of captain. It's possible that this decision was made due to the dismissal of General George McClellan by President Abraham Lincoln. Other officers in the regiment resigned at the same time.

The following year, William was appointed as commander of the Signal Corps. Due to his criticism of certain West Point authorities, he was removed from that position, but on March 31, 1865, he was reappointed to the position by order of President Lincoln, just 15 days before Lincoln was assassinated.

Unrelated Trivia (pun intended)

A historical town in Kansas that goes by the name Nicodemus was founded by a white man, W.R. Hill, who wanted to set up an all-black community. In June 1877, the first settler arrived—Rev. Simon Roundtree.

Roundtree sent out a circular inviting all black people to come live in the "Great Solomon Valley of western Kansas" (see image at right). The colony was named after a legendary slave who was believed to be a prophet.

Today the town is the only all African-American community in the state of Kansas.

How to Create a Coat of Arms: Part 7

2008-10-31T08:00:00.001-05:00

This segment will conclude my postings on How to Create a Coat of Arms.

Step 7: The Blazon of Arms

The blazon of arms is the written description of the image, described in such a manner that an accurate drawing may be made. This must follow a particular order. The blazon had to be precise because it would be given to an artist to create the coat of arms. The blazon would help the artist understand exactly what was required.

For the instructions that follow, I will use the Lyons family coat of arms as an example. For more detailed instructions on creating your own blazon of arms, here are a couple good websites to visit:
The Basics of Blazonry
Master Bruce's Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Blazon

First, the color of the shield is given. Thus a blazon would begin with one word to describe the color, such as Sable (black).

Next would come the divisions of the shield, if there are any, and what color they are.
Sable, a chevron ermine.

Following the divisions would be the primary charges and their colors. The specific position of the charges follows the color.
Sable, a chevron ermine between three lions argent langued gules, sejant guardant.
(Langued gules = tongue and claws in red.)

Then secondary charges are listed, along with their colors and position.
Over the chevron, a label gules.

If the coat of arms includes a crest, that would follow.
For the crest, a demi lion ermine rampant maintaining a cross-crosslet fitchee.
(Demi = partial. Ermine = fur: black ermine spot on white. Maintaining = holding in a non-threatening manner. Cross-crosslet fitchee = the specific type of cross used.)

Thus my husband's blazon of arms would read:
Sable, a chevron ermine between three lions argent langued gules, sejant guardant. Over the chevron, a label gules. For the crest, a demi lion ermine rampant maintaining a cross-crosslet fitchee. For the motto: Vertute et fidelitate.

I hope you've had some fun creating your own coat of arms. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like some assistance.

How to Create a Coat of Arms: Part 6

2008-10-28T08:00:00.002-05:00

Step 6: Motto

In antiquity, a family might have had a motto. Not all families had mottoes, and they are certainly not required. A motto is a short phrase that represents you, your beliefs, or your goals. Many ancient mottoes were war cries, but some expressed hope, courage, or another sentiment. Mottoes are not held to any rules, so feel free to create your own. These can be written in any language. Latin was common but not required.

A few examples are provided here—some inspirational, some whimsical.

Listen, and walk on.
Never behind.
Beauty is a flower, fame a breath.
Christ's death is to me the death of death.
Either death or honourable life.
Fear shame.
Strong both in faith and war.
The brave always show mercy.
Without God, castles are nothing.
Thou may'st break, but shalt not bend me.
Act your office.
Arms cause laws to be respected.
I am willing but unable.
Good and handsome enough.
Dare to be wise, begin at once.
It does not shame me to have played, but that I have not left off playing.
Mediocrity is safe.
Neither swiftly nor slowly.
This hand is hostile to tyrants.
Trust, but in whom take care.
Sink him in the sea, he comes out fairer.
Faithful to my unhappy country.

A motto should be placed on a scroll either above or below the shield. The placement of the motto, the type of scroll it’s on, and the typestyle are left to your discretion.

Scrolls

There are many different scrolls, or banners, to choose from, or you can create your own. A scroll would be used not only for a motto but also for the family name. You can put the name above the coat of arms and the motto below, or vice versa. The scrolls used for the name and the motto should complement one another.

Here are a few examples of scrolls:

I've repeated two complete coats of arms here so that you can see examples of scrolls and mottoes:

How to Create a Coat of Arms: Part 5

2008-10-25T08:00:00.002-05:00

Step 5: Finishing Touches

Once you have chosen your charges (symbols or emblems) and placed them on the appropriate color shield, your shield is done and you’re ready to place the finishing touches. These finishing touches could take as much time and effort as the components of the shield.

The finishing touches include the helmet, mantle, crest, motto, and blazon. In this posting, we’ll talk about the helmet, mantle, and crest.

For the helmet and mantle, a great deal of flexibility is granted. What this means is that if you have a historical coat of arms for your family name, you are not bound to keep the same helmet or mantle design. So feel free to adopt or design a helmet and/or mantle that best suits you. Or you can leave them off. A helmet and mantle are not a necessary part of the coat of arms.

Helmet

Many helmet types exist, or you could create your own. A few examples are shown below. The only real rule here is that the helmet should face toward the dexter side.

In some marshalled arms (combination of husband and wife), there are two helmets, which face each other, like this one that I created for my daughter and her husband (left).

Also note the red label (mark of cadence for the firstborn) on the Gallinger quarters, and the red cresent (mark of cadence for the second-born) on the Lyons quarters. (Marks of cadence can be any of the traditional colors. My daughter chose red [gules].)

You'll also see that the husband's name comes first on the banner (my daughter being a Lyons). This is because the husband's coat appears on the dexter side of the shield (quarter 1), having the dominant position. So I placed his crest and name above quarter 1.

Mantle

The mantle is a representation of the owner’s cloak. In antiquity, the family arms were depicted on the cloak, or coat, thus the term “coat of arms.” In early designs, the mantle appeared as a cloak draped around the shield. Later on, intricate leafy patterns were used. Whatever style you choose, you’ll want to use colors that are complementary to your shield. In the Gallinger-Lyons coat shown here, note the red and white leafy arrangement around the shield.

Crest

The term “crest” properly applies to the charge (symbol or emblem) that is placed above the helmet. Often you’ll hear the term “crest” being applied to the entire coat of arms. This is actually a misnomer that has come into popular usage.

Many families do not have a crest on their coats of arms. You may choose to use one or not, as you desire.

The crest can come out of the helmet, in which case you may want to place a “torse” on the top of the helmet. This is like a braided headband. Again, choose colors for the torse that will complement the shield. Typically, only one or two colors are used on a torse.

For examples of crests with torses, see the Gallinger-Lyons coat of arms above. The stag actually belongs to my son-in-law's mother's coat of arms. Here I took a bit of liberty, seeing as the mother's coat of arms placed the stag on the shield, not as a crest. I had left this up to my daughter's discretion, and this is what she chose.

2008-10-23T14:17:00.003-05:00

Here's the coat of arms I just created for someone who responded to this blog. I've made it into a bookplate.