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the ger is referred to as uyangiin ger or the “ home of lyrics ” or “ home of melodies ”. In other parts of central Asia , the crown represents similar aspects of life that it has been adopted into daily routine , so much so that in Kyrgyzstan it has become the national flag .
In many cultures of central Asia , the crown has come to also represent the heritage of a family in providing strength through lineage . The condition of the crown reminds of the history of the family , never to be repaired , always stained through the use of a lifetime , it is passed on from father to son , and so on .
As the morning dawned it occurred that the rain had ceased
during the night . I pulled back on a small rope held to one of the middle supporting poles and released the covering over the crown , a pale blue sky welcomed the day . I looked through the crown and the eternal blue looked back .
The small stove crackled warmth into my home , a mysterious shadow in the night had kept the fire stoked . Extremely thankful as I opened the wooden door , and a rush of biting frigid air enveloped me . Maybe Lake Khövsköl was beginning its transition to a frozen plain a little earlier this year .
Retreating to my bed , just one more hour I thought , and looked upward into the eternal blue wondering how such a vast lake could freeze so much as to allow transport of heavy trucks as a means of a shortcut north .
Thankful that my bed was snug , my ger dry , and my stove warm I knew I was well rested and ready to take on a new day of riding across the plains or mountain trails . And at the end of the day , I knew I would have a home on the steppe . MG
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