this is a link to cmt and another Jamey video...

I am posting this link for two people...


one is my Grandson Austyn, who is a left handed guitar player... please watch the guitarist on this video.. he is one of the best in the industry.. electric or acoustic... ...

the other I post for will know who.. when they listen to the words...

might do one more.. if I can find it...

Jamey Johnson won three grammy nominations for his lonesome song cd. all are written from his life's experiences... and you can feel them along with him... he is truly a great song writer, and has written these along with some other greats in the business... please buy the cd and give it a listen, even it you don't like country, I think you will come to respect this artist and his lyrics..

Give it away-Jamey

another ... this song describes him to a tee... as I know the history... and the photo is close to his look today...

Whether or not you like country... this Jamey is AWESOME songwriter... Please, listen to each word.. he is a tunesmith...

Unleash Your Greatest Potential

Tony Robbins has coached U.S. presidents and Fortune 500 CEOs to unleash their greatest potential. Here he shows YOU how:

1. Raise Your Standards
"Raising your standards turns your shoulds into musts. Everyone has a list of shoulds: 'I should spend more time with my kids. I should lose some weight.' People don't actually change. They just end up 'shoulding' all over themselves. Convert 'shoulds' into 'musts' and your entire life changes."

2. Change Your Limiting Beliefs
"Sometimes your goal is crystal clear but you find yourself failing to act, pulling back or sabotaging yourself. You have inner conflicts based in fear or doubt. Unless you uncover your inner conflicts, they will cause you to fail. When you align your inner beliefs with your goals, you can tap into your fullest potential."

3. Model Strategies That Work
"Success leaves clues. Model someone who is already achieving what you want." It could be a great business, relationship or a fit body. Remember, they aren't lucky; they have strategies that work.

4. Intensify Your Emotions
"It's inevitable that life will hit us with a crushing blow. If you face it head on, it will give you the muscle of life—psychological strength." View it as a gift and find a way to use it. (Think Lance Armstrong.)

5. Give Much More Than You Expect to Receive
The meaning of our lives is shaped by what we give, not what we get. Live every day to give something of value to those around you. You will experience a life of meaning and joy.

River, Tahlequah
In the Oklahoma Ozarks, fall foliage lines the Illinois River—Oklahoma’s best-known scenic river.

I think one of the worst advertisements I have seen this year is....

the Chevy advertisement .... solid like a rock, a Oklahoma Rose Rock??? gosh, what were they thinking

solid like an Oklahoma "rose" rock??? hahaha...

sandstone.... breaks easily... wears away with water... etc.. 

and this is the same company that just introduced the new model of Hummer....   wowow... no wonder GM is in real trouble....  could be lack of brain power ... haha

now let me be the first to say... Chevy trucks are the absolute best for ride... the best by a country mile... but to compare something, one might need to do their homework.. haha....

and then the worst branding of the year.... 

can you image the brain power that went into naming the OKC Thunder??  I mean thunder???  having lived my life in "tornado alley"... OK, one learns early in life that in thunder there is NO harm, Nothing to worry about, nothing happens from thunder... it is all noise and no damage... it is all noise.. all bark and NO bite...   so some real brain power was a work naming this newest team in the NBA. How embarrassing to have a team named thunder... wow.. would you want to play on a team named thunder.. to take this a step further... have you ever heard of a sports team named thunder, besides roller derby?  A high school or college team named thunder.. I don't think so.. because no one wants to name their team after something that does NO damage.. haha...  ok... gee I am scared here comes the thunder... haha.. yeah right.. we teach our kids this from early in life, thunder will not hurt you....    etc...   

so hats off to the OKC THUNDER, all bark and no bite... and CHEVY TRUCKS, solid... like an Oklahoma ROSE rock.... wow.... 

Think there has been no worse brand name this pass year, and also no worse comparison... !

but then this is my opinion..  would you care to share yours??  

From Heather regarding Madison Ann and Andrew Paul's Christmas party...

Hi there just wanted to let everyone know that on Sunday 14th at the fairgrounds will be the kids daycare annual Christmas party from 2-4 come and go.  They will be having a small dance recital for all the girls that take dance at 3 this will just be the girls that take dance at daycare not the whole group from what I gather, will be fairly short I am sure but we wanted to extend the invite to those that would like to drop in and watch. She should have another one in the Spring of next year.

 

There will be Santa there also for pictures  :)

Final BCS Standings Released at 6:20 on the OT show on FOX 25

Final BCS Standings Released at 5:20 8:12 AM Sun, Dec 07, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)  Posted by: Dan Weber

The BCS and the Fox Network have pushed back the release of the final BCS standings and bowl matchups from 5 p.m. to 5:20 on the BCS Selection Show today.

By then, after the release of the USA Today/Coaches Poll and the Harris Interacrive Poll, you should have been able to figure out if it's, as expected, Oklahoma vs. Florida in the championship game.

ESPNU Allstate Standings (Fan poll)

1. Oklahoma 12-1

2. Florida 12-1

3. Alabama 12-1

4. Texas 11-1

5. USC 11-1

6. Penn State 11-1

7. Texas Tech 11-1

8. Utah 12-0

9. Ohio State 10-2

10. Boise State 12-0

11. Oklahoma State 9-3

12. TCU 10-2

13. Cincinnati 11-2

14. Georgia Tech 9-3

15. Oregon 9-3

16. Georgia 9-3

17. Brigham Young 10-2

18. Pittsburgh 9-3

19. Mississippi 8-4

20. Michigan State 9-3

21. Virginia Tech 9-4

22. Missouri 9-4

23. Ball State 12-1

24. Oregon State 8-4

25. Northwestern 9-3

USA Today Poll

1. Oklahoma (31) 12-1 1,482

2. Florida (26) 12-1 1,481

3. Texas (4) 11-1 1,408

4. USC 11-1 1,309

4. Alabama 12-1 1,309

6. Penn State 11-1 1,193

7. Utah 12-0 1,134

8. Texas Tech 11-1 1,132

9. Boise State 12-0 1,034

10. Ohio State 10-2 1,004

11. TCU 10-2 877

12. Cincinnati 11-2 830

13. Oregon 9-3 747

14. Oklahoma State 9-3 722

15. Georgia Tech 9-3 690

16. Brigham Young 10-2 541

17. Georgia 9-3 537

18. Michigan State 9-3 466

19. Virginia Tech 9-4 337

20. Northwestern 9-3 334

21. Pittsburgh 9-3 316

22. Ball State 12-1 219

23. Missouri 9-4 218

24. Mississippi 8-4 160

25. Oregon State 8-4 131

AP Top 25

1. Florida (50) 12-1 1,602

2. Oklahoma (9) 12-1 1,540

3. Texas (6) 11-1 1,530

4. Alabama 12-1 1,410

5. USC 11-1 1,372

6. Penn State 11-1 1,259

7. Utah 12-0 1,225

8. Texas Tech 11-1 1,193

9. Boise State 12-0 1,101

10. Ohio State 10-2 1,069

11. TCU 10-2 921

12. Cincinnati 11-2 863

13. Oklahoma State 9-3 853

14. Georgia Tech 9-3 761

15. Oregon 9-3 710

16. Georgia 9-3 599

17. Brigham Young 10-2 477

18. Pittsburgh 9-3 428

19. Michigan State 9-3 423

20. Mississippi 8-4 389

21. Virginia Tech 9-4 318

22. Northwestern 9-3 262

23. Ball State 12-1 249

24. Oregon State 8-4 163

25. Missouri 9-4 150

Canyon, Madge
Canyons surprise the eye in Oklahoma. This one in Harmon County was formed in part by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River, which runs through the tip of southwestern Oklahoma.

Santa Claus Bank Robbery

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Santa Claus Bank Robbery

The image that helped launch one of the biggest manhunts in Texas history.

The Santa Claus Bank Robbery occurred on December 23, 1927 in the Central Texas town of Cisco. Marshall Ratliff, dressed as Santa Claus, along with Henry Helms and Robert Hill, all ex-cons, and Louis Davis, a relative of Helms, held up the First National Bank in Cisco. It is one of Texas' most infamous crimes, having invoked the largest manhunt ever seen in the state, as well as a good laugh. Eyewitness, Boyce House, wrote that this was "the most spectacular crime in the history of the Southwest ... surpassing any in which Billy the Kid or the James boys had ever figured."

Marshall Ratliff was an ex-con who had lived in Cisco before being tracked down and imprisoned for a bank robbery in Valera, Texas by Cisco Chief of Police, G.E. "Bit" Bedford. Though Ratliff was given a long prison sentence, he had been paroled just before the infamous bank robbery. He initially planned to rob the Cisco bank with his brother, Lee, however Lee had been arrested again. Ratliff pulled in Helms and Hill, whom he knew from Huntsville, and a fourth man who was good with safes. As they planned the crime in Wichita Falls, the safe-cracker came down with the flu, and the trio pulled in Davis, a relative of Helms and a family man in need, promising a large return for his participation. During this period in Texas three or four banks were being robbed every day, and in response the Texas Bankers Association had offered a $5,000 reward to anyone shooting a bank robber during the crime. In addition, Ratliff knew that he would be immediately recognized if he returned to Cisco. This made the heist a particularly dangerous undertaking for the four men, so Ratliff decided to conceal his identity by disguising himself as Santa Claus. Such a disguise would also allay any suspicions by people in the bank. Stealing a car in Wichita Falls, they headed for Cisco and arrived on the morning of December 23.

As the group neared the bank, Ratliff donned a Santa Claus suit he had borrowed from Mrs. Midge Tellet, who ran the boarding house where they had been staying in Wichita Falls. They let Ratliff out several blocks from the bank. Ratliff, dressed as Santa, was smiling as he came along Main Street, stopping to chat with eager children, answering their questions and patting them on the head. The main street of Cisco was crowded with people going about their daily activities. The town had the normal decorations for the season. Everyone was in the Christmas spirit, so no one thought it odd when Santa came walking down the street around noon, one day before Christmas eve. Still followed by children attracted to "Santa," Ratliff joined the other three in an alley and led the way to the bank. Some of the happy children who had followed Santa continued into the Bank after him.

Once inside, Ratliff received a pleasant greeting of "Hello, Santa," from the cashier. He did not respond, but walked to a desk in the middle of the lobby, where bank customers wrote out their deposit slips. A few customers were already at the teller's window making their deposits. The cashier again called out, "Hello, Santa." Again, no response.

Right about at this point, Ratliff's accomplice, Robert Hill, entered the Bank, pointed a pistol at the cashier, and snarled, "Hands up!!"

The second bandit, Henry Helms, also entered brandishing a gun, followed by the third armed man, Davis.

Ratliff pushed through a swinging door, past the cashier's desk, went into the cashier's cage, opened a drawer under the counter, and removed a pistol from that location, stuffing it under his red Santa suit. Now there were four armed men, including "Santa Claus".

"Santa" ordered the assistant cashier to open the safe, and began stuffing money and bonds into a sack he had hidden beneath his costume. While the others covered the customers and employees, Ratliff grabbed money from the tellers and forced one to open the vault.

Unseen by the four robbers, bank patron Mrs. B. P. Blassengame and her six year old daughter, Frances, entered the bank in hopes of seeing Santa, not knowing a holdup was in progress. Immediately realizing the danger, Mrs. Blassengame charged her way with her daughter through the bookkeeping office of the bank, announcing "They are robbing the bank," as she reached for the door to the alley. She quickly unlocked the door, thrusting her daughter out into the alley while yelling at her to run and, despite warnings from the robbers that they would shoot, escaping herself. She screamed for help as she ran the one block to City Hall and the police department, alerting Chief of Police G. E. (Bit) Bedford and most of the Cisco citizenry about the robbery.

According to eyewitness Boyce House, "Police Chief G.E. "Bit" Bedford [was] a giant of a man and a veteran peace officer." Seizing a riot gun, he started for the scene and instructed officers R.T. Redies and George Carmichael to cover the back door of the bank. The chief posted himself at the alley, which ran alongside the bank and opened at the bank's front on Main Street, while Officer Carmichael took a position near another alley which ran behind the bank and intersected the first.

Meanwhile, inside the bank, one of the men, with an automatic in each hand, growled at the bookkeeper, "Don't look at me!" By this time, "Santa Claus" had filled his sack and exited the vault.

It is uncertain who fired the first shot. Some sources state Ratliff, dressed as Santa, fired first, the bullet striking the bank's plate glass window, possibly to signal unseen accomplices that the robbery had been accomplished. Other sources say that Hill, seeing someone outside, fired a shot through the window, and a shot was returned, prompting Hill to fire several more shots into the ceiling to show that they were armed.

Immediately, Bedford and Carmichael directed cross fire at the side door and the two-gunned robber fired back, first at Carmichael and then at Bedford.

A fusillade of gunfire began, as many citizens who owned guns were now outside the bank, and many more had rushed to hardware stores for pistols and rifles. The Assistant Postmaster and the Postmaster were two of the citizens that took up arms against the robbers. They opened fire, and a rifle bullet struck one of the fugitives in the arm and "spun him around." A bullet also struck a cashier in the jaw, another struck a bank customer in the leg. One customer made a run for it and was able to tell Bedford and Carmichael about the hostages. The robbers forced all of the people in the bank out the door and towards their blue sedan. Several of these hostages were wounded as they emerged into the alley, including Alex Spears, the bank president. Most of the customers escaped; however the robbers kept as hostages two little girls, Laverne Comer (12) and Emma May Robertson (10). Using the girls as shields, the four made their way into the alley their getaway car.

More than a hundred shots had already been fired before the shootout in the alley where the robbers returned to their getaway car. In the alley, Chief Bedford and Deputy George Carmichael were mortally wounded; Officer Carmichael found himself reeling from a bullet that had been fired from one of the robbers guns. Officer Redies, who had witnessed his partner being shot, went to him to assist in any way he could. As Redies dodged the robbers' gunfire, the four made their way to the getaway car. At the head of the alley, Police Chief G.E. Bedford stood in their way. In the exchange of fire, Chief Badford, who had been a Peace Officer in the area for some 25 years, was shot five times.

Bedford died several hours later on Christmas day, and Carmichael died almost a month later on January 17. Six other citizens were wounded. Davis was severely wounded in the shootout, while Ratliff suffered from two wounds, one in the chin and one in the leg.

Officer Redies ran to the police station and retrieved a rifle and began to pursue the robbers on foot. He was soon picked up and continued the pursuit with a citizen.

As the four robbers began their getaway, traveling south on Main with their hostages, they realized that they were almost out of gas, having forgotten to fill the tank beforehand. As they neared the edge of town, pursued by the mob, one of their tires was flattened by a shot from law enforcement. The robbers lurched out of the vehicle, brandishing their guns to commandeer a passing Oldsmobile driven by fourteen year old Woodrow Wilson Harris, who relinquished the car. The robbers transferred the loot, hostages and injured comrade to the Oldsmobile, in the midst of gunfire. When they had finally transferred themselves to the new getaway car, only then did they realize that they could not start the car because Harris had cleverly taken the keys from the ignition when ordered to stop. Davis was by then unconscious, so they left him in the car and moved back to the first car with their two hostages. Robert Hill, the one who had followed Ratliff into the bank, was struck by a rifle bullet during the aborted transfer to Harris's car. They did not realize until later that they had left the money in the Oldsmobile with Davis.

The mob found Davis and the money and temporarily gave up the chase. The money was returned to the bank. They had stolen $12,400 in cash and $150,000 in nonnegotiable securities. Estimates were made that there were at least 200 bullet holes in the bank, a number which many thought too low. Besides the two police officers, there had been six townspeople wounded in the shootout, but no one was sure whether the robbers or the mob was responsible. For Davis, who was a last minute replacement for the group, this was the only crime in his lifetime. He was taken to a Ft. Worth hospital after his capture, but efforts to save his life failed. He died from bullet wounds he received in the gunbattle at the bank.

The trio had raced back out onto Main, two of the "desperadoes" firing back at an automobile filled with pursuers. The driver swung east onto a dirt road and his companions began throwing out roofing nails in an effort to puncture the tires of the posse's machines. He then turned into a pasture, dashing through cactus, mesquite, and scrub oak. The growth became so heavy that further progress was impossible, and the robbers abandoned their bullet-riddled car and the two hostages several miles from town and continued on foot.

Sheriff John Hart and his deputies of Eastland, the county seat, had been called by long distance and given the news of the bank robbery; they piled into automobiles and sped to the spot where the bandits had abandoned the car. Reporters, including Boyce House, followed the action in another vehicle. By House's account, "officers and citizens poured in from all that section of the state and such a manhunt as Western Texas had never seen before was soon in progress .... Many members of the posse were on horseback or on foot as they beat their way through clumps of trees, searched high grass in the bottoms of ravines and peered around boulders in canyons." One search party discovered an overcoat and bloodstained gloves. Later, citizens found a suitcase and a pile of bloodstained rags. In the suitcase were cotton and gauze, showing that the bandits had entered their enterprise with the knowledge that there might be shedding of blood. Despite the search efforts, the bandits were able to evade search parties and steal another car the next morning. The pursuit continued throughout Saturday and Saturday night. One of the results of the Yuletide crime was its tragic implications for little children in Eastland County. On Christmas Eve, a church in Eastland was filled and as jolly Saint Nicholas entered, a little boy called out, with a quaver in his voice: "Santa Claus, why did you rob that bank?"

When the bandits wrecked their car in Putnam, they then successfully commandeered a vehicle driven by Carl Wylie, a young driller, forcing him as their hostage to drive. During the seizure Mr. Wylie's father fired his shotgun after the fleeing car. The bullets struck his son.

After hiding out all night with nothing to eat but oranges, which they did not offer to the injured young hostage, Helms, Hill and Ratliff decided to return to Cisco to hide in plain sight. They released Wylie and his car and stole another. The wounded bandits, especially Ratliff, were doing very poorly due to their injuries, lack of food, and the icy, sleeting conditions.

The threesome was ambushed the next morning by Sheriff Foster in the little town of South Bend, in Young County. As they tried to cross the Brazos River, officers spotted the single-seated machine with three occupants approaching. The driver caught sight of a gun in the hands of one of the officers and began backing rapidly down the road. Then, as the members of the posse scurried into their automobiles, the car whirled and rushed away. A car chase followed, with a shootout in an oil field as the three tried to escape, running toward the wells.

Involved in the firefight was Deputy Sheriff Cy Bradford, famous for bringing law and order into the coal fields of Strawn and neighboring towns and later as a Texas ranger during the turbulent oil days. His career was filled with gunfights in which Bradford's coolheadedness and marksmanship always brought him out the victor. Before Bradford's car had rolled to a stop, he was out with "Old Betsy," his double-barreled shotgun, an extra pair of shells in one hand. Bradford fired once and one of he fugitives fell. Bradford reloaded before firing again. "I did not want to be caught with an empty gun if they turned and made a stand," he explained afterward. The bandits ran on, firing back over their shoulders. Again Bradford shot, and a man went down but arose and staggered on. The officer shoved the other shell into the gun and shot again and the third desperado slumped to his knees but got up and reeled on, disappearing among the derricks. Ratliff was hit and fell to the ground while Helms and Hill, although wounded, escaped into the woods by the Brazos River, which offered ideal concealment. Ratliff was reportedly a "walking arsenal," bearing no fewer than six gunshot wounds and six pistols when captured, including the one he took from the bank. "Santa" had been caught.

The intense manhunt for Helms and Hill, directed by Ranger Captain Tom Hickman, pressed on so as not to allow the wounded men an opportunity for rest. Despite airplane assistance the search team could not spot the fleeing men. In the process, two more men were wounded from accidental discharge of their weapons, bringing the total number of wounded to eight, excluding the three surviving robbers. However, their trail was eventually picked up and it seemed evident that the end of the chase was not far because the footprints were close-spaced, showing that they were wearing from the long chase and weak from loss of blood. Marks showed that, to climb even a small rise, they had been forced to crawl. They were finally apprehended in Graham, Texas on December 30th, seven days after the bank robbery. They had been attempting to find the location of a rooming house in Graham, but the man from whom they asked directions noticed their pistols and notified the authorities. Presumably exhausted, the two were taken into custody without a fight. Hill was captured with three pistols, and Helms with four.

Though Helms, Hill, and Ratliff had several wounds apiece and had not eaten for days, all three survived and faced trials. Helms was second to stand trial after Ratliff. He was identified as the one who had gunned down both lawmen and was given the death sentence in late February. After an unsuccessful insanity plea, he was executed by electric chair on September 6, 1929 in Huntsville, Texas. It is said that he had cabbage, sausage, tomatoes, coffee, and pie for his last meal. Hill was last to be tried. He plead guilty to armed robbery and took the stand on his own behalf, crying for mercy and citing his unhappy childhood. In March he was given a sentence of life imprisonment--99 years. He escaped from prison three times but was recaptured each time. After settling down, he was paroled in the mid-1940s, changed his name, and became a productive citizen.

Ratliff was convicted of armed robbery on January 27, 1928, and was also sentenced to 99 years in prison. It was little ten-year-old Emma May Robinson's testimony that identified Ratliff as the man disguised as Santa Claus who had robbed the bank and kidnapped her. On the way to his cell, Ratliff muttered, "That's no hill for a high-stepper like me." Months later, on March 30 he was sentenced to execution for his role in the deaths of Bedford and Carmichael, although no one could testify to having seen Ratliff, dressed as Santa, fire a gun from the bank. Ratliff appealed his case and, when that failed, began behaving oddly in hopes of an insanity plea. He began acting insane the day of Helms's execution, much to the conviction of his jailers. His mother, Rilla Carter, filed for a lunacy hearing in Huntsville.

The citizens of Eastland County grew infuriated to learn Ratliff had not already been executed for his deeds, and were further aggravated by this new development. Judge Davenport ordered Ratliff be extradited to Eastland County jail, writing a bench warrant for armed robbery of the Harris' Oldsmobile. On November 18, while awaiting execution there, Ratliff feigned paralysis, convincing his jailers, Pack Kilbourn and Tom A. "Uncle Tom" Jones, necessitating the two to feed and bathe him, and take him to the toilet. Having duped the two jailers, the man who had played Santa managed to get hold of a six shooter in an office desk, fatally wounding Jones, and violently fighting the second jailer in hand-to-hand combat, sometimes shooting a few rounds that, fortunately for Kilbourn, missed their mark. Most of the town, including the fighting jailer's daughter, watched helplessly through the jail windows, unable to break open the steel door to help Kilbourn as he pinned Ratliff down, beat him into unconsciousness, then returned him to his cell.

A crowd began to gather the next morning and, by nightfall, had grown to nearly 2,000 all clamoring for Ratliff. Kilbourn refused their demand but was overpowered by fifteen to twenty men who rushed in and dragged Ratliff out. They tied his hands and feet, carrying him to a vacant lot behind the local Majestic Theater on Mulberry Street, where the play "The Noose" was being presented. There, they threw a rope over a guy-wire between two telephone poles, on which they intended to hang him. The first attempt failed when the knot came loose and he fell to the ground. The second time, however, they used a stronger rope and were successful. His last words were, "Forgive me, boys," before he was hoisted 15 feet in the air. He was pronounced dead 20 minutes later, at 9:55 P.M. on November 19. Some Eastland Countians have erected a marker and picket fence around a utility pole in back of the Majestic Theater on Mulberry Street, although this marker may or may not be the actual pole. Jones died that evening, bringing the total number of dead as a result of the Santa Claus Bank Robbery, including three bank robbers, to six.

No one was ever tried in association with the lynching, although a grand jury was formed. Several thousand persons viewed Ratliff's body the next day at a furniture store in Eastland before Judge Garrett ordered the corpse locked up. Ratliff's family took possession of the body and arranged for a funeral in Fort Worth, with burial at Olivet Cemetery. Many people in Cisco over the years have claimed to have been present at the robbery or related to someone who was, and it is now a part of local folklore. The greatest manhunt in the history of Western Texas had ended. And the most celebrated of all the trials ever held in Eastland District Court's old courthouse, was also the last. At the end of this trial, the building was demolished. The First National Bank still stands in Cisco, although it is in a new building. It features a painting of the robbery, as well as a collection of newspaper clippings and pictures of those involved. In 1967 the Texas State Historical Survey Committee (now the Texas Historical Commission) placed a medallion on the bank commemorating the robbery.

from Trisha...

Isabella riding horse from Reese by herself!
go cowgirl!

Pampas Grass, Jet

Pampas Grass, Jet

Morning light shines through the pampas grass at the Great Salt Plains State Park. The park sits next to the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge—one of the few places on the earth where visitors can dig for “hourglass-selenite” crystals.

If you are having problems ... regarding Christmas and it's meaning....

Then I suggest you click on this link to see the true meaning of Christmas.... it is a video post on Phil's blog that shows the words...  LACK OF... 

and the video nails the meaning!

.....................simply put...

Merry CHRISTmas

The whole purpose of education is ...

"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows."— Sydney J. Harris: Was a journalist and lecturer




It’s the reason you spend every day striving to learn more:

- To achieve more with regard to your career, your success, and your wealth
- To share with your children, your friends, and your family
- To grow as a person as you discover more about the universe

The day you know this answer is the day you discover your insatiable appetite to learn and to better your future.

can you smell the country air???

these two shots have a different grass yet in them... this grass has seed heads that are at least 7 to 8 feet tall..... waving in the gentle morning breeze this am....

a much different kind of grass.. native type

I did not get close enough, but this grass has seed heads that look like cattails??

grandma went shopping and Isabella won

oil

Oil tumbled below $44 a barrel Thursday and average gasoline prices slipped under $1.80 a gallon, both four year lows, as unemployment benefit claims hit a 26-year high and major companies announced more job cuts.

The unprecedented decline in energy prices has provided some relief to consumers and businesses, it has occurred as the nation dips into recession.

Fewer people have jobs to drive to. Gasoline futures for January delivery closed below a dollar, with optimism about the nation’s economic health in serious decline.

Dare To Dream Again

 

 

Chris  Widener 

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” —Teddy Roosevelt

Do you remember when you were a child and no dream seemed too big? Some of us thought we would walk on the moon, some dreamed of riding with Roy Rogers, others imagined stepping to the plate in a big league game. Every one of us, when we were young, had a common trait—we were dreamers. The world hadn’t gotten to us yet to show us that we couldn’t possibly achieve what our hearts longed for. And we were yet still years from realizing that in some cases we weren’t built for achieving our dream (I realized about my junior year of high school that I was too short and to slow to play professional basketball. The dreamer is always the last to know). 

Eventually, we started to let our dreams die. People began to tell us that we couldn’t do the things we wanted. It was impossible. Responsible people don’t pursue their dreams. Settle down, get a job, be dependable. Take care of business, live the mundane, be content.

Do you know what I say to that? Hooey! 

It is time to dream again!

Why? Here are just a few reasons:

• Avoiding regret. The facts are in, and someday we will all lie on our deathbed looking back through the history of our lives. We will undoubtedly think about what we wished we had done or accomplished. I for one don’t want to regret what could have been, what should have been. So I am deciding today to pursue my dreams.
• Making the world a better place. All of the great accomplishments that have ever happened began with a person who had a dream. Somebody rebuffed the naysayers and said to himself or herself, “This can be done, and I am the one who will do it.” And in many instances they changed the world for the better. It isn’t just the Martin Luther Kings and the J.F.Ks, either. Think of all the people we have never heard of who have started things large and small that help people worldwide every day.
• The world needs people like you to dream of something great and then to pursue it with all of your heart. Maybe you belong to a business, school or organization that started out with good intentions but has settled into the same ol’ same ol’. Shake them up and remind them of how they could really help people if only they would dream!
• Personal and family fulfillment. One of the things that happens when we stop pursuing our dreams is that a little piece of us dies and we become disheartened, if only in that area of our lives. Stepping up and pursuing your dream rekindles that passion and zeal that everyone has the capacity for and lets us experience fulfillment. Having a purpose puts the zip in our step and the zing in our emotions!
• Leaving a legacy. How will your children remember you? As one who sought all that life had to offer, using your gifts and talents to their fullest extent, leading the family with a zest for life or as an overweight couch potato who could have been? Our children need to see that we dream; that we search for something better. They in turn will do the same!

So where do we start? Here are some ideas:

• Reconnect with your dream. Set aside some time to let yourself dream. What have you placed on the back burner in order to live the status quo? Settle on one or two dreams that you can and will pursue. Don’t come up with too many. That will only deter you further.
• Decide that you will do it. This may seem elementary, but many people never decide and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep thinking about it.
• Tell others that you are going to do it. This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!
• Develop a step-by-step plan. This is absolutely essential. You must sit down and write out a few things:
• A timeline. How long will it take to the end?
• Action steps. Point-by-point what you will do and when you will do them.
• Resources you will need to draw from. What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
• An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.
• A celebration. Yep, when you are done you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big!

I have found that there is no better time than now. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!

GREAT news.... IF you are employed in other industrys... sad if you are not...

Oil prices sank Thursday to lows last seen nearly four years ago as more bleak news from the world's largest economy raised fears crude could tumble below $40 by the end of the year.

In other Nymex trading, gasoline futures fell nearly 3 cents to $1.01 a gallon. Heating oil dropped almost 2 pennies to $1.57 a gallon while natural gas for January delivery was steady at 6.34 per 1,000 cubic feet.