in my walk about. I think I am losing my mind... haha... or starting to enjoy the "Farm" life.... Whichever it is, it's kind'a nice...
Enjoy the day...
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Another of the wonderful "things" I saw this am...
in my walk about. I think I am losing my mind... haha... or starting to enjoy the "Farm" life.... Whichever it is, it's kind'a nice...
Enjoy the day...
In looking for the greatness in things, we sometimes overlook the true beauty of what we see...
One can look far and wide, and not see what is in front of their nose... sometimes.. haha! I used to be told that by Dad. He would send me to look for something, and then come and find it before I could even start looking for it! And he would mutter this under his breath, "I send you to look and you do not see. When will you start "seeing"?" Well, at the ripe ole' age of soon to be 59, I think I have finally begun to "see" what is around me! This am was AWESOME! The ice crystals that clung to things made the view great and the fog made it AWESOME... and then God sent just the right amount of light for the eye to enjoy it, yet the camera had a hard time capturing it. Guess that is yet another proof there is a God, for man an not even come close to capturing His natural beauty in the "things we see".
Took me 50 years to learn this, and still have trouble accepting it!!
Trouble is a part of your life, and if you don't share it, you don't give the person who loves you a chance to love you enough.
-Dinah Shore
-Dinah Shore
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
a joke from Heather... hehe...
A fellow bought a new Mercedes and was out on the interstate for a nice
evening drive. The top was down, the breeze was blowing through what was
left of his hair and he decided to open her up. As the needle jumped up
to 80mph, suddenly he saw flashing red and blue lights behind him.
"There's no way they can catch me in a Mercedes," he thought to himself
and opened her up further. The needle hit 90, 100 ... Then the reality
of the situation hit him. "What am I doing?" he thought and pulled
over.
The cop came up to him, took his license without a word and examined
the car. "It's been a long day, this is the end of my shift and it's
Friday the 13th. I don't feel like more paperwork, so if you can give me
an excuse for your driving that I haven't heard before, you can go."
The guy thinks for a second and says, "Last week my wife ran off with a
cop. I was afraid you were trying to give her back."
"Have a nice weekend," said the officer.
evening drive. The top was down, the breeze was blowing through what was
left of his hair and he decided to open her up. As the needle jumped up
to 80mph, suddenly he saw flashing red and blue lights behind him.
"There's no way they can catch me in a Mercedes," he thought to himself
and opened her up further. The needle hit 90, 100 ... Then the reality
of the situation hit him. "What am I doing?" he thought and pulled
over.
The cop came up to him, took his license without a word and examined
the car. "It's been a long day, this is the end of my shift and it's
Friday the 13th. I don't feel like more paperwork, so if you can give me
an excuse for your driving that I haven't heard before, you can go."
The guy thinks for a second and says, "Last week my wife ran off with a
cop. I was afraid you were trying to give her back."
"Have a nice weekend," said the officer.
Monday, December 19, 2005
We had a wonderful weekend...
Jake walked in Saturday afternoon with his bonus for working at his new job for only two weeks.. and it's more than most employees get who have worked a life time with someone... He was super excited, and really appreciated it very much. Needless to say, he headed at the door a bit early... 5:20 AM this morning... to get to to work on time.
Then we saw Jonathan and Randi and Kaitlyn for a bit Saturday Evening. That was awesome, and then...
we got to visit with Heather and Madison and Andrew on Sunday!
How cool is that???
We still need rain, BAD! Might remember that in all the Christmas prayers this coming week.
I am off to the Dr. today to have another lower urinary tract scope done.. I love this deal.. yeah... RIGHT!
My heart is doing great. I am having a problem with my blood being to thin, I guess, bleeding a bit inside... but it will get better. I have learned to eat differently and love the new way. Sometimes I get a bit hungry... but try to ignore it. Sure miss the ole' meat and potatoes and hahahahahahhahahahahah....
Well, got to run, have a great day... and enjoy! Take time to head over to the kid's blogs... they have updated them, see the family artist on one.. the beautiful christmas roses on another, and who knows.... Jon might update his.. hahah..... teasing JON>>>!!!
later.. DAD
Then we saw Jonathan and Randi and Kaitlyn for a bit Saturday Evening. That was awesome, and then...
we got to visit with Heather and Madison and Andrew on Sunday!
How cool is that???
We still need rain, BAD! Might remember that in all the Christmas prayers this coming week.
I am off to the Dr. today to have another lower urinary tract scope done.. I love this deal.. yeah... RIGHT!
My heart is doing great. I am having a problem with my blood being to thin, I guess, bleeding a bit inside... but it will get better. I have learned to eat differently and love the new way. Sometimes I get a bit hungry... but try to ignore it. Sure miss the ole' meat and potatoes and hahahahahahhahahahahah....
Well, got to run, have a great day... and enjoy! Take time to head over to the kid's blogs... they have updated them, see the family artist on one.. the beautiful christmas roses on another, and who knows.... Jon might update his.. hahah..... teasing JON>>>!!!
later.. DAD
(Heather sent this... ) This is Ann for 33 years and 26 days... she has.....
WHY I LOVE MOM
Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed."
She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches.
Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.
She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button.
She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer.
She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.
She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom.
She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.
She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store.
She put both near her purse.
Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.
Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."
"I'm on my way," she said.
She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on.
She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and TV's, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.
In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack.
She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.
About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. "I'm going to bed."
And he did...without another thought.
Anything extraordinary here?
Wonder why women live longer...?
'CAUSE WE ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL......
(and we can't die sooner, we still have things to do!!!!)
(on top of all this, she has time to be my BEST FRIEND!)
Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed."
She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches.
Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.
She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button.
She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer.
She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.
She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom.
She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.
She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store.
She put both near her purse.
Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.
Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."
"I'm on my way," she said.
She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on.
She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and TV's, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.
In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack.
She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.
About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. "I'm going to bed."
And he did...without another thought.
Anything extraordinary here?
Wonder why women live longer...?
'CAUSE WE ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL......
(and we can't die sooner, we still have things to do!!!!)
(on top of all this, she has time to be my BEST FRIEND!)
Saturday, December 10, 2005
'Integrity' Tops Web Dictionary's Lookups
'Integrity' Tops Web Dictionary's Lookups
By ADAM GORLICK, Associated Press Writer
In a year filled with political wrangling, natural disasters and pop culture curiosities, Americans turned to Merriam-Webster to help define it all.
Filibuster. Refugee. Tsunami. Each was among the dictionary publisher's 10 most frequently looked-up words among some 7 million users of its online site.
But topping the list is a word that some say gives insight into the country's collective concern about its values: Integrity.
The noun, formally defined as a "firm adherence to a code" and "incorruptibility," has always been a popular one on the Springfield-based company's Web site, said Merriam-Webster president John Morse. But this year, the true meaning of integrity seemed to be of extraordinary concern. About 200,000 people sought its definition online.
"I think the American people have isolated a very important issue for our society to be dealing with," Morse said. "The entire list gives us an interesting window that opens up into what people are thinking about in their lives."
Ralph Whitehead, a journalism professor at the University of Massachusetts, said it may indicate the continuing discussion about American values and morality, or perhaps that integrity itself is becoming scarce so its definition is unfamiliar.
"You hope integrity is a word everyone understands," he said.
No. 10 on the list is "inept," a word that Morse said was getting a lot of attention in the days after President Bush delivered a live prime time news conference that came to an awkward end when some television networks cut him off to return to their regularly scheduled programs.
Sandwiched between "integrity" and "inept" is a cluster of nouns and an adjective or two obviously plucked from the headlines.
"Tsunami" jumped in popularity after one ravaged countries along the Indian Ocean last December, while "levee" and "refugee" are linked to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Interest in the definition of the latter word — "one that flees; especially: a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution" — grew after media organizations including The Associated Press were criticized for using it to describe hurricane victims.
"Filibuster" gained in popularity as Democrats threatened to use it to block federal judicial nominees, and "contempt" drew plenty of attention when former New York Times reporter Judith Miller was jailed for refusing to reveal a source in the CIA leak case.
The election of a new pope following the death of John Paul II left thousands wondering exactly what a conclave is, and news about the spread of infectious diseases brought up the term "pandemic."
But the Top 10 list is by no means an indication that Americans were curious or baffled only by weighty topics.
Immediately after Simon Cowell, the acid-tongued host of the popular television show "American Idol," called one aspiring singer "insipid," Merriam-Webster noticed a dramatic spike in the number of lookups for the word, which the dictionary defines as "lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate or challenge: dull, flat."
"This guy hit exactly the right word for the performance and it resonated," Morse said. "People engaged the word, but they asked themselves `what does it exactly mean?'"
___
On the Net:http://www.merriam-webster.com
By ADAM GORLICK, Associated Press Writer
In a year filled with political wrangling, natural disasters and pop culture curiosities, Americans turned to Merriam-Webster to help define it all.
Filibuster. Refugee. Tsunami. Each was among the dictionary publisher's 10 most frequently looked-up words among some 7 million users of its online site.
But topping the list is a word that some say gives insight into the country's collective concern about its values: Integrity.
The noun, formally defined as a "firm adherence to a code" and "incorruptibility," has always been a popular one on the Springfield-based company's Web site, said Merriam-Webster president John Morse. But this year, the true meaning of integrity seemed to be of extraordinary concern. About 200,000 people sought its definition online.
"I think the American people have isolated a very important issue for our society to be dealing with," Morse said. "The entire list gives us an interesting window that opens up into what people are thinking about in their lives."
Ralph Whitehead, a journalism professor at the University of Massachusetts, said it may indicate the continuing discussion about American values and morality, or perhaps that integrity itself is becoming scarce so its definition is unfamiliar.
"You hope integrity is a word everyone understands," he said.
No. 10 on the list is "inept," a word that Morse said was getting a lot of attention in the days after President Bush delivered a live prime time news conference that came to an awkward end when some television networks cut him off to return to their regularly scheduled programs.
Sandwiched between "integrity" and "inept" is a cluster of nouns and an adjective or two obviously plucked from the headlines.
"Tsunami" jumped in popularity after one ravaged countries along the Indian Ocean last December, while "levee" and "refugee" are linked to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Interest in the definition of the latter word — "one that flees; especially: a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution" — grew after media organizations including The Associated Press were criticized for using it to describe hurricane victims.
"Filibuster" gained in popularity as Democrats threatened to use it to block federal judicial nominees, and "contempt" drew plenty of attention when former New York Times reporter Judith Miller was jailed for refusing to reveal a source in the CIA leak case.
The election of a new pope following the death of John Paul II left thousands wondering exactly what a conclave is, and news about the spread of infectious diseases brought up the term "pandemic."
But the Top 10 list is by no means an indication that Americans were curious or baffled only by weighty topics.
Immediately after Simon Cowell, the acid-tongued host of the popular television show "American Idol," called one aspiring singer "insipid," Merriam-Webster noticed a dramatic spike in the number of lookups for the word, which the dictionary defines as "lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate or challenge: dull, flat."
"This guy hit exactly the right word for the performance and it resonated," Morse said. "People engaged the word, but they asked themselves `what does it exactly mean?'"
___
On the Net:http://www.merriam-webster.com
Today's Quote
Today's Quote
One of God's arrangements is that after winter there should come beautiful spring days. It happens every year and it happens in every life.
-Father Joseph
One of God's arrangements is that after winter there should come beautiful spring days. It happens every year and it happens in every life.
-Father Joseph
The first time I remember my Dad hearing this tune on the Grand Ole Opry show on WSM radio, Nashville....
I can remember still my dad.... plain as day... years and years ago. We lived at Yukon, and had just moved to the farm south of town with the big lake on it. We rented it from the Mulvey's in Yukon, and the owner, Martin and my dad become life long friends. Martin's son Mike is a home builder in Stillwater, becoming the one most sought after to build the nicer homes. Anyway, .... Dad had a radio in the south end of the milk barn .... the cows would come in the east door, heading west and would line up this way .... their bodies east to west and the manager would be running north south, so the cows would be standing east to west... in a line from north to south. There was a four foot walkway behind the cows, and a three foot manager walkway that mom and I feed the cows on .. getting feed out of the feed bin on the north west end of the walkway. We had a steel gallon can to measure it with and it was from Purina Mills. It was a gift to my dad from the Ross and Sons feed store in El Reno. It was cherished and we still have the can. It had holes at the quarter markings on the side, and my Uncle Mervil welded them shut so the minerals would not fall out of it. He also made the "feed cart" that is in the south end of the Quonset barn at Mom's today. We used that cart to push feed in front of the cows at Yukon... and the can to measure it out. In those days, we sold cream to Gold Spot Dairy in Enid, OK.
Dad would hang the surgical strap over the cows back, the milker would hang under it and attach to the cows. Then when the cow was done milking, he would pour the milk into a stainless milk bucket and Mom and I would carry it to the milk house, just south of the milk barn. In there we would pour the milk into the top of the separator and turn the crank and the cream comes out of one spout and the whey came out the other spout. We would start filling a ten gallon can with cream. Dad would come in after we had a couple of gallon in it and pick it up and place it over in a big milk cooler with cold water in it that kept the cream just above freezing... (nice place to stick watermelon in the summer time for that almost frozen, just right temp watermelon... Smiling..)... When we were done milking, Dad would carry the whey in five gallon buckets about 300 yards to the pigs, who cleaned it up! The cream.. when the cans were full and we had from 4 to 6 cans, we would haul to the train depot in El Reno and we would park by the curb and someone would pull out a big tall cart that we placed the cans on, and then they would be put on board the train for their trip to Enid, and then we would pick up our empties from the train and head back to Yukon. If I remember right, each can fetched us $9.00 We received our cream checks every two weeks, and it was a God send to us! Long story short...
music has always been part of my life. From my earliest memories, what stands out is how much my Dad loved to hear folks sing and he loved to sing himself, however, he did not always want folks to hear him, haha. We always listened to the radio... Earliest memories do not have a TV in them. We finally got one before we left Yukon for Stillwater...
But I can remember Dad always singing gospel songs... Southern gospel with a neat upbeat... and how much those songs meant to him. They seemed to guide him and his life. I am not sure if he realized how much they in fact did guide him. He was a very spiritual man, a very simple man who truly loved life and want the best for everyone around him, and never expected nor asked for a thing for himself. He never carried money. NEVER! I can only remember only one time in his life, in my memory, that he had money in his wallet. About a year before he died, I took him to Oliver's to get a hair cut, and Mom handed him a $10.00 bill and he put it in his wallet! I asked him later how it felt to have money in his wallet .. and he remarked.. "It's ok. Can't believe your mother let me have it!", he said. He was beaming!!
Ok... sorry, I digress.... the purpose of this is to set the stage for this song by Hank Williams. It was being played for the first time in early 1952, "Wild Side of Life". .... We had just had a man bring us a half ton of coal that we burned for our winter heat in a big round coal fired stove in the living room of our home... It cost us $15.00, and Mom and Dad were outside standing by the pile of coal, and Mom was having a fit about how much it cost (some things never changed .... haha) and he just turned and started singing Hank's new song "Wild Side of Life" and mom came unglued.. that was a terrible song to be singing in front of me and MK. Terrible, sinful, degrading... and on and on.. Dad just smiled and headed for the barn.. haha... singing ... Wild Side of Life. It was the first time I had heard it... so of course I listened to it anytime I could to learn the tune... There are lots more stories around Hank and his music and his influence on my father, but will save for another time and place..haha...
Enjoy the tune.. And have a great day!
An untold part of this story is ... Hank Williams had a live radio show on Nashville, WSM AM radio, that we could hear sometimes when the weather, and clouds were just right, and on that show, Hank had 15 minutes each week. It was sponsored by Mother's Best Flour and called the Hank Williams Mothers Best Flour Hour. Hank always had one song, and than talked about things of interest and always closed it out with a gospel song. My Dad loved Hank's Gospel Music! I mean he would smile ear to ear when he heard it, even in the last of his years... if you wanted to see the ole Dad pop out... just set and talk with him about Hank and his gospel tunes... He and Mom would get into some heated discussions about Hank.. and his music.. Mom saw it as sinful, Dad seemed to overlook the sinful side for the religious side... sort of made it ok... and it seemed to this youngster that example of Dad's was awesome. You could always find good in folks, not matter how bad or evil they were, by looking and finding it. This lesson has followed me my whole life and is one of the things Dad and I talked about in his last weeks on this earth. In some ways, I am like my father, in that I seem to like everyone, not matter the cost... let folks charge to me in the store when I knew in my heart I would never be paid back.. etc. because of this lesson. God blessed me with a truly wonderful wife and best friend, Ann, and four of the greatest kiddos on the face of this earth, and now three awesome in-laws and four fantastic grand kiddos... and not only did he bless me with them, but in some ways he allowed me to prosper... Perhaps it is because of this lesson... from Dad. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you... always looking for the best in folks! Dad, I know you are smiling down on us, and love us deeply, as we still love you. While you are missed daily, and especially in this season, we .... are .... because of you!
My love to all... enjoy the day!
burning corn to stay warm ...
burning corn to stay warm ...
FYI, something I'd not heard of ... I suppose they try not to use
popcorn ...
-----------
As US heating costs spiral to all-time highs, American homeowners are
turning to burning corn in special stoves to reduce their energy
bills. Sales of corn-burning stoves have tripled this year and
distributors across the country have been sold out for weeks.
"We are actually taking deposits for products for next fall - it's
all you can do," said Ed Hiscox, owner of furnace retailer Hiscox
Sales and Service in Valparaiso, Indiana, in the middle of the US
corn belt.
"We have customers from very high-end homes to people who are not
really in any financial condition at all. It doesn't seem to make a
difference - everyone has problems with gas prices."
Once relegated to farmhouses and cabins, corn-burning and more common
wood-burning stoves began growing in popularity four years ago among
environmentally-minded consumers interested in cheaper and renewable
energy sources.
But the real run began this fall when natural gas prices doubled and
hurricanes slashed refinery production in the Gulf Coast, causing
prices of heating oil to jump.
With natural gas prices shooting to a record high Thursday and oil
prices back above 60 dollars a barrel, corn -- the price of which
steadily dropped this year -- has become downright cheap as a heating
fuel.
That has meant a boom for sellers of efficient corn-burning stoves,
with demand far outstripping supply, according to the largest US
producer of the stoves.
"We've been sold out for almost six months," said Mike Haefner,
president of Minnesota-based American Energy Systems. "We're going to
be building eight times as much next year just to try to keep up, but
we already have 50 percent of that sold."
Haefner said there were about 65,000 corn stoves sold in the US last
year. He expects about 150,000 will be sold this year and at least
350,000 next year.
Even with a retail price of 1,600 to 3,000 dollars, the stoves often
pay for themselves within a year or two.
"The savings are phenomenal," said Haefner.
Corn-generated heat costs less than a fifth of the current rate for
propane and about a third of electrical heat, according to Haefner.
Homeowners report savings of anywhere from 600 to 1,500 dollars a
year, he said.
Because of the space needed to store the dried corn kernels burned in
the stoves, they are more popular in rural communities and suburbs
than in big cities.
But distribution systems are evolving and Haefner is confident the
market will continue to expand.
"About five years ago we proved corn could be anywhere - we put a
corn silo up in Takoma Park, Maryland and you can see our nation's
capital from it," Haefner said. "These things are popping up all over
the country."
Turkey farmer Rick Undesser doesn't have to go far to get corn for
his stove.
"We grow our own corn so it's kind of handy to have," Undesser told
AFP in a recent interview at his Bristol, Illinois farm. "It starts
real easy and it keeps us real warm."
Undesser bought the corn stove about three years ago to help cut down
on his propane bills for his sprawling 3,500 square foot home.
The fact that it looks great next to his handcrafted furniture and
hunting trophies is just a bonus.
FYI, something I'd not heard of ... I suppose they try not to use
popcorn ...
-----------
As US heating costs spiral to all-time highs, American homeowners are
turning to burning corn in special stoves to reduce their energy
bills. Sales of corn-burning stoves have tripled this year and
distributors across the country have been sold out for weeks.
"We are actually taking deposits for products for next fall - it's
all you can do," said Ed Hiscox, owner of furnace retailer Hiscox
Sales and Service in Valparaiso, Indiana, in the middle of the US
corn belt.
"We have customers from very high-end homes to people who are not
really in any financial condition at all. It doesn't seem to make a
difference - everyone has problems with gas prices."
Once relegated to farmhouses and cabins, corn-burning and more common
wood-burning stoves began growing in popularity four years ago among
environmentally-minded consumers interested in cheaper and renewable
energy sources.
But the real run began this fall when natural gas prices doubled and
hurricanes slashed refinery production in the Gulf Coast, causing
prices of heating oil to jump.
With natural gas prices shooting to a record high Thursday and oil
prices back above 60 dollars a barrel, corn -- the price of which
steadily dropped this year -- has become downright cheap as a heating
fuel.
That has meant a boom for sellers of efficient corn-burning stoves,
with demand far outstripping supply, according to the largest US
producer of the stoves.
"We've been sold out for almost six months," said Mike Haefner,
president of Minnesota-based American Energy Systems. "We're going to
be building eight times as much next year just to try to keep up, but
we already have 50 percent of that sold."
Haefner said there were about 65,000 corn stoves sold in the US last
year. He expects about 150,000 will be sold this year and at least
350,000 next year.
Even with a retail price of 1,600 to 3,000 dollars, the stoves often
pay for themselves within a year or two.
"The savings are phenomenal," said Haefner.
Corn-generated heat costs less than a fifth of the current rate for
propane and about a third of electrical heat, according to Haefner.
Homeowners report savings of anywhere from 600 to 1,500 dollars a
year, he said.
Because of the space needed to store the dried corn kernels burned in
the stoves, they are more popular in rural communities and suburbs
than in big cities.
But distribution systems are evolving and Haefner is confident the
market will continue to expand.
"About five years ago we proved corn could be anywhere - we put a
corn silo up in Takoma Park, Maryland and you can see our nation's
capital from it," Haefner said. "These things are popping up all over
the country."
Turkey farmer Rick Undesser doesn't have to go far to get corn for
his stove.
"We grow our own corn so it's kind of handy to have," Undesser told
AFP in a recent interview at his Bristol, Illinois farm. "It starts
real easy and it keeps us real warm."
Undesser bought the corn stove about three years ago to help cut down
on his propane bills for his sprawling 3,500 square foot home.
The fact that it looks great next to his handcrafted furniture and
hunting trophies is just a bonus.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrr......
Oh, my goodness.... it did get cold last night! 3 Degrees at our home this am, and minus 9 degrees windchill. First winter cold since 1989. and the first snow of the winter of 2005. So, I went on a walkabout! Saw lots of interesting things... and took pics of some of them. Posted some new pics in the gallery... Enjoy the day and stay warm! Later... s
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve...
The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate.
He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through. Instead of throwing the man out, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up. "Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you're busy, I'll just go." "Not without something hot in your belly." George said. He turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain't much, but it's hot and tasty, "Stew ... made it myself. When you're done, there's coffee and it's fresh."
Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell. "Excuse me, be right back," George said. There in the driveway was an old '53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. "Mister can you help me!" said the driver, with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with child and my car is broken." George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold, the car was dead. "You ain't going in this thing," George said as he turned away. "But Mister, please help ." The door of the office closed behind George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside.
He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting. "Here, take my truck," he said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good." George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night. He turned and walked back inside the office. "Glad I gave 'em the truck, their tires were shot too. That 'ol truck has brand new ." George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. "Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought. George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do.
Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the the block hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to himself. So he put a new one on. "Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter either." He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car anyway.
As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, "Please help me." George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention. "Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease. "Something for pain," George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. "You hang in there, I'm going to get you an ambulance."
The phone was dead. "Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your car." He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio. He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. "Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area." George sat down beside him, "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain." George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked. "None for me," said the officer. "Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too bad I ain't got no donuts." The officer laughed and winced at the same time.
The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. "Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.
"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer. "Son, why are you doing this?" asked George, "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt." The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!" The cop was reaching for his gun. "Put that thing away," George said to the cop, "we got one too many in here now."
He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pee shooter away." George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. "I'm not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I've lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week ..." George handed the gun to the cop. Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can." He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Bein' stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answ! er. Now sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out." The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I'm sorry officer." "Shut up and drink your coffee." the cop said.
George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. "Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer. "Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?" "GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread.
Who did this?" the other cop asked as he approached the young man.
Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran." George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other. "That guy work here?," the wounded cop continued. "Yep," George said, "just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job."
The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?" Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas boy ... and you too, George, and thanks for everything." "Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems."
George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go, something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day." The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man. "It means something to you." "And now it means something to you," replied George. "I got my memories. That's all I need."
George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little man of yours." The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier. "And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George said, "Now git home to your family." The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good." "Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."
George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. "Where'd you come from? I thought you left?" "I have been here. I have always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate Christmas. Why?"
"Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn't see what all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself and besides I was gettin' a little chubby."
The stranger put his hand on George's shoulder.
"But you do celebrate the holiday, George."
"You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry.
The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.
The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists.
The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself."
"That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man."
George was taken aback by all this stranger had said.
"And how do you know all this?" asked the old man.
"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again."
The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned."
George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.
"You see, George .... it's My birthday. Merry Christmas." George fell to his knees and replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord."
~ author unknown ~
M-E-R-R-Y C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S !!!!
M-E-R-R-Y C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S !!!!
I'm on a "Merry Christmas" mission and I'm in full throttle. My little yellow VW Beetle has turned into a Christmas billboard with Merry Christmas written across the back window. Yes, I've decided to trek off to work everyday on the public highways with a message that seems to offend people.
At stop lights, I even turn my music up a little louder, and to top it off, I sing along with it. Don't I know that stopping at a red light to roll my windows down only to share the joy of Christmas carols on public streets is a No-No? Don't I fear the Christmas Gestapo and those who would have me remove the written message from my car?
I'm sorry folks, but the only person I'm concerned about "offending" during this Christmas Season is the Lord
Himself. LEAVE THAT MANGER ALONE! We've allowed the Baby Jesus to be kicked out of His lowly manger, and those offended by Christmas are still not happy.
I refuse to let this happen. I'm going to do my part to make sure "Merry Christmas" doesn't become extinct. Because like it or not, if the believers in Christmas don't take a stand now, it's gone forever!
Listen folks, the Christian Community has been underestimated before; we will have to show ourselves again.
I walked into a Wendy's Restaurant the other day and was rather exuberant with my "Merry Christmas" greeting to the manager. He didn't have much of a response and I said, "Where's your Christmas Spirit?" He said, "We're not allowed to use the words "Merry Christmas" when greeting customers. We can only say "Happy Holiday."
This morning I grabbed a quick breakfast at a Whataburger Restaurant. I noticed there wasn't a single decoration in the store. I asked the manager why they weren't decorated for Christmas. He told me the corporate headquarters decided not to send any decorations to any of their stores, and he didn't know why.
After I heard about all the Macy's and Federated Stores taking down their Merry Christmas signs, the Target stores not allowing the Salvation Army to "Ring the Christmas Bells," and the many incidents of children, choirs, and bands not allowed to play or sing Christmas Carols, I realized it was happening right here in my own little Texas town.
How can this be? Not Texas!
We do, however, have a store, Hobby Lobby, that plays nothing but Christmas carols during the season. On Christmas Day they run a full page ad in our local newspaper. That ad is not to promote the store, but uses the entire page to tell the story of Jesus' birth. Now that's taking a stand. We need to thank them.
When I saw a news report the other evening of children being taught new words to a song we've sung for years - "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" - I was saddened to hear "We Wish You a Splendid Holiday."
I know now that it's just a matter of time that the "Merry Christmas" greetings will be gone. Look around your town. Notice the "Holiday" greetings and not "Christmas." It's happening right before our very eyes.
Start singing the songs; go down the streets of America singing to your heart's content. Get some of those wash-off markers that these kids use to write on their car windows when they're rooting for their hometown football team. It's easy to do, and if a torrential rain washes it off, write it on there again.
We've got to get this message out!! "Go Tell It On the Mountain . . . that Jesus Christ is Born." Sing it, speak it, be a billboard for ourLord.
The story of this "Baby Jesus" alone has brought about more goodwill at this time of year than any other day we celebrate. How can we sit back and allow Him to be snuffed out of our lives?
Is it Jesus, or is it His followers that the "offended" don't like? What kind of revulsion galvanizes one to campaign so vehemently against the mere mention of His name, the mere singing of a carol, or the mere visual of a sign that says "Merry Christmas?"
I can listen to my own boss at work use some of the vilest words and follow up with, "Excuse my French." I may cringe inside at his damning of God's name, but I tolerate it. So if you don't like me wishing you a "Merry Christmas," I'll say, "Excuse my joy." You may cringe that I celebrate the Birth Of Jesus, but just tolerate it.
I cannot be concerned that "Merry Christmas" offends you. If I'm not careful, the day will come when saying I'm a Christian will offend you.
I'm offended that you're offended. How about that?
When we get to a point that we can no longer take part in a tradition we hold dear, we have no choice; we either defend that tradition or we give it up to those who say NO. That's it . . . period. So, which will it be?
I'm not giving up my "Merry Christmas Joy" to anyone. If I know of someone that celebrates another holiday during this time of year, I will be glad to wish them whatever holiday they want. Just tell me what it is and I'll shout it to the world and wish you a grand celebration.
Just give me Christmas!! To you merchants: Stop being so hypocritical and "filling your tills" on the back of Jesus!! Who do you think is the symbol of giving at this time of year? It was the Wise Men bringing gifts to the newborn Christ-child.
You want your coffers full, but have ordered your employees to take down all the Merry Christmas signs. If that's the case, I'll buy gifts at a place that understands my joy.
If you're worried about offending someone, you just did. The most recent Newsweek survey shows that 82% of Americans believe that Jesus is the Son of God. So, in trying not to offend a few, you've offended many.
It's okay to jump into the "Merry Christmas Spirit" when it fills your cash register, but let's call it something else . . . and don't stop giving . . . and don't stop buying. . . we'll just change the name and you'll never know the difference.
I know the difference and I'm feeling it greatly. It's hard not to be aware that townships across our country have actually banned the singing of Christmas Carols because it might offend someone. And it's not just the religious songs; it's the secular ones too. No more "Jingle Bells" or "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" because they're
associated with Christmas. Boy, aren't we getting sensitive?
If we're not celebrating Christmas for the hope it gives with the birth of our Savior . . . there is no hope!!
I noticed a few years ago that we changed the name of Abraham Lincoln's and George Washington's birthday so as to be all inclusive regarding the Presidents. Hark, if we should recognize anyone as exceptional. Now it's called Presidents' Day.
Well, if we're going to be so all inclusive, next month I'll have to refer to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as Civil Rights Leaders' Day. We don't want to exclude great Americans like Rosa Parks or Cesar Chavez, do we? And to think that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton might be left out. We might need to change Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Grandparents' Day to All Parents' Day. Just lump them all together.
It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? So what's the difference?
My freedom to celebrate Christmas in the tradition of the Christian religion is as much my right as it is your right to be offended by it.
So.... what are we going to do? Did anyone hear me ?!!
What are we going to do?!!
Do we defend a person's right to go forward with a time tested tradition (how about 2000 years?), or do we defend a person's right to end it all because they're offended? As long as we live in this great land and have the freedom to express ourselves and what we believe in, we will always offend someone.
If we try to make everything right for everyone, we won't have anything for anyone.
May you always have Christmas in your heart!
Amen!!!!
Yer Hillbilly friend in TN...
Ross
PROUD father of an American Soldier
4330 Golf Terrace, Suite 109
Eau Claire, WI 54701
I'm on a "Merry Christmas" mission and I'm in full throttle. My little yellow VW Beetle has turned into a Christmas billboard with Merry Christmas written across the back window. Yes, I've decided to trek off to work everyday on the public highways with a message that seems to offend people.
At stop lights, I even turn my music up a little louder, and to top it off, I sing along with it. Don't I know that stopping at a red light to roll my windows down only to share the joy of Christmas carols on public streets is a No-No? Don't I fear the Christmas Gestapo and those who would have me remove the written message from my car?
I'm sorry folks, but the only person I'm concerned about "offending" during this Christmas Season is the Lord
Himself. LEAVE THAT MANGER ALONE! We've allowed the Baby Jesus to be kicked out of His lowly manger, and those offended by Christmas are still not happy.
I refuse to let this happen. I'm going to do my part to make sure "Merry Christmas" doesn't become extinct. Because like it or not, if the believers in Christmas don't take a stand now, it's gone forever!
Listen folks, the Christian Community has been underestimated before; we will have to show ourselves again.
I walked into a Wendy's Restaurant the other day and was rather exuberant with my "Merry Christmas" greeting to the manager. He didn't have much of a response and I said, "Where's your Christmas Spirit?" He said, "We're not allowed to use the words "Merry Christmas" when greeting customers. We can only say "Happy Holiday."
This morning I grabbed a quick breakfast at a Whataburger Restaurant. I noticed there wasn't a single decoration in the store. I asked the manager why they weren't decorated for Christmas. He told me the corporate headquarters decided not to send any decorations to any of their stores, and he didn't know why.
After I heard about all the Macy's and Federated Stores taking down their Merry Christmas signs, the Target stores not allowing the Salvation Army to "Ring the Christmas Bells," and the many incidents of children, choirs, and bands not allowed to play or sing Christmas Carols, I realized it was happening right here in my own little Texas town.
How can this be? Not Texas!
We do, however, have a store, Hobby Lobby, that plays nothing but Christmas carols during the season. On Christmas Day they run a full page ad in our local newspaper. That ad is not to promote the store, but uses the entire page to tell the story of Jesus' birth. Now that's taking a stand. We need to thank them.
When I saw a news report the other evening of children being taught new words to a song we've sung for years - "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" - I was saddened to hear "We Wish You a Splendid Holiday."
I know now that it's just a matter of time that the "Merry Christmas" greetings will be gone. Look around your town. Notice the "Holiday" greetings and not "Christmas." It's happening right before our very eyes.
Start singing the songs; go down the streets of America singing to your heart's content. Get some of those wash-off markers that these kids use to write on their car windows when they're rooting for their hometown football team. It's easy to do, and if a torrential rain washes it off, write it on there again.
We've got to get this message out!! "Go Tell It On the Mountain . . . that Jesus Christ is Born." Sing it, speak it, be a billboard for ourLord.
The story of this "Baby Jesus" alone has brought about more goodwill at this time of year than any other day we celebrate. How can we sit back and allow Him to be snuffed out of our lives?
Is it Jesus, or is it His followers that the "offended" don't like? What kind of revulsion galvanizes one to campaign so vehemently against the mere mention of His name, the mere singing of a carol, or the mere visual of a sign that says "Merry Christmas?"
I can listen to my own boss at work use some of the vilest words and follow up with, "Excuse my French." I may cringe inside at his damning of God's name, but I tolerate it. So if you don't like me wishing you a "Merry Christmas," I'll say, "Excuse my joy." You may cringe that I celebrate the Birth Of Jesus, but just tolerate it.
I cannot be concerned that "Merry Christmas" offends you. If I'm not careful, the day will come when saying I'm a Christian will offend you.
I'm offended that you're offended. How about that?
When we get to a point that we can no longer take part in a tradition we hold dear, we have no choice; we either defend that tradition or we give it up to those who say NO. That's it . . . period. So, which will it be?
I'm not giving up my "Merry Christmas Joy" to anyone. If I know of someone that celebrates another holiday during this time of year, I will be glad to wish them whatever holiday they want. Just tell me what it is and I'll shout it to the world and wish you a grand celebration.
Just give me Christmas!! To you merchants: Stop being so hypocritical and "filling your tills" on the back of Jesus!! Who do you think is the symbol of giving at this time of year? It was the Wise Men bringing gifts to the newborn Christ-child.
You want your coffers full, but have ordered your employees to take down all the Merry Christmas signs. If that's the case, I'll buy gifts at a place that understands my joy.
If you're worried about offending someone, you just did. The most recent Newsweek survey shows that 82% of Americans believe that Jesus is the Son of God. So, in trying not to offend a few, you've offended many.
It's okay to jump into the "Merry Christmas Spirit" when it fills your cash register, but let's call it something else . . . and don't stop giving . . . and don't stop buying. . . we'll just change the name and you'll never know the difference.
I know the difference and I'm feeling it greatly. It's hard not to be aware that townships across our country have actually banned the singing of Christmas Carols because it might offend someone. And it's not just the religious songs; it's the secular ones too. No more "Jingle Bells" or "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" because they're
associated with Christmas. Boy, aren't we getting sensitive?
If we're not celebrating Christmas for the hope it gives with the birth of our Savior . . . there is no hope!!
I noticed a few years ago that we changed the name of Abraham Lincoln's and George Washington's birthday so as to be all inclusive regarding the Presidents. Hark, if we should recognize anyone as exceptional. Now it's called Presidents' Day.
Well, if we're going to be so all inclusive, next month I'll have to refer to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as Civil Rights Leaders' Day. We don't want to exclude great Americans like Rosa Parks or Cesar Chavez, do we? And to think that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton might be left out. We might need to change Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Grandparents' Day to All Parents' Day. Just lump them all together.
It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? So what's the difference?
My freedom to celebrate Christmas in the tradition of the Christian religion is as much my right as it is your right to be offended by it.
So.... what are we going to do? Did anyone hear me ?!!
What are we going to do?!!
Do we defend a person's right to go forward with a time tested tradition (how about 2000 years?), or do we defend a person's right to end it all because they're offended? As long as we live in this great land and have the freedom to express ourselves and what we believe in, we will always offend someone.
If we try to make everything right for everyone, we won't have anything for anyone.
May you always have Christmas in your heart!
Amen!!!!
Yer Hillbilly friend in TN...
Ross
PROUD father of an American Soldier
4330 Golf Terrace, Suite 109
Eau Claire, WI 54701
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Friday, December 02, 2005
Remember My Birthday?
Remember My Birthday????!!!!!!
As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday. Every year there is a celebration in my honor and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated. During this time there
are many people shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting closer and closer.
It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of me. As you know, the celebration of my birthday began many years ago. At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration. Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but they don't know the meaning of the celebration.
I remember that last year there was a great feast in my honor. The dinner table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates. The decorations were exquisite
and there were many, many beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to know something? I wasn't invited. I was the guest of honor and they didn't remember to send me an invitation.
The party was for me, but when that great day came, I was left outside, they closed the door in my face......... and I wanted to be with them and share their table. In truth, that didn't surprise me because in the last few years all close their doors to me. Since I was not invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner. They were all drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and laughing at everything. They were having a great time. To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling Ho-Ho-Ho! He seemed drunk. He sat on the sofa and all the children ran to him, saying : "Santa Claus, Santa Claus"... as if the party were in his honor ! At 12 midnight all the people began to hug each other ; I extended my arms waiting for someone to hug me and .... do you know .... no one hugged me. Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for me. What would you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you did not get one ? I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and quietly left. Every year it gets worse. People only remember to eat and drink, the gifts, the parties and nobody remembers me. I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter into your life. I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came to this world to give my life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only want that you believe this with all you heart. I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party. I'm still making the final arrangements. Today I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you and write your name with golden letters in my great guest book. Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party. Those who don't answer the invitation, will be left outside. Do you know how you can answer this invitation? it is by extending it to others whom you care for... I'll be waiting for all of you to attend my party this year...
See you soon .... I love you !
-Jesus-
"Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth." Psalm 46:10
As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday. Every year there is a celebration in my honor and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated. During this time there
are many people shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting closer and closer.
It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of me. As you know, the celebration of my birthday began many years ago. At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration. Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but they don't know the meaning of the celebration.
I remember that last year there was a great feast in my honor. The dinner table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates. The decorations were exquisite
and there were many, many beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to know something? I wasn't invited. I was the guest of honor and they didn't remember to send me an invitation.
The party was for me, but when that great day came, I was left outside, they closed the door in my face......... and I wanted to be with them and share their table. In truth, that didn't surprise me because in the last few years all close their doors to me. Since I was not invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner. They were all drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and laughing at everything. They were having a great time. To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling Ho-Ho-Ho! He seemed drunk. He sat on the sofa and all the children ran to him, saying : "Santa Claus, Santa Claus"... as if the party were in his honor ! At 12 midnight all the people began to hug each other ; I extended my arms waiting for someone to hug me and .... do you know .... no one hugged me. Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for me. What would you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you did not get one ? I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and quietly left. Every year it gets worse. People only remember to eat and drink, the gifts, the parties and nobody remembers me. I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter into your life. I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came to this world to give my life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only want that you believe this with all you heart. I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party. I'm still making the final arrangements. Today I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you and write your name with golden letters in my great guest book. Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party. Those who don't answer the invitation, will be left outside. Do you know how you can answer this invitation? it is by extending it to others whom you care for... I'll be waiting for all of you to attend my party this year...
See you soon .... I love you !
-Jesus-
"Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth." Psalm 46:10
Subject: Your Cup of Coffee ~ From Clinton and Joanna
Subject: Your Cup of Coffee
Your Cup of Coffee
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to
visit their old University of Notre Dame lecturer. Conversation soon
turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the lecturer went to the kitchen and returned
with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic,
glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them
to help themselves to hot coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said: "If
you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving
behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want
only the best for yourselves, that may be the source of your problems and
stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you
consciously went for the better cups and are now eyeing each other's cups."
"Now, if life is coffee, then the jobs, money, and position in society are
the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality
of life doesn't change."
Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee
in it.
Your Cup of Coffee
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to
visit their old University of Notre Dame lecturer. Conversation soon
turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the lecturer went to the kitchen and returned
with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic,
glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them
to help themselves to hot coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said: "If
you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving
behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want
only the best for yourselves, that may be the source of your problems and
stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you
consciously went for the better cups and are now eyeing each other's cups."
"Now, if life is coffee, then the jobs, money, and position in society are
the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality
of life doesn't change."
Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee
in it.
From Uncle Ivan...
Stan: Got home 11-30-05 am doing good so far but sure am weak from the hospital, came home last night then your Aunt Freda came down with the 24 hour virus she was so sick. But some better this morning.
Will try to send you more later. Uncle Ivan
Will try to send you more later. Uncle Ivan
Jim Rowland update...... From Cousin Joanna... Many thanks for the informtaion...
Hi, Just thought you would like to know.............
Jim finally got out of ICU about midnight last night. He is now in a room and seems to be feeling much better. I think he is hoping to get to go home today, but we'll have to wait and see. Doris spent the night with us last night and has now gone up to see him. I think it was to his advantage that he stayed in ICU so long. His Dr. seems to stay pretty busy and just doesn't get around to his patients until late in the evening, then there was also the problem of finding a room, anyway it looks like he is doing well. Hope youall are also doing well. We think of you often, just don't take time to let you know it. :)
I also talked with Freda last night, they are doing better too. She wasn't feeling well the night Ivan came home from the hospital, but was doing much better last night.
Jim finally got out of ICU about midnight last night. He is now in a room and seems to be feeling much better. I think he is hoping to get to go home today, but we'll have to wait and see. Doris spent the night with us last night and has now gone up to see him. I think it was to his advantage that he stayed in ICU so long. His Dr. seems to stay pretty busy and just doesn't get around to his patients until late in the evening, then there was also the problem of finding a room, anyway it looks like he is doing well. Hope youall are also doing well. We think of you often, just don't take time to let you know it. :)
I also talked with Freda last night, they are doing better too. She wasn't feeling well the night Ivan came home from the hospital, but was doing much better last night.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Happy Birthday Austyn... big number 6!!
I know.. Grandpa has a lot to learn about photoshop cs2... but this is a neat shot of Austyn ... He is always thinking.. the wheels are spinning.. Austyn, Grandpa is proud to have you as a Grandson! YOU are COOL! Happy 6th Birthday from Grandpa and Grandma Moffat! Click to enlarge... enjoy the day!
Jake practicing his craft....
Mrs. Moffat's baby boy... got his first real big time job welding for Classic Fabrication. He has agreed to go to work for a business in Carney, OK. (Jake puts it another way.. he passed the welding test!) that builds oilfield equipment in a big time way. He is really fired up and ready to rock and roll... and speaking of that, he is also getting back to his music. He has decided it just might be a gift from God and perhaps he should develop it more. He has written over 6 songs this past weekend and is hoping to make a new cd with the new material to go with his other three already has. So he is a busy man of late. He also has been my right hand man through all my heart problems, running our farm like it was his... He has really become a very dependable person of late, and is coming into his own... all I can say ... watch out world.. jake is on his way!! weld on my son, weld on...
Jim Rowland is home now... we think...
Jim Rowland had surgery on his arteries in his neck... and they should also be home today. Heard that Jim proved to them he was still in "Charge" of things, as he made them take 4 hours to do a 2 hour surgery... haha... Well, Jim, we both got to "get our monies worth" buy taking more of the Drs. time than they thought.. haha.. we do know how to get our monies worth, don't we!!
Uncle Ivan....
Uncle Ivan has been in the hospital and is doing better.. Seems a cold become very serious and didn't want to go away. The good news, if one can call it that, is they found out Uncle Ivan has Sugar Diabetes. It is a silent killer and now that he knows he has it, it can be managed. He and Aunt Freda get to come home this evening they hope. Will let you know more as I learn more.
.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Jon and Randi's new website.....
Just wanted to let everyone know that we aren't going to post on this site anymore. We have a new home now!
Visit our new site at
http://www.jonandrandi.com
This is our new home on the web. We hope to add a lot of new stuff along with the new site to, things to use to pass the time.. haha..
Visit our new site at
http://www.jonandrandi.com
This is our new home on the web. We hope to add a lot of new stuff along with the new site to, things to use to pass the time.. haha..
Andrew and Madison's Christmas Program is December 16th at 7:00 pm at the Hillcrest Baptist Church.
Andrew and Madison's Christmas Program is December 16th at 7:00 pm at the Hillcrest Baptist Church. There will be a program where all kids have a part (even the babies) then snacks and finally Santa will be there for pictures...
Bring the camera's...
Heather
Bring the camera's...
Heather
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
From Joanna ..... this am...
Hi, Just thought you would like to know Uncle Ivan is in the Parkview Hospital, in El Reno. He was admitted yesterday, after going to the Dr., again, for a bad cold that has hung on for a couple weeks. The Dr. thought it might be going into his lungs, so thought they could treat him better in the hospital. I talked to him this morning and I think he is feeling better. He thinks they will probably keep him a couple days, then he will be back home. Please keep them in your prayers.
Also, prayers for Jim & Doris. Jim is having surgery today for a carotid artery. (hope I spelled that right) He is to be at the hospital at 11:00 and guess surgery will be around 1:00 pm. Will let you know how it goes.
Also, prayers for Jim & Doris. Jim is having surgery today for a carotid artery. (hope I spelled that right) He is to be at the hospital at 11:00 and guess surgery will be around 1:00 pm. Will let you know how it goes.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Saturday, November 26, 2005
wow... home AGAIN!!
It finally hit me... on Tuesday night of this week how very lucky I am that my first heart attack did not cost me my life! Wow. It hit like a ton of bricks! I just simply had not idea... and now after my second time in the hospital in less than a month, I have come to realize how wonderful it is to be alive, even with the aches and pains of ole age! My brain had no concept of my close call, as I felt better than before after my stint was put in at the Tulsa Heart Hospital. I "knew" it was cool, and that I had a heart attack, but my brain was not living it! In life, I had no idea... none what so ever about what I had happen to my body. I am used to "being sick" and getting over it.. and your body tells you to take it easy, but I had no "sick" pains, none... felt better than I did in years, so I was hitting it hard, regaining the lost years... and then wham... It hit me! What happened was another long story. Why it happened the Dr. thinks is this... on my second spell... where the stint was put in, there is a small artery that branches off and it is not one of the three most important... and the stint blocked it off and my heart, not used to this one being blocked called to it... and did not receive an answer and called and called and .... pain started... I don't need it to live, but the heart (muscle) was used to calling and getting from it... I will just have to accept that I can not do as before... and will have to take it easy now. sigh...
Have been resting since, and walking small doses around our home. I have figured out it is 200 big steps or 600 feet from the center of the road in front of our home to the gate post just east of our barn. This means.. 9 times around it and I would walk a mile... not near as exciting as walking the mile one way across our property or ok... Ann... 1.4 miles one way... sigh... and and .. hahaha...
I start back with the wellness center next week, I hope.
I had all my family round me on the second trip too. How wonder it is to start the healing process with lots of family around you.
I am richly blessed... I have the best kids, in laws and grandchildren in the world, and I mean that! I am most blessed because of my wonderful loving wife, my very best friend of 33 plus years, who has stayed by my side through some very tough times... times that might even have made me leave me!! I can not hardly type this for the tears... she is my rock. She is my life and I love her very very much, my Ann! Thanks for standing by me. For loving me! for being my best friend!
Well, recovering now... today is the day we picked to celebrate one of the best holidays around.. the day of Thanksgiving. And we are very thankful of all the many blessings we have been given and give praise to God for those and all of the wonderful things to come. We are richly ... very richly blessed!
Some of the things we are very thankful for... Jake is in welding school, has completely changed his life, is working towards the goal of becoming a commercial welder. He has an A average in his class at Meridian technology Center in Stillwater. He has become a rock that Ann and I can lean on... Heather, inspite of all she went through, is alive and back to work and doing quite well! We didn't lose her, nor did we lose Madison Ann... Paul is getting to work days not including weekends starting in a month or so, and has already got his deer this year! Tammy is working on her teaching certificate, and is really doing quite well, and is almost done. She is a super mom to Austyn, who is, it seems, setting milestones every day! From staying with friends, to his art, to his discovery of the things we take forgranted everyday! And Andrew is almost 21 at the rip ole age of 3! His way of putting things he views in his world is matched only by the best broadcasters in the world! His love for his sister is unmatched. Randi is being another super mom to Kailtyn. She started her new job as office manager in Ada is loving it. Kaitlyn came up and her and I fell asleep on the couch one afternoon not long ago... and that was the coolest thing ... wow.. She is "running" everywhere, and will be wanting the keys to car before long... and Jon is doing well, has become a college man again. He has enrolled and will be finishing up his degree before long. He is moving up the "food chain" at his office, and is now in a management position, and is enjoying it.
Phillip is still with Rains and is helping ship goods all over the USA! He is still doing his pottery, and has several folks who are wanting him to do brick work on the side. His artist side has become quite well known in the community... and his work is known for being right, well done, and his gift as an artist shines through, so those who want only the best are chasing him...
Goodness WE ARE RICHLY BLESSED this holiday season....
We had hoped to celebrate with Uncle Ivan and Aunt Freda Moffat of El Reno, but Uncle Ivan has a cold and can not make it up. We will miss you all.
Got a wonderful call from Ward and Melanie, Ann's brother and sister in law in Florida. They are doing well.
Life is precious... enjoy!
Have been resting since, and walking small doses around our home. I have figured out it is 200 big steps or 600 feet from the center of the road in front of our home to the gate post just east of our barn. This means.. 9 times around it and I would walk a mile... not near as exciting as walking the mile one way across our property or ok... Ann... 1.4 miles one way... sigh... and and .. hahaha...
I start back with the wellness center next week, I hope.
I had all my family round me on the second trip too. How wonder it is to start the healing process with lots of family around you.
I am richly blessed... I have the best kids, in laws and grandchildren in the world, and I mean that! I am most blessed because of my wonderful loving wife, my very best friend of 33 plus years, who has stayed by my side through some very tough times... times that might even have made me leave me!! I can not hardly type this for the tears... she is my rock. She is my life and I love her very very much, my Ann! Thanks for standing by me. For loving me! for being my best friend!
Well, recovering now... today is the day we picked to celebrate one of the best holidays around.. the day of Thanksgiving. And we are very thankful of all the many blessings we have been given and give praise to God for those and all of the wonderful things to come. We are richly ... very richly blessed!
Some of the things we are very thankful for... Jake is in welding school, has completely changed his life, is working towards the goal of becoming a commercial welder. He has an A average in his class at Meridian technology Center in Stillwater. He has become a rock that Ann and I can lean on... Heather, inspite of all she went through, is alive and back to work and doing quite well! We didn't lose her, nor did we lose Madison Ann... Paul is getting to work days not including weekends starting in a month or so, and has already got his deer this year! Tammy is working on her teaching certificate, and is really doing quite well, and is almost done. She is a super mom to Austyn, who is, it seems, setting milestones every day! From staying with friends, to his art, to his discovery of the things we take forgranted everyday! And Andrew is almost 21 at the rip ole age of 3! His way of putting things he views in his world is matched only by the best broadcasters in the world! His love for his sister is unmatched. Randi is being another super mom to Kailtyn. She started her new job as office manager in Ada is loving it. Kaitlyn came up and her and I fell asleep on the couch one afternoon not long ago... and that was the coolest thing ... wow.. She is "running" everywhere, and will be wanting the keys to car before long... and Jon is doing well, has become a college man again. He has enrolled and will be finishing up his degree before long. He is moving up the "food chain" at his office, and is now in a management position, and is enjoying it.
Phillip is still with Rains and is helping ship goods all over the USA! He is still doing his pottery, and has several folks who are wanting him to do brick work on the side. His artist side has become quite well known in the community... and his work is known for being right, well done, and his gift as an artist shines through, so those who want only the best are chasing him...
Goodness WE ARE RICHLY BLESSED this holiday season....
We had hoped to celebrate with Uncle Ivan and Aunt Freda Moffat of El Reno, but Uncle Ivan has a cold and can not make it up. We will miss you all.
Got a wonderful call from Ward and Melanie, Ann's brother and sister in law in Florida. They are doing well.
Life is precious... enjoy!
Friday, November 25, 2005
'My Father Was a Wildfire'
The only son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash talks about his parents' faith, their relationship, and their musical legacy.
Interview by David Caldwell
John Carter Cash is the executive producer of "Walk the Line," a movie opening Friday that recounts the sometimes tempestuous and ultimately triumphant love story of his parents, the singers Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.
It quickly becomes evident from talking to John Carter Cash, 35, the couple's only child together, that in making the film he was seeing through the final wishes of his parents, who died within four months of each other in 2003. Cash, who lives near Nashville and is a music producer, got Joaquin Phoenix to play his father and Reese Witherspoon to play his mother----just as his parents wanted. Cash spoke with Beliefnet about his parents' life together, especially about the unshakable faith that helped them through hard times and became the bedrock for their marriage--as well as his life.
Do you think it's a film a lot of people will enjoy?
Yes, I do. I think people will love it. My parents had a vision for a movie about this that, first of all, told the story of their love affair, their life together, and their early relationship--how they made it through their struggles, how they got together and stayed together. The film succeeds at that greatly. My father and mother both OKed Joaquin and Reese for the parts and were both very positive about Joaquin and Reese doing their own singing. I believe this film stays true to the vision that my parents had. It's a movie about their love and their life, and they set it all up. It was theirs all the way.
How much does the movie deal with their faith?
My mother's faith becomes very evident in watching the film--her strength in God. The film deals with my father growing up as a young man and his struggles. My father resoundingly professed his faith in God later. It becomes evident early in the film how my father wanted to have faith in the Gospel. But the major focus in the film is their love affair. It's not really a film about their faith. The point where the film stops off is the point where my father truly begins to seek out Christianity. The point where he started is where the film ends. My parents' number-one goal was to have a movie about their life, and how their love helped them come together. I believe we've done that.
There is not a lot of attention paid to his recovery from addiction. Was that on purpose?
Really, the movie ends where he's beginning to clear up. There isn't much focus on his recovery.
You have a strong faith. How much of that do you owe to your parents?
My father told me early on about having a life in God. Their faith was the light of their life. They always professed it--their faith and their relationship with Christ. I learned by example, from watching them get through their struggles. They'd always come back to their faith. My father and mother were together because of their faith.
Through all of my father's struggles--which are evident in the film--the audience can see that faith in God would help to provide him with truth, vision, and direction. So faith was always very important to me. I think early on in life maybe, as so many people do, I rebelled against one thing or another--whether it be music, whether it be the freedom that comes from the relationship with God. I had to go through my own struggles to find my relationship with God. That relationship that I've built has been a result of my own struggles. Sometimes, you find peace through misery. Having said that, what's most important for me to do now is to keep my peace. And the way I do that is through prayer and a life with God.
"Nobody could save him from anything."
Your half-sister, Kathy, was interviewed a week ago by the Nashville Tennessean after members of the family watched an advance screening of the film. She said she walked out of the film five times because she thought her mother, Vivian Liberto Distin, was treated poorly. Is it hard when you're making a film like this to make everybody happy?
Well, what we have is a story about the formation of a relationship--a strong relationship. My father was a wildfire. Really. Nobody could save him from anything. His family turned away from him, and he broke up with his first wife. It just happened to be that when he was going to get back up on his feet, my mother was there. The movie is not about his relationship with Vivian [who died earlier this year]. That was never my father's intention, or my mother's, to have a movie about their life before they met. What they wanted was a movie about their love, about their life together with God. However anybody feels--how I feel, or how my sister feels or whatever--I still stand strong and true and firmly that this is the movie that my parents together would have made. That's all that matters to me.
You've produced an album, "Home to You," by the Peasall Sisters, the girls who became famous in the film, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," singing the kind of music your mother loved. How did that all come about?
One of the girls, Leah, took fiddle lessons from my wife, Laura, for a long time. I got to know her and them through my wife's relationship. I got to be friends with all of them. Got together in the studio with them and did some demos and sought out a record deal with them. My mother--when she first saw "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"--she was exuberant when she heard those little girls. They were singing the songs that she was singing when she was a little girl with her sisters. And she said, "My God. That's me, Helen and Anita up there." She was very excited about their music. That's really when I first got to know them. I was connected with them in many ways early on through my mother's music and the songs that they'd sing. It made great sense to work together. It's very traditional music. It's the real thing.
Do you think there was a heightened interest in your mother's music, and bluegrass music in general, after "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
It reawakened people who were interested in "old-timey" music, the roots of bluegrass music. Where does bluegrass music come from? All the songs in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" are pre-bluegrass. There were a lot of bluegrass musicians out there starting their careers in the 1930s and 1940s who grew up listening to the Carter family. That's the roots of the music. There's a June Carter Cash box set on Legacy Records. There's a lot of music out there spanning her career. I'm glad her music is out there. It means a lot.
You're involved now with an album called "Voice of the Spirit." Is that music similar to your mother's?
"Voice of the Spirit" was a project I'd been talking about for a long time. It began as an Appalachian record. But it's a record of all pure Southern gospel. I got a bunch of different artists together and did all of it here in Nashville. Good friends making good music. They're all brand-new recordings, but they're old songs I've found in various places, including Carter Family songs.
Interview by David Caldwell
John Carter Cash is the executive producer of "Walk the Line," a movie opening Friday that recounts the sometimes tempestuous and ultimately triumphant love story of his parents, the singers Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.
It quickly becomes evident from talking to John Carter Cash, 35, the couple's only child together, that in making the film he was seeing through the final wishes of his parents, who died within four months of each other in 2003. Cash, who lives near Nashville and is a music producer, got Joaquin Phoenix to play his father and Reese Witherspoon to play his mother----just as his parents wanted. Cash spoke with Beliefnet about his parents' life together, especially about the unshakable faith that helped them through hard times and became the bedrock for their marriage--as well as his life.
Do you think it's a film a lot of people will enjoy?
Yes, I do. I think people will love it. My parents had a vision for a movie about this that, first of all, told the story of their love affair, their life together, and their early relationship--how they made it through their struggles, how they got together and stayed together. The film succeeds at that greatly. My father and mother both OKed Joaquin and Reese for the parts and were both very positive about Joaquin and Reese doing their own singing. I believe this film stays true to the vision that my parents had. It's a movie about their love and their life, and they set it all up. It was theirs all the way.
How much does the movie deal with their faith?
My mother's faith becomes very evident in watching the film--her strength in God. The film deals with my father growing up as a young man and his struggles. My father resoundingly professed his faith in God later. It becomes evident early in the film how my father wanted to have faith in the Gospel. But the major focus in the film is their love affair. It's not really a film about their faith. The point where the film stops off is the point where my father truly begins to seek out Christianity. The point where he started is where the film ends. My parents' number-one goal was to have a movie about their life, and how their love helped them come together. I believe we've done that.
There is not a lot of attention paid to his recovery from addiction. Was that on purpose?
Really, the movie ends where he's beginning to clear up. There isn't much focus on his recovery.
You have a strong faith. How much of that do you owe to your parents?
My father told me early on about having a life in God. Their faith was the light of their life. They always professed it--their faith and their relationship with Christ. I learned by example, from watching them get through their struggles. They'd always come back to their faith. My father and mother were together because of their faith.
Through all of my father's struggles--which are evident in the film--the audience can see that faith in God would help to provide him with truth, vision, and direction. So faith was always very important to me. I think early on in life maybe, as so many people do, I rebelled against one thing or another--whether it be music, whether it be the freedom that comes from the relationship with God. I had to go through my own struggles to find my relationship with God. That relationship that I've built has been a result of my own struggles. Sometimes, you find peace through misery. Having said that, what's most important for me to do now is to keep my peace. And the way I do that is through prayer and a life with God.
"Nobody could save him from anything."
Your half-sister, Kathy, was interviewed a week ago by the Nashville Tennessean after members of the family watched an advance screening of the film. She said she walked out of the film five times because she thought her mother, Vivian Liberto Distin, was treated poorly. Is it hard when you're making a film like this to make everybody happy?
Well, what we have is a story about the formation of a relationship--a strong relationship. My father was a wildfire. Really. Nobody could save him from anything. His family turned away from him, and he broke up with his first wife. It just happened to be that when he was going to get back up on his feet, my mother was there. The movie is not about his relationship with Vivian [who died earlier this year]. That was never my father's intention, or my mother's, to have a movie about their life before they met. What they wanted was a movie about their love, about their life together with God. However anybody feels--how I feel, or how my sister feels or whatever--I still stand strong and true and firmly that this is the movie that my parents together would have made. That's all that matters to me.
You've produced an album, "Home to You," by the Peasall Sisters, the girls who became famous in the film, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," singing the kind of music your mother loved. How did that all come about?
One of the girls, Leah, took fiddle lessons from my wife, Laura, for a long time. I got to know her and them through my wife's relationship. I got to be friends with all of them. Got together in the studio with them and did some demos and sought out a record deal with them. My mother--when she first saw "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"--she was exuberant when she heard those little girls. They were singing the songs that she was singing when she was a little girl with her sisters. And she said, "My God. That's me, Helen and Anita up there." She was very excited about their music. That's really when I first got to know them. I was connected with them in many ways early on through my mother's music and the songs that they'd sing. It made great sense to work together. It's very traditional music. It's the real thing.
Do you think there was a heightened interest in your mother's music, and bluegrass music in general, after "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
It reawakened people who were interested in "old-timey" music, the roots of bluegrass music. Where does bluegrass music come from? All the songs in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" are pre-bluegrass. There were a lot of bluegrass musicians out there starting their careers in the 1930s and 1940s who grew up listening to the Carter family. That's the roots of the music. There's a June Carter Cash box set on Legacy Records. There's a lot of music out there spanning her career. I'm glad her music is out there. It means a lot.
You're involved now with an album called "Voice of the Spirit." Is that music similar to your mother's?
"Voice of the Spirit" was a project I'd been talking about for a long time. It began as an Appalachian record. But it's a record of all pure Southern gospel. I got a bunch of different artists together and did all of it here in Nashville. Good friends making good music. They're all brand-new recordings, but they're old songs I've found in various places, including Carter Family songs.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Uncle Ivan sends along this ditty... PAUL HARVEY AND PRAYER...
Paul Harvey and Prayer
Paul Harvey says:
I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin, but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his theory of evolution.
Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be
endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game.
So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.
"But it's a Christian prayer," some will argue.
Yes, and this is the United States of America, a country founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect-somebody chanting Hare Krishna?
If I went to a football game in Jerusalem,
I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer.
If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad,
I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.
If I went to a ping pong match in China,
I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.
And I wouldn't be offended.
It wouldn't bother me one bit.
When in Rome...
"But what about the atheists?" is another argument.
What about them?
Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand.
Call your lawyer!
Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or
two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do.
I don't think a short prayer at a football game is
going to shake the world's foundations.
Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other
cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our
parents and grandparents taught us to pray before
eating; to pray before we go to sleep.
Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a
handful of people and their lawyers are telling us
to cease praying.
God, help us.
And if that last sentence offends you,
well ... just sue me.
The silent majority has been silent too long. It's time we let that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard .... that the vast majority don't care what they want. It is time the majority rules! It's time we tell them, you don't have to pray; you don't have to say the pledge of allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right. But by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away. We are fighting back .
and we WILL WIN!
God bless us one and all .. especially those who denounce Him. God bless America, despite all her faults. She is still the greatest nation of all.
God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.
May 2006 be the year the silent majority is heard
and we put God back as the foundation of our
families and institutions.
Keep looking up.
Paul Harvey says:
I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin, but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his theory of evolution.
Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be
endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game.
So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.
"But it's a Christian prayer," some will argue.
Yes, and this is the United States of America, a country founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect-somebody chanting Hare Krishna?
If I went to a football game in Jerusalem,
I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer.
If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad,
I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.
If I went to a ping pong match in China,
I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.
And I wouldn't be offended.
It wouldn't bother me one bit.
When in Rome...
"But what about the atheists?" is another argument.
What about them?
Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand.
Call your lawyer!
Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or
two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do.
I don't think a short prayer at a football game is
going to shake the world's foundations.
Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other
cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our
parents and grandparents taught us to pray before
eating; to pray before we go to sleep.
Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a
handful of people and their lawyers are telling us
to cease praying.
God, help us.
And if that last sentence offends you,
well ... just sue me.
The silent majority has been silent too long. It's time we let that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard .... that the vast majority don't care what they want. It is time the majority rules! It's time we tell them, you don't have to pray; you don't have to say the pledge of allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right. But by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away. We are fighting back .
and we WILL WIN!
God bless us one and all .. especially those who denounce Him. God bless America, despite all her faults. She is still the greatest nation of all.
God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.
May 2006 be the year the silent majority is heard
and we put God back as the foundation of our
families and institutions.
Keep looking up.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
From a friend of mine.. Ronnie Attwood. hehe...
A pastor concluded that his church was getting into serious financial
troubles. While checking the church storeroom, he discovered several
cartons of new bibles that had never been opened and distributed. So at
his Sunday sermon, he asked for three volunteers from the congregation
who would be willing to sell the bibles door to door for $10 each to
raise the desperately needed money for the church.
Peter, Paul and Louie all raised their hands to volunteer for the task.
The minister knew that Peter and Paul earned their living as salesmen
and were likely capable of selling some bibles. But he had serious
doubts about Louie who was a local farmer, who had always kept to
himself because he was embarrassed by his speech impediment. Poor Louis
stuttered badly. But, not wanting to discourage Louis, the minister
decided to let him try anyway.
He sent the three of them away with the back seat of their cars stacked
with bibles. He asked them to meet with him and report the results of
their door to door selling efforts the following Sunday.
Anxious to find out how successful they were, the minister immediately
asked Peter, "Well, Peter, how did you make out selling our bibles last
week?"
Proudly handing the reverend an envelope, Peter replied, "Using my sales
prowess, I was able to sell 20 bibles, and here's the $200 I collected
on behalf of the church."
"Fine job, Peter!" The minister said, vigorously shaking his hand. "You
are indeed a fine salesman and the Church is indebted to you."
Turning to Paul, "And Paul, how many bibles did you sell for the church
last week?"
Paul, smiling and sticking out his chest, confidently replied, "I am a
professional salesman. I sold 28 bibles on behalf of the church, and
here's $280 I collected."
The minister responded, "That's absolutely splendid, Paul. You are truly
a professional salesman and the church is also indebted to you."
Apprehensively, the minister turned to Louie and said, "And Louie, did
you manage to sell any bibles last week?"
Louie silently offered the minister a large envelope. The reverend
opened it and counted the contents. "What is this?" the minister
exclaimed. "Louie, there's $3,200 in here! Are you suggesting that you
sold 320 bibles for the church, door to door, in just one week?"
Louie just nodded.
That's impossible!" both Peter and Paul said in unison. "We are
professional salesmen, yet you claim to have sold 10 times as many
bibles as we could."
"Yes, this does seem unlikely," the minister agreed. "I think you'd
better explain how you managed to accomplish this, Louie."
Louie shrugged. "I-I-I re-re-really do-do-don't kn-kn-know f-f-f-for
sh-sh-sh-sure," he stammered.
Impatiently, Peter interrupted. "For crying out loud, Louie, just tell
us."
"A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-said wa-wa-was," Louis replied, "W-w-w-w-would
y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this b-b-b-b-bible
f-f-for t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks -- o-o-o-or-- wo-wo-would yo-you j-j-j-just
l-like m-m-me t-t-to st-st-stand h-h-here and r-r-r-r-r-read it t-to
y-y-you??"
troubles. While checking the church storeroom, he discovered several
cartons of new bibles that had never been opened and distributed. So at
his Sunday sermon, he asked for three volunteers from the congregation
who would be willing to sell the bibles door to door for $10 each to
raise the desperately needed money for the church.
Peter, Paul and Louie all raised their hands to volunteer for the task.
The minister knew that Peter and Paul earned their living as salesmen
and were likely capable of selling some bibles. But he had serious
doubts about Louie who was a local farmer, who had always kept to
himself because he was embarrassed by his speech impediment. Poor Louis
stuttered badly. But, not wanting to discourage Louis, the minister
decided to let him try anyway.
He sent the three of them away with the back seat of their cars stacked
with bibles. He asked them to meet with him and report the results of
their door to door selling efforts the following Sunday.
Anxious to find out how successful they were, the minister immediately
asked Peter, "Well, Peter, how did you make out selling our bibles last
week?"
Proudly handing the reverend an envelope, Peter replied, "Using my sales
prowess, I was able to sell 20 bibles, and here's the $200 I collected
on behalf of the church."
"Fine job, Peter!" The minister said, vigorously shaking his hand. "You
are indeed a fine salesman and the Church is indebted to you."
Turning to Paul, "And Paul, how many bibles did you sell for the church
last week?"
Paul, smiling and sticking out his chest, confidently replied, "I am a
professional salesman. I sold 28 bibles on behalf of the church, and
here's $280 I collected."
The minister responded, "That's absolutely splendid, Paul. You are truly
a professional salesman and the church is also indebted to you."
Apprehensively, the minister turned to Louie and said, "And Louie, did
you manage to sell any bibles last week?"
Louie silently offered the minister a large envelope. The reverend
opened it and counted the contents. "What is this?" the minister
exclaimed. "Louie, there's $3,200 in here! Are you suggesting that you
sold 320 bibles for the church, door to door, in just one week?"
Louie just nodded.
That's impossible!" both Peter and Paul said in unison. "We are
professional salesmen, yet you claim to have sold 10 times as many
bibles as we could."
"Yes, this does seem unlikely," the minister agreed. "I think you'd
better explain how you managed to accomplish this, Louie."
Louie shrugged. "I-I-I re-re-really do-do-don't kn-kn-know f-f-f-for
sh-sh-sh-sure," he stammered.
Impatiently, Peter interrupted. "For crying out loud, Louie, just tell
us."
"A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-said wa-wa-was," Louis replied, "W-w-w-w-would
y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this b-b-b-b-bible
f-f-for t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks -- o-o-o-or-- wo-wo-would yo-you j-j-j-just
l-like m-m-me t-t-to st-st-stand h-h-here and r-r-r-r-r-read it t-to
y-y-you??"
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Welcome - Our Moffat Family Blog
CHARLES SCHULTZ ON LIFE !
Charles Schultz Philosophy
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read straight through, and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." (Charles Schultz)
Charles Schultz Philosophy
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read straight through, and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." (Charles Schultz)
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Thursday, November 10, 2005
New pictures of Kaitlyn
Hate to jump in here in the middle of dad's blog, but figured it was the fastest way to tell everyone.
I have put some new pics of Kaitlyn on our site (http://jonandrandi.blogspot.com). Some of them are just funny pics and then some from her first birthday and Halloween.
Just some FYI also, I finally got my letter turned into ECU here in Ada to try and get back into school. So hopefully I will know something in a couple of weeks. It is weird, but I'm sort of looking forward to going back to school.... Never thought I would hear myself think that.. lol
See all you folks in Stillwater on Saturday!
I have put some new pics of Kaitlyn on our site (http://jonandrandi.blogspot.com). Some of them are just funny pics and then some from her first birthday and Halloween.
Just some FYI also, I finally got my letter turned into ECU here in Ada to try and get back into school. So hopefully I will know something in a couple of weeks. It is weird, but I'm sort of looking forward to going back to school.... Never thought I would hear myself think that.. lol
See all you folks in Stillwater on Saturday!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Amazing how time moves ..... another I remember when story...
We lived at Yukon on the Mulvey place from 1954 to Sept. 01, 1960 on a quarter section south of Yukon where now is located Mulvey Park. We had a big lake on it and the dairy cows loved the land. Lots of creeks to play in and on the lake was a wooden bridge across one section and in the middle was a cabin with a cool screened in porch and huge fireplace. It was owned by the Martin Mulvey family, and one of their sons, my age, has become one of Stillwater's premiere home builders... Mike Mulvey. Anyway... I am doing this from memory... with out actual facts in front of me... We probably lived there about 6 years.. moving from the Horn place south east of Yukon where we lived for about 4 years or so... My grandparents, Jake and Maude Siegrist, lived on the 172 acres just to east of us on Chez Hall Road. My granddad loved to fish and he could easily walk to the big lake on our dairy farm... bout a quarter mile... but I got side tracked...
A Doctor in Yukon was related to the Mulveys.. his name was Goodnight. He flew a small plane and was a big OSU fan. He would fly to Stillwater and land on the old airstrip that is now our farm here, and would always tell us about it after he found at that the folks bought the half section south of it.. the Kastl farm. He was an Elk and would host parties at the cabin on the lake.
And usually on Sunday morning, after one of his parties... our cows would be slower to come in to the barn, slower eating.. and ready to head back to the cabin area... after a few of these times... Grandpa Moffat and I followed the cows back down to the cabin area and saw the milk cows going straight to a 12' diameter water trough that Dr. Goodnight had behind the cabin... I mean the cows went staight for it... so we walked up to it and looked down and it was full of beer cans.. and in the bottom was some of the beer from the cans and the cows loved it... We laughed, and I can still remember Grandma asking Dr. to please empty out their beer cans before they threw them in the trough.. it was funny ... Grandma said we probably had the only Drunk Milk Cows on Sunday mornings in the county!!!
Now... here is a ditty.. .the very reason for my writing this... After we moved to Stillwater and milked on the East place for about two years we built a barn on Western and moved there. This song was recorded in 1969, Moffett, Oklahoma by Charlie Walker (Charlie's best song, Pick me up on your way down), and it was a tune that KRMG played on the radio and Grandpa Moffat always listened to it for news, etc while eating breakfast and heading to milk barn. An old disk jockey named Marvin McCullough was always wound up and joking around and loved western swing music, including Bob Wills of Tulsa and Hank Thompsen too. And one Sunday morning, Grandpa Moffat was remembering the cow incident... and Marvin played this tune on the radio and Grandpa heard it in the milk barn. It got so still you could hear a pin drop. Grandpa was listening to the song about Moffett OK and then he got really mad... Here we had "drunk cows" at Yukon 10 years before and Doc laughing at us along with friends and neighbors, and the song about a town named after us was nothing but a honky tonk, etc.. you can take it from there.... so for the family.. enjoy this tune... haha....
A Doctor in Yukon was related to the Mulveys.. his name was Goodnight. He flew a small plane and was a big OSU fan. He would fly to Stillwater and land on the old airstrip that is now our farm here, and would always tell us about it after he found at that the folks bought the half section south of it.. the Kastl farm. He was an Elk and would host parties at the cabin on the lake.
And usually on Sunday morning, after one of his parties... our cows would be slower to come in to the barn, slower eating.. and ready to head back to the cabin area... after a few of these times... Grandpa Moffat and I followed the cows back down to the cabin area and saw the milk cows going straight to a 12' diameter water trough that Dr. Goodnight had behind the cabin... I mean the cows went staight for it... so we walked up to it and looked down and it was full of beer cans.. and in the bottom was some of the beer from the cans and the cows loved it... We laughed, and I can still remember Grandma asking Dr. to please empty out their beer cans before they threw them in the trough.. it was funny ... Grandma said we probably had the only Drunk Milk Cows on Sunday mornings in the county!!!
Now... here is a ditty.. .the very reason for my writing this... After we moved to Stillwater and milked on the East place for about two years we built a barn on Western and moved there. This song was recorded in 1969, Moffett, Oklahoma by Charlie Walker (Charlie's best song, Pick me up on your way down), and it was a tune that KRMG played on the radio and Grandpa Moffat always listened to it for news, etc while eating breakfast and heading to milk barn. An old disk jockey named Marvin McCullough was always wound up and joking around and loved western swing music, including Bob Wills of Tulsa and Hank Thompsen too. And one Sunday morning, Grandpa Moffat was remembering the cow incident... and Marvin played this tune on the radio and Grandpa heard it in the milk barn. It got so still you could hear a pin drop. Grandpa was listening to the song about Moffett OK and then he got really mad... Here we had "drunk cows" at Yukon 10 years before and Doc laughing at us along with friends and neighbors, and the song about a town named after us was nothing but a honky tonk, etc.. you can take it from there.... so for the family.. enjoy this tune... haha....
Today's Quote
In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends.
-John Churton Collins
-John Churton Collins
more on the attack.... part two
As the copter crew got me ready at Stillwater Municipal Hospital ER... I joked.. yelp you know me.. with them about their uniforms... and how they looked like twinkies... and the nice nurse assisting me said that if I thought they looked funny I should see the pilot.. who incidentally met us at the door to head up the second floor helipad .... cuz he had a tooth missing and no hair and one eye that he could see about half vision with.. well, that made me feel better.. but instead of all that, he was only about 4'11" tall... but he assured me he could see out the windshield... haha.... they zipped me into an insulated body bag..(now that made me feel GREAT!). At least it matched their uniforms and the copter... and loaded me in the back of the craft like I was a tool box... as we went up the ramp, my chest was really hurting... and it was hard to breath, but I didn't want to bother anyone so I kept quite and waved two floors down to all the family gathered... below. After everyone got on board, we lifted off and headed the bus to Tulsa. One reason they wanted me on the copter was .. the ground trip would be very rough... well,, folks, if you have never been in a small craft, plane or copter on a warm fall day.. it is just like being on a bus with NO springs.. my goodness the thermals were bad, but the crew were used to it... and with the chest pain coming and going at about 10 min intervals, I just wanted to get somewhere where they could fix me up... and after about 30 mins at about 2000 feet.. we landed in Tulsa at the St. Francis Heart Hospital. I was stoked... finally I would be able to get some help.. It was a 30 min flight to east side of Tulsa, and we landed.. they got me out and wheeled me into the hospital... and I just knew there would be lots of "specialist" waiting on me.. Drs to help me, nurses all over me cuz this was their speciality.. but boy was I wrong.. haha.... the crew headed into the hospital and no one.. not one person met us, or questioned us.. not one.. we saw NO one... the doors in some of the rooms were open and no one was in them... and we saw no one and now I am wondering just how new this hospital was.. after we got to the second floor and at the nurses station there, did we finally find someone to assist us.. and my room was right there! After they took me out of the body bag and moved me into bed... the nurses asked me if we did the paper work on way up.. the crew and I looked at them and assured them that we did not and that NO one met us.. or questioned us... and the nurses were alarmed.. bad security breach I quess.... hahaha.. but anyway.... I made it to the bed, told the pilot he might hang around and in a bit when Ann got there with our cash, I would pay him to fly me home... haha... The nurse on board was great.. her husband was a "want to be" welder and farmer among other things.. and she was a bit on the heavy side.. but she handled me like I was something that might break... after about an hour and half the family arrived, and I was still having pains, but figured it was the place to be if they got worse... Mom told me about her and Marilyn and Tammy being at the OSU girls basketball game and how the announcer asked that "Tammy Moffat" call her husbands cell phone.. as the game started... Jake called Heather and Phil .. since we were setting home talking about me needing to go and Jake was there. He went to get his hair cut at Studio E and we headed to Dr. I am not sure how he found out we were in the ER in Stillwater as we headed to the Drs office ... and ended up there... but one thing I do know, it's awesome having such as wonderful family as I have... Again, I am richly blessed... more later...
Well, I did it..
Yelp... walked two (2) miles this am in 40 mins. Wow.. a personal best since the ole ticker attack! I am pooped!! and tired too! Feeling better and getting some of my strength back. It's amazing how much better I feel after the work on my heart. Guess that is one organ one needs to take care of... those of you who know me know I learn best from being hit on the head with a two by four!! So maybe I have, not sure, but I think so... haha... I go to the Wellness Center on the OSU campus Friday morning to see about my health, and for them to work with me to get me going again. Ann has helped bunches with her awesome cooking and changing things up for us so the portions are smaller.. and those of you again who know me KNOW eating is MY fav thing to do..... so this is quite a change.... for me and family. Jake is losing weight too and looking really good.. reminds me of someone I used to know, haha LONG TIME AGO...
Heather is losing weight too.. and family is doing good. Phil and Tammy celebrated his 36th birthday in Ft. Worth at the Texas Motor Speedway Sat and Sun with VIP passes to pit and everywhere. They were seated on the Finish Line!! How cool. Neat way to remember 36th. Jon and family are coming up this weekend.. I am stoked about that... love seeing Kaitlyn and her folks too.... hehe...
later.. just wanted to brag on my walk... Got to keep up with Aunt Freda who does this on a regular basis!!!
Heather is losing weight too.. and family is doing good. Phil and Tammy celebrated his 36th birthday in Ft. Worth at the Texas Motor Speedway Sat and Sun with VIP passes to pit and everywhere. They were seated on the Finish Line!! How cool. Neat way to remember 36th. Jon and family are coming up this weekend.. I am stoked about that... love seeing Kaitlyn and her folks too.... hehe...
later.. just wanted to brag on my walk... Got to keep up with Aunt Freda who does this on a regular basis!!!
Enjoy... Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance
Red Skelton's Pledge to the Flag... a must hear if you never have. We lived at Yukon on Mulvey Park as it's known today... when Red gave this on his show. I always got to watch the first 30 mins of his hour how, as it started at 7:30pm and bed time was at 8pm SHARP!
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
IF MY BODY WERE A CAR - from Uncle Ivan...
IF MY BODY WERE A CAR
If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about
trading it in for a newer model.
I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is
getting a little dull, but that's not the worst of it.
My fenders are too wide to be considered stylish. They were once as
sleek as a little MG; now they look more like an old Buick.
My seat cushions have split open at the seams. My seats are sagging.
Seat belts? I gave up all belts when Krispy Cremes opened a shop in my
neighborhood.
Air bag's? Forget it. The only bags I have these days are under my
eyes. Not counting the saddlebags, of course.
I have soooooo many miles on my odometer. Sure, I've been many places
and seen many things, but when's the last time an appraiser factored
life experiences against depreciation?
My headlights are out of focus and it's especially hard to see things up
close.
My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and
skid and bump into things even in the best of weather.
My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins.
It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed.
My fuel rate burns inefficiently.
But here's the worst of it - almost every time I sneeze, cough or
sputter..... either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!!!!
If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about
trading it in for a newer model.
I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is
getting a little dull, but that's not the worst of it.
My fenders are too wide to be considered stylish. They were once as
sleek as a little MG; now they look more like an old Buick.
My seat cushions have split open at the seams. My seats are sagging.
Seat belts? I gave up all belts when Krispy Cremes opened a shop in my
neighborhood.
Air bag's? Forget it. The only bags I have these days are under my
eyes. Not counting the saddlebags, of course.
I have soooooo many miles on my odometer. Sure, I've been many places
and seen many things, but when's the last time an appraiser factored
life experiences against depreciation?
My headlights are out of focus and it's especially hard to see things up
close.
My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and
skid and bump into things even in the best of weather.
My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins.
It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed.
My fuel rate burns inefficiently.
But here's the worst of it - almost every time I sneeze, cough or
sputter..... either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!!!!
A bumper sticker for both parties - from Uncle Ivan...
BI-PARTISAN BUMPER STICKER
At last.... A bumper sticker for both parties. FINALLY, someone has come out with a 100% bipartisan political bumper sticker. The hottest selling bumper sticker comes from New York State:
"2008 - RUN HILLARY RUN"
Democrats put it on the rear bumper.
Republicans put it on the front bumper.
At last.... A bumper sticker for both parties. FINALLY, someone has come out with a 100% bipartisan political bumper sticker. The hottest selling bumper sticker comes from New York State:
"2008 - RUN HILLARY RUN"
Democrats put it on the rear bumper.
Republicans put it on the front bumper.
A very big thank you too all the family who gathered round...
A very big thank you goes out to all my family for gathering round me during my recent heart attack. Life goes on... and I know, as I knew before, the most precious thing I have on the face of this earth is my family.... I am so very blessed.
Thanks to the Aunt's and Uncle's and Cousin's for cards and calls and flowers and letters and thoughts and prayers..... and my kids for ALWAYS being there for me... and especially to the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the lady I love so very much, my Ann for loving me and staying by my side.... I feel much better than before, and walked about a mile and three fourths this am... so things are getting back to normal... again, thanks to everyone for everything... S
Thanks to the Aunt's and Uncle's and Cousin's for cards and calls and flowers and letters and thoughts and prayers..... and my kids for ALWAYS being there for me... and especially to the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the lady I love so very much, my Ann for loving me and staying by my side.... I feel much better than before, and walked about a mile and three fourths this am... so things are getting back to normal... again, thanks to everyone for everything... S
Today's Quote
Today's Quote
I have a 'Play The Melody' philosophy. It means don't over-arrange, don't make life difficult. Just play the melody—and do it the simplest way possible.
-Jackie Gleason
I have a 'Play The Melody' philosophy. It means don't over-arrange, don't make life difficult. Just play the melody—and do it the simplest way possible.
-Jackie Gleason
Oh my, where do I start... been thinking 'bout this all day long...
perhaps..... a simple thank you, or a GIANT THANK YOU, OR.... a thank you all so much.. would be in order.. but then... it needs to be much much more...
What a fast and furious time since Friday night at 8pm. wow!!!
Seems Ann and I had a wonderful dinner Friday night and we were settling into our usual tv time together... and about 8pm, I experienced a very "funny" feeling in my chest. It was as if someone had placed a two by four on it across the top of it and then set down on it. I could not get my breath... and I didn't want to worry anyone, so I got up and walked outside.. and walked around the yard some.. then I decided maybe I needed to run.. and so I jogged about 5 times around it... and the pain seemed to ease a bit and I had no sharp pains in either arm so I "KNEW" it was not my heart... next I noticed I was breathing by could not get my breath... no matter how hard I breathed, I seemed to need more... so... after about 30 mins of this.. I went back into the house and let Ann know I might be having a bit of a problem. She suggested that the awesome peppered cheese we had might have caused some indigestion so I starting eating some Tums... and seemed to get a bit of relief... but the pain was still there, so ... I retired to the bedroom and tried to lay down.. but tossed and turned and could not get comfortable... and took some asprin as I usually do... then I remembered the pain I was experiencing was a bit like some other times over the last 6 weeks to two months. Jake and I were loading some calves and I could not get my breath.. (too fat... I know...) and other times but didn't last like this was.. so I sort of told Ann I was better.. at bedtime and I know she didn't believe me.. and she tossed and turned along with me... and offered to take me to the emergency room.. yet I knew I didn't need to go... so.. 'bout 4AM I started really hurting.. and got up and took 4 asprins... couple of moltrin, and several tylinol... farmer deal, if a little helps, you throw lots at it.. haha.. and I managed to fall asleep in numbness about 5am.. for about 3 hours.. then we got up, still hurting.. and ate breakfast, showered and then decided about 9ish to head to Doctor in Stillwater, and upon arrival, he said.. "we will tear up this little ole form, and play like you were never here and get to the hospital ER." And away we went..... to the ER at Stillwater Municipal Hospital arriving about 10ish... and we got right in, seems that chest pains get in first of line... and they started drawing blood, etc.. and drew and drew... and all of a sudden to Ann and I's amazement, there stood Paul... in the doorway... I never expected anyone to be there but Ann and I... and as the morning turned to afternoon... the whole family less Jonathan's... who live in Roff.. where at the helipad to see the copter come in and and take me to Tulsa... more later...
What a fast and furious time since Friday night at 8pm. wow!!!
Seems Ann and I had a wonderful dinner Friday night and we were settling into our usual tv time together... and about 8pm, I experienced a very "funny" feeling in my chest. It was as if someone had placed a two by four on it across the top of it and then set down on it. I could not get my breath... and I didn't want to worry anyone, so I got up and walked outside.. and walked around the yard some.. then I decided maybe I needed to run.. and so I jogged about 5 times around it... and the pain seemed to ease a bit and I had no sharp pains in either arm so I "KNEW" it was not my heart... next I noticed I was breathing by could not get my breath... no matter how hard I breathed, I seemed to need more... so... after about 30 mins of this.. I went back into the house and let Ann know I might be having a bit of a problem. She suggested that the awesome peppered cheese we had might have caused some indigestion so I starting eating some Tums... and seemed to get a bit of relief... but the pain was still there, so ... I retired to the bedroom and tried to lay down.. but tossed and turned and could not get comfortable... and took some asprin as I usually do... then I remembered the pain I was experiencing was a bit like some other times over the last 6 weeks to two months. Jake and I were loading some calves and I could not get my breath.. (too fat... I know...) and other times but didn't last like this was.. so I sort of told Ann I was better.. at bedtime and I know she didn't believe me.. and she tossed and turned along with me... and offered to take me to the emergency room.. yet I knew I didn't need to go... so.. 'bout 4AM I started really hurting.. and got up and took 4 asprins... couple of moltrin, and several tylinol... farmer deal, if a little helps, you throw lots at it.. haha.. and I managed to fall asleep in numbness about 5am.. for about 3 hours.. then we got up, still hurting.. and ate breakfast, showered and then decided about 9ish to head to Doctor in Stillwater, and upon arrival, he said.. "we will tear up this little ole form, and play like you were never here and get to the hospital ER." And away we went..... to the ER at Stillwater Municipal Hospital arriving about 10ish... and we got right in, seems that chest pains get in first of line... and they started drawing blood, etc.. and drew and drew... and all of a sudden to Ann and I's amazement, there stood Paul... in the doorway... I never expected anyone to be there but Ann and I... and as the morning turned to afternoon... the whole family less Jonathan's... who live in Roff.. where at the helipad to see the copter come in and and take me to Tulsa... more later...
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Thursday, October 27, 2005
YOU have to SEE this... and hear it too...
Head on over to this link....
Be sure to turn the sound up. Takes a while to load, but worth the wait.
Turkey Time is a comin'...
Be sure to turn the sound up. Takes a while to load, but worth the wait.
Turkey Time is a comin'...
All I know about this photo.. is.. Kevin Miller used to play drums with Jake... and is now engaged to this lovely young lady and he is very very happy... Kevin is truly an amazing young man with unlimited talent in lots of areas, and I know he will be very happy in the years to come. He is like a member of our family... and we wish him lots of luck in the future, and hope the wind will always be at their back.. as they sail through life..
Preacher Smith was planning a wedding at the close of service on Sunday, and then....
Preacher Smith was planning a wedding at the close of the Sunday
morning service.
After the benediction he had planned to call the couple down
to be married for a brief ceremony before the congregation.
For the life of him, he couldn't think of the names of those
who were to be married.
"Will those wanting to get married please come to the front?"
he requested.
Immediately, nine single ladies, three widows, four widowers,
and six single men stepped to the front.
morning service.
After the benediction he had planned to call the couple down
to be married for a brief ceremony before the congregation.
For the life of him, he couldn't think of the names of those
who were to be married.
"Will those wanting to get married please come to the front?"
he requested.
Immediately, nine single ladies, three widows, four widowers,
and six single men stepped to the front.
Interesting how the "news" has changed in my life time....
Oh my goodness, how the news has changed. One used to not see anything out of the ordinary, and now anything sells news. This is an AP photo used with the AP story about 4 million out of power in Florida... hum.. I bet this is how all 4 million of them look.. right.. haha.. can you tell the photographer was a male.. (and he was!)... but then, who would have read this story without someone throwing in "eye candy" needed to draw you to it.. gosh, how the "news folks" must think we are complete morons!!! haha.. ok.. just trying to brighten up our day.. haha...
the whole deal can be found on Drudgereport.com this am... haha.. nothing about the photo other than ap tied it to the story. Got to be cuz this lady is average south floridian... yeah, right.. hahahahahaha...
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
From Joanna and Clinton Wilson.... Death....
D E A T H ~ WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO EXPLAIN IT
A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."
Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."
"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"
The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough."
A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."
Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."
"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"
The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough."
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