Words from God... from Uncle Ivan...

This will change ... let it run for a bit.. haha... it is an animated gif...
Stan

From Jon and Randi... and she has updated their blog too.... check it out!!

Randi started at a place called Eye-Q. It is an eye doctor about 5 blocks from my office. She is their office manager. She is now on her 2nd day, but picking it up very good.



Kaitlyn did well at her first day of day care. She hardly cried all day, and played with the other kids. She didn't eat that much, but Randi has just started switching her to a bottle, so that will take some time.



I have been helping with interviews for a position in our office. We finished the first day with 2 good candidates, so that is a big plus. We are still blowing and going with project after project with a long road ahead. But as the Project Manager, that is good for me! Haha.. J

God is like.. from Joanna and Clinton

A fifth grade teacher in a Christian school asked her class to look at TV commercials and see if they could use them in some way to communicate ideas about God.

Here are some of the results: scroll down.

God is like...
BAYER ASPIRIN
He works miracles.

God is like...
a FORD
He's got a better idea.

God is like...
COKE
He's the real thing.

(This is great)
God is like...
HALLMARK CARDS
He cares enough to send His very best.

God is like...
TIDE
He gets the stains out that others leave behind.

God is like...
GENERAL ELECTRIC
He brings good things to life.

God is like...
SEARS
He has everything.

God is like...
ALKA-SELTZER
Try him, you'll like Him.

God is like...
SCOTCH TAPE
You can't see him, but you know He's there.

God is like...
DELTA
He's ready when you are.

God is like...
ALLSTATE
You're in good hands with Him.

God is like...
VO-5 Hair Spray
He holds through all kinds of weather.

God is like...
DIAL SOAP
Aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wish everybody did?

(that one is my favorite)
God is like...
the U.S. POST OFFICE
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor ice will keep Him from His appointed destination.

NOT A LOT GOING ON... HOWEVER...

Well, it is raining.. and raining.. and we need every drop..

first time in years it has rained in August!!

Grandson's back in School and lovin' it. Son Jake back in School and lovin' it too.. He is the OLE' man in his class! Always before, he was the youngest in his class for 13 years!! Jake and Great grandma went to town to get school supplies and they had a ball. He reported she was like a kid in a candy store, looking and cutting up, etc. and then she tried to pay with a counter check instead of regular check and Atwoods would not take it... wow.. can you imagine what happened after that... ??? Mom at the counter trying to pay with a check that the business would not take.. haha... yelp, she got ticked... you'll have to ask Jake the rest of the story....

Jon reported to Ann that Randi was hired in Ada by a Dentist/CPA office to run the deal! She will be great at that! I know it is an answer to some prayers there, as it is hard to make it with just one income. Randi has been looking hard for work and finally looks like something has come along that has all the things she loves to do in it.. how lucky!!

You know what, I really miss not seeing Kaitlyn more. I know the road between us runs both ways, but it is hard to get to see her as often as we would like. She is really growing up. Randi and Jonathan are doing a great job with her. Now they just need to have about a dozen more!!

Ann is trying to keep up with all the changes at her office. Seems that the wonders of the peter principle come into play there a lot. If you are our age, you know what that expression means!! Sometimes it helps to have someone driving the train... just an observation!!

Her dear friend Missy is now a chicken farmer. Her and Ann purchased a dozen chicks several months ago, and Missy fixed up a "chicken house and pen" and picked up some of her birds to enjoy some "homemade" eggs... I have to tease her! And now.. I think Jake and Ann have purchased a few of the chicks that lay the "COLORED" eggs... so now we have a new chicken farmer in the family... guess that is better than having chicken thieves in the family.. haha..

Phil and his office are cooking out all week for Driver Appreciation at Rains Trucking. How lucky! Our picnic table that was loaned out several years ago, is on it's way home, with a stop there this week for the drivers to use. ( I wonder???? reck'n we will get a sampling of the great food, for them using it, hehehahah.... !) Phil is so talented.. He is a whiz with photoshop, he and Jonathan both. Be sure to see some of Austyn's photos on Phil's blog.. cool cool cool....

Paul and his team are winning their ball games this summer, rolling over the other's but lots of points.. They have a solid team and they show up to play ball! and then they prove it! Now his goal is to hit one out of the park!! and he will! He reported that they have weaned their baby goats now too... but I think the thing he enjoys most is messing around with his new daughter!! She has him wrapped around her finger right now.. But then Madison has even got Andrew wrapped around it too.. haha..

Heather is doing good, and feeling better. She had a bit of a scare last week when she started feeling bad, but it was other things.. and it was not bad.

Tammy, still smiling and enjoying her teaching... Her and Jake and Phil headed to Bricktown last Saturday to eat and enjoy a movie... I think the boys enjoyed, not sure if Tammy did, haha, as the movie was "Dukes of Hazzard"... haha... They ate at Toby Keith's and said it was good food and atomsphere, too.

Ann and I kept Austyn, who was a hoot. He is on self entertainment mode.. and can play and play and play.

Sunday, Heather and Madison and Andrew came over and had lunch with us, and we kept the kiddos while she went home and got some things done, as she is now back at work. Ann and Jake took them home about 5ish..

Ann and I love the grandkids. How wonderful it is and how richly blessed we are to have them so close that we can see them often and watch them grow. It is amazing how much Madison changes in just a few days... and ... well you know.. haha....

Sure there are things I have left out, and I am sorry.. will try to refresh my memory and write more later.. if the memory comes alive!! haha..

May God deeply bless you and yours, forever!

S

Jake getting ready for his first day at VoTech in Welding class. He goes there from 12:30pm till 3:30pm and then is 10mins from work and he goes directly to it and works till 1am. He has a full day plus helping out the Shultz Ranch, and his Mom and Dad. Ann thought we needed this for future folks to see... haha.. Jake was not too happy 'bout it!! 

THE FINAL INSPECTION sent in by Melanie Shaklee....

THE FINAL INSPECTION
The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.
"Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."

~Author Unknown~

NOTE: It's the Military, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press. It's the Military, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech. It's the Military, not the politicians that ensures our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. It's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag.

Another one of those kind'a good photos.. by accident!! hehe..... 

NOW THIS IS NEWS I LIKE TO SEE - Experimental Hybrid Cars Get Up to 250 Mpg!

Experimental Hybrid Cars Get Up to 250 Mpg
By TIM MOLLOY, Associated Press Writer
Sat Aug 13, 7:08 PM ET



Politicians and automakers say a car that can both reduce greenhouse gases and free America from its reliance on foreign oil is years or even decades away. Ron Gremban says such a car is parked in his garage.

It looks like a typical Toyota Prius hybrid, but in the trunk sits an 80-miles-per-gallon secret — a stack of 18 brick-sized batteries that boosts the car's high mileage with an extra electrical charge so it can burn even less fuel.

Gremban, an electrical engineer and committed environmentalist, spent several months and $3,000 tinkering with his car.

Like all hybrids, his Prius increases fuel efficiency by harnessing small amounts of electricity generated during braking and coasting. The extra batteries let him store extra power by plugging the car into a wall outlet at his home in this San Francisco suburb — all for about a quarter.

He's part of a small but growing movement. "Plug-in" hybrids aren't yet cost-efficient, but some of the dozen known experimental models have gotten up to 250 mpg.

They have support not only from environmentalists but also from conservative foreign policy hawks who insist Americans fuel terrorism through their gas guzzling.

And while the technology has existed for three decades, automakers are beginning to take notice, too.

So far, DaimlerChrysler AG is the only company that has committed to building its own plug-in hybrids, quietly pledging to make up to 40 vans for U.S. companies. But Toyota Motor Corp. officials who initially frowned on people altering their cars now say they may be able to learn from them.

"They're like the hot rodders of yesterday who did everything to soup up their cars. It was all about horsepower and bling-bling, lots of chrome and accessories," said Cindy Knight, a Toyota spokeswoman. "Maybe the hot rodders of tomorrow are the people who want to get in there and see what they can do about increasing fuel economy."

The extra batteries let Gremban drive for 20 miles with a 50-50 mix of gas and electricity. Even after the car runs out of power from the batteries and switches to the standard hybrid mode, it gets the typical Prius fuel efficiency of around 45 mpg. As long as Gremban doesn't drive too far in a day, he says, he gets 80 mpg.

"The value of plug-in hybrids is they can dramatically reduce gasoline usage for the first few miles every day," Gremban said. "The average for people's usage of a car is somewhere around 30 to 40 miles per day. During that kind of driving, the plug-in hybrid can make a dramatic difference."

Backers of plug-in hybrids acknowledge that the electricity to boost their cars generally comes from fossil fuels that create greenhouse gases, but they say that process still produces far less pollution than oil. They also note that electricity could be generated cleanly from solar power.

Gremban rigged his car to promote the nonprofit CalCars Initiative, a San Francisco Bay area-based volunteer effort that argues automakers could mass produce plug-in hybrids at a reasonable price.

But Toyota and other car companies say they are worried about the cost, convenience and safety of plug-in hybrids — and note that consumers haven't embraced all-electric cars because of the inconvenience of recharging them like giant cell phones.

Automakers have spent millions of dollars telling motorists that hybrids don't need to be plugged in, and don't want to confuse the message.

Nonetheless, plug-in hybrids are starting to get the backing of prominent hawks like former CIA director James Woolsey and Frank Gaffney, President Reagan's undersecretary of defense. They have joined Set America Free, a group that wants the government to spend $12 billion over four years on plug-in hybrids, alternative fuels and other measures to reduce foreign oil dependence.

Gaffney, who heads the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Security Policy, said Americans would embrace plug-ins if they understood arguments from him and others who say gasoline contributes to oil-rich Middle Eastern governments that support terrorism.

"The more we are consuming oil that either comes from places that are bent on our destruction or helping those who are ... the more we are enabling those who are trying to kill us," Gaffney said.

DaimlerChrysler spokesman Nick Cappa said plug-in hybrids are ideal for companies with fleets of vehicles that can be recharged at a central location at night. He declined to name the companies buying the vehicles and said he did not know the vehicles' mileage or cost, or when they would be available.

Others are modifying hybrids, too.

Monrovia-based Energy CS has converted two Priuses to get up to 230 mpg by using powerful lithium ion batteries. It is forming a new company, EDrive Systems, that will convert hybrids to plug-ins for about $12,000 starting next year, company vice president Greg Hanssen said.

University of California, Davis engineering professor Andy Frank built a plug-in hybrid from the ground up in 1972 and has since built seven others, one of which gets up to 250 mpg. They were converted from non-hybrids, including a Ford Taurus and Chevrolet Suburban.

Frank has spent $150,000 to $250,000 in research costs on each car, but believes automakers could mass-produce them by adding just $6,000 to each vehicle's price tag.

Instead, Frank said, automakers promise hydrogen-powered vehicles hailed by President Bush and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, even though hydrogen's backers acknowledge the cars won't be widely available for years and would require a vast infrastructure of new fueling stations.

"They'd rather work on something that won't be in their lifetime, and that's this hydrogen economy stuff," Frank said. "They pick this kind of target to get the public off their back, essentially."

___

On the Net:

CalCars Initiative: http://calcars.org

COUSIN DORIS AND PAUL VISITING.... HER BIRTHDAY IS AUGUST 16TH, AND PAUL'S WAS LAST MONTH....  

COUSIN JOANNA AND MADISON ANN 

AUNT FREDA AND UNCLE IVAN MOFFAT, EL RENO, OK.  

JUST BEFORE IT ROLLED OVER AND DUMPED ABOUT A HALF INCH OF RAIN AND SOME FANTASTIC LIGHTNING, AND SOME STRONG WIND.. NOTICE THE AWESOME DARK CLOUDS UP ON TOP.. HEHE.. LIGHTNING HIT JUST AS I SNAPPED THIS, AND I STEPPED INSIDE.. RATHER SCARED.. HATE TO ADMIT IT.. BUT IT MADE THE HAIR ON MY BACK STAND UP!! 

UNDER IT.. LITTLE BIT OF A GUST FRONT AND AS GRANDPA MOFFAT WOULD HAVE SAID, A WINDROLL TOO...  

HERE IT'S GETTING CLOSER.. AND LOOKING AWESOME!! 

LOOKIE WHAT WAS COMING TO VISIT US TONIGHT.. SATURDAY.. AWESOME THUNDER HEAD.. AND IT HAD SOME MUCH NEEDED RAIN UNDER IT TOO...  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT FREDA AND COUSIN DORIS.. AUGUST 15 AND 16TH!!

Aunt Freda was the guest of honor, and it was also Cousin Doris's birthday the day after Aunt Freda's too.. so it was a big party for all!! Joanna and Clinton, Doris and Jim, Aunt Freda and Uncle Ivan, Aunt Fanny, Mom and Mk, Phil and Tammy and Austyn, Paul and Heather and Madison, and Andrew, Ann and I, Jonathan and Randi and Kaitlyn were in attendance... What a great time, and some wonderful visits, and we missed some family... but there will be another time, I am sure. How lucky we are to be in a world where we can come and go as we please, do what we want, when we want, get what we want when we want.. and visit those we can, when we can! The food was great, the company was awesome.. and it was fantastic!! Aunt Fannie was telling me about some "going's on" at the Senior Citzens Center in El Reno... Aunt Freda was talking about 17 years of donuts and day old donuts... and having family over for ice cream, and Clinton's back is a bit better, Mom is not doing to well, and on and on... it was truly God's blessing to us to be able to share that wonderful time together! Thanks to everyone who came and made it a special night!  

On the way to OKC to Aunt Freda's Birthday... We took the long way around to miss the storm and it kinda slipped in behind us.. this was the wind whipping across the Oklahoma plains near the Cimarron River on Highway 33. It was an awesome site. I have never in my life seen such a pretty site. The sand was dancing under the strength of the wind.. It was sooo cool that Paul stopped and I snapped a few shots. Will post the rest later.. It was just awesome.. then we took off and headed down the Turner Turnpike and ended up late due to two wrecks and miles of stop and go driving in a 75 posted, 85 usually mile per hour highway!! 

Madison Ann came to see us while her Dad played ball the other evening.. and he WON, and almost hit a home run!!! Needless to say, Grandma and I hit home runs too, keeping Madison Ann!! 

Spacecraft Blasts Off to Gather Mars Data

Spacecraft Blasts Off to Gather Mars Data
By MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press
(Link to some GREAT PHOTOS)

A spacecraft blasted off Friday into a golden early morning sky, beginning a mission to Mars to gather more data on the Red Planet than all combined previous missions.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter lifted off on an Atlas V rocket on a seven-month journey to Mars.

"Surveying for the deepest insights into the mysterious evolution of Mars!" NASA commentator George Diller said after liftoff.

The launch went flawlessly. The booster rocket shut down and dropped off into the Atlantic minutes after liftoff, and the second-stage rocket separated less than an hour later, leading workers at the launch control center to break into applause. A short time later, two solar panels that will provide power during the voyage unfolded from the orbiter.

"It couldn't have been any smoother," said launch manager Chuck Dovale. The launch came just three days after space shuttle Discovery completed its mission.

Circling the planet for at least four years, the orbiter is to provide unparalleled information on Mars' weather, climate and geology, which could aid possible future human exploration of the Red Planet.

The $720 million mission is divided into two parts.

During its first two years, the orbiter will help build on NASA's knowledge of the history of ice on the planet. The planet is cold and dry with large caps of frozen water at its poles. But scientists think it was a wetter and possibly warmer place eons ago — conditions that might have been conducive to life. Scientists are also trying to determine if it could support future human outposts.

Equipped with the largest telescopic camera ever sent to another planet, the orbiter also will collect data that will help NASA plan where to land two robotic explorers later this decade. The Phoenix Mars Scout, in search of organic chemicals, will be launched in 2007, and the Mars Science Laboratory will follow two years later.

During the second phase of its mission, the orbiter will serve as a communications messenger between the robotic explorers on Mars and Earth. The reconnaissance orbiter has a powerful antenna that can transmit 10 times more data per minute than the current trio of satellites positioned around the planet — NASA's Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey and the European Space Agency's Mars Express.

Two NASA rovers launched in 2003, Spirit and Opportunity, continue to roam the planet and may be the first to relay information back to Earth via the reconnaissance orbiter.

The orbiter is loaded with two cameras that will provide high-resolution images and global maps of Martian weather, a spectrometer that will identify water-related minerals and a radiometer to measure atmospheric dust. The Italian Space Agency has provided ground-penetrating radar that will peer beneath the surface of layers of rocks or ice.

___

On the Net:

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/index.html

1905 - 100 years ago.. what a difference a 100 years makes.. from Uncle Ivan..

THE YEAR 1905

Maybe this will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1905, one hundred years ago.

What a difference a century makes!

Here are some of the U.S.statistics for 1905:

The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S.had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

A three-minute call from Denverto New York City cost eleven dollars.

There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.

With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.

The tallest structure in the world was the EiffelTower!

The average wage in the U.S.was 22 cents an hour.

The average U.S.worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S.took place at home.

Ninety percent of all U.S. physicians had no college education.

Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canadapassed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.

The five leading causes of death in the U.S.were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaskahadn't been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two of 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write.

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores.
According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."


Eighteen percent of households in the U.S had at least one full-time servant or domestic.

There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.