LET WHO HELP

Question Of The Week 8-13-12

I had to change the picture on this post.  I found this perfect illustration later.

Where do you go for advice?

Friend, family member, neighbor, teacher, doctor, co-worker, pastor, milkman?

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH

George makes an exit.

I just finished reading a book by an author I have never read before. The story grabbed my attention right away. It was fast paced and well written until midway. A quick and exciting ending could have been provided at that time. Instead it dragged on and on repeating dialogue, lots of mush, and recurring events. Every time I would see what I thought was an ending, it would drone on and on. Why did I keep reading? Because I couldn't believe this could happen. I would ask for my money back except it was a library book:)

It was like being in church and believing the good sermon is about to reach a conclusion.  It has captured the attention of the congregation and most are still awake. The message has been conveyed.  Perfect stopping point.  Then suddenly the preacher decides to add something and add something, and add something else to emphasize a point that had already been made.

It reminded me of the Seinfeld episode when George would get a laugh from the group and then linger telling nonsense. He finally learned to hear the laughter and abruptly walk out of the room at the high point.

It reminded me of.......(see what I mean?)

SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND

A bit of color.

Result of a search, despite the heat, to find something colorful in this brown world of drought.  There are times we can be grateful for weeds.

Breaking News:  Glad I saw the flower and glad I posted about it and glad I was encouraged to research what it might be because now I must get rid of this horrible plant.  Click to read about Buffalobur Nightshade.

NO PEEKING

Question Of The Week 8-6-12

What would you do if you could be invisible for one day?

I would wander bipartisan-ly in and out of  Senators and representatives offices in Washington DC  and listen in on their private meetings.

IN CASE YOU FORGOT

Here is the sound of rain:)

Actually we finally had a lot of rain and strong storms last night, plus the rain is still falling this morning. Our temperatures are at 77 degrees but forecast to go to 100 before the day is over and back to the over 100s by tomorrow.

WHAT'S GOING ON

The tree outside my kitchen window.

Rooster Chicklet waking up to a new day.

Nancy (looking up)  and unnamed siblings with Mama David and Aunt Boomer.

Elizabeth and Slim having a serious discussion.

Goodnight Moon

USING THE ABOVE PICTURES, WHAT  STORY COULD YOU TELL?

added 8-3-12

THE ACTUAL STORY:
I was greeted by these early morning sounds: A constant and high-pitched noise coming from the tip-top of this tree; The sound of a rooster crowing loudly coming from the hen house.

Rooster Chicklet was awake announcing the night's hen house invasion. An unknown predator had slithered, crawled or flown in during the night and wiped out all the eggs in the nests including some that had almost hatched under Mr. Gibson. Mr. Gibson did manage to save two of her new healthy chicks.

Pursuit of discovering the tree commotion was next. It was kitten Nancy in distress. By the time I was in a hysterical state of worry pondering how to get Nancy out of the tree, she made it down on her own and sprinted to the breakfast table. She seemed to be asking me, "What's the big deal?" as I applauded her safety.

Meanwhile, Slim had a little Te-ta-Te with the goats and made sure Elizabeth remembered who was really in charge around here. Elizabeth abandoned the argument with Slim and proceeded to bully her sister Polly.

By nightfall I was able to see my dry and dying tree as beautiful again. It stood there in the dark, basking in moon glow. I went to bed without thinking about how much shorter that stately tree's life is going to be unless we get some rain soon.

WE CAN'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS

Question Of The Week 7-30-12

If you could know one profound, infinite, spiritual and universal truth what would you want to know?

G.a.G.D. 8-31-12

Let us declare August 31, 2012 "Get a grip day" and turn off all media for 24 hours so we can get a grip on reality and listen to our own thoughts for a change. 

GaGD pronounced gagged:)

Pledge to turn off TVs, Radios, Computers on 8-31-12 for 24 hours and exercise your brain and your body.  It could prove refreshing especially before we move into all the hot and heavy political hype going into November.

GOOSE ME

Every day something new is invented that enriches and enhances our lives.  These exciting discoveries are immediately placed in our hands with the sincere believe that we, as highly intelligent creatures, will conquer the use of the objects rather than allowing the objects to conquer us.   Some of us actually use a thing called "common sense" to control our decisions about how to use things like...uh, let's say...cell phones.

The last time we attended an auction, a woman text-walking plowed straight into me and hit me me so hard that I lost my balance.  I was in total shock as she mumbled an "excuse me" and simply continued on walking and texting.

Only this morning, while reading another blog, did I become aware of deaths and injuries that have occurred from persons text-walking off buildings, bridges and  piers.  Heartbreaking, tragic and sad....and avoidable.  People become oblivious to surroundings and create true danger for themselves and others when they fail to just stop for a minute or two to concentrate.

 

We have experienced the hazards of "texting while driving" and now we are becoming aware of the hazards of "texting while walking".  Some cities have already put laws in place to control this activity and levy huge fines on persons caught walking their streets with their faces glued to their cell phone screens.

Really, more laws because we cannot be relied upon to have the sense God gave a goose?

INQUIRING MINDS

"Excuse me but could  you direct us to some GREEN grass please?"

SCAREDY CAT

Question Of The Week

What seemingly innocent activity or event have you participated in and, with no way to cease the activity, you found yourself in danger?

(I do not like amusement park rides and after much cajoling my friends got me to ride a Ferris wheel.  I was okay until the wheel broke with my car stranded at the very top for what seemed like hours. The entire time we were stuck I looked just like that cat.)

WE DREAMED IT TOO

OFF SHE GOES!

Our granddaughter Beth had a dream.  She has vowed to audition for the American Idol show since it came on the air years ago.  You have to be 16 to audition.  Beth turned 16 in May and her family kept a promise to her to to help make this dream come true.

Friday the drawn out process began to get all the paperwork in order and receive the table assignments.  Beth was assigned her table of four in a huge gymnasium.  These tables were in a circle and Beth was happy to see the table next to her got to go first.  This meant her tryouts would go quickly.  Wrong!  It started next to her then went the opposite way which made her table last.

She is a delightful songbird.  When her time did come, she went for it.  She has courage and confidence unknown to many teenagers.  I could never have done such at thing at her age.

No one from her table was selected.  While she knew that would most likely be the outcome with so many competing, she still had dared to dream and follow through on that dream.

Beth has accomplished just another stage of the many roads to triumph in her life.  She has proven once again that she can do it.  I could not be more proud of this talented child who is out to take on the world. 

FROM BETH'S FACEBOOK "Officially registered for American Idol, OMG!"

CALLING ALL FRIENDS

Low carb food pyramid

A few new health issues have required that I turn to low carb meals and snacks.  Google has not been a friend to me on this issue and wonder if  any one of you might have some good suggestions or directions to a decent website for ideas.  

CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS

Question Of The Week

What would you do if you saw someone shoplifting?

I have actually had two such experiences and did nothing.

The first was when I was in high school and saw one of my friends shoplifting.  I left the store and waited outside. I  told my friend what I saw and told her I would not be able to go shopping with her again.  I never did.  I asked her to return the items and she would not. Still I wondered every time I got a gift from her if she had paid for it or if she had stolen it. I could not bring myself to turn her in.

The second incidence was in a drug store.  A small child was screaming for a certain toy.  His mother repeatedly told him no.  Finally I noticed the child was quiet and looked up to see the mother and son exiting the store.  She had him by one hand and he had the other hand behind his back clutching the desired toy. It was my opinion that the mother would discover the toy and return it to the store.

(Shoplifting is an expensive problem that everybody pays the price for. It hurts you in several ways — prices keep going up as store owners try to recover some of their losses. A big department store can spend millions a year on security, but it may lose as much as $2,000 a day to shoplifters.)

I KILLED THE QUEEN

It is with a faint heart that I must report the death of the Queen...The Ant Queen. 


It was not easy to watch the worker ants carrying the prize back to their Queen believing they would be rewarded for a successful mission.


Sadly the ants stopped returning for this sweet booty and I knew the Queen was dead and her colony destroyed. I try not to picture the Armageddon.


Weapons of mass destruction:

Borax

Sugar

REAPING THE REWARDS

Summertime and the living is easy...especially when the neighbors do all the work and you benefit from their labor.

Those cherry tomatoes are like eating bites of candy.  I'm not sure what to do with a butternut squash.  The large tomatoes are heavenly and there is one purple tomato.  Have you ever had a purple tomato? They also bring us cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini and cantaloupe.

TURN ME LOOSE

Question Of The Week

What habit are you the proudest of breaking?

I will never forget trying to stop sucking my thumb.  I was eight years old when my heart throb Joe Babcock made fun of me at a church function and that was all the incentive I needed, Oh my the suffering I went through to stop.  It is funny that thumb sucking was the proud habit breaking event for me and not smoking.  I smoked for 42 years and stopped abruptly (after my heart attack) and have never wanted or craved another cigarette.  That was a God thing so I can't take credit for it.

CHANGE, TIRE, PARTS, BOWLING, TIME...

A "spare" in bowling it when you manage to take down the final pins on your second roll.

A "spare" on your vehicle is the emergency tire you carry in case you have a flat on the road.

We have spare change, spare parts, AND...

Then we have "spare" time...really?  Is there such a thing?  Only if we create it.

Right now this heat is giving me a perfect excuse to invent some spare time.  I look around and there is plenty of productive work to do but I can legitimately pass it up because it's too hot to be motivated toward work.  The spare time is every gap that occurs between the feeding and care of animals and spouse and the feeding and care of animals and spouse.

Right now my spare time is consumed with:

Computer: Online word games and blogging.

Audio Books:  Currently MICRO by Michael Crichton and just finished  KILL SHOT by Vince Flynn

e-Books:  Currently THE AMERICAN SNIPER by Chris Kyle and just finished MISTRESS OF JUSTICE by Jeffrey Deaver

Netlix movies: Loved BLACKTHORN with Sam Shepherd

TV movies:  Rewatched ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST.

TV shows: Favorites JUDGE JUDY (an excellent reality show!) and THE BIG BANG THEORY. 

So I guess in some ways I'm not wishing for this heat wave to end.  I just can't spare my "spare" time:)

What are you doing to stay out of the heat?

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

MOVING ON UP

Question Of The Week

FATHER KNOWS BEST

If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be?  (If you don't watch television, then name the home of a friend you would choose to live in and tell why.)

I actually did grow up in the FATHER KNOWS BEST  "Anderson Family" home.  My dad much like Jim Anderson, my mom like Margaret, my brother was Bud, my sister Betty aka "Princess" and of course I was Kathy aka "Kitten". Perhaps it would not be a popular show for today.  I'm having trouble thinking of a home in a current television series that I would choose.