Monday, April 28, 2014

How Obama Is Slowly Ruining America #coal #energy #healthcare

I remember warning everyone that would listen about Obama in 2009. He absolutely HATES America. Hands down. He wants all Americans, especially whites and Jews, dead and in hell with all the other 'infidels'. He's an evil, vile man. Please share this video with others. And pray for a 'velvet revolution' that will return us to our Christian values.

Thank you.


h/t Geeeeez!

Sunday, April 27, 2014

The Invisible Woman Or Sometimes I Really Hate It When I'm Right


I once was a nervous talker but with age now try to listen more than talk. It's partly because I just don't feel like my life is all that interesting, but really I find it's more advantageous to not be verbose but and to actually hear what others think first. That's not to influence my own steadfast decisions but because I like to know what kind of person they are before attempting any kind of meaningful friendship. What few friends I have are "keepers" because they are kind souls that can be trusted to look to God for guidance and not be constantly watching which way the tide is shifting so they can have an opinion. Plus, for some reason, they actually like me. That's always a happy mystery [grin] for which I am very grateful.

How does one transcend from verbose to listener? Experience, yeah. In my case it was also from an outside source. It was many years ago, when we where still living in The Big City, I had the good fortune to have access to the Dr. Laura Show. Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a professional psychiatrist who hosted a daily talk show on the local AM station. Her broadcast featured troubled souls calling in asking for advice for how to get out of their usually self-made messes. Good advice is consistent on the talk show. I was working a 40 hour plus week but I would try to always find time during lunch break to listen to the pearls of wisdom from Dr. Laura. She'll never know how she saved my emotional bacon many times from making an otherwise detrimental decision. However, I know I'm not a professional at analyzing others. I've made many errors in that arena, but I feel that her advice has helped me gain a lot of insight into my fellow humans psyche which has greatly improved my life.

My father-in-law paid us an uncharacteristic visit this weekend. As you know, I'm not close to my father-in-law. Even though we where once all living in the same City we've only met face-to-face a few times in the 35 years of marriage. Husband has regaled me with all the stories of his growing up. Of how both his parents have dealt with the three of them. Maybe it was not the right thing to do but I had F-I-L already categorized. Even without personal meetings, I had mentally pegged him as being self-serving, cold, untrustworthy with feelings, a braggart and distant. He's already deliberately hurt my feelings many times. To be fair, I know that I have a strong personality. And if someone acts uncaring or unkind, I walk away, never to return. I've no time for unfeeling cretins. This weekend, again, he has treated me like I'm invisible. For the last time. Without going into detail about this weekend's visit, I feel more right than ever about father-in-law. He's not a "keeper". Emotionally, I'm walking away. I see my only recourse now as to do what I hope would please God: continue to always be polite, don't gossip behind his back (gossip is mean and pointless) and welcome him in our home as long as he behaves. He's not shown any outward aggression but I can tell that I don't "rate" in his eyes. Sadly I'll probably not ever be friends with him. In my heart of hearts I did so want him to attempt to be more engaging. That he would want to know me as a daughter-in-law. My husband and his dear sister deserve so much better. Husband's brother can take of himself (long story). So, I'm rejoicing that he's back in his cave and we are secure and snug in ours. "And never the twain shall meet ..." [Rudyard Kipling]

So just call me The Invisible Woman.

You know, sometimes I really hate it when I'm right. I did so want to be wrong this time.


Two Minutes With The Bible ~ Christian Conduct

Christian Conduct 

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

A man’s conduct, in Scripture, is called his “walk”! The Bible has much to say about how we walk, morally and spiritually. Many “walk after their own lusts” (II Pet. 3:3) and “walk in darkness” (John12:35). Some even “walk in craftiness” (II Cor. 4:2) trying to lead others astray. Indeed, even Christian believers are sometimes careless about their “walk” and so cause others to stumble.

Every true child of God should be very careful about his walk, or conduct. In Eph. 2:8-10 we read that while believers are not saved by good works, they are saved “unto good works.” God’s grace is the root of our salvation, and good works are the fruit.

Sincere believers in Christ are counted as one with Him, and it is expected of us that “as Christ was raised up from the dead” after having died for our sins, “even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).

Christians are exhorted in the Bible to “walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing” (Col. 1:10), to “walk in the spirit” that they might not “fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). They are exhorted to “walk worthy of [their] calling” (Eph. 4:1), to “walk in the light” (I John 1:7) and to “walk as children of the light” (Eph. 5:8). They are exhorted to “walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise” (Eph. 5:15), to “walk honestly” (Rom. 13:13), to “walk in love” (Eph. 5:2) and to “walk by faith, not by sight” (II Cor. 5:7).

Much more is said about the believer’s walk in the Bible, but never are we told that it is our “walk,” or conduct, that makes us acceptable for salvation. Our failing, stumbling ways could never earn salvation for us. On the contrary we are exhorted to walk pleasing to the Lord out of sheer gratitude to Him.

To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:
"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."
To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Taking Some Time Off

I'm doing much better today after the bout of cold sores. Thank you everyone for your prayers and kind thoughts. Still have one stubborn sore that doesn't want to leave but, for all intensive purposes, the spawn on my lip is just about gone. Also, the Lysine that was recommended as a healer seems effective. The sores are dropping off like flies (boy, does that hurt!). Sorry for that mental image. Since taking the Lysine I've also noticed that my skin tone is better (smoother, shiny, soft). Could be the prescribed medicine, so, the overall results are skewed. At the moment I believe that it's the Lysine. I noticed a change in my skin after one full day of taking the pills. That's when the lip peeling started and the true healing really began to be noticeable.

I will be off-line for a couple of days. My father-in-law is enroute to our adobe hacienda today. As I reflect on the past 36 years of our marriage, a lot has happened. I reflect how we once all lived in the same city. We moved north and he moved south. He is now about 3 1/2 hours away. He's only visited us once in all that time. Once. In all probability it's because of his marriage to the Wicked Witch (who just passed away) but I know it's also because he is a emotionally weak man. My loving, sweet husband knows this and it saddens him. I reassure him with the fact that it's not personal. I have experience in this because my father was the same way. You know the type: let the "bad" wife make all the decisions so he could play the Good Guy but saying "I can't visit". Yeah, right, I'm not buying it Dad. Weak men, especially when it comes to being attentive fathers, make me ill.

As my dear friend Simply Linda so rightly always states, "Just keeping it real."

So, I will be pretend smiling, hoping for the best, not mentioning the past and be the perfect hostess this weekend rather than chatting with the 'buds' on our blogs and riding. Our late Easter meal of potato salad is made. The spiral honey-baked ham ready to be warmed. And the Bush's brown sugar baked beans are on the shelf. Thank goodness for can openers and pre-cooked meals. They make me look good. *lol*

Therefore, unless something unforeseen happens and there's a change, see y'all next week. I hope everyone has a very happy and blessed weekend.


~ Ride Safe ~
Sparky

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

An AppleCare A Day To Keep Deductibles At Bay


I know that's a ridiculous title but my brain is too foggy to think of anything clever.

Almost one week ago, I related how I began experiencing unrecognizable painful symptoms after a routine visit to the Orthodontist.

Last Wednesday morning, I had routine dental work performed at the Orthodontist. By 4 pm that evening, my lips where tingling especially the top lip which turned blood red on the left side. By the next day I was in agony! I called the Ortho and the front desk lady said, "Come back in!" I did. He was puzzled but he asked me more than once, "Have you ever had a cold sore?" "No", I said. He kept repeating it looks like a cold sore but couldn't help. So, I went home thinking, no big deal, it'll pass. Alas, untreated, it went from bad to worse. 

On Friday Hubby insisted I get professional medical attention and took me to a new doctor (I lost my usual doctor because of high deductibles). Fortunately, it was a brief wait even with the 10,000 forms I had to fill out. The New Doc diagnosed my symptoms as cold sores. He prescribed Acyclovir Tab 800mg 5 times a day and Cephalexin Cap 500mg twice a day all for 7 days. Sounds innocuous, doesn't it? Cold Sores. They're not. This past week has been sheer he--. The left side of my face was completely numb from my left eye to the upper jaw, including the teeth. My head has ached continuously. The upper lip swelled up to unbelievable proportions. It was lined with fever blisters that are unreal in the pain department. They finally commenced with the draining last night. I started feeling a little improved this afternoon. For days I couldn't eat anything hot or spicy or chewy. I've been subsisting on frozen Almond Milk shakes, buttered bread and any soft food. Today the feeling in my face is slowly returning. I still have numbness in the sinus cavity. With good fortune these all should subside soon. 

I thought cold sores where just, you know, a little sore bump on the lip that pass after a day or two. BOY, was I WRONG! These things are the spawn from he--! And, yeah, it was caused by the dental work. But I read at WebMD that it's just a fluke. Apparently no one knows why dental procedures can cause flareups thus it's not the Ortho's fault. I'm glad to hear that. I'm very fond of my Ortho and his whole staff. They're good people. And these minions of pain are highly contagious. I've had to be extra careful and disinfect everything in my path.

At WebMD I learned that if I have the symptoms again, I need to have Lysine on hand. At the first tingling feeling, use the Lysine and ice packs. You can bet your bottom dollar I'm going to have that close by!

Something positive did happen from all this. I found a new doctor. That's very comforting in case of a real life threatening emergency. Please excuse the following plug. *smile* Southeast Georgia offers a nice new feature in that arena. They call themselves AppleCare LLC. It's a collective of doctors who agree to work for a flat rate to keep costs down. It's not necessary to join, but in order for the patient/client to save money, it's more advantageous to join the collective. For the patient the cost is minimal ($39 a month with a 12 month obligation). Each and every visit after that is only $25. My now former MD was well over $200 per visit! I received excellent care from a competent physician and there are currently 12 locations available. It's so convenient not having to make an appointment. There's no insurance to file. Good deal. Everybody's happy. For those who live in other parts of the country, and now also have expensive deductibles and/or no insurance thanks to Chum Lord Barry, I recommend looking into finding a similar deal in your area.

Until I heal, riding is way down the road. That's OK though. It looks like more rain anyway. Lord willing, and the creek don't rise, at least I don't have to busy myself with writing my obituary anymore. *lol*

~ Ride Safe ~
Sparky

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Two Minutes With The Bible ~ Christ's Death For Us

Christ's Death For Us 

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Three times in Chapter 5 of Paul’s letter to the Romans we read that Christ died for us.

Ver. 6: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Ver. 8: “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Ver. 10: ” …when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son….”

Thus, in our helplessness, in our sinfulness, even in our willfulness, Christ loved us and gave His life to save us. But why does the Apostle say that Christ died for us “when we were yet without strength,” “while we were yet sinners” and “when we were enemies”? Did not Christ die for us before any of us were even born? Yes, but here the Apostle writes historically of the whole human race. The rest of the chapter bears this out.

In Verse 12 he refers to Adam, the “one man” by whom sin and death entered into the world. This rendered man truly helpless. In Verse 20 he refers to Moses, by whom “the law entered, that the offence might abound.” Thus by the law men were condemned as sinners. Finally, in Verses 20, 21, he refers to Christ, “[who] died for all” (II Cor. 5:14,15), that helpless sinners might be saved, yea that even God’s enemies might be reconciled to Him by grace, through faith. By Adam we have the entrance of sin, by Moses the condemnation of sin and by Christ the forgiveness of sins.

Only gradually was the importance of Christ’s death for mankind revealed, but now we know that the saints of all ages have been saved on the basis of our Lord’s vicarious death alone. No one else could have paid a debt so great. Thus, in our helplessness, in our sinfulness, yes, thank God, in our willfulness, the Lord Jesus Christ died to save us.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:
"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."
To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

NOTE:
Comments turned off today.
I pray everyone has a restful, reflective day 
as we all meditate on what God has wrought for the world.
Please pray for our nation, especially those that are lost that they may be saved.
Lots Of Love To All

Friday, April 18, 2014

Jeremy's Egg

JEREMY'S EGG
Jeremy was born with a twisted body, a slow mind and a chronic, terminal illness that had been slowly killing him all his young life. Still his parents had tried to give him as normal a life as possible and had sent him to St. Theresa's Elementary School.
At the age of 12, Jeremy was only in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy irritated his teacher.
One day, she called his parents and asked them to come to St. Theresa's for a consultation. As the Forresters sat quietly in the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five-year gap between his age and that of the other students!"
Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here."
Doris sat for a long time after they left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read or write. Why waste any more time trying?
As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. "Oh God," she said aloud, "here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared with that poor family! Please help me to be more patient with Jeremy."
From that day on, she tried to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him. "I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed loudly enough for the whole class to hear. The other children snickered, and Doris's face turned red. She stammered, "Wh-Why, that's very nice, Jeremy. Now please take your seat."
Spring came, and the childen talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them of the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Miss Miller!" the children responded enthusiastically - all except for Jeremy. He just listened intently, his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.
That evening, Doris's kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.
The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their Math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arms. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out.
The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up, "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes that is new life, too." Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine."
Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that the moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom. "My Daddy helped me!" he beamed.
Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty! Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another. Suddenly Jeremy spoke up.
"Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered, Doris replied, "but Jeremy - your egg is empty!" He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty too!"
Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?" "Oh yes!" Jeremy exclaimed. "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up!"
The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school yard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.
Three months later Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.
Have a blessed Easter!
"And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it."[Matthew 28:2 KJV]

Funny Friday ~ NASA

Thursday, April 17, 2014

It's A Bore For The Throat To Be Sore

Actually, my throat is not sore. Not yet. It is sensitive and the whole left side of my face, including the gland, is swollen and beet red. First my upper lip on the left side  I thought I had burned the lip somehow. Then it turned blood red. Today it's swollen and sore. I have chills, aches and a headache that would make a preacher cuss. Other than that, I feel pretty good. I'm not ready to write my Last Will & Testament or add my memorial to FindAGrave. *smile*

Yesterday morning, I visited the Orthodontist and had a routine procedure performed. I had my permanently glued in bottom retainer removed. It's been driving me crazy(er). After I made the second visit to same Orotho to pick up a new removable plastic retainer, my lip turned blood red, then the swelling and chills began. I thought, something happened in the Ortho's chair? A normal thought, yes? I returned this morning to see if anything can be diagnosed or done and they are at a loss too. Now I think that somehow I either came into contact with something that I'm either highly allergic of or have an regular run-of-the-mill infection that would started three or so days ago.

So, here I sit. Still in my jammies, bored out of my skull and wishing whatever this is, would take a powder. Little Sparky wants to go out and play on the motorcycle. I would also like to toil in the garden. The vegetables are looking really good. I hope the approaching 55 degree weather won't damage them in any way.

I hope everyone else is having a good day. I'm having a good one, just down for the count.

~ Ride Safe~
Sparky

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Press Any Key To Continue Putting Out Fires ...

What a day this has been! We've been trapped inside like hamsters in a cage due to a weather system dragging up copious amounts of rain from the Gulf of Mexico. It has literally poured all day. Not being in a cleaning mood, I figured it was a good day to get our new Windows 8 computers up-to-speed.


Not to brag, but I was quite proficient on the XP's. I had all that right clicking and such down pat. Now it feels like I'm having to start all over again with learning how to use the Windows 8.1. It took me a week to figure out how to have a word processing program again. These things aren't sold with MicroSoft Works anymore (cheap skates). My beloved Lotus 1-2-3 program that I've used 'forever', well, at least since I graced the business world, is no longer compatible. Lotus had the best SpreadSheets hands down. Oh well. So, I googled what to do about it. The Windows 8 had pre-installed a free WordPad program. It's not fancy but it gets the job done. That's what I'm pecking away at right now. I've even taught myself how to 'pin' programs that I use consistently to the bottom taskbar. [patting self on back] If you can recommend any other word processing programs, preferably free or cheap, I'm all ears.

My husband is enjoying his new 10" HP Laptop. He's only yelled at it a couple of times.

So far. [smile]

We're both having to resave all our favorite bookmarks. That's been fun. [not] At least I had the presence of mind to copy down all the bookmarks before shutting down the old XP's in an e-mail and send them to myself. Now I have permanent files of all my if I don't have them I'll get even weirder needed haunts.


And that's been our day. Busy work that doesn't amount to a hill of beans. My brain is now fried and I could use a good soak in the tub. Maybe with a glass of wine?

Maybe the bottle ... ?? [just kidding]

I may take out the metal steed for a nice spin tomorrow. I have an Orthodontist appointment in a neighboring town. It is suppose to be beautiful with highs in the mid-60's. That's a little chilly for April in southeast Georgia but I like it. I'll have to wear the thick Mercury jacket. Alas, I'm sure it will become more like the South again with steaming hot weather. Dreadful Summer is not too far distant. I do so dislike that time of year.


Sunday, April 13, 2014

Two Minutes With The Bible ~ The Primaries and Christian Faith

The Primaries and Christian Faith 

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

The presidential primaries are now in full swing, with nearly all the candidates talking confidently about winning, but it has long been a question just how much these primaries mean. Some, indeed, have started by winning in the primaries and have gone on to become president. But others have done well in the primaries, yet have never even come close to being nominated by their own parties.

It’s something like this with faith. The primaries are like mental assent, or intellectual faith. Before a person can be saved he must, of course, know about sin and salvation and must give mental assent to what the Bible says about these things. He must agree that Christ died for man’s sins.

But while intellectual faith is a good start, it is not enough to save you. You must go on from there to trust yourself to Christ, who died for our sins (I Cor. 15:3), otherwise your intellectual faith has done you no good.

God wants our heart trust; it is this kind of faith that honors Him, and it is this kind of faith that saves. In Romans 10:9-13 He says:
“If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith: Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If Christ is not a risen, living Savior, He is no savior at all. We must believe this in our hearts if we are to call upon Him for salvation.

Thank God that “He showed Himself alive, after His passion, by many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3) and that millions have indeed found the peace and joy of sins forgiven through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His redemptive work at Calvary.


To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:
"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."
To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Ode To A Tiger Moth

Much to my chagrin, and the bird's delight, it's warmed up so quickly that the bugs are out in force. Jack (of Jack Russell Terrorist fame) found a Tiger Moth resting on a weed next to the carport in the early morning light. The picture didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. I used the wrong camera, so, I dressed it up with a "Picture Frame" in my Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 and thought I'd share. 


Moths

Adrift in the liberating, late light
of August, delicate, frivolous,
they make their way to my front porch
and flutter near the glassed-in bulb,
translucent as a thought suddenly
wondered aloud, illumining the air
that's thick with honeysuckle and dusk.
You and I are doing our best
at conversation, keeping it light, steering clear
of what we'd like to say.
You leave, and the night becomes
cluttered with moths, some tattered,
their dumbly curious filaments
startling against my cheek. How quickly,
instinctively, I brush them away.
Dazed, they cling to the outer darkness
like pale reminders of ourselves.
Others seem to want so desperately
to get inside. Months later, I'll find
the woolens, snug in their resting places,
full of missing pieces.


In spite of the seemingly endless bad news, the sad checkbook balances and the fear of living under an unchecked, lawless government, I still hope everyone has had a pleasant day.

Funny Friday ~ Scotch With Two Drops Of Water

Scotch with two drops of water.
 
A lady goes to the bar on a cruise ship and orders a Scotch with two drops of water. As the bartender gives her the drink she says, "I'm on this cruise to celebrate my 80th birthday and it's today."
 
The bartender says, "Well, since it's your birthday, I'll buy you a drink. In fact, this one is on me."
As the woman finishes her drink, the woman to her right says, "I would like to buy you a drink, too."
 
The old woman says, " Thank you. Bartender, I want a Scotch with two drops of water."
 
"Coming up," says the bartender.
As she finishes that drink, the man to her left says, "I would like to buy you one, too."
 
The old woman says, "Thank you. Bartender, I want another Scotch with two drops of water."
 
"Coming right up," the bartender says. As he gives her the drink, he says, "Ma'am, I'm dying of curiosity. Why the Scotch with only two drops of water?"
 
The old woman replies, "Sonny, when you're my age, you've learned how to hold your liquor. Holding your water, however, is a whole other issue."
 
 
                 'OLD' IS WHEN...                 
Your sweetie says, 'Let's go upstairs
and make love,' and you answer,
'Pick one; I can't do both!'
 
 
'OLD' IS WHEN...
Your friends compliment you
on your new alligator shoes
and you're barefoot.
 
 
'OLD' IS WHEN...
A sexy babe catches your fancy
and your pacemaker opens the garage door,
 
'OLD' IS WHEN...
Going braless
pulls all the wrinkles out of your face.
 
'OLD' IS WHEN...
You don't care where your spouse goes,
just as long as you don't have to go along.
 
'OLD' IS WHEN...
You are cautioned to slow down by the doctor instead of by the police 
 
'OLD' IS WHEN...
'Getting a little action'
means you don't need to take any fiber today.
 
'OLD' IS WHEN...
'Getting lucky' means you find your car
in the parking lot.
 
'OLD' IS WHEN...
An 'all nighter' means not getting up
to use the bathroom.
 
AND 
 
'OLD' IS WHEN...
You are not sure these are jokes
 
 

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Follow Me ...

Too bad butlers don't have "follow" buttons.

I don't know what I've done (I'm sure it was me) but I've lost my "Follower" button on Blogger and can't seem to get it back. Even clicking on the Add A Gadget button in the Layout section doesn't help. It's not even listed as an option.

Dang.

Aw well. Onward and upward. I hope other bloggers can still follow me, but, like Scarlett, I'll worry about that later.

How do you like my new blogger header? Hubby snapped that of me while we where walking home on our country dirt road today. The building in the distance is the Mill Creek Primitive Baptist Church. I thought it looked almost, well, prophetic. I'm walking home and looking Home. *smile* Huh? Get it? Guess ya had to be there ... *giggle*

Our little vegetable garden is coming along nicely.


The above photo is from March 30th.

And below is the one from today:

"Give my creation LIIIIIFE!"

I can't wait to be munching down on fresh Zucchini, Yellow Squash Ford Hook Limas and the like. Even the Giant Zinnia's are doing well. I'm so pleased.

One of the joys of country living is one has to be pretty self sufficient. If something goes wrong, you have to deal with it. I don't mind this but sometimes it's a bit of a bother. Today the points on the well pump decided that this would be a good day to no longer function. GREAT! (not) *lol* Thankfully, it's no big problem. Our Go-To-Guy for the well repairs saved our bacon in no time.


A few dollars spent later, we're back in business. Hubby did try to repair it himself (he's so smart) but well pumps use special parts and we still would have needed our rescuer. Thank you Lord for people with these special skills.

And this was an absolutely lovely Spring day. And what could be wrong with that!? *smile*


"This is the day the LORD has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it."
NLT [Psalm 118:24]
 
 


Monday, April 7, 2014

Part Twelve: Saturday Matinees or How I Learned to Love Dubbed Japanese Monster Movies (Phew)

As I stated in his first post, once weekly I plan to feature a guest writer, my husband. Since we have no children, he has been painstakingly writing down the stories of his childhood to share them with his then 9 year old niece. I wanted her to know what kind of childhood her beloved Uncle was able to enjoy. While enjoying them myself I thought these are so much fun to read, why not share them? So here are the short missives of his memories of growing up in wilds of Florida during the 1950's and 1960's. They're packed with misadventures, romance, and all the confusing things that can happen in our youth. Even though his hometown of Jacksonville is a big city with over a million residents now, during his childhood it was several small communities surrounded by countryside.

This is his story.

(Please note: None of the photos in this post are from our files. They are all from the internet.)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Saturday Matinees or How I Learned to Love Dubbed Japanese Monster Movies (Phew)
by Steven R. Hudson

There is only so much fun that three boys can have on hot summer days. The Mealer boys and I had picked the last of the season's Blackberries. We had caught Water Snakes and tadpoles down at the creek and gone skinny dipping with the other neighborhood boys at the forest pond. A new drainage canal had being dug through the woods behind Center Park and we had rolled down the giant earth mounds left by the excavation machines as we played "King of the Mountain",  coming home so dirty that I was made to strip off my shorts and wash down with a garden hose before being allowed inside. We needed a new activity and our moms came through for us.

I guess moms need a break from the tedium of housework and child care and what better way than to drop off your kids at the Arlington Theater for a Saturday matinee triple feature. While the kids enjoy the movies, mom can shop to her heart's content at Woolworths without having to listen to the whinings of bored children.

So Saturday became movie day that summer. Our moms would drop us off at the little theater on Arlington Road, a dollar bill in our pockets. Admission was only 25 cents which left enough for a large Coke, popcorn and a candy bar. Ike was president and things were cheap in 1959 and '60. Corny science fiction and cheesy monster movies were the common fare at these kid centered matinees with a weekly serial western thrown in to keep you coming back for more. The marquee showed the day's exciting lineup. "Mole People", "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms", "Earth Versus Flying Saucers", "The Blob", but my favorites were the Japanese flicks like "Mothra", "Rodan" and "Godzilla". The dubbing in the Asian movies was always entertaining in itself, the mix of Japanese names and dubbed American voices and slang, "Wow Ichimura, that was a close call man".

The matinee I best remember is the one we never got to see, the one I named the "Raisinets Incident". The incident started innocently enough. We paid our
admission and headed straight for the snack bar as we always did. We had each bought a box of chocolate covered raisins called Raisinets along with our staples, Cokes and popcorn. It was not long into the first feature when one of us said something (can't remember who) funny and that started us giggling which, strangely enough led to us tossing Raisinets at one another. Suddenly a low voice behind us said, "You three boys come with me." Busted! We were thrown out on the street and into the summer heat. It would be many hours before our moms would be by to pick us up. We wandered up and down the sidewalk, gazed into store fronts and killed the time as best we could. After a time that seemed like eternity our moms finally came to take us home. "How was the movie" they asked. "It was pretty good" we answered.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Two Minutes With The Bible ~ Boldness Today

Boldness Today

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
Printer Friendly Version

Some may suppose that it would require little boldness today to proclaim grace in all its purity. Who is ever persecuted now, at least in free, enlightened lands, for preaching God’s grace? Ah, but do not be deceived. Satan was no less active in his opposition to the truth when Constantine exalted the professing Church to prominence than when his predecessors persecuted the Church and sent its members to death by fire and sword. Indeed, the devil was doubtless more successful in Constantine’s day than he had been when persecution raged.

Does any believer in the Word of God suppose that Satan has relented in his opposition to the truth today, just because men, at least in this land, are not burned at the stake or thrown to the lions? Do not be misled. Satan’s enmity against God and against His Word continues undiminished. His hatred of “the gospel of the grace of God,” is as bitter, and his opposition to it as determined as it ever was. But well does he know that the constant discouragements connected with being in the minority often succeed in silencing those who would stand against physical persecution.

Today Satan uses the new evangelicalism with its highly- organized, highly-financed campaigns — and its woeful lack of doctrinal and dispensational teaching of the Word — to neutralize the saints. Multitudes are attracted to these neo-evangelical extravaganzas, at which the participants are for the most part performers, and those who stand for the truth often feel very small as compared to the vast unthinking majority. But let us never forget that God uses “things that are not” to accomplish His work (See I Cor. 1: 26-29).

Let us, who know and love the truth, then, determine by God’s grace that nothing shall make us unfaithful to our glorious commission; that, whatever the cost, we shall faithfully and boldly proclaim to others the unadulterated gospel of the grace of God, “the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery.”



To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:
"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."
To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Georgia Springtime Flowers

The one (there's only one) bad thing about being retired is I keep forgetting what day it is. So, instead of a Throwback Thursday post, how about some pretty Spring flowers from around our property.

Cherokee Rose
Georgia State Flower
 
Wisteria

We've spent the day working around the yard clearing trees, picking up debris, all that 'fun' stuff that goes with property management. So, for a treat, we plan to ride our motorcycles to a Barbeque joint this evening to meet with our local Swamp Runners Group. It's a friendly little group with like-minded Christian riders. We make plans to ride en masse to a predestined Restaurant or event on the weekend. And, notably, this will be my first night ride ever. Yes, I promise to be careful. Night riding can be very dangerous.

What are your plans for the evening?

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Two Wheeled Musing

The weather was perfect for two wheels: slight wind, hazy enough to tone down the bright sunshine, and 70 degree temperatures. Can life be any more perfect? Me thinks not!

First to Baxley to lunch at Captain Joe's Seafood.

After a scrumptious meal of fish sandwich and a turkey burger, the trusty steeds carried us to a drug store to purchase a birthday card for our brother-in-law. Cards always brighten my day, so, I assume it's a joy for others. I hope so.  

After insuring aforesaid birthday greetings was safely winging it's way to beloved brother-in-law, we took the long way around the barn home through the Bacon County countryside. Bacon county has some of the most interesting motorcycle roads in southeast Georgia. We had so much fun that we put more than 120 miles on the bikes.

It was truly a good day.

What was your day like?