"December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. ... Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory. ... With confidence in our armed forces -- with the unbounded determination of our people -- we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat far removed from today's crop of defeatists
Around 2 a.m. on Saturday morning, I did a run to the Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop on Broad Street. There was was the possibility of getting hot donuts, but not this trip. Although we did get some hot snowmen.Coming home I got this great night shot of Monument Heights Baptist Church.
Before I could even get out of the house this morning, I was having software "issues". The laptop had a big software update that needed completing before I could leave. It finally shutdown and I was able to leave, once at the office on start up the ever delightful, completing updates flashed on the screen. It just a took a longer to get the day started.
Later on in the morning, our hygienist caught up with me to let me know about another software problem that was going on. To fix this one we had to do a data backup and have everyone out of the software. By the time that we were ready to proceed, I'd been on hold for 20 minutes, patients had arrived at the office for their afternoon appointments. Looks like I'll be getting this one straight first thing in the morning.
While talking to our tech support in California, I found out that Thursdays are typically the big day for software updates and issues. They told me that Microsoft usually issues big software updates on Wednesday night. That answers the issue I had this morning at home and why all the office computers were off when I arrived at the office. Funny thing was that the laptop had started acting a little "funny" just before the update came out. It was like it "knew" it was coming. Then again it could have all been the fault of the full moon - we all know how strange people get during one so maybe it has been built into the computers to act strangely as well.
This morning on the way to the office, Mom caught me and asked if I would try to get a photo of the full moon before it set this morning. It was funny sitting in a parking lot near Midlothian Turnpike with the camera hanging out the window trying to get the shot. Not too bad though for the conditions.
I've been busy today working on the new magazine edition. Trying to get some inspiration for new page layouts. I've come up with several new ideas and hope that everyone likes them when they are presented. I'm still not quite happy with the color scheme, but that will work itself out over the next couple of weeks. I'm shooting to have this all wrapped up before the 21st. That way I can focus on other things over Christmas.
Around lunch time today, I heard a forecast for SNOW for the weekend. I sent Walter to the hardware store for a couple of snow shovels. We got caught without one last year and perhaps, just having one will help to ward it off at least for a while.
Jami's daughter brought in her new daughter to the office this afternoon. She is a doll baby. Tiny little thing too! She's just three weeks old and right around 7 lbs. It was fun holding on to her for a bit. I'd forgotten how fun the little ones are. It's been a long time since I've had one around. It surely wouldn't take long to get back into practice though. I guess it's like riding a bike, you really never forget.
They are dropping like flies at the office. One of the receptionist, came back from lunch with a new job, and will be leaving after the first of the year. It's amazing how you get so dependent upon certain people always being there. I'll miss having her around.
I'll be heading out early this afternoon to get a haircut. I'll be nice to get that done and be home about the same time as I regularly do.
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
Thought For the Day: "Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism." -- George Washington
Congress at work
Congress at work, wanna bet they did not have to buy the computers with their own money as well.
Nothing else need to be said. This is one of their THREE DAY WORK WEEKS that we all pay for. I am ready to start from the beginning by voting out all elected officials and not letting any of them stay in office for more than two terms. No more lifelong health care, retirement, voting in their own pay raises, taking perks on our taxes, etc.
House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, pictured standing, far right, speaks while colleagues Rep. Barbara Lambert, D-Milford and Rep. Jack F. Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, play solitaire Monday night as the House convened to vote on a new budget. (AP)
The guy sitting in the row in front of these two... he's on Facebook, and the guy behind Hennessy is checking out the baseball scores.
These are the folks that can't get the budget out by Oct. 1, But they got a salary increase this year. Seriously!!!
USPS Stamp Malfunction
The Unites States postal Services created a stamp with a picture of President Obama on it. Subsequently, it was noticed that the stamp was not sticking to envelopes. This enraged the President, who demanded a full investigation. After a month of testing and $1.73 million in congressional spending, a special Presidential commission presented the following findings:
The stamp is in perfect order.
There is nothing wrong with the glue.
People are spitting on the wrong side.
Later on in the morning, our hygienist caught up with me to let me know about another software problem that was going on. To fix this one we had to do a data backup and have everyone out of the software. By the time that we were ready to proceed, I'd been on hold for 20 minutes, patients had arrived at the office for their afternoon appointments. Looks like I'll be getting this one straight first thing in the morning.
While talking to our tech support in California, I found out that Thursdays are typically the big day for software updates and issues. They told me that Microsoft usually issues big software updates on Wednesday night. That answers the issue I had this morning at home and why all the office computers were off when I arrived at the office. Funny thing was that the laptop had started acting a little "funny" just before the update came out. It was like it "knew" it was coming. Then again it could have all been the fault of the full moon - we all know how strange people get during one so maybe it has been built into the computers to act strangely as well.
This morning on the way to the office, Mom caught me and asked if I would try to get a photo of the full moon before it set this morning. It was funny sitting in a parking lot near Midlothian Turnpike with the camera hanging out the window trying to get the shot. Not too bad though for the conditions.I've been busy today working on the new magazine edition. Trying to get some inspiration for new page layouts. I've come up with several new ideas and hope that everyone likes them when they are presented. I'm still not quite happy with the color scheme, but that will work itself out over the next couple of weeks. I'm shooting to have this all wrapped up before the 21st. That way I can focus on other things over Christmas.
Around lunch time today, I heard a forecast for SNOW for the weekend. I sent Walter to the hardware store for a couple of snow shovels. We got caught without one last year and perhaps, just having one will help to ward it off at least for a while.
Jami's daughter brought in her new daughter to the office this afternoon. She is a doll baby. Tiny little thing too! She's just three weeks old and right around 7 lbs. It was fun holding on to her for a bit. I'd forgotten how fun the little ones are. It's been a long time since I've had one around. It surely wouldn't take long to get back into practice though. I guess it's like riding a bike, you really never forget.
They are dropping like flies at the office. One of the receptionist, came back from lunch with a new job, and will be leaving after the first of the year. It's amazing how you get so dependent upon certain people always being there. I'll miss having her around.
I'll be heading out early this afternoon to get a haircut. I'll be nice to get that done and be home about the same time as I regularly do.
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
Thought For the Day: "Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism." -- George Washington
Congress at work, wanna bet they did not have to buy the computers with their own money as well.
Nothing else need to be said. This is one of their THREE DAY WORK WEEKS that we all pay for. I am ready to start from the beginning by voting out all elected officials and not letting any of them stay in office for more than two terms. No more lifelong health care, retirement, voting in their own pay raises, taking perks on our taxes, etc.
House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, pictured standing, far right, speaks while colleagues Rep. Barbara Lambert, D-Milford and Rep. Jack F. Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, play solitaire Monday night as the House convened to vote on a new budget. (AP)
The guy sitting in the row in front of these two... he's on Facebook, and the guy behind Hennessy is checking out the baseball scores.
These are the folks that can't get the budget out by Oct. 1, But they got a salary increase this year. Seriously!!!
The Unites States postal Services created a stamp with a picture of President Obama on it. Subsequently, it was noticed that the stamp was not sticking to envelopes. This enraged the President, who demanded a full investigation. After a month of testing and $1.73 million in congressional spending, a special Presidential commission presented the following findings:The stamp is in perfect order.
There is nothing wrong with the glue.
People are spitting on the wrong side.
It just dawned on me that it was Wednesday. Wow, the week is speeding right along. I've been busy working on finding just the right cover shot for the next issue of the practice magazine. It took nearly all day, but I'm pretty sure that I've found it.
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
Boy did I feel like a idiot, last night I stopped by the Barnes & Noble at the Chesterfield Towne Center to pick up a book for Walter. Of course, it was beginning to drizzle at the time and I thought for sure that I'd be able to make it in and out before it really began to rain. Wrong! As I was heading out the store back to the car the rain had kicked up and was pelleting down sideways. Lovely. So off I headed or at least so I thought. I started across the sidewalk and toward the parking lot and the next thing I knew I was picking myself up off the pavement. I know that was attractive looking. I still don't know what happened. My best guess is that I slipped on the curb as I was stepping off onto the pavement.
I'm stiff, sore, and slightly banged up but give it a couple of days and I'll be back at it. Thank goodness for Advil and soaking in a hot tub. Together they sure do ease the ache. I've been fine as long as I don't make any sudden moves into odd positions. Just glad the job doesn't entail doing deep knee bends right now. Give me a few days to get over the aches and pains and I'll be laughing about this. It surely must have been a sight to see.
Speaking of work, we had another implant seminar at the office this evening. Dr. Martin had a very educational presentation for all there. It was a nicely sized crowd of very interested attendees. Our next one will be at the end of January.
Walt was a big help this evening, heading out to pick up Sean from his driver's ed class for me. Some days is seems it does take adults to get something done. With Dean in class and me working the job of chauffeur fell to Walter. I appreciate his pitching in so much.
I got a picture this afternoon from Kelly of the gingerbread house, in progress. It's beginning to look very nice. It seems that the delay in construction is the icing. It isn't drying as quickly as they would like, thus delaying the decorating process. Perhaps they will have opportunity to get it finshed before the weekend.
Now if I could only get to sleep this evening, that would be a spectacular end to the day.
I'm stiff, sore, and slightly banged up but give it a couple of days and I'll be back at it. Thank goodness for Advil and soaking in a hot tub. Together they sure do ease the ache. I've been fine as long as I don't make any sudden moves into odd positions. Just glad the job doesn't entail doing deep knee bends right now. Give me a few days to get over the aches and pains and I'll be laughing about this. It surely must have been a sight to see.
Speaking of work, we had another implant seminar at the office this evening. Dr. Martin had a very educational presentation for all there. It was a nicely sized crowd of very interested attendees. Our next one will be at the end of January.
Walt was a big help this evening, heading out to pick up Sean from his driver's ed class for me. Some days is seems it does take adults to get something done. With Dean in class and me working the job of chauffeur fell to Walter. I appreciate his pitching in so much.
I got a picture this afternoon from Kelly of the gingerbread house, in progress. It's beginning to look very nice. It seems that the delay in construction is the icing. It isn't drying as quickly as they would like, thus delaying the decorating process. Perhaps they will have opportunity to get it finshed before the weekend.
Now if I could only get to sleep this evening, that would be a spectacular end to the day.
After a visit to the roof, Walter finally got all of the icicle lights in just the right position to suit him. I do believe that all of his effort really did pay off. The house really looks great!It is really cool the way the reindeer's reflection shows up in the storm door. One evening I'm going to break out the tripod and see if I can get a much better photo.
I was able to get out early enough this evening to get a fairly good photo of the moon. It was in just the right spot so that I didn't have to fight tree limbs to get a clear shot. Not bad. The full moon shot, if I can get it will be great.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around the house. After two elves descended upon the house today, the icicle lights have been hung from the roof, garlands have been wrapped on the porch rails, with animated deer in the front yard. All that just for a start.Inside the tree is up with lights and garland and a few ornaments to boot. The gingerbread house is under construction and looking delicious. While the walls are setting up, Walter has been tweaking the garland on the tree. He's making sure that it is just "so".
The final touches will go on the outside of the house tomorrow, plugging up all the light strings together. Getting the reindeer plugged in and all set to go. Tomorrow will be the grand illumination of the house.
The trees finally up and finished. It looks great. Knowing Walt, he'll most likely keep tweaking it for a few more days before he is finally happy with it. But for now I'm quite pleased with it.
Climategate: five Aussie MPs lead the way by resigning in disgust over carbon tax
By James Delingpole Politics Last updated: November 26th, 2009
Australia is leading the revolt against Al Gore’s great big AGW conspiracy – just as the Aussie geologist and AGW sceptic Professor Ian Plimer predicted it would. Read The Article
Climategate e-mails sweep America, may scuttle Barack Obama's Cap and Trade laws
By Gerald Warner Politics Last updated: November 26th, 2009
...At this rate, Copenhagen is going to turn into a comedy convention with the real world laughing at these liars. Now is the time to mount massive resistance to the petty tyrants and hit them where it hurts – in the wallet. Read The Article
By James Delingpole Politics Last updated: November 26th, 2009
Australia is leading the revolt against Al Gore’s great big AGW conspiracy – just as the Aussie geologist and AGW sceptic Professor Ian Plimer predicted it would. Read The Article
Climategate e-mails sweep America, may scuttle Barack Obama's Cap and Trade laws
By Gerald Warner Politics Last updated: November 26th, 2009
...At this rate, Copenhagen is going to turn into a comedy convention with the real world laughing at these liars. Now is the time to mount massive resistance to the petty tyrants and hit them where it hurts – in the wallet. Read The Article
This morning I woke up to a very foggy day. The fog didn't lift until nearly 11 a.m. For a while there I thought we were going to need Rudolph to aid us in making the journey out to Mom & Dad's for Thanksgiving dinner.I had a nice surprise when I peeped out the door around mid-day, a Blue Bird hung out long enough for me to get a few pictures. They are normally so difficult to catch out in the yard.
Dinner with the family was very nice. Mom out did herself as usual. Turkey, pheasant, and ham! Loads of choice and everyone of them delicious. The photographers in the family all gathered out on the deck after dinner to try to get photos of the moon.
This evening Walter & Kelly have put up the Christmas tree, so far it has the lights, garland and Angel on top. Tomorrow they'll finish it up. So far it looks great, I'm sure that they will have it looking fabulous by the time they get done.
Well, as a general rule, I don't do much shopping except for "drive-by" grocery pick ups. This evening required a run to the grocery store for rolls for Thanksgiving dinner, and since I was going to be out a run by K-Mart for some Christmas lights. None of this should have posed a problem, should of being the operative word.
Walt went with me and we made a stop by the K-Mart on Hull Street for some Christmas lights for the front porch. The store was relatively empty, I don't believe that there were 10 other shoppers in the store. We'd found everything that we had gone in for plus. You know there are usually an extra item or two that you pick up while in the store, just because. Well we found this really cute pair of Christmas slipper socks, but they weren't hooked together. Now you'd think that this would be a problem, but this turned out to be a BIG mistake, at least in checking out.
When I went to check out the clerk rang up each slipper separately!! I told her that they were a pair, and she said, I'm not lying, "I didn't know. They aren't hooked together."
I swear she said this with a straight face! I really believe that she thought that they were suppose to be individually priced.
But the story doesn't end there, apparently K-Mart offers a purchase protection plan on some items and this includes Christmas lights. So when she rang up one of the strings of lights she asked if I would like to add this protection plan to my order. I declined.
She then rang up the second string of lights and then asked me, "Would you like it on this set?"
I really, really, really wanted to laugh, but it was just so sad. I did my best not to laugh and simply declined the offer.
Walt was trying to help out by bagging our stuff, but even then she had trouble accepting help. He held open one of the bags for her to put a stack of items into, but she separated them and put them in one at a time. Of course this wasn't the end of the comedy of errors that went on, but telling too much more may cause me to fall over laughing before I can get this typed.
You would think that the stupidity for the evening would end there, but no...next up to bat was Food Lion. Checking out is just so much fun. After the adventure in bagging at K-Mart, Walter decided to bag our purchases at Food Lion. He told the clerk not that he didn't want the groceries in plastic bags and she said to him, "You don't want it bagged???"
Duh! He was pulling out a paper bag at the end of the counter to put the items into. If she had put the items into plastic we would have come out with 10 bag instead of 1.
Then on the way out we spotted this fantastic parking job in the row over from Walt's truck. The truck was parked almost entirely beyond the parking space. It is amazing what passes for parking these days.
Walt went with me and we made a stop by the K-Mart on Hull Street for some Christmas lights for the front porch. The store was relatively empty, I don't believe that there were 10 other shoppers in the store. We'd found everything that we had gone in for plus. You know there are usually an extra item or two that you pick up while in the store, just because. Well we found this really cute pair of Christmas slipper socks, but they weren't hooked together. Now you'd think that this would be a problem, but this turned out to be a BIG mistake, at least in checking out.
When I went to check out the clerk rang up each slipper separately!! I told her that they were a pair, and she said, I'm not lying, "I didn't know. They aren't hooked together."
I swear she said this with a straight face! I really believe that she thought that they were suppose to be individually priced.
But the story doesn't end there, apparently K-Mart offers a purchase protection plan on some items and this includes Christmas lights. So when she rang up one of the strings of lights she asked if I would like to add this protection plan to my order. I declined.
She then rang up the second string of lights and then asked me, "Would you like it on this set?"
I really, really, really wanted to laugh, but it was just so sad. I did my best not to laugh and simply declined the offer.
Walt was trying to help out by bagging our stuff, but even then she had trouble accepting help. He held open one of the bags for her to put a stack of items into, but she separated them and put them in one at a time. Of course this wasn't the end of the comedy of errors that went on, but telling too much more may cause me to fall over laughing before I can get this typed.
You would think that the stupidity for the evening would end there, but no...next up to bat was Food Lion. Checking out is just so much fun. After the adventure in bagging at K-Mart, Walter decided to bag our purchases at Food Lion. He told the clerk not that he didn't want the groceries in plastic bags and she said to him, "You don't want it bagged???"Duh! He was pulling out a paper bag at the end of the counter to put the items into. If she had put the items into plastic we would have come out with 10 bag instead of 1.
Then on the way out we spotted this fantastic parking job in the row over from Walt's truck. The truck was parked almost entirely beyond the parking space. It is amazing what passes for parking these days.
Grr..Day two of being down with this yuck. Not quite the flu, but enough to keep me home for two days. I hoping that morning will find me in a much better state. Yesterday I nearly froze to death, and
Oh, the sounds of footsteps on the roof and saws whirling in the yard, it's that time again. Construction comes to Fordham...back by demand, Kevin & crew come to fix up and finish off the remnants of the year's projects. Awesome crew that they are they are even ripping some sheets of plywood for us so that Walter will be able to floor the attic before the end of the month. We'll know next time that he heads off to Lowe's or Home Depot that any lumber that needs to make it into the attic must be less than 44 inches wide. Darn replacement stairs that made the opening just about a 1/2 inch too small for a sheet of plywood to fit nicely through the opening. At least Walt's got the neighbor to help him heave that stuff up the stairs after school this afternoon. Not me! Yeah. Kevin will be fixing the two windows in the living room which have somehow managed to spring a leak. He's going to re-seal the gasket and we'll be all set.
Walt's headed out this afternoon on errands with friends, taking our brush to the dump and helping them get a load of stuff off to Goodwill.
The pounding has begun once again, Walter is working on flooring the attic. I'm betting that he has it completed before bed this evening. Even though he's going to be a doll and run out and pick up Sean for me from his driver's ed class.
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
What do you have to lose but .44 cents, what do you have to gain ----------- more than you will ever know.
What a clever idea! Yes, Christmas cards. This is coming early so that you can get ready to include an important address to your list.
Want to have some fun this CHRISTMAS? Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD this year.
As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice, CHRISTIAN card to brighten up their dark, sad, little world..
Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it.
Here's the address, just don't be rude or crude. (It's not the Christian way, you know.)
ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York , NY 10004
Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions. So spend 44 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas alone. Also tell them that there is no such thing as a " Holiday Tree". . . It's always been called a CHRISTMAS TREE!
And pass this on to your email lists. We really want to communicate with the ACLU! They really DESERVE us!!
For those of you who aren't aware of them, the ACLU, (the American Civil Liberties Union) is the one suing the U.S. Government to take God, Christmas or anything Christian away from us. They represent the atheists and others in this war. Help put Christ back in Christmas!
This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president. (It's a pity his staff will never allow
this letter to reach the President.)
Dear President Obama,
My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.
I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor, allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.
One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.
So here goes.
I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.
I can't figure out what country you are the president of. You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:
"We're no longer a Christian nation"
"America is arrogant" - (Your wife even announced to the world," America is mean-spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)
I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.
After 9/11 you said, "America hasn't lived up to her ideals."
Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.
I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.
Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.
Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue.
You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.
And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts, who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.
One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.
You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.
You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.
And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.
Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes
When a 95-year-old hero of the "the Greatest Generation" stands up and speaks out like this, I think we owe it to him to send his words to as many Americans as
we can.
Oh, the sounds of footsteps on the roof and saws whirling in the yard, it's that time again. Construction comes to Fordham...back by demand, Kevin & crew come to fix up and finish off the remnants of the year's projects. Awesome crew that they are they are even ripping some sheets of plywood for us so that Walter will be able to floor the attic before the end of the month. We'll know next time that he heads off to Lowe's or Home Depot that any lumber that needs to make it into the attic must be less than 44 inches wide. Darn replacement stairs that made the opening just about a 1/2 inch too small for a sheet of plywood to fit nicely through the opening. At least Walt's got the neighbor to help him heave that stuff up the stairs after school this afternoon. Not me! Yeah. Kevin will be fixing the two windows in the living room which have somehow managed to spring a leak. He's going to re-seal the gasket and we'll be all set.
Walt's headed out this afternoon on errands with friends, taking our brush to the dump and helping them get a load of stuff off to Goodwill.
The pounding has begun once again, Walter is working on flooring the attic. I'm betting that he has it completed before bed this evening. Even though he's going to be a doll and run out and pick up Sean for me from his driver's ed class.
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
One Good Gift for Christmas
What do you have to lose but .44 cents, what do you have to gain ----------- more than you will ever know.
What a clever idea! Yes, Christmas cards. This is coming early so that you can get ready to include an important address to your list.
Want to have some fun this CHRISTMAS? Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD this year.
As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice, CHRISTIAN card to brighten up their dark, sad, little world..
Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it.
Here's the address, just don't be rude or crude. (It's not the Christian way, you know.)
ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York , NY 10004
Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions. So spend 44 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas alone. Also tell them that there is no such thing as a " Holiday Tree". . . It's always been called a CHRISTMAS TREE!
And pass this on to your email lists. We really want to communicate with the ACLU! They really DESERVE us!!
For those of you who aren't aware of them, the ACLU, (the American Civil Liberties Union) is the one suing the U.S. Government to take God, Christmas or anything Christian away from us. They represent the atheists and others in this war. Help put Christ back in Christmas!
This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president. (It's a pity his staff will never allow
this letter to reach the President.)
Dear President Obama,
My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.
I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor, allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.
One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.
So here goes.
I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.
I can't figure out what country you are the president of. You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:
"We're no longer a Christian nation"
"America is arrogant" - (Your wife even announced to the world," America is mean-spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)
I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.
After 9/11 you said, "America hasn't lived up to her ideals."
Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.
I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.
Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.
Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue.
You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.
And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts, who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.
One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.
You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.
You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.
And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.
Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes
When a 95-year-old hero of the "the Greatest Generation" stands up and speaks out like this, I think we owe it to him to send his words to as many Americans as
we can.
We spent the morning beginning to get the yard into order for the Winter. Sean came over briefly to help with getting the sticks and limbs off the yard. Ashton, our next door neighbor, spent the majority of the afternoon with us raking and bagging leaves, then moving and stacking wood.
It has been a while since I've been out in that much mold. I've felt blah this evening, I hope that it doesn't effect my sleep this evening. Mold allergies are a terrible thing.
It has been a while since I've been out in that much mold. I've felt blah this evening, I hope that it doesn't effect my sleep this evening. Mold allergies are a terrible thing.
I started out the day with the intention of attending the Clover Hill football game this afternoon. But the best laid plans can be changed in a heartbeat, especially when a road trip is involved. Over lunch it was decided that we would make a run up to Sunspots Studios in Staunton. I had been informed that I really needed to go and pick out an ornament for the tree from there.
We headed out to make a run for gas before getting on the road and found that the car was suffering from a flat rear tire. Thank goodness for full sized spares. Walt changed it out in no time flat, no pun intended, and we were on the road.
Even though the trees were well past their peak color, the scenery was still pretty. We passed one tractor trailer headed West on I-64, with an interesting logo, a Cavalier with a carrot for a lance. Just way too funny.
Sunspots Studios was awesome. Our timing was perfect, we arrived in time to watch the glassblower create a couple of ornaments. It was interesting to see the difference between the craft Italy and here.
We had a great time browsing through the gallery, and of course, picking out all kinds of things to bring home. Ornaments for the trees, a couple of really nice magnets for the fridge, and then the jewelry. They carry Pandora jewelry, which is awesome. How is it that I end up finding some piece of jewelry just about every trip I go on? Even in places that you wouldn't think that it would be... Craziness.
We on Afton mountains to take a few photos of the sunset. I was able to get a few before the light gave out. I particularly like this one with the crescent moon visible in the sky.
The rest of the trip home was incredibly boring. I just hate the drive down 64, but when you're shooting for speed it is the fastest way. Just boring. We got off exit 124 to pick up some food, but somehow missed the restaurant. I followed the road on back to the interstate, where we got off at exit 120 for fast food. Easy no problem. But then I discovered that we had somehow managed to back track. I still don't know how I ended passing the first exit twice. Very confusing.
Tomorrow Sean's coming over to help get the leaves up. Let's hope the weather holds out.
More Trip Photos
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
T'was the Month Before Christmas
*T'was the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found..*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me..*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started..*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday !*
Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Christ is 'The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season!
We headed out to make a run for gas before getting on the road and found that the car was suffering from a flat rear tire. Thank goodness for full sized spares. Walt changed it out in no time flat, no pun intended, and we were on the road.
Even though the trees were well past their peak color, the scenery was still pretty. We passed one tractor trailer headed West on I-64, with an interesting logo, a Cavalier with a carrot for a lance. Just way too funny.Sunspots Studios was awesome. Our timing was perfect, we arrived in time to watch the glassblower create a couple of ornaments. It was interesting to see the difference between the craft Italy and here.
We had a great time browsing through the gallery, and of course, picking out all kinds of things to bring home. Ornaments for the trees, a couple of really nice magnets for the fridge, and then the jewelry. They carry Pandora jewelry, which is awesome. How is it that I end up finding some piece of jewelry just about every trip I go on? Even in places that you wouldn't think that it would be... Craziness.
We on Afton mountains to take a few photos of the sunset. I was able to get a few before the light gave out. I particularly like this one with the crescent moon visible in the sky.The rest of the trip home was incredibly boring. I just hate the drive down 64, but when you're shooting for speed it is the fastest way. Just boring. We got off exit 124 to pick up some food, but somehow missed the restaurant. I followed the road on back to the interstate, where we got off at exit 120 for fast food. Easy no problem. But then I discovered that we had somehow managed to back track. I still don't know how I ended passing the first exit twice. Very confusing.
Tomorrow Sean's coming over to help get the leaves up. Let's hope the weather holds out.
More Trip Photos
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found..*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me..*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started..*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday !*
Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Christ is 'The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season!
Yippee!! Friday is finally here. Not that it's going to be such an awesomely exciting weekend, it just that the week has been soooooo long.Walt & I finished up staining the mantle after I got home from work this evening. It's looks pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. It kinda makes up for the bruises incurred during the installation.
Now I'm going to have to paint a canvas for above the mantle - the one there although it is a 24 x 36 just isn't big enough for the space. What to paint and when will I have the time? Two huge questions.
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
Thought For the Day: "It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth -- and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts. ... For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it might cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it." -- Patrick Henry
Everyone in the cleaning industry has always been told that hand dryers in restrooms are not sanitary, they spread germs and bacteria around. I always thought that this just came from the paper companies because they are loosing sales to the hand dryers. A couple of years ago, I was working with a rep, and I noticed that after he washed his hands and noticed that there were no paper towels, only a hand dryer he left the restroom with wet hands. I asked him about it. He said that hand dryers blow a lot of germs and bacteria around. He also told me to take a look under the hand dryer next time I was in a restroom. There is a filter underneath the hand dryer that is supposed to be cleaned on a weekly basis. I looked at one and it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years. It had layers and layers of caked on gunk (disgusting).
Since then I will not use hand dryers in restrooms. Now this is where the story gets really interesting. The schools and universities that have had the H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak this year are being told by the health department that they have to take out all of their hand dryers and replace them with towel dispensers because the hand dryers are spreading disease. Please pass this along so everyone knows not to use hand dryers.
Another busy day, things are moving along pretty well, but I am beginning to feel achy. Not sure if I'm trying to come down with something or not. Hope not, but if so, at least there is only one more day left in the week. New bruises are showing up on the underside of my arm. They are just so attractive, they have such a lovely green color.
I do believe that it is time for some sort of mini-vacation. Not sure where I want to go, but going will be good. Maybe a weekend road trip somewhere, non-exciting, but fun. Suggestions?
Still haven't come up with a good place to go this weekend. I may just get in the car and drive and see where I end up. Mountains? Beach? Middle of Nowhere?
Getting ready to settle in for another teleseminar this evening, it'll be the last one for the week, perhaps even for the year.
The mantle has been partially stained, it still isn't dark enough. We're going to have to pick up a little darker color and put on a couple of more coats. But it sure looks good.
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
Thought For the Day: "It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth -- and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts. ... For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it might cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it." -- Patrick Henry
I do believe that it is time for some sort of mini-vacation. Not sure where I want to go, but going will be good. Maybe a weekend road trip somewhere, non-exciting, but fun. Suggestions?
Still haven't come up with a good place to go this weekend. I may just get in the car and drive and see where I end up. Mountains? Beach? Middle of Nowhere?
Getting ready to settle in for another teleseminar this evening, it'll be the last one for the week, perhaps even for the year.
The mantle has been partially stained, it still isn't dark enough. We're going to have to pick up a little darker color and put on a couple of more coats. But it sure looks good.
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
Thought For the Day: "It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth -- and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts. ... For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it might cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it." -- Patrick Henry
It's only Wednesday and it already feels like it should be Friday. The week is dragging along, even though it has been busy. I think what it is, is that I've got teleseminars scheduled to work for three nights this week. So far, one down, one tonight and one to go tomorrow night. Not to mention the one that's during the day tomorrow. Busy, busy, busy.
The hand is beginning to turn a lovely shade of purple. In case you missed it, Walt and I were hanging the mantle in the living room when it slipped and slammed into my left wrist/thumb. For awhile there last night I thought that I might need to head out to Patient First to have it checked out, the trouble with that was that the teleseminar that I was working was about to begin. Seeing quadruple when you look at a computer screen is not cool. A few Advil later and the pain subsided to a manageable level. I've still been taking Advil on and off today, but only after using my hand for an extended period of time.
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
Thought For the Day: "If you are afraid to speak against tyranny, then you are already a slave." -- author John "Birdman" Bryant (1943-2009)
The hand is beginning to turn a lovely shade of purple. In case you missed it, Walt and I were hanging the mantle in the living room when it slipped and slammed into my left wrist/thumb. For awhile there last night I thought that I might need to head out to Patient First to have it checked out, the trouble with that was that the teleseminar that I was working was about to begin. Seeing quadruple when you look at a computer screen is not cool. A few Advil later and the pain subsided to a manageable level. I've still been taking Advil on and off today, but only after using my hand for an extended period of time.
Email & Newsletter Gleanings:
Thought For the Day: "If you are afraid to speak against tyranny, then you are already a slave." -- author John "Birdman" Bryant (1943-2009)
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