THOSE FLINT HILLS AGAIN


Some people complain that Kansas is boring and has no beauty at all. Well, those people have never gone through the Flint Hills, Gypsum Hills, tall grass prairie or whatever name you want to use.
We took another trip through Kansas to and from Missouri this past weekend. We went across the southern part of Kansas, through those beautiful flint hills, with the beautiful red and golden grasses. Low rolling hills covered with red grass, with golden seed stems. The grass appears to be about 3 feet tall in places and usually is leaning over a little from the dominant winds. There are interesting towns along the way. The Dalton Gang hide-out, Carrie Nation’s home town, the Cherokee stockade, etc. There are areas with very red soil, which is extraordinarily beautiful.
If your destination is more northerly, then you can enjoy the beautiful hills on that route. Some interesting things from the trip:
1. We saw a parade of cats crossing the highway from one farm house to another. There were four orange tiger cats and one black calico. The calico turned back but the others crossed, one after the other. I don’t know why, but I hope they don’t do that again. We did get a good laugh, though.
2. Our daughter’s neighbor was playing in the street with his boys and we ran over their football. Didn’t mean to but I guess one of them threw it at a bad time. The look on the face of one of the boys was hilariously funny. He yelled. "tragedy, tragedy!"
3. At the library, while using earphones, I talked really loud. My daughter shushed me.
4. My grandson has black and yellow hair.
5. We got lost many times in the city.
6. Saw some white "whitetail" deer.
7. Ran over a dead armadillo which must have been really hard because we thought we'd blown a tire.
8. Had ""fun going down a windy highway with a motorcycle riding upright (but fastened well) in the back of the pickup.

We had gorgeous weather and not a bit of that Missoui humidity. Short sleeves. Ate a lot. Enjoyed the kids. Glad to get home.

Repost: JERRY

One day at the mental health care center, one of my regulars called me over just before I was to start. He asked me if I pray for people. I said yes and asked what was wrong. This man has told me countless times how he got saved at a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting years ago. He always talks about having Jesus in his heart and that we have to do that before we can go to Heaven. He knows a lot about the Bible, too. This day though, he was having delusional thinking. He said that years ago when he was a rock star, he caused hundreds of people to disappear from a football field and a concert hall. He was so upset because he said that he was going to go to hell for that when he dies. He said that Satan deceived him into doing it. Okay, I thought...the only thing I can address is his salvation. I know nothing about him, although he does dress like a rock star from the 70s or so, and he has been to college. Anyway I told him that when we do something that displeases God, all we have to do is repent of it and ask for forgiveness. He said he had prayed but he was still going to go to hell. I told him that if Jesus came into his heart when he in college, then Jesus is still there. He fretted about those people who had disappeared and I assured him that God knows where every one of those people are and they are under his care. So finally, he said, "Ohhh. Because I asked Jesus to come into my heart, when I die I will go to Heaven!" I said, "Yes, Jerry." He smiled and thanked me.What a blessing that he felt he could talk to me about such a personal thing.

My Version of That Story

My daughter, Flower of the Family, posted a story she wrote. Since I wrote one from the same prompt, I decided to post mine, also.

I slowly opened my eyes. The room seemed to be spinning and the light hurt my eyes. I closed them again, covering them with my hands. I slowly opened my eyes again, squinting, and slowing moving my hands from my face. There was blood on my left hand. I felt around and determined that the area of my left eye had an injury. There was some light coming in a small window up high on the wall. I sat up, looking around carefully. I was so confused to find myself in this strange room. How did I get here? As I sat up, I noticed that my feet were tender. What had become of my sandals? My bare feet burned as I walked across the rough surface of the floor to look at the window. It was only about 8 inches in height and about 2 feet across. No way a body could climb through that window, even if one could reach it. There was nothing in this little room, except a container of murky looking water and a chamber pot. The door was made out of very heavy timbers with some type iron reinforcement. There was no way out of here unless someone unlocked the door from outside.

I called out to see if anyone would hear me and come to the room. That was soon seen to be a fruitless maneuver. I started pacing around the small room. I was famished for water, so I reluctantly drank most of the dirty looking water in the pot. That seemed to make me feel better and I was hopeful that it would help me to focus on my circumstances better. I stuck my hands in my pockets and was startled to find something inside the hidden pocket in my garment. I pulled out five stones. Five little dissimilar stones; three of which were beautiful shiny stones, one odd-shaped one, and one very rough and dirty on one side, and smooth and beautiful on the other. I sat down on the floor and lay the stones out in front of me. I simply could not figure out what they meant or where they came from.

As I handled the stones, I realized that, if properly placed, the three beautiful shiny ones would fit together and form one uniform shape, a perfect circle. I thought to myself, "Hum! Three of the same put together make one." Why did that seem so familiar to me? The odd-shaped stone was shaped somewhat like the letter T; perhaps more like a plus sign. The other one was a common stone, except for being rough, unpolished and dirty on one side only. As I stared at these stones, some memories began forming in my mind. Yes! I knew what these stones were for. Yes, they were mine.

I jumped up at the sudden noise at the door. Someone was coming. I could hear a sliding lock being forced back to free the door. The door opened slowly, making a loud creaking noise. There were two men there, one holding my sandals, and the other holding some papers. I stood there silently, expecting them to declare me guilty of some crime and take me out to be hanged.
The man handed me my sandals and watched me as I placed them on my feet. The other man spoke to me in a very official sounding manner and said, "The charge levied against you was that you were using materials to tell people about this Jesus Christ, however, we have found no such materials on your person, therefore, we are obligated to set you free." I thanked them, and as I was leaving, they told me to not return to this village again, ever.

As I walked down the road, I took the rocks out of my pocket. I fitted the three together; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, into One. I held up the dirty rough stone, laid it on the cross-shaped stone, then turned it over so that the clean smooth side was up. Yes, it’s amazing how one can tell another about Jesus’ cleansing power with a handful of stones.

Well, They're well.

The cats have finished their medications and are back to normal. They got to go outside and visit their old territory today. Now I have to clean up this room where they spent all that time.

Cats, Cats, and More Cats

About a month ago, one of my outdoor cats was sick. I took him to the vet and they found him to be so anemic he was only one number away from a blood transfusion. After several days of giving him cherry flavored liquid steroid medicine, they discovered that he had a blood parasite. Then I had to give him antibiotic pills for 21 days! Now, most of you have probably tried giving a pill to a cat. IT IS NO FUN! I finally started wrapping him up in a housecoat and pulling the sleeve over him so he couldn't move. He is cured but now has to be weaned off the steroids, still for a few more days. The problem is this..... my other outdoor cat developed a HUGE abscess on his right shoulder blade (?), about 6 inches in circumference, and protruding about 2 inches. The vet lanced it and got some very green gook out of it. He came home with gauze packing and a little cute net looking shirt to keep the pressure on the incision. I am pleased to say that now I have another cat to nurse. At the moment they are both in the same room, one is in a cage and the other is lying on my keyboard. They shared a bedroom outside so they aren't fighting, so far. I love my cats! I love my cats! I love my cats!

REPOST of "Where Had She Been?"

When I worked on a VA Alzheimer's unit, there was one woman there. I'm not sure she had Alzheimer's or some strange type of mental illness, but she had been in this condition for a long time. She was ambulatory but wouldn't speak. She seemed to understand directions. I had known her for several years and had never heard a peep out of her. She had been a nurse during, I believe, the Korean War. She was sitting in the solarium day room and I heard her say, "I know a good nurse when I see one and there aren't any around here." I alerted the others and one of the doctors came in with a recorder and sat with her for several hours. Her voice was very weak and raspy from not using it for so long and she was a little hard to understand at first. She spoke about being an Army nurse and other aspects of her life. She talked about things that had happened on that unit and mentioned some things she felt the nurses had done wrong. Then she quit talking and, as far as I know, never did it again. It about blows my mind every time I think about it. Where had she been and where did she go?

CAN WE RETIRE FROM GOD'S CALLING?

I am curious about something. When a pastor/preacher retires, does he retire only from pastoring or does he retire also from preaching? We have several retired pastors in our church but there are only about three that will preach at the nursing home services. Why is it that a man can stand up in front of a group of seniors in a classroom but can't stand up in front of a group of seniors in a nursing home? I am constantly being told that it takes a "special gift" to minister in a nursing home. I don't buy that entirely. I believe God burdens certain ones for that ministry, but isn't a pastor/preacher suppose to minister from the cradle to the grave? Please explain this to me. In case you didn't get it, I will be "preaching" at a nursing home tomorrow morning because no one else will. My sister will help me gather people for the service. I let them sing a lot and then do a quick "devotional". I pray with them and tell them that I love them. I guess that's all they need. I just needed to vent a little. But let me know what you think about the retirement issue.

Interesting Signs

Taken from "Eats, Shites & Leaves", by A. Parody


1. Open seven days a week and weekends.
2. Rare, out-of -print and non-existent books.
3. Wonderful bargains for men with 16 and 17 necks.
4. Seasonal toilet rolls.
5. Now is the time to have your ears pierced and get an extra pair to take home, too.
6. Same-day cleaning. All garments ready in 48 hours.
7. One-hour photos. Collect tomorrow.
8. We will oil your sewing machine and adjust tension in your home for $1.00.
9. Soft and genital bath tissues or facial tissues 89 cents.
10. Prize-winning sausages. Once tasted, you'll never want another.

Huh?

What does "guaranteed for life" mean? What does "lifetime warranty" mean? What is the lifetime of an object? Doesn't the lifetime end when the thing dies? Then that must mean it is guaranteed for the time it isn't dead. So what's the point?

Bonk

The word "bonk" is the sound you hear when your bumper bumps the other guy's bumper gently. "BONK" is the sound you are glad you didn't hear. The lesson learned here is: Do not allow a bottle of water to get wedged under your brake pedal and then expect the car to stop, even while going very slowly.

Hey, I'm Not Done Yet!

An interesting thing happened to me this morning. I really didn't feel like going to the grocery store but the sale on the Wisconsin Cheddar was about to expire and my husband really wanted some, so I went. To the store in a neighboring little town. Dragged myself into the store. I decided to get a few other things in anticipation of a lunch at the church later this week. I was contemplating the big red hothouse tomatoes, trying to figure out which one would be just perfect in two days. A woman spoke up and reminded me that the Roma tomatoes were on sale. We talked a little bit and she asked me what I would be using the huge tomato for. I said that I do a Bible study at a mental health care center and that, a few times a year, I have them over to the church for a lunch outing. She began to talk very softly and I leaned toward her and asked her to repeat what she had said. She was asking me to pray for her because she was going through a really hard time. I said okay and asked for her first name. I asked if she had a church home and she said yes. I told her I could pray with her right there if she wished, but she seemed to not want attention drawn to her so we didn't pray in the store. She thanked me and walked away. Coincidence? Chance meeting? I don't think so. Her name is Elyssa. She is probably in her 30s or 40s. I have no idea what her situation if but we don't need to know, do we........?

THINGS WE SAY TO OUR KIDS

1. I don't like your choice of friends.
2. It's not that I don't trust YOU...I don't trust OTHERS!
3. Were you born in a barn?
4. Because I said so!
5. Don't make me stop this car!
6. You're grounded for life!
7. Someday, when you're older, you'll understand!
8. One day you'll come home and I won't be here!
9. You'd better watch the tone of your voice, young lady (man)!
10.Over my dead body!

40 Random Things You Didn't Want to Know About Me

1. My uncle once: told me that if God wanted salt on a cantaloupe, he would have put it there.
2. Never in my life: Been on a moving plane
3. When I was five: I gave a sick kitten a bath and it died.
4. High School was: fun.
5. I will never forget: one special horseback ride.
6. I once met: Marty Robbins
7. There’s this girl I know who: could clean up for a date in five minutes.
8. Once, at a bar: we hung out because it was the only place in town with food.
9. By noon, I'm usually: awake.
10. Who knows what #10 is?
11. If only I had: an adobe house
12. Next time I go to church: I'll do the count.
13. Terry Schiavo: was murdered.
14. What worries me most: my children's futures
15. When I turn my head left, I see: a bulletin board.
16. When I turn my head right, I see: books, books and more books.
17. You know I’m lying when: I say something :)
18. What I miss most about the eighties: my age.
19. If I was a character in Shakespeare, I’d be: a clown or something.
20. By this time next year: I will probably be doing the same old thing.
21. A better name for me would be: Perfecto.
22. I have a hard time understanding: how we are depleting air waves.
23. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: study art or writing.
24. You know I like you if: I tease you sometimes.
25. If I ever won an award, the first person I’d thank would be: the person who did the work for me.
26. Darwin, Mozart, Slim Pickens & Geraldine Ferraro: crazy man, genius man, good ol' boy, and crybaby feminist.
27. Take my advice, never: vacuum your cat.
28. My ideal breakfast is: pancakes, eggs over easy, and bacon.
29. A song I love, but do not own is: Swing Low Sweet Chariot.
30. If you visit my hometown, I suggest: Old Mission Deli
31. Tulips, character flaws, microchips, & track stars: beautiful, normal, weird, and fast.
32. Why won’t people: learn to obey the laws.
33. If you spend the night at my house: bring an allergy pill (cats)
34. I’d stop my wedding for: too late.
35. The world could do without: pants with crotch dragging between knees.
36. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: be buried alive.
37. My favorite blond is: not.
38: Paper clips are more useful than: thong underwear.
39. If I do anything well, it’s: taking a nap.
40. And by the way: this is sort of dumb.

The Byways and the Highways

"I'm so tired...all my family and friends are gone and I'm all alone, I'm tired of being in constant pain. All I want to do is die and have some peace."

This statement can be heard in some variation any day at any nursing home in this country. Approximately 8% (my guess) of those over 65 years old are living in some type of institution, nursing home or health care center. For the majority of these people it will be their last address on this earth. Death and dying is a definite part of their daily existence; however, many welcome death as a release from the suffering and loneliness they are experiencing. Many believe that they deserve to go to Heaven because they are suffering, or simply because they are old. The thinking often is that "surely God wouldn't let me go to hell after all I've been through." There are those who have never heard the Gospel even though they have lived in this "Christian" nation for 80 years; there are those who have heard the Gospel most of their lives and have hardened their hearts; those who base their salvation on church membership, baptism, living a good life, even on being a member of a service club or secret society. They have all the same excuses any other segment of the populaation have, however, many have developed impairments which could hinder their ability to comprehend. Many have waited too long, many will not have that peace that they believe will come with dying.

Cute Drama Just For Me

I saw the cutest "drama" last evening. I had pulled up at the church and watched the cows in the adjoining pasture. One of the teenage boys from the church was standing by the fence and a few calves had joined him. More calves came, one or two at a time, until there were about 15 of them standing by the fence. Then I saw a little brown one coming, followed by his mother, several strides behind. What struck me so funny was that I imagined what type of mother she was! I could just see her stomping her feet and clenching her fists, and saying, "Well, I never! I won't allow my child to hang around strangers like that. What is wrong with these other moms?" She apparently said something to her child, turned around and walked back toward the other cows, followed closely by her calf. I laughed and laughed about that. It always amazes me that the calves know that the other calves are calves! That they are the same. Even on the day they are born, the calves get together and nose each other. I love watching them but soon they will be gathered up and taken to summer pasture. I will miss them, as usual.

Brother, Where Are You?

Huey, Dewey and Louie are Donald Duck's nephews but he doesn't have a brother. He does have a sister named Dumbella. In 1938 she sent her "three angel children" for a visit. They stayed forever apparently.

WHERE, OH WHERE?

WHERE is Donald Duck's Brother?

Another Mysterious Local Tragedy

About ten days ago, another young woman associated with people in our church was found dead in her bed. There is no connection to the one who died in Kansas. Her two youngest children were asleep in the bed with her. She had sent an email to a friend at 3 A.M. and apparently died at 4 A.M. No cause has been discovered. Her boyfriend found her and tried to awaken her. Her little boy was patting her and telling her to "wake up, Mommy." Her memorial service was today. I didn't know her very well but had known her boyfriend for many years. They had been attending another Baptist church and had joined on the Sunday before she died on Wednesday. We may never know what happened.

Beware of .........

I worked for many years at a doctor’s office. The doctor loved history, artifacts, petrified wood, fossils, etc. I worked during off-hours sometimes as I was the transcriber and the quiet helped. One day as I was preparing to leave the office, someone knocked on the front door. I opened it, expecting it to be a patient. There were two young men standing there. They were dressed rather pecularly, in a manner commonly thought of as geek wear. Their pants seems a little too short and their waists a little too high, and, believe it or not, they had pen holders in their shirt pockets. I asked if I could help them and one of them replied that they had something that would be of interest to the doctor. They had heard about his interest in antiquities and such and wanted to show him what they had. I informed them that he was not in the office. They proceeded to unwrap an item and showed me a small metal looking thing that appeared to be a likeness of a griffin. For those who are not familiar with a griffin, it is a winged monster with an eagle like head and the body of a lion. The guys told me it was a genuine iron likeness which had been uncovered during the unearthing of an ancient city in the far east. I took hold of it and turned it around in my hands. It was heavy but it didn’t feel like iron to me. I tapped on it and decided it was ceramic and probably was not what they represented it to be. I handed it back and told them that the doctor wouldn’t be interested.

You know, it just goes to show you…. Beware of geeks bearing griffs!

God Can Handle IT

I would like to share an amazing story. It concerns some friends of mine and it shows me very clearly how God takes His own sweet time to meet our needs. This man and woman have had some hard knocks over the past few years, mostly to do with his health problems. He went into renal failure and is doing dialysis three times a week. He has been unable to work and his wife's work varies from part time to full time. They have had problems dealing with the VA and disability services. During these years, they began attending a church where they found the love and friendship they desired. Because of various transportation problems, they became unable to travel the 20 miles or so to their church. Being a tough Vietnam Vet, he was a little skeptical of "religion" but loved the pastor and the people. Well, things continued to worsen for them financially. They were on the verge of losing their rental house, several utilities had sent disconnect letters, she got laid off, they were still struggling with getting their retroactive disability and VA benefits. They were one step away from being homeless. He talked to the VA officer and was told that he could expect the check in two weeks. He and his wife pondered this, wondering how they would survive that long. This is the good part. They both told me that, though she had been praying all along, he had finally said something to the effect, "Well, God! Only you can take care this." Instead of two weeks, the check came in two days. They paid for six months' rent in advance, paid their utilities, bought a vehicle that actually runs, and put some away for a "rainy day". And the Sunday after the money arrived, he woke her up and said, "Get up! We're going to church." So do you want to guess who is praising the name of the Lord these days? I pray he takes the appropriate step to ensure his salvation (I don't know if he has or not, of course.)

I explained to them that sometimes God just wants us to be willing to be willing, and that when you're flat on your back, the only way to look is up. God broke his will and he became mold-able. PTL

I Have a Question.

Hey writers out there! I have a question. When I want to tell a story or antedote about a real person, will I get in trouble if I don't use their real name? What if he is recognized because of the story?

Second Time Around

I was reading this old post, one of the first ones I did. I decided to republish it because I don't know if anyone actually saw it then, except for my daughter.

The eyes of the "unloveables" Today was our church service at a local mental health care center. While Carl was speaking, I was looking at each person sitting there. All were listening carefully and respectfully. Because I also go there weekly to do a "Bible study", I know them all pretty well. I saw in their eyes a soul and spirit that God had placed there. A spirit which has been beaten up by mental illness and the stigma that goes with it. In spite of that, most of them are friendly and as happy as they probably can be anywhere. I know that a lot of them had been basically turned away by their families because of years of mental illness, behavior problems, drugs, or alcohol. Many do have family members who are in contact. Many have schizophrenia or bipolar diagnoses and have probably been sick most of their lives. There are a few elderly but most are probably under 60, many in their 30s or 40s. I was thinking... "who loves these people?" I do. They trust me and treat me very well. Some of the staff love them. Some have worked there for many years and consider the residents their own special family. Others can't take it for very long but it's just as well that they move on. It is a difficult place to work. Every staff member has to know all the behavior modifications for each resident, if there is a problem. Who else loves them? God, for sure. For some reason he allowed them to be affected by mental illness. Why, I don't know. But whenever someone treats them kindly, he is treating God's creation kindly, and He gets the glory.

Do a Rewrite

What originally struck me was: "......that would require the owners of cats that are 4 months or older to be tagged...... Okay let's tag the owners of cats but only if the owners are 4 months or older. Now, let's rewrite the paragraph (long sentence).

By the way, the next sentence says: "The measure also require that animals impounded for any reason not be returned to owners until they comply." Well, you tell me. How do you get a cat to comply?


HEE HEE

Writers and Wordsmiths, Analyze This Please

This is an excerpt from an article in CAPITOL NOTES by Charles Ashby, Pueblo Chieftain's Denver Bureau chief. Credit given:

Read this sentence (paragraph) and tell me what strikes you. This isn't about the contents of the bill itself but the contents of the paragraph.

"Two Denver-area Democrats have introduced a bill that would require the owners of cats that are 4 months or older to be tagged with some form of identification, either in the form of a tag on its collar or a microchip in its head."

Very Disturbing

At one of the care centers I visit, there was an old man who had been there a few weeks. He was always very rude to me. He told me he was a Russian Orthodox Catholic and that he wanted nothing to do with a Baptist. The story was that he had been living in a monastery but required much more physical care so he was taken to a nursing home. This man also was mentally ill. A week or so ago, on a Tuesday, he told me, "I just want you to die." Apparently I didn't react the way he expected. I said, "Oh, thank you! I'll just go to Heaven." His reply was "huh?" The next Sunday we were there for afternoon church service and he was in his bed with oxygen, apparently not recognizing anyone. For obvious reasons, I did not disturb him. When I went back on the next Tuesday, I learned that he had died. It disturbed me very much but I know there was no way I could have talked to him about the Lord. My only hope is that someone he respected reached out to him.

What Determines a Good Mother?

I'm not sure I was a good mother when my girls were growing up. For the first several years I had problems with an almost constant feeling of irritability and impatience. I yelled at my girls even when they probably weren't doing anything bad. I hated the way I felt. When the girls were about 8 and 10 (I think) I discovered B Complex, thanks to my sister. It contains all of the B vitamins, which nourish the nervous system. After about a week, I was a different person. Before that, I was irritable and mean all the time. I have wondered much about this rapid change but, after studying a few things, I decided that my body just didn't seem to absorb the B vitamins from the food I ate. I most certainly had a deficiency. Also, although this may have nothing to do with it, I had a reaction to the "saddle block" anesthesia I was given when my first child was born. My neck became extremely painful and stiff. I had a terrible headache and had to lie on my back for a couple of days in the hospital. My back hurt from the labor (I guess) and it hurt to lie on my back. I was on muscle relaxants for a couple of weeks and nursing my baby at the same time. Who knows what effect any of this had on my nervous system, or on the baby.

I still take B Complex (which contains numerous forms of vitamins) every day. I can tell within a few hours if I forgot to take it. I get irritable and grumpy. I have made my girls promise to make sure I get my daily B Complex if I have to be in a nursing home.

Other reasons I wonder if I was a good mother: I was never the hugger, smoochy, on my lap kind of mother and I regret that. I don't remember my Mom doing that but I never once thought she didn't love me. I never let my kids have what they whined or cried for. I didn't praise them for every little thing they did right. My girls were part of the family, not the center of it. I didn't do a good job of teaching them to be homemakers (hard when you're not good at it yourself). But I did encourage them to draw, read, write, and use their imagination, to look down when walking across the prairie, to see the bugs, flowers, and weeds.

One of my favorite quotes is when someone asked the elder President Bush (after he had been the head of the CIA, vice president, and president): What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment? He answered: "My children still come to visit me." That is my greatest accomplishment. My children still call me and visit me and show me respect I'm very proud of my daughters.

Does History Really Repeat Itself?

Does this sound familiar?

The Presidental campaign of 2008 was fought out in a country deep in the trough of depression. It is now the fashion of some economists and certain critics of the Obama plan to say that recovery was beginning in the summer of 2008. Certainly, by the fall of 2008 no one realized it. Mr. Bush (McCain) ran on a "do-nothing, let nature take its course" sort of platform. Mr. Obama was going to do something, but was not very specific about what he was going to do. He earned a reputation as a shrewd politician but there was nothing in his record as Senator from Illinois to warrant any general expectation that he would be a strong man in a crisis. He was clever enough to know that he did not have to commit himself, that the people were so determined to get Bush (McCain) out that his wisest course would be to avoid commitments which might offend his potential supporters. Minority candidates spoke to large audiences and did discuss real issues, but, the very audiences which applauded them made it clear that their set purpose was to eliminate Bush (McCain). This was done. Mr. Obama was elected by an immense popular and electoral college majority, but with less of a devoted following than some of his defeated Democratic predecessors.

Now change Bush (McCain) to Hoover, Obama to F. Roosevelt, 2008 to 1932, senator from Illinois to governor of New York, depression to recession.

The New Deal, Doctrines and Democracy, edited by Bernard Sternsher
Article: The New Deal in America, by Norman Thomas

I Was So Naive!

Listening to all the talk about swearing in our first black president tomorrow, I began thinking about my only black childhood friend. I was raised in a small town in Colorado where there were Caucasians, Hispanics and a few Japanese families. There was one boy whose mother was Hispanic and his father was black. In junior high, we would occasionally have school dances in the gym. I would get pretty shy when a boy asked me to dance. My brother-in-law asked me who I danced with. When I told him I danced with S.W., along with other boys, he teased me mercilessly. After graduation from high school I moved to a larger city where there was a black population. That was in the late '50s so many rights were not available to all. Then, and only then, did it dawn on me.... that my b-i-l was teasing me about S.W. because he was BLACK. I had always thought he was teasing me about him because he was a BOY! Even to this day, it is hard for me to fathom the reality that blacks were not allowed to vote during those days. Here in Colorado discrimination didn't seem to be so intense as in some places,(this coming from someone incredibly naive about such things at the time). In the 60's a group came in to encourage the blacks in one of our cities to protest at various businesses. They were told, by the local black leaders, to leave. The locals could work anywhere they wished, at all the major places of employment, etc. I am glad we have reached this point in history although I would prefer a more conservative person.

The Answers

1. An acre originally was the amount of land that could be plowed by a yoke of oxen in one day. By the time Henry VIII reigned, there was universal agreement that an acre should be 43,560 square feet.
2. A vaccination mark is scar tissue, in which the hair follicles are destroyed. You can trasplant hair to a vaccination mark if desired but you could never bring the dead follicle back to life.
3. The two Ms stand for Mars and Murrie, the head men at the candy factory in the early 1940s.
4. And yes, it is a mini sonic boom. Whips can reach a speed of more than 700 mph when snapped, breaking the sound barrier.

Some of you got some of it right, some didn't. :)

Some Interesting Questions?

1. Why is an acre 43,560 square feet?
2. Why can't hair grow on a vaccination mark?
3. What does M&M (as in the candy) stand for?
4. Why do whips make a cracking sound when snapped?

I hope for some interesting answers. I know the answers already so you can't fool me!

What Month is This?

:)I have very little to say right now. I am holiday weary and I didn't even go shopping, didn't cook any big dinners, didn't decorate my house, didn't participate in any cantatas, plays, etc. Every year after "the holidays", I feel I need to restart what few routines I have, get back on the proverbial road, and become a person again. I don't understand it but that happens every year. I almost forgot to pay my bills, which I always pay on the first of the month. I've lost track of the days off and on for a couple of weeks. See, I don't even need a lot of stress to get stressed!