Thursday Thirteen - Things That Begin With F

1. Family - God has blessed me with a wonderful family.  And with MWH's wonderful family. 

2. Friends - The best friends become as close or closer than family. 

3. Frankfurters - I love them all except the red hots.  I don't do spicy or hot very well.

4. French Fries -  A great taste to go with #3.  Don't forget the ketchup and lots of salt!

5. Folly - According to Wikiedia, follies fall within the general realm of fanciful and impractical architecture.

6. Fragrance - I love fragrances that are not very strong.  And some fragrances set off my allergies like crazy!

7. Flashlight - We recently purchased a small flashlight with 9 LEDs.  It puts out the most amazing light!  If the price ever comes down, I would definitely go for LEDs over CFLs any day!

8. Fire - Something so good and bad at the same time.  It warms us and cooks our food and destroys whatever gets in its way.

9. Fruit - As a kid, we ate the green apples with salt on them.  And rhubarb out of the garden.  Oranges and grapefruit were a treat.  We bought apples and peaches from one the local orchards.  And who knew back then that tomatoes were a fruit?!

10. Flag - When Old Glory catches the breeze against a clear blue sky it makes me tear up.  I love flags.  If you haven't noticed it yet, I do a regular Friday post featuring the flag of a different country each week.  I'll will eventually feature yours as I'm using my Flag Counter as my guide.

11. FrankenCelery - Gotta love the Veggie Tales!  See if you can pick out FrankenCelery.

 

12. Frankenmuth - A beautiful town in Michigan with a German flair.

13. Franklin, Ben - What can you say about Ben?  His influence is everywhere.  Not just limited to politics, but bifocals, electricity, the Franklin stove, Poor Richard's Almanac....  Maybe someday I'll do a thirteen dedicated just to him.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

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Wednesday Hero

This Week's Post Was Suggested & Written By Mary Ann

Sgt. Kenneth G. Ross
24 years old from Tucson, Arizona
7th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment
September 25, 2005


"He believed in serving his country," said Ross' father, David C. Ross. Gary Anderson, Ross' best friend and an Army infantry veteran who served nine months in Afghanistan and 11 months in Iraq during his active duty stint, was a classmate of Ross at Marana's Mountain View High School. "You know, I heard this news of Ken and I broke down and cried hysterically," said Anderson, now a firefighter for the Ak-Chin Indian Community in Maricopa. "He loved everyone; everyone who came in contact with him loved him. He'd always help everyone out that he could."

A 1999 graduate of Mountain View, Ross played drums in the marching band and orchestra, his father said. Ross enlisted in the Army right after graduation. "He just wanted to take part in history," Anderson said.

At the time of his death, he was a helicopter mechanic — acting as a door gunner on his last mission, his father said. SSgt. Ross was killed when his helicopter went down southwest of Deh Chopan, Afghanistan. Also killed in the crash were Sgt. Shawn A. Graham, Warrent Officer Adrian B. Stump, Sgt. Tane T. Baum, Chief Warrent Officer 2 John M. Flynn and Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart.

Along with his father, SSgt. Ross is survived by his mother, Mary Ross, 57, and his sister, Stephanie Ross, 30. "I know his last thoughts were for everybody else and not for himself," Anderson said. "I know he wanted to make sure everybody was safe and would go home."

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

My World - Grand Traverse Lighthouse

If you look at a map of Michigan, you will see the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten.  Up by the top of the pinky finger is Grand Traverse Bay.  At the mouth of the bay on the west side you will find Grand Traverse Lighthouse.  This is a beautifully restored lighthouse, keeper's quarters and the building that housed the foghorn - now a gift shop.  For a small fee, you can tour the house and climb into the now unused light tower.

This picture looks back over the room from the light tower. 

If you turn 90 degrees to your left, you can see out into the bay to the right and the lake to the left.  This is the current, automated light.  Not nearly as romantic as the old lighthouses is it?

Turn left again to about halfway between the other two views and you can see the old foghorn building, also beautifully restored.  From there a path leads down to Lake Michigan.

Michigan has the second longest shoreline of all the states, second only to Alaska.  While we don't have any ocean shore, the Great Lakes, 4 of which border our state, are notoriously treacherous in bad weather.  That's why Michigan has 124 lighthouses - more than any other state.  Many of them have been or are being restored, but sadly many have fallen to ruin.  I did a post here of thirteen Michigan lights I've visited.

Go see more glimpses of the world at MyWorld.

Technorati Tags: My World,Lighthouse

Asthma and Allergy Update - And an Award!

Hi, everyone!  I've missed you all so much.  It's good to back to feeling halfway decent.  OK, maybe three-quarters decent.  It's been a really tough couple of weeks.  This is the worst stretch I've had ever.  I haven't had the asthma issues or allergies this bad in several years.  I hear it's been bad for all us pollen-phobes this year.

I'm sure you don't want any of the slimy details any more than I want to relate them.  So I'll just say that I finally went out of the house today.  In shorts!  Oh, yeah.  It was nearly 80 before it rained.  MWH too me to Tim Horton's for lunch to celebrate my birthday.  Love their potato soup!  Then I was ready to come home and take a nap.

While I was away from the world, my wonderful brother, Chuck of Secondary Roads, gave me The Blogger Award.

Since nearly everyone I would have given this magnificent award was on Chuck's list (we're so much alike!) I'm going to just give it to all of you who bless me with your presence.  You know who you are.  Just grab this award and post it with pride!  You deserve it.

Technorati Tags: Award

Flag Friday - The United Kingdom

The British Flag: a Symbol of Unity

The Union Jack is a transnational flag full of historical significance. It represents the union of different countries and the growth of a family of nations whose influence extends far beyond the British Isles. This far-reaching influence is still seen today in the incorporation of the Union Jack in other national flags such as that of Australia. The British flag is called the "Union Jack", an expression that needs to be explained.
The Union Jack is a fine expression of unity as well as diversity. The British flag incorporates the national symbols of three distinct countries, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In fact its name "Union Jack" emphasises the very nature of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a union of nations. The flag is also known by another name, this too, emphasising the idea of union: the "Union flag", perhaps a less common term but a little more precise. The countries comprising the British Isles are not inward-looking or isolated states with an insular mentality; together they constitute a powerful union that has spanned centuries. Recent devolution that gave Scotland its own Parliament and Wales its own Assembly has also emphasised the importance of individual national identities within the union without affecting the essential unity of Great Britain. On the contrary, it has strengthened it. Recognition of, and respect for national identities are an essential ingredients for effective union. The Union Jack symbolises all this: respect for individuality within a closely knit community.




      

Symbolism and Colors:
The "Union Jack" or "Union Flag" is a composite design made up of three different national symbols:

 

St. George's Cross,
the flag of England

 
St. Andrew's Cross,
the flag of Scotland

St. Patrick's Cross,
the flag of Ireland

The cross represented in each flag is named after the patron saint of each country: St. George, patron saint of England, St. Andrew, patron saint of Scotland and St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland.


If you visit this link you will find more information about the flag of The UK.   The above information was copied directly from that site.

The following information comes from the Flag Counter widget in my sidebar.  There is much more to be found there about geography, government, population, economy, and military.







As the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars and the Irish republic withdraw from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process.
Population:
61,113,205 (July 2009 est.)
Languages:
English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Government type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
London
Independence:
England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927

Technorati Tags: Flag Friday

Thursday Thirteen - Things That Begin With E

 

 

I hope you like my new blog header.  These are daffodils from my front yard.  The green is creeping flox that will be blooming soon.  Now on to the letter E.

1. Eggs - A nearly perfect food.
2. Embellishment - The art of making an ordinary piece of art extraordinary.  I can be perfect or gaudily overdone.  I'm a little bit afraid of it.  I don't want to make it ugly.
3. Eternity - How great it will be to spend it with God and loved ones!
4. Empty Tomb - Hallelujah!  It is so exciting that Jesus didn't stay dead, but rose to life again and sits at the right hand of God the Father praying for us.  Isn't that amazing?  Jesus himself is praying for us!
5. Elevator - I love the joke about the old man watching an elevator for the first time.  I'm sure you've heard it over and over.
6. Escalator - When I was a kid I was really afraid of escalators.  I thought it would eat my toes if I didn't get on and off just perfectly.  One did try to eat my daughter's toes a few years ago.  Ouch!
7. Excavator - Now I think a little bobcat would be fun to move dirt around.  But when you get to those giant earth movers that they show on Modern Marvels...  Well, I might like watching them on TV, but I don't think I want to stand near one.  I'm not afraid of much, but I'm really uncomfortable around huge machinery.
8. Excaliber - The sword in the stone.
9. Energy - I don't have much energy this week.  It would be nice if I could generate it like the solar panels and windmills do!
10. Eidleweiss - I love the song.  And the flower is pretty, too.
11. Example - We should all be a good one for our kids.  They'll do whatever we do.
12. Emu - A large flightless bird -- or -- EMU - Eastern Michigan University.
13. Energizer Bunny - He just keeps going and going and....  But this post doesn't.  We've reached 13 and it's time to stop.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Wednesday Hero

Operations Specialist 3rd Class Leonel Yanez


Operations Specialist 3rd Class Leonel Yanez (Right), from Huntington Park, Calif., monitors a radar screen in the Combat Direction Center aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). John C. Stennis is on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Allergies

 

I'm having more trouble with spring allergies this year than I have in many years.  This is tree allergy time in mid-Michigan and I'm allergic to pretty much all of them.  I'm not saying this to whine, but to let you know that if you don't see me here every day, it's because I'm engaged in the pictured activity and trying to breathe between the sneezes.  It's a little hard to think when you can't breathe.

I sure hope none of you are having trouble like me.  I'll be going back on medication as soon as the doc prescribes it again.

Happy Spring!

Technorati Tags: Allergies,Spring

MWH

I saw this at Christinchen's Soapbox.  Christine and her husband recently celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary.  In honor of that wonderful milestone, she answered these questions.  I liked her post so much that I decided to to borrow the questions as an excuse to talk about my MWH (Most Wonderful Husband).

 

Can you remember the day you first met your hubby?

I remember the day so well.  It was a beautiful sunny, windy day.  April 7, 1991 to be exact.  We had a mutual friend, S, who preferred guests to call ahead rather than just drop by.  But on this momentous day, both MWH and I dropped in unexpectedly. 

He came over to cry on S's shoulder after being stood up by two women he'd invited to lunch.  They each thought it was a date, but he wanted friends to get together.  When they discovered they were not the only lunch guest, they both refused to come.

I had no change for a payphone and this was before people had cell phones.  Our friend was preparing for surgery and had asked me to let her know if our pastor was going to be praying for the sick.  I didn't see any cars in front of her house so I took a chance.  MWH was parked in front of a neighbor's house.

When was the first time you met him?

When I walked into S's house that Sunday afternoon.  I'd never heard of him at all before then.  But I found out later we had several mutual friends.

First impression.

My very first impression was here's a guy who's not ashamed to be losing his hair.  No comb over.  He was a little shy and blushed easily.  S told us how much we had in common and that we'd have to leave because the tax man had arrived to do  their taxes.  MWH asked if I'd like to go for a ride.  I surprised myself and S by saying yes - something unheard of for me.

Were you attracted to him?

I liked him from the beginning.  We actually talked about our faith and our lives.  But he's 6 1/2 years younger than me so I never expected anything to come of the meeting.  He found out my birthday was in three weeks and asked if he could take me out to celebrate.  I was a little apprehensive, but we decided to include my daughter and S and her husband W.

Were you friends before he became your bf?

Yes. He called me a few times before our date for my birthday.  We found out we really did have a lot in common.  On that first date, my 14 year old daughter told him that "It's OK if you want to marry my Mom.  You have my permission."  We both nearly choked!  She, of course, was joking and he did ask her permission before officially proposing.

What are the things about him that you are thankful for?

MWH is sweet, kind, tender hearted, and loves God even more than he loves me.  And he loves my daughter, too.  He told her he didn't want to try and take her dad's place, but he wanted to do whatever he could to be a good step-dad.  And he's got a great sense of humor.  That's an elf hat from me and a kilt towel from his parents in the picture.  MWH has been so wonderful to me.  I've been thru a bad 3 or 4 years recently and he was there for me every minute.  He never acted put-upon when I couldn't cook or do laundry.  He just did those things and asked what he could do to make me more comfortable.  He modeled the love of God by living his love for me even when I wasn't very lovable.  We celebrated 17 years of marriage at the end of February.  I can honestly say I love him more every day.

 

How about you?  If you decide to write about your wonderful husband, leave me a comment so I can come read it!

Flag Friday - The Philippines

Well, I've already run out of countries I've visited.  I'm not much of a world traveler.  Except on the internet!  I love visiting blogs where people write about their customs and traditions.  This next series of countries will be quite long.  I'll be doing the flags of all the countries who have visited my blog.  I'll do them in the Flag Counter order.  If you take a look at my sidebar you'll see that as of today 74 different countries have come calling.

Symbolism and Colors:
The Philippines flag is characterized by mainly three colors, red, blue and white. All these colors are symbolic and hold significance in the country’s state of war and peace. White color of the equilateral triangle on the hoist side symbolizes equality, fraternity and peace. Blue and red panels are equally divided horizontally where the blue symbolizes noble ideals, political purposes, truth and justice whereas the red is embodied with patriotism, bravery, heroism, courage and willingness of the Filipino patriots to sacrifice life for cause of independence.

The white equilateral triangle is mainly dedicated to the rebels who were fighting against Spain in Cuba to attain a complete state of independence. Some even believe that the triangle signifies a souvenir of the Katipunan war because the three Ks of Katipunan were always arranged in a triangular manner.

The white triangle is centered with a golden sun, eight primary rays and three golden stars. The sun at the center signifies a new era of self determination, will power and a keen desire to shed blood for attaining independence. Eight golden rays represent the first eight provinces that stood up against the might of Spanish to overpower them and gain independence. These eight powerful provinces are Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Batangas, Laguna and Nueva Ecija. The three golden stars are five pointed and placed at three corners of the equilateral triangle. These three stars represent the three geographic regions or island groups of the Philippines, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
 
Interestingly, the ability of displaying the country’s state of war and peace is characterized by the blue and red stripes or panels. In state of peace blue stripe is displayed upwards and in case of war, the red stripe is displayed upwards.

If you visit this link you will find more information about the flag of The Philippines.   The above information was copied directly from that site.

The following information comes from the Flag Counter widget in my sidebar.  There is much more to be found there about geography, government, population, economy, and military.

The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during World War II, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Republic of the Philippines attained its independence.
Population:
97,976,603 (July 2009 est.)
Languages:
Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English (official); eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Manila
Independence:
12 June 1898 (independence proclaimed from Spain); 4 July 1946 (from the US)

Technorati Tags: Flag Friday

Thursday Thirteen - Things That Begin With 'D'

1. Devotion - Profound dedication is how dictionary.com defines it.  I further define it as profound dedication to my Blessed Redeemer, my Savior, Jesus whose death, burial, and resurrection we celebrated this past weekend.
2. Dad - My dad was the best.  He inspired us to always be learning, to love books and nature, to always do our best.  At Dad's funeral, my brother said the best gift a man could give his children was to love their mother.  And Dad certainly did that.  Thanks, Dad, for everything. (This picture was taken on his last day of work before retiring.  You can see by that smile that he was a great guy to be around.)
3. Dancing - This is not something I do in public as I'm really, really bad at it.  But I love to do it when I'm all alone at home.
4. Drag racing - I've never attended a drag race and don't expect to.  But I've watched it on TV a lot.  We see it frequently on the TV show 'Destroyed In Seconds'.
5. Diving - Someday I'd love to dive.  I did go snorkeling for the first time when we visited Trinidad and Tobago in 2006.  It was so amazing!
6. Dogs - I love other people's dogs. 
7. Drunkard's Path - A quilt block pattern.
8. Decorating - Cakes, rooms, Christmas trees, for parties, MWH with the bows at Christmas....
9. Donuts - Yum!
10. Dragon and Damsel Flies - The main difference is that dragon flies rest with their wings open and damsel flies rest with their wings held together.  Their wings are so delicate and beautiful.
11. Darkness - I've rarely experienced total darkness.  The area I live in is dotted with small towns and farms with exterior lights.  Even when we went into Mammoth Caves and they deliberately turned off the lights, there were people so nervous they put the lights on in their watches or cell phones.
12. Driving - I remember my dad taking me out to learn to drive just a week or so before Drivers Ed.  I was soooo nervous. 
13. Daffodil - My first one has just opened today!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Wednesday Hero

Pfc. Alan R. Blohm
21 years old from Kenai, Alaska
425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division
December 31, 2006


Alan R. Blohm enlisted in the Army in 2004 because "He wanted to serve the country," his brother Jeremy said. "His grandfather had been in the Army, and it's just something he wanted to do."

Blohm graduated in 2004 from Bay City Western High School, where he was a 250-pound defensive player for the football team. Blohm's size prompted coach Jim Eurick to nickname him "Biggins Blohm," his brother recalled. "I know he paid the ultimate sacrifice with his life," Mark Boileau, Blohm's former school Principal, said. "We know Alan will be in a better place because of the sacrifice he made, because of his love for our country."

PFC. Blohm died of wounds suffered when an IED detonated near his unit while on combat patrol in Baghdad Besides his brother, he leaves behind his parents and a younger sister.

Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com & The Iraq Page

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

My World - Bok Tower Gardens ~ Part 2

 



Last week I showed you pictures of Bok Tower, the beautiful carillon in central Florida.

I promised you pictures of the gardens this week.  It was difficult to choose just a few pictures.  The gardens are full of trees, flowering bushes and plants, and tropical plants.  They also do research on the grounds.  I hope you'll get a sense of how lovely it is there.



Don't be deceived by the scale of the plant below.  That park bench down the path is only a few yards away.



This lovely couple is MWH's parents.  I'm truly blessed to have them as my mom & dad-in-law.






I hope you've enjoyed this tiny glimpse of Bok Tower Gardens.  You can find out much more about it here.
To see some beautiful images of the world through the eyes of others, go visit MyWorld!

Technorati Tags: My World

He Is Risen!

Zombie Chickens?

More awards!  Sandee at Comedy Plus has given me more awards!  She is so sweet.  I really love her website.  Please be sure to go visit her. 




It really thrills me to know that other bloggers think I'm friendly.  And you have to love an award called the Zombie Chicken Award.  Outstanding!




The rules of the zombie chicken say...

"The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all…"

Here are my 5 nominees:

1. Mikki at Here's What Let's Do
2. Chuck at Secondary Roads
3. Ida at Losing Myself
4. Tammy at Crazy Mom With 4 Boys
5. You!  I can't decide on a fifth nominee so I'm offering it to all my readers.

Technorati Tags: Award