Playing With the Moon

These great pictures came to my inbox from my sister.  They’re really cool.

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Beth PFC Chance Phelps 19 years old from Dubois, Wyoming 3 Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force April 9, 2004 "I don't think anything can prepare you for two young men standing in the living room telling you your son’s been killed," said Gretchen Mack, mother of PFC Chance Phelps. "It's just surreal. They were crying." The last time she had talked her to son was a few days before his death. "He said, 'Mom, I'm fine.' He sounded great. It was really good to be able to talk to him. It made us feel better." PFC Phelps was KIA while battling insurgents just outside of Baghdad, Iraq.Friends recall Phelps as a fun-loving, hard-nosed kid. "He was big but didn't throw his size around to intimidate people", said Jarod Estey. "He was probably the toughest kid I knew growing up in grade school. He was probably the biggest kid, too — well-built and strong. But he was real easy going. He always had a smile on his face."  "He was very in tune politically," said his mother. "He knew what he wanted for this country. ... He told me after 9/11, 'I absolutely have to go. I've got to do something.'" But joining the military isn't anything new for the family. His father, John Phelps, is a Vietnam veteran. And his sister, Kelley, works at the Pentagon and is engaged to an Army sergeant. "He had an unusual amount of zest," said his mother. "He just possessed this quality that he had to be in the thick of things all the time. He was very, very positive, very funny. ... His main thing in life was making people laugh." You can read more here.

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.

Cheese…

Fat Boys Pizza is the best I’ve ever eaten.  Really.  They always deliver a little earlier than they tell you on the phone.  The pizza is always hot and fresh and delicious.  They’re a local business where the owner wears and apron and works in the kitchen.  You can’t find a better pizza anywhere.  As a (retired) computer programmer who has always subscribed to the fact that pizza is one of the four basic food groups I’ve tried pizza everywhere.  In case you’re wondering, the others three food groups are chocolate, ice cream, and popcorn.  OK, that’s not what most of the programmers say.  For the younger among us it’s Mountain Dew and Pop Tarts.  Not sure if they have a fourth or not.

To get to the point….  Since I started eating vegan in June, I’ve only had pizza a couple of times.  Neither from Fat Boys.  The pizzas didn’t have nearly the amount of cheese.  Now you need to know that I’m not a vegan who follows the diet for animal rights reasons.  I’m only eating that way for my health.  If you’ve seen previous reports, you know that my health has dramatically improved since I started eating vegan.

Yesterday MWH and I ran several errands, finished the first coat of paint in the living room/dining room/hall/stairway, and put some more screws into the guest room floor to try to stop the squeaking.  So when we sat down to watch the second half of the Michigan State/Purdue football game we were pretty hungry.  MWH said he wanted Fat Boys.  I had had the argument with myself earlier and decided pizza wasn’t a good idea.  But did I say that?  NO.  I jumped in with both feet and agreed.  What a mistake.

Today I woke up feeling like I did in April.  Lousy!  So I guess I’ve confirmed that dairy products really were the reason I felt so awful for so many years.  I won’t go into any details because I’m quite sure you don’t want to hear them.  I’ll just say that I think I’ve finally overcome my desire to ever eat cheese again.

Do you have food allergies or foods that make you feel rotten?

Kung Fu Kitties

I went looking for funny cat videos at YouTube today.  This one struck me funny.  It's a slide show, not a video, with some great shots of Kung Fu cats.  Enjoy!

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Cindy


SSgt. Salvatore Giunta 25 years old from Cedar Rapids, Iowa 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team  Yesterday, SSgt. Salvatore Giunta became the first living recipient of the Medal Of Honor since the Vietnam War. From the official citation: Then-Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta distinguished himself by acts of gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifle team leader with Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment during combat operations against an armed enemy in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan on October 25, 2007. When an insurgent force ambush split Specialist Giunta’s squad into two groups, he exposed himself to enemy fire to pull a comrade back to cover. Later, while engaging the enemy and attempting to link up with the rest of his squad, Specialist Giunta noticed two insurgents carrying away a fellow soldier. He immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other, and provided medical aid to his wounded comrade while the rest of his squad caught up and provided security. His courage and leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon’s ability to defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow American paratrooper from enemy hands.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.

The 23rd Psalm

I found this wonderful video floating around Facebook.  What an adorable child.

The Blind Date

A successful outcome!

Who Am I?

This is one of my favorite songs.  I love that it's about how God sees my sins and my failures and He loves me anyway.  I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

More Fun…

More fun from I Can Haz Cheezeburger.  This little guy is so cute.

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

The kitten and the owl pictured above have become best friends! It all started when a litter of stray kittens were given to the Hawk Conservancy Trust in Hampshire. This cute kitteh became fast friends with Nigel, a white-faced scopes owl. Just goes to show: Friendship knows no bounds when it comes to species!

This picture brought to mind Edward Lear’s poem The Owl and the Pussy-Cat.  Remember it? 

 

I

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea     In a beautiful pea green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money,     Wrapped up in a five pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above,     And sang to a small guitar, 'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,       What a beautiful Pussy you are,           You are,           You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

II

Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!     How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! too long we have tarried:     But what shall we do for a ring?' They sailed away, for a year and a day,     To the land where the Bong-tree grows And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood     With a ring at the end of his nose,           His nose,           His nose, With a ring at the end of his nose.

III

'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling     Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.' So they took it away, and were married next day     By the Turkey who lives on the hill. They dined on mince, and slices of quince,     Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,     They danced by the light of the moon,           The moon,           The moon, They danced by the light of the moon.

 

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Kathi


Capt. George Vujnovich
95 years old from Queens, New York


66 years after he was instrumental in the rescue of almost 500 bomber pilots who had been shot down over Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia, Capt. George Vujnovich was finally awarded the Bronze Star in October.

You can read the rest of Capt. George Vujnovich's story here.

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.

A Song Some Radio Stations Are Banning

Apparently it's just not PC enough.  I love it!

My favorite funny guy - Mark Lowry. He's a wonderful composer and singer as well. Get ready for a laugh!

More Lolcats?

Not all pictures at I Can Haz Cheezburger are cats.  This one really struck me funny.  My first thought was that I’m glad I’m not THAT fat!

Flag Friday - Barbados

Flag description:

The national flag of Barbados is comprised of three equal vertical panels - the centre panel of gold and the outer panels of ultramarine. A broken trident in black is located in the centre of the flag.
Blue represents the sea and sky of Barbados, while gold represents the sand of the island's beaches. The symbol at the centre of the flag represents the Trident of the mythical sea god, Neptune - the shaft of the trident is broken symbolising Barbados' break from Britain.

The above information is from this 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 island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.

Population:

284,589 (July 2009 est.)

Languages:

English

Government type:

parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Capital:

Bridgetown

Independence:

30 November 1966 (from the UK)

Currency (code):

Barbadian dollars (BBD)

 
Technorati Tags: Flag Friday

From My Front Yard

The sky was full of jet trails that all seemed to radiate from my neighbor’s house.  Too bad you can’t feel and smell the beauty of that fall day.

This Weeks Post Was Suggested And Written By Michael


Lt. Wilson W. Brown
Company F, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Dec. 25, 1839 - Dec. 26, 1916

Private Wilson W. Brown was part of "The Great Locomotive Chase" or Andrews' Raid. It was a military raid that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia during the American Civil War. Volunteers from the Union Army commandeered a train and took it northwards toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, doing as much damage as possible to the vital Western & Atlantic Railroad (W&A) from Atlanta, Georgia to Chattanooga as they went, pursued by other locomotives. Because they had cut the telegraph wires, no warning could be sent to Confederate forces along their route. The raiders were eventually captured and some were executed as spies. Some of Andrews' Raiders became the first recipients of the Medal of Honor, including Pvt. Wilson Brown who was able to escape and later promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. His citation read:

"One of the 19 of 22 men (including 2 civilians) who, by direction of Gen. Mitchell (or Buell), penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Ga., in an attempt to destroy the bridges and track between Chattanooga and Atlanta".

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.

Don’t Forget to …

It is the duty of every citizen of the United States of America to vote.  This is not a responsibility to be taken lightly.  Remember when you go to the polls you are hiring someone to represent you.  We should each decide who we think will best represent us and our interests.  I believe that a Senator or Representative who supports his/her own agenda or that of a political party rather than that of his/her constituents should be fired.  So head for the polls and
 
Have you voted today?

From My Inbox

 

I was in the restaurant yesterday when I suddenly realized I desperately needed to pass gas.  The music was really, really loud, so I timed my gas with the beat of the music.

After a couple of songs, I started to feel better. I finished my coffee, and noticed that everybody was staring at me....

Then I suddenly remembered that I was listening to my iPod.

....and how was your day?