Ducklings In The Wind

These little ducklings are no match for the wind.  Even Mama has trouble standing against it.

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Wednesday Hero

 First Lieutenant Gregory F. Ambrosia
28 years old from Knoxville, Tennessee
2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173d Airborne Brigade

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Seven Deadly Sins – lolcat Style

I love lolcats.  Whenever I need a good laugh I go to I Can Has Cheezeburger and browse.  I found this the other day and just had to share it with you.  I hope it makes you laugh, too.

Have a Blessed Christmas

Today we celebrate an event that changed the world.  You can't escape it.  Every time you write the date you celebrate this day.  The AD stands for 'the year of our LORD'.  Even if you don't include the AD, the year alone is telling how many years ago Jesus was born.  He changed so much more than our calendar.  We give gifts at Christmas to commemorate the gifts the Wise Men brought.  It was churches established to worship God that founded charities and hospitals.  Much of our society is based on the teachings of Jesus.  Even our laws:  don't murder, don't steal, don't be a false witness....  I'm so glad Jesus came to earth as a baby, grew to be a man, and rescued us from the Kingdom of Darkness, bringing us into the Kingdom of His Light.  Please enjoy this wonderful song proclaiming all that Jesus is.

Wednesday Hero

I sat here trying to think how to start this post. What did I want it to say? How long did I want it to be? I wasn't sure how to begin. I turned on some Christmas music to help get me in the right frame of mind to write a Christmas Wednesday Hero post, but it wasn't really helping. I mean, how do you properly thank a group of people who have given up everything in their lives to serve you and protect people all over the world with just a single post on a silly blog? Many of these Men and Women haven't seen their friends and families in months and many won't be seeing them for many more months. How do you thank them? They are away from home during the time of year when everyone should be together. How do you thank them for that? Some of them will never see their home or loved ones again because they laid down their life for a complete stranger. How do you thank them for that? I guess the better question would be are we able to thank them enough?

To all those who have completed their service, the ones who are serving, the ones who have payed the ultimate sacrifice and those who may have never served but help those who have and are, Thank You and Merry Christmas.

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.

It's Monday!

This used to be me on a Monday morning.

Now that I'm retired, Mondays are not nearly as stressful as they used to be. 

What's your Monday like?

How Great He Is!

What's The Best Novel You've Read That Was Written Before You Were Born?

What a question.  I've read more novels than I could ever count.  Most written by current authors.  But I've also read many, many novels written before I was born.

I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books.  My third grade teacher read Little House in the Big Woods to us and I was hooked!  I hit the library as soon as she was done to read the rest of the books.  I read the series more than once.  I introduced them to my daughter and also read some of the series with my granddaughter.

My favorite and arguably the best novel from pre-Clara days, though, has to be Gone With the Wind. I read this book the first time when I was in junior high school.  I was probably 12 or 13 years old.  I'm pretty sure I chose it because it was the fattest book on the shelf other than War and Peace and I tried reading that.  I really did.  But I couldn't pronounce any of the names. In all, I read the book three times before I graduated from high school.  And I've read it at least once more since then.

I was so into GWTW that I read anything I could get my hands on about Margaret Mitchell.  I wanted to read more of her books but discovered that she only wrote this one book.  Gone With the Wind became a major motion picture, of course.  In 1939 as Margaret Mitchell was crossing the street in Atlanta to enter the theater and see the premier of the movie she was struck by a car and killed.  In recent years, several have tried to 'finish' the story of Scarlett and Rhett but none has come close to the original.  Here's the trailer for the movie.







When I was in high school, I had a 'date' with my dad to see the movie.  That was a memorable experience.  It is a memorable book. 


So I want to know - What's the best novel you've read that was written before you were born?

Wednesday Hero

SSgt. Brent Schneider
From Amarillo, Texas
2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment


A Green Country military mom is especially proud of her soldier son. He's on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan, and now he's been honored for his bravery under fire with a Silver Star.

It's not his first medal.

For a mother with a son in a war zone, Lisa Wheat is pretty cool, calm and collected.

"I'm comfortable because I know the training he's had. He's had excellent training. And I just have all of the confidence in the world in him," Lisa Wheat said.

You can read the rest of the article here and the Stars & Stripes piece 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.

Great Christmas Carol

Hope this helps you get into the Christmas spirit.

From My Inbox - Helpful Hints For Winter

This is a picture of my backyard taken yesterday from a basement window.  Awesome, isn't it?  It was still snowing when I took the picture but the snow stopped by about 8:30.  That's when it got really cold.  Yesterday and today the roads have been really bad.  With budget cuts all around, the road crews are unable to put down as much salt as they used to.  We saw 4 cars in the ditch last night in about a 1/4 mile stretch.

So I thought I'd share these hints from my inbox.  They all sound great.  The only one I've tried before is the rubbing alcohol on the wipers.  That works great!  It not only stops the squeaking but it extends the life of the wiper blades. 

Enjoy!  And please forgive me I can't help singing "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

Keep your headlights clear with car wax!  Just wipe ordinary car wax on your headlights.  It contains special water repellents that will prevent that messy mixture from accumulating on your lights – lasts 6 weeks. 

Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol!  Wipe the wipers with a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia.  This one trick can make badly streaking & squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence & clarity. 

Ice-proof your windows with vinegar!  Frost on it's way?  Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water & spritz it on all your windows at night.  In the morning, they'll be clear of icy mess.  Vinegar contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water---preventing water from freezing! 

Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray! Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors & rub it in with a paper towel.  The cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber

Fog-proof your windshield with shaving cream!  Spray some shaving cream on the inside of your windshield & wipe if off with paper towels.  Shaving cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers. 

De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer! Just put some hand sanitizer gel on the key and the lock & the problem’s solved!

Metrodome Roof Collapses

So they're coming to Detroit to play on Monday night.  Too much wet, heavy snow just overpowered the roof.

The Bell - Who I Am

I received this bell from a dear friend in an email.  Do you know who you are?

 

THE  BELL
I  KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John  15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price  (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a  personal witness of Christ.  (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor  12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven.  I am significant (Phil 3:20)
I am free from any charge against me  (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor  5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms  (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God  (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by  God  (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for  good  (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit  (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12  )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I  am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am  God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16).    I  am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God ( Col.  3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9;  2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good  works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been  redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph  1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
who you are?



'The  LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
And  be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
And give you  peace..'
Numbers 6:24-26

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Cindy




By now I'm sure you've all heard about 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines "Dark Horse" and the heavy casualties they've taken since being deployed to Afghanistan in September. Almost 20 causalities in October and November. Below is a list of the 3/5 Dark Horse Marines that I was able to find. If I missed anyone please let me know. I'm not able to profile them all individually, but you can go here to find more information on these men.

Marine Sgt. Ian M. Tawney
Marine Lance Cpl. James D. Boelk
Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph C. Lopez
Marine Lance Cpl. Alec E. Catherwood
Marine Lance Cpl. Irvin M. Ceniceros
Marine Pfc. Victor A. Dew
Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald
Marine Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge
Marine Cpl. Justin J. Cain
Marine Lance Cpl. John T. Sparks
Marine 1st Lt. William J. Donnelly IV
Marine Lance Cpl. James B. Stack
Marine 2nd Lt. Robert M. Kelly
Marine Lance Cpl. Randy R. Braggs
Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon W. Pearson
Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew J. Broehm
Marine Sgt. Matthew T. Abbate
Marine Cpl. Derek A. Wyatt
Marine Pvt. Colton W. Rusk
Marine Sgt. Jason D. Peto

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.

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Steve

Cpl. Ira H. Hayes 3rd Parachute Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 1st Headquarters Battalion, HQMC January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955 Ira Hamilton Hayes, participant in the famous flag raising on Iwo Jima, was a Pima Indian, born at Sacaton, Arizona, on 12 January 1923. In 1932, the family moved a few miles southward to Bapchule. Both Sacaton and Bapchule are located within the boundaries of the Gila River Indian Reservation in south central Arizona. Hayes left high school after completing two years of study. He served in the Civilian Conservation Corps in May and June of 1942, and then went to work as a carpenter. You can read more about Cpl. Hayes 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.