Our little overnight snow :)

my favorite Japanese Maple

bright morning with clear shadows

light fluffy stuff

across the street scene

a little grass plant from Sarah's wedding reception

Will the fun never stop - what a great Winter we've had - and Spring isn't that far away....One Spring, several years ago, we had a fairly good snow on March 17th (I remember the date and you'll see why) - It was St Patrick's Day, and the snow had been falling all night while we slept, and in the morning, when we discovered what had happened - oh joy! - we built a big snowman and covered his neck with clover-necklaces - in honor of St Pat....He was so cute....we got a couple of pics, but of course they are digital - only film - and I'm not sure where they are right now (probably in the hall closet repository of old pics and negatives)

Anyway here are a few shots of what my house and street look like this morning...It's bright and clear with a few clouds on the horizon...I wish you could HEAR these pictures...the birds are all coming back and they're singing a might pretty song - hehe - and it must be loud out there, 'cause even my deaf 'ole ears can hear all it's music :)

PS - the mountains (ski resorts) have been getting an INCH AN HOUR for the last day-and-a-half - they're LOVING it! This is all we got - that's okay - Julian's school wasn't even delayed

Breast Cancer Awareness

Any quilters out there?? Here are pictures of some of the cutest bras in town made by talented quilters! They're probably not wearable :) but they're sure cute! Way to go quilters!

http://www.quiltersofsc.org/artfullbras/artfullbras.htm

Thanks Geneva for sending this great email to me :)

Our family "dust piggy" :~)

This is Oreo - a male Peruvian Guinea gig -- The boys were playing with him on the kitchen floor, because it was too cold and wet outside (he LOVES to romp and HIDE in the grass in the summertime).

The boys got bored with him, because, let's face it, Guinea pigs don't do much :)...
No one knows how old he is...

...and he went into hiding...in the corner by the broom.


...and,mmmmm, in Peru... :( he would be lunch :( glad you're here, Oreo...

P.S. Thomas, our big FAT white kitty-boy (aka "fatty-boomba-latty") will be 15 yrs. old soon -- good boy, Tommy! :) He's on a diet, loosing weight slowly - the safe way :!)

Stimulus Bill Humor ??

Shortly after class, an economics student approaches his economics professor and says, "I don't understand this stimulus bill. Can you explain it to me?"

The professor replied, "I don't have any time to explain it at my office, but if you come over to my house on Saturday and help me with my weekend project, I'll be glad to explain it to you." The student agreed.

At the agreed-upon time, the student showed up at the professor's house. The professor stated that the weekend project involved his backyard pool.

They both went out back to the pool, and the professor handed the student a bucket. Demonstrating with his own bucket, the professor said, "First, go over to the deep end, and fill your bucket with as much water as you can." The student did as he was instructed.

The professor then continued, "Follow me over to the shallow end, and then dump all the water from your bucket into it." The student was naturally confused, but did as he was told.

The professor then explained they were going to do this many more times, and began walking back to the deep end of the pool.

The confused student asked, "Excuse me, but why are we doing this?"

The professor matter-of-factly stated that he was trying to make the shallow end much deeper.

The student didn't think the economics professor was serious, but figured that he would find out the real story soon enough.

However, after the 6th trip between the shallow end and the deep end, the student began to become worried that his economics professor had gone mad. The student finally replied, "All we're doing is wasting valuable time and effort on unproductive pursuits. Even worse, when this process is all over, everything will be at the same level it was before, so all you'll really have accomplished is the destruction of what could have been truly productive action!"

The professor put down his bucket and replied with a smile, "Congratulations. You now understand the stimulus bill."

Manda took these! hahahehe!!

My Baboo - 10 yrs old.... sorry Manda, I stole these 2 :)

Fabulous front and back views! hahahehe
GET A HAIRCUT!!
No...........on second thought, I actually like it :)

Jules' new face :~)

ISN'T HE CUTE!!! Oh! I'm so sorry...."handsome" ;~)

Diane's Journey

She found out that she has colon cancer, stage 3 (stage 4 is terminal with nothing that can be done) -- she had a big portion of her colon removed along with 28 lymph nodes (8 of which had cancer, too).

She has not determined whether or not she will do chemo or radiation....I (along with at least a million others) don't want her to leave yet. She is brave and very close to the spirit and I know she will do the Lord's will for her.

snow?? ;-) yep :~)

Will the snow reach us tonight??? tomorrow we'll see -- it's been a GRAND white winter so far -- shimmery and shivery -- hehe!

*************************************************************************************

Well, as you can see -- IT DID SNOW AGAIN! hehe -- these were taken in the semi-dark at 0715 on Tuesday 10 Feb 2009....

I will drive to school, Julian will be on at least a 2-hour delay (perhaps a cancel if it continues to snow) and Livvy can choose whether or not to take Tristan to his 1/2-day preschool class.

Because we live in the northern part of the county, it tends to snow here, while Tristan's preschool is in the mid-southern part of the county where it often does NOT get snow....hence, Tristan's possibly still going to school.

I sure do enjoy the white and the flakes and the cold...unless it spurs on a 'cold' in my head -- so today I've prepared by spraying Zicam in my nose and will also take Airborne (Us Singapore gals KNOW how good that stuff is, don't we ?? hehe - yeah!)



The space on the road is where Tim's car was ...

Very Cute Preparedness link :)

Prepare Today Newsletter: - A word from the editor

Been around...worth another look...

To Kill an American

You probably missed this in the rush of news, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper, an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.

So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is . So they would know when they found one. (Good one, mate!!!!)

'An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish , Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Austra lian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.

An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian , or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.

An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence , which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness..

An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.

When Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!

As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.

The national symbol of America , The Statue of Liberty , welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America.

Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11 , 2001 earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo , and Stalin , and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself . Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

America...

The following is a poem that is attributed to Judge Roy Moore from Alabama .

~~This is not for the weak ~~

America the beautiful,
or so you used to be.
Land of the Pilgrims' pride;
I'm glad they'll never see.

Babies piled in dumpsters,
Abortion on demand,
Oh, sweet land of liberty;
your house is on the sand.

Our children wander aimlessly
poisoned by cocaine
choosing to indulge their lusts,
when God has said abstain

From sea to shining sea,
our Nation turns away
From the teaching of God's love
and a need to always pray

We've kept God in our
temples,how callous we have grown.
When earth is but His footstool,
and Heaven is His throne.

We've voted in a government
that's rotting at the core,
Appointing Godless Judges;
who throw reason out the door,

Too soft to place a killer
in a well deserved tomb,
But brave enough to kill a baby
before he leaves the womb.

You think that God's not
angry,that our land's a moral slum?
How much longer will He wait
before His judgment comes?

How are we to face our God,
from Whom we cannot hide?
What then is left for us to do,
but stem this evil tide?

If we who are His children,
will humbly turn and pray;
Seek His holy face
and mend our evil way:

Then God will hear from Heaven;
and forgive us of our sins,
He'll heal our sickly land
and those who live within.

But, America the Beautiful,
If you don't - then you will see,
A sad but Holy God
withdraw His hand from Thee..

~~Judge Roy Moore~~