Bubbles...

For all of you that showed an interest in what I call the "Bubble Project", I will post the super, duper easy directions after we get through the Thanksgiving Holiday. Love you all....

Jerry...

Jerry is Jerry. He is an EMT, known throughout our county. He gives his time 24/7, to help those who are hurt or sick. He is a father of four wonderful children. He is a grandfather of six beautiful grandchildren. He works hard. He loves to hunt. He loves to go on ATV rides. He loves to play poker on the internet. He loves baseball and basketball. He always has a pen hooked on his shirt. He always has a hat upon his head. He enjoys growing a garden, especially gourds. He loves to chat with people. He makes me laugh. I make him laugh. He is sensitive and sweet. He tries to be tough and burley, but I see him in a different light. He is loving and giving. He enjoys spoiling me. He loves to go on trips with me. We will stay up for hours just talking and analysing things. He is supportive of my interests. Although he doesn't like me to take his picture, I do catch him off guard occassionally. Jerry is my best friend and has been my companion for 31 years.

I cannot imagine a day without him.

More Bubbles...

So fun to do.... I think I'm addicted!!

Bubbles...

Who doesn't love bubbles? Something new I learned how to do....

MK Challenge... Give Thanks

I am giving thanks today for freedom. At the risk of dating myself, in high school I diligently wore a copper bracelet, engraved with the name of a soldier who was MIA in Viet Nam. I haven't thought about that for years, and I, like a million other kids, never found out the outcome of that soldier. It was a fad.

I believe that we take for granted freedoms that we enjoy every day. Do we know how many soldiers have paid the ultimate price, of giving their lives for our freedom? For the Iraq Conflict alone, since the beginning in 2003 to May 28, 2010, there have been 4404 USA Military deaths, and 31,827 wounded. In visiting our local cemetery and the cemetery in the town just west of mine, I found a handful of veteran grave markers. All wars and conflicts were represented, as well as all branches of service. My heart was touched as I wandered through these cold, quiet places where we bury our loved ones. With it being the weekend after Veterans Day, some of the markers donned flags. I noticed that some flags were bright and new. Other flags were faded, well worn, with tattered hems, not unlike the spouses that have faithfully decorated the graves.

"It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you." Author Unknown

I sincerely hope that we will show gratitude to our soldiers and that honoring them is not a fad. I hope that my children and my grandchildren will never be without freedom and liberty. I also hope that as a nation, we may give the highest honor to those who fought to give us this gift. I give thanks to them.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Something New...

OK, something new is a bit deceiving. But it is new to our house. Persimmons. Yes, I have heard of them. I have seen the color in a giant multi-color crayon box. But not once made a purchase of a persimmon. Until now. As an avid participant of Bountiful Baskets fresh produce co-op, today we received not one, but five, orange persimmons. I am told they are somewhat like a pear (I think they look like a tomato). I was also told that my five, orange persimmons are not quite ripe, and need to rest on the kitchen counter for a day or two. I looked them up online (what did we ever do without the internet - oh yeah, encyclopedias!). They are a tropical fruit, grown on trees, but are actually in the berry family. I found many recipes using persimmons, anywhere from a sorbet to a cheesecake. So, I am anxiously awaiting the ripening of one to try...

Beautiful Berries...

Where I work, we have the most beautiful trees. In the spring, they are covered with wonderful white flowers. We watch birds build nests, just outside our big plate glass window. In the fall, they are covered with beautiful red berries. The birds eat the berries off the trees. It is so fun to watch them, and a nice change of pace from the stresses of work. Today, they are covered with snow. I'm not ready for winter, but I have these photos to remind me that the snow is only temporary.

MK Challenge ~ Together

Something everyone recognizes. Something in everyone's cupboard. Eaten in the morning, in the afternoon, at midnight. Something that definitely goes together. Smooth or Crunchy. Peanut Butter and Jelly. PB&J. The grandkids love 'em. My hubby loves 'em. Hmmm.... time for a snack!

Morning Trains...

We have lived in our little town for about 25 years now. Every morning, when we arise and get going for the day, we hear the coal train on the tracks, just west of town. Today, I realized that it is a familiar, comforting sound. I hear the "whistle" as it comes through town. This is the sound of home.

MK Challenge ~ Shape

Each day, I awake and go about my routine, and everything I do has some kind of shape. I see cylinders, retangles, ovals, and squares. What shape does my day represent? Some days I find myself running in circles. I wonder why?

Hmmmm.... Shape

Hmmmm - shape. We look around, things are circles, squares, rectangles, triangles and more. Is one better than the other? We use the word "shape" every day in one manner or another. Examples: "This used car is in great shape.", "I love the shape of those clouds.", "My garden is in sad shape.", etc. We are bombarded with icons of getting a better shape. You've seen them - "improve your shape" by doing this. Why isn't round the best shape? There are many beautiful photographs showing the many shapes in nature. Everything is a shape of some kind. The dictionary defines shape as the quality of a distinct object or body in having an external surface or outline of a specific form or figure. Interesting... I am choosing a humorous approach, hoping for the very least that people will say, "She is great shape for her age !"