Thankful Thursday - Transportation

How can something so treacherous be so pretty?
White, glittering, sparkling, shining throughout the city

Crispy, crunching snow crackling as we walk
Purest prettiest white, whiter than pure chalk

This morning I went outside half an hour early to heat up my car and scrape the windows. Well imagine my surprise when I spent several minutes outside just trying to get inside my car to heat it up! I finally had to crawl through the back door to get inside as neither front door would open.They were frozen shut.

It makes me appreciate the fact that (once I get it running) I have transportation. It was frigid outside and I have no boots... but now that I am back home and sitting in front of the television watching the news I am ashamed of what we have done to Scott Olsen, one of our own soldiers, and my whining about frozen car doors.

What do you think about the 99% movement and some of the other peaceful rallies that are going on today?

Do you think the police are handling the rallies appropriately? Some of our soldiers have come back from tours of Iraq to see our "domestic enemies" seeking to infringe our rights. 

Please stop in and see Amanda. Thursday Two Questions is just beginning to get hopping, so hop on over, the conversation is lively.

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Trees on Fire

No, not really. The trees are not on fire, but I did a double take as I glanced out my kitchen window that oversees the backyard. There were so many colors trying to compete with all the trees for my viewing. I ran back upstairs to get my camera and while I was upstairs took a couple of shots out the back window. This was at 7:00 a.m.

This post linked to Skywatch Friday. Thank you for visiting me today. Take care, stay healthy and God bless!



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How's your love tank?

"Life begins, or should begin, at home. For me that means Sam and Grace, Dad and Mom, who have loved me for more than 60 years."

I was reading this book over a year ago because of an inner need within me which is not being met. My step daughter had the book and gave it to me as she thought it would help. I was really getting into the book and feeling that the author was onto something when my youngest son's girl friend was very unhappy with life and wanted some answers. I lent it to her and she never returned it. Now a coworker has loaned it to me and I will finish it this time, then return it.

The author, Gary Chapman, just spoke recently at one of our Marriage Matters workshops near here, but we were unable to attend.  He is a renown marriage counselor.

This post linked to A Few More Pages.  Grab the first line or two from the book you are currently reading and provide your first impression. The author dangled something very important to me before my eyes - a happy marriage. Marriage is hard work, and if he knows how to make it work, I am all ears.


Thanks for your visit. Stay healthy, take care and God bless.





image source

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Thankful Thursday - My Bedmate

Yesterday I got hit with the flu like a ton of bricks.

I haven't had the flu in years and have only gotten a flu shot once in my life. Because of my excellent attendance at work; I am always on time and have never called in; I am what is classified as an "A". An A is given the option of going home early when work is slow without it counting against them so when asked if I wanted to go home at 10 a.m. I did. I only stopped to buy jello and broth and headed home and to bed where I stayed until 5 am this morning. I returned to work today.

Cinnamon to the rescue!

My bed mate, pictured above, slept on my knees all day and all night. I took two cinnamon capsules yesterday and another this morning and now feel fine. Cinnamon is a natural anti-viral. My hubby wanted me to go to the doctor, but I didn't feel up to it, and the co-pay is $35. which I do not have plus he would have said it's a virus and needs to run it's course! 1.) Do you think doctor's visits are overpriced?

2.) Do you think there are sometimes that we should not have to pay or the rate should be less?

Don't forget to check out Amanda's Thursday Two Questions. The conversation is about to get lively and you wouldn't want to miss any of it! This post also connected with Camera Critters.

Thanks for visiting me today. Take care, stay healthy and God bless!

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Thankful Thursday - Nature's Colors

 

Anyone who knows  me knows that I am in absolute awe of mother nature. Mari affectionately calls me a sky stalker... On my lunch half hour I often gaze out the window and snap pictures. Some people see the beauty and others see a kooky woman taking pictures. :-) This is the golden rain tree that I did not even know existed until I started working at this job in 2007. Before that I was busily working inside a discount store tending stock and customers while managing employees, and before that and before that...It was always something which kept me inside away from windows.:-)

As I gaze out the window I am reminded that a God who creates such beauty is alive and well working to make the world just a little bit more beautiful even as us humans are carelessly wasting resources. I wonder if I were He would I run out of patience? Probably long ago!! I remember how when the kids were little and they dropped things around the house, I would ask them to come back and clean up their mess. I kept asking until it was done.  Us humans have made a fine mess of things.

You have heard the debates about the greenhouse effect, right? We had to write a debate article on this topic and I already believed in it but was even more convinced when I read about some of the devastation created by our thoughtlessness.

1. Do you believe in the greenhouse effect?

2. Why or why not?

Please stop in at Amanda's and join the conversation there. We are celebrating the 61st week!! Wow, awesome job Amanda on Thursday Two Questions!

Thanks so much for your visit. Take care and God bless!

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My Dog

Thanks to Roman May
I have a wonderful yellow lab that I treat like a child. As I don’t have children yet, I feel like she is a practice round. As soon as I can convince myself that I can adequately take care of her, maybe we’ll start thinking about children. She is the most lovable, energetic dog ever, and I love that. Here’s the problem, though—part of the reason my husband finally acquiesced and allowed me to get a dog is that I told him she would make me feel safer when he’s traveling. Having a big dog to bark and scare off any would-be intruders would help me sleep better at night, I told him. Flawless logic, yes? No. This dog will bark. That’s the good news. Her bark is actually pretty intimidating. If I didn’t know her it might scare me a little bit. However, while she’s barking, she is normally standing next to our sidelight windows at the front door, and anyone outside can clearly see she’s a yellow lab. Yellow labs are not known for being good guard dogs, is kind of the point. So, Plan B: I convinced my husband that we needed to install a www.homealarmsystems.com. Best possible scenario: I got my dog I’ve been wanting for years, and now I have a security system that gives me the peace of mind I need. Win-win, in my opinion.

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Genesis: 40 ~ Joseph is forgotten

 The workday begins with a sky painted black
So many dark days...it's hard to keep track
Walking to the car with very little light
Carefully looking to my left and to my right

 Scraping off the frost from the car so I can see
Shivering from the cold, fumbling for the key
But only seconds later the sun begins to rise
Showing such glory lighting up the skies

 I only have a minute before I rush inside
Another day to punch the clock, my thirst is set aside
I thirst for you, dear God, to spend some time with you
I only pray to find the time before my day is through!

 

Nature by God

Poem by Judy

My new blog The Chapter Challenge is dedicated to reading the Bible cover to cover one chapter at a time.  Some how I ended up after several tries (Blogger kept sending me error messages and closing) to post on that particular blog, back on this one, so here is my synopsis of Genesis 40 as found in the New American Bible:

Joseph became trusted by his jailers and was placed in a position of authority. Two men who had worked for the pharaoh and offended him were recently arrested and assigned under him in the jail.  As he was attending them he noticed that they looked troubled. After he spoke to them, they confided in Joseph that they had been troubled by dreams and he responded that dreams were from God so could be interpreted by Him and he would seek God's advice to help them find the meanings. He interpreted their dreams and was promised that he would be remembered to Pharaoh and his freedom sought. 

Both men were freed, one given back his position and the other put to death just as Joseph had advised them according to the dreams that God had given to them. The men forgot all about Joseph doing them the favors.

This post linked to Skywatch Friday. Thanks so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

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Thankful Thursday ~ Mom's teaching

1. Have you ever witnessed someone's misbehavior and shook your head thinking I know my mother did not raise that person!!??

My mother was a gentle teacher, but we got it when she said it and not only that, she demonstrated her lessons! I never once heard her curse and seldom heard her yell. Her English was impeccable and so were her manners; still are. Mom has had a series of strokes so her language is very limited now. Most of her communication is via a tablet of paper, but her lessons are still fresh in my mind.

2. What behavior do you thank your mother for instilling in you? Don't forget to tell her, Mom's like encouragement too! :-)

Thanks so much for joining me today. Please hop on over to Amanda's and join in the lively conversation already going on at Thursday Two Questions. Take care and God bless!

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