Cam the Ram

What a pleasure to meet such a distinguished animal, the Mascot for Colorado State University! Caleb was at the right place at the right time. He was there for the start of a big bicycle race... The US Grand PRO Cycling Challenge in Loveland, Colorado. It is quite a good thing that he was not wearing his Ohio t-shirt and yelling O-Hi-O!

Caleb may not be rich, but he is rich in blessings with a wonderful family and a chance to have lots of experiences many little children miss out on because their parents (mothers) are so busy working for a living.

There are record numbers in poverty now. The median income of American households dropped by $2,627 during this president's first term...the number of people in poverty rose by about 6,667,000, according to a new report from the Census Bureau. All this while prices have been climbing steadily.

Another sad statistic shows an even bigger percentage of non-whites now living in poverty.
This is even sadder knowing that our president is showing favoritism to them. They would be better off if he would not hold them down by giving them so much. They would do so much better, if they were encouraged to work. Not only would they have more, but they would feel much better about themselves. A sense of satisfaction is a wonderful feeling that  should be within the reach of all men, no matter what their color.

It's Been a Full Summer

More racing. Caleb has had a full summer.. This race was August 13. Looks like these two were neck and neck at this point.   This gramma would like to have been there to cheer him on to victory.  But then, just doing this at 3 is pretty special.

I  could go into a funk right now about missing out because my grandkids all live in different states, but there are very many who have the same problem. At least I should be thankful that I am not raising them like many grandparents have to do these days. It is not that I wouldn't want to, but that I am just much too old to do what I feel is necessary.

In the mail today was a very interesting article showing the origin of nationalized health care. The real father of universal healthcare was Adolf Hitler.  As he occupied nations with mainly Aryan populations, he put universal healthcare in place in order to 'perfect' them by eliminating physical/mental defects in the populations via sterilization and medical killing.

The main point of this being that universal healthcare in the hands of any government is and enormous power that could be misused if the wrong people are in control.

In Hitler's system, Retarded and mentally ill children were  euthanized. Then the same thing was done to handicapped, mentally ill and elderly adults. Hitler called them 'mercy killings' and "lives not worth living".  Germany saved a lot in healthcare costs from doing away with some of the costliest patients. It also saved a lot because many others were afraid to go to doctors or hospitals after that.

AARP

As senior citizens we have been approached over and over to join AARP. They supposedly are
for those of us who have worked all our lives and are now in retirement.  For $16 a year you get some discounts ( that you can get elsewhere).  And supposedly, they give you a "voice in Washington and in your state, representing you on issues like Medicare, Social Security, and consumer safety."

We have heard for many years that Republicans were going to cut our benefits and make us have to  eat dog food, etc. Of course it was never true. The Democrat Party, which made it their business to poison us against Republicans have now done us a grave injustice.

We just  got our Medicare paperwork today and the amount they will be taking out with The 'Affordable' Health Care for America Act is twice what it was before...and not only that, but it will be FOUR TIMES as much next year.  It is bad enough that inflation (which the government denies) is costing so much more at the grocery store, the gas station, etc. They think we don't notice??? Being on Social Security does not make us stupid enough to fall for that snow job.

 WE  DO NOTICE!

What is AARP doing about it??? NOTHING.  But they are using much of our money to support Democrats, who like it or not are killing us with The 'Affordable' Health Care for America Act.

If you are tired of your money being spent to elect representatives who do not have our best interests at heart, drop  your AARP membership and join AMAC - The Conservative Alternative to AARP. Need more info? Call: 1-888- 262-2006. Join Today. 

Lunch By Phone?

After Ladies' class today, we stopped at Wendy's for salads. We actually finished eating before pulling out our phones.  We are definitely not 'techys'.  But we can't get together without our phones. How would we google, etc?

Ron needs to  service my computer, so I'm off for the evening.

Budding Photographer

What better place for a budding photographer, than a budding garden? I would like to have one or more of the pictures Caleb took on that outing.

These bright red geraniums are quite beautiful. I don't know what other flowers are represented here, but it is a lovely display.

We have a similar flower show coming up in an adjoining town this weekend. It is an annual event called Mum Fest. Of course, as you can tell by it's name, the flowers are mums. There are always lots of different colors. I am hoping to  visit it and take lots of pictures. You see, Caleb has this photography thing in his genes. The  bug comes from his great grandmother, who worked for a photographer and had her own darkroom.  She also painted photographs back in black and white days. His talent came through me, his grandmother, and his father, John. He actually got a double  dose, for his mom is quite an artist  with a camera as well.

Luke 12:27

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

This mention of wildflowers in Luke reminds us how much God loves us and takes care of us.  It is talking about 'wildflowers'. These flowers Caleb is  enjoying are cultivated for fullness and stunning beauty.

Father- Son Project

This was a wood working project that turned out very well for John and Caleb. I'm hoping to get a picture of the bed they built soon. I've seen it on FaceTime, but failed to get a still copy.

 Father and son activities can cement a good and lasting relationship. Developing a work ethic is so important, for youngsters, especially in today's culture where people would rather let others do the work while they play computer games. Don't get me wrong, some of the games are good for developing  and organizing one's mind; but physical labor is also good for coordinating one's muscles. A job well done, can also create a sense of well being, a sense of accomplishment. But most of all, a useful item is a fine result.

Here is Caleb polishing his eye- hand coordination by pounding nails. It is not an easy chore for a three year old, but he can receive honest praise for the accomplishment.

Praise your children when they deserve it. It builds a good self esteem.  But don't overdo it. It is never good to think too much of oneself.

Doggy Love

Maggie was my birthday present, but she is not a one person's dog. She is the family dog. She loves us both.  She likes all our friends too. She does have her favorite times of day, her  routines with each of us. Here  she is late morning with her 'daddy' after he has returned from the 'Y'.  She has had her lovey time with me and she is ready to play with him.

If humans could only love the way dogs do, this would be a better world.

Today has been a fruitful day. I feel quite happy to say that I've finally started the process of painting my albino deer. They have graced this yard for as long as I can remember, fading more and more each year. For at least 8 years now, I've intended to paint them. Today I bought paint and scrubbed them down. Now, if my art history pays well for me, I plan to paint them tomorrow to look like real deer. I'm truly hoping they will turn out that way. When I have finished painting and have moved them to their new places, I plan to make a layout of them.

I need to have projects to keep my mind off everything...you know... Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

Prairie Ride

I haven't any idea what I did wrong last night...but I thought I had posted these two layouts.  When I started working on these pictures, I put all four together on one layout. However the picture here at the top begged for it's own page. It is really a picture that speaks 1,000 words. Caleb is riding the prairie trail and his pregnant mother is following on foot. The lake and hills  in the background  join the sky to perfect the picture.

Caleb has participated in several bike races this summer...always as number 175.

Phillies

I do know it is football season, not that I'll be going to any games, or watching any on TV; but I am still in tune with the seasons. Just thought I'd let you know that, since I'm finally posting this baseball layout of Lauren and her good friend Pat. They seem to be pretty serious fans of the sport. We'll see if I get any pictures of them at an Eagles game this season.

Following games is not on my schedule, but I do try to keep up with what the Federal Government is doing for or  to us day by day.  I was thrilled to see the House or Representatives vote to defund Obamacare today. That horrendous bill is posed to set us back 50 years or more on the healthcare front and still cost us millions more than we are used to paying for better care.

Now we have the Senate to contend with. They are a much more liberal arm and thus less likely to heed the wishes of the people. So, we must all call. Call your senator and let him know how important it is for him to vote against funding this monstrous bill.

Boat Ride

This is it for tonight. I hope this picture  gives you an idea about how relaxing a boat ride on the lakes can be.  Now if you take a young puppy along, you can just forget the relaxing. It seemed as if she wanted to jump into the water. I know she did when a few noisy geese flew over then abruptly landed in front of our boat. Still, it was a very quiet ride through this narrow passageway on the southernmost end of the chain. It was calm enough to make one forget the stress of daily living in a world that seems to favor evil over of good. Overall, it was the kind of day one needs to destress and collect oneself.

Granola Boys

I had planned to use another layout on the blog tonight, but just finished this one of Caleb and his friend, Colton, and am quite happy with it.  I love Caleb's bright smile. I'm not anxious for the day that he decides he no longer wants to be the subject of pictures.  Maybe as sweet as he is, that day will never come.

Smug Mug

After a long rough day I was  trying to find a layout for this blog and discovered I had not yet used this one. I made this picture on August 18th. I had planned to learn more about Smug Mug before I posted the layout, but I haven't had time. I had even forgotten about Smug Mug.  It is an interesting app, one that could prove lots of fun, so I'll put it on my Bucket List.  Well maybe it won't be that hard to delve into it a bit.

In the meantime, lets all call our congressmen and urge them to defund Obamacare. It is a disaster. Even Warren Buffet came out against it today...at least I heard about it at lunch time. It is definitely NOT popular with the American public.

Lakeview

After the demolition, there were many more weeks of work. Ron raked up the stones and remaining bits of trash. He added top soil. He was finally able to get the electric company out here to remove a  couple of poles and a guide wire. When the land was ready in mid August, he planted grass and prayed for rain.  God answered his prayer and gave him good growing weather. And yes, Ron also made some additions  to and repairs on the sprinkling system. He has them working well. Yesterday, he mowed the grass for the first time. Today I took this picture. Mark had asked for one and I had not yet taken a good one. So here you are, Mark. Isn't Ohio much more beautiful that California? Well in some ways it is. You have to admit it. Or course,  come February you and I both know that CA stacks up well against the  cold here.

And today...another senseless killing spree. The devil is alive and well and prowling the streets looking for those he can devour. Rebuff Satan and his evil angels and draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Defense

I had Caleb on here  last night as well. But let's face it. I have more pictures of him. I expect he'll be in
sports of some kind. He seems to be leaning that way. He sure looks good with that hockey stick. I can hardly wait until he gets into competitive team sports.  I would be willing to guess that he would put the other team on defense. We'll see.

Speaking of defense:  I never imagined it would get so bad, but there is a New York man who had to post a $250,000 bail in order to  go home to his family. He is facing three years in prison for using a firearm to frighten off a home intruder. That's right. He was defending himself. Did he shoot it? No. Did he harm the bandit in any way? Well he may have hurt his feelings. All he did was point a gun, registered to his body guard, at this thief in his own house. Yes, in his own house.  The man broke in to rob and ran out when the gun was pulled. It happened in January...so we might presume he got cold when he went outside.  Is there any common sense left???

The gun belonged to the homeowner's body guard, so it makes sense it was in his home. When the police came he told them what had happened and had a surveillance tape as a backup.  But, instead of congratulating him and going back to work fighting crime,  they arrested him for possessing an illegal gun. It was a legal gun. Remember it was registered to his body guard. And not only that but he had been the victim of multiple burglaries. He feared for his life, yet he couldn't even draw a gun on an intruder.

Biking

Caleb takes competition seriously...and he loves to ride his bikes. In this race, he is riding his glider bike.

 Last week we got a video of him riding his regular bicycle...never had training wheels.  Didn't need them. I keep thinking he is awfully young to ride so easily. I've been telling myself that he is not even 4, just almost. But in reality, he is only 3 1/2. 

Please pray for all the people in CO who are dealing with a devastating flood this week. 

Is she really a Fairy?

Ashley enjoyed her first weekend adventure with Shakespeare so much that she was eager to do it again. This time she had the honor of being called onstage to show off fairy look. She really was a good example, thanks to her mom, Chelle.

As you know, as good as she looked... she was just dressed like a fairy, she couldn't fly, etc.

You can't tell a book by its cover.  Neither can you tell a man by what he says. Some have silver tongues that entice and enthrall and lure you to your doom. The only way you can know a man is by watching what he does daily. He can't say one thing to one group and the opposite to another group. He has to be lying at least one of those times.

I pray that in coming elections, people will not judge a candidate by what he promises, but by what he has done. I pray we will never again elect a man to high office because of his looks, but by what he has done...If he hasn't yet done anything to earn a high position, I pray he will not be elected.

There is an old saying  about promising the moon. It sounds good, but is not realistic. So we must watch out for those who say they'll give us everything we want.

Proud To Be American

9/11 brings back memories that I'd like to forget, but must not let myself. It was a terrible time in our country when we were attacked by sorry people who were filled with hate for our nation and our values and our success, and most of all because we are a Christian nation.  And we were that. We had been slipping some here and there, like when we were told God was not allowed in our schools. But as a people we drew together after that attack. And for a while we all pulled as one...until those within, who wanted our destruction as badly as the terrorists from the middle east, were able to divide us by sex, age and race. They also separated us into those who have and those who have not.  Of course there were exceptions here. The  team players with million dollar contracts and movie stars were not lumped into the same group with Wall Streeters even though all made huge salaries.  We were also turned against Bible Thumpers. There were Christians and non Christians. Those who owned guns to defend their families were castigated. There were Constitutionalists vs. Socialists.I t has been a very successful play. We are at present a divided country.

But we still remember this: Together we stand, divided we fall.

I pray that we will once again realize that we are all in this together and unite to win our country back from those who have divided us.

Amazing Determination

Sorry if you saw this on Facebook already. This has been an extraordinarily busy day. Haven't had time to breath...not that one could breath with this humidity.  

It has been a sad day, since we had to attend the funeral of one of my all time favorite relatives, the only one who lived nearby. A first cousin about my age, he was a lot of fun to have around. He will be greatly missed. 

We had  to make a stop on the way home, where we had a Life Group scheduled for this evening.  Right before the group got here, I noticed there were 6 messages on my phone. SIX!  I didn't have time to check them and greet our guests as well.  The worst part is, I lost some of them and one that I wanted to return quickly, can't be reached at the number he used to call me.  When I tried to get him, I got only music. I'm hoping that doesn't keep me awake all night. 

Now about the layout.  This grandson of ours in unstoppable. He's a very busy boy. I love the expression on his face as he prepared to dive. Look at the serious determination.   We got an emailed video of him yesterday as well...riding his bicycle on the cul-de-sac where he lives. It just seems crazy to me to watch a three year old do the things he does. Guess he is preparing himself to be a big brother. It won't be long now...oh, I  suppose Beth doesn't feel the same way. It's always longer for the one carrying the baby than it is for gramma.

Please pray for our country. May God have mercy on us and give us peace.

Pleasant Surprise

Mary and I discovered that I was her first grade teacher.  It happened at Curves. We girls do a lot of talking. Not sure why I mentioned I had taught school, since I only did for a few years. When I mentioned Lakeview, Mary asked what years I taught...thinking maybe I could have had one of her kids.  We were both very pleasantly surprised. She didn't recognize my name because I was still single then. When I heard her maiden name, I remembered her. I went home and found the class picture for that year in an album and took it for her to see today.  Everyone at Curves got a big kick out of it and one of the 'girls' took our picture for this layout.

There was another little girl in that classroom who means a lot to me. She is the last girl seated in the second row. Her name is Kim.  When school was out that year, her father, who had come to all the PTA meetings, called to say that Kim would miss me very much and asked if I would go out for a boat ride with them. I said sure. We went that weekend and discovered our birthdays were one day apart. Mine was the next day and his the day after. He took me to dinner. We had what we called a gospel meeting that week at church and he went every night. In less that three months  we were married. Kim was our oldest and there were three more, another girl and two boys...They were a ready made family. We raised those four and had two more. We have lived happily until this day.

LIne Up for Minecraft

On a whim this morning after church when I saw all the kids lined up against the wall playing minecraft, I plopped myself down on the floor beside them, pulled out my iPhone and joined them. I can't think of anything better than making new friends, especially good, young, techy friends.  More than one person took pictures, so if I get hold of one of the others, I'll replace this out of focus one Ron took in a minute. But for now, I'm glad to have it. 

Oh, by the way, someone needs to teach me minecraft because now I'm doing Words with Friends. I have 17 games going. What did we do without cell phones???  Oh yes...we worked. But "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

Are We Satisfied?

I have lots of new pictures of Caleb for layouts...but I'm behind. Puppy slows me down and so has trying to read the newspaper on the computer. It takes me at least three times as long as it did in 'hard copy'.  Perhaps though as of this evening, Ron has gotten it adjusted so that it will be easier to navigate.

Here I'm going back to July when Caleb went with his parents to meet friends at an outdoor movie theater. Despicable Me was playing. As you can tell, the boys had quite a bit of 'together' fun before the movie began. When the film was over, Caleb wanted to see another one.

Are we ever satisfied? We want to see a movie and when it is over, we want to see another one. We buy popcorn, then we want a coke. When that isn't enough, we look for candy.  If we get a job and make $35,000 a year, we want $40,000. If we buy a house, we have to build a garage. If we plant a tree, we have to have a fence. If we buy a new dress, we have to get shoes as well. Are we ever satisfied?

There are certain inalienable rights guaranteed by our Constitution. We have the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But some are not satisfied with that. They want their happiness guaranteed. Some insist they must be given  food, a home, a telephone, medical care and some insist society owes them transportation as well.  While those who still believe in working think we should guarantee them a four day work week. Are we ever satisfied?

By the way, the pursuit of happiness does not mean you will be happy...just that you are free to search out  happiness, unrestricted by government. We should be able to choose what type of life we want. Are we hard workers and enjoy business? Are we compassionate and want to learn medicine? Are we interested in learning and want to teach? Would we want to spend our times fishing? Do we want to fly?

Our government should not tell a child at an early age what career he/she must have and thus what he/she must study in school. A government like that is called  socialist or communist, unlike  our government whose constitution guarantees  our liberty to choose for ourselves.

Let's be satisfied with our freedom of choice and stand up to those who would take it from us.

The County Fair

Caleb's day at the Larimer County fair was packed full of fun. I'm hoping to get a few more layouts done to show how much fun he had there. But tonight, as often happens at this time of night, I'm nodding off a the computer.
Hope to have more to say tomorrow night.
 Please pray for all involved in the large pile-up of vehicles in early morning fog in England...and sleep well. For those who trust in God can rest easy, knowing that God is in control and that nothing will cause God to abandon them. The age-old fears that keep us up at night--fear of death, of rejection, of loss--no longer have a grip on our minds. 

Les Mis

I'm not always pleased with my layouts. Sometimes I change them before I publish a book. However, tonight I'm really happy with this one I worked on this evening of  our son-in-lay, Greg and our granddaughter, Ashley. I'm not even waiting for info I've requested about the play, which I may add later.

Les miserables is one of my favorite plays. Greg and Ashley will be in the cast when it plays at Lipscomb University this fall.

Oh, I just glanced up at the layout and have decided it needs a few tweeks. lol  I'll change it later, but you can see it tonight.

Please pray that God chooses to spare us at this time and keeps us out of this war that could easily become WWIII.

Rainbow

Don't think I've ever seen a rainbow this close. It has a treasure at the end just like the saying goes. But  CALEB is worth much more than a pot of gold.

Ritual

There are certain things Maggie must do in the morning. I would name them, but I would only bore you.  However, they are very important to Maggie. This is one part of her daily routine...sitting  on t his footstool while I sit on the big chair with my iPhone playing Scrabble and Words  with Friends. It is a perfect perch. She stares for long periods of time. At first I wondered at what she was looking, but they I realized it is the sun sparkling on the lake.  She is also in a position here to see her daddy return from the Y.  She has been doing this every day for quite some time. Today, she jumped down from the stool all by herself for the first time.  She did it without fear.

God told us to have no fear for He will take care of us.  That does not mean  we will not suffer, but that
all things work together for good to them that love the Lord. I'm trying to keep a good positive attitude these days as we wait to see if we are going to war...to a war that could very well be World War III.

We are quite happy to have my cousin Lonnie staying with us tonight. It is sad though that the reason for his visit is to handle the affairs of his brother, my younger cousin Eddie...or Lloyd as he was called as an adult.  We believe Eddie  passed away during the night..at first we heard it was in his sleep, but now we've been told he was found face down on the kitchen floor.  It was easier for me to believe that he had a peaceful passing in his sleep.

Shakespeare

Since Chelle is not a Shakespeare fan, Ashley volunteered to take her place at the Shakespeare festival last weekend.  Chelle put in the effort to dress Ashley for the festival. Doesn't she look cute. No wonder she enjoyed the event and wants to go again.

Satisfaction

Caleb loves to eat and he eats healthy. I've not seen him turn his back on food. But this was a special treat. It was ice cream that he 'made' for himself. I'm not sure if he had anything to do with putting the ingredients in the can, but his job was to roll that can until he has ice cream.  It is a primitive way to make ice cream, but it works and these pictures show it was a big success.

Satisfaction in a job well done is something we all should experience. It is sad to see so many young people now thinking they are too good for manual labor of any kind.  They think that just because they went to college they are above manual labor of anything beneath a full fledged professional who has had many years of experience.

My advice is to work hard and enjoy the benefits of a job well done.

Do something to help others.

Love yourself because of your worth...not just because you breath and you like the way you look in a mirror.

Think less of yourself and more of others.

Contrary to popular belief, you are not the center of the universe. You are  one in many who make the world go around.

Look to the heavens for a higher power, who loves you and wants the best for you.