Traveling Back in Time

A tour of Greenfield Village is like traveling back in time.  Here Ron is enjoying  the locomotive coming  slowly down the tracks with  smoke billowing from its stack.  The engineer was bringing it to a stop.
Later we actually boarded that train and traveled the track which surrounded the village. It was a pleasant ride through beautiful farm lands and 'neighborhoods'.  

Greenfield Village Covered Bridge

How would you expect a Model T to cross a river?  On a covered bridge of course.  And here it is in a beautiful section of Greenfield Village. If you double click on the third small picture, you will see the side of the bridge and a surprising school of large gold fish that have just passed under it.  We also saw two  geese on the bank of the river that were acting strangely.  At least it seemed weird to us, so much so that we stood there watching them for a quite a while until they started chasing each other and biting necks in our direction.  When they kept approaching until they were 'dangerously' near, we jumped to the side.  We still don't know what it was about, but at least we were not casualties.  :)   

We had eaten such large breakfasts that morning that Barb decided that the four of us could share two packs of crackers she had left over from our dinner the night before. So we sat on a bench near the water and savored our saltines.  And that was really enough until  Ron remembered a custard stand we had passed earlier.  Naturally there was no stopping him then and we all went along and 'forced' ourselves to eat large cones of frozen custard.

Sometimes we just have to force ourselves to do something or other.  A few days lately, I've had to make myself  have a positive  outlook.  Everything looks so bleak.  But we must have faith that God will do what is best for this country.  If He feels it has gone past the point of return, He certainly has the right and the power to take care of that.    

God's presence doesn't mean that things will always go smoothly. Christians don't walk around with protective plastic bubbles surrounding them. We experience cancer; we endure sorrow and heartache; we fail in business. God's promise, however, is that He will continue to walk with us and be faithful to us even in our sorrows or failures. His company will bring you comfort that will exceed your understanding (Phil. 4:7).

Be assured that as God was with Moses and Joshua, He is with you as well. Jesus promised, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). Whatever difficulties you face, you will not have to face them alone. He will never, no never, fail you nor forsake you. That's His promise to you.

Only God can say never--and really mean it.

[from Back to the Bible]

Happiness in 2011

The quote on the first page is new to me and very meaningful.  Think about it.

It is a chore to stay happy when things are falling apart all around and innocent people of all kinds are suffering because they are prevented from making a living.   Now, I"m thinking of a quote by Aesop:

 We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.

And that brings me to five of the better sentences I've heard lately:

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity, by legislating the wealth out of prosperity. 

2. What one person receives without working for...another person must work for without receiving. 

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. 

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it. 

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work, because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work, because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation! 

These are some of the things happening at the Mum Festival at Lake Anna yesterday, September 25.

After years of wanting to go to this festival that is not far from here, I finally got to attend a little while yesterday.

I'm trying to think of a smooth way to tie the festival to the following rant, but am about to fall asleep at the computer...so smooth it is not.

I am borrowing the thoughts of my good friend, Paulette, tonight.

"It makes me crazy that the government makes laws before long term effects are known or even before the big picture in considered.  In my mind, it is the kudu principle.  It seemed like a good thing to plant kudzu in the south until it started growing to the extent that it now seems to be covering several states.  The long term effects weren't considered. Incandescent light bulbs were banned in favor of energy efficient ones.  We didn't look into how to dispose of them or the negative impact on the seepage of mercury on the environment from these broken light bulbs.  Energy efficient toilets sounds like a good idea to save a bit of water until people realized they have to flush more than once to get the job done.  Energy efficient dish washers don't do the job so we have to put glassware through twice trying to get it clean.  Where's the efficiency?  Who considered the gib picture?  Even some pesticides that killed mosquitos was removed from usage because of studies that are now known to have been fraudulent. "

Not only are we failing in our fight of diseases carried by mosquitos.  We even have begun what seems to be becoming a plague of bed bugs because of the ban on effective pesticides.

And from Paulette again: "I guess we could all learn from this.  I shouldn't be so reactionary.  I need to look at the big picture. I should be more patient to do things in God's timing rather that hurrrying past Him to do what I want to do to accomplish my own agenda."

Mum Fest

Year after year I plan to go to the Mum Fest in Barberton, Ohio.  And every year something comes up or I just forget to go. And year after year, I always wished I had gone when I hear how nice it was.  This year Ron had not shown any interest in it. So I asked if he thought I would be able to do it alone.  He said I could.  But then Saturday I was so very busy (What's new?) that I had no chance to do that.  So today on the way home from our early life group meeting I mentioned the Mum Fest...and he asked if I wanted to go right then.  So we did.  We weren't there a long time, but I'm glad we did make it.  I was surprised to see so many people and all the little stalls set up to sell this and that.  I was really interested in the artisans one of whom  carved fruit and another built sand castles.  The water ski show was neat as well.  And of course I like the swans on Lake Anna.  It is a beautiful little round lake and I took some good pictures.
I will have another page tomorrow.  Tonight I need an earlier bed time. I've been losing sleeping hours lately, so now I want to catch up on it.  Good night.  Please pray for our nation and it's choice for a president.

He Has a Plan

Caleb's friend Colton looks a lot like him.  He is three months younger than Caleb.  Their mothers worked together all the years Alana has been in Colorado until she retired earlier this year.  Caleb and Colton seem to have a plan for exploring the garden.  

Herman Cain won the Republican straw poll in Florida today. I am thrilled.  He is a very good, kind and intelligent Christian man.  He's not a career politician, but he knows business. AND HE HAS A PLAN.

Right Track

Caleb has found the swings.  But it would do him no good if he just sat there in the  sand thinking he'd like to swing.  He must get up and move.  It does no good to know  the right track and sit  complacently  on the sidelines.  Roy Rogers once said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."  Things have been turned upside down in this great nation. It is an Obamanation!

We can not expect good results unless we jump into the ring and do something, even if it is to broach a conversation with someone  about how bad things really are and what we need to change it for our kids and grand children. the silent majority must not remain silent!

The pictures would be  bigger, but Im having   trouble putting in my pages tonight. I'll try again tomorrow. Sorry this looks a mess. It isn't following conventional methods.