Useless Knowledge

1. Q: What is the Levator Labii Superioris Alaeque Nasi? A: It’s the muscle you use to smile!

2. IRS fact: 20 million taxpayers a year wait until April to begin filling out their tax returns.

3. It takes a shark about a week to grown a new set of teeth.

4. There is a real insect called the love bug and it spends 56 hours ( more than 1/2 its life) mating.

5. Placed end to end, the bad checks Americans write in one year would stretch 35,000 miles.

6. The United States spends $79 million a day collecting "intelligence" around the world.

7. In Cleveland, Ohio, it's illegal to catch mice without a hunting license.

8. Four health clinics around the world specialize in bad breath. (two are in Philadelphia.)

9. Q: Where are the world's largest sculptures? A: Mt. Rushmore.

10. Nearly 75% of all U.S. Congress staff members suffer from heartburn.

My Pet Peeves

1. Other drivers. I really hate when I am at a stop light, it turns green and the person in front of me is still sitting there. Hello.. the light won’t get any greener.

2. People who allow their kids to run around in stores unsupervised.

3. Liars, hypocrites, and thieves

4. Religious Fanatics

5. People that call me only when they want something. If you can't call me any other time, and I haven't heard from you in like a year. Lose my number.

6. Indiana weather. If I see another snowflake fall I might just do something crazy.

7. One uppers. You know those people that if you told them you had an elephant, they would have a bag big enough to put it in...yeah, that is annoying!!

8. Those people that decide to have a reunion in the aisle of Wal Mart. I just want to get done and get out people...move along. Write, email, call...just MOVE!

9. People who complain about their lives yet don't do anything to change. If it's really that bad, then leave. go to school. find another job. go to the gym. buy a new car. tell them what you really think. stop being a doormat. whatever it takes to make you happy in your life, do it.

10. I have a weird sense of humor and it bugs me when people don’t get “it”.

Am I ok?

I have learned a lot about myself. What I need to survive, subsist on and move forward. I have learned that free will is available to all human beings and well, free calories are not, but that is a different story. Everyone is capable of making their own decisions and choosing their own destiny.

I have learned that is OK, even necessary, to NOT be your mother.

Many women struggle with that fact. Many women know right off the bat that they do NOT want to be their mother. Some women idolize their mothers and spend their entire lives trying to just achieve a minimal sense of what presence their mothers held in other people's lives. I had been never been torn this way, and am finally secure in thinking, it's OK to NOT grow up and reflect the person that gave birth to me. I am who I am, and I have taken what I can from my family, but they are not who I am now.

I left home when I was 18. . I wasn't a wild child, even having been held back and under strict rule as a teenager, but an adult fully aware of her surroundings and unaware of the possibility around her.

My Mother has a lack of direction and gives off a feeling of impending doom. She was a stay at home mother and never really held a job in her life.

I learned to put my best face forward and expect the best.

My mother is stubborn and head strong and selfish. She will not accept change that makes life easier such as use a microwave; she will not make any effort to learn and to better herself. She lives in the past and is very bitter.

I will NOT be like my mother.

WTH?

Let me make this very clear  I am against choking. I will repeat that  I AM AGAINST CHOKING.

I just read this article (on the web) about children choking on food.

From aol news:

"According to the AAP, about 10,000 children younger than 14 are rushed to the hospital each year after choking on food, and up to 77 young people die, the statement said. All of this may be prevented, the academy says, with warning labels on packaging for hazardous foods, recalls on foods known to cause choking, and even the ‘redesign' of risky products like the hot dog."

With all sarcasm aside, every childhood death, no matter what the cause, is an unspeakable tragedy. I am in no way trying to trivialize that. That being said, despite all efforts tragedies happen every day. No amount of government control will eliminate this fact.

I do ask this question, exactly what is the parents role in this? Shouldn’t they be the ones who take responsibility for their children and what their children eat? Are parents now too stupid to cut up the child’s hot dog? Too Lazy?

Will they be required to print the warning label in Spanish?

To have that label on my pack of hot dog’s would insult my intelligence.

Dear Summer,

I miss you, summer. I miss hearing the Harley’s drive by. I look at the chairs in my little pink shed and think of the days I spent happily ensconced in one and in your warm embrace. Barbecues aren't the same without you, and ice cream just doesn't appeal to me these days. Even baseball, despite spring training just isn't the same without summer.
We had a deal. You would come early. Is that too much of a commitment for you?
In return, I promised to take full advantage of you, to make the most of our summer fling, to show you off to my family at cookouts, to ogle your beauty out in back, to laze around listening to soft music and enjoying your company. Was that not enough? I can do more! I promise!
I'm sorry if some of my friends were rude last year, complaining that you were "oppressive" and "too much" and even calling you "sticky." I tried to tell them that you were still better than your bitch sister, winter, but they wouldn't listen. Now I fear they may have scared you away for good. I really mean it....I'm sorry! I'll be better this year! Come Back! I miss you...

Aggie

I had company tonight.  Meet Aggie. I made her a camouflage sweater to keep her warm. She was not thrilled. But she sure was cute.

 

 

People over 35 should be dead

People over 35 should be dead. Here's why. According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 40's, 50's, 60's, or even maybe the early 70's probably shouldn't have survived.

Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. (Not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.)

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat!

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors! We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. NO CELL PHONES!!!!! Unthinkable!

We did not have Play-stations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms.

We had friends! We went outside and found them. We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt.

We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember accidents?

We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rang the bell or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.
Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade.
Horrors! Tests were not adjusted for any reason.

Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law. Imagine that!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

And you're one of them!

Congratulations!

(from an email)

Monday Facts

1. If you're a healthy, full-grown adult, your thigh bones are stronger than concrete.
2. The U.S. government spent $277,000 on "pickle research" in 1993.
3. Thomas Edison invented wax paper.
4. The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
5. Pound for pound, hamburgers cost more than new cars.
6. When Heinz ketchup leaves the bottle, it travels at a rate of 25 miles per year.
7. Rule of thumb: Nearly all boys grow at least as tall as their mothers.
8. It's possible to lead a cow upstairs...but no downstairs.
9. Charles Dickens always slept facing north. He thought it improved his writing.

10. Men get hiccups more often than women do. No one knows why.

Saturday List

1. On an average day, 102 people visit the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas.
2. In 1980, the yellow pages accidentally listed a Texas funeral home under Frozen Foods.
3. There is a town in Newfoundland, Canada call Dildo.
4. Nearly 75% of all U.S. Congress staff members suffer from heartburn.
5. Elvis collected statuettes of Joan of Arc and Venus de Milo.
6. The U.S. Congress didn't make "The Star Spangled Banner" the national anthem until 1931.
7. Full 50% of the Netherlands-including its two largest cities- lie below sea level.
8. Average U.S. family income in 1915: $687 a year.
9. It's against the law to hunt camels in Arizona.
10. People in Salt Lake City eat more Jell-O than citizens in any other state.

Tiger

Some thoughts floating around in my brain while I was watching his televised confession and I am sorry tour:

I watched the Tiger Woods apology. Sheesh. Now a 3 day media $hit $torm of jerks analyzing it. I feel bad for his family though.

That press conference had the heartfelt sincerity of a hostage video

So Tiger’s mom raised him to follow Buddha and he lost track and started following booty.

He defended his wife Elin and apologized.He mention her by name 10 times.

I do wonder if he is sorry for what he did to his wife and children or if he is sorry he got caught.

I actually do wish him well in his journey going forward.

Apparently Tiger Woods will return to golf as soon as his wife gives him his balls back

Tiger Woods is a disgrace, but I'm glad his apology was televised! We should never have elected him to golf! HE SHOULD BE GOLFPEACHED!

Sorry, I'm confused. Who did Tiger Woods sleep with: a small mammal, a family member, the Queen? All this 'sorry' stuff seems a bit over the top.

Leave Tiger Woods alone and let him live his life. Who am I or anyone else to judge him. Besides there are more important things to focus on in my life.

Anyone care to explain why Tiger Woods owes 'us' an apology? He didn't cheat on any of us. Or with any of us. At least, I don't think he did.

Paradoxical

Can any one help me make sense of this???

This I realize is one of those touchy subjects that may or may not offend some people. But my feelings are my feelings and I do not apologize for them.

Now on to my question.

I was listening to TV the other day and I heard them talking about a boy that had shot and killed his fathers pregnant girlfriend and that he is going to be charged with two counts of murder. One for the death of the girlfriend and one for the unborn baby. How is it that if someone kills a pregnant woman they can be charged with 2 counts of murder and yet every day in the USA there are about 4000 abortions, which I think is the same as killing an unborn baby. I do not understand this.

When I heard about this case it just made me stop and wonder how the laws can change for the situations and yet they both are basically the same crime.

Strength

For some reason I have pictured my self as a victim (of abuse and traumatic life experiences.) I have spent many years feeling broken. For a long time I could not trust or believe in people. Some days I wondered how could I ever continue to live in such pain. I kept hoping it would someday just disappear or fade away. But that is just not how it works. I needed to take the time to deal with things in order to continue to live and not be destroyed.

I would walk around with a smile but inside I was dead. I learned to hide it well. I was denying my self the right to grow and blossom. When I focused on the negative thing they grew and festered with in me. All I knew was I was a broken negative person.

One day I started focusing on the many things that are good about me. And I have always known I am a good person, I have a good giving heart, and will do most anything to help someone. I am always for the underdog and always have words of encouragement for everyone but myself.

Now I view myself in a healthy positive light and I expect to have beautiful thoughts and experiences coming my way.

All abuse did was make me stronger.

Rerun

10 things I think are worth repeating:

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them!'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle.' An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's

4. Enjoy the simple things

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity

Is it always about you???

Don't you just get tired of those people who no matter what is going on in everyone else's life things somehow always tend to be about them...they always have things better then everyone else...things much worse have happened to them....you can't even have a real conversation with this kind of person because somehow in some way it starts about what YOU are going thru and turns into what THEY are going thru. I sometimes sit and wonder why do these kind of people believe that everything is always about them???? Or maybe I am wrong and it really IS always about them???? Does anyone else go thru this????

My Monday List

1. I would much rather have people come to my house than go to someone else's.

2. Sadly, I am getting too old to remember what it felt like to be a teenager.

3. I don't drive at night because I am as blind as a bat when it's dark out.

4. I have a red birthmark on my side. When I was little I tried to wash it off.

5. I have a scar on the inside of my left eyebrow from when I was little and jumped off of the bath tub.

6. I don't enjoy big social gatherings where I don't know people. That kind of thing really stresses me out.

7. My favorite Movie of all time is Gone With the Wind.

8. I love Papa Murphy’s pizza.

9. I used to own a pizza shop.

10. I love to watch reality tv shows. Amazing race, Big Brother, Survivor. Love ‘em.

Valentines Day

I think Valentine's Day is a dumb holiday. Kids (and their parents) scramble to make sure that they get a valentine written to each of their classmates. Later in life, guys spend tons of money on jewelry, flowers, candy, dinner, and lingerie all in the hopes of getting laid. No work gets done in an office as flowers get delivered, and all the women have to Oooh and Aaah over each bouquet. It's a good day if you own a card store or you're a florist. What a scam. Some people may be crying the blues that they are all alone on Valentine's Day. Not me. I consider it a perk! For all you married folks and especially you guys who have a girl who you're trying to impress on a date (poor bastards), repeat after me: It will all be over with in 24 hours. That is unless you get her a crappy gift, then you will never hear the end of it. Never!

What I am looking for in a man.

Original List:
1. Handsome
2. Charming
3. Financially hung
4. Good conversationalist
5. Funny
6. In good shape
7. Dresses with style
8. Appreciates finer things
9. Full of thoughtful surprises

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 32)
1. Nice looking
2. Opens car doors, holds chairs
3. Has enough money for a nice dinner
4. Listens more than talks
5. Laughs at my jokes
6. Carries bags of groceries with ease
7. Owns at least one tie
8. Appreciates a good home-cooked meal
9. Remembers birthdays and anniversaries

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 42)
1. Not too unattractive
2. Doesn't drive off until I'm in the car
3. Works steady - splurges on dinner out occasionally
4. Nods head when I'm talking
5. Usually remembers punch lines of jokes
6. Is in good enough shape to rearrange the furniture
7. Wears a shirt that covers his stomach
8. Knows not to buy champagne with screw-top lids
9. Remembers to put the toilet seat down
10. Shaves most weekends

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 52)
1. Keeps hair in nose and ears trimmed
2. Doesn't belch or scratch in public
3. Doesn't borrow money too often
4. Doesn't nod off to sleep when I'm venting
5. Doesn't re-tell the same joke too over and over and over and over
6. Is in good enough shape to get off the couch on weekends
7. Usually wears matching socks and fresh underwear
8. Appreciates a good TV dinner
9. Remembers my name on occasion
10. Shaves some weekends

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 62)
1. Doesn't scare small children
2. Remembers where bathroom is
3. Doesn't require much money for upkeep
4. Only snores lightly when asleep
5. Remembers why he's laughing
6. Is in good enough shape to stand up by himself
7. Usually wears some clothes
8. Likes soft foods
9. Remembers where he left his teeth
10. Remembers that it's the weekend

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 72)
1. Breathing.
2. Doesn't miss the toilet.

Deep Thoughts

1. When dog food is new and improved tasting, who tests it?

2. If the 'black box' flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn't the whole airplane made out of that stuff?

3. Who copyrighted the copyright symbol?

4. Can you cry under water?

5. Why do people say, 'You've been working like a dog' when dogs just sit around all day?

6. Why are the numbers on a calculator and a phone reversed?

7. Do fish ever get thirsty?

8. Can you get cornered in a round room?

9. Why do birds not fall out of trees when they sleep?

10. If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables then what is baby oil made from?

11. What should one call a male ladybug?

12. If a person suffered from amnesia and then was cured would they remember that they forgot?

13. Can you blow a balloon up under water?

14. Why is it called a 'building' when it is already built?

15. If you were traveling at the speed of sound and you turned on your radio would you be able to hear it?

16. If you're traveling at the speed of light and you turn your headlights on, what happens?

17. Why is it called a TV set when there’s only one?

18. Why do most cars have speedometers that go up to at least 130 when you legally can't go that fast on any road?

19. Why are ‘apart’ments stuck together?

20. Who teaches spiders which leg to put forward first, when they start walking?

21.Why is inspiration momentary, while depression is more permanent?

Random Useless Information

• Accept that some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.
• Drive carefully, it's not only cars that can be "recalled" by their maker.
• It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others.
• Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
• Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
• You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
• Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once
• Bad decisions make good stories.
• Wouldn't it make your life a whole lot more fulfilling knowing you worked to live and not lived to work!

Major Announcement

Meet our new baby…….due June 28.

Mommy-Deeda 

Daddy-Jimmy

Big Brother-Corbin

Proud Grandma-me

Question Answered

Some one asked me today why I blog, and why I bother spending so much time putting ideas together and writing about them…especially when so few people read them, and even less appreciate them. They went on to say, while it was a nice hobby, it was probably a lot of time wasted.
That didn’t bother me so much as it made me wonder why, I do this. So this blog post is a short answer to that question. Why write?

The answer:
There are times when I can’t do the things I want to, say the things I need to, or express the anger I feel. Times when words are easier written than said and actions are easier imagined than done. There are times when there’s no one who understands or cares and times when I just don’t want to talk to anyone. For all those times, I’ve written a blog. For the times that I’ve had smoke coming out of my ears, hands trembling from fear and anxiousness to the point of nausea. For the times when I’ve been too unsure about how I felt to act, and times I’ve been completely sure of what I’ve wanted, but unsure of how to get it- that’s when I wrote.
I wrote these blog posts, smiles rolling off my lips and smoke blowing out both ears. It was my indirect way to release anger and fears and share some joy. Some release anger by turning to a bottle of vodka, or making the next available appointment to see their shrink. And me, I blog. And it doesn’t matter much if it’s useful or not, appreciated or not, enjoyable or not. It’s something I do, because therapy is personal. Writing is personal. And more importantly, it makes me feel as though I’m on top of the world.

Surviving Disappointments

Are there levels of disappointment? Sometimes people just fail to live up to my expectations. And they sometimes, betray, lie to and in general just disappoint me. But what about the time when there is no coming back from it? Like all the trust, respect and love you had for the person looks so minute and meager when weighed against the disappointment? Can you ever get over it? 'To forgive is divine' they say. But can there be a time when it's not in your capacity to forgive anymore? What if I have to shut things/people out in order to grow, in order to shun something I've been so used to, because it's doing nothing but sucking the life out of me?

Sigh. I hate change. How do I get over something I've been so used to? Somehow I had made peace with the regular disappointments. But there is a line I just don't cross, right? You have to stop letting yourself be used and stop throwing yourself out there somehow, no matter how strong it needs you to be. Argh. I need strength. Anyone selling any?

Monday List

1. It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs.

2. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.

3. The first novel ever written on a typewriter was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

4. Restroom tip: The first stall is usually the cleanest. Most people, seeking privacy, skip it.

5. There are only 2 places in the world where men outlive women: Southern Asia and Iran.

6. Traffic report: Accidents rise 10% in the first week of daylight savings time.

7. Iceland consumes more Coca-Cola per person than any other nation on Earth.

8. Only about a third of "Gilligan's Island" episodes are actually about getting off the island.

9. Bestselling candy bar in Russia: Snickers.

10. The top 6 reasons for being late to work: 1 traffic, 2 oversleeping, 3 procrastination, 4 household chores, 5 car problems, 6 having sex.

Football

Drew Brees, after living a full life, died and went to heaven. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around.
They came to a modest little house with a faded Saints flag in the window. "This house is yours for eternity, Drew," said God. "This is very special; not everyone gets a house up here." Drew felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house.
On his way up to the porch, he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a 3-story mansion with a blue and white sidewalk, a 50-foot
tall flagpole with an enormous Colts logo flag, and in every window was a blue and white Colts towel.
Drew Brees looked at God and said, "God, I'm not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question. I was an all-pro QB, I hold many NFL records, and I even went to the "Hall of Fame."
God said, "So what's your point,Drew?"
"Well, why does Peyton Manning get a better house than me?"
God chuckled, and said, "Drew, that's not Peyton's house, its mine."

*******GO COLTS********

(thanks C.K.)

This is a public Announcement............

Yeah, now that I have your attention:
I just wanted to remind all of you that my birthday is today ( February 05 ), I am not too picky so any type of gift will be appreciated!!!! My favorite color is green.. *hint* *hint*
I have also decided that I'll be 21 again this year, in fact, I plan on being 21 for the rest of my life.
Don't be shy to ask for my number and delivery address!!!!
***one would think that by now I would've have stopped being obsessed with my birthday***
That ain’t gonna happen people! If I have to get old I may as well have fun with it.

There are many things that I have yet to learn and understand. The harder lessons, the ones that need endurance and perseverance are yet to come. The path ahead looks uncertain. I don’t know what awaits me. Whether I walk on or fall; only time will tell.

Buy American

ONE LIGHT BULB AT A TIME…Buy American Made

This works when the dollar is weak and the people are afraid for their jobs.

Buy USA ……..

A physics teacher in high school, once told his students

“While one grasshopper on the railroad tracks
wouldn’t slow a train at all, a billion of them would!”

With that thought in mind, read the following,
obviously written by a good American.

Good idea . . . one light bulb at a time!

Check this out.
I can verify this because I was in Lowes the other day,
and just for the heck of it,
I was looking at the hose attachments.
They were all made in China . (My swimming pool is not yet closed for the winter!!!)

The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck
of it, I checked the hose attachments there.

They were made in USA .

Start looking.

In our current economic situation,
every little thing we buy or do
affects someone else – even their job.

My son likes Hershey’s candy.
I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now.
I will not buy it any more.

My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now.

I have switched to Crest.

You have to read the labels on everything..

This past weekend I was at Kroger.
I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets.

I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand
that I normally buy, was an off brand labeled, “Everyday Value”.
I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats -
they were the same except for the price.
The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand
but the thing that surprised me the most
was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO !!!

and the Everyday Value brand was made in – get ready for this -
the USA
in a company in Cleveland , Ohio .

So throw out the myth
that you cannot find products you use every
day that are made right here.

So on to another aisle – Bounce Dryer Sheets . . .
yep, you guessed it,
Bounce costs more money and is made in China .
The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA !

I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the
Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

Lay’s stacked potato chips in a can is made in Mexico .

Good old Pringles made in USA .

My challenge to you ~~~
is to start reading the labels when you shop
For everyday things,
and see what
you can find that is made in the USA -
the job you save may be your own
or your neighbor’s!

If you accept the challenge,
please pass this on to others so we can all start
buying American,
one light bulb at a time!

Stop buying from overseas companies!

(We should have awakened a decade ago)

Let’s get with the program.
Help our fellow Americans
keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.

( I found this on a message board. It makes good sense to me. )

Today

I woke up early today, excited that
I have responsibilities today.
I am important.
My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is snowy...
or I can be thankful for the beauty.

Today I can grumble about my health...
or I can be happy that I am alive.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends...
or I can discover new ones.

Today I can whine because I have to go to pay bills...
or I can be happy because I have the money to do.

Today I can whine because I have to do housework...
or I can feel happy because,
I have shelter.

Today... waits ahead of me,
waiting to be formed.
And here I am, the one who gets to decide my day.
What today will be like is up to me.
I get to choose what sort of day I will have.

6 more weeks of winter?

Today is Groundhog Day. Legend has it that if the groundhog sees his shadow this morning, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, winter is pretty much over (which is really never the case on Feb. 2 in Indiana). It all began in Germany with hedgehogs and badgers. The Pennsylvania Dutch didn’t see any hedgehogs or badgers when they arrived in Pennsylvania, so they gave the prognosticating (<-----notice I used a very big word here) assignment to the local groundhog, or woodchuck. The most famous groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil. Phil’s been giving us the long-range forecast from Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania since 1887.

According to legend if it is a sunny day and the groundhog comes out of his burrow and sees his shadow he gets scared. He then scurries back to his burrow and goes back to sleep. This means there will be six more weeks of winter. Now, if the day is cloudy and no shadow is seen, the groundhog will remain outside and that means spring is on its way.

It has been a very mild winter here in northern Indiana. Today’s forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies and a slight chance of snow. If the groundhog lived here in Podunk, I would say our chances of an early spring is pretty good. Since that is not the case we’ll have to wait to see how this all plays out. Keep your fingers crossed.

Feb. 2 is also Candlemas Day. This is the 40th day after Christmas. An old saying goes: “Half the wood and half the hay, better have left on Candlemas Day”. Of course, that means that if you have half your winter provisions left at this point…you’ll make it through the winter. February 2 is one of the great cross-quarter days which make up the wheel of the year. It falls midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.

Dinner with your buddies

A group of 40 year old guys discuss where they should meet for dinner. Finally they agree to meet at the Kelley's Restaurant because the waitresses have low cut blouses and nice breasts.

10 years later at age 50, the group agrees to meet at Kelley's because the food is good and the wine selection is excellent.

10 years later at age 60, the group agrees to meet at Kelley's because they can eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant is smoke free.

10 years later at age 70, the group agrees to meet at Kelley's because the restaurant is wheel chair accessible and they have an elevator.

10 years later at age 80, the group agrees to meet at Kelley's because they have never been there before.

(Thanks Joe)