A Soft Heart

I came to realize this easiness and willingness to believe in the word of God comes from a softness of heart. It comes from having a heart that is sensitive to the Holy Ghost. It comes from having a heart that can love.... It comes from a soft heart that can feel the power of the Atonement of Christ.   -Michael T Ringwood

I have seen the good fruit of the gospel blossom in my home continent of Africa. After just 30 years, there are 300,000 Saints. In the doctrines and principles of the restored gospel, many are finding a sure anchor for their faith. Families uprooted from their rural communities in search of a better future in the towns and cities have found a new way to hold on to the strong family traditions which have come progressively under attack in this era of globalization. The Spirit of the Lord is moving powerfully among the people. -Joseph W Sitati

Irresistible Pretzel Sticks from Katie Brown’s Workshop TV series

25 Pretzel rods (Snyder’s 10 oz pretzel rods $2.49—about 28 rods in a bag…halved 56 rods!)

Topping:
2 cups pecans
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips

Caramel Sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/8 cup butter
1 cup whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Step #1: Coarsely chop white chocolate chips. Coarsely chop butterscotch chips. Coarsely chop chocolate chips. Coarsely chop pecans. Lastly, combine them all together for later.

Step #2: Cut pretzel rods in half. This is a great tip I credit to my former college roommate, Karen. Most people don’t enjoy the portion of pretzel stick that is NOT covered in high calorie goodness!! Hahaha!

Step #3: In a double boiler over medium-high heat, combine brown sugar, butter and whipping cream. Cook for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Let stand another 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened.

Step #4: Dip each pretzel rod half into caramel mixture covering most of it. Allow caramel to drip off slightly. Roll in chopped nut-chip mixture to coat. Place on waxed paper until set. (I put in freezer to set quicker.)

Obvious Why C-Man Is sooooo Cute!

White Chocolate Peppermint Oreos

My daughter-in-law told me of her efforts to chop peppermint candy in a paper bag with a hammer. So yesterday, I experimented for myself.

I bought 12 candy canes and tried several “crushing” techniques. The best is putting a few broken pieces in a plastic cup and mashing with another plastic cup. (By the way, 12 candy canes equal 1 cup crushed.)

Keep your broom handy as you will have little loose pieces flying around your kitchen counter and floors! :)

In a double boiler, I melted a 12-oz package of white chocolate candy melts, and then dipped double-stuff Oreos in it. Once the white covered confections were on wax paper, I sprinkled a tiny bit of crushed peppermint on top of each. (By the way, 12-oz package of white candy melts covered about 21 Oreos.)

I let my spouse sample one and he gave it 2-thumbs up!

Thanks for the idea, Katie!

 Later I melted 12 ounces chocolate flavored almond bark and made 30 chocolate-peppermint Oreos.

Book of Mormon Invitation

Love. Healing. Help. Hope. The power of Christ to counter all troubles in all times—including the end of times. That is the safe harbor God wants for us in personal or public days of despair. That is the message with which the Book of Mormon begins, and that is the message with which it ends, calling all to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.”

-Jeffrey R Holland

Marvelous Gift

Even more amazing than modern technology is our opportunity to access information directly from heaven, without hardware, software, or monthly service fees. It is one of the most marvelous gifts the Lord has offered to mortals. It is His generous invitation to “ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

-Russell M Nelson

Merry Christmas 2009

We Can Be Thankful for Adversity

"...it is often in the trial of adversity that we learn the most critical lessons that form our character and shape our destiny."

-Dieter F Uchtdorf

Thanksgiving Tips from Maxine

Thanksgiving 2009

T&K: Thanks for giving us little Man-Cub!

Observations on Growing Older

Your kids are becoming you
and you don't like them
but your grandchildren are perfect!

Going out is good.
Coming home is better!

When people say you look "Great,"
they add "for your age!"

When you needed the discount,
you paid full price.
Now you get discounts on everything:
movies, hotels, flights.

You forget names
but it's OK
because other people forgot
they even knew you!

The 5 pounds you wanted to lose is now 15
and you have a better chance
losing your keys than 15 pounds.

You realize you're never going to be really good at anything
especially golf.

Your husband is counting on you to remember things
you don't remember.

The things you cared to do,
you don't care to do,
but you care that you don't care to do them anymore.

Your husband sleeps better on a lounge chair
with the TV blaring than he does in bed.

Remember when your mother said,
"Wear clean underwear in case you get in an accident?"
Now you bring clean underwear in case you have an accident!

You miss the days when everything worked
with an "ON" and "OFF" switch.

When GOOGLE, iPod, Email, Modem, etc
were unheard of and a Mouse was
something that made you climb on a table.

You use more 4 letter words now.
"What?" "When?"

Now you can afford expensive jewelry
but it's not safe to wear it anywhere.

Your husband has a night out with the guys
but he's home by 9 p.m.

You read 100 pages in a book
before you realize you've read it.

You notice everything they sell in stores is sleeveless.

What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

Everybody whispers.

Now that your husband has retired
you'd give anything if he'd find a job!

You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet,
2 of which you will never wear.

But old is good in some things:
old songs, old movies and old friends!

Questions And Answers From An AARP Forum

Q: Where can men over the age of 60 find younger, sexy women who are interested in them?
A: Try a bookstore under fiction.

Q: What can a man do while his wife is going through menopause?
A: Keep busy. If you're handy with tools, you can finish the basement. When you are done you will have a place to live.

Q: Someone has told me that menopause is mentioned in the Bible. Is that true? Where can it be found?
A: Yes, Matthew 14:92: 'And Mary rode Joseph's ass all the way to Egypt .'

Q: How can you increase the heart rate of your 60+ year old husband?
A: Tell him you're pregnant.

Q: How can you avoid that terrible curse of the elderly wrinkles?
A: Take off your glasses.

Q: Seriously! What can I do for these crow's feet and all those wrinkles on my face?
A: Go braless. It will usually pull them out.

Q: Why should 60+ year old people use valet parking?
A: Valets don't forget where they park your car.

Q: Is it common for 60+ year olds to have problems with short term memory storage?
A: Storing memory is not a problem, retrieving it is a problem.

Q: As people age, do they sleep more soundly?
A: Yes, but usually in the afternoon.

Q: Where should 60+ year olds look for eye glasses?
A: On their foreheads.

Q: What is the most common remark made by 60+ year olds when they enter antique stores?
A: 'Gosh, I remember these.

Smile, You've still got your sense of humor, right?

(Thanks for these, Jeanne!)

what are you THANKFUL for?

History Lesson

I've been a key figure in the history of CHOCOLATE.



If CHOCOLATE comes near me, it's history!

-Joyceeee :)

100 Words You Have to Know to be Smart #18

enervate  (en er vate)

weaken--to weaken somebody’s physical, mental or moral vitality

Used in a sentence: I was feeling quite enervated by the strain of moving.

Your Prescription is Ready for Pick Up

Prince Scott & Princess Liz at Taj Mahal

This is the Future!

In the mail yesterday we received the Netflix instant streaming disc for PlayStation3 that we requested.

This is THE FUTURE!

No more waiting for DVDs to arrive and then returning them. (And, as I said earlier, no more buying DVDs nor running out of storage space for DVDs we watch once or twice a year, if that.)

Unlimited blow-em-up movies for the hubby and chick-flicks, Hitchcock, English period pieces, etc, for me any time of the day or night! (For LZA: Poirot, Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, mystery and who-dunit's and more!!) Love it!

Seen on a License Plate Cover

You can't scare Me.....

I have Kids!!

(BTW, her "vanity" license plate had 'Mama P' on it.)

What is BPPV? And Why Do I Have It? :(

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a disorder caused by problems in the inner ear. Its symptoms are repeated episodes of positional vertigo, that is, of a spinning sensation caused by changes in the position of the head.

Vertigo, also called dizziness, accounts for about 6 million clinic visits in the US every year. 17-42% of these patients eventually are diagnosed with BPPV.

With the labyrinth of the inner ear lie collections of calcium crystals known as otoconia. In patients with BPPV, the otoconia are dislodged from their usual position with the utricle and they migrate over time into one of the semicircular canals (the posterior canal is most commonly affected due to its anatomical position). When the head is reoriented relative to gravity, the gravity-dependent movement of the heavier otoconial debris (colloquially "ear rocks") within the affected semicircular canal causes abnormal fluid endolymph displacement and a resultant sensation of vertigo. This more common condition is known as canalithiasis.

In rare cases, the crystals themselves can adhere to a semicircular canal cupula rendering it heavier than the surrounding endolymph. Upon reorientation of the head relative to gravity, the cupula is weighted down by the dense particles thereby inducing an immediate and maintained excitation of semicircular canal afferent nerves. This condition is termed cupulolithiasis.

It can be triggered by any action which stimulates the posterior semi-circular canal which may be: tilting the head, rolling over in bed, looking up or under, and/or sudden head motion.

BPPV may be made worse by any number of modifiers which may vary between individuals: changes in barometric pressure, lack of sleep (amount of sleep may vary widely), and stress.

FYI: I have had this once before in 2000. This time, countless trips over 4 mountain passes to and from Colorado resulted in 1) changes in barometric pressure. I haven't slept a whole night through in months because I get dizzy every time I turn over so definitely 2) lack of sleep. And, worrying about my 93-year old aunt's situation MOST definitely caused 3) STRESS!!!

Getting medical relief the first time (in Omaha) was within ONE DAY--a 20-minute "treatment." (Determining which ear had the problem, then rotation of my head by trained specialist to get the "ear rocks" back into place, followed by using a neck brace so I wouldn't move my head. It was required to sleep upright one whole night. 24 hours later the dizziness was gone!)

Getting medical relief the second time (in St George) has been frustrating. First, a visit to an ENT who referred me to the hearing and balance clinic next door. The clinic doctors could not see me for a week. After my hearing/balance evaluation yesterday, I was told to come back for the "treatment" next week!

Ugh! I'd like any of these doctors to TRY to walk around with constant dizziness and nausea for A WEEK!!!

Definition for "Cute" = My Grandson!

100 Words You Have to Know to Be Smart #17

diffident (dif fi dent)

lacking self-confidence; reserved or restrained

Used in a sentence: The girl's expression was diffident while she stood on the stage in front of the entire school.

Homemade Snow Globes

For my daughter, Liz, who teasingly tells every one that I "collect" snow globes which I don't and never have!

From Martha Stewart

The shimmering magic of snowfall is always transfixing, whether it's outside your window or inside this classic toy. Homemade globes let you create a wintry scene straight out of your own imagination.

Almost any jar works for this project: Baby-food, pimiento, and olive jars are good choices. Look for plastic or ceramic figurines (metal ones are prone to rust) at flea markets and hobby or model-railroad shops. Synthetic evergreen tips are available at many floral-supply stores.

If the jar lids are not in seasonal colors already, paint them with oil-based enamel paint. Sand the inside of the lid until the surface is rough. With clear-drying epoxy, adhere the figurine to the inside of the lid, and let the epoxy dry.

Fill the jar almost to the top with distilled water; add a pinch of glitter and a dash of glycerin (available at drugstores) to keep the glitter from falling too quickly. Don't add to much, or the glitter will stick to the bottom of the jar when it's flipped. Screw on the lid tightly, being careful not to dislodge the figurine. Turn the jar over and back again--and let it snow.

UP Time

Karen's Caramel & Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

While the Roomies were together, Karen schooled us on her fabulous dipped pretzels.

Caramel & Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

Ingredients:

1 lb caramel

1 lb dipping chocolate

1-2 packages pretzel sticks, cut in half

1-12 oz pkg GREEN candy melts

1-12 oz pkg RED candy melts

PARCHMENT PAPER

Method:

1) Melt caramel in double boiler over hot NOT boiling water.

2) Melt chocolate in double boiler over hot NOT boiling water.

3) Stir chocolate while melting until all melted and reaches 115 degrees.

4) DON'T LET ANY WATER TOUCH CHOCOLATE MIXTURE!
5) Take chocolate off heat and add chunks of NEW (never been melted) chocolate.

6) Stir continuously until temperature comes down (for MILK chocolate 82-85 degrees and for DARK chocolate 85-87 degrees).

7) Take all unmelted chunks out and use immediately--having already cut pretzel sticks in half and caramel melted and stirred so everything is ready to go when chocolate is at best temperature.
8) Karen recommends putting the dipped pretzels on PARCHMENT PAPER to set up rather than wax paper.

9) After caramel cools around pretzel, gently shape it so it looks like a "corn dog" on a stick, before dipping the caramel pretzel in the dipping chocolate. :)

10) Each time the pretzel is dipped, gently shake off as much caramel (or chocolate) as possible so a big puddle won't form around it on the parchment paper.

11) When the chocolate cools, drizzle melted GREEN and RED candy melt over each caramel-chocolate pretzel with a fork.

12) Store in cool place (68-70 degrees).

13) Place several in clear plastic bags with a festive holiday ribbon!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! :)

PS. Roomies order caramel and chocolate from Orson Gygi in Salt Lake City, Utah. The caramel is from Peter's Chocolate (division of Wilbur Chocolate Company, Inc) in Lititz, PA 17543

Old Friends, Bookends

Time it was, and what a time it was, it was

A time of innocence, a time of confidences

Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph

Preserve your memories; They're all that's left of you

-Bookends Theme, Paul Simon

(Photo of college roommate's toes after a pampering pedicure. Can you identify the owners?!!)

Today is Men-Make-Dinner-Day!????

Official Rules
Rule #1: National Men Make Dinner Day is celebrated first Thursday of each November.
Rule #2: Man agrees to participate in National Men Make Dinner Day. Bonus points if he does so without seeking promise of night out with boys in return.
Rule #3: Man, completely un-aided, chooses a 'published' recipe from any source, or Internet. Getting recipe from 'her' cookbooks is allowed, but Man gets bonus points if recipe isn't already somewhere in house.
Rule #4: Main meal must include minimum of 4 ingredients and require at least one cooking utensil other than a fork.
Rule #5: Man goes shopping for 'all' necessary ingredients. Bonus points if he takes inventory of cupboards and fridge first before shopping trip (so he doesn't end up with 2-64 ounce jars of pickled pimentos).
Rule #6: Man organizes all necessary ingredients in order of importance on kitchen counter. At this point, if he needs to make phone call or shout out word, 'Honey,' followed by question, this is NOT allowed.
Rule #7: Man may, if desired, turn on radio or favorite CD. Man agrees NOT to be within 30 feet of TV remote during cooking process. At this point, spouse and any other family members should NOT be anywhere near kitchen (unless smoke detectors go off!).
Rule #8: Following recipe carefully, Man starts to cook dinner! Apron is optional. (Bonus points if recipe includes one of following--capers, saffron or word 'scallopini.')
Rule #9: Man must use 'clean as he goes' rule! Everything is rinsed, cleaned, and put away following each completed use of utensils, cookware, half-used jars of anything, spice bottles, etc.
Rule #10: Man sets table, candles are lit, beverages are poured, no ketchup bottles, sour cream containers, or big boxes of salt on table.
Rule #11: Spouse and/or family members are served! This is opportune time for photo! Man is 'allowed' to gloat no more than 3 times during meal. Family is encouraged to congratulate Man on job well done. Family dog is NOT allowed to be secretly fed Man's cooking.
Rule #12: After meal, table is cleared by Man, dishwasher is loaded. Man returns to table for stimulating after dinner conversation. At this point, Man is told how much his meal was appreciated. He, in turn, describes joys and challenges of experience. He is given a hug and his TV remote!

:)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer "Cake Pops"

My amazing daughter-in-law, Katie, shared a fun recipe with me. Getting older, it took me one day to shop for the ingredients and one day to make.

I learned many new things along the way.

1) I'd never make it as a cake decorator!

2) Standing on my feet for 2-3 hours at a time is a KILLER on my knees!

:)

You will need to purchase:
1 cake mix--your choice of flavor
1 can prepared frosting--you choice of flavor--you'll only use about HALF of the can, BTW
HEAD COVERING: 1 (12 oz) package CHOCOLATE candy melts
ANTLERS: 1 package ABC pretzels--use the E, F & Y....or mini pretzels breaking, as I pictured above, in half for pair of antlers
NOSE: Wilton RED candy balls
EYES: Wilton WHITE candy balls
MOUTH: Wilton BLACK icing color (and a chubby toothpick to apply)
STICK: Wilton lollipop sticks
Thick, large STYROFOAM BLOCK

1) Make cake mix according to directions in 9x13" pan. Let cool.
2) Crumble/chop cake into pulp with bare hands or spatula. (Messy!)
3) Scoop about 1/2 of prepared frosting into crumbled cake. Use spatula or hands to mix. (Again, very messy!)
4) To see if you need more frosting with cake, make "test" ball about size of walnut shell. If cake-frosting mix adheres well, continue making "cake balls." If mixture doesn't adhere well, add small amount of frosting at a time and test as you go along. (Makes 40-50 balls.)
5) Place "cake balls" on wax paper on cookie sheet. Insert lollipop stick in ball taking care NOT to push in more than half way. Put in freezer until firm.
6) Melt chocolate candy melts in pan over another pan of gently boiling water. When they melt, add a small amount of vegetable oil. Stir well. Do this only if melted chocolate coating is too thick. I ended up using about 1/8 cup of vegetable oil but your climate may be more humid than mine and you won't need any oil.
7) Take a frozen, firm "cake ball" and dip in melted chocolate by holding lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered remove and softly tap and rotate until excess chocolate drips off. DO NOT tap too hard or "cake ball" will fall off, too!! :) (See picture of above of one of my "cake balls" sliding down it's lollipop stick!)
8) Since you've pre-prepared your pretzel "antlers"--now is the time to quickly insert them into the "cake ball." (Notice I used a variety of pretzel shapes until I settled on the one I liked!)
9) After you accomplish antlers, quickly insert the red candy nose and 2 white candy eyes. Stick lollipop in Styrofoam and start again with next lollipop "cake ball."
10) Put all 40-50 decorated reindeer "cake balls" in the freezer to set.
11) Bring the decorated reindeers back to counter. With a broad toothpick, apply black icing "pupils" and "smiles."
12) Back in the freezer for these "pupils" and "smiles" to set; otherwise, black icing comes off on plastic wrap. (Been there. Done that!)
13) Wrap in plastic for gifts. (Give your husband the "bad" ones! :) )

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Another friend's, LZA, blog prompted me to share THE BEST Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe EVER (makes about 24 standard-sized muffins)

(I found it in the Omaha World-Herald food section in 1997)

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 (16 oz) can pumpkin

1 - 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt (optional)

2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1) In large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil until smooth.

2) Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

3) Fold in chocolate chips.

4) Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins with pumpkin mixture until 3/4 full.

5) Bake at 400 degrees F for 16-20 minutes or until muffins test done.

6) Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to wire rack.

7) Freezes well if wrapped securely.

Thoughtful Overview of American Political History

Obama and the Liberal Paradigm

The sheep are quite capable of looking out for themselves.

Someone tell the Democrats.

by John Steele Gordon

Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, recently explained the White House war on Fox News as an example of "speaking truth to power." Much of the American political world collapsed in laughter, pointing out that her boss was president of the United States, the most powerful man on earth. His every word is news around the world. Fox News is a cable channel rarely watched by more than a few million people at a time. How could she have so blithely said something completely out-of-sync with reality?

Simple: She's a liberal.

As a liberal she carries around in her head the liberal paradigm of how the world works and what needs to be done to make it work better. There's nothing wrong with that. We all use paradigms to make sense of what we see around us and couldn't get along without them. Unfortunately, the basic liberal paradigm hasn't shifted in a hundred years, while the world we live in has changed utterly since the late 19th century, when modern liberalism was born.

What is that paradigm? The basic premise is that the population is divided into three groups. By far the largest group consists of ORDINARY people. They are good, God-fearing and hard working. But they are also often ignorant of their true self-interest ("What's the matter with Kansas?") and thus easily misled. They are also politically weak and thus need to be protected from the second group, which is politically strong.

The second group, far smaller, are the affluent, successful BUSINESSMEN, corporate executives and financiers. Capitalists in other words. They are the establishment and it is the establishment that, by definition, runs the country. They are, in the liberal paradigm, smart, ruthless and totally self-interested. They care only about personal gain.

And then there is the third group, those few, those happy few, that band of brothers, the educated and enlightened LIBERALS, who understand what is really going on and want to help the members of the first group to live a better and more satisfying life. Unlike the establishment, which supposedly cares only for itself, liberals supposedly care for society as a whole and have no personal self-interest.

Thus the liberal paradigm divides the American body politic into SHEEP, WOLVES, and would-be SHEPHERDS. The shepherds must defeat the efforts of the wolves.

This paradigm, while never wholly accurate and, of course, always self-serving (as political philosophies tend to be), had a basis in reality in the late 19th century. Then, industrial capitalism was being born and the rules needed to ensure that it worked for all, not just the capitalists, were only beginning to evolve.

A few lived at an incredible level of affluence, such as can be seen in the summer "cottages" in Newport, R.I., and had disproportionate influence with government. In 1900 one-third of the Senate were millionaires at a time when a million dollars made you very, very rich. But millions of Americans lived in abject poverty, toiling long, dangerous hours as industrial workers or as sharecroppers in the impoverished South. These millions were indeed ignorant and weak.

Even as late as 1937, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in his great second inaugural address, could quite accurately note the fact that he could "see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished."

But by that time, liberals had stormed--and taken--the citadel of power. Between 1896 and 1932, the Republicans had been the majority party in this country and the conservatism of that day the ruling doctrine. Then, in 1932, Democrats wept into control of both Congress and the White House. They were now the establishment, as liberalism became the dominant American political philosophy, a status it kept for more than 40 years.

A liberal revolution from the top began as the New Deal created a safety net for American families and reformed the banking and financial systems by greatly enlarging the government and what it regulated. At the end of World War II, college education became far more affordable, thanks to the GI Bill and other measures. The GI Bill also fostered home ownership, which for the first time became the norm among nonfarm families, giving them significant wealth. The SHEEP were becoming capitalists too.

Between 1947 and the mid-1960s, the civil-rights movement overturned centuries of racial discrimination and greatly narrowed the gap between American claims of liberty and equality and American reality.

By the 1970s, the percentage of Americans living in poverty had been greatly reduced and those still below the poverty line were receiving assistance such as food stamps, housing assistance, and refundable tax credits that lifted most of them above the line. Race was no longer a barrier to accomplishment. The majority of American families now lived at a level of affluence and financial security known only to a few in the early 20th century.

The liberal revolution of the middle third of that century was, in short, one of the greatest--and most peaceful--political triumphs in history. And because of it, most of the SHEEP are now more than able to look out for themselves, having the means and education to do so. The WOLVES have been fitted for electric collars that largely keep them from straying into the wrong fold.

Now if only someone would tell the SHEPHERDS about their own success.

Ms. Jarrett still sees herself and her political allies as being on the outside, speaking truth to power, even when speaking form the Oval Office. The Congressional Black Caucus still routinely sees a pervasive racism, even though both the president of the United States and the chairman of the Republican National Committee are black. The rich are still looked upon by liberals as enemies of the poor and disadvantaged, even though Mr. Obama not only carried a majority of voters earning less than $50,000 but also a majority of those earning over $200,000. He did, in other words, as well among the WOLVES as he did among the SHEEP.

Not only does the liberal paradigm not even come close to agreeing with the social and economic reality on the ground today, worse, it has largely congealed into a political religion, especially in the nearly 30 years since Ronald Reagan shifted the nation's political center of gravity, just as FDR had done 48 years earlier. Since LIBERALS care about the SHEEP, all who disagree with liberalism must not, making them morally inferior if not downright immoral. Thus the nastiness in American politics is largely on the left. Whatever you think of Sarah Palin, her treatment in the liberal press was ugliness personified.

The conservatives of today bear little resemblance to those of the 1930s that cartoonist Peter Arno immortalized heading down to Manhattan's Trans-Lux theater to hiss newsreels of FDR. They are instead abubble with ideas to reform aspects of American politics and economics that badly need reform, such as the tax and legal systems, and the impending entitlements crisis. They want to utilize the great power of markets to force efficiency, drive down costs, and drive up yields. But liberals refuse to engage those ideas, simply because they are not liberal ideas and must, therefore, be wrong if not the latest plot by the WOLVES to exploit the SHEEP.

But in a world were a majority of Americans work at white-collar jobs, have high-school and college degrees, own their own homes, and hold financial securities in their own right, the so-called WOLVES are now a majority. If LIBERALS don't begin to take that fact into account in formulating policy, the Obama administration will not only be an unsuccessful liberal administration, it may well be the last liberal administration.

Vote Today!

Exercise your freedom today!

(Day after news: Independents who swept the Democrats to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the Democratic party heading into an important midterm election year. Also Maine voters repealed a state law that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed. Same-sex marriage has now lost in 31 states where it has been put to a popular vote.)

Quote

"My dear, life rarely gives us what we want at the moment we consider appropriate. Adventures do occur, but not punctually."

-Mrs. Moore in "A Passage to India" by EM Forster

Liz & Scott in India (!!!!) from 1-17 November

2009 Ward Halloween Party

100 Words You Have to Know to Be Smart #16

deleterious (del e te ri ous)

harmful

Used in a sentence: Smoking is known to be deleterious to your health.

On the Road Again: T-Shirt

Genius by birth.

Slacker by choice.

Grandparents

A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like. "We used to skate outside on a frozen pond in the winter. I had a swing made from a tire and it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"

After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year old say, with a trembling voice, "Who was THAT?"

A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting," she said, "How do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es.'

I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet so I decided to test her. I pointed out something and asked what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me so I continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!"

A six-year old was asked where his Grandma lived. "Oh," he said, "she lives at the airport, and when we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we're done having her visit, we take her back to the airport."

When my grandson, Billy, and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use, Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."

My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandpa, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?" He answered, "You're both old."

A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied, "I can't read."

My young grandson called the other day to wish me 'Happy Birthday.' He asked me how old I was and I told him, "62." My grandson was quiet for a moment and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"

When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised, "Mine says I'm 4 to 6."

A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. "They use him to keep crowds back," said one child. "No," said another. "He's just for good luck." A third child brought the argument to a close. "They use the dogs to find the fire hydrants."

Mary K Simmons

6 October 1916 - 22 October 2009

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting.
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

-Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood
William Wordsworth

Mister Cutie Pie

A Good Read, Part 2

"Memory is an ocean and he bobs on its surface." -Yann Martel

This book has been open on my reading chair for a month. (I bought it at Costco! Of course!) It has so many beautifully written thoughts that I find I read a few paragraphs or a chapter and have to put the book down and think about it for a day.

I particularly related to this passage:

"Religion will save us," I said. Since when I could remember, religion has been very close to my heart.

"Religion?" Mr. Kumar grinned broadly. "I don't believe in religion. Religion is darkness."

Darkness? I was puzzled. I thought, Darkness is the last thing that religion is. Religion is light. Was he testing me? Was he saying, "Religion is darkness," the way he sometimes said in class things like "Mammals lay eggs," to see if someone would correct him? ("Only platypuses, sir.")

"There are no grounds for going beyond a scientific explanation of reality and no sound reason for believing anything but our sense experience. A clear intellect, close attention to detail and a little scientific knowledge will expose religion a superstitious bosh. God does not exist."

Did he say that? Or am I remembering the lines of later atheists? At any rate, it was something of the sort. I had never heard such words.

"Why tolerate darkness? Everything is here and clear, if only we look carefully."

He was pointing at Peak. Now though I had great admiration for Peak, I had never thought of a rhinoceros as a light bulb.

He spoke again. "Some people say God died during the Partition in 1947. He may have died in 1971 during the war. Or he may have died yesterday here in Pondicherry in an orphanage. That's what some people say, Pi. When I was your age, I lived in bed, racked with polio. I asked myself every day, 'Where is God? Where is God? Where is God?' God never came. It wasn't God who saved me--it was medicine. Reason is my prophet and it tells me that as a watch stops, so we die. It's the end. If the watch doesn't work properly, it must be fixed here and now by us. One day we will take hold of the means of production and there will be justice on earth."

This was all a bit much for me. The tone was right--loving and brave--but the details seemed bleak. I said nothing. It wasn't for fear of angering Mr. Kumar. I was more afraid that in a few words thrown out he might destroy something that I loved. What if his words had the effect of polio on me? What a terrible disease that must be if it could kill God in a man.

He walked off, pitching and rolling in the wild seas that was the steady ground. "Don't forget the test on Tuesday. Study hard, 3.14!"

"Yes, Mr. Kumar."

He became my favorite teacher at Petit Seminaire and the reason I studied zoology at the University of Toronto. I felt a kinship to him. It was my first clue that atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks of faith. Like me, they go as far as the legs of reason will carry them--and then they leap.

I'll be honest about it. It is not atheists who get stuck in my craw, but agnostics. Doubt is useful for a while. We must all pass through the garden of Gethsemane. If Christ played with doubt, so must we. If Christ spent an anguished night in prayer, if He burst out from the Cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" then surely we are also permitted doubt. But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.

Gratitude for the U. S. Military Forces, Part 2

Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but the [US Armed Forces] don't have that problem.

-Ronald Reagan

Big Brother

This morning I went to renew my driver's license.

I filled out a long form, took a number and waited my turn.

When my turn came, I was told that my license was suspended in Colorado in 2001.

Surprised, I said, "I didn't have a Colorado license in 2001. I had a Utah license."

The man said, "Well, until you get this straightened out, you can't renew your Utah license."

He gave me a phone number to call in Colorado and my old Colorado driver's license number.

So I dialed the Colorado DMV number on the cell and was told that my license had been suspended and I needed to contact South Carolina DMV to get their information on a ticket I didn't pay in May 2001. Once I had a letter from them saying I paid their ticket, I must fax it to Colorado, fill out a reinstatement application and pay $95 to get it removed from my record.

I felt like I was on "Candid Camera" or "Twilight Zone." What were they talking about? (BTW, the lady at the Colorado DMV was very impatient with me. I kept telling her I wasn't mad at her but that I hadn't ever driven in South Carolina. She probably hears THAT all day long but she was making me feel like a criminal!!!)

I repeated that I left Colorado in 1993 for Nebraska where I got a NEBRASKA driver's license. When we moved to Utah in 2000, I got a UTAH driver's license. I mentioned that in 2005 I renewed the Utah license for another 5 years with no problems.

Why was this 2001 South Carolina ticket on my expired Colorado driver's license when I hadn't lived in Colorado for 17 years????

Fortunately, the lady at the traffic department in South Carolina WAS patient. She said the ticket reference I gave her was for a "J Jackson in Ft. Carson CO." His driver's license number was "99214..." and my license number was "92214...."

She is faxing the original ticket and a letter explaining the typo to the (nasty) lady in Colorado. She said, "Your license has been suspended and Mr. Jackson's hasn't!!!!!" (And, apparently, he pleaded guilty to whatever it was for which he was stopped!!!)

Keep a prayer in your heart that this whole thing will be resolved satisfactorily....or my husband will be driving me to all my appointments, etc!!!)

(And, as a side note, can you imagine what WILL HAPPEN if we have government health care and some government employee types the wrong number when your claim is received? And all you hear is your claim is denied because you didn't think to ask if your insurance number was entered correctly?)

100 Words You Have to Know to Be Smart #15

deciduous (de cid u ous)

shedding leaves in fall; shed after a stage of development, as are teeth, antlers, wings, scales

Used in sentence: It's also a good time to trim or cut back deciduous hedges and shrubs.

Profound

You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity
by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

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

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

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 my dear friend,
is the beginning of the end of any nation.

You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

-Adrian Rogers, Baptist Pastor, 1931-2005

I-70 & I-15 Road Trip

On the Road Again: Wisdom in an Unexpected Place

Once Again.....

October is National Book Month

With fall here and settling down, it's important for kids - and everyone else, for that matter - to remember the delights that come from reading for enjoyment.

Here are some tips from the National Book Foundation for getting the whole family involved in National Book Month, and perhaps creating some lifelong habits of reading good books.

Family trips to the local library. Encourage each family member to check out at least one book.

Family reading night. Set aside time to read each week. Afterward, hold family discussions, giving each member a chance to talk about the book they are reading.

Family game nights about literature. Play some of your favorite family games with a literary twist, like charades based on favorite book titles.

Reading with your kids. Not only does this help your child realize the importance of reading, it is a great opportunity to spend one-on-one time together.

Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Health Care "New Math"

The numbers may get worse for Democrats if they pass a health-care bill.

Why?

Because Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.) wants to front load the reforms with distasteful things.

Under his plan, tax hikes and Medicare and Medicaid cuts kick in immediately, while new benefits are delayed for two-and-a-half years.

In other words, the only reason it "balances" for 10 years is because taxes and service cuts apply for 10 years but new benefits are only provided for 7 years!

Voters likely won't warm to reforms that slam them next year while promising benefits down the road.

PS I just read this quote at DickMorris.com--it's blunt but true: "It is, essentially, a program to force people [my children, their spouses and their children] who don’t need it to buy health insurance so as to lower costs for those who do and to subsidize part of the price tag by cutting medical care to the elderly [me]."

Did You Ever Wonder Where These Idioms Originated?

From the 1500's:

BACON
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat.”

BATHS
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and the children and last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!"

BEDS WITH CANOPY TOPS
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

BOUQUETS
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell bride’s carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor; hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

BREAD
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

BURIAL CUSTOMS: WAKES
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up; hence the custom of holding a wake.

BURIAL CUSTOMS: SAVED BY THE BELL
England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house to reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit in the graveyard all night—the graveyard shift--to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

PORRIDGE
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.

POTS
In the 1500’s they tanned animal skins with urine, so families used to pee in a communal pot and once a day it was taken and sold to the tannery. If you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor.” The really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot "didn't have a pot to piss in.”

ROOFS
Houses had thatched roofs—thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained, it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."

THRESHOLDS
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt; hence the saying, "dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold.

TOMATOES
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Clinical Test of 3 Nail Clippers

FYI: We decided our old nail clippers needed to be tossed away last month.

Bought a pair of "Sally Hansen La Cross" nail clippers first (the one NOT in a package on left). Although they were designed for arthritic users, the cut was ragged.

On our next shopping trip we tried the "Trim" clippers (same brand that we used for many years and had recently thrown away). Much better result.

On our next shopping trip we tried the "Revlon" pair. This was the crispest, cleanest nail cut of all.

However, due to their newness, none of the clipping mechanisms worked as smoothly as the old pair.