Highway Cleanup

It was that time again... Our mile of adopted highway was due a cleanup. Last Thursday was the chosen day for us to put on our prisoner-type clothing, arm ourselves with garbage bags and head to the ditches. Here are some shots of my friends(top to bottom), Misty, Tia, & Kelley.

Gas Prices

Meet Phyllis

This is Phyllis. She is a Bromeliad. She came to live in my office a week ago. She looks lovely in here, but being a tropical plant, the conditions are not suitable for her survival. So...this afternoon she will make her way home with me to take up residence on my patio.

Easter Weekend

Wes and Joy and their three children came to visit me this past weekend. On Friday, we went to Silver Dollar City and spent several hours riding the rides and viewing the sights. Saturday was fun-filled as well with going shopping at the outlet malls, playing mini-golf, going to IMAX, and also seeing the Hamner Barber Variety Show where we purchased the stylish new glasses seen in the photos. It was a wonderful weekend!

Easter Bunny Name

Easter Bunny Name Your Easter Bunny Name is Fuzzy Fluffypaws Get Your Easter Bunny Name at Quizopolis.com

My name turned out to be Fuzzy Fluffypaws...

The Master Is at Work

I recently came across the following illustration. Thought it would be good to share.

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

An Honest Day's Work...

This week has been one of those weeks. I won't go into detail, but it has been very stressful at my place of employment. Almost everything that could go wrong, has. It could be worse. My friend, Kelley, sent the following story to me. I hope you enjoy reading it.

The story below points out a couple things. First, just when you think things can not get worst, they do. Second, there are a lot of circumstances situations in life which make you ask, was it only by chance.

"An honest Day's Work, Pays Off"

The USS Astoria (C-34)
was the first U.S. cruiser to engage the Japanese during the Battle of Savo Island, a night action fought 8-9 August 1942.
Although she scored two hits on the Imperial flagship Chokai, the Astoria was badly damaged and sank shortly after noon, 9 August.

About 0200 hours a young midwesterner, Signalman 3rd Class Elgin Staples, was swept overboard by the blast when the Astoria's number one eight-inch gun turret exploded. Wounded in both legs by shrapnel and in semi-shock, he was kept afloat by a narrow life belt that he managed to activate with a simple trigger mechanism.

At around 0600 hours, Staples was rescued by a passing destroyer and returned to the Astoria, whose captain was attempting to save the cruiser by beaching her. The effort failed, and Staples, still wearing the same life belt, found himself back in the water. It was lunchtime. Picked up again, this time by the USS President Jackson (AP-37), he was one of 500 survivors of the battle who were evacuated to Noumea.

On board the transport Staples, for the first time, closely examined the life belt that had served him so well. It had been manufactured by Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, and bore a registration number.

Given home leave, Staples told his story and asked his mother, who worked for Firestone, about the purpose of the number on the belt. She replied that the company insisted on personal responsibility for the war effort, and that the number was unique and assigned to only one inspector.
Staples remembered everything about the lifebelt, and quoted the number.
It was his mother's personal code and affixed to every item she was responsible for approving.

SOURCE: Commander Eric J. Berryman, U.S. Naval Reserve, Proceedings, U.S.
Naval Institute, vol. 15/6/1036 (June 1989), P. 48.

Immutable Laws of the Natural Universe

Immutable Laws of the Natural Universe

Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch or you'll need to use the bathroom.
Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
Law of Probability: The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.
Law of the Telephone: If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.
Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.
Variation Law: If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now.
Law of the Bath: When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.
Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.
Law of Bio mechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach of one's "scratching fingers."
Law of the Theatre: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.
Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.
Murphy's Law of Lockers: If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.
Law of Rugs/Carpets: The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.
Law of Location: No matter where you go, there you are.
Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
Brown's Law of ladies shoes: If the shoe fits, it's ugly.
Wilson's Law: As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.

Thanks Annette!