Here and There

Summer 2011: Summer Service Project #1

2011-11-04T00:09:00.010-05:00

The Adult Education Center is a vital resource in our community. The center offers literacy classes, GED prep classes as well as GED testing, interview prep classes, ESL classes, etc... Also an after school program (Bears Den) is held here that gives kids a place to go after the school bell rings. While at Bears Den they receive help with homework but also get to participate in fun recreation opportunities like archery, field trips, etc... In addition to all that the center hosts many other events of interest to the county like Zumba.

Our Young Women group had the opportunity to do some much needed outside work for the center. The girls had a great time. They got to meet many of the adults who work behind the scenes as well as many of the kids who are involved in the "Bears Den" program.

The first order of business was to assemble a bench for the rose garden. The girls worked with some of the kids to put it together.

While one group of girls was working on assembling the bench another group was weeding the garden, pruning the roses, and picking up trash around the facility. Here's Allie who worked hard weeding and raking up leaves. We had bags and bags of clippings, weeds, and random garden debris.

After clearing out the garden the girls placed the benches, carried the bags of trash to where they belonged, and arranged the various garden ornaments. Here's Madilyn, Forest, Ivy, and Hannah posing with their bench.

The Bears Den kids started putting in a second garden. Another group of our girls helped by planting flowers and a Dogwood tree. The ground was extremely rocky. Laura is determined to plant that tree but it was hard work clearing out a spot for it.

I took a shot at trying to turn over that rocky ground. I actually got two or three shovel fulls of rock removed before it bounced off a rock and came back down on my toe. Not only did I slice it open from top to bottom but if ya look closely you'll see that my pinky toe is turned to an unnatural angle. Yep, it's broken.

Sarah was the hero who saved the day. She finally got that stubborn rock out of the ground in pieces but I swear I loosened it up for her. lol!!

Finally! The tree is in the ground!!

Left to Right: Sarah, Allie, Hannah, Forest, Laura, Ivy, Madilyn

These girls are rockstars!!!

For more pictures please go here.

Summer 2011: Timber!!!!!

2011-11-03T00:01:00.010-05:00

Timber!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, that's a phrase I've heard countless times. My dad has many skills and abilities. Included somewhere on that long list are his credentials as a Kentucky Master Logger. Dad can fell any tree in a safe and controlled manner. As a tiny little girl I was amazed that he could determine which direction the tree was going to fall and whether it would smash into pieces or remain intact after hitting the ground. I remember sitting in the back of a pick up truck watching. The chainsaw would stop, I'd hear "CRACK!" and then it was time to yell out... Timber!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dad would allow me to call it out and my little heart loved doing that almost as much as it loved Christmas morning.

There was no one yelling timber when this happened. I was at the farm that weekend. A big storm with high winds, lightening, and lots of rain hit the holler about 2 a.m. and continued for hours. In the very early morning I awoke and just a handful of heartbeats later heard a loud "Crack!" Immediately I slid off my bed. As I threw myself on the floor I felt the entire house shake. The huge 75 year old Sugar Maple in the front yard had given way and crashed exactly over top of my bedroom. Mom yelled for me. I was barely awake, my heart was racing, but I somehow managed to make it down the very steep steps.

Immediately I saw that the weight of the tree had caused problems. The front door wouldn't open, holes had been punched through the tin and sunshine was streaming through onto the porch. The weight of the tree was responding to gravity by dragging it across the roof which sounded like nails on a chalkboard. *shudder*

Within a few hours the walls were buckling and we noticed the floors were slanted. Mom called the insurance agent. I called people to remove the tree.

After all was said and done... Nearly $20,000 worth of damage had been done to the house. Yikes!

After the tree was removed from the roof it was cut up into small pieces and is now warming the farm house on the cold fall nights. The tree trunk still stands because it is massive! My dad is bringing a monster chainsaw when he comes down for deer season and it'll likely take hours to remove. I miss that old tree but we have a little five year old Sugar Maple in the yard which sprang up from one of it's seeds. So in a very real way it's still here. That's the thing about responsible logging. If done mindfully while considering how very much the land means to us all then logging is an industry that provides good jobs via a renewable resource. It's a win/win situation!

Summer 2011: Girls Day Out!

2011-11-02T00:01:00.009-05:00

Centennial Park

The Parthenon was built for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897 to celebrate the state's 100th birthday. It may seem to be an odd choice but up until the onset of the country music scene Nashville was known as "The Athens of the South". It is the only full size replica in existence. The exterior relief sculptures were cast from the originals housed in the British Museum of Art.

Athena Parthenos

This gold leafed statue of the Goddess Athena is 41 ft. 10 in. and holds the distinction of being the largest indoor statue in the western hemisphere. She is the work of Allen LeQuire and is based off of the existing accounts of the lost original once housed in the Greek Parthenon. In her right hand Athena holds the 6 ft. 4 in. statue of Nike, the goddess of victory. Truly she is a sight to behold!

Centennial Park has much more than "just" the Parthenon. We also found a train.

Mary was pining away for her fiance so we generously gave her five minutes of uninterrupted "pine time" to get it out of her system for a few hours. lol!

We had dinner at Hard Rock

After dinner we found lots to do on broadway.

Shopping

Meeting random video bloggers

Spending quality time with "The King"

We even found Kentucky at one of the many places offering up live music.

Elizabeth volunteered to collect money from those buying the singer's CD. He was really good but for the life of me I can't think of his name. Seriously though it's a great set of songs. I have it in my car right now.

I had broken my toe earlier in the day and after all the walking we'd done I was dying! Usually I'm the last one ready to go home but on this night I was ready to go before last call. Just remembering how much my toe hurt makes me wince. lol! Still all in all it was a great day with great friends.

I have more pictures and if ya wanna see 'em then please go here.

Summer 2011: Lost River Cave

2011-11-01T00:01:00.009-05:00

Ya know how a person can live in an area for years or maybe even a lifetime yet never take the time to see the sights? While living in Utah I would run into native Utahns who had seen only one or two of Utah's wonders! I would quickly admonish those folks to get themselves to the nearest national park asap! (Not a particularly difficult task being that the strikingly beautiful state of Utah has a whopping 5 of 'em.)

Well, then I return home to my beloved Bluegrass and realized... I was just the pot calling the kettle black because there are places in Kentucky that people travel from around the world to see that I had never taken the time to visit. Right then and there I decided the time had come to fix that oversight. #1 is Lost River Cave which is a grand total of... 29 minutes from the farm.

Path to Lost River Cave

Timothy getting engaged to a Washingtonian has been a lot of fun. She's as keen to see the sights as any out-of-towner is prone to be and is always game to go exploring.

This powder house has been in the cave valley since the Civil War era.

My mom & step dad

Cave Entrance

The only way to see the cave is by boat. It's tough to get a good picture while moving. I promise the inside is much more interesting than it looks. Jesse James & his gang supposedly hid out in here after robbing a local bank.

At the end of one of the trails I found a butterfly house.

Inside was really lovely and quite a sight with hundreds of butterflies floating around me.

Monarch Butterfly

I was on my own at this point. Everyone had gone back to the visitors center but I didn't mind. I loved hiking those trails in that beautiful little valley. I learned a lot as I walked and read the trail markers. The cave & valley have been in nearly continuous use since 1792. It's been home to a walnut company, a saw mill, Confederate soldiers, Union soldiers, outlaws, and a night club. The cave tour was interesting and the trails surrounding it are beautiful with little surprises like the butterfly house. All that just 29 minutes away from the farm. It pays to get out and see the local sights! I'm glad I did and if you ever visit I'll take you to see this one too.

To take a look at all my pictures from Lost River Cave click here.

Playing Dress Up!

2011-10-31T02:58:00.001-05:00

Taylor as a Woodland Magician.

HaPpY HaLLoWeEn!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's Halloween without some cute kid pictures? Since I don't have any cute kids of my own I'll borrow a few from my nearest & dearest friends. I love putting together costumes. I'll spend an entire year trying different things and getting together something (hopefully) fabulous. Christmas shopping doesn't really frost my cake but I love me some good ol' costume shopping. I helped Taylor by putting together the wand you see up above. Her mom did all the hard work by picking out lots of decorations and then gave me free reign to design it and figure out how to put it all together. I had such a fun time doing it and Taylor looks happy so that pretty much made my Halloween.

Taylor & Emma (a.k.a. Miss Magician & Cleopatra) got quite the haul of candy!

Spencer makes a cute fairy along with Emma's equally cute Cleopatra.

Awwwwww! Best Friends!!

I know ya probably just tuned in for the cute kids and I don't blame ya but stick with me and I'll do my best to provide mildly amusing entertainment by sharing a few of my favorite get-ups!

70's Girl

Love that eye shadow!

Kiss Me I'm Irish!

OK, not really...

What was suppose to happen here was a Corpse Bride/Zombie kinda thing but ya know how it is... Time has a way of speeding up and not everything gets done before the party starts.

I'm still hoping to pull off a corpse bride sooner or later.

Just imagine me all zombied up and looking freaking awesome!

One of the major keys to the perfect costume is hair. This pink wig belongs to my friend Cambell. If I could've found white go-go boots this would've killed!

Trying on green. Didn't pick it because I wasn't sure where to go with the whole green hair thing. All I could think of was clown and well, I have a phobia.

Trying on BrIgHt ReD in the costume shop. What ya think? Do I make a good Agent Scully???

OK, total stretch here but I just happen to know a former Miss Missouri. It made for a completely ready made costume but the high heels were insane! Maybe a zombie beauty queen???

I could probably pull that off. FYI... This crown is really heavy!

Southern Belle

Last but not least for those times when ya just can't find anything to wear...

Eve!

I hope you have a fun-filled Halloween! Go out there and get your inner Jedi/Ninja/Doctor/Zombie/Mummy or even *shudder* clown on and have a ball!!! Afterwards please post some pictures so I can check out your costume.

Summer 2011:Kickin' Off The Recap

2011-10-30T01:30:00.085-05:00

Summer Was Glorious!

Had some crazy adventures over the last few months. Can't wait to share 'em with everyone. I learned so much. Went to places I never expected to go visit. Made some crazy big decisions. Found old friends. Discovered new friends. Gained a new family member. Kept promises. Got lost. Experienced car trouble, computer trouble and plain old regular run of the mill trouble but lived to laugh about it all. Drove 4,000 miles. Set new goals. Got a perm.

missing aslan

2011-05-26T22:34:00.002-05:00

"He's Not A Tame Lion But He Is Good"

Today has been a singularly wonderful day. Actually, I find myself the happiest I've ever been. All is going so well. I like my job. I love my church callings. I'm enjoying the beautiful early summer weather just as I've thoroughly enjoyed all of spring. I am ever so grateful for my circle of friends, their wise counsel, and loving hearts. I've been blessed to reconnect with long lost friends and family which has brought such joy into my life. I am filled with hope for the future and for the time being I've made peace with my ongoing health issues. All in all life is sweet.

It's in these beautiful seasons of life that I find myself missing home. My true home. The place where I once was before coming here and the place I long to return to when my time here is done. I feel such love for my Savior who I most often think of as Aslan, the great lion, the Son of the Emperor Across the Sea...

As I knelt for prayers tonight I was overcome with a certain homesickness that I feel from time to time. It most often comes not when I'm overcome by the agony of illness as one might suppose... No, this particular feeling of homesickness comes in the best of moments. You know, those times which are so lovely and perfect they hint at all that lies beyond this life. How blessed I am to know the Savior lives and that He loves us so much.

Strawberry Summer

2011-05-16T22:47:00.000-05:00

The strawberries started coming in a couple of weeks ago. Oh my it's the best thing in the world to pick one and eat it straight off its stem. I tell ya... Over each long winter I forget what fresh strawberries taste like as I'm forced to eat the store bought variety. I'm always so surprised by how good the home grown kind taste and I rave about it for days and days. Of course, I'm not the only one. Everyone around here has the same memory deprivation thing going on because all I've heard this week are how good the strawberries taste. The local restaurants have started serving strawberry lemonade and there's a strawberry pie at every Sunday dinner and/or church activity. Strawberries signal the end of Spring and the beginning of Summer in my part of the world. Before long conversation will turn to weekends spent on the lake and all the ways to escape the ever-present humidity. Hello summer.

my never-ending battle

2011-05-10T22:37:00.005-05:00

I'm in full struggle this evening. Yesterday I was exposed to something that my immune system found offensive. I'm not even sure what it was but oh my word does it ever hurt! I think it may be the most painful allergic reaction I've experienced (aside from the killer spider bite which is in a league all it's own) thus far. Or perhaps... my mind has become a master of blocking out painful experiences allowing the current pain I'm experiencing seem like the worst. Either way all I gotta say about it is-- OUCH! This really freaking hurts and it's getting worse. I can't sleep which is lame because 4:30 a.m. will be here before I know it and then it's on to a long, long day at work if at all possible. (And it really needs to be possible because our Japanese owned facility is shutting down next week due to the struggles faced by their disaster-ravaged country.)

My mind is racing through all the possible scenarios and inevitably dwells on the worst which is, as always, full systemic allergic reaction and the weeks of steroid therapy which will follow. Endless doctors visits, shots, horrible tasting pills (really they are that bad and they cause everything a person eats to taste just awful), weight gain, insulin resistance which brings with it needle sticks & insulin, swollen fingers, toes, face, & feet, forced seclusion due to the steroid suppressed immune system, etc... etc...

Worse of all is that I find myself a little ticked off at God right at this moment because who else am I gonna be mad at?? Of course, I'll feel better in the morning. Most likely I'll feel all together better tomorrow. Honestly, I'm already feeling more hopeful and I know that whatever happens this go 'round it'll all be OK sooner or later. (But let's all hope for sooner rather than later, 'k?) Dumb allergies. They're such a nuisance!

I think I've come to the conclusion that I'm pretty much allergic to everything in Kentucky. Trees, flowers, grass, bugs, everything... Maybe I should move to Canada where the cold, cold winter kills off all the things that are trying so very hard to kill me off. :)

p.s. My Chaco tan lines are pretty sweet, huh?!

the princess and her hat

2011-05-03T01:32:00.002-05:00

Two billion people tuned in to watch the Royal Wedding and it was Princess Beatrice & her hat that stole the show. Love it or hate it but chances are that ya can't ignore it. There have been websites dedicated to it. Truly I think she's lovely and brilliant. She's got a future working in Product Placement & Brand Merchandising if the whole being a princess thing doesn't work out for her

because...

Every day since the wedding I've come across this hat or fascinator as they are properly called while reading various online articles. See, she's a genius.

Here are a few of my favorite fascinator-inspired pictures.

My all-time favorite!

www.princessbeatriceshat.com

end of days???

2011-04-27T12:43:00.007-05:00

OK, OK. So maybe "End of Days" is a little dramatic... Although it sure seems that way around here. For almost 20 days this month the good people of the Southeast have been dealing severe weather.

Hail, Tornadoes, Lightening, Wind, Rain, and Flooding have become so routine that today during his report the weatherman actually said, "Today's outbreak of tornadoes is likely to occur in the area shaded in red."

Gosh! It's like the worst possible weather is a foregone conclusion. If the weather keeps up this way it won't be a matter of "if" your house is hit by a tornado it'll be "when" your house gets hit by a tornado...

While driving home from church a lightening strike hit the ground so close to the car that we all were blinded for a few moments. Luckily I had the good sense to immediately hit the brakes so I wasn't driving blind.

Three rounds of storms will be passing through our area today. The first hit at 4 a.m. the second one is going on right now and the third is expected after dark. On the upside... The days without storms have been beautiful, warm, and very sunny. All five of 'em... :)

For more weather pictures highlighting our recent storms check out www.wbko.com where they've created an entire page dedicated to local photos. You won't be sorry there are some incredible pictures posted there.

miss me much???

2011-04-19T23:31:00.001-05:00

I didn't expect to be gone from the blogosphere for quite so long but oh-my-word I've been busy! Doing what you ask? Well... There's work of course. I get up at 4:30 am start work at 6 a.m. and stay there til about 3:30 p.m. but I won't spent too much time talking about that because its boring except when there's an explosion... It gets kinda interesting then despite the fact that it's completely contained behind thick plexi-glass walls. An unexpected explosion is a nice way to break up the monotony of a long work day.

I'll allow pictures to explain the rest of my absence.

I unexpectedly stopped blogging when I got stuck in a blizzard while visiting friends and during that time I came down with the flu. There just was no easy way to update the blog for about six weeks during the blizzard/flu episode of 2011.

Two days after the snow stopped falling...

One day several weeks after that I noticed my hair had gotten long

When I'm not at work I'm usually doing something with this great group of girls thanks to my new church calling.

Introducing Emily, Forest, Sarah, Ivy, and Laura. They are my heroes!

And finally... I traveled here with a couple of friends just a week ago. Good times!

Friday 56: Hind's Feet on High Places

2011-01-14T00:01:00.009-06:00

Grab the book nearest you right now.

1. Turn to page 56

2. Post a sentence or paragraph, if you like, along with these instructions. Or if you don't have your own blog, you can leave it here in the comments.

3. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest book, the most intellectual. Use the closest!

"From the very beginning the way up the mountains proved to be steeper than anything Much-Afraid had supposed herself capable of tackling, and it was not very long before she was forced to seek the help of her companions. Each time she shrinkingly took hold of the hand of either Sorrow or Suffering a pang went through her, but once their hands were grasped she found they had amazing strength, and seemed able to pull and even lift her upwards and over places which she would have considered utterly impossible to reach."

"The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places."

Habakkuk 3:19

Hinds Feet on High Places is one of my "special" books. It's one of those books with well worn, dog-eared pages. I read this book or rather experienced this book for the first time in college and it helped me come to know my Heavenly Father in a new & profound way. I feel something akin to reverence when I contemplate it's story of Much-Afraid and her journey to meet the Shepherd. Each time I pick it up I am immediately filled with anticipation to begin the journey once again because not only does it comfort me it continually teaches me new ways of making peace, facing fears, overcoming doubts, and accepting love.

dating revistied

2011-01-12T00:01:00.013-06:00

So... I've gotten a few emails asking me to write more about dating. Ya know, I'm really kind surprised by the requests because to be honest it seems a little like the blind leading the blind. I'm no dating guru in possession of hidden dating wisdom. My only qualification in regard to dating is that I'm single and I've gone on a date. :)

I'm not exactly sure what to write so I'll start be saying... Girls, respect yourselves. Know your boundaries. Define them. Write them down. Stick to them! And once you've set 'em don't change 'em without serious consideration.

One of the most difficult aspects of dating is that more often than not you're going it alone with little support from other single girls. Believe it or not it's easy to find your convictions tested when your roommates and best girlfriends are making different choices. Sometimes you will be unpopular but always stay true to yourself. Dating is about knowing yourself just as much as it's about getting to know someone else.

Public Service Announcement: Be careful about getting into cars with guys you don't know. One time I went to a party with a friend because she didn't want to go alone. After a while some of her other friends came and I wanted to go but I didn't drive. I believed her when she said we'd only be there for an hour. When a seemingly nice guy offered me a ride home I took it. About 10 miles from my apartment he decided to make a move which I politely declined. He didn't take no for an answer and became more persistent. Even after I slipped off my shoe and hit him in the head he couldn't comprehend the word no. I had to jump out of a moving car in heels, platforms really, and I count myself lucky. It could have been worse. Don't repeat my mistake.

And please for the love of all that is good take to heart the all important fact that if he isn't calling you, emailing you, texting you, or instant messaging you then he's just not into you. Moreover, don't get confused if he answers your calls, replies to your emails/texts/instant messages. That doesn't mean he likes you it means that he is polite. Repeat it with me... If he likes me he will call or email or text or im. A guy will risk his pride for you if he likes you but girls you better respect him for that! Even if you don't like him respect him and honor him for making the effort. Unless, of course, he's one of those creepy guys that won't take no for an answer in that case you just have to be direct and if he doesn't take the hint call the police. Unless he's deeply disturbed he won't be back and if he is then call me up and we'll organize a shotgun posse.

Happy 1/11/11 Day!

2011-01-11T00:01:00.005-06:00

Don't forget to take your vitamins!

Blue Skies

2011-01-09T00:01:00.001-06:00

Kentucky skies in winter are a near constant gray. At best they're a thin, fragile watery blue. Dreary. Oppressive even. So it goes without saying that this break in the clouds (pictured above) was very welcome. It didn't last for long but how nice is was to be reminded that there are blue skies up there... somewhere... Often it's hard to believe that they even exist after weeks of unrelenting gray but they do. Still, being human means I can doubt even what I know to be true. Sometimes I need reminders and our Heavenly Father takes great joy in providing reassurance...

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.

For I am persuaded beyond doubt that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,

Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8: 37-39 (Amplified)

Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments

Deuteronomy 7:9 (New American Standard)

Friday 56: The Lost Symbol

2011-01-07T00:01:00.002-06:00

Grab the book nearest you right now.

1. Turn to page 56

2. Post a sentence or paragraph if you like along with these instructions. Or if you don't have your own blog, you can leave it here in the comments.

3. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest book, the most intellectual. Use the closest!

"In 2001, in the hours following the horrifying events of September 11, the field of Noetic Science made a quantum leap forward. Four scientists discovered that as the frightened world came together and focused in shared grief on this single tragedy, the outputs of thirty-seven different Random Event Generators around the world suddenly became significantly less random. Somehow, the oneness of this shared experience, the coalescing of millions of minds, had affected the randomizing function of these machines, organizing their outputs and bringing order from chaos."

Resolution #2

2011-01-05T00:01:00.003-06:00

Another

New Year's Resolution

is to

finally

read

all those books I have

stacked in piles

stuffed in bags

stored in boxes

Ya know...

those books

found at

thrift stores

yard sales

used book stores

and

of course

the

Barnes & Noble

sales table!

Not to mention

all the books

received

Birthday

Christmas

Groundhog Day

Gifts!

(What you don't get Groundhog Day gifts?)

I've counted 9 books

from these pictures

that I've

actually read.

So...

While I'm not real sure about

what 2011 holds for me

I do know

one thing

I'll spend some of it

reading

Snow!

2011-01-03T16:25:00.000-06:00

I'm learning to make peace with the snow. It's not so bad so long as I have boots, a scarf, triple insulated gloves, a wool hat, thick socks, insulated under clothing, and a down coat.

Hurley, the cat, seems to enjoy winter. Good for you Hurley.

I don't think

this picture

looks a thing like me.

Eye see you!!

(bad pun week continues)

Jasper

the

snow dog!

Happy 1/1/11

2011-01-01T18:18:00.001-06:00

My first new year's resolution is to finally go through all my boxes upon boxes of stuff. My mom & step dad have kindly allowed me to store my ~~junk~~ uh... I mean treasured belongings upstairs at their farm house and they're happy to continue doing so but I feel the time has come to tackle the job.

Obviously I can live without this ~~junk~~ um... I mean treasured belongings because I've done so for the past year or so. However, I'm sure there will be some actual little treasures stuffed in these boxes, suitcases, duffel bags, storage bins, etc... Oddly enough I'm rather excited about the prospect.

I'm really hopeful about this new year. Why you ask?! I have no idea other than I just believe that good things come to those that dwell upon good things. Have I mentioned that my second new year's resolution is to dwell upon good things?! Well, it is. :)

Hope everyone had a ONE-derful 1/1/11. Yeah, that's a terrible pun! lol!!!

Much love to you all!

Affectionately,
Dana

cartoon time

2010-11-18T00:01:00.007-06:00

Cartoon time was pretty much my favorite time of day on most days when I was but a wee sprout. My brother & I would get off the school bus, check on Granny & Pappaw then run full speed down the hill home. There we would find our after-school snack waiting for us on TV trays. My brother and I had one glorious hour to veg in front of the TV while eating cookies or ice cream or whatever. Well at least until WBKO jumped on the talkshow band wagon and flipping Oprah took over the cartoon timeslot which is when we got a Nintendo but that's another post for another day.

Usually our antenna only picked up WBKO 13 which was the local ABC station but on slightly cloudy days we got Channel 7 out of Evanville which was ABC 7. Still that was a big deal because they played different afternoon cartoons. Oh the dilemma when we had to choose!

The following is a list of my favorite afternoon cartoons which played in the after school hours unless interrupted by a darn Afterschool Special warning us inevitably about the dangers of drugs and which we found beyond boring. Not all of these shows played during the same year & a few of them we only got to watch when staying with cousins after school. Many if not most of them were older in syndication type cartoons but I can still sing the theme song to every single one of 'em.

Honorable Mentions

M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) an off shoot of G.I. Joe was about really awesome cars & trucks that turned into airplanes and such. I know, I know you're thinking "Transformer Rip-off" but no these were not talking cars, trucks, & airplanes. They were just cars that turned into airplanes and they had helmets that were totally tricked out called "masks". The special M.A.S.K. agents were constantly battling V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Network of Mayhem) and Matt Trakker was their leader. There were also comics revolving around the M.A.S.K. universe and there is currently speculation about a series revival. A girl can dream...

Rescue Rangers was one of the many Disney afternoon cartoons. More will follow in this listing rest assured. During the summers my brother would go stay with my dad & we'd watch Rescue Rangers while talking on the phone nearly everyday. Dale got on my last nerve but I continued watching because I felt like Chip needed my support.

Voltron #10

Voltron was past its prime by the time I got to start watching it and I'm cheating a little bit by adding it to this list because the Defender of the Universe came on at 6 a.m. This was a sophisticated cartoon that had an intricate ongoing plot line divided into catergories such as Lion Force Voltron (Voltron of the Far Universe), Vehicle Voltron (Voltron of the Near Universe) and Gladiator Voltron (Voltron of the Middle Universe) all of which were based upon Japanese shows. The Defender of the Universe was comprised of individually piloted lion shaped vehicles which could come together and wield undefeated awesomeness.

In all truthfulness Voltron was incredible complex in a way that only the Japanese can devise. For example... Despite Lion Force Voltron being the first Voltron cartoon it was in actuality was Voltron III within the ongoing storyline because Arus was the planet furthest from earth. It took dedication to follow along and because my love of Voltron was strong it catipulted my coolness factor among boys to the Far Universe. Because I could discuss all the inner workings of evil King Zarkon's current plan to bring fear to planet Arus I was golden. Moreover, in order to create Voltron--Defender of the Playground someone had to be Princess Allura who piloted one of the lions and what little boy do you know who's willing to be "the girl". My knowledge of Voltron pretty much made me a hot commodity. lol! Concept art for the upcoming Voltron movie was released in September 2010. Woo hoo! Guess who's going to Comic Con in Princess Allura Cosplay???

G.I. Joe #9

G.I. Joe and their ongoing battle against Cobra Command. It's a classic that I only got to watch while staying with friends and cousins. However, we played with G.I. Joe action figures on a regular basis. When cousins came to visit we had epic two & three day long battles which involved hours of constructing forts, mountains, forests, oceans and deserts in which to battle. We went all out digging trenches with spoons & forks. The parents loved it because G.I. Joes kept us blissfully busy and out of their hair.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #8

Sing-song it with me. You know you want to--

Heroes in a Half Shell. TURTLE POWER!

I freaking LOVED TNMT!!! Leonardo was my favorite. Michelangelo was my brother's. We both loved Splinter of course. This cartoon was pure genius. I mean how does one think up mutated turtles being taught mad Ninja skills by a rat?! It was divinely inspired I tell you! This was one of the few playsets where we had every single piece which we lovingly collected piece by piece from yardsales and Goodwill. My brother and I both took karate which kept us in great shape growing up. My brother went on to get his blackbelt. He taught karate classes as well as competed in several state, regional, and national competitions winning many of them. All that came to pass because he was inspired by a cartoon.

He-Man & She-Ra #7

Perhaps you didn't know but He-man (aka Prince Adam) had a twin sister called She-ra (aka Princess Adora) who was kidnapped as a baby. We only got to watch He-Man on a daily basis due to our pitifully lacking TV reception. However, my cousin, had a satellite so when I visited her we watched She-Ra. I think my favorite character in this series of cartoons in Cringer who would transform into the fearsome Battle Cat when Prince Adam uttered the famous phrase... say it with me... By The Power Of Grayskull!!! My brother had Castle Grayskull, He-man, Cringer/Battle Cat, Skeletor, and Panthor which I can recall clearly but I wouldn't be suprised if he also had Teela, Man-at-Arms, & Orko. We played a whole lot of He-Man & She-Ra. Oh yes we did!

My Little Pony #6

I didn't get to watch My Little Pony very often due to the only having one channel thing. Still, I played with My Little Pony toys almost daily and when I did get to watch the cartoon it was a big deal. My brother would be loathe to admit it but he played My Little Ponies with me along with several of my boy cousins. However, there wasn't always peace in the land. On more than one occasion Skeletor came knocking on the pink Pony Castle doors. Of course, I was a cool girl with her own collection of He-Man/She-Ra action figures and G.I. Joes. When times got tough those guys protected the perimeter of Pony Land so Cotton Candy & Apple Jack could graze in peace!

Disney's DuckTales #5

Disney's Ducktales is a classic. It came on everyday right before Rescue Rangers. Huey, Dewey, & Louie went to live with Uncle Scrooge, the world's richest duck, after their Uncle Donald shipped off to the Navy. Many grand adventures took place as they battled the evil Flintheart Glomgold. I would just get so tickled when Uncle Scrooge took his daily swim in the gold vault! Another series, Darkwing Duck, was a spin off of this, my number five most favorite daily cartoon.

Transformers & Gobots #4

The concept for these two cartoons was exactly the same. Vehicles of all sorts transformed into robots. What a lot of people don't realize is that Gobots were first although I will admit that Transformers had a better storyline and pretty much nothing beats the name Optimus Prime for sheer awesomeness. Eventually Transformers owned by Hasbro bought out Gobots owned by Tonka. There was actually a release of action figures labeled Transformers: Gobots. Both the Gobots & Transformers were originally jacked (as in hijacked) from Japanese toylines. I once won the winning point in a game of "Battle of the Sexes" at a church FHE (young singles) meeting in Utah because I was the only person who could name Autobots & Decepticons as the opposing forces in Transformers. I scored addition points by naming Optimus Prime as leader of the Autobots & Megatron as leader of the Decepticons. (This was a couple of years before the movie came out and made them household names once again.) I'm a true fangirl and dang proud of it!

Tiny Toons #3

As a life long fan of Warner Bros animation I was destined to love Tiny Toons although the depth of my love may have actually stemmed from the fact that Don Messick (the voice of Scooby Doo, Papa Smurf, Astro from the Jetsons, and Dr. Benton Quest) was cast as Hampton J. Pig. Yep, I've paid attention to that kinda stuff since childhood. I know the voices behind most of the major cartoon characters of the 20th century. My young ears could pick up the subtle changes that told whether Mel Blanc, Jeff Bergman, Joe Alaskey, or Billy West was voicing Bugs Bunny and as far as I was and am concerned the Golden Era ends when the iconic voice behind the cartoon passes on. For me Mel Blanc is the end all and be all of Bugs Bunny just as Don Messick is the alpha & omega in regard to Scooby Doo. In all honesty it irked me to no end that imposters were trying to play Bugs, Daffy, and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang, however, I did truly enjoy the new characters and all their slapstick hilarity.

Batman: The Animated Series & Jonny Quest #2

Yes, I'm cheating but so what. Both of these deserve the #2 spot in my cartoon loving heart. Batman: The Animated Series was unlike any other cartoon on television. High profile actors like Mark Hamill were cast, the music was composed by Danny Elfman, the entire "feel" of the show was more like live action than anything prior to it and was dubbed "Dark Decko". Eventually Batman The Animated Series went on to be listed as the 12th greatest animated shows of all time. I watched it every single day after ABC 7 was converted to Fox 7. Thank you Fox!!

The New Adventures of Jonny Quest was an updated version of the classic cartoon. It's just freaking amazing! The storylines, the action, the adventure. Like Batman it was intented to have some appeal for the grown ups that had loved the character as children. Still it was fresh and new enough to appeal to younger viewers. This updated version added the character Jessie Bradshaw as a regular and explained that she was the daugther for Dr. Quest's right hand man. It was a smart move that appeal to girls like me that grew up loving GI Joe & Transformers.

Scooby Doo #1

Those that know me well are not suprised by this in the least. I love, love, love Scooby Doo. I even have a nearly life-sized stuffed Scooby that remains a treasured possesion. I can name the voice actors that have worked on most if not all of the Scooby incarnations and I can sing each theme song. I love the gang. I love the Mystery Machine. I love their "zany" adventures as Velma would say. Perhaps the most valuable lesson learned from Scooby Doo is to never split up!

Some folks may look at my long list, shake their heads, and say, "I'd never allow my child to watch an hour of worthless cartoons each day." My answer to that is this... Each of these cartoons fueled our young imaginations. Scooby Doo taught us not to fear ghosts, goblins, or witches because they were all people playing pretend and that a bunch of kids could work together and save the day. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles inspired my brother and I to take karate classes which kept us in great shape and gave us the opportunity to compete and meet people from all over the country and the world. My first international friends came from those karate classes. Voltron inspired in me a love of space. I spent hours of free time researching all things NASA related and I believe that is a key reason why I was named a Who's Who Among American Science Students when I was just 13 years old. Jonny Quest, He-Man, She-Ra, Voltron, Transformers, Batman, & M.A.S.K. introduced me to strong female characters that inspired and challenged me to literally travel the world when I was older. Jonny Quest in particular took us to places like India & Hong Kong. We played outside for hours setting up street vendor sets like looked as much like India as we could get in rural Kentucky. Because we wanted our India, Hong Kong, Kathmandu to be as authentic as possible we checked out books from the library and learned phrases (I can count to 10 in some close to 12 languages), customs, styles of dress, and all matter of interesting facts. We learned to pretend to be ruby miners in Burma, diamond miners in South Africa, fisherman in Japan, and stockbrokers in Hong Kong. :) We learned to set rules, devise strategies, cooperate, share, save allowances, bargain shop at yard sales and get chores done quickly so we could return to playing. I won't allow my own children to watch five hours of TV a day but I'll tell you this... I will definitely sit down with them after school, eat some cookies, drink some lemonade, and watch an hour's worth of cartoons a day. (Actually 42 minutes on DVD.) I'll feel like I've done a great job parenting if my future kids have even half the adventures that we had growing up.

citrus fruit & belly buttons

2010-11-17T01:50:00.002-06:00

Don't ya love how you figure somehow without even have realized that you hadn't quite gotten it in the first place? Well, today as I was anxiously awaiting the onset of citrus season I got online to place an order for world class citrus fruits including oranges, grapefruits, tangelos, Ugli fruit, and Clementines. It was then that I realized that Navel Oranges are called so because they have a navel. Love it!

And since someone asked... I had my own navel cauterized because one morning a few years ago green liquid began pouring out of my belly button. The doctors never figured out exactly why that happened even though I saw a slew of doctors and had a CT scan. However, they all came to the consensus that my navel couldn't be allowed to remain open so it was deemed necessary to seal it shut with silver nitrate minus anesthetic. Not a single one of the doctors would do it. They called in a nurse practitioner. Her hands were shaking but she managed to get my navel sealed after using eight of those silver nitrate stick thingies. I shudder (literally) as the memories flood back. During the procedure I laughed because it hurt so much and because it was so ridiculous. (I mean how many people will ever have this happen to them. Me. Of course. That's probably it I realized.) The nurse kept apologizing and I kept saying it was OK. And it was until I hopped off the table and hit the floor. Why oh why couldn't that have happened earlier. Blissful unconsciousness would've been welcome because even though I was wearing a mask (silver nitrate is highly toxic) I could still smell the sickeningly sweetish smell. *shudder* All in all it was just another one of those laugh or cry moments! :)

p.s. I received an email asking, "what exactly is silver nitrate & what did it do?"

Well, silver nitrate has many uses. In a highly diluted state it was actually dropped into infants' eyes before antibiotics were used. In my case fused silver nitrate shaped into stick form (looks like a giant match) was dipped into water & then stuck into my belly button where a chemical reaction took place and burned the opening shut. It hurt. a lot. Really & truly I can't think of a word that can describe how badly it hurt. My mom, the nurse, and myself were all crying by the time it was over. Although I did laugh my way through the procedure I cried too all at the same time...

antarctica update

2010-11-16T00:30:00.001-06:00

When It Rains It Pours

Ever had a laugh or cry moment? I have. Frequently. I rather enjoy them although it gets a little awkward when I'm laughing while others involved are crying. Believe me it's happened. At least once but probably more. I just remember the one time because it was my mom crying, well, she was on the verge and that's about as close as she gets. And if there's one thing born & bred into us Kentucky girls along with an inherent love of sweet tea & UK basketball, of course, it is--Don't mess with Mama when she's riled. Just like the instinct to migrate for birds we Kentucky girls know that placating Mama is necessary for survival in certain circumstances. Yet, every once and awhile along comes a member of the species (And... Kentucky girls are a species all our own. Not bragging, just stating a fact that neither reflects positively or negatively upon us.) that probably wouldn't make the cut in a Darwin-esque survival of the fittest contest in regard to the Mama Rule. I am one of those. Not shocked are ya.

Long story short... Our car died at a toll booth & it just so happened that my principle & her family stopped to help push our car to NOT the side of the road but the median in the smack middle of the road. Well, this just struck me funny & I got good and tickled right there. Actually I lost my breath laughing which infuriated mama. I could see her point. Single mom. Two kids. Stuck in the middle of the road in a car loaded down with everything my blessed granny could pack into a two-door-limited-edition-black-with-hood scoop-turbo-Trans Am. (The fact that this was the world's worst family car is another thing all together but it was a classic.) And...Granny was famous for forcing her old junk on unsuspecting children and grandchild but she meant it as a loving gesture so I was wedged in good by an old exercise bike, stereo speakers, and three bags of hand me down clothes which she saved for each grandchild. Granny had 12 kids and scores (literally) of grandkids. She took a great deal of pride in ensuring that we were well fed & clothed.

Back to the wrath of mama... The more she yelled at me the more I laughed and when I started quoting cliches like "when life hands you lemons ya gotta make lemonade" well, let's just say that mama lost her religion in a memorable way. Ya even been spanked on a toll road median in front of dozens of oncoming cars? It's especially nice when those driving by are shouting out support for mama's impromtu demonstration of parental discipline. There is nothing quite like getting your backside & upper thighs thoroughly tanned on the toll road median and hearing "Spare the rod spppooooiiillll theeeee chiiiilllldddd" yelled out by passerbys enhanced, of course, by the doppler effect which accompanies sound on the move. Did I mention it was summer & hot? Kentucky hot & humid. Dear lord that sure didn't help matters but I kept on laughing. Oh. yes. I. did. The whole situation was a big ball of funny all wrapped up in an utterly unlikely yet very real and completely uncomfortable situation. Mama finally had to summon all of her "mom powers" to tune me out completely after I said, "well, I'd rather laugh than cry". I'll forever be thankful for those mom powers as I'm pretty sure they saved my life that day.

Now what does all that have to do with Antarctica you ask? Well, this is the South and we are a story tellin' people and ya just gotta take the long way around to the point. (I add this for my non-Southern peeps because it goes without saying for fellow Southerners.) And the point is this...

Remember the bee sting??? Scroll down a bit and check that bad boy out if ya haven't already. Well, it hurt. a lot. I had to walk funny for a few days putting all my weight on my heel and practically locking my knee. This modified walking style that I nicknamed the "Zombie Stagger"unfortunately aggrevated an old knee injury which I got when tending a friend's horse farm a few years ago.

Now that's a fun story. Slipped on ice. Boxes went flying. Knocked me out colder than kraut. By the time my friends got to me I was frozen to the ground. Oh mine is a life of adventure or something sorta like it but maybe not quite. Regardless, I laughed really hard when I realized I was frozen to a solid sheet of ice stretching out at least 15 feet in all directions. Of course, I cursed like a sailor out to sea for a good fifteen minutes but after that I laughed although I stopped short of tears because I was afraid they'd freeze. Really.

Needless to say I got myself a right fine knee injury that day which was my birthday no less. Nothing quite like hitting your head and being knocked unconsious awaking to find yourself frozen to the ground on your flippin' birthday. Unless, of course, it's getting your hide tanned on a toll road in front of God, your middle school (yes, middle school) principle, and approximately 200 passersby.

So maybe that wasn't long story short but this is... Currently I've got myself a reinjured knee that's going to require six weeks of physical therapy so as to avoid surgery. Which in essence completely & utterly nixes Antarctica until next Novemeber. Another laugh or cry situation. Gonna have to laugh at this one too because who gets stung by a bee at 2 o'clock in the morning. Me. Of course. The same girl that was frozen to the ground on her birthday and spanked on the toll road in front of an audience and forced to endure having her belly button cauterized (google it) with no anesthetic all the while laughing because when it's laugh or cry time, baby, the odds are ten to one that I'm gonna laugh my way through it. You can take it to the bank!

The Sunset & Mercy

2010-11-05T01:52:00.006-05:00

Here I am sometime between midnight and 1:00 a.m. thinking about mercy. God's mercy.

For when it all comes down mercy is what saves my soul.

Going...

Sure there are things I have to do. Faith without works is dead (James 2:20) so I have a few little tasks. For example-- Faith. Not much is gonna happen if I don't have faith to believe that Christ is the Son of God. Then there's Repentance. I'd just be stuck in the same ol' pit without this beautiful requirement of the Gospel. After that comes Baptism which is something many people don't believe is necessary for salvation but I do. Yet even without my own personal belief in baptism's necessity it would still be a "work" I'd want to accomplish in order to follow the example set forth by the Savior. And, of course, if I love Jesus I'll strive to keep His commandments because He asked me to. (John 14:15)

Going...

Yes, there is certainly important "work" to be done.

Going...

Still, despite the faith, repentance, baptism, and earnest effort to keep the commandments my salvation is dependant upon mercy. Lately I've been concentrating on the fact that my failures are not without penalty and the truth of it rends my heart.

Let me see if I can back this up a bit. You see, I've been blessed to witness many miracles lately. Real honest to goodness no other way to explain it but divine intervention type miracles. The kind of stuff that brings me to my knees in awe basking in the greatness and utter glory of the Living God and His Son, Jesus Christ. I have witnessed miracles ranging from my poor cat's impossible recovery to a friend freed from decades of pain, true agony really, despite every "authority" saying it just couldn't happen. Even weeks later there are doctors and experts saying that it just can't be. Yet, my friend is walking about testifying to it simply by doing the everyday things of life.

And just when I thought there couldn't be anything left to surprise me... I witnessed an event with a friend which was so incredible, so spectacular that I can't put it into words here because this just isn't the place for it.

Gone

Needless to say I've spent quite a lot of time considering miracles and I realized that they often, if not always, require some amount of sacrifice. The sacrifice of hours spent in prayer, the sacrifice of suffering, the sacrifice of staying the course in faith, and the sacrifice of fasting to name a few. And I think I became too fixated on the sacrifice and lost sight of the mercy. Perhaps I was beginning to think that living a life bearing witness to miracles meant that my sacrifice was necessary to God's mercy. Then came the inevitable failure. The loss of temper, the momentary lapse of faith, the day spent without a moment of prayer, the failure to fast... Whatever is required I am certain to fail at doing it as time passes for I am not perfect. And if that weren't bad enough of its own-- Then comes the guilt. Fast and furious it engulfs me and as I'm giving way to fear a still small voice whispers... Repent and God's mercy will settle the difference. And...in that moment it occurs to me that I am in the midst of yet another miracle. Oh do I recognize the greatness of it?

Here's to hoping that I will always fall to my knees in adoration of God who so desperately wishes to show mercy to His children and have them receive it.

Update

2010-11-04T01:00:00.007-05:00

Hey peeps! Sorry I've been incommunicado. Here's a brief rundown of what's been taking up my time.

Poor Bago became ill several days ago. He wasn't eating much and was lying around all day uninterested in going outside, killing things, or attacking my feet. I took him to the vet and the news wasn't good. Bago had lost nearly five pounds, he was severely dehydrated and his red blood count was too low to ever recover. I was told that Bago was going to die and the vet suggested I have him put to sleep right there in the office.

After breaking down into gasping sobs (you know the kind I'm talking about don't ya?) I decided... Since Bago was still eating and drinking a little bit I'd bring him home. The vet said that Bago wouldn't live more than two or three days but I thought that if he was going to die I'd rather he go at home where he is comfortable. (He absolutely hates any place that isn't home.) So he and I hit the road home to wait it out... I had to cancel my girl's night out with Trisha. (Thanks for understanding T!) On the way home I asked God to heal my cat. I couldn't sleep that night so I emailed some friends and asked them to pray for him too. And then there came the miracle... Yep, God loves cats and their sad crying emotionally distraught people a whole lot as well.

This is a picture I took today. He's looking pretty good for a cat that should have died on Sunday. He really does not like the camera. He knows what it is and he runs from it. I got him to stay still by repeatedly saying his name in different funny voices and that's why he's looking at me with big round eyes. Just think "baby talk" times 27 or something.
I think he was concerned that I had lost my mind.

By this point in the "photo shoot" I had pretty much exhausted all of his patience. This is his "go-away-right-now-unless-you-have-tuna" face. I did, in fact, have tuna so he forgave me. He's been steadily improving everyday. He's going through a can of tuna, a can of cat food, and about half a cup of dry food every day. Plus he gets about half a cup of cream and cat treats. Little by little he started walking around, then running, after that jumping and as of today attacking. It's a non-stop fight to keep him in the house but he still has about four more pounds to put on before he can go outside again. Not to mention his fur needs to grow back. (The vet shaved him down on his belly to check for injuries.) Besides I'd like to wait a few months. Perhaps I'm being overly cautious but it's been really chilly and the last thing he needs is a cold. So inside is where he'll stay for a while.

It's not just the cat that's been keeping me busy. Oh no! The dogs have to be tended to as well.

Jasper

got a

haircut

and a

new

t-shirt!

Jasper started out as my brother's dog but when Timothy moved to Washington he could only take one dog so he took General, the yellow lab, and left this little guy. I tried to find him a home but it just didn't work out. Jasper is not a typical Yorkie. He needs lots of room to run and play. I'm so proud of him though because it only took a couple of days to house train him & only a couple of weeks to get him kennel trained. He's not had a single accident in the house since the second or third day he came to live here. He's pretty pleased with his new 'do don't ya think?!

I've also discovered yet another reason why I do not love fall and winter. The gray skies are constant during this time of year. Sure there are a few breaks here and there but these dull lifeless skies can last for weeks with no sunshine at all. As I consider my winter loving friends it occurs to me that they live in areas that are mostly sunny even during winter. They do not have to contend with all this grayness. Plus they have enough snow to make winter sports possible. That's definitely not happening here. It just gets gray and cold then colder with maybe a few inches of snow hitting in January and February that melts in a week while in the meantime we have to deal with sleet, freezing rain, and the occasional ice storm. Not fun! I'm really digging deep in my whole quest to understand why I hate fall and the reasons just keep on a comin'... By the way, this is JJ one of the "barn cats". I tried to bring her in once but she didn't like it at all. She has a cozy little spot in the barn and that's where she wants to stay. She's fixed and up to date on all her shots so I figure the barn is a good place for her. She's pretty much queen of the castle out there.

Lastly I've been contending with my sting from a few days ago. You can thank me for letting it heal up a bit before taking and then posting pictures. I know some of ya'll don't like injury/medical pictures & related conversation. And you know who you are... Trans-Pacific Wednesday Night Coffee House Goers. ;)

After getting stung I started the obligatory course of steroids which for me lasts about six weeks. Thankfully no shots this time just pills. I decided a few days ago to quit taking them just to see what would happen. Well, I found out. My sting site turned bright red then the entire area swelled and my oxygen saturation dropped from 100% to 80% resulting in the need for supplemental oxygen for nearly an entire day. So... This pretty much nixes Antarctica for this year. Now I have to choose whether to go early next year and stay until November. It's going to be a really tough decision because I have a great job for next year already lined up and waiting for me stateside. It's a job that would most likely comp my grad school classes. How cool is that? I have a few months to think it through so that's what I'll do... Now ya'll are all caught up. Wish it could've been more interesting! :)

snug as a bug

2010-10-30T00:53:00.000-05:00

I love the mess outta this dog!!!

Lyra is a dog after my own heart. She is not a fan of cold weather and this is what I found when I came upstairs to go to bed. She somehow managed to snuggle her way under my down blanket and only poked her head out when I called her name.

Friday 56: In The Grip of Grace

2010-10-29T01:02:00.002-05:00

Grab the book nearest you right now.

1. Turn to page 56

2. Post a sentence from that page plus one or two others if you like along with these instructions. Or if you don't have your own blog, you can leave it here in the comments.

3. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest book, the most intellectual. Use the closest!

In The Grip of Grace

by Max Lucado

"Ponder the achievement of God.

He doesn't condone our sin, nor does he compromise his standard.

He doesn't ignore our rebellion, nor does he relax his demands.

Rather than dismiss our sin, he assumes our sin and, incredibly, sentences himself.

God's holiness is honored. Our sin is punished...
and we are dedeemed.

God does what we cannot do so we can be what we dare not dream: perfect before God."

morning

2010-10-28T07:16:00.001-05:00

What a morning. Getting up before the sun is not my idea of a good time unless there's a notable cosmic event such as a meteor shower or the garden needs to be tended. Typically there is no reason to get up before the sun in the fall and winter months. (Score one for my least favorite seasons.) Today was the exception. I am up before dawn, I can't find my scriptures which are my preferred early morning reading materials plus my camera is on the roof in an unreachable location and it's too dang early to be climbin' up a ladder. On the up side the night sky is beautiful! The constellations are out in full force--Orion, Cassiopeia, Pleiades... The stars are in sharp focus which occurs only during this time of year when the late night/early morning humidity is below sixty percent. (Score two for my least favorite seasons.)

It's a really good thing that I do love my animals because they sure are a testin' my patience this morning. Monty, the English Setter, wakes me up to go outside then Bago, the cat, decides it's time for tuna, and after all that I find Lyra on my bed with her head on my pillow looking mighty comfty under my blankets. That just won't work. Deep breath. Another. Another... and then a forceful off! (Don't feel sorry for her. She has her own bed and it's not a dog bed. It's a people bed and it's actually much more comfortable than mine.) Urg! That was my only set of clean sheets. Off go the sheets & blanket just for good measure. Into the washing machine they go. I have a slight allergy to dogs and cats. Since I'm a little hyper-reactive due to my recent bee sting I can't have the fur on my sheets.

A quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast and it's time to find the ladder. Stupid slippery camera!

Clock photo by Jim Sanborn. You can find him here. His stuff is some of my favorite!

paws and reflect

2010-10-27T00:25:00.003-05:00

Lyra's Lazy Day--"Um, I'm trying to take a nap here."

So yeah, I'm a "dog person" and I have been for as long as I can remember. Dogs are as much as part of my culture as having a truck or car. It's never been an option not to have a dog. It's not something I have even considered before now and as I think of it in this moment and imagine myself without a dog it feels so weird. Yikes! It's kinda freaking me out a little bit. lol! It's important to note that while my dog hasn't always lived with me like when in college while serving as a missionary etc... I have always had a dog back home.

For me my dog falls into the same category as family. The level of commitment is the same. It's the same for most of my nearest and dearest hailing from these parts. The general thought on the matter is that a family simply isn't complete unless a member of the canine species is represented.

That said it's also important to say a few words about the fact that there are different kinds of dog people. While we all share close to the same level of devotion and commitment to our canines the way we relate to them is different. For instance, my dog is not my child. She does not in any way fill that role. Rather she's my friend. She's an everyday part of my life and I love her dearly. She won't "go away" when I have a child. My love for my dog will not decrease when I have a child because there is a place for both children and dogs in my life. They fill their own roles and for me those roles are different. However, there are very many other people that do consider dogs to be their children and that's OK too. They give all the love and devotion that would be used for a child and aim it in the dog's direction. I think that's a great place for it! For some folks their kid's dog(s) stand in place of grandkids and I think that's really cute. Regardless of how we relate to them we all love them and don't want to imagine our lives without them. I think that is the essence of being a "dog person".

Bago's Bed--

"Go wash your hands in the kitchen, human. I am not moving."

Now... while I have always been a dog person the whole being a cat person is totally new to me. Bago (pronounced Bahh-go) is the sole architect behind my new Cat Woman persona. I met him a few years ago while home from Utah. He is not a nice cat. He spent the first two weeks hissing at me and slapping me repeatedly. Oh and he bites. Yeah, I've been bitten more times that I can count. Literally it's in the dozens. Yet, I love him with a deep love that equals that I feel for my sweet, gentle, usually obedient, loving Lyra. By the way, I'm not the only one who didn't receive a warm welcome. Bago has been know to come up to Lyra the 100 lbs rottweiler and slap her right across the nose. He's a confident one that cat. He has four ways of moving about: stalking, running full force, pouncing, and sauntering. He does not merely walk. He is above walking. And... while he'd never admit it he does have a sweet side. He occasionally cuddles and he enjoys sharing a recliner in the evening. Bago likes about four people and I'm so lucky to be counted in that number.

Non-pet people ask me on occasion why I am so devoted to these creatures that leave fur everywhere and require a significant financial investment to cover food, toys, and medical needs. I don't exactly know-- it's probably due in part to my being raised in a culture and family that values animals as something more than food. I'm sure some of it is "just me" and how I am. Then there's the part that can honestly say I get more from them that they do from me. The fact that they make me laugh outloud every single day is a really big deal. Like tonight when the six pound yorkie stole a rawhide bone from the rottweiler (don't worry dog peeps I don't allow them to eat the rawhide) and could barely drag it back to his bed. Now that's funny!
Poor Lyra. Sounds like she gets picked on a lot but I assure ya'll that she does her fair share of getting the upper hand. She ate all of Bago's food right out of his bowl the other day and boy was he mad. He stalked right up to me and complained loudly! Another laugh outloud moment!!

Occasionally people say that my dogs & cat are lucky but I'm pretty sure that I'm the lucky one.

princess and the bee

2010-10-25T20:47:00.002-05:00

A look at my night stand reveals a bit about my weekend. I was stung by a bee at 2 am! Now, I ask, who gets stung by bees in the wee hours?! The little bugger was hiding in my robe and when I tightened it up--Ouch! Of course, of course, of course both the overhead and nightlight bulbs were blown. (How does that happen!?!) With a dying flashlight I found my epi pen. This isn't my first time around the bee sting block so I started slowing down my racing 142 bpm heart rate and forced air into my lungs by talking myself through it. So... It's back on steroids for another six weeks. Which postpones Antarctica. Urg! However, there is grace to be found in that I'll being taking a tiny itty bitty dose. Feeling thankful for the little things over here.

How did a bee get into my robe you ask... Well, I opened my bedroom window yesterday-- screens & all. He must have buzzed right on in carried by the breeze. Let me just say that Mr. Bee has some mighty fancy tastes as he made himself at home in my Oscar de la Renta robe (a much loved Christmas present from years ago) all the while inhaling the sweet fragrance of Vera Wang Princess. Yes, Mr. Bee, we are soul mates and since I didn't see you I hope that you're one of those bees that doesn't die when he stings. I rather like thinking that my bee soul mate is out there and that next year's honey will contain essence a la Princess.

So I must apologize for not posting our Fourth Friday Giveaway winner earlier in the day. Blame it on the bee! :)

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts on fall/autumn. I loved reading what you love, enjoy, and even dislike about this time of year. My meter-reader guy picked the winner this time. I wish that I'd taken a picture. He was absolutely delighted to be asked to pull a name outta the hat (literally) and if you could have seen his grin well... you would've been smiling too. He enjoyed it so much that I'm hoping he'll be able to do it again so I can catch that smile on camera. Thanks again for taking the time to add your inspiration to my little virtual home. Feel free to drop by again anytime and be sure to enter future giveaways!

On to business... Without further ado our winner is... Melon!

Please email me at danacheryl@ymail.com and I'll forward your information on to Liz.

More giveaways are coming up including a $35 give card to CSN stores and an awesome baby basket chocked full of to-die-for baby essentials!!!

October Giveaway:Liza's Lotions

2010-10-22T00:01:00.017-05:00

October's Fourth Friday Giveaway is sponsored by

Liza's Lotions

Remember Liz??? Ya'll met her last Friday and your response to her interview was fantastic. Comments, emails, Facebook messages galore! She's decided out of the goodness of her great big beautiful heart & her company's expense budget to offer a $20 gift certificate which can be applied toward any of her products along with free shipping to anywhere. And that's not all... The winner will receive a personal consultation with Liz. That's right she will speak with you and then make products ESPECIALLY FOR YOU! Now where can you find that kind of service these days?! Definitely not at the cosmetics counter at the mall or even at a home cosmetics party. We're talking about products made just for you... your skin, your desires, your likes, your hopes, your dreams... OK maybe lotion, face cream, & lip balm can't make our dreams come true but it can make us more confident women as we work toward all those fabulous dreams!

In order to win just leave a comment. That's all. However, I'd be ever so grateful if you'd be so kind as to tell me why you love fall. (I'm needing some inspiration!!) The winner will be announced on Monday. For a look at Liza's Lotion products please hop on over to Liz's page right here.

Good Luck!

p.s. Guys, you should enter too. This would make a great gift for your wife, mom, girlfriend or sister. Christmas is coming up!

Overwintering

2010-10-21T00:01:00.002-05:00

Overwintering the plants is a big job that comes part and parcel with fall. This is right up my alley. I love caring for living things... plants, puppies, cats (that's how the farm ended up with 13 of 'em), chickens (there are 25 eggs in the incubator & three 1 day old chicks in the warming box), and, of course, people. I must admit that despite my less than loving attitude toward fall I do greatly enjoy garden work in these temperatures rather than those of the summer. There are quite a few things to do to overwinter the plants but luckily we don't have to bother with thermal blankets and the like. I start by donning my cutest gardening hat and gloves. Then go to work weeding the blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. I trim back a lot of growth on the blackberries, remove all the fastenings, and put them back on in new strategic locations. After the berry bushes are to that stage I move on to weed the pear, apple, peach, plum, and cherry trees. At this point liberal amounts of compost are applied topped with sawdust and then mulch. It takes about a day's worth of honest work but it also bring peaceful feelins when I go to bed at night knowing that all my plant friends are prepared for winter. Our only domesticated blackberries are Doyle's and they didn't produce at all this year due to the 200 year flood that covered them with several feet of water for a good part of May. We relied solely on the hundreds of wild blackberry plants growing all around the farm to supply our blackberry needs. Apple/Blackberry pie is just scrumptious and if you ever come to visit I'll make you one!

All that beautiful, dark, rich soil around the bottom is compost. This is mid-way through the overwintering project. Eventually the entire area all along the trellis was covered with compost, saw dust, and mulch.

I'm not quite finished with the raspberries & blueberries because other farm chores involving animals interrupted me. My plan is to finish it off on the weekend. However, there is more overwintering to be done... Several plants have to be brought inside.

But first they get a fall "haircut". Don't worry all this beautiful, lush greenery went into the compost pile.

This little guy had a rough year with the temps hitting the 100s in June instead of late July it almost did him in. Usually he's twice this size and has the tiniest purple flowers covering him. I think he's glad it's fall even if I'm not. He's ready for a rest. This is one of the many plants I collected while serving as a missionary. My good friend Erin Whiting gave me a start of this plant which I named Naphtali since he's called a "Wandering Jew" otherwise designated as Tradescantia zebrina.

His little basket will be stored in a garbage bag and placed in the barn with left over potting soil, a dozen or so empty pots, and my gardening tools.

Here's a look at all the plants after they were trimmed down and moved into their winter home aka the Eastern facing windows. Each one of these has it's own story, most have a name, and there are several more that ya can't see in this picture. I kinda have a thing for plants which I get from my granny & my mom. One of my chores from waaaaayyyyy back was watering all of the plants in my granny's HUGE bay window. (We lived right next door to my grandparents.)Some of my plants date back to those days. I'm so lucky to have had two grandmothers that taught me a love of the earth and growing things.

Hulling Walnuts

2010-10-20T00:01:00.001-05:00

My friends this is the mighty Black Walnut tree. Several are scattered around the farm. Upon it grow Black Walnuts not to be confused with English Walnuts. I am, in fact, slightly allergic to English Walnuts but I would quite possibly cry if the same were true about our native Black Walnut species. Each fall after the canning is finished we turn our attention to hulling walnuts.

Inside the green/brown hull lies my most favorite nut. It is another of those farm things that I love so dearly because the taste is unique not to mention delicious and it is tied to this area of the country.

Tools needed include a hammer, gloves, a bucket for hulls and a bucket for the walnuts.

The drought & abnormally long period of 100+ degree temperatures practically shrink-wrapped the walnuts. One swift tap from the hammer was replaced by three or four or five or...

Finally! :)

Gloves are essential because this stuff darkens and it does not wash off with soap, water, or even bleach. Once it stains the hands it's on there for months.

Success!

As the walnuts dry in the sun they darken into a deep black. The hulls are put to good use as they are put into the compost. However, there are many more uses for them. My granny would soak them, strain them, and make things like stain for furniture, ink, and even medicinals.

Despite my gloves I still ended up with black hands. Over the next few days my entire hands darkened.

It looks awful doesn't it?! A couple of weeks have gone by since this picture was taken and my hands still look like I've gone three rounds with frostbite. Next year I'm wearing better gloves. :)

canning

2010-10-19T00:01:00.003-05:00

With the onset of fall comes a myriad of fall related activities. One of the most time consuming and happiest of all fall chores is canning.

Growing up I remember my granny & mom building fires and loading down a big ol' heat-scorched wash tub with mason jars full of colorful vegtables. What a chore that was! Heat had to be constantly adjusted by adding or removing wood or coal to keep the water at a slow boil, clean rags had to be places between jars to keep them from hitting one another & breaking and it required 12 hours a day for six weeks or so. Today, however, we use pressure canners which significantly reduce cooking time. Green beans only take 25 minutes under 10 lbs of pressure unlike the days of my childhood when the same chore took four hours. Step one in preparing to can is the necessary although tedious job of washing jars. Hundreds of jars ranging from little bitty jam jars to big half gallon potato jars like the ones above are brought out by the case. How thankful I am for a dish washer which is a lovely little invention that my mom refused to allow in her house back in the day. Her decision to forego dishwashers left me devoting hours to my least favorite chore of washing dishes. Can you imagine having to wash three hundred jars??? As for me I don't have to imagine it. I still have flashbacks...*Shudder*

Oh but how I do love bringing in the garden! During this time I revel in feelings that come with completing a task. Yet, there's something more... A thankfulness. A sense of living in partnership with the earth. As well as that beautiful sense of purpose that arrives first thing each morning as I realize there is important work to do.

Just a few words about potatoes... Have you ever tasted a potato grown in rich soil without the use of chemicals, nourished with only compost derived from last year's garden and the falling rain? The potato harvest something I look forward to all year! These are "arsh" potatoes. They taste sweet & nutty with a perfect not-too-firm-not-too-mushy texture. The smell of these potatoes cooking is unlike anything a store bought potato could yield on its best day.

The canning season always begins in late summer. Its end depends on the yield of the garden and the number of cans needing to be restocked. Food not canned is given away and when friends, neighbors, and family have had their fill the rest is put into the compost pile. Nothing goes to waste. Compost makes the difference between good gardens and great gardens.

We can green beans, corn, peas, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, sauerkraut, greens...

I love greens of all kinds but mustard greens like the ones pictured above are my favorite! As a little girl I ate them at least twice a week!! I'm not even sure we were able to can any of these. I think I ate them all... :)

We also can pears, peaches, apples...

These pears are the very best I've ever eaten. They're so good in fact that it's a travesty to turn them into preserves. They don't need that kind of treatment because they're already so sweet. However, there is plenty of preserves, jams, and jellies to be made. Some of my "sweetest" memories include making apple jelly and blackberry preserves with my granny.

Can't overlook all the other items canned like pepper relish, spaghetti sauce and salsa!

I have much love for peppers and I'm not ashamed to say that loves is partly because they're so pretty. The garden looks like a rainbow with splashes of red, yellow, green, and orange.

My favorite way to eat pepper relish is to mix it with cream cheese and put it on a cracker. Although it's usually mixed with tomatoes to create the base for chili or barbeque sauce and that tastes pretty dang awesome too!

Tomatoes could have their own post entirely. Here in America we are a tomato-based society with all our ketchup, barbeque sauce, salsa, pasta sauce, & pizza sauce consumption.

Here in the holler we fully support that! You just know this salsa turned out great don't ya???

It really, really did!

My feelings on fall

2010-10-17T22:41:00.017-05:00

While I work through my feelings on fall please enjoy the pictures I took this week while driving on the road that leads to home.

A few years ago while serving as a missionary in Illinois I realized that I do not like fall.

I remember the moment clearly. My missionary companion and I were walking to our apartment after visiting a nearby family. The sky was blue, the leaves were turning, a cool early fall breeze was blowing, and my fellow missionary said, "I love fall."

Then... Out of the blue... With no prior thought... I said... With unexpectedly fierceness...

I hate fall!

Seriously, who says that?! What girl from a hot, humid, Southern-ish state says that she hates fall??? A mentally ill one perhaps?!

If I remember correctly I stopped walking for a bit as I was overcome by my statement and the corresponding feelings. Up until that moment I hadn't realized and taken ownership of my fall-induced feelings. I worked through a few descriptive words and hate it was... A deeply felt, visceral in origin hate for fall. What a weird, unsettling reaction to the changing of the seasons.

Fast forward to the present... So. There's no use continuing to live in denial. Fall 2010 has settled upon us in the holler. With its return have come the usual fall feelings of aggravation and loathing. As if I'm silently saying, "how dare you return to mess up my perfectly happy year!!!"

This year I've pondered often trying to discover why it is that I hate an entire season. It's just odd! Especially considering I'm one of the peace, love, and happiness types. Also considering that I simply do not love temperatures above 88° or humidity above 70%. Fall is a lovely time of year in that regard with daytime temps in the 80s (occasionally hitting 90) and nighttime temps in the 40s. Humidity in the 70% range. Shouldn't I be loving this??? Seems likely that I would but I don't. Sigh...

After much consideration I am certain that I have uncovered the reason for my baffling feelings.

Here it goes... Whereas summer is the growing season, fall is the killing season. Imagine watching as doe-eyed calves are born in the spring and pink piglets make their way into the world along with fluffy chicks and gentle lambs. With time they grow to trust the person bringing them food and water. They follow this person around competing with the dogs for attention. They play with their own kind and even members of different species. They feel secure in their home and safe until fall... When the leaves turn and the weather grows cooler the killing begins. Say what you will but unless you've been present for the killing (sounds like the title of a bad movie, doesn't it?) there is no way to comprehend how you might feel. I've seen seasoned hunters break down in tears as an animal pleads to live. Shooting a deer from a 100 yards in not comparable to literally leading a lamb to the slaughter. They come so freely until they smell death on the air. Then they beg to live. For this reason, I hate the killing season. Of course, this is the reality of living on a farm. Before trendy retiring yuppies called it "sustainable living" my family called it survival. And while it's been years since livestock was killed & butchered on the property the memories run deep.

On the upside--the leaves are beautiful, the weather is nice, the air smells like apple cider and sorghum molasses as I drive past the orchards and cane mills.

Maybe in time I'll overcome my dislike for fall.

However, I doubt that any of my future daughters will ever be named "Autumn".

Introducing Liz

2010-10-15T00:01:00.012-05:00

There's just something wonderful about meeting new people!

Somebody once said...

You meet people who forget you. You forget people you meet. But sometimes you meet those people you can't forget. Those are your friends.

Well, I want to introduce you to one of my friends. You'll like her, I promise! Liz & I met when we both served as bridemaids in the same wedding. (I actually walked down the aisle with her husband.) However, our actual friendship unfolded as we both lived our lives 2,000 miles apart. Thanks to the blogosphere!

Liz is one of those folks with the gift of welcoming people in her life with lots of love, appreciation, and kindness. She's a busy wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend who's recently become an entrepreneur. She says her business is custom made lotions, lip balm, etc... but I think she must have invented a time machine. How does she fit it all in?! Yet regardless of how busy she may be she finds time to let her friends far away know that they are treasured. She's shown remarkable kindness to me by checking up on me when I've gone MIA and praying for me. I am so lucky to have such a friend and I'm so happy to introduce her to ya'll in her own words...

Job description:

chauffeur, doctor, nurse, maid, cook, accountant, secretary, laundress, keeper of all things lost, teacher, friend... in short, I'm a mommy.

What's your best advice for married couples?

After you get married, continue to woo! Keep putting your best foot forward (as much as you can), don't forget pleases and thank yous, and GO ON DATES!! At least a once a week date, even if it's just a rented movie and pizza, or a board game at home. Make the time to reconnect as best friends, lovers, AND a married couple. All facets of the relationship are important, and the only time you get to nurture all of them is the time you make on your dates.

What's one thing you love about your husband? I only get one? lol! His sense of humor. He makes me laugh every. single. day.

What's your motto?

Research, lol! Whenever there's problem, the very first thing I do is start looking up information on it. If you don't have the whole picture, how can you possibly make a decision on whatever it is?

What's playing on your iPod? (Or whatever...)

I listen to the radio the most because I like to keep up with new music, but if I do listen to "canned" music, it's usually of the heavy metal variety, lol! Rob Zombie, 30 Seconds to Mars, Saliva, Metallica, etc...

What is something you struggle with regularly?

My temper. I have no patience and an Irish temper, and it is not a good combo.

Where in the world do you most want to visit?

Ireland! I'm very much Irish in heritage, and would love to visit my roots someday.

Favorite vacation...at least so far?

My first girls' trip to the beach in 2009!! I had never been to the ocean, and it was beyond AWESOME.

What's something you believe in?

I believe wholeheartedly in God and His son, Jesus, and in my religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I believe in family and I believe in Marriage.

What's your favorite time of day?

Nighttime. I'm a big time night owl, and usually don't "come into my own" until the sun goes down.

Life would be less complicated if...

I were well more. I'm cursed with bad luck and a bad constitution, and it keeps me from doing many things I want to and things I love to do.

Favorite Holiday?

Oh, Thanksgiving, totally. I love spending time with my family, eating good food and remember to be thankful for absolutely everything I have in my life.

WhO wOuLd YoU lIke To MeEt?!

Oh, that's a hard one. Um... I'm actually not all that into celebs (I think they're morons.) I'm going to have to go with the prophet. (Thomas S. Monson) I would love to pelt him with questions, but mostly I think he's a super cool guy, and would love to listen to whatever he had to tell me.

Describe your new(ish) & delightfully successful home business?

I started making lotions for myself because I have many varied and contradictory skin conditions. Things like psoriasis and acne. You can't treat one without aggravating the other, and there was always SOMETHING in every lotion that would set something off. I got tired of it, started testing ingredients one at a time, and, yes, I started RESEARCH, lol! I had some friends that wanted to try it, and they fell in love with it, and encouraged me to open it up for sale on a forum we all frequent. Which I did, and with the money I earned there, I was able to formulate several more lotions and a lip balm. While I have several "off the shelf" formulas to choose from, my favorite thing is to custom make lotion. I love to do for others what I have done for myself in making a lotion that is PERFECT for them, that containing no ingredient that is going to irritate your skin and just works. Dealing with our skin, as I'm sure every has experience with, is an exercise in frustration more often than not, and adding to that is our face is the first thing everyone sees! I love making taking care of your skin effortless.

What are the five words that describe your products?

Natural Organic (whenever possible) Customizable Soothing Healing

What's a lesson you've learned as a stay at home mom with a blossoming business?

To pace myself. I have a plan to help this little business blossom and grow into a large thing, but I'm holding back until my youngest is in school next year. He's my full time job, and my children, come first. Next year, when they are both in school, I'll have the time to make lotion-making a full time job, but children are only at home and young for so long, and he needs me more than anything right now.

Well said Liz! Thank you for allowing me to interview you this month!! Even more thanks for being a true friend.

To find out more about Liz & her wonderful world you can visit her blog here.

Summer Part 3

2010-10-14T01:01:00.005-05:00

We've established that I enjoy an annual love affair with summer. Please forgive me as I wax dramatic for a moment and say... Parting is such sorrow.

I'm reminded of all those Italian arias I had to sing while studying voice. Every week... another pining lovelorn diva singing about dying or thinking about dying or hoping to die if she could not be united with her true love. Ya know that really annoyed me! After a while I'd walk into voice lessons, grin, and say, "Am I dying this week or just thinking about it?" So I guess I'll stop with the dramatic stuff for the time being and get to the pictures below in order to save myself from my own annoyance.

There's a whole lot more growing 'round here than just tasty garden food. Flowers abound! Above is one of the dozen or so flowering bushes scattered around the farm. My very favorite summer lilies. Heirloom Roses didn't fare so well this year with the unusually hot temperatures. I'm going to appreciate them all the more next year. Not for sure of the variety but this rose has attitude and I love it! Another of the flowering bushes Everybody loves Sunflowers! Tiger Lily

Not sure what this one is but I love the deep purple & bright pink. Do you know what it is? If so please let me know. I took this picture in Missouri but I'd love to have a few of these at home.

(My brilliant friend, Terri, informs me that this beauty is a Fushia.)

I'm thinking this is another lily but I'm not sure of the name. I took this picture in Savannah, Georgia.

Hydrangeas!!!

I love them more than roses, more than lilies. I'd fill my house with them year round if possible. This is another of my Savannah pictures but they grow beautifully in Kentucky also.

Summer is so colorful and cheerful and it smells nice too. Magnolias on the trees, honeysuckles growing in wild tangles, and the fragrance of wild roses on the hot, humid air. All this makes up the glory of summer and I love it all the way down into the deepest parts of me.

Farewell Summer... You've left us and moved South but as with any true love I am willing to follow you to the bottom of the world. Hopefully I'll see you soon!

Summer Recap Part 2

2010-10-13T01:01:00.003-05:00

Oh how I love summer! Sure it's hot. Really hot. And it is humid. Really humid. Yet, I love it! I've asked myself why this is so particularly since I don't enjoy being hot. Oh and then there's the whole whenever I put my hair into a ponytail while wet it never, ever dries thing. Of course there's the chiggers and ticks and turkey mites and mosquitoes which rank at the top of my all time most hated things list. So, do I really love summer??? You betcha! There's a good reason too. I bet ya'll can guess. And if you're saying because Dana likes to watch things grow then you hit the nail right smack on the head. I love the growing season. With all its bugs and sweat and eternally sopping wet ponytails I love it! Wild Blackberries Beautiful Blueberries

A few raspberries too...

The strawberries were devastated by the flood but luckily we have friends on higher ground...

Thanks Dad & Hulda!

This, my friends, is a Mulberry tree. We have several on the farm.

This is a Mulberry. The best of all the berries.

Oh how I love them!

Of course there's more than just berries. Tomatoes, Eggplants, Cucumbers, Peppers and Cantaloupe had to be replanted after the flood but it was worth the effort.

Doesn't that look good?!

See why I LOVE summer???

Oh and the pears! This pear tree is really something extraordinary!

It grows the sweetest, softest, melt in your mouth fruit. It's one of our most requested items. Calls start coming in around June with folks asking, "Are your pears in yet?"

One of the very best things about living on a hundred acre farm is that we get to share with our friends, neighbors, and family.

Sadly these are all the peas we got this year. Just in case you didn't know... Peas are my favorite!

A few is better than none and these were so, so good!

Then there's the peppers. Aren't they pretty?!

It's impossible not to love summer when you live on a farm. Fresh berries on my oatmeal for breakfast, in my smoothie for lunch, and on my ice cream for dessert... What can be better? Picking a pear or apple for a snack? Walking down to the garden to get a watermelon or cantaloupe or tomato or carrot or peppers,broccoli, califlower, squash, onion, corn, peas, rhubarb, or whatever... It is simply the best!

I mourn the passing of this most wonderful all the seasons. Dearest summer thank you for all your gifts, for the opportunities to soak up the sun, and watch the garden grow!

Churchill National Museum & Library

2010-10-12T13:35:00.012-05:00

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to visit the National Churchill Memorial located at Westminster College Fulton Missouri. Here is where Churchill gave his famous "Iron Curtain" Speech on March 5, 1946. St. Mary the Virgin Church, Aldermanbury was originally built at the turn of the 12th Century. It later burned during the Great Fire of London in 1666 and then was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in 1676. St Mary's become a cultural and religious center for some of England's key figures such as William Shakespeare & John Milton.

The interior of St. Mary the Virgin Church

Staircase leading to the Churchill Museum

Winston Churchill's granddaughter, Edwina Sandys, used eight sections of the Berlin Wall to create a Berlin Wall memorial entitled Breakthrough. It was dedicated by President Ronald Reagan one year after the wall fell.

This trip was a homeschooling field trip of sorts. I was so thankful to be invited along.

There's something incredibly beautiful about seeing children freely moving about large sections of the Berlin Wall.

And lastly there's me... :)

My time at the Churchill Memorial was moving and sometimes tearful. The museum allows visitors to progress through the war showing newspapers, radio announcements and broadcasts from World War II. It is beautifully done! At the end of our self guided tour we sat for several minutes taking in all that we'd seen and experienced that includes the kids. If you're interested in seeing more of the museum itself including a photo of an original Churchill painting (I learned he was quite the artist.) and many of his personal belongings please go here to see more of my pictures. All the information relayed both here on my blog and throughout the photo album comes from the Churchill Memorial website.

Summer Recap Part 1

2010-10-10T23:36:00.028-05:00

Regardless of the date on the calendar summer in the holler begins when the temp hits 85° and decides to stay there. This year that happened in late March/early April. First order of summer business was to disc & then till the garden which was done in a timely fashion... but it started to rain and then it kept raining. For two days it rained when the sun shone and it rained when the moon glowed. Then the flood waters started to rise and covered the road. Then it covered the garden which was right under the boat. Fifteen feet of flood water turned the holler into a lake. After the water finally receded we discovered that our little bridge leading to the road was no more. Rest in peace.

The temperature climbed into the 90's by then end of May.

Around that time Jasper came to live at the farm. He got a snazzy new haircut to help him cope with the hot weather.

And Lyra became an aunt to 10 kittens which kept her busy!

Tiger Lilies bloomed in June along Indian Camp Creek Road

Which is right about the time I went on vacation and got to climb to the top of this lighthouse on Tybee Island.

And see the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah.

There was no escaping the steadily climbing temperatures which hit 100° each and every day of vacation.

Of course that wasn't so bad when enjoying the ocean breeze on this beach on Hilton Head Island.

Yet when touring Fort Pulaski on Cockspur Island I couldn't help but sympathize with all those Southern Belles who once upon a time ventured out & about in such heat while wearing about 78 layers of clothing. Bless their hearts!

July rolled around at the usual time... There's no describing 105°/98% humidity. It's just one of those things that must be experienced. However, I hope you never do...

Luckily the sunflowers still bloomed!

And that's around the time my brother, Timothy, and his girlfriend, Natalie came to visit.

Along with hundreds of butterflies who had decided to make themselves at home on the farm. Welcome!

Happiest of all I got to join Spencer & Taylor when they welcomed their brand new baby sister...

Hello Parker Joy!

Upon my return to the farm I came to learn that Asian cuisine was replacing fried chicken for Sunday dinner. I'm not complaining.

Never fear! Nothing will ever replace ribs & potatoe salad.

Or strawberry rhubarb pie.

And when it all comes down to it summer is really about the food so I can confidently say that summer 'round these parts was a success.

Friday 56: The Shack

2010-10-08T12:26:00.012-05:00

Grab the book nearest you.

Right now.

1. Turn to page 56

2. Post a sentence from that page plus one or two others if you like along with these instructions. Or if you don't have your own blog, you can leave it here in the comments.

3. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest book, the most intellectual. Use the closest!

I got the idea from my friend, Amy, who in turn got the idea from Storytime with Tonya and Friends. The idea is to share what we're reading which could go a long way in helping one another find new books. If you want to join in let me know and I'll hop on over and see what you're reading. I'm always looking for a good book!

The following excerpt come from page 56 of the #1 New York Times Bestseller The Shack...

"Reporters, with their photographers in tow, began showing up during the morning. Mack didn't want to face them or their cameras, but after some coaching he spent time answering their questions in the parking lot, knowing the exposure could go a long way in aiding the search..."

conference review

2010-10-04T12:35:00.007-05:00

Something I find remarkable when reading the scriptures is the personal and individualized interaction between God and myself in those moments. I often, almost always, come away from the experience having received direction and guidance personalized to me. Even if a friend is reading the same passage at the same exact time often what is impressed upon each of us is different. How many times have you gone into a scripture study class and been struck at the varied concepts discussed by participants despite each having read the same chapters and verses? It's a phenomenon common to believers. It's one of the many sweet confirmations that allow us to know that God is truly aware of us as individuals.

This same principle applies when listening to individuals speaking (or writing) while under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Over this past weekend as I listened to inspired men and women teach I took notes as did many others I'm sure. Perhaps our notes if compared would seem as if we had attended different meetings at different times led by different speakers because God is using the teaching to speak to us as individuals. I love that!

Here are a few the lessons, assurances, promptings, and invitations that stood out boldly for me during this conference...

Don't Ignore Spiritual Promptings.

Have Faith.

You are vitally important to God trust Him.

Care for your body and protect it for the Spirit dwells within.

*We are each individually loved by God. There is no such thing as an insignificant person.

*Reach out and hold on to our children. If they understand who they are (a child of God) they will not fear. The world will teach our children if we do not. Teach them today what they need to know five years from now.

*If we want to know when the Holy Spirit is prompting us then we must earnestly search and ponder the word of the Lord. We will have His Spirit with us when we become acquainted with His voice. Studying the scriptures trains us to hear the Lord's voice.

*We must apply what we learn. Keep the commandments. Immediately repent when we don't. Seek heaven's help by asking for it. Help others live and know the Gospel.

*It is of utmost importance to follow the promptings of the Spirit without delay.

*True success comes when we consecrate our time & choices to God's purposes.

*Five indications of consecration

1. Purity

2. Work

3. Respect for one's physical body

4. Service

5. Integrity

*Stubbornness, Rebellion, and Rationalization must be abandoned and replaced with...

1. Submission

2. A Desire for Correction

3. An Acceptance of all the Lord many require

*Slow down, steady the course, lift your eyes. Any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. We have to fore go some good things in order to choose others that are better or best

There are 4 Key relationships

1. God: seek Him, learn of Jesus, daily time alone with Him is essential

2. Families: Place a high priority on a daily family meal, having fun together, remember time=love

3. Fellow man: be sensitive to the needs of others

4. Ourselves: learn to see yourself as God sees you

*We should exert effort to seek out light and blackout evil from our homes & lives. We need to increase religious observance in our homes with daily family prayer, daily family scripture study, and a weekly family night.

*We must also work toward protecting our communities...

It is essential that values based on religious belief be part of the public discourse.

Under the constitutions of most countries state that a religious conscience must not be given preference but neither should it be disregarded.

*Faith is a choice. Choose it over fear, doubt, and pessimism.

*The Road to discipleship is not for the spiritually faint of heart.

Whoever will come after me let him deny himself & take up his cross, and follow me.

Discipleship means being... submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willingness to submit to the Lord and His will

*Faith can transform a life from mundane to joyful

Faith must be exhibited to marry, have children, be a disciple of the Savior and it is tied to character.

Righteous character is more valuable than any material object you may own or any knowledge you have gained through study or any goals you have attained.

*Trust in God and His willingness to provide help

*Be obedient to God's commandments so you can have a sensitivity to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and act on those promptings.

*Have patience when God allows you to struggle

To have a righteous character...

1. Have faith in Christ

2. Repent

3. Be obedient

4. Offer selfless service

*Our ability to choose is more powerful than Satan. He cannot force anyone to sin.

*We quickly lose our way when we stop following God

*You must break from your addictions. God will help. Repentance is like detergent. You can be free from the worst addictions through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

*Pornography will always interrupt communion with Christ and communication with God.

*Repentance will heal the scars of past mistakes

*Learn from Lot's wife. Don't look back! Ignore and avoid sin.

*Solve problems by searching the scriptures and personal prayer.

*Do not ignore promptings (This was a statement made by several speakers.)

*Care for, protect, and cloth our bodies in ways that honor them as temples of the Holy Spirit

*Live in daily thanksgiving

*Pride destroys gratitude

*A prayerful live is the key to a life of gratitude

*Express gratitude immediately. Don't wait too long!

*The world needs courageous parents.

*Parent's that love their children can't be afraid of offending them.

*Follow promptings even when you don't understand them.

*Beware of sleepovers and slumber parties

*Strengthen your children with family prayer, family scripture study, evening meals, and weekly family night. Don't allow anything to come before these family times.

*Avoid over scheduling. (Remember you must fore go some good things in order to choose others that are better or best.)

*Make a daily family meal a priority!

*Choose not to waste your mortal life. Do not procrastinate!

*Beware of little things that destroy from the inside.

*Go to bed early

*God will forgive sins but you must confess them & forsake them

*Bitterness is the fruit of disobedience

*Satan knows our weaknesses and wants us to be miserable. He uses lies skillfully. He uses addiction to steal our freewill.

*Commandments are given by God to protect us from Satan and his lies.

miss me?

2010-09-28T02:30:00.003-05:00

Wonder where I've been???

I'm reading.

a lot

If you're interested in what I'm reading then check out the bookshelf over there on the right hand side. If you've read any of those books let me know. I'd love to hear what you thought...

When I find the strength to tear myself away from the written word I use the time to organize the pictures I've taken this year. A Farewell to Summer post is coming soon and it will be loaded with pictures...

red cross my heart

2010-09-21T23:36:00.002-05:00

On Saturday I got myself outta bed at 6 am which was far too early yet completely necessary. The time to recertify for CPR/Standard First Aid/AED & Bloodborn Pathogen training had rolled around again for it's utterly unavoidable like death & taxes. And despite getting to the Red Cross building five minutes early which is pretty much unheard of for yours truly I walked into a class of 18 students already in progress. Overachievers. It was CPR recert not medical school sheesh! After a long day... I can happily announce that I'm currently entitled to shock the snot out of you if you should happen to need it and if, of course, the $2000 machine is available. So never fear I am here or there or somewhere... Hopefully close to you in a time of emergency. My little Red Cross Cards sorta make me a super hero although I just kinda ruined the whole secret identity thing, huh? ;) One of my favorite things about recertification is that I never fail to meet new & interesting people. There was the 14 yr old who had inadvertantly signed up for the CPR classes. (She only intended to take a babysitting class.) The group of 11 coworkers who came because it was better than moving furniture at their workplace. (Can't say as I blame 'em.) Then there was this one guy getting certified because he worked at one of the hospitals. He was really nice and I could tell he kinda liked me. He followed me to my car during lunch. He sat beside me. Talked to me. Stayed late to chat with the instructor (a former coworker of my dad's) and even walked out to the car with me. However, he didn't ask me out. Sad! He was cute and definitely date worthy. I ask you... What's up with that? Guys... Ask us out already! Of course, it's cool for the girl to do the asking. Rock on girls! But it's just not my style. Oh well... Maybe next time.

cruisin' to the bahamas

2010-09-21T09:15:00.007-05:00

A few years ago I went on a cruise with my cousin, Melinda. We left from Cape Canaveral Florida. (We even got to see the shuttle on the pad preparing for launch. Very cool!) Our first stop was Nassau and from there we went by ferry boat to one of the smaller islands. Mural in Nassau I went on a hike while on one of the smaller islands. Here's the view off of a small cliff looking back at a fun little restaurant. My hike took me to the less protected side of the island. It was gorgeous and very quite except for the sound of the water hitting the rocks. For a while it was just me and the ocean and the smell of salt water. This hike was my very favorite part of the trip.

Traveling via cruise ship was a very convienent way to get around the Bahamas. For one, there is always, always, always food and it's really good. I believe there was a buffet taking place somewhere on the ship at all times. There was a lot of onboard entertainment especially on our "cruising day" when we didn't port for a full 24 hours. While I'm more apt to just sit by the salt water pool and read I check out all the options. I even attended an art action. However, what I truly enjoyed most about traveling on the ship was changing locations without having to repack my clothes. (I'm fairly practical when it comes to traveling and I enjoy the little things.) The ship was a floating hotel. My stuff stayed put while I got to disembark at varying locations.

Of course a cruise is even better if ya get a sweet deal on it which I did ($399 including airfare). yay! My trick is to regularly search (once a week or so) them out online. Here and here are two sites I frequent. Happy Hunting!!!

To see a few more of my pictures please go here.

God's a gardner too!

2010-09-17T11:28:00.006-05:00

Wild roses can be seen growing all round the farm beginning in June and they smell like heaven. The fragrance of these flowers is one of the things I miss most about home when I'm away during the summer. Wild Tiger Lilies are a common sight throughout Kentucky. In the early spring this bank is covered with Easter Flowers (Daffodils) and then the lilies get their turn after spring becomes summer. I drive this road nearly every day. I'm a lucky girl! This wild growing member of the sunflower family comes back each summer. Look closely and you'll see a wild bee gathering the stuff to make the best honey in the world! Not wanting to disturb my little bee friend I got a close up of a neighboring flower just so ya'll could get a better look at it. I have no idea what it is but it's everywhere and the bees loves it so that's good enough for me.

home grown breakfast

2010-09-16T02:26:00.008-05:00

Looks like I made it home from my travels just in time! Here is the result of the good work of the sun, earth, and rain with just a little help from us. There's nothing quite like walking down to the garden and picking my own breakfast which is what I did with the lovely bowl of food above. There is just no describing the taste. I wish I could share it with each of you.

fan girls unite!

2010-09-15T00:37:00.014-05:00

My current favorite song!!!

I, know a place

Where the gamer scores are so extreme (bloop boop boop!)

Dune, D & D,

Where Rand al’Thor still reigns supreme

Questin’, in Hyrule

Dominating Final Fantasy (Seven) (yeah yeah, siete)

Those boys

Losin’ sleep

Tryin’ ta keep up with our l33tsp33k (what up, n00bs?) (n00b sauce)

Be a part of our world

In latex and bows

Cuz’ these girls play cos’

Set our phasers to stun

You’ll be falling in love

Ooooooh oh ooooooh

Geek and Gamer girls

We’re unbelievable

Comic books

And Manga in stock

Hasbro toys

So rare

We got the mail-away

Ooooooh oh ooooooh

Geek and Gamer girls

We’re undefeatable

FPS

Achievement unlocked

Jedi represent

Now put your sabers up

Oooooooh oh ooooooh

We, love Stan Lee (Excelsior!)

And Joss created all our favorite shows

We Frag

In our sleep (Killjoy!)

We will pwn your ass in Halo (uh oh)

Be a part of our world (Be a part of our world…)

In latex and bows

Cuz’ these girls play ‘cos

Set our phasers to stun (Set our phasers to stun…)

You’ll be falling in love

Ooooooh oh ooooooh

Geek and Gamer girls

We’re unbelievable (Tri-force!)

We all know

That Han shot first (It’s a trap!)

Anime

No dubs

We want originals

Ooooooh oh ooooooh

Geek and Gamer girls (Level up!)

We’re undefeatable

RPG

Achievement Unlocked

Browncoats represent (Shiny!)

We aim to misbehave

Oooooooh oh ooooooh

Farscape

Sailor Moon

Hogwarts boys all make them swoon

Aragorn, Legolas

These are the boys they love the best

I mean they’re good to go

Love Scifi, yo’

Marvel

Vertigo

The girls are sweet

They can’t be beat

Super fine like Peach

Darth Maul

Standing tall

He’s so bad

So say we all

Epic Lootz

For the Win

Hyjal’s what we’re raiding in

Haxxors

Konami Code

Doctor Who

Expert Mode

Game genies, WoW fiendies, Sith meanies

No weenies

Don’t forget

They the queen-ies

Gamer ladies? (Yeah?)

Raidin’ tonight babies? (Uh huh!)

I’m all up on y’as

Cuz you representin’ geek and gamer girls

(Ohhh yeahh)

Geek and Gamer girl

We’re unbelievable

Comic books

And Manga in stock (Hey!)

Hasbro toys

So rare

We got the mail-away

Ooooooh oh ooooooh

Geek and Gamer girls (Finish him!)

We’re undefeatable

MMO

Achievements unlocked

Trekkers represent (Red shirts, red shirts!)

(trekkers, trekkers)

Now put your phasers up

Oooooooh oh ooooooh

(Geek and gaaaaameeerrr, Geek and gaaaaamerrr, giiirrrlll)

Geek and gamer girls man

I really wish they all could be

geek and gamer girls

(Geek and gamer)

(Geek and gamer girls)

Game over.

Finally! An anthem for us geek/gamer/fan girls!!! So many references! Can ya find 'em all?!

p.s. ShOuT oUt to my fellow g33k & gam3r girls Renee & Terri for sending me videos that only a true geek & gamer girl can fully appreciate. Represent!

a lesson learned

2010-09-13T22:51:00.006-05:00

You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.

~Leo Aikman

I have learned to question the motives of any individual who wants to tell me what another person did or said if it is negative. What's the point of furthering a person's mistake? Aren't we all going to royally mess things up at least once in this life? What benefit comes from disclosing details regarding a person's lowest moment or biggest failure? I have to wonder why the one telling such things is doing so. Is he or she really trying to improve what is likely an already less than ideal situation? Whom are they helping? Most likely the motivation for their actions lies in a desire to help themselves. Help themselves how? Forge an alliance? Gain social standing? Make another person miserable? Gain retribution? I don't really have any answers. I'm just thinking aloud. I know what it's like to be on both sides of such a situation and with time I've learned the lesson quoted above and I'm a better person for it I hope...

remembering...

2010-09-11T08:50:00.002-05:00

Random Question

2010-07-27T12:28:00.010-05:00

If you and I have spent time together I've probably asked you this question but I'll go ahead and ask it again... "If you were given the opportunity to visit Antarctica would you?"

As for me... Absolutely! I've been fascinated with Antarctica since childhood. It's a lost continent that once upon a time was home to dinosaurs and forests. Now it's covered in ice and snow. It's a continent not a country. A land claimed by scientists and adventure seekers.

I want to go there.

Fourth Friday Giveaway (a few days late...)

2010-07-26T10:15:00.031-05:00

As many of my nearest and dearest know, I am preparing to move into a new apartment. In the past I've been rather utilitarian in my design scheme of bare walls, minimal furniture, and curtain-less windows. Perhaps that had as much to do with "poor student status" as it did with design preference, regardless, I heard, "Dana, don't you even have a lamp?!" on a regular basis.

Well, past decor critics please know that I took note. Over the past several months I've invested long hours searching out design ideas that mesh with my personality. I've also forcibly marched many a friend through countless homestores searching out items that fit my concept. Most recently we've been scouring the tri-state area looking for the perfect lamp.

I am happy to announce, to the relief of many, that I have found not one but three perfect lamps. Yes, three!!! I can hear the shock and awe resounding about the 'net...

Where you ask? 'Cause I know my shopping buddies are dying to know where I found The. Perfect. Lamp! as I so often exclaimed Must. Be. Out. There. Some. Where!!

I found it here. CSN Stores. Online shopping at it's finest...

Table Lamps

The. Perfect. Table. Lamp!

Shopping buddies say it with me... Ya know ya wanna!

The. Perfect. Floor. Lamp! will someday hang out next to the yet-as-undiscovered Perfect. Reading. Chair!

The. Perfect. Don't. Know. Where. I'm. Gonna. Put. It. But. Just. Had. To. Have. It. Anyway. Lamp!

Now for the most fabulous part of this post... The good folks at CSN must be as happy as my worn out shopping buddies that I finally found The. Perfect. Lamp! So happy, in fact, that they're offering a $40 gift card to one of you!

Lucky, Lucky you!! I'm jealous! There are thousands upon thousands of items to be found within their home/office/school/baby/shoe/luggage etc..etc... stores. If I had another forty dollars to spend at CSN I'd likely spend it on or put it toward one of the items below...

Uber-rad sugar bowl. Speaks to my utilitarian nature. This sexy black shoe is practically art! Fun red apron speaks to my inner cooking diva. This bowl is a perfect mix of art and function. Gorgeous don't ya think?

I'm loving this bamboo waste paper basket. I'd bet you'd love it too!!!

Please, please, please participate in this fabulous giveaway! Don't be shy! All ya gotta do is leave a comment telling me you want to be entered. So if you're thinking that you might, kinda, sorta want to enter but you've never left a comment just go ahead and do it! You won't regret it. Someone's gotta win it might as well by you!

I'll put all the names in a bowl although it won't be quite as spectacular as the one above & on Friday I'll ask the mailman to pick a name. In actuality ya'll will be doing me a huge favor. I like to foster as many opportunities to speak to my mailman as possible being that he's cute and single... Total win/win situation!!!

Here's another link to CSN Stores so you can do a little window shopping. Enjoy!

p.s. More great giveaways to come so if ya want to stay in the loop follow me & you'll be sure not to miss 'em.

cheerleading is a sport!

2010-07-22T11:04:00.003-05:00

I meant to post this directly after that ignorant judge ruled that cheer isn't a sport. However, other things came up. Now... I'm ready to give my $0.02.

What folks see on the sidelines of a football or basketball game is a tiny little bit of what a competitive cheerleader does in their sport. They spend more time in the gym than any other athlete. In addition... Each year, more females are injured in cheer leading than athletes in any other sport. (National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research)

The University of Kentucky cheerleaders have more national championships than any other school but they also cheer for the winnest college basketball team in the history of our nation. UK cheer is a year round commitment. During the sports seasons they're on the road three days a week or more. Not only are they cheering at regular season games up to three times a week but they've also got extended season. Only after that's completed do they begin "cheer season". There's also a GPA requirement as their should be. So, they're working out/practicing three hours a day Monday-Friday. They're working out/practicing 5 to 8 hours on Saturday and Sunday. They're on the road at least three days a week. They do not qualify for scholarships unless their GPA is above 3.0.They're giving up nearly all of their summer to practice 10 hours a day and compete at regionals/nationals. It's takes not only athleticism but also stamina unlike that required of most sports to keep up with their schedules.

on my mind

2010-07-21T02:08:00.011-05:00

Yesterday I came across this video (see bottom of post) via twitter. I watched it three times. The information is disturbing and it kept me up for a long while last night.

Immediately upon waking this morning my thoughts turned to this video. How is it possible that a toddler or any child is being prescribed psychiatric drugs? These are Schedule II drugs. Meaning they have a high potential for abuse, they are meant to be severly restricted, and may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. (National Substance Abuse Index) Ritalin and cocaine have a remarkably similar chemical structure. They do the same thing to the brain (increase dopamine)and in the same way by blocking the reuptake of dopamine.Research has conclusively proven that increases in dopamine during childhood may change how the brain develops. It can and often does desensitize the brain to natural rewards like food, romance, and social interaction, leading to depression. In addition, ADHD children taken off of Ritalin as adults seem to be more prone to cocaine addiction. (Genetic Science Learning Center University of Utah)

Psychiatric drugs are injuring and killing children. These drugs can and do in some cases stop the heart, lead to a stroke, and even cause sudden & unexpected death. These drugs are putting kids into comas. They are responsible for children committing suicide. The knowledge requires action.

Of course, my immediate thought was... What can I do about this? I'm not a doctor. I don't have a back ground in pharmaceutical chemistry. (Unless ya count the time I made synthetic aspirin in chemistry lab but that's a story for another day...) So, there I was feeling sickened by the knowledge I'd gained and feeling altogther helpless. Oh so helpless... It's overwhelming that children are taking their own lives all because of prescribed medication.

Then I remembered... I am an empowered individual. While I may not be a doctor or a chemist I can do research. I can share what I learn with the people in my life. In turn, they can share it with the people they know. So on and so forth... Helplessness fled into the shadows. Empowered girl is now back on track and moving forward.

I called my doctor. He set aside some time for me and we discussed this issue at length. A little back ground on Dr. N... He is a medical doctor that continued his education for another three years in order to study natural medicine and healing. I have seen this man work miracles. Literally. I know of people diagnosed with terminal cancer that have found complete healing after becoming his patient. He's a doctor that actually schedules 30 minutes of talk time into each appointment. I am so grateful for the time he has invested in me over the past year as I've worked to overcome my auto-immune issues.

He was thrilled to share his insight on this issue. Dr. N does not treat childhood depression or ADHD/ADD or even adult depression with psychiatric drugs. He showed me research showing a myriad of methods used with great success in treating these problems. Often this behavior is directly linked to allergies like flood coloring or wheat and in many, many cases the culprit is plain sugar. Think of all the sugar and food coloring kids eat daily. Everything from cheese to luncheon meat has food coloring. The human body isn't meant to take in that garbage especially a little growing bodies.

I implore you, my friends, to dig deep and find the alternatives. Dr. N is going to make up packets of information on ways to combat these problems without drugs. He's going to include a list of doctors that practice natural medicine for the rare cases when changing diet and adding exercise may need to be supplemented with a specific & detailed plan. However, he's never had to prescribe psychiatric drugs for any patient during the 8 years he's been in practice. There are ways to beat these problems that will not endanger our children. If any of you are interested or can think of anyone that might need the information he's gathering then please let me know. I will gladly pass it on to you. Together we can help fix this.

Learn. Genetics

Citizens Commission On Human Rights International

National Substance Abuse Index

Featured on Friday

2010-07-16T12:43:00.005-05:00

Me looking up What I was looking at...

Guess who's learned how to schedule blog posts to publish at a future date?! If you guessed me... You win!!!!!!!

Posting from the Blogger in Draft dashboard has been a big ol' pain in the tushie more often than not. However, there are times when I love it. This is one of those times. For I AM NOT sitting at my desk as you might suppose... Oh no! I should be en route to St. Louis for a Cards game, a trip to the Art Museum, followed by a visit to the Botanical Gardens... Of course, this is me so who knows where I really am. A friend told me recently that her husband was fascinated by the way I live my life. I'm not sure that's a compliment but at least I'm not boring...

Love to you all!!! xoxo

dating is a hot topic!

2010-07-15T14:54:00.007-05:00

The response from my last post was awesome! Something I found very interesting was how peeps chose to respond. All the comments on the blog were from married girls while all the single girls emailed me... The guys left comments on Facebook.

I'm no psychologist, however, I am a single girl with interest... I wonder if perhaps the married among us feel more comfortable discussing dating publicly now that they're beyond it?!

Here a few comments from the single girl population.

OMG! Why don't they [guys] call when they say they are going to call?

I hate to be cliche but I really feel it's because "he's just not that into you". Perhaps, I'm wrong. Guys, I know you're reading so... Has there ever been a time you've liked a girl and NOT called. If so, why?

There's this boy and we hang out all the time. We go out to eat together. We study together. We go to church activities together. We walk to class together a few times every week. We spend all this time together and my friends think he likes me but he has never asked me out on a date, date.

Really, I'm no expert. I can just give my opinion on the matter. Here it goes... You're in Utah and Utah dating is weird. I never got the hang of it. Still, I really believe with my whole heart that if a guy likes you he will ask you out. Church guys are different than a lot of other guys. Thankfully! However, their innate desire to be good priesthood holders can confuse a girl. p.s. I don't think they like to be called boys after they graduate from high school. lol!

I think your first rule is wrong and outdated. There is nothing wrong with calling a guy.

You're right. There's nothing wrong with it. I have guys friends and I call them. However, the point I'm making is that if a guy likes a girl then she won't be the only one calling. He'll do his fair share. He will initiate calling. I realize that the guys I call are friends and only friends. Would I date some of them? Absolutely! In actuality, I'd date any of my single guy friends. They are my friends, after all, because I like them. However, until a guy calls and asks me out then he remains firmly in friend territory. I'm just approximating here but off the top of my head I'd say at least four single girls I know are currently heartbroken because of this issue.

Well, peeps there ya have it. My take on it anyway. Feel free to tell us what you think. Like I said... I'm no expert. I'm just a single girl out there dating it up or at the very least trying to. :)

p.s. I love getting email. Thanks for sending it. If you'd like to email me just click on my profile and you'll find a link to the email addy for my blog.

unsolicited advice

2010-07-14T10:56:00.025-05:00

Over the past two weeks I've had the same conversation with about six of my close girl friends so I decided to blog about it. Ya know, share my vast wisdom with the world... lol! The topic you ask? Guys & dating... Of course! What else do ya think I would possibly be talking about with six other girls? 401(k) investment? Definitely not. However, I would appreciate some investment advice so if any of my blogging peeps wanna give me a shout out I'm listening.

OK girls... Some of this may be harsh but truly it's for your own good. It's painful for me to watch my nearest and dearest friends being crushed. Repeatedly. As in over and over and over and over and over. I've decided to just be honest from now on. So when you ask me about the guy you're into or just went on a date with or maybe, kinda, sorta think might like you... I'm gonna tell ya what I really think. Sugarcoating my thoughts isn't helpful.

I realize this is a somewhat new topic for me to hash out here on the ol' blog. Yet, the fact remains... I am single. I do date. I have gathered a smidge of wisdom on the topic. Hard earned wisdom in some cases. So here ya go...

1. Girls, if he likes you he will call you.

If you're doing the calling then please for your own sanity consider it a friendship. Trust me on this. It's OK to have male friends and call 'em all ya want but just don't delude yourself into thinking that's a relationship of a romantic nature. If a guy likes you he's going to want to talk to you on a regular basis and he will call you often. If he can't call then he's going to write to you often meaning more than once every three or four months. Take it to the bank girls.

Addendum to #1: Don't buy into all those "Rules" books about dating. If you miss his call then go ahead and return it. Don't expect him to call you over and over and over without you ever returning a call. That's just mean. Moreover, if he does call you over and over and over he could be crazy...

Real-life Dana Dating Experience:

While shopping at the Provo mall a guy comes up to me in Gap and asks me to help him put together an outfit. I like doing that sort of thing so I help him. Then he asks if he can take me to lunch. Sure. Lunch was a nice experience. He asks for my number. I gave it to him. Then he proceeds to call me 22 times in 5 days. I was working full time, going to school full time, teaching Gospel Doctrine at church, and all together busy. While I did take some of his calls I truly could not take them all. After two days of not hearing from me he calls at 4:30 AM. He then proceeds to tell me that he knows we were friends in the pre-mortal existence and wants to fly to Kentucky to meet my family that weekend. You think I'm making this up, don't you? Oh no! I'm not. I have verification. Ask my friends BreAn & Abby. There were there for many, many, many, many, many phone calls.

2. It's only a date when he asks you out.

I know that seems obvious but this is an area that has led many a girl into heartbreak. If you're hanging out at his place with a bunch of his friends it's only a date if he calls, specifically uses the word date, and picks you up. Likewise, if your only dating activity is hanging out at his apartment with all his friends you're not dating. Sure, that's a fine date every once and a while but if you're "dating" then he's gonna take you places outside of his apartment.

Addendum to #2:

Not all dates are going to cost money. It can still be a date even though it's free if he's put thought into it. Actually in many cases this can be the preferred date.

Real-life Dana Dating Experience:
The date starts off as usual. Guy picks me up at my apartment. He visits with my roommates for a bit. He tells me I'm pretty, he opens the door for me, tells me what he's planned for us to do... Perfect beginning right? Right. Then he says he was running a little late and didn't have time to get money for the date and asks if I would mind to wait in the car while he fixed that oversight. (OK so that's a little awkward. I mean bringing up the money thing is just weird. A girl can't help but start feeling a little bought and paid for... It's true that I do have issues. See here for details.) I say sure. Then he pulls in to the local Payday Advance place. Oh yeah. That's classy. Of course, it could be worse. At least he didn't rob the nearest store. At the end of the date a homeless guy comes up do to us and asks for change. I looked at the homeless guy and said, "honestly, he doesn't have any change for ya. He's not even paid for this date yet." Was that mean?

p.s. If ya have to take out a pay day loan to pay for a date find something different to do.

3. Texting for 6 hours a night is not dating

See #1. Texting is a good way to start but after a couple of weeks it's time to step it up. Texting is for those who are just not emotionally ready to date for some reason. I'm not faulting it but I am saying that you can't consider that a relationship. I don't care how well ya think you may know someone the truth is that you don't if texting is the primary means of communication.

Real-life Dana Dating Experience:

The guy lived out of town so we texted quite a bit. He seemed kind and considerate and all around even tempered. After texting for about a month he came into town and stayed with a friend for the weekend. He planed our date and I was looking forward to it. Dinner & a movie on Friday night and hiking in Zion's National Park on Saturday. Truly, that's a perfect date for me. When Friday came around I realized that I needed to change up our plans because my work schedule changed. I rented a movie and ordered a pizza. He didn't seem too bothered by the change and it was a fun date. The next day I accidentally locked my keys in my car so I was running late for our lunch date. That's when my very pregnant friend fell hard on the payment while trying to help me unlock my car with a clothes hanger. Her husband was out of town and she was very nearly due. So, I called the guy and asked if we could do something in town rather than drive to Zion because I wanted to stay in areas where my cell phone would get signal just in case the fall triggered labor. Her side was hurting and ya just never know about babies... Well, let me just tell you! That didn't go over so well with him. He yelled and yelled and yelled at me. Definitely not the laid back type as all the texting had implied. You just don't know a person until ya spend time with 'em.

4. If he likes you he will ask you out.

I know it seems obvious but some girls don't get it. They hang on for weeks, months, even years... yes, years... thinking he secretly likes her and that someday... Some magical day... They will be together. I don't want to rain on your parade. Really, girls, I don't but the truth is... If he's not asked you out within a month and that's being very generous then he's not interested. Guys, move fast. They don't let things they want slip through their fingers while they sit around waiting...

Girls, you don't give yourselves enough credit and you wait and wait and wait and wait and wait. It's futile. Listen, if he's the one, really the one then it'll work out in the long run. Maybe he really is busy. Maybe he really is occupied with work, school, extended family, Christmas, whatever... That's fine. Go date someone else in the meantime. Seriously, it'll benefit you later on. Chances are that you will find another "the one" while you're out there living the glamorous life but if not and the original the one is really, truly the one... Well, it's gonna really, truly work out in the end. Have faith but go out there and have fun too. For Pete's sake... Develop some interests aside from "the one" and the life you'll someday have together in the throes of perfect wedded bliss. Go and gather experiences that you can bring into that relationship.

Savannah, Georgia

2010-07-13T17:10:00.014-05:00

Last month I visited the Savannah, Georgia area with five friends. We started out on Tybee Island which quickly replaced Key West, Florida as my favorite island... while there we saw some dolphins... then ate at Cafe Loco... Seriously! The best shrimp I've ever eaten was right here...

While some of the girls went to the beach a couple of us non-sunworshippers went to Forsyth Park... This is the Mansion on Forsyth.

Here's the famous Savannah Fountain added to the park in 1858...

Ah! The gorgeous Spanish moss grows just about everywhere...

Tybee Island Lighthouse

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Fort Pulaski, Cockspur Island, Georgia

Major storm coming in off the Atlantic as seen from the shore on Cockspur Island.

Home Sweet Home... Driving into the Appalachian Mountains.

When I started this blog I entitled it Here & There because I wanted to share all my adventures with family & friends back home in Kentucky. Since becoming ill early last year and moving back to Kentucky my blog has been mostly "here" without a whole lotta "there". Sorry, 'bout that. For a while I was just too plain sick to travel. However, I'm better and still traveling around. I spend most of my free time seeing new things and revisiting precious places. I guess another reason I stopped blogging about my travels is due to being home. My intended blog audience can see my pictures anytime they want to now that I'm home and I've learned how to transfer pictures to my Bluray player... All they have to do is stop by & visit.

However, recently it occurred to me that many of my dearest friends are no where near me. They're spread out all over this big blue planet. Different states, different time zones, different countries, different hemispheres... I'm here. They're there. The title of the blog still applies.

I'm going to try to blog a little bit more about the there as well as the here...

If you're interested in seeing more of my Savannah pictures which include an itty bitty baby dolphin, another lighthouse, a ginormous cannon, and possible ghostly manifestations click here.

awkward family photos

2010-07-05T12:06:00.007-05:00

A New Baby & An Old Tire.

Apparently both are worthy of photographic commemoration.

I think this guy asked me out once... Oh! The life I could've had!!

I guess God allowed Adam, Eve, Cain, & Able back into the Garden for holidays... Hockey Mom. Nuff said.

Human evergreen tree skit?

I don't even know what to say about this...

Chain mail onesie. Wonder why it hasn't caught on? Poor baby. At least when other kids make fun of him he'll be able to sword fight for his honor.

Unlike these kids... They're just gonna get beat up because phasers don't really work.

Do ya think she had to wear a ribbon around her neck to keep her head attached during extreme tanning sessions?

just one of those days...

2010-06-22T15:19:00.001-05:00

90% Humidity + 103° F= Yesterday.

Now add to the equation that I was traveling.

It's important to note that I was traveling sans cell phone.

Next add that my car died! Oh yeah!!

No cell phone. Dead car. 103°.

I cursed like a sailor.

Oh yeah!!! I almost forgot. I had two post-op kitty cats in my car.

After cursing & then laughing. I pulled myself together.

I managed to make it to a garage, at closing, by driving/coasting.

Unfortunately there was no shade of any kind.

I waited for nearly an hour as the mechanic fixed another car.

The poor, poor cats were near death.

The mechanic couldn't find anything wrong.

The poor cats were nearer to death.

I borrowed a cell phone. Called my folks.

Then I spotted a tree across two lanes of traffic.

I got in the car. Started it up. The car made it across the street & died.

Finally I made it home late last night.

Ate some dinner. Went to bed.

My car is being fixed. The cats survived.

So far today has been a better day.

la chambre de van gogh à arles

2010-06-21T07:09:00.000-05:00

I saw this painting for the first time over the weekend. I want to go live in this cozy room for a couple of months. During the day I'd wander about town, eat at a lovely cafe, meet the locals and I'd spend the evenings reading... Sounds perfect!

cat in the box

2010-06-16T13:04:00.002-05:00

While looking through pictures I've taken over the last week I came across this one and couldn't help laughing outloud!!!

Before and After

2010-06-15T12:33:00.004-05:00

Before After

Jasper went to the groomer last week. Doesn't he look handsome? His groomer is located next to my hair dresser. How convenient! I love getting my hair & nails done almost as much as he does. We're quite the pair!!!

Facts about Humidity

2010-06-14T13:57:00.006-05:00

Sunshine during a recent rainstorm leads to humidity

Some friends from out West have asked me about humidity. Here goes... Humidity is measured by the dew point. What is a dew point? Well, it's the temperature at which air can no longer hold all it's water vapor. At that point some of the water vapor must condense into liquid water but don't get that confused with rain. Today across Western Kentucky the dew point is at 76 degrees measuring 95% humidity but there is no rain. There's just a lot of moisture in the air. That moisture holds heat like a sauna or sweat-bath. The effects are much the same. In order to get an understanding of why today's 95% feels miserable it's probably important to note that humans feel comfortable at 45% humidity.

Soupy air is an actual weather term used when the dew point hits 75° because at that point a person can feel the water vapor in the air they breathe. At this point about 2% of the air is water.

If you'd like to check the dew point across the US then please go here where you can see a map updated in real time. Be sure to check out my beloved Kentucky...

Temperature: 91°

Dew Point: 76°

Humidity: 95%

breakfast

2010-06-11T06:46:00.003-05:00

Papaya is a fairly recent addition to my weekly shopping list. I usually make juice out of them but I decided to add this one to a mango/blueberry fruit salad.

my ipod helps

2010-06-10T10:29:00.003-05:00

Running. Not my favorite thing. I really don't enjoy it but I am running along this road. My iPod really does help be endure it. Hiking is my thing. I love to hike. Steep terrain, flat terrain, up, down, over, under. I love to hike. However, there are not a lot of places to hike in the area where I live. Actually there are no hiking trails within an hour of my home. So, I've taken up running to fill in the gap since hiking constituted about 90% of my regular exercise before moving back to Kentucky.

Don't get me wrong... People around here spend a lot of time in the wilderness but it's for a purpose other than exercise. Folks here spend lots of time hunting deer, turkey, elk, quail, gathering Dryland Fish (mushrooms) or gigging (hunting frogs), coon hunting, sanging (gathering ginseng), gathering wild fruit/nuts (pappaws, persimons, walnuts, blackberries). What we call "woods" is in actuality dense forest. We don't want people making trails or campsites because that disrupts the natural order of things. We know where the deer trails are. We know what conditions suit dryland fish and ginseng. If people came into our woods and carved out trails it would destroy the natural order of things. Of course, that's not something that we ever think about because it would never happen. All this land is privately owned. Kentucky only has one national park as well as a series of state parks spread out across the Bluegrass. Those are the places where I can get in quality hiking but only on the weekend. In the meantime, I'll be running along the road by our farm.

Summer is here

2010-06-09T11:12:00.001-05:00

The wild roses are in bloom. The days are hot and humid. The nights are hot and humid. Yep, summer has come to the Bluegrass.

Farming Kentucky Style

2010-06-08T11:31:00.008-05:00

When I was a little girl one of my friends lived in the gatehouse of a Lexington horse farm. I got to spend entire weekends at her house on occasion because her family hosted church camp outs. The big ol' fireplaces and the chandeliers were a novelty and it was easy to imagine all the people who'd lived there in the past. But best of all was getting up at 4 am to watch the trainers bring out the horses. We'd stand on the fence for hours as the horses were put through their paces. Even as children we could see that the horses just wanted to run. Occasionally the trainers would give them the chance on the track. There's nothing quite like standing on a regulation horse fence while thoroughbreds race past. Let me tell ya... They are fast and powerful and beautiful beyond words. The horses in the pastures would toss their heads and whinny with all their might. Then they would begin to prance. An interesting thing that I've noticed about thoroughbreds is the fact that they really do love to run with or without being urged on. More so than other horses they'll just take off running in the pasture. Then others will follow. It's a beautiful thing to see. Oh and by the way, the buildings in the background are, indeed, barns. I'd seriously live in one. They are amazing and very non-barnlike. lol!!

tv induced illness

2010-05-31T08:59:00.002-05:00

For the past few weeks I've been watching Prison Break in its entirety via Netflix. Last night I used my stomach flu-induced downtime to finish up the series. This morning I'm still ill but I'm not for sure if its the stomach flu causing the problem or the awful ending to the series. Honestly I can't decide. I've never had such a visceral reaction to fiction! Have any of you seen this series? Do ya know what I'm talking about here? I'm not sure how to make peace with it... I dreamed about it all night last night. Can ya believe that?

bamboo is for...

2010-05-21T02:43:00.003-05:00

My friend, Lyndsay, recently got bamboo floors. Not to be outdone I got bamboo socks. That's right folks... So when I visit Lyndsay (hopefully next week) I can walk on her bamboo floors with my bamboo socks. Maybe she'll let me slide across the floor in them. We'll see.

My feet in my favorite socks! I highly recommend these No Nonsense bamboo socks with arch support. While I don't recommend shopping at Wal-mart it is possible to get my favorite socks there for a mere $4.

the four seasons

2010-05-20T02:16:00.005-05:00

Kentucky truly celebrates each season. She gives each one her full attention. It's one of the many things I love about my home.