Monday, December 31, 2007

Last Day of 2007



It's Kara's Birthday

My granddaughter, Kara, is 10 years old today. Happy Birthday Kara! We are invited to a Party to celebrate Kara's birthday at 2:00 PM today. It will be fun to see her open her presents. You might see a picture of her party in this blog tomorrow. She's a wonderful girl and very smart. Last night she drew up a little greeting card. It was neat and even had a bar code on the back of the card. When you opened it up it had a frame around a solid white area. The caption said, "This is a picture of a polar bear eating vanilla ice cream, in the middle of a snow storm." What a girl! This is a cute picture we took of her this past summer.

The last day of 2007. We've had a busy and good year. I put together this slide show to show the highlights of our life in East Tennessee during the past year.
Memories from 2007




Sunday Lunch
Yesterday we had a wonderful lunch with our friend Celia. As usual she put on a delicious spread for our lunch. I had to show you what she had for dessert. Now does that Strawberry Shortcake make you hungry? It was delicious!
~~~
Question
Is it true that cannibals do not eat clowns...
because they taste funny?

~~~

Quote of the Day
"We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified."
~ Aesop

~~~
Joke of the Day
This woman's husband was a wife beater and a real cad. The woman and her husband were separated and the woman went on with her life hating her ex-husband. One day she found a beautiful lamp lying in the street. She picked it up and rubbed it a little bit. Suddenly, a genie popped out of the lamp! The genie said that it would grant her 3 wishes & that with every wish her husband it get the same thing only double!

So, the woman thinks of a first wish...
"I want to be rich!!!"
So, the woman became rich, and the husband became twice as rich!

So, the woman thinks of a second wish...
"I want to be beautiful!!"
So, the woman became beautiful, and the husband became twice as beautiful.

"Okay", the genie says. "This is your last wish so be careful what you wish for!"

The woman thinks real hard and finally comes to a decision.
"I Want You To Scare me HALF To Death!!"

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Saturday, December 29, 2007

Another Saturday



Another week has passed us by.
Time is precious

Every person has the same amount of time.
No matter how much money you have you can't buy any more.
You can use it, in one of two ways; wisely or foolishly

If you've been reading my blog, you will know that we went to Knoxville on Thursday. We had a late celebration of my birthday with Dad and Mary. I got some lovely cards from Dad and Mary with some very lovely verses.

But my Dad gave me 2 cards, and I want to show you the second card he game me.
--->


The card read:
Happy Birthday from the most powerful woman in the free world!






Then I opened the card to find this.
--->

It read:
If this doesn't scare you, another birthday shouldn't bother you at all! Happy Birthday

Signed, Dad

That was funny! I really enjoyed that card. My Dad has a good sense of humor. Check on him at Dad's Tomato Garden Journal


Studying Birds
You know that it is very difficult to determine the sex of birds. I have trouble determining which is the male and which is the female. Maybe you do too. If so, I have good news for you! Someone recently shared with me the secret of how to easily determine the male and the female. Now just look at the following picture. It is so easy to see the female.
v
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v
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~~~
Quote of the Day
Retirement is wonderful. It's doing nothing
without worrying about getting caught at it.
~Gene Perret

~~~
Joke of the Day
Three retirees, each with a hearing loss, were taking a walk one fine March day.

One remarked to the other, "Windy, ain't it?"

"No," the second man replied, "It's Thursday."

And the third man chimed in, "So am I. Let's have a coke."

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Friday, December 28, 2007

We Had a Good Day

We went to visit Dad and Mary yesterday. We had a wonderful day. Here's a picture of the group of all of us. (Jade took the picture. Aren't timers on cameras great!)

Be sure and check Dad's Tomato Garden Jou
rnal today. I am pretty sure he put in a video that you might want to see.
~~~
GLOBAL WARMING - Yesterday I saw another interesting article yesterday about global warming. Read it HERE. Also don't forget to check out my Global Warming web page.


About that puzzle... Death in a Field.

A man is lying dead in a field. Next to him there is an unopened package. There is no other creature in the field. How did he die?
Do you get a solution? Here's the answer:
The man had jumped from a plane but his parachute had failed to open. The parachute is the unopened package.

When thinking about this puzzle we limit ourselves to thing about things at ground level. If we think upward, we might solve it by thinking the man came from above.

~~~
Quote of the Day
True friendship comes when silence between two people is comfortable.
~Dave Tyson Gentry

~~~
Joke of the Day
A fisherman returned to shore with a giant marlin that was bigger and heavier than he. On the way to the cleaning shed, he ran into a second fisherman who had a stringer with a dozen baby minnows.

The second fisherman looked at the marlin, turned to the first fisherman and said, " Only caught one, eh?"

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Going to Knoxville

We're heading toward Knoxville today to visit with Dad and Mary. I think I'll try some of Dad's coffee and sip on it while we talk things over. Come on over and join us.

Check out what this web site says about MY DAD
(I'm proud & smiling).

Click on Tomato Casual. This is good!

~~~

Time for another puzzle... about Death in a Field.
A man is lying dead in a field. Next to him there is an unopened package. There is no other creature in the field. How did he die?
Do you have any solutions? I'll give you the answer tomorrow.
~~~
Another poem written by my sister, Mary.
The Plain Man and the Clown


A face painted with a perpetual smile,
A baggy suit,

Big floppy shoes,

Bags of tricks,

And three rings to go ‘round in.


A plain man with smiles and tears,

A suit that fits,

Sturdy shoes,

Work to do,

And a clear path to walk.


Ponder this, for to make a choice you’re bound.
Will you be the plain man or the clown?

~By Mary L. White, 1982

~~~
Quote of the Day
It is never too late to be who you might have been.
~George Eliot

~~~
Joke of the Day
A gang of robbers broke into a lawyer's club by mistake. The old legal lions gave them a fight for their life and their money. The gang was very happy to escape.

"It ain't so bad," one crook noted. "We got $25 between us."

The boss screamed: "I warned you to stay clear of lawyers--we had $100 when we broke in!"

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

It's Not Over Until it's Over

It's Over... Christmas that is. But the wonderful Season is not over. It's not too late to enjoy this festive time of the year, the lights, the decorations, the sounds of children playing, etc. Also, even though Christmas is gone we can enjoy the new toys we got for Christmas. Or maybe play a game, or work a jigsaw puzzle. It's a magical time to be alive and enjoy life.

Also we now we look toward the new year. It will be 2008 in just a few days. Have you thought about what you are going to do with 2008. Each day that God gives us is a true blessing, and how are we going to use those days in 2008? As Dad says, "Time is so precious. Do not waste it." Very sound advice.

Look over in the right column (top) at a new survey.
--->
Let us know your plans for developing some New Year's Resolutions.


Now is a good time to start thinking about your resolutions for the new year. What will it be? More physical exercise? Eating healthy? Losing some weight? More time with a hobby? More time for devotions? More time with family? New friendships or fostering old friendships? More time with the elderly? Home improvement? A special vacation? The list of possibilities goes on and on..... What will it be for you and for me???



Are you wondering who that is in the above picture? Just an old friend that showed up here to enjoy Christmas with us. He'll be heading back to his home in a few days. He's didn't care much for turkey and ham, but he really loves fresh fruit, especially bananas.

~~~

It was good to talk to friends and family we couldn't be with on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There's something so nice about hearing those familiar voices at Christmas time.

Don't forget to visit Dad, at Dad's Tomato Garden Journal. You'll find sound advice for life that goes far beyond growing tomatoes. He always trying to come up with something good for his journal, and he usually does. He does a great job with his videos.

Tomorrow, Beverly, Jade, and Tennessee Granddaddy plan to drive down to Knoxville and spend the day with Dad and Mary. We've been looking forward to this for several weeks! I'm sure he'll have the coffee and tea ready for us.

~~~
Quote of the Day

He who fails to plan, plans to fail
~An old proverb


~~~
Joke of the Day
An astronomer on an extended lecture tour became weary of delivering the same lecture night after night. He confided this state of mind to his chauffeur as they were driving to their next destination. The chauffeur expressed a similar boredom in his line of work.

"I've got it!" said the astronomer. "You are bored with driving and I am weary of lecturing. Let's exchange places for one night. It will be a refreshing change for both of us. My lecture is all written out word for word and nobody in the next town knows me by sight anyway." The driver agreed and the exchange of roles and dress was made. That night the lecture hall filled to capacity. At the appointed time those in attendance heard a flawlessly delivered lecture. At its conclusion the lecturer basked in the euphoric applause. Then came the question and answer period.

"Who discovered Uranus?" came from a boy in the front.

"Uh...William Herschel." He remembered that from somewhere.

"And who discovered Pluto?" continued the boy.

"Aaaa...that would be Clyde Tombaugh." He had read a little.

Then from the back: "Would you please comment on the relative merits of the pulsation instability model and the accretion disk instability model for the explanation of outbursts of cataclysmic variable stars?"

The speaker paused for a moment, then said, "I am surprised that you would bother to ask me such a simple question. To show you how really simple it is I shall have my chauffeur answer it for you."

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

It's Christmas Day!

Photobucket


Photobucket

It's Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas
I hope everyone has a wonderful and happy Christmas
and holiday sea
son!

We had a wonderful time on Christmas Eve. Kara and Zachary came in wearing their Santa hats. They were cute and so much fun. We hope to visit them later today to see what they received for Christmas gifts.

Poor old Santa! Don't you know he is worn out. I kept track of him during his busy day through NORAD. I still just don't see how he does it. I've got a picture of him after he returned safely to the North Pole. As you can see, he was very tired, and it looks like he went to sleep.

~~~
Quote of the Day
It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.
~W.T. Ellis


~~~
Joke of the Day
A father had two little sons, one of whom was an eternal optimist, while the other was a perpetual pessimist. One Christmas he decided try to temper both of their proclivities: in addition to their standard gifts, he told them they'd each get something "chosen especially for you!" His plan was to give the pessimist every toy and game he could possibly desire, while the optimist would be directed to the basement filled with manure.

On Christmas, after the normal presents were opened, the father sent the optimist to the cellar, while leading the pessimist to the room filled with presents. After the pessimist opened all the gifts, he turned to his father with a sad face and said: "How can I possibly use all these? The TV will wear out, the Nintendo will get smashed, and all the other toys will be broken!"

After a few minutes of listening to such woe, the father remembered his optimistic son, and ran to the basement steps. There in the basement was his other son, swimming through the manure with a gleeful smile. The father asked him why he was so happy, to which the boy exclaimed "With this much manure, there must be a pony in here somewhere!"


Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Monday, December 24, 2007

Christmas Eve

Here's a fun Christmas Greeting Card. It's in the form of a simple jigsaw puzzle. Adults and Children alike will enjoy working the Santa puzzle. Click on Santa Puzzle or click on the Santa below.

Merry
Christmas everybody!

We have a quiet day planned until.... around 5:00 PM. Then we expect Kevin, Leslie. Kara and Zachary will be here for Christmas Eve fun. We'll have lots to eat and the opportunity to give the Grandchildren their gifts. This is Jade's first Christmas in the USA.

Ho Ho Ho!


NORAD is the North American Aerospace Defense Command and they will be tracking Santa this year. Click here to keep up with Santa's progress: NORAD Tracks Santa 2007.

~~~

Quote of the Day
Christmas waves a magic wand over this world,
and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.
~Norman Vincent Peale

~~~
Joke of the Day
A bum, who obviously has seen more than his share of hard times, approaches a well dressed gentleman on the street. "Hey, Buddy, can you spare two dollars?" The well-dressed gentleman responds, "You are not going to spend in on liquor are you?"

"No, sir, I don't drink," retorts the bum.

"You are not going to throw it away in some crap game, are you?" asks the gentleman.

"No way, I don't gamble," answers the bum.

"You wouldn't waste the money at a golf course for greens fees, would you?" asks the man.

"Never," says the bum, "I don't play golf."

The man asks the bum if he would like to come home with him for a home cooked meal. The bum accepts eagerly. While they are heading for the man's house, the bum's curiosity gets the better of him. "Isn't your wife going to be angry when she sees a guy like me at your table?"

"Probably," says the man, "but it will be worth it. I want her to see what happens to a guy who doesn't drink, gamble or play golf."

(Note from Granddaddy: Maybe the bum fishes?)
N
Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Christmas Lights at BMS


Lights!!! Last night we went to see the Christmas Lights at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Beverly and I took Zachary, Kara and Jade with us.

They call it Speedway in Lights, Powered by TVA. It is a most spectacular holiday light show with m
ore than 1.5 million lights and 200-plus displays. (The proceeds from the event benefit the Bristol Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities.)

We tried to capture a little of our drive through the lights on video. Click the arrow to see the video clip.






Answer to yesterday's puzzle... The Man in the Bar
The man had hiccups. The barman recognized this from his speech and drew the gun in order to
give him a shock. It worked and cured the hiccups - so the man no longer needed the water.


~~~
Quote of the Day
“Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror,
victory however long and hard the road may be;
for without victory there is no survival.”
~ Winston Churchill

~~~
Joke of the Day
(Not really a joke but a good story)

An elderly gentleman of 83 arrived in Paris by plane. At the French customs desk, the man took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry-on bag.

"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked, sarcastically.

The elderly gentleman admitted he had been to France previously and the Frenchman said, "Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."

The American said, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible. Americans always have to show their passports on arrival in France!"

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained. "Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find any Frenchmen to show it to."

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Friday, December 21, 2007

PVC Pipe

A couple of years ago I built a holder to store my fishing rods out of PVC pipe (see picture). It has worked out and has been useful. I also listed it on a web page that specializes in PVC pipe projects. You might want to check out www.PVCPLANS.com. They show a variety of projects -- lots of useful things you can build from PVC pipe. From time to time I receive a request from people who have seen my rod storage rack, and have asked for plans. Yesterday I received my 32nd request for plans. I am surprised at the number of people running across this who have written me for the plans. If you want the plans you can download them from my fishing page.

Note: You can make many useful things from PVC pipe. Other things I have made include a rack that holds the tarp that covers my pontoon boat and rod holders to put in your boat for trolling or still fishing.
~~~
Time for another puzzle
Do you know about
The Man in the Bar.

Here goes... A man walks into a bar and asks the barman for a glass of water. The barman pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man says 'Thank you' and walks out.

Now you figure out why this happened. Note: While this puzzle is baffling, when you figure out or hear the solution, will find that the solution makes good sense. I'll give you the answer tomorrow.


~~~
Quote of the Day
Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth,
for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:
it is the time for home.
~Edith Sitwell

~~~
Joke of the Day
Deep in the Tennessee hills, a farmer's mule kicked his mother-in-law to death. An enormous crowd of men turned out for the funeral. The minister, examining the crowd outside the church, commented to a farmer friend, "This old lady must have been mighty popular. Just look how many people left their work to come to her funeral."

"They're not here for the funeral," snickered the friend. "They're here to buy the mule."

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Statistics

You ever see people draw broad conclusions with just a little bit of data? For example, consider the person that said, "All Indians walk single file." You ask about his data to draw that conclusion, and he responds, "Well.... at least the one I saw did."

You may not know it, but my career was in statistics, and that involved helping people make decisions and draw appropriate conclusions from data. Statisticians also like to determine valid cause and effect relationships.

My s
on, Kevin, sent me this little cartoon a while back. I liked it because it illustrates the difference between normal people and scientists & statisticians. The guy gets zapped. the normal person says, "I better not do that again." While the statistician says. "I wonder if that happens every time I do that?"

You guessed it, Kevin is also a statistician.

Someone once told me that a statistician is someone who likes numbers but did not have the personality to be an accountant. (Ouch! That hurt.) Actually, my career in statistics was most gratifying. It was enjoyable and filled with a variety of challenging projects, and gave me a feeling of accomplishment.

~~~
Quote of the Day
It's hard to detect good luck -
it looks so much like something you've earned.
~Frank A. Clark

~~~
Joke of the Day
A lawyer and an accountant were fishing in the Caribbean. The lawyer said, "I am here because my house burned down and everything I owned was burned. The insurance company paid for everything."

"That is quite a coincidence," said the engineer, "I am here because my house and all my belongings were destroyed by a flood, and my insurance company also paid for everything."

The lawyer looked somewhat confused and asked, "how do you start a flood?"

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

More About Our Flag

Dad said yesterday, that "it's hard to make a comeback when you've never been anywhere." It reminded me of what a good friend told me one time. I had told him that I was a has-been. He said,"That's better than me, I'm a never-was."

~~~

Last week I mentioned that I added an audio file to my Support Our Troops web page (Look for it in the left column). Click on the ssb.wma file to play or download. This audio lasts around 11 minutes. This is definitely worth your time to listen to this audio.

Since then I have learned more about the Star Spangled Banner. Did you know that there are four verses to the song? We only sing the first verse.
To learn more about the history of the Star Spangled Banner, and to see all four verses, go to Wikipedia. (This picture of the Flag was taken in Dad's backyard.)

~~~
Quote of the Day
The red and white and starry blue
Is freedom's shield and hope.
~John Philip Sousa

~~~
Joke of the Day
There was once a man from the city who was visiting a small farm, and during this visit he saw a farmer feeding pigs in a most extraordinary manner. The farmer would lift a pig up to a nearby apple tree, and the pig would eat the apples off the tree directly. The farmer would move the pig from one apple to another until the pig was satisfied, then he would start again with another pig.

The city man watched this activity for some time with great astonishment. Finally he could not resist saying to the farmer, "This is the most inefficient method of feeding pigs that I can imagine. Just think of the time that would be saved if you simply shook the apples off the tree and let the pigs eat them from the ground!"

The farmer looked puzzled and replied, "What's time to a pig?"

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

More Talented Relatives

Merry Christmas

Look at this beautiful Christmas card I received from my cousin, Karen, who lives in Memphis, Tennessee. Karen made this card, and what you are looking at is the scanned image of her original water color painting that she painted right on the card. Believe me, the scan does not do it justice.

And look at this wood carving of Santa that Karen's husband, Pat, just completed. What a talented couple! I'm glad they are my relatives. But sure wished we lived closer so we could visit with them more. They might just teach me how to do water colors and to wood carve.
~~~
Hope everyone has a wonderful day. Be careful, whatever you do today. Remember not to rush, it's better to be a little late than to have an accident. Just take your time, and enjoy the sounds and sights of the season.

~~~
Quote of the Day

I don't care how poor a man is;
if he has family, he's rich.

~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford


~~~
Joke of the Day
A man goes on a business trip and leaves his cat with a neighbor. When he calls in to check on the pet the friend says 'Your cat died.'

The man is heartbroken, and asks 'Couldn't you have broken it to me gently? The first time I called you could have said 'The cat is on the roof' and later, 'The cat fell off the roof, and it doesn't look good'', etc, etc.


Well, he gets a new cat, and next time he goes away he leaves the new animal with the same neighbor.


A week later he calls him up and says 'How's my cat?' The neighbor replies, 'Your cat's fine, but your mother is on the roof.'

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Monday, December 17, 2007

My Birthday

I had a wonderful birthday! It started on Friday night with a delicious meal at the Caldwell's. And Jackie brought me a birthday cake. We ate and ate, and then played some games.

Then on Saturday I woke up to Beverly saying "Happy Birthday!' Jade gave me a beautiful tie, and, no kidding, it was exactly what I
needed. Beverly also gave me gifts and a beautiful card.

Then on Saturday night Kevin and his family came over and gave me gifts. We shared a big cookie that said Happy Birthday Jim. I enjoyed Kara and Zachary being here. Zachary had a special birthday song for me. It went like this, "Happy Birthday to You, You're one hundred and two, You smell like a monkey and you act like one too." A wonderful day...

Where's Jade? She's not in the last picture. Jade went to a Christmas event on Saturday night and was not home when Kevin and his gang came over. Here's picture of Jade and her friend, Lien (pronounced like Lynn) just before they left our house. Two very pretty girls...

~~~

My Knoxville friends, Jerry and Nancy, sent me a funny story. Read on...

My name is Alice Smith, and I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name.

Suddenly, I remembered that a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 40-odd years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on away back then? Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought.

This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was away too old to have been my classmate. After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School.

"Yes. Yes, I did. I'm a Mustang," he gleamed with pride.

"When did you graduate?" I asked.

He answered, "In 1959. Why do you ask?"

"You were in my class!" I exclaimed.

He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, old, bald wrinkled, fat, gray, decrepit freak asked, "What did you teach?"
~~~

On Saturday morning I had surprise visit from our dear friend Celia. She brought me some apple pie and Chex Mix... and this funny thing that sang Happy Birthday. Watch and listen to this video clip here by clicking the arrow.



Also, don't forget to check out my Jokes on Getting Older.

~~~
Quotes of the Day
I still have a full deck; I just shuffle slower now.
~Author Unknown

They say that age is all in your mind.
The trick is keeping it from creeping down into your body.
~Author Unknown

~~~
Joke of the Day
Bob, a 70-year-old, extremely wealthy widower, shows up at the Country Club with a breathtakingly beautiful and very sexy 25 year- old blonde who knocks everyone's socks off with her youthful sex appeal and charm. She hangs onto Bob's arm and listens intently to his every word. His buddies at the club are all aghast.

At the very first chance, they corner him and ask, "Bob, how did you get the trophy girlfriend?" Bob replies, "Girlfriend? She's my wife!"

They're amazed, but continue to ask. "So, how did you persuade her to marry you?"

"I lied about my age," Bob replies.

"What, did you tell her you were only 50?"

Bob smiles and says, "No, I told her I was 90."

Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Thinking of Mom

In loving memory of my Mother
The above picture shows my Mom and Dad

My Mother would be celebrating her birthday today if she were still with us. She passed away in 1974. In memory of my Mother I would like for you to click the link below. Here you will see a beautiful poem written by my sister, Mary. Here's the link:


Much Appreciation to Boyd Anthony (South Carolina) who designed this web page to show his love and admiration for Ray White (Dad) and Family. Thanks Boyd!

~~~

My Birthday is today, too. I was born in 1938, and it was on my Mother's birthday. What a present she got! Well you don't have to calculate it, I'll tell you. I'm 69 years old today.

~~~
Quote of the Day
Our main business is not to see what lies dimly in the distance,
but to do what lies clearly at hand.
~ Thomas Carlyle

~~~
Joke of the Day
A fellow stopped at a rural gas station and, after filling his tank, he paid the bill and bought a soft drink. He stood by his car to drink his cola and he watched a couple of men working along the roadside. One man would dig a hole two or three feet deep and then move on. The other man came along behind and filled in the hole. While one was digging a new hole, the other was about 25 feet behind filling in the old. The men worked right past the fellow with the soft drink and went on down the road. "I can't stand this," said the man tossing the can in a trash container and heading down the road toward the men.

"Hold it, hold it," he said to the men. "Can you tell me what's going on here with this digging?"

"Well, we work for the county government, " one of the men said.

"But one of you is digging a hole and the other is filling it up. You're not accomplishing anything. Aren't you wasting the county's money?"

"You don't understand, mister," one of the men said, leaning on his shovel and wiping his brow. "Normally there's three of us--me, Rodney and Mike. I dig the hole, Rodney sticks in the tree and Mike here puts the dirt back."

"Yea," piped up Mike. "Now just because Rodney's sick, that don't mean we can't work, does it?"
Add your thoughts & ideas to this blog by clicking on the "comments" below

Friday, December 14, 2007

Smile, It's Friday

What's wrong with people? In the last couple of days we have some dealings with store clerks and others who did not show kindness in their business dealings. They could certainly leave a much better impression for their organization if they just knew how to treat people. Kindness is a wonderful thing. It is a shame that business owners do not teach their employees to be courteous & kind and to smile. A kind word, with sincerity goes a long way in this cruel world.

I remember traveling some years ago and arriving at a hotel in the late evening. I was tired, really tired. And what did I find at
the hotel? A long line of people checking in, and only one clerk doing the check-ins! There were other people behind the counter doing other chores, but only one helping to check-in their hotel guests. After 20-30 minutes I finally made it to the front of the line, to a clerk with frown and a curt greeting, "Do you have reservations?" I nearly replied, "Yes, but I think I'll stay here anyway." That thought went through my mind. But I just presented my credit card, got signed in, and finally got to my room for a night's rest.

Always remember that it's nice to be important,
but it's more important to be nice!


It's a wonderful world we live in and enjoy. Life is too short for us to be short with others.

A List to Live By
Just last evening I received an email from my friend Don B. It was a List to Live By. I think you will enjoy it as much as I do. Read on...
  • The most useless thing to do ...................Worry
  • The greatest Joy .................................Giving
  • The greatest loss .......................Loss of self-respect
  • The most satisfying work .........................Helping others
  • The ugliest personality trait ....................Selfishness
  • The most endangered species .............Dedicated leaders
  • The greatest "shot in the arm" ...................Encouragement
  • The greatest problem to overcome .................Fear
  • Most effective sleeping pill .....................Peace of mind
  • The most crippling failure disease ...............Excuses
  • The most powerful force in life ..................Love
  • The most dangerous pariah ........................A gossiper
  • The world's most incredible computer .............The brain!
  • The worst thing to be without ....................Hope
  • The deadliest weapon ............................ The tongue
  • The two most power-filled words .................."I Can"
  • The greatest asset ...............................Faith
  • The most worthless emotion .......................Self-pity
  • The most prized possession .......................Integrity
  • The most beautiful attire ........................A SMILE!
  • The most powerful channel of communication .......Prayer
  • The most contagious spirit .......................Enthusiasm
  • The most important thing in life .................GOD
~~~
Quote of the Day
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool
than to speak out and remove all doubt.
~ Abraham Lincoln

~~~
Joke of the Day
A tourist is traveling with a guide through one of the thickest jungles in South America, when he comes across an ancient Mayan temple. The tourist is entranced by the temple, and asks the guide for details. To this, the guide states that archaeologists are carrying out excavations, and still finding great treasures. The tourist then queries how old the temple is. "This temple is 1503 years old", replies the guide. Impressed at this accurate dating, he inquires as to how he gave this precise figure. "Easy", replies the guide, "the archaeologists said the temple was 1500 years old, and that was three years ago"

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Thursday, December 13, 2007

Less Than 12 days


Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Click Here for Merry Christmas 2007 ...It is full of the sights and sounds of Christmas! Take a trip back to the days of your youth, when Christmastime was most wonderful ...

As of today, it's a little less than 12 days until Christmas. A good time to watch and listen to The 12 Days of Christmas with the Muppets and John Denver. Enjoy...



~~~
Quote of the Day
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you.
Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
~ Harry S. Truman

~~~
Joke of the Day
On a rural road a state trooper pulled this farmer over and said: "Sir, do you realize your wife fell out of the car several miles back?"

To which the farmer replied: "Thank Goodness, I thought I had gone deaf!"

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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Scales of Injustice

I like this cartoon. One little girl tells her friend, "Don't step on it...it makes you cry."

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Take My Advice:

Never, never, never buy someone scales for a present.


Answer to Yesterday's puzzle:
The man is a dwarf.


The Star Spangled Banner
I have added an audio file to my Support Our Troops web page. Look for it in the left column. Click on the ssb.wma file to play or download. This audio lasts around 11 minutes. But I urge you to listen when you have time to learn more about the history of our flag and our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.



Click here for the Countdown to Christmas

Here's another great Christmastime Link:

Click Here for Merry Christmas 2007 ...It is full of the sights and sounds of Christmas! Take a trip back to the days of your youth, when Christmastime was most wonderful ...
~~~
Quote of the Day
I can't complain, but sometimes I still do.
~Joe Walsh

~~~
Joke of the Day
A consultant died and arrived at the pearly gates. To his dismay, there were thousands of people ahead of him in line to see St. Peter. But, to his surprise, St. Peter left his desk at the gate and came down the long line to where the consultant was standing. St. Peter greeted him warmly. Then St. Peter and one of his assistants took the lawyer by the hands and guided him up to the front of the line into a comfortable chair by his desk.

The consultant said, "I don't mind all this attention, but what makes me so special?"

St. Peter replied, "Well, I've added up all the hours for which you billed your clients, and by my calculation you must be about 193 years old!"

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