Two for Tuesday - Tiger

I typically avoid media topics but several conversations ( both participated in and overheard) have led me to write this post. Let me say first that there is absolutely NO excuse for Tiger's infidelity. Let me repeat - NONE!

In response to the news about Tiger I have heard several people comment, both male and female, "but he has a beautiful wife" or something similar. What exactly are we saying then?

1. If his wife were ugly or plain then it would be okay? Or more understandable? Or easier to accept? Really! This misses two points. First is she were ugly or plain then she would have been that when he married her unless there had been some sort of disfiguring accident. Second, male infidelity rarely has anything at all to do with the wife. That being said...

2. His wife is beautiful. This does not, however, mean she is kind or supportive or a good wife in any way. While this would still in no way excuse his behavior, I am amazed at the way we assumed positive character traits on someone based soley on their looks. Kind of like assuming that because some one is a great athlete, a golfer let's say, that they are a good person and appropriate role model.

Two for Tuesday - yadseuT rof owT

Here are two of Isaac's favorite things to do these days.

Playing at the playground &

Cooking like Grandpa!

Two for Tuesday-yadseuT rof owT

Saw a great bumper sticker last night...

CELEBRATE NATIONAL ATHEIST DAY - APRIL 1st

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Garden frustration of the week: My beets have huge beautiful tops and tiny little roots (beets). What's up with that? They are past their harvest date so should I leave them in the ground or pull them and try again next year?

Two for Tuesday - yadseuT rof owT

Here are my two cents worth on two things that should be included in much needed texting while driving laws.

1. Any semi or delivery truck driver caught texting while driving should lose their license immediately for at least one year - no exceptions, no excuses.



2. Any one caught texting while driving who has a child under 18 in the vehicle with them should be charged with either child endangerment or neglect of a dependent.

There is nothing you have to tell someone that is more important than peoples lives - possibly even your own.


Please do not text and drive!

Two for Tuesday - yadseuT rof owT

Be Still and know that I am God.

Psalms 46:19

• Sometimes I feel like it is hard to hear what God is telling me. Sometimes I think He is being stubbornly silent. What I'm discovering, and what is true about some of the decisions I've been trying to make recently, is that it usually isn't that He is silent but that I am not listening. I am not taking time to "be still". I am busying myself with distractions or busying my mind with a barrage of points and counterpoints until all I hear is static. I intentionally, even if unknowingly, create enough noise to avoid hearing what I am afraid to hear - to avoid recognizing if He is asking me to do something I don't want to do or to go a direction that will be hard or uncomfortable for me.

• There are currently lots of things going on in my life that require decisions. Not your run of the mill "what will I fix for dinner" kinds of decisions, but life altering decisions. I have been struggling to make most of them - going back and forth, trying to weigh the positives and negatives of each option and all the potential outcomes and scenarios. The result was having no peace, being frustrated and being no closer to a decision. Then on Sunday at church the pastor talked about how we complicate things rather than keeping them as simple as they actually are. Another young man spoke about a situation where he had to rely on God's guidance which he was only receiving one "step" at a time.

Hmmmmm. Be still, keep it simple, and be willing to take one trusting step at a time. I think I'll try that.

Two for Tuesday - yadseuT rof owT

Isaac in Wonderland

Enjoying the evening with Christy & Isaac at Faeries, Sprites & Lights.

**More photos from this event on Thursday**

Two for Tuesday - yadseuT rof owT

Two vacation stories...

How I Lost My Shirt in Wisconsin

No, there wasn't a "wardrobe malfunction" nor was any gambling involved. We were just driving along in the southwestern part of Wisconsin enjoying the sunshine and the scenery when we came around a small curve in the road and then... and then... there was a ginormous gust of wind that whipped through the car windows sucked up my shirt that was laying in the back seat like the tornado in The Wizard of Oz sucked up Dorothy's house, whipped it behind my head and out the front car window and lets just say I'm pretty sure my shirt isn't in Kansas anymore. I'm not even sure it is still in Wisconsin!

See that thing in the sky to the right about a third of the way up - pretty sure that's my shirt flying across the Wisconsin farm land.
(Not really but that is a lot what it looked like and it was still in the air the last we saw it.)

Wind Turbine Fields Forever

(Sung to the tune of Strawberry Fields Forever)

Let me tell you now,

'Cos I went through

Wind Turbine Fields.

They're really real

And something to get thrilled about.

Wind Turbine Fields forever.

Seriously though - it was pretty amazing. We saw them from the I-74 as we were traveling through Illinois. We couldn't resist a side trip to go take a look at them a little closer. They were much farther away than they seemed because the were HUGE. Eventually we found our way to what appeared to be the center of the "field" of wind turbines. They seemed to go on forever in both directions. The ones we were nearest were marked as 105, 106, and 107 so we're guessing there were about 200 altogether.

It was really amazing - and exciting.

They were quiet and kind of pretty. Much, much less of an eyesore to the landscape than cell phone towers or power lines. I admit, I was intrigued by the notion of wind power and totally behind it in theory. I just wasn't sure there was enough wind to consistently make it work. However, on this day there really seemed to be only a slight breeze and all the turbines were still gracefully spinning. I can't imagine what they'd have looked like in the wind in Wisconsin!

Clean, totally renewable - why aren't we jumping on this bandwagon faster?

(Drop by tomorrow for more photos of these.)

Two for Tuesday - yadeusT rof owT

1.

I'm taking on this challenge! To find out more and to join in visit Linda over at Second Cup. Hope you'll join us.

2.

I had a great time this weekend at the NASCAR race in Bristol. The weather was perfect and the seats were amazing (one my legs quit shaking from the height).

Have I mentioned that I'm afraid of heights? It is a fear I have worked very hard at overcoming and I am proud to say that this weekend I overcame. I'm pretty sure that being able to sit with nothing between me and Heaven but a chain link fence qualifies! There will be lots of pictures tomorrow, but for now, here is a picture looking down from my seat - those are my tennis shoes you see in the bottom of the photo. Check back on Friday for my Sky Watch post to see how close I was to the parachuters and the plane that did the fly over. I can honestly say it was closest I've ever seen a plane that was in flight!!

Two for Tuesday - yadseuT rof owT

I heard today that the average American spends 151 hours a month watching television!

That means we spend almost as much time staring at what has been called the "Idiot Box" as we do at work each month.

How many better ways can you think of to spend that time.

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As anyone who works with the public will tell you, if you make a customer mad, either because of something you've actually done wrong or because they don't like the answer you're having to give them, they will often times let you, your superiors, and anyone else who will listen know.

On the other hand, if you do a good job, even an exceptional one, they may thank or compliment you and might even refer someone to you at a later date. They will rarely, however, make a positive report to your superiors.

Keeping that in mind and knowing that as the economy gets worse there is more stress on everyone in their jobs, my challenge to you this week is to pay a compliment to someone who does a good job for you and tell their supervisor too. If you're up for a double challenge, hold your tongue this week if you get bad service or a rude salesperson and just assume they're having a really bad day.

Two for Tuesday - yadseuT rof owT

Last week we were covered in snow. Today it is 65 degrees. By the end of the week snow is again expected. Near record highs and lows within weeks of each other, and there are still people who "don't believe in" global warming (otherwise known as climate change).

Here are some protesters who would disagree.



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Does that mean if we decide we just don't believe in the fact that the American economy is spiraling down to disastrous levels that we'll still get a paycheck if our company closes or lays off? Does it mean that my portion of medical bills will still be affordable despite the fact that Delphi just decided that they would no longer pay any insurance for retired salary workers?

Two for Tuesday-yadseuT rof owT

I have two dilemma/rant/whines today...

I received information last week about joining AARP! I am totally torn between being honked off that they sent it and made me feel even older than I already do and wanting to join because I love discounts!

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The Eagles are coming back to Indianapolis in March. The tickets that are not behind the stage start at $100 each. I am trying as hard as I can to justify spending that amount of money to go to a concert when I don't really have that much discretionary cash to spend and even if I did there are so many more important things to spend it on. So today I am mad at GM, mad about the economy, and annoyed with myself. Sometimes I really hate my practical, logical, responsible side!

Two for Tuesday - Mixed Messages

WARNING ---- WARNING ---- WARNING

Okay, you've been warned that I'm on my soapbox today...

I never cease to be amazed at what a topsy-turvy world we live in and the mixed messages that the world, and we, send our children.

Several days ago it was on the local news that a baby had been left on the doorstep of an elderly woman one very cold morning. Follow-up stories gave us several bits of information.

• The baby was a few hours old (cord still attached).


• The mother was a 17 year old high school student (the "news" felt is necessary to name the school).


• The baby was in a large shoebox wrapped in a blanket and two adult shirts.


• The mother left a note saying she knew she couldn't take care of the baby.


• The mother was later identified and taken in to be tried in juvenile court.

Clearly this was not a good choice and I am certainly not saying that there don't appear to be better options. What I do want to say is that there are some other interesting facts we know and a whole bunch that we do not.

• They identified the mother because she got on the school bus after leaving the baby and upon arriving at school told the counselor what she had done.


• She said she left the baby at that particular house because she knew someone would be home.

We do not know this girl's particular circumstances. We do not know about her home situation. We do not know anything about the father. (It seems she may have been trying to take care of the baby the best she knew how and was able to.) She did not leave it in a dumpster or trash can. Some feel that because we have a "Safe Haven" law she didn't use that she deserves to be prosecuted. Hmmm. Did she know about the law? Are we teaching about it in our schools? Are the pro-life and/or pro choice advocates/agencies putting money and energy behind making people aware of the details of this law? The law here allows a baby up to 45 days old to be left at a hospital, fire station, or police station. Was there one of those within walking distance of this girl's neighborhood? Keep in mind that she had recently given birth and very likely did not have the money to take a city bus or cab to an "appropriate" place. Do any agencies make transportation available to someone in this situation?

Stop for just a minute - take off your judgement hat, your pro-choice hat or your pro-life hat and consider what a mixed message we, as a society, send. We have a Safe Haven law - but if you aren't fortunate enough to have one of the "appropriate" drop off places where you can access it - we will prosecute you. We have a law that makes abortion legal. Therefore, if this girl had chosen to kill her baby four to six months ago there would have been no headlines and she would not be being prosecuted. It appears as though they will "go easy" on her. Even so, since the newspaper and television both carried the story along with her age, her school, and the address where the baby was left, her peers will likely know or figure out who it is and she will still have that to deal with.

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We send mixed messages all the time. Here are just a few examples:

• We want our children to practice abstinence but we allow them to watch movies and television shows that glorify premarital sex and show it as "what everyone is doing".


• We want our children to "just say no" while we can't wait to watch and read the latest information on the "stars" who have gone to rehab- been arrested - overdosed, or while we overuse or abuse prescription drugs or alcohol ourselves.


• We tell our kids their "value" when we complain about higher taxes to pay teachers, police and firefighters more or about the cost of daycare but turn around and spend anywhere from twice to ten times as much for a ticket to watch a concert or sporting event.


• We watch that team, buy their apparel, and are more than happy to discuss last nights game without a second thought about supporting the players who have been caught doing drugs, driving drunk, carrying unlicensed firearms, and a host of other illegal activities for which they mostly avoid prosecution.


• Then there are all the issues with models and advertising...

Sadly, I could go on. I think, however, that you get the point.

We as individuals and as a society send our kids all kinds of mixed messages every day and then wonder what happened when they do something wrong or make bad choices or don't know what to do in a difficult situation.

Shame on us.

Two for Tuesday

I am choosing not to get into any political discussions or debates today and will only say that I pray (as I have for every elected president) for President Obama to have wisdom, to be able to see the bigger picture past the halls of congress, to have insight, and to have compassion. I pray that he will be surrounded by wise council and that he will not lose touch with the people who elected him. I pray for the safety of he and his family and that the people of this country will show him the respect that the Office of President deserves regardless of who is occupying it.

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My friend from Small Reflections (via Jamie of Duward Discussion) posted this a while back and I hadn't taken the time until now to do it. So here goes - better late than never. To participate, just copy and paste the list in your own blog, and color all of the things YOU have done (mine are in red, but you can use any color you want). Things you haven't done will be in black.

100 Things

I HAVE...

1. Started my own blog

2. Slept under the stars (a couple times)

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii (most beautiful place I’ve ever been & I’d love to go back)

5. Watched a meteor shower ( a couple of times)

6. Given more than I can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world (both)

8. Climbed a mountain (Stone Mountain, Georgia)

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sung a solo

11. Bungee jumped (no way!)

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched lightning at sea

14. Taught myself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child (not in the literal sense but have supported a couple overseas through charitable organizations)

16. Had food poisoning (Don’t serve me KFC)

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (but I’d love to)

18. Grown my own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitchhiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb (petted, never held)

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (several times)

34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors (I have been to Holland, but just the airport and I’d love to visit Ireland)

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught myself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (only the one in my Mom's living room)

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt ( but it is on my to do list)

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had my portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (only the one at King’s Island)

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia (no, but I have been to Kazakhstan)

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching (in Alaska)

63. Got flowers for no reason ( a long time ago)

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving (no way, no how)

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter (in Hawaii)

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (my only trip to D.C. was a business one so I only had time to see one thing. I went to the Vietnam Wall)

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square (someday - on New Year's Eve)

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (again, on the to do list)

80. Published a book (well not a book, but one magazine and several newspaper articles)

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem (but I’d love to someday)

84. Had my picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible.

86. Visited the White House (see #70)

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life (If pointing out to the intern and technician that my husband was turning blue counts?)

90. Sat on a jury(called but not seated)

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit (currently- goes with #46 above)

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee (and a wasp)

100. Ridden an elephant

Whew! How about you?

Two for Tuesday-yadseuT rof owT

Driving to work this morning I saw this bumper sticker:

"Legalize the Constitution"

Huh?

My mind goes so many different directions...

Is this guy a firearms enthusiast? Is he against judges making laws instead of enforcing them? Or is he just all about the "pursuit of happiness"?



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Black Friday

What are you doing on Black Friday? It is usually a day of crazy early morning shopping for me - not because I'm so drawn by the deals, but because I love the crowds and the craziness of it all. I know, I'm weird! I'll be working this year but may try to sneak in a few stores before I have to be at work at 8:00 a.m.

Wikipedia says, " Although Black Friday, as the first shopping day after Thanksgiving, has served as the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season at least since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the term "Black Friday" has been traced back only to the 1960s. The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit)."

So, what do you think the economy will do to the shopping? Are you changing your spending habits for Christmas this year? We certainly are.

Do you think the stores will reach that "in the black" zone? Even if they do, if this definition is accurate, what type of business principle has you operating in the red for 332 days out of the year and then trying to make up for it in the last 33 days? I've read that several retail companies have filed with the government of their intent to close, either a number of their stores or entirely, after the first of the year. Do you think they should be required to tell consumers ahead of time so they don't purchase gift cards that may be difficult or impossible to spend?

Two for Tuesday-yadseuT rof owT

I wonder how much less stress/nerve/depression medication would be needed if Hollywood were banned from showing any violence and insurance commercials were only allowed in print media. What if, other than the news, the most upsetting things we saw on TV were Lucy pulling away the football as Charlie Brown tries to kick it or the Grinch weighing poor Max down with a reindeer antler?



I also wonder now much the availability of all the news all the time contributes to these ever increasing stress levels which then contribute to, among other things, addictions, overeating, and all types of physical ailments. How much do we really need to know? If you think that is a naive question, think again. The constant onslaught of news and its repetition numerous times a day has lead to many wrong perceptions.

How would you answer these questions?

1. Child abductions by strangers happen:

A) more often than in the past (ie. when I was growing up).
B) less often than in the past.
C) at about the same rate as in the past.


2. Violence in schools was at its highest in:

A) the last ten years.
B) the 80's and 90's
C) the 60's and 70's




Find the answers in the comments.

Two for Tuesday-yadseuT rof owT

Grandbabies
I know, you're so surprised I'm posting grandbaby pictures.....


Checking out the sales, just like Grammy!


Isaac snoozing with the afghan I made for him.

Two for Tuesday-yadseuT rof owT

Our grandbaby girl at Easter!

All dressed up....

and as a funny bunny!

Two for Tuesday-yadseuT rof owT

I am a Violet What Flower Are You?

It's really funny that I'm a violet since that is my Mom's name! The explanation says: "You have a shy personality. You tend to hesitate before trying new things or meeting new people. But once people get to know you, you open up and show the world what you are really all about."


The birds are out and flying around at my house and there are geese everywhere. I had to stop three separate times, in three different places, this past weekend to let geese cross the road!

Two for Tuesday-yadseuT rof owT + Plus one.

Okay, I don't know if my brain is still scrambled from being thrown around like a rag doll in the wreck or if I'm getting blonder by the minute but I have been doing some pretty goofy things lately. So here are three things I've done that you might want to avoid.

1. We moved a spare mattress into the bedroom yesterday for me to sleep on instead of the very uncomfortable couch. Yeah! It is half in the sitting area and half in the bedroom so that Rocky can still get around it in the wheelchair. Do not, however, when trying to put the sheets on, fling them out like you do in a non-confined area. This will result in somehow managing to crack your knuckles into the door frame and adding to the bumps and bruises you already have.

2. If you think you turned the curling iron on but the little red light is not lit up, do not check to see if it is hot by taking ahold of the barrel! This will result in a very sore hand, several "not so nice" words, and the discovery that the curling iron is working fine except for the little red light which has apparently burned out.

3. If you are recovering from a recently broken nose, no matter how excited you are to see your beautiful granddaughter and be able to hold her again, do not hold her close enough that she can unintentionally bop you in the nose. This will result in tears running from your eyes and the urge to both wet your pants and drop the baby (neither of which is an option).

I Didn't Really Fall Off the Face of the Earth- But It Sure Feels Like It

Hi to all my bloggy friends! I know it's been a long time without a post so let me update you as to why. Saturday Feb. 23rd my husband, daughter (the pregnant one), and I were on our way to do some shopping in Indianapolis when we were hit by a full size pick-up truck that had been stolen. The man driving the truck ran the red light and hit us at between 45-50 mph. I was driving (what used to be my cute HHR), my husband was in the passenger seat and my daughter was sitting behind me. Each person's placement is important in that we know that God for-knew this accident would happened and placed our daughter in the back seat. Normally on a trip like this my husband would sit in the back where he has a little more shoulder room and let her sit in front to visit with me. He & I both thought of mentioning doing that before we left home on Saturday, but for some reason (God), neither of us said anything. The car was hit at the front wheel and front of the passenger side door so my husband sustained the worst injuries. He has four broken ribs, had a punctured, collapsed lung and a compound/compression fracture in the first lumbar of his back. The lung is doing really well and the ribs and knee are healing. The back requires a brace which we refer to as his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shell. He will probably be in it for 3 months. With the combination of injuries (ribs on his right side, knee fracture on the left) someone must be with him all the time. Daughter and baby are doing fine. She was able to get out of the car herself and was monitored at the hospital to check the baby and both are doing well. She has some serious bruising and a cut on her neck from the combination of her seat belt and her necklace. I was knocked unconscious so I don't remember any of the actual accident. We're not sure if my nose was broken or just bloodied but my son and his wife said that when they arrived at the ER I looked in worse shape than my husband. Thankfully, I am just bruised about everywhere, both internally and externally. (Who knew your body could make an entire rainbow on its own!) So, while I am thankful that it was clearly not any of our times to fall off the face of the Earth, it definitely feels like I took that big a fall. Needless to say my vehicle (formerly known as my HHR) is totaled. We were very well cared for by the EMT's and Methodist Hospital and are very grateful to the nurses, doctors and staff and the many people who have prayed, called, cooked, and help in numerous ways throughout this ordeal. We have seen God's hand all over this experience and my husband and I have both commented on important lessons that we have learned from it. So my Two For Tuesday thoughts are the two most important lessons we've learned:

1. God is in control - always.
2. God, family and friends are the only real priorities in life. None of the rest of it matters.

My blogging may be intermittent over the next few weeks but I have a lot I want to share with all of you about the things this "accident" has taught/shown me.