Yesterday's post I honored those that served, fought and died for this great nation. Today, I would like to ponder and remember those brave men that founded this nation. Today we have so many voices bitching about how bad America is, never considering the positive things this nation does, or how fortunate they are to even be in this country. This country is a miracle of God and I for one am very thankful to be here than anywhere else. I always ask those naysayers why they just don't leave. Of course I never get an answer and you all know why. So let's remember those brave men who gave everything.
American Minute with Bill Federer
July 4
The Declaration of Independence was approved JULY 4, 1776.
John Hancock signed first, saying "the price on my head has just doubled."
Benjamin Franklin said "We must hang together or most assuredly we shall hang separately."
Of the 56 signers: 17 lost their fortunes, 12 had their homes destroyed, 5 became prisoners of war, 1 had two sons imprisoned on the British starving ship Jersey, 1 had a son killed in battle, 1 had his wife die from harsh prison treatment and 9 signers died during the War.
When Samuel Adams signed the Declaration, he said: "We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come."
John Adams said: "I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty."
John Adams continued: "I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration...Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory...Posterity will triumph in that day's transaction, even though we [may regret] it, which I trust in God we shall not."
Friday, July 4, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
THE UNBROKEN AMERICAN SPIRIT
I wrote and published this (and a Thanksgiving version) after 9/11. This blog also seems to be a good home for it as we remember our past and present military hero's, all famous for their sacifices rendered in defense of this nation and at times, a nation that can be grateful and ungrateful. Let us Thank God this 4th of July for our service personnel - all hero's in my eyes.
As I was told of the story Valley Forge and Bunker Hill,
a relative endured the savage cold of winter, and the hot,
violent air of battle to give birth to a new nation.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I was told of the story of Shiloh and the thousands
of American men that died there that day. A relative
learned the meaning of ultimate sacrifice for the unity
of a nation. His grave honors that battlefield.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I was told of the horrors of mustard gas and poison.
A relative experienced the gas in the fields of France
and lived the rest of his life in the Southwest due to
the damage done to his lungs. Never to return to his
Great Lakes home.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I was told of the battles in the jungles of the Pacific,
a relative went to meet the enemy in the jungle to defend
the daughter that would someday become my mother.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I was told of the desperate conditions of the Pusan
Perimeter, a relative slung his rifle over his shoulder
and went out to drive the horde back to save the freedom
and culture of a people that were not his own.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I was told of the violent air battles over Vietnam, I
saw the names of classmates and roommates that perished
defending freedom in a time when it was unpopular. I stood
there and silently watched my Father as he touched those
names on that wall in Washington.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I heard about a command plane that took a near hit over
the skies of Bosnia with damage that forced it to land in
a hostile environment. I knew my younger sister had learned
what service to country can really mean.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I tell my child and other younger people some day about
the events of September 11, 2001. I will tell them about
the heroism of the police and firefighters that paid the
ultimate price to defend and rescue their fellow citizens,
and the ordinary people that rose up and came together to
become again, "One Nation Under God".
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I was told of the story Valley Forge and Bunker Hill,
a relative endured the savage cold of winter, and the hot,
violent air of battle to give birth to a new nation.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I was told of the story of Shiloh and the thousands
of American men that died there that day. A relative
learned the meaning of ultimate sacrifice for the unity
of a nation. His grave honors that battlefield.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I was told of the horrors of mustard gas and poison.
A relative experienced the gas in the fields of France
and lived the rest of his life in the Southwest due to
the damage done to his lungs. Never to return to his
Great Lakes home.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I was told of the battles in the jungles of the Pacific,
a relative went to meet the enemy in the jungle to defend
the daughter that would someday become my mother.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I was told of the desperate conditions of the Pusan
Perimeter, a relative slung his rifle over his shoulder
and went out to drive the horde back to save the freedom
and culture of a people that were not his own.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I was told of the violent air battles over Vietnam, I
saw the names of classmates and roommates that perished
defending freedom in a time when it was unpopular. I stood
there and silently watched my Father as he touched those
names on that wall in Washington.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I heard about a command plane that took a near hit over
the skies of Bosnia with damage that forced it to land in
a hostile environment. I knew my younger sister had learned
what service to country can really mean.
The Unbroken American Spirit.
As I tell my child and other younger people some day about
the events of September 11, 2001. I will tell them about
the heroism of the police and firefighters that paid the
ultimate price to defend and rescue their fellow citizens,
and the ordinary people that rose up and came together to
become again, "One Nation Under God".
The Unbroken American Spirit.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Ants In The Pantry
We were invaded this weekend. Bunches and bunches of those nasty little creatures got into our pantry. Thankfully we had not gone to the store yet so only 2 items were ruined. A box of some sort of health cereal, and sadly, 3/4 of a container of NesQuik (Nestle's powder to make chocolate milk).
I cleaned these bandits out and even sprayed along the bottom of the pantry with Raid. It was hard work taking everything out. You know, what comes out has to go back in. I cleaned the shelves because who knows where their feet had been. I can handle spiders and snakes a whole lot better than ants. I go by the principal of where this is just even one ant, a million of it's road dogs are near by.
Well I was happy now. I told the wife my discovery and how I had vanquished the host from hell. I assured her I sprayed and cleaned up all excess spray so the pets would not get harmed. It was time to rest and tell "Little Rolling Thunder" to next time put the lid back on right and tight on the NesQuik. I love that stuff.
A little while later (you know where this is going), a hunger pain hits. Time to see what's happening in the pantry.
I open the door and what do I see!!!!!! Those little demons from hell are back!!! And they brought at least a legion with them!!!! Now they are on all the shelves!!!!!
This time though there was nothing they could get into. What a relief. Still, 3 shelves of stuff had to come out, little demons mopped up, shelves cleaned, stuff put back. This time I waited and noticed they were coming out of the wall through a crack in the door trim.
It was time to die for the spawns of hades. I sprayed the Raid all around the pantry edges (of course wiping up the over spray) and everywhere else those little beasts could come from in the kitchen. I even went outside and found a fire ant hill to spray - for good measure.
The ants have not been back. The new groceries appear to be safe. Thank goodness this dark crawling army did not get into my new box of Lucky Charms. That would have been worse than losing the NesQuik.
More Dog Stories....From Friends
Story #1: Several years ago when my (Raquey's) youngest son, Brad, was visiting us, we caught a wild mouse that was loose in our house and probably, against our better judgment, we kept him. We named him Ralph. He got loose one day and we were unable to chase him down. Later, we were sitting at the table eating dinner and our big, black German Shepherd, Bo (this was before Baby) saw Ralph scampering across the kitchen floor. Like a bolt of lightning Bo went after Ralph, caught him and was standing there, Ralph dangling from his mouth by his tail. We hollered, Bo dropped the mouse and Ralph went back into hiding. We found Ralph later and, lo and behold, Ralph had a crimp in his tail from where Bo had caught him.
Story #2: Where we are staying is an old dog named Rodeo. Last year when we were here we met Rodeo. He's a mild-mannered, well-mannered dog that follows his owners around and stops for petting from the folks staying at our RV campground. This year when we returned, he seemed a little older, a little slower and we were told that he had gone deaf. Well, the other evening we saw our local fox take off across the property and you wouldn't have known that Rodeo was old, slow or deaf. He took off after that fox like a bullet. Probably had to sleep for hours after that to recover, but he had the adrenaline when he needed it.
BY Dick and Raquey
Story # 3: I will give you another story to convey when people can't understand the instincts of dogs and devise a list of things they would do to fix the natural result of dog vs. mouse.
I was a teenager in a house my father built just outside of Chicago. It was spring and I was helping to remove two bales of straw that Dad placed against the sewer drain pipe last fall. The purpose of the straw was to protect the above ground pipe from freezing through the winter. Our backyard was open lawn except for a wheelbarrow five or six feet from the drainpipe, and my mom and dad who were standing 30 feet from the site of the upcoming event.
Shadow was one of three Chinese Pug dogs that my parents owned and I grew up with. I don't know what the Pug is famous for but I don't think it is a mouser with a cute flat nose. Shadow was getting old and showed his age. He was meandering around my parents as he often did with nothing on his mind, I'm sure. I lifted the top straw bale into the wheelbarrow and then reached for the second, laying on the grass. A nest of mice, at least ten, were startled when their tenement rose straight up into the air. They took off in every direction, like spokes on half a wheel. In an instant Shadow was on the move. He had the instincts of a cow pony herding doggies at a rodeo competition. One by one he stopped the mice. He shook the first, dropped him and moved like a flash to the next, repeating the routine. I do not remember one mouse escaping. It was all over in maybe 15 seconds. When Shadow decided it was over, he moved back over the field, he stopped at every casualty, inspected it and confidently moved on. His memory was marvelous because he traced his earlier battle precisely in the same order.
The Pug was domesticated over 3500 years ago. During that time, the breed has become known as a strong companion to human families and a brave protector. Shadow's instincts came to life instantaneously. This makes me confident that human instinct is in all of us and we should not work too hard to suppress it. We need instead to recognize when those instincts are needed.
Mom, Dad and I were all proud of the little black legionnaire. Dad broke the silence with, "I've always wanted a hunting dog. How do you think he'd do during pheasant season?"
BY Phil K.
Story #2: Where we are staying is an old dog named Rodeo. Last year when we were here we met Rodeo. He's a mild-mannered, well-mannered dog that follows his owners around and stops for petting from the folks staying at our RV campground. This year when we returned, he seemed a little older, a little slower and we were told that he had gone deaf. Well, the other evening we saw our local fox take off across the property and you wouldn't have known that Rodeo was old, slow or deaf. He took off after that fox like a bullet. Probably had to sleep for hours after that to recover, but he had the adrenaline when he needed it.
BY Dick and Raquey
Story # 3: I will give you another story to convey when people can't understand the instincts of dogs and devise a list of things they would do to fix the natural result of dog vs. mouse.
I was a teenager in a house my father built just outside of Chicago. It was spring and I was helping to remove two bales of straw that Dad placed against the sewer drain pipe last fall. The purpose of the straw was to protect the above ground pipe from freezing through the winter. Our backyard was open lawn except for a wheelbarrow five or six feet from the drainpipe, and my mom and dad who were standing 30 feet from the site of the upcoming event.
Shadow was one of three Chinese Pug dogs that my parents owned and I grew up with. I don't know what the Pug is famous for but I don't think it is a mouser with a cute flat nose. Shadow was getting old and showed his age. He was meandering around my parents as he often did with nothing on his mind, I'm sure. I lifted the top straw bale into the wheelbarrow and then reached for the second, laying on the grass. A nest of mice, at least ten, were startled when their tenement rose straight up into the air. They took off in every direction, like spokes on half a wheel. In an instant Shadow was on the move. He had the instincts of a cow pony herding doggies at a rodeo competition. One by one he stopped the mice. He shook the first, dropped him and moved like a flash to the next, repeating the routine. I do not remember one mouse escaping. It was all over in maybe 15 seconds. When Shadow decided it was over, he moved back over the field, he stopped at every casualty, inspected it and confidently moved on. His memory was marvelous because he traced his earlier battle precisely in the same order.
The Pug was domesticated over 3500 years ago. During that time, the breed has become known as a strong companion to human families and a brave protector. Shadow's instincts came to life instantaneously. This makes me confident that human instinct is in all of us and we should not work too hard to suppress it. We need instead to recognize when those instincts are needed.
Mom, Dad and I were all proud of the little black legionnaire. Dad broke the silence with, "I've always wanted a hunting dog. How do you think he'd do during pheasant season?"
BY Phil K.
Friday, June 13, 2008
A Dog A Mouse
My wife and I have started walking our dog at night after "Little Rolling Thunder" gets home from gym. She is showering and eating dinner anyway so it's a good time to get a little exercise. What does this have to do with a mouse you ask???
Well, last night we were on our 1 mile walk. Wife, I, and the dog. We were near the end of the walk and on a sidewalk bordering the main street. All of a sudden the dog stopped and her head shot straight down to the grass. I looked down just in time to see what I believe was either a very small mouse or a baby mouse.
Lo and behold, the dog scooped the mouse up in her mouth!!!! Holy crap I thought. Before I could do anything else, she turned and looked at my wife. All my poor wife saw was a mouse tail hanging out of the dog's mouth! Before my wife could even yell, the tail disappeared. That stupid dog had swallowed the mouse whole in one gulp!!!!! She did not even chew it.
Needless to say we both were grossed out to the max. I asked my wife if the dog really did in fact swallow that poor mouse in one gulp and she stated yes. We could not believe it!!!!
When we got home, the dog was put in her crate for the night. I was adamant that if she was going to blow out her barrel, she was not going to do it on our carpet. The dog made it through the night without a problem.
You may be asking why we did not attempt to stop the dog. Let me tell you, I was amazed at how fast the entire incident occurred. The dog is like a vacuum cleaner. We are still wondering if the dumb animal even knew what she ate. We are thankful the dog is current on all her shots.
Just something to think about when you are walking your dog in the evening. You never know if there is small snack just waiting to be had for the dog.
Well, last night we were on our 1 mile walk. Wife, I, and the dog. We were near the end of the walk and on a sidewalk bordering the main street. All of a sudden the dog stopped and her head shot straight down to the grass. I looked down just in time to see what I believe was either a very small mouse or a baby mouse.
Lo and behold, the dog scooped the mouse up in her mouth!!!! Holy crap I thought. Before I could do anything else, she turned and looked at my wife. All my poor wife saw was a mouse tail hanging out of the dog's mouth! Before my wife could even yell, the tail disappeared. That stupid dog had swallowed the mouse whole in one gulp!!!!! She did not even chew it.
Needless to say we both were grossed out to the max. I asked my wife if the dog really did in fact swallow that poor mouse in one gulp and she stated yes. We could not believe it!!!!
When we got home, the dog was put in her crate for the night. I was adamant that if she was going to blow out her barrel, she was not going to do it on our carpet. The dog made it through the night without a problem.
You may be asking why we did not attempt to stop the dog. Let me tell you, I was amazed at how fast the entire incident occurred. The dog is like a vacuum cleaner. We are still wondering if the dumb animal even knew what she ate. We are thankful the dog is current on all her shots.
Just something to think about when you are walking your dog in the evening. You never know if there is small snack just waiting to be had for the dog.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
HOMEWORK – OH MY GOSH !!!!!!
I have a daughter in 6th grade. So do many people. My daughter gets lots of math homework. It’s not the same math I learned. I have attempted to help her numerous times over the school year but her mother usually has to take over before I break something or have a heart attack from frustration.
I have a college degree. I have published poetry, articles, and letters. I may not be the sharpest tool in the woodshed but I am not the dullest. But when it comes to this crazy 6th grade math, goodness!!!!! Beat my buttocks with a cane and make me write bad checks!
Talk about an intellectual beating. My daughter, “Little Rolling Thunder”, despises math as much as I do. She likes her parents to do the work for her. That makes for a fun evening. I work all day, want to rest at night, and then have to learn 6th grade math!!! To make matters worse, the math book does not cover everything on the homework. She took poor notes in class to boot.
Probability. That’s what the last assignment was on that I helped her with. Most of the questions made no sense. “Little Rolling Thunder” was in a bad mood. What should have taken 30 minutes lasted a couple of hours. Her Mom was not up to helping her that evening. This assignment was a study packet for a unit test. She had gotten a 50 on it. We now had to find the CORRECT ANSWERS TO 24 QUESTIONS! ( If my daughter was a guy, we would have had a fist fight out in the yard ) When it came down to it, I had to tell her to guess on some of them.
The little fart took her test the next morning and got an 87. And you say there are no miracles in the world???? I don’t know how she did it but she did.
She only has a couple of weeks of school left. The homework is finally slowing down. However, over the Memorial Day Weekend we have to get her to study for one last unit test. She only has 12 out of 100 questions answered and who knows if they are correct.
We will get through it. I am sure it will be painful. We love “Little Rolling Thunder” and like her, we are ready for summer break. When I left college I thought homework was a thing of the past. I liked most homework in college but have now discovered that I am very selective in what, where, and when I want to learn new things. And, I don’t like learning math the “new way”, whatever that means.
I will take this opportunity in advance to answer all you theoretical, analytical, mathematical geniuses out there – BITE ME.
I have a college degree. I have published poetry, articles, and letters. I may not be the sharpest tool in the woodshed but I am not the dullest. But when it comes to this crazy 6th grade math, goodness!!!!! Beat my buttocks with a cane and make me write bad checks!
Talk about an intellectual beating. My daughter, “Little Rolling Thunder”, despises math as much as I do. She likes her parents to do the work for her. That makes for a fun evening. I work all day, want to rest at night, and then have to learn 6th grade math!!! To make matters worse, the math book does not cover everything on the homework. She took poor notes in class to boot.
Probability. That’s what the last assignment was on that I helped her with. Most of the questions made no sense. “Little Rolling Thunder” was in a bad mood. What should have taken 30 minutes lasted a couple of hours. Her Mom was not up to helping her that evening. This assignment was a study packet for a unit test. She had gotten a 50 on it. We now had to find the CORRECT ANSWERS TO 24 QUESTIONS! ( If my daughter was a guy, we would have had a fist fight out in the yard ) When it came down to it, I had to tell her to guess on some of them.
The little fart took her test the next morning and got an 87. And you say there are no miracles in the world???? I don’t know how she did it but she did.
She only has a couple of weeks of school left. The homework is finally slowing down. However, over the Memorial Day Weekend we have to get her to study for one last unit test. She only has 12 out of 100 questions answered and who knows if they are correct.
We will get through it. I am sure it will be painful. We love “Little Rolling Thunder” and like her, we are ready for summer break. When I left college I thought homework was a thing of the past. I liked most homework in college but have now discovered that I am very selective in what, where, and when I want to learn new things. And, I don’t like learning math the “new way”, whatever that means.
I will take this opportunity in advance to answer all you theoretical, analytical, mathematical geniuses out there – BITE ME.
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