Tuesday, November 10, 2009

EXCELLENT READING


I thought I would share this article I read today on the site www.AmericanThinker.com
It struck me as very relevant to what is happening to our country today.

Honestly--What do you think?


Some people have a government; and some governments have a people, said Ronald Reagan. We are being turned into a nation where the government owns the people. It is the demagogic heirs to the dreadful history of slavery who are now trying to turn the tables; Obama is a slave master in the making. He looks the part; he acts the part; and behind the scenes his Commissars are making it happen.

Obama has never quite displayed his bitter, long-harbored resentment toward America quite as obviously as he did after the Fort Hood massacre. The President couldn't figure out how to respond with the dignity fitting his office.

I happened to be going through the Washington, DC airport a couple of months ago when I heard a lot of people clapping and whooping, a little demonstration. When I looked, I noticed a single, elderly French horn player, sitting on a folding chair and playing patriotic tunes to enliven a parade -- if you can call it that -- of elderly, wheel-chair-bound vets from World War Two coming off their plane: The Greatest Generation, as even Tom Brokaw called them. They looked shrunken, most of those lifelong handicapped vets, wearing baseball and VFW caps, but some of them left their wheel chairs and walked through the reception as the old horn player did his tunes. My eyes started to tear up and I walked over to join the applause as these real saviors of the West went on by. They were greeted by a little reception committee and then went on to what was almost surely their last celebration with their buddies from the War. And that octogenarian horn player kept on playing his patriotic tunes.

Some of the bystanders joined in the applause, but there were some who made a display of their indifference and contempt as well. It was an interesting lesson in our split society. One young man jauntily walked away from the little final home-coming demonstration, prancing in the opposite direction, a little counter-demonstration all by himself. Those old vets in wheelchairs had no meaning for him; just the opposite. They were just mean old white guys, or something equally bizarre. The most democratic Army in history, the one that brought together Italians, Jews, Germans, Poles, and yes, blacks and Japanese Americans and everyone else, all of them scared of dying but pretty much convinced that their country was in peril from some pretty evil characters in Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan and the Soviet Union. So they fought, and died, sometimes in great numbers. Bob Dole got his lifelong wounds in the murderous Italian campaign, just like John McCain got his shoulder bones broken in the Hanoi Hilton. Some of those World War II guys were wounded for life, and some of them were now being rolled in their wheelchairs in front of our eyes. They meant nothing to the contemptuous young man who pranced away from them.

That'a a small metaphor for this Administration. The young counter-demonstrator had no idea about the sacrifices of the Greatest Generation, the lethal dangers the country confronted after People Harbor, and the heroism of our Soldiers, Sailors and Marines. He'd no doubt been told from childhood onward how evil White America really is. Yes, those WW Two soldiers represented an imperfect democracy; it just happened to be the best one on earth. And they knew that because of their own family histories, because American history was still taught in all the schools, and because they were good and decent people who were shocked by the vile and evil regimes that were conquering Europe and Asia, ruthlessly killing millions of innocent civilians as they went. It was a huge resurgence of barbarism, and their very souls cried out against the injustice of it all. They were Americans. It wasn't necessary to explain things to them. They got it.

And so the high school girls saw their sweethearts going off to war, and were left back home. Some of their men came back, often shell-shocked, but they didn't talk about the war. They went back to their lives and tried to pursue happiness. A lot of them never came back.

And then some guy named Joe Stalin exploded the first Soviet nuclear bombs, an A bomb and an H bomb. After all of their pain and homesickness and sacrifices, another totalitarian enemy had infiltrated the U.S. Government up to and including the White House staff. Those infiltrations were real, as we now know. They were not just the wild imaginings of Tailgunner Joe McCarthy. So, Americans became angry and frightened by this new totalitarian danger, especially because the State and Federal bureaucracies, the teachers, the media, and the universities were penetrated by the Stalinist Left and their Front organizations. For the first time in human history, a single Soviet bomber could fly from Europe to New York City and drop a bomb to obliterate all of Manhattan. They were outraged and frightened by this new threat, and they supported a vigorous anti-Communist movement led by people like Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, Joe McCarthy, President Eisenhower, and a host of others. For some decades the American people defended itself vigorously and effectively against the Stalin-directed Fifth Column that threatened their lives and freedom.

Today we are seeing a Second Cold War, but the enemy is within, just as it was after World War II. We are seeing outright front organizations again. "J Street" is a classical front organization, which should be called "J Front." It's a fraud, claiming to represent people who never voted for them. George Soros, who sets up many of these phony fronts, is a man who accommodated the Nazis, among other distinctions. He has never displayed a smidgen of guilt for his role in the the disposition of Jewish possessions after their owners were arrested and sent to death camps -- men, women, and children. Normal Holocaust survivors feel tremendous guilt; Soros sounds jaunty and devil-may-care about the murderous cannibalism of those years. He made out well, and started his long road to fortune. Today he is financing Obama's "Coup from Above," with the same insouciance with which he betrayed his Jewish relatives in Hungary.

There's a story to be told there. But don't expect the media to tell it.

The American people are hearing a call to arms -- not literal arms, for our system can self correct. But we have to out-organize and out-pressure the Left. They have called us "the enemy" ever since Alinsky's little book radicalized the revolutionaries of the Boomer Left after the violent revolutionary groups were readily suppressed. When somebody really considers you their enemy you have no choice. Either you return the compliment, or you get overwhelmed by the new Chicago Mob in D.C.

The Left has shown how to fight from a position of the minority and win. American conservatives by a recent poll have a two-to-one majority. They are constantly undermined by the political Left: Ridiculed in the media, demeaned in the schools and universities, out-maneuvered in politics at the state and national level by Leftists who are far nastier and far more ruthless than ordinary, decent Americans. This is a struggle for the country. We need to toughen up.

The first lesson is to start telling the truth without fear. Shout it out. Demonstrate. Tell your truth to your relatives that you've been trying to be nice to all these years. Make it pleasant and polite, but firm. Don't yell. Just talk and talk and talk. Yes, you can stand out from the crowd. Half of your listeners will privately agree with you if you state your case well, and over time they will find the courage to speak up, too.

The second lesson is to build up a cadre of leaders -- in the media, in politics, in the educational system, everywhere. We have at least one charismatic leader now in Sarah Palin. That's why she is under constant, vicious attack from the Left. That's why they burned down her church in Wasilla. They fear her. I love her for the enemies she has made. There are many other good people, but a charismatic political talent comes just once in every generation. She needs and deserves support. So do others.

When conservatives betray American conservatism, let them know you will vote against them, and support their conservative opponents in all the ways that work. Don't get nasty and hysterical. Just be calm and firm.

The third lesson is to organize, organize, and organize. That's how the Left did it. Tea Parties are good, the Heritage Foundation is good. There are many good organizations: We need to support them with our dollars and with our voices. We need to mobilize conservatives into active pressure groups around their greatest concerns: Web freedom is a crucial one right now. So is free radio and TV. When the Left attacks Fox News or Rush, we have to raise a gigantic fuss on their behalf. The media cannot be allowed to ignore our demonstrations. We have allowed far too many good people be attacked and attacked and shrugged our shoulders.

The election of 2010 will be a major survival test. If Americans fail that test, we will become Britain in its catastrophic decline under fifty years of socialism. A new Ruling Class will arise, just as it has in socialist Europe, and they will not care one bit about the people. They will import hostile voters from Third World countries. They will forge alliances with Islamists, as they are already doing. America will be helpless, and all the hostile forces around the world will know it. They will all be trying to push us under. If we are governed by a domestic Fifth Column, then North Korea, Russia, China, Iran, Hugo Chavez, the Sunni Moslem Brotherhood, all will beat us down. Real democracy is just not their thing.

At the U.N. we see kleptocracies in charge. Behold our future if we do not act. Chicago and Detroit stand as warnings.

Conservatives are individualists, so we have to do something unusual: organize, organize, organize. Local and national. Even international. Some of our friends are in the British media, where they are looking for us to stand up and defend civilization, just as they stood up against Hitler when we were still dithering. Some of our friends are in Australia, in Canada, and yes, in France. Around the world there are millions of people who get it. We can be American patriots with allies all around the world. They need leaders and vocal support just as much as we do.

And we must militantly defend the freedom of the web. The Stalinoids will attack it viciously, just as they will attack talk radio and Fox News. We are fighting the same enemy Ronald Reagan fought. We have to do it just as intelligently and vigorously as he did.

The word "activist" used to be a media word for the Left. It's high time to make it work for American conservatives.

Become an activist or lose your country.

Monday, November 2, 2009

BIG DAY IN OUR HOUSEHOLD


Our older daughter bought her first vehicle and she
paid for it with her own money--in full! She works
for our home repair business, house sits, babysits,
mows lawns and in all her spare time she is
learning to be a pharmacy tech. Oh and she is
taking a math class at the college.

It's a neat truck, just the right size and 4 wheel
drive (very important with our steep driveway)

Right before we went and picked up the truck
our younger daughter brought home straight A's
on her report card!


Lots of progress in the kitchen to report. In fact, with
everybody helping all that is left is a second coat of
paint on the trim and then I can call the inspector.

I just know he is going to show up with the dreaded
clipboard in hand. And probably a magnifying glass.
He may even be wearing a white glove to check for
dirt and debris underneath the flooring. I wonder
if he will request a step stool so he can inspect
the ceiling for cleanliness.

If anybody needs me I will be in the hall closet
with the door shut and lights off until he's gone.

Can they be bribed with pastry?

Did I just write that?



Here is the outside entrance that I will use to bring items
in and to load up to deliver. Everything is recycled--
isn't that awesome? My husband is a genius at reusing
items instead of throwing them away. He makes
them work for what we need and makes them look
nice as well.

I still need to order vinyl graphics for the patio door
so nobody tries to walk through it. That would
be bad, wouldn't it?

Especially if it was the inspector.


Must be deer hunting season. Doesn't everybody have
antlers cooking on their barbeque?



Sunday, November 1, 2009

I SHOULD PROBABLY STOP SLACKING NOW

It's November 1st and time to get back into the swing of things!
My dumb camera finally bit the dust and only produces pictures
that are bright purple. When I was down south I looked at cameras,
but I just wasn't in the mood to spend $250-300. dollars for
another point and shoot when it doesn't seem like mine was all
that old.

By the way--do you like the new header photo? My older brother
shot that down at the beach across the road from our house. The
surfers come in droves this time of year because of the fantastic
wave action! He sells his photos too if anyone is interested in
some sensational art for their homes. His photos make fantastic
Christmas gifts for people that enjoy wildlife and the outdoors--
you should see the ones he took of the 3 bear cubs that were in
town this year!

I have lots to share and believe it or not I have been thinking
about Christmas and Thanksgiving (in that order) already! Maybe
the 33 degrees and ice on the front deck yesterday had something
to do with that.

In the meantime here is a hilarious video for you to watch. Anybody
that has ever shared their life with a cat will thoroughly enjoy this:


Monday, September 21, 2009

SEE YA LATER ALLIGATORS


I am flying out at 6 am to help my mom and dad
a bit in WA state. I may try to post things on the
blog while I am gone, we'll see how it goes.

I am going from the 50's to the 80's, so I better
pack light. It will be weird to see pumpkins out
in the fields.


Take care ya'll--see you in October!


Sunday, September 13, 2009

LOTSA PROGRESS


There was a large amount accomplished on the kitchen
this weekend! The cabinets were a huge hurdle due to
the fact that we don't have a shop for my husband to
work in. This time of year the weather is iffy at best
and the plywood cannot get wet, so you really have
to have an indoor place to do the assembly.

He ended up moving his jeep outside for awhile so
we could stack everything inside 1/2 of the garage.

I have the mega important job of sanding the tiny bits of
roughness off the edges of everything that won't be seen.
What would he do without me?

The blue tool in the foreground is called a Krieg Jig. It is
a pocket drill that makes the perfect holes to put cabinets
together easily and quickly. We saw it advertised on an
info-mercial when we were on vacation in Florida
last January and realized it was exactly what we needed.
See, info-mercials DO work!


Here are the partially completed cabinets set up in the
kitchen. Now comes the thinking part--where does
everything fit the best? The counter tops we bought
on sale when we were in Juneau are going to look
awesome on top of these shells. On the left wall we
have to fit the 3 sinks, a small handwashing sink,
and the cook top with the microwave over it.


Sorry Lilly--the mean old health inspector says no more
doggies inside the kitchen.


These are just some of my 350+ cookie cutters.
The item they are hanging on is an old shoe
rack that we didn't use anymore. My husband
cut each round piece in half and then bent each
one the opposite way. I can probably fit about
500 cutters on here if I use the front and back.
Now if I could just figure out a great way to
organize them...


A fun cake I did this weekend for a trackhoe operator.
Yes, the dirt is grated chocolate.

Can you believe tomorrow we are halfway through
September?

Oh look around that corner over there--it's Christmas!


Thursday, September 10, 2009

WHAT'S THAT SMELL?


It must be September! The salmon are going
up the streams to spawn and then die and
the resulting smell leaves a little to be
desired to put it mildly. I think walking is
the worst because there are several streams
that go right under the roads and bridges.

It's a very interesting plan God had, isn't it?
The salmon eggs hatch in the streams, the
baby salmon grow up some and head back
out to the ocean, then come back again to
the very spot they were spawned to lay their
eggs and when they die off their bodies fill
the same streams where they were born
with nutrients. Yep, God is a pretty good
planner to come up with that scenario
waaaay back in ancient times.



I just started attending a bible study at our church
on Tuesday nights called It's Tough Being a Woman
by Beth Moore. I have done a few other bible
studies by her and Wow what a teacher she is.
I love the video series that comes with this study
and the small groups afterwards really help to
get to know women in the church better.

On Wednesday nights I work at our church's
community outreach program for the kids
from 4 years old to 5th grade. We feed them
dinner at 5:30 and the program runs until 7:30.

There are games, challenges, scriptures to
memorize, teaching about Jesus and just an
all around great time.

Last night we served 100 dinners! The youth
come for dinner at the same time before they
go to youth group and let me tell you--those
teenage boys can eat!


Score!
Today my husband came home for lunch and
was looking through the local classifieds. He
found a picture of this cupcake display. Now the
weird part is he and I were just talking about
him making me one yesterday. (you know, in all
his spare time)

This is a large one with 6 tiers and last time I saw
it in my cake catalog it was $145.00. I got it
for $15.00.

It will work out perfect for me at the Artisan's Market
in December to display the decorated cupcakes and
cookies I will be selling.


Some pictures from the girl's riding day last week. They
had a lot of fun getting soaked to the bone.

Wow--nice distance!



sshhhhh...nobody move...whatever you do,
do not call this man.


He is working on a very important, highly
classified and technical job for the renowned
Grandma Tilly and absolutely cannot
be disturbed at this time.

Thank you for your cooperation in
this urgent matter.



Monday, September 7, 2009

PLAY DAY WEEKEND


What do most families do over Labor Day?
I think most plan something fun to do or
somewhere fun to go, don't they? The school
year starts early up here, so this isn't technically
the start of the new school year like most places.
My daughter has already completed her second
full week of school.

Around this house we usually just keep working
on this holiday. We are small business owners
and there are no built in vacation days to take and
we don't get holidays paid so the jobs just
keep on a-rollin'.

This year, however, is different. My husband
broke 2 teeth and one of them broke right at
the gumline--ouch. He went to the dentist
and he said that the teeth were not able to
be saved and needed to be removed. The
oral surgeon comes down from Juneau for
that every few weeks, so he had to wait
almost 3 weeks until this Saturday to
have the teeth removed.

Everything went as well as can be expected,
but he was told not to be lifting, bending
or basically doing anything that would make
the stitched up holes in his mouth throb
and bleed. The surgeon told him there
was a 70% chance of having a dry socket
with the bottom tooth because of where
it's located and his advanced age (41-- LOL)

He was restricted from working, but nobody
said anything about playing! He and the kids
loaded up the 2 Quads and a dirt bike and went
out to the end of the road to ride a little. Both
of our daughters have been riding since before
they could walk, so this is a real treat to them.



Me? I just stayed home and learned a valuable
lesson about putting several pairs of shoes in the
washer at the same time with the laces still on them.



Oh, and while he wasn't working my hamster-cheek
husband cut out all the cabinet materials for the
kitchen--yahoo!


Look what is growing up in our neighbor's yard. Poor guy,
he already went back home for the year and he's missing
these spectacular lillies blooming, along with continued
warm weather. It has been quite the summer with tons
of sun and very warm temperatures. The kind of weather
that makes all the tourists exclaim "I want to live here!"

I wonder what they would say if they could have seen
us trying to get to church last winter with our driveway
so coated with ice that our 1 ton truck with studded
tires and 4 wheel drive was sliding all by itself down
the driveway, in gear with the parking brake on?
They'd say "What kind of numnuts live here!"

Well, back to my bread and bran muffin baking for
a new week of school tomorrow...