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  • Life Lessons by Matt

    Ten years ago on April 13 our oldest son Matt passed

    he had Non Hodgkins Lymphoma 

    Matt, his friend Lynn and I stayed four weeks at Duke University Hospital in Durham N.C.

    he took part in clinical trials 

    those four weeks sure changed my life

     

     

    I've posted these life lessons before

    but as I didn't know most of you then and these lessons have been

    on my mind I thought I'd post them again in his memory

    Andaman Sea Art Print

    LIFE LESSONS BY MATT
    -sleep late when you can
    -don't do anything you don't want to do
    -fear nothing
    -speed is a wonderful soul cleanser
    -every dream you have is tangible
    -always cook with fresh herbs
    -love freely, give yourself completely
    -everyone needs at least one good kitchen knife
    -let the dogs bark 
    -never have a conversation you don't want to have
    -it takes a great bartender to pour a perfect pint of Guinness
    -never stress about money, it always works out
    -you can answer most questions with "whatever"
    -even when you think you can't go on, you can
    -don't be stingy when buying sunglasses
    -you can be strong and courageous and still have to cry
    -sometimes true bravery is forcing a smile
    -laugh at everything you can and don't listen to anyone who tells you your to loud

    Giraffe - First Kiss Art Print

    I sure do miss him

    one day I need to get my notes out and journal the four weeks

    I haven't looked back at those notes since we got home from Durham in 2003

    but I relive them every year

    from March 17th through April 17th

     32 days never seemed so short or so long

    this picture was taken June 2002

    Matt's top left, Barry and Jordan, Sarah and Anna and me front and center

    this is the last picture of all of us that I have

    cherish each and every moment

    you never know what tomorrow might bring

    ilym

     

     

  • stinkin good chicken salad

    • @ murisopsis wants to do some swapping,
       
      she made up her own orzo salad recipe and shared it at her place.  
       
      I'm not that creative so I'm going to add my favorite chicken salad recipe...
       
      it's called Sandra's Chicken Salad,
       
      because my friend Sandra is famous for it and claims to have created the recipe,
       
       
      I'm not to sure about the validation of her claim but...
       
      it's stinkin good:  Bon Appetite
       
      Sandra's Chicken Salad
       
      2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
      1/2 cup nuts
      1/2 cup halved seedless grapes
      salt and pepper to taste
      1/2 cup mayo
      1/2 cup sour cream
      juice of one lemon
       
      mix dry and wet ingredients separately (grapes count as dry)
      mix together and enjoy 
       
       
       
      well
       
      maybe I am a little creative,
       
      Sandra just boils her chicken, I grill and smoke the chicken with pecan wood,
       
      actually my husband grills it, but I do bring him the pecan wood.
       
      The smoky chicken is just to die for,
      if your really hungry you can stop right there and just eat the chicken clueless
       
      Sandra uses pecans but I like cashews, if you use salted nuts do not add salt
       
      Sandra uses lemon juice -  I prefer limes
       
      Sandra serves hers on little ritz crackers
       
      I like to eat mine with a shovel shocked
       
       
       
       
       
      "Boys, I may not know much, but I know chicken poop from chicken salad.” - Lyndon B. Johnson 
       
      I bet Lady Bird Johnson was a good cook...
       
      I know she liked flowers
       
      during President Johnson's tenure
       
      she had rose vines planted on all the junk yards fences in Georgia
       
      well, at least the junk yards you could see from the road
       
      Have a Great Week
       
      ilym
       
      heart
       
       
        

  • Egg Rolls

    My cousin Beverly Gene, who lives in Albuquerque, took this shot.

    and found the best scripture for it

    A White-winged dove encountered her big picture window.

    she said the dove shook it off and flew away...

    Luke 3:21 -22 

    "And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him,

    and a voice came from heaven,

    which said,

    Thou art my beloved Son;

    in thee I am well pleased."

     

    Our little ones hunted eggs yesterday at my sister-in law's home

    I did not go...

    I'd been sick all week, pharyngitis I think, and still didn't feel too great

    and I'd had a less than perfect morning

    I couldn't find my navy panty hose

    so I convinced myself that the navy suit and Easter bonnett

    I was planning on wearing to church would be

    fine

    with suntan panty hose

    only the blouse that goes with the suit

    had evidently been hanging below a drip in the ceiling

    and there was a big ole nasty looking stain right down the front

    it looked like I might have fallen asleep with my mouth open while chewing tobacco

    I started not to go to church but Barry and Nash were all ready and looking mighty spiffy

    so I went in slacks and a pastel blouse

    and was blessed

    not only was the cantata magnificent

    I didn't have to struggle into and wear the panty hose 

    or the funny hat

     I must say the other baptist women rocked their hats

     

    I stayed home alone for the egg hunt and Easter dinner though...

    well I wasn't alone

    we have 9 new puppies

    and our son's dog 

    and four of our own -

    it's impossible to be home alone at our house 

    everyone else enjoyed the egg hunt

    Nash wouldn't wear his Easter shirt, he opted for an alligator theme

    Ellie chose to be a Easter Princess

    and Kaylie did too

    I should have gone

    I got no chocolate

     I did eat a few eggs...hen eggs...with salt and pepper

    they weren't from this egg roll

     on the White House lawn

    Easter Monday, 1911

     

    Happy Easter Monday

    by the way - if you google egg rolls

    this is what you get

    With Six You Get Eggroll (1968) Poster

    or a movie with Doris Day and Brian Keith

     

    Have a Great Week

     

    ilym

    heart

    heart

    heart

  • Earth Hour

     

     
    get unplugged
     
     
    for just One Hour
     

    Earth Hour 2013, 8:30 PM Saturday 23 March. Earth Hour has grown from a one-city initiative in 2007 to the world's largest campaign for the planet, uniting hundreds of millions of people across 7001 cities and towns in 152 countries and territories.

     

    earth hour photo: Earth Hour earthhour.jpg
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Earth Hour is a unique opportunity for you to become more sustainable and do something positive for the environment. It’s been the source of inspiration for millions of people taking steps towards a cleaner, safer future. It’s not just about saving energy for one hour, it’s about going Beyond the Hour with lasting, behaviour-changing actions for a sustainable planet.  

     

     

    http://www.earthhour.org/

     

    go ahead

    have a great weekend

    in the dark

    ilym

    heartheartheart

  • Life goes on...

    I had a nice pictorial post all ready to submit yesterday before I left work
     
    then in the blink of an eye the weather took a turn for the worse

    we lost power right in the middle of the submission

    a lot of things have transpired since then.

    Here's pretty much what I had ready to post:

    Big Moon (aka Barry) and Nash after Church Sunday

    I wanted one good photo of Nash in his greenery

    but he wasn't going to have it...

    instead there are several not so good pictures of me

    I'll spare you ...

    the plum trees are budding out,

    soon there will be plums galore

    I'll eat a few right off the tree but 

    the birds will get most of them

    it's cheaper than bird seed

     

    the mother plum tree

    all gnarly and covered with lichen

    is still lovely

    the birds-eye speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys)

    have invited a dandelion (Taraxacum) into their domain

    soon we'll be making wishes and blowing dandelion dander all over creation

    so...this was about the time we lost power

    then the rain started blowing in from the north

    it was all over in less than 10 minutes

    but it sure created havoc

    this is in the park just a few blocks from our house

    we didn't have too much damage in town but the area

    surrounding us got hammered pretty bad.

     

     

    according to Floyd County Emergency Management deputy director Tim Herrington

    via National Weather Service officials,

    storm damage was caused by straight line winds and not a tornado

    someone else got this shot,

    I'm pretty sure it was a tornado.

    One of our town folks lost his life when a tree fell on his pick-up

    and this morning a dear friend added this sweet baby girl to our family of loved ones

    heart Welcome to this world Annabelle Hope heart

    The boundaries which divide life from death
    are at best shadowy and vague.
    Who shall say where one ends,
    and the other begins?
    ~ Edgar Alan Poe

     

    ilym

     

    be careful out there

     

     

     

     

  • I Love Pi - edited

    cheese cake recipe edited below

     

    I made two pies for our church ladies meeting last night, 

    well one was a cheese cake, but it's all pie to me, the other was Pecan

    I picked up the pecans from our tree and cracked and shelled them myself

     

    when I found out it was Pi day I felt smart and ahead of the game

    that hardly ever happens so it was a special day for me!

     

    here's the recipes if you want to make pie too:

     

    Aunt Beverly's Cheese Cake

    cream together

    3 blocks cream cheese  (room temperature)

    3 eggs added one at a time until mixed in real good

    1 cup sugar

    1 teaspoon vanilla or rum ( since I was going to the church ladies meeting I used vanilla )

    pour this mixture into two graham cracker pie shells

    bake for 25 minutes at 350*

    let them cool completely and

    mix 8oz sour cream

    **** 1 tablespoon sugar

    1 teaspoon vanilla

    pour over cooled pies and bake for 10 more minutes at 500*

     

     

    here's a picture of the pi pie

    the store was sure proud of the blue berries

    3 bucks for about 1/2 a cup

    =/

    it cost more to write Pi on the pie than it did to make the pie

    shocked

     

    The Joy of Cooking

    Pecan Pie

    (sixth edition -1975)

    1 cup light corn syrup

    3 eggs

    1 cup sugar

    1/3 cup butter melted

    1 teaspoon vanilla or rum 

    mix all these ingredients by hand, not in the mixer

    stir in 1 cups pecans 

    pour into a pre-cooked and cooled 9" pie crust (deep dish works best)

    • bake at 375* for 40 - 50 minutes
    • (or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean)
    •  
    •  
    • I baked mine for 45 minutes 

     

     this pie was prettier in person, much more golden than gray =/

    I didn't let the shell cool completely and the filling

    seeped through and made the bottom of the pie 

    quite sticky and kinda hard to remove

    but it all got scraped up and eaten none the less

     

    also everything is better with some whipped cream in a can

     

    hope you

    Enjoyed your Pi day!

     

    don't worry over the grading systems - 

    unless your blocked from all things fun and creative

    that would really stink...

    I'm giving everyone an A anyway cause

    ilym

     

    another odd thing about me:

    saying crackers

    cracks me up

    laughing

     

     

     

  • Joyeux anniversaire Michel Fauquet

    Happy Birthday to one of my favorite people

    Michel @Fauquet

    I've been using an old Bob Dylan song for birthday wishes on f/b

    it suits Michel to a tee:

    French version below the picture

    (well ~ as french as I can translate anyway

    sorry in advance for any mistakes)

    Forever Young

    May God bless and keep you always 
    May your wishes all come true
    May you always do for others 
    And let others do for you
    May you build a ladder to the stars 
    And climb on every rung
    May you stay forever young
    Forever young, forever young 
    May you stay forever young.

    May you grow up to be righteous 
    May you grow up to be true
    May you always know the truth 
    And see the lights surrounding you
    May you always be courageous 
    Stand upright and be strong
    May you stay forever young
    Forever young, forever young 
    May you stay forever young.

    May your hands always be busy 
    May your feet always be swift
    May you have a strong foundation 
    When the winds of changes shift
    May your heart always be joyful 
    And may your song always be sung
    May you stay forever young
    Forever young, forever young 
    May you stay forever young.

    ilym

    toujours jeune

     

    Que Dieu vous bénisse et vous garde toujours
    Que vos souhaits se réalisent tous les
    Puissiez-vous toujours faire pour les autres
    Et laisser les autres le faire pour vous
    Puissiez-vous construire une échelle vers les étoiles
    Et monter sur chaque échelon
    Puissiez-vous rester éternellement jeune
    Toujours jeune, toujours jeune
    Puissiez-vous rester éternellement jeune.

     

    Puissiez-vous grandir pour devenir des justes
    Puissiez-vous grandir pour être vrai
    Puissiez-vous toujours connaître la vérité
    Et voir les lumières qui vous entoure
    Puissiez-vous toujours être courageux
    Se tenir debout et être fort
    Puissiez-vous rester éternellement jeune
    Toujours jeune, toujours jeune
    Puissiez-vous rester éternellement jeune.

     

    Que vos mains toujours être occupé
    Que vos pieds toujours rapide
    Puissiez-vous avoir une base solide
    Lorsque les vents de changement de quart
    Que votre cœur toujours être joyeux
    Et votre chanson peut toujours être chantée
    Puissiez-vous rester éternellement jeune
    Toujours jeune, toujours jeune
    Puissiez-vous rester éternellement jeune.

    Je t'aime plus

     

    heartheartheart

  • it's a bird~it's a plane! no it's Panstarrs Comet !

    Heads up Folks - there's a comet coming!

     

    This information was provided by:

    Rebecca Johnson
    Editor, StarDate magazine

      comet40min.jpg 240.61 KB
      comet.ai 139.53 KB

    The best views of comet C/2011 L4, better known as PANSTARRS for the survey that discovered it, will grace the early evening sky by the second week of March, according to the editors of StarDate magazine.

    To see the comet, face west around 30 to 40 minutes after sunset beginning around March 10. It will be quite low to the horizon, so a view clear of buildings or trees will be necessary to see it. The comet will be joined in the western sky after dark by the slender crescent Moon on March 12, 13, and 14. Good naked-eye views of the comet should continue for several nights, with the comet remaining visible through binoculars into April.

    Discovered in June 2011, PANSTARRS is now making its way toward the Sun from the deepest reaches of the solar system. Its complete orbit takes more than 100 million years. The comet passed closest to Earth on March 5, but was so low to the horizon after sunset that it was difficult to see. The comet makes its closest approach to the Sun on March 10.

    The brightness of comets like PANSTARRS, which have not been seen near Earth before, is notoriously difficult to predict. Astronomers think that this comet may be as bright as first magnitude, meaning about the same brightness as well-known stars like Antares in the constellation Scorpius or Spica in Virgo.

    However, some comets break apart as they near the Sun. A comet is essentially a collection of rubble held together by ice. Heat from the Sun causes this ice to vaporize, releasing gasses that can fan out into a tail. Sometimes so much ice vaporizes that that the main body of the comet, the “coma,” completely breaks apart. Should this occur, the comet would quickly dissipate and disappear from view.

    Published bi-monthly by The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory, StarDate magazine provides readers with skywatching tips, skymaps, beautiful astronomical photos, astronomy news and features, and a 32-page Sky Almanac each January.

     

    Have a Great Weekend

    keep looking to the horizon

    ilym

    walnut love

    laughing

  • My Desktop Pictures

    http://seedsower.xanga.com

    showed us her desktop photograph

    then 

    http://saintvi.xanga.com

    showed us her's

    so I thought I might as well show mine too

     

    i change desktop photo's pretty often

     l

    today I have a snow leopard, it's a National Geographic image

    this was last week

    these otters are from Great Britain

    are you lookin at me?

    I can't remember where this image came from

     

    ROA was in Atlanta for the Living Walls 2011 Conference.

    this upside down alligator is a monumental piece.

    At the corner, his tail curls up, skirts the signage, and climbs the fire escape.

    This one can be seen at 209 Mitchell St SW Atlanta, GA 30303.
     
    Our daughter Anna sent this to me, you can just see her 
    holding on to the alligators teeth from the sidewalk.
     
     

     

    this one makes me sleepy

     

    last but not least is the one I use most

    our grandson Nash

    at the airshow last fall

     

     

    You might as well show us yours too!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • dirt roads

    I haven't had much xanga time recently

    and am feeling pretty much out of the loop 

    but....

    I came across this googlin dirt roads and thought I'd share:

     

    Dirt Roads

    By Paul Harvey

    What's mainly wrong with society today is that too many Dirt Roads have been paved.

    There's not a problem in America today, crime, drugs, education, divorce, delinquency that wouldn't be remedied, if we just had more Dirt Roads, because Dirt Roads give character.

    People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn early on that life is a bumpy ride.

    That it can jar you right down to your teeth sometimes, but it's worth it, if at the end is home...a loving spouse, happy kids and a dog.

    We wouldn't have near the trouble with our educational system if our kids got their exercise walking a Dirt Road with other kids, from whom they learn how to get along.

    There was less crime in our streets before they were paved.

    Criminals didn't walk two dusty miles to rob or rape, if they knew they'd be welcomed by 5 barking dogs and a double barrel shotgun.

    And there were no drive by shootings.

    Our values were better when our roads were worse!

    People did not worship their cars more than their kids, and motorists were more courteous, they didn't tailgate by riding the bumper or the guy in front would choke you with dust & bust your windshield with rocks.

    Dirt Roads taught patience.

    Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly, you didn't hop in your car for a quart of milk you walked to the barn for your milk.

    For your mail, you walked to the mail box.

    What if it rained and the Dirt Road got washed out? That was the best part, then you stayed home and had some family time, roasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and pony rode on Daddy's shoulders and learned how to make prettier quilts than anybody.

    At the end of Dirt Roads, you soon learned that bad words tasted like soap.

    Most paved roads lead to trouble, Dirt Roads more likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole.

    At the end of a Dirt Road, the only time we even locked our car was in August, because if we didn't some neighbor would fill it with too much zucchini.

    At the end of a Dirt Road, there was always extra springtime income, from when city dudes would get stuck, you'd have to hitch up a team and pull them out.

    Usually you got a dollar...always you got a new friend...at the end of a Dirt Road!

    Thanks Paul Harvey!

     

     

     

    I grew up on a dirt road

    it was and still is called Frank Kirk Road

    it's paved now...

    and I haven't lived there in 41 years

    but I remember it well...

     

     

    When it rained the school bus couldn't make it over the slippery red mud hill at the Kirk sister's house

     the high school boys would go out the back door of the bus and push us over

     they always got splattered in the red mud

     none of them ever complained about having their school clothes ruined 

     I don't think there was a difference in school clothes, play clothes and work clothes back in the day,

    they didn't get sent home because they were a  mess either

    and everyone rode the same bus whether you were in 1st grade or 12th.

     

      

    we had a pet pig ( Eloise ) who would wait for the bus to bring us home

    in the middle of the dirt road

    my sister was always horrified 

     

     

     

    we would eat dewberries 

    that grew along side the dirt road

    wild strawberries, muscadines, blackberries and plums too...

     

     

    the Kirk sisters also had a mean ole bull

    sometimes we harassed him 

    from the other side of the barbed wire fence of course

     

     

    I miss that time in my life

     

    have a great week

    ilym

     

    p.s. these are google images,

    the last one looks very much like our road