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August 31, 2005

In Case You're Wondering...

It occurred to me that you might be wondering what the pictures are that you see posted on the right. I found a couple of websites that I love for many reasons. The first website is from A Picture A Day (apod)from NASA and the pictures are from space. Every day there is a new picture from the Hubble telescope and others on the ground. Some are from the robotic cameras on Mars. They show beautiful constellations, nebula and graphics of distant stars and galaxies. The first several pictures are from this site.
The lower pictures that look like pop art are actually pictures of things under a microscope. They are mostly single cells highly magnified. The website, Molecular Images (micro.magnet.fsu.edu), shows common things like bread, minerals, gems, birthstones, beer and mixed drinks, all sorts of stuff. You have to click around a bit and I haven't figured it all out just yet.
If you ever have some time to kill and want to be dazzled by God's glorious creation, take a look at these places and see what you think.

Mobile Multitasking

I've just returned from a weekend with the grandkids which is a whole 'nuther posting! Mike and I drove over to Fredericksburg and he left from there to go to Colorado (another whole 'nuther posting). I had to drive home alone and it's the first time in quite awhile I've had the priviledge of driving by myself. I love to do that from time to time. I get to travel smoke free; I get to listen (or not listen) to whatever station or CD I choose; I can stop when I want to; I can stop where I want to...you get the idea. What I noticed while driving is that we are a nation of marvelous multitaskers. We are performing this talent on the road.
For years I've watched people light up cigarettes, put on makeup, make phone calls, and read while driving, even in heavy traffic times. This trip, I noticed a driver that had taken multitasking to a higher level than ever. Way beyond the normal ear or nasal hygiene I've seen practiced at 70 miles per hour, I saw a gentleman adjust his dental bridge. He took this little work of wire and teeth out of his mouth, inspected it for Lord knows what, and replaced it...and never swerved into my lane of traffic!!! Amazing! I've heard stories, seen things, and done a few odd jobs while driving myself. For some reason, this man impressed me.
Maybe driving a vehicle weighing over 1000 pounds down a major road at a high rate of speed is not challenging enough for us anymore. There's not much interesting about starting from point "A" and arriving at point "B" in one piece. Anyone can manage that. But to have invented a better mousetrap, eaten a gormet meal, phoned the President, or given a friend a perm while driving, THAT's an accomplishment!
In the meantime, y'all be careful out there...you don't know what that other driver is really up to!!!

August 26, 2005

Life Doesn't Get Any Better!

Thank you, Bro. Ron for the help...he did my pictures that you see. When I found these websites that showed these pictures, I imagined that this is what God gets to look at every day. Thanks to technology, now we can too! Feel free to check out the other links posted. You'll enjoy them. I may add more as I find them (and Bro. Ron has the time!)
I'm in Fredericksburg this weekend with Hannah and Jacob, the joys of my life. Their parents are honeymooning, again, celebrating a whole decade of wedded bliss. I'm celebrating nearly a decade of grandmothering by babysitting. I can curl up on the sofa and listen to the kids read or sing or dance for me and feel my blood pressure go lower. They're better than all the pills in the world!! If you don't have grandchildren, borrow some...they're wonderful. We're going to a parade, the Gillespie County Fair (Hannah has entered cookies she baked, we're expecting ribbons!) and the pool is cleaned up. Oh yeah...we're gonna have a good time!

August 24, 2005

I Think I Can, I Think I Can

Look fast!! I got some good help and found a way to post a picture on my blog. Will it happen again? Maybe if the planets all align right and I hit the buttons in the exact same order. When I started this blogging thing, it was because I admired Ron Corzine's blog site (www.sonofapreacher.com) and became a constant commenter. I think he must have thought I had enough opinions to go around and suggested I get a blogspot...or site...or whatever. I did, but he's way smarter than me. If you check him out, be sure and note the precious pictures he has of country churches. Anyway, his spot has all sorts of stuff and I was again inspired to maybe spiff my site up a bit. I think giving birth was easier!

August 23, 2005

Backtracking

Years ago my husband and I and some other family members were hiking up Mt. Baldy at Garner State Park. If you went to Garner, you had to climb to the top of the mountain and survey the park, the river and the beautiful vistas. Coming back down we followed the well worn little trail. I was leading and headed off to the right. My dad and everyone else to a person suggested that I was on the wrong pathway but I assured them I knew exactly where I was. They followed along. Well, I could have gotten us back to the bottom of the mountain, if we'd taken a flying leap off of the ledge that my pathway had taken us to. Amid alot of groaning, we backtracked to the main path and headed down the way they all remember climbing. I didn't get to lead anymore!
What amazed me then and amazes me still is how I can be so confidently wrong about so many things. When I turned 55 it really hit me how much life I've lived and how little I still knew. I've learned that some people aren't the doofuses (doofi?) that I thought they were, I can take a drink on occasion and not go to hell (but the thought still crosses my mind, "Is this what you want to be doing when Jesus comes?"), and that maybe I don't have all the answers. I've backed up on lots of positions that I've held for years! Oh, that was almost painful to admit in writing.
Lucky for me, I have a God who loves me in spite of myself, friends who'll pray for me whether I think I need it or not, and family who have stuck by me no matter how many of my opinions I've exposed them too. Looking back...and ahead...I'm in good shape!
P.S. I never did find out what shattered my window...since it was the side window, it was suggested that someone had to have shot it out (pellet gun, Mafia hit, I don't know!) If that's true, I was indeed fortunate not to have been hurt!

August 22, 2005

Boy Scouts are Right

Years ago I was on my way to a PTA meeting, running almost late. I would make it right on time if no one got in my way and the traffic lights stayed green. I was within a mile of the school when I heard something pop. I turned to check out the situation in my left rear view mirror and was shocked to see that my window had shattered. I pulled over and was trying to figure out what happened and how I would now be late as I pulled tiny pieces of glass from the window frame. Great way to start the day! As I was cleaning up the mess, this thought crossed my mind, "Sara, you never allow for the unexpected." I knew God was speaking to my heart. I had always operated about 15 to 20 minutes behind the rest of the world. My mother had told me once that I was born two weeks late and had been late to ever since! Our family friend, Larry Elliff, who sang at my wedding told me that he wouldn't open his mouth to sing until he saw me standing at the back of the church ready to come down the aisle. If you ever dated me or asked me to meet you somewhere, you know what I'm talking about. To all of you who've had to wait on me, I apologize.
I didn't mean to set your teeth on edge, but I just didn't prepare. I could get up in plenty of time to get ready, but I'd wait until the last minute to start and then when some little button turned up missing or the curlers didn't heat up fast enough, my whole schedule was thrown into confusion. I didn't prepare for contingencies. I was late for a funeral once years ago because I didn't prepare and got to the funeral home without my guitar!...should have put it out the night before, but I didn't prepare. I got to work one day and one of my friends asked if I knew there was a giant stain on the back of my jacket. No, I didn't as I hadn't planned what to wear, just grabbed something and dressed and wound up having to go home. You can see I've wasted alot of time!
My friend, Mary Ann, sent me an email today about how preparation helps to deal with the unexpected things in life. Being spiritually, physically and mentally prepared gets you through whatever comes your way. Having been blindsided enough in my life, I'm learning this lesson. Hopefully, if you're caught in the same circumstances I was, this will be your wake up call to just stop, make a 180, and begin to enjoy life. I've still got a way to go as old habits die hard. But I'm getting better!

August 18, 2005

Giving honor to whom....

Oh, all right!!! I'd like to take credit for coming up with the idea of composing a blog site. I'd like for everyone to think that I'm such a techno-geek that I found the site, put together more information about myself that anyone really cares about knowing, and began to type. Not true! Actually, I'd written a little rambling email about Indians, my grandparents, listening to stories, telling stories which I emailed to some of my nearest and dearest. Some found it interesting, some thought I was in a mood.
One dear friend suggested that I should get a blog site and just write whatever whenever. I remembered what Mama always said, "Never write anything down that you wouldn't want everyone to read." Well, blogging shoots that wisdom all to pieces. I signed up, signed on and if I can just keep from starting every other posting with "Okay", I might do all right here. My friend suggested that I give credit where credit is due and I agree completely. Thanks friend!...it was all you!
Now, if you can just help me add blog sites (do I copy the whole paragraph of letters and symbols?...is there a shortcut?...how do I let the world know that if I my life was a movie it would be "Sunset Boulevard"?)
You can see I've got a ways to go!!!!
Okay, I hope there is someone out there who loves me enough to tell me when I don't look good. Now, before I open the floodgate to criticism, let me tell you what I'm talking about.
Last night I happened to catch some of Farrah Fawcett's interview on David Letterman's Late Show. That poor, poor creature. Remember her as one of Charlie's Angels? Remember how everyone with long hair started billowing it out like she did? Remember how great she looked with Ryan O'Neal on her arm? What happened???!!! She wore a black sleeveless dress. Her little arms were skinny and flabby. Her face was almost comic book proportioned. I don't know if she was high or not...I kinda hope so because she was pretty flaky and I'd like to think there was a reason for it. I know she's gone through some rough times. That's not what my point is today though.
She looked terrible. Someone, maybe her mom or a sister, should take her aside and let her know that growing older isn't a sin. Shifting body mass isn't a crime, but you might not want to show your weaker points off on national television. A good friend could mention that no more surgery is needed and if she IS doing something to blow her mind, she should stop.
Maybe she needs my friend. I won't reveal her name, SHE knows who she is. After nagging me once to join her at an exercise class, she looked at me in my cute (I thought) leotard with matching tights and leggings and said, "You don't look as bad in that as I thought you would!" Only a friend will tell you that. I got the hint and wore shorts the next time out. I've also worked with good friends who love me enough to tell me my slip is showing, there's something on my teeth, or hand me a mint if necessary. I have sisters who'll be honest whether I want to listen or not. I've had pastors, teachers, and parents who didn't back away from truth that I needed to hear. I love people who love me enough to help me present myself in the best light.
Honesty is supposedly the best policy. My mother used to tell us that we could tell her anything as long as we had a smile on our faces. I think the lesson is really that you should have a relationship with the person that allows you to speak into their life or vice versa. I've had to hear some hard things over the years, but knowing that I was being instructed or corrected or guided by someone who loved me and had my best interest at heart was the sugar that made the medicine go down. There's a scripture in the Old Testament that says, "Iron sharpens iron." Sometimes we have to hear hard things so that our situations, our bodies, our spirits become stronger.
If you don't have a friend like that in your life now, get one!

August 17, 2005

I just finished checking my bank account...another fun thing I can do online. Don't bother with the warnings about someone stealing my identity. Anyone that dumb deserves it. I went through the process of getting into that online bill pay thing and it's not bad. I've discovered that it's way faster to click a button than to sit down, wade through 15 little sale circulars, write out checks, find stamps while feeling my blood pressure soar. I don't like numbers, never have, never will. They have been a mystery to me since 3rd grade when Mrs. McConnell began with multiplication and division.
My aversion escalated in high school with algebra and geometry. Algebra was a complete waste of time. Had it not been for Johnny Tarius sitting behind me, I'd have flunked the course completely. Taking the alphabet and the numbers from 0-9 and tossing them together like so much lettuce and tomatoes was a curious idea to begin with. At least with the lettuce and tomatoes I could end up with salad; with numbers and letters I usually wound up with a big, fat "D" or worse! Geometry was another matter. For some reason, I did very well in that class. Maybe because I learn visually, maybe it was the teacher, maybe I gave this one subject more of my potential (which I was told I was wasting). At any rate, I got through the math just enough to graduate. I don't use much of it these days, especially since I no longer have to figure out what one can of corn is if they're on sale at 3 cans for $1.00. Unit pricing solved that issue!
Back to the bank account. I'm temporarily solvent if the computer can be believed so I'll breath easy for awhile. But if you're holding one of my checks, you'd better hurry to the bank.

August 16, 2005

Okay...I'm drunk with the power of the keyboard! I thought that I'd found my niche when a friend set up karaoke at the American Legion and I could sing Carly Simon. Online journaling may soon overtake my love affair with amplification and CD-G music. I should probably use some restraint with postings as this really is the height of expressive egoism. My thoughts, my blogsite, and plenty of space for all of the pontificating falderol I can possibly squeeze out. Lucky for me, I have a good friend who will burst my bubble of pride on a regular basis and keep me grounded. Lucky for me too, she's out of town for a few days and I'll be well into blogging before she can stop me! Too bad I'm not burning calories doing this, it'd be a perfect pastime.
One thing I have noticed in writing lately, is how the rules of grammar elude me. I know that I have dangling participles all over the place and I sometimes take spelling shortcuts. I see sentences ending with prepositions that may be wrong but just sound so right! In the back of my mind, I can still hear all of those English teachers reciting verb conjugations and proper tenses along with the sound of chalk scraping out the diagram of a sentence on the board. While I can deftly spell antidisestablishmentarianism, I'm stumped over whether my pen is laying on the table or lying on the table. Maybe this open writing assignment will help me sharpen my grammatical skills. We'll just have to wait and see...it's not like there's someone out there with a red pen!!
Ohmygosh! I posted my first little ditty and it's taken me this long to figure out how to get back in and write some more!! Still working on the picture thing too. Hang with me, I'll get there!
I was watching TV the other day and noticed that two stores are using little kids doing this hip hop stuff and rapping dialogue (if that's what it's called) to promote their new school clothes. I decided that I'm not cool. First off, I can barely understand what they're saying. I definitely heard the word "flyest" as an adjective. I'm slow, but not so ignorant that I didn't get the drift that the word means "cool" or "neato." Our language has had a rough time keeping up the pace with our fast changing world so making up new words or giving old words new meanings has become necessary. How often can you say, "This outfit is cool" before no one listens anymore? (Remember "Have a nice day" or "I love this") Since I've been around, things have gone from hip>cool>fine>boss>groovy>neato>rad>dynomite>hot>cold>fly. I'm sure I skipped some! Where do we go from here for the next adjective that lets the world know that you're in, up, happening...good grief!!...it never ends!

August 13, 2005

Greetings!
Welcome to my first post on my first blog! What a great advance in technology that all the world is now capable of benefitting from my opinions on just about anything. Be warned, I have plenty of opinions but the good news is that they're free. You're invited to post comments and share your opinion of my opinion as long as you keep it clean and concise. I promise I'm not reading a 20 page response and you'll likely as not be deleted!! Enough about you...let's talk about ME! I'm a post-WWII boomer wondering what the heck happened! Pushing 60 is amazing. I grew up in the Lower Rio Grande Valley where we had lots of sunshine and the seasons were disporportionate to what the rest of the world enjoyed. Lots of summer, spring and fall shared a few weeks and then a couple of blue northers rounded off winter. Blue northers where the temperature dipped below freezing were the only times girls were allowed to wear slacks to school. My, my how times have changed! I grew up Baptist in an age where most of us grew up "something." I felt sorry for the two or three people who's parents didn't take them to church. Although I was begged by my mom to go to college, I decided to work and save for my MRS degree instead of a BA...bad choice there. I moved to the Clear Lake area, worked for a NASA contractor, married, had three boys, raised them up to be fine young men, was a fixture as a volunteer at their schools, at church and at the American Legion. No more ups and downs than most...no big story of conquering some big adversity. The biggest thing I have to conquer at this point is the extra weight that has managed to sneak up when I wasn't looking. I don't mind being identified with the conservatives, the religious, the right or the patriotic. I love light jazz, Southern and Contemporary gospel, Muzak, old movies and comedies, sitcoms (some of them), daisies, family, and yakking with old friends. I'll soon post pictures and get into rambling on all sorts of stuff, but for now, at least you have an idea of what to expect. Let's be friends!