Tweets of Death

Time for my third twitter post. I decided to try something different this week. Instead of posting my favorite tweets, I am going to post conversations that revolve around a theme. This week’s theme is death. Next week’s? I don’t know. Panda bears? I’m Helenatrandom. It could be anything…..


Friday’s Twitter Conversations of Death.


Helenatrandom#FF @katdish, @weightwhat, @emptynest, @PuriChristos, @buzzbyannies, @HerbieGookins, @redclaydiaries if you hope to die while laughing.
br8kthru@Helenatrandom what if I hope to laugh while dying?
Helenatrandom@br8kthru Thats how I want to go. I want the cause of death on my death certificate to say laughter.
br8kthru@Helenatrandom that would most definitely be the best way to go- forget in your sleep- bor-ing!
Helenatrandom@br8kthru I think we all want to die the way we lived.
br8kthru@Helenatrandom that's deep- for some that would be horrible. Gives me renewed focus to let go of fear, anger, frustrations, etc...
Helenatrandom@br8kthru Hmm...I didn't think of that... Maybe we want to die as we think we have lived...
@Helenatrandom No, it just makes me want 2 live life 2 the fullest, laugh a lot, & love Jesus. Like Paul, "obedient to the heavenly vision"
@Helenatrandom That would be an amazing question to get people thinking, "would you want to die like you lived?" if not, change it now!


The next conversation of death was later the same day and began with whether or not to trust morning people.


emptynestegg@weightwhat talk about banned. DO NOT trust anyone who got an A in an 8:00 Am class.
PuriChristos@emptynestegg hey u can trust me and I got good grades at 7:30 am
weightwhat@PuriChristos I don't think we should trust any man who says, "hey u can trust me."
@weightwhat well, I can be trusted in as much as I dont' ahve anything explosive with me at this point in time
Helenatrandom@weightwhat Now now. Nick is special. We can trust him so long as he isn't holding fire, or in handcuffs.
weightwhat@Helenatrandom - Or saying, "Hey y'all! Watch this!"
Helenatrandom@weightwhat Aren't those the last words of most Texans?
@Helenatrandom - I don't think it's limited to Texas.
PuriChristos@Helenatrandom @weightwhat I figure my last word will be "fascinating"
Helenatrandom@PuriChristos My last word will be "hahahahahhahahhhahahahahahahahhhahah"
@Helenatrandom let me know before u die so I can look up a bunch of bad jokes about dieing for u
@PuriChristos - Could you do combo jokes about dentists and dying for @Helenatrandom?
PuriChristos@Helenatrandom never trust a hungarian when death is on the line
Helenatrandom@PuriChristos or beer for that matter...
PuriChristos@Helenatrandom u do know I was referring to the Princess Bride right?
Helenatrandom@PuriChristos Yeah. But I'm speaking from experience.

This set of tweets didn’t start out about death, but meandered into the topic.

weightwhatI'm ready to be done with this summer heat stuff. Really ready.
Helenatrandom@weightwhat yeah, but in six months I'll be complaining about the cold and wet snow.At least no one ever slipped and broke a hip on sunshine
katdish@weightwhat You should visit me in Houston. It will make you appreciate where you live.
weightwhat@Helenatrandom - I wouldn't be so sure about that...
weightwhat@katdish - Visiting Houston is so not tempting. So no thanks.
katdish@weightwhat Oh, come on! Best Tex-Mex food in the world!
PuriChristos@Helenatrandom @katdish if we visit in january we should take soem snow. Only a flake or 2 and the whole place shuts down
katdish@Helenatrandom January's good. Most of the mosquitos are dead by then...
Helenatrandom@katdish It takes you that long to shoot them down?
Helenatrandom@katdish If we send Annie out there, I better she could shoot them down in a couple of weeks. #Anniegetyourgun
katdish@Helenatrandom Do you have mosquito misting trucks up there? We get them here in the spring and summer.
PuriChristos@katdish of course u do, you have west nile tow orry about
Helenatrandom@katdish I don't think so. We just use OFF or Deep Woods OFF.
PuriChristos@Helenatrandom In Texas the mosquito use off to keep the humans away when they feel bloated from eating too much.
Helenatrandom@PuriChristos Wow! That's some mosquito! Do they carry away pets and small children?
PuriChristos@Helenatrandom If by pets and small children you mean horses and anyone sleeping too soundly then yes

Okay, the death of mosquitos, not humans, but death nevertheless.


Okay. Next week, I think I'll stick with a theme as well. I don't know for how long I will. I may change it up again in the future, just because I like being random.

Click here to get to fottsp, and find other people with their cleverest tweets.

You Mean You Don't Have a Spare Monk's Robe Hanging in Your Closet?

Men!

To begin with, I think I need to explain that my husband loves costumes. He has a viking costume from when he was reading about vikings, a Pharaoh costume from when he was reading about ancient Egypt, a Renaissance costume from when he was reading Shakespeare...you get the idea.
So, for the Harry Potter premiere, I suggested that he wear the monk's robe (don't ask) hanging in the closet, and whatever he found appropriate for a hat. Where exactly besides a Harry Potter premiere can he dress in costume without getting stared at? (Don't answer the museum of Natural History...That's not true...just trust me on that...)
Why am I posting this for Life is Funny? Well, don't you find the fact that we have a monk's robe and a scholar hat just hanging in the closet to be funny?



SO LAUGH PEOPLE! LAUGH, I SAY ! HA HA HA HA HA!

What I Learned in Church Yesterday

Life is funny participation will resume later this week. Today I am feeling serious....I also don't want to use this for my What I Learned post, because this might get preachy in the end, and I don't think that is what that blog carnival is for. But I really want to share what has been in my head and heart since Church yesterday.

Yesterday at Church, a priest from Sudan spoke. He thanked us for our contributions here in America to their school, but also for being a place of refuge for so many Lost Boys. He described adults who were killed, tortured...lost limbs, eyesight....lives. All because they would not renounce their Christian faith. And then he told of the Lost Boys, and I wept. One verse from the Bible popped into my head (though it was not the focus. The Multiplication of the Loaves and the fish were. The priest did a very nice job tying in how God multiplies what we give to those in Africa so that what seems like little helps lots).

Matthew 10:37
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;"

The people who lost their lives, limbs, sight...I felt bad for them...But those who lost parents and children....because they chose Christ....

How often have I held my tongue, under the guise of not wanting to offend someone, because I did not want to sacrifice their good opinion of me? But on the other side of the world, people are sacrificing life, limb, sight, and family for love of Jesus. There are saints in Heaven, Sudanese by birth, shaking their heads at me.

Tertullian once wrote "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church" . I don't share this just to beat my breast, and suggest others beat theirs. I share this so that the great sacrifices our Sudanese brothers and sisters have made will inspire us to make smaller ones, and regard these small sacrifices as nothing. Which really, in comparison, it is less than nothing...Isn't it?

Sorry if the post seems spotty, and not well written...
Anyways, God bless you.

Twitter Post Two

This week I thought I’d put a little effort into making my twitter post make sense. So I am posting them in the order they were tweeted, instead of last first like I did last week. Here we go.


Rt @tracyyoungtv Annoying guy asked me if I knew how to make white people crazy.I replied,"Uh, either play the Chicken Dance song or YMCA?"

@br8kthru Could be...I love to do the Chicken Dance. And the YMCA dance. And the Macarena. And the Achy Breaky Heart. And the Electric

@br8kthru slide. And the Cha Cha slide. And the Hokey Pokey. And the Locomotion. And the Conga. And the Bunny Hop.

@br8kthru Well...it seems we now have some insight into my madness.

FOTTSP is having a Twitter Ho- Down http://bit.ly/14oFD9 Remember: We are full of Baloney, not Spam.

@br8kthru Is Alaska more uptight than Illinois? Maybe it is our proximity to Wisconsin. So long as you are night standing on chairs during

@br8kthru "Wipeout" pretending to surf, you're fine around here...

@br8kthru Sometimes things get a little wild at weddings here. I blame the relatives from Wisconsin. They do know how to have fun tho..

I just took the "Which villain are you?" quiz and got: The Joker! Try it: http://bit.ly/11Pl71

@RachelleGardner I love @BillyCoffey 's blog. I can hardly wait to read something he has published.

TWITTY QUESTION OF THE DAY!!! What's your theme song? (I think I'd have to go with The Chicken Dance. Gotta love the chicken dance...)

@PuriChristos I think I might...My Naprapath/Hypnotist wants me to eat more fruit than I am getting on Atkins.

Please check my friend Sherri's post and send a card to an injured soldierhttp://bit.ly/jZJYS

#failedwesterns A Man Called Horse's Patooty

#failedwesterns There Will Be Snot

Advice: Do not attempt to tweet with freshly painted finger nails. Don't ask me how I know this. Just trust me.

@PuriChristos Blood red nails on my own finger tips. Smudged. This is why I don't normally paint my finger nails.

@bob_bot This one's for you... Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, and Bob. Woops. I almost forgot Bob.

@katdish Do you ever wonder if we should let the skanky ho' s follow us so they can be converted by or goodness?

@katdish So maybe we should throw a bible verse tweet in there....I left a video about bible verse on FOTTSp..

RT @clarepaul28 LOL vom Projektleiter üokis grad ne mail bekommen, dass ich gefäigst arbeiten und ned surfen soll.... *hahahahahahaha*

I have no idea what that last tweet I RTed means, but it gives me opportunity to tweet...It's Greek to me...(actually German, but still...)

@br8kthru Online translator"from the project manager üokis grad ne mail got that I should work gefäigst and surf ned .... *hahahahahahaha*"

@weightwhat Candy will put up with a lot of crap from us, NtG will blame you if he can get away with it, jokes about moaning never get old.

@weightwhat Yep. Think of how wild we'd get without a chaperone! :-)

@weightwhat Um... I don't know...I salsa like a white girl. I don't let lack of ability stop me.

@weightwhat I think Godhasablog confessed his true identity to her, and it's Tom. I suspected someone else b4, but she shut down after Tom.

@godhasablog Tom? Is that you?

@weightwhat It's past 12:30 here. I better go to bed now. Tom will remain Tom until tomorrow. Most likely....

RT @katdish There is no Tom. "Tom" is short for tomorrow. Please ignore my obnoxious friends. I know I do...

@PuriChristos Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn’t much, but the reception was excellent.

Mushroom in bar: “A round of drinks for everyone!” Customer: “Well, he seems like a fun guy.”

#lameclaimtofame Santa Claus used to let me sit on his lap in the mall. Now he prefers we stand for our picture.

#lameclaimtofame? I made our diocesan bishop laugh at a wedding when he asked if I go to Church and I said "Yes, Do you?" I was four...

I just took "Just how Crazy are You?" and got: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder! Try it ➔ http://bit.ly/nfBDm

OK, the results of that quiz was crazy. I do NOT like cleaning house. Anyone who has ever been to my house knows this.

@billycoffey That book will be published.You have skillz.You have an agent.You have a following of people DEMANDING it be published.

Red fingernails. Red water bottle. Red dress. I hope I'm not metamorphising out of my pink phase. Think pink. Think pink. Think pink.

@katdish Your favorite color is red? That would explain my metaphorphisizing. Maybe it's my Naprapath/Hypnotists fault...

@billycoffey Don't go trying to talk me out of red...My hypnotist is very powerful...

@katdish I am going to the grocery store. Do you miss the days when I tweeted my grocery list? I'd be happy to oblige...

@katdish No more lunch meat of any kind for me. My ankles deserve better than that from me...

@tremendousnews I have taken several quizes now without dming you with the results. I thought I'd keep you updated on my progress with this.

@PeterPollock Thanks Peter.I love the way you share your faith and your thoughts on faith on your blog. Missionary series provokes thought.

@BklynRunner Mare came back from Africa. She moves nearby soon

@marni71 RICK SPRINGFIELD TOUCHED YOUR HAND! Quick, rub a kleenex on that hand and send it to me..;-)

I am one of the direct decendants of Adam AND Eve. #lameclaimtofame

@emptynestegg Exactly! That's why it's a #lameclaimtofame

@marni71 Tell me more about the Rick Springfield hand...

#lameclaimtofame Marni is going to send me a kleenex touched by the hand that Rick Springfield touched....

@marni71 WOW! You are lucky you didn't react by pulling him onto your lap! Hubby may have regretted buying the tickets...

@katdish I know there is a yeast infection joke in there somewhere, but I just can't find it...

@katdish Yaayy! It looks like @weightwhat found it!

@marni71 OH YEAH! And Jon BonJovi is even HAWTER now than he was twenty some years ago...Man...I wish I was too.... ;-)

@katdish Those SkyMall posts you do are classics. They are to your blog what interviewing myself is to mine...

Took the "Whos your celebrity sister?" quiz & got: Demi Lovato! What about you? ➜ http://bit.ly/anPte

@emptynestegg I don't know, but apparently she's my long lost celebrity sibling...I wonder if she's looking for me. ;-)

@emptynestegg Dang. The quiz could be on target. We are cute. ;-)

The Taco Bell Chihuahua died? I must find my "Feliz Navidad, Amigos" doll and put it out in memoriam.

@emptynestegg No, I didn't. She had a pretty deep voice for a girl...

@emptynestegg Oh no, don't tell me Mr. Ed was a trannie....

Steve Perry from Journey is not dead. Just ignore him in the trending topics. It is a mishmash of different guy and rick rolling.

Read about a dead trannie dog here... http://bit.ly/UtCKM

@weightwhat Bluntness is my new spiritual gift.

@BunBunRabbit Learn to spell. It's C-H-I-H-U-A-H-U-A!

Yo Quiero Taco Bell. Feliz Navidad amigos.Hey! Drop the chalupa

RT @stacyasmallSFL Martha Stewart just said, "Length really does matter when it comes to a weiner." She's a jailbird perv.

@billycoffey I'm eclectic too! Except to me that means REO Speedwagon, Dean Marin, The Polkaholics, and Hungarian music.

RT @weightwhat: Shameless self-promotion meets obituary for cross-dressing dog. Good times. http://bit.ly/UtCKM

@br8kthru You can listen to them on my playlist on my blog. "Who Stole the Kiska?" is a classic. But sadly, not available on Youtube.

@katdish More skanky ho 's? Maybe you should DM them with a bible verse. Psalm 38:7 KJV

@emptynestegg Are you suggesting @katdish send them pictures to go with Psalm 38:7 KJV. Eeeeww!

@marni71 That's right! Let's work at getting skanky ho' s to block us!

Mom is calling me. (Okay, she WAS calling me. She has since given up. Poor mom....)

The Day I Told Bob My Deep Dark Secret http://bit.ly/ikoFb

RT @Br8kthru New post: have you ever prayed "Lord, Remove the Consequences" -Read & talk about it- http://bit.ly/YPaOR

@br8kthru Your welcome. Your post had some really good points.

@br8kthru Peter is out of town, and Katdish has been commenting less. I think she still reads our stuff, but comments less for lack of time

@weightwhat Don't worry! I left a link to your crotch post for my first comment. I'm not sure why. Just trust me. It was relevant.

@weightwhat I couldn't find the link, but here is the apology. http://bit.ly/6Ljq9

@weightwhat Actually, I think I left the link on his Church blog. Somehow, that doesn't make it better...

@br8kthru At least your Church might be believing you are seeking and finding the lost. Am I right?

@br8kthru Well yeah! Any woman who leaves a glittered crotch comment on a Church blog can give Mary Magdalegne's 7 demons a run4 their money

@PeterPollock You do realize that if you don't comment on Jason's blog today, you are giving me the edge for best comment this week.

@br8kthru Thank you.Thank you. I would first like to thank @katdish and @PeterPollock for being comment slacker on Jason's blog this week...

@billycoffey @CandySteele You know what is good in tea? Scotch and honey. But only for medicinal purposes. ;-)

Oh darn. I'm supposed to stop being entertaining on twitter! I finished my post! (Or at least it WAS finished).

Q:What do you get when you take the sun and divide its circumference by its diameter? A: Pi in the sky. #pi

Q: What do you get when you cut a jack o'lantern by its diameter? A: Pumpkin Pi! #pi

Q: What do you get when you take green cheese and divide its circumference by its diameter? A: Moon Pi. #pi


Cick on the title to find other members of the Twitter Ho Blog Carnival. I won't promise you'll be glad you did. Just do it.

The Day I Told Bob My Deep Dark Secret

I'm sorry. I am tardy with my life is funny post. No excuses. Just on with it...

Since this week was Bob and my thirteenth wedding anniversary, I thought I'd share a funny moment from our honeymoon in Hawaii.

We were going to take a helicopter ride in Kauaii the next day. We needed to tell our honest weights to the person booking. Honest weight....yeah right. I shorted my weight by about 100+ pounds. My dear Bob was too unfamiliar with such matters to realize I lied big time. But before bed I made the mistake of reading the brochure....yikes....I could be responsible to the death of up to five people?!!! I could not sleep all night. Finally Bob wakes up because he hears me crying.

Bob: What's wrong, honey?
Helen: Bob...
Bob: Yes honey...
Helen: I've kept a secret from you...
Bob: Okay (gently)
Helen: I'm... I'm....
Bob: Yes?
Helen: I'm fat!

(Bob had always been so sweet and attentive to me, I actually believed up to then that he never noticed my weight problem, and I certainly wasn't bringing my faults to his attention willfully. I know. Foolish girl.)
And THAT was the first time I ever saw Bob's dear in the headlights look. How does he answer that? ANYTHING he says will get him in trouble (I was and am fat, and Bob does not lie. Not even to save his skin. Bless his heart...) Really? What are his options? "So I've noticed!" ? "I know."? "I have eyes"? So for the first time he gave me that dear in the headlights look with the response that has worked for him ever since.

Bob: I love you....


I proceeded to tell him my lie of commission as well as my lie of ommision. He called the helicopter people early in the morning. They said this isn't a first for them, and allowed us to book a ride with less people. As a matter of fact, it was early and we were the only ones on it. Very romantic.

Come check out Wendy's life is funny blog carnival.

Last week my cousin sent me an email about the things Vodka can do (besides pickle a liver). I thought I'd share it on today's What I Learned post.

Who Knew???

1. To remove a bandage painlessly, saturate the bandage with vodka. The stuff dissolves adhesive

2. To clean the caulking around bathtubs and showers,fill a trigger-spray
bottle with vodka, spray the caulking, let set five minutes and wash clean .
The alcohol in the vodka kills mold and mildew.

3. To clean your eyeglasses,simply wipe the lenses with a soft, clean cloth dampened with vodka. �
The alcohol in the �vodka cleans the glass and kills germs.

4. Prolong the life of razors by filling a cup with vodka and letting your safety razor blade
soak in the alcohol after shaving.
The vodka disinfects the blade and prevents rusting.

5. Spray vodka on wine stains, scrub with a brush, and then blot dry.

6. Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face
as an astringent to cleanse the skin and tighten pores.

7. Add a jigger of vodka to a 12-ounce bottle of shampoo.
The alcohol cleanses the scalp,removes toxins from hair,and stimulates the growth
of healthy hair.

8. Fill a sixteen-ounce trigger-spray bottle with vodka and spray bees or wasps to kill them.

9 Pour one-half cup vodka and one-half cup water into a Ziploc freezer bag
and freeze for a slushy, refreshing ice pack for aches, pain or black eyes.

10. Fill a clean, used mayonnaise jar with freshly packed lavender flowers,
fill the jar with vodka, seal the lid tightly and set in the sun for three days.
Strain liquid through a coffee filter, then apply the tincture to aches and pains.

11. To relieve a fever, use a washcloth to rub vodka on your chest and back as a liniment.

12. To cure foot odor, wash your feet with vodka.

13 Vodka will disinfect and alleviate a jellyfish sting.

14. Pour vodka over an area affected with poison ivy to remove the urushiol oil from your skin.

15. Swish a shot of vodka over an aching tooth.
Allow your gums to absorb some of the alcohol to numb the pain.


Wow. It seems that vodka is very potent. I'm glad I stick to honeyed scotch.

Happy Anniversary to Bob and Myself

This picture is evidence of number 6 on the list below.

Today is Bob and my thirteenth anniversary. I know. The number thirteen. I am not worried. I don't believe in luck, good or bad. God has blessed us with a happy marriage, and I don't think He will pull the rug out from us just because we have reached the number thirteen.
Bob and I are very blessed. We love each other and are very happy. I wish there was some sort of secret that I knew. I would make up pamphlets and hand them out on the street for free. But the only reason that exists is that God blessed us with each other, for which I am grateful. Bob is a wonderful husband.
I suppose I could write the story of how we met. Maybe the story about how he proposed would be good, or rough patches we overcame. Those may eventually make good stories. But today I would rather give you the top ten reasons Bob is a wonderful husband.

1) God is first. Always. If I don't realize Bob is praying, and I call out "What do you want for breakfast?" (which I rarely do on a weekday, since he gets up early, and I am lazy), Bob will call out "I'm praying" rather than interrupt his time with God to state his preference. Bob gets up early every morning to pray and read from the Bible. I know. So do many of you. Good. I know this time with God is what shaped my husband into the wonderful man that I love.

2) Though Bob is head of this household, he takes into consideration my thoughts and desires. I don't feel like a subservient female. I feel like I am second in command. I feel he trusts my judgement to make choices that perhaps need to be made quickly in keeping with our shared values.

3) He encourages me to do what I want. When I started a blog, he thought it was great. When I spent three days writing about the best holiday gift so I could send the letter to the editor of the Tribune, and hopefully put Christ back in Christmas on the editorial page, my husband cheered, an ate hot dogs for dinner. When I wanted to teach CCD, but was concerned because I'd be away from mom, he said not to worry, if he had to work on a Saturday, he would go in when I came home.

4) Bob and I both wanted a family. We agreed that three children would be the perfect number, four would be a gift if given we hope we could handle, and five would mean no more you know until I go through the change. Then, when it turned out I couldn't have children, he truly convinced me he'd rather never father a child with me than father a child with anyone else. (Yes, I offered him an out, but he wouldn't hear of it. At the lowest point in my life, the point at which I felt worthless to myself, he let me know I am worthwhile to him.)

5) When my mom was in rehab, and we were told she'd never walk again, the nurses at the nursing home and the PT's told me I'd never be able to handle her at home by myself, and that she needed to stay there. Mom was miserable and getting sick and being sent to the hospital a lot. She wanted to "die at home." Bob convinced me that together we could handle taking care of mom. Though I had my doubts, Bob smoothed them by suggesting that if I couldn't handle mom by myself during the day, we'd hire someone to help. That turned out not to be necessary. As a matter of fact, we took care of mom two years before hiring someone to come in once a week so we could go out. And my mom is doing well. I truly believe mom is healthy (though she still can't walk) today because her Son In Law loved her and me enough to bring her home.

6) Bob has an awesome sense of humor. I should write about some of the stuff he has done for Life is Funny sometime.

7) He doesn't complain because my housekeeping skills leave a lot to be desired. He loves me and sees what is good, and accepts what is not.

8) He'll play Questions Only and Word Association Football with me. He hates those games, but knows that I enjoy them, so he'll go along for a bit.

9) When Bob comes home from work I feel such joy. Seeing him is still the highlight of any day for me.

10) When Bob puts his arm around me, any worries I had no longer seem to matter. God has provided me with a good man. Together we can face what God has in store for us to deal with. With God's help, of course.


Do the number of things I love about Bob stop with ten? No. But there are some things that don't get shared in cyberspace by women wearing ankle length dresses with doily collars.

If you read this today Bob, Happy Anniversary. I love you so much, and I am grateful to God that you are my husband.


Enclosed below is the song we first danced to as a married couple at our wedding. Our Song.

Comfort Zone

Most of you who read my blog also read my friend Sherri's. Yesterday she ran a post that touched my heart, and rather than have a silly Saturday post, I wish to give you the opportunity to read what she wrote in case you missed it.


This is a photo of my youngest son's friend Tyson Serles. (To see the picture, please click on the title, since I wasn't able to get it to download) A private first class serving our country in the US Army.

I remember the night of the Senior Awards, My son Jon and Tyson shared an award for their achievements in Art. Tyson was also honored when he and a few other boys from Jon's class, received large bonus checks from the different branches of service as they signed on to protect their country. When he and the others walked on the stage to receive their awards, I said a little prayer for them, for their protection and wisdom and guidance for whatever would lay ahead of them.

I watched Tyson accept his check with that contagious mile long grin of his, and he practically skipped back to his seat and he was applauded by those in attendance.

Last week we received news that Tyson had been critically injured in a roadside bombing. Sadly, the entire group of soldiers he was traveling with, except for his Sargent, were either killed or critically injured. Tyson bravely tried to pull his fellow soldiers from the wreckage and witnessed one friend take his last breath.

Tyson is 19 years old, and has already lost an entire group of buddies. One soldier who passed away asked Tyson to start the prayer chain before he passed on.

What a load for a young man to carry. He is without family , in a foreign land (Iraq) , with no familiar faces to be by his bedside while he recovers and grieves for his friends and fellow soldiers. What if this were your son, or brother or friend?

According to Tyson's father Tim, his condition has now been upgraded to stable.
Tim is asking for cards or letters to be sent to Tyson to encourage him as he recovers.

What a small task for us...what a large impact it can make on Tyson.

Would you please send something to this precious young man who has already sacrificed more than most of us will ever be asked to give. He bravely moved out of his comfort zone on behalf of others. Let's do it for him.

It will take 5 minutes for you to fill out a card, and a very small amount of money to mail it.

Please do this small gesture. I'm counting on you. I'm hoping he gets a room full of cards and letters from all over the world!

Feel free to re-post this, pass it along in an email, put it in a church bulletin, or pass along to any other group that would be willing to take five minutes to help lighten someone's load.


Start your weekend off by doing something for someone else. Whatta' ya' say? Can I count on you?



Mail to:

PFC Serles, Tyson
FOBTF Sparta
HHT, 1-40 CAV (ABN)
FOB HEIRERA
APO AE 09354

My 100 Best Tweets This Week...

FOTTSP is hosting it's first ever blog carnival. Click on the title to find out more about it. My first inclination was to write a post where I roasted spammers who are following me on twitter. The plan was to get verbally all Hungarian on them. It wasn’t going to be pretty, but it had a great potential for being funny.
But, you see, I have the habit of pushing the @Helenatrandom button about once every day to find out if I missed any @replies, and this week I found two people who I wasn’t following because I thought they were spammers sending me @replies. I checked out their recent tweets, and sure enough, they weren’t spammers. Now, while I am fairly sure that the people who are tweeting that we should follow this link to get more followers, or that link to learn how to earn money by blowing our noses in unison are spammers, I hesitate to roast them now for fear that I am mistaking a naïve soul for a spammer (which ironically may actually make me a naïve soul (did I use ironic correctly there, Kathy ;-)). So instead of the Spammer Roast (tweets you’ll see toward the end, if your eyes hold up) that I built up a bit earlier in the week, I am going to pull a switcharoo, and pick my 100 favorite tweets to post. It might help to read it from the bottom up in order to get the flow...Maybe I should have wrote it that way...Maybe next time...

@CandySteele Eat some cake, Candy. Do it for me. Do it for fottsp. Do it for bloggers everywhere around the world whose B-day isn't 2day

I am still ticked about blogger thinking fottsp is spam... We prefer to think of it as bologna...

@billycoffey I'd promise to behave myself, but being a christian I ought not to tell lies...

@katdish Dang! Look what you made me do! I am at 95 highlight tweets for my blog, so I've been trying to hold back the funny...

@katdish Excellent! A penny for our thoughts. Mine would get me approximately $23.69.

Of course it won't stick. I shall call it "The Building Formerly Known as the Sears Tower". So let it be tweeted, so let it be done.

RT @CBSnews RT @theearlyshow -Famed skyscraper is Sears Tower no longer but locals doubt new name will stick.Read more: http://bit.ly/16Iadr

PLS RT! Tens of thousands have signed to bring back the Sears Tower name! Have you? http://www.ItsTheSearsTower...

I really don't think I belong in Sytherin...

I just took "What Hogwarts House Would the Sorting Hat Put You In?" and got: Slytherin! Try it ➔ http://bit.ly/172JEH

@CandySteele Oh yeah, Happy Birthday.

@PuriChristos I apologize. I didn't mean to push to hard.

@PuriChristos Are you here? Am I forgiven for the counting kidding yesterday?

@br8kthru Scarey for me? I'm the one wearing ankle length dresses with doily collars..Your the one who should be scared...

@PeterPollock @br8kthru Love is a battlefield...

@CandySteele Candy, Candy, Candy...These things can't be forced...They just happen...

@CandySteele We love you. We only tease the ones we love...

@CandySteele Are you kidding? You are my new hero! Nothing I, @katdish, or @weighwhat tweeted all week can match that!

RT @CandySteele @billycoffey special, bonding moments. There was lots of moaning that day.

@PuriChristos In tweeting about her and her husband sharing a hospital room..(continued)

@katdish THAT so needs to be in the post...I didn't retweet, but you did...I love how our posts will at least explain eachother...

@CandySteele Oh, you had a pretty good line yourself on Friday! I hear @BillyCoffey is STILL blushing...

I just took "What Kind Of Music Are You? " and got: You Are A Pop Princess!!! Try it ➔ http://bit.ly/LGfGc

Mark Twain is following me. It only seems right that I follow him back....

@HerbieGookins Almost...velour is appropriate everywhere, except in the shower....I won't be describing my shower uniform anytime soon...

@HerbieGookins Muumuus are also appropriate dollar store attire...

@weightwhat Oh stop it! I love my dishwasher, and my husband just deals with it..(It's the slow cooker he worries about...)

RT @StephenAtHome why does X always get to mark the spot? i bet Q would like a turn

@SBeeCreations Hi...that last tweet was me, wasn't it? All I can say is...ooops...

@Weightwhat If you aren't there, I may as well pack up my things and go home....Wait a minute! I am home!

RT @HerbieGookins Called. The. Cemetery. Number. Post to follow on FOTTSP...///One dollar and seventy five cents heading your way via email

@PuriChristos Congratulations...I know how pleased you must be...I felt the same when Brown's Chicken commented on my blog...

@PuriChristos But if you unfollow me you won't know what I am saying about you...:P''''

@katdish Really? I don't think of him as offensive...I think of him as needing proper supervision....

@weightwhat Well it's only fair..Daddy probably drives him to school so he can get that high falutin' math knowledge down pat...

@weightwhat Apparently he got his kindergartner to help him fix it, because it is corrected now...

I just took "Which Classic Hollywood Actress Are You?" and got: Doris Day! Try it ➔ http://bit.ly/StMt2

@katdish I feel like the twit at your Church who asked how they felt when they first found out a certain red suited man was fictional...

@katdish Think about that question really really hard....

@weightwhat How sweet of @CrazyGidgetDog...so generous...Does she fart toward Wisconsin, like me?

@weightwhat This IS my happy place! And the skanky ho 's are coming for me here!

@weightwhat I don't know...do you think we need to tone down the funny...to keep the editting more manageable...

@ImAPennyPincher OK then...I guess you are stuck with Jack...I hope his make up doesn't clash with Ronald's...

@weightwhat They have a cardboard cutout of him attached to a bench like he is sitting. I wanna sit on his lap and pretend to snog!

@weightwhat Quick! Tweet something life changing that I can retweet for Skanky ho' follower...

@weightwhat That reminds me of a picture I am planning to take at the McDonald's playland with the cardboard cutout of Ronald McDonald...

@weightwhat I got the same skanky ho follower twice in the last couple of minutes. Hopefully we will be a good example to her...

@buzzbyannies Well that explains are google searches on analytics. It's you, baby, it's you!

@billycoffey What could be more innocent than talk about ankle length dresses with doily collars? Ah....a matching headband...

@ImAPennyPincher That'll teach you to get all tarted up for Church..(Just kidding...please don't be offended...)

@buzzbyannies I happen to like their modest fashion sense! Showing the knees and cleavage is highly overrated..esp. if we're talking mine..

@weightwhat Completely confused in a most Christian and holy fashion....ankle length dresses...doily collars... the whole shebang...

@chrissulli No..I am seriously hoping to start a Christian trend where we label are stuff porn to redirect people searching for it on google

@chrissulli http://bit.ly/2KV5de As you can see, I was half kidding. And half not kidding....

@chrissulli It was probably my porn outreach program that tipped the scales..

@chrissulli I thought diamonds came from pressed coal, not pressed crap...It is clear to me now why my blog was rated PG....

@katdish ZZ Top is going to guest host on RAW (WWE Wrestling on Mondays, USA Channel) next week.How far does your devotion go?Will u watch?

RT @StephenAtHome: i believe michael jackson's moon-walking was faked on a soundstage in Arizona

@weightwhat I will keep in mind that I may be too random for understand me if I use Seismic. Something to think about...

@CrazyGidgetDog Don't worry hon....angels need to get their wings somehow...

@marni71 I know a shark is a water creature..Does he help you clean the pool...of unwanted guests? What's a Dyson?

@weightwhat @CandySteele recommended Seismic to me a while back, but I was too chicken to try it. Today I felt like "Eh, What the Hey..."

@br8kthru My family refuses to read my blog...which I suppose is good. I usually change their names if I write about them anyway..

Well, I better go.... The livingroom refuses to clean itself..I know...stubborn livingroom...I'll be back later.

@marni71 ntinue) are older now. I somehow thought Jimmy and David would remain 8 and 6 forever. I guessed she'd be my age, though...

@marni71 Good morning! I had fun Saturday. I went to a picnic given my a classmate I hadn't seen since I was 12. Her and her brothers (co

@weightwhat That's why my motto is alcohol first!

@weightwhat True...I don't drink when I am taking antibiotics...The alcohol weakens the drug so it doesn't work...so what'd be the point?

@weightwhat I only drink to prevent snakebite...AND I haven't been bitten yet!

@weightwhat Good Gravy! Are people feeding you chicken soup remedies and making you breathe steam...Send for someone who believes in liquor

@weightwhat I am not sure if drinking Drambuie straight helps or not...For some reason, I can't remember...

@weightwhat inued) I will give up the booze and see the doctor and take his stinkin' perscriptions...but only after a give booze a chance...

@weightwhat Before I see dr., I try Drambuie in a cup of hot tea. It is very soothing. If that doesn't work after a couple of nights (cont

@weightwhat Wow...that's a long time to wait...I never had pneumonia, but I get chronic bronchitis, and I hate it. I like the cure...

@weightwhat So...did @BillyCoffey get and @ofmercy get over the shock of us from Friday?

@weightwhat I had a good one. Yesterday I was at a picnic with people I haven't seen in 28 years! Boy, do they look different....

@CandySteele Yep! One of my favorite carni circuit bands, Hi Infidelity, is playing a few blocks away today!

@buzzbyannies I'm good. Bob's test was good. We are going to have a good time today. Things are better than they've been in weeks...

I have a mommysitter today. We are going on a picnic with old friends in an hour, and then to carni concert with my cousins tonight.Sweeet..

@katdish Good night. Don't forget to loosen the doily collar before going to bed...You don't want to choke...

@billycoffey Looks likewe are giving you something new to have nightmares about...You are welcome...

@ofmercy and doily collars..

@ofmercy I'm a bad influence on them....Oh, who am I kidding? We are bad influences on each other. At home we wear ankle length dresses..

RT@RT @ihealthtube iHealthTube Video: What is Asthma? - http://bit.ly/1AW59d///I don't know. Does it have a good beat, like "What is Love"?

@katdish @CandySteele Well, at least no kidney stones....

@katdish As soon as I saw it, I was like.."What the...That is so unlike Candy to tweet that..."

@CandySteele Good night, Candy....Do you know how badly I want to joke about moaning tweet?...I will exercise some self discipline..teehee

@katdish And THAT is a series that can go on a weekly basis for years to come...

@katdish Don't worry. I'd write a weekly post for you. "Things My Family Does to Annoy Me that I'm too Chicken to Share On My Own Blog"...

RT @1bizzportal I am building Multiple Streams of Income Here. http://homeincomeportal.com... http://freemoneytipdeals.co... As in urine...

@weightwhat I am thinking of doing my own twitter update of spammers who follow me titled "How do these people find me?"

RT @Healthlove You need to get your Limited Edition Obama wristband before they are all gone... ///Again, how do these people find me?

RT @garbagelovers Full version X men origins leaked online Good quality @www.own10dollarsite.com /// How did this guy find me?

@ofmercy Oh Goody! Come join us....We need someone new to bother....Let @BillyCoffey rest...for a moment...

@BillyCoffey And I am the one supposed to be making you blush on twitter! @CandySteele TEACH ME!

@CandySteele Candy! That was so funny! I knew what you meant, but thought you were pulling an @katdish with the double entendre.

@weightwhat It's a nice butt....I'm generous like that...

@katdish Thanks. You'll like this: I told the med student before the procedure: "I'm glad my husband's butt is in your hands..."

@CandySteele Yes! It is awesome having a friend in another time zone distracting me from my worries and making me laugh..and try to top her.

RT @BunBunRabbit Just thought that I'd mention that all went well with Bob's tests. Only minor issue. Very minor. Thank God!

Rhymes with July 16

Today is the birthday of one of my dear Cyber-friends. Can you guess which one...

No, not Jacklyn. I wouldn't make the clue that easy...Here is another...


That's right. Her moniker gives it away, Candace Jean July 16. God bless her...

And, just in case she is disappointed that I didn't go with the usual birthday tribute...



(Around here the unusual is the usual...)

Click on the title of this post to check out Candy's blog.

Hey Candy, did I ever mention that today is also my favorite living aunt's birthday? Did I mention it is also my only living aunt's birthday? Here's to hoping hers is happy, too...

I Answer Sherri's Questions

My friend Sherri, at Matter of Fact, posted some questions yesterday about how we feel about our job / career. (Click on the title to see her blog.) Truthfully, my career is on hiatus while I take care of mom, who can't walk. When she came home from the nursing home, her physical and mental health were suffering, but right now, she is thriving. She will probably never walk again, but we have come to a point where we can appreciate what she can do instead of worry over what she can't. I am going to apply Sherri's questions to the responsibilities I have with my mom right now, instead of the career that is three years behind me, and who knows if ever ahead of me again...




1. What is your job/career and your responsibilities at the moment?

My mom can't walk. I have to do things you could imagine being needed done for someone who can't get out of bed or out of their wheelchair by themselves, including by not limited to getting her in and out of bed with a hoyer lift.

2. What is the best part about your job?

My mom is doing so much better at home than she was in the Nursing Home she was in for rehab.... That is because she is happier at home...She had a stroke in the Nursing Home, I think because she believed she wasn't coming home. Once she came home, it took several months, but her overall health greatly improved, I think because her disposition did.

3. What is the worst part about your job?

I never liked being told what to do. Sometimes mom telling me it's late and I should go to bed brings out the rebellious teenager within me and I end up staying up all night. That sort of thing.

4. Have you ever been self-employed? If yes, would you do it again? Why or why not?

No

5. What was your first paying job?

McDonald's

6. What was your most fulfilling/rewarding job?

That's a difficult question. I loved teaching. I loved knowing I was affecting the future with every child I taught. But I do believe that what I am doing now is what God wants for / from me. And I do love my momma.
7. Ever had a job you detested?

No, not really. Every job I ever had had days and situations I'd have rather avoided at times, but I never hated a job.

8. What would be your dream job?

I always thought that if I won the lottery, and didn't have to make a living, I would open a coffee shop where all the literature around for the sharing (like good, old fashioned coffee shops whose names don't rhyme with tarchucks have...) would be Christian literature that I have personally read and found appealing (ie: The Case for Christ, Our Sunday Visitor, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, etc...)
9. Have you ever quit a good paying job because you were miserable?


No

10. Which job stretched you the most and why?

Teaching. Some naive folks think teachers have it good because they work from 9 until 3 and have all that time off...Nothing could be further from the truth. I used to get to school at 7:30 to set up for my lessons, and leave at 4 after tidying up. Then I got to plan lessons, grade papers, and use my own money to buy supplies...I often didn't even have time to make dinner because there was so much to do. All that time off people liked to remind me I was so lucky to have was spent either catching up with papers (Christmas and Easter) or cleaning a neglected house and trying to attend to a husband who had been neglected all year long (Summer). I didn't mind any of it except when I had to listen to strangers in a doctor's office tell me how lucky I was to be a teacher because I hardly had to work at all!

11. Who would you consider to be your best "boss" and why?

When I was in college, I worked in the library shelving books. So long as there were books to shelve, the manager let us choose our own hours, as few or as many as our school load could handle. Of course, if books were all shelved, we had to punch out and leave, but that is only right.

12. Ever had an extremely annoying co-worker? How did you handle them?

Yes. In her case, killing her with kindness worked.

13. Has there ever been a job you turned down that now you wish you would have taken?

No.

14. Is there any job you would refuse to do? Why?

Anything requiring me to show my assets. Because they are more like liabilities.

15. Would you love to retire RIGHT NOW or do you think you would miss working at your job.

No. I love taking care of mom. I am learning things, too. Taking care of mom has afforded me more time to learn things on the computer, and read. Yes, my "job" can still start at 7:30 a.m. and end at 11:00 p.m. , but I am not busy every minute and every hour in between. Besides that, the only way to retire from my job is to give up and send her to a Nursing Home (I hope I never have to do that) or for her to go home to Jesus (which I will NEVER be ready for..)


Bonus question: Do you think I'm getting too nosy with all these questions?
Absolutely not! Friends should be able to ask each other anything. And friends should also be able to say there are some things they'd rather not answer.

What I Learned / Atkins Update/ Swollen Feet

Well, I suppose it is time for another installment of What I Learned This Week. I'll try, but I have to warn you, I am still processing.

My close cyberfriends know that I have been doing Atkins since Ash Wednesday. You also know that it hasn't been working...sort of...My clothes are looser....as a matter of fact, some blouses that didn't fit I forgot to give away last year were discovered and they now fit. But, the scale says I gained ten pounds. It is not the old muscle argument...I have not been doing muscular type exercises. I was learning some line dances, but most of my "exercising" has just been being more diligent about household tasks...and not as diligent as I ought at that....
So anyways, two weeks ago, I went to a naprapath / hypnotist.... (My primary care doctor wants to give me pills or send me for surgery....I just can't....) After looking at my food diary, he suggested that processed foods (especially lunch meet) and diet soda pop could be the culprits. He advised me to drink only water for a while (not difficult, since my UTI required no caffeine around the same time), and to completely cut lunch meat out of my diet. While this advice doesn't seem like fun, it also doesn't sound like it could hurt me, so I figured I'd try it.
So, for two weeks I didn't have any lunch meat, and I only drank water. I don't know how that worked on the scale, but my ankles were great....no swelling whatsoever....But then, on Friday, my Day of Hecticness that I was telling you about last week, I decided lunch meat was easier than actual cooking...And on Saturday I lived it up with the diet pop...(okay, I also had fun with friends, which I'll tell you about when I figure out what file Bob hid the pictures under...) Could diet pop and lunch meat cause my feet to swell up like balloons? Did I learn that lunch meat and diet pop will make my feet swell? I certainly can't blame being out on Saturday....I am on my feet doing stuff at home.....




Oh, and just in case this isn't good enough for a What I Learned post, a friend told me that if you have a stain on a tablecloth or blanket that didn't come out in the wash, to spray lemon juice on it, wash it, and dry it outside so the sun bleaches out the stain with the lemon juice. I never actually tried it, but I will....

Free Books for Life: From the Library

The Chicago Sun-times printed my letter about libraries yesterday. It was funny, because I had been checking all week in the letters to the editor section, and by Saturday, I decided it was over. They called on Tuesday to check if I wrote it, and I figured they must have gotten better letters that they judged to be more important, and checked other sections first. I was going to check the letters section later, but decided to read the comics first. I love the comics. I read once that people who smile while reading the comics think they are funnier than people who don't. I must start out with a big ol' grin, because I laugh to shake the walls on Sunday.
Well, anyway, I was not anxious to read the letters section yesterday, and considered the comics to be more pressing. My Uncle John picked up the main paper section, and he read the letter to the editor first. Where does the funny come in? My Uncle John has been a school librarian for more than forty years! I think I might have neglected to mention that...as a matter of fact, I wasn't even thinking about that when I wrote the post or the letter.
Another funny thing...I will probably get free books for life------from the library. (I got that last line from one of Wendy's hashtags from weeks back, #crapsuperpowers.)

I love Wendy, and her Life is Funny blog carnival. How about checking it out?



And if you are still not feeling the funny, here is a library joke for you.
A chicken walks into the library. It goes up to the circulation desk and says: "book, bok, bok, boook".
The librarian hands the chicken a book. It tucks it under his wing and runs out. A while later, the chicken runs back in, throws the first book into the return bin and goes back to the librarian saying: "book, bok, bok, bok, boook". Again the librarian gives it a book, and the chicken runs out. The librarian shakes her head.
Within a few minutes, the chicken is back, returns the book and starts all over again: "boook, book, bok bok boook". The librarian gives him yet a third book, but this time as the chicken is running out the door, she follows it.
The chicken runs down the street, through the park and down to the riverbank. There, sitting on a lily pad is a big, green frog. The chicken holds up the book and shows it to the frog, saying: "Book, bok, bok, boook". The frog blinks, and croaks: "read-it, read-it, read-it".

Saturday Morning Captions...

Making every effort to be not only "man's best friend" but a girl's best friend too!

Inner Peace: Following Dr. Phil's Advice...

I am going to be away from my computer today. Hectic day. My uncle is mommysitting and everything. If you want details, email Wendy (Thanks Wendy). She knows all. Or at least everything that I do...

I thought considering the hecticness of today, I would share an email a friend from prayer group sent me last night about inner peace. Apparently Dr. Phil isn't completely filled with hooey...


CALMNESS IN OUR LIVES
I am passing this on to you because it definitely works and we could all use
a little more calmness in our lives. By following simple advice heard on the
Dr. Phil show, you too can find inner peace.

Dr. Phil proclaimed, 'The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the
things you have started and have never finished.'

So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn't
finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle
of Merlot, a bottle of Zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream, a bottle
of Kaluha, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription,
the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos and a box of chocolates.

You have no idea how freaking good I feel right now.

Please pass this on to those whom you think might be in need of inner peace

In Praise of Libraries: Part I

Above is an actual picture of my local library from the outside.


Yesterday I wrote a post about how I learned that I like reading happy things on the Editorial page. It gave me a surprising lift Monday to read something positive in the paper. I may have also got that lift because for weeks I have been considering writing a post about why public libraries are awesome. Then I chicken out because it seems weak. Who could possibly disagree with the awesomeness of a Public Library? I can't think of ANYTHING that could bring people's opinions together in unity like saying "Public Libraries are great!"!
But when I read the commentary in the paper (which I linked yesterday), I didn't think to myself "How lame! Couldn't they think of something with a little more bite to include in the paper?" No. I was completely bowled over with happy, positive, and optimistic feelings.
I decided to share that with them by writing a positive letter to the editor, praising them. It turned out I spent way more space praising public libraries, but that's okay, they deserve it. I wrote several reasons why in the letter, which is by no means exhaustive. Maybe I should do a regular feature titled In Praise of Public Libraries....

Maybe not...


We'll see...

Below is my letter to the Chicago Suntimes. I changed the name of my town to Suburban Chicago, and my name to Moschmossgepup. While my cyber friends I have known for months know these details, and it wouldn't be too hard to figure them out, I like to leave people with a bit of mystery...It's how I roll...

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to praise the commentary written by Mary Dempsey and Jim Rettig entitled In Web Age, Libraries as Important as Ever. It was good to read a positive commentary on the Editorial page for a change.
I live in suburban Chicago, and I greatly appreciate the many various benefits I receive from Eisenhower Public Library District. They provide many services in a pleasant, professional, and friendly manner.
1) Books. I borrow on average about two books per week. How much would that cost me if I bought the books instead? A new copy of a book can cost anywhere from $12 for paperback to $30 or more for hardcover. That adds up to possibly costing from $642 dollars to $1500+ per year. Who has that kind of money in this economy? Not I…
What if Eisenhower Public Library does not have what I am looking for? I have two words for you: interlibrary loan. This is true for books on tape, movies, and music as well.
2) Books on tape. My mom and I love to share books on tape (or C.D.) together. We listen to maybe one per week. That could run into a couple of thousand dollars.
3) Movies. Not all movies are easily available at Blockbuster… The excellent librarians at Eisenhower Library helped me get the silent version of Joan of Arc on interlibrary loan. Of course, one may find more recent films there, if that is to your liking…
4) Music. Sometimes, I see a play or a movie, and I love the music, and want to hear it again, but I know I don’t need to purchase the music. I want to enjoy it for a brief time, but I know that soon I won’t find it as compelling, and it would only clutter up my C.D. collection. This is an excellent time to borrow the C.D. at the library.
5) Programs. The library brings in people to talk about various things. Eisenhower has invited authors to speak about their work, including the author of a cookbook who taught us how to make fried rice.
6) Computer classes.
7) Book clubs.
I can go on, but won’t.
I have thought often about the benefits I receive at my local library, and was glad to see a commentary in praise of public libraries. There really is something for everyone there, if only they bother looking.
Sincerely,

Helen Moschmossgepup

Yes Virginia, It is Possible to Have a Positive Commentary of the Editorial Page

This week I learned how much I like reading a positive, noncontroversial commentary in the newspaper. There are so few of those. Yesterday, the Chicago Suntimes published a commentary In Web age, libraries as important as ever. I haven't enjoyed reading the Letters to the Editor / Commentary page so much in ages. I am worn out from negativity in the news. But this article in praise of libraries gave me a warm happy feeling.
I shared that warm happy feeling by writing a letter to the editor praising the piece, and my local library (mainly my local library). I have been thinking about writing a blog post in praise of libraries for some time, but thought it might be too Geeky. Today is the day I wrote the letter / post.
Tomorrow I will share the letter. Today I just wanted to share how good it felt to dwell on something positive. I guess I learned I should do that more often.....

Firetrucks on My Fourth (Actually Third) of July

My husband had a day off Friday. I know. So did many of you. We had someone come and care for mom and planned
1) a picnic in the park.
2) a movie (The newest Ice Age film...quite amusing)
3) grocery shopping.

This post is going to be about the picnic. Bob drives to a lovely park in Chicago, and parks in the lot of the Library next door. Not a big deal. We thought...
It was lovely day. I did not really want to sit on the ground on top of the hill (rain on Thursday night = mosquitoes on Friday), but agreed with Bob that a picnic in the park would be nice on a park bench, and a walk up the hill nice afterward. Very pleasant.
All was well, but then Bob needed to use the washroom. The fieldhouse was about a couple of city blocks down from the bench we were sitting at, so he took a walk. I sat there drinking my bottle of water, enjoying the fresh air, trees, etc. I look toward the fieldhouse, and Bob is walking away from it, toward the parking lot. I realize being a holiday the fieldhouse must be locked, so I pack up, and walk to the parking lot (which is adjacent to the library, which is also closed) as well. I get there and realize that Bob left without me. That's okay. I've had to go, too, and left behind full shopping carts if the washroom at the market was unavailable. Some things take higher priority than others....
So I sit in the Library rose garden. Not bad. A nice chance of scenery. I like roses. There are pink, red, white, light purple...it was nice. Then, two fire trucks come down the street, no sirens. They stop at the school that is adjacent to the library. It turns out, they are practicing climbing up to the roof, and doing drills and stuff, so that they'll be prepared for a school fire if ever need be (which I think is an excellent practice, but on the weekend of fireworks and firecracker playschool, I think they should have been waiting for other calls, but that's another story....I don't know of any tragedy happening that day because they were climbing ladders at the school, so it turned out to be as good a day as any, I guess).
I realize that the street Bob would use to come back to get me is blocked off by the fire trucks. So, I start walking to the other side of the firetrucks. It's not a long walk, and then Bob wouldn't have to try to find a way around, etc, etc. Well, on Bob's return, he decides to park in the park's parking lot, and not the library's parking lot, which means he takes a different route to the park entirely. He has no idea where I am. After looking around the park, and the library lot (which I left to make finding me more convenient for him), he stands on the highest hill in the park, and calls "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNN! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN" like he was in a new version of "A Streetcar Named Desire", and Stella changed her name to Helen. I can't hear him. I am several blocks away. He calls home to find out if I ended up there somehow (without my purse...how cute....). Luckily mom wasn't worried. I think she figured that since I'm on Atkin's, and I've been good for a while, there was little danger that I'd be lured into a stranger's van with candy...Anyways, he eventually decided to hop in the van and scour the neighborhood looking for me.
He apologies for leaving me in the park without telling me, but....I interrupt and tell him, no biggie, I've had situations where the same choice would have been a no brainer for me. He then tells me about looking for me all over the park. We agree that I won't be mad at him for leaving me alone in the park (which I really wasn't..how could I be?) and he won't be mad at me for wandering off from where I was left (had I stayed in one place, it would have saved him some worry...one thing about my situation, I wasn't worried).
We still had enough time to get to the theatre and see the movie.
I think it is kind of funny that the firetrucks happened to be there that day...without them, I'd have been in the library parking lot when he looked, which would have been the second place he checked. That's why I am posting this for my Life is Funny post. I hope you found it funny.



Oh, and in case you were wondering, Bob found a bathroom at the nearest Baker's Square. He'd have had time for pie and coffee if I'd have stayed put...

Window Dressing

There might be easier ways to clean the blinds but are they as cute?

Thankyou Matt195. My sentiments exactly. ;-)
Caption Contest Time again.
Thank you for participating. I love to read your funny captions. As you know, Sunday is my day off from the internet, so the winner will be posted on Monday. I hope you don't mind.

And Happy Fourth of July.

My Most Embarrassing Moment

I left this comment on Pastor Wilson's blog and realized it would make a good (if short) Life is Funny post. The topic is my most embarrassing moment...




My first year teaching…
The teachers took turns reading at weekly Mass.
Well, my first time, the Cantor is on vacation, and the priest asks me to sing “O Come O Come Emmanuel”
I think to myself “Okay, not comfortable with this, but at least the kids know it and will back me up…I don’t have to depend on the rest of the congregation singing at 7 in the morning..”
Well, I sing the first verse, and it seems no one is joining in. I seem to have forgotten where I was, stopped singing, and said:
“C’mon Kids…I know you know this one…I taught my own class, the rest of you know it, and your going to sing if you know what’s good for you. Now we’re starting over…”
Yep. I had to ask other teachers if I really did that, or if I had a nightmare. I really did it. But they said the priest was laughing really hard. I found out later that this priest will stop everyone and make us start over if he can’t hear people singing…So surprisingly enough, I think I actually made a good first impression on him….On the rest of the parish…not so much…

Do you want to share your moment with me? Or with Pastor Wilson at www.withoutwax.tv. It's one or the other. Your choice....