Ann

"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." – Carlos Castaneda

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple. "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt". Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing. The sentence:"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet. The words racecar, kayak and level are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes). There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious." TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard. (All you typists are going to test this out) A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. (Some days that's about what my memory span is.) A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes. A snail can sleep for three years. Almonds are a member of the peach family. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. (I know some people like that also) Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age. February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon. In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated. If the population of China walked past you, 8 abreast, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction. Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite! Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing. The cruise liner, QE 2 moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid. There are more chickens than people in the world. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance. Women blink nearly twice as much as men. Now you know more than you did before!!

n a small Midwestern conservative town, there wasn't a place to get a drink for miles around, so a local entrepreneur saw an opportunity: He started to build a tavern. Liking a "dry" town, the local church started a campaign to block the bar from opening with petitions and prayers. The businessman was polite when congregants came to protest, but work continued on the tavern. But the night before the grand opening, a lightning strike hit the bar and it burned to the ground. The church folks were rather smug in their piousness after that -- until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the destruction of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means. The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise in its reply to the court. At the first hearing, the judge held up the paperwork and took in the lawyers and both sides of the lawsuit. "I don't know how I'm going to decide this," the judge said, "but as it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner that believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that doesn't."

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian Youth's rite of passage? His father takes him into the forest, Blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole Night and not remove the blindfold until the Rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this Experience because each lad must come Into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear All kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely Be all around him. Maybe even some human Might do him harm. The wind blew the grass And earth, and shook his stump, but he sat Stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he Could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night, the sun Appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his Father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, Protecting his son from harm. We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, Our Heavenly Father is watching over us, Sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have To do is reach out to Him. If you liked this story, pass it on. If not, perhaps you took off your Blindfold before dawn. Moral of the Story: Just because you can't see God, Doesn't mean He is not there. 'For we walk by faith, not by sight.' ~ 2 Corinthians 5:7 ~

Recently, I have been doing more online shopping. I have always been a "hands on" shopper but am finding things harder and harder to find around here, especially with more stores closing. My online shopping really started when I was looking for a certain drum for our little Jude. I found a new one on Amazon for a great price. Since then, I have been buying quite a few things for the little ones online. I did like shopping on Ebay but my last two purchases on Ebay have been disasters, so I don't think I'll be shopping there for a while.

Do you do much online shopping for gift giving? If so, what are some of your favorite sites?

How to Tell the sex of a Fly Francis walked into the kitchen to find her husband Jim stalking around with a fly swatter 'What are you doing?' She asked. 'Hunting Flies' He responded. 'Oh. ! Killing any?' She asked. 'Yep, 3 males, 2 Females,' he replied. Intrigued, she asked. 'How can you tell them apart?' He responded, '3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the phone.

Noel, Noel......

My R esimay To hoom it mae cunsern, I waunt to apply for the job what I saw in the paper. I kin Type realee qwik wit one finggar and do sum a counting. I think I am good on the fone and I no I am a pepole person.I no my spelling is not too good. My salerery is open, I kin start emeditely. Thank yoo in advanse fore yore anser. Sinseerly, BRY AN PS : Because my resimay is a bit short - below is a pickture of me. Dear Bryan, It's OK honey, we've got spell check. See you Monday. Thank You Shirley

My next door neighbor is a Vet and I walked over and thanked him this morning for all the time he gave to the USA!!! He seemed surprised and even had a tear or two run down his cheek.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY!!! Are you planning on thanking a veteran for their service to our country today???

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks. Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes. There is no fast food. Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money. In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week. Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time--no emailing. Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment. He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care. He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function. Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times. The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done. The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed. During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties. They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting. They will need to read a book to the kids each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am. A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up. The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice. If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right To be called Mother! After you get done laughing, send this to as many females as youthink will get a kick out of it and as many men as you think canhandle it. Just don't send it back to me.... I'm going to bed.

Because I'm a man: when the car isn't running very well, I will pop the hood and stare at the engine as if I know what I'm looking at. If another man shows up, one of us will say to the other, 'I used to be able to fix these things, but now with all these computers and everything, I wouldn't know where to start.' We will then drink a couple of beers and break wind, as a form of holy communion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MEN DO REMEMBER ANNIVERSARIES? A woman awakes during the night to find that her husband was not in their bed. She puts on her dressing gown and goes downstairs to look for him. She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee in front of him. He appears to be in deep thought, just staring at the wall. She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and takes a sip of his coffee. 'What's the matter, dear?' she whispers as she steps into the room, 'Why are you down here at this time of night?' The husband looks up from his coffee, 'I am just remembering when we first met 20 years ago and started dating. You were only 16. Do you remember back then?' he says solemnly. The wife is touched to tears thinking that her husband is so caring, so sensitive. 'Yes, I do' she replies. The husband pauses. The words were not coming easily. 'Do you remember when your father caught us in the back seat of my car?' 'Yes, I remember!' said the wife, lowering herself into a chair beside him. The husband continues. 'Do you remember when he shoved the shotgun in my face and said, 'Either you marry my daughter, or I will send you to jail for 20 years?' 'I remember that too' she replies softly. He wipes another tear from his cheek and says... 'I would have been released today.'

Wow...butterscotch pie.....that sounds really good right now!!!!

Pumpkin Pie with lots of whipped cream...of course!!!

The Wooden Bowl A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year -old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about father," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled. On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life". I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

What's the one dessert that you just couldn't leave off your Thanksgiving table?

In December, Dennis will have been gone for six years. For some of that time, I have actually believed that I was doing fine and managing to live life without my heart breaking. But, yesterday I came to the conclusion that I need to see someone professionally to help me deal with feelings that are all rolled up in a tight little ball and tucked away somewhere deep inside. Yesterday, after almost six years, I had to pull the car over to the side of the road and have a good cry. Guess what brought all of this on??? Going into a bank....something as simple as walking into a bank. Dennis has his business account at the bank where the company I now work for has their account. I hadn't been in that bank since Dennis died. Yesterday, I had to make a bank deposit for work. I thought I was actually going to smother before I could get through the line and get that deposit made. I have had panic attacks since Dennis died but never really associated the attacks with Dennis. My family physician has been telling me that the two are related but yesterday was the first time I have ever believed him. I practically ran out of the bank!!! Once driving, I felt the tears building up and I had to pull over and have a really good cry. After six years, you would think I could have handled this. So...I have made an appointment to go talk with someone that can help me sort all of this out.

Gosh, what a detailed explanation from Brokenarrow!!! I guess I'm like the toaster.....always poppin' up!!!

What one item in the kitchen describes you and your personality? Tell us why???

Do you find it difficult to be around people who take life way too seriously?

You betcha I stayed up and finally had to make myself turn off the television at about 2:11, after reminding myself that I had to go to work this morning. I have to admit that I was more than a little teary eyed as I watched this wonderful bit of history being made. My family and I had worked very hard in Obama's campaign and I loved seeing my efforts blossom!!! The one thing that kept crossing my mind is what a wonderful opportunity this is for our country to really blend....something that is long overdue! My 2 year old grandaughter has been tagging along for door-to-door campaigning and has been telling people for months who the next "pwesident" will be....lol! I just think it's amazing that she can look at pictures of President - elect Obama and have no idea there is any difference in their skin color or the way their looks differ. I pray this remains with through her life!!!

Did you stay up late last night watching the election returns? If so, what time did you finally go to bed???