Friday, June 29, 2012

7 Things We Learned This Week (feet, health, photography, dogs, blogging, safety, tragedy)


Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:
  1. Feet



    As we get older, we need a bigger size shoe because our arches tend to fall. I used to be a 6 1/2 for the longest time but now wear a 7 or even in some shoes a 7 1/2. The shoe saleswoman at Lucky Shoes told us this tidbit when Gerard bought a new pair of tennis shoes in a size bigger than what he used to get.
  2. Annual Checkup

    Our doctor said Gerard has perfect anatomy and used his collarbone to demonstrate to his intern a procedure for inserting a catheter. He marked up his neck while showing her.  It was also the first time my blood pressure was lower than Gerard's.  In fact, I think I set a record low at 110!
  3. Photography Tips

    Sunrise on way to my bus stop

    I found 8 Tips for Photographing Sunrises and Sunsets by by photographer Rob Sheppard over at National Wildlife (www.nwf.org). A couple that stood out to me were to (1) check your white balance setting and change it too "cloudy" or "sunny" instead; have the horizon at the bottom of your shot or not at all to show the sky; (3) take some shots before, during and after since the colors change, and (4) use your zoom with a wide angle view.
  4. Dog of Kings

    When playing Freekibble, I discovered a dog breed I never heard of before--Kuvasz. It's a big, strong, white furry dog called a dog of kings. Check the link to learn more and see the picture.
  5. ATM

    Over at Jodi's Journey I learned that if a robber forces you to withdraw money from an ATM, you can notify police by entering your PIN backwards!
  6. Scheduling Calendar

    Blogger took my suggestion and revised the calendar for scheduling posts to have the week start with Sunday as most calendars do. (It used to start with Monday.)
  7. Tragedy

    Our youth minister's parents and sisters live in Colorado Springs and had to evacuate due to the wildfire there. They most likely will lose their home!
(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Devastating Monster Wildfire in Colorado--PRAY

image source:  Reuters/Rick Wilking

I am praying for the firefighters trying to get out the wildfire in Colorado and other western states as well.  It seems they are having an especially hard time because of the winds which keep changing.  The Waldo-Canyon fire has spread to Colorado Springs, a large city, causing 35,000 to leave their homes, probably to burn.  I feel so bad for these people and can only imagine the hurt, sadness, and devastation they are going through.

When I saw on Facebook that our youth minister's parents and sisters had to evacuate and are involved in this, that's when I started to pray.  Our youth minister is currently at Word of Life camp in New York with a lot of our youth this week and am sure this news has put a damper on his spirit.  I hope you will join me in praying for him, his family and the many other people who have been evacuated and will probably lose their homes as well as the firefighters in the effort to extinguish this "monster."   

I hear people knock Facebook but it really is a great tool to keep in touch with people you know and share quickly what is happening in your life with those who care.

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.) Share this:


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Look What I Won At The Library

Lunch Bag I Colored

Gerard and I entered the Mission Possible Summer Reading Program at the library near us. This lunch bag was what I chose from the prize box for reading three books. We also got entries for a drawing for larger prizes at the end of the contest, but I thought the owl was cute and this is at least something I can use.  I liked being able to color it myself too! There is supposed to be some Browns stuff in the prize box, but it hadn't come in yet. Gerard didn't choose anything from the prize box but just got all entry forms for the bigger prize drawing.  The contest goes through August 11.

We were on vacation last week so I didn't get much reading done. So far, I've only read five books this month and Gerard has read six. How much reading do you do in the summer?

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Monday, June 25, 2012

Manny In Monday Mischief

Inside kitchen cupboard
Karen:  Manny, get out of there!  (doesn't respond)

Karen:  C'mon, Manny, come on out, please.  (still no response)

Karen:  Okay, I can use this for a Monday Mischief post.  Let me get the camera.

By the time I got back with the camera, Manny was all the way in the back of the cupboard so sorry the picture is so dark.

Karen:  Okay, come on out now.

Once I decide, I move fast, mom!

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)



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Saturday, June 23, 2012

Saying Good-Bye To Our Friend, Sadie

Sadie on One of Her Strolls

We will all miss Sadie very much because we enjoyed joining her on her Sadie Day strolls.  Just look at the big smile!  Sadie was always a very happy dog but recently was diagnosed with Cancer and lost her appetite and became lethargic.  She let her humans know it was time for her to go to the rainbow bridge and they are very sad, but know that it was the right time to let her go.

In honor of my doggie friend, I had a great time at the park today and made lots of people smile along the way.  Right before we left, I was surrounded with lots of little kids who were getting ready to play soccer but took time to pet me all up.   I wish I could share pictures with you, but my mom did not bring the camera along today.  She is not as good about sharing my walks as Sharla was about taking pictures of Sadie's strolls.  I will really miss Sadie's funny jokes too and her lovely Ha-roo-roo laugh!   Although I am not as big as Sadie, I think I look very much like her and will try to follow in her footsteps of being a great wolfie to my cat sisfurs and also enjoying every day with a big smile.

Our sincere condolences go out to Sadie's parents and grandparents as well as to Angel and Isabella who all will miss Sadie very, very much.  Have a great romp on the other side of the the Rainbow Bridge, Sadie.  Woof!  Woof! 

Here's the link to Sadie's Saying Goodbye post if you haven't seen it yet. Sadie had many friends in the Blogosphere and will be greatly missed.  We all feel like we know her!

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Friday, June 22, 2012

3 Things We Learned This Week (funny, Drivers License, coaching)


Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:


  1. Field Hockey


    Over at Love or Funny she posted a picture of her daughter all covered from head to toe in a field hockey uniform even including clunky shoes!  I didn't know they dressed in all that protective gear for Field Hockey.  At camp we just played in shorts and t-shirts. 

  2. Driver's License

    My cousin sent me this email:
    I already removed mine. I suggest you all do the same. Now you can see anyone's Driver's License on the Internet, including your own! I just searched for mine and there it was...picture and all! Thanks Homeland Security! Go to the web site, and check it out. It's unbelievable!! Just enter your name, city and state to see if yours is on file. After your license comes on the screen, click the box marked "Please Remove." This will remove it from public viewing, but not from law enforcement. Please notify all your friends so they can protect themselves, too. Believe me they will thank you for it. www.license.shorturl.com
  3. Sports Camp

    I was an assistant basketball coach this week and started with 1st and 2nd grade girls then was switched to 6th grade boys (17). I had more fun coaching the girls but more fun watching the boys--they were so good and I felt they should be coaching me! It was HOT every day but the boys were full of energy.


(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

8 Is Great!

I got this big cookie for my birthday and mommy and daddy sang to me!  Woof!

I can do a good sit-stay
We wish our dog a happy birthday today.  She is 8 years old now and so glad she made it to see her 8th birthday.  It was touch and go at the beginning of the year when she was attacked by two Rottweilers and had 15 bite wounds all over her body.  We love our dog so much!  She is a rescue dog that we found on Petfinder.
I think this should be on the test!  WOO HOO!

Abby is working towards becoming a Canine Good Citizen and only has a couple classes left to go.  She has everything down except for letting the trainer look at her teeth without pulling away and barking if the trainer makes her wait for the treat.  I have no doubt she can master both these things.

Happy Birthday, Abby!  We love you SO much!


Find more pet posts at Pet Pride or link up yours!

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

What I Did On My Way To Work During Marine Week

Last week on Public Square in downtown Cleveland the Marines shared with passersby about their different vehicles and guns as part of  “Marine Week.”


Tank


Me sitting on the tank


People could climb in or on top of the vehicles which is what I did on my way to work Wednesday morning. I figured that was the best time because it wasn’t crowded that early. It was very fun to get up on the tank. I walked all around it wondering how to get up there so I finally asked and the marine showed me there was a rope kind of like a stirrup for my foot to boost me up higher and a handle on the top to use to pull me up. Coming down though was even more fun—on the front of the tank it curves a little and I just slid off like going down a slide! I didn’t go into the driver seat or the gunner compartment because I wasn’t so sure I could get out. It was like going down into a well. I did stick my head in to see the control panel for the driver. This would not be a good job for anyone who is claustrophobic! The Marines were very nice and took a couple pictures of me. They told me the tank was a very safe vehicle and that bullets can’t penetrate it.




They had a truck too which had a gun on top. They told me that was more handy than the tank because five men could ride inside plus store more ammo in the back. He said the driver and gunner would always stay with the vehicle but that the other three could get out quick if need be.



Grenade Launcher
I was surprised there were so many different kinds of guns. These were on display and people could hold them if they wanted to, but I didn’t. I asked if they got to choose their favorite and the marine sort of chuckled and said no, they have to use whatever the leader told them to use. They have their specialty but also several different ones too. My favorite would be the grenade launcher. Another thing I was very surprised at was that they carry two guns in a battle—they are very strong! The one they had that looked like a machine gun on a tripod he said is carried by two men.

Amphibious Assault Vehicle--goes on land and sea!


Inside the AAV

I went inside the Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV) which goes on both land and sea! It can hold 25-30 men and is used for transporting troops. It too had a driver seat and a gunner seat. This is where I tried on a couple helmets. The first was an older one and very heavy and uncomfortable, but the second was newer with more padding inside and although it was much heavier than my cap, it was more comfortable than the first one I wore.
Me modeling the padded helmet for you



Marine Band Playing on Public Square at lunch time

Tuesday through Friday the band put on a concert at 11:30 a.m. on the square. I stopped by one day on my break just long enough to hear the Star Spangled Banner.  They had other events different days too including flag football at the Browns stadium against the Cleveland police, fire and EMS and activities at Burke Lake Front airport Saturday and Sunday.


Chopper
I sat inside this one too!












I would have loved climbing on all these vehicles as a kid. I guess I do have some kid in me still because I loved it as an adult too! How many people can say they’ve been on a tank?


(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Monday, June 18, 2012

AWW Monday: Conked Out

Conked out at the end of the day

Find more cute pics at Jodi's Journey and Aww Mondays.
(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Friday, June 15, 2012

4 Things We Learned This Week (health, Marines NJ)


Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:
Modern-Day Cannon--Marine's biggest weapon!
  1. Cats and Health

    Having cats are amazingly good for your health - lowering blood pressure; stress, fewer strokes, heart attacks and less depression!
  2. There were signs like this at each different vehicle

    Marines

    This was "Marine week," I learned that (1) most Marines like their camouflage uniforms best, (2) missiles can be fired with computers inside the truck, (3) the U.S. technology for weapons is very advanced, (4) it takes a missile to blow up a tank, (5) the biggest missile launcher that looks like a modern-day cannon can go as far as 2.6 miles. Watch for my post about Marine Week in Cleveland coming up soon! 
  3. High Artillery Rocket System--fires rocket from inside truck with computer
  4. 25th Anniversary

    Today is my 25th anniversary at work--the firm gave me a big basket of flowers that I put on our porch (because the cats would chew on the leaves) and a gift card!
  5. New Jersey

    When playing Freekibble this week, I learned that in New Jersey, dogs riding in cars must use a seat belt! It's a $1,000 fine if they are not strapped in! Abby is glad we do not live in New Jersey.
(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.) Share this:


Thursday, June 14, 2012

Today is Flag Day

Abby and Gerard at Home
Oh, and remember to fly your flag today because it's flag day!

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Getting the Most out of My Walk








Did you know dogs make excellent personal trainers?  It is a very important job to keep our humans in good shape.  My strong suit is cardio.  This video only shows a small part of my walk. Mommy came along to take pictures of the disc golf course  I showed her at the park (which she posted about yesterday).  Then on the way home, I showed her how I usually go. Now she understands why my walks take so long, usually an hour or more. I think my mommy should come along with us all the time and she'd get in great shape real quick, even if she does take some shortcuts. I knew she was anxious to get home so I skipped going over by the soccer field even though I usually do that too. I hope you like the video--I had a great time making it!  If you do not have a dog, please consider getting one.  This is just one of the many benefits you receive.




Find other pet posts or link up yours at Pet Pride with Bozo.


(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Disc Golf?

A First-Time Player--Got a Disc for a gift and trying it out.
At Veteran's Memorial Park on State Rd. in Parma, Ohio, we discovered a disc golf course.  I just thought it was Frisbee golf which I was introduced to at Malone College but found out there are actual tournaments and the discs look like Frisbees, but are weighted.  Some enthusiasts actually bring a whole bag of them that are different weights, similar to golf clubs.  There are 18 holes.

Different discs fly differently
We met this guy who started playing two years ago and has quite a collection of discs that he was kind enough to lay out for us. He said they do different things based on their size, weight and how he throws them.

Abby and Gerard showing me the new way through the park.

Our dog, Abby, likes walking through the woods and showed me some of the disc golf holes. There are numbered signs where you start just like on a regular golf course.  The first one starts at a big hill but as we walked along, we came to hole No. 2 without seeing hole No. 1 or the tee for No. 2. 



The "holes" are wire cages that you are supposed to get the disc into and are numbered.


If you look around, you may find signs directing you toward the next hole on trees.  I didn't see any tree sign for the start of hole No. 2 though.

Abby likes walking through the tall grass.


I wanted to try to find all 18 holes, but Abby had other ideas so off I went to follow Abby and Gerard. I'll explore more another day.

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts..)

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Monday, June 11, 2012

Monday Mischief With Abby The Quick Eater

I have to eat quick before Karen sees me . . .

Oh oh, I'm so busted--caught eating the cat's food.

Would you believe I didn't know it was cat food and thought it was for me?

After I realized Abby could reach the food dish on the piano seat, I moved it to the top of the piano for the cats.  They have no problem reaching it up there.

Find more Monday Mischief posts.

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Saturday, June 9, 2012

11 Things About Me and What About You? (meme)

Rebecca at Freaky Frugalite, one of my faithful readers and commenters, tagged me with this 11 Things About Me meme.  I really had to do some thinking so hope someone takes time to at least read it and chooses to keep it going--don't worry, I didn't tag anyone specifically.  I know, I know, I am breaking rule #4 but feel free to consider yourself tagged if you'd like to do this one.

Rules:
# 1 – You must post these rules.
# 2 – You must post 11 things about yourself.
# 3 – You must answer the questions from the tagger (me) AND post 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
# 4 – You must choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post. Let them know they’ve been tagged! Don’t tag back the blog that tagged you.

11 Things About Me (boring old me): 

  1. I’ve been married for 13 years—we were in our 40s when we married and neither were married before.
  2. I am currently preparing to coach basketball at our church sports camp for the community.
  3. I am a morning person, early to bed, early to rise. I enjoy watching the sunrise.
  4. I love animals, especially my pets. We have stuffed animals all through our house. My first pet was a brown puppy with white paws and a white tip on its tail named Brownie.  My parents let me pick him out to get me over my fear of dogs.  Wish we could get a family picture with us and all our pets in it.
  5. I worked at an insurance company, was a substitute teacher for Jr. High and High School, and a legal secretary for the last 25 years with the same firm.
  6. I wish I could bowl and play softball and volleyball as well as I used to when I was younger.  My knees aren't what they used to be and any speed I did have is gone now.
  7. I wish I had the experience of playing youth sports but they just weren’t available for girls when I was growing up.
  8. I used to keep the stats for the men’s church softball team many years ago and also for the youth group when we played a pickup game once a week during the spring and summer months.
  9. I organized our first church bowling league that continued for many years.
  10. I only went to one dance in Jr. High which I felt very awkward and out of place at—no more, not even my prom.
  11. I enjoyed being a camp counselor at Beulah Beach years ago one or two weeks of the summer--did all ages but my favorite age group was Jr. High.

Here's the 11 Questions Rebecca had for me to answer:

1) What is the best food on a hot summer day?  macaroni salad with tuna fish or salmon in it


2) If you had an extra room in your house, how would you use it?  A closed in sun room would be nice to use for my early morning devotional time.


3) What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?  asparagus


4) What do you remember about your first day of school?  nothing, but I do know I liked riding the bus to and from my early years of elementary school


5) What Olympic sport would you like to try?  the luge, looks like fun and easy!


6) Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets? Why?  Sunrises--Can't help but think of God's goodness and thank Him for a bright new day to live for Him.


7) Where is the farthest you have ever traveled?  Michigan, to visit a friend (I didn't drive though, her mother drove me and my sisters up with a loose cat in the car which made me extremely nervous).


8) Have you ever been mentioned in the newspaper?  Yes,a local community paper did a nice interview about writing My Funny Dad, Harry and even took a picture of me holding my cat.  I think I was in when I got my college scholarship too, again the local community paper.


9) What do you miss from your childhood?  Having the whole summer off to just bum around and play all day long.


10) Share a favorite picture of yourself (or, if you don’t want to use a self photo, use any photo you like), and tell us about it.

Elmwood Park After Tennis and Bocce Ball
I like this photo of me because my husband and I are relaxing together by the duck pond after playing tennis and bocce ball at Elmwood Park.  It is such a peaceful time and I liked sitting on the squeaky swing with him.  It's been a long time since we've been there but hopefully we will go again soon!


11) What habit would you like to be able to break?
  Chawing gum, just can't chew it quietly.

I'm not going to tag 11 people because that just takes too long (this is taking long enough as it is!)  If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged.  All I ask is that you link back here letting people know where you found this and let me know in the comments if you decide to do it.

Now, here are my 11 questions for YOU to answer.
  1. What was your best vacation ever?
  2. Share a picture of one of your pets and its name, or more if you wish.
  3. What is something you especially like about your spouse?
  4. What is one of your favorite charities?
  5. What games do you enjoy playing?
  6. What is your biggest fear or concern at the moment?
  7. What is one thing you really plan to do that you have not done?
  8. What is your favorite TV show or book and why?
  9. What activity or place really makes you happy?
  10. What is one dumb thing that you've done?
  11. What accomplishment are you most pleased about?
(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Friday, June 8, 2012

5 Things We Learned This Week (Istanbul, author, Dawson, June, blogging)


Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:
  1. Istanbul

    Sunday when a missionary with Campus Crusade for Christ shared about her ministry in Istanbul, I learned several interesting things: (1) Istanbul, Turkey's population is five times that of New York City, (2) Only .01% are Christians with the majority of people being Muslim, (3) Muslims are taught the Koran all their lives but at 18 can look into other religions, (4) There is generally greater persecution of Christians in the villages than in the cities, but it varies from family to family, (5) they drink a lot of tea.
  2. Murray Pura

    I discovered a new author: Murray Pura who wrote The Wings of Morning, and Amish Christian historical romance that I loved! Here's the trailer for it, my review will be up on our book blog this evening.
  3. Richard Dawson

    I was sorry to hear that Richard Dawson died this week. I liked him on Hogan's Heroes and also as host on Family Feud.
  4. Get A Cat

    June is "Adopt a Shelter Cat Month" or as Sparkle likes to say, "Adopt an Imprisoned Feline Overlord Month." We got our first cat, Moe, from a shelter and never regretted it. If you know nothing about cats, never fear, they will teach you. Won't you consider adopting a cat or a couple kittens this month? Many shelters are bringing their adoptable pets to the Cleveland zoo tomorrow. A great opportunity to find your best friend!
  5. Petties Nominations

    It's time to make your nominations for the 2012 Petties--outstanding cat and dog blogs, posts and video. You also get to nominate a shelter that you'd like to see win $10,000! You can nominate once a day at http://petties.dogtime.com/nominate If you don't know who to nominate, Sparkle has some suggestions for you.
(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Thursday, June 7, 2012

Happy Tennis News For Me



When we played tennis for the first time this year about a month ago, I was very worried about my legs.  I couldn't run!  My right leg actually locked up on me when I tried and my left knee was hurting pretty bad.  I can't believe I still won because I could not move fast at all.  That's when I decided to check the side affects of the latest medication I was on:  Fosomax that is supposed to strengthen my bones.  Sure enough, joint pain and muscle pain were both listed as possible side affects.

I finally called the doctor and was told by his receptionist to discontinue taking it and see what happens.  I stopped taking it the Saturday of Memorial weekend and was thrilled to be able to play tennis the following weekend with no pain and could run again too!  I am so relieved and happy to still be able to play decent! 

Related post:  I saw this post,  Get Toned With Tennis which gives tips by tennis pro, Tracy Austin over at Fitness Prospector.com. 

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Indians Game With Creative Visors

It's so bright--look what we made!

I went to the Indians 12:05 game last Wednesday--a beautiful day for baseball! I got to go as a chaperone for the classes from the elementary school where I tutored. The kids had to leave before the game ended to catch their bus, but I was able to stay to the end. It was only around 70 degrees, but we were sitting in the sun and my arms got sunburned. At least I got some Vitamin D! Anyhow, it actually felt warmer than that and some of the kids tore their popcorn containers open to use as visors to keep the sun out of their eyes. I thought that was pretty creative. I had my Indians cap on, of course.

After the kids left, I was sitting alone and had three empty rows in front of me. Between innings towards the end, three park employees threw balls, shirts, and Cracker Jack into the stands. I almost got a t-shirt but one of the men sitting about 5 rows in front of me climbed up to the row just in front of me. Here comes a shirt heading right for me but a little short. As I reached out for it, the guy slid over and reached for it before I could get it. Oh well, it was just a plain white shirt with a big red "C" on the front of it anyhow. I felt better missing out when I saw how it looked.

In relatively an uneventful game except for the one inning when we scored three runs, at least I got to see them make it exciting in the 9th.  The Indians were down by 3 runs in the 9th and loaded the bases with only 1 out and our cleanup hitter at the plate. I was so hoping for a big come-from-behind walk-off grand slam home run finish but guess what. It was not to be. Instead, Lopez, the cleanup hitter, hit into a game ending double play.  GO TRIBE!

For a good baseball book about an unlikely coach and his small-town high school team, read One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballard.

(50 cents per legitimate comment during June and July goes to The Warrior Project.)

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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Our Favorite Reads in May--One Historical Fiction, One Christian Fiction

As usual we read so many good books in May that it was difficult to choose only one that we liked best but choose we must so this is what we chose:

Historical Fiction

Gerard's is The White Cascade--The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest Avalanche by Gary Krist This is the second captivating book I've read by this author and both are fantastic reads! This non-fiction book is about two trains that were stuck in a huge snowstorm and were eventually hit by an avalanche! The writing is what makes this book so good. You hear from the people on the trains, the people trying to help, and the one person in charge of the railroad at the time. I got the sense I was right there! I hope Gary Krist writes another book; I'll be sure to read it too!

See my review of the other book I read by Gary Krist: City of Scoundrels about Chicago.

Karen's Favorite:
Christian Fiction

Since I already shared the link to our review of Outlaw Platoon which we both liked very much, I will choose Words by Ginny L. Yttrup.  This is an inspirational quick read that is about choices, redemption, hope, healing.  Kaylee, a little girl is abandoned by her mother and left with her boyfriend to be neglected, abused and raped.  They live in a little cabin in the woods and the girl stops talking.  She finds words comforting and reads the dictionary over and over to help her focus on something else while hoping that maybe her "mother will come back today."  When Sierra, a woman whose child died just a few days after birth due to Sierra's drug addiction, visits the cemetery on the 12th anniversary of her child's death, spots Kaylee in the hollowed giant redwood tree and thinks she saw a ghost.  Sierra is lonely so takes in a stray dog she names Van Gogh.  The dog helps comfort Kaylee when they meet and is a wonderful addition to the story.

Sierra finally is able to accept God's forgiveness and move on with her life as she starts thinking about Kaylee and becomes her friend.  Kaylee looks forward to seeing the nice lady in the woods again at her special spot inside the tree.  Kaylee doesn't talk, but can communicate by writing and has an unusually big vocabulary for a girl her age.  Through Sierra, Kaylee discovers Jesus is the most important word and learns the truth that He really does love her and is able to set her free from the screams in her head and help her to speak again.

I liked this Christian fiction book very much in spite of the "fairy tale" ending.  I couldn't help but pull for Kaylee and Sierra to get together and thought the Children's Services worker did a good job.  Sierra was searching for God's purpose for her life and it was very realistic how because of her past with drugs, she was able to sympathize with Kaylee's mom and was torn between helping her get better or not because she was afraid of losing Kaylee.  The abuse Kaylee endured is done in good taste, leaving details to the reader's imagination.  There is so much humor and love in this book that prevents it from becoming depressing.  The dog, Van, was a great addition to this book, showing how pets can by wonderful companions and give unconditional love.  The information about the giant redwood trees was interesting too and provided symbolism throughout the book.  This book even inspired me to read my little dictionary, a page a day!  This is a great read that I highly recommend and am so glad I read!
(Karen's review)

Gerard's review of Words:
This book is told by two people:  Kaylee, a 10-yr.-old girl who is abused physically, sexually, emotionally and neglected at her cabin in the woods, then abandoned by her mother who is a meth addict and Sierra, a young woman who mourns the death of her baby and finds Kaylee who she wants to help. I liked this book very much.  It's a good story and I got into it right from the start.  I highly recommend you read it too!  It's a feel good book and you will feel happy at the end.

Close Runners up for both of us were:  Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick.  If you like to read, check out our book blog at Grab a Book from Our Stack.  Click on our May Archives to see all 26 books we read in May.

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Monday, June 4, 2012

AWW Monday--Spunky Hiding

I wonder who's under the blanket . . . .


Surprise!  It's Spunky Doodle.  

Spunky:  Aw, mom, I was very comfy cozy under here, please leave me alone.

Find more Aww Monday posts.

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)
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Friday, June 1, 2012

5 Friday Fragments


Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:
  1. Funny Jokes

    I found the funniest post of the week with funny jokes about children and teachers at Wrestling With Retirement's Saturday Silliness post. It's worth checking out if you want a laugh.

  2. National Doughnut Day

    Today is National Doughnut Day--are you participating by eating one?
  3. Indians Game

    I went to the Indians 12:05 game Tuesday--a beautiful day for baseball! I was surprised to learn that out Designated Hitter--Johnny Damon only had a .152 average. That's pathetic; however, he did get on base. I'll be posting about it this coming week showing you a tip for making a visor to keep the sun out of your eyes.
  4. It's a Zork!


    On my trip to Amish country, I saw a zork. Have you ever seen one? Do you even know what it is? Here is a picture of the one I saw. It's a mix between a horse and a zebra, looks like a horse, but has some black stripes like a zebra. I had three posts about my trip last week, just couldn't get everything into one post.
  5. Comments for Charity

    For May, 50 cents per legitimate comment goes to Joni and Friends for family retreat scholarships for those having special needs children. We had 191 comments in May. Thanks to those who commented on our blogs we will donate $96. Our charity for June and July will the The Wounded Warrior Project which helps thousands of wounded warriors and their families as they return home from current conflicts.

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