What sitcom character do you want to be when you grow up?

I have been tagged by Rebekah, so here goes. First of all, I want to say that I really don’t want or plan to grow up. So, who would I be? Maybe Cindy Brady, then I could be eternally young and cute, but she could become annoying before long. Maybe Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie, she had anything she wanted when she wanted it, but she was really dumb. How about Ohura from Star Trek (not really a sitcom, but oh well). She got to travel all over, but she had to wear really short skirts and deal with Kirk’s machismo. Then there is Aunt Bea, she was a sweet lady, but she had to cook and clean and had all kind of responsibilities. So, as I think through all the possibilities, it comes down to one thing, a sex change. I would be Opie Taylor. Opie had a great dad and a doting aunt. He was adorable and I have yet to find him annoying. He was also a free spirit always trying new things.

So, who would you be? I tag Dee, Clew and Chas. Have Fun!

Twenty Years Ago Today

It is hard to believe that it was that long ago, yet twenty years cannot be that long. Yet I finished High School twenty years ago this evening. I was a bit sad to have the time over. But it was not the most pleasant time either. My dad was the pastor/superintendent of the private school that I attended. Not all of my teachers liked him much and they didn’t have the sense or maturity to let their issues with him stay with him. One’s dislike of my dad spilled over onto me. I was not completely innocent in it, I knew she did not like my dad and I played on that some. But I had my beliefs and I refused to change them to fit her view of the world. I do have many more happy memories of high school. There was playing football during the first snow of the year, softball and volleyball tournaments, state and national conventions, hanging out with my friends and the daily learning of new things.

Even with the good memories outweighing the negative, I would not go back to those days even if I knew then what I know now. Life today is too full, too deep to go back to the days when the unimportant things in life mattered too much and the important things mattered too little. So, I will take life as it is now, even with its complications and nuances.

Photo ~

Back Row: Sheri, Mom, Janelle

Middle Row: Lynette, Me

Front: Melanie

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightening of His terrible swift sword-
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps-
His day is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never sound retreat,
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
O be swift my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on!

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

Lyrics by Julia Ward Howe

In 1861, along with Massachusetts Governor Andrews and a Unitarian Church Pastor, Julia and her husband, Dr. Samuel Ward were invited to watch a military review of federal troops. Following the inspection, as the Howes were returning to the city of Washington, the streets were filled with soldiers singing "John Brown's Body", a song named for one who had been hung for his efforts to free the slaves. Pastor Clarke, also hearing this, said, "Why don't you write some decent words for that tune?" Here's her account of what happened next:

"I awoke in the grey of the morning, and as I lay waiting for dawn, the long lines of the desired poem began to entwine themselves in my mind, and I said to myself, 'I must get up and write these verses, lest I fall asleep and forget them!' So I sprang out of bed and in the dimness found an old stump of a pen, which I remembered using the day before. I scrawled the verses almost without looking at the paper."

The words for this hymn were first published in the "The Atlanta Monthly" as the "Civil War Battle Song of the Republic".

Hat Tip: Dr Chadwick’s Hymn Backgrounds

Too Funny

Jack, a 15-pound orange-and-white cat, cat sits under a treed black bear in a backyard in West Milford, N.J., Sunday, June 4, 2006. When the bear climbed down, the cat chased it up another nearby tree. Neighbor Suzanne Giovanetti thought Jack was simply looking up at the bear, but soon realized the much larger animal was afraid of the hissing cat. The cat's owners called it away and the bear ran off. (AP Photo/Suzanne Giovanetti)

Rose Festival

We are in the middle of the Portland Rose Festival so I thought I would post a couple of pictures of our roses.

250 Miles!

The second week of January, I began tracking the number of miles I was walking. I created a spreadsheet in which I enter the distance and the number of minutes walked. Yesterday I passed 250 miles! I am ahead of my goal for 500 miles this year. I just may have to revise my goal. Who knows where I could end up if I were walking in a straight line for the whole year? It is equal to 5 times to my sister Melanie’s and back! I would be on my way home from Sheri’s in Washington. I am a long way from walking as far as my other siblings though. After all, it is 1,071 miles to Janelle’s, 1,644 miles to Bernie’s and 2,788 miles to Dan’s place. Whew! I think I’ll keep planning a bit smaller than their homes.

Update: To log my miles, I use Map My Run. I just type in my address and log in my walks. It is great since I can use any address.

Tell me the story of Jesus

Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word,
Tell me the story most precious
Sweetest that ever was heard;
Tell how the angels, in chorus,
Sang as they welcomed His birth,
Glory to God in the highest,
Peace and good tidings to earth.

Refrain:
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word,
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.

Fasting, alone in the desert,
Tell of the days that He passed,
How for our sins He was tempted,
Yet was triumphant at last;
Tell of the years of His labor,
Tell of the sorrow He bore,
He was despised and afflicted,
Homeless, rejected, and poor.

Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,
Writhing in anguish and pain;
Tell of the grave where they laid Him,
Tell how He liveth again;
Love in that story so tender,
Clearer than ever I see;
Stay, let me weep while you whisper,
Love paid the ransom for me.

Lyrics by Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915)

One of the great powers that influence the world is the writer of favorite songs and hymns. Such a person approaches nearer to the hearts of the people than any one else. Wherever the religion of Christ has found lodgment, the countless songs of Fanny Crosby, the subject of this sketch, have brought comfort to Christian hearts and stirred up inspiration that will abide as long as life shall last.

Read the rest here.

A time to paint...

After finishing a bit of planting this morning, we moved on to painting this afternoon. T was great help getting in some of the corners. And C couldn't be left out, so he helped out his mom with the drawers.

A time to plant...

Today was all about landscaping. My sister has a green thumb. She loves plants and has great ideas when it comes to landscaping. I gave her a budget and told her some of my thoughts and let her have at it. She brought everything we needed to get started. I would not have thought about all the soil additives and stuff she brought with her. Of course, she brought some great help with her, the kids, her husband and the dog, Anna.

Dear Lord, Remember Me

Dear Lord, remember me,
a sinner weak and vile
Full of impiety,
and fraught with sin and guile
I cannot hope but in Thy blood
Remember me, O Lord, for good

Unable to depend
on nature-strength and power
Jesus, my soul befriend,
teach me to trust Thee more
Save me from sin and all its smart
O save me from my treacherous heart

Upon Thy oath I rest
my feeble soul secure
By sin I am oppressed,
but Thy salvation's sure
Though like a bottle in the smoke
I know Thy vessels can't be broke

'Tis true, dear Lord,
I am a sinner vile indeed!
Yet hoping in the Lamb,
Who deigned for such to bleed
And while the Spirit seals my heart
My soul believes we ne'er shall part

Christ ever will defend
the people of His choice
He loves them without end,
and in them does rejoice
For them He shed His precious blood
And will present them all to God

Words by John Stevens (1776-1847)