The Return of the Case of Missing Brains

Yep, happened again, missing brains all around!
Here is Dan with bucket number 5
Fireworks and buckets, go figure

God Bless the U.S.A

God, mountains and the 3 Stooges

The new photo is of the front range in Rocky Mountain National Park at sunset as seen from the moraine. No, I did not take this one. Talk about drop to you knees beauty. This is the place I am closest to God. The mountains refresh and recharge me. When I am there and witness to one of these breath taking displays I know God has his paint brush in hand. How do I know?
Beats me.
I just know that I know that I know.

I know God loves me more than anything else he created. He's not always crazy about some of the things I do, but He loves me none the less
I know He will always be with me.
I know He has a great sense of humor. Why else would he have put the idea for that paddle ball thing in someones brain???
I know He loves to laugh
I know He thinks the 3 stooges are funny.
I know He loves music. Have you ever wondered what would be in God's ipod?
I know He's a great writer - Best seller.
I know He loves my dog as much as I do.
I know. . .I could go on and on.
It boggles my mind that the God of all that is or ever will be shares my life, cares for me, helps me pick myself up with I fall and then He has no memory of why I fell in the first place. That He loves me so much, He wants to be a part of my life.
How do I know that? Beats me. . .I just know that I know that I know.

What are the special things about God that He shares with you?

May In Estes Park

What a difference a couple of days make.
Same shots, now you can see the valley

May???

Oh, my! this picture, taken minutes ago, is of the driving snow storm that has been pelleting Estes Park Colorado for the last 2 days. The pictures are taken from a live video cam on top of one of the buildings of the Aerial Tramway on top of Prospect mountain that overlooks the valley.
Normally the view seen in picture 2 is a beautiful panorama of the whole estes valley 1000 feet below. McGregor ranch, Twin Owls peak, and the Stanley Hotel. Today you can't see the valley, or the mountains for that matter :)

Mango Margaritas, Chimichangas and Engagement Rings

Yesturday was Aubree's (my oldest nephew Dan's girlfriend) 21st birthday. She wanted to go to Hector's for dinner and Mango Margaritas. There was a spattering of friends and family, 16 all told. Food, fun, family and friends. What better? I noticed Dan was kinda out of sorts and jittery, when I asked him what was wrong he said he was real nervous, that he was going to ask Aubree to marry him. It was all I could do not to jump and shout right then. About halfway through dinner Dan went to the restroom, came back, got down on one knee next to Aubree and proposed. At first she thought he had dropped his napkin. Needless to say there were lots of tears, shouts and applause from all around.
She said yes. I had told our waitress what was going on so she was ready as was most of the wait staff who was standing in the archway.
It's great to see Dan so happy. He has had a rough road the last few years and hasn't always made the best choices. But like the song says, "When you think you've fallen way to deep and the climb is way to steep, you find that God's love is always deeper still." When Dan got to his lowest and called out, God lifted him out of the mire.
Dan knows and is thankful for how blessed he is to have a family who loves him and now Aubree. She is the answer to our prayers.
Daniel hit the jackpot as did she. I couldn't be happier.

Bacon!

People laugh at the Beggin' Strips dog treat commercials, you know where the dog is running around yelling Bacon! Bacon!
I think I know why. Because we see ourselves.
Yesterday at work the meat buyers got out the George Foreman and cooked off 5 lbs of a new Apple wood Smoked Bacon by Black Label. Oh my goodness, talk about a moth to a flame. The aroma of bacon cooking brought folks from their cubes from all over the building. Many had the same dazed look in their eyes as the dog in the commercial.
What is it about bacon?
It is so very bad for us, but I don't know many, me included, who don't love it. People were almost trampling each other for a taste of that smokey goodness. When the bacon was gone, they put some new brand of breakfast turkey sausage links on the grill which are much better for us, but you'd a thunk someone passed gas the way the crowd cleared out :)
I wonder if folks from other countries react to bacon the way we do? Would be an interesting thesis.

Grandma Eastman's Aprons

I don't think kids today know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath,because she only had a few,it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half- hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.

After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the menfolks knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron.

Yikes!

Got up this morning, Molly wanted out so I opened the curtains on the deck door. . . WHEN DID WE MOVE TO ANTARCTICA?????
The wind, the drifts the cold. Black ice, SUV drivers who think 4 wheel drive = 70 mph on the interstate. I-80 was littered with SUVs or as my boss refers to them, Suddenly Upside-down Vehicles. I hate the cold, I hate the cold, I hate the cold. I found out today why you should make sure your battery post and cables are clean and not covered with blueish-green corrosion crud. Apparently the electricity needed to start your car, especially when its this cold, can't happen if there is crud on the post. Jerry and Dave at work braved the cold and wind and jumped my car. Did I mention I hate the cold? Anyway as I sat at work and watched the wind move the snow around like sand dunes I found myself wondering what did the pioneers do when it got this cold? I sure they didn't whine, they just put on another layer and went about their business. Even with all the wind, snow and cold, God gave us one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring sights ever. A Gold and yellow sun dog this morning. It was gorgeous. And then on the way home after work there was another sun dog, a more tradition one with grays silvers and whites. So I quit whining and feeling sorry for myself and griping about the weather, cause even in all this bleakness, God reminded me he is still here, so don't sweat the stuff you have no control over. Take comfort in knowing that God is in control and after a winter like this He will provide a spectacular spring.
Stay Warm!