And then it is winter ... Thx Tom & Carolyn L!

Fw: And Then It Is Winter!

Yes, tis true

I FIRST STARTED READING THIS EMAIL & WAS READING FAST UNTIL I REACHED THE THIRD SENTENCE. I STOPPED AND STARTED OVER, READING SLOWER AND THINKING ABOUT EVERY WORD. THIS EMAIL IS VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING. MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK. READ SLOWLY! AND THEN IT IS WINTER You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like. But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change...Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't of my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit! And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...it's over. A new adventure will begin! Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime. So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, what ever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!! "Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY ! HAVE A GREAT DAY! Remember "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver." LIVE HAPPY IN 2013! LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE. SO - ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS. ~Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect! ~Going out is good.. Coming home is better! ~You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!! ~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything.... especially golf. ~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore. ~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep". ~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch.. ~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... ??? ~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere. ~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!! ~What used to be freckles are now liver spots. ~Everybody whispers. ~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear again. ~~~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!! Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!! It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.

Prof Henry Graff, beloved Columbia Professor never had obama as all others did.

Subject: Professor Henry Graff

Judi....I know it is an old argument about whether Obama actually attended Columbia University.  The following is a new item brought forward.  It is a conversation with Professor Henry Graff, a famous long-time faculty member at Columbia.  It is really interesting to read what he has to say. 

 

(This article was written by Wayne Allyn Root is the author of  ”The Ultimate Obama Survival Guide” .)

My life has crossed paths with President Obama on multiple occasions. According to Obama, we were Columbia University classmates, both Pre Law and Political Science majors in the Class of ’83. I also ran against Obama in 2008 on the Libertarian Party Presidential ticket. What are the odds?

But something about “the Obama at Columbia story” has always bothered me. Earlier in the week I wrote about having just returned from New York, where I attended my 30^th Columbia University reunion. I celebrated with my esteemed classmates. Everyone except Barack Obama. As usual- he wasn’t there. Not a trace. Not a video greeting. Not a letter. I could not find any classmates who knew him.

I called Obama “the Ghost of Columbia University.” I pointed out (as I’ve said in the media for many years now) that Obama may have been registered at Columbia, may have graduated from Columbia, but he was rarely (if ever) seen for the two years in-between. It’s a strange, mysterious and frightening story.

Is he the real-life “Manchurian Candidate?” What explains Obama having just enough skeletal proof that he was there (one photo, one roommate, one professor, one friend)…but never seen in a class, never on anyone’s radar screen, almost invisible. A total 2-year blackout. It’s like a story straight out of a novel about the CIA or KGB. He graduated Columbia, but it’s almost as if he never went there.

To make matters more mysterious, Obama’s college records are sealed. He’s had plenty of opportunities to authorize the release, to clear the air. He has never chosen to do so. But why? What has he got to hide? Funny enough Obama has never had a problem ripping open the sealed records of his political opponents. Every step of his career Obama has beaten his opponents by having sealed documents just happen to be publicly exposed by anonymous sources. But not Obama. His records are always unavailable (and never leaked). Obama always seems to have powerful forces on his side.

Did he attend Columbia as a foreign student? That was the educated guess I made in my appearance on “Hannity” on Fox News a year ago. The only photo of Obama from his Columbia days was in his off-campus apartment with a roommate described by USA Today as a Pakistani national, pot smoker, and cocaine abuser. If you’re a foreign student, you live in housing off-campus with other foreign students.

Barack Obama (Photo Credit: FILE)

That would also explain how he transferred to Columbia. Transferring into an Ivy League school is all but impossible. I did a little digging and found out only 3 transfer students in all of America were accepted into Columbia in the past academic year. Three students out of 315 million Americans. Yet those who knew Obama at Occidental called him a pot smoker and partier who rarely attended class. You’re telling me that a poor student, with that record, at an average college, was accepted for transfer into prestigious Columbia University? Only if he was an exotic Indonesian foreign student transferring into a college that desperately wanted to claim an ethnically and globally diverse student body.

Still that might explain how Obama got into Columbia. But where was he for those two years? My gut instincts say something is wrong with “the Obama at Columbia story.” Very wrong. Rancid.

But until now, I was the only one publicly voicing my suspicions. That just changed in a big way. 

Meet Professor Henry Graff, perhaps the most legendary and honored professor ever at Columbia University. He was THE American History and Diplomatic History professor at Columbia for 46 years. And he is more emphatic than yours truly that there are no Obama footprints at Columbia.

I was put on Professor Graff’s trail by another Columbia classmate, skeptical about Obama’s story. He told me that Professor Graff had been the speaker for the Class of ’53 last weekend at Columbia. My friend was watching Graff answer questions from the crowd when he was asked about Obama at Columbia. Graff said, “I have my doubts he ever went here.”

Professor Henry Graff (Photo: Columbia University)

I did some digging and located Graff’s home phone number. I called him yesterday. Now retired, he was delighted to hear from me. He agreed to go on the record about Obama. Unlike Obama, Professor Graff clearly remembered me. He was thrilled to hear from his former student. I was in several of Graff’s classes and he remembered me like it was yesterday. He sounded great- like he hasn’t lost any of his trademark sharpness in 30 years since we last met.

I was honored to learn that this legendary historian has been following my political career for many years. But he had no such cheery things to say about the President. Graff said, “I taught at Columbia for 46 years. I taught every significant American politician that ever studied at Columbia. I know them all. I’m proud of them all. Between American History and Diplomatic History, one way or another, they all had to come through my classes. Not Obama. I never had a student with that name in any of my classes. I never met him, never saw him, never heard of him.”

Even more importantly, Professor Graff knew the other history and political science professors. “None of the other Columbia professors knew him either” said Graff.

Graff concluded our interview by saying, “I’m very upset by the whole story. I am angry when I hear Obama called ‘the first President of the United States from Columbia University.’ I don’t consider him a Columbia student. I have no idea what he did on the Columbia campus. No one knows him.”

There is something wrong with Obama’s story- I know that. Many of my classmates at last weekend’s 30^th reunion knew that. Now the most beloved Professor ever at Columbia joins us in publicly questioning the story. Obama is either the ghost of Columbia, or the perfect Manchurian candidate. But something smells rotten at Columbia.

Marine's good deed causes his honorable discharge to go Dishonorable Thx alma H!

 

 

Valley marine calls himself to duty at an Elementary school.

Sgt. Craig Pusley wears his desert camo fatigues...no weapons...just him. Took it upon himself to go to the nearby school and stand watch outside. The school loved it. The principal thanked him. No pay...no breaks...just his heartfelt need to do this.

His reward? Marine Corp Reservists say he violated protocol by wearing his fatigues and not his dress uniform in public. Facing $10,000 fine and 5 years in prison. Also getting a "dishonorable" stamp on his "honorable" discharge. He served 2 tours in Iraq, in Baghdad and Ramadi. One in Helmand province of Afghanistan before leaving active duty.

Now he is writing a letter to the President apologizing for his actions.

WAKE UP! This man is a wonderful, outstanding, brave hero in my book and to think for a second that his heartfelt need to go stand in front of his little neighborhood school was wrong. The President should be sending him a Thank You letter.

So I salute you, Sgt. Craig Pusley. Thank you!

This is something I would like to see go viral.� Let's stand up and say Thank You to this man who didn't think twice...he followed his heart, and there is no crime in doing that.�

 

Thanks Anon! Laughter

Some 'medicinal' laughter to start your day!! Have a great day. Laughter is the BEST Medicine Advertisement  In Shop:  Guitar, for sale........ Cheap........ .......no  strings attached. Ad. In Hospital Waiting Room: Smoking Helps You Lose Weight.... One Lung At A  Time!  On a bulletin board: Success Is Relative.  The more The Success, The more The  Relatives.  When I Read About The Evils Of Drinking....I Gave Up Reading  My Grandfather Is Eighty And Still Doesn't Need Glasses....He Drinks Straight Out Of The Bottle.  Sign In A Bar:'Those Of You Who Are Drinking To Forget, Please do Pay In Advance.'   Sign In Driving School:If Your Wife Wants To Learn To Drive, Don't Stand In Her Way.... Behind Every Great Man,There Is A Surprised Woman. The Reason Men Lie Is BecauseWomen Ask too Many Questions. Getting Caught Is The Mother Of Invention.  Laugh And The World Laughs With You,Snore And You sleep Alone The Surest Sign That Intelligent Life Exists  Elsewhere In The Universe Is The Fact That It Has Never Tried To Contact Us.  Sign At A Barber's Shop :We Need Your Heads To Run Our Business..  Sign In A Restaurant: All Drinking Water In This Establishment Has Been Personally Passed By The Manager

Watermnelon Pie Recipe ... thx Marge R!

here is the watermelon pie recipe...talk about easy! 

 

 

Creamy Watermelon Pie

Ingredients

1 pkg	(3oz.) watermelon jello
1/4 c	boiling water
1 pkg	(12 oz.) cool whip
2 c	cubed seeded watermelon
1	graham cracker pie crust

 

  Karen's Notes:

I can't remember where I got this recipe from, but it is so easy and refreshing. A great pie for the summer months.

NOTE: Be careful not to let the watermelon jello mixture get to room temp because it starts to gel up and the flavor is not as strong. Mix it with the whipped cream as soon as it is dissolved, then I would fold in the watermelon pieces. I also let mine chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Mmmmm....

 

Directions

1

In large bowl, dissolve jello in boiling water. Cool to room temp.

2

Whisk in cool whip. Fold in watermelon. Spoon into crust.

3

Refrigerate 2 hrs, or until set.

Happy fourth- coming up ... Thx Clay V!

Thanks Clay!

Now onto my blog with my sincerest prayer for these people representing us- our military and their supporters not our Congress-people.  They could represent us better.

SamKat

I HOPE THERE ISN'T ANYONE ON MY E-MAIL LIST THAT WON'T KEEP THIS GOING.   

Happy 4th of July!....

Let' s get this started ,NOW!
So it will be out there on the fourth!

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE
FLAG,
OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA ,

AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR
WHICH IT STANDS,
ONE
NATION UNDER  GOD,
INDIVISIBLE,
WITH  LIBERTY
AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!

KEEP IT LIT!! KEEP IT LIT!
For all of our other military personnel, where ever they may be.
Please
Support all of the troops defending our Country.



And God Bless our Military
who are protecting our Country for our Freedom.
Thanks to them, and their sacrifices, we can celebrate the 4th of July.




We must never forget who gets the credit for the freedoms we have,
of which we should be eternally grateful.



I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.




A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.


I looked at him in uniform;
so young, so tall, so proud.
With hair cut square and eyes alert,
he'd stand out in any crowd.


I thought how many men like him
had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil;
how many mothers' tears?


How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
NO, FREEDOM ISN'T FREE !


I heard the sound of Taps one night,
when everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant 'Amen.'
When a flag had draped a coffin
of a brother or a friend.



I thought of all the children,
of the mothers and the wives,
of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.




I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea.
Of unmarked graves in  Arlington .
NO FREEDOM ISN'T FREE



Enjoy Your Freedom
and
God Bless Our Troops.

When you receive this,
please stop for a moment
and say a prayer for our servicemen

Of all the gifts you could give a U.S. Soldier, prayer is the very best one.

 

Illinois What a wonderful state ... Thx Ramey H!

Illinois-
what a wonderful state! ... Thx Ramey H!

ILLINOIS – What A Wonderful State

There are more people on welfare in Illinois than there are people working.  Chicago pays the highest wages to teachers than anywhere else in the U.S. -  averaging $110,000/year.  Their pensions average 80-90% of their income.  The Chicago school system is rated one of the worst in the country.  

Body count:  In the last six months 292 killed (murdered) in Chicago - 221 killed in Iraq; AND Chicago has one of the strictest gun laws in the entire U.S.

Here's the Chicago chain of command:  

· President: Barack Hussein Obama

 

· Senator: Dick Durbin

· House Representative: Jesse Jackson Jr.

· Governor: Pat Quinn

· House leader: Mike Madigan

· Atty. Gen.: Lisa Madigan (daughter of Mike)

· Mayor: Ralm Emanuel

· The leadership in Illinois - all Democrats

Thank you Democrats for the combat zone in Chicago.  Of course, they're all blaming each other.  Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any. 

Chicago school system rated one of the worst in the country.  Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any.

State pension fund $78 Billion in debt, worst in country.  Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any.

Cook County (Chicago) sales tax 10.25% highest in country.  Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any.

This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois.  And he is going to 'fix' Washington politics for us?  George Ryan is no longer Governor, he is in prison.  He was replaced by Rob Blajegovitch who is - that's right, also in prison.

And Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned a few weeks ago.  That is because he is fighting to not be sent to -  that's right, prison.

The Land of Lincoln is now where former governors make license plates.  But, you know what?  As long as they keep providing entitlements to the population of Chicago, like Obama and the democrats are doing in Washington, nothing is going to change, except that this state will go broke before the country does.  And now our country is definitely going broke.

"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him, better take a closer look at the American Indian."     ~~~ Henry Ford

The best argument against a democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. ~~~ Winston Churchill