Monday, November 23, 2009

Miles Goes to the Ledges

Master Miles and Jon went to the Ledges State Park today. It is the first time that he has been over there and he had fun,
The Ledges is a beautiful area near Ames and Boone in central Iowa. It has a creek and sandstone cliffs and lots of trails. Miles is not fond of the water.
He did not like being on the spillway. He just sat there and said "Jon get back here and rescue me."
He is just 4 months old. People think he is a Border Collie or an Australian Shepherd. When he gets his full coat they won't make that mistake.
I love the angle of this picture.
Jon borrowed my camera to get these.

There is a Picasa Web Album to look at and a movie. I hope you have enjoyed them.





Miles on a Sandbar from Jay Simser on Vimeo.

Sorry Folks

I have always had Comment Verification enabled for the blog because I felt like it. I have now enable word verification for it also because I have been getting about 5 comments a day which are Spam and trying to advertise porn or sex drugs. I don't like it so hopefully this step will stop it from happening. Sorry folks,

Buy Gas on Wednesday - Support Camp Courageous

I have been asked to help share this information.

Here is the basic information regarding the Statewide project of Petroleum Marketing and Convenience Stores of Iowa to put dollars into Camp Courageous. On Wednesday, November 25, 2009 [day prior to Thanksgiving], one cent for every gallon of gas sold by participating stations will go to Camp Courageous. The list of known participating stations is a part of this communication. Support for Camp Courageous was a major focus for PGM Dennis Zahrt AND is the Statewide project for Jennifer Stolba, Worthy Grand Advisor of Iowa Rainbow 2009-2010. Please disseminate this information via e-mail, Twitter, post to Masonic and GM website, etc., to get the word out. Let's all get gas on Wednesday!!

Click below for a list of stations.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Urbandale Deer

I had a meeting in Des Moines this morning (when do I not have a meeting in Des Moines?) and after the meeting I took a dues receipt out to a Brother. He and I went out to eat lunch and to discuss Lodge Business. Then I dropped him at his house and as I was driving up the street I saw three deer in someone's back yard. (YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO EMBIGGEN THEM)

I snapped three pictures and share them with you now.
Hard to see in the one above but they saw me and walked across the street in front of me. I love deer even though I know they are probably destructive to peoples property. But it was nice to see them
They reminded me of one of my poems which I wrote one morning after seeing a deer on the way to school. I went to school and the poem wrote itself before school. It is over at my Poetry Blog and it is called The Lady Deer. Click to read it.

Thanks for stopping by. Hugs, j

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Grand Lodge Reception

These are the pictures from the reception for Brother Wade Sheeler, Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Iowa..

Quitting Smoking.


When I was in college I started smoking. My grandparents and my mother all smoked as did most of my relatives. I had a great uncle who showed me $100 in his wallet (pretty big money at that time) and told me that if I went through high school with out smoking he would give me the money. He died before he could fulfill the promise but that really was not my incentive for not smoking. Besides, I think I remember sneaking butts from my mother's ash tray and trying them.

Weeds rolled up in a piece of old paper did not a good substitute make for a cigarette when I was experimenting in about the fifth grade. My grandfather smoked cigars (nasty things). He started because he was a veterinarian and the smoke smell covered up the smells of the animals he would be working on. (Sometime I should tell you about watching him post-mortem a hog) He did not like it when I started smoking and for a long time I just smoked at school and would sneak cigarettes around when I was at home. I don't remember my first cigarette nor do I remember my last one... but I smoked a lot of them in-between. I also smoked cigars and a pipe and something else (once).

But this post is not about smoking it is about quitting smoking. I joined a church where you did not smoke. I had to be "free from the use of tobacco and alcohol" and so I had to quit. At that time I was probably smoking three packs a day. Lots of them. but I quit and this is the method I used.

I took a carton of cigarettes and put them in the freezer (that way I knew I could have them whenever I needed) I took a baggie and filled it with butts and ashes. Then when I felt the desire for a cigarette I took out the baggie and inhaled the perfume of dead butts and ashes. It did not take long until the only thing I had left was the habit of reaching for them at the usual moments (right after a meal or with a drink) - That soon left also.

I left the church for a few years and started smoking again. One morning I woke up coughing and hacking and hating it so I got another baggie and used the same method. Within three days all desire for a cigarette was gone (except that it never really goes away. You just learn to sublimate and live with it)

Do I recommend quitting? You bet! And I recommend going "cold turkey" - tapering off won't really do it. Although my cousin used to smoke only 1/2 the year and then she wouldn't for the other half.

Smoking is a nasty, dirty habit. And it kills your lungs. My mother was a smoker for years and years. She finally went to the doctor because of shortness of breath. She was smoking one right after the other at that time and the doctor told her that she had COPD and would have to quit smoking. She wanted to know how and I told her that she would quit so that her grandson (my nephew) could grow up having a memory of her. She hated quitting and took comfort in the "carton in the refrigerator" which was there until we moved and then I did not move it. She was ticked with me for the rest of her life because of that. No matter she still quit and lived long enough so that Jon remembers "Ruthie."

I have gotten to the point in my life that I can't stand the smell of smoke. When I check out a book from the library I can tell if a smoker has had it in their home and I return the book. I used to be able to tell if a student had someone at home who smoked and I still do not like the smell of tobacco on friends. But that is my problem. If people want to smoke they can. In Iowa they can't do it just anywhere and that is fine with me.

My sister never took up smoking but she lives with a smoker now and you can tell when she comes home. I guess she is used to it because she grew up with two smokers in the house. But I really do wish everyone would quit. We can blame smoking on the Native Americans and Christopher Columbus who took the nasty stuff back to Europe... But what does that matter? I guess it really doesn't - None-the-less I could pick up a cigarette and start again at any time and could get back up to three packs a day in no time flat. But I won't. And I hope you won't either. Happy Saturday folks, Thanks for stopping by. Hugs, j

Friday, November 20, 2009

Wordzzle

As always click on the button to see the guidelines.
And don't forget to go to Raven's Nest to see all the others.

Words for this week's 10-word challenge are:
love is a many splendored thing, trucks, inspector, symbols, rising, organic, liberation, costly, smug, naughty


And for the mini:
the nature of the beast, identical, charcoal, braggart, vacation

"Sallyie, I think you need to go on a vacation", said Phrog. "You are not making any sense at all, you naughty girl."

"Oh Phrog, you are right," she replied. "I spent the night at my cousin, the braggart,'s house and he has me so befuddled, the smug bastard, that I feel as if I have eaten a bag of charcoal briquettes. But a vacation would be too costly. I don't suppose we could sell the Magic Parrot could we?"

"No" said Phroag, "last night the Parrot Liberation Squad broke in and let him loose. What you see in the cage is an identical parrot although somewhat organic (but that is the nature of the beast.) Soon the dragon moon will be rising and the symbols will not appear on the parrot's coat and the subterfuge will be apparent to the inspector and he will cart us all off in trucks to the music hall where we will be impelled to sing love is a Many Splendored Thing, for the rest of the century.

words for December 4th... after our US Thanksgiving break next week. I love a break from coming up with words/phrases.

Words for next week's 10-word challenge are: edge, haven, sunglasses, sprightly, telling, frazzled, juicy, quartet, tied, necklace


And for the mini: bees, crackling, wooden, staple, earful

Found For Friday

How Pumpkin Pies Are Made
'Mr. Clark, I have reviewed this case very carefully,' the divorce Court
Judge said, 'And I've decided to give your wife $775 a week,'
'That's very fair, your honor,' the husband said. 'And every now and
then I'll try to send her a few bucks myself..'
Bradley and Sheila were making passionate love in Bradley's mini van when suddenly Sheila, being a bit on the kinky side, yells out "Oh big boy, whip me, whip me!"

Bradley, not wanting to pass up this unique opportunity, obviously did not have any whips on hand, but in a flash of inspiration, he opens the window, snaps the antenna off his van and proceeds to whip Sheila until they both collapse in ecstasy.

About a week later, Sheila notices that the marks left by the whipping are starting to fester a bit so she goes to the doctor. The doctor takes one look at the wounds and asks, "Did you get these marks having sex?"

Sheila is embarrassed but eventually admits that yes she did.

Nodding his head knowingly, the doctor exclaims, "I thought so, because in all my years as a doctor you've got the worst case of van aerial disease that I've ever seen".

.




Those two evil friars

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there were two evil friars living outside this small village. The friars had tried unsuccessfully to overtake and capture the town, but finally this time, they believed they had hit upon a foolproof scheme that would allow them to rule the village. They had, through mad scientist experiments in their floral shop, come up with a plant that would devour the townspeople one by one until none were left. They set forth to put their plan into action by planting the man-eating plants so they encircled the village.

As the plants rapidly grew, they began devouring everything living in their path. The townspeople grew frightened; who or what would save them from their eminent doom? Finally, the town's elder remember Hugh, a woodcutter who lived on the outskirts of town. Frantically, the townspeople penned a desperate plea for help, tied it to the leg of a pigeon, and directed the bird toward Hugh's cabin.

Meanwhile, outside of town, Hugh had received the note from the townspeople, and realizing they were in grave danger, set forth to do what he needed to do. He honed his mightiest axe to razor-sharpness, grabbed his hat, and off he went.

Chopping his way through the dense vines, he single-handedly destroyed the carnivorous plants one by one, until all were destroyed. Then he set out to rid the village of the evil friars, chasing them out of town. The town was saved!!! The people rejoiced and knighted Hugh for his brave and timely efforts to save the village!!!

And the moral of the story is:

Hugh, and only Hugh, can prevent florist friars
I am passing this on to you because it definitely works, and we could all use a little more calmness in our lives. By following simple advice heard on the Dr. Phil show, you too can find inner peace.

Dr. Phil proclaimed, "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished". So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn't finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Tequila, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of chocolates. You have no idea how freaking good I feel right now.

Here is wishing you inner peace!
Blondie goes flying

A blond went to a flight school insisting that she wanted to learn to fly. As all the planes were currently in use, the owner agreed to instruct her by radio on how to pilot the solo helicopter. He took her out, showed her how to start it and gave her the basics, and sent her on her way.

After she climbed 1000 feet, she radioed in. "I'm doing great! I love it! The view is so beautiful, and I'm starting to get the hang of this."

After 2000 feet, she radioed again, saying how easy it was to fly. The instructor watched her climb over 3000 feet, and was beginning to worry that she hadn't radioed in.

A few minutes later, he watched in horror as she crashed about half a mile away. He ran over and pulled her from the wreckage.

When he asked what happened, she said, "I don't know! Everything was going fine, but as I got higher, I was starting to get cold. I can barely remember anything after I turned off the big fan!"
Catholic Coffee.........

Four Catholic men and a Catholic woman were having coffee after mass.
The first Catholic man tells his friends, "My son is a priest, when he walks into a room, everyone calls him 'Father'."
The second Catholic man chirps, "My son is a Bishop. When he walks into a room people call him 'Your Grace'."
The third Catholic man says, "My son is a Cardinal. When he enters a room everyone says 'Your Eminence'."
The fourth Catholic man says, "My son is the Pope. When he walks into a room people call him 'Your Holiness'."
Since the lone Catholic woman was sipping her coffee in silence, the four men gave her a look and said, "Well....?"
She proudly replies, "I have a daughter, slim, tall, 38 Double D breasts, 24" waist, and 34" hips. When she walks into a room, people say, "Oh My God."
How to be a Gracious Bitch*

Jennifer's wedding day was fast approaching. Nothing could dampen her excitement-- not even her parent's nasty divorce. Her mother had found the PERFECT dress to wear and would be the best-dressed mother-of-the-bride ever!

A week later, Jennifer was horrified to learn that her father's new young wife had bought the exact same dress as her mother! Jennifer asked her father's new young wife to exchange it, but she refused.

'Absolutely not. I look like a million bucks in this dress, and I'm wearing it,' she replied.

Jennifer told her mother who graciously said, 'Never mind sweetheart. I'll get another dress. After all, it's your special day.'

A few days later, they went shopping and did find another gorgeous dress.

When they stopped for lunch, Jennifer asked her mother, 'Aren't you going to return the other dress? You really don't have another occasion where you could wear it.'

Her mother just smiled and replied, 'Of course I do, dear. I'm wearing it to the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding.'

NOW I ASK YOU - IS THERE A WOMAN OUT THERE, ANYWHERE, WHO WOULDN'T ENJOY THIS STORY?


A Scottish man was washed up on a beach after a terrible shipwreck. Only a sheep and a sheepdog were washed up with him.

Looking around, he realised that they were stranded on a deserted island. After being there a while, he got into the habit of taking his two animal companions to the beach every evening to watch the sun set.

One particular evening, the sky was a fiery red with beautiful cirrus clouds, the breeze was warm and gentle - a perfect night for romance.

As they sat there, the sheep started looking better and better to the lonely Scot. Soon, he leaned over to the sheep and.... put his arm around it.

But the sheepdog, ever protective of the sheep, growled fiercely until the man took his arm from around the sheep.

After that, the three of them continued to enjoy the sunsets together but there was no more cuddling.

A few weeks passed by and, lo and behold, there was another shipwreck. The only survivor was a woman, none other than Anne Coulter! She was in a pretty bad way when he rescued her and he slowly nursed her back to health.

When she was well enough, he introduced her to their evening beach ritual. It was another beautiful evening.... red sky, cirrus clouds, a warm and gentle breeze - perfect for a night of romance.

Pretty soon, the Scot started to get 'those feelings' again. He fought the urges as long as he could but he finally gave in and, realising he now had the opportunity, leaned over to her and cautiously whispered in her ear,

'Would you mind taking the dog for a walk?'
And have a great week-end.