Masonic Flow Chart ?

Meeting Romulus

 Friend and Brother John brought Romulus over when he came to Specialis Procer Lodge tonight.  Rommie is a Great Pyrenees and is absolutely Beautiful.

 He is a Rescue Dog from Indianapolis.  His back story is that he was purchased for guarding goats.  Everything was all right until the man decided to not have goats any more.  The he chained this beautiful dog up in the barn and fed him or not depending on his whim for three years.  He finally decided he would just shoot the dog.

 Neighbors heard about it and took him to Great Pyrenees Rescue (Not sure if I have the right link but you can see what they are like by clicking on it.) and eventually John drove to Indianapolis to bring him to his forever home.

I am grateful that I got to meet him tonight. It was really the highlight of the evening. I had not eaten much all day in anticipation of going out to eat after Lodge.  We usually have a short meeting but tonight the sands of time ran out and we were still going.  (I really hate the room we meet in.  The steps to get up are steep and narrow. I have a lot of trouble climbing them).

We went to Djangos and it was full. I understood we were going to eat in a room but evidently they were just sitting there for drinks. I went to the WC and when I got back everyone was moving into a private room.  They told me something about ordering at the bar and they would bring it in to me. I thought they meandt dinner. When I went out to the bar the bartender told me that they didn't do that.  Evidently they just let them go to the room for a place to drink and wait until there was a table. (Plus the fact that everyone was treating me like an old person and offering to give me their seat or go and get my order. And yes I know they were just being kind but I couldn't take it. I have been feeling vulnerable ever since Bailey passed.)  I decided that I would just go home and have some oatmeal.  When I have not eaten for a long time I am not good company and Aas I said, missing Bailey doesn't help much either.

It was wonderful to meet Rpmmie and John is going to take me over to a Shelter near Omaha next Friday to perhaps meet my new dog.  Then it won't be so lonely around here.  If not I may go to Indianapolis.  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a nice week-end!

Memorial

So last night I was watching The big Bang Theory and they presented Rajh (sp?) with a Yorkie. Kind of hard to watch - it looked just like Bailey as a puppy.

Found For Friday

The new CIA agents

Three men are going through CIA training, trying to become secret agents. They finally got through all their written and physical tests when they are pulled aside by one of the instructors who took them to a small room with another room adjacent to it.

They brought the first guy's wife into the room and left her there. The instructor then loaded two rounds into a pistol, handed it to the first man saying, "Go kill your wife of five years." The trainee took the weapon, went into the next room. He came back out one minute later and said, "I can't do it." The instructor replied, "Then you fail out, so get out."

The second candidate's wife was brought to the room. The instructor then loaded two rounds into a pistol, handed it to the second man and said, "Go kill your wife of ten years." The trainee took the weapon, went into the next room, but returned three minutes later and said, "I can't do it." The instructor replied, "Then you fail out - get out."

Finally, the third candidate's wife was left in the adjacent room. The instructor loaded two rounds into a pistol, handed it to the third man and said, "Go kill your wife of fifteen years." The trainee took the weapon, went into the next room where there is silence for one minute. Suddenly, there was the sound of two gunshot, followed by a huge commotion in the room.

The third man came out finally, sweating profusely, and said, "You gave me blanks, so I had to choke her."

 Repairing the phone

A friend of mine was a frequent user of a pay telephone at a popular truck stop, and was greatly inconvenienced when the phone went out of commission.

Repeated requests for repair brought only promises.

After several days, the phone company was again contacted and told that there was no longer a rush.

The phone was now working fine, except that all money was being returned upon completion of each call.

A repairman arrived within the hour!

Blonde goes flying

A blonde 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!"

 Stagecoach surprise

I had a dream the other night. I was in the old West riding in a stagecoach. Suddenly, a man riding a horse pulls up to the left side of the stagecoach, and a riderless horse pulls up on the right.
The man leans down, pulls open the door, and jumps off his horse into the stagecoach. Then he opens the door on the other side and jumps onto the other horse.
Just before he rode off, I yelled out,
"What was all that about?"
He replied,
"Nothing. It's just a stage I'm going through."

 Some people ask the secret of Anthony's long marriage.

They take time to go to a restaurant two times a week: a little candlelight dinner, soft music, and a slow walk home.

The Mrs. goes Tuesdays; He goes Fridays.

 Alfred Lord Tennyson went to visit Darkest Africa. While on safari, he became separated from the group, and was attacked by Laurie, a lioness who was the mascot of a local village chieftan.

The cat swallowed Tennyson whole, but was stricken with a severe case of indigestion, and she threw up. The bard found himself back in the jungle, shaken but alive.

When Laurie returned to the village, she told her master what had happened.

After a while, Tennyson showed up at the village looking terrible, and seeking help. He related his horrible experience to the chieftan, who responded saying, "Oh, you must be the poet Laurie ate!"

 This English landlady had a couple of struggling poets for tenants.

When the poor fellows got behind in their rent, and the landlady was unable to have them evicted. Instead, she decided to murder them.

She baked a large scone and put some poison in it, then invited the poets down for tea. She served each of the chaps a cup of tea and half the scone. The poison worked as advertised, but of course crime does not pay, and the awful woman was soon arrested.

Feigning innocence, she demanded to know with what she was being charged.

The police inspector replied: "Well, it seems, madam, that you have killed two bards with one scone!"

Captain Kidd and his crew were on the high seas when they were attacked by Blackbeard, their arch enemy.

The first shot by Blackbeard's gunners took off Kidd's forward mast. The second shot splintered the center mast, and the third desintegrated the rear mast.

Panic stricken, one of Kidd's men asked what they should do.
"We have no choice but to surrender", replied the pirate, "He's using weapons of mast destruction!"

Smitty was a heating and cooling technician. His assistant was a small chimpanzee he had trained to do all the duct work. The chimp had no fear of heights or confined spaces, and besides, he didn't have to be paid.

One day, Smitty got a call from a customer who said his air conditioner had broken down. Smitty went over and discovered some defective ducting. The customer asked if it would be hard to fix.
"No problem," replied Smitty, "I have a little duct ape that will take care of it!"

 This woman ordered an exotic snake through a mail order operation. When the package arrived, there were only feathery necklaces in the box.

Apparently, the boa cons tricked her

 Top ten signs that you are too drunk

10. You have to hold onto the lawn to keep from falling off the Earth.

9. Mosquitoes catch a buzz after attacking you.

8. The back of your head keeps getting hit by the toilet seat.

7. Your idea of cutting back is less salt.

6. You can focus better with one eye closed.

5. You fall off the floor.

5. The whole bar greets you when you come in.

4. You haven't had a driver's license in such a long time that you have forgotten what one looks like.

3. Roseanne looks good.

2. You don't recognize your wife/husband unless seen through bottom of glass.

1. You spent more time on the floor than you do standing up.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week-end!

Reunion

I will Get past this...eventually.

 The hardest moment so far in all of this was to call the groomer and tell her that Bailey would not be making his appointment next month.  She was so sorry.  She loved Bailey.  Kleenex stock is going to go up this month.  The above picture was taken one time when I picked him up after grooming. We stopped to see Aunt Jo on the way home. I think this picture (taken in her kitchen) shows his personality.

 The picture below was taken while he was waiting for his stuffed animals to come out of the washer.  If I put them in the closet he would obsess over them and sit and stare outside the closet door.  That is Max, Jon's dog who died of Kidney disease a couple of years ago, sleeping beside him.

And here he is in his favorite sleeping spot.  He would stretch out there for hours.  I miss that even though he stopped doing it a couple of years ago.

I used to have pictures of him on my desk at school...like some people have pictures of their family.  He was my family after all.  I brought them out and put them on the antique secretary in the corner of the room.  Sort of a Bailey shrine.  But I haven't burnt any incense to him.....yet.

Thanks for stopping by.  Looking forward to a movie and Lodge on Friday.  Tomorrow I shall probably stay home again.  No place to go or anything to do.  I am reading a wonderful book.  But it is a book to be savored and not rushed through.  Wonderful writer.

Alexandra Christine

My cousin sent some pictures of the new baby.  Amy (mother) is my first cousin once removed.  That means her mother was my first cousin in case you did not know.  My mother and Amy's grandmother were sisters.  My aunt JoAnn sent me a note Monday after the baby was born.

 

 When Amy was born they lived in Newton, Iowa and one night after they had the baby and were at home, I said something to Mother about going to McDonalds for supper.  We did...but it was the McDonalds in Newton, about an hours drive away.

It was a great memory for me as I thought back to that happy day.  Mother loved Amy like she was her own grandchild.  Someone once said that she would have crawled over nails to take care of Amy.  I felt the same way.

Later Amy had a little brother, Michael. I am not sure where they lived then but we went to see the new baby.  Mother was always afraid that, with a new baby in the house, the older child, who until that time had all the attention, would feel neglected or left out.  So instead of rushing right in to see the new baby, she asked Amy: "Amy, do you have something new to show Aunt Ruth?"  Amy did, in fact several things,  Toys and dolls in her room.  Mom had to work real hard to get her to show her the new baby.

It looks to me like Aiden is pretty pleased to have a little sister.  I know we are all happy that a new member of the family has joined us and she is very fortunate to be born into a loving family such as mine. And I think she is doubly lucky to have a loving caring big brother.   Enjoy the rest of the pictures and you can enjoy them in a larger format by clicking on them and embiggening them

Rant

Tuesday March 27, 2012

I am going to grouse so don't read this if you don't want to.

I went to Oddfellows Burgers for supper tonight.  Ordered a Cheeseburger and asked for it to be made like a Grilled Cheese sandwich. (they make a double burger between two grilled cheese sandwiches) - No problem they could do that.

When the bill came I paid it without looking at it.  When I got my change bak I looked at it.  There was a charge for $2 called "Open" on there.  I asked about it and was told that was the charge for making my grilled cheese burger. I had not been told there would be an additional charge and I told the server (who I tipped 20%) that I thought it was ridiculous ( actually I said F^&*&ing ridiculous).

I also told him I would not be going back there again and I have unliked their Facebook page.  The burger and onion rings were delicious however. The hostess and the waitstaff were very nice but they should have told me there was an extra charge for replacing a bun with two slices of bread.

The Eaglet has hatched!

THE FIRST EGG HAS HATCHED. CLICK HERE.

My Buddy

Bailey came into my life in the Fall of 1995.  My mother had passed in January and for the first time in many years I was alone,  The house was empty and I felt the same way.  I had wanted a Yorkshire Terrier for a long time.  Friends of mine who lived in Iowa City had one and when I stayed with them I had enjoyed the little dog.

A woman in Story City was selling her Yorkie (I can never understand how some people regard pets as disposable).  By the time I went up to meet the dog she had already sold it to someone else (even though she knew I was coming up).  I guess she couldn't wait to get rid of the dog.

I found Bailey in Boone in a home that had a lot of Yorkies.  I would not describe it as a Puppy Mill per se because the dogs lived all over their home with them. Not in Kennels but running and climbing all over them.  One of the dogs and I bonded and after checking me out they let me purchase him.  This began my time with my best friend.

First he had to have a name.  For some reason the name Bailey popped into my mind.  Also Gizmo because he looked a little like Gizmo from the movie Gremlin. Because I have Irish in my background I put the three together and named him Bailey's Irish Gizmo or B.I.G.  Later I realized that the guy who owned the Yorkie I first met had the last name Bailey.  It seemed appropriate.

Bailey was a lot of fun to live with. He was always chipper and bright and he loved to play. He somehow got so that he would push a soccer ball around.  Always had to have something in his mouth when he did so.  Sometimes it was a plush toy, once he came out with an empty pop can. The plush banana was the funniest.  He would chase after the ball which was bigger than he was get behind it and then push it down the hall at "ninety miles a minute" till he got it back to me.  If someone else was here he always took turns, taking it first to one and then to another.

Sometimes he had a smaller ball and he would push them also. He would almost kick it first with one foot and then with another.  This happened even when he could have put the ball in his mouth.

He would sleep with me at night and I had steps so he could climb into and out of the bed. Lots of times he would join me on the recliner, resting between my legs leaning against the right leg.  It was comforting to have him.

When I first got him I kept him in a kennel during the day but eventually he got the "run of the house" -  From then on I told people that it was Bailey's house and I just lived here to take care of him.

The past several years he did less and less of the playing and more sleeping. He would circle around and find a spot and sleep for hours. Not so much playing but he would still let me pick him up and hold him and scratch behind his ears.  Eventually he lost a lot (if not all) of his eyesight and would not be able to find his way back after being let outside.  So we had puppy pads (which he sometimes missed) and I watched him occasionally having to look to see if he was still breathing.

I almost lost him earlier this year.  He was not eating and dehydrated.  Also he had an infection in his eyes.  Thus began the drops in the eyes (which he did not like but put up with) and the artificial tears.  I also changed his food and would hold him and his dish while he snarfed his food down.  His appetite was good and we had good times twice a day while he ate.  If I didn't hold him he would wander away and not be able to find his dish again. No matter that was what I was there for.

Last Tuesday I woke up in the night and picked him up and held him for several hours.  He liked my warmth and would snuggle and sleep on me. Eventually he wanted down and I let him down and dozed off.  He woke me up with his legs going as if he was running or trying to get up.  I went over and noticed foam coming out of him mouth..He was having some sort of a seizure.  I called my vet who lives right up the street and she came down and we decided that he need not suffer and so she "did the last thing you can do for a pet" to make sure that they do not have to suffer.  He went peacefully in my arms and it was over.

Except it is not over.  I still look around to see where he is sleeping when I get up from my chair.  I still think about finding him to pick him up for nap time and some hugs. I still remember the kisses and the joy he gave me and I always will. There is a piece by Thomas Wolfe that I found that helps me when I think about dying...Now I think about it when I think of Bailey.

"Something has spoken to me  in the night,Burning the tapers of the waning year;Something has spoken in the night,And told me I shall die, I know not where. Saying:"To lose the earth you know, for greater knowing;To lose the life you have, for greater life;To leave the friends you loved, for greater loving;To find a land more kind than home, more larger than earth- "Whereon the pillars of this earth are founded,Toward which the conscience of the world is tending-A wind is rising, and the rivers flow." You Can't Go Home Again

I have not lost Bailey, He has gone to be One with the Universe to where I shall someday join him and we shall play and love each other again.  A wind is rising and the rivers are flowing.

Insight

It is probably not good theology but something came in my head today as Friend and Brother Ken and I were driving to Des Moines when I took him to catch his flight back the Albuquerque.  We were discussing how Ego seems to be a real problem for some people. Particularly for wealthy politicians.

The thought came to my mind that Jesus once stated:   


"If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me"

If you take that literally you might be like the young man he was speaking to who:

  "went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions."


However if you take it as an allegory perhaps he was telling us to get rid of our self-important ego person and get rid of thinking that we are better than others. Realize that we are all one with each other, one with God.  


The Masonic Fraternity taught me that we are all Brothers under the Fatherhood of God.  That is what Brotherhood is.  In a larger sense we are all Brothers and Sisters and material wealth means nothing unless we have spiritual wealth (treasure in heaven).  


Continuing that idea - Paul writing in Galatians got it when he said


"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."



What an incredible statement.  The poorest person begging on the street corner is just as entitled to our love and care and respect as the wealthiest person who has more money than they could ever spend in a lifetime.  


That poor individual may not have the giant ego as the Corporate President but I believe that Jesus saw his or her worth and had compassion on her or him.  We should remember that.


At the top of this blog is a statement which I used to have hanging in my classroom.  "Each of us is but one in all of time."  There never has been nor will there ever be another you. (or me)  We should strive to be the best ONE we can be.


Thanks for listening. Hugs, j

New Baby in the Family

Cousins Amy and Lee announce:
Alexandra Christine  -  8 lbs, 19 in  -has arrived, all is well

Happy News.

Light

In the Masonic Fraternity we search for Light, More Light and Further Light.

These three are picitures I found that I may or may have not published earlier.

 People are like stained-glass windows.  They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

 I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars. Og Mandino

Darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that.  

Martin Luther King, Jr.

And where, you say is the light in this picture?  Look in the dog's eyes.

I think that the dog would prefer to be riding outside.

Have a great week folks.

Sunday Salute - II

Continuing the series of salutes to people I admire and who I find worthy of emulation.  


Archbishop Desmond Tutu,  Nobel Peace Prize winner.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born 7 October 1931) is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. He was the first black South African Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa and primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa).
Tutu has been active in the defence of human rights and uses his high profile to campaign for the oppressed. He has campaigned to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia. Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986, the Pacem in Terris Award in 1987, the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999, the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2005 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

Quotes:

“When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said, 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.”

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”

“We may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low.”

“I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.

"I am fifty-two years of age. I am a bishop in the Anglican Church, and a few people might be constrained to say that I was reasonably responsible. In the land of my birth I cannot vote, whereas a young person of eighteen can vote. And why? Because he or she possesses that wonderful biological attribute -- a white skin.”

"Children are a wonderful gift. They have an extraordinary capacity to see into the heart of things and to expose sham and humbug for what they are." 

"My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together."

“Differences are not intended to separate, to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realize our need of one another.” 

“In the end what matters is not how good we are but how good God is. Not how much we love Him but how much He loves us. And God loves us whoever we are, whatever we’ve done or failed to do, whatever we believe or can’t.” 

"Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. "

“Religion is like a knife: you can either use it to cut bread, or stick in someone's back.” 


Addendum
“[E]ven the supporters of apartheid were victims of the vicious system which they implemented and which they supported so enthusiastically,” he wrote in his book No Future Without Forgiveness. “In the process of dehumanizing another, in inflicting untold harm and suffering, inexorably the perpetrator was being dehumanized as well.”

Saturday Lunch

 These trees are in full bloom and it is only March 24.  I spotted them on my way to meet Randy and Fay (cousins) at Applebees for lunch.

 I called Ginny and she joined us.  The picture I took of her was really unflattering and I know what she would do to me if I posted it.

Some kid had this t-shirt on.  He must be a Senior in High School.. It says, Only 43 more years until we are Seniors again.

 When I got home the neighbor across the street had his puppy out.  I have seen it several times.  Very well-behaved and never goes out of the yard.  I walked over and got some puppy love from her  Beautiful dog.  I threatened to steal her.

Spring into Saturday

(You can embiggen the pictures by clicking on them.)

 It was a beautiful day on Friday and I took some pictures when I was out.  The one on the right is gratuitous. I was looking in the knob of my cane at Lodge Thursday Night and thought I would see what I could do to capture the reflections.  Kind of neat.

Tonight I stopped out at Battle's BarBQue to pick up supper.

 Across the street when I was leaving I noticed that there were people on the patio over at Stompin'  Grounds.  Reminds me it is about time to go there again.  I like their tea,  Sandwiches and soup are pretty good also.

 Three shots of the ISU Campinile 

It has been a Campus Icon for over 100 years.

 Look closely at the picture below.  The Redbuds are beginning to show.  A few more days and the flowering trees will all be showing their new gowns.

 I love our Iowa Memorial Union and the Christian Peterson Fountain in the front.  My family's construction company helped build the Union.

This magnolia is on Duff Ave and 12th near the Hospital and the McFarland Clinic.  It is in its full glory.

Have a lovely Saturday!