Dangerous Dog Ball

Go to the link and see the story and if you have this dog ball throw it away! It is a red dimpled ball with one hole in it with a bell inside. Any ball with one hole in it should be discarded! I had a dumbell toy that each end had one opening with a bell in it and I threw it away.
A toy with one hole in it can create a suction that the animal's tongue can get caught in.

http://www.thechaistory.blogspot.com/

Thanks Jen for passing this along.

On the 45th Anniversary of the Peace March on Washington

These extraordinary pictures were taken by Hodgepodge reader Dee from Las Cruces, NM and she writes about this day:

I was there that hot August, 1963 day in Washington, D.C. to witness
the Peace March led by Martin Luther King. I was a young teacher living
in D.C. at the time and drove my apartment-mate to work at 7 in the
morning because we were not sure she could get there otherwise. I
remember seeing lots of full-size passenger buses beginning to come into
town that early in the morning and line up in parking lots set aside for
them. Cathie, the roommate, had her office in the National Science
Foundation on Constitution Avenue. We all feared violence; we really
were not sure what to expect. I stayed the whole day down at the NSF
Bldg. and gradually, very gradually, made my way down to the front door,
then out to the sidewalk, then out into the street and then, ultimately
into the crowd and right up near the front to hear the speech. The
reality of that day is that there was NO violence; just thousands of
people who, with great peace and love in their hearts, believed in their
cause and wanted us all to know how they felt. They sang and laughed and
were joyous as they marched along and were happy to have a chance to
"get their cause out there". They were all very friendly to me, very
kind, made way for me to go along and forward. I will never forget it.
Always having been curious, I made my way almost to the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial and could clearly see Martin Luther King as he spoke.
I did take pictures - I'm so glad I did. I was 24 and raised in
northern Virginia but was lucky enough to know what black people I did
from a perspective of tolerance (I had British parents) and love (those
who worked in the households I knew well, including my own, taught me so
much in the way of housekeeping and loved me greatly). I have been very
fortunate to experience this in my life - ultimately it would prepare me
for teaching the first black student in a public school in Alexandria,
Va. just a year later. I would not trade this life experience with these
dear people for anything. They were true to their deep belief in love
and kindness wherever possible, no matter what the circumstances.

To read or hear his speech go to:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Dee thank you so much for sharing your pictures and story.

The Wild Horses of Assateague & Chincoteague

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assateague_Island

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chincoteague

Assateague & Chincoteague Island

One of the things we were looking for on this trip was to see the Wild Horses of Assateague & Chincoteague. They are located within a short driving distance from Ocean City, Maryland on the barrier Island of Assateague. Here you'll find the Assateague and Chincoteague National Parks. These parks provide an abundance of nature and outdoor recreation, including camping, fishing, hunting, four wheel drive vehicle beach access, trails for hiking, and much more.
There are no food consession stands in the parks where you go to see the horses so pack a picnic lunch. The $15 you pay, per carload to get into the park will give you admission to both parks at Assateaque & Chincoteaque. (The pass is good for I think it was 6 days.) You cannot drive straight through from Assateaque to Chincoteaque, you'll have to leave Assateaque and go down and drive around to Chincoteaque. On the way you'll pass the towm of Berlin, MD where scenes from the movie "Runaway Bride" starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere were filmed. Also used for the movie "Tuck Everlasting" I don't know exactly what you'll see as we didn't stop off. You can check it out here:
http://www.townofberlinmd.com/
Here are links for more information and tomorrow I'll start posting pictures I took on the two places.
Assateague State Park is Maryland's only ocean park:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/eastern/assateague.html
or
http://www.nps.gov/asis/

Other information:
http://www.atbeach.com/mdstpark/mdpark.asp

Free-Self-Guided Cell Phone Tour of Assateague Island National Seashore:
(410) 864-9128
http://www.nps.gov/asis/upload/Oncellposter.pdf

I'm Back From Vacation

I'm back from vacation and I'll be posting some pictures from that, but first some other "Farm" business. Barbara has asked me to pass along this requested information about this kitty litter she had mentioned in an eMo that she's using there in Italy for Ben.
"The glamorous cat litter is called "Inodorina" (odorless). It is natural (contains silicon, which immediately dessicates the waste and roevents any odor at all.) antibacterial, and lasts 3-4 weeks. It is not flushable." www.inodorina.it (website is not in english)

Now there was a good amount driving on my vacation. Before I left, Carol , over at Ways of the World, told me she was reading a new book called, "Traffic" that talks about "how we drive and what that says about us". She's done an interesting write-up about it. Check it out on her column at: www.ways-of-the-world.blogspot.com

There are a few additions to the recognizable sounds* posting. You can keep emailing them in as you think of them, and I'll keep adding them on to the posting.
*Please note that it is more sounds I'm looking for, not words. Makes it harder doesn't it? : )

The 17 Most Recognizable Trademark Sounds

This list is from an article I found at:
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/17425

1. NBC’s musical notes G, E, C played on chimes. NBC was the first to trademark a sound for its radio broadcasting services in 1950.
2. MGM’s lion’s roar
3. The song “Sweet Georgia Brown” for The Harlem Globetrotters
4. Tetris’ “electronic Russian folkstyle tune,” owned by Elorg Company
5. Intel’s 5 note ding
6. “D’Oh” spoken by Homer is owned by Fox
7. The 9 bars of musical chord in the key of B Flat that typically opens a Twentieth Century Fox movie
8. Looney Toons Theme Song, owned by Time Warner
9. The spoken letters “AT&T” with a music in the background
10. “Cha-Ching,” owned by Checker’s Restaurants
11. “Yahoo!” sung in a yodeling style
12. Nokia’s default ringtone
13. Mister Softee’s Jingle
14. “Hello and Welcome to Moviefone,” owned by America Online
15. The sound of the crowd & bell from the New York Stock Exchange’s trading floor
16. TiVo’s popping sounds (in 2 and 6 tones)
17. Pillsbury Doughboy’s giggle

What are some other recognizable sounds you can think of?
No Hodgepodge all next week. I'm going to be away. So, I'm leaving you with this to ponder. You can fill my email with all the ones you've thought of to add to this list. : ) Have fun!
Just put "Sounds" in the subject line.

Here are some I thought of:

Carol Burnett's Tarzan yell
"Ho,Ho, Ho" - Green Giant
"Meow" of Meow Mix cat food
Woody Woodpecker's signature laugh
AOL's opening and closing door sound
Road Runner's "Beep-Beep"
Star Trek's transporter sound
Opening trumpet sounds to CBS's "Sunday Morning"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The opening notes of Beethoven's Fifth
- Dee
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
here are some of my favorites from childhood:

the 5 alien language tones from Close Encounters of the Third Kind
the sound of Samantha's nose on Bewitched
the sound of Jeannie granting a wish on I Dream of Jeannie
the sounds of the ship's bridge on Star Trek
Pac Man eating his pellets
R2-D2
the Wheel of Fortune spinning
the "Survey Says" results on Family Feud (the X's mainly)
the opening chord of "Hard Day's Night" (or the buzzy tone before "I Feel Fine")
the sound of Transformers transforming

- colter
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
teacher voice on any Charlie Brown cartoon
- Pam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The dah-dong from the show Law & Order.
~Sue
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First few bars of "Jeopardy" theme song
-Sally

Meow!

This story was passed onto me from Barbara to post.

Meow Meow Meow Meow Meow Meow Meow
Ok, Ok so I'll tell everyone the story about you.
One night I hopped the van to Pipa. I still don't own a car so I use public transportation. There are vans that travel the road from Goininha to Pipa and back, about 20 miles in total. Now these are vans mostly used for the nativos to get back and forth from work. I suspect I am the first American to use this form of transport especially on a daily basis.
But anyway, while imbibing in a Skol bem gelado at my local hang out, a guy came in with a box of kittens. Now I'm not much of a cat person so I felt safe to have a look inside the box. To my horror I saw the runt of the litter. She was nothing but bones and fur. Her brothers and sisters were twice her size and quite active. She just barely was breathing. Her eyes were all infected and they all were covered in fleas. My heart just sank for this little critter. I had to pick her up. I was so astounded at how light she was and her bones were so fragile. When I put her to my heart I knew I was not going to be able to let her go. Her brothers and sister were adopted immediately and I saw the man walking away. Wait!! What about this one? It pains me to tell you this but he said, "Just leave her in the street, she won't live till tomorrow. I don't want her and the mother cat has abandoned her. I knew from holding her that he was probably right. But there was just no way I could put her down. The consensus of Chino's bar was death would be soon.
I ran to the house of Alex, the cat expert, for advice clutching her to my chest. The verdict was the same . But he had some left over medicine, a shoe box and suggested to try to feed her with a syringe. But he wasn't very hopeful either. Well I thought if she only has a short time left at least I want her to be in a loving home. So shoebox and I boarded the last van back to Tibau.
When I got home I prepared the syringe with the medicine and watered down milk. She couldn't even hold her head up. No way did she want anything to eat. She was getting ready to die. Drop by drop it took me most of the night to get 2cc's into her mouth. I was covered with fleas and so was Espresso. I immediately treated Espresso to an early dose of Frontline to protect him. Esso was so concerned for this little tyke that he stood on his hind legs and tried to clean her. We both cried when we finally put her down in her shoe box to get some sleep.
Alas the next day she was still breathing but so frail. Her eyes, the biggest part of her were so sad and hopeless. Being abandoned by her mother had taken is toll on her will to live. She just didn't want to eat or live any more. So drop by drop I forced into her. She was so cold that I wrapped her up in a towel. I cuddled her I talked to her I sang to her I just couldn't let her go. I did physical therapy on her legs. I wrapped a scarf around me like a sling and put her in it to keep her close to my heart. All the time Espresso looked on with concern. Every time I put her down, Esso cleaned her up. Now you know how much I love my dog and think he's the coolest dude on the planet. But he is so compassionate. I wish more people in the world had half of his compassion then maybe we wouldn't always be at war and the divorce rate wouldn't be so high.
If only we can get her thru the day and I can get some more food into her just maybe and that was the mantra for the next three days. But still she was resistant to life. She used what little strength she had to combat me from feeding her. Every two hours I started anew drop by drop. Although I never raised children I have always had an appreciation for mothers and the intense work that it takes to raise the young. But MOMS you are too cool. Just getting up every two hours to feed your child puts you in the All Star Hall of Fame. And then they become teenagers with a driver's license!!!
Now I would like to take credit for saving this little fur balls life but it was not I who gave her a will to live. Espresso deserves all the applause. He cuddled with her to keep her warm, he washed her, but when he let her suck on his tits - that was the turning point. Of course he didn't have milk for her but she had felt the love of a parent. The funny thing is that all instincts that keep dogs and cats from li king each other melted away. Weeks have past and I don't get up during the night to feed her anymore. She now can feed herself. And what food does she eat? Espresso's and he obligingly eats hers. She sleeps cuddled up to him every night and runs him raged all the days biting his feet and punching him. When she wanders too far he is on her butt pushing her back closer to home. When I am gardening, they are always close at hand.
So what is her name? Chinchilla She is as soft as the fur of my own mother's jacket. It is one of my early memories as a child, my face buried in the collar of her new chinchilla jacket as she got ready to go out with my dad. So in honor of Mothers Here's to you MOM.

Ciao for now,
Nancy

Epilepsy and Seizures

Having a child with epilepsy I feel there are a lot of misconceptions and lack of understanding of epilepsy and seizures by the general public.
First, from the Epilepsy Advocate Community email newsletter
I receive, here's some information on what to do for some one experiencing a seizure.

In case of a seizure with convulsions

If you’re nearby when I have a seizure with convulsions, here’s how you can help:

1. Roll me onto my side—this will prevent choking in case I vomit, or have something in my mouth.

2. Cushion my head.

3. Loosen any tight clothing around my neck.

4. Keep my airway open so I can breathe. If necessary, you can grip my jaw gently and tilt my head back.

5. Don’t restrict my movement unless I’m in danger.

6. Don’t put anything into my mouth—not even medicine or liquid! These can cause choking or damage my jaw, tongue, and teeth. The widespread belief that people can swallow their tongues during a seizure is a myth.

7. Remove any sharp or solid objects that I might hit during the seizure.

8. Take note of how long the seizure lasts and what symptoms occur so you can tell a doctor or emergency personnel if necessary.

9. Stay with me until the seizure ends.

In case of a seizure without convulsions

Non-convulsive seizures may cause people to behave in ways that seem unusual. For example, they may wander aimlessly or make unusual gestures—but it’s not on purpose! If you’re around when I have a non-convulsive seizure, here’s how you can help:

1. Remove any dangerous objects from the area around me or in my path.

2. Don’t try to stop me from wandering unless I’m in danger.

3. Don’t shake me or shout.

4. Stay with me until I’m completely alert.

When to call 911

When a person has epilepsy, a routine seizure may not be a medical emergency. But, it’s important to call 911 in the following cases:

• The person having the seizure is pregnant or has diabetes.

• The seizure occurs in water.

• The seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes.

• The person does not begin breathing again or does not return to consciousness after the seizure stops.

• Another seizure starts before the person regains consciousness.

• The person is injured during the seizure.

Go to this link:
http://www.keppra.com/pc/living_with_epilepsy/care_cards.asp?CMP=EMCEAS1M9&lid=Care_Card
To print out some easy-to-use Care Cards. Simply fill out a card with important information, like contact numbers and signs of a seizure. Have your child carry one and share with people who may need to know what to do if your child has a seizure. It is easy, valuable and helps people understand epilepsy better.

By visiting the Epilepsy Classroom one can find tools and tips for parents and teachers including how to talk about epilepsy, lesson plans, and seizure first aid.
Go here to learn more:
http://epilepsyclassroom.com/?CMP=EMC-EAS1M9&lid=Epilepsy_Classroom

You'll find lesson plans for:
Preschool-K
Grades 1-4
Grades 5-8
Grades 9-12

Other Teacher Resource tools to help you and your school be prepared for:
What to do during a seizure
How to address a seizure with your class
How to inform parents
Resources for your school
The social impact of epilepsy

and Parent Resources on this site for:
Which faculty and school staff to inform of your child’s epilepsy
How to talk with your child’s teachers
Working to overcome the social stigma of epilepsy

For: Epilepsy 101, Types of Seizures, Warning Signs, Triggers, and Treatment
Go to:
http://epilepsyclassroom.com/epilepsy/types_of_seizures.aspx#types

Note: Should anyone like a blank record keeping sheet, like the one I use to keep track of David's seizures, just email me and I'll send you the attachment. It is in Microsoft Word. You can just print it out and then make photocopies of it.

GE Champions of Energy Savings Sweepstakes

Hodgepodge reader Marilyn sends along this GE Champions of Energy Savings game she came across for a chance to win a $5,000 grand prize. Each time you enter though, you can win that week's prize drawing of a $500 Visa Olympic Games-themed Gift Card, or a GE ENERGY STAR qualified appliance - depending on the weekly sweepstakes you entered. Entering every day increases your chances of winning!
Good luck!
Contest ends 9/28/08

http://www.geappliances.com/promos/sweepstakes_challenge/

Answers People, We Need Answers

OK, here are the answers with some missing, so email me the missing ones and I'll fill them in.

Align your water fowl. - Bob W.
Get your ducks in a row.

There is the widespread misconception that the manicured turf of a neighbor’s yard that which is separated by an iron fence, has somehow reached the upper ranges of the spectrum that is dominated by light energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570-nm.
The grass is always greener in someone else's yard. (?)

One must be careful not to spew lacrimal fluid just because opaque white liquid, that which is produced by the mammary glands of female mammals, has been accidentally tossed onto the floor.
Don’t cry over spilled milk.
Christopher T.

It is inadvisable to store fresh vintage in ancient containers.
Don't put new wine in old bottles. (paraphrased from Mark2)
Don’t put new wine in old wineskins.

One whose merriment commences at the very end of an enterprise has the most satisfactory merriment of all.
He, who laughs last, laughs best.

Numbering your feathered bipeds in advance of their birth ensures disappointment.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

A winged biped who is willing to forgo sleeping late is always the one who procures the annelid.
The early bird catches the worm.

Four footed furries with whiskers who choose to wear mittens are never able to obtain rodents.
A cat in gloves catches no mice.

Coppers that are retained in safe places are coppers that have been bought by earnest labor.
A penny saved is a penny earned.

Winged bipeds with similar outer coverings tend to gather in homogeneous groupings.
Birds of a feather, flock together.

Many find it difficult to see the entire range of the arbor when closely regarding one specimen. Can’t see the forest for the trees.

It is foolish to weep over the product of ovine lactation when it has already toppled over.
Don’t cry over spilled milk.

Make sure to retain the neonate when quickly disposing of used washing water.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

Nadene

Proceeding with undue alacrity produces unwanted refuse.
Haste makes waste.

An exceedingly unwise individual may find himself quickly separated from his monetary worth.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
Mary M.

It's impossible to fashion a lustrous fabric receptacle for one's coins and bills from the external hearing organ of an adult female swine.
You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

The feathered entity you are holding is twice as valuable as the assumption that twice as many are encamped in yonder shrubbery.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Terry W.

One mustn't enumerate one's poultry before it has completed the gestation process.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

Refrain from discarding the infant along with it's cleansing solution.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

Like a domesticated feline on a heated metal building top.
Like a cat on a hot tin roof.

If one is seriously troubled by some aspect of a proposal it would be most wise to simply discount the entire idea and not act upon it.
When in doubt, don't.

Even the smallest amount of the coin of the realm is indeed of value if kept as part of the fortune amassed as a result of your faithful endeavors.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Ann

Multitudinous palm and finger appendages lessen required chores.
Many hands make light work.
Jane

The louder he spoke of his honor, the quicker we counted our spoons.
Methinks he doth protest too much.?

An avian character in your appendage is better than double that in a shrub.
A bird in the hand, is worth two in the bush.

Susan N.

A rapidly accelerating spherical sedimentary fragment is almost certainly incapable of collecting organic fungoid material.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Kalliope D.

Sayings Dana received:

Applying one's dress making skills in a small way early on insures against having to tackle a much larger sewing project at a later time.
A stitch in time, saves nine.

A suture when needed prevents one less than ten.
A stitch in time, saves nine.

Avoiding discomfort prevents desired growth.
No pain, no gain.

Bearing in mind means considering.

Be careful not to hurt the little one with the washing liquid.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

Being away inspires aortic longings.
Distance makes the heart grow fonder.

Collection of sodium chloride crystal is advised.
Take it with a pinch of salt.

Directing equines by the brook doesn't guarantee they will imbibe.
You can draw a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.

Harvest alfalfa during periods of solar illumination.
Make hay while the sun shines.

If you hurry, you'll find you have a lot of unusable garbage left over.
Haste makes waste.

If your best friend is taking a nap, leave him alone.
Let sleeping dog lie.

I'm absolutely certain I've not been in the presence of a puce bovine, which I consider a good thing. But rest assured, if I ever encounter one, I wouldn't trade places with him.
"I've never seen a purple cow,
I never hope to see one.
But I can tell you anyhow
I'd rather see than be one." by Gelett Burgess, 1895 or Ogden Nash?

or I've never seen a purple cow but I'd rather see than be one.

. . .and this sent in by Jennifer Read
Or, when my grandmother was in college, and the students thought they were being given skim milk, as their rations were suspiciously blue
(she was class of 1909, well before skim milk became the Right Thing)
I never saw a purple cow,
I never hope to see one;
But from the milk we're getting now,
I'm sure that there must be one.

In times of struggle, strong individuals seek out an emporium.
When the times get tough, the tough go shopping.

Lynx lift your larynx?
Cat got your tongue?

Plural panther pelt procurement procedures persist.
There is more than one way to skin a cat.

Retiring at a prudent time, and arising at an equally appropriate hour, leads to soundness of
body, monetary gain and deep insight.
Early to bed and early to rise, makes one health, wealthy, and wise.

Sew slow. Situational hazards inevitably transpire.
A stitch in time, saves nine.?

The dessert contains the definitive evidence.
The proof is in the pudding.

There comes a time when one has to put out the fire, fold the tent and pack up the camel.

There was a definite lack of imbibing during the marathon.
A dry run.

The shedding of tears over a puddle of cow udder liquid should be avoided.
Don’t cry over spilled milk.

When Mr. Ed brings you a package, focus on the bow.
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Due to the predictable nature of gravitational forces, the descending pomes of the Malus domestica should be expected to travel only relatively short distances in a lateral direction, thus ending their journey in the vicinity of the mother plant.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
- Sharon W.

Your Old Sayings

Here they are, the rework of the old sayings you sent it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Align your water fowl" - Bob W.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is the widespread misconception that the manicured turf of a neighbor’s yard, that which is separated by an iron fence, has somehow reached the upper ranges of the spectrum that is dominated by light energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570-nm.

One must be careful not to spew lacrimal fluid just because opaque white liquid, that which is produced by the mammary glands of female mammals, has been accidentally tossed onto the floor. - Christopher T.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is inadvisable to store fresh vintage in ancient containers.

One whose merriment commences at the very end of an enterprise has the most satisfactory merriment of all.

Numbering your feathered bipeds in advance of their birth ensures disappointment.

A winged biped who is willing to forgo sleeping late is always the one who procures the annelid.

Four footed furries with whiskers who choose to wear mittens are never able to obtain rodents.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

Coppers that are retained in safe places are coppers that have been bought by earnest labor.

Winged bipeds with similar outer coverings tend to gather in homogeneous groupings.
Many find it difficult to see the entire range of the arbor when closely regarding one specimen.

It is foolish to weep over the product of ovine lactation when it has already toppled over.

Make sure to retain the neonate when quickly disposing of used washing water. - Nadene
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proceeding with undue alacrity produces unwanted refuse.

An exceedingly unwise individual may find himself quickly separated from his monetary worth. - Mary M.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's impossible to fashion a lustrous fabric receptacle for one's coins and bills from the external hearing organ of an adult female swine.

The feathered entity you are holding is twice as valuable as the assumption that twice as many are encamped in yonder shrubbery. - Terry W.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One mustn't enumerate one's poultry before it has completed the gestation process.

Refrain from discarding the infant along with it's cleansing solution.

Like a domesticated feline on a heated metal building top.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If one is seriously troubled by some aspect of a proposal it would be most wise to simply discount the entire idea and not act on it.

Even the smallest amount of the coin of the realm is indeed of value if kept as part of the fortune amassed as a result of your faithful endeavors. - Ann
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Multitudinous palm and finger appendages lessen required chores. - Jane
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The louder he spoke of his honor, the quicker we counted our spoons.

An avian character in your appendage is better than double that in a shrub. - Susan N.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A rapidly accelerating spherical sedimentary fragment is almost certainly incapable of collecting organic fungoid material. - Kalliope D.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
. . . and the sayings Dana, who started it all, received:

Applying one's dress making skills in a small way early on insures against having to tackle a much larger sewing project at a later time.

A suture when needed prevents one less than ten.

Avoiding discomfort prevents desired growth.

Bearing in mind means considering.

Be careful not to hurt the little one with the washing liquid.

Being away inspires aortic longings.

Collection of sodium chloride crystal is advised.

Directing equines by the brook doesn't guarantee they will imbibe.

Harvest alfalfa during periods of solar illumination.

If you hurry, you'll find you have a lot of unusable garbage left over.

If your best friend is taking a nap, leave him alone.

I'm absolutely certain I've not been in the presence of a puce bovine, which I consider a good thing. But rest assured, if I ever encounter one, I wouldn't trade places with him.

In times of struggle, strong individuals seek out an emporium.

Lynx lift your larynx?

Plural panther pelt procurement procedures persist.

Retiring at a prudent time, and arising at an equally appropriate hour, leads to soundness of body, monetary gain and deep insight.

Sew slow. Situational hazards inevitably transpire.

The dessert contains the definitive evidence.

There comes a time when one has to put out the fire, fold the tent and pack up the camel.

There was a definite lack of imbibing during the marathon.

The shedding of tears over a puddle of cow udder liquid should be avoided.

When Mr. Ed brings you a package, focus on the bow.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Due to the predictable nature of gravitational forces, the descending pomes of the Malus domestica should be expected to travel only relatively short distances in a lateral direction, thus ending their journey in the vicinity of the mother plant.
- Sharon W.

Some Websites for the Kids

From the Jolly Green Giant and the Little Sprout a game to learn more about foods:
http://www.mightygiants.com/?WT.ac=CP-Mighty-Giants-Link-10-23-07-mgiants

Then check out their links to other kid friendly sites:

BAM -about keeping you safe, healthy, and active.

Verb - a high activity site to get kids moving.

President's Challenge - a program that encourages all Americans to make being active part of their everyday lives.

KidsHealth - Healthy Hints

Kidnetic.com - Fun fitness games

MyPyramid.gov - Learn more about the food groups and eating right.

Women and Friendship

This is one of those things that has gone around the Internet but I thought I'd pass it on in case you hadn't seen it.

Women In My Circle

When I was little, I used to believe in the concept of one best
friend, and then I started to become a woman.

And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up, God would show you the best in many friends.

One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man. Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom.

Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your children and their activities.

Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.

One friend will say, "Let's cry together," another, "Let's fight together,"another, "Let's walk away together."

One friend will meet your spiritual need, another your shoe fetish, another your love for movies, another will be with you in your season of confusion, another will be your clarifier, another the wind beneath your wings.

But whatever their assignment in your life, on whatever the occasion, on whatever the day, or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back, or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself, those are your best friends.

It may all be wrapped up in one woman, but for many, it's wrapped up in several..one from 7th grade, one from high school, several from the college years, a couple from old jobs, on some days your mother, on some days your neighbor, on others, your sisters, and on some days, your daughters.

So whether they've been your friend for 20 minutes or 20 years, and only if you'd like to, pass this on to the women that God has placed in your life to make a difference.

Ben Prepares for His Trip to Italy

Ancient Aphorisms or Old Sayings

The following comes to the Farm by way of an old friend of Barbara’s, Dana Bate, a New York actor friend. He's retired now to a little town in PA.

“I always enjoy other people's contests whether I enter them or not. So here's mine. Your mission (should you chose to accept it) is to take an old saying and translate it into other words. You may make it as verbose as you want to, which is why there are old sayings in the first place. For example: "Don't put all of your eggs into one basket" becomes "People should not confine the entire produce of their hen house within a single container."
There only two rules:
1. Your entry must include the entire sentiment of the original, and
2. You must avoid using any of the important original words.
The decision of the judges is final, you may enter as often as you wish, there's no deadline and no prizes will be awarded. Good luck.
Here's my entry. "Night is an inappropriate time for the manufacture of animal feed."

Here is another one:
* "Applying one's dressmaking skills in a small way early on insures against having to tackle a much larger sewing project at a later moment.”

You send them in and I’ll post the list when I get a bunch. Put “Old Sayings” in the subject line of your email.