Mary had a little lamb...

A friend of mine just shared this with me and I wish to share it with all of you as well...

A Visitor From the Past~

by Thelen Paulk

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I had a dream the other night, I did not understand--
A figure walking through the mist, with flintlock in his hand.
His clothes were torn and dirty, as he stood there by my bed.
He took off his three-cornered-hat and speaking low, he said,


"We fought a revolution to secure our Liberty,
We wrote the Constitution, as a shield from tyranny.
For future generations this legacy we gave
In this, the land of the free and the home of the brave.


The freedom we secured for you, we hoped you'd always keep,
But tyrants labored endlessly, while your parents were asleep.
Your freedom gone - Your courage lost - You're no more than a slave
In this, the land of the free and the home of the brave.


You buy a permit to travel, and a permit to own a gun,
Permits to start a business or to build a place for one.
On land that you believe you own, you pay a yearly rent,
Although you have no voice in choosing, how the money's spent.


Your children must attend a school that does not educate,
Your Christian values can't be taught, according to the State.
You read about the current news in a regulated press.
You pay a tax you do not owe, to please the I.R.S.


Your money is no longer made of silver or of gold.
You trade your wealth for paper, so your life can be controlled.
You pay for crimes that make your nation turn from God in shame.
You've taken Satan's number, as you traded in your name.


You've given government control to those who do you harm,
So they can padlock churches, and steal the family farm,
And keep our country deep in debt, put men of God in jail,
Harass your fellow countrymen while corrupted courts prevail.


Your public servants don't uphold the solemn oath they've sworn.
Your daughters visit doctors, so their children won't be born.
Your leaders ship artillery and guns to foreign shores,
and send your sons to slaughter, fighting other people's wars.


Can you regain your freedom, for which we fought and died?
Or don't you have the courage or the faith to stand with pride?
Are there no more values for which you would fight to save,
or do you wish your children, to live in fear and be a slave?


Sons of the Republic, arise and take a stand!
Defend the Constitution, the Supreme Law of the Land!
Preserve our great Republic, and teach each God-given right,
And pray to God, to keep the torch of freedom burning bright!"


As I awoke he vanished, in the mist from whence he came.
His words were true, we are not Free, we have ourselves to blame.
For even now, as tyrants trample each God-given right,
We only watch and tremble, too afraid to stand and fight.


If he stood by your bedside, in a dream, while you're asleep,
And wonders what remains of our Rights he fought to keep,
What would be your answer, if he called out from the grave:
"Is this still the land of the free and the home of the brave???"

A plea...

~Poem by Edgar Guest

"GOD grant me these: the strength to do
Some needed service here;
The wisdom to be brave and true;
The gift of vision clear,
That in each task that comes to me
Some purpose I may plainly see.

God teach me to believe that I
Am stationed at a post,
Although the humblest 'neath the sky,
Where I am needed most.
And that, at last, if I do well
My humble services will tell.

God grant me faith to stand on guard,
Uncheered, unspoke, alone,
And see behind such duty hard
My service to the throne.
Whate'er my task, this be my creed:
I am on earth to fill a need."

MAY THE LORD MAKE CLEAR TO YOU WHAT NEED YOU ARE TO FILL IN THE YEAR, 2012!

It was a quite day at home. We finished our movie this morning, as I had to work at the nursing home this afternoon. It was a good day, once again. :)

October poem~

Crispy air and azure skies,
High above, a white cloud flies,
Bright as newly fallen snow.
Oh the joy to those who know, October!

Colors bright on bush and tree.
Over the weedy swamp, we see
A veil of purple and brown and gold.
Thy beauty words have never told. October!

Scolding sparrows on the lawn,
Rabbits frisking home at dawn,
Pheasants midst the sheaves of grain,
All in harmony acclaim, October!

Brown earth freshly turned by plow,
Apples shine on bended bough,
Bins o'erflowed with oats and wheat,
And satisfaction reigns complete. October!

Radiant joy is everywhere.
Spirits in tune to the spicy air,
Thrill in the glory of each day.
Life's worth living when we say, October!

~by Joseph Porter

This truly has been a lovely October day. I praise God for the beauty of it all. :)

The crickets are chirping tonight!

Little Cricket
by Barry Lanier

The cricket's ballad sets the sun,
Bidding farewell, the day is done.
While twilight ushers in the dew,
Welcoming chirps, that bid adieu....

...Hark! O'er the valley, and the dell,
His ballad echoes, all is well.
The cricket's ballad sets the sun,
Bids farewell, the day is done.

PS. I know that it's God who sets the sun, but that's how the poem went...

RAGGED OLD FLAG~

I walked through a county courthouse square,
On a park bench an old man was sitting there.
I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down."
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your flagpole has leaned a little bit,
And that's a Ragged Old Flag you've got hanging on it.


He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down.
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"
I said, "I think it is." He said, "I don't like to brag,
But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag."


"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing _Oh Say Can You See_.
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seams."


"And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on through.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag."


"On Flanders Field in World War I
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp and low by the time it was through.
She was in Korea and Vietnam.
She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam."


"She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they've about quit waving her back here at home.
In her own good land she's been abused --
She's been burned, dishonored, denied and refused."


"And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land.
And she's getting threadbare and wearing thin,
But she's in good shape for the shape she's in.
'Cause she's been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more."


"So we raise her up every morning,
Take her down every night.
We don't let her touch the ground
And we fold her up right.
On second thought I DO like to brag,
'Cause I'm mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag."


Written by Johnny Cash

His unfailing presence~

~author unknown~

Another year I enter,
Its history unknown;
Oh, how my feet would tremble
To tread its paths alone!
But I have heard a whisper,
I know I shall be blest;
"My presence shall go with thee,
And I will give thee rest."

What will the New Year bring me?
I may not, must not know;
Will it be love and rapture,
Or loneliness and woe?
Hush! Hush! I hear His whisper;
I surely shall be blest;
"My presence shall go with thee,
And I will give thee rest."

Rain on the prairie...

It's been sprinkling, and then raining for almost the whole day and there's a rumor going around that tomorrow, some of that rain is going to turn into fluffy, flaky white things falling from the sky! As the winds are supposed to get up to 50 MPH, it could be an actual blizzard outside... Maybe Mom won't go to Bismarck tomorrow?

I just got home from working at the nursing home and am trying to wind down for the night. Sometimes I'm really tired after getting home from 8 hours of constant walking, pushing, pulling, twisting, turning, etc..., but tonight I'm wide awake. Oh dear!

I found the following poem about October and wanted to pass it on. Enjoy the Autumn while it lasts. :)

"October's the month
When the smallest breeze
Gives us a shower
Of autumn leaves.
Bonfires and pumpkins,
Leaves sailing down -
October is red
And golden and brown."

....and white?

The Clothes Line...

The Clothes Line

A clothes line was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.

For then you'd see the 'fancy sheets'
And towels upon the line;
You'd see the 'company table cloths'
With intricate design.

The line announced a baby's birth
To folks who lived inside
As brand new infant clothes were hung
So carefully with pride.

The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed
You'd know how much they'd grown.

It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.

It said, 'Gone on vacation now'
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, 'We're back!' when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare.

New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy gray,
As neighbors carefully raised their brows,
And looked the other way.

But clotheslines now are of the past
For dryers make work less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody's guess.

I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung on the line!

~ Author Unknown~

Clothes lines don't have to be a thing of the past, do they? :)

"We" DOES consist of 5 now. :)

Our travelers made it back tonight,

Very safe and sound.

Glad to have their feet planted firm--

On North Dakota ground.

"499 pictures to import"--

Is what the camera-card read...

Mom would post a few, except--

She's headed for her bed!

Jacob's still elated of course!

Airplanes fill his head...

Instead of counting sheep for sleep

I guess he'll count clouds instead.

I baked a lemon, house cake

To celebrate their return...

They have so much to tell us,

Of all the things they've learned.

But that will wait 'til later.

It's time to hit the sack!

Tomorrow will come quickly...

It's so good to have them back!

An August Midnight

A shaded lamp and a waving blind,
And the beat of a clock from a distant floor:
On this scene enter--winged, horned, and spined -
A longlegs, a moth, and a dumbledore;
While 'mid my page there idly stands
A sleepy fly, that rubs its hands . . .



Thus meet we five, in this still place,
At this point of time, at this point in space.
- My guests parade my new-penned ink,
Or bang at the lamp-glass, whirl, and sink.
"God's humblest, they!" I muse. Yet why?
They know Earth-secrets that know not I.

~by Thomas Hardy

*Really and truly, there are insects (although of a smaller nature) that are bugging me right now! They must be attracted to the light of my computer screen and have come through the window screen to investigate......

Happy August everyone!

The storm~

This is an excerpt from the poem,

"The Storm" by Sharon Wunderle & Larry Flesner

"Something was brewing; it was sensed in the air

And it fueled our emotions to the level of fear.

The day had been windy and really quite warm

The ingredients needed in birthing a storm.

We should have suspected, in hindsight I guess

That nature gets ugly when showing her fist

The lightning and thunder of the midnight before

Brought hailstones like cannonballs knocking on doors

It was not until morning, in the light of the sun

Could we realize that damage and destruction was done

How could we know as we talked with our neighbor

That the hope brought by sunshine would be doused by more weather

Life plans can change in the blink of an eye

As the sunshine gave way to a darkening sky

The storm clouds grew darker and the rain came with fury

Sending people to shelter with panic and worry......"

Last night was such a night. We had high winds that bent the corn stalks over and there was thunder and lightning all over the sky. The rain gauge was holding over 2 inches of rain by morning. We were glad to have escaped the worst part of the storm however. When I went to work in town this afternoon, I learned of the destruction that was caused there by the baseball sized hail that came down on the town and surrounding areas! (I saw one of the balls that someone had put in the freezer to show to everyone...) Vehicles were dented and windshields broken. Gardens were shredded and trees were delimbed. I imagine the farmers fields aren't looking so well either..... But thankfully, it all happened in the night, when most everyone was tucked safely into bed.

Please join me in saying a prayer for those who now have new, unexpected burdens to deal with.

A little smattering of things...

I've had a cold for a few days.... I wasn't going to mention it, but I found the picture below this afternoon while reading another blog and thought it was most appropriate for how I've been feeling.

Thankfully, so far, the rest of my family has been able to keep "It" at bay.

It is so muggy tonight here in our little house, but is at last cooling down to where it may be comfortable to sleep tonight...

Our fellas worked on hay, hay, and more hay today. Jacob hauled bales in and stacked them all afternoon while the other two were cutting and baling on Fern's ground. I found the following poem last night while looking for one about summer, and thought it was most appropriate to post as we welcome in the month of July, and as we go about preparing feed for the cows for this winter! As for the shepherd and lying around, I don't know about that part. :)

The Shepherd's Calendar
by John Clare

July the month of summer's prime
Again resumes her busy time
Scythes tinkle in each grassy dell
Where solitude was wont to dwell.

And meadows they are mad with noise
Of laughing maids and shouting boys
Making up the withering hay
With merry hearts as light as play.

The very insects on the ground
So nimbly bustle all around
Among the grass or dusty soil
They seem partakers in the toil.

The very landscape reels with life
While mid the busy stir and strife
Of industry the shepherd still
Enjoys his summer dreams at will.


Mother had 3 sessions to do this afternoon, and I was working in town again this morning and early afternoon, so we just now finished our dishes and sat down to post while waiting for Dad and Andrew to get home so we can get their supper together.

We've lately had an invasion of ants in our dining room--they come in through the open patio-door. Mother learned a long time ago that cinnamon and Basic-H (separately or together) will deter ants, so we're giving it a fair trial.

Speaking of insects, I also saw the following question on a blog:

"Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?"

I wonder that about flies too, don't you? :)

A poem in honor of the men who fought for (and are fighting for) the freedom of this country~

~Freedom Is Not Free~

by Kelly Strong

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,
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.

I think that spring is finally here!

I'd like to share this poem with you that my friend, Grace wrote recently.

Enjoy!~

I think that spring is finally here!

I feel it in the breeze blowing thru my hair

I see it in sky and the trees

In the birds and the bees

My heart is singing, overflowing

With a sense of happiness and knowing,

That the things that once were cold and frozen

Will grow into what's been chosen

Last summer, a flower, then fading

Is now a seed in the cold earth.

Watching and still waiting

For a glorious new birth.

I will not think of darkness

I will not think of death

I will only think of the likeness

When Life blows the warmth of breath

A tiny sprout will grow up from the ground

The seed I thought was dead is found

much more glorious then the other

A life to share with one another.

Last summer's love is but a memory

Today is where I stand

And no matter what I see

Tomorrow is unfolded by the Master Gardener's hand.

Whether you're happy with the weather currently or whether you're not, I thought you may enjoy some thoughts on the subject!

I found these thoughts and quotes on-line just now and, although I could tell you about baking pumpkin bars with our last squishy pumpkin; or about getting the electric fence working again; or about cleaning the back fridge out; or about getting fresh water ready for my aquarium; or about babysitting for 3 hours this afternoon, I thought I'd post some food for thought instead. Enjoy! :)

• All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
  
• Bad weather always looks worse through a window.
  
• Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.
  
• A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition. (William Arthur Ward)
  
• Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while. (Kin Hubbard)
  
• For the man sound in body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather, every sky has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously. (George Gissing)
  
• It is no use to grumble and complain;
  It's just as cheap and easy to rejoice;
  When God sorts out the weather and sends rain -
  Why, rain's my choice.
  (James Whitcomb Riley)
  
• To everything there is a season...
  
• Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing,
  wind braces up, snow is exhilarating;
  there is no such thing as bad weather,
  only different kinds of good weather.
  (John Ruskin)
  
• There is no season such delight can bring
  As summer, autumn, winter and the spring. (William Browne)
  
• To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring. (George Santayana)
  
• Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. (Anthony J. D'Angelo)
  
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  And a poem for you, called, "Weather"

Whether the weather be fine,
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold,
Or whether the weather be hot,
We'll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not!

While I'm talking about the weather...... I was wondering if you'd kindly pray for the people of Fargo, Linton, Jamestown and other surrounding areas this week as there's a real threat of some major flooding again this year as the snow melts away.

~Thank you!

Remember to spring your clocks ahead!

Daylight Savings Time

~by Phyllis McGinley



In Spring when maple buds are red,

We turn the Clock an hour ahead;

Which means, each April that arrives,
(or March, in this case!)
We lose an hour 

Out of our lives.



Who cares? When Autumn birds in flocks

Fly southward, back we turn the Clocks,

And so regain a lovely thing--

That missing hour 

We lost last Spring.

A Psalm of Life...

For some reason, I was thinking of one of my favorite poems tonight, (the one that I chose to memorize for my high-school graduation five years ago,) and, as I haven't posted a poem for quite some time, I thought it was a fitting time to do so now!

May God be with you in all your labor and times of waiting...

~A PSALM OF LIFE~

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream ! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real ! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal ;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way ;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
Be a hero in the strife !

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant !
Let the dead Past bury its dead !
Act,— act in the living Present !
Heart within, and God o'erhead !

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

'Tis the night before....

'Tis the night before my birthday,
and all through the house
not a creature is stirring--
not even a mouse. (Thankfully!)

There's a bit of white cake left,
to celebrate with tomorrow,
and the flu bugs about gone--
(We'll celebrate without sorrow!)

The fish tank is waiting
in "Vacancy" style,
awaiting the fishes who'll come--
single file?

A piano-duet book
is hidden away someplace...
awaiting the right timing--
for our fingers to face.

Some unopened cards
finish out this pleasantry.
Now I can hardly wait for morning--
when I shall turn twenty three!

Happiness~

Happiness is something we create in our mind,
It’s not something we search for and so seldom find,

It’s just waking up and beginning the day
by counting our blessings and kneeling to pray,

It’s giving up thoughts that breed discontent
And accepting what comes as a gift heaven-sent,

It’s giving up wishing for things we have not
And making the best of whatever we’ve got,

It’s knowing that life is determined for us,
And pursuing our tasks without fret, fume or fuss,

For it’s by completing what God gives us to do
That we find real contentment and happiness, too.

–Helen Steiner Rice