Food for Thought (courtesy of Dianne Webber)

This Teacher Is Truly A Genius!

"You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."  Adrian Rogers

This man is truly a genius!

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he
had never failed a single student before,  but had once failed an
entire class.  That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked
& that no one would be poor & no one would be rich, a great
equalizer.  The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment
in this class on Obama's plan".  All grades would be averaged &
everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail & no one would receive an A...

After the first test, the grades were averaged & everyone got a B.

The students who studied hard were upset & the students who studied little were happy.  As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less & the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a D!  No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F..  The scores never increased as bickering, blame & name-calling all resulted in hard feelings & no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, & the professor told them that
socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is
great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all
the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.  Could not be
any simpler than that.  (Please pass this on)  Remember, there is a
mid-term election in 2010!  Please vote wisely to build back a

Patriot Democracy, as our Forefathers intended us to keep.

(I would make one change to this … we live in a Representative Republic, not a Democracy… K)

Until next time…

78 POUNDS!

Michelle, the Hospice nurse, was here today. In the course of her visit, we weighed Mom again –> ONLY 78 pounds. That’s 6 more pounds lost since they weighed her after she left the hospital – less than a month ago. Boy, my cooking must be worse than i thought. Seriously, though, it’s so difficult to find anything she likes to eat, that she can eat without choking.

We discussed ways to get her to eat, how to keep her in her chair so she doesn’t fall, and how to keep her from choking. I’m afraid solutions are difficult.

She suggested baby food, then  thought maybe toddler food might suit Mom more. She also ordered some thickener – apparently thickened liquid is easier to swallow than straight liquid, like milk or coffee or water.

For keeping Mom from falling, she brought with her a strap that beeps when Mom tries to get up, but that’s not the problem so she took it back with her. She suggested that others have used a flat sheet to keep their loved ones in their chairs. 

Survival…

Yesterday, Glenn Beck interviewed Ben Sherwood, author of The Survival Club. --if you’re interested in a transcript of the interview, see: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/21752/

At that site, there is a shortened Survivor IQ test you can take. It only takes a few minutes and will tell you which of the five categories of survivor you are. Ben Sherwood points out that this really gives you your dominant survivor trait; you can still have aspects of the other four. The five categories, in no particular order, are Believer, Thinker, Fighter, Realist, and Connector.

Regardless of your survivor type, your best chances of dealing with disaster is to:

1. Be aware
2. Know the threat
3. Prepare accordingly.

I don’t know if you saw any videos of the empty store shelves in the D.C. area during the latest snowstorms, but it’s a pretty good indicator of what could happen in any kind of regional or national emergency. What if this emergency lasted more than a week or two.

Are you prepared? Have you considered what disasters could befall you? Could you survive on the food and water you have at your house? What if electricity, water, and phones were out of service for a month or more? Do you keep enough gas in your car to get you away from any regional threat without having to stop for gas?

Take the time to be aware of what’s going on around you. Assess any threats that might come your way and get ready for it as much as possible.

Sorry for getting on my survivalist pulpit, but we are so spoiled in this country. Of course, you are reading something written by someone who never had to buy a roll of toilet paper or can of tuna for a year or more after 1/1/2000. My motto was: I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. How will I handle all of this survivalist prep when I’m in my 25-foot travel trailer?

Until next time…

Manatees

Today, while Maria from Right At Home Plant City was with Mom, my brother Jeff, sister-in-law Kathy and I went to lunch at Westshore Pizza (our second trip there in 3 days) then drove over to the TECO plant on Big Bend Road to see the manatees that shelter there during the cold months. Water temperature there near the plant is over 80 degrees while the Gulf temperature is only 67.

There were easily more than 50 (FIFTY) manatees there swimming lazily around in the water, occasionally lifting their nose out to breathe. If you have never been there to see this incredible sight and you are within a day’s drive, you should come to see them.

This is the first year I have seen so many manatees – from past experience, I’ve only seen 20 or 30 at one time. Of course, this winter has been so much colder than normal.

On Another Note…

Mom had a choking incident this morning. It was very scary, but she finally was able to get rid of whatever was stuck in her throat. I was sure glad I wasn’t here alone for this.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

Until next time…

Another Uneventful Day

After another night of “sun-downing” Mom finally went to sleep about 6 this morning and slept for a few hours. Fortunately, I was able to grab a bit of a nap, so I don’t feel as punky as I normally would.

Although she did eat three meals today and some small snacks, she is still not eating enough. I did manage to get her to drink the better part of a bottle of chocolate milk (really, Glucerna – an awful smelling nutritional supplement she really likes).

Tomorrow, the hospice doctor is coming to examine her. I’m hoping he/she can prescribe something that will make her sleep through the night, but I don’t hold out much hope. She already takes 3 prescriptions that are supposed to make her drowsy.

On Another Note:

A reminder to all:

“As government expands, liberty contracts.”

I hope all of you are watching or recording Glenn Beck’s program on Fox News Network at 5 pm each weekday. On Friday, he played a documentary called “The Revolutionary Holocaust” which exposes Stalin, Chairman Mao, Che Guevara, etc. for the butchers they were.

It’s available on the Internet at www.glennbeck.com under Featured Videos. It’s an eye-opening look at the millions of people killed by these heroes of many progressives in and around the Obama administration.

This documentary was watched at 5 pm on Friday by an amazing 4 MILLION viewers.

Tonight he compared and contrasted the rise of Hugo Chavez with Obama.

So much of history has been ignored or blatantly misreported. You may never have heard of most of what Glenn refers to, what he teaches is very well researched.

Until next time…

Post Deleted

Just wanted to let any of you who read the blog about the Israeli agent (which I have since deleted) that it was not true. A friend let me know that it was "FALSE" according to www.snopes.com

Sorry about that. I usually check Snopes for items like that. Hopefully, no harm done.

Until next time...

One New Year’s Resolution Broken

Here it is January 6, 2010, and already I have broken one of my resolutions: to write in my blog every day even if just a little bit – but I had a really good excuse.

Of course, I could set the publish date as of yesterday, but that would be a lie. It’s 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 and I just got home from the hospital. Mom had a bad fever and was very unresponsive most of today. Finally, about 6 p.m. I called 911 and the ambulance took her to St. Joe’s Hospital in Tampa where they discovered she had a urinary tract infection and a little pneumonia.

The antibiotics they gave her must be powerful because before we left, her fever was gone as was the red spot on her forehead which is always there when she feels better. She didn’t appreciate some of the things they did to her like the catheter insertion, the taking of her temperature (not orally or under her arm – you can guess where). Her words were unusually clear: “they stuck something in my butt”) They also used the same method to administer ibuprofen.

I rode in the ambulance to the hospital – my first ambulance ride ever – and Karen Dersham followed in her car. I don’t know why I bothered riding in the ambulance since they wouldn’t let me sit in the back with Mom. Because I had to have a seat belt, I sat up front with the driver.

I know Mom is in good hands – the staff at St. Joe’s are well trained and kindly. I doubt she’ll be home for a couple of days, depending how she responds to the rest of their treatment.

By the way, if any of my family reads this before I get to call you in the morning, please forgive me for not waking you up at 1 o’clock this morning when it finally looked like she was doing okay. I wanted to wait until I knew how things were going before letting you know what was happening.

She was resting comfortably when Karen and I left. I’ll stop by later this morning to spend the day with her, though they will probably want to keep her fairly sedated. Otherwise, I can just imagine IVs and catheters flying across her room.

Well, I think I might be able to sleep now that I’ve got this confession off my chest. Please continue to pray for Mom. Thanks for those of you who do.

Until next time…

Looks Like I’m Too Late

This weekend, I read in my newsletter from RV Travel.com (this issue is at http://rvtravel.com/issue410.shtml ) that in response to budget shortfalls, Arizona is poised to close its state parks. They have already closed most state rest areas. New Mexico may be next.

I was really looking forward to spending some time in those states and would have probably camped at some of those parks. This whole closure business seems a bit shortsighted. Visitors bring a lot more than just the camping fees to a state. They purchase food, gas, souvenirs, repairs, and countless other items.

Why couldn’t those states have done what Georgia did in lieu of closing parks – solicited volunteers. I think I read that more than 10,000 volunteers helped out in Georgia state parks.

Of course, this whole issue could be resolved if government would just stop spending so much. Unfortunately, our federal, state, and local governments have tried to act as nanny to the citizens of the country --- but don’t get me going.

Our founding fathers created a Constitution that would limit the power of government. Over the years, we’ve been seduced by the promise of being taken care of until we have become slaves to the corrupt elite (IN BOTH PARTIES, I might add) who think they know how to spend our money better than we do.

It’s time to put a stop to this travesty. We need to replace every Representative (they are all up for re-election every 2 years) and every Senator the next time they are up for re-election (1/3 of the Senate every 2 years).

It’s time to take a stand, to demand that they remember that THEY WORK FOR US, not the other way around.

This health insurance reform bill (they aren’t trying to fix health care – we have the best in the world) is a great example. If it is such a good thing, why have our elected representatives written themselves out of it. They won’t be changing their health care. This alone should give everyone pause.

And don’t get me started on the bribery and extortion Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid used to get people to vote for this. Consider the 300 MILLION DOLLARS Mary Landrieu demanded for her state (LA) and got. How about the free ride for Medicaid costs Ben Nelson got for his state of Nebraska! There are a number of other examples, but these are the most egregious.

And, what about reading the bills they vote on! They NEVER do. For this last Senate bill, they wouldn’t have had time unless they could read as fast as Guinness Book of World Record holder Howard Stephen Berg.

And it’s not just one party – Republicans and Democrats both vote to pass unconstitutional bills all of the time.

Our balance of powers between Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches has become a joke. Obama has appointed a lot of people who are not required to be approved by the Senate – people like avowed Communist Van Jones and scores of other Marxist/Socialist radicals who work without Congressional oversight.

I hope you’ve heard of the Tea Parties and the 912 Project which refers to how we all felt after 9/11/2001 and to the 9 principles and 12 values that should link us all together:

The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my
Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person
than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the
ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty.
Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee
of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government
cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal
opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

12 Values
Honesty
Reverence
Hope
Thrift
Humility
Charity
Sincerity
Moderation
Hard Work
Courage
Personal Responsibility
Friendship

Isn’t it time we go back the the principles and values this country was founded upon?

You might want to check out www.goooh.com which stands for Get Out Of Our House – the goal of this group is to replace ALL 435 Representatives, even the one in your district.

Get involved. Write and email and phone your representatives. Vote for people who support and uphold the Constitution, who ascribe to the 9 principles and 12 values.

Remember that Barack Obama and his ilk have made no secret that they want to FUNDAMENTALLY change this country. We have to make sure that doesn’t happen by exercising our rights and responsibilities as citizens of this great land.

Well, I sure got on my high horse, didn’t I? I hope I can get down without falling flat on my face. But I would hate for us to be too late to stop this rush to Socialism.

May God bless America!

Until next time…

Interesting Info on the Census

This morning, I received the following in an email. I hope you will find it as helpful as I did.

Census to Begin
With the U.S.. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

The big question is - how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice:
**If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don't know into your home.

**Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census.

REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR ADDRESS.

While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION.. The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations. Any one asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau.
AND REMEMBER, THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS DECIDED NOT TO WORK WITH ACORN ON GATHERING THIS INFORMATION. No Acorn worker should approach you saying he/she is with the Census Bureau.

Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by E-mail, so be on the lookout for E-mail scams impersonating the Census.

Never click on a link or open any attachments in an E-mail that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

Until next time…

Saturdays

When I was a working schmuck, Saturday was my favorite day, at least when I didn’t have a big project where I had to work on Saturday. It was a day of rest and relaxation after a hectic week of work.

I still have the hectic weeks. Only now, the weeks are hectic because of a variety of reasons, many of which are out of my control.

This week was no exception:

1. My roof is still leaking even after the second visit by the roofer. I have a Lifetime Roof, which is guaranteed to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, the company that put it on didn’t.
2. Mom has had an awful week. She’s developed a pattern of sleeping for 36 hours (with some moments for eating, etc.) and then staying awake for 36 hours (of course, I have to be awake for this too). She’s fallen 3 times this week; one time I thought she was going to take out the TV (she goes up there to talk to the people on the screen, in spite of being told they can’t hear her).
3. For a day and a half, Mom was hardly able to stand up and, in the process of helping her get to the bathroom, I threw something out in my back.
4. Much of the week, it’s been rainy and cold which means that Mom can’t go out and she loves to go out in the car.

There are, however, some counterbalances to all of this:

1. Right at Home Plant City has such great people who come in and care for Mom and give me a break.
2. Joe Langford, the roofer, is a pleasant man (a Glenn Beck fan, so he must be okay) who is determined to make these minor leaks go away.
3. Mom has a number of good days or, at least, good hours and is often sweet and easy to get along with. She must have bones of steel.
4. Sitting with Mom while she’s sleeping gives me a lot of time to read on my new Amazon Kindle, as well as on print books. (I’m currently working on U Is for Undertow, the long-awaited novel by Sue Grafton.
5. My back is better.

I still look forward to Saturdays, but not for the respite in work. On Saturdays, my RV Travel newsletter arrives in my email. It is jam-packed with all kinds of info on camping and safety, as well as lots of links to RV forums and blogs. Yes, there are a lot of advertisements running through it, but so much good info. You can check out this week’s issue at http://rvtraveler.c.topica.com/maanCvuabUQ5vbNYiLJb/

I haven’t done much Camper Prep this week except for some reading.

Till next time…