Today...

Today was a nice day. Warmer than yesterday, and with quieter winds.

The kids and I got the front yard raked.

Stephanie came over to help us as well. She's my neighbor Sue's granddaughter, and her help was very much appreciated!

No, we didn't get the backyard leaves and winter debris up, but we did fill 25 lawn and leaf bags from the front.

We have a nice big yard. Our house sits on a 1/4 acre lot.


A lot of my crocus are behind schedule, but the ones that have bloomed are beautiful. More of my daffodils and jonquils are blooming as well. By the time they're almost finished the hyacinth blooms will open. And then the tulips will show off their color.

It feels good. Spring is well on its way.


We worked hard this afternoon.

The kids wanted to roast some weiners outside. And they wanted all of the fixin's too.

So we roasted weiners, decorated them with mustard, relish, onions, cheese, and chili.

And we had some S'Mores as well.

:+ )


It's also that time of year when the kids start getting things pulled together for convention. The black and white photographs were taken by Carrie this afternoon.

I don't know why, but the kids are fascinated by black and white photographs.

I remember being fascinated with color photographs when I was a kid.

Especially Polaroid cameras!

That was probably because we were surrounded by black and white television and photographs all of the time.

Today, you just don't hardly see black and white images.



Parker is fascinated with capturing the movement of the stars with the digital camera. He likes to see the streaks that they form on a 60 second shutter delay.

We need to go out to the country to get some really cool pictures like that.

When you see how much those stars move in 60 seconds, you have to admit...

It really puts a perspective on how fast the earth is actually moving.


I had a video link e-mailed to me.

And this afternoon reminded me of it.

It's about a man who is doing a wonderful thing for our returning soldiers.

ABC did a little piece on him. His name is Bert Brady and he wants to make sure that our soldiers come home to a hero's welcome.

I'm ashamed at how the Korean and Vietnam veterans were treated.

There weren't any ticker tape parades, no cheering, no pats on the back.


I'm also ashamed at how our elected officials are acting in Washington right now.

Don't they understand what they're doing?

Don't they remember the "Killing Fields" in Cambodia?

Don't they remember the slaughter after we left?

Don't they remember that we didn't want to win the war in Vietnam?

And look what happened.


We let the mainstream media dictate to us how to fight the war. We let someone else's agenda tell us what we should do.

War's aren't for the media to decide and direct how they are fought.

I'm really sick and tired of the puppet strings that they pull on our politician's. And I'm tired of our politicians not standing up to the media.

We have to support our troops 100% with our money, our thoughts, and our words.

We also can't afford to leave Iraq in the state that it currently is in.

We have to want to win this war, and we need to get busy doing it too.


Today, I was very thankful.

I felt blessed beyond measure.

I am so happy that my children live in such a country as the United States.

But in all of these blessings, I am well aware that it can be taken away in an instant.

I am not blind to the fact that there are people out there who want us dead and totally destroyed.

I pray to God that more of our country's leaders wake up and realize that.

And I thank God for those who have given me and my children the opportunity to live life as we know it...

Blessed...

Happy...

And carefree...

later...