This has been a beautiful weekend weather wise. Having the car end up in the shop, was irritating to stay the least, and I hope the part that needs to be replaced is the cheaper of the 2 options! John and I got rid off most of the old flower stalks and found one hardly little plant still blooming. The rest of the bed is SOO depressing, that I almost can not wait for the snow to cover it till it gets to be green again. My mind is tired and so I will close for now. Till next time...
"France will never forget the sacrifice of your children. To those 20-year-old heroes who gave us everything, to the families of those who never returned, to the children who mourned fathers they barely got a chance to know, I want to express France's eternal gratitude. On behalf of my generation, which did not experience war but knows how much it owes to their courage and their sacrifice; on behalf of our children, who must never forget; to all the veterans who are here today…I want to express the deep, sincere gratitude of the French people. I want to tell you that whenever an American soldier falls somewhere in the world, I think of what the American army did for France. I think of them and I am sad, as one is sad to lose a member of one's family."
(Washington, D.C.) —On Wednesday, November 7, French President Nicolas Sarkozy addressed a joint session of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Although it was an historic occasion, it is doubtful that many people were able to watch his speech in its entirety. Others, due to the translation process, may have had difficulty following his comments. Towards that purpose, excerpts from his riveting speech are provided below. (Photo: Sarkozy, Investor's Business Daily)
They are well worth an entire reading.
America did not tell the millions of men and women who came from every country in the world and who—with their hands, their intelligence and their heart—built the greatest nation in the world: "Come, and everything will be given to you." She said: "Come, and the only limits to what you'll be able to achieve will be your own courage and your own talent." America embodies this extraordinary ability to grant each and every person a second chance.
Here, both the humblest and most illustrious citizens alike, know that nothing is owed to them and that everything has to be earned...America did not teach men the idea of freedom; she taught them how to practice it. And she fought for this freedom whenever she felt it to be threatened somewhere in the world. It was by watching America grow that men and women understood that freedom was possible. What made America great was her ability to transform her own dream into hope for all mankind.
Ladies and gentlemen, the men and women of my generation heard their grandparents talk about how in 1917, America saved France at a time when it had reached the final limits of its strength, which it had exhausted in the most absurd and bloodiest of wars. The men and women of my generation heard their parents talk about how in 1944, America returned to free Europe from the horrifying tyranny that threatened to enslave it.
Fathers took their sons to see the vast cemeteries where, under thousands of white crosses so far from home, thousands of young American soldiers lay who had fallen not to defend their own freedom but the freedom of all others, not to defend their own families, their own homeland, but to defend humanity as a whole.
Fathers took their sons to the beaches where the young men of America had so heroically landed. They read them the admirable letters of farewell that those 20-year-old soldiers had written to their families before the battle to tell them: "We don't consider ourselves heroes. We want this war to be over. But however much dread we may feel, you can count on us."
Before they landed, Eisenhower told them: "The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you."
And as they listened to their fathers, watched movies, read history books and the letters of soldiers who died on the beaches of Normandy and Provence, as they visited the cemeteries where the star-spangled banner flies, the children of my generation understood that these young Americans, 20 years old, were true heroes to whom they owed the fact that they were free people and not slaves. France will never forget the sacrifice of your children.
To those 20-year-old heroes who gave us everything, to the families of those who never returned, to the children who mourned fathers they barely got a chance to know, I want to express France's eternal gratitude.
On behalf of my generation, which did not experience war but knows how much it owes to their courage and their sacrifice; on behalf of our children, who must never forget; to all the veterans who are here today and, notably the seven I had the honor to decorate yesterday evening, one of whom, Senator Inouye, belongs to your Congress, I want to express the deep, sincere gratitude of the French people.
I want to tell you that whenever an American soldier falls somewhere in the world, I think of what the American army did for France. I think of them and I am sad, as one is sad to lose a member of one's family.
Ladies and gentlemen, the men and women of my generation remember the Marshall Plan that allowed their fathers to rebuild a devastated Europe. They remember the Cold War, during which America again stood as the bulwark of the Free World against the threat of new tyranny.
I remember the Berlin crisis and Kennedy who unhesitatingly risked engaging the United States in the most destructive of wars so that Europe could preserve the freedom for which the American people had already sacrificed so much. No one has the right to forget. Forgetting, for a person of my generation, would be tantamount to self-denial.
What was so extraordinary for us was that through her literature, her cinema and her music, America always seemed to emerge from adversity even greater and stronger; that instead of causing America to doubt herself, such ordeals only strengthened her belief in her values.
America's strength is not only a material strength, it is first and foremost a spiritual and moral strength. No one expressed this better than a black pastor who asked just one thing of America: that she be true to the ideal in whose name he - the grandson of a slave—felt so deeply American. His name was Martin Luther King. He made America a universal role model.
The world still remembers his words—words of love, dignity and justice. America heard those words and America changed. And the men and women who had doubted America because they no longer recognized her began loving her again.
Together we must fight against terrorism. On September 11, 2001, all of France—petrified with horror—rallied to the side of the American people. The front-page headline of one of our major dailies read: "We are all American." And on that day, when you were mourning for so many dead, never had America appeared to us as so great, so dignified, so strong.
The terrorists had thought they would weaken you. They made you greater. The entire world felt admiration for the courage of the American people...For me, failure is not an option. Terrorism will not win because democracies are not weak, because we are not afraid of this barbarism. America can count on France.
This is the annual Missionette Sleepover that Tessa just waits for, even though this year it is later than usual. She has a couple of friends joining her which makes it even better. Mariah will come here so that Mom and Dad can go out for supper. She is too young to sleep over night, but can be there for a couple of hours of play.
Last night I was wrestling with invisible dust bunnies or something in my closet. I must say, it all took my breath away and left me with this stuffy headache. UGH!! I need a bigger closet! Can this get anymore exciting? Tessa is disappointed that my office is closed on Monday. She was really hoping for a day to herself. I guess I will be my duty to drive her crazy.
It is really hard to make up all those missed hours though! Have a great weekend! Till next time...
If you need a good laugh try reading through these children's
science exam answers.
Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard, and vinegar.
Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.
Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.
Q: How can you delay milk turning sour? (brilliant, love this!)
A: Keep it in the cow.
Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.
Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.
Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.
Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.
Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A: Premature death.
Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? ( e.g., abdomen)
A: The body is consisted into three parts -- the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels A, E, I, O, and U.
Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.
Q: What does 'varicose' mean? (I do love this one...)
A: Nearby.
Q: Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarian Section.'
A: The Caesarian Section is a district in Rome.
Q: What does the word 'benign' mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.
From one pumpkin to another!!!!!!!"This was probably the first time since the destruction of the Temple [1,937 years ago] that the Priestly Blessing was delivered on our holiest site."
(Jerusalem)—It is believed that for the first time since the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, the Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) was recited there. According to a report in Arutz Sheva, a group of 25 Jews paid a visit to the Temple Mount to commemorate the 842nd anniversary of Maimonides's visit to the Temple Mount.
Said Rabbi Chaim Richman: "This was probably the first time since the destruction of the Temple [1,937 years ago] that the Priestly Blessing was delivered on our holiest site. At times like these, when there is talk of giving away our precious places, and when despair is sometimes in the air, events of this nature serve to remind us that God has not forgotten about us, and that He still has big plans for both us and the Holy Temple, and that the Temple will yet become the focal point of the world once again."
This will be quick, but I wanted to get that photo here for you too see Mom. It was so nice that all of you were able to get to Grand Forks and for Jerry to see Alicia's home. You all know how much I love goodbyes. NOT! I will try and write more later, for now I need to find my pillow! Till next time...
This was in an email. John and I could NOT help but laugh. Hope you are all having a great day!
Yesterday, one of the ladies in finance brought us all treats. She is way to creative and patient. It was nice to have something to nibble on. The 'fingers' were made out of bread sticks with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on them. Are you ready for your day? Till next time...
Here is some early morning humor!
My ex-wife started taking flying lessons about the time our divorce started and she got her license shortly before our divorce was final, later that same year.
Yesterday afternoon, she narrowly escaped injury in the aircraft she was piloting when she was forced to make an emergency landing in Southern Tennessee because of bad weather. Thank God our kids were with me at the Beach House this weekend.
The NTSB issued a preliminary report, citing pilot error: Judy was flying a single engine aircraft in IFR (instrument flight rating) conditions while only having obtained a VFR (visual flight rating) rating.
The absence of a post-crash fire was likely due to insufficient fuel on board. No one on the ground was injured.
Photographs were taken at the scene show the extent of damage to her aircraft.
My sister Julie wrote these words to explain the excitement of our brother coming home. Our memories of him are different. I do NOT even remember some of the things she has written about, but I did get a good laugh out of them. I wonder if Grandpa Glenn were still alive, what he would say about that bb gun. Yikes! The rest of this entry is hers, from her blog at Loneprairie.net.
Today is Jerry day.
When I was little, my brother once hid hot sauce in an ice cream cone and gave it to me.
He once put a plastic jack-o-lantern in my bedroom window, lit it up, put a hat on it, and told me a scary story about an evil pumpkin that killed kids. All right before bed, when I went to my room and found an evil, glowing pumpkin head in my window.
He once hid in the hay loft and shot at the cattle with a BB gun, making grandpa Neidlinger swear up a storm out in the pasture, trying to herd the ever-scattering animals, not aware of why they kept scattering.
Using parts of things he disassembled, he rigged up a loudspeaker system outside of his room on the second floor of the house, and would announce things across the back yard. Things like "time for supper!"
He joined in playing "tag" one night where we all were running around the yard and throwing firecrackers at each other.
He took me on a trip to the mountains in Wyoming where we and some of his friends rode horse and camped out up there for a week.
It took him almost ten years to finish remodeling his tiny house in Nebraska because he was such a perfectionist. He had a sheet for a front window curtain for a long time, and during one visit there, he and I pretended to "shoot" and "stab" and beat each other up in front of the sheet so that, during the night, from the street, our shadows performed a bizarre shadow play for the neighbors.
A few years before he moved to Australia, he whipped into the yard to recreate his youthful habit of spinning his car in circles at the end of our driveway, but instead lost control and smashed into the deck on the side of the house. I was in the, uh, bathroom on the other side of that wall and it was not a pleasant moment.
Tonight he flies in to Bismarck, and this weekend, my sisters and their families are coming up. It's going to be a lot of fun. It's been a long, long time since we've all been together. I can't wait.
This is a true account recorded in the Police Log of Sarasota, Florida... .
An elderly Florida lady did her shopping and, upon returning to her car, found four males in the act of leaving with her vehicle. She dropped her shopping bags and drew her handgun, proceeding to scream at the top of her voice, "I have a gun, and I know how to use it! Get out of the car!"
The four men didn't wait for a second invitation. They got out and ran like mad. The lady, somewhat shaken, then proceeded to load her shopping bags into the back of the car and got into the driver's seat. She was so shaken that she could not get her key into the ignition. She tried and tried, and then it dawned on her why...For the same reason she did not understand why there was a football, a Frisbee and two 12 packs in the front seat...
A few minutes later, she found her own car parked four or five spaces farther down.
She loaded her bags into the car and drove to the police station to report her mistake. The sergeant to whom she told the story couldn't stop laughing.
He pointed to the other end of the counter, where four pale men were reporting a car jacking by a mad, elderly woman described as white, less than five feet tall, glasses, curly white hair, and carrying a large handgun.
No charges were filed.
MORAL OF THE STORY?
If you're going to have a Senior Moment, make it memorable
I sat and wondered what kind of a night I was going to have with my little darling. I think that was always the part I dreaded, sleeplessness! I should have taken advantage to having nurses that could have let me get some sleep. I have to smile now, as I have such a hard time getting her to wake up for school.Today was the official day of her birth, but we are NOT going to celebrate it until the 19th. She brought cupcakes to school for her treats. I guess they were a hit. This was photo of her was taken today in her classroom. The other photo is from the hospital when she was 2 days old. She was already looking like a little pumpkin.
Tessa is sitting on the couch looking at her baby book and wondering why I saved and wrote what I did. Thank goodness I did, as I am sure if I tried to write something now, my memory would NOT be able to recall anything right. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TESSA, you were the best birthday present I had that year! Till next time...
