Role of Women. Role of Men. Update.

 

For “Scripture Sunday”:  Though, I am sorry, it’s late, as it is Monday today. On Sunday, I was busy talking to my son and daughter who called me for Mother’s Day.

Role of Women

“What makes a successful wife and mother? Where can you find a job description and practical principles for making the most of these challenging roles?

Human history gives a very confusing picture of the proper role of women in the family and in society. In some cases she is the dominant figure, while in many cultures and throughout much of history she has been viewed as second-class at best, and little more than property or chattel at the other extreme.

What did God really intend when He created Eve?

In the beginning …

The Bible gives many examples of women, including those who were righteous and those who were wicked, those who were strong and those who were weak. Through these examples, we can glean lessons about God’s intended role for the women He so lovingly created.

If we go back to the beginning, in Genesis 2:18, we see Eve was created after Adam as a “help meet for” (King James Version) or “helper comparable to” Adam. What does this mean? Was she just an afterthought?

After creating Adam, God gave him the task of naming all of the animals. It seems clear from verse 20 that this was to show Adam that none of them were “comparable” or suitable for him. To show Adam how special the woman was, God created her from a part of Adam himself—his rib, thus indicating that husband and wife truly are one flesh in God’s sight.

Then we read, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Together they were complete and whole.

A “help meet”

The expressions “help meet” or “helper comparable,” found in the King James Version and the New King James Version respectively, are sometimes viewed negatively. But God did not intend woman to be a weak or inferior person. The Hebrew word translated “help” or “helper” is used 21 times in the Old Testament, and most of those are in the context of the help that would come from God Himself. God’s help would not be weak or inferior!

The role God created for Eve was that of strengthening the family. Adam was not complete by himself, and Eve was given the ability to help him build that completeness. The woman’s role is not lesser or inferior, but it is different from the man’s. And God does not leave her without additional instruction in Scripture on her proper role.

Understanding submission

For many today the word submit is a highly offensive term. Some go so far as wanting to take it entirely out of their wedding vows, in spite of God’s instructions. Through the apostle Paul, God tells wives to “submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). What does that mean?

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines submit as “to yield to governance or authority … to yield oneself to the authority or will of another … to defer to or consent to abide by the opinion or authority of another.” Submission is yielding, consenting to the authority of another, in this case to her husband. Submission as God intended is something that must be given, not something that should be demanded or enforced. Within marriage, it is an act of love and respect!

God clearly gave the man the role of leader in the family (Ephesians 5:23; 1 Corinthians 11:3). It is important to note that husbands are charged with submitting to the authority of Christ.

God gives the husband further instructions for his role in the family, which we will discuss in the article on the man’s role below.

A wife is not to submit to her husband’s abusive or ungodly behavior, and a husband must not demand submission from his wife to yield to any of his abusive or ungodly behavior. But when both roles of submission are being righteously lived, it is far more likely that there will be peace and harmony in the marriage.”  

Continues at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/relationships/family/role-of-women/

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Role of Men

“What is the proper role of men in the family and society? History reveals extremes from the family dictator to the bumbling sitcom dad. What did God design?

Society has many different ideas about what the role of men should be. But what did our great and loving Creator intend?

In the beginning …

To answer that question we need to start in the beginning, at the creation of Adam and Eve. In Genesis 2 we see that Adam was created before Eve. Adam was given the task of naming all of the animals. It seems clear that at least part of the purpose for this was to help him realize that none of these creatures were “comparable to him.” Every other creature had its mate; but Adam was at that point alone, the only one of his kind (verse 20).

After he was done naming all the animals, God then created a very special blessing for him—a woman fashioned from Adam’s own rib. The connection between them was undeniable. Together they had a oneness—they formed a family, a complete unit (verse 24).

New Testament instructions

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul very specifically outlined the leadership roles God intended within the family in Ephesians 5:23. Here we see that the husband is to be the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church. That sets a very high standard for men to live up to!

What specifically is this standard God expects men to live up to? Verse 25 makes two very important points. The first is that Christ “loved” the Church. There are many definitions for love. But one that would describe Christ’s love for the Church is “unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another” (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary).

The second point (which is an extension of Christ’s love) is that He gave Himself for the Church. What is described in these verses is authority as the head of the family and a commitment to fulfill the needs of the family. Jesus Christ demonstrated that real leadership and real love are self-sacrificing in order to provide what is needed to those who are led and loved.

The husband’s role is intended to be one of loving authority and not a harsh authoritarian role. And as a loving authority, the husband is accountable to God for the welfare of his family—physically, morally, spiritually and emotionally.

With understanding and honor

The apostle Peter adds to our understanding in 1 Peter 3:7. Here husbands are instructed to “dwell with them [their wives] with understanding, giving honor to the wife as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life.” There are three points made here:

1. The husband must dwell with his wife with understanding. Of course, this evokes many humorous comments because there are men who feel they can never “understand” their wives. Sadly, many husbands and wives simply do not take sufficient time with each other or even try to get to know each other well enough to “understand” what the other may struggle with or be going through. One-on-one quality time together is necessary, no matter how long a couple has been together.

2. What about the “weaker vessel” part of this passage? Women are generally smaller and not as physically strong as a man. So God is directing husbands to take care of their wives, to look out for, cherish and demonstrate tenderness toward them. When God created woman, He could have made her equal in strength and stature to the man, but He did not. Instead, He gave man the responsibility to protect, care for and give honor to her.

3. The third part of this passage is “being heirs together of the grace of life.” The Moffatt translation states, “You must honor them as heirs equally with yourselves of the grace of life.” The potential to be children of God in His Kingdom is the same for both men and women.

While God established certain roles for men and other roles for women in our physical families, there is nothing in Scripture to indicate one sex has more favor with God, or that one would have preeminence in the coming Kingdom. The relationship between husband and wife today should be harmonious and one of mutual love and respect, knowing that both are to equally inherit eternal life.

Role of a father.”

Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/relationships/family/role-of-men/

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Update:

Where do the weeks go??  Roy, my helper and I have made more progress in the mini-house.  I bought a new laminate router bit, so we cut off the edge of the front and side kitchen counters.  The sink and stove cutouts haven’t been done yet.  Then we built the cabinet across from the sink side, but that hasn’t been Formica-ed yet. It will be for housing pressure cookers, crockpots and such large items, and there are several outlets along that 6’ section of wall. That is where the coffee maker will be to keep it out of the work area.

One day I even had time to go grocery shopping here in Willis, but I haven’t been into Conroe lately.  I need to go soon as we need things from Lowes or Home Depot.  Two mornings I had to drive into Willis to get Roy as his friend wouldn’t get up to bring him here because they had been night fishing.

Here are pictures of the lights we installed last week:

This is in the kitchen, the celing is white, but you wouldn’t know it by my camera!

The fixture is a brushed nickel finish to go with some other things in the kitchen.

This little flat light on the left, is in the closet as that ceiling is lower.

It is a florescent light.

 

 

Then this is the ceiling fan/light in what will be the bedroom. It has little butterflies on it

 

 

 

 

 

One thing that I splurged on when grocery shopping in Kroger was some Bisto.   Shepherd’s Pie is British and it just doesn’t taste right without British Bisto gravy powder.  So for the church potluck and I took my homemade Shepherd’s Pie made with ground beef, peas, carrots, Bisto gravy and the usual mashed potatoes on top.  People were getting second helpings so I grabbed a small container and saved some to take home for Roy’s lunch the next day, as I knew he had never had it.  He liked it too.  Gary brought a chicken dish with German noodles, and the pastor’s wife made taco meat with all the fixin’s.  We had pizza, too, and all the dishes were good, as always.

But the biggest surprise was when Jay, my former helper, called and wanted to go to church with me.  Everyone there was so pleased to see him, and sober too.

One new thing that wasn’t a surprise, was that my daughter Wendy and son-in-law picked up their new white German Shepherd puppy from the rescue, all neutered and vaccinated.  They still haven’t come up with a permanent name for him yet though.  I suggested Ollie, like ‘Ollie the Donkey’ in the kid’s Christian cartoon because of the dog’s enormous ears, or Frankie for Sinatra because of his blue eyes, but Wendy seemed to like my suggestion of “Blanco”.  We will see.  He is getting along great, playing with their Australian Shepherd, Bowser, and he is another great joy for them.  Bowser loves to go jet-skiing with them (with his life jacket on of course) and maybe the new pup will too.  It is a three-seater jet ski.

Another surprise was that my previous foster cat, 12 year old Napoleon was adopted from the SPCA habitat at Conroe Petco.    My new foster, Gertrude is a strange declawed 9 year old lady.  She finds the darndest places to sleep, and she changes places every three days, but never comes up on my bed or ventures into the rest of the house. She just stays in my bedroom and bathroom.

One time, the tri-day place was my bathroom sink, so I had to wash my hands at my bathtub.  Another time it was on my closed toilet lid fluffy cover, so I had to use the other bathroom.  Then it was on my sweater shelf, and she pushed some on the floor.  The back of the linen cupboard has had it’s turn, and a shoe shelf.  I think she is trying to play games with me to see how I will react. I don’t like to disturb her as she is shy and just getting used to my place. This is her home, and she is welcome to go anywhere in this house except for counters or tables.

The Bible readings were Lev. 16:1-18:30, Eze. 22:1-22:19 and Rom. 3:19-28.  The Teaching was about the Different Bible Translations.

Upon arriving at the church, I was a hurry to get into the dining hall to help the pastor’s wife and forgot to put up the windshield sunshade, so you know what the car felt like when we got back in it because it such a warm day, so Jay complained until it cooled down.  He would complain if he was hung with a new rope!

There were two cakes at the potluck, one for a couple’s 50th Anniversary, and one for Mother’s Day.

Power Shifts in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Auschwitz: 70 Years Later. Killing Off the Monarchs. Update.

 

For "Scripture Sunday":

Power Shifts in Yemen and Saudi Arabia

"In the same week Yemen’s president resigned and the king of Saudi Arabia died. How will this alter U.S. influence in the Middle East and impact the region?"

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry walks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal and U.S. Ambassador Joseph Westphal on June 27, 2014 (U.S. State Department photo).

"On Jan. 22 Yemen’s President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his parliament stepped down as Iran-backed Houthi militiamen surrounded his presidential palace. Then, on Jan. 23, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah died.

Before these two events, both Yemen and Saudi Arabia were considered strong American allies. In the volatile and radical Middle East, they have been seen as examples of moderation and stability. But as new leadership emerges, will the U.S. lose either (or both) of these allies and influence in the Middle East?

A power shift in Yemen? and What lies ahead for America’s influence in the Middle East?"

Complete article at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/blog/power-shifts-in-yemen-and-saudi-arabia/

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Auschwitz: 70 Years Later

"A survivor called this death camp "the world's biggest cemetery". Do we remember and have we learned the lessons?"

4-5 min Video: http://youtu.be/5nfSmGEilew

Darris McNeely:  "You see the sign over the entrance to this camp? It says, “Arbeit macht frei” – “Work makes free”. It’s the deceptive sign, famous, over the entrance to the German concentration camp in Warsaw called Auschwitz.

Today (January 27, 2015) marks the 70th anniversary that Russian troops entered the camp and liberated the surviving Jewish members of  this particular death camp which is one of the most famous of the many that the Nazi Germans conducted during World War II and the infamous Holocaust, where more than six million Jews lost their lives during that time.

World leaders are gathered there today. Yesterday, many survivors came in and were there, and many for the first time coming back into that camp since they were teenagers and barely survived with their lives in the horror of what was taking place at that particular time."   More at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-daily/conflicts-and-war/auschwitz-70-years-later

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Is the Sabbath Relevant for Christians?

"Have you been told that Sabbath observance has been abolished? It's time you learned the biblical truth.  Well today, let's look at what the Bible actually says about the Sabbath. We'll also talk with a pastor and other Christians about this subject as we explore "Is the Sabbath Relevant for Christians?""

Our first point then: The seventh-day Sabbath was created by God at creation.

The Sabbath is included in the Ten Commandments, but it was "created" long before God visited Israel from Mount Sinai. This understanding is vital if we are going to have a proper definition of the Sabbath.

How do we know that the actual Sabbath day hasn't been lost to history?

Well the answer to this problem is very simple. The Jews, and the other 12 tribes of Israel, were given the Ten Commandments and led by God to their homeland. Eventually, the Jews were removed from their homeland and scattered around the world.

Today, many centuries later, you can travel across the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Australia and the Middle East and find Jewish synagogues. And every place you go, Jewish people observe the seventh-day Sabbath on the day we call Saturday. (Just like Jesus did)  The Sabbath day isn't lost to history. The actual Sabbath day has been passed on from generation to generation in the Jewish community.

There is no legitimate controversy on what is the Sabbath day of the Bible."

28 minute sermon video at: http://youtu.be/C2oCoFAzOqQ    Complete transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-program/christian-living/sabbath-relevant-christians

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It's Helped Kill Off 91% of Monarch Butterflies, and You Likely Eat It Every Day

"A PBS documentary covers the amazing 2,000-mile migration of Monarch butterflies from Canada to the highlands of Mexico.

The North American Monarch butterfly population has fallen by more than 90 percent as their primary food source and breeding habitat are decimated by glyphosate.

Your help is urgently needed to help save the Monarch butterfly; specific action steps are provided.

Milkweeds that used to abundantly line the Monarch’s flight path have been largely eradicated by modern agriculture.  Not only are chemicals killing the milkweeds, but prairies are being replaced by cornfields, and roadsides are being mowed where milkweeds previously grew wild.  Nearly a billion pounds of Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup is dumped on fields and our lawns each year."    More at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/01/31/glyphosate-monarch-butterflies.aspx

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Update:

Not much to tell really.  The weather was cold in the mornings and warmed up by the afternoons.  We had a 6 hour power outage, so I am glad that it wasn't cold that day.  My foster dog and cat knew something was different and both were uneasy until the lights came back on.  They couldn't understand why their "Mom" was wearing a headlamp, listening to the radio, and reading her Bible, instead of turning on the lights, at the computer and watching TV.  I had been wanting to find time to read the apocryphal books the Maccabees for quite a while and there wasn't much else to do.

Jay was still working in Galena Park, so I went shopping by myself on Wednesday.  I did snag a few bargains at the thrift shop and grocery store.  Ray's back was hurting, so not much got done until today.

Jay had a day off from Galena Park, so he came and we finished the ceiling in the greenhouse extension that is in front of the storeroom.  This also extends that attic.  The window is half of an 8' patio door, so it is very big.  That is a small opening transom window over the storm door for ventilation.  Some plants had been put in there a month ago, and they didn't even know that we had a few freezing nights!

Ray put the rest of the screws in the joists and hangers.  So it is done, finally.

This is the outside. It is just a small addition to the storeroom, which is adjacent to the guest house, but it will make a big difference.

Yesterday, Jay wanted to go to church with us, but the man took him to Galena Park again.  Ray met me at the church, as he had coffee with his sister first.  We both arrived early so that we could greet and talk to the others as they arrived.  One carload couldn't make it from Montgomery (TX), their wheel bearings went out on the way.  Another family from Grangerland couldn't make it either.

So Ray was elected to do one of the Bible readings.  Judges 4:4-5-34.  There are a lot of names in there which are hardly pronounceable, but he made it!  The other Bible readings were Psa. 145, 147 and Exo. 13-17:10.  The teaching was "What Does It Take For God To Get Your Attention?" There were many quotes from the Old and New Testaments where God has had to get  people's attention to show them the way they should choose to go.

The potluck was great even though we were missing two of the elders, their families, plus the other people that ride with them.  I made a Twice-Baked Potato Casserole, minus the bacon of course, and some cut up baked Cinnamon Apples which all went down well.

Another great Saturday.

Speak The Truth In Love. When Your Spouse Complains. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Majestic Monarch Butterfly. Update.

 

For "Scripture Sunday":

Speak The Truth In Love.

"What we say and why we say it has a huge impact on our relationships. Can telling the truth ever have bad results? Is it okay to lie for a good reason?

“Is it OK to lie for a good cause?” was the question asked in a recent TED conversation. The answers that came in were interesting.

One replied, “In my opinion the basis for moral action is loosely speaking to ‘maximize others’ well-being/minimize the harm you do to others.’ A rule such as ‘never lie’ is thus in my opinion not in itself the basis for moral action, but rather almost always a direct consequence of trying to be moral in the first sense. Lying can in my view therefore sometimes be moral.”

But can it really?

Another person quoted a religious figure who provided a more traditionalist conclusion: “It is a sin for someone to lie. When he lies for a good cause, i.e. to save someone else, this is half a sin, because the lie is for the benefit of his fellow man and not for himself. However it is also considered a sin; therefore, we should keep it in mind, and not fall into the habit of telling lies for insignificant things.”

So, is it okay to lie for a good cause? What does God say about lying and truth and our motives?"

Read More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/relationships/communication/speak-the-truth-in-love/ By Ralph Levy

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Marriage Builder - When Your Spouse Complains

"When one spouse complains, typically the other becomes defensive. Learning to deal with complaints before they become destructive is critical to the success of every marriage."

From Jimmy Evans: "Early in our marriage, Karen and I had an enormous amount of anger between us. We fought all the time. We couldn't talk about anything because it almost always led to a fight.

That's a dangerous way to live in a marriage. Chronic anger causes severe health problems. Did you know people in bad marriages actually have shorter life spans? Anger consumes our energy and wears us out.

How do you deal with anger in your marriage?

First, don't deny it. In Ephesians 4: 26-27, the Apostle Paul says that we will be angry. When this happens, admit it. Don't bottle it up. Suppressing anger may feel helpful in the short term, but unexpressed anger can be devastating. The pressure will build and build until you explode.

Cultivate an atmosphere of honesty within your relationship, so you and your spouse both feel free to complain and express anger. You have to be able to share anything with each other. I've counseled individuals before and one person will tell me something important about their thoughts or feelings.

I'll ask, "Have you told your spouse that?" They'll answer, "Oh, no. They'll go ballistic." What that means is the atmosphere in their home is not safe. They aren't free to complain because that kind of honesty can be dangerous to their marriage.

Allow your spouse to be angry. But when your spouse does offer a specific complaint, you must respond in a healthy way.

Don't get defensive. The best customer relations counters are the ones that take back a defective product and replace it with no questions asked. It's easy.

That's the kind of attitude we need in marriage. Defensive behavior makes it difficult. It makes a spouse feel they don't have a right to complain. In fact, defensiveness is a major predictor of divorce.

Early in our marriage, Karen would tell me something that was bothering her. She would explain that there was a problem and I would respond, "No, you're the problem. If you would just get your act together, everything would be fine."   That is not helpful.

Don't let your anger "age." Paul told the Ephesians not to let the sun go down on their anger. He meant that anger should be dealt with immediately. If you let it age—if you let it simmer and stew—it gets worse. It begins to fester.

Long-term anger turns into contempt. It turns into bitterness. It becomes poisonous and hardens your heart to whatever made you angry in the first place. Don't hide your anger in hopes that it will just go away. It turns toxic.

Don't stonewall. This is when communication totally shuts down. It's a response that means you're not willing to talk at all. "Do not talk to me about the children. Do not talk to me about money. Don't talk to me about my behavior."

A marriage with no communication is a marriage that's in trouble. We need to be able to complain to each other. We have to talk things out—but we have to do it without getting defensive, throwing a fit, or insulting each other.

Dysfunctional families don't talk. Functional families are honest and work things out when one spouse has a complaint. What kind of family is yours?" 

More and video at: http://www.marriagetoday.com/when-your-spouse-complains/  and  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWVP_9CNGwU#t=13

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

An Amazing Fact: "Not all garbage ends up at the dump. In fact, Earth’s largest landfill isn’t on land at all. Every year millions of tons of plastic and other floating garbage is washed, blown, or dumped into the Pacific Ocean. It comes from rivers, boats, and populated beaches around the coasts of the great sea. Gradually, a constantly revolving whirlpool of ocean currents and wind gather and push these items into a virtual vortex of trash. This forms a floating rubbish convergence zone bigger than the state of Texas.

This galaxy of garbage, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, stretches more than a thousand miles across the central North Pacific Ocean. It is found in ocean space between Japan and California, while hovering a few hundred miles north of Hawaii. There are places where this tangled mass of nets, bottles, and bags is so thick you can walk on it, but most of the garbage patch is a minestrone soup of rubbish. Despite its continental size, the patch is not visible through satellite photography because most of its contents are a snow of plastic confetti suspended beneath the surface of the ocean.

This swirling synthetic sea presents a deadly minefield of debris. Each year thousands of ocean-going birds, fish, and mammals are killed trying to survive near this growing gauntlet of garbage. Turtles eat the plastic bags, thinking they are jellyfish. Birds eat the plastic particles, thinking they’re fish or shrimp, then starve because the indigestible polymers give them the false sensation they are full.

It is estimated this nebulous, floating junk yard, also called the Pacific Trash Vortex, may contain over 100 million tons of debris, and it’s growing every year. While it is the largest, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not unique. It is only one of five gigantic gatherings of garbage found among the seven seas of the world.

 
Did you know the Bible says that God will cast our sins in the depths of the sea? But the good news is that they don’t float! “He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19).
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. - Psalms 104:25

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In the Animal Kingdom:

Help Save The Majestic Monarch Butterfly

"Don't let this North American crown jewel slip away. Urge the EPA to come up with a monarch butterfly rescue plan.

The monarch butterfly is one of the most recognizable and revered butterflies in all the world.

Each year, the monarchs begin a remarkable journey when they fly north to lay their eggs—some as far as 3,000 miles. For three brief generations, each lasting only one or two months, the monarchs mate and breed. The fourth generation of butterflies then returns to Mexico where they hibernate in a remote forest for six to eight months, until it is time to repeat the process.

It is a process that has continued uninterrupted for 250,000 years, but the last 15 years have seen dwindling numbers.

In the US, modern pesticides are killing milkweed, a primary source of nutrition. In Mexico, illegal loggers destroy their habitat.

Monarchs are the only known species of butterfly to migrate each year, seeking abundant food in the summer and warmer climates during the winter. Unfortunately, modern pesticides are killing milkweed in the U.S., a primary source of nutrition, while illegal loggers destroy their habitat in Mexico.

Take Action: Urge the EPA to intervene. http://therainforestsite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/trs/petition/MonarchButterflies

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Update:

It has been another cold week.  Not much outside work going on.   Three stray feral cats that have taken up residence here have been going into the enclosed canopy carport and using it as their personal litter box.  They thought that it was much better than doing it out in the cold I suppose.  We sprinkled the ground with paprika one day, pepper the next, which seemed to work, and next we will try mothballs.   I furnished them with a real litter box and litter, and one did use it.  We can't trap them, they are too clever. The situation might get out of hand if they breed, so we will have to do something with these two females and one male.

One big thing happened this week.  The person who used my credit card that was stolen in the robbery, was finally arrested.  They were found with some 'controlled substance', too!  So now we, you and me, will be supporting them for a while.  I wish there were some way of retrieving the things that were stolen.  I had lost almost all the pictures of my kids when they were little in the house fire and then the flood.  The only ones that I did have were stolen in the robbery as they were in my checkbook case, which I left at the house while I was in hospital.

Jay and I went shopping on Wednesday and picked up some 2x6's for the ceiling in the greenhouse extension to the storeroom.  We also got some bargains at the thrift shops.  I got some lovely sweaters, and Jay got some winter shirts.

Something went wrong with Ray's car, so I took him to the doctor on Friday.  The doctor sent his prescription to CVS.  We went grocery shopping and got a few parts at Lowes waiting for the prescription to be filled. When Ray called them, they said it would be another hour, and then it was another half-hour.  So we just dawdled around Conroe most of the day.

On Sunday, Ray and I took this computer out into the workshop, opened up the big workshop door, then opened up the computer and gently blew the dust out with the compressor.  Then we moved the computer desk and everything back to it's old place in front of the patio door that leads to the screened–in porch.  We moved my sewing machine back to where the computer was, and oiled it.  I might get some sewing done now.

Jim, the mechanic down the street, finally made the diagnosis that Ray's car needed a coil pack, so I took Ray to get it, Jim installed it and all is well now.

Ray and I went to church bundled up in several layers, as it was cold and rainy.  They can't keep the chapel very warm as it is an old building with not much insulation. The Bible readings were Deut. 6:5, Psa.139, 145, Exo. 1-6:1, Isa 27:6-28 and Jer.1:1-2:3.  The Teaching was about the 'Destructiveness of Sin'.

The potluck was good as usual.  We never know what the members will bring to the dining hall.  We had salmon hors d'oeuvres, salads, turkey chili with turkey sausages, turkey meatloaf, beef enchiladas, beef tacos and fixin's, and lots of different veggies.  Pumpkin pie, cake and cookies for dessert.

I had wanted to watch one of my favorite shows 'As Time Goes By' on PBS at 7.00pm, but fell fast asleep.  It had been a happy though tiring, rainy day.

Another D-Day? Ant Farmers. Dry Butterflies. Update.

For Scripture Sunday:

70 Years After D-Day: Why Another D-Day Is Needed

"Mankind has spent almost 6,000 years, as a whole, rejecting God and His law. This has led from one tragedy to the next."

U.S. soldiers charge the beaches of Normandy under Nazi fire.  On D-day, the Western allies launched an invasion to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. An understanding of history shows why another invasion is necessary.

"Seventy years ago, on June 6, 1944, 160,000 allied troops landed on a 50-mile stretch of beaches on the coast of France. Their goal was to establish a beachhead into Nazi-occupied Europe. This beachhead would then become the launching point for an offensive that would strike at the heart of Nazi Germany, with the goal of destroying it completely. 

Another invasion of liberation

The good news is that there is another D-day coming—a day of deliverance! The Bible reveals that Jesus Christ will return to earth during a catastrophic worldwide human conflict. He will fight the nations that will be leading this future conflict and forcibly stop their warfare (Zechariah 14:3; Revelation 19:19-21).
Though D-day was critical in liberating Europe from the tyranny of Hitler, this future deliverance will liberate an entire world held captive!"  Complete article and a brief history lesson at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/blog/70-years-after-d-day-why-another-d-day-is-needed/   by M. Noland Morris - June 6, 2014
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Ant Farmers
An Amazing Fact: "Perhaps you have heard of the famous parasol (or “leafcutter”) ants that make gardens and raise their own crops. These amazing creatures are called “parasol” ants because they are often seen walking in processions, each one holding a piece of green leaf above its head! These bits of green leaf are not for food, but are taken to their nests and made into a compost soil. These ants are actually farmers. They deliberately sow, prune, fertilize, weed, harvest, and store a fungus crop as carefully as any gardener tends his vegetables.
There are ants living in Texas that clear a “field” of 1 or 2 square yards and then plant rice. They lay out the rice in beds with pathways running among the plants and keep their rice fields carefully weeded. When the rice seeds ripen the ants harvest them, remove the husks, and store the kernels for food. Later the ants with very large jaws crack the seeds and crush the kernels into meal for the rest of the ants. If the rice gets damp and is in danger of spoiling, certain ants have the sole responsibility of carrying the damp grain out into the sunshine for drying.
Another species of Mediterranean ant goes even further in producing its food from farmed seeds. These ants carefully take dried seeds out in the rain until they start to sprout. At that point, they kill the sprout and dry the seeds in the sunshine again. When the seeds are dry, the ants take them down into the kitchen where workers crush and chew them into a dough-like substance. They form the dough into cookie-shaped patties and then take the patties back out to bake in the sun. When the ant biscuits are baked, the ants store them in the nest again.
No wonder Solomon wrote, “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest” (Proverbs 6:6-8). The same God who enables the tiny ant to prepare for its needs also gave us the intelligence to prepare for ours."
KEY BIBLE TEXTS: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; - Proverbs 30:25
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The Secret Revealed: How Butterflies Stay Dry

Researchers from Boston University and M.I.T. have made an interesting discovery about which surfaces – smooth or bumpy – are more efficient at repelling water.

'In case you’ve been lying awake nights wondering how butterflies stay dry, a new study published in the journal Nature will have you sleeping like a baby again."  More and video at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/01/17/butterfly-wings.aspx
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Update:
Gradually starting to feel like my old self, and we have been able to work around the place, getting it ready to sell.

We put up another 10' x 20' canopy, but this time it is a more sturdy and more permanent one. It is at the end of my metal carport, so now we have shade all along that side of the house.  That is where the old RVport used to be, between the two houses.

We moved the cheaper 10' x 20' canopy that we had used for the yard sale, over in front of my workshop.  We are always needing shade to work on something.

No one ever called about the little male Siamese kitten that was found, so he has been de-wormed, vaccinated and Revolution-ed (for no heartworm, fleas, mites, etc).  I named him PURRCY.  He has had to stay quarantined in my grooming room, so I had to move my young foster cat, Chelsea, her box and dishes out of there and into my bathroom.  Tomorrow, Purrcy goes to the vet for neutering, black light to check for ringworm, blood test to check for Felv/FIV and micro chipping.  All this is done to our SPCA rescues before they are adopted.  He is such a sweet, outgoing, loving little guy that he will be a great addition to any responsible family.   He and Chelsea play pat-a-cake through the glass door, and as soon as he is checked out OK, they can play together.  Nala, my older foster cat, pretends that he doesn't exist!!

Yesterday, Ray, Jay and I went to church, and enjoyed the service, then Ray and I went to the Pentecost service today.

Lake Texana and Submerged Texana, TX. Kit Carson.

 

For "Travel Tuesday", let's visit Lake Texana, in the Texas Gulf Coast region of TX.

"Home to some of the best beaches in America, the Texas Gulf Coast region draws millions of visitors to this Texas playground. Stretching some 350 miles from South Padre Island & the Rio Grande Valley, all the way to Beaumont & the Louisiana border, this region is renowned for its wildlife & natural beauty, as well as the home of America's space program. Discover the Beaches of the Texas Gulf Coast Region."

Lake Texana State Park, Texas

"Halfway between Houston and Corpus Christi, Lake Texana State Park is a great spot for swimming, boating, fishing and wildlife viewing - including deer and alligators. The park features a Nature Center and offers interpretive programs throughout the year. For more information, visit www.LifesBetterOutside.org.

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"The majority of the park consists of mixed oak and pecan woodlands. White-tailed deer,squirrels, rabbits, nine-banded Armadillos, and raccoons are numerous. There are occasional bobcat and wild turkey sightings. American alligators are also found in the park.

Lake Texana contains many native and exotic species of aquatic vegetation. Large stands of water hyacinth are present throughout the reservoir. Moderate densities of giant salvinia, hydrilla, coontail, spikerush, cattail, pondweed, and bulrush are also present.

Lake Texana contains vast floating beds of water hyacinth which provide marginal habitat for most sportfish species. Isolated beds of hydrilla, coontail, and other submerged aquatic vegetation provide the best habitat for largemouth bass. Most of the reservoir contains submerged timber and numerous stumps, ideal structure for catfish species. In periods of high water, flooded terrestrial vegetation provides excellent habitat for all game fish species. The Navidad River channel and the adjacent shallow area called the "jungle" is a favorite bass fishing area, water level permitting.

Hikers, birdwatchers and other nature buffs should explore the 1.3-mile Lake Texana Nature Trail that traverses creek bottomlands, providing up-close views of the park’s fauna and flora, as well as wooden butterfly homes erected to protect the winged beauties from predators. Wooden footbridges spanning a creek add a scenic touch to the trail and afford excellent vantage points for spotting critters that call the waters home.

A growing number of birders are finding their way to Lake Texana, too, because of the impressive number of bird species spotted in the park. More than 220 species of avifauna have been documented to date, drawn by the overlap of coastal prairie, hardwood bottomland and riparian  habitats. Migrating songbirds, waterfowl, shorebirds and scavengers like the Mexican buzzard (cara cara) are frequently seen at the park."

Lake Texana State Park Drive Through.

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Speaking of Texas: Texana

A popular wedding site today, the 150-year-old former Texana Presby­terian Church stands near its original location. (Photo by J. Griffis Smith)

"It’s a safe bet that few of the boaters and water-skiers who frequent Lake Texana, near Edna, realize that less than 75 feet below the surface of this placid body of water lies the site of a once-bustling river port. In the mid-1800s, as many as 20 vessels a week docked here.

Established in 1832 on the Navidad River by Dr. Francis F. Wells, one of Stephen F. Austin’s Old Three Hundred colonists, and Wells’ sister-in-law, Pamelia McNutt Porter, the town was originally named Santa Anna after Antonio López de Santa Anna. However, the Mexican soldier and politician’s popularity soon waned and residents changed the name to Texana.

During the Texas Revolution, the town served both as a port of entry for volunteers and as a training camp. When the war ended and the Republic was organized into counties, Texana became the seat of Jackson County. “The Navidad was a navigable river then, and boats were able to dock and turn around at Texana,” says Frank Condron, president of the Jackson County Historical Commission.

In mid-1836, New York capitalists Augustus and John Allen, in search of a site for an inland deep-water port, approached Wells about buying the land on which Texana was located.

“After making their survey of the entire gulf coast they decided in favor of Texana, it being the farthest inland with no obstruction,” writes I.T. Taylor in his 1936 book, The Cavalcade of Jackson County. When the Allen brothers offered Wells a substantial sum, he set a price twice that amount. Legend says his response so angered the brothers that one of them declared, “Never will this town amount to anything. I curse it. You … will live to see rabbits and other animals inhabiting its streets.” The Allens then bought land on Buffalo Bayou and established their dream city of Houston there instead.

Nevertheless, Texana continued to grow. By 1840, it had regular steamboat service, and in 1858, residents erected a courthouse. In 1880, it boasted regular mail and stage routes, a flourishing business area, and a weekly newspaper.

The next year, agents of the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway proposed routing the railroad through Texana in exchange for $30,000. When town leaders balked, the railroad moved seven miles north, by-passing the town. Many Texana residents followed and established a new community called Edna. It soon became the county seat, and by 1884, Texana had become ghost town. It seemed as if the Allen brothers’  curse had been fulfilled. Some might say the final blow fell in 1979, when Palmetto Bend Dam was built on the Navidad River less than a mile below the old town site, forming Lake Texana and flooding the area.

Today, the reservoir is at the heart of Lake Texana State Park. Because Texana’s namesake park attracts some 88,000 visitors a year, perhaps the Allen brother’s curse was dispelled after all.

Traces of Old Texana

Lake Texana State Park, east of Edna, offers camping, hiking, fishing and other watersports. (Photo by J. Griffis Smith)

While the town of Texana no longer exists, you can find traces of it at several sites in and around Edna (at US 59 and TX 111). Lake Texana State Park (7 miles -east, on TX 111) also features occasional programs on the pioneer town. Call 361/782-5718; www.tpwd.state.tx.us.

The Brackenridge Recreation Complex (across TX 111 from the state park), once the site of the Brackenridge Plantation, displays early photographs of the area and offers tours of the restored Historic Texana Church, which was built in 1859, moved to Edna in 1884, and finally moved here, a few miles north of its original location, in 2001. The quaint Greek Revival structure is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Owned by the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority (LNRA), the park also includes the Brackenridge family cemetery. Call 361/782-5456; www.brackenridgepark.com.

Two other sites display Texana artifacts and photographs: LNRA headquarters (at FM 3131 and FM 1822; 361/782-5229; www.lnra.org), and Texana Museum (403 N. Wells St.; 361/782-7146; www.jacksoncountytx.com), which offers exhibits on local history.

A number of buildings were moved from Texana to Edna in the late 1800s. Only two historic homes remain: the 1866 Bronaugh-Hasdorff home, at 203 E. Brackenridge St., and the 1876 George F. Horton home, at 404 Hanover St."  By Nola McKey

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On This Day:

Kit Carson born in Kentucky, Dec 24, 1809:

"Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson, one of the most celebrated heroes of the American West, is born in Richmond, Kentucky.

Shortly after Carson was born, his family moved west to Howard County, Missouri, an ideal spot for a future frontiersman to learn his trade. By the early 1820s, nearby Franklin, Missouri, had become the starting point for the newly opened Santa Fe Trail. As an apprentice to a Franklin saddle maker, Carson spent three years watching the covered wagons head westward for Santa Fe. Finally, the yearning to follow overwhelmed young Carson, and he ran away from home to join a trading caravan.

Intelligent and resourceful, Carson made a new life for himself once he reached Santa Fe. He learned enough Spanish to serve as a translator, and soaked up information about frontier knowledge and skills from the many mountain men who came to town. When Carson was 22 years old, he met the famous Irish mountain man Thomas Fitzpatrick, who offered to take Carson on a trapping expedition in the northern Rockies. Carson jumped at the chance, and soon became a skilled trapper and a cunning tracker. In January 1833, when a band of Crow Indians stole his party's horses, Carson trailed the Indians for 40 miles and his party was able to recover the stolen steeds.

Possessed of an uncanny ability to remember geography and topography, the illiterate Carson gained international fame after he served as a guide for John C. Fremont's 1842 western mapping expedition along the Oregon Trail. Fremont was so impressed with Carson's frontier and guiding skills that he rehired him to guide his 1843 exploration of the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra Nevada. When Fremont published his reports on the two expeditions, he wrote glowingly of the young scout, and Carson had his first taste of national fame.

After serving with Fremont in the Mexican War, Carson gained even greater renown as an Indian fighter in New Mexico, and the authors of popular dime novels began featuring him in their western tales. Literally a legend in his own time, Carson had the bizarre experience of colliding with his own mythic self. Late in 1849, Carson led the pursuit of a band of Jicarilla Apache who had kidnapped Mrs. J.M. White and her child from an emigrant caravan. Carson and a company of Taos soldiers tracked down and defeated the Apache, but they were too late to save Mrs. White, who was found with an arrow through her heart. Carson discovered a dime novel lying near White's body-the novel featured Carson as the hero of a story where he single-handedly fought off eight Indians.

Although he spent much of his life fighting Indians, Carson apparently had great sympathy and respect for them--in 1867 he became the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Colorado Territory. Despite his failing health, Carson made a strenuous trip to Washington with delegates from the Ute tribe to argue on the Indians' behalf in treaty negotiations. Shortly after he returned to his home in Boggsville, Colorado, he died at the age of 58, but his legend continues to grow, thanks to countless novels and movies celebrating his life and adventures."

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Yesterday:

Jay wanted to work, so Misty and I got in the van to get him, but it wouldn't start.  A door wasn't closed all the way, and the inside lights ran down the battery overnight.  The Puddle Jumper is still being serviced down the street at Jim's, the mechanic, who is down with a bronchial infection.  The new muffler has arrived, but he is too sick to install it.

Misty was very upset that she wasn't going for her 'walkies' down at Jay's, and took her time taking me for a walk around the front yard.  Jay walked up here, as his ATV battery was dead, too.  Must be this cold weather!  

As I don't have the clear vinyl up on the screen porch this winter, the aloe plants would get too cold in there when it freezes. So they are all in the temporary greenhouse that we made with some old patio doors.

Rather than take the two wire shelf units off the screen porch, as I didn't really have anywhere else to keep them, we went up to my attic and brought down some pieces of very thin plywood and paneling.  We cut pieces to fit the eight shelves, so now the foster cats could go out there without breaking their legs on the empty shelves.  Jay always wants to cut up new full sheets, and was amazed at what we made with the old scrap paneling that I had kept to re-use.

These are two weird cats, they didn't seem to like their first outing on the screen porch at all.  They did jump up on the shelves though, so I was glad that we had added the paneling.  I had a cat that broke her leg jumping on something like that, years ago, so I am very cautious now.

After a boost with the battery charger, the van was ready to take Jay home when we were through for the day.

China Processing Our Chickens? The Fun Theory. Drug Ads Aimed At Children. George Washington. Quantum Theory.

 

For "Summary Saturday", or News, Some New, Some Old:

Chicken Processed in China Triggers U.S. Food Safety Protests

A woman picks out chicken wings and legs at a market in Shanghai.

"Food-safety advocates are raising alarms over a decision by the Obama administration to permit chicken processed in China to be sold in the U.S. even after several high-profile incidents of food contamination.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in addressing a decade-long trade dispute over farm imports, said it will allow poultry slaughtered in the U.S. and Canada to be processed in China and returned to the U.S. for consumption. Critics are vowing to fight the decision, which they say puts consumers at risk due to lax Chinese factory oversight.

“The Chinese food-safety system has had significant failures in the enforcement of its food-safety laws and regulations,” Senator Charles Schumer wrote in a Sept. 16 letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The issue is the latest flashpoint for U.S. concerns over the safety of goods from China, which since 2007 have included tainted baby formula and evidence of the chemical melamine in pet food and eggs. China in recent months has had an outbreak of avian influenza in its chicken flocks and in March, Shanghai authorities retrieved more than 11,000 dead pigs floating in a river."  More at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-27/chicken-processed-in-china-triggers-u-s-food-safety-protests.htm

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Dr. Oz sounds alarm on dangers of processed chicken from China

"Dr. Oz said there are serious public-health risks associated with processed chicken from China and said we need to act now to stop these products from coming to the United States.

"This has me outraged," Dr. Oz said on the Dec. 10 episode of his show. "I'm calling on the USDA to shut down this proposal. You have America's health in your hands."

As early as next summer, chicken nuggets and other chicken products (such as canned soup, frozen chicken wings and breaded chicken patties) made from chicken processed in China could be sold in grocery stores around the country."  More at: http://www.examiner.com/article/dr-oz-warns-against-health-dangers-of-processed-chicken-from-china

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The Fun Theory.

"We believe that the easiest way to change people's behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it The fun theory.

”Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator and feel better” is something we often hear or read in the Sunday papers. Few people actually follow that advice. Can we get more people to take the stairs over the escalator by making it fun to do? See the results here:

http://www.thefuntheory.com 

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Pharmaceutical Drug Marketing to Our Children:  Bordering on Criminal

"I can't be the only one noticing. In fact I'm pretty sure I'm not. Drugs are being marketed directly to our children. If you don't believe me, just take a closer look at the commercials plastered about our TV shows at an estimated and alarming 80 an hour (1), many targeting our little ones with images of animals and cartoons. Everywhere in the world, except the United States and New Zealand, direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical drug advertising is prohibited (2). Perhaps it's time to think about why it should be banned here, too.

TV ads are designed to make an impact. They are meant to foster brand familiarity and loyalty. They appeal to our emotions. They often emphasize our shortcomings as fathers, mothers, friends, and spouses. Commercials influence us into thinking that using a particular product is a normal, ordinary, good idea: an everyday thing to do that everybody is doing.

I remember being shocked the first time I saw a pharmaceutical drug ad on TV. I couldn't believe that anyone would take a medication with a list of side effects that seemed so much worse than the disease it supposedly helped treat. Now, it is easy to become numb to them. The sheer volume of drug advertisements we are inundated with on a regular basis practically ensures we accept them as a natural part of life. Now that their presence isn't as shocking, it is easy to pay more attention to the beautiful imagery on the screen rather than the described dangers of the drug. I can rattle off brand name after brand name, and I'm not even paying attention, nor do I have any interest in them.

Until recently. When my baby girl starting pointing at cartoons and animals in pharmaceutical ads, I had had enough.

Profits and Preschoolers

There is no money in selling something nobody believes in. Drug companies want their commercials to be appealing. When I was little, I once asked my dad why they called a certain candy a "Thin Mint." He said because no one would buy them if they called them "Fat Mints."

Drug ads are alluring, especially to young eyes. The commercial for the drug Abilify, a buddy for your antidepressant, has a friendly little cartoon "A" coming to the rescue of a happy little Rx pill and a lovely cartoon woman. Variants of their commercial showcase a childish depression cloud and a rainy cartoon umbrella. A quick glance would have you believing you are watching children's programming meant to teach about the alphabet or the weather.

The antidepressant Zoloft bouncing cartoon ball can't be described as anything but cute (who doesn't love  a cowlick?) and even more "adult" commercials like those for the inhaler Spiriva have real live elephants capturing the attention of my toddler.

How about those positively mesmerizing Lunesta commercials with the peaceful glowing butterflies? (She loves those.) An entire nation appears to be on drugs as the butterflies, indicated with thousands of illuminated specks, glow across a map of the United States. They capture your attention as a voice softly coos, "Join us." This particular ad doesn't even tell you the name of the drug, and therefore doesn't have to tell you what is wrong with the drug, either. The commercial advises you to seek out their website, ProjectLuna.com, which dons a name rather similar to their "unnamed" product. Of course, they've already made you familiar with their drug in numerous other broadcasts, so they don't even need to tell you what it's for. It's kind of like the Nike Swoosh. We all know what it means.

Do adults really need cartoons to understand what a drug can do? Or is there a more sinister plot afoot?"  More at: http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v09n11.shtml

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On This Day:

George Washington dies, Dec 14, 1799:

"George Washington, the American revolutionary leader and first president of the United States, dies of acute laryngitis at his estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia. He was 67 years old.

The drafters created the office of president with him in mind, and in February 1789 Washington was unanimously elected the first president of the United States.

As president, Washington sought to unite the nation and protect the interests of the new republic at home and abroad. Of his presidency, he said, "I walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn in precedent." He successfully implemented executive authority, making good use of brilliant politicians such as Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson in his cabinet, and quieted fears of presidential tyranny. In 1792, he was unanimously reelected but four years later refused a third term.

In 1797, he finally began a long-awaited retirement at his estate in Virginia. He died two years later. His friend Henry Lee provided a famous eulogy for the father of the United States: "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.""

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The birth of quantum theory, Dec 14, 1900:

"German physicist Max Planck publishes his groundbreaking study of the effect of radiation on a "blackbody" substance, and the quantum theory of modern physics is born.

Through physical experiments, Planck demonstrated that energy, in certain situations, can exhibit characteristics of physical matter. According to theories of classical physics, energy is solely a continuous wave-like phenomenon, independent of the characteristics of physical matter. Planck's theory held that radiant energy is made up of particle-like components, known as "quantum." The theory helped to resolve previously unexplained natural phenomena such as the behavior of heat in solids and the nature of light absorption on an atomic level. In 1918, Planck was rewarded the Nobel Prize in physics for his work on blackbody radiation.

Other scientists, such as Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Louis de Broglie, Erwin Schrodinger, and Paul M. Dirac, advanced Planck's theory and made possible the development of quantum mechanics--a mathematical application of the quantum theory that maintains that energy is both matter and a wave, depending on certain variables. Quantum mechanics thus takes a probabilistic view of nature, sharply contrasting with classical mechanics, in which all precise properties of objects are, in principle, calculable. Today, the combination of quantum mechanics with Einstein's theory of relativity is the basis of modern physics."

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Yesterday:

Ray came over and told me about the truck wreck the night before.  He hadn't been out of the hospital long and still had blood plastered in his hair, had 27 stitches in his scalp, and a big headache.  The driver of the truck had some broken ribs and shoulder.  It could have been a lot worse.

Misty just wanted to go back to sleep, so I didn't take her when I went to pick up Jay.  She had already spent some time wandering around my back yard. The weather has been so cold, that I have to put a coat on her every time she goes out.

After a big struggle, Jay and I took the heavy Heat/Air conditioner out of my window, and packed it back in it's box which I had kept in case of warranty issues.  Then we loaded it in my van.

First, we went to Lowe's so that Jay could have some pigment put in some paint.  One of his neighbors had bought the paint, and thought it was going to be like the picture on the can, but he didn't realize that you have to have pigment added for the desired color.   Then we went to Home Depot and returned the Heat/Air that is absolutely no use to me as it blows cold air in the Heat mode.  They would only give me store credit, which I will use on another type of Heat and Air.

We stopped at the big thrift shop, Angelic, so that Jay could buy his mother one of those shower chairs.  The one that he bought, will have to be adapted in some way, as it was too wide to fit in her tub.

It was 3.00pm when it started to get overcast and rainy, so we got back just in time yesterday.

King Ranch, TX. Where the Santa Gertrudis Roam. First Parachutist. Cuban Missile Crisis.

 

For "Travel Tuesday", Let's visit the King Ranch in The Texas Gulf Coast Region:

"Home to some of the best beaches in America, the Texas Gulf Coast region draws millions of visitors to this Texas playground. Stretching some 350 miles from South Padre Island & the Rio Grande Valley, all the way to Beaumont & the Louisiana border, this region is renowned for its wildlife & natural beauty, as well as the home of America's space program. Discover the Beaches of the Texas Gulf Coast Region."

King Ranch, located in South Texas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville, is one of the largest ranches in the world.

The King Ranch comprises 825,000 acres (3,340 km²; 1,289 sq mi) and was founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis, includes portions of six Texas counties, including most of Kleberg County and much of Kenedy County, with portions extending into Brooks, Jim Wells,Nueces, and Willacy Counties. The ranch does not consist of one single contiguous plot of land, but rather four large sections called divisions. The divisions are the Santa Gertrudis, the Laureles, the Encino and the Norias. Only two of the four divisions border each other, and that border is relatively short. The ranch was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961.

As the home of 60,000 cattle and 300 Quarter Horses, King Ranch is one of the largest ranches in the world today. In addition to the properties in South Texas, King Ranch also maintains farming land in Florida.

In addition to cattle, King Ranch raises quarter horses, cutting horses and thoroughbreds, and produced the 1946 US Triple Crown winner Assault and 1950 Kentucky Derby winner Middleground. They also owned a share of La Troienne, the greatest broodmare of the 20th century. The King Ranch had the honor of raising the first quarter horse registered with the American Quarter Horse Association. The stallion's name was Wimpy P-1 and he was given registration number one. In addition, the King Ranch company operates a local museum, maintains other property concerns and works with Texas A&M University to perform agricultural research and development.

Logo on Ford F150

In 2001, Ford Motor Company added a King Ranch edition to their F-150 truck line, complete with the King Ranch cattle brand in the logo. In 2003, Ford added King Ranch packages to its Super Duty lineup, as well as the Expedition SUV.

Nilgai

An unusual animal seen in the King Ranch is the nilgai, largest Asian antelope, which were imported from India. As they usually are born in twins, eventually the nilgai started competing with the ranch's cows, and the ranch allowed hunters to come in and hunt the animals. They would gather several (somewhere around 30) each night. This no longer occurs, but the rapidity of this process caused the Texas nilgai to become extremely wary of humans, and they bolt at the sight of vehicles, running nearly as fast as horses."  More at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Ranch

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Where the Santa Gertrudis Roam

(Photo by Will van Overbeek)

"How does one convey the breadth of King Ranch in the annals of Texas history?

The enormity of the land, its outsized characters and veneer of impenetrability, the iconic Running W brand—taken as a whole it can be a tad overwhelming. Perhaps it’s best to let the experience wash over you in a warm embrace.

At least that’s what I told my daughters, ages three and six, who made no attempt to mask their indifference as we prepared to embark on a tour of the legendary South Texas ranch.

The night before, our guide had advised wearing long pants and closed-toe shoes, preferably boots. It was rattlesnake season and the staff had recently caught an especially large rattler, which, she joked, had tasted like chicken.

My eldest daughter, Ana Josefa, overheard her mother and me debating comfortable clothes versus the likelihood of crossing paths with a venomous snake.

“There’ll be snakes?” Ana Josefa interjected.

I offered a bit of sage advice my father had once given me. “Yes, there will be snakes, but remember, you don’t have to be faster than the snake, only faster than the slowest person in the group,” I assured her.

And so, as the four of us piled into the car for the 110-mile trip north from our home in McAllen, I hoped I hadn’t pushed the girls too far.

King Ranch is divided into four divisions: Santa Gertrudis, Laureles, Norias, and Encino. Toni Mason, our guide, was waiting for us at the visitor center on Santa Gertrudis, wearing boots with her jeans tucked inside. King Ranch offers one-and-a-half-hour guided bus tours on a daily basis, but we had signed up for one of the ranch’s “special interest tours,” which last from four to eight hours and are catered to the visitor’s interests, from cattle-ranching to bird-watching.

Our tour began with a 20-minute film in the visitor center that covered the evolution of the ranch, from a single Spanish land grant to an expansive multi-generational empire, and finally, a modern corporate enterprise.

The story begins in 1853, when Richard King, a steamboat captain on the Rio Grande, purchased the 15,500-acre Rincon de Santa Gertrudis land grant. He acquired other tracts over the years and recruited cowboys from Mexico, who came to be known as Kineños, or King’s men, to work his burgeoning empire.

In 1885, dying of cancer, King urged his family to never sell a foot of the land. At its zenith, the ranch comprised 1.25 million acres, but it would not last. Partition of the estate among heirs, and the emergence of the city of Kingsville, trimmed the ranch to an area comparable to Rhode Island. And though its 825,000 acres still make King Ranch one of the largest in the country, those classic, craggy-faced-Marlboro-esque cowboys riding aside a wave of Santa Gertrudis cattle represent only part of the operation.

Today the ranch generates earnings from a variety of sources, including the cattle business, hunting, minerals, turfgrass, farming, farm equipment, King Ranch Saddle Shop, Kingsville Publishing Company, and ecotourism. In 1961, the ranch expanded beyond Texas with the acquisition of farming land in Florida, and nowadays the company is one of the largest citrus growers in the Sunshine State. The next time you drink Tropicana orange juice, think King Ranch.

At the conclusion of the video, we browsed the gift shop for souvenirs, settling for a pair of translucent candies, each with an entombed scorpion, and a box of cow-shaped chocolate cookies. In the parking lot, beyond a group of winter Texans aboard a bus tour, Toni was waiting to begin our private tour in a Chevy Suburban.

We had just departed the visitor center and rounded the first bend when the girls burst with excitement at the sight of a pair of Longhorns in the shade of a mesquite tree. A small Longhorn herd will always have a home on King Ranch out of admiration for the iconic breed, but it is the famed Santa Gertrudis—a cross between Shorthorns and Brahmas—for which the ranch is best known.

King Ranch developed the Santa Gertrudis breed for hot and humid climates. (Photo by Will van Overbeek)

We then traversed the old Corpus Christi-to-Matamoros road that cuts across the ranch. During the Civil War, King used the road to clandestinely transport cotton to the Rio Grande and onto ships in the Gulf of Mexico bound for markets in Europe, avoiding the Union blockade. I tried to imagine what it would have been like to travel through this expansive, semi-arid patchwork of dense mesquite brush and pasture atop sandy loam. Though the region is still in the midst of a drought, we were fortunate to witness the parched landscape transformed from dun-colored to a lush green after a spot of rain.

Throughout the tour, the girls kept watch for wildlife listed on checklists that Toni had given them at the visitor center. It would take a week to check every animal off the list, but we made a respectable dent that day. With Toni’s help, Ana Josefa spotted a red-eared slider turtle (sitting calmly in the middle of the road), a northern cardinal, a pair of wild turkeys, and a scissor-tailed flycatcher. My wife pointed out dozens of pipevine swallowtail butterflies and a snowy egret. Even our youngest daughter, Matilda, added to the growing collection, extending her chubby finger in the direction of a crested caracara.

As we weaved our way through the pastureland and brush, the girls’ eyes peeled for snakes, I was hoping for bigger game—alligators. Just then we saw three sets of eyes break the surface of Borregos Lake, which had been replenished the week before by the rain. Toni informed us that these were the progeny of specimens gifted to the ranch years ago—and the reason that swimming is no longer a favorite pastime.

As our guide scanned her GPS for directions—it is a very big ranch, after all—Ana Josefa commented that the ground appeared to be moving beneath us. Fat red ants crawled over the caliche road. “They’re a favorite of the horned toad,” Toni explained.

At our next stop, we stepped out of the Suburban to visit the old horse track, lined by salt cedars, and pay our respects at the grave of the thoroughbred Assault, the only Texas horse to win the vaunted Triple Crown of horse-racing.

We sidled up to a beautiful Quarter Horse nearby, its sorrel coat shimmering in the sunlight. Ana Josefa grabbed a fistful of hay and fearlessly allowed the horse to lip it out of her hand. She wondered aloud if these were the same horses we had seen in the film several hours earlier. I was impressed—she had actually paid attention. Matilda, on the other hand, had no use for the animal towering over her.

I managed to pull our budding horse whisperer away from the corral and continue our tour past the ranch-style homes where some descendants of the Kineños still live. On certain days, visitors can listen to retired cowboy Lolo Trevino tell about the generations-old tradition of weaving saddle blankets, but alas, our group had no such luck. Next we slowly approached the sprawling 17-bedroom Mediterranean-style main house, completed in 1915, where Henrietta King—Richard’s widow—once lived. Peacocks still roam beneath the property’s shady live oaks.

After nearly four hours, our tour of the ranch had ended. We said goodbye to Toni and headed into Kingsville to visit the King Ranch Saddle Shop at the corner of 6th Street and Kleberg Avenue, Kingsville’s historic main drag. Inside the shop, the intoxicating tang of new leather hung in the air, daring us to resist rows of beaded leather belts and intricately engraved leather boots.

In the corner of the shop, amid piles of raw leather and saddles, Robert Salas dunked his hand in a tin of water stained brown, dampened a small piece of leather, and with a 10-pound mallet, stamped the Running W brand into its side. Since the early 1970s, Salas has been shaping leather, working his way up from chaps and belts to accessories, and finally, saddles, a job he inherited from his father-in-law.

Orders pour in for Salas’ custom saddles, which cost up to $6,500 with all the trimmings. He’s had requests from Japan to Brazil, rodeo pros and football stars. Once, President George W. Bush requested saddlebags as a gift for a foreign dignitary. The 62-year-old Salas has taken on apprentices over the years, including his three sons, but all subsequently moved on “to greener pastures.”

Across the store, Ana Josefa and Matilda were riding stick horses, their hair flowing beneath oversized cowboy hats. I bid Salas farewell and spurred the family on to the King Ranch Museum, a short walk from the saddle shop.

The museum is housed in an old ice and electric plant, and it makes for a terrific refuge from the blistering South Texas heat. A captivating black-and-white photo essay of life on the ranch in the early 1940s decorates the walls, mainly featuring images of rough-and-tumble Kineños with names like Herculano, Onesimo, and Pepino.

Also on display, a Cuban bronc saddle and a ladies’ side saddle, a “golden age” Kentucky rifle, a late-19th-Century Remington-Hepburn rifle, and several antique carriages and vintage cars, such as “El Kineño,” a customized canary yellow Buick Eight hunting car that General Motors built in 1949. The vehicle is equipped with a winch and cable rated for a six-ton pull, a radiotelephone, a wrangler seat near the passenger side headlight, and a refreshment bar complete with tumblers. However, Matilda’s attention could not be diverted from the full-body mount of an 11-foot, 455-pound alligator, pulled a few years back from the Santa Gertrudis division.

Kingsville had more to offer—including the 1904 Train Depot Museum, and Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s John E. Conner Museum and Tio and Janell Kleberg Wildlife Research Park—but it had been a long day, and hunger pangs sapped at the girls’ youthful exuberance.

We stopped for mesquite-grilled fajitas at Big House BBQ Steaks & Grill, a country-themed local haunt on East King Avenue with corrugated metal walls and outside benches cut from the back end of old pickup trucks. The girls have a tendency to reject anything new, but they didn’t resist the smoke-imbued fajita strips and pork-flavored charro beans.

As we prepared to leave Kingsville behind, I buckled Ana Josefa into her car seat, her hunger now satiated and her thoughts drifting toward soothing visions of a sorrel Quarter Horse eating from the palm of her hand.

“Daddy,” she said. “I had a great time.”

And within a matter of minutes, my little Kineñas had fallen asleep."  By Aaron Nelsen. From:  http://www.texashighways.com/component/content/article?id=6842:where-the-santa-gertrudis-roam

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On This Day:

The first parachutist, Oct 22, 1797:

"The first parachute jump of note is made by André-Jacques Garnerin from a hydrogen balloon 3,200 feet above Paris.

Leonardo da Vinci conceived the idea of the parachute in his writings, and the Frenchman Louis-Sebastien Lenormand fashioned a kind of parachute out of two umbrellas and jumped from a tree in 1783, but André-Jacques Garnerin was the first to design and test parachutes capable of slowing a man's fall from a high altitude.

Garnerin first conceived of the possibility of using air resistance to slow an individual's fall from a high altitude while a prisoner during the French Revolution. Although he never employed a parachute to escape from the high ramparts of the Hungarian prison where he spent three years, Garnerin never lost interest in the concept of the parachute. In 1797, he completed his first parachute, a canopy 23 feet in diameter and attached to a basket with suspension lines.

On October 22, 1797, Garnerin attached the parachute to a hydrogen balloon and ascended to an altitude of 3,200 feet. He then clambered into the basket and severed the parachute from the balloon. As he failed to include an air vent at the top of the prototype, Garnerin oscillated wildly in his descent, but he landed shaken but unhurt half a mile from the balloon's takeoff site. In 1799, Garnerin's wife, Jeanne-Genevieve, became the first female parachutist. In 1802, Garnerin made a spectacular jump from 8,000 feet during an exhibition in England. He died in a balloon accident in 1823 while preparing to test a new parachute."

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Cuban Missile Crisis, Oct 22, 1962:

"On this day in 1962, President John F. Kenned announces to the American people that he has ordered a blockade of Cuba in response to the discovery that Soviet missiles were being installed on the island. In his televised speech, he condemned Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev for the "clandestine, reckless and provocative threat to world peace" and warned that the United States was fully prepared to retaliate should the missiles be launched.

The blockade began October 21 and, the next day, Kennedy delivered a public address alerting Americans to the situation. In his speech, he warned a frightened American public that the missiles on Cuba were capable of hitting Washington, D.C. or anywhere in the southeastern portion of the country, the Panama Canal, Mexico City or "as far north as Hudson Bay, Canada, and as far south as Lima, Peru." A military confrontation appeared imminent when Kennedy told his audience that he ordered the evacuation of the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and put military units on standby. Boldly, he stated, "one path we shall never choose is the path of surrender or submission."

Khrushchev responded by sending additional ships—possibly carrying military cargo—toward Cuba and by allowing construction at the missile sites to continue. Over the following six days, the Cuban Missile Crisis, as it is now known, brought the world to the brink of global nuclear war while the two leaders engaged in tense negotiations via telegram and letter.

Fortunately by October 28, Kennedy and Khrushchev had reached a settlement and people on both sides of the conflict breathed a collective but wary sigh of relief. The Cuban missile sites were dismantled and, in return, Kennedy agreed to close U.S. missile sites in Turkey."

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Yesterday:

Misty and I went to get Jay, and had our walk down there.

Ray was busy clearing those lots for someone. Shay was still feeling very bad, so her sister took her to the hospital, and said that they would probably keep her overnight.

When we got back here, Jay got out the extension ladder, got up on the roof and blew the pine needles off my house and the guest house roofs.  There were so many that we laid out a big tarp to catch them and drag them to the burn pile.  We dragged three tarp-fulls.  I was busy raking and piling them up, and we still have more to do today.