Relief and Ramifications. What's Next? Middle East is the ground zero of Bible prophecy. Freedom Tower. Cargo Trailer and Kittens.

 

Osama Bin Laden Killed - Relief and Ramifications.    A commentary by Darris McNeely
"Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, has been killed by U.S. military forces. While we all feel a portion of justice has been accomplished, the world is a still a dangerous place. What will follow this momentous event? 
Bin Laden's death "momentous" True to the information age in which we live, it turns out a local Pakistani live-Tweeted the helicopter attack on the home. Sohab Athar, an IT consultant, knew something was up when he saw the attack and came to realize it was not part of the Pakistan military. His "live reporting" gained him thousands of new followers in a matter of minutes.

Former President George W. Bush, who launched the War on Terror after the 9/11 attacks that made Bin Laden a household name, called the event a "momentous achievement."
Bin Laden's death came eight years to the day after Bush declared "mission accomplished" aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. In his statement, Bush said, "This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done."
More at: http://www.ucg.org/commentary/osama-bin-laden-killed-relief-and-ramifications/

What next for the Middle East?
"Bin Laden's death comes at a critical moment throughout the Middle East. U.S. troops are scheduled to leave Iraq later this year. Many speculate whether the Iraqi government and military can hold the country together against the competing pressures of sectarian violence and regional ambitions of neighboring Iran. Unrest in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen are yet to determine the future shape of these nations.
Egypt has seen the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak. New elections in September could create a more Islamist centered government. The military supported government has just recently moved to form closer ties with Iran, something not seen in recent decades under the Mubarak regime.

With Libya still in civil war and the fate of Muammar Gaddafi in question, that corner of the Arab neighborhood continues to keep NATO and the West intensely focused. The entire region is in turmoil with unstable governments, shifting alliances and foreign troop occupation. Now with the death of Bin Laden, many wonder what impact it will have on the Arab mood—especially the hardcore terrorist network.

The Middle East continues to be the focus of the world. Not since the end of World War I, when the current map of the region was created, have we seen such a time of change in this region. More change will come, and it appears a new map of alliances and relationships will emerge.

One final note of irony: The announcement of Bin Laden's death comes on the same day the death of Adolph Hitler was announced in Berlin. Can we not take some hope in divine justice from this fact? " 
From http://el-paso.ucg.org/ Our booklet The Middle East in Bible Prophecy fills in much of background and details of what to expect in the final round.
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Why is the Middle East is so often in the news?

"The answer is simple—the Middle East is the ground zero of Bible prophecy. Yes, Bible prophecy is global in its scale and reach. But it begins in and is centered on the Middle East—the Holy Land and its nearby neighbors.

The Bible story begins with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden somewhere in today’s Middle East. The stories of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Israelites, David, Solomon, the biblical prophets and Jesus of Nazareth are set there. Prophetically, the events that lead to the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God are set in motion by events triggered in the Middle East. So it’s vitally important that we understand what’s taking place there, and what is foretold to happen in the future!

As is obvious from the news, a major trend is sweeping the Middle East. The leaders of Tunisia and Egypt have been swept from office in popular uprisings. Libya is engulfed in civil war. Yemen and Syria are approaching or are on the brink. A swath of unrest stretches across North Africa and the Middle East from the Atlantic Ocean to Afghanistan, affecting virtually every country in an arc extending some 3,000 miles.
The big question is, as these governments and leaders fall, what will replace them?
At this point it’s too early to tell, as elections are still some time off. But it’s obvious that the region is seeing a resurgence of Islamic militancy, with its leaders demanding the establishment of a revived Islamic empire destined, in their thinking, to eventually dominate the entire world.
Does this sound far-fetched? Not to students of Bible prophecy. They understand that the Hebrew prophet Daniel foretold a new end-time power that will arise from the Arab world, leading to a clash of civilizations between East and West.

As these Arab strongmen are toppled in the Middle East, what will replace them? Will we see the region swept by a new wave of Islamic fundamentalism leading to the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy? You need to read this issue!
Several eye-opening articles will help you understand what is happening now in the Middle East, where it might be leading, and what Bible prophecy foretells for this region. We deeply appreciate the faithfulness of those whose generosity and dedication to the good news of the coming Kingdom of God make it possible to share these truths, and we hope you’ll join us in praying that many others will have their eyes opened and to see the seriousness of the times in which we find ourselves."
The Middle East: What Now?
Turmoil: What's Behind the Unrest Sweeping the Middle East?
Egypt in History and Prophecy
Gaddafi's Violent Past Catching Up in Libya
From: http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=1d04480cefc2e7c4492fe4a04&id=b445e3a5fa&e=72c729d811
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 The Freedom Tower is due to be completed in 2013.
"The New York City Freedom Tower, which will stand 1,776 feet tall on the site of the former World Trade Center, is the work of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. It will serve as a beacon of freedom, and demonstrate the resolve of the United States, and the people of New York City.

Construction on the tower, which will have a cubic base, began in early 2006. Steel became visible aboveground in 2007, and by 2013 the building will be ready for occupancy - twelve years after the World Trade Center was destroyed by terrorist attacks. "

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Yesterday:



My back that I had put 'out', really hurt me with sharp pains all through the night, but during the morning it seemed to get better.  Very carefully, I went up and down the steps into the cargo trailer and my attic stairs with no pain.  Maybe I put it back 'in' again, I hope so, as the chiropractor's office won't be open again until Monday. (Later: No, it is still 'out')

Ray primed some more doors, stiles and rails as we made them.   I measured and marked, then Jay cut them.  Some of these were to hold the new fridge in position and stable.  I decided to put the fridge on the left side of the space, so the remainder of the area could be used to store things like trays, or other flat things.  No sense in wasting a valuable space, as every inch counts.  My late DH used to say I could pack 10 lb of stuff in a 5 lb bag!

Another thing that Jay and I made was a barrier behind the folding door to the storage closet in the grooming room.  We made it out of some tub surround as it is too slick for the kittens to climb.  Once in a while they would slip between my feet and get in the grooming room.  The storage closet was a wondrous place to them.  If I needed too, there was no way I could get them out from behind the folded up cages, pet strollers, and puppy playpen stored in that closet. 
This will also stop little cat toys from being batted in there.












Previously they had been restricted to the Middle Room, but they are getting more adventurous, so they also have the grooming room to play in, as of yesterday.

Deer Hunting. Lake Somerville, TX

I said I would post some pictures of my trip to Wendy and Richard's (my daughter and son-in-law) cabin at Lake Somerville.  Thank goodness we had no rain, as Wendy was hauling four mattresses on a trailer.    The cabin is a work in progress right now, so I knew we would be in a 'construction zone', and roughing it.

We were really roughing it, as there is no internet, and only two channels on the TV!  But I took my camera cord and laptop, so that I could see any photos that I took, on it. 

It is really two single-wide mobile homes joined together under a really super metal roof over.  They call it a 'twice-wide'!

Friday:

I was pretty beat after all the packing and the long drive.
 
On the way, Misty had sounded like she was choking on something, so I had to stop in Navasota, TX to move Paco's pet carrier to the front seat, and move Misty's carrier over to behind the passenger seat, so I could keep an eye on them both. I think she was just protesting being in a small carrier!

Wendy met me at the front of her subdivision on the golf cart, as I was getting lost.  The one time she didn't have a leash on her dog, Snuggles, and he fell off the golf cart.  He was alright, but wimpers if you touch his tail.

Once we had let our dog's out to do their thing and inspect everything, Wendy and I unloaded two of the mattresses.  The third mattress was a very heavy queen pillow-top, and it had no handles, so I just couldn't grip it.

As Richard and Tony (my grandson) wouldn't be there until the next day, Wendy went off on the golf cart and rounded up a neighbor to help with it and it's box spring.  As all the painting was done, and the tile had been laid in her bedroom, we were able to set that bed up permanently on it's frame.   The living room's floor had not been done, so it was camping on mattresses on the floor in there.


 









Wendy took me part way to the back of the property, up and down hills, and over what they call  "The Bridge Over The River Why"!

I took the dogs out on leashes at first, as there was a place where they could get out of the fence if unsupervised.  Later, I knew they would not try to get out, and so just walked with them.

 









I had my X-pen set up on the deck for when we were busy.   At dusk we sat out on the deck, as deer often come to the fence, to eat the deer corn that Wendy puts out.  She filled the deer's blue water bowl.  Two small deer came, one still spotted, but they did not come to the fence.  At least we saw lots of birds there.


Wendy's dog 'Snuggles', is a deaf senior dog, so he is crated inside, when they are busy.  If he got lost, he can't hear you calling him.
I had a big carrier with me for my dogs, when they were in the house.







Wendy took me, with Misty, around their subdivision on the gas golf cart, but it has a lift kit and needed some work on the suspension, and it was just too rough riding, for me, so we didn't go far.


Saturday:

Wendy and I drove to Brenham, 25 miles away.  On the way we saw a car had hit a bridge railing and gone down the embankment.  By the time we had turned around to see if they needed assistance, they were all safely out of the car, other cars had stopped, and we saw the fire truck arriving.

We had to get some bolts for a bunk bed, and ground spikes for the mobile home skirting that I had taken with me. 
Finding the right size bolts to go in these special nuts took a long time and trips to three stores, as these were metric.
Even the spikes were difficult to find at a reasonable price.

On the way back, we stopped at a Garage Sale.  Wendy is looking for a couch for the cabin. 
They had a larger pet carrier than my large one for $3, so I bought it.  My dogs had more 'real estate' to sleep in that night, after I had washed and disinfected it.

We had had enough of walking around big stores, so we stopped the little grocery store in Somerville, and bought some salad items to go with brats.  We peeled and chopped the salad veggies, got it all ready, and then Richard called and said that they were on the way, and had stopped to eat pizza!  So Wendy ate some left over clam spaghetti, and I ate some left over Shepherd's Pie, which we had brought with us. 


It sure was good to see Richard, and my 15 year old geek grandson, Tony, again.

Sunday:

Wendy took me for a ride, in the Xterra this time, and we went 'deer hunting'.

She had been out on the golf cart and seen some in the subdivision.  We drove around all the places where they are usually seen,  but by the time she picked me up, they had all gone away.

So she took me on to Somerville State Park, Birch Creek, which is really close to their place.  It is where they go to put in their boat.

   

There is even a camping area especially for equestrians, and this is one of the many horse pens in that area.

We all had a good time visiting, and I showed Richard how the skirting all goes together, even though I had printed out the 'destructions'! 

They loaded up the golf cart on the utility trailer, and a little Rubbermaid shed on the back of Richard's truck.  They are taking them back to their house in West Columbia, south of Houston.  They were all so busy, that I loaded my van myself.

It took me a while to get all our stuff down the steps and into the van.  I swore I wouldn't go anywhere without my RV again!
I took summer, winter, good and lounging clothes in a suitcase.  Let's face it, "If You Don't like The Weather, Wait 15 minutes" applies to this time of year in TX.   Normally they could have just hung in a closet in the RV.   
I had to pack little things that I might need, things that would normally be in the RV's bathroom cabinet. 
I had taken an ice chest of food and drinks, and more in the 12v. cooler, which would have been in the RV fridge. 
I had to pack my favorite brands of regular coffee, tea, decaf coffee, and NON High Fructose Corn Syrup Creamer, etc., which would have been in the RV cabinets.
All the dog's food, leashes, treats, dishes, blankies, etc., were packed in the doggie stroller, not in a cupboard in the RV.
I had to sleep on a strange mattress on the floor, in a strange place, not in my comfy RV's bed. 
Then I had to unpack it all when I got home.
So I hope I never have to go anywhere without my RV again.
Golly, that is as bad as packing stuff in and out of a motel.
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Today:

Jay and I got my two pipe clamps and made them work together as one long clamp across the outside back of the cargo trailer.  We held it up with a block.  We wanted to hold it all square while we installed the floor.


We added the 'deadwood' to the floor on the cargo trailer, and got one section of it screwed down today.

Unusual Uses for Beer. All Packed.

Getty Images
"Who knew that a little brew could perform these convenient summertime tasks? Partially full beer bottles are always a part of my barbecue clean-up routine. To avoid being wasteful, I dump them in the garden. Now, that might sound like an odd place to dump beer -- and you may be wondering what's so resourceful about pouring it in the dirt anyway. But the garden is actually the perfect spot for leftover beer. A good, old-fashioned brew has some other cool uses too.
Enrich Soil
Yeast is beneficial to plants, so pour a few tablespoons of flat beer into your garden to cultivate the soil. The yeast-filled soil will help plants grow healthier and make your garden flourish.
Corbis
Trap Bees
If bees are a problem in your yard, you can battle them with beer. Punch a series of 3/8-inch holes in the top of an old jar. Fill the jar with beer, screw the top in place and put it in the yard where you've seen bees. They'll be attracted to the beer and will be able to get into the jar -- but not out!
Banish Slugs
If slugs have infiltrated your garden and are munching away at your greenery, bury an empty tuna fish can next to your plants so that just the lip is sticking out. Fill the can with beer and check it in the morning; you should have caught some of those slimy suckers! All you have to do is empty the can each day. This little trick also works with earwigs.
Polish Wood Furniture
Got some leftover beer that's gone flat? Pour a little on a microfiber rag and rub it into your wood furniture to add a little shine and deepen the color.
Tenderize a T-Bone
Firing up the grill? If you find yourself with a tough cut of meat for a barbecue, marinate it for an hour or so in some beer. The beer will infuse the meat with flavor and tenderize it while it sits, so it will cook up nice and juicy.
Tip: If you spill a little beer on yourself, sponge it with equal parts of white vinegar and dish soap, and then flush it out with cool water."
http://www.diylife.com/2010/06/15/unusual-uses-for-beer/
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Video of three recipes which include beer, one of them is a cake!
http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/10/20/beer-recipes-gail-simmons/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk3%7C179748

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Today:
The van is all packed and ready to roll.  Wendy will call me when she is leaving her house, as it is about the same distance to the Lake Somerville house from her house, or mine. 
The red ice chest has food and wine in it, and the 12v. cooler, behind the driver's seat, has milk, butter, cheese, pet food, etc.  I am used to having my RV fridge with me!!
The dogs know something is going on.  Paco has already been laying in one of the carriers, and Misty hovers every time I go out the front door. 
The smaller carriers are on the second seat, and I will carry the dogs out there, and strap the carriers in with the seat belts. 
The big carrier is too big to be strapped in, but I am taking it as if we have to leave them at Wendy's house, they are happier if they are together.  Behind it, is the dog's orange stroller, it has all their stuff in it.  Gee, just as much stuff to haul around as if I had two year old people twins!!

Wendy is towing a trailer with four mattresses on it, so I hope it doesn't rain today.

Why Dogs Eat Grass? Packing Today!

Dogs Consume Grass to Purge Their System
"Most of you are well aware that dogs will, on occasion, eat large amounts of grass in an attempt to make themselves throw up. In fact, if your dog consumes a large amount of grass, it could be because she has:

• Gastrointestinal upset
• Nausea
• Gas or bloating
• Eaten something she shouldn’t have
• A virus or bacteria

When they exhibit this behavior, it tends to be almost frantic. They’ll whimper and cry to be let out, then they’ll run outside and start eating any grass they can find; they’re not selective.
After they consume a large amount of grass, they’ll often times lick their lips because they’re nauseous, and then of course, they’ll vomit.
It’s completely normal for your dog to vomit occasionally (like people do when they are ill), meaning one or two times a year. Most often it’s nothing to worry about and, surprising as this may sound, your dog knows what’s best in terms of intentionally voiding their system of something that could be toxic, or making them unwell."
More at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/23/why-dogs-eat-grass.aspx

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Today:

My two dogs will get plenty of opportunity to eat grass, as we are going to my daughter's place at Lake Somerville, TX, tomorrow afternoon, for a couple of nights.

Packing has been very difficult for someone who normally takes an RV, not a minivan, for overnight stays.  There are no closets or drawers in my van!   So I have had to pack clothes in a bag.

I have to pack for the dogs, too.  Carriers, X-pen, Bobcat's stroller, dishes, dry food, canned food, filtered water from here, blankies, toys, treats, etc.

Also taking Misty's seat belt harness, as she will love to ride on Wendy's gas golf cart.  I don't know about Paco, he doesn't like anything new!!  I'll put him in a carrier on the golf cart.  Bobcat's stroller is also a carrier, or back pack, when you slip it off the wheels.  I have used it myself for a back pack on trips.  I am packing their stuff in there, except the X-pen, and they will travel in carriers.

This trip might be good for him.  I can't leave him here, as he won't go outside for anyone but me.

Then there are written instructions for Ray what, and when, to feed the three cats staying at home. 
My Son-In-Law is allergic to cats, that is why I usually have taken the RV, and stayed in it.  But I don't have time to get it inspected, put 6 new tires on it, and buy tags.  I'd rather be in it though, I don't do well in other people's homes.

I made sure that my new camera and my old laptop like each other, and that Live Writer is working on the laptop.  There is no internet up there.

A busy warm day.

Visit with Linda and Howard in Cagle Rec. Area.

This morning I visited Linda and Howard of http://www.rv-dreams.com/ in the Sam Houston National Forest, Cagle Recreation Area, near New Waverly, TX.

This is only about 15 miles from my house, about 7 miles as the crow flies, and I had never been there. Another lesson about exploring your own back yard, as you never know what gems you will find!

When you see lovely campgrounds like this, you wonder why anyone would want to be on hot slabs, all in a row like sardines, in an RV park or resort. This site is $20 with full hook-ups. It would be $10 for me with a 'geyser pass'. I tried to imagine camping there, and taking the walk down to the lake, but I think that is when I would miss my late DH, and my dog, the most.

Taking Bobbiecat in one of her special animal strollers, just wouldn't be the same. She has two strollers, and the orange one cames off the wheels and becomes a back pack. I used it as a regular back pack, for things, when I went to AR to get the Mirage! With all the see-through pockets it was great for finding maps, drinks, snacks and things when I was on the bus. Then that left my hands free for carrying the rest of the luggage.

Her other stroller doesn't come off it's wheels, and can't even be used as a carrier in the MH, so I hardly ever use it.

The sites at Cagle are huge, and the tent pad was on their site, so it couldn't be rented to anyone else. I had been to another campground in the Sam Houston National Forest years ago, with my son, as there were ATV trails near there, but never ventured to this one. I will have to remedy that, when my fosters are adopted in to their 'forever' homes.

It was great to see Linda and Howard again. Hugs all around. We figured that it must have been about October 2006 the last time we saw each other. How time flies! We sat under their awning in wonderful weather, and chatted about all kinds of things. I was looking in and around their rig, as I am not up on all the newer stuff, as I mostly work on vintage RV's. Even the door latches on the fridges are different now!

They had a satellite dish for TV, screwed onto a board, on the grass beside the rig, as the trees would interfere with the roof mount one, and were using their phone for internet again. More than one way to skin a deer. I didn't want to say 'cat', 'cos why would you want to skin a cat?

Their visitors came over, Wayne & Renea, who had their Class A in the next site, but that was still quite a way away, these sites are so large. They are from Monroe, LA, which was where my home park (Shiloh) was, when I belonged to Coast-to-Coast. Another instance of meeting great people when you are RVing.

Most of the time I was there, a riding lawnmower on steroids, similar to the picture, was racing around at maybe 15-20 MPH, almost like an ATV. It's rear wheels were as big as the ones on my van. As it got closer it was kicking up quite a bit of dust, so the picnic that I had brought, had to be eaten indoors.

I didn't see their 5er (fifth wheel trailer) last time, as we met in Willis,TX near my house. It is only the second time I have been in a big full time 5er, as the ones that I had were smaller. Deb and Rod's (http://debandrod.blogspot.com/ ) was the first one, when I visited them in Schertz, TX in the Hill Country, last year. The big 5ers do make lovely homes, but all those stairs would do me in! But you have to have steps to have all that basement space, so you can't have it all.

"I always thought a yard was three feet, then I started mowing the lawn. - C.E. Cowman "

A great time with old friends today.

Missed Rain. Started on Mirage.

I found out last night in RV-Dreamers chat, that it was Nonna who waved at me from a big black SUV near Diboll, TX as I was driving the Mirage home. Small world, I wish I had known, so that we could have met.

We only just missed thunder and rain, as it started just after I got home with the little rig yesterday. Good thing it was the battery, and not the alternator or something that would have held us up.

Bobcat has been ignoring me, she is mad that I left her behind. When she saw me packing with her orange stroller, turned into a back pack, she thought she was going camping.

Snack is coming up to me, and purring"Good to have to home". She even ate well for Ray, that was my main worry.

Ray and I started on the Mirage this morning. First thing was to remove the gooped up clearance lights and windows. We could see that the lights had leaked, thank goodness it isn't wood up there. Each of the three windows must have been been installed by a different person, as each was attached in a different way.

We took an inside panel down so that we could get to the lights as

they were nut and bolted on. The nuts that had been used to install the middle Plexiglas window were on the inside. Whoever installed them hadn't even got them in a straight line, so they looked horrid.

On the side window the nuts were on the outside, and had a plastic trim ring, and the old "NoNo", silicone, on it. We didn't tackle the other side window yet. It is just one big goop of black stuff. Ray cleaned up the rim of the middle window, today.

Someone had done a terrible job of putting dark solar film on the Plexiglas, and I tried soaking and scraping it off, but new solar film would have to be installed to keep out the sun and heat. That isn't a problem, I have it here, and have installed it lots of times, but solar film doesn't do well on Plexiglas as it lets off a gas which causes bubbles. So after a long time messing with that, I decided to wait and see if I can buy some tinted Plexiglas tomorrow. I have often used it in RV door windows to replace the frosted ones, as I like to see out.

After six hours, we covered it with plastic, and called it a day.

Oh, Well. That's Over Till Spring

I picked Jay up, we untarped the yard sale tables, and folks came alookin' early.

It was a nice day, but chillier, than yesterday. Didn't get over 60 deg. Bobcat wanted to stay warm in my bedroom, and was only on the screen porch for a short while.


We had some high winds during the night, but all the tarps stayed put. Just a steady stream of folks all day. You never know what they will buy.
Thank goodness I won't have to contend with the old wooden playpen, and the big jogging stroller any more. They went to new homes.

I sold a lot of comforters but strangely, no blankets. As always, there is a bunch of stuff left over, so I started sorting it out into boxes to go to the different charities. Each charity has things that they seem to specialize in.

At about 3.00PM Jay and I put the tarps back over everything as it was getting colder, and folks had stopped coming. They wanted to get home before it got cold.
It is supposed to go down into the mid 30's tonight. We quickly drove the rounds of the surrounding streets, picked up all the yard sale signs. When we got back we carried the loaded tables back into the RVport, condensing the contents as we went, so we could fold up some of the tables.

Tomorrow will be a packing up day.