Why Should Christians Celebrate the Feast of Trumpets?
Friday evening, Sept. 18th. 2020 started the Feast of Trumpets, so it was a double Sabbath on Saturday, because it was the first day of Rosh Hashanah.
“Prophecies of the end time include trumpet plagues and the return of Jesus Christ at the last trump. What does the Feast of Trumpets mean for Christians today?
Philipp Reiner/Unsplash
Christ's return is announced by the seventh and final trumpet
The fourth festival of God (after Pentecost) is the Feast of Trumpets (or a "memorial of blowing of trumpets," Leviticus 23:24-25), which falls in September or October. This festival is called Rosh Hashanah by the Jews today. Ancient Israel understood that trumpets were used as a way of announcing special, very important messages (Numbers 10:1-10).
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ reveals that before His return to the earth, there will be the blowing of seven trumpets, announcing progressive stages of the downfall and overthrow of this world's kingdoms, ending with the return of Christ to take possession of the earth. Christ's return is announced by the seventh and final trumpet (Revelation 8:2; Revelation 11:15). This day also pictures the time when faithful Christians will be resurrected to eternal life at the time of the seventh trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16) to reign with Jesus Christ for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6).
Interestingly, it was around this time of year that Jesus was born—not in the dead of winter (see "Biblical Evidence Shows Jesus Wasn't Born on December 25"). And the fall feast season represents the time when Jesus Christ will come to the earth again to reign in glory.
The remaining fall feast days describe steps in the establishment of the prophesied Kingdom of God on earth and judgment of humanity after Christ's return. The Feast of Trumpets is followed by the Day of Atonement. For more information, please read our booklet God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.”
________ The Feast of Trumpets: Alarm of War, Announcement of Peace
“Trumpets are used as signals of important events, and the Bible describes earthshaking end-time events that are pictured by the Feast of Trumpets.
The first three festivals, Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Pentecost, reenact events that have already taken place and are ongoing in the lives of Christians. The last four festivals listed in Leviticus 23 preview dramatic future events in God’s plan of salvation. All four festivals occur during the fall harvest season in the Holy Land.
The fall festivals begin with the Feast of Trumpets. Trumpets are used as signals of important events, and the Bible describes earthshaking end-time events that are pictured by this festival.
Trumpet plagues
The book of Revelation lists seven terrible plagues announced by seven trumpets (Revelation 8-11). These plagues will come in the times just ahead of us because of humanity’s sins. Consider the sixth trumpet and its announcement of a 200-million-man army preparing for a battle that will kill a third of humanity (Revelation 9:16-18). In spite of these punishments, human leaders and their subjects will continue to pursue selfish and ungodly goals and sins (Revelation 9:20-21).
Thankfully, the seventh trumpet also heralds good news: “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’” (Revelation 11:15).
Finally Jesus Christ will intervene in world affairs to stop humanity from self-destruction (Matthew 24:21-22). He will then begin to establish His long-promised utopian Kingdom of God.
The first resurrection to eternal life
At Jesus Christ’s return another incredible event will occur. The apostle Paul announced it this way: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Paul also made clear that this would occur when Jesus Christ was returning (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
The Feast of Trumpets focuses on these pivotal events that signal the end of human rule and the establishment of God’s wonderful Kingdom on earth.
Oh! Whatever next! My sweet little cat decided she wanted to taste what I was drinking and knocked my water glass over my cell phone. I didn’t realize what she had done because the placemat on my bedside table had soaked it up, so I turned on my phone, wondering why it had turned itself off. Then when it didn’t act right, I started to investigate. It has to be charged constantly for me to even use it, and so I ordered a battery for it, which hasn’t arrived yet, and another phone.
The phone arrived but it is a Smart phone, and it is so smart that I don’t even know how to turn it on. The instructions are in a tiny little book that I can’t even read with a magnifying glass, so I will have to look for them online and print them out. But I am going to wait until the battery arrives for my old phone so that I can copy my contacts list into my computer in case any important ones get lost.
On Wednesday the foot doctor gouged the corns out of the bottom of my feet. The last time a podiatrist that did it to me, he was so quick and dexterous that I didn’t even feel it, but this time she dug and dug and made my foot bleed. But it does feel a lot better, I don’t feel like I have sharp rocks in my shoes anymore. Now at least my several trips to get the laundry done in the club house, or shopping, doesn’t hurt.
As usual on Friday morning, June, Cherry and I went through the study book in preparation for the Sabbath School the next day, and June went with us to church. Everyone participates in that, even those who are joining us on Zoom through the laptop and TV at the church. We always have a good time at Sabbath School, and we enjoy being there. We just stayed for the Sabbath School because Cherry can’t sit for very long, and the sermon was going to be on FaceBook anyway.
The Sabbath started out being a happy day until my daughter phoned, thankfully I have a landline too, and said that her sweet 87 year old father-in-law had died. Though it was a relief really, because his quality of life had really declined. Now she will be alone, still partially handicapped from her accident, during the day.
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Following is an imaginary dialogue on the reasons responsible people might wonder whether they should participate in the customs, and don the costumes, of Halloween.
000 PhotoDisc, Inc
Where did the strange customs of Halloween originate? How did such symbols as witches, ghosts, devils and monsters become associated with a supposedly religious holiday?
It’s Oct. 31. Daylight begins to surrender to dusky darkness. A biting wind blusters at windows. The doorbell rings in the home of a widowed grandmother. She swings open the door to two young children costumed as cheerful cartoon characters, each carrying a large paper shopping bag.
“Trick or treat!” they call out in unison with sweet voices through happy smiles as they extend their bags in eager anticipation. Their weary mother, standing several steps away, shivers against the wind and chill of the approaching darkness.
The neighborhood grandmother has nothing to contribute to the already-bulging bags, but she offers the trio some hot chocolate and a comfortable place to rest from the cold for a few minutes. They are puzzled by her lack of Halloween treats, but they gladly accept her offer to come inside and warm up. Neighborhood Grandmother: “Oh, you look so cold! This hot chocolate should warm you right up. I have to compliment you [she says to the children’s mother] on how responsible you seem about the children’s safety. It’s a good idea to accompany them. You can never know what dangers lurk even in this neighborhood.”
Mother of the children: “Oh, yes, I would never let them go out alone. The children don’t necessarily appreciate Mom’s watchful eye, but there are too many dangers to ignore. Children are harder for drivers to spot at this time of night, and there is also the worry of tampered candy and fruit. Even without those fears, it’s always a challenge to keep them from eating so many sweets that they get sick the next day.”
Grandmother: “Why, may I ask, did you choose those cartoon-character costumes instead of ghosts, goblins and such?”
Mother: “We don’t like the emphasis on death and violence, so we purposefully avoid those types of costumes. And we don’t want the children to remember this holiday as one in which acts of vandalism are considered fun. I have unpleasant childhood memories of children throwing rocks at cars and windows of houses, setting fires and deliberately terrorizing senior citizens.”
Grandmother: “It sounds like you’ve obviously given some thought to this.”
Mother: “Well, we go out of our way to make this a fun holiday for our children. Our goal is to fill their memories with good experiences. We are parents with high standards.
“May I ask you a question? You’re such a kind neighbor, always greeting my children cheerfully as they walk by your house on their way to and from school. I don’t know if you realize it, but you have a reputation as the neighborhood grandma.
“But you obviously haven’t decorated your home for Halloween, and you don’t have candy or treats for the children who come trick-or-treating. That seems out of character for you. Is there a reason?”
Grandmother: “I guess I must seem a bit different by not getting into the spirit of things on Halloween. I’d be happy to explain why. “My thinking is actually quite similar to yours. Like you, I’m troubled by the vandalism and violence associated with Halloween. More than once I have seen some of those acts aimed at senior citizens. Then there is the awful emphasis on death and dying and disembodied spirits.”
Mother: “Oh, I know. Some of the costumes I see, along with the horror movies aired on television this time of year, are downright repulsive. I don’t know why Halloween seems to give people an excuse to set aside their normal values and to revel in things they really don’t care for at other times. That’s why our family stays clear of the horror costumes and any association with death. We make Halloween a fun time.”
Grandmother: “I am all for making life fun for the children. But, even so, some years ago I made a decision to withdraw from Halloween activities. My personal conviction is that I could not dress up—pardon the pun—the traditions of something so truly wicked in its origins to make it into a children’s holiday.
“I thought long and hard about it, and it just doesn’t make sense. People who want to teach their children values like honesty, respect for others, kindness and generosity, and who want to instill in their children a positive outlook on life, take those same children and have them disguise themselves as the dead or as evil monsters or beings so they can go from house to house to ask for treats.
“I know that ‘trick-or-treat’ has a real catchy sound to it, but it doesn’t come from pleasant roots. It’s based on the idea that a mean trick will be played on you if you don’t give treats to any stranger who approaches you. Is it too harsh to say that taking treats with threats makes me think of a kind of extortion?
“I’m not trying to criticize you or hurt your feelings. You’re obviously a responsible mother. But this is a personal choice. I cannot in good conscience participate in something that runs so completely contrary to what I really would like to see for our children.”
Mother: “There’s no need to apologize. We’ve discussed these same things. Those are the very reasons we avoid the horrible costumes. But we chose to continue with the holiday because of its religious roots. You are so well informed that you must know the religious background of Halloween. Since it is closely allied with religion, we felt we could, as you put it, dress up this holiday in a way that would be in line with the values we want to instill in our children.” Grandmother: “Yes, I’m aware that Halloween comes from ‘All Saints’ Eve’ and that the word itself is an abbreviation of ‘hallowed evening.’ That fact also caused me to hang onto the holiday longer than I would have otherwise. I suspect that long ago religious people attempted to dress up an ugly, uncivilized and unchristian holiday, perhaps for the same reasons that we have been discussing—to try to make it acceptable.
“That rationale hasn’t been enough to convince me that Halloween was healthy for my family and community for two reasons. First, I learned that the word saint is used in the Bible simply to mean a believer, or member of the Church. There is no biblical example of celebrating one saint or believer above another and certainly no precedent for a holiday in honor of any supposed saint.
“The second reason—and I’ve really looked into this because I believe God and sincerely want His guidance—is that I’ve researched the history of people who honored God who were challenged with similar questions. When they came in contact with different cultures, they were confronted with unholy customs and holidays.
“How did they react? Did they dress up those offensive customs with customs of worship given them by God? I found the clearest possible answer in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 12. It’s found in the last four verses. In essence, God told the people not to attempt to make the unacceptable acceptable. Rather, they were to avoid evil and build their customs on a clean foundation.
“Once I read that, my mind was settled. From then on I determined to provide fun for my children and grandchildren—and the neighborhood children—in positive ways, steering clear of Halloween.”
Mother: “Well, you’ve really piqued my curiosity. Thanks for your kind hospitality and especially for your insight. It’s time for us to be on our way. It looks like I have some reading and thinking to do.”
How did Halloween come to be considered a "Christian" celebration?
“Does the Bible say anything about All Hallows' or All Saints' Day?
Originally Halloween was a pagan festival oriented around fire, the dead and the powers of darkness. How did it become accepted in the "Christian" world?
FamVeld/iStock/Thinkstock
Pagan festivals have had a curious way of worming their way into Christianity over the centuries.
Most people know that Halloween takes place on Oct. 31. Far fewer understand the connection between Halloween and the next day on the calendar, the festival of All Hallows’ or All Saints’ Day, celebrated by some churches and denominations Nov. 1.
One author concludes that All Saints’ Day was established to commemorate the saints and martyrs of the Roman Catholic Church and was first introduced in the seventh century (Man, Myth, and Magic, Vol. 1, 1983, p. 109). Oddly enough, history shows that Halloween—this ancient, thoroughly pagan holiday with its trappings of death and demonism—is inseparably tied to All Saints’ Day. Continued at:
It could have been a frustrating week without a vehicle, but I didn’t let it get to me. The van spent nearly a week at the mechanics, they drove it around several times, and couldn’t find anything wrong with it, but the “battery” light was still on. I had had it tested the Sunday before it broke down at O’Reilly’s and they said my alternator and everything was OK. So Chris and I picked it up and I stopped at O’Reilly’s again. Same person checked it, and everything checked out until it got to “Voltage Regulator, and it showed weak. They tried to sell me an alternator as the voltage regulators are inside the alternators now. I was running on battery only, because it wasn’t charging, so I put a charger on it when I got it home. I have a bad-looking negative battery cable and had ordered it before, but it never came in. So I thought I had better start there. If the cable is bad it won’t charge anyway. Then found out that cable is part of the main wiring harness, and is no longer available.
So I bought a work-around cable splicer with about 8” of cable with the terminal end and pigtails on it. The retired mechanic down my road, the one with the bad back, said that he would install it, but he had a lot of trouble with it and ended up making up a cable and pigtail, but then couldn’t get the van to start. Yesterday, a friend brought a mechanic over here and he found out that it wasn’t grounded right, so the van is starting now as long as the battery is charged up, BUT I still need an alternator! So I still can’t go very far.
There was no cooking needed for the Day of Atonement on Friday as it was a fast day, so it was a lot easier getting into Lauri’s car without the big insulated bag of food. Service started at 11 am as usual, but no potluck afterwards. The Bible readings were Psa. 51, Lev. 16:1-34, Isa.57:14-58:14. and Heb. 9:1-14. The Teaching was about Atonement:
noun
satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends.
(sometimes initial capital letter) Theology. the doctrine concerningthe reconciliation of God and humankind, especially as accomplished through the life, suffering, and death of Christ.
It is the most solemn of Holy Days when we should be fasting, repenting and asking forgiveness of sins. The symbol of the “scapegoat” comes from The Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement and the Gospel YouTube: https://youtu.be/VDoQ2TxgNdY
A Chicken and Brown Rice Salad was made for the Sabbath. I had made a salad because I hadn’t intended to go to the morning church, but visit some people with my friend and then go to the afternoon church with them. It is easier to keep a cold dish cool with some dry ice than keeping a hot dish safe while my friend and I had the other visiting to do. Then found out that they had to work, so I went to the morning church after all. Hans was going to take me, then Lauri showed up so I went with her.
The Bible readings were Deut. 32:1-52, 2 Sam. 22:1-51, and Rom. 10:14-11:12 and the Teaching was about the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths. Yes, I know, many have already celebrated this, but it depends which new moon they are using in their calculations. We are starting it on the 24th. October, this Wednesday.
For “Scripture Sunday”: Early because of the storm.
A Labor Day Look at God's Sabbath
"In It You Shall Do No Work"
“Labor Day was instituted to honor those who work. At the very beginning of creation God set apart a special day to honor His rest. Learn why the Sabbath command can be a blessing in your life.
Jordan McQueen/Unsplash
You can reap the benefits of God's Sabbath every week!
According to the United States Department of Labor , Labor Day was created to honor the contributions that workers have made to the social and economic well-being of America. President Grover Cleveland first made it a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day is the first Monday in September, falling on Sept. 5 this year. As an American college student myself, it makes a nice transition from working full-time to going back to classes for the year, giving summer one last hurrah.
God’s “work week” is a marvelous schedule that works. He pushes us to work hard at our jobs and various other responsibilities throughout the week, and then gives us the seventh day off to both relax and focus on Him.
Here’s an odd question: Have you ever stopped to consider God’s perspective on labor, or, as we might say today, “work”? It’s interesting to think and read about. God actually expects us to work for most of the week. In Exodus 20:9 we read God’s command that for “six [out of seven] days you shall labor and do all your work.” He also encourages us to work with passion and diligence: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Work is important and allows us to do many honorable things in life, such as provide for our families, grant help to those in need, and leave an inheritance for our children.
Are we then to work and slave away at all times? Certainly not! God understands that we aren’t tireless robots who can run all seven days of the week. He tells us—commands us even—to take the seventh day off!
Let’s return to Exodus 20 to get the rest of God’s important directive: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work,but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God . In it you shall do no work” (Exodus 20:9-10; emphasis added). God wants us to take the seventh day off so bad that He makes it the fourth requirement in the most well-known section of His law: the Ten Commandments!
But there’s still more to the story besides not working! What are we supposed to do with these 24 hours of seemingly free time? The core of God’s Fourth Commandment is this: “Remember the Sabbath day, tokeep it holy .” (Exodus20:8; emphasis added).
One important way that we keep this day holy is by resting instead of working, as we already mentioned. Another significant way we honor the Sabbath is by attending church services, which are a holy convocation appointed by God Himself (Leviticus 23:3). Going to church allows us to converse with and encourage others who believe as we do and to worship and learn more about God and His truth. Please click here to find the congregation closest to you.
God’s “work week” is a marvelous schedule that works. He pushes us to work hard at our jobs and various other responsibilities throughout the week, and then gives us the seventh day off to both relax and focus on Him. This “recharge day” doesn’t come around just once a year; you can reap the benefits of God’s Sabbath every week! As you prepare for fall and for the upcoming holiday weekend, remember to always put God first and keep His Sabbaths holy. Have a blessed and restful Sabbath and Labor Day weekend.
For a more in-depth look at God’s instruction to keep the Sabbath, how to keep it, and its plethora of benefits, please reflect on the following writings:
Sunset to Sunset: God’s Sabbath Rest— our extensive booklet investigating the seventh-day Sabbath as it is mentioned throughout the Bible, from beginning to end.
“The Protestant reformers claimed they were restoring Christianity back to its biblical roots. But were there things they forgot to reform?
A copy of Martin Luther's translation of the Bible into the German language.
October 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s reputed action of nailing his “95 Theses” to the church door in Wittenberg (where he was a professor of theology at Wittenberg University). This document criticized certain practices and doctrines of the Catholic Church and is considered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Luther claimed that the Roman church under the popes had moved away from the truth of the Bible.
To Luther’s credit, his 95 Theses highlighted many legitimate issues with the Catholic Church of his time. However, if the pope had heeded Luther’s critiques, would that have returned Catholicism to the Christianity of the Bible?
The truth is, Martin Luther and the Reformation he began continued to embrace many prominent nonbiblical doctrines that the church they were protesting had adopted hundreds of years earlier.
One of the most prominent unbiblical doctrines Protestants maintained was regarding Sunday as the Christian day of worship. To learn why the biblical Sabbath isn’t Sunday, read “Was the Sabbath Changed to Sunday?”
Double standards
Since the Reformation, Catholics have criticized Protestants for the double standard of rejecting Catholic tradition by claiming they relied on “Sola Scriptura” (Latin for “Scripture alone”) while maintaining many doctrines based entirely on tradition, particularly the observance of Sunday.
Notice these quotes from Catholics:
“The Catholic Church for over one thousand years before the existence of a Protestant, by virtue of her Divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday. … But the Protestant says: How can I receive the teachings of an apostate Church? How, we ask, have you managed to receive her teaching all your life, in direct opposition to your recognized teacher, the Bible, on the Sabbath question?” (The Christian Sabbath, fifth ed., published by The Catholic Mirror of Baltimore, 1893, pp. 29-30, emphasis in original).
“Q. Is the observance of Sunday, as the day of rest, a matter clearly laid down in Scripture? “A. It certainly is not; and yet all Protestants consider the observance of this particular day as essentially necessary to salvation. To say, we observe the Sunday, because Christ rose from the dead on that day, is to say we act without warrant of Scripture; and we might as well [incorrectly] say, that we should rest on Thursday because Christ ascended to heaven on that day” (Stephen Keenan, Controversial Catechism, 1846, p. 136, emphasis added).
“If Protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath Day. In keeping the Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic Church” (letter from Albert Smith, chancellor of the Baltimore Archdiocese, Feb. 10, 1920).
Secular history and the Roman Church agree on this point: It was the Catholic Church that changed the Christian day of worship from the seventh day to Sunday—not the Bible.
Restoring the true Sabbath
Both Protestants and Catholics ignore the seventh-day Sabbath, instead observing the unbiblical Sunday. Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers criticized some Catholic abuses and doctrines, while maintaining many others. Catholics and Protestants alike would benefit from going to the Bible and reading what it reveals about the Sabbath, instead of relying on their own unbiblical teachings.
To learn about the seventh-day Sabbath and why it should be kept today, read “What Day Is the Sabbath?
________
The problem with Sunday, Sola scriptura.
“Martin Luther and his contemporaries claimed this Latin phrase, meaning “Scripture alone,” was the basis for their efforts to reform Catholicism and reject the authority of the pope and Catholic tradition.
Unfortunately, a major problem arose: they couldn’t fully agree on whatand how to reform. Some wanted to move fast with sweeping reforms; others wanted to move slowly. Some wanted limited crosses and icons; others believed all icons were wrong. Some believed in infant baptism; others, only adult baptism. Some believed the Eucharistic bread was Christ’s body; others believed it represented Christ’s body. The disagreements went on and on, which is why there are thousands of Protestant denominations today.
But, despite these divisions, there is one belief the reformers almost unanimously agreed on. In this, they did not break with the Roman Church: They upheld Sunday as the day of worship.
But maintaining Sunday created a huge problem Protestants still live with to this day. Simply put, it fundamentally broke with the concept of sola scriptura.The Bible shows that Jesus, the apostles and the early Church all observed the seventh-day Sabbath (Luke 4:16, 31; Acts 17:2-3; 18:4). So, if one was to rely solely on Scripture to decide doctrine, one would worship on the seventh day. (You can learn more about the biblical case for the seventh-day Sabbath in our video series “The Sabbath: A Gift From God.”)
To find the origin of Sunday worship, one has to consult extrabiblical history, which shows Sunday was gradually adopted (by some) beginning in the mid-second century. The first written evidence of Sunday worship is from a document written by Justin Martyr around A.D. 150. One of the primary motivations for the change to Sunday was a desire to not appear “Jewish.” In fact, early in its history, the Roman Church even imposed a weekly Saturday fast to show “contempt for the Jews” who observed the Sabbath as a feast (Kenneth Strand, ed., The Sabbath in Scripture and History, 1982, pp. 137-138).
In A.D. 321 Constantine the Great officially established Sunday as the day of rest throughout the Roman Empire. Constantine had been a devout sun worshipper most of his life, which might help explain why he enshrined dies solis (the day of the sun) as the official day of worship.
Secular history and the Roman Church agree on this point: It was the Catholic Church that changed the Christian day of worship from the seventh day to Sunday—not the Bible. To see more evidence of this, read “When and How Did the Change in Worship From Saturday to Sunday Occur?”
Even though I just posted last Wednesday, more has developed since then. On Wednesday evening about 7.00 pm a young (45) lady rang my door bell asking if she could have a drink of water and use my phone. I took her some water and an old cordless phone outside, and then her story came out. She had just arrived by plane from Florida, and was hoping to see her daughter in TX on her 16th. birthday. A relative of her ex-husband said that he would bring her to Willis as he was going to visit a neighbor of mine. They had words and she was stranded. Later, Gary from our church, and I met the young man, and he said that she had tried to tell him what to do in his own truck, which didn’t go down too well.
Her FL phone wouldn’t work here for some reason, and her tablet wouldn’t work here because I don’t have WiFi. She camped on my porch with all her stuff, charged up her tablet in my outlet and was getting eaten by skeeters, even though I had furnished her with some skeeter spray. So she begged to come in. Reluctantly, I let her in. (What is a follower of Jesus (Yeshua) to do? See Matthew 25:35.)
She spent all that evening and the next day trying to get in touch with people by Messenger on Facebook on my computer as her phone numbers were all in her non-working phone. She had a nasty, name-calling argument with her mother on the phone, and didn’t honor her at all. (Honor your mother and father: Deuteronomy 5:16 and Mark 7:10 ) I fed her several times, and she stayed another night on my couch. Someone was supposed to send money to her by MoneyGram to Willis, which they never did. Eventually, her mother agreed to come from Lake Palestine, TX to come to get her. It took her elderly mother, who works full-time, two hours to drive here, and then there is the two hour drive back. I was so sorry for her mother being talked to like that. This gal was a very disruptive, argumentative gal and was upset because I just have Windows 7 and don’t have a smart phone, WiFi, cola or cigarettes! (My needs are simple) My neighbor let her have some cigarettes, and she drank juice and coffee. She said that she had stepped back into 1920! She said she was a Christian, but was upset when I had the Les Feldick “Through The Bible” Bible study on TV. Wow! Talk about being ungrateful and griping because free things aren’t the way she liked them. It taught me a lesson, that no good deed goes unpunished.
I know I shouldn’t have let her in. I was nervous, anxious and on tenterhooks all the time she was here. Three neighbors came by, so they were looking out for me. I thank the Lord that she didn’t harm me. I should have offered to dial the number through a closed door and told her to get water from the outside faucet.
The kittens are getting two meds twice a day and another once a day. Have you ever tried to give a cat a foul-tasting liquid? Be armed with a big towel and wrap the four sharp corners up really tight. Then poke the needleless syringe at the back of their throat, and plunge the plunger. I have to do this for one more week, poor little things, but they are so forgiving like most animals, and still want me to play with them.
I am writing this early in case the power goes out, as the storm is here. It has been raining gully-whompers. Not much wind, but the roads below here are flooded.
The churches around here have cancelled Sabbath services so that folks won’t try to go through deep water to get there. There are lots of Church of God sermons to be seen online.
So far we have water, power, internet, TV and phone, and I have lots of drinking water put up and many two-gallon plastic jugs full of water for washing, etc. A one gallon bucket of water poured quickly from a height will flush a toilet. My only worry is my freezer and deep freeze if the power should go out, but I have big dry ice packs in them, so they should hold a while. My van is still in the shop, he thinks it is three bad injectors, but wants to look at it closer. I hope it will be safe there.
So that is how things are going on this drowned out Sabbath Day!
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.
"A baby pudu was born at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Pudus are the smallest deer species in existence and are native to tropical forests of South America. Our friends at the zoo were kind of enough to post a video of the little guy to YouTube, which is sure to elicit a great big “AWWWWWWWWW!” from anyone who watches it."
Reasons Cats Throw Up, Which is NOT Normal, and Ways to Treat a Vomiting Cat, and How to Feed Cats.
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Are Hairballs an Unpleasant Fact of Life for Your Feline?
"There are a number of ways to temporarily remedy a hairball problem -- some more advisable than others -- but if a cat is suffering with frequent hairballs it's important to rule out serious underlying conditions as a possible cause for the digestive disturbance.
This is especially true if the hairballs are a new problem in a mature cat. Sudden GI issues in a middle-aged or senior kitty should always be thoroughly investigated.
Hairballs, known in the scientific community as bezoars or trichobezoars (which certainly doesn't make them sound a bit more appealing), are a common complaint among people owned by cats.
Not only can the problem cause a nasty mess on floors and furniture, it often seems the effort required to regurgitate those gooey masses is very uncomfortable for the poor kitty.
How Do Hairballs Develop?
Hairballs have an obvious cause: kitties swallow a considerable amount of their own hair when they groom themselves. Some cats groom themselves and all the other cats in their household, making the amount of hair they consume enormous.
The rough surface of your cat's tongue is a perfect tool for pulling dead and excess fur from her coat during grooming. Some of that hair gets ingested. Hairballs aren't round; they are typically cylindrical masses of hair, debris from the cat's coat, and undigested bits of food.
Cat owners unfamiliar with hairballs might think their kitty has missed the litter box and pooped elsewhere in the house. As a general rule, a mess resembling poop found in a location away from the litter box is more than likely a hairball. The odor is also a tipoff, as hairballs don't smell like the other stuff.
A cat's digestive system is designed to handle a certain amount of fur, her own and from prey in the wild. But lots of kitties wind up with hairballs due to hair length, shedding patterns, dietary deficiencies, digestive challenges -- or a combination of issues.
Assuming your cat's hairball situation didn't come on suddenly and there are no other signs of illness, I would recommend the following approach to start:
Make necessary adjustments to his diet to ensure adequate moisture content
Add an omega-3 supplement
Brush your cat daily or at least several times a week
What's for Dinner?
If you're feeding your cat dry pet food, she's not getting anywhere near the moisture content her organs need to function well for a lifetime. Dry kibble is not biologically appropriate nutrition for felines, as it lacks two ingredients essential to your kitty's health: moisture and high quality protein.
Your kitty's digestive system is working harder than nature intended to process all that dry stuff, and don't expect her to drink extra water to compensate. Cats get most of the water their bodies need from food. A healthy dog drinks loads of water throughout the day. A healthy cat does not.
If your kitty's diet is low in moisture content, she's living in a state of chronic dehydration. Her GI tract, already moisture-depleted, is less able to transport a mass of swallowed fur and debris than the GI tract of a well-hydrated cat eating a species-appropriate diet.
The most common nutritional deficiency I see in my practice is lack of essential fatty acids, and omega-3's in particular.
Cats (and dogs) have a nutritional requirement for healthy fats that must be supplied by the food they eat, because their bodies don't produce it – thus the essential nature of these healthy fats.
If your kitty has been eating a diet of commercial pet food, chances are he's been getting more omega-6 fats than he needs, and not enough omega-3's.
A good balance of fatty acids in your cat's diet can make a tremendous positive difference in his health, including:
Improving immune system response and blood clotting activity
Reducing inflammatory responses associated with arthritis and bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Decreasing triglyceride and blood cholesterol levels
Research is underway to determine how omega-3 fatty acids impact the development of certain types of pet cancer, as well as their potential to prevent or alleviate autoimmune disorders.
Omega-3 deficiencies in pets have been associated with stunted growth, eye problems, insufficient muscle development and immune system dysfunction.
Sufficient omega-3 fatty acids in your cat's diet can help to improve not only the condition of his skin and fur, but also the ability of his digestive system to manage the hair and debris he swallows while grooming himself.
For a cat up to 14 pounds and in overall good health, I recommend supplementing with 125 mg daily of krill oil. Krill oil is the optimum source of omega-3's for people and pets.
Kitty Hair Care
Just a few minutes a day spent brushing or combing your cat to remove dead, loose hair from her coat will mean fewer hairs swallowed, and fewer hairballs for both of you to deal with. This is especially true if your kitty has long hair, and during shedding season when the weather begins to warm up.
As for what tool you should use to groom your cat -- there are as many opinions as there are varieties of pet brushes and combs on the market.
More Hairball Help
If your cat's hairball problem doesn't resolve or at least dramatically improve with the changes outlined above, you can try one or more of the following remedies:
Psyllium seed husk powder. Also known simply as psyllium, this powder is made from portions of the seed of the plant Plantago ovate, a native Indian plant. This fiber source is water soluble and becomes mucilaginous when wet, helping to push built up hair along the GI tract. Add the contents of a capsule to a tablespoon of water, then mix in with your cat's food daily.
Pumpkin. Add a teaspoon of canned or freshly cooked mashed pumpkin to your kitty's food each day. Canned pumpkin (make sure it is 100 percent pumpkin) is a non-grain fiber source that can aid digestion.
Add a good quality animal-sourced digestive enzyme to your kitty's diet.
Put a dab of non-petroleum jelly on your fingertip or the tip of your cat's nose. Look for a brand with all natural ingredients, typically slippery elm, marshmallow or papaya. Kitty will lick the jelly, swallow it, and with any luck it will coat the hairball, allowing it to be expelled more easily.
I recommend you avoid grain-based fiber sources, as cats have no biological requirement for grain and the ideal situation for most cats is to eat only what is appropriate for the species.
Never use petroleum jelly or mineral oil for hairballs. It is in many hairball remedies.
I also don't recommend petroleum-based jellies marketed as hairball treatments. These products are widely used and can help with hairballs, but petroleum is a flammable mixture of hydrocarbons, not a nutrient. Too much of it can interfere with the absorption of vitamin A.
'Feline Idiopathic Chronic Cystitis' is a big, long name for a very common condition in cats.
Typical Symptoms
"No matter what name it goes by, there are common symptoms seen in all cats with feline idiopathic chronic cystitis, including:
There is straining while urinating. Most cats will be in and out of the litter box frequently in an effort to relieve themselves. They may void some urine with each visit to the box, but they don't feel they can completely empty their bladder in one trip.
The urinary tract is inflamed and irritated, so you might see blood in the urine. It can be either microscopic (meaning you won't see it but it's there, present on a urinalysis), or it can be macroscopic and you'll actually see blood in the litter box.
Cats with the condition are usually in pain, so your cat may cry while trying to urinate. This can be a really aggravating and intensely painful situation for your kitty.
Keep in mind all these symptoms are also typical of a urinary tract infection as well as crystals or bladder stones. It's important to realize if your cat is exhibiting symptoms of feline idiopathic chronic cystitis that you need to determine (with the help of your veterinarian) whether he has an infection or inflammation.
If he has an infection, the treatment will be entirely different from the treatment for bladder inflammation.
Traditional Condition Management
Traditional veterinary medicine does a good job in many regards in managing feline idiopathic chronic cystitis.
The first goal is to increase the cat's water intake. Many kitties don't like to drink still water from a bowl, so some people leave a sink faucet dripping water to entice their cat to drink.
A better idea, in my opinion is a kitty water fountain or bubbler. Cats are attracted to moving or flowing water, so the re-circulating water in a fountain should encourage more drinking. You can spend as little as $12 for one of these fountains all the way up to $100 for a deluxe version.
Another important goal of traditional veterinary medicine in managing feline bladder inflammation is to switch cats eating dry food to canned food, which has a much higher moisture content. Canned cat food contains between 70 and 80 percent water, while dry foods can have as little as 10 percent moisture content.
Feeding your cat only dry, dehydrated food can make her chronically dehydrated as well. Not only does a state of dehydration stress the kidneys, it produces a concentrated, potentially irritating mineral concentration in the bladder.
"With the Anglo-Americans closing in on Germany from the west and the Soviets approaching from the east, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler orders a massive attack against the western Allies by three German armies.
The German counterattack out of the densely wooded Ardennes region of Belgium took the Allies entirely by surprise, and the experienced German troops wrought havoc on the American line, creating a triangular "bulge" 60 miles deep and 50 miles wide along the Allied front. Conditions of fog and mist prevented the unleashing of Allied air superiority, and for several days Hitler's desperate gamble seemed to be paying off. However, unlike the French in 1940, the embattled Americans kept up a fierce resistance even after their lines of communication had been broken, buying time for a three-point counteroffensive led by British General Bernard Montgomery and American generals Omar Bradley and George Patton.
Fighting was particularly fierce at the town of Bastogne, where the 101st Airborne Division and part of the 10th Armored Division were encircled by German forces within the bulge. On December 22, the German commander besieging the town demanded that the Americans surrender or face annihilation. U.S. Major General Anthony McAuliffe prepared a typed reply that read simply:
"To the German Commander:
Nuts!
From the American Commander"
The Americans who delivered the message explained to the perplexed Germans that the one-word reply was translatable as "Go to hell!" Heavy fighting continued at Bastogne, but the 101st held on.
On December 23, the skies finally cleared over the battle areas, and the Allied air forces inflicted heavy damage on German tanks and transport, which were jammed solidly along the main roads. On December 26, Bastogne was relieved by elements of General Patton's 3rd Army. A major Allied counteroffensive began at the end of December, and by January 21 the Germans had been pushed back to their original line.
Germany's last major offensive of the war had cost them 120,000 men, 1,600 planes, and 700 tanks. The Allies suffered some 80,000 killed, wounded, or missing in action, with all but 5,000 of these casualties being American. It was the heaviest single battle toll in U.S. history."
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Clinton orders air attack on Iraq, Dec 16, 1998:
"On this day in 1998, President Bill Clinton announces he has ordered air strikes against Iraq because it refused to cooperate with United Nations (U.N.) weapons inspectors. Clinton's decision did not have the support of key members of Congress, who accused Clinton of using the air strikes to direct attention away from ongoing impeachment proceedings against him. Just the day before, the House of Representatives had issued a report accusing Clinton of committing "high crimes and misdemeanors" related to the Monica Lewinsky scandal, in which Clinton had--and then lied about--an illicit sexual liaison with an intern in the Oval Office.
At the time of the air strikes, Iraq was continuing its attempts to build weapons of mass destruction including nuclear, chemical and biological agents. Fearful of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's belligerence, and his penchant for using those weapons against his own people, the U.N. sent in weapons inspectors in 1997. After repeatedly refusing the inspectors access to certain sites, Clinton resorted to air strikes to compel Hussein to cooperate.
Many in Congress agreed with Republican majority leader Trent Lott that the timing of the air strikes was "suspect" and "cursory." In their opinion, the air strikes were simply a ploy to direct the public's attention away from the impeachment proceedings, and would ultimately prove futile in persuading Hussein to comply with the U.N.'s demands. Lott and his cohorts considered sustained bombardment of Iraq and the direct overthrow of Hussein the only way to end Iraq's weapons program. Clinton, in a televised public address that day brushed aside the criticism, saying that the Iraqi president was wrong if he thought "...the serious debate [on impeachment] would distract Americans or weaken our resolve to face him down." He emphasized that his decision to launch air strikes was critical to America's vital interests and to the security of the world.
Ultimately, the American public's attention, and that of the press, stayed fixated on Clinton and his battle to save his presidency. Both the air strikes and the impeachment threat proved anti-climactic. Clinton was acquitted by the Senate in February 1999 and the air strikes on Iraq failed to intimidate Hussein into allowing weapons inspectors full access to Iraq's weapons facilities."
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Yesterday:
Jay called to say that he would drive up here on his ATV. But when he hadn't shown up by 10.00am, I started doing other things, like trying to find a suitable Heat/Air solution for these two houses.
I was in touch with several contractors about mini-split systems which seem like a very good solution. http://www.energystar.gov/certified-products/detail/ductless_heating_cooling. Even better and more economical to operate than regular central heat/air, which I don't want anyway. All that dirty, energy-wasting, space-consuming ductwork in my attics doesn't appeal to me at all.
Just as I was on a live chat with Home Depot mini-split contractor, Jay shows up on his ATV with a teen neighbor of his. Jay said that he had brought the teen up here to rake my yard. I didn't ask for that to be done. Jay knows that I don't want other people around here, especially as Jay had opened the big garage door, and I have too many tools in there.
Jay wanted the teen to use my tools to get to his ATV battery, and put my distilled water in it. Then he wanted to use my tire inflator. He was ordering the teen around in such a nasty way that I knew that Jay had been into something, and I wanted him out of here. I had to stop what I was doing and watch them like a hawk. Then I counted all the sockets in the set before I put it away, and pulled the workshop door down again. They still didn't leave right away, as Jay plugged his battery charger into my house so that the ATV would start.
So I had to start the live chat all over again, and then caught up on other jobs, like laundry, made a list of the free stuff that I need from my health insurance catalog, ordered krill oil for the animals, a long Ethernet cable and a padded toilet seat. Time went all too quickly, so much for yesterday.
The true cost of a thing is how much "life" must be surrendered to possess it.
Immigration
"ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is not a new problem...Native Americans used to call it WHITE PEOPLE."
Life !
Life is what happens when you are making plans to do something else !
The Journey Counts.
If we agree that the bottom line of life is happiness, not success, then it makes perfect sense to say that it is the journey that counts, not reaching the destination. —Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Your Present
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that is why they call it the present" Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)
Pet's World
...Saving just one pet won't change the world...But, surely, it will change the world for that one pet.....
Don't breed or buy while homeless pets die!
EVERY LITTER BIT HURTS
Spay or neuter your pet
Thank You
Low Cost Spay/Neuter
From: 'Healing Animals' by Dr. Michael W. Fox
“Our perception of animals determines how we treat them, and whether they suffer under our dominion or not. Behind our perception and treatment of animals lie our needs, wants, values, and cultural and religious traditions.
Until these are addressed and our perception changed so there is empathy, respect, and communication, the holocaust of the animal kingdom will continue. And those qualities or virtues that make us human – humility, compassion, and selfless benevolence – will continue to be crushed by arrogance, ignorance, and the selfishness of our species.”
Difference
Nature
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." - John Muir
What is Man Without the Beasts?
"What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." (Chief Seattle, 1855)
Gandhi
As Gandhi once said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated".
Is There An Animal Abuser Near You? Please Report it!
http://exposeanimalabusers.org/section.php?id=163
Can They Suffer?
The basic issue is simple:
"The question is not, can they reason?
Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?"
(Jeremy Bentham, philosopher and animal rights activist; 1748-1832.)
Recycling
Where to recycle, no matter if you live permanently somewhere, or on the road: http://earth911.com/
Philipp Reiner/Unsplash
URGENT: Over a Billion Bees Starving After Hurricane Michael
000 PhotoDisc, Inc
FamVeld/iStock/Thinkstock
Jordan McQueen/Unsplash
"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." 
"There are a number of ways to temporarily remedy a hairball problem -- some more advisable than others -- but if a cat is suffering with frequent hairballs it's important to rule out serious underlying conditions as a possible cause for the digestive disturbance.
