Month: October 2007

  • Shuttle

    Commander Pamela Ann Melroy walks out of the Operations and Checkout building in her flight suit during a launch rehearsal at the Kennedy Space Center on October 10, 2007.
    USA TODAY

    As one female astronaut commands the shuttle Discovery, another will assume the leadership post on the space station

    When space shuttle Discovery blasts off as early as Tuesday, the astronaut in the commander's seat will make history — and also represent the likely end of an era.

    Commander Pamela Melroy, 46, will be second female shuttle commander. She'll also almost certainly be the last.

    No other female astronaut is qualified to lead a shuttle flight, and NASA is unlikely to hire women to follow in Melroy's footsteps before the shuttle retires in 2010.

    Still, Melroy's trip represents how far women have come in taking on leadership roles in space. Melroy's arrival in space will mark the first time that two female commanders will orbit the Earth. The other is astronaut Peggy Whitson, who today officially becomes the first female commander of the International Space Station.

    The overlap "is just indicative that there are enough women in the program that coincidentally this can happen," Melroy says. "And that is a wonderful thing."

    Discovery Mission STS-120
    Discovery is scheduled to lift off at 12:38 p.m. CDT on its mission to the International Space Station.

    The 14-day mission includes five spacewalks – four by shuttle crew members and one by the station’s Expedition 16 crew. Discovery is expected to complete its mission and return home at 4:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 6.

    Looking ahead to launch-day weather, there is a 40% probability that weather could prohibit liftoff.

    I always look forward to the Space Shuttle blasting off. 

     

     

  • Out of step

    In my job I run across people that were or now on drugs.  I can't get the image out of my mind of what happened the other night.  I got a call in the middle of the night of a person who was so terrified of doors opening, snakes crawling and such.  It took a long time to calm this person down.  -drugs & alcohol did it.  (Police were notified & the person was taken to the ER)

    The Wolf And The Lamb

    A Wolf came upon a Lamb straying from the flock, and felt some compunction about taking the life of so helpless a creature without some plausible excuse; so he cast about for a grievance and said at last, "Last year, sirrah, you grossly insulted me."
          
          "That is impossible, sir," bleated the Lamb, "for I wasn't born then."        
          "Well," retorted the Wolf, "you feed in my pastures."        
          "That cannot be," replied the Lamb, "for I have never yet tasted grass."       
          "You drink from my spring, then," continued the Wolf.        
          "Indeed, sir," said the poor Lamb, "I have never yet drunk anything but my mother's milk."        
          "Well, anyhow," said the Wolf, "I'm not going without my dinner": and he sprang upon the Lamb and devoured it without more ado.

    Moral: He who looks to do evil at any excuse, will do evil with no excuse.

    Hut-2-3-4....

    As he was drilling a batch of recruits, the sergeant saw that one of them was marching out of step. Walking up next to the man as they marched, he said sarcastically: "Do you know they are all out of step except you?"

    "What?" asked the recruit innocently.

    "I said -- they are all out of step except you!" thundered the sergeant.

    The recruit replied, "Well, sarge, you're in charge -- you tell them!"

  • 3 Little Kittens

    This Nursery Rhyme first appeared in the " Only True Mother Goose Melodies" in 1843.

    Three Little Kittens poem
    AKA - 3 Little Kittens

    Three little kittens they lost their mittens, and they began to cry,
    "Oh mother dear, we sadly fear that we have lost our mittens."
    "What! Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens! 
    Then you shall have no pie."
    "Meeow, meeow, meeow, now we shall have no pie."
    The three little kittens they found their mittens,
    And they began to cry,
    "Oh mother dear, see here, see here 
    For we have found our mittens."
    "Put on your mittens, you silly kittens
    And you shall have some pie"
    "Meeow, meeow, meeow,
    Now let us have some pie."
    The three little kittens put on their mittens
    And soon ate up the pie,
    "Oh mother dear, we greatly fear 
    That we have soiled our mittens."
    "What! soiled you mittens, you naughty kittens!"
    Then they began to cry, "Meeow, meeow, meeow"
    Then they began to sigh.
    The three little kittens they washed their mittens
    And hung them out to dry,
    "Oh mother dear, do you not hear
    That we have washed our mittens."
    "What! washed your mittens, you are good kittens."
    But I smell a rat close by, 
    "Meeow, meeow, meeow" we smell a rat close by...

    Three Little Kittens poem
    AKA - 3 Little Kittens

    Cartoon #5533
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Now you know the whole story. lol  
     
    Update on Pastor Jeff:  Out of surgery and doing OK. 

  • Pray for Pastor Jeff

    Quotes of Mother Teresa

    Love:
    A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love.

    God: 
    Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.

    Love: 
    God told us, "Love your neighbor as yourself." So first I am to love myself rightly, and then to love my neighbor like that. But how can I love myself unless I accept myself as God has made me?

    Loyalty: 
    I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness.

    Neighbor: 
    I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor.

    rain_cloud.gif
    It's thundering and shaking the windows right now.  It's been raining for days and the forecast is more rain.


    Pastor Jeff, my Pastor, will possibly have Open Heart Surgery on Thursday, October 18th. The Doctor will make that determination this morning. 

  • The Eagle

    The Eagle And His Captor

    A Man once caught an Eagle, and after clipping his wings turned him loose among the fowls in his hen-house, where he moped in a corner, looking very dejected and forlorn.
          
          After a while his Captor was glad enough to sell him to a neighbour, who took him home and let his wings grow again.
          
          As soon as he had recovered the use of them, the Eagle flew out and caught a hare, which he brought home and presented to his benefactor.
          
          A fox observed this, and said to the Eagle, "Don't waste your gifts on him! Go and give them to the man who first caught you; make him your friend, and then perhaps he won't catch you and clip your wings a second time."

    This fable reminds me of the tragic story that happened close to here.  Several young people were drinking alcohol late at night on the river.  One decides to go swiming and never returns.  After the funeral one of the girls that was with him that night, talked about having a party and getting drunk in honor of the young man that died. 

    Why do you think people go back to the very thing that has held them captive & destoyed their life?  

    Today's Cartoon

     

  • Parenting Class

    I teach parenting class on Sunday nights in my home.  We discussed 3 points: 
    1.  Realize your child is not an adult
    2.  Realize your child has the same feelings you have
    3.  Accept the responsibilities of parenting

    I'd love to hear your thoughts on 1 or more of those points. 

    Updated picture on bridge construction:

     

  • Eagle

     

    Did you ever see an eagle? When we lived by the Missiouri River I would see the eagles play on the river.  Almost every morning during the winter the eagles were there. They would swoop down and grap the fish. It was an incredieble sight.   
         Eagles like to make their nests in high and rocky places; as a verse in the Bible says, "Though thou shouldest make thy nest on high as the eagle, yet will I bring thee down from thence."  Their nests are not usually made in trees like those of many other birds, neither are they shaped in the same way: they are nothing but a layer of sticks spread flat upon the rock, and covered with some hay or straw.

           The care of the eagle for her young is spoken of in Deut. 32:11. "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings; so the Lord alone did lead him." This beautifully describes God's care over the children of Israel while they were passing through the wilderness.

           These birds fly very swiftly. Deuteronomy 28:49 "The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, as swift as the eagle flieth."  In another place it is said, "His horses are swifter than eagles." Job says, "My days are swifter than a post, (or post-rider;) they are passed away as the swift ships, as an eagle that hasteth to the prey."

           The eye of the eagle is very curious. It has something like an inner eyelid, only it is very thin; and the eagle can draw this over its eye, like a curtain, whenever there is too much light.
    You have heard perhaps that it can look directly at the bright sun; and this is the reason. It can see a great deal farther than we can; and when it is very high in the air, so that it would look to you but little larger than a speck, it often sees some small animal on the ground and flies down to catch it.

           See how well this bird was described a great many years ago: these are the last verses of the thirty-ninth chapter of Job: "Doth the eagle mount up at thy command and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth upon the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Her young ones also suck up blood; and where the slain are, there is she."

           The eagle lives a great many years; sometimes more than seventy. It sheds its feathers every spring, and new ones come out; then it looks like a young bird. This is why David says in the Psalms, "Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed, like the eagle's."

           There is this beautiful verse in Isaiah, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." How blessed and happy a thing it is to be a christian indeed! to "wait upon the Lord" every day for the strength we need; and to be always preparing for that world where the inhabitants are for ever young, for ever active, for ever holy, for ever happy.

  • Keep in Touch

    I had been praying for him for a few months. (ever since I knew he had cancer)  I knew he wasn't saved.  I asked God for the right time to speak to him.  I recieved it this past Monday.  Kelly was loosing bad. He was angry at God.  I went to see Kelly at 9:00 am.  We talked & laughed about old times. As I was ready to leave I asked him if I could pray for him.  He said sure.  As I prayed, I listened so carefully to the Holy Spirit.  It was like the Heavenly Father talking to His child and welcoming him home.  Kelly responded to Jesus.  Kelly's last words were, "Keep in Touch."   He died Tuesday.  Yes, I will keep in touch.  I'm attending his funeral today. 

    This is what I wrote in his memory book:
    In the summer of 1978, Kelly and I decided to go on a "road trip".  We picked the Black Hills.  We headed for the hills but stopped in Pierre to visit some of Kelly's friends.  We stayed a couple days and decided late one night to head to Rapid City.  We didn't want to get there when it was still dark so we crawled on the Interstate at speeds of about 10 miles per hour.  Sometimes one of us would get out and run along side the car.  Well we made it to Rapid City.  I remember going through Bear Country USA and hitting a bear cub with the car.  Kelly & I laughed as the cub ran off the road unhurt.  We did many things on that road trip. 
    I went to see Kelly in the last hours of his life on Monday, October 8th.  We talked about that road trip, the times working at Bogners and all the fun times we had.  In particular we talked about his 18th birthday party.  He set up his house up with many speakers and was the disc jockey. He played all his favorite music, including Peter Frampton.  After we finished laughing and enjoying the memories I asked him if we could pray together and he said yes.  We prayed and he responded to Jesus in feeling remorse for the things he did wrong in his life.  Kelly's last words to me were: "Keep in touch".  I will see you in heaven, Kelly.      

  • Grammar Tip
    Quotation Marks and Other Punctuation

    Quotation Marks and Other Punctuation Everybody knows that quotation marks surround quotations. And that the opening quotation mark always goes right before the first word of the quotation. But many people have trouble figuring where the closing quotation mark goes. That's where ProofreadNOW.com comes in. "All the time," as our management says.

    The following are basic rules for where closing quotation marks are placed with respect to accompanying punctuation.

    In America, commas and periods always (well, we can't think of an exception, but we better say "almost always") go inside the closing quotation mark.
  • "It was fun to go water skiing on Long Lake."
  • "We skied the length of the lake," Tallulah said.

    [In British punctuation, periods and commas go inside or outside depending on "sense", as the Oxford Guide to Style puts it. But that's another story for another GT.]

    Colons and semicolons go outside closing quotation marks.
  • There are two reasons why we call her "Baby": she is one, and in our minds it will forever be an endearing appellation.
  • I love the phrase, "When in the course of human events..."; it is immediately engaging and inspiring.

    Question marks and exclamation points go inside sometimes, outside other times. It depends on whether the quoted material itself is a question or an exclamation, or not. These are instances when the question is confined to the quoted material:
  • "Can you swim?" asked the lifeguard.
  • Amos heard the question, "Friend or foe?" and froze.

    Here, the exclamation is confined to the quoted material:
  • "Look out for the other boats!" he yelled as he rose up out of the water.

    Here are instances when the questions are not strictly the quoted material, so the mark goes outside the closing quotation:
  • Who said "Give me liberty or give me death"?
  • Who wrote "The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner"?

    • Personal Note:  Friend passing
  • I'll never forget the last words of my friend that died yesterday, "keep in touch".   I believe he's in heaven because of his death bed conversion.                                            I do have to tell you the ironic thing about this.  Many years ago I went to see a dying man.  The man knew that he was going to heaven.  The last view I had of him was his looking out the window towards the sky.  He wouldn't take his eyes off the sky as he said goodbye to me.  That was the same room my friend Kelly was in.        
    If you were given 2 weeks to live what would you be concentrating on? 
                                                                 

  • Progress

    I love watching progress.  This the Yankton side for the new bridge.  When I think of progress I think of the new heavens and the new earth.  When we make something then it'll last for forever.  Now that's the time I'm definitely signing up for construction projects. 

    Do you think of heaven much?  If so what are your thoughts of it?