RedNeck Wisdom?!

COUNSELING - SOUTHERN STYLE

Earl and Bubba are quietly sitting in a boat fishing, chewing and drinking beer when suddenly Bubba says, 'I think I'm gonna divorce my wife - she ain't spoke to me in over 2 months.'

Earl spits, sips his beer and says, 'Better think it over - - - - -

women like that are hard to find.'

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"Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood." ~Oscar Wilde

"Women speak two languages - one of which is verbal." ~William Shakespeare

"A woman can say more in a sigh than a man can say in a sermon." ~Arnold Haultain

"Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally of dealing with men." ~Joseph Conrad

"I have an idea that the phrase "weaker sex" was coined by some woman to disarm some man she was preparing to overwhelm." ~Ogden Nash

Speakin' of Smoke...

'MARIJUANA FILLED FIREWOOD'

'Hello, is this the Sheriff's Office?'

'Yes. What can I do for you?'

'I'm calling to report 'bout my neighbor Virgil Smith....He's hidin' marijuana inside his firewood! Don't quite know how he gets it inside them logs, but he's hidin' it there.'

'Thank you very much for the call, sir.'

The next day, the Sheriff's Deputies descend on Virgil's house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept. Using axes, they bust open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana. They sneer at Virgil and leave.

Shortly, the phone rings at Virgil's house.

'Hey, Virgil! This here's Floyd... .Did the Sheriff come?'

'Yeah!'

'Did they chop your firewood?'

'Yep!'

'Happy Birthday, buddy!'

(Rednecks know how to Git-R-dun).

Follow the reek?

...follow him anywhere?!...ah, how romantic, cough, cough, ahem, cough, sputter.

...I find these old ads interesting, as you wonder how much influence they have/have had in shaping our culture.



"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs"
-William Shakespeare

Can't I just sit and rest a while?

<

Meditations from the mountains...these are photos of the eastern Sierras 2007...if not by the sea, then high up where the hawks are soaring.

I've been dwelling on some things of late, perhaps it's in the air as I came home from a difficult day at work to find Talking Bear has written on some things tonight that parallel my own thoughts. My words are but a shadow of his depth in ability to express feelings and thoughts; I'm glad for his eloquent gift.

What he speaks of is the ebb and flow of life, perhaps, in simple terms...Still, 2Cor 4 comes to mind about not 'losing heart'. Thanks to Catholic Teuchtar for the quote: "success is rising once more often than you fall."

Well, I'll pick myself up yet again, brush the knees off, and take heart in the laughter of my children that I hear from the other room. Tomorrow's battle can wait, time to join in and be soothed with their smiles and the brightness of their eyes.

Pull Loose the Mooring, and Set Sail

A few years ago my son was doing a research report on 'Tall Ships'. Trying to be an encourager of experiential education, I found a Tall Ship that was giving sailing tours out of Morro Bay. We had a grand adventure, although my poor family had to endure it using dramamine, the land lubbers that they arrrr! ;)
(a fun note: the Lady Washington was the ship, the Interceptor, in the film, Pirates of the Carribean)

The 2hour sailing out on the ocean on this tall ship was amazing; and conjured up all sorts of images of days past, courageous voyages, desperate voyages. As a student of history, I like reading of different accounts of the past and the people. It reminded me also of the analogy my husband uses, in that, God cannot guide a ship that is safely moored in the harbour. He likens the ropes that hold us to the dock as our fears, our need to be in control of things. We are safe, but we are also limited. Yet, we can become greater because we are in God's grace; perhaps it is the fear of the greatness that holds us back? Letting go, and letting God, even while what may happen is unknown, takes a lot of courage. However, once we loose the fear that holds us, and choose to break free from the moorings, we can set sail, eyes to the horizen, the journey unfolding, with the trust in God to guide our course. What are your ropes that hold you fast, or are you sailing quick and free?


"Courage is not the lack of fear but the ability to face it."
- Lt. John B. Putnam Jr. (1921-1944)

"You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith"
-Mary Manin Morrissey

"And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
-2Cor 3:17

Slainte mhor agus a h-uile beannachd duibh!
(Good health and every good blessing to you!)

Heart of the Ocean, Gaelic Storm

The vid is creative, but I was seeking more to post the song. This was the better of the vids availble; and at the moment, I'm at a technical disadvantage to be making my own vids.


"It is perhaps a more fortunate destiny to have a taste for collecting shells than to be born a millionaire."
"To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life."
-Robert Louis Stevenson

Friday Photos

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature."
-Anne Frank




These lovely photos are of the Oregon coast, compliments of Yolanda, from whom I've borrowed with permission. I've been pining to be near the sea lately, and with work and the have-tos, this might be the closest I'll get for a while. One of the things I do enjoy is to walk along the shore in the winter....hmmm, maybe a day's get-away is a must in the making here! Not to beautiful Oregon, but at least out to Ventura Beach. :)

Old fashioned diet strategy?

Diet strategy: Ingest Tapeworms, that have been sanitized mind you, Eat all that you want, and Never gain weight!! Next expert,please....

Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

Random Thoughts while waiting for Hubby

I sit looking up through the Constantina wire to the not so distant hills and reflect on the beauty of the sun's warm glow illuminating the sky as it slowly sinks on the horizon. The fresh cool air of the dusk surrounds me as I hear the chatter of children playing and birds chirping. The sounds of the vehicles on the road behind me, remind me of the busyness of the day still at hand.

Glancing up at the sharp barbs on the wire, barbs that would tear to shreds anyone attempting to go over them, I hear sirens across from me sound off, lights flashing, fire engine and medical units rolling to someone's assistance, the need unknown to me. As my eyes return to the barbed wire, a Sheriff's helicopter flies overhead. It reminds me of my husband's friend who died this week. He was younger than me, too young to be gone; I'm sad for his loss, one of many who were too young.

Into the far parking lot a car pulls in, its suspension lowered, the radio blasting loud thump thump music. Thank goodness they didn't stay long. My eyes go back to the barbed wire to see the fading sunlight accentuating the sharp barbs against the paling evening sky. Barbed wire, friend to some, foe to others. I wonder if in our own lives we utilize barbed wire not thinking how razor sharp the edges of those barbs can be?

A protective barrier that deters others from entering into areas that we wish cordoned off safe from anyone's infringement, yet damaging to those who try to reach through to us. But just as the barbs have two edges, so does our defenses. For if we string up too much barbed wire and make the sharing of ourselves impassible, we are the ones who end up confined.

Be wise in the choice of who and when to share of yourself, but be bold in the endeavor. Living behind the protective safety of the barbed wire, only imprisons yourself.

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world."
-Anonymous

Thursday Thought for the Day

....thoughts by 'Maxine'...
"I hate housework! You make
The beds, do the dishes and
Six months later you have to
Do it all over again!!"

'Believable', aren't they?!

I just want to share something that you may find amusing, and hopefully not offensive. Or, well...maybe it's one of those 'you just had to be there' type situations,..but I'll try to convey a picture....

My husband, my 14yr old son, and I were watching the USA Sevens rugby...New Zealand had won, and before the awards ceremony, they performed the Haka (their War Chant).

To my discreet delight, they had taken their shirts off prior to doing this...which in my thinking, seeing those muscles, made it so much more realistic in picturing them, well, as warriors...so, I said out loud, "Wow, they really are believable!"
....to my husband's shock, that I would say such a thing in front of himself and our son, he repeated what (he thought) I had said, "... they really are breed-able?!" :/ :DDDDDDD
Well, I'm sure you can imagine my reaction, to 'my men' reacting...etc etc....My, but it did make for a good laugh!!!!! :DDDDD

Friday Photo-Teepee Dreams

There are a few blogs that have started a Friday Photo, so I thought I'd join in. Well, at least this Friday. Living in the desert, one can only photograph so many tumbleweeds! ;) I found this photo in the 'archives', it's a photo of the actual Lakota Teepee that we lived in as mentioned in the post 'Teepee Moon'


"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create."
-Albert Einstein

Let your light shine, for it keeps those around you warm!

“Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.”
-Mark Twain

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
-Used by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural speech

Living as an Imposter or just living Scandalized?

Why is it so hard sometimes to let others 'see' the real us? Do we really want to live the life of an imposter? We all want to feel accepted by those around us, or perhaps more importantly, we do not want to feel rejected. I ask, if we must compromise in who we are to be accepted by 'people', or rather not rejected by 'people', then is our life really about living or just a dull life full of compromise and lost potential?

Of course, the word 'people' may stand for anything that can apply in our life whether it's parents, family, church, work, etc. Why do we give sanction to people who may not want the best for us, or have their own issues of jealousy, close-mindedness, etc? People who we may not even like, or ever want to be like. Yet somehow we feel we need to be more like they say we should be.
Are we so conditioned in our lives to comply with authority and never to question? When we give people authority over us, we internally validate what they've said; and, we can struggle with these negatives our whole life. We are scandalized. Whether it's a parent calling a child 'stupid, you'll never amount to anything', the church lady who has a 'word from God' for the bride on her wedding day that she wasn't supposed to marry this man, or the team that bought the lie that they are only good enough for a 'glorious defeat'. These are extreme examples that I've heard, but I think we all might unfortunately have more stories that we know of, or have experienced, and can perhaps relate.

For some time now, I've been making decisions to challenge who I'm going to allow to be 'in authority' over me. Even the bible says to "Test all things and hold fast to that which is good" 1 Thessalonians 5:21 and "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!" 2 Cor 13:5. Several blogs got me started on this note today, and I've been writing this post haphazardly through watching 6Nations Rugby, the Superbowl and fixing dinner for my children, so apologies is this is hard to follow! :)

Life is too short; we need to be mindful of what we give sanction to in our lives, and let go of that bad stuff which has stunted our potential to be all that we can be. Wonderful credit goes to Talking Bear, Lucy, and Endlessly Restless for encouraging posts and helping to put those challenging thoughts out, and
placing value on who we are, and who we are capable of being should we choose.