As the politicians mire us ever deeper in debt, as each day brings more bad news from Washington, we prepare ourselves for the 2012 presidential election. So much hinges on each election, we all know that. Choices made, actions taken by incumbents affect not only us, but our children and grandchildren. So now we prepare for the nominations by educating ourselves on the candidates who have thrown their hat into the ring, and on those we hope will make that toss soon. Each candidate has a history, each candidate brings strengths and weaknesses to the table. Each of us will choose from among those willing to serve his or her country based on our own set of values, beliefs, experiences, and perceptions. Some have already made the choice of the candidate they will support for the Republican nomination for President of the United States of America. Some are waiting for more information, or hoping for another candidate to enter the race. (more…)

I have gathered together some random facts, figures, quotes and ponderings that have been on my mind for some time now. Hopefully, we can pull it together and give these loosely related concerns a direction and reach some conclusions. The increasing incidences of urban flash mobs, flashes of truly disgusting lyrics I occasionally overhear, a recent trip to the mall where I had to endure looking at every young black male’s choice of underwear, information on out of wedlock births – all these things have been swirling around in my mind lately. I am no social worker, nor do I claim to be. I am only using common sense to try to connect dots and see patterns, as well as well known statistics, and ideas that many before me have elucidated much more intelligently than I am able to do. (more…)

I found this via The Anchoress. This video from Krugman is from last year, but as she states, it just emphasizes the media’s refusal to give any voice to the real intent behind their actions.

Just in time for our Fourth of July celebration here in the tree, we decided to put our heads together and come up with everybody’s favorite recipes. That way we all get our old favorites, and maybe we will find some new ones as well. Being human, we use all our senses to recall those special times we cherish. The sights of fireworks, sounds of music from the marching band – and oh, those yummy smells. Hamburgers grilling, Grandmother’s lemonade, fresh apple pie. They take us back to those wonderful memories of summers past, when we never wore shoes, sprang from our bunk beds at the crack of dawn, excited to get this new day started, and finished our long day chasing fireflies and dodging Mom’s call for bathtime. Those days may be gone, but we have our memories, and I’ll just bet we have quite a few of those cherished family recipes as well. (more…)

While the rest of the world argues, gripes and moans, they take action. The international flotilla to Gaza is dead in the water due to damage to the propellers of two ships. Israel officials, struggling to keep a straight face I suspect, dismissed the accusation of the organizers, who “See the long arm of Israel” in the events as gossip mongering. However, they did not deny the accusations outright. Read more here

Happy Father’s Day to all our Dads out there. Here’s hoping that your day consists of letting your kids make a messy burger for you, and tossing back a brew or two. Fathers make the world right. They are our first superhero, they chase away monsters, fix our bikes, teach us to play ball while throwing in lessons about practice, hard work, fair play, teamwork, sportsmanship, getting up when you’re knocked down – all while we think we are just throwing a ball around for fun. Then come the tougher times. Helping with homework, channeling that energetic young person’s energy into something constructive, yet firmly dealing with the problems of the not so constructive application of a kid’s energy and talents. Teaching us to drive, molding our beliefs about the opposite sex, waiting for us to come home from that first date. Piecing together our broken hearts, taking the million pictures for mom on prom night. Walking us down the aisle with tears in his eyes. Standing behind us as we start our own journey as parents, always a mighty bulwark against the worst the world throws at us. (more…)

Among all the wonderful things summer means to us, one of the best has to be the long anticipated vacation. How hard we work for it, how much we enjoy it, how quickly it is over, how precious those memories are. I once read a story about a man who raised his family in a typical rancher in a typical subdivision. After his kids were gone, one of his neighbors observed that he was the only guy on the block not to have updated his kitchen and bathroom, and didn’t he wish he had spent a little more on his house along the way? The man thought about the wonderful vacations he had taken his family on, and how excited they still got over holiday dinners when they would reminisce about special memories they shared. He realized then that they would never have shared memories about a remodeling project, and felt pretty good about how he spent his money. (more…)

We took a drive through the country today, loosely following some of the path of the April 27th tornado, ending our rambling path in downtown Ringgold. One country church featured a sign I felt was a kind of summary, perhaps an appropriate testimony of the feeling around here. “In God we still trust.” A few miles further down the road, closer in to town, a simple red brick Baptist church featured another sign stating “Under the same management for 2000 years.” (more…)

Alabama lawmakers have passed their own immigration bill, one reputed to be tougher than the well known Arizona bill. For those of you who don’t reside here in the south, here is a little local color. Alabamians are a fierce and proud lot, clannish and very conservative. If the media chooses a full out assault on them, as they did in Arizona, they will provide a fine time indeed. You will want to grab a beer and some chips, because not even the local politicians will bother to be politically correct. In this case Roll Tide! Here’s the story from the Birmingham News. Check out some of these comments. (more…)

Today all across this great land we call America, we pause to remember those who have fallen. We give thanks for their final sacrifice, for their love of country, and we say prayers for them, for their families, for the country they serve. We fly flags to honor their service, to observe our own dedication to America. But, being the ever optimistic Americans we are, we have turned this day formerly known as Decoration Day into a nation wide party, a celebration of patriotism, family, summer’s promise, and just any old other thing we choose it to be. (more…)