Thoughts for the day

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD
1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions. 6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:
1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

SUCCESS:
At age 4 success is .. .. not peeing in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . . having friends.
At age 16 success is . . . having a drivers license.
At age 20 success is . . having a girlfriend that thinks you a really good looking
At age 35 success is .. . having money.
At age 50 success is . . .having money.
At age 60 success is . . having a girlfriend that thinks you are really good looking
At age 70 success is . . .having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . . .having friends.
At age 80 success is . . .not peeing in your pants.

I had a wonderful Birthday with many pretty cards and a bouquet of beautiful flowers. JW and I drove into the big city for a yummy dinner out and of course I am sure I ate to much but it is always fun to eat someone else's cooking.

JW gave me something to carry for protection while the puppy and I are out in the woods on our many adventures. So we will schedule an adventure into the woods to the target practice area above our house as soon as the roads up there are clear of snow.

Step daughter and family took JW and I to a play in Hamilton...The Beauty and the Beast. As I have never read or watched the story I found it very enjoyable. And the ending was one that the author had not written into the play. A young man who just returned form Iraq brought his girlfriend up on stage. She was a student at this school that preformed the play. The audience sat in complete silence when he went down on one knee and proposed to her. Of course when she cried "Yes" the audience exploded into applause. What a wonderful way to end a 3 day running of a great play!

So another year in my life has been celebrated and I am looking forward to what the new upcoming year will have to offer. I know there will always be something wonderful around the next corner so let's get started!!

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon, before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60's & 70's and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER! FRIENDS FOREVER!

I HAVE WORRIED ABOUT THIS MYSELF

Talk about a 1 in a million picture.
Amazing pic!

Ever been walking through the woods at night and had the sensation that something was following....

This picture is from Montana, where someone set out a sensor camera to see if any big bucks were passing in the area.

OK, THIS ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE

When I awoke at 6AM this morning we had just a shade of white snow on the ground. But then by 10 AM it looked like this.................
And then by 3PM it started to look like this..................

And by 4PM Mother Nature decided that we needed a lot more of that white stuff...and it didn't stop until about 10 minutes ago at 7:30PM.

But the close by mountains still look like they may have more snow in store for us. So I can't even imagine what we will see when we crawl out of bed tomorrow morning. I wonder if we can hibernate for awhile?....maybe for a couple of weeks .

The weather was surprisingly nice yesterday so JW and I and the pup decided that we should travel about 1 mile up the road to a real nice fishing spot on the West Fork of the Bitterroot River for an opportunity to get outside for awhile.
Very near the river I found this Hornets nest left over from last year. It is amazing how those little insects can build a home anywhere, When the river is in it's high water stage this bush is completely surrounded by rushing water.

Of course the puppy enjoy all the room to run around in since the weather was reasonable, and most of the time she was running at full speed. Just up the river from this photo was a fisherman standing out in the river. So we stayed down here so the dog wouldn't disturb him.

Later in the day the temperature was very pleasant but of course the weatherman is telling us it will snow tonight and continue over the next few days. Yes, I am very tired of this winter weather and I would love to be out in the garden tending any plants that may have survived this terribly long, cold winter.

WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED:

Men Are Just Happier People-- What do you expect from such simple creatures?

Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves.



Chocolate is just another snack. You can be President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park.



Car mechanics tell you the truth. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.



You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress R 5000. Tux rental R 500.



People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time. !



Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks.. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars.



You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.



Your underwear is 3.00 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.



Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck.



You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife.

You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.



You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.



No wonder men are happier!!

This was the scene that greeted me this morning as I took the puppy out to her kennel. What a beautiful view to start the day with. But unfortunately it lasted just a few minutes as the heavy cloud layer moved in and we haven't seen the sun since.
This is one of JW's days off and the poor guy is spending the morning in the Dentist chair. And he has agreed to do a few errands while he is in "the city" for the morning.

Male or Female?

You might not have known this, but a lot of non-living objects are actually either male or female. Here are some examples:

FREEZER BAGS: They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.

PHOTOCOPIERS: These are female, because once turned off; it takes a while to warm them up again. They are an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can also wreak havoc if you push the wrong Buttons.

TIRES: Tires are male, because they go bald easily and are often over inflated

AIR BALLOONS: Also a male object, because to get them to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under their butt.

SPONGES: These are female, because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.

WEB PAGES: Female, because they're constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.

TRAINS: Definitely male, because they always use the same old lines for picking up people.

EGG TIMERS: Egg timers are female because, over time, all the weight shifts to the bottom.

HAMMERS: Male, because in the last 5000 years, they've hardly changed at all, and are occasionally handy to have around.

THE REMOTE CONTROL: Female. Ha! You probably thought it would be male, but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while he doesn't always know which buttons to push, he just keeps trying.