Oh my good gravy...what else

Actually I have started this post several times and have erased it. There are just so many things going on in my state. There is even a widget for updates about the swine flu in English and Spanish on the CDC's website. There are 64 people so far for sure diagnosed with the swine flu in the entire United States. I just don't know, but if you need information from a reliable source here is a widget.




The World Health Organization has raised the alert level to 5 out of a max of 6. In Fort Worth so far we have 3 children sick with the swine flu. As of tonight the entire Fort Worth Independent School District is closed until at least May 11th. TAKS testing will be resumed after the kids return to school.

The thing I was thinking about earlier was last week when our Governor Perry was running around with his little tea bag and his buddies and having a rebellious tea party and talking, FOR REAL, about Texas seceding from the United States as a protest against the money being spent to get our economy back on some sort of track. He said in our, the Texas constitution, that Texas has the right to secede from the Union if it chooses. It was something written in sometime around the Civil War. Texas does NOT have the right to secede at all. Information on this webpage regarding this. He is wrong and should know better. Molly Ivins used to refer to him as Rick "Good Hair" Perry. His hair is really his best feature.




I'm so ashamed to show you this...oh my good gravy. Stand back he is all ours, ladies and gentlemen. *sigh*


Ok...back to Governor Perry and his wish to secede. He did not wish to accept any of President Obama's stimulus plan money. He didn't want to "burden" future generations and all that. Then after a while he thought well, maybe a little of the stimulus money wouldn't hurt...ya know. We do have a LOT of folks out of work and all...and maybe it would be ok. But Texas is a state that can secede and actually become 5 separate states, to boot...and don't you forget it! Rick says it is so and he has the teabag backers on his side. However, today after the swine flu and terrible flooding in Houston and the wretched wildfires we've had lately, our governor is asking for disaster funding for all that is happening in our poor state. Good thing he and his little teabag gang didn't actually go the full Monty and secede. He wouldn't have any right to federal funds if my state wasn't in the Union any longer.

I don't write political blogs or usually have much to say about politics other than in my own family room with my family, but this just got my goat about my governor's foolishness and the emails I've been receiving from other Texans about "Our Right To Secede". How silly....this website says it all for those who think clearly.

Texas My Texas

These are pictures we made last weekend when we went down to Ennis, about an hour south of us to view the bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas. We had a great time wandering from one field of blue to another and also, some that were yellow. There were some great shots of old farm houses that are now abandoned and old barns, and fabulous new homes, and there was one place that had deer in large pens on their place. I didn't put any pictures of the new homes in the slideshow just in case the owners didn't want everyone in the world to know where they live.

If you have any interest in Texas wildflowers click here for a wonderful site that helps identify the species.



Our state song is sung by schoolchildren just like when I was in elementary school...and I think through high school. It makes my heart happy to hear it sung still by our children.

The state song is "Texas, Our Texas" by William J. Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright.

Things that make you go hmmm...while driving

Last Sunday afternoon we went down to Ennis, Tx to look at the bluebonnets. This church is on the highway we went down and I just couldn't figure this one out. I thought it very odd and my daughter had seen it when she was traveling and couldn't either. Sort of made me want to stop and ask what in their faith they needed to overcome, but I chose not to go there.

Hopefully I can get the bluebonnet pictures uploaded and organized to post tomorrow. They were very beautiful this year down in Ellis county. I forget how much I love my state until I see the bluebonnets and the vast vistas of Texas.

IDK....I don't know...

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I'll have time to catch up in a day or so. Have a good time until then.

Something Purple

How to play PhotoHunt:
Simple. You just play by posting a photo for the weekly theme on YOUR site - that’s it. Keep in mind, more will find you if you comment on Tn Chick's weekly PhotoHunt posted on the main page. How will you know who is playing? View her comments each week, comment when you play so others can find you or Surf PhotoHunt on Technorati.

Violas

Violas, pansies, pale pink geraniums, and dianthus

Purple ornamental cabbage

'

Purple pansies, purple violas and Dusty Miller

Busted

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Cagney and Hope

Not so many tap dancers these days...I sort of miss them.

Everyone by now has seen Ms. Boyle sing on Britain's Got Talent, but here is an intereview with her. Probaably only Kate will be able to understand it, but she seems to be a lovely woman.

How Time Flies...

Oh my...I was just watching The Bonny Hunt Show and she had Dennis DeYoung of Styx as a guest star. That was one of the groups my kids liked and I couldn't bear, at the time. He is still going strong, but his hair is as white as can be. I was stunned and can't wait to show my daughter. I did like the song "Mr. Roboto" and I think everyone has heard that one. If not here is your chance to come to know the song...




Here is a link to his webpage in case you want to catch one of his gigs

Happy Easter

Wishing all of you a Happy and Blessed Easter. May your day be filled with fun with the children

Hiding eggs and hunting them during a lovely spring day filled with love and family and the sure knowledge of the Resurrection that celebrates life everlasting.

Thank you for the free images The Best Collection of Webimages & Clipart

Know when to say no

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

And then the land turned to fire

Today we were wondering if we were having a dust storm and discovered that North Central Texas was on fire. There were wildfires everywhere. A few structures were burned totally, but the fires got very, very close to people's homes.

We had very high winds and it has been very dry in our area for a while. They said on the news that the fires were sparked by electric lines colliding together.

The pictures people sent in to the local news were very intense. We could smell wood burning where we live. While reading the news websites I found that some apartments not more than 2 miles from where we live burned.

Here is the link to our NBC affiliate, and more from the ABC affiliate. Here is video
http://www.wfaa.com/video/featured-index.html?nvid=350634&noad=yes&shu=1

The fires are all the way from south of where I live in Ft. Worth way up into Oklahoma. My prayers go out to those who have lost homes, cars, and other material things and pray for the two lives lost today that no more are lost. My prayers go out to the firefighters who have spent the day and night trying to get control of these fires. Bless you and bless the volunteer firefighters in the rural areas.

Pirate kitteh

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

National Tartan Day

Today is National Tartan Day here in the United States.

Check here:
http://www.tartanday.org/index.htm to see what celebrations will be held in your area. I was sort of surprised to see so few here in Texas. At our highland games, held later in the year, they have a whole weekend of games and showing off of tartans, and selling stuff like sabers one might need. Here in Texas we have our own Bluebonnet tartan. It is based on the color of the state flower of Texas, the bluebonnet. http://www.txscot.com/BB_tartan.htm

Texas Tartan Day celebrations in Texas will only be in the following:

Austin, TX
There will be a State of Texas ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, at 12 noon on April 6th, with a piper playing in honour of Tartan Day. See also Texas Scottish Heritage Society.

Dallas, TX
"A Scottish Ceilidh" will be presented by The Scottish Society of Dallas on Sunday, April 1st, from 1:00pm until 5:00pm at the Winfrey Point House, White Rock Lake. The afternoon event will be filled with the sounds of bagpipes, drums and Celtic music; demonstrations of Highland dancing; traditional Scottish country dancing; and more. Representatives of various Scottish clans will be on hand to share with you something of their clan customs and heritage.

San Antonio, TX
Tartan Day ceremonies are planned for the afternoon of Friday, March 30th, 2007, in front of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. The event is sponsored each year jointly by Scottish Society of San Antonio and the San Antonio Highland Games Association, with the cooperation of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. The colorful ceremony, includes participation by pipe and drum corps, local ROTC units, local/state/foreign dignitaries, highland dancers, etc. A tribute to the Scots who fell at the Alamo is read, and proclamations are read from the Mayor, declaring the day to be Tartan Day and the weekend to be Highland Weekend in San Antonio. Guest speaker is Carl Peterson, singer and author. On Saturday and Sunday, March 31st and April 1st will be the San Antonio Highland Games and Clan Gathering at Helotes Festival Grounds, in Helotes, TX (a suburb just northwest of San Antonio). There will be the traditional heavy athletics, sheepdog trials, Clan tents & vendors as well as dancing and piping.

We have some Highland Games here in Fort Worth..well, actually we have to go to Arlington to attend, but it is later in the year when it is nicer and a lot hotter. It gets really warm out in that field. Actually it will be held June 5th through the 7th. http://www.texasscottishfestival.com/
I'm pretty sure we have tracked down some of our Scottish ancestors while researching our family.

And the beat goes on

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Recovering from a sinus infection, yuck. My doc told me to take the Z pack he prescribed and to not eat dairy for 10 days so that it would heal. I couldn't believe that was possible, but darned if it isn't true. Some of the sources I checked out on the net look pretty shaky, but right now I'll believe anything.

Pretty much I slept most of the day after trying to work outside for a while today. Not the best choice of how to spend my time...inside was much better.

E.R. is over and gone after 15 years. Some of the actors on the show said they grew up watching it and couldn't believe they got to work as part of the cast. We watched the final 2 hour show the other night. I'll miss it even though we didn't watch every week...it was there. It will probably be "there forever in reruns and syndication...sort of like Star Trek. Which by the way will be coming out with the prequel movie on May 8th. Syler, from Heroes, will play Spock and looks eerily like Leonard Nimoy. Possibly his love child or something...who knows. I'm off to search for the vaproizer and the vicks to try to open up my head. I have NO idea where the thing is. Haven't used it in ages.

Hope you all have a happy Sunday.

Windy Days

Today is lunch day with the girls, so I'll be out and about today. It is supposed to be windy as all get out, so I'll probably wish I'd stayed home in my nice quiet house. Winds up to about 45 mph are predicted by noon and that can really play havoc with hair.....and allergies.

Hubby has been working on staining the new fence this week. I need to help him out with that task, but it will probably be this weekend before that happens. He has to go with his father to the doc today. Life continues on the weird track with his parents. The lock on their front door broke the other day. My husband called a locksmith, but he couldn't get out until last Monday evening. Hubby got the door where it could be opened and there is another door that locks, so they were safe. When we got home from the neighborhood association meeting Monday night I asked hubs to check with them to make sure the lock got fixed. They had sent the locksmith on his way because, "There is nothing wrong with that door!". Melli, I do feel your pain! His parents called again last night to see if we could get the locksmith out again. They had discovered the lock didn't work. What a surprise! I hope my kids will be patient with us when we get like this.

This is NASCAR race weekend for Texas Motor Speedway, so I'll make sure to stay out of their way. It gets really crowded around that part of town during this time of the year and again in the fall when they come back for the second date.

So, pretty much as you can see...I got nothin' to talk about, so I'm shutting up and going to get a second cup of coffee. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Two years without a smoke...no joke

Today marks the second anniversary of my quitting smoking. What a joy to be free of it, especially since the taxes have gone up so much as of today! On April 1st the cost of a pack of cigarettes has gone to $9 a pack in NYC. Click here for story.

My daughter wanted to quit back in 2007 and asked me to stop with her, but she wanted to wait until after her birthday on March 29th. We settled on April 1st, and both stopped that day. I didn't really want to quit, but thought it a good idea for us to give it up. We both took Chantix and I think it did make me a little nutz while on it, and I used the online help they provided. It wasn't much, but did help to have an invisible hand to hold while going through withdrawal...and it really was withdrawal. One day at work I had to call a lot of people and my hands and voice were shaking like crazy. That was the day I decided I did need to give up the smokes...without question.

My daughter became very cranky and irritable while stopping and eventually went back to smoking. When she told her staff they cheered. ...her father and I did, too. My daughter is still smoking, but maybe with the cost increase she will begin to cut back.

If you are going through stopping, my thoughts are with you. It is not easy and at times quite painful, but believe me...it truly is worth it. My "allergies" improved so much I couldn't believe it and I no longer cough myself to life every morning. I can go where others go without having to try to find a place to grab a few puffs. And believe me...everyone knows you have been smoking even if you can't smell it. No joke.