Meeting JoAnna and Brian

Sunday, April 20, 2008. What a nice day--some rain, some sunshine, and a lot of nice flowers. Met Joanna and Brian at LaVale, and picked up the cabinets they just took out of their kitchen. Pictures are at Ruby Tuesday's where we had lunch and transferrred the cabinets to my truck. They had some real nice azaleas in bloom, so i took pictures of them. Also--shock-shock, the old familiar McDonalds next door is no more. Put a picture of the demolition here to show the destruction-construction.

Trip both ways was uneventful, stopped at Mountwood on the way bac

k to look things over.

instructions

for anyone looking at the blog for the first time, to see everything you have to click on the items listed on the right of the page, under archive, to open up everything.
and clicking on the pictures brings them up to full screen size.
jvm

wednesday, april 16

Well, tax day has come and gone. I always thought that when one retired, taxes would be less. Ha.
That certainly has not worked out to be the case.
I hear a lot of talk about the proposed "FAIR TAX". My view is that no tax is fair. All taxes are thievery, so far as I am ocncerned. I recognize that some level of taxation is necessary, and that all are legal.
Unfortunately, there are far too many taxes extracted (or is it extorted) from us for purposes that in no way necessary.
We have those that tell us that more taxes are needed. That is clearly untrue. What is needed is a cut in spending.
I will gladly vote for any politician who will promise less spending, and less taxes. (I should live so long).
Enough of that. It is a good week going on, and, today is the day i collect back just a little of what i have paid in--Social Security is due today. (And thanks to the good politicians in Washington, I now have to pay income taxes on most of it.--doesn't seem right-they give me back some of my money, and tax me for getting it.)
Oh! Well. Party on.
jvm

SUNDAY, APRIL 13

SUNDAY IS ALWAYS A DAY TO ENJOY. I START OUT WITH THE SUNDAY PAPER, AND THAT INCLUDES DOING THE CRYPTO-QUIP AND THE CROSSWORD PUZZLE. THEY ARE NOW DONE.

HAD THE B. C, AND G QUARTERLY MEETING YESTERDAY, AND THEN WENT TO A RAMP FEED AT WIDEN. If THERE IS EVER A NATURAL GAS SHORTAGE, ALL THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IS FEED EVERYONE RAMPS--THEN THERE WILL BE PLENTY.

THIS WAS A GOOD WEEK. THE TOASTMASTERS CLUB HONORED ME WITH THE TOASTMASTER OF THE YEAR AWARD, ALSO KNOWN AS THE TED ROMINE AWARD IN HONOR OF ONE OF OUR LONG TIME MEMBERS, FOR WHOM OUR CLUB IS NOW NAMED.

I WAS VERY SURPRISED-HAD NO INKLING THAT IT WAS EVEN GOING TO BE PRESENTED, MUCH LESS TO ME.

BUT I AM VERY APPRECIATIVE ALONG WITH BEING SURPRISED.

WELL, SPRING IS ALMOST UPON US, AND THAT IS ALWAYS A PRETTY TIME OF THE YEAR.

THE LOVE OF BEAUTY IS A DIVINE GIFT TO US, AND ONE WHICH WE SHOULD ALWAYS APPRECIATE.

GOD WANTS US TO LOVE BEAUTY, AND TO DO BEAUTIFUL THINGS.

I PUT A PICTURE OF ONE OF THE EARLIEST SPRING FLOWERS ON THIS BLOG, TO SHOW HOW BEAUTY BLOSSOMS RIGHT IN THE MIDST OF THE DARK FOREST FLOOR, AND SERVES TO BRIGHTEN NOT JUST THE FOREST, BUT THE DAYS OF THOSE WHO SEE IT.

b c and g meeting today

Went to clay to meet with the Buffalo Gals of the B, C, And G Co-op.

Good meeting. also went over to the campground, and drove up the road across buffalo creek, and just looked at the creek.

Tthe beauty of that scene is just overwhelming. I wish everyone could see it.

I am now going to try again to put a picture of my mother and dad on here, and get them right side up. let's see if it works.

Okay, it appears to have worked. The picture of my Dad with Jimmy and Nancy on his lap was taken at the Alum Rock curve, just before getting to Crestmont, going toward Swandale. he was about 38 at the time. He died the next year. My mother is in her 60's at the time of the picture--maybe Nancy can give me a more exact age.