Car Shows and Lemurs!

Ok, Retirement is just too cool!

On Saturday our middle grandson, my husband and I went to the Crestview Car Show - lots of cars all manufactured prior to 1979.  It was a wonderful show, well run with friendly car owners ready and willing to talk about their cars and the eras they were driven in.  
And.... for the first time in my life I stood and watch a "burn out competition"  what a hoot!!!  It was SO much fun!!!  We ate from the sampler menus that the restaurants had for the participants, walked around the exhibits and ended with the burn out.  It was a completely wonderful time!  Our grandson definitely has the car bug!  I enjoyed watching him enjoy the cars and learning from his grandpa and the car owners what made these cars special.  Also it was fun to see him around the trucks he really, really wants a truck!  I took a picture of a vintage VW bug - gorgeous and excellently restored I might add.  Jo on the other hand took LOTS of pictures of 70s Cameros, Chevelle SS 396s and just near every truck in the show!  And since he has his learners permit, he drove us all home, he not only enjoys cars he is a great driver to boot!!

Then today my husband, myself and our youngest grandson went to the Gulf Coast Alabama Zoo - what a precious wonderful memory as well!!

We were allowed into a Lemur visiting area where we spent about 15 minutes up close and personal with two lemurs, Lucy (the dominant female), and Rusty (a beautiful brown male) - Wow!  

We had to sanitize our hands so we wouldn't infect the lemurs and take off our shoes then in we went.  We sat down on a bench and were given a few treats to attract the lemurs to us.  At first they were swinging up in the rafters but their handler coaxed them down to our level.

Lucy was the first to come down and chose my husband as her first encounter with us, she sat on his head!  Then she went to our grandson and sat on his head (she bypassed me altogether!)  Then she allowed me to feed her and hold her hand.  Her hand was soft and warm and felt like a soft leather purse that had been in the sunshine.  I was surprised at the softness of her paws and the coarseness of her fur.  The smaller brown lemur I was finally able to coax down as well.  I held on to a small piece of treats while our grandson took a picture of her between my husband and me.  Rusty had his mouth on the treat and was trying to eat it while I was still holding on to it - he was gentle and gently coaxed it from my hand.  I was amazed at how gentle these two lemurs were with humans.  

Both lemurs were fascinated by my iPhone and the red case I carry it in - they both reached for it and gently tugged when I didn't give it up!  Who knew -- Lemurs love iPhones!!

They had a bond with the handler and after we left they cuddled with her.

Two very different events that were absolutely wonderful times.  Precious family memories of two fun filled days with the grandsons!  It has been fun watching our grandsons go from little lovable tykes to teenagers who are our pride and joy.

This weekend was definitely a Kodak keeper moment!

Romanticizing Revolutionaries

Hollywood stars often romanticize the bad boys of the world.

• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kids were outlaws
• Bonnie and Clyde were bloody killers
• Al Capone was a vicious mobster
• Che Guevara was a bloody communist revolutionary
• Fidel Castro is a bloody dictator
• Hugo Chevez was a repressive dictator despite many Hollywood stars who worshipped him
• Kim Jong Un is not a nice, friendly guy he's a communist dictator willing to use nuclear weapons to make him feel powerful

There is nothing romantic about these bloody, bloody people that Hollywood often treats as heroes.  Hollywood is drawn to them and obsessed with making them the unsung heroes, the misunderstood 

men and women that the world has vilified rather than praised.

To make my point these revolutionaries are of the same ilk as

• Dzhokhar A Tsarnaev
• Tamerlan Tsarnaev

Dzhokhar and Tamerlan are the same as Che -- vicious killers willing to kill, maim, terrorize people and destroy countries to further their cause.  Be it communists, islamic extremists, mobsters, common criminals, Occupy, Skinheads, gangbangers or other portions of the dregs of society there is nothing romantic about them.  

If you wear a T-shirt with the image of Che Guevara on it you are romanticizing a bloody terrorist.  It is the same as any idiot who would wear a T-shirt with images of Dzhokhar or Tamerlan on it.  

Lets stop romanticizing vicious people who attach themselves to vicious movements.  Boycott movies made by Hollywood stars that make heroes of the world's trash.

Communism in Cuba, China, Russia, and North Korea has 
brutalized people around the world and forced them to live in fear and repression.  
Extreme Islam is the same as communism.  Extremists who want to kill all infidels and put other countries under their repressive, controlled society.
Gang bangers, The Weatherman Underground, Occupy movement, Skinheads, and drug lords around the world want society in chaos and terrorize people to keep it that way.  They all preach hate.

None of these people or movements are worthy of anything but distain and disgust.

If we as a society continue to romanticize these villains we will reap more of their terror.  Let's stop flocking to the movies that make them heroes.  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid turned thugs into heroes and grossed millions.  What movie director and actors in the future will make a movie about Dzhokhar and Tamerlan and characterize them as Chetnian freedom fighters heroically killing and maiming Americans to further their cause?

There is no difference between romanticizing terrorists like Che Guevara and the Tsarnaev brothers.  Anyone who is drawn to them or their causes are sick.  Anyone who makes or stars in a movie that romanticizes terrorists, criminals and repressive villains is sick. Shame on Hollywood for flocking to the bad boys and making them heroes.  Shame. 

Soul Sick

I've been soul sick this week.  The kind of pain you feel when you see a tragedy and just can't do anything about it.  Like puppy mills,  dog or cock fights, child pornography, watching children bravely fighting cancer when the adults around them know the end is near. Sad, sad things that hurt you to the core.

What brought on this pain I'm feeling is an abortion doctor that seems to have drifted from medicine to Mengele.  I have trouble with abortion anyway - killing innocents just doesn't set well with me.  But this doctor has allegedly performed late term abortions that have resulted in live births - that is live until he kills them after they were born.  Allegedly he has snipped a baby's spinal cord and watched as the baby writhed in pain until death.  Allegedly he has kept the babies' body parts as "souvenirs".  It sounds like a plot of a sick television show detailing serial or psychotic killers.  Sadly, no.  It is not a television plot it is reality.  Allegedly he has little feet in pickle jars.  Is that sane? I don't think so.
Live birth abortions.  Babies born alive only to be met by a butcher.  If we know about this fact that live birth abortions are happening all over America and not feel sick to the core - are we ourselves still human?
If a gun owner shot a pregnant woman and the baby was born but died shortly after birth the person would be charged with murder.
If an abortion doctor performs a late term abortion and the baby lives, but the abortion doctor kills the child - he's usually not charged with anything.  A baby born alive and subsequently killed by an abortion doctor.  Do no harm.  Doctors swear an oath to do no harm.  Isn't killing a baby harm?  If it isn't - then please tell me what harm is.
Shouldn't there be a law that states if a woman has an abortion and the baby lives the doctor is mandated to assist the baby in anyway possible to continue to live NOT to kill the innocent little tyke?
Congress loves to make laws how about this law -- you can't kill a baby if it is born alive.
Women have to sign papers giving their permission for an abortion and probably to not hold the doctor liable if anything goes wrong - why not add one more clause? "If the abortion does not succeed and a baby is born alive after the procedure the doctor will be mandated to use all measures necessary to ensure the child lives AND the child will be given over to the village to raise, care, and love.

Aren't we at least that humane?  If a baby is born doesn't it have a right to life?  Whether the baby is disabled, a girl instead of a boy, an inconvenience or a threat to the mother's health and life -- if it makes it through an abortion alive doesn't it deserve to live that life? The mother wanted it dead but it lived -- doesn't an alive baby have the same rights as a live adult?

Some of our US senators have stated a baby isn't a baby until the mother takes it home.  Who would kill a baby alive in the hospital nursery for two days simply because the mother decided it wasn't really what she wanted?  Sanctity of life.  Doesn't the philosophy of sanctity of life mean anything any more?  

The abortion doctor who allegedly killed live newborn infants is on trial for murder.  I fear in our sick society he won't be found guilty... because except for the body parts in jars portion of this narrative ... late term and live birth abortions are happening everyday in America and pro-choice Americans are okay with that while us pro-life Americans are soul sick.

We as a society cringe in horror as we watch senseless killings like the Sandy Hook elementary school slaughter shouldn't we also cringe in horror as we watch an abortionist senselessly kill live babies?

Availability of "morning after" pills

A Brooklyn federal judge has ordered the US Food and Drug Administration to lift age restrictions on who can purchase the "morning after" pill.  Previously the pill was only available without prescription to 17 year olds and above.  Not any more.  This judge has made the purchase of the pill legal to people of any age.

What is the "morning after" pill.  What does it do?  

• First it is a synthetic hormone called "levonorgestrel".  
• It prevents eggs from leaving the ovaries
• It (may as I understand it) prevent or interfere with the sperm & egg fertilizing
• IF fertilization has occurred but the fertilized egg has not embedded itself into the uterus the drug may prevent the fertilized egg from embedding itself
• The pill does not work (will not destroy) a fertilized egg that has implanted in the uterus. 

As a Pro Life person I have mixed emotions on this pill.

I believe life begins at conception.  Conception being when the sperm fertilizes an egg -- that's life.

What does this drug do?

• It prevents eggs from leaving the ovaries - if the egg doesn't leave the ovary (unless it is a tubal pregnancy) it doesn't get fertilized, and ectopic tubal pregnancies aren't viable
• It (may as I understand it) prevent or interfere with the sperm & egg fertilizing - it interferes with fertilization from happening, so no life has been created yet
• IF fertilization has occurred but the fertilized egg has not embedded itself into the uterus the drug may prevent the fertilized egg from embedding itself - this is an iffy area for me.  A fertilized egg is life.  But the fertilized egg hasn't yet embedded itself into the uterus so while the spark of life is there the nourishment and growth of life has not yet begun.
• The pill does not work (will not destroy) a fertilized egg that has implanted in the uterus - once the fertilized egg has been implanted in the uterus and the growth and nourishment of life has begun - this pill supposedly has no effect.  It will not destroy life at this point.

If the "morning after" pill prevents an unwanted pregnancy - more power to it.  I see it as being comparable to all the other contraception pills on the market, or the rhythm method, or withdrawing before ejaculation, or condoms - all ways to try to prevent a pregnancy.  It may even be safer than other contraception pills because regular use of them can cause strokes, heart attacks, high blood pressure and this pill would only be used "as needed".  

It functionally stops life from happening.  That is preferable to abortions because abortions stop a beating heart, abortions kill viable babies growing in the womb, abortions hurt the babies being pulled from the womb.  

If the "morning after pill' prevents abortions rather than causing spontaneous abortions then it may be the answer to the slaughter of innocents that we have been doing since Roe v Wade -- 55 million babies killed in America since that ruling.  Infanticide by another name.

My other concerns about this pill is victimization of young women.  Incest and date rape come to mind first and foremost.  Young girls are molested everyday in America and without the consequence of pregnancy young girls will be molested more frequently by evil men who prey on them.  The pill can make life a living hell for young girls being victimized in these instances.

Oh by the way - how old do you think the youngest girl to give birth was?

The youngest pregnancy, on record, documented:  the girl was 

5 years, 7 months and 17 days.  She gave birth to a 6 lb. boy in Peru.  A five year old giving birth.

There have also been documented pregnancies of 6, 8, 9, and 10 year old girls.  Extremely rare - but what hell have these girls gone through to get impregnated by evil men.  What immoral jerk has sex with a five year old?  And how many more girls will these men molest when they know the threat of pregnancy is eliminated?

As long as the "morning after" pill does not terminate a viable pregnancy I support its use.  And even if it does stop a fertilized egg from growing (within 72 hours of conception) as painful as it is for me to say this:  I'd rather a three day old fertilized egg not yet connected to the life giving uterus be terminated than a three month old whose heart is beating and who can feel pain.

Mankind is sinful indeed.  Men molesting young girls and women who feel their rights to act like sluts must be protected while the babies they casually create and destroy have no rights at all would not happen in a perfect world.  So in our imperfect world the "morning after" pill beats abortion any day.

Food for thought.

 

Illegal Alien Population in America

From the Internet site "Quick Facts from the US Census Bureau" 

2012 estimated population of the state of Ohio:  11.5 million

The estimated population of illegal aliens in the US:  11 million

To put the number in perspective:
11 million illegals in America
11.5 million American citizens living in Ohio

There are as many illegal aliens in America as the number of American citizens that live in Ohio.
That is a lot of illegals.

What does it matter?  When you stop and think of the last election the State of Ohio was one of the must wins for President Obama.  If he could win California, New York, Florida, and Ohio he had it made!

The small state of Ohio with 11.5 million people is a powerhouse in determining the outcomes of American elections.
What power these 11.5 million citizens have.

We have 11 million illegals in America.  

Some American citizens population distribution:
The State of Arizona has 6.5 million Arizona residents
The State of Virginia has 8 million Virginia residents
New York City has 19 million residents
The City of Chicago has 2 million

Illegal aliens (many come from Mexico, but terrorists are also illegal aliens, as well as others who infiltrate our society from other countries).   These people are undocumented, they in many cases don't pay taxes because they are under the "radar" in our society, they go to our schools, get government money to go to college, overload our medical and welfare systems and they are voting in our American elections - even though they criminally enter America.


Illegal aliens are legal citizens of their home country.  
So there are 11 million (mostly Mexican) citizens living in America.
We are providing Mexican citizens food stamps, welfare services and in-state tuition rates to our colleges.  
If all 11 million illegals in America moved to Arizona they could vote to make Arizona a Mexican State!  


I wholly support LEGAL IMMIGRATION.  People from all over the world come to America LEGALLY - keep coming we need you, we want you, you help America stay a great country of opportunity!   

Yes, Yes, YES to LEGAL IMMIGRATION.
NO, NO, NO to ILLEGALS - apply for US citizenship the legal way and you will be welcome with open arms, don't criminally enter America.

He is Risen .... He is Risen Indeed!

What a wonderful Savior!!
Easter Sunday is the most precious day of the entire year.  On that first Easter we had the Resurrection proof, our hopes fulfilled, and the power revealed that we can place our very lives in -- Jesus rose from the dead!  Jesus went to the cross and suffered in agony bearing the weight of all of the sins of humanity.  All sins (of each and every individual who has ever lived on the face of the earth) committed in the past, present, and future needed to be atoned for. God's righteous wrath and judgment on sin needed satisfied before mankind could come to God.  The problem was once mankind had sinned the whole human race inherited that sin nature and no one, no mere human could ever meet God's standard of being sinless - no one would ever meet God's standard.  What was God's standard?  Perfection, someone who did not inherit the human sin nature and someone who was human who never sinned. 
Impossible?  No.  It just needed a Hypostatic Union!
God's plan to bring us all into fellowship with Him was to send His Son, Jesus to take our punishment and redeem us in God's sight.  Jesus was fully God, His nature was God's so that He did not inherit the human sin nature, and yet He was also fully man with the will to choose to sin or not to sin.  Jesus came to earth fully God and fully man the perfect combination.  Jesus' God nature was pure and good, not tainted by the human sin nature.  Jesus' humanity, His human nature was fully yielded to God so He didn't want to sin against God.  Perfect!  His God nature prevented Him from sinning and His human nature He willingly yielded to God so each and every time He was tempted to sin He chose God's way instead.  He had to battle His sin nature just as we do, even more so because it wasn't just His life at stake it was each of our lives that depended on His life being sinless.  We (from Adam down to our own life) sin.  We willfully at some point in time decided to say no to God's rules and chose our own way.  We sinned because we wanted to.  We went our own way, not God's way because we wanted to.  Jesus as fully human also had the choice to make - do I go my way or God's way?  The Bible says He prayed with loud cries and tears as He yielded Himself to God's way (Hebrews 5:7) and He was heard because of His reverent submission.  His God nature prevented Him from sinning, but His human nature could have sinned if He didn't submit totally to God.  Jesus had to be perfect in both natures.  And He was - praise the Lord!!  
God needed the perfect sacrifice, a sinless life, to be given for our sins.  We needed the precious blood of Jesus, His sinless blood to be offered for us.  If Jesus had sinned God would not have accepted an imperfect sacrifice and we would still be sinners in God's sight.  We know God did accept Jesus as the perfect sacrifice because God raised Jesus from the dead.  
Easter is the most wonderful of days because it is proof positive that God accepted Jesus' sacrifice for our sins!  Jesus alive is our sure hope!  We who come to God in faith, who accept Jesus' blood shed for us have a 100% God approved risen Savior!

So, 
He is Risen .... He is Risen Indeed 
are the most precious words us redeemed sinners can utter!  Thank you Father for Your love, for giving Your son to die in our stead, and providing the way of salvation that allows us sinners to fellowship with You.

Playing Soccer with Manatees

At last a vacation with a happy ending!  
Adjectives to describe our vacation:  perfect, wonderful, awesome, amazing, incredible, fun, family.

We had an absolutely AWESOME vacation visiting the Manatees in Crystal Springs, Florida.  I asked God to bring the Manatees to us so that we could interact with them and not just see them on posters - wow did He send us Manatees!  Soccer pros!!

We gathered up our grandson David, our dog Marcel, and all the luggage and headed down to Crystal Springs, Fl.  About six hours later we were in Crystal Springs all checked in, waiting for our Manatee tour the next day.  
We were the earliest tour scheduled for that day and we were the only ones on the boat!  We had essentially our own private tour!!  The tour was supposed to last 2 hours and we were out 4 hours!!

The Manatees are a protected species so we listened to a CD describing the do's and don'ts of Manatee interaction.

• Touching: with one hand only
• No chasing them - if they swim by you can't go after them
• No hemming them in - you must allow them an escape route
• Do NOT under any circumstances go into their safe zones which are marked by bouys and lines
• Don't bump into them
• They have the right of way - so you move not them.
• Avoid the rowdy Manatees, some get pretty feisty!

Ok, simple rules which are accompanied by stiff fines and jail time if you get caught doing them.  And mind you they had fish & wildlife volunteers watching you.

So in we go!  The water was 72 degrees - heavenly, wonderful, warm water.  We got to the first stop in the crystal clear water of the Three Sisters site and watched the Manatees resting - in their safe zone.  Here we are the three of us, our guide and three other big groups (about 20 people altogether) staring at sleeping Manatees.  So we went further up the river to see if they were at the water hole - nope!  I quickly found out I should have taken snorkeling lessons before I got in the water.  I didn't swallow too much water but the worst part was I couldn't control my fins.  I wanted to go one way and they sent me another!  I ended up going backwards and pushing myself along the rocks.  I hung back from the front line where the tourists were watching the Manatees because there was a swift current and I didn't want to go careening into them, the tourists or the Manatees.  The water was so clear and fairly shallow so I was doing just fine swimming (okay shuffling along the bottom).

Our guide wisely grabbed us up and took us to another spot.  David got into the water with her and bravely snorkeled to where two were sleeping.  The water was deep here and murky but they made it to the Manatees just before they scurried away.  I got in and was going to follow after and I realized really fast -- I am still and probably will always be scared to death of deep water!  So I huddled around the boat where a Manatee started my way - I thought for sure I would get to touch him but he went under and surfaced way beyond where I was.  

Moving on.  We went to the more open King's Bay area where there is more space for them to come to us.  David and I got in the water and swam to an open zone in between some safe areas.  Our tour guide Dawn and my husband drove the boat closer to an anchorage spot while David and I swam.  Then my husband says turn around they are behind you - I turned around and sure enough there were lots of them!  Just David and me in deep water with six playful Manatees.  David went closer to the boat to start petting some and I was going to follow - but others surrounded me!  Three rowdy Manatees circling me like the proverbial wagon.  Everywhere I turned they circled, I would try to reach one to touch him and he'd move and another would come behind. Turn, almost touch, circle, turn, almost touch - they were having fun with me.  

By then David and the guide were on the other side of the boat and David was touching them while the guide was taking pictures of them.  So I made my way over to the other side of the boat where the quiet ones were, but the rowdies followed me.  Now mind you I am not allowed to corral them but it was ok for them to corral me ; I can't bump or push them but they can bump and push me -- rules are rules.  

Then they got really rowdy!  They decided to play soccer and I was the soccer ball!  They would run up to me and swerve at the last minute until one of the larger ones kept coming.  He maneuvered up close and then rolled over and laid right into me - I went flying into the boat - Manatees 1 -- me 0.  Right about then I got out of the water.  I didn't look back but I think they were high fiving as they went by, I didn't hear their laughter but I am sure they were at least smirking!

Oh, so much fun!  David enjoyed getting to pet them, being in the  water with them and watching them going after me and I truly enjoyed the experience!  

If you ever get the chance to "swim with the Manatees" by all means go!  It was so much fun to be in their world interacting with them and enjoying God's beautiful creation.  It was one of the best days ever!