wise mankind still seeks Him

"....And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:10-11

"....And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."
Matthew 2:11

Just pretend there's no Santa in the photo! Saint Nicholas certainly wasn't present at Christ's birth, but a Santa was one of many lights at the Fantasy of Lights in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

December moon

Last night in our neighborhood.
Shortly before I took this photograph, the moon appeared to be resting on the roof of our neighbor's house, and I could reach out and grab it. Our back door faces east, so when the moon comes out, I often stand at the back door and gaze at the celestial lights. Since we live in a small town there is little light pollution, so it's easy to pick out the constellations from in town. I readily spot Orion's belt every cloudless night.

now that's scary

This cartoon says it all. The Occupy... crowd is composed of whiners and spoiled rotten adult-size children. Parisienne Farmgirl's husband had a great Occupier costume the other day.

Here in Our Small Town, a handful of churches are having Trunk or Treat activities, but there's still a lot of trick or treating door-to-door. When I took CutieDog for a walk just prior to sunset, I saw three families sitting either on their porch or their pick-up truck gate waiting for the costumed beggars. No sense running to the door every five minutes!

an aviator's anniversary and a birthday

Happy Anniversary, Mr. H. I love you times three! Since My Darling Husband is a pilot and our wedding reception was held at an airport facility, we were able to fly away from the reception three years ago. This photo is of us with our heads in the clouds and off to new adventures.

Our wedding anniversary is also my dad's birthday, so I must shout out "Happy Birthday, Dad!"

9/11 in Our Small Town

For the past four years, Our Small Town has commemorated 9/11 by having a Patriot Day Jamboree. It consists of a local celebrity (this year it was the singer from a local blues band) singing our national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, updating of a memorial plaque for local veterans who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and an auction. The auction proceeds are given to a veteran for some need. This year it was for a local veteran who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease.

This photo is of the local newspaper photographer's shot.

a molehill for Christmas in July

Another item to cross off my mental to-do list. Two more pieces of fabric used! I bought the fabric when a friend and I were at a quilt shop in Humboldt, Kansas last October. My friend liked these fabrics very much but she doesn't sew. I decided to purchase it to make a tablerunner for her. The ladies at the shop had cut the fabric to size already for an easy tablerunner tutorial they created. My friend left the shop to take care of business elsewhere, so I was able to purchase it on the sly. It was meant to be a Christmas present; it became a Christmas in July present.

It's been six months since I posted the first molehills of my stash-busting project, but rest assured that I have begun other sewing projects in the meantime.

I remember your sacrifice

Freedom costs.

what they think of their mothers

Our southeast Kansas Small Town newspaper has a "Draw Your Mom Contest" every Mother's Day. There are entries from children aged two through 12. I remember that the newspaper in the small northeast Kansas town where I grew up used to have a similar contest for the children in that community.

There are so many entries that the contest gets its own section for the day. The children are very creative.

Sometimes you want to ask yourself "What was this child drawing...the family dog?"Then in other pictures you see that he really was drawing his mother.It's especially funny when you know the mother and what she looks like in real life!

Mostly we admire the childrens imaginations, artistic strivings, and their love for mom. Happy Mother's Day, Moms!

how I feel today

This is CutieDog enjoying the warmth of the compost pile (soon to become a compost bin this spring). It's such a lovely spring day today that I want to just lay on a blanket in the warm sun and read a good book or knit until sunset. Alas, I hear the local garden center calling me; they're having an open house today, so I'm headed there in just a little while. Our Small Town has a Wal-Mart with a garden center, but the town is big enough to also support a garden center and one of the town's florist's seasonal garden shop. "Yes, I know I'm a handsome fella. Mrs. H, I'll miss this pile when it's gone."

time for the redbuds

In southeast Kansas where My Darling Husband and I live, a sure sign of spring is the redbud trees. They are in bloom now. I see more redbuds in this area than in the Kansas City area where I used to live. Along with daffodils, crocus and muscari, the redbuds are a much-anticipated harbinger of warmer weather to come. An Even Smaller Town near us has a redbud tour. Hey, you have to make your own entertainment in small towns sometimes, and it's a joy for horticulture aficianados.