cake please

Yesterday was National Donut Day. The cake variety is my favorite, especially apple cider cake donuts. Today I ate a plain cake donut with chocolate icing for breakfast. Oh, and glazed donut holes. One of my fond memories is of my mother, sister and I purchasing donut holes at the local German bakery when I was a child in northeast Kansas. There was also a Daylight Donuts shop in town and it even had a drive-through window. 

The small town where My Darling Husband and I currently live has a couple of special-order bakeries and a Daylight Donuts shop. This morning we walked by to pick up breakfast after leaving the farmer's market. Both the donut shop and the market are downtown. A good thing about small towns is that they're walkable, so any donut calories can be exercised off!

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.

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.

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!

hooked on chocolate

There are many options for Valentine's Day presents even in our Small Town. There are two floral shops, not to mention a couple of grocery stores (one being WalMart) and a handful of gift shops. Even the local hardware store does double duty with gifts and housewares sections. My Darling Husband and I were frugal with Valentine's presents this year. He gave me a little heart box of chocolates. My gift to him was this:

What can I say. He likes to fish.

and to all a happy Christmas

Miss + Mister = Mr. & Mrs.

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Mr. H. I love you.

sign of spring #5 or, this is dedicated to a niece I love

Graduations. Alright...this is the last "sign of spring" for spring--er, summer--2010. I promise. It's already June 4, but I can't go through the rest of the year without posting about this great event in a special someone's life.One of my nieces graduated from high school! Congratulations, Sweet Pea. I'm extremely proud of you and the Godly, creative, vivacious, friendly, caring, funny and tenacious woman you are and continue to become.

Wow. My niece...a woman. You are so grown up, I think I am going to cry!!!

I wanted to write a poem here for you because you like literature and because this post commemorates a special occasion. Poetry is useful for commemorations. I looked through my books of poetry and chose to quote Rudyard Kipling's poem, "If". (I hope this poem doesn't seem pessimistic to you, as Kipling is sometimes.) This poem reminds me of your bright, positive attitude to life and your desire to keep on keepin' on.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good; nor talk too wise;

.

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master;

If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

.

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run--

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

-- Rudyard Kipling

in memoriam

Memorial Day 2010 in our Small Town. The American Legion and the VFW sponsors a ceremony at the flagpole of the local cemetery. The Stars and Stripes on the main flagpole flies at half staff. A woman from a large city in our state reads from the diary of her late father who was in the battle of Okinawa during World War II. A World War II Navy veteran who is present is recognized for his time as a prisoner of war. The town band plays patriotic songs. The Ladies Auxilary lays flowers under the pole. A local pastor prays publicly in Jesus's name, thanking the Lord for our freedom and the brave men and women who have laid down their lives for it ever since 1776. Three volleys are fired. Taps is played.

My heart and tears say Thank you! Thank you! to those who died after defending freedom and while defending our freedom. War is ugly and should not be desired, but it is necessary sometimes. When I lived in Kansas City (I even saw it on a car at the cemetery today!), I would often see a bumper sticker that says War Is Not The Answer. That is soooo wrong. If it wasn't for war, then the Nazis would be ruling the world right now. The Muslim terrorists currently trying to rule the world do not stop their horrors when we simply dialogue and ask them to.

Sometimes war is the answer. It is necessary to defend oneself and one's country. Freedom is not free. Thank you, grandpa, Pvt. Long, and all the others...I remember often your duty, your sacrifice, your desire to keep freedom intact. May the rest of us be as brave.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

-- John McCrae

America's Answer

Rest ye in peace, ye Flanders dead.
The fight that ye so bravely led

We've taken up. And we will keep

True faith with you who lie asleep

With each a cross to mark his bed,

In Flanders fields.

Fear not that ye have died for naught.

The torch ye threw to us we caught.

Ten million hands will hold it high,

And Freedom's light shall never die!

We've learned the lesson that ye taught

In Flanders fields.

-- R. W. Lilliard

the sister got hitched

One week ago today My Darling Husband's sister was married on a bluff overlooking the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
A Beautiful Southern Belle of a Bride.Please write on the picture frame. More practical than a guest book. (When My Darling Husband and I married, the guests signed a cloth, which I am embroidering and it is destined to become a quilt...very practical indeed.)The Georgian reception hall awaiting guests.These goldfish found their purpose in life: table decoration. Salmon was on the menu.We tried so hard to be secretive, but the bride and groom caught us decorating their getaway car! Apparently they were not blinded by love.

sign of spring #2

CutieDog's tuxedo coat.This guy sheds more than any other dog I've ever had in my life. So much loose fur that I could spin it into yarn and knit myself a BorDal Sweater if I ever had the desire to smell like a wet dog. BorDal Sweater, you ask? CutieDog is part Border Collie, part Dalmatian, and knitting patterns usually have a name. He shakes so much loose fur around the house that our vacuum cleaner is fast becoming a prominent feature of our home's interior design.

p.s.--Happy Anniversary to my parents!

anouncing Easter in a small town

My Darling Husband and I spent the Easter weekend with my family in The Big City. When we came home, I glanced at Sunday's edition of our local newspaper.My eyes immediately fell to the top of the front page and I was pleasantly surprised. You know you're in a small town when the local newspaper editor is unafraid to declare that He Is Risen!
I have an educated guess that the editor of The Big City's newspaper would never allow this.

CutieDog very truly likes going to his "grandparents" (my parents) house. He gets to play with his "Uncle Dog" (my parent's Jack Russell Terror)...

and he gets to be a spoiled "grandog". See, he's not allowed to put his paws on our furniture here at home. He soaks up the extra allowances there. The first time we visited my parents with CutieDog, he tried to get onto our furniture upon returning home. This second time, he surprised us by minding his manners when we got home.

Smart and cute. Good choice, My Darling Husband.

I am

Thanks be unto the Lord for His gift of salvation! Wishing fellow believers in God's love and forgiveness a blessed Easter.

Lapel pin by Bob.

pick me! pick me! PLEEEASE!

Yesterday and today are National Adoption Weekend. It's a pairing of the Petco store with local animal shelters to promote and sponsor pet cat and dog adoptions. Petsmart is having theirs next month.

A local animal shelter is where one of my Christmas presents came from. My Darling Husband surprised me with him. I'd been chirping on forever about adopting a dog, waiting for just the right time (the moment M.D.H. says yes) and just the right dog. "Right dog" to me = lap dog. I was thinking Sheltie, Schnauzer, terrier size. M.D.H. grew up with larger dogs, so we compromised and are now the pround "parents" of a medium dog. I planned on adopting a dog from either the local animal shelter or from someone whose dog accidentally produced offspring.

I like this accidental canine offspring. He is part Labrador Retriever and part Border Collie. Around blogland he is known as Cutie Dog. Although he isn't exactly lap size, he does like a lap to sit on occasionally. You big baby.

Christmas lingers on my blog

This is the official photographic essay of where My Darling Husband and I went for Christmas.

From the hills of Tennessee......to a place near Walhalla, SC.

Near, yet so far away.Tucked away in the woods.Is a cabin where one can peacefully and quietly enjoy visiting with family members after a long drive.And then, after a good night's sleep, awaken on Christmas morning to this view:An enclosed back deck invites one to sit in the great outdoors in warmer months.The deck beckons you down to a river. We hear that the fishing is good in this area.On the way out of town--

You know you're in the South when you spot a general store selling boiled peanuts.

Up here in Kansas and the rest of the great Midwest, we have snow-cone stands in the summer. Now that makes perfect sense to my always-lived-in-Kansas-mind: one needs a cool something to slurp in the sweltering heat and humidity. On our trip to South Carolina, I saw a snow-cone-and-boiled peanuts stand. I suppose that the snow-cone's purpose in Southern life is to wash down the peanuts.