Hey gang, I found this open blog with no comments on it and just couldn’t let the opportunity go by without saying something. Now, whether or not I have anything profound on my mind is another story! I don’t know about everyone else, but we had an absolutely fabulous day here in Cumberland. It was 25 degrees warmer today than it was yesterday and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. All I can say is thank God for blue skies! I read in the paper today that we had 2 1/2 inches of rain in a 72 hour period over the weekend and into Monday. (It was even more than that where my parents live.) Since the beginning of March we’ve had over 12 inches of rain. No wonder why I feel waterlogged!

I want to thank everyone for their great comments/suggestions regarding my health issues question. You gave me some great ideas to work on. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I’m going to see if I can get my health topic link put on my library web page. If I can get that up and running I’ll send you the link so you can check it out. Sometimes what I think is a good idea is not very important to the powers that be, so we shall see. The first one will be on exercise and heart health. I’m also working on a newsletter for my local librarians group that will deal with exercise and fitness that I’m hoping to get all done and printed by the end of May. There’s also a very special interview in it with someone who is very precious to me, so if I can get that all posted on the web, I’ll send you the link to that, too. I want to make sure everyone gets high quality, authoritative information because in this Internet age, anyone can put anything on the web, no matter how bad it is. I want you all to be well informed!

Have a great rest of the week.

Margie

Hey got a question, I seen an article where scientists say that all of our natural happpenings, extreme storms, sudden volcano eruptions, killer cyclones and earthquakes that go backwards (start out as small tremors then get more intense), are not unusal. As for me and the forty two years I’ve been on the planet, it looks to me like all of it is getting more intense, what’s your take?

Hey Jerry, I’m certainly no expert, but what I think is happening is that with all the technology today, we are just hearing about things more. There have always been big storms, earthquakes, etc., but when they happened hundreds and thousands of years ago there weren’t as many people and of course, there was no Internet to spread the news. Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii come to mind when I think of natural disasters. We know about it now from all the archaeology, but I don’t know how many people knew about it back then. We just know about things a whole lot faster than in years gone by, especially with people taking video on cell phones or camcorders as the event is happening. We live in a U-report and a YouTube generation! That’s my very unscientific take on it!

Margie

Hey Janice,

I have started work up here in AK and will start writing more often.

Here we go again, Janice. All the tornados and severe weather spring up talks of Global Warming and ‘God’s Work’. Doesn’t this happen every spring and fall? I agree with you Margie, it is this age of information and 24hrs news cycle that makes the natural events seem to be on the rise. My point has always been that humans have a very short memory and only think of the moment and not in a historical way. Things change…the world is not static.

Anyway…Janice…we have been in the mid 50’s with some winds and light rain. Very comfortable. I love it. Fishin’ is right around the corner.

Take care.

Just finished listening to my local meterologist..He is predicted that today will be one of the top ten best days of the season…Sunny with highs in the mid 70’s…

LOVE these kind of days….

I need coffee….

Later

(Hi Margie! )

Good morning Janice and everyone.

Hello, it’s been a while! I like the turtle. Have you seen turtles on the island?
It’s been really busy lately but I’ve been lurking here! Japan’s gotten very
cold and rainy all of a sudden, it’s terrible.

Don’t force yourself to update your blog or anything while you’re on holiday,
I’d just be happy if you took a look at our comments.

Gas prices are very very high in Japan. Gas prices are around $6.00/gal.
Yes, Janice, you mentioned there’s no cars on the island the other day.
More people are buying hybrid cars in Japan, but we should drive
electric cars too since there are so many cars in Japan. (especially in Tokyo)
Then, people will start worrying about the electricity bill.

Well, I hope you have fun for the rest of your vacation!

Tornado headed towards Rogers, Westphalia, Rosebud, Seaton and parts of Temple. I know so many people in these areas!

Hi Dawn! (and everyone)

I’m glad your forecast looks nice for today. Yesterday was our perfect day. Today is supposed to be in the upper 70’s but the clouds are supposed to roll in later in the day. Then guess what? There is a chance of rain in the forecast every day for over a week! I don’t like that at all. Maybe that will change as the days go by. I hope everyone has a great day, and if you live in an area with the possibility of severe weather, stay alert!

Margie

Pretty day in Richmond. Suppose to hit 80 today. Just came back in from fishing in the pond. Caught a nice bass. I catch and release with the exception of the 70 to 80 baby bluegills I trapped and have in my 55 gal tank in the living room.

Good morning everyone..

It is raining and 60 degrees here on the Cumberland Plateau…

No outside activity here today..

I am glad to see some of you have sunshine!
Deb

Good morning everyone from Denver……

The sun is out, the mountains and foothills are covered with a fresh layer of snow and it is supposed to get up to 60 today. We’ll enjoy as there is more rain and snow in the forecast for tomorrow.

JD, hope you are feeling better today. Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to get sick on vacation!!!

Sunny

Hey Deb,

Someday the sun will come out and stay around for a while! It was in the 40’s early this morning here but it’s supposed to get to the upper 70’s so at least it’s warming up before more rain moves in.

As I went through all the responses to my health topic question, I realized I didn’t respond to your post. I tried to do that with everyone who responded, so I’m sorry I missed you. I’m also sorry about your brother. Those 8 years he was in a vegetative state must have been very difficult. My brother was in the hospital for 5 months before he died, but it was the last 2 that were the worst. Two months of that are bad enough; I can’t imagine 8 years.

The Internet makes it easier to find information on all kinds of things. I didn’t have that when my brother was sick, but I imagine that we would have been looking up all kinds of things. Of course, with all the information that’s available, you can suffer from information overload if you get too much stuff. I’m still glad there are many more resources for people today. I’ll work hard on my library web site to provide some good resources for people.

I hope your day isn’t too soggy!

Take care,
Margie

Hey Margie,

Good to hear you have sunshine after all that rain over the weekend..It is still drizzling here a little..but we really need the rain after that drought last year..

Thank you about my brother..and yes it was difficult to say the least..it was a tragedy and it took a toll on all of us in one way or another,especially my mother.. He was a very healthy 31 year old hard working young man..when his life was cut short by an anoxic brain injury. We watched him deteriorate and suffer for those 8 long years..until he passed away in Jan.2004.

I agree with you on too much information out there..sometimes you just have to follow your heart and hope for the best..

Margie..has any one ever told you that you are a great person? Because you are..I can tell you care about people..That is a great quality..

Enjoy your sunshine..while I enjoy my rain..who knows I might even make a mudpie!!LOL..

Deb

Hey Deb,

Thank you for your kind words. I think you’re a great person, too! I got all teary-eyed when I read what you wrote. I want to share something with you that may not be politically correct, but I’m going to share it anyway. I do care about people. I believe we were put on this earth to care for one another and that is what I try to do. I am a Christian and I try to live by Jesus’ command to “love one another as I have loved you.” I know I’m far from perfect, but that is the way I try to live my life. There are plenty of Christians who give Christianity a bad name—I know many of them—so I try to treat others the way I want to be treated and the way God commands. That means loving, respecting, and being patient with everyone—even the unlovable. Some people, like Janice and this great group of bloggers, make that easy. Others, who shall remain nameless, make that very difficult. This world is filled with so much hate, so I try to do my part to shine God’s light in a dark, dark world.

So that’s my story. Thank you again, Deb, for your beautiful words. That shows me I’m doing something right, which is a great encouragement to me. One more thing—I did enjoy my sunshine while it lasted. It’s gone now and the rain is heading this way. Let me know if you made a mudpie! I might be able to make some soon.

Take care,
Margie

Hey Margie,

I agree…There is too much bitterness and hatred..and I lived by the Golden Rule too..to do unto to others as you would want them to do unto you..I care about people and their feelings..it is just who I am..and that is what attracted me to Janice’s Blog..she is so sweet and nice and down to earth… and so are all of her bloggers and I really love the positive energy coming from this blog.

So Margie keep being who you are..the world is a better place because you are in it..!!

I have your sunshine now..the rain has stopped..at least for now..so I guess the mudpies will have to wait.

Deb

Margie and Deb…

Mind if I add my .02 to the negativity/bitterness thoughts?? And why I think kindness is a good and even necessary thing…

Im a big believe that we live in a society that has a lot of walking wounded…emotionally speaking…

There is a lot of pain, anger, fear, bitterness for whatever reason…and that all comes out as negative and mean and nasty….I think its a form of emotional protection/defense mechanism….

Sometimes people cant really thrive yet because they are still just trying to survive the best way they can…

Enter kindness and gentleness…I dont think they have the power to heal but I do think they have power to help sooth and maybe encourage and prepare the soul (like soil) to heal and have joy and happiness grow….(like the soil can grow vegetation)

The challenge is when being kind and gentle not to leave your own soul so vulnerable that someone else can injure us and cause us our own wounds and scars…

That can be a hard balance to find….Being kind and gentle yet keep healthy boundries so that we arent abused by that bitterness and nastiness of others…

Hope that makes sense…

Im just someone who knows what its like to have one’s soul hurt and pained and yet finding a way to heal and move on and even thrive….

And I hope I can touch others lives with kindness and gentleness where they find themselves on the path of healing…

Dawn..

You are so right..and you have a beautiful way with words..I know I have defense walls from past pains..but I still strive everyday to show kindess and respect..because I think they both go along way… even in my healing process..

I liked your 2 cents..it is worth a million!!!

Deb

Hey Dawn (and Deb),

Thanks for sharing your 2 cents! I agree with you that there are a lot of hurting people in the world. I can’t remember who sang it, but there’s a song with the line “looking for love in all the wrong places” and I think that describes the problem with people. They look for happiness in things and other people and those things will let them down every time. (I’m trying not to get preachy here.) When people hurt me, I turn to my faith. That’s what gives me the hope that there is something so much better than what we have here and now. I’m not perfect and I do get mad at God at times, but that’s a part of any relationship. When I do feel hurt and upset I turn to prayer and reading my Bible and that helps me to focus on the important things. I have one last thing to share and I hope you don’t mind. It’s just one verse from one of the psalms in the Bible that is very comforting. It says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” That’s what gets me through the hard times.

Thanks for letting me share.

Margie

Margie..

That is a beautiful verse…I can see where you could gain strength from those simple words.

Thanks..and you have a great evening..
Deb

Deb,

You have a great evening, too. I’m hoping the rain won’t amount to much. I just discovered that another web site has a forecast that’s totally opposite the one I checked out this afternoon. I think I’ll believe the one that’s calling for sun on Monday and Tuesday of next week instead of 8 days in a row with a chance of rain. I want to see the sun! I hope your days are filled with plenty of sunshine!

Margie

Hello from Colorado Springs, CO. Could you send some of that rain out my way. My lawn is gasping for moisture.

Margie if you click on my name Friday afternoon I am posting some stuff about my journey with cancer on my blog. It will probably give you the information you need.