A palindrome of truth

This is really cool.... thanks for sharing it with me F & K!

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A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite.

This is only a 1 minute, 44 second video and it is brilliant. Make sure you read as well as listen forward and backward.

This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old. The contest was titled "u @ 50" by AARP. This video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant. Take a minute and watch it.

The Bathtub Test

Tee hee hee... from my Mother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Bathtub Test


During a visit to my doctor, I asked him, "How do you determine whether
or not an older person should be put in an old age home?"

"Well," he said, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a
teacup and a bucket to the person to empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I understand," I said. "A normal person would use the bucket
because it is bigger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No" he said. "A normal person would pull the plug.
Do you want a bed near the window?"

Photographer extraordinaire

As many of you know, I started a new job last fall, and have
been so very happy with my new employment. We all truly
work together as a team to provide the best care possible for our patients.

One of the physicians I work with, Robert Burns, is also a brilliant photographer.
I have been in awe of his work with light and shadow. He recently showed me a
slide show of some of his photos from the Grand Canyon, and it was spectacular.

You can view some of these gorgeous photos on his web site if
you will click on the Photo Gallery, choose New Photos and then click
on the ones added February 28. My jaw dropped at the double rainbow.
Then, check out all his other galleries and soak in the beauty.
He also sells prints if you are interested. Drop him a line in his
guest book. I know he'd love to hear what you think about his work.

Random Dozen Meme

Shamelessly borrowed from The Bug's blog!

#1 Have you ever fired a gun or shot a bow and arrow?

I actually took a firearms use/safety course from the Police Department once and was able to shoot at a target. We had a membership at a shooting range for a bit when we were first married, but once Sam arrived, the guns went bye-bye, and truthfully, I don't like the kick/recoil you get when shooting one. It scares me and I tended to want to close my eyes!

#2 Do you know where your childhood best friends are?

No, I really don't know where they all landed, but hope they are all doing well.

#3 Do you usually arrive early, late, or on time?

This one is easy. I am always, and I mean always, early. It's genetic I think. I can't stand to be late anywhere I go.

#4 Are you more of a New York or California type?

Like Bug, I figure I could find more places in California which remind me of home.

#5 Do you have a special ring tone?

It's Vivaldi's The Four Seasons: Spring!

#6 What is your favorite type of chip?

Probably Sour Cream and Onion Ruffles when I indulge at all.

#7 Best comedy you've ever seen is ....

A memorable one was Death at a Funeral which made me have to keep pausing due to my laughter!

#8 Have you ever cut your own hair?

Um, do bangs count? If so, I do it rather frequently when I am due a haircut within the week!

#9 If you were going to have an extreme makeover, would you rather it be about your house or your personal self?

Oh ME, ME, ME!! I'd love to have someone show me different things to do with my hair and minimal make-up. My clothes style is mainly Coldwater Creeky, though I tend to be a bit monochromatic sometimes. And, I hate to accessorize, yet love how other people look when they do.

#10 Are you allergic to anything?

Mean people?

#11 Why is it so hard to change?

Ahhhh, because then we have to embrace a new way of dealing with issues, and that takes a good bit of pain and work, no? It also redefines relationships sometimes. I think we all are creatures of habit who, given the chance, will always take the path of least resistance.

#12 One last question dedicated to February love: CS Lewis said, "To love is to be vulnerable." Please share one example of that assertion or share any thought you'd like to about this topic.

We can't truly "love" unless we are, can we?

On the kitchen table

Hmmm.... looks like someone
is really ready for spring to come?

Bronson's Miracle

Back in the first week of February, my friend Anne gave a link to a web
site about a family in need of prayer. I clicked on the link, and went
to read the harrowing story of a 16 month old boy who was found face down
in a bathtub. The account of the day was written by his mom, who
was feeling all sorts of emotions, as she'd just left the room for a split second,
and yet when she returned, her whole world was upended. Bronson was
technically DOA, and was resuscitated before being airlifted to a higher
level care facility. It was simply gut wrenching to read her accounts of
the event and the possibility of losing her baby.

I've been checking in periodically for updates and was thrilled to find,
and be able to share, this YouTube video chronicling Bronson's Miracle.
Things happen in our lives, and sometimes, just sometimes, grace and prayer
win out in the end. Continued prayers ascend for the Staker family.

*********************

As an aside, is anyone else having problems with their Bloglines feed
updating regularly? I find some days, I don't have but maybe a handful
of blogs to read, and then days later, I have a long list and find I've
missed 3 or even 4 posts? So, if you are not hearing from me on your
blogs, that's probably why.

Word Cloud Shirts

Recently, Kate at Chronicle of a County Girl, had a post about creating Wordles from your blog. I've always been fascinated by the creation of these as they take frequently used words from your blog and create a cool visual to sort of give a taste of what a blog is all about. Years ago, the forerunner to these were Word Clouds. I had not been blogging long when someone told me about a website called SnapShirts where you can enter your blog URL and name and they create a word cloud to be printed on a shirt. The more frequently a word is used, the larger the font appears. You have a choice of three font styles, and you can edit as well, which is nice. Well, I thought that was just über-cool! I first ordered a white t-shirt, and a year or so later, a nice comfy gray sweatshirt, shown above.

It's quite the conversation starter. It seems no matter where I wear it, people start looking at it with curiosity and then a conversation starts about blogging. I've really enjoyed my Word Cloud shirt and it's nice to have something so very personalized just for you!

Brown-eyed Blue

I was trying to get some tight shots of this beautiful
Blue Jay to see the coloration in the feathers, but
was struck by the deep brown eye that watched me above.

In the shot below, I can see my house reflected back at me!

One last view

... of my regal friend in the snow last week.

It was 57 degrees yesterday.
I actually sat out on the deck reading.
Come on spring!

Chip-chip

I love the little Chipping Sparrows, and have seen a good
number in my yard this season. During the Backyard Bird
Count this past weekend, I spent an hour on Saturday in front
of my kitchen window feeders and counted a flock of 20 of these
charming little guys/girls. Each year they nest happily in the Arborvitae.

The Mr. and Mrs. in the snow

If I am lucky, I'll sometimes see one pair of Northern Cardinals.
During the recent snow event, I had around six males and seven
females coming to the feeders together.
The females were strikingly beautiful in their understated plumage.

Red shoulders indeed!

My resident Red-shouldered Hawk visits several times a week
now, landing in somewhat conspicuous places so I can easily
grab the camera and spend some time photographing him.

On Monday, he first landed on his favorite perching place, the
top of the swing, but then moved to land on top of the bluebird house.
I was snapping away when he took flight, and was mesmerized
when I loaded the photos to see the beauty of his very red shoulders!

Improvising

The Downy Woodpeckers have really been enjoying the
Bark Butter, but sometimes, they are unsure exactly how
to cling to the feeder. I had to chuckle when I saw this one
assess the situation, and then decide she was close enough
to reach out from a limb in the Crepe Myrtle and help herself!

View from my windows

Last Friday, we had yet another "snow" event...

We are unused to so much snow here in the Southeast.

But, I do have to admit, that the view on Saturday morning

as the sun came up was very lovely indeed.

Love is in the air!

~~~~ Happy Valentine's Day!! ~~~~

Snow raptor

Yes, it has snowed here... again.
We've not had this much snow in... I can't remember when.
As the snow came down, the birds were in a feeding
frenzy. That is, until my resident raptor paid a visit!
He landed on the swing, then decided to find a perch
above in a pine to improve his chances of surprise.

Buddy, I think that you are a wee bit conspicuous there!
He looked at me as if to say, "Where did everybody go?"

At what cost?

I've been blogging since 2006. I was not sure how much I'd have to share or what the blog would become, but it's been a wonderful experience for me. My daily visits to create a post, and to share and enjoy others in their blogging has truly been a lovely addition to my life. Then, along came the advent of MySpace and Facebook. Early on, I'd visited some pages of people I did not know well, and truly, was sort of amazed at just how much people would put out there for the world to see. I remember one in particular, which was the page of a youth minister in my sister's previous hometown. I remember then thinking it was way too cutting edge and covertly sexual in nature. This guy was quite impressed with himself, and his "following" of course, was mainly kids from his teenage youth group. It almost felt smarmy to me. I made the decision early on that I did not really want to maintain a page on one of these sites. Nope, blogging was much less "immediate" to me and felt safer.

Over the years, these sites have exploded. I receive invitations all the time from people wishing to "friend" me. Many people who read this blog have sent invitations, and I try to respond by gently saying that I have made the decision to resist having a site/presence on Facebook. I truly don't like the whole concept of "friending" someone, or conversely deciding to "de-friend" someone. It all feels very much like high school to me. Today, you're "in" and tomorrow, if you make me angry, I'll retaliate by socially excluding you. Na-na-na-na-na-na.

Then, you hear the horror stories of people getting "stalkers," and stories of kids harassing other kids to the point where they take their own lives, feeling socially ostracized and outcast all because they are shunned and harassed by others on a social network site. Yesterday, as I was waiting for Sam at school, I was reading USA Today, and the cover story was about how some people have had enough and are pulling back from their involvement in many of the social networking sites. It is an interesting read if you have the time.

They've dubbed this up and coming generation the iGeneration. They are so "plugged in" and so tuned out to face-to-face interaction with other people... and well, forget about nature. I've read so many blog posts recently about how kids are literally living in the space from their eyes to their hands now. The very art of conversation, with actual words, is quickly becoming so "last decade" with this generation. They eat, sleep, and breathe their iEverything. Ear buds have made many become further face-to-face socially inept. I see my own nephew angst over making sure his MySpace page is just so. Taking access away is like cutting off his arm, and my sister can use that nicely as a deterrent to undesirable behaviors. I'm just not sure what all this will mean in the long run. But it certainly make you think about how we'll function as a society in terms of relationships.

I know many people use social networking sites to keep in touch with family, old friends and such, and are not consumed by the daily "what are you doing right now at this moment" frenzy, and for that, I think these sites are certainly useful and can be valuable. However, for those who can't seem to "unplug" and constantly need the immediate feedback from and to others, via strokes on a keyboard or phone, I just have to wonder... at what cost? As for me, I've chosen to resist the temptation and stick with blogging. I know, I'm so "last year" and yet, that seems just fine and dandy to me. I'm here. I'll be your friend without your asking, and will share whatever I can to add some color and joy to your life, as you do to mine on a daily basis.

Oh, the beauty

I saw probably four Cardinals and three Bluebirds
out in the feeder area the other day and was smiling
at all the beautiful color in one place when some of
them flew up into the trees together.
I was playing around in Photoshop and decided
to desaturate the photo and just let the colors
speak for themselves...

They can't get enough

The Bluebirds are so enamored with the Bark Butter
and will do anything they can to see just how many of
them will fit on the feeder at one time...
that is, when the Mockingbird is not running them off!
There were actually five of them around this feeder.

~~~~~~

A very happy birthday to my Daddy today!

Boys Girls will be boys... girls?

I noticed these two Northern Flickers in front of the feeder
area on Saturday facing one another and bobbing up and down
with their necks outstretched as if they were trying to impress?
Hmmmm?
A mating ritual?
This early?

Then, one flew up and hovered over the other one!
Ahhhh... boys being boys two girls it was (thanks for the correction Lisa!),
not lovebirds at all! Fighting for nesting territory?

They took their epic battle out into the grass where
they alternately flew towards one another in a flurry of wings.

Oh, how I'd wished I'd been outside on the deck to capture all
this, instead of in the kitchen clicking away. But, had I opened
the door, I am sure they would have called a truce and fled.
Amazing to see these big birds fighting for turf!

Well, hello there pretty!

I was sitting on my little stool in front of the kitchen window
so I could watch and photograph the birds coming to the feeders
there, when all of a sudden, there was a flurry of activity, and
this beautiful lady swooped in to get some sunflower seed hearts.
Can't see her pretty red belly, but the details of seeing her
this close up are just stunning!

Hoping my pretend boyfriend wins!!

What an absolute cutie pie!
The dream boyfriend, no? :c)
I love watching him play.
Oh, I do hope Peyton and his Colts win today!
GO COLTS!!!!!

**OK, Peyton... you guys didn't play like you really wanted it.
Mr. Brees on the other hand... WOW!
A well deserved win for the Saints and for
the wonderful city of New Orleans!!

The Mrs. comes to visit

The day after the male Purple Finch came to the feeders
for a photo op, I was able to finally see the female visit as well.
She's just as strikingly beautiful in her own understated way.

LBJ ... with a white throat

My sister was telling me about all the sweet White-throated Sparrows
she has at her house, and I was lamenting that I never see any here.
Then, the other day, I saw a little LBJ (little brown job) and snapped
some quick shots. I was tickled to see that it was indeed a
White-throated who spend their winters here in the South.

The photos are not great as they were taken through the window,
but you can see his white throat and his yellow eye marking nicely.

You know you're old...

...when you watch the Grammys and you truly do not know half of the songs and a good number of the performers?



But, I must say... I was fully mesmerized by Pink's (who I did know) performance.
It was so beautiful, and so artfully done.
How she sang while spinning like that is simply amazing to me...

Beautiful Bark Butter fan

I recently moved the Bark Butter feeder closer to the kitchen window
so I could better see the visitors who love to sample the yummy mixture.
The Pine Warblers absolutely love it and I was happy to see this beautiful
male come to eat the other day. When he turned towards me, and
I was able to see that vivid yellow breast, it made me even happier.
Isn't he just gorgeous?

Sad, but true

Last weekend, husband and I decided to do our taxes as all of our documents had come in that we would need to file. We have used TurboTax for years and enjoy the ease of use and the ability to eFile and have payments/refunds done electronically. I also like the way that TurboTax will ask you certain questions to make sure all avenues of your income and deductions are covered for the tax year. And, as an added bonus, you can download end of the year tax statements from major companies (like Edward Jones) so that you do not have to figure out what all to enter where. We usually end up getting at least a small refund, but knew this year, with our increased income, the scenario might be changed a bit.

As we tooled along entering our information, we watched as the toolbar to the left of the screen told us of our expected refund amount. We were almost breaking even. Whew. One of the questions asked if we had purchased a new vehicle in the 2009 tax year. Why yes, we had! When it came time to address the vehicle purchase, which we would have been able to deduct taxes paid on, the question was... Did you purchase a vehicle AFTER February 16, 2009? Huh?

Well, seems that the law which gave tax payers credit did not go into effect until then. If you will recall, the purchase of my new vehicle hit several snags as the dealership declared bankruptcy two days after my purchase. I ended up needing three drive out tags before my lending institution, God love them, was able to work with Regions Bank to get my title and secure the funding for the loan. And, as a double whammy, I was required to pay the sales tax twice, as the dealership never paid the county where I live, so I was out an additional $2200. I did not get my tags until April 6, as the loan was not funded until then. But, what date was on my paperwork as the purchase date? You got it... February 9, 2009, as that was when the contract was signed. ONE week before the date when I might have qualified for a tax credit. Ouch.

Just for grins, we entered in the information to see what difference it would have made in our taxes if we had indeed been able to say that we qualified for this tax credit. After all, the fact that the loan was not funded until April, and the fact that I was out so much more money, certainly seemed to make me worthy of some sort of break, right? We entered the information and saw that instead of owing the IRS $50, we'd get a refund of over $500! Double ouch. But, in the end, the reality is that the paperwork listed February 9 as the date of purchase, and I don't know about you, but $500 is a small price to pay to not be audited by the IRS. So, we'll pay our $50 and just be happy I suppose that our debt is not more. Ouch. Still stings.

See how purple I am?

I've seen him along with some females at the feeders
occasionally, but have not been able to get any close
photos of them this season. So, I was happy when this
beautiful male Purple Finch decided to visit the feeders
by the kitchen window and stole a seed which he took
up into the Crepe Myrtle for the perfect photo op!