A Better Mood

Not so cranky now, but still a little irritable … just a lot going on right now.  Some good, some annoying … let’s focus on the good, shall we?

Rehearsals for Robin Hood are going well!  I have to study my lines this weekend, as Monday evening we do not get to use our scripts any longer.  Egads!  But it will be okay.  Gotta’ work on the accent, too.  I did a pretty good British accent the first couple of nights, but Thursday night it got lost somewhere.  The director said he liked what I did earlier in the week better than Thursday, and I’m thinking “What did I change???”  I think I may have “peasant-fied” it too much, dropping “h’s” … ‘is royal directorship said not to do that.  🙂

The wedding was beautiful, but somehow we managed to get through the night without getting a photo of my daughter with the bride … and considering my daughter was part of the house party, I am disappointed by this.  But it’s okay … we had a wonderful time and the ceremony was simply gorgeous.  The new couple is returning from their honeymoon to the Virgin Islands tomorrow!

We have a new kitten, and he seems to be settling in quite well.  I received an email through our homeschool group … a member had three kittens available and two of them had folded ears.  This is a genetic “mutation” that first appeared in Scotland in the 1960’s … now called a “Scottish Fold” … I had one years ago and they are widely recognized as having sweet dispositions (my Ben was a wonderfully sweet kitty) … anyway, I now have a little boy with folded ears.  He is grey with white tips on his front feet and white boots on his back feet.  Still working on the name … under consideration are “Baxter” and “Fergus,” but I’m leaning toward Baxter right now.  Hope to have made up my mind by the end of the weekend.

I’m about to go can some tomatoes from our garden.  I’ve never canned before, but I took a class through the continuing ed dept. of our local college and really enjoyed it.  So I’m about to fly solo when the dishwasher finishes sterilizing the jars and lids! 

AJ will be going to “fight rehearsal” around lunchtime … there are some fight scenes in Robin Hood that have to be choreographed and it takes a while to do, so a separate rehearsal was in order.  When he finishes with that, we’ll be going up to his sister’s house later in the afternoon to hang out and swim in her pool.  She will be putting her house on the market in the not too distant future and so we are trying to enjoy the pool as much as possible before the house sells!  🙂

Have a great weekend!

Still Here!

I’m still here, good friends … I’ve been staying up on most of your postings, but not writing a whole lot myself.  Here’s a quick peek into what’s going on around here:

We are doing another summer play:  “Robin Hood” — my guy is the Sheriff of Nottingham … my girl and I play characters in his merry band of thieves … I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.  Opening night is July 10, so we have a LOT of work to do between now and then.

I am taking a canning class this evening through our college’s continuing education program.  I’m very excited about this — I’ve wanted to learn to can vegetables for YEARS.  I have the Ball Blue Book of Canning and a couple of other books on canning that I’m looking forward to finally using with confidence.  I’ve always been leery of trying to do it on my own, as the idea of food poisoning is not all that appealing to me.  My husband just brought in an armful of vegetables from his garden:  tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers … the thought of my own canned tomatoes, salsa and spaghetti sauce is just delightful.  I hope to be able to squeeze in the pickling class the CE program is offering on June 23.  Will have to see if the schedule and budget allows.

The next few days will be extremely busy.  My girl has her dance recital on Friday night, but in preparation for that she has technical rehearsal tomorrow night and dress rehearsal on Thursday night.  Saturday brings a whole different party with the wedding of my cousin’s daughter, Kristee.  This will be surreal, as Kristee was the flower girl in my own wedding a little more than 17 years ago.  It’s so hard to believe that she is 23 and getting married herself!  My girl and her cousin have small, but important roles to play in the festivities.  They have beautiful long dresses to wear and they will be handing out the little birdseed bags at the end of the reception.  My sweet husband built a beautiful kneeling bench fr the actual wedding ceremony, on which Kristee and her soon-to-be husband will kneel when receiving communion.  I will try to take lots of photos for you.

Well, back to work – I have phone calls to make and paperwork to manage before going off to my class this evening.  Have a wonderful day!

We can only hope Texas will follow Montana’s Example

Montana Governor Signs

Revolutionary New Gun Law
by Ernest Hancock Freedom’s Phoenix May 4, 2009

 

Executive Summary – The USA state of Montana has signed into power a revolutionary gun law. I mean REVOLUTIONARY.

The State of Montana has defied the federal government and their gun laws. This will prompt a showdown between the federal government and the State of Montana. The federal government fears citizens owning guns. They try to curtail what types of guns they can own. The gun control laws all have one common goal – confiscation of privately owned firearms.

Montana has gone beyond drawing a line in the sand. They have challenged the Federal Government. The fed now either takes them on and risks them saying the federal agents have no right to violate their state gun laws and arrest the federal agents that try to enforce the federal firearms acts. This will be a world-class event to watch. Montana could go to voting for secession from the union, which is really throwing the gauntlet in Obamas face. If the federal government does nothing they lose face. Gotta love it.

Important Points – If guns and ammunition are manufactured inside the State of Montana for sale and use inside that state then the federal firearms laws have no applicability since the federal government only has the power to control commerce across state lines. Montana has the law on their side. Since when did the USA start following their own laws especially the constitution of the USA, the very document that empowers the USA.

Silencers made in Montana and sold in Montana would be fully legal and not registered. As a note silencers were first used before the 007 movies as a device to enable one to hunt without disturbing neighbors and scaring game. They were also useful as devices to control noise when practicing so as to not disturb the neighbors.

Silencers work best with a bolt-action rifle. There is a long barrel and the chamber is closed tight so as to direct all the gases though the silencer at the tip of the barrel. Semi-auto pistols and revolvers do not really muffle the sound very well except on the silver screen. The revolvers bleed gas out with the sound all over the place. The semi-auto pistols bleed the gases out when the slide recoils back.

Silencers are maybe nice for snipers picking off enemy soldiers even though they reduce velocity but not very practical for hit men shooting pistols in crowded places. Silencers were useful tools for gun enthusiasts and hunters.

There would be no firearm registration, serial numbers, criminal records check, waiting periods or paperwork required. So in a short period of time there would be millions and millions of unregistered untraceable guns in Montana. Way to go Montana.

Discussion – Let us see what Obama does. If he hits Montana hard they will probably vote to secede from the USA. The governor of Texas has already been refusing Federal money because he does not want to agree to the conditions that go with it and he has been saying secession is a right they have as sort of a threat. Things are no longer the same with the USA. Do not be deceived by Obama acting as if all is the same, it is not.


Text of the New Law

HOUSE BILL NO. 246

INTRODUCED BY J. BONIEK, BENNETT, BUTCHER, CURTISS, RANDALL, WARBURTON


AN ACT EXEMPTING FROM FEDERAL REGULATION UNDER THE COMMERCE CLAUSE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES A FIREARM, A FIREARM ACCESSORY, OR AMMUNITION MANUFACTURED AND RETAINED IN MONTANA; AND PROVIDING AN APPLICABILITY DATE.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

Section 1. Short title. [Sections 1 through 6] may be cited as the “Montana Firearms Freedom Act”.

Section 2. Legislative declarations of authority. The legislature declares that the authority for [sections 1 through 6] is the following:
(1) The 10th amendment to the United States constitution guarantees to the states and their people all powers not granted to the federal government elsewhere in the constitution and reserves to the state and people of Montana certain powers as they were understood at the time that Montana was admitted to statehood in 1889. The guaranty of those powers is a matter of contract between the state and people of Montana and the United States as of the time that the compact with the United States was agreed upon and adopted by Montana and the United States in 1889.
(2) The ninth amendment to the United States constitution guarantees to the people rights not granted in the constitution and reserves to the people of Montana certain rights, as they were understood at the time that Montana was admitted to statehood in 1889. The guaranty of those rights is a matter of contract between the state and people of Montana and the United States as of the time that the compact with the United States was agreed upon and adopted by Montana and the United States in 1889.
(3) The regulation of intrastate commerce is vested in the states under the 9th and 10th amendments to the United States constitution, particularly if not expressly preempted by federal law. Congress has not expressly preempted state regulation of intrastate commerce pertaining to the manufacture on an intrastate basis of firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition.
(4) The second amendment to the United States constitution reserves to the people the right to keep and bear arms as that right was understood at the time that Montana was admitted to statehood in 1889, and the guaranty of the right is a matter of contract between the state and people of Montana and the United States as of the time that the compact with the United States was agreed upon and adopted by Montana and the United States in 1889.(5) Article II, section 12, of the Montana constitution clearly secures to Montana citizens, and prohibits government interference with, the right of individual Montana citizens to keep and bear arms. This constitutional protection is unchanged from the 1889 Montana constitution, which was approved by congress and the people of Montana, and the right exists, as it was understood at the time that the compact with the United States was agreed upon and adopted by Montana and the United States in 1889.

Section 3. Definitions. As used in [sections 1 through 6], the following definitions apply:
(1) “Borders of Montana” means the boundaries of Montana described in Article I, section 1, of the 1889 Montana constitution.
(2) “Firearms accessories” means items that are used in conjunction with or mounted upon a firearm but are not essential to the basic function of a firearm, including but not limited to telescopic or laser sights, magazines, flash or sound suppressors, folding or aftermarket stocks and grips, speedloaders, ammunition carriers, and lights for target illumination.
(3) “Generic and insignificant parts” includes but is not limited to springs, screws, nuts, and pins.
(4) “Manufactured” means that a firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition has been created from basic materials for functional usefulness, including but not limited to forging, casting, machining, or other processes for working materials.

Section 4. Prohibitions. A personal firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition that is manufactured commercially or privately in Montana and that remains within the borders of Montana is not subject to federal law or federal regulation, including registration, under the authority of congress to regulate interstate commerce. It is declared by the legislature that those items have not traveled in interstate commerce. This section applies to a firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition that is manufactured in Montana from basic materials and that can be manufactured without the inclusion of any significant parts imported from another state. Generic and insignificant parts that have other manufacturing or consumer product applications are not firearms, firearms accessories, or ammunition, and their importation into Montana and incorporation into a firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition manufactured in Montana does not subject the firearm, firearm accessory, or ammunition to federal regulation. It is declared by the legislature that basic materials, such as unmachined steel and unshaped wood, are not firearms, firearms accessories, or ammunition and are not subject to congressional authority to regulate firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition under interstate commerce as if they were actually firearms, firearms accessories, or ammunition. The authority of congress to regulate interstate commerce in basic materials does not include authority to regulate firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition made in Montana from those materials. Firearms accessories that are imported into Montana from another state and that are subject to federal regulation as being in interstate commerce do not subject a firearm to federal regulation under interstate commerce because they are attached to or used in conjunction with a firearm in Montana.

Section 5. Exceptions. [Section 4] does not apply to:
(1) A firearm that cannot be carried and used by one person;
(2) A firearm that has a bore diameter greater than 1 1/2 inches and that uses smokeless powder, not black powder, as a propellant;
(3) ammunition with a projectile that explodes using an explosion of chemical energy after the projectile leaves the firearm; or
(4) a firearm that discharges two or more projectiles with one activation of the trigger or other firing device.

Section 6. Marketing of firearms. A firearm manufactured or sold in Montana under [sections 1 through 6] must have the words “Made in Montana” clearly stamped on a central metallic part, such as the receiver or frame.

Section 7. Codification instruction. [Sections 1 through 6] are intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 30, and the provisions of Title 30 apply to [sections 1 through 6].

Section 8. Applicability. [This act] applies to firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition that are manufactured, as defined in [section 3], and retained in Montana after October 1, 2009.

Ernest Hancock’s website

Thanks to Joe Heibel for this article

Source: Freedom’s Phoenix

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It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country
from his government

 — Thomas Paine

I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility
against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.

  —  Thomas Jefferson
 

This is what happens when we don’t guard our liberty. It already did happen. We let it happen. Now it’s up to us to take it back.

I place economy among the first and most important virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers. To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.
  —  Thomas Jefferson

“How fortunate for governments that the people they govern don’t think.”  — Adolph Hitler


Remember this statement:
(From my friend Jeff)
        When injustice becomes law, rebellion becomes duty!

“When the government fears the people, you have liberty. When the people fear the government [or the IRS, for that matter], you have Tyranny.”
(Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence of the United States)

Do yourself and your family a favor…
Don’t Fall into the Sheeple Pit…

 

Survivor – Texas Style (a tickle for your funny bone from my MIL)

Due to the popularity of the Survivor shows, Texas is planning to do one entitled, Survivor – Texas Style


The contestants will  all start in Dallas , then drive to  Waco , Austin , San Antonio   over to Houston and down to Brownsville.

They will then proceed  up to Del Rio , El  Paso , Odessa/Midland, Lubbock , and Amarillo .

From there, they will  go on to Abilene , Fort  Worth , and finally back to Dallas. 

Each will be driving a  pink Volvo with bumper stickers that read: “I Love the Dixie Chicks,” “Boycott Beef,” “I Voted  for Obama,” “George Strait Sucks,” “Hillary in 2012,”  “Open Borders” and “I’m here to  confiscate your guns.” 
 
The  first one to make it back to Dallas alive wins.

How do I reassure my daughter that ….

marriage can work, can last forever when all around her she sees so few examples of couples sticking it out through the good times and the bad?  Don’t panic — AJ and I are doing fine.  Seventeen years and we are looking forward to many, many more.  I loved the silly card he gave me this time around.  It said, “Why do I put up with you?” on the front.  The inside said, “Oh, yeah … because you put up with me.”  Then he wrote some sweet stuff under it.  But it’s true … it’s not going to be all roses and butterflies all the time.  Sometimes you just want to choke each other, and then some little something reminds you … “oh, yeah … I DO love you.”

Back in January, AJ’s older sister told her husband that she wanted a divorce, after 8 1/2 years of marriage.  This was marriage #3 for her (and #3 for her husband, too).  Truth be told, we weren’t surprised.  They’d been having troubles for quite a while.  I’ve known her soon-to-be ex-husband since I was four years old and he was one year old, and there’s a part of me that would prefer to keep him and cut her loose.  She does not see any of the responsibility she bears for the dissolution of any of her three marriages.  It’s always “the guy,” and she always claims that “the guy” is an “alcoholic,” but guess who starts partying like it’s 1999 whenever she becomes single again?  Yep.

But last week I almost passed out from shock when we found out that AJ’s younger sister, who got married three years ago TODAY, decided that she’s “lost her identity” and “just doesn’t love him anymore” … she has filed for divorce.  Her husband is a wonderful man.  He has supported her through grad school, through a couple of different career moves, taken care of her when she was extremely ill after being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.  His family has treated her like their very own, with her father-in-law spending countless hours building beautiful furniture for their new home, and other members inviting them into their homes when the “newlyweds” went to Italy on a belated honeymoon last spring.  I don’t understand it at all.  I’m just more than a little ticked off that she would be so stupid.  I think part of the problem is that she recently began working in the state legislature again and she’s gotten caught up in the adrenaline rush of that environment again (she worked there while an honors student at UT).  She was involved with a lobbyist in Washington who is a confirmed bachelor, and apparently he has re-entered the picture somehow or another … it is breaking my heart that she would throw her marriage away like this. 

And it is breaking my heart that of all the people in my immediate family, on BOTH sides, the only example that my daughter has to follow … the ONLY couple that has only been married once and stayed married, is her parents.  I was thinking earlier of examples in our extended “family” of friends … homeschoolers that have made it to see their children grow up and get married.  I need to be sure that she sees these examples and clings to the knowledge that with God’s help, marriage can be good and can last forever, the first (and only) time around.

No Wonder We Keep Getting Sick

Here’s the 10-day forecast … the temps are all over the place, although not nearly as bad as I’ve seen them at other times.  I don’t do well with these 30 degree swings in less than 24 hours.  It will be in the mid to low 40’s tonight before heading back toward Friday’s projected high of 76.  Things stay fairly warm for a day or so and then we dip back down into the 40’s on Monday.  Sigh.  I prefer the cooler weather and this will probably be the last of it as we head into May and summer.  It is Texas, after all.  Then I will be counting down the days until the first cool front comes through late September, early October.  Of course, my sister, who suffers from a circulatory disorder that affects her body temp LOVES summer.  It’s the only time of year that she’s moderately cool without being popsicle cold.  And I can think of a couple of instances in mid-July when I’ve seen her fingers turn purply-blue because she was … COLD.  Yes.  I know.  It’s strange, isn’t it?

High /
Low (°F)
Precip. %
Fri
Apr 03
Sunny 76°/60° 0 %
Sat
Apr 04
Partly Cloudy 80°/67° 10 %
Sun
Apr 05
AM Clouds / PM Sun 77°/51° 10 %
Mon
Apr 06
Partly Cloudy 65°/46° 10 %
Tue
Apr 07
Partly Cloudy 68°/54° 0 %
Wed
Apr 08
Partly Cloudy / Wind 74°/64° 0 %
Thu
Apr 09
Isolated T-Storms 79°/63° 30 %
Fri
Apr 10
Scattered T-Storms 80°/64° 60 %
Sat
Apr 11
Scattered T-Storms 82°/64° 60 %
Last Updated Apr 3 12:32 a.m. CT

Profound Thoughts on Laundry

 Why does it seem that no matter how many loads of wash I do, I am never caught up?  Did you ever see the old Star Trek episode (and I mean Star Trek the first time around) called “The Trouble with Tribbles”?  Tribbles were little furry creatures that multiplied to such degree that they made rabbits seem celibate.  Sometimes I think my laundry piles should be renamed Tribble piles.  It seems that the second I think I’ve done the last load, I turn around and *poof*, there’s another pile waiting to be done.

Sigh.

The Bug’s Got Me …

I feel like crud.  Achy all over, stuffy nose … you know the drill.  I will be glad when I feel like normal again.  Just making an effort to post a little more frequently.  When I feel better, I will write something more entertaining for y’all.  🙂

Thanks for your input!

I got your comments and appreciate the input … I will probably keep on keeping on then, since it appears I would be missed.    Not sure that I will keep Premium … have to think about that.  $$$ and all that, you know.

I had a funny thought earlier … I read about the “Earth Hour” that is supposed to take place tonight.  I, personally, think it’s ridiculous.  I think we should turn on every light we have, make sure the washer, dryer, dishwasher, t.v. and stereo are all turned on between 8:30 and 9:30 tonight.  I know … I’m a brat.  But I’m so sick of this “save the earth” garbage.  We are to be good stewards and take care of God’s creation, but this is turning into “earth worship” and that is wrong.