It Only Takes A Few Minutes to Help Our Returning Troops Who Have Been On Guard For All Of Us!

I have two requests this week - one for letters and cards; the other for e-mails - for troops.

On April 2nd, Michael Ricks will complete his third deployment in Iraq. His mother, a Brookshire Brothers (Grocery Stores) employee, has asked for e-mails to encourage him as he travels back home. He will be traveling several days before he reaches home. (If you send an e-mail today, while you think about it, it will be waiting for him when he first has e-mail access as he starts his long journey home.) His mother says he has kept every letter and card he has received and that is all he is bringing home besides his gear. It will only take you a minute to send Michael a message. (Since I have a tag on my e-mail to link people to this blog, I trust Michael will be reading this as well!) You can reach Michael at:

mcricks4@yahoo.com

The second request is for cards and letters for wounded soldier, Sgt. Tye White who was injured in a Humvee Accident in Iraq. Tye is currently in a rehab house here in Texas and here is his address:

White, Tye Sgt
Towless Guest House B 3625
3298 George C. Beach Rd.
Fort Sam Houston, TX
78234-7569

If my Canadian readers and friends are sending notes to these men, do let them know where you are (i.e. Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, just east of Toronto.) It is even more exciting to get a note from far away!

It is so important to us all that these young men and so many others just like them have been protecting us from further attacks like 9-11 which could just as easily been any city or field in North America.

God Bless these Troops and their comrades. We thank them so much for all they have done and for their comrades who continue the watch. We pray that they can integrate back into society and live wonderful lives.

Coming back home - as I wrote about two weeks ago - is challenging. There are so many thoughts going through these young people's minds of what they saw and did but also, they are wondering,

"What is waiting at home for me?" What should I do now?"

For wounded soldiers, there is the long, hard struggle to come back into a society where everything is just that much harder if you have any kind of disability.

We have a friend in Toronto who had an aneurysm about 20 years ago. He was in a coma for a very long time, had surgery and was left crippled and in a wheelchair. He lives separately from his family who do keep in touch. He relies on various services the government helps with but he is quite dependent on others for simple everyday things. One time, he said to me,

"I am the luckiest man alive!" As long as people were stopping by and telephoning and sending notes, his life was worth living, even though he was unable to do many things for himself.

Our government is working each day to improve the lives of our returning soldiers. Many have post-traumatic stress disorder and other unseen problems they must struggle with daily. Some might need counseling, some need physical medical treatment, and many need rehab. Rehab - when it is hard to do simplest things - is difficult. Outside encouragement is a special and priceless addition to these people's return home.

It only takes a few minutes to send a letter or an e-mail. It will make you feel good, but it will make the other person feel remembered, welcomed and wanted.

God Bless you for reading this, for writing to these men and for all your prayers for those who have been on guard for all of us!

[If you want to add a person you know to these addresses, just click on "Comment" and send their name and address along.]

Financial Literacy Month - Where are the teachers?

Here's a photo from 100 years ago of a family. From what we know of their life, I think it was simple and not too complicated. People made their own houses, furniture, clothing and purchased a few things from a general store in town.

Fruits, vegetables and chickens would have come from their own land. They talked to one another, ate dinner together, read the Bible together and prayed together.

Sunday was church day and probably their only day of relaxation.

Well, we sure have advanced! We have so many electronic, computerized, digitized gadgets and gizmos that adults and children alike are overwhelmed. They are not time savers really, and in fact most people aren't even get the sleep they should. Instead of all these "conveniences" saving us time and giving us more time to relax and be together, perhaps even talking to each other, our days are longer than ever!

Where did we go wrong?

Are we happier than the folks in this picture? I don't think so! Do we get a good night's sleep like they did? Not likely!

You get the idea and you may even agree with some of what I am saying.

I read an article today declaring April, 2009 FINANCIAL LITERACY MONTH!

The article says that parents should be talking to their children - especially ones on their way to college about how to manage money!

Hello? Heck, you just have to read a paper or watch a TV newscast to see how well so-called adults are managing their money!

The wealthier people appear, the more they owe! People getting bonused for non-performance at companies who have failed now operating on borrowing government money. "Government money" - that's us - we the people, you know!

Whoa! Living better in 2009 than 100 years ago - perhaps not!

Wake Up America - Let's Get Back to Customer Service!

We made the rounds to our local hotels the other day to pick up directories for the various chains.

At Holiday Inn Express, I was informed that they no longer print a directory of their locations.

Well, if you are on the road and planning to stop when you are tired, or when it is getting dark, it sure would be nice to have a directory to see where the next hotel is!

If Holiday Inn Express thinks I have a computer at home to book reservations, they are correct - if I know exactly when I am staying in a certain city and for how long.

If, however, they presume I am carrying a laptop or using an Iphone or Blackberry (with internet) as we set out to drive up the road, 1650 miles to Canada, they are very wrong!

The assumption of so many businesses that everyone is living online 24-7 may cause them to lose a lot of business.

In prime holiday times, we book before we leave to make certain we will have accommodation each night. The problem with that is that there are deadlines and schedules which take a lot of the fun out of traveling.

This time we have opted not to book ahead "on the road". We are still taking a chance on this trip as certain areas may have conventions or special events that fill up rooms. When I have a directory in hand, I can use my cell phone to ascertain their situation.

I absolutely detest walking into a hotel and asking if they have a room for the night, even though I have the cards for most major chains. It is very time consuming and morale deflating if there is no availability.

What are these people thinking? Do they ever travel themselves or are they just looking at how they can cut costs?

I am surprised that many front desk clerks have no idea what the layout of a room looks like. That is fundamental. My favorite layout is to have a bed at one end and a sofa with a coffee table across from the TV. That, to me, is a comfortable layout. I also want a micro frig to keep our water cool and it is a bonus if there is a microwave, although we generally eat out in the evening.

Isn't it fundamental for the people booking the rooms at the front desk to know the layouts? Funny thing is I can pull that up on my home computer, so why can't they?

If we want to get back to basics and a sound economy where there is business for everyone including hotels, we need to get back to customer service.

How long does it take to show a new employee the 5 or 6 room styles you have at your hotel?

Wake up, America! Bring back customer service!

Angel of Joy Lutheran Church - Sisters In Christ Dinner

SISTERS IN CHRIST DINNER

FRIDAY APRIL 17 2009

6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Angel of Joy Lutheran Church

4003 Daniel McCall Drive, Lufkin

(Intersection of Daniel McCall & College Ave

Phone: 936.632.4777 OR 936.639.1577)

Fellowship,Fun,Food and Entertainment

Table Trimmings and Table Settings

Created and Decorated

by

The Women of Angel of Joy Lutheran Church

Table Servers – Men of Angel of Joy Lutheran Church

Tickets $10

Entertainment will be provided by

Ransomed Quartet

Big News Day . . . Worth Smiling About!

Back when I would be doing the PR for a dog show in Toronto, I always hoped for a slow news day! If nothing special happened, then I could often get 4 minutes on the 6 o'clock news for the event I was promoting.

Well, today is not that kind of day! Not at all!

The DOW index closed up almost 500 points today. Several AIG executives seem to be returning their bonuses. David Letterman finally married Regina Lasko, the mother of his son, Harry. And that is just part of it!

It's a big news day, where things seem to be falling into place. That is good. Let us hope and pray that we have lots more good news days! Hopefully we'll be able to smile and heave a sigh of relief!

Keeping in Touch With The President

On Tuesday evening (March 24th), rather than watching American Idol, we will be able to watch President Barack Obama's Prime Time Press Conference.

There is debate as to whether we are seeing too much of the President these days.

No President since John F. Kennedy has mesmerized the population, perhaps the world, as Barack Obama is doing.

On a 20/20 interview this evening, Steve Kroft seemed to be rather uneasy. He questioned the President's laughter. It seems to me that if the President is not laughing, he surely would be crying because his days are long and full of decisions - all of them big.

As the President pointed out, if it is not a BIG decision, it doesn't come to him; someone else makes it!

We are in times that will surely be discussed into the future - forever. At the very least, we definitely need some change.

I personally like seeing the President as often as we do. It helps me knowing that he is all the time working to pull things back together.

You don't have to have voted for this man to know he is bright, quick-witted and working for the American public every day.

One really good Presidential remark I would like to repeat in case you did not see tonight's interview, is that people who live in New York City need to go somewhere else and take a look at what is happening in other parts of the country. That is a very true statement. In the "big city" real estate is very expensive and salaries are higher than in smaller communities. Neighbors do not know one another and people are isolated. Many things go unnoticed.

The executives in all banks, trust, insurance companies - all corporations - make major decisions every day, no matter where they are but most do not expect major bonuses for doing their jobs. I always felt that if you did a good job, you got to keep your job; if you did not - you were fired! Pretty simple concept, but apparently we are dealing with some other mentality. We, the taxpapers, are a party to bonusing people who did a bad job! What is wrong with this picture?

Why were these executives expecting to be rewarded for bad behavior, or poor performance? The "common" man is a lot smarter that some people think he is and I believe Mr. Obama is very aware of this. Hopefully some of these executives will be returning these bonuses - one way or another. It is time that lack of performance means you must give up your mansion and come into reality. Technically, American citizens are the boss of these people now.

Do remember that if you want to know what is current, you can go to the government website.

www.whitehouse.gov

This Must Be Rocket Science!

We know dogs love to play with toys! Especially, they like soft toys and toys that make noise. Just sort of wondering why in the 21st Century, the peepers (noise makers) only last about 90 - 120 seconds average. Why is that?

(And, yes, we know teddy bear type toys do fall apart but we carefully sew them back together, because they are lifelines to many canines!)

Out Of The Loop?

One thing I do have difficulty with is people who do not watch their local TV news or read a local newspaper. Even scanning the website of your TV station or newspaper will give you the highlights of what is going on!

Why wouldn't you want to know if someone was robbed down the block from you? Don't you want to be able to join in any general conversations about current events?

Wouldn't you like to know if there was a murder committed and it involved people you had met or known?

How can you know what outfit to wear tomorrow if you have not seen a weather forecast?

What if you ate something that was reported to cause illness just because you didn't hear about it?

What if a road was closed and you didn't know and so you were late for your appointment or for work?

Wouldn't it be nice to know that there was going to be a show, a luncheon, a meeting you would enjoy - before it happens, so you could attend?

It's nice to read someone else's opinion of something to enlarge your perspective of an event.

And if a hurricane was forecast for three days hence, wouldn't you want to stock up on a few things so you and your family could be comfortable and safe during the storm?

It's nice to know what is going on in your community, the world, new ways of doing things so when you are with a group, you can contribute and be a part of the conversation.

I cannot imagine Hubby or me not knowing what is going on around us, in our area, in our country and in the world! Why would anyone want to be isolated in times when it is so easy to access current knowledge?

Martha From Texas . . . My Special Friend, William: Planning our Canadian Trip

In about seven weeks we will be in Ontario. Each time I visit Port Hope, the town in Ontario where I was living before I moved to East Texas, I look forward to seeing my young friend, William.

Wil will be 7 in November, so that means he'll be six and a half when I see him this year. Wil is the one who wanted to be a meteorologist. He has been reading about weather for a long time and sometimes I send his Grandma Judy links to look at a storm in our area, although they also follow the weather channel.

I always have to remind myself that when William was born, I was living here in Texas. He wasn't even born when I lived in Port Hope. So, that is why Wil opens the door when I knock and says,

"Oh, look: it's Martha From Texas!" (You gotta love that!)

Actually, I just scrapped some photos of his parents' wedding - again. I just love those photos and I had cropped them for his grandmother's book. I was wearing a dress that is sort of orange color and well, if you scrapbook, you know that makes for some interesting possiblities.

When we think about Christine & Les' wedding, we think about the wonderful English Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. Keith had never eaten that before. Once you know my Hubby, you know that he has done lots of things and speaks a few languages and has lived several places. So, it was fun to see something served to him he had never enjoyed before! It was a wonderful wedding with lots of family and friends and everyone enjoying themselves.

We always plan time with Grandma Judy and the family. They are such special people and we feel very much like family. So, William, get ready 'cause it won't be long till you can open that door for us!

You Might Have Known . . .

Well, you might have known that a young man like William would have . . . well you know . . . of all things . . . a sister! She won't look like this now, because I took this almost two years ago. Yup, ya gotta have a sister in the family and this one is named Charlotte!

Mom & Dad - Christine & Les!

Here are Christine and Les, now simply known as William and Charlotte's parents!

Ah Yes . . . The Orange Dress!

Well, if I did digital scrapbooking, I would have done some orange stuff around this pic of Keith, Martha, Don & Judy at Les & Christine's wedding. These are the people who live in a town so good, they make it into Hollywood North!

Watch President Barack Obama Tonight On Jay Leno!

This is President Barack Obama speaking in Casa Mesto, California the other day. He took off his jack and carefully rolled up his sleeves to take questions at the Town Hall meeting.

At one point when asked about all the different things he is attempting to do, he commented that, yes, he has to walk and chew gum at the same time.

No matter what your previous politics have been, it is obvious that we have ourselves a very special, talented man as our current president. If he doesn't straighten America around, it will not be for lack of trying!

Set your VCR or if you can stay up, watch Mr. President on Jay Leno's Tonight Show (NBC) this evening. It will be the first time a sitting President has appeared on a late night talk show.

Port Hope, Minnesota, USA? Port Hope Dresses Up For TV Shoot!

My favorite card and gift shop . . . are they flying American flags there?

Do I know this bread company from Halpin, Minnesota?

North Minnesota Savings & Loan? I bank at Canada Trust!
Capital Theatre changed to Halpin Theater? Hmmm . . . Didn't Men of the Deeps (with my brother-in-law, Sen White) play there?

Particularly since you have just read about Natasha Richardson's husband, Liam Neeson, flying from Toronto to her side in the Montreal area after her skiiing accident at Mt. Tremblant, you probably are aware that there is a major movie and television industry in Canada. Liam was filming a movie named Chloe. [Post script: Our condolences to Natasha Richardson's family. She died on March 18, 2009 from her trauma.}

A lot of production is done in Toronto and Vancouver but this week, the town where I was living before I came to Texas is involved.

Port Hope has been changed to be Halpin, Minnesota. ABC Television is filming a pilot called Happy Town this week.

My friend, Christine, thought it would be fun to take some photos for me and so I am sharing them with you. Thanks, Christine!

ASK YOUR DAD . . . To Take You to DOG FAIR '09!

East Texas Working Dog Association is having a fair on Saturday, March 28, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Farmer's Market (on the loop in Lufkin - Loop 287 at Hwy. 69 South). You can go to their website to get more info.

Go to the right side bar at this blog site and scroll down for more details. Thanks, Buddy.

http://www.etwda.com

Wearing Some Green ! Hope This Brightens Your Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day - The Day When Everybody's Irish! March 17th

Don't forget to wear green! Tuesday, March 17th

Giving Back!

Baseball season is almost here and of course, that is my favorite spectator sport. It is very "social" to attend a game because you do not have to ignore the person you are with to enjoy what is going on.

I posted a photo of Carlos Beltran because it is heartwarming to know that this is a sports "hero" who - with his own money - has bettered the lives of many Puerto Rican and Harlem children by donating millions of his own dollars to schools and sports.

Just thought you'd rather hear about Carlos Beltran than the CEOs of major companies who are still taking bonuses from our tax dollars for non-performance.

Some Ramblings About Some Very Special Friends: Our Dogs!

I chose this photo of a Shih Tzu from a photo service - so it is not one of mine, but looks a lot like at least one of my Shih Tzu that I enjoyed over a 25 year span. (I do not have any of my photos on computer or you know I would have posted one for you!)

As some of you know, I owned, showed and bred Shih Tzu for 25 years. When the last, "Harry" (Cdn. CH Ayr of Importance) died, we sort of thought that was it. (No more dogs!)

Of course, five weeks later, we added Buddy the Lhasa Apso to our family. That was almost five years ago.

I was cropping some Shih Tzu photos the other night. I had a couple of show photos which didn't need anything very fancy. Dog Show photos pretty much tell their own story. Then there was a really special page where I showed Sadie and Harry, my last two homebred Shih Tzu, and Smokey and Sugar, Hubby's cats. My dogs had never seen cats before but the cats were used to dogs. It was wonderful how well all of them got along!

Sadie and Harry travelled in crates in Keith's 1995 Ford Taurus - when they and I immigrated to Texas from Ontario!

As I look back on the twenty-five years of Shih Tzu, I can absolutely tell you that although most were my own breeding, every one was different. Each had its own personality.

Harry and Sadie were the two who had the most interesting lives of all my Shih Tzu. Harry was shown by a professtional handler and lived with him for about six months. He also went to Obedience School at Humber College in Toronto. The instructor commented that she wondered if Harry took the commands from her or did actually wait for me to give them to him. He was a sharp little fellow who loved his life. When we moved to Port Hope from the big city, he and Sadie became fast friends and he always made sure she was okay.

The two of them were gated off in our kitchen and one morning, Keith went to get them to go outside. They went out and back and Keith came back to shave. When he went back to the kitchen area, Sadie was lying there, quiet, with Harry standing at her side. She was dead. So peaceful!

Our Pastor came over to dig her grave on that wet, dark day. His loafers were covered in mud but he wanted to do that kindness for us. It was over by the fence and Keith's sister Louise gave us hydrangea to plant on top.

When a dog dies, there is an expression that they will be waiting for us at "The Rainbow Bridge" and we will see them all when we die. It was sad the day Sadie died, but it was sad the day each of them died.

I can recall the traits of each one and each one absolutely had their own personality.

Both Harry and Sadie went to visit at Regency Manor as therapy dogs. The residents would pet them and hold them and they were very good about that. I felt it was a wonderful breed for working with people. Its a loving breed and they absolutely live to please people.

My first homebred was Fanny and I have a wonderful photo of me when I handled her to a win. Neither she or I was very good about dog shows but we loved being together.

Dogs give us so much and ask so little in return. I cannot stress how much I believe that we must dwell on this pleasure rather than their short lives.

I would especially like to make one special comment about "owning" dogs. Please make sure you know where your dog would go if something would happen to you. Find a friend who you know would take care of your dog and ask them if they would do this. Then make sure others know this arrangement.

Having dogs is a big responsibility. They rely upon us for everything! Give them a safe, fenced yard, keep them clean and well-fed. If the tables were turned, you know your dog would take very good care of you!

Scrapbooking - Again!

No, this is not one of my own pages but it is a very nice one and shows just one person's concept of committing boy's best friend to a fabulous memory.

Last night I cropped some of my Shih Tzu and and I also made a beautiful page of my last two homebred Shih Tzu, Sadie and Harry, who learned very quickly to live as family with Keith's two cats: Smokey and Sugar when I emigrated to Texas. I also added the beautiful hydrangea my sister-in-law, Louise contributed as a memorial to these animals.

You know we have Buddy the Lhasa now, but each dog (or cat) had his or her own personality - just like our human friends and it is nice to crop them in memory books.

I also have cropped some show portraits and one I did last night is of me with my first homebred Shih Tzu, Fanny, who was very sweet and devoted to me. She was not a "showdog" who could do a lot of winning, but we did pretty well that day when she was still a puppy. It is a photo dear to my heart and I will enjoy looking at that page over the years.

Scrapbooking has evolved tremendously and some people are into digital work now. That is not for me because - as you well know - I spend lots of time at my computer every day and would not consider that relaxing.

Regular cropping is changing with new three-dimensional embellishments arriving at my favorite store daily.

I can see when I look at a simple cropping of our church Mardi Gras Party three years ago and our Choir about five years ago, just how much this hobby has changed. The older pages are very flat with construction-type paper and stickers. A few weeks ago I did beautiful pages of this year's Mardi Gras party with glitter for a 3-D effect.

The papers now are sparkly with texture and beautiful patterns. We still use simple paper for borders, frames, outlines, etc. and it comes in so many colors, it is possible to match exactly to what you want.

Last night I used some metal lettering for Taury (my first Shih Tzu) and Fanny's pages and it just popped the page up perfectly.

I used my circular and oval cutters on the page of the "gang of four" on a background of paper that already had glistening circles on it.

Lots of you like to scrapbook and lots of you would "crop", if you had the time, etc. All those people who could be making such beautiful memories while making new friends and relaxing with this wonderful hobby. . .

Excuse me now . . . I am on my way back to the Crop Room!