PotLuck for Tuesday Show and Tail!

Since my camera is on the fritz and I am waiting for my new camera to arrive I thought I would repost a few favorite photos of the household pets here!

Smokey sitting in his favorite chair. This dog is so dog gone content in this new house it is just amazing. He lies on the bed or sofa and looks so peaceful when he falls asleep. He is so smart pooch!

Boots is enjoying the new place too. He thinks the bed is his and he curls up as if he is the only cat in the world! He loves that I put a soft, fleece blanket down that is black, just like him! He is one happy kitty.

Bandit is a silly little dog. He looks so ferocious in his Domino's cap! He is chilling at the new house. Just watching his brother and sister and wondering what we will be up to next! He is learning to relax and enjoying the new place.

I am dog tired from a busy work day so I could not pull up photos of Stella and Rose but love them just the same. Please forgive me but once I get the new camera I can catch up on all the blog fun that I am behind on! In the meantime please visit Angela and join her Tuesday fun!

LOVE IS....REIGNING TOGETHER

I have a good marriage. Oh heck, my marriage is excellent! I love my Sweets. He is an amazing partner. We reign together. He always shares with me and we make all major decisions together and we are both good at reminding the other about a bill we paid or money we used in the bank. I an very blessed and I thought this Love is...was perfect today.

Please join us for this fun post. Marydon and Sherry share this delightful Monday post with me and we would love to have you join us.

Enjoy your week.

"One word frees us of all the pain and weight  of life. That word is love. " Sophocles

Our House is a Very Fine House

These are photos of the new place before we filled our things inside. You will have to wait for more previews because my camera is on the fritz. But I am having so much fun decorating. Top photo is the kitchen with the sweet stainless appliances. The main floor bath and than the basement bath and a shot of the basement. Two bedrooms and a full bath and a laundry room. I am so very grateful and so very blessed to have this sweet place to call my very own. My Sweets and I are having so much fun decorating and doing different things. we had an old piano my brother-in-law gave us. Two guys just took it away for fifty dollars! What a relief. It would have done us in to move it a second time!

As For Me And My House....

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

This verse has long hung on our bedroom wall. I always liked it and I knew the wonderful meaning behind it but I never fully realized it until we moved last week into this pretty little house we now call home. God is so very good. He chose this Thanksgiving week to show His true self to my phamily. I am spending more time reflecting on my faith and what it means to me. I try so hard not to waver or get discouraged.

 Please remember to keep the faith and stop by Charlotte and Ginger to thank them for hosting our weekly Spiritual Sunday. It is so refreshing for me to visit many and I have failed these past few weeks. I am trying to restore some sanity at my house so I will make an effort to visit more. I love all of you very much and wish you much faith and many blessings.

This is a photo of the front of our new home. I lay in bed at night and wait for someone to tell me to leave! I still can not believe it is our home!

Some Funky Vintage Photos for You!

We were in Durango for the football game last month when Markus snapped these photos in the alleyway near our motel. I thought these quaint vintage tubs were quirky and unique. I had to share the pink one with all of you today.

Enjoy your weekend and have a beautiful Pink Saturday! Remember to stop by Beverly's and thank her for her constant weekly organization of Pink Saturdays. She is one remarkable lady. Please visit other pinkies too. I need to get better at this. I made a promise to me after losing my sweet bloggy friend CC this September because she always visited each and every one of the pinkies. When life calms down from the move I plan to visit lots of fun folks.

Happy weekend to all!

Things I am Grateful for Today

I am grateful that I know this sweet girl AngelDawn. I know her through many wonderful bloggers and she is holding a purple shirt I sent her. The shirt I thought went to my swap buddy Dee in Maryland. Ah...another story for another post.
Today I caught up on some of my internet stuff, my aim and g mail accounts and my blog to name a few. My washer went on the fritz and the kids rallied round us and we ordered a brand spanking new one to be delivered December 4th, a day after my birthday! Whew! A sweet gift huh? For a birthday gal like me, yes.
I received a sweet post message from  Linda. It was about her sweet deal for a quilting kit. Sitting here counting all the marvelous blessings the Lord has given me and my phamily lately with the new house and all I decided I think we should put a quilt together for AngelDawn. She loves purple and I thought a purple theme would be appropriate for this little lady struggling with brain cancer. I hope you will all join me. I am quiltlessly clueless when it comes to any sewing matters so help me out everyone.
Please visit   Nezzy who started this AngelDawn campaign because this littele lady was her Sunday school student.
Lots of great folks have been involved in the AngelDawn story. Stop by Sherry's and Marydon and find out that they know this sweet little girl too.
We have lots to be grateful for and I am always grateful that I have faith and pray daily for all my bloggy friends. Keep the faith folks and although the day is winding down please celebrate Thanklsgiving by being thankful for many blessings I bet you have in your life.

Talking Turkey

Although I am very late posting this Tuesday Show and Tail I had to share a sweet turkey photo. This is before the road to market with Mr. Tom Turkey who graced many Thanksgiving tables this day.

Please visit Angela and thank for for being the greatest hostess of this fun Tuesday post. I am very late but felt I needed to rewind and unwind and join my favorite folks here. Thanks

Love Is...One Day At A Time

Hi everyone! It is a long slow process getting moved and making a house look like a home. whew! I am tired but so grateful. I am way behind on some posts but had to share with you. If I did this one already I  apologize. I feel like this right now. Take it one day at a time. I have my 'Sweets' at my side adn together we accomplish a lot! Thanks to all who left such sweet messages. I do love all of you and will get back into the swing of things and do the rest of my giveaways very soon.
When we started the loan process with our house and closed it was nine days from start to finish. The title company said they never closed a loan so quickly. Dave, our finance guy, said it is because his team works hard together. There are many stories to tell and I am planning to share many with you through the posts to come. God is good. He is so very good.
Please stop by Marydon's and Sherry's and share your thoughts with them too. I love these sweet friends and enjoy spending Monday's reading these sweet posts. Come join us. Please.

LUKE 16:10

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

Good morning and welcome to Spiritual Sunday. Make sure to thank Charlotte and Ginger here

Please thank Viridian for sharing this beautiful image with me. I was thinking of this verse from Luke and she had it posted on her postcard blog. Go visit here please.  I have many blessings this Thanksgiving with the new house and my phamily here with me so I do not need a thing. Except constant prayer. I find that when I stop praying for my own phamily things go wrong. So please always pray for each other and enjoy this blessed Sunday and enjoy your Thanksgiving Day with many blessings God shares with all of us. Pray this move continues to go well. There are a few grumpy phamily members getting tired and needing refreshment. Pray it goes well and be thoughtful and think of what this verse means to you personally. Love to all this glorious Sunday. 

Happy Pink Saturday!

I am having a stressful week. With the closing, which went well to the move which is crazy I am catching myself coming and going. Plus Nick is in Arizona getting ready to run tomorrow at the Toka Sticks Golf Course in Mesa, Arizona. Prayer all around is welcomed.
Today I want to thank Beverly for hosting this pinkness each week and making us all smile. Please stop by and say hello to her. She is incredible making sure this goes off each weekend to bring joy and many smiles to all of us. Thanks Beverly!
I am going to show you some of my favorite pink houses form the past. I will take you on my new house journey soon. So please enjoy and come back and visit soon. I hope you like these internet images of pretty pink houses and the pretty pink brick road to follow your path..

Prayer Request

Good morning and  happy Friday! I am sad today :( because my baby is on a plane heading to Mesa, Arizona for the Cross Country Invitational.

Please keep him and his team in your prayers this weekend as they run in this five state event.

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.

Steve Prefontaine

Woodpeckers

I have always found the Woodpecker to be a fascinating creature. They are interesting feathered friends and I wanted to say I think God had some great ideas when he created the world. The woodpecker is one of them. They are just interesting looking birds and their purpose is something our Maker must have had in mind when he decided to blueprint this bird!
We can always smile when we see a woodpecker if we grew up with "Woody" one of the most famous woodpeckers who also had his own cartoon show. Woodpeckers are found worldwide except for Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme polar regions. They live in forests and woodlands. A few of this species lives in treeless areas  such as rocky hilltops and deserts. There are about 200 species and this bird is becoming endangered due to loss of habitat  and habitat fragmentation. You may see one of these often colorful birds hanging around your home as they love wood and like to bore through wood! Keep your eyes out for these interesitng birds.
Please stop by Angela's She is an amazing hostess. Come join the fun and thank her for sharing each week with all of us..

"I" is for Imagination

Good evening and welcome to by "I" post tonight. Please stop Jenny's place .I am incredibly happy. I love having all of you for friends and I want to share my favorite "I" word with you! I M A G I N A T I O N ! The dictionary says this about my word 1.  : the act of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality.
2. : creative ability, ability to confront and deal with a problem.  the thinking or active mind.

3. :  A creation of the mind. Fanciful or empty assumption.

Whew! That is a lot of information! Maybe information overload! But I am so happy to be in my new home soon that I wanted to share it with you.

So I am imagining the comfort and coziness of my new home and wanting to share it with you. I am going to take lots of photos and share my room by room decorating with you. I an not an extremely talented decorating gal but I like a home to have a welcoming feeling and I want this home to be like the home I grew up in. My mother never had a lot of fancy things and we were allowed to sit on the furniture and she did not ban us to the basement or anything! We lived in a well loved and well lived in home. My father cared for the yard with perfection. My mother cooked and made us all smile. I want that in a home. Not a showplace where people can Ooh and Ahh then leave feeling nothing ! I want to share my imagination with you and in the process you can come on this new journey with us.

Tonight my brother-in-law Mike gave us a bottle of champagne to celebrate our house. He also gave us a picture of a sunflower with a butterfly that a friend painted for him. He had recently left a job and was starting a new adventure and she said she had painted that picture for him to take on his new chapter in his life. The only catch was that he had to pass it on to someone else who deserved it. I was honored that he chose us. He was tickled that we were moving into a new place and he wanted to give us that photo to share with our new journey. I will post a picture later as I left it at the new house.

I have had this vision of a home in my mind for a long time. I always thought a miracle would happen and we would just stay where we are. But God had a different plan for us. I am so grateful for the goodness and greatness of God. I am imagining Heaven with Him one day. Until then I want to share my new place with all of you.

Now imagine black and white in our new bedroom....

MY MOM

Today is the ninth anniversary of the loss of my mother. It is always a difficult day and I never  expect it to get any easier. No photos today as I am at my break for lunch. Just my sweet mom's face in my header as a beautiful young woman and a small girl. She is the smaller girl in the first communion photo.

It is a bittersweet day for me because my mother passed away on the anniversary of her own mother's birth. My maternal grandmother was the very best friend any girl could ever have. I would not trade her for anyone yet she was taken from me and it was also a devastating loss.

So I want to say today that I miss my other abnd grandmother both! They were such wonderful strong women. They survived so much and raised wonderful families in the process,

I just want to say if you still have a mom or grandmother please give them a big hug for me. You never know what you have until it is taken from you.

On a hapier note the day was perfect because we close on our house tomorrow. God is good. He is very good.

"Walk worthy of the Lord."  Colossians 1:10

Love Is....

  I am using these two cute Love is....today to show you how much I love my Sweets. In the first Love is...he was the one with the rotten head cold. I was taking care of him and in the second one this is what we spend most weekends doing. We are always hitting the road together, running errands, taking care of the phamily. We spend most weekends together and I like it that way. I hope you will come join this Monday Love is...post. Please visit these ladies too. Marydon and Sherry

Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks Winners!

Here are the lucky winners of the Gooseberry cookbooks.

The first winner is  Nezzy. She said she would like to replace the diamond in her wedding set for Christmas! Congrats sweet friend!

The next winner is Barb . She would like the spend Christmas with her family. Congrats to Barb!

I hope both of these ladies will enjoy their cookbooks and share some of their favorite recipes with us.

Now I will let these lovely ladies know they were big winners and get their info to send the cookbooks off to them.

I am going to have my blogaversary drawing next week. I need to post the giveaway item. Keep watching and keep commenting. All I ask is that you follow and please have a blog address. It seems to work so much easier. In the past I could not track down people who entered the giveaways but never gave me a way to contact them.  :(

ACCEPTANCE

"My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret." Psalm 139:15

Welcome to Spiritual Sunday. I hope you will visit Charlotte and Ginger and join this blessing each week. Today I chose this verse from the Book of Psalms.  I was thinking about people and how each individual wants to feel loved and belong somewhere. We all long to have a place in this world. We all want to feel love. Sometime we lose sight of it all and that is where the Lord comes in. He is always going to be there for each one of us and He will always love us, accept us and take care of us. He will never allow us to bear a burden that is too heavy. He will always walk along with us and He often will stop and carry us when  the path we travel is too tough. He is generous and kind.  He will be with us forever.
I am amazed that  He knew each one of us before we were born. He knew each personality and the color of our eyes and hair before we were born, I am so baffled by the greatness of God sometime but He knows everything and I am so blessed to know Him. I just know it is right to trust Him with my life.
In today's world where you have to fit into a specific mold to be noticed it is comforting to know that He does not hold us to the worlds standard but rather we are held to His standard.
I hope you will turn to Him and trust Him with your life. It is the only one we have. Let's use it wisely and with the holiday season quickly approaching let's remember the true reason for the season.

PINK SATURDAY PART II

We are still waiting to hear about the house so our lives are upside down! But I don't want to miss the Pink Saturday fun so the previous post is my video contribution from the Nutcracker. I thought what is so pink and pretty for this day?! With the holidays quickly approaching and the T.V. and radio ads for this timeless classic abound. I have had the Nutcracker on my mind so I wanted to share it with everyone.
Please thank Beverly for being such a fantastic hostess each week making sure this is pulled together with such incredible support. I am so happy to be part of this great weekly post. Next please visit Ann as she was new to Pink Saturday last week and she is the most charming lady with a beautiful blog. I think you will enjoy visiting Ann today!
I hope you will come over and leave a comment on this post. Have you seen the Nutcracker? Are you a fan of wonderful sentimental holiday fare? Let me know. Have a terrific weekend!
Stop by the previous post to view the Nutcracker video.

P.I.Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker

VETERANS DAY

Before I get ready for work on this snowy Thursday morning please stop with me for a moment and pray for our military. I am so shocked how many ignore the fact that today is reserved to honor those who have fought for our country. Given lives. Lost limbs. Came back not like the once happy go lucky kids many of them were. I can not even talk about this day or what it stands for without shedding tears. I am such a tremendous fan of our military. I talked about my mom's cousin, pictured in my header with my mom. Hedwig is the taller girl. She lost her only son James in the Vietnam war. Her life was forever changed. Many of my relatives served in WWII. My late father-in-law was a kid at Pearl Harbor when that fateful day happened. Today many of my kids friends serve us. My daughter Rebekah spent the last couple weekends helping her friend Amanda with her three year old. Now my girl is currently not loving little ones! She is a committed college woman with grand plans. But she loves her friend and stopped and watched Amanda's three year son while Amanda and her dad moved their things from Fort Carson to Denver. Yes, Jason, her husband was sent back to Afghanistan.  Her friend Dan serves in the U.S. Navy stationed at Norfolk, VA. My son Jeremy's friend Ben is in the U.S. Air Force. Matthew just graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He is attending Stanford University.Many of our patients ask for prayer for their loved ones stationed all over the world. Many fighting the fight in foreign lands. So today please stop and reflect on what this all means. Remember those who serve you. Remember those who went before us. My friend Amy has not worked on Veteran's Day in 19 years. She was just a college kid and made a commitment to her own father. She told me yesterday if my dad served me so well in war and in peace it is the very least I can do. She said she caught her three year old daughter Ali singing the words to the "Red, White and Blue song she is learning at preschool. Her family will be spending their day with Amy's dad. So join Amy and myself today and thank a Vet. Send a prayer to them. Get involved and do more than enjoy a day off from work if you even have that luxury. Many of these Military families do not have that luxury. Enjoy your day and thank a Vet. God Bless America!

 ³⁰because he came close to death ^(BE)for the work of Christ, risking his life to ^(BF)complete what was deficient in your service to me. Philippians 2:30

Thank A Vet Today!

"THE WALL"

The nite was cold, I was ten years old
When the Chaplain made his call.
The news was bad, my mother was sad
When she heard of my fathers fall.

An ambush he said, they all were dead
The words were shocking and cold.
Eight other men died, eight other wives cried
For young men who would never grow old.

The years quickly passed, they seemed so fast
With no father to show me the way.
Yet I knew from the start, deep down in my heart
We'd be together, forever, one day.

Through the laughter and tears, the months and the years
I kept hearing "it's" far-away call.
The day was cold I was thirty years old
When my eyes first set sight on the WALL.

It seemed ancient yet knew, as if somehow on cue
When I saw it the Earth became still
And my memory once gray, became focused that day
Of a man who now suddenly seemed real.

No more tears filled my eyes, no more lifetime of "whys"
All the answers I'd found in this place.
With the touch of his name gone was sorrow and pain
And bad memories were quickly erased.

As I stared into the black, my father stared back
And he smiled and my heart filled with joy
I said: "welcome home, dad, what a journey you've had."
He said: "It's sure great to be home, my boy!"

copyright 1995 by Kelly Strong

"H" is for House

I have posted a double Alphabe Thursday "H" post! Please check the post before this one to hear the classic song "Our House" by Crosby,Stills,Nash and Young. It is one of my favorite songs and it reminds me of my childhood home as well as any home I have shared with my Sweets and the kids.
Most everyone who knows me knows that we are waiting to hear about the house we are hoping to buy! It is nerve racking to say the very least! But we are grateful and hopeful to have this opportunity to move from a rental home that is going to go into foreclosure because the loan balance is larger than the worth of the house!  I don't want to trouble anyone with all the details but rather share this "H" post with you!
I love having a home. I can enjoy a small space or any other space as long as I have phamily with me. So  this is my tribute to the letter "H". It stands for a house is a home and hopefully soon I will have a new home to share with my phamily.
Please stop by  Jenny's so you may join the Alphabe Thursday fun and share your own favorites with the letters of the alphabet.
Thank you for stopping by this evening. This was brought to you by the incredible letter H!

Our House Crosby Stills Nash & Young

Hebrews 13:16

"Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

A Sad Story

Subject: A Sad Sad Story

Colorado Judge gives 7 year old right to decide custody.

A seven year old boy was at the center of a county courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. 

The boy had a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulation requiring that family unity be maintained to the highest degree possible.

The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. 

When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried and said that they also beat him.

After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him.

After two recesses to check legal references and confer with the child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Denver Broncos, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.

NUTS!

Although fall seems to be fading away and winter taking its place I thought this Maxine was perfect to share. Leave it up to Maxine. What a character!

REINDEER DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW

Hi everyone! I had the worst Monday. I was sick with a migraine and went to bed at eight o'clock last night! Of course, the stress of the housing situation is not helping!
 
But the owners are anxious to sell and they have made the repairs that were needed. Please keep praying until the loan process is complete. They like to drag their feet!
 So welcome to Tuesday's Show and Tail. I am late as always but my heart is happy to participate in this fun meme. So tonight I want to post a few internet images of reindeer! These are interesting creatures and they remind us of the holiday season that is quickly approaching. As a child my aunt and uncle use to take us to the   Santa's Work Shop at the base of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs. We could buy crackers for 25 cents then and fed the reindeer. Oh what fun times those days were! These sturdy animals help Santa pull that sleigh full of Christmas cheer. I loved the reindeer that were in the  Santa Clause. What fun this post is and you can head over to Angela's and join us for this fun weekly post.

We are getting some badly needed moisture here with a mixture of rain and snow. The evening reminded me of these creatures and I thought I would them with you. Enjoy the evening.

MONDAY SCRIPTURE

Philippians 4:6-7



Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

LOVE IS....

Here is my contribution this week to Love is....without my honey, my Sweets I am not sure I could get by in this crazy mixed up visit Marydon and Sherry

Preserverance

James 1:12 (New American Standard Bible)

 ^12(A)Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive ^(B)the crown of life which the Lord ^(C)has promised to those who ^(D)love Him.

This is a photo I took coming from Durango a few weeks ago. The verse works with this photo perfectly. I am so sorry I posted so late. I am catching myself coming and going. This verse is worth repeating to myself each day when I rise. It is also in my evening ritual before bedtime.
Thank Charlotte and Ginger for all their wonderful input with Spiritual Sunday. Have a terrific week.

WE HAVE A WINNER

Karen Stumbo, a kind follower of this blog won the tea for one giveaway that I held for reaching 200 plus followers! Every single person was given an entry, some had several for telling their friends about the blog and she came up the big winner. I am not certain Karen currently blogs but she follows and she likes prim dolls and folk art. Wish this lucky lady well! Thanks for following me Karen!
I thank each and every one of you who follow me here. I truly love knowing you and lately my life has been in limbo over this housing deal! We had the inspection today with the nicest and most wonderful housing inspector. He knows his stuff and we are quite confident in his findings. Now to wait for the loan to be approved and the seller to correct some wrongs. Please continue to pray.
I appreciate everyone and all the wonderful and kind comments you post here. I am blessed to know you and  ask you to keep praying and watch for more fun posts to come soon!

FORGETFUL ME!

Hi! I am way behind posting my Spiritual Sunday post which I will do once I return from the house inspection at the home we hopeful will be able to buy.. But I feel terrible. I forgot to draw the winner of the tea for one for the 200 plus following here at my blog! Please forgive me and wait a bit. I will have Sweets pull the winner when we return while I am posting my SS post. Please come back and watch for the winning name! Good luck everyone here who follows me!

PINK

Here is a cool internet image of a super cool bright pink Hummer! One of my favorite fantasies! Please visit Beverly here. She is an awesome lady who takes time from her own busy life to make sure we all have plenty of pinkness on our Saturday posts. Thank you and make sure you visit her and all the terrific pinkies this weekend.

GIVING

Welcome to Alphabe Thursday.  I will choose the "G" word to go along with my giving post. Tell Mrs. Matlock here you participated in this Letter G meme this week. Hurry so she will give you a great grade!

I say G is for giving. I love to give! I am shameless in promoting my giveaways here in blog land. I like to give to the Goodwill, the ARC and the Salvation Army. I get great pleasure from giving. I don't brag about my giving but it makes me feel wonderful. I have done more giveaways here than I have won in a lifetime and it makes me feel terrific! Goodness giving is the grandest, greatest, gravy of all!

Stop by my blog here and look for all the giveaways I still have open. I am always ready to give more so I can get packed and move soon. I hope you enjoy giving too. It is always nice to see someone smile because you shared a happy slice of life with someone. A card, a flower, a simple thank you or word of good cheer. Remember to give a smile to someone each day. Giving is good. It is very good.

This has been brought to you by the grand letter "G"!

TUESDAY

I wanted to post these verses this morning in regard to voting but the day got away from me. Here they are.

Matthew 23:11-12 (New American Standard Bible)

 ¹¹"^(A)But the greatest among you shall be your servant.
 ¹²"^(B)Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Nahum 1:7 (New American Standard Bible)

    ⁷The LORD is ^(A)good,
         A stronghold in the day of trouble,
         And ^(B)He knows those who take refuge in Him.

These two verses gave me insight into voting today. Although I am not sure any one I voted for will get in office I prayed about it and I did the very best I could. I hope these verses help you in some aspect of your life.

I will ask for prayer because we put another offer in for a second house we fell in love with. I won't go into detail about it unless they accept our offer. Please pray. Please enjoy my internet image I added to celebrate autumn.

Budweiser 9/11

This is one of my favorite commercials ever aired and I have always had a soft spot in my heart for these magnificent creatures. When I see a Clydesdale I can only look on them with awe and know that God really exists. Who doesn't love these elegant animals? Thanks for sharing and please visit all the participates of Tuesday's Show and Tail. Go visit Angela soon.

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807-1882Written April 19, 1860First published in 1863 as part of the "Tales of the wayside Inn" Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm." Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide. Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street
Wanders and watches, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore. Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made
Masses and moving shapes of shade,--
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town
And the moonlight flowing over all. Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,
In their night encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,--
A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide like a bridge of boats. Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns. A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides. It was twelve by the village clock
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down. It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast
At the bloody work they would look upon. It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadow brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket ball. You know the rest. In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,---
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load. So through the night rode Paul Revere;=
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,---
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.


When my youngest son Nick and my grandson Colton were small (there is three years difference between their age) they use to give me a run for my money! Being boys, they were so darn busy all the time! I would get them ready for bed by starting a nice warm bath. I would fill the tub with Lavender and Chamomille Baby Bath. As they were bathing I would fill the tea kettle and set out mugs with honey for their bedtime drink of Sleepy Time Tea by Celestial Seasoning. As they finished their evening prayers I would begin to read this poem. Before I finished the first  ten lines or so they would be fast asleep. Yet, they never forgot this poem or the significance of it. I hope you will not forget it either and I hope if you have not already voted that you will go out and vote.