A TEA AND A TAG

As many of you know who follow my blogs, Saturday was a special day for Arizona bloggers as we gathered at the Front Porch Tea Room in Mesa to meet and enjoy each other's company. I did a post on my Charlotte's Weblog blog this morning about it with photos. If you haven't seen that post, you can click HERE to go there and check it out.

I was tagged by Cheryl at Cherdecor to do this meme.
I am to open my first file of pictures and select the tenth one and post it.

My first photo file is labeled Allen. It contains pictures of our son, Allen. I gathered a bunch of our pictures of him and put them in this file when I was preparing to make a DVD for him for his birthday a couple of years ago. So, when I go to the tenth picture in the file, this is it.

This picture of Allen was taken at a place in Buena Park, CA that is no longer there. I think it was called a Japanese Deer Park or something like that. It has been gone for many years. This was taken in the 1960s.

This photo reminds me of how much Allen loved animals and birds when he was a little kid. I guess he still does, but I remember as a child he always included all the animals and mammals in the world in every prayer he said.

Now I'm supposed to pass this meme on to five other bloggers. I decided instead of choosing five, I would choose all the Arizona bloggers who were at the tea on Saturday to do this meme. Come on, girls, it's fun. I hope you will want to participate.  

CURIOUS CAMELS

I received an interesting email this morning about the Dromedary Camel. I learned some things from it and wanted to share it with you here on my blog.   - Charlotte

Dromedary Camel

and a Creator/Designer

(from Moody Press)

If you ever doubted that God exists, 

meet the Very Technical, Highly Engineered

Dromedary Camel.

When I'm hungry I'll eat almost anything-

a leather bridle, a piece of rope, my master's tent,

or a pair of shoes.

My mouth is so tough a thorny cactus doesn't bother it.

I love to chow down grass and other plants

that grow here on the Arabian desert.

I'm a dromedary camel, the one-hump kind

that lives on hot deserts in the Middle East.

My hump, all eighty pounds of it,

is filled with fat-my body fuel-not water as some people believe.

My Mighty Maker gave it to me because

He knew I wouldn't always be able to find food

as I travel across the hot sands.

When I don't find any chow, my body automatically 

takes fat from the hump, feeds my system,

and keeps me going strong.

This is my emergency food supply.

If I can't find any plants to munch, my body uses up my hump.

When the hump gets smaller, it starts to tip to one side.

But when I get to a nice oasis and  begin to eat again,

my hump soon builds back to normal.

I've been known to drink twenty-seven gallons of water in ten minutes.

My Master Designer made me in such a fantastic way that

in a matter of minutes all the water I've swallowed

travels to the billions of microscopic cells that make up my flesh.

Naturally, the water I swallow first goes into my stomach.

There thirsty blood vessels absorb and carry it to every part of my body.

Scientists have tested my stomach and found it empty

ten minutes after I've drunk twenty gallons.

In an eight hour day I can carry a four hundred pound load

a hundred miles across a hot, dry desert

and not stop once for a drink or something to eat.

In fact, I've been known to go eight days without a drink,

but then I look a wreck.

I lose 227 pounds, my ribs show through my skin,

and I look terribly skinny.

But I feel great! 

I look thin because the billions of cells lose their water.

They're no longer fat. They're flat.

Normally my blood contains 94 percent water, just like yours.

But when I can't find any water to drink,

the heat of the sun gradually robs a little water out of my blood.

Scientists have found that my blood can lose up to

40 percent of its water, and I'm still healthy.

Doctors say human blood has to stay very close to 94 percent water. If you lose 5 percent of it, you can't see anymore; 10 percent, you can't hear and you go insane; 12 percent, your blood is as thick as molasses and your heart can't pump thick stuff. It stops, and you're dead.

But that's not true with me.

Why?

Scientists say my blood is different.

My red cells are elongated. Yours are round.

Maybe that's what makes the difference.

This proves I'm designed for the desert,

or the desert is designed for me.

Did you ever hear of a design without a Designer?

After I find a water hole,

I'll drink for about ten minutes

and my skinny body starts to change almost immediately.

In that short time my body fills out nicely, I don't look skinny anymore,

and I gain back the 227 pounds I lost.

Even though I lose a lot of water on the desert,

my body conserves it too.

Way in the beginning when my intelligent Engineer made me,

He gave me a specially designed nose that saves water.

When I exhale, I don't lose much.

My nose traps that warm, moist air from my lungs 

and absorbs it in my nasal membranes.

Tiny blood vessels in those membranes take that back into my blood.

How's that for a recycling system? Pretty cool, isn't it.

It works because my nose is cool.

My cool nose changes that warm moisture in the air

from my lungs into water.

But how does my nose get cool?

I breath in hot dry desert air,

and it goes through my wet nasal passages.

This produces a cooling effect, and my nose stays as much as

18 degrees cooler than the rest of my body.

I love to travel the beautiful san dunes.

It's really quite easy, because

my Creator gave me specially engineered sand shoes for feet.

My hooves are wide, and they get even wider when I step on them.

Each foot has two long bony toes with tough, leathery skin

between my soles are a little like webbed feet.

They won't let me sink into the soft, drifting sand.

This is good, because often my master wants me to carry him 

one hundred miles across the desert in just one day.

(I troop about ten miles per hour.)

Sometimes a big windstorm comes out of nowhere,

bringing flying sand with it.

My Master Designer put special muscles in my nostrils

that close the openings, keeping sand out of my nose

but still allowing me enough air to breathe.

My eyelashes arch down over my eyes like screens,

Keeping the sand and sun out but still letting me see clearly.

If a grain of sand slips through and gets in my eye,

the Creator took care of that too.

He gave me an inner eyelid that automatically

wipes the sand off my eyeball just like a windshield wiper.

Some people think I'm conceited because I always walk around

with my head held high and my nose in the air.

But that's just because of the way I'm made.

My eyebrows are so thick and bushy

I have to hold my head high to peek out from underneath them.

I'm glad I have them though.

They shade my eyes from the bright sun.

Desert people depend on me for many things.

Not only am I their best form of transportation,

but I'm also their grocery store.

Mrs. Camel gives very rich milk

that people make into butter and cheese.

I shed my thick fur coat once a year,

and that can be woven into cloth.

A few young camels are used for beef,

but I don't like to talk about that.

For a long time we camels have been  called

the "ships of the desert" because of the way

we sway from side to side when we trot.

Some of our riders get seasick.

I sway from side to side because of the way my legs work.

Both legs on one side move forward at the same time,

elevating that side.

My "left, right left, right" motion makes my rider feel like

he is in a rocking chair going sideways.

When I was six months old,

special knee pads started to grow on my front legs.

The intelligent Creator knew I had to have them.

They help me lower my 1000 pounds to the ground.

If I didn't have them,

my knees would soon become sore and infected,

and I could never lie down.

I'd die of exhaustion.

By the way,

I don't get thick knee pads because I fall on my knees.

I fall on my knees because I already have these tough pads.

Someone very great thought of me and knew I needed them.

He designed them into my genes.

It's real difficult for me to understand

how some people say I evolved into what I now am.

I'm very technical, highly engineered dromedary camel.

Things like me don't just happen.

They're planned on a drawing board

by Someone very brilliant,

Someone very logical.

John 1:1 says,

"In the beginning was the Word.

And the Word was with God

and the Word was God."

The Word means "logical, intelligent one."

Verse 3 says,

"All things were made by him and without him

was not anything made that was made."

Who was the Word?

Look at verse 14.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

and we beheld His glory."

Who was made flesh?

The Lord Jesus Christ,

the Word who created everything,

including the dromedary camel.

by Bob Devine Reprinted by permission from Moody/September 1981

Mr. Devine is the creator and narrator of

"The Storybook Room"

on Moody radio and the author of eight children's books on nature

(Moody Press).

__________________

I wish I had known all these interesting things about camels when I rode this one in Egypt back in 1978. It was quite an experience and I think I would have appreciated it even more if I had known more about the amazing animal I was riding. Here is a photo of me taken that day.

SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS

Boy the weeks sure do fly by. Here it is another beautiful weekend. Spring is in the air and I am rejoicing.

I had so many nice comments on previous posts I did from the book Women at the Well by Betty Robison that I decided I would share another with you today. This book contains 32 devotions by different women. The one I'm sharing today is by Elizabeth Cody Newenhuyse (I have no idea how her last name is pronounced, but it doesn't really matter. What she shared is so good.)

Cultivating Contentment

There's a lot in my life I wish I could change. I'm not miserable--but I struggle with being satisfied.

One scripture verse that makes me squirm is the apostle Paul's reminder to Timothy: "If we have enough food and clothing let us be content" (I Timothy 6:8). I have food but too often it's macaroni and cheese. I have clothing, but looking through the L.L.Bean catalog brings out my most materialistic urges. I have furniture, but it resembles estate-sale treasures more than it does Crate & Barrel chic. Often I'd like more--and better. And that's just the beginning of my discontentment.

 I've met other women who struggle with the same conflict. My neighbor Jackie, the mother of teens, tells me her level of contentment fluctuates all the time. "It depends on our finances, the state of the house, my husband's and kids' moods and whether or not I have PMS," she says.

Discontent can take a variety of forms. One is Jackie's vague sense of disequilibrium--sometimes she likes her life, and sometimes she doesn't. Another form is a more profound restlessness, like that of a single-parent friend who'd love to pull up stakes and move to Florida after her youngest is through school.  But a third, more destructive discontent is that "never enough" spiral many of us get caught in--always wanting a bigger house, more money, a more prestigious job.

The problem is, many of us define contentment as that ideal state of contant happiness where every problem is solved and every goal is met. But what happens when you achieve a goal? It's like yanking dandelions--you pull one and another pops up in its place. 

Ten years ago, I had a certain sum in mind as my ideal annual income.  I thought, If only I could earn that, my financial woes would be over. Well, guess what happened when I reached that magical number. It no longer seemed ideal, thanks to inflation. In fact, it seemed pitifully inadequate. What I had thought would give me contentment didn't satisfy me any longer.

We're fooling ourselves if we think we'll ever solve all our problems this side of eternity. New dreams will always replace the old. Ultimately there is no true contentment apart from knowing, loving and desiring to follow Christ.

If we're honest, most of us can't say we're content in every situation as the apostle Paul learned to be (Philippians 4:12-13). But it is a model to aspire to.

We may never achieve absolute contentment. But as we seek God's peace and ask his help in setting our minds on "things above"--no matter what the world may throw at us--we may be able to say, echoing the apostle Paul, "I am learning to be content in every circumstance." Such thoughts will help you get over "never enough" and be satisfied with "what is."

Come to think of it, that would make a great inscription for a plaque. I could hang it in my kitchen and meditate on it as I start boiling the macaroni for dinner. 

I think we can all learn something from these words written by Elizabeth and I think we need to be reminded from time to time.

Have a wonderful weekend, and be sure to check out the Spiritual Sundays blog. We are so pleased that more and more people are joining us in sharing there. New people are always welcome. You can click HERE to go to that blog and you will find information on how to share when you get there.

AZ BLOGGERS TEA

Arizona Bloggers will be having a get together at Front Porch Tea Cafe in Mesa Saturday, March 27.

I just did a post on my Charlotte's Weblog blog about it. You can click HERE to see what I said about it, and click on the picture at the left to go to Country Wings in Phoenix blog to get all the details about the tea. If you blog and live anywhere close to Phoenix, I hope you will consider joining us.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Forgot to wear green on St. Patty’s Day? Don’t be surprised if you get pinched. No surprise, it’s an entirely American tradition that probably started in the early 1700s. St. Patrick’s revelers thought wearing green made one invisible to leprechauns, fairy creatures who would pinch anyone they could see (anyone not wearing green). People began pinching those who didn’t wear green as a reminder that leprechauns would sneak up and pinch green-abstainers. (from the Christian Science Monitor website).

 I never liked this custom. Seems like I always forgot to wear green. (charlotte)


HAVE A GREAT DAY AND DON'T GET PINCHED.

WHY WHY WHY

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are almost dead?

Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they already know there is not enough money?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four hundred billion stars; but have to check when you say the paint is still wet?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?

If people evolved from apes...
         why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day when mattresses are not on sale.

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, 'That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going?'

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

And my FAVORITE......

The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

Thanks for the above goes to my friend Harlow who sent this in an e-mail.

OK. I know it's time to decorate for Easter. I've seen it on blogs I've visited. I'll bring out more bunnies and stuff later, but right now, here is that cute bunny my daughter gave me a few weeks ago to cheer me up after I had surgery. It worked. I'm still smiling.

The Old Paths

 I liked the old paths, when

Moms were at home.
Dads were at work.
Brothers went into the army.
And sisters got married BEFORE having children!
Crime did not pay;
Hard work did;
And people knew the difference.
Moms could cook;
Dads would work;
Children would behave.
Husbands were loving;
Wives were supportive;
And children were polite.
Women wore the jewelry;
And Men wore the pants.
Women looked like ladies;
Men looked like gentlemen;
And children looked decent.
People loved the truth,
And hated a lie;
They came to church to get IN,
Not to get OUT!
Hymns sounded Godly;
Sermons sounded helpful;
Rejoicing sounded normal;
And crying sounded sincere.
Cursing was wicked;
Drugs were for illness;
And divorce was unthinkable.
The flag was honored;
America was beautiful;
And God was welcome!
We read the Bible in public;
Prayed in school;
And preached from house to house
To be called an American was worth dying for;
To be called a Christian was worth living for;
To be called a traitor was a shame!
Preachers preached because they had a message;
And Christians rejoiced because they had the VICTORY!
Preachers preached from the Bible;
Singers sang from the heart;
And sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED!
A new birth meant a new life;
Salvation meant a changed life;
Following Christ led to eternal life.
Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God;
Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord;
Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus;
And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you!
Laws were based on the Bible;
Homes read the Bible;
And churches taught the Bible.
God was worshiped;
Christ was exalted;
And the Holy Spirit was respected.
Church was where you found Christians
On the Lord's day, rather than in the garden,
On the creek bank, on the golf course,
Or being entertained somewhere else.
I still like the old paths the best!


'The Old Paths' was written by a retired minister who lives
In Tennessee.

I recently received this in an e-mail. Needless to say, I LIKE IT! I guess I'm a little bit old fashioned. I know I'm old. lol