Dam Walk Finally!

THANK YOU, HEAVENLY FATHER!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His love endures forever."
1 Chronicles 16:34

SNOW? It's a big deal around here!

It has been 40 years since we saw snow... Well, not really. There was the blizzard of '73 and the 'surprise' snow that shut the city down 6 or 7 years ago. I can't visualize that exact date due to PTSD.
My boss's error in judgement that day cost me big time. Because she was from a state which frequently experienced snow, she could not comprehend what the big deal was for us. She scoffed at the excitement and urgency to get out of town. Therefore, I waited too long to leave and could not move my frozen Lincoln out of the parking lot. I stood in line with all the other stranded motorists and paid a ridiculous amount to spend the night two blocks away at the Marriott (where the power went out and I wept for my nice warm fireplace at home). It was the first and only time I have been given a toothbrush along with my room key. No one checking in was prepared for an overnight stay.

But I digress.... anything not frequently seen becomes either very special or very terrifying, depending on your personal circumstances. While I am concerned for those who will suffer from the cold I cannot ignore the beauty of snow flakes floating and swirling to the ground. I cherish the first moments outside after the snow has ended and before drivers have ventured onto the slippery roads. The hushed silence of a fresh snow is a rare and amazing gift. Moments of not a single sound as the miracle stops us in our tracks. Perhaps this is God's reason, His joy, for sending the snow. To force His frantically busy children to pause a moment to witness His wondrous works. Like the rare snowman below.

Truth be told, I had nothing to do with making this snowman. My mother told us children that it was too cold to go out, so we did not get to play in the snow. She went outside, built the snowman and then allowed us to come out to have our picture taken with it.

There were many rumors, drawn from fact, that the snow was full of dirt, pollution and nuclear fallout. I thought for years that my mother did not want us to get sick and was too unfamiliar with snow to know that it would not hurt us. But now I wonder if she actually wanted some time to herself to play in the snow.

If you have snow today how dirty is it? Do this to see:

Gather these items:

a plastic container that is empty, clean, and has a lid
a coffee filter or piece of paper towel
a bowl
a magnifying glass

Fill the container with fresh snow
Put the lid on the container and let the snow melt.
After it has melted hold the coffee filter or paper towel over the bowl.

Pour the melted snow slowly over the filter or paper into the bowl.

What do you see piling up on the paper or filter?

If you can't tell, use the magnifying glass.

(I am not sure I want to ruin my fantasy)

~

"From the fullness of His grace,

we have all received one blessing after another."

~John 1:16 (NIV

Super Chick

The largest breasts I have ever seen!
Really ginormous...
I mean really scary colossal...

...for a chicken. I am purchasing more and more organic, grain fed meat. Organic cost more, so we will just have to eat less meat in order to eat the best meat. And tonight's baked chicken proves why we need to do this. I had to slice the breasts in 3 sections in order to expect them to cook in a reasonable length of time. Years ago I simply placed the breast portion in the casserole as is.

Did you know?

The discovery that low doses of antibiotics make chicken grow faster was made in 1950. Since then, practise of mixing antibiotics (up to a dozen different types) in animal feed has become quite common, and scientist estimate that 70 percent of all antibiotics consumed in the United States are used for livestock production.

It's important to note that these low-dose antibiotics added to feed are not necessarily used to treat diseases or infections. Over 90 percent of the antibiotics used in livestock production are for "non-therapeutic" purposes, merely to enhance growth and weight gain in the animals.

Non-therapeutic usage of antibiotics has been especially common in poultry production. Since the 1980's, annual antibiotic usage in poultry production has increased from approximately 2 million to 10.5 million pounds, an increase of more than 300 percent! Although this is due in part to the overall growth of the poultry industry, that's still a lot of antibiotics used to make chickens grow faster.*

There was a time when fried chicken was a Sunday Dinner treat. We can now consume fried chicken every day if we wish (to have a heart attack at an early age). It should take a chicken approximately 8 months to mature (contingent on type and nutrition). To meet the demands of food production today a chicken can be ready in a matter of weeks. And they are bred to have larger breasts since that is what all the restaurants want for nuggets and strips.

Can we place all the blame on the Poultry Industry? What role does our own greed and impatience play in this? We want/we demand, without regard to our future or the world's. Our bodies not only grow larger but become resistant to antibiotics when we may need them to protect our health. This is a widely known issue that most of us continue to ignore.

*http://www.circleofresponsibility.com/page/19/poultry.htm


*note...
the Super Bowl and commercials were sadly lacking in originality so I had time to think about this.

Disney Vacation

The # 6 played a major role in the extraordinary BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

and a very special WEDDING ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION