daily 2007 february page

Kay's Daily Journal
February 2007

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Important February Dates

Holidays & Important Days:	Anniversaries:	Birthdays:	Miscellaneous
February 2 - Groundhog Day	February 16 - Jim & Kay		Birthstone - Amethyst
February 12 - Lincoln's B'day			Flower - Violet/Primrose
February 14 - Valentine's Day			Black History Month
February 19 - President's Day			American Heart Month
February 22 - Washington's B'day			Library Lovers Month
			Nat'l Bird-Feeding Month
			Backyard Bird Count
			Nat'l Hot Breakfast Month

2007 Old Farmer's Almanac Predictions for February 2007 in the Mid-Atlantic Region

"Temp 29° (4° below avg); precip. 4" (1" above avg). 1-7 Snow. then sunny, very cold. 8-11 snow north, rain south; seasonable. 12-18 Rainy periods south, rain and snow north. 19-22 Mild, rain. 23-26 Sunny, very cold. 27-28 Northeaster."

February 28, 2007 - Wednesday

Nebraska State Law #8 - Omaha:   A man is not allowed to run around with a shaved chest.

New Jersey State Law #1:   Drivers must warn those who they pass on highways before they do so.

New Jersey State Law #2:   Spray paint may not be sold without a posted sign warning juveniles of the penalty for creating graffiti.

It's the end of the month already. Where's my "Nor'easter"???? Guess we had it last Sunday! We hit 60° today, my jonquils are up 6", in spite of the snow last Sunday. Of course the snow is all gone. Kind of a here today, gone tomorrow snow storm. The best kind.

We really have the deer coming into the yard several times a day. Usually about 8 or 9 of them. They're flighty and run if they see us, but they keep coming back so that's a good thing. "Foxy", one of our resident foxes, comes every night for food. I think he hears us call him after he smells supper cooking. He stays back about 20-30 feet but will come get stuff that is tossed to him. So-o-o-o cute!!!

I revised my Urie Family webpage, just added a photo montage (is that the right word?) of various photos from the 40th anniversary reunion we had at my parents house last June. We never got a good group photo since I was in pain and we were all tired from the hours spent at the emergency room. So I just pieced together this bunch of photos of the family members that were present! I still need to update some of the other photos on the page of my sons, nieces and nephews and I will get to that eventually.

Accomplishments for February 2007:

Bible Read (version-NKJV-New King James Version - restarted in September 2006):
     Leviticus 21 - 27
     Numbers
     Dueteronomy
     Joshua
     Judges
     Ruth
     1st Samuel
     2nd Samuel
     1st Kings
     2nd Kings

Home Studies:
Online SS Lessons (SDA): 2007-1st Quarter
     02/03 - More Life Under the Sun
     02/10 - Rich Man, Poor Man
     02/17 - Striving After the Wind
     02/24 - God Made Man Upright. What Happened?
Bible Studies (Worldwide Church of God):
     Lesson 1 - Why The Bible is The Word of God
Multiple Articles (pdf files online):
     A Reply to Articles Published in the Signs of the Times by WW Fletcher
     Are the Gospel & 1844 Theology Compatible by Brinsmead
     Errors in the Great Controversy
     SDA Examined by Helen Appleton
     SDA Examined by JB Rowell
     Ten Commandments
     The Atonement and the Work of Salvation by WW Fletcher
     The Heavenly Sanctuary
     The Investigative Judgement
     Prophecy Code Seminar #05 - Pending Your Case in Court
     Prophecy Code Seminar #05 - Spiritual Israel
     Prophecy Code Seminar #06 - Blood Behind the Veil
     Prophecy Code Seminar #08 - Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law

Daily Readings:
     My Utmost to His Highest by Oswald Chambers, February 1 - 28
     Devotional from Chancellor Church

Books Read - Non-fiction:
     A Theologian's Journey from Seventh-day Adventism to Mainstream Christianity - Jerry Gladson
     Acrylic Workshop
     Oil Painting Workshop
     Adorable Animals You Can Paint by Jane Maday
     Enjoy the Seasons Vol. 4 by Roni LaBree
     Paint Along with Jerry Yarnell Vol. 4: Painting Techniques
     Paint Along with Jerry Yarnell Vol. 5: Painting Adventures
     Paint Along with Jerry Yarnell Vol. 6: Learning Composition
     Paint Along with Jerry Yarnell Vol. 7: Painting Perspectives
     Paint Along with Jerry Yarnell Vol. 8: Capturing Color
     Paint Along with Jerry Yarnell Vol. 9: Creating Light
     Painting the Elements by Kelly Messerly
     Secrets to Realistic Drawing by Carrie Stuart Parks & Rich Parks

Books Read - Fiction:
     Sun Kissed - Catherine Anderson
     On The Run - Iris Johansen

Audio Books Listened to:
     Tell Me Lies - Jennifer Crusie
     Cover of Night - Linda Howard

Movies & Specials on TV:
     Angels Fall
     The Shaggy Dog
     When Animals Attack 3 (1 hr Special)
     Train Wrecks (1 hr Special)
     The World's Scariest Explosions Caught on Tape (1 hr Special)
     MercyMe Concert
     Groundhog Day (on Groundhog Day, of course!)
     Take Her, She's Mine
     Dimples (Shirley Temple movie)
     Curly Top (Shirley Temple movie)
     Charmed - Season 2
     The Dish (true story, excellent movie!)
     Fifth Element
     White Out: Blizzards ( 1 hr History Channel Special)

Webpage Updates - kayurie.com
     Daily Journals (dailies)
     News Archives (end of month standard)
     Index (end of month standard)

Webpage Updates - n4kup.com
     Additions to truths.html
     Outline of revised religion.html (not yet uploaded)
     New photo added to family_urie_page.html

Music Projects:
     Practice on newest songs

Inventories:
     Romance & Fiction Novels

Contests Mailings:    8

Church Activities:
     Storehouse hours: 10

Note:

If you are interested in reading or listening or watching any of the listed items above, please check with your local library. Most of these books, audiobooks, CD's, cassettes or DVD's can be found on their shelves. The household, craft and hobby projects are my own and many can be found on these webpages under the same category. Last resort is to email me at the address listed at the bottom of this webpage. Hope you have enjoyed my entries.

February 27, 2007 - Tuesday

Nebraska State Law #5:   It is illegal for a mother to give her daughter a perm without a state license.

Nebraska State Law #6 - Lehigh:   Doughnut holes may not be sold.

Nebraska State Law #7 - Omaha:   Sneezing or burping is illegal during a church service.

Maybe I can understand that burping is illegal during a church service. I have brothers, I know what a burping contest can sound like. But sneezing???? I have allergies. What could I do but sneeze if some lady sits down in the pew behind me with alot of perfume on??? Guess in Omaha I would have to jump up out of my seat and crush folks feet, trying desparately to exit the church, maybe running down the center aisle while the preacher is in the midst of his sermon, so that I won't get arrested when I sneeze? Now that's bazaar.

Busy day, had to run to pickup a prescription as well as some other errands in town today. Keeps me on my toes! No, I didn't really "run", I drove my car, OK?

February 26, 2007 - Monday

Nebraska State Law #2:   If a child burps during church, his parent may be arrested.

Nebraska State Law #3:   It is illegal to go whale fishing.

Nebraska State Law #4:   It is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup.

Hope you all are enjoying the different state laws. Some are weird, some make sense. The one about the child burping in church, well, we won't go there. I'd also wonder how many people were arrested for whale fishing in Nebraska?????

It got up to about 46° today. Snow is still on the ground but has melted in the lane and according to Jim & Jimmy, off the roads. So that is a good snow.

I watched a special on the History Channel today while I was doing some paperwork at the kitchen table, called "White Out". It was about blizzards. Pretty interesting. They had a story about one that hit, coincidentally, Nebraska in the late 1800's, which killed alot of people, mostly children who got caught in schools. There was one local hero, a 19 year old girl, a teacher, who, when the roof blew off the school, she tied her students together with a rope and to herself and they made their way through the blinding snow and walked over a mile to shelter. She and her students survived, but many others didn't. Quite a story! The program was an hour long and also covered the New York City blizzard in 1800's as well as several other blizzards over the years. Interesting program if you ever get chance to watch it.

I sorted paperwork that I had dumped in a big plastic tub since last summer. You know, receipts, bill statements and miscellaneous stuff that needs to be filed. I sorted several big piles of them today and was pleased with the progress. (I had been tossing them in the tub since I broke my ankle last June). So now I have to pay the piper and get all that junk filed or tossed or whatever. But any progress is progress, right?

Can you believe how fast this month has gone? Here we are, almost ready to enter March. I was looking at my list of accomplishments this month and it's not as good as I'd like it to be. But, at least I am doing some things, slowly but surely.

In my Bible reading I finished 1st Kings last night. So I'm progressing along there also. Did you realize that when you get to approximately Psalms 140 or so, you are about ½ way through the entire Bible? At least by the page count in my Bible. It may not actually be so in another one. I'll have to check my Amazing Facts books or Bible Trivia book to find the actual half way mark. Maybe I should add an additional section on my Religion webpages about unusual things of the Bible. That might be kinda interesting too.

February 25, 2007 - Sunday

Montana State Law #18 - Salisbury:   Pop bottles are not to be thrown on the ground.

Montana State Law #19 - Whitehall:   It is illegal to operate a vehicle with ice picks attached to the wheels.

Nebraska State Law #1:   It is illegal to fly a plane while drunk.

YES, we are starting another NEW STATE!!! But first I just have to comment on the ice picks law. WHAT???? How many people did that one before a law was passed against it?????

And then there's the NEBRASKA law about being illegal to fly a plane while drunk. Wasn't that in a movie I saw awhile back? Like "Independence Day" or "ID4" as it has become known as??? Was that Nebraska????

We got about 2½" of snow, followed by some sleet and mixed precipitation. Now it's raining and 31°. Could be another interesting night. Jim moved the truck and got stuck right in front of the house. It's not that the snow is so deep, but that it is such a heavy wet snow that it crushes down to solid ice. But it was a pretty day, with the snow falling here in the woods!

I spent alot of the day reading materials online about the Adventist church and Ellen White and the 1844 Investigative Judgement. Interesting material. I'll hold my comments until I get my Religion webpages revised! I've mentioned before that I have my outlines basically drawn up for the pages, just need to implement them! I'm going to go over the 28 fundamental beliefs of the Adventist church. I can't wait to get started on it. I'm hoping to get lots of other comments about the beliefs as the pages start to develop. I'll post a note here when I get the first pages online!!

February 24, 2007 - Sabbath

Montana State Law #15 - Excelsior Springs:   Balls may not be thrown within the city limits.

Montana State Law #16 - Helena:   It is illegal to annoy passersby on sidewalks with a revolving water sprinkler.

Montana State Law #17 - Helena:   No item may be thrown across a street.

OK Common sense laws, (imagine me nodding my head up and down as I ponder today's batch), I can see the safety issues involved.

Watching a huge storm come across the nation, tornadoes and severe weather on the Southern edge of the storm, ice, sleet and snow on the Northern side. We're supposed to be in the middle, storms then ice. We're currently under the winter storm watch boxes for a small accumulation of ice tonight, tomorrow and thru Monday, with possible power outages again. Thanks. But NO Thanks! I'm ready for spring.

I can't believe that I'm saying that. Am I really ready for spiders, snakes and bees? Already? Seems like we just got rid of them! Well, six months on, six months off. What can I say? It goes with the territory.

Routine day, read, relaxed abit this afternoon, (that means I took a nap!), and have been trying to catch up on some emails! Not caught up yet but working on it. Very tired today, so will not linger in this journal.

February 23, 2007 - Friday

Montana State Law #12 - Billings:   It is illegal to use speed-dial in the city phone system.

Montana State Law #13 - Excelsior Springs:   Hard objects may not be thrown by hand.

Montana State Law #14 - Excelsior Springs:   Worrying squirrels will not be tolerated.

I just have to ask, what would be considered "worrying" a squirrel??? Throwing peanuts at them? Tickling them? Yelling at them? Calling them? I'm just trying to get an idea here.....

Windy and blustery all day today. It got into the 40's but it felt alot colder. Tonight we're supposed to drop below freezing and I cannot believe it, but they are calling for a wintry mix on Sunday. Hm-m-m-m. Interesting.

Did some grocery shopping today, so ran errands all over town. So I'm really tired tonight. I haven't had chance to work on the Religion pages as I had planned. I do have an outline roughed out. I believe I will do something on each of the 28 Fundamental beliefs of the SDA church. I hope others will send me things, write-ups, explanations and so on, to add to these pages!

I've almost quit watching TV this week. Everything is Anna Nicole. I'm very sorry that the woman is dead. It's tragic and mostly for the young baby which will never know her mother. But come on, other good people have died in the last couple weeks. I'm just tired of hearing about here every moment for the last 20 years. Her life counted, it was important. Her family loved her and misses her. That's true for anyone who has lost someone in the last couple weeks. Please, somebody, tell the news media to let her "rest in peace"!!!!

And Brittany? If the MEDIA would just LEAVE HER ALONE. Please, let the girl live her life, get her act together or whatever. I know for both Anna Nicole and Brittany, it's the price you pay for being rich and famous. But enough is ENOUGH. Let them be.

There are plenty of other people that the news media could pick on. Why don't we start with Hillary???? On second thought, let's not.

February 22, 2007 - Thursday

Montana State Law #9 - Billings:   Persons in possession of a "pea shooter" risk it being confiscated by police.

Montana State Law #10 - Billings:   It is illegal to bring a bomb or rocket to city council proceedings.

Montana State Law #11 - Billings:   Bands who play in clubs where alcohol is served may not leave the stage while performing.

OK, I can't stand it, I have to comment on Law #10. This was common enough that they had to pass a law about it? What were they talking about in those city council proceedings?????

Good day, tired. Had a doctor's appointment this morning. Just my routine quarterly blood tests and stuff. Have had a knot in the back of my leg since December, thought it might be from the tendons being torn last year but it hadn't gone away and was bothering me a little. Turns out I have a blood clot in my leg. Not the serious kind, just the vein type clots which eventually dissolve on their own in time. Probably from all those weeks that I spent in the casts. Doc said nothing to worry about. Told me to take aspirin every day and if it aches or bothers me, use warm compresses on it.

Otherwise, barring any bloodwork results to the contrary, everything was A-OK. That's always good news!!!.

Still reading alot, discussing some questions with Dad on what I'm reading in the Bible and other sources. It's really great!

OK, I'm really tired and it's getting late. We're under a high wind advisory as is almost all of the Commonwealth through the night. Winds are gusting around 50 mph. I don't know that we are getting in that range, but probably in the upper 30's or so. Fairly windy for back here in the woods!

February 21, 2007 - Wednesday

Montana State Law #6:   It is illegal for married women to go fishing alone on Sundays, and illegal for unmarried women to fish alone at all..

Montana State Law #7:   Seven or more Indians are considered a raiding or war party and it is legal to shoot them.

Montana State Law #8 - Billings:   No person shall raise pet rats.

Routine day at the Price household. Worked on laundry, picked up some miscellaneous junk that needed to be sorted and tossed. Cleaned out a couple of small drawers, bagged garbage, cooked meals, dishes....what can I say? Now I'm typing up my journal!

Tired tonight and it's later than I realized so I won't drag this out. I've updated my Uriefamily webpage with the new information! So check it out if you get a chance. Starts with Generation #3, Person #4, look at son William and see hyperlink (88) which now includes another line of the family!

February 20, 2007 - Tuesday

Montana State Law #3:   It is illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone.

Montana State Law #4:   It is a felony for a wife to open her husband's mail.

Montana State Law #5:   It is a misdemeanor to show movies that depict acts of felonious crime.

The only law listed in today's batch that I'll question is Law #3 about being illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone. "Uh, honey? Could you come along and chaperone while I transport the sheep to the vets?" Well, I guess it might seem silly to have the sheep in the cab of the truck, but what if it's raining outside, or in Montana, what if it's snowing? OK, OK, I'm just having a "blonde" moment.

Did you ever wonder why a cow is a cow and a bunch of cows are cows? But a sheep is a sheep is a sheep, unless it's a lamb? I mean, there's horse and horses, goat and goats, chicken and chickens, duck and ducks. Then on the other hand there is a goose or geese, mouse and mice. And then there's swan and swan or deer and deer. Did you ever think about that? OK, another blonde moment. I'm tired, deal with it.

Well, I'm mistaken. I'll have to take issue with Law #4 above also. It's a felony for a wife to open her husband's mail? Let's get real here. We've moved into the 21st century. We have the right to vote now. We work at jobs outside the home now. I think that should allow us to open the husband's mail. I'm not saying to be nosy or whatever. But in some homes the woman handles the bills and stuff, so therefore she would have to open the mail. And if mail comes from an old childhood girlfriend, well, need I say more?????

Warmer today, temps reached 59.7° at our house. It clouded over later afternoon and is supposed to rain overnight.

Still fighting my cold, it has settled in my chest and is causing me to have a bit of laryngitis. But I feel ok for the most part. Just short of breath. Sounds like everyone I know almost is fighting the same cold/flu scenario. It's this crazy weather, one day it's single digit temperature and the next day is no coats needed. No wonder everyone is sick!!!

I'll finish 1st Samuel tonight and start with 2nd Samuel also. I'm trying to read 10+ chapters per night. I really would like to read 20 chapters a night but some nights I just can't do it. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that the words start to blur as I get more tired.

Seth called and said they've all been sick for a week also in New Mexico. So I guess we, here in the Commonwealth, are not the only part of the country suffering through the cold/flu season! Hope you guys all feel better real soon!!!!

I've made an outline up for the revamping of my "Religion" webpages. Now I just need to find some allotment of time to work on it! I'm hoping that I will get alot of "feedback" from readers, so that I can post some various opinions. That's one of the things I enjoy so much at Bible Study each week, listening to the different "takes" on a verse or subject. It is often a real "eye-opener"!!!

February 19, 2007 - Monday

Happy President's Day !!!!!!

Arkansas State Law #10 - Little Rock:   It is unlawful to walk one's cow down Main Street after 1:00 PM on Sunday.

Montana State Law #1:   Prostitution is considered a "crime against the family".

Montana State Law #2:   One may not pretend to abuse an animal in the presence of a minor.

New State!!! MONTANA. We have relatives who live in Montana, so thought we'd pick on them next! Honestly, though, the first two Montana laws just make good sense to me, so no joking for today.

I just located a calendar that has more stuff on it for each day of the month, so I will try to add to the listings of "Special Days" above and for future months.

Last week, before the ice storm and power outages, I met, via email, another Urie cousin!!!! We have exchanged a couple of emails and she has sent me some additional email on the Urie family. Each time we hear from someone else that descends from our ancestors, they are able to piece another important lineage of information to our overall URIE Family History!!! I have added the information to my Urie webpages. Thanks, Claudia!!!

Supposed to warm up tomorrow and remain more seasonable, in the 50's during the day and 30's at night, for the foreseeable future. I'll believe it when I see it.

I'm into 1st Samuel, just finished reading the stories about Eli and his sons and Samuel's early days in the temple. Very interesting. These smaller "books" of the Bible are faster reads because there aren't as many chapters per book like Genesis and some of the earlier ones. Course I'm not to Psalms yet and that one has what, 150 chapters??? But some of those are even very small. I feel like I'm really making progress. But I am devoting some time each evening to reading, so that helps also!

Routine day at the Price household. Well, Jim worked on his computer and then installed the bathroom medicine cabinet for me. I worked on laundry and then lunch and supper and dishes and my computer. It was a holiday, after all!!! The days do go fast!!!

February 18, 2007 - Sunday

Arkansas State Law #7 - Little Rock:   No one may "suddenly start or stop" their car at a McDonalds.

Arkansas State Law #8 - Little Rock:   Dogs may not bark after 6 PM.

Arkansas State Law #9 - Little Rock:   Flirtation between men and women on the streets of Little Rock may result in a 30 day jail term.

How do you stop a dog from barking? How do you go to McDonald's to eat if you can't start and stop your car? Even the drive-thru requires some stopping at some point. Maybe there's a phone ahead service and they toss it in your car window as you drive without stopping. Talk about your "fast" food service!

There were actually some snow flurries around the area last evening. Nothing on the ground here in King George however and the temps are just above freezing. Looking forward to the 50's next week during the day.

This morning we went out for an Anniversary breakfast! It was really good! Then we did a little shopping and picked up some things we needed. Otherwise, a pretty routine Sunday. We had some flurries late afternoon but no accumulation.

February 17, 2007 - Sabbath

Arkansas State Law #4:   Allegators may not be kept in bathtubs.

Arkansas State Law #5 - Fayetteville:   It is illegal to kill "any living creature".

Arkansas State Law #6 - Little Rock:   Honking one's car horn at a sandwich shop after 9 PM is against the law.

I'll have to mention the first law above, #4, allegators in the bathtub? I knew there was a reason we drove straight through Arkansas and slept in Oklahoma instead!!!

Oh, deal with it...I'm just kidding...

My Dad always would tease me about killing insects, saying the Bible says "Thou shalt not kill", and it doesn't say, "except for spiders". But law #5 above says "Any Living Creature". What does that mean? Are mousetraps or roach motels illegal in Arkansas? Is there a live trap for roaches and hornets in Arkansas? OK, OK, I'll drop it for now. Again, deal with it!

I've finished reading Joshua (in the Bible) and starting on Judges. I'm reading the New King James Version right now. Once I finish the whole Bible, I'm going to choose another translation, probably NIV (New International Version), and read it again. This is COOL. We were required to read large sections of the Bible while in school. But now I'm reading it because I REALLY want too! Ain't that a hoot! And I'm REALLY ENJOYING it!!!!

I'm also reading a couple of very interesting books, which I will discuss in depth at a later date. Well, I'll give you a brief synopsis but it seems like the more I read the more I question....

One of the books is "A Theologian's Journey from Seventh-day Adventism to Mainstream Christianity." It covers alot of things, problems the writer encountered as an Adventist minister and professor at Southern Adventist College in Tennessee. A big section of the controversy is on the Investigative Judgement starting in 1844 (See Daniel 8:14). Dad sent me some additional materials on the subject and I have studied them also. My belief is that I need to study this whole subject more to understand it.

There have been quite a few pastors who have left the Adventist church on just this subject alone, according to the articles that my father sent me from the "Adventist Today" magazine. I do believe that if you could boil down the Adventist beliefs in a nutshell, it would be like this:

The Seventh-day Adventist Church's foundation lies with a couple of main beliefs. 1) 1844 Investigative Judgement of Daniel; 2) Three Angels Messages of Revelation. Both were "explained" or "clarified" through the prophecies and writings of Ellen G. White. If you believe that she was indeed a prophet of God, inspired, then you have no issue with these two or any of the basic foundation blocks of the Adventist Church. If you don't believe she was inspired of God, then you don't believe as a Seventh-day Adventist does. Does that make sense?

And yes, there are other foundational beliefs that are just as important, such as the 7th day as Sabbath and the state of the dead. In fact, if you visit the Adventist website and look at Fundamental Beliefs, you will find there are now 28 "foundational blocks" to the church. But if you don't believe in Ellen G. White's writings as inspired of God, then it becomes easy to question all of the Adventist practices. I'm not agreeing or disagreeing at this point. I'm just trying to reason it all out in my own head and you, my sweet public, get to hear all my inane brain chatter as I think it through.

I'm also not saying that I agree or disagree with all the church doctrines that I was taught in school. There were definitely many times that the emphasis has been on rules of the church, instead of on Jesus, where it should've been. I know that many of my school friends of years gone by have left the church because of some of these doctrines or treatment by some of the church boards or powers that be, when issues have arisen. Some of those same doctrines are so engrained into my head and heart, that I struggled with accepting things of some of our more modern churches now. Yet, many of our churches are still very traditional and going from one church to another these days, while accepted in one church as you are, you may be frowned upon in another church with the same denominational initials. Are these doctrines truly Bible based or are they outdated ideas? Do I agree with the more modern ways or is it just less work on my part to go along with it? Or is it because I've always wanted to do something and was never allowed to in the more traditional churches? Are the traditional churches the modern day Laodecian Churches (see Revelation) lukewarm with no advancement or do they have the correct message? Is Ellen G. White a prophet, inspired by God? Were her writings truly what founded the Adventist Church? Or was her gift the ability to see what was right in all the teachings of her day and then explain it to others? What are these doctrines? What are the issues that I have struggled with or still struggle with today? Well, just like a season cliffhanger on TV, I'm going to reserve these discussions for another day. There is much to read about, study, pray about and understand. A lot of topics that need to be examined. Maybe I'll set up another website on my Religion Pages for some of these discussions. I think that might be a good idea!

See? Not only do I talk to myself, but I answer myself too!

February 16, 2007 - Friday

Happy Anniversary Jim & Kay !!!!!!

Arkansas State Law #1:   The Arkansas River can rise no higher than to the Main Street bridge in Little Rock.

Arkansas State Law #2:   A law provides that school teachers who bob their hair will not get a raise.

Arkansas State Law #3:   A man can legally beat his wife, but not more than once a month.

New State!!! ARKANSAS. Oh boy, here we go....I've heard alot of laws for people but for a River???? What're they gonna do if the River breaks the law? Put it in jail??? And "bob" your hair? Now that's a term I haven't heard in years! I think it was in an old movie, "Cheaper By the Dozen", the original made back in 1950. Before my time! However, I have watched it many times on the old Classics movie channels.

And the beating your wife law, didn't we have one earlier about beating your wife on the courthouse steps before 8 pm? We've come a long ways, Baby.

February 15, 2007 - Thursday

Arizona State Law #16 - Tempe:   One must be 18 years old to buy spray paint.

Arizona State Law #17 - Tombstone:   It is illegal for men and women over the age of 18 to have less than one missing tooth visible when smiling.

Arizona State Law #18 - Tucson:   Women may not wear pants.

Law #17, what can I add to that? We won't even discuss Law #18.

OK. Here's the story in great detail about our exciting Valentine's Day Ice Storm:

We lost power around 3:30 am on Weds morning, after getting 1/4" of ice (freezing rain). Then it started sleeting around 4 am and stopped around 7 am leaving an additional 1/4" or so of sleet. (looked like a dusting of snow but no snow here in our part of King George). The temps hovered around 32° until 4 am and then dropped to around 29° for the sleet time period. We got up to 37.4° on Wednesday which melted, very dramatically, I might add, the ice from the trees. Jimmy walked the entire lane both directions, cutting away small trees that were across the drive. So we were able to get in and out, no problem (well, not me cause I've been sick with a bad cold/flu). Jim got the generator going early so we didn't lose food from the frig or freezer. Power company finally admitted that it could be as late as Friday before power would be restored. (Jim had the generator hooked up for minimum use, just to run the frig & freezer and a lamp in the living room.) Late afternoon, he got the kerosene heater going in our living room as the temps were dropping fast and we had some concern about the water pipes that run on the outside wall of the house. Plus it had dropped to just below 50° inside the house, so we needed a little heat! (Especially us sick people!) During the night, temps dropped to 17°, but we were a toasty 61° inside the living room. (that sounds cold, but we normally keep the house around 68° in the winter so 61° is very comfortable, plus we had blankets and stuff to help keep us warm!)

Power returned at 10:40 am this morning (Thursday) and I realize that I am so thankful to have been born in the age of modern conveniences! I love having electricity, heat and running water, and also, my computer, back online!!! I haven't been cold in Virginia, very rarely, but I have to admit, it was kinda cold the last couple-a days!!!

Oh, yes, I got to hear 13 trees fall down in our woods and saw the 14th one early Weds morning when I walked out on the front porch. None of the trees fell in our yard, just all in the woods and you could hear them very distinctly, sounds like a gunshot! (Some could've actually been large limbs of trees). Unlike during Hurricane Isabel, when we couldn't hear anything but the roar of the wind and then looked outside the next day to see trees down everywhere! I'll have to think about which one is scarier, hearing the trees break and falling down (ice storms - mostly pine trees), or not hearing them but knowing they are coming down anyway (hurricanes/tornadoes - large oak trees)....... And, OK. I've had my "Winter Weather Event" for the year (even if it wasn't snow!). I'm going to admit that I'm ready for spring now. :-) (Well I've said it before, I'd rather have 15" of snow than a coating of ice, anyday.........)

February 14, 2007 - Wednesday

Happy Valentine's Day !!!!!!

Arizona State Law #13 - Mohave County:   A decree declares that anyone caught stealing soap must wash himself with it until it is all used up.

Arizona State Law #14 - Nogales:   An ordinance prohibits the wearing of suspenders.

Arizona State Law #15 - Prescott:   No one is permitted to ride their horse up the stairs of the county court house.

I strongly protest the suspenders ordinance. What if the man's pants fall down? Pul-ease!

I don't know anything about riding a horse up the stairs of the county court house. And I claim complete innocence about the motorcycle ride up the front steps at a local college dormitory many years ago. My slate has been wiped clean.

I'm writing this journal as "hind-sight" since we lost power at 3:23 am in the morning. I'll explain in tomorrow's journal. All Tuesday night our temps hovered around 31° to 33° and it started freezing to everything.

February 13, 2007 - Tuesday

Arizona State Law #10 - Globe:   If you bother the cottontails or bullfrogs, you will be fined.

Arizona State Law #11 - Maricopa County:   No more than six girls may live in any house."

Arizona State Law #12 - Mesa:   It is illegal to smoke cigarettes within 15 feet of a public place unless you have a Class 12 liqueur license.

The Zen things and Empire Crumbling lists are now up on my Truths page.

I've decided that I'm going to set up some additional pages just for fun. One set will be the Months of the year. You know, a page for January, a page for February and so on. It will be cool to have a page with all the data about each month, where it came from, what it means and all the other good stuff associated with that particular month. Those will be coming later this spring.

Then I'm also going to set a some pages for the States. When I was a kid in school we were always having to do reports on different states for class projects. So I thought it would be neat to set up pages for each state with all the pertinent information about each one. Things like, state flower, state nickname, state tree, state bird, state population numbers, number of counties and alot of statistical info and graphics of license plates and such. Also, I want to include the "Weird Laws" that I've been putting on my journal pages. Another thing I will include are some trivia facts about each state. These pages will start to show up later this spring also as time permits. I'll post in these journals as the pages are uploaded online.

Sounds like I don't have enough to do already. But I do. But setting up these pages is a nice relaxing hobby effort and keeps my mind spinning as to what I can do next!

Still feeling pretty miserable. Mostly just from coughing all night long. Little sleep, chest and head hurt from coughing so much. Nothing great accomplished today, just kept warm on the sofa, fixed a quick supper, you know, stuff on a tray straight into the oven type foods, and typed up this journal. Now I'm going back to the sofa and get warm again. It's 30° and raining. We have a slight coat of ice on everything. That's all for tonight....

February 12, 2007 - Monday

Arizona State Law #7:   When being attacked by a criminal or burglar, you may only protect yourself with the same weapon that the other person possesses.

Arizona State Law #8:   It is unlawful to refuse a person a glass of water."

Arizona State Law #9 - Globe:   Cards may not be played in the street with a Native American.

So if a criminal is attacking me with a knife, I can only use a knife as defense??? That one doesn't make sense to me. It would be very interesting to see the testimonies of how this law got passed!

As for the others, well, I can understand the glass of water one, since alot of Arizona is desert and to refuse to give one water could be a life and death situation. But the card playing, hopefully, we've come along way from being that type of country.

If you will look under the "Important February Dates" section above, you will notice that I have added a new category, "Miscellaneous". This category will contain the Month's Birthstone, Flower, things like "Black History Month" or whatever else I locate about each month. Just another FREE service I'm providing my readers.

So the Dixie Chicks won 5 Grammy's:

Album of the Year
Song of the Year
Record of the Year
Best Country Album
Best Country Performance

What a colossal joke! What is WRONG with you people in Hollywood? UNBELIEVABLE.

I'm still sick, head hurts, body aches and coughing alot. I coughed all night long last night, actually slept only 2 hours, then 3 more this morning, on the sofa so that I didn't keep Jim awake all night. I think I'm feeling slightly better but only slightly. As long as I keep some cold meds in my system, I feel like I'm partially functioning. But as soon as they wear off I have to take more and sleep another hour. UGH. I hate being sick. I'm taking that Echinecea or whatever it is that someone once told me will lessen the effects of a cold and it really does help. So hopefully, I'm taking it faithfully enough that this will pass in a few days! It has started moving into my lungs, hence the coughing last night. So it's working it's way through and hopefully, hopefully, hopefully be gone in a few days! Well, what is the weather going to do? First they talked about a significant snowfall, then they said a rain event for this part of the state. Now they are saying snow, sleet, rain and freezing rain. Guess that covers all the bases, so they can pat themselves on the back and say another successful forecast implemented. Can't you guys get it right? You have all the electronics and weather satellites and computer programs at your fingertips. Nothing makes me madder than hearing about all this snow we're gonna get and then we get rain and if I hear even one of you weathermen say, "Oh, we sure dodged the bullet on that one!", so help me I won't watch your news channel for weeks. I want some snow if you predict snow. I DON'T want freezing rain or ice or sleet. Snow comes and goes quickly. Ice is dangerous, long-lasting and makes trees and powerlines fall down. NO THANKS. Give me snow or give me sunshine.

It's like the one weatherman said the other day, I'd rather have 15 inches of snow than 1/2" of ice! And that is the honest truth!

So if I don't enter anything else in my journal for the next few days, you will know that we are ice-ridden and powerless and stranded until the trees are removed, power restored and all that good stuff. Hopefully, it won't come to this.

February 11, 2007 - Sunday

Arizona State Law #4:   Donkeys cannot sleep in bathtubs.

Arizona State Law #5:   A class 2 demeanor occurs if one places a mark upon a flag which is "likely to provoke physical retaliation."

Arizona State Law #6:   It is illegal to manufacture imitation cocaine.

Let's talk about the Grammy's. They're on TV tonight. Hollywood types and musicians patting themselves on the back. The reason for my comments is that the Dixie Chicks are nominated for Best Album of the year, Best Song of the Year and Best Single release of the year or something like that. This nomination is not based on popularity or records sold or money made. It is because the song is a slam against President Bush. Don't get me wrong. I loved the Dixie Chicks when they first came out. They have terrific voices, fantastic music and a harmony unsurpassed by any other country group. They are unique in sound and songs. However, and this is a big HOWEVER. I cannot stand their attitudes, their arrogance or Natalie's big mouth. If they had just apologized, just joked with Toby Keith and let the issue go, they'd still be at the top of the country charts. BUT NO. They have to continually run their mouths. At least Natalie still runs her mouth. She has ruined the other two girls careers, yet you have to give them credit for standing by her. Perhaps they think the same thing? Birds of a feather....

But I digress.... The point is, the Hollywood types have nominated them, not because of sales or popularity but because of their political views. Fine. In this country a person has the right to think and say what they want. I also have a right to choose which albums I purchase and what TV programs I will watch. It won't be the Dixie Chicks and it won't be the Grammy's.

Now, about the above state laws... Donkeys can't sleep in bathtubs. You know that somewhere, at some time, somebody had a donkey sleepin' in a bathtub. They passed a law against it! Go figure. The other two laws seem pretty self-explanatory.

Still fighting this cold-flu. Still feeling kinda miserable, cold, coughing, runny nose, achy type of sick. Figures, we're gonna get snow and I'm sick.

My brother-in-law, Lex, sent me some of the cutest thought provoking things! Lines like:
The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

I just love that one! There are quite a few of them, so I'll probably post them on my "Truths" pages. Just not tonight, I don't feel good enough yet. But give me a couple days and they'll be there! Thanks Lex!!!

Jim sent me some from "Thirty-Six Sure-Fire Signs That Your Empire Is Crumbling" that make an amazing amount of sense, like:
You know your empire's crumbling when your government gives tax breaks to industries as a reward for exporting your jobs elsewhere.

These, too, will be posted on the "Truths" pages as soon as I get feeling better!

My big accomplishments for today? I got up, took my meds, loaded the dishwasher and typed up this journal. More than yesterday's accomplishments, hopefully less than tomorrow's.

February 10, 2007 - Sabbath

Arizona State Law #1:   Hunting camels is prohibited.

Arizona State Law #2:   Any misdemeanor committed while wearing a red mask is considered a felony.

Arizona State Law #3:   There is a possible sentence of up to 25 years in prison for cutting down a cactus.

Yep. ARIZONA is the new state I'm going to pick on for a few days. Don't worry, your state is coming! As I study these state laws I am beginning to see that many of them make alot of sense. Well, most of them.

The camel law is real. Way back, I don't know what year it was, people decided that camels might be the solution to travel across the deserts of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and parts of California. It never caught on, but we had a few camels imported here and they passed the law that you couldn't hunt them. Anybody know if they are still living in the wild in the desert?

The red mask law has me baffled. A red mask is a felony, what about blue, or black or green? And the law about the cactus is real only I don't know what the current sentencing and fines would be....I'm sure they are stiff. They don't even allow you to stop along the highway and get your photo taken with a cactus. Let alone cut one down!

I finished reading Numbers on Thursday night and have started Dueteronomy last night. I found alot of puzzling things in Numbers. I'll discuss those when I feel better.

Seth called and is getting a new state this weekend. Nevada. JoAnna's parents are up there right now and invited them up for the weekend. So that's cool. They are going to visit the Meteor Crater in AZ and go across Hoover Dam also on the way. I'm sure he'll post photos when they return!

Whatever bug the kids have had, has now gotten to Jim & me. Sick, head cold, sore throat and more. Yuck. I'm going back to the sofa to rest. Watching 3ABN, LLBN and Hope channels today and staying wrapped in my blanket to keep warm.

February 9, 2007 - Friday

Virginia State Law #25 - Virginia Beach:   It is illegal to use profanity on Atlantic Avenue or the boardwalk.

Virginia State Law #26 - Virginia Beach:   It is unlawful to drive by the same place within 30 minutes on Atlantic Avenue.

Virginia State Law #27 - Waynesboro:   It is illegal for a woman to drive a car up Main Street unless her husband is walking in front of the car waving a red flag.

I love the last one! That's a real hoot. And Law #26, well, what if your lost or searching for a house number or a motel? If you're going to use profanity, please choose another street.

These are the last of Virginia Laws that I'll share with you. Tomorrow, I will pick on another state. Will it be yours?

I just received a weather alert for next week. Basically, it says that we have the potential for significant snow on Tuesday from a storm that is currently over the Plains. Also predicting the cold temps to continue through next week instead of moderating like they first predicted. We shall see.

That's it for tonight. I'm just plain tuckered out!

February 8, 2007 - Thursday

Virginia State Law #22 - Victoria:   It is illegal to skate down the sidewalk of Main Street.

Virginia State Law #23 - Virginia Beach:   If you are drunk and not driving your car, and the person driving the car is drunk as well, you may both receive DUI's.

Virginia State Law #24 - Virginia Beach:   It is illegal for a person to ride on the handlebars of a bike.

I can see that all of these laws make sense. No problems. Reasonable laws for reasonable reasons.

It is 11:30 pm and the temperature has hit 15° We're still having that cold weather like the almanac predicted. Believe it or not, the next few days will be seasonable and they are predicting a rain-snow event for next Tuesday. We shall see. That's still a few days away and we know how accurate the weather predictions can be.

Yesterday, Jimmy & Jessica fixed my room lights so that I have light! I really appreciate it after being in the dark for several nights.

I'm fighting that cold-flu that so many have locally, including some of my own family so I'm tired and going to try to get some sleep tonight.

Oh, one other note that I need to correct myself on. I complained about the VA County stickers earlier in my journals saying how we still have to get them, but they take it in taxes now. I was wrong. In the past you had to purchase the VA county stickers each year for each vehicle, roughly $25 per. You got a sticker to put on your windshield. NOW, we STILL have to pay for the sticker but we don't GET a sticker automatically. You have to either go into the county office or mail SASE to receive the sticker which you need in order to take garbage to the dump and stuff like that. WHAT? Why not just keep it the way it was? STUPID. You still have to pay for it and you still have to get a sticker. Makes NO sense to me. Where is the savings?

With that I'll call it a night, at last!!!!!

February 7, 2007 - Wednesday

Virginia State Law #19 - Prince William:   It is illegal to park a car on railroad tracks.

Virginia State Law #20 - Richmond:   It is illegal to flip a coin in a restuarant to see who pays for a coffee.

Virginia State Law #21 - Stafford County:   It is legal for a man to beat his wife on the courthouse steps so long as it is before 8:00 pm.

I'm not even going to discuss these laws. Please tell me that at least the last one has been abolished? Beat your wife? In this county, some of the high school and younger women, if struck by their boyfriend or husband, will "whale the tar" out of them. And if a man strikes a woman, he deserves it. But I know that the Christian part of me says that two wrongs don't make a right. However, I strongly believe in self-defense.

On the weather front we got about 1/2" of snow last night. Just enough to turn the ground white. Our temps today went up to 35° in the sun but stayed below freezing in the shade. So wherever the sun touched, the snow is gone. But in the shadows of the house and shed and in the woods, there is still some traces of white. It's now 11 pm and the temp is around 18°. Another cold night comin' on.

We have a Broad-winged Hawk that lives on our property, one of three that had nested here a couple summers ago. He must've been really hungry this morning. He sat in a tree right outside the kitchen window, eyeing the birds on my feeders and waiting for the doves and squirrels to come out to eat. I finally scared him away when I took some photos of him, which I will add here later. He gets a squirrel more often than I like to see. But today, at least in the morning, he went hungry for awhile.

Ms. Pelosi, Speaker of the House of our country seems to think she is something special. Most congressmen and women, senators and the like use commercial transportation. I'm speaking of flying in particular. Since 9/11, the Speaker of the House has been given access to a military jet for their travels. Speaker of the House is third in line from the President, if something should happen. Ms. Pelosi feels that she deserves a jumbo jet for herself and her family and entourage'. She doesn't like using the smaller military jet. At the taxpayers expense of course. She doesn't feel she should have to stop for refueling in the dangerous mid-American Plains on her flights back and forth from Washington D.C. to the west coast. The military jet isn't as luxurious as the big jumbo jet that she wants at her disposal. At the taxpayers expense of course. She wants her family and friends to fly in style, not have to get to the airport 3 hours ahead of their scheduled flight time. She doesn't want her friends to be subjected to the security scans and strip searches that the rest of congress, yes, even the rest of us common Americans must endure. She has criticized our President over and over again about the war and the extreme security measures being taken in this country. Security measures that I might add, have prevented another 9/11 in this country to date. She criticizes the President for his spending of the American Taxpayers dollars.

Let me tell you something. Here we go again. Can you hear my tone of voice when I type this? HERE WE GO AGAIN. Democrats talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk. They are the biggest example of how government throws our tax dollars around, them living in luxury while the rest of the hardworking middle class Americans struggle to pay their monthly bills. HOW DARE THEY! WHAT GALL. If Ms. Pelosi gets her jumbo jet, well, I don't care who runs for the next offices. I'll vote Republican just to vote AGAINST the democrats. THOSE fiends. Remind you of the 90's when Bill and Hillary were in the White House? All the expensive trips, all the people they took with them? All the things they stole from others? Yeah, I'm talking about Whitewater. I don't have any respect left for people like that. It's a shame too, because I know there are good Democrats out there, just like there are bad Republicans about also. One rotten apple spoils the barrel. Will we ever learn?

I'm not saying that I totally agree with all the Republicans are doing. I really don't like the way they have let big business take over things, and have de-regulated alot of laws that were put there to keep the big businesses from creating monopolies and draining our hard-earned money. I'm just saying that in the overall picture, Ms. Pelosi's request is throwing the balance of things off kilter. Reminding us of what it is like to get the Democrats back in office and showing us what it will be like if they win the Presidency at the next election.

I could really get going on these issues about how the congress and senate retire on full salary and how everything they do on the hard working man's tax dollars. But I won't get into that tonight. We have an election year coming soon and I'll spout off plenty during that time period. But I just couldn't let Ms. Pelosi's request go unnoticed. To her I say, "You want a jumbo jet? Buy it out of your own pocketbook, which is still taxpayers money, by the way." UNBELIEVABLE.

February 6, 2007 - Tuesday

Virginia State Law #16 - Norfolk:   Women must wear a corsette after sundown and be in the company of a male chaperone.

Virginia State Law #17 - Prince William County:   No person may keep a skunk as a pet.

Virginia State Law #18 - Prince William County:   It is illegal to cuss about another.

I say no on the corsette, but it is safer for a woman to be in the company of a male companion after dark. Unless she's packin' heat.

The skunk thing, well, I told you our latest skunk encounter here in the woods. But when I was about 9-10 years old, while my Dad was building our house, we found a baby skunk that for some reason had been desserted by it's momma. So we took it and fed it and kept it in a large barrel in the house that wasn't quite ready to live in. But we had to turn it loose when it started to "spray". That is a smell that if you ever get on you, takes forever to get rid of. No more pet skunks.

Well, I stand corrected about our cold weather. I checked the temp at 6:30 am this morning and we had 8.2°. That's Farenheit. Yes, it was cold and the wind was blowing. I had to go outside around 10 am and it was still only 17°. Right now, at 11 pm it is 23° and snowing. Just started around 10 pm and we're supposed to get between 1 and 3 inches. Dry, light and fluffy snow since it is so cold outside. This is the kind of snow that blows off the road easily with some wind or you can sweep off your sidewalk with a broom (provided of course that you don't get too much of it). This is also the type of snow that makes it difficult to construct a snowman or snowfort for you snow lovers out there. You need a wet, heavy snow for the best building.

I'm going to cut it shorter tonight. I turned on my room light and both bulbs blew out so I'm sitting in the dark typing my journal up. Yes, I know I have the light from the computer monitor, but I can't see any of the notes I have written setting on my desk. It was difficult to read the laws that I have printed out. I had to practically put my nose down on the printout in order to read them and type them above. Laugh. Go ahead. I know you want to.

February 5, 2007 - Monday

Virginia State Law #13 - Frederick:   A special license is required for persons wishing to sell such items as tableware and coins.

Virginia State Law #14 - Norfolk:   Spitting on a sea gull is not tolerated.

Virginia State Law #15 - Norfolk:   A man may face 60 days in jail for patting a woman's derriere.

Poor seagulls. I wonder how many of them had been spit on before the town officials got together to talk about, write and finally vote to pass a law against it?

It's cold today. It was 17.5° when I got up at 8 am and our high today reached a balmy 27.3°. It's now 4 pm and temps are descending slowly. One of the predictions for our county tonight is 5°. I don't think it will get that cold here in the woods. The wind is blowing and it may FEEL like 5° however. I would guess mid to lower teens for tonight. It is very important that you not be out in this type of weather for very long periods. If you have to go out, and particularly older folks and children, please layer your clothing and be sure to wear hats and gloves! When temperatures hover around 5°, the more the wind blows the quicker you can develop frostbite. For example, if the temperature is 5° and the wind is blowing 20 mph, the windchill is -15°. If your hair is wet, well, much, much worse. Dry exposed skin can get frostbite in less than 1/2 hour. If your skin is wet, well, let's just say you've got serious trouble.

Another thing to remember, when you go somewhere in your car, you need to carry gloves and warm coats for layering. Why? In case you break down. Even with cell phones, it may take awhile for someone to come to your aid and you need to be prepared!

And this from the HealthSytem of Virginia:

"Frostbite is an injury to the body caused by freezing. Most often, frostbite affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes, and can permanently damage the body, even leading to amputation in severe cases. The risk of frostbite is increased in persons with reduced blood circulation, those with constriction of blood flow because of gloves or boots that are too tight, and in persons not dressed for extremely cold temperatures. Exposed hands and feet are the most vulnerable."

"The following are the most common symptoms of frostbite. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

redness or pain in a skin area

a white or grayish-yellow skin area

skin that feels unusually firm or waxy

numbness

"In most cases, the victim is unaware of frostbite because the frozen tissues are numb. The symptoms of frostbite may resemble other medical conditions or problems. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis."

"What to do if frostbite occurs: If there are symptoms of frostbite, seek medical attention immediately. Frostbite and hypothermia both result when skin is exposed to cold surroundings and body temperature falls. Hypothermia is a more serious medical condition and requires emergency medical assistance."

"If frostbite occurs, protect the victim or yourself with the following recommendations:

Get into a warm room as soon as possible.

Cover the person or area in warm blankets.

Avoid walking on frostbitten feet or toes to avoid more serious damage.

Immerse the areas affected by frostbite into warm (not hot) water.

Warm the affected area using body heat.

Avoid rubbing or massaging the affected area as this can cause further damage.

Do not use anything hot, such as a heating pad, stove, or furnace, to warm the affected area, as these areas are numb and may burn easily due to a lack of sensation.

The frostbitten area should be gently washed, dried, and wrapped in sterile bandages and kept clean to avoid infection."

"Consult your physician regarding the use of an oral antibiotic or topical ointment. A frostbite condition is most often resolved over a period of weeks or months. Sometimes, however, surgery is later needed to remove the dead tissue."

I just felt this was important to include in today's journal, the coldest day we're going to have and have had in several years.

So keep warm, stay indoors if you don't have to go out and if you go out, be smart, be wise, dress accordingly.

February 4, 2007 - Sunday

Virginia State Law #10 - Culpeper:   No one may wash a mule on the sidewalk.

Virginia State Law #11 - Dayton:   A person of color may not be outside or within the city limits after 7 pm.

Virginia State Law #12 - Frederick:   Any person who owns a pool risks a $2500 fine for not closing the gate to the pool when they get done swimming in it.

Law #10 is my favorite. No washing your mules on the sidewalks in Culpeper! AWESOME. Law #11 well, all I can say is, I'm glad we have come along better in our humanity, knowing that even the Constitution states that "all men are created equal". The last one about the swimming pool to me would seem like common sense? Duh.

I don't know how cold it got here last night, but not as cold as predicted I would assume. We had 24° this morning around 8 am. It's approaching noon right now and we have just risen above freezing with a balmy 35°. But honestly, the wind is blowing so it feels abit cooler.

I have to tell you that Friday night I had an interesting experience. We have some fox that come up near the house at night to eat scraps that I throw out each day. I often will open the kitchen door and he will be about 20 feet away. He will look at you then turn and run back about another 20 feet. He's not super afraid of us for some reason.

So Friday night I opened the back door, expecting to see my little red friend. Instead I heard a hiss and then the creature ran. The full force of his hiss hit me seconds later. My little friend was not the fox. It was a skunk. I slammed the kitchen door shut, but the odor had managed to drift in abit. For the rest of the evening, if you opened the kitchen door, or even the front door of the house, you could smell skunk very strongly. Though I thought he had gotten me personally, he hadn't! Thankfully!!!! By Sabbath morning the odor was gone, so he didn't get the house or vehicles either!

We're a little more cautious now about opening the doors at night.

Last night, Jimmy opened the back door to head out to his car and saw something move, so jumped back inside, thinking the skunk was back. It wasn't. But there were THREE foxes at the back steps. They are SO cute!!!

I have decided to add in a brief summary of some of my monthly accomplishments, mainly to show that I am doing something besides sleeping. I am mostly going to list things like books read and movies watched, as well as projects worked on around the house. So if you'll looking for outstanding accomplishments for monetary purposes or huge humanitarian efforts on behalf of society, you're looking in the wrong place. In the first place, I wouldn't list them here. In the second place, I'll tell you this much, I haven't earned any money and I do care about the human race, so don't think that I don't. Why am I rambling about this? I'm not posting them to receive any kind of kudos or whatever. I just wanted to say that I'm listing my monthly accomplishments at the end of each month and I have gone back and added the January accomplishments on the January 31st log entry. My life is an open book. Read them or read them not, as Yoda would say.

Well, I started this journal in the morning and now it's 11:30 pm. Our temperature hit 43° today and is currently at 23°. Will it get down to the predicted low of 8°? I wonder.

February 3, 2007 - Sabbath

Virginia State Law #7:   Children are not to go trick-or-treating on Halloween.

Virginia State Law #8:   It is illegal to tickle women.

Virginia State Law #9:   No animal may be hunted on Sunday with the exception of raccoons, which may be hunted until 2:00 AM.

I believe that Law #8 will be my favorite one of the day. HANDS OFF! Or I'll have you ARRESTED!!!! Sounds good to me.

I joined a History Book Club. It's mailorder and you get several books for a buck, then you have to buy one or two in the next two years. Not hard to do. I love joining these book clubs and getting a whole bunch of books in one of my hobbies or interests for a couple dollars. Then just buy one or two in a couple years and drop the club. In another couple years, rejoin, since they keep sending you the letters to rejoin and offer you wonderful deals like, no books to purchase etc. So that's how I get a majority of my special interest books, like art instruction books, history books, scrapbooking books, craft books and so on. Too bad I can't find one for genealogy that way. But the history books are close. Anyway, I got this neat WWII book about weird things that happened during the war. Also got a book on the pursuit of Lincolns' assassin and a book on the retreat from Gettysburg during the Civil War. So I have some heavy duty reading to do the next few months! Besides the reading that I'm already doing, the Bible, Patriarchs and Prophets and 3 different daily devotionals. Oh, I also got Bill O'Reilly's Culture Warrior in that shipment. (No wonder my housework doesn't get done!)

I usually drop the club after about 6 months or once I have met the requirements of membership. Also remember that these clubs get you for shipping. So I normally join the ones that there is no shipping charge if you pay for the books up front. That way you really do get a bargain!

The only book club that I have actually stayed with for over a year is an art instruction book club. It's the same deal, you pay no shipping if you pay for books as you order them. They are offered at a discount which is better than I can find them on Amazon or eBay and for every certain amount, I get some bonus books. Right now they owe me about 3 more bonus books which is super-cool. I don't even have to pay for shipping on those because of the way I request them. So that is really a good deal. They also have a very nice selection of very reasonably priced books. Every month they also have some "clearance" sale books that are offered for $5 each or something like that. So I'm getting a nice shelf full of good art books. I go through each one as they arrive and I'm hoping to spend some time this month getting back to drawing and painting.

February 2, 2007 - Friday

Happy Groundhog Day !!!!!!

Virginia State Law #4:   Driving while not wearing shoes is prohibited.

Virginia State Law #5:   Police radar detectors are illegal.

Virginia State Law #6:   Citizens must honk their horn while passing other cars.

The first two laws listed in today's journal are definitely realistic laws. I remember in my younger days, running to the beach days, driving without shoes. And it is a fact that radar detectors are illegal in the Commonwealth. But the third law, I have to honestly admit that there are indeed some good law abiding citizens here that abide by this law faithfully. Why, just the other day, when I was driving in town and cut over to a turn lane, a kind Virginian honked his horn as he passed me. He even had the courtesy to wave his fist at me too. It's nice to know that there are still some old-timers here that obey these old laws.

So did the groundhog see his shadow in your neck of the woods? I don't know about anyone else's neck of the woods, but in ours, he did NOT see his shadow. Which means winter will come to a early end in the next couple weeks. What do you think? I think we're going to feel some real winter before the month of February is over. But only time will tell. I may be singing another tune at the end of this month!

Routine Friday, busy doing housework, laundry and general paperwork. It's not raining anymore outside right now but it is still overcast and we've reached our high for the day, I believe, at 36°. I think the real cold is going to be Sunday thru Tuesday. I see they have lowered the prediction for our county from a low of 13° to 10°. That's getting pretty cold. And if there is wind with it, well, that's pretty cold. I can tolerate cold, actually, love the cold, unless it's windy. Then I don't care for it too much.

On the news front, we want to remember all the folks that were so hard-hit in Florida early this morning by the tornadoes. When the storms hit during the night like that, there is almost always a terrible loss of life. So our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with all those who are affected.

February 1, 2007 - Thursday

I'm going to pick on the Commonwealth of Virginia to start with this month, since I live here now. If I haven't listed your state yet, don't worry, I'll get to it. I have weird state laws from all 50 states. Most months I may do several states. Wait your turn.

Virginia State Law #1:   Not only is it illegal to have sex with the lights on, one may not have sex in any position other than missionary.

Virginia State Law #2:   Virginia State Law prohibits corrupt practices of bribery by any person other than candidates.

Virginia State Law #3:   You may not engage in business on Sundays, with the exception of almost every industry.

'nuff said. I just won't even bother with any of my remarks on the first one, such as, "who's watching to report any violations?" Or "I guess if you broke the first part and left the lights on, well, anyone could be looking in the windows to see if you violated the second part?" Again, 'nuff said....

As for the second one about the corrupt practices, well, what can I possibly say about that one????

You will notice that I'm listing the weird laws at least three a day. I have so many that I want to share with you that I'm having to "triple" up in order to get them all listed by December 2007. You can also do internet searches and find all of these yourself, if you don't want to wait, or if you want to read even more of them that I don't list here in these journals.

This is the first of February already. Where is the year going? What happened to January? If you missed any of my thought-provoking journals, please visit the Archives (above) so that you don't miss any of my words of wisdom. Whatever...

The new feature above with the Almanac weather information, well, where I grew up we called them "Nor'easters". 'Twill be interesting to see if we really get one here in the Commonwealth.

Again, remember that the numbering used for the state laws is my own, not the states.

And for you Christmas fans out there.....there's only 326 shopping days until Christmas!!!

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