Our visitor on a cold, windy day in NC ...

Well, the earth didn't come to an end this weekend as predicted by some of the local weathermen ... at least not in Youngsville. We received about 1/8" of snow (that pretty much was gone in a couple of hours), and then came the freezing rain which was more of an issue than the snow.  But it soon warmed up a bit (34 degrees) and the freezing rain unfroze and turned to just good, old rain (we got almost 2" of that wet stuff).  And that was our weekend (oh, I think there was some black ice in places too).  We didn't get it nearly as bad as they did in the western parts of the state, near Boone and Grandfather Mountain.

Anyway, since it was going to be such a nasty weekend, we put out a little more bird seed than usual.  We usually have lots of birds out back by the feeders, and I figured the weather might bring in a few more so Pam and I wanted to keep the feeders full.  And it paid off -- we got this little fellow.  Pam happened to be looking our the back window and captured it with her phone camera.  Cool (no pun intended).

It's really something when we get birds like this stopping by.  We get plenty of the little brown guys shown above, and lots of morning doves and recently we've gotten a handful of big crows!

Having these birds come around always brightens my day.  Kinda reminds me of a line I used in one of my blog entries a long time ago about hope and spring and coming out of an Ohio winter.  When I see these guys, I get to thinking that spring can't be that far away, especially here in NC. Maybe I should go polish up my golf clubs, just to be ready, ya know!

You can't see Canada across lake Erie, but you know it's there.  It's the same with spring.  You have to have faith, especially in Ohio.

Hooah

Amazing what you can find in a shoe box ...

I was looking for a letter from an old woman in our church -- a WWII Nurse -- who recently died.  She was a very good writer and I wanted to see what she had to say, hoping she could give me some thoughts on her time in the Army.  I was deployed at this time in Iraq and had some time between duty shifts, so I wrote to her, thanking her for her service and maybe sharing with her some things I had done or seen, hoping she might pass along some things she may have experienced, some things we might now have in common.  I was quite surprised that she actually wrote back.  I am really going to have to keep looking for that letter and may share later.

Anyway,  while looking through that old shoe box, I did come across some interesting things, one of which was a poem I scribbled on the back of an envelope.  I think it was written while on a flight to Kuwait, and it was intended for my wife.  Not sure I ever showed it to her, but better late than never.  

Thoughts of you ... 

All too often, random thoughts -- wisps of memories,

         at first distant, then overpowering ... then gone.

But they return, fresh, crisp, exciting -- compelling.

Reinforcing the love, confirming the need,

Overpowering the separation of the miles.

Hooah

Every once in a while ...

I see something in some other place ... and I have to share it...because it says something I wish I had said.  Enjoy.

Today I was in a shoe store that sells only shoes, nothing else. A young girl with a tattoo and green hair walked over to me and asked, "What brings you in today, I looked at her and said, "I'm interested in buying a refrigerator." She didn't quite know how to respond, had that deer in the headlights look.

I was thinking about old age and decided that old age is when you still have something on the ball, but you are just too tired to bounce it.

When people see a cat's litter box they always say, "Oh, have you got a cat" I just say, "No, it's for company!"

Employment application blanks always ask who is to be called in case of an emergency. I think you should write, "An ambulance."

The older you get the tougher it is to lose weight because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

Have you ever noticed: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are XL.

The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he knows when he's really in trouble.

Did you ever notice that when you put the 2 words "The" and "IRS" together it spells "Theirs"

Aging: Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

Some people try to turn back their "odometers." Not me.  I want people to know why I look this way.  I've traveled a long way and a lot of the roads were not paved.

Ah! Being young is beautiful but being old is comfortable.

Lord, keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.

Any of this that fits you too, feel free to borrow it.  The insights listed above were from a website and I cannot recall what the site was.  I will update this when I find the site again. 

Hooah

OK -- here's the last borrowed piece ...

This piece was also borrowed from a Facebook page.  I don't feel too bad about posting this here because the person who posted it on her page admitted that she also borrowed it from someone else.  Enjoy.

 ********************

1. When one door closes and another door opens, you are probably in prison.

2. To me, "drink responsibly" means don't spill it.

3. Age 60 might be the new 40, but 9:00 pm is the new midnight.

4. It's the start of a brand new day, and I'm off like a herd of turtles.

5. The older I get, the earlier it gets late.

6. When I say, "The other day," I could be referring to any time between yesterday and 15 years ago.

7. I remember being able to get up without making sound effects.

8. I had my patience tested. I'm negative.

9. Remember, if you lose a sock in the dryer, it comes back as a Tupperware lid that doesn't fit any of your containers.

10. If you're sitting in public and a stranger takes the seat next to you, just stare straight ahead and say, "Did you bring the money?"

11. When you ask me what I am doing today, and I say "nothing," it does not mean I am free. It means I am doing nothing.

12. I finally got eight hours of sleep. It took me three days, but whatever.

13. I run like the winded.

14. I hate when a couple argues in public, and I missed the beginning and don't know whose side I'm on.

15. When someone asks what I did over the weekend, I squint and ask, "Why, what did you hear?"

16. When you do squats, are your knees supposed to sound like a goat chewing on an aluminum can stuffed with celery?

17. I don't mean to interrupt people. I just randomly remember things and get really excited.

18. When I ask for directions, please don't use words like "east."

19. Don't bother walking a mile in my shoes. That would be boring. Spend 30 seconds in my head. That'll freak you right out.

20. Sometimes, someone unexpected comes into your life out of nowhere, makes your heart race, and changes you forever. We call those people cops.

21. My luck is like a bald guy who just won a comb.

A lot of people look at a list like this and say that "#so and so" really fits me.  Well, when I look at this list, I have to say that "Numbers 1-21" really fit me. I really want to try out #10 some time.

 Hooah