I Crack Myself Up!

I just watched a Russian flash mob dancing to "Puttin' on the Ritz," so that song is stuck in my head. I don't mind, though, because whenever I get to the line "puttin' on the Ritz" I sing it like Peter Boyle did in the movie Young Frankenstein. And when I do that I crack myself up!! I crack myself up a lot! Good thing, too, because few other people or things do.

It's very hot here in central Texas. I don't think anyone is surprised. My front lawn is turning brown, so I think I'll turn on the sprinkler for awhile this evening. It was quite green before I mowed. I sprinkled some grass seed in the back yard and have been trying to keep that wet so it will germinate. No, I didn't sprinkle any sod over the seed. I'll take my chances.

I've volunteered to transcribe interviews with women who served in the military. I've received my first interview and really need to start transcribing. It's hard to start anything like that when you're tired all the time. I had an excuse when I was waiting for a power cord for my MacBook, but I've got that now and can start at any time.

I frequently buy pre-cooked hamburger patties from a local store called H-E-B. Last time I went shopping they didn't have the plain, quarter-pound burgers that I usually buy, so I got "cheeseburger" patties instead. I didn't like them as much. They're okay in a pinch, but the cheese tastes like Velveeta and the burger as a whole is quite salty. I like salty foods, but this was a tad too salty even for me. Today I'm cooking a big pot of ham and beans. Yum! I love ham and beans. (Sorry, God. I hope You can forgive me.) (Is it okay to eat ham? I don't think so. I think God's rules on what we eat still hold true today. But that's something for a different blog post.)

God and Government

Here's a portion of a proclamation by George Washington on October 3, 1789, while he was President:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have . . . requested me to recommend to the public Thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, . . . . Now therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be . . . .

Read the whole proclamation here.

If anyone can read this and still think that the First Amendment can be interpreted so as to take God completely out of government, then I have to think that that person is simply a moron.

For your convenience, here is the First Amendment in its entirety:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

One of the same men who came up with the Constitution writes of God, "that great and glorious Being," and proclaims that we as a nation should acknowledge Him and his "favors," for the part God played in the establishment of our nation.

Obviously the Founding Fathers meant for God to be a part of our government. A big, important part.
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God is incredibly nice to me

He knows that I enjoy and appreciate simple things. He knows that they entertain me. So He provides simple things for me. Yesterday evening I was out on the front porch for just a few minutes. I'd hung some potted flowers the day before. Suddenly here comes a small hummingbird moth (a sphinx moth) eating the nectar from those flowers. It stayed for several minutes, and allowed me to get very close to watch it. What a treat! Thank You, God, for that experience. Here's a great video of a hummingbird moth in action.

Letter to the Editor

I sent a letter to the editor of our local paper in an attempt to educate people about hummingbirds. Many people incorrectly believe that they need "nectar" with red dye. Just the opposite is true. Some experts believe that red dye could actually harm hummingbirds. Just because something is safe for humans doesn't make it safe for animals. Take Tylenol, for example. It's okay for humans, but will kill a dog or cat.

The most widely accepted formula for creating a nectar that most resembles what the hummers find in flowers is this one: one part pure cane sugar to four parts water. You don't need to boil the water. You can heat it to make the sugar dissolve faster if you like. It will keep in your refrigerator for up to two weeks. Change the nectar in your feeder when it starts to look cloudy.

If you buy commercial nectar mix, you're wasting your money. Honestly!

Buy a clear feeder so you can keep an eye on the nectar, and make sure it has some red on it somewhere. A hummingbird can see a small amount of red from quite a distance. Clean the feeder at least once a month with bleach and water. Don't use soap or anything else that can leave residue on the feeder. Especially don't put the feeder in the dishwasher. Just a small amount of bleach mixed with water, rinse thoroughly, and refill.

Most bottle type feeders will drip. Bee guards just give the bees something to hang onto! Buy a bowl-type feeder if you can get one. I use the Best-1 feeder that I buy at the local grocery store. As long as the hummers are using it, it has never dripped, and bees and wasps can get to the nectar.

That's just the basics. Please go to this website to find out more about how to attract and feed hummingbirds and how to keep them healthy!!

BTW, I just sent the letter yesterday, so I don't expect to see it published until Wednesday, if it gets published.

Blessed

Today was the day of my youngest brother's memorial service. Coming to this memorial service was a blessing. I have learned so much about my little brother. The memorial chapel was packed full of friends and family. My brother touched more lives than I ever imagined, and he was loved by so many people. He wasn't a "practicing Christian," but I'm convinced that he was doing God's work. I think that God must have used him as an angel to help so many people in so many different ways. I don't have the words to describe how overwhelmed I am with all the love that exists for my little brother. Sure, he was a pain in some asses sometimes, but obviously not much, because so many people are mourning his passing. We know that God works in mysterious ways, and Charlie was one of the mysteries of God. I suppose God saw that Charlie had a good heart and so God put him to work! And when Charlie's work was done, God called him home. I'm sure it will be some time before I completely understand what I'm feeling about all of this.

Site's back up, sort of.

I got a new hosting service and now my website is back up, sort of. You can type in the URL and get to my temporary home page. But my whole, entire site that I worked long and hard to get just right is on a broken Zip disk. So is my Pussy Games website and my Male Bashing website.

Sucks.

Fortunately I had my church's website on a completely different disk, so that's back up and active.

Maybe God's trying to tell me something.

Nah.

Bad Religion

Like most people, I get a lot of forwarded e-mail. A lot about it annoys me, but I tolerate it, even if it contains headers from a dozen other versions that were forwarded before I got my copy. What I won't tolerate is the type of message I've been getting recently. It's a religious "blessing" that the sender insists you must forward or there's something spiritually wrong with you. (I don't have an example right now. When I get one, I'll post it.)

This sort of e-mail is just mean. Are they trying to tell me that God won't love me if I don't forward this "blessing" to a hundred other people? I don't think so. I don't recall anything in the Bible that says so.

First of all, the only one who can bless me is God. Not you, not the priest or minister, not an e-mail. God. You can ask God to be blessed. You can ask God to bless someone else. You can not bless me. I can not bless you.

To try to make anyone feel guilty or not spiritual for not forwarding an e-mail is just mean. And it goes against God, not for him.