November 24, 2014 Monday

Pilates with a resistance ring.  Slow start for the week, but something.


1 Peter chapter 1 - About bearing grief and God caring about your sorrow.  The study writer said "These indications of God's presence during trials on earth affirm God's promise of the living hope awaiting us at the resurrection."  I like that.


On this day;
2013 - Last year Nicole had started attending services at Christ Lutheran church and I went with her quite often.  She played guitar with Evan, their music director at the contemporary service.  I love both the traditional and contemporary music of the church.  Later that day Don came over and a group of us went to The Blue Goose and heard different music, swing/jazz/easy listening by Planet D Nonet.  They are a great group we enjoy their music.  I think music - all music is a gift from God for our ears and our souls.


1615 - French King Louis XIII married Ann of Austria. They were both 14 years old.  For parents this solves a lot of problems, right?


Parenting - Have you signed the kids up for music lessons?  It seems to me that kids that learn to read music and play any instrument are ahead of the game.  The discipline of practice and the joy of accomplishment seem to enhance a person's personality.  Am I wrong?  Of the adults you know how many play some type of instrument - piano, guitar, drums (God forbid)?  I took guitar lessons as an adult, I would have benefited more from dance lessons I think.  Nicole learned to play guitar from Aunt Jan, but mostly on her own.  She enjoys it I think and it has given her an outlet to her inner talent. (She did want a drum set).  The guitar is so much more portable.


Farquhar Group - Seychelles;



Lets take a sail today here!  Looks good huh?


Enjoy the day!  Make it memorable!  Happy Birthday Sandy!

November 23, 2014 Sunday

Our new interim Pastor is Canadian.  It will take time to get used to each other, I like him.  His sermon today was based on Christ the King Sunday, of course.  That is what it is.  The last Sunday of the church year and it acknowledges that Christ is King.  He did not require a palace and kingly clothes, no crown or diadem, not even people bowing down before him.  He only wants your love which you can give him through loving one another.  Good King huh?


On this day:
2008 - I didn't realize how long Mom has been somewhat immobile.  On this day we went to church and then with Nicole and friend Megan out to Partridge Creek Mall.  We rented a wheelchair and pushed her around the outside mall to see the Christmas décor that was already up and have lunch.   They also have a nice outdoor fireplace and music.  That was 7 years ago and Mom is still moving, I won't let her make that move to the wheelchair, at 92, she will lose that last little bit of mobility if she does, even with a walker is better.  Am I mean?  I think I'm right.


1889 - The first jukebox made its debut in San Francisco, at the Palais Royale Saloon. Amazing!  wonder what songs were on it?


Parenting - At children's time we sang three stanza's of Jesus Loves Me.  It's not just  a children's song.


Farquhar Group & Seychelles -  I think you will like this:

Golf In The Seychelles

The Seychelles Islands in the warm, clear waters of the Indian Ocean is beginning to get on the lists of great golf holiday destinations. It has two courses on two different islands. One is a challenging nine-hole course and one is a championship 18-hole course designed by Rodney Wright and Marc Farry. One thing these courses have in common is the natural beauty that surrounds each.

Read more: http://www.seychelles.org/category/visiting-seychelles#ixzz3JuyOwzop


Enjoy the day!  Make it memorable!

November 22, 2014 Saturday

A.M. yoga.  Probably don't need to tell you how much I love this.  It makes getting out of bed at 6:30 am to feed the cat worth while.


Psalm 6 - Sounds so mournful.  David having another bad day with his enemies.  It''s hard to be king.  So two lessons here, don't make enemies and trust in the Lord to make you feel better if you are sad.


On this day:
2007 - This day was Thanksgiving in this year.  Nicole worked at Moosejaw and had to work on Thanksgiving.  The nature of the business this time of year and they were just online orders to be shipped.  We had a later dinner and Jan joined us, so it was small  but Thanksgiving with all the trimmings none the less.  We are blessed, so many have much less.


1718 - English pirate Edward Teach (a.k.a. "Blackbeard") was killed during a battle off the coast of North Carolina. British soldiers cornered him aboard his ship and killed him. He was shot and stabbed more than 25 times.  This goes back to the Bible Study for the day. (It is also the day JFK was killed.)  Hard to know your enemies sometime. But if you are a pirate you kind of have to expect this.


Parenting - Even cats need parenting.  Our should have been sent to military school as a small cat.  He is getting better, or I am getting faster, not sure which.  We still love Nola and the training goes on.


Book Club - Have to read Nehemiah for Grace Circle on Monday.


Farquhar Group and Seychelles - I'm really liking this virtual mind trip to the islands:
Heaps of rubbish
The exploration of the eastern and windward coasts of the North and South Island, both of which are important sea turtle nesting and juvenile bird flight training sites, led to the team being left shocked and dismayed by the distressing amount of marine debris being washed up on the beaches.
The team reported being especially concerned by the presence of plastic bags, fishing lines and FADs, which threaten both marine creatures and birdlife in the area. The ICS team on Alphonse recently revealed to SNA the increasing threat that FADs pose to conservation efforts on the outer islands.
"Those beaches sadly spoiled by human debris are a critical nesting habitat for sea turtles," Aurélie told SNA, adding that the ICS would need to work closely with its partners to clean up some 18 kilometres of shoreline from the vast quantities of litter.
It is likely that the sea trash could be originating from the Indian Ocean Garbage Patch, a vast collection of floating plastics, discarded fishing equipment and broken-down pieces of plastic polymers that pose a huge threat to the fish, marine mammals and birds who often mistake them for food.
The rubbish accumulates loosely in large 'gyres' throughout the world's oceans, collected in a circular pattern by ocean currents. Some pieces eventually wash up on nearby shores, leading to land pollution of pristine beaches such as the ones in the Farquhar atoll.  Hey it's not our trash, right?  Clean up the world, wherever you can.


Enjoy the day!  Make it memorable! 

November 21, 2014 Friday

Suzanne Deason and I did some Pilates this morning. 


Matthew chapter 13 - The parable of the sower.  It is about listening but not hearing.  For some people it is a matter of not paying attention for others it is beyond their grasp, they will never understand.  I hope that when it comes to faith you pay attention and understand.  Faith and spirituality are linked but not a given.  The study writer likened it to being at a family dinner but being on your cell phone.


On this day;
2006 - Nicole's friend Craig came over in his new car.  It was a 2004 blue Saturn Ion.  When you get a new car you want to show it off, take someone for a ride.  Her friend Jameson came over a couple months ago to show off  his new car to her.  Go buy a new car and show it off!  Come over here and take me for a ride!


On this day go to www.history.com and go to Ellis Island to see how many of our ancestors came through customs to this country.  Much different then the 5 million that are coming in today.  I have mixed feelings about this.  I would like to see many of those people allowed in, some Mexican's I am very fond of, but it is also opening a can of worms they won't be able to contain again.  Many added to health care and welfare that we will pick up the bill on.


Parenting - We all want a better life for our families.  My Mom's family came from Germany when she was 18 months old, through Ellis Island.  My grandfather was thrilled to be in America, but the times were hard and they existed on little but missed World War 2 in Germany.  My Dad's family came through Canada he was a teenager, they were from Scotland.  They fared better then Mom's family but are all happy to be here.  Being a first generation American I appreciate that my daughter lives in the best country in the world.


Farquhar Group - that being said lets see more of the islands!
Victoria, Seychelles — (Seychelles News Agency) - Conservation officers working to establish the first conservation centre on the Farquhar group of islands in the Seychelles archipelago consider themselves fortunate to be stationed on one of the most beautiful and remote places on earth.
However, Aurélie Duhec and her small team from the Island Conservation Society (ICS) are facing an uphill battle against a never-ending torrent of sea trash and fish aggregation devices (FADs) washing up on the pristine powder-white beaches of the atoll.
Discovered in 1501 by Portuguese explorers, the Farquhar atoll was named after Robert Townsend Farquhar, the first British Governor of Mauritius, in 1824. It is one of the largest atolls in the Seychelles archipelago of 115 islands, covering an area of about 17,800 hectares.
Comprised of ten islands, Farquhar is the most southerly point of Seychelles and is closer to Madagascar than the main inhabited island of Mahé. The two main islands, North and South islands, are by far the largest, making up 97 percent of the atoll's total land mass.
The atoll is considered as a very important bird area with an abundance of nesting seabird species. The ICS believes that there is still a lot to be discovered on the group of islands, and has received funds from the GEF (Global Environment Facility) to set up a conservation centre for monitoring and research purposes.
Heaps of rubbish  I will post the rest of this tomorrow SEA TRASH is a huge problem.  Is there no end to our destructive capabilities?


Enjoy the day!  Make it memorable!

November 20, 2014 Thursday

Have a sheet of weight lifting and moves to strengthen the back.  Good thing had to go out and shovel the snow after that.  I wouldn't have but I couldn't find my newspaper.  I guess my paperboy didn't get out of bed.


James Chapter 2 - This is somewhat contradictory to what us Lutherans believe, which is why some Lutherans are slackers about doing good works.  We believe we are saved by faith, not by works.  Which I believe to be true.  But if you truly believe in what Jesus says and have faith in who he is why would you think you don't have to act on your faith by helping others? 


On this day;
2005 - We had started going up to Roscommon for Thanksgiving so I invited Jan McCarthy over for Thanksgiving dinner the Sunday before.  As life changes so does who you have holidays with.  If you know someone that has been left out of dinner for next Thursday, consider inviting them over.  Jan lives in Florida now, (lucky).


1873 - Budapest was formed when the rival cities of Buda and Pest were united to form the capital of Hungary.  Wow. another no brainer. :)


Parenting - Families are fragile.  Gone are the days when Ma and Pa live in a great big farm house and EVERYONE goes to their house for Thanksgiving.  Now they split their time between his family and her family.  Maybe the kids are with you or they are at your Ex's this year.  Many members have moved out of state and can't always get back.  The original Thanksgiving was with the community, neighbors and Indians.  Maybe we need to think more about that. 


Farquhar Group and Seychelles - I would like to go here for Thanksgiving.


Farquhar Atoll is the most southerly atoll in the Seychelles chain of islands lying just over 700km to the southwest of the main island Mahe. This remote atoll has a total area, including the large lagoon, of 170.5 km² which is 18 km north to south and 9 km east to west. The total island land mass is 7.5 km² with a serviced concrete landing strip situated on the most northerly island. The main group of islands form a long curve which describes the eastern side of the atoll. Largest of these are Isle du Nord and Ile du Sud, with the smaller Manaha gaps and islands between them. Further south is Goelette and to the open western side of the atoll lies the small group known as Trois Îles. The large ear-shaped lagoon provides easy access to the countless flats, channels and surf zones which make Farquhar such a diverse fishery. The flats consist of hard white sand, turtle grass and broken coral which make for comfortable wading. Farquhar has a small population of local Seychellois, whose main roles are running a small line-fish operation as well as acting as a skeleton crew which manage the island and service the airstrip.  I am telling you!  We should go!  Anyone have a good recipe for stuffed fish?


Enjoy the day!  Make it Memorable!  Happy Birthday Mary!

November 19, 2014 Wednesday Discovery Day Puerto Rico yay!

Worked out with Jillian today.  Some days you have to challenge yourself.  This is  very challenging.




Numbers chapter 11 - From the old testament, where the Israelites are complaining about the bad food.  God gets mad and burns down part of their camp.  Don't complain is the message here!  Thank God for what you have.




On this day;
2004 - My brother Andy came down from Roscommon with part of the huge bookshelves he built for me.  I wanted something to store my favorite things in.  Books, music and photos.  It was a big endeavor for him, at about 10 feet long by 9 feet high, with display shelves and a cupboard on the bottom.  Ten years later it is jam packed with all of those things plus more.  What a great brother.




1998 - The impeachment inquiry of U.S. President Clinton began. I liked him until this happened.  What a disappointment that was.  Very much like Nixon.


Parenting - I love the tests on facebook, like what state should you live in, or what age are you?  The one yesterday was what faith denomination are you.  Nicole and I both came up as Lutheran's, what a surprise.  So happy that she has stayed with her faith, it is the most important thing to me.  what is the most important thing you want for your child?


Farquhar Group and Seychelles;
The Farquhar Group lies over 750km to the southwest of Mahe, 350km northeast of Madagascar.

It is comprised of two stunning atolls, Providence to the north and Farquhar to the south, with a total land area of less than 11 square kilometres.

The only airstrip is on North Island in the Farquhar Atoll and there are small permanent settlements both here and on Providence Island.

At present there is no accommodation, although we have been tipped off that one of the leading safari lodge owners has been granted the right to construct an extremely high end lodge on the Farquhar Atoll.  Now I am really excited!


Enjoy the day!  Make it memorable!

November 17, 2014 Monday

Did a combination of stretches and yoga positions to keep the old muscles moving.  On Saturday I had done a lot of leg exercises and even with my constant regimen I get sore, which tells me I have to do more.  Don't back off if you get sore, do something to keep moving, it will feel better sooner that way.


Ephesians chapter 6 - Put on your armor of God.  Your belt of truth, the breastplate of righteous ness, and take your stand of peace.  Pick up your shield of faith to ward off the flaming arrows of evil and wear your helmet of salvation which is the word of God.  Now you are ready for the day.


On this day:
1997 - If you think it is unseasonably cold here in Michigan today - or down in Texas.  On this day it was in the 20's and got up to 30 in 97.  The guys worked in the shop, as opposed to outside as a construction company would usually be doing today.  So our temperatures today are not that unusual.  What was unusual that day was Alice and Lindsey, Mom, Nicole and I went to the Cloverleaf Pizza place on Gratiot for dinner.  I guess Andy was at work, and maybe Merri too.  That is still a great place to eat!  Put it on your calendar!


1997 - 62 people were killed by 6 Islamic militants outside the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, Egypt. The attackers were killed by police. This long slow war is taking its toll on peace, maybe we need more armor.


Parenting - It might have been a fundraiser we went to Cloverleaf for.  We all try to support the scouts with cookies and popcorn, the bands with bottle collection and this time of year food collections.  Another thing you can do is give blood, it is my newest act of sharing.


Farquhar Group and Seychelles;

Seychelles Bird Watching

Those looking to do a little bird watching in Seychelles will be rewarded with a destination that provides a myriad of exciting opportunities. Migrants, vagrants, sea birds, and land birds are all found inhabiting the Seychelles, which is a sort of African Galapagos in many regards. While you might not find the greatest variety of bird species here, a good amount of the Seychelles birds are quite rare, being endemic just to the Seychelles. These are some of the planet's rarest endemic birds, so what Seychelles birding amounts to, more or less, is quality over quantity. One of the best things about bird watching in Seychelles is the fact that you don't necessarily have to arrange a special tour to do so. While you enjoy such renowned reserves as the Vallee de Mai on Praslin Island, and the Veuve Reserve on La Digue, you'll be able to casually spot some unique avian species as you go. If Seychelles bird watching is the focus of your Seychelles vacation, then you can by all means plan your trip around it with special tours and such.   This sounds great!!


Enjoy the day!  Make it memorable!  Happy Birthday to Jon!