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The End is Near

December 31, 2016 9:15 am / 8 Comments on The End is Near

My wife has a cousin out in Louisville, KY  (land of great Bourbon)  who is always sending thought provoking material. Back in February of this year one such piece of Email held the below Old Man, Boy and Donkey story.

What a great time thought I, to share this on the eve of the new year. Who will we listen to, follow or be guided by in 2017?  Or, as Polonius said in Hamlet, ” be true to thy own self.”


Will we be true to our own self as we cross our bridges throughout the year?

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Holy Spirit Interactive Kids

AN OLD MAN, A BOY AND A DONKEY WERE GOING TO TOWN.  THE BOY RODE ON THE DONKEY, AND THE OLD MAN WALKED.  AS THEY WENT ALONG THEY PASSED SOME PEOPLE WHO REMARKED “WHAT A SHAME, THE OLD MAN IS WALKING, THE BOY IS RIDING.”

THE MAN AND BOY THOUGHT MAYBE THE CRITICS WERE RIGHT, SO THEY CHANGED POSITIONS.
LATER THEY PASSED SOME PEOPLE WHO REMARKED “WHAT A SHAME, HE MAKES THAT LITTLE BOY WALK”.  SO THEY DECIDED THEY’D BOTH WALK.

SOON THEY PASSED SOME MORE PEOPLE WHO REMARKED “THEY’RE REALLY STUPID TO WALK WHEN THEY HAVE A DECENT DONKEY TO RIDE.”  SO THEY BOTH DECIDED TO RIDE THE DONKEY.

THEY PASSED SOME PEOPLE WHO SHAMED THEM BY SAYING “HOW AWFUL TO PUT SUCH A LOAD ON A POOR DONKEY.” THE BOY AND THE MAN FIGURED THEY WERE PROBABLY RIGHT, SO THEY DECIDE TO CARRY THE DONKEY.

AS THEY CROSSED THE BRIDGE, THEY LOST THEIR GRIP ON THE DONKEY, THE DONKEY FELL INTO THE RIVER AND DROWNED.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY:  IF YOU TRY TO PLEASE EVERYONE, YOU MIGHT AS WELL KISS YOUR ASS GOODBYE.

HAVE A NICE DAY!

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Sent by a friend.

 

Isaiah 40:30-31

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

As you pour that first cup of Coffee on New Years day, know “The Rooster” is wishing all of you the very best in 2017.

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(It is with special note that on this day my beloved signal carrier, Verizon, is sending a signal strong enough to post this dispatch from home. I am truly Blessed on this final day of 2016.)    Ah- the joy of country living!

Let There Be Peace

December 26, 2016 7:55 pm / 3 Comments on Let There Be Peace

 

 

 

My eldest child, a daughter, a former Air Force enlisted airmen, a retired Air Force Major, mother of two, a Doctor of Nursing Practice and presently a hospital administrator sent the following message to her team at work prior to the Christmas Holiday. I have her permission to share.

Team,

I have always enjoyed Christmas.  For me it is a holiday filled with food, family and often many beautiful miracles.  One of the best parts of Christmas, and this entire holiday season, regardless of religion is the sense of camaraderie and peace I often feel, something our busy lives don’t often have.  One of my greatest memories of the power of peace came over 20 years ago and I was scheduled to work the week of Christmas. I was a young Airman, living in Berlin, West Germany behind the Berlin wall.  My day to day job was to identify Russian or other communist aircraft and provide early warning to the field Generals so that we could deploy resources to prevent the Russians from entering Europe and invading.  It was often a tense job.  There were many times when we scrambled aircraft in light of a threat and worried that we may be entering into WWIII.   One year, I learned that even for our enemies, there was the hope of something different.   My first year in Berlin, Christmas Eve, I came into work for the 5PM – 5AM shift.  As was typically the case, the other shift briefed me on the current state of operations, which areas I should be focused on and the current state of threat.  It was not a Russian holiday, so there was no need to think the night would be quiet.  I sat back, with my sergeant beside me watching and prepared for a night of work.  As I sat there I noticed all the aircraft slowly returning to base.  By 10PM, Christmas Eve there were no aircraft in the skies, the area was quiet.  Out team sat there all night and watched a beautiful sight, an empty radar screen – for me – evidence of true peace, perhaps, world peace, as the two largest superpowers backed down and rested.  For me, a young 19 year old away from home, this evidence, that at our core the world is good and peace is possible, if only for a short time, gave me hope…. which is what Christmas and this holiday season is all about.
Our world is crazy – we have struggled through an election that has divided us in many ways.  Terrorists continue to try to impact our ability to feel safe.  Our own lives and families struggle each and every day with many challenges, but this should not be what guides our day or our purpose.  I encourage you to use this season, with your families and friends to share time, fellowship, and good food with each other, and reflect on what is truly important to you.  Each of you are changing lives every day, providing our community with the gift of peace of mind, peace in knowing they are getting better support and healthcare, peace in knowing that they are not alone in their life’s journey.  Thank you for all you do for each other, for our team, for our organization and our community.
May you each have a moment of peace in the coming days.
Kathryn
peace
Rooster LogoSemper-fidelis

Merry Christmas from the Rooster’s Coop

December 26, 2016 6:40 pm / 5 Comments on Merry Christmas from the Rooster’s Coop

Horrible, that is the only word to describe the connectivity to the Internet several days prior to December 25th. I had my electronic card ready to post and this effort was to no avail. Several times I connected but the speed was such that getting it into cyber space would not occur. Finally I am here at an alternate site, thank you Jeffrey and Kathryn for allowing me to tap into the world of 2016.

So here goes my Christmas Card a day late.

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Merry Christmas from our coop to yours.

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The Rooster and Herself

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Our newest addition Benjamin Franklin Fiddler, (a real BFF) nine weeks old.

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Simon

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Casper

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The Girls

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Rooster LogoSemper-fidelis

A Flyers Game in Philly

December 12, 2016 4:32 pm / 3 Comments on A Flyers Game in Philly

On Friday, December 9, 2016 herself and the Rooster went to bed a bit earlier than usual. The next day would bring a pre-dawn wake-up to feed the backyard flock and ready ourselves for an overnight trip to the City of Brotherly Love. We would be traveling with our eldest daughter and her husband to attend a Philadelphia Flyers Hockey game against the Dallas Stars on Saturday afternoon.

The kids would be coming by at 0730 on Saturday after having spent the previous night at a holiday gala in Ocean City, MD., these two definitely get around. Jeff is not long back from a two week trip to Israel. Yes, he’s the Dept. of State employee.(Where in the world is Jeff Berthiaume?) Kathryn has no moss growing on her posterior also.

So I hop in the drivers side and will act as the Uber driver for this jaunt. This happens a lot when I travel with these two. I guess having grown up in the greater Philadelphia area, they might feel I know my way. I was seeing Hockey games in Philadelphia in the early 60’s when they were the Ramblers. The old Arena at 46th and Market was the venue back in those days. Saw the old Jersey Devils at the Cherry Hill arena also. For this event it would take place in the Wells Fargo center in South Philadelphia. It is part of a Sports Metroplex that shares parking with the Eagles, Lincoln Financial Center and the Phillies, Citizen Bank Park.

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The Sports Complx

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Philadelphia City Hall

 
After a breakfast stop in Seaford, DE we would continue north to center city Philly and check in to the Marriott opposite Philadelphia City Hall. If you’ve got nothing better to do, take the virtual tour. The kids got an upgrade to one of their rooms and gave it to us. Taking care of the elderly you know. God bless them, we are quite fortunate. Must have been a reward for driving!

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The Ben Franklin bridge from our window. I walked over this bridge many times as a kid.

We did not tarry too long for the game would commence in ninety minutes and we still had a subway ride to South Philly.

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Youtube photo

SEPTA operates the subway system in Southeastern Pennsylvania. It is part of regional public transportation authority that operates various forms of public transit services—bus, subway and elevated rail, commuter rail, light rail and electric trolleybus—that serve 3.9 million people in five counties in and around Philadelphia.

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I can’t remember the last time I traveled the subway. If I could venture a guess I’d say 1968 was the last ride. It hasn’t changed much and our day’s steps, 10,000 of them, began as we searched for an entrance to the world of the underground. Once we found our way down under we went through the unaccustomed use of the ticket by credit card machine. After numerous failed attempts, a local interceded and moved us on our way. He was waiting to use the machine also. I’m sure his help was more motivated by wanting to move through the turnstile than “Brotherly Love.” Thank you anyway my friend should you be reading this.

Did I mention it was Freezing Butt Cold, well it was as we started our walk from the subway stop with hundreds of Orange & Black clad supporters of Philadelphia Flyers Hockey fans. The venue was large, the crowd easy to follow, no getting lost on this segment of the adventure. Jeff would hand out the tickets, a necessary should we get separated.

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On entry the usual security check, I’d walk through the Magnetometer, get called back, “Duh,” oh yes, I have a Pacemaker and set it off again. I’d explain this and I usually get the Magic Wand treatment, not this time though. The young lad says, “that’s OK sir, go on through.” I must really be looking old lately, take care of the elderly, I appreciate it and all the perks that come along. They did look through my man-purse, good thing the .380 was back home.

Let the game begin. Great seats in a mid level box. Our own bar and waitress to bring whatever, first class kids, thank you. Line of sight was fabulous, a near full house, even with all the Christmas shoppers out and about.

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It’s feeling like a date night.

The Flyers would start slow and go down a goal. Eventually things would tie at 2 – 2. Then it happened, Brayden Schenn scored  two more goals and garnered a power-play hat trick . Flyers win 4 – 2. It is now an eight game win streak, the longest since 2002 and increased to nine last night with an overtime win at Detroit over the Red Wings.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2016/12/10/schenn-hat-trick-leads-flyers-to-8th-straight-win.html

What is a Hat Trick you ask? http://mentalfloss.com/article/56326/where-does-phrase-hat-trick-come

Just a great end to a wonderful afternoon. When I return once again I’ll take you on a fine dining experience to “Bank and Bourbon” in downtown Philly. Come back often for “The Rooster Crows.”

Cast Your Vote

December 5, 2016 12:37 pm / 3 Comments on Cast Your Vote

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The Immortal Jukebox, A Blog about Music and Popular Culture

A fellow blogger and a person I consider a friend would love for you all to check out his blog and cast a vote on his behalf, especially if you like music.

Two of his favorite Blog Posts were:

http://wp.me/p4pE0N-AL Bob Dylan, The Nobel Prize, The Albert Hall & Me!

http://wp.me/p4pE0N-xL Duane Eddy – An imaginary road movie in 5 songs

Thom Hickey
Twitter Handle:
@thomhickey55
Blog URL:      http://theimmortaljukebox.com

From Thom’s Blog:

Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote! for The Immortal Jukebox (& groove to The Shadows!)

Posted on December 5, 2016

I was very grateful and somewhat amazed at how many of my readers took the time to nominate The Immortal Jukebox for The UK Blog Awards.

Now I would like to ask you to move to the next stage and vote for The Jukebox (and encourage all your family, friends, and social media contacts to do the same!).

Please follow the link and select Art & Culture from the drop down menu:

http://blogawardsuk.co.uk/ukba2017/entries/immortal-jukebox

As a reward here’s ‘Wonderful Land’ an early 60s guitar instrumental from the one and only Shadows featuring the lyrical playing of Hank B Marvin.

 

Cast your vote here >    http://blogawardsuk.co.uk/ukba2017/entries/immortal-jukebox#votenow