Watch for the book by Gerhard Maroscher

In February 2013 I blogged about a letter I saw in the Columbus Dispatch written by a man from Circleville, Ohio warning Americans about giving up their guns. He told about the end of WWII when criminals roamed the streets in Austria and his mother protected her children with her illegal gun.  He is in the process of writing a book now (no title yet), and has completed the section he told about in his letter. “Writing the book has been an interesting journey. At times it has been emotional. Writing about my family’s experiences has made me appreciate my parents and America even more. It has also heightened my concern about the direction we are heading as a nation.”

In his letter to the CD he wrote:

Based on the experiences of my youth, I do not share many people’s blind trust in governments, especially big powerful governments. My father read the Constitution before he decided to request to immigrate to the U.S. with his family. He had had his fill of communism, National Socialism (Nazism) and governments that feel the need and have the power to arbitrarily confiscate weapons.

Of course, Europeans generally accept that they can’t own guns. But their history is such that they started out as serfs and always had a lord, king or emperor. There was always a powerful leader who had control over the lives of his subjects. We Americans threw off the yoke of aristocracy and had a new birth of freedom.”

Update: The book is nearing the finish line! I heard today from the author Gerhard Maroscher, and the title of the book is, “Why can’t somebody just die around here?” The first page of the book (after the preface) explains why that title was chosen.

Global warming folly sprinkled to cover scandals

Wall Street Journal: We were too soft on Obamacare

"These columns fought the Affordable Care Act from start to passage, and we'd now like to apologize to our readers. It turns out we weren't nearly critical enough.”

"The law's implementation is turning into a fiasco for the ages, and this week's version is the lawless White House decision to delay the law's insurance mandate for businesses, though not for individuals."

"This is more than a typical government snafu. It relates directly to the design of the law, which was thoughtlessly written and rammed through Congress with instructions for the bureaucracy to figure it all out," the editorial said.

Obama’s interference in Egypt isn’t popular there either

 

 

Ann Paterson is the U.S. Ambassador to Egypt.

July 4 blessings—if we can keep them

 

I'm thankful this July 4 for the First Amendment. "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."

Can we keep these freedoms of religion, speech, press and assembly or will we allow the President and the courts to dream up work arounds? Our president forces the HHS Mandate which violates the religion of millions; he calls peaceful assembly by hundreds of those who disagree with his policies "domestic terrorism;" our free press is eroded by his personal lapdog journalists and crony capitalist cyber giants; citizens speaking out brings out the thuggery at the IRS. Don't lose this treasure!

Obama supports the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

"An honest, capable and representative government is what ordinary Egyptians seek and what they deserve." President Obama, commenting on the removal of Morsi as leader of Egypt.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/03/statement-president-barack-obama-egypt

Yes, that's what Americans deserve too, but he calls peaceful opposition to his policies terrorism, and the Tea Party has just had a few posters and town meetings, not 33 million people in the streets.

Wendy Davis

"Depending on your point of view, Davis is either a brave hero fighting for women everywhere or the second coming of Kermit Gosnell, the notorious Philadelphia doctor recently found guilty of murdering babies." Nick Gillespie, Reason.com

Me?  I think she’s much closer to Gosnell than a hero.

Gettysburg and Uncle Jacob

My great great grandparents lived in Adams County, Pennsylvania, home of Gettysburg.  In early letters to their son David living near Ashton, Illinois, they weren’t too concerned about the war.  Later as things deteriorated, they sent their youngest son, Jacob, to Illinois to live with his older brother David, my grandmother’s father, who really didn’t know him because of the age difference.  But young Jacob got caught up in the war fever anyway, and at age 16 went to Dixon, Illinois, and enlisted.  He died in Tennessee of dysentery a few weeks before the war ended in 1865.  He is buried there in a national cemetery.  It was over 100 years before we even knew of his existence, let alone where he was buried.  One of his sisters in Iowa received a letter from him and his last pay record, which was also his death certificate. When genealogies were being assembled in the 1980s we found out about poor Jacob. His name was listed in the Lee County History compiled 50 years later, but no one in the family thought to read that.

There are no goats in heaven

This morning's speaker on Malabar Farm was excellent. I definitely want to visit. He showed the cutest baby goat photos. He said they are risk takers and get loose even if the grass is just as green on the right side of the fence; lambs are fine, though. Did you know there are no goats in heaven? Jesus said so. Only sheep. That must be why. Cute, adorable, but won't mind. Matt. 25:32-33.

 

 

 

 

 

The Bromfield book, although a novel, is said to be autobiographical.

Obamacare postponement

Louis Bromfield and Malabar Farm

 

This morning's lecture is on Louis Bromfield and Malabar Farm. At one time he was one of America's most successful authors. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were married at Malabar Farm, which is now a state park.

The speaker is Thomas Bachelder, a former high school art teacher who is now a naturalist at Malabar Farm. He is writing a book These Thousand Acres: The Story of the Land That Became Malabar Farm.

Magic Bathroom cleaner

I haven’t tried this, but wanted to save the recipe, and putting it in the blog is easier than printing it.

What you need:
-1 Professional Spray Bottle (it is worth the extra $1, trust me!)
-8 oz. Distilled White Vinegar
-4 oz. Lemon Juice
-2 oz. Liquid Soap (I use Dawn)
-2 tsp. Baking Soda
-10 oz water
To Mix:
Funnel in all the ingredients, squeeze out the suds, screw on your cap and go make your bathroom sparkle!
To Use:
Clear the surfaces, use toilet tissue to wipe off any dirt, hair, spilled liquids, etc.  Using the lightest spray setting, spray down everything- sink, counter, mirror, faucets, tub and the whole toilet, inside and out. I let it sit while I sweep the floor. I then use a microfiber cloth to wipe down the surfaces from the cleanest to the dirtiest. In our house that means mirror, faucets, sink, tub/shower and then the toilet. Be sure to rinse out the tub/shower really well so it isn't slippery.
Stubborn stains in your tub?
Whether its a dirt ring at the top or dirt stuck in the textured bottom, this will solve your problem! Spray down the problem area heavily, and then using a sponge with a non-scratch scrubber, scrub in a circular motion. Again, rinse very well and then put on your shades because its going to be shiny.

You’ll be known by your friends

In the Texas state Capitol, while pro-lifers sang Amazing Grace, the pro-abortion crowd chanted “Hail Satan.”  They seem to think these posters are amusing. Some day these young ladies will be so embarrassed that this photo of them went viral.  But not today.  Today, they are tools of the pro-Satan crowd.

Bush helped the economy after a recession; Obama hurt it

We all know what PPACA (Obamacare) gave us--a lot of surprises that Congress who didn't read it didn't know about, plus enough economic slip ups to completely undo any benefit from the so-called stimulus.  Bush and his Republican Congress, on the other hand, boosted medical research as their signature medical effort. Medical research has great payback in the form of healthier workers and new investments. Making people spend more in insurance--seems to benefit 2 industries: insurance companies and the government bureaucracy. http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/pdfs/FY03/Completed/overview.pdf

Art at the Rhein Center at Lakeside, 2013

Lakeside has a wonderful art center where classes of all types are taught. Here's what my neighbor's grand daughter Elle was able to do today. Aren't the colors great? My husband will be teaching (perspective) next week. Established in a dilapidated, boarded up building in memory of C. Kirk Rhein, Jr., a son and grandson of Lakesiders lost in TWA Flight 800, it is now a pleasant, busy, humming hive of laughter and effort. This spring it got a nice make-over with tents outside and a fresh coat of paint and new floors.  http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/article/20130624/NEWS01/306240022/Lakeside-gets-fresh-face

Joan Shaw Turrentine guest blogger on Obamacare impact

The Salvation Army truck just left, taking away the leftovers from our yard sale a couple of weeks ago. I finally have our garage space back! While we were loading the “stuff” on the truck, I asked the worker if it is true that most of the Salvation Army staff has had their hours cut to half-time. He affirmed the truth of what I had heard. So sad! Employers (particularly charities) cannot afford to hire full-time workers - thanks to all the oppressive regulations involved with our new “healthcare” laws which require extensive paperwork and fees for every full-time employee. In the light of the IRS scandal, one has to wonder whether faith-based charities (like Salvation Army) might be especially targeted for extra paper-work limiting their hiring. Throughout my 72 years as a citizen of this once-great country I have been a trusting, patriotic citizen. It breaks my heart that I can no longer trust our country’s leaders.

Amen, Joan. (NB)

Morality slipping in the United States

This is the agency in charge of your health

He knew it was a tax when he first lied.

Look where “wantedness” got us. 55 million dead.

Amy Grant at Lakeside, June 29

A great concert by Amy Grant last night at Hoover Auditorium in Lakeside. Except for a few of her Christian favorites popular early in her career, it was a secular concert for some very loyal fans. Can't believe she's 52. She must work out. She has great rapport with her audience and seemed to genuinely enjoy Lakeside. We were packed in cheek to jowl, and the doors opened at 7:30 (for 8:15 concert).

Lakeside Foundation had a dinner last night where we were updated on last year's projects (splash park and memorial garden) and the upcoming plans for the lakefront. $688,000 was raised in 2012, and the goal now is $700,000. We sat with 3 other couples, married in 1950, 1957, and 1960. Among us we had 222 years of marriage. I thought that might be a record, but looked over at the next table and I'm sure they were over 240.