Former Blog Ramblings

Final Day of 2009, December 31

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:24:00 -0500

Most people find the last day of theyear as a day of putting the last year in perspective. I'm no differentthan most people & can't help but to reflect on the days gone by.This year started out rocky for me where I needed continuing reading here

Milestone :)

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:17:00 -0500

September of this year I will hit a milestone. :cool:

Some life quotes ~

Some people think it's holding on that makes one strong- sometimes it's letting go. author unknown

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. Abraham Lincoln

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutelymiserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quitecertainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. Agatha Christie

All men have a sweetness in their life. That is what helps them go on. It is towards that they turn when they feel too worn out. Albert Camus

Deliver me from writers who say the way they live doesn't matter. I'm not surea bad person can write a good book. If art doesn't make us better, thenwhat on earth is it for. Alice Walker

Family Celebrations, Road Trips, & American Indians

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:30:00 -0400

Wow!! It sure has been a while since I've written anything here and it's certainly not because I don't have anything to write! This summer has been so busy and no doubt like many of you wonder where the summer went.

First off, as you can see I made some changes to my website. I'm still tweaking it so please bear with me.

In all it's been a fun summer. A few snafus here & there, but, hey, isn't that par for the course?

After Dan & I got back from the Caribbean, we got busy with the kids ~ spending Easter, Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day, & birthdays together.

Easter we went to Matthew's & Amy's where Amy made a delicious lunch, but not before Gabe, Rhianna, & Emily investigated what was in their Easter baskets. It was truly a lovely time together.

On Mothers' Day, we met Don & Sarah and Don's parents at the Wildwood Lake Sanctuary. Before taking our walk around the lake, we took a look inside the Sanctuary's visitor center. There we learned about the various creatures and plants that inhibited the Sanctuary. We also learned the history and the importance of the Sanctuary.

It was a nice day to walk around the lake and to witness the spring vegetation and critters that were migrating north and coming out of hibernation. Here are a few pictures.

In June, we celebrated Fathers' Day, Matthew's and Gabe's birthday.

In July, we went to Don's and Sarah's to celebrate Dan's birthday. Sarah wanted to show us her vegetable "garden". As I said in an earlier post, Sarah is so creative with her gardening. She really has a natural instinct when it comes to planting flowers and vegetables.

After seeing Sarah's flowers and vegetables, we ate dinner and celebrated Dan's birthday with candles on a pie! The dinner was great, but the best thing of all was spending time with Don and Sarah.

On July 21 we celebrated Emily's 2nd year birthday. Amy dressed her in a beautiful pink dress and tied her hair up in a pony tail. It was so exciting. She received wonderful gifts and enjoyed messing with her birthday cake.

Beginning in February of this year, I started to follow the news of the Longest Walk 2, which began in San Francisco. Click here and here to read more about the event.

In follow-up to the Longest Walk 2, Dan and I traveled to Washington, D.C. where the walkers celebrated reaching their destination by holding a Powwow. Coming out in support of the Walkers were Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte, and Darryl Hannah.

While in D.C. Dan and I realized how much we needed to make another trip to our country's capitol and tour the many museums. We are so fortunate to live in such a wonderful country as ours. We have so much to celebrate!

There is so much more to write about, but that is it for now. I will continue the next blog with our road trip to Schuylkill & Carbon County, Pennsylvania.

I have posted pictures of events mentioned in the blog on my Picasa picture site. Click here to see them.

Caribbean & other happenings

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:04:21 -0400

It's been a busy couple of weeks. I'm finishing up with school. I only have 3 more classes to go before I'm done and then don't have to think about it again until the fall!! Yippee. The class is on violence and genocide. It has totally been a personal learning experience for me and a very emotional one at that.

Family News

Gabe started playing Tball. That is where you bat the ball from a long tube that stands upright on the ground. The day of his opening game was overcast, but the rain held off and he was able to get his first game in. He looks so cute in his uniform. Matthew is helping to coach. I will let you know when I have pictures up of Gabe in his uniform or check my Picasa photo page from time to time.

On April 16, Rhianna had Grandparents' Day at her school. She was the only one who had both sets of grandparents there. We got to watch her interact in class and saw an abbreviated school day in the life of Rhianna.

Emily is growing so big. She will be 2 in July.

Don and Sarah are busy with yardwork and getting flowers planted now that spring is here. Sarah is so meticulous with her flower planting. She takes after her Grandma Clepper, certainly NOT me! Her flowers always look so beautiful. I will have to take some pictures of them and post them for you to see.

The Caribbean

As some of you might already know ~ Dan and I recently took our FIRST Caribbean cruise on March 30. We went with Cristal, Skip, and their son, Derrick. The cruise included visits to Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas.

Dan and I really had a great time and it's a memory that will last a long time. Each day we were up by 7ish and to breakfast by 8. The food was outstanding. If you went hungry it was your own fault.

The weather was great. It only rained twice and that was while we were at sea and late in the afternoon. Dan went snorkeling in Aruba and the two of us jet skied in St. Maarten. Both events were fun. We got to see shows on the ship and for Derrick's birthday we went to a club ~ it was 80s music night, which reminded us of when we use to go to Wanda's (a club in Mechanicsburg, PA).

As I said, Dan and I did have a great time. The only thing we didn't like was not enough time on the islands.

I loaded our Caribbean pictures on Picasa, so check them out when you have a chance. Feedback here or on Picasa is welcomed.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and to read my blog. If you want to read more about what I'm doing check out my history blog.

Hugs,
C

Gangsters & J. Edgar Hoover

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 04:35:02 -0400

A few years back I read the book, Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34, by Bryan Burrough. The book covers the development of the FBI and the capture and killings of gangsters such -

Bonnie and Clyde
John Dillinger
Ma Barker
Pretty Boy Floyd
Baby Face Nelson

J. Edgar Hoover became head of the FBI in the 1920s. In 1933, he was on the verge of losing his job when the Kansas City Massacre occurred.

To read about the villains that helped Hoover keep his job click here.

Lance Mackey Wins Iditarod 2nd Year In A Row!!

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 22:55:00 -0400

Here is an article on Alaskan Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

Checkout my Iditarod Webpage for information on the 2010 Iditarod. Will Mackey make it four years in a row?

For more up to date news on the 2010 Iditarod check the following link: Iditarod news

yep ~ it's true....Lance Mackey was the first musher to make it to the finish line in Nome, Alaska after traveling over 1100 miles. Lance had already won the Yukon Quest earlier this year, which he also won last year. He is a native Alaskan, a cancer survivor, and an inspiration. Here are a few pictures from the Alaska Daily News website. To view more pics click here ------> ADN.Com

If you scroll down you will find another post I did when the Iditarod was getting under way. On this post you will find other links taking you to the history of the Iditarod and the journal of the teacher from Dillsburg, PA, who traveled to Alaska to help with the Dog Drop at the Iditarod.

One more little tidbit, which I find surprising ~ you would think that Alaska, especially this time of year, would have plenty of snow and wouldn't have to make snow....well, not so, this year a snow maker had to travel in front of the mushers and make snow...unbelievable, don't you agree?

Now for Lance and his puppy dogs!

Photo Credit: Unknown ~ taken from Terrierman's Daily Dose

****disclaimer: The photos and videos used are for educational and reporting purposes only and therefore permissible under the fair use copyright act.

International Women's Day March 8

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 11:51:37 -0500

**disclaimer: The photos and videos used are for educational and reporting purposes only and therefore permissible under the fair use copyright act.

Iditarod: The Last Great Race

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:46:00 -0500

Here is an article on the Alaskan Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race ~

Checkout my Iditarod Webpage for 2010 race information. Here you will find weather reports and the top ten mushers who left the checkpoint.

Here is another link to Iditarod information ~ Iditarod News

I have followed the Iditarod for some time now. The race has ALWAYS amazed me how man and dog become one and travel over 1100 miles to Nome, Alaska. The mushers who race in the Iditarod are every day people. Their names are familiar only to those who follow the race. They come from all over the world, but the majority are from Alaska. They are men and women and are as young as 18 years old.

They are cancer survivors, blind, and have a single leg. The mushers are full of determination and a deep affection for the dogs that lead them into Nome. It's been said by one musher that it's not a race about money, no one gets rich by running in the Iditarod. My interpretation as to why people chose to run in the sled dog race has more to do with proving they can do it, for the love of the country and outdoors they will cross.

For me, my interest began with the amazement of the race, but I have only become more interested after learning the history of the Iditarod.

The race is designed after the 1925 a diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska. An antitoxin needed to get to isolated Nome in order to save the small mining town. The only reliable transportation was the dog sled. Norwegian Gunnar Kassan and his lead dog Balto arrived in Nome on February 2, five days after Dr. Welsh sent out an SOS requesting serum be brought to Nome.

here is a picture of Balto. His statue was erected in Central Park, New York City in 1925.

Photo Credit: unknown ~ taken from Wikipedia

Official Iditarod Website

Keith Urban at Hershey

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:53:13 -0500

You'll Think of Me - he was so intense by the end
of this song. It was breath taking!!
February 14, 2008

Stupid Boy ~ One of my favorites
Hershey ~ February 14, 2008

This was my Valentine's Day present ~ seeing Keith Urban at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA. It was my first time to see him in concert. He put on such an excellent show ~ he totally ROCKED. It was obvious that he enjoyed entertaining and performing for his fans ~ that he loves his wife, Nicole Kidman ~ just as he did at Madison Square Garden the night before ~ he dedicated a song to Nicole.

**disclaimer: The photos and videos used are for educational and reporting purposes only and therefore permissible under the fair use copyright act.

Snow in PA

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:24:00 -0500

It seemed that everytime the weather people called for snow it was everywhere but here. China and Iraq even got snow ~ something that hadn't happened in years upon years....if ever.

Dan decided a few weeks ago to grow a goattee in protest of no snow. He said he wasn't going to shave it off until he was able to use his snow blower ~ well, guess what? Yesterday, February 12, he FINALLY got to use it. Here is a video I made about the snow and Dan using his snow blower. It's the first video I made like this and uploaded to youtube. The video should give you an idea of what it was like here yesterday. comments are welcome. :)

click below for video

Finally Winter