I was just listening to CNN, and they were showing Obama speaking today.  In his speech, referring to the Jeremiah Wright issue, he said, “I hope we don’t get distracted by that.”  That just cracked me up.  I’ll just bet he hopes - and earnestly prays - that people will not get distracted by Wright’s racist spewings.

Then Anderson Cooper asked Suzanne Malveaux, “Why is Obama still talking about Rev. Wright?” 

Uh, let’s see.  He’s still talking about Rev. Wright because it is a major issue, and he’s trying to convince people that it’s a non-issue. It isn’t.  I sure hope that all the Obama-nuts DO get distracted from Obama’s smooth talking by this issue. It’s an issue that indicates a lack of character on Obama’s part - a lack of tolerance - a lack of capacity for being objective and fair in relating to ALL United States citizens.

I’m a moving pro. Really, I’ve moved so many times the past few years that I’ve got it down to a fine science. And that means that i am always interested in reading about ways to making moving easier. Although, I assure you, I don’t intend to ever move again myself! Most folks in the world aren’t able to make such a statement, though. If you’re one of the unlucky people who will move this year, I want to tell you about a site that has great moving services.  MovingOrbit.com isn’t just about moving trucks, although they provide trucks, too, for do-it-yourselfers.  They’ll provide multiple estimates for both local and interstate moving companies.  Then all you have to do is select the mover that gives you the best price and protection for your belongings.
 

I’m so thankful that it is spring.  Last weekend RT and I went to Lowe’s and bought some plants for our garden and orchard.  We also ordered some plants online.  We don’t HAVE a garden or orchard yet, but we WILL have them both soon.  And the following are some of the items that will be planted.

(1) Winesap apple trees

(2) Golden Delicious apple trees

(3) Peach trees

(4) Blueberry bushes

(5) Blackberry bushes

(6) Grape vines

(7) Muscadine vines

(8) Raspberry plants

(9) Red rose bushes

(10) Yellow rose bushes

(11) Pink rose bushes

(12) Orange rose bushes

(13) Lots and lots of lilies and other flowers

If you like rap music and rap artists then there is a new website just for you.  It’s Rap Artists: Your #1 Rap Resource on the Net, and it has listings of artists, New Releases and a Forum.  It also has a Featured Artist, Rap Artists Top 10, New Releasing, Upcoming Rap Albums, Top Artists, Top Albums, and Top Songs.  In other words, ANYTHING related to rap music can be found at this new site. 

RT and I are considering naming our homeplace “Rocky Ridge.”  The house is built on top of a ridge, and it is very rocky.  T laughed the first time I suggested the name last year.  However, it’s kinda grown on us.  We have also considered naming it “Gnarly Oak Ridge” because beside one of the paths along the ridge there is a huge oak tree that has very gnarly looking roots running around above ground.  We christened it “gnarly oak” a couple years ago.  We’ve considered other names, too, but those are the top two at this point.  I like the idea of giving our place a name.  Any other suggestions?

This afternoon when I got home from school, I spent awhile outside watering the rose bushes, blueberry bushes, blackberry bushes, apple trees and peach trees we bought last weekend.  Then when RT got home, we decided to take a walk.  We walked for about thirty or forty minutes through the woods, up to the top of one of the hills, and then we got our son’s four-wheeler out of the barn.  RT drove, and I climbed on behind him, and we rode to the bottom of the hill around the river - then down to the end of the driveway and back.  It was so much fun!

I started playing around at VistaPrint this afternoon and ended up designing car door magnets advertising my cooking website, Cabbie’s Cooking.  VistaPrint provided plenty of templates to choose from - or I could have uploaded my own graphics.  I used one of their templates to make the magnet to the left.  I think it’s really cool, and I believe it would get a lot of attention on the side of my car. 

I’ve really like VistaPrint.  Two years ago I designed my custom business cards at VistaPrint for the past couple years, and I LOVE my business cards - professional but one-of-a-kind.   It’s fun to just play around at their website designing various customized items.

VistaPrint offers a wide selection of printing services such as announcements, checks, rubber stamps, business cards, and now they have CAR MAGNETS!  You see car magnets all over town.  If you use a car or a truck for your business, then this has got one of the least expensive methods of advertising.  Your car or truck becomes a moving advertisement - your business is on display as you take care of errands around town.  The best thing, besides the great price, is that you can customize the items that you order.  I love personalized things because they make things so . . . . well, personal!   And when you order, for example, a car door magnet, they show you examples of other coordinating personalized items such as labels, rubber stamps, etc. 

Don’t you just love this poem?

      LOVE’S PHILOSOPHY

The fountains mingle with the river,
  And the rivers with the ocean;
The winds of heaven mix forever,
  With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
  All thing by a law divine
In one another’s being mingle: -
  Why not I with thine?

See! the mountains kiss high heaven,
  And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower would be forgiven
  If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
  And the moonbeams kiss the sea: -
What are all these kissings worth,
  If thou kiss not me?
~Percy Bysshe Shelley~

I had a principal once who told our faculty that our goal was to work smarter - not harder.  He was right.  For most businesses, being organized is the key to working smarter.  A label printer is an excellent way to get your small business (or home) organized. DYMO has label printers that can be used for postage labels, printing needs, shipping labels, address tags, and even online stamps.  Label printers can help you get your small business organized and working more effectively and efficiently.  This is a product that will help increase your productivity by saving you time and effort. 

DYMO label printers quickly and easily connect to your PC or MAC, and they can work with both Word and Outlook.  That saves you from having to switch from one program to another in order to print your labels.  Another wise person once told me that life is in the details.  The success of a business is also in the details.  Using technology such as DYMO label printers enable you to handle the details with ease and efficiency.  This allows you to spend your time on the big picture of your business.

DYMO has a wide variety of label printers.  There are desktop models and handheld models. 

Have you ever attended a rodeo?  I’ve watched them on TV before, and I’ve been to some small town rodeos.  Many years ago, I went with RT and our son to see “Bullnanza” which was okay, but it basically was just watching guys ride bulls and try to hang on for eight seconds before being thrown off.   A rodeo, though, involves so much more.  It’s the real deal - especially when you’re talking about the National Finals Rodeo.  There are seven main events in a rodeo: calf roping, steer wrestling, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, steer roping and team roping.  They take the top fifteen money winners in each event to compete for the world title, NS at the end a world champion is crowned for each event.

The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is considered the super bowl of rodeos.  It’s the best of the best when it comes to rodeos.  The first NFR was held in Dallas back in 1959.  Now it has moved to Las Vegas, and NFR Tickets are some of the hottest tickets in town.   The Wrangler NFR Tickets have sold out its last 220 performances.  This year’s NFR will be December 4 - 13 in Las Vegas.

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is also the biggest prize money rodeo in the world - paying out $5.5 million to contestant in one year - making it the most prestigious championship rodeo.
 

Who you choose as your mentor and “spiritual guide” matters.

The people you select as friends matter.

The religion/church you support with your presence, your service and your money matters.

The people your church honors matter.

Your words matter.
 ”But she is a typical white person . . . “ (Barack Obama, March 2008, speaking of his grandmother)

“For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country.” (Michele Obama, Feb. 2008)

Your actions matter.

Barack Obama is clearly not the person we want for President of the United States.  And for the people who are still cheering him on: there are few things worse than deliberate ignorance.