Wednesday, December 31, 2014

How many of you....

                             ...... remember being allowed to stay up late one night a year to listen to:







Should Old Acquaintance be forgot,
and never thought upon;
The flames of Love extinguished,
and fully past and gone:
Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold,
that loving Breast of thine;
That thou canst never once reflect
On Old long syne.
CHORUS:
On Old long syne my Jo,
On Old long syne,
That thou canst never once reflect,
On Old long syne.



Happy New Year!




Today's funny :o)

Another gem from wild river!  :0)

King Ozymandias of Assyria was running low on cash after years of war with the Hittites. His last great possession was the Star of the Euphrates, the most valuable diamond in the ancient world. Desperate, he went to Croesus, the pawnbroker, to ask for a loan.

Croesus said, "I'll give you 100,000 dinars for it."

"But I paid a million dinars for it," the King protested. "Don't you know who I am? I am the king!"

Croesus replied,

"When you wish to pawn a Star, makes no difference who you are."




Woke up.....

        ..... a wee bit crooked - must have done something to my back when we were unloading the wood at younger son's place on Monday. Getting too old for that kind of work - plus I had spent a couple of hours cleaning up and around the coop!

So...I didn't do much outside yesterday - just let them run around for an hour. Was too cold out anyway. We turned the light on in the coop for the gang as the water in there was starting to freeze.



 I did get two eggs, though! Shirley's egg on the left and Laverne's on the right!




Later on we'll go in to town and get the fixings for the lasagna. It will just be the two of us for dinner this time. No house full of people and no big mess of dishes to clean up. Yippie!


Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Just clouds

Too often we are always too busy and don't notice what is up above us.


















The next time you are outside, look up - and make sure you have your camera with you!


Today's funny :0)

I want one!







Another.....

                                             .... beautiful day!


Cold out - had to bundle up, but I am so tired of staying in the house cooking and cleaning! Hubby and I took a truck load of firewood up to youngest son's house early in the morning and when we came back I let the gang out:



 Cleaned the coop, pen and run.  Raked up all around the the area. Took me a bit more than two hours to do everything! Nice & clean!


Took a walk around the property and found this under one of the trees:


 Watched Hubby move some machinery around:


Charlie heard another  rooster calling and he answered:


The moon showed up in the late afternoon:


Another pretty sunset:



'Twas a good day yesterday..........  :o)


Monday, December 29, 2014

For all the pilots out there....



Found this and thought you just might enjoy watching  :o)






A big H/T to all men and woman who take to the air!

Today's funny :o)

Another good one from wild river: :o)

Ole, Lars, and Sven

Ole, Lars and Sven had been going to the Sons of Norway hall meeting as long as there had been a hall. And every month, wouldn't ya know it, they didn't win a prize in the monthly drawing.

That is until the last meeting. Sven was the first one of the three to get his name drawn. He won two pounds of spaghetti sauce, four boxes of noodles, and three pounds of Swedish meatballs.

Ole had his name drawn next. He got himself round trip tickets to Duluth, a nights stay at the Dew Drop Inn and a pair of tickets to see the Inger triplets Polka Ensemble. Ole thought that he had died and gone to heaven.

Lars was the last one to have his name drawn, he won a toilet brush.

At the next monthly meeting, they sat down together to check out how they had fared for the past month. Sven said "Uff da, I had dat pasghetti for tree
days. It was so good, and Helga didn't have to buy food for them dere tree days."

Ole said "Lena was so happy vhen I brought home dem tickets. The trip up to Duluth was nice, we got to ride da Greyhound, and you know, they got a built in outhouse on dat dere bus. And the Inger Triplets, if I didn't know better, I would swear dey were sisters."

Then Ole turned to Lars, and asked him how his prize worked out. Lars looks at them both and says, "Dat dere toilet brush is nice, but I tink I'll go back to using paper."



Pic dump

'Hope everyone had  a good holiday!

 Christmas Eve:


Dawn on Christmas Day:


Rain .. no snow :o(
 

But on Friday.....  Sunshine!

Fat Shirley on the front steps

Charlie with his long tail feather


Saturday was like a Spring day! Hubby even washed the truck!


 The pretty sunset Saturday night!


It rained on and off all day Sunday.....sigh


Sunday, December 28, 2014

Easy Listening for a Sunday Afternoon

Ella....








When the bells all ring
And the horns all blow
And the couples we know
Are fondly kissing
Will I be with you
Or will I be among the missing

Maybe it's much too early in the game
Oh, but I thought I'd ask you just the same.
What are you doing New Year's... New Year's eve?

Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight
When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night?
Welcoming in the New Year... New Year's eve

Maybe I'm crazy to suppose
I'd ever be the one you chose ...
Out of the thousand invitations you'll received ?
But in case I stand one little chance,
Here comes the jackpot question in advance...
What are you doing New Year's... New Year's Eve?

Out of the thousand invitations you'll received ?
Oh, but in case I stand one little chance,
Here comes the jackpot question in advance...
What are you doing New Year's... New Year's Eve?
What are you doing New Year's Eve





Saturday, December 27, 2014

Saturday Night Doo-Wop


Dion!






 Runaround Sue


Here's my story, it's sad but true
It's about a girl that I once knew
She took my love then ran around
With every single guy in town

I should have known it from the very start
This girl will leave me with a broken heart
Now listen people what I'm telling you
keep away from-a Runaround Sue, yeah

I might miss her lips and the smile on her face
The touch of her hand and this girl's warm embrace
So if you don't wanna cry like I do
keep away from-a Runaround Sue

She likes to travel around, yeah
She'll love you and she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
Sue goes out with other guys

Here's the moral and the story from the guy who knows
I fell in love and my love still grows
Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say
keep away from-a Runaround Sue

Yeah, keep away from this girl
I know, know what she'll do
Keep away from Sue

She likes to travel around, yeah
She'll love you and she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
she goes out with other guys

Here's the moral and the story from the guy who knows
I fell in love and my love still grows
Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say
keep away from-a Runaround Sue, yeah

Stay away from that girl
Don't you know what to do now

Keep away from that girl
Don't you know what to do now


Friday, December 26, 2014

Friday Night Steam

Now here is something a little different!


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:


A pile driver is a mechanical device used to drive piles (poles) into soil to provide foundation support for buildings or other structures. The term is also used in reference to members of the construction crew that work with pile-driving rigs.

One traditional type of pile driver includes a heavy weight placed between guides so that it is able to freely slide up and down in a single line. It is placed upon a pile. The weight is raised, which may involve the use of hydraulics, steam, diesel, or manual labor. When the weight reaches its highest point it is then released and smashes on to the pile in order to drive it into the ground.


To learn more about pile drivers please see below link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pile_driver

And here for the history of  pile drivers:

http://piledrivingequipment.weebly.com/history.html


Very interesting!!!


Today's funny :o)










The day after....

'Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!







I'm just exhausted - but the good kind of exhausted......

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Merry Christmas!




From our home to yours





"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"



Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Join us

It wouldn't be Christmas Eve if I didn't sit down and watch "A Christmas Carol" with Alastair Sim.

(Don't think I've ever missed seeing it since I was a little girl!)


 (Can be watched in full screen)

Pour yourself a cup of hot chocolate and join Hubby and I as we watch this classic holiday movie!
(Freshly baked oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies are on the table)


Today's funny :o)










Christmas Eve....

It's still raining....



The tree is up:





Didn't let the gang out yesterday- poor things had to stay in the pen and the run. It was just too muddy and wet in the yard. (I really didn't want to stay out in the rain to watch them). I felt bad about it, but had so much work to do in the house. They did get a special treat to make up for it, though.

More rain is on the way - no white Christmas for us this year. (Sniff) Temps should be in the 50's today with thunderstorms. The mild weather won't last, so I really shouldn't complain, right?



Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Airbus

Saw this over on the Blaze - absolutely beautiful and amazing to watch!





Story here:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12/22/viewers-report-getting-goosebumps-after-seeing-five-commercial-jets-execute-very-unusual-maneuvers/



Today's funny :o)

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz



Looking for bugs....

More cloudy, damp weather but the gang wanted out! They headed straight for the leaf piles by the rock wall in the front of the house:










They must have found good eatins' there because I had to scoot them back to the pen after about an hour. I was getting cold!




Charlie is so handsome - too bad his neck is bald!


That's the way it's been every single day - boring, I know......

Monday, December 22, 2014

Centennial Light Bulb!

From: Bizarre World News

With most of us having to replace light-bulbs every few months, it’s amazing that the Centennial Light-Bulb at Fire Station No. 6 in Livermore, California, has been burning continuously ever since 1901.
centennial-light-bulb-550x359 

The exact date the centennial bulb was turned on is unknown, although its birthday is usually celebrated on June 18. However, we do know that it has been alight 24 hours a day since then, shining a dim light over the fire engines. Apart from the few power outages it has faced in the last 113 years, the unbreakable light-bulb has only had two breaks – one in 1976, when it was moved from one fire station and installed in another, and one in 2013, when it was off for 9 3.4 hours. When the bulb was moved, almost 40 years ago, people were so cautious not to break it that they severed the cord, instead of unscrewing it, and transferred it with a full police and fire truck escort. The whole business lasted just 22 minutes, after which it was back to business as usual.
The impressive light-bulb is apparently an improved hand-blown incandescent lamp with carbon filament. Debora Katz, a physicist at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., has conducted extensive research on the centennial light-bulb and what makes it so special, using a vintage light bulb from Shelby Electric Co. that is a near replica of the Livermore lamp. “The Livermore light bulb differs from a contemporary incandescent bulb in two ways,” says Katz. “First its filament is about eight times thicker than a contemporary bulb. Second, the filament is a semiconductor, most likely made of carbon. When a conductor gets hotter, its ability to conduct electricity goes down. When the Shelby bulb gets hotter, it becomes a better conductor of electricity.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Via: edn.com



Today's funny :0)







Friday morning I was in the dinning room looking out the patio doors and saw this little feller
 on the deck:



There were splatters of blood and he wasn't moving. I put on my gloves and picked him up. He struggled for a bit then settled down. I check him over and looked for broken wings or legs. The only damage was on his head. He must have flown into the sliding doors and knocked himself silly!  I brought him into the house to warm up a bit and he rested in my warm gloves for about five minutes. Took him back outside and he flew to the railing, walked around a bit and then flew off.


Glad he is OK!


adult male, Eastern
http://birds.audubon.org/birds/downy-woodpecker


We get a lot of them at the suet feeder





Sunday, December 21, 2014

Easy listening for a Sunday Afternoon

The one, the only ...  Mel Torme







The Christmas Song

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping at your nose,
yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
and folks dressed up like Eskimos.
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
help to make the season bright.
Tiny little  tots with their eyes all aglow
will find it hard to sleep tonight.
They know that Santa’s on his way.
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother’s child is gonna spy
to see if reindeer really know how to fly.
And so I’m offering this simple phrase
to kids from one to ninety-two,
although its been said many times, many ways:
Merry Christmas to you!





Saturday, December 20, 2014

Saturday Night Doo-Wop

The Uniques!




Merry Christmas, Darling and a Happy New Year too
I am so happy just being here with you
Your present I will cherish
The wonderful gift of you

Moonlight shining, snow is falling down
Here we are together, true love we have found

Darling, let's make a resolution
Not for just a New Year, but for a lifetime
Let's always be together, come what might
And, Darling, let's stay together always, as we are tonight

Merry Christmas, Darling and a Happy New Year too
I am so happy just being here with you
So I give you my present, I love you
Merry Christmas, Darling, and all my love





Friday, December 19, 2014

Friday Night Steam

Big boy 4014 (my favorite)










Engine Stats
Total Weight: 600 Tons, 1.2 million lbs Built: Alco, 1941 Horsepower: 6,290
Length: 132 ft, 9.875 in. Fuel: Coal Top Speed: 70 mph
Steam Pressure: 300 psi Full Capacity: 28 Tons Drivers: 68 in.

Lots more info here:


http://www.railgiants.org/union-pacific-big-boy.htm



Today's funny :o)







Ahhhh....

Dawn broke with plenty of clouds.....


But that good old sunshine stayed for most of the day Yippie!





Was good to get outside although it was breezy and Hubby & I had to bundle up.


Charlie and the girls didn't wander around the yard today - they stayed by the deck. That's unusual for them as they like to scratch in the leaves by the rock wall in the front.


There were a lot of crows chasing hawks. Maybe Charlie was heeding their warning calls.!





The local weather guru is predicting nice, sunny weather for the next couple of days - I sure hope so!




Thursday, December 18, 2014

A GoPro Christmas






So so glad I live WAY out in the country!  :o)




Today's funny :o)

Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates.

'In honor of this holy season' Saint Peter said, 'You must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven.'

The Englishman fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. 'It's a candle', he said.

'You may pass through the pearly gates' Saint Peter said.

The Scotsman reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, 'They're bells.'

Saint Peter said 'You may pass through the pearly gates'.

The Irishman started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's panties.

St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, 'And just what do those symbolize?'
 

The paddy replied, 'These are Carols.'

And So The Christmas Season
Begins......

Nope...

                                     ..... No sun.

Yesterday started  out foggy:


 And then the skies started to brighten!



 But, no - another yucky day. So Hubby and I took a trip to Wally World just to get out for a while.

People there are crazy by the way - (I should have had my camera with me) the place was packed, but at least a lot of the registers were open.  We just bought some silly stocking stuffers and games to play when the family gets together this Christmas.

It had started to drizzle when we left, although it stopped by the time we got home. I let the gang out and  cleaned the pen. They came walking  back for their afternoon treats.









I just can't stand the all the excitement sometimes........


Wednesday, December 17, 2014

3D legs

What wonderful things the 3D printer can make!





Another day, another animal given a new lease on life thanks to 3D printing. This time it’s Derby, a dog born with deformed legs who, with the help of some folks at 3DSystems, now runs alongside his owners with gleeful abandon. Derby’s front legs have been augmented with two blade-like attachments that Who’s-a-Good-Boy uses to run and scamper.
Derby was placed into a foster home by The Peace And Paws Rescue and ended up with a 3DSystems employee, Tara Anderson. Two designers and Derrick Campana, an animal orthotist, scanned Derby’s legs and made cradles and blades that fit him perfectly.
While this footage, like the footage of 3D-printed ducks before it, is designed primarily to melt our poor widdle hearts, it’s wonderful to see a dog so happy and all thanks to rapid prototyping. While these sorts of things were possible for decades, the work required to sculpt legs like these was prohibitive, especially for an animal. Now, however, you could feasibly design these once and scale them up and down for various animals, inviting in the Age of the Bionic Hamster or the Era of the Cyber-Ermine. Or, simply, the Hour of Sweet, Lovable Derby.
“This is what 3D printing is all about,” said Anderson. “To be able to help anybody – a dog, a person – to have a better life? There’s just no better thing to be involved in.”
via 3Ders

Imagine what they will be able to do to help our Wounded Warriors!



Today's funny :o)

Another gem from wild river!  :o)


It was visitor's day at the lunatic asylum.

All the inmates were standing in the courtyard singing "Ave Maria" and singing it beautifully.
Oddly, each of them was holding a red apple in one hand and tapping it rhythmically with a pencil.

A visitor listened in wonderment to the performance and then approached the choir director. "I am a retired choir director," he said. "This is one of the best choirs I have ever heard."

Yes, I'm very proud of them," said the director.

"You should take them on tour!" said the visitor.
"What are they called"?

"Surely that must be obvious," replied the director.....


"They are the Moron Tapanapple Choir."

No sun

Cloudy and damp again....





The gang waiting impatiently until I open the gate for them.


They wandered around for a bit then went back to the pen by themselves. Go figure.



Some of the many ponds around here are starting to freeze over and the local geese fly from one to another looking for open water.




Sometimes we see l00's of them in cut down corn fields looking for left over goodies.



Maybe the sunshine will come back.......



Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Drive 'N Fly


What to get for the man (or woman) who has everything?  Watch!




AeroMobil. Beautiful flying car. Beautifully integrated. Transforms in seconds from an automobile to an airplane. Gives you freedom to move.

AeroMobil is a flying car that perfectly makes use of existing infrastructure created for automobiles and planes, and opens doors to real door-to-door travel. As a car it fits into any standard parking space, uses regular gasoline, and can be used in road traffic just like any other car. As a plane it can use any airport in the world, but can also take off and land using any grass strip or paved surface just a few hundred meters long.

The current flying car prototype AeroMobil 3.0 incorporates significant improvements and upgrades to the previous pre-prototype AeroMobil 2.5.
It is now finalised and has been in regular flight-testing program in real flight conditions since October 2014.

The AeroMobil 3.0 is predominantly built from advanced composite material. That includes its body shell, wings, and wheels. It also contains all the main features that are likely to be incorporated into the final product, such as avionics equipment, autopilot and an advanced parachute deployment system.

AeroMobil 3.0 also implements a number of other advanced technologies, such as a variable angle of attack of the wings that significantly shortens the take-off requirements, and sturdy suspension that enables it to take-off and land even at relatively rough terrain.

Lots more info here:

AeroMobil. Beautiful flying car. Beautifully integrated. Transforms in seconds from an automobile to an airplane. Gives you freedom to move.

AeroMobil is a flying car that perfectly makes use of existing infrastructure created for automobiles and planes, and opens doors to real door-to-door travel. As a car it fits into any standard parking space, uses regular gasoline, and can be used in road traffic just like any other car. As a plane it can use any airport in the world, but can also take off and land using any grass strip or paved surface just a few hundred meters long.

The current flying car prototype AeroMobil 3.0 incorporates significant improvements and upgrades to the previous pre-prototype AeroMobil 2.5.
It is now finalised and has been in regular flight-testing program in real flight conditions since October 2014.

The AeroMobil 3.0 is predominantly built from advanced composite material. That includes its body shell, wings, and wheels. It also contains all the main features that are likely to be incorporated into the final product, such as avionics equipment, autopilot and an advanced parachute deployment system.

AeroMobil 3.0 also implements a number of other advanced technologies, such as a variable angle of attack of the wings that significantly shortens the take-off requirements, and sturdy suspension that enables it to take-off and land even at relatively rough terrain.

Lots more information here:

www.Aeromobil.com


Today's funny :0)

H/T to Joni  :o)



This is one of the cleverest
E-mails I've received in a while.
Someone out there
Must be "deadly" at Scrabble.

Wait till you see the last one!
It's going to be hard to top because
It fits to a “T"

PRESBYTERIAN:
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER

ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER

THE EYES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE:
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS

DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM

SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME

ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT

SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z'S

A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
I'M A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE

AND FINALLY....
FOR THE GRAND FINALE:

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

When you rearrange the letters:
An Arab Backed Imposter

Bet your friends haven't seen this one!



The sun!

Sunshine & clear skies ..... finally!!



Charlie and the girls were so anxious to get out of the pen!




I let them stay in the yard for a couple of hours just soaking up the sunshine.


 It was just a beautiful day to be outside. Cool temps, but lovely for this time of year.


I even did three loads of laundry!