Good Nite All

[Jo McDonald]

Tomorrow is the 1st of December   here is a pre-Christmas poem
I truly wish these words were not the case of today's world.


'Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.

See the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - No one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a " Holiday "
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
  Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
  In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was nowhere to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-is-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Durbin, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Reed, on Kerry, on Clinton !
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace.
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate "Winter Break" under your "Dream Tree"
Sipping your Starbucks,--- listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday!

Fred and I wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS *** GOD BLESS AMERICA !!!

[patyrn]

It's time to turn in for this Saturday night.  We have enjoyed watching the OU Sooners beat Missouri for the Big XII Championship this evening!!!!

Great job, Sooners! 

[Wilma]

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here.  First daughter brought Christmas out of the closet today.  Now it is strung here and there and everywhere.  My little hand crocheted angel tree is on top of one of the TVs.  The angels are small ornaments that I bought at Batson's 35 years ago and the little doves are from the cake our children gave us on our 50th anniversary.  The other TV holds an assortment of hand crocheted angels in various stages of completion.  The completed ones are on the mantel and the dining room table is covered with angels that not yet have their wings, along with the tree top angel that I bought to replace the handmade one that I gave to first granddaughter last year because she couldn't find hers.  The angels under construction are being made by first daughter.  I am afraid my days are crocheting are limited. 

We must have put the lights away in a hurry last year as they are tangled.  I thought the white balls had been lost until we found them in the baby basket that is stored in the closet.  Why is there a baby basket in my closet?  Because I can't part with it.  My mother-in-law gave it to us more than 58 years ago.  My four daughters and three of my grandchildren spent the first months of their lives in it.  Enough reason to keep it?

The tree won't be put up until the week before Christmas because of limited space.  It will have to either block a window or the computer.  Can't spare either of them for very long.  I have a plant thingy on wheels for big, heavy plants so they can be moved easily.  I will stand the tree on this so it can be moved from one place to another until time to put it away.  The only bad thing about today is the weather.  We are expecting freezing rain tonight and tomorrow.

So now it is time to say good night to all and think about bed.

[Tobina+1]

For those of you not in Elk county... we are in an ice storm warning until Tuesday at midnight.  It started to rain around 1:30 or so this afternoon and it was right around freezing temp.  Since then, more rain and less temps... = freezing rain.  Hopefully the rain will subside or it will turn to snow.  Otherwise, there may be some power outages and very dangerous situations.  In January 2005, the ice storm cut out power to most rural people for at least 5 days.  Luckily, those of us in town (we were there at the time) were only in and out of power for an hour or so at a time.  But they've been through the entire rural area and replaced all the power lines and power poles since then, so hopefully they will hold up.  Not sure my internet satellite will hold up to the ice, but I can always string my hair dryer out there and defrost it off (hey, priorities here!).
Stay warm and be safe! 

[Diane Amberg]

 Take care, all of you. Stay in if you can. I don't want to hear about any bumped heads or broken bones.

[Roma Jean Turner]

We had ice this morning, but it melted off this afternoon.  I'm south of I44, North of I44 is much worse I understand.  We may get another wave tomorrow night, but so far so good.  After our January storm, we are all paying very close attention here.  Hope you all stay warm and safe down there. 

[Judy Harder]

I just let the dog back in and saw lots and lots of mud out.
At least on the dog's feet. LOL
But, every weather report says "it isn't going to last"
I really hope the temp stays at or above freezing. I
don't want to live through another ice storm like Tulsa is having.

I will if I have to, but would rather NOT......
This morning I braved the ice and walked up to post office and home again.
It didn't look to bad, until I was to far out to go back, so almost tiptoed up to the
library and then back across the street...........almost like walking on a hockey rink.

But, I made it back home safely and here I stayed until I just have to get out...or until the
roads and sidewalks are in better shape.

Stay warm and dry all and will catch up again, tomorrow.
Hugs and God bless

[Bonnie M.]

"For those of you not in Elk county... we are in an ice storm warning until Tuesday at midnight."

Ice is "the worst," in my opinion!  I drove from where we lived south of Longton, to Independence, for 24 years, (60 miles, round trip) and, it was always the ice that would "do us in!"  Sharon Nichols and I rode together to work, and we got caught at work too many times, when a quick ice storm or blizzard would blow in from the west.   We can laugh about it now, but several times we would have to roll down our window on the passenger side to look for the line on the side of the highway, to see if we were still where we should be, on the road!  I suppose that's one of the reasons I'm enjoying retirement, and not needing to be out during the winter storms!

We had a little more rain over the week-end, in San Diego County, and the Mountains in the area are beautifully covered with snow!  It's kind of amazing, for us now, to look out over the valleys to the east and north east, and see the Mountains snow covered!  The ski resorts are so happy, to be getting snow this early.  They really need the snow, as well as the moisture it brings.

Take care, you all!

[Teresa]

Ashley was here with me all day as she didn't have school because of the road conditions.
We walked all over town (very gently) and did all of our errands and walked  back home where she helped me make a big pan of cinnamon rolls.  She then decided that we needed to walk up town AGAIN.. sighhhhhh...((As if a 6 yr old girl and a 54 year old woman creeping around town hanging on to one another giggling wasn't enough for the town to witness one time.. she wanted to do it again)) 
But..being the MeMa that I am, I said ok.. we would bundle up again.. walk to the video store and rent a video and watch it while the dough was raising the second time.
So we did. We watched "Ice Age" and she knows it by heart, but I hadn't seen it and we laughed so hard. That is a cute show. then we finished up the rolls, she helped do the dishes.. her daddy came to get her and I got ready to go to the City's Christmas party.
Got home about 9:30 and it was raining out and there was ice on the handles of things but it wasn't freezing on the street.. weird weather , that is for sure. Maybe the freezing part will not hit us too hard.
But regardless, I am ready if it does.. so? We will see what Mother Nature has decided to give us in the morning.

[Roma Jean Turner]

  One of the things that seemed so weird to me when we had the ice storm in January, was that everything could be so frozen and falling to the ground, but the streets were not frozen, just wet. The little freeze we had yesterday was that way.  It always seemed to me that in the past when we had a freeze, you could barely drive or walk on the pavement.  Perhaps the global warming is coming from the inside out.  Whoa!!!! That could make for a good TV movie..

Anyway, we are very blessed here today, it is about 50 and everything has melted. Just dealing with the usual muddy, wet dogs.