Pioneer Cemeteries

My stepdaughter from Oregon came and visited us for her father's birthday. One of the favorite things we like to do is to look around old/pioneer cemeteries located around our small town. The above photo is a sign describing where the founder, Gamaliel Wilder, was buried along with other veterans of the civil war.



Pictured above is the newer gravestone of the town's founder that the Historical Society put up because the original gravestone is now hardly visible.



We noticed that most of them died young, like 40's, 5o's, 60's, and a lot of children died after only a few days or months. That was why when we saw the gravestone pictured above, we were amazed that this guy lived to be 96 years old!!! We did the math, and that meant he was born in 1720! Click to enlarge and read the inscription, it is somewhat funny in a way. :) Try to notice the engraving too, crisp and sharp, it takes a lot of skills to do this by hand.

It is fascinating to realize how old this cemetery is... 1801! There are a lot of gravestones lying around that had fallen to the ground and are not even legible anymore. It is nice to know that the Historical Society is trying to save this cemetery. They cleared the bushes/trees that were crowding the place and put up a sign that says, "Founder's Cemetery" by the highway. There was one cemetery that we visited where it has overgrown trees and bushes and if one is not looking, nobody would even know that there is a cemetery somewhere in there... sad.

Debris Shelter

Pictured above is the interior of my daughter's school project on Outdoor Living Skills subject. She's supposed to build a shelter made of branches, and leaves. She built it on our property close to our house for safety. There has been a bear sighting in our area and I was worried that she might have an unwelcome "visitor" during the night.


This is the back view of her shelter. As you can see it was not really that big ... it looks like a pile of leaves ready to be burned. lol She told me that some of her classmates picked fly fishing as a project and they have to learn how to tie a hook and go catch a fish. Others chose how to build a fire from sticks with no matches. Whatever project each student picked, they have to do the research on how to accomplish them.


The front side, she also built a fire and roasted hot dogs with her brother. Lucky me, I didn't have to make dinner that night! :)


And here she is sleeping soundly. She's supposed to sleep in it for three nights and she has to document her project with pictures. Her brother went out around 11pm and took several of them. Nite, nite, missy ... don't let the bed bug bite!

What Happened to Spring?!?

Last night mother nature dumped about 8 inches of snow upon us! And I thought spring had sprung! lol ... turned out only on the calendar.

It is a beautiful sight nevertheless.... grounds and trees were covered with snow... it looked so bright outside. This also reminded me of our homemade Christmas tree back home. I remember using soap suds to cover a nicely shaped branch of a tree and trimming it with homemade Christmas tree decor ... nice happy memories. I think we used Perla soap back then, are they still available? I haven't been home since 1986!

What's New?

My son (with red bandana) and some of his teammates.

Last Friday hubby and I drove 55 miles amid a snowstorm to watch our son and his teammates compete at the annual Finger Lakes Regional FIRST Robotics competition.

We were surprised at how crowded the place was! Students and fans alike were cheering for their robot and music was blaring through the stadium! My son explained to me that the object of the game was for the robot to accumulate points by moving the giant balls across an overpass. The robots were maneuvered with controls by their operators standing at the sidelines.

The photo below is my son with the robot their team built. It took them about six weeks to complete this robot. His robotics team won a silver medal which earned them a spot to participate in the national challenge in Atlanta, GA that will be held next month. Way to go team!

What A Treat!

March 4, 1991 was the last time we had an ice storm. I remember it very well... how beautiful the surrounding was. Every single blade of grass was covered with ice like a cocoon, each and every branch of the trees and shrubs were covered with ice, and they shone like crystals against the sunlight ... it was magical! That was why when the weather report predicted an ice storm last night, I brought my camera with me to work and took pictures here and there ... like the one pictured above.



However, on my way home, I did not expect a treat. Beside the road was a red fox! Foxes around our area are very elusive, they run as soon as a human being is nearby. That was why I was amazed when this handsome little guy waited and posed for me to take a picture.
I think this is a one in a million chance ... to see a fox surrounded by ice and silhouetted against the blue sky! What a treat indeed!

Prayer Group

Last weekend a group of friends and I got together to say a prayer for a friend whose cancer came back. The prayer was followed by a fellowship dinner. Each brought a dish to pass, and by the time all the foods were put on the dinner table, it was a feast! ... so many delicious dishes and all kinds of desserts. I am seated in front, the one with brownish turtle neck sweater. Ate Ev (host) is the 3rd lady from left, back row. And, oh yes, this was also an advanced b-day party for Anita, 2nd lady, from left, back row. Her actual b-day celebration is tomorrow (3/2) at a Chinese restaurant.

Afterwards, we played Jengga, and that was a riot! We had fun trying to distract the one who's "it". Thank you Kuya Tab and Ate Ev for hosting; you are such nice and gracious hosts, and God bless you and your family. Also, please pray for Ate Madeline as she is touched again by this serious illness ... for the second time, may she overcome all these difficulties and win the battle again!

Ningxia Wolfberry Juice

If you are familiar with the Wolfberry juice or Goji berry, I'd like to hear from you. It claims to give you energy, increase mental clarity, relieve headaches and insomnia, maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels, prevent brain aging, and hundreds of other maladies.

I am on my second bottle of Ningxia Red. It contains the Goji berry (Lycium Barbarum). I must admit, ever since taking this juice on a daily basis, my hot flashes are gone. I used to have them many times a day and night. Also, part of the reason I am experimenting drinking this juice is due to family health history... high blood pressure and heart disease. That is why I am interested to know if somebody out there has a testimony about this product ... this juice is not cheap and I don't want to flush my dough down the drain. Or, is it worth it? Let me know please.

Best Friends Forever (BFF)

Do you have a best friend forever? What a silly question ... of course you do! :)
I met my best friend at a social gathering held at a mutual friend's house in the 1980's. I will not bore you with stories like "we've been through thick and thin, and going the extra mile to help", because she is all that. I will tell you though, that since then, our friendship is as strong as ever! We watched each of our children grow from diaper days to college years (this is showing our age, but what the heck) lol, and now one by one our kids are moving to a next level of their lives.

I would like to introduce to you my best friend's son, Bradley. As you would learn if you click the link, Brad (as we call him) is a very intelligent, focused, and well grounded young man. He took advanced courses when he was in high school and started college one semester ahead of his classmates. Way to go, Brad! :) One of Brad's childhood dreams is to have a platform online for people, specially students, to bounce off ideas, get answers, and for him to also share his knowledge on various events and developments. Over a month ago, he fulfilled his dream ... he launched his Totomer ... this site is a labor of love.... a lot of time, effort, and thought was put into this. And of course, he is also blessed with having strong, supportive, and caring parents who helped him along the way!
Please feel free to visit Brad's site, register, and share your ideas ... it might open up your eyes to many wonderful things out here in the cyberspace! Also, please note, this is a fairly new site ... be patient it will get there! We are so proud of you, Brad!

Award

Big THANK YOU mari for the award! It's a treasure and just in time for Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day my friends!