A quote I like

“There are so many people out there who will tell you that you can't. What you've got to do is turn around and say 'watch me'.”
Layne Beachley

First Robins!

Just saw my first pair of robins! Spring must be on the way, although you wouldn't think so today. 34 degrees and cloudy. The geese have been stopping in our fields for 3 or 4 days now. Very noisy out there. Yesterday I saw a swan flying into the field. Beautiful animal. Very large bird, with a very long neck. Knew it wasn't a snow goose (white goose) because of the large neck, and it was about twice the size of a goose. Very cool. Now I have to wait for my Baltimore Orioles and Hummingbirds to come back, then I know spring is here to stay!

Pictures of my Orioles on a feeder attached to my kitchen window, and in the cherry tree out our kitchen window:

Beautiful Sabbath Day

What a beautiful Sabbath Day! Any day the sun is shining is a beautiful day. It is still a little chilly here, although it is 42 degrees, the wind is blowing out of the north, off Lake Ontario, so that makes it feel a lot cooler.

Some of the Osmonds are holding a rally to support Marriage and family. I wish I could go.

I love this proclamation from our church. If more people put more emphasis on the family this world may be a better place in which to live.

The Family

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A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.

The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

ET

This was ET our black cat that passed away recently. He was 17 yrs old.

Pictures from Nauvoo and Carthage

Sunday, March 10, 2013

What a gorgeous Sunday! the sun is shining, it is almost 70 (67) degrees here in Appleton. Church was great, was able to stay for choir practice today, that was fun. Have my granddaughter Jamya today, that is always fun. She is 7 yrs old now. She helped to collect our eggs this afternoon. She loves animals soooo much. She took our dog for a long walk in the back fields this afternoon too.

Very spiritual in church today. The 1st counselor of our stake came to be with us today. That is always great. I like him so much, he is such a nice guy. We had great talks in Sacrament, and in all the classes today. Loved it so much!

Beautiful Day

Today is a beautiful day, the temp is almost 40, here in Appleton, NY. The sun is shining brightly. I have finally been able to transfer this blog to my gmail account, so hopefully I am going to be able to write in it more often. I can't believe it has been four years since my Crusher cat died. We have had our other older cat pass away recently. His name was ET. He was a black cat, just as sweet as could be. He was shy around strangers, but once he got to know you, he loved you. He was very loyal, even though he was not doing well, he would somehow get himself across the house to be with you. I will miss him dearly. We now have the one cat, his name is Eli. he is about 3 yrs. old now. We have one dog, Jenny, and 7 chickens - 6 hens and one rooster, who is just learning how to crow. Hopefully this summer we will have some new chicks.

This winter these chickens have laid at least one egg per day, and sometimes two. I thought when the weather was cold - it has been a really cold winter - they would slow down on the egg production. We have been giving away eggs because we have so many of them.

I am back in school, learning web design. It has been a good journey. I have one more semester to go to get my AS degree. I really like learning the code to make a website.

I got downsized out of my job at the Lockport Union Sun. Last October they decreased my department from 8 people to 4. They did it by seniority. I was number 5, even though I had been with the company for 23 years. I have not found a job yet, so concentrating on my studies.