Making the House Ready for the Lord

I recently discovered a new blog: Ms. Sam Wears Dresses.  She posted this and I thought it was perfect.

Making the House Ready for the Lord

by Mary Oliver

Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice- it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances- but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And
the racoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will
come, Lord; you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in,  Come in.

National Eagle Day

It is National Eagle Day and if you watch the Decorah Nest they are having a fundraiser for RRP who allows us to view the nest and the miracles of nature.

Observed each year on June 20th is National American Eagle Day.  This day is set aside to honor our national symbol, raise awareness for protecting the Bald Eagle, assist in the recovery of their natural environments and take part in educational outreach.
The Bald Eagle is both the national bird and the national animal of the United States of America and appears on its Seal.
In the latter 20th century, the Bald Eagle was on the brink of extinction in the continental United States.  Eventually, populations recovered and on July 12, 1995, the species was removed from the U.S. Federal Government’s List of Endangered Species and transferred to the List of Threatened Species. On June 2007, it was withdrawn from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 48 States.
The Bald Eagle’s range includes most of Canada, Alaska, all of the contiguous United States and northern Mexico.  They can be found near large bodies of open water where there is an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.

Opportunistic feeders, Bald Eagles survive mainly on fish, swooping down and snatching them from the water.  Their nests are the largest nests of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species. The largest recorded eagle’s nest was found in St. Petersburg, Florida.  It measured 9.5 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep.  It weighed in at nearly 3 tons.
The name “Bald Eagle” derives from an older meaning of “white headed” as the bird is actually not bald.  The adult eagle is mainly brown with a white head and tail.

We miss you Dad

Love

Defeating Dementia

I don't generally tell people about books I read because reading a book is like buying a purse, you need to read what you want and make up your own mind if it is good or not.  However there is a book out called Defeating Dementia by Richard Furman.  I could not put it down.  While there are a few medical terms, I could still understand what was said.
My father is 94 and has dementia, so cruel that his mind is all jumbled up and most days not there.  He is also very hard of hearing even with the hearing aids and so conversations are very difficult for him.  Half the time he answers what he thinks is said and then he gets a confused look and says I did not answer your question did I?  We laugh about it and move on.
The purpose of the book is that you can do a lot to stop yourself from getting dementia by exercising and diet.  Gee seems we have heard that before exercise and diet are good for you.  I dont excercise, I tell myself I live in a 2 story house with a basement and run up and down the stairs all day and I do yardwork during spring, summer and fall.  I don't need to exercise but I am wrong, I don't get an aerobic or cardio workout by taking a load of laundry up the stairs. 
Food means i can't eat much I love such as cheese, butter, sour cream, ice cream, pork chops, hamburgers, muffins, pancakes, syrup, jelly, you get the point.  Fish, chicken and fruits and vegetables are the diet.  The statistics in the book and reading of how the placque is formed to increase the chances of dementia is enough to make me realize I need to do some changes.  After watching my father I really don't want to ever get there, that is not living.  My dad gets so frustrated cos he can't do much these days, it is just awful and cruel.
If you want to read I suggest to do so but follow through.  I see too many of the elders in church getting dementia and it makes me want to go home and hide out so I never have to deal with it again.  Plus I don't want my niece to have to deal with me like that. 
I know no one is guaranteed not to get something but I am gonna take the chance that I can do some things to try my best to prevent it.