Autumn Stroll

Sitting here in the evening glow,
parents with tired little ones in tow.

Watching geese gently on the peaceful water glide,
lovers strolling arm in arm matching each others' warming stride.

Feeling the chill of winter's breath,

tucking chin into the collar's depth.

The floating of  the golden leaves as they swim,

falling, tumbling, dancing to the wind's every whim. 

Thoughts of hot chocolate and the heat of a fire,
cozy, relaxing to the melodies of the guitar or lyre.

 

 I WILL NOT FORGET

I will not forget the peer pressure, the orders, the force that tore you from your wife and your unborn child.

I will not forget the deafening blasts that left you abandoned in a sea of movement and gestures, unable to hear commands or warnings to save your life.
I will not forget your frustration in not being able to end the war with words rather than with arms.

I will not forget the internal unrest, the cognitive dissonance that comes with wanting to fight for freedom yet not wanting to kill.......to kill a treasured member of God's creation, someone's father, brother, son......

I will not forget the intense loneliness you endured in the cold, damp trenches, separated from all that is warm, lovely and familiar.

I will not forget the loss you suffered when your comrades met an abhorrent, premature death beside and in front of you.

I will not forget your sleepless nights, staring into the darkness asking WHY?

I will  not forget the trauma and helplessness that you suffered seeing your countrymen and team mates slaughtered beside you, crying out in agony for relief, for help, for another chance at life.

I will not forget the hunger that burned in your stomach which quickly faded to nothing when you smelled the sickening stench of burning flesh.

I will not forget the birthdays, anniversaries, and funerals that you missed.

I will not forget the paralyzing fear that made your boots 40lbs heavier, your mouth dry, your eyes vacant and your voice evaporate.

I will not forget your return to a flattened home,  feeling like you don't belong in this world that has collapsed.

I will not forget the shadow of self loathing for having killed a man in the prime of his life who was begging for mercy, wanting nothing more than to just......live.

I will not forget the grief of losing a limb that you wrestled with as you learned a new, laborious way of dressing yourself.

I will not forget your numbed, empty heart that left you feeling incapable of love.

I will not forget the frantic, suffocating and merciless death that is drowning at sea.

I will not forget your loss of freedom to gain freedom for others.
 
I will not forget your loss of independence that left you feeling like less of a man.

I will not forget the waste of life.

I will not forget  the fear of being caught with the 'wrong' uniform on.

I will not forget the fatigue of pushing physical limits just to survive, to see the sun rise again.

I will not forget your dreams and aspirations that were trampled by boots and tanks.

I will not forget your fever and the torment of hallucinations.

I will not forget your tears, the tears you would never have shown at home but now rush down your cheeks; tears of  heart-piercing grief and brokenness.

I will not forget the blast that left your beautiful face forever disfigured because of your selfless act to rescue a fellow man.

I will not forget the torment of recurring nightmares filled with  frighteningly destructive scenes, reliving each shot, each scream.

I will not forget the astounding sacrifice.

I will remember to do my part in keeping history from repeating itself.

I will remember  to say no to the evil that drives greed, pride, and all things that lead to war.

I will remember to say THANK YOU.

I will remember to say, "God keep our land, glorious and free."

I WILL REMEMBER

Blindfolded Baking

Looks innocent, doesn't it?  


Pure Vanilla Extract apparently means there is vanilla extract along with Propylene Glycol  in here  

Propylene glycol (PG) is a colorless and odorless liquid chemical used for decades in a wide array of applications. A synthetic substance produced in industrial quantities, it is a relatively simple organic compound that has the chemical formula C3H8O2. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers PG as non-toxic in small amounts; however, large doses can cause seizures in humans and kidney and liver damage in animals.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/facts_5013190_what-propylene-glycol.html

ropylene glycol (PG) is a colorless and odorless liquid chemical used for decades in a wide array of applications. A synthetic substance produced in industrial quantities, it is a relatively simple organic compound that has the chemical formula C3H8O2. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers PG as non-toxic in small amounts; however, large doses can cause seizures in humans and kidney and liver damage in animals.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/facts_5013190_what-propylene-glycol.html

Would you have expected this ingredient to be in vanilla extract?  Is it a good thing to be ingesting?

More on Propylene Glycol


What is your conclusion?

Propylene glycol (PG) is a colorless and odorless liquid chemical used for decades in a wide array of applications. A synthetic substance produced in industrial quantities, it is a relatively simple organic compound that has the chemical formula C3H8O2. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers PG as non-toxic in small amounts; however, large doses can cause seizures in humans and kidney and liver damage in animals.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/facts_5013190_what-propylene-glycol.html

The Non-User-Friendly Vapourizer

This is the one.

The opening in the base of the apparatus is not the easiest to access if you're filling the vapourizer from a non-swan-neck faucet.

The opening is about 3 inches in diameter, not large enough for just any adult's hand to enter for cleaning and drying purposes.  A smaller hand can fit, if forced, but not without enduring scraping of the skin by the rough edge of the hard plastic.  It doesn't even empty easily if held upside down and shaken back and forth.

And yet, point #6  on the list of care instructions reads:  Clean and dry unit thoroughly prior to storage.

If you're perplexed as to how to clean and dry the unit and you think that maybe you've overlooked something in the manual, and in doubting your problem-solving skills decide to call customer service for cleaning instructions because surely they'll know..........................don't bother....they don't.


Maybe you can put it outside on a windy day and maybe it will be dry by the next time you need it........if , of course, it doesn't blow away.......but if it did blow away......maybe it would be for the best....

FARMERS-R-US

You know you live with farmers when you find this sitting on a window sill.................

The Leprechaun

                       A slow, drawn out goodbye

                       Smile fades

                       Sullen face can't deny, sadness

                      Sadness builds towers of emotion

                      Gestures beguile

                     Head spinning with thoughts of devotion

                      Devotion, vocabulary not found in your lexicon

                 

                      Are you any more trustworthy than a leprechaun?

                    

Aliens!!

One morning I awoke to find this interesting configuration in the yard.   Looking at it one might think, "ALIENS!"  

 Upon closer inspection I noticed some highly suspicious yet classifiable tracks in the snow leading away from the geometric art and concluded that the interesting design WAS left by an ALIEN.... an alien mouse.

If the subject of aliens interests you, check out Alien Intrusion

SPARED

On the second last day of 2014  I was spared from electric shock and a house fire.

Before getting into bed I noticed that the extension cord which was situated on the highly flammable carpet  beside my bed, and used daily, looked like this:

oh...and did I mention there were SPARKS shooting out of it???  I'm thankful that I discovered it with my eyes and not with my hand and that I was home and able to disconnect it from the power source.

This extension cord has been effectively taken out of service.