Friday, July 27, 2007

Choices.

Post 270 - - - - Friday, 27th July, 2007.

Hello Everyone ~~ Another month is drawing to a close - they
go by so quickly -- whether we are having fun or not !! I hope you
are all doing well and looking forward to the weekend. Hope it is
a great one for us all.

Well, Geoff and Joanne arrived as expected and we had a pleasant
evening. Then Geoff planted 5 Pelergoniums that I had bought at
the craft market and Bec carried them to the car for me. Geoff also
planted some plants that were in pots into the garden and put heaps
of potting mix and pine bark around them. Looks good, but needs
a few new geraniums in there. Thanks again Geoff, very much
appreciated.

Then they left after an early roast lamb dinner, from the freezer and
headed off to get a trailer load of firewood. So they will be tired by
the time they got home after a 3 hour trip. They are safely home.

Now for the few photos - - - -



This is a small Japanese Maple Tree in my front yard. I keep it small as
I like it that way. At present, there are NO leaves on it !!


One of my Camelias. They are covered in buds at present.



A nice red Begonia in a cast iron pot on front porch. I slipped and
fell on that pot a few years ago, breaking my wrist.


A really pretty carnation that was mainly salmon in color.


Tonight, I have an item called "Choices." Hope you like it.

A lady reports that she has written her autobiography in just 5 short
chapters. It goes like this :

Chapter One.
I walk down the street.
There's a hole in the sidewalk.
It is a very deep hole.
I fall in . . . I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to get out.

Chapter Two.
I walk down the same street.
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I didn't see it.
I fall in . . . again.
I can't believe I'm in the same place but
it's not my fault
It still takes forever to get out.

Chapter Three.
I walk down the same street.
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in . . . it's a habit, but my eyes are open.
It is my fault.
But I get out immediately.

Chapter Four.
I walk down the same street,
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter Five.
I walk down another street.

What a marvellous progression from . . . .a helpless victim of
self . . . to taking responsibility . . . to self discipline . . . to
making better choices.

Author Unknown. I liked that one !!
<><>

The next item was sent to me by my friend Jim. Many thanks Jim.

A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and
his wife open a package.

"What food might this contain ?" the mouse wondered - he was
devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning :
"There is a mousetrap in the house ! There is a mousetrap in the
house."

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said,
"Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern for you, but it is of
no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There's a mousetrap
in the
house. There's a mousetrap in the house."

The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse,
but there's nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are
in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There's a mousetrap in
the house! There's a mousetrap in the house !"

The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse, I'm sorry for you, but it's no
skin off my nose."

So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to
face the farmer's mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house- -like the
sound of a mousetrap catching it's prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she
did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.

The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital
and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer
took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit
with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for
her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat
for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from the crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone facing a problem and think it doesn't
concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out
for one another and make an extra effort to encouage one another.

Send this to everyone who has ever helped you out and let them know
how important they are.

Remember . . . .
Each of us is a vital thread in another person's tapestry;
Our lives are woven together for a reason.

One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a friend !!
<><><>

Now for a few jokes. - - -

Doctor : "I can't find anything wrong with you, it must be
the drink."
Patient : Oh, I'll come back when you're sober."
<><>

A man arrived at the Pearly Gates and on being asked his name,
replied, " Charlie Grabhall."

"I don;t think we have any notice of your coming," he was informed,
"What was your occupation in earthly life ?"

"Scrap metal merchant," the visitor said.
"Oh," said the angel, " I'll go and inquire."

When he returned, Charlie Grabhall had disappeared. So had the
Pearly Gates.
<><>

Simon was worried about his ever increasing weight. One day in his
club he mentioned this to his friend, Peter.

"I can recommend a very good doctor," said Peter, "I owe my slimness
all to Dr. Frank Einstein. He's invented these marvellous little pills."
"It sounds quite amazing," said Simon. "But how do they work?"

"It's really psychological. Every night I take two of the pills just before
going to sleep and I always dream about being on a South Sea island,
surrounded by hordes of beautiful young native girls. And every day
I chase them all around the island and when I wake up I seem to have
sweated off a few ounces of surplus fat. It's incredible and enjoyable."

The following day, Simon went to see Dr. Einstein and begged him to
give him the same tablets as he was giving Peter. The doctor agreed,
and within a few weeks Simon was much thinner.

"How are you finding my treatment?" asked Dr. Einstein, when Simon
called for his regular check-up.
"It's very good. But I do have one complaint."
"Oh, and what is that ?"

"The pills you gave my friend Peter made him have wonderful dreams
about chasing young native girls all over an island. But all I seem to
get is the same horrible nightmare -- being chased all over the island by
hungry cannibals. Why can't I have pleasant dreams like Peter ?"

"Because," replied the doctor, "Peter is a private patient - - and you are
National Health."
<><>

Mandy was growing very rapidly and her mother was very proud of
this and so wrote and told Mandy's Grandmother that Mandy had
grown another foot since she saw her last.

Almost by return post, Mandy's grandmother sent her another sock."
<><>

A judge, in sentencing an old offender, concluded by saying, : :And I
hope this is the last time you appear before me."

:Why Judge," said the prisoner, "Are you retiring ?"
<><>

Customer : "I want a return ticket please ?"

Airline reservation clerk : "Where to ?"

Customer : " Back here please !!"
<><>

Bye for now folks. I hope you have a wonderful weekend when
you get to it. Keep well, warm or cool --- whatever !!
Love and Best Wishes to you all. Cheers, Merle.

Post 270 - - - - - Friday, 27th July, 2007.
<><><><>



11 comments:

Bob said...

Hi Merle, you look to have some nice plants there. Its so true what you say about the time passing so quick, it will soon be Winter for us and we haven't even started summer yet! Bob.

Jeanette said...

Dear Merle.Sounds like you had a lovely visit from your family. Love all your Plants and cant wait to see my piece of your red begonia flowering, lovely verse and great jokes (Grandma sending Mandy another soch) loved the item sent by Jim. Take care, Keep warm, Bring on summer... Love Jan

JunieRose2005 said...

Dear Merle,

How nice your kids were able to help you do those gardening things! I'm sure you enjoyed the visit!

My goodness! Your flowers are very pretty! I love those colors!


Junie

Jim said...

Hi Merle, yes you do have a pretty garden. I'm like UK Bob, we haven't even planted in our front bed yet. Of course summer is only half way over here in Texas.
Merle, your jokes are always good! I like especially the one with the drinking doctor, the hole in the sidewalk is good too!
And, thanks for puting the one I had sent about the little mouse and his 'friends.'

Have a good day!
BTW, I'm sure more relatives are going to drop in?
..

Susie said...

Hi Merle,
Your flowers are lovely, esp. that salmon carnation! I've never been able to grow them..
Loved the scrap merchant joke!!
xo

Puss-in-Boots said...

Isn't lovely when the kids come ti visit and they do those things that are a little hard for us?

Now that story about the mousetrap had a good moral to it and I enjoyed the jokes, as usual.

Enjoy your weekend and don't work too hard.

xoxo

Lee said...

Lovely pics of lovely plants, Merle. I'm just catching up on blogs...again, I've been slack these past couple of days. Take care. :)

audrey` said...

Dearest Merle

I like "Choices" too.
Yeah! We must be responsible for our own actions =)

The carnations are so unique. Salmon colour!

Have a very blessed weekend.

Val said...

Love the salmon carnations, Merle.

The Blueboys put in a good effort, almost stole the game in the last quarter.

Leann said...

love your pictures so pretty.glad your company planted for you.its nice to have family who can help.
as always your words of wisdom bless.the mouse story i so cute.I collect mice but not the live ones.but do like the little guys only not in my house.I had a pet mouse named Missy once.I told her story way back in my blog.
its hot here for few days.I stick in the apartment with the air on.at night its been cool enough to shut the air off.saves on the bill.but it is suppose to get hotter so the nights will not cool down so much.then I have to keep it on all night.
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}
God bless you and keep you safe.
thanks so much for your sharing with us...keep the pictures coming,I do so love to see where others live and their lovely flowers and things.

Gattina said...

Your japanese tree looks very nice ! As we both are too lazy to work in the garden and also get backache, I found a young man who did clean our garden from all weeds and also cut a little the bushes. Now it looks good again. With this rainy weather it's not easy to keep your garden nice everything is so wet.