Winter Tale==The Mitten

I was looking through my boxes of pictures and came across this cute tale. As grown ups it seems nice to read a childs short story. This appeared in the schools weekly reader, we all know about these readers, our children brings them home from school. At this time, my granddaughter Sarah was in second grade (1991), at Ferrysburg School and I thought it would be nice to post about.

The Mitten
by Jan Brett

One winter day, a little boy went for a walk in the woods. He stopped to tie his boots. He put his mittens down on a log. When he left, he picked up only one mitten.

Along came a chipmunk, she was very cold! "That mitten looks nice and warm", she thought. So in she climbed, and soon a squirrel came along, "that mitten looks nice and warm", can I get in to, the squirrel asked. "ok" said the chipmunk, so in he climbed.

Soon a fox came along, "that mitten looks nice and warm, "can I get in too, ask the fox? "Ok" said the Chipmunk and the Squirrel, climbed in. Soon a bear came along, "that mitten looks nice and warm", can I get in too, the bear ask? "Ok" , said the Chipmunk, Squirrel and the fox, so in he climbed.

Soon a tiny mouse came along, "that mitten looks so nice and warm, can I get in too, she asked? "Well, it's pretty crowded, but ok, said the Chipmunk, Squirrel, fox and the bear. So the mouse tried to climb in. The mouse wiggled and squirmed and pushed, but just as she got her head in the mitten burst.

Later, the little boy came back. He was looking for his lost mitten. But, all he could find was little bits of yarn. He never did find his mitten.

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It's a little juvenile, but we need to go back once in a while to our childhood and remember the things that made us happy, and a nice little story would always do the trick. I know I always enjoyed being read to.

Nat. Comm. for Soc. Security

President Roosevelt promised retired Americans freedom from poverty-ridden old age when he created the Social Security system in 1935.

The frightening state of our economy-- more than two years of recession!-- has underscored the importance of this promise, as deficit reduction measures could result in dangerous cuts to our entitlement programs, and fracture benefits. Your help is needed now to defend Social Security and Medicare for seniors today and tomorrow.

Today the political climate in Washington reveals many elected officials determined to change the Social Security system and the Medicare program. Some of them may even consider radiccal changes that would undermine future benefits.

That is why it is so important for everyone to stand up and join with millions of American seniors to defend the Social Security and Medicare benefits that are invaluable to you. All of us seniors have received this petition in the mail.

I am a senior, so please sign the enclosed Petition to Congress of the United States, addressed to the special attention of your United States Senators and Representative. Your elected representative in Congress must hear from you. You seniors that are reading this has received this same message., I sent mine in.

The National Committee in 2010 fought to ensure Medicare was improved and strengthened as part of the health care reform bill. After a historic battle succeeded in getting legislation signed into law that lowers beneficiaries' out of pocket costs the Part D prescription drug "donut hole," and strengthened the Medicare Program.

I write this because I am afraid the Social Security program is in peril and fear for the out come and also fear for our future generations to come. It seems our country is turning upside down and this is because we spent too much money on other countries and ours is left to fend for ourselves.

Gulf oil Spill==Disaster

Sign on front lawn of a home in Grand Isle, LA. The BP oil spill has washed up on the shores of Louisiana. Photo by Katherine Welles | Shutterstock

The world is watching this oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, wishing and praying it will soon be capped. It really does not look good for the communities that border the Gulf and also the wild life. I would hate to see this oil spill escape out into the Ocean.

From the first moments that the Deepwater Horizon oil rig sank it has been apparent that the Gulf oil spill has been an oil disaster unlike no other. But the full truth of that statement is perhaps only now beginning to become apparent.

The oil that can be seen from the surface is apparently just a fraction of the oil that has spilled into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20th. Significant amounts of oil are spreading at various levels throughout the water says the report, which was posted on line and published by The New York Times.

On Wednesday, the cap was collecting 630,000 gallons of oil, but it could be capturing more oil if BP had decided to put more ships on the surface to hold and process the collected oil. That means the cap will have to continue venting excess oil into the Gulf until another two ships-one which can sift gas and water out of the crude and another ship will shuttle oil to shore-these ships will arrive next week.

Louisana's coast serves as a winter resting spot for more than 70 percent of the country's water fowl and the region is used by more than a hundred tropicial migretory birds, said Melanie Driscoll, director of bird conservation for the National Audubon Society's Louisiana Coastal Initiative. The birds are being cleaned and relocated, but many biologists would wager that the released birds would head right back where they came from, back into harm's way, especially during breeding season, or they will not adjust to their new location.

I could write several pages on this disaster, but you all have been following along on TV, newspapers or magazine articles. Wikipedia has articles on this oil spill, this is a tragedy in the fullest extent of any disaster we have ever had. I would just hate to see this oil spill escape out of the Gulf. I am praying for those that their business depend on the Gulf waters, may God bless and watch over them in this dark hours.

Update on the Flowers.

Here are the latest pictures of the bank. The little flowers are peeking their head up!

We went to the Garden Center today and bought two trays of flowers to plant and Doug has taken more pictures of the bank.

Doug also bought me another hanging basket, why, my first one died.

He also bought me a brand new birdhouse. Isn't it cute? A little one room schoolhouse for the birds. They need an education, too.

The Bank (flowers or not?)

My tough old bank landscaped, planted, and waiting to bloom.

I don't know how many of my friends I complained about not being able to grow anything on my bank. Well, Wednesday, my son Doug, spent all day clearing out weeds, putting some new shaped stone from the Garden Center along the bottom of the bank. He then relined up my stones and leveled the dirt, then put in the flower seeds.

We are going to take pictures from time to time of the progress of the little seeds to see how they grow. We will be posting them on this post, so wish me luck, I hope Doug has a greener thumb than I do.