Where is winter?

Where is winter? We have been spoiled this year. When it comes, we are going to cry though.

Happy New years!!

It's time to set goals in your life. Whether physical, spiritual, financial, social, or career. Think big and set high attainable goals for your self. I like the quote from Charles C. Noble, "You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures."


Remember: "If you you aim at nothing, you will hit it."
Aim high. Set some goals for you life.

Our Country Tis of Thee, The Greatest Nation to Ever Be

I wrote this as the day unfolded on September 11, 2001.

Our Country Tis of Thee

The Greatest Nation to Ever Be

With no warning of this raid.

Down goes two great towers of trade.

With smoke filling in the sky.

All people know to do is cry.

As planes are directed to land.

We ask, “Where is God’s hand?”

People are now really feeling the scare.

With planes unaccounted for in the air.

The fear of war,

Is from shore to shore.

As we watched with fright.

Now is the time to be humble and contrite.

Has our Christian ways been left in the past?

Is this why our flags are now at half mast?

We are the home of the brave,

But is it money or God we crave?

How our nation is in an uproar,

Is the problem we’re rotten to the core?

In schools we’ve taken prayer out,

Now in the halls drugs roam about.

Now our freedoms we have to fight in court,

Like the Ten Commandment plaques they want to abort.

What about the people on meth?

Or what about a doctor taking a baby’s last breathe?

 Through this there is only one place to be,

With a broken spirit and down on one knee.

As our revenge will be quick and just,

We are now realizing only in God we can trust.

With our power we like to boast,

But we really need is the Lord of Host.

We know what the Bible has to say,

We need to humble ourselves and pray.

Cling close to God with all your might.

Then once again we’ll be a beacon of light.

God help us to seek your face,

And don’t hold back your amazing grace.

This country was built with you as the Corner Stone,

Help us to follow you alone.

As “Old Glory” flies high,

Remember the men and women who had to die.

To make this the land of the free,

There’s not another country in the world I’d rather be.

 Our Country Tis of Thee,

The Greatest Nation to Ever Be.

Written By Brian Hill on 9/11/01

Photo found at: http://picsbox.biz/key/american%20flag%20pictures%20with%20boy on September 10, 2011

Pokeweed

I actually just recently learned the name of the weed with the large leaves and purple-black berries that hang in a cluster. This perennial is known as pokeweed. It is a temptation to kids with the pretty berries, but the plant is poisonous.

Sunflower

This randomly started growing by my back door. It started to bloom out the other day. I was waiting to get a better picture when it was fully bloomed, but it was looking a little rough yesterday and today. So I thought I'd better get a picture while I still could. If it turns around, I'll get a better picture later when it is fully bloomed.

Stop a Leaky Toilet

I know in my part of town, for what the water department charges for water, they must think there is gold in it. So you want to conserve water whenever possible. According to the EPA, "Ten percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day." In one year, thousands of gallons of water could be wasted through one leaky toilet or faucet. 

A simple do-it-yourself fix for a leaky toilet is installing a new fill valve and/or tank flapper. This is a very simple job to attack. 

I purchased the fluidmaster brand fill valve and tank flapper replacement parts. The box says it can be done in fifteen minutes.  I was lucky to have a newer flexible supply line, which makes removing and hooking up the water line very quick and simple, so I did it in half the time. Be prepared for the worse when attempting any plumbing project. I would go ahead and plan on purchasing a new flexible supply line to speed up the installation. The only tool I used to install this was my favorite pair of pliers (adjustable pliers, water pump pliers,...). 

If I had to install a new supply line I would also would have needed a crescent wrench and/or a monkey wrench. (don't forget your Teflon tape to put on the threads of the shut off valve). 


Shut off water.  Flush toilet. Disconnect supply line. Remove and replace flapper and hook chain to tank level arm. Disconnect the refill tube. Loosen the nut on the bottom of the toilet for the fill valve. Have a bucket under the fill valve to catch the final bit of water. I like to have the new fill valve ready to install (don't forget the rubber washer),  so only a little water dumps out (because the water never hits the bucket). Swap out fill valve. Install the new refill tube. Install the supply line. Pray that you did it right. Turn on water. Flush and check how it fills up and adjust if needed.  
Good Luck!

Grasshoppers

Because of the warm, dry fall; there are many grasshoppers this year. If you have a garden, you might have noticed these herbivores. I have had tons of them, but they haven't really bothered anything of value. They did clean out a big area of mint that I had, which I had mixed feelings about that, because the mint was out of control. There are pesticides you can use to detour them, but I went the green route and let my chickens and guinea hens after them.

 Go get them girls!