Man On The Moon

As I Walked Across The Parking Lot Of Our County Market The Moon Stood Out As If It's Suppose To. Today Neil Armstrong Passed Away At The Age Of 82.
On July 20, 1969 Many Americans Were Watching Television To Capture The Image Of The First Man To Step On The Moon Surface. It Was A Wonderful And An Eventful Day. I Was 14 Years old When I Answered The Front Door Bell. It Was Mr Dill From Across The Street. He Spoke very Politely To Me And I Was Just A Kid. He Asked If My Family Was Going To Watch The Moon Landing. I Assured Him We Were. He Asked If He Could Come In And Witness It. Mr Dill Was A Very Religious Man. His Family Never Watch Television. I Can Remember It As If It Was Yesterday. Our Television Was A Simple Black And White. It Was Ok With Us.
"That's One Small Step For Man, One Giant Leap For Mankind". Those Words Were Etched Into History As Well As Our Memories.
A Mission President John F Kennedy Hope For; "I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth," Kennedy had said. "No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important to the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."
Several Space Missions Since. I Have Always Believed In Exploration. I Am Pleased This Mission Happened In My Lifetime. We Are Only Living In A Speckle Of Time. Many Things Happened Before We Were Born. Many Things Will Happen After We Die.

Neil Armstrong's Family Released This Statement Today.
"Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."

The Plant From Hell

Apparently God Had Plans For Me. Maybe He Wanted Me To Experience Hell On A Lesser Scale. For Almost Two Weeks I Had To Deal With A Severe Rash That Became Almost Unbearable. It All Came About When I Offered Help To My Daughter In The Collection Of Some Cinder Blocks. We Retrieved Them From An Area That Was Over Grown With Weeds. I Looked Over The Area Carefully Before Picking Them Up. I Always Remembered To Look For Three Leaves Which Equals Poison Ivy. Even Though A Vine-Like Vegetation Was Present Woven Through The Blocks I Chose To Ignore It Since It Did Not Have Three Leaves. Wrong Decision. My Daughter Beckie Told Me She Was A Little Itchy And Decided To Shower Shortly Afterwards. She However Was In A Separate Area In Which She Could Have Come In Contact With Poison.
Approximately Three Days Later A Rash Appeared And My Hell Became Reality. For A Few Days I Tried To Tough It Out And Ignore The Itch. It Almost Became Unbearable. I Began Putting Anti Itch Creams To Relieve The Urge To Scratch. No Signs Of Healing. I Began Putting On A Couple Different Lotions Aimed At Relieving And Healing Of Poison Ivy/Oak,Sumac, & Insect Bites. Slowly The Healing Process Began. Before That However I Would Get Comments From The General Public On The Best Way To Either Prevent Or Conquer The Poison. One Old Timer Whispered In My Ear To Pee On It. I Have Always Listened To The Older Generations Since They Tend To Have More "Home Remedies" Since They Could Not Afford The Over The Counter Drugs Available Years Ago While Growing Up. So Privately I Pee'd On Some Tissue Then Transferred It To The Rash. I Felt Like Calling Him Up To Ask Him Why He Didn't Warn Me It Would Burn Like The Dickens. It Seemed Not To Have Any Effects From It Other Than The Humiliation Of Peeing On My Arm. It Showed Signs Of Healing Yet Others Were Eager To Offer Their Home Remedy To This Dreadful Skin Poison. Another Was Gasoline Mixed With Two Cycle Oil Would Take The Rash Away Within Two Days. If You Come In Contact With It And Place This Mixture On It The Rash May Not Even Appear.
Clearly A Plant Of The Devil Testing Your Tolerance To It. I May Have Prayed Like The Devil But Only By The Grace Of God I Would Eventually Be Healed.
This Reminds Me Of A Day Many Years Ago. At My Sale A Gentleman Asked Me If I Wanted Him To Remove The Poison Ivy That Was Near A Tree I Was Standing. I Showed My Appreciated By His Offer Even Though I Was Unaware It Was There. His Wife Quickly Told Him If He Did What She Thought He Was Going To Do He Could Walk Home. He Began Grabbing It, Pulling It Away. In All The Same Motion He Would Rub It Up And Down His Arm And Around His Face. He Then Explained To Me How Indians Would Take Their Young Into The Woods And Make Them Eat Poison Ivy. Their Little Mouths Would Blister Up Both Inside And Out. However For The Rest Of Their Lives They Would Be Immune To Poison Ivy. I Would Never Go To Those Extremes. I Think From Now On I Will Just Avoid It All Together And Error On The Side Of Caution. Whenever In Doubt, If It's Poison Or Not, Treat It Like It Is. Save Yourself From The Life Of Hell And Stay Clear Of It. I Don't Wish This On My Worse Enemy. I Take That Back. Yes I Would:)

Achieve Your Maximum

Are You Where You Are Suppose To Be? Have You Reached Your Maximum For Your Life? Your Purpose, Your Meaning Of Existence. I Truly Believe We All Have Some Kind Of Calling. I Don't Want To Live My Life For Myself. I Want To Share It With Those I Love.
It's Like A Good Movie Or Book. You Want Others To Receive The Same Joy You Experienced. You Are Sharing Life. I Believe I Am Where I Am Suppose To Be In Life. Throughout The Years My Life Has Taken Some Crazy Twist And Turns. I Have Friends In My Past I Have Not Seen For Many Years. That Could Be Because Our Lives Change. Circumstances Takes Us In Different Directions. Life's Pathway Has Led Us To Different People And Different Places. I Have Wanted To Do Some Traveling But Can't Find The Time. The Other Day A Long Time Friend Of Mine Said To Me, We Need To Go Fishing. Well Yes That's What I Need To Do. I Love To Fish But I Seem To Never Find The Time. The Warmer Months Are My Most Active In Life. I Enjoy What I Do And I Hope I Can Make A Difference In Someone's Life. There Have Been Other's Who Made A Difference In My Life. The Generosity Of Others Who Give Of Themselves. Even If It's Their Time. A Listening Ear. A Word Of Advice. A Shoulder To Cry On.
A Lifetime Of Memories We Hold Close To Our Heart. I Have Seen Good Times And Bad Times. I Have Replayed Both Times In My Mind. Some Bring Me Tears While Others Bring Me Joy.
I Have No Idea Where My Path May Lead Me. I Enjoy What I Do But I Can't Do It Forever. I Don't Think You Ever Stop Creating Memories. Whatever You Do Will Be Remembered By Someone. It Would Be Nice If You Left A Good Memory.

Spittin Image

As My Grandchildren Grow I See More Of My Son Through Them. Not Just His Son Blake But His Daughter Brittney. Their Facial Features Are Remarkable. I Love Them So Much As I Do All Of My Grandchildren. Each Of Them Have Their Own Personality. I Hope They Will Always Remember Their Dad And How Much He Loved Them.