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Our Daily Thread 5-20-13

Good Morning!

Here’s a controversial topic for this day in history, from the good folks at Wikipedia.

The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is claimed by some to be the first declaration of independence made in the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution. It was supposedly signed on May 20, 1775, at Charlotte, North Carolina, by a committee of citizens of Mecklenburg County, who declared independence from Great Britain after hearing of the battle of Lexington. If the story is true, the Mecklenburg Declaration preceded the United States Declaration of Independence by more than a year. The authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration has been disputed since it was first published in 1819, forty-four years after it was reputedly written. There is no conclusive evidence to confirm the original document’s existence, and no reference to it has been found in extant newspapers from 1775.

Many professional historians have maintained that the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is an inaccurate rendering of an authentic document known as the Mecklenburg Resolves. The Mecklenburg Resolves were a set of radical resolutions passed on May 31, 1775, that fell short of an actual declaration of independence.

And in 1830 the fountain pen was patented by H.D. Hyde.

In 1874 Levi Strauss began marketing blue jeans with copper rivets.

In 1899 Jacob German of New York City became the first driver to be arrested for speeding. The posted speed limit was 12 MPH.

In 1916 Norman Rockwell’s first cover on “The Saturday Evening Post” appeared.

In 1927 Charles Lindbergh took off from New York aboard the “Spirit of St. Louis.” He arrived in Paris 33 1/2 hours later.

In 1932 Amelia Earhart took off to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the first woman to do so.

And in 1978 Mavis Hutchinson, at age 53, became the first woman to run across America. It took 69 days

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Quote of the Day

“Some people have been kind enough to call me a fine artist. I’ve always called myself an illustrator. I’m not sure what the difference is. All I know is that whatever type of work I do, I try to give it my very best. Art has been my life.”

Norman Rockwell

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Bill will introduce some of the musicians today. It’s one of their birthdays.

This one we sang yesterday, and I do love it, so here it is again for you.

And who better to sing it than Mr. Shea. 🙂

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Anyone have a QoD for us?

54 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 5-20-13”

  1. OK, so I went to Morrison Springs where groups of scuba divers go to do their certification dive. The “Dreadnoughts” from the TV series Ax-Men were going to be their with their scuba shop. One of the guys is the son of one of P’s (deceased) friends. He was such a nice guy; all of them were. He hauled out P’s scuba gear and tanks and helped him get it all on for two dives. There is a cave where the spring is located and after everyone certified he and P dived the cave.
    What did I do? I had taken my Duck Dynasty book and I read it and people watched. I love to people watch. Once again, I am doing a public service announcement. Ladies, if you weigh 300-400 pounds don’t bother buying a black swimsuit. It really isn’t THAT slimming and you may as well embrace yourself and buy the floral print.

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  4. Good Morning Everyone. By God’s grace, I survived all the storms last night. The lady who is our driver here at the office lost everything she had. The family is safe, but they have nothing left.

    Now some good news. Yesterday at church we had a missionary from Sweden. His name is Daniel Noren. He ministers to Muslim immigrants living in Sweden. He also did missionary work in Syria along with his wife. His wife is a US citizen. I do not know how many of you remember Bonnie Witherall. She was martyred in Lebanon doing medical missionary work among the Palestinian refugees. Daniel and his wife knew Bonnie and her husband.

    In yesterday’s message, Daniel challenged us to be more proactive in proclaiming the message of God’s Grace to Muslims here in Oklahoma City.

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  5. drivesguy, glad to hear you’re OK, but very sorry about your co-workers. The footage I was seeing of those tornadoes looked frightening, not to mention the images today of the aftermath. 😦

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  6. Question of the Day? Did you ever go out on a date with someone who thought they were doing something cool and it was really dumb or embarrassed you?

    Once I went on a date in high school days with a guy who thought it was cool to leave tire marks on the road. It was dumb and I never wanted to be in a car with him again.

    Another time in high school I went to a basketball game with a guy who yelled and hollered so much at the game that I was embarrassed to be there with him.

    I am wondering if there are equivalent things that the gals did that embarrassed the guys who were taking them out?

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  7. Chas, I’d add to that. No matter how little or how much you weigh, do not wear the equivalent of your underwear in public. No matter how many people in catalogs do so, it really is tacky, so just don’t.

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  8. Janice, it wasn’t a date . . . but I had a guy friend for a couple years after college with whom I’d hang out about once a week, and we’d talk on the phone once a week. One day my car broke down late at night (about 11:00) and I got off the expressway in a bad part of town, limped to a gas station, and called AAA. And I also called that guy friend to come and sit with me.

    He was a rather foul-mouthed fellow at times, and he was upset that I had called him. (I’d have preferred that he just said, “No, I really can’t come tonight” to coming and then griping about it!) He was so rude in the way he talked to me that the tow-truck driver, a stranger, apologized to me for him! We later had a phone conversation about the way he had talked to me that night, and then no further contact.

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  10. Janice, it was smart to abandon the guy who liked to leave tire marks on the road.

    But, unless he was vulgar, hollering at a ball game is expected. The home team likes noise. That’s what cheerleaders are for.

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  11. I dated a guy who was very rude and sarcastic to the waitress. I sure he thought he was being funny and it didn’t help that I knew her.

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  12. Kbells, you just reminded me of another embarrassment. Once over college break I was working in the county library. A guy I was dating carried me to the library (I think my mother usually did since I did not have a car until I graduated from college). As we were driving to the library where I worked, there was a slow lady driver in the car in front of us. The guy I was with kept being obnoxious and honking at her and trying to get her to speed up. Wouldn’t you know it? She was a library patron headed for the same place I was going. Talk about uncomfortable!

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  13. Nicholas woke up wearing a different pair of shots. Judy asked him what happen to his short he had on. Nicholas told her that a short monster came into his room and stole his shorts. The monster started calling him naked
    but, so Nicholas put on a new pair of shorts and drove off the monster.

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  14. Janice and Kbells. I have little patience for any man who is unkind or disrespectful to women. Where I grew up, such a man risked being horse whipped for such behavior. If a man is unkind to other women, he will be unkind to you. The rule of thumb, do not date parameciums.

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  16. Roy, it sounds like Nicholas has a vivid imagination. I remember when Andy was a little boy. He reminded me of Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbs). Andy had this imaginary planet called Ecktagon where all his super babies were and he had no sisters.

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  17. Joe, Hobbs was my favorite. He was obviously Calvin’s alter ego and source of inner wisdom. Made me think that Calvin would be a fine man someday.

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  18. If someone is working for, say, a company that does car repairs, & sees that things are being done that are illegal & could result in someone’s death, shouldn’t he alert the authorities? He can quit his job out of a sense of integrity, but isn’t there a legal requirement to alert the authorities?

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  19. Karen, I personally wouldn’t think “alert the authorities” would be the first step. I would think “point it out to his boss” would be the first step. As casually as possible (not “next step, I’ll go to the police”) but clearly: “Hey, take a look at this. This is why this is dangerous, and I just found out it’s not legal either. It would sure be better to take care of it voluntarily, without a customer lawsuit.”

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  22. Re: Swimsuits- If you are obese, wear shorts and a t-shirt to the beach. If you look like a super model, stay away from the beach so the rest of us don’t get body image problems.

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  23. Karen O- Telling the boss might get one fired if the boss is involved in the activity. At any rate, inform the boss then go to the authorities if he/she doesn’t put a stop to it.

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  24. Anonymous, telling someone that what they are doing is illegal may be telling them something they don’t know. It seems to me that reporting to the authorities without warning the person really isn’t “fair.” Now, if what they are doing is deliberately risking others’ lives, and they choose not to correct it, that is definitely time for a report. But I think reporting someone else to the authorities really needs to be a last resort.

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  25. Yeah, tell the boss. If he’s in on it perhaps a call to the state dept. of transportation.

    I know around here the DOT don’t take kindly to stuff like that, especially if the offenders are in the state inspection program. Either way, they look at it. Unsafe vehicles are not something they tolerate around here.

    But some places rip you off anyway, but by doing the opposite and claiming things are unsafe and in need of repair when they’re not. Both of my BiL’s are honest mechanics. If it needs fixin’, they do, if it don’t, they don’t. They’ll point out what the manufacture recommends, or if they see something that might be a problem later. But Jeff and Mike are honest men, as is Jeff’s partner. It shows in the amount of business the 2 do. When Jeff’s partner went into semi-retirement because of age he brought Mike on board. Mike, like Jeff, has all the certs and worked at one of the biggest dealers in the area. The reason he wanted out was because of the dishonest way they did business. Mechanics were forced to push unnecessary things on unsuspecting and ignorant customers. Things that weren’t broke or in need of repair were presented to customers as necessary. If a mechanic didn’t play along, they paid a price. That is much more common than people think.

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  26. Karen it is a difficult question to answer. I once worked for a company that took up the second set of men’s and women’s restrooms to store product. The government specifies how many toilets you have to have per number of employees. It upset me and I said something about it. Nothing was done. They also blocked an exit route. I mentioned that in my complaint. Nothing was done. I called OSHA’s anonymous tipline. The restrooms weren’t restored but the boxes were moved away from the exit.

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  27. In this case, allegedly, the bosses not only knew but ordered it be done.

    Okay, here’s the story…On one of Emily’s Facebook posts, responding to something R wrote, she reminded him of all the jobs he has quit (usually by just failing to show up). He replied that in one of those jobs, he was told to make illegal repairs by the shop owner that “could have resulted in the death of an innocent customer” & in another “hardcore insurance fraud” was going on. He claimed he walked away from those jobs because he has “integrity, a conscience & a soul”.

    When asked if he alerted any authorities to what was going on, particularly in the case where death could have occurred, he basically said no, it’s not his job to do so. So much for that integrity, conscience, & soul.

    THEN…he went on the warpath, telling me I should join the Westboro Baptist Church because I’m so hateful. To which I replied that I find their beliefs to be reprehensible & disgusting.

    To which he replied, “So you admit your beliefs on gays is reprehensible & disgusting. At least we can agree on one thing.” 😦

    He can twist anything around.

    This past weekend, Emily couldn’t drop off Forrest with him on her way to work (either day) because he shut his phone off one day & didn’t answer it the next. So he had to drive out here to pick him up. And according to him, it was all Emily’s fault. And he also said “F___ you!” to my husband on the phone.

    Remember, according to him, he’s the mature & responsible one, & we’re the “filthy, demented rednecks”. (I still laugh that he actually said that about us.)

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  29. Karen, I know you mean well, but as I just told a friend on Facebook regarding a man she was interested in that “did her wrong”. Walk away with the dignity you have left and do NOT interact with him any more in any way shape or fashion. He is looking for a knife to twist in your back and you are un-knowingly handing them to him because he is the expert at twisting the words around. There comes a point where by “staying in the game” you are giving him permission to speak to and treat you the way he does. (truly I am saying this in my kindest voice and with a lot of love behind it).
    He is not your burden. He is Emily’s. Let her deal with him and you support her. I know you love your grandson and want what is best for him. Do not give R any more ammunition to aim at you.

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  30. Oh, and let’s face it. He was probably lying anyway about those jobs. Next time he posts something like that roll your eyes, shake your head, and think “what an idiot”.

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  33. It’s Monday…and it’s almost over! Stressful week last week…continues on into this week…HOA junk…hate it…but pales in light of what so many face…..Praying for JoeB….didn’t he once say he lived in Moore OK? I’m hoping I am wrong and that he is located somewhere else…..
    Roy….what a delightful little guy our Lord blessed you and Judy with….still praying for your job situation….
    Karen…a tough situation…dealing with R….I can tell you…if he ever said that to me on the phone…he wouldn’t be speaking with me until he learned the meaning of respect and acted accordingly….will be praying for the Lord to give to you and Lee His divine wisdom….and guidance….

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  36. Kim – I have been trying to not get involved in anything with R, but sometimes he latches on to something & won’t let go. Right now I am restraining myself from replying further to what he has written on Emily’s Facebook post. He has attacked my faith, & Jesus!, & I have to just let it lay.

    He & Emily were arguing on the phone (she being on her cell phone), then he called the house phone to involve me in it. I didn’t respond to his accusations against her, just said “okay” at the end of his tirade.

    He was demanding that Emily text him the exact hours she’s working this week, so he can know when he can pick up Forrest. She refused, merely telling him in that she’s working mornings this week. So when he called me, he was going on about how he has his own life & can’t be waiting around for her to tell him when he can or can’t see Forrest. (She very seldom says he can’t, & if she does, there’s a good reason for it.)

    So now he is saying that he will pick up Forrest when it is convenient for him & when he feels like it. (I wanted to sarcastically reply that that’s what he does anyway, but I didn’t.) But he also said that he will not tell her when that will be or when he’ll bring him back.

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  37. Karen, repeat after me…”R, I cannot have this conversation with you at this time.” Hang up the phone and do not answer if it is him. What you are doing is entering into a co-dependent relationship with him and “feeding” the beast.

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  43. Isn’t Facebook grand? 😦 Like so many things, it’s both wonderful and horrible at the same time!

    Long day for me today, had to cover a demonstration (and counter demonstration) on a street corner today when it was especially hot outside. Ugh. And before I wrote the story, I had to tweet and tout. Sheesh.

    Oh well, day’s done. And the car dealership fixed the collapsed window in my Jeep for free. Yay.

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  44. Backyard is mowed, drain field is mowed, rose garden is mowed, got a couple of sections cultivated, and some popcorn planted.

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  45. Oh, yes, and I got to listen to the five year old read a couple of books to me, and read a couple of books to six year old, with him repeating every word, trying to get him to pronounce all consonants. That is his speech therapy for now.

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  47. I didn’t know you could plant popcorn. Doesn’t it just come in a box for the microwave?

    On Calvin & Hobbs — our pastor shared the story some time ago about the advice a counselor had given him when he was having some trouble sleeping.

    The counselor told him to read something “light,” something he really enjoyed.

    Always being a Calvin & Hobbs fan, our pastor got a book filled with all of the cartoons over the years and began making his way through the volume.

    It worked pretty well apparently, very relaxing — and, he noted, he could still say (when asked by his theologian/pastor friends) that he was reading “Calvin.” 😉

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  48. It comes from a little kernel of corn down in the soil. And some water. And some sunshine.

    I used to have Calvin and Hobbs books. They wore out, but I don’t remember reading them that much.

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