Hello,

Spring is here and it's been a good week. We had our home painted by 2 Hungarian immigrants. We paid more than if we had had illegal aliens painting our house, but this is one area where we citizens can make a difference. Americans......DON'T hire illegal immigrants to clean your house, paint your house, build your house etc. We can send a message to companies that hire the illegals...we won't do business with you.

In any case, our home looks like a new house. I am VERY pleased with the colors chosen (Paperwhite house ...looks cream with a yellow tint) with hunter green (courtyard) colored shutters and white trim. Frank and Joe did a good job (found one small spot we need to touch up) and, get this......showed up every day when they said they would. They were good communicators, too. Imagine that. In any case, it was a good experience and now our 2 sons painted our shed the same color. I also planted 51 plants today including one African daisy, 6 dahlia, 6 orange marigolds, 6 red and 6 pink impatiens, 6 red begonias, 6 purple and 6 dark pink petunias, 6 snapdragons, 1 blueberry sachet and 1 blue plant that is a perennial that I lost the tag to so I don't remember the name. I hope they all do well. I bought smaller plants (paid less that way), and since it's so early in the year hopefully in 60 days it will be the same as if I planted larger plants and paid twice as much.

Dan fertilized the grass last week and it looks really green. Spring is truly the prettiest season around here. I am so grateful for life and my family and our paid-for house. Guess what....I don't think I'll do to much kvetching tonight. Imagine that. LOL

TIll later....

This is short and sweet........

Folks.........it matters who you marry. Simple. True. So much heartbreak and heartache and taxpayer money spent to make up for the oh, so awful things that happen when you marry someone to whom you are not equally yoked. Fortunately and thankfully, that is not my case. Dh is not perfect, which is good, because neither am I. I love him and am grateful for him and all his good qualities. I am a blessed woman and my children are blessed.

Such sad things have been seen on my message board......through the years and with the exception of true unavoidable tragedy (which none of us can predict), the worst situations are with marriages. Oh............marry well. Save yourself and everyone you know a LOT of heartache and stuff by picking right the first time. 'K? Short phrases and prayer emoticons cannot remove the pain that comes from your bad choices. I cringe as I write it but it's true. Natural consequences are just painful....and once again, it is unfair for the taxpayers to have to pick up the tab when you try to support 2 households on an income that is meant for only one. Noone is entitled to anything just because their spouse left. Sigh.............................................................................................

Here we go.......

Property tax.........the vehicle by which towns and counties across America fund the majority of their humanistic *education* of American and illegal aliens' children. How do they do this? Well........we own a house. That's right. We actually own it. The bank does not. But do we REALLY own it? Hmm........let's say dh and I don't pay our taxes for the next 3 years.......well, the county will then own our home and then will list it for foreclosure and then when we don't leave (because we *own* it.....right?) they will call in the sheriffs and they will remove us from the property we have lived on and purchased from a previous owner at GUNPOINT!!!!! Folks......it is wrong. Plain wrong. Why, praytell, do any of you have a right to educate your children at other people's expense?

In the Bible, Psalm 24:1 tells us that "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof". God owns everything. He took the land of Canaan and GAVE it to the Israelites who were charged with removing (by force) if necessary the previous inhabitants. Interesting stuff.

Read my first paragraph. The reality is that in America there is no such thing as private property. It all belongs to the government who rents it back to us for the cost of property tax. We *purchase* it from individuals or corporations, but in reality it is the local governments who have the final say on our property. This is scary stuff, folks.

When there is no such thing as private property the phrase Communism comes to mind. Ugghh.........The reality is most peoples lives are so desperate and they are living from one paycheck to the next that they can't be bothered to contemplate the long term implications of their actions...Sigh..........after all it probably won't fall apart on their watch, so why not just stick it to the next generation. After all, there are more important things to do, like watch cable tv or find another government program to feed you or clothe you or provide your medical care.

Next topic: People's bad decisions

I have belonged to a qf message board since May 1999. I have found out (the hard way) over the years that being qf and Christian is not always enough common ground for friendship. Apparently, there are a lot of qf people (as well as the general public) who believe that the government should be their provider when it comes to food, medical care and education. They also believe that a man who does not provide for his family is NOT worse than an infidel, but rather, because they are Christian Americans they are entitled to live beyond their means, courtesy of the government. Sigh........It's insane. In the last couple days a woman who is on Medicaid for her baby, even though she owns her own home was lamenting not having money for season passes to the local amusement park. Hello? If I was to post anything remotely sensitive to the fact that if you have the taxpayers footing the bill for u/sounds and other things is it really right for you to be spending money to go to the local amusement park I would be jumped all over by ladies telling me how insensitive I am. Seriously, folks........I think it's sheer arrogance to think that someone else should pay for your medical care while you retain full equity in your home and ponder ways to come up with $ for vacation. In this sit'n I know this family has taken several vacations. If they had saved their money (in the Proverbs it says a prudent man sees trouble and takes refuge, the simply keep going and suffer for it), then they would have the $6,000 or so to pay for a baby. Instead, they vacation, save nothing and then instead of suffering, the US Gov't bails them out. It is flat out wrong and is a terrible testimony. Sigh........

It's late.........I'll post more another time. Spring is here, the prettiest season of the year. I love fall best, but spring is prettiest. Red buds, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths (utterly heavenly with their smells), pansies and the dogwoods and tulips are on their way. I moved down here 18.5 years ago.....why anyone lives in the north when it is grey and yuchhy around now is beyond me. (FTR, I'd live in NY or PA June-August......but since I like it better here 9 months out of the year, here is where we'll stay!).