Think I'll sit down here for a bit... (10)

[Aibrean]

Drinking spiced rum and coke (hey..not all of it will be in the cake!).

 

[Studeclunker]

We had high winds today and a tornado warning. I didn't hear where it was but the warning was in Adrian where I was at the time. Tommorows winds are supposed to be worse.

We used to have vans too. We had a 74 Chevy full sized van. We all loved it cause the engine made so much noise and sounded powerful.

THe next van was an 82 GMC, a real piece of junk. I bought it primarily for my wife to haul the kids around in and our vacations and family doings, but the thing developed a problem not long after we had it. The carb kept backfiring and and the engine would stall almost every time you tried to take off. You had to have an extra saftey distance when taking off from light or you would get broadsided. I ended up driving it cause it was so unafe, and I always drove with the seatblet off and my hand on the door handle so I could bale out if it started on fire.

When I took it into the dealer, which is where it spent most of its time, the mechanic took the carb apart and said you've had this on fire, which surprised me not a bit. After another year and many attempts to get it fixed we got rid of it.

The next van was a Chevy Astro van. My wife loved it but I hated it. It was a gas hog and reaquired lots of maintenance and was so hard to work on. We finally got rid of it when it went through 8-10 quarts of oil to every fill up on gas. Of course my wife wanted another van but I said no way.

Well this conversation could go on all night as I had a bunch of truely junk cars/trucks. We finally both bought Hondas and end of problem. We got rid of my Honda when I lost my job, it was pretty full of miles anyway. We now have a Ford truck and really love it, but its had a lot of electrical problems too

...And people ask me why I drive a fifty-four year old Studebaker. Chryslers aren't any better, trust me.

Speaking of moving from a metropolitan area (Riverside 175k) to a small town Lewiston Pop. 1500. It's funny, Riverside was so congested and dirty it wasn't hard to believe the population. Lewiston is so small that I think they were counting the tourists, deer, and bears. I'm trying hard to find a way to stay here (Lewiston, not George's place), but it looks like a move is in order. It's just working out how to go about it.

 

[DaRev]

you do know you said "NOT good", right?

Das ist wahr. Can't stand the stuff.

 

[DaRev]

It was warm and a bit humid here today.

 

[alexnbethmom]

Das ist wahr. Can't stand the stuff.

ah, Ich verstehe!

(i don't really speak german, i'm cheating, LOL....)

 

[DaRev]

ah, Ich verstehe!

(i don't really speak german, i'm cheating, LOL....)

Neither do I.

 

[KEPLER]

Ja, mit beer. Willst du ein schluk haben?

Ja, bitte! Danke!

 

[PreachersWife2004]

the wind is definitely worse now. It's creepier at night.

I want to get a conversion van for the family, or a small class C trailer to drive around on vacations. Right now our van comfortably sits 6 but can fit seven, but when three kids are in car seats that might not be so great. Aaron is in a booster seat, but the other two are still in car seats, and if we're approved and get placement through the foster care system that's another car seat. Poor Jake will have to be squeezed somewhere.

We're also thinking about those 15 passenger vans. Gas guzzler to be sure, but it sure would be more comfortable, I think. Jake likes the idea of stretching all out on his own bench.

We always had conversion vans growing up and I loved them. We were the first family on the block to get one with a TV/VCR combo in it and we thought we were RICH!! I loved how the middle chairs swiveled to face the back bench and there was a table and sometimes you get one with a reversible table where one side was an eating table with cup holders and the other side was a checker board.

 

[Studeclunker]

Low tonight is twenty seven degrees. I guess that will be the end of this year's garden. I have half the plants for the greenhouse here in the house. LOL, bloody place looks like a Florist's shop!

 

[seajoy]

Our small greenhouse was flopping up on the roof of our house yesterday. My beagle alerted me to the situation. Anyway, with God's help, I got it down and was not injured in the process. I dragged the thing into the garage and saved our sat dish for the internet. sheeesh, this wind.

Dear daughter had a tornado in her city and had all her students in the basement (1st and 2nd graders). She said they prayed and sang Jesus Loves Me. Some were crying and others held the hand of their friends who were really afraid. God teaches us to depend on Him from a very young age.

 

[LilLamb219]

PW, get the conversion van!! I never had one but have ridden in one and wow, so comfortable!

Ang, tornadoes are my biggest fears! Glad they're all okay!

 

[porterross]

Yikes! We've been getting reports here on all the tornadoes there. Glad no one here has been hurt.

I suppose this centuries old house has its positive points in that strong winds don't faze it. It is solid and I am impressed by the construction methods here....apart from windows. Brits do NOT do good windows, but will they admit that the Europeans have better designs and adopt them? Noooooooooooooo, so people are forced to suffer with single glazed, wooden hole fillers. Luckily for us, we found a talented carpenter from the Czech Rep who is taking care of us.

 

[Aibrean]

BTW, apparently the Fire Chief of Xenia said that tornado sirens are not intended to be heard by those in buildings. During a storm you better have your tv on, weather radio, fm/am radio, text alerts and emails.

 

[QuiltAngel]

Well, where a few of us live, winter seems to be arriving. Wind, rain and mid 30's for temps for me.

Where did the nice fall weather go that we had just a few days ago?

 

[porterross]

I don't know how much the US media is covering this, but I suppose you all know that France has outlawed the muslim niqab (full, face covering burqa). It seems that the ultra liberal idealism of being tolerant of what's seen as a serious threat to western freedom is experiencing a reality check.
It's being reported that Italy is considering following France in restricting islamic behaviors that are in opposition to cultural norms and in parts of Germany, local citizens are concentrating their efforts to stop mosque building and what one man described as a takeover of German way of life.

It's about time and hopefully this is a sign of things to come that will spread. Western governments need to stop being blind to the fact that many of these so-called refugees do indeed intend us harm if by no other means than refusing to acclimate to our culture.

What, if anything, has been reported in the US or Canada?

 

[QuiltAngel]

PR,I tend to now pay too much attention to the news, especially with the midterm elections next week.

I have heard about France's law though. I was unaware that other countries were doing the same. I say we should all go for it.

 

[DaRev]

I don't know how much the US media is covering this, but I suppose you all know that France has outlawed the muslim niqab (full, face covering burqa). It seems that the ultra liberal idealism of being tolerant of what's seen as a serious threat to western freedom is experiencing a reality check.
It's being reported that Italy is considering following France in restricting islamic behaviors that are in opposition to cultural norms and in parts of Germany, local citizens are concentrating their efforts to stop mosque building and what one man described as a takeover of German way of life.

It's about time and hopefully this is a sign of things to come that will spread. Western governments need to stop being blind to the fact that many of these so-called refugees do indeed intend us harm if by no other means than refusing to acclimate to our culture.

What, if anything, has been reported in the US or Canada?

Well, the US has a president who embraces Islamic tendencies. It will most likely be a few years before this gov't wakes up. Unfortunately, it may take another 9-11.

 

[Studeclunker]

Another interesting fact of our beloved President is that he has appointed several Muslims to be in charge of our national security. Doesn't that make you feel safe and secure?

Yes Porter, we've heard about the French ruling. Also about the strikes there because of the changes made in retirement age etc... Did you know that the Swiss have limited the noise levels from Mosques? They got tired of the constant yammering of the imams calling the 'faithful' to prayer. The rest of the world was 'shocked at the intolerance' of such a thing. A Canadian (Lutheran) minister was jailed because he dared to complain of just such a thing in, I think it was, Toronto. Our liberal leaders are in danger of giving us over to these people and don't even seem to realize the danger they're placing us in. Either that or they don't care.

Winter weather has arrived here as well. We had temperatures in the low twenties a few days ago and then it started raining again. It's been a constant downpour now for the last twelve hours. Talk about going from thirst to drowning.

 

[Matt Faith]

hi everybody. hope you are all having a good day today.

 

[KEPLER]

I don't know how much the US media is covering this, but I suppose you all know that France has outlawed the muslim niqab (full, face covering burqa). It seems that the ultra liberal idealism of being tolerant of what's seen as a serious threat to western freedom is experiencing a reality check.
It's being reported that Italy is considering following France in restricting islamic behaviors that are in opposition to cultural norms and in parts of Germany, local citizens are concentrating their efforts to stop mosque building and what one man described as a takeover of German way of life.

It's about time and hopefully this is a sign of things to come that will spread. Western governments need to stop being blind to the fact that many of these so-called refugees do indeed intend us harm if by no other means than refusing to acclimate to our culture.

What, if anything, has been reported in the US or Canada?

I can't help but think of James Madison and Federalist Paper #51, in which he argued that the curtailment of religious freedom of one group by another was unacceptable, for the simple reason that the oppressed group may one day become the oppressor. Being a republic, he says, we should be able to guard against such oppression:

It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. Different interests necessarily exist in different classes of citizens. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure. There are but two methods of providing against this evil: the one by creating a will in the community independent of the majority -- that is, of the society itself; the other, by comprehending in the society so many separate descriptions of citizens as will render an unjust combination of a majority of the whole very improbable, if not impracticable. The first method prevails in all governments possessing an hereditary or self-appointed authority. This, at best, is but a precarious security; because a power independent of the society may as well espouse the unjust views of the major, as the rightful interests of the minor party, and may possibly be turned against both parties. The second method will be exemplified in the federal republic of the United States. Whilst all authority in it will be derived from and dependent on the society, the society itself will be broken into so many parts, interests, and classes of citizens, that the rights of individuals, or of the minority, will be in little danger from interested combinations of the majority.

Mind you, I certainly don't believe that European governments should be making special allowances for the Islamic community (I shudder at the memory of seeing the special Wudu rooms in Birmingham International Airport), but I don't think they should be singling out individual expression either. Scary.