I have returned

Wow, so far I'm not too into 2009.  The year started out with a fire at my office it has progressed with political developments which I personally classify as nightmarish, and two very close friends of mine have passed away very close to each other.  Needless to say I haven't been much up to blogging of late.  Still though, happiness  to be had.  Below is one of my sources of joy.  Kayleigh came to the farm with me last saturday and after work, we had the opportunity to take a few pictures.  Here are some.

 

Okay, now I feel a little better.

Tom

Those Wonderfully Dirty Geese

Here's a picture I shot a week or so ago. Had to share it with a few of my close blogging buddies.
Thanks,
Tom

Flash Back To Mean Joe Green

I love this commercial, but I do not advocate many of the others that pop on when this one is over.
Tom

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Now for the original.



Classic Stuff!

Color me "Happy"!

A very conflicting story for me.

I got this through the email and thought I'd pass it on.

 Kurtis the Stock Boy and Brenda the Checkout Girl
 

 In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry-out at register 4.  Kurtis was almost finished and wanted to get some fresh air, so he decided to answer the call.  As he approached the checkout stand, a distant smile caught his eye ~ the checkout girl was beautiful.  She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was only 22) and he fell in love.
  
  Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to find out her name.  She came into the break room, smiled softly at him, took her card, punched out, and then left.  He looked at her card, BRENDA.  He walked out only to see her start walking up the road.  Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home.  He looked harmless enough, and she accepted.  When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work.  She simply said it wasn't possible.
  
  He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn't afford a babysitter, so he offered to pay for the babysitter.  Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday.  That Saturday night, he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him.  The babysitter had called and canceled.  To which Kurtis simply said, "Well, let's take the kids with us."
  
  She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed.  Finally Brenda brought him inside to meet her children.  She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, and then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair.  He was born a paraplegic with Downs Syndrome.
  
  Kurtis told Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come with us."  Brenda was amazed.  Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities ~ just like her first husband and father of her children had done.  But Kurtis was not ordinary ~ he had a different mindset.
  
  That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids and went to dinner and the movies.  When her son needed anything, Kurtis would take care of him.  When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him, and brought him back.  The kids loved Kurtis.  At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with.
  
  A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children.  Since then they have added five more kids.
  
  So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy at a grocery store in Cedar Falls, Iowa and Brenda the checkout girl?  Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the National Football League Arizona Cardinals and has his Cardinals in the hunt for a possible appearance in the Super Bowl.  Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person.
      It should be noted that he also quarterbacked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI...and he has also been the NFL's Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player.  He established the First Things First Foundation in the spring of 2001 with wife Brenda to promote Christian values and bless the lives of those less fortunate with projects such as trips to Disney World for ill children, building recreation centers in children's hospitals, helping single moms achieve the dream of homeownership and teaching Special Olympians the football basics. All projects are centered on Kurt and Brenda's life theme: faith and family come first.  The official website is:  http://www.kurtwarner.org <http://www.kurtwarner.org/> 

I feel compelled as a Steelers fan to follow this story up with a resounding, "Go Steelers!" just so we're all clear where my loyalties are.