Breathtaking!

The days are getting shorter and shorter and on some mornings definitely cooler. Fall is in the air and the kids are already wanting me to make homemade cocoa. (and while I do love it, it takes a little bit of work to get it the way they like it)

Mimi is carving her pumpkin for Halloween tonight while Mikey is here to help her. I will have pics of them tomorrow.

Johnny went to Peanuts in Cross City today to see about getting his truck home and found that is in worst shape than originally thought. As in "he burnt it up" So now they are going to have to put out quite a bit of money to replace it.

"Dancing With The Stars" What can I say. Nothing to say. I am happy with the results of last nights elimination. I would have rather seen Jennifer Grey go but at least our favorites are still on.

Today for a little fun we have the neatest sculptures.

The paper cut sculptures explore the probable and magical transformation of the flat sheet of paper into figures that expand into the space surrounding them. The negative and absent 2 dimensional space left by the cut, points out the contrast to the 3 dimensional reality it creates, even though the figures still stick to their origin without the possibility of escaping. In that sense there is also an aspect of something tragic in many of the cuts.

His precision transforms ordinary piece of paper into a masterpiece. His sculptures are sold for about $4.000.

Where did they go?

Beautiful weather, Cool nights and sunny days are making for a wonderful fall. We have been enjoying being outdoors barbecuing and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows on the fire pit. Of course the mosquitoes come out and we have to come indoors as Eastern Equine Encephalitis has made it return to the area. Can never be too careful about that.

Family is doing fine. Frank is driving a truck now for Mid-Fla Hauling out of Worthington Springs. He is home every night so that is good. Sissie and I are still plugging along doing the same everyday (surfing the Internet, washing dishes, surfing the Internet, cooking, laundry, surfing the Internet, babysitting Mikey). Mimi is doing pretty good and Shelby is now 17 weeks pregnant and doing great. A couple more weeks until we find out if it is a boy or a girl.

So how's Johnny you ask? Well don't ask and I won't tell.

Today's fun items are on a subject that I have a hard time dealing with (because I live in the past Frank says). I absolutely can not stand to see history in an abandoned state. While I understand the cost of preserving and saving some of these old sites would be enormous, Years and decades from now the history and learning value from these would be just as great. My greatest sadness is seeing abandoned buildings and railroad cars. Today I have been looking at and mourning the loss of some of the greatest joy many families had back in the day. I can just hear the laughter and squeals of joy. Smell the popcorn and fries. These are just a few of the abandoned Amusement Parks that are still standing, buried in the woods and memories of the past. With the exception of one, they are still out for the world to see.

Chippewa Lake Park

The Ferris Wheel

Turnstile

Built by the Pearce Family in the mid 1920's, the Big Dipper was one of three coasters in Chippewa Lake Park by the time the park closed.

Hidden on a lake shore in Medina County is one of the state's most unique forgotten treasures: the abandoned amusement park called Chippewa Lake. What you'll find there today is the tragic shell of a once-glorious family fun park, one with a history going back to the 1840s. Chippewa Lake had its own amusement park for precisely one hundred years--from 1878 through 1978, when the park's last owner, Continental Business Enterprises, finally threw in the towel. Now the rides--more importantly, the park itself--stand silent and overgrown in the shady woods, in a state roller coaster aficionados like to refer to as "Standing But Not Operating."

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The Enchanted Forest

Once upon a time, there was a wonderful fairy tale themed amusement park in Ellicott City, Maryland called The Enchanted Forest. The Enchanted Forest officially opened on August 15, 1955.

Admission was one dollar for adults and fifty cents for children. At opening, the park was 20 acres, but it later expanded to 52 acres.

The park closed for the first time in 1989 and reopened partially between 1994 and 1997.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okpo Land

This abandoned park is in Korea

This was an amusement park run by obviously a corrupt businessman. After the first accident in the park resulting in a fatality, he kept the place open and refused to pay damages to the victim’s family. The second fatality, this time a young girl (aged 4 according to one source), resulted in the closure of the park in 1999. This pedal-powered duck derailed, dumping the young girl out, and she was killed by the fall.
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Prypiat

The bumper car ride in the abandoned city of Prypiat, evacuated after the 1986 Chernobyl power plant explosion.

Prypiat ,is an abandoned city in the exclusion zone in the then Soviet state of Ukraine. A city built for the workers of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant. April 1986, an explosion occurred which spread radiation and resulted in thousands of deaths. The cities were abandoned and Prypiat is frozen in time. Beds are still made with sheets, desks still crowd school rooms and May Day decorations still adorn the town. Once a fairly bustling city with high rise building and an amusement park, today the Ferris wheel stands still and the bumper cars rust.

Ouch!

We interrupt this blog due to a massive migraine. Blogging will resume shortly.

What a Lovely Day!

"What Lovely Cheese, Gromit!"

Today was another lovely day. The weather has not been this beautiful this many days in a row for the longest time. Cool mornings and a wonderful breeze all afternoon. Late this evening the mosquito's did make an appearance. Mikey (who is with us again tonight) got a few bites on him before he came in from playing.

Frank is fighting a sinus infection that doesn't seem to go away. We will be making another trip back to the dr's tomorrow. He also has an interview with Mid-Fla Trucking. They are out of Worthington Springs. He is also waiting to hear from WBT Trucking and has been working part-time for Knothole Timber. They are talking about keeping him on full-time. That wouldn't be so bad as he makes pretty good with them and they are out of Cross City and he is working there with people he knows.

Things were great with Johnny yesterday, not one drink. Even gave Sissie his wallet so he wouldn't be tempted. Today, not so much. The bad thing is he has started drinking a type of beer that is making him mean towards Sissie. Sissie thinks that because he is needing to get the buzz faster he is drinking a stronger beer other than the Natural Light.

For today's fun, more vintage (sexist) ads.

Kitchen could get pretty crowded at the holidays.

One word -- "WHY"

Nothing I can say would even make sense here.

"Here you go dear, fried eggs, bacon, HOT GRI...OOOPS!"

I would like to see the resulting sales reports on that years Pontiac models.

I Drink Dr. Pepper...

"I drink Dr Pepper and I'm proud.
I used to be alone in a crowd.
But now you look around these days,
There seems to be a Dr Pepper craze. (Oh Pepper)
I'm a Pepper, he's a Pepper, She's a Pepper, we're a Pepper,
Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?"

My absolute favorite drink. (I loved Mr. Pibb until they ramped up the caffeine in it and now they call it Mr. Pibb Xtra)

Long, slow lazy day today. With a wonderful breeze and all this sunshine, I'm beginning to think I might be living in Florida. LOL!

Mimi, Frank and Johnny all went flea marketing today but came home with nothing. It's getting close to Christmas so the shopping at the flea markets will begin to pick up.

Dinner tonight will be Steaks from the broiler, Homemade mashed potatoes, Green beans and Salad.

Today's fun will be a step back in time with soda memories....

This is the label from Pioneer Soda Ginger Ale. This is circa 1940's and 1950's.

My grandpappy and grandmother owned a Standard Oil station here in Otter Creek for years. In the store part of it they had a soda machine like this one pictured above. Daddy told me that when Grandpappy wasn't there, he and his brother would go and pop the tops and use a straw to drink out of the bottles without having to take them out of the machine.

I remember this machine. What about the price? Only 10 cent a bottle.

Not sure why they would paint this one green but I do remember seeing these also.

I do remember the Yoo-Hoo in the big bottles and have myself drank a many of them. Have not heard of any of the others.

Diet Rite sure does bring back a lot of memories also.

I did not know that Del Monte ever put out soda. These are circa 1960's

The one and only original Mountain Dew. We have home movies of my grandmother holding a stick and daring granddaddy to take a drink. Good Times.

Cho had to Go!

Finally the judges and fans got it right. Margaret Cho was really a torture to have to watched. So now this leaves us with a dilemma as we are getting down to the ones that we don't want to lose so the choices are getting harder. Some of the dancers are getting really good. I think the next one to go will probably be Florence Henderson or "The Situation". Rick Fox has really ramped it up with his "booty shaking" and ripping open of the shirt. I am still in Kyle Massey's corner however I believe it will ultimately come down to Audrina Partridge or Jennifer Grey.

Things are beginning to get back to normal. (as normal as it can be) I am just afraid that he is going to start feeling even more comfortable with the drinking since Frank let it go the other night. It is really difficult because of my feelings for Sissie.

Shelby had a dr's appt this morning and according to the dr. the rate of the heartbeat (139 ) indicates that it will probably be a boy. We won't know for sure for 4 more weeks when she goes back for the ultrasound.

Frank is fighting a sinus infection. On antibiotics and feeling miserable.

Today's fun item is:

Why I Fired My Secretary!!!

Last week was my birthday and I didn't feel very well waking up that morning. I went downstairs for breakfast hoping my wife would be pleasant and say "Happy Birthday", and possibly have a present for me.

As it turned out, she barely said good morning, let alone, "Happy Birthday". I thought....well, that's marriage for you, but maybe the kids will remember. My kids came down for breakfast and didn't say a word.

So, when I left for the office, I was feeling pretty low and somewhat angry. As I walked into my office, my secretary Jane said, "Good morning, Boss, Happy Birthday". It felt a little better that at least someone had remembered.

I worked until one o'clock and then Jane knocked on my door and said, "You know, it's such a beautiful day outside, and it's your birthday, let's go out to lunch, just you and me". I said, "Thanks, Jane, that's the greatest thing I've heard all day. Let's go".

We went to lunch. but we didn't go where we normally would go. We dined instead at a little place with a private table. We had two martinis each and I enjoyed the meal tremendously.

On the way back to the office Jane said, "You know, it's such a beautiful day....we don't need to go back to the office, do we?"

I responded, "I guess not. What do you have in mind?"

She said, "Let's go to my apartment".

After arriving at her apartment Jane turned to me and said, "Boss, if you don't mind, I'm going to step into the bedroom for a moment. I'll be right back."

"OK", I nervously replied.

She went into the bedroom and after a couple of minutes, she came out carrying a huge birthday cake......followed by my wife, kids and dozens of my friends and co-workers, all singing "Happy Birthday".

And I just sat there........

on the couch.......

naked.

The Straight Dope

What a beautiful day today has been. The temps are in the 70's making us want to throw open all the windows and doors. (of course Sissie is fighting us on this one). Mikey was able to go outside and play today and with the new boots he sure had a good time.

Things are going ok around here. Unfortunately no lesson has been learned yet and the drinking continues. Of course he thinks we are spying on him but we live in a small town. People talk, no spying is needed.

Fortunately he did not wreck the truck the other night (though he says that is what he was trying to do), he did do some damage to it. The transmission went out, but it is believed to be a front seal (at least that is what they are hoping). The rest of the damage is cosmetic.




At this point I am out of it and leaving it up to Sissie and Frank. I can see the wall Sissie has been up against all these years.

I will be posting my DWTS's opinions and results tomorrow as Sissie and I haven't had a chance to finish watching it yet.

Tonight's fun is called the "Straight Dope". Here are a few things to ponder.

*The oldest known vegetable is the pea.

*To see a rainbow you must have your back to the sun.

*Men of the Walibri tribe of cenral Australia greet each other by shaking each other's penis,instead of shaking each other's hand.

*Carniverous animals will not eat another animal that has been hit by a lightning strike.

*An eyelash lives for about 5 months.

*There is cyanide in apple pips.

*The water we drink is 3 billion years old.

The earth has a limited amount of water. That water keeps going around and around and around and around and (well, you get the idea) in what we call the "Water Cycle".

This cycle is made up of a few main parts:

• evaporation (and transpiration)
• condensation
• precipitation
• collection

*Lipstick contains fish scales.

The ingredient under discussion is called pearl essence. (Some sources give this as "pearlescence.") It's the silvery stuff found in fish scales that's used in some lipsticks, nail polishes, ceramic glazes, etc., to make them shimmery. Pearl essence is obtained primarily from herring and is one of many by-products of large-scale commercial fish processing.

*Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

Peanut oil can be processed to produce glycerol, which can be used to make nitroglycerin, one of the constituents of dynamite. However, there are other processes that can be used to make dynamite without using peanuts at all.

*Cows give more milk when they listen to music.

*'Puffs' tissues didnt sell well in Germany because 'Puff' in German means brothel.

*Parsley is the most widely used herb in the world.

*There is 200 times more gold in the world's oceans than has ever been mined.

*Eskimos use refrigerators to keep their food from freezing.

*The largest toy distributor in the world is Mcdonalds.

*Half the world's population has seen a James Bond movie.

*90% of women who walk into a department store turn to the right.Noone knows why.

*Ocean waves can travel as fast as a jet plane.

Tsunami wave speed is controlled by water depth. Where the ocean is over 6,000 meters (3.7 miles) deep, unnoticed tsunami waves can travel at the speed of a commercial jet plane, over 800 km per hour (500 miles per hour). Tsunamis travel much slower in shallower coastal waters where their wave heights begin to increase dramatically.

*The largest man made structure on earth is Fresh kills ,the rubbish dump on Staten Island New York.

Fresh Kills Landfill—at 2,200 acres, the largest landfill in the world at that time—the place where most, if not all, of the garbage of the city went. The landfill is composed of four main mounds, which range from 90 to 225 feet. The biggest mound is taller than the Statue of Liberty and can be seen by the naked eye from space. When the dump was open, the garbage produced a noxious, rotting stench that fouled the air of Staten Island. The name "Fresh Kills" refers to its location along the banks of the Fresh Kills estuary in western Staten Island. The landfill opened in 1948, according to The Department of Parks & Recreation, and grew by "29,000 tons of trash per day" at its peak, swelling to "approximately 150 million tons of solid waste" before closing down in 2001.





Well I hope you enjoyed these. I added a few facts to some of them (my words in blue). If you enjoy these, I have many many more.

New Boots

Someone got new boots today and now refuses to take them off.

I predict that Sissie will have a very rough night followed by a day of black and blue bruises!

Let's have a little talk.

I think it is time for me to stop here and explain a few things before I continue this blog. There are some days when I do not post like I should and I know that it must be a disappointment for you. I love posting, especially pictures I take and all the odd and unusual things I come across on the internet. I love searching for the different clipart I use and even updating you guys on the family.

However, there comes those days when things happen here in the Osteen-Moore household that, while I wouldn't mind blogging about it, I become so angry or frustrated that I would tend to let my mouth overrule my brain. Unfortunately those days are starting to become more frequent. So it is safer for me to just not blog on those days.

Then of course there are those days when I don't feel well and I am quite sure you don't want to hear me whine and complain.

So to clarify all of this, there are those days when Johnny "forgets" he has a heart problem and tends to revert to the "old ways". Those are the days when Sissie and I struggle to stay calm. This latest episode, while not going into details about what caused it, has cost Sissie her truck. I have been sisters and best friends with Sissie for almost 50 years (she is 9 months younger than me, my momma be busy back then LOL!) and I can honestly say to you that I have never seen her this angry and had Frank not got between them she would have become extremely physical with him. He believes now that the drinking did NOT cause his heart problem. So how do we fight this one? And even though we had to call the ambulance that night, how long before he feels comfortable enough to do this again. The paramedics told him that even though they could see signs of previous heart damage, they could see no current signs of a-fib or anything else he said he had.

So right now we are at a standstill. We aren't sure what will happen next. Frank tried hard the other night to talk Johnny into rehab. It is voluntary. He refused.

So to wrap things up here. While I love blogging, I can't blog on those days. So just hang in there. I haven't forgotten to do it. Just using discretion on the nights that I should keep my mouth shut. (personally if it wasn't for hurting Sissie, I would spill it all! But I do love her and hate seeing her hurt) (besides, I may be older but she is stronger and I like having teeth LOL!)

Now with that being said, we now resume our regular blogging.....

This is Utterly Outrageous!!

I read this story and was totally outraged.
Of course I have questions about the whole thing. They will be at the end of the article.

Firefighters let home burn; owner didn't pay fee

The Associated Press

Published: Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 2:37 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 2:37 p.m.

SOUTH FULTON, Tenn. — Authorities say firefighters in a far western Tennessee city let a mobile home burn down because the owner didn't pay a $75 yearly fee for fire protection.

Jeff Vowell, city manager of South Fulton, told the Union City Daily Messenger that the city fire department let Gene Cranick's doublewide trailer home burn last week because he didn't pay the subscription common in many rural areas.

Cranick's home is outside city limits, but South Fulton offers fire protection to nearby residents for a fee and did protect a neighboring house that paid.

Police say Cranick's son was so angry he later went to the fire house and punched the chief.

City officials didn't return calls and a message left at a phone listing for Gene Cranick was not immediately returned.

How can anyone just stand by and watch a persons home burn without helping?

What if there had been someone inside?

Who took the time before leaving the fire station to look in the books and see if the victim had paid their fee and do they do this every time they have a fire call?

Aren't the fees collected by the county and as such fall under county rules and regulations? And why would they have a rule such as this?

I'm sure we haven't heard the last of this story.