Photo Challenge: Frozen

 I had this scheduled to post after midnight and for some reason, blogger moved it over to a draft?? Hell's bells, I don't know what happened?  Here I am though, finally!


Miz Donna says the holidays are over so it's time to do our photo challenges again so hop right on over to the Photo Challenge blog and click the link thingies to take a look at all the wonderful photos.  The theme for this challenge is Frozen.

A close look into my Sonic cup of diet Dr. Pepper with a load of ice.

I call this shot and the next one,  Frozen in Time

Frozen in Time 2

There ya go,  those are my challenge photos.  Don't forget to go take a look at the other challengers.

Old Age Prayer

This lady is a hoot!!

In the News

Ninety students who attend Frayser High School in Memphis are currently pregnant or have already had a baby this year.The number indicates, that 11% of the student body has entered into parenthood. 

I did a little math of my own and came up with a more astounding figure; Suppose that of the 978 pupils attending grades 8 through 12 at Frayser High School, half of those are female (489).  Now those 90 female students who have given birth recently or are currently pregnant puts the percentage of female parenthood on up to almost 20%!

The Memphis City School District folks are a'wondering what can be done about this problem. They're looking for grants, for funds, for what amounts to TAX  money, to correct this problem. I don't know about you all, but I can think of a few corrective measures that don't have a damned thing to do with throwing good money away:

First, someone tell me what in the hell being a student at Frayser High School in Memphis, TN has to do with being pregnant?  Did they get pregnant while attending school?

Make the students/teens/parents accountable.  Back when Hector was a pup, and me too for that matter, if you decided to have unprotected sex before marriage and became pregnant, you, the father-to-be and your families somehow came together and came up with a plan.  The plan did not include not knowing who the father was, or applying for medicaid to pay for the doctor and hospital bills, or receiving money, WIC, or Food Stamps from the government to raise a child. 

Educate your kids about sex and contraceptives and don't wait until they're grown to do it.  You should also not expect the schools to do it for you.  More than half of the U.S. states allow that minors do not have to have parental permission to ask for and receive FREE birth control.  (Hey Frayser students, TN is one of them!) The states that don't allow it, have legislative bodies who are about as dumb as a box of rocks in my opinion.  Parents and teens should put out at least as much effort at obtaining AND practicing birth control as they do waiting in line to fill out all the paper work to have the government pay to have and raise a child.

Am I biased?  Maybe being a little mouthy and over the line about a tender subject?  Well get over it, this is my blog and that's my opinion on the subject. And by the way, I pay to watch my TV (you hear me Direct TV and WMC channel 3?),  and I'm getting pretty damned tired of the news reporters using my viewing time to tell me of all the new ways being found to waste hard working folk's tax money. How bout report on ways to save some.

Ok, I'm done.

Winter Prayer

Lord help me to make it through these Winter months.  I'm having fantasies that include Spousal death by remote. Help me to keep my hands away from his throat as he sits snoring on his throne with remote in hand.

Amen.

Black and White

I've taken quite a few pictures of this field during different times of the year because I'm fascinated by the few little trees that sit there in the middle.  I like the view best when the crops are harvested because it makes them look so lonely and desolate out there all alone.  Once upon a time there were many, many more thickets and small woods here in the delta, but the greed of the lumber industry and the farmers has cleared them all away.  It's so sad.

 You can click to make any of these photos a little larger if you'd like.

I remember the old barn at Grandma and Grandpa's house; it was a lot like this one. I can recall  the dank, dusty, darkness of it when you first entered in out of the sunshine.  The groaning and creaking sounds it made when the wind was blowing outside.  I remember climbing up into the loft although we were forbidden for fear we'd fall though in some places. And who can forget the acidic smell of the lime sprinkled potatoes stored in the old corn cribs during the Winter.  Grandpa kept so many great treasures on his work bench.

Cause I said I would...

I took this picture of my new bird feeder through the big window in the dining room.  It's also where I take many of the hummer pictures during the summer months.

The old barn over on the highway. Winter is the best time to take shots of this old place because when the crops and leaves start to grow again, it'll be mostly hidden.  I love finding old barns, buildings, and houses to shoot with my camera and I love to wonder what they would say if the old boards and walls could talk.

Only 77 more days till Spring!

Christmas Is OVAH!!

Turning geriatric cartwheels here.

James got a new bird feeder for Christmas.  I got one too but I think his is the best one. :-)
I'll take a picture of mine later.

My favorite presents are the "Gopher", an extend-able back scratcher, a silky, warm scarf, and the custom wine glass you can see in my header.

I spent a good bit of the holidays with a heat pad against my lower back,,,

Except for the time that Jami's dog, Hercules, decided that she needed it more than me.
Silly hound.

From Top left, great niece Reese, granddaughter Alexis, gd Krysten, gn Mikah(?), gd Abby, Front gd MeriKate, gd Jillian, gn Shelbie, gd Jaylen.  We don't seem to make ugly babies here in eastern Arkansas.  :-)

Our two oldest babies, Granddaughter, Jordan, and Zach.

Back to a normal routine tomorrow.  I hope everyone survived the Holidays intact!