Star from Jumping on the Bandwagon tagged me to do this:

Here’s the rules:

1. Delve into your blog archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.

It seems that one must be censored, even in their own domain.

I didn’t really get lucky with this one. The rules say “or closest to” the 23rd post. This one was from my 23rd post, but here are the ones from 21 and 22:

Here’s mine, now let’s see yours . . .

So shoot me

My 24rth didn’t even have text. I guess the actual 23rd was best for me. Oh, gosh - hope that one never has to go in a Meme. That was bad too. I’d better shut up.

When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.

- Vietnamese saying

One of the quotes of the day from Beliefnet. I don’t know why I think it’s so cool, but I just never thought about that before.

What is the retail price of this keychain? Think of your best answer and then see Comments for the actual price. Oh - and don’t forget to tell me what you guessed!

Happy Fall, y’all.

Ps: visit the blog I snatched that from.

This is an awesome story - especially the end and I encourage even the males that read this blog to hunker down and read this one.

Please Sean, don’t scroll to the end before you’ve read it - it’ll spoil the story.

The Legend of The Dipper Retold by J. Berg Esenwein and Marietta Stockard

There had been no rain in the land for a very long time. It was so hot and dry that the flowers were withered, the grass was parched and brown, and even the big, strong trees were dying. The water dried up in the creeks and rivers, the wells were dry, the fountains stopped bubbling. The cows, the dogs, the horses, the birds, and all the people were so thirsty! Everyone felt uncomfortable and sick.
There was one little girl whose mother grew very ill. “Oh,” said the little girl, “if I can only find some water for my mother I’m sure she will be well again. I must find some water.”
So she took a tin cup and started out in search of water. By and by she found a tiny little spring away up on a mountainside. It was almost dry. The water dropped, dropped, ever so slowly from under the rock. The little girl held her cup carefully and caught the drops. She waited and waited a long, long time until the cup was full of water. Then she started down the mountain holding the cup very carefully, for she didn’t want to spill a single drop.
On the way she passed a poor little dog. He could hardly drag himself along. He was panting for breath and his tongue hung from his mouth because it was so dry and parched.
“Oh, you poor little dog,” said the little girl, “you are so thirsty. I can’t pass you without giving you a few drops of water. If I give you just a little there will still be enough for my mother.”
So the little girl poured some water into her hand and held it down for the little dog. He lapped it up quickly and then he felt so much better that he frisked and barked and seemed almost to say, “Thank you, little girl.” An the little girl didn’t notice - but her tin dipper had changed into a silver dipper and was just as full of water as it had been before.
She thought about her mother and hurried along as fast as she could go. When she reached home it was late in the afternoon, almost dark. The little girl pushed the door open and hurried up to her mother’s room. When she came into the room the old servant who helped the little girl and her mother, and had been working hard all day taking care of the sick woman, came to the door. She was so tired and so thirsty that she couldn’t even speak to the little girl.
“Do give her some water,” said the mother. “She has worked hard all day and she needs it much more than I do.”
So the little girl held the cup to her lips and the old servant drank some of the water. She felt stronger and better right away and she went over to the mother and lifted her up. The little girl didn’t notice that the cup had changed into a gold cup and was just as full of water as it was before!
The she held the cup to her mother’s lips and she drank and drank. Oh, she felt so much better! When she had finished there was still some water left in the cup. The little girl was just raising it to her own lips when there came a knock at the door. The servant opened it and there stood a stranger. He was very pale and all covered with dust from traveling. “I am thirsty,” he said. ” Won’t you give me a little water?”
The litlle girl said, “Why, certainly I will, I am sure that you need it far more than I do. Drink it all.”
The stranger smiled and took the dipper in his hand, and as he took it, it changed into a diamond dipper. He turned it upside down and all the water spilled out and sank into the ground. And where it spilled a fountain bubbled up. The cool water flowed and splashed - enough for the people and all the animals in the whole land to have all the water they wanted to drink.
As they watched the water they forgot the stranger, but presently when they looked he was gone. They thought they could see him just vanishing in the sky - and there in the sky, clear and high, shone the diamond dipper. It shines up there yet, and reminds people of the little girl who was kind and unselfish. It is called the Big Dipper.

I’m reading a book called The Book of Virtues which is a collection of moral and virtuous tales, essays and poems edited by William J. Bennet. Some of them are too good to keep to myself, so I’m going to post a couple of them. I hope it’s not considered copyright infringement! Oh, and just because I’m sharing them with y’all doesn’t mean I’m preaching, I just think they’re cool stories. BTW - this one was from the Compassion section of the book.

The Buddha loves Moxie

Because I want you to be as disturbed as I am: scaryfreakyweirdos

What about Mississippi and Alabama?

I guess they’re not as important as other displaced peoples.

Hurricane victims who have taken shelter and are registered with the American Red Cross at the Astrodome or George R. Brown Convention Center are the first people eligible to receive the Red Cross debit card.

Note - I don’t fault the Red Cross - they’re under a lot of pressure.

This is an email I sent to an author at the National Review:

Sir, I wish there was a way at this time for the little people to tell their side, but since there is not I hope that telling you might help. I want Ms. Rice to know that the people of Houston and the suburbs are busting their tails for the refugees. Little old ladies are staying up 24 hours a day doing laundry and cooking at their local churches, men and women are taking off work to volunteer at shelters, poor people who can’t afford to drive very far are volunteering at local donation spots with sorting, and everyone in this area is donating everything they can possibly muster up from their homes and donating things they buy at the store. I do not know one single person who isn’t doing something. I have not heard of one single person who hasn’t done something. This city is scrambling to help the people of the affected areas.
What worries me is that morale is declining every time a celebrity accuses us of racism or neglect. Houston is working hard – very hard. What are the celebrities doing to help besides pulling things down further?

It is in reference to the following article, which I encourage you to read in full at the National Review website.

We Failed You? Try Again.
Anne Rice blames America, not local officials.

“To my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us “Sin City,” and turned your backs.â€? — novelist and New Orleans resident Anne Rice
Let me get this straight.
Ms. Rice, you live in (what was) a very attractive city which lies below sea level. On one side you have a giant lake; on the other side you have the Gulf of Mexico. Running through the middle is the Mississippi River. All of which are above you.

For more, read the rest of the article here

These are some articles and pictures from My Favorites on the tool bar - just click the links. I’ve been saving some of these up for blogging.

High rise hawks raise family

Scientist to make “Stuart Little” mouse with the brain of a human This was reported in several reputable papers. My first link is gone, but I found this through a search. The story was also featured in this month’s Fortean Times

Fast Food Facts I’ve done this one before on the blog, but I’d like to list it for newer readers. It links to calorie caculators for all the major fast food chains. Often it shows that the item the restaurant is marketing as healthy often has the most fat and calories.

For writers - the red tool bar on the right side of the page is your best friend.

For writers - this site has a database of submission contacts at magazines and publishing companies.

JBIPix of the day This Canadian has got an eye for beauty. His photographs are amazing

This one is for the girls.

I always mean to get around to reading this witchy article but haven’t.

I’m not sure I understand this website fully, because I haven’t looked at it in depth, but the stories hook me. It’s biblical - sort of. Possibly even strange.

So feminine

12 Ophiuchi - hey it’s mine!

Adam Curry, Kylie Minogue

This one is sort of schmoopy, but it gives you a little comfort in times of crisis. This is done at Unity Village 24 hours a day for 30 days.

Okay, this is hard because it’s in German. It’s video though, so it’s easy to follow. I learned how to make a drink cup! Just pick one of the figurens and press starten.

More pretty pictures . Some of them freak me out because they look like fake miniaturizations.

Yes, they’re safe, but what about my right to be an idiot? Here also, is a lawyers personal rant and story. He makes some excellent points.

Hot patooty, bless my soul. Note - I avoid playground equipment.

A blog that blows my mind. I am usually so entranced by the images that I forget to read the text.

Most people think she’s a nut job, but I love her. Some things on her site may seem far fetched, but some things do have merit.

Are you handsome? Beautiful?

The Hass . And for his own interpretation . . .

Statuesque

Read the article, not the site name. Secondhand fat?

Well, that’s all folks.