Samantha Pierce

Today I am thankful for/that: Music. The fruits of my labour. Most of dinner tonight came out of the garden. Good health despite the growing list of aches and pains. Human language. The means by which we convey information and emotion via the spoken and written word with such a dizzying array of words is utterly fascinating. Friends. The calm center of the storm. Progress. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: A sunny rain free afternoon at the beach. Jewel enjoyed eating the required amount of sand. I had to explain to Sophia how she got tan lines and why they weren't permanent. Summer flowers. My zinnias are just getting their bloom on. Enough. Ripe red raspberries. Watching the kids diligently search the raspberry brambles for ripe berries. A good night's sleep. It will happen again some day. What are you thankful for?

I wasn't going to comment on Henry Louis Gates Jr. getting himself arrested after breaking into his own home and then mouthing off to the police officer who had been sent to the home to investigate a potential break in at the house by a neighbor's call to police. Yelling at a cop is almost always a dumb idea unless you are yelling, "Help me officer!" or "Have a good day officer!" The police report was pretty clear about the incident. Even if you are inclined to believe that police officers as lying abusers of power there appear to have been plenty of witnesses present to speak about what they saw occur. Having read the police report I was puzzled when the President of the United States chose to answer a question about the incident at the end of his press conference on health care reform last night. I would have thought that a savvy politician would refrain from getting into the middle of such a squabble before all involved had had a chance to speak their pi...

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 (English Standard Version) 1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. 3What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? 4A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 5The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. 6The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. 7All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. 8All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 9What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. 10Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"? It has been already in the a...

Today I am thankful for/that: An opportunity not to worry about my problems. The helpful hands of others. Summer time sunshine. Evening birdsong. Summer flowers. Effective insect repellent. Real hope. Friends. What are you thankful for?

I remember some years ago the "Behold the power of cheese" ad campaign. One of the commercias said something to the effect that mankind went to the moon, discovered it was made of cheese after all and never went back. I always found that commercial to be amusing. That fateful flight took place forty years ago today .

Back from my vacation and ready to comment on the craziness in the world. So... North Korea has been shooting off missiles left and right and kidnapping American journalists ( remember them? ) as a cover for the fact that the dear leader is dieing of pancreatic cancer. They put me so much in mind of a small terrified child that doesn't want to take its medicine. Like a friend said, this is how you make new racists. Idiots. The follow up story doesn't make anything clearer or sound better. The comments on that second story are a hoot as well. I wonder how much of that bluster those people have in real life? I found this story about Iraqis being disgruntled that they are still seeing US service men and women on their streets amusing in light of the stories ( here's just one ) about the bombs that keep going off in their streets.

I've been saying for weeks that the last time it rained this much the Irish starved, a reference to the potato famine of the 1800s that lead to the migration of a large segment of the Irish of the time to American shores. So I felt pretty vindicated when I heard this story on the radio, Growers Worry Blight Could Wipe Out Tomato Crops . Potatoes and tomatoes are in the same family and vulnerable to some of the same diseases in this case potato or late blight . We aren't likely to have a famine though thanks to the wide availability of fungicides and the lack of a meddling government making matters worse. Your produce may cost you a bit more though. Although with food prices they way they have been you might not notice the blight driven price increase among the other reasons the cost of your food is going up.

Today I am thankful for/that: Vacation. Nothing like a little time away to make you appreciate sleeping in your own bed. Perhaps my favourite summer time sound of all, the cicada. Summer flowers. Baby girl, aka Jewel, in all her snaggle toothed, stair climbing, toy tossing, paper eating glory. She seems to learn a new trick every day. The mouth of CNY, aka Sophia, who said today, "Mommy the bug dope says OFF on it!" Ethan the match maker who found someone else for Sophia to pretend to marry so he wouldn't have to marry her as she demanded. Isaiah's you-didn't-do-it-right face when I sing his favourite songs out of sequence or fudge one of his familiar routines. Many helpful hands to lighten the load. My church family. Feels like I haven't seen them in forever (it's only been two Sudays which kind of is forever for me). What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: Ethan and Sophia didn't fight the entire time they shared the backseat of the van. Everyone was mostly well behaved during our drive to NYC. A night out with my sisters ( Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen , sweet!). The men and women of the United States military. Sis3's high school graduation. Good old home cooking. What are you thankful for?

Listening to the President's press conference on Tuesday it struck me how flat and emotionless his voice was. He spoke about people dieing in the streets of Iran in the same flat tones that he used to speak about the economy and government run health care. It was really eerie. I wasn't the only one to notice either. I was impressed by the question that was asked on behalf of the Iranian protesters, even if it was asked by someone from the Huffington Post. That is until I learned that it was all staged . After the obligatory first question from the Associated Press, Obama treated the overflowing White House briefing room to a surprise. "I know Nico Pitney is here from the Huffington Post," he announced. Obama knew this because White House aides had called Pitney the day before to invite him, and they had escorted him into the room. They told him the president was likely to call on him, with the understanding that he would ask a question about Iran that had been submit...

With the apology issued by the US Senate for slavery last week it seems that baseball is being surpassed by apologizing as the national pass time. This (from the article linked above) raises a few questions. The resolution, which passed on a voice vote late in the day, was sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), a white Jew who represents a majority-black district in Memphis. Cohen tried unsuccessfully to join the Congressional Black Caucus this year. Why would a white guy want to join the CBC? Why would the CBC reject someone who represents a majority-black district in a major city? How does joining the CBC serve the interests of a representatives constituents? Does the CBC actually do anything worthwhile? Cohen faces a tough fight against airline lawyer Nikki Tinker, who is black, in the Democratic primary Aug. 7. Oh, never mind. This is just race pandering politics as usual. Interesting how, despite our President's tepid responses to the protests of the Iranian people, Americ...

Sophia had me write these words on the back of one of the Father's Day gifts she made for he daddy. Daddy likes books, grading, getting books in the mail, writting numbers, going to work, writing words at work, drawing circles at therapy for Isaiah to cut out. Happy Father's Day.

Today I am thankful for/that: A rainy day to spend in bed. The written word. Sometimes the pen, or keyboard and internet connection, really is more powerful than the sword. At least the ones holding the swords always seem to think so. All of my birthday wishes and well wishers. My earthly father. The father of my children. Nap time!. Peas fresh out of the garden. What are you thankful for?

This was in a birthday card that got opened early. 2Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you. I certainly need it and it is my prayer for you.

We wait with baited breath to see if the Iranian people will take their government back and make it do their bidding. We've been told that the Iranians are a peaceful people who just want to do right by their families same as we do. I sincerely hope that is the case and I hope they succeed. Iran's Supreme Leader Orders Probe Of Election It's official. New York's State Senate has confirmed what we have long suspected. They are a bunch of self serving clowns. Never mind the state is on the edge of a financial melt down. Never mind that state residents have the highest tax burden in the COUNTRY. No, our politicians just had to behave like a bunch of over tired children because they could not have their way. Thanks guys! Way to look out for the people of this state! Revolt in Albany Political Stand Off In State Senate Continues More Gridlock In NY State Senate The latest news is that one of the feckless characters has gone back to his side of the aisle .

Today I am thankful for/that: Good health. There are some ups and downs and occasional unpleasantness but for the most part every thing works the way it is supposed to. School's out for summer, almost. I'm looking forward to playing hooky from summer school with the boys on occasion. The new wheels. No more worrying about anything vital falling off of the car when I make right turns or go up hill. Friends new, old, and yet to be made. Flowers. What are you thankful for?

The North Korean kangaroo court has sentenced two American journalists , Laura Ling and Euna Lee, to 12 years hard labour. So are we hanging these Americans out to dry or what? Whatever happened to leave no one behind? How long are we going to play these games with North Korea? It is beyond sad to see Americans (presumably) siding with North Korea against two fellow Americans in the comments on the story linked above. One commenter goes so far as to compare the plight of these women to Gitmo because you know, reporting on the trafficking of women in a repressive regime is no different from being picked up on a battle field or village somewhere for trying to kill people and the US is no better than North Korea. CNN has more on the story here . I would like to think that security hasn't been officially beefed up at military recruiting offices around the country after the murder of an army recruiter last week because our Attorney General thinks our military is bad ass enough to not n...

Today I am thankful for/that: Sunshine. The men and women who serve in the US armed forces and their families. Freedom. Stillness. Our family doc and his nurse. Smooth sailing at the dentist's office for Ethan AND Isaiah this week. Smooth sailing for Isaiah meant I was able to get him in the chair, he yelled loud enough and long enough to give the dentist a good look at his teeth and gums and he had no cavities. No one has a fever (at the moment). Ibuprofen. Waking up in the middle of the night to find your baby burning up with high temperature would be a whole lot scarier if you didn't have an easy reliable way to bring that temperature down in a matter of minutes. What are you thankful for?

Went looking for something else and found this instead. Isaiah 1:18-20 (English Standard Version) 18"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 19If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."