A little far fetched...but it could happen

At a large wine merchants' warehouse, the regular taster died and the manager started looking for a new one to hire.
A drunkard with a ragged, dirty look came to apply for the position. The director of the warehouse wondered how to send him away.
They gave him a glass tof wine.
He tried it and said, "It's a Muscat , three years old, grown on a north slope, matured in steel containers. Low grade but acceptable."
"That's correct", said the boss.
Another glass. "It's a cabernet, eight years old, a southwestern slope, oak barrels, matured at 8 degrees. Requires three more years for finest results."
"Correct."
A third glass..''It's a pinot blanc champagne, high grade and exclusive,'' the drunk calmly advised the warehouse manager.
The director was astonished. He winked at his secretary to suggest a different tactic.
She left the room, and came back in with a glass of urine.
The ragged drunk tried it.
"It's a blonde, 26 years old, three months pregnant, and if you don't give me the job, I'll name the father."

The excitement is building!

Today is only one week from the time we depart for the Sport Horse Nationals Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Although Sarah is only taking two horses to show, they are both genuine contenders for High Marks!

Kissemsong is a Half/Arabian-Half/Thoroughbred chestnut 3 year old filly showing in Sport Horse Mares in hand (showing in halter), owned by our friend Shirley Nowak.

Canadian Justina is a purebred bay Arabian mare that Sarah owns and she will be showing in four carriage driving classes.

(Photo on the top: Justina pictured in 2009 at Walnut Hill in New York in 2009, her first driving competition and Photo on the below is Justina hitched to the new Wicker carriage driving at the Hossfeld's last month for harness tweeking)

The two girls going with us are Kelsey and Katie. Both will be sixteen by the time we leave for the show. The girls are working for the Arabian Horse Association on the "Jump" crew. They will be setting up jump courses and replacing any knocked down rails or jumps etc. They start their jobs on Tuesday at 8 a.m. and finish on Sunday. Each girl is working for pay, to help defray the expense of their individual horses.

All the classes will be shown in the covered arena. Two of Sarah's clients will also be attending to "root for the home team".

It is nice to have that kind of support. Nice that they will bring food to contribute to the communal pot for meals in the motor home. The concession stand on the grounds is "blah" and that would be a compliment! We will be camping for the whole week with the motorhome "Georgie Boy" (it's a 1987 model).

We are going with the intention of bringing home "the gold"!

Wish us luck and sunshine.

(Last time we competed in 2009 it rained for 8 days straight. The sun came out the day we left)

Into the valley of death rode the 40

There are 40 people that I would like to thank today. The 40 people who boarded United Airlines Flight 93.
40 people huddled in the rear of the cabin of the plane
after they learned it had been high jacked.
40 people voted knowing their decision was to die
40 people acted as one
40 people became heroes on September 11, 2001
40 people died protecting the lives of unknown Americans on that fateful day.
Shanksville, Pennsylvania is just one of the three tragic sites we honor today.
We honor their bravery, their courage and their commitment to humanity.
Sandy Dahl, the widow of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl. Is quoted:
``If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.''
We thank those that gave their lives that fateful day
We thank those that worked bravely and tirelessly to search for survivors,
We thank those who continue to live their lives with the sad memories of their loss.
Today we honor their legacy. They made a choice, a choice to lay down their lives for others.
Their gift to us is this:
We do not live in fear……..we live in Freedom!
We thank those 40 people.

Wise words...author unknown

"We are all - each and every one of us - a sum total of everyone we have ever met.

Maybe we shared a laugh, a smile in passing, made a thought provoking comment,

or offered a simple hug to help us through our day. Good, bad, or indifferent, a part

of them becomes indelibly etched upon our souls forever. We take a piece of them

with us, and they help to shape the person that we are and have yet to become.

Thank you for being a part of my life, and for allowing me to be a part of yours".

Thank you Kathy Dunlap, for sharing this as comfort on the passing of our friend

Karen Tittel.

Remember this phone number!

Karen Tittel passed away Saturday evening, August 20, 2011 at the Cleveland Clinic Hospital. Karen had bravely fought for her life following a series of major life threatening health issues including a bone marrow transplant.

She was a person that I truly admired. I never heard her say a "bad" word about anybody, even me. She was kind and considerate, a true blue-straight arrow woman who reached out a hand if there was a need.

She worked tirelessly in her community, her church, her job and as the wife, mother and grandmother of her family.

She sent me a book about "grand-parenting" when I first became a grandmother. She included a note that said "this is the best job you are ever going to have!" She was right about that.

Karen and I met when I became a Realtor and she and I were in the same Realty One office for awhile. Her desk was next to mine and she would occasionally verbalize "I really want to be an office manager, it's the Teacher in me I guess". She had been a schoolteacher, and a very good one at that. She and I talked about education, husbands, children, jobs, the future...all kinds of things. She never showed agitation with the exception of lowering her voice or raising an eyebrow. She was pretty reasonable and logical woman.

Her visitation is tomorrow at the Carlson Funeral Home in Brunswick, followed by her Funeral Mass on Thursday at St. Ambrose Church. Her church where she volunteered and attended for many, many years.

You see, she was the one to raise her hand...and raise it first whenever something was needed to be done. She helped with Choo-Chow-Chow, Howard Hann's fundraising for free medical care for children. She was a real estate cheerleader and a willing ear when things went astray...both professionally and personally.

I could go on and on with praise and platitudes, but you all get the picture. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister and grandmother. She will surely leave a huge void in the lives of those she touched.

But, I believe that she has already set up a desk inside Heaven's Portals and has the ad ready for her first listing.

It reads:

Outstanding opportunity for the right person.
Gorgeous curb appeal surrounded by lovely gates.
Original, one owner home is spacious enough to
accommodate the entire family. You will enjoy the sunsets
and sunrises from this Heavenly View. You can see for
miles!
See Karen Tittel for your private showing
Don't wait, call today:
1-800-Terrific Realtor or 1-800 Terrific Friend!

See you again Toots!

How about just sit back and enjoy the scenary?

Yesterday, Sarah and I went to Millersburg to pick up completed repaired harness, carriage paint and some other leather essentials for her business and then we headed up to Brecksville to pick up a pair of Hunt boots that had been repaired. On the way back, I suggested she drive a "different" way, instead of going west on Rt. 82 "through all that traffic and stop lights at rush hour". So she did. I would look ahead and say "you'll want to turn up there"...or "you will want to get in the right lane" etc. You get the picture. She finally turned to me and said "stop being a back seat driver"!

Hmmmmm....see the paragraph below!

A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen. 'Careful,' he said, 'CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my gosh! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my gosh! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them.. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the! Salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!'
The wife stared at him. 'What in the world is wrong with you?
You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?'
The husband calmly replied, 'I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving.'

How many types of friends are there?

There are many types of "friends".
The kind that walks in and out of your house unannounced.
The kind that calls before they come to your home.
The kind that don't come to your house unless they are invited.
The kind that you work with, but don't socialize with.
The kind that you have worked for and "clicked" for life.
The kind that you only see because they are the friend of a friend....and so forth.

The kind that I am thinking about today has never been to my home for a meal. Never been to a family gathering, never seen me at church, school, or a graduation. But we have worked together, congratulated each other on family events and accomplishments, cried or smiled over family events. Expressd sympathy and concern at a family illness, accident or tragedy. The kind of friend that you know you can always count on for support for a worthwhile project or charitable event. The kind that joins in "because it is the right thing to do". The kind that would bring a meal to your home if they knew you were ill.

That is the kind of friend I am praying for right now. My friend Karen Tittel is in critical condition in the Cleveland Clinic suffering from complications of a Bone Marrow transplant.
She has been the manager of a competing brokerage for ten years before becoming a sales associate again. The kind of friend that you can always count on to be honest and ethical to a fault.

She is the friend who gave me a book on the merits of being a Grandmother soon after my Daniel was born. She smiled and said "you are not going to believe how your life will change".
And she was right.

She is in the fight of her life now. God and the Dr.s have her health in their hands.
We pray and light a candle for her wishing her a speedy recovery. Wishing her the strength to fight for her life. Wishing strength for her family now.

She has lived a life of merit. Straight and true.

God Bless you dear friend. God Bless you.