My friend happened to come across these beautiful calla lilies on a visit to Pebble Beach in Pescadero, CA,

It is a very odd place to find them growing down in a ravine like that near the ocean. just beautiful.

<

The recession that we are now in has caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes. With only so many shelters open the only other option is tent city. In one tent city in Sacramento there are 350 people living in tents with only 6 porta potties and two hoses to get water, and no electricity.

 These tent cities are springing up in cities all across America and i think that it is only going to get worse before it gets better.

This is all very sad and disturbing to me. It is a sobering fact that many poeople are so in debt and have not saved anything that some are only a few paychecks from being homeless if they lose their job.

I think this is a wake up call for us all to take stock of our finances,. we all need to be saving more, cooking instead of going outso much, pass up the big screen TV, drive that car for awhile longer.

If you get an opportunity to help a neighbor that you know need help, do so. If you have a food bank in the area, drop some canned goods by, they are in desperate need of food because of so many people in need. After paying rent some don't have enough to buy food.

Let's help those in need now because we don't know when we might need help.

(Tent City)

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there.

Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled him out.

When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna's heroic act she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable. When she went to tell Edna the news she said, "Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you're being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the person you love. I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness.

Finally a nigerian scammer get's his just reward. First of all i don't know why women still get taken like this.

I am amazed at the extent that scammers will go to. When you do business on the internet you have to be sure that you on the real site and not a fake  site.

<

 Happy Sunday

Some men have decided to wear skirts, not because they are gay but they say because they are comfortable. I know that Samoan men wear skirts and kilts are worn in Scotland and other places, but now more men are wearing them here and they don't know what people find offensive about it.

I say to each his own, I just don't want my husband wearing a skirt.

<

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY

ONSUNDAY

MAY YOUR DAY BE FILLED WITH

LOT'S OF LOVE

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck
(written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.' There would have been more 'I love you's' More 'I'm sorry's'.

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute.look at it and really see it.. live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what
Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

 
 Utility apologizes to  couple after sending them someone else's gas bill for over 3 years.

 Can you imagine receiving the wrong bill for that long and nobody taking the time to listen when you tell them that something is wrong with your bill.
It was "Argue, argue, argue, the couple said.

It was ridiculous "Even in the hot months it was riding up and we were paying for it."

The couple said they built fires and bundled up but continued to get big gas bills for three years and three months. They said their inquiries got no  results.

They said they reported a fake gas leak in January just to get a visit from a company representative, who discovered that meter readings in the subdivision had been crossed.

They had to skimp on three Christmases due to their nearly $500 in winter gas and electric bills.

"It was ridiculous," because they knew that they were not using that much gas."

The couple said one of their bills was for $238, while the neighbor who was paying their bill was charged $28.

They were finally paid $2,000 and given an apology.

Makes you wonder how many more lines are crossed and you are paying someone' else's bill.

Happy MondayFriends

Jumping for Joy because we are alive to

see a Brand new day.

Someone asked me once about people online. 

Don't I find it silly to call them friends of mine?

 I pondered the thought for a little while

 and slung 'em a story with a huge smile.

 I wake up in the morning, I'll tell you what I do.

 I race to my computer to check my mail, it's perfectly true!

 I open each and everyone and reply with tender care;

 maybe just a a line or two to let them know I'm there
 

I have seen strange things, been so many places,

 have even seen a few of their online faces!

 It doesn't matter beans to me that they are far away.

 Meeting' them has surely brightened up my day!

 We've shared a morning coffee and at times we've shed a tear.

 We've been there for each other; even played cards and drank a beer!

 They are just as real to me as you are standing there.
 

They are always here for me with lots of love and care.

 One thing online has taught me; something I'll never forget.

 There's a lot of great people out there on the net!

 How can you be friends with someone you've never met?

 I'll smile and tell them, "You've never been online I bet!"

 So you can find me silly if that's what ya wanna do,

 but I care for them every bit as much as I care for you!

She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases.  On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.  On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candlelight, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of Chardonnay.

When she had finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimp shells, dipped in caviar, into the hollow of the curtain rods.  She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.

When the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days.  Then slowly, the house began to smell.  They tried everything; cleaning and mopping and airing the place out.  Vents were checked for dead rodents, and carpets were steam cleaned.  Air fresheners were hung everywhere.

Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days, and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting.  Nothing worked.  People stopped coming over to visit.  Repairmen refused to work in the house, the maid quit...

Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move.  A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they couldn't find a buyer for their stinky house.  Word got out, and  eventually, even the local realtors refused to return their calls.

Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place. The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going.  He told her the saga of the rotting house.  She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly, and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back...

Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth...

But only if she were to sign the papers that very day.  She agreed and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork.  A week later, the man and his new girlfriend stood smirking as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home.

Including the curtain rods.

A hater is someone who is jealous and envious and spends all their
time trying to make you look small so they can look tall.
They are very negative people to say the least.  Nothing is ever
good enough!
             
When you make your mark,  you will always attract some haters...
             
That's why you have to be careful with whom you share your
blessings and your dreams, because some folk can't handle seeing
you blessed...

It's dangerous to be like somebody else... If God wanted you to be
like somebody else,  He would have given you what He gave them!  Right?

You never know what people have gone through to get what they
have...
 
The problem I have with haters is that they see my glory,  but they
don't know my story....
 
If the grass  looks  greener on the other side of the fence,  you
can rest assured that the water bill is higher there too!
 
We've all got some haters among us!
             
Some people envy you because you can:
     a) Have a relationship with God
     b) Light up a room when you walk in
     c) Start your own business
     d) Tell a man / woman to hit the curb
      (if he / she isn't about the right thing)
     
     e) Raise your children without both parents being
         in the home
             
Haters can't stand to see you happy.
Haters will never want to see you succeed.
Most of our haters are people who are supposed to be
on our side.
 
How do you handle your undercover haters?
You can handle these haters by:

           1.. Knowing who you are & who your true friends are
              *(VERY IMPORTANT!!)
             
           2. Having a purpose to your life: Purpose does not
               mean having a job. You can have a job and still be
               unfulfilled.
             
A purpose is having a clear sense of what God has called you to be.
Your purpose is not defined by what others think about you.

           3. By remembering what you have is by divine
                 perogative and not human manipulation.
 
Fulfill your dreams!  You only have one life to live...when itʼs your
time to leave this earth, you 'want' to be able to say, 'I've lived my
life and fulfilled 'my' dreams,... Now I'm ready to go HOME!
             
When God gives you favor, you can tell your haters, 'Don't look at
me...Look at Who is in charge of me...' 
    & nbsp;   &n bsp;   &nb sp;   &nbs p; 
If you don't get it back, maybe you called somebody out!
Don't worry about it, it's not your problem, it's theirs..  
Just pray for them, that their life can be as fulfilled as
yours! Watch out for Haters...BUT most of all don't become
a HATER!
     
'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man
should have to seek Him first to find her.'
             
                     Maya Angelou 
  
 

<

 Thank you to all my friends that continue to hang in here with me and play Snakes & Ladders.

We should celebrate today because this is a real milestone, we have been playing for so long that I have forgotten the day we started.

From the list you can see that a lot have come and gone but I want to thank AuntConi, Pirategirl, OldSchool,Kram, Raj, Tampi, barnabus and namm for continuing to come and play.

"GAME 80"

 Come and celebrate anyway you like.

You are all wecome to sit and stay awhile,We will have food, fun and music.

> LIFE AFTER DEATH :
>
> "DO YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH?" THE BOSS
> ASKED ONE OF HIS EMPLOYEES.
> "YES, SIR," THE NEW EMPLOYEE REPLIED.
> "WELL, THEN, THAT MAKES EVERYTHING JUST FINE,"
> THE BOSS WENT ON. "AFTER YOU LEFT EARLY YESTERDAY TO GO
> TO YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S FUNERAL, SHE STOPPED IN TO SEE
> YOU!
>
> PALM SUNDAY:
>
> IT WAS PALM SUNDAY AND, BECAUSE OF A SORE THROAT,
> FIVE-YEAR-OLD JOHNNY STAYED HOME FROM CHURCH WITH A SITTER.
>  WHEN THE FAMILY RETURNED HOME, THEY WERE CARRYING SEVERAL
> PALM BRANCHES.  THE BOY ASKED WHAT THEY WERE FOR.
> "PEOPLE HELD THEM OVER JESUS' HEAD AS HE WALKED
> BY."
> "WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT," THE BOY FUMED,
> "THE ONE SUNDAY I DON'T GO, HE SHOWS UP!"
>
> CHILDREN'S SERMON:
>
> ONE EASTER SUNDAY MORNING AS THE MINISTER WAS PREACHING THE
> CHILDREN'S SERMON, HE REACHED INTO HIS BAG OF PROPS AND
> PULLED OUT AN EGG. HE POINTED AT THE EGG AND ASKED THE
> CHILDREN, "WHAT'S IN HERE?" "I
> KNOW!" A LITTLE BOY EXCLAIMED. "PANTYHOSE!! "
>
>
> SUPPORT A FAMILY :
>
> THE PROSPECTIVE FATHER-IN-LAW ASKED, "YOUNG MAN, CAN
> YOU SUPPORT A FAMILY?"
> THE SURPRISED GROOM-TO-BE REPLIED, "WELL, NO. I WAS
> JUST PLANNING TO SUPPORT YOUR DAUGHTER. THE REST OF YOU WILL
> HAVE TO FEND FOR YOURSELVES."
>
> FIRST TIME USHERS
> ! :
> A LITTLE BOY IN CHURCH FOR THE FIRST TIME WATCHED AS THE
> USHERS PASSED AROUND THE OFFERING PLATES.
> WHEN THEY CAME NEAR HIS PEW, THE BOY SAID LOUDLY,
> "DON'T PAY FOR ME DADDY.  I'M UNDER
> FIVE."
>
> CLIMB THE WALLS :
>
> "OH, I SURE AM HAPPY TO SEE YOU," THE LITTLE BOY
> SAID TO HIS GRANDMOTHER ON HIS MOTHER'S SIDE. "NOW
> MAYBE DADDY WILL DO THE TRICK HE HAS BEEN PROMISING
> US."
> THE GRANDMOTHER WAS CURIOUS. "WHAT TRICK IS
> THAT?" SHE ASKED.
> "I HEARD HIM TELL MOMMY THAT HE WOULD CLIMB THE WALLS
> IF YOU CAME TO VISIT," THE LITTLE BOY ANSWERED.
>
>  
>
> THE WATER PISTOL:
>
> WHEN MY THREE-YEAR-OLD SON OPENED THE BIRTHDAY GIFT FROM
> HIS GRANDMOTHER, HE DISCOVERED A WATER PISTOL.. HE SQUEALED
> WITH DELIGHT AND HEADED FOR THE NEAREST SINK.
> I WAS NOT SO PLEASED. I TURNED TO MOM AND SAID,
> "I'M SURPRISED AT YOU. DON'T YOU REMEMBER HOW
> WE USED TO DRIVE YOU CRAZY WITH WATER GUNS?"
> MOM SMILED AND THEN REPLIED....   "I REMEMBER!!"
>
>
> GRANDMA'S AGE :
>
>
> LITTLE JOHNNY ASKED HIS GRANDMA! HOW OLD SHE WAS.
> GRANDMA ANSWERED, "39 AND HOLDING."
> JOHNNY THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT, AND THEN SAID, "AND HOW
> OLD WOULD YOU BE IF YOU LET GO?" 
 

"Friends don't let friends take ugly men home." -- Women's restroom, Starboard, Dewey Beach, Del.

"Beauty is only a light switch away." -- Perkins Library, Duke University , Durham, N.C.

"If life is a waste of time, and time is a waste of life, then let's all get wasted together and have the time of our lives." -- Armand's Pizza, Washington, D.C.

"Remember, it's not 'How high are you?' It's, 'Hi. How are you?'" --Rest stop off Route 81, West Virginia.

"No matter how good she looks, some other guy is sick and tired of putting up with her shit." -- Men's room, Linda's Bar & Grill, Chapel Hill, N.C.

"At the feast of ego, everyone leaves hungry." -- Bentley's House of Coffee and Tea, Tucson, Ariz.

"It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere." -- Written in the dust on the back of a bus, Wickenburg, Ariz.

"Make love,  not war. Hell, do both -- get married!" -- Women's restroom, The Filling Station, Bozeman, Mont.

"If pro is the opposite of con, then what is the opposite of progress? Congress!" -- Men's restroom, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.

"Express Lane: Five beers or less." -- Sign over one of the urinals, Ed Debevic's, Phoenix, Ariz.

"You're too good for him." -- Sign over mirror in women's restroom, Ed Debevic's, Phoenix, Ariz.

"No wonder you always go home alone." -- Sign over mirror in men's restroom, Ed Debevic's, Phoenix, Ariz.

"If it has tires or testicles, you're going to have trouble with it." -- women's restroom, unknown location.

Life is a gift we're given each and every day.
Dream about tomorrow, but live for today.
To live a little, you've got to love a whole lot.
Love turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Life's a journey
always worth taking.
Take time to smell the roses... and tulips...
and daffodils... and lilacs... and sunflowers...

Count blessings like children count stars.
The secret of a happy life isn't buried in a
treasure chest... it lies within your heart.
It's the little moments that make life big.

Don't wait. Make memories today.
Celebrate your life!

Arthor unknown
 
   

Top celebrity tippers:

1. Hulk Hogan - Once left an $80 tip on a $120 tab. Also stayed to take pictures and sign autographs with staff and patrons.
2. Bill Murray - Is said to tip the amount of the check.
3. Drew Barrymore - Ugly Betty star Anna Ortiz said she served Drew twice when she was a server and both times was tipped 100% of the tab.
4. Johnny Depp - Once left a $1500 tip on a $2600 tab.
5. Barrack Obama - A recent TMZ item noted Obama tipped $18.00 on a $2.00 mug of beer.
6. Kevin Bacon - A good tipper and always very polite and not demanding to servers.
7. Dan Akroyd - Said to be pleasant and friendly and always leaves a $100 bill or 50% of the tab.
8. Willem Dafoe - Generous tipper and very pleasant to servers.
9. Richard Dreyfuss - Tipped 20% and helped server clean up mess left behind by his kids. He must be changing his ways after he was listed on some bad tipper lists.
10. Mike Tyson - Hands out $100 bills like they’re Kleenex.
11. Julia Roberts - Paid one server 100% of the tab.
12. Ray Liotta - Left one server $18.00 on a $32 tab.
13. Dave Matthews - Said to be generous and gracious.
14. Paul Newman
    
    - Servers love him because he’s kind and generous and not high maintenance at all.
15. Ray Romano - Very generous tipper - leaves something behind even if a tip is figured into the tab.

    Worst Celebrity Tippers:

1. Madonna - Doesn’t always leave a tip, when she does it’s a cheap one.
2. Kelly Presten - Notoriously bad tipper. Most of the time she doesn’t leave a tip at all.
3. Gwyneth Paltrow - Doesn’t leave a decent tip. It’s speculated she has trouble calculating the proper percentage.
4. Barbra Streisand - Doesn’t always tip. When she does it’s $10 for a bill of over $450. She’s very high maintenance and demanding and no one ever wants to wait on her.
5. Tobey Maguire - Doesn’t always leave a tip, and when he does it isn’t generous.
6. Bill Cosby - Once left a $3 tip on a $350 order. He probably thinks the waitstaff needs to stop taking from others and get a real job.
7. Ricki Lake - Once left a tip of $8.00 on a $142.44 bill. This after she let her young son run around the restaurant unattended - and he supposedly made a big mess.
8. Bobby Brown - Rude to wait staff, lets his kids run amuk and left a $10 gratuity on a $250 restaurant tab.
9. Sean Penn - He and three others had New Orleans waiters waiting on them hand and foot. The tip left on a $450 tab? Absolutely nothing. There are lots of instances of Sean Penn stiffing waitstaff. How many people do you think have spit in his food by now?
10. Kirsten Dunst - According to one server she’s whiny and smells bad. Left nothing behind after racking up a $223 bill.
11. Dan Marino - Wouldn’t talk to server directly, had to have a member of his entourage handle it. Tipped $10 on $210.
12. David Lee Roth - Is known to be demanding and send food back. Tips 10%.
13. Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman - He and his wife are considered to be very high maintenance. They expect the VIP treatment and only tip %5. At a TGI Fridays in Waikiki they paid $10 for a $250 tab.
14. Rupert Everett - Listed as one of the worst tippers ever.
15. David Byrne - The Talking Heads frontman is considered one of the worst tippers ever because he doesn’t leave anything, ever.