Do you know the answers?  (scroll to the bottom for all answers)

Name the movie containing the following famous lines:

1---"We're gonna need a bigger boat"
2---"Go ahead---make my day"
3---"After all, tomorrow is another day"
4---"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"
5---"We rob banks"

Name the Poem and Poet:

6---"Tell you what I like the best, long about knee-deep in June"
7---"Ah, distinctly I remember, It was in the bleak December"
8---"And then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils"
9---"So long as men can breathe or eyes can see
     So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."
10---"I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
     With my lest saints,---I love thee with the breath,
     Smiles, tears of all my life!---and, if God choose,
     I shall but love thee better after death."

Who Said It?

11---"Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun"
12---"For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well   organized and armed militia is their best security"
13---"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing---after they've tried everything else"
14---"As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice"
15---"Being powerful is like being a lady.  If you have to tell people you are, you aren't"

Answers:

1.   "Jaws"  1975  Roy Scheider

Roy Scheider---"Jaws"

2.   "Sudden Impact"  1983  Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood---"Sudden Impact"

3.   "Gone With the Wind"  1939  Vivian Leigh

Vivian Leigh---"Gone With the Wind"

4.   "The Godfather Part II"  1974  Al Pacino

Al Pacino---"The Godfather"

5.   "Bonnie and Clyde"   1967   Faye Dunaway

Faye Dunaway---"Bonnie & Clyde"

6.  "Knee-Deep in June"   James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley

7.  "The Raven"   Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

8.  "I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud"   William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth

9.  "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day? William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

10.  "How Do I Love Thee?  Let Me Count the Ways"   Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

11.  Mao Tse-Tung

Mao Tse-Tung

12.  Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

13.  Winston Churchill

14.  Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

15.  Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher

MAC ATTACK!!!

Cindy's Famous 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese Wth Roasted Corn

After weeks of listening to me beg and nag, Cindy finally put me out of my misery last night.  She cooked up her famous 5-cheese macaroni and cheese.  Served it up with cornbread and a side salad.  Was it good?  Uhhh, YEAH.

I didn't get a picture of the dish last night because I couldn't wait to start eating.  But before I finished off the leftovers for breakfast this morning, I took this shot of it.  I reheated it in the microwave and served it up to myself with leftover cornbread.

By the way, let me say a word about cornbread, since I am recognized as the world's foremost authority.  There are some dishes, like this one, or butter beans, or black-eyed peas, that should never be eaten without cornbread.  (A word to you Yankees out there who think cornbread should have a sweet taste---Cornbread should NEVER have a sweet taste.  There.  I said it.)

Cindy's Famous 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese

---1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked
---1/4 cup butter
---1/4 cup all-purpose flour
---1/4 tsp white pepper
---1    tsp dry mustard
---2 1/2 cups milk
---2 cups (8 oz) grated cheese (add a variety of different types...cheddar, swiss, monterrey jack, american, etc)
---1   jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
---1   ear of yellow corn, roasted in  oven.  (Rub corn on cob with olive oil.  Place on cookie sheet and roast in preheated oven at 425 degrees.  Turn until lightly roasted all around.  After cob cools, slice off kernels)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt 1/4 cup butter; stir in flour, white pepper and mustard until smooth.  Gradually stir in milk and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute.  Stir in grated cheese, cooked macaroni, chooped jalapeno and corn.  Pour into 2 quart shallow baking dish.  Bake about 25 minutes until cheese is melted.  Remove from oven and sprinkle extra grated cheese on top.  Feeds four hungry people or one Clint.  Enjoy.  Oh yeah, babe.

A Wake-Up Call....

For the past 7 months, we have had our house on the market.  That, in itself, is an adventure.  When prospective buyers look at our home, they are always accompanied by a realtor, who usually sets up the appointment in advance.  No surprises.

Yesterday, however, was very different.  I was sitting in our den, engrossed in a crossword puzzle, when I heard something behind me out on the patio.  I turned and looked.  There was a man standing there.  This was surprising for several reasons.

First, all the homes here in Plano are enclosed by privacy fences in the back of the home.  Second, there is an unwritten rule that you don't just walk through a gate into someone's back yard without knocking.  Third, our gates are always locked---or, so I thought.

Of course, I immediately got up and confronted the man.  He was wearing one of those stuffed vests (which, it occurred to me, could have easily concealed a weapon).

Me:  What are you doing here?
Him:  (Nervous)  Uh...I saw your home was for sale.  Thought I'd look around
Me:  You have to contact our realtor to see the house
Him:  I didn't think anyone was home
Me:  You have to go through the realtor.  And let me say this to you---you don't just walk into someone's patio area---it's a great way to get shot
Him:  Well...uhh.......
Me:  How did you get in here?
Him:  I just walked through that gate
(Me thinking to myself:  That gate is supposed to remain locked)
Him:  (Completely out of the blue)  Can you tell me about your home?
Me:  (Getting very PO'd)  Sir, you'll have to call the realtor (As I ushered him out the gate.)

Yes---this was a wake-up call.  We had become complacent in locking our doors and gates.  And, with people seeing a "for sale" sign in the front yard, the home has high-visibility.

Cindy and I discussed the fact that we had become complacent in our security.  This intruder was probably just a rather shallow thinking individual who made a stupid mistake by entering a private area without knocking.

But it was our fault that the gate was not locked.  This is how bad things can happen.

Stone Mountain---World's Largest Tombstone

Stone Mountain's Sheer North Face, With the Three Acre Carving of the Heroes of the Confederacy

Rising out of the plains of north Georgia, some 13 miles northeast of Atlanta, a huge granite monolith looms like an otherworldly reminder of the ancient power of Mother Nature.  The first time I ever saw Stone Mountain, I was blown away by its sheer mass and beauty.

Carved in Granite:  Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis Ride Again

It juts skyward, an 825 foot high quartz monzonite/granite/granodiorite wonder.  It is 5 miles in circumference. 

On the sheer north slope is a giant carving---a tribute to the heroes of the old confederacy---depicting Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis on horseback.  It is the largest carving in the world, begun by Gutzon Borglum (Mt Rushmore) in 1923.  The carving covers a 3-acre area, and looms 400 feet above the plain below.

The Walking Trail to the Top of the Mountain is 1.3 Miles Long

The top of the mountain is accessible by a western trail walking route (1.3 miles) or the skyride cable car.

The Cable Car On Its Way To The Top As It Passes the Famous Carving

When my dad passed away a few years ago, his remains were cremated.  There was a discussion among the family members as to where we thought he might want his ashes scattered.  We decided he would approve of a scattering atop this mighty tribute to nature, which was only a few miles from where he had lived.

My Dad

The family met at Stone Mountain state park one windy morning, and took the skyride to the top.  We gathered above the carving; and, as we overlooked the expansive Georgia countryside, I tossed his remains to the breeze.  The wind was quite strong that day, and the dust blew his ashes all over the top of the monolith. 


The Top Of "The Rock" Offers Spectacular Views

 Now, whenever I see Stone Mountain on my trips back to Georgia, I think of my dad.  He exists as part of our air and water and soil.  What a wonderful tombstone!

A Prophet Without Honor...

Have you noticed how it so often happens that the people who are closest to us---family members, friends, neighbors---are the very ones who seem to appreciate us the least?

A classic example of this is the person who takes his/her spouse for granted---seldom giving the praise and positive feedback that is necessary for marital growth.

Another example is a person who does not recognize the accomplishment of a friend because of jealousy or pride.

There are many more examples.  But, I have noticed that strangers are much more likely to praise me for an accomplishment than my friend or neighbor or even a family member (I am not talking about my wife here, but many marriages I know of do suffer from this).

I find this curious in the extreme.  One would certainly think that friends and neighbors and family would rush to praise someone close to them before a perfect stranger would do so. 

But, Jesus was aware of this phenomenon when he was rejected by the people in His own home town.  He said in Matthew 13:57, A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.

What are your thoughts on this subject?  Can you think of close friends or family who take you for granted?  Is there a good explanation for this?  Comments, please.

Most Over-Rated

 Here is a partial list of my most over-rated things.  What are some of yours?

---Singer.........................Frank Sinatra (ok, I know the ladies disagree with this one.  Ha.)
---Vegetable...................Beets  (and couscous)
---Automobile.................Anything by GM (Government Motors)
---Sports Franchise.........Dallas Cowchokes  (and New York Yankees)
---Daytime TV Personality.....Dr Phil (How's that workin' out for ya?)
---Celebrity.....................Lindsay Lohan (and Paris Hilton)
---Trite Expression.........."At the end of the day" (and "Level the playing field"   and "He's Not emotionally available"   and "I'm just sayin'     and "Goin' green")

These are a few of mine---what are a few of yours?

Auld Lang Syne



Robert Burns, Scotland's National Poet

 Last night after hearing this song sung in celebration of the New Year, Cindy asked me what the phrase, "Auld Lang Syne" means.  It means, literally, "old long since", or more appropriately in today's parlance, "long, long ago", or "days gone by", or "once upon a time".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acxnmaVTlZA  (I think this is beautiful)

The song was written by Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1788.  It poses the question of whether it is proper that old times be forgotten, and is usually understood that we should remember our old friendships.  The song is especially popular as a tune to help celebrate the new year, but is also commonly sung at funerals, graduations, etc.

Guy Lombardo and His Orchestra

Canadian band leader Guy Lombardo popularized the song as a way to help celebrate New Year's eve in 1929.