Virginity

Today's the day of the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in England.  Did you know Kate is supposed to be a virgin in order to marry William?  My guess is in order to not have any surprises about the bloodline and parents of any children born of Kate, it's necessary she be a virgin.  I don't know of any medical tests to prove virginity, but maybe there is an examination to prove a woman's hymen hasn't been broken. If anyone knows, please leave a comment.  And by the way, sex involves more than intercourse. So, I was just thinking and wondering about virginity.

A royal prince for a lovely princess

Photo credit: jdurham from morguefile.com

The aroma of love is in the air

Photo credit: darnok from morguefile.com

Protecting and guarding your virginity status until marriage in today's culture is not important as it was a few short decades ago.  Virginity used to be something a young woman held onto proudly until her wedding day, reserving her wedding bed as sacred and shared only with her husband. I would think this would make any man proud to know he was his wife's one and only. But now days, from both sides, being virgins is not expected, spoken of, nor barely considered.  What's changed over the past couple decades?  I will tell you what I think has changed.  Marriage isn't taken as seriously as it once was, and sex has become a recreation rather than being a sacred act of sharing your body with your spouse.  I also think fast times, easy travel, the internet, cellphones, movies, living together, has all precipitated us in moving away from "until death do us part" and these are just a few things which have influenced changes in importance and focus away from being a virgin. Today, it's sex without long term commitment. When you get the urge, you do it without any second thought.  If the sexual act produces a pregnancy, then that unwanted pregnancy can easily be terminated without any emotional attachment. End that life. Virginity is dying, it doesn't matter any more about chastity or saving something meant to be spectacularly special between two people for a lifetime. Just a few decades ago, that was the norm, but today it's practically history, and to know someone with their virginity in tact until marriage is a rare occurrence and rare find. For the class of a few who choose to wait in keeping their virginity until marriage, I have to say is a very .  Still, royal families regard virginity as an important mandatory for marriage, or for this one, and the bloodline of the future king or queen of England.  I hope the young royal newlyweds have a beautiful, sweet life together as husband and wife and have the satisfying pleasure knowing they waited each for the other.

Here's a link to 11 benefits to wait to have sex until after you're married. I especially like the numbers 7 through 11 the most.  

The dance of life- two people coming together as one

Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com

Lady Banks and blooms

Lady Banks

It's Spring time around here, and if I overlook the pollen that's giving me fits, it's so colorful viewing the array of flowering bushes and trees. Here are some photos I've taken.

 Wisteria

Flowering Crab Tree

Knockout roses

There are many more blooms coloring the landscape like azaleas, tulip trees, and much more, but I just wanted to share these colorful photos I took while out and about.  Spring has surely sprung. So beautiful! I thank God for His seasons of robust and delightful blooms and aromas.

Fat Girl

To everyone else on earth, it was another day.  But yesterday was the day Fat Girl was put to rest. I had to make the decision to end her misery. It was not an easy decision. I remember the day Fat Girl came on the scene. She came into the world rounder and fatter than any newly born pot belly pig I'd seen, so it was a no-brainer her name had to be Fat Girl.  She was round and quite the good, close daughter to her mother, Elgie.  She learned very well the motherly traits and had a litter of her own. She was strong, and could stand her ground. She could fight the male pigs if they got in her way. They learned not to mess with her.  She was docile and quiet and loved to eat like any healthy pig.  We had an understanding all along. She could take care of herself and I saw to it she had what she needed, and she lived a very peaceful life and was very much a part of the country landscape since 1995.

I remember a few years ago I borrowed a little baby goat for a day to see if I'd like to add a goat to my little farm menagerie, and how other animals would get along with it. After a while I couldn't find Fat Girl.  I looked and looked and later found her in the woods busily building a nest of leaves and twigs. There was no way she was pregnant at the time, so I could only think her motherly instinct clicked in and she was making a nice nest for the little baby goat.  She kept with it and didn't abandon that nest for days even thought I decided to return the goat that same day.

Fat Girl

This photo does not do Fat Girl any justice at all. She was having a bad hair day. Fat Girl was getting old and it was impossible to cut her toenails.  But she loved to have her belly rubbed and to be rubbed all over with oil making her pretty. She never gave me one second of trouble.  Only those who loved their pets can truly understand. I know God does, and I did what I did because I loved her, one of God's creations that I'd had the fortunate opportunity to care for and love for sixteen years. The tears haven't stopped yet.  She was Fat Girl.

I don't think I'm gonna stop missing her.

Sex and spiders

Sex and spiders. Who would have linked the two together?  It's been found that the venom from a spider can help men have better erections.  Check out some of the postings on this subject.
One of the toxins in the venom of the Brazilian wondering spider (also known as the banana spider) has been found to cause lengthy, and I mean time span length,  penis erections, or a condition called priapism.  Hummmm.....now this is interesting. Venom toxin has an effect on a man's erection. I'd like to know how this finding was discovered.   I can see pharmaceutical companies buying lots of these spiders to study venom so they can alter the chemistry and design a substitute venom so it can be patented as a erectile dysfunction drug.  Sure enough, it will come with side effects, unlike the real stuff. Remember why Viagra was taken off the market? It was the nasty side effects.

A 'banana'

Photo credit: messa from morguefile.com

I'm sorry, I can't think of a better image to go with this posting other than a banana.

But just in case you want a more traditional medical method, here are some tips on how to safely purchase the real little blue pill online.  The best to you

Greater love

I'm mindful of the men and women working at the damaged nuclear reactors in Japan. They are to be commended and honored for putting their well being on the line for the sake of their countrymen and families. They are real heroes.  I can't say enough about this, for it is a real act of love. Love is placing the well being of others ahead of your own. Love is acting with regard for others rather than your own safety and well being. Love is sacrifice. Love is unselfishness. Love is able to do without thinking about what you will get from it. Wow. That's what Jesus did when He hung on the cross. Without love, none of us could live a minute.

Love is the greatest gift to give or receive without question.

Love is the greatest

Photo credit: mzacha from morguefile.com

John 15:13  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Hobbel pobbel and monkey bread

I don't ever tire being treated to scrupulous meals. Hobbel pobbel is a new breakfast dish for me and let me tell you, I eagerly volunteer to be the guinea pig and try a culinary dish Bonnie's improving upon in the kitchen and then give her my honest, unbiased tasting opinion of it. She entertained a few guests Saturday morning and made a breakfast fitting for a king.  And lucky me, the next day I had the best kind of leftovers because she added cheese to the remaining hobbel pobbel from the morning before, and told me it's better the day after.  She didn't have to tell me that, my well-functioning taste buds were already bursting for joy inside my mouth.  I have to admit  hobbel pobbel is fantastic with cheese.  And, thinking that couldn't be topped, Bonnie outdid that! She brought out her monkey bread with cream cheese inside. She's told me she's already made notes to improve by 'zesting up' the monkey bread adding orange zest and cinnamon. (See her cookbooks for these recipes).  Bonnie mentioned this recipe is actually a healthy recipe. Try either one and impress someone for breakfast or brunch.  She served the monkey bread up in an oblong dish, the perfect presentation for another wonderful meal at Bonnie's '5-star' table. 

I again told her I would rather pay to eat at her table and refuse a free cruise, unless she packed up enough meals I could take to eat on the cruise rather eat what was served on a cruise ship.  Read  how I longed to be eating at Bonnie's while I was dining on a cruise ship to Mexico.

http://tiny.cc/3eycd- here's more on hobbel pobbel. (I like saying it as much as I like eating it.)
And a hobbel pobbel recipe here.

That's it for now.

Update March4, 2011- Bonnie called and said she's making Zesty Monkey Bread this Sunday.  I will make sure to give my unbiased taste test results along with photos. So check  back later and I think I might include recipes.

Life and death-considering what really matters

Two deaths have hit close recently. I don't ever look forward to facing the death of someone I know, or the death of a pet.  I don't like grieving.  The past couple weeks I've noticed one of my pot belly pigs not behaving normally. He's usually up and waiting for me at the gate, especially when he knows it's feeding time. One morning he didn't stir. I was concerned and kept my eye on him as I fed the other pets. Finally he got up and went to his feed dish. He drank a lot of water but not much food. Within my heart I knew I needed to speak to my neighbor and give the heads up of my observations and that I might be calling him soon to take care of things for me. This is the same neighbor whom I call to feed the animals for me if I'm out of town.  We've had the conversation since my pets are getting up in years, and I have an understanding with my neighbor that all I have to do is call him and he will do the 'good neighbor' thing for me. Then yesterday, I called and called and searched for my little pot belly pig and finally located him in the woods. At first I thought he feeling good to be rooting in the woods on a nice warm day. But a few hours later, he hadn't come out of the woods and I saw that he was in the same location, he hadn't moved.  I knew then that he had found the place he wanted to wait out his last hours. I went to him, and told him again how much I loved him. I'd already lovingly spoke to him this earlier this week making sure he knew he was very loved and I was sorry he was not feeling well.  He was set, he wouldn't budge. He was staying.  There was nothing for me to do any more, but make the call my neighbor, and pray again asking God to make Elbin's  transition quick and easy. I went to sleep. Sad, but settled, and thinking that animals seem to know when it's their time. They prepare by not eating, finding a quiet place, and it doesn't seem or appear to bother them being alone. I will remember him from the little runt to being such a loving and gentle little piggy for thirteen years. I will miss Little Elbin.

The path to your final destination is one you take alone

Photo credit: pef from morguefile.com


And, there were two sisters I greeted early mornings.  The sisters sometimes came to work in the same car, and sometimes in separate vehicles, but I could count of them both being so cheerful in the mornings.  One was buried last week. I got the news last week that Elaine Oliver had a brain aneurysm and died suddenly. I'm certain it was a complete surprise and shock to everyone when they heard the news, as Elaine wasn't at all overweight and probably in her early thirties. Elaine didn't live to see old age.
When a young person dies suddenly, it's a reality jolt that a breath separates us from death. There is no promise we'll see the next minute, or see the next sun set or sun rise.  Every minute of life is a blessing and gift from God and only God knows the number of days of physical life I yet have to go.

Conception and birth are our beginning and physical death is the end of this temporary life housed in flesh.  For those saved by the grace of God, which I am, my next life phase will be in a glorified body. 

I pray when it's my time, it will be an occasion to celebrate the completion of my work here, and, that my life's work will be found to be pleasing to the Lord. I yearn for that, and each day I purpose to make myself a better person where it counts the most than the day before.

Physical death completes this phase, but there is so much more after that to come because Jesus defeated death on the Cross at Calvary. Without Jesus, there's no ounce of hope for anything good after death. I'm so proud to know there's hope through Jesus for the future tomorrows. With Him, the end of this life is the beginning of an even better life.

Death is nothing to fear because of Jesus and that makes me happy.

Death can come at any minute, we never know exactly when

Photo credit: sirdouglas from morguefile.com


This is written in memory of Elaine Oliver.  God bless her soul.