Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Crush, Texas, was a temporary "city" established as a one-day publicity stunt in 1896. William George Crush, general passenger agent of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (popularly known as the Katy), conceived the idea to demonstrate a train wreck as a spectacle. No admission was charged, and train fares to the crash site were at the reduced rate of US$2 from any location in Texas. As a result about 40,000 people showed up on September 15, 1896 making the new town of Crush, Texas, temporarily the second-largest city in the state.


Before the crash at Crush, Texas.Two wells were drilled at the site three miles south of the town of West in McLennan County. Circus tents from Ringling Brothers were erected as well as a grandstand.[1] The train engines were painted bright green (engine #999) and bright red (engine #1001), both 4-4-0 American locomotives (two pilot axles, two drive axles, and nothing under the firebox). A special track was built alongside the Katy track so that there was no chance a runaway train could get onto the main line. The trains toured the state for months in advance, advertising the event. On the day of the event, 40,000 people showed up to the new town of Crush, Texas.[2] The Katy Railroad offered spectators from anywhere in the state of Texas train rides to the site for no more than $5.[1]

[edit] Crash

Friday, June 25, 2010

A THOUGHT FOR US ALL

Having four visiting family members, the wife was very busy, so I offered to go to the store for her to get some needed items, which included light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags, detergent, and Clorox. So off I went.

I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies, and headed for the checkout counter, only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man who appeared to be about sixteen-years-old. I wasn't in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that I was there. This was when he waved his hands excitedly in the air and declared in a loud voice, "Mommy, I'm over here."
It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged, and also startled as he turned and saw me standing so close to him, waiting to squeeze by. His eyes widened and surprise exploded on his face as I said, "Hey Buddy, what's your name?"
"My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother," he responded proudly. "Wow," I said, "that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Steve."
"Steve, like Stevarino?" he asked.
"Yes," I answered. "How old are you Denny?"
"How old am I now, Mommy?" he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle.. "You're fifteen-years-old Denny; now be a good boy and let the man pass by." I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes about summer, bicycles, and school. I watched his brown eyes dance with excitement because he was the center of someone's attention. He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section. Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the time to talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even look at him, much less talk to him. I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said something I have no idea where it came from, other than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I told her that there are plenty of red, yellow, and pink roses in God's Garden; however, "Blue Roses" are very rare and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness. You see, Denny is a Blue Rose and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that rose with their kindness, then they've missed a blessing from God. She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked, "Who are you?"Without thinking I said, "Oh, I'm probably just a dandelion but I sure love living in God's garden." She reached out, squeezed my hand, and said, "God bless you!" and then I had tears in my eyes. May I suggest that the next time you see a BLUE ROSE, don't turn your head and walk off. Take the time to smile and say Hello. Why? Because, by the grace of GOD, this mother or father could be you. This could be your child, grandchild, niece, or nephew. What a difference a moment can mean to that person or their family.
From an old dandelion!
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
> "People will forget what you said, People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

'LIFE' THOUGHTS

Why do I have to swear on the Bible in court when the Ten Commandments cannot be displayed outside?
Marriage changes passion.
Suddenly you're in bed with a relative.
Wouldn't you know it....
Brain cells come and brain cells go, but FAT cells live forever. I I saw a woman wearing a sweat shirt with 'Guess' on it.
So I said 'Implants?' She hit me.
Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctrl Alt Delete' and start all over? AMEN, AMEN !!
How come we choose from just two people to run for president and over fifty for Miss America?
Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference. Now that food has replaced sex in my Life, I can't even get into my own pants.
When I was young we used to go 'skinny dipping,' now I just 'chunky dunk.'
Bumper sticker of the year:
'If you can read this, thank a teacher -and, since it's in English, thank a soldier'
This is a very special statement!!!!!!! I signed up for an exercise class and was told to wear loose fitting clothing. If I HAD any loose fitting clothing, I wouldn't have signed up in the first place!
Why is it that our children can't read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?
A completely brilliant question!!!!!!!






And remember: life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

JUST A THOUGHT

Faith is a cop-out. If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can’t be taken on its own merits.

Friday, June 4, 2010

The History of 'APRONS'









I don't think our kids
know what an apron is.
The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing
hot pans from the oven.


It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.





From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.



When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids..



And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.



Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow,
bent over the hot wood stove.





Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.




From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.
After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.





In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.



When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.





When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folks knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.



It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.




Send this to those who would know (and love) the story about Grandma's aprons.


REMEMBER:






Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill
to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.


I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love...