Another year older and deeper in debt

Great, now THAT's gonna be stuck in my head all day. LOL! Oh, well, I could think of worse things than Ernie's voice to be bouncing around in the attic.

Wanna know how I'm celebrating today? Doing exactly the same things I do every day! Best laid plans and all... ah well, tomorrow's anotha day. And ain't God good for giving us another day?!

Hope y'all all had a JESUS-filled weekend!

Florida Factoid Friday

Opened in 1967, Lion Country Safari - in Loxahatchee - was America’s first drive-through cageless zoo.

Today, Lion Country Safari is home to over 900 animals in the drive-through preserve and in the Safari World exhibit area. Among the more notable species on display at the park are lions, white rhino, chimpanzees, zebra, and giraffe.

Did you see this?!

I don't watch America's Got Talent, so I'm late seeing this amazing performance. My jaw was on the floor the whole time and I ended up in tears.

Florida Factoid Friday

Baseball player Jay Stuart Bell, born in 1965 at Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, hit a home run the first time he stepped up to the bat in the major leagues in 1986 with the Cleveland Indians. Jay, who received a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award in 1993, ranks #46 among the Top 50 all-time at SS. He later played for, then coached, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Losing a lovely lady

Duller just called to tell me we lost a dear friend. Barbara was a no-nonsense lady, but sweet as she could be. For the past few days, she has been on my mind. Now I know why. I wish we had known she was ill. Apparently, she went to the hospital on Wednesday and passed away on Friday. I hope some of y'all will have a minute to click for the rest of the (very short) article. She was a fascinating woman and a true Lady. We are so going to miss her.

Former Shores Mayor Heller dies
By ANDREW GANT, Staff writer
August 8, 2010 12:05 AM

Barbara J. Heller, a retired college professor who rubbed elbows with the Eisenhowers and worked with dozens of volunteer organizations, has died, a close friend said Saturday.

Heller, who served on the City Council for years before she became mayor, died Friday morning at the age of 86. She fell ill a short time before her death, according to her friend and attorney, Mary Hansen.

"She was absolutely the most ethical person I ever met," Hansen said of the former mayor. "I found her to be a role model for me."

Heller lost her first bid for political office when she ran for Volusia County Council in 1980 but became a Shores councilwoman in 1987.

For years she volunteered in the area as she served on the council, and she had a sign in her front yard (it read "Heller High Water"), promising to solve residents' problems even if hell or high water broke loose.

Heller took the oath as the city's 17th mayor (and its second female mayor) in 1996, at the age of 71.

to read the rest of the story, click here

Feelin' like a Rambler...

Dawg, this summer's going FAST! Which is a good thing, kinda, coz it's so unbearably HOT, but then Autumn's gonna fly by, then it'll be winter again and I hate cold even more than hot.

So, today is our 31st anniversary and in around 3½ weeks I'll be turning yet another year older. I'm thinking I need one of those hats that says, 'don't forget my senior discount'. Hey, don't laugh, y'all are gonna be here one day. For my birthday this year, I think I'll get a bicycle. I've had my eye on a cute little cruiser - I just wanna go one speed, thanks. So how come nobody has layaway anymore?!

Ramble, ramble, ramble...

If I read one more steenkin' comment on youtube about something being racist, my head's gonna explode! It is, apparently, THE catchword of the century. Every time a WASP does a rap, he's stereotyping somebody. (Ever hear the phrase, 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?). I watched a little clip of Chief Thunderthud - if you know who that is, you need a hat, too - and saw 2 comments (before I blew a gasket and closed the page) about how racist it was. Honestly, some people need to GET A LIFE! I truly believe they spend virtually every waking moment searching for something, anything, at which to scream 'RACIST'.

GIVE! ME! A! BREAK!

Ramble, ramble, ramble...

I'm also thinking of a career change. What, you didn't know I had a career? Well, I call it that, anyhow, though no one has yet been able to figure out an exact job description. 8-} Anyhow, I think I'm gonna start writing rap songs. Or is it hip hop? I'm not quite sure which is which, but I'm having fun playing around with whatever it is. Maybe I'll be as famous as GoRemy one day and y'all can say you knew me when...

OK, I'm gonna park this little Rambler wagon and go eat my anniversary hot dog. Love y'all!

Have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

New FPS Director

Donald Forgione is the new Director of the Florida Park Service. Forgione is the first director to have worked his way up from a park ranger.

A 26-year veteran of the Florida Park Service, Forgione began his career as a park ranger at Paynes Creek Historic Site in Bowling Green, Florida, in 1984. He has since worked his way up in the Florida Park Service throughout the state. He has served as assistant park manager, park manager, park law enforcement officer, as well as assistant bureau chief and bureau chief. For the last six years as District Two Bureau Chief, Forgione has provided overall management and administration of bureau operations for a 40 park network and more than 200 employees.

Forgione was raised in Palm Beach Gardens and has lived in the Sunshine State since age six. He has received certification in environmental conservation and law enforcement, as well as in park maintenance management from North Carolina State University and is a state certified burn manager. Forgione has served as an instructor at multiple Ranger Academies in the areas of core values, land management, visitor services and facility maintenance.

Clip and pic from August newsletter.