Spring is in the air here in the Blueridge Mountains of Virginia!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
2011 off to a cold start**
My Saints won the Super Bowl last year, but have been knocked out, in the first round this year, by the Sea-Chickens of Seattle.
Looks like the Packers and the Steelers this year. Feb. 06, 2011 in Dallas TX.
Check out some of the photos that I posted on left side of the page from April 2010's SpringBreak cruise, what a great time.
See ya soon!
Looks like the Packers and the Steelers this year. Feb. 06, 2011 in Dallas TX.
Check out some of the photos that I posted on left side of the page from April 2010's SpringBreak cruise, what a great time.
See ya soon!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
A fresh Start.... Writing again.....
Well, It has been nearly a year since I posted anything on this blog. You know Life just gets in the way sometimes? What a busy year! I want so much to tell you about my whereabouts and all the stuff that I have been involved in.
Keep posted.... I plan to share things with you on this blog, and catch you up with my life. Oh yeah, then we get on path with some current stuff. It is Christmas time again. I just love Christmas time. I still pretty much hate the snow, but I don't live in Florida yet...
Stay posted, we'll talk about cruises during spring break, vacations taken, Masonic & Shrine events, etc.... I plan to post pictures too. They really are worth 1000 words, and the less I type, the better it is for all of us.....
Keep posted.... I plan to share things with you on this blog, and catch you up with my life. Oh yeah, then we get on path with some current stuff. It is Christmas time again. I just love Christmas time. I still pretty much hate the snow, but I don't live in Florida yet...
Stay posted, we'll talk about cruises during spring break, vacations taken, Masonic & Shrine events, etc.... I plan to post pictures too. They really are worth 1000 words, and the less I type, the better it is for all of us.....
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Looking back over the last 2 weeks, more snow....
Jan. 28th, 2010 - Jan. 31st, 2010 - The Kazim Shrine Circus was held at the Roanoke Civic Center- The circus comes to town every year and it is a fundraiser for the Kazim Shriners. This year was the 52nd year. We added the Thursday night, one additional show. Shriners, nationwide, hold many fundraisers and operate 22 children's hospitals for orthapedic, burns, and simular treatments. The hospitals are absolutely free of charge and open to children up to the age of 18 yrs old. The closest Shriners Hospital to Roanoke is Greenville SC, however, it does not treat burn injuries. A burned child from Roanoke will be sent to Cincinnati Ohio's Shriners Hospital.
The circus is Kazim's largest fundraiser and wouldn't you know it, it snowed again right in the middle of the long weekend of some 7 performances. I have worked every single show of the circus weekend every year for the past several years, since I became a member of Kazim. The snow arrived just after our Friday night performance and all of the roads were in very bad shape by Saturday morning, but the show must & did go on. The 3 shows for Saturday were of very low attendance. Sunday had 2 shows and we had more people at those. The last show was the best of the weekend and was a very well attended performance. The snow storm did hurt the bottom line.
I have to tell you, to work those gates and to see the smiles on all of the kids that come to see the circus just yanks at your ole' heart strings. you see all sizes, ages, and personalities. some come from families that clearly have money to bring them to the show, and some from families that had to pull together all the money from the piggy banks to get the kids there. The circus is a deal though. An adult can get two kids(With free tickets) and themselves into the circus for the $16.00 adult ticket. Thats 2 kids and an adult for $16.00. Thats fairly reasonable for 2010 entertainment.
Tues. Feb. 02, 2010 - Well it snowed again, not as much as it did over the Circus weekend, but it was enough to keep schools out on Wed.
Friday Feb o5, 2010 - Well, we awoke to another snow storm. Schools closed again, which meant the kids only went to school on Thursday for the entire week. This storm promised about a foot to ROANOKE and up to 2 feet for WASHINGTON DC & BALTIMORE MD. This storm left us with about 9 to 10 inches, and would have been more, but we also got a fair share of sleet, so that kept the snow accumulations lower.
I am so done with shoveling snow. I will consider the investment in a snow blower in the off season. This last snow was much heavier than the others, but the snow plows were able to get the streets cleared much quicker. I honestly think the Roanoke area population has gotten to the point, that anything under 12 inches is a piece of cake, when prior to this year's multiple snows, 2 inches would shut the region down. That being said, we still got folks that can't drive on a clear dry road, 70 degree and sunshine. Know any of those?
As I write this entry to my blog, it is Sunday feb. 07, 2010 and I am watching the pregame shows for the Super Bowl, which is being held in Florida. My New Orleans Saints are going up against Manning and the Indy Colts. Good luck Drew Brees! Go Who Dats! My Saints have never, ever been to the Super Bowl.
Last night I watched the Bud Shoot-out from down in Daytona. Nascar is kicking off their season down in Florida.
Baseball is getting ready to report to spring trianing down in Florida....
Have you noticed a theme?.... Heck fire, I'm going to Florida too!! Me and John Sweeney, Santa Claus, are going down for a few days. Feb. 14th - 18th, 2010.
The Provost Guard Valentine Dance is Saturday night Feb. 13th, 2010 @ the Kazim Shrine Center, downtown Roanoke. Live band," Off the Cuff ". I'll be taking my sweetheart.... That's why I'm not leaving for Florida until Sunday Morning, the 14th. I just love tulips, They are alot like me. They don't like snow either......
The circus is Kazim's largest fundraiser and wouldn't you know it, it snowed again right in the middle of the long weekend of some 7 performances. I have worked every single show of the circus weekend every year for the past several years, since I became a member of Kazim. The snow arrived just after our Friday night performance and all of the roads were in very bad shape by Saturday morning, but the show must & did go on. The 3 shows for Saturday were of very low attendance. Sunday had 2 shows and we had more people at those. The last show was the best of the weekend and was a very well attended performance. The snow storm did hurt the bottom line.
I have to tell you, to work those gates and to see the smiles on all of the kids that come to see the circus just yanks at your ole' heart strings. you see all sizes, ages, and personalities. some come from families that clearly have money to bring them to the show, and some from families that had to pull together all the money from the piggy banks to get the kids there. The circus is a deal though. An adult can get two kids(With free tickets) and themselves into the circus for the $16.00 adult ticket. Thats 2 kids and an adult for $16.00. Thats fairly reasonable for 2010 entertainment.
Tues. Feb. 02, 2010 - Well it snowed again, not as much as it did over the Circus weekend, but it was enough to keep schools out on Wed.
Friday Feb o5, 2010 - Well, we awoke to another snow storm. Schools closed again, which meant the kids only went to school on Thursday for the entire week. This storm promised about a foot to ROANOKE and up to 2 feet for WASHINGTON DC & BALTIMORE MD. This storm left us with about 9 to 10 inches, and would have been more, but we also got a fair share of sleet, so that kept the snow accumulations lower.
I am so done with shoveling snow. I will consider the investment in a snow blower in the off season. This last snow was much heavier than the others, but the snow plows were able to get the streets cleared much quicker. I honestly think the Roanoke area population has gotten to the point, that anything under 12 inches is a piece of cake, when prior to this year's multiple snows, 2 inches would shut the region down. That being said, we still got folks that can't drive on a clear dry road, 70 degree and sunshine. Know any of those?
As I write this entry to my blog, it is Sunday feb. 07, 2010 and I am watching the pregame shows for the Super Bowl, which is being held in Florida. My New Orleans Saints are going up against Manning and the Indy Colts. Good luck Drew Brees! Go Who Dats! My Saints have never, ever been to the Super Bowl.
Last night I watched the Bud Shoot-out from down in Daytona. Nascar is kicking off their season down in Florida.
Baseball is getting ready to report to spring trianing down in Florida....
Have you noticed a theme?.... Heck fire, I'm going to Florida too!! Me and John Sweeney, Santa Claus, are going down for a few days. Feb. 14th - 18th, 2010.
The Provost Guard Valentine Dance is Saturday night Feb. 13th, 2010 @ the Kazim Shrine Center, downtown Roanoke. Live band," Off the Cuff ". I'll be taking my sweetheart.... That's why I'm not leaving for Florida until Sunday Morning, the 14th. I just love tulips, They are alot like me. They don't like snow either......
Sunday, January 24, 2010
New Orleans Saints Win! Going to the Superbowl, Who Dat!!
Way to go Saints, Who Dat? Who Dat say they gonna beat dem Saints?
The Story of Jim Dandy!!
This photo is of my grandfather, my mother's father, Everett Wickham. I do not remember him, because he died in Dec. 1966, when I was only 2 1/2 years old.
Everett is holding a crow on his thumb. The crow's name was "Jim Dandy" and he was a family pet. My mom's brothers had found him in the woods when he was a baby bird and had fallen out of a nest. They nursed him and he grew, but he thought he was part of the family. He didn't stay inside, but he found you as soon as you ventured outside.
Jim Dandy was very found of little trinkets and anything shiny. We would refer to that as "Bling" today. He would hang upside down on the clothes that were out on the line and try to steal the buttons off of clothing and even take the clothes pins. He would ride on the rim of the slop bucket as someone carried it to feed the hogs. By the time you reached the hog lot, he would have had his dinner taken care of. Jim Dandy was the family pet and was around until late one fall, about hunting season, and then just disappeared and he never came back around.
The photo above was taken at my mom's childhood home in Botetourt County, VA in the Cloverdale area.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The snow melted, we had a 60 degree day, but Winter isn't over yet. Grab a Book!
Allow me to recommend any book written by Dorothea Benton Frank. I have become of fan of her work. She is from the Charleston, SC area and her books take place along that coastline and, for those of you who know me, I sure do love that sand, sea, and salty part of the world. I love the regions food, the music, the history and, of course, the mystery. If you like that too, then Dorothea Benton Frank is for you.
I have read the following books:
"Return to Sullivan's Island" This is her latest book and was released in June of 2009, the week that my family and I returned from our first weeklong vacation in the Charleston Area. So it goes without saying, that once I saw the name of the book, then I needed to have it. That was my first time of ever hearing the author's name. I heard Sullivan's Island quite a bit while on that Charleston area vacation, because the SC Governor was missing upon our arrival there and, by the time we left, we had learned that he had skipped the state, the country, and his wife to meet his lover in Argentina. His wife and kids were at their summer home on Sullivan's Island and the media was all about it. Great book. Left me wanting more and wishing that I had read her earlier books first, such as, "Sullivan's Island", her first novel.
"Pawley's Island" this book took place in the popular island retreat below Myrtle Beach and included fine foods, art, divorce, and family tradition.
"Isle of Palms" This book was a Christmas gift from my sister in law, Cindy of Polk County Florida. What a great find. I only like the hardback books, and they are often hard to find, especially when there is a few years on them. She found this book in some store in Savannah, GA and it had actually been a library book in a library up in the northern to Heartland area of the country. It was in great shape and I loved it. This book involved the love of family, the desire of a home on the beach and that island way of life. The main character is a hair dresser and has a crazy neighbor and teenage daughter who had just spent the first year in college and who was trying to find herself, along with some old southern valued neighbors. A bit of romance and a common softly folded presence of ghosts, that appears to be a theme of Ms. Frank's novels. It also introduced me to gullah language and way of life.
"The Christmas Pearl" Now this book was a wonderful story of a disfunctional family that is brought back together and learned to value history, family and life again through the visit of a temporary house servant who had actually ran this same home generations before. Her name was Pearl and this was a warm story of old homes, old Christmas traditions, elegance, and included recipes from old Charleston special Christmas' of years past. Great book.
"Shem Creek" Another book about imperfect families, love, hard work and rebuilding a life by moving two teenage daughters from New York to the Charleston area of Shem Creek, just off of the Cooper River. There is the intimate details of running a restaurant named "Jackson Hole", environmental whackos, and of course, a nice, watchful ghost.
Check 'em out, don't just take my word. I have "Bulls Island", but I haven't read it yet. I think I might read "The lost Symbol", by Dan Brown first. I have it in waiting also.
That 60 degree weather yesterday had me yearning for Florida again. I checked out the schedules for Spring Training Baseball in the Grapefruit league and they really don't start playing until March 2nd, 2010. Catchers and pitchers report Feb. 17th, 2010. So it will be here soon!
I have read the following books:
"Return to Sullivan's Island" This is her latest book and was released in June of 2009, the week that my family and I returned from our first weeklong vacation in the Charleston Area. So it goes without saying, that once I saw the name of the book, then I needed to have it. That was my first time of ever hearing the author's name. I heard Sullivan's Island quite a bit while on that Charleston area vacation, because the SC Governor was missing upon our arrival there and, by the time we left, we had learned that he had skipped the state, the country, and his wife to meet his lover in Argentina. His wife and kids were at their summer home on Sullivan's Island and the media was all about it. Great book. Left me wanting more and wishing that I had read her earlier books first, such as, "Sullivan's Island", her first novel.
"Pawley's Island" this book took place in the popular island retreat below Myrtle Beach and included fine foods, art, divorce, and family tradition.
"Isle of Palms" This book was a Christmas gift from my sister in law, Cindy of Polk County Florida. What a great find. I only like the hardback books, and they are often hard to find, especially when there is a few years on them. She found this book in some store in Savannah, GA and it had actually been a library book in a library up in the northern to Heartland area of the country. It was in great shape and I loved it. This book involved the love of family, the desire of a home on the beach and that island way of life. The main character is a hair dresser and has a crazy neighbor and teenage daughter who had just spent the first year in college and who was trying to find herself, along with some old southern valued neighbors. A bit of romance and a common softly folded presence of ghosts, that appears to be a theme of Ms. Frank's novels. It also introduced me to gullah language and way of life.
"The Christmas Pearl" Now this book was a wonderful story of a disfunctional family that is brought back together and learned to value history, family and life again through the visit of a temporary house servant who had actually ran this same home generations before. Her name was Pearl and this was a warm story of old homes, old Christmas traditions, elegance, and included recipes from old Charleston special Christmas' of years past. Great book.
"Shem Creek" Another book about imperfect families, love, hard work and rebuilding a life by moving two teenage daughters from New York to the Charleston area of Shem Creek, just off of the Cooper River. There is the intimate details of running a restaurant named "Jackson Hole", environmental whackos, and of course, a nice, watchful ghost.
Check 'em out, don't just take my word. I have "Bulls Island", but I haven't read it yet. I think I might read "The lost Symbol", by Dan Brown first. I have it in waiting also.
That 60 degree weather yesterday had me yearning for Florida again. I checked out the schedules for Spring Training Baseball in the Grapefruit league and they really don't start playing until March 2nd, 2010. Catchers and pitchers report Feb. 17th, 2010. So it will be here soon!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Will the snow ever go away - Jan. 12, 2010
The picture of my home was taken today, Jan. 12, 2010. The snow that you see has been in my front yard since the big dec. 18th snow of 2009. You know, that was technically fall of last year, and we still have that stuff hanging around.
Hey, it will be February before you know it, that means that groundhog day is just around the corner. He always sees his shadow, so big deal. The Shrine's Provost Guard unit has teamed up with the Lakeland Masonic Lodge for a combination deal to make Valentines an awesome event. Lakeland Lodge will be holding a formal dinner as a fundraiser. It costs $45.00 per couple and starts seating every 30 minutes at 5 pm on Saturday Feb. 13th. Last year's dinner was fabulous. we had soup and salad with prime rib, baked potato and a huge slice of New York style cheese cake.
After the dinner, the Provost Guard unit sponsors the Valentine dance over at the Kazim Shrine Center with a live band, "Off the Cuff". There will be door prizes and raffles to raise money for the "Shriner's Children's Hospitals". You can win a pearl necklace and more. There will be food there too and all for $20.00 for a couple.
If you are interested, I can get you tickets to both or just for the dance, your choice. send me an email ghuffman4@cox.net.
They tell me the weather has finally changed down in Florida, but not without damages to the crops. We will be paying more for orange juice and strawberries for sure.
You know, for some reason, I was talking the other night about our country's past killers. Like, John F. Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald, who was shot later by Jack Ruby. We got around to the boy from Roanoke, that went down in Texas and shot up the fellow soldiers at Fort Hood. Hasan had some connection with the middle east. Well then someone mentioned Robert Kennedy's killer, Sirhan Sirhan. I didn't know much about this guy, accept he shot Robert Kennedy in 1968. Well, I encourage you to google his name and look under wikipedia. I was amazed with the events around this individual and how they were very simular to Hasan in 2009. Now keep in mind, I am not a person who swears by wikipedia, but I think you'll get the picture.
Hey, it will be February before you know it, that means that groundhog day is just around the corner. He always sees his shadow, so big deal. The Shrine's Provost Guard unit has teamed up with the Lakeland Masonic Lodge for a combination deal to make Valentines an awesome event. Lakeland Lodge will be holding a formal dinner as a fundraiser. It costs $45.00 per couple and starts seating every 30 minutes at 5 pm on Saturday Feb. 13th. Last year's dinner was fabulous. we had soup and salad with prime rib, baked potato and a huge slice of New York style cheese cake.
After the dinner, the Provost Guard unit sponsors the Valentine dance over at the Kazim Shrine Center with a live band, "Off the Cuff". There will be door prizes and raffles to raise money for the "Shriner's Children's Hospitals". You can win a pearl necklace and more. There will be food there too and all for $20.00 for a couple.
If you are interested, I can get you tickets to both or just for the dance, your choice. send me an email ghuffman4@cox.net.
They tell me the weather has finally changed down in Florida, but not without damages to the crops. We will be paying more for orange juice and strawberries for sure.
You know, for some reason, I was talking the other night about our country's past killers. Like, John F. Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald, who was shot later by Jack Ruby. We got around to the boy from Roanoke, that went down in Texas and shot up the fellow soldiers at Fort Hood. Hasan had some connection with the middle east. Well then someone mentioned Robert Kennedy's killer, Sirhan Sirhan. I didn't know much about this guy, accept he shot Robert Kennedy in 1968. Well, I encourage you to google his name and look under wikipedia. I was amazed with the events around this individual and how they were very simular to Hasan in 2009. Now keep in mind, I am not a person who swears by wikipedia, but I think you'll get the picture.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
I love Jimmy Buffett 01-07-2010
Jimmy Buffett's music has that natural warming effect, you just want to move and enjoy the very basic aspects of life!
Jimmy Buffett's music is like an escape to some white sandy beach with steel drums and blue green water that allows you to see the bottom. You feel warm all over. His music has gotten me through some tough times in my life like divorce and many other stresses. I have seen him in concert 36 times in various locations up and down the east coast. I even saw him out in Cincinnati, Ohio. Each show has memories and stories of all types.
His music gets me through the winter months and gives me hope that spring will eventually get here, and oh, when it does!!!
Jimmy Buffett owns his own radio station that broadcasts out of one of his restaurants, the Orlando, Fl Margaritaville location. it broadcasts all of his concerts live and can be heard on Sirius and on the internet site http://www.margaritaville.com/. just go to the radiomargaritaville link and listen live.
They are calling for more winter weather here in Roanoke tonight. Please make it go away.
Stay warm, to those of you in Florida too. They are actually having to rescue manatees out of the canals around Tampa because the water temps are getting to low and they are going to die if they don't get warmed up. So much for global warming, Al Gore is such a Boob!!!
See later!
Gary D. Huffman 01-07-2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Happy New Year Everybody!!!! Jan. 05, 2009
Got some catching up to do, things to tell you! First, It is cold here in Virginia. We brought the new year in with a bang, seriously, from where I was standing. I had to work the Fireworks event New Years Eve in Vinton for "Enchanted Eve". 2009 went and 2010 came with fireworks.It's actually colder now than it was in this photo of the snow, but the thing is, a lot of that snow from back on December 19th is still hanging around here in January 2010.
All of this cold weather just makes me want to scream. It is cold all over though!
It is even Cold in Florida !!
The Christmas decorations have all been put away intil next year. We have cleaned closets and made room for those new clothes and toys and stuff!
Heck, we have cleaned the whole house and it feels really good!!
The cold weather has me thinking about Florida though. I sure would like to get away and get out of the very cold weather.
Above is our little place down in flroida at 7390 Eastern Circle Drive. Brooksville FL. We aren't right on the Gulf of Mexico, but we sure are close, just a short drive is all it takes.
This time of the year the Manatees are all up in the rivers where the water is warm. The rivers are spring fed and maintain 72 degree water temperature year round.
Well, the Saints have lost the last 3 games of the regular season and are the #1 seat for the NFC playoffs. Wish my poor old Saints luck!
See ya soon,
Gary D. Huffman 01-05-10
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Christmas is over. It's cold and we still have that snow on the ground 12-29-2009
Back to work and things are changing...... Robyn, one our Deputy Fire Marshal's, handed in a resignation letter today. she plans to move to Ohio and be with the love of her life. This is good for her, however, Brian Simmons and I are concerned about the workload and callback life.
The weather is very cold. high today barely above 30 degrees, but windy.
I got some books for Christmas, and a few from one of my new favorite authors, Dorothea Benton Frank. I am currently reading the "Isle of Palms". It, like her other books, takes place in the South Carolina coastline islands. Gotta love those characters that she creates, and she always includes the Charleston history and culture. The food is part of her stories too, some books even have recipes. I got "The Christmas Pearl" and "Bulls Island" also, all in hardback. I have already read "The Return to Sullivan's Island" and "Pawleys Island". The summer filled, beach lined stories seem to help get me through the cold snow covered early winter that we seem to be having.
My mom & dad are currently in Florida. They said it was about 70 degrees down on the Gulf Coast today. My uncle George, Bennie, & Lyndsey are going out grouper fishing tommorrow, so the weather must be pretty nice.
I have to work on New Years Eve. We have a fireworks show that will be shot off at the stroke of midnight. this, of course, is regulated by the Fire Marshal's Office and we do the early setup inspection and are on site during the performance. Zambelli fireworks Internantional has been contracted by the Roanoke County Parks & Rec Department.
Speaking of Parks & Rec., I was at the Green Ridge Rec Center today for the acceptance test of the new fire pump that supports the building's sprinkler system.
Things coming up...... The Rodeo is coming to the Salem Civic Center Jan. 8, 9, & 10th, 2010. The Shrine Circus will be at the Roanoke Civic Center Jan. 28, 29, 30, & 31st, 2010. The Provost Guard Valentine's Dance is Saturday Night Feb. 13th, 2010 and only costs $20.00 for the couple. Live band "Off the Cuff".
Gary D. Huffman
12-29-2009
The weather is very cold. high today barely above 30 degrees, but windy.
I got some books for Christmas, and a few from one of my new favorite authors, Dorothea Benton Frank. I am currently reading the "Isle of Palms". It, like her other books, takes place in the South Carolina coastline islands. Gotta love those characters that she creates, and she always includes the Charleston history and culture. The food is part of her stories too, some books even have recipes. I got "The Christmas Pearl" and "Bulls Island" also, all in hardback. I have already read "The Return to Sullivan's Island" and "Pawleys Island". The summer filled, beach lined stories seem to help get me through the cold snow covered early winter that we seem to be having.
My mom & dad are currently in Florida. They said it was about 70 degrees down on the Gulf Coast today. My uncle George, Bennie, & Lyndsey are going out grouper fishing tommorrow, so the weather must be pretty nice.
I have to work on New Years Eve. We have a fireworks show that will be shot off at the stroke of midnight. this, of course, is regulated by the Fire Marshal's Office and we do the early setup inspection and are on site during the performance. Zambelli fireworks Internantional has been contracted by the Roanoke County Parks & Rec Department.
Speaking of Parks & Rec., I was at the Green Ridge Rec Center today for the acceptance test of the new fire pump that supports the building's sprinkler system.
Things coming up...... The Rodeo is coming to the Salem Civic Center Jan. 8, 9, & 10th, 2010. The Shrine Circus will be at the Roanoke Civic Center Jan. 28, 29, 30, & 31st, 2010. The Provost Guard Valentine's Dance is Saturday Night Feb. 13th, 2010 and only costs $20.00 for the couple. Live band "Off the Cuff".
Gary D. Huffman
12-29-2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Christmas was grand, now looking forward to the New Year 12-28-2009
Well, Christmas was great. We were actually pretty beat by the time Christmas Day arrived though, based on the big snow, the shoveling, the last minute shopping, and the parties and get togethers!! 
The Presents were all under the tree, the energy was magical, and we were eating like crazy. I must have put on 8 pounds the week of Christmas!!
We had a Christmas Party on Wed. Night Dec. 23rd for the Wickham side of the family, that is my mother's side. Santa Claus came and delivered presents for good boys & Girls. Uncle George got a fishing calendar. Uncle Pete got one of those little grass skirted dolls that you put on the dashboard of your car and she wiggles. Santa was played by John Sweeney of Garden City. He and his wife, Mary Kay, joined us for dinner and a Dirty Santa game.
Christmas Eve arrived and we went to my parents house for lunch and gift giving. My mom & dad left right after that for Florida. They wanted to get out of Virginia before the Christmas morning ice storm arrived. We were really getting beat up by all of this weather. Florida was sounding wonderful. I Got a house just sitting down there at 7390 Eastern Circle Drive, but I had to start callback on Christmas Day. After my folks left we had our little Christmas at our house. Paula, Jordan, Mason, Max & I.
We shared the special time together as a family, we had nowhere to be and no shedule to keep. We were thankful for so many things in our lives. The day to day pressures and stresses were put on a shelf and we just had a great time. the gifts were distributed and when it was all over, we had lots of neat stuff. I got a lap top, Jordan got a flat screen high def TV for her room, Mason got DS games and Legos. Paula got a new bedroom bedding and curtains and a steamer to get those creases out. We were thankful for all that God had provided for us and giving the greatest gift of all, his son Jesus Christ, our savior.
Sometime during that night Santa Claus came and Mason woke up the next morning with even more gifts. More DS games, and Legos. There were GI Joe figures and a huge brown Bear, stuffed, of course.
Oh, By the way, Jordan really liked her hat!
And Max, our black Lab, had a good time too with all of his chew toys, a new bed and all of the attention. He is such a hound!!
Gary D. Huffman - Christmas 2009 style
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Catching up..And.."The Big Snow Storm"
Well, I haven't added to the blog in a few days and man, are there things to tell you!Tues. night Dec. 15th, 2009 - We went to Mason's School, Mountain View Elementary, for a musical that he, and the whole 2nd grade class, was in. That is him to the left of the mic singing an old time Rock & Roll Christmas Tune. Mason did very well and he was wearing a green elf hat.
Wed. night Dec. 16th, 2009 - We had Christmas at Paula's parents house, Raymond & Joyce Compton. Paula's sister, Cindy was in from sunny florida and was loving our much cooler weather. (Not) We had a fabulous dinner and enjoyed the time spent together. As you can see we had a great time. look at all of those presents under the tree. Mason is in the center, Paula on the left, Cindy on the right, Jordan to the left of mason and Paula's dad, Raymond, is behind Mason. I couldn't be in the picture. i was taking the picture!The weatherman was starting to hint of some weekend winter type weather, but we all planned for the big trip over "Big A Mountain" to Fletcher's Ridge in Bucanan County for the Big Cristmas parties on both of Paula's parents sides of the family. The Comptons side on Friday night and the Farmers on Saturday night, but.....
Thursday Dec. 17th, 2009 - This was my last day at work for a while, so I was around the office for a large protion of the day. The weatherman was kicking things up and calling for a large snow to start on Friday around 4 pm. I worked out for Robyn Blankenship to get my 4 wheel drive vehicle due to the proposed 18 inch snow.
Thursday night, I attended the James Evans Masonic Lodge #72 meeting and served in the position of Senior Deacon for this meeting. We did not have the scheduled elections for this Dec. meeting, so they should be held in January 2010.
Friday Dec. 18th, 2009 - After sleeping in then getting e few things together, The Schools all anounced that they were closing 2 hours early due to the incoming weather. Well, Paula decided that we should leave for the country 2 hours earlier also to get a head start on the weather. I went to school and picked up Mason. we packed quickly, dropped Max off at my mom & dad's. They would surely spoil the dog while we were gone. We picked up Jordan and by 2 pm we were heading up Christiansburg Mountain on I-81. We hadn't eaten, so we planned to stop at the Christiansburg exit. When we came off the exit, it was starting to snow. While in McDonalds, it started to really stick to the grass. We jumped back in the car and headed south. We were getting text messages about every 15 minutes from Cindy, Paula's Sister, on the road conditions at the mile marker that they were passing. they were almost a hour ahead of us.
Well we got stuck in standstill traffic in Mongomery County due to wrecks. The road was becoming very slippery and there were crashes everywhere. We saw vehicles in ditches, into guardrails, and some upside down. after a brief stop there, we moved on and got to the south side on Wytheville. It was snowing very hard and suddenly the traffic just stopped. We were at a standstill for nearly 5 1/2 hrs.
Now this was not the most pleasant situation, but we had gas, heat, bottled water, chips and swiss cheese. We had some cake if needed and extra blankets. the longer we set the deeper the snow seemed to get. We listend to different radio stations, but none seemed to give us the news we needed. the best information came from K-92 fm out of Roanoke. They are located an hour away, but they knew and spoke about our situation quite a bit. We sang to the songs and talked about old times and just many diferent things. In today's life, we are moving so fast, that it wasn't so bad being stuck out there at mile marker 68 on I-81 with all of the truckers.
I would go and talk to a truck driver behind me every so often. He would inform me of what he was hearing over the CB from the other truckers. They had a mess of a wreck ahead of us and after the trucks had set for so long, they couldn't get them moving in the large amounts of snow that was piling up on the roadway. He told me a story of a single mom with a 5 month old baby. She had milk but no way to heat the bottle. A truck driver with a microwave heated it for her. He would ask if we were okay every time I went to talk to him. I'd say yeah, we're fine, we have gas and food and we had made contact with frineds by use of cell, which had a poor signal, and they had reserved us a room for the night in Marion, if we ever got to moving again.
Here we were, heading for the country for christmas, stuck in traffic, and three cell phones just working overtime. We had a hard time getting the signal to go out, but we did after much moving around inside of the vehicle.
Paula learned that Cindy was stuck in Abingdon. She learned that her mom & dad had made it to her grandmothers on Fletcher's Ridge after attending the Friday night party that we missed while sitting at mm 68. They reported the snow was getting deep and they had lost power.
Finally we saw the yellow lights of a salt truck over the hill. The trucker behind me had told me that they were going to be working their way from the front of the blockage back to us. They had to move the trucks out as they came back to get the road open. I walked up to the Highway worker and he said they were salting the road around each truck and working their way back to us. I witnessed these huge truck and trailers slide and spin and then slowly inch forward and head on out down the road. He finally reached us. The highway man asked if he got the truck beside us moved, would I be able to get out. I replied "yes" and he said "okay" and that he was sorry for taking so log to get us out. We were happy to be moving and thanked him with a huge smile.
I-81 was a mess the snow was deep, our windshield wipers were freezing up and it was snowing so hard. We finally got off the interstate in Marion and found our motel. It wasn't the grandest, by any means, but it was off of that interstate. All of the motels were full. Cindy had gotten back to Abingdon and found a room at a Hampton Inn as did Dean, Paula's cousin, who was coming in for Chrsitmas too, but from Raliegh, NC.
I got the kids and the wife all settled in our room and I went back out in search of food. I found a McDonalds all lit up like an Oasis in the middle of the desert. I grabbed a bunch of food from the drive through and arrived back at the room to find my family huddled around the television watching "Christmas Vacation", a true Christmas classic. We ate and went to sleep.
The photo above was taken the next morning of the motel we stayed at. It was called the Magnuson Inn, or something like that, but thank goodness they were there for us.
Saturday Dec. 19th, 2009 - After sleeping in, since we didn't get to sleep until around midnight the night before, we all got up, showered, and dug the Kia out. People were leaving the motel and sliding all over the place. Checkout was at 11am, so we got out just in time. We needed food and guess where we went. McDonalds again. While at McDonalds, we were on the cell phones trying to determine if we were going on to Fletcher's Ridge or back to Roanoke. I talked to my dad and it was still snowing in Roanoke. There was no power at Fletcher's Ridge and there were trees down blocking roads, so we decided to go back home. Cindy left for Florida.
The roads were in great shape going back north on 81 until be got to Radford. Stuck again. I tried talking to truckers again and finally, I got that little Kia Borrego off at the Radford Exit, hit route 11 through Christiansburg and down 460 into Salem, Va. Finally got home just before dark. The roads were bad around our house so I couldn't go get Max and decided to watch the Saints play on TV. You know what, They lost to the Dallas Cowboys. They are not undefeated anymore. Saints are now 13 -1 but hey, maybe they can still get to the Superbowl!! Who Dat?
Sunday Dec. 20th, 2009 - Spent the day digging out, went grocery shopping and just happy to be home.
My dad brought Max home. he seemed happy to be back too. I had to shovel out a place in the grass for him to go to the bathroom. The poor dog sure is picky.
Planning on watching movies tonight and relaxing with my family in front of the fire, maybe a glass of wine by the Christmas Tree with Paula later.
I sure hope you are having a very Merry Christmas! By they way, I think they said we had 19 inches of snow. The Weather channel broadcast live from Roanoke, VA too, during the storm.
My mom works for Friendship Retirement Center as the head of Dietary and she has had to work this weekend while my dad was busy picking people up to get them to work. Even though the weather is bad, those folks in the retirement center still have to eat and have ther basic needs addressed. Mom & Dad are going to Florida on Christmas Day though. I hope they have a great time and enjoy the warmer weather. I'll take the sand over the snow any day!
Christmas is coming fast, be careful. I have got to figure out a way to get to Florida too.
Gary D. Huffman
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The John Sweeney Christmas Story! 12-15-2009
John Sweeney works in the Fire Marshals Office with me, but is a retired Captain of another Fire Department.
One Christmas, many years ago. This a True story. John Sweeney, while working at a Fire Station, near a once thriving Mall, was contacted by a mall director that needed to have Santa Claus arrive at the mall on a shiny red fire truck.
Well, he talked the young lady through the proper procedures to make this all happen. They got approval from the administration and the date an time were set. The mall, which was starting to decline in popularity, advertised the arrival of Santa at whatever time, one Saturday before Christmas.
That Saturday arrived and John Sweeney and his fellow firefighters arrived at the predetermined meeting spot. The time for Santa to meet the truck came and slowly passed and there was no sign of a Santa Claus. 30 minutes went by and John and his crew were getting a little worried, but they didn't know who to call.
A little more time passed and then they saw a car speeding their way and upon arrival, it was clearly the mall director and she had this fellow in a red suit all laid up in the back of her car.
You guessed it. It was Santa Claus, but he appeared to be a last minute find for this most important role. The lady appeared to have found Santa on the side of the road somewhere after pulling off a hard night, the night before. He needed help to get out of the car and onto the back of the fire truck.
There was no time to waste. They were already late and the kids were waiting for the arrival of Santa Claus at the front of the mall. John and another firefighter held onto Santa, to make sure he didn't fall off the back of the truck, and away they did go.
They arrived to the front of the mall and the kids were all yelling and cheering. Santa went to step off the back of the truck and just about fell on his face, but recovered nicely and yelled out to the cheering children. "Hey Kids, yall ready for a biscuit?"
You see, the mall director had apparently promised him breakfast for his duties and he was ready to eat. John and another firefighter grabbed him up, one on each side, and half carried Santa to his seat. They planted him in his nice big Santa seat and wished him luck.
I am certain that there is more to this story, but it ended for John at this point.
Merry Christmas!
Gary D. Huffman
One Christmas, many years ago. This a True story. John Sweeney, while working at a Fire Station, near a once thriving Mall, was contacted by a mall director that needed to have Santa Claus arrive at the mall on a shiny red fire truck.
Well, he talked the young lady through the proper procedures to make this all happen. They got approval from the administration and the date an time were set. The mall, which was starting to decline in popularity, advertised the arrival of Santa at whatever time, one Saturday before Christmas.
That Saturday arrived and John Sweeney and his fellow firefighters arrived at the predetermined meeting spot. The time for Santa to meet the truck came and slowly passed and there was no sign of a Santa Claus. 30 minutes went by and John and his crew were getting a little worried, but they didn't know who to call.
A little more time passed and then they saw a car speeding their way and upon arrival, it was clearly the mall director and she had this fellow in a red suit all laid up in the back of her car.
You guessed it. It was Santa Claus, but he appeared to be a last minute find for this most important role. The lady appeared to have found Santa on the side of the road somewhere after pulling off a hard night, the night before. He needed help to get out of the car and onto the back of the fire truck.
There was no time to waste. They were already late and the kids were waiting for the arrival of Santa Claus at the front of the mall. John and another firefighter held onto Santa, to make sure he didn't fall off the back of the truck, and away they did go.
They arrived to the front of the mall and the kids were all yelling and cheering. Santa went to step off the back of the truck and just about fell on his face, but recovered nicely and yelled out to the cheering children. "Hey Kids, yall ready for a biscuit?"
You see, the mall director had apparently promised him breakfast for his duties and he was ready to eat. John and another firefighter grabbed him up, one on each side, and half carried Santa to his seat. They planted him in his nice big Santa seat and wished him luck.
I am certain that there is more to this story, but it ended for John at this point.
Merry Christmas!
Gary D. Huffman
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Busy Weekend 12-13-2009
Wow, what a busy weekend, I haven't had time to update my blog page.
Friday 12-11-2009
Well, we had a special luncheon at work with the Roanoke County Fire Department. It was held at our new station, Station #1 on Hershberger Road.
Each year, the employees of both the field operations and staff, jointly toss our own donation into a hat and we have social services give us the names of about 4 very needy children. We then have Beth Dalton, the glue of our Office( Beth if you are listening, thank you so much), use the money to purchase gifts for these children. We then pick a date and have the children come to a fire station. We cook a huge lunch, Santa came and gave them their presents and it will tear your heart out to see these kids get blown away by the event and spirit of Christmas. The Chief of or Department, Rick Burch plays the role of Santa, and I have got to tell you, it is a hoot. He gets to carrying on, dancing and singing, and giving multiple excuses about Rudolph and his short comings. It is just a great time and then Santa leaves on a fire truck. It is quite touching to see the smile on these kids faces.
On Friday Night, I had a stated meeting at the Kazim Temple(Shriners), and we had 10 new nobles join our Oasis. As a Provost Guard member, Several members of our unit offered the security of our Temple and worked the door. During the meeting, a lady off of the street just opens the door to the meeting room and asks for $20.00. She was of the appearance of a homeless individual and had to be escorted from the building. The Building is located in Downtown Roanoke, VA.
Saturday Dec. 12, 2009 was the day of the Provost Guard's Christmas dinner. Since I was the Captain of the Shrine Unit, I was responsible for making this event come together and fly. We had originally reserved a room at Corned Beef & Company in Downtown Roanoke for our party, however, in an effort to keep expenses down and just make the event more simple, we chose to have it ot the Kazim Temple, in the Arab room, and have it catered.
Well that sounded great, but finding a caterer during the Christmas party season for a group of about 30 people was quite hard to find, so I twisted my mom's arm, Sue Huffman, and she agreed to help. Mom works as head of Dietary for Friendship Retirement Community and has done quite a bit of catering on the side throughout the years, but would just as soon not do it anymore because, well, its just tough sometimes.
The Party was awesome though, We had a great time. We had 29 people attend. 2 of which were in Grand Line for the Grand Lodge of Virgina, Freemasonry. John Chambliss, Deputy Grand Master and Paul Sleeper, Grand Sr. Deacon. We also have Kerry Campbell, Grand Jr. Warden as a member of our Provost Guard Unit, however he was on vacation in Charleston SC.
We had 3 members of the Kazim Divan and 1 Sweetheart. We call the widows of our dear passed brothers sweethearts.
This particular dinner was my last function as the Captain of the Provost Guard Unit. I was finishing 2 years as Captain and it was both sad and a relief at the same time. Art Pendleton became the new Captain for the year 2010. I finished my 2 terms as the 34th Captain of the Kazim Provost Guard Unit since it started in 1947. It was an honor to serve.
Sunday Dec. 13th, 2009. Well, today was another interesting day. Paula and I, in conjunction with my mom & dad, Roger & Sue Huffman, have been providing our church, Community Advent Christian Church(Old Mountain Rd.), with a reception after the children's Christmas Play each Christmas season for many years, and this year was no different.
We put together a spread of cakes, nachos with cheese dip, mini corn dogs, ham biscuits, finger sandwiches of tuna & Pimento Cheese, Christmas Punch, etc... We had 183 people attend the play and the reception afterwards.
We decorated with blue tablecloths and snowmen. I think it was a success. The play was great. Mason, my youngest, was in the play and he sung his heart out. did a fantastic job. I left just before the play finished to get the food and stuff ready for the rush of hungry folks and the tiny kids were waiting outside of the sanctuary door. They typically dress to a nativity scene theme and come in for the last song of the play. This is pretty much yearly. Well this year, before they could even get into the sanctuary, the lamb pooped and had to be changed. I thought that was just a little bit funny, in a way. Guess you had to be there.
Yes , a busy weekend, but it was full of family, friends, and the sounds of Christmas. I sure am tired, but it was quite worth it!
The weather was bad Sunday Morning, a little ice, but warmer now. By the way, Who Dat? Them Saints done won again. 13 - 0. Looks like a Saints Superbowl. I'm lovin'it!! Go New Orleans Saints. Who Dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?
Gary D. Huffman
Friday 12-11-2009
Well, we had a special luncheon at work with the Roanoke County Fire Department. It was held at our new station, Station #1 on Hershberger Road.
Each year, the employees of both the field operations and staff, jointly toss our own donation into a hat and we have social services give us the names of about 4 very needy children. We then have Beth Dalton, the glue of our Office( Beth if you are listening, thank you so much), use the money to purchase gifts for these children. We then pick a date and have the children come to a fire station. We cook a huge lunch, Santa came and gave them their presents and it will tear your heart out to see these kids get blown away by the event and spirit of Christmas. The Chief of or Department, Rick Burch plays the role of Santa, and I have got to tell you, it is a hoot. He gets to carrying on, dancing and singing, and giving multiple excuses about Rudolph and his short comings. It is just a great time and then Santa leaves on a fire truck. It is quite touching to see the smile on these kids faces.
On Friday Night, I had a stated meeting at the Kazim Temple(Shriners), and we had 10 new nobles join our Oasis. As a Provost Guard member, Several members of our unit offered the security of our Temple and worked the door. During the meeting, a lady off of the street just opens the door to the meeting room and asks for $20.00. She was of the appearance of a homeless individual and had to be escorted from the building. The Building is located in Downtown Roanoke, VA.
Saturday Dec. 12, 2009 was the day of the Provost Guard's Christmas dinner. Since I was the Captain of the Shrine Unit, I was responsible for making this event come together and fly. We had originally reserved a room at Corned Beef & Company in Downtown Roanoke for our party, however, in an effort to keep expenses down and just make the event more simple, we chose to have it ot the Kazim Temple, in the Arab room, and have it catered.
Well that sounded great, but finding a caterer during the Christmas party season for a group of about 30 people was quite hard to find, so I twisted my mom's arm, Sue Huffman, and she agreed to help. Mom works as head of Dietary for Friendship Retirement Community and has done quite a bit of catering on the side throughout the years, but would just as soon not do it anymore because, well, its just tough sometimes.
The Party was awesome though, We had a great time. We had 29 people attend. 2 of which were in Grand Line for the Grand Lodge of Virgina, Freemasonry. John Chambliss, Deputy Grand Master and Paul Sleeper, Grand Sr. Deacon. We also have Kerry Campbell, Grand Jr. Warden as a member of our Provost Guard Unit, however he was on vacation in Charleston SC.
We had 3 members of the Kazim Divan and 1 Sweetheart. We call the widows of our dear passed brothers sweethearts.
This particular dinner was my last function as the Captain of the Provost Guard Unit. I was finishing 2 years as Captain and it was both sad and a relief at the same time. Art Pendleton became the new Captain for the year 2010. I finished my 2 terms as the 34th Captain of the Kazim Provost Guard Unit since it started in 1947. It was an honor to serve.
Sunday Dec. 13th, 2009. Well, today was another interesting day. Paula and I, in conjunction with my mom & dad, Roger & Sue Huffman, have been providing our church, Community Advent Christian Church(Old Mountain Rd.), with a reception after the children's Christmas Play each Christmas season for many years, and this year was no different.
We put together a spread of cakes, nachos with cheese dip, mini corn dogs, ham biscuits, finger sandwiches of tuna & Pimento Cheese, Christmas Punch, etc... We had 183 people attend the play and the reception afterwards.
We decorated with blue tablecloths and snowmen. I think it was a success. The play was great. Mason, my youngest, was in the play and he sung his heart out. did a fantastic job. I left just before the play finished to get the food and stuff ready for the rush of hungry folks and the tiny kids were waiting outside of the sanctuary door. They typically dress to a nativity scene theme and come in for the last song of the play. This is pretty much yearly. Well this year, before they could even get into the sanctuary, the lamb pooped and had to be changed. I thought that was just a little bit funny, in a way. Guess you had to be there.
Yes , a busy weekend, but it was full of family, friends, and the sounds of Christmas. I sure am tired, but it was quite worth it!
The weather was bad Sunday Morning, a little ice, but warmer now. By the way, Who Dat? Them Saints done won again. 13 - 0. Looks like a Saints Superbowl. I'm lovin'it!! Go New Orleans Saints. Who Dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?
Gary D. Huffman
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Colder weather makes my heart go south 12-10-2009
It is tough for me to deal with the cold temperatures. I guess, after years of working outside in the winter months fighting fires and then digging out fires through the slow progression from firefighter to fire marshal, I have a deep desire to go south when the mercury drops below 35 degrees.
Snow is great, but just around Christmas. We tend to keep those cold temperatures and chances of snowfalls well into March here in Roanoke. Thats just too long.
I love Florida. Paula, my wife, and I bought a little place down in Hernando County Florida back in Dec. 2007. I have to tell you, I just love getting down there and fishing in the gulf, smelling the fresh sea breezes. We take our black lab, Max too. He seems to really like it. Jordan & Mason love it also.
We are not directly on the gulf, but are just a short drive over to Pine Island or Hernando Beach. Hernando County is located just north of Tampa Florida and it represents a slower paced "Old Florida" feel and way of life. The coastline is not commercialized at all and in fact is mostly a nature preserve. This part of the gulf in known as the "Nature Coast". There are free roaming manatees in the waterways and other wildlife, to include gators and even wild boars. There are crystal clear rivers that are made from huge underground fresh water springs and under-water caves that are over 100 feet deep.
The County Seat is Brooksville and offers nothing special, except there are some beautiful older homes and stuff. Going into Brooksville is odd because it is like stepping back in time. There are still stores like Western Auto and there is a little hot dog place called "Coney Island Hot Dogs". It is like stepping into a scene from "Happy Days"(the show). Great footlong hotdogs and they have an Elvis impersonator perform there live every first Wed. of each month.(I can't make this stuff up). And get this, Brooksville has rolling hills! in Florida? Its almost like driving through downtown Lynchburg, VA.
Hernando still has the County Fair every year, a Rodeo sponsored by Shriners. It has palm trees and is fairly warm, especially when you compare it to Roanoke. It does get cold at night through those winter months though. In fact Brooksville used to be the tangerine capitol of the world, but you can't find a tangerine tree hardly anywhere now. The weather turned colder at some point and the trees would not produce anymore, so much for global warming theories.
But they still drop a huge tangerine down a pole in downtown Brooksville at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve!
You ought to come down sometime. There are quite a large group of folks from Virginia that I call neighbors , while in Hernando County. It seems that when people come to visit, they can't help but buy themselves a place too! I did.
gotta go for now.
Gary D. Huffman
Snow is great, but just around Christmas. We tend to keep those cold temperatures and chances of snowfalls well into March here in Roanoke. Thats just too long.
I love Florida. Paula, my wife, and I bought a little place down in Hernando County Florida back in Dec. 2007. I have to tell you, I just love getting down there and fishing in the gulf, smelling the fresh sea breezes. We take our black lab, Max too. He seems to really like it. Jordan & Mason love it also.
We are not directly on the gulf, but are just a short drive over to Pine Island or Hernando Beach. Hernando County is located just north of Tampa Florida and it represents a slower paced "Old Florida" feel and way of life. The coastline is not commercialized at all and in fact is mostly a nature preserve. This part of the gulf in known as the "Nature Coast". There are free roaming manatees in the waterways and other wildlife, to include gators and even wild boars. There are crystal clear rivers that are made from huge underground fresh water springs and under-water caves that are over 100 feet deep.
The County Seat is Brooksville and offers nothing special, except there are some beautiful older homes and stuff. Going into Brooksville is odd because it is like stepping back in time. There are still stores like Western Auto and there is a little hot dog place called "Coney Island Hot Dogs". It is like stepping into a scene from "Happy Days"(the show). Great footlong hotdogs and they have an Elvis impersonator perform there live every first Wed. of each month.(I can't make this stuff up). And get this, Brooksville has rolling hills! in Florida? Its almost like driving through downtown Lynchburg, VA.
Hernando still has the County Fair every year, a Rodeo sponsored by Shriners. It has palm trees and is fairly warm, especially when you compare it to Roanoke. It does get cold at night through those winter months though. In fact Brooksville used to be the tangerine capitol of the world, but you can't find a tangerine tree hardly anywhere now. The weather turned colder at some point and the trees would not produce anymore, so much for global warming theories.
But they still drop a huge tangerine down a pole in downtown Brooksville at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve!
You ought to come down sometime. There are quite a large group of folks from Virginia that I call neighbors , while in Hernando County. It seems that when people come to visit, they can't help but buy themselves a place too! I did.
gotta go for now.
Gary D. Huffman
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Character Counts, Buddy! 12-09-2009
New Preacher in Town:
There was a new paster in a fair sized town. One day he hopped on the city bus for transportation to a meeting. When he boarded the bus, he gave the driver money and the driver, in turn, provided him his change. When he reached his seat, he went to put the change in his pocket and discovered the driver had given him 25 cents too much.
As the bus traveled down the city streets, the paster thought to himself, What should I do?
When the bus reached his stop, the pastor stopped at the bus driver's seat and explained that he had been given 25 cents too much in change and wished to return the amount.
The bus driver turned and smiled and said to the pastor, "I knew that you were the new preacher in town. I gave you the extra quarter just to see what you would do. My wife and I are looking for a new church and we may just visit your church"
After the pastor was off the bus and walking on the sidewalk, he could only think that he could have completely sold his character for as little as 25 cents.
We are tested every day, do the right thing.
Gary D. Huffman
There was a new paster in a fair sized town. One day he hopped on the city bus for transportation to a meeting. When he boarded the bus, he gave the driver money and the driver, in turn, provided him his change. When he reached his seat, he went to put the change in his pocket and discovered the driver had given him 25 cents too much.
As the bus traveled down the city streets, the paster thought to himself, What should I do?
When the bus reached his stop, the pastor stopped at the bus driver's seat and explained that he had been given 25 cents too much in change and wished to return the amount.
The bus driver turned and smiled and said to the pastor, "I knew that you were the new preacher in town. I gave you the extra quarter just to see what you would do. My wife and I are looking for a new church and we may just visit your church"
After the pastor was off the bus and walking on the sidewalk, he could only think that he could have completely sold his character for as little as 25 cents.
We are tested every day, do the right thing.
Gary D. Huffman
The first day of the rest of my life! 12-09-2009
I have just created my very own blog, something that I thought to be totally impossible for me to do. It is my hope to use this blog to talk about things that are very near an dear to me.
God, Family, Our Country, Masonry, My love of life, My love of Florida, My dog Max(He's Family), My Job, and just about anything else that crosses my mind at the time. Most Importantly, the people of my life!
Christmas:
Christmas is quickly approaching and it sure is a busy time of the year. I have something scheduled for each evening between now and Christmas Day. Call me crazy, you're right!
First and most importantly, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the son of God. LUKE Chapter 2 of the Bible will tell us this story. If you do not know it, please find time this Christmas to read LUKE Chapter 2. Share it with your Family and Friends.
My Wish:
My wish this Christmas would be for our Country to try to heal and repair. We need to somehow try to figure out how to put more God and less Government in our lives. Now, I do not suggest the removal of government. It has a great roll in each and every one of our lives. We need more elected officials that are true statesmen and not those that seem to have more personal gain at heart. We need statesmen, not politicians.
We need to do what is right. We each need to be responsible for our own lives and not depend on government to provide any of our basic needs. The more we depend on governement, the bigger it gets and the more liberty and freedoms we loose. Be responsible. Do what is right.
By the way, I have a great wife named Paula, A daughter named Jordan. She is all that too! and a handsome young son named Mason. We have a black Lab named Max to complete our family. He is truly a member of our family. Enjoy the holidays!
Thanks for checking out my blog.
This is really cool!
Gary D. Huffman
God, Family, Our Country, Masonry, My love of life, My love of Florida, My dog Max(He's Family), My Job, and just about anything else that crosses my mind at the time. Most Importantly, the people of my life!
Christmas:
Christmas is quickly approaching and it sure is a busy time of the year. I have something scheduled for each evening between now and Christmas Day. Call me crazy, you're right!
First and most importantly, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the son of God. LUKE Chapter 2 of the Bible will tell us this story. If you do not know it, please find time this Christmas to read LUKE Chapter 2. Share it with your Family and Friends.
My Wish:
My wish this Christmas would be for our Country to try to heal and repair. We need to somehow try to figure out how to put more God and less Government in our lives. Now, I do not suggest the removal of government. It has a great roll in each and every one of our lives. We need more elected officials that are true statesmen and not those that seem to have more personal gain at heart. We need statesmen, not politicians.
We need to do what is right. We each need to be responsible for our own lives and not depend on government to provide any of our basic needs. The more we depend on governement, the bigger it gets and the more liberty and freedoms we loose. Be responsible. Do what is right.
By the way, I have a great wife named Paula, A daughter named Jordan. She is all that too! and a handsome young son named Mason. We have a black Lab named Max to complete our family. He is truly a member of our family. Enjoy the holidays!
Thanks for checking out my blog.
This is really cool!
Gary D. Huffman
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