A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....07-25-06 .... Summertime at The Finest

7-25-06 | JustAmy and MamaBear

[JustAmy]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Dutchess, DollyCali, GodBlessUSA, JustAmy ~

Summer Sun
Robert Louis Stevenson

THE summer sun shone round me,
The folded valley lay
In a stream of sun and odour,
That sultry summer day.

The tall trees stood in the sunlight
As still as still could be,
But the deep grass sighed and rustled
And bowed and beckoned me.

The deep grass moved and whispered
And bowed and brushed my face.
It whispered in the sunshine:
"The winter comes apace."










Sand gets in the carpet,
Sand gets in your shoes.
Fight to keep the sand out,
I guarantee you’ll lose.

The toddlers in the sandbox,
Teenagers at the beach,
It even gets down in my shorts,
Where it’s rude to even reach.

Where does all the sand come from?
How did we get so much?
It is a longish story,
But it has a pleasant touch.

Find a grain of sand somewhere,
You needn’t look too far.
There may be some left in your shoe,
There’s more out by the car.

Hold that little grain of sand,
Where you can see it close.
I’m going to explain exactly,
How we got this healthy dose.

You’ll see it sparkle as it turns,
Reflecting gleams of light,
But there’s a lighter side as well,
If you’ll hear my fancy flight.

Each single grain of sand is more.
It’s silicon dioxide, Si and then two Os,
Three million billion molecules,
And here’s what they compose.

The silicon has fourteen parts,
That are quite positive,
They’re mated up with neutral ones,
Which has some peace to give.

Twenty-eight bits of whichness,
All mixed up in a what,
And circled round with wonderment,
That’s tied up in a knot.

The Os that hang around it,
Are not just airy moons,
Each has eight bits of fire within,
And eight water balloons.

Sixteen pieces more then,
Of whatness in a where.
And not just in the sand but it’s,
One fifth of all our air.

And out there in the water,
Nine-tenths of all of that,
Though you may get it in your nose,
It’s not for sneezing at.

Every one of these small things,
Was made so long ago,
We think they are forever,
But I must tell you no.

God put these things together,
A blessing is in each.
If you want to count your blessings,
You can start down at the beach.

NicknamedBob . . . . . April 8, 2004

















Before There was Sunshine

Before there was sunshine
And warm summer haze,
Before there was leisure
And long, lazy days,
Before there was sleeping
Till noon or whenever,
We woke to alarm clocks
And cold, dreary weather.
The days passed so slowly,
We somehow got through;
Summer would get here
In good time, we knew.
When it finally got here
We savored each day,
We knew that before long
It would go away.
We went on a vacation,
Second to none;
We swam in the ocean
And dried in the sun.
The days passed so quickly,
Seemed to fly by,
Summer was ending,
We could not deny.
So we packed up and went home,
With tears in our eyes,
Summer was over,
We said our goodbyes.

Gail Grierson

It doesn't matter when the official first day of summer is -- calendar-wise. For many, it's not summer until they take their first bite of sweet, juicy ice-cold watermelon.

*****
The ability to roll up the sides of the tongue into a tubular form is a significant advantage in long-range watermelon seed spitting contests.

*****
The world record for watermelon seed spitting is held by Jack Dietz of Chicago, who launched a seed a distance of 66 feet 11 inches in March 1989.

07-01-06 ~ Hall of Fame #16

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 07-24-06 Military Monday

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' Every Thursday at the Finest The guy's good, folks!

[JustAmy]

Beautiful but so heartwrenching. Thank you for the link.

Praying they will all be home safe and sound soon.

Have a great day.

[Majie Purple]

Spectacual and beautiful Summer presentation Amy!
A picnic feast for the eyes!

[JustAmy]

Sure looks great, stopem.



Have a cool day.

[Majie Purple]

Yummm! Watermelon & watermelon flavored anything, I devour...
(My fave fruit!)
Peach runs a veryclose2nd!
;OD

[Majie Purple]

[ConorMacNessa]

That water looks most inviting, Maj.

[JustAmy]

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence in their behalf."

Amen.

[La Enchiladita]

Sending your way...

[Majie Purple]

Sure does! Thanks...
Upon closer inspection it isn't a Summer time gif.
(smoke in chimney?)
LOL!

Oh well, apart from that it fits.

The cloudy sky even does because
it gets overcast in the Summer too.

& hey while I'm at it, the reason there is
smoke in the chimney is that...

Though it's Summer tis early in the morn and
that is a mountin lake/cabin in...Alaska...
Yeah,that's it!
LOL!
;OD

[La Enchiladita]

WOW!! The opening graphics are astounding, so beautiful and conjuring up nostalgia, big time!!

[Majie Purple]

Wow! Love the ice wagon pic...
Americana nostalgia!

[JustAmy]

"Our love has limits but God’s love is boundless."

Rus .... Thank you for bringing us the daily devotional every morning.
We appreciate you.

Stay cool and have a Terrific Tuesday.

[Majie Purple]

Pretty pitcher of Lemonade gif.
I too have that one in my files.
Anne's Place has a great selection huh?

[JustAmy]

Thank your for the beautiful summer violas, Meg.

Hope you are having a Terrific Tuesday.

Try to stay cool.

[JustAmy]

Good morning.

I promise I will catch up eventually. :)



Thank you for your contributions and your kind words.

Have a Cool Thursday.

[Majie Purple]

Really beautiful waterfall contributions...
Always are!

[NicknamedBob]

"The ability to put deepest feelings into words is such a God-given gift."

No argument from me.

I’m Occupied

You may call it talent,
I know the truth inside,
There is a spirit that moves in,
And occupies my hide.

I’m just an empty glove most days,
Not handy at this task,
And then I’m filled with something,
For which I didn’t ask.

The words flow out unbidden,
The meanings almost clear,
And when I read them at the end,
I too may shed a tear.

For Someone has been helping,
It isn’t only me.
The time goes by as in a fugue,
I’m occupied, you see.

NicknamedBob . . . February 28, 2006

"I would love to put it all into a book, but I don't see the Lord giving me the "time" to do that."

Give it a go. If you really have something to say, you can write a chapter in an evening.

In a day or so, you can write another one. Don't worry about spelling or punctuation -- just write!

The story that you have to tell is one that no one else can tell. By definition, therefore, no one can do it better!

And I guarantee that it will make you feel better. Whether it makes you live longer or not depends on who's leaning over your shoulder.

[JustAmy]

"DON’T MISS A MOMENT"

Beautiful, Dolly. Thank you for sharing.
Wish I was where that picture was taken.

Hope you are having a Happy Day.

[Majie Purple]

LOL!
;OD
Your #50 use of nostalgia got in my
#51 use of nostalgia...
Well, your #51 use of nostalgia got in my
#50 use of nostalgia!

ie: the ReeCee's peanut butter cups commercial
LOL!
;OD

[Majie Purple]

((((My pleasure!
Thanks!
You too!))))