$~DEAR SANTA~$

 While Sitting By The Fireplace 

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I Decided To Send My Wish 

List To Santa Claus! 

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Giggle!  

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BIRDS, BEES, BATS & BUTTERFLIES

 BIRDS, BEES, BATS,

BUTTERFLIES, & MORE! 

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Humming Bird Rolls chasing a bee from 

its favorite flower is not to be missed. 

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Be sure and watch closely (around 2 min 

40 sec), and check out the baby bat under 

its mother as she flies & feeds. 

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If you never knew what goes on in your yard when you aren't paying attention, watch this - some of the finest photography you will ever see. 

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https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/xHkq1edcbk4?rel=0 

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Say Merry Christmas - Vocal Carrie Rinderer and the American Christian L...

Moral Of Hedgehogs

The New Moral of Hedgehogs 

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It was the coldest British winter ever.  Many animals died because of the cold. The hedgehogs, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions. 
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 After awhile they decided to distance themselves from each other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. 
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 Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. 

They learned to live with the little wounds caused 

by the close relationship with their companions in 

order to receive the heat that came from the others. 

This way they were able to survive. 

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The best relationship is not the one that brings together 

perfect people, but when each individual learns to live 

with the imperfections of others and can admire the 
other person's good qualities. 

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The moral of this story is to: 

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Learn to sleep with someone new in your bed! 

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Chuckle! 

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(~TODAYS FUNNYS~)

This Will Give You A Few Laughs 

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ARE YOU LAUGHING NOW? 

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Holiday Shopping This Year?

 Holiday Shopping This Year? 

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I know I needed this reminder, since Sears isn't always my first choice. It's amazing when you think of how long the war has lasted and Sears hasn't withdrawn from their commitment. Could we each buy at least one thing at Sears this year?  

   
What commitment you say?  
How does Sears treat its employees who are serving in our military?  By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being on active duty.  

   
Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits,including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all employees who are serving.
I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. I suggest we all shop at Sears at least once this year. Be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement & feedback it well deserves.  

   
 Pass it on.  

   

I decided to check this before I sent it forward. So I sent the following e-mail to the Sears Customer Service Department:  
I received this e-mail and I would like to know if it is true. If it is, the Internet may have just become one very good source of advertisement for your company. I know I would go out of my way to buy products from Sears instead of another store for a like item, even if it's cheaper at that store. 

   

This is their answer to my e-mail: 

   
Dear Customer: Thank you for contacting Sears. The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback. Sears regards service to our country as one of greatest sacrifices our men and women can make. This is the "least" we can do for them. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time. 

    Bill Thorn Sears  Customer Care  

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  ~   Please pass this on. Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution and we need to show them as Americans, and Canadians we do appreciate what they are doing for our Military!!!  

    It's verified! By:snopes.com: Sears Military Pay

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/sears.asp

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Do You Know Why?

Do You Know Why These 

Old Sayings Got Started? 

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A SHOT OF WHISKEY 

In the old west a .45 cartridge for a six-gun cost 12 cents, so did a glass of whiskey. If a cowhand was low on cash he would often give the bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink. This became known as a "shot" of whiskey. 

     

THE WHOLE NINE YARDS 
American fighter planes in WW2 had machine guns that were fed by a belt of cartridges. The average plane held belts that were 27 feet (9 yards) long. If the pilot used up all his ammo he was said to have given it the whole nine yards. 
    
BUYING THE FARM 
This is synonymous with dying. During WW1 soldiers were given life insurance policies worth $5,000. This was about the price of an average farm so if you died you "bought the farm" for your survivors.
    
IRON CLAD CONTRACT 
This came about from the ironclad ships of the Civil War. It meant something so strong it could not be broken. 
    
PASSING THE BUCK & THE BUCK STOPS HERE 
Most men in the early west carried a jack knife made by the Buck knife company. When playing poker it as common to place one of these Buck knives in front of the dealer so that everyone knew who he was. When it was time for a new dealer, the deck of cards and the knife were given to the new dealer. If this person didn't want to deal he would "pass the buck" to the next player. If that player accepted then “the buck stopped there." 
    
RIFF RAFF 
The Mississippi River was the main way of traveling from north to south. Riverboats carried passengers and freight but they were expensive so most people used rafts. Everything had the right of way over rafts which were considered cheap. The steering oar on the rafts was called a “riff" and this transposed into riff-raff, meaning low class. 
     
COBWEB 
The Old English word for "spider" was "cob." 
     
SHIP STATE ROOMS 
Traveling by steamboat was considered the height of comfort. Passenger cabins on the boats were not numbered. Instead they were named after states. To this day cabins on ships are called staterooms. 
     
SHOWBOAT 
These were floating theaters built on a barge that was pushed by a steamboat. These played small town along the Mississippi River. Unlike the boat shown in the movie "Showboat" these did not have an engine. They were gaudy and attention grabbing which is why we say someone who is being the life of the party is "showboating."
      
OVER A BARREL 
In the days before CPR a drowning victim would be placed face down over a barrel and the barrel would be rolled back and forth in a effort to empty the lungs of water. It was rarely effective. If you are over a barrel you are in deep trouble. 
     
BARGE IN 
Heavy freight was moved along the Mississippi in large barges pushed by steamboats. These were hard to control and would sometimes swing into piers or other boats. People would say they "barged in." 
       
HOGWASH 
Steamboats carried both people and animals. Since pigs smelled so bad they would be washed before being put on board. The mud and other filth that was washed off was considered useless "hog wash." 
     
CURFEW 
The word "curfew" comes from the French phrase "couvre-feu", which means "cover the fire". It was used to describe the time of blowing out all lamps and candles. It was later adopted into Middle English as "curfeu", which later became the modern "curfew". In the early American colonies homes had no real fireplaces so a fire was built in the center of the room. In order to make sure a fire did not get out of control during the night it was required that, by an agreed upon time, all fires would be covered with a clay pot called-a "curfew." 
      
HOT OFF THE PRESS 
As the paper goes through the rotary printing press friction causes it to heat up. Therefore, if you grab the paper right off the press it is hot. The expression means to get immediate information. 

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