The identities of the people pictured are mostly unknown to me.  Mom said that her mom doesn’t know who they are, either, and was almost ready to dump the album at one point.

Our best guess is that my great-grandmother brought it with her from Holland, and that the people in here were friends and family of hers.  I do recognize people in a couple of the last photos…

The back of this photo is simply marked, “Bride and Groom”, which is… less than helpful, but I’m fairly certain that it’s a wedding photo of my great-grandparents, Rinske (“Ruth”) and John Z.

I can definitely identify the people in this photo.  From left to right: Catherine, Rinske, Rena (my grandma), Henrietta, and John.

And then there are dozens of photos of people who I don’t recognize at all.

(This photo makes me laugh.  I’ve always wanted to go to the beach and sit in a giant sunbonnet… )
Many photos were evidently taken in the Netherlands – this one in Amsterdam, apparently.

And this one in Gronigen…
What’s annoying me is the fact that most of the photos aren’t labeled at all.  I don’t know how I’ll ever figure be able out who’s who, which is driving. me. crazy.  This is one of the rare photos with writing on the back, but I’m having trouble reading it – it’s in Dutch.

I’m fairly certain that I’m related to at least some of these unknown people, however.  I offer you “proof” in the following two photos.  The first is of a baby of unknown identity from the photo album, and the second is a baby photo of my mom.

See?  There must be some relation…

(Mom’s just going to *love* the fact that I’m posting that photo of her on here…)

[Abortion-rights groups] say that Dr. Gosnell was a rogue practitioner, and that if abortion is further restricted, more women will be driven to clinics like his, which prosecutors called a “house of horrors.”
-from NYTimes.com

“Restrictions really work to hinder access to safe abortion,”
-Dayle Steinberg, president of Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania.

“Safe abortion”.  Ponder those words for a moment.  Since when is murder ever safe?

Let’s come to a logical conclusion here, folks.  If it’s okay to murder babies, if we need to avoid restrictions so as to keep their mothers’ safe… then, logically, it’s safest to murder a baby after he’s been born.  After all, then the mother cannot possibly be harmed during the “procedure”, right?

Or… maybe not.  That would be murder, after all, and there are restrictions on that.  You’re allowed to kill a person if they’re over here, but not when they’re over there.  Those pesky restrictions…

If abortion is acceptable, then Gosnell’s main fault is merely that he didn’t kill babies quickly enough.  To say that it is okay to slaughter a baby one moment, but that it is not okay the next, is utterly  and completely delusional.

One who says that Gosnell should be on trial for murder cannot turn around a moment later and say that abortion is normally fine.   That’s ridiculousness.

Yes, Gosnell’s clinic was a “house of horrors”.  As is every abortion “clinic”.  Since when is murder anything other than horrifying?  Although the facts surfacing at the Gosnell trial about how abortions were preformed there are easily regarded as more disgusting than “regular” abortion, a baby dies either way.

Murder is murder, whether it takes place in a posh, sanitized clinic at 1:00 PM or in a filthy, run-down hovel at 1:01 PM.

Caleb realized that he no longer fits in the baby swing…

Note:  I know that a photo-heavy post can be incredibly annoying for those with slow internet, and so I’m not going to post umpteen photos on the main page of my blog.  If you’re on the main page, you’ll have to click through to read this post in its entirety.

I took quite a few photos of flowers.  No, I won’t bore you by posting them all.  I’m only putting one in here.  You’re welcome.

Esther did… something in the backyard.  Played with the dog, maybe?  I’m not sure.

Joseph and Caleb talked to each other.  Using walkie-talkies.  Even though they were just a few feet away from each other… O.o

Abigail decided to pretend that Caleb was a baby, and tried to push him around the stroller.  This experiment… did not turn out too well.

Stephen found a turtle.

The logical thing to do, of course, was to bring it inside and put it on the dining room floor.

Joseph decided to get a closer look at it before it was brought back outside…

Liz studied…

Joe was in a chess tournament…

And so were Esther and Stephen.  Actually, these two were in multiple tournaments…

Scout tried to sneak into the house.  And failed, especially when it came to the sneaking part.

Stephen, my headless brother, and Lizzy had a snack… (okay, not really.  They were just cleaning out the freezer and discovered that we have a lot of ice cream.)

We helped take care of goats for some friends who were away on vacation…

(No, that’s not a goat.  We also took care of their dog…)

Esther made us laugh…

Abigail tried her hand at milking the goats…

…and lasted for about thirty seconds before quitting, but at least she tried.

She also lost a tooth, much to her delight.

Stephen and Esther played chess together.  Online.  While sitting in the same room.

We went to a barn dance on the 20th, and this is how Joe and Caleb dressed up.  You can’t see them in this photo, but Caleb is wearing his crocs.  Cowboys always wear crocs, right?
I don’t really have any good photos from the dance itself.  Which might be a good thing, because even though I didn’t do the chicken dance, others did.  So.

I know I said I wouldn’t post any more flower photos… this is a bug.  Not a flower, a bug.  Which  happens to be sitting (standing?) upon a flower.
No…. I’m not convincing myself, either. 

Anyways.  That’s all for now, folks…

—

Stephen and Esther have been involved in quite a few chess-related events lately.  I originally taught Stephen how to play chess, back when we were just kids – but we basically just fumbled about while playing it, not really knowing what we were doing.  A couple of years ago he started studying it more seriously, and taught Esther how to play.

They found a nearby chess club just a few months ago, and since then they’ve gone to several tournaments.  Somehow or another they’ve also managed to pick up two or three chess coaches.  I’m not really sure how that happened…?  O.o

They went to yet another chess tournament last Saturday – Esther won first in her division, and Stephen was in a four-way tie for first in his.  I don’t know how they do it, but I’m glad that they’re enjoying themselves and doing well.  As for me, I know I’d go insane if I had to play chess ALL DAY.  One game every six months or so is enough for me.  It doesn’t seem to bother them, though – after getting home they played some more.  Strange people. 

—

Some friends of ours are currently on vacation, and so we have the adventure of taking care of their goats.  (We’re also taking care of their polar bear- I mean, dog – and chickens – but that doesn’t qualify as an adventure, since we’ve been taking care of dogs and chickens for almost as long as I can remember.  Taking care of goats, however, and especially milking goats, does qualify as an adventure, since we’ve never done either before.)

I was originally informed (by my family) that I was better than the rest of them when it came to milking the goats.  Maybe that had something to do with the fact that I was the only one willing to try for more than thirty seconds?   Esther does fairly well, though, and once Lizzy got over her squeamishness she did just as well as I.   Which is good, because I didn’t want to be the only one milking them all week. 

—

Then there’s this video – if it doesn’t make your skin crawl, I don’t know what will:

Adolf Hitler once said that, “He alone, who owns the youth, gains the Future!”  He did his best to indoctrinate the children of Germany, and all around me I see the same type of indoctrination going on today.  It’s not a new thing, not by any means – but it has become more and more blatant in recent years.

A quick foray into the children and youth sections of any bookstore is enough to make me gag.  Hate, envy, greed, lust, rebellion, pride, witchcraft – all of these are prominent themes.  Oh, and vampires.  Ugh!

Public schools, obviously, are huge culprits – they teach young minds socialism, humanism, collectivism, evolution, and all sorts of other God-less isms.   And then there are all those other ridiculous stories we’ve been hearing about extreme gun paranoia and all that nonsense…

*sigh*

The institution of the family is being attacked in so many ways.  No-fault divorce makes a mockery of marriage vows.  Feminism warps the way people view children and the proper roles of men and women.  Homosexuality is touted as “normal”.  Public schools usurp the parents’ God-given role.  Television depicts all sorts of rebellion against God’s created order.  And what does the church do?  Pathetically little.

Anyway, I’ll stop ranting now.  I need to make supper, anyway…

*takes a deep breath*  Calm down, Hannah.  You might be mad, but you don’t have to take it out on the ham -

CYPRESS, Texas — A mother got quite the scare after she saw a suspicious man in her children’s school parking lot.
“There’s no words to describe it,” said Sarah Atchison. “It’s the biggest nightmare of my life.”
Atchison said it started when she dropped her 2- and 4-year-olds…
“When I parked my car, I saw him just wringing his hands pacing looking very, very anxious,” recalled Atchison. “I didn’t know what to think of him.”
She rushed her children in and told the office staff. They ended up calling 911, pulled the children off the playground and went into lockdown.

I’m not even sure to start on this, it’s so ridiculous.  Seeing a suspicious guy in the parking lot is the biggest nightmare of your life?  Not knowing what to think of someone’s actions means that you should call the police?  What?    It’s obviously yet another episode of overreaction and paranoia occurring at school, and I’m half-tempted to start ranting on how homeschooling is best… but I’ll save that for another time.

Calling the police merely because someone is pacing about the parking lot and wringing his hands is something I don’t understand.  This guy had done nothing to harm the panicked mom or anyone else, and yet she presumed that he had some sort of sinister intentions and reacted accordingly.

Now, I could understand if she’d felt uncomfortable enough to leave, or perhaps to stick around until she was sure that everything was okay.  I’m glad that she was trying to protect her kids from any perceived threat, but unless I’m missing some vital piece of information, the school had no valid reason to call the police.

The episode didn’t end there, though…

… she looked out the window, noticed the man was now digging in his pockets and decided to call 911, too.
“There was a point where I was begging for the police to get there because they said, ‘Do you see any weapons?’ I said, ‘No. I don’t. I don’t know what he has on him,’” Atchison said.

Ahhh!  The “suspicious man” has POCKETS!  Somebody, save us!  Haven’t you heard, pockets are the latest in terrorist fashion!  The government must save us from such horrors, or we’ll all perish!

Okay, enough sarcasm.

In the end, the police arrived and found out that the “suspicious man” was actually just part of the new cleaning crew.  Oops.  False alarm.  Welcome to our school, sir.  Hope you enjoy working here.

This reminds me of the “See Something, Say Something” campaign.  You know, the one where you’re encouraged to be overly suspicious and call the authorities at the slightest provocation?

Presumption of innocence is supposed to be a guide of how we enforce our laws.  Unless someone is proved to be guilty of breaking the law, he is not to be punished.  Although this could result in a guilty person getting away with a crime, it protects the innocent from being unjustly punished.  As Blackstone stated, ”It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer“.  John Adams expounded further upon this:

 ”It is more important that innocence should be protected, than it is, that guilt be punished; for guilt and crimes are so frequent in this world, that all of them cannot be punished…. when innocence itself, is brought to the bar and condemned, especially to die, the subject will exclaim, ‘it is immaterial to me whether I behave well or ill, for virtue itself is no security.’ And if such a sentiment as this were to take hold in the mind of the subject that would be the end of all security whatsoever”

This is not the mindset of today.

Instead of presuming our fellow American’s to be innocent of any crime, we are encouraged to suspect them of committing some crime – in fact, we’re even encouraged to presume that they are planning to commit a crime.  You’re photographing a bridge?  Why, you must be planning to blow it up!  You’re wearing a hoodie?  Terrorist!    Somebody, call the police!

Where is the injured party?  There is none.  Who has been harmed?  No one.  Why should the civil government get involved?  There is no reason for them to.  Without an injured party the civil government has no jurisdiction.

What has happened to our rights?  We are no longer allowed to go about our business with the liberty God gave us.  Instead, we are told that without the government breathing down our necks and constantly checking up on us, we will not be safe.

You mayn’t own that gun – you might end up murdering someone with it.

You shouldn’t teach your own children – you might not do a good enough job.

You’re not allowed to hunt, drive, marry, or sell things without our permission – we have to make sure that you’re capable of such things. (And unless you can prove to us that you are, you’re presumed to be incapable.)

We must cease from allowing the government to usurp our rights and act as if they are God.

 ”The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”  -4th Amendment

- I finally stopped procrastinating and added an email subscription option.  I’ve been planning to do this for a long time, but just never got around to it… once I started, it took me a while figure the whole process out, and I’m not totally sure that all the wrinkles have been ironed out…
Anyway, if you’re a daring type of person, you can head over to my sidebar and sign up.  And, no… I’m not going to send you any spam or anything, okay?  The subscription thingy is just connected to this blog’s RSS feed.  Spam is nasty, and should be replaced with bacon.  Or… something like that…

- Okay.  Bit of a rant, next.  Wearing pajama pants in public.  Seriously, people?  You can’t get dressed before going shopping?  It’s not as if I’m asking you to wear a hat and gloves to go to Walmart – I’m only requesting that you wear normal clothes.  Of course, that brings me to my next little rant…

- Today’s clothing fashions and trends.  C’mon, people – skinny jeans look ridiculous.  Why do people want to look like they’ve been vacuum-packed into their clothing?   Ugh.  And then there’s the whole ripping-multiple-holes-into-clothing-and-calling-it-chic trend.  Seriously, don’t give me a tutorial on how to make my shirt look as if it’s gone through a paper shredder, thankyouverymuch.

- There’s a chance of snow tonight.  Snow?  In Alabama?  In the middle of March?!  I’m rather shocked at this strange turn of events, but it does provide me with a good excuse for being cold and making myself a cup of tea…

- I’ve yet to figure out why coffee cans are designed in such a way as to make the last few teaspoons nearly impossible to get out.  Maybe I’m the only person who’s bothered by this, I don’t know.  But I can’t convince myself to throw even that small amount of coffee out, so I spend a ridiculous amount of time fighting the blithering coffee can in order to set that last teaspoon free…

- I’ve been going through old genealogical records and photos and such lately, and I’ve been amazed at how interesting it is.  I won’t bore you with dozens of photos or anything, just this one.  This is a photo of my grandma, and I’d love to figure out how to replicate her hairstyle.  Not because I’d want to wear my hair like this, really… but it’d be fun to know how.  Given the current length of my hair, though, I don’t think I’d be able to do this without getting a haircut… and since I don’t want a haircut right now…
Oh well.  Such is life.

- Wee little cucumber plants, the first of my seeds to sprout.  We shall see how long they last before I manage to inadvertently kill the poor little things…  (Kidding.  Hopefully.)

And now that I’ve stared at this for nearly a half of an hour, trying to figure out how to end it nicely and… failing… I’m just going to click “Publish”.  Hmph.

As if that wasn’t enough, the school then sent a letter home to parents which stated:

During breakfast this morning, one of our students used food to make inappropriate gestures that disrupted the class. While no physical threats were made and no one was  harmed, the student had to be removed from the classroom….

If your children express that they are troubled by today’s incident, please talk with them and help them share their feelings. Our school counselor is available to meet with any students who have the need to do so next week.

Obviously, we need to make sure that poor little Johnny wasn’t terribly traumatized by such a horrible incident.  A pop-tart gun?  Why, he could have ended up with jelly on his nose, poor baby!  What’s next, kids shooting rubber bands?  Waaah!  Send him to the counselor, pronto!
</sarcasm >

Seriously, people?  Seriously?!?  This is ridiculous!  Stop acting like guns (or gun-shaped objects, or replicas of guns, etc, etc…) are evil.

Guns don’t commit crimes, people do.  Making firearms illegal is not going to cause the lawless to suddenly behave themselves.  Making America into one big gun-free zone isn’t going to stop criminals from breaking the law.  People don’t commit crimes because of their surroundings, or simply because they are able to acquire weapons; people are commit crimes because they are sinful.

What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one….

Their feet are swift to shed blood:
Destruction and misery are in their ways:
And the way of peace have they not known:
There is no fear of God before their eyes.

-Romans 3:9,10; 15-18

Yes, guns can be misused.  But then, so can knives, and keys, and forks, and your hands… and just about every object, ever.  The solution does not involve setting up a nanny state and hoping that big government treats us well – no, the solution is to teach people to fear God and to keep His commandments.

(For those of you who might be wondering:  all photos are entirely unedited.)

Now, I’m not sure who came up with this rather unique name.  While it might not be the sort of name I’d give a grocery store, I can say naught against it, especially when I review the incredibly boring names I tend to choose.  However, I do wish to complain about the fact that almost no one actually calls the store, Piggly Wiggly.

No, they’ve shortened the name down to The Pig.

And then without thinking, they say things which… frankly, are slightly disturbing.   (That’s an understatement.)

“I’m fixin’ ta git some milk from The Pig.”

“Let’s go git some beef.  From The Pig.”

“I’ll just run an’ pick up some eggs from The Pig.”

Seriously, people?  Don’t you realize how that sounds?  Don’t you realize how disturbing this is to those who don’t automatically know that “The Pig” refers to a grocery store?

Please, stop.  Unless you’re going to buy bacon there, please don’t refer to it as “The Pig”.  Just… don’t.