JOHN VELD

March 11, 1925 - January 30, 2003

{This picture is 3 generations strong...... Grandpa Veld, Grandson Brian Cooper, & Great Grandson Bryce "JOHN" Cooper}

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea.

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night.

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight.

Then God combined these qualities,

There was nothing more to add.

His masterpiece was not complete,

He lovingly called it, Dad. (Or in my case Grand-Dad! !)

RARE DEER

FROM UP IN WISCONSIN SOMEWHERE:


A very eventful day around here! A once in many lifetimes experience!
I saw this little fellow run out in front of a car, thought it was a lost baby goat.

Stopped to get it, and WOW!!! A real Albino Whitetail Deer. He is just hours old but, doing fine. No Momma deer around. Another car nearly hit it in front of .


Well, he is THE neatest thing any of us ever saw. And such a freak of nature that only 1 in more than a million are even born. He took his bottle of food, followed us around the house, doing great. So we called the Zoo & Fossil Rim, who were both interested, but we're going to send him to a Rehab farm. Maybe he will make it in captivity somewhere and be appreciated. So rare. Sure wanted to keep him though, but, not the thing to do. And not LEGAL either; but, here are a couple of pix to show ya. He is snow white, pink eyes, ears, nose and hooves. The kids call him POWDER. He is SO small. That is my shoe lying beside him. WOW, how cool is that??

Barbaro Euthanized

{Jockey Edgar Prado pats his horse Barbaro after winning the 132nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2006. Barbaro lost his battle for life when the Kentucky Derby winner was put down after a major setback in his eight-month long recovery from a broken leg.}

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized Monday after complications from his gruesome breakdown at last year's Preakness, ending an eight-month ordeal that prompted an outpouring of support across the country.

A series of ailments -- including laminitis in the left rear hoof, an abscess in the right rear hoof, as well as new laminitis in both front feet -- proved too much for the gallant colt. The horse was put down at 10:30 a.m.

R.I.P Spider-Man

This evening we had to go through a tragic moment. We had to lay Spider-Man to Rest for good due to unrepairable body damage. Bryce said a few good parting words for Spider-Man and then buried him in the Trash (File 13) for his proper burial. I would have to admit Bryce let Spider-man go better then most 5 year olds would. May we never forget the fond memories that this toy brought into his childhood life. R.I.P SPIDER-MAN ! ! !

3 Muskateers...................

This picture was taken at the "VELD CHRISTMAS PARTY" back at the beginning of this month.... When you get these 3 Muskateers together you never know what to expect. They sure are growing up fast.... So here they are from Left to Right ; Macy (sticky), Bryce (peanut), and Maddison (I'm "NOT"pleasingly plump Uncle Brian is what she'd say!!!)

Top 10 Foods for a Good Night's Sleep

What is the secret to getting a solid 7 to 8 hours of sleep? Head for the kitchen and enjoy one or two of these 10 foods. They relax tense muscles, quiet buzzing minds, and/or get calming, sleep-inducing hormones - serotonin and melatonin - flowing. Yawning yet?

Bananas. They're practically a sleeping pill in a peel. In addition to a bit of soothing melatonin and serotonin, bananas contain magnesium, a muscle relaxant.

Chamomile tea. The reason chamomile is such a staple of bedtime tea blends is its mild sedating effect - it's the perfect natural antidote for restless minds/bodies.

Warm milk. It's not a myth. Milk has some tryptophan - an amino acid that has a sedative - like effect - and calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan. Plus there's the psychological throw-back to infancy, when a warm bottle meant "relax, everything's fine."

Honey. Drizzle a little in your warm milk or herb tea. Lots of sugar is stimulating, but a little glucose tells your brain to turn off orexin, a recently discovered neurotransmitter that's linked to alertness.

Potatoes. A small baked spud won't overwhelm your GI tract, and it clears away acids that can interfere with yawn-inducing tryptophan. To up the soothing effects, mash it with warm milk.

Oatmeal. Oats are a rich source of sleep - inviting melatonin, and a small bowl of warm cereal with a splash of maple syrup is cozy - plus if you've got the munchies, it's filling too.

Almonds. A handful of these heart-healthy nuts can be snooze-inducing, as they contain both tryptophan and a nice dose of muscle-relaxing magnesium.

Flaxseeds. When life goes awry and feeling down is keeping you up, try sprinkling 2 tablespoons of these healthy little seeds on your bedtime oatmeal. They're rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a natural mood lifter.

Whole-wheat bread. A slice of toast with your tea and honey will release insulin, which helps tryptophan get to your brain, where it's converted to serotonin and quietly murmurs "time to sleep."

Turkey. It's the most famous source of tryptophan, credited with all those Thanksgiving naps. But that's actually modern folklore. Tryptophan works when your stomach's basically empty, not overstuffed, and when there are some carbs around, not tons of protein. But put a lean slice or two on some whole-wheat bread mid-evening, and you've got one of the best sleep inducers in your kitchen.

Das Dutchman Essenhaus

This afternoon My Family took a trip with my parents to Middlebury,IN to the Das Dutchman Essenhaus. We had a wonderful meal which consisted of Broasted Chicken, Tender Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Green Beans, Noodles, Stuffing, White and Wheat Bread, Soda, Milk, Salad, and Pie..... The best part was it was all you can eat. We ate so much that we could barely walk out of that place. We had an interesting ride home because, the roads were icy and snowy...... but, my wife insisted on driving. As you can tell we are safely at home because I am typing this...LOL If you ever get a chance to travel to IN I highly recommend http://www.essenhaus.com I promise you will "NOT" be disappointed.

A LESSON ABOUT BARBIE

"How much is that Barbie in the window?" I asked the shop assistant.

In a condescending manner she responded, "Which Barbie? We have . .
Barbie Goes to the Gym for $19.95
Barbie Goes to the Ball for $19.95
Barbie Goes Shopping for $19.95
Barbie Goes to the Beach for $19.95
Barbie Goes Nightclubbing for $19.95 and
Barbie Gets a Divorce for $265.00."

I had to ask, you know. Wouldn't you?

"Why is Divorced Barbie $265.00 when all the others are only $19.95?"

"Isn't that obvious?" the assistant declared. "Divorced Barbie comes with
Ken's house, Ken's car, Ken's boat, Ken's furniture..."

COOKIE SINGING THE BLUES

Click on the video below ........this is very cute ! ! !

NO DRAFT ON HORIZON!

Currently there is a flurry of newspaper articles about Selective Service planning to conduct an exercise of its field structure in 2009. However, the public should not be alarmed. No draft for the military is about to be reinstated. Rather, Selective Service is planning to test its policies, plans and procedures as it has done routinely over the years if resources are available. Given the decline in agency funding, this exercise may be postponed again as it has been in the past. As always, Selective Service continues to do its job of being ready to conduct a draft and to manage a program for civilian alternative service for men classified as conscientious objectors when directed by the Nation’s elected officials: the president and Congress.

A draft held today would use a lottery to determine the order of call.

Before the lottery was implemented in the latter part of the Vietnam conflict, Local Boards called men classified 1-A, 18 1/2 through 25 years old, oldest first. This resulted in uncertainty for the potential draftees during the entire time they were within the draft-eligible age group. A draft held today would use a lottery system under which a man would spend only one year in first priority for the draft - either the calendar year he turned 20 or the year his deferment ended. Each year after that, he would be placed in a succeedingly lower priority group and his liability for the draft would lessen accordingly. In this way, he would be spared the uncertainty of waiting until his 26th birthday to be certain he would not be drafted.

For more information go to : http://www.sss.gov

2 Choices........

I heard this saying today and it is going to be our theme at church for this 2007 year.


"THERE ARE TWO CHOICES ON THE SHELF; PLEASING GOD OR PLEASING SELF."


What is your choice going to be this year???

Basketball Coach Arrested: Accused of Trespassing

This is a sad story that is posted below.... My Father-in-Law and myself followed Fred Booth's Basketball team very closely. We have been to many of his games in that past several years. I personally thought Coach Booth to be a very friendly person and an excellent basketball coach. He is or should I say was a legend in Glenwood City, WI for his Basketball/Track coaching. I am personally grieved to see a story like this come out.


A longtime Glenwood City High School basketball coach has been suspended after being accused of entering the western Wisconsin home of a former student athlete as she slept this week.

Fred Booth, 57, was jailed Sunday on suspicion of criminal trespassing after he was accused of entering the rural home of Jessica Quinn, 22, and her boyfriend, Jamie Knops, 28. Quinn has since obtained a restraining order against the coach, the second one she has sought against him in the past five years.

"If you meet him on the street, you'd think he's the nicest guy in the world," Knops said Thursday. "But what he did is strange."

The accusations against Booth are far from the impression many area residents have of the coach. Two years ago, Booth retired as an elementary teacher after serving in the district since the 1970s. But he continued to coach the Hilltoppers boys track and basketball teams and has built a winning tradition in the basketball program, capped by a state title in 2001.

After recording his 400th boys basketball victory in 2005, Booth told the Pioneer Press that his goal was to be a mentor and role model.

"It was never about the wins; it was about the kids," Booth said.

He also coached girls cross country, which Quinn participated in.

The district has placed Booth on paid administrative leave as it conducts an investigation, said Superintendent Tim Emholtz. A longtime assistant will coach the basketball team in the meantime.

St. Croix County Sheriff Dennis Hillstead said Quinn, a 2002 Glenwood City graduate, obtained a restraining order that year requiring the coach keep away from her. But while Quinn was away attending college, the order expired in 2004.

Early Sunday morning, Hillstead said, Quinn awoke to find her former coach in the house. She cowered in a second-floor bedroom closet as she called 911. Booth was calling Quinn's name as he climbed the stairs toward her bedroom.

"I knew who it was when he opened the door and called her name. I recognized his voice," said Knops, who was once a member of the boys track team coached by Booth. "He called out her name and started up the steps."

Knops met Booth at the top of the steps and told him to leave.

Booth stopped and said: "I don't want any problems, Jamie. I was just worried about her. … Some things you just can't explain, and the way I feel about Jessica is one of those things."

The incident lasted no more than a minute, Knops said, and while there was no physical confrontation, he said Quinn was frightened.

"I'm guessing he thought she was home alone," he said.

Booth had left when St. Croix County sheriff's deputies arrived about 8:30 a.m. Deputies then went to Booth's home and took him to the St. Croix County jail to be booked.

On Thursday, a man answered the phone at a number listed for Booth, but he hung up when informed the call was from the Pioneer Press.

Booth is scheduled to be in St. Croix County Court on Jan. 26 for a hearing on the restraining order. He is scheduled to be back in court next month on the criminal trespassing charge.

Quinn was working Thursday and could not be reached for comment.

According to the 2002 restraining order, Quinn sought court protection from Booth, claiming he had harassed her.

Booth, according to the order request, had often written notes and letters to Quinn and given her presents. She became concerned after he made comments about being alone with her and after he offered to pay people for information about her, the petition said.

A St. Croix County judge agreed to a settlement prohibiting Booth from having any contact with Quinn. School officials at the time said Booth would likely be disciplined.

Superintendent Emholtz, who did not lead the district then, declined Thursday to say whether Booth had been disciplined for the earlier accusations or for any other reason. Whatever the result, Booth was allowed to keep teaching and coaching.

Hillstead said detectives continue to investigate Booth and whether any other girls or women have been subjected to any unwanted attention by him.

Booth's future as boys track coach also is in question because it is unlikely he would be allowed to run the program while on administrative leave, Emholtz said.

"We need to go through the process and make sure everyone is treated fairly," Emholtz said.

U.S.S. NewYork

It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center.

It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite, LA to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept. 9, 2003, "those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence," recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. "It was a spiritual moment for everybody there."

Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the "hair on my neck stood up." "It had a big meaning to it for all of us," he said. "They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back."

The ship's motto? "Never Forget"

Medical Humor

You know you're in the Medical Field if.........................

1.You would like to meet the inventor of the call light some night in a dark alley.

2.Your sense of humor gets more warped each year.

3.Almost everything can seem humorous...eventually.

4.You know the smell of different diarrhea to identify it.

5.You can tell the pharmacist more about the medication they are dispensing
than they know.

6.You check the caller ID on your day off to see if anyone from the hospital
is trying to call and ask you to work.

7.You've been telling stories in a restaurant and made someone at another
table throw up.

8.You notice that you are using more 4 letter words than you did before you
started nursing.

9.Every time someone asks you for a pen you can find at least 4 of them on you.

10.You live by the motto "to be right is only half the battle, to convince
the doctor is more difficult."

11.You've told a confused patient that your name was that of your coworker
and to holler if they need help.

12.Your bladder can expand to the size of a Winnebago's water tank.

13.You find yourself checking out other customer's veins in grocery waiting
lines.

14.You avoid unhealthy looking shoppers in the mall for fear that they will
drop near you and you'll have to do CPR on your day off.

15.Your finger has gone places you never thought possible.

SIGN YOUR CAR REGISTRATION OR ELSE....

I got an email with the information below this morning and I wanted to pass this information on to all my fellow family and friends. My Uncle who is a University of Michigan police officer verified that the information regarding your car registrations is in fact TRUE. I guess one of my biggest problems is that there are too many unwritten Laws. I think that each law abiding citizen should get a copy of the Laws for the county, township, city and state that they live in from the government. If they expect us to abide by their rules then we need to know what the rules are. Don't punish me for something I had know idea even existed. OK.... I will step of my soap-box now.

SIGN CAR REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE OR PAY $125

Make sure your car registration has been signed on the back to avoid
Paying a $125 fine if you're ever pulled over for anything. New
Legislation in Michigan.

At the Secretary of States office the customer service representative
Told me to please be sure that the registered owner of the vehicle
Signed the registration. She explained that if you are pulled over and
The back of your registration is not signed (even though it is valid),
You will be fined $125.00.

I was so stunned " I had to clarify: So, if I get pulled over, and even
Though my tags are valid, and the registration is in my possession BUT
It is not signed by the registered owner, I will be given a ticket for
$125.00?? She answered YES! Apparently, this is Michigan state
Legislature that has recently been put into effect.

ICE STORM

This morning this is what it kinda of looked like outside. It took me a little while to get the ice off the car but, nothing stopped my wife and I from enjoying a wonderful day together. Not even an ICE STORM.... We did some shopping at The CrossRoads Mall, we saw A Night At The Museum, and then we went for an early dinner at TGIFridays. Tamara had the Day off work because, of Martin Luther King Day and this was my normal day off. It was so much fun to just have some time to spend together alone. I Love My wife dearly and she is so much fun to be around.

SEASONS

The following pictures are of the same place but taken during different seasons
Be sure to read to the end...






There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Moral: Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and trust the Lord that better times are sure to come later.

RUMOR ???

I heard rumor last night from a friend of mine that Chris Webber might come back to his home state of Michigan and play for the Detroit Pistons. The Sixers agreed to buyout his contract and let him go. I personally am a Chris Webber fan even though he will always be remembered as "MR. TIME-OUT" from way back in his collegiate career. I took it upon myself to look up on ESPN and see if this rumor is really something of reality and low and behold this is what I found..........

ESPN
Decision day almost certainly will be Monday for Chris Webber, whose agent told me Saturday night it'd be unwise to label any team -- whether the Pistons, Heat, Lakers or Mavericks -- a frontrunner.

Webber spent Saturday and planned to spend Sunday speaking and exchanging messages with players, coaches and executives from the four teams trying hardest to woo him.

Agent Aaron Goodwin said Webber had ruled out the Knicks -- although he might reconsider over the summer -- and was considering the Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings only as fallback options.

The New 24 Is Insane! Season SIX

My wife and I are absolute 24 Fans and we just finished up watching season 5 last night to prepare ourselves for the new season starting this Sunday Night. We have seen every season and they seem to keep getting better and better. I just found this article on Yahoo TV written :By Kristin Veitch. Now you can read what she has to say about the upcoming season.

Now, just to get everyone up to speed on what you can expect from 24 this season, here's my rundown of what you need to know:

1. Jack Bauer is hairy. Like, gross hairy. Like, I'm pretty sure small creatures are living inside that nappy beard of his. Twenty months of Chinese torture has not been kind to our heroic world-saver. J.B. is troubled, he's skittish, he's mute—and when he does open his mouth in the first episode, well, let's just say that there's a moment that is not for the weak of stomach. I'm wretching now just thinking about it! Blech!

2. Chloe is hot. So long, computer geek! Our girl Mary Lynn Rajskub is now a confoundingly coiffed, svelte señorita who is front and center in what appears (at least to moi) to be something of a love triangle! Love it.

3. Old friends will be back. "It's true. You haven't seen the last of Martha Logan," Jean Smart tells me. "But I haven't even read what I'm going to do yet." So it'll be a while before we see the Logans—yes, Martha's hubby the former prez (Gregory Itzin) will be back, too. As for Kim Raver (Audrey), she says only, "I might [be back]. Maybe. My commitment this year was to The Nine and now we are trying to figure that out. I am leaving that to the producers." (And as you'll soon see, Jack has not forgotten about her!)

4. New friends are coming, too. Chad Lowe has signed on to several episodes this season. He'll be playing a savvy politician named Reed Pollock. And Rena Sofer (she's everywhere, is she not?!) will step in, too. When asked which side her character will be, she says, "I'm tainted by bad, but I think I'm good. I play Paul McCrane's wife."

5. The end of the fourth episode will leave you speechless. Seriously. I can't even talk about it. It's that insane.

Best BCS Game This 2007 Year......

(Drum - Roll Please) And the winner is the Boise St. Broncos who had a wonderful comeback victory in overtime to beat Coach Stoops and his Oklahoma Sooners. Boise had two big plays that helped them come back to win. The first play was the "Hook and Ladder" that was so wonderfully executed to the key for a touchdown in the 4th quarter. Then in overtime they went for a 2pt conversion instead of kicking a extra point for the tie. The 2 pt conversion ended up being the "Statue of Liberty" play which once again was an absolute masterpiece of a play. My hat goes off to the undefeated 13-0 Boise St. Broncos... You were so deserving to win the game and in my book you should have went to the National Championship game against Ohio St. Look out here is a program coming up from the Horizon.