ALL THE REST —  July 5
  

Lichens

The Lichens can be found growing on rocks, tree branches, or bare ground. They do not have roots, stems, flowers or leaves. Lichens are actually two organisms that live together in a symbiotic relationship. They are composed of a green algae and a colorless fungus. This relationship is so perfectly developed and balanced that the two organisms behave as a single organism.

The colorless fungus has no chlorophyll and cannot manufacture it own food. The algae generally lives in an aquatic environment. It is vulnerable to the sun and requires moisture. The fungus completely enwraps the algae providing moisture and protection from the sun to the algae. The algae has chlorophyll and with the sun's energy produces food which the fungus can absorb. These two organisms can live together in a symbiotic relationship where neither organism could live by itself.

What a marvelous Architect of life God is. He has designed so very many forms of life. In his wisdom He has created the lichens. They are a living example of cooperation for us.

Source: The Handy Science Answer Book - Visible Ink .

For the Lord is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos.

"I am the Lord," he says, "and there is no other.

Isaiah 45:18(NLT)

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable."

Joseph Addison

 

 

TOP 10 EXCUSES FOR NOT PAYING A BILL

• 10. I just spent all of my money on Macarena lessons.

• 9. The only stamps I have left are my Elvis stamps, and I'm not using those.
  
• 8. I'd write you a check, but my pen just ran out of ink.
  
• 7. All of my money is tied up in junk bonds and mutual funds.
  
• 6. Hey, I can't give money to EVERYONE who calls me.
  
• 5. I'm not going to pay while Venus is in its current orbit.
  
• 4. My bank is closed until Autumn
  .
• 3. My bank is closed for the summer.
  
• 2. I made a payment LAST month.
  
• 1. I'm still waiting for Ed McMahon to stop by with my check.

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The Two brothers, 8 and 10 years old, were exceedingly mischievous. They were always in trouble. Their parents were at their wits' end trying to control them. Hearing about a minister nearby who worked with delinquent boys, they took the boys to him. He took the younger boy first into his office, and sat him down across from his huge, impressive desk. For about five minutes they just sat and stared at each other.

Finally, the minister pointed his forefinger at the boy and asked, "Where is God?" The boy looked under the desk, in the corners of the room, all around, but said nothing. Again, louder, the minister pointed at the boy and asked, "Where is God?" Again the boy looked all around but said nothing. A third time, in a louder, firmer voice, the minister leaned far across the desk and put his forefinger almost to the boy's nose, and asked, "Where is God?"

The boy panicked and ran all the way home. Finding his older brother, he dragged him upstairs to their room and into the closet, where they usually plotted their mischief. He finally said, "We're in BIIIIG trouble." The older boy asked, "What do you mean, BIIIIG trouble?" His brother replied, "God is missing and they think we did it."

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According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, a man once called to request the removal of deer-crossing signs on a road near his home. He explained that a number of deer had been hit at that location, and wanted the signs taken down because he didn't want the deer to cross there any more.

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The proud father brought home a backyard swing set for his children and immediately started to assemble it with all the neighborhood children anxiously waiting to play on it. After several hours of reading the directions, attempting to fit bolt A into slot B, etc., he finally gave up and called upon an old handyman working in a neighboring yard.

The old-timer came over, threw the directions away, and in a short while had the set completely assembled.

It's beyond me," said the father, "how you got it together without even reading instructions."

"To tell the truth," replied the old-timer, "I can't read, and when you can't read, you've got to think."

AdamsCathy@aol.com

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A pastor was giving a lesson to a group of children on the 23rd Psalm. He noticed that one of the little boys seemed disquieted by the phrase "Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life..." "What's wrong with that, Johnny?" the pastor asked.

"Well," answered Johnny, "I understand about having goodness and mercy, for God is good. But I'm not sure I'd like Shirley following me around all the time."

AdamsCathy@aol.com

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TRUE FACT ...

Humans begin laughing at two to three months of age. Six year olds laugh about 300 times per day, while adults laugh from 15 to 100 times per day.

SOURCE: NYT, Dr. William F. Fry, Stanford University

If you throw a cat out a car window does it become kitty litter? 

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~ July 4th Facts ~

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more.

Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British.

We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: freedom is never free!