tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87828399675201383282012-01-17T13:31:06.928-05:00Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-23710951384689788742012-01-17T13:31:00.000-05:002012-01-17T13:31:06.938-05:00

How Barack and Michelle Obama can truly honor Dr. Martin Luther King

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-62551206293591294982012-01-06T12:33:00.014-05:002012-01-06T12:59:18.638-05:00

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Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-79360980491787350252011-04-28T08:57:00.001-04:002011-04-28T09:01:25.803-04:00

Forgetfulness by Billy CollinsForgetfulnessThe name of the author is the first to gofollowed obediently by the title, the plot,the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novelwhich suddenly becomes one you have never read,never even heard of,as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbordecided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,to a little fishing village where there are no

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-32912924335573790582011-03-30T09:45:00.000-04:002011-03-30T09:47:12.923-04:00

Kurt Vonnegut once said," All persons, living and dead, are purely coincidental and should not be construed."

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-46427458186440508502010-12-25T15:32:00.000-05:002010-12-25T15:34:11.399-05:00

Sometimes the hardest part of the journey is believing you're worthy of the trip.

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-70892821034569675772010-12-25T15:30:00.002-05:002010-12-25T15:31:58.858-05:00

"You weren't an accident. You weren't mass produced. You aren't an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the earth by the Master Craftsman."Max Lucado (The Christmas Candle)

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-60762070215630164562010-12-25T15:27:00.000-05:002010-12-25T15:27:57.048-05:00

Sandra's Blog: Christmas gift suggestions:To your enemy, forgive...: "Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, ..."

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-65894058495714339442010-12-25T15:26:00.000-05:002010-12-25T15:27:27.454-05:00

Christmas gift suggestions:To your enemy, forgiveness.To an opponent, tolerance.To a friend, your heart.To a customer, service.To all, charity.To every child, a good example.To yourself, respect. Oren Arnold

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-26281633324642220432010-10-31T10:18:00.002-04:002010-10-31T10:22:33.339-04:00

Halloween’s origins date back thousands of years to the ancient Celtic festival called Samhain, pronounced sow-in.The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is the present day United Kingdom, Ireland and northern France, celebrated Samhain as their new year on November 1. This time marked the end of summer and harvest period and the beginning of the winter, which is a cold and dark

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-57250099973827992992009-01-18T11:04:00.003-05:002009-01-18T11:24:49.841-05:00

I’ve been trying to get a grip on myself since finishing The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which set off a whirlwind of feelings and thoughts that I haven't been able to share with anyone other than a fellow reader of this novel. The brilliant novel is a reworking along the themes of Hamlet, set in the author's home state, Wisconsin. David Wroblewski in his own words, wrote a story about "a boy and

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-18845611068106759162009-01-10T10:22:00.002-05:002009-01-10T10:27:42.157-05:00

"The things that will destroy us are:politics without principle;pleasure without conscience;wealth without work;knowledge without character;business without morality;science without humanity;and worship without sacrifice."~Mahatma Gandhi~

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-14675650316763842462009-01-01T09:36:00.004-05:002009-01-01T10:13:13.256-05:00

Ken, Sandra with friends - Patti, Phil and Terri at the Sanger's Nantahala Lake house 9-2008A friend sent the following to me this morning - January 1, 2009. Thinking about relationships with those who are near and dear to us and also with those who are the proverbial thorns in the side is a good way to begin a new year. I hope we will all learn to be kinder, gentler, more accepting and more at

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-56831923080907799332008-12-30T17:27:00.003-05:002008-12-30T17:36:56.176-05:00

The tiny dark dot in the surf is Shelby. While we were on the beach at Edisto Island. I gave the command to "get a bird," and he tried. It was a pelican by the way and probably bigger than Shelby. Now he knows he can swim and I know he is wise enough to turn around and head for shore when he's in over his head.

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-24787365163573666182008-12-19T08:37:00.002-05:002008-12-19T08:43:08.193-05:00

Lord, it is night. The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done; let it be. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-66611648405084344072008-12-06T15:13:00.005-05:002008-12-17T20:36:37.782-05:00

A GIFT2003Each piece of bubble wrap laid reverently around the tiny gift in the brown box feels like a flower placed on a grave. The loneliness washes over in a weak low-tide ripple. A gray sigh slides off her lips. She raises her head, eyes straying from her package-to-be. Her hands become still, but not her heart. It flutters and her attention rushes inward to that place to take full stock of

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-34478645938132596482008-11-03T21:29:00.003-05:002008-11-03T21:35:10.960-05:00

This is a picture of how a herding dog has put his herd inside a fence. There are several things wrong with this picture. There is no herd and there is no fence. However, Shelby makes do with what he is provided. He makes sure his tennis ball herd is securely kept in its place either under the sofa or in this very safe corner beside a defunct heating strip behind my computer desk. He's just a

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-19260130529414867612008-11-02T09:27:00.004-05:002008-11-02T09:37:43.643-05:00

Amanda Burbank and her trusty steed, Onyx. Pictures taken October, 2008

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-65846547881679496822008-10-29T19:32:00.003-04:002008-10-29T19:34:44.551-04:00

Jewel and Ben's Maggie is dressed for trick or treating - she is a treat herself - a sweet little dog.

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-19476657579950486852008-10-29T19:00:00.003-04:002008-10-29T19:11:00.116-04:00

This is a picture of Ken, me, Patti Connelly, Phil and Terri Sanger at Phil and Terri's rental house on Nantahala Lake. They graciously invited us to come enjoy it with them and the Connellys for a weekend in September. So, we did and had a wonderful time.

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-18350116895417060172008-10-12T17:13:00.002-04:002008-10-12T17:31:58.125-04:00

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same, And both that morning

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-8048462123847317332008-08-14T10:16:00.004-04:002008-08-14T11:05:14.525-04:00

My sister, Deb asks: “What is your favorite movie, book, poem and song and why?” Honestly, I am a creature of whimsy and open to the new experience. I usually say my favorite is the book I’m reading or the song I am listening to at the time. I like “palate cleansers” from Alexander MacCall Smith, Rita Mae Brown, Preston and Child if the literary going gets rough. I enjoy mystical stories, such as

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-22377894808073950022008-07-06T08:27:00.010-04:002008-12-10T18:00:16.704-05:00

This goes without saying. My mother is a very special person. She's pictured above with one of her dear friends, Charlene Becker at the Biltmore Conservatory. They are fellow quilters and spend many happy hours together. After my mother read the latest Jackson County Friends of the Main Library Bookworm Bulletin newsletter, she decided she could help with the new library fundraising by donating

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-35564844855833531962008-06-23T08:07:00.005-04:002008-12-10T18:00:16.910-05:00

Surreal means strange, weird, odd, unreal, dreamlike, fantastic and/or bizarre. All these words can be used to describe my Wal Mart adventures. When I leave my car in the Wal Mart parking lot, I understand I am entering a shoppers' Twilight Zone. There's the time I was in the stationary aisle picking out a pocket calendar when a man stopped his cart to expound on the merits of each one displayed.

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-91941156071572690872008-06-08T09:14:00.002-04:002008-12-10T18:00:17.075-05:00

This picture appears with an article in the current issue of The Sylva Herald about the Sylva Garden Club's recent state and national awards . The picture was taken a year ago when I was still a member. On my immediate left is the president of the Sylva Garden Club, Peggy Hurt. Peggy is the soul of Sylva Garden Club and has devoted years of service to this working organization. She is a

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-74432668936695439952008-05-09T07:55:00.002-04:002008-05-09T08:26:27.631-04:00

My sister wrote a special piece honoring our mother for Mother's Day on her blog. I was puzzled about how to do the same and yet not echo her sentiments. Realizing that each child in the same family have different parents due to their birth position, I tried to think about my mother's and my relationship.I have a very young, vibrant person for my mother. Since I'm the first-born, I was the trial

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-86934277428596375542008-03-31T10:08:00.004-04:002008-12-10T18:00:17.412-05:00

http://www.citizen-times.com/Annual Orchid Show"Ken and Sandra Burbank of Cullowhee admire the orchids during the WNC Orchid Society Annual Show Sunday. The couple is celebrating their 12 year anniversary by visiting the Arboretum. "We really thought it was a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary among the orchids," says Sandra. 3/30/08 - Erin Brethauer (ebrethau@citizen-times.com)" Our

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-39457666451010923842008-03-31T08:23:00.002-04:002008-03-31T10:03:54.150-04:00

I'm concerned about cute shoes. I know this may be considered frivolous by some, but I just can't help it. I also worry that it is the tip of the iceberg of concerns about other things, like cute clothes, cute hair, cute purses, cute tote bags, cute accessories and so on. Now, I have to make a clarification about this particular concern I'm labeling cuteness. I think I am not the only one who

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-8386348972241472932008-03-30T10:01:00.006-04:002008-12-10T18:00:17.701-05:00

Ken and I celebrate twelve years of marriage today. It's an earthshaking experience to enjoy "true love." His love and devotion changed my life and me. With his encouragement I have the freedom to evolve and grow up and out. I give thanks every day for him and our life together.With A Flower I hide myself within my flower,That wearing on your breast,You, unsuspecting, wear me too --And

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-81883411576067693322008-03-25T09:05:00.005-04:002008-12-10T18:00:17.892-05:00

I hear the trilliums have begun to bloom in Cane Creek and Moses Creek woods. They are lovely spring ephemerals, appearing either singly or in crowds to delight the eye, beginning in early spring. Although the thermometer stood at 16 degrees this morning, still the flowers bloom. Their signal is not the temperature. We sorely need their presence to remind us. March was known in earlier days as

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-28336935836347003342008-03-24T10:16:00.012-04:002008-12-10T18:00:18.139-05:00

For too many years I fell out of bed at least five days a week, threw on my clothes, grabbed my steaming travel cup and bolted out of the house. That mad rush is a thing of the past. I recently resolved to participate in St. David's 8 a.m. Mindfulness Meditations during Easter Week. When Michael asked yesterday during coffee who planned to come, I raised my hand (just a little). That sealed my

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-36448490178397179682008-03-23T10:26:00.002-04:002008-12-10T18:00:18.382-05:00

Easter makes me think of . . . . . . . .

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8782839967520138328.post-75665653483288971422008-03-22T15:10:00.005-04:002008-12-10T18:00:18.866-05:00

Saturday AfternoonMarch 22, 2008Ken is spending the day painting walls and ceilings in the hall and bathroom. I am spending my time making hot cross buns. I am having fun, but I am not sure he is. See the wall switch above his head in the picture? He found by accident today there are two (not one) live feeds to it. He flipped one circuit breaker and proceeded to work on the switch. I heard loud

Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01376457521043460848noreply@blogger.com0