"There WIll Be A Day" Jeremy Camp

A Friend Shared this Video with Me and Now I Share it WIth You.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

To all Mothers on Mother's Day (especially mine)....

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

and on a lighter note...

Yes, Another Spider!

I've heard it said that Knowledge is Power. Indeed, phobias can be cured through knowledge and awareness. This is how I have been dealing with mild form of arachnophobia. Since moving to Tennessee I have felt the need to read up and study about all the animals and insects that I may encounter so that one, I can identify them, and two, I can appreciate and respect them.

Toady's post is dedicated to the wolf spider. This is one of the scariest spiders I have seen so far. They are about the size of a quarter and can be as big as 2 inches in size. The reason they are called "wolf" spiders is due to their stalking nature of hunting their prey. They do not spin webs, but instead wander around and stalk their prey. Are they poisonous? I guess you could say that all spiders have some type of venom and wolf spiders are no different. According to Wikipedia.com ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider ), "Wolf spiders may or may not be aggressive but will inject venom freely if continually provoked. Symptoms of their venomous bite include swelling, mild pain and itching. Though usually considered harmless to humans, the bite of some species may be painful. Another source ( http://www.termite.com/spider-identification.html ) states that wolf spiders are non aggressive, but venomous and should be considered dangerous to humans.

So without further ado let us see what a Middle Tennessee wolf spider looks like...

Building a Brick Grill

I'm thinking about building a homemade brick grill in my yard. Here are some photos of brick grills for ideas.

Too basic. Plus, I don't like the open front part of the pit

Interesting, maybe or maybe not.

Nice, but to elaborate.

This one uses concrete cinder blocks instead of red bricks. I like the closed front part of the pit.

Too rigged, but nevertheless provocative.

Um, too ornately religously inconic - but cute :)

What I'm looking for in a grill...

1. I'm open to cinderblocks, but prefer red brick

2. I would rather have a closed front to the pit.

3. The grill plate should be at least waist high.

4. I think incorporating a platform on the ouside of the grill would be smart. Need a place to put tools and dishes.

5. Considering a smoker component, but not critical

Any ideas...?

An Unwelcomed Quest

Found this little guy in my garage this morning; a male black widow spider. Notice the red stripes on is back. The males don't have the hourglass mark they have red stripes. Finding the male tells me, one, he hasn't mated with the female yet (the female kills the male after they mate) and two he won't mate with any females anymore - if you catch my drift. Middle Tennessee has alot of spiders. Stay tuned for more spider postings. By the way, the male is not poisonous.

Tennessee's State Bird...

The Crane Fly!

Just Kidding :)

The NFL Draft 2009 - My Top Ten Picks

Here it goes.

1. Lions, QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia

2. Rams, T Eugene Monroe, Virgina

3. Chiefs, LB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest

4. Redskins( from Seahawks), QB Mark Sanchez, Southern Cal

5. Browns, DL B.J. Raji, Boston College

6. Bengals, T Jason Smith, Baylor

7. Raiders, WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri

8. Jaguars, WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech

9. Packers, T Andre Smith, Alabama

10. 49ers, DE-LB Brian Orakpo, Texas

This Reminded me of Dad

With Dad's passing on to Heaven in January, I have been drawn to books, poems, songs, anything that talks about or mentions Heaven. The following "sermon jam" by Ravi Zacharias reminds me of Dad. Please listen to in it's entirety (only a few minutes long) and be blessed.

http://www.relevantrevolution.com/mp3/ravi-lord.mp3

The Drive from McMinnville to Nashville in Pictures

**sorry for the resolution, the pictures were taken with my cell phone.

Where the drive begins

Woodbury at 6am. A typical early morning fog in Middile Tennessee

Somewhere between Woodbury and Murfreesboro

The Nashville Skyline

And last but not least The Titans Stadium with the Nashville Skyline in the background

Psalms 139

http://tinyurl.com/d3cfs7
Psalms 139 is probably my favorite chapter in the Bible. Such a wonderful display of God's omniscience!

verse 6, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain."

Nashville Week

I will be driving to and from Nashville all this week. The trip is about 1 hour and 20 minutes one way. I'm involved in all day Microsoft Visual Studio seminars. It's a long day and I am exhausted. The drive from McMinnville to Murfreesboro (the half way point) is soooo beautiful. Tomorrow I will post some pictures of the scenery.

Ta Ta for now,
Phil

Good Morning!

Today is rainy and icky in McMinnville, but it's not stopping the squirrels from running across the yard. I'm waiting for my Beagle to discover them :)

Gina and I are joining our new Church family today. The church is Cornerstone Baptist in McMinnville. Here's the web site: http://cornerstonemcminnville.com/ . This is bitter sweet, because of our love for our previous church in Wind Gap, PA http://sbnbc.org . But life moves on and God has His purposes for us here in Tennessee for now. I am excited to see how God will use us in our new church.

Ta Ta for now,
Phil

The First Blog

Today is my first Blog. This blog is setup to keep in touch with my family and friends; especially those who live far away from our rural home in Middle Tennessee. Since I cannot be with everyone in person, I thought I would use this blog to share my special and yes trivial moments here in nowheresville Tennessee. Feel free to also checkout and follow my Twitter page http://twitter.com/PhilGeissler . Let the excitement (yawn) begin :)