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Fun contest and giveaway

My friend TwoBarkingDogs is having a fun contest and a giveaway; go to her blog http://twobarkingdogs.wordpress.com and vote on what she should make for dinner; she has a wide range of choices that all sound good; she is giving away a $10 gift card for Barnes and Noble or a box of books from her collection! So stop by and vote and leave her a comment. She is very smart and I think probably well read so I think I will opt for the books from her collection: I haven't really been reading like I used to; I read blogs,message boards and you know ; our ever increasing magazine collection; that new Romantic Home issue was wooo! And my new fall Country Sampler; well, I do devour them. But it sure would be nice to read some "real" books.
Hurry; the voting closes Saturday August 2!!!

Also, I found a new web board for prim lovers; (well, it is new to me) called Creative Home Keepers; http://www.queenkeeper.proboards59.com ; please join and add to the fun! There are so many neat things there I was up til 2:00 a.m. reading and still haven't seen everything. They do have recipes for primmin' up stuff, decor ideas, and pictures; it is a great forum for prim and country lovers!

Just Thinkin'

Hi everyone; first I wanted to say; I just found a new blogger. Her name is Siri; she is at Gone Country in Bayport. She loves country and prims; she has a neat house and a beautiful dog named Stallion. Please stop by and support a new blogger. And the horseshoeing housewife too; she's not new, but she is funny and loves animals too; even the icky ones! Hey, Shanda, look at her snakes! EWWWW!

And now, on to my other business;;; I have two items for thought
1.) SPOILED!!! Doggies! (mine) Y'all know I love ALLLLLL my doggies (babies) but ole Murphy has always gotten under my skin especially ( gee, no, really?) So here's a snippet from today; his new sister Bitsy (AKA Sydney; the terror,no,no,not again!) decided that due to the fact that Murphy was trying to get up on the couch with his favorite PINK ring ( I know, but I don't care, he's my baby-baby-baby) and Ms. Bitsy decided to full out attack my boy. She managed to nip him good in his eye folds; but didn't harm his eyes! He fights back, but she is just a pill; it's mostly noise, but ever once in a while someone gets a tooth in a tender spot.

Well, he is a very sensitive soul, so after this humiliation, he was very sad. Dinner time came and he was still pouting. This is what bullies do; make 'em mad, they POUT and hold a grudge! Woo! So he's not going to eat; nope, not a bit. Well, his mommy feels for him and so this is what I do;
" Oh Murphy, why don't you eat a little for your mom?" "Please?" And so he nods at me and this is what I do; (taking the bits of kibble in my hand) " Around and around, up and down, over and under, and into Murphy-town" All the while moving the kibble in my hand to match the song I am singing for my Murphy. And, then after a couple rounds of the song, he eats. Yup, I know.

Now on to number 2; I am soooooo tired of commercials! I was watching tv tonight with my hubby and bullies. Every time you get into the plot of a show ; BAM! another commercial; and I know why they are there; blah blah blah; but here's my take on it; I told my hubby (and he said I should share this, and the Murph story with you all ) that if an alien came to this planet he or she would think we are mainly comprised of bald men with erectile dysfunction who need to be in the bathroom forever, have to talk on their Jitterbug cuz they are too mentally impaired to use a real cell phone, and are all on the Silver plan from Nutri-System, driving around town on their Hover Rounds! Don't get me started on the women's issues; We are all on pills to get the four times a year period, at which time we wear Playtex tampons which make us into super athletes! We also have issues with bladder control, fragile bones and feminine itch! Are these things connected to the use of the tampons previously mentioned?? Huh? Yow!!! And wheteher we are male or female; let's not forget; irregularity!!! ARRRGH!!!!!!

Okay;;; calmer now. So now you know; oh yeah, I am one crazy country girl;;;;

On the sane side; we went for a short ride around the area yesterday; I was happy to ride as I had not for a while; and I got to see some of my favorite houses. Also a funny sign that I need to take my truck back to photograph; it appears that someone is running for a local office by the name of Horny!!! I almost fell off my bike and peed my pants ( I guess I do need those Poise pads after all!) And that is what the sign says: HORNY; underneath it is the office sought in small letters. Jay Leno would love that! It appears that this person is not too popular in that area at least as this was the only sign I saw; the sign was in the front yard of a home on our route.

I did work on my grungy jars and have to put the finishing touches on tomorrow; I'll post a pic of some tomorrow;

Mr. Murphy and the Wheat Field

I wanted to share a funny story with you today. You have to understand that Murphy and Niles were raised initially as "city dogs". They had their leashes ( we call 'em "walkies" or "walky-walkies") So when I found our country home, the boys ( this was before the girls came ) were not so sure about this; Niles, in particular, when we first came to the house, looked at me like I was crazy. I tried to take them out of the minivan we had then (AKA the BTV; bulldog transport vehicle) and told them "come on". They both refused to leave the van; here's the "conversation": "Boys, come on you are home, we can go off-walky" Boys, " What, no walkies. are you trying to kill us" Me" No, really, it's okay!" Them" We only go off walky in the dog park, THIS is NOT the dogpark!" Me " No but this is now your own bully dog park"

After much hemming and hawing, they finally left the safety of the van, acting as if I were indeed plotting their demise. Niles walked around the front of the house and came running back to me. He did this several times; always looking up at me like" is okay, you sure is okay?" Murphy never left my side. He did go water a tree that was very close to me.

I took them out in the back; there is nothing but land as far as the eye can see. I love this. I have no one on either side of me for miles; there is a neighbor across the street kinda "catty-corner" I guess, but not right up on top of me. Then her son lives I guess about half a mile or so down from us to the west on the same side. So, we have ROOM to breathe. Over time, the boys morphed into "country dogs". They love their huge dog park!

Well, most of the land around my house is owned by the man that originally rented this house to me; later we bought it from him ( and not cause I like this house very much, but because of the land/space) This year, he planted wheat; and I think over by his dad's home some corn.

Mr. Murphy is pretty much the color of the wheat. From the time it began to shoot up, Murphy would go out and watch it, sniff and and yes, water and fertilize it! LOL. After a while, it got nice and tall. Murphy loved to go into it and hide from his mom; he would wander into it and be the big canine adventurer; seeking out new lands to explore! ( I think he watches too many of those nature shows with his dad) It became so thick I couldn't see him. I am overprotective of him, so I would chase him out.

He did not care for that; he would fuss and walk as slowly as possible! Bullies are very passive-aggressive at times; and they back talk a lot. He often was found eating on the wheat. YIKES! So on we went; Murphy hiding and me fussing at him to stay out of the wheat. I think he loved hiding from us and watching us secretly; I think he wants to be a canine spy!

You know what happens to all crops eventually; they HARVEST them. Oh no! Yup, they came one day and brought the big John Deere ( which the boys love!) and then it was gone. I took all the babies out that evening to play; Murphy made a beeline for his beloved wheat; then he SAW it; OH NO!!!!! MY WHEAT HAS BEEN STOLEN!!!

He gave me a look like I stole his wheat, I told him the farmers needed to take it; he was so upset he stomped right into the field and smelled every bit of the wheat bits that were left. And now, everyday, when we go out, he looks for his wheat to grow up again. I have explained to him that it probably won't grow up again this year, but Murphy has faith in his wheat. He often sits out there surveying " his land" and his field where the wheat once hid his secret bully doings. And he waits.

More Generous Bloggers

Okay here is another wonderful item being given away by another wonderful, generous blogger. Joanne at the Carter Clan is giving away this wonderful prim toolbox. Please visit her blog and enter; plus she has some wonderful stories to share as well! Good luck!!!

The house/kitchen of my dreams!

Wow! I was traveling around blogland today and found this! What talent!!! They made the cabinets and the island! The sink is one I have always wanted for my kitchen! I'll take it all! This was on the Yellow Farmhouse's blog; see my favorites for the link. These are truly some talented people.

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/slideshow/563558705zkrjcc

My First Blog Award!

Woo-Hoo! I got my very first blog award today!!! Thank you to Two Barking Dogs who has been a great blogging friend since the beginning. She and Shanda from Front Porches have really been there from the beginning. I love this blog land! Ok; so I have to post the rules;
These are the rules associated with this award:
You must pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award, based upon creativity, design, interesting material, and that also contribute to the blogger community, no matter what language.
Each award must have the name of the author with a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
Award-winners must show the award and put the name and link to the blog that awarded it.
Award-winners and the one who has given the prize must show the link to the Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
These rules must be included in your post.
Ow! This is so hard to pick just FIVE: all the blogs I read are worthy of this award!!!!
I wanted to nominate Shanda at Front Porches; but that girl is sooooooo popular she has already gotten it twice :) And, then I would have chosen Two Barking Dogs, but she is the one who gave me this award!! She is still special in my book; so anyway; without further hemming and hawing here they are;
Cheryl at http://canadiancountrygal.blogspot.com
Sharon at http://redgeraniumcottage.typepad.com
Meg at http://menopausethrumargaritaville.com (AKA Lucchese to Louis Vuitton )
Kate at http://pinetreesonthemoor.blogspot.com
Mandie at http://lifeinthecraftlanewithmandie.blogspot.com
I hope I did this right ; woo it was hard to choose; you all are so terrific; and so many of you have been awarded multiple times so you must be the best! Congrats to everybody; and again THANKS to twobarkingdogs!

Blog Giveaway

Go to deardaisycottage.typepad.com and enter for a treasure filled giveaway and the blog is fantastic too; I have to stop finding so many great blogs; I hardly watch TV anymore! In Blogland, there are NO COMMERCIALS!!!! LOL:0( I have added the link in my favorites) Merrie

Another blog giveaway

Please go see Tammy at CountryGirlat Home; http://www.countrygirlathome.blogspot.com She is giving away some beautiful prim star shutters which I want desperately!!! But if I cannot; then I hope my friends will win. Also please visit her ETSY shop http://www.CountryGirlatHome.ETSY.com She has the shutters for sale and they are reasonable; please heart her too! You will love these; make sure you leave a comment on her blog! Have fun; Merrie

Doggie Days

I feel badly that I haven't posted much this week; our puppy Sydney (we call her Bitsy cause she WAS a little bit of bulldog, but she answers to both; Sydney is usually used when someone is being a little "bad" ) was spayed on the 16th. She is recuperating well! I thought perhaps the meds would slow her down but no! She has to be quiet and not play for 10-14 days; this is almost impossible. She is a big ball of energy even after the surgery. We don't want to crate her all day, so we have her in our bedroom away from her siblings. She is often vocal about this situation. Her siblings are not happy either. They are ALL depressed and keep giving me the "what did she do wrong?" look. As well as the " let my sister go look" coupled with the guilt inducing whines.

Zoey spent all day yesterday moping around depressed: she got her entire body up in our window when I took the puppy out for a potty yesterday; the vet said she has to stay away from the others, they will encourage her to play and she could develop a hernia which would be bad; she also cannot run,jump,play,bark or any other puppy thing!!! Well, we gave her the puppy Xanax ( I don't really know what it is, but that is the general notion) twice now, and she is not affected much. I always think that she and Niles have doggy ADHD!

Niles was depressed this morning and had me worrying; his siblings all cuddled on top of him to comfort him! He is fine; but they really are so bonded to each other that it is hard to divide them. If we have to take one to the vet we have to be really tricky; once when my daughter had to take Niles to the vet, Murphy got mad at her and tried his best to prevent her from leaving with his brother; well, she succeeded in eluding Murphy, but when she returned he had chewed her shoes up real good! And this was at a time when he no longer did that type of thing.

These bulldogs have the biggest hearts and are extremely sensitive. They know when I am not feeling well and will comfort me; Niles stayed up nights on end with me when my gallbladder was acting up. I sat in the tub to alleviate the pain at 2:00 a.m. once and Niles stayed in the bathroom with me. When I would sit on the couch,he would sit next to me and kiss me or put his beautiful head on my lap. He often would come over to me and sit next to me leaning on me gently. He liked to lean over and look me in the eyes and would give me soft gentle kisses. He always knew how to touch me without hurting me. Niles is such a gentle soul when need be despite his "ADHD".

Murphy is the same way, but he won't stay up all night with me; he will, however, sleep near me wherever I am in the house, sometimes on top of me. He often will sit with me for a while and will give me lots of special Murph kisses. Zoey is the same way; she will paw me, and often has a questioning look on her face; she gives lots of doggie kisses too!

These bully babies are so special to us; we didn't know anything about Bulldogs other than what we had read. The books left a lot out! They forgot the fact that these lil bugs are sooo smart; Zoey is, while I type this, trying to convince me that she needs me to let her have her puppy back! She has kissed my leg, given me the paw so gently( this is not the usual way she paws me, which is generally quite rough!) and used the most evil bully trick of all; the big orphan eye treatment!!! She seems to feel that Bitsy is her baby and she doesn't want me to keep her from the baby. Zoey is now pacing around the living room. I am "supposed" to come in there and she will then show me what she wants!

She is back in here now; wiggling and kissing me; and has now given me the paw; followed by woofing and growl talking to me! This is how they communicate; they talk to us with growls and different vocalizations. They are truly the most wonderful babies, even when they are stinkers they are cute about it.

I followed Zoey; she went right to the puppy gate across my bedroom doorway. The puppy was asleep. finally, in one of the snoozys. Zoey couldn't see her so she was anxious. Of course, when I looked in, Bitsy popped her head right up. Hopefully she will go back to sleep! She needs it. Zoey is now sleeping on the rug in here with me, happy to know that her baby is okay. Good Grief!!!

Well, I'll have more later on other topics; hoping to get pictures of my thrift store/farmers market/garage sale finds!

QUILT GIVEAWAY !!!!

Hey y'all; go to http://www.oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/ and enter or click on the picture, or use the link in my favorite addictions, I hope I win it, but if I don't, hope it is one of you!!! It is a beautiful quilt and the site is full of fun things. I think it ends on the 22nd of July; but check the website to be sure, but hurry; there are ways to get extra entries too!

Blog Give Away!

Hurry over to Tonya at Back Porch Pickins; she is giving away some beautiful items; you can find her at www.backporchpickins.blogspot.com If this doesn't work she is in my blog list!!! Good Luck!!!

Bein' Country

Today I decided to share some thoughts I have been having on the subject of bein' country. Since "discovering" blogs, I have been wandering around the "blogosphere" and reading so many wonderful blogs. And, if you read one, then you connect to more and more. It grows exponentially!

So.. I find myself learning through other blogs. I like the daily glimpses into others lives; their style of living, their creativity, their families and their philosophies.

Now I have been mulling this over for a few days; whether or not to share these thoughts. Since it is my blog I reckon I will.

Here's how it began: I was wandering; see above: I found a delightful blog that I read through and the author advised she was now a country gal like me. The part that bothered me I guess is that after reading through so many wonderful posts, I discovered one that made me think about my blog, my readers ( all two of you LOL ) and what bein' country is all about for me. And this is my opinion.

Bein' country is NOT about where you live; it is a mindset. I have lived in many types of places; but I always knew I was country. I clean up good to go to town and can speak ( and write ) proper English ( when I have to LOL). But I have The South in me real good! My Daddy always said don't act ugly, and I sure try not to. I write my blog primarily for me; I'm sure most do, and I hope others visit and enjoy themselves. There is a spirit of generosity in all the bloggers I have so far encountered; they all seem to want to share their lives and their knowledge with others.

Their creativity! What a treasure. WOO! These women that I visit are so creative and talented. This blogging thing gives many of us a real voice that might otherwise go unheard. I have "met" so many nice women on these blogs. I have learned so much, I have been inspired and have felt uplifted by so many of you. That is why I guess I felt the need to share this with you and maybe that other blogger will learn a little bit too.

She said she didn't like blogs with music; my answer ( after I thought about it ) is that I have a little ole' button on my laptop that instantly shuts off the speakers. Voila! No music; takes less than half a second. My take on the music is this; I have been able to listen to such a wide variety of music on your blogs; I love to share in what you listen to; it helps me get a feel for your personality and I have found new music that I may never have found any other way. So play that music; I love it. If you don't have music on your blog, that's okay too; it's your blog! I'll still read it anyway.

Point two; she said something in regard to spelling and proper English; I'm not an English teacher; I read your blogs for inspiration. Ihave been a fussbudget about spelling at times because I feel it is quickly becoming a lost art ( okay,watch Headline News; the ticker is always misspelling things; they are PROFESSIONALS for goodness sake! ) Our local news is horrific; they misspell everything; HOOSTON for Houston for example! But, here; in blogland I just don't care. Y'all can spell stuff however you like! I haven't had any trouble reading and understanding y'all, I read this for fun, not to be critical. I think you should write in your own voice, however that comes across to you. It's more interesting that way.

So how does ALL this tie in with being country; well y'all; when you ARE COUNTRY, you don't need to go around pointing out other folks mistakes; you work on cleaning up your own, Graciousness is a big part of bein' country. We have to find the good in others, and praise that. I know I'm guilty of bein' picky at times, but I'm still learning. Y'all out there in blog land are good teachers. I appreciate that. Glad I found ya'.

When you are country, it isn't about where you LIVE, it is what is in your heart and soul. Country folks are helpful, they have a spirit of generosity and kindness. They share openly with others. They have a spirituality that does not thrive on putting others down to make themselves feel superior. I always say that smart people don't need to announce they are smart. I live in the country, but more importantly, the country lives in me.

I thank you all, including the anonymous blogger I referred to here. She made me think in depth about what I do, and that is GOOD because without examination of ourselves, we cannot grow; if we don't grow ,we become stagnant and eventually die. So keep up the good work all of you, I'll be by to visit and chat, y'all stop by too.

I can't promise I won't make mistakes, but knowing y'all, you will help me learn from them in a kind fashion as many of you have already done thus far. Keep up the good work. And thanks to Two Barking Dogs for helping me when I began; otherwise I would never have known how to post so y'all could read it! She is a gem; go read her blog too!

Heaven and Dogs

Something I would like to share that was in my email inbox; hope you like it:

Heaven and Dogs
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble.
At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like Mother of Pearl , and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.
He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"
"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.
"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.
"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up." The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
"Excuse me!" he called to the reader. "Do you have any water?"
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there". The man pointed to a place that couldn't be seen from outside the gate. "Come on in."
"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.
"There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.
The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them.
"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.
"This is Heaven," was the answer.
"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates?
Nope. That's Hell."
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No. I can see how you might think so, but we're just happy that they screen out the folks who'll leave their best friends behind."

Dragons in Midland

It has been a very scary beginning to July. My murphy became ill on the day before the holiday. The vet thinks something bit him as there were many doggies exhibiting the same symptoms as Murphy. By Sunday, he was well and back to himself; thank goodness. He worries the daylights out of me when he gets sick; as do they all!

So Sunday, we decided to visit my friend Janie's store; Moosebumps ( to be renamed soon; Shady Grove Country Store)She was having an auction. I had never been to one so off we went. Well, last week before the baby got sick I had finally made good on my promise to secure a spot at her store; and I dropped off my grungy, primmy jars and a very grunged up angel. On the way, I spied something I wanted to look at but being with my daughter who was being a big pill at the time, I decided to look at it later. Yesterday was "later" After sitting in the auction for a while to see how these things go, I remembered that I wanted to go to Menard's for plywood and being Sunday, they may close early. On the way we stopped to investigate my sighting of something interesting. Sure enough, there it was; a beautiful dragon. Soooo.... if there's one.... maybe..... there's more???
One of my favorites ( the first one I saw on my previous drive through )





Oh yes, many more! So I hippity hopped all around the downtown taking pictures to share with you of these beautiful sculptures installed in Midland ,MI . I also took some photos of the flowers and the river, they will be in a different album. I didn't want to put too many pictures on the blog because sometimes it makes loading the site lengthy. We also met a man with the most fantastic thing I have ever seen to play with; I am so plotting to get one!!!! It is called a trikke;
This is it; I am putting the link in here for it if you want to see it; It looked like way too much fun! This is Bryan, he sells them at his store in Midland. I HATE exercise, but this was right up my alley; and it works your whole body,you can go fast or slow; it is easy to learn and folds up into a small package, it is lightweight, but sturdy. WOOOOOO!

Well; hope you like the albums ; there are two new ones at Picasa; one with my babies and one with ALL the dragons. There will be more; I plan to create one with my "hand-dids" that will be for sale, And who knows what else my mind will wander into. I get so much creative inspiration from other blogs and in my wanderings. We didn't spend any money yesterday, except for gas ( and then dinner at the Ponderosa!) but it was such a wonderful, inspiring day for me.( And, I never got to Menard's; too much fun with the dragons, but that's okay by me!)

Now for the really, really best part of yesterday; I almost forgot!!!
My daughter met us for dinner and gave my husband his truck back (she borrowed it overnight)So after stopping at Tim Horton's for a box of Tim-Bits for my babies, I began to drive home. I see ahead of me a commotion; cars are stopping, horns are blowing; then I see it. A little dog. Looked like a Boston Terrier which I love; but then I love ALL dogs! ; I start saying "NONONONONONO!" Someone is going to hit this dog!; I immediately acted in instinct; I don't remember thinking at all! I drove off the side of the road to park and some jackass sped past me at a high rate of speed; right toward the doggie; I just knew he would be hit and it was right next to my truck; I screamed and covered my eyes. Well, his guardian angel was looking out for him! He scooted in front of those tires just barely missing being squashed.

I think he knew; I just jumped out and yelled at him to come over here now! He did! I threw him in my truck and jumped in behind him. He was sooooo cute and sweet!; He sat right down; and kissed me and hugged me. I was near tears. I couldn't imagine what I would have done if he had been killed. So I saw an older man up the road kinda looking; I thought; " oh good grief, he's gonna think I'm stealing his doggie!"

So, I drove down to him. He said it was not his doggie and he didn't recognize it; but we discovered a bunch of tags; they were worn, but the gentleman had glasses; I couldn't read doodly squat on the name tag! Well, his name " Titus" I phoned the number we "thought" it was; no luck, no one at home. So I left a message. In a couple of minutes my phone rang and it was Titus' owner; this little booger had gotten off his chain in the yard while the owner was power washing his house!; The man was looking in the wrong area for him.
And so, the saga of Titus came to a happy end; his owner was so happy, Titus was happy and I felt like I had contributed something good to the world. Cause there is nothing like the love of a dog!
Thanks Titus for those kisses and hugs; you are a special dog! (It turns out that Titus is a mix of Boston Terrier and Jack Russell; that explains his activity level right there)

So that has been my holiday week! I hope yours was great!

Links to albums;

Dragons of Midland,MI

Merrie's Photos

Happy July

I love the month of July. It is my birth month as well as my darling Murphy's. We are two days apart! And the Fourth of July!!!! Who doesn't love that? And in Canada, today is Canada Day; so Happy Canada Day!!!!! I miss that!
I found this quote in an email from a quilt shop I like, thought today would be a good day to share it with you.

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill,
we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,
support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.”
~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Remember the troops who keep us safe and the veterans who have done their part in the past, many at great sacrifice.