Cat's Meow Collectibles

For those of you that collect "Cat's Meow" items the Salisbury Fire Department Auxiliary has for sale commemorative plaques of the old Salisbury Fire Headquarters and the new Station 16 fire house. These plaques are of limited quantity and as with all cat's meow plaques they will be of collector interest in the future.

The mission Statement for the SFD Auxiliary is:


The Salisbury Headquarters Auxiliary exists to support the Salisbury Fire Department by providing assistance when necessary and carrying out varied programs to enhance the effective guidelines and policies set forth by the Salisbury Fire Department. We base our core values on honesty, integrity, teamwork, commitment to excellence, knowledge, creativity, respect and a balanced life.

The Auxiliary responds to the larger fire alarms such as house fires, as well as extended calls such as the horse rescue at Pemberton Historical Park . We provide drinks and food when the firefighters need to be rehabed on the scene, dry shirts when theirs are cold and wet, moral support in the time of devastation, and strength when needed. The Auxiliary helps the Salisbury Fire Dept when they are hosting meetings at Station 16. We have prepared meals for Open Houses, the County Ladies Auxiliary meetings, County Fire Association meetings, State Fire Chief's Association meetings, and the Chamber of Commerce. The Auxiliary serves the community during Fire Prevention Education Week. We have created programs that are held at the Wicomico County Public Library during that week. The programs are age based and are held several times during Fire Prevention Week. We are currently doing research in order to create programs for EMS Week.The Auxiliary raises funds to cover the expense of the supplies that we need when we respond to the fire scene during a call. We also use these funds to cover the cost of any Fire Prevention Education materials that we cannot obtain for free.

I was with the SFD for nearly 30 years and I can assure you the auxiliary has more than once been a welcome presence on the scene of extended operations. Hot coffee or cold drinks and sandwiches more than once made the difference for the men and women working the incident. Won't you kindly support this important addition to the SFD and purchase one or both plaques for you home or current collection.

For purchase information contact Beverly Tull @ 443.235.1423 Thanks!

Mt. Rushmore----A Different Perspective

I've always been a bit of a penny pincher so when the salesman offered the bargain tour of Mt. Rushmore I jumped on it. He assured me we would get closer to the monument than most folks ever have, and see it in a perspective that is seldom published.

Little did I know the bus trip only toured the back side of the memorial.

Jump Rope for the Heart

Hey everybody! A friend of mine son came home from school this past week all excited about an event they are having for the American Heart Association called "Jump Rope for the Heart" This event is best described here:

"Jump Rope For Heart engages elementary students in jumping rope while raising funds to support lifesaving heart and stroke research. Students ask friends and family for donations and receive thank-you gifts based on the dollars they raise. This educational program teaches physical fitness and promotes the value of community service to students and their families. It shows students that they can contribute to their community's welfare. "

( from AHA website)

The young lad I'm talking about is Chance Wells and by clicking on the title of this post you will be taken to his website where donations can be made.

Now the minimum the website will accept on credit card is $25.00 but any amount can be contributed and will be greatly appreciated. To donate less than $25.00 e-mail me at dalpuppy2000@yahoo.com and I will send you directions to get your donation to Chance.

Thanks in advance from Chance Wells and the Salisbury Soapbox for helping with this worthwhile event.

Pentagon Memorial Dedication, 9-11-08

This was sent to me by a friend in Cambridge. I don't remember seeing anything promoting this event or even reporting it. Somehow I thing at best it got a little blurb on the news and was forgotten. Click on the title of this post to be taken to the site for the slide show. It may take a few minutes to load so please be patient. The slide move along pretty fast so if you want to look at one for more than a second or two you will have to pause the show.

Enjoy!

Never Forget 9-11-01

It's Cold Out There!

Today while doing a few errands before the football games I happened to go by the fountain in Salisbury City Park and saw it had pretty much turned into a huge piece of ice. With temps in the single digits and teens for several day this is not an unusual sight but it is always fascinating to see. I went over and took a few photos and while there I stepped around to the side away from Main St. to look at the memorial place there in 2000 for Wilmer "Will" Elliott who was the director of Salisbury Public Works from 19195 to October 1999. I only had a couple of

opportunities to speak to Mr. Elliott while he employed with the city but I can assure you he was a man of his word and he was all for the people that worked not only for him at Public Works and every City employee.

Many of you may remember Will perished in a terrible plane crash on October 31, 1999 along with former Chief of Police Coulborne Dykes and the pilot of the small plane. Will and Coulborne were great friends and were on a hunting trip when the accident occurred.


The memorial was presented to the City by the members of Public Works as a lasting tribute to a man respected and adored by all who knew him.

R.I.P. Mr Elliott. You are certainly missed.

Brooke Mulford Benefit

The owner's of Market Street Inn, Rob and Amy Mulford, are experiencing a parents worst nightmare. Their 4 year old daughter, Brooke, has been diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare cancer primarily found in infants and small children. Rob, Amy and Brooke are currently spending every moment at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia with Brooke has her tests and treatments continue.

Michelle Thomas of the Bank of Delmarva along with the staff and management of Market Street are holding "Brooke Day" at the restaurant on Sunday - January 18th from 11am till 11pm. Lunch is served from 11 to 4 and dinner from 4 to 11pm and reservations are recommended. This event will be an attempt to raise funds for the Mulfords as they struggle through these trying times with their daughter.

As part of this event I have arranged to have some former Baltimore Orioles players and current coaches to be there to sign autographs and try to help with the fundraising efforts. They will be on hand from 1 - 3pm to sign and mingle with the crowd. Also appearing will be "Sherman" from the Shorebirds, he'll be on hand from 1:30 till 2:30pm.

Here is a list of the players and coaches for the autograph session:

Ryan Minor - Former O's infielder (replaced Cal Ripkin) and current Shorebirds Coach
Gary Kendall - Former Shorebirds Manager and current Aberdeen Ironbirds Manager
Dave Schuler - Former Shorebirds Pitching Coach and former major league pitcher with Angels & Braves
Ross Grimsley - Former O's pitcher and current Pitching Coach with Augusta Greenjackets
Bill Swaggerty - Former O's Pitcher and current Commissioner of JSB Baseball
Tim Nordbrook - Former O's infielder

It's going to be a fun filled day at the restaurant and we hope to raise a lot of money for Brooke.

If you could post this I would appreciate it.

Bryan Adkins

Bryan is a former member of the Salisbury Fire Department and a huge Orioles fan. Bryan took an early retirement from SFD many years ago to pursue other interests but he often attends the bi-weekly retirees breakfast at Dayton's. Thanks Bryan for all you have done to get players and Orioles staff to attend this benefit to help Brooke and her family.

For more information on neuroblastoma click on this link:

http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/2868.cfm?utm_source=AdWords

A Comment Worthy of a Post.

I received this comment today from Pitney Bowes. I put it up as a post to Thank You for reading this blog and participating in their program. The "Christmas Cards for American Soldiers" post was published on this blog on November 22, 2008. I have no idea how Pitney Bowes got the info about this blog or the other blogs that put the word out but their message is clearly for all of you. Be sure to watch the video at the address listed near the bottom of the comment.

THANKS!


Pitney Bowes has left a new comment on your post "Christmas Cards for American Soldiers": On behalf of everyone at Pitney Bowes and the American Red Cross, thank you for all of your support in helping to spread the word about the “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program. We would like you to know that we’ve not only reached the goal of delivering one million cards to US service members, veterans and military families, but we surpassed it! And it’s all because people like you and your blog readers who got involved. View the following video for more details and a personal message of thanks from all of us: http://blip.tv/file/1643672/. We could not have done it without you.

Afghanistan Terror Attack

As many of you may know I have a very dear friend deployed now in Afghanistan. He writes to us often and sends an occasional photo from that part of the world where he is listed as a "Combat Advisor" working and living with the Afghan National Police.

Recently he sent this video and asked that I put it on this blog for people to see what they are really fighting for over there. The message was in two parts and per his request his name and rank are withheld. In part he had to say this:

"At a location I visited just last week a fanatic detonated a vehicle improvised explosive device (VIED) taking the lives of 14 children coming home from school. These were not the only deaths yet the Innocent in this war. This is why I stay vigilant everyday and go to work and help the people of Afghanistan."

I asked him who the bad guys were and he replied:

The Haqqanim Militants were the alleged culprits in this incident. The investigation is on going. There are many other factions fighting here from foreign fighters, Taliban, Al-qaeda and the overall intent is to show discredit to the government and for the government to stay more tribal and allow old powers to take back over. The majority of the people here like the U.S. presence. The small majority use these tactics terrorism at its best to instill fear into the populace.

I must warn you the video here is a bit graphic as it captured the incident he described above. I put it up for you to see because he asked to to do this in order to show what is happening there for mere political reasons.

Please keep my friend and his family, as well as all of the troops and their families in your prayers as they work for peace and the elimination of these terrible terrorist attacks.

I certainly hope everyone had a safe New Year. I believe most, if not all of the following witticisms are credited to the great Will Rogers. Regardless, they are humorous and well worth the read.


An Old Farmer's Advice:

* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight, and bull-strong.

* Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.

* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

* Forgive your enemies.? It messes up their heads.

* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

* You cannot unsay a cruel word.

* Every path has a few puddles.

* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen, anyway.

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'."

* Always drink upstream from the herd.

* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.