Burrrp!

Washington, D.C. 1913
Women’s suffrage march on Pennsylvania Avenue

What is it with women, give them the right to vote and they think they have to scold a man over an innocent but well earned burp. A beer and pizza burp. Lots of garlic. Just as she turns over with her face toward mine in bed. I should’ve worn shin pads and face guard. A man ought to have rights other than the right to remain silent.

Lech Walesa sure screwed around with his legacy by claiming gays have little or no roles to play in Poland’s government. He is now just another old man.

We’ve had some serious weather this past week but not one bit of it was springlike. One day was wind gusts more than 70mph (113 kilometer/hr.) which ripped shingles off our roof and knocked the power out for a few hours. High winds and hard rain are not unusual for changing seasons, but the weather is usually a lot warmer when it happens and then it cools down quickly. This time it was cold before, during, and after the storm. Lots of rain this winter but there is no break in the colder than normal temperatures in sight. It has been snow showers for the past two days. I need some porch time.

Have a good Worshday, my gentle friends.

Horse burgers

Europe is undergoing a bit of panic because of horse meat allegedly being mixed with beef and being sold to the public. Well, I’m here to tell you that horse meat ain’t all that bad and when mixed with beef in the correct proportion, it is much better than beef alone. When I was a kid, there was a burger joint which sold the best sandwiches in town but it had a reputation of using some horse meat mixed with beef for the meat patties. I’m not saying it is true about the rumor but once it was out and about, the little restaurant’s business declined to where it finally had to close. After 30 years, it reopened on the same spot but by then, demographics of shifting population insured it could not succeed. However, Steve and I did sample the burgers and they seemed to taste the same as I remembered them form the 1950′s. Do I believe the food contained horse meat? I doubt it it did. Most likely the rumor sprang from a competitor and the unique flavor of the burgers came from spices known only to the proprietor but they were tasty even if they once did pull a plow.

I am about sick of the Danica Patrick hoopla. For one thing, she is a cutie-pie but has never asked me for a date. Second, NASCAR and its talking heads press corps have her on a throne–watch out Vatican, she could be elected Pope by the racing crowd. Third, she is a cutie-pie but has never asked me for a date. Actually, I think she and immensely popular Dale Earnhardt Jr. should breed up a few kids; any one of their brats could easily be a world dictator or at least King of the South. Oh Danica, please ask me for a date! Another thing, why is junior so popular? He hasn’t won many races; he doesn’t drive the Budweiser car, and he has come nowhere close to winning a championship. Of course, he is daddy’s boy and daddy had a big reputation as a red neck bad guy who gave no quarter on the track. Junior inherited the adoration of the fans when his dad was killed; he certainly hasn’t earned it. Okay Danica, you can play hard to get for now but I’ll be here when you come begging.

Shaking the family tree

Not a lot happening in my corner of the universe. I’ve had recurring bellyache and nausea for about a week but it seems to lessen its discomfort each time it hits. Winter is refusing to go away. Do you remember last year when spring came at least least two weeks early?

I reposted the photo so I could name names. The little boy in the dress on the left is Claude Shipley, grandson of Elizabeth (Liza) Jane Oliver who is holding him. Liza was also my g.grandmother. Beside Liza is her daughter–my grandmother’s sister–Elizabeth (Liz) Phillips. Next is the new bride–my grandmother–Julia Ada Oliver Phillips and beside her is the new husband and my grandfather, Joseph Alexander Phillips. All  the clothing worn by the child and the ladies was homemade by them, including my grandmother’s wedding dress and hat. I well knew each of these people except little Claude who died at age seven in 1921. Memories of my grandfather are few because he died a month prior to my fourth birthday. Claude’s, Liza’s, and Liz’s clothes were most likely made from flour sacks sacks.

Have a good evening, my friends.

I missed ...

Damn, I missed the Daytona 500 race.
Damn, I missed the Oscars.
No … I didn’t miss seeing them at all.

If any of you visit Megashot.com and notice it is a bit slow (at times, a lot slow), don’t leave in a huff. Things are being worked on and changes are being made. When version two comes online, it will be worth the wait.
Speaking of Megashot, Maggie oversees one of my favorite communities titled Butterflies are free. Please stop by and take a look at all the flying flowers she has collected and is still collecting. If you are not a member of Megashot, joining is free and easy. Maggie’s community has a very good discussion group and forum about the colorful critters. Be sure to drop in and share the nectar.

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s ObamaDrone! Phooey!

Hope you’ve had a great Worshday!

Gleanings

My parents and my first wife

Get ready for it folks. Being dead means being dead even if it happens by mistake in your front yard.

I know the talking heads on MSNBC are trying to at least shed some light of truth of Fox News Channel’s perverted view of the world, but that doesn’t mean they should rubber-stamp everything President Obama says and does. Wrong is wrong no matter which side of the political world you are supporting.

Mason is coming over today but Sammy is with his granddad Rollins. Hope Mason stays awake so I can get him started on rock ‘n roll.

I am almost over the stomach flu of the past few days; I even felt like shaving this morning … and I did shave, too. My bride is also feeling better.

Have a good final week of February!

Sickly

Carolyn and I have been sick with an intestinal bug since Wednesday evening. Neither of us could get out of bed yesterday except that hard-head went out and cleaned a few buildings last night. She paid dearly for being so unwise. We are feeling better today but she isn’t as tough as am I
.
I looked at some of my old postings from 2006 ad 2007 on Blogspot/Loose Laces. Lots of readers from those days have fallen by the wayside for one reason or another but some of you are still hanging with me. One thing for sure, the quality of what I write now is not near as good as it was then. I began blogging to be able to keep producing when I was having writer’s block on my short stories. I suppose aging and a couple years of mental depression have changed me; I have lost a lot of the spark that a person needs to do any kind of decent output. I sincerely appreciate you guys whom have stood by me.

Have a great weekend!

Easter dinner

When I was a kid, my Easters were mostly non-religious. My mama said that the communion was a thing of the heart and soul and should always be in the back of our minds. Where we went to church, each Sunday morning service was was ended by the Communion. However, she did like to buy me and herself each an outfit of new spring clothing which we wore on Easter Sunday; I suppose that was Dot’s Easter religion. While we were at church, many more of our clan were gathering at grandma’s house for a big dinner. Grandma, always an early riser, was up by 3:30am to start the day’s food preparations. Her day began by building a fire in the living room fireplace and then doing the same in the kitchen cook stove. She then donned a coat and used the outdoor facilities which were on the hilltop back of the house. When Dot and I got home from church at about 12:30pm, the food was generally ready, the table was taken up by men-folk, women were serving, and kids grabbed a plate and, if the weather was good, went outside to the porch to eat. In bad weather, which we had most of the Easters I remember from those days, kids were sprawled all over the living room floor while they ate and made a mess. After the meal was finished–women ate last–the entire crowd would gather inside or outside and the reminiscing about Easters past would begin. Men talked men talk and smoked and women (according to the men) gossiped. I couldn’t tell much difference between the two. Sooner or later, Jim Butler would go to his car and retrieve his guitar and a couple of hours of picking and grinning would ensue. If we were trapped inside by bad weather, kids had no choice but to endure but if we were outside, we scattered into small groups as far away from the adults as possible. Where ever we were, we managed to hide our colored Easter eggs and then tried to find those of the other kids. Many of the family would leave for home or other amusements as the afternoon dragged on, but a few would stay for supper which was leftovers usually served with fresh bread at around 4:00pm. My day normally ended by accompanying Dot back to church no matter how hard I plead to stay home “just this one time”.

Have a Tuesday!

Hillbilly News

A few stories from the local rag today:
In the name of God, gimme back my serpents
In the name of God, gimme back my water
We don’t want you Yankee dope-heads in Tennessee
Lift them up as if they were your own children

If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can borrow ebooks for Kindle and Kindle apps at no charge. There are some good titles available such as the “Hunger Games” series and thousands more. You also get free movies like in Netflix and you get free two day shipping on Prime  eligible purchases from Amazon and other stores. $79 per year. Netflix has more movie titles, mostly junk, but it costs nearly $100/year.

Have a decent Winter Worshday!

Thoughts

Mason, Sammy’s brother — born Jan. 31.

Daffodils yesterday and snow today. Early spring is so Charlie Brown.

I wonder if UFO sightings will rise because of yesterday’s meteor explosion over Russia? Close encounters, anal probes, weird sex, vivisection; legends are made of such stories.

Happy Birthday Weekend, Michael Jordan. You can never be surpassed.

__________________________________________

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea,
The plowman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.
—————————–
~ Thomas Gray Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard

Have a great Sunday!

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird; it’s a plane; it’s Superman!

I still have a quantity personal meteor shields for sale if you are interested, and after the near disaster in Russia this morning, you should be extremely interested. My shields not only protect from meteors but also from comets, asteroids, and bird droppings. Some folks have been seen using their shields as rain protection but it is not recommended for these high-tech devices. Place your order while supplies last.

Reasonably warm today but supposedly reasonably snowy tonight. Along with daffodils, the yard was host to many robins today. The lonely peckerwood is still just that; lonely.

Have a great weekend, my friends!

Sea Cruise

A song from back in the day when I was young

A lifetime of lovin’ is not enough time to love your lover like a lover should

Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends

Feed the Byrds

Friday the 13th is on Wednesday this month; odd … very odd …

Be sure to put out food for the birds in this wet weather. Robins are like the rest of us; they don’t like for their worms to get soggy and limp. They eat small pieces of fruit when normal stuff isn’t available.

Mark reminded me that anyone can be Pope of the Catholic Church, a fact I did not know until I read it in a Dan Brown novel. As big as the Catholic Church is, I have a feeling there is less known about how it works than is true of any other Western religion. I bet that most people whom have been life-long followers of the church do not really know too much concerning it. About all I know as an outsider is that it takes more than white smoke to be a Pope. Mysterium fidei.

Have a thoughtful Wednesday.

Today; don't waste it

Powitanie z Górą Strękową, Poland
Photo courtesy of Jola.-

Pretty and mild day in East Tennessee; the sunshine has that slight misty springtime look to it. Or am I just thinking wishfully?

I tuned on the radio this morning and The John Boy and Billy Big Show was on; I turned off the radio.

I wonder just what has really transpired in the Vatican? I never much liked the guy who resigned but he is whom or what he is. Dona nobis pacem.

No, I won’t watch the President’s State of the Union speech tonight. Hogwash it is.

Have a Tuesday.

Seasonish

A little peckerwood must thinking it is spring mating time; he was hammering beside my bedroom window this morning. I hope he has a lady friend before tomorrow morning. The days have been feeling springish in spite of this early date. lot of winter left to go, though.

Parts of Connecticut caught 38″ snow, nearly a meter. Marks parents got 30″. I am thinking of moving farther south; Rio sounds good.

Netflix has s series on called House of Cards starring Kevin Spacey. I saw part one and liked it a lot. Although it is a drama, it should give some insight into how power is wielded out of public sight in Washington, D.C.

Sammy is here but he is sick.

Have a good Worshday, my friends.

Satisfaction; I got some

Sammy

Feb. 7, 2013 – 5:30pm. A beautiful evening; sky is cloudy with rain imminent. Temperature is mild and the spring grass is greening. A fat male robin is making the best of waning daylight, peeping out earthworms; he is the first one I’ve seen this year. On limbs above him are two male cardinals inspecting the feeder … and each other. Close by, daffodils are blooming. A bit of wind comes from the west but the ambiance is stillness. For the short time I luxuriate in this dusky evening, I have complete serenity, a contentment I seldom find. Darkness and late winter’s cold quietly settles over the back yard …

I suppose that when America couldn’t find a fresh non-Christian foreign nation to slap around with its mighty military, it has chosen to go to war with itself. I have never seen this nation in this much deep, internal turmoil as it now is. Why is it like this I ask myself? Because the president of the United States is not a white conformist. I ‘ll admit that Mr. Obama has been a huge disappointment as chief executive, but far-rightists, disturbed leftists, and even unwavering ignorance among the middle-of-the-roaders are blaming him for every conceivable malfeasance in their pitiful lives no matter how small and unimportant. My god, the birthers are still screaming for impeachment. No one it seems, including the president, is taking our Constitution seriously. It is like a lot of Christians do with their Bibles; the scriptures mean what they want it to mean no matter how diverse it is from what is written. I think it is too late to wake up, America.

I am once again a great-grandfather. Mason Elijah _____ was born on January 31, 2013. He is Wonderful. More about him later.

Have a good weekend, my friends.

Whiter Shade of Pale

I’ve been under the weather for a few days but today is very good. Sammy is on his way over; I haven’t seen him in three weeks.

W.I.N.E. for Android is coming to a phone or tablet near you … but I have no idea when; possibly this year. W.I.N.E. is a Windows OS emulator which allows you to run many Windows programs on Linux and has been popular for many years. It is not geeky; load it like a regular program then load the Win programs to it. Not all programs work with W.I.N.E. but the developers keep updating it and it just gets better. I have used it for many years on my Linux setups and I like it. Yes, Android is a Linux based OS.

I bought myself a new keyboard. The characters are larger than on a normal keyboard and the best part is that they are back-lighted; I won’t have to turn on my desk lamp just to see to type. Now to get it filled with snacks.

We are having some sunny skies but it still isn’t warm. No robins as yet.

I hope to have an announcement on this blog within the next few days; a few things have to happen before I do my bit.

Spring fever

Jezioro Rajgrodzkie

Sitting around waiting to see if the weather hammer is going to fall. Snow for next two days. I want robins and daffodils and honeybees! I don’t always get what I want. Also, today is Groundhog Day and the sky is cloudy. That means he sees no shadow of himself and that means winter should be about over; hope the furry critter isn’t lying … again.

I’d love to be able to tramp once again; I know I disliked the journeying that I as a Journeyman Wireman had to do back in the early 1970′s,  but now the rose-colored glasses are on ant it seems much more like Camelot. It probably wasn’t as bad back then as I thought it was at the time and it surely was worse than how I am remembering it at these melancholy moments. I mostly worked in the South and in the Appalachia; I met a lot of darned good people where ever I roamed but the poorest ones in the hollers of West Virginia were the most obliging to a stranger. All I had to do was go into a country store and strike up a conversation with about any loafer, mention that my grandfather worked sawmills in the area back in the early 1900′s, and the tales would start. Everyone has a story and there is nothing better for these old men and women than to have a stranger in their presence who wanted to hear them. I was treated like a preacher on a Sunday afternoon.

Snow has begun falling.

Have a relaxing Sunday!

Stormy Weather

We are under tornado watch for another hour or so; could have straight-line winds of 60 mph (96 km/h). I listened to loud winds and rain all night and I look for the electric to fail.
Here is an idea that should put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work: Government and industry working together to put all of the country’s electrical and other utility wiring underground. Stipulate that eighty-percent (negotiable) of the materials and equipment used in the project be manufactured within our borders. Brilliant, Mr. Anderson!

Extra warm weather past two days; snow by Friday.

Have springtime thoughts on this Wednesday!

Drone on, America

Mark’s blog for today got me thinking again. My weather page has forecast for two weeks however it is only accurate for a few hours at best. We need a sky full of weather drones to go along with government spy drones, marijuana seeking drones, illegal alien hunting drones, agricultural drones, traffic drones, astronomy drones, and whatever else they can think of. Soon, we won’t be able to go outside without carrying special umbrellas to keep crashing drones and pieces of mid-air collision between drones and birds from raining own on us. We will take vacations in supposedly “Drone Free” areas just so we can see the sun in day and stars at night. There are small, personal drones on the market now; technology will rapidly make them cheap enough for all of us to have a few. Why not replace birds with drones. Some painted-on bright colors and a tweet-whistle should cause them to appear somewhat avian-like. Teach them to catch a few gnats and skeeters, have backyard feeders stocked with gasoline so they can refuel, and birds will no longer be needed.
I wonder how our elected leaders will react when We the People begin using tiny drones in much the same way we “need” and use assault weapons? Drones for self defense, drones for target practice, drones for hunting; I think the government would act quickly to make it unlawful for a private citizen to own drones, N.R.A. or not. What is to keep a citizen or set of same from stealing a few drones and flying them from several miles away into the unsuspecting heads of the president or congress members … or anyone? Taxpayers will have to provide those law-making weasels protection. The good part: most elected miscreants will be afraid to appear in the open. Drones, as terrible as their use in killing innocents is, ain’t all bad.

Have a Tuesday!

Topics of little interest

I’ve got a floater; and eye floater. I’ve had them before but this won’t go away; been jumping around for two weeks. I can blink it away and rub it away but in a few seconds it crawls back in sight. Makes it hard to do this kind of work. Drops don’t remove it and ointment won’t remove it; I feel insanity coming on if something doesn’t make it go away. Aaaaghhh!

Supposed to be 72°F (22.2°C) tomorrow. Wednesday still warm but very high winds and then cold again; the seasons are changing.

I suppose it is an honor to have my photo included in a blog tribute to the movie K-Pax and my favorite actor Kevin Spacey. I would feel honored if my name had been included with the pic. My blue jay is the only non-film photo on the page.

Carolyn mistakenly used my toothbrush again this morning; I’m sure either she or I will  be poisoned. Aaaaghhh!

Have a refulgent Worshday!

Itch

Travis and Eli

Sunny and cold today; supposed to be nearly 70°F (21°C) Tuesday but back to normal cold on Thursday. As the saying goes, “a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush”.

Got dry skin in the small of my back; I can reach most of it to scratch and apply lotion but there is one spot along my spine I cannot touch and it is making me crazy.

I finished reading the book Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel. It was pretty much a let-down ending. The author built the story around seemingly sinister happenings involving a book cult and ancient printing mysteries but the affair ended undramatically with nothing afoul underfoot or anywhere else. Disappointed I was.

If Obama is a liberal, I wonder what F.D.R. was? I’ll tell you what he was; F. Roosevelt was a president that swore to keep his word to the American people and he stepped on the feet of anyone who tried to prevent him from doing so including those in his own party. He was a man of personal wealth but a president of all the people. All Obama wants to do is “compromise”. He is yet to learn that he cannot compromise with greed and pure meanness; he must stomp on some toes before he can be a successful leader.

Have a good Satidy night and a great Sunday!

Friday update

We are having freezing rain at the moment; I am blogging before the electric goes off.

Dan Brown has a new Robert Langdon novel coming out in May; it is titled Inferno. Should be a good read.
Waited all day Wednesday for Sammy to come over but he never did; I suppose I will have to buy him a car and help him get his driver’s license. Been a week since I’ve seen him.

With Mark’s help, I finally found Video-Buzz channel for my Roku; I can now easily watch my–and yours–Youtube videos on the big TV. Roku has a humongous bunch of channels that are not listed on the device menu.

Have a monstrously happy Weekend!

Bark

His Master's Voice

I’d like to have a dog if I could afford one. Specifically, a Jack Russel terrier.

Happy Days! I finished all the business taxes; they weren’t that hard to do but they take time and I’d rather spend my time playing Angry Birds. I can see the tax money in action: wars to be fought, drones to be purchased, mega-corporations to be subsidized, congressional and legislative salaries to be paid. A week off and then personal income taxes to figure; almost makes me swoon.

Very cold in the hills however it is supposed to warm up to 55°F (12.78°C) on February 15.

Have a good Wednesday!

Dark Days of Winter

I had two cousins to die over the weekend. First cousin once removed Travis Cloyd died Saturday night. It was much unexpected. He was the son of my first-cousin Vicky Phillips Cloyd. Travis was thirty-seven years old and left a five year-old son.
While reading the obituaries this morning, I saw that a more distant cousin died Saturday, also. Geraldine Garst was kin on my Oliver side of the family. She was sixty-six years old.

DuckDuckGo! Yes, you read it correctly. It is a search engine which my son turned me on to and I am using it to replace Google search. Its best attaboy is that it keeps your searches private. Google allows companies to use your search results to place ads that want to sell you something. DuckDuckGo is an add-on for Firefox and other browsers. In Firefox, click on Tools, Add-ons, Search all add-ons, and type duckduckgo. From there, you should be able to add it to your search engine list. Fun-fun-fun.

Worshday again; have a good one.

Pickled okra

Maybe a little snow tonight; temperature around 20F — -6.7C. So much for last week’s spring-like feel.

Supper last night: Hunk of mild cheddar cheese, hunk of summer sausage, pickled okra, crackers.

I’m reading a very good book titled Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. One of the best reads I’ve had in quite awhile. I recently finished Rendezvous With Rama, a popular science-fiction novel from the early 1970′s.

Have a warm Thursday … if possible.

Sore-eyed

I’ve looked like a sore-eyed cat for the past few days; allergies are aggravating my rights to own an assault rifle.

I’m interested to see how sucky the proposed Biden/Obama gun control “laws” will be. I have a feeling that the NRA is raising hell in public but are cheering behind the scenes. Like most things Obama has “accomplished”, these proposals are likely lip-service only because he knows Congress will rip apart any meaningful legislation that comes from his office.

I am trying to update my laptop PC; it only has one gigabyte of memory which is fine for running Linux but now that I have Win7 on it is pokey slow. I found some relatively cheap memory online and I ordered four gigabytes which should make a tremendous improvement.

Have a great evening!

Rain

Warsaw, Poland

Lots and lots of rain for the past two days and more to come. Flooding again on Dry Creek where they are still recovering from last year’s flood. Schools are being closed from fear of too much water moving down the ridges into the valleys. Our electric was off nearly three hours last evening; I was reminded of what advanced dark really looks like and it looks like nothing. I spent the time on the Tab reading a novel; yes, the world really does exist when there is no TV.

Carolyn has daffodils out of the ground same as in January last year.

Samsung finally issued the long awaited (by me) update to the Android operating system on the Tab. It is an incremental change which Google has named “Jelly Bean” but for me it is like having an entirely new tablet. The home screens’ interface has been changed and rearranged and everything is faster and smoother. Also, three more Angry Birds games have been added … Yee-Haw!

Thanks to Jola for the superb winter scene photo of her hometown.

Enough for today; have a Tuesday!

No Time

Pleasant, shirtsleeve temperature today; a bit of wind makes it a bit cool for porch sitting.

Sammy was here yesterday; his cold is lingering but he finally cut loose and was his happy self for a long time. He got a toy guitar for Christmas and he tries to play it like David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. When Sammy is in this office, there must be a music video on my monitor or he will let me know that I am losing his respect. A whop from his broom trurns my attention back entertaining him.
He is outgrowing his toys and clothes at a tremendous rate

Not much going on in the world, at least not anything I care to talk about.

Have a Gee Whiz Sunday!

Seeing stars

Mild temperatures but still no sunshine so far today. Looking forward to some porch weather.

I read that there is supposed to be a very bright comet visit this year. I hope it is at least as good as was the Hale-Bopp comet in the late 1990′s. It was low on the horizon in the estern sky at dawn until it swung around the sun and then was low in the western evening sky for several weeks. On many clear evenings at dusk I would drive off and stay gone for a few hours—Carolyn thought I was whoring or bar-hopping. Actually I was alone and headed for a hilltop well away from city light pollution where I could see nearly all the night sky. I don’t amaze easily but Hale-Bopp very much stirred my imagination. For me there is a mystic, celestial magic associated with night skies. I loved laying in my truck bed on summer evenings as the comet and shooting stars passed overhead. The beauty and mystery of constellation Sagittarius with the core of our great galaxy hidden within the dust of the Milky Way’s spiral arm; the Big Dipper in the north, red star Antares toward the south, greenish appearing Arcturus nearly overhead; all there to fire my sense of wonder and help me to set my place in the cosmos.
All of Nature contains astounding beauty but none so grand as the night sky.

Have a sublime Thursday!

Cute

Cloudy and a bit cold today but better things will come. I noticed the last two evenings that there is a bit more daylight to smile about.

I got the new employee federal income tax withholding charts yesterday. Most people will be paying more taxes this year than they did last year, even the poorest paid are taking a hit. The middle-class loses again contrary to what Obama promised. Until high-income and corporate tax loopholes are closed nothing will change.

My hair is down to my shoulders again. My sideburns look like they need a controlled burning. I have to mow my eyebrows. I am so gray and so cute!

Have a pleasant Wednesday!

Day by day

The past two weeks have had an extra Monday each and there is Monday holiday coming later this month. Do they know how confusing all this is to geezers and other lovable creatures?

Armed police in schools? What next? National Guard in my bedroom? When I was a kid, we didn’t need police protection on duty in school because not every lame-dick jerk was allowed to own an assault rifle.

Google mail was not working yesterday on my Android phone nor on the Android tablet. Other folk are having trouble uploading photos to Blogger.

There is a possibility I will be using the net even less in the near future; I wish I could say it is because of knee surgery but that has been placed on indefinite hold. If I am off-line it will be due to PC surgery; I am either going to fix my slow Win XP OS which is eleven years old or I am going to have to install Win 7.
Installing a new system like Windows 7 will be expensive; the program alone is $140 plus I will need a new hard-drive which will be about $100. Then comes the headache of installing software and getting everything the way I like it. Linux is a much cheaper and better alternative but I have a couple of needed Windows programs that will not function correctly on Linux.

Have a good what-ever-it-is day!

Heart and Soul of Rock 'n' Roll

pork

Alice mentioned that her granddaughter Allie (I wonder whom she is named after?) will be eighteen years old this week. Yes, time does fly. Seems like just a month or so ago when Sammy was born but he is now nearly eighteen months old and can say the word “NO!”. I hope I see him turn eighteen years old but if not, he and my grand-kids and my kids have made me a happy man.

Speaking of aging, I have a pork-barrel project for the government to fund. I would like to know if kids born in winter time cope with cold weather better than summer born kids when they get old. I will gladly volunteer to head this project if the funding is correct.

Any special plans for New Year’s eve? It won’t be a special or social event for me in most traditions; my new year began with the Solstice.

Have a great week!

Presents and piggies

Why can’t angry birds and green piggies get along together? It is no wonder there cannot be peace between humans when critters won’t live in harmony. Yep, you probably guessed; I am for the first time in my life playing the Angry Birds game and of course, I am hooked. For years I put off playing the game, but it came preloaded on my Tab so curiosity got the best of my common sense and I began playing it last Saturday. Don’t fall into that trap or you will most likely become hooked helping the suicidal birds kill off all the green piggies in the cosmos. I now play it in daytime on the PC and at night I turn the sound off and play it on the Tab. I am so ashamed; looks like it will be Angry Birds Anonymous for me.

Chris and Kevin gave me an orange and white Tennessee gnome for Christmas along with a bag of Jelly Bellies and a box of snowball snack cakes. Sammy gave me two framed photos of himself. I was very blessed this Christmas.

Lousy weather.

Have a splendiferous Thursday, everyone!

After Christmas Sale!

Christmas Day 2008 in the mountains

I hope y’all had a nice Christians; I sure did.

There must be a British photo-theft mafia. At least three of my friends have found their photos on sites in England and some of them are being used commercially. Mark even found one of his being used by a law firm in the USA. Another country who has citizens stealing and reselling a lot of photos is Russia. Cyrus found some of his had been stolen from there and resold to an American electronics company which used them in advertisements. Maggie has some shots being used by a British company which sells gardening plants and supplies. One more friend has a costumed photo of her pug dog stolen and placed in a British publication. All this doesn’t count the many blogs, etc. which are using photos without permission.

Wind and rain have been hitting us pretty hard since last evening and they are predicting snow for tonight.

It is time to begin doing business taxes once more. I am usually swimming upstream and this year I have a fiscal cliff to fall off of.

Have a great whateverdayoftheweekitis!

Adventures in bed riding

Chris and Sammy playing

Never let it be said that I am a quitter; a few years back I fell out of bed which didn’t hurt me except for a small knot on my head and a good jolt throughout my body. To make up for that relative non-event, Saturday morning I did it again. This time I have a big knot, scrapes, and bruises on my forehead and carpet burns on both knees, one as large as my knee cap. The pisser is that Carolyn called the rescue people before I could figure out how to extricate myself. They got me back on the bed, I thanked them, and then I went back to sleep.

Hope you had a great Worshday and Christmas eve!

Happy Solstice!

We had a dusting of snow overnight. They are predicting a wetter winter than usual so we may be in for more white blankets.

As far as I know, our wayward children are ok for Christmas. Merry Christmas to Jeremy and Courtney and Keegan and Remy and Bubba.

So much for Mayan calendar technology; or maybe I should say so much for the jerks who misinterpreted their rock carvings. Well, it gave us something to distract us for awhile; sooner or later it will probably happen.

• The Christmas tree is a symbol for the Yule Log
• The first Christmas tree decorations were apples

Have a good weekend, my friends!

“I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus …”

For some reason. I am not in a depressed mood nor am I in an ecstatic mood this Christmas season; I  suppose I am floating where ever the currents of life carry me.

Very windy and wet in the hills today with some snow predicted for tonight; the seasons change.

I wish it was warm enough to go to the creek for a decent bath; with the end of the world coming tomorrow, it seems fitting I should for one last time be in the mountains immersed in a cold stream communing with trees and skies.

Have a super Thursday!

Solstice Bells

Skies are brighter today but the air is colder. Looks like it will be even colder as we ease into Christmas. Solstice will be Friday afternoon, perfect to welcome the weekend. According to astronomer Jean Meeus the Age of Aquarius begins in the year 2597 on the day of spring equinox; I will be breathlessly awaiting that particular day.

Tomorrow is shot day; I hate to go out in the cold but Nature calls. I’ve spotted a good photo op if I can get Carolyn to stop where I can shoot it. I’d also like to get some Christmas shots in Jonesborough but it probably won’t happen this year.

My Lady Vols play Baylor tonight. This game will define this young team for the entire season because Baylor has pounded the Vols the last several times they played. Baylor is also defending National Champions. The game will be in Waco, Texas.

Have a Tuesday!

White Christmas in my heart

Gray, sullen skies in East Tennessee; looks like winter but the temps are mild.

My net speed is terrible today; getting about only half of base speed. It must be a sign that the world is lowing down; it will come to zero by Saturday. Five days from today the world will end, according to translators of the Mayan “Doomsday” calendar. At least maybe my sinus ills will go away. Anyway, I will take Maggie’s advice from her blog and wear clean underwear on Saturday.

Banning assault weapons will be a good start to end some of the murderous idiocy in these here United States. If it happens, I wonder who will be the parties responsible for defining just which weapons are of the assault variety?

Mark sums some things very well on his blog today.

I wish Miracle On 34th Street would come on TV in the original black and white glory. The Turner colorized version has been on but I can’t stand to watch it.

Eye allergies are keeping my computing to a minimum today. Have a Great Worshday!

Matthew 18:3: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

'Long toad six

Ask an old southerner what time it is and he might, after glancing at the sky, reply “Oh, it’s ‘long toad six”, meaning it is approaching six o’clock. It is along toward six. I don’t hear this dialect as much as I used to and I surely miss it.

Mark, if you are using wi-fi, Roku has an Android app to control your Roku box from your phone. It works as well or better than the standard remote control. It is in Google Play Store. Search for “Roku”. Good for emergency or all the time.

Have a great Sunday coming!

Live better; work union.

"Teach your children well ... "

Dedicated to the children, parents, and teachers of Newtown Connecticut
and to
all America

Live better, work union and buy union

Winter comes to Warsaw

It is time for the power of the people to once again be felt across America. I hope to see an invigorated AFL CIO lead the nation into economic freedom once more.

Al Sharpton for U.S. Secretary of State. That should gain John McCain’s interest.

I think it is about time for me to take off the old tights and cape and return to the world of my birth. I left planet Krypton as an infant many Earth years ago; I was sent here to help defend this world against crime and tyranny with Truth, Justice, and the American Way. People on Krypton don’t age as fast as earthlings therefore my parents are still alive. I have aged much faster, yet not as quickly as citizens of my adopted world; I still kick ass and take names at the useful age of 68 Earth years. It will be good to visit my old buds while I am there and pay respects to my ancestors. Don’t worry, my fellow citizens of Terra; I shall return and guard you against yourselves. Until then, Up,Up, and Away!

New Sammy video … head banging to Pink Floyd.

Photo courtesy of Jola.

Have a good weekend, my friends.

Drone on

Why does the United States need a Department of Defense and a Department of Homeland Security? Homeland Security was a way for the likes of Dick Chaney to involve the government in the everyday lives of Americans. The Central Intelligence Agency tried a similar approach during the Vietnam war but fortunately the hippie generation was able to “out” too many of the agents to allow the system work. The Department of Homeland Security is unneeded prying into our lives by any means accessible including electronic surveillance, and now, the dangerous and hated flying drones which every backwoods constable in the nation seems to have at his service.

Mr. Goodie-two-shoes Obama is the worst user of such tactics, around the world and especially on his own people. And as long as we have superficial and easily fixable things going on like “fiscal cliffs” and worker’s rights to grab the headlines, the drones drone on.

Have a great Worshday!

Tab

The rich get richer and the sick get sicker

Glad to be back blogging today; it has been an interesting week so far.
Chris was in hospital for a couple of days; her boss had to take her from work to emergency room Tuesday morning. She still has the recurring heart problems but this time they also found her gall bladder is full of stones. She needs surgery but has no insurance, so she had to check out and go home. Tennessee’s Medicare won’t cover her for some reason and Obama care is nowhere to be found. No one in the family has the wherewithal to pay for the surgery and the surgeon will not accept payments.  She also needs some heart surgery but that doctor said he would work with her on payments. I am so pissed over the American medical system.

Cloudy and cooler today but still better than this time of year should be.

Have a good Thursdy, my friends.

Blessings

Grandpa: “Here comes Luther riding that old swayback mule he let Zeke talk him into buying.”
Grandma: “Bless his heart.”

Just an innocuous conversation on a lazy, summer afternoon between a couple passing the time on their front porch rocking chairs? Maybe not as sympathetic as it sounds. Actually, grandma just called Luther “stupid” for making the deal with Zeke. Most old-time southerners would know what she meant and had Luther heard this little conversation, he would have known what grandma meant and the mule would probably have known it too. But Luther would probably have stopped and talked about the weather or such for a minute and then gone on his way without having his feelings hurt too much. Now, if a stranger had done something foolish, grandma would have said in plain words that he was stupid, but probably not when he could hear her. This is a way the south differs from the rest of the country. Had a non-southerner heard her say it, he would have thought she was feeling sorry for poor old Luther for making a bad purchase of the mule. If grandma had said “Well bless his heart”, adding the word “well” would have made a difference; she would be sympathetic. If you are not from the south but are planning to travel the back roads here, be aware that language can have a different meaning for the native people than what you think you heard; our South is a world unto its own.

Have a great weekend!

Kid face

Christmas cookie man

Marwencol

Mark recommended that we watch Marwencol, a documentary about a man who suffered serious head trauma which caused him to mostly forget his previous life and and he had to create a new life for himself. His ensuing photos and the stories to go with them has made him one of the best photographers of our time. After watching the flick last evening, I too recommend seeing this dramatic new life and real life of make-believe; I surely found a bit of myself in Marwencol and I believe you will see reflections of yourself, also.

Have a great Wednesday!

Fe-fi-fo-fum

December nears and I still haven’t seen a snow flake for this winter season. Suits me fine. Skies are gray and threatening but fortunately it is a bit too warm to snow.

Hope this Jack and the Beanstalk type movie turns out to be at least decent. I like giants  now but at one time I feared them. When I was a small boy living at grandma’s house there was a giant lived in the community. Charlie Malone once ran a sawmill at the corner of our road and Boones Creek Road. When he had no more room to make huge piles of sawdust, he closed down and moved on to another site. However, when he left, the giant moved in. I never did figure out just where the giant was living under the sawdust but I do know he was there and that he was big and hairy and ugly. Many times after I went to sleep at night, I would walk down the hill to play in the sawdust and as soon as I became immersed in my doings, the giant would suddenly appear, reaching for me and roaring with all his might. I was always able to get away from him and run to the safety of home but he has remained with me all my life. After I got a bit older, I stopped dreaming about him and began playing in the sawdust a lot with other local boys but I never did stop believing that somewhere beneath the piles the giant was waiting for me. Even after the sawdust caught fire and burned away, I could shut my eyes and see the reaching, gnarly hand of the big man.

Have a Tuesday!

Sunday's child

Light

My life has been very dull lately which is not good for an ‘up and at em man’. However, I ain’t so much the ‘shake a leg’ type person these days as I used to be so I guess I can live with laying in bed an extra hour some mornings. I dream the dreams of passionate lovers, dragon slayers, courageous warriors, and little boys.

Very dry autumn this year with outside burning banned in most local areas. Several forest fires are being fought in the mountains, one near Hampton where I’ve done a lot of photo shooting. The little church I shoot (photo above) a lot in autumn is nearby as well as the beauty of Watauga lake.

I’m glad I don’t have to do Christmas shopping; being broke makes everything so simple.

Have a great week coming!

The Holidays begin … the Year begins to end

The Occupy movement is still paying dividends. We got word today that one of Bank of America’s two branches in Johnson City will be closing in February. Credit unions and small local or regionally owned banks are doing good here, especially credit unions; new branches are popping up everywhere. I can’t help but think that Occupy’s calling attention to the misdeeds of cold, corporate Wall Street entities had at least something to do with this. Our local Occupy picketed Bank of America more than once last year.

Did you ask me what the worst song I ever heard was, excluding opera? In case you did and I forgot to reply, it is Achy Breaky Heart. That song shakes my nerves and rattles my brain. I hate the song, I hate the singer, I hate the song writer, and I especially hate line dancing. Line dancing would puke a buzzard off of a gut wagon. As for opera, I just plain don’t understand Italian lyrics and I don’t know why they have to scream them. I understand screaming vocals at a rock concert but why do opera singers have to yell their words to a hushed audience. Recently, I have found one fine exception; it is a commercial jingle on TV for J. G. Wentworth. High Opera at its best!

Have a good Thanksgiving, my friends … where ever you are.

Ain't gonna study war no more

Chucky farm

Looks like congress vs. president for at least two more years. Status quo has once again prevailed in America. I’m wondering whom I like the least, John Boehner or Nancy Pelosi. One thing for sure, I have lost all respect for John McCain.

Israel: Let those people go! Get out of Palestine’s affairs and then fight your own wars. You took your Biblical ‘homeland’ but you cannot live with your head in a historical fog of four-thousand years ago and at the same time have your hand on the switch of modern mass destruction. I don’t blame you for everything but you can sure do a lot better than what you are now doing.

I’m grouchy today; I had to get my shot early this week. My knee surgery will not take place until after the first of the year. I have to be cleared by my regular M.D. and then by my heart surgeon. I will have to undergo another heart stress test; should I not do well with it, I will have to have stints or even by-pass. Phooey!

Have a Tuesday!

End of week sale

Wilbur Lake 2009

I let Sammy try out my tablet yesterday. He knows more about such stuff than do I. He immediately began moving screens around and moving things on the screen around.

Tomorrow is shot day; nothing like a good “fix” to begin the weekend.

Carolyn finally has her van paid for; I suppose it will break down.

Have a splendid Thursday!

Sammy was here

New Sammy video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y3k8nV2rsY

I have been singing the Spongebob Squarepants theme song to Sammy today; between my crackly voice and the song lyrics, he gets a good laugh.

Mild days and cold nights here; ok as long as the snow stays away.

A lot to think about came out of the late election; I will write some of my thoughts here if I believe they are pertinent to Obama’s big win and a few other things.

Have a good Wednesday!

Little girls and rainbows

I know of a little girl who needs her daddy to come home from hospital. If you have a moment to spare, please send them both some good vibes.

We had a mild earthquake Saturday afternoon; I felt it through my chair and the water in my glass jiggled a tiny bit. No damage done as far as I know. That was the third one I’ve felt in my life, all minor.

I had no net connection yesterday except for the Droid. I now have it on the PC and am working to restore the wireless. I’m glad I have a modicum of tech savvy.

Have a Tuesday!

Tomorrow is Veteran’s day; I think it and Memorial Day should be combined into one and that we should have another summer holiday and we should name it ‘Ken’s Day’.

Friday was the 20th anniversary of Carolyn’s business. It was also Tammy’s and Jerry’s 21st wedding anniversary.

Today is Poland’s Independence Day. Poland and independence have served each other well.

Have a great week!

Pigging out

My favorite pic from election day; the faces of Fox News anchors when they realized Obama had won

 

 

When I was a smaller kid than I am now, my dad used to take me to the stockyard to sell our shoats which usually weighed between one-hundred and two-hundred pounds (45 to 91 kilogram). For you city slickers, a shoat is a large pig that hasn’t yet become a hog. When we could, we “pen-hooked” them, saving us the cost of the auction. Pen-hooking was merely selling them from the truck; there were always several pen-hookers greeting each truck coming in.
It was easy work for me—especially if we didn’t have to go through the pens and auction—and left me with plenty of time to roam around. My favorite distraction was buying a steamy hot dog and a soda; twenty-five cents for both. Once, while scarfing my tasty meal, I looked over at the pens and one of our bigger shoats was watching me eat. I thought nothing of it at first but a few seconds later I looked back and the pig was still watching me and I swear he had a look of contempt on his snouty face. Somehow I knew the pig knew I was eating and enjoying one of his kinfolks, probably his uncle Ralph. For some reason I felt terribly embarrassed and quickly dropped the remainder of the frankfurter into a nearby trash barrel. Seeing this, the big pig grunted and turned his tail toward me and as soon as he did my guilt mostly left me and I retrieved my dog, wiped as much well-chewed tobacco spit from it as I could, and finished eating. I suppose parts of my porky accuser ended up in more hotdogs and maybe even as a country ham hanging in someone’s smokehouse. With my remorse mostly subsided, I eagerly awaited my next trip to the stockyards, knowing a fresh hotdog and soda awaited me.
Note: The stockyards were located less than a block from where Carolyn grew up; fortunately she lived up-wind from the stink of the place. She related a story to me about she and her cousin walking down to the yards one day and buying a baby goat. They led it home with them but her mamma made her return it and get her money back. A person could buy almost anything at the stockyards.

Have a great weekend, my friends.

Karl Rove + Koch Brothers = Losers

It was a hot election but now it is time to cool the engines.

Night sounds

I gotta learn how to use the Droid X smart phone. It has gotten to the point where it beeps, groans, burps, pings, sings, and gurgles at all hours of the night. They are alerts from various programs wanting my attention for some inane reason, mostly advertisements. The heck of it is on many of them, I can’t disable the audible alert without removing the program. Yahoo mail is one such and until a recent fix, Facebook was another. It isn’t bad enough that I have to lay all night and listen to Carolyn make every noise humanely possible while she sleeps, the phone seems to want to either accompany her concerts or try to out do her. The Tab is different; I’ve been able to control all it s aural rackets.

Hopefully on Monday I can call the orthopedic surgeon and make an appointment for an exam and then, within a couple of weeks, have the knee surgery. The foot wound hasn’t completely healed but the replacement is going to have to go forward; I cannot stand much more.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Do not allow a  family member or a friend to suffer alone

 

Bookoos of DEAF

Jeremy is using one of my photos on the back cover of his new album “DEAF” which will be released to retail next month. I am proud of that young man!

Today my favorite word is bookoo. Bookoo means ‘a lot’ of something. On this blog, you get bookoos of bullshit. Bookoo is a word that my friend Fred used often, in fact he used it bookoos of times over the years I knew him. Bookoo and bookoos. Thank you, Fred.

Sammy went to his first circus last evening; he didn’t make it all the way through before deciding it was time for him to go home.

Cold and rainy here with snow showers promised for tonight. Looks like Mark’s folks will be spared the brunt of Hurricane Sandy as it moves inland along the Appalachian Ridge. Congress can legislate all they want to but they cannot pass a law against global warming; it is already a fact.

Have a good Worshday!

Misunderstanding

I forgot that Phil Collins once had hair

Yesterday was shot and errand day; today Carolyn went to ophthalmologist for the first time. She had her eyes dilated and now she is bitching because she can’t half see.

According to the weather man, the first real blast of winter is due here by Monday with below freezing temps.

Life’s three greatest pleasures:
Making love
Having my back scratched
Eating chocolate covered peanuts

Have a great weekend!

Going up the down escalator

Another movie you may consider watching is Hugo. It is nothing like Winter’s Bone but it does tell a very good story and is a well made flick. I have the Blu-Ray version and the panoramic views of Paris at night are spectacular.

Independent voters in states like North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, and Virginia are in a bind. Even though many of them voted for Obama last election, they don’t like his wimping out to Republicans and they would like to vote third party. But the way our antiquated electoral system is set up, any one of the voters in a few key states may decide whom will be president. I wonder how it would make me feel to know my single third party vote caused Romney to be elected president?

Pogo for Prez!

 May your day be filled with visions of Tammy Faye Bakker!

Stores

Arney store

The photo is a different view than I’ve posted before of the store I wrote about a few times in the blog. It was in easy walking distance of where I was born and raised I spent a fortune (a fortune to a little boy in the early 1950′s) in small change for candy, ice cream, and sodas  The store remained in business until the late 1950′s when my cousin opened his own store/service station a bit closer to where I lived and both buildings are still standing today. I would like to get inside this one; I have a feeling there is a picker’s delight in there. Pic was made on Oct. 23, 2008.

From what I saw and heard from last night’s presidential debate, Romney is endorsing many of Obama’s policies. MSNBC is claiming Obama won big in the exchanges between the candidates and Fox News is saying Romney didn’t lose any ground.

Sammy is still sick with a cold and now Carolyn and Chris are feeling bad. My nose is starting to run.

Have a Tuesday!

Good movie

Autumn Paradise

I watched a very good movie last evening; Winter’s Bone. It presents a decent view of life in the hills in modern times and has a darn good story, too.

I didn’t get out for autumn shooting this past weekend; each thing in life has its own time and this wasn’t mine for photography.

Have a great Worshday!

TV

Roan Highlands – Miller farmstead

I used to love to watch a couple of semi-reality TV shows called American Pickers and Pawn Stars. I’ve been trying to watch them more since we got the cable last month. Both shows have evolved into soap operas which I hate; I want to see the pawn merchandise and the pickers at work and not the drivel and bad jokes between the celebrities. I now end up watching news and a movie nearly every evening and then reading myself to bedtime.

Some movies I’ve watched lately:

• Thor — didn’t like it
• Transformers-Dark of the Moon — didn’t like it
• Iron Man 2 — liked it a little bit
• Captain America-The First Avenger — didn’t like it
• The Expendables — liked it
• The Lincoln Lawyer — liked it
• Running Scared — liked it

Have a good Saturday!

Shooting

Miller farmstead barn – Roan Mt. State Park, Tennessee

Megashot.net is signing on new members at a decent and steady pace; there are now more than five-thousand registered members. If the site’s FB pages are included, there are many more. I still try to greet each new member on their profile page and a couple of weeks ago we had a small surge in members and I got behind on my greetings and I ended up with more than a hundred to do, which I did. In the next day or so, Cyrus moved the site files to different storage site and when I next checked, all my latest greets were missing. Being the good boy that I am, I re-did all of them and finally got caught up once more.

Sammy is on his way over for a few hours; he has a cold but I will do my best to entertain him.

Still hoping to get into the mountains this weekend; should be some fine leaf shooting left but it will have to be done from the van windows; I can handle it.

Have a good weekend!

Humble

Walnut Mt. 2008

Not much on this part of Walnut Mt. except an old church, cemetery, and lots of Nature.
Be it ever so humble there’s no place like home

Have a great Thursday!

Wednesday wandering

Canal and street in Delft, Holland
Photo courtesy of Jola

Ever notice that American corporations are all for free trade everywhere in the world except in the USA? In America, they fight hard for monopolistic trade practices. Vying to be the one and only manufacturer or seller of specific types of products is what is bringing on the huge patent battles going on worldwide, and along with limited brand suppliers setting prices, these patent lawsuits are driving prices through the roof. Wake up America!

We are having mild days and cool nights; this weekend looks good for shooting leaves in the mid-highlands like around the old Walnut Mt. church I’ve shot so many times before. I didn’t make it up there last year and I also missed shooting the Christmas tree farms; I hope for redemption this weekend.

The Green Party presidential candidate and vice presidential candidates both were arrested for trying to be parties to the powers-that-be debate last night. They spent most of the night handcuffed to chairs and were released this morning. It is the only way they can get recognition at all from the press and very little publicity goes to them.

Have a good mid-week, everyone.

Happy Birthday, Alice!

Original site of Tweetsie RR line.

Happy Birthday, Alice. Are your years weighing as heavily on your shoulders as mine are for me?  We got at least twenty more years to go.

I can remember when employees were considered as a company’s best assets; now they are treated like unwanted overhead.

I’ve about decided to drop my Netflix subscription and go with Amazon Prime. Amazon doesn’t have as many movies but they have several for streaming that Netflix doesn’t, such as L.A. Confidential, Logan’s Run, and several others I like.Amazon is also a bit cheaper and has newer releases which I can rent for a night or even buy for cloud storage at a discount. I also get free two-day shipping on any merchandise I order which is sold by Amazon store.

Have a wonderful Worshday!

Sammy

Red light

Carolyn finally decided to replace the weakening l.e.d. night-lite in our bathroom. The night she did so, I woke up to an eerie blue glow coming from that room which quickly turned red then to normal white.  She had bought one that changes color every two or three seconds. Next morning I asked her where she was going to put the piano and of course she didn’t know what I was talking about. I told her she had the bathroom lit up like a whorehouse and all we needed to make it more real was a piano player in one corner, a few girls, and that she would make a great Madam. I also told her when the leaves fell and the window could be seen from the railroad tracks, she should get some custom from the train people. That night I noticed there was once more a plain, white light in the bathroom. I think she got pissed because I said she would be a good Madam instead of saying she should be one of the girls. I was going to ask about spousal discounts but thought better of it.

Vice-presidential debate tonight; I hope Biden doesn’t roll up into a ball like his boss did last week.
Shot tomorrow; I missed a week hoping the lack of methotrexate would help my foot wounds heal and it has worked. I don’t want to miss another injection until surgery.

Have a great Thursday!

Winter creeps

Lyrics

OK! Mom Nature, I’ve had enough of winter and am ready for a fresh breath of Springtime!

Time to get out the flannel sheets and heavier comforter. I suppose I should turn the heat on; Sammy is coming for the day.

When I was a kid, I loved this time of year … except for going to school. Frosty days meant snow was soon on the way and snow meant days off from books of knowledge. One winter in late 1950′s, we had deep snowfalls three Saturdays straight and school was closed for more than two weeks. Kids loved it and teachers loved it; parents hated it. Not only could they not get out to go to work at times, we kids soon got on their nerves. Most of us young’uns knew about how far we could push our luck being under foot before the adults would explode. Most of us were pretty good kids in pre-Christmas days away from school, but after the new year began it became more snowy and it was open season on parent’s nerves. We didn’t have snow make-up days before school began each year and in bad winters it was mid June or later before we were paroled for summer. The worst winters even brought Saturday sessions which of course meant those particular days were always bright and warm while we toiled behind our desks, adding to our misery. Some of the farm kids actually liked school on Saturdays; it kept them from their hated weekend chores at home. Most of us managed the discomforts of mandatory school, though and graduated within a year or so of when we were supposed to.

Have a warm Worshday!

Mirror

Very cool weather; cloudy and damp. Carolyn is working today and I am doing quarterly tax reports which I put off from yesterday.

Keegan is due back in mid-week for a short visit before being transferred to the environs of Frankfurt, Germany. Jeremy is deep into his music and I am looking for big things from him. Tabby is living somewhere in North Carolina as far as we know. Sammy got three shots at doctor visit and is not feeling well.

Mitt and Barack keep fooling most of the people most of the time. It is a terrible thought that we will have the future of the USA and–to a great extent–the well being of the entire free world in one of their hands for another four years. A Romney Supreme Court should just about finish undermining the constitution.

Have a great weekend.

Yakkity-yak

Seems like Obama wimped out again in the debate last evening. His truth-spinners say he was just acting presidential; I say another performance like that and he will permanently stop acting presidential on January 20.

Carolyn has gone to take Ashley and Sammy to his doctor for his checkup. To me, he looks to be a normal little boy. Hope he comes over again today; he was here yesterday and the day before for a few hours.

Got some business taxes to do … have a great Thursday!

Church

Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church

Five weeks from today until presidential election. Some polls have usually solid Republican Tennessee as a bit wish-washy this time. If so, it could mean a big win for Obama nationwide. On his blog, Mark asked if we were going to watch the debate tomorrow night. I probably will watch at least a bit of it; I need a good laugh. I’m still going to vote for Jill Stein.

Next Monday is Columbus Day and a U.S. holiday.

We’ve had a bunch of rain the past few days.

Have a Tuesday!