2606 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"one shining red frog
stands lone upon the water
disturb morning dream"

Read on and fall sound asleep

We finally got a good soaking rain but it came with lighting and thunder. Thunder so loud and sudden that Rascal danged near clawed me each time the cannons roared. I had not seen him affected by thunder before so this must have been a special brand of boomers. Several times, in fact, I caught myself wishing for a storm cellar. I finally gave up attempting to sleep with a jumpy cat and went outside and sat under the back porch overhand and watched the lightning flash and the wind blow. Unfortunately the rain was almost warm. I want my beer and my rain cold.

Well my eleven dollar cat truly achieved fame. Toward the middle of each month the money peters to almost nothing. This month when I took him to the vet the balance fell to slightly above nothing. The next use of the debit card, at McDonalds, pushed it negative and the bank jumped on the “blood out of a turnip” routine. Before I realized the problem, compounded by two family Shakespeare and dining experiences, we were truly in a tadpole fix. I think I have repaired the balance. Note to self! Check bank daily before any big expenditure. At 72 you would think I knew that kind of stuff.

I have really, really enjoyed indexing records for the LDS but the last couple of nights have delivered some real laughter and joy. Apparently, in Bexar county Texas, there was or is a sizeable Hungarian or similar ethnic group living in a cluster. And I have had the pleasure of indexing some of their marriage licenses.

True names from the Texas marriage records.
Edward J Przybyszewski married Theodosia Dudek September 14, 1921. She must have been having a horrible life at home to want to change from Dudek to Przybyszewski. Just consider Mrs Theodosia Dudek Przybyszewski telling her doctor they want to name their first borne son Edward Joseph Alexander Przybyszewski so he would not be called junior!

Solomon Tarrodayehik weds Stance Forysiwska in Bexar county September 11, 1921

Jacob C Burghardt takes Euphrozena F Moczygemba as his bride and she sighs happily never having to spell Moczygemba again. Death will have to part them because she sure a heck doesn’t want to revert to that maiden name.

And apart from the astonishing names there are nuggets of human interest like Tony B G and female consorts.
Tony B G and Margaret P applied for a Bexar county marriage license on July 23, 1923. The license was returned unexecuted. Tony B G and Ruby L applied for a Bexar county marriage license on July 24, 1923. The marriage ceremony was performed and the executed license filed with the county clerk. Was there a mistake? Were there two Tony B Gs? Or was, and I hope this is true, Tony B G a “player”? The answer is lost in the dust of history but warm red blood lived the story so many long years ago. I hope Tony and Ruby’s descendents had great lives filled by the afterglow of their passionate sire.

August 19, 1837
On this day in 1837, Robert Alexander, Methodist minister, crossed the Sabine River into the Republic of Texas. The Tennessee native had been appointed missionary to Texas with Martin Ruter and Littleton Fowler. Alexander arrived first and preached his way westward. During a camp meeting at the McMahan settlement, he held a "quarterly conference" and formed the San Augustine circuit on September 16, 1837. In mid-October he formed the first Methodist missionary society in Texas during a camp meeting held at Caney Creek, southwest of Washington-on-the-Brazos. Alexander later played a leading role in the establishment of Rutersville College and its successor, Southwestern University. He was instrumental in establishing the Texas Wesleyan Banner (now the United Methodist Reporter), and he held pastoral positions in a number of Texas districts. His ministry in Texas lasted forty-five years.
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TASKS LIST

Chop down dead vine on front sidewalk fence.
Instruct grandsons to start moving Misty’s rain soaked books to proper pile for heavy trash pickup on Sept 20.
Use Sawsall to cut down fallen Oak limb from neighbors tree and cut into sizes to make 4 inch bowls.
Use roofing tar and aluminum flashing to cover several small holes in roof of “rubber shed”.
Haul big dead flatscreen tv to recycle center at north end of Wirt.
clean KOI pond filter.
Clear weeds from around lily pond.

So here we are in an election year and our apparent choices for president are a bumbler and a fat cat and our congress are from political parties that forgot congress is supposed to govern not play war on each other. Kick every one of the worthless bastard out and elect anybody else. Anything will be better than what we have. What aroused my ire. To wit and to quote “In the second quarter of last year, 107 million Americans were receiving some kind of government welfare — not including Medicare or Social Security — according to a study from the Senate Budget Committee. That’s up from 97 million just over two years ago. Given that the 2010 Census showed the nation with a population of 308 million, the 107 million getting government assistance now comprise 35 percent of the total population…. IRS data show that nearly half of all Americans, 49.5 percent, pay no income taxes at all. Get the rest of the story at NEWSMAX.

Last year (several years ago now) at the Burton Cotton Gin Festival we saw some lightening bugs and I got busy explaining to the grandsons about Lucerifase and how the bug makes light. Cameron took my hand and said "Grandfather! You're a scientist right?" I stopped my scientific chatter and said "yes, why?" Cameron then said "Well I guess you know just about everything about how things work but you probably don't know why." "True" I said. He said, "Well God made them so we can see them and know God made them." Then, right then I once again saw those bugs like I did when I was a young kid.

For more stories about lightening bugs remembered by my dear grannies click HERE. For many reminisces from the group click on GRANNIE REMEMBERS.

”The dictum that truth always triumphs over persecution is one of the pleasant falsehoods which men repeat after one another till they pass into commonplaces, but which all experience refutes. ”
John Stuart Mill

SGGP