by bus or by cuss

2012-02-09T22:55:00.000-06:00

2414 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"I WENT TO A BOOKSTORE AND ASKED THE SALESWOMAN, "WHERE'S THE SELF- HELP SECTION?". SHE SAID IF SHE TOLD ME, IT WOULD DEFEAT THE PURPOSE."

Read on and fall sound asleep

I love the Kindle my wife gave me for Christmas. It is the best sleep aid since newly-wed sex! Remember that?

I started accumulating ideas for this thing on Monday. When I opened the draft6 tonight to record the ice cold drizzling rain I found my note about the impressive thunderstorms Monday morning. Now I am really worried about my mind because I had completely forgotten that storm.
“Tremendous thunderstorm from 6:30 TO 7:40 AM. Thunder shook the manor to its very foundation. Lightening lit up the sky from horizon to horizon. I suppose the drought is now “officially” over.”

I think I’ll look up some of those “brain foods”.

Again I am in a stretch of days where each is like the preceding. The only way I can tell one day from the next is to check my pillbox and crosscheck that against the calendar. My mind wanders during these featureless days. So I have copied all my music CDs to my iTunes directory on my computer. Many of the songs refer to days past which set my wondering mind to digging through the file cabinets of my mind. It is awfully dusty up there. I put together a string of pictures from my past with a song we sing in the Praise Service at my Church. I had intended to make the package a lead up to and celebration of my Emmaus experience but found myself running out of music before pictures. Click on My life and times to watch the Youtube video. No I don’t mind looking like a rank amateur.

1 There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.

2 Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.

3 Mortals put an end to the darkness; they search out the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness.

4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft, in places untouched by human feet; far from other people they dangle and sway.

5 The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire;

6 lapis lazuli comes from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold.

7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon’s eye has seen it.

8 Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there.

9 People assault the flinty rock with their hands and lay bare the roots of the mountains.

10 They tunnel through the rock; their eyes see all its treasures.

11 They search the sources of the rivers and bring hidden things to light.

12 But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?

13 No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living.

14 The deep says, “It is not in me”; the sea says, “It is not with me.”

15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.

16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.

17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold.

18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.

19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold.

20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?

21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds in the sky.

22 Destruction and Death say, “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”

23 God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells,

24 for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.

25 When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters,

26 when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm,

27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it.

28 And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

2/2: Gracious God, thank you for valuing a close relationship with us. Thank you for cherishing us ordinary people as your own. Amen
2/3: O God, when we feel too broken to ever mend, surround us with your love. Amen.
2/4: Touch our hearts, Father of all, that we may respond quickly where you need us. Amen.
2/5: Heavenly Father, help us to see what hinders our relationship with you and with others. Bring us to repentance so that you can restore us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
2/6: Divine Creator, when we feel small and insignificant, help us to remember that you made us and that you loved us enough to send your only son for our redemption. Amen.
2/7: Dear Lord, we want to be able to draw on experiences of your faithfulness when troubles come. Teach us to remember you above all else. Amen.
2/8: Loving God, help us to do what is right in your eyes and to be faithful to you. Amen.
2/9: Gracious God, renew our faith each day. In you, we want for nothing. We pray as Jesus taught us, saying, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”*

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Down in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, Boudreaux gets a job with BP helping with the cleanup.

He reports for work and is told to speak to a supervisor about his assignment.

He finds the man and asks, "What it is I supposed to do?"

The supervisor tells him to go to the animal shelter and clean the pelicans.

Two hours later, Boudreaux comes up to the supervisor and says,"Okay. dey all cleaned.

You want me to cook some rice?"

It might help reading but definitely not thinking. Once again it appears some big brain “over thought” a simple idea.

”All action is for the sake of some end; and rules of action, it seems natural to suppose, must take their whole character and color from the end to which they are subservient. ”
John Stuart Mill

SGGP

2012-02-01T22:36:00.000-06:00

2406 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."

Read on and fall sound asleep

I cannot believe it has been over a week since I wrote the last one of these things. In my mind I have been incredibly busy. But when I look around Shattered Manor I neglect. Every morning, no matter how late that is, I wake with every intention to make repairs and replant the flowers. Then I walk to feed the cats and have to stop after 15 feet to rest. Pisses me off that I am in such bad condition. I keep thinking I will find a surgeon or doctor who will accept me and repair my back. I could get active again if I could find relief from the pain.

This morning I decided to straighten out some book shelves for my new books. The only way to get enough room would be to get rid of my 300 music CDs. I am now in process of copying them to my computer. When I finish I will donate the CDs to some charity or institution. I figured as long as I was copying I ought to listen to them. I ran across on disc recorded during our Praise Celebration at church. A pretty young woman in the Santa Maria Hostel sang “Angel”. She had a lovely voice. So lovely I asked if she had been recorded. Turned out her song was recorded. I got a copy. When I found it this morning I tried to upload to youtube. Youtube doesn’t allow just audio recording so I used Windows Movie Maker to add wild flowers to a slideshow that incorporates her song. Click Lindsey Carroll sings “Angel” at our praise service to hear her lovely voice. I do not know where she is or went but I do hope that somehow the recording helps her.

I used to read newspapers so I could remain informed about current affairs. But over the years journalistic standards changed. Today the news reported in newspapers and broadcast media, in every case where I happen to have independent knowledge, is wrong. Wrong in a way that is slanted toward some special interest group or another. In past one could check opposing sources and find the truth somewhere in the composit. No longer! That is a long winded way of saying I don’t really read the news. Instead I read the columnists, who are stating their opinions, the comics, and the Sodoku puzzle. Sunday the Chronicle runs two puzzles. One easy and one hard. Last Sunday’s hard one was very hard. I only finished it today and as a reward I got to read the Sunday Comics. One of my favorite is and has been Prince Valiant. I have read PV almost every Sunday since I was 7 years old, it started in 1937. It is the most lavish and well inked strip in the comic section. The small picture below links to a larger version. Just look at the detail and richness of the images.

Click the picture for a larger view. Now contrast the style of Gary Gianni of Prince Valiant to that of J.C. Duffy who draws “The Fusco Brothers”.

I much prefer the Prince Valiant style.

Another personal defect that keeps me from being productive is a mind like a Magpie. “Bright Shiny objects” have always distracted me. In my advanced maturity “bright shiny” includes anything that I do not understand immediately. For some reason yesterday, I don’t remember why today, I was looking at satellite images of the area behind behind a reservoir. I saw faint straight lines. I suppose they are traces of old fence lines for property condemned by the state when the reservoir was built. An area was labeled as Independence farmettes. When I investigated I found that the area now is an upscale housing development. The land was probably farmland not long ago. Then I learned a website lists the prices being asked for houses for sell in the area. I noticed a cluster of 4 people with very similar names:
Passage Claudia 6302 N Bumleg Aspen CO
Passage Jo Marie 6227 N Bumleg Aspen CO
Passage Larry D 6310 N Bumleg Aspen CO
Williams Wilma Passage 6303 N Bumleg Aspen CO
Is this an estranged coupe with two unmarried daughters who do not want to move away from the parents? Or is this a family of four working together to make money from home building. I assume the estranged parent idea and starting writing a short story leading to an American dynasty of the next century.

1/25: Dear God, we give thanks that you do not give up on us. Show us the path you put before us daily, and give us the strength to walk it. Amen.
1/26: God of compassion, send your Spirit to strengthen those who have no strength, to bring peace to those who have no peace, and to give hope to all in despair. Amen.
1/27: Healer of the sick, teach us to come to you continually in prayer. Be with us as we leave our worries with you, and give us the courage to face each day — one hour, one minute at a time. Amen.
1/28: Dear Lord, help us to anticipate the wonderful home you’re preparing for our eternity. Amen.
1/29: Dear God, may our words reflect your grace today. Amen.
1/30: Dear God of hope and grace, help us to place our confidence in you, not on what humans know or can do. Amen.
1/31: : Dear God, help us to trust you throughout our lives. May we be nourished and enriched by you, confident of your love and care, and a blessing to others. Amen.
2/1: Dear Lord, thank you for being generous to us. Help us to share our love, time, and material possessions with those around us. Especially help us to share your word with others who hunger to know you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Chicken/macaroni & cheese casserole

2 c. Dry macaroni
2 cans cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
2 cup Milk
2 c. shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 medium onion, chopped
2 can chicken, drained
salt to taste

mix all ingredients together.
Put in 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
Refrigerate overnight.
Remove one hour before baking.
Bake 1 hours at 350.
He said he covers with foil the 1st hour and removes it to brown for a half hour.

Thank you Sarah.

”A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.”
John Stuart Mill

SGGP

2012-01-24T23:24:00.000-06:00

2398 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"If I had a penny for every time I thought I was mistaken but wasn’t I would now have a cent."

Read on and fall sound asleep

A friend sent a quotation for John Mill. I suppose he was tired of my endless tirade against our continued adventure in Afghanistan. I had only a small knowledge of Mr. Mill. Now, after reading many of his writings, I wish I had known more. The quote is in italics. "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

His autobiography is HERE.

Almost every political thought I possess resonates with John Stuart Mill.

My wife was cleaning her bedroom and discovered four small Bendies I had hanging on the lampshade on my night stand. A grannie friend gave them to me at a Grannie gathering in Branson, MO in 2000. The thing started as gimmick accessories for a series of photo advertisements for a line of children’s clothing. The photographers had to keep replacing them before each photo session. The clothing company employees were taking the Bendies home for their children. Eventually the demand for Bendies grew so great that they were turned into a full fledged product line. They were once as popular as Bennie Babies. I now have the four hanging over my desk.

Annette	Decker
Wayne	Zap

They are plastic molded around a flexible metal armature and thus can be posed in a great variety of positions. It is a challenge to pose them so they will stand erect.

Our youngest grandson’s school basketball team played their last regular season game this evening. Because it was the last I went to video parts of the game. Basketball is noisy and gives me a raging headache so I only attend one a year. I posted two of the videos to YouTube at http://youtu.be/tgHvgGVcH-U and at http://youtu.be/zm2VooJ7YG0. My hands now shake a lot so please excuse the jitter in the video.

I have an appointment with my Cardiologist tomorrow morning. I intend to ask why my blood pressure has become so erratic.

Now I am going to stop and watch the recording of the State of the Union and the R response. I am so disgusted with all the current politicians I hope to see the whole herd burst into flame.

1/21: Dear Lord, thank you that you enable us to do what you have called us to do to show others your love. Amen.
1/22: Dear God, when we begin to worry, help us instead to gain the comfort and calm that come from trusting you. In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
1/23: Dear God, help us to listen closely to your words in the Bible — and to change. Amen.
1/24: O Lord, open our eyes to your word, and help us to see you more clearly in every circumstance. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

1.Two vultures board an airplane, each carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at them and says, "I'm sorry, gentlemen, only one carrion allowed per passenger."

2. Two boll weevils grew up in South Carolina. One went to Hollywood and became a famous actor. The other stayed behind in the cotton fields and never amounted to much. The second one, naturally, became known as the lesser of two weevils.

3. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, but when they lit a fire in the craft, it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it, too.

4. A three-legged dog walks into a saloon in the Old West. He slides up to the bar and announces: "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw."

5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? He wanted to transcend dental medication.

6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?" they asked, as they moved off. "Because," he said, "I can't stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer."

7. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

8. These friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that Hugh, and only Hugh, can prevent florist friars.

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him.... what? (Oh, man, this is so bad, its good) A super callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

10. And finally, there was the person who sent ten different puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. Unfortunately, no pun in ten did.

”The secret source of humor is not joy but sorrow; there is no humor in Heaven.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2012-01-20T23:14:00.000-06:00

2394 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

Read on and fall sound asleep

Yesterday was my last day in the 1 year Testosterone Therapy study. The person who has been my steady contact the whole year is Emelia. She finally adjusted to the fact that I can barely hear crashing locomotives. She always talked clearly and distinctly to me while facing me.

Emelia

The last day Emelia had a helped who guided me through the final stages of the physical evaluation.

Patricia

I was very glad to take part in the study. Now I am waiting to learn the results of the study.

Today was my wife’s annual Mammogram. She has been a survivor so long that MD Anderson has shifted her back into the general population. Thank God for Doctor Ross and MD Anderson Cancer Center. The directions she received made it sound like we were going to a much different building. We weren’t. We were back in the Mays Clinic for her mammogram. This time, however, we were in and out in less than 2 hours. Normally we would have been there for over 4 hours.

I see Rick Perry has withdrawn form the GOP presidential nomination stupidity. Now if he would just withdraw from the governorship of Texas we might be able to repair the damage he has done to public education and etc. Clearly, from his talking points during his abortive run, he has no central ideals. I think he is a sock puppet for some big money corporations. I even voted for a Democrat in the last gubernatorial election in hopes of dislodging him.

1/20: Source of strength, help us today to look beyond our circumstances to your faithful character. We pray in trust, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”* Amen. *Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV).

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

CONDENSED MILK BREAD PUDDING

1 1/2 loaves of any crusty bread except Whole Wheat
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
teaspoon of cream
1 small can of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup 80 proof Bacardi Rum

Set oven to 350°F.

Grease 13 by 9 baking dish. Cube or tear bread into small pieces. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the eggs, and just 1/4 of a cup of the condensed milk. Set aside.

In a large saucepan bring alcohol to a rolling boil. When reduced, add milk and a splash of cream and bring to a simmer or until it begins to thicken. Turn off the heat and add sugar mixture.

Once cooled, stir in bread and spices. Pour into a well greased pan. Pour the remaining sugar and condensed milk over the top.

Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

NOTE: Bread pudding is versatile. Add some melted white or dark chocolate or raisins for additional flavor.

”There are people who can do all fine and heroic things but one - keep from telling their happiness to the unhappy.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2012-01-19T21:02:00.000-06:00

2393 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"The divine beauty
Of heaven and earth!
All creation,
Members of
One family."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

OH HAPPY DAY! OH FABULOUS JOY! TODAY, THE FIRST TIME IN 3 YEARS, FOR A SHORT TIME THE PAIN IN MY BACK DISAPPEARED. THE BIRDS ALL TOOK FLIGHT IN SONG. THE SUN SHONE! LITTLE BUNNY RABBITS BOUNDED ACROSS THE MEADOWS IN A DANCE OF CELEBRATION! ALL WAS GOOD! How, you ask, did this happen? I was in my recliner after returning from a vigorous end of study exam for the Testosterone study and reached for my Kindle. I missed the table top and jammed my right hand middle finger into the veneer peeling off the top of the antique table. A half inch sliver of the veneer slide under the fingernail and then broke off under my fingernail. I could see the dark streak of that sliver all the way back to the meniscus of my fingernail. In that brief period of time between the penetration and the first drop of blood my back did not hurt. I pulled out the sliver and was still pain free. Then I dabbed a little benzocaine on the injured nail. Immediately the back pain returned.

BUT…. My back did not hurt for 6 beautiful minutes today.

I opened the mail this afternoon and found a envelope from our daughter that lives in Austin. She sent us a belated Christmas card featuring her, her husband and three of the most perfect wonderful grandchildren. Their senior daughter has been in a school in Alabama so they haven’t have many opportunities to get together.

Leigh doesn’t take many photographs so each we see are examined until the colors are worn off. Her kids are growing so fast. Soon they will be out on their own. The picture looks like a snowy scene. I hope I get to Austin to visit them soon.

Today was my last visit for a study about the effect of Testosterone replacement therapy for aging men. I was told at the beginning that sometime after the study ended I would be told whether or not I was receiving testosterone. I don’t think I was because I saw no change in my person or mentality during the year. Tomorrow I will include picture of two of the women who helped me during the study.

Below is a story fragment I am having difficulty with. Can you spot my problem?

Johnny Stark, director of the department of Interplanetary Relations for Mars' Settlement One, reread the final paragraph of the note which he had found on his desk, upon returning from lunch earlier in the day.
His eye flicked rapidly over the moistly smeared Martian scrawl, ignoring the bitterness directed at him in the first paragraphs. He was vaguely troubled by the last sentences. But he hadn't been able to pin the feeling down.
... Our civilization predates that of Earth's by millions of years. We are an advanced, peaceful race. Yet, since Earth's first rocket landed here thirteen years ago, we have been looked upon as freaks and contemptuously called 'bug-men' behind our backs! This is our planet. We gave of our far-advanced knowledge and science freely, so that Earth would be a better place. We asked nothing in return, but we were rewarded by having forced upon us foreign ideas of government, religion, and behavior. Our protests have been silenced by an armed-police and punitive system we've never before needed. Someday you will awaken to this injustice. On that day in your life, you have my sympathy and pity!
Stark knew that the Settlement's Investigations Lab could readily determine the identity of the Martian who had written the note. But he hesitated to send it over. Under the New System, such troublemakers were banished to the slave-labor details of the precious-earth mines to the North.
Crumpling the note in sudden decision, Stark dropped it into the office incendiary tube. The morning visi-report had shown that there were more than 17,000 workers at the mines. Only five had been Earthlings. Let the armed-police system find the Martian through their own channels. It wasn't his job.
A glance at the solar clock on the far wall reminded him there was still time for one more interview before the last bell, so he impatiently signaled his secretary to send in the waiting couple.
Ordinarily, he liked his work and time meant little to him. He had jumped from interpreter to director in the ten years since the department had been created. But this day was different.
Stark was to announce his engagement at the Chief's monthly dinner party that evening and time had seemed to drag since his lunch with Carol.
When the door opened, he rose and nodded to the plump, freckle-faced girl who entered. The girl topped five feet by one or two inches, but she was no taller than the Martian man who followed her at the prescribed four feet.
After the girl had seated herself, Stark and the Martian sat down. Stark opened the folder, which his secretary had placed on his desk earlier.
"Your names are Ruth and Ralph Gilraut? And you want permission to move into Housing Perimeter D?" It was merely a formality, since the information was in the folder.
When the girl nodded, Stark placed a small check mark in the space beside her name. Then he turned to the Martian.
The large, single red eye set deep in the Martian's smooth, green forehead above the two brown ones blinked twice before he answered.
He spoke deliberately. "As is required of all Martians under the New System, I have taken the name of one of the early Earthlings to write and pronounce." The large red eye blinked again. "My wife would like to move into Housing Perimeter D. By regulation, I respect her wish."
Stark placed a check mark by the Martian's name. He wiped the smudge of ink off his hand and said, "You both know, of course, that Perimeter D is reserved for couples who have intermarried and are about to have offspring?"
The girl and the Martian nodded, and the girl passed Stark a medical report. Stark looked over the report and then made a notation on a small pink slip.
He said, "This permit certifies that you are eligible to move from Perimeter E to Housing Perimeter D. It also certifies that your husband has no record as a troublemaker." Stark looked at the girl. "You understand that you may visit your friends in Perimeter E, but, by law, they will not be allowed to enter Perimeter D to visit you. And, of course, the new law clearly states that neither of you may visit Earthlings in Housing Perimeter A, B or C."
The girl looked down at her hands. Her voice was almost inaudible. "My husband and I are familiar with the advantages and disadvantages listed under the section pertaining to intermarriage in the new law, Mr. Stark. Thank you."
Stark rose as they left. For a brief moment, he thought he had detected a sense of rebellion in their attitude. But that was not possible. The new law provided equality for all. And his department had been created to iron out relations between the two races—excepting complaints originated by troublemakers for the purpose of weakening the New System. In such cases, Investigations had stepped in and the Martian or Earthling troublemaker had been sent to the rare-earth mines.
The reddish light filtering in through the quartz and lead wall of his office showed that it was almost time for the last bell.
On the street below, shoppers were streaming out of the stores on their way to the various housing perimeters. Earthlings were climbing into their speedy little jet cars for the short trip to the recently modernized inner perimeters. Martians were waiting for the slower auto buses. The traffic problem had been solved, under the New System, by restricting the use of the Martian-built jet cars to persons living in the inner perimeters.
As Stark watched, a black jet car impatiently hurtled out of the line of traffic, bowled through a crowd of Martians waiting for an auto bus, and skidded to a stop at the curb in front of the building.
A tall girl got out. The red evening glow reflecting from her golden hair, made her breathing globe almost amber. Male Martians and Earthlings alike turned to stare in appreciation as she pushed her way through the crowd to the building's compressor lock. Carol was that kind of girl.
Almost at the exact moment that Carol opened the door into Stark's office, the yellow visi-screen of the vocal box upon Stark's desk flashed on brilliantly and the Chief's booming voice filled the office. The light from the screen picked up the highlights on the furniture and gave a sallow, greenish cast to Stark's features. Carol stepped back into the doorway to stay out of range of the two-way unit.
"Stark!" The automatic tuner on the box corrected to bring the Chief's image in wire-sharp focus.
"Yes, sir?"
"About the dinner tonight. Just checking to make sure you're planning to be there. We want a full turnout. An inspection team has come up from Earth and we have two visiting dignitaries from Venus."
Stark nodded and waited for the Chief to say something else, but the visi-screen blanked out.
Carol said, "That was Dad, wasn't it?"
Stark felt very depressed suddenly. "Haven't you told him yet?"
"No. He's been tied up with those inspectors all afternoon. And you know how Dad is, Johnny. There's a right and a wrong time to tell him things. Right now, he's only interested in hearing about Earth."
"But we're supposed to announce our engagement tonight at the dinner." He shook his head. "We can't go on forever with just a few stolen moments here and there, eating an occasional lunch or third meal together in little out-of-the-way places."
Carol laughed, the youthful swell of her breasts against the soft, spun-glass material of her blouse. "Don't worry so, Johnny! I'm a big girl now. This is my eighteenth birthday. Dad's bark is much worse than his bite. I'll tell him about us on the way home."
She moved closer to him, until he could feel the warmth of her body. He could see the warm, damp indentation where her breathing globe had rested against her shoulders and chest.
She asked teasingly, "What did you get me for my birthday, Johnny? Something real nice?"

"What did you want?" Johnny asked her gently.

Please see note below religion section.

1/18: Dear God our guide, give us strength always to encourage and respect others. Amen.
1/19: O good and gracious God, we ask for your Holy Spirit to change us from within to help us become more like Christ. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

*NOTE: This is actually part of a short story by Bascom Jones Jr. called “Blind Spot”. To read the rest of the short story click HERE. Until I read this on my Kindle I thought my writing skills were bad. This short story has been published many times and is a classic of the science fiction genre. Maybe I ain’t so bad after all.

A man walks out to the street and catches a taxi just going by. He gets into the taxi,and the cabbie says, "Perfect timing. You're just like Frank."

Passenger: "Who?"

Cabbie: "Frank Feldman. He's a guy who did everything right all the time. Like my coming along when you needed a cab, things happened like that to Frank Feldman every single time."

Passenger: "There are always a few clouds over everybody."

Cabbie: "Not Frank Feldman. He was a terrific athlete. He could have won the Grand Slam at tennis. He could golf with the pros. He sang like an opera baritone and danced like a Broadway star and you should have heard him play the piano. He was an amazing guy."

Passenger: "Sounds like he was something really special."

Cabbie: "There's more... He had a memory like a computer. He remembered everybody's birthday. He knew all about wine, which foods to order and which fork to eat them with. He could fix anything. Not like me. I change a fuse, and the whole street blacks out. But Frank Feldman, he could do everything right."

Passenger: "Wow, some guy then."

Cabbie: "He always knew the quickest way to go in traffic and avoid traffic jams. Not like me, I always seem to get stuck in them. But Frank, he never made a mistake, and he really knew how to treat a woman and make her feel good. He would never answer her back even if she was in the wrong; and his clothing was always immaculate, shoes highly polished too. He was the perfect man! He never made a mistake. No one could ever measure up to Frank Feldman."

Passenger: "An amazing fellow. How did you meet him?"

Cabbie: "Well, I never actually met Frank. He died . . . I'm married to his bleepin' widow."

”The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2012-01-17T19:38:00.000-06:00

2391 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"The Path is exceedingly vast. From ancient times to the present day, even the greatest sages were unable to perceive and comprehend the entire truth; the explanation and teachings of masters and saints express only part of the whole. It is not possible for anyone to speak of such things in their entirety. Just head for the light and heat, learn from the gods, and through the virtue of devoted practice of the Art of Peace, become one with the Divine. "
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

It has been so long since I made an entry that I almost do not remember how. I started several times but each time realized my life had gotten very boring and doubted anyone wants to read about a life even duller than theirs. But finally the habit of writing approximately two million words about a dull life drove me back to the keyboard. Let me first take care of the few aborted attempts since December 2011.

TCM had a marathon of sorts December 28-29 with William Powell and Myrna Loy. As a man I feel unqualified to appraise Powell but that Myrna! She is in that small group of compelling women like my wife, Kathryn Hepburn, Lauren Bacall and Sophia Loren that own my identification as true women.

Only Juli Dench and Meryl Streep of the current actresses come close with talent and looks. I wrote this after saturating myself with Loy and Streep.

A lot of my waking hours were spent either in doctor’s offices or getting ready to go. My wife and I have almost the entire medical practice of Spring Branch on our speed dials. Any movement has gotten so painful that I find myself hunkered down in webbie room instead of walking or doing household chores. The weather looks like we may be headed to an early spring so maybe the heat will ease my pain.

During this season of my discontent the strangest things fascinate me. Click on the picture to learn what keeps an old coot entertained. Push the rubber bumper.

Enjoy but beware. The device is addictive.

I received emails from friends and family showing me a firefighting technique I had never considered. Such a simple thing could save much pain and destruction. Click fire brigade for a short You Tube video. Watch it until you memorize the process.

I have been a strong advocate for space exploration since I first knew of space. But I hate NASA because its real effect has been to retard human expansion into our Solar System. I believe that mankind has at hand all the resources to lift every human from subsistence living to a life abundant. All the water, metals, chemicals, and etc we will ever need are in the Asteroid belt or surrounding the gas giant planets. What got me excited this time was a factoid shown during “GOLDRUSH” on the History Channel. It stated that the asteroid Eros contained 200,000 times more gold than all the gold produced here on Earth. For more info about Eros and its minerals click HERE. We have the technology now to send robotic expeditions out to mine the asteroids and gather methane and ice from Saturn. No humans need to be at risk which reduces costs dramatically and also allows for long slow transits from Earth to targets and back. We have the technology now to sail the Solar System. All we lack is the will because we have decided to stare at our “navel” and bemoan our present state. Humans need to turn themselves to the long journey from home. The stars do await us.

FINALLY a Robertson has won a letter jacket from the Tigers. Our senior grandson just walked in with his brad new letter jacket from the Springwood High School Tigers. He wore 42 on his football team. Click the picture for a larger view. Yesterday he was 16 and we had no celebration or observance. Yeah Jared!

1/13: Giver of all good things, we thank you for the opportunities that come with each morning. We thank you for your mercy and compassion made new every day. Amen.
1/14: God of many names, help us to claim the identity that you give us as your beloved children. Amen
1/15: God of all comfort, you are good to provide for our needs in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Thank you for loving us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
1/16: Dear Lord, give us strength to embody your love for all persons and courage to bring your justice. Amen.
1/17: O God, thank you for loving us no matter what — whether we respond in anger or in love. Help us so to love others. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

The Plan

It was Christmas day, and we had all gathered for the holiday meal at the home of my husband's parents. After dessert, my mother-in-law left the table and returned carrying a bowl filled with slips of paper. Each adult was instructed to take one. Excited, we did so, wondering what surprise she had thought up for us. My slip of paper instructed me to dry the dishes; another person was told to wash them. Others had to do pots and pans, etc. Then, with all the parents out of the way, grandma and grandpa went into the living room and enjoyed their grandchildren.

All Done

I wondered if I could get my husband to address Christmas cards, as I had so much to do. I arranged everything we needed, then hopefully pulled up a chair and said, "Come on, Dear, let's get these out of the way." He glanced at the array on the table, turned away and went into the den, only to return moments later with a high stack of cards, stamped, sealed, and addressed. "They're last year's," he said. "I forgot to mail them. Now let's go out to dinner and relax."

”You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-12-26T22:00:00.001-06:00

2369 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Genetics explain why you look like your father and if you don't why you should."

Read on and fall sound asleep

Christmas at shatter manor was a quiet affair. Only the Houston part of the family was here. Most of the presents around the tree were from the Giving Tree. My wife got a stove, not shown, for Christmas. She gave me a Kindle reader.

I believe this was the most subdued Christmas we have had since our Newly-wed one when we lived in Austin. Neither one of us feels well enough to really celebrate with any exuberance.

I wish you all a Happy New Year in a safe way. See you in 2012.

12/23: Dear Lord, thank you for coming to us at Christmas and always, wherever we are. Amen.
12/24: God, what a joy it is to receive your gift of Jesus Christ! We welcome him in our hearts as a reminder of your love and share your gift with others as a token of our love for you. Amen.
12/25: God of hope, when we are tempted to give up, remind us to listen for the sound of angels. Amen.
12/26: Faithful God, encourage us when we feel despair, and help us to hold on to the hope we have in you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

I was driving from Temple to Austin the other day when a tire blew out. Checking my spare, I found that it too was flat. My only option was to flag down a passing motorist and get a ride to the next town.

The first vehicle to stop was an old man in a van. He yelled out the window, "Need a lift?"

"Yes, I sure do," I replied.

"You a Republican or Democrat," asked the old man.

"Republican," I replied.

"Well, you can just go to Hell," yelled the old man as he sped off.

Another guy stopped, rolled down the window, and asked me the same question.

Again, I answered, "Republican."

The driver gave me the finger and drove off.

I thought it over and decided that maybe I should change my strategy, since this area seemed to be overly political and there appeared to be few Republicans.

The next car to stop was a red convertible driven by a beautiful blonde. She smiled seductively and asked if I was a Republican or Democrat.

"Democrat!" I shouted.

"Hop in!" replied the blonde.

Driving down the road, I couldn't help but stare at the gorgeous woman in the seat next to me, the wind blowing through her hair, perfect breasts, and a short skirt that continued to ride higher and higher up her thighs.

Finally, I yelled, "Please stop the car."

She immediately slammed on the brakes and as soon as the car stopped, I jumped out.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"I can't take it anymore," I replied. "I've only been a Democrat for five minutes and already I want to screw somebody."

”Truth is the most valuable thing we have. Let us economize it.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments. This Tripod comment form is not compatible with webtv.

2011-12-22T20:20:00.000-06:00

2365 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"The Art of Peace is the religion that is not a religion; it perfects and completes all religions."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Ever since I was a young boy listening to the ventriloquist Edgar Bergen with his dummy Charlie McCarthy on radio I have been fascinated by the art. It never crossed my mind to question a radio show featuring an act that depended on the actor not moving his lips. I suppose the dialogue was funny enough that visual evidence was not needed. A recent email contained a link to a video of a truly incredible ventriloquist. Not only did his lips not move, he was able to imitate at least two iconic singers. Best ventriloquist ever is HERE. I do not remember how many box tops and quarter I sent in for booklets supposed to magically convert me into a stage capable ventriloquist. Never happened!

Yesterday I received two copies of Scientific American. One was addressed to Wagne Robertson at 937 Lynnview. Strangely I have mailed letters with everything but the zip code absolutely correct (off by the last digit) and had them returned by USPS for incorrect address. BTW you are better off leaving off the zip code if you do not know the exact number. I found a phone number for problems with subscriptions and called early this morning. The woman I finally reached after 7 pseudopersons with pretended key stokes in response to my replies was snippy and sounded like she thought I was running a scam. After7 minutes she wanted to call me back to assure I was the “legal entity” I claimed to be. Eventually she did call back and sounded less hostile. She told me to mail the wrong magazine back to them so they could correct the account. “NO WAY!” I told her. I pointed out the postage was too much and she laughed and said “No FedEx it back to us and we will pay the shipping.” I told her I would not do that either and would prefer talking to her boss. Then because she sounded like I had hit her I told her I was willing to scan the information and email it to her. SHE CANNOT RECEIVE EMAIL! But she can receive faxes. So I scanned the cover and faxed it using my computer. She said it will be a couple of days before she can get the account corrected. Turns out she is a Hindi and works Christmas and does not get equivalent time off. She sounded American. I wonder if I was talking to an Indian call center.

Then I accidentally clicked on a link that took me to something of Dad’s I had transposed to the internet.

WHERE SHALL WISDOM BE FOUND

Surely there is a vein for the silver,
And a place for gold where they fine it.
Iron is taken out of the earth,
And brass is molten out of the stone.
But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
Man knoweth not the price thereof;
Neither is it found in the land of the living.
The depth saith, It is not in me:
And the sea saith, It is not with me.

It cannot be gotten for gold,
Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.

It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir,
With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

The gold and the crystal cannot equal it:
And the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.

No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls:
For the price of wisdom is above rubies.

The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it,
Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

Whence then cometh wisdom?
And where is the place of understanding?

Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living,
And kept close from the fowls of the air.

Destruction and Death say,
We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

God understanding the away thereof,
And he knoweth the place thereof.

For he looketh to the ends of the earth,
And seeth under the whole heaven;

To make the weight for the winds;
And he weigheth the waters by measure.

When he made a decree for the rain,
And a way for the lightning of the thunder:

Then did he see it, and declare it;
He prepared it, yea, and searched it out

And unto man he said,
Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.

Job 28:1, 2, 12-28

Eight Grade Poem copied from a BOOK given to my Father for exemplary grades in the Cement, Oklahoma School system. Can you imagine a student being given a book of poetry, some from the Bible, in this secular age?

Below is an exposition on the “Dead Horse Theory” extracted from ancient Dakota Indian lore.

Am I the only one in America who thinks the Victoria’s Secret commercials are porn?

12/21: Loving God, continue to make yourself known among people who don't know you. Prepare us to receive them as family. Amen.
12/22: Thank you, God, for the examples you give us in your word. Help us be as gracious as Hannah was to Eli. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from generation to generation, says that:

When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, your best strategy is to dismount. However, in our government more advanced strategies are often employed, such as:

1. Buying a stronger (and more expensive) whip.

2. Changing riders.

3. Appointing a committee to study the horse.

4. Arranging trips to other countries to see how other cultures ride dead horses.

5. Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.

6. Reclassifying the dead horse as living-impaired.

7. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.

8. Harnessing several dead horses together to increase efficiency.

9. Providing additional funding and/or training to increase dead horse's performance.

10. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the dead horse's performance.

11. Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overhead and therefore contributes substantially more to the bottom line of the economy than do some live horses.

12. Rewriting the expected performance requirements for all horses.

And of course....

13. Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position.

”To refuse awards is another way of accepting them with more noise than is normal.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-12-20T21:48:00.000-06:00

2363 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"When you bow deeply to the universe, it bows back; when you call out the name of God, it echoes inside you."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

As promised below is a picture of the new stove. My wife shopped for it and selected the stove by herself. I do believe that is the first major purchase she has ever made by herself.

I am very proud that she undertook the task and carried it to completion. One of my worst fears is that she is unable to decisively manage her life after I am gone. This afternoon she pointed out that the refrigerator door is not closing automatically. In fact, it swings open. Tomorrow I need to get my pry bars to raise the front and determine why the fridge has lost its level. Such a change is unexpected and worries me.

I now know that I spent almost 4 hours watching a football game that was played 2 weeks ago. I could have been napping.

After days of trying to call an old acquaintance with no call back I sent him a text message. Same phone number. I got a text reply almost as soon as I took my finger off the send button. Then today I see the following “Born Loser” comic strip. I guess I am not the only one perplexed by the changes in our communication process caused by modern telephones.

The Comcast internet connection has been rock solid since the last service rep installed a new modem. Today I received the package from AT&T containing the U-Verse internet equipment. I have been second guessing myself ever since I blew up against Comcast. Tomorrow after I adjust the fridge I will open the AT&T box and read the instructions. I fear the installation will prove to be more complicated that I want to fool with. Comcast has extended reductions to the extent that the next 2 months will almost be free. I hope I have a guidance dream tonight.

12/16: Lord God, as we celebrate this Christmas, may we show others what you have done in sending your son to save us and to bring us peace. Amen.
12/17: Eternal Creator, God of peace, help us to teach our children the joy of living in your love. Help us and them learn how to "live at peace with everyone." Amen.
12/18: : O God, as we have welcomed your grace and truth in Christ, help us to show our weary world that following him is the way to peace. Amen.
12/19: Thank you, Lord, for being with us. Help us to open our hearts to you. Amen.
12/20: O God, help us to accept your grace instead of trying to earn your love. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

”What a good thing Adam had. When he said a good thing he knew nobody had said it before.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-12-16T21:31:00.000-06:00

2359 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"The Divine does not like to be shut up in a building. The Divine likes to be out in the open. It is right here in this very body. Each one of us is a miniature universe, a living shrine."
from Art of Peace

Once again I have trouble with people or dogmas that limits what God is likely to do. God will do as God does.

Read on and fall sound asleep

I got a Christmas card today from the sexiest woman in the world. My aunt Jackie included a letter she was sending to a newspaper. She is fiercely liberal and I am fiercely conservative. She was liberal back in the days when she frightened 3 preteenaged boys with her beauty. And she is still liberal while she still frightens one of those boys grown old.

But in these days we agree on at least one point. The Republican party is engaged in a fire sale to sell the American middle class into corporate and moneyed slavery. I lived in times of much higher taxation on the “rich” and have never seen that high taxation reduced their level of innovation or job creation. Upon consideration we should all know that there is a level of wealth beyond what any one person or family can spend in a year. That is the money that should be taxed higher. My Congressional district is represented by Sheila Jackson Lee who is IMHO a screaming liberal. Yet she more nearly embodies my ideals than either of the Republican Texas Senators. The US Constitution which all members of congress swear and vow to defend calls for promotion of the general welfare, NOT THE WELFARE OF BILLIONAIRES. Read the Constitution someday and then prove to me that Congress deserves more respect. I want every one of them turned out of office after 1 term until they return to promoting general welfare.

BTW The letter is perfect and I pray it is published.

I have been following the progress of a tiny girl baby born in August. Melinda Star fit in the palm of her delivery doctor and weighed just 9 and a half ounces at birth. That is less than a can of Coke. Despite the fact that about 360,000 babies are born each year each birth is a miracle. How can something so complicated as a human be created in such a way yet turn our right so often. The first picture was made shortly. The next picture was 14 weeks later. Actually December 14, 2011. More of the story is HERE

Consider that as tiny and fragile as she looks in the first photo we all passed through that stage. Of course we were perfected within the womb.

How perfect the womb that forms us. Or as Psalm 139 says “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

Roomie’s new stove was delivered that afternoon. Tomorrow I will post a picture of the cooking machine.

When NASA was preparing for the Apollo Project, it took the astronauts to a Navajo reservation in Arizona for training. One day, a Navajo Elder and his son came across the space crew walking among the rocks. The Elder, who spoke only Navajo, asked a question. His son translated for the NASA people. "What are these guys in the big suits doing?"

One of the astronauts said that they were practicing for a trip to the moon. When his son relayed this comment the Navajo Elder got all excited and asked if it would be possible to give to the astronauts a message to deliver to the moon.

Recognizing a promotional opportunity when he saw one, a NASA official accompanying the astronauts said, "Why certainly!" and told an underling to get a tape recorder . The Navajo Elder's comments into the microphone were brief.

The NASA official asked the son if he would translate what his father had said. The son listened to the recording and laughed uproariously. But he refused to translate. So the NASA people took the tape to a nearby Navajo village and played it for other members of the tribe. They too laughed long and loudly but also refused to translate the elder's message to the moon.

Finally, an official government translator was summoned. After he finally stopped laughing the translator relayed the message: "Watch out for these pricks. They have come to steal your land."

12/16: Lord God, as we celebrate this Christmas, may we show others what you have done in sending your son to save us and to bring us peace. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Anthony's Catfish Stew

4 celery stalks, chopped fine
2 large onions, chopped
2 sm. bell peppers, chopped
5 pods of garlic, chopped fine
Salt & Chinese red pepper to taste
3-4 lb. fresh catfish, cut in sm. strips
Flour
5 T. tomato paste
Cooking oil

Season catfish.

Add cooking oil to cover bottom of heavy black pot. Add 1 layer of chopped onion, bell pepper, garlic, and celery and then another layer of catfish.

Sprinkle with a little flour, add another layer of onions, bell pepper, garlic and celery, and then another layer of catfish. Catfish should end up on top.

Sprinkle with a little flour, and add about 5 T. tomato paste over the mixture. Cover with tight lid and let cook over low fire until onions and other seasonings and fish are done.

Do not stir. This will break up the fish. Just shake pot now and then so mixture does not stick to bottom.

Serve with rice

Serves 6

I have been craving catfish for weeks. The fried catfish at “Potato Patch” for lunch with my brother did not break the craving. I know this will not be made in “shattered manor” but I can enjoy the cerebral flavor. This recipe from Durene’s web recipes.

”We are all alike, on the inside.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-12-15T21:22:00.001-06:00

2358 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"You cannot see or touch the Divine with your gross senses. The Divine is within you, not somewhere else. Unite yourself to the Divine, and you will be able to perceive gods wherever you are, but do not try to grasp or cling to them."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Thank God our troops are coming out of Iraq. The sight of those brave warriors wrapping up the mission makes me mourn a much uglier “leaving “ 40+ years ago. I wonder how different the war in Vietnam would have ended if we and our government had supported our troops like we have in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank you President for sticking to the deal President Bush arranged. Now please find a way to get our military out of Afghanistan. Every invader since the Romans have been eaten alive by the Afghans.

A couple of nights ago, I was out for a few drinks with some friends and had a few too many beers and some rather nice claret. Knowing full well I may have been slightly over the limit, I did something I've never done before - I took a bus home. I arrived home safely and without incident, which was a real surprise, as I have never driven a bus before and am not sure where I got this one.

Some of my friends and family know I have been struggling with internet access for the last month or so. Our provider is Comcast. We would just suddenly lose connection to the internet. We would call the “Land of the Dense” customer support and describe our problem and list the symptoms and actions we were undertaking when connection was lost. The “Voice” would promise to get a service rep out ASAP and give us a 2 hour appointment window. Once the ASAP was 5 days later. But in that 5 days Comcast, with no input from us would cancel the appointment and reschedule. When a rep would finally show up he would fiddle with the connections and change out the cable modem. We had three that followed that MO. Once the voice promised tomorrow and we would get a rewire. Three days later rep showed up and ran a new cable just for the internet. And replaced the modem. When that “fix” died 4 days later I called Comcast and told voice that if a service rep was not out by noon the next day (12/14/2011) I would call AT&T and get DSL internet. At 15:05 pm 12/14/2011 I called AT&T and initiated installation of DSL. AT&T internet is wireless so installation should be easy. The equipment will be mailed 12/22/2011 and will need to be activated. The service rep arrived 12/15/2011 at 1:45 pm and replaced the modem and associated power supply. He left his personal phone number. At 3:35 pm and again at 6:01 pm we lost internet service temporarily. GOODBY COMCAST INTERNET!!

Somebody posted a video of Jimmy Stewart reading his poem about his dog Beau on Johnny Carson’s show. I remember him reading that poem. My wife and I watched Johnny every night. That was in 1981. Thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye. Click to picture for the video and marvel at one of the most recognizable voices ever from Hollywood.

All to often I find something in the Houston Chronicle that makes me almost wish the sterilizing hand of God would cull the human race. This morning it was an article reporting the results of a poll showing that just possibly we should have some sort of test before we let a man approach a woman. Read the excerpt below and click the link for the full article to understand my point.

As many as 29 million women say they have suffered severe and frightening physical violence from a boyfriend, spouse or other intimate partner. That includes being choked, beaten, stabbed, shot, punched, slammed against something or hurt by hair-pulling.
The CDC report from which the Houston Chronicle article was drawn is HERE. What has happened to the men in this country? Or were we always so violent?

12/13: O God, in times when we're ready and times when we're not, help us to trust in and lean on your grace. Amen.
12/14: God of love, help us draw upon the love you have put in us and find ways to express it in words and actions, even--and especially--to those who are strangers. Amen.
12/15: Gracious God, help us to be good listeners so that your inspiration can flow through us to those who need direction. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Breakfast Casserole

4 slices bread
1 pound bacon or sausage
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 tsp. dry mustard

Grease the bottom of a 9"x13" pan. Tear up 4 slices of bread and place in the bottom of the pan. Cook 1 pound of bacon or sausage, drain, and sprinkle over bread pieces. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over meat. Mix eggs, milk and mustard together and pour over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35-40 minutes.

This recipe was posted in Bitsy's Kitchen and sounds like a winner.

”Work is a necessary evil to be avoided.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-12-12T20:51:00.002-06:00

2355 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Unite yourself to the cosmos, and the thought of transcendence will disappear. Transcendence belongs to the profane world. When all trace of transcendence vanishes, the true person - the Divine Being - is manifest. Empty yourself and let the Divine function."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

My Shakespeare reading group reads his sonnets between plays. Our leader thinks that helps us clean our mind for the next play. Sonnet 30, when I read it immediately made me think of my yearning for Mom and Dad. I especially like the line “For precious friends hid in death’s dateless night”. I wish I could evoke emotion with such simple words. Click on any place within the poem to retrieve a video of some actor reading the poem.

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
And with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste:
Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow,
For precious friends hid in death’s dateless night,
And weep afresh love’s long since cancell’d woe,
And moan the expense of many a vanish’d sight:
Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,
And heavily from woe to woe tell o’er
The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan,
Which I new pay as if not paid before.
But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All losses are restored and sorrows end

In my mind I HATE poetry but when I read most poems I find my soul deeply moved. I even liked a poem by Percy Shelley that I read by accident recently.

Sunday our Outreach Minister preached the sermon for our Praise service. Tammy always seems to talk directly to something that is troubling my mind. I had recently discovered I could make videos with my iphone so I recorded her talk. Unfortunately I forgot the default setting is for short videos so I only recorded her opening prayer. I immediately reset the video mode to record longer. That video is almost 18 minutes and is almost her whole sermon. You may need earphone to hear it better.

Tammy’s opening prayer is HERE. The main body of the sermon taken derived from Isaiah and Luke is HERE.

We had lunch with my brother and his wife at “The Potato Patch” today. The four of us are quite amazed we are as old as we are. We got to reminiscing about some of our goofy misadventures. I suspect all that prevents repeats of the same lunacy is the sure and certain knowledge that we would hurt for days afterward. On the way home I stopped at Costco to buy a 25 pound bag of cheap dry adult cat food. When I lifted it to my shoulder to carry it into the house I felt a “tearing” along my left ribcage and hip. Now I feel hobbled and very anxious. Mayhaps the morn will bring sweet surcrease. I am going to take a couple of ibuprofen and collapse onto my recliner.

12/10: Dear God, give us servant hearts that work for the love and glory of you alone. Amen.
12/11: Gracious Lord, even when we are aware of life's struggles during the holidays, may we find that they are indeed holy days. Let nothing distract us from the joy that the Incarnation brings. In Jesus' name. Amen.
12/12: God of all compassion, thank you that we are being transformed into your likeness with ever-increasing glory. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

”No sinner is ever saved after the first twenty minutes of a sermon.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-12-08T20:30:00.000-06:00

2351 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"The Divine is not something high above us. It is in heaven, it is in earth, it is inside of us."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Since the 26th of November we have been without internet for 8 days! I hate you COMCAST. The only thing that keeps me from fleeing the company of boobs and knuckleheads are Television programmers. Within the cloistered halls of “shattered manor” are three cliques with widely differing tastes entertainment or education. The Master and Mistress share a very limited selection of shows we could watch together. Those are no impediment to moving to another content provider. However, we have a much larger selection that only one of us can tolerate. Unfortunately most of those are shown within similar time slots. For example on Wednesday night there are 3 shows that I want to watch between 8 pm and 9 pm and the same applies to her. That is 6 that we want to watch or record at the same hour. Most of the time I can find one of mine repeated later but she generally has to wait for reruns. We have two Comcast DVRs and can almost capture our desires. With AT&T we would be limited to recording only 4 shows at once. I cannot get AT&T to commit to installing a second receiver/recorder. Same with Direct TV and Dish Network. The third clique does not and will not ever have means of recording shows. They share the Mistress TV when available.

Comcast did rather dramatically drop our cost for cable and internet for the next 6 months. The hundred dollar per month saving almost makes the dropsy internet service tolerable. The Comcast service rep who actually had a clue about his job finally came this afternoon. He ran a third cable exclusively for internet to the modem/wifi node. So far, 6 hours later, we still have internet and it is much faster than I remember it ever being. Sadly my wife’s HTC Android phone will not synch with the internet. I don’t know how to change setting so that it automatically reconnects. She seems very reluctant to ask the vendor how to solve the problem.

Sunday the youth group in my church put on a performance of ”The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”. To watch the video click HERE.I wanted to take some pictures to show my wife but because I have quit carrying my “man” bag with camera and video camera I was forced to use my iphone. While fiddle-farting trying to get a good exposure I noticed the “Camera Genius” app indicated it had a video mode. Hallaleuh! I took several videos and was pleased with the performance of the video camera. I love my IPHONE.

My internet connection just clicked off. SHEISS!!

My Koi become very sluggish when the weather turns cold. They ate none of the food this morning. I dipped it off the surface an hour after feeding. Excess food sours the water badly.

Hopefully I will be back tomorrow.

BTW, Bev the place I suggested is MURHY’S STEAKHOUSE in Winchester, Texas. That is in the area between Smithville and Giddings. I will call early next month to finalize plans.

12/02: Dear God, help us to be doers of your word and not hearers only. Amen.
12/03: Thank you, O God, for being gentle when you search us for sin so that we are not humiliated but forgiven and purified. Amen.
12/04: Eternal God, help each of us choose to live a life that reflects your glory, now and always. Amen.
12/05: Open our eyes, dear God, to see as you see. Amen.
12/06: Dear God, like Mary, we are often perplexed. Let us, like her, trust you to work in our lives for good, as we pray, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."*
12/07: Dear God, when darkness and grief surround us, help us to turn to the light of your son, Jesus Christ, and help us to mourn with hope and faith, leaning on the promises given in your word. Amen.
12/08: Holy God, we thank you for the birth of your son, Christ Jesus, through whom we can be re-created and re-born to eternal life with you. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

CROCK POT DRESSING

MELT 1 CUP MARG WITH 2 CUPS CHOPPED CELERY AND 1 1/2 CUP ONION.
POUR OVER 16 CUPS CUBED BREAD

ADD:
2 WELL BEATEN EGGS
1 TSP. POULTRY SEASONING
1/2 TSP SALT (MORE OR LESS)
1/2 TSP. SAGE (OR LESS)
PEPPER
3 1/2 T0 4 1/2 CUPS TURKEY BROTH. I USE CANNED CHICKEN BROTH.

** YOU MAY SUBSTITUTE 2 CANS OF CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP AND 2 CANS OF WATER FOR THE BROTH.

PUT INTO CROCK POT ON HIGH FOR 45 MINUTES. TURN ON LOW FOR 6 HOURS. YOU CAN USE AT THE END OF 4 HRS IF NECESSARY. ALSO ADD ANY OTHER SPICES THAT YOU LIKE.

I HAVE ALSO COOKED IT IN THE OVEN.

We owe Darlene a debt of a hearty appetite for this recipe.

”The main difference between a cat and a lie is that a cat only has nine lives.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Breakfast

2011-12-03T15:35:00.000-06:00

Felt so good I had breakfast with my Emmaus brothers. That is one huge
pancake. Fruitbowl was lousy. Now I am out watching kids play baseball.

2011-12-01T22:46:00.000-06:00

2344 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Rely on Peace
To activate your
Manifold powers;
Pacify your environment
And create a beautiful world."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Sounds ominous but after reading translations I am unconcerned. I have no reign and do not know any Medes. What are we to make of the prophecies in Daniel? I read them as accomplished long ago with nothing relevant to us. So why are they in the Bible?

My systolic blood pressure for the 24 days since starting Preservision with Lutein (PWL) averaged 140 mm Hg. In the same time interval prior to PWL it averaged 134 mm Hg. Since I started with these BP measurements July 25, 2011 my systolic BP has averaged 133 mm Hg. I am going to continue with the PWL for another 6 days and check to see if the systolic BP drops back to normal average. I love being a geeky antihypochrondiac. I specify anti because I am not obsessively worried about a serious illness when I “KNOW” that I have all ailments supported by celebrities and fake doctors in TV ads, up to and including mistreated animal syndrome.

The Dennis Abrams group I am in is reading Henry VI part 1. In its own way it is a bloody as “Titus”. It doesn’t seem so savage and “strange” since the deaths in Henry VI are mostly as a result of warfare. I realize it is twisted to think some violent deaths are better than others. Americans were horrified by the Japanese Kamikaze pilots but our airmen apparently had no qualms flying into certain death to attack the enemy. I believe it was the battle of the Coral Sea in which a whole flight of American torpedo bombers were destroyed attacking a Japanese fleets despite knowing they were flying into certain death. I hope someday this becomes an academic discussion because no living person can remember war. Oh how I hope I live to see that day.

I am afraid I have had a brain blow-out caused by excessive Sudoku activity. I have hit a spell where even the puzzles rated simple have me flummoxed. I am still working on the Monday Houston Chronicle puzzle. Monday is the easiest of the week with Friday being the hardest. Maybe what has happened is that I have developed mental tools of such complexity that the logic involved obscures the route to simple solutions. I should switch puzzles for a while.

Strangely I miss the Thanksgiving food. How fast we forget!

Remember to cheer for the University of Houston Cougars when the play Southern Mississippi Saturday for their conference championship and a possible chance at a BCS berth.

I received the first Christmas card of the season today. Thank you Shirley H. I hope to get mine addressed and mailed this weekend during the Houston Cougars and Texans football games.

11/29: Strong and loving God, help us to trust you completely. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
11/30: Guiding Spirit, teach us to receive help graciously. Amen.
12/01: God of all grace, when clouds obscure your face, help us to remember that you are always present. Open our eyes, ears, and hearts to you. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Chicken with Peppers and Artichokes

1(6 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/3 cup white wine or white wine vinegar
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (1 pound)
2 medium bell peppers -- each cut lengthwise into fourths
4 medium green onions -- sliced (1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Drain marinade from artichoke hearts; reserve marinade. Mix marinade and wine in shallow nonmetal dish or heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Add chicken and peppers, turning to coat with marinade. Cover dish or seal bag and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Brush grill rack with vegetable oil. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat.

Remove chicken and peppers from marinade; reserve marinade. Cover and grill chicken 4 to 6 inches from medium heat 5 minutes. Turn chicken; add peppers to grill. Cover and grill 10 to 15 minutes longer or until peppers are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

Strain marinade. Mix marinade, artichoke hearts, green onions and pepper. Heat to boiling; boil and stir 1 minute. Serve artichoke sauce with chicken and peppers.

”The public is the only critic whose opinion is worth anything at all.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-11-28T22:10:00.000-06:00

2341 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Construction of shrine and temple buildings is not enough. Establish yourself as a living buddha image. We all should be transformed into goddesses of compassion or victorious buddhas."
from Art of Peace

I know I am the one copying sayings from the Art of Peace but this rule just plain pisses me off. There is only one God. I do not need to look any further than Jesus for a model of a peaceful center. If I offend any Buddhist, TOUGH!

Read on and fall sound asleep

Now that I am totally annoyed let me vent one more time. The woman that is doing the commercial for Coupon Suzy on TV has the most annoying high pitched chipmonky voice ever. I would send her a roll of duct tape if I knew her address. How did she ever get the job?

Once again we lost our internet connectivity. I am so disgusted with them I could scream but then I check around and find about equal levels of anger with the other ISPs. This time Comcast was quicker getting a service rep to our house. The guy came Saturday 7/26/2011 about 4:45 pm. He swapped connectors and, of course, took my cable modem out of service and put one from Comcast into service. The rent is $4 per month. I am being nickeled and dimed to death.

I left my Sunday School class early to drive one of the church vehicles to bring people to the 11 am service. I am glad I had an excuse to leave early. I am becoming more and more troubled by how the Methodists I know have turned God into a weak kneed wuzzy that is total love to everyone. How can they misread the words of Jesus, St. Paul, St Peter and others of the New Testament that talk of the judgment that will take place during the end times? I guess they expect the judging to be into really good and good. While I am grumping, these people also seem to buy into the insanity that belief in any religious idea is OK as long the belief is sincere.

My Gosh! James Whitmore looks so young in the movie on TCM. I am watching “The Next Voice You Hear”. His character hears God’s voice on the radio. I am taking a break to really watch this movie. Whatever you need to do get this movie and watch it! I have goose bumps! What would I do if I heard God?

Sunday “Pearls before Swine” had a perfect strip about how I think my blatherings are received. Yes, my name was mentioned. Pearls is one of my favorite strips.

The subject of Texas has come up several times in an internet group I belong to. I find that late in my life I have fallen head over heel in love with this state. It is hard to explain to someone who has never experienced Texas but Texas is a whole nother country. For most of my life I told people that Oregon was my heart home. After several bus trips back to Oregon I realized that I was in love with a memory only. My senior girl cousin sent me a video of images of Texas. Click HERE for the video.

11/20: Faithful God, help us to learn to lean on you, especially when life feels meaningless. Calm our troubled minds with your peace. Amen.
11/21: Dear Friend and Redeemer, help us to live in close relationship with you, and allow us to be instruments of your grace to others. Amen.
11/22: Dear God, tune our spirit to your leading and your will. We want to be your messengers today. Amen.
11/23: Giver of salvation, help us to be aware of those around us who do not know you. May we lovingly communicate your love to them. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
11/24: Thank you, dear God, for giving us courage and strength. Walk with us each day, and call us to work that brings joy to your people. Amen.
11/25: Dear Lord, bless our homes so that those to whom we offer hospitality may feel your love. We pray as Jesus taught us, saying, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."* Amen. *Luke 11:2-4 (KJV).
11/26: Heavenly Father, help us to see situations as you see them. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
11/27: Beloved God, when life is going as we plan and when it is not, help us to yield ourselves to what you want to do in us and through us. In Jesus' name. Amen.
11/28: Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of salvation. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

A rare delicacy is Sauteed Sloth. Using the middle toe of the great Australian three-toed sloth, the only edible part of that large, furry, indolent creature, the careful chef debones it, pounds it as with veal, and sautes it briefly over a hot flame with shallots, carrot circles, and just a touch of Tabasco.

Prepared in this fashion, sloth is an excellent main course, not unlike alligator in texture and taste. Many people are under the false impression that sloth does not make a good meal, but this is because they've eaten it improperly prepared. It can ONLY be sauteed, a fact unappreciated in culinary circles.

Too many cooks broil the sloth.

A tough old cowboy from Dillon, Montana, counseled his grandson that if he wanted to live a long life, the secret was to sprinkle a pinch of gun powder on his oatmeal every morning. The grandson did this religiously to the age of 103. When he died he left 14 children, 30 grandchildren, 45 great grandchildren, 25 great-great grandchildren, and a 15-foot hole where the crematorium used to be.

A woman calls her boss one morning and tells him that she is staying home because she is not feeling well. "What's the matter?" he asks.

"I have a case of anal glaucoma," she says in a weak voice.

"What the hell is anal glaucoma?"

"I can't see my ass coming into work today."

”Wit is the sudden marriage of ideas which before their union were not perceived to have any relation.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-11-19T20:04:00.000-06:00

2332 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"The Art of Peace is a form of prayer that generates light and heat. Forget about your little self, detach yourself from objects, and you will radiate light and warmth. Light is wisdom; warmth is compassion."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

My wife made a huge pot of her famous “Eleventy-seven Bean” soup. That is an exaggeration of course since the mixture probably also contained peas and legumes. Her soups are generally known for legendary qualities. Usually the flavor component is the dominate note in her symphony of nutrition. Little did I know that this particular soup on this particular occasion contained a bean or two of such magnificence that they must have been germinated in the North Wind’s “Cave of Winds”. Within mere moments of my first swallow the in-house bottom bugle began to play. Long and low were the notes. Once the bugler delivered such a stirring trill that my legs went out from under me. The emanations from her soup provided the sound track for “Gold Rush, “Wild Alaska”, “Hairy Bikers”, “Big Shrimpin” and “IRT Deadliest Roads”. I am mighty glad I recorded those TV shows so I can replay them on the morn to hear the dialogue. After more than 4 hours of tootling, pootling, farting, pretending I was speaker of the house of Congress, and etc I reckoned the supply of gas was depleted so Rascal and I adjourned to our recliner.

After about an hour of peace and quiet, crack sax awoke and began to entertain. I, in my groggy state, imagined that Bill Clinton had dropped in for a serenade. The unexpected disturbance bounced the cat off my lap and under my desk where he yet cowers. For about a half hour my body whistled and wheezed and poured forth such a gaseous effluence that the ears of every environmentist in the western hemisphere must have pricked up at the increasing danger to the earth’s ozone layer. I began to conceive the notion that a person could really die from their own butt aether. Six hours after the first bowl of “Eleventy-seven Bean” soup I am sitting here writing of the experience both as a warning and as a rememberance. I am certain that every piece of furniture and etc that I have ingested since I was weaned has now been blown out of my body and into some other space/time continuum. I feel as deflated as the Goodyear Blimp fleet. I am considering another bowl of “Eleventy-seven Bean” soup. Now that I know the danger HOW BAD CAN IT BE?

Thursday the newspaper reported that the sale of the Houston Astros had been approved and the team was going to be moved to the American League in 2013. When I was a child in Oregon and Washington in the late 40s and early 50s Dad would patiently sit in front of our console radio and try to tune in any baseball games. Finally over the crackling and hisses and pop we could imagine we were hearing the broadcast of a baseball game. I can only remember hearing the American League New York Yankees and the National League St Louis Cardinals. Consequently I was a fan of those two teams.

Except for one abomination I would still be a fan of the Yankees. When we moved to Texas the only team within radio range was the Cardinals of the National League. Houston had a minor league team of the Cardinals. But in the 50s and 60s I was more nearly a fan of baseball than any one team. Then in 1973 baseball went mad and instituted the use of a “designated hitter” in the American League. Since that date I have not watched or listened to any baseball game where a DH was used. I do not watch any American League games at any time nor any National League team when they are playing the cursed “interleague series” in an AL park. The DH is an abomination upon a perfect game. It was instituted by the player’s union so the team would have space for one more old, fat, slow-footed ex-fielder. I loved the Houston Astros through thick and thin. I shall root for them and revel in their success and writhe under their failures in 2012. Then I will wish them well and never again watch or listen to another Houston Astros game.I will switch my loyalty to the Cardinals and the Cubs.

FOR SHAME MLB FOR EMBRACING THE BITCH-GODDESS OF THE DH!

Below is a recipe for a green bean casserole sent me by one of my grannie friends. I do, really, try to control my food intake but I seldom have information about the nutrition and fat content of the food I eat. I found a tool on caloriecount.com that calculates all pertinent parameters from the ingredients used in a recipe. You must enter the weight of the ingredients. I tried but it will not use measurements such as a can of this or that. The tool is HERE.

11/16: Loving God, thank you for your promise that you will be our light. Help us to focus on you in the quiet of our hearts and to return always to rest in you. Amen.
11/17: Lord, give us wisdom and a loving heart so that at every moment of our life we will be ready for a meeting with you. Amen.
11/18: God of our joy, we thank you for the joy we find when we walk with you in trust and obedience. Amen.
11/19: Dear Lord, please help us to let go of bitterness so that it does not rob us of love in our lives. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Glenda's Green Bean Casserole

2 cans of french cut green beans, drained
1 can each of cream of mushroom and celery soup or cream of chicken and celery soup.
1 small pkg of velveeta cheese, cubed
1 cup sour cream
1 cup evaporated milk
1 small jar pimentoes, drained
6 slices of bacon, fried crisp, crumbled
1 small onion, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small can of sliced mushrooms, drained
1 tsp of garlic powder or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked rice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a retanged shaped casserole baking dish. Line the bottom and sides with the rice.

In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Pour into rice lined baking dish. Crumble buttered flavored crackers (about 1 cup of crumbs). Melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter or margarine in small pan and add cracker crumbs. Sprinkle on top of casserole.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and cracker crumbs are golden brown.

”The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-11-15T23:00:00.000-06:00

2328 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"The Art of Peace that I practice has room for each of the world's eight million gods, and I cooperate with them all. The God of Peace is very great and enjoins all that is divine and enlightened in every land."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

I saw a commercial tonight and I just had to add the thing to my Christmas wish list—double drive screwdriver from Lowes. Are you paying attention Santa?

I was digging around at WIMP.com and stumbled upon a video about “free energy”. At first I thought it would be another of those nut cases about something physically impossible. Instead the presenter gave a tour over leading edge research. I was super charged with the potential. I have not yet found an avenue for investment. The video is HERE. I hope you get as excited as I am.

As both my readers know, I am reading “Titus Andrioicus” with a group. The play is bloody and violent in a way I cannot understand. To ravel my soul I searched for and found a heroic poem expressing a degree of valor beyond my imagining with no expressed or visual blood and gore. Yet the motive of the participants is understandable. Please do not rush through the poem. Read it as an adult not an impatient high school student.

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
"Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Someone had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air,
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honor the charge they made,
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred.

Copied from Poems of Alfred Tennyson,

The whole time I have been struggling with this entry “Saving Private Ryan” has been playing on TCM channel. It is even bloodier and gory than “Titus”. Despite the violence and destruction I can understand the motivation and behavior of the soldiers. I could never be as courageous as the American soldiers in “Private Ryan”. What kind of superhuman young man could charge off those landing craft on Omaha beach?

11/15: Dear Father, heal our hearts. Help us to give up hatred and bitterness and to forgive those who have hurt us. Amen..

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

A NEW SCHOOL INSPECTOR IS ASSIGNED TO THE GRADE 4 CLASS IN ONE OF THE LOCAL SCHOOLS. HE IS INTRODUCED TO TH CLASS BY THE TEACHER. SHE SAYS TO THE CLASS: "LET'S SHOW THE INSPECTOR JUST HOW CLEVER YOU ARE BY ALLOWING HIM TO ASK YOU A QUESTION."

THE INSPECTOR DECIDES TO ASK A BIBLICAL QUESTION. HE ASKS, "CLASS, WHO BROKE DOWN THE WALLS OF JERICHO?" FOR A FULL MINUTE THERE IS ABSOLUTE SILENCE. THE CHILDREN ALL JUST STARE AT HIM BLANKLY. EVENTUALLY LEROY RAISES HIS HAND.

THE INSPECTOR POINTS EXCITEDLY TO HIM. LEROY STANDS UP AND SAYS, "SIR, I DO NOT KNOW WHO BROKE DOWN THE WALLS OF JERICHO, BUT I AM INNOCENT."

THE INSPECTOR LOOKS AT THE TEACHER FOR AN EXPLANATION. SHE SAYS, "WELL, I'VE KNOWN LEROY SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND I BELIEVE THAT IF HE SAYS HE DIDN'T DO IT, THEN HE DIDN'T DO IT."

THE INSPECTOR IS SHOCKED AT THE LEVEL OF IGNORANCE AND STORMS DOWN TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE AND TELLS HIM WHAT HAPPENED. THE PRINCIPAL REPLIES, "LOOK, I DON'T KNOW THE BOY, BUT I SOCIALIZE EVERY NOW AND THEN WITH HIS TEACHER AND I BELIEVE HER. IF SHE FEELS THAT THE BOY WAS NOT INVOLVED, THEN HE MUST BE INNOCENT."

THE INSPECTOR CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT HE IS HEARING! HE GRABS THE PHONE ON THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK AND DIALS THE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION. HE RELATES THE ENTIRE EPISODE AND ASKS HIM WHAT HE THINKS OF THE EDUCATION STANDARD IN THE SCHOOL.

THE SUPERINTENDENT SIGHS HEAVILY, THEN REPLIES, "YOU KNOW I AM VERY BUSY. I DON'T KNOW THE BOY, THE TEACHER OR THE PRINCIPAL. JUST GET THREE QUOTES AND HAVE THE WALL FIXED."

”Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-11-14T22:53:00.000-06:00

2327 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Ultimately, you must forget about technique. The further you progress, the fewer teachings there are. The Great Path is really No Path."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Random content from all around my brain.

My feet have been swelling worse than anytime is the past. Or I don’t remember them so puffy looking. So I call my Nephrologist this morning. His response was “drink more water.” He is the same doctor who in September told me to cut back on the volume of water I was drinking. Practice of medicine indeed.

I think my testosterone level has fallen into the soprano range. I caught myself the last two weeks watching “Dancing with the Stars”. Fortunately I am seventy and don’t have many more years to slide into pure silliness.

It doesn’t take much for a valued kitten to become a hated presence. Just let one go into heat that must be kept indoors because you already have a bazillion too many cats.

Everyone of the mechanical pencils from the dozen pack I opened last week are missing. In their place are at least 20 with no lead and erasers worn down to the plastic tub. And, believe it or not, ball point pens with green ink. My room is infested with giggags.

Was there ever such a noble bloody little creature as a little boy? Click the picture for a video of a young Belgian boy in a kilt wearing a corporals chevron saluting a marching band of Canadian soldiers.

I hope to God that he never has to go to war.

Finally a video from a TED conference expressing the presenter’s viewpoint about simple gratitude. It is amazing how many beautiful objects parade before our eyes at every waking moment. Click HERE for the video.

11/14: Open our eyes, O Lord, to see you in new life as it comes. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Pork and Pineapple Kebabs

1/2 pound pork tenderloin
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon grated fresh onion
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
1 bay leaf
8 (1-inch) cubes fresh pineapple
8 (1-inch) pieces red bell pepper
Vegetable cooking spray

Trim the fat from pork, and cut the pork into 8 (1-inch) cubes. Combine brown sugar and the next 7 ingredients (brown sugar through bay leaf) in a large zip-top heavy-duty plastic bag; add the pork cubes. Seal the bag, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning bag occasionally. (To keep the texture of the pork from becoming mushy, marinate it for no more than 1 hour.)

Remove pork from bag, reserving marinade. Discard bay leaf. Thread 4 pork cubes, 4 pineapple cubes, and 4 bell pepper pieces alternately onto each of 2 (10-inch) skewers.

Prepare grill. Place kebabs on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and cook 14 minutes or until done, turning and basting frequently with reserved marinade. Serves 2.

Note: Canned pineapple can be substituted for fresh. Drain 1 (8-ounce) can unsweetened pineapple chunks, reserving 16 chunks.

CALORIES 248 (18% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 1.5g,mono 1.9g, poly 0.7g); IRON 2.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 79mg; CALCIUM 30mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.5g; SODIUM 573mg; PROTEIN 25.9g; FIBER 2.1g

Thank you Sammy.

”What, sir, would the people of the earth be without woman? They would be scarce, sir, almighty scarce.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-11-13T22:03:00.001-06:00

2326 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"The techniques of the Way of Peace change constantly; every encounter is unique, and the appropriate response should emerge naturally. Today's techniques will be different tomorrow. Do not get caught up with the form and appearance of a challenge. The Art of Peace has no form - it is the study of the spirit."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

I don’t normally watch “60 Minutes” because I think they are part of the Liberal journalism autocracy that has so distorted the truth that the American people cannot make informed decisions. I watched it tonight following a blurb that claimed “60 Minutes” was going to disclose another unsavory fact that helps account for the low approval of Congress. The segment did deliver in that I was not aware that the Congressmen are not bound by any “insider trader” laws. The very thing that got Martha Stewart thrown in the clink is perfectly legal and “ethical” for our so called legislators. We have no hope of changing that via the ballot box. We need to start dragging the thieves out of the Capitol build and standing them against a wall. The thieves are not going to abolish their own gravy train. I still advocate voting all out of office after one term until the bastards change. However I will no longer mourn when one of them steps in front of a bus or falls out of the air.

I read a lovely story sent to me by my senior girl cousin. It had the loveliest airplane ever built as a point of interest.

The story had only a little about the “bird” and acres about the pilot and his country.

“It was noon on a Sunday as I recall, the day a Mustang P-51 was to take to the air. They said it had flown in during the night from some U.S. airport, the pilot had been tired. I marveled at the size of the plane dwarfing the Pipers and Canucks tied down by her. It was much larger than in the movies. She glistened in the sun like a bulwark of security from days gone by….I've never wanted to be an American more than on that day. It was a time when many nations in the world looked to America as their big brother, a steady and even-handed beacon of security who navigated difficult political water with grace and style; not unlike the pilot who'd just flown into my memory….”

For the complete story click HERE.

About 8 people sent me a video of a performance of the Hallelujah Chorus by kids in an Alaskan Elementary School. I watched it many times and each time was even more impressed. Click HERE to watch the video. During my years of struggling with religion and God there were still two songs that stirred me to the depths of whatever soul I have. “Amazing Grace” was the other. I am almost certain these two and “The Walk to Emmaus” lead me back to God. Please be warned that the link leads you to a whole range of stirring religious music and some very funny videos.

I must call a doctor tomorrow morning. My feet are swelling badly again. Maybe I am watching too much football. Normally I do not watch football however, this year the Astros were so atrocious that I watched almost no baseball. I suppose I am now simply getting my sports fix.

11/11: When our lives seem confused, dear God, help us to see your hand at work, bringing order out of chaos. Amen.
11/12: Dear Father, thank you for friends whose loving presence and caring touch bring peace to troubled hearts. May we too be steady friends to those who are hurting, as we pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."* Amen. *Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV).
11/13: God of love, thank you for sending Jesus to show us the way to live with you forever. Amen.

Please pray for my wife. She is very depressed and is considering taking Zoloft. With the selfish people, myself included, that surround her and consume her soul daily I would be surprised if she was not depressed. We need to get the slackers and lay-abouts out of the house. But with not good jobs available that hope is very slim.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

I see a lot of jokes. I've been online since 1998, and very often the same ones come and go in waves. A good example follows -- I've had it in my file for years, but a "newer" version embellishes it greatly. Yes, it's the Evolutionary Theory of Jokes.

Old version:

A woman, getting married for the fourth time, goes to a bridal shop and asks for a white dress.

"You can't wear white," reminds the sales clerk. "You've been married three times already."

"Of course I can, I'm a virgin!" says the bride.

"Impossible", says the sales clerk.

"Unfortunately not," the bride explained. "My first husband was a psychologist. All he wanted to do was talk about it. My second husband was a gynecologist. All he wanted to do was look at it. My third husband was a stamp collector -- God I miss him"

And the new version:

A man married a woman who had previously divorced ten husbands. On their wedding night she told her new husband, "Please be gentle, I'm still a virgin."

"What?" cried the puzzled groom. "How can that be if you've been married ten times?"

"Well, Husband #1 was a sales representative; he kept telling me how great it was going to be.

"Husband #2 was in software services; he was never really sure how it was supposed to function, but he said he'd look into it and get back to me.

"Husband #3 was from field services; he said everything checked out diagnostically but he just couldn't get the system up.

"Husband #4 was in telemarketing; even though he knew he had the order, he didn't know when he would be able to deliver.

"Husband #5 was an engineer; he understood the basic process but wanted three years to research, implement, and design a new state-of-the-art method.

"Husband #6 was from finance and administration; he thought he knew how, but he wasn't sure whether it was his job or not.

"Husband #7 was in marketing; although he had a nice product, he was never sure how to position it.

"Husband #8 was a psychologist; all he ever did was talk about it.

"Husband #9 was a gynecologist; all he did was look at it.

"Husband #10 was a stamp collector; all he ever did was --- God! I miss him! But now that I've married you, I'm really excited!"

"Good," said the new husband. "But, why?"

"You're a lawyer. This time I know I'm gonna get screwed!"

Thank you Sammy. Now go to the corner!

”Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-11-10T21:29:00.000-06:00

2323 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"If you comprehend
The Art of Peace,
This difficult path,
Just as it is,
Envelops the circle of heaven."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

I need layman’s advice about the pill I am taking. They are: Allerclear 10 mg 1 per day,
Levothyroxine 25 mcg 1 per day,
Metoprolol succinate 50 mg 2 per day,
Ranexa 500 mg 2 per day,
Omega 300 mg 3 fish oil 3 per day,
Furosemide 40 mg 2 per day,
Preservision with 5 mg Lutein 2 per day,
Iron 65 mg 1 per day
Livalo 4 mg 1 per day.

I have been excessively sleepy since starting the Preservision. Today I woke at 9:30 am, fed the cats and fish, read Bible passages, took my medicine, checked Grannies and then sat down to set my recorder for the days TV viewing. The next thing I know it is 6 pm and drool is crusted in my beard and the remote control is missing. I have got to get active. I think I am going to add Ibuprofen to my list. Two relieve the back and hip pain for several hours.

Reading List
Titus Andronicus--Shakespeare
The Wealth of Nations--Adam Smith
The Guide for the Perplexed---Moses Maimonides
Miracles--C.S. Lewis
Bible--GOD & various scribes
Two are the fault of a TV being broken for over a week.

I have received comments via email that I too often use $9 words when dime words would be clearer and just as precise. My prompt reply is that I am a victim of a large vocabulary and an inordinate love of the English language. But then while reading “Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith I encounter many sentences such as: “I am always willing to run some hazard of being tedious, in order to be sure I am perspicuous; and, after taking the utmost pains that I can to be perspicuous, some obscurity may still appear upon a subject, in its own nature extremely abstracted.” Then I learn I am instead a puffed up toady flaunting impenetrable verbiage in an attempt to impress.

So far (Act 3 scene 2) in Titus the score on bloodletting is Act 1- horrific human sacrifice, son stabbed to death.
Act 2- Adultery, 1 murder, 1 rape with both hands cut off
Act 3- 2 wrongful beheadings, 1 hand cut off.

I now know where Sam Peckinpah got his inspiration for the blood baths in his spaghetti westerns.

From several friends I today learned a new word.
Ineptocracy (in-ep-tocâ€™-ra-cy) - a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.
They were applying the word to the President Obama administration. While I agree that he seems to show a high level, at least in his appointments, I feel that the entire US Federal government has been operating as an ineptocracy since at least the Lyndon Johnson Presidency. He was the first, that I remember, that knowingly allowed himself to be “deceived” to achieve a foreign policy goal. He knew or should have know the attacks on our Navy in the Gulf of Tonkin were really an attack of jitters by an ill prepared Navy. What I hope to see before my number is called is a Congress full of people who read, understand, and support the Constitution. And an Executive branch that only executes.

11/08: : Sovereign God, help us to invest ourselves in what is true, and keep us always following your son. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
11/09: Dear God and Creator, thank you that in the vastness of the universe you care for each of us. Amen.
11/10: Lord God, help each of us to find our way of serving you so we can make music that delights you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 cup Chopped Onion
1/2 cup chopped Green Pepper
16 oz. can Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
10 oz can diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained (Rotel)
1/3 cup Water
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin, optional
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1 1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 1/2 cup shredded Montery Jack Cheese
6 (6 or 7 inch) Tortillas

In a skillet, cook beef, onion and green pepper until beef is brown and vegetables are tender, drain. Add the next 8 ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat cover and simmer for 10 minutes. In a bowl combine two cheeses. In a 5 qt slow cooker, layer 3/4 cup of the beef, one tortilla and about 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours or until heated through.

Yields: 4 to 6 servings.

”When red-haired people are above a certain social grade their hair is auburn.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-11-07T21:08:00.000-06:00

2320 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"To truly implement the Art of Peace, you must be able to sport freely in the manifest, hidden, and divine realms."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

A friend sent me an email that encapsulates a widely held contempt for our president as well as a willingness to make the truth imply something else. The email is shown in quotes.

“General Electric is planning to move its 115-year-old X-ray division from Waukesha, Wis., to Beijing. In addition to moving the headquarters, the company will invest $2 billion in China and train more than 65 engineers and create six research centers. This is the same GE that made $5.1 billion in the United States last year. but paid no taxes-the same company that employs more people overseas than it does in the united States.

So let me get this straight. President Obama appointed GE Chairman Jeff Immelt to head his commission on job creation (job czar). Immelt is supposed to help create jobs. I guess the President forgot to tell him in which country he was supposed to be creating those jobs.

If this doesn't show you the total lack of leadership of this President, I don't know what does. Please pass this information to others and think about it before you buy a GE product.”

The email contains truth as far as it goes. According to Snopes the manufacturing facility in Waukesha is not being moved, yet. What is being moved is a corporate headquarters. You know, a building full of suits and paper shufflers whose only real function is to screw around with the working people. I can understand GE’s need to do business in China. I wish they didn’t have to but reality is reality.

Snopes then reports that ”GE has long placed high hopes on China, with CEO Jeffrey Immelt in 2008 calling it the company's "second home market." In January, the company finalized a deal with state-owned Aviation Industry Corp. of China to inject much of GE's civilian avionics business into a 50-50 joint venture based in China.

General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt is the chair of the 26-member Jobs and Competitiveness Council appointed by President Barack Obama in January 2011.”I disagree with the email in that I don’t think this truly shows a lack of leadership by President Obama. I think it shows a complete and total detachment from the American people that is shared by almost all the elected politicians and appointed bureaucrats in Washington DC. The American people do not want “czars” for American interests who are not 100% dedicated to America. Immelt shows he is more concerned with GE than with America.

President Obama, if he wants to be reelected has to grow a pair and declare open war with the opposition. The opposition has shown they are not going to give in so he needs to realize he is not going to get what he wants and throw a challenge. Harry Truman did not win in 1948 by being an impartial statesman. He attacked the “do nothing” congress and got what he wanted from the American people. I shall not vote for him but I have yet to decide who will get my vote. I wish there was a woman running with the strength of Hillary Clinton, or Sarah Palin, or Condoleezza Rice or Eleanor Roosevelt.

I got my TV back this afternoon. I was SO HAPPY. And then I plugged it in. Ten minutes after powering up the picture when totally dark. Of course, by then the repair shop was closed. So I sat here for 90 minutes stewing with a blank picture. About half way into “Two Broke Girls” the picture came back, flared and went dark. It did that twice. Finally during the intro for “2 and a half men” the picture came back, a little dark but acceptable. The picture has been good for over two hours now. I have a 9 day guarantee so I hope it either fails completely or works well. I missed TV much more than I expected.

11/07: Dear Lord, grant us the determination to be reconciled with those we have harmed or been harmed by. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

FROSTY MANDARIN DESSERT

2 - 3oz pkgs of orange gelatin
2 C boiling water
1 can mandarin oranges
1 pint orange sherbet
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.

Drain oranges, reserve juice and add water to make 1 cup. Add to gelatin.

Chill until slightly thickened. Fold in sherbet and oranges. Pour into 1 1/2 quart mold or individual serving dishes. Chill until firm.

Yield: 8 servings

”When a person cannot deceive himself the chances are against his being able to deceive other people.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-11-06T23:52:00.000-06:00

2319 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Cast off limiting thoughts and return to true emptiness. Stand in the midst of the Great Void. This is the secret of the Way of a Warrior."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Today a small victory. I have searched my cave repeatedly looking for my other, the stylish ones, pair of reading glasses. I turned off all the lights and did a CSI with my mini maglight with no discovery. I searched and sorted through the pile of candy wrappers and magazine blow-ins under my side reading table with no glasses found. For weeks I have, with sinking heart, searched the cavernous halls of “shattered manor”. Lost, I tell you lost. I am a simple man of fierce loyalties who takes loss very poorly. I lost a 3 bladed pocket knife with wooden in 1948. I still look for it. I lost a male Siamese cat in 1964. I still look for Ruhig. I was watching the Texans Browns football game when I happened to look at the back of the lamp table beside my wife’s throne. Sakes a mercy there they were! I never sit in that area and never take my glasses off while watching TV. Yet there they were. I am a happy man. To see is one of the greatest senses.

Dr. Khawly has told me to start taking a vitamin to stave off macular degeneration. I found an article that has been used in support of the recommendation for the vitamin mix with lutein.

The Relationship of Dietary Carotenoid and Vitamin A, E, and C Intake With Age-Related Macular Degeneration in a Case-Control StudyI was especially interested in the affect of Lutein. To me the whole study is suspect because the participants were grouped according to a self administered questionnaire about food intake. People will lie and distort their answers to make them sound more rational and intelligent. I advocate never depending on a human beings statement of perceived fact. The creatures will rework any memory so that they become the hero of their own narrative.

In addition to my eyesight I appear to have lost other functionalities.
Offered without comment!

And now my eyes are going!

My body feels like it is well after midnight and that I should be sleeping. Rascal must feel the same way because he is sprawled across my feet snoring. I am going to drop in on Grannies then to the recliner I shall glide.

To Do List
Mail bill payments
Stop at Kroger and get Ranexa and Preservision with Lutein
Costco for fish oil gel caplets
Lowes for some plants
Pool Warehouse to get water tested
Church to drop check for altar flowers for November
Hopefully to VTR to pickup my repaired TV.

My reading group finished “The Taming of the Shrew” and will next read Shakespeare Sonnet # 20 then move to the bloodiest play I have ever read, “Titus Andronicus”. By S. Clarke Hulse's count, Titus Andronicus is a play with "14 killings, 9 of them on stage, 6 severed members, 1 rape (or 2 or 3, depending on how you count), 1 live burial, 1 case of insanity and 1 of cannibalism--an average of 5.2 atrocities per act, or one for every 97 lines." Reviewer Mike Gene Wallace adds, "This is a great play. We're talking fourteen dead bodies, kung-fu, sword-fu, spear-fu, dagger-fu, arrow-fu, pie-fu, animal screams on the soundtrack, heads roll, hands roll, tongues roll, nine and a half quarts of blood, and a record-breaking 94 on the vomit meter."

Hulse is one of those “big brains I thoroughly despise yet he is completely right about this play. I am not sure if I can read my way through the bloody parts and I know the rape will shatter me. I think rape of any kind, proved, should result in immediate and automatic death for the rapist up to and including in the very courthouse where tried.

11/05: Creator of all, through your love help us to turn waves of worry and doubt into waves of love and peace. Amen.
11/06: O God, in our November may we still bloom. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

A good ole Mississippi boy won a bass boat in a raffle drawing. He brought it home and his wife looks at him and says, "What you gonna do with that"? There ain't no water deep enough to float a boat within a 100 miles of here.

He says, "I won it and I'm a gonna keep it."

His brother came over to visit several days later. He sees the wife and asks where is big brother?

She says, "He's out there in his bass boat," pointing to the field behind the house.

The brother heads out behind the house and sees his brother sitting in the boat with a fishing rod in his hand down the middle of a big field.

He yells out to him, "What are you doing?

His brother replies, "I'm fishin.' What does it look like I'm a doing?"

His brother yells back, "It's people like you that give people from Mississippi a bad name, makin' everybody think we is stupid. If I could swim, I'd come out there and whip your butt"!

Thank you Fay for the great laugh.

”There are times when one would like to hang the whole human race, and finish the farce.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-11-04T23:22:00.000-05:00

2317 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"The Art of Peace can be summed up like this: True victory is self-victory; let that day arrive quickly! "True victory" means unflinching courage; "self-victory" symbolizes unflagging effort; and "let that day arrive quickly" represents the glorious moment of triumph in the here and now."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

A group of people on the internet have been reading “The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. The reading is being directed and annotated by a blogger named Dennis Abrams. The reading has been interesting when couple with a deeper analysis of his language and the mores of the time. One of the other readers published a link to a Google video “The Taming of the Shrew”. It is clear that the play was written for a visual expression. The visual interplay between the characters on stage adds life to the bare words. Until I started going to the Winedale performances and this reading I was unaware of how much fun Shakespeare packed into his comedies. And word play out the wazoo. I actually skipped watching “Big Bang Theory” to read “Shrew”. I was not aware that Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor had made a movie of “Taming of the Shrew”. Nor was I aware that the movie “Kiss me Kate” was based on this play. Almost 400 years after his death Shakespeare still moves and informs us. Maybe Mark Twain might retain that popularity for so long. I doubt any of the authors I have read will still be read and fresh400 years from now.

Some of my friends from Grannies in Ohio, Iowa, and there abouts have already had snow. I had warned them about letting to cold slip south. But they must have had a short lapse of attention because I woke this morning to cold. It was near about 50 degrees in my backyard at 7am. That is cold enough to cause instant death in a lot of Houstonians. When I drove out to Katy to get my “floaters” checked by Dr. Khawly at 9:30 Katy Fwy (I-10) was near disserted. I had an image of Houstonians huddled around their kitchen ovens wrapped in every piece of clothing they owned, shivering so hard as to nearly crack bones. We are a thin blooded people.

The Retina & Vitreous doctor told me I have very early signs of macrodegeneration and told me to start taking a vitamin mix called Preservision with Lutein. I can get them online for about $0.16 each and at local drugstores for about $0.22 each. Taking two a day of the cheap ones is about $10 per month. I am 70 with a life expectancy of 84. Fourteen years at $120 per year is almost $1700. I think I will start taking them, at least until the next check in May 2012. If the Mayans are right I will only need than for 14 months.

I told the doc that only two things scare me: one is Alzheimer’s and the other is going blind. What I did not say is that apparently I have lost any short term memory. Yesterday I opened a pack of twelve pentil type pencils and put them in a designated coffee cup on my desk. I use them only for ciphering Sudoku puzzles that I print from my computer. The newspaper puzzles I solve with red ball point. Just as I finished the prior paragraph I reached for a pentil. None, nada, zilch! I have spent the last 30 minutes searching my desk. I am the only one home this evening so I cannot blame anyone else. After I gave up the search and dug out another pack of twelve one rolled into existence in the middle of my desktop. I did not see it materialize but it had to have been teleported. Now I have 13 on my desktop and an empty coffee cup. In twelve go and the “free” one is painter taped to my desk calendar.

Gotta stop now to measure my blood pressure, feed Rascal, and snuggle into my recliner. Tomorrow morning I shall call to check on my TV.

mm/dd:
11/01: Lord Jesus, send your blessings and love to friends and family who live far apart, and give them the opportunity to be together again. Amen.
11/2: Dear heavenly Father, help us to know that wherever we are and whatever we do, you care more for us than we can care for ourselves. Amen.
11/3: Lord, when we face problems, open our eyes to see you. Amen.
11/4: God of peace, we give you thanks for the blessing of life that unfolds with new surprises each day. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

1 BOX YELLOW CAKE MIX
4 EGGS
1 CUP WATER
1/3 CUP PLUS 2 TABLESPOONS VEGETABLE OIL
1 (7 OZ.) VANILLA INSTANT PUDDING
1/2 CUP REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CHIPS
1/2 CUP PEANUT BUTTER
15 MINI REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

HEAT OVEN TO 325.LIGHTLY GREASE AND DUST WITH FLOUR TWO 8 INCH ROUND PANS.

MIX CAKE MIX, EGGS, WATER,1/3 CUP OIL AND PUDDING.MELT PEANUT BUTTER CHIPS WITH REMAINING 2 TABLESPOONS VEGETABLE OIL.SIR INTO BATTER. MIX IN PEANUT BUTTER AND 5 CHIPPED (I ASSUME THEY MEANT CHOPPED,I JUST CUT MINE UP IN QUARTERS) PEANUT BUTTER CUPS.

POUR INTO PREPARED PANS.BAKE 25-30 MINUTES UNTIL DONE.CAKE WILL FLUFF UP VERY HIGH IN OVEN AND SETTLE DOWN FLAT AFTER BEING REMOVED FROM THE OVEN.
FROSTING:

1/4 CUP BUTTER (SOFTENED)
1/2 CUP PEANUT BUTTER
1 TEASPOON VANILLA
2 1/2 CUPS CONFECTIONARY SUGAR
3 TABLESPOONS MILK
BEAT BUTTER, VANILLA, MILK,AND PEANUT BUTTER.ADD SUGAR.FROST TOP OF CAKE AND BETWEEN LAYERS.
DOUBLE FROSTING MIX TO COVER ENTIRE CAKE.TOP CAKE WITH REMAINING PEANUT BUTTER CUPS.FOR AN ADDED TREAT DRIZZLE MELTED CHOCOLATE OVER TOP AND SIDES OF CAKE.

Thank you Hilda for this delicious recipe.

”Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered - either by themselves or by others.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-10-31T22:37:00.000-05:00

2313 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"If you perceive the true form of heaven and earth, you will be enlightened to your own true form. If you are enlightened about a certain principle, you can put it into practice. After each practical application, reflect on your efforts. Progress continually like this."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

My descent into allycholly is becoming precipitous. The TV repair man called very early and told me repairs would be an additional $275 and it would not be ready until Friday. I asked if paying more would get it faster. He said no because the part has to come from Shanghai. A week without TV! I feel like I have been dropped into the 50s. Many have referred me to Hulu.com. I found one episode that I would have watched on tv. The rest of the choices must appeal to people I would not associate with. The list of shows and episodes available sounds mind-numbing vacuous. I guess I will browse the website of my favorite shows trying to find the most recent episodes.

Reading the first act of “The Taming of the Shrew” (ttots) was harder than the entire “Two Gentlemen of Verona”. The main actors in the play within the play are, to me, excessively flowery and obtuse. Still I am pleasantly surprised to realize ttots is nothing like I remember from college. Maybe as a riper person I can focus better and have more life experiences with which to connect to the story line.

A WEEK!!

The female cat has apparently had her run of “HEAT”. The piteous mewing and slut dancing before any moving object has ended. I hope for a long time.

I have been having the most vivid dreams involving people I have worked with in the past in chemical plants I have never seen. Some of the venues are apparently in a weightless environment because we seem to be able to float from place to place. Amazingly we are not wearing any kind of “space suit”. Furthermore I mostly did not work with such relationships. I never turned a knob to change the reflux ratio on any tower. Last night I dreamed I was on the Russian steppes with a fellow foreman from a job I had in 1971. I don’t even remember his name. We were in an archeological dig of some sort.

I must clean the Koi filter tomorrow and rehang one of my wind chimes. I need to start rebuilding one of the chimes since I finally have all the needed repair parts. I also need to buy fish oil capsules at Costco and pick up my prescriptions at Kroger.

I have been able to greatly cut back on my “bad pop”. The bottle I started September 6, 2011 is still over half full. That works out to be just under a quarter of a fluid ounce per day. In other words my blood alcohol content never exceeds 0.0008%. That is likely 1/500th of a typical USA Congressman.

10/31: Almighty God, turn us around. Create in us a reconciling spirit. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

A couple was invited to a swanky costume party. The Mrs. got a terrible headache and told her husband to go to the party alone. He being a devoted husband protested, but she argued and said she was going to take some aspirin and go to bed and there was no need for his good time being spoiled by not going.

So he took his costume and away he went. The wife, after sleeping soundly for about an hour, awakened without pain and, as it was still early, decided to go the party.

Since her husband did not know what her costume was, she thought she would have some fun by watching her husband to see how he acted when she was not with him. She joined the party and soon spotted her husband cavorting around on the dance floor, dancing with every nice woman he could, and copping a little feel here and a little kiss there.

His wife sidled up to him and being a rather seductive babe herself, he left his current partner high and dry and devoted his time to the new babe that had just arrived. She let him go as far as he wished, naturally, since he was her husband. Finally, he whispered a little proposition in her ear and she agreed.

So off they went to one of the cars and had a quickie.

Just before unmasking at midnight, she slipped away, went home, put the costume away and got into bed, wondering what kind of explanation he would make for his behavior.

She was sitting up reading when he came in, and she asked what kind of a time he had.

He said: "Oh, the same old thing. You know I never have a good time when you're not here."

"Did you dance much ?"

"I'll tell you, I never even danced one dance. When I got there, I met Pete, Bill Brown and some other guys, so we went into the den and played poker all evening. But you're not going to believe what happened to the guy I loaned my costume to...."

”There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-10-30T23:05:00.000-05:00

2312 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Fiddling with this
And that technique
Is of no avail.
Simply act decisively
Without reserve!"
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

I am considering changing the name of this establishment from “shattered manor” to “crumbling pile of crap alley”. If I sound hostile and bitter I am. My 37 inch flat screen TV is broke. It will not power up. I had a sneaking suspicion I was addicted to the boob tube. Now I know I am. I carried it over to a repair place, with great on-line reviews, early Saturday morning. I was waiting for them to open at 8am. The guy said it might be finished Monday and then charged me $80 before doing any work. I paid and cried from withdrawal pains all the way home. I bet the best episodes of my favorite shows happen while my TV is in the shop. My viewing taste and behavior is so different from the family that I cannot share one.

Later Saturday morning roomie tells me she needs a new stove because her oven will not heat. The glow bar/thermocouple assembly that acts as the pilot flame doesn’t work. I replaced it once before when I was still flexible and able to tie my back into a half-hitch. The thing is now inaccessible for me plus a new one costs $129. It is just marginally more expensive to replace the whole stove with the simplest unit available. Monday I am going to visit a neighborhood “scratch and dent” store for comparison to Lowes and Sears.

And the young black female cat that came into SM when YD moved back home (TEMPORARILY!!!!) has gone back into heat again. I have seen whore less brazen in their advertising for service. And meows! My God they are blood curdling and never ending. YD is trying to get enough money to have the beast spayed. One more time and I will do the procedure with a Swiss Army knife.

The Shakespeare reading group has started “The Taming of the Shrew”. The internet address for the blogger directing the reading is http://theplaystheblog.wordpress.com/. You are welcome to join and experience the greatest writer the English language has. I am certain you could establish a viable, long-lasting, just society using the “Holy Bible” and “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare”.

It is amazing how much reading I have accomplished without the TV.

10/30: Giver of all good things, strengthen our faith in you. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

A young farm couple, Homer and Darlene, got married and just couldn't seem to get enough lovin'.

In the morning, before Homer left the house for the fields, they made love. When Homer came back from the fields, they made love. And again at bedtime, they made love.

The problem was their nooner; it took Homer a half hour to travel home and another half hour to return to the fields and he just wasn't getting enough work done.

Finally Homer asked the town doctor what to do.

"Homer," said the doctor, "just take your rifle out to the field with you and when you're in the mood, fire off a shot into the air. That will be Darlene's signal to come out to you. Then you won't lose any field time."

They tried Doc's advice and it worked well for a while. Homer came back to the doctor's office.

"What's wrong?" asked the Doc. "Didn't my idea work?"

"Oh, it worked real good," said Homer. "Whenever I was in the mood, I fired off a shot like you said and Darlene'd come runnin'. We'd find a secluded place, make love, and then she'd go back home again."

"Good, Homer. So what's the problem?", asked the Doc.

"I ain't seen her since huntin' season started."

Thank you Fay!

”The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-10-28T23:37:00.000-05:00

2310 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Progress comes
To those who
Train and train;
Reliance on secret techniques
Will get you nowhere."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

This will be short and really just to keep a promise to myself. I went to my second high school game of 2011 tonight. My senior grandson’s team played a team from Magnolia High School. Jared’s team is a typical SBISD team, some whites, some blacks, more latinos, and some Asians. The same applies for the band and drill team. I saw something in the Magnolia team that I had not seen in 4 decades. They were so white I almost had to wear my sunglasses. The drill teams and band were also moonlight white. I did not see a single person with anything other than northern European ancestry. That level of homogeneity is now disconcerting. When we left at the end of the third quarter SBISD Springwoods High was behind 42 to zero. Springwoods has not scored a touchdown this year.

TTYL

10/28: Dear God, grant us the wisdom to see and hear your words of instruction and the courage and confidence to act according to your will. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

BLT Ranch Pinwheels

4 to 6 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
1 - 8oz package softened cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 oz. package powdered ranch salad dressing mix
1 package - 10 inch soft flour tortillas
1 large tomato, chopped
6 leaves green leaf lettuce

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, ranch mix and bacon in a mixer. Spread onto tortillas, then layer tomatoes and lettuce on each. Roll up and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cut into pinwheels and serve chilled.

”The Christian's Bible is a drug store. Its contents remain the same, but the medical practice changes.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-10-27T21:26:00.000-05:00

2309 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"In your training do not be in a hurry, for it takes a minimum of ten years to master the basics and advance to the first rung. Never think of yourself as an all-knowing, perfected master; you must continue to train daily with your friends and students and progress together in the Art of Peace."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

I started writing this entry last week but could not seem to build any enthusiasm for the task. Since mid August I have been in some sort of physical and mental funk. My church attendance has faltered and my attention to household needs is on the level of trailer trash.

The good thing, IMHO, is that I am alive and still mobile.

All the monetary and budget talks by the blowhards and demagogues in Congress has focused ma attention on the vast networks of lies and misinformation we are being fed. I remember a time in this country when the highest income tax rate was over 50%. As I remember and as I learn by researching history those high rates did not seem to hurt the rich and almost seem responsible for the vigorous growth back then. That being said I remain a foe of any tax that is imposed on someone just because they are rich. You cannot find a subset of wealthy Americans to tax to cover the entire debt burden without destroying the economic structure.
An Excellent Video on the Tax-the-Rich Mentality is athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY8LKII_MNA.

My wife and I are reading the play “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” by Shakespeare as part of a group. My wife HATES Shakespeare so having her read it along with me is somewhat of a miracle. The plot is similar to most of his other comedies. This play reads as if a much richer, nuanced stage play was written and then severely pruned. I feel that draft may have been staged and found wanting by the actors causing Shakespeare to hastily edit his revision. The ending is so superficial that I cannot imagine the actors strictly adhered to the written stage play. Or perhaps I am reading into the play something I want to believe.

I bought my wife a Kindle for her birthday. Unfortunately she is having trouble with it loosing connection to our wifi node. I know so little that I am no help and she seems reluctant to enlist help outside the abyss of “shattered manor”. Now that she has an ebook reader I have been competitively driven to seek out on-line books to read on my desktop computer. I tried reading some on my iphone but the print is too small to read easily. Yesterday I finished “Giants in the Earth”. That was assigned reading in Junior College and I hated it. The main female in the story seemed, to me, a callow 19 year old, to be a whimpering coward. Now that I have reread it at age 70 she does not seem to be a coward. She still whimpers too much but I think I would also in that environment. I cannot believe anyone could live through the winter blizzards like they did.

I have found, in all the good books I have read, nuggets of wisdom that apply to other situations. The quote below is from “Giants in the Earth” Book II--Founding the Kingdom, The Power of Evil in High Places, X.

”And now had begun a seemingly endless struggle between man's fortitude in adversity, on the one hand, and the powers of evil in high places, on the other. There were signs of the scourge in the summer of '73, but not before the following year did it assume the proportions of a plague; after that it raged with unabated fury throughout the years '74, '75, '76, '77, and part of '78; then it disappeared as suddenly and mysteriously as it had come. The devastation it wrought was terrible; it made beggars of some, and drove others insane; still others it sent wandering back to the forest lands, though they found conditions little better there, either. . . . But the greater number simply hung on where they were. They stayed because poverty, that most supreme of masters, had deprived them of the liberty to rise up and go away. And where would they have gone? In the name of Heaven, whither would they have fled?”

For decades I have sneered at people in desperate straits that live in areas of nearly continuous famine. Many times I have shouted at the TV announcers “Tell the idiots to move. Don’t they know they are living in a desert?” The passage above brought home the thought that sometimes people are TOO poor to be able to move. I guess I am spoiled by the undeniable wealth we have.

I can summarise my live for the last couple months as: nap often, sleep much, watch recorded tv and zip through the commercials, feed the cats including an impossibly cute male orange kitten with a fluffy tail, putter around with the pool, watch my azaleas slowly die in the extended drought, pay bills, avoid any strenuous activity, monitor blood pressure and pulse rate, read journals and magazines, try to add to “The Device”, and wait for ibuprofen to wear off so I can take a couple more to relieve back pain.

Maybe another entry tomorrow.

10/23: O God, thank you for your constant care and your presence with us, especially during our most vulnerable moments. Give us the strength to endure today's challenges. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
10/24: We love you, dear God, because you have first loved us. Hold us close to your heart, and teach us your loving ways. Through Christ we pray. amen.
10/25: Dear Lord God, thank you for Jesus who came to earth to experience the trials and joys of being human. Thank you for understanding us and promising to be with us in all circumstances. Amen.
10/26: Companion of the lonely, may we be still and know that you are God. Amen.
10/27: O God, help us put into practice what we know and what you promised -- that no matter what happens today, we can trust you. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

One Sunday morning, a mother went in to wake her son and tell him it was time to get ready for church, to which he replied, "I'm not going."

"Why not?" she asked.

I'll give you two good reasons," he said. "(1), they don't like me and (2), I don't like them."

His mother replied, "I'll give YOU two good reasons why YOU SHOULD go to church. (1) You're 59 years old and (2) you're the pastor!"

A Jewish Rabbi and a Catholic Priest met at the town's annual 4th of July picnic. Old friends, they began their usual banter.

"This baked ham is really delicious," the priest teased the rabbi. "You really ought to try it. I know it's against your religion, but I can't understand why such a wonderful food should be forbidden! You don't know what you're missing. You just haven't lived until you've tried Mrs. Hall's prized Virginia Baked Ham. Tell me, Rabbi, when are you going to break down and try it?"

The rabbi looked at the priest with a big grin, and said, "At your wedding."

An elderly woman walked into the local country church. The friendly usher greeted her at the door and helped her up the flight of steps, "Where would you like to sit?" he asked politely.

"The front row, please," she answered.

"You really don't want to do that," the usher said. "The pastor is really boring."

Do you happen to know who I am?" the woman inquired.

"No," he said.

"I'm the pastor's mother," she replied indignantly.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"No," she said.

"Good," he answered.

A kindergarten teacher gave her class a "show-and-tell" assignment. Each student was instructed to bring in an object to share with the class that represented their religion.

The first student got up in front of the class and said, "My name is Benjamin and I am Jewish and this is a Star of David."

The second student got up in front of the class and said, "My name is Mary. I'm a Catholic and this is a Rosary."

The third student got in up front of the class and said, "My name is Tommy. I am Methodist and this is a casserole."

A priest, a minister, and a guru sat discussing the best positions for prayer while a telephone repairman worked nearby.

"Kneeling is definitely the best way to pray," the priest said.

"No," said the minister. "I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven."

"You're both wrong," the guru said. "The most effective prayer position is lying down on the floor."

The repairman could contain himself no longer. "Hey, fellas," he interrupted. "The best prayin' I ever did was when I was hangin' upside down from a telephone pole."

The young couple invited their elderly pastor for Sunday dinner. While they were in the kitchen preparing the meal, the minister asked their son what they were having.

"Goat," the little boy replied.

"Goat?" replied the startled man of the cloth, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yep," said the youngster. "I heard Dad say to Mom, ‘Today is just as good as any to have the old goat for dinner."

”We have the best government that money can buy.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-09-28T22:44:00.001-05:00

2280 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Master the divine techniques
Of the Art of Peace,
And no enemy
Will dare to
Challenge you."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Yesterday morning as I was dressing to go with my wife to her surgery I noticed black dot/streaks darting around at the periphery of my left eye vision field. And occasionally something like blinding white lightning icons would erupt in that same vision field. The surgery on my wife went well as the doctor claims to have removed all the cancerous material from a spot on her face. Next week she will have surgery on her nose to remove the same kind of cancer. I hope that will be her last encounter with cancer.

I told my wife about the vision problem and she told me to be sure to tell my doctor. This morning when I put on my driving glasses I noticed the dots and lightening were gone. Yet I told the doctor who seemed less than concerned. When I got settled in my recliner for my prelunch nap a big elongated blob swam across my left eye field. It actually blocked my vision to such an extent that I could not read. I called our eye doctor and was referred to a retina specialist. The referring nurse seemed very concerned and told me to push for the earliest appointment possible. Tomorrow at 8 am I see Dr. Khawly for an exam. Cross your fingers please.

The admitting nurse assistant at doctor G’s office this morning was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. I suppose others might not agree but… I have been so sensitized by all the talk about sexism and harassment that I feel disarmed in the presence of stranger women. When she leaned in to put the blood pressure cuff on my arm I felt myself blush. She was wearing one of those low cut t-ee shirt type tops. I didn’t know where to direct my eyes while she was putting the EKG pads on me. I know it is rude to stare but beauty like her’s is equivalent to a majestic Redwood tree or maybe a magnificent wild landscape. There is just something joyous in anything of beauty. The Physician’s Assistant told me everything medically looked good and or improving. We talked about my weight and I finally made a medical person understand that pain is stopping my program of increased activity. You cannot lose weight through diet restrictions alone. Any diet that leads to weight loss is dangerous and can cause severe medical complications. Amy referred me to a pain specialist within the network. I will be making an appointment with Dr. Dai. Amy also told me to eat a banana daily because my potassium is low. I reminded her that banana gives me heartburn.

Reading back I see that I talked only about doctors and medicine. The only thing golden in these golden years are the urine stains.

I was asked a strange question this morning. I was asked if the “grannies” of Webtv are a Christian group. I have been a member since 1999 and that particular label has not been used. I have assumed that most members are or at least believe in some kind of deity. I don’t really care. One’s faith and practice of that belief is one’s own business. After I got home I began to wonder why the person asking thought it was important. How strange to use religion as a way of labeling or evaluating people.

9/28: Our loving God, help us to see and celebrate all the good in the world, and to join in such efforts whenever we can. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Russian Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup

The recipe was created by the late, great cookbook author and Bon Appetit magazine columnist Richard Sax. He was inspired to turn his Russian-Jewish grandmother's wonderful stuffed cabbage rolls into a soup much easier to make. Serve the cabbage soup along with good rye bread.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, halved, sliced crosswise
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 medium green cabbage, about 1 1/2 pounds
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (preferably Hungarian)
3 1/2 cups chicken broth or bouillon
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes with liquid
2 cups water
1/2 cup golden raisins, dried cherries or cranberries
5 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 medium (1 pound) potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1/4 cup crushed ginger snaps (about 4 cookies)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (if using dried dill, start with 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and carrots. Saute until softened, stirring, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, discard any spoiled outer leaves from cabbage. Quarter the head, core and slice cabbage into 14-inch strips. Add cabbage and garlic to onion mixture. Cover and cook just until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, partially cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, squeeze lemon juice. Add raisins and 3 tablespoons of the juice to the soup. Stir in brown sugar and the potatoes. Bring soup to a boil, partially cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir in ginger snap crumbs (gingerbread cookies may be used), dill, the remaining lemon juice, salt and pepper. If necessary, adjust all seasonings, adjusting the sweet-sour balance by adding more lemon juice or sugar.

Serve hot with additional chopped dill sprinkled over each serving.

Use fresh parsley along with dried dillweed if fresh dill is not available, and be cautious when substituting dried dill; it can be overpowering.

Yield: About 10 cups. Prep time: 45 minutes. Simmering time: 40 minutes.

This recipe taken from a website cited in a collection of Crockpot Recipes.

”There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-09-27T20:47:00.000-05:00

2279 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"The real Art of Peace is not to sacrifice a single one of your warriors to defeat an enemy. Vanquish your foes by always keeping yourself in a safe and unassailable position; then no one will suffer any losses. The Way of a Warrior, the Art of Politics, is to stop trouble before it starts. It consists in defeating your adversaries spiritually by making them realize the folly of their actions. The Way of a Warrior is to establish harmony. "
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Recipes collected from Grannies, Friends, and Strangers from around the internet. Some citations are for other collections of recipes. If you cannot find a recipe within the cited compilation you either are not hungry or are not human. A recipe for an unusual part of a wild Texas small animal is included below. Believe me, you won’t find many recipes for Armadillo balls.

Back when I had vigor and health, more by the Grace of God, I was put-off by the old-folks continual chatter about doctors, medicines, and their latest surgeries. I felt as if they had decided to quit talking about weather and instead talk about something that would drive us kids crazy. Now that I am old enough to find Tim Conway’s caricature of an old man walking a bitter version of truth, I know the shift is caused by a sudden change in normal activities. The reason old ones talk so much about medical issues is because those issues consume most of their attention. Just today I spent 7 hours waiting at a doctor’s office or on the phone arranging a physical.

Four of the hours were with my wife while she was having surgery to remove a cancerous spot on her right cheek near her nose. The surgery went well. The doctor was a woman and the surgery was under local anesthesia in the office. I was amazed at the amount of conversation that went on amongst the doctor, my wife, and the nurse. If that had been three men there might have been 60 words exchanged.

Since my last entry our internet connection was lost for two days. Those were the longest two days. Comcast runs ads about their good service and commitment to their customers. If they are late to an appointment they will credit the account by $20. What they leave unstated is that the appointments are scheduled 4 days in advance. One can be without service for 4 days with no relief. The $20 seems insulting as a result. The internet went down Saturday evening and a service call was scheduled for Wednesday morning. I went to get a blood test Monday and during my absence our son contacted Comcast and somehow got the phone tech to reactivate the line. He did not know that until we found the internet connectivity back and he woke from his nap.

Way back, in deep time, when I was smart a teacher asked me if I thought I knew everything. At that time I did. Later one of the people I worked with asked me the same thing. I answered “No, but I do know something about everything.” Recently the question has haunted me, especially when I hear experts state, emphatically, a certain level of ignorance. I have been thinking of a way to summarize my level of knowledge. As a first order approximation I would say I know 4 hours to tell all I know times 100 over (my age in years times 365 days times 24 hours per day) or 0.00065% of all I could know. Another way of stating that is “I don’t know squat”.

9/25: Dear God, help us always to see another person's point of view. Amen.
9/26: Dear Lord of light, shine into all our darkness of grief, loss, frustration, and helplessness. Light up our lives with faith and hope. We pray in the name of Jesus, the light of the world. Amen.
9/27: Dear God, help us to be willing to teach others about your son and the salvation he brings. Amen.

A well-worn one-dollar bill and a similarly distressed twenty-dollar bill arrived at a Federal Reserve Bank to be retired. As they moved along the conveyor belt to be burned, they struck up a conversation.

The twenty-dollar bill reminisced about its travels all over the country. "I've had a pretty good life," the twenty proclaimed. "Why I've been to Las Vegas and Atlantic City, the finest restaurants in New York, performances on Broadway, and even a cruise to the Caribbean."

"Wow!" said the one-dollar bill. "You've really had an exciting life!"

"So tell me," says the twenty, "where have you been throughout your lifetime?"

The one-dollar bill replies, "Oh, I've been to the Methodist Church, the Baptist Church, the Lutheran Church….."

The twenty-dollar bill interrupts, "What's a church?"

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Armadillo Balls

Bite-sized balls of sausage and cheese flavored dough hiding surprise slices of jalapeno pepper

Ingredients:
1 pound Cheddar cheese, grated
1 pound good quality pork sausage
2 cups baking mix (like Bisquick)
1 jar (10 oz) jalapeno pepper slices
1 envelope Shake-n-Bake for pork (original)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

1. In a large bowl mix together the cheese and sausage until well blended. You really need to use your hands to do this well. Add the baking mix and mix well.
2. Remove about 50 slices of jalapeno pepper from the jar, shake off the liquid and set on paper towels to absorb excess liquid.
3. To form each Armadillo Ball, take a chunk of the dough mixture about the size of a whole walnut, maybe a little bigger. Pat it into a flat patty. Place a slice of jalapeno pepper in it. Fold up the edges around the pepper and seal well. Roll into a ball between your hands, pressing firmly.
4. After all the balls have been formed, pour the Shake-n-Bake into a small bowl. Roll the balls in it and place on a cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart.
5. Bake at 325 for 20 - 25 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown.
6. Drain on paper towels. These are good served hot, warm or room temperature.
Yield: about 50 balls

To freeze: Freeze before baking by placing them on a cookie sheet and place the cookie sheet in the freezer until the balls are solid. Then pour into freezer bags for storage. Bake them frozen (they may take an additional 5 minutes)

”Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-09-17T22:32:00.000-05:00

2269 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Left and right,
Avoid all
Cuts and parries.
Seize your opponents' minds
And scatter them all!"
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Today while I was preparing for my mid day nap I heard a suspicious sound. Younger grandson confirmed that the sound was thunder. Before I could get committed to my noon nap it began to rain. RAIN! BLESSED GENTLE RAIN. The first picture is an art shot showing the ripples made in the rain puddle on our back step. I took the thing to show the orange kitty food bowl overflowing from the rain fall. The shape of the bowl is such that a half inch rainfall will completely fill it. Then I discovered, while preparing the picture for use here, the lovely circular ripples from raindrops impacting the surface. The diffraction caused by the expanding rings produces a very pretty image. I suspect that if man had created the universe this simple vision would have been deleted as too costly for no purpose other than appearance.

The next picture was taken from my back door looking toward the swimming pool. The rain was heavy enough at this point that the distant fence was just visible. Yet, because of it’s slow shutter, my Kodak did not catch any of the drops in mid fall. The only evidence of rain is the disturbed surface on the swimming pool. Click this picture for a larger view.

The rain lasted only thirty minutes but the effect on the trees, plants, and grass has been dramatic. City water just lacks something that doesn’t cause plants to thrive like rain.

Something has happened to my entertainment taste in the last 6 months. Prior to that I would not watch a musical. Now I seek them out. I am watching Kismet with Howard Keel and Ann Blythe on TCM and enjoying every song. Life has been a long adjustment and is sometimes very exhausting.

9/17: Dear Lord, give us boldness and wisdom to tell people about salvation in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Paddy had long heard the stories of an amazing family tradition. It seems that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all been able to walk on water on their 18th birthday. On that special day, they'd each walked across the lake to the pub on the far side of the lake for their first legal drink.

So when Paddy's, 18th birthday came around, he and his pal Mick, took a boat out to the middle of the lake, Paddy, stepped out of the boat and nearly drowned!

Mick just barely managed to pull him to safety.

Furious and confused, Paddy, went to see his grandmother.

'Grandma,' he asked, "Tis me 18th birthday, Lard so why can't I walk 'cross the lake like me father, his father, and his father before him?"

Granny looked deeply into Paddy's, troubled brown eyes and said, "Because ye father, ye grandfather and ye great-grandfather were all born in December, when the lake is frozen, and ye were born in August, ya idiot!"

”The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-09-16T17:08:00.000-05:00

2268 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Even the most powerful human being has a limited sphere of strength. Draw him outside of that sphere and into your own, and his strength will dissipate."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

My brother’s son became a father last week. I wish to present Aaron Austin. He was borne prematurely and is quite small. According to the proud grandfather his grandson is a fine healthy specimen who brooks no interference by his nurses. I know my brother will enjoy grandfather hood as much as I have. Somehow the future seems more significant when one has two generations going forth from his loins.

Click the picture for a larger view.

Aaron is my grandnephew according to the relationship chart at dwills. Congratulations Phillip and Lesa.

I was so heartened yesterday by the realization that I had actually hurt my back with exertion. Today I am not quite so happy. Early on sharp stabs of pain informed me that I could not assume certain positions without pain knocking me to my knees. Twelve hours later I am totally POed. Enough with the pain! I can take ibuprofein for the pain but the damned pills put me to sleep. But I am going to take two so I can wake in time to take my evening medications. I hate planning around pills. Tomorrow I will try to bring this thing more up-to-date.

9/15: O God, when we are fearful, remind us of your promise never to leave or abandon us. Amen.
9/16: Dear God, help us give freely and not judge what others do. Bless all our gifts to the good of all your children. In Christ's name. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 1/2 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can mild chili beans
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers (Rotel tomatoes)
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
1 (1 ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix

Directions
In a Dutch oven or large kettle, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add taco seasoning and mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

”George Washington, as a boy, was ignorant of the commonest accomplishments of youth. He could not even lie.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-09-14T23:03:00.000-05:00

2266 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
For it is not wise to ask such questions."

from Ecclesiastes 7:10

Before I unexpectedly dropped out of sight I had intended to report seeing a fire fly. I don’t remember the previous time that I had seen one in Houston. In an odd coincidence Brian Basset drew a cartoon strip about fireflies that said more than I ever could. They powerfully evoke memories of long ago and a gentler time.

But then a dark wave crested over me and dropped me into a deep trough of ennui. For weeks I did little other than sleep and wake just enough to feed orange kitty and the fish and me. I could not discover a cause. In fact, I thought I was better since my blood pressure on 8/11/2011 had dropped to what my cardiologist said was a good level, ie less than 120 systolic. But then my blood pressure device began to report irregular heartbeats. I continued my normal dosages. Then about 9/4/2011 my blood pressure returned to my normal level and I began to feed full of energy again. I am still not back to where I would like to be but am progressing.

While all that was overwhelming me I became aware that I was sneezing furiously during the morning blood pressure measurements. Eventually I discovered I was sneezing after I took my allergy pill. I take 6 pills each morning so discovering the cause lead to design an experiment. I broke the 6 pills into sets of three. I would take a set and wait 7 minutes. To separate the effects I rotated the memberships. None of the other pills I take each morning caused such a sneezing fit. I now take am Allerclear (Costco brand of Claratin) after measuring my blood pressure.

I will resume regular updates.

9/13: Loving God, make us aware that in all circumstances your hand will guide us and you will provide the strength we need to face each day. Amen.
9/14: Loving God, thank you for continuing your work in us. Help us as we seek to know you and to do your will. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

STUFFED PEPPERS

Ingredients
1 package (22 ounces) frozen mashed potatoes
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
Pepper to taste
4 medium green or red sweet peppers
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Prepare potatoes with milk and butter according to package directions. Stir in dressing mix and season with pepper; set aside. Cut peppers in half lengthwise; do not remove the tops. Remove stems and seeds. Place in an ungreased microwave-safe 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Spoon potatoes into pepper halves. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until peppers are tender. Sprinkle with cheese and paprika.
Yield: 8 servings.

”To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

2011-08-12T20:10:00.001-05:00

2233 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us."

Read on and fall sound asleep

Yesterday while driving around I realized that felt exactly as I had when I was 38. In my head I am the same. My body shouts “No you aint!” All the people I know of my age or older report the same feeling. I, personally, am convinced that I will never feel wise. When I was a young man I was certain that the older people around me had something called wisdom and they all felt “wise”. Now I know all we old folks have is experience. The rapid technological changes around us are rendering that experience less useful every day. I do not foresee ever needing to know how to decipher the ring pattern on an old party line telephone. Similarly I doubt fluency with a slide rule will ever again impress lay people. All we “old farts” can do is grump about progress and talk about adventures of the past all the while being increasingly bewildered by the communication tools around us.

I immersed myself in Shakespeare’s Henry VI parts 1, 2, and 3 in the Winedale barn from 9:15 am to 10 pm Sunday. About 10 of those hours were spent sitting on metal folding chairs cushioned with something nearly like a “whoopee cushion”. I could barely walk Monday and Tuesday. My feet felt as if they belonged to someone in Germany. I had to look at them to keep from mis-stepping.

I have been practically useless for the last 2 weeks. For some reason this year the heat has really bothered me. I can barely breath in the car before the AC cools the interior.

I went to my Kidney doctor Monday. He told me to cut back on my water consumption to not more than 28 ounces per day. He told me that if I continued to drink as much water as I have been drinking I was going to be a strong candidate for dialyses. He showed me the ultrasound of my kidneys and pointed out the failed parts. Because of the failure I cannot process enough water into the excretory system so my body stores the excess in the cells. Therefore my legs and feet swell. That also leads to higher blood pressure that increases the risk of stroke. So far I have not come with 100% of that goal. I have been putting water into 12 ounce Coke bottles. Two and a third bottles equals 28 ounces. My minimum has been 48 ounces.

8/4: Dear God, thank you for those who speak in your name and who serve you by encouraging others. Amen.
8/5: Lord, when life's circumstances challenge us, teach us to accept your direction. Help us to remember that all things can be used for good. Amen.
8/6: Dear God, in times of grief help us to lean on your word. Strengthen us to know what is most important -- our relationship with you. Amen.
8/7: Thank you, Lord, for giving us peace as we work to help others. Thank you for the opportunities you give us to be a part of your work in their lives. Amen.
8/8: Our God and guide, strengthen us and give us the hope that will enable us to overcome life's difficulties. We trust you. Amen.
8/9: Heavenly Father, forgive us when we fear giving back to you what is yours to begin with. Help us always to give to you with a cheerful heart. Amen.
8/10: Lord, we pray for peace that can be found only in your love. Help us to overcome our sinful nature and its desires. Amen.
8/11: Loving God, always give us the faith to do your will and to trust you in the storms of life. Amen.
8/12: We praise you, Father, for always taking care of us, here on earth and in eternity. As Jesus taught us, we pray, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."*

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Pecan Bites

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup melted butter
2 eggs beaten

Combine sugar, flour and pecans set aside. Blend together butter and eggs, then mix into flour mixture. Grease and flour mini-muffin cups and fill cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Yields: 1 1/2 dozen

This recipe and many more can be found at Darlene’s Kitchen HERE.

”The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

Lunch on Henry VI day

2011-08-07T17:08:00.001-05:00

I had a dozen raw oysters (fairly good) and two pieces fried catfish
(9 out of 10) at Sealand Bar & Grill in Brenham near hwy 36. It was a
little pricey but worth it.

Ant lions

2011-08-07T17:03:00.001-05:00

It is so hot and dry here at the Shakespere barn that the ant lions
are dormant. It has been years since I saw any of their conical traps.
The ant lion (doodlebug, ladybug, or etc) burrows down into dusty soil. They then begin tossing dust until they form a cone with the angle of repose just about critical. Then when an ant stumbles into the trap its struggles cause it to slide to the bottom where the ant lion waits to eat the ant. It is a really sophisticated trap system. The little insect provides hours of entertainment to southern kids until TV, video games, and helicopter parents destroyed their childhoods. We would gently poke at the side of a cone to provoke the antlion into flinging dust out of the depression. The girls sang a song about doodlebug fly away for your home is on fire. I still don't know what that meant.

C clamp

2011-08-07T10:02:00.000-05:00

The clamp holding structure together reminds of Dad.

2011-08-03T21:41:00.001-05:00

2224 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Do not stare into the eyes of your opponent: he may mesmerize you. Do not fix your gaze on his sword: he may intimidate you. Do not focus on your opponent at all: he may absorb your energy. The essence of training is to bring your opponent completely into your sphere. Then you can stand where you like."
from Art of Peace

The creature stirs, he arises, He lives. Let us listen.

Late his afternoon I realized I have not written an entry for over a week. I am sure the old guy in the secret basement in Washington D.C. who is charged with keeping me hovering near poverty has been worried. After-all he will be out of work if I die.

I aint dead but I am hiding from the heat. By 9 am it is so hot outside that I cannot get a deep breath. I refuse to run the air conditioner in my room so my cave is just tolerable. So I stay awake until 4 or 6 am then sleep until noon or later.

I watched a new episode of “Roseanne’s Nut’s on TV. Years ago she was a foul mouthed liberal. Now she is an old foul-mouthed hippie living in Hawaii. I watched from simple curiosity. Fifteen minutes cured me. She is a member of a class of people that I would like to see consumed in a torrent of hell-fire. She claimed she was going to celebrate Passover but without anything like the Seder. She has such a high opinion of her own opinion that she is incapable of learning.

I am going to have blood tests tomorrow as further exploration of the cause of my kidney failure. And I need to call my doctor to get a new prescription for Lasik. I better do it early

07/28: Dear Lord, help us to pray without ceasing and to keep our minds focused on you. Amen.
07/29: Dear Lord, teach us to cling to you as a child holds fast to its parent and to not let go. Amen.
07/30: Thank you, loving God, for watching over us in difficult situations. Amen.
7/31: Heavenly Father, thank you for simple prayers and for the peace you give when we are afraid of the storm. We pray as Jesus taught us, saying, "Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation."* Amen.
8/1: Creator God, teach us to enjoy the journey as much as reaching the destination. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
8/2: Loving God, help us to be instruments of your love to those who live around us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
8/3: Dear God, help us to carry out your word faithfully, for the benefit of those you love. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Two Ingredients Cake

Ingredients:
One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix
1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine ingredients in a large bowl and add 1 cup water. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
(Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.)

MAKES 12 SERVINGS
PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 180 calories, 3.25g fat, 306mg sodium, 34.5g carbs, less than 0.5g fiber, 20g sugars, 3.5g protein --
PointsPlus value 5*

I am much indebted to the 4 people who sent me this recipe. None claimed actually making it. I include this recipe as an attempt to convince myself that yogurt is edible. After years of trying yogurt still makes me uneasy.

”Principles have no real force except when one is well-fed.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2011-07-27T23:27:00.000-05:00

2217 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Opponents confront us continually, but actually there is no opponent there. Enter deeply into an attack and neutralize it as you draw that misdirected force into your own sphere."
from Art of Peace

Warning! Wayne’s brain directly ahead.

Carol Taylor sent me a link to Civil War photos. I think she knows I am a history buff. Click the picture to go to a series of the most incredible pictures taken during and after the Civil War. The more I know about that war the more certain I am that it was the training or testing grounds for all the slaughter and hate of the First and Second World Wars. Thank God we developed a weapon so fierce and destructive that human egos were forced to step back from Hell. I am firmly convinced that the atomic weapons has purged the human race of huge widespread wars. Even the politicians in Washington D.C. can understand everybody loses when the A-bombs fly. The last picture in the series, shown here as a thumbnail, reminded me instantly of something from a Nazi Death Camp. He was a Union Soldier captured and sent to Andersonville prisoner of war camp in Georgia. If Americans could allow this kind of starvation and maltreatment of other Americans I see little hope for the human race to benefit from war. Therefore, thank God for atom bombs!

The website with these pictures also has a lot of information and links about the American Civil War. Sometimes I think that by the time I am 90 we will have discovered pictures and documents for every soldier who served in that war. For more information click HERE.

I finally got around to cleaning the filter of the Koi pond. I am rapidly approaching a point where I have to upsize the pond and filtration equipment of get rid of two of the Koi. The 3 Koi and 2 Goldfish create such a volume of fish poop that the pump begins to choke down after just 2 days. I really should be cleaning it weekly but I am lazy. If I lived in the hill country where I had access to limestone slabs I could build a 3 foot retaining wall around the present pond area but with at least 5 times the surface area of the present pond and drop in a pool liner so that the present pond would be a 5 foot deep part of the pond. With that layout I could build a bog filter and have a self cleaning system. But I don’t have $2400 for the wall stones, liner, bigger filter, bigger pumps, and bog plants. So dream deferred.

Senior grandson and I are going to “As You Like It” tomorrow night. I would like to take all the grandkids to see the plays but I am not sure they are all ready just yet.

I got a very official looking letter today advising me that I had been selected to represent Republican voters in Texas’ 18 th Congressional District. I was thrilled until I opened the letter and found a survey. The Republicans call it a census. I think I am one of 20 people that vote in the Republican primary in the 18 th district. Sheila Jackson Lee, yes the rude abusive, and effective black woman represents the 18 th district. I have found myself agreeing with her more often that the Republicans during the last 2 election cycles. I hate her brand of liberal politics but on some items she has a good point. I will probably complete the survey but with severe points of difference. Some of the choices for some of the questions are not adequate for my concurrence. . For example #4 states “Do you think the first and most urgent priority of our government must be to create jobs, end economic uncertainty and make America more competitive? YES, NO, NO OPINION.
MY REPLY—NO! A THOUSAND TIMES NO! THE PROBLEM WITH JOBS AND ECONOMICS AND LACK OF COMPETITIVENESS WAS CAUSED BY YOU HAMMERHEADS MONKEYING WITH STUFF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. I THINK THE WHOLE HERD SHOULD BE LOCKED IN A FEDERAL WAREHOUSE.

#7 Do you favor a major overhaul of the current Federal Tax Code that would replace today’s burdensome tax system with one that is simpler and fairer? YES, NO, NO OPINION
MY REPLY—YES BUT ONLY AFTER ALL THE CURRENT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARE SAFELY LOCKED ON THE PLANET MARS. THEY SCREWED UP WHAT WE HAVE AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FIX IT WITHOUT SELLING MORE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO LARGE CORPORATIONS.

I will have responses to more of the questions on this Republican Census Survey in the next few days.

07/25: Merciful God, thank you for loving us even though we don't deserve it. Amen.
07/26: O God, give us holy boldness to speak about Christ to others so they can come to know and believe in you. Amen.
07/27: Lead us, O God, in the ways we should go. Teach us to watch for your direction and to follow your guidance. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Deep Fried Zucchini Sticks
1 lb. zucchini (no green peel)
2 slightly beaten eggs
2 Tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Cut zucchini into strips, approximately 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long; combine egg, milk, seasoned salt & pepper in a bowl.

Dip zucchini strips into this mixture then roll into the bread crumbs.

Fry in hot oil—350 degrees in deep fat fryer; dry on a paper towel.

This and many more mouth watering recipes are HERE.

”The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

CAR

2011-07-27T15:45:00.001-05:00

He is playing something on the piano. Wish I knew it's name. I am told
by the grand and all munificent that he was making up music. Sure
sounded familiar to me.

2011-07-24T20:51:00.001-05:00

2214 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Your spirit is the true shield."
from Art of Peace

Boldy venturing where men dare not linger.

Read on and fall sound asleep

Wayne’s brain.

I ran across a video by a rocket engineer that renews my hope that Americans have not yet given up. I hear all around me comments about the money wasted in space. And demands to quit wasting the money since we have so many needs here on earth. To those naysayers I have one question. When did the rocket loaded with money get launched? Every penny spent on space has gone to humans here on earth. That is called jobs and jobs help create wealth. But, never mind because those who yearn for a true space exploration are already sold and the others are gonna complain even when the wealth begins to pour in from mining the asteroids for metals and water.
Click the picture to watch the video.

I hate NASA for its 30 years of obstruction in the development of manned space exploration.

Since my last entry I have quit taking some medicines and seem to feel different. I still do not do much because the pain becomes immobilizing very quickly.

Friday I saw Henry VI part 3. Supposedly that was the first ever performance of part 3 in Texas. I have now seen all three parts and I plan a whole day of Henry VI August 7 starting at 10 am. I am going to stay in an Inn near Brenham rather than drive all the way back to Houston.

We have had a good rain here. Rain steadily from about 3 pm to 6 pm. Tomorrow I need to clean the Koi pond filter and cut down the broken limb on the Oak in the front yard. I have had no one stop and offer to do the job. I need to rent a small chain saw at Home Depot.

Today I had flowers put on the altar at my church in honor of our first borne’s birthday. I believe we are going to Austin to visit her on her birthday. Click the picture for a larger view.

I have had flowers on the altar ever month this year for family either in memory of those who have gone ahead or in celebration of their birthdays. Today while looking at the flowers for Leigh I kept think of my mother. Some of my earliest memories are of me handing mom a clutch of flowers I picked on the way home from school. Whether they were pretty or not, whether they were wild or stolen from somebody’s flowerbed, whether they were wilted or fresh she always put them in a vase and made me feel great. I never, however, ever found a flower as pretty as my mom. Gone these 34 years and I still yearn for her hugs. Below is a poem Hilda sent me about being a mother. Enjoy and then like me shed a small tear for your mom.

07/19: Father God, thank you for hearing our cries. Continue to give us your peace as we face each challenge. Amen.
07/20: Gracious God, may we ever be conscious of the blessings you have given and willingly share them with others. Amen.
07/21: Dear Lord, help us to discover our purpose and to live it in ways that bring us closer to you. Amen.
07/22: Teach us, God, to trust in you, to follow your ways, and to live according to your will. Amen.
07/23: Dear God, break through the din of our routines so that we may hear the cry of those who are struggling and find ways to extend to them your love and friendship. Amen.
7/24: Dear God, grant us eyes that see your power all around us so that we do not fear enemies in this world. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would
love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,

before I was a Mom.

”If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you cannot learn any other way.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2 kings

2011-07-22T19:42:00.001-05:00

Henry VI standing, duke of York seated.

Henry VI part 3

2011-07-22T19:21:00.001-05:00

The bloodshed continues. I am 3 row from stage on left aisle. Outside
barn is 102F. Pleasant inside. Feed orange kitty please.

2011-07-18T22:54:00.000-05:00

2208 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"When attacked, unify the upper, middle, and lower parts of your body. Enter, turn, and blend with your opponent, front and back, right and left."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

I am stunned. It has been eight days since I wrote a full entry. I haven’t been busy or sick. I guess I have just been lazy. A large limb broke from the Oak tree in the front yard. Once again I get notice that I have entered the frail years. I went out and tried to drag the limb off the side walk and within 2 minutes was shaking from the pain in my back and hips. I have spent the rest of that day trying to find the business cards left by various Latinos in the neighborhood who do tree work. Somewhere on my desk, I am certain, are 6 cards. Of course I cannot find one. As soon as I quit looking and use the phone book to find an Anglo and sign a contract I expect the Latinos will be by with, of course, much lower price. It never fails.

I am waiting impatiently for “Captain America” to open in a local theater. He was my first super hero. I had a complete set of Captain America clothes and all his weapons. I remember his shield was almost as big as I was in first grade. Another movie I am waiting for is “Rise of the Apes”. But I expect Hollywood to do something to make the story just “wrong”. In my life I have never seen Hollywood treat a science or technology subject straight up. The bastards always have to invoke irrational fear. So I will likely leave the movies mad.

A week or so ago I was told by Amy Hudson (cardiology PA) that the last blood test showed strange results for kidney function analytes. So she sent me to see a Doctor Shevana. He is a specialist in Nephrology. When his staff member called to set up an appointment she had to repeat everything 3 or 4 times before I understood the time (11:30 am July 18). The only other things I understood was suite 50 in the professional building and the doctor’s name was Shevara. This morning I parked in the parking garage next to the professional building and went in search. The PB has no suite 50 nor a dr named Shevara. The old fart at the info desk had no clue how to use the phone system. He told my to go to the main entrance desk and ask. By the time I had walked that extra 150 feet I was about to cry. My back was on fire and my feet were numb. The young woman at the desk worked with me and we finally figured out where and who the doc really was. Combined with the “She….” and a kidney speciality she determined I needed Dr. Shevan at 1919 North Loop West. That is also called Medical plaza 3. By the time I got to this info desk it was too painful to walk back to get the car. So off I trudged. Past the Emergency Hospital, out into the rain. Past the Rehab and Retirement Center to the Medical Plaza 3 entrance. Finally in the right place 0.47 miles from my car! Dr Shevana was very thorough and told me to stop two of my current medicines. He also ordered more and different specialized blood test and MRI work. He carefully explained the results that had troubled Amy. All in All I was impressed by him manner. But all the furniture was old with the padding sticking through the upholstery. His office looks like he is either just starting his practice or is in severe decline. My next appointment with him is 9/28/2011 and I need a blood workup the week before.

The main thing I have been doing is attending performances of Shakespeare plays in Winedale. So far I have been to “As You Like It”, “Hamlet”, and “Henry VI part 2”. According to the director this was the very first performance of Henry VI part 2 in Texas.

I am going to take senior grandson to see “As You Like It” 7/28/2011.

07/10: Dear God, help us to be sensitive to others' needs -- both physical and spiritual. Amen.
07/11: Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you accept us with unconditional love. Thank you for cleansing us and making us whole. Amen.
7/12: God of love and power, hold us up when life hits us hard, and give us courage and strength to find new life in the face of grief. Thank you for staying with us all our days. Amen.
7/13: Dear Lord, strengthen our trust in your power to help us work for you, even when we feel overwhelmed. Amen.
7/14: Dear Lord, help us to serve those in need, those you send us. Help us always to serve with a loving heart. Amen.
7/15: God of change, who changes not, help us trust you even through tests of faith. Amen.
7/16: Thank you, Lord, for your grace in Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection reconcile us to you. Amen.
7/17: God of all being, thank you for the small joys and surprises of each day. Help us to be aware of you in the little and big moments of life. Help us to let our light shine for you. Amen.7/18: Thank you, God, for forgiving all our sins because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

ROASTED ONION SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
3 Spanish onions, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 cup brandy
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic head, large, cloves separated, peeled and cut in half
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin olive oil)
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 large shallots, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:
Set oven rack at the lowest level; preheat to 450 degrees. Combine onions, shallots, garlic and oil in a large shallow roasting pan. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, or until the onions are golden. Remove from oven and pour in one-fourth of the chicken stock. Stir liquid in the pan, scraping the bottom to loosen and dissolve any caramelized bits. (The liquid will become quite dark.) Transfer the onion mixture to a soup pot and add brandy, thyme and the remaining chicken stock. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and top with Parmesan cheese.

Sammy has many more recipes HERE.

”The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

Henry VI part 2

2011-07-16T13:45:00.000-05:00

Second row center aisle on the right. Very hot outside, quite pleasant
in the barn. Eight died in Hamlet. How many die tonight?

Mad Hamlet

2011-07-15T20:23:00.000-05:00

Excellent madness.

Hamlet

2011-07-15T19:03:00.000-05:00

Walking up to barn. Hotter than hinges of the gates of hell. Rain in
houston.

Close to stage

2011-07-14T19:25:00.000-05:00

This is my left knee over the front of the stage as you like it. The
woman next toe has an ipod2. Hear me Santa!

Cats & boxes

2011-07-12T15:15:00.001-05:00

He has struggled mightily trying to fit into the cardboard ends of
coke 12 packs. I was in process of entering the codes into the coke
page to get points for a gift. Now the idiot is sound asleep. SIGH!

2011-07-09T20:27:00.000-05:00

2199 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Seeing me before him,
The enemy attacks,
But by that time
I am already standing
Safely behind him."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Today after 13 and a half years I cancelled my dial-up service for WEBTV. I felt like crying. I spent about (on average) three hours a day with the GRANNIES. That works out to about a quarter a day. No other quarter has yielded such pleasure. That was the last vestige of connection to the GRANNIES via webtv. Now I am using MSNTV2 and Facebook with PC to visit with those dear friends. Both are broadband connections. But somehow the high speed seems to have removed time for thoughtfulness and contemplation. The level of interaction is nowhere as intense or as often as in past. The operational differences between MSNTV2 and PC are so great that I doubt the grannies will ever again be on one platform.

WAL-MART VS THE MORONS

Some Facts you should be aware of......

1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart every hour of every day.

2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!

3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.

4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.

5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people, is the world's largest private employer, and most speak English.

6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the world.

7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger and Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only fifteen years.

8. During this same period, 31 big supermarket chains sought bankruptcy.

9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.

10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 2,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had five years ago.

11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at Wal-Mart stores. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 Billion.)

12. 90% of all Americans live within fifteen miles of a Wal-Mart.

13. Wal-Mart has gross sales that total more than the total revenue of all the countries in the world, except 6.

You may think that I am complaining, but I am really laying the ground work for suggesting that MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to fix the economy.

This should be read and understood by all Americans Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!!

To the President and all 535 voting members of the Legislature, both Parties.

It is now official - you are ALL corrupt morons:

a.. The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. You have had 236 years to get it right and it is broke.

b.. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 76 years to get it right and it is broke.

c.. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 73 years to get it right and it is broke.

d.. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 47 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.

e.. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 46 years to get it right and they are broke.

f.. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 41 years to get it right and it is broke.

g.. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 34 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.

!!!You have FAILED !!! in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars.

AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM ??

YOU THINK YOU CAN RUN THE AUTO INDUSTRY.... THE BANKING SYSTEM?????

MAYBE WE OUGHT TO KICK YOUR EGG-HEAD BUDDY BUMS OUT OF OFFICE AND HIRE WALMART TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT ???

WALMART SEEMS TO KNOW HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS... WHY DON'T YOU GUYS JUST ADMIT IT'S WAY BEYOND YOUR PAY GRADE, AND QUIT?

"You can't fix stupid, but you can vote it out."

There is an article in the July/August Smithsonian magazine that illustrates how President Obama has lost a lot of his liberal fan base. Smithsonian could barely contain its glee when President Bush left office. Now they are discovering just how duplicitous President Obama can be while remaining true to his liberal biases. President Bush did many things that were an attack on the American people’s personal freedom. All during the campaign Obama was a harsh critic of the Bush policies.

”As president-elect, Barack Obama took the position that whistleblowing by government employees was an act “of courage and patriotism” that “should be encouraged rather than stifled.” But Drake’s indictment was only one in an extraordinary string of leak investigations, arrests and prosecutions undertaken by the Obama administration…
Why has the Obama administration pursued so many leakers?

All presidents abhor leaks. They see leaks as a challenge to their authority, as a sign that people around them, even their closest advisers, are talking out of turn. There will be no more “blabbing secrets to the media,” James Clapper warned in a memo to personnel when he took over as President Obama’s director of national intelligence last year.”

For the whole opinion piece read more at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/Leaks-and-the-Law-The-Story-of-Thomas-Drake.html#ixzz1RekvjnRm

Just think—a Nobel Peace prize winning President that has us in three wars, who prosecutes whistle blowers, who is now unilaterally talking about changes to Social Security and Medicare to cut the deficit, who promised repeatedly that his programs would reduce unemployment. How is that all working out for us now. Or is it still all Bush’s fault? I think my slogan for 2012 will be “ANYBODY but O”.

Names of GOD from the Bible

07/05: Kind Father, thank you for your amazing, undeserved, and compelling love. Amen.
07/06: Thank you, God, for saving us. We pray in gratitude, saying, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."* Amen.
07/07: Heavenly Creator, help us remember that you care for us even when we feel lost or insignificant. Thank you for loving us as we are. Amen.
7/08: Dear Lord, help us to care for both our physical and spiritual health. Amen.
7/09: Dear Father, thank you for the challenges that come our way. Teach us how to boldly face our fears and rely on you. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Easter Story Cookies

1cup whole pecans
1 tspn vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important, don't wait till you're half done with the recipe!)

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tspn vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.
Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.
Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.
Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.
Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.
Read Matthew 27:65-66.

GO TO BED!Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.
Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite.
The cookies are hollow!
On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.
Read Matthew 28:1-9.

This recipe and many more by Shanon can be found HERE.

”Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2011-07-04T22:51:00.001-05:00

2194 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"In the Art of Peace we never attack. An attack is proof that one is out of control. Never run away from any kind of challenge, but do not try to suppress or control an opponent unnaturally. Let attackers come any way they like and then blend with them. Never chase after opponents. Redirect each attack and get firmly behind it. "
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Somehow I was volunteered to teach my Sunday School Class July 3rd. We are studying from a small booklet named “Remember to Forget”. Before I started preparing for my lesson “Can Your Conscience be Your Guide” I was reading comic strips on-line. This one especially struck home.

During my practice teach I discovered I have at least two memories that absolutely conflict. Both memories pertain to my name and one has to be wrong. Unfortunately the reference source (Mom) is long gone. Maybe I will just let the conflict exist since both memories are a rich source of good stories. The Lord knows I enjoy telling stories.

I started a new colestertol medication Sunday. For months I have struggled with my cardiologist about the Simvastatin he was prescribing. I do read clinical studies and do know how to evaluate statistics. Simvastatin at any dosage does not show a reduction in risk of death from heart problems. It is fairly excellent at reducing cholesterol circulating in the blood. However, cholesterol is not the problem. The problem is dying. I don’t care if my blood is like butter as long as the risk of heart attack is normal. I was taking 80 mg a day. Studies show that dosage does not lower blood cholesterol more than smaller doses but does increase the amount of damage to the liver. Finally the doctor has started me on 4 mg Livalo daily. I am a little encouraged by the studies I have found. I will continue to search for more info.

The warning label on the Livalo shows the presence of lawyers. It is being prescribed to help reduce deaths from heart problems and the label tells it has not been studied for that use. Talk about covering their butts! LIVALO has not been studied to evaluate its effect on reducing heart-related disease or death. I was tickled by their list of adverse reactions. “The most frequent adverse reactions (rate ≥2.0% in at least one marketed dose) were myalgia, back pain, diarrhea, constipation and pain in extremity.” Long before I started this medication I woke some days with diarrhea and went to be constipated. I wonder if I am a psychic?

WOW! The fireworks for Freedom over Texas just finished. This year the sponsors included veterans more so than in past. I am so proud of the American people and the American military. After 10 years of war in Viet Nam the American people turned on the soldiers. And the military were absolutely horrible in managing their image. Now after 10 years of continuous war and thousands of American military dead the American people are honoring the warriors. Thank God!

06/30: Dear Lord, please help us always to find new ways to praise you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
07/01: Dear Father, help us each day to pray for others and so express our love for them and for you. Amen.
07/03: Thank you, Lord, that every time we trust you and seek your help, you hear our prayers. Thank you for the wonderful examples of confidence and strong faith we discover in the Bible. Amen.
07/04: Dear God of hope, we look forward to the moment when we shall see you face to face. As we await that day, help us to love generously, speak truthfully, and serve faithfully. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon.She laid her pet, named Cuddles, on the table and the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest.

After a moment or two, the vet shook his head and sadly said, "I'm sorry, your duck, Cuddles, has passed away."

The distressed woman wailed, "Are you sure?" "Yes, I am sure. Your duck is dead," replied the vet.

"How can you be so sure?" she protested. "I mean you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."

The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head. The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out of the room. A few minutes later he returned with a cat. The cat jumped on the table and also delicately sniffed the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck." The vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.

The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "$150!" she cried, "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead!"

The vet shrugged, "I'm sorry. If you had just taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it's now $150."

”The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

Out to eat

2011-07-02T20:40:00.000-05:00

This is my sweetheart. We are waiting to order at pappadoux.

2011-07-01T23:28:00.000-05:00

2191 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"There are two type of ki: ordinary ki and true ki. Ordinary ki is coarse and heavy; true ki is light and versatile. In order to perform well, you have to liberate yourself from ordinary ki and permeate your organs with true ki. That is the basis of powerful technique."
from Art of Peace

Read on and ponder with me the unanswerable mysteries of life.

Sometimes being retired and even more tired leads one to long moments of something like catatonia. Today I decided to start repairing a wind chime that blew out of the trees in January….. January 2008! I have a loooooonnnng list of dinky jobs that I am putting off until after Neptune Services finishes with my mortal remain. I had drawn elaborate plans how to improve the chime and increase its service life and those included the use of 4 inch PVC fittings. The fitting actually has an outer diameter of 5 1/16 inch. I needed to drill 6 holes at equal distance around the fitting to hang the pipes. I had no tools to layout the spacing so I wrapped the fitting with painter’s tape and cut it at the overlap. I peeled off the tape and measured it’s length as 15 13/16 inches. I needed 6 intervals. I then marked off 2 5/8 inch divisions along the tape. Perfect! 6 equally spaced holes. But according to that long memorized formula of circumference =pi*R squared. That is 3.14*2 7/16 * 2 7/16 or 20 1/8 inches. WHAT? The calculated = 20 1/8 and measured= 15 13/16. Has anyone else noticed a discrepancy between the calculated circumference and the measured circumference. Where is my mistake?

More news on the medical front. The cardiologist has referred me to a kidney specialist because the results from my last lab works show extremely suspect kidney function results. She has also changed my statin from 80 mg Simvastatin to 4 mg Livalo (pitavastatin). I told them months ago that the Simvastatin was not good and the dosage was actually in the harmful range. Neither one of the believed me when I said I read the medical reports. I am often amazed at the difference between what the pill pushers say and what the clinical results support. Our old fashioned snake-oil salesmen put on suits, raised the cost of their products, and became “respected” members of the medical profession. 8^))

I have spent most of the day watching and reveling in Roy Rogers movies. Lord they were so hokey! I wish I could return America to that level of sophistication without all the attendant social ills like discrimination.

One night a blond nun was praying in her room when God appeared before her.

"My daughter, you have pleased me greatly. Your heart is full of love for your fellow creatures and your actions and prayers are always for the benefit of others. I have come to you, not only to thank and commend you, but to grant you anything you wish," said God.

"Dear Heavenly Father, I am perfectly happy. I am a bride of Christ. I am doing what I love. I lack for nothing material since the Church supports me. I am content in all ways," said the nun.

"There must be something you would have of me," said God.

"Well, there is one thing," she said.

"Just name it," said God.

"It's those blonde jokes. They are so demeaning to blondes everywhere, not just to me. I would like for blonde jokes to stop."

"Consider it done," said God. Blonde jokes shall be stricken from the minds of humans everywhere. But surely there is something that I could do just for you."

"There is one thing. But it's really small, and not worth your time," said the nun.

"Name it. Please," said God.

"It's the M&M's," said the blonde nun. "They're so hard to peel."

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

”There is no sadder sight than a young pessimist.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2011-06-28T21:50:00.001-05:00

2188 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"One should be prepared to receive ninety-nine percent of an enemy's attack and stare death right in the face in order to illumine the Path. "
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

I watched a video that presented a novel idea for rugged temporary housing. Basically the idea is to coat a tent with cement and then fold it into a dry storage system. When needed the storage is transported to any place where shelter is needed and unfolded. After unfolding the tent is inflated with a fan. Upon full inflation the tent is sprayed with water to hydrate the concrete. Within 24 hours the concrete has set hard and is ready for occupancy. To watch the video for full details click HERE.

I don’t know anything that will make an old man feel better than to be surrounded by healthy well constructed young women. When I arrived at my cardiologist’s office I was feeling old, frail, and old. Rebecca, one of Dr G’s new medical assistants greeted me and took my vitals and EKG. She also updated my medication history. I have noticed that the uniforms in all the doctor’s offices are changed fairly often. Dr. G’s female staff members were all wearing low cut bodices designed to enhance the human signature. I finally asked Rebecca where I was supposed to look while she was putting on the EKG electrodes. She giggled and said “Wherever your nose points”. I could tell that some of the women were uncomfortable with so much exposed bosom. The women scheduling my next appointment kept trying to pull the blouse closed. I felt recharged after the visit. Pretty young women of intellect are a joy. Pretty young women are just pretty.

I have stumbled upon a compelling TV series called “Combat Hospital”. It is about a MASH in Afghanistan. It seems reasonably accurate. Try it. Then explain to me why we are there. The real source of terrorists is Saudi Arabia.

It has been too hot for me to venture out to the pool during the day. As soon as I upload this thing I am heading out for a skinny dip.

06/25: Gracious Father, thank you that we can confess our sins, for you are faithful to forgive us. Amen.
06/26: Dear God, help us to be realistic about our needs and to remember that meeting the needs of others is our responsibility also. Amen.
06/27: Dear Lord, thank you for your wonderful love. In times of persecution, help us to trust you for strength and courage. Amen.
06/28: Thank you, God, for your enduring, unfailing love. Help us to be instruments of restoration for those who have wandered from you. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Nacho Hash Brown Casserole

1 - 30oz package frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can nacho cheese soup
1 large onion, finely chopped (optional)
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 - 8oz carton sour cream

In a 3qt slow cooker, sprayed with cooking spray, combine the first 5 ingredients, mix well. Cover and cook on low 3 to 4 hours or until potatoes are tender. Then stir in sour cream. Cover & cook 15 to 30 minutes longer or until heated throughout. Yields: 8 servings

”The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

Anybody for a cat?

2011-06-26T19:02:00.001-05:00

He will not let me Di ant paper work. I need to pay bills, prepare
prayer study lessons, write up Sunday school lesson plan, prepare
proposal for beer can art. But he insists sleeping where I cannot
avoid him.

2011-06-24T23:23:00.001-05:00

2184 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"The Art of Peace is to fulfill that which is lacking."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

It has been 9 days since my last entry. I cannot remember such a long hiatus since I started writing this thing. I haven’t been sick, busy, involved, distracted or etc. Just kinda beige in outlook and activity. The major concern of mine the past 9 days had been my digestive system. I can be fully constipated in the morning and in full throes of terminal diarrhea in the evening and vice versus. Neither my GP nor my gastroenterologists seems to think the condition is serious. They both are young and still foolish. They do not yet understand the fear that can grip an old man when a coughing spell hits. Probably neither can grasp the sudden omen that causes an old gentleman to be extremely delicate in releasing that “suspect strange” fart. Release, test, release, test, fffaaaaaarrrrtttttt, Ah! During my 30s, 40s, 50, and 60s I never once thought that the workings of my innards would become more urgent and important than the price of Ashland Oil stock.

I have spent a considerable amount of time this week praying for and about our two granddaughters and their parents. I am glad I am not growing up in this age nor that I am raising children. The distractions of the world are too much for me. If I could I would create a pastoral island with mild climate, temperate seas and gentle mountains. Then I would move all my family to that island where we could live close to nature yet also close to the conveniences and safety of modern life. I guess I am thinking some kind of high tech monastery. I don’t really have a problem with modern life except for the pace of unexpected interruptions.

I have signed up for a study hosted by our preached about prayer. I have long been dissatisfied with the composition and content of my prayers. I am hoping this study helps me. I find that some of my science fiction readings as a teenager introduce a certain level of skepticism or sophistication into my prayers. This week I have been recalling a short story by Isaac Asimov called “The Last Question”.

”The last question was asked for the first time, half in jest, on May 21, 2061, at a time when humanity first stepped into the light. The question came about as a result of a five dollar bet over highballs, and it happened this way:

Alexander Adell and Bertram Lupov were two of the faithful attendants of Multivac. As well as any human beings could, they knew what lay behind the cold, clicking, flashing face — miles and miles of face — of that giant computer. They had at least a vague notion of the general plan of relays and circuits that had long since grown past the point where any single human could possibly have a firm grasp of the whole.

Multivac was self-adjusting and self-correcting. It had to be, for nothing human could adjust and correct it quickly enough or even adequately enough — so Adell and Lupov attended the monstrous giant only lightly and superficially, yet as well as any men could. They fed it data, adjusted questions to its needs and translated the answers that were issued. Certainly they, and all others like them, were fully entitled to share In the glory that was Multivac’s.

For decades, Multivac had helped design the ships and plot the trajectories that enabled man to reach the Moon, Mars, and Venus, but past that, Earth’s poor resources could not support the ships. Too much energy was needed for the long trips. Earth exploited its coal and uranium with increasing efficiency, but there was only so much of both.

But slowly Multivac learned enough to answer deeper questions more fundamentally, and on May 14, 2061, what had been theory, became fact.”

For the rest of the tale click HERE.

Note the date! This short was written in 1956 and 2061 seemed a extremely long time off. Little did this SF writer know just how far off yet so close their vision of the future would be. In 1956 the consensus was that the entire planet would only need a few computers and those would be of limited access to people. Today I carry in my hand a telephone with more memory and processing power than the most powerful computer envisioned in the 1950s. Isaac was looking ahead 105 years. What do you think we will be doing and 2116? I suspect we might have a hard time even recognizing a human being of 2116. I have several large bets that the computer will have become invisible and ubiquitous. More than likely humans will have decided to change body shapes to suit their fancies. I hope the movement of man to the stars has begun. I think any people left on earth will be unimaginably rich and powerful by our standards.

We finally got about 0.6 inches of rain over the previous two days. We need 6 times that in the next week to keep our trees and plants alive.

06/16: O God, give us brave hearts and the will to make this world more like you want it to be. Amen.
06/17: O God, free us from all that oppresses us. Amen.
06/18: Dear God of prodigals, thank you for the assurance of your limitless love for every sheep who returns to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
06/19: O God, we thank you for calling us your children. Help us to love you as you have loved us. Amen.
06/20: Heavenly Father, help us to live each day in the light of your love. Amen.
2/21: Creator of goodness and beauty, in each new day, encourage us by your faithfulness and delight us by the constant surprises you bring. Amen.
6/22: Please make us more aware, dear Lord, of daily reminders of your call to give -- even when the calls come from never-dreamed-of people and places. Amen.
6/23: Dear God, help us to exhibit your divine attributes so that others will see and glorify you. As Jesus taught us, we pray, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."*
6/24: Faithful God, no matter how difficult the circumstances may get, help us to focus on who we are and to whom we belong, trusting that you alone will supply all that we need. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon & Cheese

1/2 cup bottled ranch dressing
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 strips cooked & crumbled bacon
6 small red potatoes, quartered, uncooked
1 Tablespoon parsley

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Add the potatoes, toss lightly to coat. Spoon into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, cover. Bake 40 minutes, sprinkle with parsley, toss & cover. Bake 15 more minutes. After 55 minutes make sure potatoes are soft not firm, do the fork test. If firm, cook in 15 more minute increments. Serves 8.

”Repartee is something we think of twenty-four hours too late.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

He sacrifided himself

2011-06-19T00:53:00.001-05:00

My keyboard was bounced everytime I punched a letter. Mainly because
Rascal had pushed it nearly off my desk. Do not ever tell me cats are
aloof and disdainful of human companionship.

2011-06-15T22:53:00.001-05:00

2175 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Even when called out
By a single foe,
Remain on guard,
For you are always surrounded
By a host of enemies."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Wife and I had lunch with my brother and his wife at our local “Sweet Tomatoes”. All four looked so old I did not take a picture. They were on the way to their old home to see about long term care of her mother.

Summer has hit with such vengeance that I try to stir as little as possible. I fully and horrifyingly expect our electric bill to be over $600 this month. It was 107 this afternoon about 3 pm. On the other hand the air feels very cold when you climb out of the swimming pool. The water evaporates so fast you can almost hear it boil.

I have decided to buy myself a very light weight electric scooter. The Scooter Store is giving us a $150 discount because of the long wait time to install the lift in my wife’s car. I was all hot to buy one at the Scooter Store ($850). Then almost by accident I checked Craigslist. The Houston area is crawling with almost new scooters for $300 to $500. So when I get the check I will check Craigslist to buy. I just cannot endure walking and standing in stores.

I have been trying to watch “God’s Little Acre” on TCM while writing this entry. This is my third attempt. What a tedious piece of crap. Degenerates like that should be exterminated instead of having movies made of them.

06/12: Spirit of God, fill each of us afresh. In every person we encounter may we find our brother or our sister. Amen.
0613/: Dear Lord, help us to keep awake and to make sure that we always have enough oil in our lamps to be ready to meet you. Amen.
06/14: Thank you, God, for holding us when times are tough. Amen.
06/15: Dear God, help us to cultivate our hearts and lives wisely, giving space and time to what is most important. Teach us to seek your kingdom and righteousness above all else. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

The Nine Billion Names of God

Arthur C. Clarke

“This is a slightly unusual request,” said Dr. Wagner, with what he hoped was commendable restraint. “As far as I know, it’s the first time anyone’s been asked to supply a Tibetan monastery with an Automatic Sequence Computer. I don’t wish to be inquisitive, but I should hardly have thought that your — ah — establishment had much use for such a machine. Could you explain just what you intend to do with it?”

“Gladly,” replied the lama, readjusting his silk robes and carefully putting away the slide rule he had been using for currency conversions. “Your Mark V Computer can carry out any routine mathematical operation involving up to ten digits. However, for our work we are interested in letters, not numbers. As we wish you to modify the output circuits, the machine will be printing words, not columns of figures.”

“I don’t quite understand....”

“This is a project on which we have been working for the last three centuries — since the lamasery was founded, in fact. It is somewhat alien to your way of thought, so I hope you will listen with an open mind while I explain it.”

“Naturally.”

“It is really quite simple. We have been compiling a list which shall contain all the possible names of God.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“We have reason to believe,” continued the lama imperturbably, “that all such names can be written with not more than nine letters in an alphabet we have devised.”

“And you have been doing this for three centuries?”

“Yes: we expected it would take us about fifteen thousand years to complete the task.”

“Oh,” Dr. Wagner looked a little dazed. “Now I see why you wanted to hire one of our machines. But exactly what is the purpose of this project?”….

For the rest of the story click HERE.

I will guarantee this tale will haunt your memory.

”As an example to others, and not that I care for moderation myself, it has always been my rule never to smoke when asleep, and never to refrain from smoking when awake.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2011-06-11T23:40:00.001-05:00

2171 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"At the instant
A warrior
Confronts a foe,
All things
Come into focus."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

I have a lot to say but am having a hard time digging it out of my fingers. Thursday I was scheduled to donate blood at 11:30. I was also supposed to have a lift for my wife’s electric scooter installed in the 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan at 9 am. It was going to be hard but doable for both jobs. My wife and I worked out logistics of delivering kids and etc. She was supposed to pick me up from the Scooter Store shop so I could then give blood while the lift was being installed. I talked to several people there about a reduction in cost due to the unusually long time we had waited for the lift. Thirty minutes after I arrived the installation Tech came to me and told me the factory did not ship all the parts. I called my wife and cancelled her trip. When I left Scooter Store everyone there knew I was totally pissed.

When I walked into the Blood Center and discovered Hattie was going to be the vampire I knew I was in trouble. She has been my vampire 3 times in the past 2 years. Each time she has discovered a reason to reject me. This time as once last year she found I was too low on iron. She always finds my blood pressure much lower than measured anywhere else. She always has to work hard to get enough blood for the machine to work. When other techs take my vitals I have never had a problem. When others take my signs and she draws blood I am always bruised at the needle point and often bleed profusely after she finishes. The trouble is that she is friendly and apparently thinks she is good. I am going to pick a different donor center in future. Twice was happenstance. Three times is proof of incompetence. I left the blood center disgruntled by the low state of customer service.

I called my doctor to arrange blood tests and a follow-up visit about the low thyroid medication. Dr Noel told me to arrange a colonoscopy since the latest result he had was from 2008. Then he sent me for blood test. I’ll bet my iron level is OK. When I got home I told my wife that he wanted a colonoscopy because the last one was in 2008. “Wrong” she said. “The last one you had was last year around our anniversary.” I doubted her but did not protest too much since I can only remember yesterday and 1947 clearly. Later I checked my blog and refreshed my memory about the last colonoscopy on June 9, 2010. Yet I continued and did schedule a meeting with the colon doctor.

Last night while the family were all gone I swam for almost an hour. The pool light and the new moon made the swim perfect. I need to take in a sample because the waster tastes very salty.

I signed up for a 12 week study called “a Way of Prayer. I was hoping to learn how to compose prayers of power and eloquence. I think I sound like a crow when I pray. I did not know that the study would require so much reading. The very first lesson daily reading assignment required reading 8 passages recounting encounters with God by people in something resembling prayer. In one Lot appears, to me, to be bargaining with God. I wonder how I would be affected if I could see God and argue directly with God? How come those ancient people who had direct, concrete, and personal experience of God kept falling back on their hand-made gods? Did that give them more control and make the god less scary?

I have got to quit this babbling and get day 2 reading done.

06/08: Dear Father, thank you for forgiving and cleansing us of sin. Help us not to feel burdened by forgiven sin. Amen.
06/09: Heavenly Father, help us to treat everyone as your child, even those who hurt us. Then everyone will know we belong to you. Amen.
06/10: Dear Father God, help us to know your peace as we walk through the days you have ordained for us. Amen.
6/11: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for the gifts you have given us. Help us see how we can use our gifts to build up your church. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

FRESH TOMATO CALZONES

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound pizza dough
3/4 pound ground beef, sausage, or pepperoni
Four or five tomatoes very coarsely chopped
One hot pepper, finely chopped
Ten or twelve fresh basil leaves,
chopped Grated Romano cheese - about 2 or three ounces to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. These come out much better if they are cooked on a baking stone, or oil a large cookie sheet (not the insulated sheets (like airbake for this recipe).

Mix the tomatoes, cheese, pepper and basil, let stand while doing the rest. If the dough has not risen a bit put it in an oiled bowl, cover it with a moist towel and let it rise until it is double in size. Handling the dough very gently so as not to punch it back down, turn it out, and cut it in half. Turn it out to form two circles about 10 inches in diameter.

Cook and drain the meat. Put the dough circle over a plate (some will hang over the side). Put half of the meat and half of the tomato mixture on the dough in the center of the plate. Spread it out a bit. Fold one half of the dough over the top and press the sides together. Pick up the plate and turn the dough out onto the oiled pan. Do the same with the other one. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, or until it is a brown color.

Many more tasty recipes can be found in Sammy’s Kitchen.

”There is no distinctly American criminal class - except Congress.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments. This Tripod comment form is not compatible with webtv.

2011-06-07T23:04:00.000-05:00

2167 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES; it takes away today’s PEACE."

Read on and fall sound asleep

For about the last 6 months I have been thinking about our upcoming 49th wedding anniversary. All of a sudden it was today! We, just the simple beautiful us, went out to eat at Pappadoux. We tried to remember where we ate on our honeymoon. All we could remember was it was seafood.

I am so happy that she has endured me for 49 years. I wish we could have at least 490 more. Good night and be most excellent to each other.

06/06: Dear Lord, help us to answer with a willing yes when you have instructions for us, showing our love for you in quick and glad obedience. Amen.
06/07: Dear God, give us a glimpse of you in the difficult circumstances of daily life. Help us see and reflect your transforming light. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2011-06-05T23:16:00.000-05:00

2165 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"In extreme situations, the entire universe becomes our foe; at such critical times, unity of mind and technique is essential - do not let your heart waver!"
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

Altar flowers in church were in recognition of 49 years of marriage as of June 7, 2011.

I am curious what will occur to prevent any kind of low level celebration. I am betting that a baseball game will take precedence. Click the picture for a larger view. Sadly this media does not transmit smell to the readers.

When I finally got the swimming pool pump back in service the pool was a fine shade of green and was milky. I thought it would take a day or more of continuous circulation with the chlorinator in “Superchlorinate” to get the water to a clear light blue.BTW did you know liquid oxygen is blue? I have had evidence presented to me that the blueness of the oxygen is retained when it combines with 2 hydrogens. And that is why water is blue and the sky is blue. It is a very faint blue so it takes a thick column of sky or water to be noticeable. Within 4 hours of turning on the pump and the chlorine cell powering up the water was blue with not a hint of algae green. Within 6 hours the water was almost perfectly clear. Then a storm blew in threatening rain. The wind blew and howled and shook the trees, dropping twigs into the pool, lightening flashed and thunder roared! Orange Kitty hid under the propane grill. The “VOICE OF GOD” scares him. I wonder if we have carried our fear of thunder and loud noises all the way from our African savannah days? Soon…soon with a prolonged sigh the rain fell. The rain we have pined for as if it was a distant lover. The rain drops were about 3 inches apart and never even wetted the walkway to the pool. So I marked my calendar as “today we received a 3 inch rain”. Amazingly that tiny amount of rain and the wind really cooled the pool. Not so much as to invoke a willy alert but enough to slow my entry.

I videoed my Sunday School Classmates as they gathered in the “Upper Room” after the 9 am traditional church service. I had been wanting to record the group since I joined them in June 2008. The group reminds me so much of the grannies of webtv that I had met at two reunions. The seating was recently rearranged by some of the classmates. Apparently the whole class is not supportive of the seating arrangement. People are sure funny about where they sit.

06/05: Dear God of all comfort, help us to rest in the hope that you will bring joy out of our sorrow. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

SWISS VEGETABLE MEDLEY

1 - CAN CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP
1/3 - CUP SOUR CREAM
1 - 16 OZ BAG FROZEN COMBINATION VEGETABLES, THAWED & DRAINED
1 1/3 - CUPS FRENCH FRIED ONIONS
1 - CUP SHREDDED SWISS CHEESE

MIX FIRST 3 INGREDIENTS TOGETHER IN A 2 QT CASSEROLE USING 2/3 C. ONIONS AND 1/2 C. CHEESE. BAKE 350°, 30 MINUTES. SPRINKLE REMAINING 2/3 C. ONIONS AND 1/2 C. CHEESE ON TOP AND BAKE AN ADDITIONAL 5 MINUTES.

”The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2011-06-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

2164 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Failure is the key to success;
Each mistake teaches us something."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

I am now convinced there is a department of the Federal Government charged with controlling my finances. Windows mysteriously explode in my car>>money gone, totaled car wreck>>money gone, new drainage fee>>money gone, gasoline price goes sky high>>money gone. Yet we struggle onward.

I get an email from a cousin in Oregon and a letter from a cousin in Oklahoma telling me of family reunions of various branches of the Robertson family. Ain’t no way I can afford to go. One is July 18 in OR and the other is July 23. Timing wise I can make both. Fly to Oregon, rent car from Portland, drive to Eugene (Robertson), drive back to Portland. Catch Greyhound to Oklahoma City, rent car drive to Chickasha (Huggins), drive back to Oklahoma City and fly home. That is roughly $800 if I buy tickets on-line and don’t spend any time in hotels.

Last week we got our income tax refund that would cover trip but I promised we would buy a new mattress. Then Monday I got a cashiers check for a chess set I had made and shipped over 2 years ago. The guy’s first check bounced over the moon and I figured I just had been screwed again. The letter with the check told me he had been transferred to Rangoon and lost track of my address. When he returned home he found my address and mailed me a check plus interest to pay for the set. He wants another set but will pay me first. I do not want to make another set. Making the damned chess pieces one at a time is more than my back can stand. This check was for $525 US dollars.

Great, I can juggle my “loose” change and possibly pay for the trip.

I had disassembled the swimming pool filters to clean them for the third time this season. I finally got the system back together. I restored the power to the filter pump and all I got was a loud buzzing from the electric motor. I tore down the pump and learned that the rotor turned easily. The motor body got very hot very quickly while it was buzzing. I looked up the cost of a replacement and saw a refurbished one was $350 with 15 day warranty. I took the motor to my Warehouse Pool Supply store where a tech checked it out and told me the motor was shot and all they had on hand were new ones for $439. I told them to replace the motor and the seals. I paid for the seals and charged the motor to one of my low balance credit cards. I will pay it off when the bill is due. Now all I have left of the check is $45. So much for a round of family reunions.

Tomorrow I will try one more time to reassemble the system and restart the pool.

06/02: Dear Lord God, we give thanks that when the dangers of life assail us, you shelter us and give us strength. We pray as Jesus taught us, saying, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."* Amen.
06/03: O Lord, give us hearts like yours to love and care for the young people in our life. Show us what to do. Amen.
06/04: Dear Lord, help me encourage someone today. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

A doctor of psychology was doing his normal morning rounds, and he entered a patient's room to find his patient sitting on the floor, sawing at a piece of wood with the side of his hand.

Meanwhile, another patient was in the room, hanging from the ceiling by his feet. The doctor asked his patient what he was doing, sitting on the floor. The patient replied in an irritated fashion, "Can't you see I'm sawing this piece of wood in half?"

The doctor inquired, "And what is the fellow hanging from the ceiling doing?"

"Oh. He's my friend, but he's a little crazy. He thinks he's a light bulb."

The doctor asks, "If he's your friend, don't you think you should get him down from there before he hurts himself"?

"What? And work in the dark?"

”Only one thing is impossible for God: To find any sense in any copyright law on the planet.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2011-06-01T22:56:00.001-05:00

2161 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Be grateful even for hardship, setbacks, and bad people. Dealing with such obstacles is an essential part of training in the Art of Peace."
from Art of Peace

Read on and fall sound asleep

In my last entry I noted that I was going to stop and watch the war marathon on TCM. Well in addition I stumbled upon a program called “Hallowed Ground” on PBS. It was about the American military cemeteries overseas. We suffered so many deaths in the First and Second World Wars that the military asked the family of the dead whether they wanted the body brought home or buried where they fell. About 40% of the families wanted burial where the last full measure of devotion was spent. One of the cemeteries has a monument inscribed with a poem of Joyce Kilmer. The only thing I knew of him was “Trees” and I thought he must have been a girly man. I was so wrong. The poem inscribed is
"Rouge Bouquet"
by Joyce Kilmer
In a wood they call the Rouge Bouquet
There is a new-made grave to-day,
Built by never a spade nor pick
Yet covered with earth ten metres thick.
There lie many fighting men,
Dead in their youthful prime,
Never to laugh nor love again
Nor taste the Summertime.
For Death came flying through the air
And stopped his flight at the dugout stair,
Touched his prey and left them there,
Clay to clay.
He hid their bodies stealthily
In the soil of the land they fought to free
And fled away.
Now over the grave abrupt and clear
Three volleys ring;
And perhaps their brave young spirits hear
The bugle sing:
“Go to sleep!
Go to sleep!
Slumber well where the shell screamed and fell.
Let your rifles rest on the muddy floor,
You will not need them any more.
Danger’s past;
Now at last,
Go to sleep!”
There is on earth no worthier grave
To hold the bodies of the brave
Than this place of pain and pride
Where they nobly fought and nobly died.
Never fear but in the skies
Saints and angels stand
Smiling with their holy eyes
On this new-come band.
St. Michael’s sword darts through the air
And touches the aureole on his hair
As he sees them stand saluting there,
His stalwart sons;
And Patrick, Brigid, Columkill
Rejoice that in veins of warriors still
The Gael’s blood runs.
And up to Heaven’s doorway floats,
From the wood called Rouge Bouquet,
A delicate cloud of buglenotes
That softly say:
“Farewell!
Farewell!
Comrades true, born anew, peace to you!
Your souls shall be where the heroes are
And your memory shine like the morning-star.
Brave and dear,
Shield us here.
Farewell!”

I am really enjoying the History Channel commemoration of the Civil War. The special effects and extreme documentation of the war makes it much clearer about the course of battles and their significance.

I have been watering the Azaleas and front lawn late at night. I shudder to think how big the Mayor Anise Parker water bill will be but I cannot let my plants die. Some of the Azaleas are 40+ years old.

Six days from now my wife and I will celebrate 49 years of marriage. It seems more like 10 years. I hope we actually celebrate. Most of our marriage we have been involved in some other activity and don’t really celebrate. I think 49 is pretty damned significant. I thank God every day that she is still able to tolerate me.

05/29: Thank you, God, for always being with us and for showing us your love. Amen.
05/30: O God, help us to watch over your children near us. And help us to work for a world where wars end and soldiers fight no more. Amen.
05/31: Giver of salvation, stir up in us the desire to perform good works from a grateful heart. Amen.
06/01: Dear Father, help us to be serious about our prayer life and to cherish the time we spend with you. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Scalloped Chicken

4 cups stuffing mix- 2 BOXS=4 CUPS
2 cups cooked chicken
1/2 cup mayo or miracle whip
3 eggs, beaten-I USED 2 SM PULLET EGGS, WOULD JUST USE 1 EGG FOR 1/2 RECIPE
3 cups milk
2 cans cream of chicken soup
shredded cheddar cheese
Mix eggs, milk & soups together in a bowl, then add the stuffing mix and mayo or miracle whip. Now add the chicken to this, stir together. Pour into a greased 8x10 dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.

This tasty recipe and many more from Darlene are HERE.

”Prophesy is a good line of business, but it is full of risks.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2011-05-28T21:28:00.000-05:00

2157 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Life itself is always a trial. In training, you must test and polish yourself in order to face the great challenges of life. Transcend the realm of life and death, and then you will be able to make your way calmly and safely through any crisis that confronts you."
from http://lyn1937.topcities.com/thoughtful/artofpeace.html

Read on and fall sound asleep

Each day for the last week I have fiddled and farted around getting ready to write an entry. I get everything perfectly arranged, including Rascal, and find my fingers frozen above the keyboard. My life has been so mundane and tedious that I am fearful of driving erstwhile stable human minds to dreams of self-destruction by publishing the narrative. However my sleep is fretful because as soon as I settle into my sleeping recliner my mind lights and ideas zoom across my frontal cortex. Brilliant, earth-shattering ideas with potential for creating immeasurable wealth. A week has passed and I have written not a single word.

To destroy the block I am going to tell a little of the purchase of a replacement vehicle and the opening of our swimming pool. I have been too lazy to take pictures of our “new” van so I searched for images of nearly the same color of the year and model we bought. Our previous van was a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan. With the insurance settlement and some money from our life savings we bought a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan with “stow and go” storage, automatic doors, Sirius radio, heated seats, rear seat DVD player with ~46K miles. I think we got a decent deal but my absolute reluctance to haggle may have cost me a little money. My wife seems pleased with it.

The color is described as “blue” by Dodge but it looks more battleship gray to me. The color seems to change depending on the angle of observation. As soon as the salesman clicked the buttons on the remote control and the side doors opened I was sold on the van.

We are waiting on parts to have a lift installed in the rear compartment for her electric scooter. I do hope we get as dependable service out of this 2006 as we did the 2002.

The prediction by the preacher for the end of the world on May 25 reinforced to me the idea that for some of us the world ends each day. So when my cousin sent me senior citizen” bumper stickers the one shown below stuck in my mind.

The advice is easy to give but the inexorable pressure of ordinary life tends to divert us from adherence to such a life. For example I am to teach my Sunday school class tomorrow from a 3 page chapter from “Can You Remember to Forget” by James W. Moore. Three pages and I have 8 pages of notes and references. I built that pile of 8 Monday after reading the chapter twice and have intended to prune the notes all week. The teaching session normally varies from 15 to 30 minutes. That depends on what surprises life has dumped on the classmates during the week.

The one bright note is that I finally got the swimming pool clear and clean and the water temp is near perfect. I have been taking short skinny dips late at night. The sad part is our drought is so bad in Houston and the humidity so low that the pool loses about a half inch of water a day to evaporation. Our City of Houston water rate is so high, with an even higher indexed sewer rate, I have decided not to fill the pool until the water lever falls to the mouth of the lower skimmer drain. PRAY for RAIN!

I am going to stop now to swim and watch the war movie marathon on TCM.

05/23: Dear God, help us to grasp the depth of your love for us. Let us sense the times that you draw near, and lead us to bring you delight. Amen.
05/24: Dear God, help us to see how much we have grown because of abiding in you. Amen.
05/25: Dear God, let us not scorn what we consider insignificant labor but faithfully perform our everyday tasks to your glory. Amen.
05/26: Loving God, surround those who are insecure and depressed. Help each of us to know that your love and presence are with us always. Amen.
05/27: Loving God, surround those who are insecure and depressed. Help each of us to know that your love and presence are with us always. Amen.
5/28: Dear Father God, help us to stay close to you through prayer and through studying your word. Guide us to pray as if our life depends on it -- because it does. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

SHOE PEG CORN CASSEROLE

1 can shoe peg corn, drained
1 can French-style green beans, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 stick butter
Ritz Crackers

Mix corn, beans, soup, sour cream, onion and cheese together and place in a casserole dish. Melt 1 stick butter. Crush up 1 package Ritz crackers. Mix butter and cracker layer on top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Thank you Hilda. Her recipes and other from webtv grannies can be found HERE.

”Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

Melody of cat

2011-05-25T18:04:00.001-05:00

Right at home on her Twinkies!

2011-05-22T23:18:00.000-05:00

2151 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Protectors of the world
And guardians of the Ways
Of gods and buddhas,
The techniques of Peace
Enable us to meet every challenge."
from http://lyn1937.topcities.com/thoughtful/artofpeace.html

Read on and fall sound asleep

Sometimes my cousins learn something that has escaped the family consciousness. From my cousin: “I can't believe I didn't know this!!!
As I was conditioning my hair in the shower this morning, I took time to read my shampoo bottle.

I am in shock! The shampoo I use in the shower that runs down my entire body says "for extra volume and body"! Seriously, why have I not noticed this before? Now I understand why I am so "full-figured"!

Tomorrow I am going to start using "Dawn" dish washing soap. It says right on the label "dissolves fat that is otherwise difficult to remove."

It pays to read the warning labels, my friends.”

I went to bed last night in a curious mental state. I did not accept the prediction for the end of the world for the very reason that we have no fixed point in the Bible for the beginning. All we have are people reading the book with their own agenda. What I found strange about this prediction was the number of news media and people who seemed eager for the end. I was working in a relatively poorly computerized system in 1999 and remember well the fear that the “Y2K” bug caused. I could not make anyone think about the fact that the Jews and Muslims and Chinese calendars were all different. Remember how simple the fix was and how quaint the panic seems. I wonder what the old preacher man is going to say to explain his apparent error.

I spent most of the day after church cleaning the swimming pool and recharging the Koi pond with good water. We are so dry the pond loses about an inch of water a week. The Koi would rush toward the forward edge of their pond every time I got close. They apparently recognize me as their food source. Orange Kitty is a pain in the ass to work around. He is so glad to have company that he weaves in and out and around my feet as I walk around the pond. The pinched nerves in my lower back cause me to lose control of my feet so I am tottery and near to falling at any moment. I have a mild sun burn and need to wear sun block tomorrow.

I have decided to quit using my webtv. For the last 3 days I have been unable to connect to the internet with my webtv plus. That means I cannot communicate with my beloved grannies. The webtv uses msn dialup. Neither ATT or MSN can tell me why I am being disconnected almost immediately after signing on. I have grown disgusted by the limitations of the webtv unit. I am bidding on a MSNTV2 unit on Ebay. This unit is broadband and I can use Comcast as my ISP. That will allow me to get rid of our last land line and then reduce the monthly amount I pay for webtv service. I do not know when I will be able to connect again with grannies but it will be as soon as I can.

I watched a video on wimp.com of a TED talk about the personification of the internet. On the face of it that doesn’t sound bad but closer inspection shows such personification by content providers will lead to isolating people from any ideas but their own. That way leads to the partisan gridlock we see in America today. I want to hear differing opinions and ideas. Imagine how your world view would change if the only news you read or heard was selected by the news agency so that you were pleased enough to buy their product. Imagine trying to decide who to vote for if your news reader only gave you news about candidates who clicked on the same links as you. The guy giving the talk showed an example where two of his friends did a google search for Egypt.

The difference in search results is obvious from the screen shot. I was stunned. I thought everyone would get the same items for a search on the same subject. Google is trying to read our minds. The speaker said that most of the providers are doing such filtering.

05/19: Dear Lord, thank you for using us just as we are. Help us join with others as imperfect as ourselves to work in your kingdom, as we pray, "Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation."* Amen.
05/20: Dear Lord Jesus, help us to see your face daily in the faces of those we see who need love, help, and mercy. Use us as instruments of your grace. Amen.
05/21 : Thank you, Lord, for the certain hope that we have in you for all we need in this life and for eternity. Amen.
05/22: Dear Lord, grant each day an opportunity for us to share our blessings with others. May the wonder and faith of seeing the increase in the loaves and fishes remain with us always. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

1. The sport of choice for the urban poor is BASKETBALL.
2. The sport of choice for maintenance level employees is BOWLING.
3. The sport of choice for front-line workers is FOOTBALL.
4. The sport of choice for supervisors is BASEBALL.
5. The sport of choice for middle management is TENNIS.
6. The sport of choice for corporate executives and officers is GOLF.
THE AMAZING CONCLUSION:
The higher you go in the corporate structure, the smaller your balls become.
There must be a ton of people in Washington, D.C. playing marbles!

”Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they are more deadly in the long run.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2011-05-17T22:53:00.001-05:00

2146 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Each day of human life contains joy and anger, pain and pleasure, darkness and light, growth and decay. Each moment is etched with nature's grand design - do not try to deny or oppose the cosmic order of things."
from http://lyn1937.topcities.com/thoughtful/artofpeace.html

Read on and fall sound asleep

Late yesterday evening I was trying to get the last of the sunken leaves out of the swimming pool. We have a sun deck on the east side of the pool. That is a ledge about 6 inches under the water. It is so somebody could lie in the water yet get full sun. But because of the drop-off I could not reach to the bottom of the pool. So I took off my shoes and stepped down onto the deck. I might as well have put on roller skates. My feet shot off in different directions and I fell. Truthfully I more collapsed than fell. I managed to twist and get my hands down so I cushioned the impact but that put my head close enough that I bumped the edge of the pool and then started sliding into the pool. During the slide my butt hit the deck then my left hip ground along the edge of the pool. I held onto the long pole and was able to use is to prevent totally falling into the deep end of the pool. I have been limping around the house all day. But tomorrow I cannot afford to give in to discomfort and pain.

Speaking of which yesterday I had to refill my 2 per day weekly pill box. I can never remember which pills I take in the morning and evening. Finally I realized I could take a picture and refer to it in future. I take a staggering number of pills each day.

I intend to ask my druggist for a list of my medications and their costs to me and the insurance company.

The black kitten has pretty much had the run of the house. Rascal gives way for her for anything. Today she got out and was eating “orange kitty’s” food when he discovered her. By the time he got through chasing her and she could escape back into the house I think she learned that she does not rule. I have never seen him so protective of his food bowl. He shares with squirrels, birds, and other neighborhood cats. I hope I can find the money to have her spayed before her first season.

I found a video on Wimp.com about a kitten and a “scary thing” that I just had to pass on.

This video certainly displays the insanity and cuteness that is kittenhood. The added music really enhanced the mood of the video.

We have a busy day tomorrow so I am getting ready for bed.

05/16: Dear Lord, teach us to recognize and listen to your voice. May we hear you encouraging us as we follow your leading in our lives. Amen.
05/17: Loving God, remind us that we don't tread the path of life alone. Help us to be ready to help our fellow travelers. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

My sister and her husband had just finished tucking their young ones into bed one evening when they heard crying coming from the children's room.

Rushing in, they found Billy crying hysterically.

He had accidentally swallowed a penny and was sure he was going to die. No amount of talking could change his mind.

Trying to calm him, my sister's husband palmed a penny that he happened to have in his pocket and pretended to pull it from Billy's ear.

Billy was delighted. In a flash, he snatched it from his father's hand, swallowed it and demanded cheerfully,

"Do it again, Dad!"

”The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2011-05-15T21:48:00.000-05:00

2144 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Do not look upon this world with fear and loathing. Bravely face whatever the world offers."
from http://lyn1937.topcities.com/thoughtful/artofpeace.html

Read on and fall sound asleep

I broke one of the legs off this keyboard earlier and could not type. I have tried all sorts of kludges until an old fashioned pink pearl eraser caught my eye. A little dab of super glue and “voila” the keyboard is repaired so this and hunt and pecker can churn out words at 4 to 12 words a minute. While waiting for the glue to set I have been watching “Survivor”. The final episode with reunion is on now. If the jury does not vote Boston Rob to be the winner I will be stunned. He was absolutely the master this season.

I hate the Comcast DVD. I cannot learn how to record two shows without interrupting each other. The stinking think recorded tonight’s episodes in four segments, some of which overlap others. Plus they cutoff in mid-program to switch to a different program. STINKS!!!

YEAH, Boston Rob winds the $1,000,000.

As I was standing at the porcelain throne during one of my numerous trips I saw a totally relaxed creature basking in the rays of the evening sun. Orange kitty was on his back with his front legs down to his side. I opened the back door and snuck within 8 feet of him before I got this picture. I think I could actually hear him snoring. After taking this picture I laid out on the chaise lounge for 15 minutes and had to run into the house. I don’t know how he could lay out in the sun like that. Later when I went out to feed him I reached down to pet him. His fur was almost too hot to touch.

05/14: Thank you, Lord, that you are with us in every challenge we face. Amen.
05/15: Blessed Jesus, give us towels. Mold us into servants. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?"

So God agreed......

On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."

The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"

And God agreed......

On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."

The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"

And God agreed again......

On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years."

But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"

"Okay," said God. "You asked for it."

So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family.. For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I'm doing it as a public service. If you are looking for me I will be on the front porch.

”Part of the secret of a success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2011-05-13T22:28:00.000-05:00

2142 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"Free of weakness,
No-midedly ignore
The sharp attacks
Of your enemies:
Step in and act!"
from http://lyn1937.topcities.com/thoughtful/artofpeace.html

Read on and fall sound asleep

The additional blood tests my primary doctor had done shows my thyroid is less active than it should be. He prescribed Levothyroxine. “It is used to treat hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. Without this hormone, the body cannot function properly, resulting in: poor growth; slow speech; lack of energy; weight gain; hair loss; dry, thick skin; and increased sensitivity to cold. When taken correctly, levothyroxine reverses these symptoms.” I especially like the “when taken correctly” part. Sound like a real expansion of the cover-your-ass policy of the drug companies. With this disclaimer they can blame the customer if the hormone doesn’t have the desired effect.

I came face to face with a near catastrophe this morning. When I went to feed my fish this morning I discovered their pond was empty. There was just enough water that my dear fish had to lay on their sides to keep their gills covered. The pump I use to aerate their water was bumped, likely by one of the bigger goofy Koi, so that the return hose fell over the side of the pond and emptied the pond. The water that was pumped out filled the hole in which the liner sat. When I found the situation the liner was setting cock-eyed in the hole. Anybody who has read these entries knows that I am universally known as “He who slays Koi”. Koi even though they are carp are really sensitive to abrupt changes of temperature, salinity, oxygen concentration, chlorine in the water, and etc. So I was faced with the need to get good water into the pond quickly. I adjusted the flow from the hose to 2 gallons per minute and positioned is as far from the fish as possible. Periodically I dosed the pond water with the chemical that neutralizes the chlorine in the water. Over the course of three hours I refilled the 300 gallon liner. At 8 pm tonight the three Koi and 2 Goldfish were acting healthier than before. I guess it was time to change out the water. I think maybe I lucked out and did not kill my fish.

While nursing the Koi pond back to normal I worked on our swimming pool. The cartridge filters were showing 40 psig back pressure so I demounted the 4 cartridges and washed them thoroughly with a hose end sprayer. After reassembling the filter housing the back pressure was just 2 psig. I think I have finally gotten most of the leaves out of the pool. When I turned off the pump this evening the water was a murky blue. Hopefully it will settle overnight so I can see the bottom.

05/11: All-powerful God, help us to make our words and actions match, to bring glory to you in all that we say and do. Amen.
05/12: O God, thank you for being with us when we suffer and for your gift of eternal life through Christ. Amen.
05/13 : Guide of humanity, may your kingdom come and the battles among people be replaced with peace and understanding. Amen.

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

Calling in sick to work makes me uncomfortable. No matter how legitimate my excuse, I always get the feeling that my boss thinks I'm lying.

On one recent occasion, I had a valid reason but lied anyway, because the truth was just too darned humiliating. I simply mentioned that I had sustained a head injury, and I hoped I would feel up to coming in the next day. By then, I reasoned, I could think up a doozy to explain the bandage on the top of my head.

The accident occurred mainly because I had given in to my wife's wishes to adopt a cute little kitty. Initially, the new acquisition was no problem.

Then one morning, I was taking my shower after breakfast when I heard my wife, Deb, call out to me from the kitchen. "Honey! The garbage disposal is dead again. Please come reset it."

"You know where the button is," I protested through the shower pitter-patter and steam. "Reset it yourself!"

"But I'm scared!" she persisted. "What if it starts going and sucks me in?"

There was a meaningful pause and then, "C'mon, it'll only take you a second."

So out I came, dripping wet and buck naked, hoping that my silent outraged nudity would make a statement about how I perceived her behavior as extremely cowardly. Sighing loudly, I squatted down and stuck my head under the sink to find the button.

It is the last action I remember performing.

It struck without warning, and without any respect to my circumstances.

No, it wasn't the hexed disposal, drawing me into its gnashing metal teeth. It was our new kitty, who discovered the fascinating dangling objects she spied hanging between my legs. She had been poised around the corner and stalked me as I reached under the sink. And, at the precise moment when I was most vulnerable, she leapt at the toys I unwittingly offered and snagged them with her needle-like claws.

I lost all rational thought to control orderly bodily movements, blindly rising at a violent rate of speed, with the full weight of a kitten hanging from my masculine region. Wild animals are sometimes faced with a fight or flight syndrome. Men, in this predicament, choose only the "flight" option.

I know this from experience. I was fleeing straight up into the air when the sink and cabinet bluntly and forcefully impeded my ascent. The impact knocked me out cold.

When I awoke, my wife and the paramedics stood over me.

Now there are not many things in this life worse than finding oneself lying on the kitchen floor buck naked in front of a group of "been-here, done-that" paramedics. Even worse, having been fully briefed by my wife, the paramedics were all snorting loudly as they tried to conduct their work, all the while trying to suppress their hysterical laughter.... ...

and not succeeding.

Somehow I lived through it all.

A few days later I finally made it back in to the office, where colleagues tried to coax an explanation out of me about my head injury. I kept silent, claiming it was too painful to talk about. Which it was.

"What's the matter?" They all asked, "Cat got your tongue?"

If they only knew!

”The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.

2011-05-10T19:15:00.001-05:00

2139 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

"If your heart is large enough to envelop your adversaries, you can see right through them and avoid their attacks. And once you envelop them, you will be able to guide them along the path indicated to you by heaven and earth."
from http://lyn1937.topcities.com/thoughtful/artofpeace.html

Read on and fall sound asleep

This morning as part of my daily Bible reading I read Judges Chapter 11. What a horrible story. The Bible is full of people of monumental stupidity and arrogance. Why God chose the Jews is known only to God. I went surfing across the web looking for enlightenment about Jephthah’s daughter. I discovered a lament that touched me and still haunts. I copied the lament and pasted it into the religion section below.

“May you live in interesting times!” What a curse! We are living in a super intense cube of the space time continuum that has me meeting myself several times a day. Amongst the total wreck of my wife’s van, two different doctors on different trajectories of my medical treatment, a really shitty mayor, economic downturn, high gasoline, and two adult kids living with us I have decided to get serious about cleaning the swimming pool. My wife must have a vehicle that can transport her electric scooter yet Geico insurance seems to be slow offering us any information about replacing her van. Every time I start to make progress on the pool somebody calls and wants more info about medicine or cars or real estate.

I have been car shopping online looking for suitable car in the 14 to 18K price range. There seems to be many available but I don’t want to deal with the salesmen and the bullshit. I took a break from pool cleaning and brought the mail in. I got a letter from the City of Houston about the upcoming Drainage Utility Charge. Mayor Parker has raised our water rate twice and our sewer rate once since becoming mayor. She campaigned very hard for a program to charge Houstonians a drainage fee based on the amount of impervious on the property. True to politicians no mention was made of how the money would be used or the criteria for use. The lovely letter with the stench of Anise on it tells me my annual charge, because rainwater dares to run off my roof onto city property, will be $82.40 or higher per year when collection starts in July. My freaking water bill, minimum usage, is already almost $100 per month. I wonder how the crooks are going to justify a new drainage fee in the midst of the worst drought Texas has faced since we moved here in 1952. My God I hate politicians!

The guy was here on time to replace the glass in the 2001 Ford Windstar driver’s side rear door, again. Our son gave me the $300 to pay for replacement ($281.45). The guy, after hearing the story of my wife’s van and the Ford van gave me a $1.45 break. Actually he only had a $20 bill for change.

The net I was using to dip the leaves out of the pool broke so, being an increasingly cheap old fart, I decided to construct the device that couples the net to a long pole. I decided to do this on my wood lathe. Sweat was pouring into my eyes, my feet were numb and I was tottery as I stood there shaping the part when my phone rang. It was a sales rep from Enterprise telling me he calls people who have had wrecks and might be looking for a good car. I told him we were thinking along the line but not ready to commit.

I am about to take my predinner nap and then take a cold shower before the dinner.

05/09: O God, help us empty our baggage and make uncluttered space in our spirits for you. Amen.
05/10: Dear God of love, help us to see other people the way you do. Amen.

She has no name, has neither face nor eyes
they were drowned in blood
they were burnt
by fire

She is a garden shut, a fountain sealed
She sought her beloved and found him not
no kisses of the mouth no child at breast
no belly of heaped wheat
she is the song of nothing
and never

She loved the man she called father
a great a mighty warrior
a rock an outstretched arm his enemies fled
she ran after his love she praised she danced
hallelujah father but he
was angry

He said she hurt him, she caused him grief
he took her she consented he raised the knife
she lay on stone and showed her throat she said
blessed be he who protects and saves
who comforts the captive and raises up
the dead

Her father will die at a good old age
but where was the angel to stop his hand
where was the sacred messenger
who is this God of stone and knife and fire
why does he hide, what can he see
when a woman prays

will he ever hear

From the forest of our lives
into the clearing
rain falls on the mountaintop
soaking the wordless stone
year after year
like the truth of tears

Lament for Japhthah’s daughter

The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/

Click the picture for comic strips on-line.

When every body on earth was dead and waiting to enter Paradise, God appeared and said, "I want the men to make two lines. One line for the men who were true heads of their household, and the other line for the men who were dominated by their women. I want all the women to report to St. Peter."

Soon, the women were gone, and there were the two lines of men.

The line of the men who were dominated by their wives was 100 miles long, and in the line of men who truly were heads of their household, there was only one man.

God said to the long line, "You men should be ashamed of yourselves, I created you to be the head of your household! You have been disobedient and have not fulfilled your purpose! Of all of you, only one obeyed. Learn from him."

God turned to the one man, "How did you manage to be the only one in this line?"

The man replied, "My wife told me to stand here."

”The educated Southerner has no use for an 'R', except at the beginning of a word.”
Mark Twain

SGGP

Webtvers email comments to Lyn1937 and I will paste into the comments.