April 15, 2008 - Msg 61994: Thank you for those very encouraging words concerning Sean, and for your prayers, as always. You are always a bright spot in my day, M-T. To answer your questions about the rehab, yes, the same type of problems we have been having off and on for several months. It is really a problem within the facility, itself, and lack of good workers with proper training in how to handle the discipline problems that arise. Mostly, the girls are just causing a distraction and talking out of turn, sometimes their language gets really colorful but there are no fights breaking out or anything like that. They just really need to have respect for who is speaking and stop getting up and going in and out, for the most part. We have had many more good, productive times with them than bad ones, of which I am very thankful. My usual parter, Keith will not be with me tonight so I am taking my sister (Saint Susan) with me for the first time. I just hope we don't get into a laughing fit or something. Sometimes those girls can be very funny (in very inappropriate ways!..as I think I have mentioned before).

Gotten lots of work done today and even cleaned out the frige. God stew in the crock pot, clean sheets in the dryer and all is right with the world.

Boo
April 15, 2008 - Msg 61995: HAHA, what's God stew?? Bet ya'll want some of that, right?...I meant "got" stew, of course.

Boo
April 15, 2008 - Msg 61996:
Only a few more weeks and you'll be working for your own money instead of giving it to Uncle Sam.
Tho not true for everyone, the average tax rate is 30 percent, so from Jan thru April dear old Uncle Sam gets it. And if I'm not mistaken, the original income tax in the 30's was only suppose to last for a "few" years! ha I wonder what ole Mayor Colt would say about that!
Thanks Ro, I did indeed find some. Yup, Boo, I plan on hanging them from the rearview mirror.
Our "good old days" talking got me wanting to do that.
Hi to Idelle, spot, MeTHEy and all.
MDC
April 15, 2008 - Msg 61997:
Wow Boo, good sweep! Prayers for rehab.
mdc
April 15, 2008 - Msg 61998: Boo,

Just read the archives and saw your question about Triglycerides. DH drinks red grape juice which helps. Not regular grape juice, but red grape juice. Welch's makes it and our Kroger carries a store brand of it.

Opiemom
April 15, 2008 - Msg 61999: Hey Jennie,opiemom,Tom,..prayers tonight Boo...Rev where are ya brother?...asa?..hey MDC...Boo lets just head to your place for some of that stew...I will bring some corn bread...big maude you gona come?...we can eat slaw too..auh20 how are the kids?..mine are fine...kel just a growing and Andy taller than me..well im here at work..Romeena thats a good idea...more fish..well let me gat back to work...back for stew in a bit.....SPOT
April 15, 2008 - Msg 62000: Romeena I just went and looked at your new yard friend pic!..so COOL..he [or she?] or do we know sure is a a neat addition....sure hopw you can maintian him[or her] with no harm to your beautiful yard...very nice work you and your friend have done...ok..back in a bit..SPOT
April 15, 2008 - Msg 62001: Afternoon Y'all! A heron? Goodness,Ro! I'll have to take a look at your photo album.That's just plain kooky!

Me-They,glad to get the good news regarding Chad.I know you & Mrs. Me-They are relieved that the surgery is over. Continued prayers.

Dr. P.,sorry to hear that about your Mother-in-law.Keep us updated.I'll be praying.

God stew? Sounds like something the whole world needs,Boo!I guess you heard the Pope was in America-is that where you got your inspiration for God stew? Ha! Let me grab a bowl and I'll be right over for some.

Ok,I'm off to look at the heron pics.Y'all have a good evening.

P.S. Spot,noticed you were asking for Rev.Well,if he's home in SC today,I hope he's holding onto his hat.Mighty windy here!

*****SMILES*****
possum under a rock
April 15, 2008 - Msg 62002:
Exactillioso!
April 15, 2008 - Msg 62003: Boo when ya gona be serving the God Stew?..I got my BIG spoon ready///warm cornbread..possum its very windy here in ga and gona be a freeze tonight...then back in the 70"s bu thu and fri..dont ya just love the south when it comes to weather..[kerchoo]..pollen..well see yall at supper...Asa dont know if Boo will require shoes...Rev possum says hold on ter yer hat..big pole setting day thu for the barn!..Miss Sherry said she would be glad to paint it when i get done with it..hee hee.[yea right].a 24 by 44 barn...well this aint gona be no half bath shes been used to painting!..bet she will be calling on yall for help in a few weeks...if she does hit her up for some grub..she IS a good cook!..well Boo where is that God stew?...SPOT
April 15, 2008 - Msg 62004: BOO..My wife has only been on the fish oil for about 3 weeks ,wont know if its helping or not for several months
SPOT... I finally got to go fishing this afternoon ,it was wind and the fishing wasnt great ,went for crappie or bream .
MAYBERRY DEPUTY
April 15, 2008 - Msg 62005: MD I went last week and caught a few but like you said just too much wind..Opiemom will you see if you can find Boo...idol is about to come on and I aint had my stew...SPOT
April 15, 2008 - Msg 62006: Good evening, all. I went to Petsmart today to get more fish, but they didn't have any. They're remodeling, and have closed their wet pets department for now. Guess old Stiltlegs will have to wait. Actually, he hasn't been back, at least not that I've seen. He may have been just passing through, but I have been losing fish out of there for months, so who knows?

As for the goldfinches, I see one every now and then, but they ignored my thistle feeder. Every other bird you can imagine visits my feeders, but they just flit through and move on.

I was passing by a house today that had several beds of gorgeous irises blooming, so on an impulse, I stopped and rang the doorbell. A charming German lady named Hannelore, with bright orange hair, answered. I told her I admired her irises and would love a start from them if she ever divided them. She said, "You vait here," and disappeared. In a minute she came around the side of the house with a big bag and a shovel. She dug up a huge clump of the iris, as well as some paperwhites, plopped them in the bag, and gave me a big smile and a pat on the shoulder. "Take zem und plant zem, and I vish you vell." Delightful! I shared them with Eloise, then came home and planted the remainder, and they will be registered in my iris records as "Hannelore", since I don't know their real variety name. What a nice lady!

Well, gotta go feed little Starr. She has come in here and woofed at me already, so I guess her bowl is empty. Be blessed, everyone! --Romeena
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62007:
Hello porch family.

Possum.....we're not too windy here in the mid lands. The winds most be more toward the coast.

Boo......the Red Yeast Rice does come in capsule form. You can also get it already in the CoEmzyme Q10. That's the way I take it. But it's kind of big like the fish oil.

Me-They....great news on Chad. He's sure been in my prayers.

Spot....I'll be pretty much local (in and out) now for the next couple weeks finishing up the new cd. Good luck brother on getting Miss Sherry to paint your barn.

Well ya'll have a blessed night. Jesus loves you! Prayers for all the porch family.
-REV.

April 16, 2008 - Msg 62008: Good late evening, everyone. Boo, if Sean has a problem with the statin drugs, be aware that red yeast rice is basically a naturally-occuring statin. I found that information on the web, asked my endocrinologist about it, and he confirmed it. I was considering taking it when I found I couldn't tolerate Lipitor, and my doc said I shouldn't use the red yeast rice either. However, if Sean has no problem with statins, then you could surely try it. I do take Cholest-Off - at his suggestion - and it works for me without making me feel horrible like the Lipitor did.

I don't know why those fish oil capsules have to be so enormous. The ones I take are at least an inch long, and thicker than a pencil. I get them down, but wish they weren't so big. I take a couple of other pills that are very large as well, and they're old hard, dry tablets. At least the fish oil is a softgel.

Me-They, I just realized I didn't answer you earlier - sorry, and thanks for asking. My son is doing much better, though still far from well. His kidneys are now functioning, no dialysis needed anymore. His liver is beginning to function, though still very limited. His color is normal, and that's a good sign. His labs are slowly improving. Still elevated, but much improved. It looks as though he's going to be okay, but he still has a way to go. He lost a great deal of muscle mass, but is building back up through a careful diet and controlled exercise. He has a good medical team working with him, and his wife is a very thorough guardian of his progress. Everyone please keep praying, it's appreciated so much.

Well, guess I'll turn in. Prayers for all who need them. Be blessed! --Romeena
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62009: Prayers Miss Romeena..sounds like good news though for your son...brother Rev enjoy the time home..ans good luck on the new CD,sure it will be a great one...well its been slow here at work,get off at 6am then back at 2 for 16 more [8 of that will be OT] we have a man out sick so im covering his night shift tonight..then off till next thu..gona be good Ga weather for my off days...gona try to get alot done..may take time to fish one warm day though!..Maude you and lucy check in with us..Asa you show up at breakfast on time now..breakfast menu: 2 eggs your way,country ham,sausage,bisquits and gravy,veggie omlets,hashbrowns,grits,toast,flapjacks with blueberrys,fried apple rings,applebutter,grape jelly,coffee,oj,h20 and a tear from my roll of paper towels...ready at 7 sharp..hope everyone has a blessed day and as a famous father once said 'Get out there and be somebody"!.. lator gators!...SPOT the"big breakfast' dog of your porch..
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62010: So glad to hear that your son is steadily improving, Ro. Thanks for the info on the red yeast rice. I hesitate to give it because, I myself, take a low dose of Lipitor because if I go above 20mg, it starts affecting my liver enzymes. I so wish I could get him to swallow those fish capsules, though. I am giving him the cholest-off, even though his endocrine doc said she didn't think it would work...I can tell she isn't big on natural medicine. I'm giving it to him anyway until I see for myself if it will work. I wonder how long it takes to see a difference....I am trying to decide how long to wait before having his blood drawn again. By the way, that was a neat story about the german lady and the iris plants!

Well SPOT, you had your big spoon ready for that stew and I never sent you any, did I? Shame on me. Hope you have a great day.

Boo

April 16, 2008 - Msg 62011: Good morning all you porch sittin folks. Sure do hope all is well with you and yours. Been some wild weather on my porch. Monday it was 81 (our new high for the year). Yesterday it was 34 and snowing. This morning it's 24 and a heavy frost. Crazy I tell ya.
Glad your boy did well with his surgery Me They and am glad to hear your son is doing better Romeena. I pray for there continued recoveries.
Spot, you working on the barn today? I agree, rent an auger. Makes quick work of it.
OK MDC, you got my jaw muscle working with that tax talk. I think the average day now is sometime around the middle of May for most working Americans. But if you looked at all the hidden taxes and "fees" out there I suspect it goes even later than that. What on earth has happened to us? (I best not go down that road, big sigh)
Well it's hump day. We should celebrate. I'm treating at the Diner for lunch. Chicken wings, from chickens that have done lots of flying. Sorry, only two each, but an ample helping of succotash. :)

Asa

April 16, 2008 - Msg 62012: Good Morning
Me-They..glad your son is doing well.
Ro-I counted my finches this morning and I have 7. Pretty exciting!
Hope everyone else has a good day.
Anyone here blog?
Idelle
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62013: Good morning everyone.

ASA: Drat that Al Gore!

ROMEENA: Glad that your son is doing better. Continued prayers.

DR. P: Prayers for your family.

BOO: And prayers for Sean.

Well, I guess I better get off the computer and pray, huh?!

See y'all at lunch.

Me-They
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62014: Hello...anybody there? It's been hours and no posts.

Gomer...Gomer...Gome?

M-T
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62015: IDELLE: I don't blog, but if you show me a few steps I'll jump right in when I catch on. I don't Macarena, either.

M-T
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62016:
Boo- one thing you might try with Sean is more friuts and veges. But i admit, i dont know what he is eating of them now. And as far as the fish oil caps go, I bet he swallows bigger pieces of apples, banana etc than the size of the capsules. it may just be a mental thing. "OO that's too big!" Well, just a thought.
I hope rehab went well.
Hey to Rev, spot, MD and all.
MDC
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62017:
Asa- your too funny, but it's true.
What's really funny is when we get a "tax refund" it's really OUR OWN HARD-EARNED MONEY anyway! ha

MDC
Barney to Thelma Lou (on her doorstep):
Thanks for a swell evening Thelma Lou. Next time I'll tell you all about the assembly and oiling of the .38 revolver!
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62018: Yea asa im at work till 6 in the morning but renting an auger tomorrow when i get up and get started..got help coming...Boo you can fix me 2 bowls of stew next time,hey M-T,Tom,Rev,MDC,DR,MW,opiemom,possum,CHUCK and all...well let me get started here at work..supper will be at Red Lobster on Romeema!..Asa you WILL have to wear shoes there...back in a bit ..SPOT
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62019: MDC: I like to think of a tax refund as money I've put into an account that earns 0% interest and all I have to do is gather reams of paperwork and pay someone $200 to fill out the forms to withdraw it. That's service!

M-T
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62020: Been pretty quiet on the porch today. I've been up to my eyeballs in laundry.

Well, MDC, it is struggle to get him to eat right sometimes but usually he will eat veggies, fruit is what he doesn't like to eat. We are working on it, though. He does try to swallow the fish capsules and now and then he manages to get one down, but usually he gags...oh well.

Gotta go feed the kids...

Boo
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62021: Porch is QUITE tonight...im still here at work..guess everybody is full from Red Lobster and taking a nap..Idol fans its almost 8:00..well let ME put my feet up and get the tube tuned in..back in a bit after Idol.Boo did you get M-T"s shorts in the laundry?...SPOT
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62022: Evenin' Porch,
I wanted to stop in and let y'all know that the Lucy Matthews family hasn't dropped off the face of the earth. Although Al Gore may be sayin' we're all gonna burn soon. We've been to Ky 2x's in the last month for the boys birthday's in March and spring break last week. I'm busy baking bread to try to sell at a local produce stand on top of my child taxi business. Tonight the boys and I got to watch TAGS and I realized I have no idea what's going on with my porch friends. I've stopped by to read a few times, but haven't had time to post. I'm not going to get to go through everyone individually, but y'all just know that you're in my prayers. I will check back when I can dear ones. BTW, Carlson makes tolerable fish oils. I actually buy their children's strawberry pellets and just take double the dose. Remember I have severe esophageal spasms and I can't get those horse pills down my throat!
Blessings to you and yours,
~Lucy
Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you.
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62023:
Hello porch family

Another great day here in SC. I've got to get some more outside work done tomorrow.

Lucy....good to see you back.

Spot...man our Braves are still having a tough go of it.
Don't fall asleep there at work with your feet all up on the desk.

Boo....I pray you get things worked out with Sean. Maybe you can look into the Carlson Fish Oil that Lucy spoke about.

MDC & M-T.....ya'll both are so right about tax refund checks.

Gas is $3.17 here for reg. unleaded. What is it in your area?

You all have a great night. Prayers for all the porch family. Keep Jesus first!
-REV.
April 16, 2008 - Msg 62024: Down here in Aiken gas is $3.22 Rev,

Opiemom

April 17, 2008 - Msg 62025: Well HELLO my local Lucy M....good to see you girl..hows things just across old man kelseys pond?...brother Rev im cool-in-it here at work..had a car hit a pole and broke it a bit ago..got a crew in here changing it out..all power is on...watching Swordfish on the tube...ok I guess..gona go home and sleep in the morning and then its 6 days off to get the barn worked on and the garden planted..gona be great weather here in Ga..jus a slight chance of rain sat but in the 70"s..Opiemom my truck burns gas but I noticed diesel was $4.05 here...whew..gas 3.35..well guess Boo and Romeena are sleeping...Tom you and Asa dont be late for breakfast....hey MDC,MD,possum,auh20,sterling,hazel,Idell,Red,M-T and all...breakfast will be Shoneys breakfast bar..bring an empty belly!....well back to my movie....[quit snoring M-T]....SPOT
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62026: Get up porch!...The Lord has gave us a Great day!..see yall at Shoneys!..Sterling you hold the door for the ladys!..come 6am im off work for 6 days!..gona get busy at the dog house!..will check in...if I get too busy Big Maude will you feed this bus and send a plate to the dog house..you and Hazel?..well prayers to all..SPOT
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62027: thats "bunch" not " bus"..but may be a bus full!..
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62028: Bet it was that ol' Gilly Walker who rammed into that pole,spot.You know all he does is speed,speed,speed!

Rev & Opiemom, you both have lower gas prices than here in the Lowcountry.Regular unleaded is $3.25 and over the weekend,I saw $3.43 nearer Charleston.It is just ridiculous.

Let me go slick down so I can go to Shoneys with spot.See y'all there!
*****SMILES*****
possum under a rock
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62029: Thanks for the info, Lucy. I checked the GNC and they don't have the Carlson's but I am going to look at some of the other health food stores, etc.

REV, regular unleaded is 3.34 here in the Corpus Christ area...(it jumped 18 cents in 48 hours)! I went shopping yesterday and couldn't believe the price of produce. If a person wants to live on cheap tuna and mac-n-cheese, he can get by but if fruits and vegetables are your thing, better start a savings account for those items!

See ya at Shoneys..

Boo
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62030: Good morning, all. Just got home from work, am very tired and headed for bed. Just wanted to stop by, though.

Yesterday was a boogerbear. Power went out around 11 a.m., service line said they expected it to be restored by 5:30. It wasn't. A line had broken and part of it was draped over my fence and lying in the yard. I did have sense enough to stay away from it, though I think it was the neutral line, it had no insulation on it. The boss man came and looked, declared my trees were interfering with the wires (they weren't, because I paid to have them trimmed in the spring), but he said they were, so he sent a crew. At one point, there were no fewer than 17 non-English speaking young men, armed with chainsaws, swarming all over my trees, and they absolutely savaged them. They're the most pitiful-looking things you can imagine. I expect one, if not both, of them to die. The boss had promised me that they would just do a little "careful pruning where absolutely necesssary", and then he left. Those kids with the saws went absolutely wild. Finally, when I realized they weren't going to stop but were gunning for limbs that were fifteen feet away from the wires, I went out there and told them to stop it, enough! They just grinned and looked at me and shrugged "No hablo ingles!" So I yelled it in Spanish, and that got their attention. They slunk out of the trees, gathered up the limbs and left. I have broken shrubbery, mashed flowers, ruined trees and a headache, and it wasn't necessary.

The "supervisor" that was with the crew, who spoke a little broken English, told me that they are required to trim them like that. I told him that was a crock, I didn't believe him, and to take his men and get out of my yard. He did.

The power still wasn't on when I had to leave for work, so poor little Starr was left alone in a dark room, and a neighbor took me to work, since I couldn't get my car out of the garage with no power to lift that enormous door. I came home in a cab, and the power was on. I don't know what time it came back on, but Starr surely was glad to see me.

Grrrr. I am still mad clear through, as I sit here and look out at my ruined trees. Spot, you good old dog, where were you when I needed you??

Be blessed, all. --Romeena
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62031: Ro,so sorry to hear about your trees,I know how you feel.I still want to cry every time I go up our road.
Gas is 3.19 a gal and diesel is 4.07.
My MIL will start chemo and radiation on Monday,they don't think it has spread from her throat,still waiting to hear about the bone marrow test. Thanks for the prayers.
I did get to plant some wildflower seeds this morning and transfered my strawberries yesterday.But it's supposed to rain this afternoon.
Take care everyone. PEACE Dr P

April 17, 2008 - Msg 62032: Dr. P - Gas in Southeastern Indiana is 3.49 and diesel is 4.29 - I'll trade you! It looks like from the other posts that I am the one who is paying the most.

Been a long day here -

hm
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62033: Oh no, what a pain, Romeena! I remember a couple of years ago they did a story on the local news about a group of guys from the electric company completely butchering some guy's trees. It was terrible, and totally unnecessary. They looked horrible when they were done with them and probably died. What a bunch of goofs!

I found the smaller fish capsules for Sean at Sun Harvest. Yeah!

Boo
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62034: I haven't looked at the gas pumps yet, but I'll bet I'll have you all beat with the high gas prices. I find that gas prices get higher the further North you go, and we here in Wisconsin are about as North as you can get, unless you want to go to Canada.

Boy, that is one bet I hope I lose. ;)


Prayers for your MIL, Dr. P. Hopefully it hasn't spread. My wife just sent out some caps she knitted for her dad, to help with the usual symptoms of chemo.

Kai surprised me yesterday, when she brought home a sheet announcing a talent show, and saying she wanted to do something for it. My shy little Kai. Though she does like putting on shows here at home, so she may be becoming more self-assured doing that kind of thing. And her spring concert that they just got done with and she might still have in her mind might also have something to do with it. I don't know if she understands that she will be alone onstage this time though. Oh well, she will when she has a practice today.

We were at the park swinging on the swings when she told me she wanted to be in the talent show, but she didn't know what she would do for it. I asked her, "Well, what do you like to do?"
And she answered, "I don't know. Poetry and puppetry, I guess."
So I told her why doesn't she combine the two and recite some poetry using a puppet, and she said, "Yeah! ...you have some of the best ideas, daddy." :)

She did say this morning that she wasn't sure about using the puppet though(she's so grown up, you know;)) and may just recite the poem, so we'll see if she decided against using it.





-Sterling Holobyte
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62035:
Yeah, but did you get oregano?? haha
RO- My dear i feel so bad for you. It actually brought back a 30 year memory from my teching days. During one summer, the school I was at got a new principal and he had 4 beautiful, hugh, shade-giving, 40 foot, cottonwood trees on the edge of the playground cut down to 1 foot stumps!! (And you know how important shade is in Phx AZ!) He claimed is was so that he could see the playground from his office window! For that to come back to me must mean I am still mad at that moron for doing that! Not only did he do that, but then he was gone the next year. I sure hope your trees survive. Talk to a nursery, maybe you can deep-fertilize them. that might help the shock.
DR P. my prayers for your DIL for all of the cancer to be gone in Jesus' name. Amen
Hey to SPot, HM, Possum and all
God bless you all.
MDC
Barney (to Andy about Ellie and the new doctor): Just two young people lost in a world of pills.

April 17, 2008 - Msg 62036:
Oh, does anyone here have an Oerek vacumn. I was thinking about getting one. (I do the vacumning in my house, so i get to choose)
mdc
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62037:
Oops, Sterling, didnt see ya theree. Kai may indeed be in for a shock up there on the stage. My prayer for her also.
MDC
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62038: Yes, MDC, I have an Oreck and generally speaking, I love it. When I bought it, my carpets were not new and were a bit compacted, and had been a low-pile type to start with. The Oreck performed beautifully. It's lightweight, of course, and so quiet that I could actually watch TAGS while vacuuming. Then I got new carpeting, a deeper, plush pile, and it doesn't work very well on that. It's difficult to push, sort of drags. It still cleans well, but it wears me out. The carpet is now several years old, so perhaps I should try again. It might work better now. You know your carpet - if it's a lower pile, you will love the Oreck.

I called the power company this morning, and asked to have an English-speaking supervisor call me tomorrow to arrange a time to come look at these trees. Of course nothing can be done for them now, but I want an explanation, and I want someone to know what those chainsaw-waving young men are doing. I also want to make it plain to the supervisor that people don't like having to deal with a crew that doesn't even speak the language of this country. There was almost zero communication yesterday, and I resent that. I feel very sure that most, if not all of those men were illegals. Anyone who has been here long enough to get legal has at least learned SOME English, and most of those guys didn't speak a word. Nada. I want that supervisor to know that people are paying attention to that, too. It's time we took our country back.

Sterling, that's great that Kai is thinking about making a "stage debut". When she gets through it, she will be so proud, and will most likely lose a lot of her former shyness, once she sees what she can do.

Well, I got the first four hours off tonight, but will almost surely have to go in at 11 pm. Guess I'd better rustle up some "suppah". Wish I had some of Aunt Bee's fried chicken. Oh well, soup is good too.

Starr says howdy. --Romeena
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62039: Good evening Porchsters! Beautiful day here in NE TN/SW VA, nice & warm, everything such a pretty green & the redbuds are just bursting with color! Love this part of the country this time of year!
Welcome to you Red glad you decided to stick around. Sterling that is great about Kai wanting to be in the talent show, my Jake started off like that when he was little & today, he's getting ready to audition for the plays they put on downtown at the Paramount theater. He LOVES it! MDC when you get yer new vacuum, you can head over here & have at it with my house! Spot I think if you put a pig in the ground, we can all head your way for the weekend & that barn will be up in no time, but you know you have to feed this bunch to get them to do anything! You got room for camping? Ro I'm sorry to hear about your trees, first your little bush, now the trees, what's with the non-english speaking folks in TX, they just like to go around chopping things up? I wanted to ask you, did you get your little Starr from Rhapsody Maltese? I am the Parking Chair for our upcoming dog show & I got RV reservations from them, they live in TX, so I thought maybe you might have gotten her from them. Gas is $3.34/gal here in Bristol for Regular, & Diesel is up to $4.41!! No wonder all the groceries & stuff are going out of sight! My brother is an OTR trucker & he said he filled up one tank on his truck & it cost over $600 bucks!! Anyways, best get off here & finish up some things that need to get out in tomorrow's mail. Blessings to you all!
*Mavis
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62040: MDC, I discussed it with my son, who is the vacume expert and he said to tell you to get a Dyson DC-14 instead of an Oreck. The Dyson might be a little more than the Oreck but is probably in the same price range. With a Dyson, you never have to replace belts or bags and it never loses suction. It comes with a 5 year warranty. I had to take mine in once because Sean sucked up something he shouldn't have. It didn't break it but they had to replace some kind of filter and they took care of it. We just had to call the Dyson hotline and they faxed our info to a shop certified to care for Dysons and that's all there was to it. It is also very "cool-looking" and comes in neat colors. I know every vacume we had before this one got worn out with all Sean's vacuming (it has to do with his obsessive-compulsive disorder), except for our Dyson...it's still going strong.

Sterling, that is great that Kai wants to be in the talent show. I hope she does the puppet and the poem, that would be really cute. Is there any way you can film her performance so we can see it on You Tube or God Tube?..just wondering.

MDC, that story about the principle cutting those trees down made me sick! I remember a few years ago when a neighbor cut down a big pine tree across the street (we don't have many pines here on the coast) and I loved sitting outside, having my morning coffee and just looking at that tree. Well, one morning I went out and the tree was cut down and hacked into peices on the front lawn! I was so mad at that guy (silly, I know, but we had other issues with him at the time). The funny thing is that I ran into him and his wife (he is the principle of Erin's school...maybe principles and trees don't mix) and I told him I was so upset with him for cutting it down. He laughed and told me it was his wife who wanted it cut down...that should teach me a lesson. I have been holding a "tree grudge" against that guy for 2 years! haha

Well, I am taking Erin to hear a missionary at her school speak tonight. Talk to you all later,

Boo


April 17, 2008 - Msg 62041: I agree with Boo. That principal should have been fired for having those trees cut down. Does a principal have that much authority over the physical environment at a school? I wouldn't think so, but apparently he at least thought he did, and once the trees are down, there's not much you can do about it. Shame on him. I guess there's not much you can do about stupidity.

Mavis, I got Starr from Divinity Maltese, located in Haslet, TX. She has several dogs from the Marcris line in her heritage, quite a few of them champions. She is not a show candidate (slight overbite), so I paid less for her, but the parts that count most to me - her sweetness and gentle nature - are topnotch. She's a mischievous clown, but such a good little baby at the same time.

At the risk of sounding very racist, I'm going to say that if you have illegals working around anything you value, you'd better supervise closely. I'm not talking about honesty, most of them are surprisingly honest. Some are not, just as some Americans are not. It's just that their background hasn't prepared them for an environment where things are well-kept and valued perhaps just for their beauty. These folks come from a very hard-scrabble existence, they have little or no formal education, and they just don't understand. An example - one young man of my acquaintance spotted a caterpillar in my yard and was about to squash it. I stopped him, and explained that it would become a butterfly. (I recognized the species.) He thought I was teasing him! I found it on the net and printed the picture of what it would become. He looked at me like I was crazy, and just laughed and shook his head. Then he told his friend that I thought a worm could turn into a butterfly - how funny! I never did convince him. I also had to restrain him from killing the baby lizards and little garden snakes out there. Where he comes from, things like that may be venomous, so his knee-jerk reaction is to kill them.

So, it's no surprise that when you take some teenagers and young 20's, put a chainsaw in their hand and turn them loose to rev up and rip up, they're going to do it with gusto! Never mind what the tree looks like, or that the limbs are falling on and crushing things below. They just don't get the concept. It's a cultural thing. When I was in Mongolia, I ran into surprising mindsets there, too. Over there, if something mechanical is broken, well, it's just broken. That's it, it's over and done with. They have no concept of repairs to mechanical things. Their homes (a round tent-like thing) and their animal harness, that's another story, but mechanical stuff is beyond them. It's just broken. The elevator car in our rickety hotel was being used as a storage room, and we climbed the stairs.

Once again, it comes down to communication. If the immigrants, legal or otherwise, aren't required to learn English, they're never going to be able to absorb the cultural attitudes of this country, and there's going to be conflict forever. Obviously, you can't require anything of someone who technically isn't even here, so we do have a problem. Illegal is illegal, and it brings with it its own unique set of problems, inevitably.

Well, enough of that. Have a lovely evening, all. --Romeena
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62042: Wow, I haven't been on for a couple days, and just read what those guys did, Romeena! Oh, my, I'd have been so mad. You go to all this work to have the beauty of nature in your yard, like nurturing trees and plants and such-like, and then someone comes along with no regard for it, and pphhttthh. And, like you, I guess you get over it, but still, you feel the need to let someone know what they did, what they caused. I hope that supervisor that comes out at least realizes what the crew did. An apology would go a long way.
Oh, and that Heron eating your fish. We don't have a backyard pond, but some friends about a mile away do. A few years ago they had a Heron eating their fish. It seemed to come from no where, and seemed totally out of its environment. Theirs just came the one year, and they haven't seem him since.
Boo, my friend from work takes the fish oil, but she takes it in drops. I'm not sure where she gets it, but she doesn't like the capsules either, so she puts a few drops on something she's eating, and takes it that way. I wonder if that might work for Sean too.
Yesterday was Mr. Hazels and my anniversary. 31 years. I sure do love him, and am very happy and proud that we are still together.
Well, 10-4
- Hazel
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62043: Happy Anniversay, Hazel!! It just blesses me to the socks to hear you say you love him and are happy to be together (Lord, let it be that way for more couples).

Romeena, maybe you could contact the local news like the man did in Corpus?? ...who knows, it could keep some other tree from being butchered in the future...just a thought, but probably not necessary.

I had a really nice evening visiting the little church where Erin goes to school. It is what is called, "Indpendant, fundamental Baptist", which I don't know much about but it is such a friendly, loving little congregation. Very old-fashioned with the old songs and gospel preaching. Tonight they had several missionaries that they support present and some of them talked about they work they are a part of in places like Samoa and Croatia. I enjoyed it but it got long and my back started hurting from sitting on that hard pew...well, afterall, I am a soft, overfed American, so what do you expect?.hehe

Boo
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62044: Oh, forgot to mention that the little Baptist church with probably 100 members, support 63 missionaries each month! Can you believe that? Amazing.

Boo
April 17, 2008 - Msg 62045: Mavis Pig In The Ground?...hum..sounds good..let me read...SPOT
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62046:
Hello porch family....Nice day here on this end of the porch. I was able to get a lot outside work done.

Boo....100 members.....63 missionaries...now that is great!

Spot...hope you get that barn going during these 6 days off. If I was around I'd give you a hand.

Ro....I agree with you....Illegal is illegal no matter what way you look at it.

MDC....I have a friend that has a Dyson and they love it.

Possum....yep, gas is normaly a little higher toward the coast.

Well better get ready for bed. Prayers for all the porch family. Sleep good and hold on to Jesus!
-REV.
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62047: Night yall ....barn tired...yall catch brakfast ok? SPOT
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62048: Morning all.
Congrats Hazel on 31 years. That is way cool.
Sorry to read about your tree's Romeena. Are these cottonwoods? They grow pretty fast so hopefully they'll recover quickly.
MDC, We have a central vacuun system in our house and I wouldn't trade it for anything, so I can't help you much there. But whatever you buy, get one with a switch that don't stick so you ain't running it at 2:30 in the morning.:)
Gas here is $3.39 a ding. That's for the higher octane stuff. I have found my mileage almost doubles when I run with the mid octane fuel so I figure it's worth the extra few cents.
I gotta tell you though, if something don't give with these energy costs I fear our already fragile economy is going to crash, and crash hard. I urge you folks to prepare for some rough waters. Get out of debt if you can, stay out of debt, get some food storage going and try to become as self sufficient as you can. Not trying to be a doomsdayer but being prepared as much as possible will be a blessing for you I believe.
Well off to work for me. Y'all be good.

Asa
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62049: Beleive me, I have been thinking about those things, ASA. I have been deciding which fruit trees to plant and what to grow in the garden. Everytime I go to the produce section of the store, it feels like a slap in the face. I am really shocked...and here we're about to build a house! Lord help us. We don't have any debt at this point, not even a car payment but that's about to change. Something encouraging happened yesterday while Bruce was out putting up the fence on the homestead (he is putting the fence up himself and saving thousands by doing it) and this man walked up to him from the lot behind us. He introduced himself and said he and his family had moved there from Oregon, where he was a general contractor. He said that he was building houses there for 225 per square foot (as compared to an average of $125/sq foot down here). He also said he was a Christian, whose Dad was a Baptist pastor and he was looking for a good church to take his family to and Bruce invited him to ours. He could be a good resource for Bruce as we are building and he will be living behind us. Also, I had been praying about Erin not having anyone in the area to play with and it turns out that he has a little boy who is Erin's age. That's a big deal because the only people that live near us are a single guy and some elderly folks. Anyway, Bruce went and bought the rest of the poles and the horse fencing yesterday and had to travel a little to get the best prices but he saved almost 300 dollars by doing a little price searching. That really surprised me how much you can save by taking the time to shop around for things. I'll have to send another picture of the place when the fence is up. Things are actually starting to get green out there and there is some grass (and plenty of weeds) growing now.

Sorry to talk your ear off...Its rainy and cool here today (sounds like a good day to cook up some soup or chili).

Boo
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62050: Good morning,wet and gloomy here.
Hey hm, did you feel the earthquake?
MDC,I have a Dyson and really like it,it picks up dog hair very well.
Congrats Hazel and Mr Hazel heres to 31 more.
Gas jumped to 3.44 yesterday.
Asa,I too believe something needs to give and I don't think the stimulas checks are going to do much to help the economy.
Ro, I was telling Fritz about your trees and he thinks you should file a loud complant.Really Let them hear from you.
You all take care. PEACE Dr P
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62051: PS, Good News,forgot to say MIL's bone marrow test came back clean,so we just have to fight the one spot.Thanks again for the prayers.
Dr P
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62052: Hey, I just heard you folks in the mid-west had an earthquake this morning. Hope you are all well and no injuries.

Boo, that sounds like it could be a good deal, if that feller builds a good quality home. And I wasn't meaning my thoughts on debt to single anyone out. We most likely all need to borrow to buy a home. But so many folks end up with way more home than they need because they are trying to keep up with there friends or neighbors.
Our Church leaders urges us to only go into debt for 3 things. Housing, Education, and transportation, and that last one need not always be. You can find decent reliable vehicles at affordable prices. And the housing should be something within our price range. To many young couples just starting out want everything and more that their parents have, forgetting it took their parents 30 years of work to aquire what they have.

Asa
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62053: You snuck in on me Dr. P. So glad she is clean in her tests. Hopefully it is contained and treatable.

Asa
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62054: Mornin' y'all! Ro,that is just horrible what those workers did to your trees! I would be spitting mad,for sure! I applaud you for trying to get in touch with a supervisor.I imagine the trees were quite pretty.I enjoyed looking at the pics of your flowers and that heron was a sight to behold!

My daughter told me that gas here jumped up yesterday to $3.35.And yes,food and everything else is high.Lord help us.

I have been sick since Monday evening with some kind of stomach thing.Lots of indigestion,queasiness,headaches,etc. Don't go there,Boo! I know what you're thinking-no,no! Ha!
Just feel yucky. Anybody know of anything besides Alka Seltzer and Maalox? I ate something with a lot of onions for supper Monday,and thought that caused it,but I'd think it wouldn't last this long.Now I'm wondering if I picked up a virus somewhere.Anybody have a cure all? Thanks.

Happy anniversary yesterday to the Hazels!

Better get going.Y'all have a good day!
*****SMILES*****
possum under a rock
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62055: Didn't see you there,Dr P. That sounds encouraging.Thanks for the update- prayers continue.

Hey to Asa!

possum again
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62056: I found out this morning that one of my students completed all of their work without being reminded - we decided that the Earth shook with awe that this happened! Ha Ha
No injuries - just some shaken window panes!

hm
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62057: HAha, funny HM. Glad you are well and safe.

Asa, I know what you mean. We lived with my folks for 2 years in order to pay off everything, including the land we are building on, so that we could start out with a clean slate when we build. I am praying my old 99 Suburban keeps running. It's got 160,000 miles on it but I am told that it's V8 engine should run for awhile if I take care of it. Gas mileage is a problem but it's better that a car payment. I am really astounded at some of the cars I see around here. People are living in very modest homes and appear to have a rather low imcome but are driving 60,000 dollar vehicles. I don't really understand that.

Hope you feel better soon, Possum. Sorry, I don't have a miracle cure for you.

Boo
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62058: Good morning everyone. It’s going to get up to 80 degrees here today. I guess we’re going to skip spring again this year.

ROMEENA: Sorry about your trees. You sure handled it a whole lot more calmly than I would have. Besides the explanations for the men’s behavior that you mentioned, I don’t think that you can overlook their age, and the message our current culture gives to young people: it’s all about them. When I was in my early twenties, I sure didn’t have the same ideas about how a beautiful yard could give so much enjoyment. My idea of a good time was much, much different. And it’s much worse now (in my opinion) with young people being indulged and caterer to by everyone from parents to advertisers.

MDC: I agree with Sean—the Dyson is the way to go. Just be warned that its suction is powerful enough that want to use it carefully on throw rugs, if at all. It makes a gosh-awful noise when it sucks up a rug! It is amazing what you will be able to get out of a rug, even one that was just vacuumed by another machine. That Dyson guys just does like things that work properly! The only problem we have had with ours is that the hose split, but it was a pretty easy fix.

BOO: So Bruce is fencing in the back 40? Send some pictures.

ASA: I agree that we should be hunkering down financially. I know that when/if I get a check this spring from the government, it will be going towards bills and savings—the same things we used Bush’s “economic stimulous” rebate a few years back. Of course, I’m conflicted about taking the money to begin with. After all, it makes me a little queasy that we are borrowing money from the Chinese to fund this rebate scheme. The reality is at some point we have to balance the books, and that means belt tightening.

Unfortunately, the reality about fuel is that it is a finite resource. We may have enough to last 50 years, or 150 years--who knows. But eventually we will run out. And the closer we get to that mark the more expensive it will get. With China, India and to a lesser extent other countries with exponentially growing appetites for fossil fuels, the tank is heading toward empty faster than ever. We could drill our heads off and extend the inevitable, but it is the inevitable. In my opinion, it's better to face reality squarely now and cope with a difficult situation rather than make it easier now just to force our kids or grandkids to face an impossible situation.

See y’all at lunch!

Me-They
"Sometimes she'll say 'F' when she's really an 'E.'"

April 18, 2008 - Msg 62059: POSSUM: Try one of the little blue bills. Just do not take the brown acid.

M-T
April 18, 2008 - Msg 62060: Ro, I am glad you are calling that power company out on it's practices. That's shameful, what they did to your yard.

Boo(or should I say "sis";) - in regards to one of your other posts), the church we go to advertises itself as "independent and fundamental" as well. I guess I don't exactly know what that means either, except that maybe they aren't readily swayed by popular culture in their preachings. I am not real sure if we sing traditional hymns, but I would think we do. All I know is that I don't recognize alot of them.

Boo, I actually didn't think about filming Kai's performance(if she goes through with it - she said they were decorating the stage yesterday so they weren't able to practice there, and she just recited her poem to one person, so yeah, I am wondering how much of a shock it will be when she is up there alone) until you said something. I am not sure about uploading it to Youtube though. After I saw that story on the news about that guy who had a website with pictures and video of little girls that he would see on the street and elsewhere, and then share them with other perverts online to do, ...what ever they do with the pics which I don't want to think about.
If you noticed, it took me a long time to even send some pics of Kai to Ro. Not because of you guys here, but because I knew Ro's site wasn't password protected, and anyone could view it, if they knew the address. And then when I did send the pics, I tried not to send the best and prettiest pics of Kai. Of course, with Kai, it is kind of hard to find ugly pics of her, but I am kind of biased with regards to that statement. ;)

But I don't know, I will have to see how it turns out, and if she decides to venture onstage anyway. I may upload it. As I decided with the pics to Ro's site, I don't want to let the sicko's of the world determine what I do and do not share with friends. Using common sense, of course, like I wouldn't post pics online of Kai in a swimsuit or anything that would give away where she goes to school or our home. There are just too many weirdo's out there to not be cautious. At least for me, and maybe I am a little over-cautious and over-protective at times, but that's me.



Funny about your student and the reason for the earthquake, hm. :)

-Sterling Holobyte