April 14, 2009 - Msg 71874: Just a quick trouble check...back at work...still got alot out..wind just killed us here...will someone cook....ok back to work...hey Rev,Mavis,possum,ky,Floyd,Boo,asa,Ro...ok got to go...prayers...SPOT
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71875: well even being busy I still had time to sweep!...SPOT
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71876: spot- prayers for you and your area, as well as all hit areas. i'll bring you something from waffle house. great sweep. mdc- yesterday we had 2 inches of rain and today it's a balmy 50 degrees. my fishing spots are flooded and meyers lake was just stocked- anyone hear from charlotte tucker lately and some of the others whose not sit a spell with us? I hope everyone had a great easter. supper at pappa bears tonight. we will grill out rain or rain. pappa bear
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71877: can anyone tell me how to get to ro"s picture board of the porch/ THANKS PAPPA BEAR
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71878: http://www.romeena.myphotoalbum.com should get you there papabear.
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71879: Hey Pappa Bear! Glad you could join us on the Porch again- we need our Mayor to keep us straight around here-ha!
Spot,they've been showing a lot of storm footage from your area on the news.Boy,y'all sure got smacked around by those winds,didn't ya? Hope things settle down.Get those lights back on! We had some heavy rain with a bit of thunder early this morning,but wasn't too bad-thank goodness.
Hooray for Erin AKA Mickey Mantle!! Maybe she can show you how to hold the bat properly,Boo- hee hee!
Thanks for filling us in on the wedding,Ro. Sounds lovely!
Hey Ky Girl,it'll be good to have ya in our "My Cousin Vinny" club.How could I keep you from joining? You even dress like Mona Lisa from what you told us about the skirt with the wine glasses on it! HA! She wore some wild outfits in that movie,didn't she?!
Feels like I'm getting a headache so I might just go hit the couch for a bit. Y'all take care-love to all!
*******************
possum under a rock
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71880:
Hey Pappabear, are you on-line from home now,
or still visiting the library.
I just sent you a letter.
Boo- did you see my AOG comment? teehee
Kygirl, possum, mavis ,spot etc- prayers for ya all.
Rev- you are a treas-a!
RO- sounds like all went beautifully!
MDC
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71881: Good afternoon everyone. After being off Friday and Monday, I'm playing catch-up at work today. Hope you all had a great Easter. We did.

I'll try and work real hard to get caught up today so I can chat some tomorrow.

Saw the "moulage" episode last night and thought of y'all. Hey to PAPPABEAR!

Me-They
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71882: Yes MDC, I saw your comment. Sometimes I really miss the AOG church!

Well, I am coughing my fool head off and SICK! Living on Advil and trying to get by. Hope this passes soon...

Boo
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71883: God Bless you Nick...you will be missed. Now pitch some no -hitters for the Lord and the real ANGELS!
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71884: THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW

U.S. Situation Comedy

The Andy Griffith Show was one of the most popular and memorable comedy series of the 1960s. In its eight years on the air, from 1960 to 1968, it never dropped below seventh place in the seasonal Nielsen rankings, and it was number one the year it ceased production. The series pilot originally aired as an episode of Make Room For Daddy, a popular sitcom starring Danny Thomas. Sheldon Leonard produced both shows for Danny Thomas Productions.

An early example of television's "rural revolution," The Andy Griffith Show was part of a programming trend which saw the development of comedies featuring naïve but noble "rubes" from deep in the American heartland. The trend began when ABC debuted The Real McCoys in 1957, but CBS became the network most associated with lt. The success CBS achieved with The Andy Griffith Show provided the inspiration for a string of hits such as The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, and Hee Haw. Genial and comparatively innocuous, these shows were just right for a time when TV was under frequent attack by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congressional committees for its violent content.

Sheldon Leonard and Danny Thomas designed The Andy Griffith Show to fit the image of its star. Griffith's homespun characterizations were already well-known to audiences who'd seen his hayseed interpretations of Shakespeare on The Ed Sullivan Show and his starring roles in the films A Face in the Crowd (1957) and No Time for Sergeants (1958). On The Andy Griffith Show, he played Sheriff Andy Taylor, the fair-minded and easygoing head lawman of the Edenic small town of Mayberry, North Carolina. Neither sophisticated nor worldly-wise, Andy drew from a deep well of unpretentious folk wisdom that allowed him to settle domestic disputes and outwit the arrogant city folk who occasionally passed through town. When he wasn't at the Sheriff's office, Andy, a widower, was applying his old-fashioned horse sense to the raising of his young son Opie (Ronny Howard), a task he shared with his Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier).

Mayberry was based upon Andy Griffith's real hometown, and perhaps this was partially responsible for the strong sense many viewers got that Mayberry was a real place. Over the years the writers fleshed out the geography and character of the town with a degree of detail unusual for series television. The directorial style of the series was also strikingly distinct, employing a relaxed, almost lethargic tone appropriate to the nostalgic settings of front porch, sidewalk, and barber shop. The townspeople, and the ensemble of actors who portrayed them, were crucial to the success of the show. Most of these characters were "hicks," playing comic foils to the sagacious Andy. Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) and his cousin Goober (George Lindsey) came right out of the "bumpkin" tradition that had been developed years ago in films, popular literature, and comic strips. Town barber Floyd Lawson (Howard McNear) was a font of misinformation and the forerunner of Cheers' Cliff Clavin. Otis (Hal Smith), the unrepentant town drunk, was trained to let himself into his jail cell after a Saturday night bender and to let himself out on Sunday morning. Without much real police work to attend to, Andy's true job was protecting these and other citizens of Mayberry from their own hubris, intemperance, and stupidity.

Most of Andy's time, however, was spent controlling his earnest but over-zealous deputy, Barney Fife. Self-important, romantic, and nearly always wrong, Barney dreamed of the day he could use the one bullet Andy had issued to him. While Barney was forever frustrated that Mayberry was too small for the delusional ideas he had of himself, viewers got the sense that he couldn't have survived anywhere else. Don Knotts played the comic and pathetic sides of the character with equal aplomb and was given four Emmy Awards for doing so. He left the show in 1965 and was replaced by Jack Burns in the role of Deputy Warren Furguson.

The Andy Griffith Show engendered two spin-offs. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., was a military sitcom featuring Gomer in the Marines. Mayberry, R.F.D., was a reworking of The Andy Griffith Show made necessary by Griffith's departure in 1968. Like the parent show, the spin-offs celebrated the honesty, the strong sense of community, and the solid family values supposedly inherent in small town life.

By the late 1960s, however, many viewers, especially young ones, were rejecting these shows as irrelevant to modern times. Mayberry's total isolation from contemporary problems was part of its appeal, but more than a decade of media coverage of the civil rights movement had brought about a change in the popular image of the small Southern town. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., was set on a U.S. Marine base between 1964 and 1969, but neither Gomer nor any of his fellow soldiers ever mentioned the war in Vietnam. CBS executives, afraid of losing the lucrative youth demographic, purged their schedule of hit shows that were drawing huge but older-skewing audiences. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., was in second place when it was canceled in l969. Mayberry, R.F.D., and the rest of the rural comedies, met a similar fate within the next two seasons. They were replaced by such "relevant" new sitcoms as All In the Family and M*A*S*H.
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71885:
Boo- Ya got the oregano oil--give it a try.
10 drops in some juice, mix it up and down the hatch!
MDC
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71886:
Not sure who posted all the stuff above me here, but it's pretty interesting. probably something off the web.
MDC
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71887:
Barn: Well, we don't try to make a big moulage out of things.
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71888: Evening Family:
Just taking a few minutes to catch up on the postings and let you know that I am still kicking. The healing process from surgery is going well, just slow and stiff. You never know how much you use your left arm and shoulder until you have hurt it! (no drive up windows--fast food or banks, no pulling up to the mailbox, no ATM...)
and to add insult to injury** I'M LEFT-HANDED!! But the Lord has been good and I have had very little pain (don't tell workman's comp).
I'm off tomorrow to take the youngest neighborette to the ocean for a few days. Please pray that we have a little warmer weather than 50 degrees. I'll 'preciate it.
Love you all. ~ New Neighbor
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71889: prayers for you New Neighbor.Hope your healing goes quickly.

Boo, you are the third person today that told me they were sick, hope you are better soon.

Possum, Thanks for letting me in the club! Yes,she wore some outrageous outfits in that movie,my skirt will fit right in!

Spot,sorry to hear that there are still power outages,be careful.

Guess I will catch up on the evening news,didn't get to see it before I went to school prayers for all-ky girl
April 14, 2009 - Msg 71890:
Hello porch family.

Boo....prayers that you get feeling better some.
And give Erin a big "high five" for me.

New Neighbor....prayers continue also for you as you heal.

Ro....have you caught up on your rest from the weekend?

Spot.....don't work too hard brother. You guys have a mess over there. Prayers!

Well gang I'm off to bed. Praying for all the porch family. What an honor that is!
-REV.
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71891: Good very late evening, porch. Yes, REV, I'm pretty well rested now. Still some cleaning up to do, bed linens to change and such, but the house now looks pretty much in order. I'm still eating chicken salad sandwiches, left by the caterer. Fortunately, they were very, very good. The yard has recovered, trampled grass is now standing up, after the rain on Sunday. It took quite a beating, but looks fine now.

Ky girl, check your email. You'll find one from me, which will give you my address.

Boo, I'm sorry you're feeling poorly. Sure do wish you could get them all well at once, including yourself. Are you putting VICKS on your feet at night, for the cough?

Well, I sat up late and watched "Singin' in the Rain" on TCM. What a great movie! Gene Kelly's street scene, dancing in the rain, was just wonderful, a classic. Makes you feel happy to watch him. What a dancer! And Donald O'Connor - he was wonderful as well. Such talent - I don't think we have anybody like that anymore. They're all too busy being tortured souls, or addicts, or political activists, or just plain garden-variety idiots.

Well, I'm headed for bed. Toye Starr, who made a lot of new friends on Saturday, has suggested it several times. Be blessed, friends. --Romeena
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71892: Thanks for the kind words. I am well enough right now to sit at the keyboard so i mush be getting better. Yes, Ro, I tried putting vicks on my feet when I went to bed. I still cough, even after taking the prescription cough med I had on hand. My throat just feel raw from all the coughing. Guess I'll put some more vicks on my feet and try to sleep some more. I keep waking up cold, then hot.

Boo
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71893:
Ro-Really glad to hear all went well.

Boo-My girls just got over the very thing you described. Gets some rest buddy.

We're working on a moss garden here this year. We've always thought they were beautiful so we decided to give it a go.

A belated Happy Easter!

auh2o
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71894: Good morning everyone. It's been raining here for three days straight now, so if you need some algea for that moss garden AUH2O, let me know.

BOO: I hope that you're feeling better today. Should I have Emmettt come over an hang a lamp over your bed for more reading light?

That's great about Erin. Chad starts t-ball later this month. He's not any good yet, but he's trying. The Mrs., who was a long-time softball player, is in charge of his training. She "suggested" that when he signed up. She's very type-A where sports are concerned.

STERLING: That's wonderful about Kai's surgery. Any little bit helps when allaying concerns. Prayers.

ROMEENA: Glad the wedding came off well. Maybe you should start renting out your backyard as an outdoor venue ;-).

I used to enjoy "Singing in the Rain," though it was never one of my favorites. However, a few years ago I saw a TCM interview about the making of it. Debbie Reynolds was just about in tears talking about how evil Gene Kelly was to her. Seems he didn't like her, thought she was a no-talent dancer, and didn't have a problem telling her constantly. Of course, she wasn't a professional dancer and had to learn as she was filming. She didn't have a choice; the studio assigned her the film and she was under contract. Donald O'Connor was more guarded, but said basically the same thing (about how he treated Reynolds). Reynolds said it was teh second worst experience of her young life (the first being the Fisher-Taylor thing). Given Kelly's character, I just couldn't look at him the same after that.

POSSUM: How's the head? Still attached?

NEW NEIGHBOR: Continued prayers that neither the recovery or paperwork will keep you down.

Me-They

April 15, 2009 - Msg 71895: Hmmm. I'm sorry to hear that about Gene Kelly, and I rather wish I hadn't, because I've always enjoyed his work a lot. Guess I'll just have to revert to my philosophy of separating the real person from their public image, and continue to enjoy the roles he played, and appreciate his talent. Actually, I do that a lot. Rock Hudson comes to mind. For that matter, there are some pretty unflattering stories about Frances Bavier, but I don't let them influence how I feel about Aunt Bee. William Frawley was a profane, hateful old man, or so I've read, but I just love Fred Mertz. Lots of situations like that, so it just becomes a matter of making a decision. It works both ways, too. Vincent Price played some pretty evil characters, yet I've read that he was a delightful man, very kind and gentle.

Well, lots to do. Boo, get well, my friend. And everyone else, too. Just entirely too much illness on this here porch! You all get well now, you hear?

Be blessed, friends. --Romeena
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71896: P.S. One more example of separating the person from their work - Ron Howard. A prime example. As previously discussed, Opie Taylor is one person, Ron Howard is another. In his case, not only do I find myself having to overlook some of his films, while at the same time enjoying others, but I have to blind myself to his "Hollywonk" behavior, his extreme left-leaning politics and his affiliation with the socialists who are trying to "lead" us right now. That doesn't keep me from enjoying Opie Taylor. --Romeena
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71897: It's funny, I can do it with some and not others. I guess it has to do with how familiar I am with teh characters. For instance, growing up William Frawley was Fred Mertz to me. Same with Ron Howard (Opie/Ritchie Cunningham). I guess I was never a huge Gene Kelly fan so it was harder to separate the two. Besides, have you ever seen "Xanadu?" Ruff! Ruff!

M-T
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71898: No, I wasn't calling you, SPOT.

M-T
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71899: Morning Porch, guess Boo shipped that crud over to TN for some unknown reason, should have sent it to the White House if you ask me! I feel terrible today, same as I did yesterday. I'll just say Hey everybody & that should cover it. Now, I'm going back to bed.
*Mavis
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71900: Okay - please don't faint but I am posting on the porch. Still do not have a computer to work with at home but that may be remedied with the stimulus bill - Obama said I could have whatever I wanted to make my life easier.

We are now living in our new home. We celebrated the one week anniversary last nite! Woo Hoo!! We don't have everything moved due to the frequency of showers in our area but we are eating and sleeping there. Praise God!! And we have the DISH hooked up so we have decent TV (okay, we have Andy Griffith and a few other select shows that are decent.)

I will try to catch up on all the news that is fit to print.

Take care and prayers to all!!!


homemaker
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71901: Woohoo, indeed! Welcome home, homemaker! It's good to see you. Does your rocker still fit, or have you gotten bony from all that activity? Congratulations, friend. Good news, for sure.

Me-They, I think you're right about the separation of real person vs actor vs roles they played being easier with some than with others. Personally, I confess I've avoided viewing the movies where Andy Griffith was portraying something of a villain, or an unpleasant person. I've always been afraid it would taint my image of him, even though I know better. I think first impressions are the most tenacious. There was an actor named Albert Salmi, who usually played a mean, often twisted and cruel character, frequently in Westerns. He was in at least one "Gunsmoke", I think, and definitely was in an episode of "Bonanza." Most people will not recognize his name, but if you Google him, you'll be amazed at all the things he was in. In 1990, in a fit of depression, he apparently shot and killed his estranged wife, who was terminally ill, then killed himself. Tragic. I've never really seen him in a "friendly" role that I recall, though the Google links say he was in many of those. Because of my first impression of him, I don't think I could have liked him if he had been my next-door neighbor! Not fair, but true.

Well, back to my mousing around. --Romeena
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71902: Hey Homemaker. So glad to see you and hear you got moved in. New home, new septic tank. Man I'm envious.

New Neighbor, good to see you posting dear. Glad you're on the mend. And yes, we don't realise how much we depend on our various appendeges until we can't use them. I remember years ago having to use crutches when I broke three toes. I could not walk with then things. Period. I got tired of people laughing at me when they'd ask what was wrong and I'd tell them I broke three toes. They thought I was a wimp. Maybe I was, but dang they hurt. I have broken many a bone in my body, two ankles, to wrists, a forearm, a collarbone, a finger, ribs, and them broken toes hurt the worst I do believe. You know that feeling you get when you stub a toe real good. It was that x 3 and never let up for about a month. The ribs were pretty bad cause they hurt when I moved, but at least didn't ache if I layed real still on the opposite side.
Anyway, hope you heal up good and right.

Anyone going to any tea parties today? If my back wasn't so sore, I'd be there. Even in our fresh snow.

Asa
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71903:
Me-They and Romeena- To add another dimension, I have read that during the filming of that Singing in the Rain street scene dance, Gene was quite ill with flu-like and other symptoms, yet HE insisted that they go ahead with the making of the scene in order to keep production on schedule. So he did have a good side too. You can imagine what it would be like working with all that water, AND doing all those dance steps feeling like c---, yet he did and one watching the movie would never know his state. As to the other, i think we have all had those personality clashes before, be it at work, church or whereever. He was as human as the rest of us.
Homemaker! good to see you again. My dont the porch look nice and full.
RACING AR PIR THIS WEEK! Varo-o-o-o-o-o-mmm!
Prayers,
MDC

April 15, 2009 - Msg 71904: Ok everything under control here...let me get things done around here...man have I put some hrs in....SPOT
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71905: Afternoon Y'all! Sorry to see so many folks ailing. Hope you all feel better soon. Yeah,Me-they,my head's still attached,thanks for asking. Headache didn't get too bad,so I didn't un-attach it!
I've always heard that William Frawley was a mean old man too,Ro.And that he and Vivian Vance despised each other.Oh,and as much as I love Opie Taylor,I'd be more than happy to help Ron Howard pack his belongings and vacate the USA! Pompous Hollywood know-it-all! Ok,let me put the soapbox back under the Porch.
Mavis, LOL@ your "sending the crud" to the White House comment! Shame on you- hee hee

Congrats,homemaker-you did it!!
Spot,you STILL working? Maybe we should call you "Wonderdog"!
Well,how about chicken,green beans and rice a roni for supper? Key Lime pie for dessert? Y'all come on over. Chicken soup for all the sick Porchsters-good for what ails ya!
*******************
possum under a rock
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71906: Hi All.
SPOT-I', sending all this rain back to you. because I.m sick of looping at it .
For the pass three days rain.

TOM

April 15, 2009 - Msg 71907: Oh man, I have been SO sick today. I was finally able to get out of bed and shower this evening after taking advil and tylenol. Whatever this bug is, it's a mean one.

ASA, how in world did you break all those bones? I can't imagine. Did you used to be a wrestler or something?!

Homemaker is finally in her house. Hooray!

OK, that's all I can do for now...

Boo
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71908: A Life Lesson: Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

Case in Point: Go to YouTube,type in Susan Boyle,/b> and click on the first video that comes up.

possum again
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71909: test
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71910: Sorry about that. Just type in Susan Boyle
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71911: It was all that shimmying over at the Gigolo Club.
C'mon,Boo,you've seen Asa's floor show!
Hope you feel better.Check out Susan Boyle on YouTube!
possum again
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71912:
That's why they call him "pigeon-toed asa!" ha
Tom, hang in there. Hope it stops soon.
We'll take some AFTER the race.
Me-they-I also read that Fred Astaire saw debbie crying on the set because she COULDNT dance, so he took her under his wing and taught her. Interesting.
Ro, i think youre safe to still think ok of Gene and this musical.
Take care,
MDC

April 15, 2009 - Msg 71913:
Tea parties all around the country today!!
mdc
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71914: Hey all. Don't forget the new bound to be a tv land classic is on tonight. Cougar! Top notch entertainment.
Just think if Boo was starring in it. It would be called Boogar. :) Hope you get better soon Boo.
We are getting more snow tonight and tomorrow. This winter will not let go! ARGHHHH

Asa
April 15, 2009 - Msg 71915: Good evening, all. My little newlyweds came back tonight from Lake Tahoe. I picked them up at the airport and took them to dinner, then brought them back here. The bride is enrolled in some online college courses, so she spent an hour here at my computer getting caught up on some assignments, then they loaded up their little car and away they went. Eight hour drive back to Port Aransas, but off they went, because the groom has to go to work in the morning. Ahh, to be young again! They are so cute!!

Well, I'm pooped. I think I'll go watch a bit of TV - but I don't think I can handle the rarified atmosphere on TVLand right now. "The Cougar" - good grief! What are those people thinking? Why don't they show something a bit more intellectual, like Gilligan, or the Hillbillies?

Be blessed, all. --Romeena
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71916: "Boogar", yep, that's about how i feel right now. I loaded up on the meds and went to bed, only to be awakened by a cough that caused an explosion of pain in my throat and head. I gargled with some salt water and took some more advil. This really stinks but it shall pass.

Guess I'll try to go back to sleep...wish me luck. My sister brought me some chloroseptic spray for my throat but it just doesn't seem to be doing the job.

Boo
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71917: Oh, by the way Possum, I watched the video and in the words of Susan Boyle herself, "Bloody fantastic". I'm still smiling.

Boo
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71918:
Morning Folks

It sure is sunny here today, very nice.

Asa-I was wondering just the other day whether you folks still had some winter going on. We still have snow around the edges of the yard but none falling out of the sky.

I have to give a big shout out to our Commander an Chief, B.O. A job well done with those pirates.
I thought for sure they (the pirates) were gonna be made out as victims of imperialism or capitalism or Americanism. No hand wringing, B.O. let the military handle it and they handled it.

Boo-Yep, what you got does sound a lot like what we had. I don't know how it got from NY to Texas.

Great job with those Tea-Parties.

auh2o

April 16, 2009 - Msg 71919:

oops...commander-in-chief, sorry B.O.
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71920: Morning Porch! I agree auh2o I was glad to see he let the military handle then, as it should be. I was also glad to see they got the Portie as the First Dog, at least now the H$U$ can't be using the President as an example to make excuses for all the cr@p bills they are trying to push through in each state. And for that crud that has it's hold on Boo now I know where it came from, it made a stop in TN before it headed out for TX cause I swear what she is describing is just how I have felt the last few days. homemaker how exciting! I'm glad to hear you are finally in your new house! We still aren't in ours, waiting for the weather now can't do much with it raining and there's still backhoe/trackloader work to be done. When's the house warming party? Asa has been lookin for an excuse to wear that lampshade around on his head. Romeena did you get the vintage picture I sent this time, sorry I forgot to attach it last time. Well, best get off here and try to get something done, like get some coffee in my, anybody want some?
*Mavis
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71921: Mornin' y'all! Mavis,could ya just leave some coffee on the Porch? No offense,but I don't want to be around anybody with "The Crud"! Hope you and Boo get rid of it-sounds awful!
Well,Laci's coming later,so I'd better get moving around here.Y'all have a great day!
*******************
possum under a rock
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71922: No coffee, tea or punch thank you Mrs. Wil... Mavis. :) Hope you get better soon too Mavis, you poor thang.

Dang Auh2o, our mountains have got 5 feet of fresh snow the last two days. We had a low pressure that has just parked itself over us. Dang and double dang if I don't feel foolish working on getting sprinkling systems ready for the summer in the midst of a snow storm. I had to shovel snow off a valve box yesterday so's I could rebuild the valve. Crazy I tell you.

I have been wondering how B.O. would handle things. I also am glad he allowed the Military to do their job. As B.O. is our first post America President to serve, I have been wondering how he might do. He did surprise me. (tounge firmly in cheek)
Boo, hope you get better fast also. Sounds like the Pip to me.
Ro and Rafe, wow, your Govenor is certainly causing some stir. Bless his heart. I think something big needs to happen to wake some folks up in this Nation, and y'all may be the ones to do it.

Possum, Your pics at 17 are sure pretty. I imagine you broke a few hearts in your day.

Well guess I'll go see if I'm moving snow today or cutting grass. Supposed to be in the 70's by Monday. This is nuts.

Asa
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71923: Here's an example of some of the stupid bills the H$U$ is pushing. I know Kai has a Betta Fish and Romeena has those fish in the pond. Anyone have hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, parakeet, any bird at all, snake, bearded dragon, gecko, horses even. If this passes, you can keep what you have, but you better not expect to move and take it with you if you move to another state, or take it to a vet in another state, or die and leave it in someone else's care, it ain't happening if this passes, it will be euthanized. Do we not have more pressing problems in this country than things like this?? I mean really, this nonsense just gets my blood boiling. This is just the tip of the ice berg, there are a ton of stupid proposed bills like this out there. http://www.nohr669.com/ you can see more info about it here http://www.pijac.org/files/public/669_Short_W_Comm.pdf
Now, I'm sliding my soapbox back under the porch, but I'm not going to blow it up just yet, this kind of nonsense won't stop right away and I'll need it for later, I'm sure.
*Mavis
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71924: Did see ya'll there possum and Asa ya'll must have been behind my soapbox. I'll leave the coffee for you.
*Mavis
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71925: Good morning (what's left of it) everyone. I hope everyone is having as bright and sunny day as it is here.

Hope all the sickos--I mean sickees (heehee)--are better today.

MAVIS: I understand your frustration over the issue. However, just to give another perspective many of the streams around here and even the Potomac are in danger of losing native species because of the introduction of non-native fish, like the ugly and utterly useless snakefish. The snakefish was introduced several years ago from someone's fish tank and is multiplying like rabbits. Already it's out of control. And that recent incident with the monkey ripping that woman's face off is the latest example of taking an exotic animal out of the wild and making it a pet. Unfortunately, for every exotic pet owner with good sense there is another with none.

I think there is a fear that with non-native and exotic pets becoming so popular more things like the snakefish will happen. It happened with plants in the early 20th century when people sought out exotic foreign species (Dutch Elm Disease, the near extinction of American Chesnut, and Kudzu vine are three examples that began in someone's home garden because of imported plants).

All that said, I think the authors of the bill may be on the right track and well-meaning, but heavy handed. You need to temper any good legislation with good sense. For instance, most tropical fish pose no threat to our waterways if let loose; they would just die. So, while I agree with your frustration with the heavy handed and inappropriate legislation as it now stands, I do agree with the underlying intent.

Is that a leg of lamb I see coming this way...

Me-They
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71926: Good morning, everyone. Me-They, your points are well taken. Florida is now having a significant problem with non-native snakes, such as boa constrictors and pythons, which people have acquired as pets, found them to be less than snuggly and released them into the wild. It's not my intention to offend anyone who finds a snake to be a good pet. To each his own. However, if and when you find you don't love that reptile as much as you thought you would, have the grace to dispose of it properly - take it to a zoo, or a refuge somewhere. I do think some control on exotic species is necessary, but I think it could be effected with the addition of one phrase - "potentially dangerous, or invasive and/or harmful to the environment." That would pretty much leave out goldfish and guinea pigs, but would cover enormous chimpanzees, piranhas, pythons and kudzu cousins. Common sense is what's needed here. By the way, common sense begs the question - while we're preventing the import of invasive species, can we apply that to illegal immigration as well? Personally, I'm much less concerned about my neighbor's gerbils, than I am about the 9 to 11 cars that are crammed around the three-bedroom house down the street every night, after working hours. Talk about invasive species!!

Well, that got my circulation going this morning. Oh yes, Mavis, I did get the photo. Just haven't had time to work on the album. Things should slow down around here a little bit now.

Be blessed, all. --Romeena

April 16, 2009 - Msg 71927: You're too funny, ROMEENA. Well, look at the bright side, at least you don't have to clean the paper in their cage.

Regarding the law, why is it that laws like this end up leaving out the common sense part? I think it may be because they are typically write by the far left or far right. Most of us live somewhere in between.

Have you started sewing the new Texas national flag yet?

M-T
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71928: ROMEENA and BOO and all you nusring types...thought you might like to read this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30231451/?gt1=43001. Take about administratively stupid.

M-T
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71929: Hey to all...getting back to normal around here finally....so herre goes..Lunch:pork chop sandwiches,baked beans,maude slaw,Boo tes...hey Rev,ro,boo,possum,mdc,asa,Tom,m-t,lucy,mavis and all...still cutting up trees for fire wood...back in just a bit...prayers...SPOT
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71930:
Boo- oregano oil will heal your throat.
mdc
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71931: SPOT: I'm glad you made lunch today. Pork chops sound groovy. After what I just read, I won't be having Carl Jr.'s anytime soon:

"THE WORST DRIVE-THROUGH MEAL IN AMERICA

Carl’s Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger with Medium Natural Cut Fries and 32 oz Coke

2,618 calories
144 g fat (51.5 g saturated fat)
2,892 mg sodium
Of all the gut-growing, heart-stopping, life-threatening burgers in the fast food world, there is none whose damage to your general well-being is as catastrophic as this. Consider these heart-stopping comparisons: This meal has the caloric equivalent of 13 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts; the saturated fat equivalent of 52 strips of bacon; and the salt equivalent of seven and a half large orders of McDonald’s French fries!"

M-T

April 16, 2009 - Msg 71932: Me-They boy yer good at ducking that leg o lamb, had alot of practice have you? hehe Seriously, there are already laws on the books covering things like the snakefish and such, it didn't stop anyone from introducing it to the Potomac though did it? This bill they are introducing won't stop that anymore than previous ones did, all it will do is cause more animals being dropped at shelters or just turned loose. And it covers things like the gerbils, hamsters and things along with goats, horses, cows, anything that was not here when we settled here. It's ridiculous, I'm with Romeena we have more pressing concerns than whether someone has a ferret or not. And Romeena I never understood why people wouldn't turn those pythons over to the zoo or whatever when they got too big, but this bill won't allow for that, people can keep what they have, but can't transfer it over to anyone, so giving it to a zoo won't work, it would be put down. Anyway, if we could get common sense involved we would all be a whole lot better off, and like I said, there are more pressing matters at hand. Well, off to potty some dogs, I have one brat barking me to go out. Dadburn it, wish I had seen that Spot fixed lunch before I went and made bologna sammich.
*Mavis
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71933: MAVIS: If the threshhold is animals that were already here when we settled, we're in trouble: everything from Texas Longhorns ot Gurnsies, oven-stuffer-roasters to the Thanksgiving turkey (not to be confused with the skinnier, native wild turkey) are immigrants. (They're legal, ROMEENA.)

Hey there MDC. Where's BOO today?

M-T
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71934:
She didnt stand close enuf to Andy and
got carried off by a hawk! ha

Andy:(to hawk) Now watch your language, there's
ladies present.

To every one of you right-wing extremists..
Have a nice day..we're watching you!
Prayers!
MDC
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71935: Well, I seriously doubt there were any Maltese dogs on these shores when the Pilgrims landed, so that makes Toye Starr an interloper, too. However, I would seriously, very seriously, warn any member of the HSUS or any other hotshot, do-gooder organization against any attempt to remove her from my possession, or prevent me from acquiring another one if (God forbid) anything should happen to Starr. Any such action would earn their representative the distinction of being the first person in recent history to be drowned in a fishpond by an irate 70-year-old woman. In years past, I have been a modest financial supporter of the HSUS, but due to some of their recent idiotic antics, I have withdrawn my meager support. They need to get off their high horse, and cease trying to police things that don't concern them. They should stick to the horse they rode in on, that of protecting and providing refuge for abused and abandoned pets. There's quite enough to do right there, without taking on any other challenges.

Also, as Me-They pointed out, there are plenty of laws on the books already, which if obeyed, would solve the problems. Trouble is, not everyone obeys the law. That kinda goes along with the old saying - "When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns."

Now, I'll risk making somebody mad, but here goes. About the big snakes, I must confess it wouldn't break my heart too badly if they were euthanized, so long as it's done humanely. I don't hate them, but I do have a very healthy respect for them. Some of those things get so big they can easily overwhelm a pet, or potentially a small child. If I lived in Florida and walked out in my back yard and saw one of those things swallowing my dog, you can bet it would die on the spot, and not necessarily in a humane manner. Not the snake's fault, I'll admit, but there are some things that just won't be tolerated. In a Burmese jungle, I'm in his territory, and I would give him the right of way. In my yard, it's a different matter.

I don't know what can be done about the problem of exotics. Limit the import and sale, require licensing, regulate trade and resale - all sound fine, but all assume compliance on the part of the public, and that's not going to happen. There's always the nut who thinks it's cool to have a "pet" tiger or whatever. He's the same nut who enjoys training big, strong dogs to kill other dogs in a pit fight. We haven't succeeded in outlawing that practice, either. Stupid people consistently make bad choices, and even smart people occasionally make bad choices. As Frank Lloyd Wright said, "There is nothing more uncommon than common sense." And as The Preacher said in Ecclesiastes, "There is nothing new under the sun." If the HSUS thinks they're going to change things, they're in for a sad surprise.

Be blessed. --Romeena
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71936: You are right on Romeena and folks like me and you who abide by the laws and do as we are supposed to are the ones that will suffer. Especially because we make ourselves available by purchasing our license and such that is required for our animals, makes us easier to find. I haven't even started on the stupid bill they are trying to pass in TN, the "groomer's bill" if it passes, I'll be closing up shop, I am not going to have some "kid" with 2 years experience grooming come in here and tell me how to do the job I have been doing for nigh on 30 years! Not to mention I'll have to hand the state of TN appx $400 bucks a year for the priviledge of doing business in this state. All of this because some jerk groomer in Nashville area let yet another dog in his care die under a cage dryer, the 4th one this year!! Now, first off WHY was that man still doing business after killing the FIRST dog?? And second, knowing he killed those other dogs due to his negligence, WHY on earth would anyone leave thier dog in his care???? Again, laws on the books already should have taken care of that problem a long time ago, but now every grooming in TN is facing the possibility of more regulations and ridiculous rules because of it. I'm trying to cut back on my working anyway so if this goes through, I'll just quit a little earlier. Well, twice in one day with my soapbox and moulage, have I caught up with Me-They yet?? haha
*Mavis
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71937: make that every ONE grooming in TN
*Mavis
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71938: That's just ridiculous, Mavis. One particular groomer has allowed FOUR dogs to die in his care, under a cage dryer? That sounds like a pretty rough way to go, and I think, as you said, he should have been investigated most rigorously after the first one. As for your WHY questions, answer this, if you please. There is a day care in the Dallas area that left a toddler in their van for hours, parked outside the building. The child died. After some investigation and litigation, the place was allowed to reopen, with the same owner, and parents are still leaving their children there, and get this - DEFENDING the owner! WHY?!? I know, beats me, too. As for the cage dryer deaths, it seems to me that would be a simple problem to solve. Have an automatic timer that sounds an alarm of some sort every 5 or 6 or 8 or whatever number of minutes would be prudent. Someone must go into the drying room to reset it, no other way to do it. That would force observation of the dryer cages. Easy enough. A similar device could be required on any commercial vehicle used for transporting children. Five minutes after the engine is turned off, the horn starts to sound, and someone must return to the vehicle to silence it. One would hope that any child left inside would be seen at that time. Perhaps the "silence" button could be in the back, requiring that someone actually get in or look into the back part of the vehicle. Inconvenient? Yes, most definitely. So is the death of a child. Just an idea...

And on that happy note, I think I'll go watch TAGS. --Romeena
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71939: Bed time for me gang...I work in the morning so maybe I can spend a little time on the porch..storms just made a mess here in ga....prayers...SPOT
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71940: OK, MDC, I will go for the oregano oil right now. I have been to sick to even find it in the cabinet today. I thought today would be better, but it was worse. I ended up dragging my butt to the local country doctor and had a throat culture done to see if I have strep because my throat hurt so bad last night and today that I couldn't sleep, swallow, eat. Everything caused pain and I have had strep infections in my throat before, but nothing like the way this hurt. I have been in misery, and nothing helped. I finally seemed to take a turn for the better late this afternoon but my throat is still pretty sore and I am very weak.

Off to take the oregano oil...

Boo

PS-Romeena, are you gassed?? (referring to the statement about the 70 yr old woman drowning someone in her fishpond....hilarious!)
April 16, 2009 - Msg 71941: Boo, I'm sorry you've been so sick. Sure does sounds like a strep infection. What did the culture show - any results yet?

No, I'm not gassed, just sick and tired of idiotic special interest groups, pushing around equally idiotic bureaucrats and stirring up trouble where there doesn't need to be any. Good grief! Don't we have enough real problems in this country right now, without some wild-eyed Chicken Littles running around scaring themselves and everyone else half to death? First we have Gore trying to convince the world we're all going to either boil or drown, (while some of us are still shoveling snow in April) and now we have the HSUS with their knickers in a twist about non-native animals. I can see them now, running around with butterfly nets, trying to capture all the little English sparrows, because the truth is, they're a non-native species! Now, if they want to go on a campaign to catch and control all the Norway rats in the country, I'd vote for that, and wish them luck. They're not a native species, either. They jumped ship and made it to America a long time ago. Too funny!

Be blessed, all. I'm going to take my fluffy little "illegal immigrant" and head for the ironing board. --Romeena
April 17, 2009 - Msg 71942: One more thing - speaking of idiotic bureaucrats. We have a city council member over in Dallas who is a case in point. I shall refer to him by his initials, M.R. A couple of years ago, a young Boy Scout took on as his Eagle Scout project, the construction and installation of some bat houses in a large lakeside city park, which contains extensive jogging and biking trails. The mosquitoes make the trails unusable in the summer, and the young man reasoned that if some bats could be enticed to live in the houses he built, the mosquito problem would be reduced, and along with it, the threat of West Nile fever, which had been showing up pretty often. The kid got the proper permits, built and installed the houses, and then M.R. got wind of it. He just pitched a big old hissyfit, and insisted that the bat houses be removed. Bats are a threat, a danger to humans! They carry rabies! They will attack you or your pets! He threw out every dire prediction but bat eggs in your hair, and I expected that one to come as well, but he stopped just short of it.

Anyway, he finally made such a big moulage out of it that the boy was asked to take his bat houses down. Later, a curious reporter interviewed M.R. about it, and he finally came clean. Seems he saw a Dracula movie as a kid, and it really scared him, and he has been terrified of bats ever since!! So, because of his irrational fear, the Scout lost his project, the people who would use the trails can't because of the mosquitoes, and the threat of West Nile fever goes unchecked in that area. I'm just glad his parents didn't take him to see "Mothra" when he was a kid. He'd probably have DDT trucks out, spraying for moths.

For cryin' out loud! Yes, bats can carry rabies. Bats are strictly nocturnal, and they are aerial creatures. So, dear M.R., if you see a bat out in the daytime, especially if he's walking around on the ground, for pete's sake, just leave him alone and call animal control. And wear your hat.

A classic. One person, or a group of persons, develops a flawed hypothesis, gets all het up over it (my dad's phrase) and they proceed to get others involved as well. It ends up as a witch hunt, and the whole thing is completely unnecessary.

OK, this time I'm really going to bed. --Romeena
April 17, 2009 - Msg 71943: Good Morning Gang!.Boo firl get better ok...hey Romeena,Tom,Rev,Asa,Mavis,Posssum,Ky,M-T,MDC and all...Asa getting snow/..wow we are gona be in the mid 70"s today and I HOPE no storms...back to normal here at work for now...I got 26 hrs OT this week so far and thats enough...Uncle Sam just eat those pay checks up..well breakfast menu:3 eggs your way,grits,hashbrowns,sausage links,country ham,bisquits and gravy,oj,coffee,milk...ready at 8:15...prayers and I will be hee all day....SPOT