June 28, 2015 - Msg 101809: Back so soon...on an FB mayberry page, this site was mentioned...it is very cool to see the "streets" of mayberry, but also sad as other pages on it show the demo of the set. Still fun to see.
http://www.retroweb.com/40acres_tour.html

MDC
June 28, 2015 - Msg 101810: I swept off ALL the porches! ha
MDC
June 28, 2015 - Msg 101811: ........Yep, that's how it goes in the Manhunt Game, sometimes you Do bag'em.... G-F
June 28, 2015 - Msg 101812: Good evening, porch. PH, those articles were very interesting. The second one is a book! Lots of good information there. Actually, Toye Starr is fine. I really wasn't too worried about her, as she has done this before. I could hear her little tummy rumble, but she wasn't swollen or bloated. No hard places in there, either. On other occasions, her vet has suggested that she might have eaten a bug or something, but in the first place, I don't have bugs in this house, and in the second place, she isn't one of those "mouthy" dogs that has to chew on everything. She never has been, even as a puppy. She carries a toy around all the time, but leaves everything else alone. I do have house plants, but none are dangerous and she doesn't bother them anyway. Bentley, on the other hand, will nibble a leaf now and then, so I've checked out all my plants to be sure none are toxic. As her vet said last time, she just gets a little tiny bellyache now and then!

By the way, did you know that cherry pits can be harmful, even fatal, if a dog eats them? If they swallow them whole, not really a problem, but if they crunch them, and expose the little "nib" inside, it can be a bad thing. That nib contains trace amounts of cyanide, and if a dog ingests several of them, it could cause respiratory arrest. I dealt with that with Sugarplum on three separate occasions, requiring her to have gastric lavage all three times. She was much more inclined to explore her world with her mouth than Toye Starr is.

MDC, that link is great! I'm going to try to see that, in what's left of this month. Also going to forward it to my daughter and her husband, as they're out in Palo Duro Canyon right now, and should have a front row seat for the spectacle. Thanks!

Well, guess I'd better go let Bentley out once more, and then think about heading for bed. Blessings, all. --Romeena
June 29, 2015 - Msg 101813: Boy the critters sure are active at my end of the porch today. I have squirrels, blue jays, cardinals, humming birds, sparrows, woodpeekers, all trying to get their piece of the pie this morning. Sure is funny watching them try to get supremacy of the feeding station. Better than a 10 cent movie!

Asa, I sure hope ya got some "Wheeler" time yesterday so you could give that knee a rest....

MDC, with all the dust storms you've been having, you still had the energy to sweep the porch, Good on Ya! 👍

G-F....
June 29, 2015 - Msg 101814: Howdy GF. I took a dose of gout medicine Saturday morning and it did wonders for me. I was still sore, but by 8:00 or so I could at least walk. Amazing stuff that Colcrys.

Hot hot hot here. Triple digits all week. Sissy stuff compared to what MDC gets. But still dang hot!

Ro, glad that Toye Starr is better and that Bentley is doing so well. Great news.

Better get back on the a/c's.

Asa
June 29, 2015 - Msg 101815: Good morning, porch. Asa, have you tried drinking tart cherry juice to help your gout? I was reading something about it just last night, in a newspaper column written by a husband-and-wife pharmacist team. They quoted stories they've received from readers who have used the juice. You can get it in any large grocery store. I have no personal experience with it, but it might be worth a try.

Bentley is a bit mopey this morning. He misses his family! He loves me, and he loves Toye Starr, but we're just not his "own" family, and he's very much a member of that family. He goes with them almost everywhere, even to the boys' baseball games, unless it's too hot for him, or the field doesn't allow dogs. I love keeping him, he's so good and obedient. I don't know if all soft-coated Wheaten Terriers are like him, but he's a winner for sure. He and Toye Starr look like Mutt and Jeff together, with him at 45 lbs and her at 4.5 lbs, but they play all the time and never have a squabble. They're so much company for me. I just cannot imagine my life without a little canine companion. Or two.

Blessings, porch! --Romeena
June 29, 2015 - Msg 101816: Hi, me again. I ordered a "mosquito barrier" from Amazon recently. It's basically a concentrated garlic juice, which will be diluted in a pump sprayer and sprayed on all the shrubs and everything else around the house. There are recipes for making garlic tea on the internet, and I know they work, but this is just so convenient. Add three ounces to the sprayer tank, fill with water, pump 'er up, and away you go! All the anecdotal evidence I've found indicates that it works! I haven't been able to apply it yet because of the frequent rains, but this week looks pretty dry, so I guess I'll get to spraying. I hope it works, because the mosquitoes are unbelievable right now, after all that rain. They're huge, there are thousands of them out there, and they're vicious. I don't dare go outside in the early morning or late afternoon and evening. They must just torment any poor animal that lives outside.

Well, guess I'll go round up something to eat. The pups have been pottied and fed, and are kicked back in the living room, sound asleep. Bentley likes to sleep on his back, back legs sprawled out, front paws folded over his chest. He's a sight. Toye Starr gets between my chair and the ottoman and curls into a tiny doughnut. She actually could curl up on a dinner plate, and leave a little room all the way around. She is just so little, but she's all there, and it all works! She has no idea she's so little, and bosses all the bigger dogs in the family. They funny thing is, they allow it! They indulge her, and treat her like a bossy little toddler. I've seen each of them, at one time or another, step back from a dish of food, to allow her to have it. The only exception was when my daughter got a new dog, a rescue. The first time Toye Starr trotted up to him to join him at his dish, he growled at her. She stopped, confused, but my daughter's other dog who knew Starr well, growled at the new dog and clearly told him that wasn't acceptable. The new dog stepped back and Toye Starr moved in. I let her have a few bites, to make sure the new dog had the message, then I removed the princess and let him finish his meal. She's utterly defenseless, but she doesn't know it. So, the respect and indulgence they have toward her is her best defense.

OK, this time I'm gone. --Romeena
June 29, 2015 - Msg 101817: That just may work Romeena, the skeeters eat it and nobody wants a skeeter with garlic breath so they don't reproduce... Just like novacane, it takes a few minutes but works every time!

Asa, I heard that too about cherries, I've been chowing down on them while they are in season. Except today it's damp and cool so not so much relief for a aching hip...." Where's the Tylenol?"... I need some of MDC's "dry heat".... Ha!

G-F.....
June 30, 2015 - Msg 101818:
MDC, since you posted that nostalgic TAGS 40 acre link at the top of this page, I have something to add.
Back in the 1950's, Desi Arnez and his wife, Lucille Ball, co-owned Desilu Studios in Hollywood California. Desilu Studios is where they filmed television shows such as "I Love Lucy", "The Ann Southern Show", "The Untouchables", "Sheriff of Cochise", "Dick Van Dyke Show", "My Three Sons", "Star Trek", "Gomer Pyle" and "Mission Impossible". In 1957 when Desi and Lucy purchased the old RKO studios (that included the 40 acre outdoor where the exteriors of the town of Mayberry would be filmed), Desi hired a helicopter and film photographer to take aerial film of his studios and outdoor lot. You can watch this film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWrEatLx-wM . At about 1:57, you will be able to see the 40 acre lot where TAGS would be filmed in a couple of years.
Then watch the first ten seconds of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWrEatLx-wM where you can see what the 40 acre lot looked like during the time they filmed TAGS.

from Poor Horatio
June 30, 2015 - Msg 101819: GF--Why do all those baseball clubs want a piece of pie?? Thought joke. You'll "get it" in a minute. And regarding those skeeters, do they then smoke a cigarette? haha
Hey, I see that Sizemore just got gipped out of a perfect game. :(
Did any of you look at those Tags pictures?? Hard to believe that many were just "fronts."
Speaking of COZI TV, I watch the Patty Duke show and Mr Ed sometimes. Two more classics.

RO and all, we have had cloud cover here, hoping it is clear for watching onTuesday night. Signs and wonders!
Well time to hit the sack.
God bless, be a light to the world!!
MDC

June 30, 2015 - Msg 101820: Hi PH, you sneaked in there!

June 30, 2015 - Msg 101821: Yep, MDC, it took me I minute to get it...haha Yes Grady Sizemore did it to his old buddies, it would have been nice to see that kid get a perfect game, the Indians need all the encouragement they can get at this point! They sure have been struggling this year. I think they are 10 games back, maybe they can get on a "Hot" streak sine the LeBron show is no longer in town!...lol

PH that was a neat video, Desi & Lucy sure had themselves an Empire back in the day! I agree MDC it was hard to believe most of the sets were just fronts... A lot of smoke and mirrors in Hollyweard even back in those days.... Not to speak of now (in more ways than one) ...True...True!

G-F.....
June 30, 2015 - Msg 101822: Who has seen the movie Desi and Lucy movie "The Long Trailer" great old movie...SPOT
June 30, 2015 - Msg 101823: Lucy.... You got alota splaining to do about how long this trailer is....lol Here ya go SPOT...G-F
http://youtu.be/QNC5Dn0Dtnc
June 30, 2015 - Msg 101824: Even our Floyd has a small part! I had forgotten that...G-F
June 30, 2015 - Msg 101825: Good morning, porch! Beautiful day here, but gonna be hot! I guess we'd better just get used to that, with July and August, and even September coming up.

Thanks, G-F, for that video. I had forgotten that movie, but it's really a good one. Maybe I can find it on Netflix. Fun to see old Marjorie Main again. She always reminded me of a great-aunt of mine. "Country" as lye soap, heart as big as Texas, and funny!

Enjoyed the Desilu videos too, PH. I'm always amazed at how natural everything looks, when actually, just a foot or so out of the camera's range, the real world is there. Sometimes on TAGS you could tell it was a set, like when the front door to the courthouse would open and the "street" was visible - it looked like a painting, and probably was - but all in all, the make-believe world works pretty well.

One thing bugs me, though. I watch "The Golden Girls" a lot, and the exterior shots of their house absolutely do not match up with the configuration of the house inside. Their front door appears to open into a small courtyard, which appears to exit to the left, presumably to the driveway, since in one scene Rose looks out the front door to look for her car. However, in the exterior shots, that courtyard appears to be completely closed off, no way out. Also, the interior shots don't coincide with each other, either. We see them leaving the kitchen through an unseen door to the left of the scene, and they're heading for the garage. Yet, in the scenes in the living room, the area where the garage supposedly was is their patio, and a totally unused little glassed-in room. Drives me nuts!

Well, gotta run. Eloise and I are going to get some lunch and mouse around a bit. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
June 30, 2015 - Msg 101826: Romeena if you guys "mouse" around maybe you can find a friend for your rat... Then maybe he'll leave YOU alone... Ha!
July 01, 2015 - Msg 101827: So that was a long trailer for the Long Long Trailer? ha There's one for RO's esl class!
Funny to see Lucy moving around the front seat, not seat belt, etc, and two twin beds on a honeymoon? teehee
I hope everyone is doing OK these days.
We have a "cooling trend" of 105s and 106s, but humidity is up.
Prayers,
MDC
July 01, 2015 - Msg 101828: 'no' not 'not.'
July 01, 2015 - Msg 101829: Anyone go out and see the Bethlehem Star tonight, where Venus and Jupiter converged very close together? The last time it happened was 2000 years ago.
Signs and wonders.

Don't really want to say anything to make you jealous, MDC, but it really was pretty cool here today, in the 70's. 106 WITH humidity?? Yuck. Hope your air conditioning is working for you.

Have a good night everyone.

-Sterling Holobyte
July 01, 2015 - Msg 101830: How's that knee Asa, I was thinking of you while I ate my morning cherries 🍒🍒🍒...

Yep Sterling, been rainy and cool here too.. Tick-a-lock to MDC.. It's a shame he has a "moist" heat to deal with now, not fun I'm sure!

Better get back to some weeding, when it heats up everything will blast with growth...🌻🌱🌾

G-F....
July 01, 2015 - Msg 101831: Good morning, porch! It's going to be a hot and sticky day here in the Dallas area. It's just 84° right now, with a light breeze, but I haven't lived here all these year without learning something. This afternoon, the breeze will die down, the heat will rise and my back yard will be a sauna. As for those growth blasts you mentioned, G-F, you are so right. Unfortunately, that includes the weeds. As soon as Joe can schedule it, I've got to have a weeding day around here, and a pruning day and a spraying day and a - oh, well. There's just a lot to do.

Brittney will pick Bentley up sometime today. I'm glad! Not that I mind having him here, I don't. I love him, and he's as good as gold, no trouble at all. He's just so mopey when his family is gone. He's just visibly sad, and it's so pitiful to watch. When she walks in the door, he'll absolutely rejoice, and will begin trying to herd her toward the door. If he could talk, he would be saying "Let's go home, Mom, let's go home!"

Well, guess I'll go rustle up a little lunch. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
July 01, 2015 - Msg 101832: Romeena.... Weeding, Pruning, Spraying, all in all, It's a fun day!....lol
July 01, 2015 - Msg 101833: Weeding, spraying, pruning. Add fly killing to the list and you have a real barn burner Ro. :)

Hey GF, The knee is feeling pretty good. Not 100%, but close, thanks for asking. I have tried the cherry tart and other stuff but it just doesn't seem to make a lot of difference. But the Colcrys kicks it's behind. Before I started using that, they had me on a lot of different things, but the results were not that great. But the Colcrys will clear it out in a day or two. Happy I found it.

Well got the Grandkids coming over for a sleepover tonight. I'm off work until next Tuesday, so I am going to stop on the way home from work and pick up some pizzas.

Prayers for all.

Asa
July 01, 2015 - Msg 101834: Good afternoon, porch! It's a clear day, very hot but not as bad as I expected. it's 93° at 4:45, and very humid, but the little breeze from this morning has stayed with us, and it helps. Eddie has been here, so the yard is in good shape, and Adrian came and cleaned the pond, which was really a mess, so everything looks good. The heat and the sunshine have really brought on an algae bloom in the pond, and that water can get like pea soup in just a day or two. When Adrian pulled the filters, they were just thick with sludge. Clean filters will help some, and she put some Algae-fix in the water, so that will start thinning it down a bit. My beautiful ivory and gold koi apparently has fallen victim to that miserable bird. I hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks, but koi can hide for long periods of time. However, with all that Adrian did out there today, we would have seen her. There was a fairly large hole in the net, about two feet square, and the bird probably nabbed her as she swam beneath that hole. The net is old and decaying, tears very easily. I've got to replace it. I really hate to lose that fish, she was gorgeous. It hurts me to think of her sliding that blasted bird's gullet.

Well, Brittney is on her way home from Conroe, should be here shortly. Bentley will be thrilled. He has really moped around. That sweet boy loves his people!

Asa, I'm glad you get relief from your gout with the Colcrys. I know you're probably aware of all the side effects and cautions with colchicine. It's an old-time drug, and a good one, but there are some caveats. Here's a link: https://www.colcrys.com/?gclid=COfvtMTyusYCFQmCaQod3cQAYw.

I know gout can be terribly painful. I've never had it, but I've cared for patients who did. I'm just glad there's something that works for you, and the cautions on it aren't hard to follow.

Blessings, friends. Have a good evening. --Romeena
July 01, 2015 - Msg 101835: Sterling, we had cloud cover all last night, how did the star look. I saw NOTHING on the news about it!?
Hope your day is good.
MDC
July 01, 2015 - Msg 101836: Thanks for the link Ro. I hate taking any meds if I can help it. And the only time I take the Colcrys is when I have a bad gout flare. That seems to happen 3 maybe 4 times a year. And I only take the prescribed amount. 2 pills and 1 more an hour later and that's it. Sometimes I may take another pill the next day, or a second dose the next day if it is a bad flare like I had Saturday. I avoid the foods they say to ignore, and consume the stuff they say to consume. But nothing seems to make a difference. There is one thing I have discovered that will trigger a flare though. Weight loss. Especially if I do it to fast. For whatever reason, I know that will kick it in. And I think getting dehydrated triggers it also. I try really hard to drink a lot of water, especially in this heat. But as GF can attest to, sometimes your up on a roof, working on an a/c unit, and time gets away from you. I think that is what happened last week to me. But we all have our ailments, don't we. Keeps us humble. :)

Asa
July 01, 2015 - Msg 101837: Good evening, porch. Just got home at 10:20. Went to dinner with Eloise and Jerry and Brittney. Bentley is with his mom now. He's a happy puppy.

The sky was clear tonight, and I could see the Jupiter/Venus conjunction clearly. It's really beautiful. Actually, all you see is what looks like a very, very bright star. The two planets are so close together, that they appear as one. I think it would take a very powerful optical instrument to see the division. Then Regulus (as star) is just to the right of them, to add further interest. I think a lot of people will not realize what they're seeing, and will think that the conjunction is Venus and will think Regulus is Jupiter, but that's not the case.

Asa, you're right about hydration having an effect on gout. When you're dehydrated, the crystals that cause gout are much more prone to form. Hydration is very, very important! I know how it is - I have a tendency to run around in a chronic state of dehydration. Sometimes it will be mid-afternoon and I'll realize I've had nothing to eat or drink since I got out of bed. Not smart, but I do it now and then. I just get busy, and forget. I can well afford to forget to eat, but I should never go without drinking water.

Well, better turn in. I'm going with Eloise to a doctor appointment in the morning, need to get up early. Blessings, friends. --Romeena
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101838: ASA--you are a humble one for sure. I pray for your healing. It is clear tonight and the stars are "separated" a bit, but still very bright as they are very "close" (a few 100 million miles)to the earth. Pretty cool! I've heard that our current probe heading to jupiter has been on its journey for five years now!! wow
ALL--yes, I cant say enuf about hydration, especially this time of year. I always take a water bottle with me whenever I head out. Asa, could you throw a bottle in with your tools as
you head up the ladder?
APB for missing porchsters.
ME-TV eps tonight were the produce salesmen and the mayberry band!
Both good ones. I got me a little skin! ha
The missus and I are heading to a baseball game on July 4, eat a hot dog or two, and then after the game they will open
the roof and put on a fireworks show! America has had plenty of problems lately, and I pray that people will wake up,
but I still love her. We need to bless God and I pray that he will then continue to bless this land.
MDC

July 02, 2015 - Msg 101839: Ah, I thought I was seeing the two a little apart, but it must have been Regulus I was seeing next to them, thanks Romeena.

What was interesting to me was that the double "star"(and Regulus) were the only things visible to me in that area and for a very wide space around the sky. It was not until I turned to the East that I saw one or two more stars in the sky(along with the moon, which was very bright yesterday as well).

MDC, I didn't see anything about it on the news either yesterday, though in fairness I didn't really watch much news either. I did see some stuff online about it from those news channels today when I did a search on the phenomena. I am surprised they mentioned it at all, actually. Since the one that happened 2000 years ago(possibly) was a sign of the birth of Christ, and some are wondering if this one is a sign of His return.
Though when I hear things like that I have to temper it with Matthew 24:23 which states, "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not."
I don't know if this would be the same context, however. And Acts did mention "Wonders in the Heavens".
Oh well, I am sure when He makes His arrival, we will all know for sure.

-Sterling Holobyte
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101840: Good Thursday porch, hope everyone is doing ok.

Its raining on my end of the porch, supposed to rain all day and tonight as well. We need the rain on my end of the porch. Its been hot and very dry so far this summer.

summer is rolling along, 2015 is half finished.

taking off tomorrow and plan to grill ribs, chicken, corn on the cob on Saturday. might even stir up an apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

better get to work. everyone have a blessed day.
Prayers for everyone and our Country.
Big Maude







July 02, 2015 - Msg 101841:
Sterling Holobyte, regarding what you posted about the "Star of Bethlehem" in Msg 101829, I'm afraid you have been misled, and it is not your fault. A story that appears on the internet claims that this 2015 conjunction has not occurred since 3BC when it is believed the time when Jesus was born. In reality, there have been many Venus/Jupiter conjunctions between 3BC and 2015. For larger separations, Venus/Jupiter conjunctions occur as often as three times a year. And for more smaller separations, they occur as often as every 3.3 years. They all differ by the amount of separation, the location on earth where they could be seen, and whether they can be seen in the morning or evening. Also, it seems that when the separation is less than a degree of arc, those get the most publicity. It is possible that the 2015 conjunction was as bright as the 3BC conjunction. The separation in 3BC was about 0.16 degrees and the separation in 2015 was about 0.30 degrees. Also, the location where these conjunctions can be seen changes because of the earth's rotation. As an example, the conjunction that occurred in 3BC was visible directly over the Middle East and that is why many believe it was the "Star of Bethlehem". The conjunction that occurred in 1210 was too close to the sun to be observed. The conjunction that occurred in 1570 was over the southern Atlantic Ocean and could only be seen by ships at sea. The one that occurred this year was over North America and could be seen by many, so that is probably why there was so much publicity about it.
As for any religious significance, remember that these conjunctions can only be seen in certain locations that change all the time. What significant religious events occurred during the conjunctions between 3BC and 2015? Also, would a conjunction viewable from the Middle East be of more significance that one viewable from North America?
Something to think about.

from Poor Horatio
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101842: Good morning, porch. And good morning to you, PH. As usual, you have provided the porch with some accurate and interesting information. Your explanations are correct, of course. As usual, news and word-of-mouth reporting will take truth and either lose part of it or add assumptions to it. For example, the report that Jupiter and Venus have not formed this conjunction since 3BC is both wrong and right. It's wrong in that they do indeed "meet" like this every 3.3 years. It's right in that this exact, precise conjunction as seen from the US has not occurred since 3BC. I would like to know how this conjunction appeared to people in the Middle East. Where, exactly, in the sky did they see it? For me, here in Texas, it's very low in the western sky. To see it here in the city, one has to be standing in a street that runs east/west, because if there are houses or tree lines nearby, it's obscured. My son in Florida is getting some wonderful views of it, because he can see it from his dock, which provides a due-west view over a lake with about a half-mile circumference. My daughter and SIL are out in Palo Duro Canyon in West Texas this week, so from just about anywhere out there they have an unobstructed view. Personally, I have to stand in the middle of my street and hope no cars come by!

As far as the relative significance of the sight, as viewed from one country or another, I think it's possible that God is just tapping America on the shoulder right now, to remind us that He's still there. And boy, do we need that reminder!

I think of Psalm 8:3-4: "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; 4What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?…"

How on earth can anyone with more than three brain cells think that this all just "happened"? Some mysterious, very dense and heavy "dust speck" just blew up one day, and flung expandable dust everywhere, and it all settled into the universe, everything moving in a slow and graceful dance, precisely timed so that we can predict that Jupiter/Venus conjunction every 3.3 years, and it just keeps on working, apparently keeps expanding, and not even Steven Hawking can tell us where it ends! Actually, I guess it doesn't end, because if it ended, then what would be beyond that? Nothing? Well, define "nothing." Empty space? Okay, what's beyond that? It boggles the mind. Same with time. No end? Impossible. These are unanswerable questions, and since my human intellect tells me that all questions must have an answer, until a human emerges who can answer them (don't hold your breath) I will continue to believe in a Creator who holds those answers. So complicated, yet so simple.

Well, enough. I'm going with Eloise to see a doctor today about some pain in her hands and wrists. Probably carpal tunnel, so we're going to the doc who did my carpal tunnel releases (bless him) and see what he thinks. Blessings, y'all! --Romeena
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101843: One more thing - about that mysterious dust speck. Exactly where did it come from, just floating around out there in unending space for who knows how long? Anybody got any ideas? --Romeena
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101844: I could be wrong, Poor Horatio. Wouldn't be the first time. Though for whatever degrees of separation of the planets may have had in the past, and leading up to today, some celestial event happened back "in the day" which caused the wise men to travel from "the East", which could have been very likely Persia or anywhere in the Middle East.
In fact it is also likely possible that the "star" or configuration thereof was seen only by people in that part of the world, since the Scriptures do not mention anyone else seeing it.

Maybe this current event was of no religious significance and is only interesting to astronomers, who knows?. Personally, I think there is much in the vast heavens which "declare the glory of God", and this is a part of that.
I like your statement, Romeena, on the possibility of God "tapping America on the shoulder". It is interesting that this celestial event coincided closely with our becoming a modern-day Sodom.
But whatever the reason, this event is one of many that amazes me as it is part of the wonder of God's creation.

Have a good day, everyone, and keep looking up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

-Sterling Holobyte
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101845: Romeena, you bring up a very good question about where did the speck come from. Some may counter your question with where did God come from? As for me, I don't have an answer to either question.

For anyone who wants to listen to an argument about whey "evolution is stupid", there is a series of videos over at YouTube that features Kent Hovind (a former high school science teacher and currently an evangelist). Although most of his videos are quite lengthy, I enjoy listening to him provide interesting facts about this subject. If you have some spare time, check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8DDIe_2cHM

Speaking of humbling experiences, I have something else to offer. Voyager 1 is a satellite that was launched by NASA in 1977. Traveling continuously since that time, today it is near the end of our solar system. But back in 1990, Voyager 1 was about 3.7 billion miles away from the Earth. That's when astronomer Carl Sagan asked NASA to turn the cameras around to allow photographs of planets in our solar system. Among the photographs that were taken was a famous image of Earth (see link below). Carl Sagan called this photograph "The Pale Blue Dot". That blue circle was added to help the viewer locate our planet Earth. I feel humble every time I look at it.

Finally, this may be two month old news, but I had to post it here. Believe it or not, the AVERAGE salary for a player in Major League Baseball reached $4 million a year in 2015. Now that may be hard for some people to comprehend. So let's look at one example. Andrew McCutchen plays centerfield for the Pittsburg Pirates major league baseball team. In May of this year, he accidentally left his pay stub in the locker room where it was found by some unnamed person who posted it on the internet. Want to see a pay stub for a $427,098.49? Check it out at http://deadspin.com/lets-take-a-look-at-andrew-mccutchens-pay-stub-1706188663

from Poor Horatio
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101846: PH, I played church softball/fumble all for 20 yrs. it didn't pay like that but the fellowship was pricele$$... I suppose that is one of the reasons I'm not so mobile these days... Lol

G-F....⚾️
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101847: Good afternoon, porch. Back from the doctor with Eloise, he just put a shot of cortisone in her wrist and told her she didn't need surgery at this point. She's hoping she never does!

Sterling, it all amazes me, too. Just the part we can see in the heavens is so vast, and to think it goes on and on, presumably forever, since no one has found a stopping place yet - that's just beyond my power to understand.

You're right, the scripture doesn't mention anyone in any other part of the world seeing the Star, but then I don't think the scripture says anything about there even being people in the rest of the world, does it? At that time, I think they thought they were all the people that existed. I don't think they even knew there was a "rest of the world." The only scripture I can think of that just might be referring to the unknown world, is when Christ stated in John 10:16: "16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." He was speaking to Jewish followers, and I believe it's generally thought that He was referring to the Gentiles around them. However, He could have been alluding to people in the unknown world, or even (??) referring to people on other planets. That's a bit of a reach, I admit. Oh, there's just so, so much that we don't know, and I believe aren't supposed to know.

PH, I'll check out that link a little later. For now, I'll just say that it always amuses me when someone declares with a smug smirk that they can "prove" evolution, and then proceeds to give you a perfect example of adaptation within a species. Adaptation and evolution are two entirely different things, and because adaptation exists, that doesn't mean that evolution is true. Evolution requires one species to gradually morph into another species, and that just doesn't happen. Adaptation was dramatically demonstrated by the "Peppered Moth" in England during the industrial revolution. Check it out: http://www.mothscount.org/text/63/peppered_moth_and_natural_selection.html. Yes, they moths changed dramatically in appearance, but they were, and still are, moths. They didn't become birds, butterflies or kitty cats.

Well, gotta run. Blessings, friends. --Romeena
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101848: Ha! I just went back to that link to close it out, and decided to give it a closer read. Here's what I found: It is one of the best known examples of evolution by natural selection, Darwin's great discovery, and is often referred to as 'Darwin's moth'. I could hardly believe what I was reading. It flatly states that this process is "evolution by natural selection", when it is nothing of the sort. It's adaptation within a species. As I noted earlier, the moths are still moths. They didn't "evolve" into anything else. They just adapted to their surroundings by gradually changing colors to match the trees they were resting on. The moths didn't do it, it happened because the birds who ate the moths naturally ate the ones whose color pattern didn't match the background, and obviously left alone the ones who did match. Those who matched survived because the birds didn't "select" them and went on to reproduce moths like themselves. How can an article like this linked one miss the point completely? I didn't see that statement when I scanned the article at first, or I wouldn't have linked it. Sorry! --Romeena
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101849: PH, and Ro, have you ever heard of www.genesissciencenetwork.com ? It is a 24 hour station which proclaims the Good News through and with, science. I watch it on my Roku player mostly, and it has lots and lots of good stuff!

One of the speakers I really like is a guy named Mike Snavely, who is head of a site called MissionImperative. He teaches in such an easy-to-understand way, even a dummy like me can grasp it. He also has a very likable, entertaining instructing style. I am even thinking about getting some of his dvds.

There are lots of other good instructors and subjects, from dinosaurs, to mathematics and God's hand in them, to a myriad of other subjects. Poor Horatio, there was a guy I saw on there once named Eric Hovind. Don't know if he is related to Kent, but he teaches the same kind of stuff.

Anyway, check it out if you want.

-Sterling Holobyte
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101850: PH, I have a good one for you to research, as I stated in post #101846 I played "fumbleball" for 20yrs. So what is fumbleball? It is played like softball except the ball is softer and the seams are turned inside out. In it's day it was played big time all over the Canton Ohio area ( The Football Hall of Fame town). The only other area in the country it was played in was the Milwaukee area. With the seams turned out , the ball did all kinds of aerodynamic tricks, and the more the ball got hit the softer it got, so it took a good player to knock it out of the park... Curious if anyone has heard of it before?
TOM may have, being he lived in Cleveland at one time..
When I pitched, with the raised seams a guy could put a real spin on his pitch I had a wicked curveball back in the day.
It was a Crazy but fun game...

G-Fumbler....
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101851:
Sterling Holobyte, Eric Hovind is the son of Kent Hovind. And although both of them are full-time evangelists, they seem to have separate ministries and web sites.

G-F, although I played a lot of amateur baseball, I never heard of fumbleball. Probably the closest we every came was playing with a plastic bat and a wiffle ball. Pitchers could make that wiffle ball do crazy things. And trying to hit it out of the infield took a lot of effort and luck.
Since you challenged me to find something about fumbleball, here is what I found http://www.onetanktrips.com/2015/03/10/the-fumbleball-hall-of-fame-and-other-canton-things/

from Poor Horatio
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101852:
G-F, I just thought of something. When we used to play softball, there were two different versions. There was fast-pitch softball that used a 12" circumference softball and all the fielders wore mitts. And there was slow-pitch softball that used a 16" circumference softball and all the fielders used their bare hands, no mitts. I wonder if fumbleball is related to one of these versions.

from Poor Horatio
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101853: Good job PH, I knew you could find it! There is not much on the internet about fumbleball, but you found a great link. Did you notice the balls? Those seams, the stories they created!

Neil Zurcher's one tank trips, He drove a 1959 Nash Metropolitan most of the time. He had a show on a Cleveland TV station every week and he'd go to attractions that fell within his one tank capacity. It was a really neat show. I'm sure TOM remembers it too. When he did the trip to Canton on the link, he mentioned Kennedy's BBQ where you can watch them do the meats on the spits, and follow it off with a trip to Taggart's Ice cream shop... If you ever go to the Football HOF you gotta stop at those places. Actually they are less than a mile from it. They are some of Canton's oldest establishments....

Thanks for the memory blasts!! You get an.... A+

Great times back in the days... I sure do miss them!....

G-F...😋
July 02, 2015 - Msg 101854: Hey Asa, if you watch PH's link they mention Yankee Catcher Thurman Munson going to Kennedys BBQ, he often went there before he went hunting...lol, Lol, LOL, if you remember my hunting story.... G-F again
July 03, 2015 - Msg 101855: POOR Horatio, did you forget the link to the"blue dot"? I dont see it.
As for the paystub, I'm guessing it aint Barney's! ha But I am kinds mixed on it being shown online. True, he should not have left it, but I know i wouldnt want mine online, but then again, it would bring a LOT of laughter to the world! ha
GF--regarding fumble ball, I thought you were just referring to your softball "prowess" at first, or lack there of! ha
That link mentioned some great old hall-of-famers!
Paryers,
MDC

July 03, 2015 - Msg 101856: MDC, Some games that was true, in my younger days I played in the outfield and a high pop up would come my way and the ball would take a funny dive, so sometimes that was true! Hard to explain the antic's but that ball had a mind of it's own.
Later on I played catcher, then finished with pitcher, it was safer than catching. To this day I have one thumb shorter than the other because of a play at the plate....(but I held onto the ball) and got the guy out!! This was a CHURCH league too! If memory serves me I think that team we played must have been one of those "traveling religions".....lol
But there were "bar" leagues too, now those were a rough bunch of characters! The local pubs would sponsor them and after the games they would go back and relive the games and medicate their pains away with some "adult consumerable beverages!"....lol Where as we went for ice cream.... I think Springsteen sang a song about "Glory Days"....lol

G-F

July 03, 2015 - Msg 101857: Morning all.

Hey GF, Yessir, I remember your hunting story. :)

I played a lot of church ball in my day also. Basketball and softball. And to this day I have a bent index finger to prove it. Ha! Just last week I was conducting our mens group meeting, and our Church is having a blood drive. I was trying to recruit donors by reminding them they probably lost more blood during a church basketball game than they would lose donating a pint. That got a laugh or two.

GF, I got a call yesterday from my co-worker. It seems one of our commercial buildings we rent out was hotter than you know what. As I was trying to walk him through what to check, we determined a compressor had most likely gone out. He was up on the roof in 100 degree weather, mentioning fighting wasps. And I was in my nice cool house thinking I planned my vacation well. lol Not lol-ing to loud though, because I have been in the past, and will be in the future on the other end of that deal. I just try to appreciate those times when I am on the nice side of those days.

I wanted to remind Frank Myers that Sci-Fy is running it's traditional Twighlight Zone marathon tomorrow. Always a lot of TAGS folks on TZ.

Well I think I'll go to the store this morning and get my shopping done today. Maybe find something I can throw in the crock pot. Anyone have any ideas?

Asa
July 03, 2015 - Msg 101858: Good morning, porch. Well, I woke up to phone calls from folks who had read my letter to the editor of the "Morning News." I write them all the time, some are printed, some are not, but they did choose to print this one, having to do with that disgraceful "light show" our Dear Leader allowed to take place at the White House. I still just can't believe he did that. Sometimes I think his lack of respect knows no bounds.

Asa, I'm glad you're getting some time to just kick back and rest, and not fighting heat and wasps right now. How much longer will you be off work?

Looks like we may get a little rain this afternoon. I sure do hope so, but I've got to have a weeding day around here before long. Not only are the weeds two feet tall in some of the beds, but they're going to seed! Sure can't have that. Oh well. One day at a time. Right now I have to wait for the rent checks to arrive before I can start spending.

Blessings, friends! --Romeena