September 12, 2015 - Msg 102651: Good morning, porch. MDC, I just saw (again) your first entry on this page when I opened it. I read it before, but got caught up in other things, and forgot that I had intended to respond to that. So, here goes...

When Dale came home from Korea, he was sent to Blytheville Air Force Base in Arkansas. We lived just over the state line in Caruthersville, MO, in a tiny duplex apartment. It was a great place to live. Think "To Kill A Mockingbird", and you have a mental picture of Caruthersville. It was a two-block walk to the banks of the Mississippi. Our duplex was half of an old house, just like the ones in the movie, big front porch and all. We had a big old farmhouse-style kitchen, but for some reason, the stove was a tiny, gas-burning, apartment-style thing. There was a small oven, with a "broiler" section below. Actually, there was just the one array of gas jets, that performed both functions. When the jets were burning, they heated the oven, and would also broil any steak or whatever that was placed in the lower drawer. Not that we ever had steak!

To light that array of gas jets, there was a little hole, actually the end of a tube, that stuck up right in the front of the floor of the oven. You turned on the gas, struck a match and held it over that tube (from which gas was spewing) and it would ignite the jets. Sorta-kinda. I don't know if the tube was partially clogged or what, but it wouldn't light right away, and sometimes not for many seconds, and meanwhile, gas was rushing from all those jets.

After getting "flashed" a time or two, though not as badly as your mom - no harm done, and I still had my eyebrows - I developed a system. I would light the match, place it carefully over the end of that little tube, turn the gas on full force and run! At barely 20 years old, I was pretty fast in those days! I'd hide around a corner, peek toward the kitchen and wait until there was a loud, thudding "Fooom!" and the oven was lit! Then I'd go adjust the gas flow, retrieve my incinerated matchstick, and proceed with preparing our meal.

One day, Dale arrived home a little earlier than usual, and I didn't see him come in. He kept quiet, standing in our bedroom, and watched the whole process. The oven belched fire like a dragon, threatening to ignite the curtains across the room, and the sound it produced was like a mortar shell landing. I'm sure the neighbors wondered about that mysterious sound that emanated from our apartment now and then. As I retrieved my charred match, I heard laughter, and looked up to see my gorgeous husband holding on to the door facing, and laughing so hard the tears came. He came to me and folded me into a huge bear hug, and said, "Baby, do you go through that every time you light the stove?" I admitted that I did, and he laughed all the more, especially knowing my fear of fire. He finally released me from his bear hug, and vowed to fix the stove. He did it, too. He just ran a pipe cleaner down into that tube a few times, and it worked fine after that. Oh, my. The memories I have of those sixteen months spent in that little apartment. Good memories, every one. --Romeena
September 12, 2015 - Msg 102652: Wow! Guess that oven igniting blew us to another page, so MDC's entry to which I was responding is on the previous page. Don't get up, just keep rocking, I swept already. --Romeena
September 12, 2015 - Msg 102653: Romeena, your story puts Barney's "blewie" statement into perspective...lol I have had to work on some furnaces that acted the same way too.. Right Asa?...

I had a lady call me one cold night about midnight, she said her furnace exploded when it came on, she had a cordless phone and she had me hear it.... Yep it went "Blewie" for sure!
There as a dead bird that got over come by the chimney fumes and fell into the chimney, and it got into the heat exchanger and got crispy when it lit... It was not a pretty site. Just when ya think you've seen it all.... Right Asa?

The stories I could tell!.......G-F...
September 12, 2015 - Msg 102654:
Romeena, your apartment stove story reminds me of my parents old 1950s gas stove. Although it still works, it does not work normally. It also has a gas tube with a hole at the end of it that is located near the top burners of the stove that is supposed to remain lit because it serves as the pilot light (in reality, it has two pilot lights because there is one for the left two burners and one for the right two burners). Unfortunately, these pilot lights can’t be trusted because either one will extinguish itself at odd times, thereby causing volatile odorless gas to be released into the house. Although the gas pipe that feeds the stove is next to the stove, it’s located in a very narrow space between the stove and wall that my body can no longer fit through. I can use a six foot long 1.5 inch diameter steel pipe to turn the gas valve handle because it requires only a quarter turn. Whenever I need to use the top burners, my lighting procedure is as follows:
- turn on the gas valve by moving the 1.5 inch pipe from its “off” horizontal position to the “on” vertical position
- for the appropriate top gas burner, turn the knob on the front of the stove all the way to the full gas “on” position
- light a match (which I have plenty of)
- because the pilot light can’t be trusted to turn on the burners, I place the match flame over the appropriate burner and wait for the WHOOSH as it ignites (remember it is in the full gas on position) so that I can move my hand quickly out of the way to keep from getting burned
- I then turn down the stove front burner valve to the flame smaller
- In the past when I left the gas valve in the on position and the pilot lights were lit, that WHOOSH would usually extinguish one or both of them. And although my mother taught us to always check the stove pilot lights before any of us left the house, today, I prefer just to keep the stove gas valve turned off, unless I’m using the stove.

This also reminds me of the first time I repaired our television set back when I was studying engineering in college. It had no picture, no sound and no channel light. I was interested to see if I could fix it myself even though I had never worked on it before.
After purchasing a schematic from the local electronics store, I started tracing out the circuits inside the set. Since it seemed to be a power problem, starting from the power cord, I traced the wiring up to a terminal strip where I found a problem. There was the power wire going to the terminal strip, but no wire going from the strip to the rest of the circuits. I was expecting to find a defective or burnt component, but not nothing at all. I thought that was very strange. So although my mind said that all I needed was to use a piece of wire to connect that terminal strip to the rest of the circuitry, my mind also asked what happened to the original connection or component? Since there was no residue of anything burning up or exploding, I had a hard time believing that the fix would be so simple. I decided to be extra cautious. So I went to the basement where I turned off the circuit breaker for that living room wall outlet where the tv was plugged in. Next, I soldered in a piece of wire where the schematic indicated a connection should be. I then turned the mechanical tv switch on knowing that the wall outlet was safely turned off. Then I went into the basement, said a prayer, then flipped on the circuit breaker and waited for an explosion. When none occurred, I went upstairs and was surprised to see a picture with sound and no fire. I was very proud of my very first electronic repair. And it cost me just a couple of dollars for the price of the schematics.

from Poor Horatio
September 12, 2015 - Msg 102655: Wow, and you two went SWOOSH and cleaned the porch with my oven story!
MDC :)
September 13, 2015 - Msg 102656: So PH...did you ever determine what happened to the original connector wire?
One summer I worked as a construction clean up person, and was working at a new grocery store site, when a call came out for everyone to stop and "take cover." I said to myself, what the heck? Well, the electricians were going to flip breakers on for the first time, and there were a few "blueys" as they did that. I asked afterwards what caused it, and they said that something was wired wrong on the circuits that went bluey, and they would have to go over the diagrams to see what happened. Who knew that's how such things were done.
RO--very neat story. I can picture Dale doing that!
MDC
September 13, 2015 - Msg 102657: Well good morning gang ! headed home from work at 6 to snooze and rest....SPOT
September 13, 2015 - Msg 102658: Good Sabbath Porch pals.
I am enjoying reading these stories from everyone about their oven adventures. Amen GF, on the things I have come across over the years.

PH, You mentioned that the gas was odorless. I'm not sure if you were in Canada at the time and they are different, but here, they add an element to natural gas so that it can be detected by smell. One of the nice things about Natural Gas is that it is lighter than air. That is important in that if there is a leak, it will mix in with air and even trend upward, allowing it to be detected by smelling it. Propane on the other hand is much more dangerous in that it is heavier than air. That means if there is a propane leak, it tends to stay low in the room and is much more difficult to smell. I have actually seen (on video) where a shop had a propane leak of a small slow nature. No one had been able to smell it because it had stayed hanging low. It collected in some trench drains in the floor of the shop, and finally an ignition source set it off. No one was injured, but it was interesting to see the drain grates jump out of their home when it went blewie. Plus the ignition levels on natural gas are much narrower than for propane making it much safer for using.

Boy howdy MDC, looks like you folks have a nut in your area shooting at folks. Maybe more than one. I hope they catch him/her/them soon.

Your tv repair story PH, reminded me of a period I experienced a number of years ago. It was as a industrial maint. technician. They used these large ovens that ran off of natural gas. These were probably 20'Wx40'Lx10'T. They were controlled by a large Honeywell gas controller. Shortly after I was hired we had one of these ovens quit working. My boss told me to replace the controller. He said these things seem to go bad with great regularity. So I replaced it with a new one they had in the shop. I asked him if he wanted me to try and see what was wrong with it. He said they were all solid state electronics and he didn't think there was really anything we could fix on it, but Ii was welcome to try. So I opened it up just to see. The only thing I could see was that there seemed to be a cracked solder spot on one of the boards. So I got my iron and re did it, along with several others that looked suspect. It would be several months before I would know if my attempt to fix it worked. But sure nough, about 8 months later, one of these ovens quit. I installed my rebuilt controller on, and it worked like new. My boss, and the plant manager were very impressed. These units were around $800.00 each and I had saved them some money. That was one of my little success stories. I won't share some of my failed attempts. ;)

Ro, I know how much you laugh at the episode where Luke Jenson puts shoes on the cows he is stealing. Well I found this story on another site where cow thieves were wearing these things strapped on to their shoes, so that their footprints would not lead the authorities to where they were hiding out. I thought it was quite funny.

http://www.biological-fitness.com/other/cow_shoes.png

Well I am now into the color episodes in my viewing. Just trying to get through the "Warren" episodes. I enjoy the color episodes, but it sure was different when Barney left.

Well better go get ready for preachin. I will count how many dangly earrings I see and report back to you. Maybe later we can sneak over to Spots house and tuck his bed sheets under his bed legs. :)

Prayers for all.

Asa
September 13, 2015 - Msg 102659: Correction. These were not cow thieves, they were moonshiners and they were trying to keep the authorities from finding their stills.

Asa
September 13, 2015 - Msg 102660: Ph & Asa, good stories, funny thing tho, when you do these kind of repairs most of the time at work they go unappreciated. Even tho you saved them $800.00.... That's one good thing about being a repairman YOU yourself can get self gratification on a good accomplishment, it is what keeps us doing what we do... Amen?...

I remember a self solving a problem with a Penn Johnson gas control for a furnace once, it saved a ton of money and many nuisance calls. Yep I was " The Man " for awhile and the other techs appreciated the lesson learned...

Nowadays it great being the Go to Grandpa that comes to save the day.... Speaking of that, I have a washer to look at so my Grand Daughter can was those "special" school clothes..

G-F...

September 13, 2015 - Msg 102661: ...... Maybe someday people will realize what was missed by us "Old Schoolers" when we retire...Amen?
You know we learned what we learned from the Best!... "The Greatest Generation folks!".... I suppose they can Google "Old School" and find out..lol G-F again
September 13, 2015 - Msg 102662:
Asa, you are absolutely correct about the gas company adding something to the natural gas that enters our homes so that leaks can be detected with our noses. I guess when I posted "odorless", I meant natural gas in its natural state before the gas company makes it smell.

p.s. Can anyone guess why this posting makes me think of Monty Python?

from Poor Horatio
September 13, 2015 - Msg 102663: I'll give ya an Amen GF. Somehow those savings never did seem to trickle down to me. But yep, you were a giant amongst your peers, except for the ones who didn't like to see anyone succeed, then you were a suck up. I'm sure you had a few of those in your time. But like Opie and Andy had after cleaning up the house before Aunt Bee got home, it leaves with that warm feeling of having figured something out. You gotta enjoy them little victories whenever you can, right buddy?

PH, I must confess I have never watched Monty Python, so I can't answer your question.

MDC, Whenever I am turning on a larger 3 phase breaker, I will use a 2x4 or some other long non conductive item so that I am not up to close and personal with those breakers. It is something we were taught as an apprentice, and one I have always followed.

We went with the kids and grandkids for pizza last night. I had a chicken alfredo pizza. Dang good, but it must have had some corn starch in it somewhere because I have a headache this morning. I left church early so I could come home and take my pill!

Well maybe I will watch a little football and take it easy.

Asa
September 13, 2015 - Msg 102664:
Morning Porch...afternoon Porch!

Love the old gas stove stories. It's a wonder we're all here today. haha

Asa-Chicken Alfredo Pizza.Wow, now that is a winner, winner, chicken dinner. Sounds great.

Been busy on this end of the Porch looking for a brand new used car.

Well, Mrs auh20 is on her way to Brazil (again) for work. So, I'll be moping around the house like a big baby till Friday.

Hope I don't step on any one's toes but I CAN'T STAND Donald Trump. I am certain somewhere Bill Buckley and Barry Goldwater are weeping at the prospect that anyone believes the guy is a Conservative.

Off to watch some hardball,
auh20
September 13, 2015 - Msg 102665: Good afternoon, porch. Just got home from preachin' - wore my dangly earrings and everything! Stopped by the store and picked up a few groceries, so I can even make myself a decent meal this evening, instead of another can of soup.

Auh2o, don't worry about my toes. At this point in the process, I don't think any of us feel terribly strongly about anyone. For one thing, there are too darned many of them running, and it's going to be hard to get a consensus. As for Trump, believe it or not, I'm on the fence. Yes, he's brash, impulsive, mouthy and something of a loose cannon, and he's his own greatest fan, and that scares me. On the other hand, he may be just bold enough to stand up to Putin, ISIS, Iran, and our resident pot-boilers - Sharpton and Jackson. At least, I can't see him dancing little fairy circles around ISIS like our current Dear Leader is doing. I really just don't know. The one I like, really like, is Dr. Carson. He's very intelligent, highly educated, he's compassionate and sensitive, he's motivated and he's a worker. He has to have nerves of steel and not be easily thrown off course. On the negative side, he has little to no executive, administrative experience, or military experience, but that doesn't seem to bother this nation much. At least, it hasn't for the past eight years. So, unless someone else's star suddenly rises and lights up the sky, I think Dr. Ben will be my choice. As I said earlier, if you haven't done so, please read his books. His autobiography, "Gifted Hands" would have been a good place to start, followed by "America the Beautiful" and then "One Nation", but now, at this point in the process, I think "One Nation" should be read first. They're all excellent.

Well, guess I'll go rustle up a little lunch. Or maybe I'll have a bigger lunch and a little dinner. That's probably the more healthful way to go. Blessings, all. --Romeena


September 13, 2015 - Msg 102666: Good evening gang!..well so far so good in Ga College Football Ga Bull dogs 2-0, Ga Tech 2-0...My Atlanta falcons open up tomorrow on MNF !...well im here at work watching the Movie "The Blind Side"! let me find a snack...SPOT
September 13, 2015 - Msg 102667: Checking in..hope you all had a good weekend. Ours was good. Busy day today..Dr. Breen would not be happy with me.

Read the story about your mom getting her eyebrows torched by the gas oven, MDC...too funny! Sorry, but laughed out loud at that mental image.

Not alot to report today..wracking my brain trying to come up with something but nothing comes to mind since I last posted. Hope you all sleep well and have a good Monday.

Boo
September 14, 2015 - Msg 102668: GF and ASA, yes, I forgot to answer earlier about the nut indeed who is shooting along I-10.
All the CBers "have their ears on," (seriously),
and the FBI and other feds are involved with infrared, drones, heliocopers; but no guided missles (yet!) Keep our fair city in your prayers please. Rosh Hashanah starts tonight, high holy days, then there is a muslim day coming up, the pope coming, and the UN session starting up. Lord help us, it may be crunch time.
AUH20--tell us again what the missus does in Brasil?
Well, here we go, have a good week all.
MDC

September 14, 2015 - Msg 102669: You're not stepping on my toes, auh2o, as I don't know WHAT to make of Donald Trump. I like some of the things he says, but then again, saying and doing are two different things. I agree with you though, I don't think he is a conservative.

I've watched a lot of Monty Python, Poor Horatio, but I don't get the reference in your post. It has been a while since I have watched them, though.

Hey Boo, I have a question for you, and for Romeena, or for any other person in the medical business who happens to be on the porch. I went to the doctor last week, and every time they have checked my blood pressure it has been "elevated". It usually was hovering around 140 over something.
In fact, the last, last time I was there, my doctor asked me if I was taking blood pressure medication, and when I said I wasn't, she said, in her "asking but not asking" funny style, "Should you be?!"

Anyway, this time my blood pressure was 116 over 72. They even took it twice. What accounts for such a drop in blood pressure. I mean, I am not complaining, but after it being higher up all this time, it was a surprise. Are those chicken sandwiches I eat every single day for lunch and never waiver finally helping my health? Hmmm... I did eat a banana before my appointment as well, did that help lower it? I'd like to know so I can keep it low. So any thoughts you have on the matter would be appreciated.

-Sterling Holobyte

September 14, 2015 - Msg 102670:
Sterling Holobyte, when I mentioned that I knew the gas company adds something to allow us to smell natural gas, that's when I thought of the World's Funniest Joke sketch from Monty Python. If you need a reminder, you can watch the 10 minute sketch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwbnvkMRPKM or just cut to the chase and watch 20 seconds of it beginning at 5:30 to hear the joke.

Also, regarding Donald Trump, I enjoy listening to his outspoken speeches. And because he seems to be a very busy man looking for and making deals, I can't understand why he wants to be President. Is it just to satisfy his ego?

from Poor Horatio
September 14, 2015 - Msg 102671: Sterling, your question is a legitimate one, and it's also a very difficult question to answer. I would venture to say that the average MD would have a problem giving you a simple answer, so this RN doesn't pretend to be able to do it, but I'll offer what I can. First of all, congratulations on not asking why it was 140/? one day and 142/? the next. I have a friend who obsesses over a variation of just a few points from one day to the next. I've explained to him over and over that it will vary from one minute to the next, let alone day by day, but he still wants his pressure to hit a certain reading and just sit there. His expectation is doomed to disappointment, needless to say, as small fluctuations are absolutely normal.

Now, to your question. Everyone's pressure will also fluctuate widely from time to time, and the "why" of it is what's so hard to pinpoint. Why did your pressure suddenly drop by around 30 systolic points? I don't know. Had you been under some stress that was suddenly alleviated? Has the situation with Kai and school lightened up a little? Have you personally made an adjustment in your attitude or approach to the problem, something that has given you a little peace? I doubt it was some variation in your diet that would effect such an abrupt and dramatic change. Usually a factor such as that can take weeks to bring about any lasting change.

Another thing - one unusual reading is probably just a very temporary thing. To determine whether it's anything significant, you would need serial readings, over a period of a week or so, to see if the change holds. Because blood pressures do vary so much, the only thing that's really helpful is to identify a trend. In what range does your pressure stay most of the time?

Another thing we don't know here, is what the diastolic reading is. The systolic (top number) reading is important of course, but the diastolic (bottom number) is a little more so. Personally, if I could choose, I'd rather have a pressure of 140/70 than 130/98.

It sounds like your doctor is trying to involve you in decisions about your healthcare, but I think when she asked "Should you be?" a proper response from you might have been "I don't know. What do you think?" (Just a thought here - has she suggested meds in the past and you refused?)

You might find this interesting. Typically, when a doctor leaves orders for a patient - whether a hospital patient, or now with my home health patients - one of those orders will usually be: "Notify me of BP greater than 160/100 or less than 100/60." You can see from that order that the doctor expects wide variations in pressures, and doesn't even want to know about it unless it exceeds those parameters. Often the orders will also include "If outside parameters, wait two hours and recheck, then if still outside parameters, notify me."

Well, I realize I haven't actually answered your question, but that's about the best I can do. Hope it helps. --Romeena
September 14, 2015 - Msg 102672: Good Morning gang ! have a good un now ya here ! headed home at 6 to sleep ...SPOT

September 14, 2015 - Msg 102673: Funny joke, Poor Horatio. And apparently, a killer.

Well actually, Romeena, it has been a few months since I last had my BP checked, so maybe my diet has had time to work?
With the situation with Kai, I did decide to "give it to God" so I guess that could have relieved some stress.
When I went in, I actually thought it might be higher because I was very tired, and I knew I had a tetnus(I know it is spelled wrong, but the censor would not let me post it as written) shot I had to take(because I skipped it last time) so I wasn't looking forward to that(I hate shots).
As for medication, I have kind of subtly "pooh-poohed" the idea when she has told me I should think about it. I hate taking medicine and I just never liked the thought of being a slave to medication, so I always wanted to see if I could lower it naturally.
Have I succeeded? Only time will tell, apparently. Until my next BP reading I guess I will just keep doing what I am doing, and hope this last one wasn't just a fluke.

Have a good sleep, Spot! Try not to let Evie's crying keep you awake.(That one was for you, Romeena. ;-) I know how much you love that episode)

-Sterling Holobyte
September 14, 2015 - Msg 102674: Good afternoon, porch. Thanks, Sterling. You're right, of course. It has always just annoyed me to no end that they would portray Aunt Bee as being unable to tell the difference between blueberry pie smeared on a baby's mouth and true cyanosis. A six year old could tell the difference!

About the blood pressure - as you can decipher from the book I wrote above - you need to have a series of blood pressure checks, close together, to really tell what's going on. If it's not checked again for several weeks or months, you still won't know whether the reading (low or high) is true or just a one-time thing. I would suggest buying one of those home BP testers. They're actually pretty accurate, not expensive, and you can check every day, or as often as you wish. Mine is made by Homedics, wasn't expensive, and is usually within a few points of the reading the doctor gets. I took it with me once, just to compare results obtained at the same time. It was within 3-4 points on both levels.

Well, off I go. I have a document that needs to be notarized, and one of the secretaries at the church is a notary, so guess I'll go there. Blessings, friends. --Romeena
September 14, 2015 - Msg 102675: Sterling, I just went on Amazon and checked out the BP monitors they offer. I bought mine elsewhere, but figured Amazon would carry them. I checked the Homedics brand, and was astonished to see that the reviews are overwhelmingly negative. I don't understand this, because mine has worked beautifully for a couple of years now, and as nearly as I can tell, it's accurate. It coincided with the reading the nurse got when I saw my doctor, and the readings are repeatable, no strange variations from one minute to the next. However, with all those negative reviews, I thought I'd better warn you to use caution if you decide to buy a unit. Don't take my endorsement of the Homemedics brand as gospel, because apparently it's not consistent. --Romeena
September 14, 2015 - Msg 102676: Good Evenin' Porch,

How is everyone this fine evening? It is nice and cool here for a day or 2. Then we warm back up. I'll take being able to the the windows open at night! I sleep so much better.

We've had a lot going on lately. I spend my mornings job hunting and my afternoons helping Bryan with his clients. After supper and dishes, I pretty much crash.

Sterling- Obviously Romeena knows more than I about medical stuff, but bananas have potassium, which should lower sodium and your subsequently your BP. My FIL goes into the drugstore and has his checked every other day.

MDC- That story is funny! Muzzie had a gas stove but I don't recall any stories like that. I'm glad you're safe and hope they find the gunman!

Boo, what is going on with your job?

PH, I've not seen Monty either except snippets. John Cleese was in it, right?

Auh20, Brazil?! That sounds so fun! Are you enjoying your snow free days?

Asa, the sauce probably had cornstarch as a thickener. It's difficult to go out to eat with diet restrictions. Bryan has to get a gluten free menu when we go out, which is rare.

G-F, I can't wait to be a grandmother!

Well, I need to get ready for bed. I had a bad allergic reaction so I took Benadryl which knocks me out. Y'all take care!

Blessings to you and yours,
Lucy
September 15, 2015 - Msg 102677: Yeah, I wondered about those bananas, Lucy. I should probably eat more of those anyway. I love them. My wife hates them, though. Which is weird, because she was born and raised(for a while) in Hawaii. She also doesn't know how to swim, which is even weirder.
Good luck on your job hunt!

Romeena, I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but we do have a BP tester. And it is one of those Homedics ones, I believe.
We bought it while my wife was pregnant with Noah, because we had to keep an eye on her BP(obviously) because she was having some strange readings.
I will have to get it out of whatever closet it is in and give it a spin. Though I am kind of scared of ruining my "good thing".

I have to tell you all about what Noah said to me this evening. He wanted some bacon, so I was going to cook him up some. He loves bacon. Me, I can't stand the stuff. It just looks like slices of fat to me, so I only eat that turkey bacon stuff when I want bacon.
Anyway, I was getting the bacon out of the fridge, and Noah, seeing the barn scene on the package, says excitedly, "It's a farm!" So I reply, "Very good! It IS a farm. What do you find on a farm?"
So Noah says, "Hmmm... cows, chickens..." and then he pauses a second and, giving me a quizzical look, says, "...and crocodiles?"
I started to say not usually, but maybe someone somewhere has crocodiles on their farm, but I was laughing too hard.
I don't know. Are there many farmers in the Ozarks?

Folks, I have a question for you all(or ya'll). Today I received one half of an order from Kroger iWireless, which is a cell phone place in Kroger I guess(we don't have Kroger's around here). I had ordered two cell phone cases for my new phone and Kai's new phone, but when I took it out of the mailbox I noticed the envelope was open, and sure enough when I looked inside, there was only one of the phone cases. Upon further inspection(and after I took it to the Post Office to see if they could do anything) I saw that the envelope wasn't even sealed but the flap was inside the envelope not doing a bit of good there. They had put tape over but it didn't cover enough of the edge to seal it either. I don't know who did that mediocre job of packing that, but I sent them off an email to tell them about it. I also sent pictures, as blurry as they were.
I received a very quick response from a CSR, apologizing for any inconvenience, and stating that she will check with the inventory department tomorrow to see if they can send another one asap, and she will follow up with an answer to me tomorrow.
I don't often have to write to companies about not getting what I purchased so I don't know how to say, or even if I should say, this next part.
What I was thinking of saying in a response to their email, was(after thanking them for a quick response) to say that I would be more than happy to send them the envelope in case they wanted to inspect it, to make sure I was not trying to just scam another phone case out of them. I just don't like the thought of someone thinking I might be trying to get something for nothing, but if they had the envelope, they would see the flap adhered to the inside, and they would also see that there was no tampering(on my end).
So, should I send them another email saying that, or should I just leave it as is, and if they have a problem with my story, then I can send it? What would you do?


I just finished the last episode of the last season of Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. I didn't even know it was the last episode until I searched for episode 31 and didn't find it.
I am going to miss watching that show. It has become such a habit, and I do enjoy the show(obviously). I do still have to find some of the episodes I missed from the 1st season in black and white. I found out after an episode search that I actually missed at least 3 of the last episodes for that season, where I only thought I was missing 2 of them. I suppose I should start getting ready to be a civilian and start watching TAGS. At least it won't be too much culture shock, since a lot of the same characters(and/or the same actors) were in both shows.

Good night all!

-Sterling Holobyte




September 15, 2015 - Msg 102678: STERLING, my advice regarding the phone case is to just leave it be as is for now. BUT, if they don't come thru, then proceed with your above plan. Shakespeare's line comes to mind: "Methinks he doth protest too much!"
LUCY--good to see that you have come in from the cold, so to speak. Hope all is OK, except for the allergies of course.
We had a good rain storm go thru tonight, much-need moisture.
My Cards won, and I see that SPOtty's Falcons won. GF-TOM, how did the Browns do?
Pleasant dreams,
MDC
September 15, 2015 - Msg 102679: MDC... Let's just say: "Same story Different Year"... :( The QB got hurt and they put Johnnie Manzel in.... Let's just say he was not ready for Prime Time.... I was kidding some of my friends, I said I made "Johnny Football" dogs for dinner but I kept dropping them, could not hold onto the dang things...lol

G-F....

September 15, 2015 - Msg 102680: Good morning, porch! Looks like we could get a little rain here today - that would be nice!

Sterling, I agree with MDC about the phone case. They have said they'll send another one, give them a chance to do it. If they don't, then contact them again, perhaps with a phone call if you've got a contact number. Don't worry about what they're thinking. Believe me, they've got more to do than stand around and speculate on the motives of one individual, and besides, they've seen it all before. Theft from packages happens all the time, and they know it.

It's true, bananas will help to balance the sodium levels in your body, but the payoff isn't all that great. It appears that the best you could expect from consuming two bananas every day, would be about a 10% reduction, so that would take you from, say, 160/90 to about 144/91. Two bananas daily would be a whopping load of carbs, and for me personally, would be a deal-breaker, in terms of blood sugar. I'd have to take extra insulin to handle it. I'd be better off to just lower my salt intake a bit to accomplish the same thing, without adding the carbs. If you can handle the carbs, and like bananas, then by all means, go for it. I do like bananas, and would happily eat one every day, but the carb load isn't worth it for me. Luci is on the right track - you can often improve a situation with your diet, but be sure you consider all the angles.

Asa, you can count on it - there was cornstarch in that Alfredo sauce on that pizza. I make fettucini Alfredo now and then, and I thicken the roux with cornstarch. It can be done with flour if you ever want to do it at home, but the texture of the sauce will be a bit heavier. Good, but just a bit different than with corn starch.

God has been so good to me. I have no allergies - zero. No food, contact, environmental, drug or any other kind of allergies. I do have spectacular and deal-breaking side effects from almost all pain medications, especially the opioids, but they're not allergies. I don't break out in a rash or anything, I just throw up, hallucinate, and get so dizzy I can't stand to open my eyes. My doctor finally put "Opioids" on my medical record as an allergy so other docs would quit trying to give me those things, usually saying "Oh you can take this. Everyone can take this." No, I can't! The up side of the situation is, I can take one Tylenol tablet for post-op pain and it will work wonders for me. My body is not accustomed to any analgesics, so when I take even a non-narcotic med, it has great effect. When I was in the hospital after that big old back surgery two years ago, I took one Tylenol tablet about four hours after I woke up from the anesthesia, and I was fine. In pain, yes, but it was tolerable, and I could handle it.

Crocodiles live on farms? Hahaha! That's funny! I guess they do, if it's a croc farm, but it's funny that Noah would consider them a farm animal. Kids! If you want a good laugh, just get into a conversation with a little kid.

Well, guess I'll go stick some chicken legs under the broiler. Sounds like a plan to me! --Romeena
September 15, 2015 - Msg 102681: Make that 144/81 up there. Good grief! --Romeena
September 15, 2015 - Msg 102682: Thanks MDC and Romeena. Yeah, I haven't sent a reply to them. Although Romeena, they didn't exactly say they would send one, the CSR said she would talk to the inventory people to see if they can and then she said she will get in touch with me with their answer as to whether they can/will or not, I guess. She just said she will give me their answer. Or maybe she meant they WILL send one, but it may not be ASAP.
I don't know. I haven't received a call or email from them yet. Hopefully soon. Not worried about it. Just wondering what's going to happen.

-Sterling Holobyte

September 15, 2015 - Msg 102683: They just added "Arnold Winkler" to the list of guests coming to Mayberry Days. Wonder if he's bringing his bike with him?..lol.....G-F
September 15, 2015 - Msg 102684: Arnold Winkler GF? Is that a first for him at MD?

I've been watching those color episodes the last few days. Trying to fight through the Warren episodes. I am always amazed at how much Andy's character changed after Barney left. I know it changed a lot in season 3 and 4, and by season 5, Andy was quite different. But when the show went to color, he really seemed so disinterested in my view. It seemed like they were maybe trying to down play his part some, and give the other characters more leeway. I was watching the episode last night where Andy gets his picture took with Darlene Mason when he was in Hollywood. Of course when Helen saw it, she got her nose all out of joint. I guess I can't blame her, but after her tirade into Andy a few episodes earlier when he had become angry with the amount of time she was spending with that school advisor and his dad blame new grading manual. Just seemed like she was holding a double standard to me.

Good to see you Lucy. Good luck in the job searching.

Romeena, It looks like Ben Carson has made an impression on more than just you. He has snuck right up on Trumpet.... Uhh I mean Trump. :) Another debate tomorrow night on cnn. I will need to see if I can even find that station. I don't think I have been their probably since the last debates 4 years ago. I am glad you don't have those allergics like so many others do, although I know you have your share of maladies. I don't know if mine could be called an allergy, or just sensitivity to corn starch. All I know is I am glad I finally discovered it. I was dealing with massive headaches almost daily and was wearing a hole in my gut from all the Excedrin I was popping. The migrane stuff seemed to be the only stuff that helped much. I was tested for all kinds of stuff before I finally lucked into finding it myself.

Sure been a cool wet day here. Lots of rain for sure. I am not sure if you heard about the flash floods that has killed 12 people so far. Terrible. It is 350 miles south of me, but as MDC can attest to, those flash floods in the desert can sneak up on you quick if you ain't careful. The storm can be miles away, as in this case, and a dry quiet creek can turn into a rushing torrent in minutes.

Well I have some left over meatloaf my Daughter sent home with me that I am gonna have for supper. Maybe do up some parsley potatoes with them, a small salad, and some cut up melon. Boy, I sound like I know what I'm doing huh? :)

GF, I think the Browns still have a good one in Johnny. He just needs some playing time. Maybe he should hold the ball like old 'RIFLE FIFE" used to. They still talk about him over at the High School.

Asa
September 15, 2015 - Msg 102685: Asa, Cleveland folk hope you are right.... Alota drama again on that team. So "we shall see"...I think that's their motto!
As for Arnold Winkler I think it's his first Mayberry event anywhere...

G-F....
September 16, 2015 - Msg 102686: ASA--yes, terrible tragedy along the AZ UT border
with the flash flood. Praying for all involved.
Also, the fires in California are truly devastating!
Praying for those folks too.
The past two evenings I watched the PBS special
about the life of Walt Disney. It was very interesting. He was a very complicated man, that is for sure. I sure do remember watching the Sunday night Disney show when I was growing up.
OK, you guys got me, what character was this
Arnold Winkler? (seriously.)
Nit all,
MDC
September 16, 2015 - Msg 102687: Good late evening, folks. MDC, Arnold Winkler was the spoiled kid, the one who was willing to let Andy put his father in jail, in the dispute over Arnold riding his bike on the sidewalk. His father is the one Andy told about the woodshed out back, and suggested he take his son out there and settle the problem. --Romeena
September 16, 2015 - Msg 102688: MDC, if you are interested Floyd did a Bible study on "Opie and the spoiled kid" at last years Mayberry Meet-Up. We all met at the gazebo Sunday morning before we all went home.
It was a good episode do a study on... By the way, the Arnold Winkler character was on the Haunted house episode too..

http://imayberry.com/podcasts/2014/07/mayberry-bible-study-podcast-opie-and-the-spoiled-kid/

G-F....
September 16, 2015 - Msg 102689:
MDC, to see the Arnold Winkler character in TAGS, check out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72w-W6t-MYo watch at 2:37 and 18:45
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSmwgSNSd24 watch at 0:23
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xCtzpnLXSA watch at 18:10

from Poor Horatio
September 16, 2015 - Msg 102690:
Lucy, yes John Cleese was in Monty Python's Flying Circus. He also starred in another favorite comedy of mine called Fawlty Towers.

Asa, to watch the Presidential debate online, check out http://time.com/money/4034628/republican-debate-watch-stream-online/

from Poor Horatio
September 16, 2015 - Msg 102691: MDC, I saw that special on Walt Disney too, yep I agree he was a complicated person, but with great vision tho.... I have a couple of friends that work at Disney World, they say they are very demanding of their employees. So I suppose Walts legacy is still intact.......G-F
September 16, 2015 - Msg 102692: Hey Y'all- got hit hard by allergies and haven't felt much like rockin' on the Porch lately,but wanted to check in and say "Hey!" to everyone.
Gotta get to feeling better because I sure would love to make it to Mayberry Days!

Hope everyone is well!

*****************
possum under a rock