November 23, 2020 - Msg 115698: Thanks MDC, but Erin is adamant that she has no interest in having anything further done to the arm. She may change her mind later. Right now she says it will just be a reminder to always buckle up. Im sure she will have it tattooed at some point down the road and since it looks like a vine, it might work out. lol I tried to get her in to see her PCP and they are already out for thanksgiving. I wanted him to remove her sutures at the end of the week but no luck. The timing of all this is rotten. I will end up taking her to a minor emergency clinic to have it done, I'm afraid. She is really doing remarkably well today. Almost back to normal already.

Such a sweet and poignant story about your parents and Stacey, Asa. Thank you for sharing it. Thank you for your kind word about being thankful for your friends here. We all feel the same and love you, too.

I have been pretty busy but am hanging in there. St Susan will come this week and help me with the Thanksgiving prep.

Hope you are all well,

Boo
November 24, 2020 - Msg 115699: Hi Everyone! I guess we are all getting ready for
Thanksgiving! I hope and pray that everone is doing OK.
On Me-TV the other night they had the WKRP turkey show.
They have been showing a few such shows this week.
I remember a few years ago we talked about those
deep fryer turkey mishaps. Seems pretty tame now with the
virus, but may we all just take the time to thank God that we still live
in the best country in the world! God has blessed us in so many ways. I heard George Washington's original proclamation for a day of thanksgiving (on the radio). It is a short but very good read:
https://www.mountvernon.org/education/primary-sources-2/article/thanksgiving-proclamation-of-1789/
Prayers for all,
MDC :)
November 25, 2020 - Msg 115700:

HA! It sounds like old GW made the proclamation over the radio! This old English teacher is a
bit embarrassed at my choice of wording! :) mdc


November 25, 2020 - Msg 115701:

AND...I just saw the perfect gift on TV for Romeena...a Golden Girls Chia Pet!!! :)
more later, MDC

November 25, 2020 - Msg 115702: Good Thanksgiving Eve, we have Jesse's girlfriend with us for Thanksgiving. She flies out Saturday morning to go home to Mexico. They met in college. Jess lives at home now and takes online graduate classes through Liberty University.
Casey visited last week before going home to Mississippi. His girlfriend is finishing up her second BS in Vet Tech. She has applied to Vet School.

Life on the farm is still the same. Still got lots of goats.

I want to make sure you all know your friendship has meant the world to me.
And remember, the little blue jar lasts forever.

Love...Homemaker
November 26, 2020 - Msg 115703:

H A P P Y T H A N K S G I V I N G porch family! mdc


November 26, 2020 - Msg 115704: 🦃🍽🦃🍽🦃🍽🦃🍽🦃🍽....G-F
November 26, 2020 - Msg 115705: Happy Thanksgiving ,y'all!!

Despite this crazy year,there is still so much to be grateful for. My Porch Family is one of my greatest blessings- love you all.

*************
possum u.a.r.
November 26, 2020 - Msg 115706: HAPPY THANKSGIVING, PORCH! I'm just flying by, got a turkey and some stuffing to cook, fruit salad is all done, cranberries all done, and immediate family will be together at David's new home. Got to get the car loaded, as will be cooking the bird at their house. Not sure how it will be, cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen, but should be okay. A turkey is so easy, just stuff him, and stick him in the oven! Well, there's a little more to it than that, but the kitchen shouldn't matter. Their oven is slightly larger than mine, but there's only one. I have two full size ovens, which seems unnecessary most of the time, but surely does come in handy in November and December, around Easter, and a few other times in the year!

In spite of all our current, and soon-to-come woes, this is still a great country, we have a loving God, and we owe Him our thanks for our lives, and for providing us with a pathway to our eternal home. Thank you, Lord!

Blessings, friends. --Romeena
November 26, 2020 - Msg 115707: Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
I hope everyone is feeling the blessings we still enjoy. I have many in my life.

I bought a turkey breast last week and had Stacey give me her brine concoction. Holy cow, it came out great, if I do say so. We wanted so bad to go to Stacey's again for the day, but with 5 of her 7 kids attending school, and half the kids in school in quarantine at one time or another, we just felt we best stay home. But I don't know whats more dangerous, the virus or my cooking. lol

I watched Prisoner of love the other night. Mercy sakes that gal had some allure, didn't she fellers?

Last night I watched the Rumor. That's the one when Barney see's Andy kissing Helen in the Jewelry store and gets the town thinking they are getting hitched. Some great lines in that episode. I love the exchange with Andy and Barney about clean underwear and whims. And we learn a lot of people lie at lunch.

I think we have discussed this before, but in the episode where the cave collapses on Andy and Helen, when they hitch a ride back into town and go to Helen's house first to change, and then Helen gets on the phone to call the Courthouse but hangs up before anyone answers. Now Sarah would have known that was Helen calling, and she was not one for keeping a secret so surely she would have blabbed all over town that Helen was at home and not in the cave. That one has always preyed on my mind when I see it. Oh well.

I hope y'all don't eat to much and make yourself sick. Y'all will be sounding like Barney did when they was trying to fatten him up and he got the hiccups. :)

Asa
November 26, 2020 - Msg 115708: Asa I’m guessing Sarah didn’t tell Laura Lee Hobbs is why it didn’t get out...You Know Laura can’t keep a secret!..
G-F
November 27, 2020 - Msg 115709: I reckon I am over thinking it GF.
BTW the name of the little trembling puppy that Opie was trying to rescue is Alvin.

Asa
November 27, 2020 - Msg 115710:

ASA-how about this: Sarah took a rare day off that day to attend the picnic, so the person at the switchboard was from a temp agency and didn't know helen from Adam? haha
Oh, wait a minute, that was barney's line in Prisoner of Love,
didn't know her form Adam! :)

Well, we just had my wife's sister and husband over for dinner today. The 4 siblings of mine who live in the general area
just didnt want to chance it. But the upside of that is the fact that i just had a great cold turkey and mayo sammich! Mmm goood.

I was hoping that BIG MAUDE, FRANKIE, JOHM masters and some others would check in today. Hope they are all doing OK.
Prayers for all as we give thanks to the Lord.
MDC
November 27, 2020 - Msg 115711: Asa...You got me on that one....I don’t recall the dog having a name...Good One Buddy!...G-F
November 27, 2020 - Msg 115712: This one is for Possum...https://youtu.be/p8XNtiVQsHk G-F
November 27, 2020 - Msg 115713: Aww, Cousin Poppy! Thanks,G-F! She didn't make it to my rock for Thanksgiving this year,so I'm glad to see she had plenty to eat! Ha!

Hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving-y'all have a good long weekend and remember to act like somebody!

************
possum u.a.r.
November 27, 2020 - Msg 115714: GF, Unless you have the DVD's you wouldn't know Alvin's name. That's because it is only mentioned in one of the Sanka commercials. lol

MDC, I had thought that about Sarah being gone to the picnic but at the Courthouse Barney or Gomer (I don't recall who) shaps at Sarah, using her name, asking her if there was a call to the Courthouse or not. So Sarah must have been on duty.

MDC, That's the nice thing about cooking at home, the leftovers, IMO anyway. I love nibbling away on a turkey wing.

Last night I watched the episode where Darlene is divorcing Dud, and I noticed they did something I have never seen them do before. When Andy, Barney, and Darlene are about to go on their car ride, Barney gets on the phone and tells Sarah that both he and Andy were both leaving the office so if any emergency calss came, they wouldn't be there.

Here is another trivia question. The Courthouse had double doors on the entrance, but there in only one episode when both doors were opened up. What episode?

Asa
November 27, 2020 - Msg 115715: Good morning, porch! (Still got two minutes to go until it's afternoon.) Sounds like we all had a great Thanksgiving, or near-great, anyway, with the social limits. Actually, our family all went out to David and Brittany's new house. There were 11 of us. However, D&B and both boys were tested last week for COVID, and all were negative. No one has been sick. The house has 12-ft ceilings, a very large living area, and is an open-concept construction, so we weren't confined in a little dining room. Very large, airy, open space. I took the turkey and everything I needed out there, and cooked it. I could not have handled that hot, heavy roaster pan and gotten it in the car. A bagged turkey and an empty pan, no problem. Also, that way we didn't have to be precise about establishing a sit-down time. It was ready when it was ready! I made my fruit salad ahead, and the cranberry sauce, and had the veggies that go in the dressing prepped already, so it was no trick to put it all together out there.

We had a lovely day. Trinket and Diesel played until they were both just worn out, and flopped on the couch, taking up a surprising amount of real estate there, and slept like rocks. No one had the heart to disturb them.

Asa, I don't remember the courthouse doors both being opened, so I can't answer. I did wonder how wide the opening would be with them both open, when Goober took the car apart and put it in the courthouse, then had to tear it down again to get it out. That car wasn't very big.

Well, guess I'll go raid the leftovers I brought home. Everybody that wanted anything got it, and I brought home the least, since I'm only one. I hope everyone is doing well, enjoy the long weekend, unless you have to work over the weekend. I always did. Retirement is so nice. Blessings, everyone! --Romeena
November 27, 2020 - Msg 115716: Asa,it must be when Otis rode the cow! Am I right? If so,what did I win?! Hee hee

possum again
November 27, 2020 - Msg 115717: You are the winner Possum. Your prize is all long poking sticks will be confiscated.

Asa
November 27, 2020 - Msg 115718:

I was also thinking of Otis and the cow, but RO has a good point...that car of Gilly's could have easily fit thru that big two-door opening also! haha
Tonight I saw the episode of Andy and barney in the big city, and now I have to sort of eat my previous words...as I watched it more closely, they were
going to meet with the commissioner, AND also Andy toured the crime lab, so that would have been more than a day trip; plus they took the bus so that way whoever they left in charge had the squad car if needed.

And ASA, my answer about talking to "Sarah," maybe the temp worker was also named Sarah!! hardee har har. :)

ROmeena, so glad that all went well at Britany's. Sounds like everyone, including the furkids, had a
good time. We have so much to be thankful for!

Well, I started putting up my Christmas scene today. I DID put a strand of lights
across the front of the house, but did it from a step ladder (not on the roof) with my dear wife holding the ladder. :) All went well.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
Prayers,
MDC
November 28, 2020 - Msg 115719: Yay,I guessed right! That's a fine prize,Asa!! LOL

I'm so mixed up-was about to wish everyone a blessed Sabbath! Well, I do wish that,but let's take it a day at a time- Have a great Saturday,y'all!

possum again
November 28, 2020 - Msg 115720:

Possum--actually, in Orthodox churches, Saturday is the sabbath. Saturday is "Sabado" in Spanish,
and in Hebrew it is "Sabbat," so you are just fine! haha :)
MDC
later


November 28, 2020 - Msg 115721:

OK, IT'S TIME...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFGC_YgeQ5w

MDC :)


November 29, 2020 - Msg 115722: Good Sabbath all.

That was a fun little video MDC. And I do love that song. My youngest (Stacey) swears she was born a generation or two late. She loves so many of the classic songs from the past and the artists who sang them. Andy Williams, Julie Andrews, Doris Day. It's find of fun to witness.

Possum, Along with the groups MDC mentioned, It seems like I remember 7th Day Adventists might also consider Saturday the Sabbath. But I may not be correct on that. But heck, we could all benefit from having everyday be a bit more Sabbath like.

MDC, You be careful on that ladder. We ain't no spring chickens anymore. I used to go all out on the "exterior illumination" but stopped doing it when our kids moved out. Now that I am retired and have the time, maybe I should start getting back into it. Jut lawn decorations though, nothing on the house that requires a ladder. Hmm, I may have to think on that. I have a couple of huge Austrian Pine tree's out front that would look great with lights on them. But without a cherry picker I'm not sure how I could do them up.

Romeena, It sounds like you had a wonderful day with your family. So glad you did. When are they going to do your plumbing repairs?

Last night I watched my favorite Barneyless episode, Family Visit. I declare, everytime I watch that I like it even more. The casting for Ollie and Nora was perfect. The plot was great. Andy's little scheme to get Ollie to leave early was funny. And a glaring mistake that always makes me wonder how nobody caught it. I tell you, it's starting to compete for top episode with Man in a Hurry for me.

My prayers for each and everyone of you. I do hope and pray that our Christmas season this year can be a time of reflecting on our blessings. In spite of all that is going on, we are still a very blessed Nation and people.

Asa
November 29, 2020 - Msg 115723: Good morning, porch! I just had an email from SPOT, asking about the Christmas card address list. Thanks, Spotty Dog, I needed that reminder. So - anyone who has had an address change, email me. If you aren't on the list and would like to be, email me or tell me here. Remember, I'll need your address. If you're on the list and no longer wish to be, you can just tell me here. If you need to email me and don't have my email address, we may have to tag-team that. I'd rather not put my email address on here, or my snail mail address either, but if you have the email of a porchster who has mine, you can ask them to notify me. That has worked well on several occasions. If you have my snail mail address on an old list, be aware that it has not changed, not in 47 years!

Asa, there's a hold on the plumbing thing. David noticed that there is a very slow drip in the guest bathroom tub. It drops about every 50 seconds, and I don't use that bathroom, so hadn't noticed it. I put a little bowl under it, and in 24 hours, it accumulated about 1 1/2 cups of water, allowing for evaporation. I'm pretty sure that's not enough to register on the meter, but I've heard different opinions. Some say it would, some say it wouldn't. Either way, that needs to be fixed, and I've talked with my friend Ted about it. David says Delta will replace the whole fixture at no cost, so will call them tomorrow. Ted says if they won't, there is a "guts" kit that I can get at Lowe's or the Depot that will fix it by replacing the internal connections. So, I'm not going to get into the plumbing reroute until that's fixed, since it's remotely possible that it won't be necessary. Also, I'm waiting for my 2017 tax refund, it's filed, so should be about 3 or 4 weeks. The reroute is going to run about $2k, and I don't have that much on hand.

I agree, the casting for that episode was great. Uncle Ollie was just so annoying! I guess everyone has someone like him in the family. I do, a cousin. He just makes me want to slap him on general principles! His habits are a little different from Ollie's, but annoying nevertheless. Same blowhard attitude, though. My dear husband had one word for him - jacka$$. Oh, the confirming stories I could tell!

I tried to watch our church service this morning, but about five minutes into the pastor's sermon, the Facebook connection failed, and never came back on. I can't help wondering if Facebook has something to do with that. They have been caught censoring things that the Left might take offense at, and religion is one of them. What a shame, if that's what's happening.

Well, guess I'll go rustle up some lunch. I still have a little turkey and dressing that I brought home from David's on Thursday. Big chunk of white meat, and some dark. I think I'll eat the dark, and tomorrow I'll dice up the white meat and either make a turkey salad, or put it in a can of chicken and rice soup! Either way, it beats eating it plain. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
November 29, 2020 - Msg 115724:
, check out https://www.cityofirving.org/569/Home-Rehabilitation-Programs.

, a radio station in Toronto has been playing constant Christmas music since November 2nd.

To learn more about who celebrates the Sabbath on Saturday, check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbath.

It has been an unusual holiday season for us. No family gatherings for Thanksgiving and Christmas because of the virus. We choose to be cautious because of the microscopic and nearly invisible threat.

from Poor Horatio
November 29, 2020 - Msg 115725:
Hmm, that is strange that my bold tags did not work while posting from my smartphone. In my previous posting, the first one was for Romeena and the second was for MDC.

from Poor Horatio
November 30, 2020 - Msg 115726:

PH and RO-I guess the "Count" lives! haha

RO--I have also heard that a dripping faucet, even that slow, can make the dial turn, but then you said that it stopped when something else was done, so hmmm
ASA--please remind me of the blooper in the Family Visit. Thx.
Regarding lights in trees, my neighbor has an orange tree in the front yard, and he uses his
long handled orange picker to get the lights up on the tree.
BTW, no temple lights again this year in Mesa, both due to renovating and the virus. We have enjoyed many past strolls thru the grounds.

HEY to Spotty and all! :) Please check in when you can.

I'm still working on my outdoor display but I also
got out the indoor tree today. It's Cecile's turn to decorate it tho!
God's blessings,
MDC

November 30, 2020 - Msg 115727: Morning Monday all.
HA! I remember how the thought of Monday used to depress me. Not anymore though. I wonder what causes that? :)

Romeena, that will be great news if that small drip is the source of your problems. I would promise you that will show on your meter. It may not be much, but over the course of a month a small leak like that can add up. Fingers crossed for you.

MDC, I was thinking of using some type of telecopic pole for the tree lights. I have one but I would need to figure out something I can put on the end to use for hanging lights. And before that I need to get some lights again. I gave most of my old lights to the kids. They were the old C8 (I think that was the number) bulbs. Used a lot of juice. I don't remember if I ever shared this story or not, but years ago when we lived in a smaller home in town (we had only been married a year or two) Debbies Mom knew I wanted to decorate for Christmas, so one day she delivered a ton of those old style lights to me. She had bought them at a garage sale for like 5 bucks. So I remember one day right after Thanksgiving, I was Clark Griswold. I had lights everywhere on the outside of the house. And I decided I wanted them all on one source of power so turning them on and off would be a breeze. So I laid everything out so it fed off of one plug. I didn't even have any power on the outside of the house, so I had to run a cord outside somehow. Anyway, night came and it was time for the unveiling. I plugged them in and walla, everything lit up beautiful. I was so proud. I went in the house and was thinking how hungry I was and then realized I had not eaten all day. So I figured I'd make some toast to tide me over till supper was ready. Pushed the toaster handle down and about 10 seconds later, the house went black. All my lights went out. I had tripped the breaker and the current of the toaster had pushed it over the edge. lol So the next day I had to rearrange things a bit so I could plug into a different plug on a different circuit. And that wasn't easy because the service panel was pretty small and it didn't have many circuits.

Regarding the blooper on Family Visit, the radio announcer says that 3 convicts had escaped from prison. Later in the episode, Andy is on the phone being told they had been captured and he asks "so they got both of them"? (suggesting there were two, not three)

Last night I watched the one where Otis trips and falls when exiting the cell, and then sues the County. I get such a kick with Floyd and his adoration of Neil Bentley's suit. "What a nice man" lol.

PH, Yea, it is different this yearwith the virus threat. It has been so hard for me to not be with my Grandkids. I just hope the end of this is near. It sounds like there are a couple of vaccines that look very promising.

In our Sunday School class yesterday (done with Zoom) the discussion went in an interesting direction. It was mentioned about how the virus has changed our lives so much, but there are other things out there that pose greater threats than the virus. The virus threatens our physical well being, but there are things that are eroding our spiritual well being also, and those threats should be considered even more dangerous. Something I have noticed that concerns me is that in past times when we have gone through crisis in our Nation, it seemed to bring us together. I read the stories of WW2 and how the Nation came together in so many ways. Right after 911, I saw our Nation come together (at least for a short while) like I didn't think possible. Sadly it seems politics entered into the equation and it soo became a huge point of division. But I just don't know that we have come together at all with this pandemic. It seems almost from the start it has been a "look out for your #1" attitude. The panic buying and hoarding that went on in the early stages, the mask-no mask fight that is going on now. Again it seems politics has entered into the situation and that seldom is good. Maybe it's because it's an election year and that always amps things up. And I know the media loves to find an ember of discontent anywhere about anything, and then throw gas on it so they can then report on it. I do hope that goodness, kindness, and caring are prevalent, but we just don't hear about it because the media isn't interested. Case in point: One of my posts here several months ago, I mentioned, just in passing, that I had been unable to find any sanitizing wipes at the store. A few days later I get an e-mail from MDC telling me to keep an eye out for a package in the mail. It seems right after reading my post, he was at the store and found two cannisters of wipes and thought to himself, "these must be for Asa". He bought them, boxed them up with a couple of bottles of hand sanitizer, and sent them to me. I was so touched by that, and have shared that act of kindness with many others. I do hope that type of caring is going on and we just don't hear about it. I hope I have not embarrassed MDC telling it now. But it meant a lot to me. And my buddy GF, When I retired sent me a little copper pipe statue with a sigh on it that sits proudly on my desk in my office, congratulating me on 35 years of working for the same company. Very touching. And our deer sweet Romeena, sending me a copy of her book to share with a friend who had just lost a family member. Or Boo, whe one day sent me a couple of handmade scarfs she had knitted. And our deer sweet Possum when sent me a very nice sympathy card when my Son passed away. Gosh, you folks are just awesome friends. Thank you all for your goodness and goodwill.

Asa
November 30, 2020 - Msg 115728: Wow, the count does exist. I am certain I typed in GOOD Monday morning all, but now the "good" is gone. Where is Merle Osmond when we need him?

Asa
November 30, 2020 - Msg 115729: Asa...Very touching post Buddy, you brought up several good points...Yes Mayberry Folks are the best!..I have found great kindness too from my Mayberry family, as they say “We Do for our Own”...That is what the Mayberry State of Mind is all about!..

I think that is why we all “Get It”..We Still Know and strive for the way of life like it used to be before the world got crazy...
I think the Judds must have been Andy fans when they sang about it..https://youtu.be/dt6-ZtOL_gY

G-F

November 30, 2020 - Msg 115730: Thanks GF.
I think The Count or auto correct got my post above. I keep calling Ro and Possum deers instead of dears.
Oh dear.

Asa
November 30, 2020 - Msg 115731: Hi everyone. Sorry I have be AWOL since the day before thanksgiving. Lots of going on here these days. Looks like everyone had a good thanksgiving. I was pretty worn out after the week I had with ERin and all the cooking, but the food was good and everyone was thankful.

The weather here is amazing. Cold and clear just like I like it. I put the first fire of the season in the fireplace tonight.

Sean was feeling bad and wanted to go for a covid test today and it was like pulling teeth. I had to drive all the way past Corpus Christi to padre island to a clinic there and waited nearly two hours. There seems to be a shortage of the tests in our area for some reason. Anyway, he tested negative. I really think what he is suffering from is allergies and stress.

The holidays are getting into full swing around here and the tree is up, almost decorated. Bruce worked on the outside lights and should be finished tomorrow.

Erin is getting better but still experiencing her share of body pain and soreness. The elbow is hurting her but no neck pain. I don't know what she will do at this point. She wants to go back to san Antonio but without a car, that would be futile. She's a mess.

Well, hope you are all well and I will try to drop in more often. Love to all!

Boo

PS-very sweet post, Asa. We have much to be thankful for on our little porch.
November 30, 2020 - Msg 115732: Ro, have you emailed the Christmas card list yet? I;m no rushing you, just don't want to look through all my unread emails if I don't have to. lol

Boo
November 30, 2020 - Msg 115733:

IthinkI'vehadjustaboutenoughofthisvirus! (:


November 30, 2020 - Msg 115734:

Aw, shucks, ASA, thanks for that. Sometimes, as G-F stated, it's the little
things that lifts one's spirit. I'm so glad that I found this little Mayberry family! :) Back in 2018 when I had my heart operation, after ICU I was transferred to a semi-private room. The guy next to me was in for several procedures, and as they wheeled him out for one of them I said "I'll say a prayer for you." When he got back, he was telling everyone who visited him that this guy that he didn't even know said that he would pray for him! That little sentiment made his day!
In fact, we kept in touch until one day earlier this year when his daughter contacted me to say that he had passed, but she also told me that he had returned to church, repented of his sins, and that she was sure he's in heaven. :)
BTW ASA, I know several young folks who like Andy Williams,
big band hits, and '50s tunes. They share that they just don't
cotton to today's stuff. That's very insightful.
Also, very interesting what you said about the Christmas lights
breaking the circuit...because when we first moved to our house (40 years ago now) the "first thing" I did was to hire an electrician and had him make our front and back outdoor receptacles
into separate dedicated 20 amp circuits. (because I knew i wanted to decorate.) When I used to also put all kinds of lights on the roof, I would plug those into the back one.

BOO--good to see you. I like your FB posts, like the one of your fireplace! :) Very cool. My prayers continue for Erin. Just to throw out a suggestion, maybe Now would be a good time for her to start her on-line CNA studies. Glad Sean is negative, and that you had a
good thanksgiving.

Tonight's episode was the Bookie Barber. Maybe I'm being TOO critical since I've seen them all so many times, but those guys were pretty 'blatant' with what they were doing. Andy should have figured out that something was fishy with the same 3 guys with black bags going into the barber shop! ha
There are some great lines tho, like Floyd having the magazines to swing it, Barney's 'compelsion' explanation, and "Two chairs, no waiting." haha

OK friend, til it be 'marrow,
MDC




December 01, 2020 - Msg 115735: MDC...So Your Sayin Clark Griswold has a Christmas 🎄 illumination 💡 Compelsion?.....G-F

December 01, 2020 - Msg 115736: Good morning, porch! I tried to post yesterday, had a nice one all written, hit that mysterious key that cancels everything (I've never figured out which key it is) and everything went away. I had another obligation to fulfill, so couldn't repeat. Guess I'll try again today!

MDC, my heart just sang when I read your post above, particularly the story of your roommate in ICU. My dear friend, there will be a very large star in your crown, thanks to that one little promise you made as he was wheeled out of the room. It just proves that nothing we do or say goes unnoticed. God bless you for that.

Boo, I'm praying for Erin, for Sean, and for you and Bruce. Your family deals with a lot of stress and turmoil, and I pray for peace for you all. You are a kind soul, with a servant's heart, and God will bless you for it. I think of you every time I put on my slippers, or cuddle under my soft blanket. Those Christmas twinkle lights you sent me served well in Christmas scenes for several years, but of course have given way now to LEDs. However, they have found a new life in some outdoor lights - two big garden globes, on black iron stands, that grace two flowerbeds in my back yard. The lights are just a random ball of lights inside the globes, and are so pretty.

Years ago, MDC, I did what you did and had my friend Ted put electrical connections all over my back yard, and in the eaves around my house. For years, I had to be careful not to overload them, as they weren't on dedicated circuits, my circuit boards were already full. Then came LEDs, and I can link 42 strings of twinkle lights from any plug-in, for the shrubbery at Christmas. The roof lights only require two connections, one from the back and one from the front. The permanent lighting out back includes about 20-25 ground lights, which illuminate the entire back fence, giving me a perfect backdrop to let me see anything that moves back there, and there are spotlights on various things in the middle of the yard, plus the two big globes that contain Boo's lights. Eddie loves all those connections, he never has to run an extension to power his trimmers, edgers, leaf blower or anything else.

MDC, I'm still using my beloved little Dirt Devil roll-around tank vacuum, with the replacement hose you sent me. I have a Shark that does the floors, but Little Red gets me into all the nooks and crannies, finds the cobwebs, gets into tight corners, and vacuums the stone hearth on my fireplace. Actually, he vacuums the whole face of the fireplace, which is all field stone. There are chunks of white crystal, and iron pyrite (known as "fool's gold") mixed in, that add interest to the face of the fireplace, and it really brightens up when Little Red pulls the dust off. My jeweler brother is also a rock hound, and he has given me many beautiful rocks that he brought back from his many expeditions. My flowerbeds have little stacks of interesting and pretty rocks, and when this house was being built, he gave me a big box of beauties to be incorporated into the fireplace. The stone mason who was building the thing wasn't too thrilled, and made some comments about the need to keep women off of construction sites, but in the end, he placed the rocks beautifully, and admitted that the rocks were very pretty. He was an elderly, crusty, crotchety old guy who had retired, but because of his respect for my dad, he agreed to build my fireplace. It was his last build, as he passed just a few months later. I cherish that fireplace. It represents not only the grudging kindness of that old fellow, but the respect that was held for my father by the men who built the homes he designed.

I'm grateful for the kindness shown at one time or another by everyone on this porch, and by many who no longer visit. I guess it comes down to this - Mayberry is my home town. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
December 01, 2020 - Msg 115737:
Romeena, regarding your disappearing text, I can think of one cause. Notice that there is a RESET button next to the POST YOUR COMMENTS button. Is it possible that you are clicking that RESET button when trying to move your cursor to the POST YOUR COMMENTS button? That would cause your entire posting text to disappear when you try to post it.
As a precaution, when you are done typing a post and your cursor is still visible in the COMMENTS box, press CTRL-A (to select your entire post), then CTRL-C (to copy it to the clipboard). Then if your text disappears, just paste it (CTRL-v) back from the clipboard.

from Poor Horatio
December 01, 2020 - Msg 115738:

RO--Aren't ya kind! You're a real bobbie dazzler ya know. Thx :) You are certainly no 'stranger' in your hometown here. :) Good thinking on the outlets. I would like to do
some low-voltage lighting in our back yard shrubery, but just can't decide on
how to do it as yet. Our weather the past few days have been perfect 72s!
PH--your education was worth every penny!
BTW, I still use your suggestion for "widening" the comments box when I go to proofread it. :)
BOO--I'm curious if you got my email of about a week ago about a stream of
a homily by our pastor? If not, I'm guessing the address I had for you is no longer valid. Either way, please give me a yea or nay and I'll try it again. Thanks. (And I'm getting anxious to see your Christmas card from the tractor store! :)
G-F--Yup, that's what I'm a sayin'! :) I got the compelsion. :)
I will post my Christmas decs soon on FB, and I'll email them to you and Asa and Ro.
Prayers during this happy season,
MDC

December 02, 2020 - Msg 115739: Good morning all.

Ro and MDC, When I built the house I live in now back in 2000, I also installed some outlets under my roof eves. I also wired them so they are controlled by an interior switch and are alo controlled by a photo electric eye. Sure makes it handy when doing the exterior illumination stuff.

In my earlier post when I was thanking folks for their kindness, I neglected to also mention MDC sending me his compression leg sleeve apparatus for my Wife to use. So very kind a man is he.
And I am glad you are having some pleasent weather MDC, after the scorching hot summer you endured.

Last night I watched several episodes of TAGS, including the one when Gloria comes to visit. My goodness she was easy on the eyes. And this episode is the first one, I believe, when we see how ratty Helen can become when she gets her nose out of joint. The scene in the car when Andy agrees to hook up Goober with Gloria for a double date the next night, and then he tells Helen, "you beat everything, you know that"? Oh my goodness, the glare she gives Andy after that would have sent me running in the hills. lol And then I watched the "she buttered him up, he egged her on" episode. Barneys mind just worked that way. And then the episode when Opie and Howie start their own newspaper. A good lesson in adults being careful what they say when children are present because they listen and learn from us. At least some things. lol

Well I hope everyone has a great day and stays safe. It sounds like a vaccine is about to become available that will hopefully end this pandemic.

Asa



December 02, 2020 - Msg 115740: Good morning, porch! Eddie was supposed to come today to clean up some of the fallen leaves, do a bit more weeding, and plant some bulbs that need to get in the ground now. However, it's cold out there, and raining off and on, and Eddie is still battling the shingles and recovering from his knee replacement. I called him and told him to stay home and stay warm! He didn't argue, and I'm glad he's not coming. I'd much rather stay tucked in here where it's warm and dry, and if he was out there working, I'd be out there too, probably just getting in his way, but I'd be there.

About my plumbing problem - I got an accurate measure of the water lost to the slow drip in my guest bathtub. It's just over a cup an hour, which figures out to roughly two gallons a month. Not much of a leak, but the way our water bill is figured, if that two gallons tips me into the next block, my bill will be affected quite noticeably. So, I'm going to have it fixed before I do anything else. It may be that fixing that little leak will solve the problem and we won't have to do anything to the pipes. Ted is on a big job right now, but next week he will come and replace the innards in that fixture, and I'll be standing there with my fingers crossed. If that stops the meter, I will thank the Lord and breathe a sigh of relief. If it doesn't, then I'll proceed with the guys who will run my water lines up and over on that side of the house, and my bank account will shrink alarmingly. Still, is what it is, and it must be done if there's truly a pipe leak. We shall see.

PH, thanks for the suggestions. Actually, I know about the reset button, and know that I'm not hitting that. The disappearance has happened when my cursor was nowhere near that button, and also, the whole page disappears, not just the entry. I have to navigate back to the page, and of course, the entry is gone. I do know to copy a post if I'm leaving the page intentionally, but I do it the long way, highlight/right click/copy, and then replace it with right click/paste. Same procedure when the censor gets me for whatever reason. I never knew how to do the clipboard thing, but now I do, so thanks! No, I'm hitting some key or combination thereof, that just takes the whole screen away, and when I get back, my post is gone. This may sound funny, and it is, but it's also very annoying - I think it has to do with my being much shorter than I used to be. I was 5'6" when I married Dale. I am now 5'2" and all sorts of things are changed. I often burn the inside of my forearms on the top of a pan when I'm stirring something! I can't reach things on top shelves in my kitchen, when I know I put the things up there myself. I have to stand on tiptoe and stretch to hang a garment on the upper pole in my closet, and it used to be easy for me. And - my hands are positioned differently on the keyboard, almost reaching up, and my chair is cranked up as high as it goes. I often hit keys I didn't intend to hit. If this keeps up, I guess I'll just disappear completely!

Helen? Yes, she had a snotty streak a mile wide. If I had ever pulled that sniffy, frozen-faced, stare-straight-ahead stunt on Dale, he would have taken me home immediately. That kind of attitude left him cold, and rightly so. I never proved it, because I never tried it. We didn't play games. I may have been young - only 17 when I met him, and just 18 1/2 when we married, but I knew a good thing when I saw it, and did some quick growing up. He was only two years older than I, but he had come through some rough years, with his mother in very precarious health, and then her death when he was 14. He was the oldest of four boys, and a lot of responsibility fell on him, as his dad worked double shifts in a paper mill to try to catch up on medical bills and keep their home together. I guess, in a way, we just grew up together in those short months before we married. And we grew up together a lot more after we married. We both knew it was a forever thing, we were in it for the long haul.

Well, guess I'd better go feed my little furkid. Then I'm going to finish up the decorating around here today. It's almost done, just the small sit-arounds to place, and then dusting and vacuuming. It's already looking pretty good.

Blessings, friends. Pray for that vaccine to be ready soon. I've had just about enough of that silly mask, and no social events at church, all the annoyances that have been our lot these past months. I still think China owes the world an apology, and some sort of penalty from the world court should be invoked. There, I said it and I ain't takin' it back! --Romeena
December 02, 2020 - Msg 115741: Correction - the water lost in the drip is about a cup in 24 hours, not an hour. As they say, that do make a difference! --Romeena
December 02, 2020 - Msg 115742: Good afternoon porch folks, sitting a spell in my rocker this afternoon taking a break from work.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Things were different for us this year as we were missing both my Mom and brother in law at the table. I made my Mom's dressing and my brother in laws favorite broccoli salad in honor of them.

We had a little snow on my end of the porch this week and its been cold. Probably not as cold as some of you have been experiencing but cold for my end of the porch.

work has been busy, folks struggle more this time of year and with the pandemic even more so. I am doing some phone sessions and virtual sessions when needed.

Boo: I hope Erin is recovering well. I saw the picture of her car you posted on facebook. she is one lucky young woman. Prayers for her continued recovery.

GF: hope you are recovering well and getting around like a spring chicken. :)

supper menu will be: home made beef stew, cornbread or crackers. chocolate layer cake for dessert. tea, milk, kool aid to drink.

Prayers and blessings to all
Big Maude