July 22, 2021 - Msg 116886: I’m definitely concerned for your dear family, Romeena. They have been in my prayers throughout the day. It seems this new variant is easier to transmit. I had stopped wearing my mask but now I guess I will start again. We are having a surge in this area and some of the victims were vaccinated. Hang in there, Ro. I know God has your family in his hands.

Thank you Ro and Asa for the pep talk. In my mind I am
Convinced I am doing the right thing, but my poor heart cries a lot.

Love you all,
Boo
July 22, 2021 - Msg 116887: Sweet Boo, you are in my prayers as well. We talk about "tough love", and it's a very real thing, but I think sometimes we don't realize that it's tough on both sides! It can be as tough on the one who is administering it, as it is on the recipient. Maybe more so.... --Romeena
July 23, 2021 - Msg 116888: Here’s the Newspaper link to the Meet-Up...https://www.mtairynews.com/news/99341/mayberry-fans-meet-up-in-mount-airy
July 23, 2021 - Msg 116889: Thank you so much, Ro. Where would I be without all the prayers over the years?❤️

Any updates on David and Brittany?

Boo
July 24, 2021 - Msg 116890:

The reunion was a big success. Now it is time for a beach day! More later all,
Prayers,
MDC :)
July 24, 2021 - Msg 116891: Hey MDC....A beach Day?....When you said that it made me think of those Frankie & Annette beach movies...
Here’s one to get you in the mood!.... 🏖 https://youtu.be/ql8moSXm7-s 🏖

G-F....
p.s. Just watch out for Erik Von Zipper and his Rat 🐀 Finks!
* BTW “Flora” from the color episodes was one of the Rat 🐀 Pack Girls https://youtu.be/RvQbVOmY8Hc
July 24, 2021 - Msg 116892: Happy Birthday, Romeena!

************
possum u.a.r.

P.S. Prayers for Ro's sick family members,Erin, & God bless us all.
July 24, 2021 - Msg 116893: 6 days to go until I hang up the mailbag. Time is crawling like Opie waiting a week to claim his found money.

Billy Ray the Postman
July 24, 2021 - Msg 116894: Happy Birthday Romeena. Hope your family is doing better.

Boo
July 25, 2021 - Msg 116895:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROMEENA!
The reunionees closed things out by giving me a plaque which reads:
"To S R for doing the job that nobody wanted, but everyone appreciated!"
I was very touched indeed.
All going well in SB, but my neighbor in AZ texted that they got
an inch and a half of rain yesterday!
Oh well, that is good!
Billy Ray... for a short timer you are holding up well! ha
Ro, hope you can get the carpet thing fixed real soon.
Hey to ASA. Man, you could hold a big tool sale, maybe make some
pocket change.
Boo- prayers for you and all!
hang in there folks,
MDC
July 25, 2021 - Msg 116896: Good Sabbath all.

MDC, Thanks for checking in. Glad you are having a good time. I bet you will not find any cheap breakfast specials there like Barney did at the Y. lol They have had all kinds of storm warnings here for southern Utah also. Lots of flooding, but non of it getting up north yet. As bad as we need rain we don't want it that heavy. But that's monsoon weather for sure. Have a safe trip home.

If I recall correctly, Ro, Boo, and Possum all have birthdays here near the end of July. So happy birthday to all our lovely porch Ladies. Your sweet spirits always brighten our lives.

Romeena, I sure hope and pray all your family is getting better, especially the two sickest. I talked to one of the woman I mentioned who had gotten sick even though she had been vaccinated. She was doing quite well and said she never really did get all that bad. So hopefully the vaccine did help her in that manner.

As I was listing off all the stuff at my house breaking down, I now add my furnace to the list. Actually the blower motor in the furnace. On Thursday I kept hearing this short but very noticable yelp. I couldn't figure out for the life of me what it was. Almost sounded like an animal in distress or something. But it only happened maybe every half hour or so and it was just for a second. Well it finally dawned on me that it was happening when my a/c would shut down after a cycle. So I went down to the basement to listen and sure enough, when the fan on my furnace turned off and the fan came to a stop, sometimes it was a yelp at the stop.. It was pretty late on Thursday when I figured this out, but I was pretty sure my fan motor was going bad. Sure enough, the next morning my a/c was out. I checked the fan and it was seized up pretty stiff. I have changed out a number of these over the years, but I also knew my back was not going to agree with my mind in taking on this job. I have a friend who owns his own HVAC company so I figured I'd call him and see what his schedule was like. If he could get me in fairly fast I would have him do it. He said he was pretty booked for the day but that he would throw a new motor in his van and come put it in Saturday morning. So I said that would be great. But as Friday morning turned into afternoon and the temperature in the house climbed, I was starting to regret my decision. I was worried most about Debbie. And I was thinking about shipping her off to stay with Stacey. But then around 4 o'clock my buddy called and said his day went better than planned and he could come over now and do the job if I wanted. I was very appreciative. He came and did the job while we had a good chat. An hour later she was up and running and doing her thing. So very hard to have to rely on others doing the things I have always done, but I need to be available to tend to Debbie. And laying in bed with her with a back that has gone south ain't much help to her. So you pick your battles I reckon.

Anyway, while I was down there I found myself looking at my 21 year old water heater, amazed that it is still functioning and wondering if I would not be smart to be proactive for a change and swap it out now. And again wondering if I should be smart and call the man to come do it instead of fighting it myself. I am going to study on it for a while. I am hoping the good news here is that the burning smell I had the other day was coming from the blower motor and not my diashwasher. I just assumed it was the dishwasher because it was running at the time. I was confused because it was running fine. So I will see what it does on the next load.

GF, Sounds like y'all had a blast at the meet up. And I understand that the mystery of Mr. Schwaump has been solved possibly? A buddy of mine on another TAGS board poisted a production script from one of the episodes and it lists the name of the actor. This is really big if it is true. A long time Mayberry mystery solved, although it is a bit anticlamatic. Almost like when Howard finally caught old Sam. A bit of let down now that we know. lol

Well off to rustle up some breakfast and then watch preaching on line. I had planned to start attending in person again but with cases of new covid back to waht it was in February, I reckon I'll wait.

Prayers for all, especially for Ro's family and for Boo and her situation.

Asa


July 25, 2021 - Msg 116897: Happy Birthday Romeena...May your picture window 🖼 be full of Nature’s Shenanigators...🐿🕊🐇🦜🦋🦅🦆🐥

Asa...As far as I’ve been told, the Mr. Schwamp mystery is still a mystery. There was a theory awhile back but it turned out to be fake news...But I’d like to see that script tho..

Also I agree with you on doing repairs...Sometimes you gotta suck up our pride and just ”Call the Man”...Hard to do for us repair guys...10-4?

G-F
July 25, 2021 - Msg 116898: Thank you, Asa.

I am so glad you were able to get the a/c fixed without having to hurt your back. Good call. Glad your friend with covid is doing well. I have been doing some research on the subject to see if we need a booster and have read from a reliable source that some vaccinated individuals will contact covid, be asymptomatic but able to spread it to the unvaccinated, particularly this delta variant that seems to be easier to spread. I am going to go back to masking up in public to protect others because less than half of the population here has been vaccinated.

We will finally be having the memorial service for my dear friend Gloria who died of covid several months ago. The service is tomorrow and I will be reunited with some old nurse friends, which will be a comfort.

Sadly, I do have a friend that I used to attend church with named Jaime and her husband is not doing well. He is in his forties and was very healthy, in great shape. Super nice guy and an attorney. They have three young children and he is on a ventilator at a hospital in san antonio. They are starting ecmo today and they will do a cardiac cath and MRI to screen for cancer or heart disease. If he is clear, they will put him at the top of the lung transplant list. He has the Delta variant and didnt take the vaccines. He thought he would be fine if he caught covid. Heartbreaking, for sure. I wish we would hear from Romeena. I am getting concerned about her family. Ive been talking to my sister about getting vaccinated. Her husband is talking crazy about the vaccines..he is very gullible by nature and believes alot of the crazy conspiracy theories. He will never take it but my sister is recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and I am very concerned for her.

Well, sorry to be a downer. Its just weighing heavily on my mind.

Boo
July 25, 2021 - Msg 116899: I got fruit pies for all of the July birthday porch women. I got em from Murphs 76 when I was out of state back when. Hostess apple. I'll try to scrape up some tiny candles to make em extra special.
.Regis
July 25, 2021 - Msg 116900:

ASA_ that's BIG, really BIG! (:


July 26, 2021 - Msg 116901: Asa...If you recall, a few years ago we were talking about hot water tanks. You had commented about how your plumbing distributor told you of a pending huge price increase. Well I took your advice and purchased one to have on hand when mine bites the dust...(mine is just as old as yours)
Well it’s still in the basement gaining interest every day! When the day comes I’ll be ready!...Mrs. Goob at the time didn’t agree with spending the money, but I convinced her it was a good investment....

G-F
July 26, 2021 - Msg 116902: Well, good morning, porch! I apologize for my absence, no excuse, just sort of checked out and rested for a couple of days. Thank you all for your sweet birthday wishes. Makes me feel loved!

Saturday afternoon I attended a birthday party for a friend, whose birthday is the same day as mine! She turned 85 on Saturday. My birthday was only 82, not considered a milestone, but 85 is a much bigger deal. She's a lovely gal, a real class act, and her party was great. Her daughters and grandkids organized it, it was a surprise (I think it really was!) and it was lovely. There were about 40 guests. Her daughters took her to lunch, and we all assembled in her home while they were gone. Of course, when they returned and the street was lined with cars, she figured something was up, but the cars could have been for something at a neighbor's house. She did admit to me that she got suspicious when she saw my old red Cadillac across the street, since there aren't a lot of those around and everybody knows it's my car. Anyway, the party was great, I got to see some old church friends who have moved out of the area, but came to the party. God is good.

Funny little story - our new young pastor is a whiz at remembering names. Last summer, when Covid was at its peak, we held our church services drive-in movie style, out on our big parking lot, with the sound delivered through our car radios. It was neat, and fun, and the lot was full. As we were leaving the lot, our pastor was standing on the exit driveway, greeting each family or person as they left the lot. I had taken Trinket with me, and he spotted her in the car, and gave me a big smile and a thumbs-up! Now that we are back in the sanctuary for worship, he stands by the main exit door and greets everyone as we leave, and he uses names. How, I don't know, but he remembers. The first time he greeted me at the end of the service, before he could say anything I told him my name, and he said "Oh, I know - old red Cadillac, little white dog!" We both laughed, and it has become sort of a running joke between us. One of us will often toss that phrase into a conversation. I responded to an email he sent out last week, and signed it with my name and underneath I put "Old red Cadillac, little white dog!" So Sunday morning during the exit greeting, he mentioned that, laughing about it. I am really impressed with this young pastor. His sermons are well-thought-out, and impressive. His attitude is one of "we're all one family and we need each other" and I think he was exactly the man God wanted in our pulpit. It took our pulpit committee over a year to find him, and I think they did a great job!

David's family is still sick. The boys are much improved, Hudson is almost well and Landry is a lot better too, but Brittany is still sick with 103° fever, and feeling awful. David's O2 sat finally got down to 88° (much too low) and wouldn't come up. At that point, I loaded up my O2 concentrator and some new tubing and drove out to Saginaw, to their house. I didn't go inside, but just took it to the porch. They all stayed in the house, with the door open so we could talk. Brittany said she set it up for him, and they eventually got his numbers up to 93-94, and he said he feels stronger. He has been able to keep some food down, and his meds, and I think he's going to be okay. It's just going to take time.

The carpet is going to be okay! After Derrold dried it out and cleaned it, it looked wonderful, and then a "watermark" stain appeared on the leading edge of the spread of the water as it had soaked in. Ivory-colored carpet, brown watermark stain. Not pretty. So he found something called "Brown-out" and came back and sprayed the stained area with it, set up two loud fans, and said to keep them running for two days, to be sure the whole thing was completely dry. I've done that, the stain has not returned, and the carpet looks great, like new. Furniture still all crowded in the other side of the room, Trinket thinks it's her playground as she can jump from one thing to another, and I'm looking over the top of a sofa to see the TV on the other side of the room, but the carpet is beautiful. Derrold will (probably) return today to put the furniture back in place and pick up his noisy fans. He's a nice guy, I treat him like a son, and my carpet is beautiful once again. So who cares if he's a little unpredictable with his schedule? I don't live by a schedule anymore.

Guess I'll go spruce up the kitchen. With the living room a mess, I've been a little lax with the rest of the house, and it needs a bit of tidying up. Oh, Asa, I'm glad you were able to settle your appliance woes. If it ain't one thing, it's another. By the way, if you decide to replace your water heater, give some thought to a Bosch tankless unit. I have two, they're about 12 years old, and working fine. I really like them! You never have to drain them, your gas bill will drop noticeably because they don't keep a big tank full of water hot all the time, just to be ready when you need it. It's heated as needed! Well, you know more about that than I do, but just thought I'd put in a plug for them.

Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! --Romeena
July 27, 2021 - Msg 116903: Where is everyone? --Romeena
July 27, 2021 - Msg 116904: I'm richeere Romeena.

Glad to read some of your family is doing better. Prayers that Brittany and David get better fast. I enjoyed your Pastor story. Sounds like he is a keeper. So glad you got your carpet to dry out and be stain free. I bet you will be glad to have that mess done.
I have considered going tankless, and with just the two of us here it makes sense. But I would probably need two units (my bathrooms and kitchen are on opposite ends of the house). And as I mentioned before, with our water, mineral deposits are an issue. Not sure I want to deal with annual descaling. So I most likely will stay conventional.

GF, I remember posting that info and you acting on it. I wish I would have also, but didn't. My current unit is an A.O. Smith and I sure have been happy with it. Has never given me a bit of trouble in 21 years. And concerning the Mr Scwhamp identity, you were right. It was a hoax. So old Sam is still with us. lol

Boo, so sorry to hear about your friends husband being so sick. How is he doing? There was a story here a week ago about a 39 year old Police Officer who got Covid and died from it. Very sad. Not sure if he had been vaccinated or not, although the more I am hearing about it, this new Delta variant seems to be pretty resilient and the vaccines are not as effective. We seem to be slipping back into last winters numbers around here. It's getting pretty old. How did Gloria's service go?

I did run my dishwasher through a full cycle this morning and she ran like a champ. No smells. So I guess what I was smelling was the furnace blower motor. Still gotta deal with my oven though.

MDC, Did you get home safe? I hope so. We are supposed to get some of those heavy rains up here this week. They had a ton of them in Southern Utah. Lots of flooding issues. We don't want that, but it would be nice to get a little rain. My poor lawn is sad looking.

Well off to do some laundry I reckon. Every two weeks like clock work.

Asa


July 27, 2021 - Msg 116905: Good afternoon, porch! It's hotter than a $3 pistol on a Saturday night around here. !00° last night at 9:30! It's 100° right now, at 3 pm, and it hangs around the upper 80s in the middle of the night! In my opinion, that's dang hot! I still can't believe it, when I remember growing up in San Antonio, where 105° on a summer day, and 95° during a summer night was not even news. We had no a/c, just some weak little fans and open windows. I would put my pillow at the foot of my bed, sleeping on, not under, my bedsheet. There was a window next to the foot of my bed, and the pillow would be lying up in the windowsill, so I could maybe catch a vagrant breeze now and then.

Asa, my house is like yours - one tankless heater supplies the west side where there are two full bathrooms. The other supplies the east side, and covers the washer, the kitchen, and a half bath. Is there as much problem with mineral deposits when the water doesn't sit in a tank all the time? As I recall, that was part of the sales pitch when I bought the tankless ones. They compared the lines in the heater to the general water lines in the house, and said the sediment didn't accumulate in them any more than it did in the plumbing lines. Then they said that the outflow lines in the tanks were a little bit above the bottom of the tank, to get pressure, and the couple of inches on the bottom didn't get disturbed that much, so sediment would build up. It made sense to me at the time, and I've had no problem with the lines clogging, but I have zero expertise in such matters. All I can really say for sure is that I've been very, very happy with my tankless ones. They were especially nice when I used to have a house full of teenage grandkids, all wanting a shower, and we never ran out of hot water. Now, that's not an issue very often, as the kids have all grown up and scattered. I miss the old days!

You're right, our new pastor is a keeper, as far as I'm concerned. He's just 30, and we're a congregation of mostly elderly people, just a few young families, but that's one reason why we chose him. We realize that the continued existence of the church depends upon the addition of young families, and we're hoping that his fresh approach and his eagerness to serve all ages, colors, cultures, whatever, is the only way we're going to get it done. The church was vibrant, active, with wonderful youth activities and all, when we joined there in 1974. We were a young-to-early-middle-age congregation at that time, just enough gray hair around to keep our feet on the ground. My oldest child was 14, down to David who was not quite 4. So, we pretty much raised our kids in that church. David met Brittany there, when they were four! The racial and cultural demographics of the city are changing dramatically, and our only choice, indeed our only hope, is to adapt and change with them. We're trying! We have a small Hispanic congregation, who speak little or no English, so they have their own worship service, with Pastor Israel, who is fully bilingual, preaching for them. We teach English as a second language once a week, or will, when Covid allows us to fully resume our usual activities. I taught in it for about two years, and really enjoyed it. We call it our Internationals group, and it meets every Wednesday morning. I've been trying to get a "sister" class authorized - Spanish as a second language - which would be open to our members who would like to learn Spanish. I think we need that. I speak a little Spanish, just enough to get by, and it has come in handy. When a young mother, carrying a crying toddler, comes up and asks in Spanish "Where is a bathroom?" it's nice to be able to help her. We need more old members who can do that. So - one day, or one project at a time, I guess.

Well, I think Eddie is about through in the yard, guess I'd better go pay him. The Bible does say that "the workman is worthy of his hire", and Eddie certainly is, so off I go. Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena
July 28, 2021 - Msg 116906: Romeena, I was in San Antonio today and it was hot as Hades at 3pm!!! Mercy!

Boo
July 29, 2021 - Msg 116907:

I'm rightcheer also! :) Yes, we got home safe and sound after a
9 hour drive from SB tp Phx on Monday. LA was a bottleneck, and is now almost 24/7.
It is no wonder people are leaving in droves for points east.
We had a great time however, saw many old friends in SB and got in some beach time too.
Thank you for all your prayers.
I didnt have time to tell you that 3 days before our departure from AZ, our
washing machine broke down, gave up the ghost, so we ended up at a laundromat
trying to get clothes clean for the trip, and I forgot that 'laundromatland' is
a whole different world entire! One dude stripped down to his boxers
whilst his clothes were in the machine!
Anyway, the day before leaving we ordered a new washer from Home Depot
and set up delivery for Tuesday. So we were greeted Tuesday morning with a delivery truck!
Then tomorrow, Thursday, we finally get our new countertops! woohoo!

ASA, I am no HVAC guy, but I am a bit surprised that the bearings went out on that motor.
I thought nowadays they were sealed. Or was it something else?

Today on GRIT I saw a little bit of the Shakiest Gun in the West with Don Knotts.
That was fun to see.

RO--so glad that your new pastor is working out well. At least he didnt ask for Sundays off! haha
And to finally have the carpet problem done is great.

BOO- how was erin doing in San Antonio.?

I hope everyone is well. I am determined at this point to just live life to the
fullest! Now we are hearing even if vaxed to double mask etc, etc, scaring everyone , so
like other covid flus of the past, I am just being a bit careful,
TAKING MY PROACTIVE ZINC and other vits, and moving forward with great vigor. :)
Anyone watching the 'lympics?
HELLO TO ALL!
God bless,
MDC


July 29, 2021 - Msg 116908: Checking in, hope everyone is well and prayers for those in need. I've been busy with family and cleaning every inch of our home one room at a time. It is so hot and humid here I don't venture out unless absolutely necessary. I do try to get an early morning walk in though. We are suppose to get some rain today so hopefully it will cool down some. My brother is adjusting to assisted living, it's been four months. He had a sale and got rid of most of the household stuff and is in the process of selling his home. Take care and stay safe. Sarah
July 29, 2021 - Msg 116909: Good afternoon all.

Hey Sarah, good to see you again. Glad you are staying busy.

MDC, So glad you guys got home safe. Sounds like it's not just Ro an me having house issues. Seems like there is always something to deal with. Hard to imagine someone stripping down like that at a laundromat. And just your luck it had to be a feller. lol
I'm pretty sure those motors don't use bearings anymore MDC. Most of them are just brass sleeves I believe. Being the furnace fan motor it gets double duty running summer and winter so I am thinking it served me well. I am thinking about buying a spare inducer motor though, just in case a middle of the night breakdown occurs. What do you think GF? I need to price one I reckon first. That may stop my thinking so much. lol

Well think I'll go watch a little tv. Just to dang hot to get very adventurous.

Asa

July 29, 2021 - Msg 116910: Well Asa...My blower motor is now 20 years old. I upgraded to a 3/4hp when we did the addition in 2001. I still have the old motor that will do in a pinch. I oil both the motor and the blower when I run the heat and when I run the A/C so it gets oiled two times a year, maybe overkill but works for me!...

I’m Really concerned about the age of my furnace, it’s a 1975 vintage, belt drive and standing pilot. I did though put a new W/R gas valve on it when I did the motor so that’s newer.
It had a old Essex valve, those are pure junk so I went with the White/Rogers...It was $25 out the door and MUCH more reliable in my opinion...10-4?

I clean it every season and check the heat exchanger so far so good..If it ain’t broke don’t fix it with today’s new junk that is out there...Heartaches...Nuthin’ But HEARTACHES! ....

Yep, I’d keep a spare inducer motor and a glow coil if that’s what you have as a ignition source, those two things are the biggest culprit for breakdowns....

I hope y’all haven’t done a Henry Bennett on me...So far everything is running Ok here 🏠....🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

G-F....*Even the mower has been Ok and not flooding, but I’m not OVEREXPECTING....LOL
July 30, 2021 - Msg 116911: Good morning, porch! Yep, I think this whole porch is snakebit when it comes to things breaking down around the house. You all know all the stuff that's been draining my bank account, and now my sprinkler system is broken. Well, not completely, but almost. The control box is the main problem, and fortunately they aren't terribly expensive. I've got one on order (a Rainbird) for $132. However, that's not the only problem. I've got a broken wire somewhere, and I'm pretty sure I know where, so that's fixable, too. All the zones in the back yard work, but nothing in the front will run. Ted can replace the box, and he thinks he knows where the broken wire might be, so once the box arrives, he'll get to work on fixing the whole thing. The thing that's bugging me most of all though - my little remote probably won't talk to the new box. I could have spent significantly more on the box, and got one that works remotely with an app on my phone, but I just hate those things. I've got a ceiling fan that's supposed to respond to a phone app, but I can't get it to work. I'm waiting for a kid or grandkid to be here, because they can probably sync that thing for me. I hate phone-controlled things, because the phone is never where I am. I don't live by the law of the phone, like most people do. My son can even see what's in his refrigerator - a picture of it, yet! - when he's in a store and not sure whether they need milk or whatever. Also, it will display a message that tells him if something has tripped an outdoor camera, or if his boys leave the fridge door open. Things like that. Makes me crazy.

Asa and G-F, you two make me think of when nurses get together and start talking, and everyone else's eyes glaze over. There's a language that's all your own, and it goes right over everyone else's head! I love it when you do that, though. Two good friends, who speak the same language, sharing thoughts, advice, information, just good camaraderie. I love it!

Well, I guess I'd better get busy around here. I'm having to use hose-end sprinklers to keep my front yard from dying until I can get the sprinkler system fixed. This 100° weather we're having is going to kill things dead! Even my lovely little redbud tree looks wilted, and I really don't want to lose that pretty thing. However, all the annoying little pecan trees that the squirrels have so obligingly planted in my flowerbeds are thriving! Every week, Eddie has to pull up new little ones, and if he misses one and it makes it two or three weeks, it has to be dug out. They are the most stubborn, persistent, aggravating things in the world. I wish things I plant intentionally would grow as well!

Blessings, friends! Keep looking up....--Romeena


July 30, 2021 - Msg 116912: Welp, just clocked out and headed home. Very odd feeling, like watching myself in a dream. Happy/sad, like Barney at a class reunion. I reckon I have more time to watch some classic TV.

Billy Ray the Retired Postman
July 30, 2021 - Msg 116913: Congratulations, Billy Ray the Retired Postman. I almost know how you feel, but not exactly. My retirement wasn't planned, at least not at the time. I was 74 and still enjoying my job as a nurse, when my lower back more or less shattered, and required a very complex surgery, basically a re-build of the sacral plate. I expected to be off for six weeks, but my surgeon kept extending the restrictions, and finally, after a year, I ran out of long-term disability leave, and the hospital wouldn't let me return without his written permission. So, I had no choice but to retire. I guess that was really a good thing, because after a year, I was pretty well settled in with my non-working life.

It will be a bit different for you, going from working to not working in one day. That's a pretty abrupt change, but trust me, you will adjust, and one of these days you'll wonder how you ever had time to work! You will fill your time with things you love to do, you'll be able to help a friend who might need some assistance, you'll get around to things you've been putting off, and some days you'll just totally do nothing and love every minute of it. I'm happy for you!

Blessings, and enjoy this new stage of your life. --Romeena
July 30, 2021 - Msg 116914: Well Good Luck Billy Ray....Welcome to the “Wheeler Club”...
Now just be sure you have a nice “Wheeler” to relax and watch TAGS in ....*Wheeler” models available at...https://www.la-z-boy.com/content/CustomizeIt/recliners

All of us are with ya Buddy as you learn to adjust to your New Lifestyle..If you need tools..I KNOW A GUY! 👍🤣🤣

G-F
July 30, 2021 - Msg 116915: Happy Retirement to you,Billy Ray! Enjoy, enjoy!

Well,it's DANG hot here today,as our good buddy Rev. would say. Heat index will hit 111 degrees this afternoon,and NO, all of the candles on my birthday cake today have nothing to do with how hot it is around here! Ha! Ha!
Thanks for the earlier posted birthday greetings and for the fruit pies too! Y'all be sure to head over to Yancey this weekend for mine and Boo's annual Big Birthday Bash! The Gigolo Club will be rocking all weekend long and Spotty's supposed to bring the mulberry squeezin's,so it's gonna be a blast!

Y'all take care and keep cool out there!

************
possum u.a.r.
July 30, 2021 - Msg 116916: SHAKEDOWN! That's right folks, this is a shakedown! Everybody out while I check for illegal contraband, not that I think any of you would be so foolish as to try anything here at The Rock.

Billy Ray the Retired Postman
July 30, 2021 - Msg 116917: Well, drat! I can't find my porch birthdays list! Will one of you who has a list of the porchster birthdays kindly email it to me? I think most of you have my email address. If you have the list and don't have my address, tell me and I'll try to fix that. --Romeena
July 30, 2021 - Msg 116918: Happy Birthday, Possum!!!

Just dropping in to say hey.

Boo
July 30, 2021 - Msg 116919: Billy Ray! Did the postal service give you any surplus stuff when you hung up your bag? I need a regulation big sized Mail Box. I'm figuring on adding an addition to my Frigidaire box.
Regis
July 30, 2021 - Msg 116920: Thanks,Boo! Happy Birthday to you- tomorrow!

Ro,I think I have most of the Porchster's birthdays written down somewhere. I'll try to get them to you over the weekend.

possum again
July 31, 2021 - Msg 116921: First of all, a happy birthday to all the gals born in July.

Regis, I do love those Hostess apple pies. Send me a crate please. I can't find them here in Canada.

Billy Ray, the retired postman, congratulations on surviving until retirement. No more tension, enjoy your pension. Now all you have to do is wait for those pension checks to arrive in the mail. That reminds me of a joke. Why does it cost so much and take so long to mail a letter?
50% of the postage is for handling and 50% is for storage.

G-F, thanks for the update on the Mayberry Meet up.

Boo, I am still trying to come up with something that could help you with your current difficult situation. But I am having a difficult time with that.

MDC, glad to learn you enjoyed your reunion trip. As for watching any 'lympics coverage, I have not done that since the USA Hockey team won the gold medal way back in 1980. Refresh your memories by visiting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUahimeg02k and cue it up to 18:00 when the team sings the Star Spangled Banner. If that does not put a lump in your throat, then I would check to see if you had a pulse. Then at 21:00, you can watch the goals USA scored on their way to win the gold. Even I still get choked up watching this.

Sad to learn about all this talk about broken things that so many of you are having to deal with. The only broken thing I have to deal with is my old broken body. I once went to a body shop and asked for a new body but they all thought I was crazy.
Anyone remember that Twilight Zone episode from 1962? It was called "The Trade-Ins". An elderly couple visits a company that can convert sickly elderly people into healthy younger people. But the couple can't afford to convert both of them. So they must choose which one gets the conversion.

from Poor Horatio

July 31, 2021 - Msg 116922: Thank you, PH! Happy Birthday to Boo today!

Ro, I just emailed you all of the Porch birthdays that I had written down. Not all,but most of the regulars.

Y'all have a good day- stay cool!!

************
possum u.a.r.
July 31, 2021 - Msg 116923: What I meant up there is that I didn't have all of the birthdays. I'm not withholding anybody's birthday! Ha!

possum again
August 01, 2021 - Msg 116924:

Good Sabbath to all, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BOO AND POSSUM!
Wild party in Yancy, especially when Spot showed up with the squeezins! ha

RO, so sorry about your sprinkler system. If the remote is a rainbird, maybe it can be re-programed for your new box?. Regarding phones, I just got a new 4G, but still a flip phone, but i had to re-enter all my contacts by hand!

PH, thanks for that video, that was such a proud moment, especially because they were all amateurs, and not all the pro athletes like today. To me, they ruin the
spirit of the games. Just sayin.

Way to go Billy Ray! Congrats on your retirement. Did you get a party, gold watch,
or anything? :)

Finally, our kitchen is now complete! A new sink and disposal were the last to go in.
Also, the new washing machine is going great. Maybe I'll strip to my boxers to break it
in! haha It is a GE, and as our laundry room is in our garage, we decided to get a much simpler one (without all the electronics), back to the 'mechanical' dials. The one we had was 8 years old, and it blew 3 motherboards during that time. IMHO, that is 'backward' technology; too much fancy stuff that isn't really needed.

ASA, We had an AO Smith water heater for the first 25 years that we have been here!! That is
really good with our hard water, and I never drained it at all! Then we got a Kenmore,
but it only lasted about 6 years. Now we have a Reliance, and it is going well.

Prayers for all,
MDC


August 01, 2021 - Msg 116925: Good morning, porch! Beautiful day here, but gonna be another hot one! I think I could just rubber-stamp that comment, at least for the next two months.

MDC, congrats on finally getting your nest all feathered. You've had a long stretch of living in a construction zone. I've had my challenges lately too, but nothing like you've been dealing with. I'm glad it's all done, and hope all the new stuff holds up well. Personally, I have a pair of Maytags - washer and dryer - and they're 27 years old, never had a repair on either one. Of course, they've only had to deal with my own laundry for the last 25 years of their lives. One person is a lot different than two, especially if one of them is a man, or a family with kids. I do about 6-8 loads a month, which isn't much. I can recall, when Dale and the kids were here, that I did at least that much every week, and usually more.

Possum, thanks for the birthday list. So nice of you to send it! Now if I can just remember to check it now and then.....

Boo, I hope your birthday was a good one! I should be able to remember yours now, as it's the same as my mother's. She would have been 103 yesterday! I can't imagine. I'm actually glad she didn't live that long, because she had some challenges the last two or three years of her life, and those extended last years would not have been comfortable for her. As it is, she is with the Lord and my dad, and she's happy! She and Daddy were the happiest married couple I ever saw, and were forever an example for me. I have to share this little story, which I may have done in the past, but here it is again. One Sunday morning I noticed them walking out across the parking lot at church, hand in hand. They looked so sweet. Dale and I met them at a restaurant for lunch, and I commented to them about how happy it made me to see them still sharing such a sweet love, at their ages. My dad, who never missed a cue, just laughed and said, "Sweet? Shoot, we're just trying to keep from falling down!"

Well, guess I'd better get in the kitchen and get lunch started for my grandson and his girlfriend. They'll be here around 11, so I'm not going to make it to church this morning. I'll catch it online, though. I've got chicken to broil, pork chops to fry, and veggies and stuff to make. I don't normally cook two meat dishes, but I wanted to do the favorites of my two young guests. There will be leftovers and I'll enjoy that all week long! I love leftovers!

Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena
August 01, 2021 - Msg 116926: MDC, here are some little known facts about Herb Brooks, the man who coached the USA Men's Hockey team to gold in the 1980 Olympics. As a player, Brooks tried out for the 1960 Men's Olympic team but was unfortunately cut from the team just one week before the Olympic games. That USA Men's Hockey team won the gold medal in 1960. Then in 1964 and 1968, Brooks once again made the USA Olympic Men's Hockey team but unfortunately did not win any medals. They came in 5th place in 1964 and 6th place in 1968.
You also brought up a good point about the 1980 USA team being composed of all amateurs (never got paid to play professionally). Now that professionals (those who were at that time, or in the past, paid to play professionally) are allowed in the Olympics, maybe that is why I lost interest.

Regarding the birthday list, since I no longer celebrate my birthday since I became a senior citizen, I never submitted my info. For me, getting older is depressing.

from Poor Horatio
August 02, 2021 - Msg 116927: Good morning, porch! Well, we got an unexpected, unpredicted blessing yesterday, in the form of a decent little rainstorm that the weather bureau had not anticipated. We needed it, and it was so welcome. Today is still cloudy, looks like we might get some more. It couldn't have arrived at a better time, as my sprinkler system is not working at this time, replacement control box is on the way. Lots of droopy shrubs and flowers, since I can't water adequately, but this has perked them up. I have hoses and sprinklers, but this lot is a quarter-acre, and by the time I water one section, the others are drying up.

I had a lovely day yesterday. My grandson, who is 28 and still single, is now engaged, and brought his lovely lady to meet me. I had cooked lunch for them, and we had a wonderful visit. The girl is delightful! Very down-to-earth, easy to know, and the two of them seem very compatible. They haven't set a date yet, but she's wearing a beautiful ring. I like her a lot, and predict nothing but a good life for them.

PH, I wish I could help you see aging differently. For me, each birthday is a celebration. Perhaps because at age 40, I had every reason to believe I wouldn't see 45. God saw it differently, and here I am, at 82. Cancer twice (the first one was stage 3B, and moving fast, but a skillful surgeon, a very knowledgeable oncologist, and God stopped further spread). The second one was found incidentally in another procedure, was tiny and was very effectively "nipped in the bud" at the time. I have cardiac issues, respiratory issues, arthritis, diabetes, ad infinitum, but I'm here, functional and happy. Compared to my "list of woes", the worst thing by far was the loss of my soulmate when I was 56, but I know where he is, I know I will see him again, and until then, I'm just enjoying every shred of life that's allowed to me on this earth. So, for me, another birthday is a gift, to be celebrated. As my beloved former pastor used to quote James Montgomery and say -- "It is not all of life to live, nor all of death to die." What promise lives in those words!

Well, gotta run. Several errands to do today! Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena
August 03, 2021 - Msg 116928:

Good evening all! I sat down to watch tags earlier this evening
on ME-TV, but Cousin Vergil was the first ep, and
Otis the Deputy was the second. Neither one is on my fav list, especially
Vergil. He and Roger Hanover drive me up a wall! ha
So I got some other things done tonight. :)
RO--good to hear that you got some rain. We are back to the heat. 110s for the next
several days is the forecast.
PH--that is interesting about Herb Brooks. It got me to thinking about the gymnast who took herself out of several events this year. What? I thought of
Kerri Strug in 1996 who completed her routine with a badly sprained ankle,
and had to be carried to the podium by her coach. Times have changed for sure.

Well, I could say a mouthful about this latest mask business, but will refrain;
except to bring up a quote by Ben Franklin at the continental congress when they were
writing the constitution. If interested you can check it out at https://wisdomquotes.com/liberty-safety-benjamin-franklin/

Calling all early birds...let's meet at Waffle House, breakfast is on me! :)
MDC