February 14, 2022 - Msg 117596:
Happy Valentine's Day,Porchsters! Can't you just hear ol Ernest T. asking " Will you be my BEE- LOVE-DID"?! ha ha!
***********
possum u.a.r.
February 14, 2022 - Msg 117597:
Ok, I'll sweep!
poaaum again
February 14, 2022 - Msg 117598:
Stirred up so much dust that I can't see to spell my name correctly!
February 14, 2022 - Msg 117599:
Possum...Remember the rule.... It’s “s” after “o” in Possum!...Have a Great Day Everyone!..G-F
February 14, 2022 - Msg 117600:
Good morning, porch! It's another blue and gold day here in the Dallas area. Blue skies, golden sunshine, light breeze, 70°. Can't ask for much more than that.
It has become my habit every morning to check my email first, then go to the porch. The email tends to be depressing most of the time. All the political stuff is scary, the news is scary, actually beyond scary. It's a joy to "unsubscribe" from most of the junk that comes through here, and once I've gotten rid of the garbage, I come to the porch! I can always count on finding something funny, encouraging, touching, and so very welcome. You folks are the cats!
Just watched a squirrel battle out back. I think it was two males, battling for territory, as they were evenly matched in size. It could have been a female telling a lovesick male to back off, but I do think it was two males. Anyway, one prevailed, and the loser ran up the fence and sat on top of it, chattering insults at the other one, who totally ignored him. So funny.
Well, guess I'll run along. Got a few things to get done today. Or not. Gotta love retirement! Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena
February 14, 2022 - Msg 117601:
JM--Barn did a lot of jay-walkin' too, like in tonight's
ep with Ellen Brown, he goes right into traffic, almost got hit!
RO--Your backyard scenes are so interesting. I always think of
Chip and Dale when you mention the chipmunks. Disney had those antics
down to a T in those cartoons!!
POSSUM and all, hope you had a good Valentine's Day!
Don't be a stranger.
Funny tags related thing to tell ya all:
One of our hymns in church this past Sunday was about the tree planted by the water shall not be moved. My wife nudged me and smiled. She is not a big
tags fan, but she knows that Aunt Bee sang it with the ladies at Mr. Frisbee's place! ha! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Awug6zeMY
ASA--exciting extra holes finish to the Phoenix Open yesterday...won by a blade
or two of grass!
Peace, Love, and Joy! :)
MDC
February 14, 2022 - Msg 117602:
Instead of using all of Floyd's pixels, I'll try it this way:
https://tinyurl.com/bdrdhctc
MDC
:)
February 15, 2022 - Msg 117603:
Hey MDC....On your sign off on #117601 you forgot to add Peace ☮️ Love ❤️ & “Little Doughnuts” 🍩🍩🍩🍩 🍩 to that! https://www.peaceloveandlittledonuts.com/
We have one of those places near me.....G-F
February 15, 2022 - Msg 117604:
Morning all.
MDC, That was a great finish at the P.O. #18 got itself a workout. Was neat to see the first time winner win it. I saw the hole in one on Saturday on 16. That was wild. The crowd got a bit carried away though. Oh well.
GF, Your donut link was interesting. I have never heard of them before. The menu sure is ambitious. Is your Joe getting some rest finally? My goodness, Helen is feeling very left out. We just can't seem to scare up any snow here. It's getting a bit serious for our water come summer.
Romeena, Have your ears unplugged at all? I hope so. I know what you mean about the news stories. I hope the picture I sent you lifted your spirits. I know it did mine.
I will e-mail you guys an update on our situation as soon as I get anything. It's a process I reckon.
Last night I saw a slug of TAGS folks on Perry Mason, including Mr. Wheeler. He was a County Coroner holding a hearing on a recent death of all things. This must have been before he became a handyman.
Well off to my shop to get some work done. Not to cold today.
Prayers for all.
Asa
February 15, 2022 - Msg 117605:
Good morning, porch! What a joy it is to come to this place every morning, and find fun, joy, and kindness. The scene outside my window is lovely, even though the grass is mostly brown, the trees have no leaves and the only flower visible is a silk one that lights up at night, compliments of my daughter. Still, I can see the tips of many of the irises, just peeking through, and in another month they'll be setting buds atop 2-3' stalks. The trees will soon burst into full leaf, the amaryllis bulbs that are scattered in all the flowerbeds will start sending up bloom stalks, which will produce spectacular, dinner-plate sized blooms. They are so beautiful! Garden-variety amaryllis are very pretty, but the blooms are about 4-5" in diameter. The florist-worthy bulbs flowers that are literally as big as a dinner plate. I measured on once, and it was 13" in diameter. Granted, it was one of the larger ones, the average is about 9-10", but spectacular enough. They're intended to be grown indoors, but I tried setting them out in a bed once they had bloomed for me in December and January, and the blooms had died down. They were spent for that year, but the following year, I had an army of them marching through my flowerbeds. Just beautiful. Somehow, though intended to be hothouse flowers, they do very well in my back yard. It's on the south side of the house, and the wooden fence is 6' on one side, and 8' on the other two sides, so there's a little protection from the cold winds. It gets plenty cold, though. The fish pond freezes over at least once every winter. The fish seem to tolerate it quite well, which reminds me. This week should be fairly warm, so maybe I can sneak a good feeding in for the fish. I've been advised by the pond people not to feed them when it's cold. They usually won't eat anyway, and if they do, it can make them sick or even kill them, as their digestion shuts down when it's very cold. I didn't know that, and was being sure to feed them "to give them warmth and energy". I don't think it ever killed any of them - I never found anybody floating - but the pond got a little cloudy from the uneaten food.
MDC, thanks for that link to the Chipmunks! The Disney artists were extremely talented. They brought those little creatures to life on the screen. The facial expressions, their behavior, everything is spot on. If you have ever just watched chipmunks, you'll see that.
My parents lived in Michigan for about three years, back when my kids were growing up. They had a sunroom that jutted out from the back of the house, with huge windows on three sides. The house was on a full acre, on the outskirts of town, and there was abundant wildlife. My parents, especially my dad, just loved to observe the critters that came around. There was a chipmunk that had a burrow in a flowerbed beneath the windows of that room. My dad would make popcorn, and put some of it on the brick ledge beneath the windows, and then just have a wonderful time, watching the little creature come and harvest his popcorn crop. He would pack his little jaws so full of popcorn that his head looked like a balloon.
There was a predatory tomcat in the neighborhood, but he was really too slow to catch the chipmunks, though he tried. One day, the chipmunk found my dad's popcorn offering, and packed his little cheek pouches so full, I don't know how he could breathe. Then he saw Mr. Tom approaching, and ran for his little tunnel. He beat the cat with time to spare, but when he dove for the little hole, he didn't fit! His cheeks stuck out so far he couldn't get in the hole! Daddy and I didn't know whether to laugh or go help him, but he knew what to do. He stuck a paw in his mouth, and dig, dig, dig - the popcorn flew. Cleaned out one cheek, then dug out the other, and made a clean dive into the hole, just as the cat got within reach. The disgusted, disappointed cat just sat down and looked angry, sniffed at the hole and the scattered popcorn, and finally sauntered away. My dad and I just laughed until tears ran. Daddy was prepared to knock on the window and scare the cat away, but it wasn't necessary. The little chipmunk knew exactly what to do, and looked hilarious doing it.
Well, guess I'd better get busy. Haven't done laundry in about three weeks, there will be at least six loads, so I'd better get at it. I can recall when I did a load or two every day. That's the way it is when there is a man and four kids in the house. I still separate my loads. Sheets make a load by themselves, and I just can't bear to throw lingerie in with jeans, or towels in with my sleepshirts. My mama taught me better than that!
Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! Trinket, the sweet little thing, says howdy! --Romeena
February 16, 2022 - Msg 117606:
Good morning, porch! What a weird day! The sky looks like a big gray bowl, turned over the world. The wind is blowing pretty hard, not a critter in sight, and it just looks cold, chill and dismal! Yet the temperature is 64°! As I said, weird!
And as luck would have it, I have to get out in that gloomy world today. Got to go get a chest x-ray, because I'm seeing my pulmonologist tomorrow, just for a checkup. I'm breathing fine, but I haven't seen him in nearly two years, and need to verify that everything is still okay. My lung capacity is compromised by the scoliosis, I have a little over 50% of normal capacity, yet it seems to be enough. The doc is an old friend, and a bit of a worrywart, so he likes to keep tabs on things.
Uh, cancel that comment about critters. A flock of starlings, at least a hundred of them, just descended on the back yard. They drank from the sources around the pond, poked around in the grass a little, and then gathered into a mob and flew away! Starlings are weird birds.
Well, better get moving. Eloise and I are going for pedicures a little later, before I poke my toes through my socks, and I need to stop by the hospital for that chest x-ray. I love our little hospital, wish I was still working there. I thoroughly enjoyed my job, and miss it. I know I could never complete a 12 hour shift, but I still miss it.
Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! --Romeena
February 17, 2022 - Msg 117607:
Howdy Porch family!
RO--that was pretty funny about the chipmunk's pouches being so full
that he had to empty them to get into the hole. That reminded me of a scene
from a funny video show where a dog is trying to get thru a two foot wide door with
a three foot long stick in his mouth! After several futile tries, he finally turns his head just enough to get the stick thru. It just took his brain a while to figure
out what to do! haha
The other day I saw Ben Weaver on Perry Mason. My how these characters got around, just
like ASA said about Mr Wheeler. Of course he also made his living as the doc on Rifleman, and then retired to the Shady
Rest Hotel! :) ASA...what are you working on in your shop? You can only
make so many ashtrays ya know! ha.
Speaking of tags, ever notice how the writers made Barney pretty superstitious?
One of the very few things that I did not care for. There was the Count, the lucky letter, the jinx, the 3 wishes, rabbit's foot etc. I guess they were just trying
to fill out his character a bit.
GF--that's pretty cool donut shop. Our resident Possum would like that! :)
Our weather was only 61 today, but back to 79 by the weekend!
All for now, Parting is such sweet sarra' Lord willing, see ya t'marra!
MDC
February 17, 2022 - Msg 117608:
Good morning,porch! Another gray and gloomy-looking day here on my porch, but I'm ignoring it. Along with the dreary-looking day, a lovely little bright spot just appeared. There is a pretty bluejay, boisterous and grumpy as they always are, but he's so pretty. Also, he's loudly insulting - guess who? The first robin I've seen! Yep, a fat, self-confident robin is out back, poking his beak into the brown grass, and totally ignoring the outraged bluejay. I guess Spring has officially sprung here in the Dallas area. The fun is just beginning, and I've got a front-row seat to watch all the antics out there.
MDC, Barney's superstitions have never bothered me. It just seems like part of his personality. He's very sensitive, which he will either confirm or deny, depending upon the circumstances and his mood at the moment. He's a little bit obsessed with strange and spooky things (the Count) and superstitions just fit in very nicely with that. He's emotional, soft-hearted, gullible, and in some ways, very immature. He's also quite insecure, and like most of us, our insecurities often manifest in seemingly unrelated ways. I think his little superstitions were his unrecognized way of hiding his weaknesses, even from himself. What complicated critters we humans are!
Well, better get dressed. I've had my shower, washed my hair (still wet) and I've got an appointment in 2 hours with my pulmonologist. He's going to be very surprised when he sees me. I'm breathing much better than the last time I saw him (2 years ago), thanks to the weight loss. I still have some limitations, but they're so mild and familiar that I just roll with them and go about my business. I can pull weeds for half an hour and not even breathe hard! Not bad for an old gal of 82. I played with Trinket last night until she was breathing harder than I was!
She loves to play, the sweet little thing. The high point of her week is when Diesel comes to play. She has three toy boxes, and there is one particular toy that Diesel just loves, a little bug of some sort, all floppy legs and spots. His name is Buggie, and when he and his family leave, somebody always hides Buggie in one of the boxes, for the next visit. Diesel comes in, greets Trinket and everyone else, and immediately starts to hunt for Buggie. It takes him about a minute to sniff him out, he pulls him out of the recesses of a toybox where someone hid it, and the chase is on. Trinket tries to take Buggie away from him, but is largely unsuccessful. Diesel will share any toy in the room, but not Buggie. It's just hilarious to watch. If Trinket gives up and quits trying to steal Buggie, Diesel will literally wave him in her face, enticing her back into the game. Dogs are wonderful!
OK, away I go. Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena
February 17, 2022 - Msg 117609:
Well MDC....Looks like no ⚾️ Spring Training In Goodyear anytime soon...
Might find a good deal on 🥜 🍿 & Cracker Jacks though.....G-F
February 17, 2022 - Msg 117610:
Yup GF, I'm pretty bummed by the lock out.
Another pro sport shot to you-know-where!
But I'll go to Ariz. State U games.
They are 'unadulterated' good baseball. :)
More later,
MDC
February 18, 2022 - Msg 117611:
Good morning, porch! Well, so much for the warm-up in the weather that was predicted. It's 31° right now, with a wind chill of 24°. If it weren't for weirdness, Texas would have no weather at all. Oh, well. This too shall pass.
Yummy! I just finished my breakfast - a glass of cold buttermilk! Now before 90% of you say "yuck", remember I'm a country girl, and buttermilk to me is a special treat. Cold and tangy, it's just so good. My grandma and I used to have cold buttermilk and leftover cornbread for dinner quite often. Good times!
I'm going to the home of a dear friend for lunch. She has invited 8 of us, promises good sandwiches and a dessert. I'm very concerned for her. She's my age, but looks 20 years older. She has some real health problems, has lost weight until she looks like she just got out of Dachau, weighs 103 lbs, and has about as much strength as a newborn kitten. Her mind is slipping too, and she tries to play bunco with our little group like always, and has to be told what suit we're in and whether she got any of them in a throw. Bunco is about the most mindless, simple game I've ever played, and she can no longer follow it. Breaks my heart. She is mad at her daughters frequently, because they have taken her keys and won't let her drive! Drive? She couldn't get the car out of the driveway if she tried. The main problem is that she has decided she doesn't want to eat, and doesn't. About two bites is all you can hope for. She either says it's too spicy, or too bland, or not what she wants. What does she want? Nothing. We've all tried reasoning, scolding, encouraging, nothing works. I don't think she's going to be with us much longer, and I wouldn't miss this lunch with her for anything. Her granddaughter and 9 yr old great-granddaughter live with her, and I'm sure the granddaughter is doing the work on the lunch, she's a great gal. Please, pray for LaRue, for strength, mentally and physically.
Her husband was one of my Dale's good and close friends. Dale and I were in Fredericksburg when he passed so suddenly, and thinking I would retire there, I decided to just bury him there, since both of our daughters live there. I was away from home for about ten days, and returned home to a beautifully manicured yard. Henry had come over and mowed, edged, and cleaned up. Then he passed about eight years later. There is a group of about 12-15 women in my SS class, all widows now. The rest still have their husbands, and we're all good friends, but the widows have our own little group as well. It's called WI'nGS. Widows Involved in God's Service. It's a support group, as well as being a service group. We take food where needed, drive people to doctor appointments when needed, pick each other up and take to various functions, and support mission activities. I'd rather wear out than rust out!
Well, better get busy. I'm still putting away a few little Christmas things every day. David and company put the tree to bed, of course, and all the high-up stuff that I can't reach, but there's still a lot of little stuff sitting around. Snowman Row on the mantle is still there, and it's just so cheerful that I hate to put it away. Must be about 20 snowmen up there, all looking so happy. Wiley Coyote, who stands on the hearth, has given up his Santa hat though, so I guess it's time to put everything else away too. It will all come back next year, Lord willing.
Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! --Romeena
February 19, 2022 - Msg 117612:
Romeena, you made a mistake in your last sentence. It should read "It will all come back later this year, Lord willing."
from Poor Horatio
February 19, 2022 - Msg 117613:
Good afternoon all.
Romeena, I will offer prayers for LaRue for sure. It's hard to see folks decline like that, but a joy to think of the wonderful lives they lived and the many folks they touched. I am so glad you have so much family help in putting and taking down your Christmas things. A wonderful blessing indeed.
Well you can file this in the "just when you think you've seen it all" category. Yesterday I DVR'd an episode of Bonanza and a few Gunsmoke episodes on TV Land. My back has been a bit gimpy so I new I'd be doing some serious Wheeler time this weekend. Well I just finished watching the Bonanza episode and then it switched to Gunsmoke. But for a breif few seconds a blue screen comes up with this wording on it.
"This program contains outdated cultural depictions. Viewer discretion is advised". I am uncertain if it is referring to the Bonanza episode or the Gunsmoke episode. I find it unbelievable with all the trash that is on TV these days, including on TV Land, that offers no warnings of the s3xually explicit content of that program, but feel it warranted about a Bonanza or Gunsmoke program. Wow.
MDC, and GF, So there is a baseball lockout? I had not heard that but I have pretty much quit watching pro sports. Last weekend I watched a couple of hours of the P.O. golf tournament and that is all I have really seen in quite a while. Maybe it's because some of the players use modern culture depictions that I find distasteful, so I invoke my discretion rights. lol
Well off to pollute my mind with some Gunsmoke.
Asa
February 19, 2022 - Msg 117614:
Good afternoon, porch! It's been a nice day here, temp around 60°, and only supposed to go to the low 40s tonight. Sun shining, very soft breeze, barely moves my wind chimes. And wonder of wonders, only one spam call today! Maybe because it's the weekend. My all-time high, according to my caption phone, which lists all calls that come in, the all-time high was 34 spam calls in one day. Isn't that ridiculous? I got so disgusted one day that I revised my greeting on the answering machine, thus: "Hello! If you want to buy my house, sell my house, put solar panels on it, sell me windows or anything else, review my Medicare, renew the non-existent warranty on my 18 year old car, ask me to contribute to something, or re-market my book, know this: I'm not interested. Goodbye." Usually by the time I get through about the third example, they've hung up, but it's a remote-control way for me to let off a little steam. Tacky, huh? (heehee) I'll probably take it off the machine pretty soon.
PH, you are technically correct. I still think of next Christmas as being "next year", perhaps because there are still come Christmas things sitting around. I just enjoy them and am never in any big hurry to put them away. However, correctly expressed, it's later this year.
Asa, have you ever tried those Salonpas patches on your back? Depending upon what's causing the pain, they might work, or might not. They have never helped my neck pain at all, but my right wrist gets exquisitely tender and sore now and then (arthritis) and while the patches don't work miracles, they do make it tolerable.
I've seen that notice on TV about "cultural depictions." Seems to be on any old movies or TV shows that contain anything reminiscent of slavery or anything that seems derogatory toward the black community. You know my friend Eddie, who does such a good job with my yard and is so nice to me, even calls during weeks when there's no reason to come for the yard, just to make sure I'm okay. Well, I once asked him how he feels about such things when they appear in a movie or TV show. He just laughed, said it doesn't bother him. As he put it, "you know, that all was a long time ago, it was the way it was and we can't change that, but there's no reason to get all fired up about it now. I just let it slide." He went on to say, "I was never a slave, and you and your family never owned any, so why should we be enemies? God made us all." Eddie is a wise man.
Well, guess I'll go scare up something to eat. I've got a few tortillas in the fridge, and some lettuce and onions and a little box of cherry tomatoes, some shredded cheese, and there's a can of Wolf Brand chili in the pantry, and a jar of good old Herdez salsa. I think I'll have some soft-roll tacos. They can be ready in less than ten minutes. Quick dice on the tomatoes and onions, chili in a little covered bowl in the microwave, and just heat the tortillas in a little peanut oil in a tiny skillet. Put a row of the shredded lettuce, top it with the diced tomatoes and onion, some cheese and spoon on some hot chili, roll them up, spoon some salsa over them and eat them like an enchilada. Of course, I also make crispy tacos, but just love the soft ones. I could make them myself when I was about 9 or 10, and often had dinner ready when my parents got home! Yummy!
Blessings, friends, and keep looking up! --Romeena
February 20, 2022 - Msg 117615:
HI GANG, just a quick hello tonight.
RO, I use the Solanpas patches now and then on my back, and also the Aspercreme lidocaine patches.
Between those two and my chiro, my back stays
pretty good, as I do have arthritis and a sligh herniated
disk. More later.
Good Sabbath,
MDC :)
February 20, 2022 - Msg 117616:
Good evening, porch! The scammers are busy again. If you have a PayPal account, and you receive a very well written and authentic-looking notice from them, don't respond. The letter says they have noticed "unusual activity" in your account, and for your safety they have disabled the account until they hear from you. Then they ask you to sign in to your account, and fill out the form attached to it. Naturally, that form wants your SS# and lots of other sensitive stuff. DO NOT RESPOND. Just to justify my response, know that I haven't used my PayPal account in about 20 years, am not at all sure that it even exists. This is definitely a scam. Don't they have anything better to do? Pitiful. --Romeena
February 21, 2022 - Msg 117617:
Happy Presidents day everyone.
Romeena, thanks for the warning about the scammers. It seems they just get more and more sneaky in their efforts. If they put as much effort into making money honestly, they'd probably be doing okay.
I have tried a few different patches but really have not felt much difference. My sisiter in law brought me some kind of oil to try. She swears by it. But she also thinks the moon landings were fake. lol Mercy sakes.
Concerning the disclaimer I posted about, I am now certain it was for the Bonanza episode. Not anything race related in it but a very deep religious message was throughout the episode. Can you believe that?
Hey GF, You doing okay buddy? Have not heard much from you for a while. I hope it ain't because of snow. Check in when you can.
Boy, I just looked on line to get a price on replacing a couple of batteries for my hand drill. One little peek was all I did. From there I went to visit a couple of my usual favorite sights, and ad after ad for you got it, tool batteries. My goodness, we are being watched closely.
I watched a couple of Perry Mason eps last night. Saw Ben Weaver and Frankie Flints daddy in the same episode. I also saw old Fletch in several eps. He is a CSI kind of expert for Burger Hamilton. And Miss Mayberry has been in a couple as the Judge. But she wasn't wearing her crown. I guess she didin't want to be showy. lol
Well I hope everyone is doing well. It seems like the pandemic phase of this ordeal is winding down.
Y'all stay safe and as Romeena says, keep looking up.
Asa
February 21, 2022 - Msg 117618:
Everything thing is A-Ok on my side of Kelsey’s woods...Think I’m already for the Medicare world now.
Ink’d my Humana plan last Friday, just waiting for my card and ALL the FREE stuff from JJ Walker & Joe Namath...As Andy Says...Just Don’t OVEREXPECT Right?...
Even air & water ain’t “FREE” either!.......G-F
February 21, 2022 - Msg 117619:
Good morning, porch. Actually, I think it's good afternoon, to be precise, at 12:08 pm. Oh well, who cares? Not I. Retirement is wonderful. I sleep when I'm sleepy, stay up when I'm not. I eat when I'm hungry, don't when I'm not. I just ate one chocolate truffle from a box of 25 that my grandson and his wife sent me (yum) and I will only eat one a day, in deference to my diabetes. Now I'm drinking a glass of cold buttermilk (love it!) and that will probably be my lunch. Not sure about dinner tonight, maybe just some blueberries and cottage cheese, or I might cook something. Or maybe both! I won't know until this evening.
So your SIL thinks the moon landings were fake? My mother's sister thought so, too. She never did accept it as fact. Her basis for that belief? "If God had meant for us to go to the moon, He wouldn't have made them so far apart!" Now how's that for logic?
So a "deep religious message" was grounds for a warning statement on that Bonanza episode? Isn't that pitiful? We can watch murder and mayhem, all sorts of perversions and immorality, and that's fine. That's why I watch Hallmark and animal channels, but any hint of a religious message has to have a warning statement? Lest some little snowflake be offended? God must just shake His head in frustration and amazement. I once told someone who had some serious problems that I would pray for them, and was politely asked not to do so, as "I don't believe in that." I responded, "Well, if you don't believe in it, then it can't hurt you, can it? It will give me a little comfort though, so just forget about it, and I'll do what feels right to me."
It reminded me of an incident when Eloise and I were in Mongolia on one of the mission trips. As we were leaving to return home, one of our sweet little interpreters, a teenage girl, wanted to tie a little bit of a vine around my wrist. She said it would protect us on our journey. She was a new Christian, but she had been brought up with shamanism and animism as her "religion" and bits of it were still with her. Superstitions can be persistent, right? Just ask Barney! I allowed her to tie the thing around my wrist, and once we were on the bus, one of our group noticed it and criticized me for it. She said people would think I believed in it. I responded that anyone who knew me would not think that, and I didn't find it necessary to rebuff the girl's heartfelt impulse to wish me well. She was too new in her Christian walk to fuss over the fine points, and she would soon abandon that as her faith matured. Or perhaps not. Don't we "cross our fingers" in hope of something? We know it's silly, it's just a custom. Then someone else suggested I remove it, and I said I was finding comfort in Biamba's expression of concern for me, and would remove it later. I finally did, when I showered at our hotel in Beijing that night. I didn't feel that I had compromised my faith at all, I just felt the loving concern and warmth of a new friend. Therefore, I don't understand why non-believers always feel threatened by any expression of faith on the part of a believer? Live and let live.
Well, guess I'll clean up and get dressed. Trinket has an appointment with her vet this afternoon, she's due for a vaccination, and also I've noticed her scratching her ears a lot. I've checked them, they don't smell bad, look clean and pink, but she gets her little foot in there and digs. I want Dr. Mike to check them deeply, further than I can see. She has no ear mites that I can find, and she has no fleas. Fleas are not permitted in this house! I did find three on her after my "guests" and their csts left, and that issue was promptly dealt with, including spraying the sunroom, where the cats had lived for 2 1/2 weeks. Incidentally, I re-potted all of the devastated and uprooted orchids, and I think of the 15 or so, only two are looking like they might not make it. Five are actually in full bloom! I wouldn't have believed it. Tough little things, I guess.
Blessings, friends, and yes - keep looking up! --Romeena
February 21, 2022 - Msg 117620:
Oh, G-F! JJ and his "It's Freeeeeee!" just nake me want to reach through the screen and slap him. He sounds like a looter running through a department store! And Joe Namath (great football player though he may have been)! When he's talking in that smarmy voice, and rubbing his hands together like a fly about to attack someone's potato salad, I'd like to smack him, too. Just on general principles. Mercy! I'm getting old and grouchy, I guess. --Romeena
February 21, 2022 - Msg 117621:
"nake"? Make that "makes". Thanks. I think it's the arthritis in my hands. -- Romeena
February 21, 2022 - Msg 117622:
Don't feel bad Ro. I typed Burger Hamilton instead of Hamilton Burger. I don't think I have dyslexia but never one knows. :)
Asa
February 21, 2022 - Msg 117623:
Hi porch friends.Hope you all are doing good.We are finally getting some warm weather here up north and I hope it stays.Just wanted to pop in and say hey.Take care. KY girl
February 22, 2022 - Msg 117624:
Hey to KY Girl, thanks for 'popping in!' Please dont be
such a stranger. Glad you are all doing good.
Hey to everyone else too! Such goings on! All is well here,
but will be getting some rain on Wed. they say, and only 54-55 for a high
that day. This may just finish out our 'winter!' haha
Anyone see any of the Daytona 500? I still like nascar, but only saw
highlites of it this year.
ASA-a few things for you, Nurse Mary ep was on a couple nights ago;
and when you search for something, use DuckDuckGo search site instead of
Google, and you will not have ads follow you for the next month!
They dont track you like google does.
Just a suggestion.
BTW, is it corn meal that you have the 'lergics to?
If not, my wife dips chicken strips in milk and cornmeal, and then bakes them. it makes a
good dinner main course. and BTW, I think I've eaten one of
those Hamilton Burgers! hahaha
Also, I have never had cable or satellite TV, so I've only seen TV Land
a few times in motel rooms, but to me its more like "Commercial Land" with
ten minutes of commercials and about 3 minutes of TV. :( I just dont cotton to paying for that.
Oh, and Sunday was the 60th anniversary of John Glenn's Project Mercury's 3 orbits of the
earth in Friendship 7; or as your SIL may say, that plastic capsule on a string! haha
GF--so are you going with regular medicare and a Humana supplement, or a
Humana advantage plan? Just curious. My brother has Humana and likes it.
RO--you speak of 'scaring up some meals,' boy my mom could sure do that when I was
growing up...a little of this and that, and voila, there was a casserole
or some other kind of delish dish. She was pretty amazing!
I hope all went well with Trinket's appointment.
As for that "Religious" tv warning, I bet tv land would freak out if they were to ever
show Little House on the Prairie!! In every episode they talk about God.
Well, there's my 'book' for tonight!
APB FOR BIG MAUDE, LUCY, BOO, SPOTTY, MEDWIN, AND ALL!
mdc
February 22, 2022 - Msg 117625:
MDC I guess I got a Humana supplement plan, or was it a Advantage plan?...At this point it only is costing me $15 for it and it seems to cover pretty much what regular Medicare doesn’t so I will see once I get my card....
This all has been quite confusing, hopefully I made the right decision....
G-F
February 22, 2022 - Msg 117626:
Hello folks.
I see some talk about internet security. That is a very important topic with me.
I made a change on my laptop and smartphone. I switched search engines from the popular Google to DuckDuckGo. Why you ask? Because Google, and other similar sites, like to track your personal internet activity even when you are not using their applications. DuckDuckGo claims they do not track people who use it. In fact, the last time I searched with DuckDuckGo, I got a screen message that it blocked Google, Facebook, and one other web site from tracking my activity even though I was not using any of those three at that time. Not only do I not have a Facebook account, I NEVER had a Facebook account. So why is Facebook tracking me? I believe that since businesses pay these tracking sites for our personal internet activity information, why aren't we paid as well? We aren't paid because we usually accept their legal terms when we download their apps and before we can use them.
To learn more about DuckDuckGo, visit https://tinyurl.com/36hh7yvs and https://tinyurl.com/2p8c6xym.
from Poor Horatio
February 23, 2022 - Msg 117627:
GF--If it's only $15 a month my guess is that you got an Advantage plan,
which is fine, except that the coverage can sometimes be limited.
"Regular Medicare" plus a supplement plan pretty much pays for everything,
but I have never heard of such a low monthly premium for it, as it will
pick up the 20% that regular medicare does not cover.
On the other hand, that $15 premium might be for a prescription drug plan.
Now are you totally confused? ha
PH--did you see my note to Asa that I use DuckDuckGo instead of Google
for the very reason that you state? :)
Well, it is starting to rain this evening and should do so for most of Wed. Yippie, we need it badly!
Prayers,
MDC
February 23, 2022 - Msg 117628:
NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL GOOD MEN TO COME TO THE AID OF THEIR NEIGHBOR...
February 24, 2022 - Msg 117629:
Trouble Check
February 25, 2022 - Msg 117630:
Trouble?.....I’ll show you Trouble...https://youtu.be/SVKKRzemX_w G-F
February 25, 2022 - Msg 117631:
Good evening, porch! Well, brrrrr!! It finally inched its way up to a balmy 39° this afternoon. We had a low of 28° last night, and it doesn't look like it's going to change much for the next couple of days. Personally, I'm ready for spring! I don't know why, but it seems like winter and its dreariness is dragging along more slowly than usual. It may be because so many things that are either evergreen or leaf out early in my yard were frozen down, mostly all killed, in that below zero weather we had a couple of months ago. We're just not used to that. Almost all of the eleagnus shrubs along my fence lines froze down and are not coming back. They usually don't freeze, but remain green. Now they're a series of brown twigs, and not a new leaf showing. I'll give them every chance to leaf back out, but if they don't, I'll ask Eddie to just dig them up and discard them. It would cost me at least $400 to replace them, plus the same again to pay Eddie for planting them, and I'm just not going to do it. Too bad, because they really are pretty when kept pruned back, and in the spring they put on very tiny white flowers, only about 2-3 mm in diameter, that are almost unnoticeable, but smell like heaven. Oh, well. So be it. I'll find something else, less expensive and more hardy.
Also have to decide what to do with the two American Beautyberry shrubs. I planned and planted one of them, the other one is a volunteer, probably planted by a bird who was eating the berries. Both are now equal in size and beauty, and there are two ways to prune them. You can prune them down to about 10", and they will send up new canes and bloom, making beautiful berries, but will be about half the size they originally were. The following year, if only pruned to about half their original size, they'll get full size again. The other way, you just cut the existing canes back to about half their length. They will send out side canes, and will reach their original size. Both will bloom and make lots of berries, which draws lots of birds, and makes a beautiful view outside my window. I think I'm going to prune the one by the big boulder just halfway, and let it do its thing, and will cut the one deeply that the bird planted exactly smack in my line of sight to the pond. When it reaches its normal growth and is loaded with leaves and berries, I can't see the pond! So, I'm going to reduce its size a bit, and enjoy the pond to some degree this summer. For those who might not know what an American Beautyberry looks like, here's a link: https://tinyurl.com/yclg9sjd They're just beautiful, with the clusters of berries wrapping the canes like bracelets, and the birds put on a real show when the berries are ripe. I've counted as many as 25 or 30 robins on a single bush at times. Doesn't take them long to strip it when there are so many of them.
I hope everyone is staying in and keeping warm. I'm doing a pretty good job of it. As much as I miss my job and my patients and the feeling of being useful, I have to admit I don't feel too stepped on when Trinket and I are cuddled up all warm on cozy on these cold, wet, chilling nights and icy mornings. Eight years and I still miss my job, though. It was an emotional blessing for 35 years, and I guess I'll always miss it.
OK - got a chicken pot pie in the oven, sounds yummy, I think I'll go see if I can do it some damage. Trinket smells it cooking, and though she has a bowl of tasty, meaty dog food in her dish, she has snubbed it completely, in the hope that I'll share my pie. I may give her a bite of the crust, but she ain't gettin' my chicken! Not at the price of that can of dog food, the little mooch. She's just so cute and sweet, ya gotta love her, though!
Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena
February 26, 2022 - Msg 117632:
Howdy Folks, 2 of my favorite episodes were on ME-tv tonight,
and just two words will tell you which ones they were..."Moulage" and "Gala." :)
Yup, Miss Peggy cooking for two helpless bachelors is priceless, and barn's
moulage comment 'carries over' to here many times! haha
And the other evening I saw Mrs. Wiley on the twilight zone!
ASA-did u see my corn meal comment in an earlier post?
We got rain all day Wed. It was greatly needed and welcomed.
Flagstaff got about 18 inches of snow, which was also needed.
RO--too bad those plants are not going to make it. I know how you love
to watch the birds gobble up those berries! As far as your nursing career goes,
you did indeed help out many people. Remember, you can always volunteer
to go around and visit. Most hospitals have guilds that do that. Just a thought.
I have really been enjoying the 'church cleaning crew.' Sometimes afterwards we will go to
lunch or just for coffee.
Well, I could comment in so many ways about Ukraine, but I don't want to start
a moulage, so I will just ask that we all pray. Lord be with us.
prayers,
MDC
February 26, 2022 - Msg 117633:
Trouble? That reminds me of the musical MUSIC MAN.
In reply to February 24, 2022 - Msg 117629, Touble? Yes we got trouble. Right here in River City with a capitol T which rhymes with P that stands for POOL!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI_Oe-jtgdI
And here is an interview video you all might enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fKBMpI60N0
from Poor Horatio
February 26, 2022 - Msg 117634:
Hey PH, that was a pretty neat interview.
I have been wanting to get that book, and will now
look into it more closely!
Good Sabbath to all!
MDC :)
February 27, 2022 - Msg 117635:
MDC, I"m glad you enjoyed that interview in the last link of my Msg 117633.
After viewing my first link in Msg 117633 for the umpteenth time, I suddenly recognized one of the non-speaking actors in the crowd in that 1962 version of MUSIC MAN. Watch closely between 2:11 and 2:14. He has appeared in four episodes of TAGS (The Andy Griffith Show).
from Poor Horatio
February 27, 2022 - Msg 117636:
MDC, to learn more about Ron and Clint Howard's book THE BOYS, watch the following detailed interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2P6E6Cqb2A
from Poor Horatio
February 27, 2022 - Msg 117637:
Good morning, porch! I definitely feel misplaced this morning. I overslept, and then found I had a "crick" in my neck when I got up, so didn't make it to SS and church. Feels weird. I'm totally missing SS, but will get to "attend" church. I'll join the church family on Facebook, at 10:45, which is in just a few minutes. Technology can be both a curse and a blessing. I'm glad our church is televising services. And to think that all came about because of COVID. A blessing in disguise, I suppose.
MDC, I believe Asa's problem is not with corn meal, but rather with corn starch. Correct me if I'm wrong, Asa.
The sun is shining so brightly, and it looks so warm and welcoming outside, but there is a family of doves in my backyard that are illustrating the truth. It's cold out there, dang cold, and the doves are all lined up on a bare tree branch that is facing the sun, and all are puffed up into fluffy balls of feathers. I think they're cold, and have found the best place to perch and allow the sunshine to get through their feathers and warm their bodies. There are five squirrels chasing each other out there too, and their fur is all frazzed up. Animals tell us so much if we're watching.
MDC, don't worry about me and the beautyberries"! They're fine! It was the eleagnus shrubs that froze, and will be dug up if they don't show some activity in a few weeks. My American Beautyberries are dormant right now, but will leaf out soon. I've already scratched their bark in a few spots with my thumbnail, and the canes are green inside. They'll be just fine, and I'll have the fun of watching them leaf out, produce their very tiny blooms, and then those beautiful berries will appear. Delightful plant!
A sixth plant out of my poor abused orchids has sent up a bloom stalk and tiny buds are appearing, which will soon be fat and happy. As an observer, I may not be fat anymore, but will be very happy to see another orchid join the ranks of the survivors, and bloom again. There are still two plants who haven't grown or shown any activity, but haven't died either, so there is still hope. Everyone else is either blooming or looking very healthy and hopeful. God is good!
Well, church is starting, guess I'll get me a glass of apple juice and attend our service remotely. Again, God is good! And technology can be so helpful.
Blessings, friends! Keep looking up, and Trinket says amen! --Romeena