February 27, 2022 - Msg 117638:

Hi All, Today my wife and I attended a stage performance of Singin' in the Rain at a local theater. It was excellent! The talent in both acting and dance was amazing. In recent years we have enjoyed plays much more than
movies. Here is a neat link to the trailer of the performance that we saw... https://phoenixtheatre.com/the-season/singin%E2%80%99-rain

PH--I will take a look at the other BOYS interview soon. Thanksfor sharing.
In the Music Man one, is that Rance Howard by any chance?
If not, please let us know!
RO--sorry you could not make it to church today, but happy you got to watch it.
And yes, the animal world is amazing. My uncle, who had a small farm
outside of Minneapolis, would mention to us how his dogs and other animals
could sense a coming storm long before it actually showed up.
Their behavior would change dramatically!
Well, I will just say, I am so glad to hear reports that the Ukrainian
men, both military and individuals did not cut and run, but are fighting back to save their country! Prayers!!
MDC :)
February 28, 2022 - Msg 117639: Good morning, porch! Another beautiful but chilly day here. The sun is shining so brightly, it looks like it would be warm out there, but the row of doves once again perched side by side on that conveniently located limb is the first clue. Once again, they're all fluffed up, letting the sun soak in. Then I stepped outside for just a moment without a jacket on, and didn't stay long! I am so ready for spring!

MDC, I am a great supporter of community theater, and enjoy those amateur productions so much. For several years, my daughter Heather was a regular performer in the local theater in Fredericksburg, (Texas) where she lives. She sings very well, and is a good actress. She's quite uninhibited, will take on comedy roles as well as serious ones. Her younger son, Travis, is also a talented actor, singer, and to our surprise, a dancer. When he was about 13, he joined her on stage in a production of "Dracula" and it was hilarious. He was the "minion", Dracula's servant, and swooped around the stage wearing a cape, which he would whirl around and wrap himself in, and cackle ominously. Too funny! He's all grown up now, lives in Austin, about to finish his college degree, and still grabs a stage role when he can. He has been in "Oklahoma!", and several other notable plays. I got to attend one at the Zilker Outdoor Theater in Austin, and had a front-row seat, just a few feet from the stage. Eloise went with me, and we had such fun! Heather has been in "Annie" and several others in the theater in Fredericksburg. I wish I could have seen them all, but it's a 250-mile drive down there, and sometimes it's just not do-able. As I said, Travis still snags a role when he can, but Heather has "left the stage", so to speak. She teaches on the K-12 internet home school program, has her own little budding business doing light land-scaping for people (plans and plants flowerbeds and shrubbery,) for new home buyers or just to brighten up somebody's yard. She does a nice job, makes a decent income, and enjoys it a lot! Her own yard is gorgeous! She is one busy gal!

Well, guess I'd better clean up and get ready to go to the ophthalmologist. It's time for my routine check-up. So far, my eyes have held up, no signs of diabetic damage. My wonderful 20/20 vision that I've enjoyed so much after getting my cataracts removed and lens implants placed several years ago, has changed to 20/40 for distance, but near vision has held up. I can thread a needle on the first pass! My sunglasses now are reverse bifocals, clear on the bottom and mild correction on the top, so I can easily read road signs and exit warnings. I also have a pair of regular glasses with the same correction, but I don't use them much. I had 20-40 vision all my life until I got the implants, didn't wear glasses, and I survived, so they're not a necessity now, just a convenience. I mostly wear them at church, so I can see the pastor's face and the folks in the choir, sharply and clearly. I also wear them when driving in an unfamiliar area at night, just so I can read a road marker sharply. Don't really need them, but they were half-off the price when I got the sunglasses. Well, enough of that. Off I go!

Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena
February 28, 2022 - Msg 117640: One more thing, and it's important --- PRAY FOR UKRAINE! --Romeena
February 28, 2022 - Msg 117641:
Congratulations MDC, you are correct. Rance Howard, the father of Ron (Opie) and Clint (Leon), did appear in the 1962 film version of the musical Music Man.
If you check out Rance's listing at IMDB (International Movie Data Base), he has 285 credits as an actor in television and movies. He was one busy guy.

Finally, for all you Mayberry fans, check out https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1YuKjDB1ROhDOB6-uYf9hg for some great videos to watch.

from Poor Horatio
February 28, 2022 - Msg 117642:

RO--I dont think you ever mentioned here that Heather did some acting! Better than Aunt Bee's, I hope! haha Very cool that her son is also.
The neatest part of Sunday's show was it actually was "raining" on stage!
The 'rain' came down into a 5 inch deep, long, but not-too-wide of a pool, and Don (yup DON!) did his splish-splashing scene in that pool for the
Singin' in the Rain scene. Very well done throughout, and it was fun, wholesome entertainment!
I hope all went well at the ophomologist!

PH--thanks for the videos link. I looked at the playing cards one so far. Cool! Also, I really DID recognize Rance, I did not gggole him or the like, (just wanted to let you know)
as I wanted to see if I was a trained noticer or not. Lol.

Tonight on Me-TV--"Floyd, you are a
miserable, deceitful wretch!" But he was also debonaire enough
to
be in a J C Penny window! :) Love that episode.

Yes, praying for Ukraine!
MDC


March 01, 2022 - Msg 117643: Morning, Porch

I know I havent been around much, but I wanted to drop in because I noticed something I never did before. One of those "little things."
In the episode, "The Jinx", Barney gets thru relaying to Andy how his evening with Thelma Lou will be ruined and Andy, holding papers, says the line about not being able to listen to anymore or he'll be standing in a puddle of tears and then walks away. Barney then says the line about wearing a flower and squirt water. When he says this, his back is to the cells. You can see the divider bricks and the cell keys hanging on it. Which means he's facing across the room, looking towards his desk and Andy's desk. You hear the courtroom doors open and close while Barney's saying the "flower" line. So if Andy went out the courtroom doors, why didn't Barney's eyes and stance follow Andy towards the doors? Barney is delivering the "flower" line, still looking towards the desks as Andy goes outside. Try to remember this next time you watch "The Jinx." You have to listen close for the open and closing of the door sound.

Y'all take care!
John Masters
March 02, 2022 - Msg 117644: Good morning, porch! Yay, it's warm today, in the 70s! On a day like today, I would "water" the cat that just strolled through the yard, hoping to find a baby bird, or maybe a squirrel nest, but I no longer have a remote to control my sprinklers. I had to get a new control box, and it didn't come with one. The ones that can be controlled with a phone were very pricey. Oh well. So the neighborhood cats will be dry for a while. I never sprayed them in cool or cold weather, and when I did, it was only to keep them from raiding bird or squirrel nests and getting the babies.

Well, I think I mentioned (?) that for about three weeks I've had fluid in my ears, and it has been very annoying. I can hear without my aids, just not as well, but with that fluid in there, I could hear very little, if at all. It was like when your ears get stopped up on an airplane, and don't open when you get on the ground, at least for a while. Anyway, that's how it has been for the last three or four weeks! With the aids, I could hear a little, but not as well. So since I was going to the eye doc anyway, and the ear doc is in the same building way out north, I got an appointment for 9 a.m. with the PA, and would be finished in time for 10:30 with the eye doc. Uh, not so. The PA looked in, and said she would go get the doc. He did his little exam, and started talking about tubes. The little plastic ones they put in your ears to drain them! They will stay in for six months. Let me tell you, putting them in was no fun. He warned me that it would hurt. He didn't say it would leave me with clenched teeth and fists. Fortunately it didn't take long, maybe just about ten minutes, with intermittent stabs of pain. I've dealt with much worse. Now for the payoff. I can hear again! I think there must be a tiny loudspeaker on those tubes! I am sitting at my desk, kept hearing a rhythmic tap-tap-tap I'd never heard before. I happened to look at a little wall clock, about 8 feet from me, and realized that the taps coincided with the jerky movement of the second hand on that clock! The clock is about ten years old and I'd never heard it before. Also, when I walk beneath an overhead a/c vent, I hear a distinct roar! Never heard that before, either. The doc also suctioned a lot of fluid out of my ear before he put the tube in, and I could hear better at that point, though still not as well as I do now. I'm thinking the tube is acting as a conductor for sound, to some extent. Very interesting. I'd love to have been looking over his shoulder as he was doing all of this. Any medical procedure fascinates me. The mark of an old nurse, I suppose.

Trinket's groomer came yesterday afternoon, and we agreed it would be best to clip her down pretty close, as she had a lot of very stubborn mats, in spite of my efforts to keep her mat-free. It's just very difficult, and she hates it. So, she's clipped to about an inch of fur, and looks really cute. She's loving it. We'll probably let it grow out through a couple of groomings, I'll try a little harder and investigate some de-mat products, and see what happens. Anyway, right now, she's running and skipping around the house like she was just let out of jail. I did notice that she cuddles a little closer when she's in the chair or bed with me. I think she's finding that close clip a little chilly! Such a little cuddlebug!

Well, I'm a little hungry, think I'll go rustle up some lunch. Or not. One of the squirrels is on the window ledge, peering through the glass at me, and I can wait until he leaves. He's just too cute! Lunch can wait! Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena
March 03, 2022 - Msg 117645:

Hello All! I sure hope everyone is OK,
please check in when you can.
All is well here, just been a bit busy lately.
JM, good to see you. That is a very good observation!
My immediate guess is that they recorded the Andy leaving
scene separate from barney's talking scene, but that is
just a guess.
RO--I am so happy to hear that YOU can hear!!
I am also glad that the ear doc did not see thru to the other
side! haha, but it sounds that those little drainage
tubes will do the job, and solve the problem.
And Trinket is right prim and proper again.
Good enough for the J C Penney window!
That's all for now, but keep praying for the brave people
of Ukraine!
MDC
March 03, 2022 - Msg 117646: Good Thursday afternoon all.
Just checking in per MDC's request. Same here, just been busy as of late MDC.

Romeena, so glad they got your ears working again. That must be a wonderful thing to hear again. And now Trinket doesn't have to leave the room when you watch tv.

Been nice spring like weather here. Mid 60's today. Supposed to get some much needed moisture over the weekend. We need it for sure.

Debbie has an appointment with a surgeon on Monday to schedule getting a new IV port installed. She has been using a pick line since the first of the year when she got an infection. These port lines are really proving to be unreliable. But what do you do.

I hope all is well with everyone.
Prayers for all.

Asa
March 03, 2022 - Msg 117647: Hey folks,

Why is it, that after season one of TAGS, when the Fleet band was in town, nobody cared about Jim Lindsey anymore?

And....How come Andy didn't get on to Opie for riding his bike on the sidewalk in "The Loaded Goat?"

Furthermore....how come I, John Masters, was brave and ready to kick Barney out the choir with haste in "Barney and the Choir", but I completely went yellow and chickened out when I picked Gomer over Barney in "The Song Festers?"

John Masters
March 03, 2022 - Msg 117648:

JM, just the craziness of a poor "continuity person
on the staff!! haha All good points!
MDC (:

March 03, 2022 - Msg 117649: Hello Front Porch: I
Hope and pray too that this war ends. Just read where the Russians bombed the Ukraines nuclear plant. Somebody’s got to stop Russia. How much longer can the world stand by and watch. Just looks like a lot more bloodshed. I was hoping much more would be accomplished. But it’s a start. Medwin Bill Medwin
March 04, 2022 - Msg 117650: Morning, porch! Just wish I could truthfully say "Good Morning", but the word just wouldn't come. I made the dumb mistake of going through my email first, before coming here, and a more discouraging, depressing, anger-producing thing I can't even imagine. I won't quote anything, but you all are probably as annoyed and frustrated (and scared) as I am, if you get much email. This world is in a sorry state, and rapidly getting much worse. I've canceled several of the news feeds I get, as they were strong sources of the emotions I'm trying to squelch right now. There is nothing I can do about the world situation but pray, which I do, and I don't need a depressing run-down on world events to push things along. I'm going to shut down more of them, stick my head in the sand (reluctantly) and try to concentrate more on the few little positive glimpses that surface now and then. The main thing that keeps me going is the realization that every day's idiotic happenings are just bringing us one step closer to the end of it all, when God will judge, evil will perish, and a blissful eternity will begin for those who have chosen to accept the adoption He has offered. There, I've said it and I ain't takin' it back!

Yes, Asa,and MDC, it's nice to have improved hearing, but it's still a long way from right. The aids have a strange standard for amplification. The voice of someone standing three feet away is usually not clear, but the ticking of that dratted clock is making me crazy. I never knew until now that the a/c air handler makes a roaring sound that obscures other sounds when I'm standing beneath it, but fades out completely when I'm two feet away. The phone on my desk nearly jangles me out of my chair when it rings, but I can just barely understand the voice on the line when I answer. So thankful for a caption phone! There is still some fluid in the ears, I can hear it squeaking and squishing at times, especially when I swallow, and I feel what I can only describe as a "pressure shift" at times, as well. Take care of your ears, folks, especially any of you who might like a blasting car radio. (Why would anyone like that???) My brother, when a teenager, would have his car radio so loud you could hear him coming home from two blocks away. My dad ordered him to stop it, but I happened to be close to him in a line of traffic one day, and could hear him blasting away. Result? He has been hard of hearing since he was about 23. It ain't worth it, young-uns.

Asa, I hope Debbie's port implant goes well, and that the new one will hold up better than the last one did. So frustrating! When I hear of what she deals with, it makes me ashamed of my griping about my hearing. I survived Stage 3b cancer in 1979, with no recurrence. How can I dare to complain??

Well, guess I'll go finish that little dab of tuna salad in the fridge. This is a bunco night, I'm picking up 3 people to take them to the gathering, and there will be good food there. So a few bites of tuna salad is definitely all I need to eat right now. The trip to the hostess's house will be fun. The three I'm picking up are fun and funny, and the car trip will be almost as much fun as the party itself. There are just no friends like old friends, and we've all known each other for at least forty years, one of them for nearly fifty. That's pretty hard to beat. God has been good to us.

Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! --Romeena
March 06, 2022 - Msg 117651:

Good Sabbath to all.
No big projects going on right now, but that is OK. ha
ASA--I hope and pray that Debbie's surgery will go well, with no problems.
Bill, good to see you. I agree with you and Ro, and it appears that there is resistance taking place. I can give and pray, and I am. If i could I would do more. We (meaning the world) cannot let this be a repeat of the '30s.
I'm not sure where everyone is these days, but hope u all are OK.
May the Peace of Jesus fill our hearts and minds. :)
More later,
MDC

March 06, 2022 - Msg 117652: [IMG]https://images.app.goo.gl/uEVRKf2dAbqtCtb7A[/IMG]
March 07, 2022 - Msg 117653: To the unknown (unsigned) poster of #117652, be aware that the link doesn't work. --Romeena
March 07, 2022 - Msg 117654: Good afternoon porch folks, I thought I needed to check in before Gomer and Barney went looking for me and then they get lost as well.

Things have been pretty busy so I haven't been able to rock for a while.

been busy with work as usual and having meetings in the evenings with the Pastor Search Committe at my church. We are taking our time in finding the person God wants for our church, We had about 90 resumes to consider and have narrowed it down to 11. Keep us in your prayers as we move forward.

Re remodeling job(s) at home are going well. Cabinets and countertops are installed, all my
"stUff" as been put back in the cabinets and I am able to cook again. I am pleased with how it turned out. My remodel guy is going to do some painting for me in other rooms as well. I figured I may as well have it done while I have him on
retainer. :)

The weather on my end of the porch has been mild for this time of year but looks like a storm is coming this afternoon and the temperatures are supposed to be cooler.

All is well with my kids as far as I know. Mr. Maude decided it was time to retire. hopefully he can get his knee surgery scheduled in the coming months.

Guess I better get to work.
Lunch menu will be: grilled cheese with bacon, chips and browines for dessert.

Prayers and blessings to all
Big Maude

March 09, 2022 - Msg 117655:

Hi Everyone!
Big Maude, good to see you checking in. Sounds like things are going
well with the remodel. As you may recall, last year at this time we were waiting
for our new kitchen cabinets, but supplies and worker shortages delayed things.
Happy that Mister Maude is now among the retired, and that the pastor search
is going well. Clara Edwards says to look for a good 'fire and brimstone' person. :) And Thanks for the lunch,
and please dont be a stranger, as it has been pretty quiet here these days.
Yes, there is a lot of uncertainly in our world right now, but we keep our
eyes on the Prize.

Last night I saw a small blooper in the episode where Rafe sings. I never noticed this before, but I think i am looking more closely these days.
In a few places during Rafe's song on stage, Andy's fingers are strumming the strings, but there is no guitar sound! I've heaard that they did it in a studio,
and then dubbed it in, and I guess it was a little 'off!'

Oh RO, in 117652 above, tho I did not post it, if you copy and paste just
the part between the {IMG} s, it will work, showing the Ukrainian flag.
https://images.app.goo.gl/uEVRKf2dAbqtCtb7A
Please keep praying for Ukraine.
All is well here.
Boo, Spot, GF, Asa and all, please check in when you can.
God bless,
MDC
March 10, 2022 - Msg 117656: Good morning, porch! I think I'm going to have to repeat that "good morning" to myself a lot this morning. "Good" is not exactly the adjective I would use, at first reaction, but then little reminders of what could be and is not, take over and I can say again, "Good morning!"

I awoke to mixed emotions. Last week, my ADT alarm began screaming one afternoon, a strange signal I had not heard before. I went to one of the control boxes and it explained that there was a malfunction in the system and it required service. So, I called ADT, and they set up an appointment for - yep, this afternoon! So I have been defenseless (except for my pistol) since Tuesday of last week. They told me how to silence the signal, and I did. So, today was the day, and I was happy that my alarm would be restored today, but I did have other things I would have preferred to be doing today, besides sitting here waiting "between 1 and 5" for the man to arrive. No big thing. So, I shifted gears, and put a load of bed linens in to wash. Don't have my hearing aids in yet, so I can hear, but not very well. I was sitting in my wheelerette, with Trinket on my lap, when she sat up and was very alert to something in the direction of the utility room which opens off the kitchen and goes through to the garage. Like a dummy, I didn't get up to go see what had attracted her attention. She barked a couple of times, and I figured that was my cue, so I got up and headed in there, with her leading the way, making little burbly barks. At the door into the utility room, I stepped in water. About a half inch deep and rising. Yep, clogged drain, probably in the branch line leading from that side of the house, as the drains on the other side, which feed into a different line, and from there into the main line to the street, are free-flowing. The line that seems to be clogged also handles the drains from the kitchen, so the whole east side of the house is now blocked. At least there are two usable bathrooms on the west side! Well anyway, the entire utility room and little bath are now carpeted with thickly folded beach towels. That little room shares a wall with the carpeted dining room on the other side, and if the water managed to get under that wall, which it would, the carpet in there would be ruined. My insur@nce has a $2800 deductible, so it wouldn't be a whole lot of help. I called my plumber, and he'll have a man out here after 2 p.m. Meantime, that layer of thick, folded big old towels has done a great job of pulling up that water, and the carpet in the dining room doesn't show any signs of seepage. I shoved some towels down behind the washer and dryer as a first line of defense, and I guess it worked.

I guess Trinket isn't such a little airhead after all. I don't know what she heard, but she knew something was wrong, and I didn't respond when I should have. Maybe I need to start listening to her when she tries to tell me something. My ears may not be working very well, but hers certainly are!

The news coming out of Ukraine is just heartbreaking. Those poor people, absolutely at the mercy of that demented dictator. He is a mass murderer, probably to a much greater extent than anyone knows so far. The man who was my pastor from my birth until I was 17, and who came out of retirement to perform my wedding to Dale, predicted much of this. I clearly remember a sermon he preached regarding the rise of communism (yes, that long ago). In it, he warned that the world must be vigilant and watch what Russia and China do, because he believed one of them, probably Russia, would spawn the Anti-Christ, and would bring destruction upon the Earth eventually. Well, I'm thinking he was right. Ol' Vlad looks like a pretty good candidate. OK, enough of that.

I'm at my window, looking out at beautiful sunshine, happy little birds feasting on some old cereal (I cleaned out a pantry), ambitious little squirrels in search of romance running all over the yard. It's chilly out there, but might make it to the 60s today. Little green things poking up out of the soil, not even sure what some of them are, but I did spot a tulip about to open some buds, and some hyacinths were hidden behind a boulder and I hadn't even seen them until yesterday! Give it another couple of weeks of decent weather, and the show will begin. Not as pretty and extravagant as it once was, when I had the energy and the wherewithal to make it a beautiful garden, but it's still pretty nice.

Oh, the plumber just called, she got a man freed up unexpectedly, and he'll be here in ten minutes! God is good! Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena
March 10, 2022 - Msg 117657: Eeek! Did I write all of that? Sorry! --Romeena
March 10, 2022 - Msg 117658:

Wow, RO, I sure hope things are better now in the plumbing dept.!
My goodness! In all that, did the alarm man show up also? Hope so.
You may want to pull up the carpet edges in that dining room just to make
sure there is no water hiding under it. Just sayin.' Hang in there.

GF--are you doing OK? I hope and pray that all is well with you and yours.
It looks like there will be some baseball after all, but this whole thing
sure has soured my outlook on it. Now even our 'national past time' has been sullied
by both the owners and the players.

Yes, without getting too much into it, what truly DOES worry me is P's itchy fingers
regarding the nukes that he has. That was not the case in the '40s, but it certainly IS now.
I have been praying so hard. Churches in this area are staying open all day,
and one thing i have also been praying for is revival, so needed today.

ASA, how are things these days? I hope Stacy is doing OK now. I went for my yearly
echocardiogram today, and will see my cardiologist next week to talk about it.

BOO--anything new with erin lately? How are the jobs going? Is she CEO yet? :)

On tags tonight, when Malcolm crashes into Fletch's pick-up truck, you can see a
Thrifty Ice Cream sign in the building's window! Product placement or oversight? Hmm

One lone iris has showed its head in my wife's garden...come on spring! :)
MDC
March 11, 2022 - Msg 117659: Here I was hoping my “Joe” was done for the season, but I guess not... 3-5” expected tonight...G-F
March 11, 2022 - Msg 117660: Good afternoon, porch! Did someone declare Spring illegal? We have been into the 70s several times, and at this moment we're at 35°, with an expected high of 37°! The sky is the color of mud, and there are road-icing warnings for this evening, with an expected low of 26°. Then the forecast heads into next week, with highs in the 70s. I know one thing, I'm not putting away my coat and warm jammies just yet. One bright spot, there's intermittent rain showers predicted for the next week, so my sprinkler box is set on "rain delay" and my water bill will be smaller. Much smaller, I hope.

MDC, I declare if I didn't know better, I'd swear you were a Southern Baptist! When I hear you use terms like "revival", and describe churches staying open so people can gather and pray for a serious situation, it sure sounds like home to me! I don't know if it's you personally, or the Church in general, but I love it! I think it's a little of both. I recall that when Dale and I were married 64 years ago, my mom's brother's wife, who was a Catholic, was required to get special dispensation from her priest in order to be allowed to attend our wedding, which she did, and I was glad she was there. I loved her very much. Anyway, I don't think that restriction still exists these days. Most denominations have relaxed some long-held restrictions these days, for better or worse. When I was a teenager, the Baptist church frowned on dancing, and wasn't too fond of movie attendance either. So I never learned to dance, and attended only very innocuous movies. These days, the kids all dance, and aren't too choosy about the movies they see, either. I think the middle ground is hard to find. Also, the things that are being literally taught and forced upon even elementary school children today would have been met with tremendous repercussions when I was a child. Now, they are not only taught but actively indoctrinated into practices that not even adults should embrace. Read the Book, it's all there, all predicted, and is happening. Therefore, as I often say, "Keep looking up!" --Romeena
March 12, 2022 - Msg 117661: Good morning all.

My goodness Romeena, so sorry to read of your latest plumbing crisis. Seems like you have had your fair share of supply and drain issues for sure. I hope they got you you draing again.
I have been wondering the same thing Ro and GF about spring. We were much warmer and nicer 3 weeks ago than right now. Got down into the teens the last two nights. Oh well, it will be plenty warm soon enough I reckon.
GF, Poor old Joe is gonna think your nuts firing him up this late in the season.

MDC, Stacey is doing good. Won't know anymore for a week or two. Hard to believe but Mariah is 16 today. My goodness, kids grow up fast, but Grandkids grow up lightning fast. I remember (seems like yesterday) Stacey was trying to potty train her, and it wasn't going to well. It had been an ongoing effort for several weeks. One day at work, I have my boss and a couple of our engineer's in my office discussing an issue we are having on a project we are doing and my desk phone rings. I pick it up and before I can say anything, Mariah says "Gwandpa, I just pooped"! She was so proud of herself and wanted to share that with me. lol I remember trying to praise her accomplishment while 6 ears are listening to me. Great memories.

Still been watching Perry Mason and enjoying all kinds of TAGS folks in those episodes. Last night I saw Don the hungry buzzard in one. And he was quite a pleasent character. I never cottoned to him on TAGS because he became between Andy and Peggy, and because he would talk with a mouthful of food. I detest thaty, people who talk while eating. Yuk! lol

Anyway I hope all is well with everyone. I know things are challenging right now, but I also know who is in charge and how it all ends. Just keep the faith friends.

Asa
March 12, 2022 - Msg 117662: Hey Asa...My Joe said that 5” ❄️ was just a tease...lol....G-F
March 13, 2022 - Msg 117663:

Good Sabbath, and preach it Sister RO! :) This one will really blow you away:
in every Sunday service we speak of our "Blessed Hope!" Yes, things have indeed
changed regarding what you said about your mom's brother's wife. But I actually
remember those days when I was a youngster. Now we are kinda 'encouraged' to
go at any invitation to see how others services go. I have been to many myself. :)
You also mentioned about the movies. We could go, but there was a church group called The Legion of Decency (long before G, PG, etc) and would rate movies, even some
as 'do not attend.' (Of course, for teenagers that meant ATTEND! ha)

ASA--good to hear abouut Stacey. That was pretty funny about her "accomplishment!"
I can just imagine your end of the phone conversation with those extra ears listening.
"way to go, good job, I bet you're proud." ha

GF, you probably saw my statement about baseball. I have attended some college games tho.
Hope the snowjoe went well.

Blessings friends, keep praying, post when you can, and keep your eyes on the Prize.
MDC

March 13, 2022 - Msg 117664: Good morning, porch! Well, at least the sun is out today, the sky doesn't look like a bowl of oatmeal, and while it's not exactly warm, it's not bitterly cold either. I realized Saturday afternoon that my rain delay setting had expired, and my sprinklers had run that morning. I reset the delay thing, so they didn't run that evening. They run two days a week, 15 minutes in the morning and again in the evening. Our clay soil doesn't absorb the rain very fast, so if I try to run 30 minute cycles, the last part just runs off and down the street. So, I divide it, and let the first run have time to soak in before the evening cycle runs. I remember once when Dale spent all afternoon digging postholes for a length of fence. Not easy, with this soil. He was planning to set the posts the next day, but it rained that night. The next morning, his postholes were filled with water, and it took them three days to drain out! Miserable soil. All my flowerbeds were dug out about 10-12" deep, and then backfilled with a truckload of garden soil. A bit expensive, and a lot of work, but worth it. Every year, a 2-3" layer of compost and mulch is applied to the surface, and eventually becomes part of the bed soil. I make a little compost right here, but not a lot. Also, in the fall, when the leaves come down, Eddie blows a heavy layer of them into the flowerbeds and there they remain through the winter. They protect the bulbs and other perennials from freezing, and at the same time the layer next to the soil surface breaks down and becomes very nice, rich compost, right on the spot. In a week or two, Eddie will use the leaf blower to blow the excess leaves that remain, back out onto the lawn, and will run through them with the mulching mower, and they continue to decompose on the lawn. Within a week, you can't even tell they were ever there. Oh, how I wish I had the strength and especially the energy that I once had. There's so much I'd love to do out there, and just can't anymore. So, I do what I can, and thank God for that!

Well, guess I'd better start digging through my closet and try to find something to wear to church. Shouldn't take long, not much in there that I can wear. After losing 75 pounds, everything is too big. At the 40 pound level, I donated a lot of my clothes and bought a few more that fit at the time. Now, after losing 35 more, not very much fits. There are about five things I can wear, everything else looks like a family of gypsies just moved out. My sweet granddaughter, Amanda, never ever pays retail, she buys all her clothes at thrift stores, and always looks like a million bucks! The last time we were together, she was wearing an adorable little brown suede jacket that fit her like a glove and was so cute. She paid $3 for it! Of course, if I had her Barbie doll figure, maybe I could do that too! Oh well, I'll find something.

I've been asked to give a book review at our local book club. Eeek! I've never done that before, and have very little idea how to do a book review. Worse yet, they want me to review my own book, A Flat of Petunias.! It will be on April 4, so I don't have a lot of time to prepare. Guess I'd better get busy on it! But first, church this morning! Please pray for my friend, LaRue. She's in the hospital with a blood clot in her lung. The clot has been dissolved, but she's still very sick. I think God is about to take her home. She won't eat, still wants to participate in all our activities. I pick her up and take her wherever we're meeting, for bunco or whatever,but she ends up calling her daughter to come pick her up about halfway through. She looks awful, weighs 103 lbs, and is so weak we always open doors for her, as they're too heavy for her to open. We've been friends for nearly 50 years, and this is breaking my heart.

Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! --Romeena


March 14, 2022 - Msg 117665: As we always say, there’s a TAGS episode for most every situation....Although it’s a color episode Romeena may want to watch this one...https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8701kv
Titled “Helen the Authoress” ...Maybe Romeena needs a pen name like Helen's name “Helene Alexian Dubois”?....I have the perfect one....L’aneth “Des fleurs” 🌸 🌺 ....
March 14, 2022 - Msg 117666: I have the perfect one....L’aneth “Des fleurs” 🌸 🌺 ....Sorry it 10-4’d me before I was done typing ....G-F
March 14, 2022 - Msg 117667: Good morning, porch! Well, it's another one of those putty-colored days. Gray, overcast, looks like rain at any moment, (I hope) and I just can't get warm! It's 59° outside, not really all that cold, and no rain actually falling. I've got the thermostat on the furnace set at 75° and you'd think I'd be too warm, but not so. I'm still cold! Got socks on and everything, even got my feet in Trinket's little cuddlebed with her, but they still feel like ice. I think it's called "getting old."

Hahaha, G-F! That's funny! "L'aneth Des fleurs"? I have enough trouble with Lanni. Would you believe I actually received a draft notice when I hit the drafting age? I had to send in a copy of my birth certificate to convince them I wasn't a boy, because I kept getting notices, and threats to send someone to pick me up if I didn't respond. Also, since my middle name is Sue, Johnny Cash's little song about "A Boy Named Sue" didn't help me much. I do like the reference to flowers in connection with my name, though.

Believe me when I tell you that unless you're an established author, with an agent and all that, the way things happened for Helene Alexian DuBois just ain't the way it happens today. They don't pay you up front like that, you pay them. A lot. They don't do much to help you market the book, either, other than placing it with Amazon. They set the price (overpriced) and you have to reach a certain tier of sales before you get any royalties, and then it's less than $3 a book. It's a good thing that money wasn't my motivator in writing mine, because I surely didn't make anything from it. Well, that's not completely true. I got a lot of grief and pain out of my own heart, just "wrote it away", and gained some satisfaction from comments from people who read it and said it helped them deal with their own pain. Just for that, it was worth it, was what I had hoped for, and was the real reason I wrote it.

I have been having a good time this morning. I've been here at the computer for a couple of hours, doing a little "housecleaning", and a squirrel outside has been a source of a lot of laughs. It's a little round-bellied female, and she is very busy building a nest. I can't locate where it is exactly. All I know for sure is that it's somewhere in the big cottonwood just outside my window. I know it's high up, because I watch her climb, but she disappears behind the shield of the eaves of the house, so I don't know where in the tree she actually goes. I guess I need to go outside and look. I just see her rummaging around in the leaf litter and grass clippings in the flowerbeds. Eddie leaves it there for mulch in the winter and eventually to compost to feed the soil through the summer. She comes out of the bed with a huge, fluffy mouthful of the debris, runs over to the tree and climbs out of sight. In a couple of minutes, she comes back down, mouth empty, and heads to the beds for another mouthful. I knew she was building a nest, because I'm forever picking up twigs she's dropped as she built the framework. Now she's hauling all the soft stuff up, and we'll probably have little squirrels very soon. I'll have to be careful to put out plenty of nourishing stuff for her to eat over the next few weeks. It won't be long until I can watch the antics of the babies, as they try to master the art of tree-climbing. They're so funny, because they're just terrified at first, but in a day or so they're running all over the trees. Nature is just wonderful!

Well, I've got some phone calls to make. Four people in my SS class are ill, one with Covid, and of course LaRue is very ill. She has improved a bit, and may be sent home today. Not sure that's a good idea just yet, but it's not my call.

Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! --Romeena
March 14, 2022 - Msg 117668:

Well, I'm in "state of recovery" from working on my taxes
all day Sunday! I'm 98% done, and we even used the 1040-SR
this year! More later,
MDC :)


March 14, 2022 - Msg 117669:

Oh RO, we had a windstorm the other day, and a bird's
nest fell to the ground. My goodness, it was so intricately made! Perfectly round, built like a pro
with soft items at the bottom of it. It appeared to have
already been used, and was now just sitting up in the tree until
the wind took it down. Amazing! :)
MDC

March 15, 2022 - Msg 117670:
Also RO, prayers for Larue. mdc


March 15, 2022 - Msg 117671:
So RO was getting draft letters...musta been between 18 and 35... :)
RO, those cold feet could indicate a circulation problem, that warm blood not gettin' that far down. ya might want to have it checked out.
Ha, I guess i wrote 4 novelettes! ha
MDC
March 15, 2022 - Msg 117672: Good early afternoon, porch! This has been an unusual day, so far. The sun was shining brightly, not a cloud anywhere, when I got up this morning. An hour later, everything was gray, heavily overcast, and looking like rain any minute. No rain came, and now the skies are almost clear again, with a temperature of 63°. Weird.

I knew better than to sit down here and start reading email, as it has led me down many rabbit trails, and I'm still here, at 12:27! My little squirrel has not shown up all morning, may be tucked into her nest with new babies. It's the time of year when they arrive. Several other squirrels have been running around, but I haven't seen her. Yes, I can tell them apart.

MDC, your speculation regarding my cold feet is medically sound, but I'm pretty sure in this case it's not the problem. My pedal pulses (top of the foot) are strong and regular, feet aren't bluish, and my feet have been a bit cold all my life. Just getting more so as I get older. I remember my mom in her older age having the same complaint. She had a pair of mukluks that she loved to wear! My dad said he thought the romance had gone out of their marriage, when she would appear with those ratty mukluks on. They were such a delightful pair, those two. Sensible, loving, sensitive, scrupulously honest, wholly committed to God and to each other, careful to raise me and my brother in the same paths, funny, great sense of humor, (my dad especially so), but my mom would slip in a sly comment pretty often. She could tell somebody off so gently and sweetly that it might take a week for them to realize they had been verbally chastised. Just about any positive descriptor you would choose to use about them would apply. Above all, a true love story.

Yep, MDCI was 18 when I got the draft notices, already engaged to marry Dale. When he saw the first one, he grinned and asked me if there was something I needed to tell him??? He had a great sense of humor, too!

Well, I was planning to have pork and sauerkraut for dinner, and forgot to buy the kraut. I did buy a medium-sized purple cabbage though. I think I'll just go on and bake the pork ribs, shred that cabbage and sauté it, then add a good amount of vinegar, and let it simmer very gently for a while. Then I'll add the pork and let it all simmer together for at least an hour, and by tonight, it should make a pretty good supper. Maybe I'll make some cornbread to go with it, and whatever is left of that will make a cornbread-and-buttermilk supper tomorrow night. Memories of nights and weekends spent with my grandmother!

I was so blessed to be born when I was, and to be brought up by people who loved me, and stood with their feet on the ground. You offer a meal of cornbread and buttermilk (or even mention buttermilk) to some of today's little snowflakes and you'd be laughed at. If their food wasn't ordered through a car window, and didn't arrive in a little carton of some sort, they don't want it. Poor things.

Well, better get those ribs in the oven, and the cabbage to simmering. Yum! Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena




March 16, 2022 - Msg 117673: Good morning, porch! It's a beautiful, sunny day, a little chilly but I think the sun will soon fix that. There are five squirrels in my back yard right now, and there's going to be a fight pretty quick. Four of them have divided into two couples, and the odd one is a male. He's not a happy camper. He keeps trying to intrude on one or the other of the couples, and he's going to get his little tushy whipped if he's not careful. The little nesting female is still nowhere to be seen, and I'm thinking she's had her babies. If she leaves her nest to get a drink or something to eat, and he approaches her, he's going to learn a hard lesson. She will clean his plow for sure! Poor little lovesick guy!

I have a question or two that I'd love to have answered. You know I was cooking pork and cabbage yesterday. By the way, it was delicious and there was enough to make supper again tonight! Anyway, as it was cooking yesterday afternoon, suddenly a fly as big as a jellybean went zooming through the kitchen! I absolutely detest flies, and immediately got my swatter and went on a fly-hunt. I will not tolerate one in the house, and will stay up all night if necessary, until I hunt it down. My questions? First, where did he come from? I had not opened a door or gone out of the house since Monday afternoon, and here it was Tuesday afternoon. The miserable creature appeared about an hour after the cabbage aroma(?) began to permeate things. He was too fast and never lit anywhere, so I gave up with the swatter and got my alcohol sprayer. I managed to spray him once, which slowed him down, then twice more and soon he was on his back on a windowsill, and I threw a tissue over him, picked him up and sent him on his way to the sewer. Ha! Problem solved. Or so I thought. In the time between his disposal and an hour ago, I have killed four more! WHERE do they come from??? How do they get in the house??? How do they locate the cabbage when the house is closed up tight? Even the fireplace damper is closed! I haven't seen a fly in here in months, and the day I decide to cook some cabbage, they appear, and not just one, but five! When I get the leftover pork and cabbage out to heat it up tonight, I have no doubt that more will appear. As Yul Brynner said in "The King and I" - Is a puzzlement!

By the way, I may have told you all about my alcohol spray, but just in case I haven't - it's a great idea, and it works. I found the original spray bottle, filled with rubbing alcohol, at the grocery store for less than $2, but any old trigger sprayer bottle will do. Just buy a big bottle of rubbing alcohol (also very cheap) and fill the spritzer. Spray a little cloud of alcohol on a fly. It won't kill him immediately, but in a little while you'll see or hear him buzzing and not flying, just walking a big shakily. Spray him again, and he's done for. You can then pick him up and flush him. As for mosquitoes, being so small, one spritz will knock them right out of the air. One goes floating past, you spray him, and it's almost like a cartoon. He just immediately goes spiraling to the floor, where you can pick him up too! I despise both flies and mosquitoes, as both can carry disease, and flies especially are just filthy. I can remember my childhood, with livestock and pets around, and seeing flies walking around all over a manure patty on the ground, and then the miserable thing would come and try to land on my sandwich. I think not. Yes, Asa, that's why I like bats. They eat tremendous amounts of flying insects, especially flies and mosquitoes. Bats and purple martins. Both are our friends!

I just talked with LaRue's daughter. She says LaRue is still in bed, can hardly talk, and doesn't always make sense when she does. They have Hospice with her now, not full time, but frequent visits. I think we don't have much more time. There is a great-granddaughter, age 9, who also lives in the home. She is a sweet little girl, no father in the picture, but she has her mother and grandmother, and now is losing her great-grandmother. Those three women have been her life, and the loss of LaRue (Mama Rue) is going to hit her very hard. We are praying for the whole family. Thank God, we are secure in the promise of LaRue's eternal destination. I still miss my husband, and my son, but I know I will see them again. They are not lost to me, they're just in another room, and I will go there, too.

Well, off I go. I have a few errands to run, and may go by to sit with LaRue for a little while. Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena