June 14, 2022 - Msg 117971: Romeena...First..Thanks for the kind words. Second I’m with you on the phone frustrations. I had the SIM card thing mess up on my Pay as You Go “Flip Phone” . To make a Loooong story short my new 5G card does not completely work in my 4G phone. I can not access my contacts it keeps saying “downloading” and nothing changes...

Nobody knows what is wrong other than you need a 4G card which is no longer available AT&T said they were told to send all the 4G cards back to the Big Mother At Headquarters.

They just want you to buy a new phone is why I’m sure, But if I type in the area code all of my contacts then show up and I have to scroll to the one I need and hit send and it works.

So they ain’t beating over O’l Goob I’ll get by as I always do!

G-F
June 16, 2022 - Msg 117972: Just a quick comment: watching the intro of a "Golden Girls" ep, with all the little clips from prior shows, and once again, seeing Dorothy locking Rose in a bedroom closet, I can't help wondering why there was a lock on a bedroom closet door, especially when it was on the room side of the door. That makes no sense to me at all. Just wondering. Trinket is curled up in my lap, making tiny little snores. I guess that's my cue to head for bed, but hate to leave my comfy recliner er. Good night, all. Blessings! --Romeena
June 16, 2022 - Msg 117973: Ignore the extra "er". That's what happens when I post on my phone instead on my computer. Grrrr.
June 17, 2022 - Msg 117974:

Hello all!
RO--Here is one explanation about the closet... Maybe some folks have
locking closets to hold all their Gucci ensembles! haha. But you are right, that
would still not answer why someone could not get OUT of it. Hollywood, whadda ya gonna do! :)
GF--I second what RO said, you had fun AND you made others happy too!
We sort of do that for our yearly volunteer dinners. A couple years ago
before the virus, it was a roaring '20s theme. Almost as much fun as bunco!! haha
I have seen your cutouts for the Mayberry days, so I know you do good work.
So sorry that I will miss the meet-up tho. Was hoping we could do it.
BTW, as you know, my creative outlet is my Christmas decorations. :)

Any retirees here looking to make a few bucks? Every now and then I go for a study
done by Hope Research. Next week I will have ekg leads attached to me at their office, then pedal a
recumbent bike for a while, and then get a check for 200! I have done it before for
another 'smart watch' company, Garman I think. About 90 minutes is all.

I saw the tags ep tonight with the Darlings. I read somewhere that said a 'professional
studio jugger' did the jugging sounds for brisco. ha. Who knew that there even were
professional juggers!?

Rain is still predicted for Saturday here, so please say an extra prayer for us. thanks.
Oh, ASA and GF, it appears that that 'fancy' pipe connection that I made a few years ago
on my sprinkler system has failed, as there's a small pool of water above the spliced area today, so I guess I'll be doing some digging.

Possum, my prayers continue for your fam and for all!

MDC



June 17, 2022 - Msg 117975:

Oh, good sweep GF!

June 17, 2022 - Msg 117976: Good morning, porch! Sunny and clear and going to be hotter than Hades today. It's already 95° at 11:30, headed for 98°. Extended forecast shows 107° for next weekend. Maybe it won't make that? Ya think? Huh? My last water bill was $256, and I really don't want to see it get any worse. Eeek!

Eddie has been here two days this week, finally got the yard mowed, before the city left me a citation! The grass was about 7" tall, and they frown on that. Eddie just hasn't been able to do it with his burned leg, and couldn't get anybody who was willing to come out in the heat and help him. He pays them when they do, but they'd rather stay home in the a/c and draw their check from the government. You should hear Eddie's assessment of their character. "Lazy, no account parasites" is just the beginning. As for me, I'm reminded of II Thess. 3:10: If a man is not willing to work, let him not eat. I think that's pretty clear. That "not willing" part is the key. It doesn't say "unable to work", and it presumes that work is available. There were thousands who were very willing to work during the depression, but there was no work. My grandfather was a brick mason, and he literally hopped freight cars and traveled the country, a hobo searching for work, and worked hard when he found it, and sent most of his check home to his wife, keeping only what he needed for food. Today, you can't drive three blocks without seeing signs in windows everywhere - "Now hiring, apply within" - but still every restaurant and anyplace else you go is shorthanded. And why not? When there are handouts from the government available if you're not too lazy to apply, only honor keeps some people still applying for jobs. I am not talking about someone who is unable to work. That's who assistance is for. Eddie has a terrible burn, covering about half of his right lower leg, but he was in my flowerbeds yesterday, pushed a lawnmower over 1/4 acre of tall grass on Wednesday, and never complains. He's in pain, but he's working. He had to leave earlier than he usually does so he wouldn't miss the visit from the nurse who comes to his home daily to clean the burn, put healing medication on it, and put on a clean dressing. He carries his pain meds in his pocket, but rarely takes them because he knows he has to drive home. He's a tough old bird, a hard worker, and he's my friend.

You'll never guess what I saw on a tree out back this morning. Eddie saw it yesterday, in fact he said he saw two, one in the front yard, and one out back, within about ten minutes of each other, so it had to be two separate critters. So what did we see? Something I haven't seen in years - we saw "horned toads." Really, they're lizards, but when I was a child, they were horned toads. The widespread use of pesticides and various poisons has almost eradicated the harmless little lizards, and that's just awful. They're pretty efficient little "pesticides" themselves! May their tribe increase!

Ha! Looks like steps ARE being taken to help them. I just ran an online search for "Horned Lizards" and it seems they have been declared "threatened" in Texas, and several sites are in the process of propagating the little guys and releasing them back into the wild, wearing tiny tracking devices, in order to monitor their progress. It would be a shame to lose our Texas Horned Lizards, or "horny toads" as they're affectionately called. I am delighted, and feel honored to learn that there are two of the little critters in my own yard. Long live the horny toad!

Well, guess I'd better see about getting some things done around here. It looks like it might be clouding up a little but with no rain predicted, I'm not getting my hopes up. Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! --Romeena
June 17, 2022 - Msg 117977: Eddie!🏆👍
June 17, 2022 - Msg 117978: Well! Decisions, decisions. The skies are heavy with dark clouds, there's a brisk wind blowing, and I just saw a big streak of lightening. So I checked the weather prediction website, which this morning said absolutely nothing about rain, and it now says we'll have thunderstorms. So now I have to decide whether to believe it and go out and put my sprinklers on delay, or doubt it and end up paying for watering in the middle of a rainstorm. Or I could block the sprinklers, and it fails to rain, and I've sacrificed my turn to water.

Hooray! Just as I typed that last sentence, rain began to hit my window! Guess that made my decision. Guess I can go put the sprinklers on delay, and thank the good Lord! Blessings, friends! Keep looking up. --Romeena
June 18, 2022 - Msg 117979:
Good Evening! (Friday)
RO--I hope you got a good shower. We are still hoping for a good rain
on Saturday. Oh, another thought about locking closets...in the tags
ep about Barney in the big city, he locks the house detective (Allyn Melvin)
in the room closet. I guess they figured we would never think of such things! ha
Tonight was the duck pond ep. I just love Thelma Lou in that one! She is so
cute telling Opie to ask barney WHY he wants to go to the duck pond. Funny stuff.
I pray that Eddie does not overwork himself
with that terrible burn! Did he get a graft?
And Oh yes, we used to have horny toads all over the place here when I was growing up.
Good bug eaters they are!

ASA, on our pbs station last night they had a show about the Apollo 8 mission
when Frank Borman read from Genesis. It was very good. A 23 year old lady
had a very important job of getting them to fire rockets at just the right time
to break away from the moon's gravitational pull to 'slingshot' them back toward earth.

Please keep praying for our world. MDC



June 18, 2022 - Msg 117980: MDC...I asked Betty Lynn one time about that line, she said that one and the one about Barney not being able to sing 🎶 a lick were some of her favorite lines....She was such a sweet soul and will TRUELY be missed as well as ALL the others we’ve lost...

It is fun at the Meet-Up sitting around listening and telling our experiences meeting the cast members over the years.
I have many, but to listen to our Floyd and others who’ve been doing it for years is so entertaining....

Billy Ray if your listening, Ronnie Schell will be in your neck of the woods in Fairfield today and possibly tomorrow doing his show...Fairfield Community Arts Center in Fairfield, Ohio. Tickets are $17 if you are interested

G-F
June 18, 2022 - Msg 117981: P.S....Speaking of Ronnie...Romeena didn’t you get to meet him on one of the Mayberry cruises 🚢?....
June 18, 2022 - Msg 117982: Good Saturday morning all my friends. I hope and pray all is well with everyone.
Speaking of that, Possum, how is your situation now? Better I pray.

MDC, Of all the space missions ever flown, Apollo 8 has got to be the most impressive of them all. So many firsts on that mission, and all done at the last moment. And all culminated by the reading of Genesis first 10 verses on Christmas Eve in 1968 no less. A year that was anything but peaceful. All three men (Borman, Lovell, and Anders are still with us. I have listened to their anniversary meet ups at 30, 40, and 50 years. They are still very sharp and can remember so many things from that mission. And obviously have a great love for each other.

Romeena, I hope you got enough rain to make a difference. And MDC, I hope you guys get some rain today. We could sure use some. Yesterday it hit the upper 90's here with strong south winds blowing all day. Dried out everything. Glad to hear Eddy is up and at it again. Just make sure he doesn't over do it. But heck, I don't need to tell you that.

GF, That is so neat that you have been able to meet so many of the cast members. Great memories for you. And great story about your work in preparing for the festivities at the place you worked.

Well I had plenty of things planned to today out in the shop but sweating to death wasn't one of them. It's already hot and miserable so it may just be a Wheeler kind of day. I finally went to the clinic for this cough of mine that just won't go away. My lungs are clear and she could not detect any signs of a sinus infection. But she put me on some antibiotics and a steroidal inhaler and nose spray. She said my bronchial tubes are inflammed just from all the coughing. And this stuff should help. I hope so. I am tired of it. The pharmisist warned me that the antibiotic would be hard on my gut though and he wasn't fibbing. Has me feeling kinda sorry for myself this morning so hello Wheeler. You will have my undivided attention today. lol

Prayers for all.

Asa


June 19, 2022 - Msg 117983: Happy Father's Day to all of our Porch Dads!

Asa,we are hanging in there,just trying to line up some repair work on a home I own,so that my daughter & Laci can move in asap. Hopefully,in the next few days. Please continue to keep them in your prayers. Much appreciated.I hope you will feel better soon from the coughing issues you're having.

Hope everyone has a nice Sabbath/Father's Day!

************
possum u.a.r.
June 19, 2022 - Msg 117984: Happy Fathers Day....Asa DO NOT feel guilty for taking a little “Wheeler time” ESPECIALLY with today being a day of honor for us Dad’s....Hope the med’s make you feel better!....

Possum..Continued Prayers for your Family...Maybe a “Road Trip” to Mt. Airy could help?...Sure wouldn’t hurt!..

MDC...Nice picture you sent...Maybe we should call you MEC
Mister Elvis’s Cousin?....Lol

G-F
June 19, 2022 - Msg 117985: Thank you,G-F. Your prayers mean a lot. Oh yes, we'd love to head up to Mt. Airy-perhaps in the Fall. Hope you're enjoying Father's Day!

possum again
June 19, 2022 - Msg 117986:

HI Folks, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all our porch "PAs"!!!
Cecile and I celebrated 46 years on the 18th!
We had a very nice day, and a delicious dinner at Red Lobster.
No snails or brains for us! haha
GF and ASA--I spent some time today fixing my fancy schmancy pipe repair
of two years ago. Ended up using a compression fitting as that coupler
that I had smoothed out somehow developed a pin hole. Reminds me of
ASA's T coupling problems! But I did get to see the finish of the US Open.
That was good. Fitgerald is now in a pretty prestigious 'club.'
Oh, ASA, did you know that Borman got sick on that flight? The show stated it
pretty graphically of problems from both ends, and 'stuff' floating around the
inside the capsule! Ha, they said they had to clean things up on the way to the moon!

Well, we got a 'smattering' of rain yesterday, and a 10 minute cloudburst, but
any amount is better than none!
Continuing the prayers for Possum.
God bless,
MDC


June 20, 2022 - Msg 117987:

HA! I meant FitzPATRICK.
I guess I was thinking of our ex-Cardinal!


June 20, 2022 - Msg 117988: Good Monday morning all.

Possum, I wish GF and I lived close to you so we could come help with the repairs. I would love to work with GF. I bet there is a lot I could learn from him. Anyway, continued prayers for you all.

MDC, Happy Anniversary to you and your sweetheart. 46 years is quite a deal my friend. Glad you got your repair made on your sprinkling system.
Yes I knew that Borman had gotten sick and was "venting " from both ends. lol Bill Anders tells the story of how Frank was below them in the sleeping area of the capsule when he upchucked. An how this greenish blob came floating up between him and Lovell. He watched in amazement how it split into two blobs, one going by him and the other going directly into Lovell, and How Lovell watched it getting closer and closer to him and how Lovells eyes began to go cross eyed watching it land on his chest. Pretty grose but funny as all get out to listen to Anders tell the story. They delayed reporting any of this back to Houston for about 8 hours because they feared that Houston would abort the mission and bring them home. By the time Houston discovered it, Borman was feeling better so on they went.

I think someone should come out with a snail and brains tv dinner. lol Helen could fix it for Andy. Maybe with a side order of skinny chicken wings, concealed in a heavy sauce. lol

Well I need to go do some clean up after all the winds over the weekend. My big old cottonwood sure drops a lot of wood in these storms.

Prayers for all.

Asa
June 20, 2022 - Msg 117989: Asa, that is such a sweet thing for you to wish you could help us with the repairs. Really touched my heart,friend. Thank you. Just continue to pray all works out-we have faith that it will.And thank you too,MDC.

possum again
June 20, 2022 - Msg 117990: Good early afternoon, porch! Beautiful day, but hotter than Hades out there! It's 99° right now, expected high is 100°, but get this: Predicted high for next Saturday is 109 - yes 109°, and then "cooling off" on Sunday to 98°. I know, MDC, you see temps like that all the time - you could bake a potato in your back yard, I'm sure. We hear people say "but it's a dry heat" and I wonder how much that really helps. I'm thinking it probably does help, because it's definitely not a dry heat around hear, the humidity can soar along with the temperature, and make you feel like a poached egg!

I spent Father's Day afternoon out at David and Brittany's house - always a great day! It was what I consider as the anniversary of my dad's passing, also. He actually passed on June 15, 2003, which happened to be Father's Day that year, so that day always brings sweet memories for me, whatever the actual date might be. You might wonder about the "sweetness" of those memories, but it's true. For nearly two years before his passing, he prayed daily for God to "take me home, I want to find Mary (my mother) and I want to see Jesus. I'm no good to myself or anyone else these days, I'm tired, and I want to go find the ones I've lost." Many times I've walked into his room and found him on his knees beside the bed or a chair, praying earnestly. I found it fascinating that when he was praying, he had no trouble finding words, yet a conversation with him was frequently paused while he searched for a word. I don't know why God chose to me to have such wonderful parents, but He did, and I will be forever grateful.

Possum, I'm so glad you have that home for your daughter and our Laci to move into. Is it close to your home? Please give "little" Laci a hug from me and the rest of the porch family.

That little rain "storm" I was celebrating lasted about ten minutes, then blew on by. You'll remember that I went out in the rain to put the sprinklers on delay, only to see the rain stop a few minutes later. So, I restarted them, and let both cycles run. Didn't save a cryin' dime on my water bill. Grrr!

I saw one of the little horny toads on the tree outside my window this morning. He looks hale and hearty! He's about 5 or 6" long and looks healthy. When my cousins and I were kids, we used to catch them, little ones about 2" long. Then we'd get a bit of yarn from my grandma, and tie it around the little horns on their head, tie the other end to a small safety pin, then attach the pin to our shirt, with the little lizard on our shoulder, and "wear" the critter for hours. I sometimes I wore mine to school, and the teacher didn't make me release it after she questioned me a bit about its fate. Actually, we gave our little ornaments very good care. I learned to dip my finger in water, trapping a drop or two, and hold it close to the little guy's face. It would drink the drop, and I did it several times a day. Then in late afternoon, we would release our little captives, near an antbed if possible (their favorite food) and the lizard would scamper away, unhurt and with stories to tell their family! Such good memories!

G-F, I don't remember meeting Ronnie Schell, though that's not necessarily a fact, since my forgettery works much better than my remembery. I do remember meeting Jackie Joseph though, we visited for about five minutes, and she gave me a signed picture. She was charming, a little "different" maybe, but charming and very sweet. I could tell, she was someone who would be fun to know.

Asa, that cough of yours could be the result of some undiagnosed gastric reflux. Sometimes the reflux doesn't come up far enough for you to realize you have it, but it can irritate your lower throat and even make its way into your bronchial tubes. When that happens, you will notice a persistent cough. Try chewing on some Tums several times a day. It's harmless, basically is just a calcium tablet (good for your bones!) and it might help. I've experienced this myself, and it works, if indeed reflux is your problem.

Hope all you dads and granddads had a wonderful day yesterday. I did, for sure. Did a lot of sitting around in the shaded patio, watching the young'uns playing in the pool, and watching Trinket and Diesel play, for all the world like two little kids. He's about 30 lbs to her 9 lbs, but he's so careful and gentle with her, there's never any worry. He hates the pool, won't get in it, and Trinket just ignores it, thank goodness.

Well, I think I've written a book here, guess it's time to leave the porch for now. Blessings, everyone. Prayers for those who need them, which I guess is about all of us. Keep looking up! --Romeena
June 20, 2022 - Msg 117991: Ro, they won't be living much closer to me,maybe a few miles ,but not too far- about a 30-45 minute drive. The good thing is that Laci will still be in the same school district and can stay with her beloved teacher & aides. Once we get the floor repairs done and get them moved in,I might just collapse,because it's been a time,but I know God's got this! We are going to see James Taylor in concert tomorrow night and I'll be sure to give Laci a hug from "Auntie Ro"!

Love and blessings to all!

possum once more
June 21, 2022 - Msg 117992: Good morning, porch! Beautiful day, bright and sunny, and will be hotter than a firecracker today. It's 94°, headed for 100°. However, it will be in the mid-70s where I am, because I'm staying in the house today. Something has gone wrong in my lower back, in the sacral plate, which shattered nine years back and required a surgical rebuild. It looks like a junkyard in an x-ray. The surgeon warned me that it was fragile, ordered me to stay off horses, or lifting anything more than 20 lbs, and would not sign me off as clear to return to work. That's when I retired, at age 74, and really didn't want to. I loved my job. I don't know what, if anything, has happened in that area, I just woke up Sunday morning, got up and knew immediately I wouldn't be going to church that morning! The pain hit, and felt a lot like the original breakdown, only significantly less painful. (The original breakdown had me in tears, and I have a very high pain threshhold. I didn't even take pain meds after the surgery, didn't need them.)

I rode with Jerry and Eloise out to David's house Sunday afternoon, didn't drive, and I mostly sat in a lounge chair on the patio and watched the young folks play in the pool. I spent yesterday in my recliner, and didn't get out of bed this morning until after 10 a.m. I'm afraid there's some nerve involvement somehow, probably the sciatic nerve, but other possibilities exist too. I can be standing or walking, and my right knee will just buckle without warning, so I'm doing a lot of furniture-surfing. Always have a hand on something solid, just move from one thing to another. I have a walker, left over from knee surgery in 2005, but it's in the garage and not easily accessible, and I'm sure it's quite dusty. So, I'm going to park in my recliner and be lazy today.

I have a wind chime hanging just outside my beloved big old window. It's a large one, has five pipes, each a full inch in diameter. It appears that some wasps (plain old yellow jackets) have built a home in one of the pipes! I see one fly up to that pipe, land and crawl inside, quite often. Since all yellow jackets look alike, I don't know if it's the same one, or if there are a lot of them. I would just love to get a long stick and hit that pipe with it (CLANG!) and run, but I don't think I could find a stick long enough (like about 20 ft,) or run fast enough, especially right now. Still, it would be fun! Can't you just see that colony of wasps, all with their little antennae vibrating? I guess my Dale was right, he used to tell me I had a little "mean streak".

Well, my lower back is screaming at me, guess I'd better go get in my chair. Later, taters. Blessings! Keep looking up! --Romeena
June 21, 2022 - Msg 117993:

I've been a little under the weather the past
couple of days. Prayers appreciated.
It doesnt happen to me much at all these days,
but when it does, it DOES!
thanks,
MDC


June 22, 2022 - Msg 117994: Good morning all.

Prayers for MDC and Romeena going out this morning. Sorry you guys are ailing, but I'll join you. Ro, you may be on to something concerning the origins of my cough. I have been having some tummy problems as of late but never put the two together. All I know is everything I have tried for the cough hasn't worked. Thankfully my lungs are clear so it is sinus related. But as Ro said, it could be tummy related. Looks like another trip to the quack is in order. I hope both of you two get feeling better soon. But we are no spring chickens. lol

MDC, We are supposed to be seeing some monsoon rain up here later in the week. I am sure you guys must be getting some of that also.

GF, Big two day air show at Hill Air Force base this weekend, including the Thunder Birds. Warriors over the Wasatch is what they are calling it. They expect upwards of 600,000 folks to attend. We are going to Staceys and watch it from her pool. Really looking forward to it. They do a show every other year there and have been doing it since I was a kid. My brother in law and I went to one in 1980. Really had a blast. Finally for the final show of the day the Thunderbirds started. Back then they were flying those little T-38 trainers. We were down near the north end of the run way when they took off going south. After taking off they all scattered and were gone for a good 15 minutes at least. We were all wondering what was goin on when they appeared from the North and flew over slow and in a missing man formation. That was when we learned that just as they were taking off, one of the jets suffered a bird strike and it stalled out the engine. The pilot had time and was high enough he could have ejected and survived, but he knew if he did his jet would have crashed on a bunch of spectators who were parked in a no parking area just off the south end of the runway. So he made a split second decision to stay with the plane to try and miss the public. He was able to do so, and put it down in a field but lost his life in the process. From our spot we had seen a small plume of black smoke just off the runway but never put two and two together until they announced what had happened. A very tough day to say the least.

Romeena, you best not mess with those wasps. They are fast and ill tempered. One of my main tools in my bag when working on HVAC outdoor units was a can of wasp spray. I would get there early in the morning when it was still cool because they are not as lively then. Then the unit got a good spraying. Those critters would nest in some very hidden places and I can imagine a wind chime being one. Years ago I had my own small engine repair business I ran part time. A customer had brought over a mower that needed worked on. He said he had not started it for over a year. As I was checking it out I noticed a wasp come out of a small hole in one of the handle bars. And of course he came after me. Another one followed a few minutes later so I said to heck with this. I got my spray and shot a bunch down that hole. Within minutes they were crawling out of the hole and falling to the ground. There must have been at least two dozen at final count. I sure am glad it was a cool fall day and they didn't have much fight in them.

Well best go get some things done around here. Never a shortage of chores.

Prayers for all.

Asa
June 22, 2022 - Msg 117995: Asa...That sounds like a great show!..I haven’t done an air show in quite some time... We used to go to Akron at the blimp air dock, and Willow Run theWW2 Ford bomber plant.

Miss those shows they were great memories....

Hope everyone feels better soon!....

G-F
June 22, 2022 - Msg 117996: Good morning, porch! Beautiful day, but very still and very hot. Summer in Texas is officially here! Eddie and his "helper" are here, got here about 8:30. Ted is here, arrived about 7:10. He called me from the driveway, and I got up and dressed quickly! When he said he'd be here "around 7", he wasn't kidding! Thank the good Lord, my back is somewhat better. Not really good, but certainly better than it was yesterday. If it wasn't, I'd probably still be trying to get my jeans on! One thing I'm pretty sure of - it's not a major thing. If it was another breakdown in the sacral plate, it would not be getting better. It may be a sciatic nerve thing, or it may just be some crooked way I'm sleeping. Anyway, it's a bit better, so I'm happy.

Eddie's helper truly isn't much help, but Eddie feels sorry for him and tries to help him. I think he's a cousin, or a nephew, not sure just what relation. Eddie has to go behind him and basically re-mow or otherwise re-do whatever the guy has done, while the guy finds a place to sit down that I never would have noticed. Eddie just pays him out of his own pay, he doesn't expect me to pay him, since he mostly just slows Eddie down. Of course, I usually tack $10-15 to what Eddie expects. As I've said before, Eddie is not just some guy who mows my yard, he's my friend.

Asa, that's terrible, about the crash at the air show. That pilot was truly a hero. Too bad he was in such a fast and heavy plane. My son was more fortunate when the engine failed in his light plane. He was able to continue to fly it, by using techniques he had learned when flying gliders. He managed to land in a plowed field, hit some stumps and the plane was demolished, but he escaped with 66 stitches and no one else was hurt.

I had a can of wasp spray that my neighbor John (garden center guy) sold me some years ago. I had a big old wasp nest up in the corner of a window on the front of the house. There must have been 30 or 40 wasps on that thing, at least. It was as big as a saucer. John told me to stand back "a few feet" (ha!), aim and spray. Well, I stood back about 15-20 feet, took careful aim and sprayed. I knew I was accurate with a handgun, but figured that didn't mean I could aim a spray can. Well, I could. The spray came out as a solid stream, and I hit that nest square-on. Absolute truth - not a single wasp flew. They all fell in a heap, straight down from the nest and landed on the windowsill. When I mustered up the courage to walk over and check, there was only the occasional twitch of a leg or antenna. They were all dead, or very near it. The next day, I swept them into an empty jar, put the lid on tight, and put it in the trash. Then I took the nest down and burned it. I hated to kill them like that, because they are pollinators, though not as good as bees. Still, I don't like to kill things. (Except flies, mosquitoes, spiders and roaches. Anything that bites or stings or carries germs.) No, as for the wasps in that wind chime, they're safe. I won't bother them.

MDC, I hope you're feeling better. What's the problem, or would you rather not share? Prayers are active, you can count on that. We all need them, by the way! None of us are immune to trouble or illness.

Blessings, friends! Keep looking up, and Trinket says woof! --Romeena

June 22, 2022 - Msg 117997: Hi Porch,

I had a couple of questions for all of you.

1. Do you have your own bible study or bible reading time at home. Not bible study in a group. Just home.

2. When do you do this if you do? Do you do it to start your day? Before bed to end your day?

I was thinking of doing this myself and wanted some opinions.

Have a great day!

John Masters
June 23, 2022 - Msg 117998:

Ro-it's a stomach flu. Doing a little better today.
Slept 14 hours last night!
Thanks to all for the prayers.
MDC
June 23, 2022 - Msg 117999: Sorry you got hit with that,MDC. Hope you'll feel better soon-take care!
***********
possum u.a.r.
June 23, 2022 - Msg 118000: Thought I had better check in. Been pretty busy these days, but that's ok. I dont have time to read the archives just now but will try later. Hope you are all well and staying cool. I see MDC has had the stomach flu, so sorry!

Sean comes home from his vacation in Florida today so I am looking forward to that (and so is his dog!). He had a good time but it was super hot. I dont know why he went again in the summer.

Found out this week that Bruce had some tests came back showing he may have colon cancer, but it could just be precancer or wrong. It was one of those tests that looks for blood and DNA, so it would show occult blood or cancer or pre-cancer cells. He has a strong family history of it, so they are scheduling him for a colonoscopy soon. I am trying not to worry but he has been more tired than usual and has lost some weight. Of course, that could just be something else entirely, but you know my mind goes there if I let it. So, a pray would be appreciated.

John Masters, I have been rather lacking in the bible reading for awhile. I do go to a website called blue letter bible often and read the daily devotionals, though. I dont look at it at any particular time of day, just when I think I need to. I used to always ready my bible before bed but I stopped doing that at some point when I had by babies. I think I was just to sleep deprived to read before bed and stay awake. lol

I better get back to the chores. Love to all,

Boo


June 23, 2022 - Msg 118001:
All this talk about air shows brought back some memories for me. After serving on a US Navy aircraft carrier for three years, I have seen quite a few air operations but nothing like the aerobatics they perform for civilians. I even served as an Air Intercept Controller and would control airborne fighter aircraft from the ship. And during the two deployments I made overseas, we lost a total of six pilots due to various accidents and crashes. RIP to those courageous pilots.

from Poor Horatio
June 23, 2022 - Msg 118002: Poor Horatio...You sure have done a lot of things in your career Buddy...I’m sure that was a stressful job..

Glad to hear MDC is on the mend...

JM...I guess it is different for different folk on your question, me I’m a early riser that is my quiet time...Sorta like starting with a clean slate each day...

Romeena, That 🐝 wasp story made me laugh..They shoulda called you “Annie Lanni”...🔫...Just Sayin’ 🤷🏼‍♂️

G-F
June 24, 2022 - Msg 118003: Yes G-F, now that I think about it, I have done quite a few different and interesting things in my life. When I reflect on that, it makes me proud of my accomplishments. And although serving on that aircraft carrier did have its stressful moments, it could have been worse if it had been during war time. The sad part is that most sailors on a ship don't shoot back at their enemies. That bothered me. Although I had qualified with the .45 caliber pistol and M-14 carbine rifle, my battle station was as an unarmed sound powered headphone talker on the bridge.

from Poor Horatio
June 24, 2022 - Msg 118004: Good afternoon, porch. Another beautiful, sunny, slightly breezy day here in the Dallas area, and hotter than you-know-where, of course. It's 100° here at 1 pm, going for 103° for a high. Mercifully, the earlier prediction of 109° for tomorrow has been downgraded to "just" 103°. Well, I guess we'll see what happens.

I am extremely grateful for two HVAC guys in the family. My son David, and his FIL, Jerry. My AC is on the fritz. Fortunately, the house is very well insulated, lots of shade on the roof from the trees all around, and a thermostat-controlled exhaust fan in the attic. The warmest it has gotten in the house for these two days that the a/c has been on the blink is 82°, and with a ceiling fan in every room except the dining room (yes, even in the kitchen and two in the sunroom) it has been quite tolerable. I don't keep it all that cold, usually about 74° in the house, and I'm not planning any energy-burning activities in the house for today. If it starts to feel too warm in here, I'll just go sit outside for a while, and when I come back in, it will feel quite cool!

Jerry arrived, checked out the a/c, and fixed it. David had repaired the problem he found, and the a/c was running, then last night around midnight it shut down and kept trying to restart, would run a couple of seconds and shut down again. Jerry replaced the thermostat this afternoon, and apparently all is now well. Time will tell, but it's cool in here right now. There were two problems. David fixed one, Jerry got the other one. As I said, thank God for HVAC guys, especially when they're family!

MDC, I'm glad you were feeling better yesterday, and praying you're even better today. Oh, and my apologies -I never answered your question regarding Eddie's burn. No, the doctors decided not to do a graft. As I may have said earlier, I have almost zero nursing experience with burn patients, so I don't know much about the care of them, mostly just what I remember from a couple of classroom lectures. Eddie said the doctor told him that there was a thin, partial layer of basal skin cells left in the burned area that they can serve as bridges for whatever tries to grow in from the edges. Anyway, Eddie says the nurse comes every evening, removes the old dressing, "scrapes" his leg to get the previous day's medication off, along with any sloughing tissue, and redresses it. He says the pain is significantly less than it was, but he doesn't see any new skin growing yet. I figure it will be a while before that happens. It will have to grow from the edges toward the middle, whenever the edges stop losing ground and start gaining instead. It's going to take a while.

Well, guess I'll go scare up something for supper. I had ordered Chinese last evening, have half of it left, and I'm sorry to say it wasn't very good. I won't order from that place again. Not even sure I want to finish up the leftovers tonight. I like leftovers, but prefer they be left over from something that was good, and that order wasn't. Oh well. I've got an apple, and some peanut butter, and I love apple slices dunked in peanut butter! I also have a small watermelon, and that sounds pretty good. I'm really not very hungry anyway.

Blessings, friends! Keep looking up, and Trinket says woof! --Romeena




June 26, 2022 - Msg 118005:

HELLO! YES, I AM AGAIN BACK AMONGST THE LIVING! :)
As I mentioned earlier, this crud hasnt hit me for at least 5 years, but I guess
some little pesky virus got by my immune system. Maybe it was all the Borman talk! haha
Anyway, my Monday was fine, helped with the church cleaning as usual, and the rest of the
day was pretty normal until the evening, when it began. Tuesday and Wed. I was down for
the count! Had to cancel two doctor appts. That's when I slept the 14 hours.
Amazing how the bed just 'calls you!' Yesterday was pretty good, and today I'm
about 95%, still quite tired, and a few aches and pains still hanging on.
THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS! Much appreciated. (Oh, I think it was also sinus related, as we got some good rain this week!)

I just read the 'backlog,' and will answer some things. RO-so sorry about the misery
in your back that you are having, and ASA I hope you are feeling better now too.
I suggest just the white Tums. The colored ones are full of dyes and other stuff.

JM--I have a book called God's Promises in the Word. I don't look at it every morning however, only once in a while, and I stand on those amazing scriptures. :)

BOO- so sorry to hear about Bruce. Did he do one of those 'Cologuard' tests?
If so, they can have wrong results somewhat often, but he is in my prayers.

PH--every carrier job is important, IMHO. My younger brother was a 20 year Marine pilot,
and his worst experience was trying to land at night on a pitching deck! It took
3 passes trying to engage the tailhook! He thought he wasnt going to be able to do it.

Well, I won't talk politics, but I think God may think that there is still hope for
our country. We had to change and turn back to him, and I hope that Friday was a start,
and hopefully we'll see a revival in our land as well.

And on that note, Good Sabbath to you all.

Prayers for Possum's family, and for all. :)
Back in the saddle MDC

June 26, 2022 - Msg 118006: Good morning, porch! MDC, glad to see you're feeling better! That "crud" stuff can really put you down for the count. I haven't had a bout with such as that in many years, and haven't even had a cold since 2005. That's when our Mongolia mission group had the privilege of a 12-hour flight home with some bearded guy in a turban and long robe who refused to stay in his seat, but preferred to roam through the plane and "share the wealth" with his fellow passengers. He had some sort of respiratory problem, constantly coughing, sneezing and clearing his throat, blowing his nose, etc. One of our team's doctors nick-named him "Mr. Snot Throat", and we all knew we'd be sick within a week. We were right. I hadn't had a cold in a very long time, and sure enough, within about three days, I had the granddaddy of them all. I know our flight attendants sent that idiot back to his seat at least twenty times, and each time, the minute the attendant's back was turned, he'd pop up again and just roam up and down the aisles. He would pretend not to understand English (he did) or stop off in the restroom for a few seconds (faker), anything to stay on his feet. We considered killing him, but kinda hated to go that far. Anyway, apparently my immune system is pretty strong. I have a lot of health issues, it's true, but very, very few problems with contagious things. I have been blessed!

I'm feeling fine now. The back thing wasn't what I feared it was, apparently I had just slept in the wrong position and got some nerve's dander up. It wore off in a few days, and is no longer a problem. Sure had me scared, though. It felt just like it did the morning the sacral plate shattered, and sent me into surgery the next day. Very much the same feeling, in the same location, but much less intense. That first episode had me screaming, in tears, and unable to walk. My legs refused to move. This time was the same kind of pain, just much less intense. Enough to keep me from going to church last week, but it's gone now, and I'm going to church! This whole past week has just seemed "off". It always does when I miss church.

Well, I've got my warpaint on, just need to do something with this haystack I call "hair", and decide what to wear. Maybe I'll go to lunch with the girls after church, or I might come home. Not much in the way of leftovers, and I don't want to cook today, so will probably go out with friends. I watched a barbecue cook-off on TV last night, and it looked so good - maybe we'll go to Spring Creek. Their food is so good. I like their combo plate - about 3 ribs, some brisket and maybe a couple of pieces of sausage. I really like their potato salad, too. Like my mama used to make, and I can make it too, but it's hard to make just a little potato salad!

Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! --Romeena
June 26, 2022 - Msg 118007: Glad you are feeling better MDC and Romeena.

Thank you for MDC, for those prayers! Yes, it is colorgaurd and there is room for error so next step is colonoscopy. I am just trying to remain calm because he just hasnt been himself for awhile and has been losing weight. Something so weird happened this morning that shook me up a little. It could just be my subconscious mind playing tricks on me but I woke up early this morning with a tune playing in my head. It was a song I didnt even recognize but soon realized it was the theme to Brian's Song (the movie about Brian Picollo who died of cancer). I have not heard the song or seen the movie since it came out in the 70's. It make me really uneasy, and then I turned on a video of Dale Carnagie's book about worry and he was saying something about accepting the inevitable trials in life. Anyway, have to just give it to God and accept whatever life brings. Like my sister in law told me years ago (who is a two time cancer survivor), "Dont worry until you have something to worry about". I guess the truth is that the past few years, as Bruce and I have relied on each other and gone through such trials in our family, we have grown closer than we have ever been. He is so kind and loving and the best provider. He takes care of me and the very thought of losing that makes my blood run cold.

Well, hope you all are staying cool in this summer heat. Sean got home from Florida and his friend Jim stayed with us for a couple of days. I really enjoyed his visit. We ate some good food and laughed alot..always good for the soul. lol

Stay cool, people.

Boo