Forward by Ralph 1

Saying for the Day- Good friends are always sharing with each other.

I have a friend named Ralph. Everyday he forwards me interesting things. He should have a blog called “Forward from Ralph”. Some of what he forwards is funny, some is religious, and some is political. Since I really have nothing to blog about today I thought I would share one of his contributions with you.

YOU PROBABLY HAVE SEEN THESE...

Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case.
Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.
Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.

It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.
The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.
When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.

People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.
Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.
Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.
God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?
Some minds are like concrete thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

Peace starts with a smile.
I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?!
A lot of church members who are singing "Standing on the Promises" are just sitting on the premises.

We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.
Be ye fishers of men. You catch them - He'll clean them.
Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

Don't put a question mark where God put a period.
Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.
Forbidden fruits create many jams.

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
God grades on the cross, not the curve.
God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!"

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
He who angers you, controls you!
If God is your Co-pilot - swap seats!

Prayer: Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty!
The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.
The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.

We don't change the message, the message changes us.
You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to..........discourage him.
The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails= 4 given.


@@@@News from Pigeon Falls– The little town in my garage where the trains still run, dragons fly, love is in the air, and theories are everywhere.-Pastor and Mrs. Marvel left for Florida this morning. Mrs. Marvel looked so happy. The last big vacation they planned had to be canceled on the day they were leaveing because old Frank Everboom died. He had been a member of Last Lutheran forever. Once he was Council chairman and a Sunday School teacher. He always sat three rows up . On the left hand side, three spaces in.Pastor Marvel said that he owed it to Frank to stay and do the service. Mrs. Marvel didn’t say anything but she really looked sad. Not only didn’t they get to go but they lost money on all of the reservations. By the time the funeral was over they couldn’t afford to take a vacation. But this morning nobody died, the sun was shining, and they left. Now if anybody dies Pastor has told the secretary to call the Pastor at First Lutheran. He didn’t even leave a number where he can be reached.
Eino met with Tommy last night and suggested another way of looking at all the facts. Suppose the government wanted our enemies to think it was developing a fantastic new device that could move entire armies from one place to another instantly. A device that could remove the building they were hiding in. A device that could move an entire army camp from one place to another buildings and all. You couldn’t announce it because then they wouldn’t believe it. You could leak the information but there are so many leaks that they aren’t believed anymore. So instead you set up the Hermit to pretend to be doing something strange. Then you replace him with a stone statue. You arrange for the story to reach the networks and the tabloids and then you claim you know nothing about it at all.” Remember”, Eino said.” How we wondered at the time how the national press found out.” Next you send in the army and you refuse to let people in or out. You give no reason why. But you let a boy and an old man get through . You arrange just beyond the tunnel where the trestle starts for a rear projection screen. It looks like there is no trestle but a drop and an expressway. We believe it and don’t dare to go any further. But we don’t tell anybody. Then the government leaves and gives us reasons for the “Occupation” they know nobody will believe. More speculation in the tabloids and the national news. Then they do the thing to remove the stone man. They want us to think it came alive and left on its own. It played that way in some of the tabloids. There were headlines like “Stone Man lives again”. Next they made it seem like the building vanished. A magician’s trick. Only three of us saw it and one was a drunk. But the tabloids still had a field day. The headline read “ Building Won’t Sit Still”. All this time the Pentagon is saying it has no such weapon being developed. A high ranking General when asked a direct question said “ I never comment on possible weapons research.”. There is a huge item in the budget that can’t be accounted for. You see it could all be smoke and mirrors . Tommy had to agree that both theories work.
*****

Today's Link-Fugetaboutit- A laugh to start the day or to pick up the day- or to end the day. Enjoy and leave Dr. John in the comment. He can find his own way home.
Well today was a DULL day. We did not bake. We did not leave the Fortress. We did nothing. I did a little blogging. Betty cooked meals. But that was it. Retirement what a fun time it is. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Something Weird from a Perfectly Normal Person

Saying for the Day- Someday I will find a normal person.

Elsie didn’t know since she hasn’t been reading my blog very long that the only thing I hate worse than tomatoes is being tagged.
It wrecks my whole day.
But I will be a good sport and do half of her tag.
The half I won’t do is to tag six others.
That would make me a tag hypocrite.
If you want to tell six weird things about yourself feel free.

This was a hard tag because I am so hopelessly normal.
If you look in a psychology book you will find a picture of me as an example of normal.
So I spent a good day racking my brain in the normal fashion to come up with something to put here.
I even stopped people in the grocery store and asked what was weird about me.
It was weird because they backed away and pushed their carts extra fast down the aisle.
Some people just won’t help a guy in need.
Because I must this is the list I came up with.

1. My left leg is fatter than my right leg. That’s because when I was younger I had a lot of skin infections on that leg. As soon as I figure out how I am going to put it on a diet.

2. I am the last of the ultra conservative liberals or the ultra liberal conservatives. We are a vanishing breed as people line up in camps and throw rocks at each other. Because I am in the middle I get hit with a lot of rocks.

3. I am sixty seven years old and do not have a single tooth left. My father lost all of his teeth before he was fifty. My six year old grand son has already had extensive dental work. One of my sons was pushed into bankruptcy by $40,000 in dental bills and no dental insurance. We have bad tooth genes.

4. I am sixty seven years old and my wife combs my hair before we go any place. She is never satisfied with my hair. The weird thing is I let her. She does control my oxygen.

5. I wear my clerics (you know the shirt that makes me look like a Catholic Priest) every Sunday even though I am retired. I don’t feel right without them after all those years. My wife has suggested I should have the white collar tattooed on my neck but I am afraid of the needle.

6. I have a very very sensitive nose. I can not wear a half face breathing mask for more than two nights before the pain becomes unbearable. Therefore I had to pay extra for mask that covers my full face and doesn’t touch my nose. I look like Darth Vader with a transparent mask. I wanted to paint it black so it would really look like something out of star wars but she who must be obeyed said no. I was going to post a picture of me in the mask but Betty said it would scare little children and this is a family blog ( most of the time).

7. ( a free one) I think there is a little town in my garage and I talk to the people in it. But then doesn’t everybody?

There you have them. You can see from the list there is nothing really weird about me.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my garage where the trains still run, dragons fly, and the answers raise more questions– Eino spent most of yesterday going over what Tommy said to him and last night he asked Tommy, the undertaker’s kid, to stop at the garage tonight. He has an alternate theory that he thinks explains everything as well as Tommy’s. His theory like Tommy’s depends on seeing the government, in military matters, as being deceptive even resorting to lies. It does not explain the dragon or the White Rabbit which Eino sees as separate problems.
Lori Fortress is still working on the logo for the New Potatoes. People are beginning to think that the team is on its way.
Mrs. Marvel was in to Nancy’s coffee shop and told Nancy she has never been to Disney World or Disney Land and so is really looking forward to this vacation. They fly out of Iron Mountain tomorrow. She told Nancy she would bring back a real English teapot if the English section has one. Perhaps she can get some English Tea.
Tommy, the undertaker’s kid, says its not fair that the adults get to go to Disney World and escape the cold but the kids are stuck until school lets out or there is a break. On the other hand Tommy loves the snow and all that allows him to do like sledding and skiing.
Emily Benson lost two toes yesterday. She went to plow her walk with the snowblower and it picked up something so the blades stopped turning. She tried to kick it out when they started again. Wham two toes gone. Well not gone. Old Doc Henery sewed them in place and sent her to the hospital in Iron Mountain.
By some miracle they took but she won’t be able to bend them. She has learned a valuable lesson. It is always better to get somebody else to plow your walk.
*****

Today's Link-Wiping up Snot since 2000- Not just another mommy blog- Leave the words Dr. John in the comment and muddy the waters.
In the morning I had no logo but it wasn't bloggers fault. It was the fault of my website that I pay for. I store all my pictures there. It was down. It came up about two hours after it went down. Today Betty and I made Chcolate Covered Cherry Cookies from a murder mystery book. they turned ouit great. Then my doctor's office called. It seems the doctor didn't like something he saw in my bllod tests so they wanted me to come and get more blood drawn. I know they just needed more blood for thje resident vampire. So I went and gave. I hope there is nothing new wrong. I have enough old wrong already. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

One Point Four

Saying for the Day- Give some people a rule and they will rush to break it.

It is “ Leave a Comment Monday” and I have discovered some interesting things about comments and this blog.
The blog gets on the average 95 visits a day.
It averages fourteen comments a day.

That means for every ten visitors 1.4 leave a comment. ( The very short comments are from the .4)
Lets say ten of those visits are from Friends in Crystal Falls who do not blog and have no idea how to comment.
One visitor is Ralph who never comments.
Five visitors are from Blog Explosion putting in their thirty seconds before rushing on to get more points.
Ten visits are from Google and when those people quit swearing they never leave a comment. They just mutter “Google is free ! Google is free!” Go back and try the next reference.

This leaves 69 visitors who could comment.
The question is why don’t fifty five of you comment?

Is the blog too dull?
Is it so philosophically out of reach that you can’t understand it?
Were you so upset with what is happening in Pigeon Falls you couldn’t comment?
Do you have trouble spelling?
Are you by nature shy?
Do you have trouble with Blogger’s spam blocker and just give up?
Do you find us too liberal or too conservative?
Were you in a hurry to get to your morning coffee?
Do you think the blog needs more color?
Do you feel a comment must be earned and only give them out as rewards?
Did your mother tell you never to comment on strange blogs?
Do you think the author is too weird ( find that out tomorrow when I answer a bothersome tag)
Do you just like lurking in the shadows?
Do you work for the CIA or FBI or some government fascist group spying on me?

Like all the questions on this blog those may never be answered.
What ever your reason for not commenting.

This is “ Leave a Comment Monday” So proclaimed by the “Committee on Blog Rules”.
You are expected on less your fingers are cramping to leave a comment.
Don’t break the rules.
You would be surprised what my pigeons can do to your car.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my garage where the trains still run , dragons fly, and love is in the air.-Nancy is positively glowing this morning. She and Tommy, the writer , had a wonderful time yesterday. First they skied out to the family cabin. That was exciting because he fell down three times on the trip. He is not nearly as good a skier as he said he was. That didn’t bother Nancy. She laughed at him and helped him up. The only time she was concerned was on the small downhill stretch where he almost hit a tree. On ce they made the cabin she teased him about it. Then the fire was ready as well as the coffee and they spent the rest of the day talking( That’s what they said) . Nancy’s friends had brought out the car and left it so they didn’t have to ski back for which Tommy was thankful. I think Nancy would have liked a blizzard which could have kept them over night but there is never a blizzard when you need one. They were back in Pigeon Falls by six o’clock. You might wonder why so early. Her friends didn’t leave any food and one can not live by coffee or love alone.
Tommy, the undertaker’s kid, met with Eino yesterday and shared his theory on the strange happenings in Pigeon Falls. Tommy suggested that the government had a secret research facility near Pigeon Falls where they are working on teleportation . First they had an accident with Hermit who was doing the original research. He was left as block of stone. Now they have worked out that problem but had some kind of accident and transported the entire town to some other location. That’s how he and Eino saw an expressway at the end of the track with all kinds of cars. Nothing like that anywhere near Pigeon Falls. Since the government did not want anyone to know they sent in the army to keep people from discovering they weren’t in Michigan any more. That’s when Tommy said to Eino “ Gee Toto I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore” . Which Eino did not find funny. The scientists got the town back in place except the tracks at the trestle were just a little off. The stone Hermit was still a problem so the government sent in a crack team that disabled Eino’s video, picked the lock on the closet, broke the door from the inside, teleported the statue away, and then turned the video back on and sent a man dressed like the hermit out through the door. The experiments continued and they accidentally moved the Masonic building but they corrected quickly this time. The entire process did something to the mirror which took time to reverse. Possibly the process made some kind of dimensional rift and the dragon and White Rabbit came through before it got fixed. Eino said that the entire explanation made sense and was reasonable but he still wasn’t sure that was it.
*****

Today's Link-Insanity Prevails- Looking for a good meme . Here is one.- Leave the word Dr. John in the comment or at least leave a comment.
Not much of anything happened today. I watched some television and blogged. That was about it. we were going to go to the show but Betty doesn't like to drive when it is snowing and it was snowing. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Googling a Disappointment

Saying for the day: You never know where Google will take you.

Thanks to Margaret I can see how many people come to my blog from Google and what they were looking for.
Most of them must be so disappointed.
For example the people from England who typed in “ Nancy Tommy” and got Pigeon Falls.
Not only that but it was Google’s second choice.

Or the people who typed in “ Photo of Birch Tree and Snow” and got my blog entry where I said I hate Birch trees.
I am sure that’s not what they wanted.
But it was the seventh item in Google’s list.

Somebody wanted “Chrishell Stause nude” and got an old entry where I said the way to get Google to send people to your blog was the write things like Chrishell Stause nude .
It works.
The Fortress was 6 and 7 in that list.

I have no idea why someone would look for “ losers alliance” but the Fortress was the number one choice that day.
The entry was about forming a loser’s alliance to compete in the blogexplosion contest.

I wonder if Google will ever bring anybody to the Fortress who will be happy?


@@@@ News From Pigeon Falls– the little town where trains still run, dragons fly, and buildings come and go– Nancy and Tommy, the writer, left this morning on ski’s to go to the family cabin. It was two below zero when they started out with a wind chill of ten below. The temperature didn’t seem to bother them. Love covers a multitude of things. They should get to the cabin by noon. The road out to the cabin is fine so the cabin will be warm and the coffee ready when they get there. They can sit by the fire and look over The Lake of the Loon and snuggle up together. That is of course as long as the cabin doesn’t vanish and in Pigeon Falls who knows.
Pastor Marvel had the two basketball players that belong to Last Lutheran stand up this morning. He congratulated them on their win. The two boys are an active part of Last Lutheran’s youth group. Marvel also announced that on Wednesday he was going on vacation . He and his wife are going to Disney World. He will be gone for a week. Jack, from Jack’s Sauna will preach next Sunday. Jack has a letter from the Bishop allowing him to preach and serve Communion. He is so proud. He framed it and it hangs in the office at the Sauna. Pastor Marvel said that he always wanted to meet Mickey Mouse. The members of Last Lutheran figure that they will be subjected to sermons full of references to things in Disney World because that’s what preachers do.
Lori Fortress was so excited by the New Potatoe’s win that she has offered to create a cartoon mascot for the team. Lori is a graphic artist. If it turns out well then another group of ladies will iron it on the shorts of the team. It is even possible that the New Potatoes could begin to take a little pride in who they are instead of wishing they were somebody else.
Eino and Tommy will meet this afternoon and Tommy will share his theory on the vanishing building. Tommy came up with this theory talking to Bree on the phone. He thinks Bree is cute. He knows she is smart.
Has Tommy really solved the mystery? Will we know why buildings come and go in Pigeon Falls? Will we know why there was an “Occupation”? Will we have an explanation for the stone man? Will we learn what Eino and Tommy saw at the end of the track? Will we learn all of this tomorrow? Will Nancy and Tommy reach the cabin without it vanishing? Are the loose ends finally coming together?
*****

Link for Today-Logical Philosopher- Because everybody can use a little Twain- Leave the words Dr. John in the comment and earn my gratitude ( which ain't worth much).'
We went to Church this morning , just Betty and I. Pennie was on call. She had a rough night and got called out three times. WE went to Our Savior's Lutheran. We have decided that it will be either this church or St. Mark'sa that we will join. Both of them are as friendly as Lutheram churches get.The sermon this morning was a disapointment . Yje last time we were there the Pastor preached a powerful sermon with its roots deep in the Word. But today she gave her annual state of the congregation speach. I guess she figured most people wouldn't stay for the annual meeting after the service. Then we came home and I played a bit on the computer and read a little. Pennnie got called out again. Lots of people trying to commit suicide on the week end. When she got back we went grocery shopping. Betty has a horrible cough. I then did a little blogging. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

High School

Saying for the Day: Some parts of our life should never be relived.

I thought I'd do a meme that I took from Catch.

Grad Year: 1957

1. Who was your best friend? Karl

2. What sports did you play? You have to be kidding

3. What kind of car did you drive? my parents, a Ford

4. It's Friday night, where were you? Home or at the movies

5. Were you a party animal? No

6. Were you in the "In Crowd"? No

7. Ever skip school? No

8. Ever smoke? No

9. Were you a nerd? Not smart enough

10. Did you get suspended/expelled? NO, but I got thrown out of study hall for laughing.

11. Can you sing the alma mater? No

12. Who was your favorite teacher? Howard Brown

13. Favorite class? French

14. What was your schools full name? Ishpeming High School

15. School mascott? Must have been a hunk of rock as we were the Hematite's

16. Did you go to Prom? Yes!

17. If you could go back and do it over, would you? Are you insane. I don’t even go to reunions

18. What do you remember most about graduation? The valedictorian muffed her speech.

19. Favorite memory of your Senior Year? I have no favorite memories of high school.

20. Were you ever posted up on the senior wall? No

21. Did you have a job your senior year? No

22. Who did you date? I went with Liz to the prom.

23. Where did you go most often for lunch? My aunt’s

24. Have you gained weight since then? Yes and no. I am now lighter than I was then.

25. What did you do after graduation? Went to college.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls– The little town in my garage where the trains still run, dragons fly, and buildings come and go.– All of Pigeon Falls is in shock this morning. The New Potatoes basketball team won last night. After losing every game since the start of the season they won. Despite having only nine people that came out for basketball, despite the name, despite their record , they won! They played the Norway Knights. The Knights are a good team and nobody, including the coach, expected the New Potatoes to win. The Knights came in with an attitude that said “You shouldn’t even be on the court with us”. One of their players said to one of the New Potatoes “ Are we ever going to mash you.” Their fans carried signs that said “ Mash the Potatoes”. The cheerleaders even had a special cheer. “ Mash the potatoes, mash the potatoes, mash the potatoes. Yay! .It looks like the team had all it could take and just decided ; No More! They played an inspired game. Bob Maki’s son Fred shot a three pointer as the buzzer sounded which put them in the lead by two points and gave them the game. One of the New Potatoes said to the Knight who commented before the game “ Look who got mashed”. People feel so good in town today its almost as if the team had won a tournament. It had been such a long time without a victory. Somebody said they saw the White Rabbit this morning carrying a sign that said “Yay Team”. If they never win another game this year this one will be talked about for a long time.
Tommy has been talking to Bree on the phone and they have come up with a theory that explains the “Occupation” , the stone man, the vanishing building, and the mirror. He is going to share it with Eino this afternoon. He is sure it ties up all the loose ends. Of course it doesn’t explain the White Rabbit or the dragon but then he’s only a kid.
Petrovich says that the vanishing building fits into one of the Russian driblets which he will soon post on his website. This time he is sure he has it right. He wants to talk to Eino but Eino said he’d rather talk to Tommy. He still holds Petrovich responsible for all the chaos caused by his last pronouncement of the end of Pigeon Falls. Petrovich says that he still doesn’t understand the mistake he made then but this time he knows he’s right. The basketball team winning cliches it .
Nancy says she can hardly wait until tomorrow to go cross country skiing with Tommy, the writer. The temperature is supposed to drop to zero but it doesn’t look like that will stop them. The family cottage will be warm when they get there . The coffee will be on. They will be able to look out over “ The Lake of the Loon” which should have some ice on it. It will be beautiful. A little thing like zero degree temperatures won’t stop them. One doubts if even a full blizzard could stop them but it would stop the friend who is turning up the heat and making the coffee.
*****

Link for today:A little joy for today- Because we can all use a little joy. Joyfully leave the word Dr. John in the comment or if you must leave it with a frown.
Peter, Lori, and the grandkids came. We played canasta. Betty and Bree beat Pennie and I. Bree and I played Mancala which is a marble game. We split. Played towers with Luke. All in all it was a great day. Ended up playing a very slow game based on CSI. Did very little blogging. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

A Blogger Song

Saying for the day: There are songs and then there are songs.

This is a little blogging song I have written:

One little blogger feeling kind of blue
Left a comment then there were two.

Two little bloggers being very free
Left lots of comments then there were three.

Three little bloggers wanting some more
Attracted another and then there were four.

Four little bloggers made a little hive
In buzzed another and then there were five.

Five little bloggers a neat little mix
Brought in another and then there were six.

Six little bloggers almost like heaven
Another saw and then there were seven.

Seven little bloggers with comment bait
Caught them another and then there were eight.

Eight little bloggers began to shine
In flew another and then there were nine.

Nine little bloggers out in the fen
Joined by another and then there were ten.

As you can see I am not much of a poet or songwriter.
But you get the idea.
Now feel free to offer new verses in addition too or in place of mine.

@@@@News From Pigeon Falls– The little town in my garage where the trains still run and buildings come and go– Eino Nancy’s loving Uncle, is running a background check on Tommy, the writer. So far he has discovered that there was a Tom Bradley that grew up in Ishpeming. He went to the Ishpeming high school. Didn’t seem to get into any trouble and graduated with honors. He was a member of the honor society. He attended Northern Michigan University but doesn’t seem to have graduated. After that there is no information. Its as if Tom just vanished. Eino’s friend in the FBI has promised Eino he will keep checking.
Trying to get to know him better Eino invited Tom to come and see the mirror in the Masonic building, the one that doesn’t reverse the image. Tom, of course said that was impossible but went with Eino anyway. He looked in the mirror and told Eino it looked the same as any other mirror. Eino went to point out the difference when he realized Tom was right. The mirror was back to normal. Eino said “ But yesterday it didn’t reverse.” Tom said, “Sure sure Eino yesterday it didn’t reverse.” Then Tom went to see Nancy. He told Nancy her uncle was losing it and seeing things that weren’t there.
Eino knew what he had seen and Tommy, the undertaker’s kid had seen it too. The mirror had changed back. But why? How? What was going on? Buildings come and go. Mirrors change and change back. How in the world is this possible. Who or what is doing this? Its almost enough to make you believe in wizards. Could Tom Bradley be a wizard. Tommy, the undertaker’s kid, thought he was a dragon. Could a dragon have enough magic to make a building disappear and reappear. Could a dragon make a mirror reverse and why would a dragon do it ? Then Eino shook his head and said to himself “ There are no wizards, there are no dragons this is all foolishness. There has to be some other explanation. But what is it?”
****

Link for the day:The Cedar Chest- A friend of Josie and winner of the Bestest Blog of the day award. By all means leave the words Dr. John in the comment.
Betty had the van fixed today. It was all under warranty and the people at the garage were very nice. I did some blogging. Spent most of the day working on the Family Tree. We wish we had asked many more questions while people were alive. My daughter is on call tonight which means that the police will call her to commit people who are suicidal to the hospital. She has already gone out once. What a job. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

A new Murder Mystery Idea

Saying for the Day: Always bring something to read to the Dr.'s Office.

Yesterday I went with Betty to her Doctor’s appointment.
I took along a book to read during her examination.
This was not the greatest book ever but it was a good read.
It also opened up a whole new direction for murder mysteries.
It was called “ Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder” and in addition to your basic who killed the poor guy plot it also had cookie recipes.
The plot may not have been above average but the recipes were.
I can hardly wait to make the “chocolate covered cheery cookies”.

This opens up the possibility of a whole series of “Cookbook Murders”.
We could have “Dead in the Stew” with stew recipes” ;”Murder in the Soup Kitchen” with soup recipes; “Murder by Cake” with cake recipes .
You get the idea.
When we run out of recipes we could move over to self help with titles like “Dead in the Garden” with gardening tips; “The Organized Killer” with tips on getting organized;” The Cleaning Ladies Murder” with hints on getting out blood stains etc.;” The Really Cute Murders: with Martha Stewart type hints.
The possibilities are endless.

We could even put out a series to read in the lobby of the Dr.’s office.
We could have titles like “ The Blood Drawing Murders” with hints on how to get over the fear of having your blood drawn; “Corpse in the x-ray Room”; with hints on how to make sure they only need to take the x-ray once; “The Nurse is Dead’ with hints on small talk with the Nurse during the pre-examination.
These would be the ultimate lobby books.
No more old Time magazines.

The book may not have been the best murder mystery but it is certainly ground breaking
. Any great writers out there that want to join me in writing the “Murders for the Dr.’s Lobby” series.
I might start next week and I could use some help.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my garage where the trains still run and buildings come and go-Last night Eino got Tommy, the undertaker’s kid , and went back to the Masonic building. He and Tommy looked at everything and finally ended up back at the mirror. Eino said, “There is something about this mirror that bothers me. But I can’t figure out what it is”. Tommy said “ Its just a mirror”. But then Tommy took another look and his face lit up. “ Its backwards”, he said.” It’s backwards”. He said to Eino “ Raise your right hand”. Eino raised his right hand. “Now tell me what hand does the man in the mirror have up?” Eino said” His right hand”. ”That “,said Tommy.”is the problem”.” The man in the mirror should have his left hand up. It should be reversed. The mirror doesn’t have a mirror image.” Eino now saw the problem as well. “But that’s impossible “, Eino said. “ But it’s true” answered Tommy. “Whatever happened to the building reversed the mirror”. As much as Eino wanted to deny it he knew what Tommy was saying was true. Something had reversed the mirror. But what could do that. That was the question. At least Eino was now sure that the building vanished. Now he wondered why Tommy, the writer, didn’t see it.
Nancy is all excited she and Tommy, the writer, are going cross country skiing this Sunday. They intend to take a lunch and ski in to her family cottage on “ The Lake of the Loon”. It is something she has wanted to do for a long time but was too busy. But since Tommy came along she has been closing the coffee shop on Sundays. She used to cross country ski a lot and Tommy says he did too. In any case she is all excited.
If it goes well they might even consider entering the Pigeon Falls Annual Cross Country Ski Race. That race takes place in February. It is thirty miles long. Fifteen miles out and fifteen miles back through the most beautiful woods you can imagine. People come from all over to be part of it. It used to go across “The Lake of the Loon” . Then came that winter when the lake didn’t freeze well and the skier went through the ice. They got him out and he survived the pneumonia but they decided not to take that chance again. The trail stays on dry land.
Petrovich is telling anybody that will listen that he will have a new prediction next week or the week after based on his latest studies. Eino said that he can hardly wait . Eino doesn’t think people will pay much attention this time.
Will people listen to Petrovich? Will the mirror return to normal? Are Tommy and Eino reversed ?Did the Masonic building really disappear? Will we ever find out where the dragon, white rabbit, and stone hermit came from? Where is the White Rabbit? And of course “ Is Tommy really the undertaker’s kid?
******

Link for Today-Zelmarq's Blog- What you can do with a little bit of paper (art) .
Leave the ususal Dr. John in the comment . Its the artistic thing to do.
I spent a day not doing much of anything.I watched some televison. I played some PC games. I read a little. I visited the blogs of everybody that visited me yesterday and left comments if they had a new entry. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

A Doctor Visit

Saying for the day- An apple a day doesn't work you have to see the Doctor anyway.

Yesterday I went to the Doctor.
It is something I have to do every three months.
For me it is a time of high stress.
I worry that he is going to find something I don’t want to be there.
Given the condition of my lungs , twice I have had pneumonia sneak up on me so that when I felt sick and went to the doctor I ended up in the hospital.
The three month check is to make sure that doesn’t happen but I am always afraid he is going to find that it came back.
In between visits I use an oximeter to check my oxygen level as a sudden drop would indicate a problem.
Well my new Doctor checked my lungs and they were fine.
I don’t think he checked them as carefully as Dr. Smith did but in any case they were fine.
Then he called the desk to have them make appointments with an eye doctor, a lung doctor, and a arthritis specialist.
Three doctors all on the same day .
Three times the stress.
Then he sent me to the resident blood sucker to take some of my blood.
She wasn’t the best and it took her two tries.
Well their vampire will feast tonight.
Tomorrow when Betty sees him for the first time I will find out when those appointments are.

The question is how much doctor caused stress can I handle?

@@@ News from Pigeon Falls– Yesterday there was another weird happening in Pigeon Falls. The big, old, Masonic building vanished. Well vanished might not be the right word because it didn’t stay gone. Eino was standing talking to Tommy, the undertaker’s kid, when it ceased to be there. They were looking across the street and suddenly there was a vacant lot where the building should have been. It sort of shimmered and then was gone. But a minute later it was back. Eino doesn’t drink being an old Finnish pietist and of course Tommy doesn’t drink or do drugs being a rather intelligent kid. But they both are sure they saw the building go and come. Tommy, the writer, who was going into Nancy’s says he didn’t see anything. The only other person out at the time was Blogs Turpin but he was drunk as usual so he isn’t sure what he saw. Where could a building that size go? How could a building that size go. Eino says it had to be some kind of optical illusion. Tommy, the undertaker’s kid, is not so sure. In fact he thinks it might help to explain what they saw at the end of the tracks and the “occupation”
Tommy, the writer, told Nancy she should keep an eye on her uncle because he was acting weird and seeing things. Nancy assured him that if Eino saw something it was really there or in this case really not there. At that point Tom, the writer, didn’t want to argue with her so he let it go.
Earl Schiavo heard about the vanishing building. He is sure it was a flying saucer. They tried to take the building but it was too heavy and so they had to let it go. Earl sees flying saucers all the time. He has read every book and watched every UFO program you can think of. He said if he had been there he would have taken a picture. How do you take a picture of something that isn’t there?
In any case the building didn’t go up and fall back down it just vanished.
Once Eino settled down he went through the building. He is a long standing Mason and has been in the building many times. Everything seems to be in place. There were no new cracks. Nothing had been taken. As far as he could tell nothing had been added. The only thing that seemed different was a big mirror and he couldn’t put his finger on the difference. It just felt different.
***

Link for Today-Still Alive and Swiping-Something a little different with oysters- Please leave the words Dr. John in the comment to prevent a rip in the universe.
Went with Betty to the Doctor's today. I brought a book to read in the lobby. They took some of her blood as well. Then we went to Walgreens and Wal Marts. Later Betty thought she left her purse because she couldn't find it. That would mean calling every credit card company as well as notifying the bank. But she found it under the front seat of the van. That was a relief. I finished the book when we got back and then did some blogging.
Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

On Staying in the Fortress

Saying for the day-The world is a stange and scarey place.

I’ve been doing a little reading and it has convinced me I should stay in the Fortress as the world is just too strange a place to venture out in.
Here are a few of the things I discovered.

The California's Golden State Fence Co. must have rejoiced when the government decided to do something about illegal aliens.
It put in a bid and received a contract to build part of the United States' immigrant-impeding barrier on the Mexican border.
Illegal immigrants were money in the bank for them.
That was until December when the government hit them with fines totaling nearly $5 million because it had been employing illegal aliens.
One has to wonder if the fence they would build would have secret entrances so they could keep getting employees. And wouldn’t their workers feel like traitors building a fence to keep out their brothers and sisters?

Britain's Darts Regulatory Authority announced in November that professional darts player Robbie "Kong" Green had been suspended for eight weeks after a positive drug test. The rat smoked a little weed to calm his nerves and that gave him an edge on his opponents. And you thought American Football players were bad.

In case you thought that only American streets were dangerous.
Police in Sydney, Australia, arrested 19 people in a two-family street fight in January and, according to Sydney's Daily Telegraph, confiscated "knives, baseball bats, metal poles, planks, branches, cricket bats, pick handles, screwdrivers, golf clubs, curtain rods and glass bottles," as well as hammers and machetes. It’s a good job they didn’t have any guns.

I have a good book to read and blogs to visit so I think I’ll just stay home.

@@@@-News from Pigeon Falls– The little town in my garage where the trains still run and dragons fly-As of this morning Tommy, the undertaker’s kid had been unable to contact the dragon. But not from lack of trying. His mother is beginning to worry that this obsession will cause his grades to fall. He has been, despite all the trouble he has been in, an A student.
Nancy is till humming and smiling and even giving free second cups of coffee. Tommy, the writer, has certainly made a big impact on her. In fact Uncle Eino is becoming a little concerned since they know so little about Tom Bradley. He seems genuine enough but the way things have been going lately in Pigeon Falls you can’t be sure. Eino is thinking of running a little background check.
Mrs. Trumble received an official response from Homeland Security. It said that the government had information that a terrorist group was going to test a virus on Pigeon Falls so they moved to protect the nation. They later discovered it was not true. They are sorry for any problems caused to Pigeon Falls. Mrs. Trumble is wondering if the government can get anything right. Eino says the whole story is hogwash. There were no doctors with the “occupation”. There was no blood taken. There were no tests. They weren’t looking for a virus. But he has no idea what they were doing.
Tom Maki, says he is going to get his hunting dogs some of that beer they are making in Europe for dogs. Then after a hunt both he and the dogs can settle down to a cold beer. Those Europeans sure know how to live.
******

Link for the Day-Quotes.dehumanizer.com- Need a quote. Here they are. Please leave "Dr. John" in the comment.
After saying I was staying in the Fortress I went out to the Doctor. I will blog about that tomorrow. Then we went and picked up the wheel for the snowblower. Then I was safe back in the Fortress. I watched a little TV then did some blogging. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Leave A Comment Monday

Saying for the Day- Every week has at least one Monday.

The hands of the clock have gone round and round.
The pages of the calendar have flipped .
We are back at Monday again.
As you are aware I’m sure a long time ago the Committee on Rules for Blogs (CRB) set Monday as the day to leave comments.
The official title being “ Leave a Comment Monday”.
Since that time vast numbers of people have ignored the rule.
I being the rule keeper that I am never ignore it.
I leave a comment on every blog I visit on Monday that has an entry I haven’t already commented on.
I figure if I obey the CRB blogger will work better.
It is Monday and as a comment addict I am asking you to leave a comment.
It doesn’t have to be long.
A simple Hi will do.
You will note a few more changes in the blog that might be worth commenting on.
The Finnish Word for the day has moved to the white space at the top.
The list of Finnish words now requires that you click the box marked Finnish Word List.
The list was getting a bit long.
On the right hand side you will notice the Linna family crest.
Is it genuine you might ask.
I paid good money to a research company so it better be genuine.

Now leave a comment or read the news from Pigeon Falls and leave a comment.

@@@@-News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my garage where the trains still run and the dragon might be Finnish-Tommy, the undertaker’s kid, has decided that Tommy, the writer, is not a dragon in disguise and has gone back to trying to contact the dragon brain wave to brain wave. He is concentrating on sending a message in both English and Finnish. The message is “Hi! my name is Tommy. Hei! Minä olen Tommy”. His problem is that the dragon hasn’t been back since the parade for Mrs. Mattson. But the next time it comes he’ll be ready. Of course, if the dragon should respond to Tommy in Finnish Tommy is a little short on words. But he’ll cross that bridge when he comes to it.
Homeland Security has not responded to Mrs. Trumble’s demand to explain the “Occupation” of Pigeon Falls. Her Washington friends are telling her that they are being told to leave it alone. It is a matter of national security. Mrs. Trumble thinks that just a phrase the government chooses to hide behind. How can holding a small town prisoner for almost a week advance the national security?
Nancy had a great time at Tommy, the writer’s, place yesterday. He served another fantastic meal. Then they sat on the couch and watched a couple of DVD’s. She came into the coffee shop humming again this morning. She has such a big smile and looks so happy.
Milk train had some problems this morning. Somehow one of the tanks developed a hole. There was milk all along the track behind the train and by the time they discovered it the tank was almost empty. Once this would have threatened the existence of the railroad but with the big government grant that came after the “occupation” it hardly bothered Dr. Fortress.
****

Link for today-Adventures in Everyday Life- Asks the question " Should I renew my library card or take down the Christmas tree?"-please leave the words Dr.John in the comment even though I do not take down Christmas trees.
I finished another book today. It was a fun read. Then I started printing out all my November blogs to send to my sister. I do procrastinate a little. Betty went out to go to the True Valuer store but couldn't find it. She has some kind of cold and slept all afternoon. I visted all my links and left comments on all those that had new entries. Now I needa breathing treatment.
GBYA

The Lucky One

Saying for the day: I can not not beleive.

IN one of the Peanut Cartoon Strips Snoopy ( a dog) says that “ Some are born dogs and some are born people. Why should I be the lucky one?”
In life there are those who have considered all the facts , gone over all the proofs, and come to the very rational conclusion that there is no God.
They see Christians as stupid, irrational, deluded people.
I know this because I read their blogs.

Then there are those like me who ran into the living God and had their lives turned upside down.
We are stuck being Christian.
God is as real to us as our next door neighbor.
We can not, not believe.
Why should we be the lucky ones?

My atheist friends think we believe because of heaven and our fear of death.
Nonsense! I look forward to heaven only because I will get to know God in a way that I can’t now.
I believe because of the joy and the peace that God has filled my life with since I moved from atheism to believing.
I will grant my atheism friends that all the miracles in my life could be just coincidences.
I will grant them I could be deluded .
I will grant them that the joy and the peace I feel might not be real.

But I can’t stop believing.
I am stuck with God.
Why should I be the lucky one?
I don’t know the answer to that question.
I just know that I am.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls– the little town in my garage where trains still run and the dragons speak Finnish– Tommy, the undertaker’s kid, has come up with a plan to see if Tom, the writer, is really a dragon. Tommy is going to learn a Finnish question and ask it of Tom , the writer,. He might be able to get Tom to give himself away. First Tommy had to choose the Finnish question. He decided on “Mistä sinä tulet? ( where do you come from?) Then he waited for an opportunity to ask it. That came yesterday at Nancy’s coffee shop. They were talking about places they had been and Tommy asked Tom “mistä sinä tulet“. Tom answered without hesitation “ Ishpeming”. Then Tom laughed and said I knew the Finnish that Isoäiti taught me as a kid would come in handy some day. So poor Tommy really doesn’t know anymore than he did before. He can’t just come out and say “ Excuse me sir are you a dragon?” But now Tommy is wondering if the dragon is really Finnish. Its possible, the dragon, like Tommy only knows a few Finnish words. It is possible that the dragon took the words from Mrs. Mattson’s mind. He could still be a small English dragon. Tommy is going back to reading about dragons looking for some kind of clue. Eino told him to give it up and go back to useful studies. But what kid has time for those?
Pastor Marvel preached this morning on missing God. In the text Jesus tells the assembled people that he is the fulfillment of prophecy and they still miss that he is God. According to Pastor Marvel there are those moments in life when God runs into us and we either say Wow! or we shake our heads and go on. The problem with the Wow! Is that it is the beginning of a process that will turn our lives upside down. But if we miss it we lose out. Its certainly something for the people of Last Lutheran to think about.
Nancy is having dinner out at the Old Hermit place again today. That’s two weeks in a row. Tommy, the writer, must be a great cook.
****

Link for the day-Temporarily Me- It asks the question " Are armpits attractive?" Please leave the words Dr. John in your answer.
Went to church this morning at St. Marks. It was a great experience. The pastor is not a great preacher but he may be a great pastor. They had a bell choir. At communion the common cup was held by a man in a wheelchair. It was not very practical and slowed things down but the man ' s face beemed. After the service they had a luncheon to celebrate the birthday of an older member. It reminded me of United. I like this church. In the afternoon Pennie and Betty took a u-haul truck and went and got a matress and a box spring from Peter's house. I stayed here and met the man bringing Pennie's new dresser. Then I read a book. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Under the new Flag

Saying for the day- Soon the new will become old.

We begin with the new logo.
The one that you picked.
I also have a confession to make.
The third logo was not created by me.
It was a gift from Margaret.
I really like it so I am going to use it every Wednesday.
A little variety can't hurt anything.
On the other hand I promise you that my two disasters will never be seen again.
I promise no more castles on a lily pad and no more castles from video games.
From now on only a real Finnish fortress in the logo.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls- the little town in my garage where trains still run and dragons fly-Tommy, the undertaker's kid, has been spending time at the county library reading all the books that he can find about dragons. He discovered that some writers believe that dragons are shapeshifters. They can turn themselves into anything. They could become a person, a dog, or even a rock. Now he wonders if the stone man in Eino's garage was really a dragon. He is trying to convince Eino that this is possible. It would certainly explain a lot of things. Tommy is also looking at any new people in town as possible dragons. He told Nancy she should watch Tommy, the writer, to be sure he isn't a dragon.
Nancy, of course, thinks that Tommy, the undertaker's kid, has lost it. She knows in her heart that Tommy, the writer, is not a dragon. He is the nicest, kindest, most thoughtful, person she has ever met. She told him what Tommy thought and they had a good laugh together.
Louise is till insisting she heard the dragon wish her happy birthday in Finnish. She said it was as clear as if the dragon was in the car with her. Her daughter is afraid she is beginning to lose it and may be a little senile.
Poor Eino is stuck with a dragon that might talk Finnish in your head, that could have been the stone statue in his basement, and might have been one of the hunters that came to town. He wishes Tommy, the undertaker's kid, would stop reading. Its bad enough that he knows what he and Tommy saw at the end of the tracks . He just can't handle any more stuff. If Pigeon Falls had a mental hospital Eino would sign himself in. He is thinking of going over to a nearby town and visiting psychologist, Dr. Angel Cider.
Has Tommy lost it ? Or has Tommy found it? How about the other Tommy is he really a dragon? Is Louise going senile? Will Eino get help in time? What did he see at the end of the track? and of course is Tommy really the undertaker's kid?
****

Link for today-Trish's blah blah blog- You will see that winter can be fun- Please put the words Dr. John in the comment. I said please.
It was a good day. I played games with my grandsons including another game of canasta with Alex as my partner. We lost to Betty and his Father. The had to go back in the afternoon so the boys could go to a birthday party for their step brother. Next week Pat's ex is getting married. She is very much pregnant. Life goes on. My grandsons will be in a home that has his kids, her kids, and our kid ( seven altogether). After they left I took a nap.Betty and Pennie went and bought a dresser for Pennie's bedroom. Tomorrow she is renting a truck and picking up a matress from Peter's house. We finished the day with another game of canasta which I won. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Time to Decide

Saying for the day-Every fork in the road changes our direction.

Here are the four logo's , all numbered. Now you can choose the one that you will see most often on this blog. It will be the main logo ( until I tire of it) Please VOTE. I value your opinion.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls- Tommy, the undertaker's kid , went to visit our birthday lady. He told Eino that the reason he hasn't been able to contact the dragon is that it might be a Finnish dragon. Eino reminded Tommy that the last Finnish dragon was supposed to have been killed by St. Urho. But Tommy, who is well read, said the dragon killed by St. Urho was the last English dragon. Its possible there were Finnish dragons that were smaller and didn't eat people. Eino just shook his head and thought that how could he , a rational man, end up arguing about what kind of dragon they had when dragons couldn't exist. In any case Tommy is now taking Finnish lessons from Mrs. Mattson.
Louise Mattson is showing the CARD she got from the President of Finland to anybody she meets. It is her pride and joy. She also has a card from President Bush but she can't remember where she put it. The card says the same thing the dragon said."Iloinen Alku" or happy birthday in Finnish.
The word around town is that Nancy and Tommy, the writer, were seen holding hands at the parade on Wednesday. Well to be more honest they were holding gloves. It wasn't very warm. Nancy and Tom, the writer not the undertaker, are at the top of the town's gossip list. Turn about is fair play. For the last few years Nancy has been dispensing gossip from her coffee shop and now she is the center of the gossip stream.
Petrovich is coming back next week. He has all kinds of new driblets to share. He thinks this time he can get it right. Eino wishes he would stay in Russia.
Mrs. Trumble has written up the entire story of the "occupation" and sent it to Homeland Security demanding an explanation. They had no right to treat American citizens in that fashion.
She has also contacted some of her government friends and is having them put some pressure on Homeland Security.
*****

Today's Link-The Peevery-A thought for the day- Please leave the words Dr. John in the comment because.......
I read another book today . I enjoyed it more than the last one. Betty took the next to the last JCPOINTS package to the Post Office, We have on left with no address. My grandsons from Madison came over for a short visit . Alex and I partnered for a canasta game and we won. Life is good. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Logo four

This is the last of the possible logo's . Tomorrow I will let you vote for the one you like best.







The other three are shown here so that you can compare them.
Today’s is another real Finnish Linna or fortress.
I am not sure the computer likes it because I have had nothing but trouble this morning with the computer.
It started with its beeps again and then I had to do a restore and I’m not sure that solved it. Stress is the price we pat for blogging.
But look at today’s logo and tell me what you think.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls –The little town in my garage where the trains still run and dragons fly. Yesterday was a great day for Louise. The weather turned nice and the temperature even got up to 30. People lined the street for the parade. Louise , all bundled up, rode in an open car behind the salt truck. She waved and people cheered. Suddenly there was silence. Louise looked up and above her head but keeping pace with the car was the dragon. It was as though he was saluting her. He even breathed fire as if to add fireworks to the occasion. Louise was moved to tears. When the parade reached the end of the street the dragon turned the corner and flew off into the woods. The receptions at the Church and the Masonic building went well but Louise was glad to get back to her apartment. There a CARD was waiting for her. It was from Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland. She was overjoyed.
Today she called for Eino to come and visit her. When he came she said “ Eino the dragon is Finnish. My daughter won’t believe me. But it said to me Iloinen Alku while I was in the parade.” Eino asked why nobody else heard it. Louise said that it was in her head. He spoke somehow in her head. Now either Louise was going senile or Eino had another mystery and a possibly Finnish dragon. He thought all dragons were English.
Did the dragon really speak to Louise in her head? Can this be a Finnish dragon? Didn’t St. Urho get rid of all the Finnish dragons? Will Bernice ever find her birth mother? Is Louise going senile. Is Eino going to have a mental breakkdown from all the mysteries? What plays did Eino see in New York? And of course is Tommy really the undertaker’s kid?
****

Today's link-We Blog Cartoons- A source of cartoons for your blog. My thanks to Alastair who writes New Kid on The Block for this link. Even though he suggested the link could you still put Dr. John in the comment.
I worked on the question section for tomorrow. I wish I was better at this computer stuff. My computer did its beep thing again. I ran a full diagnostic and it seems to have recovered. All of that took time. I also finished reading one of the books I got yesterday. "New Spring" by Robert Jordan. It was an okay read but not really special. Once I get into a story I have trouble putting a book down. Speaking of down , blogger was down off and on today. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Logo # 3

Saying for the Day- Some people are creative some aren't. The trick is to know which category you are in.

Today you get to see our third logo.
First we had the logo on the lily pad and then the one that looked like a video game so today something very different.
Today no fancy flashing words.
Today a real fortress from an island near Finland.
Today a picture of the King himself.
Feel free to comment on this logo as you have on the others.
I won’t be offended.
I may go back in the closet and cry some more but I won’t be offended.
Just remember on Friday you get to vote and pick the best of the four.
Then you get to see that logo for a month.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls– The little town in my garage where the trains still run and dragons fly– Today is the 100th birthday of Louise Mattson. She still hasn’t gotten that card from the President of Finland. Other than that everything is ready for the big event. Louise got up early and took all the pills she has to take to stay alive. Her daughter came and did her hair. She is ready to go. Tomorrow we will tell you how everything went.
Bernice who is Tommy‘s, the undertaker’s kid, mother has started on a quest. She is trying to find her birth mother. She was adopted as a baby and has no idea who her real mother is. Her adoptive parents were very good parents but she would still like to know who her real parents were. She puts together stories in her mind . In one story her mother is very poor and the boy friend runs off and leaves her . Then she puts Bernice up for adoption so she can have a good life. In another her mother is a rich movie star that can’t be bothered with a child. Bernice has a very active imagination. Her adoptive parents have no idea who the real parents were. The lawyer who arranged the adoption can’t be found. But Bernice keeps looking.
Tommy, the writer, hasn’t been seen for several days. He told Nancy that he was going to spend some time working on his new novel “ Murder in a Small Town”. Nancy feels that he shouldn’t be bothered while he is writing. People have noticed that Nancy is humming less. He did promise to go to the parade with her this afternoon.
*****

Today's Link- Worth it All- Just in case you think people in your state are loony read this blog. REmember to put the loony words Dr. John in the comment.
We packed all the JCPOINTS stuff and mailed them except to the two addresses I don't have. I have sent e-mails to them. It took more time and effort than we expected. We went to Barnes and Noble and bought four books. So I will be reading on these cold days as well as blogging. Coming back I visited evry one of the links. Then my computer went bananas. It began beeping . It was enough to drive you nuts. So I turned it off and turned it back on but it still beeped. I ran a diagnostic test and it quit. I still don't know what caused it. Well now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Logo number 2

Saying for the day- If at first you don't succeed quit.

Here is the second of the potential logos.

I have a feeling that yesterday’s isn’t going to make it.
I really liked the comment that it looked like it was on a green Lilly pad.

Today we have something very different.
Again I invite your comments.
I will not take offence but I may still go in the closet and cry.

I also learned that Explorer and Firefox don’t always see things the same way.
That was a kick in the head.
I hope there will be no technical problems with today’s.

If you intend to do a lot of blogging and want to shape your blog the link for yesterday is a great place for tips and techniques.
I marvel at what people have done with their blogs and hope to keep learning.

@@@@News from Pigeon Falls– the little town in my garage where the trains still run and dragons fly.-Only a few people showed up at Last Lutheran last night to remember Dr. Martin Luther King. Pastor Marvel thought that since it was the real birthday as well as the holiday it would be a good time to remember but not many others felt that way. Its not that they were against the celebration but just that they were busy with other things. Pastor Marvel was , to say the least, disappointed. Having no persons of color and believing themselves to be tolerant and loving Pigeon Falls missed the revolution.
Nancy and Tommy, the writer, are going to see Eragon tonight. Since there is no theater in Pigeon Falls they are going over to Iron Mountain.Tommy, the writer, said he would like to see a movie about dragons before he meets the dragon of Pigeon Falls. He may be disappointed since Pigeon Falls’s dragon is much smaller than that of Eragon. It also doesn’t have a rider and doesn’t seem to have bonded with anybody. Real dragons are always different from the ones that you see in movies.
Tommy, the undertakers kid, has seen the movie twice. He told Eino he is going to try to contact the Pigeon Falls dragon by sending thoughts to it. Eino told him that it won’t work because he didn’t start with the egg. But Tommy is going to try anyway. Of course he has to wait for the dragon to show up. Tom, the undertaker, says that his son should spend less time on crazy ideas and more time on school work. But school work is not nearly as exciting.
Her birthday is tomorrow and there still is no card from the President of Finland. Louise still hopes that her 100th birthday will include such a card. Everything else is going as planned. The street has been plowed and decorated . The two receptions are all ready. Its not every day that a town gets to celebrate the life of somebody who was a part of its history almost from the beginning.
*****

Link for today-My Internet Addiction- If you like magic here it is. Remember to put the magic words Dr. John in the comment .
Forgot to close this up yesterday. We made saffron buns and then wrapped and packed them. By the time we finished it was too late to mail them so we will do that in the morning. This will end the JCPOINTS era. To close it up I have three addresses I need and I hope they are forthcoming. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Monday and the Change goes on

Saying for the day:In a world of constant change the need for comments continues.

The change in the blog continues.
Today we offer you the first of four possible logos for this blog.
On Friday we will let you vote on which one you like best.
Its you the reader that has to look at the logo when you blog in .
I find the logo I have had for the last month depressing.
It is so cold and dark.
But the one I offer you today is full of color.
To be honest it isn’t much of a fortress.
If a big wind comes it could blow away.
But you have to grant it has color.
Feel free to comment on it .
I will not take offense if you don’t like it.
I may go into the closet and cry but I won’t take offense.

Today I will also be adding ( before it gets dark) a button under the Finnish words which will take you to the BBC’s pronunciation sight.
I am working on getting a nice Finnish song that will play in the background when you come to the blog.

Today , of course, continues to be “ Leave a Comment MONDAY” .
The day when I visit all my links and leave a comment on any blog entry on which I haven’t already commented.
It is also the day I get down on my knees and beg for comments.
As a confessed comment addict I need those comments.

I will even read long long weird comments like I got from anonymous on Saturday.
I just wish it had left me some way to contact it and tell it what I thought.

SO please leave me a comment.
Tell me what you think of the logo or comment on what is happening in Pigeon Falls.

But comment.

@@@- News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my garage where trains still run and dragons fly but they are small dragons– Nancy had dinner out at the Old Hermit house yesterday with the writer fellow. According to Nancy Tommy , the writer not Tommy the undertaker’s son, is a great cook. He also is a great storyteller and shared some of his life before Pigeon Falls. Nancy told him he should enter one of the liar’s club’s story contests . He laughed and said that all his stories are true. All Nancy could talk about as people stopped in for Coffee today was Tommy and her dinner.
Tom Ellingsen, the undertaker and father of Tommy (The former Mayor not the writer), got to meet Tommy ,the writer and not his kid who he sees every day, and says that he seems like a very nice person but he sure does ask a lot of questions. He is worse than Tommy, his son , who is always asking questions. Tom, the undertaker, says that having two Tommys is confusing. When he heard that Tommy was having dinner with Nancy out at the old Hermit house. He wondered how his son had pulled that off. Then his son told him it was the other Tommy and not him. It’s a good job they call Tom Maki , Butch or the confusion could be even worse.
Two more days till the big party and Louise is still has hope that she will get a card from the President of Finland. It seems one of her relatives has written to the Finnish President and told her of the birthday. It could be in the mail.
Will Louise get her card? Is Tommy, the undertaker’s kid, really the undertaker’s kid? How many Tommys can this town handle before confusion reigns.? Who writes these silly questions?
****

Link for Today-How2Blog- If you need a little help with blogging this could be the place. If you are so moved please leave the words Dr. John in the comment . Ah ! Even if you aren't moved please leave the words Dr. John in the comment.
I checked my comments and discovered that the logo was not visable in Explorer but only in Firefox. Then spent and hour trying to fix the problem which now seems to be fixed. During that time two people commented and I have no idea what they saw. I also discovered that only half the old logo could be seen in Explorer. Every day an adventure.
Poor Betty ended up having to shovel during our mini-blizzard . Pennie's hand is too bad and I am too wobbly on my feet. It only took here three hours. The tire my son was supposed to have fixed on the snowblower went flat again. I visited every link. I then went to today's link and learned how to put in a visit counter. I finished reading Eragon. Checked through the comments and todays logo doesn't seem too popular. Ended the day with a canasta game and for a change I won.Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Gooodbye JCPOINTS

Saying for the day- All good things come to and end.

Today the very short era of JCPOINTS comes to an end.
There will be no more lists that carry over week after week.
I enjoyed the time but the mechanics got a bit difficult.
There were over 9000 individual drawing slips at the end.
Sometimes when Betty shook the plastic barrel in which we kept them the cover would pop and they would go all over.
Then we tried to make sure that we didn’t leave somebody’s chance to win under the bed.
I learned something about luck from the experience.
You can have 3000 chances ( 1/3 of the total) and somebody with twenty chances can still win and did.
Some people were just luckier than others.
I am one of those people who could have 999 chances out of 1000 and the person with the one chance would win.
Some have luck and some don’t.

In any case the era is over.
Goodbye JCPOINTS .

I’ll miss you.

@@@@- News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my garage where the trains still run and dragons fly – Eino arrived home this morning. He came in on the milk train. He looks refreshed and the happiest he’s been in a great while. He says that he has decided not to take life as seriously as he did before and to find something to enjoy in every day.
Nancy can hardly wait for her big dinner tomorrow. She says its because she wants to see the old Hermit house but some people think there is more there than that . Seeing the old Hermit house is not enough to account for the humming and the sparkle in her eyes.
Louise Mattson received a card from President Bush wishing her a happy birthday. She is so proud that she posted it on the door of her apartment at the assisted living place.
Big Rudy may be losing it. He damaged his truck and he swears he hit something that wasn’t there. He was driving along the raod to his farm when he hit it. He saw nothing but he almost went through the window from the impact. He got out of the truck and looked but there was nothing there. He swears he didn’t have a drop to drink. Must have been all those drinks he had before he sobered up have done something to his mind. You can’t hit something that isn’t there.
Will Louise get a card from the President of Finland? Will somebody else hit something that isn’t there? Where did the dragon come from? Will Eino stay happy? What is Mrs. Trumble’s big secret? Is Tommy really the undertaker’s son? Will we ever get answers?
*****

Today’s Link– Full Plate– Just an average family – Remember to leave the words Dr. John in the comment for old time’s sake.
For those of you who want to hear how Finnish words sound I still haven’t been able to master sound for this blog but I did find a website put out by the BBC that gives you the sound for some Finnish words. Click HERE to go to that website.
We went to another different church this morning. It was bigger than any of the others. It had two pastors.It had a bell choir, a senioor choir, and a children's choir. It had a cantor. The head pastor was a better than average preacher. The people were not unfriendly but they wern't really friendly either. It had handicapped parking and an elevator. If we had started there we might have stayed but last week's and the week's before are more likely. It doesn't need us.
In teh afternoon I blogged. Then we played canasta and Pennie won again. Pennie and Betty went to Office Max and I read a book about dragons. Now I need a breathing treatmenmt.
GBYA

Change is Coming

Saying for the day: Rome wasn't built overnight .

At the start of this year I said there would be changes to this blog and other than the new depressing dark logo there haven’t been many.
But I have been working on them behind the scenes.
With the phasing out of JCPOINTS which end tomorrow we will move into a new contest system .
The Pigeon Falls Liar’s Club may run a story contest for our readers.

Starting Monday you will have a chance to pick our new logo to replace the winter fortress.
Each day Monday through Thursday there will be a new logo then on Friday you can vote on which one you liked best.
Since you the viewers of this weird blog have to see the logo every time you come to read you can have some say in what it looks like.

The Finnish words will continue.
There will be a quiz.
There is no extra charge for the language study.
There will also be a little bit of Finnish history now and then.

Other changes are coming as well so hang in there .

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls– The little town in my garage where the trains still run and dragons fly or do they ?- Plans for Louise Mattson day are moving along very well. Mayor Trumble will present her with a key to the city ( well key to the town to be exact). She can hang it on the wall of her apartment at the Assistyed Living place. There will be a parade lead by a snowplow with the town sand truck coming behind and the Liar’s Club sixty six piece band ( it has four members) will try marching if the ice isn’t too bad. Then there will be an open car with a bundled up Louise so people can wave at her. There will be a reception for her at Last Lutheran ( moved from Sunday) and then at the Masonic Hall. If she survives all of that the “We Couldn’t Be Happier” nursing home has a party planned when she returns. One thinks this is a bit much for a one hundred year old lady but then she has been a part of the town history from the beginning. She thinks the whole thing is foolishness but she does like a party.
Nancy is still singing and humming and looking forward to dinner at the Old Hermit house. Tom, the writer not the undertaker’s kid , stops in every day for coffee and to gather as much town history as he can. One wonders when he works on his novel “Murder in a Small Town”. Aren’t writers supposed to go off alone for long periods to meditate and write? He isn’t, after all, the town historian. How much background does he need?
Eino will be coming home tomorrow. Toivo says he sounds refreshed and ready to get back to work. He was even humming some tune he heard at one of the Broadway plays he went to. Toivo is afraid he will have to listen to that at the garage for the next couple of weeks.
****

Today's Link-Cowboydog- And now for something very , very different. Please leave the words Dr. John in the comment because I like it when you do that.
The JCPOINTS store doesn't have much left but go HERE for your points and HERE for the store.
WE went to Green Bay today so Pennie could visit an old friend from Northern. While she did that we visited at my Son Peter's >. Went to lunch at Ponderosa with the grandchildren and that was nice. Then we just enjoyed the visit. Pennie is still looking for An English Springer Spaniel. There was one offered for free in the paper but she decided it was too old. There were two sets of puppies in the paper one at $350 a pup and one at $500 both sets had papers and all required shots etc. So she is thinking about getting one of those. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Three

Saying for the day: Three is a nice number but four is larger.

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back:

Time
Words
Opportunity

Three things in life that may never be lost:

Peace
Hope
Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable:

Love of family
Self-confidence
Friends

Three things in life that are never certain:

Dreams
Success
Fortune

Three things that make a man / woman:

Hard work
Sincerity
Commitment

Three things in life that can destroy a man / woman:

Alcohol/Drugs
Pride
Anger

Three things to give away everyday:

Love
Smiles
Hugs

Three things that are truly constant:

Father
Son
Holy Spirit

I ask the Lord to bless you,
As I pray for you today;
To guide you and protect you,
As you go along your way.

His love is always with you,
His promises are true.
And when you give Him all your cares,
You know He'll see you through.

Pass this along to People you want God to Bless...
I Just Did.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my garage where the trains still run and something is in the air , could be dragons-People who have stopped into Nancy’s for coffee say that she seems unusually happy. She hasn’t been this happy since she chained herself to the old oak tree, and fought with the town. They say that she is humming when they come in and has a great big smile. She has even given out some free second cups of coffee. She is not acting at all normal. She burned a batch of saffron buns and didn’t seem upset. Seeing people happy tends to bother people who aren’t so Nancy has bothered a number of people who liked her old “normal” self.
Tommy, the undertaker’s kid, feels that his substitute teacher ,Eino’s wife, had no right to show his paper “ the edge of nowhere” to Eino. Isn’t there some kind of law that protects school children’s privacy. Yes! He got an A on the paper but that is not the point. How can he be free to express himself if the teacher is going to show his paper around to others. Eino didn’t help the matter either by telling Tommy he didn’t think the paper should have been written.
Tom, the writer, took his first Sauna yesterday. Nancy told him he had to try it. He went down to Jack’s and spent an hour. He said it was a good experience but he isn’t ready to go out and roll in the snow yet. But he does feel really clean. He also spent some time gathering sauna stories from Jack. There was old Mr. Rinntila who took a sauna every week until he died. In has last years the son brought him in in a wheel chair and carried him in to the Sauna. Rinntila claimed it took away some of his arthritis pain. Then there was the time when they thought the sauna was haunted . September 3 Jack has lots of sauna stories and Tom wants to hear them all.
Eino is having a great time in New York. He called Toivo and told him that at Ellis Island he even got to see a picture of the ship that Isoisä Jupola came over on. He is bringing a picture back for Toivo. He discovered that there was another Jupola that came over at the same time and he is wondering what happened to them. Just another mystery for poor Eino whose plate is already full.
Will Eino ever find out about the other Jupola? Will he discover the secret of the stone hermit? Will he crack the case of the dragon? And what about the White Rabbit? Will he ever know who put the device in Jack’s sauna? Is Tommy really the undertaker’s kid? Do these stupid questions ever get answered?
*****

Today's link-My Knitting Machines and Me-Don't get too excited over the socks- Remember to leave the words Dr. John in the comment. Why? For old times sake.
Soon , very soon, the JCPOINTS will be history. Check yours HERE and what they can still get HERE.
Well another dull day at the fortress. I did a little blogging in the morning. I have to find new links you know. Then we went looking for furniture with Pennie. She didn't find anything she liked. We came back and played canasta. Betty and I lost. When we finished we discovered there were four extra jokers in the deck. I hope you keep praying for Chana. You can read her comment for the day and see what a big hearted lady she is. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Linna's Shopping Law VII

Saying for the day: A woman was born to shop and a man was born to wait.

Its time for another Linna’s Law of Shopping.
VII. A woman can not take just a moment in a store to get one item and come right back to the car.
Before you call me a male chauvinist pig who longs for the days of the patriarchy when men thought they were in control let me tell you this law is based on careful scientific research and a depth of personal experience.
Run this little experiment.
Look over the parking lot of any super store and see how many men are sitting in their cars waiting.
Now come back a half hour later and see how many of them are still there and you’ll see what I mean.
The other day we went with our daughter Pennie to Office Max.
On the way she wanted to stop at Sam’s Club.
“ I am just getting one item. I’ll be right back. You don’t need to come with me.”
So we waited and we waited.
My beard grew and my oxygen tank was almost empty.
If we had had a cell phone we would have called 911 and reported an alien abduction.
Then she comes pushing a cart so filled that she can hardly see where she was going.
“ When I got inside I remembered a few other things”, she said.

Yesterday we went to Menard’s to pick up a bolt for her saw.
She dropped the original inside when they were putting it together.
She had the size and the part number.
It should be a quick in and out.
I knew better.
Linna’s law was about to be tested by fire and I had a lasix hit so I went in with them.
After leaving the rest room I went directly to the nuts and bolts section expecting to find them there.
But they were nowhere in the area.
I checked the car they hadn’t yet returned.
So I did an aisle sweep.
Then I saw my daughter’s coat in the power tool section.
She and my wife were looking for a shop vac ( which she doesn’t have) attachment for her new saw so she can keep the saw dust in her work room down.
They were trying to match the number from the book with the numbers on the attachments.
I asked if they had asked a clerk ( of course not and they pick on us men because we won’t ask directions on a trip).
So I stopped one and told him they needed help.
It was that or spend the rest of the day there.
It seems that the part they wanted wasn’t in stock and had to be ordered out.
Which she did.
Then we picked up the bolts and checked out.
The time for a quick pick up some bolts was over an hour.
Don’t tell me Linna’s law VII doesn’t apply.

@@@@- News from Pigeon Falls– the little town in my garage where the trains still run and dragons fly– Nancy said that Tommy ( That’s Thomas M. Bradley IV our local resident writer) has invited her to dinner on Sunday to pay her back for all the help she has given him. She thinks she will accept the invitation because she has always wanted to see the inside of the old Hermit house. In the meantime Tommy has discovered the Liar’s club. He is listening to their old stories which they have on tape. It has given him another way to see the town through the eyes and imagination of others.
It snowed yesterday in Pigeon Falls. It was not a heavy snow, certainly not a blizzard, just a light dusting. But it made things feel right. It is January and there should be snow. Over at the Fly-Inn they have been having arguments about the lack of snow. Some blame global warming and George Bush for causing it or at least for doing nothing about it. The one token Republican says that global warming is nonsense. The planet warmed and cooled before with no people to blame. Its just the way things are and you can’t change them. They almost got into a fist fight over the issue. One of the more sober patrons stepped in and got them calmed down. The he got them talking about the New Potatoes, That’s a topic they all agree on. The school sports name has to be changed. Of course last week they had a fight over what it should be changed to. Somebody suggested “ The Savages” which upset Harold Hillman who is part Indian. He suggested instead the “Evil Finns” or the “Viscous Swedes”. That’s when the fight started. Hillman managed to give somebody a black eye before having both of them thrown out. Life is pretty normal in Pigeon Falls.
*****

Today's link-Peace Ripples- A bit of wisdom for the day- Please remember to put the words Dr. John in the comment so I know you used the link.
WE WILL PHASE OUT THE jcpoints AS OF Sunday. Check HERE for yours and HERE for what you can still get with them.
I didn't do much today. I visited every one of my links and left a comment wherever there was a entry I hadn't commented on before. ( Pat me on the back) Now I need a breathing treatment. ( See how dull life is here)
GBYA

Kid in a Candy Store

Saying for the Day: Wanting something you can't have will raise your blood pressure.

When I was a kid I used to go to the dime store in Ishpeming.
It had a great big candy counter.
Behind panel after panel of glass were every kind of candy you could think of.
I used to stand in front of those glass panels and feel nothing but frustration.
There wasn’t a candy there that I didn’t want and I had no money so all I could do was look.

I think that must be what hell is like .
You can see what you want but just can’t get it.

Yesterday blogger did that to me.
I posted my blog for the day and that went fairly well.
Then I looked at Monday’s blog and there were twenty seven comments.
When I turned it off the night before there were only ten.
I was so excited.
Seventeen new comments.
You know heaven for a blogger.
But it was just at that moment that blogger went down for some kind of scheduled maintenance.
I could not get to the comments.
They were there in cyber space but not on my computer.
Twenty seven fantastic, wonderful, comments and I couldn’t get to them.
I could only get a screen that said try again later.
I felt like that kid in the candy store with no money.
You could see the candy but not taste it.
I knew there were comments but I couldn’t read them.
So I went and watched television for fifteen minutes and then I came back.
But now I couldn’t even get my blog to come up.
If I wasn’t a grown man with reasonable control of my emotions I would have kicked in the monitor. Of course. I can’t lift my foot that high.
Instead I resorted to my mantra.
My blogger mantra.
Over and over I said “but its free”.
After the one hundredth time I felt some peace .
I went back to the television.
Then every fifteen minutes I repeated the action.
I have no idea what I saw on television but you can bet I knew that blogger was free.
After what seemed like years my blog returned but I still couldn’t get to the comments.
It was as if blogger was taunting me.
“ I have your comments and you can’t have them”.
I am lucky there was no hammer in the room or arthritic fingers or not I would have lost a monitor right there and then.

Of course, as always, blogger got everything fixed and I got to see those wonderful comments.
They were even better because I had to wait for them.
I treasured each one.
Once it was candy that made me happy but I am older so now its comments.

Thank you blogger for being free and thank you friends for comments.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my garage where the trains still run and dragons fly.-Mrs. Trumble met with the town council yesterday and got them to declare next Wednesday Louise Mattson day in Pigeon Falls. The entire town is being called on to celebrate the 100th birthday of a great lady. Louise was one of the first people born in Pigeon Falls ( all the others are dead) so in some ways her history is the town history. She was born on the Kuivila potato farm. There was no doctor but Mrs. Alma Perry , a midwife, was there for the delivery which took place in the Sauna. She was three years old when the pigeons came and saved the farm. She has loved pigeons ever since. When she was seventeen she married George Mattson and they were married for sixty two years before George died. Its too bad George is no longer with us because he loved a party. He still would be except that at 82 he went to cut that big tree down in the back yard and it fell on him. Lucy told him not to do it but he was one stubborn guy.
You can bet Thomas M. Bradley IV will be at the party. He is spending a good part of every day at Nancy’s having coffee ( he must be almost coffee logged) and talking to everybody that comes in. He is gathering what he calls “local color”. One is surprised that Nancy put up with him. She has a rule that you can only stay for fifteen minutes so that other people can come in. But she seems to have waved the rule for him. It must be because he is a writer.Tom seems very interested in White Rabbit and Dragon stories. Some of those telling them are embellishing them a little. Ethel Wandersee told him there were two dragons and she saw them with her own eyes. Of course, since the accident, Ethel sees double.
Pastor Marvel is planning a party on Sunday for Louise. She has been a member of last Lutheran Church since the church was formed. The party will take place between the early and late services. Louise can tell you of the big fight in 1942 when the church split. The “Church of the Real Lutherans” was formed by the splitter group. They were upset over some fine point of Lutheran doctrine and accused Last Lutheran of being too liberal. The CRL has since died. Most of its members came back to Last Lutheran but there are a few left that will never go back. Those Lutherans are such a strange bunch. Perhaps Bradley could write a book called “ Murder at Last Lutheran” where the pastor is killed because of some wrong belief. It’s a thought.
****

Today's Link- Further on Up- More about this odd January and warm weather- Please when you leave your wonderful comment remember to include the words DR. John.
I will close out the JCPOINTS on Sunday. Check yours HERE and what they can get HERE. There are saffron buns on the list.
We left the Fortress and went to a shopping center I had not been to. We werew looking for an old train store I used to visit but that entire mall is now empty. It seems sad. We did get to a toy store and I bought some games to play with my grandkids the next time they visit. Betty bought a can crusher.( Noit at the same store). We are talking about a one day up and one day back run to Crystal to pick up our tax material which we left there. Now I need a breathin g treatment.
GBYA