It's Friday- Win or Lose

Priceless Prize of the Day

It's time for the internet contest that requires no postage and handling fee.
The contest that requires no credit card.
The contest that is very slow at sending out prizes.
The contest that doesn't even require your correct name.
Every Friday we give away priceless prizes to some lucky person who commented on this blog or one of the daily links in the week gone by.

THE RULES:
To take part in the contest you must
1: Have commented on at least one entry on this blog in the last week.
2: Be willing to supply your mailing address.

For every day that you left a comment we write your name on a slip of paper that is placed in our rose colored drawing bowl. So if you commented every day you could have 7 slips in the bowl.
( The more slips the higher your chance to win)


Next Betty or her designated replacement draws one of those slips and that person wins the Priceless Prize.

Which today is again:
Beautiful butterfly and heart soap. Just what you need to make your bathroom the most beautiful room in the house.
Of course if you don't like fancy soap you can choose a door.
What's behind the door ?
It could be;
A stuffed elephant.
or,
A tiny little bear.
or
One of many other prizes. You pick the door and you take your chance.

Now all we need is to do the drawing. Good luck everybody.

@@@2@-News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where trains still run, dragons fly, and the D.N.R. has a problem. Something is killing deer. Not just an occasional deer by an irritated farmer ( that can be overlooked). Not a deer or two pulled down by wolves. That’s part of the natural order of things. Not the deer being hit by cars every year. That’s the price of civilization. All of that the D.N.R. has worked into its calculations. No! This is something different. Dead deer have been found down by Great Bear Lake. They were torn to pieces and then the pieces were left. Wolves don’t do that. Bears don’t do that . Even wild dogs don’t do that. But something is doing that. It could be our dragon but its been around for some years now and this just recently began. Mrs. Trumble says it’s the White Rabbit showing its true demonic nature. But others are saying that something is lurking in the Great Bear Lake. Something that is evil. Eino says they must have seen “ The Creature from the Black Lagoon” when they were kids. In real life creatures don’t lurk in lakes. Others are saying there is a creature and it is the result of some kind of failed government experiment like the dragon or the White Rabbit. Of course nobody has ever shown that the dragon or the White Rabbit were caused by the government.
Petrovich says now he is sure there is a driblet. He will publish it to his website as soon as he gets it translated.
The D.N.R. has asked people to stay away from the Great Bear Lake until they know more. It could be a sick wolf or bear that is killing the deer.
*****

Today's Link-In Search Of- The whining of a guy who has to spend a week at home. Leave him a comment if you want to.
And the winner of today's Pricleless prize is









Goldennib

Congratulations Goldennib. Please let us know if you want the priceless prize or what's behind a door. Remember last week the winner choose a door and got two paper clips.
Another rough breathing day. Betty and Pennie took the dog to the Vet and he said the eye is doing fine.Betty and I worked downstairs. Now she needs to put a second coat of paint on the tables. I visited a little over half of my links. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

It's All About Me- One More Time

Saying for the Day-“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.”

It is September and I have begun to reinvent my blog. You will notice the new logo. The new self-picture. These are visable new beginnings.
At the end of this week all the special days will end except for the contest which will stay on Friday. No more organization.
Now to start over I went back to my blog roots. If you missed that blog have reprinted the story below.

"It was a bit more than two years ago. I was sitting on the dock out at the Church camp. The water was calm , the day was beautiful. Suddenly a hand came up out of the water with a golden computer keyboard. A voice said “ You were born to blog. It is your destiny”. I respond “ Voice, I am too old to Log”. The arm with the golden keyboard begins to shake. I think it is getting tired.
” Not log! BLOG! You moronic dock sitter”, the Voice again.
“Do I get the keyboard? What is blog?” I respond.
Voice “Seek help from the great Patrick who blogs already.”
Me “ Couldn’t I ask the lesser Peter”
Voice-” Go to Blogger its all explained there”
So it began. The great journey into blogging. Sometimes when I look back I think it must have been a dream. But then there is that rusted , gold colored keyboard I got from the lake. I have it hidden in a box in the back of the closet.
I blog because it is my destiny. The Voice said so."
So I went back to my to the lake and I waited. A voice said " Go and Finn no more"." Keep Ralph but vary the day". " Cease with the Dr. John in the comments on the day's links." " Free Monday from the comment curse".
I said " Who are you"
The voice answered " I am the virtual voice of your virtual lake."
I said, "You have left me very little what should I do?"
The voice answered " Hey, its your blog . Go ask the great Patrick or the Lady Betty".
And so the change begins. Where it leads nobody knows except perhaps the great Patrick.

@@@@-News from Pigeon Falls-The littler town in my garage where the trains still run, dragons fly, and something smells.– For years Pigeon Falls has been dumping their sewerage into the Crayon River . There is flows down river to the Great Bear lake. Now the Great Bear Lake could be better named the Great Bear cesspool . The state of Michigan has now given the town ninety days to cease using the Crayon River or face increasing fines. Mayor Trumble is trying to get the state to give the town more time while she tries to get a grant and some kind of plan to handle the sewerage . The State says they warned the town last year and nothing happened. So Pigeon Falls is caught between Millions in fines or millions for a new facility and it doesn’t have either set of millions.
Petrovich says he thinks there is a driblet that somehow applies to this situation. Mrs. Trumble says that Petrovich can keep his driblets. Well that’s not what she said exactly . For a sweet old lady she knows some pretty interesting words.
Nancy says that people can’t understand why they need to change now. The river is already polluted and so is the lake. It won’t get any worse. You can almost walk on the lake now. The State will never get that back to pure water quality. So why pick on them. Nancy says she tells them that they would be surprised how fast nature restores things when we stop messing them up. Nancy is an environmentalist and really thinks Pigeon Falls has to stop polluting. In just two weeks Nancy will marry Tommy TW ( the writer) . Uncle Eino has redone the buggy he bought to look like a carriage fit for a Princess ( with a little imagination). They have their last meeting with Pastor Castle tomorrow. She believes in extensive pre-marital counseling as opposed to Pastor Marvel one hour meeting.
Will Pigeon Falls survive the State of Michigan? Will Great Bear Lake ever be pure again? Will Nancy really become Mrs. TW? Will Petrovich mess everything up , again? Will the carriage breakdown on the way to the reception? And of course Is Tommy UK really the undertaker’s kid?
*****

Today's Link-Brian Cormier's Blogtastic World- A look at the problem of being fat. Leave him words of comfort.
Took my grandsons to Toys are Us to reward them for all the help they gave me while they were here and to celebrate Elijah's birthday. It was a fun trip. They have now all gone North for the rest of their vacation. It is so quite here. I went to work on the train layout and discovered that you can't put a fas-track oval on a three foot wide table. We need a new engineer. I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Fast Forward from Ralph 30- Puppy Size

Saying for the Day-The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is to love and be loved in return.

Ralph Valine wrote:

Subject: Puppy Size

This is one of the neatest stories you will ever hear. You will know
precisely what this little girl is talking about at the end (you'll
want to share this one with your loved ones and special friends)!

"Danielle keeps repeating it over and over again. We've been back to
this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since
we started all of this," the mother told the volunteer.

"What is it she keeps asking for?" the volunteer asked.
"Puppy size!" replied the mother.
"Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for."

"I know...we have seen most of them," the mom said in frustration...
Just then Danielle came walking into the office.
"Well, did you find one?" asked her mom. "No, not this time," Danielle said with sadness in her voice. "Can we come back on the weekend?"
The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed.

"You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there's
always a supply," the volunteer said.

Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. "Don't
worry, I'll find one this weekend," she said.

Over the next few days both mom and dad had long conversations with her.
They both felt she was being too particular. "It's this weekend or
we're not looking any more," Dad finally said in frustration.
"We don't want to hear anything more about puppy size either," Mom added.

Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday
morning. By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the
section that housed the smaller dogs.

Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of
the first row of cages. There was an observation window so you could
see the animals during times when visitors weren't permitted.
Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to
take a closer look. One by one the dogs were brought out and she held
each one.

One by one she said, "Sorry, you're not the one."

It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup.

The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up
the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer.

"Mom, that's it! I found the right puppy! He's the one! I know it!"
she screamed with joy. "It's the puppy size!"

"But it's the same size as all the other puppies you held over the
last few weeks," Mom said.

"No not size.. the sighs. When I held him in my arms, he sighed," she said.
"Don't you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sigh!"

The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn't know
whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did
a little of both.

"Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home
from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the
right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms," she said.

Then holding the puppy up close to her face she said, "Mom, he loves
me. I heard the sighs of his heart!"
Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that makes you
sigh. I not only find it in the arms of my loved ones, but in the
caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of
cool air on a hot day.They are the sighs of God. Take the time to stop and listen; you will
be surprised at what you hear. "Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

@@@@@-News from Pigeon Falls– The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and potatoes wait to be harvested.– It is almost time to pick potatoes for the farmers of Pigeon Falls. Potato farmers have had a good year. There were non of the problems that years ago brought the pigeons here to save them. There were a few deer that were causing some problems but they just vanished. Possibly eaten by the dragon or shot by the farmer and buried as fertilizer. The DNR will never know what it is that helps potatoes grow. In your small town pecking order these are the copper casket people.
The White Rabbit was seen yesterday by the people coming in on the milk train addition. It waved and smiled at them. This was out near the Lerbut potato farm where the train slows for that big curve. The Rabbit was holding a couple of big potatoes . It had better be careful or it will join the deer. Mrs. Trumble says it just goes to prove that the White Rabbit is a demon and potato thief.
Of course, Mrs. Trumble is too busy as Mayor to chase Big White Rabbits , demonic or not. The town has all the problems of little towns, annoying dragons, poltergeists,
taxes, a failing water system, bridge that needs replacing, polluted lake, and the pigeon statue needs repainting. The town council fights a lot but doesn’t accomplish much. She also has to put up with Petrovich who constantly cries gloom and doom based on the writings of a fifteenth century , drunken Russian Monk who wrote in Coptic.
*****

Today's Link-The Loony Bin-If your parent you need to read this. Leave a Dr. John in the comment . Please.
We worked all day. Finished the second level of the train table. I have to lay some track before we can go farther. I started the changes to the blog.Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Finland-Häntäpää[

Saying for the Day Aivan hyvä tavarat johtua jotta by häntäpää!.


Tervetuloa tiistaiselle suomi-sivullemme

Welcome to Our Tuesday Finland Page

Video-Finland-Nightwish Nemo





________________________________
A Finnish Phrase

Hengittäkää syvään.

Breathe deeply.

_______________________________________
A Finnish Joke

Finnglish menu items (real, but restaurant names withheld!)

Shrimp and crap salad for two.

Grilled pork shop.

You can have crap on your pizza.

Tepid chicken salad with bread.

We give you water only when you ask.

Dead snails from Åland in garlic and butter sauce.

The cock is recommending today's beef.

We can serve your steak with much blood, some blood, or well-done.

The house's tart is called Torttu in Finnish and is warm.

Ice cream with warm bear halves and toffee sauce.

Finnish mushroom salad - wild, salty and sticky mushrooms with cream sauce and pickles.

Mexican burrito with mutilated chicken meat and salsa.

Try traditional Finnish pee soup.

We can bring the nuts and drinks to your room (room service card). Drink something if you want (room service card). On our breakfast table you will find the cheese, the meat and some others.

Omelet is made with recent eggs from a local farm where the chickens are alive.

This week is "bird meat week" but we also have a good selection of mammal meat.

Japanese guests can have traditional breakfast with stinky rice and fishes.

Blini served with cream and not real caviar.

Tar ice cream - Finnish special. Good for people who eat tar and lingon berries.

Children's hamburger is served with the French Pizzas. After clock 21 are not. Sorry.

Meat with sweat and sour sauce.

Chin piece of steak with potatoes in cream

Coat cheese and pepper in minced balls

_________________________________________

@@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life goes on as normal– Today Holly Risingsun Niemi goes to Escanaba to enter the Miss UP contest. Holly’s mother has a PHD and kept her maiden name so Holly has two last names. She can be Risingsun like her father or Niemi like her mother. At thimes that leads to confusion in newspaper reports of events. Since Holly was really the runner up no one really expects her to win in Escanaba.
The Legend of Queen Polly keeps growing. Now the sins she confessed are being added. Of course, nobody really knows what they are or even if she confessed any but that doesn’t stop the stories. So far she has confessed to sending that nude picture to the internet. Having even worse nude pictures in a secret drawer . She burned those after the confession. Having sex with her boy friend. Stealing from Kivi and Maki’s when she clerked there. Letting the air out of Petrovich’s tires. Almost anything that went wrong in Pigeon Falls she has confessed to. Every day the legend grows as people add their own little bit to it and pass it along.
Will Polly ever get her reputation back? Will Holly win the Miss UP contest? Will she pick a last name. Will the legend keep growing? What happened to the White rabbit? And of course Is Tommy UK really the undertaker’s kid?
*******

Today's Link- Finland for thought- Some thoughts about Finnish and American police. Leave a Dr. John in the comment to get an extra chance in Friday's Priceless drawing.
Busy, busy day today. I got a late start on the blog because the grandchildren were sleeping in the computer room. Then I worked with Patrick and Curtis to cut the pieces for the upper portions of the train tables. I then visited all my links. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Leave a comment Monday

Saying for the day: Lying is done with words and also with silence.

Fail To Comment at Your Own Risk

Last week Ardvark failed to comment and she ended up with three flat tires, an ulcer, and her husband ran off with her best friend. I'm not saying it will happen to you but why take a chance?

Today's Commentable:Amy Mueller filed a lawsuit recently against Samy's Bar and Grill in Joliet, Ill., after she willingly tried to climb onto the bar to dance in May 2006 but fell and broke her ankle. Samy's should have had a "ladder" or other climbing aid, said Mueller's lawyer. [Chicago Tribune, 7-23-07]
The question of the day is should bars be required to provided "climbing aids" to people who want to dance on the bar?

Feel free to leave a comment.

@@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls– The little town in my basement where trains still run, dragons fly, and the games are over– All afternoon yesterday the Great Pigeon Falls Games were held. There were two big baseball games. The Catholics against the Lutherans and the Finns against the Swedes. The Catholics edged out Last Lutheran. We don’t know whose theology is better but we know who has a better ball team. The Finns for the third straight year soundly defeated the Swedes. One couldn’t help but feel that if some of those Finns ( who are Lutheran) would have played for Last Lutheran things might have been different. Later at the Fly-Inn Bar excuses and accusations would be made. The Catholics were accused of having a couple of Baptists on the team and the Finns with having some Italians. Somebody pointed out that a woman just isn’t as good a coach as a man. Last Lutheran was stuck with their Pastor as the coach. They forget how bad a coach the interim Pastor had been.
In other games Billy Eversol won the coveted position of belly flopper in the mud. His mother didn’t look to happy but she does the laundry . There were fifteen boys in the contest so winning is a real honor. This is what it means to get down and dirty in Pigeon Falls.
Alyson Bergall won the buggy pushing contest. You have to push the buggy through an obstacle course without hitting the obstacles and with the best time. Every time you hit an obstacle a recording in the buggy starts to cry and the judges add as many seconds to your time as the crying lasts. If you stop and say things to the buggy like “don’t cry little baby” the crying stops sooner but then you aren’t moving.
There were of course the more traditional games like sack racing, three legged racing, wheelbarrow racing, and greased pig catching.
*****

Today's Link-A Blog of Random Brain Excretions- Something to think about- Leave a Dr. John in the comment.
I spent the morning getting my July and June blog entries ready to print out for my sister. Then I worked on some old pictures and watched my soaps. I was just going to start visiting the links when my Son and three grandsons arrived, early. Together we put up a dog run for Maggie. ( They worked I gave directions) Then they went and got lumber for tomorrow's projects. I hope to visit all my links tomorrow.We went to Country Buffet for the Evening meal.Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Sunday- Freedom

Saying for the Day-They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security

How much freedom should the government take away from us to protect us from terrorists? Government leaders are fighting over that question. Civil rights groups are concerned about that question. How free can we be and still be safe?
This was God’s problem when He created us. How much freedom should God give humans? If God gave no freedom then we would not be human but pre-programmed robots. We would do only what God created us to do. But if God made us to be free then we could cause horrible things to happen. The price of freedom is high.
When that freedom is badly used and babies die and one group of people set out to destroy another group. We ask where is God? Why didn’t God prevent this from happening. But when God decided to give us free will God left go of those options.
But God calls us to give up that freedom. God calls us to choose to follow Him. God calls us to help move the world toward his vision for it. A world of peace and love. He will not take away our freedom but we can lay it down.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls– The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and yesterday was the greatest Pigeon Days Parade ever-Yesterday was a beautiful day. The sun was shinning brightly. There were lots of pigeons on the city hall roof. Queen Holly Niemi rode in an open convertible, that had been shined to perfection, at the front of the parade. Next came Eino in his Stanley Steamer. It sounded like it was going to fly apart at any moment but it made it and it was fun to look at something from our history. Eino added to the effects by wearing the clothes of a hundred years ago. Next came the Liar’s Club 165 piece band. All three members on a float. They would have marched in the parade but Sammy , the drummer, had sprained his ankle. For a band with no director and only three members they do very well. The big Santa Claus float was next. There he was with his Coca Cola bottle. It made you thirsty just to see it. Behind Santa came St. Urho on the Finnish float. According to Finnish legend St. Urho was the great dragon slayer. He wore his Bright Purple Chasuble and had a bag full of little pasties which he passed out to the crowd. Then came fire trucks ( you always have fire trucks in small town parades) with their sirens running. These were followed by the high school band which always plays for Pigeon Days. There were a variety of other floats and kids on bicycles .
The most excitement came with St. Urho. Our local dragon choose that time to show up and fly over the parade. In fact to fly over St. Urho as if to say “ Come on dragon slayer here I am” . St. Urho paid no attention to the dragon but acted as if it wasn’t there. One supposes that he could have thrown a pasty in the dragon’s direction. But he didn’t even do that. In the middle of the parade route Tommy UK started chanting, “ Urho get that dragon”. Pretty soon it was being hollered out all along the route. Poor Saint Urho and his bag of pasties didn’t know what to do.
****

Today's Link-The Heart of a Pastor- A bit more about freedom- Leave a Dr. John In the Comment as you are free to do so.
Went to St. Mark's this morning. we had a guest pastor as Pastor Joel is in Denver. People are so friendly at St. Mark's. Today was hymn sing day. One of my favorite Sundays. Pennie cut the grass this afternoon. I took a nap. Then I worked on pictures for my sister. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Our Picture Page

Saying for the Day: A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer.

Didn't take any pictures last week so we went back to the archives. And found pictures of Pennie, my daughter.
Click on pictures to make them larger ( sometimes)




































































@@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and the sun is shining brightly-People are getting ready for the big Pigeon Day Parade. Cars are being polished. Eino’s Stanley Steamer is being cranked up, the Queen car is being decorated. It is going to be both a wonderful day for a parade and a wonderful parade.
People are still talking about the sudden lifting of the darkness that had covered Pigeon Falls. Eino says that the Upper Air Disturbance moved and is now over Finland where it won’t even be noticed. The guy who put forward the Northern Darkness Theory says that it came to an end just like the Northern Lights. The disgruntled Last Lutheran member said that God changed his mind and decided not to punish the entire town for the sins of Last Lutheran in getting a lady Pastor. But the darkness was to serve as a warning.
Petrovich says that Janet Nelson should get a medal for her interpretation of the driblet which surely seems to have been the right one. With this out of the way Petrovich says there are some other driblets that he thinks might apply to Pigeon Falls and he will be busy translating them from Coptic into English.
The Legend of Queen Polly and the Slaying of the Darkness continues to take shape. Now the darkness ceases at the exact moment that Pastor Joan says “ As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ and by his authority I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins”. One version even has a heavenly chorus heard at this point. Like all good legends it will grow and grow.
******

Link for Today-Leesa's Stories- Lessa looks at what skill we really need in life. Leave a nice Dr. John in the comment. You too could win a rubber band.
We spent a good part of the day in the basement. The base is now set up for the new train layout. Betty gave it one coat of paint. She ran out and had to go to Wal Mart. I got yesterday's prize ready to ship. I played some video games. we may play canasta later then I will need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Win or Lose it's Friday

Saying for the Day-Of course I believe in luck. How otherwise to explain the success of some people you detest?

It's time for the internet contest that requires no postage and handling fee.
The contest that requires no credit card.
The contest that is very slow at sending out prizes.
The contest that doesn't even require your correct name.
Every Friday we give away priceless prizes to some lucky person who commented on this blog or one of the daily links in the week gone by.

THE RULES:
To take part in the contest you must
1: Have commented on at least one entry on this blog in the last week.
2: Be willing to supply your mailing address.

For every day that you left a comment we write your name on a slip of paper that is placed in our rose colored drawing bowl. So if you commented every day you could have 7 slips in the bowl.
( The more slips the higher your chance to win)
If you commented on the Link of the Day and put Dr. John in the comment you get one more slip. If you commented on the Link every day that's a total of seven slips.

You could therefore have 14 chances at winning the Priceless Prize.

Next Betty or her designated replacement draws one of those slips and that person wins the Priceless Prize.

Which today is:
Beautiful butterfly and heart soap. Just what you need to make your bathroom the most beautiful room in the house.
Of course if you are don't like fancy soap you can choose a door.
What's behind the door ?
It could be;
2 wonderful rubber bands
or
2 never used pencils (not even chewed on)
0r
2 Christmas pop-ups.or
2 ceramic houses for a Christmas village
or
a DVD
or,
One of many other prizes. You pick the door and you take your chance.

Now all we need is to do the drawing. Good luck everybody.

@@@@@@News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my garage where the trains still run, dragons fly, and a legend is born-Legends are made up of some historical fact mixed with local myth. So it will be of the developing legend 0f "Queen Polly and the fight against Darkness". We know that Pigeon Queen Polly, at the suggestion of Mayor Trumble, went to see her Pastor Joan Castle. We know that Polly went into the church at 2:00 and it was very dark. We know she met with Pastor Castle. We know she left the Church at 3:00 in the bright sun light. We know that she then resigned as Pigeon quuen. We know Mary Risingsun , who had ben the runner up then became Queen. That is all we know. That all took place yesterday.
Today somebody stopped in to Nancy's for a cup of coffee and gave this version . Pigeon Queen Molly had a dream in which she was told that the darkness had come because Risingsun was not Queen. To get rid f teh drakness Polly had to goto her Pastor and confess that she had lied to the
judges . She had to receive forgivness. Then she had to renounce her position as Queen. Following the dream she did all of that. At the moment that Risingsun became Queen the darkness lifted and was gone forever.
You can see there was only one fact there but the rest could be true. Think of what the story will be like a year from now when it has been told and added to a hundred times.
*******

Today's Link-Usless Advice- On the problem of the little finger. Leave a Dr.John in the comment.
Now we wait for the drawing.
The drawing took place and the winner is-


Dum, Ta, Ta , Dum, Ta Dum









Janvangogh

Congratulations. Now you need to let us know if you want the soap or take a chance on a door.
I have to apologize to Janvangogh . I was not clear enough in my instructions. One must either take the prize for the day or pick a door by number. .
She picked door two. Behind door two was our grand champion package. It contains not one rubber band but five. It also contains not one but two pencils.
How lucky can you get?
A full day. The day began with Spanky scratching Maggie's eye. we had to take Maggie to the Vet. She will be fine. Then we went to Fleet Farm and got a dog run. Somehow we even got it into the van. Went to Country Buffet for lunch. Then we worked in the basement and finished the second big table for the train set up. Played some computer games with Luke. It was a great day. Soon my wife will be back and I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Some Words from Me

Saying for the day-There are times when the term fair and unfair don't apply.

Sometime ago the Rev. Dr. Kate wrote about the unfairness of life. You should read what she wrote by clicking HERE.
Since then I have been thinking about the question “ Is life fair?”.
In order to decide if something is fair or unfair certain conditions must apply.
There must be either a clear set of rules with rewards for keeping of penalties for breaking.
Or there must be
Promises made that are not kept or kept for one and not another.
For example there is a rule against driving drunk. There are penalties attached to the rule. But rich people with good lawyers often get off and poor people go to jail. That is not fair. The American justice system is not fair.
But where are the rules for life in general? Who is in a position to make them ? There aren’t any. Unless you claim the ten commandments as the rules. In which case we all fail. Equality is not unfair. There is no reward in the law for keeping them a little better than the next person. God owes us nothing but gives us His Son. That’s unfair not to us but to God.
If life is to be seen as unfair it must then be based on promises not kept. For example I promise you $5.00 an hour to work for me. Then I pay you $4.00 and hour that’s unfair.
This is where we come to see life in general as unfair. We believe we are owed health and happiness. If we lose our health or are not happy it is unfair. If some one we love loses their health or aren’t happy that’s unfair. But who owes us health and happiness? That is a bit of American mythology. It rises from our Puritan Forefathers who believed if you worked hard and were good you would be rewarded. The truth is there is no rewarding agency out there. Good people, nice people get cancer. Bad people, rotten people get cancer. Poor people can be unhappy and so can rich people. We assume that the bad prosper and the good suffer just as Israel believed the good prospered and the bad suffered. The truth is there is nothing unfair about suffering. It comes to all. It just seems unfair when it hits people we love and that we know are nice people. Then it seems as if all the bad people ( by our experience) are happy and healthy. That makes it seem even more unfair.
The psalmist in Psalm 49 tells us that the rich and poor, wise and stupid all die. You can’t get any more equal than that. The same Bible tells us God sent his Son that all might have life. You can’t get any more equal than that.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where trains run, dragons fly, and night lasts longer and longer and is darker and darker.– Mrs. Trumble met with Queen Polly this morning, though it was so dark it seemed more like night. She talked Polly into going to talk to Pastor Joan. Mrs. Trumble urged her to confess if there was something to confess. Polly will see Pastor Joan this afternoon. Mrs. Trumble reminded Polly that if she confesses then Pastor Joan needs to give her absolution.
Nancy says this darkness is running up her electric bill, and that’s not imaginary. But it does seem to have put her poltergeist sleep. It hasn’t acted since the darkness began. People have all kinds of reasons for the darkness . One person thinks it’ s the result of another secret government program. Somewhere in the woods near Pigeon Falls is a secret government base. He figures that all the weird things from giant rabbits to weird darkness are the result of that base. Then there is Eino’s theory that it is related to Global Warming. A number of people have embraced that one. One of Last Lutheran’s disgruntled members says that God is punishing them for having a woman Pastor. That’s against the natural order of things. And now the National Church is talking about ordaining gays. God is not happy. Nancy’s favorite theory is that the darkness is some how related to the Northern Lights. It’s the same process but turned inward so it produces Northern Darkness. Now that’s a creative idea.
Will Pigeon Falls come to a dark end? Whose theory is right? Will Polly confess? Will Pastor Joan give her absolution? Is the government involved ? And of course is Tommy UK really the undertaker’s son?
*******

Today's Link-Mental Meanderings of an Old Man- Just a little bit about getting car insurance.-Leave a Dr. John in the comment , yeah?
Well breathing was a little better today. Betty and I went to the Post Office and mailed my sister her copy of the May blog entries and last week's prize to Stacy. We came home and Maggie knocked the oxygen tank down and broke the hose. Betty and Pennie made a quick trip to Apnea to swap for a new tank. then they left for a couple of days vacation. Soon after Peter, Luke and Bree arrived with Spanky. We went out for super. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Fast Forward from Ralph 29-

Saying for the day: What goes around comes around.

Ralph Valine wrote:

Subject: Fwd: "When I'm An Old Lady and Live With My Kids..." (TOO CUTE!!!!)

When I'm an old lady, I'll live with each kid,
And bring so much happiness...just as they did.
I want to pay back all the joy they've provided.
Returning each deed! Oh, they'll be so excited!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

I'll write on the wall with reds, whites and blues,
And I'll bounce on the furniture...wearing my shoes.
I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I'll stuff all the toilets and oh, how they'll shout!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

When they're on the phone and just out of reach,
I'll get into things like sugar and bleach.
Oh, they'll snap their fingers and then shake their head,
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

When they cook dinner and call me to eat,
I'll not eat my green beans or salad or meat,
I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table,
And when they get angry...I'll run...if I'm able!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

I'll sit close to the TV, through the channels I'll click,
I'll cross both eyes just to see if they stick.
I'll take off my socks and throw one away,
And play in the mud 'til the end of the day!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

And later in bed, I'll lay back and sigh,
I'll thank God in prayer and then close my eyes.
My kids will look down with a smile slowly creeping,
And say with a groan, "She's so sweet when she's sleeping!"
God Bless All Moms and Grandmas Everywhere!

@@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-the little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it is dark.– The darkness that seems to have been predicted by the driblet that Petrovich translated, but which Eino thinks is caused by some Upper Atmosphere change brought on by global warming, continues to deepen. Petrovich is still hopeful that he can get a clear copy of the driblet from Russia but then he still has to translate it and time is running out.

Yesterday Mayor Trumble got a letter from Janet Nelson. Janet you remember shared her art during the Art of the Shore of the Lake of the Loons. She had those fishy cups and retro chic paintings . Janet who is no fan of Petrovich suggested that he has a wrong interpretation of the words after the “unless”. It isn’t that a woman should go to a priest but rather that somebody, probably Polly, should go to a woman priest. That would be Pastor Joan Castle. Mrs. Trumble was very busy yesterday but has promised herself she will talk to Polly today. Sometimes it takes the eye of an artist to see what nobody else can see.
Despite the darkness preparations for the parade go on. The Coca Cola Santa needed a little touching up. He had ridden on the back of the same truck for the last ten years. A couple of kids from the high school art class did the touch up work. He looks just like new. He stands there with his bottle of Coca Cola. He doesn’t even show the patch from the year Bid Rudy was drunk and knocked him off the truck into a fire hydrant. It was some sight. The hydrant opened and old Santa shot twenty feet in the air with a hole in his back. Big Rudy had to pay for the repairs. But now our Santa looks better than ever.
Will the parade go on as scheduled? Will Polly confess? Will the Upper Atmosphere change finally cause the mines to collapse? Will there be a Pigeon Falls next week? And of course is Tommy UK really the undertaker’s son?
*******
Today's Link- Witster Blog-A little something on top ten lists. Leave a Dr. John which of course is the number seven thing found in comments.
A very hard breathing day. I watched my soaps. Worked two hours in the basement. I visited all the links. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Finland- Page 13

Saying for the Day-Tiedätkö, sekä poronkäristys että veriohukaiset näyttävät hyviltä.


Tervetuloa tiistaiselle suomi-sivullemme

Welcome to Our Tuesday Finland Page

The Finland Song

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A Finnish Phrase

Voitteko kirjoittaa reseptin jotain piristävää varten?

Can you prescribe me an antidepressant?

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A Finnish Joke as told in Finland

History how Finns arrived in Finland and how they got separated from their cousins in Hungary. As some of you might know, Finns and Hungarians are relative nations since thousands of years, but there is no good explanation why we live so far from each others now, if we once were one nation. Russians have a story that explains it. Thousands of years ago Finns, Estonians and Hungarians were living as one nation somewhere very far in East, behind the Ural mountains. One day they got an idea: "Let's go west". So, they started their journey towards west together. Somewhere around Poland they came to an intersection where were two signs: "SOUTH - fertile land, good climate" and "NORTH - No possibilities to cultivate land, hunger, cold and horrible climate". Those who could read, went south and those uneducated poor ones went north. On the shore of Baltic Sea some of the people had learned to read. They stopped at a sign "Be aware of weak ice". They became later Estonians. Finns continued, half of them drowned but rest enjoyed swimming in icy water and survived until the other shore. There they faced an empty, hostile land where 40% was covered by lakes, 40% by wet and hopeless swamps and bogs and 20% was covered by rocks on rocks and rocks under the ground surrounded by mighty forests. For thousands of years since then without thinking Finns were digging the swamps and forests by hands and carrying the rocks away from burned forests to give way to some small pitch of land where they could grow few potatoes and some carrots just to realize the frost in summer made all effort fruitless. And they lived their life happy forever without knowing they could have chosen differently.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-the little town in my garage where trains still run, dragons fly, and the end of Pigeon Days is in sight. Next Saturday is the big parade that celebrates the founding of Pigeon Falls. There are a number of people who believe it will mark the end of Pigeon Falls if Petrovich doesn’t figure out what comes after the “ unless”.
Nevertheless work goes on to get ready for the parade. It may be so dark by then that even the street lights won’t help much in the middle of the day. But Eino is doing all he can to get the old Stanley Steamer working. It sits in the barn all year waiting for this parade. Then he polishes it up and works on getting the steam pressure just right. It wouldn’t be a Pigeon Day Parade without that steamer. The Liar’s Club will have their usual giant talking head that says over and over “ Once upon a time in a land far away there was “. It is sticking a little and saying “ a time, a time, a time “ but they will have that fixed by parade time. The Liar’s Club 65 piece band is practicing marching. Last year one of the three members caught his foot and fell into his drum. This year they will be perfect. All across Pigeon Falls people are getting things ready for the parade.
Queen Polly will ride with the runner up in the lead car. It will be polished until even in this darkness you can see the shine. There are still those who think that Polly needs to go to Father Bill and confess to lift the darkness but Polly is Lutheran and says she isn’t having any of that Catholic stuff.
Will the darkness continue? Will everybody need flashlights on parade day? Will Polly Confess? What will Polly Confess? Will the rest of the text arrive in time? Will Eino have the Steamer ready? Will the ground open up and swallow Pigeon Falls?Will our dragon show up for the parade? Will Vicki East get to sing the Pigeon Falls song ? And of course is Tommy UK really the undertaker’s kid?
*******

Today's Link-Finland for Thought- A bit about Finnish food and Sauna customs. Leave a Dr. John in the comment for another chance in Friday's drawing.
Bad breathing day but I did get some work done. I went to the basement in the morning but I was there only about fiftten minutes when the lasix hit and there is no bathroom in the basement. So back upstairs. I decided not to go back until the afternoon and the effects of the lasix would be down. I watched my soaps. Then Betty and I went to the basement. We continued organizing. Then we bundled the cardboard for recycling. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Leave a Comment Monday

Saying for the day: If they only had a brain.

Read Without Commenting at Your Own Risk

This blog is posted. Comments are expected. Head of the fortress may take punitive actions. Your blog could be listed "NON COMMENTABLE" and you will never get another comment. Why take the risk?

Now to give you something to comment on here is todays commentable:
Latest in Brain Science: French neurologists writing recently in the journal The Lancet described their surprise in finding, via brain scans, that a normally functioning 44-year-old man had a brain "more than 50 percent to 75 percent" smaller than average, consisting of little more than a thin sheet of brain material surrounding a large fluid buildup. The man is employed as a French government bureaucrat. Do you think if you scanned the brains of our Washington bureaucrats you's get the same results? Wouldn't that explain a lot of things.

I await your comments.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where trains still run, dragons fly and Pigeon Days go on– The spouse carrying race which was scheduled for last week Wednesday was finally held yesterday. It seems that one day was rained out and on one they didn’t have the authority to block off the main street. So yesterday the big race was run. Though the sun was shining in a cloudless sky they still turned on the street lights because it seemed dark. They set up an obstacle course consisting of four children's wadding pools, two filled with water and two with mud. Two small hay bales they had to step over, six tires, and in the middle a ladder that went over a temporary wall and a ladder coming down the other side. You had to climb up one side carrying your spouse and down the other. They put air mattress on the sides in case somebody dropped a spouse and sure enough some did. There were twenty seven couples entered. This is a new high. Everybody felt sorry for Thom Ketola. His wife insisted he carry her in the race. Mrs. Ketola has belonged to the same weight losers group for four years and hasn’t lost a pound. Thom made it to the ladder but there was no way he could carry that woman up that ladder . So he did the next best thing he dumped her over onto the air mattress. Well he could have dumped her in the mud. She was so mad. It’s possible that they will nerd counseling when this all over. The winner of this years spouse carrying contest was Jon Bergall. He recorded the best time ever.
Petrovich still hopes to hear from Russia before the big parade.
*******

Today's Link-Lord Likely-Stripped Nude-No its not that kind of blog. It can't be its written by a Smythe . A person with a stange sense of humor. Leave a Dr. John in the comment.
I did a little blogging in the morning. Then I watched my Soaps.Blogger is free. Blogger is free. Then I tried to leave a comment on Nea's blog but kept getting a blogger error.l Blogger is free. Continued working my links and got to Dr. Kate's Blog and tried to comment and was told blogger was down. Then I couldn't get to any other blogger blog. Blogger is free. So I tried to close up this blog but of course I couldn't get here either. Blogger is free. Now it is much later. I will leave the rest of the links until tomorrow. I really need a breathing treatment. But blogger is free.
GBYA

Sunday- I get to sing hymns

Saying for the Day-A hymn is another doorway to God.

If you were to ask me what I like most about Sunday Worship I would have to say the hymns. I am not saying they are the most important thing because they aren’t. But they are what I enjoy most. I love to sing. This from a man who was asked by the choir director not to sing with the choir and to turn his microphone off during the hymns. This from a man who now runs out of breath on the third or fourth verse. I just love singing hymns.
I like all kinds of hymns. From the simple “Jesus Loves Me” to the mighty hymns of Bach I love them all. I love the old and the new.
When I sing a hymn I am pulled into the very presence of God. For that brief moment in time I am up on the mountain top. I hear God speak. I am reminded of his love. I am called to serve. I believe the Holy Spirit moves in the hymns in some special way.
When we used to go on trips as a family I drove my kids nuts singing Bible Camp songs. I tried to get them to sing along with me.
It is Sunday and soon I will be at St. Marks and singing. Life is good.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls– the little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and another Variety Show is history:- The Pigeon Falls Pigeon Days Variety Show ended last night with the finest performance of the three nights. People felt that this might have been the greatest show in the history of Pigeon Days Variety Shows. Tommy UK astounded everybody by tapping and juggling at the same time and he didn’t drop a single ball. Vicki East sang the Pigeon Falls Song with its new verse and got a standing ovations. She wisely decided not to sing “Unless” again.The Pasty ladies did well. Old Mrs. Miller found one last tear jerking ballad to sing and had everybody crying.The act that stole the show was Toivo and Eino's rendition of "Tuna Casserole"which they got from the Garrison Keillor program on PBS. Eino came on wearing a dress and a bonnet and acted out calling people to super. Then Eino brought in big casserole with chips on top. At the close they put on angel wings and halos as they mimicked going to heaven. It was wonderfully done and their singing was even better than usual.
Next years group will be hard pressed to be as good as this one that is unless there is no Pigeon Falls next year.
****
Today's Link-Time's Fool- This entry might fog your glasses a little. Leave a Dr. John in the comment.
We got to church this morning. Pastor Joel was back. The kids lead us in singing Jesus Loves me.
I napped in the afternoon and then watched television. I played some computer games. Now I need a breathing treatment. Betty has a new blog and yiu can comment on it. You can get to it through my links.
GBYA

Saturday- Our Pictures

Didn't take any pictures last week so I reached back into the archives for pictures of my son Peter and his daughter Bree when they were little.

























@@@@@@ News From Pigeon Falls– the little town in my basement where trains still run, dragons fly, and the Variety Show goes on– Last night was the second night of the Pigeon Falls Pigeon Days Variety Show. Aside from some problem with the lighting it went off very well. Toivo and Eino were a big hit even though they didn’t do Tuna Casserole . They promised to do it tonight. Tommy UK came at his tap dancing with a bit more enthusiasm. The Pasty Ladies from the Methodist Church came wearing cowboy hats and carrying lassoes . They sang a song from some old Methodist hymnal called “ I was a Jesus cowboy in the Holy Ghost Corral. “ It’s no wonder that song didn’t make the new hymnal in any church. Old Mrs. Miller sang another old time ballad “ Mommy, when I get to heaven will the Angels play a game of ball with me.” Again there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Vicky East sang her new song “ Unless” after each chorus the lights dimmed a little more until after the last “unless” the theater was in total darkness. It seemed as dark as it could be and you could hear the sighs of relief as the lights came back on. The whole program was over two hours long but nobody complained. It was better than Thursday nights performance and that was one of the best ever. Now everybody is looking forward to tonight’s final performance.
Petrovich continues to hope that her will hear from his friends in Russia before it is too late. They are going through piles of manuscripts trying to find that driblet.
Will Petrovich get the rest of the DRIBLET ? Will Vicky East be singing “Unless” when the curtain comes down on Pigeon Falls? Does Grandma Miller have any more sad ballads ? Will Toivo and Eino ever do Tuna Casserole? And of course is Tommy UK , the tap dancer, really the undertaker’s kid?
******

Today's Link-Your One Stop Shop for Amusement-The top 20 OxyMorons- leave a Dr. John in the comment for an extra chance in the Friday drawing.
Good day today. Went Shopping. Ate at Wendy's. Got to ride my scooter in Pick and Save. I feel alive. Came home and helped Betty set up a new blog since blogger seems to have eaten the old one. Her new blog is called Betty's News.
She has her first entry in it. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA