Just a Little

Saying for the day- A little is better than none at all.

I didn’t get to church this morning as I wasn’t feeling well.I didn’t do the blog either as I didn’t want to fight with the portable. But now I am back in Neenah, feeling a little better. I am back at a computer that has some problems but not like the portable.
I guess into every life a bad week or two has to come. At least I slept through most of this one.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it snowed again last night.– Of course last night’s snow was just a light dusting. Just enough to keep everything white and pretty.
This afternoon they presented Bob McBain with his trophy, money , and sweater for winning the cross country ski race yesterday. It was a very impressive ceremony. It should have been held yesterday but he came in so far ahead of the rest they thought that he might have cheated. They looked at video of the race at various points to make sure he went the entire distance. He did. They made a DVD of the separate videos and gave that to him as well. He said he was faster because he used a new and special wax. Wink’s woods is offering to sell the wax as well as I skied in Pigeon Falls in October sweaters.
The temperature stayed at five below zero today ending the hopes that a warm up was coming.
The group that is looking into holding a big Skido race out on the Lake of the Loons is counting on this weather staying at least another two or three weeks. But they have already plowed a track on the lack and invited riders to come and use it. They can ride out on what was the cross country trail.
Last Lutheran had a hot soup lunch today trying to raise some Money for the heating fund.Hot soup seems like just the thing in this cold weather. Nancy is thinking of offering it in her place if the weather continues.
******

Today's Link-WaitStress.com- You think you have it bad?

Over Again

Saying for the day- Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown

A long time ago Betty and I went to England. We left our kids with my parents.While we were gone Pennie, who was just a baby, got sick. My parents (ie. My mother) had to take her to a doctor.
Now we are babysitting while my son and his wife have gone to Denver. So, of course , history repeats itself and my granddaughter gets sick and we (ie. Betty) had to take her to the doctor.
Pennie survived and so has Bree. But I discovered that it is harder on the grandparents to have a sick child than the parents. They were entrusted to us by their parents. We wanted to be worthy of that trust.
There is one difference between our trip and theirs. We didn’t know Pennie had been sick until we came home and my mother gave us a blow by blow description of what had happened. Peter, given the miracle of cell phone, called every night and knew everything that was happening here. I preferred the era of no cell phone.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and there is a little more warming-The temperature in Pigeon Falls got up to five below today. Before one gets all excited we need to be reminded that’s below zero. There are lots of degrees to climb before we get to freezing. And yet it could be a sign that this weather is starting to end. There was a light dusting of snow last night.
Somebody has suggested that the Pigeon Falls song be translated into old Coptic and then sung by Vicki East. This is a bit on the desperate side. There is nothing in the driblet that suggests that the song be in Coptic. You could , however, get Vicki East out of Driblet seventy seven. But what should she do. She is not a power woman with a lightning symbol. So it would seem to be in conflict to have her sing.
The town has organized and advertised the first ever September cross country ski race to be held tomorrow. People are coming from all over for this special event. Racers will go from town to Lake of the Loons and back. Winner will get a trophy, one hundred dollars, and a sweater that says I skied September in Pigeon Falls.
*****

Today's Link-Reality is Overated-A look at those who would tell us how to live.
Another lack luster day. Luke was sick. I was sick. It was a long day. I spent most of it sleeping. And watching the Disney Channel.Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Friday-Win or Lose

SAying for the Day:Common sense is very uncommon. (Horace Greely.)

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 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.

Today's Priceless Prize is.a snow globe with snowman.


If you don't like snow globes take a chance on a door.
Behind one of our two doors today are the usual pencils and?

Behind the other ...........

Don't forget the 953 contest. Guess when I will make my 953 entry. Put the date in the comment.

Good Luck.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and there is a little warming-The temperature went up to ten below zero. This caused some people to think that this crazy weather might be coming to an end.Perhaps they won’t need a power woman singing some kind of song. It could just go away. But along with the small rise in temperature came another light dusting of snow which might say that this is not over yet.
Mrs. Warren Maki is upset because she has to dry her clothes in her electric dryer. She much prefers line dried washing. But now if you hang anything out it freezes solid and still has to go back in the dryer.Well at least the neighborhood dog can’t get to her sheets in the dryer.
While Kivi & Maki are selling lots of those super coats Wink’s Woods is selling these things you strap on your boots or shoes and they help to keep you from falling down. This cold weather has produced a lot of ice. The cold weather has already caused two broken hip and a mashed elbow. All of them sent to the hospital in Iron Mountain.
Yesterday Jack closed and drained the Sauna. He held out as long as he could.
Will this weather come to an unsung end? Will Mrs. Maki dry outside again? Will people be able to walk down Pigeon Falls main street without having to strap something on their shoes? Will Jack’s ever open again? And of course is Tommy UK really the undertaker’s kid?
******

Today's Link-Oh The Joys-A nice happy little blog.
Finally Betty is back from taking Bree to the Doctor.

She has drawn


The winner is.....




Stacy

Congratulations Stacy.

Well It has been one of those days. My graddaughters asthma acted up and Betty took her to the doctor. She came home with a breathing machine like mine.Now we can both take our breathing treatments at the same time.I was sick again. I got up late. then had trouble with this computer. It wouldn't open my comments or comments on any other blog. I slept off and on most of the day. Now I am feeling a bit better. I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

We need new spies

Saying for the Day:“Every man is surrounded by a neighborhood of voluntary spies. Jane Austin”


We claim to have a very good spy network. It is ready for anything. But it is not up to Iran's.

Iran's state-sponsored news agency IRNA announced in July that its agents had broken up a Western countries' "spy ring" that employed more than a dozen squirrels trying to bring "spy gear" of foreign agencies into the country. [Washington Post-BBC, 7-20-07

When was the last time we caught one of those squirrels bring supplies from Canada down to terrorists in this country? We haven't. We don;t even have a squirrel division in Homeland Security. How can we possibly stay even with Iran in larger areas like Atomic Bombs if we can't even catch squirrel spies?

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and there is no Global Warming-The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works met yesterday . It began an investigation into the “ Pigeon Falls Problem”. Senator Barbara Boxer ,the chair of the committee , began the questioning of Dr. Elias Goodman who had headed up the scientists that went to Pigeon Falls.
Senator Boxer -” Did the President or any representative of the President direct you to downplay any relationship of Pigeon Falls to Global Warming?”

Dr.Goodman– Of course not. We were directed to find the cause of the weird weather in Pigeon Falls what ever it was.”

Senator Boxer– “Don’t you have to admit that weird weather like this could be the result of Global Warming?”

Dr,Goodman– Well Senator let’s look at the facts. The upper air currants above Pigeon Falls are normal for this time of year. They are the same as the rest of the region is experiencing. The weather in the rest of the region is normal. According to the data collected this morning it is fifteen below zero in Pigeon Falls. Now Senator if you can take that data and turn it into Global Warming be my guest.”

Senator Boxer– But the independent group says your hiding something.

Dr. Goodman – They made all the same tests as we did . Invite them in and see if they can make a case for Global Warming. O! And did I tell you it is fifteen below zero.
*******

Today's Link-Heaven- It is if you like poetry.
Rough day. I had an upset stomach and a headached all day. These things always happen when I am away from home. So I didn't eat much. Mostly I napped. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYa

Woman

Saying for the day: Print something somebody wrote in your e-mail and its called forwarding. In other areas it would be called plagiarism.

Ralph Valine wrote:

Womanhood

I know what Victoria's Secret is. The secret is that nobody older than 30 can fit into their stuff.


The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.

Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

Sometimes I think I understand everything, then I regain consciousness.

I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting my pantyhose on fire.


Amazing! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks two sizes!



Skinny people irritate me! Especially when they say things like, "You know, sometimes I just forget to eat."

Now I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name, and my keys. But I've never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat.


A friend of mine confused her valium with her birth control pills. She had 14 kids, but she doesn't really care.


The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing and then they marry him!

I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are: eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That is my idea of a perfect day.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and sometimes the lost is found.– Pastor Joan’s husband Mike came back from his business trip today. He wondered why she bought a new coat when she had a perfectly good coat hanging in the back bedroom closet, upstairs. He knew it was there because he put it there himself when he unpacked that box.If this was a test of faith then Pastor Joan passed. She didn’t hit him. She didn‘t swear at him. She didn’t even talk to him for the next hour. On the bright side her new winter coat can stop a bullet.
Those that believe, about a third of Pigeon Falls, that the driblets (sixty two and seventy seven) hold the answer have been spending a lot of time on Petrovich’s Website. They have concluded that Mrs. Elanor Peabody , is the woman ofpower, She heads the power company and has that jacket with the crossed lightning symbol. They look for an answer to where she should sin and what? The driblet seems to say she should sing in the East but that makes no sense since he town lays out North to South.
A couple of local business men are looking at the possibilities if the snow doesn’t go away. They would put some money into the ski hill , making it longer and better. They would build a world class resort to go with it . They could guarantee the conditions all year long.. People would flock to Pigeon Falls. It would be more popular than Aspen. Of course the potato farmers would be out of luck, can’t grow potatoes in snow, but that’s the price of progress,
******

Today's Link- Spilling Coffee- Sometimes it's interesting.
I have been sick all day. I got nothing done. Betty got the kids off to school. I had trouble with this computer. All the pictures that were with this entry vanished. I couldn't retrieve them.It will be so nice when I get back on my regular computer, Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

About Me

Saying for the Day: Sometimes even bad programs get the right answer.

Some time ago I was blogging and came across the question, " What color orange are you. I , of course took the quiz. Here are the results.

You CAre ameo

You are understanding and very empathetic. You don't tend to have acquaintances. Everyone is your friend. And all of your friends tend to be friends. You have a knack for bringing very different people together.

What Color Orange Are You?


You will notice that this fits me perfectly. How often does a blog quiz do that ?

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it has become even colder..It was fifteen below zero in Pigeon Falls this morning. Last year in all of winter it got this cold only twice.
Poor Pastor Joan can’t find her winter coat. She is sure that she packed it when they moved but she has gone through all the boxes and hasn’t seen anything that even looked like it.Now she is afraid it might be in the bunch of clothes she gave to St. Vincent De. Paul. If it was, given this weather , it is already sold. She’ll have to buy one of Kivi & Maki’s new winter jackets. They are light, very warm, and can stop a bullet. It could protect her if some upset parishioner decides to take a shot at her
Pigeon Falls is adjusting to the conditions of the moment. They have put up a big Christmas tree in the town square and are featuring it in some adds that invite people to enjoy winter now. They have the ski hill running ( not much of a hill but it has snow). The cross country trails to Loon Lake are open and being used. There is a carol sing every Friday night in the town square. The tourists are coming in.
*****

Today's Link-Busy Mom.Net-- Pretty much like the title
This morning I blogged which had its own set of problems. My antique portable kept losing the internet. When I got the blog up and the grandkids off to school I went back and slept in the chair almost until they came home.Betty took Bree to some kind of program at the school and then we all went out to eat. Now I really need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

A Reminder

t

Saying for the Day: Twice told is better than once.

A Brand New Exciting Contest

Despite the under whelming response to our Friday Contest.
Despite the complete lack of enthusiasm for any contest.
Despite the fact that we told you this on Saturday.

We still offer you this contest.

The one with a bigger prize.

The one that depends on your ability to think ( sort of)

First the prize.

A Christmas train.
To go around your tree.

To go around your Christmas village.
To go around anything that really
needs something to go around it.

All you have to do is guess the date of our 953 blog entry.
Even I don’t know the answer , yet.
Put your answer in a comment.

Only one guess per day.

First person to give the right date wins.

Winner will be announced in the 953 blog entry.

So start your guessing.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it snowed again last night.-Pigeon Falls is as beautiful today as it was yesterday with a white dusting of new snow. At ten below zero that snow just sits there making Pigeon Falls look like the setting for a Bing Crosby Christmas movie.
Petrovich and his friends are staying pretty much in his office. There they are going over and over the two driblets in question. They have translated part of a phrase that couldn’t be translated before. It Starts “Sing” then an untranslatable piece. Then the word “from” then another untranslatable piece. Then the word East. They have posted it to the website so you can see how it fits in driblet 77.
Thus far there has been no official government report on the study made at Pigeon Falls. A Senator from Michigan is calling for an investigation as to the delay and possible cover up. The head of the delegation says there is nothing to cover up and they are still studying the data. They are certain that Global Warming is not involved in this incident. The independent group that has been shadowing them says that that statement alone is enough to show cover up. What else could cause such an unusual weather pattern? It may be cold in Pigeon Falls but things are heating up in Washington.
Poor Mrs. Elanor Peabody has now sung the Pigeon Falls song in so many places that she has lost her voice. Some people are sure because she heads the Power Company she is the power woman who has to sing. The question is what should she sing and where should she sing it/
Will Mrs. Peabody regain her voice in time to save Pigeon Falls? Is she the right power woman. Does Pigeon Falls really need saving ? Will they ever figure out what song to sing and where ? Is it going to get still colder? What is the government group covering up? And of course is Tommy UK really the undertaker’s kid?
******

Today's Link-Fumbling Toward Geekdom- Are you this well organized ?
Spent the morning on the computer.Betty packed everything we needed and we left for Green Bay, We will be in GreenBay until Sunday. That means shorter blogs and all most no visiting on other people's blogs.e I will be using my old laptop which is two operating systems back. Now if Betty brought the equipment I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

God's Day

Saying for the Day: Every Day is the day of the Lord.

I love Sundays. I have the opportunity to join with other Christians in hearing the Word preached, in singing hymns, in meeting Jesus in the Communion. But I know that God is as much a part of every other day as He is of Sunday. Every day as I sit on the side of the bed and talk to God before getting up I am reminded that

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it.

Every day I start knowing that the day itself is a gift from God. The fact that I am alive is by the grace of God. I know that God will be with me through the good and bad of the day.

What a wonderful thing to be a child of God.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and the beauty of winter shines through.– There was a light dusting of snow again last night. Pigeon Falls look like a picture on a Christmas card. It is so cold, everything is so still that you almost expect to see a sleigh pulled by horses coming down the main street. The only problem with all this beauty is it’s September.
All the churches in town will offer special prayers today that this strange condition might end.
Nancy says that a number of people have suggested that Mrs. Elanor Peabody , the head of the electric, power, cooperative is the power lady who should sing to end this weather. Mrs. Peabody says she is a terrible singer and they must be wrong. But in private she sang the Pigeon Falls song and nothing happened.
It could be, right person, wrong song. But if that’s the case what should she sing?
Petrovich’s friends will be posting their translation of what was before not translatable to the website some time today. Petrovich says he doesn’t think it will help much.
*****

Today's Link-Rich Anglican Fudge with Nuts- One Weird Anglican
Went to church this morning. It was a great service. Came home and played canasta with Betty and Pennie. Pennie won. Then i napped for most of the afternoon. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

A new Contest

Saying for the Day:Of the making of internet contests there is no end.

A Brand New Exciting Contest

Despite the under whelming response to our Friday Contest.
Despite the complete lack of enthusiasm for any contest.

We still offer you a new contest.

This one has a bigger prize.

This one depends on your ability to think ( sort of)

First the prize.

A Christmas train.
To go around your tree.

To go around your Christmas village.
To go around anything that really
needs something to go around it.

All you have to do is guess the date of our 953 blog entry.
Even I don’t know the answer , yet.
Put your answer in a comment.

Only one guess per day.

First person to give the right date wins.

Winner will be announced in the 953 blog entry.

So start your guessing.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it is colder yet.-The temperature in Pigeon Falls dropped to ten below zero today with a light dusting of snow. Everything is such a pretty white.
The scientists packed up and left today. They left instruments to collect data and one man to watch over them. They said they were going back to Washington to consult with colleagues. The other group is leaving as well. They said they think the government scientists have discovered something that links this to Global Warming and are covering it up. They are going back to insure that they don’t get away with it.
Petrovich has invited several experts on old Coptic to come and go over the driblets with him to see if he missed something or if some other translation might be helpful. There aren’t many experts on old Coptic but he has gotten two of the best. He did some favors for them some time ago and has now called them in. He will post variations or new translations to his website.
Poor Jack is going to have to close up his Sauna. The pipes are not shielded against below zero weather. Every year when the really cold weather came he drained the sauna and went to Florida for a couple of months. At the moment his is running the sauna night and day to keep the pipes heated but he is losing money. Of course more people are taking saunas trying to shake the cold so that helps a little.
Kivi & Maki have brought in some fantastic winter jackets that are light but still keep you warm. They have some kind of new miracle insulation. It will also stop a bullet so it’s good for deer hunting.
******

Today's Link-I'm Just Saying-- This is about a cat and a car and the Old Fart would like it.
I had a good day. In the afternoon Betty and I worked in the basement. We are now making progress. I would guess in another three weeks we will have gone through all the boxes. Some of what I put on free cycle has been picked up. We can now get car in the garage. Life is good. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Friday- Win or Lose

SAying for 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 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.

Today's Priceless Prize is this cute bear with fish.


If you don't like bears take a chance

on a door.
Behind one of the doors today are two globes. One with a camel and one with a snowman.
Behind the other ...........
Good Luck.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it is very cold.– It snowed a little last night. Just enough for a light dusting and to leave the ground white. The temperature seems to have leveled off at zero.
The two sets of scientists ( the government and the we don’t trust the government) started testing yesterday. They flew weather balloons. They checked radar findings. They had airplanes fly over. They gathered data. Both groups have now announced there is no upper air inversion or disturbance. Above and around Pigeon Falls everything is normal. It simply should not be this cold and there should be no snow. One government scientist has suggested this is a mass delusion. There really is no snow and it really isn’t cold. Tommy UK pointed out to that group that last night he walked on the Lake of the Loons. Either he has magic powers or the ice on the lake is no illusion. Further the national TV networks took pictures from the air of the snow in and around Pigeon Falls. You can’t take pictures of illusions. One of the scientists from the other group said that kind of thinking should be expected of the government scientists who are really more politicians than scientists.
Petrovich says that this failure of the scientists is predicted in the driblet seventy seven. “ The king’s men can’t help”.” The king’s men know nothing”. Since there is no king the government men are the same as King’s men.
Petrovich had to take some time to work on his website which was not operating properly yesterday. It is now back to full function. Along with trying to understand the driblets so that he can find a way out Petrovich is also writing a short history of the Monk and seer Alexis Grengicoff whose driblets Petrovich translates and to some degree interprets. When it’s done he will post it on his website. He is thinking of moving his website to a new home. He said “ I pay good money to A Lutheran Pastor for that website. He should keep it working. It’s not like blogger which is free.
Will the snow ever stop? Will the pigeons return? Will the fat lady sing? Does the lady have to be fat? Is a government scientist really a contradiction in terms? And of course is Tommy UK really the undertaker’s kid? Not a single one of these questions will be answered tomorrow but perhaps the next day.
*****

Today's link- Irrelephant- ?- Some thoughts on racism.

Betty has drawn and the winner is










Quilly


Wow Quilly again and I haven't even mailed out last week's prize yet. Congratulations Quilly.
Worked in the basement this mormning. Then after the Soaps I put some items out to Free Cycle of Neenah which has to be the slowest Free Cycle in the country. Then I put a child's bed up for sale on the Neenah sale group. It was posted ten minutes after I sent it. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Trust or Snake Oil

Saying for the Day:In the middle ages, people took potions for their ailments. In the 19th century they took snake oil. Citizens of today's shiny, technological age are too modern for that. They take antioxidants and extract of cactus instead.” Charles Krauthammer
Yesterday I went and had my ears tested. I listened to the beeps and the nice man plotted my hearing. One ear is of very little use. But I knew that. They told me that at Mayo’s . The other ear has real problems. I suspected that. When he finished there was my hearing in little red circles all of them below the normal hearing range and some of them way below.
Then I met with a nice lady who told me what various hearing aids could do for me. The problem I have at this point was should I trust her? Is this nice office with all of its fancy diploma’s really just the old snake oil wagon in its modern form. Does she really care about how good things sound to me or does she just want to sell me the most expensive hearing aid possible. If she is a snake oil salesman she is very good at it. There was no high pressure. None of that “ if you don’t buy it today you can’t get it tomorrow at this price“. I felt like she really wanted to help me.
So I ordered a very expensive hearing aid. It will be ready in two weeks. It is supposed to be adjusted to my hearing loss.
But I keep wondering. Suppose after I get it and have had it for a few weeks something goes wrong. Will the office still be there ? It’s a rented suite next to a massage therapist. Will the wagon with the snake oil just load up and leave town?
I guess if you want to move in this world you have to trust somebody. I just hope these were the right somebodys. She certainly seemed nice.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it is cold.– The temperature in Pigeon Falls today reached zero degrees. It is cold. The scientist arrived from Washington today as well as a group from some independent agency. One group wants to show this is not the result of Global Warming. The other group is sure that it is. The best , off the top of the head guess” is that Pigeon Falls is caught in some kind of strange upper air inversion which is forcing cold Arctic air down into Pigeon Falls. Each group has rented a house and begun setting up their equipment.
Mayor Trumble has an open invitation to the woman of Pigeon Falls to stop by her office and sing the Pigeon Falls song. So far , including Mayor Trumble, twenty two woman have sung and it is still getting colder. Perhaps, its not the right song.
The newest addition to the driblet 77 has some people thanking of Pastor Marvel and his wife. They remember Pastor Marvel wearing a Captain Marvel suit with a lightning bolt on his chest. That same comic set had a Mary Marvel with the same symbol. Perhaps, they could get Mrs. Marvel to sing the Pigeon Falls song on the phone. It can’t hurt to try.
This cold weather has not hurt Nancy’s business. If your down town you can use a cup of hot coffee. Besides people need somebody to share their theories with. Some think Vicki East needs to write a new song. The old Pigeon Falls song isn’t going to do it.
*****

Today's Link-Special Kind of Stupid- Another look at OJ and the robbery.
Went to the basement this morning to continue sorting boxes and found a small flood in one area. Some how the little hose that comes from the furnace that is supposed to be on top of the drain got moved over. It was a mess. After lunch Betty went to Bible study and I continued to work in the basement. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

A Pooper Scooper

Saying for the Day: Watch where you step. A dog may have been there first.

Yesterday my wife took Maggie , the family dog, for a walk. She took with her a pooper scooper and a plastic bag.
When I was a kid we had no pooper scoopers. It stayed where it fell unless it fell on what little sidewalk we had then you kicked it aside or got ma’s old broom ( never the new one) and swept it aside . You shook your head and went ick all the while. People who walked in the grass took their chances. Most people just avoided the stuff. Sometimes my dad would step in it and then I would hear some of those words that I couldn’t say less I had my mouth washed out with soap. They were all directed at the dog as if the dog set out to get my dad. But for the most part it lay there until it cut up by the lawn mower and returned to the soil. It was a was a simpler life.
They had pooper scoopers in my age in the city. They were advertised in the Chicago paper. We used to laugh about them.
But not where I lived. In my neighborhood dogs ran free. My dog used to walk me to the school bus stop. Then go home. But when the bus brought me back in the evening he was there waiting for me. It was a different , wonderful, age.
But this is the age of the pooper scooper. IF your rich you can buy them really fancy with diamonds in the handle. You put the poop in a designer bag with disposable plastic inserts. That way it doesn’t look like your carrying poop.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it has gotten still colder. – The temperature has dropped to ten above zero in Pigeon Falls. Ice is clearly forming on the Lake of the Loons.Two National networks ABC and CBS mentioned Pigeon Falls and had aerial shots on the afternoon news. Katie Couric ( a woman of power) said that Pigeon Falls was becoming like Narnia where it is always winter and never Christmas.
Petrovich was upset because the broadcasts didn’t mention the driblets he was working with. They ignored him altogether.
The good news for Pigeon Falls is that Washington is now aware of the problem and a team of scientists has been dispatched to try to find out what is happening. They will arrive by train today. There is some fear that an enemy has found a way to manipulate the weather. The whole thing could be a terrorist plot.
Somebody who read Petrovich’s website suggested that all the ladies in town should sing. The problem there is that it has to be a lady of power which leaves out most of the town and nobody knows what should be sung. In addition part of the town still thinks Petrovich is crazy.
Petrovich says he has translated a part of what he hadn’t been able to translate before and will post it to driblet seventy seven sometime today.
In the meantime life goes on in Pigeon Falls. Margaret Worthwhile got her electric bill today and went through the roof. It was twice what she paid last month and far higher than her neighbors. She says that if she doesn’t get an explanation she is going to contact the state facility commission . Mrs. Peabody says that they have this new billing machine and sometimes it sends the wrong bill to the wrong house. She will check to see if this happened in Margaret’s case.You would think that since both ladies belong to the same circle at the Methodist church they could just work it out.
*******

Today's Link-Zingers- You must go to the link inside the link. Seldom has parody been done that well.
I had an interesting day. I saw one soap. Then Betty and I went to the hearing aid office. We got lost, of course. We got there just before our appointment. I ended up ordering a hearing aid. Then we went out to eat. Then to Wal Mart. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Please don't swear.

Saying for the day: "Swearing was invented as a compromise between running away and fighting." Finley Peter Dunne.

Ralph sent me a list of things people used to say and this was included in that list.
“Hush your mouth! I don't want to hear words like that. I will wash your mouth out with soap again! “
Having heard that when I was a kid and having had my mouth washed out with soap I wondered if parents still fight the language battle.
If they do it must be harder. Growing up I heard a few cuss words but not many. Cussing was for lumber jacks, soldiers, and people who went to taverns . Of course from time to time my father joined that group but with a very limited vocabulary. So I didn’t hear much cussing. I learned quickly not to say the few words I knew. It wasn’t until I went to work on the ore boats that I heard real cussing.
Today, however, the internet is loaded with cuss words. Every fourth or fifth blog is loaded with them. I know because I screen the links for this blog. My granddaughter might read the link of the day. There are some really good blogs out there that would be just as good or even better if they killed the cuss words. But they don’t have to so they cuss away.
On television they keep trying to push the limit as to what words can be used and on cable anything goes. You can’t keep a kid from hearing or seeing the words.
I have theory that all kinds of kids who grew up not being allowed to cuss are now exercising their cussed rights.
In doing so they have ruined the words. They no longer have any shock value. They are hardly worth washing a mouth out with soap any more. Besides in today’s climate washing the kids mouth out with soap might be considered child abuse.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and the cold continues.– It is three degrees colder in Pigeon Falls today than yesterday. There was another light dusting of snow last night so everything is a pretty white. The pigeons, rabbits, deer, and wolves are all gone. If this keeps up the snow plowing budget will be busted by late October.
Petrovich’s driblets (62 and 77) have people thinking of who are the power ladies that might sing and end this. They have come up with the following list:
Hillary Clinton– Senator and Presidential candidate
Jennifer Granholm.- Governor of Michigan
Mrs. Trumble– Mayor of Pigeon Falls
Joan Castle– Pastor of Last Lutheran
Angharrett Howell– Head of the local Eastern Star
Vicki East– Vice President Liar’s Club and song writer
Gwen James-Head of the woman’s group at Last Lutheran
If this continues one feels sure the list will grow longer.
But life in Pigeon Falls goes on.
Nancy is back. The saffron buns and coffee are back up to her high standards. She had a great honeymoon marred only by the episode with the shark. Her new husband is all refreshed and healing nicely . He is ready to write the great novel “Murder in a small town”. If he is typical is sure takes a long time to write a novel.
Mrs. Elanor Peabody who heads up the local electric cooperative sent out the bills today. They are a slight bit higher because the dam on the Crayon River doesn’t produce enough electricity for the town and the Gridd raised its prices. If this cold snap continues they will get even worse.
Kivi & Maki are selling lots of salt. With all the ice forming salt is a necessity . You don’t want people falling and breaking a leg. So its shovel, shovel, shovel and salt, salt,salt. It’s winter in Pigeon Falls.
*******

Today's Link- In the World Where I Live- An interesting poem.
This morning Betty went and got a hair cut. I played on the computer. In the afternoon ,after the soaps,we worked downstairs. Then I visited some links. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Like your Beer?

Saying for the Day-He who drinks beer sleeps well.He who sleeps well cannot sin.He who does not sin goes to heaven.Amen. -- Unknown German Monk

Are you a beer lover?
How important is your beer?
WKMG-TV reported in August the arrest of a man in Orlando "suspected" of drunk driving and who was pursued by police until he decided to get out and run for it. When police overtook him, he was still clutching a Corona beer from the 12-pack in the front seat of his car.
That man was a beer lover. Even if it slowed him down as he ran away he clung to his beer. It was that important.
If the police stopped you and you ran would you take your beer with you?

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it is still getting colder– It snowed again in Pigeon Falls last night just enough to cover everything in white. The temperature this morning is now 30 degrees. It is cold for September. Even Eino is not so sure that this will soon pass.
The snow and cold extend in a fifteen mile or so circle around Pigeon Falls while the rest of the UP has normal weather. From the air it looks like a big white circle. Ice is starting to form on the Lake of the Loons.
Petrovich is busy adding up the things that seem to relate to driblets 62 and 77. The pigeons are gone, the deer are gone ( the rabbits may be gone as well). It is cold. Everywhere you look it’s white. It all started with Nancy’s Wedding and a fake gold carriage pulled by horses that just might have been mice. Pertrovich is sure that the way to end this is in the driblet.
Nancy will be back in her coffee shop today. At least the coffee will be better. In this cold weather people need a good cup of coffee. Nancy will listen better as well but she night not like what she will be hearing. People are starting to blame her. If she had just had an ordinary wedding none of this would be happening.
In all of this neither the big White Rabbit ( how could he be seen) or the dragon have been seen, Perhaps, they have joined the pigeons and the deer.
*****

Today's Link-Dorseyland- More information than you could ever want about "The Swing"
A dull day. Betty and I worked in the basement in the morning. I took a nap in the afternoon after the soaps. Them I worked again in the basement. Finished the day by visiting about half of my links. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Faith

Saying for the Day-Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.-Martin Luther

Lately I’ve been thinking of the wonder of faith. The fact that some of us reach the edge in our darkness and then leap out believing God will catch us. And He does. Others look into that same darkness and decide the world is such a messed up place that there couldn’t be a God and walk away. I have no idea why some do one thing and some the other.
I can only say that I’m glad I jumped. It has been a wonderful journey. I have seen miracles. I have known fantastic joy. I have been up on the mountain. God has been good to me.
When things have not gone well. When I had to learn to walk again. God was there holding me up. God has been very good to me.
Now I’m a rational person ( sort of) and I know this could all be a delusion. It is possible there is no God. It is possible my atheist friends are correct. It is possible that every miracle I have seen was just coincidence. Of course its possible.
Here’s the good news for me. The day will come when I die . If I’m right then I will go on into eternity with that same God and it will be more joyful, more wonderful, than I can begin to imagine.
If I’m wrong they will bury me and my dust will return to the earth. The sad thing for my atheist friends is that they won’t be able to say I told you so.
It’s also possible that some of those atheists may yet make the leap and I will be able to say. Welcome home brother or sister.
God has been so good to me that I just can no longer not believe.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it is getting colder.– Pigeon Falls is still covered with snow. The temperature has fallen from 32 degrees to 31 degrees. It is cold for September. Something is really wrong.
Petrovich says that it looks more and more like his two driblets (62 and 77) apply. If they could really understand them the way out of this mess is in there. The pigeons and the deer will come back. The snow will go.
People are still stopping at Nancy’s. If anything the coffee is even worse than when Nellie started. But you need someplace to share your ideas. The wildest so far is that they should try to get Hilary Clinton to sing the pigeon song. She is a woman with lots of power. Somebody else asked if anybody had ever heard her sing. The fact is that if she is the right woman it won’t make any difference how she sings as long as she sings the right song.
Despite the snow and lack of pigeons life goes on in Pigeon Falls.
Today is the start of Sunday School at Last Lutheran. There will be confusion. Children will discover who is willing to teach this year. Pastor Joan will lead them in worship. They will sing Jesus Loves Me. Life will go on as usual.
At the main worship service Pastor Joan will announce that if the cold weather continues the church will need a little extra giving to the heating fund. The heating fund, you will remember, was established because the price of natural gas went up so much that the heating costs couldn’t be met by the regular budget. They have held three fund raisers for the fund. One was matched by some Lutheran insurance company ( Tie a Net or something like that). Even so the cold weather , this early, could empty the fund.
****

Today's Link- Ellen Loudon- Faith and a bicycle .
Went to church this morning. Pennie and I did the children's sermon. It proved beyond any doubt that I need a hearing aid. Pennie did the Margaret puppet she used to do in Crystal. After church we had root beer floats ( at church). Then we went grocery shopping at Pick and Save. In the afternoon I took a nap. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

The Non-profit defense

Saying for the day-Absolute justice is achieved by the suppression of all contradiction: therefore it destroys freedom. Albert Camus

When I was still in Crystal Falls the police ran some kind of sting operation and caught five people selling drugs. I am sure that in every small town you can find somebody selling drugs. But that wasn’t what caught my attention. One of the men argued in court that he shouldn’t be charged because he had failed to make any money at it. He was a poor seller of drugs. He had gone into the business to make money. He failed. So that should be penalty enough. I call this the bad capitalist defense.
Now if it worked and I didn’t follow the case it would have set a precedent where the bad capitalist defense could be used in other cases.
I could see the following court case.
A woman has been shot. The man who shot her is in court. He is asked for his plea.
Killer– Not guilty by reason of non profit your Honor.
Judge– You did shoot this woman.
Killer– Right in the head. A good clean shot. I do good work.
Judge. Then why aren’t you guilty?
Killer– Because her husband never paid me. He promised after the shooting to give me $50,000 but he reneged. No profit . No crime.
Judge– The husband hired you to kill his wife.
Killer– Right. But he didn’t pay up.
Judge– Didn’t you get some up front money ?
Killer– Yep. He gave me $10,000 . But I spent all of that on doing the job.
Judge– What expenses did you have ?
Killer– I had to buy a gun that couldn’t be traced. Had to rent a car in another town and drive here. Do you know what gas costs per gallon? I had to rent a motel room so I could watch his wife for awhile. It all adds up. My accountant has prepared a full expense sheet for you.
Judge – It does look like you didn’t make anything. But I have some good news for you. We took the husband to civil court and the husband was ordered to pay you $40,000. I have the check here for you.
Killer– Thank you judge.
Judge– Now , since you have no defense. I find you guilty of murder and sentence you to life in prison and a $30,000 fine.
Killer– Why $30,000?
Judge– That way you still make a profit.
Life can be exciting.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it’s getting colder.– It snowed this morning in Pigeon Falls, a big , heavy, white snow. The ground was covered for fifteen miles around the town. This is an early snow even for a UP town.
Petrovich says it fits the prophecy. The deer are gone, the pigeons are gone. It is cold . And now everything is white. They would do well to study the driblets and look for a way out. There is always a way out.
Eino says they have had snow in September before. It happens. In a day or so it will melt and it won’t come again until Christmas.
Other people are not so sure and a lot of people are going to Petrovich’s website and reading driblets sixty two and seventy seven. They are looking for that way out.
Despite the bad coffee in Nancy’s absence and despite the fact that Nellie is not a good listener people are stopping into Nancy’s Coffee shop and sharing their ideas over a cup of coffee and a mediocre saffron bun. A number of them think that when Nancy gets back she should sing the Pigeon Falls song. Then the pigeons will come back and the snow will go. Others think that Vicky East should write a new song and sing it. Then the pigeons will return and everything will return to normal. The wildest idea is that the Governor should come and sing the Pigeon Falls song. She is a woman with power.
Will the snow continue. Is Eino right? Is Eino wrong? Should the Governor sing? Will the Governor sing? Will the poor dragon freeze? And of course is Tommy UK really the Undertaker’s kid?
Tomorrow not one of these questions will be answered but come and visit anyway.
*****

Today's Link-Creative Musings- A depressing bit of poetry.
Another good day. In the morning I started the impossible task of cleaning off the kitchen desk. Betty painted fence. Pennie cut grass. Then Peter and his children stopped in. They went to some event. I waited for a man to come and pick up the bed I sold on the internet. Peter returned and the man came. He also took the stuff I had on free cycle. So I sold some and gave some away. Then we went out to eat. When we came back we played two games of canasta with Betty and I winning both of them. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Friday- Win or Lose

Saying for 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 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.

Today's Priceless Prize is this marvelous snowman globe.


If you don't like camels take a chance

on a door.
You could win two paper clips
or
A treasure Chest
or
Something else!

Good Luck.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it’s cold.– There was a heavy frost in Pigeon Falls last night. Petrovich says that it fits right into driblet seventy seven. Eino says that’s nonsense. The heavy frost went as far as Green Bay in Wisconsin. You might as well say that the driblet pertains to Green Bay.
Petrovich says it’s not just the frost it’s the “City of the Birds”.
Eino says that “City of the Birds could be any town anywhere with birds in the title. There is an Eagle’s Nest in Austria, and one in New Mexico. There is even a Bird City in Kansas. Why does it have to be Pigeon Falls?”
Petrovich responded with the fact that everything in the driblet fits Pigeon Falls.
It was still cold this morning as the milk train came in. In fact there was a touch of snow in the air and it’s just September.
Nancy and her new husband will be coming back Sunday. They are coming back from the warmth of Florida to the frost of Pigeon Falls.
*******

Today's Link-Illustrations & some other stuff- Scroll down and take a look.

The Drawing is over


and the winner is



Tun Ta Dun Tah Da






Quilly


Congratulations Quilly- Perhaps you should take the snow globe as you won't be seeing much snow in Hawaii. Quilly choose door number two. She has had enough of snow. Behind door number two was our magnificent, almost magical desk set. It consists of two genuine ball point pens and a extra heavy paper weight.
This was a busy day. I ordered some flower bulbs, made arrangements to sell a bunk bed, put some k-net stuff up on free cycle, visited most of my links, and watched my soaps. I started the process to get a portable oxygen concentrator. Betty got called and told her that her lab test showed she has high cholesterol . Now she has started on pills. Both of us worked for a bit in the garage. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

My Doctors

Saying for the Day: The worst thing about medicine is that one kind makes another necessary. ~Elbert Hubbard

I have reached that stage in life where I no longer have a doctor. Instead I have doctors. I have a lung Dr, an eye Dr., an Ear Dr., an arthritis Dr., and a general Dr.. The general Dr. is in charge of my potassium . Which he checks every three months. Then he makes me take these horse pills..
But today is Dr. Wilson’s turn to have me. At 10:30 he will listen to my lungs. I will tell him of the trouble I’ve had breathing and perhaps he will have a new pill ( I already take 3 a day for breathing).
When I was a kid I was afraid of Doctors. Now I almost live in their offices.
When I was a kid I once pretended to be sick so I didn’t have to go to school on the day they were giving shots. I was terrified of needles. Now I am so used to having my arm punctured to draw blood that it seems like the normal thing.
But today is Dr. Wilson’s day and I have to cut this blog short because I have to go and make up a list of all the drugs I am taking to give him. He needs to know that so he doesn’t give me a new one that will cause one of the old ones to go crazy.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and no deer play– Where are the deer. That is the question in Pigeon Falls. Last week there were three of them running down the main street. There was a herd of them seen by passengers in the train out at Kaleva meadow. They were causing farmers trouble and eating the flowers. But this week they are nowhere to be seen. Like the pigeons they have vanished.
Petrovich says they could be the four legged ones in driblet seventy seven.
Eino says that’s nonsense. A line like “Where are the four legged ones?” could apply to almost any animal. The problem with the deer herd may be the increase in the number of wolves. Or it could be there is no problem at all. Pertrovich just has people thinking there is a problem.
But if the deer are gone it’s another blow to the local economy. Deer season is a big thing here with lots of tourists. If there are no deer then there will be no tourists.
Farmers with cattle should worry as well. With no deer to eat the newly restored wolf pack may turn to cows. Wolves have to eat.
*****

Today's Link-Keyboard Monologues- Read that you too might drool.
Saw Dr. Wilson this morning. He says that the lungs are about the same as when I was there last fall. He dosn't think they will get much better so we are trying just to hold them where they are. Came home in time to watch my soaps. Did some more work in the basement ( word " work" is used loosely ). Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Fast Forward from Ralph-The Land that made me me

Saying for the Day-O! Call back yesterday and bid time return. ~ William Shakespeare

This came in the E-mail yesterday from Ralph and I so enjoyed it that I thought I would share it.
The Land That made Me Me

Long ago and far away,
In a land that time forgot,
Before the days of Dylan,
Or the dawn of Camelot.
There lived a race of innocents,
And they were you and me,
Long ago and far away
In the Land That Made Me Me.

Oh, there was truth and goodness
In that land where we were born,
Where navels were for oranges,
And Peyton Place was porn.
For Ike was in the White House,
And Hoss was on TV,
And God was in His heaven
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We learned to gut a muffler,
We washed our hair at dawn,
We spread our crinolines to dry
In circles on the lawn.
And they could hear us coming
All the way to Tennessee,
All starched and sprayed and rumbling
in the Land That Made Me Me.

We longed for love and romance,
And waited for the prince,
And Eddie Fisher married Liz,
And no one's seen him since.
We danced to "Little Darlin'",
And Sang to "Stagger Lee"
And cried for Buddy Holly
In the Land That Made Me Me.

Only girls wore earrings then,
And three was one too many,
And only boys wore flat-top cuts,
Except for Jean McKinney.
And only in our wildest dreams
Did we expect to see
A boy named George, with Lipstick
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We fell for Frankie Avalon,
Annette was, oh, so nice,
And when they made a movie,
They never made it twice.
We didn't have a Star Trek Five,
Or Psycho Two and Three,
Or Rocky-Rambo Twenty
In the Land That Made Me Me.

Miss Kitty had a heart of gold,
And Chester had a limp,
And Reagan was a Democrat
Whose co-star was a chimp.
We had a Mr Wizard,
But not a Mr T,
And Oprah couldn't talk, yet
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We had our share of heroes,
We never thought they'd go,
At least not Bobby Darin,
Or Marilyn Monroe.
For youth was still eternal,
And life was yet to be,
And Elvis was forever,
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We'd never seen the rock band
That was Grateful to be Dead,
And Airplanes weren't named Jefferson,
And Zeppelins weren't Led.
And Beatles lived in gardens then,
And Monkeys’ in a tree,
Madonna was a virgin
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We'd never heard of Microwaves,
And "gay" meant fancy-free,
And dorms were never coed
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We hadn't seen enough of jets
To talk about the lag,
And microchips were what was left at
The bottom of the bag.
And Hardware was a box of nails,
And bytes came from a flea,
And rocket ships were fiction
In the Land That Made Me Me.

Buicks came with portholes,
And side show came with freaks,
And bathing suits came big enough
To cover both your cheeks.
And Coke came just in bottles,
And skirts came to the knee,
And Castro came to power
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We had no Crest with Fluoride,
We had no Hill Street Blues,
We all wore superstructure bras
Designed by Howard Hughes.
We had no patterned pantyhose
Or Lipton herbal tea
Or prime-time ads for condoms
In the Land That Made Me Me.

There were no golden arches,
No Perrier’s to chill,
And fish were not called Wanda,
And cats were not called Bill.
And middle-aged was thirty-five
And old was forty-three,
And ancient was our parents
In the Land That Made Me Me.

But all things have a season,
Or so we've heard them say,
And now instead of Maybelline
We swear by Retin-A.
And they send us invitations
To join AARP,
We've come a long way, baby,
From the Land That Made Me Me.

So now we face a brave new world
In slightly larger jeans,
And wonder why they're using
Smaller print in magazines.
And we tell our children's children
of the way it used to be,
Long ago, and far away
In the Land That Made Me Me.

(author Unknown)

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and Petrovich has translated another driblet.- Not only does poor Pigeon Falls have no pigeons and bad coffee with Nancy gone on her honeymoon but Petrovich has tacked another driblet to the bulletin board in the Town Halland published it on his website. He says that he is not sure what it means but the first line assures him that it applies to Pigeon Falls. Here is the driblet:

Hard times in the City of the Birds with no birds.
White! White! White!
My eyes hurt.
I am so cold.
Where are the four legged ones?
White ! White! White!
(Untranslatable line)
I am so cold.
Nothing to hunt.
Even the wolf turns away.
The King’s men can’t help.
White! White! White!
My eyes hurt.
It is so cold.
Where are the birds? Bring back the birds.
How long?
The music stops. No singing.
White! White! White!
My eyes hurt.
I am so cold.
Help comes but it does not help.
The King’s men know nothing.
White! White! White!
My eyes hurt .
It is so cold.
Where is the song?
Where is the singer?
Sing! Sing! Sing!
I can not stand the white.
I am so cold.
( Untranslatable line)
I will look no more at this vision.
I need a warm drink.
At this point the prophet ceases to speak and falls into a deep sleep.
******

Today's Link-Marginalized Action Dino- Some thoughts on Canadian politics.
Breathing was a little better today. Tomorrow I go to see the Lung doctor. I put a shelf together in the basement this morning. I watched my soap. Betty went to the doctor and her eyes are doing fine. My regular DR. called and all my lab tests were fine. After Betty came back from the Doctor we went to the Post Office. I got last Friday's prize out before the next drawing. Wow! I"m baking some bread. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Corn on The Cob in Four Minutes

Saying for the Day: Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn. ~Garrison Keillor

We live in a marvelous age. Yesterday I had corn on the cob as part of my lunch. In the past having corn on the cob meant hauling out the big pan, filling it with water, and bringing the water to a boil. Then you had to throw in the corn. With all that work you never did just one ear you did at least two or three. Then you waited for the corn to cook.
Then along came the microwave. You had to find the special corn dish, add water, and cook for seven minutes or so and it was never as good as the corn that was boiled.
But now science has come to my rescue. The corn I had yesterday was placed in a special Glad bag with a little water. It was placed in the microwave where it steamed for four minutes. It was every bit as good as the boiled corn.
Now I can have one ear of corn on the cob anytime I want it with no trouble. There are no pots to clean or put away. The bag goes into the garbage can.
Isn’t science wonderful?
I don’t even get paid for this commercial.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life goes on without pigeons.– Where have all the pigeons gone. That’s the number one question in Pigeon Falls today.
People stopping at Nancy’s coffee shop and offering a number of theories to Nellie Wigander who is running the shop while Nancy is on her honeymoon. Nellie is not as good a listener as Nancy and tends to cut people short. She is tired of people suggesting the pigeons flew south because it is going to be such a cold winter. She cuts them off with a “That’s not likely. We’ve had cold winters before and they never left. Somebody suggested that the growing wolf population scared them .Nellie thought that made no more sense than the going south theory. It would have to be a pretty dumb pigeon to get caught by a wolf. The theory Nellie likes is that the government has some kind of secret project that has driven the pigeons out. Perhaps, high frequency radio waves that only pigeons can hear. Nellie has been angry with the government ever since her father was arrested for tax evasion. He hadn’t paid his taxes in fifteen years. He didn’t think the government had done anything worth giving his money for. He said when we get a government that spends our money on useful things rather than the military and making war he would gladly pay taxes. At his trial his lawyer argued that not paying taxes was a form of free speech but the jury didn’t buy it. So Nellie is always willing to believe the government is behind any bad thing.
Petrovich says he has another driblet and will publish it on his website as soon as he gets it translated in full. Some of the Coptic words are giving him trouble as they have several possible meanings.
******

Today's Link-Good Boy Gone Bad-What to do when somebody starts a rumor about you.
It was a hard breathing day. I used oxygen all day. In the morning both Betty and I went to the clinic for lab tests. She has a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I have one on Thursday. Then we went out for breakfast. Came home in time for the soaps. Then I put a bunk bed up for sale on the Neenah sale and barter group. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

On Winning- Sort of

Saying for the day- The real problem in Oz is that the curtain opened.

The Green Bay Packers won yesterday. It was not a beautiful game. They did not play that well. The truth is that their opponent played even worse. It was one of those games that went to the least incompetent rather than to the one with the greatest skill. But they did win and so Packer fans are happy.
Patrick and I won at canasta last night. We didn’t win because were better players . We just got better cards. There are nights when you know just what to do and never get that one card that makes it possible. But we won and that makes us happy.
You can say all you want about winning not being important but winning makes us happy. Losing does not.
The problem with winning is that it allows one to hold onto illusions. Packer fans can keep believing that this is the year of another Super Bowl. I can keep believing I have some skill at cards.
I guess it’s okay to hang onto an illusion. The fact that your team has a quarterback who once was great but now is mediocre at best can be ignored. It makes you feel good that he who took you to a championship still leads the team.
The problem with the illusion is that it will run into reality . You will lose and then what.
That’s simple ! You blame the coach or at canasta you blame your partner.
Just don’t let us see the man behind the curtain.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and it is just too quiet.-How do you see that something isn’t there. It took awhile for people to notice that the pigeons weren’t there anymore. It was quiet for one thing. There was no coo , coo, coo. The car came home from church with nothing on the roof that had to be cleaned off. The birdseed by the Town Hall went uneaten. And little by little it has become clear that the pigeons are gone.
Pigeon Falls with no pigeons is now a reality.
Eino says they will be back. It has nothing to do with that silly prophecy.
Petrovich is saying that he told them this was going to happen. He is now searching through the driblets to see if there is another one that might give them some help.
If Nancy's new husband ever finishes his book " Murder in a Small Town" he could start another one entitled " The Quiet of the Pigeons" or perhaps " The Day the Pigeons Vanished". At this moment, however, he and Nancy are in Florida on their honeymoon. One doubts they are very much worried about pigeons.
Are the pigeons really gone? Will they ever return ? Will Pigeon Falls have to change its name to Pigeonless Falls? Can Petrovich find another driblet? Will the Packers win next Sunday? and of course Is Tommy UK really the undertaker's kid?
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Today's link-Mothers on the Verge-Some thoughts on putting the kid to bed.
It was a rainy , dreary day here in Neensah. I worked on the computer, watched my soaps and visited blogs. Betty is painting the train table in the basement. I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Fast Forward from Ralph- The Rope

Saying for the day-

Isaiah 41:13 (New International Version) For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

As I was thinking about a Word for this Sunday blog I got an E-mail from my friend Ralph . It seemed like just the thing to share. Here is the slightly modified version.

The ROPE

The story tells about a mountain climber, who wanted to climb a very high mountain. He wanted to be the first one to the top so he climbed alone. It was a long climb and night was coming. By great effort he reached the top. He planted his flag on the top and started down. It was rapidly growing dark and the cold of the mountain night was setting in. He needed to get to his base camp where he had warm blankets and a heater. In his haste he lost his footing and fell into the darkness. At this time his entire life flashed before his eyes. He saw the good and the bad things he had done. He was sure he was going to die. Then suddenly his safety rope pulled tight and he found himself hanging in the darkness.
Now in his entire life he had never been very religious but at this moment he cried out

HELP ME GOD

A deep voice came from above him and said.

What do you want me to do.

Climber-Save me God.

God– Do you really think I can save you.

Climber– Of course I believe you can.

God– Then cut the rope.

The climber thought for a moment and then held onto the rope as tight as he could. It was his life line. It kept him from falling into the blackness. How could a loving God ask him to cut it.

God – If you believe you must cut the rope. I can save you.

But the climber could not . Would not leave go of the rope.

The next day some climbers found him. Hanging from the rope and frozen to death.

He was five feet from the ground and just a few feet from his base camp.

And you how attached are you to your rope? Will it save or kill you?

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and Nancy is now married– The wedding of the year in Pigeon Falls is over. It went very well. The coach held up. It did not rain. The horses didn’t turn into mice. Eino walked Nancy down the aisle in her beautiful dress. Pastor Castle took a bit out of the Orthodox Wedding service and held a crown over the bride and groom’s head. For that moment they were Prince and Princess , King and Queen. The reception after the service went very well. AS they passed the coffee shop in the carriage the cups formed a big smile in the window, Nancy’s poltergeist at work. It seemed to be happy with the wedding. The Pigeon Falls dragon flew over head as if to salute the couple. This made the horses a little jittery but caused no problems. In fact it went so well that people were a little disappointed. They had expected the skies to open, thunder, and all the pigeons to disappear. IT just didn’t happen.
At the reception Nancy had Edward Thompson take the horses back to Tommy UK’s barn so they would be there on time. Edward says after he left he heard what sounded like and explosion and saw a flash of light in the barn.
Then four large white mice came running out the door. Edward got right out of there and didn’t check on the horses. Tommy UK who received the horses says their owner came shortly after Edward came and took the horses to a horse show in Green Bay. He didn’t see any mice.
It is Sunday in Pigeon Falls and it seems afully quiet.
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Today's Link -Martin's Mumbles- And you think you have paper work. Leave a nice comment.
I learned a lot about St. Mark's this morning as we celebrated fifty years of the congregation's ministry. The Bishop preached. Not as effective a preacher as Pastor Joel but OK. The songs were the one's used at the start of St. Mark's fifty years ago. It was a wonderful time of rejoicing. The only problem was that it was a bad breathing day. I went through my portable oxygen bottle just before we left for home. I swapped it for a ful bottle and we went grocery shopping at Wal Mart. I took a nap in the afternoon. Then Pat and Curtis came from the Green Bay game and we played canasta. Pat and I won. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA