No More Meme

Saying for the day-The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.- Winston Churchill

I have run out of meme’s. Every Monday for the last month I have done a meme. Monday readers now know more about me than I do.( I forget a lot) But last week I didn’t find any new meme’s, not a single one. So that thread ends.
Today I want to share with you my problem. I want to be a well informed voter. I want to cast a vote in the Presidential election that will serve the country well. But I am not getting much help.
What I am getting from the press is speculation.
They speculate on why Hillary told us she was shot at when she wasn’t.
They speculate on weather in Obama’s heart of hearts he is really a black racist or worse a Moslem terrorist.
They speculate on McCain teeth and why he hasn’t had them fixed.
None of this is helpful to me.
I want them to look at what we know.
What will the health plans of Hillary or Obama cost? As great as they would be can we afford them?
Does McCain have a health plan?
What would happen if we follow their plans for getting out of Iraq?
The networks certainly can work those figures out.
Give us a picture of what a Hillary, Obama, or McCain presidency would be like.
We can’t trust their press releases. We know politicians lie.
But can’t we take at face value what they say they will do and project the consequences?
Of course, such projections may not be exciting. They might even require some thought to work through.
An angry Pastor makes a better sound bite.
It is more fun to catch the candidate in a mistake.
So the press turns the election into a soap opera.( As the Country Turns).
Perhaps , it’s not the candidates that have failed us, it’s the press.
I still have a little time before I have to vote.
Perhaps, when we are down to two candidates there will be real debates and the press will give us useful information. Then , of course, I might take up skydiving. But don’t count on it.
#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. So the Tommy Club has a finger print but no data base to compare it with. You know a data base like CSI has on television. You put in the fingerprint and the computer suddenly gives you a picture of the person it belongs to. The Tammy Club doesn’t have a data base. If they did people like Tommy TW wouldn’t be in it. He has never been arrested. He was never in the military. He is a non-person data base wise. For that matter so are most of the citizens of Pigeon Falls. They just live quiet lives below the radar of modern society.
Tammy suggested, that since the Sauna has been closed since the incident they see if there are any fingerprints there. They found all kinds of fingerprints. But on the door and on the desk in the entry room they found one that matches the one on the box. They now feel sure that this is the fingerprint of the person who set up the hoax. But whose fingerprint is it.
Tommy TW returns tomorrow . They intend to ask him for his fingerprints. But Tommy UK has pulled a fingerprint off of his signed copy of “Murder in the Sauna” and it doesn’t match so he doubts that it will be Tommy TW.
The Musuem Board has asked Kivi&Maki for the mannequin once the investigation is over. It will make a fine display. They are planning a room set up like the sauna. They will also have copies of Tommy Tw’s book available for purchase. The ghosts at the Latimer house will certainly have a lot to lay with.
*****

Today's Link-Half a Bubble Off- Deep Thoughts about Time
It was a dfull day. I spent most of the day on the computer. I visited all my links. I started printing out February blogs for my sister until I ran out of ink. I visited new blogs as possible links for upcoming days. I brought St. Mark's website up to date I added the April calendar, the April newsletter, and last Sunday's bulletin. I visited some old time radio websites. Now I need a BREATHING TREATMENT.
gbya.

Happy Birthday

Saying for the day: We turn not older with years but newer every day.Emily Dickinson

She was a beautiful baby.
A Scholar

A Daughter, A Daughter-in-law, A Mother and a Wife


But she is also the Angel that God sent to make sure I could do the job He gave me.

So Happy Birthday Betty.
I love you more now than when we first met.
Every day I thank God for letting me live most of my life with you.

You look as beautiful as you did the day we were married.
May this day be a truly wonderful day.
Another day for me to tell you I love you.

#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal.The Tommy Club has decided by a vote of ten to one to try to solve the “Murder in the Sauna” mystery. Tammy took their fingerprint kit and got fingerprints from the outside and the inside of the box that held the mannequin. After removing the fingerprints of Kivi and Maki they had three prints left that they couldn’t identify. Two of them were from the same person. One on the inside of the box and one on the outside.
They were not Petrovich’s . He gladly gave them a set of his to compare. They were not Tommy UK who felt insulted to be asked but gave his fellow club members his prints anyway.
Tommy TW was away on a book signing tour so they will have to wait for him to come back to check his. They seemed to have hit a dead end.
Last Lutheran is taking a special offering this morning for the museum fund. Pastor Joan is also asking people to go through their attics and see if they have church related items from the early days of Pigeon Falls. She says that the Church has to be concerned about its community. She also would like to see a room that tracks the history of the Pigeon Falls churches. Who were the first Pastors and Priests? Where did people worship? What churches started but died? When did the Lutheran Church move from the country , out at the end of the yellow brick road, into town? It would be an interesting room.
******

Today's Link-Betty's News- It's here birthday stop and leave her a happy birthday.

We had a great day. I got to announce that it was Betty's birthday in Church this morning. The sermon was great. The bell choir did the anthems. Betty and Pennie served thje coffee. People loved the saffron buns all ninety of them went. After Church we took Betty to Red Lobster. I hate sea food but it was her birthday so went there. She really enjoyed it. When we got home Peter called and wished her a happy birthday. Life is good. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

60 Minutes of Dark

Saying for the day-There's nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes . . . and dead armadillos. Jim Hightower
Yesterday while visiting one of the links I usually visit I was directed to go HERE . My blog friend thought this was a great idea. Instead of just standing by we could do something about Global Warming.
And who doesn’t want to do something about Global Warming.
Well there was that moment in the middle of Winter when we had more snow than ever and it was really cold that I thought Global Warming might even be a good thing. But that thought passed.
So I being an obedient sort started making plans for tonight. At 8:00 I would turn off all our lights, our television sets, our computers, do no laundry, wash no dishes. I was looking for our old telescope so I could sit on the deck ( though it still is very cold) and look at the sky. I would be doing my part and saving resources.
But then as I looked for links for “Today’s Link” I was directed HERE. These people want us to fight against the idea of Global Warming as a human creation. They want us to turn on everything. They even have a list of things to turn on.
Now I had a problem I couldn’t obey both groups. I have to decide for one or the other. Both want me to sign their petitions. Both are sure they are right.
One group believes that science has shown that we caused Global Warming. The other group believes and it has scientists as well that this is just another attempt by government to meddle in our lives.
I could try being middle of the road. I could turn everything off for half an hour and on for half an hour. I could sign one petition with my first name and one with my second ( they are the same length as opposed to my last which has one more letter) But you know what happens to middle of the road people. They get hit by rocks thrown from both sides.
Do you see what a quandary I’m in because I read blogs.
Well I have until 8:00 to make up my mind.
I wonder where that telescope is.
#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. Eino found out how the mannequin got to Pigeon Falls. He called and talked to the person who sold it and the person said that it was bought by a person with a name like Pivi or Wigvi who wanted it for a store in Pigeon Hole. Eino then went over to Kivi&Maki’s store and asked if they had recently bought a mannequin . Sure enough old man Kivi had picked one up . It was real deal as he got it for almost nothing. He told Eino it was in a big box back in the storeroom. But when they went to check on it it wasn’t there. Somebody had swiped it.
That means we can put Tommy UK back on the suspect list. He could very well have swiped the mannequin . Eino now thinks that we can eliminate Petrovich. With all the money he has he could easily have bought one. He certainly didn’t need to steal one.
Tommy UK , of course , denies it. He thinks they should see if there are any fingerprints on the box the dummy was stored in. The State CSI people don’t think it’s worth bothering about. So who is there that can check for fingerprints?
Will fingerprints be found? Is Tommy UK really guilty? Could it be somebody we haven’t thought of yet? Will the state crime lab people suddenly show up? And of course though we are tired of the question is Tommy UK really the undertaker’s kid?
******

Today's Link-Out & About in New York City- The problem with blog awards.
Today we cooked. We made sixty little cup cakes to go with three dozen we bought yesterday and 90 saffron buns. we will serve them in church tomorrow in honor of Betty's birthday. I even have a little speech ready. She is so special that Pennie and I want the day to be special. But now IO needa breathing treatment and she gives it.
GBYA

A Storyteller

Saying for the day-"In the white man's schools, they teach children what to think; we tell them stories and ask them to think for themselves." Ray Apodaca, Apache

Since I wrote down another elf tale yesterday I am keenly aware of the differences between a writer and a storyteller. I am a storyteller. I am not a writer. What are the differences?
1. A storyteller creates and tells stories but so does a writer.
2. The story teller creates the story new every time he tells it. The writer’s story is frozen at the time it is written down.
3. The story teller adjusts the story to the audience. The writer doesn’t have an audience.
4. The story teller can use words he can’t spell. The writer has no such luxury.
5. Words that sound the same are not a problem for a storyteller. They are for a writer and a spelling checker won’t catch them.
6.A storyteller doesn’t have to worry about punctuation. A writer certainly does.
7. A storyteller can play with the sound of words. A writer can’t.
8. Storytelling existed long before writing.
9. Storytelling is by far more fun.
A blog is a strange combination of both.
#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. Bonnie McGregor saw Martha Koski yesterday. The two women are getting along fine. Nurse Practitioner Martha said that Bonnie is doing fine. Everything is on schedule for her to have two healthy babies.
Bonnie and her husband are now trying to come up with names. Of course, they don’t know yet if they are boys or girls or both. So they are looking at both sets of names.
Petrovich, who is a friend of the McGregors , suggested one be named Alexis after the great Seer. But Bonnie doesn’t really like that name. So it’s doubtful that either of the babies will get that name.
Mr. Mcgregor suggested Tommy or Thomas but Bonnie said the town doesn’t need another Tommy. That would make him Tommy OPK ( Old People’s Kid) . Tommy UK said they would make him a member of the Tommy club.
Picking a name for one baby is difficult but picking a name for two is almost impossible. They have decided to wait until they know the sex before they work on the names again. They have an upcoming ultra sound that should reveal the sex of each child.
What wiull the babies be? Will one be named after the Great Seer. Could the town stand another Tommy? Will everything continue to be fine for Bonnie? and of course Is Tommy UK really the undertaker's kid? These and other questions not even asked might be answered tomorrow on news from Pigeon Falls or then again they might not be.
******

Today's Link-Blogim Stori ( Story Telling Blog)- A blog about storytelling.
I had a good day. I visited most of my links. I also visited a lot of blogs looking for future "Today's link". I had to find those blogs that met my standards which really aren't that high. I learned a lot as I always do when I do such intensive visiting. Then Betty and I went grocery shopping. We are doing the coffee at Church on Sunday in honor of her birthday so we needed supplies for cooking tomorrow.I'm making little saffron buns to share and we are also making little cupcakes all decorated. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Little Bo Peep

Saying for the Day-Every Nursery rhyme has a history and a story behind it.

It’s Thursday and time for another elf tale.
Once upon a time so long ago that poems were written about it there lived a woman of very small stature. She was so small that everyone referred to her as little. Her name was Bo Peep. But everybody called her Little Bo Beep.
She lived in the little village of Downsula Minnesota which is right across the border from Upsula Canada. Little Bo Peep raised sheep for a living. She had a huge flock and lived fairly well. But one morning she got up and the sheep were gone.
Somehow the gate on the sheep pen had gotten open and they ,as sheep will , all wandered away. Well poor Little Bo Peep was beside herself. She looked and looked but didn’t find a single little lamb. Finally she called the sheriff. My sheep have wandered away she told him.
“ Let me get this straight” he said. “Your Little Bo Peep and you have lost your sheep and can’t tell where to find them”.
“That’s exactly right she said”
“I’m sorry”, he said” This office does not chase sheep , cows, chickens , rabbits, or horses. Perhaps, Bille can help you”.
Now Billie was the kindest, smartest person in all of Downsula. So great was his reputation that people even came down from Upsula to Downsula just to get his advice. So Little Bo Peep went to see Billie. Billie she said “ My sheep have wandered away and I can’t find them.
Billie said” Perhaps if you leave them alone they will come home bringing their tails behind them.”
So Little Bo Peep went home and did nothing. The next day she did nothing. But the day after when they still hadn’t come home she went to see Billie again. “Billie”, she said,” They still haven’t come back. I have waited and waited and my little heart is breaking.”
Again Billie thought for a bit and then said “ My mother always said that to change bad luck into good you have to do a good deed”.
Little Bo Peep ,who was a kind and caring person by nature ,thought that sounded like a good idea. She saw the old man next door trying to mow his lawn with one of those old push mowers. She made him a glass of lemonade with ice and had him sit on the porch and drink it while she finished his lawn with her power mower. He was so thankful that he wanted to pay her but she refused saying that it was reward enough to see him happy.
On the way home she was joined by a man in a green suit who was a short as she was and who had funny green shoes that curled at the toes.
“I’m an elf”, he said “and because of your good deed I am going to give you one wish. Use it well.”
Little Bo Peep , without even thinking , blurted out.”I wish that all the lost sheep would come home to me”.
The little man had a funny look on his face but said “ As you wish so shall it be.”
The next hour was so exciting. All of her sheep returned to the pen and it looked like there were even a few extra. Little Bo Peep was so very happy.
But then it happened. The sheep kept coming. By the next day there were so many sheep that the entire town of Downsula was filled with sheep. All the roads in and out of town were crowded with sheep. Sheep were pouring across the border from Upsula. It seemed as if every lost sheep in the world was on it’s way to Little Bo Peep’s house. Even Mary’s little lamb that usually followed her to school was on its way to Downsula. Sheep in Australia and England were leaping into the ocean and trying to swim to America. There was a worldwide sheep crisis.
Little Bo Peep called Billie . She couldn’t go and visit him because the sheep were pressed so tightly together that she would have had to walk across the top of them. She told Billie what had happened. He didn’t even laugh when she told him about the elf though nobody else believed her. Billie said he didn’t know how to undo an elf wish but he would call his Uncle Billie who he was named after and was a practicing Psychologist.
So Billie called his uncle Billie and told him the story. Uncle Billie said that an elf wish once changed his life and the person who made the wish still had one left and might be able to help.
So Billie called John Fortress, the name his uncle gave him. It seemed that John did still have the wish left. He did want to help but with an elf wish you had to be very careful. If he wished that all the sheep would go back to their original owners they would end up with their very first owners and not the people who owned them when the wish was granted. In addition all the sheep that had thrown themselves off of cliffs or drowned in the ocean would be lost forever. He finally decided that the best course of action was to simply wish everything back to the way it was before the wish was granted. So he blew his elf whistle and the elf came.
He wished every thing back as it was before Little Bo Peep’s wish. There was the usual “ As you wish so shall it be” and everything was back the way it was before.
Little Bo Peep’s sheep were still lost but you could walk in Downsula again. Little Bo Peep just gave up and cried herself to sleep.
Three long days went by and then one by one the sheep returned wagging their tails behind them. She should have listened to Billie in the first place .
Just remember a bad elf wish can fill your town with sheep and sheep manure . The manure is a separate problem but it’s there.
#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. Petrovich has donated several thousand dollars to the new museum fund. He is also making some replicas of the original Old Coptic driblets to display at the museum. He sees it as a chance to share the Seer Alexis Grengicoff with a wider group of people. He has also prepared a pamphlet on the life and times of Seer Alexis Grengicoff to be available, free of charge at the museum.
Nancy is going to donate some of the items that she has been saving all these years. To her they are family treasures but she will share them for the good of the community.
Wink’s Woods contributed a $1000 to the fund and Kivi&Maki also contributed $1000. Anything that brings people to the town is good for their business.
There will be a dragon room. It will have stories of the local dragon as well as little dragon statues and some pictures. Mrs. Trumble is not happy about this . She says that you shouldn’t have a room for a demon.
****
Today's Link-Morning Martini-A Look at the Hillary Campaign but not by me.
An interesting day. I started by over sleeping so my blog was a little late in getting posted. I visited all my links. In the afternoon we went to the garage and found all the G scale track to add to what is in the basement. Then we went to the basement and sorted out three more boxes to sell on eBay. My sister Dawn called and we talked for a long time. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Rebate Checks

Saying for the day- You can count on the Americans to do the right thing, once they've exhausted every other possible course of action. -- Winston Churchill

Rebates

#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. The Pigeon Falls Town Council met last night and set up a Museum Board. They have decided to turn the old Latimer place into a museum of Pigeon Falls history. It will house all the old issues of the “ Bird Seed” the now defunct community paper. It will have some of the equipment used by the original potato farmers. They have great plans for the museum. As an added bonus the place is supposed to be haunted. They may have one of the few haunted museums in the country. They will be collecting every ghost story that has been told about the place to put in the little book that will be on sale at the site. The Council has asked everyone to go through their attics and basements and look for old things with stories attached.
Petrovich is offering to do a history of Pigeon Falls and the driblets of the Great Seer. He will pay for the printing , himself. He has been quick to point out that not another museum in the country will have such a collection.
The Board is even considering having one room for just artifacts that relate to the adventures of the town that correspond to the driblets.
Ralph Kivi thinks that this will best small town museum in the country. Ralph is President of the new Board.
Before they open a lot of remodeling has to be done. They need a big fund raiser to get some money. Mrs. Trumble thinks they can get a government grant if they have enough matching money.
******

Today's Link-Farrah Rochon- Perils of the internet revealed at last.
Today was not a great day. I spent the day pulling together all my records and stuff to do my income tax. I hate doing income tax. The good news is we are getting money back from the federal government. The bad news is the state is taking more than I am getting back. In Michigan our social security and pension weren't taxed by the state but here they are . What a pain. And I owe interest because I didn't know we would have to pay that much. Did I say I hate doing taxes. But they are done. They have been e-filed. I can now relax. Unless I think of what I have to pay Wisconsin. My sister Dawn called. The one bright spot in a gloomy day. Now I really need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Fun and Family

Saying for the day- When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses. ~Joyce Brothers

On Saturday we went to an arcade with my grandsons. The video below is of the boys on the bumber cars. You can tell my grandchildren because I zero in on them and they are wearing a blue jacket or sweater. There is a volume control on the bottom of the picture.




Grandchildren with all their excitement make you feel young again. But there was no way I and my oxygen bottle were going on one of those cars.They also played laser tag and tried to win prizers on the games. It was a great day.

I have other videos but have decided not to force regular viewers of this blog to see them. There will be a family video button on the side for those who wish to. The button will be there when I get around to it.
Now I miss those boys.
******

#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. Part of the mystery has been solved. When the trial is over Luke Snowslider will have his medal and Barth Wader will get what he deserves. The question that remains and may never be solved is “ Who set up the fake murder?”
The prime suspects , of course are:
Petrovich, who wanted to prove the driblet was true.
Tommy TW as publicity for his book.
Tommy UK because he does things like that.
Petrovich says this is so much nonsense. He has never tried to make a driblet come true. He doesn’t have to. He trusts the great Seer.
Tommy TW says that book sales are going well. He has a proven best seller. He has been on the Letterman show. He doesn’t need a cheap trick.
Tommy UK says at times he wishes he had thought of it but he even if he had he didn’t have any life like mannequins on hand.
Eino faxed pictures of all three to the manager of the K-Mart store that went out of business. But he said that none of them were the person he sold the mannequin to.
Bonnie McGregor met Dr. Simpson’s new Nurse Practitioner ,Martha Koski. Martha will be watching over Bonnie until just before the birth. They have all agreed that the birth should be in the Iron Mountain hospital because of the twins.
Petrovich still hasn’t given us a translation of the driblet that might apply to Bonnie. If he doesn’t hurry the babies will already be born.
*****
Today's Link-Chronicles of a Country Girl- A Photo Tip from Chuck Noris
Had a good day. Breathing was a bit rough. In the morning I worked at getting the family videos on the web so my family can see them. They are now available by clicking on the family video button on the left. Then Peter and family stopped in. They are taking a mini vacation and going to Madison to shop . While there they will visit Pat.Then Betty and I went to the basement and sorted track. This is a tedious job so we put it off until just about the end and this is that time. We can put it off no more. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

MEME again!

Saying for the day-The body is a house of many windows: there we all sit, showing ourselves and crying on the passers-by to come and love us. ~Robert Louis Stevenson
Welcome to the 2008 edition of getting to know your friends. What you are supposed to do is copy this entire list and paste it into your own blog. Change the answers so they apply only to you, then send this challenge onto your blog friends. The theory is that we will all get to learn a lot of little things about our friends that we may not have known.
1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:00 AM
2. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls
3. Last movie you saw in the theater? The Silver Surfer ( Fantastic Four)
4.What is/are your favorite TV shows? Monk
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Cocoa and toast
6. What is your middle name? James as in “ King James”
7. What food do you dislike? Tomatoes (anything with tomatoes in it)
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Age to Age by Amy Grant
9. What kind of car do you drive? Pontiac Montana ( When Betty lets me drive)
10. Favorite sandwich? Bologna and Jam on white bread
11. What characteristics do you despise? Judgmental, inflexible
12. Favorite item of clothing? Comfortable slacks
13. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go? Finland
14. What color is your bathroom? White
15. Favorite brand of clothing? Salvation Army or Good Will
16. Where would you want to retire? Right where I am
17. Most memorable birthday? Yet to come
18. Favorite sport to watch? Football
19. Furthest place you are sending this to? England
20. Who do you expect to respond? Hopefully everybody who reads the blog
21. Person you expect to respond first? Uh...
22. Favorite saying? Grandpa knows everything.
23. When is your birthday? May
24. Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning ( but I used to be night)
25. What is your shoe size? 10.5
26. Pets? A pure bred English Springer Spaniel
27. What did you want to be when you were little? A Cowboy
28. What are you today? Retired Pastor
29. What is your favorite candy? Jelly Beans
30. Your favorite flower? Tulips
31.What is a day on the calendar you are really looking forward to? July 4th
32. What are you listening to right now? The music on the game my wife is playing and it’s driving me nuts.
33. What was the last thing you ate? Roast beef sandwich
34. Do you wish on stars? Yes!
35. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Green
36. What is your pet peeve? Having to take that darn breathing treatment.
37. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My son Peter
38. Do you like the person/people you are sending this onto? Of course, yes!
39. Favorite soft drink? Any Diet Cola
40. Favorite restaurant? Perkins
41. Hair Color? Black
42. Favorite day of the year? Fourth of July
43. What was your favorite toy as a child? My holster and six shooter
44. Summer or winter? Summer
45. Hugs or kisses? Both
46. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate
47. Do you want your blog friends to carry this on? yes
48. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday. I cry often during sad movies.
49. What is under your bed? Monster or elves. I’m afraid to look.
50. Who is the friend you've had the longest? Betty
51. What did you do last night? Went to bed early.
53. What are you afraid of? Whatever is under the bed.
54. How many keys on your key ring? No key ring.
55. How many years at your current job? I’m retired
56. Favorite day of the week? Sunday – I get refreshed
57. How many states have you lived in? Three
58. Do you make friends easily? Yes ( but they keep moving away or dying.)
59. How many folks will you send this to? all who visit this blog

#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. There was a great deal of excitement at the Paul Bunyan restaurant in Elkhart on Saturday night. The FLYFAST snowmobile team was eating the famous all you can eat meal when Tommy UK came in wearing the rfirst place medal from the previous week. Barth Wader went balistic. He accused Tommy UK of breaking into his room and stealing the medal. He told him he was going to beat him to a pulp. Tommy said the medal wasn’t his. That he stole it. Wader said it was his by right and he could never prove he stole it. That’s when the sheriff came in and arrested Barth. It seems Tommy UK was wearing a wire. It also seems that the medal he was wearing was a copy not the original. The entire incident gave the sheriff probable cause for a warrant. A search of Barth’s room produced the original medal. Barth then confessed to having stolen the medal but denied setting up the fake murder in the sauna. So that mystery may yet be unsolved.
Luke Snow Slider won the big Easter morning race , racing for the Polaris team. Tommy UK was there to cheer him on. He was supposed to be the acolyte at the Easter service at Last Lutheran but he had Tammy fill in for him.
******

Today's Link- Postings from Prairie Hill- - A really great Easter Sermon
It seemed so quiet here today with no kids. The poor dog looked so lost. I spent the morning getting the Church website up to date. added some videos of the Easter music. In the afternoon we worked in the basement counting and taking picture of EZ track to sell on eBay. I think in another three weeks we should be done with eBay. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Blessed Easter

From all the folks at Pigeon Falls, from all the Elves, and from Betty and I
It was a great if not hectic day. We got everybody up early so they could look for Easter Eggs and baskets. The good old Easter bunny even left Grandpa a bucket full of candy. How good is that? Then we pushed to get everybody fed, my morning breathing treatment done, showers taken, and off to church. The service was great two of my grandkids went and sat on the floor up front for the children's sermon. The sermon reminded us that the tomb was empty. The choir was great. They had three trumpet players that played during the hymn singing. I got some movies for the St. Mark's website and some new pictures for the opening. After church therewas an Easter egg hunt and my grandkids joined in that. I love St. Mark's. Then we fed them all. we had a roast but there won't be left overs this week. Alex and I played Betty and Pennie in Canasta and we got clobbered. Now they have left and it is so quiet. Peter called to wish us a happy Easter. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Old Mother Goose

Saying for the day: To me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am.
- - - - Bernard M. Baruch
My friend Ralph sent me this-enjoy!



















#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal.Tommy UK is going with Luke Snowslider to Elkhart this weekend for the Egg Stravagant Easter Snowmobile Race. He hopes to find some way to show that Barth Wader was behind the fake murder and the robbery.
Eino had hoped that the thief might try to cash the check that was at the bottom of the box. The box contained $100 in dollar bills and a check for $4900. They put a stop payment on the check the day after the box was taken. But so far no attempt has been made to cash it.
The community celebrated Good Friday yesterday with an impressive community service. All three churches took part. Father Raymond preached on the first two words from the Cross and then had to leave to do a required service at his church. The Methodist man preached on the next three and then Pastor Joan finished with the last two. Two choirs took part and several soloists. Despite the fact that it was slightly shorter than usual Herman Mati fell asleep for the third year in a row. His wife has given up trying to keep him awake. She is, now, just glad he comes.
*****
Today's Link-From a Heavenly Land- Watch out for facial hair it could kill you.
It was qa great day. We took the boys out to an arcade. we ate there. They rode bumber cards, played laser tag, and played games for tickets that they turned in for junk. I got to take movies . It was a great day. Then my sister Dawn called. She wiorrys about me. It was good to hear her voice. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Spring

Saying for the Day- It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain
I think Spring might be coming. Not fast but it’s coming. The snow has begun to melt. It is melting slowly but it’s melting. You can see my back fence for the first time in months. There is no longer any ice on my deck. Here and there you can see brown spots in the farmer’s field behind us.It is enough to give me hope.
Oh !there are still large piles of snow all around us. There is snow covering where my tulips might come up. The TV weather person is predicting some snow will fall today.
But there are enough signs for me to hope that soon Winter will be a memory and Spring will be here.

#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. Tammy from the Tommy Club went to Eino and suggested that they look over the mannequin for some clue to help solve the mystery. The mannequin was still locked in Jack’s Sauna waiting for the State Crime Lab to come. Practical jokes are not high on the Crime Lab’s list of things to investigate so it could be a very long wait. After a careful examination they found a little metal plate under the hair in the back of the mannequin’s head. It was built by Life Like Structures of Toledo, Ohio and there was an identification number on the plate.
That afternoon Eino called Life Like Structures and discovered the mannequin was sold to the K-Mart store in Brutish Bluffs, Montana. That’s also the home of the FLYFAST snowmobile company. Eino pointed this out to Tammy and said ,” Isn’t that an interesting coincidence?” Now we need to contact that K-Mart store.
That was not as easy as it sounded. It turned out the K-Mart store went out of business when the new Super WalMart opened. They sold out to the bare walls including several of the mannequins. No records were kept of those sales and they were all cash, no credit. Anybody could have bought it.
Has Eino hit a dead end? Is there no hope to solve the mystery? Can the Tommy Club find another way? Can it really be Barth Wader? And of course is Tommy UK really the undertaker’s kid?
******

Today's Link-Watergate Summer-You may not agree but it makes you think.
It certainly was a different day.I didn't do much on the computer because the boys were playing games on it. So I got no links visited. I did play a canasta game and lost. I watched the boys play. I foget how loud kids are. I almost took my hearing aid out. Well now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Beating the Bully

Saying for the day:“Young women especially have something invested in being nice people, and it's only when you have children that you realise you're not a nice person at all, but generally a selfish bully.” Fay Weldon

Beating the Bully (an elf tale)

Once upon a time not to long ago, but not yesterday either there lived a very little boy named John> John was smaller than every boy in his third grade class. He was even smaller than every girl. AS you might suspect John was not very good at sports. He couldn’t hit the ball in baseball, he couldn’t make a basket in basketball, and he would never ever even try playing football. John spent a lot of time reading in the school library. John was not only smaller he was smarter than every kid in his third grade class. John got all A’s on his report card. This was so long ago they were still giving letter grades instead of pass and fail. If they had measured reading skills in those days which they didn’t he would have been many grades above his grade. The wonderful thing is that John was not unhappy. He didn’t mind being small. He didn’t mind being called Squirt, his nickname. He didn’t mind having no sports ability. He liked who he was. He loved to read and dream. He4 had wonderful parents who taught him to be kind and loving and that he was very important in the eyes of God. John’s life was wonderful .

Except for the school bully, Billy. Billy tried to make John miserable. He delighted in tormenting him. Every Wednesday he took John’s lunch money so John had no lunch. Once he pushed him into a mud puddle. Ruined John’s best pair of pants. John told his parents about Billy but they said he had to try to love him. They said that Billy was not happy so he wanted others to be unhappy as well. This, of course, is good advice but hard to take when someone who is three times your size is working at making your life hell.

So John spent his recess in the library instead of the playground. Billy was forced to pick on somebody else which of course he did. He made as many kids miserable as possible. You would think the teachers would do something about this bully but they didn’t. They never seemed to notice. Their motto seemed to be let the kids work out their own problems.

One very nice day John de4cided to risk going out to the playground. He waited until everybody else had gone and hoped that Billy wouldn’t notice him. When he got there he saw Billy picking on little Margaret and she was about to cry. So john ran over and got between them.

“Leave her alone “, he said.” You just leave her alone.”

At that point our Bully pulled back and hit John right smack in the eye. It was quite a shiner. But Margaret looked on John as her hero and John felt heroic despite the pain. Like the characters in the books he read he had rescued a damsel in distress and escaped alive.

As he was walling home from school he was suddenly joined by a small man in a green suit. The man was almost as short as John and he had on funny shoes with curly toes. Now John had done a lot of reading and he knew an elf when he saw one. The elf said “ I saw what you did on the playground today . It was a brave and kind deed. It was so brave and so kind that I am giving you two wishes instead of the usual one. What would you like to wish for?”

Now John had read all those elf stories in the library. He knew that elf wishes were dangerous and could backfire. “ I have to think about it”, he told the elf. So the elf gave him the usual magic whistle and told him to blow it when he was ready to wish.

John rushed home and climbed up into the tree house his father had built for him. He was soon joined by his best friend Luke. Luke lived next door and

Was a year older than John. They had been friends forever and ever or maybe even longer. Luke’s parents sent him to St. Wilma’s Catholic School, though he wasn’t even Catholic. They said something about getting a better education. So Luke didn’t know Billy he only knew Freddy the Catholic bully.

John made Luke swear not to tell anybody what he was going to tell him. He had to swear on the life of his dog and if he told his dog would be run over by a logging truck. So Luke swore never to tell anyone and John told him about the elf and the two wishes.

Luke suggested they make a list of possible wishes and they did.

1. Wish for Luke and John to be bigger and tougher than the bullies.

2. Wish that both bullies would move to Chicago.

3. Wish that both bullies would get sick and have to stay out of school.

4. Wish that when either bully started to pick on somebody they would begin to sneeze and it wouldn’t stop until they did.

5. Wish that Luke and John’s parents would suddenly become very rich so they would move to a mansion and be taught by tutors instead of going to school.

6. Wish that Billy and Freddy would turn to stone. On the bottom of which would be engraved “ A Bully’s End”

7. Wish that both bullies would be caught by a teacher and never allowed to go on the playground.

The list got much longer because John and Luke were very creative.

But then they discarded all those that changed them. They were happy being who and what they were. They felt rich already and didn’t want to change that.

They discarded anything that hurt the bullies. They did not want to hurt them. They didn’t even want them to sneeze.

They discarded sending them to Chicago because there they would just bully somebody else.

Then John remembered something he had read about empathy . In one book there was an empathat , a person who felt other people’s pain. They could wish that when Freddy and Billy picked on somebody they would feel everything that person felt. They would begin to understand the pain they were causing and because now they had to experience it as well they might change.

Luke and John argued over the exact wording for a long time but finally John blew the whistle and the elf arrived in the tree house. John wished that Billy and Freddy would feel whatever their victims felt.

“ As you wish so shall it be” the elf said.

The next day was Wednesday and Billy met John at the door to the school.

“The lunch money , stupid”, Billy said ,looking as mean as ever.

John forgot About the wish. He was terrified and he already felt hungry since he knew he would get no lunch.

But a funny look came over Billy’s face. It was a look of terror. It was a look of pain. The wish was working. Billy sat down and John rushed into the building with his lunch money. Billy just sat looking confused.

John went out to the playground at recess and watched Billy. Billy stayed away from him but he was soon picking on Elmer a second grader. But then Billy began to shake his head. There was something wrong. He just didn’t know what. John almost felt sorry for him. But he needed to know the pain he had caused.

So Billy ceased to bully. In fact he became a protector of others against bullies. He grew up to become a successful psychiatrist. It was said he really seemed to understand the feelings of his patients.We don’t know what happened to Freddy.

Luke and John grew up, went to college, and still get together once a year to talk about old times and the elf wish that worked.

Oh!

#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. Part of the mystery has been solved. Eino was talking to his friend Janet and she suggested that you could use a magnet to lock the door from the outside. He tried it and it worked. You, of course, can also unlock the door from the outside with a magnet. That means next time Eino won’t have to kick the door in.
The other mysteries remain. They still have no idea who faked the murder or who stole the money and the medal. It may never be solved.
Luke Snowslider is now working for the Polaris team. They even bought his snowmobile. He is racing for them this weekend at a gathering in Elkhart Wisconsin. The FLYFAST team will be there. So Luke will get to race Barth Wader again. Wader is already telling everybody that this time he will beat him. This time, however, Luke has better equipment to work with. He has new parts instead of discards. He will certainly give Wader a run for his money.
School is out this week in Pigeon Falls. It is spring break. It used to be Easter vacation but that has religious connotations so now it is Spring break. The Tommy Club is meeting today. It is rumored that they are going to try to solve the mysteries. Well their hero is a detective. It could happen.
*****

Today's link-Exploring Izard County-Perhaps snow isn't so bad!
Had a good day. I worked on the computer in the morning. We addressed and sent out the last eBay stuff as well as my blog print out to my sister Then Betty took them to the Post Office. Dawn.Betty went to Bible study in the afternoon. I worked downstairs on putting together another set of eBay packages. Patrick called they are coming tonight instead of tomorrow and since we don't know when they will arrive we are not going to church. It also means the blog will be late in the morning because two of the boys sleep in the computer room.Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Get a Gun

Saying for the day: And the National Rifle Association says that, "Guns don't kill people, people do,” but I think the gun helps, you know? I think it helps. I just think just standing there going, "Bang!" That's not going to kill too many people, is it? Eddie Izzard

These are rough times. Crooks and murderers seem to be everywhere. Perhaps you are thinking this is the time to exercise your right as an American to own and carry a gun. Before you run out and get one read the following:

A man, 20, showing off to friends after miscounting bullets, fatally shot himself in the head (Dallas, January). [Dallas Morning News, 1-26-08]

A man who said he didn't feel safe walking his dog unless he had his gun with him, wounded himself on a walk (Palm Bay, Fla., February). [WKMG-TV (Orlando), 2-6-08]

A convenience-store robber, 25, shot himself in the genitals when stuffing the gun into his waistband (Kokomo, Ind., January). [WRTV (Indianapolis), 1-15-08]

A man, 26, checking on a disturbance near his apartment, shot himself in the buttocks (Scottsdale, Ariz., December). [KVOA-TV (Tucson)-AP, 12-13-07]

An insurance company employee, 47, who brings a gun every day to hang in his cubicle, shot himself in both legs while handling it (Lake Worth, Texas, October). [Star-Telegram (Fort Worth)], 10-30-07]

A man, 26, shot himself in the head while loading his gun at a firing range (Riverside, Calif., November). [Press-Enterprise (Riverside)], 11-24-07]

Perhaps we should get a guard dog.

#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. Two days have passed and there are still no answers. Nobody has figured out how a mannequin can lock itself in a room with only one door. There was no way to lock or unlock it from the outside. Eino has had the Sauna sealed up waiting for somebody from the State Crime Lab to come an examine the scene. The problem is that this was not a real murder and the state people are reluctant to spend money to investigate a practical joke. It is possible they won’t come at all.
Tommy UK has suggested that the robbery of the medal and money and the fake murder are connected. The one made the other possible. But since Tommy UK is one of the suspects people are not paying attention to him. They think he is just trying to cast suspicion away from himself.
As far as the robbery goes there are no clues. Nobody admits to seeing anything. They were all caught up in the drama at the Sauna. There are, of course, no fingerprints since it was cold and everybody was wearing gloves.
One big question is why did the crook take the medal. It has no real value. One can understand taking the cash but why the medal?
******

Today's Link-Gardens by the Lake-- - A reminder that Spring is coming.
Not a bad day. I visted all my links. Betty and I worked in the basement on the next part of the layout. We are slow. My sister calleed. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

St. Urho

Saying for the day: In the great arm wrestling match in heaven it was Urho over Patrick two out of three times.

Lowis reminded me that I have been neglectful of my duty as keeper of the Finnish tradition. I promised to post the official St. Urho ballad. I am only two days late. This is taken from the last remaining copy which I keep in my secret vault.

The Epic Ballad of St. Urho
( Dragonslayer)
translated from the original Finnish by the select committee of 4

(all rights reserved)
From the Messyneen documents discovered
March 16, 1981
Please note translation of these documents continues and further revisions are expected.
Select Committee of four consists of:
Representing the (Society tor the preservation of the Finnish Language and Culture
Dr. Thomas LeeWngdom. Visiting Professor of Linguistics, University of Turko,
Representing the Society tor the preservation of the Kalevala and other Epic Poems. Professor Urho Palomeki, University of Helsinki,
Representing The Society to Preserve the Precious Memory of St. Urho
KJ. Moiknen. Official AmerlGBn /^cultural Agent
Representing The Lutheran Church of Finland, committee on Finnish Saints, Artifacts. and other Old Things
Rev. Usea J. Linna
{ Committee of four was charged by the Finnish government with tasks of:
1 .Authenticate the documents found in the field of Mutta Mattala, Finnish farmer
2.Attempt to translate the documents using the best scientific and linguistic tools
available.
3.Revise such Finnish Epic Poems as would be indicated by the discovery.
4.Prepare scholarly defense of same to share with the academic community. ]

The Ballad of St. Urho

St. Urho stood upon the square,
His mighty staff in hand.
St. Urho stood alone that day,
He had no loyal band.

He had come right from the Mass,
In his purple robes and things,
He waits for the dragon green,
while the single church bell rings.;

He was waiting for the dragon.
Would the dragon ever come?

The people in the village,
had fled into the cave,
Leaving brave. St. Urho
to an almost certain grave.

The Dragon lived in England
A land quite far away.
It was the last one of its breed:
St. Urho Faced that day.

He was waiting for the dragon.
Would the dragon ever come?

The dragon could have feasted
Upon some cousin Jacks,
Or even eaten Irish stew
There was no food he lacked

But the Dragon's he's been spoiled,
He has a taste for Finn
To settle now for lesser folk,
Was not aright with Him.

He was waiting for the dragon.
Would the dragon ever come??

Now the channel water rises,
Hot air begins to blow.
The shadow of its mighty wings,
Pass on the ground below.

Now the air turns strangely warm,
The ground around him shook.
But the brave St. Urho
Was too afraid to look.

He was waiting for the dragon.
And now the Dragons come!

Ah! Now the battles started,
The dragons flames rain down
But St. Urho's magic shield,
Directs them to the Ground.

St. Urho Brings his mighty staff
Down on the Dragon's head.
The mighty staff breaks in two
St. Urho should have fled.

He was waiting for the dragon.
And now the Dragons come!

The Dragon lunges forward,
St. Urho he runs back
He drops his robes, his coat, his bag
He even drops a sack.

The race is on toward the cave,
St. Urho's in the lead,
He makes it to the entrance
Fore the dragon starts to feed.

He was waiting for the dragon.
And now the Dragons come!

So the Dragon eats the purple robes,
The coat, the bag, the sack
And sends a rain of fire
So they'll know he's coming back.

Since Urho's safe within the cave
his flight now homeward bends.
He didn't eat St. Urho,
And yet his hunger ends.

He was waiting for the dragon.
And now the Dragons done!

His massive stomach feels quite full
he really feels quite good
He'ill be back to eat the Saint
Like a mighty dragon should

The dragon's halfway home,
When Urho's secret weapon hits
He 'd filled his coat with pasties
And little pastie bits.

He was waiting for the dragon.
And now the Dragons done!

The Massive Indigestion brings,
Gas beyond all claims,
Causing sinister explosions
In the dragons stomach flames.

Soon, soon the Dragon plunges
He has lost control,
The explosions throw him
Into a final fatal roll.

He was waiting for the dragon.
And now the Dragons done!

It was the last English Dragon
defeated by a Finn,
He used his favorite weapon,
a pastie to the chin .

And when we wear the purple.
and when we wear the green
we remember old St. Urho
and what his life did mean.

He had waited for the Dragon
And NOW the Dragon's DONE.

When dragons come a flying,
Into your little sky,'
And you know the battle's hopeless,
just don't begin to cry.

Remember brave St. Urho,
And raise a little prayer
And Mighty old St. Urho
Will come to help you there

He had waited for the Dragon
And now the Dragon's DONE!

#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. On Sunday a huge crowd gathered at the gazebo to watch Luke Snowslider get his gold medal and money box as the first place winner. Barth Wader was still crying foul but the judges looked at the video of the end of he race and there was nothing even close to him when he crashed. So his protest was disallowed. The presentation was almost over when somebody cried “ He is dead! He is dead”. It seemed to come from Jack’s Sauna. So Eino and Mrs. Trumble went immediately to investigate. Entering the office they found nobody at the desk. It seemed that Jack’s nephew had left to watch the ceremonies leaving a sign that he would be right back. The door to the men’s sauna was locked from the inside and was hot to the touch. They thought they could hear moaning inside. Eino kicked the door as hard as he could and the lock tore loose from the door frame and the door swung open. At that point somebody hollered, again, “He is dead! He is dead!”. There are on the floor was a naked man with what looked like a bullet hole oozing blood which had pooled on the floor below him. Eino reached down to see if the man was dead and that’s when he discovered it wasn’t really a person. It was a very good mannequin . The blood was some kind of blood looking mixture. It was a fake murder in the sauna.
Now they had a mystery. Who would do this. Petrovich? To make the dribblet come true? Tommy UK? As a practical joke? Tommy TW? To sell his book “Murder in the Sauna”? These were the prime suspects.
To further complicate things how did a fake person through the lock bolt? That in itself was impossible. Perhaps Nancy’s poltergeist?
While all of this was happening Luke Snowslider’s money box and medal vanished from the table in the gazebo. Somebody took them while people were in front of the Sauna and distracted.
Now they had all kinds of mysteries and no detective.
Will any of this ever make sense? Where was Tommy TW when this happened? Can we blame the poltergeist? Who took the money and the medal? And of course is Tommy UK really the undertaker’s kid? These are some brand new questions could get answered this week but then again maybe they won’t.
*****

Today's Link-Pink Shoes in the Pulpit- A strange winter custom
It was an odd dauy. I spent the morning fooling with the St. Urho recoding. Then I posted it. This blog was just too long. So I promise I will keep tomorrow's short. In the afternoon Betty and I worked on the layout sand made some progress. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA