Wandering a little further west.

Yesterday, I posted about Terlingua, Texas and showed pictures that I took in that desert ghost town.  Today, I am going to move a little more west and show you pictures that I took in the Arizona desert.  I have been to this same area twice and am looking forward to going again.  What brought me here was gold prospecting on G.P.A.A.'s gold claims and outings that they hold in the ghost town of Stanton at the foot of "Rich Hill".  Rich Hill was the site of the "potato patch" where, during the gold rush of the 1800's they discovered potato size nuggets.

The first two are along the dirt road to Stanton:

The rest are of the desert:

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.  It rained all yesterday and last night so had to show some pictures to dry me out.  Have a good day not, you hear?

MsBelinda is having Terlingua dreams.

MsB is dreaming of Terlingua and planning a trip there.  It is definitely an unique place.  I was there for a week a few years ago.  In fact that is where I met Ben Woods, Billy Bob, John Wells, and David for the first time.  I ate at both the Grub Shack and the Starlight.  I do want to get back there sometime soon, but don't know when it will be.  It has been the subject of some of my paintings.  Even did a painting of Benita.  But the old part of Terlingua had so many potential paintings and I have only done a couple.  Here are some pictures of that part of Terlingua.  This first one is of the Starlight:

The rest are of the ruins:

See the far-a-way mountains trough the door?

This next one sits next to the drop off to a deep ravine:

See the Starlight in the back ground?

Anyway, that is a sampling of the pictures that I took of that area.  You can see that there is a lot of great material there for paintings and/or photographs.  I will be going back there one of these days.  Now, even if you aren't dreaming of Terlingua, please have a wonderful Saturday.  It is raining here and it is much appreciated.  Suppose to be a wet weekend and a beautiful week coming up.

Wondering about birds and flowers.

Yesterday when I carried two of my garbage cans down my driveway (a little over an eighth of a mile), I spotted some really pretty and uniquely shaped flowers.  Since I had my camera in my shirt pocket, I took a picture of them and would like to share it with you.  I do not know what they are.  They grow on a long thin vine with these flowers scattered along the vine.  Don't you think that they are pretty?

I think wild flowers are so much nicer than the cultivated ones planted and raised by man.  Not that they are not pretty, they sure are as you see in this picture taken in Wal-Mart of flowers for sell:

Yes, both the wild ones and the cultivated ones are beautiful, but to me there is something special about the wild beauty of Nature.  Of course nature has its dirty side, too.  I parked in a lot beside a tree where many "parking lot" birds roosted.  They almost had the pavement resurfaced (grin).  I was lucky enough to find a spot just off to the side; that is the side of my Jeep on the right of the pictures.

Even parking off to the side, a couple of them marked my hood while my wife was in Michael's getting some of her crafting supplies and I ran into Kroger's to get some Mexican Coke-a-Cola.  They had a special of ten bottles for ten dollars.  I sure do love that stuff, it is made with real sugar and tastes just like it used to back in the 1950's.  Ah, memories!!!  The 50's and early 60's was a great time for me.  Now you all be careful where you park and have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about the bright stars.

My oldest pup needed to get up about 04:15 this morning to go out.  So I got up, staggered to the the door, and took her out.  Just barely got my eyes open so they were fully dilated and the stars were just so bright that it almost knocked me off my feet.  Since I never turned a light on it was really dark and to make it even better, Sirus, the brightest star in the sky as we see them from Earth, was directly over head with Orion just a little to the East.  There was no moon and at that time in the morning, no man made light was seen.  As long as I have lived here I have never seen stars that bright before.  The sky must have been so clear it seemed transparent.  I was tempted to get out one of my telescopes but knew it would be getting light real soon so went back to bed and actually slept in this morning.

Because of all the trees and my home, I was only able to see a small portion of the sky from the steps off the porch to the dogs' yard.  Since all I had on was my slippers and my under pants, I didn't go walking around all over the place to get other views of the sky.  The small patch of sky that I could see held most of the brightest stars in the sky and some of the most popular objects, like Orion and Cassiopeia and the top brightest stars.  It was a preview of the winter sky.  The thing that made it so special was the clarity of the sky, and of course my fully dilated eyes.  It was a very pleasant memory to take back to bed with me.  Sometimes when we need an uplift to our spirits, God gives us something pleasant to uplift our spirits.  He sure did that for me last night.  Now, you all have a wonderful day and keep looking upwards, you hear? 

Wondering about the new A.C.

Yesterday was the day that the A.C. guys brought my new system and installed it.  They got here about mid morning and got right to work.  The first thing they did was remove both the inside and the outside units.  The outside unit was no problem but the inside unit took a little more work.  There were two guys and most of the time one worked inside and one outside unless one or the other needed some help.  They seemed to know what they were doing, and I sure hope they did (grin).

My wife and the three dogs moved out into the motor-home where it was cool and spent the day.  I stayed in the house and believe me, it was getting pretty warm in there.  I mentioned to the two workers that it seemed a little ironic that they worked in the air conditioning business but had to work in the heat almost all the time.  They laughed but I don't think they thought it was funny.  I do have to say that they did a very good job and did a lot more than just switch out the units but also re-plumbed the drain system with traps and shut-off valves where as the original just had a pipe coming out of the condenser unit with one elbow and then running straight down through the floor with another elbow which let it out in the yard.  It was after mid afternoon when they got finished.  We even got a new updated thermostat unit.  Like the old unit, this new unit also has heating elements so it can also be used to supply heat in cold weather.

I took a couple of pictures while they were working.  This first one is inside the house:

And this one is outside the house.  The old outside unit is off to the right of the picture.

We have a little over 2500 square feet to cool and it takes a healthy sized unit to do the job.  This new unit is slightly smaller in physical size than the old one but seems to put out the same volume of cold air.  Sure hope I don't have to buy another system for a whole lot of years if ever.  Let me tell you, they are not cheap.  Now that I have cooled off, I feel a lot better.  You all have a great day today, you hear?

Wondering some old space flights.

Our space program actually started back with Chuck Yeager and the  rest of the test pilot boys who first flew the X-1.  But do you remember who really won?  I remember, I was 14 back then in October of 1957 when the Soviets launched Sputnik I.  How many of you remember that?  Then later they made news with Mutt-Nick; the one with the dog.

OK, now that I got your memory working let's see if you can answer this question.  Who was the first women in space?  Do you remember?  I bet you don't unless you look it up.  I also bet some of you answered that it was Sally Ride.  Yes, she was the first U.S. women to go aloft into space but not the first women.  And no it wasn't Jacky Gleason's wife on the "Honey Mooners" TV show when he threatened his wife Alice by waving his fist and saying "to the moon".

Sally Rice went into space on June 24, 1983 but she was not the first.  The Soviets beat us there, too.  They put a women, Valentrina Tereshkova, into space on Vostak 6 twenty years before Sally took her ride.  Now you all have a great day here on Earth, you hear?

Wondering when the AC will get fixed.

A sub-title could be "Wondering why things always break down late on Fridays?"  My AC is is out again.  Noticed that it was running most of Friday afternoon and so I took a look.  It was all froze up.  There was frost on every pipe from the compressor coils to the condenser coils.  So, I figured that since the condenser coils had not been cleaned for quite some time that they could be the problem.  Since it was getting late, I decided to clean them Saturday morning.  It takes around three hours or more because I use a toothbrush and a glass of half water and half Clorox bleach.  Trying to get this old body into that little hole where the air filter goes, and wrapped around ninety degrees to the left was no easy matter.  Getting back out was even tougher.  I thought I was never going to be able to get out by myself without help.  My wife said I had completely disappeared behind the wall through that small opening.  Let me tell you, that was no fun for an old man, but I did get it done even though I got all kinds of bad stuff all over my face and in my eyes.

I was feeling pretty good about my self and "a job well done" until I turned it back on.  Still no cold air.  Yes, I know when an AC unit freezes up it is usually low on Freon.  This unit uses the old stuff which is expensive and hard to get.  I tried to get hold of the AC repair place that sent a man out here the last time I had trouble, but only got an answering machine so left a message.  Of course no one called back.  I will wait until after 08:00 and call again.  Trouble is we have an appointment we have to keep mid day today.

One good thing was that we went out to the RV in late afternoon and I watched three good movies and ate supper out there where it was nice and cool.  It was like a night out, dinner and movies.  The dogs loved it and so did I.  I buy up old VCR and DVD movies at the flea market for a buck or two and have been building a collection of them in the RV for when ever we get to hit the road.  It has been in the low 90's here lately with overnight lows in the 60's, so it has not been as bad as when it went out a few months ago when it was really hot and humid.  Now you all stay cool and have a great day, you hear?

Update, just before I hit the "Publish" button, the phone rang and it was the AC place and they will be out here in about an hour.  Hope it is an easy fix.

Still having problems with Blogger. Now it will only allow me to type in the title area. Will work on the problem.

Wondering about bouncing bombs.

Bought a book at the flea market awhile back.  It is called "The 20th Century Year by Year" and is quite interesting.  Since I was born in the second month of 1943, naturally I looked at that year first.  It was late in WW2 and some new destructive devices were being developed.  I am going to tell you about the one that got my attention and I thought it was quite unique.

This Dambusters' bomb (nicknamed "the bouncing bomb") was developed by the engineer Barnes Wallis and during the night hours between May 17th and May 18th a raid was carried out on the Nohne and Eder dams in Germany.  These dams provided power for the German industrial district of the Ruhr.  The 617th Squadron of the Royal Air Force was specially trained to drop these new and unique bombs.  Both dams were destroyed and over a thousand people were killed.

This bomb worked way better than conventional bombs.  It was specifically designed just for dams.  It took precision flying against heavy antiaircraft fire but was accomplished by a well trained crew. This special ball shaped bomb had to be dropped at a precise altitude and a precise distance fromt the dam.  It then bounced along the surface of the water  until it reached the dam where it then sank and exploded.  Now that is an unique device that I never heard of.  Have any of you heard about that "bouncing" bomb?  This gives a different perspective to the term "follow the bouncing ball", doesn't it.  Now, you all have a peaceful and wonderful day, you hear?  For us, it is off to the flea market.  BTW, glad blogger is working for me today.

Wondering why I can't post with my computer.

I am writing this on my tablet using one finger picking out the letters one at a time.  I don't want to write my blog with one finger, so will wait until tomorrow and maybe I can again use my lap-top.  Today, it gets stuck in a never ending loop.  It doesn't even let me comment on your blogs but I will read them and comment from this tablet.  Until tomorrow, have a great day.

Wondering about nitpicking.

The term "nitpicking" at first meant the act of picking lice eggs off the roots of hair on peoples heads.  It was a slow, tedious job.  Now-a-days the term has been used to describe the act of pointing out and criticizing the smallest trivial errors in details.  My wife is a nitpicker in more ways than one.  Yep, she points out all my minor flaws (you see, I don't have any major ones [grin]).  That makes her a nitpicker in one way.  OK, now that I just got myself in real trouble, let me see if I can dig my way out of this hole. . . . no, I think I just buried myself in the hole I dug.  Ah, but there is another meaning to "nitpicking" and she is also good at that, too.

This second one is the art of using special loom type frames (called Knifty Knitter Looms) to "knit" things like hats or afghan blankets or whatever.  She is always making something with yarn either crocheting or knit-picking or. . .  When not doing that she loves to paint, especially flowers and leaves and of course we both design and make cards to send every day to my aunt who is in a nursing home in Pennsylvania.  My wife is a very talented person and I love here, even though she is a knitpicker and a nitpicker (grin).  Now don't nit-pick my blog today, but do have a wonderful day.  It is absolutely a beautiful day here today and hope it is where you are, too.

Wondering if you would like something different today.

Sometimes when I start to write my blog,

My mind seems to be in a thick fog.

So what should I write about today?

The RV is still in the driveway.

I haven't had my telescopes out,

And there's nothing new to talk about.

There are some subjects I don't mention.

Two are politics and religion.

Not that I don't have a lot to say,

I don't want to upset someone's day.

I much prefer something humorous.

Laugh like I had a sniff of nitrous.

So what are you all doing today?

Will read your blogs to see what you say.

Some of my readers don't write a blog.

But do comment while sipping eggnog.

Or something else like coffee or tea.

And I wouldn't doubt some had whiskey.

Whatever you had, I am glad you came,

To see if I had just gone insane.

I am still here and will try to be.

To keep you informed on things and me.

Running out of words that rhyme, I fear.

So, you all have a good day, you hear?

Wondering; choices, choices, what should I do.

Got a pressing project that needs done here at home but this morning dawned clear and cool for here (it was 68 degrees) and should only get up to around 90 today which gives me (as you RV people say) hitch itch.  So, now I have to make the decision of whether to stay home and try to get the project done or run up to our closest state park, which is Huntsville State Park.  They used to have a maximum length limit of 36 feet, so I will have to call and see that since they have upgraded the park if my unit will fit.  Have only stayed there once before in my old class-C because it is so close, we can just run up there in the Jeep and spend some time walking the trails.  Since archery season for deer starts in a couple of weeks, the park will probably fill up with hunters.  So now would be a good time to go.  I enjoy RVing when it is a little cooler.  Not that I don't enjoy it at any time, I surely do.

I really need to get the repairs done from the pipes that leaked.  Until I do, my office is useless.  I am thinking instead of going back to a rug on the floor, I will put down a hard floor using those strips that lock together and look like hard wood.  I have done that in the master bedroom and the family room and it turned out really nice.  Dang, decisions, decisions, I hate decisions.  Let's see. . .eenie meanie, miney, moe, . . . . .
You all have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about loosing.

Most of us play to win, whether in games or life.  So, what about all those loosers?  For every winner there has to be some who loose.  Are you a good looser or a bad looser?  I saw an advertisement last night on TV where a race car driver gave a definition of a good looser.  He said it was someone who had "never won anything" and didn't know what it felt like to win.  I really hate to think that he is right, but it did make a little sense.

I consider myself a good looser.  What is better than that is a gracious looser.  Yes, I much prefer winning but would much better loose than have someone "let" me win.  It isn't the winning but how you play the game, whether it be a fun game or the game of life, that counts.  I do like to win and I like to better my own score in one player games, like computer games.  Every time I complete a computer game, I say to myself that I could do better than that.  Even if I complete all the levels, I still try to get a better score.  I guess I am just competitive and love the game and love to better myself.  Of course at my age it is getting much harder to do.  Now, you all have fun time today playing the game of life, you hear?

Wondering what the world will be like in 2062.

What if you found an almanac from 50 years in the future?  What do you think it would say?  The October issue of Discover magazine included one in the the center of their magazine.  I agree with most of what they predicted but not all.  Yes, I agree that the temperatures will probably be warmer and that polar ice cap will probably melt leaving the Arctic Sea open for new shipping lanes and oil and gas productions along and off the shores.  Of course if the polar caps melt the sea levels will rise and shrink the land mass and flood what we now consider ocean front property.  The world population will continue to grow but will be slowing down.  A lot more countries will become industrialized nations and because of more mechanized farming most of this population will be in super cities.  Hey, let the population move to cities, that will give me more room to live and roam in the country.

I have no idea what the future of the population of our planet will be.  I am sure that there will be a lot good things happen along with a lot of bad things.  Over population could become a problem but Mother Nature usually takes care of that problem with fertility problems or epidemic.  This universe is a violent place and you can let your imagination run wild with cataclysmic quick endings to life on Earth.    I will not be around to see these big changes (hopefully not cataclysmic ending) and maybe I am glad.  So far in my life I have seen way too many changes that I don't care for.  Let us all take full advantage of "today" and not dwell on what could possibly happen "tomorrow".    Now, you all take advantage of today and have a great one, you hear?

It Rained and I slept in.

It rained most of the afternoon and evening yesterday.  Not a heavy rain and it didn't storm, but rather a light drizzle that soaked in almost immediately.  That is exactly what we needed here.  A heavy rain storm would have just run off quickly and most of the rain would end up in the swamp/pond.  This way, it finally cut the dust and cooled things down a little.  It is only 69 out there as I write this.  The other good thing is that I got a good nights sleep and actually slept in this morning until my youngest dog decided she needed to go out.  The male always gets up just before it gets light and I let him out in the other part of the house and go back to bed.  I hope you all feel as good as I do this morning.  Hope it lasts (grin).

Don't you hate it now that lawyers have gotten involved in the medical profession?  When I was young, if you wanted something done and had the money, you got it done.  No fuss, no problem.  Way back then I even had my tonsils out in a doctor's office and went directly home.  The Doc just used straight ether to put me under by dripping it out of a bottle onto a wire mesh wrapped with gauze.  That was the worst part.  I remember seeing pinwheels and flashing spinning lights and a loud buzz in my head.  In my mind, I was about to scream, "I can't stand it anymore" and I popped awake.  It seemed to me that I was only out a few seconds.  Now you would have to have all sorts of tests to make sure you will survive the procedure.  My wife is going to have a simple out-patient procedure and she had to jump through hoops going to different places for different tests and get signed off by all involved.  Dang, I hate the newer system.  You can't just sign a statement saying you will not sue them.  OK, now that I got my blood pressure back up I better stop on this subject and head out to the flea market.  You all have a great day now, you hear, and hope you can avoid doctors.

Wondering where the week went.

Dang, I can't believe it is Friday already.  Time really does seem to fly by too fast the older you get.  They tell me that the reason is when you are young your mind works really fast and time seems slower but when you get old your mind works a lot slower so time seems to speed up.  It is a relative thing.  One's perception of time (and most all things) seems to change over the years as we get older.    As for me, I am still a kid at heart.  Well, maybe not at heart but in my mind and attitude.  I must be, because my wife keeps telling me to grow up!  But I don't wanna!!!

It is not that I mind being old, it is that I can't seem to do the things I used to.  But, if I really think about it, it is my own fault.  If I would get more exercise (instead of sitting here writing a blog and reading all of yours) I bet that I would feel a lot better both mentally and physically, don't you think?  Once it cools off enough to get outside and walk, I will feel much better.  The last couple of days it has been a little cooler in the morning and I did walk.  It did get down to 70 degrees this morning but the humidity is really high.  There were some storms around us but we only got a dusting of rain.  (A dusting of rain is not quite enough to settle the dust.)  Of course I can't blame it all on the weather.  I am getting lazy.  I could get on the Gazelle or my wife's Pilates exercise machine.  Nah, I like sitting or laying on the couch with my little dog and my laptop computer or my tablet or my Sudoku puzzle books or maybe just taking a nap.  Maybe I will get something productive done today. . . or maybe I should wait until tomorrow, right?  Now you all have a great and productive day (somebody has to do the work), you hear?

Wondering about the day after grooming day.

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when we were taking our three Shih-Tzu pups to get groomed.  The highway workers, who have been smart enough to work over night to avoid the heat and the traffic, had finished their project.  That was the way road construction and repair should be done.  I didn't get a picture for you, but you all have seen three lane roads before.  On this one, the center lane is for turning only, not for passing.  When I was a boy, there were three lane roads with the center lane for passing slower moving cars.  There were a lot of accidents and close calls on that road when people coming from both directions decided to pass at the same time.  For any of you readers from Pennsylvania old enough to remember them, one was 422 from Butler to New Castle.

I remember that old Ben used to say that he didn't like blogs that always showed pictures of peoples kids and pets.  Well, since he is gone (way too soon), I am going to post a couple pictures whether he likes it or not.  Yesterday, the pups got their once a month grooming and our eldest one, Muffy, was in bad shape before she went in.  She has a very thick under-coat of the finest hair that is so thin that it always seems to get in a tangled mess and then starts to irritate her skin.  When it gets this bad, it is impossible to comb it out, so she got shaved.  She is now only half as big as she used to be (grin) and she seems to get cold when the AC is running.  So, she was laying on a pillow on the couch (her usual spot) and I covered her over with a bandanna.  I thought she looked cute that way so I took a couple of pictures:

And since the first picture disturbed her for a few seconds, I took a second one:

Of course she will let me share the pillow if I ask her nicely.  She sure doesn't look like a Shih Tzu does she?  Actually, we don't have any of them done with the traditional top knot.  Way too much trouble to keep looking that way.  So, hope you all have as good of a life as our pups do and try to have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about road paving and pumpkins.

We needed some groceries so went shopping yesterday.  In the produce department we came across this pile of pumpkins:

I can't believe that it is Fall already, being it still gets into the 90's during the day here.  My wife took this picture to prove that we were not hallucinating.  I guess it is Autumn somewhere.  It inspired me to attempt another poem.  I don't know all the rules about writing poetry, but just put down something that sounds good to me, and sometimes stuff that don't sound so good.  Here is my pumpkin poem:

Pumkins

It sure can't be this late in the year.

When the weather turns cool and clear.

Wife took this picture in the grocery store.

Reminds me of Fall and days of yore.

When corn stalks were stacked; pumpkins brought in.

You knew that Winter would soon begin.

Grab your sweater and try to keep warm.

It won't be long 'for the first snowstorm.

OK, not too good and there hasn't been any snow around here in years.  Poetry doesn't have to be accurate, right?  Remember, I was born and raised and lived part of my life in an area that did get snow in the winter time.  I also was camping at Galveston State Park here in Texas one year when we woke up Christmas morning with 4 or 5 inches of snow.  That was a surprise "white Christmas" for us.

They have finally decided to resurface and widen highway 105 east of Conroe by taking up the existing wide berm and putting in a third lane for making left hand turns.  Here is a picture I took yesterday:

The traffic on this road has increased many fold since I moved to this area.  I think that instead of wasting money just adding a turning lane will not make things much better but they should have dipped a little deeper and made it four lanes. . . at least to where I turn off (grin).  Highway 105 west of Conroe is a very wide multi-lane highway, but the more affluent County residents live out that way near the lake.  I guess I live on the wrong side of town but I like it here.  I don't think I would fit in on the "right side of the tracks", so to speak.  Actually, I have enjoyed the company and friendship of business owners to labors to the rich and to the poor.  I don't judge people by their financial ratings.  So don't get too bogged down on this mid-week bog down day, you hear?

Wondering about Morning Glories.

Walked up to my gate yesterday and saw some wild morning glories growing on the fence.  Yes, I know that they are considered weeds and can be a real menace when they get a grip on your garden, but I love most everything that is wild, including weeds.

  

My Ode to the Morning Glory

Good morning glory

Did I wake you up?

I am so sorry.

Nicer than a sup

of good hot coffee.

Yep, I know it is a little corny but what do you expect this early in the morning?  OK, maybe a couple of more pictures will get the bad taste of the poem out of your system:

Don't forget to take time to smell the roses or see the simple beauty all around you.  Today our three dogs go to the groomer for their monthly hair do, so I got to get ready.  You all have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about the perfect plumber.

Have you ever stumbled over a great find?  Maybe it was a new taste sensation, or a gadget you wondered how you ever lived without, or a pair of boots that feel oh so good, or something else that made you feel so very lucky?  Well, I stumbled over the perfect plumber.  The pipes in my home had sprung several leaks and the insurance adjuster, who wrote up and processed my claim, when asked by me to suggest someone to do the job said he was not suppose to do that.  I finally got a name of a business that does that kind of work from him.  I called them and set up an appointment to have their people come and give me a quote.  The appointment was for last Wednesday.  They never showed and they never called, so I stopped at a couple of places around here and finally got a name and number of a fellow who worked for one of the places full time during the week but moon-lighted on the weekends doing plumbing jobs.  I called the number and his son answered and said that his dad was out on a job but would have him call when he got back, but it may be late.  That was Saturday and he did call me back that evening.  He inquired just what all was wrong and I listed everything I needed and/or wanted done so that he could pick up some parts.  He said he would have to have the owner of the supply place that he worked for come in Sunday morning so he could get all the parts needed.  He called back later and told me that he could pick up the parts around 09:00 and should be at my place by 10:00.  He pulled in right on time and went right to work.  He did so much more than just fix the emergency stuff.  I was so impressed and pleased with him.  He was not only a great worker but an interesting person.  On top of all the great work he did, he did not charge an exorbitant amount, so I gave him a generous tip.  I have never been more pleased with any worker or business than I was with this guy.  BTW Barney, if you are reading this he also loves salt water fishing.

The bottom line is that I really lucked out, met a great person, and got all my leaking pipes fixed.  Now all I have to do is remodel my office to get it back in good condition.  One of the slow leaks that I discovered was in the wall between one of the bathrooms and my office where the plumbing went up the wall to the tub and shower.  Still have a lot of work to do on it, but then, nothing is ever very simple but I was so very pleased with the plumber that I now have the will to go on and fix things up.

It is unseasonably cool here.  It was 56 this morning and really feels nice since the humidity is lower than normal.  Of course, it will probably get back up in the 90's today, but today's and yesterday's mornings have really been comfortable.  It has been a pleasant break from the heat and humidity.  Now, all of you have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about facts.

There seems to be facts about everything but I have a fact about facts; they don't last for ever.  I was looking at a book review of a book titled "The Half-Life Of Facts".  Now that sounds like a book I would like to read.  It is by Samuel Arbesman.  The review stated that facts fall apart and some do so very famously.  Ah yes, remember back when Pluto was a planet?  The book says "Facts die, and are born, at specific, predictable rates".  It says that a third of the animals that was thought to have gone extinct in the last 500 years have reappeared.

OK, I bet we can all think of facts that have been proven wrong.  Like the kid in school who the teachers never thought would make out in this world but grew up to be very successful.  Or how about the ugly girl who grew up to be beautiful.  As technology advances, a lot of old facts are proven wrong.  Why I used to think that when you turn 65, you are really old and over the hill.  Now I am fixing to turn 70 on my next birthday and I my opinion of those now turning 65 are quite different.  Some of my own facts are proven wrong.  In fact a lot of them are.  My wife tells me I am wrong all the time.

If all facts were real, then the earth would be flat.  After that was proven wrong and it was decided that the earth was round, they then thought that the sun revolved around the earth.  Now, some of us still thinks the whole universe revolves around them.  Now, I know for a fact that it doesn't because it revolves around me!!  Actually, it revolves around our three pups.  See, even that fact about me was just proven wrong by me.  I could go on and on and on, but I will let you suggest a lot more "facts" that had a half life.  Now, don't you all have a half life, but a full and long life, you hear?

Wondering if it is ever going to rain.

No, there is no official drought here, it has rained plenty.  The problem is all the rain has skirted around my place.  I have seen it rain but didn't get nary a drop here.  One night there was a lot of thunder and lightning but it didn't drop as much rain here as there would have been with a heavy dew.  Most of the grass is dead or dying and even the weeds have wilted.  I cut the grass this past week and got covered with dust.  You could actually see a big cloud of dust that I kicked up.

My wife is watching QVC this morning and they are selling women's blouses that sparkle.  Dang, they must be having a problem coming up with new stuff.  OK, I must admit, those models do look good with all the sparkles twinkling at you when they even slightly move.  Kind of reminds me of Clint Eastwood when he was the neon cowboy with him and his horse all lit up.  I guess you can tell I am brain dead this morning and can't come up with a good idea for a blog.  OK, got to get ready to head off to the flea market.  I don't have any places that itch right now so guess I got to go buy me some fleas. . . have a great Saturday now, you hear!

Wondering if it is time for some laughs.

Laughing is the best medicine and I know that to be a fact.  I am not going to bore you with scientific data to prove it, but rather I think I will post a lot cartoons to make my point.  Since I am an old fart, and a lot of you are my age or catching up fast, these are mostly old folks jokes, except this fist one.  It reminded me of Barney of The Old Fat Man Adventures and Billy Bob of  Billy Bob's Travels, what do you think?  Which one is Billy Bob?  I think the one on the right:

 I always seems the grass is always greener on the the other side:

 Not exactly one of life's choices, right?:

 I think this gal has a point:

 How true it is:

Maybe we should eat, drink, and be merry. . .:

I think this is the way most doctors feel:

 Sixteen does sound better than ninety one:  I can't do that yet, my age ends in a nine.

And the perfect one to end the list with:

I hope you all got a good laugh out of these.  Let me tell you, they are all too true, that is what makes them so funny.  I can relate but you but you younger readers will have to wait a few years for them to sink in.  Now, if you can muster the strength, have a great day now, you hear.

Wondering why my blog is full of poop.

Yep, I know that I am not a very good writer, but to go as far as to say my blog is full of poop, now that may be going too far.  But, today it will be the main subject unless you flush what I am going to say down the drain.  Before you do, just read it over because it may change your view on this touchy subject.

I read an article in "Discover" magazine yesterday about a new procedure that uses the "healing power of poop".  It said that instead of just thinking about it as filthy waste, it may "also have amazing healing properties, due to the trillions of colon microorganisms that it contains. Stool from a healthy person, recent findings show, can cure nine out of ten chronic cases of potentially deadly colitis caused by the intestinal bacterium Clostridium difficile.  Moreover, healthy stool might treat a range of other disorders, from Crohn's disease to constipation."  These are not my words, that is why I put them in quotation marks.

How does this work?  I will try to explain as simply as I can.  Healthy stool from a donor who is usually a spouse or relative is transferred to the ailing person.  They call that "fecal microbiota transpltation.  (Now "microbiota" is a new word to me, how about you?)  The good bacteria, which is needed for a healthy gut, in the donor is introduced into the patient.  It takes very little time for the good healthy bacteria to take over and displace the bad stuff.  It was first done in the U.S. 1958 and was a success.  Since then they have done a lot of these "experimental" procedures with a successful outcome and in some cases the patient felt better later the same day.  It was first tried out fifty-four years ago, and is still waiting on FDA approval.

OK, I hope I haven't upset anyone, especially if you were reading this while eating, but my title warned you.  Now, when someone tells you that you are full of it, maybe that is a good thing (grin).  Now don't have a poopy day, but have yourself a great day, you hear? 

Wondering about wrong turns.

Everyone has taken a wrong turn some time in their life.  I know I have taken many wrong turns; some while driving and some in the direction I took in life.  I have survived both, although there were a few close calls, but most of the wrong turns turned out to be the scenic route and I was glad that I went that way.  It seems you take more wrong turns concerning your life when you are young but more wrong turns while driving when you are older.  When I was young my wrong turns were way too many to list here.  Anyway, if I did list them it would be an invasion of my privacy and there are a few things better left unsaid.  Actually, I am not a very private person, sort of an open book you could say.

I bet everyone has taken a few wrong turns but has anyone ever driven half a state before realizing he was going west when he was suppose to be going east?  Or actually getting lost in a one horse town with only one main road.  Or taking a side street that to get the RV through we had to inhale to suck the sides in, but then the mirror  clipped something.  No damage, but my better half was not a happy camper.  One time somewhere about half way between Texas and Pennsylvania I left an over night stay by taking the wrong turn and found myself on a narrow country road that didn't seem to have any pace to turn around but just headed out through all that open farm land.  Finally I found a road that T'd into it.  By then the roads had become very narrow and it took many back-ups to get turned around.  That was back when I had a bumper pull travel trailer.  Puling a toad behind a motor-home would have been much worse.  And how about the many times you get lost in places you thought you knew?  "I was sure that is where I always turn", are some of my famous last words.  OK, I know most of you out there are perfect, but honestly, haven't you made a wrong turn a couple of times during your life?  Now stay on course and have a great day by not getting lost in life, you hear?

Wondering about Sudoku and Horse Power.

Yes, I know they are two unrelated subjects, so maybe I have a split personality this morning or maybe I just decided to write about two different things.  Got a problem with that?  Sorry about that last statement, I must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.  OK, I love Sudoku.  I have Sudoku books which I take with me anytime I think I will be sitting in a "waiting" room.  I also found a Sudoku hand held battery powered electronic game thingy at the flea market.  It is called a "Su Doku" by Maxim made in China.  I like the paper books better but this is more convenient when out and about.  Much more compact and you don't need a pen.  Yes, I do my Sudoku with a pen.  I figured that would keep me from making stupid mistakes because you can't erase it, but I still write before I think, sometimes.  Do any of you like Sudoku?

Now, on the subject of horse power.  How many of you know what a horse power is?  The formal definition is the force required to lift 33,000 pounds by one foot in one minute.  Using this definition, a typical real horse can only produce about 0.7 horsepower.  Maybe with a Clydesdale you can get a full horsepower or more.  Since I am on the subject of horsepower which then reminds me of cars, here is something I just learned that I didn't know.  You may have heard the old saying back when Henry Ford came out with his Model-T that "any color as long as it is black" was a popular saying. That is not correct.  When he first came out with the Model-T it came in a lot of different colors and black was not one of them!  Then in 1939 when Mr. Ford was trying to simplify production, he started painting them all black.

High powered cars have come a long way in horsepower.  I have blogged several times before about the "Top Fuel Drag Racing" which I go to see every time it comes to the Houston area and watch it on TV when it is elsewhere.  They used to say that they produced 8000 horse power.  Now, they have determined that those 500 cubic inch engines produce over 10,000 horse power.  I think that is awesome, but what impresses me the most is their ability to transfer that power to the road and not burn off the tires.  I hope you have a great day today, you hear?

Wondering why my battery went dead.

Last Saturday morning when my wife and I got into the Jeep to head off to the flea market and when I turned the key all I heard was a bunch of clicking.  Dang, the battery died.  Now, that makes you feel real helpless when your only vehicle, except for a motor-home, will not run.  What if we were heading for a really important appointment (like a scheduled out-patient surgery) and I have no way of getting there.  Most places don't have room to park a diesel pusher motor-home at or anywhere near where your appointment is.  I always used to have two vehicles that were small enough to go most places.  Well, my son came through.  Luckily he wasn't at work.  Since it was the first day of a holiday weekend, he was off work for the first Saturday for a long time.  He picked me and the battery up and off to the auto-parts store we went.

This battery was less than 3 years old.  The guy at the parts store tested it and said it was rechargeable, but I told him I wanted a new one so he discounted the new one and back home we headed with the new battery.  I cleaned up the contacts and put the new battery in and the Jeep started right up, so off to the flea market we went, a little late but better than never.  BTW, I wasn't going to write about the dead battery, but figured I should because that would give me a quick way of checking when I bought this battery.  Blogs are good for many things, right?  I remember that Ben used to say that.  Now, you all have a great holiday today, you hear?

Wondering about conflicting longevity reports.

OK, here I am getting dizzy again trying to figure out which experts are right.  On one hand, I have read where the younger generation will not live as long as their parents' or grandparents' generation did. These experts give for the reason less wholesome diets (and of course the "experts" also disagree on what is a wholesome diet), insufficient exercise, pollution, new strains of viruses, and all sorts of nasty things.

Then yesterday I go to the Post Office and in my box is the new Discover magazine and on the cover one of the articles that it lists is "Immortality within a decade?".  Dang, if that is true and people start to live for a long, long time (like for ever), what would everybody eat or where would they live?  Eventually it would be so crowded we would be like sardines in a can.  Procreation would have to be outlawed.  That would really mess up everything.  I believe that we should be born, live a productive life, and die; at least the physical bodies.  Although I don't think "Immortality within a decade" is a good idea, I hope all of you will live a long, productive, and happy life, you hear?

Wondering about old western movie stars.

The other day a wrote a blog about Tom Mix and my connection to him.  Since this is Saturday which used to be the day back when I was a kid that all the cowboy shows were on TV, I figured I would expand to all the big and little screen cowboys.  So I just got to wondering who was your favorite cowboy (or cowgirl).  There are a lot to choose from.  Roy Rodgers and Dale Evans, The Cisco Kid and Poncho, Sky King and Penny, Gene Autry, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood,  Clint Walker, and many more.  One of my favorites was Jack Elam, even though he usually played a "bad guy".  Feel free to add to my list.

I always enjoyed the old cowboy shows and I continue to do so thanks to the Western Channel on satellite TV.  I watch The Lawman, Have Gun Will Travel, Wagon Train, Rawhide, two half hour Marshal Dillon, and the newer longer Gunsmoke.  The old shows seem to have so much more substance than the newer ones.  Dang, there just ain't no newer westerns on TV anymore.  It seems that any new western is made in the form of a full length movie and are not shown on TV until they have made all the rounds of the theaters.    Now tell me, what was your favorite old and newer western?  Now, say goodbye to the girl, kiss the horse, and ride off in the sunset.  .  . oh yes, I guess it is still morning.  Have a good day now, you hear?