Wondering if Winter is over.

Dang, that was a short winter, if it was a winter at all.  Actually it was just a little cool spell.  Yes, we have them once in awhile.  The weather forecast for the rest of the week is predicting temperatures to be in the upper 70's and low 80's with lows in the 60's.  Now that sounds just fine with me.  They are also predicting a 10 to 20 percent chance of rain each day for the next four or five days.  That is not much of a chance and we sure do need some rain.  Maybe that big storm in the north west will help stir things up.

I got a call the other day and an old customer wanted a rush job done.  This is only the second small job I have had this year and I am getting lazy and a little out of practice.  I am also having trouble with my work computer.  It will only stay on for a couple of hours at the most and then the picture on the monitor goes fuzzy.  I guess I need to get a new computer and install the old hard drives in it.  Why do that and not just use my laptop?  Because I can not reload some of my favorite older programs.  Actually, I can load them but don't have the activation codes needed to run them.  Yea, I know, there is way to do anything if you are willing to take the time to figure it out.  I may never get another job, so why bother.  Anyway, got to get busy, so you all have a great Friday, you hear?

Wondering about strange chemistry.

Do you remember any of your high school chemistry?  Where you taught that some substances were inert and would not react with or combine with any other element to form compounds.  Do you remember that argon was one of those inert gasses?  Well out in space the rules change.  There are chemical reactions going on out there that can not happen here on Earth.  In fact, in some low density molecular clouds, astronomers have discovered that argon is combining with other elements forming new compounds not possible here on Earth.

If this can happen out in space, what else that we believe impossible is also happening?  Maybe even a life form that is made from something other than from a carbon base.  Silicon based life has been suggested as an alternative, but if inert gasses can become reactive and form compounds, maybe different life forms could use other elements as a base and the presence of neither carbon or silicon would be needed.  I believe we have so much to learn.  We are like pre-school children as far as what we really know about everything out there in our universe.  And, is there other universes with maybe different laws of chemistry and physics that are completely different than what we know?  Heck, we don't even know what all is going on in our own universe.  So, you all have a very nice day today and if you are in that area that is suppose to get the 2 to 4 feet of snow, I hope you are warm and safe.

Wondering about the unexplained.

There are just so many unexplained mysteries out there that it boggles my mind.  Which should we believe and which should we dismiss as hoaxes and old tales told around campfires to scare the kids?  Some unexplained things have been going on for a long time.  Let us think about them.  How about starting with UFO's?  People have been seeing UFO's for many years.  Didn't David of the Old Testament see one?  My Aunt and Uncle who at the time, lived across the river from Foxburg, Pennsylvania saw some over 65 years ago.  I have seen things in the sky I couldn't identify.  So, by definition, anything you see flying overhead that can't be identified is an UFO, or Unidentified Flying Object.  That could be a bird, or that bright star close to the moon last night (it is Jupiter), or any other thing that you see in the sky that you don't know what it is can be put in that category.

How about "Bigfoot"?  That movie that was made of one running through the woods is probably the best proof that they do exist.  Here is a link to it:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-589L3m3Os  I am sure you all remember that one.  There were a lot of stories about that creature or some like it.  Have you ever heard of Mo-Mo the Missouri monster?  Check this web site out: http://www.prairieghosts.com/momo.html 

OK, I have given you a video to watch and a website about MoMo. Do you believe in UFO's and mystery monsters?  I always try to keep an open mind and not just disregard all strange stories as being false, because some of them probably are true. . . especially when told around a campfire in the wilderness at night!!!  Now you all have a great day by staying away from UFO's and monsters, you hear?

Wondering about the end of the world.

First, what do we mean by the end of the world?  Is it the Earth being completely disintegrated?  Or just the end of life on Earth as we know it?  Or the second coming of Christ?  All three of these events would really change things, that is for sure and that is an understatement.

There are a lot of things that would affect life on Earth.  Even if something catastrophic doesn't happen, like getting hit with a huge steroid (remember Apophis?  Well it will be back in 2029 and 2036.  Last time it past between the Earth and the Moon.), or the sun growing in size (it is and eventually it will swallow the earth or kick it out of the solar system), or the expansion of the Universe finally tears everything apart, or maybe it will reach a point where it will contract into a big "crunch".  There sure are lots of "ifs", aren't there.

Actually, I think something a lot smaller will cause the end of the human race if we don't kill ourselves off first.  Humans are the minority on this planet filled with life.  Not all of that life is beneficial to humans.  In fact, there are a lot of small organisms that feed on and live off the human body.  A lot of them will try to kill you and some do.  I believe that a virus or a bacteria will be the killer of all humans.  As for all other life on earth, a nearby star will explode and rip the atmosphere from Earth and then all life (as we know it) will die off.  Or the expanding sun will turn it into a charred cinder.  

I think I will stop here before I completely ruin your day, so you all try to enjoy life here on Earth while she is still being kind to us, you hear?

Wind direction controls our weather

We all know that wind direction affects our weather, but around here it seems to be one of the biggest factors.  Last night when I took the dogs out I looked up and the high clouds where speeding past the bright moon coming directly from the south.  I knew that it would bring in warm humid air off the Gulf and that the temperature would not drop much, if any.  I was right.  When I went to bed it was 60 degrees out side and when I got up earlier this morning it still was 60 degrees.  Now, if the wind was coming in from the north, things would be different.  The north wind brings in cold dry air, unless it is a front coming though, then it will also bring rain.  We need rain.  We are in drought conditions, which is the price one has to pay for all the gorgeous, drop dead beautiful days we have been having.  The news says there is a lot of fog around, but I haven't noticed any but can't see too far because of all the trees.  They are predicting some rain for later this afternoon.  Hope we do get some today because it doesn't look like there will be any other chance for quite some time.

Depending on where the low and high pressure system are located, determine the wind direction.  It also determines how the fish are biting.  I am not sure if it holds up here in Texas, but on the east coast, this little poem says it all.


When the wind is from the east, the fish will bite the least.
When the wind is from the south, it blows the bait in (or out) of the fish's mouth.
If the wind is from the west, the fishing is the best.
When the wind is from the north, the fisherman shouldn't venture forth.

Did you notice that I gave you a choice on the second line of the above poem.  This can give you another excuse for not catching any fish.  You don't have to thank me, I need an excuse now and then, too.  I may not have the words exactly right but you get the point.  I have found this poem to be correct most of the time.  At least it is a good excuse for not catching fish.  So what do you think, is the poem correct?  You all have a great day today and for you fishermen, don't worry about the wind, just go fishing.  Remember, the sport is named "fishing" not "catching". . . (grin)

Wondering about wandering and our weather.

First of all I have to say (don't want to admit it) but it is COLD outside.  Although it will be in the 70's today and the 80' tomorrow, it was cold yesterday morning and really cold this morning.  It got down to 35 degrees here, now that had to break a record for sure.  Maybe we had our winter early this year and it will be warm the rest of the year.  Since I always say that, "yes we have a winter down here, last year it came on a Thursday", this can't be our winter because it ain't Thursday (grin).

I have been wondering about doing some wandering.  My wife has her last eye doctor appointment next Tuesday and I think the dogs' grooming appointment is for the middle of the week.  Therefore, we may be able to go some where after that.  I have been looking via the internet at the Texas State Parks.  There are a lot of them and I would like to visit as many as I can.  There used to be a length limit of 36 feet for RVs, but I didn't see anything about that on their websites.  My RV is longer than that, so I guess when we decide which one we will first go to, I will have to call ahead and make plans.  When I had my travel trailer and then my class-C, we stayed at three different state parks, Huntsville, Bastrop, and Galveston and only at Inks Lake in the "bus".

Texas has a lot of nice state parks and because of the diversity of the landscape, they are all different.  Some are on lakes, some on the Gulf, some in the desert, some in the woods, some on the prairie, some in the mountains, and some in canyons.  I would like to visit as many as I can.  I have been in and through a lot of the other states from Arizona to Pennsylvania, but I have never had my latest RV out of Texas.  I hope that will change real soon, too.  Now, I guess I will only wander down to the flea market and be in wonder of all the varied items that people have to sell.  I usually don't buy anything but the wife does.  We also get our fresh tomatoes there.  Now you all have a great day today, you hear?

Wondering about a character actor.

When I worked a contract job for G.E. Nuclear near Wilmington, North Carolina, which among other things was town where a lot of movies were made, I saw a lot of movie stars.  Last night my wife and I were watching old "Gunsmoke" shows and the "bad guy" on that show was the same actor that I saw looking at cameras in a store in Wilmington.  He was in town making a movie.  He wasn't the only star I saw there, but the old western we watched brought back memories of seeing him.

Who am I talking about?  He was an actor that played in many movies and TV series.  I am sure everyone has seen him in something and most people recognize him but very few know his name.  Here is a picture of the fellow I am talking about:

I bet most all of you have seen him in something.  Am I right?  OK then, tell me his name.  If you can you are better than I am.  I had to look him up on the internet.  His name is Charles Aidman and he passed away in November of 1993 at the age of 68.  I have seen him in a lot of shows.  The list of shows that he was in is very long.  I was going to give you a reference to that list but I can't find it this morning and I have to leave for the flea market soon.  You all have a great weekend, you hear?

Wondering what we eat for breakfast.

What do you all have for your breakfast?  I have been told it is the most important meal of the day.  I am not sure about that but I know it rates right up there in the top three.  Back when I was younger and lived up in the north where the winters were cold and white, I used to go hunting.  If I had a big breakfast with a lot of grease (like from bacon or sausage) I could keep warm on those cold mornings out hunting.  If I didn't eat or just had carbohydrates, I got cold real quick.  So if you want to stay warm, eat a lot of fat and grease.

Now that I live in a warm climate and don't often get to go hunting, I still think breakfast is very important and always try to have one.  I usually eat two Zone bars for breakfast and a cup of extra, extra strong Colombian Coffee.  If I want a change, I get out the Almond Butter and natural fruit jelly and spread them on crackers.  Of course I still have my coffee.  If I don't have time for breakfast, I still have my coffee even if I have to take with me in the car.  So, what did you have for breakfast this morning?  I sure hope it was a great start for a good day.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is the day we should give thanks for what we have (the good things like family and friends) and for what we don't have (the bad things like illness and debt).  It should also be a day when we share what we have with the less fortunate.  But it seems that all I hear on the TV is about Black Friday.  Now I think that is really an appropriate name.  People's greed turns every day, especially holidays, into a money making opportunity.  I am old enough to remember the way it used to be celebrated.  It was always a huge family gathering, usually at Grandma and Grandpa's place.  It wasn't just about the food but the joy of spending time with family.

Since we moved away from our home state and our two boys grew up and one was killed in a highway accident, we don't celebrate the holidays anymore, at least not like the old days.  I surely loved the old days and am old enough to remember the days of the steam locomotives blowing smoke and coughing their way up a grade.  I have many fond memories of the old days but am also very blessed in the present, therefore I have plenty to be thankful for, both the past and the present.  If we all look hard enough we can find things to complain about or be thankful for.  Let us, at least for this day, be thankful for all that we do have and forget about the things we don't have.  You all have a great Thanksgiving no matter how you spend it, you year?

Wandering around my place on a warm day.

The temperatures have been warm and we have had no rain for a long time.  Looks like the drought from last year still has a hold on us.  I love the blue skies, comfortable days, and starry nights, but we really do need some rain.  I took a walk around the place and took a few pictures.  My son has a gasoline powered weed eater with a circular saw blade on it and he trimmed the path around the place for me.  He did a good job:

 Look real close and you can see the sun shining through the trees lit up a pretty spider web.  If there had been a dew on it, it would have showed up a lot better:

 As I was walking past a couple of the wet spots that was left of my large pond, I noticed a lone duck swimming along the weeds:

Here is an enlarged view of the above picture:

 And here is another close up:

  
These are the best pictures that I could get of this lone duck.  I do not recognize it.  Can any of you tell me what kind of duck this is?  I wonder why there is only one of them.  Maybe he is the "black sheep" of the flock and they left him behind.  Usually there are multiple ducks instead of just one.  You all have a great day and have a very happy and thankful Thanksgiving and don't forget all the things we do have to be thankful for.

Wondering about slumgullion.

I have told you before that my wife and I like to watch the old western shows on the western channel.  Of course one of the ones we watch is the old half hour "Gunsmoke" shows.  We also like "The Lawman", "Wagon Train", "Rawhide" and "Have Gun Will Travel".  That about takes up my afternoons.  It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it. . . (grin).

Yesterday we were watching "Gunsmoke" and Chester was giving a prisoner some of his slumgullion to eat and the prisoner was objecting.  I would probably like it, because I love mixtures of ingredients all stirred into one serving and my wife says that I will eat anything that I can get my hands on or isn't moving too fast to get a fork into.  Of course there are about as many recipes for slumgullion as there are people who make it.  Since it is a one pot meal, it is easy to prepare and cook so would be the choice of men in the wild west, or any place else.  All kinds of ingredients that are on hand at the time are all tossed into one pan with some liquid and cooked until, well until the guys hunger gets too much and it is eaten.  The ingredients consist of meat and vegetables.  The meat is anything that is available or shot and the vegetables would have to include beans and anything else that could be foraged or laying around.  Sure sounds good to me.  Think I will now go get me something to eat.  You all have a great day today, you hear?

Wondering; How far do you Wander.

In my new issues of MotorHome magazine, there was an article about how far seasoned RVers drive each day.  It was written by Joe and Vicki Keiva.  I didn't read it yet but I bet they agree with me; you know that I am always right. . .  Anyway, how far do any of you out there who are RVers drive a day?

When I am traveling, I prefer to drive for only 250 to 300 miles or five to six hours a day, which ever comes first.  Of course I have been known to do a lot less or a lot more, but staying under 300 miles a day and stopping for lunch and doggie brakes along the way makes for a more relaxing drive.

Do you make reservations?  Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't.  I usually wait until around the middle of my expected drive when I stop for a break to call for reservations.  The problem with making reservations is that you have to stay at the expected destination or lose the deposit, which is usually a one night fee.  The good side of making a reservation is that you don't have to worry about where you are going to stop, even if you will arrive late.  Just don't make the reservation too early, wait until you have a completed at least half your driving for the day to get a better feel of where you will want to end up at the end of that day.  When I stop for the night, I usually only hook up to the electric.  So electric is all I need.  If I can't get electric, I would then worry that the sound of the generator would disturb other people trying to get some sleep.  I use an oxygen generator at night and have done so for many years, therefore I depend on it now.  If I am someplace where the generator noise will not bother anyone, I would run it.  The generator is diesel and is not the quietest one I have ever had, but it sure does a good job.  Let me hear how far you all like to drive in a day.  When I was young I would drive up to 1300 miles without stopping.  Did that many times, but not any more.  Yes, I am getting old.  Now, you all have a great day today, you hear?  It is another beautiful one here in East Texas.

Wondering about paisley and colors.

I was reading a blog yesterday where a lady was replacing chair seats with a paisley pattern material.  There is something about paisley that I love.  Paisley can be in any colors but my favorite combination is blue and green.  I have been looking for a western style shirt in paisley but I guess cowboys don't wear paisley, BUT they do wear paisley vests.  Remember Maverick and other sharp dressed gamblers and dudes?  So, I have been looking for a paisley vest.

Now, as I said above, I do love paisley but sometimes it can be slightly over done.  A long time ago, I used to work for Pullman-Standard in Butler, PA and for some special occasion or a special customer request (my CRS is acting up and I cant remember) they painted a huge covered hopper rail road car blue and green paisley.  Oh heart, be still. . . what a sight!!  

Now, that wasn't the only rail road cars that we made there at Pullman-Standard that were not quite "standard" looking.  One time a customer (I think it was CARGILL) ordered a fleet of covered hoppers and wanted every one of them to be completely painted pink except for the black lettering identifying the car and the customer.  That, in my opinion, was not a pretty sight.  Pink rail road cars seems to be a sacrilege to me.  Back when I was a kid they all were black.  Maybe that is because of all the coal dust and smoke that was produced from those old coal burning steam engines.  Now, those were the days.

OK, I quit at Pullman after 17 years and moved on.  After a couple of moves to a different states, I wound up north of Fort Worth in Texas  Now, this was many years after the pink covered hoppers were made.  If you have ever been in that country you know that it is wide open and you can see for ever.  A few miles from my place there were RR tracks and one day I looked down there and saw a whole train, except for the engines and the caboose, made up of those pink rail road cars.  There was no escaping them.  They found me 2000 miles away!!!  Now, I hope I didn't ruin the last day in your weekend with pink RR cars, but try to have a great day anyway, you hear?

Wandering to the hospital to visit a friend

A couple of days ago a friend of my wife's was admitted to the hospital.  She is our age and maybe a little older, so it is always a worry when we old folks have to go to the hospital.  We found out that the other morning, when she tried to get out of bed her legs would not work right and she couldn't walk.  It scared her husband and he called an ambulance, which in my opinion, was the correct thing to do.  After about a day in the hospital, she came down with pneumonia.  As far as I know, they haven't checked out her legs yet.  Like I have always said, a hospital is a dangerous place to be.  Who knows what else she will pick up while she is there.  In fact I must have picked up something because yesterday I started feeling bad, so we went to the local drug store and got some Airborne and I took an extra NSC 24 beta glucan and also went outside and walked briskly for a mile.  That made me feel really great.  Other than having some large dog come around barking loudly in the middle of the night, I feel good this morning.  I have to feel OK, because my wife will be wanting to leave in about an hour for the flea market.

Hope I can get a good night's sleep tonight.  Since I have been eating right and taking what I think is the right supplaments, I rarely get sick anymore, and if I do start to come down with something, I snap out of it quickly.   You all keep yourselves healthy, wealthy, and wise, you hear?

Wondering about my doppelganger.

I have heard that everyone has a twin somewhere in the world, even if they were not born of the same set of parents.  A few days ago I got my "Gold Prospectors" magazine in the mail.  I had to take a second look.  To my surprise, I thought that they had put my picture on the cover, but at closer inspection I could see that I was wrong.  First off, the picture was taken on the beach at the GPAA mining camp at their Cripple River location in Alaska.  Yes, I am a member and I have gone to one of their camps a couple of times at Stanton, AZ and have been interviewed for their TV show, but I have never been in Alaska.  Looking a little closer, this guy is a lot better looking than I am; of course isn't everybody?

OK, first I will show you the cover of the magazine and then a couple of pictures that my wife took of me a couple of days ago.

And now a couple of pictures that my wife took of me the day before yesterday:

OK, the guy on the cover of the magazine was a lot better looking but he looked a lot colder than I was.  Of course the work getting the gold and the gold itself has a way of heating a guy up.  Now, may all your clouds have silver and gold linings, and have a great day today, you hear?

Wandering down to the road with the garbage.

Thursdays are garbage pick up days.  Those are the mornings that I get some exercise.  From my back porch down to the end of my driveway is about a quarter of a mile.  So I get an extra workout carrying two heavy garbage cans down to the road and easier walking only exercise on the way back.  It was cold this morning so I dressed up as if I were headed for Alaska.  It was in the upper 30's for awhile but the hot sun is warming it up very fast.  It is going to be a beautiful day here at "swamp crest", which is another name for a little bit of heaven (grin).  Hey, I like it here, OK?  Of course it was a lot better when I first moved here.  Now there are a lot of people who think this area is a great place to live.  Thank goodness I got 12 acres to hide on with only 60 foot of road frontage.  Makes for a more private piece of property than one which has roads running along its border.

Anyway, I had my wife take some pictures this morning for my blog and will probably use them in tomorrow's blog.  Now tomorrow is a long way off, and I don't like to plan too far ahead. . . .

The first thing I did today was read all the blogs that I follow and comment on some of them.  I feel that the bloggers I follow are like an extended family and it is great to hear what they are up to and thinking about.  Of course, when they don't blog I start to get worried.  Ben of http://benntexas.blogspot.com/ and the Old Fool at the blog by the same name stopped blogging and never returned.  They both passed away with very little warning.  They were there one day and gone the next.  That happens to the best of us sooner or later.  But today the sun is shining and everything is right in my world.  You all have a great day today and enjoy every minute of it, you hear?  Life is too short not to.

Wondering about round things.

Have you ever seen a perfect circle?  Or how about a perfect sphere?  I don't believe you have; I haven't.  Let see, ball bearings are pretty close to being a perfect sphere as are a lot of things.  Probably the smaller something is the more it will appear to be a perfect sphere because a very small fraction of a percent out of round would be so small it wouldn't be noticed.  OK, lets think huge.  You may tell me that the moon is round, or the Earth is a perfect sphere, or the planets are.  You would be wrong.  The earth (and other planets) bulge at their equator and the faster spinning ones bulge the most from centrifugal force.

There is something you see almost every day that is round and that would be our Sun.  Our closest star only deviates from being a perfect sphere by 17 : 1,000,000.  Now I bet you can't see that small amount of out of roundness.  So you may ask, why doesn't it bulge at its equator, also?  Because of the huge thermo-nuclear reaction going on in its center which creates huge pressures pushing outward against its huge gravity pulling inwards.  Things will change, though, when the sun starts running out of fuel.  Now, that could be a subject for a future blog, or maybe not.  Now you all have a bright and sunny day today, you hear?

Wandering around the property on 11-12-12

Yesterday, I talked my wife into taking a walk around the property. She hasn't done so in a few years.  Before hurricane Ike hit and the tornadoes it spawned took down a lot of my huge oak trees, she used to walk the path we had around the swamp multiple times almost every day, just for exercise.  After the big storm, it was very difficult to get around; too many downed trees creating obstacles she couldn't easily get over.  There are still parts of our old path that you can't get through.  Anyway, as we walked around, we took some pictures of autumn wild flowers, each other, and other things.  I am going to share some of them with you.

These are the first flowers I spotted: 

As you can see there wasn't a cloud in the all blue sky:

I did find a couple of colored leaves, it is too early for most of them and last years drought took its toll on the trees and vegetation:

This is a Bay Berry bush, see the small grey berries?  They smell so good as do the leaves:

Even the Yaupon have berries:

And some yellow flowers to brighten up the day:

And I noticed some pale yellow flowers, also:

And of course the Holly:

One of the big Oaks that Ike brought down with my wife to show the size:

These beautiful fuzzy flowers got my attention.  No, the picture is not out of focus, they are just fuzzy:

We ended the walk around with these small white flowers that were hugging the ground:

Sure glad you walked around with me.  I didn't take any pictures of the ponds since you have seen a lot them in the past.  Today was flower and all kinds of fauna day.

By the way, it was in the mid 30's this morning.  Now that is really cold for this time of year, but it will warm up fast . . . . I hope.  Now you all have a great day, you hear, and take a walk around and see all the beauty that nature has to show you.

Wandering about on Mars

No, I am not wandering around on Mars.  My motor-home is capable of taking me many places, but the planet Mars is not one of them.  Now, there is a town near where I used to live in Pennsylvania named Mars, and I am sure it could take me there but that isn't the Mars I am talking about.  I am talking about an automobile sized rover named Curiosity that landed on Mars back during the night of August 5/6, 2012.  I heard a couple of quick comments on the news about it but since then I have heard nothing.  This was and is quite an ambitious project.  It will be running around Mars for at least a couple of years.  Here is a link to the NASA site that shows some of the pictures taken from Curiosity:

 http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/raw/?s=30

Have we got so accustom to the miracles that our space agency and related industries can accomplish these days that no one seems to be awed by them and some just don't seem to be interested.  Back when I was young this would only be science fiction.  I never thought that I would live long enough to see that fiction come true and that no one would really become excited about it.  Yes, I know that Curiosity is not the first rover on that planted, but it is the biggest and to safely land a payload that heavy on the surface of a planet that has such a thin atmosphere that parachutes will not slow it down enough, took a lot of engineering development.  It used a rocket powered pod to lower it on the surface.  This pod had to be completely automatic since a signal from Mars to Earth would take 14 minutes and another 14 minutes back and by then it could be in real trouble.  Sci-Fi shows would be a lot longer if they were true to life and had to wait for transmissions from Earth, but then it would be a very boring movie sitting around waiting for a radio transmission to complete.  Anyway, you all have a great day here on Earth, you hear?

Wondering about our November weather.

At 07:00 this morning the outside temperature here was 70 degrees.  When I woke up, the AC was running.  Not bad for what is usually the coolest time of day.  It is cloudy and has rained a little bit, but not enough to keep my wife from wanting to go to the flea market.  This is a the time of year when weather can change very fast and sometimes without warning.  You can go to bed and it is hot out and wake up with it cold, or you can go to bed with it cold out and wake up with it warm.  There is a front coming and northwest of the front it is now 40 degrees and southeast of the front it is in the 70's.  The front shouldn't get here until this evening around 18:00 or 19:00.  This will probably be one of those days that depending what time it is, the weather may be different.  If you don't like it now, just wait a few minutes and it will change.

When I lived up north of Fort Worth just south of Justin, it was even worse.  I remember going to work in a short sleeved shirt with the AC going in the car and when I stepped out to go to lunch it was freezing.  The weather does not change as drastically where I live now as it did up there in the Texas prairie.  Here we are closer to the Gulf coast and it does temper the weather some, unless there is a hurricane coming in.  Actually, I can't complain about the climate in this area.  The humidity is probably the worst part of it.  Now, you all have a great day today, you hear?

Wondering about a Christmas Comet.

I was reading my December issue of Astronomy and in the Astronews section I saw an article on a new comet that is suppose to "light up the sky".  They say this comet will be the brightest ever seen by any person living today.  To make it even more interesting, it is predicted to swing around the sun and then make a close approach to Earth near the end of December 2013, just in time for Christmas.  What a sight to see, it should be as bright as a full moon at its closest approach to Earth.  I sure hope I will still be around to see that spectacle.

Now this starts me to a wondering.  It seems that a little over 2000 years ago around the first Christmas, there was a "bright star" in the sky that led the wise men to the Nativity.  Some astronomers believe it was a near super nova that the wise men saw.  I think it was this long term comet that they followed, since it was said that it moved across the sky to lead them on their journey.  Of course I do not know for sure and this newly discovered comet (Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) or just Comet ISON) has not had its trajectory exactly calculated as of yet.  But if it was the same "bright star" that predicted the birth of Jesus, maybe this same "bright star" will predict his return.  Just wondering. . . Now you all have a great day, you hear?

Cartoons can be oh so true - and funny

Cartoons can be oh so true and yet be oh so funny at the same time.  Take this first on for instance:

Isn't that for sure; I can relate to that one.  Now I will not be 70 until next Valentines Day, so I don't put myself in the "Old" category, yet.   But the real problem of getting older is the opposite of the problem that we had when we were young.  When we were young and had a lot of life ahead of us, time seemed to go so slow, now that we are old and don't have a lot of living left, time seems to go oh so fast.

OK, here are some more words of wisdom:

Now tell me, aren't these cartoons true, don't they say it like it is?  OK, I thought you may get a chuckle out of these, I sure did.  Now you all have a great day and calm down, you hear?

Wondering about retirement.

I have a cousin who is contemplating retiring a little early.  All I can say is if you can afford it, do it!!  It is nice to not have to get up early and worry about getting a job done, head off to work, fight the traffic and the weather, help your boss give you ulcers, and all that other good stuff that goes with having a job.  Oh yes, there are some good points like the income you are making, the fellowship of other workers, and the wonderful interactions with your boss.  Of course I wouldn't know about all that.  According to my wife, I haven't had a real job for many, many years.  Yes, she is right.  I have worked for my self for a long time, but by doing that, it actually gave me many, many bosses.

My first job lasted 17 years, but all the rest of the "full time" jobs I held went away because the companies were closing their doors.  I guess I could say I was a part of putting a lot of companies out of business (grin).  No, none of them were my fault.  I guess I am getting off the main subject, my cousin thinking about early retirement.  And again I say, go ahead.  Life is too short to work hard for someone else.  I still do some work now and then, but I like to do it and will continue to do so if some is available when I am not planning on traveling.  There have been times when I had to spend days of my vacation on my laptop doing a rush job for a good customer.

OK, I have a present for my cousin and any of you who may be thinking about leaving the rat race behind.  This present is a sweet treat that tells about retirement:

Here is a close up of what it says.  Just some simple little rhymes, but they are so true.  Don't you think so?

Now, all of you who are retired, do something special today.  All you poor people who still hold jobs, the weekend is not too far away.  No matter if you are working or not, just have a great day, you hear?

Wondering what kind of vehicle it is.

Just about three miles from my place there is a vehicle parked at the end of a building.  It looked like it was originally a school bus but it has been re-purposed into. . . into a . . . I am not sure what it is suppose to be.  It sort of looks like it is half RV and half flat bed truck.

Since it is sitting beside a church, maybe it is used for hay rides???  It looks to have a lot of enclosed space in the front.  Room for a driver and if the seats were still in it, three rows of seats.  If the seats were removed there is plenty of room for bunks or what ever.  This vehicle has a lot of possibilities. You could carry almost anything on the back including another vehicle.  Just thought that you would like to see a picture of this unique vehicle.  Now, have a great day today, you hear.

Wondering about one term presidents.

Since it is election day I got wondering about how many presidents who ran for a second term didn't make it.  I found a list on the internet and I was surprised to see that there were so many.  How many can you name?  Is that all?  Well, just for your information I will list a few here:

George H.W. Bush

Jimmy Carter

Gerald Ford

Herbert Hoover

William Howard Taft

Benjamin Harrison

Grover Cleveland

Martin Van Buren

John Quincy Adams

John Adams

Now that is quite an impressive and long list but it isn't so long that we can't add another name to the list today.  What do you think?  I will know later today if it will be a good day or not, but hope you all have a great day, you hear.

Wondering about some porch critters

Life of all kinds seems to make their homes in almost every nook and cranny on this earth and maybe on other worlds, too.  Life is amazing!  Of course there is always some life forms that want to have a roof over their heads and a comfortable places to hang around and wait for some bite of food to wander by.  I noticed two lizards (anole lizards) hanging around on my screened in back porch yesterday.  My first shot is fuzzy.  I guess the camera couldn't figure out what to focus on.  Sorry about that, but at least you can make out the tow lizards hanging out on my porch.

I moved over to the other side and tried to get closer.  The one got nervous and took off, but the other just smiled when I said "say cheese" and I got its picture.  They show up better when they turn green but these had turned brown to blend in with their background.  This tells me that the insects that they prey on can see colors.

Look real close and you can see him hanging from that small space between the beams:

We have a lot of them around our place and I always enjoy watching them, although my wife does not.  They have sharp, piercing eyes that don't miss a thing.  Here is an enlarged view:

These are some of my friends that I hang around with.  Now you all have a great first work day of the week for any of you who are not retired, you hear?  For us retired folk, everyday is a weekend day! 

Wondering about dog clothes.

My wife is at it again.  Coming up with something she can make with yarn.  This time she decided that the dogs needed some new clothes, since two of them have been shaved and winter is coming on and she wanted to make something.  I believe it all started when she made a little shirt for a small Chihuahua.  Here are some that she made for our three dogs.

This is the one that she made for our oldest, Muffy.

This one is for our youngest, Gizzy.

 And of course our little boy needed a blue one.  The dog in the background is a toy.

Since she was on a roll, she made another multiple colored one for our our eldest.  Doesn't she look cute?

OK, all our dogs are ready for winter.  I wonder which day it will be this year?  Now you all keep warm and snuggle up if it is cold where you are and have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about re-purposing.

I bet a lot of you use things for purposes other than they were attended to be used.  I sure do.  Re-purposing is not just finding a use for something that will be otherwise thrown away but using stuff for a purpose that they were not originally meant for.  We have all done it at one time or another.  I do it all the time, like use the tool that is in reach instead of getting the one made for the job.  Those of you who still get a newspaper, I bet you line your bird cage with it, or wrap your fish in it, or wrap garbage in it, or something unique to you and your household.  We all re-purpose from time to time.

My wife buys and uses a lot of yarn.  She crochets, she uses knifty knitters, she weaves, she always has yarn around.  I use yarn for all kinds of purposes.  I use it like string, I use it to tie small boxes shut, and for a lot of other varied purposes.  One of those has saved my Ovation guitar from a lot of damage.  I purchased a guitar stand that it would fit in.  The trouble is that they don't make a guitar stand for this vintage Ovation, in fact I can't find a case for it, even at the Ovation site.  Yarn solved the problem of the poor fitting stand.  The guitar will stay in it but since they are made for a normal guitar to lean back against the rubber stop, the deep dish back on my guitar will only let it stand straight up.  That makes it very susceptible to being knocked down easily and with all the dogs running around my place, it gets bumped quite often.  So, I made a loop of yarn to hold it in place.  It isn't enough to take a huge hit but enough to save it from the bumps that the dogs give it.  Yarn is also stretchy so I made the loop a little smaller than needed to fit and stretch it over the tab for the shoulder strap and presto; you got an easily removable safety strap.

Don't understand what I was talking about?  OK, here is picture.  Sorry it is so fuzzy but the lighting was poor and I didn't use the flash so the shutter stayed open too long for me to hold it completely still.

You all have a great day today, you hear?

Wondering again about western stars.

A large portion of my TV watching time is spent on the Western Channel.  I love westerns and especially some of the old western TV series that originally played back in the black and white TV days.  Of course these shows are still in black and white but for some reason it doesn't matter, they are still great and I enjoy watching them.  So, I thought it may be fun to have another trivia test on that subject this morning.

To start with, can any of you name the seven (7) actors that played the leading roles in The Magnificent Seven?  I will start you out with Yul Brynner.  Now, you only have 6 more to name.

Answers at the bottom of the blog.

OK, think I am going to let you off that easy?  How about matching the famous name with the real persons name.  Here is a list of famous names; see if you can match them with their real names:

1.  Billy the Kid

2.  Black Bart

3.  Calamity Jane

4.  Kit Carson

5.  Butch Cassidy

6.  Buffalo Bill Cody

7.  Wild Bill Hickock

8.  Doc Holliday

9.  Annie Oakly

10. Belle Starr

Match the names above with the real names below.  Some are give-a-ways since they are very close to the famous names, but others are a little harder.  Just have fun with it.

A.  Myra Belle Shirley

B.  Phoebe Ann Moses

C.  John Henry Holiday

D.  James Butler Hickock

E.  William Fredric Cody

F.  Robert Leroy Parker

G.  Christopher Houston Carson

H.  Martha Jane Canary

I.   Charles E. Boles

J.   William Bonney 

Now that was easy, wasn't it?

As Promised, her are the answers to the Magnificent Seven:

Yul Brynner

Steve McQueen

Charles Bronson

James Coburn

Robert Vaughn

Brad Dexter

Horst Buchhoiz

Now, you all have a yippy kye aye day, you hear?

Just wondering about stuff.

Sometimes I just wonder about stuff.  Sometimes I come up with answers to my wondering and most often I do not.  Right now on TV there is a fellow telling how to train a dog.  I wonder why?  Here at our house it is the other way around; the dogs train us.  They have us trained to feed them, to let them out, to let them back in and to let them have their favorite place to lay down, which for one, is a pillow on the couch, for another beside my wife in her recliner, and for the youngest, in her own cage, which of course we refer to as her house.  They all have "houses".  Need them for when we are traveling.

I also wonder about things I have no way to understand at this time. After you die, if you were saved and lived a good life, shouldn't you be made to visit Hell first so you will know how good you have it when you get to heaven?  And the other way around, shouldn't the really, really bad and unrepentant be given a tour of heaven before they go to Hell?  Wouldn't that make Hell a lot worse?  One should know what he is missing.

I also wonder why one house can be destroyed by a tornado and the one next to it left unscathed.  Why some good people suffer and bad people prosper.  Why some are healthy and some are sickly.  "Why", is an unanswerable word unless you just say "because".  But then I suppose some of you would say "because why?"  Now you all have a great day, you hear?