Wondering why there are a lot of things done.

Why do people make changes?  There are a couple of examples.  In the work place, someone is appointed or promoted to a new position with some authority, so what is the first thing he or she does?  They make changes.  Why?  Because if they didn't they think that it would mean they were not needed in that position.  Change just for the sake of change is not good and a waste of time and resources.

The same thing happens when a politician wins an election and takes office.  He has to propose a bill or a law or something to prove that he was needed to be in office so that he could change things.  We now have so dang many laws and regulations on the books that one can hardly get out of bed without breaking at least one of them.  Wouldn't it be nice if we could wipe them all off the books and just come up with some that will benefit everyone.  Isn't that what a democracy is for?

I say that I like change but in a way, I don't.  Change means going into the unknown.  The unknown can be a scarry place, but it is also an exciting place to go.  If we do what we have always done, we will be stuck in a rut and never know what our own potential is or what all the wonders out there in the world are like.  That is one reason that I like the RVing world.  It gets people out of there small world and out into the real big world.  Just like the blogging world, you get to meet new people and make new friends.  I am tied up for week or so, but then I hope to be able to hit the road.  Now, you all have a great day today, you hear?

Wondering a little further out.

Yesterday I talked about Jupiter and since we are on the subject of planets, I thought today I would like to talk about Pluto.  Whether it is a planet, a minor planet, or whatever (I am an old fart so I was always taught that it was planet) it is still part of our solar system.  Now that we know a lot more about it then we did back in the dark ages when I was in school, it has become a strange place.  It's size makes it the smallest planet.  In fact, Ceres (an asteroid or now known as a dwarf planet) and Pluto are about the same size and shape.  Another strange thing about Pluto is that it is about the same size as one of its moons.  That makes me wonder which is the moon and which is the planet.  Oh yeh, the one that the others orbit around would be the planet.  The best picture taken from Earth of Pluto and its moon Charon was taken from the 8-meter Gemini North Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.  So, I suppose you want to see the picture:

Any of you who have telescopes know that one of the biggest problems of taking long exposure times of celestial targets is the uneven atmospheric turbulence that tends to blur the picture.  The people who took the above photo came up with an unique solution for this problem.  They took a large number of quick "snapshots" to average out the turbulence and then stacked them to create a clear picture of the two objects.

You think that was really great, well it was.  The resolution that they were able to obtain would be about the same as splitting the two headlights of car in Providence, Rhode Island from San Francisco.  Now that kind of puts it in perspective, doesn't it?  You all have a great day here on old Mother Earth (the nicest place in the solar system), you hear?

Again, wondering about Jupiter and its moons.

I know that I have written about Jupiter a few times in the past but I just can't resist doing it again.  Why, you may ask.  Because it has been the star (take it either way, it looks like a celestial star and could be a movie star) of the night for quite awhile now and will continue to be so for a little longer.  If you go out side after dark and look up, it is the brightest star in the sky.  Sure does give Sirius (the dog star) some competition.  I am not sure which one is the brightest.

I suppose if you live in a very dark area, you may be able to see some of Jupiter's moons with only the naked eye, but for sure you will be able to see them with a good pair of binoculars.  For the best views, a telescope will do the job nicely and it doesn't need to be a huge one.  Of course bigger is always better.  These following pictures (that I borrowed off the internet) show what you would see.  I have seen Jupiter though my telescope many times and it never ceases to amaze me and each time I look at it there is something different, either the planet itself or the location of its moons.  It is not uncommon to see the shadow of one its moons on Jupiter's surface.  (Jupiter does not have a solid surface as we know it, it is a huge ball of gas, so the shadow is projected on Jupiter's cloud tops).  By the way, Jupiter spins really fast.  It rotates once in less than 10 hours and that is spectacular because of its huge size.  It could hold 1266 Earths in its volume.  This fast spin alters its shape from round to wider around its equator than around its poles.

Here is the first picture.  Notice the shadow of one of the moons?

And a view with the moons in a different location:

Now, tonight (if it is clear), go outside and look up.  Jupiter will be straight overhead.

Did you ever notice that on a real clear night the stars twinkle?  Well I have and a couple of them stood out because they didn't twinkle like the rest.  These non twinkling stars are planets.  Planets do not twinkle.  Now don't forget to take a look at the sky every night that it is clear.  You may like it and it may become a habit.  Of course it could give you a pain in the neck (grin).  Now have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about WW2 in the South Pacific

I was born during Wold War Two so I don't remember too much about it.  Believe it or not, the only thing I can remember from that time is my Mother holding me and showing me a picture of my Dad.  Later, she told me she did that so that I would remember what he looked like when he came home.  My father escaped the horrors of the South Pacific when he was in the hospital with an intravenous blockage and his group shipped out and ended up on Batan Island.  I dug through the pictures on the internet and came up with this one of a typical island beach landing:

Not a pretty picture is it.

I was digging though some stuff while cleaning out my office and found some old pictures that my Mother had in her things.  It was really fun looking through these old pictures and then I came across one of my uncle during the big war when he was in the Navy and on a south Pacific island.  The note he put on the back was that he had gone native.  There was a U.S, Navy Censor stamp on the back with some snoopy guy's initials in it.

I would believe that this beach landing on this island was not quite the same as the one in the first picture.  What do you think?  It is such a nice day again here maybe I should put on my grass skirt and "go native".  Now you can do what you want to, but be sure to have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about the TX Lotto.

OK, I admit it, I buy lottery tickets twice a week.  I get one Cash Five ticket with the same numbers every time.  I get three Lotto numbers, one of which is the same number every time and the other two are quick picks.  Why do I play?  I thought of quitting but if I did and my numbers came up I would be very, very disappointed and depressed, so I keep on buying them.

Last night, I almost won.  Now, from what they tell me, almost is not good enough.  I started to take notice when I checked the winning numbers on the official web site and the first two were matches on my first line of numbers.  Now comes the almost amazing part, the last four numbers were only one off.  What are the chances of that?!?  Maybe I ought to frame that ticket.  If you do the math, the chances of that happening is about the same as getting them all right.  Well, I guess the chance of getting any six numbers would be the same as getting any other six numbers, but the chance of getting my six numbers seems to be impossible.  Anyway, I am too old to spend all that money, right?  WRONG!!!  Now, you have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about the winter sky.

I love the winter sky.  It is so much nicer to view since I moved to an area where the winter nights warm and balmy and usually clear.  When I lived in western Pennsylvania the winter nights were usually cloudy and if they were not, they were way too cold to enjoy star gazing.

What is it that makes the winter night so special, you may ask.  The sky holds beauty and wonder every night of the year but there are some nice views that only the winter sky holds and that can be seen before midnight.  That is important to old folks who don't like to loose too much of their beauty sleep.  Take a look up tonight and you will see Jupiter playing tag with The Pleiades star cluster.  Orion is up there in all its glory and the bright nebula on the sword.  The more you look the more you see.  If you sit in side and watch prime time TV all night, you will miss a lot of impressive sights.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Wondering why no blog?

Just in case you are wondering why I have not posted my blog today; well there were some fatal errors in it this morning and I deleted it.  I am using my tablet to post this, so hope it works.  Doing some stuff aroud here that needs dons.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Wondering what these grape look-a-likes could be?

On my way back from carrying the garbage cans down to the road, I pass by these vines that have pods of dark blue berries on them.  They look like small grapes but they are definitely not.  Here is the first picture that I took:

And I took another picture looking in at a different area:

OK, I have searched for what they are called and have not had any success.  Do any of you have any idea what they are?  If you do let me know.  Better yet, give me a link to their description on the internet.

These berries must not be edible because I have never seen any creature (bird, mammal, or insect) eating any of these and there is no sign of such activity.  Here is a close up view:

I sure am wondering what they are, so help me if you can.  I would appreciate any help I can get.  Now you all have a great day today and if you don't know what they are, don't worry about it, you hear?

Update:  I figured that maybe I should give you a better idea of their size, so I went out and took another picture:

Well, does this help you any?  You can also see the leaves.  They are definitely not grapes.  Can somebody please tell me what they are?

Wondering, different webs for different spiders?

When I let the dogs out this morning and since there is a fog again, I noticed a couple of spider webs highlighted by the water droplets from the fog.  They were within two feet of each other but they were of a completely different design.  I always liked spiders and thought that they and their webs were beautiful.  I did not, however, study them so can't tell you their names or which webs go with what spiders.  Of course not all webs are made by spiders but I am pretty sure these two were.  I did think that these two webs deserved to have their picture taken. Here is the one that was on the right:

The one shown above started at a point and sent strands out which were tied together in a symmetrical pattern.  There was a plan to the design and that spider was an engineer, an artist, and a master builder.  She (or he) did a good job although I have seen better ones.

Now the web shown below was just a couple of feet to the left of the one above.  Looks a little different, doesn't it?

I am not sure if this spider web builder had a plan.  It looks rather random to me but I am sure that in that randomness there is an underlying plan and design.  Nature is beautiful but she is also a tough teacher.  Those who don't learn to survive, perish.  So both the symmetric style and this random style must get the job done.

It kind of makes me wonder why there are two completely different style webs, but then I take a look around our neighborhood and every home is a lot different than the rest.  Each is unique (unlike some of the new housing developments that repeat the same house every few lots).  Most of us humans like to consider ourselves unique and I guess that these two neighboring spiders do too.  Now all of you unique readers out there, have a very great day today, you hear?

Wondering What The Eye Sees.

Maybe I am different; now I hope you noticed that I didn't say strange. . .   But, my brain tries to see different shapes, faces, and things in repetitious designs.  Maybe it is because of my work of designing stuff and then making workable drawings, or maybe it is because of my art, or maybe it is because I am strange different.  It can't be the first two because I could pick out faces and animals in wall paper designs or curtain design or just any random design back when I was a small child and would amuse my self doing so.  Just like this wall:

Or the adjoining wall:

Go ahead and enlarge the pictures and just stare at them for awhile and see what your brain makes out of them.  Maybe nothing but a random design, but then again, you may be surprised what all your brain can make out of it.

OK, you say you don't see anything?  Well then, I guess that I am really strange.  Why don't you enlarge the picture to full screen and get close enough to it that it fills your vision and stare at it for a few minutes?  It may surprise you what you can see in the design.  There is no trick here, it is just your brain trying to make something out of the randomness.  Let me know if you can see anything in it.  If you don't then I know I must be strange.  I guess since I look strange, I may as well act strange. . .  Now don't you all have a strange day, but a great day, you hear?

Wondering about people with the same names.

There are a lot of people in the same family that have the same last names, dahhh. . .  But in some families there can be a lot of people with the same first names.  Now that is starting to get confusing, isn't it?  Now, in my family, I have relatives that have the same first and last names and in fact some couples have spouses with the same name.  Now, it really gets complicated, doesn't it?  You are just never sure which person someone is talking about.

Why am I talking about this?  Well hold on, I am going to tell you.  I got an email inviting me to my Aunt Evelyn's 90th birthday.  OK, I know, that doesn't explain anything.  So, let me start from the beginning.  My dad had a sister named Evelyn and she married a guy named Jim.  They had a son which they named Jim.  Yep, he married a girl named Evelyn (the one that is having the birthday party).  Oh yeh, then they had a son named Jim and of course he didn't brake the chain cause he has a son named Jim.  So, with two married couples with the same names (first and last) and a whole bunch of Jims with the same last name, life can get a little confusing. My wife just never knows which one of them I am talking about.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Heavy Fog This Morning

Woke up with a heavy fog.  Didn't decide to take pictures until after 08:00 and it was starting to lift and go away.  It was a lot thicker, but then I said to my self, "Dizzy, you have no idea what to blog about this morning, why don't you take some pictures of the fog?", and that is what I did.  So I will not bore you with a lot of words, so here are the three pictures that I took.  

This is looking west past where I park:

This is looking south across my front yard:

And this last one is looking east down the electric right-of-way to where my son's house is located on the northeast corner of my property:

Ok, that is all for today.  Now, I wonder if we can find our way to the flea market?  You all have fog free day and let the sun shine in and warm you, you hear?

Wondering about multi-bean soup;

I hear people talk about different kinds of bean soup.  The first question I am wondering about is what constitutes bean soup.  I have had soup that had a bean or two or so in it and it was called vegetable soup.  Second question, if soup has a lot of green beans in it can it be called bean soup or does the beans need to be shelled beans of some variety?

OK, how many beans does it take to make bean soup?  I have heard of 3-bean soup, hearty 4-bean soup, 15-bean soup, and even 32-bean soup, and maybe more.  I can come to two conclusions from the title of these bean soups.  The first that popped into my mind was "who would want to eat soup that only had 3 beans in it".  Shouldn't there be truth in labeling (a blog for another time)?  I would want hundreds of beans in my soup.  Now, you tell me that means variety.  Dang, I didn't know that there were 32 different varieties of eatable beans.  How about naming them all for me.

Beans are nutritious and satisfying.  When dried they keep well, a good item for survivalists to put on their list of supplies.  Beans, in one form or another, have been feeding humanity for ever.  Of course we can never forget the famous scene from the movie Blazing Saddles where all the cowboys were sitting around the campfire eating beans and in doing so, changed the scent of the evening. . .

What are your favorite beans and bean dishes?  My favorite is fresh green Lima beans warm from the pot with melted butter and salt.  Don't get much better than that for me.  Now you all have a rip toot'n day and don't eat too many beans, you hear?

Sharing a Pillow

Sharing a Pillow

Isn't it nice that one pillow these two share?

Maybe they are having some kind of affair.

My little girl Muffin and Mister Chang Le,

They try to be a couple and want to be.

But some things just can't work out and never will,

Cause she just turns her back and gives him a chill.

He never seems to learn and keeps on trying,

He keeps his hopes high when he should be crying.

But they sure do make a fine looking couple.

and it seems that they also like to cuddle.

Now, I hope my poetry did not make you sick.  I made up a card for my Aunt with this picture and then wrote this little rhyme to go with it.  Since I woke up this morning a little on the "brain dead" side, I didn't have anything important, exciting, enlightening, or just educational to say so I cheated and put this picture and poem on today that I used in that card, sort of double duty or double jeopardy, which ever.  Now, you all have yourself a great Friday, you hear?

Got a heavy frost!!

We have a heavy frost this morning.  Yes, Jimkabob, it is Thursday!!!  This has been an unusually cold winter for this area and this has been the coldest morning.  Got down to 28 degrees.  Just in case you don't believe me, I stuck my camera in my jacket pocket when I carried the garbage cans down to the road and took a few pictures.  This first one was after I set the cans down and started walking back my driveway:

I walked half way back the driveway and took another picture of my front lot, the one neighbor's back yard, and another neighbor's big field:

And here is a close-up of the frost on some small plants along the side of the driveway:

All I can say is "Brrrrrrr".  Now you all keep warm and have a great day today, you hear?

Wondering where everything came from.

Have you ever looked at the periodic table and wondered where all the chemical elements came from?

Well, some of the lower atomic weight elements were made by typical stars in their stellar furnaces.  I think most of us knew that.  But what about the higher atomic weight elements, where were they made if a typical star doesn't manufacture them?  The answer is a supernova.  A supernova is when a large star's internal furnace dies down to a level that the eternal pressure is less than the gravitational pull and the star implodes inward which causes a horrific explosion and all that is left afterwards is a neutron star no bigger than New Jersey, but a teacup full of the stuff it is made of would be so dense and heavy that it would fall through the Earth to its center.

Below is a before and after picture of a supernova explosion.  The picture on the left is the bright supernova and the picture on the right is after it died down.

I could go on and on about this subject, but I will not because I am sure that I would bore you all.  Now I want you all to know that you are my bright and shining star, so go brighten up the day and I hope your day will be just fantastic.

Wondering about my favorite smells.

There are a lot of smells that I don't like, but on the other hand there are a lot that I do like.  I suppose my most favorite non-food nor drink aroma is Witch Hazel.  I splash it on my body a couple of times a day and always make sure I have some on face so that I can get a good smell of it.  I just love it.  I am not all that fond of colognes or perfumes; just that good old Witch Hazel.

Other smells that I really like are, of course, food or drink related.  I just love the smell of brewing coffee.  Now I can't smell the aroma steaks grilling without starting to drool.  And vanilla, oh yes vanilla!!  I love the smell of vanilla (and the taste when diluted and used as a favoring).

There are other smells that I love, like fresh bread baking, chocolate, the crisp fall air, and of course the smells that remind me of wonderful times in the past.  Isn't it great how a smell can jog your memory?  What are some of your favorite smells?  Let me know and you all have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about clear days.

Being an owner of several telescopes and one who loves to look at the sky whether through a scope or just my plain old blue eyes, I like clear nights which usually follow clear days.  Clear and dry are best.  High moisture in the air tends to hide allusive targets.  Therefore, it is nice to be in an area that has the largest percentage of clear days (and nights) if you are planning to do any star gazing.

Below is a map showing the average number of clear days in the United States.  I live near the Texas Gulf coast north of Houston and as you can see from this map I am located in the next to the worst area for clear days.  The south west is the best.  Take a look at the map and tell me if you live in an area that is clear or not.

The other thing that is important is the absence of man made lighting.  It is much, much worse if the lighting is reflected off high moisture in the air.  The world is getting really light polluted and the map below shows the U.S. at night: 

Do you live in a light polluted area?  I do, and it is an area with high humidity which makes it a lot worse.  I thought that last night was going to clear off.  I went out and checked and it was really clear.  Jupiter was almost into the Pleiades.  It was a pretty site and then the clouds moved in.  Glad I didn't go to all the trouble of getting my big scope outside and put together.  Now may all your days be bright and your nights clear, you hear?

Wondering about cold temperatures.

Yes, it is a cold, rainy morning this morning.  Quite a difference a day makes.  Yesterday it was warm and dry and got up in the 70's.  I guess the warmest part of today happened just after midnight last night.  We might think that it feels really cold sometimes and sometimes I hear a lot of complaints about the cold spells.  Well, let me tell you, you ain't felt real cold.

I am going to list some of the coldest places in the universe, that we know of and have actually measured.  Let me start with Triton, the largest moon of the planet Neptune.  Voyager 2 recorded -391 back in 1989.  Let's go out a little further to Pluto where it gets to -393 degrees.

Not cold enough for you yet?  In 2011 the temperature on Eris (which is now classified as a minor planet) got down to a -393 degrees Fahrenheit.  But even closer to home, the craters near our moon's pole was measured at a -415 F.  Now that is getting rather chilly, isn't it?  But wait!!  There is a place that is 30 degrees cooler than that.  (Cooler?  Not quite the right adjective)  Have you guessed where it is?  No, it isn't a witch's . . . just colder.  It is intersteller space where it has been measured at a very bone chilling -455 degrees Fahrenheit.  Since absolute zero is -459.67 degrees, I would say that intersteller space is almost as cold as it can get.  Oh yes, some may ask why temperature can't go below absolute zero.  Well, it is where a substance has no thermal energy and where particles stop moving.

Now, I bet this little cold spell that moved in doesn't feel all that bad, does it?  You all keep warm and happy, you hear?

Yesterday's project completed.

 Yesterday, I told you about the project that my wife had me working on.  I did finish it up by the end of the day and I sure could feel it through out my old body.  The last screw was not cold yet when my wife started using the peg boards.  So, I took a couple of pictures of it last night.  This first picture was taken just minutes after I completed the job, notice that she had already started putting things on it:

 And a few minutes later she had some more of her stuff on it:

Just thought that you would like to see the finished project.  Now, you all have a great day and may all your projects be easy.

Working on a small project for my wife.

My wife decided she needed some peg board mounted on the walls of her craft room / office, so guess who got nominated for the job?  Well, a trip to Home Depot got three pieces of 24" x 48" white quarter inch peg board, three 1"x2" for mounting strips, and a bunch of hardware that fits into the peg board holes.  So, I cut the mounting strips in two and my wife painted them.  Now, it was up to me to mount them.  I tacked two of the mounting strips onto a pegboard with very small nails and then I drilled a hole through the top right corner.  I then located the board on the wall and put a screw in that one hole.  I then laid my level up against one side of it and made sure that it was straight.  Drilled the rest of the holes and mounted the peg board secure with six screws.  By this time my back had all it could stand, so the other two will be mounted later.  Anyway, it was time for my TV shows that I watch (grin).

Speaking of lumber, 1x2, 2x4, 2x6, etc are not what they used to be.  First off, it is dang near impossible to find straight ones and if you do there are all kinds of flaws in them.  Then, none of them are the size that they are called.  Maybe they started out that way but they kept shrinking in size and going up in cost.  I remember when a 2 by 4 was 1.75" x 3.75".  Now they are 1.5" x 3.5" and shrinking.  Oh well, that seems to be the way everything is going.  Now, you all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about the sound of frogs.

Last night, the evening of January ninth, after we had all that rain, the frogs were singing so loud that is all you could hear when you went outside and they are still singing loudly this morning.  We have been on the dry side most of the summer, fall, and so far this winter, so I imagine the frogs were really happy last night and wanted everyone else to know about it.  There was almost a complete chorus.  The only thing missing was the bass section.  It seems that either the bull frogs are still sleeping or they didn't survive the summer.  I am hopefull that they are still sleeping under the mud and will awaken when it gets warmer and when there is more insects around to feast upon.

Speaking of insects, they are rather slim this time of year so how do the mid to small size frogs find sufficient sustanance?  Nature does usually take care her own, so I am sure she has provided something for them to eat.  What ever, the frogs sure did sound happy last night.  Maybe they think winter is over.  Of course, we usually get our worst winter weather around the end of this month or the beginning of next.  So far, this has been one of the colder winters we have had for awhile but not the coldest; at least not yet.  Now when you all go to bed tonight, close your eyes and remember what those Spring time frogs sound like and have a great day, you hear?

Wondering, odd or even?

OK, I want you all to pick a number from one to ten.  Why, you may ask.  Well, I have a pet theory that I have never been able to test completely nor prove, and probably never will.  My theory is that the most number picked will be an odd one, not an even one.  If you had the numbers picked by random, it would seem to me that half of the numbers picked would be odd and the other half even.  It just never seems to work out that way.  OK, tell me, what was the first number that popped into your mind after you read that first sentence?

I wrote a blog back on December 9th about randomness that may tie into what I am trying to say today.  You may want to go back and check it out: http://dizzydick.blogspot.com/2012/12/wondering-about-randomness.html

I asked my wife to pick a number between one and ten and she picked an odd one.  I believe I would have, also.  What about you?  Randomness is suppose to be predictable in science but it isn't.  Why, because it deals with random things. (grin)  I read where someone said that if you gave a million typewriters to a million monkeys that they could produce a novel or reproduce one of the old masterpieces.  Yeah, right!!!  I also read where someone tried an experiment where they put a bunch of typewriters together with a bunch of monkeys and all the monkeys did was throw them around and use them as toilets.  Of course some of the novels written today fit in nicely with toilets.  So don't monkey around, but just have one heck of a great day today, you hear?
 

Rain, rain, rain, and then a little more rain.

We need rain.  We have been below normal rainfall for a few years now.  So, a good soaking would be welcome, but they are predicting a lot of rain in such a short time that it will not be able to soak in.  The latest prediction is over eight inches in the next day or two.  It started around 04:00 last night with a thunder storm but right now it is just a light drizzle, but there are a lot more waves to come.  I bet my swamp will be full to over flowing by the time it is over.  Who knows for sure, the weather forecasters have been wrong before.

How is the weather at your place?  This country has some of the most diverse weather going on at the same time in different places.  If you don't like the weather where you are, just head off to some other place where it more suits you.  Well, most of us can't do that but the full time RVers sure can.  That is one advantage of life on wheels.  I follow a lot of bloggers who are or have been full timers.  Others, like me, are part timers.  One of the bloggers I follow just sold his house and purchased an RV and is getting ready to hit the road.  See: Michael Ultra at RV0777.

OK, got a few small (indoor) projects to do today, if I can get up off the couch, so you all keep your powder dry and have a great day, you hear? 

Wondering, what is for breakfast?

What do you have for breakfast?  Second question, what would you like to have for breakfast?

Let me think, what do I have for breakfast.  Well now, that depends if I am in a hurry or not, whether I am hungry or not, and most important, what is available.  Sometimes I just have a couple of Zone Bars or something else quick and simple.  Today, I made up a concoction by putting plain yogurt in a big glass, adding Agave Nectar and dehydrated bananas to sweeten it, and Rice Checks cereal for a filler.  Mmmmmm Gooooood.  Back when I lived up north and was going out early on a cold winter's day to go hunting, I would fill up on bacon and eggs.  Had to have a lot of grease to keep me warm and going.

One breakfast I remember was when we took a company jet from the Hobby Airport in Houston and flew up to Indiana on business.  We had steak (filet mignon) and eggs.  At 40,000 feet, that was a great breakfast and I really enjoyed it.

Of course, what ever breakfast I have (or don't have), I have to have a big ole cup of strong Colombian Coffee.  Since my wife and I differ on what coffee should taste like and how strong it should be, we make individual cups for ourselves the way we want it and when we want it.  I told you before that we use those funnel like things that you put a filter and coffee in and sit on top of a cup and pour boiling water in it over the grounds.  Simple, and every cup can be made to suit who ever is making it.  One of my favorites, which I haven't had for over a year or so, is a biscuit with sausage gravy.  Oh my, now my mouth is starting to water, so before I slobber all over my laptop, I will say good by for today and I hope all of you have had the breakfast of your choice and will have a very great day, you hear?

Cool morning at the flea market.

Yep, went to the flea market yesterday when it was raining, not too many there so went back this morning even though it was pretty cold, in the low to middle 40's and a very chilly wind blowing.  Now the sun is out and it is warming up nicely.  I also took a couple of pictures and also actually found something to buy.  I think I will start with the first picture I took.  Now, as you all know, I live in Texas and in Texas everything, and I mean everything, is BIG.  So, this first picture I took of a Texas washboard and its owner is, shall we say, almost typical for around here:

He also had this parking meeter that could sit in anyone's living room and not seem too much out of place.  This is for company that you don't want to stay too long.  You just tell them to feed the meter or move on. 

 This is what I purchaced.  These books were twentyfive cents a piece and I figure I can get at least two bits worth of information out of them to influesnce a few of my blogs, don't you think?

 OK, I am anxious to see what mysteries lie in those books so you all have a great day today, you hear?

Wondering what gender that truck is.

Yesterday was grocery shopping day so we headed off to town and on the way in I took notice of a truck in front of me as we were going around the Loop.  I saw something that I had never seen on a pick-up truck before, so I asked my wife if that truck was a male or a female.

I always thought that trucks were suppose to be masculine but I have heard people call them by feminine names and have even heard a redneck say "good girl" to his truck when it jumped the ditch without any trouble or drove out of the mud bog without having to be pulled or pushed.  So, what gender do you think a pick-up truck is?

Well, this picture that I tool of the truck in front of me should answer any question you may have:

 

Not close enough for you?  OK, I will enlarge that part of the picture:

Now, if that wasn't bad enough, when I got to the Wal-Mart parking lot and started walking from my Jeep to the store, I spotted an over sized ladybug masquerading as a car:

It seems to me that yesterday's trip into town took a detour through the Twilight Zone.  I hope you had a more sane day and that today will be a great one for you all.

Wondering about some pictures from my son.

 The other day my son emailed me some pictures that he took of me with his smart phone.  I don't have a smart phone, just an old style small flip phone.  It takes pictures, too, but not good ones and I don't have any way of getting pictures off my cell since I had the texting service turned off.  I guess that I should update my phone someday, but I like this phone because it is small and why replace something that still works?

My son collects Stihl chain saws.  I thought that he had given me a picture of his collection, but I was wrong.  Anyway, he brought up two of them to help me take a tree down that made me have to back the RV up a couple of times to make the turn into my house.  It is also the tree that reached out and bent my power awning when I first brought home my Dutch Star RV because it leaned a little over the driveway on the inside of a sharp turn.  He ran the big saw that had at least a three foot bar and he let me cut with the small one.  The small one was hard enough on my back, glad I wasn't running the big monster one.

Anyway, here is a picture he took of me trying to look busy: 

 

One day a few weeks ago, I was down at his place and sat down on his Harley.  He took a picture of that, too:

I had a Harley way back when I first got married.  It was a small racing model made in Italy.  Yes, they made that style Harley in Italy.  Hard to believe that the so called American bike company had one made in Italy.  It wasn't a huge hog, but it was set up as a circle racing bike.  It had the gearshift foot lever and the brake on the opposite side as a normal bike had.  That meant you had to remember which bike you were riding at the time you had to make an emergency stop.  I found a picture of a similar one on the internet:

Yes, it was a one banger but it sure had torque.  I think it would be able to climb a tree.  When my boys were young they sat in front of me.

I see were a lot of the bloggers that I follow who live in Texas have had some snow.  It got down in the mid 40's here last night, so no snow.  No rain, either.  Now, you all have a great Friday, you hear?

Wondering how my big change will work out.

I finally got fed up enough to go and do it!!!  Old Ben Woods used to keep telling me to do it, but I wasn't having any trouble at the time and figured if it's not broken, don't fix it.  Then I got upset and went and saw an expert and he told me to do it, too.  In fact, he said go home and "Do It".

What am I talking about?  No!!! Not that!!!  I have been having problems with this lap top that I use to write my blog.  It works just fine writing and posting my blogs but when I go to answer comments or make comments on other blogs, I have to go fire up my tablet and comment with it.  It is like this.  I am able to type in my comment with no problem.  Then when I hit the button to post the comment, it all goes away.  Now that gets to be a drag using a computer to read and a tablet to comment and, well you get the idea.  So, yesterday, my wife wanted to go into town and go to Hobby Lobby and Michaels and since there was a computer fix-it shop in the next block, I took my laptop with me.  I dropped my wife off and went to the computer guy.  Carried in my computer and ask him if there was a setting that needed changed so that I could comment on blogs.  I explained my problem.  He asked me what program I was using to get on the internet.  I told him I was using Chrome.  He said go home, download Firefox, instal it, and my problems should go away.  I did, and they did. . . I down loaded Firefox and my problems went away.  Now why didn't I listen to Old Ben a few years back?  Well, it finally caught up with me and I bet Ole Ben is looking down and laughing at me.`

What internet access programs do you all use?  Have any of you had this problem?  Next time I have my desk-top turned on, I will have to check and see what internet program is on it?  Probably an oldie but goodie.  Now you all have a problem free day today, you hear?