Wondering why I am late posting.

I am a little late posting.  Sorry if you missed me but more sorry if you didn't (grin).  Anyway, I will explain.  First of all, I slept in this morning and only had time to grab a bite to eat before leaving for the flea market.  One of our flea market friends' dad (who is also a vendor) was in the hospital with breathing problems.  It was his son who we went to see at the funeral home.  I mentioned this in a past blog, http://dizzydick.blogspot.com/2013/11/wondering-to-funeral-home.html


He believes that he caught the same infection that just killed his son.  He seemed very good today and was very talkative.  Told us a lot of stories from his past.  It was a very enjoyable visit and I learned a lot from him.  We visited for a few hours.  He also got some good news that his wife was told she could go home Monday morning if she is still improving and he hopes that he can go home with her.  We hope he can, too.  We also hope that we brightened up his day.

Weather is warm and sunny today, a beautiful day.  Hope you all have a beautiful day, too.  Now, you have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about favorite words.

What is your favorite word?  What is your least favorite word.  Maybe I should just ask what word do you use the most.  Since I became rather hard of hearing and especially when I don't have my hearing aids in, my most used word is "what".  Now for least favorite word.  My wife's least favorite word is "what".  Yep, she gets tired of hearing me say it over and over and over again.  I guess to me nice, from now on I should not use that word so much, but rather just say, "yes dear".  Yes, I know that could be really dangerous.  OK, hold on for a few seconds, I got to go do something. . .

....


OK, I am back.  I just remembered that I didn't have my hearing aids in.  I went and put them in.  Now I will be able to hear all your great comments. . . wait a minute, I guess I just read your comments, it is the wife's comments that I will now be able to hear.

It is bright and sunny today, but a little on the cool side earlier this morning.  How could such a beautiful day be labeled "Black" Friday?  I think it should have been named "Green" Friday for all the money that the stores will be raking in today.  They will not be getting any of my money today.  Now, you all have a bright black Friday, you hear?

Wondering about Thanksgiving.

I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Some of us have to look harder than others, but we all have something to be thankful for.  It is very important to take time to count our blessings and I, for one, have more blessings than I can count.  I sure hope you all do, too.  I am loved by friends and family.  I am blessed with lots of wonderful and loving cousins.  All my wonderful Aunts and Uncles have passed away, my Aunt just passed away and she was the last of my family's generation, the last of an era that produced real people capable of handling the world's problems without complaining.

Thanksgiving has been celebrated for years.  It supposedly started in 1621 when the Pilgrims celebrated it at Plymouth Rock.  Then in 1863 President Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday and was celebrated the last Thursday of the month of November.  Then in 1941, it was set as the fourth Thursday.  That way, when there are five Thursdays in the month, there will not be any confusion.  And yes, there could be five Thursdays in November, in case you are curious.  Now, don't eat too much. . . oh heck, go ahead, if you can't eat too much on Thanksgiving when can you?  So, have a great Thanksgiving, you hear?

Wondering to the funeral home.

A sad trip.  An acquaintance or ours passed away way too soon at the age of 57.  He died of a serious infection.  It just so happened that his dad was in the same hospital but one floor above his son.  They were kind enough to wheel him down to his son's room so he could be with him when he passed.  So sad!!  Then, I just found out last night that his mother was also taken to the hospital.  This was not a good week for this family.  I got to meet some of his out of state relatives.  They really seem to be a fine family and I feel so sad about their loss and the trouble they are going through.

I just don't have anything else to say, except that you all have a great day, you hear?

Wondeing again about past presidents.

I thought it would interesting to delve into some history of our past presidents.  They all have had interesting stories told about them, some true and probably some not so true.  Some came from relatively unknown families, but most had a family history of either politics, or some other occupation that was highly visible to the public.

Take President Franklin Roosevelt for example.  FDR was related to William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, Benjamin Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Zachary Taylor, William Henry Harrison, Martin Van Buren, John Quincy Adams, James Madison, John Adams, and George Washington.  Seems strange, but FDR and his relatives controlled the presidency for about one-third of its existence.

How many remember Reagan? and his Reaganizms?  I, personally, liked him and enjoyed listening to him.  But, there have been times when his actions were just plain laughable.  For instance, one such time was when he and Nancy (both of which, by the way, had multiple face lifts) attended church at an Episcopal church service in Virginia.  As they were about to take communion, Nancy asked Mike Deaver, "Are those people drinking out of the same cup?"  He had to explain to her that they would be given wafers first and they would dip it into the cup.  President Reagan couldn't hear those instructions and was asking "What? What?" To which Nancy responded , "Ron, just do exactly as I do."  As the wafers were passed by she took one, dipped it in the chalice, and accidentally dropped it in the wine.  Reagan promptly took his wafer, dipped it, and dropped it into the wine as well.  The preacher moved on, shaking his head, and staring at the blobs of gunk floating in his wine.

I guess it shows that even presidents are human and some more than others.  It is cold (upper 30's) and raining.  Not a good day to be out walking, so will stay in most of the day.  Now, you all stay dry and warm and have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about Motors.

I got wondering about motors for motor vehicles.  I have had quite a few different vehicles in my life and thus quite a few different motors.  I would imagine that all of you have owned multiple motors.  Just how many different motors have you all owned?  I got wondering about how many different vehicle motors I have had.  I am going to exclude motors like the Briggs and Stratton that were on lawn mowers or the Evinrude and Mercury motors for outboard boats.  Have had motors on motorcycles, too, but not going to include them.  Just multi-wheeled highway vehicle motors.

The first question that comes to mind is what was your first car?  Mine was a 1955 Desoto similar to the one pictured below except mine was a four door sedan, but it was the same color:

 

I believe it had a hemi engine in it.  It had an automatic transmission but only had a couple of gears, like low and high.  Therefore, it was a little sluggish off the line, so to speak.  I really liked that car.

I have had GMC, Chrysler, and Ford products and therefore their motors.  I have told you before about my '57 Chevy convertible.  I have had V-6, V-8, V-10, and even one to four cylinder engines on bikes.  But, all through my life I have had only gasoline engines.  Then I got my last RV.  It has a Cat Diesel engine in it.  Now, I must say, that engine really impresses me.  My RV has a GVW of

26,600 and, therefore, need a big engine.  I can set the cruise control for sixty mph and it will stay there, rock solid, on sixty up and down the hills and mountains, and that is towing my Jeep Liberty.  Now they tell me that Caterpillar does not make engines for vehicles any more, just stationary engines.  That is quite a loss to the new RV buyers.

What motor is in your RV or truck or car?  Do you remember your first one?  Bundle up, it is still COLD outside and have a great day, you hear?

Wondering what to have for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is coming up, so what are you planning to have for that customary yearly feast?  Turkey and all the trimmings is the traditional dish.  But wouldn't it be challenging to come up with something special?  I mean really special, like something that you have never ever had and probably never even dreamed of having.  How about some stakes or a roast from some extinct dinosaurs?

What!?!?!?  I bet you thought you read that wrong or that I am finally loosing my mind, right?  Actually, there is a place where you can get some dinosaur meat.  And no, it ain't from an ancient beast that was dug out of the ice in some glacier.  There is actually a company that sells a kit named, "Dino Dish Grow "N" Harvest Kit".  Now Dino-Dish, from the makers of this year's highly anticipated Dial-A-De-Extinction, allows home cooks to print stem cells of a select extinct animals, choose which cut they want and then grow their own dinosaur meat.  The kit includes a pocket 3-D printer, stem cell starter, and tabletop lidded meatbox that is temperature and humidity controlled.  At this time kits are available for five different dinosaurs.  Of course, you know, it probably tastes like chicken (grin).

Now that I have made you hungry (or sick to your stomach), enjoy lunch and have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about some Ancient Inventions.

We seem to underestimate the mental capacity of humans that lived hundreds or thousands of years ago.  The fact is, we are no smarter than they were, we just have the advantage of thousands of years of history to learn from, but it seems some people have to learn everything for themselves.  There is no evidence at all that the human brain has evolved at all during the last fifty thousand years!  Do you know that some of the things that we attribute to modern times were actually invented back many, many years ago?

Let us take a metal that has been used and associated with modern man, say aluminum for instance.  Archaeologists have found aluminum ornaments in a tomb of a Chinese soldier who died in the year 297.  And what about gun powder?  We picture the ancient people fighting with stone tools and wooden spears.  No, I am not saying that they came up with guns in that year, but they did discover gunpowder.  In a quirk of fate, they were trying to come up with an elixir of immortality when they discovered something that has caused enumerable deaths throughout history.

I just thought that you may get a kick out of some of this information.  It is wet and cool out there today, so keep your powder dry and have a great day anyway, you hear?

A Fall Overcast Day

Yesterday was mostly overcast, which is unusual for here, and guess what?  This morning there is a line of thunderstorms going through.  This disturbance is being caused by a cold front which is passing trough our area.  The temperatures will be way below normal.  Here is the  forecast for the next seven days:

 

It is going to be a cold, wet next few days.  It is way too early in the season for such cool temperatures.

I took a walk around my driveway yesterday and, even though it was cloudy, tried to get some pictures of the fall colors.  All the oak trees are still green but some of the other hardwoods are changes colors.  So, come, take a short walk with me.

Color foliage next to the RV:

 And looking northeast:

 And just looking up:

 Looking on down my driveway toward my son's home:

 Love the black limbs among the colored and green leaves:

 And this last one looking back toward where my RV is parked:

 

Now that wasn't a very long walk, was it?  It didn't tire me out at all.  The thunderstorms are rolling through and my oldest pup is terrified of them and is snuggled up to me and shaking like a vibrator.  She has a hard time on New Year's Eve and around the Fourth of July when they sell fireworks here in Texas.  Seems we have a lot of neighbors who must save their money all year to stock up on fireworks just for those two nights.  I get more bang out of seeing the way Mother Nature paints the leaves.  Now, you all take a second look at all the beauty around you and have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about Old Presidents.

I got wondering about some of our past presidents.  The first thing I discovered was that some of them had different names than they were born with.  Some were only a little different but some quite a bit more.  For example:

Bill Clinton - born William Jefferson Blythe III

Gerald Ford - born Leslie Lynch King

Dwight David Eisenhower - born David Dwight Eisenhower

Calvin Coolidge - born John Calvin Coolidge

Woodrow Wilson - born Thomas Woodrow Wilson

Grover Cleveland - born Stephen Grover Cleveland

Ulysses S. Grant - born Hiram Ulysses Grant

The first two on this list were really different.  Did you know that President Abraham Lincoln was the first non-Christian president?  Also, three presidents had little or no schooling.  They are Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, and Andrew Johnson.

Did you know that two people who eventually became president avoided the draft?  During the Civil War, Grover Cleveland was drafted but paid a substitute $150 to take his place, which was legal at the time.  Also, Bill Clinton avoided the draft during the Vietnam war by going to college in England.

There are just way too many stories to tell about the presidents of the U.S. and it would take way too many blog postings to cover them all.  So, I will stop at these for now and hope that you all have a great day, you hear

Wondering about Neanderthals

Have you ever been called a Neanderthal?  It is supposed to be a derogatory remark.  But weren't they the ones that taught modern man how to use tools?  Yes, but they are never thought of as teachers.  What are your opinions of neanderthals?

I was reading about the fossils that were unearthed near Dmanisi, Georgia.  No, not the state of Georgia, but the Country of Georgia.  Here is a picture of one of the skulls they found:

He is staring right at you!!  So, you may wonder what he would look like if he were alive.  Well, it just so happens that I found an illustration that an artist did, showing how they may have appeared.

When we hear the term "Neanderthal", we think of a dim witted brute that is bent over, dragging their knuckles on the ground.  But that isn't the case.  They walked straight up, just like we do.  So, why do we have that impression of them?  Well, it just so happens that one of the first discovered remains that were reconstructed was bent over with a severe case arthritis. I bet you didn't know that, I didn't.

They were good artists but were not good talkers, since their vocal chords were incapable of making a lot of the vowel sounds.  But they did paint the walls of their caves and themselves.  Now, you know if someone calls you a Neanderthal, you can stand up straight and have a great day?

Wondering - Finding an old friend.

This last weekend at the flea market, my wife found an old friend.  They hadn't talked or seen each other since my wife was a young girl.

Well, actually, it was not a person but a doll.  It was a doll that she had long, long ago.  Oops! I shouldn't have said that.  No, it wasn't that long ago. . .

It was like meeting a new friend that had fallen on hard times.  She was a mess.  She was really dirty and her clothes were filthy.  So far my wife has washed the doll's clothes three times.  She says that she now has to order some special shampoo and some new clothes and some new shoes and some. . . well, you get the idea.  This bargain doll is not going to be such a bargain after all.

I guess I will show you the doll's picture.  This was after she was given a bath:

 

 Her nail polish is wearing off and will need redone:

But her toenails seem to OK.

My wife is now on the Internet shopping for doll clothes and accessories.  This IS going to be expensive.  She says that just the underwear will cost eighteen dollars and of course all well dress Miss Revlon dolls have to wear a lot more than that.  There are lots and lots of accessories, too.

My wife also brought home this little fellow.  The first thing was to give him a bath, too:

My wife is still looking at the accessory catalog on line and she is naming off all she needs to get.  Glory be, this is going to cost me an arm and a leg for sure.  Any of you want to donate? (grin)

At one time, my wife was into doll collecting big time.  She had over a thousand.  She about gave them away by selling a whole car load of them to another collector that was drooling from the mouth.  Hey, we all have to have our fun and my beautiful wife deserves dolls if she wants them.  Now, you all have a doll-ichious day, you hear?
 

Wondering who was on the Marty Stuart Show?

Yesterday's post was about Gordon Lightfoot because it was his birthday.  Then last night, I was watching the Marty Stuart show and another singer from the past was on it.  It was a repeat show, had seen it before but I can watch music shows over and over again.  What?  You mean you don't?  Music is one thing you don't get tired of and can listen to a good song many times.  A really good song just never gets old.  Therefore, a good music TV show doesn't get old, either.

He had Jim Glaser of the Glaser Brothers on.  Do any of you remember the Glaser Brothers from the '60s era?  Well if not, here is a picture from back then.  Jim is on the right:

This is what he looks like today:

 

 He has spent the last 12 years of his life living alone in a mountain cabin.  He explained why, but I am not going to go into that here.  He finally came out of seclusion and started singing again.  He seems to be doing great and he is 75 years young.  His voice hadn't seemed to age and he could hit those high notes with out any problem at all.

Jim started out at age 19 traveling the world with Marty Robbins and sang back-up on a lot of Marty's recordings.  This fellow experienced the best of both worlds; living alone in the woods and traveling the road entertaining.  I wonder which he liked the best?

So, how many of you remember Jim?  If you are my age, I bet you do.  Now, sing a couple of verses of "Woman, Woman" (which, by the way, he recorded himself), and have yourselves a great day, you hear?

Wondering about Gordon Lightfoot.

I got wondering about Gordon Lightfoot.  Why?  Well today is his birthday.  He was born on this date back in 1938.  Wow, you know that puts him five years older than I am and he is still performing.  He was a prominent song writer and performer of the 60's.  He was born in Ontario, Canada but went to a music school in Los Angles.  He soon missed his Canadian home and moved back there in 1960.

 To me, his greatest music achievement was writing the song "Ribbon of Darkness" which became a number one hit when recorded by Marty Robbins.  He toured not only his home country of Canada, but the United States, Europe, and Australia.

How many of you remember Gordon Lightfoot?  How many of you have even heard of him?  Music has always been a big part of my life.  I like to listen to it and sing and play the guitar.  Of course, I only do so for my pleasure and to rid the house of unwanted pests.  Now, you all hum a tune and have a great day today, you hear?

Wondering, a dog or cat in political office?

What do you think about having a dog or a cat elected to a political office?  Do you think that it is impossible?  Well it did happen, not once, but a few times.  A Labrador retriever was elected mayor by the people of a small town in California, so it wasn't odd for them seeing their mayor begging for treats, chasing cars, rolling in the dirt, fetching a thrown ball, or just standing around drooling.  His name was Bosco and he was elected mayor of Sunol in 1983 and served for eleven years until his death.  Bosco promised a bone in every dish, a cat in every three, and many more fire hydrants.  His campaign pointed out that he "didn't drink, smoke, or chase women, though he did sometimes chase cars".

Things didn't go all that smoothly for Bosco.   He was kidnapped, or should I  say dog napped, but was returned because of all the publicity.  I guess it scared the kidnappers.  Then, one time, he fell asleep in the back of a van and ended up in Oregon.  Another time, the dog catcher picked up "his honor" and hauled him off to the pound.  But other than that, he served a long and successful term.

He also gave interviews and appeared in parades.  They say that he also got into some nasty brawls with other canine residents and was accused of fathering several illegitimate children.  It sounds like he was just another typical politician (grin).

South of Sunol is another very small town named Harmony.  It had a cat named Fred as its mayor.  Fred served a long term until his death at age twenty-two.  So you see, we may have more options and choices than those humans who run for office.  Now, you all pet your dog or cat (they may be mayor some day) and have a great day, you hear?

Wondeiring why no internet.

Late posting, had a connection to the router but there was no Internet.  My wife put her Verizon Hot Spot on charge so now I can get on the Internet.  Just wanted to let you know that I am still alive and kicking.  I know that I always get worried about people who normally post every day, then up and miss a day.

It has been really nice weather here.  Took advantage of the nice weather yesterday and took a ride to town.  Stopped at a couple of auto and truck dealers, Ford and Dodge/Jeep.  Wow, since I last purchased my Jeep, they have really gotten proud of their product.  They cost twice as much as our first home which was a seven room redwood ranch.  Of course I have to have a four wheel drive so I can put the transfer case in neutral for towing on all fours behind the motorhome.

Just wanted to you all to know why I am late posting.  Now, you all have a great day today, what is left of it, you hear?

Wondering, It's not a summer dog's day.

It seemed just like yesterday when it was summer.  Actually it was summer a couple of days ago and it will be again tomorrow, but for yesterday and this morning, it is cold!!  How cold is it?  Well let me show you:

 As you can see, the thermometer reads 34.5 degrees.  Now, that is just way too dang cold for this time a year around here. But it sure is great sleeping weather.  Sure didn't want to get up this morning but our youngest dog (next picture) insisted.

My wife crocheted a new shirt for all three dogs.  The youngest one got a yellow shirt with a fancy ruffle around the bottom.  She seems to really like it.

Then our old female got herself a nice fancy, frilly red one:

Of course, our boy wanted a blue one with out the frills.  He said real men don't wear frills:

 Here is a picture of the matriarch on her throne, which is her favorite pillow.  The King isn't allowed to share the throne but he can lay beside it:

I am telling you, my big, hot, strong cup of Columbian coffee sure tastes good this morning and it sure does hit the spot. . . yum, yum.  Now I hope you all are nice and warm and cozy this morning.  I know you readers that are living up north must think I am a wimp, but around here, anything below sixty degrees is considered cold.  You all stay warm and have yourselves a great day, you hear?

Wandering to the Hematologist.

Last week, I had blood drawn so the Hematologist could check the progress of my disease and update the amount of time I have left.  I think this is a waste of time.  He said that he couldn't do anything for me.  The only thing he can do is remove my spleen when it gets overloaded with defective red blood cells.   Then the liver will have to take over the job until it gets overloaded.

Anyway, I got to get ready to head over to Cleveland for my appointment with him.  His main office, where I went to see him the first time, is in the Woodlands, but I prefer to go to Cleveland instead and he is only in Cleveland on Wednesdays.

I told you all before that I lived in Pennsylvania for many years.  Then I moved to Michigan for a year or so.  So when I first move to this area of Texas, I was told about property for sell and that it was between Cleveland and Dayton.  Of course, I first thought of Ohio!!  Anyway, I got to go get ready so you all have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about the Packer Party

I am sure all of you have heard the story about the Donner Party:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Party

But, have you ever heard about the Packer Party?  No, it wasn't a birthday party or graduation party or. . . it was another party that, like the Donner Party, that went terribly wrong.  Here is a picture of Alfred Packer:

It seems that Alfred E. Packer, acting as their guide, took five men on a hunting trip to Colorado.  They got caught in a fierce blizzard during the winter of 1873.  He killed, no, I will say he murdered all five of them and survived by eating those men.

Yes, he went to trial over this, accused of murder.  The thing that I found interesting, if not a little humorous (no, not the murders, but what the judge said), is what the judge said.  I am going to quote exactly what the judge said:
"Stand up, you man-eating son-of-a-bi...., and receive your sentence!  There were seven Democrats in Hinsdale County, but you, you voracious, man-eating son-of-a-bi..., you ate five of them.  I sentence you to be hanged by the neck until you're dead, dead, dead, as a warning against reducing the Democratic population of the state."

OK, now you know another story similar to the Donner Party story.  Unlike the Donner Party, where they only ate those who had already died of starvation or freezing, Packer killed the members of his party, and not one by one, but all at one time.  Now, you all enjoy your meals and have a great day, you hear?

I salute the veterans today.

This is Veterans' Day and I want to give them all my thanks and admiration for their service to the United States and to the world in general.  Enjoy your day, you sure did earn the right to have your own day.  My son was in the self propelled artillery and stationed in Germany back when the wall came down.  My Dad was an M.P. during WW2, and I must admit I was not in the armed service.  I took two years of R.O.T.C in college and played in their Army marching band, but that is as much service as I had.  They told me I couldn't go on with the advanced part and become an officer because of some illness that I had when I was a boy, but I could enlist as PFC.  What??  Now, that didn't make a lot of sense to me.

I am a little frustrated this morning.  I tried and tried to get my scanner to communicate with my lap-top.  It just would not do it.  Maybe it is time for new one, but this one is not very old.  I had something that I wanted to blog about but without the picture to post, it would not be as easy to explain.  Maybe someday later on down the road.

We have been having beautiful and cool days here in East Texas.  The highs have been around 70 but the lows at night get down in the 50's.  Now they tell me that Wednesday and Thursday will be down in the 30's.  Now that is COLD for around here this time of year.  It has been a long time since we have had a cold winter, so maybe this one will break the trend and get cold.  Hot or cold, I still want you all to have a great day, you hear?

Wondering What All Happened on this Date.

Well folks, I don't have any great ideas for a blog, so I will do what I always do when this happens. . . I look up what all happened on this day in history.  Actually, a lot happened but most is very boring, but I did find a few things I will list.  Let us go back to the American Civil War.  On this day in 1865 "Major Henry Wirz, the superintendent of a prison camp in Andersonville, Georgia, is hanged, becoming the only American Civil War soldier executed for war crimes".  This is a picture of the Major:

  Here is a picture taken just seconds after the lever was pulled to the trap door that sent him to his reward:
 

Also on this date in 1951, direct-dial coast-to-coast telephone service began in the United States.  How did we ever survive without it?

Not too many years ago (1989) the German Citizens started to tear down the "The Wall".  We all knew it had to go, but it was just a matter of time and the gumption to do so.  This next picture is of the wall in the city:

 And it stretched into the county side:

Well, that is just a few things that happened on this day in history.  Now, you make history, by making today the best day in history, you hear?

Wondering about movie and TV stars.

I got wondering about old and new movies and TV stars.  There were some great ones that I remember well, both drama and western stars.  Tyrone Power was an idol back when I was growing up.  He died of a heart attack at the age of 44 while filming a sword fight.  I can remember seeing him in a lot of movies.

And then there was Randolph Scott.

 Do you remember him?  He was around for a long time, managed to live to be 89 years old.  I still see him in some good old western movies on the Western Channel.

But my favorite actor was Jack Elam, especially in westerns where he usually played the bad guy.  He made a great bad guy, but I have seen him in stuff where he was the good guy.  Don't matter, I always liked him and his acting and the faces that he made.

 OK, now for a little test of your memory.  How many of you know who the actor is in the picture below?

 Did you guess who he is?  He probably was better known when he got a little older than he is in this picture.  Can you guess now?  He even recorded a record.  I am not sure if I should tell you now.  Oh, what the heck, he is Walter Brennan.  I don't think I would have recognized him from this picture.  OK, enough movie trivia for today.  I will have to turn on the boob tube and see what movies are on now.  You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering what all we depend on.

We are spoiled.  We take for granted all the modern conveniences and then we get all shook up when we lose them.  I lost a couple of my conveniences.  I am still waiting for one of them to come back.

The first one I lost was my fault.  I forgot to keep checking my 250 gallon propane tank until a couple of days ago and by then the gauge read only three percent.  Immediately, we stopped using any.  I only have two things that use it, so I turned the gas off to both the hot water heater and the kitchen range.  My wife got a hot plate out to cook on.  That wasn’t too bad of disruption but I made the mistake and called a propane company that I had never used before and they wanted to run tests and charge me for that and they said they wouldn’t fill it unless they installed a new regulator and came in and checked all gas appliances and then do a soap test on all the lines and . . . you get the point.  They were just trying to find excuses to charge me more money.  They said that I should call their office in the morning and order the parts.

I didn’t do that.  I found an old receipt from the company I used in the past, called them, and they came right out and filled it.  The first company wouldn’t drive back to the tank to fill it, the second one drove back there without hesitation.  The first company was more interested in money while the second company was more interested in service.  The first company wanted cash paid to the truck driver, the second company said that they would send me a bill later.  Guess which company I am going to stay with and recommend to others!!

Now, my DSL line is down.  Called and reported it last night and they said that maybe they could get someone out here today.  Should I hold my breath?  Should I wait to post this until after the DSL line is fixed?  No to both!!  I will just turn on our Verizon Hot Spot that we use when we travel.  That will work; at least I hope it will with all the bad luck we have been having, you never know!  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Better late than never. . .

 Sorry I am late getting my blog posted today but I had a lot of stuff to take care of this morning.  Yesterday I walked out my driveway and took some pictures of what November looks like around my place.  These first two pictures are of the Yaupon:

The scientific name of it is "llex vomitoria".  The last part of that name describes what happens if or when you eat it, if you survive, of course.  I am not sure if it is the male or the female bushes that bloom and put on fruit, but some do and some don't.

 And how about a couple more mushrooms that I missed the other day:

And these I like and they do come in other colors, but they are always two tones.  They are the Texas Lantana:

 I believe they are a wild variety of Abronia, or maybe they just have multiple names.

 
I hope to be back on schedule tomorrow or maybe I should post later in the day, what do you prefer?  Now, have a great day, what ever is left of it, you hear?

Wondering what to write about.

I just wasted (depends how you look at it) the entire morning trying to find something new and exciting to write about in today's blog.  I got my Weird History 101 book out and read about pirates, I read about Indians, I read about the Earps and Tombstone, I read about the Red Barren, I read about past presidents, I read about atomic bombs, I read about a lot of things.  So, what do you want to hear about?

How about the "duck and cover" era when we all worried about missiles carrying an atomic or hydrogen warhead.  A lot of people had dug fall out shelters and stocked them with food and water.  I guess those same people today would be called "preppers", right?  And the Cuban missile crises?  So, what did we who lived through that time learn about those terrible weapons?  About the only thing I remember was when we see a flash of bright light, duck and cover; but what happens if it happens during a thunder and lightning storm?  David Miller, department of Energy spokesman said: "All you have to do [to protect yourself form radiation] is go down to the bottom of your swimming pool and hold your breath".  OK??  For how long?  A couple of hours or days or???  I think he said that with his tongue in his cheek.

When it comes to an atomic explosion, distance is our friend.  The further away from ground zero the better off.  The size of the bomb is important but not as much as one would think.  If you double the size it only extends the damage a quarter more.  If you increase the size by 100 times it will only extend the damage 4.5 times.

OK, if this upsets you, here is another thing that may be worse!!  In the Internal Revenue Service Handbook (1976) it says, "During a state of national emergency resulting from enemy attack, the essential functions for the Service will be as follows: (1) assessing, collecting, and recording taxes. . . ."

Now, if you can, have yourselves a great day, you hear?

 

My Internet is Still Down.

My Internet is still down.  My router is giving me a full signal but there is no Internet available.  I don’t know where the trouble is.  I plugged my phone into that jack and there is nothing but silence.  I will wait awhile, but I am sure I will have to turn on the Verizon Hot Spot and post this that way.

No, I decided to call them and of course I had to hold for the next available technician.  He asked me for the number of my DSL line so that he could "ping" it and locate where the problem is.  He came back on line and told me that it all checked out perfect and to try the Internet again.  I did, and all was working.  He then said that he had reports of rolling black outs yesterday and today.  So, I wander when it will roll this way again?

Gypsy, who writes On The Road Again, likes puzzles so I have a few word puzzles for her, and of course for all of you to solve.  For these first couple, just unscramble the letters:
1.  Twisted or Injury:   W-D-N-U-O

2.   Word describes "Delight" or "Tobacco" or "Bath":
       U-S-T-H-I-K-R

3.   Describes the following, "Fly" or "Rice" or "Omelet":
       S-A-H-P-I-N-S

4.   Forwards it means "witty" or "clever".  Backwards it means "people mover":
       R-S-M-T-A

OK, those were not very hard, were they?  Did you get them all?  Which one gave you the hardest time?  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?
    

Will Wonders never cease?

Will wonders never cease?  All of a sudden my Internet started working again.  The DSL line came to life again.  When it was out, I plugged a phone into that line and there was nothing but silence.  Now, it is working.  My other line that I use for voice only, never quit.  Could it be the phone company's fault?  I would think so.  So, I called the fellow I blamed the damage on and left a message apologizing.  I was wrong, I am sorry, it was not his fault.

How about some natural wonders?  If you have been following my blog, you know I like to see wild mushrooms of all kinds.  I just went out and walked around the front yard and part of the drive way and took some pictures of the mushrooms growing there.

This one looks fresh:

But this one is after a squirrel or rodent of some kind took a a few bites out of one just like the one above:

 This one decided to try to hide.  Looks like it worked.  I don't see any bite marks on it:

  This last picture is of a some unusual ones that took up residence with the ants, or maybe the ants moved in after the mushrooms were there.

OK, that's all for today folks, so you all have a great day, you hear?