Flea Market, Nap, and Races.

Yep, it is the weekend already.  How time does fly when you get my age.  That meant that we went to the Flea Market.  We walked around to see what was on all the outside tables.  I talked to the vendors and my wife bought from the vendors.  She found a lot more supplies for her crafting.  Buying stuff there is quite a savings over retail prices in the stores.  I didn't find anything I couldn't live without today, but there is still tomorrow.

After lunch today, a got real sleepy.  I don't like to take naps during the day, but today was an exception.  I got so sleepy I couldn't keep awake so I went and took a nice nap.  Now I am trying to get woke up.

I got awake just in time to watch the NHRA Top Fuel Drag Racing Qualifying.  Elimination will be tomorrow.  I have told you before that it is my favorite professional sport and the only one that that I watch on TV and follow.  I used to go to all the Top Fuel Races when they came to my area.  Enjoyed the sound, the feel, the smell. . . it was awesome.

It has sprinkled here some, but we never really got a good rain and we need it.  Yes MsBelinda, we are getting some rain and I think Houston had more than we did the other day.  Now, every one have a great day, you hear?

High Water and a Ghost?

We have had our share of rain a few days ago.  It was really needed, so I can't complain.   We did have to go out in it to get supplies.  Even at my age, I have to eat.  Not only have to, but love to.

I wanted to pick up a few things at Tractor Supply Co.  The main thing was a 35 pound bag of bird seed and some of those little squares of suet.  Got six squares of different flavored suet.  Those birds go through all that very quickly.  Don't any of you dare to tell me I eat like a bird.  That wouldn't be a compliment.

One the way home, we stopped and checked the mail and then I took the back way home.  The creek as really gone down in just two days.  That tells me that we did really need the rain.  I stopped on the bridge two days ago when the creek was high and took a picture looking up stream and one down stream.  This is up stream:

 

And this is down stream:

 The following two pictures were taken today.  This first one is looking up stream:

 

 And this is looking down stream.

Did you see the ghost in the last picture?  If you let your imagination run a little wild, you can see two eyes in the middle of the rounded head and it looks like its sheet is flowing out behind it.  I swear that that image was not there when I took the picture.  There is nothing near that shape it the Jeep that could be reflected off the window.  If any of you can come up with a better explanation, please let me know.  OK, Jimkabob, I bet you have an explanation, right?

Now, you all watch out for ghosts on flooded creeks and trolls that live under bridges, and ghouls that. . . well, you get the idea and have a great day, you hear?

Wondering About the Old West.

I love western shows on TV and still watch the reruns of old black and white shows like Gunsmoke:

 

And Paladin of Have Gun Will Travel:



And of course Wyatt Earp:

So, let's compare the TV Wyatt (above) to the real Wyatt (below):

I also like the Bat Masterson TV show:

Who looks fairly close to the real Bat:

And many more.  BTW, here is some Western trivia?  Did you know how the term "red light district" got its name??  I have heard different explanations, like a house of ill repute put a red light in the window for advertisement.  But I just read that it came from the Red Light Bordello in Dodge City, Kansas.  The front door of the building was made of red glass and thus produced a red glow at night from the lights burning inside the house.

It is amazing what you learn from western history.  OK, before I go, I am going to tell you that Billy the Kid was born in New York City.  Now, that takes some of the hot air out of that guy for me.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?  

Wondering about Nature's Ugly Faces.

Mother Nature, somewhere along the line of creating creatures for this world, must have run out of pretty faces because when I look around, not every face I see is pretty, especially when I look into a mirror.  Now, if any of you don't like ugly faces, you can stop looking at my blog posting today.

OK, is there anybody left?  A few curious souls I do believe.  So, let us look at some of nature's ugly faces.  How about this wolf spider?  It has lots of eyes to watch you with:

 

Now, aren't they beautiful?  How about some more pictures of cute things in nature, like this star faced mole.  My what big feet and claws you have. . .





 And of course we can't forget about the wart hog:



I am, from here on, just going to show you the pictures, if you can stand any more.











 

Now, if you can after looking at all the above pictures, try to have a great day, you hear?



An Update on an Earlier Blog.

I always try to keep my word and I do, if I don't forget (grin).  Back on May 18th I showed you a picture of two books that I purchased at the flea market.  I also told you that I would report back to you on the books; sort of give you a kind of book report.  No, I ain't going to give you a long report, but I will comment on the books.  I have started reading both, and it will take me sometime to finish them because I don't set aside any reading time.  If I sit outside on the deck, I will take one of the books with me and read.  So, these two books will give me something to do (read) for quite a spell.

Here is the picture I posted of the two books on the earlier blog:

 The western one has proven to be very interesting in that it is stories of events told by the people who were there and in their colorful language, or news taken from newspapers of the time.  It will be the source of some future blog postings, I am sure.  Sometimes, true stories can be a lot better than fiction.  I prefer true stories but also like good fiction.

This next book may or may not have any true stories.  Most are fiction made up to scare you, but they are fun to read and it would be great to tell these stories to kids around a campfire on a dark night deep in the woods. . . OK, you get the idea.

Remember the little song or chant that we used to sing as children, "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle on your snout"?  Well, this book lists the words this way:

Did you ever think as a hearse goes by
That you may be the next to die?
They wrap you up in a big white sheet
From your head down to your feet.
And the worms crawl in and the worms crawl out,
In your stomach and out your snout,
And your eyes fall out and your teeth decay---
And that is the end of a perfect day.

OK, I dare you to get that tune out of your head today (grin).  Even if you can't, I sure do want you all to have a great day, you hear?

Wondering about Memorial Day.

Today is Memorial Day.  This is the day set aside to remember.  To remember those who served.  All those who served, those who didn't make it back home, those who came back severely wounded with missing body parts, those who came back home mentally wounded, and those who came back whole.  Even those who came back whole, left a lot when they left to serve and will never get that time back.  So, all of you who served, I salute you!!

I suggest you go to Carolyn's blog posting:    http://amigoingsomeplace.blogspot.com/

If you have to be out on the roads today, stay safe and have a great day, you hear?

I Love Bluegrass Music!!

I just love bluegrass music.  Maybe it is because I grew up just west of the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania.  Always enjoyed going to the mountains.  But, growing up in the 50's I didn't seem to appreciate that mountain music.  At that age I was into popular music.  But as I aged, and with that new TV show, Hee Haw, I started to return to my roots.  Now, I listen to it often.

How did it all start?  The people that lived back then in Appalachia, didn't have a lot of things for entertainment, so they made their own.  But, the "Father of Bluegrass" was one of the pioneer bluegrass musicians that made that style of music popular.  One of his most played songs was "In The Pines".

 

 Remember Bill Monroe?  Here is another picture of Bill:

 

 Bill Monroe was born in Rosine, Kentucky, where they now hold the largest bluegrass festival I know of.  The Cumberland Highlander's show on TV shows a lot of the festival at Bill's childhood home.  Bill passed away back in 1996 but his music lives on.

Ralph Stanley is another one who blazed the modern bluegrass trail.  He was born back in 1927, which makes him 87 years old and still entertaining:

 

Ricky Skaggs is well known for his country, bluegrass, and gospel music.

 

 

Del McCoury, started his career back in 1967 is still very active with his band singing the high notes so easy and smooth.

 

 

 

There are also a lot of women in bluegrass like Alison Krauss and Rhonda Vincent.  Rhonda's brother is also a known bluegrass star and sings in the duo of Daily and Vincent.

 

 

And here is a picture of Daily and Vincent:

 

 

Of course we can't forget the comedian and actor who has another life as a banjo picker, Steve Martin: 

OK, I think that you get my point, that I love bluegrass music.  Now, sit back, stomp your feet, and listen to some bluegrass and have a great day, you hear?

Wondering About Sun Rises.

I got wondering about sunrises and how long it takes the disc of the sun to move the distance from the moment it first appears until the lower part of the disc clears the horizon.  Then I wondered about the same thing only on different planets.  Well, I figure that depends on a lot of things.  The thing that influences the speed of the sunrise the most would be the speed that the planet rotates and the distance from the sun.  Why distance?  Well, the further away from the sun, the smaller the sun appears.  The speed of rotation is self explanatory.

I will list the average times for sunrises at the equator of each planet.  But before I do, stop and try to guess for yourselves.  I will start with Earth, because we are most familiar with our own planet.  The average at the equator would be 2.13 minutes.  Since Pluto is now not considered a major planet, I will tell you that its sunrise lasts 20.6 seconds.  Yep, Pluto is way, way out there and the sun would appear very small compared to the way we see it.  This should give you a hint to the answer.

OK, here are the answers:
  Mercury     -     16.13 hours
  Venus         -      5.73 hours
   Earth         -       2.13 minutes
   Mars          -       1.44 minutes
   Jupiter       -      10.15 seconds
   Saturn        -       5.92 seconds
   Uranus       -       4.78 seconds
   Neptune     -       2.85 seconds

I will leave you with some sunrise pictures to ponder on.  Oh, by the way, these are sunrises on our own Earth:

You all have a great day and always enjoy the beauty and wonder of our home planet and its sun and moon, you hear?

A Special Day, Today.

Today is a very special day.  Today is my lovely wife's birthday.  Maybe I should do something special for her today.  You know, like take her to Wal-Mart. . . What?  You don't think that is special enough?  She doesn't like to eat out, so can't do that.  I will keep a thinking on what to do and hope I come up with something before the end of the day (grin).  We have been married for almost 50 years, so we have seen a lot of birthdays since we have been married.

There have been a lot of couples who have stayed together but one notorious couple, Bonnie and Clyde, ended life together on this day, dying in a hail of bullets from Texas and Louisiana lawmen who ambushed them.  This all happened on this day back in 1934.

It all started when Bonnie went to visit her husband who was in jail and she met Clyde in the cell next to her husband.  Later, she returned with a gun taped to her leg and gave it to Clyde which allowed Clyde to brake out, leaving her husband in jail.  Here are pictures of Clyde and Bonnie: 

Ain't they a cute couple???

They seem to be in love and having a good time.

But then, it ended badly and quickly and quite violently for both of them:

 

So, boys and girls, this just goes to show you that crime does not pay.  Now, you all have a great day and help celebrate my wife's birthday, you hear?

What is wrong?

I posted a blog this morning and the only way that I can view it is to click on yesterday's blog.  So, what is going on?  I wonder if this post will show up on my dashboard.  If you want to see today's blog, click on yesterday's.

Pictures Taken Yesterday.

My wife and I walked down to my son's house yesterday afternoon to visit with him and his friends.  We had a good time visiting, seeing all the rabbits, and playing with the dogs.  When we were walking back home I saw this fungus, which we call "punk" on a tree next to the driveway.  There were other ones close by, too.  You can see one hiding behind the tree and one small one under the green leaves on the right.  I thought that this "punk" was very pretty with all its different colors which seemed to go together quite well.

 This morning it was a little foggy around here.  But the fog didn't hide the beauty of this mimosa tree:

 This next picture is of a blooming mimosa trying to find some light and survive despite of the wild grape vines trying to take over everything:

 This little bird seemed chipper as he watched me from the railing of the porch stairs:

 Another picture of mimosa trying to eek out some space:

 This last picture was taken without zooming in.  The subject is the same as the one above:

We have been having very beautiful and comfortable weather but the fog this morning tells me that the humidity is moving back in and although there is no rain in the forecasts, the moisture will make temperatures feel a lot warmer.  I hope all of you have a great day, you hear?

Wandering About Sooners.

I was reading my book on Western Folklore yesterday.  It told about the Oklahoma Land Rush.  (1862)  What a coincidence, since I blogged about it yesterday, remember that Grover Cleveland figured if he would give away 160 acres the West would support the Union.  Anyway, I figured that today I would expound on that.  First, let me show you a map of the Indian Territory and the part outlined in red is the where the free land give-a-way was located.  This "Indian Territory" was what later became Oklahoma.

On the day and hour designated for the run, there were all kinds of people ready to run and get their free land:

 

At the designated time (and I assume that a large gun or cannon was fired) everyone took off in a great stampede:

 

As you can see, there were people on horseback, in wagons, and I would assume, on foot, too.

There were a lot of people who decided not to play under the governments rules.  They went into the designated area and staked out their claims, sometimes days and weeks ahead of the run.  Then they would hide and be ready to show themselves when other "runners" who started on time began to show up.  These people who broke the rules were called "Sooners".  Yep, you guessed it, because they showed up sooner than they were supposed to.  The name stuck and anyone from Oklahoma is still called a Sooner.  (Even a college football team.)

Maybe all of you knew all this, but I didn't.  If I did, I had forgotten it.  Another nice day in my area and hope all of you have a great day, you hear?

Wondering About the Homestead Act.

On this date back in 1862, the Homestead Act was passed by the Union Congress.  Since the Civil War was going on, the Southern States were not the least bit happy about the Union giving away small parcels of land.  They were 160 acre parcels and any adult over the age of 21 could be eligible.  All they had to do was cultivate the land and build something permanent on it like a house or a barn.  Then after living on the parcel for five years, the land could become legally theirs by paying a ten dollar filing fee.  The South just figured that it was a sneaky plan to get the West's support for the union.

This was not a new idea and a variety of plans were proposed during the 1800's.  None of these plans were very successful, including this one.  By 1890, only about three percent of the government land west of the Mississippi had been given away.  This land give-a-way was really not very effective.  What really opened up the West and making vacant lands productive was liberal mining laws and grants to the railroads so they could lay tracks and that in turn, gave ease of access to the area.

Another beautiful day here and I hope it is also a beautiful day where you are.  Now, regardless of the weather, you all have a great day, you hear?

Got things to do.

Some stuff came up today that I have to take care of.  No blog.  I am posting this so you don't think that I died. (grin).

Bought something at the flea market

My wife and I go to the flea market on weekends.  I usually go to just visit and get some walking exercise but today I bought two books.  They may have been a mistake, but the covers sure did look interesting.  When I get around to reading them, I will let you know.  Anyway, I thought, if nothing else, they could be a source of information I could use in a blog post.  Just to prove I am correct, I am writing this blog about the two books (grin).

I always liked strange and odd and maybe even scary stories.  When I was young, we used to gather at Grandma's house and we kids (all cousins) would gather on the screened in porch after dark and I told stories.  I told all kinds of stories but loved spooky ones which I could scare the younger kids with.  No, I ain't mean, just thought it was funny and the "thing" to do.  Anyway, they all came back time after time for more stories.  So, I hope this book, "Scary Stories Treasury" is as good inside as outside.

The other book, "A Treasury in Western Folklore" should also be interesting.  I love western stories and I watch all the old black and white westerns on TV.  I have no idea how good it is but it is 2" thick and has over 600 pages.  Not a quick read but I hope it, too, has a lot of information that I can use in my blogs. 

Which one do you think will be the best?  I will skim through them and see if I can come up with a good post or two or maybe more.  So I guess I have to get to the reading and I want you all to have a great day, you hear? 

My computer is out ro get me.

My dang lap-top computer is out to get me.  Yep, you heard that right.  I think it may have wanted to take the day off.  It knows it is the weekend.  I know it knows because down in the corner of the screen it tells the date and time.  Yep, it sure did want the day off.

I guess it figured if it would put me out of commission, I wouldn't turn it on and write a blog, read blogs, and search the Internet.  So, what did it do.  When I got up of the couch this morning to go to the flea market, it threw its mouse out and wrapped the mouse cord around my ankle.  This made me fall down on my face with a loud "THUMP".  My wife heard it from the other room and came in to find me trying to figure out what the heck happened.  Not only did I hit the floor, but my right side hit a box.  It seemed to re-aggravate my pulled muscle in the right side of my back and added a bunch of more hurts and sore spots.

I still managed to take my wife and go to the flea market but I was sure glad to get back to the Jeep and sit down.  Actually, the walking exercise after the fall probably will help.  Who knows how stiff I would have gotten by now if I had just went to bed or laid down on the couch??  Feel a lot better now, but I know it will take some time to get back to perfect.  Actually, at my age, nothing is actually perfect anymore.  Now, you all keep from falling down and have a great day, you hear?

Got Jeep Inspected.

I figured that this morning would be a good time to get the Jeep inspected.  I actually got there before the guy did that does the inspections.  So, I wrote my name down on the list, noticing that I was the only name on it.  That sounded like I would get out of there rather quickly.  There were other people waiting, but one was getting new tires and do not know what the other one was waiting for.

They quickly moved the vehicle out of the inspection area and replaced it with another.  A fellow who had been standing outside got in the one they pulled out and drove away.  Then they pulled a Rodeo out and the lady got up and left, so that left only me and my Jeep.  Then came the problem.  They asked for proof of insurance, and I couldn't find it.  I have GEICO and I had a card in my pocket with their phone number on it.  He told me he had another number to call them, which he did.  All is well.  I have a new inspection sticker and a new license sticker in my windshield and all is well with that stuff until next year.  OH Yes, the motor-home will need inspected soon, but it will be in the shop for quite a few weeks longer.  It will takes four weeks or so to just get the replacement compartment doors.

It is another beautiful day here and I want you all to have a great day, you hear?

A Special Mother's Day Gift.

Since my wife was feeling under the weather on Mother's day, she didn't feel like having any company.  The next morning she found a bouquet of lovely flowers and a couple of gifts on the back porch.  Our son left them there and his lovely friend and her two children also left some very nice gifts.  First, let me show you the scented candle and the very special pot holders that her children painted.  Now aren't they really, really special?

I then set the bouquet behind them and took a couple more pictures:

My wife really appreciated them and wants to thank them all for their kindness.

And on another subject, we tied it!!  What did we tie?  We tied the record this morning for the coldest morning ever recorded on this date.  Yep, that's right, they didn't record temperatures back in the ice age (grin).  How cold did it get.  In Conroe it got down to 54 and officially in Houston, if I remember correctly from this morning's news broadcast, it got down to 55 there.  If you live in Canada, you would think that was a heat wave, but down here, going from almost 80 to 55, that makes it feel real cold, especially with the wind blowing.  Of course the sun is still really hot and it feels good sitting in the sun with the cool breeze.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?