Miss Minnie Osa.

I know some gals that have a first name of Minnie, and I bet you do, too.  Of course we all have heard of that famous Wald Disney mouse named Minnie.  Yep, she and Mickey were the stars of quite a few cartoons.  Here is a picture of Minnie:

The gal I am thinking of is Miss Minnie Osa.  She is quite the wild, party girl with a white and pink hair-do.  Well, these pictures are not of any wild girl named Minnie, but a flowering tree named mimosa.  Yep, they are blooming now and they are so beautiful.  Here, see for yourselves:

They are not the only thing blooming now.  Next is a picture of some pretty daisies:

And some cute little red mushrooms:

Remember that bad storm we had the end of last week?  Well, it did some pruning around my place and it also brought down my electric pole that runs power to the pump on the well, the storage shed, and the old house.  It is broke off at ground level.

This last weekend, my son took an elephant to a wedding.  I would think it would take some of the attention away from the bride and groom.  Of course, they would have gotten to ride on it.  Dang, my son got dressed up for the occasion.  Don't often get to see him dressed like that.

Now, I want you all to have a great day full of jumbo pleasures, you hear?

Got a Few Sprinkles.

Yesterday the traveling vets were set up in a vacant lot next to a store/gas station just a few miles up the road from our place.  They were to be open and ready by four o'clock in the afternoon.

The weather didn't look too promising, so we made sure that we were up there early and got right up front as the line started to form.  We got the paperwork all done for what we wanted and the dogs needed, paid for it, and moved on to the next available doctor.  They got all their shots and the stuff up their noses (which wasn't fun), got our tags for proof of rabies shots, etc. and headed back home as the clouds were getting darker and there was some distant rumbling in those dark clouds.

We got home just before the sprinkles started.  Everything went well and got something to eat and settled down to a relaxing evening of rocking in my rocker/recliner and watching TV.  Then the storm hit, and it hit hard.  Some areas had hail and some even reported a tornado touchdown.  Then the lights went out.  That meant no TV and no Wi-Fi, so no internet or TV news to let us know what was going on.

It actually was a relaxing evening with soft lighting (battery powered) and great company (my wife and the dogs).  It got to be bedtime, but I decided to just lay down on the couch until the lights came back on.  Since I am on oxygen at night, and my oxygen machines run off of AC power, I didn't want to go to bed and drop into a deep sleep.

I didn't pay too much attention to the time, but a was rudely awakened by a bright light. . . yep, the electric came back on, then it went out again, then it came back on, then it went out again.  After a few minutes, it came back on and this time it stayed on, so I got off the couch and went to bed.  So, yep, we got a few sprinkles for sure.

 The news this morning tells us that we got over a foot of rain and in some places a lot more than that.  There has been flooding, schools closed, roads closed, and a missing person or so.  We got the worst of that storm in and near the Conroe, TX area.  Dang, it is now starting to rain hard again.  You all have a great day, you hears?

A Hit and Run

Yesterday I walked out to the dumpster in the front lot and saw a horrible sight.  A hit and run had occurred in my driveway.  My son and his wife use that part of the driveway as do I.  So, I hate to say it, but I could have been the culprit. . . or my son's family, or any person who came to visit or deliver something or. . . Or even me!!

I would have taken a picture to post here on my blog, but it was just too gruesome to post.  I wouldn't want to ruin your day.  That poor little frog (or toad, too smashed to tell) never made it across the driveway.  I am sorry if I depressed any of you but I sure do want you to try hard to have a great day, you hear?

A Birthday Wish.

I just want to say "Happy Birthday" to my beautiful wife.  Yep, she is finally over 21. . . and she is really something special.

Happy Birthday, Honey.

Dizzy

You Think You Know Someone.

You think that you know someone, but then you find out that you only knew part of who he was.  My neighbor, who's property butts up against mine, passed away.  Yesterday, I went to the viewing (at 09:00 am) and funeral service (at 10:00 am).  After talking to his relatives and listening to the story of his life, I realized that I really didn't know the man.

Yes, I knew that he was an over the road truck driver, then he purchased his own rig and became an owner operator, and after he decided to give up driving, he drove a chase car for large and extra wide loads.  You have seen them, they have the sign on the roof with yellow flashing lights that tell you there is an over sized load coming behind them or going in front of them.  What I didn't know was that he was a guitar picker and singer, and what I heard about him yesterday, he was very good at both.

Dang!!  How many times have I been sitting here at home picking my guitar and even singing once in awhile, and thinking how great it would be if I had someone to pick and grin with.  I never knew that he played and sang, now it is too late.  What a missed opportunity for me.  Now I feel doubly sad; sad that he is gone and sad of not knowing that we had something in common that we could have shared and enjoyed.  So never put off doing something that would please yourself and someone else at the same time.  Too late comes way too fast.  Now have a great day, you hear?

I Ate The Whole Thing.

How many of you remember that old add for Alka-Seltzer?  Or the jingle, "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is"?  In case you don't know or forgot it, here is a link to the original jingle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxjb2UJZ-5I

Then later, just a few years ago, the couple who played Ray's parents in the show "Every Body Loves Raymond", remade that add.  Just in case you were like me and didn't know that, here is a picture showing Peter Boyle in the Alka-Seltzer add:

And here is a link to the video of that add:
http://www.adweek.com/video/alka-seltzer-i-cant-believe-123758

OK, all of the above is fiction but I just did that at lunch time.  Remember that carton of eggs that our daughter-in-law gave us with the one huge egg?  In case you forgot:

Well, I ate that egg today along with the one beside it.  Yep, I can't believe I ate the whole thing.  They made three and a half sandwiches.  Guess what.  I was thinking that it had to be a double yolk egg, but when my wife cracked it open and put it in the frying pan, there was only one yolk, but it was a doubly large yolk and was not as round as a regular yolk.  But let me tell you, it tasted great!!  Now I want all of you to have a great day, you hear?

Complete Darkness

How many of you have experienced a place that was completely dark, a place that was absolutely void of any light?  I bet very few of you have.  Just in case you ask, I have.

The first time was many, many years ago when I got to tour a cave.  The guide turned off the lights and way down there below the surface of the earth, it can be really, really dark.  One other time, in the "mushroom mines" when the lights got turned off.

What??  You never heard of mushroom mines?  In western Pennsylvania where I grew up and lived for the first half of my life, there were a lot of limestone deposits and they were mined.  The walls, roof, and floor looked like concrete.  I toured one that was turned into a mushroom farm.  Mushrooms grow better in no or low light.  They would bring in a rail car load of manure to make compost that the mushrooms would grow in.

The other one that I was in a few times was used by a gun club as a shooting range.  We could shoot in there any time of year and it was always a comfortable cool temperature and it was spacious enough to drive your vehicles in there and park just behind where the shooters were.  That made it very convenient.  Just get out, get your rifles, and you only had to walk a few steps.  And oh yes, you definitely had to wear ear protection.

That is the only time in my life that I have experienced complete darkness.  Now tell me the times that you have been in the absence of any light and have a great day, you hear? 

A Little Wood Pecker.

I have had a lot of different birds visit my bird feeders and the suet.  Sometimes I get unwanted guests.  I just went outside and chased away four squirrels.  I also put a scoop or two of seed on the ground so the pesky squirrels can get some without damaging my feeders.  Of course I have to run out and chase them once in awhile to keep them on their toes (grin), or maybe just for fun.

Earlier this morning, I saw this bird on my suet:

I wasn't sure what it was.  I thought that it was a Downy Woodpecker, but I thought that they always had a bit of red on the back of their heads like the one in this picture:

Well, I learned something this morning.  I looked it up and yep, it was a Downy, but a female Downy.  Hey, I am 73 years old and I don't ever remember seeing a female before.  Surely I have, but for the life of me, I can't remember.  I can usually remember things from years ago very easily, it is just that short term memory thing that I have trouble with. . . now what was the topic of this blog???  Oh yes, I guess it was for the birds. . . now you all have a great day, you hear?

Doctors Have Changed.

I got thinking back to when I was kid growing up and what the doctors were like back then.  No!!  It wasn't back in the horse and buggy days, I am not quite that old, but things were quite different then.

For example, let me tell you about our family doctor when I was a kid and what all he did.  He had an office in the town about 8 or 10 miles from our home.  If I got sick, my parents didn't have to take me in to his office and my Dad didn't need to miss work to take me in to see the doctor, he made house calls.  I suppose most of you who are a lot younger than I am have no idea what house calls were.  The doc would come to our house and I wouldn't have to get out of bed.  He would administer any medication, pills or shots, that he thought that I needed.  Yep, no need to go to a drug store back then.  The doc had a big black bag that he carried everything that was needed.

That very same doctor did minor surgery in his office.  Yep, I had my tonsils and adenoids removed in his office.  The only bad thing about it was that he used raw ether to put me under.  He put a wire mesh thing that had some kind of fiber on it over my nose and mouth and poured ether on it.  Dang, I didn't like that one bit.  It didn't smell that bad, but I started to get a buzz in my head which continued to get louder and louder until I was ready to scream that I had enough and couldn't stand it anymore. .  . then I woke up.  If you have never had raw ether, I sure do not recommend it, take my word for it.  I have been put under later in life with sodium pentothal, and that is the way to go, if you have to put to sleep for some kind of operation or procedure.

I guess that I am giving my age away when I said the doctor made house calls and that I had my tonsils out in his office.  Back in the day, going to a hospital was a last resort, as it still should be.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Premature Baby Tomato

Remember my blog back a few days ago about our first full size ripe tomato off our "patio" tomato plants?  In case you missed it, here is link to that posting:
http://dizzydick.blogspot.com/2016/05/tomato-off-vine.html

Well, we just found a premature baby tomato that the mother plant aborted way too soon.  Yep, it was just laying there under the plant where my wife found it.  It is just too young to ripen on its own.  Oh, such a sad event.

Here is a picture of the little fellow in the palm of my hand:

Oh the inhumanity of it.  This little guy never got a chance to grow up.  Now, I hope you all have a better day than this tomato had, you hear?

The Impossible?

I found some humor on the internet about the impossible.  Yep, some things are possible and some things are not.  The trick in life is to know the difference.  So, here are some examples of impossible humor:

Yes, that one is really true.  I could be a poster child for that one.

This next one does make sense to me:

Today's headlines about loosing control of our borders can be taken a couple of ways:

Yep, laughter is the best medicine:

If you think laughter is always great, try standing still, looking very somber in a crowded elevator, and all of a sudden start loud, uncontrollable laughing.  Works for me (grin).

This next one is for any of you on a diet:

This last one, I believe, is the best.  Love it:

Just in case you didn't get it, H2O is water, but H2O 2 is hydrogen peroxide.  Of course, I don't think the weak hydrogen peroxide that we find in our medicine cabinets would kill you unless you swallowed a lot, but it is not for internal use.  It can kill you if you drink industrial grade hydrogen peroxide, but the low strength household type should not unless you drink way too much of it, but I bet it would give you a lot of gas (grin).  Now, have a great day, you hear?

Chicken Eggs.

My son and his wife have a lot of chickens. . .

Therefore, they have a lot of eggs, which they sell to neighbors, friends, and relatives.  So, we said that we sure could use a dozen of fresh eggs and sure enough, our daughter-in-law gave my wife a dozen.  When she got it home and opened it up, she saw one huge egg that stood out from the rest, and the other eleven were large eggs.  Can you see the egg that I am talking about in the picture below:

Maybe you can see it better from this angle:

I sure do love eggs.  They are so versatile.  There are so many ways that they can be prepared and they are fit for any meal at any time.  Oh, did I say I love eggs???  Now, you all have a great day, you hear? 

I found some interesting facts on the Internet that I thought you would enjoy reading.  I printed them in a different color so you could tell the difference in my comments and the copied facts.  Here is the first one:

The legendary Mark Twain was born in 1835 and died in 1910. He was born on a day when Halley’s Comet appeared and before his death he said, “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it.” And he did died in 1910 when Comet appeared.

If I were Major Summerford, I would only venture outside on days with clear, blue skies without any hints of clouds:

Major Summerford was hit by lightning continuously through out his life and even after. The first time he was hit was in 1918. Then in 1924 again lightning struck him and paralyzed his body. He recovered from it in few years but to again fall for lighting as in 1930 he was again struck by lightning leaving him permanently paralyzed. In 1932 he died but lightning had still not left chasing him as in 1936, lightning struck his tombstone and destroyed it.

I guess that if someone upstairs doesn't like you, there is no place you can hide, even after death.  Now, since the above fact included lightning, here is another fact about lightning:

In 1899, lightning killed a person in Italy. In 1929 his son was killed again by lightning and to make matters worse in 1949 his grandson was killed and the killer was again- Lightning.

The next fact was new to me.  I guess I could use that sentence to brush up on my Morse code:

The sentence “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Uses every letter in the alphabet.
(developed by Western Union to test telex/twx communications.)

Wow, I am sure glad that we are in the tallest five creatures that walk on this Earth:

95% of the creatures on earth are smaller than a chicken egg.

This next one is for you, Barney:

There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.

I always liked Donald Duck and didn't think there was anything inappropriate about him.  I suppose that all the farm animals in Finland wear pants???:

Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn’t wear pants.

I didn't know this next one, either.  Yep, I had to try it, did you?

Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

This next one is self explanatory.  I guess that sign was needed since the window looked like a door to too many people:

Yep, this road looks a little on the damp side for sure.  That sign was right:


I sure hope you smiled as much as I did when I first saw these.  I think everyone looks better with a smile on their faces.  Me, I just grin a lot.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Tomato Off The Vine.

We only have two tomato plants this year and both of them are patio tomatoes planted in containers.  The one plant bears cherry tomatoes and so far we have picked and eaten eight or so small tomatoes, and the other one bears full sized tomatoes.  Today was special.  The first full sized tomato was ripe enough to pick and eat, and yes, we did both and boy was it good.

Since these plants are in large containers, we can move them around depending on weather conditions and if they need sun or shade.  This is a whole lot easier than doing the garden again, and cheaper.  I would have had to buy fencing and replace the broken down fencing that was put there last year to keep the rabbits out.  So, we took the easy way out this year and bought plants that were already blooming with small fruits (vegetables?) on them.  Works for me.  Now you all have a great day, you hear?

Jokes. . . Maybe Truer Than Just Fiction.

Today, I thought that I would search the good ole Internet and find something funny to put on my blog.  Well, I found these and after checking them out, I noticed that they are not only funny but they contain a lot of truth.  Actually, the best humor has a dash of truth to it.

I hope you enjoy them and get a good laugh out of some of them.

****************

Co

Now, continue your day, hopefully with a smile on your face and make sure you have a great day, you hear?