Update On Our Pup.

Our male pup came through the surgery just fine and now the long healing phase begins.  He is doing fine but the Vet said not to let him jump up on anything or go up stairs.  The pain medication he is taking seems to relax him so that he sleeps a lot and doesn't over do it.  Like I said yesterday, it didn't seem to affect his appetite.

We didn't want to let him on the bed last night in fear that he might jump off and hurt himself, so I stayed up all night holding him while rocking in my rocker/recliner and watching TV.  He would whimper off and on, but I comforted him as best as I could.  My wife stayed up the night before with our oldest female and I couldn't ask her to do that again two nights in a row.    Needless to say, I took a nap this afternoon.  I feel pretty good now and just waiting on supper to be ready.  You see, nothing seems to destroy my appetite.

I am not going to bother him right now, but maybe before I post again, I will get a picture of him with his big blue collar, to show you all.  He actually looks pretty good in blue.  Now, have a great evening, you hear?

Surgery Day for Pup

Had to get up way too early today.  Why, you may ask.  Our male Shih Tzu pup needed surgery and had to be at the Veterinarian's when they opened this morning.  We sure are hoping that what they remove will not be cancerous but just swollen from some other cause.  Either way, we are now waiting for the Vet's phone call to let us know the outcome and hopefully will be able to pick him up this afternoon.  The other two pups were looking for him, but it is now feeding time for them, so they put him back a notch in their minds.  Food is more important.

I don't have anything else this morning.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

R.P.M.

How fast does stuff turn?  Usually that speed is expressed in Revolutions Per Minute or RPM around a fixed axis.  If the axis isn't fixed you would get quite a wobble and if you spin too fast, it could tear itself apart.  Now, how fast is a spot on this spinning sphere traveling?  Well, that depends upon where on the sphere that spot is and how big in diameter the sphere is.  Let's take an example.

Let's say that you are standing at the north axis point of Earth (which, by the way, is not exactly at the north pole).  As you stand there, you spin around with the earth at a speed of one revolution per day but your speed in feet per minute or miles per hour is nil.  Now, let us say that you step off that point and start waking away from it.  The further away you get from the axis point (like the north pole), the faster you start moving.  When you reach the equator, you will be going faster than anywhere else (1037 mph) but you would still be turning at the same RPM.  This is all true if the Earth is a perfect sphere, which it isn't.

OK, got that?  Then tell me, how fast are you really going if you are driving down the road from the northeast to the southwest at 65 mph with a 15 mph cross wind and with one window down in the state of Texas?  Now have a great day, you hear?

Small and BIG Birds and Other Creatures..

At one time this morning, I counted over 30 birds out on my bird feeder and on the ground where I throw bird feed.  Then the squirrels moved in and then a couple of large crows came by.  The squirrels tried to run off the crows but the crows, which were quite a bit bigger than the squirrels, ran the squirrels off instead.  Yes, I know I have posted about the bird feeder before.  In case you missed it, here is a link to that other posting:

http://dizzydick.blogspot.com/2017/01/five-squirrels.html

Taking pictures through a window that has a screen on it, does not give a very clear shot.  The first two below are fuzzy because of the screen but the third one is a lot better because I put the camera up close to the window:

The last picture above shows just four of the squirrels and only one of the crows, but it is the clearest picture that I have.  Forgive my poor photography.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Engineer vs Programmer.

I worked as a design engineer for most of my working career, so I got to work with a lot of programmers and actually did some programming myself.  So, when I saw this joke at "ahajokes.com", I just had to share it with you.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  Here is a link to joke about an engineer and a programmer:

http://www.ahajokes.com/avi001.html

Just click on the above link and read the joke.  If any of you are or have been either an engineer or a programmer, let me know what you thought of that joke.  Actually, you don't have to be either to get a laugh out of it, so any of you, please feel free to comment.  Now have a great day, you hear?

Wondering About Eugene Klass.

I was watching the Western Channel today and one of the shows starred Eugene Klass.  I am sure you know who that is, right?  He was playing this real life wild west personality.  Look at the following three pictures and let me know if you know who this guy is:

If you guessed that it was Bat Masterson, you are correct.  Now, look at the picture below and tell me who the fellow was that played him on the TV series "Bat Masterson": 

Ok, the above picture is when he was older.  BTW, he did live to be ninety years old.  This last picture is what he looked like back when he starred in the that TV series:

If you guessed his name to be Eugene Klass, you are right.  Oh you didn't guess that name?  Maybe you guessed Gene Barry.  If you did were also right.  Gene Barry was his stage name.

Another thing that impressed me for a popular star is that Mr. and Mrs. Gene Barry were married for almost 60 years before his wife passed away.  BTW, she was also in show business as an actress and went by the stage name Julie Carson.  I hope you enjoyed this information that you will probably never ever need in your life.  Now, have a great day, you hear?

How About Some More Rib Ticklers?

I enjoy laughing and helping others laugh, too.  Do you know when you are laughing your mind forgets about pain?  Although, I have laughed so hard it hurt.  Well, I am going to try to tickle your ribs again with some funny stories I have found on the internet.  Here is the first one:

A Girl Potato and Boy Potato had eyes for each other,

And finally they got married, and had a little sweet potato, which they called "Yam."

Of course, they wanted the best for Yam.

When it was time, they told her about the facts of life.

They warned her about going out and getting half-baked, so she wouldn't get accidentally mashed, and get a bad name for herself like 'Hot Potato,' and end up with a bunch of Tater Tots.

Yam said not to worry, no Spud would get her into the sack and make a rotten potato out of her!

But on the other hand she wouldn't stay home and become a Couch Potato either.

She would get plenty of exercise so as not to be skinny like her Shoestring Cousins.

When she went off to Europe , Mr. And Mrs. Potato told Yam to watch out for the hard-boiled guys from Ireland, and the greasy guys from France called the French Fries.

And when she went out West, to watch out for the Indians so she wouldn't get scalloped.

Yam said she would stay on the straight and narrow and wouldn't associate with those high class Yukon Golds, or the ones from the other side of the tracks who advertise their trade on all the trucks that say, "Frito Lay."

Mr. And Mrs. Potato sent Yam to Idaho P.U. (that's Potato University ) so that when she graduated she'd really be in the Chips.

But in spite of all they did for her, one day Yam came home and announced she was going to marry Tom Brokaw.

Tom Brokaw!

Mr And Mrs. Potato were very upset.

They told Yam she couldn't possibly marry Tom Brokaw because he's just.......

Are you ready for this?

Are you sure?

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OK! Here it is!

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A COMMONTATER   

Bet you didn't see that coming, did you?

OK, want another one?  Well here it is:

A woman went to the doctors office, where she was seen by one of the new doctors, but after about 4 minutes in the examination room, she burst out, screaming as she ran down the hall.

An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was, and she told him her story. After listening, he had her sit down and told her to go relax in another room.

The older doctor marched down hallway to the back where the first doctor was and demanded, "What's the matter with you? Mrs. Terry is 63 years old, she has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you told her she was PREGNANT?"

The new doctor continued to write on his clipboard and without looking up said, "Well, yes I did! But I bet her hiccups are gone now!"

OK, just one more but it has to be a fish story for The Old Fat Man, Barney:

After a Tuesday fishing on the River Test, near Southampton in Southern England, Trevor is walking from the pier carrying two brown trout in a bucket.
He is approached by a Water Conservation Officer who asks him for his fishing license.
Trevor replies to the environmentalist, 'I was not fishing and I did not catch these brown trout, they are my pets. Every day I come down to the water and put these fish into the water and take them for a walk to the end of the pier and back. When I'm ready to go I whistle and they jump back into the bucket and we go home.
The officer, obviously, does not believe him and he reminds Trevor that it is illegal to fish without a license. The fisherman turns to the warden and says, 'If you don't believe me then watch, 'and he throws the trout back into the water.
The warden says, 'Now whistle to your fish and show me that they will jump out of the water and into the bucket.'
The fisherman turns to the officer and says, 'What fish?'

OK, I hope your funny bone got tickled, and you have a smile on your face.  Have a great day, you hear?

Bad Weather Day

Not a very pretty day here in Cut and Shoot, TX.  This morning a tornado was spotted on the ground and of course tornado warnings were issued.  The weather has cleared some, and we didn't get any really bad weather here at my place, just some rain and it wasn't all that heavy.  From the reports on the TV weather news, it should be a wet week.  At least the bad weather held off long enough for Houston to get its marathon completed.

I was checking out some jokes on the internet and found this joke on

http://www.cleanjoke.com/humor/

Here is the joke from the above internet site:

A Minnesota couple decided to vacation to Florida during the winter. They planned to stay at the very same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday. His wife would fly down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an e-mail to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her e-mail address, and without realizing his error, he sent the e-mail.

Meanwhile.....somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister of many years who was called home to glory following a sudden heart attack. The widow decided to check her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she fainted.

The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date: 16 May 2003
I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send e-mails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is not as uneventful as mine was.
P.S. Sure is hot down here!

I sure hope you got a chuckle out of that joke and if you want more, got to the web site.  What ever you do, have a great day, you hear?

Acoustic Kitty

I found an interesting story on the internet.  It was called, "Acoustic Kitty" and after a brief explanation, you will understand why it was called that name.

Back during the "Cold War" days, a lot of strange things were tried  by all parties involved.  So, I guess we shouldn't be surprised that back in 1967, the CIA spent millions of dollars to try and train house cats to spy on the Soviet Union.  How was this done?  Well, the CIA implanted electronic spying equipment into live cats and then trained them to get close to the unsuspecting targets.

Now I have owned a few cats in the past. . . wait, you don't own a cat, they own you.  OK, I had cats that lived with us and we fed them, but we never really "owned" them.  I guess we could say that they owned us and we were their servants and if we took really good care of them, they would let us pet them.  Here is a link to the sight, if you want to read it yourself:
http://www.livescience.com/40172-declassified-military-cia-secrets.html
This is to the webpage but not to the specific information.  You will have to scan through it to find the link.  BTW, it is the 15th page that tells about it.

Here is the CIA memorandum: 

It is amazing what we humans can think up just to get the better of another group.  Now, pet the kitty and have a great day, you hear?

Warmer Than Normal.

January is supposed to be in the midst of winter, even here in Texas, but it sure doesn't feel like winter.  It has been warm and is supposed to get warmer.  All this heat moved in just after we had, what the news called, a hard freeze.  In fact, the temperature is supposed to climb all day today until it hits eighty degrees and stay warm all week!!  Now that is just about right.  Don't have to run either the furnace nor the air-conditioning.  Going to be a cheap week, utility wise, since my furnace is electric, too.

This has been perfect weather to get some use out of our new magnetic screen door.  We installed it on our sliding doors and since then, temperature permitting, we can leave the door open and the pups can go out and come in anytime they want too.  I found some pictures on the internet of some similar ones:

Ours was installed by placing thick double sided tape on the door frame and then pressing the edges of the screen to the tape.  Works great for us and our three Shih Tzu pups, that is, when the temperatures are not too high or too low.  Otherwise we have to open and close the sliding doors for them to get out and come back in.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Seeing Faces in Things.

Ever since I was a kid, I always looked for faces in things.  Yes, I look for other things, also, but faces are my favorite to find.  Maybe you don't know what I mean.  Let me see if I can find a couple of pictures that I have taken in the past, some of which I have posted on my blog before.

OK, I found a couple.  This first one was of a fungus that was growing along my driveway.

Let me enlarge it some.  Look at the left side of the center blob.   That looks like face to me.

Let me show you the part that looks like a face to me.  I can see a protruding forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks, mouth, and chin.  Can you see them, too, or is it just me???

OK, let me try another one.  I have previously posted this picture on my blog.  It was of a wild mushroom which came up in one of my wife's potted plants.

OK, now enlarged some.  I see a face of what looks to me like a cat.  It is near the top of the mushroom.

OK, I will enlarge it a bit more.  Now can you see the cat?

Now, I hope you don't think I am not right in the head because I see faces in things.  I just wanted to show you them to verify that you can see them, too.  OK Barney, don't you dare say you can't see them because you are the sane one (grin).  Now, lets all start seeing faces in things and have a great day, you hear?

Five Squirrels.

Five squirrels is how many are feeding on the bird seed I put out for the birds this morning.  I think they are starting to learn that I don't bother them when they eat the bird seed on the ground.  Yes, I put plenty of it on the ground for them.  They have to learn, however, that they are not allowed up on the bird feeder.  Some of them are slow learners and I have to tickle their behinds with my low powered BB-gun that my son gave me as a gift just for that purpose.  It doesn't hurt them at all, but just lets them know that they are doing something I don't want them to do and that I CAN reach out and touch them.

Before I went out and chased the one off the bird feeder, I took a picture out the window.  Sorry the pictures are not real clear.  The window I took the pictures out of has screen on the outside which blurs the picture and of course, it is a dreary, misty, cold day here today.  Right now it is 32 degrees and is not supposed to warm up any further today.  The news is predicting sleet and freezing rain. 

And oh yes, the birds come to the feed, also.  I just now went and looked and there was only one squirrel there, but there were 18 birds with more coming all the time.  Yep, those birds were coming and going so fast that it was hard to get an accurate count, but of course I did (grin).

We don't usually get a lot of freezing weather in this area of Texas, but when we do, it is big news and if it snows, it makes the headlines.  I have lived here since the mid 1980's and have only seen snow a few times.  One of those times was when we had the RV parked at Galveston Island State Park over the Christmas holidays back a few years ago.  I believe that this picture was taken on Christmas day.

Yes, that has been awhile ago.  It was back when I had the travel trailer and Ford pick-up.  That trailer got a lot of use and got to park in many states.  It was traded in and replaced with a class-C motorhome which was later upgraded to the diesel pusher I have now.  I am just going to hope that snow here in Texas is just a memory.  Now, you all stay warm and have a great day, you hear?

It Has Been Five Days.

Wow, I can't believe it has been five days since I last posted a blog.  Did you miss me?  NO???  Well, I didn't think so, but whether you like it or not, I am back posting.

A line of thunderstorms rolled through here early this morning.  It is now 06:00 and the storm is only a memory, although I can still hear some thunder off to the east.  There is another storm on its way, but it looks like the worst of it will pass to the north of us.  This next storm reaches from here in Cut and Shoot, TX the whole way up to Wichita with only one break in the front north of Oklahoma City.

I think that I will leave this blog with a joke I found at:

http://www.coolfunnyjokes.com

A completely inebriated man was stumbling down the street with one foot on the curb and one foot in the gutter. A cop pulled up and said, "I've got to take you in, pal. You're obviously drunk."

Our wasted friend asked, "Officer, are ya absolutely sure I'm drunk?"

"Yeah, buddy, I'm sure," said the copper. "Let's go."

Breathing a sigh of relief, the wino said, "Thank goodness, I thought I was crippled."

Now, you all have a great day, you hear?