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?