June 27, 2011 - Msg 84565: PS-Great to see you, Auh2o. I sure envy your weather...I could stand the gas prices if it was cool!

Boo
June 28, 2011 - Msg 84566: Good sweep, Boo. Thanks! It was getting a mite dusty on the porch. All that dry heat, you know.

You and possum are too kind. Heavenly Hash, huh? I don't know about that, but I pretty much look like leftovers now! Oh well, I don't care.

I'm feeling pretty happy about the way the insur@nce thing turned out. New roofs on all three houses, and if I'm out anything at all, it won't be very much. Can't beat a deal like that. All the roofs were at last fifteen years old, but because I pay a small extra premium in order to have replacement coverage, the depreciation is waived and I get full replacement value. The adjuster suggested talking to the roofer and see if they'll upgrade me to a higher-quality shingle. He said they probably would, since they're doing three houses for me. You can bet I'll try. I'm covered for a 25-year roof, but he said there's a 30-year roof that only costs a little bit more, just a few dollars a square more, and it's a lot more substantial. It's a thicker, laminated shingle with a better seal-down factor. As I said, I will certainly try. At my age, I guess it really doesn't matter, but who knows?

I don't know what's happening with the gas prices around here. It's weird. Some of the stations, specifically Exxon and Chevron, are selling regular gas for $3.34. Others are at $3.56. You see differences like that for a day or so, but then it levels off. One goes up, or the other comes down, but this has been like this for nearly a week now. Well, whatever - I just filled my car up at $3.34. That's 22 cents a gallon difference. In a 20-gallon tank, that's only $4.40 saved, but at $1.49 a tub for Starr's Beneful dog food, that's almost three tubs. She gets six meals (3 days) out of a tub, so that savings on my gasoline yesterday will feed her for nine days. When you look at it that way, that 4.40 gets a lot bigger! Perspective - it's all about perspective!

Well, I think I'll hit the ironing board. It's late, and I'm sleepy. Blessings, all. --Romeena
June 28, 2011 - Msg 84567: Glad your roof problem is being solved, Ro.

Very funny about looking like "leftovers"...I can certainly relate to that.;)

Boo
June 28, 2011 - Msg 84568:
GF-What, no slaw?? ha
APB for John Masters!
Yup, a nice cold pack would hit the spot.
We have two kinds of people here, those who get dang hot, and liars! ha Checked on my dad yesterday as it hit 116. His apt place has AC and all inside corridors, and they will check on residents if they don't come to the dining room at meal time etc, and we make sure he hydrates!
BTW, I got a call from Pappa Bear on Sunday.
He moved yet again, so i will get that to RO and Possum. He is doing OK, just had a few setbacks with apartment problems.
I should also tell ya all that in 35 years, me and the missus did have one "knock down drag out." Dont worry, no hitting, we have never done that, but i mean yelling, a regular Mr and Mrs Boone without the plates! ha And here's the kicker, by the time it all ended we forgot what we we're yelling about to begin with! Really. We started bring up past things even tho we have a "24 hour" rule. (If it is older than 24 hours, it is thrown into the sea of forgetfulness!)(Least 'cept for that time.) That was about 20 years ago.
Rev- get some sleep! ha Glad you are OK.
Prayers for all, prayers for America,
MDC
June 28, 2011 - Msg 84569: Hello everyone! Well, I'm making a cameo appearance here. Sorry I have been gone so long, but I have had a long series of events taking place in my life and they just dominoed! One after another. And, to tell you the God's honest truth, you wouldnt believe half of it if I told you all. Some of it got pretty &#*@#%^ ridiculous! I admit I havent read your past entries. I just popped up here to let you know that I am alive and well and hanging on to the last tree branch beofre plummeting to the canyon floor below ala Wile E. Coyote! I sincerely hope you are all well and there is peace in your lives.
I'll try to get back here on a normal basis as soon as I can!

SONIC Route 44's on me!

John Masters
June 28, 2011 - Msg 84570:
Thanks for answering the APB! (: prayers for you.
June 28, 2011 - Msg 84571:
I guess it's so hot that even computers arn't runnin' today, it's so hot that the rubber tires on the ice cream truck melted due to being over used, it's so hot that the lizards are taking Alaskan cruises! ha
In fact, it's so hot that I may just tear out the bottoms from all your sno-cones and suck out all the syrup!! har-de-har har!! They're coming to take me away..ho ho... hee hee... a melting MDC (:
June 28, 2011 - Msg 84572:
Hello porch family....sure feel better today after a good night's rest.

Ro....it would be good to get the 30 year roof if possible. That's what I put on mine last year.

And Ro speaking of gas prices....my wifey said it's $3.17 at home now. With my motorhome getting only 9 mpg, every little bit helps.

JM....good to see ya back. See ya at SONIC:)

MDC....116...now that's DANG HOT. Man you be careful in that heat.

Boo....this past week someone asked me about booking a concert near Corpus Christi. As of now it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to schedule it this year but as soon as they asked I thought....maybe I'll finally get to meet Boo in person. Well maybe one day:)

Gotta run....some folks here want me to go to dinner with them (Red Lobster).
Love and prayers to all my porch family!
-REV.
June 28, 2011 - Msg 84573: Romeena, I use a gasoline price reporting web site to identify what gas stations sell the cheapest gas in both the USA and Canada.
For your area, check out http://www.dallasgasprices.com/ to look up prices. And if you want to post prices, then you need to register. Either way, it's free.
For everybody else, go to http://www.gasbuddy.com/ to see if they cover your area.

from Poor Horatio
June 28, 2011 - Msg 84574: That would be so great, REV. Hopefully, one of these days in the not to distant future you will make to Corpus Christi. :)

Well, the lake was not the pleasant experience that it was a month ago. It was much hotter today and the lake water was warm (yuck). I think I will wait until things cool off before I try it again. We ended up leaving for home by 4:30, which was a good thing because when I made it home, I had an ovarian cyst that ruptured (happens now and again) and I was in some pretty terrible pain for a bit...not long, though. Feeling ok now and just had some Lucky Charms for dinner. No way was I cooking this evening.

It was up to 97 degrees here today, and with the humidity here on the coast, it really did feel hot.

John Masters, I am really sorry to hear about your circumstances! My prayers for you tonight, that all will work out soon. Good to see you back on the porch.

Think I will go to bed with a good book. I am currently reading a book called, "How to be a Christian Without Being Religious" and it is a really good study on Romans. Today my sister asked me what I was reading and when I told her the title she said sarcastically, "Well, that's not your problem". hehe She is always making me laugh and you all know how much I value that in a person. It is great to have a sibling that you can laugh with (and in St. Susan's case, laugh AT!) hahaha....she can be such an air head (and I say that in the nicest way possible). ;)

Boo
June 29, 2011 - Msg 84575: Thanks, PH. Very informative site for the Dallas area. However, it only had one listing for Irving (which is where I am) and that was questionable. If I'm not mistaken, that location is on DFW airport property and is a trap for people returning rental cars. It has the highest price in the county! Most of the highest-priced sites they list are in the part of town that's highest-priced on everything, so I'm not surprised. The lowest prices, obviously, are at the discount stations such as Sam's, Costco, Valero and RaceTrac. I never buy gas at those stations, which is probably foolish of me. I have a completely unfounded prejudice against them, fearing the quality of their products. Probably the gas comes out of the same tankers that supply my favorites, but I always think I can tell a difference in the way my car performs. My imagination, I'm sure. Mostly, though, my choices are governed by my credit cards. I have Exxon/Mobil and Chevron/Texaco cards, use them interchangeably, and pay them off completely when the bill arrives. I haven't paid interest on a gasoline card in many, many years. Of course, that's easy when I only buy gasoline every two or three weeks. Sometimes there will be only one purchase on my bill! I put about 8,000 miles a year on my car. My son just growls when I say that. He has a Tahoe that has 280,000+ miles on it. He keeps it serviced regularly, fixes anything that needs fixing immediately, and sees no reason to retire it. I agree. It runs like a fine watch. He has the original engine, and to my knowledge, it has never been overhauled. More power to him. Anyway, the point of all this - my son says it shouldn't matter to me what I pay for gasoline, as I don't use enough of it to make a difference! I guess he has a point. Now for him, and for REV, gasoline prices really are important. Still, I've been known to bypass a station, if I know I can get it two cents cheaper somewhere nearby. That would be a net savings of about thirty cents, as I always fill up at a quarter tank. Thirty cents counts, but really it's just the principle of the thing!

Well, I'm off to the ironing board. I think Eloise and I are going to go mousing around tomorrow. She needs a manicure, I could use a pedicure, and then if she feels up to it, we may make a pass through one of our favorite mousing locations - Hobby Lobby. Ah, the wonders that are to be found in those stores! Blessings, friends! --Romeena
June 29, 2011 - Msg 84576: Oh, sorry, Boo. My sympathies with regard to the ruptured cyst thing. I used to experience tht too, though it has been many years. Very painful, and not much helps but a little time. As I've said many times, one of the first things I'm going to do when I get to heaven is to find Eve, and when I do, I'm planning to walk up to her and just slap her silly. --Romeena
June 29, 2011 - Msg 84577: Morning all. Hope the day finds you all fine and dandy.

John Masters, sorry to hear things are going so bad for you. Hang in there buddy. And don't go getting the hives. As Andy told Goober, "someday the sun will shine through your backdoor again".

Sorry your outing wasn't so good Boo. And I don't know anything about that medical condition you mentioned, but I hope your feeling better this morning. We got up to the mid 90's yesterday, but our humidity as a rule stays pretty low so it's nothing compared to you poor folks. Supposed to have a front move in tonight with a bit of rain and lower our highs tomorrow to the upper 70's. That's just about the right temp for me. Wish it would stay there but it will be back to the upper 90's by the weekend. But usually the heat is ok by me. Boy my allergies are bad this year though. With the wet spring we had the grass is going crazy, and so are my allergies.

Well I best get moving. Lots to do again today.
Later gang.

Asa
June 29, 2011 - Msg 84578: MDC, You Asa and I must have a large collection of wheel chair bolts. Maybe we could trade them sometime? (I keep mine polished)In this day & age it is important to bring FUNNY to the world, it sure needs daily injections. Mine can be a little quirky at times,that's why my "Mayberryisms" are understood by the porchsters.

10-4 over & out Goober-Fife.......
June 29, 2011 - Msg 84579: TOM I'm looking for a Purple Knif, only a guy from Cleveland knows what a Purple Knif is. have'nt seen your posts, thought you were out hunting Knifs in WVA?

heheyukyuk.....G-F
June 29, 2011 - Msg 84580: Mornin'. I'm sipping my morning coffee and feeling much better this morning. I am trying not to let myself "sink" into the pit of, "How on earth am I going to get everything done?!". Cleaning and laundry to do among othrer chores and tasks but I won't kill myself and will take breaks. I just stuck my head in Erin's room to check on her and Allison (she stayed the night) and that room looks like a tornado passed through it. They will have to clean it up today.

Nothing fun on the agenda today but maybe we can squeeze in some fun moments. :)

Ro, as much as you want to slap Eve silly, I don't think that is allowed in heaven. hehe

Hope you enjoy your cooler weather, Asa.

"Hey" to G-F.

Boo
June 29, 2011 - Msg 84581: Well, Boo, you're probably right, but somehow I just think maybe God will understand and make an exception. If she had behaved herself in the first place, life would have been a lot easier for all of us! Actually, I think the Lord himself would have liked to smack her one - maybe He might enjoy just looking the other way while one of us does it, you reckon?

Power was off around here for about three hours. I had an obligation to go pick up Eloise and her "sitter" and take Eloise for a manicure, so power or not, I had to go. You know, we get so used to things as they usually are - I felt around in the dark (mind you, that didn't tip me off) for the garage door button, found it and pushed it. When the door didn't open, it took me a second to realize what a dumb thing I was doing! I had to pull the cord to release the door opener, raise the door myself - good thing it's not all that heavy. Back the car out, go back in and pull the garage door down, throw the locking bar, go out the back door and key lock it, walk all the way around the house to the driveway. Now I can finally leave! Good grief! Getting back in the house took a while, too. As I said, we do get used to certain things. Maybe that's another way of saying we're spoiled. I'm quite sure I am!

Well, off I go. Not sure what I'm going to have for supper. Maybe just a salad and some fruit. It's too hot for much else. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
June 29, 2011 - Msg 84582: You know, sometimes you just have to get up on your hind legs and fight. Here's the story. Years ago, when I first signed up with Dish Network, the local channels weren't part of the package, and weren't delivered by the main satellite. You either had a rooftop antenna for those channels, or you had a second dish for the smaller satellite that carried those channels. There was an additional fee for that service, of course. I got the second dish. About six months later, the local channels were brought under the main satellite umbrella and the second dish became unnecessary. I asked them to remove it, and was told that it would leave a hole in the roof, and the best thing was just to leave it alone. So I did, and I've still got two dishes on my roof, and all the corresponding cables. Looks like a cobweb along that side of the house. So, with the new roof pending, it occurred to me this would be a good time to lose the extra dish and its attendant cables. I called Dish Network, and asked them to come get their dish, and explained why. A painfully polite young lady who actually spoke English with an understandable accent informed me that they would be happy to do so, and it would only cost me $60 for the "equipment change" and $15 for the technician's service call, since I pay a couple of dollars a month in order to have no service charges. Huh?? I very politely explained the situation again, stressing that I just wanted them to come get their dish, that I wasn't requesting an equipment "change", and that I saw no reason why I should pay. She asked me why I didn't just disconnect the unwanted dish. (Obviously, she had totally missed the point.) So, I asked her which dish I should disconnect. Of course, she didn't know. So I explained it all, once again, and this time she excused herself from the line momentarily, then returned and said they would waive the $60 fee, but I'd still have to pay the $15 for the technician's time. At this point, I just thanked her, told her I would keep the dish and would just have the roofers reset both of them when they replace the roof. "Er, uh, just a moment, please." When she returned, guess what? Both fees are waived, the man will be out tomorrow to remove the unnecessary dish and its cables, and I don't have to pay anything. It pays to protest sometimes, I guess. It works best if you remain calm, stay sweet and polite, and are prepared to abandon the whole project in a fashion that leaves them the loser, or at least leaves them wondering what your next move will be. Drives 'em nuts! (Heehee)

At Hobby Lobby today - guess what I bought? A pink flamingo for the yard! It's not plastic, it's metal, but it's a pink flamingo, in all its tacky, garish, hot pink glory! I love it! I'm going to stand it in a flowerbed. Joe will probably hate it, which will only make it more fun. No actually, he'll probably see the humor in it, and will like it too. Either way, I'm going to enjoy the thing.

Well, I need to do a little laundry, and the dishwasher is full, so I guess I'd better quit playing and get a little work done. Blessings, everyone! --Romeena
June 29, 2011 - Msg 84583: A pink flamingo?!...Oh mercy, what's next, plastic garden gnomes? heehee

Boo
June 29, 2011 - Msg 84584: ....Or maybe a toilet bowl planter... ;)

Boo
June 30, 2011 - Msg 84585: Hahahaha! I've been shopping for a garden gnome for the last six months! Not just any old gnome, it has to be the "right" one. Not plastic, though. It will need to be resin or plaster, maybe ceramic. I've looked at a bunch, and haven't found one I like, but when I do, I'll get it.

Oh dear. Come to think of it, I've got a complete toilet stored in a box in the garage! I recently replaced the one in my bathroom, got one of those tall ones, in deference to my rapidly-aging old bod. The day will come when I'll be glad I did, I think. I saved the old one, which is perfectly good, thinking it would go into a rent house one of these days. I know of one that could stand to be replaced. Now I'm thinking....hmmmm....maybe some petunias, or trailing verbena - what do you think, Boo? Right out in the front yard, of course! Hahaha! Joe would probably file an injunction against me, to prevent me from ever telling anyone else he did the landscaping around here! Yep, that would just about do it. --Romeena
June 30, 2011 - Msg 84586: A pink flamingo? Haven't seen one of those on a lawn in a gazillion years! I love it!

Y'all wanna meet me over at the Diner for breakfast? I'm buying!

*******************
possum under a rock

P.S.Prayers, JM.
June 30, 2011 - Msg 84587: Possum's buying? Well then I'm eating. Hope your bank account can handle the assault possum cause I have a fearsome hunger this morning! :)

Ha, Boo and Ro. Your toilet planter story reminds me of something I did years ago. The first house we ever bought was a small fixer upper. And as is usually the case the first thing to get fixed was the throne. It needed all new guts on the tank and because of the age I could not get the old guts out. So I just finally bought a whole new unit. Well I had a pretty good friend who was a real practical joker, and one whom I owed some payback too. So one night, late, me and another friend set the old crapper in his yard, filled the bowl with some dirt, and planted stuck some flowers in it. Seems like we even made a sign to hang on it. I don't remember what it said, but it was good. Anyway, the next morning at preaching he's telling everyone about waking up and what he found in h9is front yard. I know he really suspected me, even asked if I was the culprit. It took every ounce of my self control to not crack up about it. And although I never out and out denied doing it (a feller shouldn't fib in Church), I just played dumb and reminded him he had a lot of folks who owed him pay backs. Why on earth would he suspect only me? Well he couldn't argue the point, but I'm pretty sure he knew it was me. That was over 30 years ago, and I haven't seem him for over 20 years now. But I suspect he still would love to know for sure who had done it, just so he could get even. HA! Revenge is a dish best served cold. :)

Is everyone ready for the 4th? Dang, I can't believe it's here already. Time moves right along, don't it.

Hope your cooling down MDC. It is really nice here this morning. Cool gentle breeze with the promise of a cooler day than we've been having.

Prayers for all who need em today. Bet ya that's just about everyone.

Asa
June 30, 2011 - Msg 84588: Oh Mayberry Deputy. I was just reading some of the archives and noticed you mentioned you had hernia surgery, and it had laid you low. Not sure how I missed that, but I hope you are doing better. I'll for sure include you in my prayers friend.

Asa
June 30, 2011 - Msg 84589: Good morning, All!

For those interested, I just wanted to let you know that I have updated my Quantrill project site with a new quiz, Images, a new post and the answer to the last quiz question.
http://josieqscr.blogspot.com

Hope all is well and I will see you again shortly!

My best to the entire Porch!
John Masters
June 30, 2011 - Msg 84590:
Well, no, I didnt melt yesterday like the wicked witch of the north, but was just busy at work. Great stories BTW . RO, I have done similar things with the power off, so dont feel too bad!ha
Asa, take the poor man to a Lowes, point to a commode and say, "remember 30 years ago..." haha
BTW Ro, from you description awhile back about your birdbath pedestal, it seems to me that the re-bar probably rusted from the outside IN. As bits chipped away from the outside, the rebar was exposed to the elements, and little by little it started rusting until it lost its power to hold the rest of the cement together. (Does anyone else see a sermon in there??) So let me just say that we need to keep that armor of ephesians 6 INTACT, because one little chink will allow you-know-what to happen! And, like St Paul, I say that from past EXPERIENCE! God bless (But still dang hot!) ha
MDC
June 30, 2011 - Msg 84591:
P.S. This is another- for real -forecast for the next 6 days...112, 117, 117, 110, 110, 110 !!!
(BUT WHO'S COUNTIN'?) HA
And God bless our troops in the deserts of the mideast!!
MDC

June 30, 2011 - Msg 84592: Very insightful observation, MDC, and I suspect you're right. That re-bar does look pretty shabby, much like my soul at times.

Well, the Dish Network man is here, and all bets are off. He walked around the outside of the house, shaking his head. First of all, the extra dish should have been removed years ago. He said it would not have left a hole in the roof, as they have a plate designed for that very thing, which covers the defect left when the dish base is removed. So, error on their part, #1. Then he said I have two switch boxes out there which I don't need. I have four receivers, but the primary one is a dual receiver, and is capable of feeding one of the other TVs as well, so I only need three receivers. That's $7 off my bill each month, and will eliminate those switch boxes and about four miles of cable. Error #2. Then he said the girl should not ever have told me I would have to pay to have a dish removed, as they don't charge for that. Error #3. Then he said I should have been automatically provided with an HD dish when I got my HD receivers. I'm getting an HD signal, but it's being picked up by a regular dish. With a new HD dish, I'll have even better HD reception. Error #4. Finally, when I said something about the roofers coming, he looked at me with big eyes, and said, "You're getting a new roof? Soon?" I said yes, in a week or two, and told him that's what started all this, and that I had told the girl on the phone at least four times that my roof was being replaced. He muttered something that I think I'm glad I couldn't hear, and said that all of this should have been done AFTER the new roof, not before. Error #5. However, he said he had gone too far to turn back now, and would finish the job. Said just to tell the roofers to remove the bolts holding the dish in place, set it aside and do their job, and I'm to call him to come back and reattach it. He also said I shouldn't have to pay for any of this, as it all should have been offered to me at the appropriate times and would have been free at the time. He said since I called and ordered it, they may try to charge me, but he's going to submit it as a "no charge." I guess we'll see. Sometimes, it just helps when you finally get to the right person.

As for melting, I just might! It's 97 out there, will probably reach 100 before the end of the day. It's usually hottest at around 4 p.m. My poor flowers are really suffering. It seems like I just can't get enough water on them. I could go out and cut a bouquet of dried roses right now. Honestly - they are on the bush, and look just like the dried flowers you can buy. Weird. Even the coneflowers are heat-beaten, and they like heat! The crape myrtle is fine, and my "Mr. Lincoln" rose, which gets morning sun only, is flourishing but anything that gets afternoon sun is just fried. Good grief, we've got all of July and August to go. We may be just a little pile of dust by September!

Well, I think I'll take that poor Dish Network guy a bottle of cold water. He's bound to be about to croak out there. Which reminds me - I need to stock up and fill the garage fridge with sodas and bottled water before the roofers come. I'll put that fridge at their disposal while they're here. I never drink the things myself, but I keep the fridge stocked for the folks who work around here. I know it's appreciated, and it makes me happy to do it, because I appreciate what they do. Even my mailman knows he's welcome to come and get a drink if the garage is open. All these folks work hard to look after me and my stuff, so it's the least I can do.

Well, off I go. Got to work tonight, but just the one night, then I'm off until Sunday night. It sure is easier when I just do one night at a time. Two in a row just wears me out. Blessings, friends. --Romeena
June 30, 2011 - Msg 84593: MDC..Maybe you should trade your car in for a camel? They may run better in the heat and not use that high price gas! But I'm not sure if they are selfish like giraff's are, they have long necks too....Just a thought....
Goober-Fife
June 30, 2011 - Msg 84594: Wow, what a fiasco concerning the cable dish, Ro. That kind of thing is so frustrating but if they get back when they are supposed to and all goes well, you will be better off than before. We have all the new roofing material out in the driveway but don't know when they will start on it.

I seem to be having the same problem with some of my plants that get the worst of the sun. Seems you just can't water them enough and I hate to think of how things will be by the end of summer.

Good thought on "the rust within," MDC. I was recently reading some of Charles Spurgeon's writing about being in the world but not of it. He would flip if he could see the way things are now, even within the church. I read something yesterday about the divorce rate among Baptists being about as high as non church-goers. That is one thing that Catholics probably have less of, I am assuming, do to the teaching of the seriousness of divorce. Anyway, I was reading about Charles Stanley and his divorce and it got me thinking. He was separated for several years and told his congregation that if he ever divorced he would step down as pastor of his church. His wife divorced him and he is still pastoring, but there are many Baptist leader's who think he should step down. Interesting topic, I think. I'm not sure where I stand on something like that.

Been watching a little of the Casey Anthony trial today and the defense rested. Should be a rebuttal and then a verdict. Interesting thing happened today, though. A young man in his 20's who was an observer, got caught giving the "finger" to one of the prosecuting attorneys and the judge found him guilty and gave him 6 days in the county jail and a 600 dollar fine. According to the judge, if one of the jurors had seen him do it, it could have caused a mistrial and all the tax dollars that have gone into this trial would have been wasted. Not sure why, but interesting I thought.

Better go finish some chores.

Boo
June 30, 2011 - Msg 84595: "due" to the teaching, that is...
July 01, 2011 - Msg 84596: Well hey gang!..Boo,Ro,Possum,ky girl,asa,MDC,auh20,Lucy and all...Rev you on the road?...well busy here with the everyday storms...has anybody got any leftover supper/..I will get breakfast in the morning...Cracker Barrell if thats alright with yall...ok...back to running reports and watching this movie "Tango and Cash"...yall seen it....Boo will you pick us up a paper in the morning....SPOT
July 01, 2011 - Msg 84597: Hey Spot, Cracker Barrel it is. Sounds good. Thanks pup.

We made it to the weekend, and the 4th of July weekend at that. Yippeeeee!!!
I hope and pray you all have a good safe and patriotic weekend.

Asa
July 01, 2011 - Msg 84598:
Hey gang, just wanted to let you know that I will be on vacation all next week, so i may not be around too much.
I too hope you all have a safe, happy, patriotic 4th of July, and i may not be back on the porch until the 11th. You will all be in my prayers.
I will try to check in a few times, however.
RO- that is very nice of you to have refreshments available like that, and good news on the dish!
APB FOR TOM.
Spot- glad you are keeping the lights on. We had a big heat related transformer substation fire here yesterday. 100,000 with outpower for about 5 hours! yikes.
Boo- i have seen him still preaching on TV, and wondered if they were just old broadcsts, but i guess not. Lord help us.
God bless,
MDC
July 01, 2011 - Msg 84599: You know, MDC, I wonder how something like what happened in Stanley's marriage should have been handled. He is such a well-known, probably very busy pastor and speaker, his marriage must have suffered. I wonder if, in his situation, I would have stepped down from my position and taken the time to do whatever I could do to save my marriage when things were going bad? Do you think that sometimes men get in the frame of mind that doing the Lord's work is a good excuse for neglecting their marriage and families? Just a thought.

Hope you have a great vacation, MDC.

"Hey" to ASA and SPOT.

We aren't planning anything special for the 4th. Guess we will just hang around the homestead and get some things done. Our church is having an old-fashioned homemade ice cream gathering on Sunday evening. That might be fun.

Better get going. I have to take Erin to Allison's birthday party. You all remember that Allison is my departed friend Karen's daughter. She turns 12 today! I can't believe it. Time really does fly. It makes me sad to think that Karen is missing seeing her children grow up but who know's...maybe she can see them from heaven. I'm not sure how all that works. :)

Boo


July 01, 2011 - Msg 84600: Boo, What about a band concert under the stars too? Or does no one at your church want to get under the gazebo with them there spiders?

Goober-Fife
July 01, 2011 - Msg 84601: Might as well skip the poster too. (:
July 01, 2011 - Msg 84602: Right...nobody at my church will get under the bandstand with the spiders, G-F. ;)

Boo
July 01, 2011 - Msg 84603: Well,I can't do anything with these band uniforms- MIL- DEW!!
*******************
possum under a rock
July 01, 2011 - Msg 84604: I guess we will have to settle for going to Wally's for some bottles of Huckleberry Smash & Tangerine Crush to go with Boo's Church's ice cream....What flavor are they makin???

G-F
July 01, 2011 - Msg 84605: Hi All,
HOT HOT DAYS.

TOM

July 02, 2011 - Msg 84606: Well G-F, if it's a Church event it will most likely be Heavenly Hash or some such flavor, don't you reckon? :)
Hey to Tom. Yes sir. It's hot days for sure.
Possum can't fix the uniforms. The bandstand is a mess. The band itself sounds terrible, uniforms not with standing. I'd say we need to just drop this whole plan and go relax on the porch, just like that preachin feller suggested we ourt to do. Who is with me?

Asa
July 02, 2011 - Msg 84607: H0pe everyone has a great 4th .MDC,SPOT...gonna be some good racing at Daytona tonight .Prayers for everyone in need
MAYBERRY DEPUTY
July 02, 2011 - Msg 84608: Dinner on the ground,Ice cream,sweet tea,don't get no better than that! SIGN ME UP!
Maybe get the boys to do some pickin they could pick till the fire flies come out......
Just a thought......Goober-Fife
July 03, 2011 - Msg 84609: Well, my stars! Where is everybody??? --Romeena
July 03, 2011 - Msg 84610: I'm here, Ro! Guess it's the holiday weekend that stole everybody from the Porch.

Come back, y'all!!

*******************
possum under a rock
July 03, 2011 - Msg 84611: I was wondering if it was broke.......
Careful shooting the cannon on the 4th gtuys, you could shoot your eye out kid.......
Goober-Fife.......
oops wrong quote for this bunch! That's a whole nother group......
HAVE A GREAT ONE!!
July 03, 2011 - Msg 84612: sp....guys....not gtuys (Don't want Miss Crump getting after me) G-F
July 03, 2011 - Msg 84613: HA Goober-Fife. I love the Christmas quote on the 4th of July weekend. Very good.

Asa
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84614: Yea the porch is well....let me get logged in here at work....SPOT
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84615: Yay!! The Porch is back!

In case y'all missed it or didn't know, a lot of Mayberry sites, including our Porch got hacked yesterday. I got in touch with Allan & he told me the hackers hit and hit hard.So glad things got straightened out so quickly!

Thanks,Allan!

Happy Birthday America!!

Fireworks and BBQ tonight at Spot's doghouse!

*******************
possum under a rock
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84616: Sorry for the problem yesterday. The hosting company confirmed that the Mayberry sites (including the Porch) were themselves not hacked and everything is still intact. We're good to go for now. Have a happy 4th of July! God bless you all.
--Floyd
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84617: Ok, there's the Official Verification from Floyd!

Thanks for all you do to keep things going around here, Floyd! You rock!

Happy 4th!

possum again
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84618: Great news! We have the porch up and running. :)

I watched the spaghetti episode on TVLand yesterday and thought about you all. I have to admit that I kind of like that ep, especially the part when Andy shows up at Howard's for dinner and he and his mom know nothing about it. I really can't figure out why Andy didn't kill Goober in those last episodes. He certainly threatened to! ha

Well, Happy 4th to you all...I have some thoughts to share later when I have time to do so.

See you soon,
Boo
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84619: Happy Birthday America. You are showing some signs of age, but I still think your best days are yet to come.

We were hacked? Shazaam! Glad it's all better now.

Let's here your thoughts Boo. I always enjoy reading them. How was the ice cream social?

Hey Possum. Have you guys cooled down any?

Hope y'all have a wonderful 4th of July.

Asa
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84620: Let's keep Spot in our thoughts & prayers-he just lost a friend in a drowning incident.
Prayers, Spotty.

*******************
possum under a rock
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84621: Oh, no, Asa.. it won't cool down here until around October! I wish!

possum again
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84622: Praying for you, Spotty. Lean on the Lord. --Romeena
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84623: Happy 4th America and to all my porch friends. hope everyone is okay today.

Prayers for our friend SPOT and the family of his friend.

We have had some very hot/dry weather the past few weeks but this afternoon we have had some storms and rain. Hopefully, the rain and storms will pass so the fireworks can take place. Tennessee just recently made buying buying fireworks legal for everyone. That is a good and a bad thing I guess. There are white tents set up everywhere with various people selling fireworks. For about the past week neighbors have been setting them off all evening and into the night. I heard them about midnight and around 1 am last night. My poor little dog Belle has been scared to death. Hopefully this will settle down in a few days.

Getting ready to grill some hamburgers/hot dogs, homemade chili, homemade pasta salad, SLAW, french fries. Ya'll drop by if you want to.

Prayers and blessings to all.

Big Maude
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84624: How sad for SPOT and his friend. Sure hate to hear that.

Asa, the ice cream social was fun. Unfortunately I had an upset stomach and couldn't eat a thing but everyone seemed to enjoy my ice cream (I made plain vanilla).

I'm going to be going to the drug rehab tonight because they are having a little 4th of July party for them and some of the girls have been asking for me. After that, i will take the kids to watch some fireworks over the water.

Asa, my thoughts were about freedom, which is really what we celebrate on this day. I was reading online yesterday about Dachau concentration camp during WW2. So many tortured and killed there and I was looking at pictures of piles of bodies and how they were burned in the crematories. Then, I read about the liberation of Dachau, when the American soldiers, attacked, killed the gaurds and dumped their bodies in front of the gaurd tower. I was trying to imagine what it would have been like to be one of those who were living in the camp (if you can call it living), when the American soldiers arrived....what it must of felt like to finally be free, and this thought came to my mind; those people experienced the joy of being delivered from their suffering and were finally free, and what an amazing thing to celebrate. It reminds me of what happens when a person is born again into the kingdom of God. How much should we celebrate when another is liberated from the prison of spiritual death and sin, to be raised to life everlasting? As I was thinking of it, I felt compelled to reach over for the Max Lucado calendar I have beside my desktop, and I randomly flipped it open to this verse of scripture: "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."~John 8:32, and these words were printed underneath: "Sin put you in prison...Then Jesus came and paid your bail. He served your time, he satisfied the penalty and set you free. Christ died, and when you cast your lot with him, your old self died too. The only way to be set free from the prison of sin is to serve its penalty. In this case the penalty is death. Someone has to die, either you or a heaven-sent substitute...And when Jesus died, you died to sin's claim on your life. You are FREE."~Max Lucado

Those are my thoughts on this Independance Day. :)
Lord Bless my Porch Friends.

Boo
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84625: Those are nice sentiments expressed very well Boo. I will simply give you an Amen so as to not diminish such a well thought out post.

AMEN!

Asa
July 04, 2011 - Msg 84626: And amen! --Romeena
July 05, 2011 - Msg 84627: Hi Folks,
I received a lovely note in my Youtube account from Possum, telling me if I didn't get back to the porch she was going to hunt me down, thrash me within and inch of my life and.... Oh wait, that wasn't her. Possum just sent a nice note saying that some friends were worried that I had fallen off the face of the earth.
Well, I haven't. Though like Mr. Masters there has been alot going on, some good, some not so good, and some I don't know if it is good or not. One of the not-so-goods is that MIL is moving, and guess where. Yep, right to my town, and we have been helping her move up, slowly. Well, helping her unload the trucks anyway. But hey, as long as she can stop intruding in our lives and how we raise Kai I am fine with her. Wish me luck with that one.
Another thing is that my wife is expecting another child, and actually has been for a while. She is due in Sept. like Kai was. I should be happier about that, I know, but I am kind of mixed about it. Part of that could be because, as weird as this may seem to some of you folks, I still don't like babies. I never have, and still don't. I don't know what it is about them, but I don't find-especially newborns-cute as other people do. And what doesn't come out of one end of them is coming out the other.
On the other hand, it will be good to have another sibling for Kai to..., well, I was going to say play with, but with Kai's age now she will be more of a babysitter. Nah, she is still young enough to play with him, but by the time he is ready to play bigger games and things, she will be in high school probably. At least we have finally settled on a first name, and to my relief it will not be Kavicka(don't know if that is spelled right, but it is my name in Hawaiian according to my wife). Although that will be part of his middle name(I consented to that), but his first name is going to be Noah. It first was between Noah and Mason, both names Kai had picked out, and I liked them both. But one reason I like Noah is because it just seems more noble. But not noble so much in a medieval, majestic sense, but more noble in a child of the TRUE King sense.
Another good piece of news, which I never thought would ever happen in a million years, especially after all the conflict last year, was that my wife has agreed that Kai should stay in her Christian school this next year. I have to thank the Lord for that one especially. You know, whenever you think something is just too impossible, God can lay a hand on it and say, "No, it's not." He has shown me this before, but like a scatterbrained child I can forget about it and go back to fretting about this and that, so He reminds me again. Hopefully He will keep reminding me. No, hopefully He won't have to.

Well, I was just going to say hi and bye to just let you all know I am still alive and well, but as you can see I failed to do that.
Hope you all had a happy 4th Of July.

Someone above mentioned a problem with the porch. When I tried to visit here yesterday, I got some weird "Hacker Inside" logo(I'm guessing a play on Intel's "Intel inside" logo) along with music instead of the porch. I didn't know if it was some interloper just on the porch or if someone had gotten inside my computer. I downloaded some anti-virus stuff(until now I never thought we needed it because my wife and her brother, both Mac fanatics, would tell me that we didn't need anti-virus protection) and will keep track of that.

Talk to you all later and hope you are all well!

-Sterling Holobyte
July 05, 2011 - Msg 84628:
Hope everyone had a Capital 4th! Just watched that wonderful show on my pbs station. Always so well done! God bless America!
I leave tomorrow for Californa. back on Sunday the 10th. Will be totally "unplugged," so see ya all then.
Hey to Sterling!!! Congrats on your coming attraction! Wow, Shazam, an he won't be no decoy, that is foer sure! ha
Prayers for all,
MDC
July 05, 2011 - Msg 84629: Have a nice safe trip, MDC. And thank you.
-SH
July 05, 2011 - Msg 84630: Hey! Sterling is back! Been concerned about you but glad to hear you are well. After reading your post, I think the biggest concern you have (and I can say this from experience), is having your MIL move down!! You poor soul. hehe...Good news about Noah, though. Just remember, they are only little babies for a little while and then they become wild little toddlers. ;) Seriously, I am really happy for Kai, especially. I'll bet she will love having a baby brother and you will find that you have just as much love in your heart for Noah as you have always had for Kai. Please keep us updated on how things are going. Oh, and SO glad Kai will be continuing in christian school! We are going to be homeschooling Erin next year...they got a new principle/pastor at Erin's school and we don't see eye-to-eye so we decided to homeschool. Sean is starting driver's ed this summer, can you believe it? He is already 16.

Have a great vay-cay, MDC. Wish I was going! California is a great place to go for a vacation.

Boo
July 05, 2011 - Msg 84631: Spot, SO sorry about your friend. Prayers for all his family and you.
Chuck
July 05, 2011 - Msg 84632: Morning porch, Its back to work for me today. Enjoyed the long week end though.

Congrats to Sterling and his family. Just remember babies don't stay babies for long. Seems like yesterday, my oldest baby was learning how to walk and talk and now I am getting ready to send him off to college.

Wow, Boo, I can't believe Sean is getting ready for a learners permit. I am telling ya, it goes by too fast.

Hope you are doing okay SPOT, thinking about you and your friends family.

Breakfast menu will be: scrambled eggs, toast, biscuits, gravy, jelly, bacon, ham, sausage, fresh fruit, yogurt with granola. coffee, tea, juice. somebody bring a paper please.

Prayers and blessings to all today.
Big Maude
July 05, 2011 - Msg 84633: Good morning Porch.
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend.
I'm beat. My goodness, we had folks around us lighting off fireworks very late last night. I actually fell asleep by 9:30, but was waken around 10:00 by all the noise. When I get woke up like that it's durn near impossible for me to get back to sleep. So today I'm tired and cranky.

Sterling, so good to see you. Congrats on the new addition. And I hope you and your MIL can come to some kind of working relationship with the new arrangement.

MDC, Have fun and be safe on your trip. You going to Santa Barbara again? I love that area. Wave to the Pacific Ocean for me. If you get a chance, I would suggest you drive over to Simi Valley and tour the Reagan Library. Very well worth the effort. And it's not to far from S.B. Just back aways from Ventura which is just 30 miles from S.B.

Spot, sorry about your loss my friend. That is really hard to deal with. Y'all will be in my prayers for sure.

Well better get rolling. Back to the trenches.
Prayers for all.

Asa
July 05, 2011 - Msg 84634: Sterling! Good to see you back here! Had me laughing about the note I left you at YouTube! Made me sound like ol Ernest T. Bass- LOL!

Well, congrats on baby Noah (nice name!) and I hope things go well for you as far as the MIL moving close by.

Yes, you described the "hacker" problem to a "T" ,Sterling. Weird,huh? Glad that the Porch is back!

Have a safe trip, MDC.Will miss ya!

Chuck?? Wow! Where have you been? I'm sure Spot will be happy to hear from you. He is at work today,actually covering the shift of his co-worker friend who drowned. Continued prayers,Spot.

Well,gonna scoot-y'all take care now!

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possum under a rock
July 05, 2011 - Msg 84635: Welcome back to our absentees. (b>Chuck and Sterling, both in one day! Sterling, congrats on the new one on the way, and as devoted as you've always been to Kai, it sounds funny to hear you say you don't like babies. I think you like them, you just don't enjoy the inconveniences. You're probably not alone there. Anyway, you boys have been missed, and it's nice to have you home. There are many others missing, and I won't attempt to call the names, but I wish they'd come home too.

Well, the Casey Anthony trial is over, I was surprised (shocked?) at the outcome, but then I wasn't there, didn't hear it all, all I know is what I read in the papers and we all know about how much that's worth these days. I can't imagine what those jurors went through. I'll just say this, and no more - I'm glad I wasn't on that jury, and whatever the outcome of that trial, there is a Judge who knows the truth, and there will be no lawyers, no argument on that day. Rest in peace, beautiful little Caylee. You're beyond any harm now, and are forever safe.

I hope everyone had a restful, peaceful Fourth. I had a quiet day, spent it with Eloise and Jerry, had some brisket and Eloise's great potato salad, and I made some pineapple ice cream. David and Brittney and the boys went to the Ranger game, and I know they had fun, but it had to be so hot out there! We sat at home where it was cool, watched the game on TV and ate ice cream. Can't beat a deal like that.

Well, I'm off to spend a quiet evening with little Toye Starr next to me in my chair, bumming bites from whatever I might be eating, and generally being a sweet little thing. I'm convinced that God created dogs to be our friends, and He surely sent me some good ones over the years. My dear little Plum, good old Buckwheat, and my precious Taffy/s - there were two spaniels named Taffy. I've never had a dog that wasn't sweet and loving, with one exception, and she didn't last long with us, just about six months. The day she showed her bad nature and tried to attack a 4-yr old child who had never done anything to her, had never even met her before - that was the day she left. I loaded her up and headed for the shelter with her, but was intercepted by a man where I stopped for gas. He asked me where I was headed with "that dog", who was barking at him through the window. I told him and told him why. He said, "I need a good watchdog, can I have her?" I warned him that she could be dangerous, and he said that's what he wanted. He said he could handle her, and proceeded to prove it. With my permission, he opened the tailgate on my wagon and spoke to her in a very confident, commanding voice. She settled down, he slipped a length of rope through her collar and lifted her out of the car. I assured him she had all her shots and told him my name, her name and her vet's name, in case he wanted to check. He said his house had been broken into three times in the last six months and he was tired of it, said "I guess it won't happen again now." I wished him well and returned home, without my dog and without my worries. With my kids and visitors, I didn't need a biting dog. I've never wanted a threatening dog, I'm more the "cute and cuddly lapdog" kind of person. And boy, do I have one of those now. The Plum in miniature - she's a little angel.

Well, blessings to you all. God Bless America! --Romeena