September 17, 2014 - Msg 99063:
Oh my! An extra rock just for little ole me? Thank you possum. I feel so honored (and a little rocky).

from Poor Horatio
September 17, 2014 - Msg 99064:
It's been a while since I had a broom in my hands. But at least my sweeping cleared out all those cobwebs unlike you know who!

from Poor Horatio
September 17, 2014 - Msg 99065: Poor Horatio, when I said I finished some fan fiction, I meant having read them. I've messed a little with fan fiction on another site and have thought about writing something here. Much like the innate humor in laid back Gomer joining the Marines, "Be with you in a minute, Sarge" is incredibly hilarious, I think they might be something funny in an urgent piece of Express Mail making its way to Mayberry. As for the handle, Billy Ray the Postman was one of Dub Taylor's characters on the show.

Billy Ray the Postman
September 18, 2014 - Msg 99066: I remember Billy Ray. He's the one who got in the little spat with Barney, when Barney caught him trying to snitch a couple of "Wanted" posters. When Andy pointed out that Barney might have quantity, but he (Billy Ray) had "quality" criminals, he laughed at Barney. Barney then started trying to swap posters with him. Very funny scene, typical Mayberry humor. Great name choice, Billy Ray. --Romeena
September 18, 2014 - Msg 99067: I read the earliest set of archives and saw the discussion of "soda" vs "pop" vs "coke". I'm in southern Ohio, and in these parts, most everyone calls them "pops"-unless they are talking to someone else they fear may think they're a bumpkin for saying "pop". Then they call it a "soda", which somehow sounds more high falutin'. Hard to explain, but a bit like the puttin' on of airs at church when you use different terminology than the rest of the week.
September 18, 2014 - Msg 99068: Oops, forgot to sign my last.

Billy Ray the Postman
September 18, 2014 - Msg 99069: Good morning Porch. Good sweeping job PH. You even got the corners.

I like that scene also Romeena, when Barney and the postman get to arguing about wanted posters. As you put it, typical Mayberry humor.

I have been watching all my TAGS dvd's in order and am just starting season 8. I have never really cared all that much for the color episodes. The loss od Barney with the added disconnectedness of Andy just seemed to create a different atmosphere for the show. But watching them on dvd seems to have helped me enjoy them more for some reason. And I must say, Helen is a lot prettier in color.

Boy Boo, you throw out a meatball like that (woman and moodiness) and then expect no one to take a swing at it? :) I'll refrain, but maybe GF will take a swing at it. LOL

Well back on the truck. Yep GF, It's the only raise I'm getting.

Asa
September 18, 2014 - Msg 99070: Yep Asa, I may be getting older, but I ain't stupid! I think I'll pass on that topic too!

Billy Ray, I too am a "Buckeye" (N.E. part) I use "soda" but grew up calling it "pop"...

G-F.....
September 18, 2014 - Msg 99071: Hehe..sorry, Asa. I'll try to refrain from such "meatballs" in the future.

Good point, Billy Ray..I used to call everything coke, but seems like somehow it has morphed into "soda". I guess I just like to be more specific these days. :)

Hope you are getting some rain, Ro. We were supposed to but really haven't, unfortunately, and it continues to be in the 90s and will be all next week, too. Weatherman says the next front is going to stall out before it gets to us. Might give us a little rain...we will see.

PH, I have given Erin the talk and continue to talk. She is pretty well educated. Maybe the chocolate will work... Ro mentioned patience, and boy that's a hard one sometimes. The moodiness and sour disposition are hard to take. I know it is part of being her age. I can remember being moody and sometimes hard to get along with at that age, so I should understand. I have thought of my mom so many times as we are going through this. I can remember how poor mom used to want to ask me questions about my day when I got home from school, and I just hated to answer questions at that time. I just wanted to be left alone and I wasn't always nice about it. At least Erin likes to talk about her day, and I sure like to hear about it. Speaking of school, we went to parent's night at erin's school this week, and got some really encouraging reports from her teachers. Her recent progress was report was all As, except for an 89 in English. Her math teacher told us that she made over a hundred on her last math test, because he gave the whole class ten points, so she would have made a 95 before the curve. I cant even fathom that, being so hopeless at math, myself. Yesterday she told me that they had a quiz in math and she was unprepared because of being absent the day before. The math teacher told her she could take it and he would throw it out if she didn't do well, since it was something new. She took it and got a 90...told me she "figured it out" on her own. Shazaam! I'm telling you, after years of struggle with Sean's learning disability, this is a real treat. :) All I know is that she got the math gene from Bruce. I started wondering if the school curriculum might be too easy and that is why she is doing so well, but after seeing some of the work she is doing, that isn't the case. The science and the history are particularly hard but she is getting A's. Excuse my shock, but it seems surreal, somehow. I just hope and pray she continues to want to do well. We set up a system of reward for her if she stays on the A-B honor roll, but her motivation seems to be the feeling she gets from doing well, which is great.

I am supposed to be starting the skills lab tomorrow at the local college, but there was some kind of glitch with my registration, since I am the first one to do what I am doing, they are having to create a course and number for me. It's always something!

Better git!

Boo
September 18, 2014 - Msg 99072: Good morning, porch! I slept just like a baby last night. Woke up about three times! (har, har) Seriously, I did sleep well. Fortunately, I trained myself years ago to be able to wake up if I need to, and go right back to sleep when the matter is taken care of. I think most mothers can do that.

Boo, we haven't gotten any rain either. It was predicted for today, but they've changed it. No rain in sight. Maybe some for Sunday, but that's a long time off, and will likely change. Oh well. I guess I'll just keep running the sprinklers whenever I'm allowed to do so, but it's like scattering money on the yard. At least the brutal heat has subsided a bit. The high predicted for today is just 91°.

Boo, Erin is going to be just fine. She's very smart, and she's headstrong and determined. Those qualities are giving you fits right now, but will be the very things that will help her succeed in life. You're already seeing some of the advantages, as she's sailing through math so easily. I'm like you - math was never my strong subject. English, both literature and grammar, fascinated me, but math? No way. History and government usually didn't interest me much, but it depended on the teacher. I had one teacher who made history come alive. Wish I could have stayed with him all the way through school. Anyway, Erin will be just fine. Keep her in church, teach her to value and respect herself (after all, she's a child of God) and she will suddenly turn into a young woman that you're going to like a lot. Loving her is a given, but it's wonderful when they become adults, and you actually like them, when you realize they're someone you would choose as a friend, even if they weren't your kid!

I'm watching a tiny miracle outside my window. I have a hummer feeder there, and there's one hummer who hangs around it all day. Once in a while another one comes in, but "Norm" runs him off. I call him Norm, because he's always in his place at the "bar." The feeder is up underneath the three-foot eave on the house, so it's out of the sun. That keeps the sugar water fresh a bit longer, but it means that the beautiful colors on the little bird don't reflect when he's at the feeder. I only get to see his colors as he zips in or out, as he passes through the sun coming through the trees. Sometimes I can see where he lands on a wire or a twig, and can get my binoculars on him. Then I can see his colors, and he's gorgeous, a precious little flying jewel.

Well, guess I'd better do a load of laundry, and tidy up the kitchen. That's about it for today. Gonna be a lazy, peaceful day. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
September 18, 2014 - Msg 99073: I know of two bad boy who going by by

September 18, 2014 - Msg 99074: Hi All
Just get thing dong be for OLD MAN WINTER COME.
Now G F stop called everyone a buckee.
I may have to come back there and show you a mad buckeye.
PRAER FOR EVERYONE WHO CAN UESD THIM NOW.

TOM

September 18, 2014 - Msg 99075: TOM, Buckeye's are suppose to bring good luck, Isn't that what Opie says?http://www.luckymojo.com/buckeyes.html :) G-F
September 18, 2014 - Msg 99076: Oh, I don't know about that link, it looks like it may be run by some of those Gypsies weather forcasters...
September 18, 2014 - Msg 99077: Been a very long day,but wanted to pop in before I hit the ol' ironing board to let y'all know that all went very well with Laci's surgery. She's staying overnight in the hospital and doing pretty good,all things considered. She's a very strong little girl and I'm so proud of her.
Thank you all for the prayers. Love you,friends.~ possum u.a.r.
September 18, 2014 - Msg 99078:
G-F, in Msg 99070, you stated that you are a Buckeye. Then in Msg 99075, you posted a link explaining that buckeyes are nuts. Does this mean that you are nuts?

Boo, congratulations to Erin on her success with her school studies.

possum, I'm glad to learn that Laci's surgery went well.

from Poor Horatio
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99079: Good news, Possum. Thanks for the report. Will continue to pray for successful recovery. --Romeena
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99080: Ro, thanks for the encouragement where Erin is concerned. Very well said.

Speaking of Erin, I ended up in the pediatric urgent care center with her for hours this evening. When she came home from school today, she went right to the bathroom but couldn't go. She told me that she hadn't been able to pass urine since yesterday evening and her bladder was very distended. They had to catheterize the poor girl and they obtained over 900cc. She must have been miserable but she suffers pretty well and was mostly quiet. She did get worried and cried before the procedure and that was hard, but she did well. They sent the urine and results were clean, so no infection. They drew blood and that was all fine and even did an xray to try to determine what caused the urinary retention, but nothing seen on the xray. I brought her home and gave her some medication the doc prescribed. She is asleep now and I hope she doesn't wake up in the night with the same problem.

Thanks for the congratulations, PH. L)

Better get some sleep.

Boo
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99081:
A belated thanks to PH for the sweep.
You've never appeared to be the domestic type,
but then again, I bet you swabbed a deck or two! ha
BOO--prayers continue for Erin. So many things happening to her right now. Hope she sleeps well. Glad school is going well.
RO-- good for you on the sleeping. Have you thought about trying 1 mg of melatonin?
Billy Ray--what's the saying up there about a "hi" in Ohio?
ASA--raise the boom, the storm petered out!
TOM--no talk of winter yet! ha
You ALL may have heard on the news about a terminal at the Phx airport being shut down
because some idiot shot someone in Tempe, and led the police on a chase where he ended up
bailing and running into the airport terminal!
Hope they throw the book at him.
Prayers,
MDC
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99082: Yes, they did catch him...in a stairwell.

September 19, 2014 - Msg 99083:
Boo, I hope Erin's urine retention problem was temporary condition.

MDC, I never swabbed any decks aboard the ships I served on because I was an officer.
And thanks for the update about the suspect captured in the Phoenix airport terminal. That reminded me of the time when I once worked in a building where an armed robbery suspect gained entry to as he fled from the police. He hid in our building for over two days over a weekend when there was a minimal amount of employees. I worked that weekend and saw him on one of our stairwells. I'm lucky he didn't shoot me. It took the police three complete evacuations followed by building searches before they found him.

from Poor Horatio
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99084: Good Friday morning all.

Well MDC, your storm did fizzle, but we have one that has moved in from the northwest that has given us some rain during the night. Sure brought the humidity up. Very sticky this morning.

Hey Boo, I surely do hope and pray that Erin will be ok, bless her heart. They still don't know what caused that? I remember when my oldest daughter had her tonsils out. She was just an infant at the time. After we got her home she was in much pain in her stomach area. We finally took her up to the E.R. where they determined her bladder was over full. It seems the medication they had given her had codeine in it and had caused her functions to become pararlyzed. They drained a lot out of her that day.

Possum, so very happy that Laci got through her procedure ok, bless her heart also. Prayers for her recovery to go well. I know you mentioned that was your bigger concern.

Tom, sadly everything I am doing at work right now is getting ready for old man winter. I hate to think of it, but he will be here, like it or not.

Well I'll see if mother nature is going to let me work outside today, or if I'll be sounding like B.J. Thomas, "Raindrops keep falling on my head". :)

Asa
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99085: PH, I suppose the jury is still out on that one! haha Let's just say, I see things from a "Bird in this World" eye's view of life.

Hey, Asa I have to get only MY filters now, Yep a 3pk of 16X25 kinda nice only having to get ONE size and 1 furnace to service...She's a older model standing pilot, belt driven furnace but she still puts out..(the heat) and cools your jets when your hot. Trying to keep her as long as I can, sure don't want the new pieces of junk that are out there.

G-F....
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99086:
GF--"Watch your language, there's ladies present!" haha
MDC
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99087:
PH--did you ever go thru "international date line initiation?" My retired Marine pilot brother did,
and after the garbage shoot, there was some deck swabbing. jUst sayin.

MDC
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99088: Not sure why that uppercase U got in there?
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99089:
MDC, I crossed the international date line once on board an Air Force charter flight and three times on board a Navy ship. However, we never held a ceremony. I don't recall there being a ceremony just for crossing the international date line. I believe you confusing this with the long standing traditional ceremony when crossing the equator. We had this equator crossing ceremony in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa.
Also, there is another ceremony when you cross the equator and international date line simultaneously.

from Poor Horatio
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99090: Just popping in with an update on Laci-She's been released from the hospital and is amazing everyone with how well she's doing.She doesn't act like anything is bothering her and has figured out how to walk on her knees with the casts on! She's happy & playing on the floor in the hotel suite,according to my daughter. They are staying near the hospital for a few days,just to be on the safe side,but it appears that Laci is going to do great with her recovery.

Thank you all so much for the prayers and kindness.

*******************
possum under a rock
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99091: Hi There
Sometime you feel like a nut and sometime you do not but G F is a NUT.

TON

September 19, 2014 - Msg 99092: Possum, Aren't kids resilient? Glad to hear she is doing well, and bouncing back so quickly, good for her!

PH, I declare you are one traveled individual, you need to write your memoirs. You could call it: "Not bad for a Half-a-Boy"...Just sayin'...

TOM, That's why they sell Mound Bars and Hershey Bars both ways..haha

With the changing weather coming maybe Auh20 will come and check in along with John Masters, and the others who have been absent all summer.

MDC, Glad to hear you guys skirted the bad weather. How's your Dad doing? You have not mentioned him in awhile, tell him Goober Say's "Hey!"

Asa, If you had to work indoors today, hopefully you used your "indoor" screwdriver, and not the "outdoor" one, they have rules about that! tehehaha..

G-F...
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99093: G-F, notice that TOM also believes you are a nut!
Since you posted earlier that you want us to guess where you are in the photograph link that Floyd posted, since you revealed that you are short, are you the man second from the right, in the front row, with the blue-gray-white plaid shirt and white shorts, and the baseball hat that says Mayberry NC?

from Poor Horatio
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99094:
G-F, two interesting facts about my worldly travels in the military:
#1 - Not only did I not have to pay for anything, instead, the government paid me!
#2 - I did all this travelling all over the world without a passport!

from Poor Horatio
September 19, 2014 - Msg 99095: Prayers for Erin, please. She was admitted to the hospital because she had to have a catheter. Terrible evening. Hopefully will know more tomorrow.

Boo
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99096:
BOO--prayers indeed! So sorry that she is having this problem. Did you see what ASA mentioned above? Could it be from a medication? RO might have
some insights. I sure hope they can figure this out.
PH--yes, my mistake, I meant the equator.
Here's a youtube of one for old times sake.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hTlYLrEzq4
GF--thanks for asking. He is plugging along for a 96
year old in a wheelchair. His mind is still good, but he has a tia now and then, but springs back pretty well. His care is excellent.
God's blessings,
MDC

September 20, 2014 - Msg 99097: Oh my, Boo! Definitely will pray for little Erin! And for all of your family. I hate when little ones have medical issues, and I know how scary they can be to all involved. Praying that this is a minor thing and is taken care of quickly.

-Sterling Holobyte
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99098: Prayers Boo..Good morning gang...6:18 am..here at work to keep lights on...I hope....breakfast?.....SPOT
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99099: Good morning all.
Boo, I am so sorry that Erin is having those problems still. You bet I'll keep her and you all in my prayers.

Possum, such great news about Laci. I am glad she is recovering so well and pray it will continue.

Our storm didn't amount to anything GF, so I spent most of the day 40 feet in the air. I have changed out so many ballasts this week I am dreaming about it at night. Just about got this project wrapped up though. Then it will be draining and covering evap. coolers for the winter. Boilers to P.M. sprinklers to blow down, co-ray-vac heaters to get ready.... busy busy busy.

Well best get moving on the Saturday list. Gas up the Jeep, go grocery shopping. Trim and mow the lawn. Laundry to wash. Bathrooms to clean. Vacuum the carpets. Whew, I may have to pull a Dave Browne here and thing on this for a while. :)

Asa
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99100: Boo, Sorry to hear about Erin, for sure all of us here will have her and you in our prayers.

PH, Not only are you a world traveler but a good detective too, you are correct on my identity! As far as the "nut" part, I decided quite a few years ago not to take things in life as seriously and lighten up and enjoy life, as I always say: "Life's to short and so am I"...Sorta been my battle cry to keep sanity in a crazy world. I thank you all for putting up with me (even TOM) you are all a great group of folks!! What's wrong with nuts, I like em' Especially a good pistachio, once you crack the shell, it's all good inside...Sometimes a good nut IS hard to crack...haha

G-F...
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99101: MDC, By the looks of your video, I'm not the only one who is,..a little nuts!..Just sayin'..G-F again
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99102: Urologist just here and wants to do MRI on Erin to rule out a tumor along the spine.

Boo
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99103: She has been having mid back pain for awhile that I attributed to carrying a backpack at school. Maybe that's all it is but with the urinary retention coming on so fast, they are checking on the possibility that something could be compressing nerves along the spine and causing this problem. Hope and pray its not that.

Boo
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99104: Good morning, porch. Boo, that's upsetting news indeed, about Erin. Certainly I will be praying for her, that this will all turn out to be nothing serious. The whole scenario is distressing for her, I'm sure. An 11-yr old girl will have a hard time permitting all the procedures involved in diagnosing a problem with urinary retention. Poor little kid! I would wonder about a medication causing the retention, but I don't recall you mentioning that she's on any meds. On another note - will you be able to help her keep up with her schoolwork, now that she's not home-schooled at this time?

I have an absolutely gorgeous American Beautyberry shrub in my back yard. It sits beside an 1100 lb boulder, drapes over part of it, and is just loaded with huge clusters of purple berries, which encircle the canes of the shrub like jeweled bracelets. http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_caam2.pdf

It's absolutely beautiful right now, but it won't be for long. Just as they did last year, the robins have discovered that the berries are ripe, and there's about a dozen of them out there at this moment, systematically stripping the bush of its berries. Before this day is over, there won't be a berry to be seen. Oh well. My little "backyard wildlife habitat" plaque on the fence, from the National Wildlife Federation, obligates me to provide water, food sources, cover and places to raise young. The berries are just part of the food sources. Besides, it's fascinating to sit here and watch the activity around that bush. The robins are the most numerous, but there's also a couple of flickers and a bluejay. I would expect some cedar waxwings, but it may be too early for them. They usually don't show up until October or so.

Well, guess I'd better go feed Toye Starr. She hates it when I stop off at the computer when we first get up, before I go to the kitchen. She knows that means her breakfast will be late. Poor puppy. --Romeena
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99105: To, I had to smile at your mention of Erin being 11. She is already 13, can you believe it? We covered the medication bases, and nothing there. Everyone seems to be looking at a possible neurologic cause, but I just don't know. She doesn't have any other neuro symptoms that would suggest a tumor. We took her for the MRI and she freaked out in the tube. We brought her back to the room and they are going to medicate with versed and try it again.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers. I will let you know...

Boo
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99106: Hey Boo. Prayers continue for sure. I know they'd have to sedate me to do an MRI. I am very claustrophobic. Two things I hate, bats and confined spaces. My prayers for a good outcome Boo.

Asa
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99107: Boo,my prayers are with Erin.I'm so sorry she's having this problem. Hang in there and I hope all turns out well.Please update when you can. We love you!

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

September 20, 2014 - Msg 99108: Looks like I got a little carried away with my rocks-you can have the extras, PH!

possum again
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99109: My goodness, Boo! I knew Erin is 13, what was I thinking? I'm doing that a lot lately, making people younger than they are. Maybe I'm thinking that if they're younger, so am I. My oldest son is now 55, the younger one is 44, and I keep trying to shave ten years off of both of them. The older one told me one day that I would have to stop getting older, because I was "dragging them all along with me". I told him the truth is, they're getting older, and pushing me along ahead of them!

That MRI experience can be frightening, I guess, especially to a kid. I'm claustrophobic to some extent, but I can handle an MRI. Of course, I'll never have another one, since I have a pacer now, but I have had several in the past. I found if I just focused on being very, very still, and kept my eyes closed so I couldn't see the inside of the tube, just inches from my face, I did fine. It did take a little effort of will, though.

I just had a long phone conversation with a friend, a nurse who was my mentor when I first went to work at the hospital in 1979. We worked together for about twelve years, then she moved on to work as an educator at a diabetic center, and we lost touch. We recently reconnected, and it has been fun. She needs prayer though. She has always had bad problems with the veins in her legs, and it has gotten progressively worse. She has worn those compression stockings for as long as I've known her, and now they're not helping much. She's developing ulcers on her ankles, and has a LOT of pain in her legs, from hips to toes. If things don't improve, she may lose her foot. Her 38 yr old son, bless him, made her laugh when he told her not to worry, they'd just get her a little plastic foot! She's a skinny little thing, is not diabetic, has no other contributing conditions, she's just got chronically bad veins. Please pray for Pam.

Well, guess I'd better study my SS lesson, and get ready for tomorrow. Blessings, friends. --Romeena
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99110: Prayers for your friend, Romeena.

Well Erin got the MRI done and the results were normal, thank God. I think she freaked out because she was at her stress limit. She's been through a lot and before the MRI they had trouble getting an iv and stuck her three times. They removed the Foley out and she can only pee about 20cc at a time. Will let you all know...

Boo
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99111: So glad the MRI turned out normal! Poor Erin-I can imagine how fried her nerves are. Not to mention she just plain feels bad! I'm keeping the prayers going for her, Boo and for you as well. I know you must be worn out too. Try to have a restful night,dear friend.

*************
possum u.a.r.
September 20, 2014 - Msg 99112:
Boo, to refresh what you probably learned many years ago, check out http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/Kudiseases/pubs/UrinaryRetention/#sec3
I hope something there helps Erin.

from Poor Horatio
September 21, 2014 - Msg 99113: Good Sabbath friends.

Boo, I am so happy that Erin's MRI came back ok. Now continued prayers that they can find the reasons why she is having this problem and treat her effectively. I'm sure this is wearing on you and Bruce as well. Prayers for you all.

And Prayers for Pam, Romeena's friend. So many things can go wrong in the human body. Aging, although unavoidable, surely can wear a body down, can't it?

Better get. Love ya all.

Asa
September 21, 2014 - Msg 99114: Prayers Romeena and Boo...well got a good sermon going on the tube here at work...racing at 2...life is good...Mrs SPOT got something in the crock pot I smelled this morning...guess I will find out tonight !..hey possum,asa,PH,MDC,GF...Erin we are thinking about you....supper is cold cut sandwiches...homemade pickels and some lays....coke...SPOT
September 21, 2014 - Msg 99115: SPOT is having cold cut sammiches today...He must have gotten a good deal on them from Ickey Woods, he got #44 and he will celebrate anything! So you see even Pro Football players are nuts too...haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFrsR9NByc4

Continued prayers for Erin & Ro's friend Pam.

G-F...

September 21, 2014 - Msg 99116: Thank you for the prayers. Erin is able to empty her bladder again! Yay! Doc was in and said the MRI showed an enlarged bladder. They said its a rare condition and we have to follow up with a urologist for more testing, but they think we can correct the problem... They are going to discharge us from the hospital soon. I am so relieved! Love, Boo
September 21, 2014 - Msg 99117: That's wonderful news, Boo! Y'all get home & get some rest.

Prayers for Ro's friend Pam.

*******************
possum under a rock
September 21, 2014 - Msg 99118: Poor Horatio- Saw this on a Mayberry site on Facebook and thought,if anyone can find the answer,you can! Here's what they're looking for:


NEED YOUR HELP: Anybody know the name of the "carnival" music playing in the background as Col. Harvey is pitching his Elixir to Aunt Bee?

If you can find out,I will pass the answer along to the site Administrator who posted the question-thanks!

possum again
September 21, 2014 - Msg 99119: Yahooo Boo. PTL. I am so happy for Erin, you, and your whole family. Great news.

Yes sir GF. That old Icky shuffle comes with some earth movement now days. He ain't exactly in football shape anymore. :)

Sorry Possum, I can't answer that one but I am sure PH will be able.

Continued prayerd for Pam also.

Asa
September 21, 2014 - Msg 99120: Thank you for your prayers and support. Erin was discharged from the hospital and is urinating on her own now (huge relief). The urologist told us that the mri showed that her bladder is enlarged, and it was very unusual to see. She is supposed to see the urologist in the office in a week and I have to make her empty her bladder every two hours while she is awake. They sent a note from the doctor to give the school saying she has to leave class to urinate every two hours, hoping it will allow the bladder to shrink down. The doc sent me home with an order for a foley cath kit so I can empty her bladder at home if she fills up again and cant go, but no medical supply open on sunday and my phone calls to find something are not turning up anything. Please pray that she will be ok until in the morning. Forgive me for repeating myself but I just noticed that I had already told you all some of this. not much sleep in the last three days...kinda woozy. :)

Boo
September 21, 2014 - Msg 99121: Good evening, porch. Boo, that's good news about Erin. I'm betting that the frequent emptying and being sure she doesn't let her bladder get overly-full will solve the problem. Praying that this is so!

Services this morning were wonderful. Our pastor has really been tackling the issues lately, and isn't backing down. Today, he spoke about the circumstances surrounding the birth of Moses, his mother refusing to allow him to be killed, etc. The edict from Pharoah about the killing of all baby boys sounded so brutal, but then he compared it to our present-day practices, and informed us that in the last 40 years, 52 million babies have been killed through abortion in the U.S. alone. Later, a friend mentioned to me that those 52 million babies represent the deficit in our work force today. Those people would be filling jobs, if they were alive. We are short 52 million people, from birth to 40 years of age, and this has left a vacuum in this country. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so people from other countries have swept in to fill that vacancy. Funny how that works, isn't it?

The demographic in Irving has shifted dramatically, so that our city is now 70% Hispanic. I'm thankful that my church is embracing the inevitable, and is trying very hard to serve that demographic. We have English/Spanish signage in place, we offer services in Spanish, we teach ESL every Wednesday morning, and once a quarter, we have a "mosaic" service, where at least two alternative languages and cultures are represented in our services, for all to share. They are here, they are God's children too, and we are to love them as He does. It's easy for me, having grown up with Hispanics, speaking a fair amount of the language, and having many friends in the culture. It's a little harder for some of my friends, who have a different background, but I'm proud to say, they're coming along. We're considering offering Spanish as a second language classes (SSL) to our membership. I hope it works out, because it would be very helpful, I think.

Well, better go feed little Toye Starr. She's walking around beneath my desk, emitting little annoyed sighs now and then. I think if she could reach this computer, she'd destroy it. Guess I'll feed her, and give her some cuddle time. She deserves it. --Romeena
September 21, 2014 - Msg 99122: I never thought about that (about the void caused by abortion). Stupid Americans! I'm sorry but I am fed up.

Boo

September 21, 2014 - Msg 99123: I guess I am cranky from no sleep, but I am so disturbed by so many abortions done in this country and the far-reaching effects on the women and on society.

Boo
September 22, 2014 - Msg 99124:
Amen Boo and Ro! mdc
September 22, 2014 - Msg 99125: I hadn't thought about that either, Boo, until my friend brought it up. She's right, of course. Also, the 52 million is inaccurate, because at least half of that number would be 20 or older, and approximately half of those would be women, so there are thirteen million women who were not allowed to be born (what about THEIR rights?), and who would be having children if they had lived. At our current (as of 2011) fertility rate of 1.9, that's well over 20 million more children who will never be born. You can extrapolate that data forever, it's endless. When a life is lost, the ripples go on ad infinitum. China is beginning to feel the backlash from their practice of limiting families to one child. Their fertility rate is far, far below the rate needed to sustain their population. That, coupled with the selective abortion of females, is soon going to leave them with millions of very frustrated males who can't find anyone to marry, and their population could very well collapse, being unsustainable. As the old TV commercial used to say, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature." Or - more correctly - don't mess with what God set up. He just might have known what He was doing!

Incidentally, I believe the predictions about Social Security going broke, along with other programs that serve the elderly, are absolutely true, though not for the reasons usually given. Yes, there's waste, the programs have been raided for other purposes, etc., but that's not the real problem. The real problem is, people are living longer, and we have fallen before the 2.1 per family birthrate that's needed to sustain a population. Therefore, we're going to have more older people drawing their pensions, and far too few younger people paying into the plan, so it's inevitable that it will eventually run dry.

So there. That's my soapbox for the evening. Rebuttal, anyone? --Romeena
September 22, 2014 - Msg 99126: That's "fallen below the 2.1 per family birthrate." --Romeena
September 22, 2014 - Msg 99127: dang..depressing. almost makes me wish I was older. :)

Well, I'm up at 4am..erin gave me a scare by coming in and waking me to tell me she couldn't pee. I was about in a panic but she was eventually able to go. I am still feeling the effects of the adrenaline that coursed through my system and now have a major stomach ache. Parenthood isn't for wimps.

Boo
September 22, 2014 - Msg 99128: You said a mouthful there, Boo. I remember standing weak-kneed as nurses wheeled my firstborn, age 6, off to have major surgery on his chest. He looked so small and vulnerable. I just clung to Dale and cried. Of course, on post-op day two, he was riding a tricycle down the hospital hallway. I the teen years with the kids, when the phone rings about 10 pm, and a shaky little voice says, "Mom, let me speak to Daddy." Then Daddy gets to hear, "Uh, Dad, you know the Wildcat?" That was a Buick Wildcat which, after going through three of the four kids, didn't have a dentless quarter-panel on it. Once we made it the kids' car, we quit fixing any damage. As long as it ran, that was enough.

I think I told you about my problem with the rat in my garage. Well, here's an update. Sacks of dry molasses and corn gluten meal torn open, contents spilling on the garage floor. Garbage bags suspended from a chain hung from the ceiling, to keep the miserable critter from scattering that, too. So, I set a humane live trap. Night after night, nothing. Finally, the morning that Eloise and Jerry picked me up to go on the Eureka Springs trip, there sat the rat, in the trap. No time to deal with it then, so I called Ted and asked him to stop by and take care of it. He called me later and said when he got here, the rat was not in the trap. How it escaped, I'll never know. Set the trap again, and on Saturday, I found the trap sprung, the bait eaten, and no rat. Houdini rat.

Yesterday morning, preparing to leave for church, pushed button to raise garage door and walked toward door in order to bring newspaper in from driveway. Just as I hesitated for a second to let the door finish rising before I stepped out, something fell from overhead somewhere, missed me by mere inches, and landed with a little thud at my feet. The rat. With a mashed head. Very newly dead, still limp. Friends, if that thing had landed on me, I would have been in Oklahoma before my feet touched the ground again. I don't know what killed it for sure. It appears that it was caught in the garage door somehow, but I don't know how. Anyway, it's dead. I just hope it didn't leave any offspring in the garage. Poor critter would have been better off to stay in the trap, because I would have carried it about a mile from my house, and let it out in a little wooded area that I know about, where it could have just carried on with its little ratty life. However, since it proved it could get out of the trap, I'm glad I never put it in the trunk of my car. If it had run across my foot while I was driving, it would not have been a pretty scene. Actually, it wasn't a very big rat. The ones I caught in the back yard a few years ago were at least twice its size, maybe bigger. No way were they getting out of the trap.

I think I'll leave a couple of crackers out on the garage floor, to see if anything eats them at night. I'm hoping nothing does. I've about had it with rats. I've never seen one in the house, or seen any sign of one, but having one in the garage is just a bit too close for me, besides the mess they make.

Blessings, friends! --Romeena
September 22, 2014 - Msg 99129: Well, Ro, your post made me laugh out loud four times. Kudos!

Boo

September 22, 2014 - Msg 99130: PS-have you ever seen the movie "Mouse Trap," with Nathan Lane and Christopher Walker as a very funny exterminator? Oh, so worth watching!

Boo
September 22, 2014 - Msg 99131: Romeena, I guess rats, unlike cats DON'T always land on their feet...Funny story....G-F
September 22, 2014 - Msg 99132: That one didn't land on his feet, for sure, but he very nearly landed on mine, and that would have been a very bad scene indeed. Eewwwww!

Last week, I had a call from a renter, saying that water was running out of his meter box. So I sent a plumber over to see what was what, whether it was on my side of the meter or not, etc. It was, and he fixed it. Today I got the bill, for $290. The bill reads as follows: "Locate and repair water leak at 1-inch tee at meter. Replace 2 feet of 1 inch PVC with 90° bend and couplings, parts and labor."

A 1" tee? Does that sound familiar to anyone? Apparently, the tee is what diverts water to the sprinkler system. Seems to me these tee things are nothing but trouble.

Yes, Boo, I've see "Mouse Trap" and it's hilarious. I was beginning to think my rat was related to the rodents in that movie.

Well, off I go. Guess I'll heat up a can of soup and make a grilled cheese sandwich. Not a very exciting supper, but adequate, simple and paid for. Can't ask much more of a supper than that. --Romeena
September 22, 2014 - Msg 99133: JUST FRIES
September 22, 2014 - Msg 99134: Social Security is a time bomb. The biggest problem is that people from the past got excessively more out than they ever put into it. People who retire today will get more than they put in. There simply isn't enough money to keep paying out more than is put in. Yes, there have been raids, and so on, but that is the big problem. It's essentially an unsustainable Ponzi scheme. But there you go.

As for rats, I grew up on a farm and will share a couple stories. I was about 12 one cold morning, and went to the barn to water the cattle. We had an automatic watering system but it would freeze up. We kept a heat lamp on our water pump, and that was sufficient to stop it from freezing. So one 5 gallon bucket at a time, I'd carry water to our cattle. One morning, I reached in to turn the little knob, and managed to grab a holt of a rat who apparently had his own little sun lamp going on. I ran back to the house screaming bloody murder.

One other story, that still makes me laugh maybe 40 years later, was a bad scene with a rat that happened to my brother. Our cattle were show cattle, and we had special feed for them. We'd mix in several grains to the generic feed we got from the feed store. We stored the special grains in large barrels like you see sometimes for garbage cans. One day my brother and I were in the barn talking, and he put each of his hands on a barrel on opposite sides of the walkway. A rat was enjoying a meal in one of those barrels. I guess it didn't like being disturbed, because it ran up one of my brother's arms, behind his neck, and down the other arm. It happened so quick he didn't have time to move, but his eyes were as big as a dinner plate.

Billy Ray the Postman
September 22, 2014 - Msg 99135: LoL Romeena, Asa sure will get a laugh out of that, see it not just him... Maybe that is how Ernest "T" Bass got his middle name, "T" as in TROUBLE!...G-F
September 23, 2014 - Msg 99136: You've got one big rat trap there in your garage door, Romeena. I hope that's the end of your rat problems.

Boo, glad Erin is home and feeling better. Hope and praying that all works out well for her. Or as my Grandpa used to ask when he was over and one of us kids had just come out of the bathroom, "Everything come out ok?" :-)

I have decided definitely that I am going to replace all of Kai's curriculum with another, or other, company(ies). I was just going to replace some of it, but along with the poor explanations of the studies for the parents in some courses, I also, and of maybe even more importance to me, find the philosophy of the creators of the curriculum we are currently using becoming more disturbing to me based on blog articles written by them and make me uneasy using it because of that.
I am probably going to go with a company that has both online and regular textbook type courses. I think Kai might find the online stuff more interesting, but I don't just want her to spend all of her time on the computer, so that's why I want to order some of the textbook curriculum as well. The only problem I am having is deciding on which subjects to have online and which to have in textbooks.
If anyone has any suggestions on which medium they think a 14 year old girl might learn the different subjects on better, I'd love to hear your advice.

-Sterling Holobyte
September 23, 2014 - Msg 99137: Good morning Porch. I hope the new day finds you all happy, healthy, and doing well.

Boo, I hope Erin is still doing ok, bless her heart, and her bladder. :)

Wow Ro, that is quite a story about the rat almost dropping on you. I can imagine what would have transpired had that happened. Anyway, glad you snagged him. You know you put wings on it and that rat becomes a bat! Sorry about your water woes at your rental. Interesting that you had a somewhat similar failure. The ones that kept failing on me were 2 inch Tee's. After replacing 6 of them along the same line, things seem to have calmed down a bit. Thank goodness. The repair was simple enough. The trouble was getting to them. Having two other pipes directly above them, plus a couple of dozen control wires meant digging very carefully. Then having to cut out sections of good pipes to gain access to the damaged one.... well, you have heard me whine enough about it already.

Hey GF, You feeling ok? You have been kind of quiet. Or are you just saving yourself for the big weekend event? Sure wish I could get to one of those. Maybe some day the stars will line up.

MDC, How about them Cards buddy? 3 and 0. I think you guys have a good head coach there. And I saw the story about the Charter School somewhere in Arizona where they suspended the football coach for praying with his team. Wow, what has happened to us?

Well back to work for me today. I had to take a days vacation yesterday because I was at use or lose. Supposed to be a warm week, pushing 90's in the afternoons, then a cold front moves in this weekend. 60's for highs next week. Welcome to Fall.

Prayers for all.

Asa