January 17, 2022 - Msg 117515:
Thanks John Masters for that studio lot info. I remember reading about those teenagers roaming that property when it was inactive.

MDC, that snow storm you posted about reached north into southern Ontario dumping almost two feet of snow turning the highways into parking lots. When my wife and I were clearing our driveway today, the snow came up to our knees. When I attempted to drive my wife to work early in the morning, I missed two turns at corners I could not see in the blizzard conditions. So my wife decided to turn back and work from home. By tomorrow morning, we will learn if the snowfall set a record for one day. When my stepson takes Uber to his apartment just 5.5 miles from his work, it normally costs $10. But during the storm, they were charging $75.

from Poor Horatio

January 17, 2022 - Msg 117516: Well MDC! Your contribution will help out two Poor Horacio.s.
And thank you for the prayers for Sarah. She said that she is feeling a bit better each day. I am so grateful for that. I think you are right. As this variant rages on, it seems to be getting weaker. At least that's what all the so called experts are saying. Many of them are feeling this will becom an endemic before the years does.

Possum I hope Laci is doing better.

No tools sold yet. That is going to be a tough one for me, but I need to man up.

Well off to watch some Perry Mason. Fun to see those Tags folks in them.

Asa

January 17, 2022 - Msg 117517: PH..WoW..I guess my 12” wasn’t so bad after all, but I’m feeling it in my back now for what my “Joe” couldn’t do.

Asa So you sayin you ain’t ready to give just 3 measly tools to the Underprivileged Maintenance Workers Tool Fund?

Like I (May) have said before, my problem is a good part of my tools have been hand downs from my Dad, Uncle, and a few other that have meaning to me. So I feel your conundrum as what to do with them...In our world each tool tells a story if you listen 👂🏼 close enough..10-4?...

But I will end on this note...I’m glad I just had my own snow to remove today and not have to work a 24hr. shift to clean up all the mess..My problem was back in the day, when removing snow your Regular daily work just piled up and put you behind. I was glad for the day when the decision was made to farm out that work....Some of those snowfalls were quite the challenge!

G-F

January 18, 2022 - Msg 117518: Asa, I received a message from Pam yesterday and Laci is doing better. I sure hope the experts are right about this virus. It seems so, according to my nurse friends in the hospital.

Hey to Poor Horatio. Stay warm!

Hey to G-F, stay outta trouble!

Boo

January 18, 2022 - Msg 117519: Thanks Boo. I am glad to hear that. I hope Bruce is improving.

GF, So sorry about all that snow buddy. Glad Joe was up to the task. Also I stumbled across this channel the other night and have just fallen in love with it. I bet you will aslo. It is fun to see someone restore stuff rather than just toss it. Something about watching these I find very relaxing. lol. Maybe I need to get a life.
https://youtu.be/YdaXzl6c0Gw
Anyway, I hope you enjoy them. I am wowed by the tools and equipment he has. But he knows how to use them. Speaking of tools, Amen to what you said. So many have such sentimental components to them for me.

MDC, Glad your power outage wasn't to tramatic. I worry about long outages around here in the winter for obvious reasons. I probably should invest in a small generator.

Well off to the store.

Asa

January 18, 2022 - Msg 117520: Asa...That was a cool site..He sure made those look brand new again!..Back when they made things to Last!...GF

January 18, 2022 - Msg 117521: Boo...I’ll try, I wasn’t looking, but sometimes trouble just finds Me! 😉...*In my best Otis voice..G-F

January 18, 2022 - Msg 117522: Good morning, porch! My sympathies to all you folks who are up to your eyebrows in snow. As for me, I'm here at my window, looking out on a sunny back yard, where the temp is 64°, headed for a high of 74°. I love Texas!

Well, not much happening around here today. Maybe I'll go play with Trinket, she's bouncing around in here trying to get my attention. She brought me a toy, not sure exactly what she wants me to do with it, play tug or throw it. Maybe we'll do both!

Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! --Romeena

January 18, 2022 - Msg 117523: Woof! Arf! Grrrr! Woof! --(Just me, I've decided to identify as a dog today! Ridiculous, isn't it?) --Romeena

January 18, 2022 - Msg 117524: Hey,y'all- Thanks so much for the prayers & concern for Laci. So pleased to say she is doing much better (thanks for letting Asa know,Boo,and thank you,Asa for caring) but we still aren't certain if she had Covid,flu or whatever. Doctor's office is supposed to call if the Covid results are positive,but no word yet. Laci's mom has been trying to call ,but y'all know what it's like getting through to someone in a doctor's office. The doctor treated Laci's illness as strep and Laci responded so well to the antibiotics,so we do think she had strep. An in home test was positive for Covid,though. And Laci's mom has been kind of sick,with some symptoms that sound like omicron,so who knows? They are both doing okay,though,whatever it is,and I thank the Lord for that.

Ro,ya been in the elixir?? Ha!

It has been DANG cold down here and we could get hit with a wintry mess on Friday. Please pray we don't get an ice storm-that's all we need! I honestly cannot wait for 100 degree days again!! This cold weather is terrible!

Y'all take care and thanks again for the prayers for Laci. They sure have meant a lot.

************
possum u.a.r.

January 18, 2022 - Msg 117525: The nurse called and Laci's Covid test was positive. She's doing so much better and I know it's due to all of the prayers. Thank the Lord for watching over that sweet girl. Nurse said it's very good she isn't running a fever or having respiratory issues. She's going to be fine, I just know it. Thank you again for your prayers .

possum again

January 19, 2022 - Msg 117526:

Good to see the porch 'nice and full!'
Possum, prayers for sure. Laci is a real trooper, that is for sure! :)
I will also pray that the weather will calm down your way.
PH--wow, you sure did get a blizzard indeed.
Please be carefuul up there, especially driving.
My dad grew up in Minnesota, and used to tell me about
studded tires and the like for winter driving!
GF-thanks for that pic of you shoveling snow. Made my iced tea
taste even better! haha
ASA--I have seen commercials for Generac generators, and i gotta tell ya, the way things are I have seriously considered one.
I do have MREs now, but I also know that the Lord tells us not to worry. I just pray as Nov. approaches. That's all I'll say about that. :)
You mentioned the sentimental value of your tools. I have a block plane that was owned by my grandfather that he got around 1918 I think from HIS father!
I am quite sure it is over a hundred years old, you know, like 'century', or 'cenipede' like the Romans used to say. :)
Prayers for all!
MDC

January 19, 2022 - Msg 117527: MDC, after 50 years of driving in and around Chicago, I think I've got a handle on bad weather driving.
Also, I remember when my dad would install chains on our older car tires during winters. On my current vehicle, I've got winter tires installed.

from Poor Horatio

January 19, 2022 - Msg 117528: Morning all.

Possum, so glad to read that about Laci and that she is doing better. Thank you Lord.

I am happy to report that Sarah is improving each day also. She was pretty sick. Thanks for the prayers for her.
Stacey will be induced on Friday if she doesn't go into labor before then. She has also been sick, but is doing much better. She tested negative for Covid, but she really feels she had it because of the severity of the symptoms, and they were all very simular to Covid. I have read that the tests are not always accurate so I suspect she may be correct. But regardless, she is feeling a lot better now. Again, thank you Lord.

GF, One of the things I do miss being retired is having access to the industrial powered bead blaster we had at work. Watching Chip blasting clean those toys sure brings back memories. The only way to go if you have a lot of surface cleaning to do.

MDC, The trouble with generators is setting up and sticking to a maintenence schedule on them, especially if they are using gasoline or diesel fuel. The shelf life of these fuels, especially gasoline is pretty short anymore. Even if the fuel is treated. You can get around that with a unit that runs on natural gas, but those tend to be bigger units and are quite pricey. I had a small 2,000 watt unit at work, a Honda, that was a very nice machine. So quiet and easy to start IF it had fresh fuel. If not, forget it. I love Honda products but I have found that they seem to struggle more than most with ethanol.

Romeena, quit hanging your head out the window like a dog! lol I don't care what you identify as. What a crazy story. I was telling Stacey about it last night and she was not a bit surprised. She said her girls come home from school all the time wioth tales of classmates who are claiming things like that. The difference being at least no teachers have been fired for not buying in to it. What a crazy world.

Well off to the shop for me. Or maybe I will put it off till tomorrow. I am identifying with Mr. Wheeler today. Hmmm, what to do. :)

Asa

January 19, 2022 - Msg 117529: I think these days I’m identifying with a SLOTH yep, that’s what I’m goin with...
It’s cold 🥶 out and I’m not moving very fast, or feel like it!...

G-F

January 19, 2022 - Msg 117530: Good morning, porch! You'll be glad to know that I'm feeling like myself this morning, no meowing or barking from me today. Honestly, did you ever in your wildest imagination dream that one day we would be dismissing a teacher for refusing to meow back at some smart-alec kid who had decided to just yank everyone's chain by pretending to be a cat? In my opinion, if some dumb kid wants to act like that, let them. Let them meow all they please, but ignore them. Don't take any notice. Don't play into it. When they flunk a course, explain to their parents that their child was a cat that day, or that week, or that semester, and as such, was not a registered student, therefore could not receive a grade. Then give the parents the name and address of a good psychiatrist.

As a nation, we have got to stop paying attention and catering to these idiotic behaviors, these bids for attention, these attempts to disrupt the function of the school system and yes, the world. All these demonstrations with the catchy names and such, they're all just bids for attention. "Back in my day", they'd have gotten attention, all right. It would have involved a trip to the coach's office, where the "board of education" would have been applied to the seat of learning, and the cat (or whatever) would have disappeared. Wake up, America!!!

It's so good to hear that Laci is doing well. That baby doesn't need to be sick! Prayers for her continued recovery.

Rats! I let my sprinklers run last night, and now the skies are all clabbered up and looking like it's going to pour rain at any moment. At least I had cut the run time on each zone down to 10 minutes. That will help some, but I would have stopped them completely if I had known rain was coming. My last water bill was $256!

Well, guess I'd better go feed little Trinket. She's curled up in her little cuddlebed under my desk, keeping my feet warm. (I put them in the little bed with her.) She's such a sweet and loving little thing. She's growing up, at 2 1/2 yrs old now, and tries to be so obedient. I no longer carry her to the car when we're leaving. I just open the door into the garage, with the garage door up to allow light in, and she trots out to the car, stands by the driver's door and waits for me to open it. She makes no attempt to leave the garage. I open the door, she hops in and sits on my little booster pad, until I'm ready to get in, then she scoots over and takes her place on the console beside me, all with no coaching from me. Yesterday, I took her with me to deliver some food items to a needy individual who was staying in a motel room. I was standing beside the car, with the door open, and to my surprise, Trinket slipped out behind me and ran up onto the sidewalk in front of the room. I called to her to get back in the car, and she did. Trotted right back and jumped back in. I swear she understands English better than I do! One thing is for sure with her - she wants to please!

Well, off I go! Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena

January 19, 2022 - Msg 117531: Thank you all for the prayers,kindness,and concern for Laci. She's doing quite well,energy level is still not the best,but she will get there. Her mom has it too,no "official confirmation" but we're fairly certain she caught Covid from Laci.She's getting along ok,no fever,never had any,says she just feels flu-ish off & on & kind of run down. Sinus junk,but that's the extent of it. Please keep my girls in your prayers,especially with this ice storm headed our way. I worry about us all losing power and being cold. Well, we're already cold down this way,but sure don't want to be "without heat" cold!

Prayers for your girls,too,Asa. Hope all will be fine.

Everyone stay well and keep warm-love to all!

************
possum u.a.r.

January 19, 2022 - Msg 117532:

ASA--I have a perfect spot on the side of my
house that is about two feet from my natural gas meter,
as that is indeed what I would use, but as you
say, they are pricey. A pad would fit quite well there.
TAGS has started over on ME-TV, and tonite was the Manhunt and Jim Linsey. One thing I noticed, unless I misunderstood, Barney called the postman Thomas, and not Billy Ray
when he was trying to take wanted posters. GF, any thoughts on that?
Also funny in that one is barney's dancing to Jim's guitar playing.

Possum, I hope you were not affected by the storm. Good that Laci is better,
and Asa's kids too.
PH--good to hear you know 'snow driving,'
because I only had to deal with chains one time up by Flagstaff,
and swore I'd never do that again!! haha
RO--cool that Trinklet has become a real companion, I know you had
quite a time trying to 'train' her! :)
Well, all for now i guess.,
God bless,
MDC

January 19, 2022 - Msg 117533: MDC, I think you got that one a bit backwards. I believe that Trinket finally got Romeena trained. Lol

Thank you for the prayers for my girls. The doctor had planned all along to induce her January 21 if she had not delivered yet. But today he told her that may not happen due to bed and staff shortages at the hospital. She won't have any problems getting admitted if she goes into labor but they are iffy about inducing them right now. She will know on Friday I guess.

Well I am off to watch some Perry. Last night I saw the hobo from Mayberry when Barney found the suitcase of money. He sure had a deep voice.

Asa

January 20, 2022 - Msg 117534: MDC...I’m not sure but I will have to watch that episode again, but I think the first Postman was different person than the second one who was called Billy Ray played by Dub Taylor.
Neither Postman’s names were mentioned in the credits...

Sorry but I haven’t mentioned it but my prayers continue for everyone’s health issues...Sometimes it’s hard to remember them all so I just send prayers up for my “Mayberry Family” and let God sort them all out...Amen?

Speaking of prayers, probably no one but Maude knows who the Mayberry Trivia Queen at M/D’s was. Pat Bullins passed away after a long battle with ALS she was referred to as “The Lady in Red” She always dressed in a red outfit for the event.
She and her enthusiasm will be greatly missed!..Being a Woman of Faith, she will be ok now!...
https://www.burroughsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Patsy-Bullins/#!/Obituary

G-F

January 20, 2022 - Msg 117535: Asa, I realize I forgot to offer prayers for your girls. Consider it done.

MDC, imagine if you were one of the Ice Road Truckers and had to use chains on your 18 wheeler. Four wheels are bad enough!

Possum u.a.r., after we got the two feet of snow a few days ago, now we are getting frigid temperatures freezing all that snow. Thankfully we had one day of above freezing temperatures that allowed us to clear our driveways and sidewalks.

Asa, I watched that video you posted in Msg 117519. But I wanted to learn more about the tool that was used to remove the rust, but the rivet tool link posted by the original poster is no longer active. If he is using a sand blaster, where is all the sand residue?

One final thing. Our furnace died three days ago. The required part is expected to arrive today. But I have been spending more time inside my vehicle just trying to stay warm.

from Poor Horatio

January 20, 2022 - Msg 117536: Good morning, porch! I declare, this weather is about to drive me to distraction. It is a very chilly 25° here this morning, heading for a balmy 34° as the high for the day. Looking out into my back yard, I see no fur nor feathers anywhere! The critters are in hiding somewhere, I don't know where. That's very unusual. The squirrels are no doubt holed up in the three squirrel boxes in the trees, and there are several bird houses here and there, so I guess everyone has found refuge somewhere. I'll put some fresh seed out in a little while, to be available for them when they all start waking up. I don't think we'll see so much as a sunbeam today. The sky looks like a big pewter bowl has been inverted overhead, not a break anywhere in the smooth gray expanse. It just looks cold out there! And it is! Along with that 25°, there's a brisk north wind blowing.
Definitely not my favorite kind of weather. At least it's dry. So far.

PH, my son is an HVAC guy, I wish I could send him to you to fix your furnace. Come to think of it, though - he might not be able to do it. Down here, we have natural gas burning furnaces, just a small unit in a closet in the house, with an electric blower to distribute the heat through the ducts. I guess up north there are still a lot of oil-burners, big old things in the basement? I'm probably wrong, just wondering?
I've always found it to be very interesting, the differences in construction and design in homes in the various parts of the country. Down here, we don't even have basements. I can't think of a single home in this part of the country where there is a basement. I've never seen one here. Up north, I've seen everything from a dark little hole under the house, accessed through a doorway somewhere in the house, to a beautiful "second home" that occupies the entire area beneath the house, and houses an extra bedroom, a TV room, the laundry, a large pantry, and I saw one house that had a single-lane bowling alley in the basement! Very interesting!

Well, guess I'd better get busy. My kitchen needs a little sprucing up, shouldn't take more than a few minutes, then I'm going to get under my comfy blanket, with Trinket to help warm things up, and watch a little TV. Our monthly Senior's Dinner is scheduled at church tonight, catered by the kids from the Cooking Arts department at a local high school. You would be amazed at the meals those kids can produce! They alternate with a couple of professional caterers, and the kids (trust me!) do just as good a job! Great food, and they do it all. The serving as well as the cooking and prep, and they do an excellent job. They have even compiled and published a cookbook. Very professional, and some great recipes!

Glad to hear that our ailing ones are doing better. God answers prayer! Everybody stay in, stay warm, avoid crowds, mask up when you must be around a lot of other people (grocery store?) and be careful! Surely this thing will wear itself out soon.

MDC, you're right about Trinket. She was a bit of a challenge, but she has fallen right into line, is a sweet companion, and very obedient (mostly.) My Christmas tree is still up, and she does not/has not bothered it. Has not touched an ornament on the tree itself, has on two occasions picked up an ornamental rose from beneath the tree and moved it out into the room and put it down. Didn't tear it up. Also, there is a tiny little "scenery" type tree, about 1.5" tall, that occupies a small "snowman" scene beneath the tree. Twice I've noticed her with something hanging from her chin, and found it to be that tiny tree! I think it just gets hung up in her facial frills as she sniffs around, she hasn't intentionally picked it up. I pull it free from her fur and put it back in its place, and no harm done. She loves being in my lap, and her warm little body is a welcome comfort.

There is a big, loud-mouthed bluejay perched in a crape myrtle tree outside my window, just screaming his head off! I don't know if he's spotted a cat, or is just protesting the cold weather, but he's certainly making a scene about something. I can shut him up, though. I'll go put some sunflower seeds and a few peanuts on the feeding stones, and that will keep him busy for a while. Bluejays are so funny!

Well, blessings to all. Stay warm, stay well, and keep looking up! --Romeena







January 21, 2022 - Msg 117537: Good morning all.

Well Stacey got the green light for delivery so she is at the hospital this morning ready to go. So prayers appreciated.

PH, No worries. I figure if I ask for prayers folks here do it and may not say anything about it. I know I have done that before. But thank you for mentioning it.
In regards to the sandblasting, the device the fellow in the video is using is called a bead blaster. These units will use a variety of different materials depending on the application. They have their own collection/seperation chamber in them. So all the material falls into a collection chamber under the grating you see in the video. There the blasting media is seperated from the residue it has removed and returns to a separate chamber where it gets reused again. They are really very handy units for doing the type of stuff that Chip is doing.
What part on your furnace died? My furnace is at that age that I have to decide if repairs or replacement is the best bet. I have replaced the hot surface ignitor once, and last year I had to have the main fan motor replaced. The unit is 22 years old now and is pushing the age when the combustion chambers start to fail. Then it is much better off replacing the entire furnace.

Romeena, most of the homes around here have full basements, some are finished, some are not. I have one that is not finished. It sure makes it nice to access the furnace and water heater and stuff. I suppose it's because they have to go at least 3 feet deep here with the footings for reasons of frost and also with sismec concerns that they figure they might as well go a little deeper and make a basement. Mine is about 4 feet below grade which means the main sits a few feet above grade. But that allows for good windows in it and nice natural light to get in. And mine has a walkout in it that makes it ver handy.

GF, Sorry to read that about Pat. I had heard of her before. Did you recover from your snow storm? I have glanced out my window this morning and saw we got some snow last night. I don't think it was much. May not even be enough to fire up Helen. I guess I better go check and see. One of the joys of having a south facing house is that with small storms, mother nature will clear off the driveway just fine if you are patient. lol And I can be very patient when it comes to snow removal. Henrey Wheeler and David Browne, all rolled into one loveable fuzz ball.

Asa


January 21, 2022 - Msg 117538:
Asa, our new furnace has been installed and is keeping nice and toasty. Now I don't have to sleep fully clothed.
I don't know what part was defective on our old furnace but it was an unusual brand I never heard of before. It was a TempStar. The replacement is a more well known Lennox, dual stage, variable speed and 96% efficiency with a 10 years parts and 2 year labor warranty. Whatever part failed on the TempStar, the repair guy claimed he checked with suppliers across Canada and no one had it in stock. And that furnace was installed just 5 years ago. I have been able to repair the furnace in my home in the states because I had a detailed schematic. For the TempStar, I had no schematic so I had to call the man.
Thanks for that explanation about the bead blaster. Whenever I want to remove rust, I always have used a wire wheel mounted on a drill.
In my old USA home, we had an unfinished basement. Buy here in Canada, we have a finished apartment in the basement.
Finally, whenever we have a snowfall, I always check the weather forecast to wait for Mother Nature to do my shoveling for me.

from Poor Horatio

January 21, 2022 - Msg 117539: Well folks, Jazlyn Mcdonald is here. She and Mom are doing great. This has been a huge worry for me with the current variant surge going on. Thank you for the prayers.

PH, I have heard of that brand before, but never worked on one. That is so infuriating that they had to replace the entire unit that was only 5 years old because of parts availability. Let me know what you think of the 2 stage unit. I am leaning that way but still not sure. Lennox is a good brand but very proprietary on parts replacement. At least that has been my experience with them. Glad you are warm and toasty again.

Well I am off to bed. Been a long long day after a long sleepless night.

Asa

January 22, 2022 - Msg 117540: Asa, I am glad to hear that you and Momma McDonald are happy with the arrival of the new baby. But how is the father doing?
Sad to say this, but given with the current state of living in the USA, I am not in favor of bringing any children of my own into this world. Issues with morality, vices, and violence are just too much for me. I have not always felt this way before. It's just that recent events have gotten me depressed to the point where I don't want any children of mine to experience that. There is only so much knowledge and protection that I can provide any children of my own while there are way too many bad influences that can affect their behavior and safety. So while many others will offer you congratulations on the arrival of Jazlyn, I am actually disappointed. In spite of that, I can only wish for the best for Jazlyn and her family. So sorry I may have put a damper on your happy event.

from Poor Horatio

January 22, 2022 - Msg 117541: Congrats on the new grandbaby,Asa! Welcome,Jazlyn!

Happy to report that ice was minimal at my rock. Got a good bit of snow up above us but they can have it. Just relieved not to be waking up to an icy mess and power outages this morning! We're good! Cold,but good! Oh, and Laci is about 100% again,so thank the good Lord for that!
Y'all stay warm and have a good weekend!

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

January 22, 2022 - Msg 117542: Good afternoon, porch! The weather here is beautiful - a bit chilly at 49°, but sunny and bright. The forecast for the next week is for more of the same, with temps hitting the 60s along the way on some afternoons. Pretty nice for January, but then we still have February to get through. Cold, wet, drippy February. I'm happy to report that about five of the orchids I thought had been completely destroyed by those dratted cats, may be surviving quite well. I repotted anything that looked it had even a ghost of a chance, and I think most of them are going to make it. The five I mentioned have sent up bloom stalks, and fat buds are appearing. One has actually opened two flowers. A couple more have tiny little bloom stalk buds appearing, and they may mature too, so all is definitely not lost. Those beautiful orchids will brighten up February for me, for sure. Apparently, orchid plants are very forgiving. And tough! Also, Eloise gave me a new orchid for Christmas, and it's got twin bloom stalks on it, each bearing about fifteen rich purple flowers, just gorgeous.

Asa, congratulations on the new baby! I know your family will raise that little angel in a faith-filled environment and will guard her from the influences of the world around her. Who knows? She may turn out to be a messenger for the love and graces of God, to help combat the evil that does seem to surround us these days. I cannot despair, I've read the Book, and I know how it ends. Good triumphs, evil loses. God wins.

Well, guess I'll go rattle around in the kitchen and see if I can find anything interesting for supper. I'm really not hungry, but will be before bedtime. My appetite is very small these days, I'm down to 127 (from an all-time high of 201) and it doesn't take much to satisfy me. My clothes are all too big again, guess I'll have to buy a few more in a smaller size (oh, darn!). I keep a big bag in my closet and when I put something on that looks like a family of gypsies moved out, I just drop it in the bag. When the bag gets full, I call a lady from a local church who runs a little "clothes closet" for needy women. When we were still doing the International Friends (the ESL classes I used to teach in) we would just take our gently-used clothing up there and put them on top of the piano in the Fellowship Hall, and they would be gone by the end of the morning. We no longer do the ESL classes, as a local high school has made it a big project, expanded the outreach, and they're also teaching citizenship classes, and helping the students find jobs, things we're not equipped to do. So rather than compete with them, we just routed our students to them.

Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena

January 23, 2022 - Msg 117543: Romeena and Possum, thank you for the kind words about our happy event. I appreciate the joy you expressed. And you are so right in how she will be raised Ro.
Possum,I am glad first that Laci is recovered and doing well. And glad the problems with the storm were minimal.

PH, I am a bit surprised at your post, and probably should not respond to it. That being said you asked about the Father. He is as proud and happy as can be. If I had prayed for a perfect man to marry my baby and father my grandkids, I could not have gotten a better man than him. Come to think about it, l did pray for such and, well, what can I say, God delivered. They just celebrated their 17 wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago and they are as happy today as they were on their wedding day. With 8 children now ranging from 15 years to 1 day old they are a large and delightful family. He is an excellent provider, both of material things,but more important he is a spiritual leader to his family.

Anyhow, they are supposed to be able to go home tomorrow and I know that they will all be thrilled with that.

Prayers for for a blessed Sabbath tomorrow.

Asa

January 23, 2022 - Msg 117544:

Good Sabbath to all!
(I am actually writing this late Saturday night, but most will see it
on Sunday! :)
ASA--I add my congrats to you! Wow, your daughter has quite a family.
I have 7 sibs of my own, so I "get it!" ha
PH--I hear ya about today's situation. Things are bad in so many ways that it can indeed get
pretty depressing, but we are asked to be a light to the world,
and as RO mentioned, little Jazlyn may grow up to be a real witness, perhaps
an evangelist, so we move ahead with that in mind, and in practice, to bring the
light and life of our Living God to our fallen world.
I am happy to hear that your furnance is installed and working.
Here we have what is called a gaspak. The unit is on the roof, and is both
an air conditioner and gas heater in one unit.
RO--did you ever order the window washer stuff? Just wondering how or IF it worked.
About every two to three years I have to have my St. Augustine grass dethatched,
and this is one of those years. It gets so thick here that that has to be done
or it just 'chokes' itself.
On Sunday (today) i will have a zoom call with about 20 of my high school classmates.
They are always a fun time.
BOO--how is everyone these days at your house? Did ya all finally get over the crud?
I sure hope so.
Prayers for all,
MDC


January 24, 2022 - Msg 117545: Good morning, porch! Weird weather. It's 58° here, heading for the 60s. The sky is heavily overcast, looks cold and dreary out there, but still isn't all that cold. Not a breeze stirring, the very few leaves still remaining on the sycamore tree aren't even moving. I think they know that they still have February to get through. The critters are nowhere to be seen either. No birds flying around. There are, however, two little overly-enthusiastic squirrels carrying on a courtship, chasing each other around the yard. They're very young, and apparently very much in love, considering the lengthy duration of their chase. The slightly smaller female just dove into a squirrel box, the ardent young male followed her in, but promptly came flying back out, looking a bit frazzled. I think she finally made him believe that she's not interested in him! He left the tree, and trudged along the top rail of the fence, apparently to reconsider his options. Try to approach her again? Naahh! She's a grouch! Look for a friendlier girl? Maybe. Wait for a little more maturity to arrive? Might be the best option. We'll see. Such goin's on, such goin's on!

MDC, to answer your question - no, I never ordered the window cleaning stuff. Probably should, though. On a cloudy day like today, I really don't need to clean the window. It shows no dirt, allows perfect visibility. Just let the sun come out though, and a sunbeam hit that glass, and suddenly tons of dirt appear and it's like looking through a layer of cheesecloth. I wonder what causes that? Part of my problem is that there are shrubs beneath the window. There is about a 18" space between the shrubs and the house, and I can get in there, but that puts me right up against the window and you can believe I'm going to get wet. And dirty. Not a real problem in the summertime, I have a shower and a washing machine, and I've never been afraid of a little dirt, but in cold, or even just cool weather, I'd rather not risk it. I can stand on the other side of the shrubbery, but that means a reach of about five or six feet across with a brush or mop to scrub the glass, and it gets heavy when wet! I don't have that much strength, to support that heavy thing and go up to the top of the window, (about 8 feet high) and scrub. A chemical spray is the answer, but then I have to consider whether it would be harmful to the shrubs. Problems, problems! Oh well. If that's the worst thing I have to deal with these days, I suppose I'm blessed indeed!

Right now, I need to consider taking my Christmas stuff down. Dave and the boys will be here soon to get the outside lights down. I've already gathered in the ones that were in the shrubbery out front, but the roof lights and the icicles along the front and side eaves are still there. I don't climb on things these days, so they have to wait for the boys to get them down. All the inside stuff is still up - Nativity on the credenza in the dining room, little Annalee elves climbing on the stone fireplace, ceramic figures I've made over the years standing in their places (a 3' medieval St. Nick on the fireplace hearth, reindeer doe and fawn, Chrissy Moose on the hearth, Snowman Row on the mantel, and lots of little sit-abouts everywhere, most of which were made by me in my "ceramics phase" years ago, but not all. Then of course, there's the tree. That thing is so pretty, I just don't want to take it down. It's my third artificial tree since my beloved Austrian Pine real trees became unavailable years ago, and the thing is just absolutely gorgeous. It's even pretty without any decorations! It looks exactly like a real tree. I have had people ask me where I found that tree, they hadn't seen any on the tree lots that looked like that. That's because there aren't any! It's artificial, but people have to touch it to believe it. This is its third year with me, and I hope it lasts for many years more. Assuming that I do, of course! (ha!)

I guess I'll start dismantling things this week, and will cook up a "mess of pork chops" for Dave and family this weekend, if they're available. I can get just about everything packed up, and moved to the spare bedroom which is now known as The Christmas Room, because all the closets are full of Christmas stuff. All the boys will have to do is get the roof lights down and put away, and pack the tree into its box and move it to the hall closet. Pretty thing, I hate to see it come down. Oh well. Lord willing, there'll be next year!

Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena

January 24, 2022 - Msg 117546:

Boy RO, you have a regular PEE-ton Place going on in your
backyard! ha
Regarding the window washer, as I understand it, it has a rinse agent in the mixture, so no scrubbing is needed.
Also, in this link, look at the 2nd photo on the left.
It shows it spraying pretty far. :)
https://tinyurl.com/55vhd34z
Also,I sure hope the Christmas "un-decorating" goes well!

ASA--any culinary masterpieces these days?
I made my lasagna recently, and I still 'got it!' I have been adding some italian sausage into the ground beef and it really 'tricks it out' a bit
with a fuller flavor.

I saw "Stranger in Town" tonight, and it is kinda weird why Ed didnt just say up front that he had been getting the newspaper, but then I guess there wouldnt be a story! ha
Also, I realized for the first time that Lucy Matthews brother is the same actor
Pat Colby who was the teen, Jimmy, in the filling station robbery ep! 50 years of watching
to figure that out! Go figure! ha
I still see our LUCY on facebook now and then, along with homemaker and Mavis.

Today at our church cleaning time, I found a good deal of money on the floor under a pew. (And no one has yet called the church office about it.) The office said that they will keep it for 7 days to see if any one calls, then "finder (me) can keep same."

Well, that's about it for tonight. As our REV used to say, Jesus loves YOU! :)
MDC


January 25, 2022 - Msg 117547: MDC....Now you know how Opie felt when he found Parnell Rigsby’s money...But you may want to find a underprivileged kid who needs a coat...I hear it can get down into the 50’s 🥶sometimes out there in Arizona during the Winter!..🤣🤣🤣

It’s a blazing 🥵 21 degrees here right now as I prepare to put my “Joe” to work on another couples inches of snow ❄️ that fell during the overnight...

It was bad enough that Billy Ray’s people (and my Amazon order) didn’t even get out there in it yesterday, but “That’s Life” today is another day...10-4 Billy Ray?...”The Retired Postman”

Romeena...I forgot to ask if you remembered Pat Bullins the “Mayberry Trivia Queen” who recently passed away. She had gone on several of the Mayberry Cruises 🚢 over the years.
I’ll send the Obit link to you, it has some pictures on it...
She was a good Christian lady with a ABUNDANCE of love and enthusiasm for everything Mayberry...

G-Freezing

January 25, 2022 - Msg 117548: GF, I wondered what that noise I heard was. Your teeth chattering. Sounds like Joe is getting a good workout this year.

MDC, I bet you get more folks volunteering to go clean the church if news of your fall-out gets out. Heck, maybe the Pastor planted it there for that purpose. lol
As fas as culinary masterpieces, my Wife really likes the stew I make. So I guess that is a success. Pretty easy to whip up and is so good on a cold winters night.

It just dawned on me recently that Lucy's brother and Jimmy were the same feller also. Made me feel foolish it took that long to realise it.

I am seeing so many TAGS folks on Perry Mason. I saw Jennie Boone the other night. And the guy who played Wally who was about to rock on Mr. Tuckers foot shows up a lot as a ballistics expert. And I know O'Malley is in quite a few as a Judge. And a pretty convincing one at that.

Well off to putter in the shop for a spell.

Asa



January 25, 2022 - Msg 117549:

Very funny GF! 50s? It got down to a dang cold 45 last night! haha
BTW, has Pat Colby ever come to a Mayberry Days?
Just curious.
ASA...that stew sounds like its "some kind o good!" :)
Well, errands to run. back later gators.
MDC

January 25, 2022 - Msg 117550: MDC...Not to my knowledge...I have never seen or heard of him participating in any events past or present...G-F

January 25, 2022 - Msg 117551:

Amazing! Asa had the same "idea" that I had
regarding Jimmy and Bill Matthews! haha

MDC


January 27, 2022 - Msg 117552: MDC, I reckon it was because the characters were so different is why we were slow in deducing he was the same feller. It was the actor of the man in other words. lol And it got all the way down to 45 the other night? You poor thank you. How you suffer with the cold. It must be miserable for you. lol

I think one of these days I am just gonna hop in my car and make a road trip to the Dallas area so I can sample some of Romeena's pork chops. I have a hunch that they are very good, with extra good gravy.

One of the things I do when grocery shopping is to look for new things to try. I call it adventure eating. A few days ago I saw a new product they had in their meat section. It is a pre-cooked chicken entree with a sauce you can put on it. They had three or four different varieties so I went with a garlic sauce one. Anyway I threw it in the microwave yesterday and had it for supper. By golly, it was pretty good. It's not a tv dinner. They are not frozen, just refrigerated. But as Andy said, "I like em". I will try the other ones in coming weeks. They don't have corn starch in them either. Tapica starch instead, so my head doesn't even ache afterwards. Can't beat a deal like that.

Debbie and I finally got up to see Stacey and Miss Jazlyn yesterday. Oh my, what a little angel she is. Just as cute as can be, with her tiny little fingers and toes. My goodness, what a blessing she is.

My goodness, I have had a former co-workers wife pass away, and a neighbor pass away the last few days. One Covid related for sure. And another neighbor who is currently on life support after suffering a stroke from Covid and he is not expected to live. So very sad. Please be careful out their friends. My oldest, Sarah, although much improved is still coughing up a storm.

Boo, I sure hope you guys are doing okay. You sure have been quiet. Check in when you can.

Well off to do some laundry. If I don't, I'll be nothing but whims. Don't want that.

Asa

January 27, 2022 - Msg 117553:

Hello all.
ASA, I am so sorry to hear of your past co-worker and others
who have died, but I am also glad that you were able to see
your new grandbaby! Strange times for sure, but keep being
proactive and using good sense. I will keep them all in my prayers.
Today for us was a new ceiling fan installation day. We only have 8 foot
ceilings so it went pretty well. We have done all our others in the past,
and this (old) one was going on 16 years, was humming loudly, etc.
But, I gotta say, whoever wrote the enclosed directions for the new onewas either 'on something'
at the time or was from 'somewheres else.' I looked on-line, but no help
there, so just did it as I thought it should go, and it worked!
(But man, trying to fit all the wires and the remote receiver under that little canopy
takes some real fancy maneuvering!)
And that's the last fan I buy from a guy named Newton! :)
Speaking of tags, in last night's episode about the gossipin' men I noticed
in the credits that a Jack Finch played the part of Wilber Finch(the shoe salesman.)
Ya don't often see an actor using their real last name in a part.
And good for you folks who can FForwad thru the commercials,
because if i hear JJ say "mon-NEE-E-E" one more time, I'll scream! :)
OH ASA, are those meals you tried called "Chef's Choice"? We've tried a few, and they are
pretty good!
Hang in there folks, prayers for all!

MDC