October 15, 2022 - Msg 118292: Oh, MDC, trust me, the idea of a chiropractor has been big in my mind. So much so, that I called my back surgeon and asked his opinion. He said "Absolutely not!" He agreed that there is a lot they can do with many things, but said that the two surgeries I've had (one to fuse three vertebrae in my neck, and the total rebuild of the sacral plate at the base of my spine, when it shattered into little shards of bone one morning, would make that a no-go for me. Same thing when I wanted to return to work after the plate rebuild. Definitely not. He said all it would take would be for a heavy, dizzy patient to go down when I was helping them walk. They would grab onto me, take me with them, and I very probably would not get up. Same nix on riding a horse anymore. I told him I didn't make a habit of falling off my horse, and he said I wouldn't have to fall, just a rough ride could cause damage. So, I'm sad to say, I haven't been on a horse since that surgery, and I guess I never will be again. Breaks my heart! --Romeena

October 15, 2022 - Msg 118293: At least he doesn't forbid me from sweeping the porch! We'd have to have a little talk if he tried that! --Romeena

October 16, 2022 - Msg 118294:

Good sweep RO, all looks so nice and neat! :)
That was a sweet write-up about your son and his plane.
My Marine pilot brother sure loved to fly his plane,
but it was an F-18 Hornet! He retired several years ago
after 30 years, but he always talks about his flying days.
I think I mentioned here that about 10 years ago he wrote
a book "9 Lives of a Fighter Pilot." He had 8 near-misses
throughout his career.
BOO-my sympathies on the passing of your uncle. 94 years is a
good long life. Sounds like he was a really great guy.

ASA-I'm not sure if you are a Utah football fan or not,
but that game tonight against USC was one of the best I've ever seen.
When the fans stormed the field I was like...ah, I guess covid is over! haha

Good Sabbath to you all. Here's one of my favs, especially
in these times...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCTl4tUYIAg

More later,
MDC



October 16, 2022 - Msg 118295: Good morning, porch! I'm up earlier than usual, have over an hour to get dressed for church, and believe me, I don't take all that long to get dressed anymore. Much less lily-gilding than there used to be. I guess I just fell awake.

We apparently had some weather last night. One of my plumerias blew over, which takes some wind to accomplish. It's in a huge clay pot, very heavy, I can't even stand it back up, so it will have to wait until Eddie is here on Wednesday. There are a couple of dead limbs that were blown out of one of the trees, pretty fair-sized limbs, and I hadn't even realized there were any dead limbs in it. A lot of trees have walled off a few limbs and dropped them, trying to conserve water during the very dry summer. I cut back on the watering around here, too - I got some fearsome water bills! Looks like we may make up for some of it today, though. The sky is the color of a pewter mug, and the air is very still, hardly a leaf stirring. Must have been some hard wind last night, though I didn't hear a thing. Not surprising, I don't wear my hearing aids at night, and this house is very well insulated, tight as a drum.

MDC, I'll have to wait to watch that link you provided. The sound is not working on my computer, guess I need new speakers. I'm not sure about that though, it may be a loose connection somewhere. I dread the search, because I have a lot of wires and connections to search through. They're all piled in a big trash can behind my printer stand, looks like a pile of black spaghetti. Ick.

I'm going to see if I can find your brother's book. I think I would enjoy it. There's something about those fly-guys. It's in their blood, I guess. My son was never happier than when he was flying. He had a 6-seat Cessna, and he loved it, but I know he dreamed of being at the controls of a fighter. He was just the wrong age at the wrong time. I miss him so much. He was such a good guy, very kind, very funny. After my Dale passed, that boy arranged for and accompanied me on many adventures. We rode seadoos down the muddy Oklawaha River, eating boiled peanuts as we rode and throwing the shells to the turtles. It's one of the very few rivers in the US that flow northward. We made a hard left and turned upstream into the Silver River, which is absolutely crystal clear, and saw monkeys in the trees along the banks - leftovers from the several Tarzan movies that were filmed there. I think they chose it because the water was so clear that underwater scenes were beautiful. There is still a large colony of escaped monkeys along that river. We rode to the headwaters, which is a very large spring of unknown depth. Beautiful.

He put me in a "cherry picker" and cranked me up into the top of his palm trees, and I helped him string Christmas lights along the tree's fronds. He put me in a glider with the man who had just taught him to fly one, and I spent an enchanted hour in the sky, with only the wind noise to break the silence. We rode thermals for an hour, there wasn't even an engine on the plane! I rode seadoos many times on the lake behind his house, and Sugarplum rode with me! I sat on his dock and watched a spectacular fireworks show, presented by my son and his buddy, a neighbor down the street, who lived in a house built by my son. He built beautiful homes, one sold for over a million. Most were around half that, and that was about thirty years ago. He was an adventurer, a risk-taker, and a dreamer who usually made his dreams come true. And he missed his dad, and loved his mama. He called me every Friday night, and would get me out to Florida as often as I could get away from work, and always had some adventure planned. I can't wait to see him again!

Well, if I don't stop this, and get dressed, I'm going to be late for church! Blessings, friends. Keep looking up! --Romeena

October 16, 2022 - Msg 118296: Thank you all for the sympathy. I spoke to my Aunt last night and she is hanging in there but said its the hardest thing she has ever been through. No doubt, bless her. I am gathering up old pictures of uncle that were left behind by my grandmother. I have some wonderful old photos of him and his brothers growing up. I am going to have Bruce scan then and then i will email them to one of the cousins who is putting together a presentation for the memorial service.

Ro, such sweet and poignant words concerning your son. Thank you for sharing them with us.

I have that pinched nerve in my left shoulder acting up again so cant type long but wanted to just stop by. Yall have a good evening.

Boo

October 17, 2022 - Msg 118297:

RO-- I hope you made it to preachin on time.
Thank you for sharing your son with us. I hope to meet him some day too.
I just checked Amazon, and I see there is one copy left
of my brother's book. (All proceeds go toward helping Marine vets.)
Here's a link...no sound needed! ha But regarding
your computer's sound problem, maybe you need 'bigger wires!' :)
https://tinyurl.com/5yb2b2s6

Boo- good to see you. That tribute for for uncle sounds like it will be
really nice. I helped do one of those for my dad when he passed in 2015.
Wow, I cant believe it has been almost 8 years ago.

I just checked our weather forecast...to be in the low 80s all this coming week!
Plus on Saturday we had a very good rain shower.

God bless,
MDC


October 17, 2022 - Msg 118298: Romeena, I enjoyed reading about your flying experiences so far. Have you considered hot air balloons? If interested, check out https://hotairflight.com/rides/dallas-tx.

from Poor Horatio

October 17, 2022 - Msg 118299: Good afternoon, porch! Beautiful sunny day here, just 68°, with a few high, fluffy clouds, and a light breeze. I think we're through with the miserable heat for this year. About time, since we're halfway through October.

MDC, I will see if I can snag that last book, just as soon as I get off this site, and thank you for the kind words about my son. He was definitely one of the good guys, kindest heart of any man I've ever known, much like his dad.

Boo, still praying for peace for you with regard to the loss of your uncle. And I thank you, too, for the comment regarding my son. As I said, he had such a kind heart. He loved babies and children, and animals as well. The love of animals pretty much runs through our whole family. My children were raised with pets, and the responsibility for them, as I was, and I think that early association forms a strong bond. I believe children should have the association with, and responsibility for, pets, if at all possible. It teaches patience, gentleness, love, reverence for life, and yes, responsibility. Considering the limited lifetimes of most small animals (and big ones, too - like horses!) it also usually at some point introduces them to inevitable loss, and helps them learn coping mechanisms.

PH, had you sent me that information about balloons in the first years after I lost my Dale, I probably would have just gone for a ride. In those immediate years, I knew no fear. Death would have been no threat, because I wasn't happy here anyway. Fortunately, at some point along the way, God took over my mind and heart once again, life became valuable to me again, and now I'm not sure I would want to experience a balloon flight. I'm not a fan of serious heights. Even my daredevil son had his limitations. Someone offered to teach him to skydive, and he refused. His answer? "I see no point whatsoever in jumping out of a perfectly good, functioning airplane, unless it was on fire, and I think I would try to put the fire out first."

Well, got things to do. There's always tomorrow, but if I do them today, then tomorrow is free for whatever else comes up. Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! --Romeena

October 18, 2022 - Msg 118300:

With Andy's many spaghetti dinners in mind, Happy Pasta Day! :)



October 18, 2022 - Msg 118301: Good morning, porch! Beautiful, bright, sunny and cloudless day, with the surprising, chilly temperature of 56° at 11 a.m. The future forecast shows nothing higher than 87° for the next ten days. Looks like Fall has actually arrived!

Hooray! Just got a phone call from Mike, my former Sparklett's water delivery man! He drove this route for several years, then the company made him a trainer and he would ride the routes with new drivers until they could handle it alone, then move on. He's a very nice guy, very dependable and took care of his customers. He had my phone number and would call me about a half hour before arriving, to be sure I was home, because if I wasn't, he wouldn't leave anything, at my request. I needed him to be here because I can't move the boxes into my garage (too heavy) and can't open them either with my arthritic hands. Anyway, he got tired of the training thing, and requested his old favorite route back. So when I answered the phone yesterday, and heard that familiar "Hey, Miss Lanni" I knew immediately it was Mike! He said he'd be here in half an hour and he was, and had my usual order already on the truck! We stood on the driveway and talked for about twenty minutes, just catching up! I sure am glad he's back, some of the other drivers I've had in the interim were a bit useless. It's a strenuous job, and some guys just aren't up to it.
Mike definitely is. He's smart, friendly, big and strong, and pays attention to detail. So glad he's back!

I just read over what I wrote yesterday about my son, and it brought so much to mind. I think I've told you this story in the past, but thought I'd share it once again, as it really presents a clear picture of who he was. Some years ago, he was building a whole street of lovely, smaller homes, on a property that backed up to some wooded land. He had a basically permanent crew, and paid them well. In turn, he expected them to do things his way. One day, he was considering developing another street, behind the one they were finishing out. It would be in that woodland, so he went walking through to get the "lay of the land". He was horrified to find several sheets of "sticky paper" with the bodies or skeletal remains of a lot of mice stuck to them. It seems the crew was placing the sticky paper on the sites when they left at night, and in the morning, they would pick up the papers with several little mice trapped on them, and just go throw them out in the woods, leaving the captive mice to starve and/or be eaten alive by ants. He was furious. He gathered the crew, and showed them the results of their practice. The men tried to defend their actions, telling him that the mice would get into their lunches (usually in paper bags), and would leave their droppings everywhere as well. He very swiftly and clearly informed them that the trapping would cease, to lock their lunches in their cars, etc. Then he told them if he ever found such cruel trapping done on one of his sites again, the entire crew would be dismissed on the spot. The crew believed him. Then the next morning, he appeared almost at daybreak, and his car contained a gift for each man - a metal lunchbox, complete with a snaplock and a thermos bottle. Problem solved, happy crew, case closed. Like his father, he was a good guy!

Well, guess I'd better go do something constructive. I am getting so lazy! Blessings, friends, and keep looking up! Trinket says ditto! --Romeena



October 18, 2022 - Msg 118302: Good for your son, Ro!! I would have liked him a lot and I feel the same about those awful traps! Never!
We have gotten to be like blubbering idiots over these dogs of our's. I never thought I would see the day but here it is. They all three are in here and tucked in each night. Every night when Bruce is ready for bed, he sits on the couch next to our dog King, pets and coos over him and then pats me on the head on his way to bed. I am not kidding, either! lol Fat Ollie, our old dog, is spoiled absolutely rotten and he is neurotic as can be. He doesnt want me out of his sight. Its annoying at times but I figure he doesnt have much time left so I do what I can to make him comfortable. Poopsie is Sean's baby, and boy he sure dotes on her and she absolutely lives for him. Its been good for Sean. He is struggling alot with anxiety since he went off one of the more powerful anti anxiety drugs that was making him so tired. Holding the dog in the evening really helps him. Dogs give back so much more than they take and they are a gift.

Thank you all for your prayers and sympathy. We are doing ok. Erin is having problems but I am just biding my time and waiting for her to burn out or give out. Its in God's hands.

Boo

October 19, 2022 - Msg 118303:

Hello all!
RO--Please tell me the name of your son. I am so embarassed that I forgot it,
and I was hoping you'd bring it in conversation about him. Thanks.
What a neat thing he did with those workers.

My chiropractor told me about an interesting website today.
It is mytavin.com You can type in the name of a prescription medication,
and then it will list any nutrient deficiencies that that drug might cause.
One of mine is metoprolol, and it said because it can cause sleep issues,
to try melatonin. Ha! I have been doing exactly that, but still its good to know.

Also, did I ever tell all of you about duckduckgo.com ?
It is a search engine like Google, but it does not track you, so you won't get
all those annoying pop-up or side ads later as you surf the web.

Boo-so glad that your dogs are such good companions. They are sure
very loyal creatures. :)

Oh, I saw Frank Myers on Gunsmoke yesterday!

Prayers for all,
MDC

October 19, 2022 - Msg 118304: Good morning all.

Romeena, what sweet sweet memories you have of your Son. Thank you for sharing them with us.

Boo, so sorry for the loss of your uncle. Always hard to deal with, especially when it is near the end of a generation. I remember when my Aunt Audrey passed away a few years ago, she was the last family of my parents generation. That really got to me for some reason. I loved reading your comments about your dogs and how they are such a big part of your lives. So sweet. They do indeed give us so much.

MDC, I am also on metoprolol. I just recently started to have dose myself with it because with my weight loss I noticed my blood pressure was getting to low. Even with a half dose it is a bit low so I may cut it in half again. I am dealing with horrible sleep issues and am hoping this will help.

It has been a wonderful fall here, especially the last few weeks. Temps in the mid 70's during the day and low 50's at night. I have been able to turn off the a/c and the furnace now for three weeks. But this weekend it is supposed to change when a low pressure moves in. Rain and snow and a huge drop in temps expected. We need the moisture no doubt so it will be welcome. I need to go service the furnace. Not much really, just change the filters and vacuum out the area a little. Then run it through a cycle or two to make sure everything is working well. I just replaced the fan motor last year so hopefully no problems. I worry most about the condenser fan going out or the board going bad, or the combustion chamber cracking. They say the carrier furnaces start having combustion chamber issues around the 20 to 25 year mark and mine is 22 years old this year. So it is surely past it's prime. I hope I can get a couple more years out of it though. The new water heater is running like a champ so that makes me happy. With this weather I have been working outside on stuff and neglected the indoor stuff. I meant to have replaced my oven by now, but have not. I also want to replace the microwave while I am at it. It is a built in unit and sits right above the oven so makes sense to do it at the same time. MDC has just about convinced me to go with a microwave that has a convection oven also. So I need to do some online shopping I reckon.

Well the sun is up and I only have a few more days of decent weather to gat things buttoned up so I best get after it.
GF, We have a new station near by that sells non ethanol gasoline. That is now what I am putting in my small engines. Happy days.

Asa

October 19, 2022 - Msg 118305: Helen will like that Asa....I still have many 🍂 🍁 to clean up yet!..G-F

October 19, 2022 - Msg 118306: Good morning, porch! Another pretty day, but chilly, temp just 57 degrees. Did you notice I didn't use my usual "degree" symbol? I tried three times, the last time being very deliberate, and it just closes the whole comment and takes me off the website. The code for that symbol is Alt-2-4-8, and has always worked, but today it doesn't. Weird. I wish Bruce, my friend in Florida who was my computer guru, was still living. He could link up with my computer and fix absolutely anything. I miss him. Maybe I'll ask Johnny Paul Jason about it, he knows a lot of stuff.

Anyway, I switched over to the furnace this morning. I'm much more cold-natured than I was when I had all that weight on me. My arthritis in my hands and wrists is very painful right now. Can't imagine how it's going to be when the weather gets really cold. Brrrr.

My younger son, David, and his precious wife, Brittany have noticed that the arthritis is slowing me down somewhat and some things are hard to do, like changing the linens on my bed. It's a king-size Tempurpedic, and it weighs at least 4 tons, and is about half a mile to walk around, so that linen change is not my favorite thing to do. So, they called last night, and told me there will be a woman and her daughter here at noon, to change linens, vacuum the carpets, clean bathrooms and dust everything! I tried to protest, but they wouldn't hear of it, bless their sweet hearts. So, I've been busy this morning! Emptied the dustbin on the vacuum, scrubbed the plastic base that holds Trinket's food and water bowls, picked up and put up some clutter, considered washing my big window (it's very dirty) but decided it was too cold outside to do that, cleaned my kitchen sink (I do that about every other day, can't stand a dirty sink) and washed the bed linens. They'll be here shortly, hope the house is presentable enough.]

MDC, my eldest son was a junior. He was Dale Duane Fish, same as his dad. I have two identical Christmas tree ornaments, about the size of a softball, very lovely things. They're white, with some pretty designs on them, and on one side is written in gold "You may miss me, but I'm spending Christmas with Jesus this year." On the other side, the names (one ending with "Jr.") and the dates of birth and death. I hang them on the front part of the tree, just about a foot apart. The first year for each one was very hard, but now I cherish them. God has made me receptive to the healing power of time.

Well, those ladies will be here shortly, better be ready. Have a great day, porch family. I thank God for you every day. Blessings, and keep looking up! --Romeena

October 19, 2022 - Msg 118307: Romeena, glad to learn that you and Mike have reunited. And thanks for sharing how your late son handled that rodent problem with his construction crew. Thanks to him, heaven is rodent free.
Regarding your degrees symbol problem, make sure you don't have the CAPS LOCK activated and make sure your NUM LOCK is working.

Boo, so sorry I missed the news about the passing of your Uncle. My sympathies to your entire family and your Aunt.
I am so glad to learn that your former outdoor dogs have gotten used to being indoors and the therapeutic affect they are having with your family.

MDC, I have been using DuckDuckGo.com for some time and enjoy it. Also, funny you should mention Frank Meyers. Yesterday, I watched the confederate bonds TAGS episode.

from Poor Horatio

October 19, 2022 - Msg 118308: Good evening, porch! This is an extra post for today, specifically for Poor Horatio. Thank you so much for fixing my degree symbol problem. You hit it right on the head - my Num Lock button wasn't engaged properly. Now it is, and here's the result - °! TA DA! Thank you so much. And yes, I'm very happy that Mike is back on my water delivery route. Good service is hard to find sometimes.

Have a peaceful evening and a good and happy day tomorrow! Blessings! --Romeena

October 20, 2022 - Msg 118309:

° :) I'm EPT! mdc



October 20, 2022 - Msg 118310:

Oh, PH, I am trying to find my first post here,
which was in 2003, making this coming year
my 20th year of posting! Any idea if that can be done? Also, I started posting with my whole handle,
Mr. Darlins' Cuz

thanks, MDC

October 20, 2022 - Msg 118311: MDC, I show your first post on November 20th, 2003 I believe. So your anniversary is coming right up.

I started browsing some of those older posts and stumbled on one that Romeena had written. She mentioned it was becoming very difficult for her to take her Dad to church each Sunday because of several issues he was dealing with that were age related. She was so worried about how to tell him though. His weekly church attendence was the highlight of his week. He sometimes would get ready on Saturday night just to be sure he was on time. Well after much prayer and thought she decided to maybe try and ease into the idea with him. So she called him one Saturday and said that she was not going to be able to take him to church the next day. She said he seemed to take it in stride and said okay. So she decided to go a little further with it and asked him if going to church each week was maybe more than he should be doing at this point, considering his health. He agreed that maybe it was but worried if Jesus would be upset. She assured him that Jesus understood, and that was that. She marveled at how the Lord had prepared the situation because of her prayers to Him of how to hanbdle the situation. A very touching story. I hope my retelling again is okay Ro, and doesn't bring bat any bad memories. It had me tearing up a little reading it, how a blessed Daughter, struggling to take care of her aged Father had prayed for help, and the prayer was quietly answered. They say a son is a son till he finds a wife, but a daughter is a daughter for life. I am blessed to have two such daughters.

Asa

October 20, 2022 - Msg 118312: Thank each of your for your kind sympathy. As I was going through the old photos, I saw people I couldnt remember and my first thought was, 'Let me call uncle and ask him if he knows who this is...,' as I had done so many times before. That information is lost forever because I am the only one of the kids who has the old photos and know most of the people in them. It is sad and frustrating to know I will never know now.

Asa, I am glad you have your daughters! It must give you peace of mind. I hope one day my daughter will be ok and be someone Bruce and I can count on and have a relationship with. She is such a trainwreck right now that its hard to have faith but I still have some hope. I seem to be going through what I assume is a stage of the grief process and find that I am often angry. Im not comfortable with anger for some reason..I guess so many years of supressing anger in order to be a "good christian". I despised jealousy if it raised its ugly head in my thoughts but I find that as I see other families with children who are healthy and having families of their own, I feel jealous and angry. I dont like it but I cant help the emotions. I have been grieving the loss of the children I thought I would have, I guess. I see them struggle daily and there isnt any closure. I am confessing this to my porch family because I guess I need to say it. Even admitting it makes me feel guilty because some of you have lost children to death or have not been able to even have children. I cant seem to help how I feel, though, and maybe I need to feel the emotions to get past them. Anyway, thank you for listening.

Better go get some things done.

Boo

October 22, 2022 - Msg 118313:

Hello all. It is Friday evening, and I'm checking in.
First of all, I need to mention that my sister in law Renee is doing
MUCH better. All the radiation and chemo and drugs, etc, just came to a head
which had landed her in the hospital. But getting great care, getting lots of rest,
holding off on some treatments and heavy drugs, etc. did wonders. She is now home and happy, and tho
the road ahead is still long, she is facing it much better. Please continue your prayers,
they sure have helped! :)
ASA-thanks, I found my first posts from 2003 thanks to your hep. It took a while for y'all to answer me,
but the porch was pretty 'crowded' back then. I forgot about Shoe, mayberry girl and many others.
And thanks for retelling the story of RO and her father. That was very moving.
BOO--please dear, remember, you did everything RIGHT. You raised your kids in the faith,
taught them the 10 commandments, were always there while they were growing up, and
loved them as much as any parent could. I still believe in the proverb that says
Train up your children in the way they should go, and when old, they shall not depart from it. Pr. 22
(It's the "when old" part that may be hard to wait for, but like the prodigal son, she
will one day realize, just as the son did, that she has made a bunch of mistakes.)
Please don't torture yourself over this. I have filled the void of not having kids thru
teaching, thru taking care of nieces and nephews as they grew up, and now, with helping at church.
Hang in there. Jerimiah 29:11 says that God has a plan for all of us, young and old.
Pray and ask, and he will not let you down. :)

God's peace to all!
MDC



October 22, 2022 - Msg 118314:

"Hep?' I sounded like Rizzo! Of course I meant "heLp"



October 22, 2022 - Msg 118315: Thank you, MDC❤️

I’m so glad to hear your sis in law is doing better!

Boo

October 22, 2022 - Msg 118316: Good afternoon, porch! What loving, heartfelt, encouraging words you precious people have expressed lately. Asa, never doubt yourself when you retell something I've told. In the unlikely event that you would quote something I wish I hadn't said, then perhaps I shouldn't have said it! If the quote is just relating an important moment in my life, hearing it retold cannot hurt me. If it is a retelling of a painful moment, it will not bother me. I have dealt with such times in my life, and they cannot hurt me. In the story you mentioned, it was a sweet experience for me to read what you wrote, to be reminded of my father's simple and deeply held faith, and to have the pleasure of knowing that the little event touched your heart. I admire your faith, and your devoted, steadfast loyalty to your wife and family.

Boo, I hear your pain in your posts now and then, yet I admire your perseverance in maintaining your relationship with your children. Very few things are ever exactly as they may seem to others. In any given family, you can find children who are trying their parents' patience, and making what seem to be irresponsible choices. Yet, the parents don't give up. And many times, the final outcome is far better than anticipated. Often, it just takes time. My parents were in despair over the path my brother took many years ago, but they offered him love and a solid rock to which he could return, and he finally did. He healed from the divorce that resulted from his first wife's unfaithfulness, remarried in a few years and has two sons, several grandchildren, owns a successful jewelry store, and has a happy life. God is still in control, and it works best when we "let go and let God." As a mother, I feel and understand your frustration and concerns. I can see that you're handling it in the best way possible, but please don't chastise yourself when you get discouraged. God understands that, too! Imagine the frustration He must feel as He watches us make our mistakes, turn from the path, experience frustration, entertain our doubts, etc. Just hang in there, my sweet friend. We can't always see or understand what God is doing in our lives, but believe me, as I have learned, He's there.

MDC, you are such a wise and trustworthy friend. You have offered great counsel to Boo, and to most of us on this porch. Certainly you have reassured and advised me many times, to my benefit. I'm so glad to hear that Renee is doing better. Prayer changes things, for sure. I'm still amazed that I'm still here, 42 years after having Stage 3b cancer. I wouldn't remove that episode from my life if I could. There were too many lessons, opportunities, and reassurances in it - many of which took quite a while to be consciously realized by me, but I know them now. Keep on being you, my friend. We need you.

Today is a pretty day. It's 86°, very light clouds here and there, and a very stiff and blustery breeze blowing. Actually, it has passed up "breeze" and is more like just plain old wind! Most of time, our strong winds come out of the west, but this one is more northwesterly. Looking at the 10-day forecast, we will have mid-80s tomorrow again, and then for the next 8 days, it won't get out of the 70s. Then I expect we'll get a Texas "blue norther" blowing in through the Panhandle, and winter will soon arrive. I'll have to get Eddie to bring my two Plumeria trees into the garage. Anything below 35° makes them unhappy. He already brought my Desert Rose in, as it gets in a snit over anything under 40°. It's in the sunroom now, in a huge kettle-shaped pot, very heavy, and I didn't dare risk leaving it out. If a norther blows in, it could drop to 35° or less in a couple of hours, without warning. Happens all the time.

Well, guess I'll go hunt up something to eat. Not really hungry, but since I haven't eaten all day, I guess that's not too smart. Maybe just a can of soup. I love soup, and have about a dozen cans of good varieties in the pantry. Melt some cheese on a slice of bread under the broiler, and that will just about do it. I had some delicious butternut squash soup at the dinner at church on Thursday night. Just a little appetizer bowl, wish it had been a tubful. It was really good!

Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! And Trinket says hey! --Romeena

October 22, 2022 - Msg 118317:

Hello again. RO, thank you for your kind words. My upbringing, along with a
wonderful 'Holy Ghost' experience that I had in the 1990s, thatawakened my faith in a powerful
way, helped me so much
As I mentioned in an email to you, and now to everyone here, when you get
my brother's book you will read about a lower middle-class Catholic family growing
up in the '50s and '60s. For me, that was the BEST time to grow up. We were
'free-range kids' but we were also raised in the faith, and we always knew we were
loved! It may be hard to picture 10 people living in a 1600 square foot home,
but it was indeed a home, and with two sets of bunk beds in the 'boys' room',
we just adapted to it. Also, it was "Have Bike, Will Travel!" Ha We biked all over the
place, had paper routes, mowed lawns, and saved pop bottles. Anyway, I think you will
find it 'interesting' reading! :)

Good Sabbath to all! We too will have high 70s all this coming week!

Pax,
MDC



October 23, 2022 - Msg 118318: Glad I could assist you MDC. I laughed at your "hep" comment because I thought of Rizzo as well. I guess as long as you dont start talking about Vee-hicles, all will be well.

Thanks the kind words Romeena. You are always so uplifting and generous of your thoughts about me. Gives me something to shoot for. :)

Boo, Such good counsel there from Romeena. Please don't beat yourself up about where your family is now. That is just what the adversary wants, and is not what our Heavenly Father desires. And as Ro said, the book isn't finished yet. So hang in there and just do the best you can. Have Faith in the Lord and He will see you through it all.

Oh, MDC, So glad your SIL is doing better and home now.

We are 43 degrees here with blustery winds. Got a little rain yesterday but no snow. I had to fire up the furnace last night. I can just see my gas provider rubbing his hands and cackling away. They are saying we can expect huge price increases in Natural Gas rates this winter. What on earth has happened the last two years?

GF, I still have a big old cottonwood tree out back that is just barely started turning colors. It's at least two weeks late this year. So I am feeling your pain in leaf collection. I always try to get them cleaned up before the snow hits, but sometimes they don't cooperate with me. I got my gutters cleaned out at least. I still need to install a couple of downspout filters, but that only takes a few minutes per downspout so no big deal. MDC, You mentioned rainnguard covers. But the problem we see around here with those is they get blocking off the rain gutters and with the snow and freezing we get, ice dams will occur and water will seep back under the shingles. I worry about that happening even with the spout filters I am installing. So I will be watching carefully. One of the things I discovered when cleaning mine is that whoever installed them actually bent the gutter down when installing it inside another piece. That was reducing the opening from about 3 inches to less than an inch in some of them. And of course that also was a natural spot for leaves to plug it up. So I fixed all of those issues. I declare, how some folks do jobs like that and feel good about themselves just baffles me.

Well I have a can of Progresso clam chowder soup calling me. Sounds good for a cold Sunday afternoon.

Prayers for all.

Asa

October 23, 2022 - Msg 118319: Good afternoon, porch! That blustery wind is still very active out there. The few leaves that had turned brown are now gone, probably into the next county! The trees look surprisingly skimpy now, though. Guess more leaves had turned than I realized.

About clogged gutters - that was a sore point around here for a few years. I have a drainage system to carry water off my flat-as-a-pancake back yard, so it doesn't build up and get into my sunroom, which was built over a patio foundation, and therefore isn't as high as the rest of the house - 2" small stepdown from the kitchen. The drain runs into a catch-basin at the gate, and from there to a metal drum buried completely, so the lid is at ground level, at the front corner of the house. There is a sump pump in the bottom of the drum, which pumps the water out through another pipe, to the street. With five cottonwoods on the property, you can imagine what was going into the gutters, and therefore into the barrel, which promptly filled with fuzzy debris, and burned the pump out. My friend Ted, who did NOT install that system, promptly fixed it. He fitted a sock-like filter over the inflow pipe from the gutters, and I just remove the barrel's lid, empty the sock and re-attach it. Eddie cleans out the catch-basin to keep it free of any dirt and grass clippings that find their way in there from the drainlines. Then, joy of joys, to top it all off, I had LeafFilter install their filters over my gutters, and now anything bigger than a gnat (ha!) is trapped and doesn't make it into the gutter itself. It did at first, before the filters, and the sock was instantly packed with debris. We checked the sock a couple of weeks ago, and it's clean. Too bad I had to replace two pumps before finally figuring it out.

I guess we're blessed, though. Our only gutter-clogging thing is debris. We have no ice dams or anything like that. I can see where that could be a problem, and a difficult one to fix! Makes up just a little bit for our blistering summers.

Can someone answer a question for me? I guess we all know how much houseflies adore the odor of cabbage cooking, and a convention will form on the screen door, even if the big door is closed. Well, I happen to like cabbage and when I cook some, no matter by what method, flies appear on the screens. Nasty things! I hate them! Even if I absolutely do not open a door while cooking the cabbage, before it's even finished flies have come in. I killed two one night last week and the door had not been opened, nor had there been any in the house. Not only that, but during the next two days, I killed three more. Big ones. Almost as big as a horsefly, and they are huge. Now here's my question. How do they know I'm cooking cabbage, and where in the world are they getting into the house? The chimney? No, the damper is closed. No holes in screens anywhere, and doors and windows are closed anyway. The house is as tight as a drum. I never see a fly in the house, unless I've been cooking cabbage. I can't figure it out. However, I can assure you the enterprising ones who manage to get in do regret it pretty quickly, and none escape. I will not go to bed if I know there's a fly in the house. I will stay up until all hours until I finally dispatch him. I don't use bug sprays, because of Trinket, and I have respiratory issues as well. I'm a dead shot with a flyswatter, though, and if I can get close enough, I'll drench him with rubbing alcohol from my handy little trigger sprayer. (It gets mosquitoes, too!) Maybe I should string the dead ones on a thread and hang them by the doors, as a warning. Miserable wretches!

Well, my recliner is calling me, Trinket has put her cold, wet little nose on my ankle a few times. Clearly she wants me to make a lap for her, and I will. My spine feels like it's tied in a knot, and the recliner sounds wonderful. Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! --Romeena



October 23, 2022 - Msg 118320: Thanks, you all are the cats! <3

Boo

October 24, 2022 - Msg 118321: Good morning, porch! I'm looking out my window at a wet world! It rained last night, and gives every appearance of planning to continue for a while. Makes me happy! Greener grass, happy shrubbery and clematis vines, and a lower water bill. Can't beat a deal like that!

I made it into my recliner last evening, with a full glass of iced tea and some leftovers from my lunch with friends after church, and thought I was all set. Then the phone rang, my sweet son and DIL were inviting me and her parents out to their house for the evening. Well, I'm not one to turn down an invitation like that, so I got dressed, and told Trinket where were going, whereupon she was practically turning cartwheels. I went to Eloise's house and Jerry drove us all out to Saginaw. Brittany has decorated their house for Halloween, and it was so pretty. She has excellent imagination and taste, and a green thumb besides. The house and yard were so pretty, flowers everywhere, and little twinkle lights intertwine through it all. David took us to Outback for dinner, great food, then back to their house for homemade cookies, watched a baseball game, had some fun conversation, and solved all the world's problems. Got home just after midnight, with a worn-out Trinket and an aching back. Trinket adores Diesel, and those two were such fun to watch. Racing through the house, playing and chasing each other. David bought Diesel one of those electric dogfood dispensers, the kind that you can program to dispense the desired amount of kibble on a preset schedule. (No home should be without one!) When it's time, the thing sounds off with a "ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-daaa!" and drops the food into the little reservoir. Wouldn't you know, Diesel is afraid of it! Several times, he has been nibbling at the remains of the last batch of food, and it has sounded off and very noisily dropped another batch. It doesn't hit him, the thing is configured so that doesn't happen, but it scares the bejabbers out of him, he runs across the room and gets in his bed, and David very sarcastically says "I'm so proud!" Then to add insult to fright, Trinket would trot over, grab a few bites, and saunter away. Too funny! Poor Diesel!

Well, better finish getting dressed, I have a doctor appointment in less than an hour, it's about twenty minutes away, and I like to arrive early. Guess I need to get busy. Have a great day, everyone! Blessings, and keep looking up! --Romeena

October 25, 2022 - Msg 118322:
Howdy folks. I caught one episode tonite, and its one of those
"one word says it all," well two words: Ed Krumpacker! haha
RO--we have never cooked cabbage, so I cant really comment on the
fly problem. But your evening with your son's family sounded delightful! I love the 'bloomin onion' at Outback. Ever have one?
Funny how sounds can bring a pet running. Our last cat
would come running whenever I squirted some Redi-Whip on pumpkin
pie. I'd always give her a nibble of whipped cream. :)
Also, she loved to watch the Antiques Roadshow. Why? Who knows;
but as soon as the opening music would start, she would run into the living room and jump on my lap to watch it with me.
(Like Boo said, we're the cats! Ha)
ASA--I've seen on TOH how water can run "uphill." That is amazing.
I see what you are saying.
I saw on FB that our Floyd is on a Mayberry cruise this week.
Had a beautiful 73 degree day today. More of the same for all week!
God bless,
MDC


October 25, 2022 - Msg 118323: Good afternoon, porch! We have an absolutely gorgeous day here on my end of the porch. One of those "blue and gold" autumn days, so pretty. Our rain from yesterday is just a memory now.

Do you ever wake up from an almost-asleep state and remember something you should have done but didn't? I did that last night. After the deluge of rain we had yesterday, I realized at about 2 a.m. that I had not put the yard sprinklers on "rain delay" and they would have turned on at 6 a.m. Nothing for it but to get up, get a flashlight and go out to the sprinkler control box in my nightgown and set the control to "delay". I really didn't want to be paying for a full-yard watering, when there was still rainwater standing here and there! It won't run again for 72 hours, and I just may set it to delay again. I can choose a setting from 12 to 72 hours.

Yes, MDC, I've had the pleasure of the "blooming onion" at Outback. They are delicious! I wonder who figured out that they would "bloom" like that when fried? I laughed at your description of the cat watching Antiques Roadshow! What on earth was the attraction for a cat? Cats are weird and wonderful little creatures. I'm a dog person, through and through, but I also love cats, and would definitely have one if I couldn't have a dog, but a cat would be allowed. I confess, I get a big laugh out of seeing a cat's response when something threatens his dignity. The way they strut around, all puffed up with cattitude, then something startles them and they panic, jump about three feet in the air, tail all frazzed out, back arched, and usually hissing and spitting. Then back to earth, and they resume their composure and walk off in a huff. They're like people. Some are friendly, funny, pleasant, kind and gentle. Others are sometimes obnoxious, disagreeable and haughty. Most of the cats I've known have been friendly and fun. Animals definitely have distinct personalities. My daughter Heather had a little cat for a few years. She came to them as a stray, with four little kittens in tow. Heather took her in, found homes for the babies, and "Mama Kitty" settled right in. Most loving little cat I ever met. Don't sit down unless you want a cat in your lap, when she was around. And be prepared to rub her ears or pet her somehow, because if you stopped, she would reach up and curl her little paw very gently around your hand and pull it back into contact with her soft fur. Sweet little thing!

Well, guess I'll go watch a little TV and have a small, late lunch. Dinner will probably be a good fruit plate. I've got apples, some kiwi, grapes, some blueberries and strawberries, and a small watermelon. The blueberries are enormous, as big as nickels and a few are nearly quarter-sized, and all are very sweet. I never saw such big blueberries! If I can't get a good meal out of all that fruit, I should be ashamed. Got some good cheese - cheddar, swiss and provolone, and some wonderful goat cheese (which I love) as well. Yep, sounds like a meal to me! A little peanut butter for more protein on two or three Ritz crackers to round it all out. Yum! And no pots or pans to wash!

Blessings, friends! Keep looking up! --Romeena