Good morning!

When I was growing up, my mom was the secretary to the high school librarian, and my father was the director of the city's public works department. So they, particularly my dad, knew or had heard about us long before the school called. He knew all the police and firefighters and city workers, and she knew all the different schools' personnel. Add to that, a next door neighbor who had a telescope mounted in front of her picture window and we were sunk.

My favorite and last prank was on a day that was traditional if unofficially, named senior prank day. Each year's seniors completed for the most outstanding prank. 0n that day, the principal's VW suddenly showed up on the roof of the high school, and no one ever knew how that happened!

I, of course, was and have always been entirely innocent of any and all pranks... 

However, I did hear a whisper about a maintenance lift and a small group wearing secret smiles all day. 

 

I knew about the prank I wasn't in on about 15 minutes after it had been done. 

Sandy--Yes, these are the good days.

Callie--When I lived in Arkansas,  I had an armadillo get under the house--built with a crawl space underneath.  All of the ductwork was under the house.  I kept hearing a scratching kind of noise so called my Pest Control.  The  man went under the house and here came this giant armadillo scooting out.  It had chewed up the insulation around the ductwork and even some of the ductwork.  I cost me $8,000 to have all new ductwork put in.  I REALLY dislike the things.

Angelface--You didn't stand much of a chance of getting mischief with all those folks watching you.

Joan,  they can be VERY destructive!  My neighbor thought she had one but it turned out to be little holes where squirrels making a winter storehouse.   We went together to get some spray for them and other destructive critters but I hadn't done my yard, yet.   There's no wind today so, as soon as I can get the bottle from her, I'll get busy.

When I was in college, a skunk got into the crawl space under my bedroom at home, which was separate from the area of the house over the basement.  Wow - what a shock when I came home for a weekend and walked into my room!!!!!  I slept on the couch!

home from work. Got the stuff to make the butter tarts but I'm too tired. We were so busy the whole time. I wonder what it is that makes me so tired. That never used to happen. Might be I'm getting older.  NAH! It couldn't be that!  I think I'll take a nap and try to figure it out when I wake up.

Been a strange sort of day, well a different day really.....I got R to take me to an MS Therapy Centre which was our second nearest although 60 miles away in the next County of Devon, ok my hour or two spent there went to plan but on the way home, still following my printed out AA route-planner map, we came to a police cordoned off stretch on an A road, we were beckoned to turn left and do a detour...well this detour took us miles and miles with no signs we recognised for turning, so on we went, oh yes we were going in the correct direction as no signs gave any inclination as to its mileage distances, so you could imagine our surprise when this detour took us away from Dorset into the next county of Somerset after seeing the sign...not that we saw much of anything apart from driving higher and overlooking the landscaped scenic's of a far distance,.....as most of these roads and lanes were out in the far sticks and bends, with a handful of not recognised village names as we had to continue driving through them to get to our destination of Dorchester, only then did we know where we were......All we know is this detour added an extra hour to our homeward bound journey....To be honest I found it quite a fun trip not having a clue as to where we were or where we would be landing up when we got there....

Callie, I read somewhere that mothballs were good to keep critters away from the house, berm, garden, etc... I bought a $1 bag at the Dollar Tree a few years ago & threw some into the berm where lots of critters loved to snuggle in (skunks, opossum, raccoons, etc).  Nobody has visited since & mothballs have long gone.  Only found them at the Dollar TREE.  Beautiful day in KS, I need to vac the neighbor's locust leaves out of the pool.... not a favorite thing to do but they stain the floor if they sit in one spot too long.  

Shirley, I've heard the same thing about moth balls - but I suspect our squirrels would just bury them!!!!
Talk about ornery!!!!
I "grease" the pole of the birdseed pole with petroleum jelly and I surely do get glares and tail swishings aimed at the window when a squirrel thinks it can jump to the top - and slides right back down.  <evil chuckle here>

I honestly don't know if I went to the Dollar Tree or the Dollar Store today.  It's "the one by Kohl's".   

Callie--You are so right that they can be destructive.  On my street two of them burrowed under a neighbor's inground pool and did thousands of dollars worth of damage.  Skunk--PU!!

Janie--Hopefully you are having a nice nap.

Vanilla-Jackie--You sure were forced to take a big detour.  At least you saw some new scenery.

Shirley--If you use moth balls you want to make sure there are no small children around.  When Joe was less than 2 y/o he was out in the front yard with me while I talked to the next door neighbor.  She detested cats and dogs and loaded the areas around plantings with moth balls.  Joe darted away from me and in a flash ate a moth ball.  It took three big spoons of Ipecac (1/2 hour apart) to get him to upchuck.

Jackie.  I sort of like those time when driving when you get sort of lost.  See places never knew were there.  Not when in the dark though.   Just think of it has taking a nice days holiday. 
Hope you go good help at the Therapy Centre.  Long way to go. Will you need go there often?

After he finished his errands or appointments, Norm liked to take the long way home.  When I visited him and Dot, I saw a lot of territory I would not have seen otherwise.  Tom is the same way.

Mary Ann

If you have diabetes, have gallstones or heart problems among others, please read this about eating ginger. Ginger is in some baked items, many oriental foods, and other surprising areas. It is dangerous, similar to grapefruit. For example, if you are taking blood thinners or anticlotting medicines, it could have an adverse effect.

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You are so right, Joan, about leaving moth balls where kids can get hold of them.  Far as I know animals are smart enough to NOT eat!  The berm is in the back yard which is "regulation fenced" because of the pool (we also have another fence around the pool).  None of my kids ever ate anything I had to worry about.... I'll bet you were terrified! 

We haven't had a skunk or raccoon around in ages, not sure if it is because a sick raccoon was behind the house at the back garage door & animal control came out to capture since there had been rabid skunks caught in the county.... the lady that came with the long pole & hangman noose said she was pretty sure it was distemper.... which can stay in the ground for years to kill any animals not vaccinated.  It hasn't harmed the cats & they didn't get shots for that. 

At any rate, a dollar bag of moth balls (or something) ended the critters digging up Cas' lawn in the back.  He prided himself with having the greenest lawn the earliest in the spring... at least until the last few years.  Not only skunks & raccoons digging up the grubs under the grass, we had a yellow hammerhead or flicker (woodpecker) .... I have lots of photos of it but have never been able to identify it online.... would pull up chunks of grass to get to the grubs & hammer on the transformer at the corner of the fence.  Crazy bird still around this year but guess we don't have enough grubs to dig! It was bamming on the transformer.....

Jackie, Richard seems to be awful good about taking day trips with you.  The move has been good for both of you, hasn't it?      We did some of our best sight seeing when I got us lost.... I have no sense of direction & had a knack for pointing the wrong way if on a detour.  Cas was always "taking short cuts" so I would lose track of where we were on the maps.  Long before GPSs....

Callie, I have a ceramic plate like a sunflower that holds my birdseed... hangs from chains attached on 3 sides that gather to a single one that slips on a shepherd's hook... caused a lot of agony for our squirrels.  I got a photo of one hanging from the curls of the hook by back feet & helping itself to the yummy sunflower seeds.  A tap on the window & it pulled itself up & was off in a flash.  They are so funny.  Old LaurenKat spent hours on the brick post near the feeder, watching for a bird to get careless.  At TX Roadhouse they always send a bag of peanuts with my carry out... so I share them with the squirrels.

Got a busy day tomorrow, need to vac the RV & mop the floor before closing the slide & up the jacks & go gas it back up for the next trip.  Will try to wash the mud off the windshield, will hose off the whole thing first.... Going to earn some demerits tomorrow, for sure~  Love this cool weather,  ran the vac in the pool to suck up the neighbors locust leaves....  it is a nightmare of little gold leaves raining down from now until snow.  They stain the bottom if they don't get moved.  Pool sure is a lot of trouble since nobody uses it.... we shouldn't have bought the house but guess it's worth the trouble to have the river & woods behind.  Choices-choices. In the 30 years we've been here we have considered every option so think I will just endure the rest of my years here & try not to gripe too often, no place else I'd rather live.     I think I need a nap before bedtime. 

Mary Ann, I think of Norm so often, he seemed to have a very big & kind heart.

Patricia, I will read that because about everyone I know our age takes blood thinners, BP meds & either has heart problems or diabetes.  Thanks!    

I have had the most frustrating day. The best part was Gary's Bible study.He takes the most mundane chapters and makes them come alive. He can find many comparisons between ancient times and what our lives today are proving to be. I got on the computer to place a grocery order only to find that things have changed there and my password has to be updated to something new. I followed instructions, no luck, called a phone number and spent over an hour with help, and that did not work, so I don't know what I am going to do for grocery orders. There are many things I buy that I need above and beyond anything offered here. I guess I will have to end up bothering Gary. He already solved another problem with my medical plan, bless his kind heart.So I ended my day with a great deal of things undone, and a great deal of dissatisfaction.

Good things though, I get to keep my doctor,by changing my medical plan with the government to match the plan she has...again thanks to Gary. And I got the yearly flu shot, and I have gained another three pounds, so the Ensure is working for me.

Good Night everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nbrTOcUnjNY

goodnight Everyfriend. I'm not going to be back until I get my computer back. This small screen is too small and causes too much strain on my eyes. Later friends.

Good night, EVERYFRIEND. 

Busy day trying to get settled back on.  Tomorrow my friend from Wyoming is going to be here.  Yesterday was her Birthday, so have a gift ready for her and I will take her out to breakfast. 

Pleasant dreams to all,

Jenny

Good Thursday morning, Everyfriend.  There's assorted mini coffee cakes to accompany your coffee or tea. I wish everyone a good day!!





Juror

Judge: Is there any reason you could not serve as a juror in this case?

Juror: I don't want to be away from my job that long.

Judge: Can't they do without you at work?

Juror: Yes, but I don't want them to know it.



Baby Jesus Grows Up, Let's Follow Suit!
(By Kerry S. Doyal)

Are you still growing? Growing old is not the same as growing up. Few things are more tragic than immature Senior Citizens, petty people who added only years to their dossier and derriere. (That there is French for resume and rump: neither is to be padded.)

Advanced age is no excuse for childishness, it is instead an argument against it. As long as we are able, we are to keep maturing in all the ways we can. Twice, Dr. Luke in his gospel of Jesus tells us about Jesus growing up. After His birth, circumcision and presentation at the temple (Luke 2), the good Doctor tells us:

"When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him" (Luke 2:39, 40 - NIV).

After Jesus' parents got lost and left Him in the Temple when He was twelve, we read: "Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:51& 52).

Matthew tells us His toddler years included a trip to Africa - fleeing madman Herod's sword (Matthew 2:13-23). When Jesus' family repatriated to Roman-occupied Israel, they lived in Nazareth.

As much as we would like to speculate about Jesus as a boy, all we are left to mull over is that he was obedient to his parents and that He grew up. Mind you, these are no small matters. Even in childhood, Jesus is THE example for us.

"He grew" we read. This is an umbrella description that seems bland unless you consider its opposite. New parents watch to make sure their child is growing. If they stop progressing in any realm, they head to the Doctor.

Our Heavenly Father is monitoring our growth as well. In fact, the letters to the churches in the New Testament are properly obsessed with matters of maturity (see 2 Peter 1:5-11; 3:18; 1 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 20-25; Hebrews 2-4). Are you growing up? Have you changed much in the past years - for the good?

Getting more specific, we read that Jesus "became strong... grew in stature." Our love for God is to include our heart soul, mind and strength. Learning carpentry - which included woodwork and masonry - Jesus was a man's man. Forget those pictures of a pasty pansy in your old children's Bible.

Our bodies are even called - dramatic pause - His temple (1 Corinthians 6:12-20; 9:27)! We are to glorify God with our body. Is His temple in disrepair? How do you treat your body: getting enough sleep, eating too much?

Jesus grew, as we also must, in wisdom. He was not just a divine data depository, smart. He was "filled with wisdom." We see this when He stayed at the Temple at age 12, a pivotal year when Jewish boys transition into manhood.

He sat listening to the teachers, asking them questions - ones that astonished all who heard Him. His questions revealed such insight that they were motivated to ask His take on Scripture. Are you learning the Bible, moving past VBS-level insights? Does any one look to you for godly insight?

The mental sloppiness of God's people is criminal! What passes for teaching on much of Christian radio and TV [and pulpits] is amazing. Where is the discernment, some sane, Biblical discretion?

Spiritual counterfeits will continue to freely fleece the flock with their folly as long as believers stay ignorant and immature. Are you growing in true wisdom (see Colossians 1:15-29). A thought: read a chapter of Proverbs every day.

"God's grace was upon Him," we learn next from Luke. He grew "in favor with God." Jesus, as a human, spiritually matured. Here is a phrase for you: "He learned obedience through the things that He suffered" (Hebrews 5:. Chew on that one. Jesus learned obedience.

We learn to obey through disobedience, God's discipline, forgiveness and restoration. Christ learned it through life's trials, being tempted by the Devil and rejected by His own people. In the Garden, He honestly states His preference to not be crucified. Yet, in the face of torture and humiliation, we hear: "Not My will but Thine." ...

Last of all, we discover that Jesus grew in favor with man. Common ones received Him gladly. Sometimes the crowds around Jesus swelled as they hoped for another free lunch and miracle show (John 6). Yet, we also know social outcasts and serious sinners felt at home in His presence. Children loved Him and they are often a great test of character.

One of the descriptions of an Elder, spiritual exemplars for the church, is that they would have a good reputation with outsiders (1 Timothy 3:7). If you often make waiters and cashiers mad, drive like a loony and regularly tick off people, you might want to look into this area of growth.

Having favor with man does not mean you are compromising truth, snuggling up to the world. What we often call persecution and rejection of Jesus by people we witness to is often the sensible reaction of hurt people whom we treat like trash (see 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 9:19-23).

It is time to grow up, to keep pressing on (Philippians 3). As we face a still young year, repent of any stagnation in the past year. With God's help, commit to further growth in Him.

In honor of Dr. Luke, may I prescribe 2 Peter 1:5-11? If the baby Jesus grew up, so must we (1 John 2:6)!



"Growth is the goal of the Christian. Maturity is mandatory"

- Max Lucado

JOAN....
...another good, but early start to both of our mornings, although I did manage to sleep an hour later than usual...

SHIRLEY....
...had to smile, but how can you admit to not having a good sense of direction? with all the long distance driving you do....( haven't you just come back from a long trip?....)...as for me, I would get lost and confused driving out of a multi store car park...

Shirley R doesnt do day or night outings, it is just me getting fed up with seeing four walls and isolation starting to settle in, if I dont force myself to join these long distance MS thingies I wouldn't get out anywhere with R, and that is the truth...but yes, he is always willing to drive me and take me to them...

JEANNE P....
...have to admit, dont think I laughed so much for a long time as I did during our detour yesterday....We were out and about six & a half hours when I anticipated a four & a half hour trip to Exeter, including one & a half hours spent at the centre...

On route out in the sticks and after heading for a place called Crewkerne, unknown to us and as we soon learned, in Somerset, R stopped at a small car repair -mechanic building to ask for help, ( now baring in mind he would NEVER admit he was lost ) while I sat in the car when all of a sudden a man came to my car and asked " are you lost " I laughed and said I guess so...after telling him where we were trying to head for he told us to keep going on, that going on lasted for miles....I did kindly ask him if they had a loo I could use as I had MS, he kindly allowed me...not the nicest of loos but that didnt matter...it was a loo...

Good morning Vanilla-Jackie.  I awoke extra early today.  The electricity went off, and it started getting warm without the a/c--but it soon came back on.

Good Morning Everyone. we got the new utility room mostly roughed in before the nephew and his sweetheart had to go. washer and dryer are hooked up and working. no more climbing steps with clothes baskets for Nancy. I have a backhoe job to do for Neighbor to day about 3/4 hours. then I am free to finish the water line to the green house and erect it before winter.have a great day all.

Lloyd

Good morning everyone..

We are off to the city this morning, taking hubby in for pre op..need to pick up a few things at the store then home!

Depends on what time we get home I may take down the covers on the gazebo,getting it ready for winter. If not today then that will be a job for tomorrow. I want to get all these little jobs done ahead of time.

Jane,hope you get your computer back soon.

Joan, thank you for breakfast.

Enjoy your day everyone.

Good morning , Joan and all the other early morning friends.

Joan, the little mini coffee cakes sound like a nice treat this morning.  Thank you !

It will be a very rainy day today and continue until the week end.  Some places will experience a lot of flooding.   One town here in Maryland, Ellicott City, experienced devastating flooding over a month ago and the town is bracing for more flooding.  They were just starting to be able to open up some of the shops and hopefully, they will be ahead of the rain this time, and be able to prevent more devastation.   But, we really do need the rain........ just not all at the same time.

Nothing special going on in my little world. I was able to get 4 loads of laundry done yesterday.  I had some winter things that I had been pushing aside and was able to get most of them done.  Our washers run for 30 min. and the dryers run for 60 min. So, I am able to get 2 washer loads out of one dryer time.  I can add extra money to make the dryers run another 10 or 20 min.  Since they are big commercial machines,  it doesn't take as long as a regular machine.  Didn't get them all put away yet, but that is a job for this morning.  Plus there are some things that I don't put in the dryer and they have dried on a rack in bathroom.  So, need to get things put away.

Joan, I don't think that is considered work, is it?  Have to have clean clothes .  One of the necessary jobs in life.   Would be nice to have throw-away clothes, wouldn't it???

Hope all the friends will have a nice day. 

Joy

Good morning, Lloyd.  I hope you get all that w--- you mentioned completed.

Amy--Good morning.  I know there is w--- you want to get done before your husband's surgery.

Good morning, Joy.  Those machines at your complex handle much more in one load than my residential machines.  And yes, that is w---.

I sure miss Janie and hope her computer is fixed very soon.

Later this morning I have a doctor's appointment.

Good Morning Everyone!

Well my normal Thursday.  Getting myself presentable, a quick cup of coffee here at home and then off to men's breakfast and bible study.  I might add that it is an enjoyable morning.  I enjoy the study and fellowship, not to mention the taco.

Weather guy promises us a beautiful day, cool, clear and lots of sunshine.  Wife is going down to Del Rio with youngest daughter and will come back with them on Monday.  She wants to visit an old friend who is in a nursing home, she is slowing losing her memory.

Everyone have a great day and don't work too hard.

Good morning, halkel.  It's nice that you enjoy Bible study and the breakfast so much.  I guess with your wife gone, you will have to do your own cooking.

Hi everyone on this Thursday morning.  I got out early and did the morning outside chores.  This is a busy day for me so will try to be brief with comments today.  Yesterday I stayed home until time to go to the church for the Wednesday evening meal.  Scott called late yesterday afternoon to say he was not up to going and was fighting a migraine headache he had had for two days.  I sure hope he is better this morning.  So I went by myself.  Since I was on the list for two meals I paid for both and brought one home.  It was "breakfast in the evening" last night so I am enjoying a full breakfast this morning and sure won't need to have any lunch, which will work out well as I won't get home until around 1 pm and I will be ready for some rest so won't have to fool with lunch.

Lloyd, sounds like a great idea to help out Nancy with the laundry by not having to go to the lower level of your home. 

Gloria, I also threw out the mouse that wasn't working properly. 

Patricia, I have heard of noisy neighbors but having a telescope in your front window seems to be pushing it.  I hope she was using it to watch the stars and not the neighbors.  I bet the principal was not a happy camper with his car on top of the high school.  Glad it didn't come crashing through the roof. 

Joan, I can relate to the damage that varmints can do to a home.  At one of our homes squirrels got into our roof area and would eat on the wiring.  They built a nest and also chewed through the shingles on the roof.  That cost me about $4,000 for a new roof and getting the nest cleaned out and putting in metal plate around the eaves to prevent a repeat of the damage.

Jackie, that sounds like quite an adventure.  However, it is frustrating when there are no signs so you can have an idea of about where you are.  At least you saw some new country. 

Shirley, when I think about at all the places we lived before GPS I shudder and wonder how we found our way around new towns and areas.  Of course, we really didn't have any other options other than a city map or stopping to ask for directions.

June, glad the Ensure is helping you put on a little weight as it sounds like you need it.  I have been trying without success to change my Yahoo information because of the massive breach into their computers.  So far no luck but there were a half billion accounts involved. 

Good morning, Larry.  Sorry Scott is having migraines--they are awful.  We had the same problem you did with squirrels.  The varmints did just what they did to you--and it was megabucks to repair.

Must get ready to head out to the doctor.

Good morning everyone, the sun is shining at last here and it looks wonderful after a few days of drizzle.

JOAN  I always enjoy getting out for a few hours but am always glad to get back home so I can lay down to rest my back. When our computers work good we never think much about them but when they act up we sure hate them.

CALLIE  I am beginning to think I missed out on a lot of fun by not growing up in a small town.

PATRICIA  that is what I would call a nosy neighbor who liked seeing what was going on all over town.

JACKIE  I remember getting those detour signs and not knowing where I would end up. Thought I was lost a few times but just kept on going till I came out in a familiar area. Started saying I went for a mystery ride.

SHIRLEY  I had raccoons after my trash barrel and no matter how I weighted down the cover they got the cover off. I bought some mothballs and put some in a net bag and tied it to the handle of the barrel. No more trouble after that.

JUNE  I will get my flu shot this afternoon. I drink 2 bottles of Ensure every day and still keep losing weight.

JOAN  a mini muffin or 2 will be great this morning. Good excuse in Chuckles. Thank you for today's goodies.

LLOYD  you are back to working all the time again. Must mean you are feeling much better. Do not work too long and hard.

Have a good day.

Jackie, I am always interested in the places you visit in your area, whether on a detour or not, because my ancestors were from the Dorset and Somerset areas.  Of course they were far enough back that I can't relate to them, but some of the towns are in my genealogy.

It is getting time for me to get a flu shot.  I can get one at Walgreen's or my doctor's office.

I remember visiting a friend who had squirrels in the attic.  I don't know when they were able to get rid of them, but I heard the squirrels running in the upstairs.  Not for me!

I have always been a good map reader, however, I know one time my dad and I were traveling in Michigan's UP and we ended up in a farmer's front yard!  No GPS then.

Mary Ann