June 10, 2019 - Msg 112359: Good morning all.

Romeena, I saw that about the Crane falling also. Very sad. I cancelled my subscription to our local paper several years ago, for most of the same reasons you cited, the leftist agenda they always promote. I think that is why many newspaper agencies across the Country are going bankrupt. I know they try to say it's because the internet and smart phones have made their process obsolete. Probably some truth to it, but I think more and more folks are getting tired of their liberal looniness. Maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part though. I loathe the press as you well know. It does upset me that you had to deal with vandals because you have an opinion and it differs from someone else's. A tactic they use to try and silence anyone who disagrees with them. Shameful!

GF, Your Cats in the cradle made me laugh buddy. I hear you. I was teaching our mens group at church a few years ago on Fatherhood, and read the lyrics to that song. I got a lot of positive feedback on it.

Yes Ro, they hide corn starch in so many things. You really have to be very conscientious about looking for it. I have discovered that I try to avoid anything with baking powder in it because baking powder has corn starch in it. Corn starch doesn't show up on the ingredient list though, just the baking powder.

MDC, Glad your sermon yesterday went so well. Ain't it nice when they slip in an extry good one every now and again? lol (just kidding)

I am watching Andy save Gomer from the trash can fire as I type this. LOL, Watching Gomer running around in circles looking for a water can. Funny stuff.

Well prayers for all for a safe and sane day.

Asa
June 10, 2019 - Msg 112360: Oh Boo, prayers for your Nephew for sure. I just read that after I posted. For some reason, sometimes all of folks posts are not appearing. I have to refresh the page, sometimes several times to get everything to show up. Anyone else having that problem?
Anyway Boo, I pray he will be ok.

Asa
June 10, 2019 - Msg 112361: Ro, I know what you mean about your pastor. My pastor friend, Mark and I don't always agree but he is completely open to discussion and very respectful of the opinion and journey of others. He has been at Oak Ridge for over 20 years without incident. He is tried and true. Sometimes I want to knock him upside the head and tell him to "think" but I think of him like a brother, for sure. He is much loved by the church and for good reason.

Well, I was in the ICU with Matt until around 2am, until I could speak with a doctor about the plan. He was continuing to have pain and his cardiac enzymes were escalating so I knew damage was still taking place. His blood pressure was well controlled with an IV drip, O2 sat was normal and he never had shortness of breath. Strange pain, though..epigastric, radiating to chest, down both arms and hands. His lungs were clear. They will do a heart cath this morning and I will be interested to find out what that shows. I suspect some ventricular hypertrophy due to years of uncontrolled high blood pressure. I am praying the damage to the heart muscle is minimal but that might be a lot to hope for. God be with him and with my sister and her husband, Pat. Pat was throwing up from nerves all evening. You have to know that Matt is a very special man with a kind and loving heart, but bitterness over his ex wife's affairs has caused him to drink hard liquor daily. I found out yesterday that he has been consuming a pint of vodka every night, and that is an additional risk factor. When someone has a heart attack and is an alcoholic, when they start to withdraw from alcohol, it can literally kill them. The heart cant always take it. I have had more than one heart patient that died from a heart attack in ICU once DTs started. Now they can actually give an alcohol drip to patients in that situation. He may need it. St. Susan said that the dr asked Matt if he smoked and he said, "Not any more". I pray that sticks. He has a long road ahead of him. They have a good friend who is a Christian man who helps with AA and has offered to sponsor Matt when he is ready. Matt has been in denial about his alcoholism so we are hoping this wakes him up. Poor little Emily is terrified over all this. Her Dad is her whole world and her stability. She has no security with her mom, but Matt is always there for her and loves her so much.

I had better finish getting ready so I can go back up to the hospital. I am supposed to drive Sean to Houston today to catch his flight to Florida. He has friends there who work for Disney and they are going to take him to Disney world this week. Bruce may have to drive him up, depending on how things go here. I wont leave my sister if things are iffy.

Will check in again. Thank you for your prayers, as always.

Love,
Boo
PS-MDC, your sweet words about our Comforter brought a tear to my eye!
June 10, 2019 - Msg 112362: Boo, We will continue to pray for Matt both physically and mentally. But I have to admit some of what you were talking went over my head. When you and Romeena start talking “clinical” I get lost in translation....I say that in a KIND way, much like you girls must feel when us guys talk “shop”...

Y’all have a Great Day, and Act Like Somebody......G-F
June 10, 2019 - Msg 112363: Thanks, G-F. I totally understand about the nurse-speak.

Matt has the heart cath this morning and his left descending artery was blocked. They put in a stent and he is doing much better. They will keep him a couple more days then he will go home on blood thinners. Thank for the prayer and emotional support

Boo
June 11, 2019 - Msg 112364: Oh BOO, so sorry about Matt. Drinking sure does complicate things. That was the number one question when I was going thru all my heart stuff. "Do you drink alcohol?" I may not be Carrie Nations, but I have seen it's terrible results in people and do my share of 'preaching it's ills!'.
As to his arteries... blood thinner yes, but also fish oil if he is willing. It really cleans them out. As far as the Holy Spirit goes, I say Amen. He is righcheer to help us with all his wonderful gifts if we ask!
ASA and RO...I also stopped the newspaper a while back for many of the same reasons. I guess they
are the left's last holdout. The pendulum has swung completely the other way in recent years
with our paper. I will sometimes by a Sunday paper, but that's it.
ALL--I watched an ep of Gomer Pyle USMC this evening, and two guys were running a girlie magazine called Fun Girls. Hope Summers was also in the ep as Clarise. ha Gomer got himself all caught up in the publication. It was written by tags Ellison. Funny show.
Oh BOO--I finally did get to lodge a complaint about Shoreline. I hope it helps.
Today I was at the dermatologist and got five pre-cancer spots zapped with liquid nitrogen.
It smarts, but well worth it.
Good sweep Asa.
Prayers for all,
MDC

June 11, 2019 - Msg 112365: RO--glad the new pastor is working out.
and GF--I see that Floyd has fixed up the archive 'rows' now. :)
June 11, 2019 - Msg 112366: And just for the memories...
https://tinyurl.com/y45yjppq
June 11, 2019 - Msg 112367: Good morning all.

MDC, I really enjoyed the trip down memory lane. Especially the PIC ad. Aww, to be a kid again. I thought for a minute you was saying that Hope Summers was in the girlie magazine. Scared me. :)

Boo, Hopefully all is well for Matt. That booze is just not good for you.

GF, I was watching a video of a new Ryobi zero turn electric ride on mower. It says it is plenty powerful and good for up to two acres on one charge. I was thinking you should buy one and tell me what you think. I trust your assessment. :)

Well my allergics didn't retire. My eyes have been very itchy and watery the last few days. Claritin helps some at least.

Prayers for all for a great day.

Asa
June 11, 2019 - Msg 112368: Asa...First things First...Folks were asking about you on the podcast last night they wondered where you’ve been.
As far as the mower, I have No experience with electric mowers and I think as Andy says..I’ll let that one pass on by.

MDC..Nice Memory blast of the old Drive in movie theater. We had 5 in our family so the concession stand was a grocery bag of Mom’s buttered popcorn 🍿 that we all passed around.
Later as a teenager I did flip for food at the concession stand from my lawn mowing, car washing money...

G-F
June 11, 2019 - Msg 112369: Hey GF, Been busy the last few Monday nights. I have been missing those folks. Thanks for asking.
My concern about those electric mowers are battery life. Typically batteries are good for 4 to 5 years and then need to be replaced. And they ain't cheap. I sure am getting tired of the junk fuel they sell now days though.

Asa

June 11, 2019 - Msg 112370: Yep Asa That “corn” 🌽 gas ⛽️ ain’t too good on the small engines....G-F
June 11, 2019 - Msg 112371: Yes, Asa, Matt is doing much better but this has been an ordeal for him and now he is withdrawing from the cigarettes and alcohol and that is tough! He is supposed to go home from the hospital tomorrow and the doc told him that he has minimal damage to the lower part of his heart and that if he changes his bad habits (those were the doc's words), he should be ok. Thank God they got him fixed up before it killed him! I know he still isn't out of the woods because it is going to be very hard for him to stay away from the alcohol and cigarettes. You know, he was due to start a new contract job at the army base next week, which would have provided medical insur@nce for him, but as it is now, he has none. He will be paying on that astronomical bill for the rest of his life!

Well, after I knew that Matt was ok yesterday, I drove the kids up to Houston for the night because I had to drop Sean off at the airport at 4:30am to catch a flight to Tampa. He has two good friends in St Petersburg who are showing him around and one of them works for Disney. There are four of them that will be staying at the animal kingdom resort for four days this week. Im sure he will have a blast but it will be hot.

I haven't had much sleep the past 3 days and have to get up early for jury duty in the morning. I hope I can sleep tonight.

The air conditioning is still out at Shoreline and it is in the 90s. I guess the state stepped in and said they better do something because they are renting the big compressor thing again like we had for awhile before. They cant afford it but had no choice, I guess. I hear the thing costs a thousand a day to run so how is that going to work out? This may be the final nail in the coffin. I spoke with a coworker who is there and she said they are trying to get the thing hooked up but it is still terribly hot. I feel so bad for the kids.

Guess I will go take it easy for a bit. I was a little stressed by the Houston traffic this time because I had to go from one end of the city to the other and it was at rush hour. Hard to even describe! I had two near-misses.

Later!

Boo
June 12, 2019 - Msg 112372: Busy day today, will post more on Wed.
MDC :)
June 12, 2019 - Msg 112373: Good morning all.

Boo, glad to hear Matt is going to be ok. Hopefully he will see this as a second chance and make some changes in lifestyle. I hope Sean has a nice time on his vacation. My oldest Daughter just moved to St. Petersburg and really likes it there so far. You mentioned rush hour traffic, boy I sure don't miss that a-tallll! Nor do I miss the constant griping about folks being to hot or to cold. I know your complaints are valid about Shoreline, but where I worked it about drove me nuts. The mechanics out in the shop were the worst. If it got above 72 in the summer,they were all up in arms. If it got below 72 in the winter, you would think they were being tortured. lol Nope, don't miss that one bit. I do hope they can get you folks some relief this summer.

GF, The thing I have noticed with the ethanol is that for some reason Honda power equipment seems to struggle more with it than most other small engines. I have always liked Honda stuff because of they always seemed to be easy to start, but ethanol has sure changed that. Even treating it with additive doesn't seem to help much. Oh well, such is life.

MDC, I talked to my friend in Mesa yesterday and they are liking it there. He said the neighborhood is very quiet though. I guess a lot of folks there head north for the summer to get out of the heat. I guess that makes sense. Just the opposite from here though.

Frankie, I hope you are doing ok. You have been quiet.

Well I'm watching TAGS, the one with Rodger Hanover. Boy, he was annoying, wasn't he? lol

Asa
June 12, 2019 - Msg 112374: Good morning,porch! It's a hazy day here, lots of patchy cloudcover, which will probably disappear pretty soon, and leave us with a scorcher! At the moment, I'm watching a gi-normous swallowtail butterfly out back, as he goes from flower to flower. I've got hardy hibiscus blooming, with their 12-inch flowers (so dramatic, so beautiful) and right next to them, some plain old zinnias and marigolds. They came up from seeds that I just broadcast in that big flowerbed that I can no longer afford to fill with bedding plants. I used to buy about twenty flats of petunias, dianthus, pansies, whatever and it was a 12'x25' sea of color. I can't afford that anymore, so I resorted to seeds. Boy, did they come up! A bit disorganized, but still, it's pretty, and the butterflies just love it!

Progress on the puppy scene. I've found a local breeder, well-recommended, referrals check out, and she insists on face-to-face transaction, no shipping of puppies. She's checking me out as I'm checking on her! I like that. I have her address, and am welcome to come and visit and choose my puppy when they're available, which will be in a few weeks. A small deposit holds my place in line for choice, and I'm first! She socializes them, starts potty training, and gets all the final vet checks and immunizations done. I am so excited, this has been a long and lonely time for me. Thanks for all the support and encouragement, it's much appreciated.

Yep, old Hanover was annoying and a half! Reminds me of a cousin of mine. At present, he's 83 going on 13, and I make it a point to see him as little as possible. My son said he thinks he just doesn't have the filter in his brain that keeps him from saying annoying and insulting things to people. He tries so hard to be funny, it always falls flat, and he just doesn't get it. He does dumb things too, like standing up on a boat seat, with the boat running flat out at top speed over the lake, and without any warning, he just dove in head first. Of course, it was like hitting concrete when he hit the water at that speed, and he would have drowned if my father hadn't insisted that he wear a life jacket like everyone else in the boat. My husband was on board, and was able to haul him in. He was too dazed to help himself. His explanation for his stunt? He wanted to see what it would feel like. Well, he found out. You just never know what he's going to do or say, and it just wears everybody out to be around him. Poor guy. I feel sorry for him, but that doesn't make him any easier to take.

Well, looks like I get a reprieve this summer. My cottonwoods are not producing any cotton at all. They were loaded with the buds last year - those little strings of green beads that you see hanging from the trees - and I had my arborist friend come and top the trees. They cut away all the limbs that were bearing cotton, which was all of them, and left the trees as just leafless skeletons. They looked so pitiful, but I've done this for about twenty years now, and I knew what to expect. Sure enough, in a short while those stumps started to put out little suckers, which rapidly grew into small, leafy branches. By the end of the summer, the trees were in full leaf, soft and pretty, and making that sighing sound that cottonwoods make when the wind blows. You gotta love 'em! They shed their leaves in the winter, and this spring they leafed out and became quite beautiful. I thought I'd have to have the guys out again, to snip out the cottonwood buds. That's what we usually do, but about every four years, the trees have to be crewcut, as the young limbs grow long but not strong enough to support the weight of a man. That little process usually runs around $600, but this year, there are NO cottonwood buds! This has happened twice before over the years, and I'm surely happy it's happening this year. I'd much rather get my puppy!

Well, better get busy around here. It's a bit boring, as I still don't have TV, other than what I;ve got recorded. The Dish guy will be here tomorrow afternoon to replace my smashed dish. I also called the man who put the new roof on my house recently. He'll go up there after the Dish people finish, make sure everything they did is sealed well, and check for any other damage that might have occurred in that windstorm. There weren't any limbs on the roof, but there were several on the ground around the house, that could have hit and bounced or blown off. An ounce of prevention -- I'd rather have him find any damage now than wait until the next rainstorm to find out, when leaks appear on the ceiling.

Have a great day, friends! --Romeena
June 12, 2019 - Msg 112375: Well, I got selected for jury duty tomorrow. They only picked six of them and I was number 3. I hope I don't pull an Aunt Bee. Should be a short case, just a misdemeanor. Did I spell that right?

Erin didn't come home today except to talk to me for awhile. She says she isn't ready to come home yet and wants to stay with a friend. I am keeping her car so we will see how long she stays away. Dealing with her is like a roller coaster ride, but much less fun.

Bruce took me out to dinner and I had a wonderful berry nut salad with raspberry vinegarette dressing. So good! Ive had my shower and will settle in for the evening, and hopefully be able to sleep. I haven't had any caffeine but still may have trouble getting a good sleep and I sure would hate to nod off in the jury box!

Great news about the puppy, Romeena! I cant wait till you get her and we can see a picture of her!

Boo
June 13, 2019 - Msg 112376: BOO--Watch out for those Hamilton Burger types in the trial. ha I have been called about 8 times in my life, but never chosen. Erin and your whole fam is in my prayers.
ASA and GF, I forgot to mention that my new Frontier is a 'flex fuel' vehicle.
It can burn that E-85 mix besides regular unleaded. It came that way.
Also ASA, if you have PBS on your TV I saw that on July 8 they are doing a 50th anniversary moop landing program. It looks very intersting. And yes, during our summers there is basically no outdoor activities. Too dang hot!
Yesterday morning I was very light-headed "off and on" all day. I called my doc's office and he told me to cut back on my metoprolol to a half tablet.
I think a big part of it was the sudden upswing in our temp this week.
We had a very mild May and early June, and then suddenly Tuesday and Wed it was 110! Anyway, the doc thought it was the combination of the liq nitro the day before and the hot weather that did it.
I was much better today, thank God.
RO--A while back I saw your trees on google maps! They were bird's eye view, but looked "nice and full." :)
I am so happy that you are getting closer to getting a new furkid!!
ALL--The tags i saw tonight was when Andy takes a vacation to the lake, and Barney let's the prisoner escape etc. I know he was playing a bungling deputy, but that ep was a bit over the top IMHO.
Example, Gomer is yelling "I caught him" and it was obviously Barney!. I guess i am getting TOO analytic.
ASA--I hear ya with the complainers. My last job was an office manager for 6 years, and one person would complain that he was 'freezing', but the guy in the next cubicle over was 'sweating!'
I finally just had to say the "temp will be set at XX degrees, and that's it!"

FRANKIE and BIG Maude, etc, as Asa said, hope you are all OK.
Prayers,
MDC
June 13, 2019 - Msg 112377: MOOP Landing?? Of course that's MOON landing!!
June 13, 2019 - Msg 112378: "I'm beat to the socks!"
June 13, 2019 - Msg 112379: Good morning, porch! Beautiful day here, not a cloud in the sky, a gentle breeze ruffling the leaves on those cottonwoods I mentioned. My little pear tree is loaded, with limbs drooping down from the weight of the developing pears. I wish I could look forward to enjoying some of them, but the squirrels will arrive one day soon, a huge battalion of them, and in one afternoon they'll carry off every single one of the not-quite-ripe pears! They time it perfectly - just a day or two before they would be ready to pick. In all these years, I guess I've gotten maybe six pears off that tree. However, since they aren't very good anyway, I just leave them to the squirrels. They don't seem to mind that they're hard and gritty, and not very sweet. More power to them!

MDC, the trees that have to be sheared at times are in the back yard. I have five cottonwoods, but the two out front are males and don't make cotton. The cotton-makers are the three in back - two by the back fence and one near the house, on the east side. The fourth big tree is on the west side, and is a sycamore. It's a pretty tree, and interesting, with its deciduous bark. In the aerial view on Google Earth, its foliage blends with the cottonwood, but it's a lighter green, so you can tell it's two trees. Lots of trees, lots of leaves, an occasional fallen limb, but also lots of shade and beauty, so they're worth it.

Asa and G-F, I know what you mean about trying to balance the temperature for a group of people. I probably told you this story before, but if you're like me, you've forgotten, so I'll tell it again. Years ago, my father's job involved a sales meeting with about 75 people every Monday morning. About 90% of the sales force were women, and mostly just average gals, not educated professionals, and mostly middle-aged. The office and meeting room were in a small free-standing building, and the a/c was window units, not tied into any other system. The women would constantly interrupt my dad - room is too hot, room is too cold, etc. Finally, Daddy got a very impressive looking thermostat, and mounted it on a back wall of the room, not connected to anything at all. He announced to the group that he didn't want to be interrupted anymore, but if someone was too hot or too cold, please just quietly go back and adjust the thermostat to their liking. He asked those who usually were uncomfortable to sit in the back of the room. Believe it or not, the habitual malcontents sat in the back, twiddled that thermostat at least a dozen times during an hour-long meeting, and the complaints stopped. Several even told him how much more comfortable the room was for them now that they could adjust the temperature! How they thought that thermostat was controlling the window units, I'll never know, but they were happy, didn't interrupt anymore, and all was well.

Well, guess I'd better get dressed. I've got to go visit my neighbor, Barbara - the one who was injured in a fall or possibly an attack a while back. She's doing well, still has balance problems so can't walk without assistance, but she's talking, eating, and as her husband says, she's about 90% "herself" now. I made some Scottish shortbread last night, will take some of it to her and have a short visit. She was in a hospital on the far side of Dallas, but is now in a very nice rehab facility just about ten minutes from my house, so I will be able to visit her now and then. We were never walk-in-the-back-door neighbors, but we've known each other for 46 years, and I'm so very glad she's doing well. You folks prayed for her, and she knows it and appreciates it, and so do I. Blessings, friends. --Romeena
June 13, 2019 - Msg 112380: Great Story Romeena...Yep Sometimes you gotta give ‘em JUST WHAT THEY WANT!...I used to adjust the bimetal temperature setting to reflect a higher reading and YES, they would say it was much better now!..lol..Some people a just plain hard to make happy! ...Amen Asa?

They would crank the thermostat and then have their upstairs windows wide open...Man I do not miss those days dealing with stubborn people, now I only have deal with just one!..lol

G-F
June 13, 2019 - Msg 112381: RO-Your story about your dad reminds me about how the mind works in such interesting ways. Placebos also come to mind, including the MASH episode when they gave out sugar pills as morphine!
Thanks for the info on the trees. So neat seeing y'alls places. Possum's in a big old 'suthen' looking home. She has been showing her flowers on FB.
It reminds me how we used to go barefoot here
when we were kids. I think I only wore shoes to church on Sundays during the summer months. With our hot sidewalks I think our feet just plain got callused
and off we went going from hot sidewalks to patches of grass! Ah, youth! :)
Say hello to Barbara for all of us.
I got a card from Pappabear yesterday. He is indeed slipping. His handwriting was very hard to read. He says hello. Please keep him in your prayers. Thanks!
MDC
June 14, 2019 - Msg 112382: Good afternoon all.

Romeena, I did the dummy thermostat thing years ago and it helped for a while. But when these smart phones, with all their apps started coming out, the jig was up. Yep GF, sometimes you gotta go to great extremes. And MDC, So true how our minds can do things or think things.

Romeena, I am so looking forward to your new furkid. It makes me happy to know it won't be long. I look forward to your accounts.

MDC, thanks for the heads up about the PBS moon special. The more I read up on the space race of the 60's, then more I stand in awe of what they accomplished.

Boo, My continued prayers for your family situation. I hope things have and will calm down.

Well I just watched a couple of Matlock's and now I have got to have a hot dog. Funny how that works.

Asa
June 15, 2019 - Msg 112383: ASA--you mean the moop special. Ha
It must be tough not being able to eat anything with baking soda. You really have to scour the ingredients list. For me it is MSG. We used to frequent a Chinese place that used MSG, and I kep having weird dreams. Finally I figured out that it was the MSG that was causing them. Strange stuff.
All--I was watching the Reunion ep on my dvd tonight, and was reminded of the funny line of Barney at the beginning when Andy and him hear a ripping sound. They check each other's pants, and when Barn checks Andy's he say "10-4." For some reason I laugh every time. Cue this to .40.
I also heard that Don Knotts ad libbed that line.
I was at the Nissan dealer today. We had ordered side-moldings for the new truck, and they came in, so they installed them today. Just a peel and stick thing.
Well, seems to be pretty slow on the porch today.
FRANKIE, POSSUM, SPOT, BIG MAUDE and others, if you're out there, please check in.
Happy weekend,
MDC

June 15, 2019 - Msg 112384: Oops, cue THIS to .40 !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciqBHT64wgw

June 15, 2019 - Msg 112385: Good morning, porch! That enormous swallowtail butterfly is out there again, and I don't think he's missed a zinnia! Who knew that butterflies liked zinnias that much? I surely didn't, or I would have been planting them before now. That butterfly has to be as big as the palm of my hand, if not bigger, and he's out there every morning. Beautiful thing! I love butterflies!

Asa, I'm just getting so excited about the puppy! I can hardly wait, and it will be at least three weeks before I get her, maybe longer. The breeder doesn't release them until she feels like they're fully ready to go. I miss Toye Starr so much, I can't even think about her without tears coming, but I'm hoping that will get better when I have the new one to love. When I lost The Plum, I thought I'd never get over it, but then I got Toye Starr, and the rest is history. This is one time I hope history will repeat itself! I wonder just who this little angel will be??

Well, I've got to get dressed and head for the grocery store. I'm frying pork chops and making gravy, either tonight or tomorrow, for Father's Day for David and for Jerry. Eloise will bring something good to add, and I'll have noodles and maybe make biscuits, and a good veggie. I'll make a lot of gravy, enough so there'll be leftovers, and some of that spooned over a leftover biscuit will make a pretty good breakfast, or even dinner in a day or so. I make a mean milk gravy after frying chops or round steak, or chicken. My mom, and my grandmother and two of my aunts contributed to the way I make gravy, and I will brag on it without apology. It's good! I may not be a fancy cook (I let the snails go on by) but I can feed a crowd with good old plain country food, and they'll walk away smiling and rubbing their bellies! I had good teachers.

Regarding placebos - yes, they work. I've given a few in my nursing career. The doc's order might read: "2 cc NS IM q 2 hr PRN pain." Translation: "2 cc Normal Saline intra-muscular every 2 hours as needed for pain." You would be amazed at how well it worked, and the degree of effectiveness was heavily dependent on how the nurse presented and "talked up" the strength of the shot. Just like it was in that MASH episode! Interesting note: It didn't work too well on a drug-seeker, but it was amazing how well it worked on someone who was really hurting. Their mind had been conditioned by the nurse's words, telling them how well the injection would work, then they felt the little stick of the needle, and the mind did the rest. The endorphins would be released, and they really did get relief. That's why laughter makes us feel better, or petting a cat or beloved dog. All those things cause a release of endorphins into the bloodstream, and that little hormone is nature's painkiller.

Well, off I go. Boo, you're on my prayer list, dear girl. I hope things get better at work soon, and certainly pray that your family dynamics will find a happy place. Blessings! --Romeena
June 15, 2019 - Msg 112386: HAPPY EARLY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL OUR PORCHSTER FATHERS!
mdc :)
June 15, 2019 - Msg 112387: Hello everyone. It’s been a couple of days since I came to talk and I’m here at work right now and have a few minutes so I thought I would check on the porch. Thank you for your prayers as always we have good days and bad days. Things have improved here at work as far as the climate. It’s much cooler thank God for that. It is still fairly warm on the girls unit and I just heard one of the staff members say,”I smell like a pork rind on a hot Arizona street!” Ewww. Lol

Matt is still in the hospital as they are trying to get his blood thinners to the right level since he still has the blood clot in his heart. We are just very thankful that he is alive.

Sean is having a great time at Disney World, still

I am struggling some with standing my ground with Erin. I want her to come home but that doesn’t mean I can give in to certain of her behaviors. It’s a tough road but we will make it.

Just wanted to check in but have to go now.

Boo
June 16, 2019 - Msg 112388: Good Evening Porch,
Just a note to say hello to everyone and let you know that I am finally getting everything taken care of and in order. Doing fine but have been busy. It is hard when you are doing everything by yourself but I have got most everything done now. Just a few small things left. Have not been on the computer much lately.
Still make time for my Daily Mass and Rosary in the mornings at church. My faith has given me so much strength during these difficult times.

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dad`s out there.
Frankie
June 16, 2019 - Msg 112389: Happy Father's Day to all of the Porch Dads!!

************
possum u.a.r.
June 16, 2019 - Msg 112390: Happy Father's Day to all! cook out at the dog house .. Yall stop by for some BBQ and horse shoe pitching ! SPOT
June 16, 2019 - Msg 112391: HOT DOG 🌭👍...lol
June 17, 2019 - Msg 112392: Good evening, porch! I hope all you porch dads had a great day. I awoke this morning at 4:00, and realized the room was pitch dark, power was out. Nothing to do but go back to sleep, so I did. Power was still out when my battery-powered alarm clock sounded. I realized I couldn't go to church, as I wouldn't be able to get my car out of the garage. Could call Uber, but I would scare the driver away, since I couldn't do anything with my hair either - no dryer or curling iron. The power came back about 12:45. I had spent the downtime cleaning my kitchen and making early prep for dinner. I had David and Brittney and the boys, Eloise and Jerry and their kids and granddaughter, so fed 12 people. I fried pork chops, made a big pan of really good gravy, and had noodles, green beans and salad. Eloise made a freezer of ice cream and brought it, and I had sliced some strawberries and put a little sugar on them to draw juice, and it went well over the ice cream. Good meal, good table talk, and fun. When not eating, Hudson was in my office, with the door closed, playing the daylights out of my piano. He truly has a gift. With only a few months of instruction when he was five, he now just plays anything he wants to, no written music, he just plays. I will never understand that. I once asked a friend at church, who plays the same way, how on earth he can do it, and told him I don't understand how he can do it. His answer was simple. "Well, Lanni, I don't understand why you can't. I just do it!" Arrgggh!

Well, it's been a long and lovely day, and I'm pretty tired. Maybe I'll go to bed before midnight for a change. Blessings, all. --Romeena
June 17, 2019 - Msg 112393: RO--so sorry about the electricity going out. I hope you did not lose any food from the fridge after being out for so long. You didnt say anything, so I'm guessing all was OK. The dinner sure sounded good!
Speaking of electricity (you all will get the connection in a bit), last Sunday we closed out the Easter season with celebrating Pentecost, and today
we had the celebration of the Holy Trinity. Our pastor was on another roll... He told us that even tho most of us do not understand at all how electricity works, we still use it, and rely on it for so many things from lighting to running computers. (Gravity was another good example.)
Same with the Holy Trinity, it is a mystery to us about 3 Persons in the one God, and hard to understand,
yet we believe it and rely on it, and baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. :)
I also hope all you porch pops had a good day today. Maybe some just watched golf, or perhaps went to SPOT's BBQ!! :) Good seeing u Spot.
BOO--I sure feel your pain. The story of the Prodigal son comes to my mind. Even tho Erin is not nearly doing what the story speaks of, she is 'doing her own thing' right now, and like the father in the story, you are longing for her return. You may just have to let it play out,
and know that Jesus is hearing all our prayers.
Glad Matt is better. It takes a bit for the blood thinner levels to get in line.
POSSUM and FRANKIE, good to see u both!! Frankie, I know the work of which you speak. I was poa for both mom and dad. Even Social security wants a 'cut.'
ROMEENA--I have always wondered why they use Latin on prescriptions. Why cant they just be in the latter form, and instead of PRN, just write 'as needed'! ha And you Texans with your biscuits and gravy for breakfast! :)
Weather holding at about 103 this week. Later,
MDC


June 17, 2019 - Msg 112394: Hey Maude...Did you hear we have 125 signed up for the Meet-Up next month? Only one word for it BIG!
Possum & SPOT (or anyone else) it ain’t to late to sign up to come here’s the link to the form and schedule. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gr1xvQakqP9lzh2yOABflXkbJ2oAB_j4n3sJCbpc2hY/mobilebasic

G-F
June 17, 2019 - Msg 112395: Good Monday morning everyone, posting from work before my day gets busy.

GF: I did see where 125 have signed up for the meet-up. WOW! it going to be BIG. I am looking forward to seeing everyone. I have been making the podcast on Monday nights so I am getting to know people a bit better. it truly is a great group of people from all walks of life but the common denominator is we all love Mayberry.

weather has been hot and humid/muggy on my end of the porch.

Mr. Maude continues to job search. not sure what will come his way but surely God will put something in his path. thanks for praying for us in the situation.

My daughter,Beth made a huge purchase this week end. She bought her first car! She had driven a 2010 Cobalt since she was 16, it got her back and forth through high school, college and then to work. She had been saving her money for a down payment and found a 2018 Jeep Renegade with only about 18,000 miles on it. Her dad and I went and looked at it on Friday and then went with her on
Saturday primarily for moral support. She test drove it and then talked to the salesman and made the deal with him. She had a good down payment and a good credit score and got her payments exactly where she wanted them to be. She was able to finance the rest all on her own (without a co signer) and drove it home. pretty good for 25 year old I thought.

Romeena; so glad you found your fur friend. She will be one lucky puppy and you will have a companion again.

Boo; prayers for your job situation and for Erin and you. Things will sort out I am sure.


hey to Possum, ASA, MDC, SPOT, Frankie and everyone else I may of missed.
Lunch menu will be: thick sliced bologna ( add cheese if you like) sandwiches, with mayo and a slice of garden tomato, chips and a chocolate chip cookie for dessert. Tea or lemonade to drink.

Guess I better get busy.
Prayers and blessings to all
Big Maude
June 17, 2019 - Msg 112396: Good morning, porch! Cloudy and cool today at 71°, but the sun is peeking through. No telling what this afternoon will bring. Yesterday started off so wild, with power outages, warning sirens, tornado watch, high winds in some areas with uprooted trees, and nothing here but heavy, heavy rain. By 3 pm, the sun was out, the family came over, and we had a lovely evening. Go figure.

MDC, I was careful not to open the fridge or freezer, not even once, and everything was fine. The ice cream didn't even melt. Even the ice in the icemaker held up and delivered on demand without any trouble. I like what your pastor said about electricity, and I like your advice to Boo. I declare, for a Catholic, you sound more like a Baptist every day! I think we're all brothers and sisters, the children of the one and only God.

Big Maude, sounds like Beth is finding her way in a grown-up world, and making some solid decisions. Isn't it fun when that happens? Our Landry is 18 now, and will be going to North Texas University in the fall. I'm glad he chose to stay close to home - he could actually commute, but is planning to live in a dorm. That may not last too long. He's a neat freak, and if he gets a messy roommate, he may change his mind. Or convert the roommate!

Boo, those were good suggestions, from MDC and Big Maude. I know you're not making any unreasonable requests of Erin, and though she may buck and pitch right now, eventually she'll settle down. And always remember - it's your house, so - your rules prevail! Like it or not, that's the way the game is played. Stick to your guns!

MDC, just what is wrong with biscuits and gravy for breakfast?? Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, brother! If I spooned some of my hot milk gravy, made with fried pork chop drippings, over a fluffy homemade biscuit and handed it to you on a plate, you'd think you had just entered Heaven! To make it even better, a bowl of grits to go with it, and you'd hear angels sing. Reminds me of one of my favorite one-panel cartoons, saw it in a magazine. A man is sitting in a booth at a diner, looking at a plate of food on the table in front of him. An annoyed-looking waitress is standing beside him, saying "Well, if you didn't want grits, why'd you order breakfast?" That pretty much sums up a Southerner's opinion of grits. By the way, our local Kroger is only carrying instant grits now, can't find the regular kind. Grrr. Somebody's about to get a letter!

Speaking of breakfast, I think I'll go scare some up. I've got a dab of gravy left, but I'm going to put that on some rice tonight. Maybe I'll just have fruit. I've got a couple of small mangoes, and some strawberries. That'll do! Blessings, friends! --Romeena
June 17, 2019 - Msg 112397: Good afternoon all. Things are warming up here also, not as bad as most y'all I imagine though.

Hey Big Maude, good to hear from you. My continued prayers for Mr. Maude's job situation. I love your good outlook and agree wholeheartedly. God will deliver. And it sounds like Beth has been raised very well.

And hey to Frankie. I'm glad you are doing ok. I know how tough that can be.

Romeena and MDC, I have to ask about the gravy and biscuit thing. Biscuits smothered in sausage gravy, it just don't get much better than that. That is one dish I have not yet tried to cook myself, but one I always order when having breakfast out. I am always figuring on a headache afterwards because of the gravy, but it's almost worth it. The one time I don't mind my main dish concealed in a heavy sauce. :)
Romeena, I sure wish I could indulge in one of your pork chop dinners. They always sound so good, and that is one of my favorites. As much as my cooking has improved, my gravy making is still pretty lame. But I was spoiled. Debbie could make great gravy. And good gravy can save anotherwise mediocre meal IMNHO. LOL

Boo, yes you are in a tough situation with Erin. Trying to be mindful of her delicate state of mind, and yet having order in the home. All while trying to stay in sync with Bruce. Prayer for guidance is surely a must for you. BTW, You have cured any cravings I have ever had for pork rinds. :)

GF, Man I wish I could hook up with you for the meet up. Someday it might happen. Ya gotta give Judd a Chick fil a for me if he goes. lol I have a feeling that old feller has it made in the shade.

Earlier this morning I heard a ruckus in the backyard. Sounded like some mad birds. Well a Magpie had gotten into a nest of song birds and knocked it to the ground and was having breakfast. And mama was not happy about it a-tall. I have to tell you, I kind of think of those Magpies about how the folks of Mayberry thought about Carps. They are awful pushy. We just don't care for them to much around these parts. I have seen to many of them indulging on roadkill (usually skunks) to think very highly of them. I know, it's just Ma nature at work, but I tell ya, if Opie had been here with a slingshot in hand, I would have paid him for a hit, I would. Dang thing got two babies,

Dang, now I'm hankering biscuits and sausage gravy for supper and I ain't got the fixins for it. I'd settle for pork chops and mashed taters, but no fixins for that either. MDC and Romeena, DOGGONE YOU!! lol

Asa
June 18, 2019 - Msg 112398: RO--you made me think of Flo from the old show Alice when she would say "Well kiss my grits." ha
You know I was only razzin' you about the biscuit thing, tho I admit that i have never tried them. I ALMOST ordered them once at Cracker Barrel, but went with sliced turkey dinner instead! ha Regarding the catholic/ Baptist thing, that old saying comes to mind about how "sitting in a church doesn't make you a Christian any more than sitting in an c0ckpit makes you a pilot!" ha The good book says we must be doers of the Word. I may have forgotten to mention that we got a new pastor about a year ago, and he often sounds a lot like a fire and brimstone Baptist preacher! Definitely NOT dry as dirt!
BIG Maude-- good to see u posting. I got my first car at 25 as well. It was a '73 AMC Hornet! Drove it for 10 years. We treated each other well. :) Traded it in on a pick up, and have been in one ever since. Mr Maude is still in my prayers.
ASA--so, ... like Pavlov's dogs, you salivate at the mention of biscuits and gravy? ha
And I guess RO is is one of 'your kind' too. :) Have you ever BBQ'd pork chops? Oh my, now THAT is good eatin'. Smothered in a heavy BBQ sauce makes 'em even better. It sounds like your magpies are like our grackles here. They sure do try to take over the backyard sometimes.
GF--sounds like a great meet up coming up! Since we are going to Yellowstone later, my travel budget is tight. Say HI to everyone. Wish some would join us here on the porch.
I was thinking about TOM today and how much i miss his poems.
God's blessings to all,
MDC