ain't what she use to be

Disclaimer! This It’s Saturday might be “much to do about nutten” sooo get your mind set ready.  Chill out!  Joesixpack says—erv, you need to chatter a lot less, perform a lot more!  Get with it!  Hey listen folks, my neigbhor’s Christmas lights get in my eyes and that affects my thinking!  Joesixpack says--erv, you need to edit what you say and how your say it or you will never get elected to political office!  Ok, I realize that I might just be speaking Dutch to some of you folks! Such is life.

Up-tics! Christmas is an "up-tic" for many!  The "up-tic" can be created by small things, big things or some of each.  Maybe it’s how we perceive what is happening.  Or how we appreciate things.  Or what we know and feel.  Or how we make others feel.  Or maybe how others make us feel.  "Automaker Henry Ford asked electrical genius Charlie Steinmetz to build the generators for his factory. One day the generators ground to a halt, and the repairmen couldn't find the problem.  So Ford called Steinmetz, who tinkered with the machines for a few hours and then threw the switch. The generators whirred to life--but Ford got a bill for $10,000 from Steinmetz.  Flabbergasted, the rather tightfisted car maker inquired why the bill was so high. Steinmetz's reply: For tinkering with the generators, $10. For knowing where to tinker, $9,990. Ford paid the bill.

Wow, that was powerful stuff!  That is what I heard a lady say to two other ladies as they were leaving church last Sunday.  I arrived at church at the same time as some friends from previous years.  It was soooo good to see them again.  They invited me to sit with them.  These are good folks with good hearts (i.e. my kind of folks).  They made me feel, oh sooooo good. John's message was a lot more than "scratch where it itches" for obtaining the "wanted" Christmas happiness!  

The upside-down of  Christmas—humility vs. materialism.  Now that is always a battle it seems.  CrazyMarvin says--I can be humble one minute and be materialist the next.  I can turn it on and turn if off it seems (i.e. even when I don’t want tooooo).  It’s a battle for me folks.  Come on CrazyMarvin, it’s Christmas, relax and just enjoy.  Ok ok!  What will it take for me to “punch your ticket” to make everything good for you?  Tell me.  I want to know.  Your wish is my command sweetiepie. 

Give doctor the correct information!  I hear situations where folks don’t tell the doctor all the information.  In fact, I hear that this is one of the biggest problems of treating folks.  The doctors can’t do a good job if they don’t have all the information.  I know an old gray stallion who is a caregiver.  He told me he likes to get up early in the morning and just be alone.  He says he prays a lot and listens a lot and prays a lot and mediates a lot etc (i.e. giving the Doctor the correct information). 

Santa Claus will come and…Politicians keep spurring the old gray mare.  The Senate race in our area was really entertaining to me.  Funny!  One candidate says--It’s time to raise the minimum wage and I can do it. Like a junior politician from Iowa is going to do that. Santa Claus will come and give you a free BMW before that will happen folks.  Come on, Da!  That’s funny to me.  And how dumb do they think us seniors are anyway.  I mean—Saying that my opponent will get rid of Social Security!  Da!  No serious modern politician is going to take social security away from the seniors (i.e. they will never get re-elected).  Come on! Obviously they don’t think we are very smart. BUT there is a serious problem with that mentality.  That being – We are telling our leaders-- Don’t you dare address sensitive issues if you want to stay in office.  For the politicians, it’s all about getting elected or re-elected (i.e. it's all about the moolay and power folks).  ItchieBitchie asks—Is that why they call it politics?  SlickFred says--It appears to me that politicians sorta kinda vary from questionable to down right crocked. Such is life.

I’m not saying she’s an old gray mare folks.  Oh no!  She does have gray hair and is 85 here in a couple of days.  She is our one-eyed house checker!  Yep, she is a widow who lives sorta kinda kin corner across from our house.  We put a thermometer in the window and give her our binoculars and she checks the temperature in our house each day.  She is a very nice lady (i.e. a real person with a good heart—my kind of person).  ANYWAY before I left, we had a nice conversation.  She told me that when she was a kid, her three brothers and her got one Christmas present for all of them.  Once it was a sled, once it was a bike (i.e. girls bike so they all could use it) and one year her father gave them a neck scarf (i.e. more of a present for her).  She said they were always excited about their gift.  One present was enough.  We didn’t know any different. Wow! How things have changed. 

Basement grads!  Basement grads are the one-third of millennials (i.e. ages 18-31) who, because of the economy’s sluggishness in the sixth year of recovery, are living with their parents.  The basement grads want to spend a lot of $$$ at Christmas (i.e. they love giving gifts) but they don’t have any money other than their parents’.  They wear big hats but have no cattle.  Ouchy ouchy!  They just can’t understand why they can’t spend more!  It’s Christmas! BasementGradNina says—MyExhaustedVolcanoDad just doesn't understand.  Da!  BasementGradMaggie says—I know what I need and I need it now; I love Christmas.  I think, Maggie, I just gave you a shot to the belly even if you don’t know it.  Such is life.

We recently talked to a gal who was going to get married.  She is 30 years old with a 9 year old child. She is excited.  She told us she has raised her child by herself.  It has been hard but she has done it.  But, she said—I would never been able to do it without all the help of my parents and my grand parents.  I’m really happy for her and wish her the very best.  She’s marring a "stripped whistler" sooooo she should be ok. I was in the hot tub after a good run when a guy came in.  He was Ken from Pierre, SD.  He fishes a lot on the Missouri River and Lake Ohae.  He asked where I was from.  Soooo erv, are you a "stripped whistler"? "Stripped whistler" I asked, what's that?  They are IA farmers who come to our area and fish.  They seem to all have stripped bib overhauls on and are always whistling soooooo we all call them "stripped whistlers" in our parts.  Huh, interesting.

JoeBlow says—‘Tis better to receive than to give!  Or is it the opposite?  It’s one way or the other I think!  I’m a little confused.  LuckieEddie says--Don’t let Christmas do that to ya JoeBlow. The Christmas ad says--A Christmas kiss begins at Kay.  AverageJoe says--I seem to have pretty good luck with a six-pack of Bud.  And it's a lot cheaper. You old timers might relate more to mistletoe now that you aren't into beer drinking as much as when you were younger (i.e. some of you anyway).  The directions on box of mistletoe says-Remove from box, place strategically, stand underneath and wait patiently.  I remember my Mom, Anna, would always have mistletoe under the doorway from the kitchen to the living room. I don't remember how much kissing went on though!

The old gray mare ain’t what she use to be.  She use to be, when she was 7, soooo exited about Christmas.  She still might be excited but not the same way.  Maybe she is just excited about different things.  When she was a kid, she was soooo excited that she couldn’t keep a secret what dad was buying mom for Christmas.  She just couldn’t wait.  Sooooo she would spill the beans as she was just soooooo excited.  We have learned that confidentiality is soooooo important but that Christmas excitement of a child is soooooo much fun.  Jill complained to Nina, "Rosey told me that you told her the secret I told you not to tell her." "Well," replied Nina in a hurt tone", I told her not to tell you I told her." "Oh dear!" sighed Jill.  "Well, don't tell her I told you that she told me". That is not confidentiality folks.  That sounds like girl talk at the card table! 

Hikin'and runnin' in 'em 'er mountains!  I try to watch my every step while hiking and running up in 'em 'er mountains.  I don't want to twist an ankle or worse yet, stumble and fall (e.g. face plant).  BUT when I have my head down (i.e. like a powerful running back who has his head right above his shoe tops), I miss a lot of the beauty around me.  I wonder if I do that at Christmas and in my general life.  I wonder!  Maybe I need to stop and look around.  Maybe!  

ItchieBitchie says--It's a lot easier to pull someone down than to lift someone up! Soooo, even though it is hard, try to lift someone up this Christmas.  And don't let someone pull you down.  I wonder how King Solomon did all his shopping for his women at Christmas.  He had 300 wives and 700 concubines.  I wonder if he just gave them all the same gift (i.e. got a deal on line with free shipping).  I bet he liked some better than others.  I  bet they got nicer gifts.  I bet Christmas was a pain for him to keep all them woman happy. I bet he got a little giddy at Christmas (i.e. I bet he got posted up like raisin brand--someone using a big boy move by someone wearing big girl panties).  CadillacJack says--Christmas is a marketing law; TV says we have to abide by it.

Physical exercise! Doing some physical exercise encourages me.  It helps my mindset.  For the most part, we are a lot tougher than we think.  Christmas can come in many guises.  Some can cloud our judgement.  Some can energize us. Be careful that we don't get the IED--Intermittent Explosive Disorder.  IED is when we respond disproportionate to a real or perceived situation (e.g. road rage) at Christmas. SusieQ says--Instead, be a person's hype person.  Even if you have to head butt them to get their attention.  Do not be afraid, take courage and you will see what our God will do for you.

A Dutchman once said--Life occurs between two great events, moving from moment to moment between birth to death. One way to look at those moments is to see them as chance or luck. We are born by chance, living with bad luck or good luck, and dying when our luck runs out. Another way is to see life’s moments as a plan from God. We have the opportunity by faith to live all our moments under God’s Word and by his ways. Enjoy Christmas moment by moment. Our grand kids say-At Christmas, manipulating grandparents is like shooting fish in a barrel (i.e. that's a foregone conclusion). There ain't no luck involved.

Don't count your chickens before they're hatched!  In 1881 five outlaws stole gold and silver worth $125,000 from a stagecoach east of Flagstaff.  A posse tracked down and killed the robbers, but the loot was not found until 32 years later in 1913.  A man named Short Jimmy McGuire claimed he'd discovered it and showed gold coins as proof.  He began toasting his good luck in a Flagstaff saloon and suddenly fell over, dead from a heart attack, without revealing where the rest of the treasure was.  To this day, it's location remains a mystery.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyFriendJean says--It is not the ship in the water but the water in the ship that sinks it.