I'm not a spender!

I’m not a spender! I kidded a friend who is the landlord of the family farm (i.e. she is maybe 80+ and widowed) that with all the money the farmers are making here locally, she will have to raise the rent to her daughter and son-in-law. She said—no, ya gotta treat family right! I don’t need much money, I’m not a spender!

MissPerfect says--The things that I can't have I want. And what I have seems second-rate. The things I want to do I can't. And what I have to do I hate. MissPerfect, you sound rather pessimistic to me. Joesixpack says--I don’t thing I would like to live with you. Are you ever satisfied? I don’t think I could afford you; you would be toooooooo high maintenance for me. You would drive me crazy with your attitude. MissPerfect says—I’m really not a spender (i.e. sounds like she needs a big spender). Ya right! You and I probably would never get along. Such is life.

I wouldn’t consider myself a spender (i.e. it all depends on who you compare me to I guess). I like value for my dollar is my thinking. ANYWAY I love much about small town. I met a friend for breakfast recently and was ten minutes late. My watch was slow—needed a new battery I guessed. So after breakfast I went to the True Value and they put a new one in for me for $4.06. Now that is small town folks. I just plain love that. So I started talking with the owners who, of course I have known for years. I don’t remember exactly how we got talking about this but—They met at Arlyns’ Department Store maybe about 44 years ago. It was her college job doing security for a company that Arlyns’ contracted with and Bob was the assistant manager. She said to him that his tie and shirt didn’t match one day. He took off his sport coat and he had a large coffee stain on his shirt. She gave him a hard time about that—he said he didn’t have any clean shirts. She said she would do his laundry for him. She said—he paid me once!!!! He’s not a big spender folks! He said—so I started dating her—it was cheaper to date her than to pay for her doing my laundry!!!!! He also told her he was studying to be a priest—you fell for that—ya, I must have been naive. They have been married for 42 years. Such is life.  PS  His dress still looks about the same!!!!

I said to Arlene—Man you have it hot in the house! I’m cold and I don’t like to be cold; don’t you turn it down. I just came from someone’s house and I about froze. We can afford it; I don’t want to be cold; you just take off some of your cloths if you’re hot! Maybe she thinks I’m not a spender; you think?

Woman’s Boutiques attract SusieQ (i.e. she thinks she’s a major celebrity) like road kill attracts buzzards! MissPerfect says—that is why they advertise—‘cause she is just a sucker for buying stuff. She a spender and her husband is not a spender. Ouchy ouchy! Do you think there seems to be a spender and a non-spender in most marriages? Are there ever two spenders? How about two non-spenders? Saturday question—Are you a spender or a non-spender? Is a spending habit learned or is it genetic? SusieQ, was your mother a spender? My mentor says—You can’t tell how much money a guy has by how he dresses but you can by how his wife dresses!

Last Saturday morning, my friend Aaron age 11, and I went and had breakfast at Penny Penguin down town A’town. I gave Aaron some money to go to the counter and pay. We each had 2 eggs, toast, he had orange and I had coffee. The bill was $6 and something. Aaron said to me—Man that’s not much! Then he and I went over to my MyFreindJean’s place and we played Mexican train dominoes. We all had a good time (i.e. Aaron and I had never played that before). Ya don’t have to be a big spender to have a good time. Here is another example—Sunday night I went into the sun porch and watched the most beautiful, magnificent fall sunset for about 45 minutes. It was out of this world (i.e. my opinion). And it didn’t cost me anything. Such is life in my head!

Last Saturday night I took Arlene on a cheap date (i.e. I’m not a spender). We went to a metro church and then to HyVee for Chinese. The kid at the cash register asked—do you have a 2for1 coupon—no—do you have one for us—yes I do. So it was really a cheap date. We bought a few grocers while we were there. Nate, the checkout, reminded me about a song sung by the Brothers Four that I use to listen to during my college days. I purchased some herring fillets in wine sauce (i.e. one of my favorites @ $2.89/lb—mabye I’m a spender). Nate was checking us out and checked my pickled herring and said—I really like pickle herring too. Then he said—but if I eat them all the time I don’t care for them as much; Ya have to eat them like an occasional treat. ANYWAY the song goes like this, "After You've been Eating Steak a Long Time, Beans Taste Fine": Now a friend of mine, way back in Chicago You know, he finally made his pile. Well he got himself a mansion on Butler and Sheff An' h He was livin' in the latest style; But I run into him, he was eatin' in a greasy spoon While parked in front was his big limousine. I said, "Buddy, you've got so much money How come you're in here, eatin' beans?" An' he said After you've been havin' steak for a long time Beans, beans taste fine. An' after you've been drinkin' champagne and brandy You gonna settle for wine. He said "The world is funny, and people are strange And man is a creature of constant change, and After you've been havin' steak for a long time Beans, beans taste fine." Hey, I did put something in the collection plastic pail at the church!!!!!!!

The Rebublicans’ battle cry was—we are not spenders! We’ll see now won’t we. Seems to me that we have heard all this before. Talk is cheap but who likes to tell someone that your payment will no longer be in the mail and we are going to have to increase your taxes! Ya can’t spend more than you make; it just ain’t going to work very long. But then you can print more money (i.e. have infation—usually the way governments get out of debt). And the cycle continues. You ever notice how folks are always suckers when they think they can get something for nutten (i.e. it works every time). ANYWAY GerogeTheCrook says--the easiest way to get rich is still to inherit it or marry it.

Recently some friends and I were talking about the aesthetic look of the church we attend.  One of the friends said--I'm not interested in the aesthetic look; I didn't even notice the situation that you guys are talking about.  I'm more interested in the economical side of  situations (i.e. he's a money guy--saver&giver I think).  When we were departing, I asked him what's really important to him--He said--relationships.  So I would guess he spends most of his time thinking about relationships (i.e. and he probably does).  This friend is an ascetic.   

LuckieEddie says--There are savers and there are spenders. The spenders might say—how come they have some money for retirement? Da! Have you ever noticed that it’s a lot easier to spend someone else's money than your own (e.g. any government organization). There is an old saying that goes something like this—One generation makes it (i.e. saves it) and the next generation spends it. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” ~Thomas A. Edison~ ~ Ya it takes work to change your spending habits. I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it—Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits (i.e. that’s from the Book folks)…You will never change your life until you change something you do daily (i.e. this isn’t). Haven’t heard anything from the Ol’Viking for a while but I would guess he would say something like this—The best time to start saving is right now. Suggestion (i.e. not advice)--If you are struggling with your spending, find a mentor and get some advice.  Why do you want to continue to hit your head against the wall.  But don't be surprised if it's hard to change your spending habits 'cause it is.  Do you really think you can give 10% to God, save 10% and live on the rest?  I had an friend say to me recently--I never believed that when I would give 10% to God that things would be soooooo good for me; I didn't do it for that reason but WOW was I surprised!

I'm not a spender BUT I have an idea for you to spend. I took Arlene's car for the day this week and I really had a good experience.  She had the "Heart of Thanksgiving" CD in the player.  It is one of the best CD I think I every heard (i.e. it really affected me).  ANYWAY I asked her about it and she said we got it from Family Live (i.e. Weekend to Remember).  Free!  It's by Spring Hill Music Group, Inc.  I went on line to try to find it on Family Life but couldn't find it so I called them--no longer have it.  Sooooooo I looked on Amazon and yep you can get it there.  Used for $4.75 plus $3.99 shipping.  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=Heart+of+Thnaksgiving&x=16&y=16  I suggest you spend some of moldy money and get it.  I think it's a great investment (i.e. it's only money).  We spend millions trying to improve other parts of our life (e.g. golf lessons, makeup, self-help books, financial planning etc) so $8.74 is small in comparison.  That's my opinion.  I mean this CD really affected me. 

I bet some of you think I'm giving you hell when I talk about saving.  Well, I really am not.  ~ Former U.S. President, Harry S Truman commenting on the famous "Give 'em hell Harry" slogan shouted at his speeches.~I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell.

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

erv

KR's thought of the day--Don't pray for rain unless you're willing to put up with the mud.  MyFiendJean says--There is no scale or chart on earth to measure what a true friend is worth.

Think about it!

Disclaimer—Don’t believe much what I say. First of all most of what I write I get from Joesixpack and the rest of his friends. Also, tomyface, a friend said to me this week—what kind of soup have you been eating anyway erv!!!!! And that's from a good friend; I would hate to guess what those who aren't my friends are saying behindmyback!  I would suggest you would be careful what you believe in this "It's Saturday"--unless the shoe fits!  I know about as much as most of you IA folks who voted either yes or no about removing the IA Supreme Judges (i.e. most folks didn’t have a clue what the real issue was I would guess; they just voted their emotions. Nutten wrong with that I guess; we live in America; it’s our right and privilege.

#15 Iowa Hawkeyes 37 the #5 Michigan State Spartans 6. Some think it was the great play by the Hawkeyes. I think it was the crazy Hawkeye fans that zapped the Spartans (i.e. see the pics I took before the game). Think about it! ANYWAY it was a great game to watch for us Hawkeye fans. Coach Mark Dantonis, MI States’ coach, (i.e. I like this guy) said this in his post-game interview-- "Sometimes you get caught up in the glamour of everything. Everybody's patting you on the back for being the No. 5 team in country, and sometimes it can get to you. We have to refocus and we'll be ready next week,"..."I do think our football team will handle this. The reason I thought our football team was special, when I said this to them in February, was because we can handle adversity," Dantonio said. "That has to take place now."..."Life is not fair; we'll find out what we are made out of next Saturday." Hey Coach, you are right, life is not fair--the only thing that's fair is the Butler County Fair and that's in June I think. Such is life.

Joesixpack says—There are those who are good and then there are those who are lucky! And then there are those who are both lucky and good. Some folks seem to get all the breaks it seems. SusieQ says—Then there are those who resemble a good old blue-chip stock; fairly stable, has some ups and downs but mainly trend upward. AverageJoe says—Do you think some folks make their breaks? GeorgeTheCrook asks--Have man’s instincts ever changed—man has always been aggressive, always striving to dominate, trying to control the world and everything in it (i.e. that’s why we will have war and probably always will). I read while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it this—The #1 topic that Jesus talked about the most was money (i.e. not how to make it either)! Thanks for the insight Joesixpack, GeorgeTheCrook, SusieQ, Jesus and AverageJoe, I’ll think about it! Such is life.

MissPerfect says--My feet have been cold since Carter was president! I still have cold feet about lots of things. Like what MissPerfect? Like elections--Hip Hip Hooray they are over! I was soooooo tired of negative campaigning that it made me sick (i.e. it must work as they all spend millions doing it). I don’t believe half of what they say and the other half isn’t true (i.e. it seems like most of them talk out of both sides of their mouth—they talk a lot but don’t say much). My mentor says—Figures don’t lie but liars figure! We must really be something, they tell us they are going to lower taxes and give us more benefits. They keep saying that and we keep believing it (i.e. must do to get elected—if they said we are going to raise taxes and cut benefits they can’t get elected—and getting elected is the only think they really care about). Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. GeorgeTheCrook says—After folks lie, after a while, ya wonder when their lying (i.e. are they lying now or were they lying then). Liars are always singin’! Liars’ mouths are well oiled and efficient! They seem to do that out of habit after a while. Cadillac Jack says—I know a few folks who are that way--they just make me laugh. These folks have blown their trumpet for so long that no one hears it any more—so if they have something that is important, they get no attention. Liars are sorta kinda like snake oil salesmen; I sorta kinda just tune out the noise! Will Wilberttheliar change—I think not! Think about that folks. I just got done reading John Grisham’s new book The Confession; I like his books and think I have read all his 24 previous ones. ANYWAY one of the characters is a guy who is an ex-con named Travis Boyette who is a compulsive liar. They constantly question anything he says as he has lied soooooooooo many times. SusieQ says—Talk is cheap; let’s watch your actions! When someone has a checkered past, folks want to see your actions to prove themselves for a few years and then they’ll start having more confidence in that person. Until then, folks’ trust in them will probably be sketchy. Think about that.

Something smells different! Something feels different! Something just looks different! I can’t put my finger on it, but something is different. When folks think about others, things chance—think about that folks. "Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others"? ~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~ Theguywho’sfullofwisdom says—Being kinder is the best way to change your life. Think about that. Saturday question—Do you put things in proper perspective? Think about that. I read this while eating my oatmeal with raspberries on it—One true measure of success in life is the measure of spiritual progress that we have revealed in our lives…The measure of His will that those around us have seen worked out in our daily living is the measure of our true success. I hope that sticks to me like the dried up oatmeal sticks to my dirty breakfast bowl! I hope I have my latter leaning up against the right wall. If I don’t --ouchy ouchy!

Oh man, think about this. I went to the new young, little, pretty, female dentist this week. They had me laid back and her and her female assistant were doing some work in my mouth. It was 8 o’clock. It seemed to go well until I got out of the chair. Ouchy ouchy! I didn’t zip up my fly on my blue jeans! Oh man! Good thing I had my sorta kinda blue boxers on! What should I do or say—they had to see it as they were looking down on me during this time. I said nutten. I bet they had a good laugh after I left (i.e. woke them up for the morning). I have no idea what they thought about that! I probably will never know. I know one thing for sure, when I go back next year I will double-check my zipper before going in. Two years in a row would not be good!

“I am a slow walker; but I never walk backwards.” ~ Abraham Lincoln ~ I get confused easily about a lot of things. Do you ever get confused? Some times I’m just not sure. Some times I wonder about things a lot. Do you ever? WildWilly says—Sometimes things aren’t as they appear (i.e. think about that). It was a sunny Saturday morning, and Minnesota’sBigKahuna was beginning his pre-shot routine at the Rolling Hills Country Cub, visualizing his upcoming shot when a voice came over the clubhouse loudspeaker: "Would the gentleman on the Ladies tee please back up to the men's tee, please!" TheBigKahuna was still deep in his routine, seemingly impervious to the interruption. Again the announcement: "Would the man on the women's tee kindly back up the men's tee!" TheBigKuhna had had enough. He shouted: "Would the announcer in the
clubhouse kindly shut up and let me play my second shot!"

Think about getting a second opinion about almost everything. You hear that—second opinion! That is what it is, an opinion. I read this--When my one-month-old baby girl Elza and I wound up in the hospital because she was below her birth weight, I called my sister and asked her to put in a prayer request with you. It was a very frightening and stressful time. We had been to see our local pediatrician for Elza's one-month check-up. The doctor told me her lack of weight gain was due perhaps to a food allergy or because I was not producing enough breast milk. She did not take seriously my suggestions that there was something wrong with the baby's digestion. We went for a second opinion and the other doctor immediately sent us to the hospital. Elza had a lot of tests done, and it turned out that she had a staph infection that was causing her diarrhea. MissPerfect says—Think about it; maybe ask for a second opinion (i.e. maybe you and your friend don’t know all the answers—even if you think you do).

Think about it! I received a card from the American Red Cross thanking me for giving blood. I think that is nice—I appreciated it. See, someone likes me! The special reason is I’m O- blood type a.k.a. the universal blood type. They say that just 7% of the population has type O- blood and less than 1% of the population donates type O- blood. There is typically a greater need for type O- blood than there is supply. I try to do my part as many of you do—I have given about 9 gallons so far. I wish I would have given more but I didn’t get started early enough. So throw those chips away, get your butt off the couch and go and give blood. You can give in Aplington on November 9. It’s a gift you can give and it won’t cost you a cent! Such is life. Opportunity! You just never know now do you. Think about that. I really like Dave. Yes I do. I am reprinting this with his permission: something he wrote in the weekly newsletter that I want you to think about. ~ Thoughts from the General Presbyter: Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation who consoles us in our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God”. II Corinthians 1:3-4. These two verses teach us God is in the consolation business and one of the resources available to God to offer comfort is someone else who has gone through a similar experience. I made a fast trip to Sioux Falls for a memorial service on Tuesday. My sister-in-law’s brother died. He was 53, struggled with Multiple Sclerosis for 20 years – then lung cancer. His name is Rick. If you grew up in a small community you know what it is like – my brother and his future wife dated for most of their High School years, married when they were 18 and 19. My brother’s wife’s sister was in my grade, she and I made it into the Iowa All State Choir three out of four years in High School. Her brother Rick was in my little sister’s class. We were in each other’s homes - quite a lot of shared history. As the preachers were pontificating at the memorial service, a memory came back to me. Early in 1974 Rick lost his dad, suddenly to a heart attack. His dad was 58. On October 1st of 1975 I lost my dad, suddenly to a heart attack, Dad was 57, I was 22. Of the streams of folks who came to offer their comfort, a few stand out. Rick, who would have been 18 then, came with his mother to sit with us. I remember when he shook my hand and said, “It will never be the same but at least it will get to the place where it doesn’t hurt all the time.” I am amazed he came that day – he was not very social. And, if you would have known Rick you would know profound is not the word you would use for Rick, but he was that day – because he knew what I was going through. Are you open to being an agent of God’s comfort? Reach out to someone who is going through an experience you know. You probably just have to say one sentence and then sit there and 35 years later someone will remember it. With love in Christ, Dave Feltman

I had the opportunity to sub-teach a couple of half days this week. Some kids seem soooooooooo disrespectful to me and some are soooooooo respectful. One boy seemed unusually disrespectful (i.e. maybe he had a attention deficit problem—I don’t know). ANYWAY I finally said—I was thinking of going to play golf today but here I am; If you want me to treat you like kindergartners I guess I will; you go and sit in the desk in the corner (i.e. I said it rather loud and in a different voice). I don’t get paid enough to put up with this! The class got real quit; then a boy in the back said—If I were you, I would have gone and played golf! JoeThePlumber says—No one respects me either. Yabut—“Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers. ~Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC)~ I asked my mentor Wednesday morning if he ever gets misunderstood—of course, we all understand the situation differently and interpret it by our personal background (i.e. how we have been programmed by our past). Sooooooooooo maybe some of those students have no idea that they are being disrespectful! You think so! Think about it. I talked to a very responsible, mature young man in the same class. He was a football player who just got beat the night before in the playoffs (i.e. it’s a lot more fun to win than to lose folks). ANYWAY I congratulated him on the fine season and we had a very nice talk. Sooooooo do you participate in a winter sport? Yes I wrestle—what weight—160—how much do you weigh now—173—can you get down to 160—oh ya—how in the world can you do that—work out and don’t eat! There are some very nice kids at every age and in every community—there really are. But there are others who really spoil it for everyone (i.e. much like our society). Think about that.

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

erv

KR’s thought of the day—Wisdom is knowing when to speak your mind and when to mind your speech. MyFriendJean says—Kindness is becoming at any age.

Spooky

It’s pumpkin time folks. It’s that time of the year. Oh yes. Are children overprogramed? I mean do they have tooooooo much going on? Is that rather spooky do you think? Maybe the adults are overprogramed. You think so? GeorgeTheCrookThePumpkin says—Everyone wants to be first in line! Maybe it’s just pumpkin time! Hey I had the most delightful time with a 7th grader who’s name is Ben. He helped me (i.e. actually did it) convert my iTunes from my desk computer to my laptop. He called it sharing I think. He is one smart, pleasant young man. Good things will happen to him. Oh yes! He’s not spooky folks but his knowledge about the computer is to me. Such is life.

The jack-o-lantern has eyes that glow in the dark. Now that is spooky! Another pumpkin has pea green eyes! Pea green like in envy and jealously. Ouchy ouchy! Our little 10-month-old grand daughter, Charlie, has this certain expression and look. She looks right into my eyes like she knows exactly what I’m thinking; it’s like she is looking right through me. I call them “her gripping eyes”. It’s almost spooky.

The OldCrow’s problem is NOT that someone said some stuff that made the OldCrow mad. The OldCrow’s problem is that he got mad at some stuff someone said. That’s spooky folks. Hey, give the OldCrowThePumpkin a break, his best is still coming. He just doesn’t realize it. He might be a little spooky but give him a chance. WildWillie says--BeingperfectlyFrank--He is just plain scared today (i.e. we all get that way at times—that is spooky isn’t it). Such is life.

CadillacJackThePumpkin says--Ministry happens when our greatest passion meets the world’s greatest needs (i.e. the world’s greatest need might be a little thing that some kid needs NOW!). And you know what—you might be the person to provide that need. Now that is spooky isn’t it (i.e. maybe and maybe not). I have told you this before—I pray for opportunities, I pray that I can recognize these opportunities, and I pray that I have the courage to act on them. Arlene and I had the opportunity to visit with a coach in church Sunday that is doing just that—seeing an opportunity and acting on it. He has a huge massive opportunity. I’m going to share part of an email I got back from a smart parent pertaining to last week’s It’s Saturday -- You are right on target. Our daughter is the Director of Student Activities at …university. She has a masters degree, works 100 hours a week during her busy season, makes a very very modest salary, but loves her job because she knows she is where God wants her to be and because every day she has the opportunity to affect the lives of young people. Contentment is found in doing God's will. My opinion folks—this gal and guy are not lost at sea but are in the middle of the action. Good things will happen to them. Sooooooooo maybe it’s not all about money!

JoeBlowThePumpkin says—It’s spooky when everyone complains about constant stress! Ouchy ouchy! I read this in the paper (i.e. it’s spooooooooky sooooooo be careful)--In 1960, the U.S. ranked 12th best in the world on infant mortality. In 2007, we were in 44th place. In life expectancy, the U.S. ranks a startling 50th, despite spending twice as much or more on health care as nations with longer lifespans. According to the Gallup emotional well-being polls of 150 countries, with each scale ranging from least (No. 1) to most (No. 150), America ranks 68th in sadness, 75th in anger, 89th in worry and anxiety and an astonishing 145th in overall stress. The five countries with higher stress levels include Iraq and Afghanistan, whose citizens face daily violence and war! There's more. America imprisons more of its citizens than any other nation. Americans consume 66 percent of the world's antidepressants. Of developed nations, America has the largest percentage of children living in poverty…America's key measure of well-being is Gross Domestic Product. The CIA's Fact Book reports per capita GDP of $46,500, nearly the highest in the world…So what are the most important contributors to our happiness? Perhaps not surprisingly, GDP is not among them. We are happier when we feel secure - that is, we can work and provide support for ourselves and our families without fear of being summarily dismissed or outsourced, and when we are not threatened with violent crime or war. We are happier when we spend time with family, friends and nature, and when we volunteer in our communities and give to others. We are not happier when we work longer and acquire more stuff. MissPerfectThePumpkin says—we have a tendancy to fall for the sucker punch; yes we do (i.e. sucker punch being stuff and money).

I read in the paper (i.e. so it must be right) that small kids have a hard time distinguishing what is real is and what is make believe (i.e. especially at Halloween). Hey listen, it’s spooky to old folks tooooooo (i.e. we have a hard time distinguishing between reality and make believe)! Anthony and Beth suggested we give our little grand daughter Erin a children’s Bible story book for her third birthday. We did. We were Skyping with Erin the other day and asked her what her favorite story in her Jesus book (i.e. as she calls it)—Erin said—the boo boo ouchy man (i.e. Good Samaritan) and the sneaky snake story. She doesn’t understand what these stores are really about but…what monkey sees, monkey does!

Spooky spooky! Most folks have more stuff than they know what to do with and yet many are depressed to different levels. Depression is depressing. IthcieBitchieThePumpkin says--Drips not only drives us nuts, but will never go away unless we fix them. I had the opportunity to teach three sections of 7th reading and one section of Home Ec. We read and discussed the poem Raven by Edgar Ellan Poe. That poem is rather depressing. One of the students called it spooky. Do any of you remember it? What do you think of it?

I golfed in a five some recently (i.e. we played captain’s choice). The wind was about 30mmp. One of those guys a.k.a. a friend says he is 18 and ¼ hands tall in response to Ed saying he was 5 foot 21 inches tall. I told him that reminds me of my Daddy, Chester, who would always talk about horses’ height in hands. This friend who is 18 and ¼ hands tall is a horse in a lot of ways (i.e. he gets things done; much like another friend who I call Secreterate). These guys are almost spooky with their inner drive. I’m just a little pony compared to these two horses.

Pat Knight, the head basketball coach of Texas Tech, said—It doesn’t matter if you are a head coach or in business—any time you are the head of something and it’s your third year, it’s your baby; you need to win or get fired (i.e. that’s basically reality folks now isn’t it). Our future can look spooky now can’t it? Our past can also look spooky now can’t it? LuckieEddieThePumpkin says—Are you expecting a terrific tomorrow, or are you dreading a terrible one? The answer to that question will have a powerful impact on the way tomorrow unfolds. The way you think about your future will play a powerful role in determining how things turn out (i.e. it’s called “self-fulfilling prophecy,” and it applies to everybody, including you). I read a book recently (i.e. a no brainier fiction about the life in the SW in the late 1800s through about 1950 about a ranch family). What I learned was that no one’s life is perfect (i.e. we all have speed bumps). But we must go forward (i.e. life will not stop). Then we had the opportunity to have dinner with friends this last weekend who have had their share of speed bumps (i.e. maybe more than some and not as many as others) who shared again with me that we just gotta go forward with where ever God leads us but it isn’t always easy. The Bear said—I have learned to enjoy the simple things more—and most simple things come in the form of relationships. We laughed a lot too (i.e. they were very refreshing to me—touched my heart). Some folks are spooky; these folks are not (i.e. they are very transparent—real folks with huge massive hearts—my kind of folks). MissPerfect says—Ya never get over it but you get through it; life, after all, does pass this criminal habit of continuing even when it shouldn’t. As we were walking out of church Sunday we had a little conversation (i.e. about 5 of us) that every one has speed bumps in our lives. Some times others don’t even know we have them. One smart, pretty gal said—I think I know less every year; age has a way of making me think I’m clueless about some things. AverageJoeThePumpkin says—Every year that goes by brings us closer to the next one! Ouchy ouchy! That can be spooky folks! Don’t worry folks, I read some place this—To every thing there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. My mentor told me at breakfast this week—I pray for my kids every day; I pray that they can handle the speed bumps in their lives (i.e. notice not if they have speed bumps but when they do). I think that is wisdom folks. What do you think? My Daddy, Chester, always told me—Everyone has problems. It’s just that people handle them differently. Such is life.

I got an email from a friend who we meet maybe 10 years ago. She lives in assisted living and we had the opportunity to stay with her as we she was our hostess. She is the most delightful lady. ANYWAY she shared with us how God talked to her (i.e. literally talked to her). She said she hasn’t shared that with anyone (i.e. some folks might thing she is spooky). There are others of you who have had this experience and probably haven’t even shared it with anyone (i.e. ‘cause you don’t want others to think you’re spooky as well). How many of you have God talked to you or you have felt his presence in a very real way? Have you shared it with anyone? Have you every asked anyone if they have?

When we as folks make huge massive changes in our lives, it can be spooky all right. I know a friend who is trying to do just that (i.e. change his thinking and how he has acted in his past). Change from someone that a person has been for many years to someone who they think they want to be takes courage, support, and a strong desire (i.e. that is my opinion). GeoregeTheCrookThePumpkin says--Most folks don’t see the need to change, don’t want to change or have the fortitude to change.

Boo to you! Have a frightfully fun Halloween.

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

erv

KR’s thought of the day—In a crisis, rise to the occasion but don’t hit the ceiling. MyFriendJeans says—One thing is sure—if you laugh at your troubles you will probably always have something to laugh about.

What makes you tick?

When I was eating my oatmeal with strawberries on it I read this—There is only one way to get full satisfaction from life and that is to live the way you believe God wants you to live. Live with God in that secret place of the spirit and you will have a feeling of being on the right road. You will have a deep sense of satisfaction. Saturday question—does that make you tick?

What makes him tick? I’m afraid that sometimes we as Americans act like a buck deer during rut (i.e. has his mind on one thing). He makes his mark and his brain is not in his head but…! What makes that buck tick? Well during rut it’s the does and during the rest of his life, it’s survival. He will do anything to survive (i.e. usually very savvy). We as Americans are becoming wantabes, hacks, and scrubs using any method (i.e. whateverittakes) to make some money and survive. How do you and I make our mark? GeorgeTheCrook says—Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

What makes you tick--A farmer had only one horse. One day, his horse ran away. All the neighbors came by saying, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “We'll see.” A few days later, his horse came back with twenty wild horses. The man and his son corralled all 21 horses. All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “We'll see.” One of the wild horses kicked the man's only son, breaking both his legs. All the neighbors came by saying, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “We'll see.” The country went to war, and every able-bodied young man was drafted to fight. The war was terrible and killed every young man, but the farmer's son was spared, since his broken legs prevented him from being drafted. All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “We'll see.”

LuckieEddie says--Be careful what you say and do ‘cause it’s soooooooo easy to get misunderstood—just be generic, impersonal, non emotional, vanilla, non-transparent and invisible. And for God’s sake, keep your mouth shut! To those in North Dakota, Minnesota, and for that matter the rest of the country, including Canada, I must report the sad news that Ole was shot. He was up by the Canadian border on his 4-wheeler cutting some trees when some rangers looking for terrorists spotted him. According to the news reports, the rangers shouted to him over a loudspeaker, "Who are you and what are you doing?" Ole shouted back, "OLE...BIN LOGGIN'!" Ole is survived by his wife Lena and Lena's good friend Lars.

I was golfing with some guys the other day and riding along in a guy’s cart. He and I talked about where we went to church. He was telling me about a situation where he thinks a pastor lied to him twice (i.e. that is what he thinks and believes). He said we were out of there (i.e. that church). And the worse thing was his kids were around him when he lied—that’s really good to teach your kids—they can see it as well as I. Ouchy ouchy! Did that pastor lie? I don’t know but this gentleman thinks he did so that’s all that mattered to him. We live in America where you can go to any church you want. So what makes this pastor tick anyway do you think?

Does gossip make you tick? Joesixpack says--If your heart is right, your world will be right. The beginning of all reform must be in yourself. It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you take it…break the twin habits of negative thinking and critical speech. Some really important guy said this—Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Can you guess who said that? Gossip hurt folks—I really don’t understand why folks just don’t step right in there and quench it (i.e. nip it in the bud). You guys are my friends—if I hear gossip about you, I would do just that (e.g. I hope if I would hear two people talking and accusing you or implying you are having an affair—I would step right in and ask, are you sure you have that right—do you know how damaging that can be to a person instead of not saying anything and then passing it on to the “supermothersofgossip”. MissPerfect says—Remember if you are around folks who gossip about others, they will gossip about you when you are not around tooooooo (i.e. it’s not if, it’s a slam dunk folks—they are the little folks of the world). Saturday question—Are you and I little folks or big folks of this world? You and I are the only ones that know for sure (i.e. we are the experts). Does gossip make you tick? Such is life.

ItchieBitchie says—Well, flip the pancake. Ya right, never be critical of anyone; always be forgiving. Sounds like America to me! Anything goes and is okay. You can have bad morals, ethics, do illegal stuff, have an affair, cheat, steal, be a really bad person and our society says—that’s okay; it’s part of being American (i.e. at least that’s the way it looks). We are becoming very generic, vanilla, weak spined, impersonal, and just plain don’t stand for anything anymore. We want to politically correct so we don’t loose our job, be neutral about everything so we don’t offend anyone as we don’t want to loose any customers. We are careful who we touch, who we talk to, who we are with, what a man says to a woman, careful how a man compliments a woman, what we say about our faith in God, what we say about a different religion, how we refer to another race and list goes on and on. We stand for nutten and care about nutten unless it affects our pocketbooks and then look out. If we continue, we will be another Roman Empire (i.e. where is the Roman Empire anyway) and I can’t see anything on the arisen that will turn this around (i.e. my opinion). All of government is the same. It’s just a big snowball going down the mountain gathering size and where it will stop, only God knows (i.e. maybe that’s a slang statement or it might be a literal statement). It will change folks. Yes it will. No question. But we might not like the change. The change always occurs when it can’t function anymore (i.e. usually decided by money). Money seems to always make us and everything else tick. Such is life.

I stopped for a snack before my bike ride the other day at a convenience store in Cedar Falls. They have a chalk board on the outside of their business and this is what they had written on it this week—A person is rich who they are, not what they have! Proverbs 13:7. Now I think that takes courage in our society today. Sooooooo not everyone is a wimp! I learned a huge massive lesson the other day from a friend. Yes I did. I learned how I don’t want to be. And sorry to say, I think I’m like him sometimes. I don’t think he realized he taught me this lesson.

What makes you tick? Maybe you guys think I’m all wet. Maybe you guys think I’m just crazy and am way out in left field (i.e. tooooooo idealistic). Maybe you say, just settle down erv, and play the game; do what you have to do to get along to live in this world, make the most of it; don’t get sooooo excited; learn the tricks; just go with the flow; become part of the masses; learn to become just like the majority; it will be all right (i.e. Chester and Anna probably said the same thing 60 years ago); relax, the government will take care of you (i.e. I was told by a friend that 40% of Americans are on some form of subsidy—don’t get soooooo excited about that, many of us are part of that 40% in some form). My opinion is that this spending just can’t continue (i.e. it just ain’t goin’ to work). Personally I don’t now anyone in America that goes to bed hungry. Do you? I know of no one who does not get medial care. Do you? It seems like a lot of people spend more time devising schemes and scams to make money than working. What in the world is going on here folks! Well flip the pancake. Arlene and I volunteered to help fill food bags (i.e. 1. Rice, the most widely accepted grain around the world. 2. Extruded soy nuggets, providing maximum protein at lowest cost. 3. Vitamins, minerals and a vegetarian chicken flavoring to give growing children the critical nutritional elements they need. 4. Dehydrated vegetables for flavor and nutrition) for Feed My Starving Children http://www.fmsc.org/ In their video, they said there were 18,000 kids who die of starvation in the world every day. Ouchy ouchy! Feed My Starving Children make up 128,000,000 meals a year (i.e. all by volunteers). Wow!

A couple of friends (i.e. one being my mentor ages 84 and 90) and I had breakfast Wednesday morning (i.e. it’s an honor to be around them). They both just returned from the Honor Flight (i.e. WWII Vets to Washington). They really enjoyed it with many different emotions (i.e. what makes them tick). They both said the biggest thing, which they saw and know, is—Freedom is not free! Their group had 29 vets and Ivan was the youngest at 84—now you know John is 90. They told me that a 1,000 WWII vets die daily. They said WWII was an experience but they both would not want to do it again. I asked them how the war experience changed them—both didn’t think it changed them (i.e. these are solid folks, the salt of the earth). I asked them if they thought folks would get in line to volunteer for the military like the folks did during the WWII time if something would happen today—no way! they said. I honor these guys (i.e. my heroes). Freedom is not free folks. WWII had about 400,000 American war deaths they told me. Wow. Soooooooo what makes America tick today?

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

erv

KR’s thought of the day—Evil thrives when good folks do nutten! My FreindJean says—The world would be far better if we let opportunity do all the knocking.

Talk yourself right into it

She talked herself right into it! Helen Lescheid writes--A friend of mine, recovering from a deep depression, said his turnaround came when he realized, “I have a choice. I can continue to blame my upbringing, past traumatic experiences, and life’s injustices for the emotional mess I’m in, or I can focus on today and begin to take small steps of recovery.” Like him, I got myself out of a pit of self-pity and despair by focusing on the fact that if Jesus Christ lives in me, I’m a new creation. I can leave the old behind and claim my new position in Christ. But it was a choice I had to make many times a day. ItchieBitchiek says—I think they talked themselves right into it!

She talked me right into it! Yes she did. I was getting some information from city hall when Deb says—take a couple of light bulbs with you (i.e. new energy efficient ones). I said, na, I don’t think so. She said—they are free (i.e. she talked me right into it). She also said that in the near future we won’t be able to buy the old inefficient style if I like it or not (i.e. they talk me right into it by forcing me). Huh, interesting.

They talk you right into it (i.e. an old wise tale a.k.a. myth). You have been told this for years by your mom and grandma but it just ain’t true. You’ll get sick if you don’t dress warmly enough in cold weather. Fuwee! The only way you can get a cold is from a virus. And you know what’s the best way to prevent a cold? It’s by washing your hands with warm water, soap and friction (i.e. that’s no myth folks). Such is life.

I’m not hungry but it sure looks good says the demon in my head. I really don’t need it as I’m watching my weight but maybe this one time the daemon in my head says. Hey, no one is watching and no one will know now will they. But I want to loose weight and if I eat all the time I won’t loose weight. And the beat goes on! Okay, just this one time I will eat the chocolate, just this one time! She talked herself right into it. A friend who I was around recently lost 30 pounds and his wife says you have lost enough. You don’t need to loose any more weight. So how did you do it? He counted every calorie he ate—limited it to sooooooo many calories each day and did mild exercise. He lost 30 pounds—it’s really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. There are all kinds of calorie counters on line. But the biggest thing a guy has to do is “talkhimselfintodoingit” or it just ain’t going to work. As my Daddy, Chester, always told me—The best discipline is self discipline. Very few folks have the that kind of discipline. I’m proud of my friend. So if my friend can talk himself into doing that, I guess you and I can talk ourselves into doing whatever we need to do. What do you think?

SusieQ was just going to look at the new outfits, wasn’t going to buy but those little voices in her head had conflicting ideas. Man, is this a cute outfit—I said I was not going to buy—it’s only a couple hundred dollars—I really don’t need it—it fits sooooooo goood—I really don’t have a place to wear it—it is different—what will my husband think—he will never know—it will make me feel soooooo good—I really don’t need it—I deserve it—I all ready have several outfits in the closet—it would impress my friends—no, I said I was not going to buy something; that’s it! Then SusieQ’s friend, BigBuyerSally, happens to come buy and says—that looks darling on you (i.e. it’s sooooo much you). SusieQ says—That does it, I’ll take it! Such is life. SusieQ should have listened to Winston Churchill about the voices in her head that talked her right into it--"This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never---in nothing, great or small, large or petty---never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." ~ Winston Churchill

LuckieEddie says--Some of the difficult trials in life may have been the result of the choices another person made, and some may have been the result of our own choices. As hard as we might try, we cannot control all of the circumstances in our lives. We do, however, have the opportunity to control our responses and our attitudes. We get to choose how we shape our moments or whether we all allow the circumstances to shape us in negative or positive ways. Wellsuckamucka!

I read it in the paper so it mustberight! I saw something that said The Great Pretender by Millinia Black was rated a 5star book so I got if from the library. As you know, I don’t like fakers a.k.a. pretenders so I thought it might be a good read for me. It is a novel about a guy who has two families and pretends to both families like everything is normal. Of course everything falls apart just like real life (i.e. pretenders are usually always found out). What I find most interesting in this novel and many times in real life is that folks “talkthemselvesrightinto” believing what they want to believe (i.e. even when the evidence, feelings, events and reality shows that it's a fake). They know better but they “talkthemselvesrightinto” believing non-reality stuff (i.e. they don’t like to give up the cash cow). I enjoyed the book; easy read. I want to warn you, there is a lot of sex in it so if that bothers you, don’t read it. Joesixpack says--The greatest faker a.k.a. pretender of all time is the devil and don't you forget that!  Ouchy ouchy!

It takes a Philadelphia lawyer to know what a paraprosdokian is. A Chicago area lawyer, who I know, says that a paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect. Like--Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience. I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak. Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening,' and then proceed to tell you why it isn't. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. Hospitality: making your guests feel like they're at home, even if you wish they were. Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.

This week I had the opportunity to golf and ride with a seasoned gentleman, Frank, who is full of wisdom (i.e. been a missionary/pastor of 40some years). I learned a lot from him. He sent me a short email about the day and ended it with this-- When you are DOWN to nothing....God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Now talk yourself into that folks and life will be a lot better.

The next day I had the opportunity to observe a class taught by a friend who is a professor at the University of Northern Iowa. He teaches 3 sections of Humanity 1 (i.e. earliest history of ancient history—there are also Humanity 2 and Humanity 3). This guy is innovative, intelligent, unique (i.e. in a good way), and excited about teaching (i.e. his students told me this). He is an encouragement to me as was Frank. He’s Robert, age 78.

So then I stopped at the Cedar Falls DQ for a Dilly Bar from Betty (i.e. a long time friend who I met only through buying Dilly Bars--an unique gal in a good way). I walk in and she says hi erv, hi Betty, she walks over to the cooler and gets a Dilly Bar out, I put my money on the counter, so when you closing Betty—maybe the week before Thanksgiving—going to work again next year—ya I plan to. Betty has worked at the DQ for 28 years and is 77 years old. She’s a real encouragement to me for a lot of reasons (i.e. I know a little about the speed bumps in her life). ANYWAY Betty says—this Dilly Bar is on me erv, put your money away! I went to do my volunteer work at the hospital (i.e. I was charged up). I hope I was an encouragement to the folks I talked to. I know I sure was still charged up riding my bike afterwards.

Sooooooo the next day I was walking down town to the library when I saw my friend Les getting his mail—After some farm talk and weather talk, we finally talked about something with some meat to it. Somehow we got talking about how he goes down to the nursing home (i.e. for years) and talks to the folks in the home. He told me that many of those folks are soooooo lonely and just really appreciate him just talking to him. Les is an encouragement to me. Les is 82 and unique in a good way..

Sooooooo the next day I had an appointment in the metro so I thought I would stop at McDonald’s and have a senior cup of coffee and read the U.S.A. Today (i.e. I like to do that). A guy, who is sitting in a booth across from me was reading the Des Moines Register. He gets up and asks me if I would like to read the Register as well. He had a Iowa Hawkeye sweatshirt on—so you a Hawk fan—yes I am (i.e. he lifts up his sweatshirt and has a Iowa tee shirt on and a Iowa belt buckle)—you go to some of the games—I use to; I went to school there for a couple of years—really—ya I played basketball for those two years—really—ya in fact we won the Big Ten Championship in 1944-1945—wow, I’m impressed (i.e. he mossied over to my booth by the window) and we talked some more—tell me something about you—well I had very good parents and good siblings that I’m soooooo thankful for that to this day; why the hell am I telling you this damn stuff; I don’t even know you—well sit don’t and let’s get to know each other—His name was Ed and he was 85 and was (i.e.5'21" as Ed says) or 6'9" when he played for the Hawks (i.e. a little shorter today he says) but had to come home after two years as he had no money to continue. Ed is very self-confident, intelligent, and opinionated (i.e. is a strong union man and does not like George W. Bush). He told me he’s unique (i.e. I think in a good way). He told me money talks and big money screams! So there you go, he agrees with me (i.e. has to be a good guy). He gave me his personal card and on the bottom it says—THIMK and SNILE! He was an encourager to me just like the other folks. Such is life.

I tell you what folks, these are real folks (i.e. not pretenders or fakers).  They are the real deal.  Folks with hugh massive good hearts--my kind of folks. No question (i.e. that's my opinion). 

I'm going to try to get into your head (i.e. talk you right into it). Arlene and I went to the movie, Secretariat the other night. I had two motivating factors. 1st—I like true stories about underdogs winning. I think the reason is that I consider myself and my sisters survivors (i.e. underdogs—not born with a golden spoon in our mouth—not even a sliver spoon in our mouths) and for some reason we have survived to some degree. I don’t know the reason for sure but have an idea (i.e. for me it just fell in my lap). 2nd is that I have a friend who I call Secretariat (i.e. he is one tough guy who can do anything faster than anyone—like superman). He’s a winner and has the same internal fire that Secretariat had. It’s really a good name for him. I recommend you see the movie—no swearing, sex, or violence. And we know who wins—Secretariat wins the Triple Crown just like he did in real life. I read this in the paper so it must be right—“…we should take our families to see it. Nothing guarantees more films of this kind than to see it among the top grossing movies in Variety magazine.” It’s all about the money folks, if folks don’t want to watch this type of movie but would rather watch sex, violence, and swearing, then they will produce what the folks will spend their money on. Da! Such is life.

MissPerfect says—Do you have those little voices that talk to you; those that are in your head? Arlene and I went and saw the Broadway traveling stage show, Legally Blond, at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. It was good. It’s a blond who is trying to tell herself that being blond is not sooooooo bad. It was cute and funny. ANYWAY one part that intrigued me was the 3 to 6 girls who sang and pretended to be her “little voice in her head” giving her encouragement. Oh that encouragement! Encouragement can turn around something that you were about to give up on. It can come from the strangest folks, the strangest places, and in the strangest forms. Oh yes! It can be spoken, written, acted out, displayed, demonstrated, read about, seen at the movie theater, read in the Bible or by “little voices in our heads”! What do you say about that? Sooooooooooo throw those chips away, get your butt off the couch and encourage someone. You just won’t make others feel better but make yourself feel better. I was given a shirt by a friend recently.  He gives these shirts to folks who have influenced his life (i.e. what an idea). I was honored he gave me one. He encouraged me! Maybe I encouraged him in his past (i.e. hopefully).

Folks have all kinds of little people talking to them (i.e. some in their heads and some at the bar). Oh yes! A person can talk himself into almost anything. TheOldViking says--Just an observation…I have noticed when I come to this site..there are neon lights in the windows…the interior lighting is a little dim and a juke box is blaring in the corner,,,a few old men are hunched over a pool table with youngsters hanging round watching every move and an ear for every word… in the booths they huddle nursing a bottle of liquid bread lamenting their future while at the bar the loud ones announce to all they have all the answers. But when closing time comes the only thing to remain are dirty bottles a few stragglers stumbling out the door and the smell of spilled beer and a Budweiser clock telling them their late getting home… nothing was accomplished it was just another night at the bar… a place to flush out your kidneys and empty your minds…

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

erv

KR’s thought of the day--Much wisdom comes from wise words, little from wisecracks and less from wise guys.  MyFriendJean says--Speak kind words and you will hear kind echoes. One of the rescued Chile miners said this--I was with God and with the devil.  And I reached out for God. 

Ordinary

I think it was just an ordinary birthday party. Ya we celebrated Erin’s third birthday. There were about 6 kids between 2 and 4, 6 kids over 4, a bunch of adults, grandpa & grandma, uncle & aunt, cousin Charlie, and two dogs. After about sooooooo long grandpa and the two dogs went and hid for a while (i.e. took a break)! The kids all wanted the same toys, sit the same place, have twice much food as they could eat and wanted momma to help them. It was quite a day all right. Then we gave them all some cupcakes with a lot of frosting on them (i.e. full of sugar) to really get them going. I heard a lot of—do you have to go to the potty—say please—share your toys—wait your turn—what do you say—are you sure you don’t have to go potty—don’t spill—you’re a big boy—go play with the kids now—I don’t like that! I was told that one of the mothers use the “love and logic” method of parenting. It’s when she says—Uh-oh! when her son does something wrong and then they talk about it (i.e. it’s to make him think and help him make good decisions I was told). ANYWAY when the mother’s mother was in town, she was telling her mother about this method of parenting. She says to her son, tell grandma what I say when you do something wrong—her three year old son says--damit! Ouchy ouchy! Here’s a new one for me--One of the mothers used this new method to get her boy to go home. She said—We are going home in five minutes. She set her alarm clock to go off on her iPhone in 5 minutes and put it in her boy’s pocket. Now that’s a new method! I learned a lot at this party. When all the gifts were opened, the folks all left, and the mess cleaned up, James and Heather asked Erin what was the best part of her party—Erin said--the white one! The white one was the white cupcake compared to the chocolate one! The next morning Erin asked if she could have another birthday party today! Such is life.

I have no idea if our family is ordinary or not. How do you tell or know? What’s an ordinary family anyway? I do know that all of us in our family are all different. Ya just got to hang around each other for a few days to see that. We seem to look ordinary in the picture but pictures are sometimes deceiving (i.e. the picture guy says he can make pictures look anyway you want them too). MissPerfect says--Most folks put their best face forward when pictures are taken. So is our family ordinary? I don’t have a clue. We seem to be just ordinary folks doing ordinary things. But then again, I don’t know what you all do or what ordinary folks do. Soooooooo who is ordinary anyway?

Sunday morning when everyone was getting ready for church, I was sitting in the useless room (i.e. JerBear’s definition) with a view of the great room. Erin left her half eaten bagel on the table in front of the couch. Daphney, James and Heather’s dog, looked both ways, looked at me, and then with a quick move devoured the half eaten bagel in one bit (i.e. she knew I wouldn’t get mad at her—I’m her friend). I think she’s an ordinary dog doing ordinary stuff. What do you think?

I had a chance to hike on Mt. Falcon twice (i.e. just ordinary hikes—me and God). I was thinking through some stuff and asking God for some answers. He didn’t talk to me through a burning bush or a talking donkey. But the next day I did see something that caught my attention. It was on a guy’s tee shirt that was working in a kids’ second hand store (i.e. Heather bought some ski mittens for Erin for $2—great deal). This guy was maybe 20 and was taking the clothes from the women as they were bringing them in. He had a black tee shirt on that said on the top—What if Jesus meant everything he said…. There were some sayings below which I could not read as they were too small and he had an apron on. Sooooooo, What if Jesus meant everything he said…!

I don’t think this sounds ordinary. I heard a smart guy say the other day that faith in God can be discussed and shared between two folks who are at complete opposite ends of being educated in the Bible, religion, Hebrew, Geek, and philosophy. Think about that folks—in any other field like aerospace engineering, only the folks who are educated in that area could discuss it. That is the case in almost every other field except in the faith in God. Actually many times the most educated have the hardest time to believe in faith (i.e. blind faith). I read in the paper so it must be right, that atheists and agnostics are most knowledgeable about religions (i.e. ‘cause they study it more and don’t have blind faith). The article says that most Protestants can’t identify Martin Luther as the driving force behind the Protestant Reformation and 4 in 10 Catholics misunderstood the meaning of their church’s central ritual, incorrectly saying the bread and wine used in Holy Communion are intended to merely symbolize the body and blood of Christ, not actually become them. Sooooooo who is the ordinary person? If I remember correctly the Pharisees had a hard time with all this tooooooo (i.e. I don’t have to tell you smart folks who the Pharisees are but you ordinary folks might have to look it up—I’m just kidding folks! MyFriendJean says—There is no right way to do the wrong thing!

This was just an ordinary set up! We were going down I-80 at 79 mph when a temporary sign was put up by the Nebraska Highway Patrol in the middle of nowhere. You know those signs that have the orange metal flags around the message. The sign read—drug inspection ahead. And then there was another sign—drug inspection one mile. Then another—drug dog in use. I thought, man this is going to take a long time if they are going to stop every car on I-80 and have a dog sniff every car. The traffic will be backed up back to Des Moines. Soooooo we go about a half a mile and there is an exit unto a never used county road that goes to more nowhere. We get to about where the mile is and guess what, there is no inspection. But I did notice that there were the same signs going east. Huh, interesting. I guess the folks who have drugs just exit on the county road and that is where the drug inspection is using the dog! Hey, they didn’t lie, there was a drug inspection ahead using a dog! Just another ordinary day on I-80 I guess.

We took a different route home from Morrison, CO. We went to Denver and then north on I-25 through Cheyenne, WY and caught highway 20 east through northern Nebraska. I wanted to see the Sandhills area. It is the largest cattle cow calf area as they say. I really enjoyed it (i.e. to me it was very pretty). It’s just not an ordinary type of place (i.e. wide open areas). The small towns had a lot of places that sold cattle equipment like shoots, gates, galvanized water tanks, balers, livestock trailers, big pickups and etc. I saw one store that was called—Knife and Spur Store. The smell was just that, cattle smell (i.e. a mixture of hay, cattle, cattle manure which equals – cattle smell). But you know what, many things are the same—they too watch CNN news, watch Monday night football, worship the same God, like ice cream, and love their kids. We stopped for a burger in Chadron, NE. There was a guy who looked like a rancher (i.e. had a leather looking face ‘cause of the sun and weather, had boots on, was slim wearing a slim type of blue jeans, a wide western belt with a large roping buckle which also had his name on the back Big Al, a western shirt with the snaps, and a white but dirty cowboy hat). I don’t think it was his first rodeo! ANYWAY So I said to Big Al—Are you a rancher—was but just sold out—how is the cow/calve business—good since the prices are up; we also had an extra ordinary amount of rain this year that made the grazing very good and the hay exceptional—so how many acres does it take for a cow and calve—the government land grazing contract calls for 160 acres for a cow and calve to live off for all year; some ranchers do more on their own land but they look pretty bare as the year goes along. That is not an ordinary way of life compared to city life folks. I wanted to stay in Valentine, Nebraska as I had some things I wanted to do but I wasn’t very excited and Arlene really wasn’t. Sooooooooo we decided to just head on home. It wasn’t an ordinary trip—16 hours of driving. Such is life.

You know those 2 to 4 year olds that I talked about at Erin’s birthday party will all grow up. Yes they will. And what will they become? I asked a mother about their grown boys (i.e. I have lost tract of them). The boys have done very well it appears (i.e. educationally and financially). They were just ordinary farm boys from Aplington who went to Aplington School years ago. After she told me about them, she wrote this--Enough about the boys. We've been blessed, but I certainly know not to ask them anything too personal, or I'm snoopy!! It's funny how they allow their dad to do things, but if I do the same, I'm not too smart. Go figure!! Have a good day. Is she just an ordinary mom? It appears that one parent can ask a son or daughter a question and it's okay and if the other parent asks the same question, it's not okay. Why is that anyway? It appears that these boys' parents, who are our friends, seem ordinary but their boys seem to have done very well. They don't and won't get the newspaper attention like the NFL boys from Aplington (i.e. that’s pretty ordinary) but they might be much more successful. I don't know and it really doesn't make much difference. It will be fun to see what those young kids at the Erin's bithday party grow up to be now won’t it. Such is life.

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

erv
ervmellema@gmail.com

KR’s thought of the day—The trouble with the younger generation is that most of us aren’t in it.

And the winner is...!

What did you shoot? What was your score? What was your time? And the Winner is…! In America we are obsessed with the winner (i.e. like the Miss America Contest). We don’t much care for who is second or third or forth, we want to know who the winner is. Participation is not much recognized, we want to know who the winner is. Who crossed the finish line first, who made the most money, who has the biggest house, who at the end had the most points, who has the most money, who has the most stuff. This is all in the world’s eyes (i.e. the world’s measuring stick). GerogeTheCrook asks—BUT are they really winners. Such is life.

The real world (i.e. God’s world) says the winner is the servant (i.e. the least). Now that’s a conflict folks. A friend who did the opening at church last Sunday (i.e. this guy can sign like a bird) talked about the poor guy with sores that the rich guy didn’t want anything to do with. This singingbirdguy opened the service talking about how blessed he was (i.e. he has a good heart—a real person—my kind of person). The lectionary scripture this last week was about the rich man and the poor guy covered with sores. And the winner was…! Ouchy ouchy! I read Sunday morning while eating my oatmeal with dried cranberries on it—Do I see a gradual and continuing change in myself? Then in Sunday school, a friend who sat next to me took out this index card from her Bible and gave it to me—It read: No way can I feed on Jesus thru reading and hearing His Word and still remain the same. And the winner is…!

Joexixpack says—When things don’t go my way I want change (i.e. I want it to go my way—look at how folks vote—they vote for change when things aren’t going their way). So in the elections this fall the winner will be…! There's an old sea story about a ship's Captain who inspected his sailors, and afterward told the first mate that his men smelled bad. The Captain suggested perhaps it would help if the sailors would change underwear occasionally. The first mate responded, "Aye, aye sir, I'll see to it immediately!"The first mate went straight to the sailors berth deck and announced, "The Captain thinks you guys smell bad and wants you to change your underwear." He continued, "Pittman, you change with Jones, McCarthy, you change with Witkowski, and Brown, you change with Schultz." THE MORAL OF THE STORY: Someone may come along and promise "Change", but don't count on things smelling any better. And the winner is the one who can promise the most to improve the lives of the voters (e.g. raise “giveouts” and “lowertaxes”)—they get reelected most of the time. Suckamucka!

Think about this—List 5 folks who you think are the greatest winners—I did but it was hard for me—I think the winners who I wrote down might not really consider themselves winners (i.e. I don’t know but I think that). Soooooo who are really the winners?

Many folks wish they would have done something else with their life (i.e. missed the target—had their latter leaning against the wrong wall). Some folks change mid stream and take a path of what they always wanted to do (i.e. satisfy their urging of their soul). Joesixpack says—I pray that I may follow the inner urging of my soul. Sooooooo who’s a winner folks? Are you a winner you think?

Do you watch Dancing With The Stars? I watched Kurt Warner dance the other night. Everything is designed so “wehaveawinner”! We always have to have a winner. America loves winners it appears as everyone wants to be the winner! I have never watched any of the survivor shows but I see they are very popular. And the winner is? Jim Furyk won the FedEx and made $11 million! He’s the winner. Is he really a winner in life? I have no idea. The winner might not always be the winner. Winner of the $100,000,000 lotto is JoeBlow! They put his picture in the paper like he’s really the winner. Is he? History proves that many times it’s just the opposite. Actually most times the winner of those lotteries is someone who has no idea of how to handle that money. And maybe the reality is—most of the real winners don’t play the lottery. What do you think? History proves that most so called winners pray on the weaker (i.e. take advantage of them). Think about that.

Saturday question—Most folks in the world are motivated by their needs but it appears in America more often than not, we are motivated by our wants. It’s like the dog chasing the car, what is he going to do with it when he catches it? Is the big wheel the winner? What does a dog do to a big wheel? Everyone wants to be the “bigdog” it appears (i.e. we are told that anyway). Heather and James have a yellow lab named Daphney. They told us this story—James says to Heather, where is Erin, I don’t know. Erin crawled through the doggie door into the garage and then trough the doggie door to the back yard, had her pants down, was squatting and pooping! They asked her—what are you doing Erin—I playing doggie!

ItchieBitchie says--I sit and think--am I a winner? Very few folks in this world even know me. And the ones that do, only a few really really care about me. And the few who really really care about me have their own lives to think about toooooo soooooo they need to think about themselves first. The reality is I have to decide for myself if I’m a winner or not and it’s really really very hard to know if I’m a winner or not. I loose way more often than I win sooooooo how can I be a winner. Somehow I need to deal with that and understand that. I got to understand that loosing a battle doesn’t mean that I have lost the war!

The pastor of the church that Heather and James and Erin attend said in one of his talks (i.e. Heather asked my to listen to in on their web site) that if he would not have gone through all his suffering (i.e. he said he came from a very dysfunctional family, had a learning disability, and was picked on during his youth) he would not have become the person he was (i.e. including being a Christian). So can suffering make a person a winner?

I taught Monday and Tuesday. I asked four high school students sitting at a table in 4th period study hall—Sooooo who are winners and what are the qualities of a winner. I said I would let them discuss that and check with them later. They said that was a hard question but a winner does help folks. Give me an example—Parents who have children and work hard to support them in many ways. They are not glory seekers but just do something good. I asked them if they are winners. They said – not yet. We have to prove ourselves first—it’s tooooo early to tell. So is that wisdom? Can you be a winner one day and mess it up the next? I think I can. I read recently that we all go through different seasons in our lives and experience different situations and we might react differently during our different seasons. We could be a winner and then maybe not another time. You think so? I think so. It’s like what I remember what a president of an auto insurance company said at an appreciation golf outing maybe 25 years ago. One of their companies sold sub-standard auto insurance (i.e. insurance for folks who have an OWI or multiple violations). He said, we appreciate your business; we don’t want the shit but the cream of the shit (i.e. meaning we want the folks who made a mistake but really are good folks). MissPerfect asks—Do you think Gwen (i.e. a single parent of three who lost her husband) whom works her butt off to take care of her children is a winner? I do folks. Oh by the way—Those study hall girls are really winners in my mind. Yes they are. They are givers (i.e. they have huge massive hearts—real folks—my kind of folks). You know what folks, you guys who read this blog are the same. You are winners. Yes you are. I’m validating your life folks. Such is life.

Wednesday I had the opportunity to spend the day in NE Iowa with my best friend, Arlene. We like NE Iowa (i.e. for those of you who don’t know NE Iowa, it’s hilly with many trees and sits along the Mississippi River with many dairy farms nestled in the those hills—very fun). ANYWAY our day didn’t go as planned. We spend quite a bit of our time in Guttenberg just by accident. I saw Dock 615 on the River and remember that was the dock Mark Klahsen wrote about in his book Old Man River and Me. So I wanted to take a picture of it. My camera said I needed to replace the batteries. So I asked a guy where I could get some batteries—couple blocks down on the left. It was a True Value Hardware and the guy who helped me was Tom. He tested the batteries and said they were good; must be your camera. He had to put them back in as I didn’t have my glasses. It worked. I asked him if I could take his picture. I’m publishing it with his permission. I told him why I wanted to take the picture of Dock 615. I said I wanted to meet the owner to see if he remembered Mark. Tom told me that wasn’t possible as the owner died about three years ago; he went diving in Lake Michiagan and never came back. Wow! That’s sad. Tom is this your business—it’s been in our family for 115 years—how many years have you been here—tooooooo many! If you ever get to Guttenberg, stop in and say hi to Tom or better yet go and buy something from him. I thanked Tom (i.e. I think he’s a winner) and met Arlene. We went across the street to have a late lunch at the Riverview Cafe (i.e. the back was all glass overlooking the river including the lock and dam). The waitresses had on their tee shirts—If you’re lucky enough to be on the river, you’re lucky enough! We shared a burger and onion rings (i.e. very good and a nice view). So I was walking back to Dock 615 and met this senior citizen lady who was walking her dog. I said I just talked to Tom about the poor guy who owned the dock and never came back. She said, they never found his body. His widow sold the dock and Landing Inn (i.e. an old button factory which made buttons from claims from the river) to the new owner. End of conversation. Sooooooo I get to the Landing Inn where Dock 615 is in the river below. There was a guy doing some service work on the Landing so I said—I just talked to Tom at the hardware and he told me about how the previous owner never came back from diving at Lake Michigan. Ya, that’s right. Some think he’s in the Caribbean sipping Pina Coladas, others think he was murdered by…, others think it was just a diving accident and others have other opinions. There were two other businessmen who died about the same time sorta kinda mysterious too. My opinion is—what am I doing telling you all this—that’s enough. All those ideas, speculations, and opinions make for good folk lore stories in Guttenberg and Clayton County. I said, you better get back to making some money. Sooooooo I went and took the picture of Dock 615. As I got done a white car drove up. It was a localguynamedJim. He said the river is really high ‘cause of all the rain in MN—the locks and dam gates are open all the way down—I usually play golf in the morning and fish in the afternoon but the river is tooooooo high. I sometimes help the boys here who fish catfish commercially just to have something to do. Their business/office was just next to Dock 615. They use hoop nets and set lines—usually get about 600 pounds of catfish each day—the high water is bad for folks making their living off the river localguyJim said. Such is life.

 

I saw this on a door of a small town business in Guttenberg (i.e. might have to click to enlarge to read). Obviously the owner thinks the folks around there are winners. They probably are. Then in another little Iowa town I saw this on another front door of a business (i.e. I think that guy is the owner of the business). Someone must think he’s a winner!

Thursday I worked on a real estate closing and then had the opportunity to do a couple hours of volunteer work for Wheaten Franciscan Health (i.e. hospitals in the metro). I do some of their orientation for volunteers. I saw Rod, a former student of mine a zillion years ago (i.e. he’s in charge of the physical plant of the hospital). Farm boy from Aplington who has done well for himself (i.e. he appears to be a winner folks). Then I rode my bike on the beautiful trails in the Cedar Valley, had something to eat and then met an old student of mine, Dennis Oelmann (i.e. graduate of Aplington in 1976—my last year of teaching). I had Dennis in a typing class he told me. He said he wasn’t very good but have got a lot better since (i.e. must have been poor teaching). Dennis played offensive guard and defensive end on the Aplington Panther team that went 7 and 1 his senior year (i.e. a nice winning year). He’s also a farm boy form Aplington that is a winner. ANYWAY what an opportunity for me as he gave me a ride in his homemade Cozy III (i.e. is 1,100 pounds and is about 15 feet long—it’s cozy folks--built in 1989 for $30,000 but now is worth $55,000). Dennis has won many awards as a builder and designer. He has built parts that are all over the world and through this, he has met many folks and traveled the world (i.e. many opportunities). There was an article in the paper recently about all his accomplishments (i.e. very impressive). He is a winner folks for many reasons. The airplane ride was really fun. He even let me fly it (i.e. it’s very quick at 160 mph at 60% throttle). I did a few 10 degree banks—it’s operated by a little stick. We talked and flew and then talked some more (i.e. about three hours in all). What we talked about was really good stuff folks—the real world stuff. Dennis believes that all of us are given some talent and we need to find it and then use it for good (i.e. find what you love). We need to use our talent to help others find their talent so they can again in return help another (i.e. we need to encourage, lift up, and help others develop their talents--find their love and passion). To sum it all up, we need to affect other folks’ lives. And you know what really makes Dennis a winner? He loves the Lord. What more needs to be said! Dennis is a knackie person. Are all winners knackie you think?

And today I’m with James, Heather, Erin, Chet, Jessica, Charlie and Arlene (i.e. our family) in CO celebrating Erin’s third birthday. And the winner is…! You’re right, it is me folks. It doesn’t get much better than this. Some of you know what I’m talking about.

Oh yes, my NeighborKarl is a winner tooooooo! He says—I’m at an age now that I don’t have to worry about dieing young anymore! Or as MyFriendJeans says—There’s no such thing as a bad day—some are just more glorious than others. Such is life.

After biking the other day, I took my laptop and sat in the shelter in the back of Pfeifer Park. There was another gal there doing something. After about a half hour, I packed up and was leaving. She said hi to me and she was printing something on a tee shirt while drinking a tall Coors Lite. This is what she was writing on the tee shirt—“Magic persists without us no matter what we may try to do to spoil it.” ~ Charles Bukowski ~ This gal appears to be a winner folks.

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

erv

KR’s thought of the day—Junk is the stuff you throw out and stuff is the junk you keep!