you decide

Ok, here is a decision right off the bat, are you going to read “It’s Saturday” or not. What is going to help you make that decision anyway? There are many factors that I don’t even know about and maybe you don’t even know about I would guess (i.e. God only knows for sure). ItchieBitche says—The mind is a mystery; do we ever really figure out the mind of someone else? Do we even figure out our own mind? Da! Ding ding! Is there anybody home?

We saw this direction sign while hiking in Sabino Canyon. I guess we had to decide what direction we wanted to go for ourselves. It was up to us I guess. We laughed. We took the down hill trail; way easier and we knew what was at the bottom soooo we couldn’t go wrong! BUT picking our direction isn’t always that easy. Sooooo how do we decide what direction to go anyway?

It is said that during one of Martin Luther’s periods of depression, he found his wife, Katharina, dressed in black. He asked her why she was wearing black, and she responded, “Because I am in mourning.” He asked, “Over what?” She replied, “God has died.” He said, “You know better than that.” And then she said, “I do, and you do too. Why don’t you start living like you believe that God is alive?”

I heard a Sabino Canyon ranger say this about the future of nature—Sometimes human, worldly success is the nemesis to the success of our earth. That is about as deep as the Grand Canyon. Our 12-year grandson, Jimmer from CO, was here in AZ and really wanted to see the Grand Canyon which he calls The Big Crack.  Do you know that many visitors spend as much time or more time in the gift shop than they do looking at the Grand Canyon?  King Solomon, proclaimed as the smartest person in the world, said—For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, the more knowledge, the more grief.  Now that sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it.  BUT the footnote explanation makes sense to me—Humanistic wisdom—wisdom without God—leads to grief and sorrow. That’s deep tooooo but not as deep as The Big Crack! More like the Columbia Gorge! BUT you decide!

I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--"Writing about painful experiences and emotions can improve our mental and physical health. The theory and practice of expressive writing, a technique that involves writing about an upsetting experience for 15 to 20 minutes a day for three or four consecutive days is really beneficial for our mind and soul. Expressive writing has been shown to improve people’s physical and mental health for weeks, months, and even years. As it is put: it is a brief writing technique that helps people understand and deal with emotional upheavals in their lives. It is a little like a self-help therapy without outlandish claims. Its greatest appeal is that it is a method with strong scientific evidence behind it." You decide if it makes sense to you!

ItchieBitchie, who always makes everyone feel like a somebody, says—I try to live my life with integrity, let people see on the outside what’s going on inside. It means, "folks see what they get." Hypocrisy is the great enemy of integrity. We practice hypocrisy when we know the truth and don’t do it. It’s when what we say isn’t the same as what we do. It appears that folks with integrity are the real deal and not a fake. I guess we get to decide how we what to live our lives. GeorgeTheCrook says—I live my life like a chameleon, I change color depending on the situation; I just blend in with the surroundings. They also have a long sticky tongue; and their eyes can be moved independently at each other soooo others have no idea what they are looking at. It seems to work for me.

You ever grunt, I mean when something is hard like opening a pickle jar that you can’t get open. I grunt but it doesn’t seem to help me. How about you. Sooooo why do we grunt? Soooo if we have something that seems hard in our life, why do we grunt and complain then? Why? Does it help? Sighing is a silent scream I have been told. Soooooo maybe a grunt is something like a sigh. You think soooo! I used to feed hogs and they grunted a lot! Is there a similar relationship between my grunts and pigs’ grunts? Think about that next time you open a pickle jar will ya!

We went to a Cubs/Rockies game this week. I sure enjoyed the pitch time clock, The game was over in 2 hours and 15 minutes. We enjoyed the game. BUT, our family took my vehicle and Jeanne and I took her vehicle and we met them there. WELL, when we went to the parking lot we couldn't find our vehicle; we knew exactly where it was and we still couldn't find it. We finally figured it out, we were looking for my black vehicle and not her gray vehicle. How embarrassing can it get! We laughed and grunted really hard!

I saw some folks recently doing an activity. Some of them were really good at this activity. Folks who really become good at something can demonstrate their success in a way which appears to some as over the top by some folks a.k.a. showoffs and others show their success in a very humble way. SusieQ says—Some folks like to act important, and others don’t. Why is that do you think? There has to be a reason. We decide what the reason is. Maybe some of them need a cold shower! I read that many great men and women have died unknown and unsung! Just think how many have! I can only imagine! I heard a super senior lady talking to another senior guy in our park—She said I think someone stole my golf cart—no no, no one here would steal your golf cart—then my golf cart must have got lost or I’m lost!

We went for a bike ride along a canal and also under some power lines. We talked to a friend who she and her husband bike a lot and bike the same paths.  She asked if we got shocked by current under the high-powered power lines. She said that they have at times when the power was stronger. What! Ya, when we touched the medal on our bikes, we could feel the current. Now that is electrifying!  Is that good for a person? I like to be electrified but I don’t know if this type is good for me. BUT I did wonder why Jeanne’s hair stood up on end!

This got my attention!  You get to decide if it gets your attention. I read--"The grass might seem greener on the other side, yet when it comes to fault finding, we’re generous with ourselves but strict with others. Our mind is quick to judge the misbehavior of others when in fact we’re not better at all. We just like to think we are. Let’s be aware of that and improve upon our own weaknesses.” I am going to try to improve on that. You want to join me? It sure sounds like a good deal; it doesn’t cost anything and the return on our investment is huge massive! You decide!

A super senior lady stooped by our place in her golf cart. I told her she was the only lady that I know who matches her outfit to the color of the streak in her hair (i.e. she had a purple shirt on and had a purple streak in her white hair). Do you know that purple is the royal color--yes, I do--you are royal--yes, I am, some folks tell me I'm a royal pain in the...!

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

erv

MyFriendJean said--A good picture stops a moment from running away.

certainty

Saturday question--Are we ever cocksure positive only to find out later we were wrong? I have and I don't like the feeling! FussbudgetBetty says--I was sooooo certain I was right! Da! I admit that I have changed my mind about something in 180 degrees! 

They say that taxes and death are certainties. We try to lessen our taxes or not pay taxes at all and we try to not to die. We spend a lot of money and effort doing both sorta kinda anyway.  BUT many folks only get concerned about dying when they have a problem. When things are going well, we usually don’t take care of our bodies, minds or souls very well. But when there’s a problem, Katie bar the door, we want a pill to fix everything (i.e. a certain fix). Saturday question--Have you ever had a toothache? Now that's a humbling experience for sure that gets our attention!

It’s a certainty alright. I went to the work out center the other day to get stronger (i.e. I was hoping 15 minutes would do it). I can’t hit the golf ball like I use to and also can’t play pickleball as well; now that is a certainty. I found out real quick why I can’t as I have less strength than I used tooooo and I didn’t have much before soooo if I’m 50% less of little, that doesn’t leave me much left. Now that is a certainty .Houston, we have a problem!

LuckieEddie’s certainty is now certain that it has to change. It’s a certainty.  It’s been that way for ever. Change is driven by convenience and of course money. C’mon folks! A few years ago, the old boys at the restaurant said that they would only take their SS check if is mailed to them, no automatic deposit for them; they didn’t trust it.  Then SS said the only way you can get your SS check is by automatic deposit and they said—Ok, we’ll take it; it’s ok! BigMouthBill says--Aren’t we really something! We have no idea what we are talking about! CadillacJack says--Change is our friend not your foe; change is a brilliant opportunity to grow.

Do we live in wonder? I really am in a wonderland in my mind, yes I am. It is amazing the wonder that is all around me and is happening. It’s unfathomable, incomprehensible, just plain amazing. Way beyond my understanding. It blows my mind! Here I am at my age just astonished by God’s world. Wow! We watched a movie the other night called The 12 Mighty Orphans and one of the statements that was instilled in the orphans was—We are soooo blessed! I really like that attitude. Boy, am I blessed! I admit it! But here is a challenge I have—The Bible teaches us that we are blessed to be a blessing!

Jeanne and I were talking about what a friend did (i.e. he went to the Super Bowl that cost him $10,000). I said I would never do that—she said—you can but elect not toooooo!  Now that is a certainty maybe folks; I elect not to do that!  She didn’t know it but that was a great compliment to me. A senior lady in the apple sauce aisle at the grocery store had a tee shirt on that said—Don’t grow up, it’s a trap! There was a book written years ago that I read that the title was something like a better mouse trap or was it who moved the cheese or something like that. The world always has and always will build better mouse traps or make better tasting cheese and we are the mice. Don’t you forget it folks.  Snap, we are trapped! It’s a certainty. Ouchy Ouchy

A new mouse trip; a certainty, it's the smashtruck. It works! It saves our park money by smashing the garbage between dumplings instead of having it hauled. Like I said, someone always figures a way to make money by saving someone else money; a win win situation (i.e. a new mouse trap)! It's an easy sell, a no brainer! Huh, interesting!

I read recently while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--There are countless false prophets in the world today (i.e. this is a certainty). Every one of them has a following. Often they proclaim their message with more zeal than the true prophets. Yet they are lying. How are we going to tell whether a prophet is true or false? Now that is a good question! We were around two widowed ladies recently. They told us that they didn’t think they wanted to get married again but might consider having a male companion friend.  We asked how come?  They said they didn’t want to train another man!  We said—C’mon, are you sure you wouldn’t think about it if the right guy came along—well, ya maybe, it would have to be the right one! Soooo maybe they weren’t telling the truth! Dog trainers say treats work very well in training a new dog, soooo there!

I think this is a certainty to me, but you might not; I understand. But at least think about it, will ya; be just a little open minded. My hero David, the Psalmist, wrote--God’s praise “shall continually be in my mouth” (i.e. words he wrote during a time of trouble). When I’m feeling rotten because of something and need an uplift, that is what I try to do. A friend thinks that the statement, “I try,” might be a Midwest statement as she doesn’t hear it in her part of the world. I hear folks say it a lot, I will try my best. I tell our grandkids to always try to do their best. I like that statement as it is rather humbling to me as I always don’t do what is right or my best, but I try! What do you think? That is what I thought!

It's a certainty alright, no questions about it. You and I look at the same things but see different things. Why is that? Maybe our brains are programed differently, could be, maybe, probably, I don’t know. Recently we visited the Karchner Caverns, one of the 10 best caves in the world maybe. We all looked at the same stalagmites, stalactites, and columns but we all saw something different, for sure. I think maybe we look at life and the purpose of our life the same but see different things. I do think soooo maybe, could be, probably, I don’t know. WildWilly says--Here might be an example of how we see things differently--We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life.

I was hiking up 'er in 'em mountains the other day and was standing on my favorite vista overlooking a beautiful valley below. I heard some racket coming down the trail that kept getting louder and louder. It sounded like about 100 Carriage Manor women on a hike. As they came around the bend there were 6 women about age 60 all taking at the same time, no one was listening and all looking down at the trail. They walked past me about 20 feet away. None of them saw me, they didn't seem to hear a word the others were saying and didn't see any of the beauty of the valley. Hey, that is the way I saw it, heard it, and understood it! When I got to my vehicle, there were two guys getting on their mountain bikes going for a ride.  They asked me if I saw any rattlesnakes--no, I didn't--we saw one last time we rode soooo they are out there.  We talked about rattlesnakes a little and I said--I was to a program on rattlesnakes here in the mountains and the ranger said that most bites happen to guys in their 20 who are under the influence and who are trying to impress a girl. One guy said--That really lessons my chances to get bit by a rattler. The other guy said--me toooo!  Soooo you didn't here them, see them or understand their body language like I did (i.e. they say body language is about 80% of communication) but your understanding still could be many things I guess. 

Ok, do you know of the sonnet by William Wordsworth called "The World is too Much With Us?"  Have you read it? Do you know the meaning of it?  It's about maybe how we see and understand things differently maybe. I suggest you learn about it. Something different for you. It's always good to learn something new! That is my opinion. BUT you might think differently (i.e. that is a certainty). I understand that toooo! Such is life.

The person who I think was the smartest ever, said (i.e. erv’s paraphrase)—We all have ears to hear, eyes to see and hearts to understand but we all hear differently, see differently, and understand differently.  Now ain’t that the certain truth, a certainty! Related to that thought, it appears that many folks enjoy different types of conversations compared to other folks. SusieQ says—Don’t kid yourself erv, we all do; just look around! Some folks enjoy certain conversations and others just get really bored and get up and leave (i.e. like a friend of mine does; I think he gets to a point of hearing enough of the same old stuff I think)! haha I asked him once about it and he said that he had to leave to go and sort his socks in his sock drawer! Right! Related to that thought, have you noticed that some folks don’t understand humor at all or not the same type of humor as you do? They just don’t get it and act like a deer looking in the headlights of a car! I guess the conclusion of the matter is that we are all different now aren’t we! Now that is a certainty without a doubt!

A new female senior friend who is our neighbor went to a bar here in the Valley of the Sun where they sponsor “Senior Speed Dating!” You heard it right, Senior Speed Dating. I don’t think I ever heard of that in Butler County Iowa (i.e. maybe she thinks she needs Senior Speed Dating as time is running fast)! She said—It was a bust! She had no success! She was disappointed!

Hey listen, all relationships have to start somewhere, don’t kid yourself. We were given this pic; pretty neat we thought. It’s a small world after all! I had to go to Mesa, AZ to meet Jeanne who is from the State of Washington. The two couples that were instrumental in  getting us to gather are from Canada. Go figure! No one from Butler County IA! Probably the most popular question folks ask us is, how did you meet. Well, it was a God thing, a God Wink, a miracle. It was Sunday, February 26, 2023 and our park was having their Sunday Chapel Service in the ball room. I usually go to Broadway Christian, but my big sister (i.e. only in age) and her husband were using my vehicle soooooo I just walked to the chapel service. Roy and Rita from Canada, old pickleball friends (i.e. old in two ways) who don’t usually go to the park’s service as they go to another church but this Sunday the service was honoring all the couples in the park who have 50-year anniversaries and they knew some of the folks. Jeanne hadn’t gone back to the chapel service since the death of her husband, Larry, about four years ago, as it was soooo hard for her as he sang in the choir. But this Sunday she said she was forced to go by an internal force but didn’t know why (i.e. she had no desire in meeting another man, none). Well, I sat in the back and Roy came up to me and told me that the woman they wanted me to meet is here and there is a chair open right beside her and I should go and sit by her. I told Roy that I didn’t want anything to do with dating a woman; I just want to coast on out and call it good (i.e. I was done with trying to find another woman). He insisted that I do it, but I said, “no way.” Well, Dianne and Keith, also Canucks, were sitting next to me who I didn’t know, said to me (i.e. my version—you idot, get your butt over there). Their version was like that’s an opportunity and you should pursue it. Sooooo, I went and sat by Jeanne. I introduced myself and said, Roy says you are a nice person, and I should meet you. She looked at me, put her hand on my arm and got teary eyed. The rest is history as they say.

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

erv

MyFriendJean said—The trouble with the younger generation is that most of us aren’t in it.

curmudgeons

An acquaintance told us that they are a certified, full time curmudgeon—a cantankerous, crusty obstinate, bad-tempered, argumentative, uncooperative, grumpy, grouchy, testy, and crotchety person! A real killjoy! 

Bobby, anybody can be a Bobby, says--Studies and research teams did research on leaders of the highest-performing companies. What they discovered was that in most cases, the top corporations were not headed by well-known, charismatic personalities, but by humble individuals whose passions for excellence and success were balanced by great humility. Looking over the research, they observed, “The good-to-great leaders never wanted to become larger-than-life heroes. They never aspired to be put on a pedestal or become unreachable icons. They were seemingly ordinary people quietly producing extraordinary results.” Now that research describes those top-notch folks who are like you folks, expect for one of you and you know who you are! 

CoachB says—You old hunk, don’t judge anybody because they are a lady or a man, young or old, as you never know what they know and who can do what you need done, even plumbing! In our culture we live in, I am just amazed how males and females are soooo capable and knowledgeable about both blue jobs and pink jobs (i.e. that definition was given to me by a friend). Really there are no pink and blue jobs anymore; we have come a long ways baby. Yes, we have. I would guess curmudgeons won’t understand that. What do you think?

Curmudgeons are real killjoys, now aren’t they! I had a friend in college who told me that she could memorize very well and did very well academically (i.e. got good grades) but she told me that she never knew what any of it meant (i.e. didn’t understand the meaning or application).  Another friend told me that he got an advanced degree in a certain area and went on the job, but he didn’t know nuttin; he had to basically learn it from scratch on the job. Or a new mother told me, I had a baby but didn’t have a clue how to mother the baby. I remember on my first real paying job out of college, it was my first day and an old curmudgeon (i.e. his name was Marty) called me a punk kid; it really hurt my feelings as I thought I knew a lot and was important as I just graduated from college a.k.a. a real hot shot alright! Basically, I knew nuttin! I still remember that and that was 57 years ago. And I’m still really a punk kid who still knows nuttin! Nuttin has really changed let me tell ya! Such is life.

If I was going to war I think I might pick a curmudgeonJake as my war buddy! I think I would. I think he would be trusted and tough. I think I could trust my back side with him. He would fight for me and the cause. I think he would be loyal!

Fred had no self-control, pig headed, stubborn, doing shenanigans, and he left a path of destruction behind him and being just plain obnoxious He was a four-hundred-pound hog who got loose in Colorado last fall. He covered four miles over ten days, tearing up lawns and digging up roots along the way. He was finally captured by animal service agents, who found him a home at a local high school’s agriculture farm. And you thought I was telling the story about the curmudgeon you know down the street! 

I was talking to a couple who own and operate a towing company. They tow vehicles from all over the place. I asked them if they have a hard time collecting their fees—no no, the folks we help are soooooo happy that we will help them and are very happy to pay us to get them out of their messes; many of them are on the interstate with traffic going by them 90 mph or in an area that they are scared to death or they really need help badly or have been sitting stranded for hours—they just love us when we are their savior. Even the best curmudgeon is happy to be saved or brought out of harm’s way. Aren’t we all sorta kinda that way. We will pay any amount to get out of a big mess. Sooooo flip the pancake, when we have everything going our way, we don’t have that feeling of appreciation but grumble like the best curmudgeon but when things are going south, we sure change our tune, (i.e. oh, what a relief it is to have someone get us out of our mess). Huh, interesting!

You ever get goose bumps? I wonder if curmudgeons ever get goose bumps? TheButlerCountyThing who thinks they aren't a piece of the pie but are the whole pie, says—I doubt it; they are tooooo crusty to get goose bumps; nuttin affects them; they have no emotions; they think they are always right; they know everything, they think; if you don’t believe that, ask them. King David is one of my heroes.  In Psalm 8, the prophet Nathan just exposed David to his face that he was a big sinner by having sex with Bathsheba. This is paraphrasing by erv—David humbly confessed his sin to God and humbly asked God to restore joy in his life which it appeared God did. That same equation will work for all of us. I believe it will even work for the biggest curmudgeon on this earth. I believe that. Now that’s a wow!

The curmudgeon has shown up in me I think. RickyRick says—"You’re always going to get discouraged when you try to be a superhero and do more than is humanly possible. You need a more realistic view of yourself: You can’t fix everybody’s problems.” It might be fact or opinion that we can’t fix hardly anyone’s problems if they don’t want them fixed! Soooo our smart tv said that there was no internet connection. I checked the modem, went through all the settings on the tv and even read the directions but no success. Jeanne came in and unplugged the tv and plugged it back in—bingo, fixed! Da!

My friend, Hank, anybody can be a Hank, suggested that I should buy this battery-operated warning light that twirls an obnoxious red light if the temperature in my IA house goes below a certain temperature soooo my neighbors can see it.  Sooooo of course I bought it. Why not! It seemed like good business to me. Wouldn’t it be great if we could buy a warning light for our mind and body that would do that (i.e. have it installed on the top of our heads). Maybe the warning light would go on when we become a curmudgeon. The problem might be that there would be obnoxious lights flashing all the time. Now that would be a mess! 

Soooooo we had lunch with a couz and hubby at Grayhawk Golf Course. What a hoot we had. They are soooo much fun. Sooooo we were wondering how much it cost to play there soooo I went in the pro shop and asked. It was what they call Dynamic Pricing—what’s that—we have a guy on staff that changes the price every 9 minutes based on supply and demand but currently because of the high demand, the price will vary between $300 and $400 a round—really?—really! That is about how much I pay for a membership for the whole year at Aplington Golf Course in Butler County. And the curmudgeons in Butler County think that’s tooooo much! Hey, like the assistant pro told me, it’s what the market will bear.

A friend, George (i.e. anybody can be a George), was showing me his new golf cart that had a lithium-titanate or lithium-titanium-oxide (LTO) battery.  He said they are really pretty simple erv—George, it’s much like me, pretty simple. And George responded--It’s ok to be simple erv, you don’t have much that can go wrong! 

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

erv

MyFreindJean said--Praise does wonders for the sense of hearing.

piffle thoughts maybe

In July 2020, researchers at Queen’s University in Canada discovered that the average human brain has more than six thousand unique thoughts every single day. Holy cow, I wonder if I’m average; how about you? I think our neighbor down the street far exceeds that number and the neighbor the other direction I question if they think at all! Such is life.

Boy, is it hard to stay in balance for me, yes, it is. It’s a lot easier to lose my balance a.k.a. to get out of whack. Oh, ya! Actually I never had outstanding balance compared to folks who have great balance. I wasn’t a good roller skater, skier, a great bike rider etc. I wonder if that is genetic. Soooo it must be Chester and Anna’s fault! It can’t be my fault! The world I live in, I gotta blame someone! It’s never a person’s own fault! Now that is a piffle thought!

I bought a new pair of hiking shoes/multi purpose Danner brand shoes. I really like them. They must be good as on the sole it says “vibram.”  I had no idea what that meant soooo I googled it and it is a special sole developed by an guy from Italy which I guess is the top of the line of the rubber lug grips to give the best possible grip soooooo a person doesn’t stumble and fall.  The timing was really good as we might need a good grip going forward at our age. Good footing is always good!  I just had a buddy face plant and smashed his face; not good! We really think we have our foundation and grip where it needs to be (i.e. a cord of three is very strong and very hard to break).

Here is a thought of Paul, anyone can be a Paul—His list of virtues a.k.a. Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Christian virtues are distinguished from other lists of virtues by their source: the Holy Spirit as opposed to the human ideas and efforts of man. A shorter list of virtues is found in 1 Corinthians 13:13: faith, hope, and love. Paul makes the point that the greatest of these virtues is love. Hey, a non-believer can’t even hardly disagree with Paul’s thought. Or they can call them piffle!

Ricochet thoughts do that, they just bounce right off of us; we don’t absorb them at all. How does our minds decide what to absorb or what to ricochet? I have no idea! I can’t remember the last time I ricocheted my voice like an echo off a canyon wall.  I know we did it as kids. When was the last time you ricocheted your voice? I guess it’s much like we say--May I bounce an idea off of you? We went on a hiking/exploring trip to SE AZ with the main attraction being the Chiricahua National Monument area (i.e. was home of the Chiricahua Apache and is the Land of the "Land of Standing Up Rocks"). Let me tell you, Jeanne and I bounced more stuff off each other, what a hoot. We sure enjoy being together.

Are we more long term planners or short term planners. Sometimes we are impulsive and sometimes not soooo much. Sometimes we say—What was I thinking. I just read recently--The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried. I’m not saying I’m a master but I do say that I have lost more than I won. BUT I try to put the odds in my favor which seems to help, some of the time. I try to stay away from piffle thoughts!

Maybe some of my thoughts are just piffle thoughts!  Have you ever got your feathers ruffled?  I have had my feathers ruffled recently. Maybe they were ruffled for my own good or maybe they were not. I don’t really know but they were ruffled (i.e. my brain thoughts got ruffled). My feathers were ruffed by actions and words of others. Maybe I misunderstood them and took those actions and words wrong, could be maybe probably, I don’t know but they affected me. Now I will see what happens. Even piffle actions and words can cause a difference. I hope I don’t hurt others with my piffle actions and piffle words. Yikes. I would guess I have and will! But, I hope I take other folks’ piffle actions and words in a sum total and not just tooooo serious. I hope I see their big picture (i.e. that being who they really are and not just a small piece of their life being some emotions for some reason that I don't understand).

TheRogueRhinocerosFromButlerCounty says--Our thoughts and even how we vote depend mainly on how it affects us personally (i.e. usually how it affects us financially). Don’t kid yourself. It’s all about the money. Recently I saw the decision made by a person based on how it was going to affect them instead of how it was going to affect the primary recipient of the decision. JoeBlow says--It’s all about me a.k.a. Uno, number one! ItchieBitchie says—Humans can be sooo selfish sometimes. SusieQ says--My past environment and current environment really affect me in how I think and make decisions! 

Some of you might think this thought is piffle. I have thought about “who is a great person” the other morning during my quiet time. Who do I think is a great person? Who do others think is a great person? Who does the news media think is a great person? Are they Billionaires? Political leaders? Good pickleball players? Great professional athletes?  How about a very talented person in anything? Sooo who is great? Is a kind, trusted person great? I think they are, my opinion. I think a person who in their dealings with others is trusted is one special, great person, my opinion! I like trustworthy folks, yes, I do but you might not. Maybe we all don’t think great folks have the same qualities. GeorgeTheCrook says—Look at their track record, now that will tell you something! Don’t kid yourself! A lady told me recently—I don’t care what folks’ morals and values are, I only care if they make me money! WorldClassLarry says--If you want to be trusted, be trust-worthy.

Are successful folks great at how they can manipulate folks a.k.a an unique strategy? I heard about a person who really knows how to manipulate people in business especially woman. This person is really smooth; knows exactly what to say and how to act to get their way. Saturday question—Is that just being a great dynamic person? I can’t see it being a good quality in a personal relationship at all but maybe in the corporate world it works. What do you think? Through the years, guys have used all kinds of pickup lines to attract girls: “Even if there wasn’t gravity on earth, I’d still fall for you.” “I’m no photographer, but I can picture us together.” “If I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put U and I together.” JoeBlow says—They seem to work for some; at least for the the short term!

Recently we had the opportunity to go to see the play, Life Could Be A Dream, with old college friends (i.e. old in two ways) at the Hale Centre Theatre. We had such a good time, and the play was very good as well, very entertaining and funny. Yes, we have dreams and we totally think that our relationship is a dream come true. Pretty amazing we think! Such is life. 

In an 1888 letter to his brother Theo, artist Vincent Van Gogh wrote, “For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” We have many dreams and are dreamers of much good! Oh ya. God has been good to us!  We know that! We are very thankful. Oh ya! This has been way beyond us! We know that! An old buddy, old in two ways, told me—Out of 100 folks in the world, 26 live less than 14 years, 66 died between 15 - 64 years of age, 8 are over 65 years old. How blessed are we anyway!

ItchieBitchie says—Piffle piffle, it’s all piffle or was it “meaningless meaningless, just chasing after the wind?”

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

erv

MyFriendJean said--Much wisdom comes from wise words, little from wisecracks and less from wise guys.

reference points

GM advertises that we need to use genuine GM parts. GM says there is a difference between their parts than the aftermarket parts. You think soooo! Is there a difference? A friend said to me—erv, that person is not genuine, she’s a fake, she has a lot of aftermarket parts in her head let me tell you; she's not genuine, not the real deal (i.e. she's not made of original parts for sure); I don’t have a lot of faith in her. Yikes! I like genuine folks! Not the cheaper knock off brands. That is one of my reference points. Oh ya!

Hats off to you if you haven’t done something stupid in your life. Other folks can do something stupid which can really affect our lives such as a drunken driver running into us. BUT most of the stupid stuff that happens to us is created by us. How stupid can we be anyway!  The answer is—pretty stupid! Do we use reference points as what we should do and what we should not do?  And how do we determine the reference points?  MissPerfect says--Ya gotta have proper perspectives! And perspectives are formed by our past environment, current environment and our genetics. 

I had the opportunity to play golf with some of my old buddies here in the Valley of the Sun (i.e. old in more ways than one). The golf seemed expensive but the price was a bargain as I got the same old, fun crap I heard for years!  ANYWAY, I said to them on a par three--Do you think I can get there with a 5-iron. One said--Ya, you can! Another chimed in--Ya you can erv, but you'll will probably have to hit it three times! 

Saturday question—What are our reference points in comparing our happiness, joyfulness, usefulness, completeness, satisfaction, life’s enjoyment, etc.?  We can’t compare if we don’t have a reference point. How good is our marriages, our friendships, our family relationships etc.?  We have tooooo have reference points. Now think about this, those reference points can be either worldly or spiritual.  Does that make any difference?  Are they different? Of course, if we don’t believe in God, then the only reference points are worldly soooo there is no thought about having two sets. Bingo! Soooo who sets our reference points? AverageJoe says—I set my reference points as I go along; whatever works and makes me feel good; many of those reference points depend how they affect my checkbook and my social status; that is what is important to me. Sooooo there AverageJoe, you have answered your own question! That wasn’t hard (i.e. not a backbreaker at all)! SusieQ says--Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it.

I’m in the process of making a new friend. He happens to be a retired financial advisor and still has his head and hands in investments, especially in the stock market. He told me that two things he really advises clients, ya gotta save and maybe buy good stuff and hang unto them. He said he can’t time when to buy stocks soooo he just keeps buying. He thought Costco stock was toooo high at $50 and now it $719. Sooooo there. Now that is a reference point. erv, when we get to our age, we are happy we saved! Life is a lot more fun playing golf together here in the desert (i.e. we seem to have more options).

What is a reference point toooo how much you love someone? Can it really be measured by metrics or analytically or quantitative?  I don’t think soooo, it's uncalculatable! Sooooo I was buying some roses for Jeanne on Valentine morning and the prices were double compared to the normal prices. Another guy and I were talking about that, and he said to me—It’ still a good investment; don’t kid yourself (i.e. that was his viewpoint a.k.a. reference point). Soooo I was checking out and I mentioned the price increase to the clerk about how they get us on Valentine’s Day. He said—You should’ve bought them a month ago! I thanked him for his advice. We had a good laugh! Studies show that touch is very important in expressing. And holding hands is one great method of touching. BUT we can’t measure the effect but only guess, I guess (i.e. it's uncalculatable)! Saturday question—When is the last time you held hands with the folks you love!  SusieQ says—I wish my husband would hold my hand instead of giving me a box of chocolates; God knows I don’t need more calories, but I really need the feeling of him holding my hand! JoeBlow says--And it is cheaper toooooo, but she sure loves chocolate!

What eats your lunch? Maybe we have a demon or demons that eat our lunch continuously! Could be, probably, maybe, I don’t know. Obviously folks have demons that do, they also eat folks’ hearts out and make folks miserable (i.e. those darn demons). Why do we let those suckers do that to us anyway? I think it helps me to regularly do personal evaluations of myself (i.e. do a self-test like an employer does tooooo their employees, like a litmus test). I find some stuff I like and sometimes I find stuff I don’t like. I have to have a reference point, a line in the sand, to measure myself with. Saturday question—How do I determine that reference point?  How do you? CrazyMarvin says—Ya but my reference point keeps changing soooo it doesn’t mean much anymore! While eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it, I read what Dr.J said—"One of life’s paradoxes is how self-discipline gives us freedom. People without self-control live under the tyranny of whatever desires master them—pleasure, sleep, sex, indulgence, addictions, or hatred.” Ouchy ouchy!

A senor guy said to me—erv, did you watch the half-time show of the super bowel?  He said he did but didn’t understand one word. Maybe it was geared to the younger generations. He went on to say that the actions he thought were not very good for younger girls to see. But then again, they were maybe relating to the younger generations who aren’t soooo old fashion and enjoy the provocative suggestions they expressed. We all have different reference points now don’t we. No two folks think alike it seems. It’s all about the advertising money sooooooo take that into consideration! Maybe they weren’t targeting the over 65 crowd. You think soooo?

Another senior buddy told me that they have a granddaughter who has a lifestyle that they don’t approve of.  We have tried to help her in offering financial support to correct it but she has not accepted it and it seems that her lifestyle has even gotten worse (i.e. that is his reference point but he is probably right as it will affect her life’s activities and also her life expectancy).  They feel bad but can’t fix it for her he said; if she doesn’t want to change, what can we do.  Besides, he said, I shouldn't judge her, I have gained 8 pounds since we have been here this winter.  I need to get rid of that, I have my own problem! I told him he looks ok but just needs to grow a few inches!  I like this guy!

Are we right all the time? Da! Are we right 50% of the time? A buddy told me that he inherited the idot gene; in fact he said it seems that all humans have that gene but just some seem like they don't know it! AverageJoe says—"There is a lot of pressure in our society to have it all together, to be successful in every endeavor, to be everything to everyone. But those expectations are unrealistic. Why? Because we are human. None of us are super-human no matter what we think or believe!” Ok, one of you might think you don’t have the idot gene, you know who you are! It all depends what reference point we use! MissPerfect says sorta kinda—No matter how bad that idot gene makes us look at times, God will forgive us! I believe that! BUT here is a tough question I ask myself—Can and will I forgive folks who have the idot gene and who hurt me? I question if I pass muster! Yikes, I think my idot gene has showed up again!

Here is a suggestion!  If you don't like suggestions, I suggest you don't read this by TalkingEd but if you are open minded, give it a read, maybe! ANYWAY--TomSmart says--In the next few months, the economy more than likely won’t change. Your work situation won’t change. Your broken relationships may not get healed. But your mindset can change. That will be the difference between a life of self-destruction and a life of peace. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you better thoughts—thoughts that bring peace, not frustration. You need to look at your situation differently: in the Holy Spirit way. As my decease friend said to me--erv, decisions have consequences and guess who gets to make the decisions. 

One smart person said to me—To assume makes an ASS out of U and Me!  Another smart person said to me--The whole process of mental adjustment and atonement can be summed up in one word, gratitude. They both might be good reference points. What do you think. That is what I thought. "Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either." ~ Albert Einstein 

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

erv

MyFriendJean said—Love always finds a home in a heart of a friend.

much ADO about nuttin

I saw a sign in a restaurant that said—"I’ll stop everything and take care of your problem!  I don’t think soooo folks.” haha  We all have problems but for the most part we all need to take care of our own problems. Besides most folks don’t really want help anyway (i.e. not many want advice). It appears that we have to figure out what our problem(s) are by ourselves and then decide if we want to do something about them. I told Jeanne recently that I have decided to act on one of my problems; it’s not the other person’s problem but it’s mine; how I treat someone else that is the problem (i.e. I'm the problem). That other person probably isn’t going to change but I think I can change how I treat that other person. Besides, the other person doesn’t even know or probably cares that I think they have a problem (i.e. big on I think) soooo it only bothers me--Da!). Let’s see what happens. ItchieBitchie says—erv, remember, we are all unique just like everybody else!

I don’t have an Apple watch but many of you do. It tells folks to throw those chips away and get their butt off the couch as they are very lazy and maybe eat toooo much. SusieQ says—That is the easy part, to own a watch, but doing what it says is a lot harder. It doesn’t do the work for anyone. BUT we all need reminders now don’t we. BUT we got to act on it (i.e. if we want toooo). Soooo if we just wear an Apple watch for show, it doesn't do much for us. Oh, for the show! Those Apple watches evaluates a person’s heart rate and tells a person that they need a timeout as their life is getting way out of wack. Again, seeing the reminder is the easy part but changing our lifestyle is a lot harder it appears to me (i.e. it’s back to the self-discipline again—ouchy ouchy—MissPerfect says, can’t I just get a pill). What do you think?  That is what I thought! Such is life.

We had the opportunity to have lunch with my big couz (i.e. only by age) who is sweet as pie and her husband this last week. What a hoot! She has cochlear implants for both of her ears. She told us that when she is in a large group and there is a lot of folks talking, her brain will overload and just shut down and will no longer interpret any of the voices. Isn't that interesting! Either that or she is faking it and don't want to talk to folks anymore! How will we ever know!

I was buying a container of seafood salad at Albertson’s the other day. The person helping me (i.e. a guy of about 26 or soooo) asked me what my shirt said—yagottafinish—that is a good saying—ya I think soooo—he then said, even if it takes a person like me 10 years to finish—what’s you name—Alex—Alex you are strong person if you finished—he smiled and said “thank you”! I had no idea what he felt soooo good about himself that he finished. But it was a "wow" to him. You got any "wows" because you finished something? I read while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it that life is a marathon and toooo finish we need to de-clutter (i.e. get rid of excessive stuff that drags us down--like pulling plow around all the time). You think that is true! Saturday question—What is the excessive stuff? I have tooooo admit that I have thought about that! Such is life.

An old (i.e. in two ways) high school friend texted me saying he was going to sing a solo in church this Sunday. Then he said—I don’t know why I say yes to these things. Man, I have said that to myself many times. How about you. What was I thinking! He also remembers singing in a quartet with me in high school.  I think he made that up to make me feel good. I wasn’t a singer. But who knows, maybe I faked it like a liplync. Now my high school friend Deano was a singer (i.e. I think he was in that quartet, he was a good singer. He and I sang in the church choir together in high school. His mother, Ethel, was the director.  When I was about 30 I realized how bad a singer I was and sent her a note apologizing to her for messing her choir up and telling her she was really a nice lady in not telling me how bad I was! You know, it's hard to tell folks that they aren't very good, especially when they think they are really good (i.e. have an over-sized head of themselves)!

Playing pb the other morning I played with the 4+ group for a couple of games.  Most of them are a little better than me. Sooooo my partner was one of them that was a little better and likes to win (i.e. winning is very important to him, a lot more important than it is to me).  He told me that after our opponent hit a shot down the line past me for a point—erv, you got to cover that line.  I said to him—Thanks for pointing that out to me (i.e. maybe a little sarcastically but I don’t think he caught on). Giving advice really isn’t that important in a friendly game at Carriage Manor (i.e. my opinion).  BUT some of you might think differently.  Relationships and friendships are much more important to me than winning a pb game. BUT we are all different now aren’t we. Maybe I’m missing the boat! Or maybe I went overboard in my thinking! Could be. Maybe. Probably.  I don’t know!

A buddy was telling us that they have a summer home on the ocean in BC. Last summer he went there and some friends who used it before him left some peanut butter cups and some peanuts. Sooooo he ate them. He spent the next three days in the hospital; they were laced with THC. He had no idea what he was doing or where he was for the three days. Our neighbor told us that many seniors here in our park use gummy bears laced with THC as well (i.e. she heard it at the pool soooo it must be right). REALLY! I was told that the biggest group of folks using them is the seniors.  Of course, it’s all for medical purposes! THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol which is the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana. Our culture is changing folks right here in our 55+ communities. Who says old folks can’t change! Maybe those gummy bears will cause more golf cart and bike crashes by old folks. You think soooo? But they sure might be happier (i.e. laughing their head off) as they pick themselves up off the street even though they might not know where they are!). JoeSixPack says--Ya But the samples are free at the shop down the street; how can you go wrong on that!

He thinks he is in high school yet! I was sitting next to a pb buddy waiting for a court to open. Not playing today again—my feet just would let me; it probably will be a couple of months before I can play again; I should have laid off when they were feeling good and let them get 100%  but no, I had to play and now I am paying for it—what were you thinking anyway—ya, that is a good question; I’m not very smart! Soooo my neighbor sits by me—how is going neighbor—not very good, I’m really having trouble with my serve—sounds like you need a sports psychiatrist—I don’t even know if they could help me—you are going to have bad dreams tonight—nightmares! Listen, us old folks really have problems let me tell you! It really sounds bad BUT in reality, we live the life of Riley!

We hear sooooo much about that our country has two tribes (i.e. who both think they are right) and they don’t like each other very much! Maybe that’s nuttin new, we did have a civil war once which there were two tribes which caused a war and many many folks died. Then there are some folks who are in the middle (i.e. maybe called moderates or who the tribe members call nobodies in which the tribe members think they don’t know nuttin). Our neighbor, Butch, has this sign on their railing that explains his position. ItchieBitche says--There are no tribes in China or North Korea or Russia or Venezuela! Saturday question—Can tribe members become radicals a.k.a. extremists? Saturday question--Are we becoming desensitized about what the big picture is maybe?

Charlie Brown, you’re a clown! Some days it seems like I’m a clown and some days I think I'm wise. Sooooo I was talking with Tim on the phone recently about some business. I said to him—Tim, I’m 78 and you are probably 21 and we look at things differently—Tim said, I’m not 21 and I never what to be 21 again—why not Tim—when I was 21 I was young and dumb and I don’t want to be 21 again!  Saturday question—Where you ever 21 and dumb? I asked some buddies that question and they all said—we are still dumb like when they were 21! We all had a good laugh about that. Sooooo how do we get wise? Here is a suggestion--A wise person will hear and increase in learning and a person of understanding will acquire wise counsel. ~ Proverbs 1:5 BigStuffBill says—That might be the best thing since Howdy Doody! WildBill says--Becoming an adult is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.

Jeanne and I rode our bikes over to another park to see some friends. Coming back to our park the gate guard raised the gate arm but pressed the button tooooo quick and Jeanne was like being part of the Allstate advertisement when the gate arm came down and smashed her.  The gate guard said—my bad!  Good thing she is tough as well as being nice and sweet!  Soooo how tough are we and how nice and sweet are we? Is that a good combination? I think soooooo! Hey, we have first world problems let me tell ya!

A buddy sent me this--Q ---- when are you going to add  "4 prune's" to your breakfast of oatmeal and half of a banana   ???  Give it a try.  It works. Do you think we have a tendency to over complicate things at time like over explaining in our talk and writings (i.e. folks just want the blue book explanation but we give them the World Book Encyclopedia version). And the folks are bored to death (e.g. showing 40 pictures of their dog Zippy)! Actually the advertisements on tv move soooo fast that I can hardly keep up with them!  And then we wonder why some meetings are boring to some folks! SusieQ says--BUT that is the way we have always done it! JoeBlow says--In the 55+ parks ya gotta go slow as we can't hear, see, or remember very well! Hey, we need to take gummy bears and prunes to get up to speed! Such is life.

Like I said--It's much ADO about nuttin! I told you sooooo!

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

erv

MyFriendJean said--A lovely thought, deeply rooted, never ceases to blooom.

posturing

 

Dr.J says—"The road to personal peace is a multilane highway in today’s world. There is a lane for peace through prosperity, peace through prestige, peace through possessions, peace through personal achievements, and more. But all those lanes to peace omit the one lane that is necessary before all others: peace with God.” Ouchy ouchy! Do you agree with Dr.J? Saturday question—Do we have peace in our lives and mind or are we just posturing ourselves to appear we do or look important to others (i.e. look like a bigshot—we just try to fool folks)? Saturday question—Do we ever try to fool folks by posturing?

Soooooo is this posturing?  Hey, a happy husband is a happy life tooooo! Soooo now that changes the equation a bit now doesn’t it. Probably, maybe, posturing in a marriage or any relationship isn’t such a good thing. Probably not! What do you think?  It appears that many folks do posture themselves in many relationships.  Look around folks, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. AverageJoe says—And the sum of the equation when one or both parts are posturing themselves is usually a stinky one!

Many folks do great things for others, but we don’t know it (i.e. love others more than they deserve). Not all senior folks do senior activities all day to make themselves feel good, oh no, many have mission projects here while in the Valley of the Sun and back home during the summer months. We just don’t know about them (i.e. we have really found this to be true—good folks with good hearts, our kind of folks). Flip the pancake—Yes, there are some folks that posture their life to be all about themselves (i.e. all about me and making themselves look important). Ouchy ouchy. JoeBlow says—Givers are always happy and takers are mostly miserable all the time. Such is life. Patti, not just anyone can be a Patti, says--It is the little things we do that can make a big difference. ~ Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me. ~ Jesus in Matthew 24:40 JoeBlow says--Volunteers have an attitude of, It Ain't About Us!

Got new wheels for transportation in the park. It’s a hand me down from Jeanne. It is in tribute to my picklelball teaching mentor of years ago, BigPete.  He liked pink and wore a lot of pink, but I never saw him on a pink bike. I’m one up on him maybe, posturing myself!. I’m not posturing myself in making myself to look like I’m up with the elite, oh no! BUT I really like it. Those step throughs are good for old farts, and I sit up high and don’t have to bend over (i.e. I feel like a king). Oh ya! Hey, I am who I am and you are who you are. You think I should keep riding the pink bike? 

Letz ride 'em cowboy! A lady told me the other day that her husband says to her—You are not the boss but just bossy! We took the Civil Right Training course, a requirement for our volunteering. A term that they used in our education was “Compassion fatigue.”  We work with homeless and folks who have financial problems soooo that can really be a problem. They recommend that we don’t overdo our volunteering. Makes sense to me I think. Soooooo how about limiting the time we associate with folks who drag us down?  They might really screw up our lives!  I always say—Ya gotta be around good folks at least for the high majority of our time. BUT that is our decision; and decisions have consequences. And who gets to make that decision? You got it sweetheart! Soooo my volunteer boss called me honey when giving me directions just after our Civil Right Training. I asked her if she calls everyone honey; I told her that you have to treat everyone the same.  That is the law sweetheart!

MissPerfect says--Maybe in posturing there is a massive huge difference between perception of ourselves and the reality of ourselves. You think sooo? I do!  I’m sorry if I hurt your ego. Posturing is very important in many social circles. Folks may act not as they are but how they want others to see them maybe. The lead lady of the volunteers told me that some volunteers are asked to leave—what—they come here to just pad their resume and some volunteer to tell their friends and etc. that they are some big shots; they have the wrong motive. We ask them to leave; they just don’t fit with us. Our experience with the volunteers that we work with is just great, great folks with great hearts, our kind of folks!

Do you think we ever become showoffish when posturing ourselves in a group?  Like trying to position ourselves as being high on the pecking order of the group?  Soooo do folks like that when we become showoffish? We hiked the Butcher Jones Trail the other day (i.e. I know that some of you have hiked it when in AZ). We met two couples from MN and they noticed I had my Iowa cap on. We talked about Caitlin Clark.  They just really love her as she is soooo good and soooo humble (i.e. not showoffish). They asked if we saw her interview when she set the scoring record—no—they said she was as humble as pie! Huh, interesting. If I don’t care for showoffish folks and you don’t care for showoffish folks then others don’t either!  You and I aren’t that smart to be the only two. Da!

Toooo be always the best is a form of posturing maybe; a lot of folks like that image, don’t kid yourself. I know that I probably have LEP, Limited English Proficiency. I thank all of you who correct me in telling me about my poor spelling and grammar errors. My posture is pretty low compared tooooo most of you. BUT most of you, about 400 each week. don’t seem to get overly excited about my LEP. I guess you just put up with my LEP! You are very kind. Yes you are!  You are good folks with good hearts, my kind of folks. This proves that you are!

Okay, here is something to think about. The pastor Sunday said that there has been and always will be oppressors and the oppressed. Always!  BUT he said, many times when the oppressed get out of their oppressions they become the oppressors, just change positions. Have you changed? Maybe when we get a little money, power, position, etc. we now become the oppressor (i.e. get the big head and think we are better than others). Could be, maybe, probably, I don’t know. We then posture ourselves differently, maybe (i.e. we then we think we are big shots a.k.a. big stuff and lose our humility--we maybe change to think we are now the king of the hill, the big bopper). Ouchy ouchy! Such is life.

Talk about getting humbled! I helped a friend pump up their bike tires on their bikes using my hand pump.  We were talking and both tires exploded with huge massive bangs. I guess I put tooooo much air in them maybe. Or they were old and couldn’t handle the pressure. I know that when folks get old they always don’t handle pressure very well and explode. ANYWAY, I paid her for new tubes. The Detroit Lions thought they had the game won at half time but lost. When we think we have it in the bag, stuff can happen (i.e. we sometimes become overconfident).  It happens all the time. Maybe that is a form of posturing. Could be. We lose our humility. ItchieBitchie says--Maybe we all need a bodyguard, not to protect us from others but to protect us from ourselves. Yikes! I don’t think I will ever have to help pump up her bike tires again! Stick me with a fork; I'm done; I'm toast!

I read while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it this--The whole world is in the grip of a giant panic attack, a mental pandemic that affects the human race like a virus (i.e. maybe we're not very peaceful). Do you think that is true? If it is, it ain’t good folks! Well, we have an extra day this month to think about it. We might need it!  haha

CoachB says—Ego says once everything falls in place I will find peace but the spirt says once I find peace everything else will fall into place. You believe that?

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

erv

MyFriendJean said—If your train of thought isn’t getting you anywhere, you’re probably on the wrong track.

PS Reminder that if you don't get "It's Saturday" some Saturdays as some of you tell me you don't, look in your spam. That happens sometimes. Or just google my name, Erv Mellema, that works tooooo.