apparently

Mark Twain said—Fiction is obligated to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t.  The local Ministerial Association decided not to comment publicly if this “It’s Saturday” is fiction or non-fiction.  And the morning coffee drinkers at the local coffee spot were split.  Soooo apparently you are on your own.  Sooo whatever you think, apparently you are right.  You can’t beat that now can you. 

A friend and I went out for our monthly breakfast.  It was my turn to drive and pay.  Soooo I parked and my buddy says—Now there is something for your “It’s Saturday” pointing to a sticker on the car next to us.  We talked about who would put that on their car.  Apparently, a guy but who knows for sure.  At breakfast we talked about getting breaks (i.e. he gets all the breaks).  When leaving, a friend of ours (i.e. a good guy with a good heart) sitting with some of his friends at another table said he wanted to pay for our breakfast this morning.  Why, we don’t know for sure but...  My friend said—You get all the breaks erv, it was your turn to pay!!!

The guyfromnorthoftown says—If you don’t know where you are going, you will apparently end up somewhere else. Think about that! A friend (i.e. who is in her middle 70s) told me recently that she was “out of sorts” today.  She said it was sooo bad that she ate ice cream and chips in the middle of the day (i.e. that sounds serious for sure).  She just made me laugh.  I asked her what was soooo troubling?  She decided that the issue was that she hates to be in debt.  She, I think, decided, she will do some measures to get herself out of debt, like change her lifestyle to accomplish that. Soooo I asked her--Other than your debt issue, how is life going?  My knees hurt and my shoulder hurts and my whole body hurts but I keep going.  If I don’t, I think I will stiffen up and won’t be able to move.  Soooo I keep playing pickleball, swim and exercise every day (i.e. except a day once in a while when I let my body rest).  Apparently, that is a good plan. She just makes me laugh (i.e. she has a big, positive motor alright and soooo real). 

A friend and his wife own a lake home in northern MN.  He told me that his marine guy said he sold like 458 pontoons this summer (i.e. usually sells about 40).  Why? Folks used their $4,000 stimulus checks for a down payment and financed the rest.  I researched it and new pontoons sell for an average of about $50,000 and after three years they are worth half.  Yikes! CoachB says—"Rich folks buy stuff that appreciate, and poor folks buy stuff that depreciate.  And the banks want you to take a loan out to your max.  They want you to be strapped to your gills with a loan for ever; that is how they make money (i.e. at about 4.5% for recreational stuff).” Da! A friend was telling me at breakfast recently that his wife grew up in a home that lived from pay check to pay check and financed most everything.  He had to educate her or they would never have a good retirement if they did it that way.  It took her some time before she bought into that thinking but she did.  They have a very nice retirement now with many options. Or as they say it deep in Butler Co.—Yabut, they borrowed me the money sooo “its or is it it’s” good! It don’t matter, I got the pontoon sitting behind my house next to my camper! Now I need to build a shed to put them in. I will go and see my banker tomorrow for sure!  Momma better not lose her job.

I always find it amazing that in all kinds of books, the author sticks in some little line or phrase or saying that is probably who they are.  I like that.  Like it is personal.  Do we every have the opportunity to do that in our daily life (i.e. in our conversation with others)?   Here is one that I read in a fiction book recently.  

 “I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that,” quipped C. S. Lewis. “If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity” WorldClassLarry says—"Many to all of us have issues, some very serious issues that are hard to bear (i.e. like wrestling with a bear).  Jesus never said that following him would lead to a trouble-free life. In fact, he said just the opposite. Soooo why would anyone want to be a follower of Jesus then?  You will have to decide that for yourself.  I can only explain that for myself.”  An apparently wise person told me recently that a person who is in the public does no longer tell folks she is a Christian but is a follower of Jesus.  She says folks are much more receptive of that and more inquisitive.  The term Christian, she thinks, has a bad connotation in our culture. 

I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--RickyRick says—You need to think about what you think about! “Fools will believe anything, but the wise think about what they do.” Proverbs 14:15 (NCV)  Every behavior is based on a belief. If there is a behavior in your life you don’t like, go to the source and change the thought behind it. To grow in any area of life, examine what’s going on in your mind. Start thinking about what you’re thinking about so your thoughts can lead to healthy, purposeful action."  ~  Apparently, RickyRick thinks thinking is very important.  What do you think?  That is what I thought.  Just remember—What you think is what you’ll be! 

Robert J. Tamasy wrote--Resumes, or if you prefer, curriculum vitae, are interesting documents. They can represent education, work experience, professional skills, achievements and certifications. They help in evaluating a job candidate’s competence and credentials – their qualifications for performing specific work. But one key element is rarely, if ever, shown on a resume or curriculum vitae: Character. And yet, perhaps as much as any single quality, character can have a great impact in many ways: a person’s job performance; how the individual relates to and works with other members of the team, and also how they fit into a company’s or organization’s culture, both in terms of philosophy and values. Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden said—“If given a choice between having a good reputation and cultivating strong character, always choose the latter: Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” In a world in which outward appearances receive so much attention, inner character determines how we conduct ourselves, how we interact with others, what values we embrace, and the beliefs we hold dear. In an ethical dilemma, character enables someone to choose right over experience. 

I had breakfast with another friend recently.  They just got back from, maybe a two-week trip.  I asked him what he enjoyed the most about the trip—being with… (i.e. his wife).  Wow! That is very neat.  Touching!  ~  I rode in the golf cart with one of my golf buddies/friends this week.  He said he was going to turn 76 this coming Saturday (i.e. today that is).  He said he will from now on be using the red tees.  Sounds good to me.  My friend, I don’t care what your other golf buddies say about your swingwiththebadhip, I don’t think you look a day over 80! haha Thanksamillion for your friendship.  

I might be naïve, I could be, but I think character is soooo important, soooo important.  Many of you folks have good character.  Don’t get discouraged when folks with bad character seem to win.  In the long run, they are losers.  They are.  Recently, I observed a gal (i.e. about 69) who looked at a young mother (i.e. who she never saw before) who was holding her small child and made eye contact with the mother. This gal smiled at her and the mother smiled back.  Now that is good character.  My opinion.  Those are good gals for sure. Just real emotions of such great quality (i.e. I think they shared something really important, my opinion).  Real folks with good hearts are my kind of folks. For sure.

Apparently, I don’t catch on very fast.  Now that I have a TV provider, I’m watching sports again.  I sorta kinda like it.  Saw some great games (i.e. good entertainment for me).  BUT I get bored easily soooo I was talking to a “top shelve executive” and he told me that he records the games and then presses the 30 second fast forward button between downs and the timing is perfect.  I was telling a friend about this and she said she has been doing this for years.  I can watch a football game of about 3 to 4 hours in about 30 minutes.  Apparently, there are other things that I don’t know! I have been sleeping on the gun for sure! Holy smokes. 

SlimySlick says--Sometimes my mind has a mind of its own. Sometimes my thoughts go off in directions that I don’t intend. Apparently, I don’t seem to have control of it much at times. Its apparently it is like a hunting dog that gets the scent and no matter how loud the owner hollers, it doesn’t make much difference; the scent it tooooo exciting.  I used to duck hunt with Larry, my friend (i.e. anybody can be a Larry), and there was a hunter in the Big Marsh that hollered at Molly as loud as he could and called Molly every name in the book (i.e. the words were colorful alright) but Molly never listened.  It happened time and time again.  It was a joke. I know a guy who didn’t train his dog but expected Alice to listen when they went pheasant hunting.  Alice didn’t. Soooo he borrowed a shock collar from a friend.  The first time Alice went on a scent and he hollered with no success soooo he shocked Alice.  He never saw Alice or the shock collar again! My favorite of favorite duck hunting stories was the time Harlan and I were hunting in the Big Marsh.  There was a lot of 
hunters and it just happened that a flock of Mallards came into our set up where we had our boat.  We stood up and emptied our guns but didn’t hit one.  We sat down embarrassed.  Then some smart butt in a boat over a ways hollers—You guys couldn’t hit a bull in the ass with a scope shovel! Now I don’t like to kill anything soooo much anymore and don’t hunt much anymore.  Crazy! Apparently, my mind has changed.

You probably have heard about Wonder Woman. She is portrayed as some woman that can do wonderful stuff.  Well, there are real life “wonder women” who just amaze me.  You know some as well (i.e. maybe you are one).  Maybe why they are soooo much a wonder woman apparently is that they have a sense to wonder in amazement about almost anything and everything.  They are soooo amazed and happy about almost everything.  Isn’t that a nice way to be.  And these wonder women are really fun to be around.  Sure beats being around complainers (i.e. complainers drive me crazy).   

According to Cedar Valley Hospice, grief can and does upsurge at times.  That is normal and these upsurges are cyclic. One such trigger apparently is a change of season.  I found that interesting.  They also suggest that grievers should remember to take care of themselves. Be gentle they suggest. Do what you can do --  no more and no less.  Huh, interesting.

I sent this to the grandkids this week--Rookie, Jimmer, Erin and Charlie—I was jogging on the golf course today and look what I found! It’s a good lesson to watch out for your predators who are going to pick on you if you don’t pay attention. They will decapitate you and eat you up. So the lesson is pay attention!  ~  Our world is still all about I I I and not about maybe we need to change.  I just don’t hear much about making a change in the way we think and act.  The world seems like that I I I is not the problem. Sooooo if we are going to continue to think that way, here is some more I I I stuff. JoeEgo says-All of these work off the philosophy that "I am better than you."

Erin, our 13-year old granddaughter, had her guinea pig die.  She is sad.  I was amazed how well she took care of Copper and how she enjoyed him.  She knew that he would only live soooo long when she rescued him from the Summit Co. Humane Society but another lesson about life.  Apparently, none of us are going to live forever (i.e. at least on this earth). 

This last week was a very nice week.  I was jogging on the golf course one morning and intersected with a couple of guys on hole three.  We chit chatted and they asked me if I was going south this winter—I plan to but it doesn’t seem the same with the virus and my situation not being the same—they really got on me and insisted that I had to go; it was good for me to hear that.  Sooooo at pickleball one of our opponents was frustrated and she said to me—erv, you have been living in my head free way toooo long!  She made me laugh (i.e. she is a very nice person--I like her).  Played golf several times.  On hole #5 a golf buddy hit a monstrous drive and had just a short iron into the green.  He hit a decent shot onto the fringe.  Then his chip was a chunk.  He said—What am I doing?  I said—It looks to me like you have your head up your butt!  Another buddy said—Yabut, it’s nice warm up there.  What fun.

LuckieEddie says—Here is something to think about:  How come you never see a headline like ‘Psychic Wins Lottery?’ Apparently, what we think we know we always don’t know, even psychics!  Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

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

erv

MyFriendJean said—The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.