somewhat

You’ll all be somewhat closer to your death after you’re done reading this “It’s Saturday” than you were when you started. (i.e. hopefully I didn’t accelerate anything!). The Big Book of Everything says--The truth is that time is relentlessly moving forward and while many in the world seek to slow it down, those who are somewhat wise will focus their energies on maximizing each moment of their life to the best of their abilities (Eph. 5:16). Do you somewhat understand that?

Remember the story I told last week of Arlene and I visiting an elderly couple of our church and eating ice cream at 11? Well, the gal died this week while making lunch for her husband.  Soooo eat your ice cream at 11!  Such is life.

MyLateFriendPaul said to me several times—erv, decisions have consequences.  My mentor would say to me—erv, in investing, you have to make more good decisions than bad ones; even the mutual fund managers make mistakes (i.e. but they have to be right more than they are wrong); there is risk in decision making.  Oh, those decisions! It appears like some are much better at making decisions than others.  Why is that do you think? LuckieEddie says—Some folks seem to have premonitions, hunches or is it just knowledge? I read this in my novel recently--Jacob shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. I’ve given up trying to second-guess that woman.  I just know that seven times out of ten she’s right.”

I read in the paper soooo it must be right that it appears that Travor Siemian will be the starting QB for the Broncos.  The reason is he outplayed Paxton Lynch, who showed flashes of athleticism and agility but was overshadowed by poor decisions.  Ouchy ouchy! I have to make decisions for me and for Arlene.  I try to make good decisions.  Some decisions are not always soooo much fun for me or the results of my decisions might limit me but I think they are best for our situation (i.e. big picture).  Some of my decisions are somewhat hard to make and I don’t always know if they are the best (i.e. all I can do is the best I can). Such is life.

Don’t kid yourself, you are the best expert; no question.  You know yourself better than anyone; yes you do!  You get to make most of the decisions about yourself.  I say most because some of us is genetic and we can’t do anything about it.  But we make decisions about most everything else (e.g. physically and mentally).  Soooo we somewhat can’t blame others for our condition.  We make the decisions. 

A GuyNameJoel said--When we invest in others and take time to encourage them, we are literally helping them take heart in life, which also multiplies the impact of our faith. Successful people live a good life, but significant people help others live great lives, too. Encouragement is literally the process of infusing courage into another’s heart. It is the ultimate form of empowerment. What an incredible gift! Saturday question—How do you feel when someone encourages you?  That is what I thought.  Sooooo how do you think others feel when you encourage them?  That is what I thought. That feeling is somewhat universal probably.  What do you think? Such is life.

Recently a friend said to me—Watch that guy (i.e. a record buyer) as he buys “pennies on the dollar!” In other words, he buys stuff for pennies that is worth a dollar (i.e. buy low sell high).  MoneyBagsEd says—Isn’t that how you make money?  Isn’t that just good business? It works for me (i.e. sellers beware). I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--It is better to be poor and honest than to be foolish and tell lies” (Proverbs 19:1).  Sooooo MoneyBagsEd, what do you think of that statement? LuckieEddie says—I somewhat believe in both; is that ok?  Someday LuckieEddie, you probably will have to make a decision I would guess. That could be a big moment in your life LuckieEddie.

A Native American elder told his grandson about two wolves who live in every heart. One is Evil—anger, jealousy, pride—and the other is Good—joy, love, peace, humility. The grandson asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?” The elder replied, “The one you feed.” AverageJoe says—That  somewhat makes sense to me.  

This seems to work somewhat! OurSmartNeighbor says--McDonald’s offer happy meals to kids soooo they get their parents to come in and buy big macs with super-sized fries.  Some McDonald’s even add play rooms sooooo the grandkids can get grandpas and grandmas to bring them.  While they are there the grandkids get happy meals and the grandparents get a quarter pounder with super-sized fires and an ice cream all around!  And everyone is happy!!! MissPerfect says—Yabut, that is the reason why there are soooo many electric shopping carts at Wal-Mart!  

Arlene and I are eclipse chasers a.k.a. umbraphiles, or shadow-lovers (i.e. not really) but we went to Lincoln and experienced “The Great Eclipse.”  I thought of a favorite verse while watching the Great Eclipse—His understanding I cannot fathom!  I realize I’m not near as smart as you folks, but I just stand in awe of many things (i.e. The Great Eclipse is just one of them). Don’t give me this crap that there isn’t a God; I think you are full of baloney (i.e. my opinion).  Sure, I don’t understand it all but…!

We were on the grassy area of the Holiday Inn Express I-80 waiting for the eclipse to begin and the manger came by and talked to me.  I said—big week probably for you—yup, sold out all week—I paid $175; what is your normal rate—about $135 in the summer; $85 in the winter; weekend rates higher depending what is going one; U of N football weekends is $280; Ohio State $350—sooooo are you saying it’s somewhat supply and demand—exactly—sooo do you as the manager determine the rates—pretty much—soooo do you compare your rates to your competition—of course and they do to us—actually the owners wanted me tooooo charge more for the eclipse but I thought it was gouging—I told him we stay occasionally at his motel and really like it—thank you; we try to provide good service to our clientele. 

You talk about service-- The Zenker63 “whosomewhatunderstandsnow” says--I became confused when I heard the word "Service" used with these agencies: Internal Revenue 'Service', U.S Postal  'Service', Telephone  'Service', Cable / TV  'Service', Civil  'Service', City, County & State Public Works 'Service', Customer 'Service'. This is not what I thought 'Service' meant. But today, I overheard two farmers talking, and one of them said he had hired a bull to 'Service' a few cows. BAM!!! It all came into focus. Now I somewhat understand what all those agencies are doing to us.     

I talked to Mary (i.e. anybody can be a Mary) lately and asked her how is everything going—same old crap—sooooo what is your same old crap—she really didn’t explain what her same old crap was.  That sounded discouraging to me.  I don’t think I do the same old crap; I find something exciting and new each day (i.e. I like to see an eclipse ever once in a while).  That same old crap would get boring to me but I get bored easily.  But some folks somewhat like to do the same old crap every day (i.e. they like the structure even if it’s the same old crap).  Saturday, Arlene and I went to a local model airplane club’s outing.  In the paper, they said they would let me fly a remote model airplane (i.e. I always wanted to do that).  Now I did that!  Stan used a dual control; he didn’t trust me with his $500 plane; I don’t blame him.  Such is life. 

Since my hamstring tear, I have had a sore muscle in my lower back (i.e. I think that muscle sympathized for my ham string).  I did my normal physical activities that I have to do and also the ones I enjoy.  It didn’t get better but got worse. Then I played 18 holes of golf and it really got bad (i.e. I could hardly do anything—some of you will understand).  Soooo for the last couple of weeks, I babied it and it is getting better (i.e. actually a week ago Friday at 3 p.m. was when it started to feel better).  I need to give it time to heal (i.e. I was very impatient).  BUT because of this, I got tooooo doooooo many things that I normally would not have done.  It has sorta kinda been a Sabbath.  Sooooo I get this email along with the picture from Zinker63 that said--As things look to me, sometimes you gotta just relax and heal up. Whaaaaaat!  Happenstance, na, I don’t think soooo.  I lol! That is him in his hammock at his lake home.  Good for him. Such is life.

Soooo I asked the clerk what’s new in her life—nothing much; pretty much the same—that’s not always bad—I want a change in my life—really—I want something different; I have prayed about it and now I have to be patient; it will happen; I have had some dreams but I don’t know what they mean—I will keep in touch—you do that! Soooo what are your thoughts on this? Soooo I go to a library where a couple of librarians were telling me how they have read about innovative ideas some libraries are trying.  But many libraries have “fear of failure” in trying them.  Ya, fear of failure is very powerful.  Some folks just don’t want to change ‘cause they are fearful of failure.  One gal, who is divorced, said—I want to get married again.  I have no fear of failure. Louis says--Do not be afraid. A little fear can make one cautious. Too much fear can rob you of initiative. Respect fear, but use it for an incentive, do not let it bind you or tie you down.

We were having breakfast in our motel with all the other eclipse watchers.  It was fun as they were all on a holiday.  There was a real buzz in the room (i.e. a fun atmosphere).  I noticed how they were dressed; different but very casual; very comfortable and laid back.  Some folks’ dress expressed their individual personalities; many shorts and tee shirts.  Sooooo a guy next to where we were watching the eclipse came and talked to us.  He was a retired guy from MN and had a couple of cameras, a new $55 filter and wearing a typical short and tee shirt outfit.  He told us his wife doesn’t like this stuff and will come out only when the eclipse is at its peak.  She did and talked our leg off as how she has allergies and the NE country irritates her and she doesn’t like the smell of NE as it makes her nauseous.  I said to her—You sure dress the part (i.e.she had on a hat with a tie down, a hiking shirt and some outdoor looking capris)!  She said—It’s only for show! What a hoot we had with them two (i.e. very nice, real folks; our kind of folks).

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

erv

MyFriendJean says—Nothing distributes wealth like taxation and a large family.

P.S. We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret

it is what it is

QueenOfTrashBetty says—I feel guilty sometimes when I intervene (i.e. I think I know how to fixieverythingallthetime). QueenOfTrashBetty, you should feel quilty!  hahaha! You need to bark at yourself more! At times you act like a false rumor! hahaha  RuthieSlim says—QueenOfTrashBetty, you make me hyperventilate; you are hilarious!

AverageJoe asks—Have you ever tried to have a normal conversation with a virtual agent a.k.a.  chatbot, alkbot, chatterbot, Bot, chatterbox, IM bot, or interactive agent?  Those virtual agents are really smart but only smart as to how they are programed.  They have no common sense. Watson is just really not that intriguing; pretty much programed to be like that; pretty boring. Actually I know folks who remind me of Siri; not very intriguing or unique but very smart in their arena (i.e. or think they are smart anyway—hahaha!). It is what it is. An ad from IBM on my iPhone promoting Watson said—71% of Millennials would rather not talk to a human when they contact customer service.  They don’t want any small talk I guess. 

The63Zenker reminded me what my mentor use to say to me—erv, I found out that it's not good to talk about my troubles. Eighty percent of the people who hear them don't care and the other twenty percent are glad I'm having them. It is what it is. Maybe those Millennials don’t want to hear about other folks’ aches and pains and other problems.  hahaha  ItchieBitchie says—Or maybe they don’t care about anyone else except themselves.  Or maybe that generation is very impersonal.  Or they don’t have time for small talk. I have no idea.  What do you think?

I hit a bad shot and my golf buddy who was riding with me said something like—that didn’t go the way you wanted it.  I said—It is what it is.  Later in the round I said to my golf buddy—that wasn’t what you were looking for. He said—It is what it is!  On the golf course, there are always clubs for sale when folks aren’t playing well (i.e. they say something like—I’m quitting this dumb game; I’m selling my clubs; you want to buy them).  There are always sellers and buyers for most everything; it all depends on the price.  Buyers can become sellers and sellers can become buyers; all depends on the price and how bad they are playing.  It is what it is folks.  Such is life.

That same golf buddy told me that he takes Aleve for his arthritis.  His bottle was empty soooo he asked his wife for some.  She gave him maybe 16 to 20.  Without thinking, he took them all.  He thought he might check to see if that is dangerous (i.e. might kill him).  His wife called “Ask a nurse.”  The nurse said it probably will take about 50 to 100 to maybe affect him; just drink some milk (i.e. this guy is tough soooo probably will take a lot more to kill him).  He said he slept really good that night.  It is what it is folks.  Crazy.

TheOtherWarrenFromOmaha says--During his physical, the doctor asked TommyOhshit about his daily activity level. He described a typical day this way:  "Well, yesterday afternoon, I waded along the edge of a lake, drank eight beers, escaped from wild dogs in the heavy brush, jumped away from an aggressive rattlesnake, marched up and down several rocky hills, stood in a patch of poison ivy, crawled out of quicksand and took four leaks behind big trees.." Inspired by the story, the doctor said, "You must be quite an outdoors man!" "NAH," he replied, "I'm just a shitty golfer." 

LuckieEddie wobbles a little but he then straightens up to being himself again.  What in the world; why does he do that.  Well he doesn’t know who he wants to be; he struggles with that.  You see he went from rags-to-riches.  Curt Warner is a great story of rags-to-riches (i.e. has seemed to handle it quite well).  Others did the same but didn’t handle it very well (i.e. went from rags-to-riches and then back to rags--couldn’t handle success). Could it be that Curt Warner has something that other don’t? Very few can handle rags-to-riches.  It takes great folks to do that.   Some of you have done well at that (i.e. my opinion).  BUT it is really hard as money changes soooo many things, soooooo many. It is what it is. A golf buddy grew up in a large family and he said they were poor.  He never had stuff that other kids had.  But he read a book a day for 10 years.  He was smart and became very knowledgeable.  He got a good education and got a good job and probably made good money. He told me he still lives with somewhat of the same mentality he grew up with.  I think he has but don’t kid yourself, life is pretty good to him (i.e. but he still has a huge massive good heart).  It is what it is. He is an intriguing person to me. 

CommonSenseCindyRox say—A good decision is the best thing you’ll ever make. In baseball, when the count is 2-3, you are out (i.e. no more decisions)! CommonSenseMojoHeather, a bonita, usually has good common sense (i.e. you can’t teach that).  PowerProWill says--Common sense is soooo hip, trendy and cool; it’s better faster and cheaper than being misguided. WoldClassLarry says—Common sense have perceived something your brain hasn’t. You believe that? I guess most of us do. Some call it instinct.  I tried to schedule something with a friend; she has a very busy schedule. She said she is making up for the time in which she couldn’t. Folks, she has it cookin’ now (i.e. now that is common sense)! It appears, many times a change in folks’ lives, can change a lot of stuff (i.e. sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse and sometimes no one knows for sure).  It is what it is!

I know a lot of hilarious folks; yes I do.  They are hilarious to me and maybe not to anyone else. They just make me smile and some even make me laugh.  I would guess that probably they don’t think they are hilarious, but they are toooo me (i.e. all in a fun way).  I have done a feasibility study and the result is, we are all hilarious in some way to some folks.  In some way, we are all a Rhonda or Rudy Rogue!  Most of us have some structural problems that make others guffaw!

Suggestion—Instead of letting someone frustrate you or even get you all upset, sit back and laugh at them (i.e. not in demeaning way, but you may) and look at them as being funny.  I really like to do that.  Folks are just funny to me.  The way folks act and the way the talk and the way they think is just hilarious to me.  I even say to folks sometimes—You make me laugh! And it’s a lot better for my mental health.  Try it, you might like it. It is what it is. It’s really a lot of fun.  I even laugh at myself a lot.  I’m really funny to myself (i.e. most of the time). It’s cheap entertainment! 

Arlene and I went and visited some folks from our church; they are 90 and 85 and live on their farm.  We called and ask if we could come at 11—sure—what is your favorite ice cream—vanilla.  Soooo we brought some vanilla ice cream and had ice cream at 11.  I asked them if they ever had Ice cream at 11 before—no no—well then, it’s about time!  They told us stories of themselves from child hood to current.  Some were sorta kinda sad, some were sorta kind happy and most were hilarious.  What a hoot we had.  ANYWAY, this was their most recent hillarious story (i.e. LOL)—She said she was weeding her garden and fell off her garden stool and couldn’t get up.  Her husband couldn’t get her up soooo they had to call someone to come and get her up (i.e. it was really funny, especially how she told it).  We never knew these folks like we do now; have been around them for years.  Crazy!

I enjoy being around intriguing and fascinating folks.  There is just something about them that just plain gets my attention.  And then there are many folks who are not intriguing and fascinating to me (e.g. folks who are very egotistical).  I was recently around some folks who don’t intrigue or fascinate me but maybe they might intrigue and fascinate others (i.e. now that is very interesting to me).  WildWillie says—Some type of folks always like being around the same type of folks as they are. Money, common interests, certain personalities, power, education, certain mentalities, status, family ties, etc. seem to draw folks to certain type of folks (e.g. usually poor folks don’t hang around with rich folks—not in their league—not in their world).  To me, rich folks are intriguing and fascinating and soooo are poor folks.  I might not be compatible with some in either “class” but I’m compatible with some in both classes as well.  I find many folks very interesting in many ways.  It is what it is. 

I heard a mother say to her young daughter recently—Kindness is more important than your grades or your piano.  A grandfather told me recently that they have a grandson that is soooo kind and humble; all the kids like him.  Da! MissPerfect says—Kindness seems to be understood by everyone.  Yabut, I realize that it is hard for many of us to understand at times. DuaneTheWorm (i.e. always tries to be a crowd pleaser) says—Self-glorification, money, prestige, position, pride, etc. is much more important than being kind; what does sincere kindness get you. DuaneTheWorm pretty much described himself. Such is life.

He took a pretty good hack at life (i.e. my opinion) I went to the funeral of a long-time business client recently.  He was an intriguing and fascinating person to me.  I probably can’t call him a friend but maybe I could.  He shared a lot of stuff with me (i.e. both good and bad through the years).  He always had a positive flare to everything.  He always just amazed me. He was not just vanilla! The last line in his obituary that was in the paper read—His priorities were God, his wife and family and his music.  I think that is right on the money as I see it. No fake obituary. 

I read in the paper soooo it must be right--Movie attendance is down a.k.a. sleepy box office.  It said it’s because folks don’t want to pay big bucks when they can watch it on Netflix in 3 months and also that the current movies aren’t that great.  Bingo!  I was talking to a friend about this (i.e. he’s a great movie buff) and he said that is true.  It is projected that in the future only moves that are spectacles will be seen in the theaters (i.e. movies that need a big screen and a lot of noise to really be effective).  Huh, interesting.  I have noticed that folks with Alzheimer’s aren’t much interested in the folks who are “spectacles”.  They like the folks who care about them and not the folks who try to portray how great they are.  Very interesting! SpectacleMaryAnn says—Kids, folks with limited mental capacity, good folks, dogs etc. all think the same.  Saturday question—How do you relate to folks who are spectacles?  That is what I thought. It is what it is.

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

erv

MyFriendJean says—A sense of humor is like a needle and thread, it will patch up so many things.

P.S. Failure isn’t so bad if it doesn’t attack the heart. Success is all right if it doesn’t go to the head.

kibosh

This “It’s Saturday” isn’t for everyone; just like not everyone goes to Disney World or eats broccoli! This could be just some verbal stew to some of you.  CrazyMarvin (i.e. who lives just down the road a bit) says—Different folks like different kind of stew; soooo let her rip potato chip erv!  And ItchieBitchie says—And don’t believe everything you read, because many people with strong opinions are simply wrong.

Kibosh! Ok, what I say will not be remembered by most a minute after it is read.  But what smart folks say, is well remembered after their death for many years.  CadillacJack asks--How smart do you have to be before that happens?  I have no idea.  Some of you might be that smart.  "When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven't." - Thomas Edison  ~  "Try not to become a person of success but rather a person of value." - Albert Einstein

Here are some random lines from John Grisham’s new book Camino Island.  I enjoyed the book but I like Grisham’s writing; I think I have read all of his 37 books. Crazy! Double Barrel Dallas says—The book is fiction sooooo these lines are tooooo!  Nothing goes as planned, and the survivors are the ones who can adapt on the fly. ~ There is nothing really private these days with the internet and social media and hackers everywhere and all the talk about transparency. ~ He drinks a lot and alcohol causes loose lips. ~  Mix together some fragile egos, booze and some politics, it usually gets rowdier. ~  70% of all novels are purchased by women. ~ He is a drunk and until he decides to sober up. Until then he’ll be nothing more than a drunk. ~ As you know, facts always get in the way of a good story. ~ Own it girl. The old saying from college: “If you are gonna to be stupid you gotta be tough.” ~ I’m frustrated with people like Andy who have the talent but squander it with bad habits.

A friend says—erv, I like it when you are personal (i.e. spill you guts).  Well this is personal my friend.  I probably would not have gone to church last Sunday if some friends were not going to speak about their mission trips.  They are good folks with good hearts; I sorta kinda knew they would be an up lift. They were.  They made me cry and also laugh.  BUT maybe a greater up lift came from an event that I didn’t expect.  I sat in the back (i.e. representing my neutral attitude).  A church family came and sat in the row in front of me (i.e. dad and mom and three children 13 and under—great family).  After some time, the mom turned around and shuck my hand (i.e. sorta kinda out of the blue).  I cried.  It meant soooo much to me (i.e. pretty much put a kibosh to my neutral attitude).  Talk about a mission to me.  She touched my heart.

Talking about being brutally honest and personal.  A golf buddy/friend was at the Cedar Falls Bible Conference the other night.  They went early as there was a hot dog/sweet corn feed.  A guy approached him and asked him what was going on—he explained—he asked if he was welcome—sure everyone is welcome—you want to join us for a meal—I can’t, I don’t have any money; I just got out of prison (i.e. he seemed confused and disoriented some)—I will buy your meal; what are your needs—I really need to find a job soooo I can make some money.  Sooooo they were munching on their corn and dogs and this guy said to my buddy—you know what my most immediate need is—no, what is it—I could use some sex!

I received an email from some friends—Please pray for my lovely cousin.  She is 46 yrs old and she grew up in a Muslim family.  Where it is prohibited to speak about Christianity. Now folks, that seems to pretty much putting the kibosh to much evangelizing to them or even having a discussion or a conversation.  Crazy, but some still do convert to Christianity.  GeorgeTheCrook says—There are countries and religions that try to put the kibosh to any talk about anything other than what the government wants the folks to think or what certain religions what their folks to think; now that is controlling their folks.  What do you say about that? America and Christianity does not do that. 

GeorgeTheCrook says--One day he will wake up and it will be over a.k.a. the kibosh.  Most profit-driven companies do employee evaluations (i.e. talk about how the employee is performing).  If an employee continues to do poor work, it’s hit the road Jack.  That’s the way it is folks (i.e. they use the analytical approach). If you are hired to make rain and don’t; yikes, you might have to start working on your CDL!!!   My opinion is that many non-profit companies and organizations (e.g. churches, government, education, charitable organizations, etc,) do a very poor job of evaluating; I think they have many good employees but the poor ones can hide and continue even if they can’t make rain.  My opinion again—If companies don’t do evaluations letting the employees know where they are, organizations are not being fair to them.  Then one day they get thrown under the bus and then they sue (i.e. they never said I wasn’t doing a good job). I talked to a young man whose family has run a corn detasseling company for 18 years.  They do performance evaluations and give their better employees better pay.  He said—Everyone knows who the better workers are; it doesn’t take long to figure it out.  Bingo! AverageJoe says—Sooooo don’t give me that crap that evaluations can’t be done fairly! Some folks want high pay and don’t want to work hard or don’t do a good job.  And some don’t realize they are not doing a good job and others are not capable of doing a good job (i.e. for many reasons) and some don’t realize they are doing a poor job (i.e. no one has ever told them).  Such is life. 

Our foursome was on #6 green and one of our opponents had a 6-footer for par.  He was ready to putt and my phone dinged signaling a text.  He missed the putt and said—All I could think was—another angel got its wings!  What a hoot. TheBigKahuna putted the lights out all day but he missed that one!  I had such a fun time.  This guy makes me smile and sometimes even laugh.  And he usually takes my money! 

A friend and I are/were rather upset about a situation.  We got together and discussed what we should do (i.e. we had options).  We invited his wife to be part of our discussion.  She sorta kinda told us we were over reacting (i.e. put a kibosh to our action we were thinking of doing).  She probably really influenced us in stopping us from taking some action, what we thought to be proactive action.  Sooooo, she motivated us in our action of our action of no action (i.e. sorta kinda put the kibosh to our thinking). Was that good or bad? We might not ever know. I hope she had wisdom in influencing us.  The outcome of this little get-to-gather certainly will impact the future of this situation; good or bad, we don’t know; maybe probably never will. Crazy! I was telling my story to a friend.  He said—erv, that decision just made your life a lot easier (i.e. less time consuming); it’s easier to sit on your hands and let “whatever happens happen.”  LuckieEddie says—Sooooo many times we say later—I/we should have done that a long time ago; the culture is much better now!  Yabut LuckieEddie, most stuff doesn’t happen until it finally hurts soooo bad that you can take it anymore; many times by that time the tooth is rotted away.  Such is life.

WorldClassLarry says--Put a kibosh to stinkin’ thinkin’; give; how much you give is not the point; rather, it's the act of giving, the mindset of sharing and caring, that matters.  JessicaSweet says--Choice, not chance, determines your fate. I read this while eating my oatmeal with a half a banana on it--The Bible says very clearly that you weren’t put on this earth just to live for yourself: “Whenever you are able, do good to people who need help” (Proverbs 3:27 NCV). God gave us abilities, talents, and energy to help other people. Tom Terrific says—There is nothing better than a grateful heart; it will put the kibosh to stinkin’ thinkin’! 

SusieQ says—This might put the kibosh to some of our eating.  A friend told me that about 90% of controlling our weight or losing weight is in our eating habits (i.e. counting our calories).  If we eat 1,200 calories a day, we might lose weight or at least maintain our weight.  A Big Mac has 563 calories; each mile of walking eats up about 80 calories (i.e. depending on our size and how fast we walk).  Sooooo that means to off-set the calories in a Big Mac we have to walk about 7 miles. Ouchy ouchy!  Ok, now add a medium order of fries (i.e. another 340 calories or another 4 miles).  Wow!  That is why counting calories is soooo important.  JoeBlow says—The reality is, we need to eat soooo little to live; but we eat soooo much to live big!  Ouchy oucyy!

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

erv

MyFriendJean says—Living for the future puts today in perspective.

P.S. My podcast is a conversation with an intriguing and interesting person. I hope you give it a listen.

refresh

I stopped by and saw MyFriendJean on my run the other day.  I called her “TheDoubleWhammyGal” as she has two health issues that limit her some; she laughed (i.e. but she’s going to be 90 this month).  Soooo I asked her what she has been doing—yesterday I dusted but didn’t find any dust; the day before I vacuumed but didn’t find any dirt—that sounds like recreational work; she laughed—yabut I like doing it—then you better do it (i.e. it refreshes her).  I was waxing our car the other day and oursmartneighbor came over to talk.  I’m sure he thought I was doing some recreational work (i.e. no one waxes their car anymore except some old fart like me).  I laughed to myself.  Hey folks, the car really looks good and it makes me feel good.  Such is life.

My golf buddy/friend told me that his late dad would say to him—Why do you do that recreational work (e.g. mowing the lawn when it doesn’t need it to be mowed); when you die, no one will know.  I told him—If it refreshes you, do it!  

Soooo on my run, I thought about what refreshes me—exercise, food if I’m hungry, reading, sleep, meditating/praying, being around some of you, sitting in the sun porch and watching a thunder storm coming in, quietness of early morning etc. Those things are like pressing the refresh button on my computer. Everyone has different things that refreshes them.  Well, what lights the fire under your pants? We met our

grandkids Saturday for lunch.  Guess where.  Hints—Cy is mascot statue in the back ground and it smells a lot like hickory smoke.  You got it!  A good place for sure. A lot of you have been there. Family and BQ is refreshing for us.  Yes it is.  Arlene said—“fun”!

On a recent late Sunday afternoon, Arlene and I went and sat behind hole #18 at The Waterloo Open.  We watched some the pro and amateur leaders play the last hole (i.e. a refreshing atmosphere for me).  We stayed for about an hour and when leaving this happened—I had our chairs in one hand and Arlene in the other; we walked just a little ways when Arlene got her feet tangled in some twine.  Before I could put the chairs down to help her, a golfer was on his knees helping her get her feet free; I said, thanksamillion; he got up and didn’t say anything and disappeared.  Soooooo folks, why did he do that?  Sooooo folks, what did the other 30-40 who watched think?  It’s really refreshing for me to see such kindness. 

JakeSmart says—Do you know that women blink about twice as many times as men? GraceTheAtomicBlonde says—That’s ‘cause most men are sleeping! Really, GraceTheAtomicBlonde, why do you think that? Onesmartgal emailed me--Are you sure it didn't say that women THINK about twice as much as men...? BigStoopWilbert says—Those women are soooo gaga; that’s why they are blinking all the time.

Get over it!  That is what Michal Greller (i.e. Spieth’s caddy) said to Jordon Spieth after he hit his opening drive in the crap at the British Open during the final round.  Refresh, I think Michal was saying; move on; that shot is history. Restart, reset!  Shake it off! Quite dwelling on it! Forget about that darnel! LuckyEddie says—Toooo be lucky, ya got to hit the next shot; forget the past.  

Modern American folks seem to get bored really easy.  Those of you who really don’t like the same traditions and the same old stuff get discouraged and need to be continually refreshed.  Personally, I like some tradition but I get bored quite easily.  I think this is a huge massive problem in our churches.  If people won’t come, they can hear the Good News.  There has to be some excitement and refreshment each Sunday or folks won’t come.  I heard someone tell me that they were bored at their church as the pastor used about 10 minutes of old liturgy (i.e. good old traditional stuff).  The problem is that no one listened.  If that continues, some folks won’t come.  Folks need and want to be refreshed and uplifted.  That is my opinion folks.  Facts don’t lie folks. Look at the churches who have good attendance and new church starts.  The proof is in the pudding!  I realize that some folks would rather keep it the same and just die. For you who feel that way, I say—Enjoy the slow death.  Such is life.  MissPerfect says—erv, if you are bored, you can always count how many times the pastor blinks!!! Yabut MissPerfect, that isn’t the reason I go to church! 

We live in rural Iowa (i.e. farm country).  I read in the paper, soooo it must be right, that farmers will soon be using drones to scout their crops and livestock.  Some farmers say—not me.  Ya right, they said that about 4- wheelers, semis, self-steering machinery and they all have them!  They can sit on their deck and look at their crops over a mile away; and it’s fun; and they can write the drone off as a farm expense.  AverageJoe says--It will be sooner rather than later.  Ya but those same farmers won’t change anything in the church.  Of course, they can’t write those new things in church off.  hahaha  It’s all about the money.

I went for an early Sunday morning run on the golf course.  There was a foursome on #1 green.  One of the guys is a long-time acquaintance (i.e. he looks like a 65-year old use-to-be skateboarder).  Sooooo how is it going—erv, I can’t hit the ball worth a shit (i.e. he always talks this way; he’s just being real; what you see is what you get)—what’s the deal; he showed me an 8-inch scar on his arm; had surgery in February—what’s that brace on your ankle—blew a tendon out and I had cancer of the tongue—wow, you have been through the mill.  He just shook his head.  I patted him on the back and said—Enjoy the beautiful morning even though you can’t hit it worth a shit.

Saturday question--Does touch refresh you?  Did that pat on the back to that golfer impact him in any way?  Do you believe in reiki? Does touch sorta kinda slow everything down inside of you?  I was recently kissed by a pretty little gal and was hugged by a big guy; both touched me; I mean made me feel good.  Very refreshing.  I was with a friend recently who because of a health issue struggles with his motor skills and his memory.  He and I went and had a beer at the golf course recently and rode around town on the golf cart. We had some fun but also had some direct conversation.  He said to me at one point—erv, can’t talk good.  I told him that was ok; it doesn’t bother me.  When I took him back to his home, he jabbed his elbow in my ribs.  Guess what I did; I jabbed my elbow in his ribs.  Crazy!

When I started riding my motorcycle on the highway, the first motorcycle I met waved at me; I waved back with a normal one finger wave above the handle bars like I’m waving at neighbor Ted.  Not right!  I goggled it to learn how to wave properly.  What a hoot.  It makes me smile when all those $30,000 Harley folks wave at me on my Yamaha XT 250 a.k.a. my respite bike.  It’s a form of brotherhood saying something like, I’m with you to the other person; I know how you feel. I think it’s sorta kinda neat.  I think it’s refreshing. Never thought much of it before until I got my mc.  There is different thinking as to why the two-finger wave.  The one I like best is—keep it on 2 wheels. MotorcycleBabeToyna says--A motorcycle wave is just about basic acknowledgement (i.e. refreshing). But ya gotta get it right. You can’t be overenthusiastic, too flippant, too subtle or too cool for school. Ya gotta be sorta kinda nonchalant but not toooo nonchalant.  MotorcylceBabeToyna, I’m working at it.  I want to be as polished as you!!!!!

ItchieBitchie says—I just loved to be loved and have someone care about me (i.e. it’s sooo refreshing).  Doesn’t everyone ItchieBitchie?  I read this what RickieRick wrote while eating my oatmeal with a half a banana on it--The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:3, “No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love”.  God says — relationships are more important than accomplishments. Life is about relationships, not accomplishments. ~ CrazyMarvin says—That doesn’t sound toooo American; Yabut CrazyMarvin, you can have a lot of accomplishments and still be very loving to folks.  I know many folks, many of you guys who do that—except for a couple of you hahaha—e.g. DuaneTheWorm.  BUT I have to guard my thoughts sooooo I don’t get toooo top heavy on the “me stuff.”  That is really easy to do for me; but I get humbled and I then have to recalibrate. That humbling process makes me blink wildly (i.e. even more than a woman).  Such is life.

Headline reads—Chiefs 1^st-round pick Mahomes already turning heads in camp. It said that in the second practice, he put together an impressive drive.  What was the teaching point after such an impressive drive?  “We told him not to get too big of a head,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. Parkersburg, the town where our office was, is/was got hit by an EF5 tornado in 2008.  It destroyed about a third of the town.  Kuik Star was one of the businesses in the tornado’s path.  The other day I bought some bananas for my oatmeal at Kuik Star (i.e. the cheapest place to buy bananas). I used the restroom and there on the wall was this picture.  A very good reminder how things can be one day and how they can be the next (i.e. before and after picture).  Soooooo it reminded me not to get a big head. 

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

erv

MyFriendJean says—Always hold your head up, but keep your nose at a friendly level.

P.S. We have one precious life: do something extraordinary today, even if it's tiny. 

strikeout

Some of you might think this “It’s Saturday” is just—drip drip drip a.k.a. just annoying noise!  And it could be but it might not be tooo! And some of you won’t ever know ‘cause you have no idea what your sub-conscious is thinking!  GeorgeTheCrook says—It also could be a swing and a miss for a strike 3 strikeout a.k.a. a punchout. Such is life.

Here are a few lines that I read in a fiction book that are interesting--Many folks fail as they are a little toooo sure of themselves. --Not many people are concerned about others as they are concerned about themselves, their jobs, their families. Rarely do they concern themselves about the motivations of others unless somehow it affects their own lives. --Man needs sooo little but wants soooo much. --Foolish? Of course, but so many things worth doing may seem foolish to others, may seem impossible. --Soooo much running around, soooo much wasted time. No one really cares to accomplish anything; it’s better to not accomplish anything soooo the task can run forever.  That’s the trouble. --There are good people everywhere.  But there are some connivers and tricksters tooooo!  DoubleBarrelDallas says—That stuff came out of a fiction book soooo they maybe are just that, fiction! Yabut DoubleBarrelDallas 1, 2. 3 strikes you’re out at the old ball game! Such is life. 

It’s summer folks, for some a time of baseball, hot dogs and beer.  The Cubs are in the race; soooo are the Twins; like myfriendGeno says—It’s fun to be in the hunt.  They are the two clubs I sorta kinda follow. I haven’t been to a game for years.  It’s not something I have on my “want to do list.”  But I could enjoy it; I like baseball.  I remember some college buddies came to see me during the summer a mile and fourth south of Roseland, MN.  We were 100 miles west of the Cities and went to see a Twins game (i.e. during the Hammerin’ Harmon Killebrew ere).  One of my buddies bought a newspaper and got bored soooo he put the paper over his head and fell asleep. What a hoot!

RuthTheBabe said--Major League Baseball, the simple ball-and-bat game (i.e. that seems boring to many) is still our national pastime. Sure, football does better on TV and, believe it or not, stock car racing draws the most fans. But baseball remains our national game.

Have you ever struck out standing there watching (i.e. left the bat on your shoulder taking strike 3; froze at the plate; couldn’t pull the trigger—didn’t take a cut at life).  That in baseball is a backward K on the scorecard.  Ya gotta keep your eyes open and figure out what a strike is and what a ball is.  And you got to make that decision real fast; if it’s a strike you got to take a cut at it.  If not, it’s a backward K! LuckieEddie says--Some folks can even sleep with one eye open, as half of their brain is alert while the other is asleep. This is called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep (USWS) and it allows the sleeping bird to spring into action quickly from rest if a threat approaches while still being able to satisfactorily rest if no threat arises. Ducks and waterfowl are particularly good at this, though connivers and tricksters are also. 

It’s called “slippage.” in industry: Grain falls off trucks, manufactured parts don’t measure up, machines don’t run at peak efficiency, oil leaks out of car engines, and so on. In other words, there are no perfectly efficient systems on earth. A friend told me recently that she frets more as she gets older.  Ouchy ouchy!  She also doesn’t sleep as well especially if she has to get up early in the morning.  It’s not a strikeout folks but it’s slippage.

The progress of his life—GeniusBen went from poverty to humble service to knowledge to leadership; it’s a lesson for us. Everyone wants to be a leader in some form or fashion; but serving comes first. Serving others, in fact, is the very essence of leadership. If we don't, well folks it's strike 3, you are out!!!  Take the bench!!! Saturday question--Who was/is the greatest example of humility?

 A guys whose name is Os, is an "Enrolled Agent - Master Tax Advisor". He says—It has given me a pretty good understanding of American's financial situations. By talking with people and getting a view of their levels of happiness and contentment, and then looking at their finances through taxes, I have made some interesting observations. As you might expect, there is a disconnect between income and net worth. Some people with only modest income, have accumulated a lot of wealth, and many high-income people have spent it all and then some. A colleague and I were reviewing a tax return recently when I commented that this proves, "You can't out-earn stupid." Foolish people almost always spend more than they earn. Many people think if they made a little more money they would be happier. Probably not. If there is any correlation between income and happiness, it would be a bell curve, with the happiest people located in the middle. The lowest income and the highest income people, on both ends of the curve, are the least happy. In case you are wondering, surveys report that the highest percentage of people claiming happiness peaks at about $75,000 per year income. Earning more does not make people happier. AverageJoe says—We make a lot more than $75,000 but we want more—we want more!!!!  LuckieEddie says—At some point, it’s only money!  If you have a terminal illness, listen folks, it’s only money! MoneyBagsWalley says—Yabut, I’m putting my money in Master Card; They say a person can spend it all over hell! 

Folks I realize that they say money can’t buy happiness BUT I’m sure happy we have enough money to have our house cleaned.  It sure makes me happy.  Our gal does an great job that even makes me happier.  I’m just one happy guy. 

HomeRunTrotEvan says--I bookmarked this--“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves,” I hope maybe some of my life is somewhat related to that statement.  Some of the public decries Tim Tebow for trying to be that way.  And some of the public applauds and exalts him for his attitude.  Saturday question—Do you like to be around folks who think they are better than everyone else?  That is what I thought. Maybe our lives are a lot like the folks we are around.

I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--RickyWisdom says--When you’re learning how to be humble, you have to be willing to listen, learn, and grow and be open to suggestions and corrections from other people. You don’t know it all, and you can’t act like you know it all, either! RickyRick, that makes perfect sense to me!

I heard someone say the following about a young person and his family recently—They are incredibly down to earth and seem like normal people; his parents are grounded, respectful people; the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I know folks like that; yes I do (i.e. many of you guys).  Good folks with good hearts; my kind of folks.  I had a friend tell me about some of his problems.  He told me it’s not all soooo easy to have accumulated a lot of wealth—I told him I think probably 99.9% of the folks would trade with you.  We laughed!

In baseball, a strikeout is a strikeout; that’s from youth baseball to major league (i.e. no one likes to strike out).  A father said to Harvey Penick (i.e. in Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Lessons and Teaching From a Lifetime in Golf)—My son just told me he played a par round of golf (i.e. he was all excited)—who did he play with—his buddies—when your son plays a par round with folks he doesn’t know, on a course other than his home course, and in completion (i.e. playing by U.S.G.A rules), come tell me and I will congratulate him.  The father left with his balloon popped.  A golf score means really nutten if you make up your own rules.  I’m ok with making up your own rules to shoot whatever score you want.  BUT don’t brag about it.  In fact, you can write the score you want on your scorecard before you start if you want tooooo (i.e. ha ha).  That’s fine with me.  Really! The only score I’m really concerned about is mine (i.e. how I competed against myself). 

It's in the gap!  That means in baseball that a ball is hit between the outfielders (i.e. a gapper) and probably to the wall.  It’s a double or a triple.  It’s a good hit of course.  MyrtTheGiftGiver recently send me this; it’s a special memory of when we traveled Europe with both my sisters and their husbands.  In London, the under-ground rail always announced when entering or exiting the stations: Mind the gap.  It always made me laugh.  It’s the gap between the train and the platform.  Sooooo folks, mind the gap of life!!! Let me tell you folks, if you hit it in the gap, it’s no strikeout!   Soooooo hit it in the gap folks. Bingo! It makes you front page news!

This might sound a bit direct to some of you but it’s real  life—You got to produce; if you can’t produce, you might be fortunate if someone will give you another strike or two.  BUT if you strike out, most often you are out; you are a strikeout.  Folks, it’s reality.  Ouchy ouchy!  But it is life folks.  That's all she wrote! AverageJoe says--It's easy to be average; but hard to be excellent and very easy to be below average.  Oh ya!

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

erv

MyFriendJean says—Before you flare up at anyone’s faults—take time to count ten of your own.

P.S. If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free. If our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed.

BonusBabyFred says—The easiest way to make a lot of money is to inherit it or marry it.  

what's your problem

This “It’s Saturday” might be covefefe!  What is covefefe anyway?  I have no idea sooo I asked a few smartfolks.  Here are a couple of definitions I received.  Covefefe = either a typo, or a misheard and misunderstood word. Fake vocabulary! Covefefe: (1) A septuagenarian that gets all of his/her information and self-worth from reality television shows; and (2) the typo of a twitter troll.

MissPerfect, who thinks she’s a tardigrade, says—I really don’t care what others think!!! I think I know and that’s all that matters.  I have friends and acquaintances who are very liberal and very conservative (i.e. very radical).  It is hard to have a conversation with them about certain issues as they don’t hear a word another person says.  They think they are always right (i.e. sorta kinda like the differences of the Civil War).  I guess that is why there are wars to fight it out and see who wins; whoever is left alive wins!  It seems like these folks have a problem (i.e. but I might be wrong)!  What do you think?

MySmartNeighbor and I think we would maybe not hire folks who are radical (i.e. tooo high risk to have around—cause toooo many potential problems—cause headaches).  I said I heard that NFL teams profile draft picks—wouldn’t you if you are going to spend millions on a player and he is a radical.  He heard on Pan Patrick’s sports show that Kaepernick can’t find a job as franchises aren’t going to gamble millions on a radical (i.e. tooo big of risk). Soooo I had breakfast with a friend this week and he told me that he and I are considered radicals by many folks because we are Christians.  Soooo we decided that maybe some companies or individuals would not hire us because we are radicals. I never ever thought of that before.  Yabut maybe others would think of this as an asset and would want to hire us.  Such is life. 

GoodHeartedDoris, a self-proclaimed apple tree, says--Sometimes an antidote helps the situation but it might have side effects.  With some medical treatments, I have been told, that the side effects of medication or treatment are as bad as the disease itself. You might not want to read on; there might be side effects.  But if you know everything, it won’t bother you in any little way.  But remember folks, not all life experiences end like a Hallmark movie!  I’m not trying to wind you folks up. I’m really not. But some of you folks get wound up pretty easy.  Some folks seem to have a problem with getting opinionated real fast (i.e. hot under the collar if someone disagrees with them).

WorldClassLarry says—Subtle changes in our environment impact us dramatically; even if you don’t see it or understand it; they just do.  Unconsciously, we change and are affected in our life “ever after.” I read this in the book, Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade—“Many times, what makes a person pull away from friendship is something counselors call transference.  Even though the Alzheimer’s is happening to someone else, they think, ‘What if this happens to me?’ and the pain of that thought pushes them away from the person with the disease.”

Many times, counselors say--What we have for experiences as a kid affect us throughout our entire life (i.e. programmed).  It’s a phenomenon by unconscious redirection of feelings and desires and especially of those retained from childhood toward a new situation or object. It also is defined “the inappropriate repetition in the present of a relationship that was important in a person’s childhood.” Example might be—You don’t like your neighbor because she reminds you of your mother. LuckyEddie says—Some folks can recognize them and deal with them and others can’t (i.e. can become demons). AverageJoe says--If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.

Arlene and I went for a little road trip and went by The Little Brown Church in the Vale sooooo we stopped.  It has some childhood memories to me.  You see, I was a member of the Roseland Rosebuds 4-H club.  I think we met every month.  We started our meetings singing some songs.  One song that we sang a lot was The Little Brown Church in the Vale.  Crazy.  Something else that I remember is, I did a demonstration at one of those meetings; I demonstrated how to put a male end on an electrical cord. Crazy.  I do think our experiences as a youth affect use for the rest of our lives.  What do you think? Oh ya, my big sister (i.e. only in age) a.k.a MyrtTheGiftGiver took her demonstration to the MN State Fair; it was how to make chicken chow mein.  We ate a lot of chicken chow mein that summer!!!! Chicken chow mein has affected my for the rest of my life!!!! 

Professor Bruce

What is your problem erv?  My problem is I think I smell like a big chicken barn! Good thing I was in the barn on Friday as the next day was “bathday” Saturday!   Our friend Bruce showed Ron and I his son-in-law’s chicken operation. I'm share this with his permission. 2 buildings 49,000 in each building as chicks, 42 days to 5.5 pounds, each chick cost 50 cents, 5% death loss, chicks come in all less than 24 hours old to a building that is 90 degrees, 12 workers work all night; load all by hand on 8 trucks, chicks will not go out of a 15-foot radius in their life, are none antibiotic, cost about $6.29 a pound on the counter.

Have you ever said—This is not good; they got me!  I buy nuts at Walgreens when they are on sale.  Soooo the other day I bought some and was paying for them.  I had a coupon for 5X reward points—the clerk said it was expired soooo I gave him another for 10% off—he said that doesn’t apply to sale items.  I just laughed and said—you got me.  The clerk laughed toooo.  I don’t have an Amazon Prime account soooo of course I didn’t buy anything on Prime Day.  I read that is a huge selling technique for Amazon and hard on other retailers.  Is it a gimmick or is it a really good thing?  When things are on sale a lot of folks buy stuff they don’t need or want; then they throw in free shipping, how can a person go wrong!  SusieQ says—erv, don’t kid yourself, Amazon knows what they are doing; they got a lot of my money; money that I don’t have! SusieQ, now that is a problem.  

Dearest Dad, I am coming home to get married soon, so get your check book out.  I'm in love with a boy who is far away from me. As you know, I am in Australia ... and he lives in Scotland. We met on a dating website, became friends on Facebook , had long chats on Whatsapp.  He proposed to me on Skype, and now we've had two months of a relationship through Viber. My beloved and favorite Dad, I need your blessing, good wishes, and a really big wedding. Lots of love and thanks. Your favorite daughter, Lilly THE RESPONSE My Dear Lilly, Like Wow! Really? Cool!

I played pickleball for the first time since I tore my hamstring. It has been 9 weeks.  I’m about 90%.  I find it interesting that my abdominal muscles and a muscle in my lower back area feel sorry for my hamstring and have shown kindness to my injured hamstring (i.e. were sympathetic). They actually hurt some.  That is crazy!  A pickle ball buddy told me that when he tore his hamstring, he had the same experience.  ANYWAY, Saturday question—Are you a kind person?  When I was eating my oatmeal with a half a banana on it, I read what RickyRick said--Kindness always begins with the eyes — the way you observe the world and are sensitive to the needs of other people. You’ve got to become more observant of the needs around you. Hurry is the death of kindness. If you’re going to learn to be a kinder person, you’ve got to slow down! When you’re always distracted with other things, you don’t have time to be kind.

TomTerrific says—The number of smokers seems to be way down; it seems folks realize that it’s not good for them and expensive.  ItchieBitchie says—It appears society shamed some folks into quitting smoking.  Do you think the numbers will change on obesity? Obesity is a problem folks; don’t kid yourself.  It is not good for any of us.  Face the issue.  Obesity is a huge massive disadvantage for everyone (i.e. health reasons, social reasons, business reasons, activity reasons, and the rest of the reasons).  The warning signs are all over the place but Americans don't seem to react to them very well.  Why is that do you think?  My Yamaha XT 250 has a 2.17-gallon gas tank.  The low fuel warning light come on when there is .48 gallons left.  Now that warning is well in advance.  Especially since my respite bike gets about 70 miles to a gallon.  That sorta kinda makes me laugh.  Hey folks, I live a simple life.  Yabut if I don’t head the warning, what good is the warning light? Such is life.

CousinWarrenfromOmaha sent me this story—erv, I have a real life story for you; I was in a park the other day and noticed a small girl twirling one of those popular new "fidget gyro spinners".  After watching her for a bit, I was intrigued with the gadget, and asked her "Where can I buy one of those gadgets  ??"   She replied " I think they sell them in China".  

Last Saturday morning, I went and had an early breakfast while reading the paper (i.e. I really enjoy doing this).  Then I rode on the Cedar Bike Trails.  Saturday mornings, the folks are differed than the week-day mornings (i.e. for a lot of reasons).  I followed a family for about 10 miles.  The parents were in their 30s and their two kids were maybe 12 and 10.  They rode 12-14 mph.  They stopped at a fork in the trail.  I stopped beside them and told them how great it was to see them riding together and teaching your children the value of being outside and exercise.  They thanked me.  I told the kids that they were really fortunate to have such parents; the kids didn’t look soooooo excited!!!! They looked at me like saying—What’s your problem?

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

erv

MyFriendJean says--Instead of pointing a finger, why not hold out your hand.

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." - George Bernard Shaw

symmetry

Our daughter asked me what I was going to do this weekend.  I told her some things and mentioned I was going to do a talk.  She said—I thought you said you weren’t going to do anymore talks.  Ya, I said that but I lied!!!!  Sooooo folks what I say in this “It’s Saturday” might be a lie tooooo!  And it could be.  You be the judge.  Ya got to remember that I’m a septuagenarian!  And make no mistake about it folks, septuagenarians do crazy things!  And just remember folks, you are not riding in first class! My Little Peanut went on to say—Well Dad, you either can’t say no or you are a sucker or you really enjoy it!  Such is life.

A lot of kicking and screaming! When folks’ free-bees a.k.a. subsidies are taken away or the threat of them being taken away, there seems to be a symmetry of how recipients act.  Iowa is rural and there are a lot of farmers.  I read in the paper that the government is thinking of reducing or taking away the subsidy on the multiperil crop insurance (i.e. currently the government pays 62% of the premium). They are talking about reducing it by $2.9 billion.  Of course, the splash back of that amongst the farmers and the IA Farm Bureau is a lot of whaling.  But Grassley (i.e. who lives maybe 14 miles from us) said in the paper—Don’t worry folks, it will never happen; they have been talking about that for years.  GeorgeTheCrook says—But to be on the safe side farmers, you need to complain, protest, decry and really make it sound bad (i.e. but make sure you drive your old pickup and not the new one while doing it).  hahaha

The farmers I know won’t destroy property or go and kill folks if they don’t get their way.  Sooooo it appears that we can pretty much figure out who the folks are going to be dangerous and what part of society that they come from.  I’m just a little old farm boy from a mile and fourth south of Roseland, MN and I think I can figure it out.  AverageJoe says—That is not the problem; the problem is what are we going to do with them.  It’s America and not North Korea (i.e. no symmetry).

It appears that this year could be a financial difficult year for some IA grain farmers. The corn price is low and there is a lot of corn left in the bins from last year.  Every farmer’s situation appears to be different.  Some have saved money when corn prices were really good, some have large debt, some own their ground, some rent from the mother-in-law, some manage their money differently, some have different life styles etc.  The only person who really knows is their banker!!!! LuckyEddie says—The average person on the street has no idea!  Such is life.

JoeBlow asks—Does complaining and protesting really work?  ItchieBitchie says—You got to complain and protest to get your fair share of all the goodies! I read in the paper sooooo it must be right that bureaucracies do not produce anything but bureaucracies are just “cash cows” for the bureaucrats (i.e. they create a lot of bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo).  IickieVickie says—And the beat goes on!  Bureaucracy frustrates a lot of folks unless you are involved in the bureaucracy; then you love it.  It’s a gravy train; a money tree for life (i.e. much like subsidies and entitlements).  I’m starting to think that bureaucracy is getting into business (e.g. medical field).  It’s an easy way to make big bucks (i.e. milk the system). They know that the government (i.e. Medicare and Medicaid) and/or private insurance will pay for it (i.e. free money).  Soooo they create stuff to make more money and no one really cares.  I wonder if we had a $100 co-pay on every office visit and $500 co-pay on every test if folks would be more concerned.  I just wonder.  What do you think?

I read this while eating my oatmeal with a half a banana on it—John (i.e. anybody can be a John) said--“You are known by the company you keep.” I discovered that it comes from a moral in one of Aesop’s Fables called “The Donkey and His Purchaser.” It tells about a man who wished to purchase a donkey but decided to give the animal a test before purchasing it. So he took the donkey home and put him in the field with his other donkeys. The new donkey strayed from the others to join the one that was the laziest and biggest eater of them all. Seeing this, the man led him back to his owner. When the owner asked how he could have tested the donkey in such a short time, the man answered, “I didn’t even have to see how he worked. I knew he would be just like the one he chose to be his friend.” Proverbs 13:20 concurs: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.” Is this symmetry folks?

We had a little symmetry; maybe not a lot but a little.  I stopped in a little town as I heard they had off-road trails.  There was an ATV sitting in front of the local bar where three folks were sitting on the patio having a cold one.  I approached them and told them I just bought this Yamaha XT 250 and was wondering about the trials I heard about (i.e. they sorta kinda laughed at me).  They told me about their bikes and their stories.  We laughed and had a hoot.  They said—sit down and have a beer; can’t Arlene is in the car. All three of these folks were heavily tattooed. The pretty, petite gal had her whole body covered with all kinds of tattoos of all different colors.  They asked me how old I was; they sorta kinda laughed some more. ANYWAY I accepted them and they accepted me.  They didn’t know anything about the trails but said I should go and see the guy out in the country; he has a personal motor cross track and he lets folks use it (i.e. I think they thought this crazy old coot just might try it).  He is a pretty laid back, a neat guy. We had such a good time.

Soooo another night Arlene and I stopped by this guy’s place.  Yes, it was like those folks said—everything (i.e. $10 to ride any time).  This guy was probably about 40 and has had this mc track for 17 years; a few years he closed it down.  I asked why—folks didn’t appreciate it; it’s not a money maker by any means; on Sundays, 25 to 50 folks, along with friends and family, will come and race and just have a good time (i.e. bikers ages range from 5 to 72). Soooo why do you do this?  I do it because I had a bike since I was 5 years old and this is a very good, safe place for young people to come and not get into trouble; that is why I do it.  You must have a good heart.  I try to—I have had my demons in the past and have overcome them.  This is one interesting guy and he’s very intriguing to me. We had just a great time talking.

IickieVickie asks—erv, do you think there is symmetry between folks’ intelligence and those that watch reality television shows? I have no idea.  What do you folks think?  I read this in the paper (i.e. sooooo it must be right)—Einstein’s different views made him a scientific innovator (i.e. “new” will always court criticism). The realty is “Genius” may serve as a good reminder we always live in interesting and disruptive social, religious and political times. Einstein is difficult and challenging…The TV series hints Einstein’s true genius may have been his ability to fully be himself.  Saturday question—Are you a genius? AverageJoe asks—What is the definition of a genius? I had a friend who was a genus.  Yes GenusBen was a genus.  No question.

DoubleBarelDallas says--If you start comparing, it’s always going to lead to one of two sins: pride or envy. When you compare yourself to others, you’re either going to think “I’m doing better than them,” and you get full of pride, or “They’re doing better than me,” and you get full of envy. Pride and envy are both sins. CrazyJane says—But erv, I’m better than some and not as good as others; I know that!  Ya right CrazyJane! Figure it out CrazyJane, figure it out!  Bingo!

This is as real as it gets folks.  I was envious this week (i.e. I don’t think I usually am but...).  Actually, I was quite envious (i.e. if I said I wasn’t, I would be lying).  I’m not proud of it.  You might think I acted like a 4-year-old.  I might of but I’m 71; how can that be!  I’m not prideful of my envy; no, I’m not.  Actually, I felt bad; really bad. I got over it in a short time (i.e. about 15 minutes) but it was ugly when I had it. I didn’t like the feeling; no I didn’t.  No way!  Maybe some of you have been envious at some time.  Maybe and maybe not!!  CadillacJack says—If you are very prideful, you probably have never been envious!  SusieQ says—erv, why would some folks ever feel envious; they have everything and everything goes their way (i.e. it appears that way anyway).  I don’t know that answer!  I do know that after I thought about my enviousness, I was happy for the folks who I was envious of.  They are good folks with good hearts.  Once I got my head adjusted, I was really happy for them (i.e. good for them).

MissPerfect says-- Good looks are an asset in a man’s march to success, but not so with a woman. What!  Men suspect they have no brains, and other women are jealous.  There is that envy again.  Personally, I like to be around pretty and smart gals.  Maybe I’m not a typical man.  Crazy.  Maybe some men get intimidated by pretty and smart gals.  Could be.  And it could be it’s more of a woman/woman problem than a man/woman problem.  Do you think women are more envious than guys? 

A friend told me that he is angry.  He said--My soybean stand isn’t as good as I want it.  The seed company said the seed was ok, the chemical company said it was not their fault, the county extension service says I just planted on the wrong day (i.e. bad luck). He said--Everyone passes the buck to me.  It can’t be me or bad luck.  His wife says—It will be ok.  I said—You have a good wife. He said—She is the best thing that ever happened to me.  His anger has some similarity to his father’s anger.  Is that environment, or genic or just bad luck?

Is there a symmetry between being highly strung and heart problems (i.e. I mean folks who are really wound up tight all the time)?  A friend told me about a mutual friend who had some heart issues.  She said to me—I’m surprised he has lived this long as tight as he is always wound and the pace he is going (i.e. a regular Speedy Gonzales).  I had breakfast after doing a very fun bike ride on the Cedar Valley bike trails the other morning.  As I was leaving, a gal was leaving toooo.  She was eating something on the way out (i.e. eating on the run).  I said—You better slow down lady.  She said—It will never happen.   Da!

 I did business with a fairly large company.  I redid our retaining wall (i.e. no whaling at this wall but it could happen); I restacked the limestone slabs that have been there for 40+ years.  They really needed it.  ANYWAY, I called the company were I originally got the slabs from way back when.  I told them I needed about 30 feet of limestone slabs—they would help me—tell us when you want to pick them up and we will have a man at the quarry.  Soooo I called a day in advance and they would arrange it.  They called back soooo a friend and I took his pickup (i.e. that’s why he’s my friend—he has a pickup hahaha).  Jeff at the quarry helped us (i.e. we had a lot of fun).  Got 1,220 pounds (i.e. I guessed 600 pounds and Jim guessed 800 I think). I worked with three company folks and they treated me like I was their best customer; I was really only a very small fish to them.  The limestone slabs that I use are called shot slabs (i.e. when they blast, these are the parts that fly out with the dirt etc.—have no value to them—they are just pushed on a pile).  Soooo I get the bill of $4.27!   What!  I am guessing that there is some symmetry with how great these folks are.  What do you think? Obviously, there was more to this for them than the money.  They could have charged me any amount they wanted (i.e. gouged me but decided not toooooo—probably didn’t even cross their mind I bet).  I think this speaks big of this company and these folks.  That’s my opinion.

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

erv

MyFriendJean says—Keep your temper, nobody wants it.

P.S. "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein