Reach Out and Touch Someone

We have had a network set up for computing ever since we got the netbooks.  Only trouble with the system was that Elder Daughter had to either sit on her front porch, sit on my back steps or else come into the house to access the network.  Outside worked on nice days but it's getting cold.  Did I mention we had snow flurries the other day?  We had checked with the Computer Guru, better known as Zeta's son, Steve.  He said get something called a Range Extender.  Well, first he said to get to get an N Router,  which  we did.  The signal was better but still not strong enough to reach from inside one house to inside the other.  So we looked into the extender thingy.

I asked at Wally World one day and received a quizzical look from the clerk.  She gestured with a hand and told me to look at the end of the aisle.  Okay, admittedly, she was with another customer who was asking multiple questions and he didn't seem to be getting any further than I did when she turned and smiled at me.

I took her raised eyebrows to mean, "What do you need, Hon?"  So I ventured to inquire about their Range Extenders.  I strolled in the direction of the aisle she indicated and found nothing that even vaguely looked like something that could extend the range of our N Router.  I left the Electronics section without attracting the attention of any other sales clerks and slunk away to pay for my groceries. 

Not to be defeated, I called around a couple of stores and was told they didn't carry Range Extenders.  Elder  Daughter began to speak about (shudder!) Dial-Up.  We were in the area of a store called Onyx and we stopped in to see if the owner could help us.  I've used the store several times in the past for my computer needs and always been pleased with their knowledge and service.  The owner didn't carry anything for networking but suggested we try New Egg or Amazon or Walmart.  Ah-hah.  Well, we knew Walmart wouldn't work but Amazon... there's a name to conjure with! 

Christmas Eve I did a search for the words NetGear and Range Extender.  Up popped a suggestion and a price.  Reasonable.  Delivery sometime in January.  I clicked to order and we sat back to wait.  Today, UPS delivered a box.  I opened it when I got home from work.  It was the Range Extender by NetGear.  Earlier than promised.  I love when a merchant comes through.  It's now New Year's Eve - Eve and Elder Daughter is cozily inside her home, connected to my NetGear Router signal which delivers Internet to her netbook - and if you take a  look at the photograph - all lights are green and the curtain is drawn across the window.  This Extender really does do the job. 

Thanks Onyx and John Gunther.  Thanks J & R (JR.Com) and Thanks Steve for your help.

Take that, Dial-Up!

But, Baby it's COLD outside!

Elder Daughter called this morning at about 7:45AM and told us it was sleeting.  The wind was blowing the rain out of the trees and it was ice.  Sleet was all over the top of her car.  Of course, I had to take a picture.  This is the cover of our grill on the back patio. 

What's next Florida?  SNOW?

Shared Christmas

 Nathan  and Matthew were up  early but so were their Mom and Dad; a neighbor's stallion got out on Christmas Eve and was in front of our property when Rich came home.  He called local law enforcement and they sent a car to try and locate the owner.  At the end of the event, there were three police cars running up and down the road and another neighbor finally identified the horse  owners and led the deputies to call on the owners.  The owners came down and finally tied the stallion to  the bumper of their car and slowly walked him back home. 

Because Sarah and Rich were up so  late with the horse visitation, they slept in this morning.  The boys were up at about 4:00AM but went back to their room when Mom and  Dad  seemed reluctant to open presents with  only  an hour of sleep.









Nathan got his bass guitar.

Matthew found a new bike on the front porch.

The faces tell the story.

Tommy and I enjoyed the morning spent with family

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus.

Winding down.

Went out shopping with Elder Daughter and the Grandsons this morning.  We had a few errands to do and one more gift to buy.  We began by mailing a double handful of Christmas cards.  There was no line to the outside mailboxes.  Traffic was light.  The mall wasn't too crowded.  TJ Maxx was busy but not so much that it deterred us in our quest for the perfect last minute purchase.  Odd Lots had some things of interest.  Home Depot was a source of one of my major purchases.  Relieved, we turned towards Walmart and found some things to fill out the stocking stuffer agenda. 

There is one more day, Christmas Eve - and then it will be Christmas Day.  All the stress will be worthwhile.  Presents to open, food to consume.  Telephone calls to keep in touch across the miles.  Love to share with family.  And,  amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday, we need to take time to dwell on the Real reason for the Season.  Two thousand years ago, give or take a few - a child was born in  a small town.  Angels welcomed Him and shepherds left their flocks and ran to worship.  Wise men came from far away lands to bring precious gifts. This child whose birth we celebrate is the real reason for the joy of the season.  Let us not lose sight of this truth during the hurry to get things done - the buying and wrapping, the cooking and serving and cleaning up.  The enjoyment of the gifts we exchange - let us recall the greatest Gift  of all.

Peace on Earth.  Good Will Towards Men!

How'd we get so dependent on the technology stuff!

This morning, I put my cellphone in the top  of  my purse but inadvertently dropped my sunglasses on the rug.  I  leaned down to retrieve them.  This time of the morning,the sun is in my face driving to work.  I need those clip-on shades to see down the road.  They are quite necessary in my getting to work scheme-of-things.  Satisfied that I had all my equipment, I set off on my way to work.  I passed familiar landmarks and came to the bend in the county road where there is a chicken farm.  I put my hand in my purse and rummaged for my cell phone.  Rummaged.  Ru-u-ummaged.  Couldn't find  it.  I pulled over into a driveway and really tore the purse apart.  The phone wasn't there.  I turned around and double timed back to the road we live on, sped down to the house and stopped in the drive.  I had to unlock the door to get in and met T coming from the living room.  He offered to help me look for the phone, a Blackberry Curve in a shade of maroon that matches my netbook.  I'm really fond of that phone.

Long story short, we couldn't find the phone.  T said he'd continue to look, although he wasn't really sure what  it looked like.  I headed off to work and made it just on  time.  I felt somehow bereft.  Like an arm was tied behind my back.  Like I couldn't do my work without that phone  linking me to home and family. And the Internet and Facebook, which we can't access from our work server.  I slogged through and finally called the house about 11:00AM.  T.said he wasn't sure but he thought he had located my phone.  He described  the object in his hand.  Kind of reddish, with silver and black buttons and numbers and a-b-c...and the word Blackberry on the top.  Oh, yes!  That's it.  I asked where he had found the phone.  He said it was on the rug, just under the table.  We both had looked there earlier in  the morning and I hadn't seen the blasted thing.  Apparently - in addition to  all  the other features the phone has, there is an invisibility button somewhere and I must have switched it on before the phone jumped out of my purse.   It may be a smart phone, but it isn't all that bright. 

This is a simulation of the view it had to endure all morning before it made itself visible to  T and was returned to the tabletop to wait for me to come home after work.

Time to peek?

Tonight Elder Daughter came over and wrapped a few gifts to the boys from us.  She sent them into our bedroom to watch television while she worked and took the wrapping materials from the closet.  Sounding like a surgeon (Tape?  Scissors?  Labels?, Bows? Yes Doctor, here they are!), she  set up her work station (dining room table) and started with the first box.  She was able to complete the project and I wrote out labels and stole the tape back to attach them.  Slap a bow on top and add the box to the growing  pile. 

She called the boys to come and carry the pile of presents out to the van.  The gifts will wind up under her tree to be opened on Christmas morning.  She says the boys will not shake, pick at tape or rummage among the pile - they know what will happen should they be found trying to see what any box contains.  The threat dominates the conversation; if they are found trying to peek - that present will immediately be returned to the seller and will not be given. 

I'm not sure my DNA is present in these people.  I can recall carefully peeling scotch tape when it used to be only  the shiny variety.  If you went slowly enough, you could get enough tape off to be able to open the paper and maybe read the box.  I almost never tore the gift wrap when opening a present.  My younger brother could just pick up a present and shake it - then announce that it was clothes or toy soldiers.  He was almost  always correct and could remove a box from within the wrapping so deftly that no one could tell which gift he had been into.  Except for the year we wrapped up rocks and chains in a heavily taped box and put them under the tree.  He couldn't figure out that heavy present that clanked.  He was intrigued, though. When he finally got to open it on Christmas day his face was a mix of surprise and shock.  Huh?  What is this!  We brought out the real gift that had lain quietly hidden away.  I don't think he quite ever forgave us for that gift.  I don't know what he imagined it could have been - we just knew he would be all over it trying to outsmart us and find out what was inside. 

Still, we look forward to the joyful morning when family gathers and each gift is undone and the thanks are given and the older folks believe the younger ones had no idea what was in the box and under the paper and ribbon - at least until the moment of the opening and the squeal of, "Thank you, Grandma or Grampa!"

Shop 'til your feet drop...

So, I went out today with Elder Sister (our daughter who lives behind us on the property) and we went Christmas shopping this morning.  I had no idea the amount of people who were in the stores, business was brisk and the crowded stores were still offering dollars off on the items I wanted.  I got three people finished and part of the fourth 'lil guy has a good start, plus I know what I'm going to buy to finish his list.  That leaves his mommy and a son-in-law to buy for.  But not today.  The rest of the day is dedicated to putting my poor feet up and taking Tylenol to relieve the throbbing arches.  I'm not even going to tiptoe out on the porch to turn on the outside lights. Nope - just gonna' luxuriate in the feeling of having no shoes on.  Wiggle toes, go ahead, you can do it.  No groaning from down there! 

Well, maybe I'll turn on the Christmas  lights for a little while.  If I can get my feet to agree to get back down on the floor long enough to walk outside.

Post Turkey Post. Or, Turkey Post Post. Or, Post Post Turkey. Whichever...

We travelled 600 total miles and stuffed ourselves, shopped 'til we dropped and went pier fishing on the coldest day of the year.  We  about went deaf during the televised Alabama/Auburn game which was playing loudly while we were dining at The Hangout.  We got to meet friends of our Alabama daughter that we knew from Facebook. 
We had ups and downs and brought home warm memories that linger in the heart.... hugs, kisses, sweet grandchildren and a surprise waiting when we returned home.  Thank you Susan, Sarah, Mikey, Nathan and Matthew for your love and decorating talents.  The lighted tree at Susan's and our front yard all decorated when we returned are but two highlights of our Thanksgiving visit and return home.

The sunset picture was taken by our Alabama Daughter, from her  balcony.  It is on its way to my cell phone and just stopped by so y'all could admire the photographer's skill.  

Turkey Day

We were coming back from a quick trip to town to get a few cans extra of pet food.  We wanted to have enough on hand in case our trip to 'Bama goes into Saturday and the cat and dog think their stomachs are dining on their backbones.  It's bad enough the cat still hasn't adjusted to Daylight Savings Time and serenades us at 11AM instead of 12PM.  She is in the habit of rowling out when she gets hungry and the established feeding time used to be noon.  So what if she's an hour off by the clock.  Her tummy still rumbles and she still sings for her dinner to be dished up on her own time table.  If she wore a watch, things might be better.  But, I digress.

The car was pointed down the highway and we had just crested the big hill on the Branford Highway and were coasting down the south slope.  I glanced over at the small pond to the right and let my eyes slip across the view from the water to the grass in the yard.  I saw two large and really dark birds stalking along the inside fence line.  I pulled my eyes back to the road ahead of me and told T., "I think I just saw turkeys in that yard!"  He wanted to know where and I told him they were in the yard of the house with the pond.  He said he hadn't seen them and told me  to double back to let him take a look.  We whipped the block at the next corner and came back around to the main highway again.  As soon as traffic was clear, I turned northward and we drove back the way we had just come.   After we cleared the tree line, T. proclaimed, "Yes - I see them.  They're turkeys."  Good to have my observation confirmed.

 I started up the hill again but as we came to the driveway for the house, I told T. I was going to swing around and take another look.  There was no objection to the plan, so I made a small circle in the driveway and headed back downhill towards the south.  Sure enough, there were two huge tom turkeys parading in the yard.  They were of a size to feast upon!  As we drew abreast of the pair, one lifted and soared across the fence into the enclosed yard.  I guess he had seen our car circling around and he probably got a bit nervous, imagining the rifle being poked out the side windows on our next pass. 

Little did he know that these pioneers are used to procuring their turkeys in the frozen wastes of the nearest Publix or Walmart cold case.  May those two majestic turkeys can live a long life and enjoy lots of happy Thanksgivings in peace and prosperity. 

We wish you the same!

Tis the Season, almost!

This time last year I had been looking at all the websites, like Woot.com and eBay - hoping to save a bit of the long green on my Christmas shopping.  This year the Black Friday ads have been popping up in my phone for a month, at least!  There are some good deals, if you're in the market for televisions and other electronics.  I'm not in that market and I'm hoping nobody else in the immediate gift giving range is, either.  With the economy in such bad shape, I've got a feeling the retail stores aren't going to have such a banner year as they hope. 

I want coupons and sales that cut prices to the bare bones. 

I can't shop though, until I take myself into the bank and renew that little piece of plastic we use at the ATM and most other points of sale.  When did cool cash disappear?  I haven't seen the inside of my checkbook in such a long time.  Groceries?  Swipe that card.  Clothing and shoes?  Swipe, swipe.  If I don't take a minute to see my banker, the likelihood is that we'll be spending Thanksgiving day with our daughter in Alabama and using the checkbook exclusively to pay our way. 

We have plans to do the Black Friday Shopping while we're out there.  We will be using some of our traditional family moves.  You know, wake up and squint at the clock.  Say in a disbelieving voice, "Are we really  going shopping at this time of the morning?"  Wait for the voice of reason to say, "Of course not, Mama, go back to sleep."

 And the voice of  reason will have taken the morning off!  My sweet daughter in Alabama will insist that I rouse myself and hurriedly dress so we can get to the sale before all the good stuff is gone.  Which I will do, with mutterings and gnashing of  teeth.  Possibly there will be bumping of knees, in  the dark. 

Returning home to her apartment, shopping completed - I'm sure we will feel virtuous and pleased with the savings we have amassed.  I'm sure as well that I will  forget that I have driven 300-plus miles to stand in the cold and dark with a couple of hundred fellow bargain hunters.  At that point in time, however - my idea of a swell Christmas  gift will probably be a couple of Tylenol and an hour off my feet.  I really need to update my card.  Tomorrow.

Delimna?

The Veteran's Day holiday this year is on the 11th of the month.  That is a Thursday. 

The next day - Friday, is not a holiday.  One would think  the calendar planners could have moved Thursday a little closer to the weekend this year and given us working stiffs a 3 day weekend.  But, no!  They inserted that pesky Friday into my weekend, forcing me to split my days off. 

This puts an extra day in the way of our annual Veteran's Day parades and the placing flags at the cemetery.  We can't even thank our servicemen who are doing so much to protect and preserve our way of life - we should wait until the weekend comes!

Or no, we don't have to wait, do we!  We can say thank you right now to all servicemen in all branches- whether on active duty, reserve or retired.  And we should do that today.  And tomorrow and every day that comes under the freedoms they have fought to preserve.

Thank you to all branches.  We salute you!

Took me two days!

I saw it on Amazon and preordered it. 

It came. 

I dropped all else and just read and read. 

This was so good and was well enjoyed as Father Tim and Cynthia Kav'na visit Ireland with new characters to interact with. Jan Karon calls this book her "dark haired child".  One hopes she will keep writing and writing.   We love the folks from Mitford!  We also love a good cry, along the way.

Well, we voted as well as if we lived in Chicago!

I received a sample ballot in the mail and thoughtfully pre-marked it for T. to use when we went to the polls.  This morning, we got up - not so early as I had planned... but once we were dressed and had everything we needed, we headed out to vote.  Doing our civic duty, don't you know. 

We got to the polling place after 9:00a.m.  We showed our picture and signature identifications and went into the elections office where we both signed the electronic machines and got our receipts.  Stepping to the next window as instructed, we picked up our full size official ballot.  We went to a vacant pair of side-by-side voting booths and opened out our ballots.  T. asked me if we had to mark both sides?  I nodded yes and whispered for him to take out his sample ballot and start voting.  He did so and I got down to marking the little circles with the provided pen on my own ballot.  So far, so good - until T. got to the end of the line on his sample ballot.  It didn't correspond exactly to the official ballot and he'd  lost his place.  I glanced over and found the slot he needed to mark next and pointed to it.  He said he didn't see it.  I touched the space on the ballot.  He couldn't find the same spot on the sample.  I touched that space.  He lined things up and proceeded to mark the next group. 

We continued in this manner until the end of the ballot - I thought surely someone would come over and quietly ask me to stop interfering with the voting.  I was as much up in T.'s voting booth as I was in mine, trying to guide him along.  We still needed to flip the ballot and vote the back side. 

Flip.

T:  "Do we have to mark ALL of these, too?

ME:  (Oh, dear - did anybody hear that?  I'm sure they did.  Pretty soon I expect to be dragged out of here in handcuffs!)

I raised my head and looked over the edge of the booth at T.'s ballot and told him,  "Ok, just mark them the same way the back of your sample ballot shows".    He started down the row, got to the end of the line and looked up at me - I put my finger on the next row and then on the spot on the sample ballot where that vote was cast.  We continued to the end.  There were three columns on the back.  When we were done, T. wanted to know what to do with his sample ballot.  I crumpled it into a ball and then, thinking better of it - I told him to just fold it back up and put it in his pocket.  He smoothed it out and did so. 

We put our official ballots in the  privacy folder and went to the machine to cast our votes.  T.'s ballot rolled into the opening.  The lady gave him his "I VOTED" sticker and turned to me.  I started to ask her for two stickers - but I held my tongue, smiled and took my one  sticker and we exited the polling place.  I felt better for having done my duty as a citizen.  I was also grateful to have escaped censure for disrupting a polling place!  I wonder what the fine would have been.

Bittersweet

Today's date is one I usually mark quietly.  Mother was born 10/10/10.  At least that's the date she always celebrated as having been born.  Then, when she thought she was about to turn 65, she contacted Social Security to find out how to document her age; not having a birth certificate.  They offered the information on the types of proof they would accept, one being pages from a family Bible.  Mom knew who had her family's Bible.  She contacted the cousin and was able to get a  photocopy of the page where her birth date was recorded.  She sent it off to the Social Security folks who came back with the indisputable fact that the date had been written over and what had been Oct. 10, 1910 looked more like Oct. 10, 1908.  She didn't care which date was used, as long as she was still able to draw her benefits.  Until she died, she continued to celebrate the year as 1910. 

Today, she would have turned 100 years.

Just a game?

Football season is upon us.  It is also along-side us, overhead, under foot and blocking the way to the ladies room at work.  You cannot get away from it.  Fans on all sides discussing their team - either the real one or the fantasy one, filling in statistics and reliving the weekend slaughter or gigantic win, depending on which team one favors.  I work with a bunch of Gator fans.  We won't be mentioning the name Alabama or the words Crimson,  Roll or Tide in the same sentence on Monday.  They know I root for the U of M when they play.  Few know I'm a Tide fan.  Gotta be!  Mom being raised around Lanette and that area in 'Bama - right across the border from La Grange in Georgia.  She took me to a game when I was younger.  In the old Orange Bowl.  On a cold night.  The stands were filled with red clad visitors  and rumbled with the chant, Roll Tide - accompanied by the arm roll.  I get chills just recalling the awesome feeling. 

Sorry, guys but when you're moaning about the loss of game on Monday... I will be smiling inside.  Oh, yes.

Passing the stress test....

When we were looking for a place to live after T. was declared 100 percent disabled by his VA doctors, there was a lot of stress.  We were leaving familiar and striking out into the wild blue yonder without a parachute.  Or something very like that, anyway.  Once we decided the location and then  found a house - I decided I needed something to relieve all that stress of moving, leaving family and friends and moving so far away.  I settled on a little keychain  dangler shaped like an elongated egg.  It was white.  There was a small plastic latch that let the top flip up to reveal the scene inside the egg.  It was a farmyard scene with plastic green grass, a small  fence and two black and white cows.  One was large and the other small.  Mother and calf.  Whenever the lid was opened, the larger cow would move slightly back and forth to mimic eating.  Small gears would grind and at last the mother cow would come to a stop and the cycle was complete.  I would close the lid and open it again, time after time.  The little bucolic scene recalled to me the  peaceful country side we would be living in and the slower pace of life we could expect.  I could almost feel the muscles unknotting in my neck and shoulders as I let the little keychain toy unwind.  I played with it a lot.  The clasp finally snapped and I couldn't close the lid any more.  I sealed it with a rubber band so it wouldn't get broken.  When I slipped the band off the egg, the little cows would work their tiny magic and I'd consciously relax and feel less harried with the demands on our lives.

The other day, I was coming up Rough Way and spotted a scene of cows eating near the roadway.  Big cows.  Little ones.  One of the big cows was eating.  That's when I realized - I hadn't played with my little keychain in a while - probably because I have the real thing living just across the road and - for the most part, those neck and shoulder muscles of mine have come unclenched while we were been making this little piece of the state into our home.  I still miss friends and family but I do enjoy watching the squirrels run in the grass and butterflies dancing on the breeze.  I enjoy the slight change of seasons - the trees shed leaves and at night you can see stars through the lacy structure of the underlying limbs.  We might even get snow in our area.  It has happened before and could again.  There have been flurries.  I'm sure I've seen them.  And if there are flurries, isn't that a grand excuse to call out of work?  I never learned how to drive in snow. 

On This Date

On this date in 2001 the towers fell and we watched.  We were pierced through with the magnitude of the event.  Tears streamed down.  How can this happen, we asked.  Nobody had an answer, except Usama.  He said it was our fault.  He lied.

It was in no way our fault that extremists listened to the voices of hate urging them on to do such damage in our country; striking at our our values and our very way of life.  It is not our fault and I refuse to accept that this great land was or is in any way to blame for the extreme hatred that still spews.  We open our doors to legal immigrants and offer help to the tired, the poor...the wretched refuse of those teeming shores.  All others need to go to the back of the  line and wait their turn. 

I recall with pride the sights on television in those days in the aftermath of September 11.  I saw people helping each other out of harms way.  Newsmen reporting on the events with tears in their eyes.  The funeral of a beloved priest who lost his life and all the other funerals that ended with the piper playing taps for a fallen hero - while a city came together to recover the lost and clear the rubble.

One image stands out in my mind from those days; a man standing beside the road with a cardboard sign in his hands, steadfastly holding it up for the passing cars to see.  The sign said simply, Be Brave.  Be Strong.

A message worth remembering.

Be brave. 

Be strong.

Sights and Scenes

T.  and I were on the way into Wally-World to do our Saturday grocery shopping when I glanced up at a sign. Then my eyes travelled on towards the top of the building where the camera array was.  I found myself looking around for Tippi Hedron!

Like a bad Hitchcock movie........

To Be or Not To Be...that is the nagging question

Elder Daughter lives behind us, maybe 200 feet as the crow flies.  Even if the crow has to walk and ask for directions, it's just not that far.  Her domicile is a mobile home.  We wanted to set up a network for the computer system that could include her home.  That way, if it's late and the boys need to do some research for school, they can do it from the comfort of home.  I just thought it would be neat to increase the range. 

 We spoke to one of  The Computer Guys in the downtown area yesterday.  They recommended going from a Wireless G to a Wireless N Router.  They said it would have a stronger signal.  (This is the same advice that Ranger gave - thank you Ranger!)  So, I got the WSN2000 N Router from Netgear.  Elder Daughter got home earlier than I did so she hooked it up.  When I got home, the lights were on and the mini-tower was sitting on my desktop where the little Belkin used to dwell. 

Elder daughter said the signal was stronger.  Today, I noticed her sitting in the grass about halfway between our two places.I made out her netbook in her hands. I'm guessing that's where she got the best signal.  At least we pushed the range that much farther out, but I don't want her to have to set up a halfway house in the back yard for her netbook and peripherals. So if anybody knows of a way to boost signal even more - all suggestions received will be gratefully entertained.  Now, those suggestions that include using tinfoil will be entertaining, I suppose.  But we're only going to implement the ones that don't require the use of tape and knitting needles.  And don't even mention moving the mobile home 150 feet closer - !

Travel, Troubles, The Economy, Politics and Tea

I was just ruminating on how busy life gets and how many changes can  occur in just the 10 days since the last post to my weblog.  In those 10 days we have had some major events happening to people in the family.  Ranger and J have driven 900 miles, one way - to attend a memorial service.  They were heading back home and got word that, someone in the family where they had been visiting fell and broke her femur. 

Elder Daughter's car has developed a problem with overheating and they noticed a sheen in the water for the cooling system.  Oil in the water indicates you are on the way to a blown engine if the problem isn't fixed.  This was definitely  not good news. 

The Alabama Contingent had a problem with their car stopping and the two of them had to walk to a gas station and then return to the car, bringing gas.  They had to wait a while before it would start again. 

The economy has forced changes to the workplace and my office has gotten word that the entire group of  all county employees will have to give up 3 furlough days to make up a shortfall in local government income this year.  That means that 3 county holidays will be given without pay.  The furlough days are going to fall on regular holidays - like Veteran's day and two others to be named.  We would normally have the dates off anyway.  But we would also normally be  paid  a regular salary for the holiday.  Now, that's going to be our contribution to the county coffers.  When asked to take part in the furlough, the county's Board of County Commissioners declined,  saying that they are State funded and even if they did participate in the furloughs,  it would only add about $1700.00 to the amount saved.  Um hum. 

In the same vein, our insurance plan is going to  start charging for individual member plans.  Heretofore, a single participant would have their policy paid for by the county.  Additional  family members on the plan were paid by the employee.  Going solely with Social Security may be be my best option.  Then I can drop the work plan.  Um hum.

On the upside of all this - we are praying for the family member with the broken femur.    God still is  in control. 

Ranger and J  are taking  a rest day and will be home soon, with God watching over  them  all  the  way.

Elder Daughter's car problems are being solved by a member of their church who sold them the car in the first place.  They will shortly be driving a VW Bug of a newer variety and the old car will be repaired and then sold at auction.  Word has it there will be a birthday celebrated in this family, soon.

The Alabama Contingent of the Family has solved her vehicle problems for the moment and is concentrating  on birthday shopping for  her child - soon to be a big 04.  Word is there will be a party.

And, I still have a job.  My county commissioner has retired, so we can't vote him out.  He didn't agree to the furlough days anyway - so we might not have taken aim at his head after things settle down.

We have a strong Tea Party movement  in  the county and, while I'm not a member and have never attended a rally I may take to driving around with a teabag dangling from the rear view.  That way if we pass a corner where there is a candidate holding a sign and waving for all  he is worth - I can point to the teabag on the mirror and smile as I watch for a reaction.  I just love living in a small town where you can get up close and personal with your politicians and gauge which way they jump.

Sunday Nights

Funny how you can go along without watching a show for a while and then a new season starts and you suddenly find yourself enmeshed in finding out who will be the next Food Network Star or - in my case, the next Design Star.  The winner will get his own show on HGTV.  There were 10 contestants in the beginning.  The show is down to the final four and I have the timer set for tonight's show.  I have even been voting for my favorite.  You can go online and vote for a favorite designer too.  If you do, I urge you to support Courtland Bascon.  No, really.  Go.  Vote.  You can vote up to 10 times a day.  This is one election you can influence and see it happening right then.  Not unlike Chicago politics.  Apparently nobody liked Nina - she has zero percent of the vote. And you can vote for a designer even though he has been removed from the competition by the judges.  Sort of like when an election is held and the people elect a politician who has been run over by a bus and is no longer among the living.  I'm telling you - this show is a slice of real life!

The judges are usually Vern Yip, Candace Olson  and Genevieve Gorder.  In the event one of the judges can't be on the show in a particular week, another HGTV star fills in.   That's fair, right?

Last week, Alex got removed. He really wasn't standing up for his design choices.  He needed to go.

The final four are Courtland Bascon, Emily Henderson, Casey Noble and Michael Moeller.  I haven't liked Michael's attitude over the life of the show.  He's kind of  a cocky guy and was the main reason Alex got removed last week.  After tonight, there will be three designers left.  Even  if Courtland gets removed, I'm going to keep right on voting for him as a fan favorite.  Maybe he can get out of the 4 percent range.  Come on, people - go over to HGTV and help push  Courtland Bascon into a higher bracket. 

Then we'll get busy on the mid-term elections in our own communities.  Remember, Early Voting starts next week.  Practice at HGTV for the real thing!  Go Courtland!

Good points & bad points.

I enjoy using my cell phone to access the social networking websites and to send messages back and forth to family and friends.  Our parents kept in touch using a clunky black telephone with an uncurly handset wire and a wire that plugged into the wall, tethering them to the unit when they wanted to reach out and touch someone.  It had a 3 digit number when I was small.  That number went to 5 digits and sometimes the old telephone number, 27155 - floats to the top of my mental soup when I least expect it.  By the time we moved from the house where I was raised - the phone number had enlarged to 7 digits.  The cord had become curly at some point along the way.  And, the phone came in many colors, to match your decor. 

We never could have dreamed of all the improvements to come in telecommunications, much less the computer advancements that lay ahead.  Nowadays, I can dial the phone from any place there is a signal.  I carry it with me in the car, the grocery and the office. 

With all these advancements, would you think someone could have standardized the keyboard shortcuts so that a person could move from the cellphone keyboard to a computer keyboard without having to think about things like punctuation and  capitalization?  Do you realize how many times I've been forced to backspace over my typing because I forgot I was on my computer instead of thumbing the phone.  There are not shortcuts on a computer or typewriter that allow a quick double spacebar to place a period at the end of the sentence.  It is a good idea on a cell phone but you have to actually do some work and put that little dot at the end of the computer generated line.

You can't just hold down a letter key until the capital letter comes up.   You have to shift it into place.

 The letter U doesn't replace the written word You.

 You're is not shortened to U R.  At least it isn't done that way in a formal message to the boss. 

The person who comes up with a button that recognizes the keyboard and tells the computer to repair those lines of type will probably be otw to making a ton of $$$, imho! 

I'm thinking

So, I'm sitting 5 back in line to pick up a filled prescription - inching forward.  Inching.  Inch.  Inch.

And it strikes me funny, the idea being to drive through quickly and efficiently and not waste time and gas in this line.  And they have closed off one entire line to pick-up traffic.  There's nobody dropping off.

                        DRIVE THROUGH.  YOU'RE DOIN' IT WRONG!

Social networking is hard work!!

Lots of the family is on Facebook and I saw a nephew in Houston who posted that he asked his wife what she wanted to do for the weekend.   She said she wanted to go see the Corpse Flower at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  He asked her, "Huh?"  That was my comment, too -  except that I Googled Corpse Flower. I came up with news about the museum exhibit and all the excitement over this giant stinky flower from the rain forest and how crowds have been visiting the museum pretty much around the clock to see it whenever it opens.  Or maybe to smell it.  Sounds like fun, if you enjoy smelling rotten stuff

There was a link.  Naturally I tried it.  I checked back periodically.  Finally I gave up and just sat at the monitor watching the people pass through the line in Houston and waited for Lois to bloom. 

Lois.  They have named her.  You can buy buttons online that tout Lois. I didn't buy a button but I did keep the page open until 2:30AM at which time I came to my senses and went to bed.  This morning Susan was online telling me she thought Lois looked like she had changed.  Yes, I got her hooked  as well. 

Half the fun is waiting for Lois to unwrap her huge petals.  The other half of the fun is reading the Tweets posted by visitors and people who work at the museum.  One of the tweets may have been from someone called Ol Doc who lives somewhere in Florida.

Meet me in the middle...

When we lived in the Subtropics, my sister and I were in houses situated close enough together for us to meet in the middle of the street to borrow a cup of sugar or a stick of margerine from each other.  After T. was diagnosed with Guillain Barre, the doctor recommended we move from big town to a smaller area so he could live a quieter lifestyle.  It was probably the hardest thing we had to do; move away from friends and family and all the dear things in our hometown.  The places we shopped changed from big box stores to a single small-box and a miniature shopping center took the place of our major malls.  Before we moved away, we thought nothing of hitting a couple of good sized malls on a shopping spree.   Once we settled down in our new home, we took stock of how much change we had undergone.  We went from living on  a city lot to being in the middle of 3 acres, with another 12 acres across the road.  Lots of grass to mow.  Lots of trees around us that dropped pollen and then pecans in season.  You couldn't hear your nearest neighbor and it got so dark at nights that we wouldn't step off the front porch for a long time.  For one thing, you couldn't see that well and for another - what if a snake came by?  Country living meant longer distances to  go  for the mail and a longer drive just to buy staples. 

I think the biggest change for me, though - was moving a state's length from my best friend and dearest confidant.  My sister. 

Over the years, we've kind of gotten used to driving the 12 miles it takes just to get to the road that goes to the grocery store.  And the yard light now seems sufficiently bright at night to hazard a step into the grass to set up the telescope for some stargazing.  There are a lot more stars visible away from bright city lights. 

Oh, but I do miss my own Elder Sister.  We're as close at heart as when we were living just down the street from each  other.  I still share secrets with her and she with me.  And the telephone company keeps us in touch when we just have to hear each other's voices.  So, I will call tomorrow to wish her a Happy Birthday and give her our love on her special day.  We'll have a good talk but - you know, there is a little piece of me that still looks at houses with ForSale signs out front and the thought crosses my mind how close it would be to where we live now. 

Love you, Sis - have a Grand Birthday!

Oh my!

I have this Facebook friend who keeps commenting on the people he sees at Walmart.  He even posted a shot of one lady who was holding a shopping bag and who had laid her purse on the counter.  Visible near her hand was a Crown Royal bag.  Okay, so - there is a website available.  For real.

It's called People of Walmart

Go ahead, click the red link.  You know you want to!

DeSoto

There are signs along some parts of the major East-West highway running through our fair city that say it is part of the DeSoto Trail.  In other words it's the best guess as to the route taken by the famed explorer Hernando de Soto as he trekked through our region looking for gold and a way to reach China.  It's not like Hernando carved his name on the trunk of an oak tree as he passed by. 

There are a couple of places that use the name DeSoto to identify themselves.  One is a lovely  jewel of a lake situated behind the  courthouse.  The commissioners have added a fountain that jets up into the air and adds to the beauty.  This is Lake DeSoto.  In July, weather permitting, we set off fireworks over the  lake.   This year 25,000 people attended the fireworks on Saturday night.

During the Battle of Olustee, which occurs in February of each year, the Merrimack and the Monitor fight a pitched battle on the lake as part of the festivities.   They are miniature versions of the ironclads and are radio controlled.  I got a kick out of watching the mock fight.  At least, I did the first time I watched.  After that one  battle, not so much.

One of the  best namesakes of Senior de Soto is DeSoto Drug Store.  It's an older building situated on our main street.  It's a brick and glass-front building with wooden plank floors that have mellowed to a satin finish.  Half the store is taken up by shelving for stock and the counter where you drop off your prescriptions.  There are fitting rooms for prosthetic devices and a counter for bill  paying.  The other side of the building is given over to the restaurant.   A long  counter takes up one wall with round red topped stools that await the lunch crowd. The floor is taken up by tin-clad tables and chairs, around nine in all.  Some years ago, the food served at DeSoto Drugs was among the best home cooked in town.  Then the cook retired and the restaurant closed down.  Of late, I had been  by the storefront and noticed diners at the round tables in the window.  Hmmm.  Have to check it out sometime.

Sometime came today.  Elder Daughter called to meet for lunch and we decided on DeSoto.  It was an excellent  choice.  The sandwiches  were better than before and accompanied by either fries or chips with a dill pickle.  I had an egg salad sandwich, lightly toasted and topped with crisp lettuce.  Elder Daughter and her sons had hamburgers and her husband had Reuben sandwiches.  All agreed the meal couldn't have been better prepared or better tasting. 

DeSoto Drugs, we missed you.  I'm sure glad you're serving lunches again. 

Wonder what their milkshakes taste like. 

Happy 5th of July, too.

We are now on day three of a 3-day weekend.  This means the rest of the week will be four days and by Thursday we will be more than ready for Friday to dawn!  We can dwell on memories of the 4th of July holiday to get us through the work week.

The flag pictured at the left flys over Fort Morgan, Alabama.  The Alabama Group  went there for their Fourth of July and I  snagged the flag from Suse's Facebook page.  I think it's an outstanding shot that sums up what the holiday is all about.

I rode with Elder Sister to Walmart on Saturday and she was telling me how she gave her horses some watermelon and their reactions to the  treat.  Bella - the one with the white on her face ate some and came up drooling, she thought it was so good.  Savanah at the other end of the fence took a bite and belled out her lips and showed her teeth, which seems to be the horsie equivalent of, "Eeee-yuck!!"  She did not like the taste at all.  At all! I missed the whole show but maybe there will  be an encore and we will catch the performance. 

Meanwhile, it has turned into a cloudy day and a fine one for reflecting on our blessings; like the ones we have that come from living in a country that affords us the freedom to worship, live and work without fearing the government will batter down the doors and take us away for speaking out against injustice.  We can lay our heads down at night, assured that we are  living in the best nation in the world.  We don't even have to wait until night to prove that blessing is true.  We can take a nap right now - this very minute!  I love it when a plan comes together, don't you?

Independance Day

Happy Fourth of July

God Bless America

We might not be in Kansas -

Ah, the learning curve sometimes gets sharp and there may be no information signs along the high speed internet. 

Case in point:  Elder Sister and her sons were at the house when I arrived from work yesterday-eve.  They left shortly after I arrived with some Chinese take-out and we all sat to a meal in our separate households.  Once dinner was a distant memory, I booted up the lil' red ACER and double tapped Internet Explorer.  Instead of springing to attention and opening my home page, I was told that IE could not take me home because I was offline.  I may be off  the mark and off my rocker but I certainly didn't see how I could be offline.  Wasn't my daughter just using you, snarled I! 

Cursor just sat waiting.

I tried another website  - and another.  I made sure the check mark wasn't on under the Tools menu next to where it says "Work Offline".  I tried a few other sites and then turned the ACER off and  went to the desktop computer where I was rudely informed that I was off-line there, as well.

I check the router and antenna.  All seemed as it should be.  Both computers could see the router but neither was able to gain access and sail off into the Ethernet. 

Frustrated, I chalked  it up to weather conditions and - turning off all computers, I toddled off to watch me some Fox News and  go to bed.

Next morning, I turned on the little red netbook and met the same conditions.  Offline.  I tried the desktop standby. Offline!  WHAT?  Am I never to surf the 'net again? 

Oh, woe is me! What a whirl, what a whirl, I moaned, channeling the Wicked Witch from Oz.  And my eye  fell on the instruction manual for the Wildblue modem.  Vaguely I recalled a discussion about DNS addresses and that their being missing from the modem meant it couldn't go online. 

Same thing as Offline, eh?

What's the fix, what's the fix, Dorothy, I asked!  Dorothy snickered rudely and suggest I try reading the manual.

Three minutes of reading later, I pulled the modem's power plug and waited the requisite one minute before I plugged the power back in. Two minutes later the modem lights clicked three times and twinkled back on, I tapped the IE icon.  My home page opened like it had been there all  the time; just hiding behind some curtain. We zoomed off like a hot air balloon in an updraft - high over the information highway.

This must be why they call all those helpers that install various and sundry software - - - Wizards?

A New Location

I have a clunky desktop computer running XP in the family room.  I was only able to access the internet by dial up - until I slipped on my running shoes and jumped aboard high speed internet.  Still I was limited to the desktop in the one location. Younger Daughter in Alabama purchased a router with antenna and pretty much set up a home network for me which did little good as I didn't yet have a fast connection.  We learned it was impossible to complete the setup without getting off dial up.  The ethernet plug had no place to go. 

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when Wildblue set us up with a dish in the yard and a modem on the desk.  Now we were talking!  Once again my hopes rose for that router that was sitting on the floor in a  box. Maybe this time - maybe this time we could break free from the confines of the chair at the desktop and boot up the little red ACER and actually move about the house in complete computing abandon!

Elder daughter's husband came over one evening and handily  hooked the wires and plugs and antenna in their proper order and I turned on the ACER.  It could see the router.  It seemed blind to the internet connection. 

Tonight, Elder Daughter was at the desktop working on Facebook.  Her husband came in and wondered if I had ever been able to connect to the Internet on the Netbook?  I said no, that I had unplugged the router in frustration.  He set things back in place and asked me to try it again.  So,I did.   I turned on the lil' red ACER and waited for the icons to load.  What's that?  A tiny symbol of a computer with signal bars.

SIGNAL bars, I tell you! 

Google popped up for my home page!  McAfee advised that the site was safe and we zoomed off on the information highway.  My first stop  was  my weblog.  This entire  post has been done on the cute lil' red ACER!  For the first time - and probably not the last, I have been sitting at the dining table while  online.

What a heady feeling this is. Hoo-yah!

We had a great visit.....

We live about an hour and a half away from Brother and his family but hardly ever see them, except for weddings.  We will go to one of his children's weddings at the drop of a hat.  Or a wedding veil.  We try to celebrate the milestones like birthdays and anniversaries with a card or a call or a belated wish.  Most often, mine fall into the latter category. 

Ron has been saying that he wanted to try and meet us for lunch one of these days and on the 18th of the month, we all made it to Cracker Barrel.  Well, all but Tom.  I got out of work to see Ron and Alicia for lunch and a stroll around the gift shop. 

Afterwards, I thought to myself - why not all go to the house and visit with T.  All it took was a phone call to my boss to ask if I could take the rest of the day off and to my amusement, the Lieutenant didn't say to go ahead and take the time.  He asked me WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MRS. VINING!  Then, he said yes, of course - take the rest of the day.  See ya tomorrow. 

We had a nice long visit and I thoroughly enjoyed being with Ron and Alicia.  Rain clouds gathered and Ron said they had to get home to allow their dog out into the yard.  She was in the house and I guess older kidneys can't take the strain as well as a younger pup's can.  Isn't that true of us all?  As we gathered on the porch for group shots of the family (Rich, Nathan, Matthew, Tommy, Ron, Alicia and me - available on Alicia's Facebook page in the Lake City visit album) I snapped off a shot of Brother.  You will notice the eyes are shut and a slight grin lights the lips.  Other than that little flaw, it's a good picture for an image taken with a cell phone.  There is a fix, though.  Take a brown marker and make two dots on the eyelids and imagine how nice a picture this could have been, save for the one slight glitch.  Why does he DO that!

'Cause he can.

Alicia was a much easier subject as she stood in the yard checking her camera images - I sort of snuck around behind Ron and Rich and took a quick picture.  And she didn't close her eyes.  Perhaps that's the way to take Ron's photograph next time.  Sneak it in!

The Girl Who Kicked.....

I finished the Stieg Larrson book, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest a couple of days ago.  I have been digesting the story ever since and have decided that it was as well written as the first two and a fitting ending to the trilogy.  It has to be because - unless Larrson's girlfriend has some trick up her sleeve to overcome the family threats of lawsuits, there will probably not be a fourth in the saga. 

I saw a review on Sunday in which the writer didn't like the third book.  She must not recall how book two ended with Lisbeth lying wounded and Blomkvist tending to her injuries while calling for help to come.  This book picked up more or less in the same spot.  Or very near.  You need to bring the other two novels to mind while reading this one but things are explained and flow along quite nicely.  Salander is as sullenly resourceful as ever.  I found myself cheering for her in one scene that was set in an abandoned property, towards the end of the book.  I was sorry to see it end - and if there ever is another book in the offing, you can see which direction it might take from the ending of the Hornet's Nest. 

I recommend this book!  It was worth the wait for publication.

-- Ol-Doc-dot-Blogspot, special to the Blogosphere.

And another review.....

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" is a rewarding entertainment, and a satisfying solution to the mysteries that surround Lisbeth Salander. But the enchantment of the Millennium Trilogy is not what Salander suffers, but how she triumphs.


-- Katherine Dunn, special to The Oregonian

I like to take polls. Honest!

I found the below poll online and decided to take it.  I also inadvertantly signed up for a news website but that's okay.  There's an opt-out if I get tired of the inbox filling up each day.  I won't tell you which one, but there was only one question that my answer differed from the majority.  The poll results had graphics in the form of a chart but it didn't copy well so I set italics to indicate the majority response.  If you really like the presidential handling of the oil spill in the Gulf, don't read down any further.  If you kind of believe that Chicago Politics are at play in the handling of the spill and treatment of BP Oil Company - you may be interested to see how many others in this poll agree with you. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Poll starts below _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Thank you for taking the poll: BP Spill - Obama's Katrina?. The poll results are listed below.

Special note: The poll results may include data for questions that were not included on the poll that you took.

BP Spill - Obama's Katrina? (156,186 Respondents)

What is your opinion of President Obama?

Favorable
46,554 (29.81%)

Unfavorable
109,633 (70.19%)


Do you believe President Obama was right in letting BP manage the oil spill disaster?

Right
72,241 (46.79%)

Not right
82,137 (53.21%)


How would you rate President Obama's handling of the disaster?

Excellent
18,926 (12.15%)

Good
21,128 (13.56%)

Fair
12,793 (8.21%)

Poor
102,924 (66.07%)


Do you believe BP's political donations to the Obama campaign have been a factor in how the President handled the matter?

Yes, it played a role.
98,340 (64.04%)

No, it didn't play a role.
55,232 (35.96%)

Have the media been much more lenient on President Obama than on President Bush with the Katrina disaster?

Yes, more lenient on Obama.
111,421 (71.87%)

No, it's been about the same.
43,609 (28.13%)

In the 2008 election between McCain-Palin and Obama-Biden, whom did you vote for?

McCain-Palin
85,293 (55.80%)

Obama-Biden
44,522 (29.13%)

Other
23,039 (15.07%)

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Video link from BP

I know some folks who live on the Alabama Gulf Coast or within driving distance of the beaches there.  They (and we) are following the gushing well on the bottom of the gulf with heartsick hope that the well will be capped before more damage is done to the environment - sea life, bird life, people in the area who make their living from the waters.  Some of us are so angry at BP that we're not using the gas stations - although I reminded a family member tonight that the people who hold the local franchises are not to blame for the disaster in the Gulf and to boycott their businesses only hurts the local economy and not the parent company.  Still, it's hard to support the huge conglomerate that took shortcuts in safety and basically caused a rig to go down with loss of life and a disaster the likes of which none of us has seen before.  Tonight, the company is trying another method of capping the well... called a Lower Marine Riser Package (LMRP), it is supposed to replace the riser pipe on the bottom of the gulf with a top portion of a Blow Out Prevention (BOP) package that will allow the oil to be pumped to the surface and loaded into tankers.  It's not a cap but a way to divert the oil to the surface and recover it.  The two Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV's) are operating to perform the procedure.  They are also sending video feeds to the surface.  I found this one and there are other sources out there.  The Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska is a minor ripple in the environment, compared to what's going on right now.  Pray for the well to be under some control and that before a hurricane sends the pollution ashore Kevin Costner can bring his brother's invention to the Gulf and help alleviate the situation.  Otherwise, we are all in a world of hurt!

In Memory....

I don't recall WWII; the war I was born into.  I do remember the fighting in Viet Nam, Korea and Iraq.  The Bible says there shall be wars and rumors of wars in the last days.  We commemorate the fallen in all the wars, back to the Civil War, The Revolutionary and beyond.  We have family members who were soldiers in all those wars.  Yesterday as we sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic, in church - I thought about the age of that song and the fact that our great grandfather probably heard it and may even have sung it.  It is a link to the past in so many ways.  We must remember the history of the country and of our friends and family.  In Viet Nam, the first time that war became a personal thing to me was when Mom told me that a childhood friend named Danny had a brother who died in 'Nam.  Here is a link to the Viet Nam Wall Memorial in Washington, DC.  You can find Wayne Hutchinson listed here from Miami.  Say a prayer for him and for all the brave men and women who put their lives on the line for us each day. 

A Nose by any other name is stuck in a book....

The folks at Amazon sent me an email and a link to UPS so I could check the status of my pre-ordered book by Stieg Larrson.  It's the third in the Millennium Trilogy and I ordered it way back beyond the beginning of the year.  Well, maybe just after.  It was a good deal off the new-book price and I already owned books 1 and 2, courtesy of Walmart.  I planned on checking the website to see where book 3 might be spending the night but when I got home yesterday, there was a brown box on the dining table where our new mail lands.  Ripping it open, I did an internal happy dance.  There in all it's shining glory was The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest.  Um, I think I will see you on the other side of the weekend - or when I decide to come up for air. 

And baby makes three

I work with a young woman who has been in waiting these nine long months.  T. and I attended her wedding.  It was a very special occasion where the whole audience laughed when the preacher told her brand new husband, "You may now kiss the bride." and he reared back and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm and both hands. 

They had a honeymoon, came back to work and after a while nature took its course and they had a baby girl.  They had thought to only have the one child and so the husband, we'll call him Clint (since that might even be his middle name.) had a little outpatient procedure done that the doctor said would guarantee no more children.  After a time, they had an opportunity to adopt an older child.  It was a boy.  His circumstances were such that he might have been in foster care for some time except for the two adults taking a decision to expand their family.  Now there were the four of them.  A perfect number for a family nowadays.  The children grew and the parents overcame the normal things a family deals with.  And then, the young woman had a startling revelation.  She showed signs and symptoms, and when she took a test, lo and behold - she was with child.  Clint went roaring back to his doctor who did some testing and discovered the previous out patient procedure had, uh for sure - come un-undone.

The young woman and her husband may have gulped a little.  After all, having three children when you only planned for two would take some adjustment.  Insurance will be more expensive, to say nothing of food and laundry bills.  The pregnancy went well, despite some problems.  When she went home on Monday, she said, "See you tomorrow, unless ... "

Today this young couple gave birth to a girl child who weighed a little over 8 pounds.  She is lovely on her Facebook picture.  Her daddy looks so proud holding her for her first daughter and father photograph.   Their Facebook friends' messages of congratulations were at 24 and growing the last time I checked.

It strikes me that this is the same size family as our Mom and Dad had.  And in the same ratio, 2 girls and a boy.  Now, when they go to a restaurant and the hostess says, reservations for a party of five... the party of five is all their own sweet family.  May their joys multiply! 

And may that un-named doctor be right this time around!

Not exactly your game of Pong.

I saw on Google News where it is the 30th anniversary of Pac Man.

Wow, who keeps track of these things! And to celebrate, you could play a game right on the World Wide Web, within the Google logo. It wasn't just the familiar colorful letters as per usual. It was a game of Pac Man with the playing field around the name Google. I don't know how they did it but I took full advantage of the offering. I played Pac Man. Right on the computer at work, where access to almost everything fun, exciting or family oriented is blocked on the server.

It was just like stepping back to those early gaming days. I felt giddy, like a kid who is getting away with fooling mom and dad.

I shared the information with the one other person who happened to be in the office at the time. Pretty soon the Pac Man theme was wafting across the office and I heard the other player's voice over the music. She said,"Neat!"

It takes so little to satisfy, sometimes. Thanks, Google!

Yeah, but would you drink the water?

We got up early and I did T's medicine doses for the coming week. While the coffee was brewing, I turned on the television and happened to catch a spot on the Fox and Friends, Sunday show about a product manufactured by a private company that they claim will fix the problem of the oil spewing up in the Gulf and heading towards our pristine gulf shoreline. It's called Smart Sponge and can be manufactured in any shape and size required. He held up a small piece that looked like a slightly over sized popcorn kernel. In fact, he told the viewers - this was the "popcorn configuration". He proceeded to demonstrate the product with a vial of clear water and a smaller one of motor oil. He poured the oil into the water, capped and shook the vial and then showed the resulting mixed liquid. He held up a second vial that was packed with the Smart Sponge and placed this vial, which had an opening at the bottom, over a third vial. He then poured the mix of motor oil and water onto the Smart Sponge vial. The motor oil stayed in the top vial while clear water ran out the bottom of the middle vial into the empty one at the bottom. He claimed that the product had been demonstrated to the companies that deal with oil spill clean-up. Nobody is using the Smart Sponge. The talant on Fox and Friends wanted to know why not.

I kind of want to know, too. It is apparently in use in drainage cleanup systems and other applications in the country.