Summer Evening

This is a photo of a night-blooming cactus by our pool with a 3/4 moon in the the sky.

By morning, the blooms will die and fall to the deck.

Wringer Washers & Other Outmoded Ideas

In memory of Tony Snow, who died at age 53 today, here is a quote from an essay he wrote in 2005.

"If you want to understand how little sense our system of government makes, walk down the cereal aisle at your local grocery store. Count how many brands you can buy. Then ask yourself: If I have this many options in cereal, why don't I have any options when it comes to really important stuff that every single American needs — health care and retirement security? Why must we deal with Ponzi-scheme remedies that clean out our wallets without giving us our money's worth?

"Do we really believe our interests are best served by programs designed when Americans were driving Model A automobiles, where most washing machines had wringers, where refrigerators were scarce, interstates were nonexistent and air-conditioning a gewgaw reserved for futuristic exhibits at the World's Fair? "

Your Tax Dollars at Work!

Ten days ago, one of our neighborhood feral cats died somehow, and was lying in the gutter of the unoccupied house next door. We called Animal Control, which is a division of our local police department. A recording informed us that we were to leave the address of the dead animal, and that an Animal Control Officer would be out ASAP to make the removal. The recording also informed us that pickups would only be made on public property, not private. Of course, this was not a problem; the poor cat was in the public street.

Two days later, the animal was still lying there. We considered burying it ourselves, but there is a local law prohibiting that. I suggested bagging it and putting it in the garbage. Again, no- local ordinance. We made another phone call and again got the recording.

The odor increased.

On the fifth day, we made another call. Same recording.

The stench increased.

Seventh day. Another phone call. Now the neighborhood kids were surreptitiously poking sticks at it. Summer science lab, I guess.

The smell was now abominable in the heat and humidity.

Eighth day. The street sweeper came by about 5 AM. A few hours later, we noticed the cat was gone.

But the fetor remained. The cat had been flicked up into the bushes of the empty house.

Today we phoned the City Manager. We suggested they let the police department know that a whole week had gone by with no service, and that we'd be happy to deliver the carcass to the station if it would help.

Thirty minutes later, the Animal Control wagon showed up. Seeing no cat in the gutter, she cruised on by. I flagged her down, and she flipped the vehicle around.

We pointed out the cat that was now up in the bushes. She coolly cited the city code and said she was not able to remove it because it was on private property.

We reminded her that it was on city property for a week, and that her unit had failed to come in a timely manner.

Sighing deeply, she apologized and remained steadfast that it was beyond her scope. "Sorry, it's on private property!" We suggested she phone her supervisor. By now, Rick was so frustrated he went into the house, I assumed to maintain his cool.

Next thing I knew, while the Animal Control Officer was on the radio with her Sgt., Rick came strolling out of our garage with a shovel. He calmly tossed the poor carcass back into the street, pointed and smiled.

She picked it up and hauled it away. Thank you, Dutiful Public Servant.

Just Because I Love Him.

Click Here.

How Random is THIS?!

(Phoenix airport at sunset)

Debbie and son Charlie, from Minnesota, were due to fly into California tonight to help my niece Jessica pack and move.

My son Dan (Debbie's nephew) was in Dallas for several days at a conference, and was returning home to California tonight.

Dan had to change planes in Phoenix. He was one of the last ones on the airplane. When he found his seat, he noticed someone who looked familiar.

Debbie and Charlie were in the SAME ROW.

Neither one knew the other was even flying! Randomly, they ended up on the same flight, in the same row. All Dan had to do was switch aisle seats with the guy sitting next to Debbie.

Wow. What are the odds of that?!

(Debbie and Dan upon landing in Sacramento.)

Thought of the Word...

Hi Barb; thanks for dropping in! Feel free to leave a comment. ;-)

It Pays to Purchase AppleCare!

We purchased a 20" iMac in September of 2006 (seen in previous post). Fortunately, I purchased AppleCare soon after.

Somehow, I got a lemon. (There aren't many of them in Apple World.)

I won't bore you with the whole history, but after tolerating the annoying glitches for well over a year, it took a sudden turn for the worst in March. It became apparent it was about to become lemon-ADE*!

After jumping through a few easy hoops, Apple sent me a brand-new UPGRADED iMac today.

I can't wait to plug it in and take it for a spin.

*ADE= a dead electronic

God Provides!

Little by little, our ebay business has grown. Currently we are nicely supplementing Rick's pension, and are nearly at Level Two as Power Sellers! We're starting to realize we have a "real" business going.

I've been needing a new computer desk for some time now. I kinda knew what I wanted, but just haven't even had time to go looking for one. Besides! As official Garage Salers, we decided we'd just keep our eyes open for one when we are out "shopping" for resale products.

Yesterday, our neighbor asked for our help. She is newly moved back into the area from San Jose, and needed a strong man (that would be MY guy!) to unpack her PODS. Beth said that, after taking a few personal things out, the rest would be going to Salvation Army. She said we were welcome to take anything we thought we could use or sell.

The long and the short of it... not only did she have a computer desk that was exactly what I was looking for, but there were also two very nice metal file cabinets -complete with hundreds of hanging file folders- (tall black one at the left, half size one at the right), and an INDUSTRIAL paper shredder! We spent the day rearranging our home office, and sprucing things up. Rick took this photo of his very delighted business partner when I first sat down for a test drive at my new desk! We're ready for our business to really soar now.

Sidebar: we also placed a VERY NICE almost-new king-size Serta mattress set with a needy couple. They were all smiles, too!

Thank you Beth, and thank You God!

SPRING FANCY GONE MODERN!

In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.

Lord Tennyson Alfred (1809–1892)

Thank goodness for camera phones.

I was at a local discount store today (I'm not admitting which one in case Jessica or my bro reads this). In the greeting card aisle, I saw three guys. At first I couldn't figure out what they were doing. Then, it dawned on me and I could hardly keep from laughing out loud!

They had chosen a mushy "thinking of you" romantic card, and were TEXT MESSAGING the poem on it to one of their girlfriends! In typical guy slang, they were discussing how she would react, and wondering whether she'd be able to tell he didn't actually make it up himself.

I angled around, and snapped the photo, hoping they wouldn't hear the "click" and grab my phone.

Success!!

Congratulations, Jessica!

My niece, Jessica, is graduating in the morning from CSU-Sac. We're so very proud of her! Tonight we celebrated with a few family members and friends at Red Robin in Turlock.

I know she will go far. In fact, too far. She's moving to Minnesota after graduation!

CONGRATULATIONS, Jess! WOO-HOO! You did it!

(above) Dan, Jessica, Yvette and Jordan. My parents were there, too.

(above) The Band. Well, they should start a band. They already have their first album cover.

Skype Birthday Party for Rebecca!

What do you do when your daughter turns 30
but she's 9,000 miles away in Singapore?

Throw a Skype Party, of course!

(Yes, that's the Taj Mahal, in India. Josh took her there for her birthday, and made her wear the goofy tee-shirt and mask. As you may notice, she's carrying her next child, due in August.)

First thing was making sure she got her favorite cake! For as long as I can remember, Rebecca asked for cakes with strawberries on her birthday. I got online and found a place in Singapore, 7th Manna, that delivers fresh strawberry cakes at a reasonable price! They were so easy to work with.

Next, we invited about 30 local people to come (and Jessica from Roseville who is in frequent contact with Rebecca). I prearranged with Josh to have Rebecca home and ready on Saturday morning, when it would be Friday evening for us. The time zone difference is 15 hours, so we set it for 6 PM here.

A couple of weeks ahead of time, we mailed a box full of small gifts, paper party goods, and a couple of decorations to Josh at the school where he teaches. He did a great job of hiding it from Rebecca. The day before the party, the cake was delivered to Josh, also at school, and he took a taxi home to keep it fresh (it gets pretty hot in Singapore, and he usually rides public transportation).

We had a sketchy start; we lost internet connection for two hours before the party started. I was pretty stressed knowing the party couldn't happen without a connection. Dan was on the phone with a tech at our provider's, then Dustin came and helped complete the fix. We came back online FIVE MINUTES before the start of the party! Soon, we had a room full of well-wishers.

Yvette and I had told Rebecca we would be calling. Ever since they moved over there, we talk frequently by Skype. It's a FREE internet video calling service, requiring a webcam. For the party, we set up Dan's Mac laptop in my kitchen. We had it turned so that she could just see Yvette and I. Everyone else was waiting a few feet away, quietly, in the living room.





We chatted a few moments, then told Rebecca that her Grandma and Grandpa had come in and wanted to say hi. As we turned the laptop, everyone started singing "Happy Birthday". I think Rebecca was TRULY surprised! I hope she'll comment about it here...




One by one, everyone from the party came up to the monitor to speak a few minutes with her. She was online for about two hours!




Dan (above) explaining to Rebecca that he was bummed when she turned 16 before him, but now...






Then, it was time for Cake! Josh had gone to get the cake from their refrigerator (he'd told Rebecca that she couldn't look in the fridge that morning), and I was off-screen lighting the one we had here. Simultaneously, she had cake coming from behind and on-screen. Once again we sang, and she blew out her candles in Singapore. Rebecca D. blew out the candles here!


As Rebecca continued to speak with all her guests, Yvette, two of the D. girls and I handed out cake here. Then, she opened her gifts.




All in all, it was the next-best thing to being there! I only wish I could have given her a big ole birthday hug and kiss. I can't believe it's been thirty years since that wondrous day when my life was blessed with this beautiful daughter.

Happy Birthday, Rebecca!

*for some reason, the photos are pretty blurry.

Pair-a-Docks

Ever wondered why a person who touts Tolerance can be so Intolerant of those he deems Intolerant?

Good News!

My sister got a reprieve! We are so thankful. She will have to keep a lifelong vigilance, but we are optimistic that it will be a long vigilance!

How I am Feeling

In the The Silver Chair, a Chronicle of Narnia book by C.S. Lewis, there is a character named Puddleglum. His personality is much like mine. A pessimist. Always expecting the worst. An Eeyore.

Nevertheless, when the chips are really down, he knows where to look. Up.

In one significant scene, the characters -Puddleglum, Jill and Scrubb- have left the wonderful land of Narnia to search for its abducted prince, and are now captive in a distant dark Underworld. They have found the prince, but have hit an obstacle: the wicked Witch who kidnapped him. She is casting a spell, and Puddleglum's companions are quickly falling under her bewitching. Puddleglum is resisting with all his might. I'll quote the story from this point, beginning with the words of Jill, one of the good companions...

"I suppose that other world (Narnia) must be all a dream."

"Yes. It is all a dream," said the Witch, always thrumming on her magic fiddle.

"Yes, all a dream," said Jill.

"There never was such a world," said the Witch.

"No," said Jill and Scrubb, "never was such a world."

"There never was any world but mine," said the Witch.

"There never was any world but yours," said they.

Puddleglum was fighting hard. "I don't rightly know what you all mean by a world," he said, talking like a man who hasn't enough air. "But you can play that fiddle till your fingers drop off, and you still won't make me forget Narnia; and the whole Overworld, too. We'll never see it again, I shouldn't wonder. You may have blotted it out and turned it dark like this, for all I know. Nothing more likely.

"But I know I was there once. I've seen the sky full of stars. I've seen the sun coming up out of the sea of a morning and sinking behind the mountains at night. And I've seen him up in the midday sky when I couldn't see him for his brightness."



Lately, my world has seemed dark. But, I have seen the Sun. And I shall never forget the Son in His brightness...

Please Pray

Someone very dear
to me was diagnosed
with lymphoma today.

We don't have any
details yet, and I'd
rather not say just
now who it is.

But, God knows,
and I'd like to ask
you to join me in
praying for her
complete recovery,
and the strength to
fight this head on.

Thank you.

(L.- if you're reading this: I love you.)

Movie Recommendation

Do you have an open mind? Did you see "An Inconvenient Truth?", "Fahrenheit 9/11", or "Bowling for Columbine?" ...Add this one to your list. (If nothing else, you'll enjoy the trailer.)

If you have heard of the new documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, opening April 18, chances are you have heard all kinds of distortions and myths about it. So let's set the record straight about some of the most common myths.

Myth #1: Darwinists interviewed for this film were tricked into participating.
Not so. Each scientist interviewed for Expelled, on both sides of the evolution debate, knew who would do the interview and what it was for. Each of them signed a release, allowing the producers to use the footage of their interviews.

Myth #2: The film is anti-science.

Wrong again. Many distinguished scientists were interviewed for this film and given the chance to express their views. Just like their Darwinist counterparts, the advocates of intelligent design and their supporters who are interviewed are there to talk about science, not to dismiss it. These are people like Cambridge physicist John Polkinghorne; Oxford mathematician and philosopher John Lennox; journalist Pamela Winnick, who has received hate mail for covering the issue; and biologist Caroline Crocker, who was fired from George Mason University for discussing intelligent design in the classroom. Some of them are religious believers; some are not. But what they share is a commitment to science and the unfettered pursuit of truth. Expelled is not anti-science; it is anti-censorship.

Myth #3: Ben Stein, the actor and writer who hosts the movie, has lost his mind.

Bringing up this very issue in a conference call, Stein quipped that he probably has, "but it was a long time ago . . . probably sometime around 1958." Well, I have known Stein well for years, and he is as bright as a button and anything but out of his mind. On a serious note, Stein and his film's producers explained that the mud that people are flinging at him is just one small example of what happens to people who question Darwinian orthodoxy. The original idea for Expelled, said co-producer and software engineer Walt Ruloff, came to him when he was working on a project with a group of biotechnologists and learned "that there was a whole series of questions that could not be asked."

The prevailing ideology among many scientists—it turned out—he concluded, was keep your mouth shut, take the research money, and publish only the data that fits with "the party line." The issue that concerns Ruloff and the others behind Expelled is whether the scientific establishment in this country is going to allow genuine "freedom of inquiry," or simply shut up—and slander—those who do not toe the line.

Given all this, Ben Stein states, "As long as the cause is right, I'm happy to be in an uphill struggle."

Myth #4: Popular author and atheist, Richard Dawkins tells Ben Stein in this film that there could have been a designer of life on earth, but it would have had to have been "a higher intelligence" that had itself evolved "to a very high level . . . and seeded some form of life on this planet."

Well, actually . . . that one is not a myth. He really did say it—striking admission, though it is.

So, I urge you to go see Expelled when it opens at a theater near you. Believe me, in this case the truth really is stranger—and more compelling—than any fiction the film's detractors could possibly dream up. (from Breakpoint, 4/11/08)

New Post

Hey 3-peas-in-a-pod (Lori)... here is the new post you asked for!

I don't have any fresh ideas right now, being impaired by a low blood sugar. Rick is taking me out to dinner in a few minutes. For now, scroll down to the very bottom of this page, and see our GrandBaby Ticker!

More Later!

;-)

Do You Know Someone with this Condition?

=D

Time for a chuckle... Dilbert does it again!

It's My City... Love It or Leave It!

Here we go again.

Not that I disagree, but where you live is ALSO about friends and family. However, if it weren't for friends and family, we'd be long gone!