September 30

It started this morning at 51* and it is already up to 52*. I heard somewhere that the expected high for Saturday is only in the 50's and the low for the night could be as low as 37*. Some how we missed out on summer and now it sounds like fall might be passed over too. It is said that opposites attract and one of the big differences in Glenda and I is, I like winter. Of course she carries the club so we end up in a warmer climate during the cold and snowy times. I'm thinking about staying here while she goes then, changing places with her sometime in the spring. Does absence make the heart grow fonder?

Speaking of absence, she has left for Jeff City again already. She went Tuesday to the dentist and a lunch with her mother then today she is going to an ear doctor. She has a pretty big problem with her left ear. No better than she listens to me I think she has problems with both ears. She looked up her systems on the internet and thinks she has a ruptured ear drum. I guess she will find out around 8:40 this morning.

Till I think of anything better, this is it.

When a man marries a woman, they become one; but the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.

September 29

After the restore, the negative virus scan and the defrag the old computer started out okay this morning. The only thing I can figure was the Camedia Master 1.2 has been acting up and I reinstalled it. That has got to be the reason of the recent computer problems. I checked the program and it is back to being screwed up. The program came with our camera and is where we store our pictures. I think I need a new program.

I keep a running Microsoft Works calendar so I can look back to see what we did yesterday. When I restored windows back to Saturday I lost everything from 11:00 Saturday through Monday. Isn't that a deal? Now I can't remember what we did those days.

Yesterday I borrowed another eight caps from my neighbor without his permission. I put them down as temporary steps along side the house so we could get from the garage to the back door of the house a little easier. The word temporary is used because our neighbor might want them back but the biggest reason is because they look a mess and need to be redone.

Today is a long pants day starting out at 51* at 5:30 then down to 50* at 7:30. It was forecasted to be cloudy all day but the clouds are thin and the sunshine penetrates them just fine. At least that is the case at this time and subject to change of course. This is Missouri you know. Yesterday was real cool, cloudy and with a pretty stiff breeze. It sure looked like a late fall day.

I really think life is great! Glenda and I both enjoy it very much but I can see you might not realize it from the drum drum crap I end up sending every day. I may take a break from these typings. Starting now.

It doesn't matter how long we may have been stuck in a sense of our limitations. If we go into a darkened room and turn on the light, it doesn't matter if the room has been dark for a day, a week, or ten thousand years - we turn on the light and it is illuminated. Once we control our capacity for love and happiness, the light has been turned on. --- Sharon Salzberg

September 28

Got us another load of rock delivered yesterday morning. Dale brought his loader to place the rock where it was needed while Glenda and I used the shovels and rakes. I've watched a lot of operators in my time and never did really give much thought to their skills. In a very tentative manner, I did use Dale's loader while he was gone last week. Because of that experience I paid a lot of attention to his operating. So easy without missing a beat, poetry in motion. He makes it look so easy I found myself wondering if my coordination has slipped away from me along with the years. I can still hit a nail on the head without hardly a miss............hmm, go figure.

Go figure this! For the third day in a row the computer has caused a negative beginning. Well, I'm not too far into the day when I turn the computer on. Anyway this morning it told me that due to some possible corruption or maybe it was contaminated files my profile would not open. Instead it would allow me to only go on as a temporary user. When I tried to go to my inbox I was told that I had none and would need to set one up. I finally got into system restore and moved it all back to Saturday. Walla! Here we are! It is still with a problem I believe and today is a scan, and clean up day. Stupid as it might sound, after it got to working yesterday I went to work outside and didn't go in to save a thing to disk.

I've tried to retrieve our emails this morning and couldn't connect to our server tho we're on line so you may not get this sick note for a day or two.

Rather than possibly waste any of my limited typing skills I'm ending here. Hey! Spell check only found one word misspelled.

The secret of happiness is to admire without desiring. -- F.H. Bradley

September 27

Didn't do a whole lot yesterday. Did watch the NASCAR race without falling to sleep or eating too many peanuts. Were you ever too lazy to sleep? I'm not sure what the reason was but I didn't even think about sleeping tho I lazed around a lot. I think I was being too lazy to sleep!

I'm not sure what today holds in store but I think another load of rock will be here creating some to do, as in shoveling and raking. Around here one thing seems always to lead to another so today will probably end up as a very busy day. One of the main needed things are some steps down from the drive. I can't build them so it is back to the phone. We got one estimate but thought it was way too high. I'll talk with that guy again first thing.

Well, it may be the first things happening will be computer related. When I started it up this morning the screen said "no operating system found". I think it was a DOS screen. I had no clue as to what to do so I turned it off then rebooted. It isn't running right as I type and there is a noise from the box that doesn't sound very good but it did start up. I'm going to restart the thing in a minute and hope for the best. If things work out I'll spend the morning on trying to save some of the stuff on here.

To you a grand and pleasing day!

September 26

Something has been amiss with our computer or our server. We could go on-line but was unable to send or receive any messages. When I turned the thing on this morning we sent one from yesterday then it disconnected again. It didn't go off line just disconnected from sending and receiving again. I finally restarted the computer and it works now. I've been a little aggravated with it during the past day.

I don't know why I wanted the ability to send and receive again because I still have nothing to say and apparently neither does several other folks.

On the 22nd our used to be week end neighbor sent us a message that her husband had died. He had an alcohol problem and had been living on borrowed time for several months. She sent us a message this morning saying after a brief memorial service Saturday they went to Fat Otter's Pub for a memorial celebration and to share fond remembrances. Shortly after she arrived they got a call that her mother was failing fast. They got to the home in time to sit with her for awhile before she died. I don't know what she died from but it wasn't unexpected either.

Sounds like she may have a sad time of it for awhile.

I'm clear down here now and still have nothing to say...............Maybe bye would suffice.

If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you are old.......Unknown

September 24

A new day can begin without sunshine and we're proving it here this morning. The sun will probably make a belated appearance sometime this morning because the chance of moisture is so very slight. The conditions are good for making our own moisture with the high humidity, heat and work to be done. And I'll tell you what! I typed this and didn't flinch a bit. I'm beginning to like this manual labor stuff. Some of the aches and pains still cause extra grunts or groans when I move certain ways but the deep dull throbbing continuous pain has pretty much abated.

Today, after I help Dale unload some blocks I'm thinking of coasting. Glenda and the girls will probably go bowling, giving me a chance to lounge in the recliner and read. If it would rain or just stay cloudy would help that sit a lot. With a sunny sky, guilt sometimes interferes with my minds interpretation of the words of the books story. My tiny little mind can't handle many sneaky foreign thoughts wondering about therein.

I've always done a lot of minding and should have it down pretty pat after 63 years but I'm not sure the old mind has been with me full time. Anyway, I have in the past, tried to mind my manners and do to some degree still. I usually mind Glenda and at times lots of other folks, even if I doubt it is the right course for the time or not. I really mind others that don't even seem to try being courteous. I mind some of the direction that I get from Glenda. I mind some of them even a lot of those I mind. Quite a few in fact I mind while I mind them.

I'm not sure but after reading this I think I must have been through another spell of mindlessness. The note seems to have suffered but there was no pain for me nor was I able to tell that it was absent. It must be a pretty common occurrence in my life. I'm going to follow my mind.....I'm outta here!

I'll bet you didn't know......that today is National Bluebird of Happiness Day? Sing out about the joys of life. The bluebird became the symbol of happiness after a writer called Maurice Maeterlinck wrote a play called 'The Blue Bird' in 1908.

September 23

Life is so grand that we don't want to miss any more than necessary. That is one of the reasons we got up at 3:00 am this morning. Another reason was that sleep had abandoned me for some reason. Glenda must have lost her's too because she is drinking coffee and watching the news on TV.

We did get the caps on the wall yesterday. Now all we need is some backfilling and some steps, may wait until next year to do the asphalt. We had a guy out to look at our step needs yesterday. The steps should come to pass before the week is over or at least not too far into next week. Now to get to the house it is necessary to go through the garage.

The wall cost me a couple pair of pants that I'd had for over eight years. One pair finally wore out while the other pair tore out. When the patches develop holes the end is near. Yep, some of the patches were in the seat.

I was absolutely worn our by the time night rolled around last evening and that or something else has sapped my thinking process this morning. Whatever the case I've about said all I'm going to for this day. You know, now that I mentioned it, I'm not sure that I ever had a process!

To you a great day is wished.

Don't mistake pleasure for happiness. They're a different breed of dog. - Josh Billings

September 22

The sky is beginning to show a tinge of red across the eastern horizon, I'm thinking daylight is a possibility real soon. Another day to use as we please. It pleased me yesterday not to use the daily work list at all. Instead I worked on capping the wall and reading. I did break one of the blocks trying to bust the nubbin off it, so there is a trip to Camdenton coming up pretty quick. I've just turned lazy I guess. Maybe I'll get around to yesterday's work list sometime today.

Ruthie and Scott came by, checking to see if it was time to use the shovels again. I'm not sure how it came about but I got the impression they kind of thought I had gotten a little lazy in Dale's absence. The pipe for the water turnoff is still laying where Dale unloaded it. The pipe through the wall still has no concrete nor forms yet for that matter. The packed dirt at the bottom of the wall hasn't been loosened and put up against the wall nor did the guy come yesterday on the steps. All in due time. All in due time. We have about fifty days to do it.

I sat here scraping around in my mind for something of interest to type and dug way too deep, now my mind is too sore to continue.

Happiness is the interval between periods of unhappiness. - Don Marquis

September 21

Yesterday was, and we're glad that we were/was a part of it, tho dragging a little from the day/night before, we made it again. "LIFE IS FOR THE LIVING"!

Our workaholic neighbor, engineer, operator, foreman, estimator, truck driver, job superintendent, main laborer, lead man, instructor and the one I've been saving to add, our friend, had an electric motor needing repair, so we loaded up the left over stuff (blocks) and doing some of his truck driving part, he hauled them back to Camdenton. We dropped off the motor at the repair place and proceeded to the block place to unload and get our credit.

The wall is up but a long ways from being finished so a little of that is on the list that Glenda made out for me covering this day. She has mowing the lawn, using the weed-eater, the blower as well as trimming the ivy and bushes listed too. I might save her some time in the morning as a new list in the morning might not be necessary. We will possibly......probably have a big enough list left over from today's.

So far this morning, before I got her list, I burned cement bags, all the dug up Yucca plants, the trimmed pine tree limbs and other miscellaneous burnable items. I've generally cleaned up the drive and garage area and hauled the non-burnable stuff to the trash. I've been to the dock, looking things over, as we have not taken any time to check on it for several days. There is a nut that keeps working loose and if the bolt that it holds should fall out...........big time trouble. I've banged the exposed threads several times making that possibility a lesser chance but you never know. I walked down to the corner to meet with the guy that is picking up the mini-excavator this morning only to discover he had already made the move. Now I'm trying to type this and it seems to be the hardest job so far.

Being as how I really don't want to work much I'm stopping this here.

"As I have said time and again, 9/11 changed everything. Everything, that is, except the national Democrats' shameful, manic obsession with bringing down a commander-in-chief. John Kerry has been wrong many times, but he's never been more wrong than in his failure to support our troops and our commander in chief in this war on terror. So, my critics can call me a psychopath and fire spitballs at me and froth at the mouth when an ex-president sends me a nasty letter. That's the freedom of speech they all enjoy, courtesy of the American soldier." --Zell Miller

September 20

Our workaholic neighbor, engineer, operator, foreman, estimator, truck driver, job superintendent, main laborer, lead man, instructor and birthday boy was here bright and early yesterday and began to work on the wall. Forgetting his workaholic type addiction, I asked if he wouldn't rather do something else that he might enjoy more on his birthday. He told me that he enjoyed working on the wall!

So the rest of us along with a new recruit, Scott, Ruthie's son, picked up our tools and a little grudgingly began our tasks. Another neighbor Gary Carr came and perspired along with the rest of us after he ran out of shingles for the new roof he is installing on the community well house.

It turns out yesterday was the most enjoyable day of them all. It was pretty hot but the thing is, we got the wall laid! We could see it coming for quite a spell so that might have been a major factor in the joy we experienced. There are still many things to do but the wall is up! Finished it around 5:00 pm. We did remove several blocks from the wall so the neighbors could walk through but they will be easy to put back into place.

Sitting around admiring the wall, we made an astonishing discovery! You may not believe this because I still find it hard to do. Unbelievably, after doing the math with the stones we had left over and broken the total stones in the wall was 335. Here is the shocker! In the initial planning stage, our workaholic neighbor, engineer, operator, foreman, estimator, truck driver, job superintendent, main laborer, lead man, instructor and birthday boy, during his estimating mode had checked his figures and drawings and concluded the project would require 336 blocks. Is this close or what? Wait, I'm not done! Above the pipe we bridged over a block sized gap for the surface water to flow thru. If we had used a block there Can you believe it? .........Yep! 336 blocks exactly! I think more folks than I was amazed but Mr. Struebbe acted like it was no surprise to him at all.

Thank you Dale!

Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing. ~Albert Schweitzer

September 19

A day like many others except no rain today. We got rained out yesterday before we got started much to .......... um, Glenda's delight. I'm not sure about today because it is our main man's birthday. I think we should lay off in honor of that but I'm not sure that we can get him to go along with it. It is still pretty wetted down and a day to dry out isn't out of the question in my opinion.

I was able to get out of bed this morning without a groan but poor Glenda seems to be going down hill. She has made it to the kitchen but she is emitting some sad sounding noises as she reaches for things. Maybe we do need to get back at it just to work some of her agony out.

I'm having another, know nothing day. You know the kind, where I can't prompt anything far enough forward to get a thought out of it worthy enough to type. I almost used the word interesting, but when was the last time that a lack of anything of interest to type stopped me? I can't do things of interest anymore and I realize it isn't just a recent happening.

With that little note comes the bottom line and it possibly explains somewhat, why I seem happy to myself, in sending so many words of nothing each day.

To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness. ~Bertrand Russell

September 18

The wall is coming along real well. Yesterday we put down 86 blocks and it was a shorter day than the day before which was shorter than the day before that. It was also easier. Seems like every day it gets easier. It is almost becoming as enjoyable as we thought it would be. On a job such as this the "one day at a time" phrase is one that you have got to embrace. No way to do it in only one day and there are a few small complications each day that might change the lay out somewhat but we're coming along just fine.

The aches and pains are becoming common enough that I believe none of us hardly notices them anymore. One reoccurring problem is with the shoulder of our workaholic neighbor, engineer, operator, foreman, estimator, truck driver, job superintendent, main laborer, lead man and instructor. He has a real problem with what I suspect, is a torn rotator cup that becomes so swollen and sore that he has about resigned his main laborer title for mainly the supervisory position. Even then, he takes time for quite a bit of labor. Seems he can still swing his arm which allows him to still do things like swing a hammer, lift a block, drag around and lift corrugated culverts and even use a shovel. Things slow down a bit when he is in the supervisory position. If we can just keep him there or at the engineering, operating, truck driver, or instructing we'll have an easier day.

September 17

My two most favorite times of the day are being worked over pretty big time. Going to bed and getting up. Going to bed still rates right at the top but getting up has slid way down the scale. My complete body protests the move. My sore arms doesn't want to hold my fingers at the keyboard and it hurts my tail end to set here. Then, when I try to get up the pains are worse, as my back and every other muscle that my fat body contains punishes me for moving them. Only saving grace is I'm sure that after an hour or two I'll adjust to the pain enough not to notice it much. That is until around 4:30 when I begin to notice I'm missing by several inches, the block hole into which I'm trying to shovel rock. Where it once took only two or three scoops, at that time of day the required scoops are doubled.

Let me say a couple things about our great neighbors. Little Ruthie came over and helped. We have a shovel just her size with half the handle broken off. She used it a heck of a lot! One place she used it was filling five gallon pails with rock. The problem, in my opinion, and I did see some strain in her face, was after filling a pail she carried it to the wall, more or less. The problem that I notice right away was, when she grasped the handle, she didn't need to bend over to do it, because she is a little short she had to bend her arms up to keep the pail from dragging the ground. That is a hard way to go. We did end up changing that plan but she didn't give up her shovel! I'm telling you she got pretty good with it.

Even Russell made it over with gloves on but he recently developed a problem cleaning out a ditch that a pair of scissors could probably painfully repair. I tried to keep him from lifting the blocks and gravel pails. He tried to use the shovel one time and pulled something in his back. He has not been very active for too long. That and he just turned 74 one week ago today is telling.

Dale, our workaholic neighbor, engineer, operator, foreman, estimator, truck driver, job superintendent, main laborer, lead man and instructor has a very problematic shoulder and developed a pretty severe side pain but he wouldn't quit. The pains did slow him down somewhat to the delight of all the rest of us. What he finally did was to take his wife on as an apprentice on the most important task of laying the first stone. She is a quick learner and soon was handling the 60 pounds stones by herself. To get a block level and in the proper place sometimes requires lifting the same block many times. Damn, after awhile your energy sapped, would automatically lessen your zeal for the job and one would be talking about stopping for the day but with Mary Jo, she kept wanting to do one more stone after all of the lesser worked folks was wanting to call it a day.

Glenda is my closest neighbor and I can't quit until I tell you she is a hell of a worker too. She has a tiny bit of trouble with the blocks but she is able to take them off the pallet and lay them on the wall. Several times she went down and took them off the wall for Mary Jo. I did notice once when she went into the house for a Band-Aid for someone she took a pretty long time. Of course I questioned her about it....She had to go to the bathroom. Seems she doesn't want to use the can I have in the garage.

So much for this stuff for now! I've got to get out there!

September 16

We got most of the trench opened and 2650 pounds of block laid with probably that much or more clean rock put down. We started around 7:30 am, stopped for 20 minutes around 2:00 for a bite of lunch then continued on until 7:30 pm. Dale, our workaholic neighbor, engineer, operator, foreman, estimator, truck driver, and job superintendent is our main laborer too. He is also a slave driver, but he stays right in there as one of the slaves all the time. He is real good at getting every once of work out of everyone including the ladies. The labor had everyone wet with perspiration all day but at the end of the day Mary Jo didn't show near as much fatigue Glenda and I did.

After quitting for the day Glenda and I each took a shower had a bite to eat then went straight to bed. I took a Viagra because I knew Glenda would be so tired that she could sleep through a hurricane. Turns out it was a waste because I went to sleep before she did.

Really, in fact it wasn't a very restful night. Did you ever notice at times when you are very very tired sleep, you think sleep will makes things better only to have a fitful no rest sleep?

To top the day off, I discovered this morning that I had gained a pound. Go figure!

All the masterpieces of art contain both light and shadow. A happy life is not one filled with only sunshine, but one which uses both light and shadow to produce beauty. ~Billy Graham

September 15

It may rain us out today but we're starting on the wall anyway! Our workaholic neighbor, our engineer/operator/foreman/estimator and now, truck driver, is already out there with the machine he hauled in yesterday so I've got to get crackin.

If it rains I may get back to you later............

Whether a man winds up with a nest egg, or a goose egg, depends a lot on the kind of chick he marries.

September 14

Heading out this morning with my neighbor in his truck pulling his trailer to pick up a mini-hydraulic excavator to use in putting our wall up.

On the way back I'll get out in Jeff City and walk to Glenda's mother's house where Glenda and I will leave from, for an appointment to get our eyes checked. We've had this appointment set up for three or four months now. If I miss this one I'll not get another chance this year. I'm thinking I really don't need my eyes checked anyway, the glasses I have now work just fine and I seldom use them except sometimes driving at night or in the rain.

We got nine pallets of Omega Building Stones, (concrete blocks), off loaded along the side of our drive yesterday. 360 blocks at 60 plus pounds each, to be laid one at a time by hand. I'm kind of looking forward to it. Of course Dale will do most of the work but I will get to supply a large portion of the necessary brawn. We will most probably start in earnest tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sure we'll have a wall up in just a few days.

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." --St. Thomas Aquinas

September 13

"Great day in the morning"! Now if we can keep it that way all day we're in for another good time. You know good times aren't just handed out to folks? Nope, you've got to make it so. Cleanse your mind of all that ails you, hang on to a few positives and BAM, there you are. Keep away from small people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. ~Mark Twain The same can be said about good times. There are many unhappy souls that would prefer you join them rather than they join you. Beware of the dragards!

Today is going to be trying in getting stuff for the retaining wall ordered and delivered. It started trying me long before we got up. One would think after five hours this morning and many a day past on such a simple matter I would have it mastered by now, but it hasn't happened yet. I think there is a possible chemical imbalance in my head causing communication problems between my want to and my need to. Also the thoughts of money and labor that will be involved with either of them is raising a rowdy row too. Jump in the water is fine.....I still want a little rope to hang on to. Gotta find a rope!

Four cups of coffee wasn't the answer! All the coffee seemed to do was allow me to correct my typing mistakes a little quicker.

Damn! I ran out of anything to say before I had anything to say! Typical, is the only word that comes to mind.

We have an opportunity to live in joy. Do not postpone happiness until the debts are settled and relationships rearranged. Joy doesn't exist out in the world somewhere; we find it inside. - Rev. Mary Manin Morrissey

September 12

This morning, I have to go along with my poor typing skills, nothing to type again. Isn't life grand! I've been told, "No news is good news" a lot of times, so believing that, you can believe all be good here. Here's some more commas,,,,,,if I missed a place where one should have been, stick it in for me. If I put a few where they needn't go, just ignore em please. If I ever go to school again I'll study a lot more than I did the first time through.

I'll never forget our high school counselor taking Gary and I into a small very hot closet type room for a talk. The part that I remember as much as the heat was the red headed guy telling us how much smarter Gary was than I. I had to blink a couple times pretty hard because most of my grades were better than Gary's but I held my tongue. He proceeded to tell us how Gary, different than I, applied himself and worked for his grades while I just scooted through.

Well, he was right! Gary was much smarter than I. He worked or pleased the red headed guy enough that with his help, Gary was able to go to college on a scholarship. It took him a few extra years because of his need to earn a living at the same time. I guess he picked up some good work habits during that period too, at least as I remember it he had none back when we were home. Anyway the learned work habits and his ability to apply himself turned him into a very successful business owner. Unfortunately he was called to bigger and better things before he really reached his prime. I sure do miss him, my other beloved brother Bert and all those who have already checked out.

I don't know how I got into such a mess! Now I'm struggling to stay positive. Memories flooding back have a tendency to pull out huge clumps of sadness, which on a subject like this, is nothing more than extreme selfishness.

I quit!

However, "Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart don't know how to laugh either". ~Golda Meir

September 11

I'm not even going to try typing a note this morning. The only thing different around here is we're driving on the newly sealed road now. Plans for the day aren't, so it will be another one of those 'wait and seize' the moment days.

I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar. ~Robert Brault

September 10

The beginning of this new day looks a lot like a repeat of yesterday and the day before but one difference is it is starting at one degree warmer than yesterday. A 59 degree beginning still makes for a great one and with the high forecasted to only be in the lower 80's makes the whole day sound great. Great or not still depends on each individual but the weather won't be a negative influencer.

We finally got the complete road sealed yesterday but it was late. By rights it shouldn't be driven on until around 6:00 this evening but that will never be. If folks stay off it till 3:00 it will be an amazing feat. The part that was just finished, that I'm talking about, is the road where it comes off Y19 and only to the first road to the left. For that part of the road the cost was $761.00. I guess if it gets marked and the sealant pulled up by the vehicle tires so be it. I for one, am through worrying about it! Appleblossom is good and dry!

I shouldn't have been surprised! Typical of people, they all want things to look nice but not to the degree they need to change any of their habits. They don't believe one little car driving across there could have any effect on the life of the road. By now most have forgotten what it was like when we only had gravel roads. There are four cars in and out of here everyday that belong to renters. To my knowledge none of them have complained at all. Really, I know of only two people, that from their talk, probably won't wait for the road to dry fully. One retiree lives here full time and the other splits living here with a place elsewhere.

No big deal, but they drive costly automobiles and do like the blacktopped roads. They, like all the folks, want the roadsides to look nice too, but would never think of picking up a fallen tree limb or a discarded beer can. Out of nineteen places using the main road only four people, as far as I know, have ever done anything at all in the form of weeding or picking up any kind of trash. Three of them are from this road and only one from the other two roads.

Shoot! I've done started my day with a negative! I hope I can turn that around right away!

happiness comes from spiritual wealth, not material wealth... happiness comes from giving, not getting. If we try hard to bring happiness to others, we cannot stop it from coming to us also. To get joy, we must give it, and to keep joy, we must scatter it. - John Templeton

September 9

It looks as if a lot of the lake doesn't realize it's over and is trying to escape the torment of being impounded or dammed and then being tortured by the big boats, the PWC's and the speed demon's. The escape attempt is in the form of vapors or better know as fog, lifting off the surface of the lake big time this morning. I think some of the rising moisture will probably hang around then in retaliation, try to catch some boaters to dump on.

Seems to be quite an abnormal bunch of fish jumping out there this morning too. I believe they may be jumping in glee as there are no boats and were very few yesterday. Now for the rest of the year and way into next, the fishes biggest worry will come mostly from the fishermen. Happy times are back for all the lake dwellers.

Land side here, we have a new looking road, freshly sealed and drying for the onslaught of varying temperatures, freezing rain and snow coming soon. We still can't drive on the road but it sure does shine. I guess it will be opened to traffic sometime mid-day or afternoon Friday.

If there is anything interesting that I know it is playing hide and seek in my mind. It's hide appears to be a heck of a lot better than my seek so the end is near. Of course there is always that slim chance I know nothing that would be interesting..........

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature. --- Marcus Aurelius

September 8

Guess what? I was able to save the coffee pot another time. Saved us a small cash outlay too, as Glenda had one on her shopping list for today's venture into Eldon. Maybe she can use a couple bucks of the savings to buy us a chance at the Missouri Lottery, (2.5 million), or the Powerball, (53 million). It isn't enough to just save money you need to invest it! I left the word wisely out because I didn't think it belonged under the circumstances.

Only 56 degrees here this morning as the wind whines around trying to find something to dry up or someone to irritate. I'm bothered by the wind while wearing my hearing aids. Strangely, through some quirk, the wind coupled with the battery powered hearing amplifiers in my ears create a tiny pain in my ass. I just don't wear them if it's very windy.

Habits are what personal character is made of, and they basically come in two varieties: good and bad.
Experts in human behavior say it takes 21 repetitions to break a bad habit or to establish a new one. That means if you do something every day, after three weeks it will become an almost automatic response -- a habit. Continue for another 21 days and you will have established a lifelong habit. That's six weeks to change your life.

I now see why I try to send a message everyday even tho I rarely have anything worthwhile to say...........I've stumbled myself into the CREATION of a bad HABIT!

If a man has enough horse sense to treat his wife like a thoroughbred, she will never turn into an old nag.

September 7

Well shoot! A gift from my sister and brother-in-law some eight or ten years a go has failed us for the fourth time and this time may need to be replaced. I've been able to keep it going in the past but that easy fix failed this time. A Bunn Coffee maker should be reliable for a lot more years I would think. This morning we had about a half pot of coffee with the other half of the water spread all over the counter top. I've already taken it apart and put my known fix to it then made another pot......er....two thirds of a pot. I'm of the thinking my known repair isn't the problem this time. After the coffee is gone and the pot cools I'll give it another shot but I have some doubts. It sure has been a really good coffee maker.

The sun is shinning, it's only 59 degrees with a forecasted high of the upper 70's. A perfect time to build a retaining wall but we can't start yet. It might be even better a little further down the road. The road is one reason we're not doing anything. It is to be sealed right away and we wanted to wait for that to happen. The other reason is no hydraulic excavator available yet. Soon we hope, soon.

No boat noise during the night but an idiot with a powerful car was squalling his tires up and down the hills around 11:00. I think he was on our main road. It has happened several times in the past. Big marks on the next road over, K1. They just had that road sealed and if he was on it last night he will have made some bad places there. Why would anyone want to back down a hill then burn their tires off going up the hill. I suppose it is easier to get the tires to spin going up the hill and his daddy must be buying them.

Sorry about the uninteresting contents but it seems I've lost my interest somewhere. I think I lost it several moths ago. It isn't about our marriage, the quote below was the only one I had with interest in it.

The bonds of matrimony are a good investment, only when the interest is kept up.

September 6

Tiny tad of rain here this morning. It may cheat a thoughtless boater or two out of a few hours harassing the dock owners. Sounds pretty good to me. They can get home earlier, rest up and give their employers a full days work. Of course that will never come to pass. Yep, I'm talking from experience. Most of Tuesday will be spent rehashing all the exciting events of the week end.

I remember when I had a job it usually took a three day week end to get one enjoyable day. The first day off was spent trying to unworkanize. That accomplished you could enjoy the second day. Then the third day comes along and was usually spent getting back into the work mode for the next day. Now we can enjoy every day, if we have the time to think about it. This being retired is really a lot of work!

One of the things that comes to mind if I ever think, is that doing this note seems once in awhile to be much like a job. I don't want a job! Bye!

The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.~ Albert Einstein

September 5

Just checked our numbers for the Wednesday Missouri lottery, (2.2 million) and the Power Ball, (35 million). We won't be leaving here early nor will we be sending you any spare cash. The next Lottery will be worth 2.5 million and the Power Ball will be 54 million so don't count us out yet. One of the first things we'll need to do is come up with the two dollars needed to buy the tickets. I've about got enough cans crushed to cover that cost and might even have enough to swing an extra ticket. 29.1 million if you take the cash up front instead of over 20 years isn't all that bad either. We're just facing a terrible dilemma trying to decide which way to go.

No boats out yet but that will change dramatically in a flash. Splishing and splashing will be under way big time in less than an hour. I can hardly wait! I don't even wear my hearing aids because of the noisy loud boats but the sound still slips through. I'm having a terrible time trying to ignore them. Sitting in the house the noise still permeates through the place keeping me about half mad all of the time. You would think a person could get used to it. I think I don't want to..............Please someone, bring us $300,000. We'll throw in the bass boat!

I found a reconditioned prop for the bass boat last fall at a garage sale. Bargain price of $5.00. Hope it fits. I may see if I can get the motor started later this week and install the new prop. I have not felt a need to start the bass boat yet this year. We have taken the Tritoon out about three or four times. Not much of a water people anymore. We need to move it on outta here.

I'm going to move it on outta this chair right now............................

No matter where you go or what you do, you live your entire life within the confines of your head. ~ Terry Josephson

I guess moving from here wouldn't do us much good unless we can change our heads.

September 4

No boats yet. I think the sun being hidden by a few clouds has influenced a lot of folks. That or a late night has them still hanging around the house wondering how they're going to blow their money if they don't get to take their sixty thousand dollar boat out to drag the nine year old kid around on a tube. So sad the plight. Plight, when saddled on others, can be a time of cheer.

Like the so far boat-less lake, my mind isn't floating a thought worthy of the effort to type it. That being the case, the easiest and most thoughtful chore would be to click on the delete button. I'm not that thoughtful so I'll click on the send button instead.

May your day be filled with merriment and happiness. Long live the queen!

Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits. Cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. ~ James Allen

September 3

The day was well under way when we finally got up. 6:30 was a pretty late start for us, but still, only to have the chance to start at all is exciting. I don't think the extra sleep was worth shorting our day for. We probably saved a little on electricity because no lights were required to make our way through the house. Trying to think back, I may have turned them on out of habit. Anyway we're up and at'um now, worrying about the long holiday weekend.

Glenda is washing a load of stuff and I have my hearing aids in. The loud washer being just behind me doesn't make for a very pleasant sitting. I'm thinking you'll think, thanks to the washer if I quit now.

Go ahead and be thankful!

If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you are old.

SEPTEMBER 2

What? Another day here already? Seems to be, for the sun has joined the gentle breeze out of the north and made it so. Here, in our protected place, we can never be sure from which direction the wind comes, but the bottom of the windsock does drift somewhat to the south....which means nothing more than there is a breeze. The temperature indicator on the wall says it is 67 degrees outside at this time. Somehow I knew this information would be welcomed by you. That instead of a sorrowful tale of woe would be my choice too.

Good for me I'm not woeful, good for you I don't have a tale either. I either haft to sign off or make up something to wag.

Our workaholic neighbor, our engineer/operator/foreman, came over yesterday morning and played laborer with me digging out a trench for the where the blocks will start. Even with his shoulder problem he is pretty good with a shovel and pick. My eyes noticed he dug more than I, but my ears told me that he doesn't have quite the high performance body such as I've developed for myself over the years. High performance bodies require quite a bit more oxygen than a regular body does and that little quirk had me huffing and puffing in no time. My ears never heard a huff nor a puff from Dale with his regular body. We did accomplish what we had set out to do, firming the number of blocks we'll need and where we will step down and step up. The wall is coming soon!

This computer has me pretty aggravated this morning! I shut off 'messenger' when we started up this thing over a year ago but I keep getting an error message that it has encountered a problem and will need to close. The message just keeps popping up. I've gone in now and closed the error reporting system but I need to restart the computer to make it so.

So, I'm stopping this very informative note to do it.

Talk happiness. The world is sad enough without your woe. -----

September 1

Monday's outing did provide a little weak fodder for my typing session/lesson. During the trip our friend guided us into the Reebok shoe store in the outlet mall. He had gotten a bargain there and was kind enough to mention it to us. Buy one, get another at half price is pretty neat, especially when the shoes are already marked down quite a bit. Anyway I found a pair then Glenda found a pair and I took them to the counter to pay. My friend had wised me up about senior discounts on earlier occasions and had reminded me again before I went to check out.

I mentioned the discount to the girl checking me out. She told me that the senior discounts were only available on Tuesdays. I said that was fine, I would just put the shoes back and return Tuesday. She then asked me if I had an AARP card and when I told her yes she offered me that discount. I asked her what that discount amounted to and was told 20%. I asked her how much the senior discount was and discovered it to be only 10%. Of course I asked if I could combine the two discounts if I came back Tuesday. The answer to that was no.

Well, we thought the deal was good enough and bought the shoes. Over $100 dollars worth of shoes that with the sale price, the half off for the second pair and the whooping 20% discount got us out of there for only $38.82 for the two pair. Not a bad stop at all!

I think we found a deal on concrete blocks for our retaining wall too. I'm thinking it won't be long before that project gets underway full blown, contrary to the fact that thoughts of all the manual labor required sucks.

We had a bun-less burger at Hardies before heading home. Well, three of us did. The hardest worker in the bunch had his with a bun and curly fries. Anyway it was an enjoyable outing!

There has been a couple revisions on the estimate by our engineer/operator/foreman, but it is still well below the estimate for a concrete wall.

Thank God for good neighbors especially for one of ours that the quote below describes pretty well but not quite. In this case he has no duty but he does it anyway.

"Don't be content with doing only your duty. Do more than your duty. It's the horse that finishes a neck ahead that wins the race."

Speaking of neighbors here is another neighbor quote: You know how they're always saying, "If you can imagine it, you can make it happen"? Well, I've been imagining myself getting it on with my next-door neighbor for a year now, and so far the only thing that happened is she put up a higher fence.

August 31

Foggy again but the sun does have most of it on the run. A nice 64 degrees to start what should be another one of those rare Missouri days that one can really brag about. Oh, we can brag about all of them but this might qualify as one of the latter of the three categories, good, better and best. Poor isn't a category because it is a mental mode and has nothing to do with the weather.

We're heading to Columbia here in a little bit where I may or may not have an appointment with a dermatologist. We both believe it is today and despite the on-line inquiry confirming that, there still remains a shade of doubt. I answered the phone Friday that was a call to remind me of the appointment. I've heard them so often that I didn't listen to the complete recorded message. Later, the thought came to me that they never call you two days in advance. Well in this case four days with the weekend. That is when we inquired via computer. Last evening Glenda looked again so we might have an idea where the damn place is and she discovered the appointed time that she had read was listed as an example or something like that. We're going anyway.

The visit is to check a few moles on my back that our doctor thought we might want to have checked out. I know there isn't a problem with them but I do have a tick looking thing on my neck I'd like to have removed.

A best day can be poor and a poor message can be best if it is short. This has been my attempt to qualify today's as a best.

May happiness dissipate any fog that might float into your day.