May 31, 2005

Whew, the big weekend is over. Believe it or not, but it didn't bother us too much this year. We just mostly stayed in the house away from the sound of the huge crashing waves as they jumped over our seawall. No damage that I've noticed here but the new next-door neighbor's walkway was shook loose and fell into the water. He said a guy is supposed to come today and fix it. First day in his new house and having problems already. A water leak inside has made replacing one wall a requirement but none of it seems to bother him too much. He moved here from Florida. There will probably be a big adjustment in his near future.

Dory did take a boat ride yesterday with the neighbors on their tritoon. I opted to stay home and read. I'm thinking that might constitute most of my activities for today too.

Can't seem to think of anything worthwhile to type. You have a good one!

We can have facts without thinking but we cannot have thinking without facts.~John Dewey

May 30, 2005

It looks like our new neighbors are moving in next door. They have completely blocked the turn around on Russell's road. I suspect he will make a bad first impression on them. Russell will be telling them pretty quick where they should park. Folks will be turning around in his garage entrance because of the way they parked. Woe will be the word for awhile around here.

I got the Hoosier Golf game built yesterday. It's an easy game to play. I thought it might be something that others would buy but now I have my doubts. They are advertised on line for a marked down price of $39.95 from $69.95. Shipping is $11.05 for a total of $51.00. Doggone it, the cost for materials alone ran me close to $43.00. Well, it would have cost me that much if I had to buy everything but fortunately I had the rope and balls on hand. That cut out around $13.00 off the cost of this one. Anyway I would need to find a cheaper supplier for the other stuff if I was going to sell the things. I guess I would make and sell one for $45 if anyone wants one.

To you it is hoped, a greater day will not be yearned for.

A little learner: Hoosier was but one of a variety of disparaging terms for the inhabitants of particular states arising in the early 19th century. Texans were called Beetheads, for example; Alabamans were Lizards; Nebraskans were Bug-eaters; South Carolinians were Weasels, and Pennsylvanians were Leatherheads. People in Missouri might have had it worst of all—they were called Pukes. Originally, these names were probably taken up by people living in neighboring states, but belittled residents adopted them in a spirit of defiant pride, much as American colonists turned the derisive term Yankee into a moniker for their spirit of rebellion. Today, most of these frontier nicknames have disappeared from the landscape. A few like Okie still exist with much of their original animus. Others survive as nicknames for the sports teams of state universities—the North Carolina Tarheels, the Ohio Buckeyes, and so on—fighting words only on the playing field or court.

A preoccupation with the future not only prevents us from seeing the present as it is but often prompts us to rearrange the past.~Eric Hoffer

May 29, 2005

Too bad for us or maybe it was good but we missed winning the $220.3 million. ($220.3 Million Powerball Jackpot Won In Idaho) I'm not sure how having that much money might affect a person but I wouldn't be ascared to find out. The next pot on Wednesday will be only $10 million. I guess we could probably handle that but I'll try not to worry very much about it. Like the guy said, "you're just about as apt to win the lottery by not playing as you are by playing."

Yesterday wasn't a bad day considering. The boaters were plentiful but it didn't seem to be near as bad as what I thought it would be. Of course today is a different deal and I suspect it will be a tad more difficult to accept than yesterday was. They just got it rolling good yesterday and the momentum obtained will hold and fling them out today as it continues to build. Katy, bar the door!

I'm hoping today will be a lackluster day without too much effort being needed to keep it a happy day. We will do our best to influence it in that direction. I'm thinking that I might go to the store for the necessary pieces to build a BoloToss game. It is a three tier rack?? that you stand back 35 feet and throw a bolo at, hoping to wrap it around one of the tiers. A bolo in this case is a drilled golf ball on each end of an eleven in nylon rope. The only way you can score is to wrap it around one of the rungs and have it stay. Actually you have two racks, one at each end and it's kind of like pitching horseshoes.

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.James Oppenheim

May 28, 2005

A wonderful and so far quiet day going on here. About 600 drops of rain just passed and I didn't even see the cloud. A little cool at 54 but that will change along with the surrounding quietness in the shortest of whiles.

Glenda is working to get enough people together to play a couple games of Texas hold-um poker. I fear she is getting close to a desired number. Next thing I know we'll have a special table to play the poker on. She has really been studying them on-line. It will take a lot of winning to recuperate the cost of a $300 table, but she has been right at the edge for two or three weeks now and I suspect she has just about got all of the negatives shoved to the side in her mind. If I could find a quarter I would bet it that the week won't end without a table on the way.

I don't think that we have much workin' in todays plans but I could be wrong. Yes, I had better modify that to I don't have any workin' in my plans for today. You hardly ever know for sure when there is a woman involved, with Glenda you NEVER know for sure. An oddity to this is she never knows for sure either.

Hope your day will be as great as you want it to be!

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. ~James M. Barrie

May 27, 2005

Yesterday the retiree gathering was a good enough trip, the visiting was okay but one of the parts that is hot on my mind this morning was the beef at lunch, it was excellent. It was cooked on site on a grill by a catering group and I think it might have been beef tenderloin. Overall the trip was good enough that we would probably make the trip again next year if it is offered.

Today, things will begin picking up around here peaking around 7:00pm Saturday with a second peak about the same time Sunday. A good attempt will be made to equal that Monday morning but it will fail and the attempt will begin to fade just after noon. Haven't see nary a boat yet but by mid-afternoon there will be more than enough to make up for the deficient morning. Just as I finished that last sentence a boat came into view and quickly passed and out of view leaving nothing but the wake. The driver knows nothing of the wake might do or does. He probably doesn't give the wake any thought at all.

I'm sure I've typed this somewhere before but people, you, me and everyone leaves a wake along their life's trek. Most all go along never realizing that their wake may be causing damage or problems of sorts to others docked along their path. I suppose that a wake is like a memory which could create a huge desire to make it a big one but that saying, " Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled," could probably apply to a wake too. "What I like in a good author is not what he says but what he whispers." -Logan Pearsall Smith.

Sorry, I got carried away there but we all really should watch our wakes.

Today is a bowling day. I'm sure that Glenda will go but I'll probably stay home. I got my weeks socializing in yesterday. Glenda has an emptier bucket to fill than I.

A lot of good, we're wishing you today!

"...happiness is the highest good, being a realization and perfect practice of virtue, which some can attain, while others have little or none of it..." -Aristotle

May 26, 2005

I feel pretty good about my ability to begin a lot of other folks day with a tiny touch of luck. To the people that doesn't automatically click delete and actually open and read these nothings that I type, it's your lucky day! I haven't got time to tarry here this morning. The retiree outing is about to begin.

It is a great ability to be able to conceal one's ability.~Francois de La Rochefoucauld

May 25, 2005

Kind of dragging my feet this morning which slows down everything. I need to get out there doing the lawn before the temperature heats up but something is not connecting in my get-up. You know you've got to have the get-up before you can go. Nah, I'm waiting for Glenda to call me up for a quick bite to eat. "I'll have just one more cup of coffee then I'll go."

I've been listening to a lot of old songs on here trying to pick up a few things to put on e-cards but now I can't send e-cards so none of them will do me any good. Spent a long time doing it too. One place I picked up a couple, when I start to add it to a card says, "Not a standard compression. The recipient may not be able to play". Without the music or sound the stupid cards would mean very little if anything. As far as That goes they probably don't mean much with the music. I think all the music has got to be in a wav. file form or I can't edit it on the windows sound recorder. Oh well, every life has strife and if this easy one is using up a bad ones space, goody for me. "Goody goody for you! goody goody for me! I hope you’re satisfied you rascal you!"

In the morning it is quick to Jeff City to meet up with a few other Fabick retiree's. We'll all board a rented van and head out for a retiree get-together at the Concord Farmers Club in Fenton. Because everyone loves a listener and because I have no experiences to relate I'll probably be a very popular person..........Huh? Oh shoot! The topics will mostly be of old times past and I have a car load of those, maybe I won't be very popular after all. "Get thee behind me devil!" And kiss my ass while you're there.

"To talk to someone who does not listen is enough to tense the devil." -Pearl Bailey

May 24, 2005

Well, I messed up my web-page at Charter and can't get it working again. The only way I can send a birthday e-card right now is via an exe. file and most people can't or won't open them so until I can figure a repair, that aspect of my emailing is extinct. That sure is a load off my shoulders but I kind of liked doing them once in awhile.

Going to Jeff this morning to assist Lena in taking care of a few things including a repair or two. We'll have a lunch and do some visiting then head it on back home.

Tomorrow is a mow and blow day and I'll need to use the weed-eater too. I thought we had been getting a lot of rain but the grass is turning brown in some places indications of a moisture deficit. This may be my last mow job for some time to come but with the darn pollen things still falling everywhere, several blow jobs are still in my future.

Yesterday I pulled a loose 'no wake' buoy from the lake that had floated over against the dock. A real nice buoy with no identifiable markings on it (no permit number). New, they are around $140.00 so I'll sell this one somewhere for $75.00. Not bad huh? If anyone is interested let me know. Me out catching buoys sounds a little queer but it pays a lot more than catching crappie and there are some related excitements in the thought of a few extra bucks in the pocket.

That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.~Henry David Thoreau

May 23, 2005

Another great day has slipped rith upon us and now it's up to us to make it a something of a day to remember. I fail at that so often! Right now I can't remember exactly what all we did yesterday. I'm sure I enjoyed it anyway. I'm sorry to have stretched the truth there a little but I'd be hard put to tell you what we did Monday.

Isn't it great to wake up with the realization that God has granted you another day? Mornings are just about my favorite time of day. My two favorite happy times are going to bed, I really like that, and getting up. In between that the times are good too, but for some reason it doesn't very often produce near the thrill.

…a man should say to his soul every morning, "God has given thee twenty-four treasures; take heed lest thou lose anyone of them, for thou wilt not be able to endure the regret that will follow such loss." -Al-Ghazzali

May 22, 2005

Here we've been blessed with another day to spend however we want to. You've got to spend them for it is impossible to save one. Now do you want a 'good time Charlie' or a 'good time Charlie's got the blues'.

Because I've come up empty in the head again or the thought trigger has a safety problem that won't allow it to fire, I'm going to put a thing that I read on Boogie Jack by Dennis Gaskin I think.

This is who we are. A roiling river of consciousness comprised of who we were, who we are, and who we hope to become. Who we were and want to be are but a shadow and a ghost of who we are at the moment. Who we create ourselves to be each day is the master, though many give over their sovereignty of self to the shadow of the past... Heavy stuff huh?

Now that I've gotten this far down the page I believe it to be far enough at this time.

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all.
--Joni Mitchell

May 21, 2005

It is a Saturday, the sun is out and bright but I have not seen one boat yet. I must be missing something. I did see Russell's visitor from Kansas City catch a crappie from Russell's dock tho. Russell has said a hundred times, "there's no crappie around my dock". I knew there was.

I just can't believe an article in the Boulder City Newspaper about a lady from there that has hit a million dollar jackpot twice this year. She took the payout and after taxes I think it said she ended up with around $400,000 or $800,000 for both wins. The last pot was won at the wonderful Railroad Pass Casino. I think she is one very lucky lady!

Since I hardly have a life of my own I have got to make something up or rely on others for anything to type about. Before I continue I must say I really do enjoy this no life I lead!

I still go to the dock several times a day and cast a bass lure around to no avail but casting does help keep my slot machine handle pulling arm in condition. I go to the garage ninety times a day. We always have something going on.

I just thought of a story....The near new Peerless kitchen faucet developed a leak. I determined it to be the cold water side and took that valve apart and stretched the spring out. I tried to make myself think it helped but Glenda wouldn't stand for it so I looked around for a repair kit but couldn't find the one I needed anywhere. It is guaranteed for life or something so I called the company. They promptly sent a kit free of charge. I installed the parts but the damn thing continued the slow drip. I called the company again. They asked if I had purged the lines which I hadn't. They told me how to do it so it was done. Put everything back together and still, the slow drip. Only thing we could do was go ahead and put the new parts in the hot water side. Believe it or not, that was it! What brought this up is going to the garage. Every time I tried to fix the thing I had to go to the garage for the tools then I returned them only to discover that I needed them again. A many a trip was made for that repair! I guess it's stupid is as stupid does. I've just about worn the nut out on the cold water valve.

"Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education." -Bertrand Russell

May 20, 2005

Glenda did her meal thing at the bingo games and it came out okay. she even allowed me a small bite or two of the servings. What a sweetie!

Got some of the windows washed yesterday but only one of the house windows. The garage. The garage has two windows and two doors with 9 window panes each. Washing inside and outside of everything makes for washing 44 panes which is actually more than triple that number in pains. Spider and or fly spots along with the regular soil of too many months since the last wash makes for an unhappy job.

Today I'll tackle the windows of the house. I am trying three different window washing concoctions and so far believe the car windshield washing stuff might be the best deal. I never paid any attention to it before but this time I read the writing on the jug. It says that the contents are for winter conditions and in the summer it could be diluted two to one. What a savings! One gallon makes three and it is not very costly either. I went half and half for the windows.

One of the other mixes I had stirred up a long time ago and can't remember it's contents but the third is two cups of rubbing alcohol, half cup of ammonia, 1 teaspoon of Dawn and the rest of water to make a gallon. The alcohol alone was $2.00 and that mix doesn't seem to be any better than the car stuff that comes a lot cheaper especially now that I know buy one gallon and make it three. I do know that no matter what mix you use there will always be a huge necessity for plain old labor.

Of course washing windows is as futile as making the bed every morning.

Glenda is going to head out for Eldon to the weekly older folks bowling get together today leaving me alone with my window pains.

"The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor." -Albert Camus

May 19, 2005

If you ever thought that retirement would bring you a less busy schedule and lots of free time, forget it! Well, I suppose it could be for some but around here that just isn't the case. Too many things we want to do along with way too many things that need to be done. It is a very fortunate thing that we love it! The lack of moola does cause us to skip a few of the want tos, but that just frees up more time for the need tos.

Glenda's visit to the doctor went quickly. Now she is to call the nurse and make an appointment to have the thing removed. This doctor doesn't think the growth is a cyst. Matter of fact he said he had no idea what it might be and told Glenda it must be removed. He told her they would then send it off to find out what it is. A little worrisome for me but it doesn't seem to worry Glenda. I like her outward attitude!

Today Glenda is cooking a meal to serve at bingo tonight. I want to help her in away I can. My participation tho sounds like, "JUST STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN!" I'm well versed in that chore. I'm also very skilled at sneaking in and taste testing dishes for her without a loud word being used about it.

I've got several want tos and quite a few need tos in my mind for today, the biggest one being, wash the windows on the outside. I had better get going at it. I find if I don't get started on some of the need tos right away, I always come up a good reason to put it off another day or two.

I know reading this makes you think of the sound a spring might make as in boring, boring, boring. Well, maybe you do need to say it in the right way.

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." -Anatole France

May 18, 2005

The poor old sun is having a struggle this morning as it tries to rise and beat off the clouds at the same time. I was sure at one time that it had made the grade then another batch of clouds got together and waylaid that effort. It still remains to be seen.

Heading for Columbia so Glenda can get her inner knee looked at. She has a small but aggravating cyst growing there. All you can see is maybe a small bruised area but you can feel a small lump. Anyway she wants it gone. Today will be only a preliminary visit before the removal I think. They'll take the lump but they want as many lump sums as they can get to do it!

Went to the supper last night at the Lion's Club. It was an okay meal I guess. The brisket was served in a roast beef and gravy fashion. Tasted like roast beef, looked like roast beef and it did appear to be roasted. Can a brisket be of beef? Completely ignoring our new eating habits again we both had a splendid piece of pie. Glenda had a huge piece of chocolate and I had coconut cream. If the meal had been better I could have said the pie was like eating the 'icing on the cake'. Heck, the meal was well worth the price anyway! You reckon we should have gotten a receipt so we could deduct the cost.

Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now.

"When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing." -Enrique Jardiel Poncela

May 17, 2005

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country............The quick brown fox jumped over the log or the lazy dog . Can't remember and neither can Glenda. Just limbering up my fingers for a quick note.

Yesterday morning we turned the furnace back on for awhile and then started the day wearing long sleeve shirts and long pants. Then later it was down to no shirt and shorts or in Glenda's case, short sleeves and shorts. Good old Missouri weather, cold to hot all in one day. This morning started out at 63 (short sleeves and shorts).

I see this is not going to be a very interesting note again. What a man will do just to stay in character.

Tonight Glenda has plans to drag me out to eat some kind of meal at the Lions Club that she is making the slaw for. It is a yearly fund raiser of some kind. On top of it being a pain in the rear and costing a good sum for each of us, I am not that fond of brisket! How much do I dislike brisket? I would rather eat a plain old boiled frankfurter, tho fried would be better. What we do for those we love!

"Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it's what you are expected to give -- which is everything."-Anon.

May 16, 2005

I got a little behind this morning so later than usual this nothing will be. NO! I didn't mean that! Pull your mind up out of there. I just took a little time to answer a few messages instead of trying to lump all of the answers in another generic note to all. I may not be getting any better at this crap but I haven't quite given up the trying yet.

So many things are reliant on your head to happen. By the time my head finally thinks of something to type, it's been run thru there so many times that I am wore out with it and feel real sure it won't be interesting. I, with the help of my head, come up with something else with the same results. I can't see how anyone could have ever said that I was quite a talker. I suppose a face to face talk doesn't require much thought, just a reaction. Maybe I was a good reactor.

Probably the biggest problem now that I could be accused of is the need to get a life......Nothing to type about as it is now. Wait! We did get invited across the hill yesterday to Ruthie's for supper. What a grand supper. Her son Scott did some steaks and Ruthie did the rest. All this followed up with strawberry shortcake. Everybody likes strawberry shortcake! Believe me, I had to refuse it. Too much I did eat. So much that a lot of nutrients will probably go right on to waste instead of slipping out into the body as it treks thru the tract. You know that what excess doesn't go to waste will end up going to waist anyway. That may not be correct being that a waist is the middle section or part of an object, especially when narrower than the rest. That word 'narrower' might be the killer however, the 'especially' word could keep it correct.

I don't know and I'm not going to put too much in worry over it. I worried about getting a message typed and look where it got me.

While we are focusing on fear, worry, or hate, it is not possible for us to be experiencing happiness, enthusiasm or love. -Bo Bennett

(Extra) "You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think." - Dorothy Parker

May 15, 2005

It's about the same as it has been here so as not to repeat myself ...................... HAVE A NICE DAY..........

One of the biggest fads of all time is the hula-hoop, invented in 1957, by an Australian. The name "hula hoop" came from the Hawaiian dance its users seemed to imitate. The invention was licensed to Wham-O, who sold 25 million hula-hoops in two months. Almost 100 million international orders followed. They were manufacturing 20,000 hoops a day at the peak of popularity.

"Speak what you think to-day in words as hard as cannon-balls and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

May 14, 2005

Not a lotta watta but it did come several good rains. Surprisingly there wasn't any thunder or lighting about tho, a severe weather possibility had been in the forecast. Just regular Missouri weather...................It may be really bad but then again it may not be. The few clouds still hanging out are not very organized and with some sunshine ripping it's way through them in places makes me think the rain may be over.

Oh what a life! Doing mostly what we want to with a few need to's mixed in. I fear one 'need to' isn't very far down the calendar. All the moisture we've been getting has pretty much kicked the grass into high gear reaching for the sun. I'm going to need to go out and put each little blade of grass back into a Glenda approved height. She read somewhere that keeping the grass cut discourages ticks from hanging around. At least I think she said ticks, when I'm out there mowing I'm not hanging around either.

Well so much for this days attempt.

Good written things, when short, are twice as good. For bad, it doesn't make any difference.~Gracián (edt)

May 13, 2005

Rain mixed with darkness awakened us pretty early this morning. Nothing scary but it did sound kinda nice. I had to get up and unplug the computer and thought I needed to get some cushions in off the swing before they blew away. Outside in my underpants looking for a couple of cushions by the light of the lightning bolts, all for naught. I figured they had already blown away but found them in the computer room. Glenda had brought them in last night.

Since I was up anyway I just put some clothes on and went down to the recliner. Reading a book and listening to it storm wasn't a bad excursion but 3:30 am is a mite early. The lightning and thunder have eased up to almost nothing so I plugged this baby back in to read the news.

A good book reading day is in the making. I believe rain will be around, off and on all day, with the possibility of severe weather later this afternoon. Glenda plans on blessing the old folks at the bowling alley with her presence leaving no need for the TV to be on. The rainy weather allows reading without an accompanying guilty feeling and no TV on makes it possible.

"The greatest thing a man can do in this world is to make the most possible out of the stuff that has been given him. This is success, and there is no other." ~-Orison Swett Marden

May 12, 2005

We took another short boat ride yesterday. Started up the lake and around the corner to pick up a few other folks, Keith, Doris and Ruthie but the boat ran so bad we scuttled that idea. Went back home, put the boat up and called them on the phone. Told them our woes and invited them over for a porch visit. Russell came on over bringing little Daisy so Mikey could have some company too.

While they were here the guy came by to fix the boat. The main culprit seemed to be a fuel filter that he replaced but he poured a bottle of cleaner??? into the gas tank. Anyway we all took a ride. The boat missed a little for awhile then cleaned up so I think the magic in the bottle did it's share of the repair. Mechanic in a bottle is what he told me it was. I failed to ask him to be more specific because of the astonishment of seeing him the same day we called had me near speechless. You just never know around here.

Today Glenda and Ruthie are heading out again. Going to a few furniture stores in Jeff City. Ruthie is the one looking for new furniture.

Me, on the other hand, am never left without a recommended couple three chores that I might tend to while the queen is out. I may do one or two if they don't interfere too much with any of my desires. I've completely quit fishing and in so doing added a few extra hours in my day. That being, I may have time to do all three chores tho, going to town for a much needed haircut may put the kiss to them for another day. Who knows? The Shadow knows but the sun isn't out.

"Every man ought to be inquisitive through every hour of his great adventure down to the day when he shall no longer cast a shadow in the sun. For if he dies without a question in his heart, what excuse is there for his continuance?" -Frank Moore Colby

May 11, 2005

A rather overcast day has began with no immediate chance of rain being forecast. I believe that is something that is thought to possibly happen sometime tomorrow and Friday. Meanwhile back in the jungle, it is going to be around 90 again today. High humidity and lots of hot makes a person sweat working or not...............What is another failure to me?

We did take the Tritoon out for a quickie yesterday. I think a crime has been committed but I can't figure it out. The boat took us out and got us back but it is missing. Probably needs some new plugs. Having that looked at today is my hope. Down here, a today thing always ends up being two days later or next week so hope is a strong word.

We did end up a little happy that the boat was uncovered tho when we saw Russell's pontoon floating down the lake with no one aboard. Glenda called Russell and had him ride out with us to retrieve his boat. The keys were in it and it started right up. I guess he didn't tie it up or it came loose. Not a problem anyway.

The natural flights of the human mind around the lake area are not from pleasure to pleasure but from hope to hope.~Samuel Johnson(edt.)

May 10, 2005

Well, I'm not fishing this morning! We've got to eat some of the fish we have or it could become a problem. Last year, I don't believe I cleaned nary a fish but I did catch a few. Some I gave alive to the guys working on the house next door and some I just turned loose. This year we've given away a few fish but they have all been cleaned. Those white boneless crappie filets sure look nice but it is when they turn up on your plate in a browned color is when they look their best.

Glenda is going to town with Ruthie today while I stay home like the good house pet I've become. I'll probably pressure wash the concrete porch and use the blower on the Struebbe lawn. I got around to mowing it and ours yesterday. There were a few rows of clippings that needed to be dispersed over the rest of the lawn. I blew them around our lawn yesterday but put the other one off until I rested up. Whew! That was a hot chore yesterday but I did discover a cold beer in the refrigerator in Struebbe's garage. That helped or hurt; I don't know which.

I had to come in and take a shower after all that working and sweating. A lot of pollen is still being swirled around with the blowing and mowing making it even worse. Shorts and no shirt will be the dress code for mew around here for the next couple of days. Well, I estimate that I might need to wear an unbuttoned shirt just to keep from sickening anyone.

If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.~Marcus Aurelius

May 9, 2005

Kinda cloudy out with a small chance of rain and a forecasted high of 78. The forecast for tomorrow is for 85 degrees and then for Wednesday it goes to 88. Not bad until you add the 80/90 humidity into the deal. That combination always opens a few extra pores. Like flood gates they open to allow a lot of damned sweat roll down your body and into your eyes. Shower in the morning, shower in the evening shower at supper time.

I'm just about ready to give up this fishing for Crappie. The last several that I've caught have all been pretty small to too small. I think we have enough now for a fish fry anyway. May even have enough to give a mess or two away. I'll just go to the dock and sling a bass lure as far as I can. There won't be many keepers at bass fishing. The length limit is 15 inches and mostly what I've caught around here were all 14 inches.

I'm also ready to give up this no interest note for today....................

"Every man has his follies -- and often they are the most interesting thing he has got." -Josh Billings

May 8, 2005

Not a thing do I want to say again this morning. I just can't seem to focus my playing instinct. There is a good chance that is partly caused by the lack of necessity and low desire.

"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves." ~-Carl Gustav Jung

May 7, 2005

No stories this morning. No humorous words nor anything remotely interesting or educating is trying to escape my head. This is probably caused by the plain old fact that there was nothing in there to begin with. Because of this the end is very near after the next line or so.

You're searching, Joe, for things that don't exist; I mean beginnings. Ends and beginnings -- there are no such things. There are only middles.~Robert Frost

May 6, 2005

I believe the crappie fishing has past it's peak for this spring. The next really good fishing will be late fall. I'm sure if a fisherman used a boat he would catch more than I do, just sitting here waiting for them to come by but I like it that way. Yesterday I caught a school passing and caught 4 just as fast as I could cast, then........NOTHING for the rest of the day.

The limit on the lake is 15 with the length limit being 9 inches. Now with the fishing slowing down, to get a limit, I'm forced to keep anything even if it is just barely over 9 inches long. Beware, that measurement is with the mouth closed. When you shut their mouths you lose a good half an inch of length.

This morning I fished for an hour and a half and only caught 5. The way I figure it is an average cast is about thirty five feet and I average about 3 casts per minute, Geez that's 270 casts, more or less. That also says the lure traveled about 18,900 feet during that period, Half in the air and half dragged through the water.

By golly I pulled that lure over a mile and three quarters of water this morning and never left the dock. I dragged it over a quarter mile for each fish caught. Overall I moved that lure over three and a half miles. Sounds like work doesn't it?

The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure.~Francoise de Motteville

May 5, 2005

Yesterday afternoon Glenda and I went to Osage Beach for a few things and when we got home Russell was walking his little Boston Terrier, Daisy right at our garage. We visited awhile and during this time Russell turned Daisy loose to play with Mikey. In no time at all Daisy was not to be seen. Russell said she has run off two times and this must be her third. He even talked about giving the hyper little thing up.

I rode the ATV all over this neighborhood and others looking for and calling her to no avail. I even had a Sheriff's deputy pull me over using his siren and lights. Thankfully he only warned me this time about riding the thing on county roads. Glenda and Russell walked the road calling for her all this time. Anyway we were all in Russell's garage wondering what to do next. Glenda and I finally took his pick-up and toured the neighborhoods again. Giving up, we were pulling into Russell's garage when I remembered our car door being left open for awhile when we got home. I told Glenda that is where Daisy has got to be. Geez! We had looked and called for her everywhere for two and a half hours and did not see a trace of her. I walked to our garage to the car and opened the door to find one happy little dog. Daisy was found at last and hasn't used her third time running off yet.

Catching fish from the dock is not a very productive way of putting fish in the freezer at this time. I guess a boat is a needed tool now.

"Not all who wander are lost." -J. R. R. Tolkien

May 4, 2005

Surprise, surprise, went to the dock this morning and fished for an hour. Really had to work for everyone of the nine caught. Guess the hot dock fishing days are over. I did finally get my limit yesterday but it wasn't without a lot of effort. Suppose a need to get the fishing boat started is just a short time away if many more fish get caught. I'm sure that I'll give the dock a few more days and a few more chances before anything radical gets done.

Glenda says we may go to the city of Osage Beach today just to get out of the house and pick up a couple things. Our new, guaranteed for a lifetime washer-less faucet has a drip and I can't get it stopped so one of the things we're going to pick up is a repair kit for that.

I don't have anything to say nor have I said anything..................A waste is always a shame that only creates unhappiness.

Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between our talents and our expectations.~Edward de Bono

May 3, 2005

An hour almost wasted this morning! Stood on the dock in the cold and fog for almost an hour and have only 7 crappie to show for it. Maybe later a mess of them will come by looking for something to eat. Of course I'll check that out several times during the day. The fog is just about dissipated now so I just might waddle back down there pretty quick.

Tomi is sitting here on the countertop about eye to eye with me and only 14 inches away. I think he's trying to tell me something but I'm too dumb to figure it out. I just shoved the keyboard back and discovered he was telling me that he wanted to lay in my lap for a bunch of petting.

Thanks to Tomi I just found several keys on the keyboard that I've never used. Way back to the back of the keyboard are buttons for my documents, my pictures, my music, media, mail, web/home, messenger, calculator, log off and sleep button. I may start using a couple of them. I guess I never paid any attention to them before because I don't slide the keyboard out far enough to expose them.

In Henderson I put up twenty five cents to buy a 1170 page book 'Special Edition using HTML 4 sixth edition". So any costs for storage and transportation it hasn't been paying for itself. You might want to hope I don't get into that stuff!

You may hope I'll get off this now too...............Your hope is my command!

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.~Dale Carnegie

May 2, 2005

I walked out the door here at 5:55 this morning heading for the dock. Came back in the door at 6:52 with 15 crappie in the basket.

When I first got to the dock I caught 12 fish in the first fifteen minutes then the school did a recess or went on a field trip because the easy fishing came to a hard stop. Of the 12 only 9 met my specifications so hard was the fishing to stack up the limit of 15. All told I caught 21 fish. After 15 minutes without even a hit I was ready to give up on catching the last two that I needed for my limit but just as quick as you can say it a couple of hungry strays swam by chomping at my lure. I did spend another 10 minutes trying for one more but finally gave it up.

By the way I'm getting pretty good at cleaning them. I've even started taking a little piece off the ribs after the fish are cleaned.

It looks like cleaning fish and mowing the lawn is pretty high on my schedule today.........Wait! Did I see someone nod?

"The time to stop talking is when the other person nods his head affirmatively but says nothing." -Anon.

May 1, 2003

Annie and Randy came down yesterday to fish a little. Unfortunately they didn't catch many. We was able to send a couple packages of fish back with them anyway.

We did a little Bush Race watching too. Now we sure don't want to miss today's race. What an exciting track they have there in Talladega.

We took advantage of an invitation to supper at the Struebbe's last night. Steak and all the rest a man might want to go along with it. Everything was delicious! I'm telling you that lady can cook!

Sounds like it's time to eat again..............breakfast that is...............Bye

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. ~-Erma Bombeck