February 26

Did you ever notice that when a dog accompanies you some place they usually walk beside you but a little to the rear. Not so with this cat! He walks to one side of you but always to the front. Kind of like he thinks he is the leader. Gosh, aren't pets a delight! One of the few instances that I can think of right now, where one can classify a real pain-in-the-ass as a delight. I'm not sure Tomi isn't trying to trip me down to his level.

"Despair is perfectly compatible with a good dinner, I promise you." - William M. Thackeray

February 25

A couple eggs, piece of fried country ham and a small piece of toast is a great way to keep my body in it's normal overweight condition. Most of us older folks appreciate normality's tho there will always be a thing or two hanging around in there in the form of a wish for a little change here or there. A person's wishes are stored in an inactive file that can be opened every so often to look at but the contents are rarely moved to a 'do something about it' file.

The strongest wishes are always a wish for someone else to make a change but a wish is only a thought and not even the most thoughtful of folks can even move a grain of sand with only their minds.

One wish for change that we are all told that we have, could very well come to pass sometime after the election no matter which party wins. We should be very careful of what we wish for and not allow politicians nor the news media to dictate them. Change can be good but can also be a very sad and ugly thing. I mean, look at yourself now as compared to fifty years ago. I had typed look at me but I don't need or want all that scrutiny so I changed it to something you could probably better relate to.

The job isn't finished till the paperwork is done but since there wasn't any paper involved here just click delete to flush.

So, we're going to Jeff for a day of visiting with Dory's mom. Bye.

"We would often be sorry if our wishes were granted." - Aesop

February 24

Surprise, surprise, last night, as we lay cozily sleeping under the warmth of our quilted bed covers, mother nature, under the cover of darkness and using an element of stealth, slipped in and flocked us. I think she flocked us pretty good too. Even tho she only used a little better than an inch, it was a wet one and I suspect an achy back and shoulders could result. It is right at 32 here now so I imagine all those beautiful snow flocked trees will quickly return to their dull and ugly winter time colors tho it will take some extra time for the prettied up terrain's white color to Disappear. Our road is practicing some racially correctness as it is white now but should go to black before the end of the day.

A shovelers delight kind of thing in that the forecasted temperature should take care of the problem while we shoveling men can set back and watch, saving our backs and shoulders this time.

Ah, but spring is just a few short weeks away................

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." - Doug Larson

February 22

Got a little snow here this morning making a trip to the bowling alley doubtful. Dory is going around singing, 'I live on a lonely island in the heart of Missouri, I live on a lonely island there isn't any hope for me'. The conditions have made her a little short too. Her taller than average height helps make that short coming down splatter a little harder sometimes. My walking around with a big smile on my face hasn't helped the situation much. It's got me going around singing, "Don't make me feel this way, Come on over here and love me, You know what I want you to say. Don't be cruel to a heart that's true". However, it didn't take me long to learn how to sing it under my breath.

I accidentally made a movie with the little camera this morning as I was trying to take a picture of the dock. Spent a couple hours trying to learn how to edit some of the cuss words I used when I discovered the mistake so I could send it out. Still can't do it.

One thing I've noticed is she likes to see me up and working on something so in my best interest I'm going to work on something.

"The really idle man gets nowhere. The perpetually busy man does not get much further." - Sir Heneage Ogilvie

February 18

Nothing gets so aggravating as all this go green crap! Use fluorescent bulbs they consume less electricity and last longer. Go green! All this sure gets old after awhile. We did bite the bullet one time and bought one of those high priced fluorescent bulbs and have never been satisfied with the amount of light it gives off. Older people such as we, need lots of light!

Somehow I know that the electricity that you use is being sent down the lines to a transformer then into your house as you use it. They poke 120 volts through the wire to the house and then through the house. 120 volts to every plug-in, voltage, but no electricity is actually flowing through it until you plug something in or I guess touch a bare wire while grounded. I understand either would flat get the watts flowing.

Now to my question. If you plug something in that uses 1200 watts to make it work, then unplug it and plug a lamp in to light a 100 watt bulb, what happens to the other 1100 watts? The only thing I know is it costs less to burn the 100 watt bulb but shoot, the 1100 extra watts is there, why can't I run another 11 100 watt bulbs for nothing.

Nothing pretty well describes this note's content. I started with nothing and as far as it goes I held to the theme so I'd say it fits to end it with nothing.

"Ignorance is like a delicate fruit; touch it, and the bloom is gone." - Oscar Wilde

February 15

Yesterday's dry land boat ride turned out pretty well. Hit a Royal Flush on a nickel machine for $234.08 and $50 on a quarter slot. In the end our free buffet wasn't, this time they paid us pretty well to eat it. Dory didn't lose and they had steak on the buffet line again. Got to spend some time with a fairly happy Lena, then when we left we found gasoline for only $2.75.9. After filling up we were blessed with nice and sunny 56 degree traveling home weather.

We'll accept any memory we make but I think we'll try keeping yesterday's close to the top of the stack for awhile. Near never, does one get to experience a trip to that boat and be able to leave the jip joint with a steak laden stomach and more money in your pocket than you arrived with.

Dory's lined up for her regular Friday amusement trip to Eldon and the quilting bee at the bowling alley. She does have a few items to pick up at the grocery store too. This lessens the cost of the bowling by spreading out the expense of the trip to include a few necessary items. She sure is a smart cookie!

"Nothing is so perfectly amusing as a total change of ideas including those few unfortunately senility tainted." - Laurence Sterne (edt)

February 14

Thought it was a goner but my back came back! Along with that happy note my toe is back to a normal color and I had lost two pounds when I weighted this morning. Everything is lining up perfectly to take Dory out for a Valentine buffet lunch today. Works out really good since Dory told me what we were going to meet mama at Boonville being that today is actually her birthday. Being told didn't bother me at all as I stumbled all over myself in agreeing. A break from five consecutive days of cold potato salad and warmed over fried chicken sounds like a very delicious idea to me.

Even the weather is cooperating by giving us temperatures by midday of 50 or more and holding it till after we get back home. Then we're told to expect that wonderful stay at home stuff of teen temps with a dusting of snow that may temporarily slick the roads up somewhat and could possibly continue through Friday.

Happy Valentines Day!

Friendship consists in forgetting what one gives, and remembering what one receives." - Dumas The Younger

February 13

I don't know why but our wind chill factor made me think of Mississippi this morning. You know twobelow, Mississippi. I checked their weather and it was 26*. Funny how some minds work huh? All this got me to thinking about Elvis too, causeing me to blow a little time running down a few of his old songs on-line and listening to them. Wowee! I like this retired life!

It was 8* at 5:29 and now it's at 18*. The forecast is for above freezing later today and maybe into the 50s tomorrow. We need a little of that warming as the ice has begun to form from the bank, out to and around the docks. It look pretty thin so don't think there is anything to worry about yet.

We've got nothing we haft to do today but relax, so even as cold as it is I'm saying, 'everything's coming up roses' around here. Nope, not an Elvis but from a 1959 Broadway musical 'Gypsy' with the lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Not everyone would know this. Well of course I had to look it up! Geez!

"To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward." - Margaret Fairless Barber

02/12

You know I don't get out too much and can't say that I want to but an important body part seemed to rebel a little about that this morning. Yep, my back went out! After I had gotten up and prepared myself for the day I laid back down across the bed to watch the weather. When I tried to get up I was struck with a terrible pain and thought I wasn't going to be able to make it. After several painful agonizing attempts I finally overcome the severe blowing of my dorsal horn and made it but I wouldn't want to be in a cell block in the position I was forced to stand. Worked the back around some and took an Advil and something must have moved back near to where it was supposed to be because I'm capable of a more erect position now. Even able to travel up and down the stairs but I'm forced to do so slowly. (The part of the spinal cord that receives and "processes" the pain messages from the peripheral nerves is known as the dorsal horn.)

In all things it is mind over matter and I have begun to suspect my mind and back conspired this mornings pain. In one, what must be a weaker area of my mind, I had planed to go out and start shoveling the inch or so of sleet and ice off the walks, porches and drive. The winning part of my mind and it's conspiracy with my back has erased that plan out of the little weaky side as well as completely out of my head.

The blade man did make a narrow pass up the road tho there isn't any blacktop visible but if it warms up some it could appear. Here at 9:26 it is still only 18*.

"No man means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous." - Henry Brooks Adams

02/11

"Wind from the east, fish bite the least." This may or may not be correct but when the temperature is only 16 degrees and the wind from the East is coming at near 20 miles per hour like it is here this morning, there is no one willing to verify or disprove the words.

The road is covered with sleet at this time but I was able drive out to put a couple pieces in the mailbox that Dory insisted had to go up there today. She did concede that the mailman may not pick them up for a couple days so I don't know what the urgency was.

We're told that it might get pretty nasty before it begins to warm up tomorrow then another winter storm is possible Wednesday or Thursday. It is a competition for nasty of which we choose neither or non to win. If they'll just leave our electricity alone, we'll hunker down here and survive on fried chicken and potato salad with a nice buttered roll as an accompaniment. We can for over a week if the stuff doesn't spoil.

"He who is plenteously provided for from within, needs but little from without." - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

02/10

A nice wing-ding party yesterday. A lot of people came to honor Dory's mother's 90th, visit and break a little bread with her. Unfortunately the appetites weren't up to par with the food laded tables leaving us to bring home a bunch.

The potato salad was very good but we brought home right at 29 pounds, meaning only 16 pounds was used. 29 pounds of potato salad to consume is where a cold dish can burn you out and rather quickly I imagine. As many times as I've carried that stuff to the garage, to the house, down the street and into the Legion, like the youngest suggested, spending so much time with it I may have bonded too well and won't be able to bite into it anyway.

Out of 150 pieces of chicken we ended up with only 40 pieces left. Lots of slaw leftover and did I mention bread........we brought so much home we'll never get it all eaten and I don't think having so much bread makes us a bread winner at all.

Dory made a small dent in the foods by putting together some of the stash for a friend on the other side of the hill who is recovering from a back operation and her husband. And then another grouping for the 88 year old bachelor that lives down the street. The talk is that we may do a repeat of that in a couple days....Hope they all like rolls!

If you got the thing from snapfish and want to view the poor quality pictures that the new camera produced you would need to join Snapfish but it's free so have at it. Meanwhile I'm cracking the book that came with the camera. Too many settings and I suspect I chose the wrong one.

"Although there is a great deal of controversy among scientists about the effects of ingested food on the brain, no one denies that you can change your cognition and mood by what you eat." - Arthur Winter

February 8

We're still alive and kicking! Even in my sleep I'm apt to kick as I did last night. Good on one hand that I was laying on my side facing the edge of the bed, bad on the other hand that my foot contacted a chest of drawers, big toe first. May be limping around for a few days with that. An unconscious act that I've done a few times before and it isn't a good one. I awoke before I got to see the damage that I might have inflicted on the intruder, but at least, besides my big toe, no one else was hurt. Bad as it was it sure beats laying there and kicking off.

Dory is cutting and cleaning a huge bunch of veggies for tomorrow. Afterwards she plans to take a break by going to Eldon. Sure, the main destination there is the bowling alley gathering of the old folks. I almost misstated there by typing the goal was to bowl but as I see it, there is more attention and time spent gossiping that bowling. Of course that bowling alley is an ideal place to visit because of all the necessary time waiting for the alley to be reset or repaired. Good grief, it's more than I can handle!

Meanwhile, back here in the zoo, the beat will go on.

"All lovely things will have an ending, all lovely things will fade and die; And youth, that's now so bravely spending, will beg a penny by and by." - Conrad Aiken

February 6

Dory is busy today working with 30 pounds of potatoes or more, a slew of onions, bottles of mustard, jars of mayonnaise, boiled eggs, celery seeds and whatever else that is supposed to be included to make potato salad. This is for Lena's 90th birthday deal on Saturday. So far I've only been able to test the boiled potatoes and they passed, but I like potatoes fixed almost anyway at all.

She did take a few minutes to fix us a bit of lunch then right back to it. I'm waiting awhile before going back up for a further test because the soup for lunch is holding pretty good.

While Dory cooked I did respond to a call over the hill to help a friend get his wife out of the car and into the house. Anywhere you might want to go down here there are steps and the second day after a back operation is a dangerous time to be going down a bunch of steps without as much help as can be accommodated. We got her tucked in just fine.

They say talk is cheap, but I also know that talk from here does take some of your time reading it and time is a very valuable. Thanks for your expenditure! A possible less expensive way for you might be if you just sent us some money for us not to type anymore.

February 1

Well what do you know, I've got to get the blower and blow. If that doesn't work worth a poop, I'm forced to get the shovel and scoop. Shouldn't be too hard of a job either way and if I shortcut it some what the hey, the temperatures are supposed to get up into the 40's in the next couple of days with the possibility of some rain Monday and Tuesday. No need for me to be sweating it out there in the 25* cold too much.

Guess I'd better get started. Anger, rage, fury, ire, wrath, resentment, indignation. These nouns denote varying degrees of marked displeasure. I can't nail down the culprit but one of them has me pretty hot under the collar right now. The rotten, well paid snow pushing guys stopped about 140 feet up the road again. Dory had asked them to come all the way when she paid the last bill and the lady said they would but they didn't. She called the lady this morning and was told she would try to get them back out here. I need to go cool off now.

"The more anger towards the past you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving in the present." - Barbara De Angelis