December 28

No snow accumulation nor ice but looking through the window dreariness abounds. When you smile the world smiles with you but when the world floods you with ugly, it engenders a huge challenge to overpower that sucking influence enough to don a properly thick gloom repelling cloak of happy. Desire is the determining factor. You can be however you want to be just by citing the DDD's with an I believe attitude then doing it. 'Dammit, that is what I Desire and I'm Determined to see it so!'

If you think about it absolutely everything in the world, absolutely everything, is all there only in your head. What you see, what you hear, what you feel, I'm saying there is not such a thing as an is, for me or for you, that will ever be or has ever been, if it doesn't come from our heads. A ghost may actually stay near you, even watch TV with you but you will never ever know unless something prompts such in your head. So with that I'd say it isn't! ................ Or is it?

I rest my case. As I read it over I couldn't help but wonder where all that crap came from then I realized, from my stupid head of course.
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The human consciousness originates in the brain and is manifested especially in thought, perception, emotion, will, memory, and imagination. A chief activity is in the endeavor to ascertain its own nature, the futility of the attempt being due to the fact that it has nothing but itself to know itself with.~Gathered



OLD FINALLY CAUGHT HIM, HE'S NUTS! OLD FINALLY CAUGHT HIM, HE'S NUTS! OLD FINALLY CAUGHT HIM, HE'S NUTS! OLD FINALLY CAUGHT HIM, HE'S NUTS! OLD FINALLY CAUGHT HIM, HE'S NUTS! OLD FINALLY CAUGHT HIM, HE'S NUTS! OLD FINALLY CAUGHT HIM, HE'S NUTS! OLD FINALLY CAUGHT HIM, HE'S NUTS! OLD FINALLY CAUGHT HIM, HE'S NUTS! OLD FINALLY CAUGHT HIM, HE'S NUTS! OLD FINALLY CAUGHT HIM, HE'S NUTS! OLD FINALLY CAUGHT HIM, !

December 26

Instead of hurrying to get the three mile walk done in less than an hour I'm going to slow'er down some. Yesterday, on the first time around walking in the snow and in spite of good cleats on my boots I slipped and fell to my knees pretty darn hard. Got up and was a lot more careful with my steps but not careful enough.

My boots kept packing the snow in the cleats causing the need to constantly attempt kicking it out. Never could get the sole fully cleaned! Anyway on the last time around on the steep downhill run I stepped out of the snow onto a wind cleared dry patch of pavement. Whoa, the snow clinging to my boots made that dry patch slick which slid my feet down the hill so fast that my body failed to keep up. This resulted in my falling flat on my back. I think that my feet only went up about 24 inches or so and that action pulled my back down to about that level before crashing to the ground. It wasn't all that bad a fall but some areas of the back are sure sore this morning.

As I lay there in the dark with my headlight shooting a probe of light into the sky I thought long and hard about slowing down from then on. With no one there to tell my troubles to I got up and cautiously made my way home.

This morning there are quite a few places where water ran across the road and turned to ice but I remembered to slow'er down and I also walked the side of the road around these places. I sure do like that walk but would rather stay upright
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The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth. ~Chinese Proverb

December 22

Yesterday morning, before get up time, our 'now working' driveway alerter dinged four of five times to alert us that something was passing in the night. We don't usually arise to the occasion unless it just keeps at it which it didn't so neither of us did.

When I left the house at 5:00 a.m. to begin my walk I pushed the 'now working' garage door remote, went in picked up my spotlight then headed out leaving the garage door open.

On my first trip around the horn, as I neared the garage, I noticed that the light on the side of the garage was on. It is a motion fired up light and so I knew something had passed just a short time before. I also remembered the dinging of the alerter an hour or so earlier. With all that I was on my toes when I came around the front of the garage. I walked over to the block wall to check things out peering down into the yard and front porch. I saw nothing out of the way but as I passed the open garage door I heard a not loud growl like sound. Trying to figure out what the noise was I started into the garage and the growling sound grew a lot stronger.

Let me tell you, when that brown thing exploded out of the garage at my feet it sped up my heart beat to such a degree it required all my resources. This huge sudden resource drain flat locked up my mind. There I stood frozen with my mouth hanging open and my eyes so wide open I think I could have been able to see in the dark. When some of me got back to near normal I was able to Realize the animal had ran down the road a short distance and stopped. I used my hand held spotlight and was able to determine that it was nothing but a cat that I see pretty often on my walks. Sure got a lot closer this time than I ever wanted to.

I will say too how happy I was that I had done my daily earlier or else this could have been a very nasty scare!
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"Where everything is bad it must be good to know the worst." - Francis H. Bradley

December 21

Oh pain, despair and agony on me! We have three remote garage door openers of which none would work again Saturday. We have four wireless outside mounted cameras of which none would work again Saturday. We have a wireless outside driveway alerter which did not work Saturday. This happened last Monday too but I messed around with things and thought I got them all up and running again. This time my efforts were for naught. Something in the air is screwing up quite a few of our wireless do-whickies! Need to figure this out.

We have a wireless doorbell, four wireless phones, a wireless router and I plugged another camera in downstairs and they all worked, but still had the problem with the rest. After unplugging then re-plugging things and still with the problems I began unplugging all the phones and removing their batteries. I took the doorbell off the wall and removed the batteries there-in and unplugged the two inside units. I then unplugged the wireless routers and anything else that was wireless. Still no go! I put everything back like it was and sat stumped!

Sunday I got to wondering if our next door neighbor had bought some new wireless thing that could be interfering over here and tried to call him several time but couldn't get through. Wait! A new wireless thing in our house was a printer that I hadn't even thought about so turned it off. I'm not sure that was the problem or not but everything is working now. GO FIGURE!

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After all is said and done, more is said than done. ~Unknown

December 20

Yesterday Dory made a fine pot of chili of which I ate way too much of but enjoyed it anyway. I really didn't think that I had eaten too much until this morning during my walk. That thought entered my mind when I became aware of the terrible accumulation of intestinal gas. Thankfully I was alone so the expulsion of the gas seemed okay. Matter of fact I think it may have added a little to my step. I'm not sure if it added a tiny burst of propulsion or if maybe my subconscious mind wanted to quickly move beyond the pew.

In my opinion dark is the best time to walk. It seems to be a much quieter time than when facing all the harsh realities that daylight brings. I think with my ears covered there is somewhat of a distortion to the darkness enveloped sounds too.

Like this morning as I was walking down Memory Lane I heard a sound near me that shouldn't have been. I used my carried spotlight to check all around me and saw nothing out of the way so went on. Another near me sound but louder this time stopped me for another look around. Thinking that the pew might have caught the attention of an animal who thought I was a walking dead man that could fall over anytime raised the hackles on my neck.

Can you believe the stopping and looking occurred three more times before I figured out that it was my stomach growling. Things just don't sound the same with covered ears in the dark
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"To live with fear and not be afraid is the final test of maturity." - Edward Weeks

December 17

Strange things:

It was 9* and one of the lights on the garage didn't work. Thought the bulb had burned out but too cold to replace it. Next day it was working and still is. Crazy!

Several nights ago half the lights along the seawall wasn't coming on. Too cold to mess with them and don't need them now anyway. Couple nights ago I noticed they were working again. Crazier!

Came home Monday and the button in the car wouldn't open the garage door. None of the three buttons would but the wired button could.

In the house I found that none of our wireless security cameras could transmit a picture.

It was a bit cold but the garage door and cameras not working was unacceptable so to work I went. After checking the remote door openers battery and finding it good I stumbled onto the fact that it would close the door but still couldn't open the door. Also discovered that the camera control could turn the camera but still no picture coming thru. Duh! I finally concluded that something was interfering with the wireless stuff!

I have a wireless camera on the rear of our car so thought it might be interfering so disconnected it and found that not to be the problem. With that, in the house I plugged in another camera and it worked fine. Unplugged it and walla! The garage door openers all began to work as did all the cameras. Strange things huh?

One of the neat things you can do with Windows 7 is to color picked script. with several different colors about forty in all.
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"Every time I try to define a perfectly stable person, I am appalled by the dullness of that person." - J. D. Griffin

December 13

Can't figure this out for sure but I think Glenda has put up with my antics for 43 years of which 25 of those years she has been married to me.

In honor of our day I took her to Osage Beach for a fine meal. Unfortunately for her she wasn't hungry so I stopped at Wendy's and got her a dollar chicken sandwich and small order of fries while I had a dollar double stack cheese burger and fries. I went a little extra and added a diet soda for her her while I went with the free water for myself.

Overall I think she was a little disappointed. Anyway in the turmoil of apologizing, some how she got me committed to a night out at the hotel in Boonville. We'll be leaving here for that destination around 10:00. Of course she got us one of those free (ha) rooms so it won't be too bad a deal.
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Love is a sweet tyranny, because the lover endureth his torments willingly. ~Proverb

December 10

Not so bad here this morning at 13 degrees and a reported wind chill of -3. Even at that and with upper clothing consisting of only a t-shirt, sweat shirt and my old yellow coat I still broke a sweat before reaching the top of the hill each time. Pretty well cooled of coming down the other road. I suppose I expanded going up and contracted coming down.

First round I slipped a little on a patch of ice at Y19 and West Oak. Made a mental note to watch out for that. Second time around I was deep in thought on another subject. So deep that it pulled so much power that my mental note was unable to function. So what did I do but allow that patch of ice to trip me up. Heck, I thought I might use some time to rest as I was sitting down anyway. Good grief but that wind and cold creeps into a inactive body in a hurry! Sure got me up and moving quickly.

Third time around I lessened the depth of my thoughts enough to allow my mental notes to stay active.
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Sometimes the cards we are dealt are not always fair. However you must keep smiling & moving on ~Tom Jackson

December 7

Windows 7 isn't turning out to be one of my favorite things! There are a few nice things about it but I can't understand why they wanted to screw up things that were so good and handy. Windows Outlook Express was a really nice program but they sure messed things up with Windows Live or whatever the program is called.

Glenda is having the ladies here for Mahjong today leaving me happy downstairs in my recliner reading...........Or I may travel to Eldon with the laptop and check about a repair. Oh please, the ability to get it going again with all the stuff on it intact!

In the old I was able to add a line across the page with a click of the mouse. If you can do it on this thing I haven't found out how. Also there was a place to center everything, all to the left or all to the right, wonder where that ability lies.



Technological change is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal. Albert Einstein

November 24

Did my three miles yesterday morning leaving the house around 5:00am. Then after a full day and hearing a forecast for rain this morning I decided to do today's three miles yesterday afternoon leaving the house at 5:00pm.

Got up this morning to a no rain day so did today's three miles again. No rain but that wind was blowing like a pissed off banshee, (hada maligna que anuncia la muerte). Must be angry because the rain didn't come out to play.

That fierce wind did a number on me by flushing and completely cleaning out my tear ducts. Sure hope I don't have anything to cry about today because I think I've been rendered tearless. Oh I guess if it became absolutely necessary I could probably come up with some dry sobbing instead. To me the dry sobbing sounds better than the tear stained face and snotty nose that usually accompanies crying anyway.

Glenda is just left for Jeff City where she will pick her mom up for a doctor's appointment. This visit is for some more tests of some kind. It is all about her knee that she had replaced quite awhile back but has never been happy with it. Some times she says knee and some times she says back. The real doctor told her it was a nerve in her back but she refuses to believe him.
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"The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground." - Gilbert K. Chesterton

November 23

Howdy, I'm just so proud to be here! And to hear is a good thing too. Both of my hearing amplifiers are working now which mostly increases the pleasure of my regular morning walks.

One little aggravation was this morning when I wore corduroy wide legged pants. Every step a see-saw sound came to my ears fairly loudly. I was forced to smile as I topped the hill and thought how much the see-saw see-saw coupled with my loud huff-puff huff-puff sounded so much like the old time steam powered saw that I watched on TV once long ago.

One would think after a year of climbing that hill everyday that the hard noisy sucking and blowing to pull in enough oxygen in to feed the big body would ease up some and quiet it down but doesn't seem to work that way. Maybe large calf muscles require more oxygen that fat.

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Reality mirrors your thinking. Choose wisely that which you place before the mirror.- Alice G. Ruddy

November 14

Today being the first day of deer season caused my daily walk to begin at 5:00 instead of 5:30. I wanted to keep it in the dark and before shooting time. Had my headlight on bright and kept it moving from side to side so to be better seen. Sure didn't want some trigger happy hunter to mistakenly shoot Glenda's dear.

I've heard that you'll never hear the shot that gets you so I'm either dead or there wasn't any before season opening shots. I don't feel dead and as far as feelings go I don't feel 68 either so what does that tell me? .......NOTHING.

Giving that a little thought I guess I do feel 68 but it must not be the way my formally perceived thoughts of how an old man would feel. It isn't hard to be old at all. Good is the way God's design allows some abilities and moves to disapear a tiny little bit at a time so as not to hardly be noticed. In case you do think about some of the losses you'll not be able to figure out when they left.

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I intend to live forever. So far, so good.~Steven Wright

November 12

Thanks to our friends, Keith and Doris, offering us one of their free'ha rooms at the Isle of Capri Tuesday night we had a two day gaming experience. At the end of the second day I had experienced a ten dollar loss while Glenda's experience was somewhat greater.

Not long after our arrival at the den of thieves, we along with our friends, partook in the huge free'ha buffet lunch. Then back to the exciting light blinking noise making machines with their little paper money grabbing slots. Even at that, early in the play with a nice win of a $185 pot, we were being paid nicely to let'um grab. Unfortunately we played too long allowing for another time the actuality of the real odds to assert it's dominance as we knew it could.

Anyway, after another free'ha buffet yesterday we had a quite ride home bathed in a big cloud of humility which is probably good for a person. We did enjoy quite a bit of the trip and this morning that fog of humble is but a memory. Well, a some of it has evanesced.


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"Humility is the ladder to divine understanding." - Source Unknown

November 6

Yesterday's walk had a short stab of excitement. It was very dark and so foggy that my lights didn't reach very far. The thick fog also makes sounds different than usual too. On the first time around I almost walked on the stray black cat that I see fairly often on the walks. It did get off the road when I began talking to it.

Anyway past the cat I heard the leaves rustling next to the road or a short ways into the woods. I would stop and so would the sound. When I would take a few steps so would the whatever. At first I thought the cat was following me but couldn't pick it up with the light.

I shined the spot light all around not seeing anything amiss but did feel the amiss on the back of my neck as the hair there stood out. I finally gave up looking and scooted on down the road double time as did the whatever.

The deal was I had put on a coat because of the 42 degree temperature but the first time up the hill decided it was too much so took it off and carried it. It was when I started down the steps at the garage and the coat caught on the first step that I realized it had been my dragging coat that had been stalking me.

I made all three rounds but it wasn't much fun in all the thick 'wet you down' fog.
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I have tried to know absolutely nothing about a great many things, and I have succeeded fairly well.~Robert Benchley

November 1

Yessirrebob I did it. You might be able to fool your eyes but a body needs to be trained. My learned body got me up at my regular 4:30 time but my eyes reading the newly adjusted clocks told me it was really 3:30. So I need to retrain my body. Guess Glenda needs to retrain hers too because she was also up the earlier hour.

Oh well, if we go to bed at our regular time means we just received an extra hour in our day. I think Glenda is going to make me use it blowing and burning leaves.....She may even help it the temp gets high enough. If not I'll delegate the burning chore to her and that fire should keep her warm.

Good for me I'm not woeful, good for you I don't have a tale either. I either have to sign off or make up something to wag. Think I'll just sign off.......
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Talk happiness! The world is sad enough without your woe.~ Orison Sweet Marden

October 30

We were told that at 2:00 a.m. it was 66 degrees but at 4:30 a.m. it was down to 57 degrees and has been going down ever since. It's said before days end it will be down to 43.

Yesterday and last night the wind and clouds teamed up to lay down on us 2 inches of rain and about 3 inches of leaves. As the weather forces the trees to undress Glenda forces me to address the discards. Glenda has helped before but the cooler weather and wind doesn't allow her to be outside any longer than it takes to get into the car.

Oh well, it will just be another small filler between my two favorite times of my day, getting up in the mornings and going to bed at night. My deep fondness for these two periods does encourge me to rise a little earlier than many others but lots of days it also puts me to bed earlier.

I used to have things to say.........Wonder when I lost that?


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"A man's life is what his thoughts make of it."~Marcus Aurelius

October 24

The greatest wonder ever! Go out in the dark on a cloudless night and look at the heavens. You can see forever prettied up with bright untold numbers of glistening specks of light winking at you. If you open your mind just a tad you've run right into the greatest wonder ever. It may not work that way for everyone but it sure does cause a great wonder for me.

I try to refrain from delving into my wonders too far but I will say that the humbling view brings to thought that the earth is far far less relevant to the universe as a millionth part of a pimple on a gnats ass sitting on the surface of the Pacific Ocean nestled on the face of good old mother earth.

Of course the earth is certainly relevant to us as it must be to God as he keeps it here for us. "THANK YOU LORD!"

Just too heavy for very much thought at a time..........I quit now

I do believe that nothing can constitute a note and with that belief I feel I've succeeded again.

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"We climb to heaven most often on the ruins of our cherished plans, finding our failures were successes." - Amos Bronson Alcott

October 23

Wow, what an invigorating walk this morning. Pretty cool with a very stiff wind. I think the wind was whistling some kind of stripping music because the trees were all dancing and swaying as they dropped their apparel little pieces at a time. Soon we'll be seeing nothing but bare naked limbs and torsos.

The wind and cold had me running quite a bit on my rounds this morning. No, not my whole body just my nose. The near constant need to pull out the old hanky and wipe is an aggravation that needs to be addressed. I'm thinking about growing one of those snot catchers. I can clean it up in my shower when I get home. I know they work because one of the guys working on the road had one..........Gag! I wish I'd not had that thought.

Another complication to the rounds comes from the fact there isn't a way to dress properly. The first two thirds of each round is up hill and usually creates a perspiration wetted body. Then the last third is down hill where you can just coast along. That kind of low temperature along with the wind doesn't take long to cold a damp body down. With that heat expanding and the cold contracting each trip may not crack me but extra wrinkles are surely going to happen.

I should be sorry about this sick note but.................
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Speaking of trees, "I looked up my family tree and found out I was the sap."~Rodney Dangerfield

0ctober 21

Now about this mornings walk. On the first round my head mounted LED lights showed me a reflection of a couple eyes looking at me from the woods off W Oak. I had the big spotlight with me and promptly turned it on only to see the eyes move on before I could see a bulk. Thought they glowed high enough to be a deer and as I got to Y19 got to see a little buck deer for conformation.

On up the road to K and just before Memory Lane I used the spot to watch a fox meander across the road in front of me. I spoke to it and must have said something it didn't like because it sped up and went down Memory Lane. Hey, that is the road I use. Anyway didn't see the fox again.

On the second time around, just before I got to the lowest part of my walk, a terrible scream aired from the woods on the hill just to the left of the road I was going to be climbing. That scream stood the hair up on my neck and put a big pause in my step. The second scream stopped me completely and stood all the hair on my body straight out! T

he spotlight couldn't pick out any eyes or body but a tiny little hoot hoot convinced me that I had just heard my first screech owl screech. My hairs laid back down and I walked on.

I must say that if you would like to temporarily tighten your skin, find a very scary thing that will stand all your body hair straight out.

Still on round two as I walked up Y19 I discovered that the thrills for today's walk weren't over. My LED's picked up the reflection of a pair of eyes coming down the road right at me and they weren't just moseying along either. I quickly turned the spotlight on the whatever and illuminated a black thing that kept coming. As it got closer I was able to make out that it was a dog so I began talking to it. Nice doggy, nice doggy. I don't know if it was the words I used or the higher pitch begging tone of them, but the dog turned and headed back the way it had come. As it went into the woods up the road a ways I did notice it had a red collar on. Feeling better about the meeting I tried to call the dog to me but never saw it again.

The third time around, the only excitement that occurred was gleaned from the knowledge that this was the last round today. JUST LOVE THOSE WALKS!
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"I never exaggerate. I just remember big." - Chi Chi Rodriguez

October 19

I started up the computer this morning then clicked on my little Outlook Express Icon located in the quick launch area down on the left side of the bottom bar. It opens to our in-box and doesn't trouble us with a lot of stuff such as what a home page might contain. I've read all the messages received so far and then before reading the two or three of the many newspapers that are listed in my favorites, I clicked on 'create mail'. A new page opened that has 'New Message' at the left side of the utmost top with the regular things beneath that including a space for 'to' and a space for 'subject.

Down below all of this is a large kind of an off white area where the new message gets typed. That didn't look very virginal to begin with and is now beginning to look worse with a bunch of crap creeping slowly down from the top. Ha! A whole lot of nothing has already gotten us this far down the monitor but we don't want crap to cover the complete thing.

Hey, I hear you and agree, enough already! What is a brain locked person, determined to send a note, supposed to type? You wouldn't expect a person without a job able to make any cents anyway so I might as well mess up another inch or so.

Went to the neighbors yesterday and got the winch and blade mounted on his four wheel drive ATV. Everything seems to be read for any snow that might blow in so he is about to head out to their wintering spot in Yuma leaving me here to take care of the snow we might receive. He says he wishes he could stay and get to play in the snow, ha, ha, but Yuma is calling too loudly.

I'm moving the cursor back up to the 'to' line, type a little there, down to the 'subject' line and add the usual then a click up there on the send button. Now I'm off to read the papers. Bye
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Some minds remain open long enough for the truth not only to enter but to pass on through by way of a ready exit without pausing anywhere along the route.~Elizabeth Kenny

October 12

On my regular early morning walk in the 46 degree dark with my headband mounted LED light showing me the way, I swear there were some snow flurries falling before it turned into a slow scattered rain.

So far this year I've walked 560 extracurricular miles. Extracurricular may be the wrong word but it says to me what I mean. Just hope I don't get fined for too huge of a carbon foot print that I have left. By the time I get to the top of our hill I'm blowing it out faster than a long term politician.

I could hardly believe it but I read where a big global warming person said these colder than normal temperatures were a result of the global warming............I tried to find the article back to put on here but couldn't.
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Kites rise highest against the wind; not with it. — Winston Churchill

October 10

From the for sure fact filled television this morning I overheard a bit about a one year old with an IQ of 160.............. Another Einstein in the making. Caused me to wonder how they test a one year old to determine an IQ ('intelligence quotient'). This caused me to wonder how they test anyone's intelligence quotient. Jumped right onto the computer where all the real answers are.

Well, golly gee, there was more there than you could shake a stick at and a lot of different opinion's on the validity of the whole shebang. I did pick out a few things to make this note longer. Such as....

In 2004, Richard Haier, professor of psychology in the Department of Pediatrics and colleagues at University of California, Irvine and the University of New Mexico used MRI to obtain structural images of the brain in 47 normal adults who also took standard IQ tests. The study demonstrated that general human intelligence appears to be based on the volume and location of gray matter tissue in the brain, and also demonstrated that, of the brain's gray matter, only about 6 percent appeared to be related to IQ.

According to Dr. C. George Boeree of Shippensburg University, intelligence is a person's capacity to (1) acquire knowledge (i.e. learn and understand), (2) apply knowledge (solve problems), and (3) engage in abstract reasoning. It is the power of one's intellect, and as such is clearly a very important aspect of one's overall well-being. Psychologists have attempted to measure it for well over a century

To get a "true" IQ score, multiple IQ tests must be taken since professionally administered IQ tests are only roughly 96% reliable. The average of multiple tests, usually at least three, is considered that person's "true" IQ score. However, these tests must be taken within a relatively short period of time, normally under one year for three or more tests.

Well, another professor says our IQ pretty much stays the same over a lifetime, no matter what we do to boost it. It's generally believed that IQ is hereditary — our mental development starts slowing up at age 13 and virtually stops at age 18. Says although we may not be able to change what we're born with, we can make the most of it.

"Read the newspapers, read as widely as possible, be physiologically fit, look after your brain," the Professor says.

I'm sad to say that my morning search has shown me that my intelligence quotient is way too low to understand much of what I read and am still without the knowledge of how they test a one year old child. About drove me bananas!
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"Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind overtasked." - Oliver Wendell Holmes




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October 5

This morning was a really a nice day for an early morning walk. It was so good that I picked up a walking partner. I guess the crisp morning along with the huge full bright harvest moon was enough enticement to bring out my shadow to accompany me. Seemed to try helping me by walking behind me when going up the hill, like trying to push. Walked beside me along the main road then moved to the front as I walked down the hill. I think that was an attempt to help slow my rapid descent on that hell hill.

One little problem was on the climb, near the top of the hill, that great whooshing of air from my mouth would turn into a huge amount of fog that temporarily blinded me several times. I was able to combat that by turning my head. However, like when I turned my head to the right I had to roll my eyes way to the left and was still half blinded. My right eye rolled so far to the left it could not see anything but the right side of my goodly endowed nose.

I finally was able to avert the blow from hitting me full in the face by exhaling to one side or the other using my lips. A complicated maneuver walking while at the same time sucking air in full mouth then exhaling to one side or the other. I always thought I could walk and chew gum at the same time but got to doubting that till I got the hang of the walking, sucking and blowing.

I do realize my bit of blow here sucks but I didn't have to walk at the same time so it came pretty easy and I felt the urge to type something to send.
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Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere. ~Carl Sagan

October 1

On my daily walk in the dark I've been carrying a flashlight and it only brightens a small spot. If you want to see where you're walking the shine doesn't show the sides of the road. This creates an aggravating bit of discomfort.

Well, thanks to a Bass Pro gift that I received that isn't the case anymore. I have a 15 LED head lamp now. It produces 120,000 MCD white light that brightens out about 60 feet and make the both road edges visible too. Sure makes for a more joyful walk.

One problem tho is the light in the middle of my forehead draws bugs! Near the top of the mountainous hill my mouth is pretty much wide open sucking in the necessary oxygen to continue, I have sucked in several bugs so far. I don't know but the extra protein or whatever may be a plus.

This morning I saw 2 miniature headlights shining near the edge of the road in two different places. The first pair was near the middle of the hill and turned out to be a raccoon that slowly moseyed off into the woods. The second pair was on W Oak approaching Y19. This pair held their ground even as I made quite a bit of noise and walked toward it. Being so tough as to hold it's ground caused me to abandon my thought to poke it with my walking stick and not quite get close enough to see what it was. As far as I could make out, I believe it was a coon also. Wonder how many animals I missed when carrying the flashlight.

Hey, the date reads the same reading it backwards as it does reading it forward. Neat aye.
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Nothing says lovin like something from the oven and a birth says it best.~Unknown

September 27

My skill or lack thereof at this computer just amazes me! I honestly had a message of sorts typed but my fingers, not in tune with my mind, clicked in a wrong place. The note was about golf and the very high cost to do, the rich man or a company expense account game.

I doubt that it's loss will be of any disappointment to anyone but who will ever know for sure? I refuse to go back and attempt to struggle thru the same miss-guided thoughts another time. My loss might assure you of a gain? Nah, you will still need to click the delete button.
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What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.~Pericle

September 23

When older age takes things from you it does it in a very stealthy manner. After all these days of taking the walk it was just yesterday that I finally took notice that I had not been getting my second wind on any of the walks. I've had to slow down and wait for the original one to catch up. Wonder when that left me? I can't believe it took this long to notice it's absence.

There was times in my younger years when I would never have finished a thing or two had it not been for my second wind. Lucky I don't quite do things now like I did back then. I'd rather think it is because of a lack of desire than lost abilities.

I'm not sure if it is the older age or something else but for some reason my desire to type this has quietly slipped away. I think I'll slip away too. I'll slip down to the dock, pick up a fishing rod and see if I can catch it back.
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"There is a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot." -- Steven Wright

September 22

Whoopee, I began by walking one time around the mile horn after which I increased the trips to two then three then four then back to three and that seem to work best for me. Anyway I've kept track and am proud to type that I reached number 500 this morning. Five hundred miles of extracurricular walking. For the year so far, I've only had three days of no extracurricular walking.

Now in the last four days I've seen a Bob Cat near the trash cans on West Oak twelve times during my before daylight walks. I see it in the same place every time and unlike years past it doesn't bother me at all. There was a time when a Bob Cat skid steer loader sat where a Caterpillar should be bothered me some.

The landscape people parked it there for whatever reason I don't know. They have finished with our road as near as I can tell. I suppose time will tell me the facts.
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"What we call little things are merely the causes of great things; they are the beginning."~ Henri Frederic Amiel

September 17

About 72 years ago come Saturday, one of our nice neighbors was crying and bawling around as he was spanked on the butt a few times. He doesn't remember this nor do I know it to be a fact but Saturday will be his Birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DALE!

Don't think one would want to attempt spanking his butt today! I'm sure that 'Big Bad John' was not as bad back when as would be "Big Bad Dale' in a heated disagreement today.

There is a good chance that some sixty eight years ago I was crying and bawling around. Heck there is a chance I was crying and bawling around yesterday. I've always been a bit sensitive, easily hurt and quick to tears. Funny how some things leave you as you get older as some things become more available. You can get old and tough but the seep from the eyes is hard to control. A little bitty tear let me down, spoiled my act as a clown. I know a lot of it is allergies but the chance for sympathy with that are pretty slim.

I know very little to nothing about most things and I just got to thinking about childbirth in the old days. Right there at home with a mid-wife or a knowledgeable friend I guess. I believe me and all my siblings were born at home or at my grandmother's house.

A birth is probably a lot like when I repair something or buy something that requires me to put it together there is usually a lot of screaming and carrying on and might even be some cussing. Then the real clincher is I always have some parts left over. I understand that after a birth there are parts left over too. I put my leftovers in a jar and set them on a shelf. My unknowledgeable imagination thinks maybe years ago after a child birth the cleaned up leftovers may have been thrown down into an outside toilet.

Can you imagine the new father after celebrating the new birth a little too much going down to the toilet a little later, maybe slightly inebriated, doing a job then casually looking down into the hole? The scream would be horrible but worse would be the mess he would make if he would mistakenly try to put the leftovers back where he thought they had come from.

I've read somewhere that the hospitals now sell the umbilical cords for some kind of transplant or something. I doubt they credit the new parents bill.

I'm sorry about this whole thing but not sorry enough to redo it. Don't mean to offend anyone either but I've got bigger worries than that. Hell, I've been known to forward political pieces.

Along that line, how is it that so many purportedly intelligent democrats who seem to be led by their deep democratic convictions, continue supporting the demo president no matter what. One would think that even a semi-intelligent person would check a few facts. NOT SO AMIGO! Reality is one of the biggest things they close their minds to.
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I apologize for lying to you. I promise I won't deceive you again except in matters of this sort. ~Spiro T. Agnew

September 14

I had a harrowing experience this morning! Maybe that should be a harrowing hair raising experience. I left the house at 5:30 a.m. for my three trips around the horn. At that time is still very dark so I carry a flashlight to light my way.

On my first round, as I came down Memory Lane, I directed the light to four trash cans next to the road. I noticed that the last one had the lid propped open about 4 inches. Just as I got even with it the dang thing exploded with a terrible crashing noise accompanied by some furious screams and growls. A brown thing appeared in the gap only to disappear then reappear. That was the thing making all the noise. I wasn't about to get close enough to help him out either. After about four attempts he escaped and thankfully ran down the road away from me.

It was that damn Raccoon! Probably the same one that I've saved more than 12 times which leads me to believe he isn't a thankful kind of animal.

I must tell you that the hair on the back of my neck stood up so suddenly and with so much ferocity that I'm sure several broke off. Even now the skin in that area is tender to the touch. Man, I thought I had met my waterloo! My next thought was if a loo was near I'm sure I could water. Some things that raise my hackles sometimes also curl my toes. This experience did and I was forced to limp along for quit a distance before the uncurling began.
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"No man is sane who does not know how to be insane on proper occasions." - Henry Ward Beecher

September 10

Working people are always asking us, "what do you do all day?" The only good answer I can think of is, "whatever we want" and that is pretty well the truth and also the main reason we have so many things that need to be done.

We practice the three R's. wRiting, I try to do a little of each morning. Reading is done anytime night or day. Then doing the aRithmetic, we add in several 'come-ups', 'want-to's', eating and conversing which usually totals out to be an enjoyable and very full day. Some other math is necessary but we don't do it very often. You know, subtracting the outgo from the little to no income kind of deal which sometimes has a huge effect on the 'want to's'. That creates another category of 'thought we wanted to's'. With those, whatever we want to do all we have to do is dream.

Sometimes for a little extra kick to our dreams we sacrifice something and buy a Power Ball and Lottery ticket. If you buy them on a Sunday you can get four days worth of dreams and maybe more if you don't check them right away. Unfortunutly the extra dream time usually gets screwed up by the news media just as they screw up so many other things.

We've read somewhere that miracles happen once in a while when you believe. Just a tiny dab of doubt seems to be a real killer! I think we all could probably stand a little work in our doubt/faith area.

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The dream is always running ahead of us. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that will be the miracle.~Anais Nin (edt)

September 6

65 degrees registered by our temperature teller when we first stirred at 4:33 this a.m. Rain Friday night and some Saturday. It is probably going to be pretty humid today! Another day of any kind is one to be celebrated! I like a lot of others, sometimes take another day for granted and forget about this. We shouldn't do that! Of course as I let Mikey out the door I caught my reflection in the mirror near the door. Kind of looks like I may have celebrated every one of the 24,881 days I've been granted....or awarded.

I can still remember a few/many years back and one of the memories, is of me and others my age making jokes about OLD. There are still a lot of attempts at humor about OLD by some, but personally I've discovered that OLD isn't funny! Well sometimes it's not funny. OLD is like that mold that grows on cheese. It looks like hell but the cheese under there can still be as good or maybe even better than ever. I don't think that OLD is the only thing that slows ones step either. Old is when you've been there and done that earlier in life but all those experiences have helped you realize that just one wrong step and extreme pain or even death can jump in to inflict it's curse upon your body.

Some experienced pains are not dutifully stored in the 'don't do again' area of the brain so they must be suffered over and over again. Like today, Mom got us and her a free overnight stay at the boat in Boonville and we're heading out for that destination in a little bit. FREE!!! Ha! We've been suckered and pained by that place so many times.....I just thank the Lord that it hasn't killed us yet.

Hope you enjoy celebrating your nother day!
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Sci-Tech Encyclopedia: Memory; the ability to store and access information that has been acquired through experience. Memory is a critical component of practically all aspects of human thinking, including perception, learning, language, and problem solving.

September 4

Kind of dragging my feet this morning which slows down everything. I need to get out there to my walking 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'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!"

Today a trip to Eldon to restock our larder then a lunch of the dollar double cheese at McDonalds after which Dory and I will go different ways. She will go bowling with Ruthie and a few more of the Rocky Mount elders while I'll come home to the pressure washer that I plan to use on the porch.
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"To talk to someone who does not listen is enough to tense the devil." -Pearl Bailey

September 3

"Fun fun fun 'til her daddy takes the T-Bird away." A lot of what you see and hear is it's all about having fun. The race car drivers biggest topic is on how much fun they're having and how much fun the crew have doing the racing thing. The monthly magazine that we get from our ex-employer mentions fun many times. Oh, it is just so much fun!

Life is or can be fun and even trying to win a race or sell a product things can still be fun at times. Just don't tell me when you're in a race whether it be in a car or on the job selling that it is always so much fun! Do you think you can be having fun knowing that if you don't get the deal you may not be able to pay the months bills? The pay in a race depends on how close to the front you finish but in selling you've got to be the winner to get any pay at all. Fun my ass! It is only fun after you've hit the finish line before anyone else and you can quit looking over your shoulder. A man has got to pay his bills! I did really enjoy my job but fun was only a very tiny aspect of the overall conditions. The fun derived from three successes can be greatly diminished by only one loss is the way my memory goes. I guess I'm feeling a little cheated reading and hearing about all the fun that jobs are now.

The only losing that can be fun to some folks may be when they stick money into a slot machine and don't get a return. Going to give that a try Sunday night as mom has us a room there for the night. She will be in a slot tournament

I enjoy mowing the grass and all the other chores that I have to do around here but am I having fun...... I don't care that fun is partly defined as "a source of enjoyment". I just can't bring myself to categorize but very few of my joyful moments as fun.

So much for your waste of time this morning.....................
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Love and life, if you don't take then seriously, it's no fun, if you do, they can break your heart."-Louise Suggs (edt)

August 31

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.
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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

August 29

Gonna be hard put to put anything on this page today. My interest here-in is not. Unfortunately I've hardly ever let that stop me from stumbling along in the past and so far I'm doing the job okay this time too. I don't mean the job is okay, just that I've stumbled clear down to here okay. Okay?

I like to make e-cards and have just got back from trying to make one to add to this thing today but the inspiration just isn't there either. So still stumbling..................

Some people don't believe in ghosts but what is a breeze but a ghost of a wind. Well you can't see a wind either so that must be just a larger ghost. Yeah, that's what it is a weather ghost. You can't ever see it but you can feel it as it passes and you can see the leaves, bushes, flags and everything else responding. Sometimes a breeze is a joy but I've never seen a wind bring real long lasting happiness. Tho it wouldn't be possible for some plants to procreate if it wasn't for the wind. I think that might be why it is sometimes referred to as a fu**ing wind. I've heard it called that many, many times, especially around the golf courses in Boulder City where it seems to never stop. Funny thing, there are not as many trees and plants there as there is in Missouri. I guess that must be why it blows full time. It has got to blow the seeds and pollen a long way to find a receptive recipient.

I may have gone a little overboard this morning and for those of you who think so I apologize. I just did as well as I could. But we do wish all of you a nice day anyway!
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Blow, blow, thou nasty wind. Thou art not so unkind, as man's ingratitude.William Shakespeare (edt)

August 26

I get up around 4:40 every morning then after a few usual duties I do my walk. It seems that dark is hanging on longer into the mornings each passing day. It is still doggone dark at 5:50 which is the time I head'er up the hill. It was 5:30 and I liked that a lot better.

On my first mile around walk it is still fairly dark so I carry my extendable Gazaway supplied walking stick. There are a few places where the dark is so thick that I've had to extend the stick and use it like a blind mans cane.

During the trek I've come upon fox, coon, coyote, deer, possum and walked through a sharp strong odor of a close by skunk so the stick could come in handy as a defense weapon too. I can say that it does not keep the hair on my the back of my neck from standing up. The first and second walk around I tend to walk in the middle of the road. This is so if attacked I might have time to draw the thing back far enough to get a strong swing at the whatever.

For the third time around I exchange the stick for a fly swatter to fight the horse flies off. The other day on the third trip while only armed with the fly swatter, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed some movement to my left. I turned my head that direction but didn't see anything so walked on. I hadn't taken many steps when I noticed more movement to my left. The third time and still not able to see anything I decided that I was being stalked by something. I increased my speed but the whatever was still staying with me.

In the end I thought me and the fly swatter should take over and put a stop to this hair raising incident and discovered that it was only my shadow walking along with me. The sun was filtering through the trees in several small spots. When I would break the little beam I would notice the movement but by the time I stopped to check it out I was out of the beam. I added to my relief by stepping off the road and releasing a bit of body liquids.

Almost every morning there is a little something that causes my hackels to raise. Do you think that could make my hair grow faster?
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"Somebody has well said there are only two kinds of people in the world. There are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."

August 24

I've heard people say about others that they are 'fat and sassy' which I always took to mean something like contented and maybe a mite overly proud about it. Well, I had half that feeling yesterday morning. Felt awfully fat and I'm not proud at all about eating like a pig Saturday night. A great meal always makes me hungry the next day so a large breakfast increased the feeling.

We attended a benefit in Eldon for a friend who was in a terrible motorcycle accident. A perfect and tender huge and thick grilled pork steak prepared in a little different way or something different on it that has caused the taste memory to linger, still causing me hunger pangs this afternoon. This served with new potatoes, green beans and all that other usual stuff....Woweee!

Let me just say this..........The desert wasn't usual stuff! I had a piece of coconut cream pie so good the last bite caused a tear to seep from my left eye to see it all gone. Glenda had a piece of pecan and I'm not so sure that I didn't see her eyes moisten up too, at her last bite. I'm afraid the memories that I just awakened typing this, added to the pork steak memory already bugging me, is about to cause another overeating binge at breakfast.

Just to let you know, fat doesn't follow me around. Hell, now it beats me everywhere I go. I remember back when in a lot of cases my nose was usually the first to arrive. Well, many years ago that wasn't always the case but now............my stomach always arrives first no matter what the circumstances. I guess I could back in......Nah, you're right, that sounds queer to me too. Old is sure a trying condition!

By the way our friend, one of the nicest person one will ever meet, is recovering pretty well.
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Two men were talking. "So, how's your sex life?" "Oh, nothing special. I'm having Social Security sex." "Social Security sex?" "Yeah, you know: I get a little each month, but not enough to live on!"

August 23

It slipped a tad past cool down into chilly here this morning. It was at 61 which isn't bad but you need to be immersed in it for awhile before it becomes good. Just about the time it begins to feel good we'll get our real weather back. Maybe we can use our memories of today to cool us some.

I checked our Lotto and Powerball numbers....................Just like millions of other people we didn't win anything. However, some poor soul is going to be paying a lot of taxes! It appears the ultra huge 250 mill power ball was hit. Must have been won on the 19th.

Other than that I know nothing and so far it hasn't seemed to have made me any less than what I've nearly always been.

I did ask Mikey what he thought about the idea of being really good for a day in exchange for me reading him another sent message. I'm not sure what he meant by this but it seemed to be his reply and he wasn't all that good during the day either.




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It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do. Jerome K. Jerome

August 22

Saved the young coon again this morning. He was in the same trash can as last time and the lid was strapped down. It seems he is able to pry it up enough to get into the can but with nothing to stand on he can't pry his way out. I think his mamma sure did teach him wrong! As it was I think he may have been in there for sometime because he had no pep. I hadn't heard him but opened the can just to look. Lucky for him that I did.

Couldn't think of anything worthy of typing so dug around in the old music file and added the good morning...captain.

Well everything comes to an end sooner or later............This note should have been on of those sooners.

Sorry about that! ................. Nah, not really.
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The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning.~Ivy Baker Priestgrow.~Rachel Carson.

August 21

Yessirree, as I topped the hill on my third time around this morning an interesting subject for my note blossomed in my mind. I worked on it some coming down the hill. Then home I went into the usual morning shower. What a nice cleansing activity. All those crusty salty perspiration remnants removed from my body and washed down the drain to help accelerate the rusting out of our drain pipes.

Another washed away was the blossom of the thought of an interesting subject that I carried in my mind clear to the house.

Oh well, my loss could very well be your gain. You'll have extra time this morning by opening such a short note and without the need to spend those minutes wondering what the heck did he try to say.

Well, I assume you read them.........................

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I was walking through the cemetery this morning and saw a guy crouching down behind a tombstone. I said, "morning." He said, "No just taking a shit."

August 20

'Nuttin Honey' just about sums it up for another days thoughts of my infertile mind, at least at this time. But hey, I never promised you a rose garden...one momento! I don't think I ever promised you anything.

Anyway, who would have ever thought that these notes would be so much like trying to get thru a blackberry patch. What a battle getting from one side to the other. Wow! Then to discover that you didn't even get one berry. I want to say too, if you think reading them and trying to make sense of them is tough you ought to try it from this end.

It isn't true that what you get out of a thing is based entirely on what is put into it. The possible interpretations are too varied from one person to the other, and it does take me an awfull lot of time slopping through the muck to find anything at all to type.

These, 'Nuttin Honey' days are so prevailing that they sometimes show their power by begining even before I get out of bed. Ohooo, that hurts!

That does give me a little more time to work on the note but it could be part of the reason why my mind can't zone in on a worthy subject. Hopefully the note can still work as a reminder, you rest fondly in our minds.

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If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow.~Rachel Carson.

August 17

I think my first paying job was when I was around eleven. A neighbor had a milk route where he picked up milk in those big milk cans and hauled them to the creamery. He paid me fifty cents to ride along and open the gates on his route. Some I wasn't tough enough to open but he paid me anyway. Keeping him awake was part of my job too.

I think he got a real deal as my job evolved in milking his milk goat then carrying the milk into the house and waking him up. For me to wake I had a windup alarm clock that I sat on an upside down wash pan. It was a loud dude!

At that time we had no running water, only a cistern and a bucket on a rope. To have warm water it had to be carried in and heated. We were blessed with a two hole outside toilet too. this caused the need to get up extra early so that I might be able to meet my milking/gate opening deeds.

By the way, two holes???? Can you think of anyone that you would like to share that kind of moving experience with?
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When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realized that the Lord doesn't work that way, so I stole a bike and asked him to forgive me.

August 16

If, "Time is of the Essence", has anything to do with smell, our use of time this morning is about as smelly as it has been for quite awhile. I didn't use the word stink because we are retired and can use our time just about anyway we want to. Our lack of utilization of our time this morning so far smells to high heaven but it is such a sweet smell.

We go through everyday with the strong hope on top of our minds, that our funds won't get so low as to require us the need to find a paying job. Frugally, that's it! We try to live in a frugal mode which would be called by the folks from across the tracks where I was raised as a 'cheap ass'.

Let me tell you. Back when I was very young I put together a shoe shine box and went around town shinning shoes. The banker who always let me polish his shoes was a rough man to please but I was able and gladly accepted the meager ten cents that he handed me. I believe he was probably a cheap ass frugal person but unlike us he had money.

When I'd take my little box to the tavern, it was a different story. One time, just through the door a nice gentleman had me shine his cowboy boots and gave me a quarter. I polished a few more in there then as I started out the door the first person had me shine his boots another time and gave me another quarter. What a nice bunch. I messed around the square for about an hour then hit the tavern again knowing there was at least one pair of boots to be shined one more time but........the nice guy was gone.

Glenda is calling so I'm gone too.

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"Old times" never come back and I suppose it's just as well. What comes back is a new morning every day in the year, and that's better.-George E. Woodberry

August 15

Dagnabit! Those horse flies sure do increase the exercise required in taking the daily walk. They buzz me almost all the way around the horn. If I luckily kill one there is another right there to take it's place. As long as there is only one buzzing you and you can hear it you're okay. When the buzzing sound stops it's time to begin slapping the stick around.

Thinking about it, with the stick in my hand I could look like a great maestro conducting the orchestra in one weird wild ass piece of music. Without the stick I guess I would look more like a losing coach very rapidly sending signals to the players tho it would probably too fast for them to catch the sign.

I'm sure that neither of the above is what a passerby might think of. With all the motions and the fly buzzing creating lots of words to almost constantly move my lips, they probably say, "there is a crazy guy talking to himself", and then telling the kids, "that's a guy you be certain to stay away from."


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The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.~Abe Lemons

A little rehash of old news....

I suppose I could be called a life saver and not just because I'm round and have a large hole in my face. But coon saver works better for me and that isn't because I've a hairy rear, err I mean a bushy tail.

As I walked up West oak on Wednesday July 29, I opened and laid down a trash can to allow five young raccoons to escape. On Saturday August the 8th, I opened a can to let two young coons out. On Wednesday August 12, I again saved two by opening the trash can lid, maybe the same two but this was on Memory Lane. This can contained no trash.....Go figure.

Just this morning as I walked past the cans on West Oak a sound led me to un-strap a tightly strapped lid to discover a single young raccoon wanting out. That makes ten I've saved or it's possible that I've saved the same ones several times. Can't help but wonder what has happened to the other four. Soon I may not have any left to save.

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What other people think of you is none of your business.~ Regina Brett

August 8

A few days ago as I was walking past the garbage cans up the hill I heard a noise coming from one of them. Found the right trash can on the second try. I open the lid and cautiously peered over the rim of the can and found four beautiful eyes looking at me. Two small raccoons looking at me and another three with their heads hidden. I though those three might not be alive. Anyway as I turned the can onto it's side one youngen flashed past my feet but no more. I walked on. On the next trip around I looked and all 5 were gone. I sat the can up and pulled a strap over the lid.

This morning as I topped onto W Oak on my first round I saw an animal race from the cans. It was too dark to make out what kind of animal it was but as I got near the cans a hurried scratching sound came from one of them. I raised the lid part way and there were those little raccoons again. I only saw two this time but they were growling and were pretty scared so I didn't take but a quick look. I'd say the animal running away was their Momma.

With those animals so pissed off or scared, growling and yapping like a little dog I didn't want to be standing in front of the can if I turned it over so I just threw the lid back and walked on. The next trip around they were all gone so I put the lid down and hooked the strap that someone else was too damn lazy to do!
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You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.-Ralph Waldo Emerson

July 28

What a trips! While the masses were asleepin my asses were awalkin. Around and around and around and around, four times each morning. I can hardly believe that I've made 309 of those trips so far this year.

Speaking of asses, I have been a fairly frugal person most of my life but it seems I'm becoming more so. Old age and worry about no income is probably the main factor but I think these walks are contributing to it. They are firming up my cheeks to make me even more of a tight ass.

I have a doctors appointment tomorrow that will include a gloved finger or two. I hope the firmness doesn't create any more pain than usual!

I know the cheeks are firming up for several reasons but one is more noticeable by me. That is when the natural expulsion of gas periodically occurs the sound emitted is at a very much higher pitch than used to be. That, and it is now almost impossible to allow a little tiny one to escape without a sound.

I am told that the tighter cheeks and high pitch sound has had no noticeable effect on the smell.
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There are some people who, if they don't already know, you can't tell 'em. ~Yogi Berra

July 21

Oh, that mile walk around walk! It really isn't too bad physically but for the hour it takes to make it around three times gives too much time and you end up with a lot of, 'what I should be doing', thoughts. In spite of that the last few days I've added a forth time around.

This additional twenty minutes gives me time to get past the, 'what I should be doing', clear into some thoughts about the resulting health supplements the walk hopefully provides. I even had time to think about the possibility that without the walks I might NOT BE ABLE to do some of the, 'what I should be doing', things along some of the 'I want too's' also.

Yep, a stiff walk can sure clear your mind. That along with a clear conscious does create problems pulling up a note typing subject as you can plainly see.
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"I see mysteries and complications wherever I look, and I have never met a steadily logical person." - Martha Gellhorn

July 17

As far as I know we've been around no one but straight people but I'm fagged out anyway!

Wednesday we were heading for Home Depot to get the tile that Dory and picked out for the downstairs but on the way she said, "just for grins lets check Lowes out again." She found a tile that she liked and thought she might like it better than the Home Depot tile. She bought one tile and we carried it to home depot to compare. Yep, she liked Lowes tile best.

Even tho it was 11 cents higher that was what she bought. We needed sixty two of those 37 pound boxes along with eight 50 pound sacks of stuff and then four 25 pound bags of grout. 2,794 pounds of stuff we felt would be too much for the little pickup so we made two trips. We had a little bit of help loading but unloading was all on us. I figure we handled at least 4,000 pounds. Two tons and what do you get, a very sore back and we ain't done yet.

Yesterday I pulled up all the carpet and pad then carried it all out to the garage. Had just a trace of energy left which turned out to be enough to get the lawn mowed and carry the blower around blowing things off.

Today is for relaxing except the tack strips need to come up and that my friend, is not an easy task. May not get very much of those pulled up today because Dory has scheduled a trip to the stores in Eldon and may include three lines of bowling with a few other Rocky Mount elders.
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Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all. ~Sam Ewing

July 13

If you had your sound turned up loud enough you may have heard something real close to what I sound like as I top the hill on my morning walk. Which remind me that I forgot to mention the other day about the good neck exercise that comes with the huffing puffing walk.

The breath intake is so intense that it actually pulls my head forward several inches and then the exhale quickly sends it back behind my shoulders. I have thought about walking the last part of the hill backwards as the exhale could help push me. However, I believe the inhale is so much the stronger that it would be of more help pulling me up the hill that the exhale could push.

Huffing puffing I do and am not ashamed about it at all, tho this note reads like I might blow a little more than I puff.

Oh well, it was something to write.
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A sense of humor is the ability to understand a joke - and that the joke is oneself. ~Clifton Paul Fadiman

July 12

Man, the walk around is sure good exercise! At this time of the year it is even more so. It doesn't take long for the shorts to become wetted which causes the pant legs to cling to your thighs. This creates an extra bit of necessary energy expenditure to power through the cling.

Also the constant flinging and flaying of my arms and hands requires extra energy too. When walking along the main road folks slow down when driving by. Most believe me to be a very addlepated person as I fling, flay and utter a constant string of near foul words, but I don't care. Those damn horse flies draw blood with every bite!

In the walk yesterday there was a light rain falling. This intensified the pant leg cling problem but horse flies don't seem to swarm in the rain.

Today Glenda is making me take her and Ruthie out to a buffet lunch. Ah, to ever please a woman.
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All the people like us are we, and everyone else is They. ~Rudyard Kipling

July 7

On my third mile around this morning I had a sad glance at nature. As I walked down Memory Lane toward home a noise to my left turned my head where my eyes caught a fast moving glob of brown coming right at me. As I stopped a rather large fawn, but still with spots, came barreling across the road missing me less than three feet. It had terror in it's usually beautiful eyes.

Less than a millisecond later, about ten feet farther down the road, the largest Coyote that I have ever seen rushed out onto the road and paused there. I screamed at him but he paid me no mind and returned to his pursuit.

Don't know the results nor do I want to. Sickeningly, I can't seem to get that few second picture out of my mind!

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In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~John Muir

July 5

Another nice day has been allocated to us and we're thankful! We must keep a positive attitude and not allow the little incidentals like the need to mow and blow again or the selfish weekenders screaming by in their boats as they attempt to force some gratification out of their nautical vessels. I would imagine that some of the drinking, speeding and loud exhausts are necessary to drown out and push to the back of their minds the knowledge and worry of such a huge investment. A very large losing investment that they will use on weekends for only five or six months out of the year. The need to ignore reality is so great it leaves no room for any consideration of the poor dumb-asses that have outgrown the desire but still live on the lake............But so far our dock remains cabled to the bank and is still floating.

I may reek of experience but they still stir my ire and I don't have a glass bottomed boat.
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A reformer is a guy who rides through a sewer in a glass-bottomed boat.~James Walker

June 24

The wind came up stong around midnight last night so Glenda went out to lower the umbrella. Too Late! She came back into the bedroom really laughing to tell me the four chairs were still sitting around where the table had been but it and the umbrella was gone. We spied them upside down on the lower level but left them till this morning. Hard to believe but the glass was still in one piece and still in the table. I had to straighten a leg on it and some tines on the umbrella but they are back up with the chairs now.

Sure wish I had a walking partner to follow on my daily walks. Those spider webs are quite an aggravation. Only made two trips this morning, #196 and #197. Gettin all wetted down makes a sheer pleasure out of a shower.
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Success is dependent upon the glands - sweat glands.`Zig Ziglar

June 19

Took two trips around the horn this morning. It was only 76 at the time but now it's already up to 84. Mikey and I took old Buddy for his little W and T (walk and treat). so now we're ready to do whatever the do maker says to do when she decides to arrive on the scene.

Do maker checked out really well at the doctor visit yesterday. The nodule on her thyroid has again lessened in size and she was told to come back in two years unless something should come up that concerns her.

Today a trip to Eldon has been mentioned and even the word bowling alley was tossed about. Heck, I even been invited to go along. I just might do that.

Several round green pods have appeared on Glenda's bucketed tomato plants causing her to force me to put up my motion detector radio connected squirrel detractor. It just scares you to death, when forgotten, you walk past it and the crappy music from the local FM station suddenly blares out at you. I will say it saved quite a few tomatoes last year.
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"Mind is consciousness which has put on limitations. You are originally unlimited and perfect. Later you take on limitations and become the mind." - Ramana Maharshi

June 18

Above our garage the guys dug a 4'x30" trench for the pipe that will hold the electric wires. The trench runs across the end of the road toward us. They backfilled with crushed rock then some of the dug out material and topped that with more crushed rock. They broke through solid rock to do this. A lot of water crosses this covered trench at every rain. Crushed rock creates a very porous condition which allows surface water to drain to new depths. The new depths seem to have found a formally never used path to our house and into our basement for the first time in our fifteen years living here. JF Electric still accepts no blame what-so-ever in the ruination of $3600 worth of carpet.

The guy from AmerenUE came yesterday and after much talk and pointing suggested digging out the trench again and building a couple of concrete barriers. I didn't understand exactly but if it helps keep the water out of the basement I'm all for it. Just a 2" rain the other day had water running big time out of the side of the hill and the two outlets under the garage.

His volunteering this repair makes me believe that he might be acknowledging that JF Electric, in part at least, participated in our mess. JF Electric still accepts no blame what-so-ever in the ruination of $3600 worth of carpet. BUT, IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER!
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Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind.~ Robert Green Ingersoll

June 17

I have proven to myself that I could never be a happy preacher. Happy would come as you preach you're able to tell that many are getting the message and after when they smilingly congratulate you on your performance.

I had a small congregation of one at my service on Monday and another one person at my service Tuesday. Monday the public relations manager with J F Electric came down to tell us that they refused to admit to any responsibility what so ever of our recent, first time in fifteen years, basement flooding. Ruined carpet in two rooms that is estimated to be around $3600 to replace. I'm telling you I preached to that man for over an hour without even a tiny slide to my view. I got so loud and mean that after thinking about it later I called him and apologized. Also he told me that the construction part of the company was the decision maker........You know, the ones that caused the problem.

Yesterday, the foreman of the construction crew was down and believe me, I preached again! This was over an hour and a half session with sweet little Glenda coming out and putting her amen's to the words that I had preached. No, I think she pretty well did her own preaching using a lot of the same words that I had used but she also threw in a pointed finger that I feared she would poke the guy on the chest with over and over. She didn't but the guy called her mam over thirty times with his meek responses.

Now I have another sermon planned for today. The congregation will consist of only one again but he may be the man! He is from AmerenUE and I think is the overseer of the construction. I've noticed in the past when he comes down the boys sure get to hopping, putting on their safty glasses, vests and hard hats.
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No man succeeds without a good woman behind him. Harold MacMillan

June 9

Around daybreak this morning Dory asked me if I was awake. I looked at her through one eye and said, 'mostly'. She then said to me, "Hunky, you have been so kind and patient about my being gone so much that I want to treat you to a bell ringing session today." Instantly my quick mind flashed to sex totally waking me. As the ole sun popped up I was looking at her with very wide opened eyes. The song, "I can see clearly now the rain has gone" popped into my mind along with another line or two of it like, "Gone are the dark clouds that made me crash", "I think I can ride now the pain has gone" and "It's going to be a bright, bright sunshiny day". All this quickly crashed and burned and the clouds gathered in my mind negating the earlier rise of the ole sun as she continued. "I think I'll take you to the gambling boat in Boonville today."

It didn't take me long to see the bell ringing was going to be from a mechanical machine that I've got to keep sticking money into so that it can screw me. All those bells and flashing lights in a place where 98% of the other folks being screwed sit there without a trace of a smile or any happy. Looking at all the expressions you notice that most are very similar to what people wear to funerals. It's kinda like they've all maxed out on their credit cards and don't know what to do. I don't know what will happen when the machines begin to accept credit cards? Ug, what a thought Popeye!

I have been kind and patient but the real deal is Glenda, my sister Jeri and Ruthie all want to go pretty badly so I've been nominated to oblige them.

Where I quoted Dory, she may not have used every word as I've typed it but it is a true summarization of the way I see it now.
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That's free enterprise, friends: freedom to gamble, freedom to lose. ~Barbara Ehrenreich

June 8

You know when a person looks forward to Monday's instead of dreading them they must be retired and living on the Lake of the Ozarks. Monday's are a quieter time here and sometimes it runs for several days. Monday's here make the wonderfully blessed gift of another day of life even more special.

Naught is pretty well established in my mind again this morning but I think I'll make it through the day anyway. Looking back I can see that I've had almost nothing all of my life yet here I am almost 68 years down the road with a roof over our heads and food for every meal. I'm not sure how much longer we can hang in here like this but we plan to stay the ride for as long as we can.

You know it isn't necessary to have a ladder to get a step up in life. I'm proof that man can go a long ways with nothing but a good woman to follow him along................A determined woman following back there jerking the reins and hollering gee ha.

Looky how far I came down this page with nothing. I think I could keep going on down but just for you I'll quit here.
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"An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less, until eventually he knows everything about nothing." -Anon.

June 7

After breakfast and some Glenda-Jerlene talk about going shopping at the mall and how it wouldn't be all that busy if it isn't raining, guess what. There are all kinds of thunder in the air at this time. Pretty cloudy too. Tho no rain yet who knows?

If they go they will leave me the 'fun spoiler' at home to watch over the stock, Mikey and Tomi. Not a bad job at all considering the alternative.

Look like Wednesday or Thursday we'll be heading for Kerrville Texas to take Jeri home with a nights stop over in or near Saginaw Texas. We all want to check-in and visit with daughter LaDonna and her husband. Then the last leg of the going trip the next day. The coming home trip will probably be near the same but different because we'll be driving the oposite direction and on the other side of the road.

Having a nice visit with my sister whom we saw last in June of 2005. Haven't seen LaDonna and her's, I think, since they were here in May of 2006. Looking forward to that!
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No yesterdays are ever wasted for those who give themselves to today. ~ Brendan Francis

June 1

Halleluiah, we made another day and if you're reading this you did too. This and other daily blessings should not be taken lightly. I'm not into preaching this morning it's just that even I have a few sane thoughts every so often.

Our near new air-conditioner still doesn't work correctly, received a 'blow your mind bid' on painting the railings and the carpet downstairs is shot and still pulled back. Kind of mind numbing but along with that remains the knowledge we're still able to be up and at it. I guess you can add that to the list of our blessings.

Nothing, usually constitutes what I type but I keep trying. I imagine that most read at least a little of it before realizing it contains once again, mostly nothing. For awhile you've not been getting even the notes of nothing from me. That may be one of your blessings, the fact you haven't been reading even a tiny bit of nothing from here and this will probably be for awhile to come. No thanks necessary.

We didn't go anywhere yesterday and I enjoyed the heck out of it. Glenda seemed to me to be lucky to have Joy as her middle name because it appeared to me that was about the only joy she had yesterday. Washing, Ironing, cooking and cleaning house are not joyful things for her tho she is still able to be thankful to have a place that needs the things done as well as the fact she is able to do them.

May your day greatly exceed your expectations!
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Cherish your vision and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.-Napoleon Hill

May 26

Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink! So far we've been the recipient of 5.3 inches of rain. Most of this came after the boaters had already pulled out and headed for home so it wasn't much of a dock saver.

The real deal is, so much rain so fast the normal runoff patterns wasn't able to carry it all so part of it had to find a different course. Wouldn't you know it? Part of the new course was into the lower level of our house. Attempted clean up began immediately but by 8:00, worn out, we decided to continue the chore today.

We've never experienced this kind of thing at this house before and I'm putting some of the blame on the contractors burying the electric line pipes. We had water coming out the side of the slope and even pouring out through the block wall and the two drain pipes at the bottom of the garage foundation.

You see just above the garage is a normal big time runoff path and where at which the guys dug across and with the path using a hydraulic hammer to break the layers of solid rock out. They then filled it back with crushed stone. This allows a lot of the runoff to quickly flow through that porous material to a new and lower runoff path that our basement is in front of.

I sure hope I'm wrong about this!
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"It is only from the belief of the goodness and wisdom of a supreme being, that our calamities can be borne in the manner which becomes a man." - Henry Mackenzie

May 21

Mother nature seems to mess with the attitude of fish as well as she does with people. This morning she gave the fish a very scummy mucky surface on the water they live in. It was so thick I could barely get a lure to sink. I've about decided that even fish allow circumstances and conditions to affect them like a lot of humans do because the lack of catching or even getting a bite when the lure did drop thru the muck. This seems to indicate the fish may be too depressed to eat.

It shouldn't be long before the early holiday boaters will have the stuff all floated up on the banks and maybe a few docks too. If our dock should still be in place I'll go down and check their mood again later.

By the way, I've not evicted the Sparrows and their young that share the Purple Martin birdhouse with one family of Purple Martins yet. So far my personal jury has been unable to come up with a verdict as to what I should do. I think I have been unduly influenced by the ways of politics. Don't take care of the troops, they are grown, but we definitely need more welfare for all the babies that don't get aborted and the illegal's in the land.
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“There ain’t no ticks like poly-ticks. Bloodsuckers all.” —Davy Crockett

May 20

Way up north, way up north, north to I'llaskher, we're goin' north, the rush is on. Yep, Ruthie is going to drive over and put me in the drivers seat of her car and with Glenda chiming in they're going to force me to chauffeur them to Booneville. Oh man, I hate that but even as tastless as the food usually is the free 'ha' 'ha' buffet is still a fair enticement.

Can't sit around here on the shores of Lick Branch Cove forever waiting for our ship to come in..........NO! We've got to go to the boat looking for the ship.

Seems like Crappie fishing from the dock has pretty much come to a close without a grand finale, ah, make that the catching of Crappie. Fishing can be done anytime night or day, only trouble is, gee whiz, I'm fishing my life away. We've got other things that we need to be doing anyway. People ask, "what do you do all day?" The only good answer I can think
of is, "whatever we want" and that is pretty well the truth and also the main reason we have so many things that need to be done.

And I've done typed another useless note.
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Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.~Bob

May 18

Glenda complimented me on how well I have led us through the last 24 and 1/2 years. She says if I continue following where she tells me to lead our happy and successful life should probably end only at our demise. She goes on to tell me that a personally uncontrollable kink to that dream is Obama.

Speakingxxxx Typing of such brings to mind how important regularity is for us older folks. Nearly everyone becomes constipated at one time or another. It is noted that older people are more likely than younger people to become constipated, but most of the time it is not serious.

I try to keep my digestive system running smoothly as possible. You know, lots of fiber and several glasses of water a day. I keep a running tally on my system by eating a lot of jalapenos with my last meal of the day. Sometime during the following day a little burn lets me know that most of yesterdays eats has cleared the canal.

How do I come up with this crap? By eating of course!
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"Everyone should keep a mental wastepaper basket, and the older he grows, the more things will he promptly consign to it." - Samuel Butler

May 15

Stuttering thoughts are hindering my note typing process. I never ever really have anything to say but seem to be able to type a few words of sorts most of the time before hitting send. Not so this morning! I think I may have too much heavy on my mind.

You see I have this huge belly hanging on the front of my body and the weight of it pulls heavily on the stuff above. I can handle the fact that my ears are lower on my head and how it is pretty hard to pull up the down turned corners of my mouth into an upwards turned grin but that huge tug on my scalp causes thought retention and that is very bothersome.

Today will be my 147th mile walk up the hill and around the horn. All this in hopes of lessening the load and improving my thought process. So far twenty one weeks of this pain and agony hasn't produced the hoped for results.

I can plainly see in the above how screwed up my thinking is. The largest clue is the twenty one, no result, weeks and still doing it. I've walked in the rain, the snow and through sleet without missing but one day. A few days I've even walked it twice. Sounds sick doesn't it? Poor big me......
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Oh, my goodness! Is this really about me? I yam what I yam And that's all what I yam................and thats all I'll ever be. What was I thinking!

May 14

Not a thing on my mind worth bending my three fingers for. Of course I realize it isn't any different that all the other days! I know what I know and my biggest know right now is no, I'm not typing anything else. I'm in a struggle with an almost complete lack of desire to do almost anything and everything. That lack caught up and enveloped me yesterday and so far I haven't even been able to get one of my fingers out of the fog. It's a rotten feeling so I'm sure, just as rot goes, it will drop away soon tho the smell may linger for a spell.

Glenda is going to play bridge today but she is preparing me a get'er done list to lessen the chance that I might become bored and start using the BB gun to shoot at some of the thoughtless boaters..

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No one, Eleanor Roosevelt said, can make you feel inferior or dumb without your consent. Never give it.~Marian Wright Edelman

May 13

Made the trip to Columbia yesterday for Glenda's regularly scheduled health check and we left the cancer hospital smiling. Everything continues to look real good but they don't want to stretch the visits to yearly yet.

Doctor Anderson told Glenda that she looked like she would probably live to be near 115 but somewhere along the line she would need to get a new doctor because he didn't think he would make it that long himself.

Sounds like a good day here but it might not end that good. That is if you can believe the forecast. Supposed to have been pretty bad last night too the same people had told us but thankfully we didn't get anything.

We've had several people tell us they sure do appreciate most of the quotes added to these notes. Hummm....

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"Quotes are nothing but inspiration for the uninspired." -Richard Kemph