January 30

Been pretty busy around here for the last two days. A couple guys from Kansas City have been here surveying for AmeranUE who plans to put our electric lines underground. I've been the usual neighborhood watcher helping them in any way I could with the exception of going back into the house and letting them do their job. What a job they have anyway, digging around in the snow looking for property stakes.

We were notified that the job would begin on February 5th or 6th, I can't remember which. A letter doesn't mean they'll be here at any stated time anyway......We've been through that stuff before.

The guys didn't come today so I'll get to rest up for when the job truly starts.........Except Glenda wants to pick up a few specials at the HyVee store in Osage Beach. I suppose a lunch somewhere and a few lines of bowling will be part of the plan too.

Right now I need to go take the neighbor's dog for his walk then Mikey and I will do our little mile around struggle. If you think one can't sweat, out in 12 degree weather, come climb this hill with me. I really should change my shirt when I return but the down hill back to the house quickly erases most of the sweat producing heat from my body. That and I don't want to add any extra wash for Glenda.
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Listening to both sides of a story can always convince you that there is more to a story than both sides.--Frank Tyger

January 28

This global warming needs to be addressed and soon.............Golly it has caused the lake to freeze out beyond the docks and that hasn't happened for many years. It also caused the road to be covered with a bunch of white colored stuff that is mostly sleet and is very hard to shovel.

On the other hand it created a situation that doesn't allow me to make my appointed visit to the dentist. This means that the dental hygienist will need to take her hate for the mouth and bleed someone else's gums today.

I don't suppose that she hates mouths, after all, like in the case of my mouth, it feeds me somewhat and surely helps feed her a heck of a lot better.

It's the dickens to know that we are forced to eat cheap so other's can eat expensive! Without teeth I wouldn't be much help with helping finance her diet but either cheap or expensive would be harder for me to chew.
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"The healthy person does not torture others -- generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers." - Carl Jung

January 27

The weatherman was off on his timing yesterday. Glenda and Lena hurried through the trip yesterday as fast as they could and we made it home before any bad weather began. Matter of fact nothing happened at all until exactly 5:26 this morning. Sleet and snow quickly covered things up but it quit around 8:30 and hasn't began anew yet.

Don't need to go anywhere and a day at home sounds good and even pushing around on the white stuff doesn't sound all that terrible. The 19* might dim ones wit somewhat but even if I had some I probably wouldn't use much of that out there by myself anyway.

Our plow man has already been down the road but as near as I can tell all he did was salt it a little. Very little, because all I can see from here is a narrow streek of black up the middle of the road.
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"One of the best things to do sometimes is simply to be." - Eric Butterworth

January 26

Trust fortified with a couple baskets of hope is what we're facing this morning. About five inches of snow for the lake area, seven for Jeff City and four for Columbia and it is said it will begin around 3pm.

We are going to Jeff to pick Lena up and take her for a 10:50 doctors appointment in Columbia. We might just be able to make the round by 3:00. That should explain the hope fortified trust. Do you believe a weather person can call a weather change to the hour?

We're going to take the four wheel drive pickup to Jeff City then drive Lena to Columbia in her car. If the time frame is off some we hope it will be on the coming home side of the trip.
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"Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don't want them to become politicians in the process."-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

January 21

Great day in the morning! Here we sit with a nice looking day ahead of us. A day we could do a few things around here that need to done. Only problem I seem to have is the big three D's are not working yet. No, Do is not one of them tho it probably could be. The D's I'm talking about are, Dedication, Discipline and Desire. When I got up this morning I think they may have stayed in the bed. Or it could be something as simple as I'm sitting on them here in this laid back recliner. Maybe I'll get up in a little bit and see.

Yesterday I got felt all over by a man. He seems to be a good guy and I suspect he didn't like it anymore than I did tho I'm sure he livened up when it came Glenda's turn. Humm, Glenda may have not disliked it as she hasn't said anything about it at all.

Glenda got a recommended tetanus/whooping cough combo shot while I was only stuck with a shot for shingles. Her arm is sore but my only problem is the loss of my big three D's.

I may have found some of the Dedication D as proven by my tapping out this note..........Thats just too bad!.........By, I'm going on a hunt for the rest of it along with the other two.
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No horse gets anywhere until he is harnessed. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, and disciplined. -Harry Emerson Fosdick

January 20

If you want to keep a vehicle in a condition that allows it to haul you around with a lesser chance of pooping out on you ninety miles from home, a regular check on some of the vitals along with a good maintenance schedule is recommended.

Then would it not also be advisable to lessen the chance of your body failing to carry your butt through the day you should apply the same type care? We do and that is the reason for our appointed trip to the doctor in Columbia this morning.

No problems with either of our bodies, err, I mean no pain or anything out of the ordinary but even so a regular check is a good plan. You know when an engine freezes and cracks the block it's too late to add anti-freeze.

Too bad, ha, ha, I may miss my mile around walk. Double ha ha we'll miss the swearing in. Anyway, I'm sure that Buddy will truly miss his little walk and treat.
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The true aim of medicine is not to make men virtuous; it is to safeguard and rescue them from the consequences of their vices." - H. L. Mencken

January 19

A little busy Saturday around here. I mean, don't think that in the winter time this is just a dead piece of 'out in the country' where nothing happens. One little happening Saturday raised the hackles on the back of my neck.

I was comfortably reared back in the old recliner when our outside motion detector rang our chimes in the house. Looking over at the TV where our garage mounted camera displays the road, we notice an older Chevy Blazer turn around and go back out the road. No big deal!

Back to focusing on the book when a movement on the TV caught my attention. A person in a dark jacket was walking down the road in the direction of our house carrying what looked like a funny rifle. As I watched, the person crossed the ditch and climbed a high bank into the woods. That climb would not have been an easy task.

As he mounted the top he turned revealing to my view some huge white letters across the back of his jacket. I wasn't able to make out how it read but the word 'police' came quickly to mind.

I'm certain there are no meth cookers on this road but what about in the woods? Did that old Blazer have anything to do with anything? Were they trying to rout a crook from the woods?

After the person disappeared into the woods I decided to drive around the area and check things out. When I got down to Ryan's I noticed a near new SUV that looked like Ryan's parked in his drive. I got out of the pickup to get a closer look when the person in the woods suddenly became visiable and hollered at me. That sound could have killed me right there if the first word in the holler hadn't been my name.

It turns out it was Ryan and he was on the hunt for his young son and his young son's friend. He was trying to find them so he could shoot them before getting shot. A paint gun battle was in the making.

It wasn't too much later that the sounds from the woods said the opposing forces had all come together and a fiery battle was in progress. Never did learn which side won but there must have been hundreds of misses.
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"Fear paralyzes; curiosity empowers. Be more interested than afraid." -Patricia Alexander

January 17

A hot time is expected around here today...........Well, maybe not hot but compared to the last few days low teens 45* sounds pretty warm to me.

Got a bit of snow yesterday which necessitated a lot more care being taken driving to Eldon. I thought the hill getting out might be a problem but we slipped right on up it. Was surprised to see that the main road was still covered. In fact it was still covered on our trip back about 4 and 1/2 hours later. Pretty sure all of this snow will be history come mid afternoon.

Wasn't but three others bowling yesterday and as usual I didn't bowl worth a darn but the McDonald $1 double cheese was very good.
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Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

January 16

Another day of kind of nasty cold here with a start of 11*. Along with the nasty cold we're told we may see a little snow later. We've only used the fireplace a couple times, saving that high priced gas till we really need it.

Tho, we both are blessed with warm hearts our external body areas can get pretty cold. I'm the carrier of some excessive external areas and that doesn't include any protrusions. That is other than things like my arms, legs,ears, nose and my pointy little head, the holder for my nose and ears. I can stand about three times the cold that Glenda can because of my built on heater, fat. Fat generates heat. Sometimes just hearing another mention that I might be carrying more than my share heats me instantly. Say, I may be a sensitive person after all.

Tuesday I took the walk when it was 16* then tried a little fishing when it was 18*. Almost froze my ears off! Wednesday wasn't that cold but yesterday began at 5*.

But I learned a lesson Tuesday so when it got up to 12* yesterday when I took the mile around walk I wore a cap. Only thing is on these walks there always comes a time to use your handkerchief on a runny nose and it did with me. The first time I used it was at the top of the hill where the wind was really chilling the world. Needed to use it a second time just before heading down the other side but it had frozen to my pocket. Left me with the disgusting chore of flipping off small icicles the rest of the way home.
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Resting on your laurels is as dangerous as resting when you are walking in the snow. You doze off and die in your sleep. -Ludwig Wittgenstein

January 13

At 5am it began here at 19* then by 8am it was down to 14*. I think it is on it's way back up now. Cold isn't all that terrible unless you're out in it. Bad if you need to go out but a catastrophe if you need to go out with the wind blowing like it's two hours late for an appointment like it is here.

Stupid is going out when you really don't need to and I represent that. Want to walk the neighbors dog and do the mile around the horn. It would be easy to get out of that habit because of a little cold. Don't take the walk once then it becomes easier not to take it the next time. Just hope I don't ice down my lungs and wouldn't chance it at all if I didn't think my ultra warm heart would prevent it.

More stupid is the guy that went flying by in a bass boat just a bit ago. Had a huge rooster tail following him and at first I thought he was loosing the flotation from the boat. However, after some careful observation though the binoculars I discovered the water that constituted the rooster tail was freezing then falling back as ice. Guess it could be similar to Hansel dropping bread crumbs, this guy, after his eyes freeze, will be able to hear his way home bumping along the icy path he left.

Please don't give up on me! One of these days I'll surely have something to say. After five years of nothing the odds have got to be in my favor.
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"A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage. Every day sends to their graves obscure men whose failure at writing prevented them from making another effort." -Annon

January 12

We are unemployed but pay lots and lots of taxes. The sales tax on food, on gasoline, on phone bills, McDonald 99 cent hamburgers, car and boat license, personal property tax, real estate tax and a lot of other tax that I'm not going to work my head on. We should be filing all that and getting some kind of rebate! We are being discriminated against! What's a poor boy to do?

No wonder older people start hunkering over somewhat. They've had it stuck in them so often they've finally quit bothering to straighten up after every pop. That is one of the reasons older men should be married. Like in my case, I stand a lot more upright than I could without Dory. Bearing her like a cross on my back day after day tends to balance my hunker some. My worry is getting caught out in the rain and drowning as the water pours down my nostrils. She may be rearing me back a little too far! Heck, retired folks don't need to get out when it's raining.

Dory's plan for the this day is joining a few others at someone's house to play Mahjong. It looks like this is going to be her every Monday thing for awhile. If she enjoys it why not.

She just walks out leaving her three pets to care for themselves. Happily she does leave me in charge and not wanting me to get too weak to protect the house and other pets, she'll set me out a can of sardines in mustard sauce and a few crackers for my lunch. Boy she's sweet!
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"Our insignificance is often the cause of our safety." - Aesop

January 10

Yesterday we traveled to Osage Beach for a few things that is sold at Wal-Mart including a Subway sandwich. Not at all too bad of a sandwich if you're a hungry person and I was!

Afterwards we had a little time so again took advantage of the $5 unlimited bowling at the bowling alley on highway 42. Was able to get four games in before time scooted us out.

Glenda's Uncle's wife passed away and we needed to pick Lena up and go to the viewing that was from 5:00 to 7:00. Yep, that is just shy of the time we spent there.

Today back to Jeff City for the funeral after which the family members each will bring a dish and gather in a reserved room at one of the clubs in Jeff. I can't remember which one at this time nor did I at an earlier time either.

May not have time to do the mile or walk the neighbor's dog today. I sure hate that because the 30* temperature with the really stiff wind creates a very cold wind chill factor that always causes my body to become covered with chill bumps. All these bumps greatly tightens the skin and gives me the flashing feeling of youth again.

Unfortunately, by the time we make the hill the body has heated up and the feeling of old seeps back in big time. Topping the hill has me sucking air so hard and loud that a couple times I've nervously noticed a couple of buzzards giving me the flyby.

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Life...is like a grapefruit. It's orange and squishy , and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast.-Douglas Adams

January 6

What a deal! Seems that yesterday my, do dah do dah mind, lost most of the dah's leaving me with nothing but a lot of do do thoughts to think about! Made for pretty much a stinking crappy day!

This morning a few dah's are hanging around but misfiring. Heck, I know it won't mean much to you but personally a little stut-stut-stuttered dah is better than no dah at all.

This daily mile walk that has me walking up as high or higher than a 27 story building (272') then walking back down without any effect on my weight is a downer. Guess we could call it an upper downer. That hill is a killer!

Dory say's it is still a health thing that also helps tone my muscles. The legs do feel the work yet not as much as much as my lungs.

Gee whiz, by the time I get to the top non-stop, I think I could blow up a 36 inch balloon completely with only two or three puffs! Say, does muscle weigh more than fat?
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Climbing hills can give us an outlet for stress created suppressed energies and thus tone the spirit as the exercise conditions the body.~Anno

January 5

You don't need a gun to shoot the breeze but your mind needs ammunition to arm your mouth or fingers for the shot. It's pretty hard to buy that kind of ammunition already in the cartridge so it must be gathered up somewhere and then the mind has got to hand load the materials into a cartridege to have a usuable projectile.

You can steal some stuff on-line ready to fire but for my note I always try to load my own stuff. I'm thinking, as I sit here, that my home obtained materials must have been wet because I can't get the fingers to fire again this morning. I've spent several seconds here trying, but I can't get it to shoot across this page. This means you don't need to be looking for the 'shot heard around the world' again today.

Too bad, are some of the failings in this world but I tend to agree with you that this isn't one of them.
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"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right!" - Henry Ford

January 4

I've been sitting here for quite a few minutes waiting for the cream to rise, (better words to type), but have about decided that I'm sitting here with buttermilk and unfortunately no cream will rise from that. "What's new, pussycat?

I can say that Friday afternoon we did end up in Osage Beach and while there decided to check the local bowling alley out. Wow, not bad at all with a couple of real pluses over the one in Eldon. One plus was the fact that during all the games, we didn't need to call anyone to fix a problem on the alley. The second and most wonderful plus, the cost was only $5 each for unlimited bowling until five.

Taking an overly advantage of the deal caused Glenda to wear out after the fifth game. I, having a little more stamina, ended up bowling a sixth game for myself as well as bowling a sixth game for Glenda. Sadly she beat me every game including the one I bowled for her.

Yesterday, a great 72 degree mood enlightening day, was further enhanced by a visit of a couple friends. Played some cards as we visited then broke bread together after which we visited some more. Glenda and I really enjoyed it as we hope they did too.

Today is starting out a bit different with the 30 degree, cloudy wind blown day that I imagine will happily result is a nice relaxing book reading day.

I'm of the understanding that a bore can only be tolerated for so long at a time which causes me to fear that I've possibly exceeded that tolerance this morning. Sorry about that!
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I fell asleep reading a dull book and dreamed I kept on reading, so I awoke from sheer boredom. -Heinrich Heine

January 2

There are those in this world that hold their hands out for anything free and this is even so in bowling. A few want to bowl with a nine pin down equals a strike. Gimmie gimmie! One's nine pin hit is recorded as a strike while at the same time a real earned yourself stike is still only just a strike. Sounds pretty stupid doesn't it!

They talked about it last time we bowled but somehow they let it slide but one said to me, "Larry, I want to warn you, WE ARE PLAYING NINE PIN NEXT TIME WE BOWL." After looking at the, I want to warn you guy's score last time, I can understand his wish for a hand out. I never bowl worth a hoot yet I beat him fairly well in all three games.

That WE ARE PLAYING NINE PIN NEXT TIME WE BOWL should be today so don't think we'll be bowling there this time. Believe it or not but we are never without something to do so it is a big doubt we'll miss any living thrill because of it. May give the better bowling alley in Osage Beach a shot for some real bowling. Who knows?
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Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. - Benjamin Franklin