Burlesque and Phone Calls

This morning, after a rather restless night, I made a lot of phone calls. In fact, I only have one more to complete my call to-do list. For the last several weeks, my sleep has been troubled by pain in my right leg and knee. Last night, after my fall at Cracker Barrel, my left leg decided to keep the other company. Every time I moved, I had the same sensation I did when I landed on my knees in the dirt. I think I overextended my legs and now I just have to wait until they heal.

Since I had to go to Sam’s for more boxes, I decided to go to the movies to see Burlesque, the new Cher movie with Christina Aguilera, Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci, and Eric Dane. Even though I didn’t expect to necessarily enjoy the movie, I did … a lot. It’s a pretty good story and the music was terrific. It isn’t getting great reviews – Rolling Stone magazine panned it viciously – if I had read their review before seeing the movie, I would have expected to enjoy it. I almost never agree with the critics.

I never did make it to Dick’s Sporting Goods to get my ankle weights, but maybe it would be better to wait until I talk to Dr. Tom. Tomorrow, I’m going to try to get in to see him. He’ll know whether working with the weights will help or make it worse.

Until next time…

Back Home Safe and ?Sound?

Today, my cousin Richard and I started out for home about 9 am. After about an hour we stopped for gas and then went next door to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. While walking in and NOT paying attention to where I was going, I stepped in a small dip and went down on both knees. If you have been following this site, you know I’ve been having all kinds of problems with my knees. Believe me, this did not help, but they don’t hurt much more than they did.

The worst part of the incident was that I couldn’t get up by myself. A kind gentleman helped my cousin lift me up on my feet. The rest of the day, I used my cane.

It was a pretty good day of driving. We encountered a few sprinkles, but no heavy rain. The traffic was thick at times, but we never had any slowdowns or stoppages because of accidents or other incidents.

In fact, we arrived home about 7:15 pm. Dickie had another hour’s drive. I just spoke with him and he’s home safe and sound.

Tomorrow, I have a lot to do and hope my knees hold up. I have to go to Sam’s so I’ll probably go to a movie and then to Anthony’s for lunch. I have to visit the bank, talk to Camping World, make some other phone calls and talk to the park manager about the sale of my home. Whew! I’m tired already.

I was also planning on going to see my sister-in-law Esther sing with the Sing Live group tomorrow night, but it will depend on how the knees hold up.

I was talking to my cousin Ethelyn about what I could do to strengthen my legs and knees and she suggested variable ankle weights. Sitting in a chair and just bending my legs for a few sets of 10 would certainly help. I would probably start out with 1-pound weights and maybe work my way up to 5 or 6 pounds. Anything to make them stronger. She also suggested standing up and lifting my legs to the side with the weights on and some other stuff, but it doesn’t sound like much fun. :)

Well, it looks as if the government is about to make another power grab, this time with farms in the name of making our food supply safer. What a joke – if you want something to get worse, involve the government. They seem to have a special talent for making everything worse. And we know this bill will add more regulations and paperwork and red tape and ridiculous rules. Let’s hope enough senators got the message during the election. We need less regulation and more free market.

Well, time to switch out my laundry. That will be one job out of the way before tomorrow.

Until next time…

Last Day in Georgia

Tomorrow, my cousin Richard and I leave for Florida. Though I’m not looking forward to the long ride, I’ll be glad to get home and finish up the packing and getting my house ready for Richard to move in.

We had a great time here visiting family and feeding ourselves with my brother’s good food. Tonight, he made delicious 15-bean soup with some of the leftover ham from Thanksgiving. He also made macaroni and cheese. At this point, I am so stuffed, I can barely breathe.

As of today, I’ve finished all of the print books I planned on reading and can start reading from my Kindle again. It’ll be so nice not to have to keep track of a bookmark.

The flowers my sister-in-law got for the Thanksgiving table are beginning to fade. They were so colorful – but don’t ask me what they were – I have no idea.

We plan to watch the Hallmark movie November Christmas tonight, but I may just fall asleep early.

Until next time…

A Quiet Day, Chinese Food and Card Games

Today was basically a quiet day. My nephew Chris headed back to an air force base near St. Louis, MO. He is in the U.S. Army, but is stationed on an air force base. How great he could be here with us for our traditional Thanksgiving feast.

We had Chinese food for dinner – Mongolian beef, General Tso’s Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, Garlic Chicken, Egg Drop Soup, and White Rice. It was yummy! Since Richard and I finished up the delicious Cherry Cheesecake my sister-in-law Margie left here, he had to eat apple pie and I had to forget about desert.

After dinner my cousin Richard, my brother Jeff and I continued our card game. We played several games of a variation of Buck Euchre – for 3 people with some interesting rules. It’s not like the Buck Euchre I remember from when I was a kid.

My brother Jeff was kind of down today because his favorite college football team Penn State got beaten. It seems to happen more often than he likes. And I know there are some Gator fans that are unhappy over the results of the Florida/Florida State game.

Since it’s getting late, I guess I’ll go to bed. Heaven knows I need my beauty sleep.

Until next time…

You Win Some; You Lose Some

Today, we mostly goofed off around the house. That is to say, I did. My brother made us a delicious breakfast of sausage, bacon, eggs, and fried potatoes. For dinner, he made scalloped potatoes – as good as any I’ve ever had – which he served with some leftovers.

My cousin Richard, my brother Jeff and I played Buck Euchre and I won! Then, my nephews Chris and Greg, Richard and Jeff and I played 313 and I lost by the most. My nephew Greg – the scorekeeper – won. Hmmmmm!

We did hear from my brother Ray that he and Margie made it home safely. They left at about 6 am and arrived home around noon. I guess the traffic wasn’t too bad.

Well, it’s late so I must get my beauty sleep.

Until next time…

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had as great a Thanksgiving as we did.

This year, my brother tried Alton Brown’s turkey cooking method complete with brining and starting the turkey at 500 degrees then reducing the heat to 350 degrees after 1/2 hour. Since I cannot eat turkey, I can’t tell you whether it was better or not, but it sure looked good. He did the stuffing in a separate pan since I guess you’re not supposed to stuff a brined bird and Alton Brown thinks stuffing poultry is a real no-no anyway.

As you can see by the following picture, it looks great. Since I carved it, I can attest to the fact that it was not dry at all. It smelled wonderful.

I took a couple of pictures before we started eating. Here is one of my sister-in-law Kathy’s mother with Tobey, one of my brother Ray’s dogs.

 

I also snapped one of my nephew Greg … and this was before he ate any turkey.

And this is one of my cousin Richard, my brother Ray, and Ray’s wife Margie.

Don’t they look a lot livelier when they’re eating?

And this is part of the group in the main dining area: Kathy’s mother Grace, my nephew Greg, my brother Jeff and my nephew Chris.

      

And this is my sister-in-law Kathy, her mother and my nephew Greg.

Jeff and Kathy worked all day fixing dinner and it was well worth the effort.

Well, it’s getting late (8:30 pm) and I should probably start thinking about sleeping.

Until next time…

Quiet Day with Long Naps

Today was indeed a quiet day during which I got to take several pretty long naps. About the only thing accomplished today was settling my mother’s estate. It probably shouldn’t have taken so long, but this was the first time my brothers and I have been together since this summer at her memorial service and burial.

This will be the first Thanksgiving without my mother being there and will be sad because of this, but we all have such great memories of her and all of the fine food she cooked during Thanksgivings past. She is the one who contributed her knowledge to my brother Jeff that enables him to put on such a fine feed.

I did strap on my knee braces and take a short walk today without any problems. My right kneed is feeling fine right now. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll walk a little farther. I wonder if our annual traditional trip to Bass Pro Shop Thanksgiving morning qualifies as “a walk.”

While here, I’ve eaten far too many sausage balls (my sister-in-law Margie always brings some with her) Once I’ve had my fill of them, I’ll probably start on the pigs in a blanket. Of course, tomorrow will be here delicious cheesecake. For tonight, my brother Jeff made chili. It smells so good.

We played cards last night. My cousin Richard and I were beaten in at least 3 games of Euchre, but Richard redeemed himself by winning at Polish or Crazy Poker. Kathy got some games out we may play tonight.

Here’s hoping everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be thankful for.

Until next time…

A Beautiful Day But Long Trip

My cousin and I got started at 4:21 am on our trip to my brother’s in GA. We arrived at 1 pm after an uneventful ride. It was a beautiful, sunny day and it didn’t rain a drop. There was very little traffic.

Tonight we’re having pizza and wings and hopefully will get a chance to play cards.

My computer is giving me fits so I’ll sign off til tomorrow.

Until next time…

Early Post and New Quick Dissolve Aspirin

Posting early tonight so I can pack up my computer toniight. I got the oil changed and took my camper to Camping World for the 45-point inspection. I got the following information in an email and thought I should pass it along: This is good info: We did not know that you should NOT lie down while waiting for the EMT Heart attack info NEW ASPIRIN/ Serious stuff, no joke!! Just a reminder to all: purchase a box, keep one in your car, pocketbook, wallet, bedside, etc. IMPORTANT READ...... Something that we can do to help ourselves. Nice to know. Bayer is making crystal aspirin to dissolve under the tongue. They work much faster than the tablets. Why keep aspirin by your bedside? About Heart Attacks There are other symptoms of an heart attack besides the pain on the left arm. One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating, however these symptoms may also occur less frequently. Note: There may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep, did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep. If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water. Afterwards:

CALL 911

- say "heart attack!"
- say that you have taken 2 aspirins..
- phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by
- take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their arrival and...

DO NOT lie down

A Cardiologist has stated that, if each person, after receiving this e-mail, sends it to 10 people, probably one life can be saved!

Leaving early tomorrow morning.

Until next time…

Goodies

Today, in prep for my trip to my brother’s, I made 3 batches of peanut brittle and a bunch of white-chocolate covered pretzels with peanuts and c’raisins. I also nuked some bacon and covered it with some regular chocolate. Of course, in the course of making all of this, I was required to do a lot of tasting. :)

Doing this allowed me to continue to empty my freezer, in this case, of 2 bags of peanuts and 5 packages of almond bark – 4 white chocolate and 1 regular chocolate. I still have about 4 cups of raw peanuts left, but I think I’ll try roasting them in the oven tomorrow, if I get the time. I may try some spices on them – I’ve never done this before, but it shouldn’t be too hard.

I have to take my truck to the Ford dealer at 7:30 tomorrow morning and then my camper to Camping World at 1 p.m. Sometime during the day, I have to do my laundry and pack the truck. Tuesday’s the big day.

I sure am glad I wasn’t planning on flying to my brother’s. Actually, I doubt I will ever fly again – my wings are old and frail.

This new hassle over scanning and pat-downs is a real dilemma for everyone. We, as Americans. have already given up a lot of freedoms in the name of safety. It seems to me the TSA and Homeland Security are about as effective as dogs chasing their tails. Rather than concentrating on the people flying, they seem to spend all of their time on what those passengers might be carrying or hiding on their person. Box cutters to knitting needles to nail clippers to liquids and on and on.

Let’s do some intelligent profiling – not racial or ethnic profiling, but a consideration of who the passenger is. Why treat a senior citizen or small child who has never flown out of the country in the same way as someone who came here from another country or has spent time in countries where people train as terrorists?

I think we need an honest, no-holds-barred debate on what the best measures would be to allow for safe flight and maximum freedom, not a political debate, but a debate on the issues.

Well, I have a book (The Risen) I’d like to finish tonight so I’d better get reading.

Until next time…

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

Last night, I had the privilege of seeing the latest Harry Potter movie. It was awesome! The only objection I have to it is that it ended – there is a second part we now have to wait a year or more to see.

The special effects were awesome, as usual, but even more so. There were places during the movie where I almost jumped out of my seat. There were a lot of funny parts and several very sad parts, so I laughed and I cried and gasped and screamed and cringed and closed my eyes.

Since I didn’t get home until 2:30 am, I didn’t get to sleep until 3:30 – had to wind down from the movie by reading. I’m working on The Risen, a pre-Left Behind series book by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

This morning I took a load of stuff over to Goodwill and have another load nearly ready to go. The worst thing now is making the decisions about what to do with the rest of the stuff I’ve been bypassing as I allotted stuff to keep or to give away. I may have found a home for my nearly 4-foot stuffed barracuda, for which I am grateful – I’d hate to have to throw it away.

Time for dinner then catching up on some of the TV shows I’ve taped.

Until next time…

The Next Three Days and More Packing

This morning, I went to see Dr. Tom and had more acupuncture in my knee as well as a TENS treatment. In fact, I bought a TENS unit from Dr. Tom. It is much better and half the price of the EMS unit I bought on the Internet. I’ll be able to return that unit.  Tonight, I used the TENS unit again. I hope the additional time spent on this will have a curative effect even though it does not make any such promise.

This morning, after more packing, I went to AMC and saw the movie The Next Three Days – another excellent movie starring Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks and a cameo by Liam Neeson. A woman is convicted of murdering her boss. Her husband tries all of the legal routes to free her, but cannot. He finally decides to break her out of prison so they and their 9-year old son can leave the country.

It’s a great movie with several twists, lots of drama and chase scenes – well worth the time and money.

Tonight at 11:30, my friend Karen and I are going to see the new Harry Potter movie. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows was so long and complicated, they had to make two movies from the one book. This is the first of the two. Even though they have already filmed (I think)the second part, it won’t be released for at least a year. I already had a two-hour nap tonight so I should be all ready to stay awake during the 2 hour and 30 minute movie.

Until next time…

Runaway Train

Today, after a morning spent going through my last 3 file drawers and more packing, I went to AMC to see Unstoppable, a movie starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Lawson and Bessy Schram. This movie is spectacular. It’s so exciting that it only seemed about 1/2 hour long, even though it took about an hour and a half.

All of the elements that make up a great movie are here: great plot, great actors, the whole movie is one long chase scene, bravery, human drama – can you tell I can’t say enough good about this movie! If you don’t see another movie this year, see this one.

I’m about half way through Edge of Apocalypse. It’s surprising. If you watch Glenn Beck, you know he has been pointing out “spooky dude” George Soros as a manipulator, marxist and globalist, who has destroyed the currency of 4 nations, including Great Britain, and who is working through all of his various 501c.3. agencies  (The Tides Foundation, Center for American Progress, MoveOn.org, etc.) to destroy the value of our currency.

Over the course of the next year, you will no doubt see tjhe price of food, gas, clothing and other items go up dramatically. If you grocery shop, I’m sure you’ve already noticed a big difference.

Hope all of you are stocking up on food, perhpas try to have at least a year’s food supply on hand. What can you lose? When you buy a can of tuna, buy two and put one aside. After a few months, you’ll be surprised how much you will have. And since prices will be going up, his is like money in the bank.

Sorry, I guess I need to get off my soap box. Of course, I’m the one who never had to buy toilet paper or tuna fish for a whole year after Y2K. :)

Until next time…

A Day in Court

Today, after a great night’s sleep, I did a lot of packing until I had to get ready to take a friend down to the Hillsborough County Courthouse. We got there a little early (well, about 2 1/2 hours early – I guess that doesn’t qualify as “a little”). I wasn’t sure about walking the block from the parking garage to the courthouse, but I was able to with the help of my knee brace and cane.

After the courthouse, we stopped at Mimi’s Cafe for a bite to eat – well, several bites – yum! yum!

After I got home, I just read and watched TV until now. Tomorrow I want to spend the day in my bedroom and my bedroom closet so I can finish up those rooms. So much for good intentions – how about that for pessimism?

I’m currently reading Edge of Apocalypse by Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall. It’s another end of days book, I think, though nothing I’ve read so far seems to indicate that except for the words “End of Days” on the cover. :)

Until next time…

BackUp Camera Successfully Installed – New Runway

After a morning spent packing stuff and dumping junk, I went to Best Buy to have my replacement backup camera installed. Now I should be able to back up my truck to my camper with little problem. Of course, that won’t help when the camper is attached – I seem to remember having a little problem in that arena.

Tonight, my brother-in law Don and sister-in-law Rose sent me pictures of their new driveway. I just had to call them to let them know that it looks like you could land a plane on it. They said it’s about 4 feet wider than their previous one and that they had plenty of room for my camper. Of course, I had to let them know it was a little too cold up there in New York right now.

Here are the pictures they sent:

 

Doesn’t it look like a runway?

I finished More Than A Skeleton, another intriguing, thought-provoking book. Anything I could say about what happens would just destroy the plot if any of you ever decided to read it so I won’t discuss it more than to say it’s a great read.

Until next time…

A Little Too Much

Last night, I slept very well, got up, enjoyed a 30-minute sauna,  showered and got dressed.

Wearing my knee brace, I worked about 3 hours inside, packing up stuff out of drawers and shelves – mostly standing up. The knee was pretty good until I took a break and took off the brace. Yikes! I’m afraid I overdid it.

Tonight, I hope my knee will recuperate so I can get more done tomorrow before taking my truck in to Best Buy to have my replacement back-up camera installed. The fact that the days are winding down is a terrific incentive to get things done.

Have you heard Glenn Beck’s idea about some ways to cut expenses? My favorite is that Congress (now paid a base salary of $174,000) not be paid anymore than the average salary the military receives (ca $22,000). And, get this: they have to use the military’s health care system. Also, federal workers, who now get an average of $75,000 not be paid more than the average citizen (about $50,000). Aren’t these great ideas?

It should be pointed out that Congress receives a bunch of money besides the base salary of $174,000.

And don’t even bring up their outrageous pensions!

Well, I think I’ll hit the hay a little early tonight, but who knows. I finished the book A Skeleton in God’s Closet and have now begun More than A Skeleton. They really make you think and they are hard to put down.

Until next time…

A Good Night’s Sleep and A Quiet Sunday

Last night, I slept the best I have in several days. After I got up, I enjoyed a wonderfully refreshing sauna. My friend Karen had to take some stuff to Goodwill and asked if I had anything to go over there. I had a few boxes, a stand and two boxes of books for her and our friend Linda.

We had a great lunch at Olde Town Pizzeria – can you believe I had the Strawberry Walnut salad again? It was too good to pass up.

The rest of today, I have just been reading A Skeleton in God’s Closet by Paul L. Maier. It’s an exciting, thought-provoking book and I hope to finish it tonight, but probably won’t.

Tomorrow, I’m going to put on my knee brace and hope to finish cleaning out my shed. Most of what’s left will be going to the dumpster. I’ll pile what needs to go there next to the door and take it over on Tuesday.

Well, back to my reading.

Until next time…

A Quiet Saturday

I hope everyone saw the coverage on Jason Dunham, the heroic Marine who threw himself on a grenade to protect the rest of his crew while serving in Iraq. Today, the Navy dedicated the U.S.S. Jason Dunham, a 510-foot Destroyer, in honor of Dunham.

I’m sure you agree with me that there is not enough we can do to show our appreciation to the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way every day so we can be free – not just in military service but those who protect us in other ways. We sure live in a great country.

My plan today was to work in the shed, but after a night where I never slept more than an hour or two at a time – I took several short “naps” during the night, because my knee was giving me fits.

Instead, I spent my day archiving about 20 more CDs to iTunes. I sure hope that is all of them, but until I go through every drawer and shelf, I won’t know.

I also worked on creating the DVDs I promised several people this summer. They contain the photo essays on Alger, Mark and Mom that we played at the memorial service. I should be sending them out soon. Because the pictures of Mark are in a PowerPoint presentation, I think I’ll have to create 2 DVDs for everyone. Actually, I may put Mark’s on a CD – I think the original one I created was on a CD – and I have a lot of blank CDs.

I started a book called A Skeleton in God’s Closet today and look forward to finishing another print book – that much less to carry with me in my camper.

I’ll probably go to bed early and hope to get more sleep tonight than last night.

Until next time…

Dr. Tom and Due Date

This morning, I went to see Dr. Tom and my knee feels bette, but it usually does after I get a treatment. He didn’t do any acupuncture this time – I guess it’s easy to bruise the tissue if it is done too often.

On the way hone I stopped at Walmart and picked up a few groceries then took them home and put them away.

(Are you as bored reading this step by step through my boring day as I was doing it?)

Since I got to the chiropractors by 7 am, it was only a little after 8:30 when I got home, even with my stop at Walmart. I decided I had time to go to the movies.

Due Date is a funny movie, but it relies on some pretty stupid  and occasionally gross humor. Pratfalls, car chases, car wrecks and other such nonsense follow these two guys across country. My chief reason for going to see if is that Robert Downey, Jr. is a terrific actor. His character is trying to get from Atlanta to L.A. in time to be with his pregnant wife before she has her baby. He gets put on the no-fly list because of an encounter with the character played by Zack Galifianakis. the two then start across country in a car.

I plan to just goof off tonight and then tomorrow make a stab at emptying my shed, either packing it up for Goodwill or throwing it away. I wonder if the dumpster will have enough room. Most of the stuff has been out there for the whole time I’ve lived here without even being touched or looked at. We’ll see how it goes.

Until next time…

Veterans’ Day and Lunch with Esther

I hope everyone gets a chance to watch the moving and inspiring video found at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=KTb6qdPu8JE

We should all try to remember that freedom is not free and we have all enjoyed ours because of the sacrifice of those brave men and women who have fought in our place.

I got a lot of packing done today, including two boxes of books I took over to Esther when I met her for lunch. She is going to look through them to see if there is anything she would like to read and then give them to her church’s library.

She had a busy day, taking her son (my nephew) Steven to the airport so he could catch a plane to CUBA – yep, he’s going to Guantanamo with his band (Rubix Cubed). You can check out the band at:

http://www.rubixcubedband.com/fr_splash.cfm

This is the second year in a row the band has been privileged to go to Gitmo. The band is terrific. If you ever get a chance, go see them You won’t regret it.

After Esther dropped Steven at the airport, she went up to the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell for the ceremony there. Her husband David and our sister-in-law Fumiko (Jay’s wife) are both interred there.

We had a great lunch at Mimi’s Cafe. I had the Strawberry Walnut salad and Esther had the Quiche Lorraine. Not to put down Mim'i’s, although the salad was great, I think the Strawberry Walnut salad at Olde Town Pizzeria is better. Of course, I’ll have to go back there to verify that. :)

I’m currently reading Revelation Unveiled by Tim LaHaye, one of the authors of the Left Behind series. It’s a commentary on the book of Revelation. It really spells out what it means, but requires a lot more concentration.

Tomorrow, it’s the chiropractor and then more packing.

Until next time…

The Glorious Appearing – Maranatha – Even So, Come, Lord Jesus!!

At 6:15 this evening I finally finished the 12-book Left Behind series, The Glorious Appearing. I’ll be taking them with me at Thanksgiving time so my brother Ray can start making his way through them. What an awesome bunch of books!

This morning, I decided to go to AMC to see Morning Glory starring Dianne Keaton, Harrison Ford, and Rachel McAdams. Local boy Patrick Wilson, son of channel 13 newsman John Wilson, also played a prominent part in the film. It was extremely entertaining though it did have some bad language here and there.

I got a call from my cousin Ethelyn. Her grandson J.F. Woodard was featured in the Batavia newspaper. He has a pretty important job at Cape Canaveral. You can see the article at:

http://thedailynewsonline.com/lifestyles/article_5202e037-22ad-549a-a031-3c6a6d55821b.html

Isn’t he a handsome fellow? He and his wife Jolie are expecting their first child.

Tomorrow, since I don’t have any more Left Behind books to read, I will start some serious packing and discarding. Only a few more weeks to go.

I may have mentioned that I intend to spend my first two weeks or so on the road in the Sarasota area. If anyone has any ideas about interesting things to do and/or see there or within 50-75 miles of there, please let me know. No, there being a Pontillo’s Pizza there is not the only reason I want to stay there. Well, maybe it is. After Sarasota, it’s probably on to the Fort Myers/Sanibel Island area.

Until next time…

The Glorious Appearing

Well, I finally am reading the last book in the Left Behind series called The Glorious Appearing. I finished Armageddon this morning, then did some packing and organizing. What a marvelous series of books, jammed pack full of references to the End Times. I would guess that about 25% of the books are right out of or quotes directly from Scriptures and never did these Scriptures makes so much sense.

My cousin Richard came over this morning and we spent some time talking and then – one of our favorite pastimes – eating. We once again visited Olde Town Pizza in Plant City where we both had the Strawberry Walnut Salad and Their simply scrumptions Corn Fritters. See the following for more info:

http://www.oldetownpizzeria.com/

I was so glad that it’s a bit warmer today – it was up in the 70’s. And there’s a veritable heat wave here in the house – yep, 73 degrees right now.

Tomorrow, I think I’ll go to the movies and then Best Buy to have my replacement back-up camera installed. The original got all foggy and made it impossible to see what was behind me.

Two weeks from today, my cousin and I will head for my brother Jeff’s for Thanksgiving. It’s going to be great to see everyone, but I imagine it will be a little tough too. This will be our first year without my mother for Thanksgiving. Actually, there are three very important people who are no longer with us: Mark, my sister-in-law’s father Bill, and now Mom. But, I know we’ll have a great time.

I hope everyone got to watch Glenn Beck today exposing George Soros, the Puppet Master. There is a lot of evidence that he has been instrumental in the collapse of several currencies and is working to help collapse ours. All of this is because he wants a global government, something I think is a VERY BAD IDEA.

Well, tonight is NCIS, NCIS-LA, and Parenthood, but I may decide to read instead and then watch them on my DVR with NO commercials.

Until next time…

Alzheimer’s, George Soros, The Remnant and Armageddon

Prevent Alzheimer’s

I read a report today that says people who smoke double their risk of Alzheimer’s. What an incentive to quit or, better yet, never start!

George Soros = Spooky Dude

I put the following message on my Facebook page today:

Hoping all of my friends will watch live or tape tomorrow's Glenn Beck program on Fox News Channel at 5 pm. He will be exposing "spooky dude" George Soros and his plans for this country and the world. This may give you a lot of insight into why our country has changed so much in the last several years.

The Remnant and Armageddon

Last night, I finished the tenth book (The Remnant) and started the eleventh (Armageddon). I expect to finish it tonight before going to sleep. The last book is called The Glorious Appearing. What will I do with myself after that?

It just occurred to me today that in two weeks, I’ll be going to Jeff’s for Thanksgiving. In a couple of weeks after that, I have to be done cleaning out my house and shed. Yikes! Good thing there weren’t any more books in that series or I would never get done.

Until next time…

Desecration and The Remnant

Last night, or should I say early this morning (about 2 am), I finished the 9th Left Behind book called Desecration and started the 10th, The Remnant. It’s hard to put these books down. For example, at the end of Desecration, 2 bombs and a missile are dropped on the believers in Petra. The book ended with no indication about what happened to the millions of believers there.

Even though ti was already 2 am, I had to start The Remnant so I could find out what happened. I won’t spoil it for you.

Once again, we had a very cold night – it was 43 outside when I got up about 5:30. The temp inside (55) wasn’t much better, but I can’t see much point in having the heat on unless there’s danger of freezing. A nice warm shirt, a pair of long pants allow me to be comfortable, especially if I cover up with a lap robe or blanket. And a bonus: it’s conducive to reading and napping. Other than picking up a few groceries, that’s pretty much all I did today.

I had to start my cmoputer backup for the third time. Instead of an incremental backup, which I think was causing the problems, I decided to just do another full backup.

Well, I have two more books to go in the Left Behind series and can’t imagine why I wouldn’t finish them in time to take them up to my brother’s for Thanksgiving. As it looks now, I probably won’t get much else done until they have been read.

Until next time…

Brrrrr!

If you have been watching the weather today, you know it’s been cold here in Florida. When I woke at 5:30 this morning, the temp outside was 48; inside was 60. Even though I slept through the night, I went back to bed and slept until 8:30.

I spent most of the day just reading. I finished The 8th book in the Left Behind series (The Mark) and started the 9th (The Desecration). After I finish The Desecration, there are only three more books in the series to read.

Despite wearing long pants, which I rarely do, and a long-sleeved denim/flannel shirt, even more rare, I spent the day wrapped in a blanket reading and catching up on watching TV programs I had DVRed.

Tonight and tomorrow are supposed to be cold again, but then the weather will warm up. I’m sure looking forward to that.

How great that the brunt of Hurricane Tomas bypassed Haiti! Please keep these poor people and that poor country in your prayers. Can you imagine those in tents who refused to leave even though a hurricane was coming? Of course, where would they go? May God bless that island and its people.

Until next time…

More Acupuncture, MegaMind, etc.

This morning, I visited the chiropractor where he did more acupuncture on my knee. Amazing how much better my knee is today, but some of that may be due to the fact that I wore my new walking shoes all day.

After my appointment, I drove to AMC in Brandon to watch the IMAX 3-D version of MegaMind. It is the first IMAX 3-D movie I’ve seen in the Brandon theater. The movie was great – Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill and David Cross were the voices of the main characters, while Ben Stiller and J.K. Simmons played some of the more minor characters.

While the movie was really good – great story line and characters, I must say I’ll never pay the price to see a movie in IMAX 3-D again. What a waste of money. The normal price of a movie played before noon is now $6. This one, scheduled for 9 am, was $12. I don’t really care for 3-D most of the time and I didn’t see the point of the IMAX – I guess it’s something to do with the sound – the screen seems the same.

After the movie, I came home and finished up my scanning – I had a few documents and pictures ot scan, then started an incremental backup of my computer. I expect it might finish by Sunday night.

This afternoon, I finished the seventh Left Behind book (The In-Dwelling) and started the eight (The Mark). In fact, since it’s after 9 pm, I think I’ll try to get a good ways into it tonight. Since it’s only 50 outside and barely 70 inside, it’s a terrific night to crawl under the covers and read. On the other hand, I may just go right to sleep.

Until next time…

Scanning, Packing, Organizing and The In-Dwelling

I just finished scanning the negatives I recently found, but I still have some printed stuff to scan, including some pictures and documents. I am, however, going to stop scanning for the night. It gets a little tedious.

While scanning today, I did some more packing and organizing and reading. I also took 7 bags of stuff I threw out to the dumpster. Who would believe I had so much junk!

This morning I finished reading Assassins, so I am now half way through the series – only 6 more books to go. I’ve started The In-Dwelling. It’s 388 pages and I’m on page 96. I think The seventh book (The In-Dwelling) is the last one I read back when I was reading them as they came out. The rest should all be new to me.

People who haven’t read The In-Dwelling might think it refers to the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit by Christians. In fact, it refers to the in-dwelling of the Antichrist by Satan. Talk about evil personified.

About 3:00 this morning, I was awakened by very heavy, very loud rainfall. It has been raining most of the day, but not too heavy most of the time. Temps today were in the low 70’s. The next two days it’s supposed to be cold, i.e., in the high 60’s. I’m looking forward to it.

Well, back to reading. Maybe I’ll finish my book before I go to sleep, but probably not.

Until next time.

Elections, Conviction and Assassins

Elections

Are you as glad as I that the elections are over?

Of course, now starts the election season for the 2012 Presidential election. Almost everyone I wanted to win won. Let’s just hope that those elected remember the promise made. This country is in need of less government, a return to common sense and the Constitution, and a balanced budget. Need I go on?

I supported Rick Scott for Governor here in Florida and most emphatically did not want to see Alex Sink our next governor. Rick Scott won, but I’ve got to admit I was very impressed by Alex Sink’s prompt concession even though there were only a few thousand votes between the two of them. She certainly acted more honorably that I expected and much more so than some Republicans I could mention, e.g. Charlie Crist, Lisa Murkowski and Mike Castle. I didn’t expect this after Sink cheated during the last debate and then lied about it, but go figure.

Conviction

This morning, I went to the AMC and saw the movie Conviction starring Hillary Swank. What a great movie. It’s based on a true story about the close bonds between a brother and sister.

The brother is accused and convicted of murdering someone. The sister believes he didn’t do it, but can’t get anyone to help her prove it. She finally decides to become a lawyer so she can re-open the case and prove him not guilty. To do this, she has put her life on hold and get her G.E.D., her B.A. and pass the bar. This process takes her 16 years.

I won’t spoil the ending, but this is a great movie. If you get a chance, be sure to see it.

Assassins

I spent most of the afternoon scanning and reading. I don’t think I’ll ever get done.

I did finish the 5th Left Behind book last night since I couldn’t sleep anyway. Today, while scanning, I started the 6th book, Assassins. I can’t believe how well Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins can weave together and bring to life the events that occur during the Rapture and the Seven Year Tribulation that follows. I’m sure glad I now have all of the books in the series since I wouldn’t want to have to wait from one book to the next.

Until next time…

Lunch with Joan, More Scanning & Apollyon

Today, after dropping off two boxes of books for a lady at the Apostles Lutheran Church, my friend Joan and I met at Longhorn Steakhouse for lunch. I had spent the morning scanning some more color negatives. I can’t believe how well this scanner handles them and, since the actual scanning of 10 negatives at a time talkes quite a while, I got a lot of reading done as well.

Yesterday, before going to sleep, I finished the 4th Left Behind book, Soul Harvest. Today, I’ve been reading the 5th, Apollyon. Since it is almost 400 pages, I don’t think I’ll get it finished tonight. It’s strange but each book seems to get better than the last. And, they really make you think about what the Tribulation period will be like for those left behind.

Re: the Election: I have stayed up long enough to know that Alan Grayson from Florida has lost. In fact, he got trounced. Allen West also won – he seems like a good guy. Marco Rubio will be our next Senator. Now, if Alex Sink, Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer and Jerry Brown get beaten, I’ll be walking on air.

Time to go to bed and read for a few minutes.

Until next time…

More Scanning, More Packing, and Soul Harvest

Are you as happy as I that the election will be over (at least for the most part) tomorrow? If I have to listen to or watch another ad blasting one candidate or another, I think I might scream so loud you’ll be able to hear me.

Hope you all have voted or will be voting tomorrow.

Today, I did a lot more scanning, a lot more packing and have read almost 2/3 of the fourth Left Behind book, Soul Harvest.

One of the items I scanned today was a 64-page booklet I had titled The Great Flood of ‘72, produced by the Star-Gazette (Elmira’s hometown newspaper) shortly after Hurricane Agnes devastated the area. It brought back a lot of memories. I had

I packed two boxes full of Precepts Ministries Study Guides and Kay Arthur books for a lady from Valrico. I’ll be dropping them off at Apostles Lutheran sometime tomorrow.

I can’t seem to put down the Left Behind series. My brother Ray wants to read them next. He had read a couple, but since he’s retired, it shouldn’t take him long to make his way through them.

He didn’t think I’d be done with the twelve books by Thanksgiving, but at the rate I’m going, it will not be a problem. I seem to read one every day and a half. Since that’s 2 every 3 days, and I have 8 more to go, I should be done by 11/13 or 11/14, well before Thanksgiving. I’ll probably read a lot more of Soul Harvest tonight and may even finish it before I go to sleep – that would indeed be an accelerated rate.

By the way, have any of you been watching the new Sherlock series on PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery. In this version, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson live in the current time. Dr. Watson is a veteran of the Afghanistan war. I have loved Sherlock Holmes stories since I read A Study in Scarlet before I was in high school My mom had the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes and I read them all before I left high school. I can’t think of any Sherlock Holmes movie or TV show that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. This series is no exception. The stories aren’t written by Conan Doyle, but they are very similar, though this Sherlock may be a little darker than Doyle’s if that is possible.

Well, off to my reading.

Wuntil next time…