CALLING DR HOWARD, DR FINE, DR HOWARD...

Coffee With The Hermit had a great post today. I know it is true, I have an English friend, Barb, she's been over here for probably 40 years, but, still goes home as often as she can to brush up on her accent, anyhow, she tells me all the horror stories her two sisters and their families are going through. She once told me that if you needed surgery, you're put on a list, and, when it is your day to go and they have an emergency at that time, then you are dropped down to the bottom of the list, starting all over again. They fooled around with her brother-in-law for a year, treating him with anti-biotics and now he's been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. We better hope and pray that Bam-Bam doesn't get a health care package like England's, or even Canada's, pushed through CONgress. We'd be better off going to the local Vet.

On a lighter note...........
Went over to Daddy's today, he finally got his cat buried back in the woods. He's been cleaning up his wood shop where she always lived. The table saw was really rusty and he couldn't get the plate off of the top. Soaked both screws, and, finally he rigged up a chain and piece of lumber so I could get some pressure on the screw driver, he used a pair of vice grips on the screwdriver and one screw came out. The other one's head had to be chiseled off, then the plate came off. He then used the vice grips and slowly backed the screw, or what was left of it, out of the hole. We must've worked 2 hours on that bugger. But, it's like he once said..............

DODGED THE SNOW BULLET

I didn't have to take Lois in to the doctors to get her staples out. Since her hubby's work place is farther east, they got a lot more snow on Thursday and they called him and told him not to come in so he took her. We still met for supper, along with Artie (sans hubby Ross who was truckin' a load north),Bob and Judy. We sat there for 3 hours telling jokes and stories. I've not laughed that hard in quite a long time. Sure felt good. Coming home was a bit dicey. The snow wasn't so bad but the wind was wild. Some of the roads were starting to drift and some were icing over. Nasty wind blew all night and most of today. Not much additional snow. Lot of accidents on the scanner. The one ambulance call had to have the snow plow in front of them all the way to the by-pass. Suppose to be the 'granddaddy' of all snowstorms coming this way on March 7th. It seems all I've been blogging about is the snow. On a different note.........
I am still working on the living room, have discovered a lot of cracks in the plaster walls. The house always has moved about a bit, 'cause a couple of the doors stick now and then. But, in 1999, we put a new front porch on. It sat on four pillars and we tore them out and put up a solid concrete block wall. Then the addition went on the south side in 2001. I'm thinking now the house can't move as much so something's gotta give. I was sorta hoping to get snowed in again so I could work on that room, but then its so cold in there its almost impossible to do anything. I need to get this other wall done so I can get my piles of books off of the floor and back in the bookcase, then I can fire up the other woodstove.
A friend of mine sent me a neat but scary web site....vpike.com Check it out.

BE THANKFUL FOR EVERY DAY...

I might have jumped the gun about this computer, the more I use it the more I like it.

I told my friend Lois that I'd take her tomorrow to get the bazzillion staples out where they put in the pacemaker. I swear, I didn't have that many when I had my hissy back in '87. Now they are saying more snow is coming, could be another foot of the heavy, wet stuff, with a lot of wind this time. It's suppose to start after midnight and her appointment is 9am. I told her when she called me tonight that I would still take her, I got new tires before Christmas. But, she had better call and make sure they are open. She said we'll make up our minds in the morning. She doesn't want anything to happen to my truck.

We had another house fire in the area on Monday. Thats 2 in 2 weeks. I think the first one is suspicious 'cause the house was under construction and was empty. The second one is being called accidental and the firemen found the 57 year old womans body in the basement where the fire started. It was her parents farm, a brick house, probably 200 years old, with a slate roof that kept the smoke, heat and flames inside. Last year there was another house fire where a 90 some year old woman died. That house was so full of clutter, she couldn't get the door open to get out. A fireman broke it down and she collapsed in his arms. Such a shame.

GRRRRRRR I HATE COMPUTERS!

I bought this DELL laptop last Thursday at Walmart. I figured it doesn't matter where you buy them anymore, if something goes wrong, you have to send them back to the company. I don't really like going to Walmart, especially this one, there are 90% Spanish employees and customers there. Now, I have absolutly nothing against Spanish people. Especially if they have a job. But I can't understand them too well, and they talked so fast and SO loud, its annoying.
Anyhow, this thing is a POS compared to my HP. I called DELL this morning and after 45 minutes on the phone with Habeeb, he decides it is not a hardware problem and sends me over to the software techy, Nitish. He tells me I will need to buy a contract for $129. I went balistic. Ended up telling him, 'I'll fix it myself and sell it and buy another HP. Then tell everyone NOT TO BUY A DELL.' To wish he replies, "You would probably have to run the Operating System Disc again to do that." Poor guy was telling me how to fix it. I feel bad for yelling at him now. Anyhow, I uninstalled one of 3 pieces of software, and now, (fingers crossed) it doesn't seem to have a problem.
It has started to rain here now. I think I'd rather see snow, I went out to the barn to make sure the chain saw and other stuff was up off of the floor in case it floods. Getting to the barn is now an adventure, 'cause the snow fell off of the roof and there are ice chunks at the door. Fell on my butt and heard a crack in my back. Of course I fell on my already sore hip. That was yesterday, today I feel better. Took an extra pill last night. If I don't take at least one Naproxen a day, I rust up.

SHOULD CHRISTIANS RESPECT OBAMA?

Dr. David Barton is more of a historian than a Biblical speaker, but very famous for his knowledge of historical facts as well as Biblical truths.

Respect the Office? YES.
Respect the Man in the Office? NO, I am sorry to say.

I have noted that many elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, called upon America to unite behind Obama.
Well, I want to make it clear to all who will listen that I AM NOT uniting behind Obama !

I will respect the Office which he holds, and I will acknowledge his abilities as an orator and wordsmith and pray for him, BUT, that is it.

I have begun today to see what I can do to make sure that he is a one-term President !

Why am I doing this ? It is because:
- I do not share Obama's vision or value system for America ;
- I do not share his Abortion beliefs;
- I do not share his radical Marxist's concept of re-distributing wealth;
- I do not share his stated views on raising taxes on those who make $150,000+
(the ceiling has been changed three times since August);
- I do not share his view that America is Arrogant;
- I do not share his view that America is not a Christian Nation;
- I do not share his view that the military should be reduced by 25%;
- I do not share his view of amnesty and giving more to illegals than our American Citizens who need help;
- I do not share his views on homosexuality and his definition of marriage;
- I do not share his views that Radical Islam is our friend and Israel is our enemy who should give up any land;
- I do not share his spiritual beliefs (at least the ones he has made public);
- I do not share his beliefs on how to re-work the healthcare system in America;
- I do not share his Strategic views of the Middle East ; and
- I certainly do not share his plan to sit down with terrorist regimes such as Iran.

Bottom line:
My America is vastly different from Obama's, and I have a higher obligation to my Country and my GOD to do what is Right ! For eight (8) years, the Liberals in our Society, led by numerous entertainers who would have no platform and no real credibility but for their celebrity status, have attacked President Bush, his family, and his spiritual beliefs !

They have not moved toward the center in their beliefs and their philosophies.

They never came together nor compromised their personal beliefs for the betterment of our Country !
They have portrayed my America as a land where everything is tolerated except being intolerant !
They have been a vocal and irreverent minority for years !
They have mocked and attacked the very core values so important to the founding and growth of our Country !
They have made every effort to remove the name of GOD or Jesus Christ from our Society !
They have challenged capital punishment, the right to bear firearms, and the most basic principles of our criminal code !
They have attacked one of the most fundamental of all Freedoms, the right of free speech !

Unite behind Obama? Never ! ! !

I am sure many of you who read this think that I am going overboard, but I refuse to retreat one more inch in favor of those whom I believe are the embodiment of Evil!
PRESIDENT BUSH made many mistakes during his Presidency, and I am not sure how history will judge him.

However, I believe that he weighed his decisions in light of the long established Judeo-Christian principles ofourFoundingFathers!!!
Majority rules in America , and I will honor the concept; however, I will fight with all of my power to be a voice in opposition to Obama and his "goals for America ."
I am going to be a thorn in the side of those who, if left unchecked, will destroy our Country ! !

Any more compromise is more defeat !
I pray that the results of this election will wake up many who have sat on the sidelines and allowed the Socialist-Marxist anti-GOD crowd to slowly change so much of what has been good in America !
"Error of Opinion may be tolerated where Reason is left free to combat it." - Thomas Jefferson
GOD bless you and GOD bless our Country ! ! !
(Please, please, please, pass this on if you agree.)
Thanks for your time, be safe. "In GOD We Trust"


"If we ever forget that we're one nation under GOD, then we will be a nation gone under." - Ronald Reagan


I WANT THE AMERICA BACK I GREW UP IN .... In GOD We Trust........

BREAKFAST WITH DADDY

Had breakfast with Daddy and his lady friend, Miss Sarah, this morning over at the fire hall. Every third Saturday, our Fire Department does a breakfast. On any Saturday around these counties, you can have breakfast at a fire hall. They all do it. It is a nice money maker for the fire department, the food is good and hot and you get to sit and talk with friends or strangers and make new friends. Every one was glad to get out after being stuck at home with all the snow the past couple of weeks.
Caught hell when I got home, the dogs don't like it when I leave them. Worked some more on the living room. It's been a slow process, but I think I'll get one wall done and it's the worse one due to all the repair. I should be able to move along faster now. Then I guess its the kitchen. Leaving the worse rooms for last.
Can't wait for spring and tear out those steps and put in a new entry. I think I'll get the Amish neighbor down the road to fix the barn and then get someone to paint it. The husband of a lady I worked with is a painter and they are really having a hard time. Think I'll hire him to paint it and help them out. I don't need to be falling off a ladder. Then I REALLY need to get stone for this driveway. On and on and on.......

NEW 'PUTER

'Puter was acting goofy the last two days. First the keyboard froze so I shut it down and rebooted. It was fine for a day, then, this morning, when I typed IT WAS ALL CAPS BUT THE CAPS LOCK WASN'T ON. I think it was dropping hints, so, I went out and bought a new lap top this evening before I met the gang for supper. Again, I hated to spend the money, but I would go nuts, living here without a computer. My tax refund will cover it, just like buying that little sampler....I stopped the trash pick up which was costing me $38 every two months. I can take a bag to the trash truck in the village for $2. In two years I will recoup the money for the sampler. Life is becoming a give and take scenerio. Sold a holster this week also. This summer I'm taking stuff up to a open-air flea market and selling as much as I can. All that will go into more preps. It's hard not to spend money like I did when I was working. But, those big bucks are no more. Good thing I can live cheap.

THE DAY THE DOLLAR DIED

Just found this blovel, it is really thought provoking. Check it out.

http://johngaltfla.com/blog3/2009/11/18/the-day-the-dollar-died/

MOMMA WOULD BE SO PROUD...

Went to an auction yesterday. My friend Sarah had spied a sampler with my G.G.G.Grandmother's name on it. Neither of us have ever been to this auction house before but it was pretty nice, everything ran like clock work. There were some bargains to be had, Sarah got two little bowls for $20 and I got a different looking crock for $20. The sampler was a different story and being my mother's daughter (she always said...Never let the other guy get it for a dollar) I brought it home. Well, not yet, I dropped it off at the framers. It needed to be framed properly with acid-free paper and UV glass and all that stuff. When all is done, the little sampler set me back $400, but OMG, it's 157 years old with the family name on it. Couldn't pass that up. I don't think it was G.G.G.Grandmother tho, my G.G.Grandmother was her name sake, but I don't think it was her either. There was a granddaughter with the same name who was born in 1853 and I think it was her sampler. Anyhow, it stayed in the family.
My friend Lois called me last night, they did a heart cath and everything was OK so they went ahead and put in the pacemaker. She said she'd be coming home today. Glad thats over.

DO EVENTS ALWAYS HAPPEN IN THREES?

Finally got out today, had lunch with Lois. Yes, I got my catfish. We said our goodbyes and she was going to the heart doctor. Picked up a few things, got home and the phone rang, it was Lois' husband, "Whatta doing?" 'Nothing' "Want to ride up with me and bring Lois' Buick back? They're admitting her." 'Sure' She is getting a pacemaker put in on Monday. Her brother just got over a stroke last week and their father died last month. What's that about stuff happening in threes? Other than that adventure, it was an uneventful day. I have finally admitted to myself that I really do need to be around people. If I stay home for days at a time, I get depressed. I use to love to be home but the difference was, I was still working the rest of the time.

TIRED, BUT SHOVELED OUT or TIRED OF SHOVELING OUT, can't decide.

Not much to say tonight, very tired. Shoveled out but still snowed in. Missed going out to supper tonight for my catfish. I'll go tomorrow night if the township gets down this road. Just talked to my friend Lois, the lady up her street was shoveling, because her husband got snowed in at work,and she dropped dead with a heart attack. I don't know how old she was, but I saw her once and I don't think she was out of her 60's. Maybe she had a heart condition and wasn't aware of it. Too bad, I feel sorry for her hubby, he'll carry the guilt. I finally got the satellite signal back and the weather channel says we are to get more on Saturday plus snow showers thru Tuesday. Al Gore is full of crap, but then we all know that.


Addendum
Three snow plows just got thru, the first one was taking care of the drifts, the second one plowed my drive way in again, while I was out there taking care of that, the third one stopped and warned me about the roads and told me there are two tractor trailers are stuck up at the power station where the banks are high. I hope I can get to town for my catfish tomorrow.

MORE 'GOREBAL' WARMING, EH?

H&R Block called me yesterday, "Would you like to move your appointment up to today?" 'Works for me.' Woo-Hoo, got a refund, life is good, maybe a new computer!!! This one is starting to act tired. I was sort of concerned since I had so much going on with 4 months salary, unemployment then social security. But, it all worked out. On the way home, about 4:30, I ran into snow. Was up at 5:30 this morning to take the dogs out and had about 6 inches on the ground. Just out again and shoveled a path to the bird feeders, I'm guessing there's around 8 or 9 inches. Not snowing now, but the worse wind and snow is coming after lunch.

Lost the satellite signal a while ago. Two power company trucks just went by, they are probably anticipating outages. Everyone is talking about what a blizzard this is and no one is mentioning the one we had in '58. Maybe everybody at the Weather Channel isn't old enuf to remember that one. It dumped 44" in one storm.

It's now 12:30 and the wind is howling, we are in white-out conditions. The poor birds can hardly fly. I put a bunch of black oil sunflower seeds and fine cracked corn down on the ground 'cause the one feeder is getting empty and I can't get to it thru 4' of snow drifts. But, it looks like I had better go out again. I'm seeing a lot of tail feathers and butt holes as they try to dig down to the seeds.

It's about 4, went out and shoveled to the poor bird feed again. The snow has drifted into my wood shed. I think the stuff up on top should be OK. It will take me all day to shovel to the shed. I can hardly see the truck, forget about the car. I never swept it off from the last snow. I'll be busy for the rest of the week. I hope the wind dies down tomorrow. I probably have 4' of snow on the ground with drifts up to 6' or more.

THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM.

Had the truck hauled up to the garage this morning. I told them, "Look, put the old battery cable end back on. This didn't all start until you guys messed with that." So the mechanic must've finally checked it out and discovered that was the root of the problem and he fixed it. When the service tech came to me, he said, 'We'll take care of the tow bills.' I said, "Fine, but I most likely didn't need that new starter either." He said he couldn't do anything about that. I told him to find someone who could. To which he replied, 'And who might that be?' To which I said, "That's not my problem, I would hazard a guess and say some one higher than you." So, I talked to his boss, the service manager, who told me 'We'll take care of the tow bills.' "OK, but I probably didn't need the starter." 'Well, the truck has 174K miles on it so you probably will need a new starter.' "Look, I didn't put new front brakes on it until 101K miles. I get 60K miles out of the tires. Put the old starter back on and refund my money." He says, 'I can do that, but you must then give us a chance to put a new starter on when this one dies.' (WT?) I tell him, "I can't guarantee that." Anyhow, ended up they are paying the two tow bills, I keep the new starter for free. I think he was concerned they were losing my business. Guess what, he was right!

LISTEN TO YOUR SPIRIT

Snowed for about 24 hours. Got about 2 feet with drifts up to 4 or 5 feet. I went out and took a couple of pictures and wanted to sweep off the porch. Should have laid the camera down, something told me to lay the camera down, did I lay the camera down? NO, dropped it instead. Now it doesn't work.
Went out this afternoon and shoveled the walk to the driveway to get to the truck. Swept off the truck, and got in to warm it up. IT WOULD NOT START,again. Same thing. There has to be something else going on. The scary part is I had a feeling it wouldn't start. I just sat there and laughed.
I shoveled the driveway out, took about 2 hours. Guess I'll be calling the roll back guy again Monday morning and going back up to the garage. They told me they also took off a ground strap that was hanging down because the end had rusted away. I wonder if that has anything to do with all of this crap. Any mechanics out there?
I think I'll just sit here tomorrow, watch the Super Bowl and feel sorry for myself. Then, Monday morning, start all over again.

MURPHY'S LAW

Had a lot to do today before the storm got here. Took the truck in for service, it also needed a bulb in the tag light and a new end on the hot battery cable. Fine, fix it. Good old PM (Preventive Maintenance), something I am a BIG fan of. Left the garage, went to the hardware store, the convenience store for the milk (no way I was fighting the big grocery stores)went to the bank and then two stores before I found the correct ice melt (its called Safe Paws, for people with pets). Doing great on the time, not even noon, yet. Stopped at the PO to get the mail. Got back in the truck....IT WOULDN'T START!!!!! Called the garage, "Well, all we did was L.O.F." 'No, you also messed with the battery cable.' (It wasn't lose, I checked) Called the roll back guy. "Sure thing, I'll send someone up" An hour later I called him back....'You DO know where the Post Office is, don't you?' "Oh, I called over there and didn't get an answer, then I forgot. I am SO sorry!, I'll send him right away." Half an hour later he shows up all apologetic. He loads up the truck, we get to the garage, unload it. Ten minutes later the mechanic tells me...you need a new starter. They get one sent down from the city, put it on and after four starts, IT dies. GRRRRR. They decided instead of having a crazed, old, white woman walking around, that they would loan me a vehicle. It was a 2002 Chevy 3/4 truck, that was without running boards. I could hardly get my fat a$$ in it. Got to dad's, he was sitting in the kitchen by the phone. "I called you this morning, Tipper died." That's his 16 year old cat. I sure hope he wasn't sitting there all day. He could've called me on my cell phone!!! Got home, brought more wood in. Started the stove again, then went back up to the garage and picked up the truck. I still believe in PM, there was no way I could have known that starter was about to die. With 174K miles on the truck, think how many times it has turned over. What a day.

QUICK, TO THE STORE !!!!!!!!!

Not much to say tonight. Had dinner with friends, was going to stop at the store but Dad said you have to wait for someone to pull out in order to get a parking space. I guess this coming blizzard has everyone in a panic. Could be any where from 10" to 2 feet. Will get the truck serviced tomorrow morning, stop at the store for milk, and, yes, I really am out of milk. I'm a prepper, I don't panic-buy. Need to get more fire wood in and then all I have to do is wait for it to hit. I'll probably get more painting done on the living room.
I see the stock market took a tumble. I'm glad I took everything out last January and put it in the bank where its nice and safe. LOL.

TIME

I had an appointment to get the little guy, Archie, groomed this afternoon. When I got in the truck to go to Dad's, I noticed it was due for service. I figured I would have enuf time to get the truck done and still make the groomers. So, left Dads and went to the dealer hoping they could do it right away. They have not been busy at all this winter. Not so, have to take it in Friday. Well, now I've got an hour to kill 'cause I'm not driving back home and 1/2 hour later, driving back to the groomers (she is just down the road from the dealer). So, went to see a couple of friends at their work. "T" invited me for supper with her guy "P". Another friend, "JP" was meeting them at the Italian restaurant at 6. It was tempting, but I felt I wouldn't have enuf time. Took a rain check. I love to eat out. Especially with friends. Good food, good conversation, lots of laughs, doesn't get any better than that.

POOR, POOR, PITIFUL ME

More snow in the forecast starting late this afternoon and ending tomorrow morning. They're only calling for a couple of inches. Then another one on Friday, into Saturday and that one could be a major blizzard. I use to LOVE snow. Getting snowed in for a couple of days, losing electric, cooking on the wood stove. But, now that I'm retired and don't have to go anywhere, it doesn't mean the same. It's like when you weren't yet 21 but you'd go out drinking with your friends. After you turned 21, it wasn't as much fun. At least, it seemed that way to me. Also, I have no one to share the snow storm with, sounds pitiful doesn't it. Its just a different way of life now. Some things are hard getting use to.

RELATIONS

My mom was born and raised in West Virginia. She met my dad when she came up north to work in an ammunitions plant in Maryland in 1942. She had been married and had two kids, had no intention of ever getting married again. Dad must've caught her at a weak moment. I never really have been close to my older half-brother, his wife saw to that. But my half-sister and I got closer as we got older. They were raised in West Virginia by my grandparents until they became unruly teenagers. Then they were sent up to Pennsylvania to us. That flopped and the two of them went to Maryland to live with their father. My sis died in 2005, brother is alive, living in Delaware somewhere. My brother-in-law called me this afternoon and told me my mother's baby sister's husband passed away, and, three days later, my mother's other sister passed. So now, out of twelve children, there's only one left. I called her and gave her my condolences, she sounds the way she always has. I haven't been south since 1976. There were 37 grandchildren and I was the only Yankee. Those family reunions were not much fun for me.

I went to look at another dog today. The lady told my friend Bob that she had to find a home for her because she didn't get along with their Chow-mix dog. They had found her at a fruit stand outside of town around Christmas and after much inquiry, nobody claimed her. She was an adorable terrier mix. I went to pet her and she snapped at me. The lady said, 'Oh, yes, she will do that, but, she has never broken the skin.' She and our other dog get to playing and she'll get all hyper'
I didn't take the dog, but I had a brain fart on the way home and remembered the first comment about not getting along with her other dog but now they are playing? My gut was right again. Something didn't feel right, plus they had given her a name, so I think she didn't really want to part with her.