Halloween Thoughts

Shortly after school started I walked into a local discount store and saw that the Halloween displays were being put in place. It wasn’t even Labor Day yet! I wondered if witches and other practitioners of the Black Arts were outraged that the meaning of their most cherished holiday was being diminished and hijacked in the name of higher profits. Do they condemn the commercialization of their sacred day? Don’t the merchants, not to mention the consumers, remember the reason for the season?




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Tool Time?

I am not a handy man. When there are mechanical things to be done around our house, I will do the heavy lifting, but my wife is the one who understands what is going on or what needs to happen. I hate to be in discussions with a bunch of guys that are talking about things and how they work because I don’t understand a word. The topic of linear motion cross roller slides came up recently. Later when I was at home, I looked that up on the computer, but I still did not understand!




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Capitivating View

The picture is of Scotts Head, at the southern tip of the Caribbean island of Dominica. I saw it for the first time over twenty five years ago and was immediately captivated. I have been blessed to return to the island at least once a year ever since, and no matter where on the island I am working, I always make my way down to spend time on the rocky promontory. It is still breath taking to me.








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Super Food Costs

I hear some of the moms at church who are interested in providing the most healthful foods they can to their families talking about the premium prices that are placed on those foods in the markets where they are sold. That is why the promises of orovo caught my attention when I read them. They are interested in providing the highest quality superfoods at the best possible prices.






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Favorite Tear Jerker Movies?

A few days ago I heard a bit on the radio asking about your favorite tear jerker movies. The survey cited had BAMBI as the number one movie on the list. I was not shocked, but it is not in my top five.

The first movie that made me cry was "Old Yeller", I hated that Travis had to shoot that valiant dog! Where the Red Fern Grows" is on my list. Near or at the top woud be the original "Brian's Song". I cried at "Ben Hur" when I was a kid, but do so even more now when I see it than when I was a kid. Shenandoah, with James Stewart draws tears several time in the course of the story!

What are your favorite tear jerkers?





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Electronics Dinosaur!

I fall into the stereotypical old man in regard to the use of electronic gadgets. Despite initial resistance to using a computer, I now spend hours a day on one, but there are lots of features that I have no idea how to utilize. The same is true of the home theater equipment I had installed after inheriting a bit from my grandmother. I love the HD television and the surround sound, but I have yet to figure out how to program the dvr unit that is a part of the system!




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"Elite" Qualifications

The folks on the left are discrediting Sarah Palin because she only had a degree from a state university and no outstanding academic credentials. Elite degrees and high profile positions and smooth political campaigns do not automatically indicate one’s ability to succeed in a new and different challenge. Obama has not proven he is ready for the presidency any more than I had my readiness for the pulpit. He may be, but it is yet to be determined. Thus I assert that his associations and advisors are indicators of how he will govern.




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Are They Old Enough

I have two grandsons who now live with us, seven and eight years old. We are trying to think of just the right thing to get them for Christmas. We have stayed away from video games till now, but they are getting to the age where many of their friends are talking about and playing them. We are thinking that a playstation 3 for them to share might be our answer, but are they old enough?




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The Worst Breakfast Ever

A friend asked me to write about the worst breakfast I have ever eaten. This is my entry, but let me preface it with a bit of background. I am a pretty picky eater. I can eat anything, but there are a lot of things I do not like.

I was on a trip to Dominica, staying with a local, eating whatever the lady of the house prepared. I had eaten pig snout soup, and pumpkin stew, and other indigenous dishes. I had been served a plate that had two small fish on it, whole fish that were about the size of bait back home, fried very crisp. When I asked my host how to eat them, from his plate he picked one up by the tail and bit the head off. I did the same.

After I had been there a week, my hostess announced that she was going to fix something American for my breakfast. She boiled some hot dogs--I don't like hot dogs. She sliced one of local small breads to use as a bun and put mustard on both sides--I do not like mustard. Next she took a tomato and sliced it. Half the slice was placed on one side of my hot dog--I really do not like tomatoes. The she sliced an onion and put half the slice on the other side of the hot dog--I detest onions. To top it off, my hostess drenched the whole thing with Thousand Island dressing--I do not like Thousand Island dressing at all!

When I took the first bite, it was all I could do to chew it, much less swallow it. Dressing was dripping from my wrist. It would have been better if I could have eaten it in one bite, but I had to struggle through the whole thing. It was the worst meal of my life!





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The Kids Are Coming Home!

I can tell my wife is happy about the call we just got from our kids. They are going to be home for Thanksgiving! Besides the glowing smile on her face, I can tell she is happy because she is going through her box of Thanksgiving recipes and humming to herself! Soon she will be telling me it is time to crack some pecans so she will have plenty for the pies!




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Gas Prices!

This morning my wife called me to let me know she had just bought gasoline for $3.14. That is about fiftten cents less than we had seen it yesterday. But I just bought gas for $2.99. The only shame is that I am excited to pay that much!



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So Many Issues!

We have been trying to get things squared away in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Our home is nearly back to normal, but lots of friends are still needing assistance. On top of all that is the financial crisis that is plaguing the nation, even the whole world and the presidential elections coming up.

It is enough to make you wish that you were a kid again when all you had to worry about was getting a date, doing home work and finding an acne medication that would work!




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Tiny Memory!

I am one of those old guys who saw his first computer when the machine took up a whole floor of the administration building at the local chemical plant. So it amazes me these days when I realize that my cell phone or my camera has more memory than that old room-size computer. The innovations in micro sd memory chips has made all the difference. And it costs so little in comparison!




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