One of the things I thought would be fun to do while in London, is to see Wimbledon. It is a bit away from the heart of the city, so a nice change from being around so many touristas. One takes the Tube to near the very last stop. We got off at Wimbledon Park Station. From there we walked across a large park that has soccer fields, tennis courts(not part of the tennis club), a lake and a golf course. There is also childrens playground equipment. Once across we walked up the street to the Club. It's quite large 45 hectares and has many facilities for club members, players and sports media.
We took the tour for 18 GBP each. It's more tennis than most people would want to hear about. But you go inside court 1 and also Centre Court. You also get to go into the interview room where the players are interviewed after their matches. If you like, you can take each others photograph. Everone did.
There is a museum you may visit after the tour and a store. Across the way is a cafe which didn't look too good for us. The two of us walked up to the village of Southfields. We exchanged some money at the Post Office there and ate dinner at The Old Garage Pub. We boarded the train there and returned to our stop, Aldgate East.
There are a lot more details of course, but if you find yourself in London it's a nice little trip to take
to break things up a little. Now when I see someone being interviewed after a match I'll yell out, "I sat in that very seat!" I can hardly wait.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Trip to England
Hi All. I was just reading about all of the problems caused by the snow and wind storm in the north east(of the USA), 2010. Jake and I have it good compared to those problems. My age is really showing by my attitude for travel. So, that may exagerate my comments on this subject. I'm not used to life in a big city. You must be able to use the public transit(so far subway and busses). It's not really that difficult, but it was for me. Jake thought it was kinda fun. Thank God I had him for a son. He's been planning our routes. When the subway(the Tube over her) was shut down, we switched to busses. Everyone else did too. Do you like jammed busses or trains? Then this is for you.
When travelling the luggage may get lost. Slight inconvenience? Well, don't let it ruin your vacation.
Be a good sport. You may not be able to use your credit card as you have planned. Minor.
Many things went right!
Jake had only one pair of underwear and socks. Christmas morning, we opened gifts my wife had sent. One pair boxer shorts(marvelous) two t-shirts(wonderful) two pair socks(perfect). My, how one appreciates the little things when in need.
The apartment(flat here) had no coffe maker that we had noticed. Emma sent along a gift of coffee.
Jake found a french press. Yeah, we now have coffee.
I saw some genuine London Fog tonight. We ate dinner with Ricky and Rowan, old camp friends of Jakes. No problems tonight.
When travelling the luggage may get lost. Slight inconvenience? Well, don't let it ruin your vacation.
Be a good sport. You may not be able to use your credit card as you have planned. Minor.
Many things went right!
Jake had only one pair of underwear and socks. Christmas morning, we opened gifts my wife had sent. One pair boxer shorts(marvelous) two t-shirts(wonderful) two pair socks(perfect). My, how one appreciates the little things when in need.
The apartment(flat here) had no coffe maker that we had noticed. Emma sent along a gift of coffee.
Jake found a french press. Yeah, we now have coffee.
I saw some genuine London Fog tonight. We ate dinner with Ricky and Rowan, old camp friends of Jakes. No problems tonight.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Last Chance
So many hypnotists have made the point that many of their clients have come to them only after trying everything else. Nothing else worked, so they desperately tried hypnosis. I've been told that great success is achieved when the person is sick and tired of their problem. Desperation is their motivation. I find myself heading for this situation.
I want to achieve certain goals but my motivation isn't quite there yet.
I've had two open heart surgeries this year to replace a valve. I may have used this as an excuse to let other areas of my life stagnate. We will be happier if we are looking forward to a better future. Some things we can change and some we can't.
Many years ago I was struggling with weight control. I saw an ad in a magazine for a hypnotic weight loss cassette. I ordered it and listened to it quite a few times. It was quite well done. One side was progressive relaxation, which is okay but old fashioned, and then the deepening and finally the suggestions. I didn't agree with all the suggestions.
I know now that with suggestions, your mind will reject the ones it doesn't like, and accept the ones it does like. You don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. I was thinking maybe it ruined the whole thing if it wasn't all tailored to me. The other side of the tape was supposedly music with the suggestions recorded in a subaudible range that your subconscious would pick up and be changed by. Why? Good question. Well this is the area of subliminal advertising and the like. At the time I just thought it was interesting and kind of cool. I don't think it is necessary or really works. Buy Coke!
Where does this leave us? Well, for one thing, don't doubt your minds abilities. You can learn, remember and change. One of the rules of the mind is that every thought causes a physical change in the body. You may disagree with this, of course but consider it.
Also, don't be afraid to learn about hypnosis. It's just a method to communicate with your subconscious mind without the interference of your conscious mind. And please remember as a parent, what you say to your children can bypass their conscious mind easily. So, if you say,"You're a bad boy." That goes straight in to their subconscious belief about themselves. Their Mother or Father said it, so it must be true. They may have to come to a hypnotist to get straightened out at some point.
That's it for now, Ken.
I want to achieve certain goals but my motivation isn't quite there yet.
I've had two open heart surgeries this year to replace a valve. I may have used this as an excuse to let other areas of my life stagnate. We will be happier if we are looking forward to a better future. Some things we can change and some we can't.
Many years ago I was struggling with weight control. I saw an ad in a magazine for a hypnotic weight loss cassette. I ordered it and listened to it quite a few times. It was quite well done. One side was progressive relaxation, which is okay but old fashioned, and then the deepening and finally the suggestions. I didn't agree with all the suggestions.
I know now that with suggestions, your mind will reject the ones it doesn't like, and accept the ones it does like. You don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. I was thinking maybe it ruined the whole thing if it wasn't all tailored to me. The other side of the tape was supposedly music with the suggestions recorded in a subaudible range that your subconscious would pick up and be changed by. Why? Good question. Well this is the area of subliminal advertising and the like. At the time I just thought it was interesting and kind of cool. I don't think it is necessary or really works. Buy Coke!
Where does this leave us? Well, for one thing, don't doubt your minds abilities. You can learn, remember and change. One of the rules of the mind is that every thought causes a physical change in the body. You may disagree with this, of course but consider it.
Also, don't be afraid to learn about hypnosis. It's just a method to communicate with your subconscious mind without the interference of your conscious mind. And please remember as a parent, what you say to your children can bypass their conscious mind easily. So, if you say,"You're a bad boy." That goes straight in to their subconscious belief about themselves. Their Mother or Father said it, so it must be true. They may have to come to a hypnotist to get straightened out at some point.
That's it for now, Ken.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Learning Guitar...continued
I love guitar music. Classic Rock and Blues and Classical even some other categories. I have taken guitar lessons twice in the past. Neither time took. My second instructor told me,"At this rate you'll be pretty good when you're 106." Why is this such a chore for me? It reminds me of having to sit down to do my homework. I could find many things to do other than homework. I decided to try guitar lessons again though. It really doesn't matter if I fail and I'm not going to an instructor. I bought a guitar course that has DVD's and a lesson book. It looks to be very thorough and has many good comments on the internet. One negative comment was that you have to learn to read music. Many guitar players don't read music. There are other musical notations for the guitar. I'm okay with learning music. I played trombone as a young boy, so I have some experience with reading music. Anyway, I should be practicing right now, but I need to finish this blog. Also, my guitar isn't set up very well, so maybe I will wait until I get it set up, then I'll start practicing so I can be successful as a guitarist. I'm 66 right now, so I want to be pretty good by the time I'm 70 or so.
I went in to help a friend with a ceiling problem yesterday. We made progress on the project. I just like to get away from the house and it's fun to have something to do rather than just visit. I found out though that my car's heater isn't working. I'm waiting to hear from the garage right now to see if it will be ready today or tomorrow.
How's the shopping going? I don't know why, but since we put up some Christmas decorations about a week ago, I'm feeling more positive.
I went in to help a friend with a ceiling problem yesterday. We made progress on the project. I just like to get away from the house and it's fun to have something to do rather than just visit. I found out though that my car's heater isn't working. I'm waiting to hear from the garage right now to see if it will be ready today or tomorrow.
How's the shopping going? I don't know why, but since we put up some Christmas decorations about a week ago, I'm feeling more positive.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Hi, How are you?
Hope I haven't used that title before. I was going to use Who are you, but that was a blog I didn't write.
I've been wondering lately about all of the unhappiness I've seen in the lives of people near me. Even in myself. Where do we learn happiness? How do we achieve it and is it something we should expect to have all the time or some percentage of the time? One of my fondest memories of childhood was learning that our nation was founded on the principal that some of man's inalienable rights were life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I wish you happiness whatever that might be for you.
There was a sign in front of a local restaurant at Thanksgiving saying,"Be thankful ." I know it is meant well, but I thought that just shows what's wrong with our thinking. Tell others how to be; what to do; what to think. The sign would be better with a message like,"Thanks to all our customers."
There was a TV program on Public TV last night during a pledge drive. It was about the human mind and recent discoveries in how the mind can heal itself. One of the examples was a man who suffered a stroke that left him unable to walk. His son worked with him and over time he redeveloped in a stepwise fashion, his lost abilities. He started by learning to crawl. It was explained that the damaged area of his brain was not healed, other paths were used. I had recently received information on a hypnosis seminar for learning techniques for helping stroke victims through hypnosis. It would be great if hypnosis could speed up this healing process. At any rate, it's good to know there are wonderful possibilities out there for learning and healing the mind.
If you've read to this point, I thank you.
I say we are better off to boldly go forth in the area of learning and improving ourselves. Trust in your minds ability. The expectation that you will succeed is half the battle. I will continue to practice the guitar.
I've been wondering lately about all of the unhappiness I've seen in the lives of people near me. Even in myself. Where do we learn happiness? How do we achieve it and is it something we should expect to have all the time or some percentage of the time? One of my fondest memories of childhood was learning that our nation was founded on the principal that some of man's inalienable rights were life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I wish you happiness whatever that might be for you.
There was a sign in front of a local restaurant at Thanksgiving saying,"Be thankful ." I know it is meant well, but I thought that just shows what's wrong with our thinking. Tell others how to be; what to do; what to think. The sign would be better with a message like,"Thanks to all our customers."
There was a TV program on Public TV last night during a pledge drive. It was about the human mind and recent discoveries in how the mind can heal itself. One of the examples was a man who suffered a stroke that left him unable to walk. His son worked with him and over time he redeveloped in a stepwise fashion, his lost abilities. He started by learning to crawl. It was explained that the damaged area of his brain was not healed, other paths were used. I had recently received information on a hypnosis seminar for learning techniques for helping stroke victims through hypnosis. It would be great if hypnosis could speed up this healing process. At any rate, it's good to know there are wonderful possibilities out there for learning and healing the mind.
If you've read to this point, I thank you.
I say we are better off to boldly go forth in the area of learning and improving ourselves. Trust in your minds ability. The expectation that you will succeed is half the battle. I will continue to practice the guitar.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving Pasties
Pasties
From the accumulated recipes and experience at his Mother's elbow, of Ken Lamson.
General Strategy: Prepare pastry, divide into balls (1per pasty), wrap in waxed paper and store in refrigerator until ready for assembly. When you are ready to make pasties, prepare the meat and vegetables.
Prepare a place on your counter to roll out a dough ball using flour to keep it from sticking to your rolling pin and the counter. Assemble the ingredients on half of the dough circle. Moisten the edge of the dough so when you fold it in half, over the ingredients, the two sides will stick together. Make a nice twisted pattern along this seam(called “crimping”). Place the pasty on a baking sheet with parchment to prevent sticking, and poke a few steam vent holes in the pasty. When you have a full baking sheet, bake in a preheated oven about 375 F for 45 to 60 minutes. Done when golden brown.
Pastry: For 8 pasties.
3 Cups flour
¾ Tbs salt
¾ Cup Shortening...Crisco or liquid canola
1 well beaten egg
¾ Cup cold water with 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar mixed in.
Mix the flour and salt together in a med/large bowl. Cut in the Crisco or pour in the oil. Stir or mix to a consistency of crumbs*.
Add the egg, then the cold water (a little at a time)...until the pastry forms a ball and feels moist and pliable**.
*I use a Kitchenaid mixer so I don't cut in...My Mother did this all by hand and would pinch the ingredients to get the above mentioned consistency.
** You will have to develop a feel for this. If too dry it's not usable as far as rolling it out. When you roll it out it has to form a thin layer. It needs to be tougher than pie crust because the pasty is eaten by hand. When you roll out the pastry, it should draw back (shrink a little) as you lift off the rolling pin. When it does, you'll know it's right.
Now you divide this into the balls, 8 for eight pasties. I wrap in waxed paper. If you will be storing over night use Saran wrap or something to prevent drying.
Filling Ingredients:
5 medium potatoes (Yukon golds are good) / peeled and cut into thin pieces (you should be able to see knife thru slice)
1 diced onion (I use spanish)
1 medium rutabeggar / peeled and cut similar to potatoes.
1 pound steak cut into cubes thinner in one dimension. (ground beef is okay)...I use ground but I miss my Mother's Pasties that had little pieces of beef and pork that would stick to the inside of the crust. Really tasty.
Salt and pepper optional.
Assembling the pasties:
In addition to what I put in General Strategy (above). You have rolled out a pastry ball to a circle of a diameter of 8-10 inches. Put your rolling pin under the half nearest you. Put the ingredients on the other half in this order; potatoes, rutabeggar, onion then meat. You may salt and pepper the top. I use salt only.
These are the original Pasties as handed down from my Cornwall,England born Mother.
Most eat with ketchup or gravy.
My wish is that you try this as written. Then go nuts with different ingredients. These can also be made into pies as opposed to individual pasties. Yum.
Here is the recipe I promised. Pasties, as you may know, were carried by miners to eat as a meal. They would stay warm for a long time wrapped in newspapers. (another use for newspapers). So, you may not want to serve them for Thanksgiving. I would take a pasty in place of a traditional Thanksgiving meal, plus dessert. Let me know if there is a problem printing this. I can print out a copy if you'd like one. Ken
From the accumulated recipes and experience at his Mother's elbow, of Ken Lamson.
General Strategy: Prepare pastry, divide into balls (1per pasty), wrap in waxed paper and store in refrigerator until ready for assembly. When you are ready to make pasties, prepare the meat and vegetables.
Prepare a place on your counter to roll out a dough ball using flour to keep it from sticking to your rolling pin and the counter. Assemble the ingredients on half of the dough circle. Moisten the edge of the dough so when you fold it in half, over the ingredients, the two sides will stick together. Make a nice twisted pattern along this seam(called “crimping”). Place the pasty on a baking sheet with parchment to prevent sticking, and poke a few steam vent holes in the pasty. When you have a full baking sheet, bake in a preheated oven about 375 F for 45 to 60 minutes. Done when golden brown.
Pastry: For 8 pasties.
3 Cups flour
¾ Tbs salt
¾ Cup Shortening...Crisco or liquid canola
1 well beaten egg
¾ Cup cold water with 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar mixed in.
Mix the flour and salt together in a med/large bowl. Cut in the Crisco or pour in the oil. Stir or mix to a consistency of crumbs*.
Add the egg, then the cold water (a little at a time)...until the pastry forms a ball and feels moist and pliable**.
*I use a Kitchenaid mixer so I don't cut in...My Mother did this all by hand and would pinch the ingredients to get the above mentioned consistency.
** You will have to develop a feel for this. If too dry it's not usable as far as rolling it out. When you roll it out it has to form a thin layer. It needs to be tougher than pie crust because the pasty is eaten by hand. When you roll out the pastry, it should draw back (shrink a little) as you lift off the rolling pin. When it does, you'll know it's right.
Now you divide this into the balls, 8 for eight pasties. I wrap in waxed paper. If you will be storing over night use Saran wrap or something to prevent drying.
Filling Ingredients:
5 medium potatoes (Yukon golds are good) / peeled and cut into thin pieces (you should be able to see knife thru slice)
1 diced onion (I use spanish)
1 medium rutabeggar / peeled and cut similar to potatoes.
1 pound steak cut into cubes thinner in one dimension. (ground beef is okay)...I use ground but I miss my Mother's Pasties that had little pieces of beef and pork that would stick to the inside of the crust. Really tasty.
Salt and pepper optional.
Assembling the pasties:
In addition to what I put in General Strategy (above). You have rolled out a pastry ball to a circle of a diameter of 8-10 inches. Put your rolling pin under the half nearest you. Put the ingredients on the other half in this order; potatoes, rutabeggar, onion then meat. You may salt and pepper the top. I use salt only.
These are the original Pasties as handed down from my Cornwall,England born Mother.
Most eat with ketchup or gravy.
My wish is that you try this as written. Then go nuts with different ingredients. These can also be made into pies as opposed to individual pasties. Yum.
Here is the recipe I promised. Pasties, as you may know, were carried by miners to eat as a meal. They would stay warm for a long time wrapped in newspapers. (another use for newspapers). So, you may not want to serve them for Thanksgiving. I would take a pasty in place of a traditional Thanksgiving meal, plus dessert. Let me know if there is a problem printing this. I can print out a copy if you'd like one. Ken
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Grinch
I was starting to get into the holiday spirit a few days back. For me it's just that things are a bit fuzzier and warmer, and there are people out there that care about you and vice-verse. I was watching something on TV and saw ad after ad regarding Christmas. It was like someone throwing cold water on my nice warm snuggie. I think I'd be better off not watching TV, avoid radio, don't read signs, including bumper stickers. Make a list of what you want to do for the holidays and who you would like to spend time with. Come bye the house for a cup of cheer and some cookies. I'll be in jolly old England for Christmas and New Years with Jman.
My author buddy, Crawford, called this morning with a computer problem. It was good to talk to him as we hadn't talked in about two weeks and I was wondering if things were okay. Indeed they are. He and his co-author of a Civil War non-fiction book are doing appearances signing and discussing their book. It was published by MSU and is getting some good reviews. Next year is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of The Civil War, so the interest should swell then. Congratulations Kim.
I made a batch of Pasties last Friday night. I would say a batch is from 6-16, although if I had made 16 I would probably have called it a large batch...no matter. I am going to collect all the recipes I have for pasties and come up with one good solid recipe, just in case people would like to try making them. I may make a DVD in Zee Cooking School format for distribution amongst family members. Gabe might like to have it one day. Of course it will have to be put on a newer format. There is a good pasty recipe on allrecipes.com . Everyone seems to have their own little tip or added ingredient though; In my recipe I will stick to the basics and you can embellish in your own way.
Thanks for reading...I hope I made you feel better about the holiday season...try to stay away from all forms of media or advertising for a day or two. Just as an experiment...I bet you'll feel happier.
Yours Truly, Dr. Feelgood....now where did Nurse Shagwell go?
My author buddy, Crawford, called this morning with a computer problem. It was good to talk to him as we hadn't talked in about two weeks and I was wondering if things were okay. Indeed they are. He and his co-author of a Civil War non-fiction book are doing appearances signing and discussing their book. It was published by MSU and is getting some good reviews. Next year is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of The Civil War, so the interest should swell then. Congratulations Kim.
I made a batch of Pasties last Friday night. I would say a batch is from 6-16, although if I had made 16 I would probably have called it a large batch...no matter. I am going to collect all the recipes I have for pasties and come up with one good solid recipe, just in case people would like to try making them. I may make a DVD in Zee Cooking School format for distribution amongst family members. Gabe might like to have it one day. Of course it will have to be put on a newer format. There is a good pasty recipe on allrecipes.com . Everyone seems to have their own little tip or added ingredient though; In my recipe I will stick to the basics and you can embellish in your own way.
Thanks for reading...I hope I made you feel better about the holiday season...try to stay away from all forms of media or advertising for a day or two. Just as an experiment...I bet you'll feel happier.
Yours Truly, Dr. Feelgood....now where did Nurse Shagwell go?
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Michigan wins defensive struggle
My wolverines, who had won five in a row, then lost three in a row, were playing Illinois this week end. Illinois was reputed to have an excellent defense, and Michigan had been described as having a sieve for a defense. This hurts the pride of us old wolverine fans. Michigan has been known for great defenses. Usually the defense won the games with turn overs, big plays and goal line stands. The new team relies more on offense.
Yesterday the score was tied at 31 at half time. Both teams were scoring almost at will. As long as Michigan isn't two scores behind, I don't feel too bad. At the end of regulation, Michigan had tied it up at 45 all. The defense had actually stopped Illinois a couple of times. Bo might have been looking down from Valhalla. In overtime each team scored touch downs on their first three possessions. In the third overtime the rules dictate that if you score a touchdown, you must go for two extra points. Michigan was successful with a pass from Forcier to Junior Hemmingway. By the way, I noticed on the replay of his catch, he takes his eye off the ball a fraction of a second before it is in his hands. Hope the coaching staff reads this. Anyway, I was wondering how Illinois would try to score their two points. Bo must have yelled down just at that moment,"Get your asses in there and stop that play or you'll never play another down for Michigan!" Suddenly two Michigan players, who had been blocked, got back to their feet and sacked the Illinois quarterback. Just like old times!
I hope the defense remembers that feeling. It electrifies millions of alumni.
Yesterday the score was tied at 31 at half time. Both teams were scoring almost at will. As long as Michigan isn't two scores behind, I don't feel too bad. At the end of regulation, Michigan had tied it up at 45 all. The defense had actually stopped Illinois a couple of times. Bo might have been looking down from Valhalla. In overtime each team scored touch downs on their first three possessions. In the third overtime the rules dictate that if you score a touchdown, you must go for two extra points. Michigan was successful with a pass from Forcier to Junior Hemmingway. By the way, I noticed on the replay of his catch, he takes his eye off the ball a fraction of a second before it is in his hands. Hope the coaching staff reads this. Anyway, I was wondering how Illinois would try to score their two points. Bo must have yelled down just at that moment,"Get your asses in there and stop that play or you'll never play another down for Michigan!" Suddenly two Michigan players, who had been blocked, got back to their feet and sacked the Illinois quarterback. Just like old times!
I hope the defense remembers that feeling. It electrifies millions of alumni.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Welcome to the Machine
My old computer was having trouble staying on. This was a few days before I was scheduled for surgery. I really didn't want to lose those things I had stored on my hard drive. I could probably get almost all of it back, but it would take months to do it and I knew I never would take the time. I stored everything on Carbonite and thought if necessary I could get it back when I came home from the hospital. It wasn't a problem that would affect my data, so I let the Carbonite lapse. I bought a new computer at Digilinks Computers on Miller Road.
Everything is working well and finally I'm able to blog from the sidebedroom. Gee, still I have nothing to say. I'm going to start practicing guitar again. I love guitar music (classic rock especially) and have several guitars. I had already decided to keep the guitars whether I played them or not. I'm also keeping my model airplanes (don't fly 'em). My boats, my volkswagens etc. I will keep and use my golf clubs and a few tennis racquets. When I am gone, my heirs can have a big sale and clear it all out.
Chris, James and Gilmour just stopped by to borrow clubs for Mike to use. They are playing 9 holes on this cold day for golf. I need to get moving myself. I'm taking Luke for a walk and then I'm going to do a little cleaning. I also want to make a crock pot meal for dinner. If you read this and feel like visiting this week end, please stop by any time.
Might want to call because I think we have a birthday party. We do have beer though; Busch...the good stuff.
Later, Ken
Everything is working well and finally I'm able to blog from the sidebedroom. Gee, still I have nothing to say. I'm going to start practicing guitar again. I love guitar music (classic rock especially) and have several guitars. I had already decided to keep the guitars whether I played them or not. I'm also keeping my model airplanes (don't fly 'em). My boats, my volkswagens etc. I will keep and use my golf clubs and a few tennis racquets. When I am gone, my heirs can have a big sale and clear it all out.
Chris, James and Gilmour just stopped by to borrow clubs for Mike to use. They are playing 9 holes on this cold day for golf. I need to get moving myself. I'm taking Luke for a walk and then I'm going to do a little cleaning. I also want to make a crock pot meal for dinner. If you read this and feel like visiting this week end, please stop by any time.
Might want to call because I think we have a birthday party. We do have beer though; Busch...the good stuff.
Later, Ken
Monday, October 25, 2010
where's the Body?
I was nodding through another Sunday when I was informed there was another dead mouse(actually a vole)that needed to be disposed of. This is one of my routine jobs. Zeke, our male tabby cat, likes to go into the basement where he can get access to parts of the house which have only a crawl space. There he hunts and plays with and eventually kills what seems to be an endless supply of meadow voles. He then deposits the body in front of the washer so Brooke can find it. Sometimes he will bring it to the top of the stairs and eventually under the dining room table. Cat behavior. It's not too much trouble for me to put the carcass in a plastic bag and then out to our trash container. Even in my weakened condition I can handle a vole. That is, if the vole is actually dead! I had retrieved the plastic bag and was ready to get the body when I saw the injured(?) animal running across the dining room floor with Zeke, Sophie, Luke and me in tepid pursuit. Certainly one of the animals would dispatch the hated creature soon, but we were not of one mind. We looked like the SanDiego Chargers trying to decide whether we should grab the football. Who would give the vole even a ten percent chance of escape? Yet somehow it was able to dissappear on us. I only hope that I'll be able to find the body before it smells too bad. Please don't let this report discourage you from visiting our house.
We are preparing for Halloween this week end. Gabe will probably be mentally scarred for life. I would think a child psychologist would advise not to take kids out until they are about five. Thanks for reading and hope you are doing very well these days.
We are preparing for Halloween this week end. Gabe will probably be mentally scarred for life. I would think a child psychologist would advise not to take kids out until they are about five. Thanks for reading and hope you are doing very well these days.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sunny Disposition
Hi! Welcome to the all positive, all the time blog. In the old days it was called, "What, me worry?"
Positive thinking has it's place but there has to be a little realism involved. We have been having a lot of sunshine lately in Michigan and it helps with the endorphins, I think. My stocks have done well for the last month or two, so that gives me a better background feeling as far as spending money. I might buy my wife a new sweater for Christmas. She nixed getting a limo to go down to Detroit on Friday night. I guess that after I find out how much it will cost to have the leaves raked this Fall, I'll lose the urge to spend. I also still have to resolve my computer problem. As a matter of fact, maybe things aren't so damn sunny after all. The City of Fenton did send out someone to pick up the dead raccoon that was lying in front of our driveway. Death at our doorstep?
We found a dead opossum in our shed a couple of weeks ago!!! That was disgusting to deal with. Suhitha and Emma helped with that. Luke could hardly wait to dig it up and roll around in it. He could probably use a trip to the Dog Psychology Center. How can that be good behavior even for a dog?
I'm going to attempt cleaning the bathroom today. Right now I am having vision problems, so I'll wait for them to clear. I should be feeling pretty good in about a month, I estimate.
It's still sunny outside. Every once in a while some leaves fall from the trees though. Death at my doorstep. Happy Halloween.
Positive thinking has it's place but there has to be a little realism involved. We have been having a lot of sunshine lately in Michigan and it helps with the endorphins, I think. My stocks have done well for the last month or two, so that gives me a better background feeling as far as spending money. I might buy my wife a new sweater for Christmas. She nixed getting a limo to go down to Detroit on Friday night. I guess that after I find out how much it will cost to have the leaves raked this Fall, I'll lose the urge to spend. I also still have to resolve my computer problem. As a matter of fact, maybe things aren't so damn sunny after all. The City of Fenton did send out someone to pick up the dead raccoon that was lying in front of our driveway. Death at our doorstep?
We found a dead opossum in our shed a couple of weeks ago!!! That was disgusting to deal with. Suhitha and Emma helped with that. Luke could hardly wait to dig it up and roll around in it. He could probably use a trip to the Dog Psychology Center. How can that be good behavior even for a dog?
I'm going to attempt cleaning the bathroom today. Right now I am having vision problems, so I'll wait for them to clear. I should be feeling pretty good in about a month, I estimate.
It's still sunny outside. Every once in a while some leaves fall from the trees though. Death at my doorstep. Happy Halloween.
Monday, October 4, 2010
A Funny Thing Happened...
Not funny ha ha. I don't really want to know what happened, but the bruises and mental damage tell me it was quite an encounter. I'm now feeling better about things and can think past not wanting to move.
I don't think I will dwell on it. But if someone would like some preparation for an upcoming hospital stay, I will have my experience clear in my mind for a month or so.
Finish this later...getting some pain.
Sorry for the lack of blog effort of late. My main desk-top computer won't turn on and I'm only now getting to the mental/physical condition that will get it fixed. I think tomorrow I will take it apart and start cleaning and maybe pulling apart the power supply. If it seems safe, I'll take it to the local shop or just find a supply myself, and give it a try. I miss my desk-top. Typing on this one, a lap-top, leads to a lot of typos. It is frustrating.
Things are going pretty well since the surgery. The repair of my heart gives me two aortic valves now. The original one was narrowed to about 0.9 sq.cm. which one doesn't notice as a problem until pushing one's self as in walking uphill, running etc. Now, with the dual valve set up, I should be good for all situations. After three months of keeping the blood pressure/heart rate low to allow the "bionic heart" to settle in. I should be ready for some testing. I thought I might start with a round the world surf trip. Then a year concentrated on golf and tennis. I don't know after that. Send in ideas please. Caio
I don't think I will dwell on it. But if someone would like some preparation for an upcoming hospital stay, I will have my experience clear in my mind for a month or so.
Finish this later...getting some pain.
Sorry for the lack of blog effort of late. My main desk-top computer won't turn on and I'm only now getting to the mental/physical condition that will get it fixed. I think tomorrow I will take it apart and start cleaning and maybe pulling apart the power supply. If it seems safe, I'll take it to the local shop or just find a supply myself, and give it a try. I miss my desk-top. Typing on this one, a lap-top, leads to a lot of typos. It is frustrating.
Things are going pretty well since the surgery. The repair of my heart gives me two aortic valves now. The original one was narrowed to about 0.9 sq.cm. which one doesn't notice as a problem until pushing one's self as in walking uphill, running etc. Now, with the dual valve set up, I should be good for all situations. After three months of keeping the blood pressure/heart rate low to allow the "bionic heart" to settle in. I should be ready for some testing. I thought I might start with a round the world surf trip. Then a year concentrated on golf and tennis. I don't know after that. Send in ideas please. Caio
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Dream
I had a dream last night in which J, Emma and I were behind Central High School. It was the old Central and the kids were about high school age. Emma left in her car and J and I left in the VW which was outfitted with a tail section, wings etc. so we could fly home. All was well and we were really enjoying the trip. The view was beautiful and the VW/Plane handled beautifully. J dove us steeply down to a landing which required no rolling!
He needed to stretch his back. I was thinking how little sound there was from the engine. Soon I realized that it wasn't making sense and woke up.
Then I started thinking about web cams. Trying to figure out how a wireless web cam would work and how expensive it would be. In that state of mind one can't figure things out too well. I was awake and it was only 4AM. I came down stairs to the Sidebedroom to check on the computer and see if I could find a website that had web cams. I found one that I watched for a while. Most of the web cams there were in Norway, Germany and the UK.
I think it's fun to see what goes on in the locations of these cameras. There is no sound. The childsafe mode was on so no unsavory crap. The scenes with bird-feeders are nice. If you can't sleep some night, just check out some web cams from halfway round the world.
Talk to you later.
He needed to stretch his back. I was thinking how little sound there was from the engine. Soon I realized that it wasn't making sense and woke up.
Then I started thinking about web cams. Trying to figure out how a wireless web cam would work and how expensive it would be. In that state of mind one can't figure things out too well. I was awake and it was only 4AM. I came down stairs to the Sidebedroom to check on the computer and see if I could find a website that had web cams. I found one that I watched for a while. Most of the web cams there were in Norway, Germany and the UK.
I think it's fun to see what goes on in the locations of these cameras. There is no sound. The childsafe mode was on so no unsavory crap. The scenes with bird-feeders are nice. If you can't sleep some night, just check out some web cams from halfway round the world.
Talk to you later.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Big Weekend
Saturday was Gabe's 2nd birthday. I'm sure there will be pictures on Facebook. If you haven't unfriended these people yet, you can see them there. The thing that made Gabe happiest was the two bunches of helium filled balloons. He loved running through the opening between them. Knocking them helter skelter as he did. Then the adults had to follow suite. If you came to the party, thanks and I hope you enjoyed yourself.
Matt and Karen Langdon were here with, their new to walking daughter, Vienna. She was going all over the place, keeping up with the older boys.
One odd fact, there were no fewer than four couples that arrived in separate vehicles!?
The party coincided with the Michigan football game, so I set the VCR to record the game in the side bedroom. Several people wanted to watch so we spent a good deal of time in here. That is one of the characteristics of this room. It is a sanctuary. Nick Gregory made himself at home, he's one of the family now. Remember, once your in it's hard to get out. Michigan won the game over Notre Dame in the last minute or so. I wonder if we would have won if their number one quarterback had been in for the whole game. I even broke out "The General Bo (George Patton) Schembechler Scoring Horn". No one even commented on it. Michigan fans know what it's about.
At the end of the party, Gabe and Kavon hugged and it was soooooo cute. Then Kavon closed Gabe between the two back doors! Gabe had hurt feelings, so more hugging and a kiss made things a
little better.
Happy Second Birthday Gabe.
Matt and Karen Langdon were here with, their new to walking daughter, Vienna. She was going all over the place, keeping up with the older boys.
One odd fact, there were no fewer than four couples that arrived in separate vehicles!?
The party coincided with the Michigan football game, so I set the VCR to record the game in the side bedroom. Several people wanted to watch so we spent a good deal of time in here. That is one of the characteristics of this room. It is a sanctuary. Nick Gregory made himself at home, he's one of the family now. Remember, once your in it's hard to get out. Michigan won the game over Notre Dame in the last minute or so. I wonder if we would have won if their number one quarterback had been in for the whole game. I even broke out "The General Bo (George Patton) Schembechler Scoring Horn". No one even commented on it. Michigan fans know what it's about.
At the end of the party, Gabe and Kavon hugged and it was soooooo cute. Then Kavon closed Gabe between the two back doors! Gabe had hurt feelings, so more hugging and a kiss made things a
little better.
Happy Second Birthday Gabe.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
BLT
One of the best sandwiches is a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich. I made a couple tonight for dinner. They are so easy and rewarding, too.
For those who don't know how to make them, here is how. Start with frying the bacon on a low to medium heat. Put a couple of sheets of paper towel nearby (not so close that it will catch on fire) for draining the fat from the bacon. I used three slices of bacon per sandwich. Get out your bread and toast it medium.
While the bacon is gently frying, get out the lettuce, rinse and drain. Tear some off so you'll have enough for a good crunch when you bite in. Check bacon, turn if needed. Rinse off and slice the tomato, or if small, tomatoes.
Those are all of the ingredients except for Miracle Whip. If you don't have Miracle Whip, use mayonnaise. When the bacon is done, drain it in the paper towels. Now you just assemble the sandwich, cut in two and eat.
The best sandwich, for many, is the Peanut Butter and Banana, for short the banana sandwich. Forgive the capitalization errors. This requires no direction except it is best with Jif peanut butter and ripe bananas. Not over ripe. If you haven't tried it, do yourself a favor and try it. There are many other great sandwiches out there, but I just thought I'd share these two with you. PB &J is just too obvious.
For those who don't know how to make them, here is how. Start with frying the bacon on a low to medium heat. Put a couple of sheets of paper towel nearby (not so close that it will catch on fire) for draining the fat from the bacon. I used three slices of bacon per sandwich. Get out your bread and toast it medium.
While the bacon is gently frying, get out the lettuce, rinse and drain. Tear some off so you'll have enough for a good crunch when you bite in. Check bacon, turn if needed. Rinse off and slice the tomato, or if small, tomatoes.
Those are all of the ingredients except for Miracle Whip. If you don't have Miracle Whip, use mayonnaise. When the bacon is done, drain it in the paper towels. Now you just assemble the sandwich, cut in two and eat.
The best sandwich, for many, is the Peanut Butter and Banana, for short the banana sandwich. Forgive the capitalization errors. This requires no direction except it is best with Jif peanut butter and ripe bananas. Not over ripe. If you haven't tried it, do yourself a favor and try it. There are many other great sandwiches out there, but I just thought I'd share these two with you. PB &J is just too obvious.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Internet Blogger
I wrote this blog for the blog sidebedroom, but I mistakenly published it on my other blog hometownhypnotist. Please go to that blog to read it. http://hometownhypnotist.blogspot.com/ You'll like it. I tried to copy and paste but no luck.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Dangers of Reading
I've been reading another book on hypnosis lately. The author has a lot right in the book and some things incorrect. Since I have been trained at Omni it isn't a problem to correct as I read. As an example, let's say you are writing a suggestion for yourself to use in self hypnosis. You want to stop eating ice cream, so you write, "I will not eat ice cream." The problem is that when you are speaking to the subconscious mind, that mind tends to drop the word not. So your suggestion becomes, "I will eat ice cream." So, the suggestions must be stated in the positive. "I will only eat foods that are healthy for me," would be an effective suggestion. One suggestion that is effective, but you might think flies in the face of this rule, is, "I am a non-smoker and will remain a non-smoker for the rest of my life." I suppose you could tell the subconscious you are a non-ice cream eater.
At any rate, I was reading about changing habits. Many habits (maybe all) are triggered by a stimulus. Maybe it's the conditioning we've been exposed to. I noticed that watching football makes me want to eat. In order to change the habit I need to write down, "When I think I'm going to eat food while watching football, that will be my signal to instead walk on the treadmill." Use this during self hypnosis, and soon you will have broken the old habit and replaced it with the new one. I can't help but wonder how much of human behavior is simply habit? If you take this train of thought too far it gets disturbing. "I am non-disturbed, I am non-disturbed!"
At the end of the chapter, the author says that if you have mental issues, hypnosis will not harm you but won't work. People with mental problems have trouble focusing, their minds tend to wander. Now, that hurts! My mind tends to wander. "I am a non-self-doubter." "I am a non-self-doubter, dammit!"
I must bring the treadmill in from the garage.
At any rate, I was reading about changing habits. Many habits (maybe all) are triggered by a stimulus. Maybe it's the conditioning we've been exposed to. I noticed that watching football makes me want to eat. In order to change the habit I need to write down, "When I think I'm going to eat food while watching football, that will be my signal to instead walk on the treadmill." Use this during self hypnosis, and soon you will have broken the old habit and replaced it with the new one. I can't help but wonder how much of human behavior is simply habit? If you take this train of thought too far it gets disturbing. "I am non-disturbed, I am non-disturbed!"
At the end of the chapter, the author says that if you have mental issues, hypnosis will not harm you but won't work. People with mental problems have trouble focusing, their minds tend to wander. Now, that hurts! My mind tends to wander. "I am a non-self-doubter." "I am a non-self-doubter, dammit!"
I must bring the treadmill in from the garage.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Football Saturday
In the United States, Saturdays are when most of the college football games are played. With pre-game radio shows, pre-game TV shows, the games themselves, post-game analysis etc. you can spend the whole day occupied with football. It's a great game for television and there are many rivalries and human interest stories. It's fun and seems so damned important sometimes. Today I spent a good deal of my day watching football. My team had a good start to their season.
Last week I set a goal of fixing the minivan's three most pressing problems. I went to Autozone and bought an alternator plus the tools needed to replace it. This took two trips and two days to finish the job. I would advise you not to pay me by the hour. The replacement headlight was only 20 minutes. The muffler was done at Tuffy Muffler. I did that today during the Michigan State game. So I didn't feel bad at all about wasting that time. The car runs so quietly now, I can hear other noises that may be problems.
Just to make this blog worth your time, we've had our yearly fruit-fly problem. I tried a couple of things out to catch them with little luck. Then I thought of using a plastic container with higher sides and a tight fitting top. Put in a small piece of banana to attract and once in a while quickly cover the container and release the flies outside. Brooke read on the Internet that you use this method but can just keep the top on and punch about 5 holes in the top. The flies go in but can't find their way out. It works great!
It's very satisfying to outwit fruit-flies. More tips on life's little problems to come.
Last week I set a goal of fixing the minivan's three most pressing problems. I went to Autozone and bought an alternator plus the tools needed to replace it. This took two trips and two days to finish the job. I would advise you not to pay me by the hour. The replacement headlight was only 20 minutes. The muffler was done at Tuffy Muffler. I did that today during the Michigan State game. So I didn't feel bad at all about wasting that time. The car runs so quietly now, I can hear other noises that may be problems.
Just to make this blog worth your time, we've had our yearly fruit-fly problem. I tried a couple of things out to catch them with little luck. Then I thought of using a plastic container with higher sides and a tight fitting top. Put in a small piece of banana to attract and once in a while quickly cover the container and release the flies outside. Brooke read on the Internet that you use this method but can just keep the top on and punch about 5 holes in the top. The flies go in but can't find their way out. It works great!
It's very satisfying to outwit fruit-flies. More tips on life's little problems to come.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Golf Outing
I'm not quite sure of the definition of a golf outing, but this was just your ordinary four guys playing golf at Tyrone Hills in Fenton. Mike, Chris, Jamie and I signed up to play 18 holes of golf. Jamie has played about 4-5 times and Mike had only played once before. Chris is a very good player and I am average. Brooke agreed to babysit Baby-G.
18 holes is a lot of golf for a beginner to play at one time. Also, the grip isn't right and the swing isn't tamed down to the point of being able to make good contact with the ball. Mike hasn't been told that when one swings and misses it counts as a stroke. Not important but it would give one motivation for figuring out a different approach. I was thinking, if I were put in charge of teaching a beginning golfer, I would get the grip established and the stance. I might at that point bring in the medicus golf club and start establishing the swing.
No golf ball would be involved. Then I would have the student hit balls with only a half swing concentrating only on making "crisp and clean" contact with the ball. When he/she can do that ten balls in a row, we would start hitting 3/4 to full shots. One thing about golf, no matter how good you are, there is always something to work on.
We had a nice time out there but Mike and I had to leave before finishing the round. I asked the course manager if he missed Luke and I chasing off geese this year and he said, "How is Luke?" Maybe next Spring we'll be back at it. I'd love to speak to some golfers regarding using hypnosis to shave a few strokes off their game. I must remember to wish Brooke a Happy Birthday. We are going out for Sushi. I find Sushi very filling. We spent some time in Ann Arbor yesterday and got Sushi at Trader Joe's. We ate it in the car and it hit the spot.
Thanks for checking in.
18 holes is a lot of golf for a beginner to play at one time. Also, the grip isn't right and the swing isn't tamed down to the point of being able to make good contact with the ball. Mike hasn't been told that when one swings and misses it counts as a stroke. Not important but it would give one motivation for figuring out a different approach. I was thinking, if I were put in charge of teaching a beginning golfer, I would get the grip established and the stance. I might at that point bring in the medicus golf club and start establishing the swing.
No golf ball would be involved. Then I would have the student hit balls with only a half swing concentrating only on making "crisp and clean" contact with the ball. When he/she can do that ten balls in a row, we would start hitting 3/4 to full shots. One thing about golf, no matter how good you are, there is always something to work on.
We had a nice time out there but Mike and I had to leave before finishing the round. I asked the course manager if he missed Luke and I chasing off geese this year and he said, "How is Luke?" Maybe next Spring we'll be back at it. I'd love to speak to some golfers regarding using hypnosis to shave a few strokes off their game. I must remember to wish Brooke a Happy Birthday. We are going out for Sushi. I find Sushi very filling. We spent some time in Ann Arbor yesterday and got Sushi at Trader Joe's. We ate it in the car and it hit the spot.
Thanks for checking in.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thirty Years
It seems like only twenty years, but we've been married for thirty years now. I also want to get credit for the four years we knew each other before we wed. Those four were probably the best. Just a little humor there. She's gonna kill me when she reads this. I would think that any couple being together for three decades have had a roller coaster ride at times. We went out to Brick Street in Grand Blanc for a quiet dinner. I hadn't been there.
It's a nice place, not too posh, but posh enough to be special. The food was good and we shared a piece of carrot cake because, for one thing they were out of carrot cake cheese cake and secondly, our wedding cake was a carrot cake.
They didn't tell us that they were out of the cheese cake beforehand. they just hope you will order something they still have. That reminds me of a place in Flint we went to years ago called Merlin's Retreat. It was in the north end of Flint and run by a young hippieish woman. It was unpretentious. The paintings on the wall were painted on the wall and I only wished I could live my life that way. Wood floors and tables and chairs that didn't match but still went together. She had a menu but when you were seated the menu was irrelevant. "We only have quiche and salad." "Okay, that sounds good." It simplified things. "What to drink?" "Iced tea, water or hot tea." "We'll have the Iced tea please." I wish that place was still there, or maybe I wish I could go back.
Last night we drove over in the VW convertible and on the way back, I noticed her knees were close to the dashboard. I said, "The seat will go back," and released the lever. The seat did go back, and off. We couldn't get it back on the track so Brooke rode home in the back seat. I guess those little cars are not for us anymore.
It's a nice place, not too posh, but posh enough to be special. The food was good and we shared a piece of carrot cake because, for one thing they were out of carrot cake cheese cake and secondly, our wedding cake was a carrot cake.
They didn't tell us that they were out of the cheese cake beforehand. they just hope you will order something they still have. That reminds me of a place in Flint we went to years ago called Merlin's Retreat. It was in the north end of Flint and run by a young hippieish woman. It was unpretentious. The paintings on the wall were painted on the wall and I only wished I could live my life that way. Wood floors and tables and chairs that didn't match but still went together. She had a menu but when you were seated the menu was irrelevant. "We only have quiche and salad." "Okay, that sounds good." It simplified things. "What to drink?" "Iced tea, water or hot tea." "We'll have the Iced tea please." I wish that place was still there, or maybe I wish I could go back.
Last night we drove over in the VW convertible and on the way back, I noticed her knees were close to the dashboard. I said, "The seat will go back," and released the lever. The seat did go back, and off. We couldn't get it back on the track so Brooke rode home in the back seat. I guess those little cars are not for us anymore.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Vacation
We went up to Traverse City for two nights and three days. The weather was nice. Sunny and windy and not too hot. We climbed the dune at Sleeping Bear and enjoyed Gabe's excitement at going up with grandma and grandpa and running down with mom and dad. His enjoyment shows in his feet. He skips along or even dances as he goes.
We swam, played in the waves had pizza at South Bar lake and played on the playground. That was a nice way to top off Summer 2010. They have a hops farm at Empire now. Everyone is getting into the beer scene. The hops growing on our house are as healthy as those growing up there. Looks like it is their first year too.
Although things have changed over the years up at Empire, enough hasn't changed to bring back pleasant memories of vacations past. Going to the Lions rummage sales and auctions, riding bicycles, staying at various rented abodes and playing tennis.
It is still a great place to spend a few hours or weeks. Tiffany's is still open under new management. The old man who owned it for a long time passed away a while back. When you have good memories of a place, a short vacation gets magnified into a long one.
PS I left out the train ride we took at the park in T.C. If you don't know about it, there is a small gauge track that winds around a park there that is right on the shore of Grand Traverse Bay. The train is composed of a steam engine and three colored cars that the passengers ride in. The cars are about three feet across but it is a fun little ride for kids or even adults who want to do something a little different. The steam locomotive was made in the 1940s and is the first of eight made by some guy. It is the only one of the eight that is still running.
We swam, played in the waves had pizza at South Bar lake and played on the playground. That was a nice way to top off Summer 2010. They have a hops farm at Empire now. Everyone is getting into the beer scene. The hops growing on our house are as healthy as those growing up there. Looks like it is their first year too.
Although things have changed over the years up at Empire, enough hasn't changed to bring back pleasant memories of vacations past. Going to the Lions rummage sales and auctions, riding bicycles, staying at various rented abodes and playing tennis.
It is still a great place to spend a few hours or weeks. Tiffany's is still open under new management. The old man who owned it for a long time passed away a while back. When you have good memories of a place, a short vacation gets magnified into a long one.
PS I left out the train ride we took at the park in T.C. If you don't know about it, there is a small gauge track that winds around a park there that is right on the shore of Grand Traverse Bay. The train is composed of a steam engine and three colored cars that the passengers ride in. The cars are about three feet across but it is a fun little ride for kids or even adults who want to do something a little different. The steam locomotive was made in the 1940s and is the first of eight made by some guy. It is the only one of the eight that is still running.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Placebo
I just watched an episode of Wire In the Blood that dealt with witchcraft, voodoo, suggestion. Also NLP (neuro-linguistic-programming) which I have seen demonstrated but am not very familiar with. I think one plants a suggestion indirectly by using words in different sentences, but the subject's subconcious picks them up and is influenced by them. At any rate, I found the show very interesting. Some of how hypnotism works is called the placebo effect. The expectation for an outcome becomes reality. That is one of the "Rules of the Mind," ie. "What is expected tends to be realized."
I wanted to report that I put an ad in the local paper to get some volunteer practice partners for hypnosis. The ad will run Sunday only. I also created a second blog which has more detailed information about the fantastic opportunity I am offering. I thought I'd make the readers here aware of it also, just in case you wanted to be a practice partner. Basically this would be a chat group that would come over and talk hypnosis and give me feedback on my plans and techniques for my practice. We would also do suggestion work in any area they might like.
I'm looking forward to the results. I invite you to join in, or if you just want to try individually, at no cost- except I might ask for some feed-back, please call or email. Search the blog if you need the email address.
The new blog is http://hometownhypnotist.blogspot.com/.
So far that is just to give information regarding the ad but may develop into something more later.
Pleasant dreams and high expectations. Ken
I wanted to report that I put an ad in the local paper to get some volunteer practice partners for hypnosis. The ad will run Sunday only. I also created a second blog which has more detailed information about the fantastic opportunity I am offering. I thought I'd make the readers here aware of it also, just in case you wanted to be a practice partner. Basically this would be a chat group that would come over and talk hypnosis and give me feedback on my plans and techniques for my practice. We would also do suggestion work in any area they might like.
I'm looking forward to the results. I invite you to join in, or if you just want to try individually, at no cost- except I might ask for some feed-back, please call or email. Search the blog if you need the email address.
The new blog is http://hometownhypnotist.blogspot.com/.
So far that is just to give information regarding the ad but may develop into something more later.
Pleasant dreams and high expectations. Ken
Monday, August 9, 2010
My NBF
Hey everybody. I'll stop with the text message references as of now. If anyone out there wants me to refer to them with a "blog name" just let me know via email. kenlamson@hotmail.com So far Jman and Buck-naked are taken. Just kidding (if it is not obvious). Please keep the name short. I don't like to type.
I friended a hypnotist in Austrailia, and she accepted me, sight unseen, maybe that's why. I think I'm searching for someone to give me the boost I need to get off the couch and start seeing some clients. I remember an experiment we read about in Psychology class that involved cats, electric shock and food. The point was when the motivation for food (hunger) was strong enough, the cat will overcome it's dislike of electric shock and go get the food. My motivation is still not quite there yet. The doubts are more about me than the field of hypnosis. Every day I see on Face book and in blogs, everywhere, people have problems that are regularly solved with hypnosis. Anger issues, stress, money problems, sports improvement, breast enhancement... Did he say breast enhancement?
I should use it on myself. Not for the breast thing.
I was making a tomato sandwich yesterday. To deal with the tomato, I used a paring knife to cut out the stem area, a slicing knife, to slice the tomato(needs to be sharp) and just as I was going for a dinner knife, to spread Miracle Whip Lite, I remembered a knife I had that could, at least, do the slicing and the spreading. It is a beautiful Case knife with a rounded end and serrated blade. This was one of those nice garage sale finds. I wanted to use this introduction to the point that if you ever wanted to start eating a little healthier, this is the time to do it in Michigan. I love tomatoes from here. The corn is great and other fruits and vegetables as well.
I'm wasting too much time here, in the sidebedroom. Hope everone of you is happy and motivated to do the things you want/need to do.
I friended a hypnotist in Austrailia, and she accepted me, sight unseen, maybe that's why. I think I'm searching for someone to give me the boost I need to get off the couch and start seeing some clients. I remember an experiment we read about in Psychology class that involved cats, electric shock and food. The point was when the motivation for food (hunger) was strong enough, the cat will overcome it's dislike of electric shock and go get the food. My motivation is still not quite there yet. The doubts are more about me than the field of hypnosis. Every day I see on Face book and in blogs, everywhere, people have problems that are regularly solved with hypnosis. Anger issues, stress, money problems, sports improvement, breast enhancement... Did he say breast enhancement?
I should use it on myself. Not for the breast thing.
I was making a tomato sandwich yesterday. To deal with the tomato, I used a paring knife to cut out the stem area, a slicing knife, to slice the tomato(needs to be sharp) and just as I was going for a dinner knife, to spread Miracle Whip Lite, I remembered a knife I had that could, at least, do the slicing and the spreading. It is a beautiful Case knife with a rounded end and serrated blade. This was one of those nice garage sale finds. I wanted to use this introduction to the point that if you ever wanted to start eating a little healthier, this is the time to do it in Michigan. I love tomatoes from here. The corn is great and other fruits and vegetables as well.
I'm wasting too much time here, in the sidebedroom. Hope everone of you is happy and motivated to do the things you want/need to do.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Beer
OMG have you heard that beer is good for you? My brother-in-law, Buck, was right after all. He used to say beer was like a liquid sandwich. I heard about some study that was released touting the benefits of beer. I've gotta say I feel better about my beer drinking now. I'm in the ball park on the limit per day too. I'm sure if you skip a day it's a good idea to double up on the following day.
I watched a very informative television program on beer last night. The origins of beer, early ingredients, development, the whole story. Lagers were developed in Germany(don't quote me) they use cold temperature yeast. The beer is lighter and smoother. Ales use warmer temperature yeast and have more taste and bite. They're more popular in England and are darker. They didn't mention Estonia in the program for some reason. I've heard they have some awesome micro brew there. Well, if the program is going to be aired in your area, I give it a thumbs-up. Brewing is on the rise, big time, in the United States. Hops are in!
I watched a very informative television program on beer last night. The origins of beer, early ingredients, development, the whole story. Lagers were developed in Germany(don't quote me) they use cold temperature yeast. The beer is lighter and smoother. Ales use warmer temperature yeast and have more taste and bite. They're more popular in England and are darker. They didn't mention Estonia in the program for some reason. I've heard they have some awesome micro brew there. Well, if the program is going to be aired in your area, I give it a thumbs-up. Brewing is on the rise, big time, in the United States. Hops are in!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Take a decision
That always sounds funny to me. In the USA we usually say make a decision. G. Gordon points out it is not proper use of the Queen's english. There are several choices and you take one. No big deal how you say it but important to consider options and choose the ones that will be best for you. Life is to live. We have our lives and if we want to be sky-divers we can do it and I say do it. If you don't mind being overweight, eat drink and be merry. There may be health consequences so be aware and do what makes you happy.
My brother-in-law (I think I mentioned him in a previous blog) enjoyed smoking. He was in great shape. He got cancer and died within 6 months. If we could go back in time and know the result, I wonder if he would have taken a non-smoking path. Just staying alive for the sake of being alive seems a bit empty to me. But he had golf! He also loved fishing and hunting. He had his share of the good life. I just noticed, by way of a typo) that if you take the f out of life it spells lie. Now I know what's missing from my life.
The weather here has been too hot for much work to be accomplished. This morning was different. It was cool when I awoke, so after a while I came down and laid on the couch with a quilt and my novel. It was pleasant lying there except for the cat issues. That's how I would have it most every day;
cool in the morning, warming up to no more than 75 F. Partly cloudy and every third or fourth day, rain.
Good bye for now, and remember, IF you have decided this, YOU ARE A NON-SMOKER AND WILL REMAIN A NON-SMOKER FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!
My brother-in-law (I think I mentioned him in a previous blog) enjoyed smoking. He was in great shape. He got cancer and died within 6 months. If we could go back in time and know the result, I wonder if he would have taken a non-smoking path. Just staying alive for the sake of being alive seems a bit empty to me. But he had golf! He also loved fishing and hunting. He had his share of the good life. I just noticed, by way of a typo) that if you take the f out of life it spells lie. Now I know what's missing from my life.
The weather here has been too hot for much work to be accomplished. This morning was different. It was cool when I awoke, so after a while I came down and laid on the couch with a quilt and my novel. It was pleasant lying there except for the cat issues. That's how I would have it most every day;
cool in the morning, warming up to no more than 75 F. Partly cloudy and every third or fourth day, rain.
Good bye for now, and remember, IF you have decided this, YOU ARE A NON-SMOKER AND WILL REMAIN A NON-SMOKER FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Jman difference
Things are different when Jman is here. Friday he and Helene went to a friends wedding and when we woke up the next morning a significant contingent of the wedding party were sleeping in our living room and camper van. You just don't know what will happen next. It's fun and we are flattered that they feel comfortable in crashing here. I heard the basic reception pattern of behavior was behave-behave-behave-drunk.
I even heard of a leprechaun sighting. He was said to be sleeping under a tree, wearing kilts!
There also must be at least one campfire. I regret that I didn't shake off being too tired to attend.
Next time, we'll have a good time,
I know we'll have a good time then.
I even heard of a leprechaun sighting. He was said to be sleeping under a tree, wearing kilts!
There also must be at least one campfire. I regret that I didn't shake off being too tired to attend.
Next time, we'll have a good time,
I know we'll have a good time then.
How is Summer going?
Summer used to be the best part of the year. The school break, the warm weather and family vacations. It changes when you get older and you may be working through the Summer months. But the weather is nice and you will probably take a vacation. I always hated it when, even in early July stores would start advertising for back to school. There's still a lot of Summer left. I have been trying to get some of the fun feeling back but so far my success has been limited. I find myself thinking about what needs to be done before the colder weather gets here. In September football season begins and that's something I look forward to.
There is a full month of Summer left and I'm going to use it. I'll go somewhere where there are boats. I may rent a boat. I think I'll get into some nice cool water. Lake Michigan always does the trick. Maybe I'll go down to the local bar and listen to the people talk about their Summer adventures.
I know many of you have already traveled this year and are thinking about Fall. Well I say enjoy August.
There is a full month of Summer left and I'm going to use it. I'll go somewhere where there are boats. I may rent a boat. I think I'll get into some nice cool water. Lake Michigan always does the trick. Maybe I'll go down to the local bar and listen to the people talk about their Summer adventures.
I know many of you have already traveled this year and are thinking about Fall. Well I say enjoy August.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
I love me-I love me not
You may have noticed that I changed the title of my last blog. I'm telling you, unless you're blogging under a pseudonym, you have to be careful of what you say.
I was thinking of how we accept so many things as being true without examining them at all. The one I'm talking about now is, "You have to love yourself, before you can love someone else." Why is this so widely accepted? I've heard people try to explain that if you don't love yourself, you don't know what love is, therefore how can you love someone else? I have also been told the analogy of someone coming to you for money. You can give him money if you have it. Likewise you can give love if you have it.
Well, I know I love some people, who shall go unnamed. Does that mean I must love myself? I think the jury is out on this idea. I don't believe it.
I've spent a fair amount of time this week working on the volkswagens. I had spent a lot of money on the convertible and thought I'd fix one or two things myself. The car would be in better shape and I would feel good about improvement without spending money. The rear bumper has been loose on the left side since I bought the car. I looked underneath to see if this was a welding issue or what. I could see two bolts that were just not tightened up. Hey, easy fix-right up my ally. It turned out, there were three bolts on each side. One (on each) had been broken off. The others were frozen (a rust term). By the time I had removed the bumper, each side had two frozen broken-off bolts and one usable threaded hole. I had to drill out bolts, find new bolts, disassemble the rest of the bumper, wire brush the interior of the bumper, rust bullet the thing, etc. These jobs keep going on. Meanwhile I wanted to scrub the top of the camper. I noticed one edge doesn't have a protective strip so I decided to use a similar item to replace that. It was rusty in the gutter up there so I used more Rust-Bullet. Both projects are still uncompleted. I'm going to put the bumper on this afternoon. Eventually, I may get to the ultimate goal of cleaning out the garage so I can store the convertible in there along with my screw-driver collection. Then maybe I will love myself.
By the way, I fixed the bathtub drain lever. That was very easy.
I was thinking of how we accept so many things as being true without examining them at all. The one I'm talking about now is, "You have to love yourself, before you can love someone else." Why is this so widely accepted? I've heard people try to explain that if you don't love yourself, you don't know what love is, therefore how can you love someone else? I have also been told the analogy of someone coming to you for money. You can give him money if you have it. Likewise you can give love if you have it.
Well, I know I love some people, who shall go unnamed. Does that mean I must love myself? I think the jury is out on this idea. I don't believe it.
I've spent a fair amount of time this week working on the volkswagens. I had spent a lot of money on the convertible and thought I'd fix one or two things myself. The car would be in better shape and I would feel good about improvement without spending money. The rear bumper has been loose on the left side since I bought the car. I looked underneath to see if this was a welding issue or what. I could see two bolts that were just not tightened up. Hey, easy fix-right up my ally. It turned out, there were three bolts on each side. One (on each) had been broken off. The others were frozen (a rust term). By the time I had removed the bumper, each side had two frozen broken-off bolts and one usable threaded hole. I had to drill out bolts, find new bolts, disassemble the rest of the bumper, wire brush the interior of the bumper, rust bullet the thing, etc. These jobs keep going on. Meanwhile I wanted to scrub the top of the camper. I noticed one edge doesn't have a protective strip so I decided to use a similar item to replace that. It was rusty in the gutter up there so I used more Rust-Bullet. Both projects are still uncompleted. I'm going to put the bumper on this afternoon. Eventually, I may get to the ultimate goal of cleaning out the garage so I can store the convertible in there along with my screw-driver collection. Then maybe I will love myself.
By the way, I fixed the bathtub drain lever. That was very easy.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Let's blog
Hi all. Just another day in the life. We went to a few sales today...a good way spend some of our remaining time. The best sale was an estate sale of a guy who had been a wood-shop and drafting teacher. He was also said to have worked on old clocks. There were a lot of tools at the sale and some collections of junk you would find in an old man's garage. I've bought boxes of miscellaneous stuff at others sales and enjoyed sorting through to see what was there and if anything was interesting or of value. The best item may have been a Yankee screw driver. My father had one and I used it a lot as A youth. There were a couple of small punches one of which was ground down by the deceased and for some reason I feel these were special to him.
I now need to integrate these tools into my collection. I may have one of the greatest collections of screw-drivers in Genesee County. Well, it was fun looking through all the items. The family of the deceased were a nice group of people.
One of the best things about going to estate sales is learning about the people involved. Figuring out who is who in the family. Seeing how someone lived their life. Kind of creepy, maybe. But, I do have a minor in Sociology.
Later...Ken.
I now need to integrate these tools into my collection. I may have one of the greatest collections of screw-drivers in Genesee County. Well, it was fun looking through all the items. The family of the deceased were a nice group of people.
One of the best things about going to estate sales is learning about the people involved. Figuring out who is who in the family. Seeing how someone lived their life. Kind of creepy, maybe. But, I do have a minor in Sociology.
Later...Ken.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Christine ?
I read the Stephen King novel about the car that transported you back in time. It's been a while since I read it but I'm pretty sure it was Christine. I'm too lazy to check it. Today I picked up my 1977 Volkswagen Champagne Edition convertible.
The repairs cost so much that it was almost the original amount I paid for this car. I put the top back and lowered the passenger windows, leaving the rear window glass up in the European style of autobahn driving. The car drives like a dream. It has an old Mitsubishi cassette, AM-FM radio in it. I was tuning it as best I could while taking the curves of Milford Road and finally landing on something that came in strong and clear I kept it there. One of the first songs was Kenny Rogers and I believe Dolly Parton singing Islands in the Stream. I thought how appropriate for the old car.
If you don't have a history with old cars it may be hard to understand how driving one can affect you. It supplies so many memories that you had forgotten about. They're still in you. The cost is'nt important. You're driving a time machine...sit back and enjoy. It's as good as a ride at Disneyworld. I could write a small book about my experiences with the old air cooled VWs. Just one here. My first volkswagen convertible, when I got it to a place where I wanted to put back the top, I was relying on my experience with Ross Weinstein's convertibles and thinking there must be a button to push and the top will go back. No, Ken you just release the two latches and then using good old hand power, you lift the top and put it back. You need to fold one part of the top so it will lie flat enough to be held down by clips. I liked the idea. No motors to fail. These old VWs are one of the true loves of my life. A couple of others are Elvis, UofM football, tennis, golf and a few more.
The car still needs quite a few fixes. I can handle many of them myself and Steve of Steve's European Automotive says the car is exceptional in it's power and drivability. With a little love it will be a great car. I would sell it at the right price but, for now I want to enjoy the ride and hopefully Brooke and others will share it with me. Want a ride?
The repairs cost so much that it was almost the original amount I paid for this car. I put the top back and lowered the passenger windows, leaving the rear window glass up in the European style of autobahn driving. The car drives like a dream. It has an old Mitsubishi cassette, AM-FM radio in it. I was tuning it as best I could while taking the curves of Milford Road and finally landing on something that came in strong and clear I kept it there. One of the first songs was Kenny Rogers and I believe Dolly Parton singing Islands in the Stream. I thought how appropriate for the old car.
If you don't have a history with old cars it may be hard to understand how driving one can affect you. It supplies so many memories that you had forgotten about. They're still in you. The cost is'nt important. You're driving a time machine...sit back and enjoy. It's as good as a ride at Disneyworld. I could write a small book about my experiences with the old air cooled VWs. Just one here. My first volkswagen convertible, when I got it to a place where I wanted to put back the top, I was relying on my experience with Ross Weinstein's convertibles and thinking there must be a button to push and the top will go back. No, Ken you just release the two latches and then using good old hand power, you lift the top and put it back. You need to fold one part of the top so it will lie flat enough to be held down by clips. I liked the idea. No motors to fail. These old VWs are one of the true loves of my life. A couple of others are Elvis, UofM football, tennis, golf and a few more.
The car still needs quite a few fixes. I can handle many of them myself and Steve of Steve's European Automotive says the car is exceptional in it's power and drivability. With a little love it will be a great car. I would sell it at the right price but, for now I want to enjoy the ride and hopefully Brooke and others will share it with me. Want a ride?
Monday, July 19, 2010
Quiet
Everyone has fled the residence. I've been a bad host to our guests and A selfish husband to my wife. Brooke is still quite sick and is carrying on as well as possible. She and Lisa and Gabe have gone to Toronto for a couple of days. Jman and Helene have headed to the West Coast of Michigan for a similar timeframe. I have some time to feel like I've gained some control of things around here. The newlyweds are in Costa Rica.
We went to a local beach yesterday where Matt and Rissa provided hamburgers and cheeseburgers and watermellon. We provided kooskoos and something else. I am not in the loop. Gabe provided entertainment. It was a nice evening.
This post is just to let you know what is going on in our lives. I thought Genevieve might like to know.
Otherwise you might as well read the ingredients on a box of cereal.
I was out in the drive-way talking to Jman and playing with Gabe when a middle-aged couple walked up to ask."Who is the beer brewer?" They've been enjoying watching the progress of the hops growing on the side of the house. Dave, the man, wondered if there was a brewing club around here. There is one in Ann Arbor. The woman, whose name escapes me, complemented us on the flowers that grow in such abundance here. I mentioned The Fenton Vortex to them, which they thought was interesting. Jman thinks such things are foolish. It took me a long time to appreciate my fathers stories. He would tell the same story over and over often with different endings. He was a great story teller.
We went to a local beach yesterday where Matt and Rissa provided hamburgers and cheeseburgers and watermellon. We provided kooskoos and something else. I am not in the loop. Gabe provided entertainment. It was a nice evening.
This post is just to let you know what is going on in our lives. I thought Genevieve might like to know.
Otherwise you might as well read the ingredients on a box of cereal.
I was out in the drive-way talking to Jman and playing with Gabe when a middle-aged couple walked up to ask."Who is the beer brewer?" They've been enjoying watching the progress of the hops growing on the side of the house. Dave, the man, wondered if there was a brewing club around here. There is one in Ann Arbor. The woman, whose name escapes me, complemented us on the flowers that grow in such abundance here. I mentioned The Fenton Vortex to them, which they thought was interesting. Jman thinks such things are foolish. It took me a long time to appreciate my fathers stories. He would tell the same story over and over often with different endings. He was a great story teller.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Golf
It was nice to see John Daly near the top of the leader board at the British Open. He appeals to many of us commoners. I'd love to see him win another major tournament.
Watching the tournament makes me want to go out and hit balls. I played a round of pitch-and-putt with a few guys this week and it was gratifying to see I hadn't lost all my old bad habits. They're like old friends. They come around when you least expect them. I will try my hypnotic tools when I get back to the golf course in a more serious way. That should be Spring of 2011. I've gotten away from the hypnosis for a while. Partly because so few people are willing to try it. Basically fear of losing control or divulging secrets. That can't happen! If you're a good liar without hypnosis, you're a better liar with it. The other thing that holds me back is my own lack of confidence. I do believe though that after the operation I will develop a servitude in "The Work". I know when I studied in Florida it all fit so well with my life experiences and consolidated many ideas. It's really perfect for me.
A potential client actually called the house but we were out of town for the week end. I'm going to go with smoking cessation, stress relief and sports improvement. Want to improve your golf game? See Ken. Want to stop worrying about money? See Ken. Are you tired of being tied to the cigarette habit? See Ken Lamson! Rates are low now. But with increased demand will likely rise. Be decisive about your future!
Watching the tournament makes me want to go out and hit balls. I played a round of pitch-and-putt with a few guys this week and it was gratifying to see I hadn't lost all my old bad habits. They're like old friends. They come around when you least expect them. I will try my hypnotic tools when I get back to the golf course in a more serious way. That should be Spring of 2011. I've gotten away from the hypnosis for a while. Partly because so few people are willing to try it. Basically fear of losing control or divulging secrets. That can't happen! If you're a good liar without hypnosis, you're a better liar with it. The other thing that holds me back is my own lack of confidence. I do believe though that after the operation I will develop a servitude in "The Work". I know when I studied in Florida it all fit so well with my life experiences and consolidated many ideas. It's really perfect for me.
A potential client actually called the house but we were out of town for the week end. I'm going to go with smoking cessation, stress relief and sports improvement. Want to improve your golf game? See Ken. Want to stop worrying about money? See Ken. Are you tired of being tied to the cigarette habit? See Ken Lamson! Rates are low now. But with increased demand will likely rise. Be decisive about your future!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tour de france
We have been watching some of the Tour lately. A Danish team is doing well there and it is something to watch that is pretty non-controvercial. With Europeans all over the place here, Chris Hall is here today too, we are drawn into World Cup, Tour and British Open.
Brooke is ill. Gabe seems good today and all is well. The young adults are blending well. Helene mowed the lawn yesterday. She likes riding the mower. The relatively healthy life style of the Danes is apparent in Jake and Helene. Lots of energy. Bye for now.
Brooke is ill. Gabe seems good today and all is well. The young adults are blending well. Helene mowed the lawn yesterday. She likes riding the mower. The relatively healthy life style of the Danes is apparent in Jake and Helene. Lots of energy. Bye for now.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
post wedding blues?
I don't know where these titles come from. We are all trying to get readjusted around here and it seems Brooke, Ken and Emma must go through a period of "needing extra sleep". We have to get used to living with six adults and a baby in the house. I think in about two days we'll have most of the problems straightened out.
If you were a part of the wedding I will say thank you one more time. A guy I know has five daughters. The first one was getting married the same time Emma was. He must be thinking of suicide about now. I have a problem telling the adults around here that we need to put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and put the food back in the refrigerator etc. It always comes off badly. We may have to resort to assigning duties. Lisa, You have kitchen clean-up on Wednesday. Must be done by 10AM. Jake has vacuuming on Thursday. Emma cleans the cat box. It could be fun, kinda like camp.
Gabe is feeling better but not really getting rid of the pressure in his ears so more unpleasantness could be on the way.
When the DJ at the wedding put on Della James-"At Last", I was moved to take the dance floor with my wife. She said no so I went up with Gabe. Then she did join us. We were enjoying the dance for just a short time when an unidentifiable smell was detected by me. I said what's that smell and Brooke and Mike Kennedy said at the same time,"Fire!" It was put out and we continued dancing. I leaned over to say to the Kennedys,"I thought the Srylankans were burning incense". Just as I was saying this the music stopped and it was loud enough to be heard by several people on the dance floor. Those things always happen when we get together with the Kennedys.
If I go on I may offend somebody (else) so I'll sign off for now.
If you were a part of the wedding I will say thank you one more time. A guy I know has five daughters. The first one was getting married the same time Emma was. He must be thinking of suicide about now. I have a problem telling the adults around here that we need to put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and put the food back in the refrigerator etc. It always comes off badly. We may have to resort to assigning duties. Lisa, You have kitchen clean-up on Wednesday. Must be done by 10AM. Jake has vacuuming on Thursday. Emma cleans the cat box. It could be fun, kinda like camp.
Gabe is feeling better but not really getting rid of the pressure in his ears so more unpleasantness could be on the way.
When the DJ at the wedding put on Della James-"At Last", I was moved to take the dance floor with my wife. She said no so I went up with Gabe. Then she did join us. We were enjoying the dance for just a short time when an unidentifiable smell was detected by me. I said what's that smell and Brooke and Mike Kennedy said at the same time,"Fire!" It was put out and we continued dancing. I leaned over to say to the Kennedys,"I thought the Srylankans were burning incense". Just as I was saying this the music stopped and it was loud enough to be heard by several people on the dance floor. Those things always happen when we get together with the Kennedys.
If I go on I may offend somebody (else) so I'll sign off for now.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Barber Shop
I went to the barber shop today so I would look as good as possible for the wedding photos. Usually I cut my own hair with the Flowbee as many of you may know. Hey, it is now Wednesday because of Blogus-interruptus caused by Gabriel. The barber shop was very much as it had been two years or so ago. The same barber was there and he is one who thinks it's part of his job to talk up the customers. That was alright, but I felt like saying could you keep cutting while you talked? If you watched The Sopranos it is similar to the chef who comes out and talks to the customers. Barber shops will probably be with us for a long time. Hair keeps growing and it's quite hard to trim it yourself. A willing wife would be a Godsend in this situation, or A friend who has roughly the same skills as you so you could cut one another's hair and neither would be left with the short end of the deal.
Wedding events are heating up. Lisa will be arriving today and J* and Helena will come in tomorrow. Things are going pretty well. Rebecca cleaned a lot of the house yesterday and Gabe of course has come down with an ear infection again. He has his medicine now though and should be fine to perform his ring bearer duties. I am also prepared to be the ring bearer bearer if necessary. Looking forward to a lovely day with many friends and family, thank you all for sharing this day with us. I must run now to clean the bathrooms.
Wedding events are heating up. Lisa will be arriving today and J* and Helena will come in tomorrow. Things are going pretty well. Rebecca cleaned a lot of the house yesterday and Gabe of course has come down with an ear infection again. He has his medicine now though and should be fine to perform his ring bearer duties. I am also prepared to be the ring bearer bearer if necessary. Looking forward to a lovely day with many friends and family, thank you all for sharing this day with us. I must run now to clean the bathrooms.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
IMTOAD
Hi all. On our way back from Vienna's first birthday party, we passed a motor home with a small car in tow. I noticed the vanity plate had IMTOAD on it. I thought who is calling themself Toad? Then is it I'm Toad or I am toad? I asked Brooke if she saw it and when I told her what it was she got it immediately and said that's cute. So it's I am towed. This shows what a ponderous clod I am. I'm thinking of getting a t-shirt with the slogan IMTOAD on it. This is my reality. In every relationship, someone is the driver and someone is toad.
That's my new approach to getting ready for this wedding. I just don't care anymore. I'm standing by for orders from Control. We'll get there and all will be fine. I only hope the woman from Craigslist calls back and buys one of these damn couches.
The US can't beat Ghana in soccer and England couldn't get it done against Germany. We've learned a goal is not a goal and a foul is not a foul until the referee says so. The game is in their hands.
That's my new approach to getting ready for this wedding. I just don't care anymore. I'm standing by for orders from Control. We'll get there and all will be fine. I only hope the woman from Craigslist calls back and buys one of these damn couches.
The US can't beat Ghana in soccer and England couldn't get it done against Germany. We've learned a goal is not a goal and a foul is not a foul until the referee says so. The game is in their hands.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Friday Free-for-all
We have so much to do to get ready for Emma's wedding. Where will people stay? Do we need to paint? What does the yard need? The cars need to be reliable. Should we go to garage sales today? What?
Let's go to a couple of garage sales and then we'll get busy on wedding plans. Okay, that's how we do things in this family. It just so happens that there are more garage sales this week-end than at any other time this season. We were really in the mood to buy and found some great bargains. We bought two book shelves, one for $5.00 and another for $40.00. We found A Thomas the Train set for $4.00 ! A Montesori school was moving and Brooke got some toys and wall posters dirt cheap. Dirt cheap is us!
You won't believe it but we bought a nice leather couch and love seat for a total of $200. When you come over and luxuriate in these, you won't believe what your body is feeling, and no smells.
Now we have to arrange pick up plus get rid of our old couch. How we will deal with this is unknown. Please come by and see our bargains though.
Let's go to a couple of garage sales and then we'll get busy on wedding plans. Okay, that's how we do things in this family. It just so happens that there are more garage sales this week-end than at any other time this season. We were really in the mood to buy and found some great bargains. We bought two book shelves, one for $5.00 and another for $40.00. We found A Thomas the Train set for $4.00 ! A Montesori school was moving and Brooke got some toys and wall posters dirt cheap. Dirt cheap is us!
You won't believe it but we bought a nice leather couch and love seat for a total of $200. When you come over and luxuriate in these, you won't believe what your body is feeling, and no smells.
Now we have to arrange pick up plus get rid of our old couch. How we will deal with this is unknown. Please come by and see our bargains though.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Our "European Vacation"
My bride and I decided to take a short vacation to "Europe" this week-end. Two of Brooke's siblings are actually going to Europe and so as not to be left out of the fun, we decided to travel to Toronto, Canada. It is very much like Europe. There is London, Paris, the Thames river. One needs a passport. There is a border crossing. It's quite wonderful and foreign. Of course our favorite person in the world is there. His picture is part of this blog, in case you were in doubt. We took Gabe to a park with some neighbor twin girls and their Grandfather. He speaks Serbian. Very little english. How European. We also took Gabe to a very nice pre-school drop-in center. This place was great! Clean, very well organised, nice people in charge. I was in a nice frame of mind(those drugs are great) and my mind set seemed to match that of most of the adults there. Similar drugs? The place reminded me of the pre-school center we took Jake and Emma to so many years ago.
We also went to a nice coffee shop that Brooke had discovered on her previous visit. It has free wi-fi and very nice tables and chairs plus book shelves and some decorative items. Very pleasant. On Queen Street there is one shop after another and quite varied. Many countries of the world represented. We took a walk down a side street off Queen and found beautifully landscaped yards. The houses are close together and all somewhat different. They were really interesting to see and it would probably be a nice place to live.
One thing I noticed, since the last time I was there, was the people from the Community Center have these electrically powered vehicles that they ride up and down Queen Street on. They are customized with rear-view mirrors and headlights. The people from the Center park in front of the Salvation Army Store, sitting on their "rides" and conversing. I'm sure if we visited more often we would get to know more about the habits of the people there.
I was alerted to the fact that someone had thrown out an oriental rug. It is common practice to recycle no longer wanted items by leaving them in certain areas where others can inspect and retreive them if desired. I was too tired to go out that night but the next morning we chanced by and the rug was still there. It was in excellent condition, but had been cut in half. It wouldn't have lasted twenty minutes if it had been whole. But, no one wanted a half-rug. I left it also. Later when we had returned I decided to take it. It could be used somewhere. Maybe in the camper. Maybe in the side bedroom.
Whats left of it is in great condition...beautiful deep colors and little wear. I've been thinking about getting an oriental rug for a while, so this could satisfy my desire. The price was right. John suggested that I use it with a mirrored wall so with the reflection one would get the effect of a full rug.
Wonderful idea. We returned home fully energized and at a bargain price. Caio!
We also went to a nice coffee shop that Brooke had discovered on her previous visit. It has free wi-fi and very nice tables and chairs plus book shelves and some decorative items. Very pleasant. On Queen Street there is one shop after another and quite varied. Many countries of the world represented. We took a walk down a side street off Queen and found beautifully landscaped yards. The houses are close together and all somewhat different. They were really interesting to see and it would probably be a nice place to live.
One thing I noticed, since the last time I was there, was the people from the Community Center have these electrically powered vehicles that they ride up and down Queen Street on. They are customized with rear-view mirrors and headlights. The people from the Center park in front of the Salvation Army Store, sitting on their "rides" and conversing. I'm sure if we visited more often we would get to know more about the habits of the people there.
I was alerted to the fact that someone had thrown out an oriental rug. It is common practice to recycle no longer wanted items by leaving them in certain areas where others can inspect and retreive them if desired. I was too tired to go out that night but the next morning we chanced by and the rug was still there. It was in excellent condition, but had been cut in half. It wouldn't have lasted twenty minutes if it had been whole. But, no one wanted a half-rug. I left it also. Later when we had returned I decided to take it. It could be used somewhere. Maybe in the camper. Maybe in the side bedroom.
Whats left of it is in great condition...beautiful deep colors and little wear. I've been thinking about getting an oriental rug for a while, so this could satisfy my desire. The price was right. John suggested that I use it with a mirrored wall so with the reflection one would get the effect of a full rug.
Wonderful idea. We returned home fully energized and at a bargain price. Caio!
Monday, June 14, 2010
World Cup Woes
I joined a World Cup Group that J-youknowwho started. It is similar to NCAA Touney Brackets but is complicated by the playoff format. Plus you get points for guessing the goal differential for each match. I'm at the very bottom of the pack. There is a long way to go. I also picked USA to win the whole thing. It does give me a reason to watch more soccer.
I also have bought a cordless string trimmer. I like my gas powered trimmer but it needs more attention than I am willing to pay for right now. I'll let you know the thrilling outcome of the new trimmer's performance in a future episode.
I also have bought a cordless string trimmer. I like my gas powered trimmer but it needs more attention than I am willing to pay for right now. I'll let you know the thrilling outcome of the new trimmer's performance in a future episode.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Touch-a-truck
Who knew that little boys and girls too, want to get close to big trucks? Close enough to touch them. We took Gabe and some friends to Bush Park to see the trucks. One also finds that the slides and swings are very interesting. And Trains are bigger than trucks. When the train went by, everone looked at the train.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
It's Trash Day!
That's what I told Gabe last night before he went to bed. Trash day means the big truck will come by and the guys will wave at us. The little boys seem to just love trucks. Big ones especially.
I like trash day because they take away a weeks worth of trash and we can start over again with a clean slate.
Gabe and Emma are here and things are being accomplished. I'm so grateful that I don't have to plan a wedding. I'm so grateful that I don't have to plan anything. I do have to get measured for a tuxedo and that has caused stress. I've started removing wall paper from the side bedroom. We were going to fix it up for the Summer's festivities. It may be too late for that, now. I need a big jolt of energy but if I really got one I'd probably squander it on something else. Without rereading my old blogs, I don't remember if I mentioned the old maple tree in the back yard. We had it removed(except for the stump). We have also got the garden looking much better. Thanks to the work of other people as well as us.
Again, this is boring...my life revolves around my string trimmer. Jman has produced a World Cup Bracket in order to make the games more interesting, so I entered that. Best wishes to all of you from the slightly dingy Sidebedroom.
I like trash day because they take away a weeks worth of trash and we can start over again with a clean slate.
Gabe and Emma are here and things are being accomplished. I'm so grateful that I don't have to plan a wedding. I'm so grateful that I don't have to plan anything. I do have to get measured for a tuxedo and that has caused stress. I've started removing wall paper from the side bedroom. We were going to fix it up for the Summer's festivities. It may be too late for that, now. I need a big jolt of energy but if I really got one I'd probably squander it on something else. Without rereading my old blogs, I don't remember if I mentioned the old maple tree in the back yard. We had it removed(except for the stump). We have also got the garden looking much better. Thanks to the work of other people as well as us.
Again, this is boring...my life revolves around my string trimmer. Jman has produced a World Cup Bracket in order to make the games more interesting, so I entered that. Best wishes to all of you from the slightly dingy Sidebedroom.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
HGTV
Over the long week-end I watched some TV. It usually doesn't take too long to get thoroughly depressed or angry with what you see there. At that point I will turn to the sports channels or history or even HGTV. Happily this time there was a Hoarders Marathon going on. By the second show we had had enough. The people who horde probably should (if they are ready) see an hypnotist. The hypnotist would solve their problem in about 30-45 minutes. The remaining 15 minutes could show the clean-up or explain the changes in the persons mind. I will have to finish this in a few minutes because Nolan is visiting today and we are going to walk on the treadmill for a while.
The thing that caused me consternation about the one episode of hoarders was when the camera showed the woman who couldn't throw away food, she was wearing the identical Crocs that I wear. There are other incidents like this on the tube. Futurama has a scene showing a future mutant group of people and they too are wearing Crocs. I wonder if the leather shoe lobby is paying for this.
Today on the same channel a guy was being "helped" with his wardrobe. He basically dressed like me and 90% of people. He went along with the program and at the end, the scene showed him with his family and friends. He looked a little out-of-place. They all had on their slob clothes. He looked okay except for a shirt with a raised collar. He didn't look comfortable in that. Maybe he should have changed friends as well as his wardrobe.
Hope you are all enjoying this wonderful weather. We had a nice little thunderstorm earlier today.
The thing that caused me consternation about the one episode of hoarders was when the camera showed the woman who couldn't throw away food, she was wearing the identical Crocs that I wear. There are other incidents like this on the tube. Futurama has a scene showing a future mutant group of people and they too are wearing Crocs. I wonder if the leather shoe lobby is paying for this.
Today on the same channel a guy was being "helped" with his wardrobe. He basically dressed like me and 90% of people. He went along with the program and at the end, the scene showed him with his family and friends. He looked a little out-of-place. They all had on their slob clothes. He looked okay except for a shirt with a raised collar. He didn't look comfortable in that. Maybe he should have changed friends as well as his wardrobe.
Hope you are all enjoying this wonderful weather. We had a nice little thunderstorm earlier today.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
And the winner is ?
It happened again. The winner was the cute guy who wasn't bad, but didn't compare to Ms. Bowersox. I don't know how to spell her first name. We watched all two hours of the final program and wondered why they brought all of these old groups and performers on. I think one hour would have been good. The goodbye to Simon I felt was appropriate. The productions involving this years contestants was to sell tickets to the Idols Tour. If it weren't for Brooke's interest over the years I'm sure I wouldn't be involved in the show. I think it is better that I do know something about today's culture.
Will the show survive without Simon? It depends on his replacement. I think I've seen enough of the show and especially Ryan Seacrerst, Ellen and the other female judge.
I keep thinking of Gabe dancing in front of the TV last week end. He is so close to jumping, as the children in the video are doing. He just can't let go of contact to earth though. He will go up on one foot and quickly alternate feet in this position. I know how he feels. I didn't want to jump with ice skates on or on a bicycle. I'm sure he will learn to leave the Earth's surface soon.
When listening to my Ipod the other day I was surprised to hear myself on there. A couple of months ago I recorded a sound file on the computer entitled Relaxation I. It must have been loaded on the Ipod when I updated my music. I turned it up and listened, following the instructions brought about the desired result. The file is to be used to help someone get used to relaxing by following this method, then they will more easily be able to go into a deeper state when they come back to my office which is The Sidebedroom.
Will the show survive without Simon? It depends on his replacement. I think I've seen enough of the show and especially Ryan Seacrerst, Ellen and the other female judge.
I keep thinking of Gabe dancing in front of the TV last week end. He is so close to jumping, as the children in the video are doing. He just can't let go of contact to earth though. He will go up on one foot and quickly alternate feet in this position. I know how he feels. I didn't want to jump with ice skates on or on a bicycle. I'm sure he will learn to leave the Earth's surface soon.
When listening to my Ipod the other day I was surprised to hear myself on there. A couple of months ago I recorded a sound file on the computer entitled Relaxation I. It must have been loaded on the Ipod when I updated my music. I turned it up and listened, following the instructions brought about the desired result. The file is to be used to help someone get used to relaxing by following this method, then they will more easily be able to go into a deeper state when they come back to my office which is The Sidebedroom.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Still here
Thanks Emma. Mom has been out of commission since you guys left. These colds really hit her hard. I have the cold too, but so far it's not so bad. I've been trying to get the house and yard in some order. I feel so out of control lately. Problems with the cars, health, lawn etc. I only hope this isn't the way so many people feel all the time. The hedges are trimmed however and if you happen to drive by the house you will be impressed by the symmetry of the corner yew. I think, for the first time in modern history, that bush doesn't look as though it's leaning over. I also called John Beach to come and remove the big tree in the back yard. Jman called on Sunday and I asked him if he wanted me to take a picture of the tree before it is taken down and he said no. They have their tickets for the wedding though and he wonders what he can wear. I thought if he just had a shirt and tie it would be okay.
I'm feeling the cold symptoms so this is about it. The vitamin K2 may be working. It's easier to walk the circuit with Luke. Thanks for checking in.
I'm feeling the cold symptoms so this is about it. The vitamin K2 may be working. It's easier to walk the circuit with Luke. Thanks for checking in.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Medical update
This may be of interest to many of you. I returned to meet my new surgeon at UofM Hospital yesterday. I printed out three pages of a Doctor's blog post that discussed the possible benefits of using vitamin K2. My new guy wasn't interested in it at all. I gave it to him to read and he took it. His take is that for many years people have been coming up with ways to get rid of the calcification and none of them have worked. Even if we could get the calcium out the valve would not be like a valve that had not been calcified. The damage would not heal. He may be right but I am sticking with the vitamin and am also going to follow at least some of the recommendations from Dr. Ornish's program. It can't hurt and before the operation I'll have another echo cardiogram that will show any change from February of this year. At that point I could wait another six months or so to see what happens. There have been only 7 instances of this particular operation performed at UofM hospital in the last two years and Dr. Haft has performed all of them. The two hospitals where quite a few of these are performed are in Indianapolis and Baltimore. We may go to one of them even though I don't feel badly about being number 8 in Ann Arbor. The chance of survival is about 93%.
I found the video of Dr. Ornish on line today and if you have the interest take a look. He has done so much work on this in a scientific way, you'd think it would get more recognition. He's not a great lecturer and the program isn't presented in a commercial way. If you have any health concerns it is definitely worth learning about.
I do feel better, even with my half-measures for the last three weeks. We could all meet here for yoga and emotional support. Wear loose fitting clothes and bring-your-own-mat.
We need to get it in gear for wedding preparations starting tomorrow. Best wishes to all.
I found the video of Dr. Ornish on line today and if you have the interest take a look. He has done so much work on this in a scientific way, you'd think it would get more recognition. He's not a great lecturer and the program isn't presented in a commercial way. If you have any health concerns it is definitely worth learning about.
I do feel better, even with my half-measures for the last three weeks. We could all meet here for yoga and emotional support. Wear loose fitting clothes and bring-your-own-mat.
We need to get it in gear for wedding preparations starting tomorrow. Best wishes to all.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Hops are transplanted
The weather looks pretty good for the next week so I decided to transplant the hops. Centennial is most easterly, Chinook is in the middle and Cascade is westerly. Westerly is toward Leroy Street. I sprinkled water on them and said holy words over them . I may have baptised them, anyway I sure hope they do well. The picture doesn't show it but Cascade is about a foot long. I wrapped it up the cord Jman provided. There are also three marigold plants out there keeping them company.
We went for a walk again this morning and found some items at a local garage sale that we were looking for. Two Little Tikes slides and some free Irises. Gabe looks at almost every truck or car that passes. Sometimes he waves.
That's all the good news for today.
We went for a walk again this morning and found some items at a local garage sale that we were looking for. Two Little Tikes slides and some free Irises. Gabe looks at almost every truck or car that passes. Sometimes he waves.
That's all the good news for today.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Morning walk
Hi all. It was a beautiful sunny morning today, and Brooke, Gabe, Luke and I went for a walk. Gabe really enjoys being outside. He practically was running to keep up with the rest of us. We had to stop to look back every once in a while. I don't know why. Maybe to remember where we had been. There are many points along the way to perform the rituals of past walks. Sit on a rock. Get tickled by a bush. Splash in a puddle. We met another dog along the way and a young mother with a three week old and an older boy approximately 3 years. The sky was so blue the trees and grass so green. My advice?, "take a kid for a walk." It also slows the walk down so it's easier for the old folks. Brooke had to carry Gabe for a while though, at the end. Just a little while and then he finished strong.
If you have ever watched My Favorite Martian, it's really fun(to me) to watch these old TV shows again. They are so fresh and innocent, G-rated in retrospect. I like to notice the styles of the time and the technology of the time. The TV sits on one of those old metal stands that can be wheeled into viewing position. The phone is a land line. The rug is an American Indian style. Fun to watch and nostalgic for us older Americans. Who knew we had it so right back then. I'm also watching an English series called Wire in the Blood. That's not bad and I just think it's great to be able to get these from the library.
Sorry I haven't been writing much lately. See you soon.
If you have ever watched My Favorite Martian, it's really fun(to me) to watch these old TV shows again. They are so fresh and innocent, G-rated in retrospect. I like to notice the styles of the time and the technology of the time. The TV sits on one of those old metal stands that can be wheeled into viewing position. The phone is a land line. The rug is an American Indian style. Fun to watch and nostalgic for us older Americans. Who knew we had it so right back then. I'm also watching an English series called Wire in the Blood. That's not bad and I just think it's great to be able to get these from the library.
Sorry I haven't been writing much lately. See you soon.
Monday, May 10, 2010
unknown
We go into the unknown. This was the beginning of my last post and I don't remember if I had any point at the time. I do know that I just wanted to post something and was called away. I titled it unknown as a temporary title but now, what the heck, it's okay. I went over to MSU Surplus just to get away and maybe find a nice bargain. I bought a box of 150 test tubes for $5. Didn't want to leave empty handed. The car wouldn't start as I was trying to leave. The Jimmy was having this problem lately and I thought it was a water in the gas problem. I walked to a Quality Dairy about a mile away and got some gas treatment. I put it in and waited a while for it to take effect. It never worked and as time went on I had to deal with the fact that they locked the parking lot up at 5:30. I got some guys from Libya to push me beyond the gate, so I sat there in the rain waiting for the car to suddenly work. I had no cell phone and the location is pretty remote. Across the street, there are several dumpsters where people leave their assorted recyclables. Most were women and I thought I would frighten them if I approached with a story of a broken down car. When the rain slowed and there was a family over there, I tried starting one more time, and got out and walked over to the young couple.
They were very friendly and let me call home. No one answered so I left a message and went back to my car. Five minutes later, the nice family was back. Brooke had called them and they drove back out to let me use there phone again.
Brooke called Patrick O'Brien, an old boyfriend of Emma, and he was glad to come and pick me up and take me to Days Inn. This motel has a pool. There were religious groups there and A business group of some kind. I had a cup of tea and watched TV from bed. I had gotten cold in the car so it felt good to warm up. Someone pulled a false fire alarm at 3:45 AM so sleeping was interrupted.
I had to call for a wrecker and garage on Saturday. So it wasn't until about 2:30 PM that we got back home.
This was a minor inconvenience compared to many of the life changing things that lurk in the unknown.
For example, an ambulance was called to the Days Inn to take one of the motel guests to the hospital.
Have a good uneventfull day.
They were very friendly and let me call home. No one answered so I left a message and went back to my car. Five minutes later, the nice family was back. Brooke had called them and they drove back out to let me use there phone again.
Brooke called Patrick O'Brien, an old boyfriend of Emma, and he was glad to come and pick me up and take me to Days Inn. This motel has a pool. There were religious groups there and A business group of some kind. I had a cup of tea and watched TV from bed. I had gotten cold in the car so it felt good to warm up. Someone pulled a false fire alarm at 3:45 AM so sleeping was interrupted.
I had to call for a wrecker and garage on Saturday. So it wasn't until about 2:30 PM that we got back home.
This was a minor inconvenience compared to many of the life changing things that lurk in the unknown.
For example, an ambulance was called to the Days Inn to take one of the motel guests to the hospital.
Have a good uneventfull day.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Other species
We just took Luke for a walk. It's been a day since his last walk and we feel quite guilty if we don't take him. He just enjoys it so much. He does understand something about the "Heel" command.
Not fully, but something. The plants are really coming into bloom around the neighborhood. This inspires one to start planting hops and tomato plants etc.
On the other hand there are species I am trying to control and defeat. The dandelions are having a heyday out in our front easement. Ray and Gloria called that area between the street and the yard, "the easement" and properly so. It sounds like a place where one can ease ones way onto the yard without using the driveway. The dandelions love it because they aren't hassled there so much. It belongs to the City so we home owners don't think of it quite as much as what's closer to the house. I'm going to use Weed Be Gone-Max on them.
There is a certain variety of hornet that likes to live in the wood of my hot tub. They have a yellow "jacket" or more like a vest, with a large black bottom. They bore through wood. I've been spraying plus trying to kill them with a tennis racquet. They see you standing there. They are great hoverers and very quick. I've killed about three. They are tough. You must hit them and then smash them. I don't hate them but if they keep living in the Hot tub it will have to be repaired.
If one of my golfing buddies reads this, call me.
Dean, Rickey, Chris? Are you out there?
Not fully, but something. The plants are really coming into bloom around the neighborhood. This inspires one to start planting hops and tomato plants etc.
On the other hand there are species I am trying to control and defeat. The dandelions are having a heyday out in our front easement. Ray and Gloria called that area between the street and the yard, "the easement" and properly so. It sounds like a place where one can ease ones way onto the yard without using the driveway. The dandelions love it because they aren't hassled there so much. It belongs to the City so we home owners don't think of it quite as much as what's closer to the house. I'm going to use Weed Be Gone-Max on them.
There is a certain variety of hornet that likes to live in the wood of my hot tub. They have a yellow "jacket" or more like a vest, with a large black bottom. They bore through wood. I've been spraying plus trying to kill them with a tennis racquet. They see you standing there. They are great hoverers and very quick. I've killed about three. They are tough. You must hit them and then smash them. I don't hate them but if they keep living in the Hot tub it will have to be repaired.
If one of my golfing buddies reads this, call me.
Dean, Rickey, Chris? Are you out there?
Saturday, May 1, 2010
When you get desperate, come and see me.
Hi y'all! We went out to Javon's First birthday today. That is Saturday, May 1st., 2010. I think he liked me. The wife said she would make macaroni and cheese for the occasion. We had all the ingredients and things were progressing nicely in the kitchen. We have a galley kitchen and after a small incident(not a cialis moment) I said just pretend we're in a submarine. Then things went splendidly. That is until we found out our starting time for the party was an hour later than the actual starting time. I turned on the convection function of the oven and turned up the heat by 25 degrees F. That's F-ing hot.J*. Since I routinely keep a spare oven in the garage, I had an extra oven rack to use for transport of the mac and cheese serving trays.
All went well. Javon is a beautiful boy and seemingly poses for the camera. He ate his cake neatly for a one-year-old. What a great party. There were things provided for everyone there. Toys and candy for the kids. A nice variety of food and drink for the adults. A nice house for a party, too.
Misty had asked me about my plans for a second surgery and I was telling her about the Ornish program that I was reading about. Another reveler said her Mother and Step-Father had gone on the program for a year about two years ago. They lost weight in the range of 30-40 pounds. The other benefits were not discussed, but nice to hear of recent information. I've read only 25 pages or so, but I'm very interested in the program and this doesn't even include Vitamin K2! A great majority of the people in the test results had a reversal of artery blockage. Wow. This could be my future, personally and professionally. Try this recipe, Matt Langdon.
PEACH BREAD PUDDING
6 peaches 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 C. skim milk 1/2 C. app juice conc.
1/2 tsp salt juice 1/2 lemon
1 lb loaf stale sour dough bread
1 tsp amaretto 6 egg whites ..beaten not stirred.
Blanch, peel, pit and then dice the peaches, set aside.
In large bowl, mix together skim milk and salt. Tear bread into 1 inch cubes. Mash bread into milk and let soak for 15 min. Have a glass of wine.
Use another bowl to combine the amaretto(or?) nutmeg, applejuice,lemon juice and peaches. Add the beaten egg whites. Add to the bread mixture and toss gently.
Pour into nonstick 9-10 inch square pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 deg F. for 45min. or until set and browned on top.
Have another glass of wine and enjoy the pudding served warm. Low fat low calories.. I can hear my arteries opening now.
Talk to you soon.
All went well. Javon is a beautiful boy and seemingly poses for the camera. He ate his cake neatly for a one-year-old. What a great party. There were things provided for everyone there. Toys and candy for the kids. A nice variety of food and drink for the adults. A nice house for a party, too.
Misty had asked me about my plans for a second surgery and I was telling her about the Ornish program that I was reading about. Another reveler said her Mother and Step-Father had gone on the program for a year about two years ago. They lost weight in the range of 30-40 pounds. The other benefits were not discussed, but nice to hear of recent information. I've read only 25 pages or so, but I'm very interested in the program and this doesn't even include Vitamin K2! A great majority of the people in the test results had a reversal of artery blockage. Wow. This could be my future, personally and professionally. Try this recipe, Matt Langdon.
PEACH BREAD PUDDING
6 peaches 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 C. skim milk 1/2 C. app juice conc.
1/2 tsp salt juice 1/2 lemon
1 lb loaf stale sour dough bread
1 tsp amaretto 6 egg whites ..beaten not stirred.
Blanch, peel, pit and then dice the peaches, set aside.
In large bowl, mix together skim milk and salt. Tear bread into 1 inch cubes. Mash bread into milk and let soak for 15 min. Have a glass of wine.
Use another bowl to combine the amaretto(or?) nutmeg, applejuice,lemon juice and peaches. Add the beaten egg whites. Add to the bread mixture and toss gently.
Pour into nonstick 9-10 inch square pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 deg F. for 45min. or until set and browned on top.
Have another glass of wine and enjoy the pudding served warm. Low fat low calories.. I can hear my arteries opening now.
Talk to you soon.
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