Unbelieveable!

My wife Jen chose to go shopping Thanksgiving night and Friday morning rather tan watch LSU play Texas A&M in their football game.  LSU won and kept their miserably poor season from being a disaster.

I don't understand  women and I have been married to one more than 40 years.  Jen was born and reared in Baton Rouge and has been bathed in LSU all her life.  Three children are graduates of the school. But men and women  are very different when it comes to shopping; women love it, men hate it.

Happy Thanksgving!

I got up at 5:30 this morning after a pain-filled night.  I was far from being  in a thankful mood, but after several hours I have put aside the bad thoughts and concentrated on the many blessings I enjoy. Foremost is the scheduled arrival of daughter Jessica from North Carolina.  She will get home on Thanksgiving Day.  What a happy thought!

And yes, I know that it is Wednesday and Thanksgiving comes tomorrow.  Cannot we spare one day to put aside our complaints and concentrate on the good things that happen to us?

By the way, I have submitted this three times on my blog but the computer has eaten each submission.  Either my hand has hit the wrong key or some power wanted me to have a more positive attitude.

We get shot -- three times

Jen and I got got shots for pneumonia, flu, and shingles Tuesday.  It was the first time we had the shingles shot, but Jen has been listening to the ads that say people over 60 have a one in three chance of getting the painful affliction. Plus, several members of my family, including  my  parents, suffered with it. I have a grandson who had it in an eye, so it can strike anyone who has had chicken  pox.

A dance, no a sermon -- no both together

     Dance then, wherever you may be
   I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
AndI'll lead you all in the Dance said He!


Daughter Jessica    can be seen on Face Book dancing with a partner.  Nothing strange about that; she loves to dance.  However, this in a preaching class at Duke Seminary and was, I suppose, some kind of interpretation of a sermon.  Some classes are not easy for old folks to comprehend.  Maybe, she later will explain it to me.

By the way I know one person who enjoyed it.  Pastor Tom Howe said he was real proud of her.

Rain stops brings pretty day

When I went to church this morning, rain was falling for the third straight day.  After the service was over, I left the church  and entered a world  where rain was no longer falling, the sun was shining, and the day was beautiful.

Does that tell me something?

This is unrelated  except for the rain.  As the rain fell steadily Friday I wondered if the schools would let out early, giving the children what we observed many years ago  as a rainy day schedule. All classes would be held; they would only be shortened.  A thirty-day activity period normally observed after lunch would be eliminated -- and that meant trouble for me because I did my math homework during that period.  Incomplete or non-existent homework handed in was not happy. 

Will the emperor wear clothes tonight?

He had best find some cover; he left himself naked during the recent election when  he declared the election was on his policies, everyone one of them.

Remembering cold as a youngster

Cold weather arrived a little earlier than  usual, all caused by global warning according to Obama, Al Gore and their friends. We are fortunate to escape the snow and the cold  that has hit much of the nation.

Thinking back to my childhood and cold, I seem to remember that in winter I was warm only during the hours I slept in a feather bed.  Early in the morning my siblings and I would dress just enough to be decent and rush to the fireplace to cook one side from the blaze and then the other.

In my early years I rode a school bus that  had curtains instead of windows.  I still shiver as I remember one day, especially.  Official temperature was around zero and cold air came through  not only  the windows but through holes in the floor.

Arrival at school  was no relief; doors would not open early and when we were allowed into the class rooms, the only heat came from steam heaters.  We were blessed if those heaters were warm by the end of the school day.

Near seven million for what?

Some people have fared well with the Affordable Care Act, getting free care.  The facts are the care is not free; taxpayers have paid for it in higher insurance premiums.    No one has profited like this guy Gruber, who was an adviser as the act was put together.  So far, it has been discovered that Gruber has raked in 6.9 million dollars.

When this act was being planned and put together like scrambled eggs, where was Obama and Pelosi? Listen to them now and you hear from them they  didn't know Gruber and in any case he had very little to do with writing and promoting the act.

Then why was he paid almost seventy million dollars?   As a person no longer young, I fear  that the elderly will son be denied some medical  care while there will be others in this administration ripping off millions from taxpayers.

ISIS leader not challenged in calling America weak

"We will slaughter your people in your streets."

The ISIS leader has spoken and released a video of the beheading of another American.  Who will challenge him when he says the United States is  weak?  We are fighting ISIS with little more effect than throwing spit balls.  We are training Iraq soldiers with little confidence they will be effective  with their "boots on the ground," but  that's all we have since the president has said his strategy is  to contain ISIS with air power alone.

   If air power is all we have,  use it; don't play around. We make five sorties on a busy day and boast about damaging a pick-up truck. Air power can accomplish something if it is fully utilized as it was in Iraq,  where some days we flew 2,000 planes, a real commitment.

Getting a flu show is Complicated?

I called the doctor's office a week ago to arrange for a flu shot, which had already been paid for. I was stunned to hear that it isn't that simple.  In fact,  said the woman I talked to, "It's complicated."  I should have learned, do not pay for anything before you get it.

I am going to call again today and if I can't get satisfaction I could possibly lose my temper.

Time for me moves fast

Tempus fugit ( time flies) or sometimes crawls.  Yes, scientists and children  can tell that time is relative.  To a child the last week before Christmas takes at least six months to pass, while to their mom time is whizzing by as she tries to finish shopping, wrap and mail presents, and prepare the house and food.

For an elder person like me, time drags and flies simultaneously as I  wait in the doctor's office for lab results. But overall, the limited time we have left passes so swiftly.  Here it is almost Thanksgiving and I have not yet digested last year's turkey.

One problem for all of us this season is the rush by retailers to start advertising Christmas shopping so early. I can remember when most people did their Christmas shopping on Christmas  Eve.  Now, just wait -- some big chain will begin advertising holiday specials so early that shoppers will begin lining up on July 5.

ISIS is getting stronger while we wait

ISIS  is getting stronger as insurgents  join the terrorist organization.  Eventually, if we are sincere about eliminating ISIS, we will need to utilize troops.  The longer we delay the inevitable, the more difficult it will be.

I am one of those who believe that if you are in war you should go all out to win.  Obama seems to be committed to delay and delay while hoping things will get better on their own.

Remember veterans today

Today, November 11,  has been established as a special day to recognize all veterans who served, those who  saw   action and those who served in other ways.

As a veteran, I have never felt that having served the country in the military  entitled me or others to special recognition. In fact, I believe as a veteran I have  a responsibility of greater service.

Memorial Day is different; those who gave their lives are remembered.  This is a day I observe with reverence.

When I butted the football stadium

It was late summer or early fall of 1963; I was visiting the Homer High football stadium, carrying my   Speed Graphic, to take pictures of the Homer Pelican football team for the game  program and the Guardian-Journal.

I entered the lobby and began to walk up an incline to reach the seated area when a blow to the top of my head knocked me to the floor.The gate that admitted fans to the stadium seating was only partly open and I had run into it. I managed to get up and entered the coach's office.  Blood began to pour down my face and a player said, "It looks like your head is wide open."  Coach asked me if I wanted to take pictures first or go see the doctor first.

I chose to see the doctor,  who shaved much of my head  and closed the wound with 12 stitches.  It was no big deal except my Minden High class of  1943 was having its 20-year re-union (we did not have a 10-year reunion) and I was meeting classmates for the first time in 20 years with my head shaved and bandaged.  It didn't stop me from attending  an LSU game in Baton Rouge.









t

Jessica arrives today from North Carolina

I'm looking forward to this evening when daughter Jessica arrives from North Carolina where she is in her final year at Duke Seminary.  Jessica will be a bridesmaid in a few days as one of her best friends gets married but she will be able to spend some time at home.

A few days ago we viewed by telephone Jessica and a male partner singing a song  from that annoying movie "Frozen."   Not worth mentioning you say -- except they were singing the song in Hebrew before the class which is studying the ancient Hebrew language.

Republicans take senate -- face problems

She castrated pigs when a girl and served 22 months with the Armed Forces.  Now, Joni Ernst has been elected senator from Iowa as a wave of victories enabled the Republicans to take the senate  from the Democrats.

Republicans face a barrel full of problems,  domestic and foreign.  Millions of Americans are without jobs and millions more work for low wages and often part time.  This nation faces terror attacks from Islam extremists and suffers bad relations with Russia and other nations.

The opportunity  to make a difference by solving some of these problems awaits the Republicans.

Election day--- be sure to vote

This election will have a great effect --good or bad-- so don't get busy and decide one vote makes little difference.  That attitude elected Obama in 2012 and see how terrible that turned out to be.

There oughta be a law

I'm in favor of the less government the better, but I would  not mind if it was against the law for candidates and their supporters to make political calls. I know I should just let the phone ring and ignore it, but that has always been difficult for me to do.

Now, I have to struggle to get out of my seat on the couch to go to the phone.  Sometimes I can't get to the phone before it stops ringing.  When I do get to the phone and hear  a political call, I am very impolite in letting the recording know I hate the call.