BTW .. I'm an idiot. Its Butchart Gardens in Victoria. I just noticed I misspelled it.

Hello. That's all I have time to say.

Methinks there's a bit of unrest in Bean Town as their beloved Red Sox continue to try snatchin' defeat from the jaws of victory in their race with them damn Yankees for the division championship.


Y'all have a good time in chat tonight!

Good morning everyone!
(or what ever 'tis where ever you is, eh?)

Hey, I'm tryin' ... not doing too well but at least tryin'.

I checked earlier and saw you hadn't posted yet and then went outside to do what had to be done and now I'm eating breakfast as I sit here saying Hi .

MY heart's in the right place even if I'm not !

I'm so grumpy lately I shouldn't inflict myself on any one if the truth were known. Count your blessings I only post ramblings here.

Its a time for me loaded with worries and problems and I have to deal with them. I'll get there sooner or later. I always do.

Hope you are having as nice weather as we are today. Its a lovely fall day.

heart here....checking in. I loved the sushi, but it was so expensive? $6 for two little unagi and $4 for California roll. Yes, it was beautiful and the chef's were surely talented, but I think I will wait for more sushi when I am really splurging.

The people we went to meet were the same kind of people that always go to DragonCon, so I did not feel strange as I thought I would.....lord knows I know many people like them.

I have been saving my computer time for trying to climb back onto the world. It's harder than you think.

I will do more to check in often.

luv,
heart

ps...that's not me, Sandra. That is the fire in my belly and the hero of my heart! I do love the pictures style though. In an existential way that is me.....sister light, sister dark kind of thing.

I miss you, Heart! Glad you're going to try to come by more often.

Doc, did you watch Cannery Row yet? Let me do when you do. Or had you seen it before? I'll tell you my favorite line. See if you can guess!

I will later, I'm too tired to think right now.

The new chicken house has got about 75% of the walls framed in; I should a known better than to ask for the wife's input on the windows. LOUVERS? Yes, my honey wants the windows to be louvered so her precious chickies get plenty of ventilation but the rain can't blow in on them. That bout doubled my work load, good thing I come by carpentry skills naturally.

It's a pretty pleasant day here, high in the mid 80s and the sun is shining bright. Working out in the sun still sucks even when it's 85 degrees though.

I'm going to see if a college football game is on, I'm through working for the day.

Bye

I like how your wife thinks Marine .. a LOT!

Good morning, everyone! I'm back from Canada. I had a long trip but good and finally got a good night's sleep last night.

Good morning everyone!
(or what ever 'tis where ever you is, eh?)

Nice to see this place a bit more active.

Was told last night when my oldest daughter called from "over there" that my life has purpose, eh? Then she told me the Marine Colonel she works for knows me and he explained, based on his recollections of me, the purpose my life has. Unfortunately I can't remember the guy, but obviously he thinks he learned somethin' from me, eh?



My niece told me the girls in my CT Brownie troop requested I brink the wabbit and fuzzy kitty down again for our meetin' this afternoon, eh? Guess they've got fans. So, who eats "breakfast" at 12:12pm, eh? 'Tis a puzzlement!Methinks you oughta go fishin', but not in the koi pond. Fishin' always works for me.Then maybe you oughta learn to make your own? IMHO catchin' the makin's the best part!It's one of my all time favorite flicks, and I really liked the book 'twas based on too. Ain't actually sat down and watched it in years though, so methinks I should to see if I can figure what line you're talkin' 'bout.Welcome back! Glad you had a good trip, eh? Like Betty I love BC, especially the Fraser River Valley. Had given a lot of thought 'bout settlin' down there in a little town called Hope, but fishin's better here.

Well, here's hopin' the weather's great where ever y'all are at! Enjoy the day, be safe, stay well and remember to play nice!

Please tell me Sir how you could ever even question your having purpose in this life ?

You give so much to so many constantly and your wisdom has taught even this old mule more than you can even imagine.

You did trigger a memory this morning with your mention of Hope. Back in 69 I think it was . I know it was the year they landed on the moon as I watched that in Chilliwack from my parents home. I remember standing in the front yard looking up at the moon in total amazement that men were there walking on the surface.

My Mom had been diagnosed with cervical cancer that year, the first of three bouts in various parts of her person, the last of which finally defeated her. I stayed there for the six weeks when she was undergoing chemo and radium treatments to look after her and transport her each day into Vancouver to the BC Cancer Institute for treatment. I had never been to BC until then although my parents and younger sister had lived there for years.

The day I arrived my Father handed me the keys to his Peugeot at the airport and said ok you are driving and proceeded to give me instructions for mountain driving before we embarked on the journey up the Hope Princeton Highway to Rossland where he had his restaurant. He was in the process of selling it and needed to be there. I had never even seen a mountain before and there I was driving that highway. It was, if I recall about an 8 hour trip, but I got us there safely. We stayed for the night and then I had to drive back down those mountains with my Mother to Chilliwack where their home was located. Amazing what you can do when you have to. I was terrified and I,m sure the toll taken on the brakes of that car must have been something they had never experienced before.

IN any case we made it in one piece with me actually laughing. I found those "runaway lanes" hilarious. It sure would be running away if you ever had to use one. Running away from life !

For the next six weeks I became intimately familiar with the highway between Chilliwack and Vancouver as I had to take my Mom in for treatment 5 mornings a week rain or shine. Mind you, I found it interesting that we would arrive in Van to rain showers and return to Chilliwack a few hours later with the sun always shining. I loved it there. At the end of the six weeks, Dad had completed the sale and I had to drive back up to Rossland alone to pick him up and bring him home. After that, driving anywhere never bothered me again.

I truly loved BC and would have moved there in a second but it never worked out. The one downside of that first trip was that was the beginning of the end of my marriage. My husband had too much time alone, we had never been apart till then, and his secretary was only too happy to keep him company. And there was this idiot , me, writing to him every single night of that entire time and missing him and my son terribly, I never did manage to get her out of our lives although I tried for several more years until it almost killed ME. By the time I gave up and left I was down to 78 pounds and under orders from my doctor to get OUT or die.

But that trip has still always been one of the best times of my life despite the worry and stress of my Mother's problems. I never regretted it.

How's that for REALLY rambling !

Have a good day everyone.

I enjoyed your rambling, CO.

It appears you are the only one Sc...

Its sure quiet here today .

Maybe I chased everyone away. Guess I shouldn't do any more rambling.


Lets see... I could tell jokes

I could moan and complain


Maybe I could even really make a fool out of myself and tell you all my troubles,


Nah.. why spoil the evening.

Hope Spirit has had a good day. Tuffy is flaked out on the floor. He was outside most of the day so all that fresh air has made him zonk out.

I was outdoors for quite a while working at trying to get that stump out of the ground. With very little success I must admit. I guess I'm going to have to give in and let the new grounds people I have hired do it for me. I think its going to take a jack hammer to get it out. That sucker has roots that will not let go. I just hated spending 195.00 if there was any way I could do it myself but putting myself in the hospital isn't a wise choice so tomorrow I'll call them and have them come do it. I want it out so I can plant new shrubs there before its too late. And I want to try and get at least the front yard in shape before my sister arrives in a couple of weeks. She and her husband are coming for a week from BC. May be I'll solve all my problems and hide in their suitcase when they leave . At the rate I'm losing weight lately I just might fit.

Nope, you didn't drive anybody away, Betty. I think we all just have busy lives.

Heart said she was going to try to come by more often. Let's just see how serious she was about that!

I liked your story Betty, and like Flydangler reminds us, we all have a purpose in life even if we don't know it yet.

Its great when she comes by but I am happy to see her enjoying her life again. I'm waiting for the day she tells us she has found a fabulous job which is just exactly what she has been looking for so long. The lady deserves a break.

Good morning everyone!
(or what ever 'tis where ever you is, eh?)

Yesterday's Girl Scout meetin' plumb wore me out! Methinks the wabbit and fuzzy kitty put on a good show for them young Brownies, but then we went over to my nieces and her chocolate lab got a bit jealous of my critters. When the three of us laid out in the sun on a lawn chair on her patio I guess we fell asleep, and the neighborhood kids thought that was funny.

We got a late start home, with my critters sleepin' most of the way, eh? Once home I felt beat, but their batteries was recharged and they wanted to play. Luckily Lynette took charge of them so's I could curl up for a bit.I don't! 'Twas somebody my daughter serves with that brought it up, eh?Methinks the short time my wife and I spent on vacation in Hope showed us one of the friendliest and most beautiful places on earth. You done good young lady!Why not just take things in hand and solve two problems, then see if the rest solve themselves, eh? If Tuffy gives you a hard time smack him, and if it's Les there's this thing you can do with a string tied 'round his testicles........

Well, here's hopin' the weather's great where ever y'all are at! Enjoy the day, be safe, stay well and remember to play nice!

Good Morning !

I'm suffering the effects of thinking I was a ditch digger yesterday struggling with that stump . My muscles are telling me my brain is on vacation.


You had me worried there for a minute until I read further. I was afraid you were going to say the Lab killed Wabbit ! But I was very relieved when I read they wanted to play when you got them home.

Tuffy is no real problem. He tries to help me most times. Even to going to tell Les "Mom needs the vacuum hose" when I am cleaning up the kitchen after the canaries every morning They do love to throw seed around. Its really cute.. he always supervises the cage cleaning and clean up and I'll say "Go tell Daddy I need the vacuum".. and he rushes down the steps into the family room immediately and pulls on Les' pantleg until he goes and gets it from its storage place and hands it up to me. ( I have central vac so Les can handle the hose ok). That little guy understands every word I say. He sometimes chooses to ignore me, but he does understand. I could easily go get it myself but its part of my following doctor's advice to get Les moving again. An undertaking which is proving to be VERY stressful. But I do enjoy seeing Tuffy trying to help me as he does. It makes me want to pick him up and squeeze him so tight I might hurt him if I did it.

Now Les.. that's another story .. can I use barbed wire instead of string ?

Time for Tuffy's morning romp so I'll love ya and leave ya and see you all later.

Have a really good day everyone.

Sure got quiet here again, eh? Bummer!

Anybody heard from Beamer lately, or at least know if she's okay?

No. I'll try to e-mail her.

Good morning.

Good morning everyone!
(or what ever 'tis where ever you is, eh?)

Busy day here today methinks. Gotta go pick up my son and his wife and new child at the airport in a bit. He flew from Okinawa to the Philippines to pick up his family and then they started their journey here, eh?

Since they've been travelin' for almost 24 hours methinks they'll wanna get some shut eye. That oughta give me and the critters a chance to get acquainted with my grandson.Thank you! You're a nice lady methinks.

You might notice my little list of DVDs arrivin' in your e-mail. Sorry it took so long to get to you.

Well, here's hopin' the weather's great where ever y'all are at! Enjoy the day, be safe, stay well and remember to play nice!

I'm crushed today...it seems Nikki Cox has been
written out of the cast of Vegas.

I hope it's because she has movie offers.
She's just too nice for American males to lose!

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I hear Tom Selleck is to replace James Caan as well...ho-hum...

Just stopping by to say hello.

Sorry I'm so late today. Its been the day from hell here.

Both Les and I forgot he had a CScan scheduled for 7.45 this morning. We were up really late and only thought of it as we were going to bed. Needless to say I hardly slept as I was afraid I'd sleep in and not get him up in time. He is NOT an early riser and at the best of times getting him up is an ordeal. He made the appointment but he's been impossible all day. Lack of sleep. Les needs, or wants .. not sure which, about 12 hours sleep a night. When he doesn't get it he is like a wounded elephant all day.. And today has been a doozy.

I don't need much sleep and am an early riser so it doesn't affect me but his moods sure do !


I need to get out in the gardens. I need to get them in shape for fall and I need the therapy. Maybe tomorrow.

OH! one good thing .. the STUMP IS GONE ! The guy who has been cutting the grass and doing the snow clearing showed up to get paid and he actually removed it free of charge. If I didn't know better I would think he knew I was negotiating with a new company. He never does a thing free of charge! Now how do I terminate him after that ? His work is lousy and he's not dependable and I really do want to change even though the other company is more expensive. They are also a heck of a lot more professional and well known in the area. I could hardly say no thanks when he offered to get it out. He could see where I had been working at it. He and his helper used pick axes and had it out in minutes. And they carted it all away. Now I have to figure out how to give him notice. It may sound strange but I'd feel a lot better if he had charged for doing it. I really don't enjoy firing people. It was always the thing I hated most about being the boss. Guess I have to put on the witch's hat again. I'll give it a week or two and do it then .

Now, I have to go clean up the kitchen and get the dishes done so better go.

Hope you have all had a good day !

HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A BALL WITH YOUR GRANDSON FLY !

IS that Mary IH ? I never did know her name.

I may never watch it again if Caan is really gone too. I've been a Caan fan ever since 'Brian's Song'. Selleck... YUCK!

Great, but methinks cats and a rabbit tryin' to help change diapers ain't gonna get it. At least they all took to the little guy pretty good, but he's not too sure how to deal with a wabbit wantin' to crawl all over him whilst a fuzzy kitty cleans him up real good, eh?

Incredible list, Doc!

No word from Beamer, as of yet.

And, Indianhead, I don't know how to break this to you, but I seriously doubt that those are real.

Good morning everyone!
(or what ever 'tis where ever you is, eh?)

Kinda got my hands full since methinks I got voted baby sitter, but that's okay. Still, with all this "help" from these critters, kid care ain't as simple as I seem to recall from years ago. Still gotta get ready for Girl Scouts tonight too.

IAC I just dropped in to say


Ya think she had her lips done, eh? Bummer!

Well, here's hopin' the weather's great where ever y'all are at! Enjoy the day, be safe, stay well and remember to play nice!

Fly, maybe you just had more energy years ago. I find baby sitting exhausting sometimes when one has to keep up with a bundle of energy.

and a very Good Morning to all of the rest of you !

Day has started off screwed up. I was on the phone, it went dead, I couldn't call back as I couldn't find the phone book and the phone had wakened Tuffy and he was all over me, and all this as I was trying to wish Sc a Happy Birthday.

I have him settled down, I've done the HB thing now although I do have another to do , and I finally found the number on line to have the courtesy to call back the landscape company and have done so. Now all I need is a cup of COFFEE!

I'll come back once I am human.

In the meantime... enjoy your Day.

Fly I envy you. Babies are WONDERFUL ! Especially when you are Grandpa and can hand them back to Mommy when you need a break or they have managed to wear you out.

see ya later... COFFEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bush wants us to cut the amount of gas we use..... The best way to stop using so much gas is to deport 11 million illegal aliens.

That would be 11 million less people using our gas. The price of gas would come down.....

Bring our troops home from Iraq to guard the Border....

When they catch an illegal alien crossing the border, hand him a canteen, rifle and some ammo and ship him to Iraq ..

Tell him if he wants to come to America then he must serve a tour in the military.....

Give him a soldier's pay while he's there and tax him on it.....

After his tour, he will be allowed to become a citizen since he defended this country......

He will also be registered to be taxed and be a legal patriot......

This option will probably deter illegal immigration and provide a solution for the troops in Iraq and the aliens trying to make a better life for themselves......

If they refuse to serve, ship them to Iraq anyway, without the canteen, rifle or ammo.....

Rules for answering the phone at my house.


GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA .

Press "1" for English.



Press "2" to disconnect until you learn to speak English



And remember only two defining forces have ever

offered to die for you,

Jesus Christ



and the American Soldier.



One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

I would amend the last sentence to read:

One died for your soul, the other for your sins.

BAGGAGE

[by Evelyn Colbath, ©1995 Baggage, All Rights Reserved]

Now that I'm all home, bathed, settled and fed,

All nicely tucked in my warm new bed,

I'd like to open my baggage lest I forget,

There is so much to carry, so much to regret.


Hmmmmm, Yes, there it is right on the top,

Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss,

And there by my leash hides Fear and Shame,

As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave,

I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.


I loved them, the others, the ones who left me,

But I wasn't good enough; for they didn't want me.

Will you add to my baggage? Will you help me unpack?

Or will you just look at my things and take me right back?

Do you have the time to help me unpack?

To put away my baggage,

To never repack?

I pray that you do; I'm so tired, you see.

But I do come with baggage; will you still want me?

Beamer says she's fine, and will be by soon!

I probably did, but methinks that ain't the problem. The problem seems to be cats, dogs and a rabbit that all wanna "help" with the little guy. Yup! At this age they even make wonderful pets, eh? This one's pretty well behaved, but when he and I go out and crawl around in the back yard with the cats and rabbit his momma gets upset, even though he loves gettin' dirty!Terrific! Thanks!!

Guess I'd best get my rear in gear and get to my Girl Scout meetin', eh?

Oh yeah, my son and his wife want me to take them out fishin' near Block Island bright and early tomorrow. Since my youngest don't have school Thursdays she says she's gonna take care of young Patrick, so I guess I can make the sacrifice and do it. If I don't get to leave a post before we leave can someone let the dogs out tomorrow?

If necessary, it shall be done. Have fun !

Good morning everyone!
(or what ever 'tis where ever you is, eh?)

My Girl Scouts last night decided not to try embarrassin' me and the meetin' was actually productive, eh? They decided to expand what they do to help special needs kids.

Got home, finished puttin' fishin'gear together for everybody and hit the sack by 10:30pm. Methinks 'twas nice gettin' a good night's sleep. Thank you, but methinks it won't be necessary. Found time in my busy schedule to post a quick note, eh?

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to go fishin' we go!

Well, here's hopin' the weather's great where ever y'all are at! Enjoy the day, be safe, stay well and remember to play nice!

Good morning! I'm back in Boston and exhausted. Just stopping in here to check things out quickly, then take a nap before working.

My confuser developed a glitch of sometime last night, just as I was about to search out a birthday greeting for Smartcor last night. Sorry about that!

Congratulations, Grandpa! Now, don't spoil baby Pat too much....

Maybe a supply of balloons will keep that pesky rabbit entertained?

Uh oh, too late methinks.

Just a short note to say our fishin' went pretty well, eh? Was my daughter-in-law's first time ever to go fishin', and she outfished us all with 60 scup (her limit), 7 sea bass and won the pool with an 8 pound sea bass!

The four of us ended up with almost 180 scup and over 30 sea bass, so methinks we might have filled most of the empty space in the freezer. Only thing negative was that I broke a rib which cut my fishin' short and now it hurts like hell.

I'm gonna take some Aleve, get an ice pack and go to bed!

How in the hell did you break a rib? Take care, my friend!!!!

Ouch!

Hey Sandra, I've been seeing Ron Paul signs (homemade) hanging from a bunch of bridges. I'm always impressed by that.

Doc, sounds like your busy....how did you break your rib?

Hey.....I'm trying to get this job that I think is perfect. I would be a coordinator for refugees and asylum seekers. I would help them find housing, help, translators, a native community if there is one, and also to find work. The people would be from all over the world where they have oppressive regimes. I can't think of a better job for me, but it probably pays pennies eh? At any rate, I have big dreams of this position. Please cross your fingers.

Betty, you're terrific! slow down your doing too much! I love when you voice your opinion, and NEVER STOP DOING THAT!

Happy Birthday SC I hope it was wonderful!

Did you go to Victoria, BC? That's one of my alternative places to go live. Is it really as warm in the microclimates there as the books say?

Luv to everyone

heart

Good morning everyone!
(or what ever 'tis where ever you is, eh?)

Friday? Already? Time sure flies when you're havin' fun, eh?

When we got home my youngest was in a foul mood 'cause of all the "help" our critters gave her takin' care of the little guy. The critters were in a foul mood methinks 'cause their "help" wasn't appreciated. and 'Twas a beautiful day, water was calm when all of a sudden we got hit by a rogue wave maybe 12' high (probably a tanker's wake) nobody saw comin', eh? Everybody was tumblin' all over the place and my wife fell elbow first on top of me. Folks 'round us actually said they could hear the rib break, but luckily no one got hurt seriously. One guy did lose his rod over the side though, bummer!

Guess I'm gonna go try gettin' a bit more sleep, sittin' up this time. Layin' down last night sure didn't work, eh?

Well, here's hopin' the weather's great where ever y'all are at! Enjoy the day, be safe, stay well and remember to play nice!