DOES THIS GUY WIN "DUMB" AWARD FOR 2008

This is a story out of Chicago, Illinois. A man walked into a Chicago bank and gave the teller a note. On that note were instructions to the teller which said "Be quick, be quiet. Give your cash or I'll shoot." The teller, obeying his instructions gave him $400.00. A few hours later he was arrested by the FBI at his home.
Oh yes, I failed to mention that he wrote the note on the back of his own pay stub which of course had his name on it.
Maybe he will learn to do it the right way while in prison with people with more experience.

HAVE A SAFE AND MERRY CHRISTMAS

To all who read or may read this post I want to thank you and wish you and yours a very, very blessed and safe MERRY CHRISTMAS.

YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE ECONOMY

The economy is on the minds of must of us. Did you overspend on Christmas gifts this year to make someone happy or did you spend less and not worry about making someone happy. Tough decision, especially when funds are short and so many people are out of work. Did you take out a loan of some sort to buy gifts. I hope not. Did you max out your charge cards with those high interest rates.
Let us know by participating in the survey below.

EXTENSION OF PREVIOUS SURVEY. JOIN IN.

In a previous survey I answered questions about myself that were asked by other dNerro-ites. The follow survey is an extenion with new question asked by others. Please join in and experience the fun of answering the questions.

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT CHRISTMAS.

Christmas is thought to be the most wonderful time of the year as is said in one of the many Christmas songs sung during the season. Is this true and do you believe. Let us know in the survey below. We would love to hear from you.

I'M WAITIN FOR SANTA

Shiner Texas 1 a.m.. Mom's just about to doze off into slumber when she hears the pitter patter of little foot steps. Who could it be? Not loud enough to be Spencer's or Angelica's, not soft enough to be the dogs so that leaves only Aiddin. Mom's thoughts are, If I lay here and not move he will go back to bed. Instead he enters her bedroom and proceeds to the foot of the bed. Lorri says, "who's there" and this little head rises above the headboard and says "me, Aiddin. I'm waiting for Santa". Lorri informs him that there is still a week to go, but try telling that for a 4 year old. What's a week to him, a minute, hour, day, lets face it there is no time frame to a 4 year old. With that he proceeds to tell Lorri for the 500th time that Santa is going to fly through the sky over Shiner and over his house looking for all the good boys and girls. He will then come to Aiddin's house and bring him, and he rattled off a list of about 50 things. Lorri being patient as she is, listened and then told him to go back to bed which he did.
Shiner Texas 3 a.m.. Pitter patter of little feet and again he had to explain how Santa would arrive at their house and bring all these presents for him and his brothers and sisters. Putting him back in bed and sternly telling him to stay there he went to sleep. Lorri said this has been going on for about two weeks now. Aiddin is so hyped up for the arrival of Santa that he is just bursting. Aiddins latest plan, as of today, is to stay awake and catch Santa putting the presents under the tree at which time he will give him a huge hug. Also, instead of leaving cookies out he wants to leave a ham sandwich because we all know Santa loves ham and anyway he will get fat eating all the cookies left for him.
God bless the minds of little children.

WHAT DOES CHRISTMAS MEAN TO YOU?

Christmas means different things to different people. Express your views in the following survey. Merry Christmas to all.

BUYING PRESCRIPTION EYEGLASSES DOES NOT COST A FORTUNE

Like the title says "Buying Prescription Eyeglasses Does Not Cost A Fortune, and the whole key to that is where to look. I need eyeglasses badly so I will go get my eyes tested and then check out this website. http://www.optical4less.com/ and see what they have to offer. The first thing that you are drawn to is the price. Eyeglasses start as low as $15.00 and all of the free things you get with your order. For example FREE anti-reflective coating, UV protection, anti-scratch coating, colorful - stylish eyeglasses hard case, quality glasses cleaning cloth, FREE International shipping and lens customizing of rimless eyeglasses. While you are at this site you can view the many, many styles of frames and what they cost. Also available are contact lenses.
Optical4less is the worlds leading discounted prescription eyeglasses store online.
Read the testimonials of people who have purchased eyeglasses from Optical4less and see what they have to say about this company. I'm sure you will be impressed. I know I was.
They are true professionals and can make impossible glasses such as thick lenses, extreme prescription glasses and any special glasses that you can imagine.
Do your self a favor and visit Optical4less at http://www.optical4less.com/ and see what they have to offer. Keep in mind there is FREE worldwide shipping of a order of more than one pair of prescription eyeglasses.

IT DRIVES US NUTS

Join in this conversation and let us know your feelings about the auto industry.

HOW DUMB IS DUMB OR MAYBE EVEN STUPID

News item from Muncie, Indiana. Trooper Eric Perkins pulled over a car for one reason or another and while talking to the driver, the passenger asked the trooper if she could light up a cigarette and of course the trooper said yes. As she did, she was arrested. Why was Honesty Knight arrested you ask. After she asked if she could smoke she tried to light up a marijuana joint. Where were her brains. She must have had one already. Daaaaaaaa how smart is she?

LA POLICE GEAR

If you are in the field of police work or just want to get some comfortable clothes for yourself I have found just the place for you to look and that place is http://www.lapolicegear.com/ your one stop shopping for all of your clothing and equipment needs. They deal in holsters, 5.11 Jackets, backpacks, tactical clothing and much more. Also check out the free offers they have this may be the incentive you need to purchase from them. Some of the brands that they deal in are 5.11, Blackhawk, Galco and Maxpedition. If you look in the closeout section you can find some fantastic deals that will ease the strain on your wallet.
Need under armour or sunglasses these things are also available. I was just in this website http://www.lapolicegear.com/ and have discovered that they are a Full Line Dealer in 5.11 Tactical Series items.
Do yourself a favor and take advantage of their free shipping, free return shipping and free hat when you purchase two 5.11 items. Can't beat that. Log on now and shop from the comfort of your home and maybe even finish or do your Christmas shopping at LaPolice Gear.

SPITZTUNES WITHOUT A CAUSE

Join the conversation and let us know what you think.

BLACK- BLACK FRIDAY

Thanksgiving day was a day all gathered with friends and family to enjoy good food and conversation and re-live old memories and see friends and relatives who we have not seen since last Thanksgiving. In the conversations I'm sure the word shopping came up along with the crazy hours that the stores would open and how early one would have to get there so they could be one of the first one's in to get their treasures. But for one individual, he didn't know that, that would be his last Thanksgiving. It happened in New York at a Wal-Mart no less. Jdimytai Damour was trampled to death by a crowd of about 2000 shoppers as they entered the store to save a few bucks on a gift for one of their loved one's. Couldn't people feel that they were stepping on someone or maybe they didn't care.
Whose fault was it? The employees for not getting out of the way, or Wal-Mart's management for not putting some people outside to control the crowd. Can they find those responsible by looking at a security video and if they do what will or can be done about it.
It should be up to Wal-Mart to supply crowd control. With all the money they are making they can afford it.

NIKON BLACK FRIDAY ULTIMATE HUNTER'S PACKAGE DEAL

Did you go shopping the day after Thanksgiving and not get what you wanted. If you were looking for a special gift for the hunter in the family I have just the place for you to look on-line and that place is www.nikonhunting.com/. Here you can get the top grade in binoculars. riflescopes, rangefinders, fieldscopes and other accessories that will make the perfect gift. As a matter of fact they are running the Nikon Ultimate Hunter's Package Promo which includes the following items. ProStaff 3-9x40 Riflescope with BDC Reticle, ProStaff Laser Rangefinder, Silent Technology Rangefinder Case, Mastering a Long-range shop with BDC DVD and a $50.00NikonProGear gift card. All of this comes together in a great package, saving you $144.90 on high quality hunting equipment. Also if you are looking for binoculars you can get high-quality, rugged binoculars, Nikon Sport Optics has for you, for a limited time only, get an extra $20.00 off on Nikon Action Extreme ATB 10x50 binoculars.
Just for the Black Friday Promotion, Nikon and NikonProGear.com are expanding the Gift Card Promotion ($25 and $50 value) to include all of the following. Nikon Monarch binoculars, Traillazer binoculars Nikon Action 10x50 binoculars and ANY Nikon ATB binoculars. Plus you can get special holidayh prices on ProStaff Riflescopes, Nikon Monarch Riflescopes, Buckmasters and Omega Riflescopes.
Why go from store to store and come home with nothing when you can sit in you home in comfort, go on line to http://www.nikonhunting.com/ and get what you want without the hassle.

MAGICAL LIGHT PARADE?

If you were lucky enough to be able to watch the Magical Light Parade on the Chicago's magnificent mile the other night I wonder if you felt as I did. A waste of time and electric. The same as last year. The star singers could not be heard but you did hear the announcers say "wonderful job, didn't he or she sound great". The floats looked like they were made in the back of your local Wal-Mart. Nothing fancy. If I wanted to see a new Chey that was in the parade I would go to a dealer not a parade to see one. Another flop that was just something to lure the people down to spend their money on over priced items on the Magnificent Mile. Lets try again next year.

TELL ME THINGS I DON'T KNOW

On The Chris Matthews Show was a panel of EXPERTS who gave their opinion of today's situations. Chris wants to know "Who Is In Charge". Bush looks like he is already retired, Obama is not president yet, so who is protecting us. Let your opinions be know by viewing the below survey.n>

YES WE DID!!!!!!

SPENCER'S NEW RIPSTICK

My grandson Spencer had a birthday in September and one of the birthday presents that he wanted was a Razor Ripstick. I don't know if you know what that is but it is a skate board shaped like an hour glass and you can get the sensations of skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding. His dad liked it so much that he bought one and they are using them as bonding tools and go boarding together at the park. Well last Wednesday they went to the park and on the way back Billie (dad) went down a pretty steep hill on the way home, they only live a few blocks from the park. Spencer went to do the same thing and Billie say not too because it was very steep. Before he got the words out of his mouth, Spencer was on his way. This hill went out onto a street and as Spencer approached the street a car was coming. The car saw him and stopped but Spencer got excited and lost control of his ripstick and fell using his arm to cushion the fall. That had is good and bad points because he broke his arm between his elbow and wrist. There are two bones in that section and he broke them both. He went to the doctor and they could not put it in a cast in this little town they live in so he had to wait until Monday to go to Victoria, Texas to see a bone doctor who would put it in a cast, so the poor kid had to have his arm wrapped up in some kind of bandage from Wednesday to Monday and be on pain pills. I don't know if I should blame myself since I sent him part of the money to buy this thing. It probably would have happened no matter who bought it for him. Bad thing is he is left handed and that is the arm that is broke.

SPORTS CLOTHING FOR EXERCISE, PLAY AND.....?

ARE CREDIT UNIONS CREDIT-ABLE

WHERE ARE THEY!

Where are they? Where are they? I go to Wal-mart and don't see any. I go to Target and don't see any. I go to the large stores and don't see any. The thing that I am talking about are THANKSGIVING DECORATIONS. Has this important day gone by the wayside and nobody thinks it is important anymore. This is a day families gather to give thanks for what we have, everyone must have something to be thankful for. In the stores all you see is Christmas signs saying "shop early". When I was a kid, a long time ago, you never saw Christmas decorations until about two or three weeks before Christmas and there was the reminder that this is Christ's birthday and we should remember that. Now it seems that, that too has been forgotten and Christmas is a season where retailers force goods upon us so they can make money and put us deeper into debt. Stores use to decorate for Thanksgiving with large turkeys with pilgrim hats, horns-a-plenty and pilgrims amd signs saying Happy Thanksgiving. I am glad to see that schools have children make decorations for this special day and I pray that they too will not let it slip by the wayside.

TACTICAL PANTS USA

Have you been on the website to find great prices on items that you need? Buying on line is a good way to purchase items at great savings and there is no running around from store to store. Well there is a website that is able to offer tactical gear and other items and that website is Tactical Pants and this is where you can find great prices on other items you need for you work, hobbies etc. Here is where you can find flashlights, holsters, Tactical Pants, vests, jackets and much much more. Keep in mind that there is no shipping charge on some items with orders of over $50.00. If you are in the need for Tactical Pants, they have over 20,000 pairs in stock.
Check out this website and see all of the 5.11 items to view. The list goes on and on. And again there is free shipping on several items they offer. Do yourself a favor and save your walking for your job or pleasure and visit their website. I sure you will be glad you did.

EX-CON KILLER 12 YEAR OLD TRICK OR TREATER

Halloween is a time for fun with friends and family. A 12 year old with his 9 year old brother accompanied by their father with mom and a younger child waiting in their car. The 12 year old knocked on the door and the idiot inside, a 22 year old ex-con opened fire on them with a AK-47 assault rifle firing at least 30 rounds through the door, walls and windows killing the 12 year old and wounding his brother and father. This happened because the ex-con thought he was being robbed. He told police he had been robbed once in the last year. Come on folks you don't open fire on someone for knocking on your door. Being an ex-con what was he doing with an assault rifle anyway. Sounds like he needs some medical attention about what is going on in his head. Let's hope he gets the proper care and gets what he deserves. By the way this happened in Sumter, S.C..

PROMISES TREATMENT CENTERS

If you are a caring person and have a friend or loved one that is fighting a losing battle with drugs or alcohol you most definitely want to get them the proper help. I have found a website that offers treatment for both and located in a beautiful setting in either Malibu or West Los Angeles. It is called Promises Treatment Center and you can find them at http://www.promises.com/. Log on and see what they have to offer and take a tour of each of their facilities. The nice thing about their center is that they limit the number of residential clients to 24. This way they can give each patient the care and attention to help them succeed.
You must keep in mind that a program is only as good as the staff working within that program, and at Promises they have a world-class team of treatment professionals that can provide private rehab to bring success to your loved one.
Many staff members have personal experiences with drug or alcohol abuse and are active in their own recovery of an addiction. These staff members know what others are going through and have the knowledge and experience to guide our clients to recovery.
Promises takes you away from the day to day life of "using friends" so you won't be influenced by them. Once you are there you will see that private rehab is best. They also have Extended care treatment, day treatment, outpatient treatment and sober living.
Take the step now and visit the website, http://www.promises.com/, look at what they have to offer and call 866-871-3149 and talk to a specialist who can help you decide what is right for you.

GARAGE SALE PET PEEVES

With the garage sale season coming to an end I reflect back on the many I have gone to. People if you have a sale, please put something worth selling out there. You need more that one small table to make a lot of money and that table being filled with old glasses from jelly jars or small chipped figurines. Put something worth while out there. Secondly things in a box look good but don't try and sell it for what you paid for it 5 years ago. It may look good BUT IT'S USED. One can probably buy it new at Wal-Mart for just a couple of dollars more. People are looking for bargains not retail prices. Garage sales are not meant to be Macy's. Price things and clothes accordingly, I've seen kids dresses on hangers for $10 and $20. This is ridiculous.
Please keep in mind that when the sale is over, go around and collect the signs that led people to your sale. I can't begin to tell you how many signs I followed only to find out there is no sale there. It was probably the week or month before. Also write large enough so we can read the sign, writing in pen just doesn't work. Don't advertise in the paper HUGE garage sale and have nothing to sell. If you can, get your neighbors to go in on a sale with you. This will produce more items to sell. Tool's are always a big seller if they are priced right.
Next year keep some of these things in mind and have a good garage sale.

LET IT END

Every day for the last couple of months or so there have been blogs and hundreds of e-mails about our presidential candidates. Each blog or e-mail accusing them of saying this or saying that. These e-mails and blogs may be a release of anger toward one or both of the candidates but look at it this way. Most people have made up their mind who they are going to vote for. If they are a die hard Republican or Democrat there is no way these writings will change a persons mind. Obama touts that he will bring change. Doesn't every elected President bring change in one way or another? I'm sure this would include McCain also. At this point in time forget the parties and vote for the person you think will do the better job and not try to change our Constitution. And for God's sake don't turn this thing in a racial contest. Choose the right man.

GOOD FUN WEEKEND

Gotta tell you, spent time with in-laws this weekend and had a great time. Weather was perfect, being in the low to mid 80". No rain and no clouds to hide the sun. The in-laws I am referring to are my brother-in-law Bob and sister-in-law Dottie. They live in Hoffman Estates, Illinois so I don't get to see them very often. We do talk on the phone but that is not like seeing them in person. They arrived Friday afternoon and we left for my camper around 5:00. By the time we arrived it was dark because where the camper is, is one hour ahead of our time. They had not been there since 2004 or 5 and they wanted to see what changes had taken place in that period of time. We ate out that night, came back to the camper and watched a stupid Steven Segal movie. I do mean stupid. I do swear that his acting gets worse and worse to the point that he should just give up.

Saturday we got up and had a light breakfast of coffee and banana nut bread that Dottie made and we decided to go to Amish Acres in Nappannee Indiana.

They had Amish Acres decorated for fall and Halloween. Here is a picture of Bob looking to see what was cooking in the pot. It turned out to be apple butter. We wandered around looking in the craft gift shop and checking out the displays outdoors where Dottie found some treasures such as a small crafted pumpkin and a gourd she plans on cutting the top off and putting flowers in it. Couldn't leave Amish Acres without taking a picture of Bob and Dottie in front of one of the beautiful decorations on hand. From there we

headed for Borkholder's Dutch Village to look at crafts and antiques. When our legs gave out we headed back to the camper for lunch and a golf cart ride. Dinner was ham steak on the grill, sweet potato, carrots and tomatos. When night came we joined Don and Lorie around their campfire and had good conversation and laughs. A real treat was the cheese cake that Lorie offered us. Great stuff. Around 12:00 we called it a night. Sunday morning brought a breakfast of ham steak and eggs and toast. Toast made and buttered by Bob. Another golf cart ride was required to the dump and then around 12:00 we headed home, but not before we stopped at Culver's for lunch. Arrived home around 2. Bob and Dottie left and I settled down to watch the last of the Bear's game. What an exciting ending. To bad it was not in the Bear's favor. As I said, it was a great weekend.

THE PUMPKIN PATCH

Yesterday Delaney had only a half day of school. What could I do with her for the other half day. In know! lets go to the pumpkin patch that has a petting zoo. We did. When we got there it was overcast but warm and Delaney headed straight for the petting zoo. The had chickens, pheasant, lama's, goats, rabbits, donkeys and more. There was one goat who had his head stuck outside the fence, it was his horns that kept him from getting his head back in. He was like that for almost half an hour but he finally figured it out. There machines, that for a quarter you could buy food to feed to the animals. I didn't know that lama's could spit, I know camels do and I did find out at the expense of a little girl that lama's do too. He did quite a job on her. It wasn't funny to her but it was to everyone else. There was a giant pumpkin where kids could go in a bounce around at the cost of $2.00. This was also a farm and there were fruits and vegetables for sale at reasonable prices. Delaney picked out a pumpkin she liked and for $5.35 we took it home with us. There were scarecrows around so you could take pictures with them. Delaney picked out her scarecrow buddy and you can see she cuddled right up to him. The overcast day turned into a rainy day so it was time to leave and go get something to eat. So we headed for her favorite place which is McDonalds and this is where we filled our tummy's.

SOUP SATRUDAY

I had a very nice surprise Friday night when I arrived at my camper. I was invited to a soup tasting on Saturday. There were five families involved. I brought pie, yum, yum. The others brought cake and soup. There were three kinds of soup. Chicken noodle, vegetable beef and everyone's favorite, broccoli cheese. Large pots so there was lots for all. There were bread bowls to put your soup in if you wanted too which were excellent, different kinds of bread and cheese and some lunch meat to make a sandwich. After the meal there was good conversation for awhile, food was put away and arrangements were made to gather again at 8:00 to finish up what was not eaten at lunch time. We did this as well as fight off the mosquito's. All in all it was a very pleasant day and evening ending with us gathering around a campfire for more good conversation and jokes. I was about 12:00 when we all said goodnight.
The sad thing is that there are only two more weekends to enjoy the camper and friends.

GOINNG TO A WEDDING

Weddings are nice times. You get to see a young couple uniting in matrimony, promising their love for each other and sealing it all with a kiss. That is what I will be doing on the 28th of September. Witnessing a very good friends daughter getting married to a very nice guy. The wedding and reception will take place at the Gary Beach Auatorium which overlooks Lake Michigan. There will be food, drink and music. What else can you ask for. Seeing that I don't get out much I am really looking forward to this. In future blogs I will tell you of what a good time I had. Isn't it funny, I have known this couple for many years, I know the brides first and last name but only the grooms first name. It takes a wedding invitation to find out his last name, Peterson. Well good luck to the bride and groom, Jessica Elaine Jansen and Charles Lee Peterson. Have many happy years as my wife and I had. I will see you on Sunday.

HE FALLS ASLEEP ANYWHERE

When my daughter was in from Texas she went shopping for clothes for her kids. Spencer is hard to fit so whatever she buys for him he has got to try on. Spencer also likes to play hard, very hard. He is always moving in one direction or another, sitting only to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner or anything else. The evening or Lorri's shopping spree she told Spencer to take his clothes into the bathroom and try them on and come out so she could see how they fit. After about fifteen minutes she and all the rest of us were wondering why he had not come out yet. I went to the bathroom to see what the problem was and lo and behold there was Spencer asleep on the toilet seat. Of course I couldn't let this opportunity go by without taking a picture which I am sharing with the rest of you. As I say, Spencer can fall alseep anywhere.

WAS I DRIVING FAST?

In this quiet state of Indiana, State Police were shocked to see a car zooming along I-65 and was clocked at 118 miles per hour. After a brief chase the car came to a halt and guess who was behind the wheel of the car, a 17 year old girl (and they don't want to raise the age to get a drivers license) who along with the three passengers in her car said that they were trying to get to school on time. What's this, all of them had been drinking. Can you imagine that. Was it alcohol from the night before or something that they had consumed on the way to school? Great breakfast. I wonder if they had Cheerios with that. Oh yes, the girl was arrested and taken to the Lake County Juvenile Center. The other three were taken to State Police post in Lowell where they were ticketed and released to their parents. End of story unless they print the sentence of the driver.

CLEANING - CLEANING

Now that all of the hustle and bustle of the summer are coming to an end, it is time, maybe, to get the house cleaned. I live alone so it is not hard to keep the house clean, but when there is a house full of children as it was this summer, there is a certain amount of cleaning to be done when they leave. I also no longer have a dog who with her illness had a habit of throwing up on the carpet and this of course leaves stains.

The best investment I ever made was the purchase of a Bissell ProHeat 2x, 12 amp carpet cleaner with attachments to do furniture. Unlike having someone come into your home like Steam and Clean and other carpet cleaning companies, I have the option to take my time, go over and over the areas to extract the water thus getting out more dirt and speed drying time. Last week I did the spare bedroom, today I did my bedroom. I have the fan going and the window open to help the carpet dry. Both rooms look really, really good, like new carpet. Another thing to look at is not only is the carpet clean but look at the exercise I got. Tomorrow I will do the living room and dining room, then I can start washing cabinets. The kitchen and bathroom floors I did yesterday with my new Swifer Wet Jet cleaner. Aaaaahhhhh how wonderful the american way is to make things easier.

If this is the time of year you get around to doing the same thing all I can tell you is HAPPY CLEANING.

WHO'S WORTH THE MILLION

Who is worth the million dollars and a headline spot in Las Vegas. If you have been follow America's Got Talent you should have your own opinions by now. If you watched last night, Piers Morgan was being the jerk he always is, buzzing almost every act. I won't name names because I really can't remember them, just their act. The number one loser last night was the guy eating fire and whatever else he did. There were some great acts such as the guy who had not sung in 11 years because of the throat injury. He is one that I would like to see go on. About the little 4 year girl. Yes she is sweet and charming but is she worth the million and a show in Vegas. Question. Would go and see her at Vegas prices? and could she give a hour and a half show?.
You be the judge. Sharon Osborne said she was on key the whole song. Another losing act was the two sisters who sang and danced. Piers was right, go back where you came from and don't waste our time. The last contestant from Wisconsin who played the piano and sang was great and he should definitely be in the top 20. All said it is a good show and a shame that it is coming to an end. I hope and am sure they will keep it on next year.

FRANK SINATRA RE-BORN

If you have been watching America's Got Talent I'm sure you have your favorites. Some of the acts are darn right good and some are darn right bad. One gentleman that caught my fancy is an older gentleman who has been trying to get a break for 40 years and hopefully this is it. His name is Paul Salo and he impersonates Frank Sinatra. He has all of the mannerisms of Frank as well as the voice. Close your eyes and you would swear that Frank Sinatra was in you living room. Open your eyes and see this wonderfully talented elderly gentleman perform his stuff. I would like to see him win the contest because I am sure that he would be a wonderful addition to La's Vegas. And I'm sure he could also use the million dollars. One other thing is that Piers had nothing but praise for the man. Good job Paul.

MY KIND OF DAD

In Indiana we do it right. How well do you know and trust your kids? It seems that a father trusted his son's enough to leave them home alone while he went on a vacation to California. I'm sure he was having a good time and not knowing, so were his kids back in Indiana. Like all good dads he called the house to see if everything was alright. While speaking to one of his sons he picked up some background noise like laughing, music and all of the other sounds that go along with having a party. When he hung up the phone with his son he called the police in his home town and when the police arrived they arrested 10 people, including two juveniles, who were having a drinking party. It was learned that this party had been going on for, no one, not two but three days while the father was out of town. Where were the neighbors? Next time dad, get an adult babysitter or have the police watch them by putting them in a cell until you get back. They could clean up around to station to earn their keep and you will have peace of mind.

THE OLYMPICS

If you have been tied to your television set like I have been watching the Olympics I must say the China has outdone any other country as far as opening ceremonies are concerned. I thought they were magnificent. The amazing thing was the coordination of all those people beating the drums, running around to make a bird look like it was flying and the many other things that were part of the ceremony. I can't say that I like their politics but their program was one that will long be remembered. If Chicago is chosen to be the next host city I don't think they will come anywhere near what we saw in Beijing. I just wonder where the city of Chicago will put the buildings needed to put on the Olympics without destroying the beautiful lake front.

SPENCER THE KID WHO LOVES TO SHARE

On a beautiful day when my daughter was visiting from Texas I asked the kids if they wanted to go to lunch and then to the park. Of course they said yes. So it off to Wendy's for hamburgers, fries, frosty's and soft drinks. After all was consumed it was a chore deciding which park to go to. The lucky one was the park with the tire swing. This device some of you might know is a tire suspended by three chains connected to a swivel. You can be swung and turned around at the same time. Spencer wanted to go first, which he did. Beside my grand kids there were also about 5 other kids willing to take turns riding and pushing. They were all in a circle pushing and spinning Spencer. He was yelling and laughing to beat the band, having a good time. About five minutes into the spinning process I heard him yell "STOP" with fear in his voice. Everyone moved forward to grab the tire and stop it but it was to late. Spencer was spinning so fast that he shared his lunch with anyone within three feet of the tire swing. When the swing stopped, Spencer was feeling fine but everyone else was either running to the water fountain to clean up, going to the cars with parents or running home, if they lived near by, to change clothes. That ended the trip to the park for us and a lot of other people. On the way home Spencer said "grandpa can we stop for something to eat?" You can imagine what my answer to that was.
God Bless Spencer for providing an interesting day at the park.

LAKE COUNTY FAIR

The day was pleasant, low 80's, not a cloud in the sky so what do you do on a beautiful day such as this? Go to the Lake County Indiana Fair. In the group of Fair goers was myself, Lorri, Angelica, Spencer, Aiddin and Mia. We arrived at this gala about 1:30 and purchased a wrist band for each of the kids so they could ride and throw up as many time as they could until 5:00. The kids had a ball and so did I watching them. In looking at the rides it made me wonder who comes up the these ideas to jostle, spin and throw the human body around like some of the rides do. Better yet, who wants to be thrown around. It's amazing. When the wrist bands expired we headed for the food isle and filled up on corn on the cob, corn dogs, hot dogs, fried vegetables and whatever else caught our fancy. Then while we waited for our food to settle we watched the horse show which was quite entertaining. After that we visited the various buildings and saw chickens, turkeys, snakes, hamsters, cows and horses. Lorri and I looked at each other and said what do you think. Is the day over, which it was so we went home and had a quiet evening watching rented movies.
A good time was had by all.

LORRI TO THE RESCUE

This past week my daughter Lorri and her kids and myself were at my camper. With the weather so hot much time was spent at the beach or pool. Thursday Lorri took the kids to the pool and for the first time let my 4 year old grandson go into the big pool. He was at the shallow end which came up to his waist. Lorri and a few other moms were sitting on the edge of the pool watching like mother hens. Aiddin was having a good time bobbing up and down but each time he jumped he would go a little farther out until he got to the point where the water was up to his chin and he couldn't get himself back to shallow water. The pool was full of kids and Lorri was keeping a close eye on Aiddin but when she turned to say something to one of the mothers and looked back at Aiddin, the water was up to his mouth. Lorri gave out a "OH MY GOD" and plunged into the water, clothes and all to save her little chickling. One comment was "What a mom" while others who saw this happen gave her a round of applause. One lesson learned here is to keep you child in the kiddy pool and second, if you let him or her go into the big pool, be in there with them. Needless to say they came home shortly thereafter.

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BIRTHDAYS, BIRTHDAYS, BIRTHDAYS

This has been a very busy month for birthdays. My granddaughters Mia's was July 2, my daughter Julie is July 8, my granddaughter Delaney is July 12 and we celebrated my niece's birthday yesterday. They live in Elgin, IL which is about an hour fifteen minutes from me. I hadn't seen my relatives for awhile so it was nice to get together and chit chat. Had good food and conversation, lots of laughs and pictures. My daughter Lorri is in from Texas and she had not seen these people in over a year so she was excited to see them.

Today we head for the camper where we will stay for the week. Hope the weather stays nice so the kids can enjoy the pools, lake and campground festivities.

Have a lot to do before we leave so I better get cracken before it gets too late.

DAUGHTER AND GRANDCHILDREN HERE FROM TEXAS

Last Thursday my daughter Lorri along with Spencer and Aiddin started on the 1234 mile journey from Shiner Texas to Schererville, Indiana. They arrived late afternoon on Friday. Since then the household has been very busy since my two granddaughters Angelica and Delaney are also here. I'm glad they are here because it takes my mind off of my dog Mandy, passing away on Tuesday night. Since they arrived we have been on the go, either going out to eat, going to the park, water park and fishing. There is a lake behind my home and the kids are thrilled by catching good sized bass. We don't keep them. They throw them back and who knows maybe they keep catching the same fish over and over. At any rate they are having a good time. We have a BBQ planned at my house for the 4th with my son and his family along with my other daughter and her family. Lorri stopped along the way at Boomtown and bought a good amount of fireworks which we will shoot off at night. Monday we are going to the camper and stay about a week and return for some birthday parties. I will write about what goes on during that period. Until then, have a good 4th of the July and be safe.

STILL ON THEIR WAY

Lorri and the kids are still on their way. Yesterday just outside Houston she called me and said that her battery light just came on. What does that mean? The only thing I could tell her was to stop and have it checked out. An hour later she called and said they checked the battery and alternator and said both were fine and they didn't know why the light came on. So on her way she went with two boys saying "I'm hungry" so to make up time she went to McDonalds drive thru and got them food and continued on their way. She called me about 4:oo and said they were 30 miles from Texarkana and would contiue driving until it was getting dark. She doesn't like to be on the road at night with two kids. I don't blame her. She called later and said they had stopped for the night just outside Hot Springs Arkansas. She estimates getting here sometime tonite. She had asked her husband to print out a map for her and his reply was "you should know the route by now, just follow the signs". and didn't print out the map for her. Nice guy. Isn't love wonderful?
It's now almost 10:00 am and haven't heard from her yet. Knowing her she is still sleeping. If she is awake, it takes her about two hours to get herself and the kids ready. Anyway she will be here today.

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ON THEIR WAY

Today is the day that my daughter Lorri, Spencer and Aiddin leave from Texas for the long trip to Indiana. Coming with them is the recently neutered Johnny, just had his stitches out yesterday. I am looking forward to seeing them and so is Lorri's daughter Angelica. The last time we saw her was at Christmas time but we talk everyday.
Spencer has been looking forward to coming here since January because he wants to go to Great America and ride the big roller coasters. He also wants to see a real zoo. The closest zoo to him is in Victoria where you have to pay to get in and see about 20 animals. I think we will go to Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago which is a short distance from me. He also wants to see a tall building, that being a no brainer, we will go to Sears Tower and then take a stroll in Millennium Park. During his time here we will hit a few museums and walk along the lake and look at some boats. Navy Pier might even be in the works. At any rate it will be a busy time for him while he is here. He also wants to spend some time at my camper, which we will do.
They should be here tomorrow so I better get cracking and clean this house.

DO IT AGAIN JEFF

At times I enjoy looking at ads on large billboards. Some are clever, colorful and down right informative. But there is one billboard located at rte 30 and Janice Dr. in Schererville that, if it were my picture on it I would have the company who did it re-do it. No offense Jeff, but it is a picture of Jeff Strack on a billboard for Strack and VanTil stores. I must say this as I have heard it from others as well. Jeff, you looked possessed. I'm sure you are a very nice man and I love shopping at your stores but I would ask for my money back for that billboard. Even if the ad is not changed I will still shop at your stores.

PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND

This weekend was the annual garage sale weekend at Yogi Bear Campground. It was a beautiful day. I got up a 6 am showered, made coffee and got outside to start setting up my treasures that I had for sale. I started at 6:30 and didn't finish until after 8. That tells you how much of the good stuff (junk) I had to sell. Seeing that the campground was open to the public that day, there were many, many customers stopping at my lot. Not all bought my treasures but many did. About 12 we could see dark clouds, hear thunder and see lightning to the south. The Lord was good to us and didn't send all of that our way until a little after 2. The temp dropped and the wind picked up and that was my signal to start putting things away. I had a good day in sales so I didn't mind closing early. Got the last of my treasures into the shed and the Sky's opened up. I needed a break anyway, so I just sat back and watched the beautiful show that Mother Nature put on. All in all it was a good day. The rain stopped so things dried out and we could have our camp fire and talk about the days sells and finds. About 1 am it was time to hit the hay and get a well deserved nights sleep which is exactly what I did.
I LOVE GARAGE SALES.

HOW IGNORANT CAN ONE GET

Today was a very nice day so I opened the doors and let the breeze flow through the house and at the same time I had this terrible thought, why don't I wash the kitchen floor. I did. While it was drying I thought it would be a good idea to take the granddaughters and get some lunch. Their favorite place is McDonalds, so off we went to McDonalds in Schererville, IN on rte 41. I had to use the restroom and when I entered I thought I was in the washroom of a high class" hotel. Really elegant and very,very clean.

As we entered McDonalds there was a young man working there who you could tell was slightly challenged. He was cleaning the glass on the door and as we approached he held the door open for us and said " welcome to McDonalds" and said it with a smile. The three of us smiled back and said "thank you ". He went about his job and we went on to order our lunch. As we ate this young man went about picking up and cleaning. I noticed a older man in a red ball cap and white T shirt with fire engine red pants enter and stood by the garbage can staring at it. The young employee approached him and asked if he could help him. This old gastric movement looked at him and said "do I look like I need help, if I needed it I would have asked for it". The young man seemed both hurt and embarrassed, turned and went into the kitchen area.

Why are there jerks like this anal exit who can't treat a deprived young person doing his job with a little respect. At least he is working and not just picking up a welfare check. Good for you young man, you should be proud. I just had to get this off my chest.

WHATS THAT RASH?

Last week I noticed a small rash on my granddaughter and the next day it got a little bigger and itched, to I went to the general store at the campground and picked up some Benedryl and Calamine lotion. The lady at the register confirmed that it was Poison Ivy. I tried to get her to stop scratching it buy you know kids. Now it is all over her body. After seeing this I said it was time to see a doctor which we did and she confirmed that it was Poison Ivy. She is now on medicine and will be on it in decreasing doses over the next two weeks along with the Benedryl. For the life of me I don't know where she got it. At the campground or at home. Wherever she got it, it is not a good thing. This being summer she can't go swimming in someones pool or even at a public pool. Word to the wise kids. Don't roll in weeds or go off the path in the woods. Not that these warnings would help unless you know what Poison Ivy looks like. I just hope that nobody gets caught up in this stuff. Happy summer.

DAY TWO OF WHAT TO DO

Yesterday being a very nice day I remembered seeing at Wicker Park in Highland Indiana a park that had an area with water spurting up, palm trees with water coming down, water cannons and different shaped tubes with water showering out. The cost was very reasonable. $1.00 for Highland residents, $3.00 is you live in Indiana other than Highland and $5.00 if you live out of state. It is open for two hour sessions, say 2 to 4 then closes for half an hour for cleaning then opens again. The nice thing about it is that it is only a couple of inches deep so you really don't have to worry about the little ones. The girls had a ball. There is also an awesome playground there where they also had a ball.

We started out at McDonald's for lunch where they played in their playground and then ended up at the water park.

What will we do today?

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

My granddaughter was eager to get to school today because, you guessed it, today is the last day of school. Both Angelica and Delaney were biting at the bit to get to the bus stop but the clock just wasn't moving quick enough for them. Being the last day of school, it is a special party day and that being Luau Day. Everything is going to be Hawaiian which also means big party day. This is good because the kids earned it.

My biggest fear is what am I going to do with two girls ages 7 and 10 all day. There are just so many parks we can visit and pet shops to visit. For the most part they can keep themselves busy which means destroying my house and I have to clean up their mess. My daughter is coming in from Texas so I'm sure she will do things with them too. Maybe I'm just over reacting since this is the first time in many, many years I have to girls to take care of for an entire summer.

At any rate I am looking forward to it especially not having to get up a 6:00 in the morning to fix breakfast and get the girls out the door to the bus stop. Long awaited sleep is on the way.

SALUTE TO THE FLAG!!!!!

Yesterday was a special day for the third grade class at Protsman school in Dyer, IN. They had the honor and privilege to tell us about our flag. 60 or 70 children got to tell a packed gym about how this country was formed and how the flag was decided upon and made, they name all of the states and told us parents and grandparents what each state was known for. We all said the pledge to the flag and nobody said boo when the words "UNDER GOD' were spoken and yes, everyone DID cover their heart while saying the pledge. The children did a wonderful job singing the Star Spangled Banner and everyone stood for the singing. You could say there was a tear in every eye listening to these young children sing OUR COUNTRY'S song. Other patriotic songs were sung with much enthusiasm and spirit. The music accompanying the singing was from a CD and this added to the wonderfulness of the entire presentation.

I have to ask one thing. Would Mr. Obama have stood with us, covered his heart, looked at the flag and said the pledge?

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WHY ISN'T IT GROWING

With the warm weather here I have noticed that all the new homes built over the last few months are now getting their landscaping done. When I see a new sod being put down to make that instant lawn, I can't help but laugh when I recall a thought of when I owned a house and there was a new house built on the lot next to mine. It was built a year after mine so my lawn was in and thriving. When spring came around my neighbors put in the landscaping and of course the instant lawn. A few days went by and the lawn was turning brown and he would come out and sprinkle the lawn for a few minutes and go back in the house. This particular summer was very, very hot and his lawn got browner and browner. One day I was standing outside admiring his lawn and he came over to me and asked if I knew why it died. I asked him why he didn't water it more than he does, especially in this hot weather. I told him he should be watering it almost constantly and he said the guy who put the lawn down never told him he had to water it, that it would just grow. DA. He said he would have the guy put down another lawn for free or he would sue him for putting down bad sod. I don't know what transpired but he did get a new lawn. Free or not I don't know, but this time he did water it and then I had to listen to him complain about the water bill. Live and learn huh.

COLD RAINY DAY

I said a prayer this morning that this day would turn into the perfect day. A day with warmth, sunshine, fun and good memories. It's Mothers Day and it should be like I described. This is a day to get the family together and honor mom, BBQ and have fun. It's not the gifts that count it is the remembering her on this day. Do that and see how good she will feel and how good you will feel for doing this for her. Happy Mothers Day ladies!!!!!

THE PASSING OF GIZMO

Gizmo was a little Mexican dog who looked like Gizmo in the movie Gremlins. The kids loved him and loved to play with him. It all started when my daughter Lorri went camping with her in-laws in Texas. They left Saturday morning, drove the 20 miles or so to get there and set up camp. Hiked, played ate and had a good time. The only problem was there were fire ants at the site so you had to be careful not to setp, lay or sit on them unless you enjoyed the pain from being bitten. Mom-in-law deceided to put out ant poison to keep the ants at their distance. Yep you guessed it (they think) Gizmo ate some. No one knew and he started to cry as if in pain. My daughter picked him up a cuddled him, tried to put him down but he couldn't walk. In the area where they live there are no emergency vets, so the play was to bring home and take him to the vet on Monday. Well the poor little guy didn't even make it home. He passed on the way. The kids of course were very upset and mom-in-law kept saying "and we paid $400.00 for him". Yeah this is a women who doesn't believe dogs belong in the house. She had it for one week and couldn't stand it so she sold it to her son and my daughter for $100.00. I see it as she is only out $300.00 since her son paid her the $100.00 for it. My daughter knows that it will all be put on her because she wasn't watching the dog. Well anyway Lorri and the kids had a funeral for Gizmo and he is buried under the apple tree in their huge back yard the overlooks a pasture with cows and a view of the brewery where they make Shiner beer. At this point all they can do is go on with their lives. Rest In Peace Gizmo. You were a good dog!
P.S. Mom in law wants to buy another dog and maybe litter box train it.

NICE DAY WITH THE IN-LAWS.

It was a nice day yesterday. Temp was around 64 degrees. Very nice. Also my brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law came from the northern suburbs of Illinois to spend the day with me and to go out to dinner. It was good to see them since I haven't seen them since January. We sat and talked and caught up on the latest family news and then it was time to go out to dinner. The big debate was where to go for dinner. We finally settled on the Red Lobster. Good choice. I settled on the Grilled Jumbo Shrimp on a bed of rice with baked potato and veggies. I must say those dinner rolls are enough to kill for. After this delicious meal we went back to my house for desert. Since we are all watching our weight I bought sugar free blueberry pie and sugar free ice cream. It really hit the spot. About 8 we had to call it a night because they had a good ride home in front of them. It was really a nice day.

ANOTHER SPENCER TALE

A story comes to mind about my grandson Spencer who, as you know if you have read other stories about him, lives in Shiner, Texas. It was about 5 years ago when my wife and I went to visit my daughter, Lorri, and her family for the first time since they had moved to Texas. For the life of us we could not understand why she would move from a hustle bustle large city to a small town of 2000 people, cows, chickens and other things. Two gas stations and two restraunts, one was fast food the other is sit down. The pizza place closed up for lack of business and you can't get a good beef sandwich although this is beef country. And get this, they don't have chocolate ice cream at the Diary Queen which is 15 miles away. As a matter of fact everything is 15+ miles away. Anyway to get back to my story. We sat down to dinner and grace was said. Spencer has two sisters, Angelica and Serena and neither of them finish their dinner. The adults finished their plates but there was still food on the sisters plates. Spencer never gets enough food so he has the habit if moving from chair to chair finishing his sisters plates. He finished his and moved over to Angelica's place to finish her meal. He brought his fork with him and was ready to eat and I said. Spence you said grace for your plate not Angelica's so you will have to say it again and he replied, your kidding. I said no. He said grace again. When he finished that plate he moved to Serena's plate, was ready to eat and I told him he had to say grace again. With a dirty look given to me he said grace again and finished the food. The next day at dinner, grace was said and we all ate. As usual the girls left food on their plate and left the table. Spencer ate his and to my surprise stood up took Angelica's and Serena's plates and put their food onto his plate, looked at me and said, now I only have to say grace once right? and I laughed and said yes. To this day he still does it.

SPENCER DIDN'T GROW UP

Last week I wrote about my grandson in Texas growing up and being cool to the point where he didn't want to hold mom's hand or have her tell him I love you when she dropped him off at school, especially when he was with his friends. Well yesterday she drove him to school and his little brother Aiddin was in the van. When they got to school the van door opened and Spencer got out just as his friends were walking by. He joined them and little Aiddin yells out "I love you Spencer, have a good day". Wether embarassed or not Lorri doesn't know but he turned with a big smile on his face and said " I love you too Aiddin and mom and threw them a kiss." I guess he hasn't grown up after all and still does those nice caring things. Good for you Spencer.

HAMBURGER, FRIES AND ?

Article from my local newspaper. This happened in Fort Smith, Ark. Police raided a Pizza Hut restaurant and arrested the stores manager because he was selling marijuana out of the drive through window. State and local authorities raided the store on a tip by someone who thought they didn't get what they paid for. Upon searching the managers office they found six ounces of marijuana and a set of scales in the managers office. The next question is did anyone else know about these sales and were they helping the manager make deliveries. Comes to mind, did home delivery also include more than pizza? Only in America.

WHAT AM I DADDY DAY CARE?

Today was the first rrrreeeeeaaallllllyyyy beautiful day we have had. Temp was 76. When my granddaughters came home from school they wanted to go to the park. So off we went to the park. You could tell it was a nice day because there were mothers and children all over, especially in the playground area where my granddaughters went. All the moms were gathered around the tables flapping their gums while their kids were sliding, swinging, climbing and falling down. I was like a guardian angle picking up fallen kids and hearing "hey mister can you give me a push" or "catch me when I come down the slide. What did I look like Daddy Day Care? After about a hour and a half when the crowd started to thin out. What I heard was "come on Carl lets go home mommy has to fix dinner" or lets go daddy will be home soon. The crowd disbursed and I was left standing alone with my granddaughters. Not one offer for dinner for taking care of their kids. Maybe I will get rewarded in Heaven. It was fun though.

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MY BOY SPENCER IS GROWNING UP

My grandson, Spencer, lives in Texas. The young man is 7 years old and is just entering the phase in his life to have mom tell him I love you or kiss him in public especially around school. This morning my daughter Lorri decided to have some fun with him. She drives him to school and drops him off in the front. Not having to get out of the van, she doesn't put on makeup or at times drives him to school in her slippers and pajamas. Today he asked if she would turn the radio off before they got to school so nobody would hear it. I don't know why, she listens to country music as does everyone else. So in kidding him she said she was going to turn the radio up a little and when they got to school she would get out and open his door for him, in her pj's and slippers and give him a hug and a kiss. He burst into tears at those words and then she told him she wasn't going to do that. When they stopped in front of the school my daughter unhooked her seat belt and opened the door. She said she thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head with the thought of her opening the door for him in her pj's and giving him a kiss and a hug.
To all you cool kids out there, there is nothing wrong with showing affection to you parents, grandparents or even your sisters or brothers. This will carry over to your later years and you will be glad you did this little show of affection.

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DISAPPOINTING DAY

This is truly disappointing day. With looking forward to Saturday all this week and the weather being nice, I was looking forward to going to the camper today. It started off being a beautiful day yesterday with the temps. being in the upper 50's and lower 60's but bu late afternoon that all changed thanks to Canada throwing a cold front our way in the late afternoon.
Woke up this morning to a temp of 39 degrees and a little rain and clouds. So much for the camper this weekend. Maybe next. Let's see, what can I do today. I know. Clean house.
Have a good one.

WHERE YOUR TAX MONEY GOES

A small article tucked away in my daily newspaper tells of massive spending by the Veterans Affairs employees. In the year 2007 employees have charged hundred of thousands of dollars in government credit-card bills at, get this, casino and luxury hotels, theatres and high-end retailers such as Sharper Image and Franklin Covey. In the year 2007 3.1 million purchases were made. Who authorizes these spendings, someone has to. Maybe he or she should be out of a job, but wait he or she is a government employee so lets not fire them, lets raise taxes on the everyday citizen who can't make ends meet to help pay off these charge cards. Lets see what Mr. Bush will do about this. Better yet will we ever see anything about this in the paper again or hear about it on the news.

DR. CALLS IN BOMB THREAT.

A doctor called in bomb threats in an attempt to HOLD HIS FLIGHT so he wouldn't miss it. Isn't that a federal offense? This happened at the Seattle airport Friday. Dr. Kou Wei Chiu was given probation for this offense. I wonder what I would have received. The article didn't say how much probation but did say that he also had to pay $81,000.00 in restitution for this act. After reading what a light sentence he got I wonder how many other people, who can afford the fine, will try this little stunt.

MT. EVEREST A TRASH CAN?

Little known facts about Mt. Everest. I always hear about or see tv specials on groups climbing Mt. Everest and I admire them for their bravery. But what I didn't know is that they leave everything behind. Since the top was reached in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, more that 11,000 climbers have tried to reach the top and over 3000 have reached it. But what they left behind was 50 tons of waste at the high camps which include tents, oxygen bottles, batteries and water bottles. Mt. Everest now has the nickname, "the worlds highest garbage dump." During the 2000 climbing season a Japanese climber, Ken Noguchi began cleaning up this mess and to date he cleanup trips have cleared away 9.9 tons of trash. By his efforts he has made aware the problems created by other climbers. Expiditions are now bringing down their own waste, and the government of Nepal has tightened restrictions. Climbing teams must bring their out when they come or forfeit a sizable deposit.

Like I said earlier, this is a little known fact and I'm glad to see something is being done about it. I got this article out of a flier called "One Man's Trash" in our daily newspaper.

THIRD GRADERS PLOT ATTACK!

It happened in Waycross, GA. A group of third-graders plotted to attack their teacher. They brought in a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape and other items for the job also assigning tasks to other students such as covering the windows and cleaning up aft wards. The plot included as many a nine boys and girls. Police in this south Georgia town said that they considered this as a serious threat. What other kind of threat would you consider it? Third graders, wouldn't they be about 9 or 10 years old. How do you discipline them other than sending them for some sort of evaluation. I, and I am sure you, would like to see the outcome of this situation. Another thing, where did they get the idea for this, TV?

HAPPY 63 ANDIE

Can't believe your 63. Miss you and love you. Happy Birthday!!!. In my thoughts and heart I will be sharing your parties in my memories.
Love
Rich

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A SPECIAL LADY

Tomorrow will be the birthday for a special lady, my wife Andie. I know I shouldn't tell a lady's age but she will be 63 years young. I wish one thing and that is to be able to hold her and give her a birthday kiss and hug but I can only do that in thought because she will be celebrating her birthday in Heaven, which is a far better place than here.

So in closing I just want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my special lady, Andrea O'Connor. I love you.

HEEEERRRRREEEESSSS JOHNNY

Yes indeed folks Johnny, (Captain Jack Sparrow, Willie Wonka) Depp made his presence in the little town of Crown Point, Indiana for the making of the movie "Public Enemies" which is about bad boy bank robber John Dillinger. Fans braved to cold weather to get a glimpse of their favorite actor, Johnny Depp. The gathering was at the original jail in Crown Point where John Dillinger escaped using a wooden gun. Johnny was very polite and took time to shake hands and sign autographs for his fans. There were hundreds of fans there to see him with many waiting in the cold weather for up to 12 hours. Can't wait to see the film.

GHOST HUNTERS

I'm sitting here watching a program of the SCIFI channel. She and her mother are really into this. As I watch this program I think to myself, are these people nuts. They are walking through a supposedly haunted house and every once in a while on of the guys would say "did you hear that?" or did you see that person there and did you see that move. I was sitting right there and I didn't see any of that. At the end of the show they play the tapes and films and keep saying, look at that ( look at what) some needle jumps on a piece of equipment and everyone goes, wow and yeah. Give it up boys, I wish I got paid what you get paid for seeing and hearing nothing.

ICE - IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

Picture yourself driving in your car, shopping, at the theatre, zoo, anywhere and you are injured, have a heart attack or become ill in any way and you can't use your phone to call someone. When the paramedics arrive to treat you they can look at your phone and on the back is an ICE sticker "IN CASE OF EMERGENCY" they will check your phone and call that number. This will let a loved one, friend or designated person know that you are injured or ill and the medics will let them know where they are taking you. To get this done go to the following website, http://www.icesticker.com/ and you can purchase one or several ICE Stickers for your family, friends or organization. Keep in mind that in 2006 approx. 1,600,000 emergency room patients were in no condition to supply information as to who they were or who to contact. If they had had the ICE Sticker this would not have been a problem. ICESticker.com has developed a sticker that is applied to the back of you phone to serve as an ALERT and INVITATION for paramedics to call your ICE contact. Contact http://www.icesticker.com/ to get your sticker(s), apply it to your phone and do the following steps: Choose a responsible person, inform them of what you did, add the contact name to your phone. Do yourself a favor, contact icesticker.com and see what you can do to get the word out.

WATCH CHILDREN IN SWIMMING POOLS

With the summer season approaching, many people will be opening their swimming pools. Please read this article and protect your young children.

Last year in Minneapolis a 6 year old girl sat on a swimming pool drain and it's powerful suction pinned her to the drain and partially sucked her intestines out. This happened last year on June 29 and the article states that the little girl has died. Tragic as it sounds all those with pools should remember this and take steps to insure this will not happen again. Please, please stay with and watch your child in any pool that has a drain. Also abide by pool safety rules and use proper flotation devices.

RECYCLED PLASTIC MATERIAL - HDPE

Look around. How many plastic bottles, bags, cups, containers and other products in trash cans or flooding the streets as litter. A lot isn't it. Who does something with these articles? There is a company called HDPE Scrap who is in the business of HDPE Scrap distribution and sourcing. You can look into their website at http://www.hdpescrap.com/ and see what is done with the hundreds and hundreds of pounds of plastic they collect. HDPE stands for High Density Polyethylene and it is a commonly used plastic which can be and is recycled. If you are holding a bottle of laundry detergent, chances are that it was made from HDPE recycled plastic.

If you are interested in a price list of this product contact them at http://www.hdpescrap.com/ and while you are at it, let them know what your needs are to produce your product or purchase your scrap plastic. Keep this name in mind HDPE Scrap for all your plastic needs.

LOOKING FOR FOLLOW-UP IN TOILET CASE

I'm curious about the woman who sat on the toilet seat for two years at her boyfriends house. Haven't seen anything in the paper about it. I think I will go on line and see if I can find a Wichita newspaper that might have something in it. Didn't her friends or family miss her or not talk to her for two years. What about visitors to the boyfriends house. Didn't they have to use the bathroom? The newspaper article didn't give all the details. Still looking.

LOCAL INSURANCE QUOTES

With the rise of the information age it has botten easier to get insurance quotes for cars, homes, health, business and life and you can find these quotes all online at companies such as SecureInsuranceQuotes.com. Just go to http://www.secureinsurancequotes.com/. By going to this site you can look up your state, find your city or one near you and get your quote online. How easy is that? I live in Indiana and I can go to htt://www.secureinsurancequotes.com/quotes/Indiana and find someone to either call or go talk to them in person. Within this website they supply you with a directory of every type of Indiana insurance quotes that are available in the state. Find one near you and get started finding the right insurance to fit your needs. Compare rates accross the country, who has the better deal as far as insurance quotes. Just go to the website, fill out the application and prequalify for a free Indiana insurance quote today.

FOLLOW-UP TO TOILET SITTER

What do you do? In the case of the man who left his girlfriend his girlfriend on the toilet seat for two years. Do you press charges? Ness County Sheriff has asked county attorney to file charges against this man. Why not file charges. This is cruelty no matter how you look at it. Did he feed her or give any other needs she may have needed. I don't think so. Put him on the seat for two years. You have to be nuts to do something like that. The county attorney will have to decide if they will press charges. At the time of the printing of the article the attorney had not returned any phone calls. It will be interesting to see how this goes. Hope they will continue to print follow-ups to this.

eHomeMortgageRefinance.com

What is happening with the real estate market? Every time you pick up a newspaper one thing or another is happening. Forclosures are at a all time high. But at the same time interest rates are coming down too. If you find yourself in a situation where you need help, one way you may be able to get out of your situation is to look into refinancing. There is a company out there that is willing to help you and that company if eHomeMortgageRefinance.com and you can reach them on this website. http://www.ehomemortgagerefinance.com/. They can assist and give advice in selling a home or buying a home. Now is the time to do either. At this site you can compare rates in your area. If you are interested in a mortgage- loan go to http://www.ehomemortgagerefinance.com/mortgage-loans.aspx and get all the information you need as well as use one of the mortgage calculators available at the site. How about the thought of refinancing, go to http://www.ehomemortgagerefinance.com/mortgage-refinance or if you are looking to sell or buy property look into the following site as well. http://www.ehomemortgagefinance.com/real-estate.aspx. Also find out where the hot markets are. Do yourself a favor if you are interested in any of the items I mentioned and visit one of the site listed above. Your mortgage loans are a click away.

TWO YEARS ON A WHAT????????

Many things made the news today but this one really caught my eye. In Wichita, Kansas a 35 year old woman was sitting on her boyfriends toilet for 2 YEARS. She was there so long that her skin grew around the toilet seat. After two years her boyfriend finally called police for help. The article doesn't say why the boyfriend left her there. I hope he was feeding her. At first she refused medical help but was finally convinced by meds and her boyfriend that she should be checked out. Police say that they are considering pressing charges. Doesn't say against who, I imagine the boyfriend and the article also did not indicate how heavy this woman was. I wonder if she now has a phobia about toilet seats. Maybe she should also get another boyfriend.

WHO IS THIS KATHY GRIFFIN?

I remember her as a funny comedian, one I enjoyed watching but I have changed my mind. Now that she has become popular she has gotten a big head, (I think). It seem whenever someone gets popular they think they can do anything. She did when she accepted a Emmy Award and joked about Jesus. There is a limit to being a smart mouth and she over stepped these boundaries. No she has become a ordained minister via the Internet through a on line church and went as far as to marry a couple in New York. Is this another mockery to religion. To the couple she married, you better check to see if is legal. I tend to shy away from her performances now and don't see her as a funny person anymore. I hope a lot of you do the same. Sorry Kathy that's the way it is.