Thankful Thursday #72

I have lost count but I think we are on #72. I will go with that. :)I am also having to post this on Wednesday night because I have to get up early in the morning. Does anyone else get up at 330?

There are so many things I could complain about today….But I am not going to. Instead I am going to be thankful for the positive things that have happened this week.

Those storms that blew through the other night were really something. They let a lot of destruction in their path. But in all that chaos just think how many people survived. I am amazed and thankful that more people weren’t hurt or killed. It could have been a lot worse.

I had another great workout this week. I may have lost a pound or two but more importantly I am getting in better shape. I will be starting a new diet this week and I am excited and thankful about that.

I am thankful that we didn’t get any more rain in this last set of storms. I know a lot of people are begging for rain but on our island we still have enough ground water. We have to put on boots to pick the iris flowers because it is like a swamp where they are planted.

I am thankful that we were able to save a baby bird this past week. I know this sounds like a little thing but it was a miracle that he lived. One of our cats had him and we managed to get him away before he was injured. Since the baby chicks are still small we haven’t put them in their larger pen yet. That made an excellent bird cage for the baby. He rested all night and by the next day he was strong enough to fly away. He was ready to leave too because another of our cats spent the night sleeping on top of the cage. I should have taken a photo.

I am thankful that my allergies are much better. I haven’t sneezed all day and I am back to just taking fish oil and no meds. I am finally starting to come out of my drug induced coma too which is a great feeling.

I have a lot more to be thankful for but I will leave it with 5. Why don’t you join me this week and be thankful. Sign up below.

Have a great day,

Greg

Be Very Afraid!!!

Stephen Hawking says:

I have to ask, who is Stephen Hawking? How on earth has he figured out that there are aliens out there and how does he know that they aren’t friendly? I have been hearing a lot about this man in the news lately. Apparently he has figured out things that other scientists have been unable to. Is it possible that the aliens have been talking directly to him and that is how he knows?


I am not trying to belittle this man. And I am by no means poking fun at him for his physical impairments. I mean apparently he has some smarts since he does have a college education.(I do however work with some morons who have one of those college degrees….I’m just saying) But where does this guy get his ideas? Since he spends most of his day on the internet I can only assume he gets his information the same place I get mine; Google searches. And if my assumptions are correct then he will most likely find my blog and this post. So I am sending this message out to him just like we sent those spacecrafts out there for aliens to find. (sorry I am not including a photo of a naked man and woman like we did in those spaceships)

Dear Stephen

I know you have your theories but I have mine. And mine are in my opinion as valid as yours. So let’s just assume that there are aliens out there. Since the universe is "billions of years old," what are they waiting on? Why aren’t they here already? Maybe they are? Maybe we are the aliens. Wouldn’t that be a hoot. Maybe we are aliens and dogs were here first. We took over and now they have to obey us.(Insert evil laugh)

So what are you basing your assumptions on? From what I read, you are using calculations based on probability and statistics. Since there are so many stars and planets out there, chances are there must be life somewhere out there. That makes sense. Using that same analogy, since there are 10 billion-billion sand gnats in our state, one of them just may be intelligent so we better stop slapping them. (That aint going to happen.)Swat, there goes another intelligent sand gnat.


Ok where was I? Aliens. So you think that there are aliens out there and it is a bad idea for us to try to contact them because they are mean and will kill us. You think they are more like the one on the movie Aliens and not like Alf, ET or Mork from Ork. Nanu nanu According to you, we should be very quiet and very afraid because they want what we got. Should we hide too? Is it time?

----------------------------------------

Now I don’t believe a word of this violent alien thing. Remember my previous post about aliens and how they frequent trailer parks? And remember when I discussed the destruction they left behind in the form of tornadoes or after wake as they say in the aircraft biz? Well as I stated before this destruction isn’t intentional. I mean who could harm someone like this:



Or people like this:



But I will say that he most likely knows more about the subject than I do. After all, he is an astrophysicist. Heck I have trouble even spelling that word much less knowing what it means. If I had to guess I think that means he studies physical growths in space dogs.

Phys which is short for physical, cicist which is how I would spell cyst since I can’t spell and Astro which is a space dog owned by the Jetsons;



So that is why he is an expert on space and aliens. Of so it seems. But that would also make me think he would go with the Alf alien. But whatever.

Anyway I am not buying this whole mean alien thing. We all have our ideas of what aliens really look like and I found mine the old fashion way; Google.





Oops, I should have searched for space girls not spice girls. My bad.



Have a great day,

Greg

Thankful Thursday, The choice is yours.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about choices. I don’t know why but I have. Over my life I think I have made some great choices. Yes I have made some bad ones too but for the most part my choices have been good ones. I don’t always know what causes me to make good decisions but somehow I just do. Some other people don’t make sound decisions;

Take this guy the other day in traffic. I was in one of those long merge zones where the road goes from two lanes to one. I just happened to be right at the end of the merge zone (which was about 1000 ft long) when traffic came to a standstill. All the cars were in a nice neat line. From behind me, I saw a motorcycle approaching rapidly in the other lane. Apparently he didn’t see the “merge left” sign or he just didn’t care. He continued to speed along and I was starting to think he wasn’t going to stop. I was about 4 feet behind the car in front of me which was also stopped. When the guy got right beside me he simply turned left and pulled in front of me sideways. Now how smart is that?

Shortly after that we started moving and as we got just down the road a bit he proceeded to pass about 20 cars with a sharp turn approaching. There was a double yellow line but he didn’t seem to care. Some people are like that. They just don’t care about themselves or others. Funny thing is when I got where I work he was pulling into the building next to mine just a few seconds before me. I am glad that I am not like that. I do care about myself and others which brings me to my thankful items;

I am thankful that I continue to push myself and workout. I really do want to get into shape and the exercising is starting to pay off. Even though I don’t seem to be losing any weight my pants are getting looser. Sometimes I feel like I just don’t have the energy to do it but I press on. I almost skipped out on my body pump class this week but I am glad I went. It was a good decision to go. The class was packed and it was a lot of fun. I may never be in “great shape” but I keep working at it.

1 Corinthians

16Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

(I keep working on my temple even if it kind of looks like an old shack.)

I am thankful that I have a good job and that I am able to do it well. No matter what or how much my boss throws at me, I somehow get through it. I sometimes think that upsets people around me. They get an assignment and do nothing but whine about it. When I get an assignment I just do it and get it behind me. Yes that leads to more work but I get a lot done and in the end I go home just like the rest of them only with a better attitude. It was a difficult choice to come here because it meant a pay cut but it has been well worth it.

I am thankful that when I was in the traffic situation mentioned above I had the patients not to lay on the horn like a lot of people would do. I had that choice, he most likely had it coming but I made the choice to act civilized and be the bigger person. I know some people who would have even inched forward a bit till they almost bumped him. I will let God handle him.

I am thankful for the rain we had last night. Our garden is starting to look really good and a little rain should make it look even better. The rain also washed away some pollen so I am feeling a bit better today. Although I could take more medications and most likely feel better in the short term I think that it is best to take as few as possible. I am not nearly as drowsy today as I have been. Maybe the worst is behind me now.

I am thankful for all the other opportunities that I have been given. I am a workaholic but that is better than being lazy and not working at all. Years ago, when I just got out of high school I had a really easy job. I didn’t make much money but it was very easy work and most likely I could have stayed there and worked without a care in the world. But instead I made the decision to join the Navy and I think that was a great choice. When I hear about old friends who have done nothing with their lives I know I made some good choices. Ok maybe do know why I have made some great decisions. I had a little help. Thank you God.

I think God gives us choices every day. What we do with them is up to us. I Pray that you are making good choices with the opportunities that God gives you.

Have a great day,

Greg

Rapid fire random dozen.

I called this Rapid fire because I am tired, hungry, and I only have 30 minutes to get this done before I leave for work. I was going to skip it this week but Enquiring minds want to know.....

1. Ever had any run-ins with the "library police?"

Yes I was shushed when I was younger for talking in the library. It didn't go on my permanent record though so I am ok.

2. Do you have a special organizational plan and place for wrapping paper, gift bags, etc., or do you just purchase whatever you need as you give gifts?

I just buy some when I need it. I am lazy in this department.

3. Have you ever been in (first-hand witness) a natural disaster?

Yes I was there when the Teeton Dam broke back in I think it was 1975. I was fishing on the snake river at the time but far enough away from the dam that I made it home before the wave hit. I did go down to the river though and watch the stuff flow by.

4. What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?

No such thing. Sorry Lid this is so out of the box. Not even I can go there. Ask BM song is and I could write a book. Notice I called him BM.

5. What's the best costume you've ever worn?

There have been so many. I think the year we went to the Elks Lodge on Halloween as flower children was pretty funny. I had a long wig on and peace signs all over my clothes. I had on my Jesus sandals too. I was also wearing John Lennon glasses and handing out flowers. A friend of mine was there who just happened to be a Marine. Of course he was dressed as a Marine. (how original) Anywhoo I approached him and handed him a flower and said; "Make love not war" from back in the day and he told me to get the %@#* away from him and I laughed and said; Wait, it's me....Greg and he busted out laughing too.

6. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?

Ha, with my english skills....Thesaurus 100 to 1.

7. What's your favorite breakfast food?

Coffee, two creams, two sugars. I am having it now. I am having my second cup too.

8. Have you ever purchased anything from an infomercial?

Who hasn't had a Chia Pet? How could I resist?

9. Have you ever crawled through a window?

More times than I care to admit.

10. Do you believe in love at first sight?

Yes. When I first saw my wife I knew she was the one.

11. How man pairs of jeans do you own?

Three but as soon as I lose about 20 lbs I am going to buy some more.

12. If someone were going to bake a cake to honor/represent you, what would it be? (Think creatively, like Duff and Crew on "Ace of Cakes.")

Sorry I am out of time, energy and creativity. Always have to slip in a hard one don't you Lid. Since I am about out of time I will have to go with something simple. Everyone knows my favorite is German Chocolate. Every year for my birthday that is what I asked for. Sometimes I even got it.

Have a great day,
Greg

Flea Market Report

You know sometimes you have to rack your brain for something to blog about and other times life just throws you an across the plate pitch and all you have to do is swing to get a home run. This was one of those cases. Now before I get started, let me warn you. This post is not suitable for young children so if there are any around have them leave the room now. And If you happen to have one of those little air sickness bags handy, you may want to get it out and have it ready……

We still have way too many day lilies so I made another trip to the Ladson Flea Market. (Insert thunder sound track) My day started off badly when I woke up at 330 with a mild case of vertigo. My allergies had kicked up so I was spinning just a bit. I wasn’t able to get back to sleep so I got up at 445 anyway and got ready to go. I was able to get a great spot though and I thought; Wow it’s going to be a great day.

Around 8 came the daily gangsta parade with the leader planning one of my favorite songs. It goes something like this: I’m a bad Blanking blanker and I got a blanking blank at home and I blank her and I don’t mind if she knows I’m a blanking blanker. And this guy was playing this song so loud you could hear it two blocks away. Yes I have that one on my IPOD….NOT!!! But that’s a whole different story so let me get to the point. Shortly after the parade a couple pulled into the spot beside me.

Now this was no ordinary couple. Picture this: Larry the cable guy meets Aunt Bea( from Andy Griffith). I kid you not, she looked just like Aunt Bea. When they had their table ready to go, I dropped by to see what they had. It was an assortment of junk like I have never seen. There was a little of this and a little of that and not a whole lot of anything. The guy introduced himself and I could immediately tell they were first class. First off he had on a camouflaged t-shirt with only a few holes in it. Then he had on a nascar ball cap but the thing that set him apart from the average man was the huge wad of chew in his cheek. I mean it looked like he had a golf ball logged in his jaw. It was amazing.

So the whole time we are talking he has brown drool running out of the corners of his mouth all the way down to his chin. It was a sight to see and it was all I could do not to throw up. Then Aunt Bea smiles and I realize she only has two teeth and they are kind of brown. But other than that, she does look just like Aunt Bea. Well the day went on and every time Aunt Bea went for a walk, Larry came over to visit. I guess he liked my company. About the third time he came over he brought along some crackers and a soda and proceeded to eat them without taking the huge wad of chew out of his mouth. Again I had to fight the urge to throw up.

While he was talking to me he kept trying to get my attention by poking me in the arm and saying things like “Hey Bo listen to this.” I was listening but I couldn’t make eye contact for fear if seeing more goo dripping out of his mouth. But being the kind of person I am, I tried not to judge these two people so I didn’t say anything and looked away whenever he came by. But then it happened:

I was sitting there minding my own business when a customer approached their table. He began looking through a box of tapes that they had. He didn’t find anything he was interested in and then Aunt Bea spoke up; We got some adult movies too if you want to see em. And that’s’ the point when I threw up in my mouth just a bit. I am sorry, I can only take so much. Just the thought of those two sitting at home watching porn was too much to handle.

One other funny thing that happened was when Larry came over and asked; Did you grow them plants? I wanted to say, no I stole them, here’s your sign. But in the end I sold a lot of day lilies and that is a good thing. During the day, though a lady came up to look at my plants. She had on a pair of the tightest jeans I have ever seen. As she left my table she dropped something and bent over to get it and I wondered if they were going to give way. There on the back of her jeans (which were four sizes too small) was the word “Guess” and without thinking, the number 275 popped into my head. Sorry it was a long day.

Have a great one,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Spring has sprung.

I have so much to be thankful for this week so let me get right to my list. Yes it is only Wednesday night but I discovered that a lot of you blog after midnight and since this is a Thursday post it will be Thursday when you read this. Feel free to comment early. :)

First and foremost on my list is the fact that my Brother in Law is home safely from the hospital. He had some heart problems but he seems to be doing fine now. Do you remember when you could go into the hospital for anything this side of a common cold and they would keep you over night just to make sure you were ok? These days you go in for a heart procedure and they want to send you home less than 24 hours later. Either we are getting stronger or the insurance companies are.

I am so thankful that I am doing better as far as my allergies. This was the worst year for as long as I can remember but I am starting to do better. I have actually gotten sleep for two nights in a row now. I continue to exercise too and I think I may even be building a few muscles. Yes it’s true.

I am again thankful for all my blogger friends. I get so much support from you all. I appreciate all your comments on here and the emails that I sometimes get from you. This is a great support group. So when is the blogger convention?

I am thankful for all the rain we had this spring. My garden is doing very well and it won’t be long before we are eating fresh vegetables. The strawberries are in on our island too and I am thinking about going to get some soon. There is nothing quite like fresh fruit and vegetables. Buy local when you can people.

I am thankful that God is in control and displaying His power every day. I know a lot of people think the world is about to come to an end and everything is going badly but there are millions of little miracles happening all around us if we just look for them. Lately I have had to resist the urge to get revenge on some people who I felt needed to get theirs. I was patient however and sure enough they got their just “reward” from their own wrong doing. Be patient, let God handle the revenge. That’s my advice for you today.

Have a great Day,

Greg

Random Dozen

1. How do you feel about "Gladiator" sandals, also called "Roman" or "Jesus" sandals? A fashion yea or nay?

Believe it or not I had a pair back in the day. That was back in the 70’s for those who don’t know when “The day” was. And yes I wore them.

2. What is your favorite pizza?

Double pepperoni and double cheese. I like it nice and gooey.

3. There are plans in the works to sell roughly 1,000 items from Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. This means you could buy Picard's chair for your family room. If not a Star Trek item, what prop, background, set, etc. from what TV or movie would you buy if you could?
[Ex: Hurley's "I Love my Shih tzu" shirt from LOST, the plantation home "Tara" from Gone With the Wind, or Tracy's tambourine from the Partridge Family.]

I would like to have Noah’s house from the movie “The Notebook” because I got married there. I would turn it into a bed and breakfast and do weddings there.

4. Name a local food or restaurant that your area is famous for.

Shrimp and Grits is a biggie around these parts. Almost every restaurant tries to make it but a lot of them fail. You don’t just boil grits and shrimp together…Yuck.

5. What is your current favorite snack?

As I mentioned earlier, I am partial to Vinegar and Salt chips this time of year because of their soothing effect if you eat them whole.

6. Hypothetical: You are required to be a reality show contestant. Which show would you choose based on your probability of success? (You cannot choose "none.")

A. Dancing with the Stars
B. Biggest Loser
C. Survivor

I think I would do great at all of them because I do good when I am in the spotlight. Since there are too many whiners on the Biggest Loser and too much drama on Survivor I think I would pick “A”. I think I could learn to dance well.

7. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being uninhabitable and 10 being cleanliness that meets the standards of OCD, how clean is your vehicle's interior?

I would give it a 1. Currently the floors are littered with used Tissues and the mats are covered with dirt and pollen.

8. It doesn't feel like Spring until _________.

I sneeze till I get dizzy. Been there already.

9. Something that made you laugh really hard recently is ____.

“Date Night” the movie.

10. Tell me about a goal you're working toward.

Making it until Friday. It's been a trying week and it is only Wednesday.

11. Share a thought-provoking or inspiring quote this week.

“You just made the list” From the Psycho speech in the movie Stripes. I use it all the time and people don’t know if it is a good or bad list. You just made the list Lid with this weeks Random Dozen.

12. Name one thing that you do as a parent that you absolutely know will make your kids happy. If you're not a parent, feel free to substitute "friend" or nomenclature that works for you.

I bring home food. They like to eat. Pretty simple isn’t it?

Have a Great day,

Greg

Thank God It's Monday

I actually thank God for every day I have and you should too.

We had a great weekend and the Market was just outstanding. Talk about a large crowd. At one point I heard a person say that there were too many people there because it was hard to get through the crowd. The weather was just perfect and there wasn't as much pollen as there had been. I was a little uncomfortable but I managed.

The only negative thing that happened all weekend came while I was driving. As I was turning off the highway and going down a long sweeping off ramp, my nose started running. (more allergies) So I grabbed a tissue and blew my nose but as I did, one of my ears popped. When that happened, my equilibrium got thrown off and I had a mild vertigo attack. If you have ever had vertigo you know what I am talking about and if you haven't well just read on.

So now the gentle turn ahead turns into a banked turn like at the Daytona International Speedway and I feel the need to go with it. Since I take that same route every day coming home from work, I was able to fight the feeling and ease the truck off the road where I sat until the world stopped spinning. I was lucky that the attack was mild otherwise I may have crashed. It only took a few moments for the feeling to go away.

On another note, my BIL is still in the hospital. They kept him for observation and he is having a procedure done this morning. Please keep him in your prayers.

Have a great Monday,
GReg

Top 10 Allergy signs

Some of us go our whole lives devoted to a cause, trying to be the best at what we do. For some it is an uphill battle all the way while for others it comes quite easy and naturally. It’s like they were born with a “gift.” The goal is to be the best, the first or the top in whatever we have chosen as our life’s ambition. On rare occasions when we know we can’t be the best we opt for being the worst just to get some notoriety. For some it may be sports, for others it is business but for me, its allergies. Yes I think I have the worst allergies on the planet and I will argue with anyone who disagrees. I argue a lot when I am like this. Just ask my family.

Nothing irks me more than to hear someone with mild allergies complaining about how bad they have it. It never fails if I mention that I am suffering, some hypochondriac will chime in wanting to get a piece of the action; “Oh I know what you mean. They are really bad this year. I had to take a Claritin twice last week.” You make me laugh. That’s right, I want to laugh in their face and say something like; Allergies. You have no idea what allergies are. But then I was once like they are and thought I had it bad back then as well.

So I decided that perhaps some of you out there are in the same boat and think you have bad allergies. I am sorry to tell you this but it will only get worse. You have no idea what it will be like one day so to clue you in, I have come up with the top 10 signs that you have bad allergies. And here they are:

#10

While brushing your teeth you have wondered if it might feel good to brush your itchy eyes. And you have an electric tooth brush.

#9

Death Valley sounds like a nice place to live since there are no trees or grass there.

#8

Your favorite snack is vinegar and salt potato chips because you discovered that if you eat them whole they feel really good as they scratch their way down your throat.

#7

You change the words to every song you hear to make them all about allergies or pollen.

“I like dreamin, cause dreamin can make you mine” becomes “I hate pollen, cause pollen can make you sick”

“go on take the money and run” becomes “go on take the pollen and run”

Or

“in the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream” becomes “in the day we sweat it out on the streets of another allergy attack”

You get the picture

#6

The first thing you say when you wake up in the morning is; It’s going to be a great(sneeze,cough,blow), oh God not again, (sneeze,cough,blow),why me Lord?

#5

You have ever rubbed jalapeño juice in your eyes by mistake and thought; hey that feels pretty good.

#4

You feel so bad you wouldn’t even wish this on your worst enemy. And you have wished some pretty bad things on them in the past.

#3

You have ever sat down and done the math to see if it is possible become dehydrated from blowing your nose. Eventually you have to run out of body fluid according to my calculations.

#2

You have considered committing suicide because the thought of eternally burning in hell sounds like a step up from how you feel at the moment. (Not really but it has been close a couple of times.)

And the # 1 sign that you have bad allergies is;

Whenever you hear about a forest fire you laugh out loud uncontrollably and shout burn baby burn, pollen inferno. (another song for #7)

Have a nice allergy free day,

Greg

Achooo

As an added note, The weather channel said this was the worst year for allergies in about 10 years but they also said the worst is behind us now. I hope for once they are right,

Thankful Thursday

It's spring and it's Thursday so it is time again to be thankful. I could focus on the fact that I am suffering from bad allergies but I will instead of be thankful for the good things in life.

I am thankful for the warm weather we are having. I have my garden planted and everything is coming up. It won't be long and we will be eating fresh veggies.

I am thankful for a great day at the Market. We had an outstanding day last Saturday which we really needed. I am praying the good fortune continues.

I am again thankful for Patients. I think my patients is growing stronger. A lot of people have short fuses these days but I have managed to keep mine unlit. I take a few moments, and think about what I am about to say or do and I usually decide I will be the bigger person. I thank God for giving me strength in this area.

I am thankful that I have the determination to get back in shape. It's 345 am. I only got 4 hours sleep last night. I am running on adrenalin but I am heading to the gym this morning. It's something I have to do for myself. Wish me luck.

I am thankful that my brother in law is doing ok. He had a mild heart attack over the weekend and is in ICU. Hopefully by the time most of you read this, he will be back home. Keep praying that this is the case.

In case you noticed that this is dated Wednesday, I started this last night so I could go to the gym this morning. Am I dedicated or crazy?

As an added note, it took me 4 tries to get Mr. Linky hooked up. It's going to be a long day. :)

Have a great day,
Greg

My last Random Dozen

April fools. My father used to say; April fools has gone past and you're the biggest fool at last. I guess that applies. Anywhoo here we go with the first Random Dozen in April.

1. Define a great relationship. Two great things that go great together. Kind of like salt and pepper, ketchup and mustard, Tom and Jerry. Wait that last one didn’t go together all that well. But you know what I mean. Seriously Diane and I have a great relationship. We are identical in some ways but totally different in others so we keep each other in check.

2. Why is it called a "drive-through" if you have to stop? (Real question: What was the last food/drink you purchased at a drive-through?) That would be two plain McChicken sandwiches. It’s one of the few things my youngest will eat. But the real question should be why not drive-by’s. I mean when was the last time you actually drove "through" something. Now that I think of it, the only real drive through I have ever seen was an ABC liquor store down in Florida. You actually drive into the building. That was a very long time ago though and I doubt they still do that.

3. As I type this, the Butler Bulldogs are getting ready to play in the NCAA championship game. Every Hoosier is hysterical about this except me. So in honor of the Bulldogs ... what is your favorite breed of dog? (I tried.)

I am really not a dog person so I will say my favorite dog is Oscar Mayor. And not those beef things either, the real ones.

4. If you had to move to a state besides the one you currently live in, where would you move?

I currently live in a state of confusion but I wouldn’t mind moving to Texas. Texas has always fascinated me.

5. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

I would have eaten less of that salmonella salad. Mom used to cut up chicken on a wooden cutting board, rinse it briefly and then cut up the salad on the same board. I thought it was normal to get the flu about once a month. No kidding.

6. Who's the funniest person you know?

Me. I make myself laugh sometimes. Ok not true. I make myself laugh all the time.

7. Did you get enough sleep last night?

Not even close. I am running on caffeine right now. It’s 8:15 pm and I am about to go to bed. (update. It's now 5 am and although I could use a little more sleep I slept better last night)

8. What's the first thing you thought about this morning?

Why is this alarm going off when I want to sleep?

9. Grilled or Fried? –HONESTLY

Linda I am from the south. There is only one way….Fried.

10. Are you afraid of the dark?

Most defiantly. I have been that way all my life. I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks, I do I do.

11.When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a forest ranger. I thought it would be pretty cool to sit up in one of those big towers and watch for fires. It's the picture I had in my head of what a forest ranger did. I will write about the incident that changed my mind in another post.

12. If you had one word to describe yourself , what would you choose?

People have always used the word Friendly to describe me so I will go with that. I have always been friendly but when I was younger I was shy so it took me a while to meet someone. Once I did, we usually became friends.

Have a great day,
Greg

Weekend update.

This is Weekend Update with Baby Momma?????


Anywhoo, this is how my weekend shaped up.

Scammer robs waitress. I saw the whole thing.
Alien pollen strikes SC man on Good Friday no less.
Market sales up, weirdo’s down.
Birthday party flops when guest of honor doesn’t show.
Father and son pick up chicks. Talk about a role model.
Wonderful Easter. News at 11. OK it’s close enough….

So Thursday night I go to pick up my son at golf practice. I had about an hour to wait so I went to the 19th hole for something to eat and drink. While I am there this flim-flam guy comes in and does some fancy fast talking and before we knew it he had left with more money than he came in with. This guy was slick and good with his hands. It wasn’t until he left that the waitress and I realized she had been robbed. Watch out people.

Friday I worked out in the garden all day. By the time nightfall came, we did have everything ready for the market but I had a massive allergy headache and I couldn’t breathe. I got little sleep but I did manage to get up bright and early for the market. It was like invasion of the body snatchers though because I wasn’t my normal chipper self with only two hours sleep.

The crowd at the market was great and the good part was that none of the freaks from the flea market showed up. Ok maybe one or two did but they were on their best behavior. Our sales were way up compared to last year and we are hoping for a great year.
This is what the market looked like at 7:30 am:


This is what the crowd looked like at 10 am:

This is our booth:


So shortly after we got home went to my BIL’s house for birthday party. It was my MIL’s birthday. So there we were relaxing, cooking burgers and someone said; What time is the birthday girl going to show up? Then our niece said; I don’t know didn’t you call her? No I thought you called her. Oops no one called the birthday girl. Talk about a surprise party. LOL So we called her and she already had dinner plans so we ate anyway and had our own party. No comment.

So after the party my son and I decide to go pick up chicks. It’s ok I had my wife’s blessing. She went with us too. We went to Tractor Supply because they have the best chicks and we got ourselves 6 little red chickens. In about 6 months we should be eating fresh eggs. Well unless they turn out to be roosters. Then we may be eating chickens. Ok we wouldn't do that but we would give them away.

Sunday started out great. I sat outside and enjoyed my morning coffee and listened to the birds sing. I have never heard so many birds singing. They must have known it was a special day too. This dove showed up and I thought that was pretty special. The rest of the day was outstanding too and you couldn’t have asked for a more perfect Easter. I hope yours was special too.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Easter edition

I have so much to be thankful for this week but to get to that thankful point I had to exhibit a trait that sometimes gives me a lot of trouble; Patients.

Remember last week. I struggled with a decision between doing what would have made me feel good at the time and doing what I knew in my heart was right. Well I chose the latter. I let not one but two people I work with run off with their mouths trying to take credit for work I did. To call them down in front of our boss would have made me feel better but it would have also made me look like a pretty petty person.(say that three times quickly) So I remained quiet. Well not being content with their own pat on the back, both men tried to put me down a bit to make themselves look even better. They both went to bosses boss to point out how great they were and how off the mark I was. The only problem was that I was right all along and they both ended up exposing their own lack of abilities. That’s what greed does to you.

Psalm 37:7

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

I am thankful that I was patient and that I didn’t let these guys drag me down with them.

As some of you know I struggle with allergies. Mostly it is hay fever but this isn’t just any hay fever I have it worse than anyone I know. I will have sneeze attacks where I sneeze 20 times in a row, get dizzy and pull the muscles in my ribs. It isn’t a pretty site. I have also been known to get hives on really bad pollen days. I have taken every medicine known to man and nothing works for me. All the medicine did was make me very sleepy and raise my blood pressure. But I still had the allergy attacks.

So my wife’s Chiropractor who went through medical school by the way suggested that I get off the meds and start taking fish oil tablets daily. I had my doubts but I went for it anyway. OK he threatened to tell my regular doctor I had high blood pressure and needed more meds if I didn’t give it a try so I did it. And guess what? I am no worse off and my blood pressure is dropping. In fact I have discovered that my allergy attacks were only temporary and if I simply relax for a few minutes when I have one the attack goes away on it’s own. Again more patients.

I am thankful that I am coping with my allergies in a more natural way now.

This week I am also thankful for all the new followers that I have. I have actually been posting less but gaining readers. If anyone can give me a logical explanation for this I want to hear it. There was a time when I tried to post every day just to gain new readers and now they are coming on board all by themselves. So welcome new readers and please join in if you feel the urge to do so. Ok I am not above nudging if I need to that too. Remember that line from the movie; Field of Dreams? Well here is my take off; “If you write it, they will come.” You may quote me on that.

I know I posted a similar photo yesterday but I wanted to do another today. I am so thankful that I Have two great boys at home. Even though they occasionally give me grey hair and drive me nuts they are both great. I am thankful for both of them. The youngest had his first band competition on Tuesday and they scored Superior. Not too bad for their first competition. In addition to playing the trumpet, he also plays the guitar and plays a pretty mean video game. Sorry about the photo quality. It was hard taking a photo in a dark room with no flash.


And finally I am thankful that the market starts this weekend. Money has been tight this past winter but we somehow managed to squeak through. In addition to enjoying my time at the market,(meeting new people and seeing old friends) I make a little extra money which helps us afford a few luxuries like movies and dining out. We could make it without this but it is nice to have a little extra cash for family fun. I may even splurge this weekend on a nice ham and fix a big Easter dinner. As you can see we have a few plants ready for the market.



Have a great day and have a wonderful Easter everyone,

Greg