Visitation Sunday

This Sunday we will be giving away a new bible to the member who brings the most visitors to church.  I don't need the bible but I would like to win any way.  So I invite you to come to One Way BAPTIST in Randleman on July 7, 2013.  If you are faithful to your regular church, and I hope that you are, maybe you would like to come to the 6 pm service.  I'd like to met you and thank you for reading my blog.  We could sure use the encouragement your coming would give to use, especially if you bring some of your family and friends as well. 

Rising interest rates

Home prices are at an historic low as are interest rates but things are changing Home prices are starting to creep upwards and so are interest rates.  The latest is that they are now at or about 4.46% on average.  I don't know if that is good or not for the economy or the job market.  I do know that the empty houses in the neighborhood are all about to emerge from bankruptcy and will soon be on the market.  I want a good neighbor but I'm afraid another person in the neighborhood may get that house.  Or rather his son. 

   This man has five or six souped up Mustangs and dodge's in his yard and he likes racing the engines.  These things are almost as loud as NASCAR cars and can be annoying especially in the late evening.  His son is buying the doge from his dad and he wants to buy the house next to me. 

These homes would make great rental property.  There are three of them in the neighborhood. 

Weight loss and tiny diet tweaks

A few years ago I went to the doctor and discovered I was a walking dead man.  I started a diet and exercise program.  My wife and I purchased a WII and worked out with it everyday.  I started eating breakfast and taking my lunch.  My daily noon meal was a can of low sodium soup and an apple.  I ate a normal supper but quit the snaking.  Over the course of the next 18 months I lost fifty pounds.  After I retired I went to the gym everyday and walked 5 miles in an hour and 10 minutes while sticking to the diet that had gained me that big weight loss.  My abs were like rocks but my weight stayed the same. 
      I started feeling bad and went to the doctor.  She determined I was a type one diabetic and put me on insulin.  'You will gain 10 or twelve pounds" she warned.  Well it's was more like 25 and although I eat the same as I did when I lost the fifty plus I only drink coffee (unsweetened half-caf) in the morning and water the rest of the day I can't seem to lose a single additional pound. 
      Switching from insulin to metformin and glipizide hasn't helped except that I've quit gaining weight.   That's why I laugh whenever I read all these weight loss tips.  I eat tons of fruits and vegetables.  If you regularly read my blog you know I have cherry tress, grape vines, blackberries, peach trees, apple trees, and two vegetable gardens.  I'm very active physically so I should be dropping a lot of weight but I'm not. 
   The experts are correct though.  Eating breakfast keeps up ones energy level and reduces their hunger and will most likely result in eating less for lunch.  Water replaces all those empty calories in sugary soft drinks which should be a big boost to weight loss.  Exercise makes one feel better and increases ones energy level.  Eating fresh or frozen vegetables and fresh fruits help keep processed foods and fatty foods out of ones diet. 
    I will figure out what I need to do to lose the weight gain caused by my medication but until then I'll just keep working and trying.  When I succeed I'll let you know. 

The garden

My garden is finally producing.  I know I have been picking kale for a month but that's over as the leaves have started to curl and the kale is now tough.  I lost half my potato crop and only picked a few radishes but I picked green beans and squash yesterday and cucumbers and tomatoes today.  My beets are ready to pick and my onions can be harvested at any time now.  I love eating fresh food from the garden. 

Competition for affection

When I was a young person and saw a girl I liked I only had competition from other white males but that began to change by the time I entered college.  In the last thirty years one had to worry about any male.     Now it seems that any other person, male or female, of any race is fair competition for the love of the person you like. 

It was once said "It's all fair in love and war.  Now, I suppose it really is."

How does one spell Smithfield in Chinese?

The Chinese have offered $34.00 a share or about 447 million dollars for Smithfield, the world's largest producer of hos and pork products.  Isn't it bad enough that everything we buy is made in China and our country is bankrolled by China but now part of our food supply will be controlled by China as well. 

Exactly who is the strongest and most influential country in the world? China is a world power but not through politics or military might but through business.  It seems we are gladly giving ourselves over to a country that dislikes us.  I really think we need to stop and think long and hard about what is going on here. 

Of course this may be a good thing too because China can never afford to attack the USA.  We owe her too much money and China's business can't survive it she destroys her business base.  In forty years I can just imagine someone making a phone call and receiving this message:  for Chinese press one, for Spanish, press two.  I can also imagine the caller responding "This is America and we speak Spanish.  If I wanted to speak Chinese I'd move   to Africa." 

Church contest

July 7, 2013 One Way Baptist is having a visitation contest.  The member who has the most visitors will win a new Scofield bible.  We had a contest last month and one lady had 13 visitors.  It seems she is a shew in to win the bible also.  I don't have any family or friends in this area.  I lived and worked in Greensboro and most of the time I lived in Randleman it was out in the country.  I know a few people but no one I would call a friend. 

I would love to have everyone that reads this blog to come to church on June 7.  I don't care about winning the bible:  I already have three.  If I win then someone whom I invited can have the bible.  No, I believe everyone who comes will receive a blessing.  I don't want anyone to miss out what they will receive when they come. 

Please be there.  June 7.  One Way Baptist Church in Randleman, NC.

Death of a Classmate

When I was young I played sports: track, football and baseball.  Baseball was my favorite by far and I was good at the game.  My first year I played in the outfield but after that I became a catcher.   I was all conference in school and on the all star team during the summer leagues.  There was a red headed guy, Kelly Rudisill who was a catcher too.  We played on the same team twice and each time I beat him out for the first string position but each time the league separated us. 

I was better behind the plate and working with the pitchers but Kelly was a better hitter than I was so on the All Star teams Kelly was always number one.  My last year in school I hurt my arm and my eyes got bad so I had to give up playing baseball.  Kelly went on to college where he became on of the best that ever played for his school. 

There was one other thing that Kelly finally won out on.  He got the girl.  I had a serious crush on the blonde that sat in front of me in algebra class in the 11th grade.  In the many years after school when reunions come around I always wondered what happened with her.  I never went to one and most likely never will.  It wasn't until a couple of years ago I started receiving a newsletter from my graduating class.  Some of my friends had passed away over the years.  I think the two most shocking was the star of the baseball and football team died in his twenties of a heart attack and a friend of mine and fellow track star passed away not long ago. When we were in school he held the NC state record in the mile run. 

But the death of Kelly was the biggest shock of all.  He was still married to his high school sweetheart, the girl I had the crush on.  He was 11 days younger than me.  He seemed to have had the life I wanted:  the beautiful blonde, sports star, college graduate, beautiful kids and grandkids, and a successful business career.    I don't regret my life but his always seemed to be just a little bit better.  Until now. 

I'm really sad for his wife and his children and the rest of his family.  I'm sad for him too because even at our age there is a lot of life left to live and a lot to be accomplished.  As a kid he always made me work harder to beat him out for a common position.  Now that he is gone he is still making me work harder because I know now how precious life is.  I'm not going to waste what he can't have.  Rest in peace Kelly. 

Used car deal

I drive a 1994 Ford Pickup with 198,000 mile son it. I was driving it to Hickory once a month but I'm just not sure its safe to do some plus its hard my Mom to get in and out of it.  I would like to find a reliable vehicle that would be more comfortable than my car or truck that is really nice but I don't want to pay a lot for it. 

I found a van at a dealership that is extra sharp.  A 2004 with 58000 miles on it but it is a cash deal and the dealer wants $8900.00 for it.  Kelly Blue book has a retail price of $4600.00 but the dealer says they use NADA which shows a price about a thousand  more.  Even that only brings retail to
$5600.00.  The dealer still wants $7500.00.  I pointed out that the NADA price already includes a profit and I'm not giving them an extra 2 grand on top of that.  I know the car is extra clean, low mileage and they had to fork out a few hundred to bring the vehicle up to maintenance so I think $6500.00 is more than adequate. 

So what do you think?   

I have to go but where?

It seems there is some controversy about where a transgender child should go.  A fifth grade child, Nicole, was identified as male on her birth certificate but has preferred being a girl had been allowed to use the girls restroom until the grandfather of a fifth grade boy complained. 

Why would a boy object to  a female using the girls restroom?  I can think of several reasons: 1.  He is curious as to what a transgender person looks like 2.  He wants some privacy to taunt the child and is upset because Nicole gets to use a restroom he can't go into 3.  He's attracted to Nicole but likes the boy part but can use her girl parts as a cover.  4.  The family are a bunch of jerks you see a way of making some money. 

In any case the child did not choose to be a transgender person and I certainly would not to want to be one.  The child should be given the respect and privacy as any other child.  It is said that between 1.5 and 2% of all births are to a transgender child although most suffer from only mild conditions.  About .03% , or 3 people out of 10,000 are born a true transgender so while rare it does happen more often than we might think it does. 

One would have thought that it would have been a girl to complain  about someone who could be a boy in their restroom.  I'm not sure how the other students knew that Nicole was neither a true boy nor a true girl.  I never questioned what parts another student (pupil, I suppose is the correct word) had went I grew up.  Stupid me thought if a person dressed like a girl, looked like a girl, and used the girls restroom it was probably a girl. 

It seems to me that people get involved in to many things that are none of their business.   

New Ramp: but I had to pay for this one.

When I first got my shed 4 years ago I need a ramp so I looked around the neighborhood and found some straight lumber.  Most of it came from the trash pile where a house was being repaired.  I found a bunch of 2 x 6 of various lengths and pieced them together than then topped them off with 4 or 5 pieces of subflooring to make my ramp.  It really turned out to be a good sturdy ramp that served my needs just fine until this year. 

I have always mowed my grass with a 21" self-propelled mower  so my ramp, 36" wide, was quite adequate.  This year I purchased a rider which has a 42" mower deck.  (plus it has a chute )  It was quite tricky to drive a 42" mower up a 36" ramp.  One has to come up the ramp at such an angle that three wheels are on the ramp at all times plus the chute clears the entrance as well. 

I purchased a 4 x 8 piece of subflooring plus two 2x6x12 .  I cut 2 feet off each end of the 2 x6 x 12 and nailed the ten foot lengths to the support bracket under the entrance making the width of all the 2x6 54" wide.  Then I nailed the subflooring onto the 2 x 6's leaving two inches on one side and 4' on the other side closet to the door opening.  I took the old piece of subflooring and cut it to fit over the remaining  space, an area of about 2 x 4.5'.  The total cost of my new ramp was only $40.00.  I hated to spent the money but one just isn't going to fine a piece of 4 x 8 subflooring and 2 2x6x12 pieces of treated lumber just lying around. 

Oh the two feet I cut off the end/  I know I could have purchased 2 x6 x10  pieces of lumber but then I would not have had support braces for under the ramp.  I know it isn't the best looking ramp in the world but it is sturdy and wide enough to do the job and that's what really matters afterall.    

I didn't want everything to be a water garden

I have two fish ponds or water gardens, however one wants to view them but with all this rain it seems everything now is a water garden.  The tomato plants have yellow leaves and the plants are scrawny, the potato plants are turning yellow and dying and my seeds have been moved around by the constant rain.  I just sowed clover in  my garden to cut down on weeds and to try to get nitrogen back into the soil but the rain is going to wash the seeds so the clover will come up heavy in some places and not at all in others.     That's not what I need or want. 

With the droughts we have faced in years past I just am not prepared for this much rain.  I have to admit my water plants look fabulous especially my new bog gardens.  I planted some of my water Iris in dry soil a few years back because water Iris bloom after regular Iris do.  I had my doubts if they would survive but I planted them deeper than I would have regular Iris.  This year they are so thick and a dark green in color and had beautiful blooms.  The blooms are all but gone now but my lilies are taking over now. 

That's one thing I enjoy about my yard is I have something in bloom almost year round.   Early on its the fruit trees, bugle weed, phlox, and jonicals.  Then I have my Iris and purple ice (the purple ice will bloom through fall) and now the tiger lilies, day lilies, Easter lilies, and Cana lilies.  My mums are beginning to head up now into large, perfectly round mounds of large green leaves. 

Soon my cone flowers and daises will take over and my buttery fly bushes, roses, and my wildflower and sunflower gardens will be in full bloom as well as my pickerel in my water garden. 

In the fall my mums will bloom and my fruit trees and grape vines will begin to give up their harvest.  Hopefully in 2015 my cherry trees will begin to bloom as they will be in their fifth year then.

Things get better every year as the plants grow larger and begin to multiply.  I'm seriously considering doing my yard in clover instead on grass in the future.  Needs less care and don't need to be mowed as often.  We'll see. 

Easily offended part 3

It is hard to believe one woman can keep a saga going this long.  Her son, the man that claims he was offended when the remark was made that it would be better to understand and live the teachings of Christ than to merely memorize scripture is now supposedly going to be a missionary.  That is fine, well and good.  I'm proud of him.  Nothing was ever said to the woman so why is she so bent out of shape.  If anything she should have instructed her son how to handle controversies in a biblical manner.  Getting mad and start gossiping is not a proper way to handle things in a secular setting much less a church.  That's what people do I guess but it is wrong.

Well the anger of this women is going just a little too far.  I make DVD's for the shut-ins of the church.  I purchased the camera on my dime and give of my time to make and distribute these DVD's.  For the first year I purchased the materials as well.  One of the ladies I made the DVD's for passed away on March 1, 2013 and the angry lady asked me if I could make copies of all the DVD's since no one knew what happened to the set the deceased lady had.  I believe there were 35 or so DVS's and that did take awhile to make new ones: somewhere around 10 to 15 minutes each.  That adds up to 8 or nine hours plus the cost of the DVD's. 

The Sunday after I gave the angry lady the back DVD's she had me a stack of 24 DVD's in Jewel cases.  She said she purchased a stack of 100 DVD's.  I had the church treasurer write her a check for the full amount and asked the lady to bring me the remainder of the DVD's as we don't charge for the service, which she did.   

Now it seems that she is calling people and telling them she wants her blank DVD's back and considers me a thief for keeping them.  She is calling me a thief when the last time she was a church she was nearly out of gas and the pastor and his wife and my wife scrapped up thirty dollars to get this lady some gas and even followed her to the service station to make sure she could get there.  She never repaid the pastor, his wife or my wife. 

I don't want her to repay my wife and I don't believe the pastor is worried about the money he and his wife gave to her.  What I would like is all the people who read this blog and are Christians to include this woman and her son in your prayers.  I won't mind if you included me in your prayers either. 

Why anyone cares is beyond me

Yahoo homepage headline "

Beyonce Bares Midriff, Attends Kanye West's Birthday Party in New York City

Beyonce bares her midriff at Kanye West's birthday party in New York City on Saturday, June 8

Us Weekly"

 

 

Loved ones go missing, people are fighting for their lives, surgeons perform living saving operations and people walk the aisle at their local church and theirs lives are transformed through salvation and no one seems to care but let a movie star or famous performer show a little belly button and that is front page news. 

 

Tell me again what makes this country the greatest NATION ON EARTH? 

Every ones favorite subject

   The weather.  Maybe not yours but seldom does a day goes by when someone doesn't mention the weather.  In my life it's my wife.  I don't get out much myself.  I normally don't talk much about the weather even just as an ice breaker or conversation started but with such a wet winter and now such a wet spring even I am blogging about the weather.  In the last seven days there has been 8 inches on water in my rain gauge, 4 from the last two days alone. 

   During a brief break in the rain, sometime last week a neighbor asked me why the bottom leaves on her tomato plants were turning yellow.  She seemed somewhat surprised when I told her we've had too much rain.  I'm not sure she believed me but too much rain (or water) can prevent a plant from sucking up needed nutrients from the soil.  Water is good and necessary but even plants  need something a little more substantial. 

  When a plant drinks too much water and takes in to few nutrients it subjects the plant to various diseases.  There just isn't much we can do about the amount of rain the plants have received.  I wish I could have stored  more of the rain water.  I do have two fish ponds, one around 1500 gallons and the other around 300 but my fish prefer that I leave the water where it is.  My two rain barrels help some but together they represent around a hundred or so gallons.  Not really that much in the grand scheme of things. 

   If I could afford to I would dig myself a runoff pond a capture 10000 gallons or so of water then I could have a luscious lawn and a thriving garden  but if I dug a pond that deep I wouldn't have room for the garden or the lawn. 

  I can live with the cooler weather and the rain.  I just hope that isn't our allotment for the summer. 

  

Racial combined families

Traditional called racially mixed I prefer to call them racially combined families.  Mixed conjures up visions of two substances that don't normally go together that one has to put together by force, like oil and water.  Once things settle down the two substances will begin to separate unless force keeps them together.  Combining on the other hand brings up more pleasant images like mixing chocolate and peanut butter to create a different taste, 

I have observed that the children of combined race families seem to be more attractive than those of same race families.  I may be wrong but it just seems that way to me.  To be honest, I doubt there are many true bloodlines left anymore so it should not be that big of a deal anymore.  To me, it seems the sooner races are eliminated the better off we will be as people.  Just think, no more whites to feel superior and no more blacks to feel proud, just a nation full of beautiful Americans. 

I know that is unlikely to happen because some people just have to hate  but we can call them combined families instead of mixed even if all it does is change the picture in our minds.   

neighbors kid in jail again

His parents seem to be nice people.  The kids are lazy no-good bums.  When they are home they stay on the front porch and drink beer.  When I first moved here they still lived at home and their baby mommas would drop the babies off when it was their turn to watch the kids.  Sometimes I had to listen to these  child/women beat on the front doors for up to an hour while they were trying to get the men to answer the door. 

I suppose the occasions when they do show up in the neighborhood it is most likely when they aren't in jail and have a temporary housing problem.  But when the men are here there are constant visitors.  One night the skinny woman with no teeth that lives up the street drove her Kia Soul   done here to see him and the taller boy turned the music full blast.  I walked over and asked the younger, smaller one to turn it down and he was polite, said "yes Sir" and turned the music to a normal volume.  The tall one came out "What's the problem?"  I told him his music was too loud.  He replied "What's an acceptable volume for you?" 

"As long as I can't hear it," was my reply. 

"That's impossible," he retorted.  "You might as well call the police now." 

"Okay, I will."

They did leave the volume down and the woman stayed another ten minutes and left. 

It seems that a woman went to the police and complained that the man had borrowed her car in exchange for $100.00 worth of crack and now he wouldn't give her car back.  Stupid woman gave the police permission to search the vehicle.  Dogs are drug sniffing dogs and would not have alerted on the meat she had stolen from Wal-Mart.  I guess she needed a fix so bad she couldn't take the stuff home and put in a refrigerator first. 

She was arrested for larceny and procession of stolen goods and he was arrested on an outstanding warrant of failure to appear.  With him in jail I know it will be quiet in the neighborhood for awhile. 

TGIF, if I worked.

It really doesn't matter as much what day of the week it is when one is retired as I don't have to schedule all my activities around what I have to do  Sundays for church and Tuesday morning to get the trash out are about the only things I have to work around and the Tuesday thing is really flexible.  Normally I mow the grass at home on Thursdays and at church on Fridays but because of the rain I mowed at the church yesterday morning.  My yard can wait.  But with all the rain there isn't much I can do.  It's too wet to even go fishing.  If I had a job I would have something to do.  I could go shopping but there isn't much I need or really want.

The wife and I ate at the new Hwy 55 in Randleman.  In Greensboro they are called Andy's.  I'm not sure why they mix their name like they do but it is what it is.  I really like the ones I have eaten at previously and the Randleman location is no exception.  There is a little blonde that works there that is so small she looks like a small ten year old and is  cuter than  anyone   has a right to be.  Her smile was just about as big as she was. 

Next time I go I might try something besides a burger.  The frozen custard isn't as good as ice cream but better than soft serve. 

I was hoping my brother in law could have joined us for lunch but he was leaving Friday to head back home to Oklahoma so there just wasn't time to work it into the activities he had already planned.  I would have delayed my plans until after tornado season if it was me.  Kind of makes one glad that what we get around here is just mostly rain, and normally not even enough of that.  Sometimes we just have to look at another's situation to realize the things we want to complain about would be a blessing to them.  So I'll just be thankful that its some day of the week and glad its Friday for you.    

Let the sun shine in

I didn't much care for the second grade.  We had to learn cursive and I learned to spell "bureau".  The second grade is where I learned that I didn't do well in front of others.  I don't think I cared for my teacher much or my mom says I didn't.  But I do remember one happy moment from that year when I was 7.  I've always remembered the chorus but never could remember any of the other words.  Thank goodness for the internet.  So here are the words to "Let the Sun Shine in" .


Mommy told me something
A little kid should know
It's all about the devil
And I learned to hate him so
She said he causes trouble when you let him in your room
He'll never ever leave you if your heart is filled with gloom

Chorus:
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Smilers never lose
And Frowners never win
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Open up your heart and let the sun shine in

When you are unhappy
The devil wears a grin
But oh he starts to run in
When the light comes prowling in
I know he'll be unhappy
Cause I'll never wear a frown
Maybe if we keep on smiling
He'll get tired of hanging 'round
If I forget to say my prayers
The devil jumps with glee
But he feels so awful awful
When he sees me on my knees
So if you feel of trouble
And you never seem to move
Just open up your heart and let the sun shine in

(Chorus)

Suuuuun Shiiiiiine iiiiiin
Suuuuun Shiiiiiine iiiiiin

Mommy told me someting
A little kid should know
It's all about the devil
And i learned to hate him so
If I forget to say my prayers
The devil jumps with glee
But he feels so awful awful
When he sees me on my knees
So if you feel of trouble
And you never seem to move
Just open up your heart and let the sun shine in

(Chorus)

Should prostitution be decriminalized?

46% of people responding to a survey believe prostitution is a victimless crime and should not be illegal.  I am not among that number but not for the reasons one mat think.  My views have nothing to do with my religion or my religious views.  I believe a person has a right to their own lifestyle choices.  I have made mine and think I should be allowed to live my life my way and you can make yours and I'll not criticize you for your choices.  If a person decides they want to earn money by charging money to have sex with whomever wants to pay them then I am fine with that, but with the following exceptions:

1.  If the prostitution is working in the employ of another or has a lover, boyfriend, husband, or another person in her life that is sustained by  a prostitutes income. 

2.  The prostitute is addicted to or uses any addictive or illegal substance

3.  Is mentally ill.

4.  Is a convicted felon. 

In other words, if a person is  working as a prostitute entirely free from outside influence whether that influence is a person, a substance, or an mental condition and is not now or every has been involved in felonious criminal activity then that person should be free to charge for her services. 

I do believe that girls and/or women  that are involved in forced prostitution should be treated as victims and not criminals and those that are mentally ill or addicted to drugs or alcohol should receive treatment for their addictions and proper support to give them the opportunity to change their lives.  If, however, they fail to take advantage of those opportunities, then they should have to go through the judicial system like any other criminal.