Too fast for me 01.31.19

            I don’t know about you, but this month has passed to quick. It doesn’t seem as if Christmas was over a month ago, but it was. Time flies when you are having fun, and for older people, it flies even if you aren’t having any fun! 

            I know you haven’t asked, and you do not care what I have been doing. That being a true statement, stop reading this soulful article now! I understand, you are impressed that I even know the word soulful, and more impressive, I spelled it correctly, and the spell check did not have to correct it for me!

            I have been doing my income tax now that I have all the forms. Each year since I retired I have been having to pay out of my pocket to the IRS each April. I changed a few things and this year I may get a couple dollars back. When I worked I had my deductions set up so I would basically break even each year. I don’t need the Government to hold my money and give it back to me at tax time. I know some people consider it to be like a savings account, I did not.

            I find it interesting that they ask for your driver’s license number or a number from a state ID. I assume it is a double check against your SSN. Does having both numbers make it easier for the bad people to steal your identity? Once you hit 70 ½ you are forced to take a minimum distribution from certain accounts. That way they can get more taxes from you. They like to irritate the older population.

            I have been attempting to find a phone number of a friend who I believe is in bad health. I have wanted to call his wife and see how he is doing, but I can’t find anyone who has his number. I have talked with several people who have worked with him, as I have, and no one seems to have his phone number.

            Today I called the police department in the town where he lives, I told them what I was trying to do. I asked if they could give me his phone number or if not could the give my number to his wife. They could not give me his number, they said they could do a welfare check and I said no, that isn’t necessary I just want to talk with his wife.

            The above brought to mind an incident that occurred when I was dating, some 50 plus years ago. I have never been able to remember people’s names, even girls I have been introduced to, I would forget their name in a few minutes.

            I had a date with a girl who lived in Jackson Missouri. We went out that night and I did remember her first name. I also got her phone number written down on a piece of paper. When I got home that night I could not remember her last name. I got the phone book, everyone had land line phones in the olden days and as such their phone numbers were in the phone book. I went through each phone number until I found her phone number, and her last name.

            New subject; station wagons why did they leave?

            In a recent study conducted here at the Ford Homestead, we researched the difference between a station wagon and an SUV. We also looked into why the SUV seemed to be most popular. First I will attach a photo of a station wagon and an SUV, then I will elaborate. 

                                                                                              

              

            Now as you look at the two vehicles you may be able to see a slight difference in appearance. They both have 4 doors and a tail gate that opens. They are / were excellent vehicles in their day. Both appealed to a family setting but only the newer version appealed to the single person too. We have determined the name, “Station Wagon” was not popular, and had the earlier versions been named anything other than station wagon, possibly Sport Utility Vehicle”, they would still be popular and in demand.

            If you would like the full version of this study, send $35.00 to the Ford Homestead web site, and allow a long time for delivery.

May your name cause you to be in demand!

Senior Vehicle Analyst; Don Ford

           

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Why would you care 01.30.19

            Let’s start out with me making a statement, “I don’t care”!

            In the olden days, which seems to be about 100 years ago, I would go to a sporting event for one reason and one reason only. Do you have any idea what that reason was? For me, these sporting events was a way to be with friends, and my friends and I went to meet girls.

            The only sporting events that we would attend were football and basketball. Why, because there were lots of people, aka girls. Did I ever take a girl to one of those sporting events? Yep. Was I there for the game? Nope. Why was I there? It was a reason to get the girl to go somewhere with me.

            I can’t understand why anyone would care, about overpaid adults, whose job is football, basketball or any other so-called sport. I suggest sports are for kids and unpaid people. In my opinion, it is not a sport when someone is paid to work.

            I do not know the names of the work groups (teams) who will be working in the coming World Series this Sunday! (I do know it is not the World Series this weekend, I just thought it was funny.) I know there is someone named “Payton”, working this weekend. As the name Pay ton implies, he will be paid a ton of money for a couple hours of work! 

            I wasn’t paid a ton of money when I worked, darn it, and no one ever paid to watch me work. I could understand paying to watch a real good carpenter do their work, I might learn something watching a professional craftsperson. Note how politically correct I was when I used the word, “Craftsperson!”

 

            I will watch part of the Sunday work event, I do like some of the commercials, and the food my favorite wife might make.

 

            You might enjoy the Sunday World Series, but don’t bet on it, you may be bored to death by half time, if so, take a nap!

 

Work or Play, do you even care?

 

Senior Critic at the Ford Homestead; Don Ford

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More controls 01.29.19

            I thought there were enough controls on my meager life, my present spouse has found a way to attach one more control. She has limited my use of the family phone saying I need to do more work around the homestead. I feel that I do my share of, if not more than, my share of work, like finishing raking leaves out of the jasmine yesterday without being told to do it.

            It is so hurtful that my spouse has had a new house phone installed yesterday, and would you believe, this phone can only be used, “When you put money in it”! Yes it is a pay phone! How cold can anyone be to install a pay phone in an effort to prevent her spouse from making a call? Yes, there is a photo of the phone. Click to enhance the vision.

            It was cold enough last evening to have the heat lamp on in the Ford’s ole Hot house. With temperatures predicted to be at the freezing mark over night, I suggested to my first wife to remind me to plug in the lamp. At about 3:00 am I awoke and as I lay there gathering my thoughts, it occurred to me that it was cold and I had not turned on the lamp. I then bolted out of bad and ran to the back door. I through the door open and that is when I saw it. The heat lamp was on!

            As I staggered back to bed, I could not remember plugging the lamp in. My favorite spouse must have plugged it in. I did not wake her, I just slipped back into the bed quietly and covered up. As I became comfortable in the Ford’s ole bed, a thought came to me, “I woke the Tres when I ran to the door. Will he want to get in bed with us”? The thought has just entered my mind when a large dog jumped over me and lay down between my favorite wife and me.” I guess you could say it was a one dog night. If you don’t know what that means, it is ok, not everyone has the extensive knowledge required to understand the pronouncements of the wise.

How cold was it, it was a two dog night!

Almost wise senior citizen; Don Ford

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Sunday Brunch 01.28.19

            What did I say? I may have use words that were not very nice, wait a minute, I did use words that are not very nice!

            MY favorite spouse and I went to the favorite restaurant for brunch. For some reason people had taken all the good parking spaces. I dropped the first wife off at the door and drove to the corner of the lot to park. I then exited our vehicle and began my walk to the front door.

            I should note, the weather was nice, temps in the low 60s and the sun was shining. I walked between a few cars and arrived at the drive between the parks cars and the building. Being very careful, and practicing what I preach, I looked both ways before I stepped out onto the drive. There was a small SUV sitting at the curb with their motor running. There was a male subject behind the wheel, he had a full beard. I walked toward the vehicle and was attempting to walk past it, when I made eye contact with horse’s butt that was driving.

            I was at the driver’s door, walking to the front of the vehicle. As I said we had made eye contact, so he knew I was walking there. He suddenly pulled forward, I was surprised and I stopped walking. He pulled forward about 20 feet. When he stopped, I was at the rear of the vehicle. I then said something like you dumb ask S O B, I used the words. As I rounded the back of the vehicle there was a female subject standing on the walk at the door of the SUV and she said, “It’s Sunday”, she didn’t like my language. She then said, “He didn’t mean to do that” and I said, “Yes he did”! I went on into the restaurant and they left.

            I am glad I was not at the front of the vehicle when he drove forward.

            Why did he pull forward when I was attempting to walk past his vehicle? He made eye contact with me, what was his mind on? That incident proves what I keep saying, even if you are in a pedestrian cross walk, look for the vehicles as they may not be looking at you.

 

            That is just about all the excitement that I saw yesterday.

 

Remember what your parents told you!

Look both ways before dancing, I mean crossing the street!

 

A non-street walker; Don Ford

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Weekend 01.26.19

            The weekend is upon us. I am beginning this article on Friday, so I guess you could say I am looking into the future. Our oldest son will be here this Saturday, and we will be celebrating his birthday, he will be 24 years old, times two. We plan to go out to lunch with Patrick and Karla, along with Dave, Claire, Gabi and Alex. Good food and family, what could be better!

            Different subject; as I was driving Gabi to school Friday I was talking about the compass on the screen of the car. Gabi asked that I stop talking, which I did. I now assume old grandpas talk too much to the grandees.

            It doesn’t take much to make Gabi late for school, especially if we do not get an early or at least on time start. Friday the start time was not early. We also got behind a person wanting to turn left on Panther Way. The traffic, although not bumper to bumper, each school day morning is usually within 50 to 100 feet of each other, and coming from both directions. We sat there quietly waiting for the vehicle in front of us to have a chance to move. Finally, after what seemed to be an hour, they were able to make their turn. Then I had to wait, to make my right turn.  

            When we arrived at school I pointed at the clock on the dash, in an effort to nonverbally provide info that she should hurry as she might be late. (Later I learned that she was on time)

            Old grandpas talking too much, especially early in the morning, gets on the nerves of the grandees. You would think that a senior grandpa would learn that what he has to say, does not mesh with what the younger people want to hear or talk about. Two different worlds!

            I should take my own advice. I have shared with others, if you want to be thought of as a good conversationalist (darn that is a long word) “Talk less and listen more”. Everyone, that means you and me, wants to have their stories or information heard by others. If you engage with someone in a conversation, and you listen to what they are saying, only occasionally asking a short question, you will be thought of as, “Properly participating in the conversation”, even when you have said almost nothing.

            On the other side of the coin, if you continually insert your thoughts or events that have happened to you into the conversation, and not allowing the other person to talk freely, without your interruptions, you will be thought of as being, “Rude and not caring about the other persons feeling”. Depending on the other person’s personality, they will either think of you as being the, “north end of a south bound horse”, or they will understand, “That you don’t understand how to make a friend feel important, during a conversation”.  

            Preacher Ford will stop preaching now, or not. I just thought of why I like to write so much. I am not being interrupted, I write what I want, and you don’t interrupt me! I do like the occasional comment or correction I receive from you, the reading critics, but they are not interruptions.           NICE! 

            Tres pointed out the rising sun this morning as he was retrieving the so-called newspaper.

For some reason Tres and I like the sun rise and sun sets. I have a photo for your pleasure.

                                         

            My spouse purchases a very large cookie as an alternative for a cake for our son’s birthdays. They had the age wrong on this cookie when my present spouse went to pick it up. They had 38 and it is 48. She has been purchasing these cookies for birthdays for many years. It is easier than baking a cake, but it is not less expensive.

                            

            We all had a nice birthday lunch and some interesting conversation. When the lunch was over and we were more or less into conversation mode, I was able to get a photo that kind of says it all. We had a good time! See photo below.

             After all was said and done and my favorite wife and I was again alone at the Homestead, I took a nap. What better way to finish off a day.

May all your birthdays be happy!

Senior nap person; Don Ford

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Gate of the Gods 01.25.19

Gate of the Gods            01.25.19

               My Hypothesis of the Gate of the Gods, follows.

            In the photo below, you should see a wall carved out of rock, and there is what appears at this distance to be a doorway into the rock wall. That which appears to be a doorway is not. It is an indention carved into the rock wall.  

            In the close up below, you can see the indention which was carved into the wall. If you look closely, you can see a round dark spot in about the center of the indention. It is said that a metal device, which I have titled, “The Lock”, was placed in the hole as a point of reference for a transporter. Who carved the wall and gate way, and who was it to communicate with, those from the heavens. 

 

            In the photo below, we see a person standing in the opening which is known as the Gate of the Gods. I will attempt to explain how and why this so-called gate, was placed here.

           

            The Gate was placed there so those from the heavens could transport to, and from earth.  The Gate was made in a manner and size to allow one being to stand in it, and only one could be transported at a time. Why only one at a time, it was for security. If one being with bad intentions is transported, those in the heavens could handle one. If several could be transported at one time, they might be able to take over in the flying object located in the sky.

            Beings who were able to move to and from the earth through this gate were the leaders, and they had, for lack of a better description, “A key”! To be transported from earth to the heavens, a being would insert “The Key” into the “Lock”. When the key came in contact with the lock, it sent a signal to those in the sky. The signal would identify the individual this lock was issued to, the beings in the heavens would then activate the transporter, bringing that individual to the Heavens. (Heavens, or flying object defined, could be a space ship or a satellite in orbit around earth.)

            Some have said this Gate way was the location of an entrance to a worm hole, but it was not. As you now know it is a permanent location for a transporter to send and receive a single being.

           

            Those from the heavens came to earth looking for gold and other minerals. They had located colonies in various locations around the world. The mother ship was a huge vessel in which more than a thousand beings along with a large number of robots could be stationed.

Any number of beings from the mother ship, could be brought to any earth location.

            The leaders of these beings from the sky were considered, “Gods from the heavens,”, since they would appear and disappear in the Gate! These beings had come to earth for gold and other minerals and they also studied the inhabitants. Naturally, during their time with the local inhabitants, they provided information that had not previously been known.

            These sky people helped the locals by providing medical help. This medical help was another area that cause the locals to believe these beings were Gods!

           

            A little known fact, the sky beings no longer had sex with each other, their off spring came from artificial insemination. Why did they decide to go to artificial insemination? The female being, over time, had become in charge on their planet. With the female beings in charge, sex ended.

            On earth, the male sky beings were having sex with many female earthlings, and producing offspring. The off spring of a sky person and earthling looked different than either the sky being or earthlings. Their offspring often did not survive. The few who survived were very intelligent. Although slightly different in appearance, when the offspring became older, they were often put in leadership positions by the locals. The female sky person felt, and were, superior to earthlings, they found the local inhabitants more or less repulsive, but used them as servant workers.   

            The mission was completed after some 50 earth years, and after the last being place their key in the lock and was transported back to the Heavens, the lock was removed from the gate. There was a small group of Sky people who stayed on earth, some of their own choice, and others were left because they had sex with earthlings or were the product of sex with an earthling.  

            Now you know the reason for, “The Gate of the Gods”.

For that one person who doubts this is a true story, prove it wrong.

From the all-knowing mind of; Don Ford

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Scanning old photos 01.23.19

            Since no one asked, I decided I would show a photo that I had scanned over the past couple days. I have no idea how old it is, but it wasn’t taken recently. No, I am not in the photo.

              

            After I finished the scanning of the photos, I decided I needed a little time to rest my seriously stressed and over worked body, and reflect on it all. Would you believe; I found a quiet location and assumed the position so I could vegetate, I mean meditate. I wanted to get my mind into a state of nothingness. No thoughts, just allow the brain to relax.

            While my brain was in neutral it came to me, Meditate and Vegetate are kind of the same.

            Vegetate: a passive existence without exertion of body or mind.

            Meditate: reflect on or ponder without exertion.

            It is amazing that while in my vegetation state, my brain did not solve any of the world’s problems, I am not any smarter, but I did relax my body, and after coming out of the vegetative state I felt renewed!

            What? Ok.  Yes, I will answer that question, if you will just stop talking. That person’s question was, “Where did you find a quiet location, were you on the floor and if so, were you on a tile or carpeted floor”?

            Good question. I took finding the best location for my vegetation very seriously, as you should also, if you decide to, reflect on or ponder without exertion. I find the perfect spot to be on the Ford’s ole recliner. I try to enter that state every day about the same time, usually after lunch. It can also be referred to as a nap!

            I just walked outside to greet the Gabi as she will be here today, due to being ill yesterday. The school system has a rule, if the child has a fever they need to be clear for a day before returning to school. She is find today.

            While outside I happened to notice that it was cold. The weather person stated that it was 34 this morning. While outside in the cold I decided to move the recycle bin to the curb, and I noticed ice on the top of the bin. Ice means it was at least freezing. Photo to follow.

                                      

            The blue color of the bin is due to the freezing cold weather as the recycle bin is actually green. Cold weather changes many things.

Vegetate or meditate daily, it is good for you!

Senior guide to vegetate; Don Ford

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What did you do 01.22.19

            What did your, “Favorite hard working senior citizen do yesterday”? Please continue to read this soon to be wonderful article, and you will learn what I did yesterday, but I have no idea what your favorite senior citizen did!

            Before I get into the meat of this story, I need to tell you of a venture I was involved in yesterday. As I may have stated in the past, the coffee place employees the slowest people in the work place. A friend had told me that she gets her coffee from a different coffee place location and they are very fast.

            Yesterday I ran an errand for the first wife and then headed to the different location for a cup of coffee. There was a line so I had to wait. When I got to the microphone I asked if they had a certain sandwich. The female voice said, “Let me check”. After about 2 minutes and I am not stretching that time, I said to the mic, “Are you there?” The voice said, “May I have your order?” I said, “I asked you about the sandwich and you did not get back to me!” She stated, “I am sorry we don’t have it”. I then ordered a coffee. I will not go back there!

 

            On a happier note; I was going to cancel the satellite radio service for my truck, they wanted $160.00 to continue the service for a year. They offered me a better deal for $150.00. I would get satellite radio in the truck and on a tablet or phone. I said no thanks just cancel the service. I was unhappy that they treat new customers better than present customers.

            The rep. said, this is my last offer, 6 months of radio in your truck for $36.00, (which included tax title and license). I thought for a moment and took the offer. She also told me if you see a special offer call us and we will apply it to your account. That means a regular customer can get the same deal as a new customer, you just have to ask for it.

 

            What did I do yesterday, I scanned 38 items into the computer. Each item had at least two scans one preview and then the scan. Then I opened each up in a different application and added commentary or names. Then I allowed my spouse to see each and then I had to go back and correct the spelling of names that were messed up for some reason. (I can’t spell)

           

            At least I did something. What did you do yesterday?

 

Saving old photos and notes for posterity!

 

Scanner extraordinaire; Don Ford

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Computer Know it all 01.21.19

            This past Saturday I received instructions as to a couple operations on the Ford’s ole computer. At the time, I believed I understood the instructions provided. The next day, Sunday for that one reader who doesn’t know the days of the week, I attempted to use the new information. Notice I did say attempted to use. Nothing seemed to work, and that is when I began to change settings, attempting to make things happen.

            Trust me, things happened. I worked on the computer for a couple hours with little improvement. At one point the task bar disappeared. How could I do anything without a task bar? I went to the one thing I knew might help, “Ctrl Alt Delete”. The computer was supposed to be shutting down, the screen went dark, but the computer was still running, possibly in some type of crazy loop. I put my finger on the power button and held it until everything stopped.

            I stopped crying and wipe the tears from my eyes. After a couple minutes I pushed the power button again. The computer came to life and I again had a task bar. I regrouped, and focused on my instructions from Saturday. It was as if the fog cleared from my mind. I found the correct boxes to check, I selected the right settings, and things were now working.  

            What was I trying to do that was so difficult that I needed a professional to teach me? I wanted to scan some items into the computer. Yes I knew how to scan, but I learned that my way of scanning was not the best and not most efficient way. I also wanted to be able to put text on the scanned items, I now know how to do that.

            My TV here in the office is connected to my computer, which allows me to have a view that is twice as large as the computer monitor. I have known that so that was not new. I also learned that I can have one program running on the computer and a different program showing / running on the TV, all at the same time. I can use one mouse moving the cursor from the computer screen to the TV screen and back. It is as if the two screens are one, joined at the hip, so to speak.

            Who was my professional teacher, my son Patrick! Thanks Pete!

 

            Did you see the moon last evening, it was very large. It is not unusual to see a large moon as it come up but this morning when Tres went out to get the morning paper, I looked up at the moon and it was still very large and bright. There was an eclipse last night but it was too cold for me to be outside watching.

 

May you remember all instructions!

 

Computer know it all; Don Ford

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The light defined 01.19.19

               Lunar eclipse Monday at 11:12pm. That is what Alexa said.

            I had fish for lunch today. As I was eating, a vision from the past entered my mind. In the olden days the public school I went to (May Green School) had fish for lunch each Friday. This was done to provide an acceptable lunch for the Catholic kids. One of my childhood friends was Catholic and when we were running around we would have hamburgers and fries on a Friday. He would always ask us to not tell his mother that he eat meat on Friday. I have no idea if that is a Catholic thing now days or not.

            When eating lunch at May Green we could get an extra milk for 2 cents. Another thing that I learned and still do to this day. Every time they had chili for lunch, they also had peanut butter sandwiches with the Chili. I still have peanut butter sandwiches with my chili!

            Peanut butter, I guess kids didn’t have allergies in the olden days.

            The light I saw the other night is no longer a mystery. As I drove Gabi to school I looked in the direction of where I had seen the mysterious light. There is a little league baseball diamond behind the grade school. Heck I coached kids playing baseball on the field in the olden days. I believe the light the other night appeared mysterious to me, due to the fog and mist in the air. 

            I have ventured out this morning into the cold morning air. It was 39 degrees with a wind chill of 30 degrees. I double checked the load in the pickup and the load on the trailer to insure it would not blow off in the 30 plus mph wind. I drove slowly out to the dump site (there is no dump here in Hewitt, they have several garbage trucks and a couple shredders for any limbs and trees, at this location once a month). I arrived at the site and there was only a couple people there with trash or limbs ahead of me. They unloaded my load very quickly and I headed for home. The wind was blowing so hard that it was pushing my pickup around as I drove. I was glad I wasn’t driving something like a big rig. 

            I still need to put the trailer in the back yard but I thought I would wait a little, there is no hurry and I don’t like the cold windy day.

            It is Saturday morning as I am writing this soon to be wonderful piece of literature. I have the TV on and there is a very old cowboy movie on. John Wayne is the star and he was very young in this movie. The star went into a dark room and then into a tunnel and he has a flash light. Did the cow boys have flash lights? Wonder when the flash light was invented?

 

Stay inside today, it is too cold to be outside!

 

Senior trash handler; Don Ford

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Maybe I can 01.18.19

            As I sit here in front of the Ford’s ole computer, I realize that I might need a haircut. I need to get out in the garage and see if my present wife has enough aluminum cans that I could sell, and raise enough money to pay for a haircut. It will take several pounds of aluminum to get enough for a haircut.

            As you may have noted, I am forced to sell the aluminum cans she has picked up, to get a haircut, when my present wife will be going out to lunch today with friends and as I understand it, someone else is paying for her lunch. Before you ask, no I was not invited to lunch with her friends. It is hurtful and I do have a tear in my eye, but I will be ok, even though no one wants to take me out to lunch! I need to take a break and get some tissues…

            I am back now and feeling somewhat better. I have a cup of coffee that I made using the old coffee grounds from yesterday. The coffee is a little weaker and the color isn’t as dark but I must drink it as we are on a fixed income.

            The weather is going to be warm today with temps in the 60s and 70s. The weather man said, last year on Jan. 17^th it was “8 degrees in Waco” (I am writing this portion of the posting on the 17^th). There seems to be a big difference between last year and this year. Tomorrow, the 18^th, our temp is again supposed to be in the low 70s, and then dropping like a rock on Saturday, with evening temps for Saturday and Sunday in the low 20s.

            Bad news, I did get my hair cut and they raised the price one dollar. I can’t believe they took my last dollar. I do look nice now, they even cut the hair off my ears and trimmed my eye brows. A dollar more, I may have to start cutting my own hair.

            Another subject:

            I received a bill from my Medicare Provider, Scott and White. They said I owe $15.00 for a visit to the doctor’s office, which by the way is now considered a hospital. I saw the technician for an eye test, no doctor. I was not charged the $15.00, due to not seeing a doctor. The next week I again returned and saw a doctor, when I did pay the $15.00 co-pay.

            Later I was sent a bill for $15.00. I called the number on the bill and they said, you were there, and you owe the money. I did not agree so they transferred me to someone else who basically said I owe the money. They told me to call the doctor’s office for more information. I did not call I went to the office.

            The nice lady checked my records and agreed that I did not see a doctor, and I do not owe the $15.00. She gave me some info and a phone number to call to get this corrected.

            I returned home and made the call. The lady was nice but no help. She said she called the billing people and I owe the money. I said you called the wrong people call the office and get the info. She wanted to know if I, had their number, I did not.

            I was on the phone with this lady for about an hour and I did not receive an answer. Someone is supposed to call me back and let me know. All this work for $15.00 and no answer.            When you are on a fixed income every penny counts.

            It is Friday and it is supposed to be in the low to mid 70s today. They have predicted a lot of wind later today and storms tonight followed by a cold front. I could rake some leaves from the flower beds today since the weather will be warm. I always have these decisions to make, it is difficult for a senior person to decide what not to do!

Weekend are for resting, try it, you will like it!

First class rest-ologist; Don Ford

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Treat me like new 01.17.19

               We have been customers of a satellite radio service for several years. Each time we receive a renewal notice, I call and tell them I want to cancel. Each time they offer a better deal. Each time I have accepted the better deal.

            A couple weeks ago I received the renewal notice so I went to their website to see what they were offering. At that time they were offering for $99.99 all access and an echo dot to NEW SUBSCRIBERS. All access means 200 radio channels for the vehicle and access on your tablet or phone.

            I thought, they want to draw in new customers with great deals, and I totally understand that. I also question, why not do the same to keep a customer who has been with them several years.

            Today (Jan.16^th 2019) I called them, and like always they did offer a better deal. Basically they would add on the all access via tablet or phone and the price was about $8.00 less than their original renewal quote. That wasn’t too bad, but they did not offer the echo dot.

            I did not take the offer. I like the old time radio programs and the 60s music, but they are not a necessity. I will call them back in a couple days and likely cancel.  

            Darn, does that happen in real life?

            If a person has a couple longtime friends and they make a new friend, the new friend gets       more attention than the old friends, but that is due to wanting to know more about the            new friend.

            If a person gets a new job they do get more attention from the boss than the old staff, but         that is due to training and indoctrination.

            If a family has a new baby, the new baby gets more attention than the other kids, because the new baby can’t take care of its self.

            If you have two vehicles and you trade one in on a new vehicle, the new vehicle gets     more attention and more driving time.

            So, all that being said, NEW, always gets more attention that old. Should I complain!

Different subject:

            I went to purchase a license for my trailer yesterday. You can buy them at the HEB, so that is where I went. The HEB is a grocery / general merchandise chain here in Texas. The sign said, no credit cards! They would take cards that had a pin, cash or a check. Good thing I had cash on me, I do not use my card with a pin at any store. Why do I pay for a license for the trailer, it gets used a couple times each year, the cops would probably never catch me.

Different subject:

            Last evening after washing, rinsing, and drying the numerous dishes, I ventured outside to deposit some trash in the garbage container.

            It was a dark evening, there was a light fog and mist in the air. I did not have fear of being outside in the dark until, I looked up at the night sky. A portion of the sky was lit up in a manner that I have never seen before. See the photo below.

            The light appeared to be that of a small city, but there are only houses in that direction. The light at the bottom right is a porch light, at the back of a neighbor’s house. The light in the sky was solid, not flashing as it would have been, if it were from a vast fire.  

            The light was there for almost an hour and then it was gone. It wasn’t a rocket launch / test, the test site is probably 10 miles from our homestead, and there was no rocket sound.

If you are observant, like me, you will have questions!

Senior bogyman watcher; Don Ford

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