Chips 04.24.17

                Chips use to be a TV show about motorcycle riding police on the left coast. The chips in this article has nothing to do with the left coast police.

                This soon to be well written article has to do with the kind of chips we put into our dogs and cats. It can also include the chips most of us have in our credit cards. The chips in the credit cards make it less likely someone will be able to steal our credit information. The chips in the dogs and cats make it easy to identify them and the owner which makes it more likely we will get a runaway animal back. These are all excellent uses of the chips!

                In about 3 years they will offer the safest way to use a credit card and that will be to insert the chip into ones hand. The chip in your hand will take the place of all the chips in your credit cards. One chip in the hand and you will no longer need to carry various credit cards. That is good news for those of us who have several credit cards!

                How does that work, they create one credit organization that communicates with all the other credit card companies. You go to a store and they scan your hand and you tell them which of your credit cards you want to use. It is so easy and simple almost everyone wants to do it, no more having your credit info stolen.

                The second stage of using the implanted chip is to also have a photo of the person. When you go to the store and you place your hand in the scanner you also look at a camera. The chip and the photo is compared in less than a second, and you are verified as yourself, you take your purchase and leave. This is easy, safe and no one can steal your ID, due to this simple little chip and your photo.   

                A couple years after the chip and photo implementation, the Government, who is the creator of this process for identifying you, steps out of the back ground and reveals that the Government is the creator of the identification organization! Did the government finally do something good for its citizens?

                The Government now requires every person (from new born babies who have no choice, to senior citizens who also have no choice) to have the chip implanted, and a recent photo on record.

                Consider all the ways your government’s chip and photo ID system, is now helping you! The chip now replaces all forms of identification such as driver’s license and even company IDs! If one wants to buy, sell, trade or work, they must have a chip and recent photo on record at the Government! Our school kids must also have the chip and recent photo or they can’t go to school.

This prediction could be right!

Don Ford

Better to Give... 04.21.17

Acts 20:35

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

            Notice the word, “more”, which indicates that it is both blessed to give and receive but more blessed to give.

            Let’s consider this for a moment. Why would it be more blessed to give? One does feel good when they are able to help someone either with actions or with a gift, but why.

            There is an older person attempting to load something heavy into their vehicle. Seeing        this you walk over and ask if you can help. Together you are able to get the item   loaded         into their vehicle. The older person is thankful for your help and possibly feels   blessed that someone would help. You haven’t done anything spectacular but you feel           very good (blessed) that you could help.

            For most people directly helping someone in need, is the right thing to do! It makes one feel good to help someone, or give something to someone, expecting nothing in return! Why? I don’t have an answer other than, it is the right thing to do!

            Who is needy? How do you know if someone is truly needy, or, is this person someone who would rather beg for money and not work? It is my belief that truly needy people most often do not stand at a corner with a sign stating, “Homeless”. Truly needy people are looking for a job not begging for change. 

            A store owner told me about two men who beg at a corner not far from his store. He said, “They stand at a corner a couple blocks away from his store with their sign begging. When they get enough change they get into their old truck and drive to his liquor store and buy a bottle.” What irritates him is they do this a couple times each day, and they always pay with a hand full of change.

            Different story.

            I had eaten lunch and was sitting in my truck, waiting for my wife when this beggar came up. His story was, “I am out of gas and out of money, my wife and kids are in my car (he pointed at a car with a female and kids in it) and I need money to get back to Dallas”. I was not believing this beggar, as I had heard the out of gas story from another beggar in the past. Being a dummy I mean good person, I gave him $20.00. I said, as I handed him the money, “If you really need this money I hope god blesses you, if not I hope he punishes you!”

            Two weeks later my wife and I were coming out of a different restaurant when this same man approached me with the same story. I said I know you! I turned and went inside and told the manager of the beggar on the lot. The manager came out and run him off.

            There was another time when I was sitting in my truck again waiting on the wife, when a person approached me saying, “I really need a cup of coffee, could you give me a couple bucks”? I gave the fellow two dollars, he thanked me and I watched him walk away. He went directly to the Burger place and went inside. He came back out a couple minutes later with what appeared to be a cup of coffee in his hand. Was he a beggar, a needy person or both? I don’t know but he got his coffee.

            Different subject.

            Although it is often necessary, giving to a charity does not necessarily provide the same good feeling as that of giving directly to the needy. Some charitable organizations are truly charitable, others are not so charitable, choose wisely!

            Some individuals may donate in an effort to be seen as charitable, wanting others to see how benevolent they are!

            In the bible there is a passage (Mathew 6:6) and I paraphrase, don’t pray in public in an effort to be seen as a righteous person, go into your closet and close the door. I believe that applies to giving to, and helping others. Give or help others not for your glorification, and you will be blessed. 

            It is my belief that the government should not be in the charity business. It is my opinion that Governments seldom do anything right, they should not be providing food stamps, welfare checks, cell phones and so on. 

            Churches and church organizations should be in the charity business, but all too often churches are more interested in building a new building, acquiring more property, being seen as the largest or most beautiful church in the area.

            It does make one feel good to help or give to others when one is not expecting anything in return! Give or help when you can!

Don Ford

What's the story about April 2017?

What’s the story about? April 2017

                That is a good question!

                I had begun posting chapters of this story one chapter at a time. Later I replaced the chapter postings with two postings. One posting is the first part of the story (10 chapters) and the second posting is titled simply, “Part Two”, (8 chapters).

                In the beginning the story is about nerds who were involved in science and computers. They lived on a planet similar to earth. All beings on that planet had red hair and green eyes. There planet had no moon, with 50% water and 50% land. Their vehicles did not need, or have wheels.

                They did not believe in an all knowing being, they had no Gods. There is a chosen one in the story, and a vision of a golden stairway to the sky. There are spirits in this story but no life after death.

                There is the death of the president.  Comments about the Government, each person was forced to have an ID the government tracked everything, one could not buy sell or trade without the ID. The government’s computer system is known as the Beast, the IDs were known as the mark of the beast. The government has access to all cameras and continually monitored the inhabitants.

                There are black holes in this story, and the story explains how our universe was formed and how God came into existence.             

                Would you believe that everything in this story is true?

Don Ford

                 www.the-beginning-now.blogspot.com

Hair 04.20.17

                I need to get my hair cut. As I understand it, Thursday is the best day as the stylist I frequent, have fewer customers on Thursday.

                I have been saving since my last haircut, what little money I can find. Those of us on a fixed income find it difficult to get the necessary funding for necessities like haircuts. I would ask each of you to begin to toss out aluminum cans as you drive, so we who are on a fixed income can increase our incomes!

                What is the plural of hair, it is hairs. But we don’t say I am going to get a hairs cut. We could say I am going to get my hairs cut, but that would sound kind of dumb. What if someone said, “Look at that girl, her blond hairs are pretty”? 

                I hope the stylists cuts all my hairs and not just my hair. Now that we have brought that up, I do have a single hair, that is, “one hair”, which grows on my nose. So If I say I want a haircut she might cut the one hair on my nose and charge me for a, “Hair cut”.

                Why can men grow more hairs, on and in, their ears, than on the bald spot on their head? I remember my grandpa the Rev. Bede Wyatt, (I am not sure how to spell his first name) had hair growing out of his ears. I guess that old people 60 years ago did not care about the hair in their ears. One thing for sure, a fly or gnat would not fly into his ears. 

                Who decided how to spell gnat? I bet it was someone who has a doctorate in bugology. This person probably was smoking some of that Mary Jane stuff, when he came up with that spelling. They should always check with the staff here at the Ford Homestead before they decide how to spell anything! 

 

Gota go get my hairs cut!

                “Gota”, is an acceptable word, which I learned years ago in Missouri!

Don Ford

Tired from labor 04.18.17

                As usual, when work is to be performed here at the Ford Homestead, the grounds Manager is nowhere to be found.

                It was a Monday, there was a forecast of rain for the day. There was some dead wood in the trees in the front yard and I was determined to remove the unwanted wood. Some of you may know, when this wood butcher gets started, the focus of dead wood often expands to live wood.

                In an attempt to keep this wonderful story which is mostly about me, short, I will skip some of the details like, how many times I had to climb the ladder, or the fact that I was using a manual 16 foot pole saw. I will spare you the detail that I started about 9:00am and did not finish until after 4:30PM, or that I did take time for a short lunch of leftovers from the Easter Sunday Meal which was real good, or that I had a brief nap after lunch. I don’t want to explain that all the limbs that were cut in the front yard had to be manually pulled to the back yard or the fact that my 7 year old grandson help me pull them back there. I refuse to go into the details of how I cut the limbs in to smaller units as I placed them on the trailer and the fact that I walked the entire front and back yard pulling the Ford’s Old Red Wagon while I picked up all the debris left from the limbs or that I put all the debris into the trash container. I will not explain that I had to put all the tools away at the end of the day.

                I just think it is better to leave those boring details out of this informative and I should say interesting article. Before anyone asks, I am tired today, I am sore in many areas of my senior citizens body.

                No one cared that I was tired from all the labors, not even Molly. As you may be able to see, she had assumed her position on the table next to the old Ford’s rocker. I explained that I was tired from all the work, she looked away and stuck her tong out (click to enlarge).  Yes there is a Texas flag in the back ground, yes I had clean clothes on as I had taken a shower.  Molly is not a lap cat, but she will jump on the table in an effort to get petted.

May your work be appreciated!

Don Ford

Yes he is dead 04.17.17

                The photo below says it all.

 

That puppy is dead tired laying in our Jasmin plants.

                I was mowing Friday afternoon when I was approached by three dogs, one of which was this puppy. He had two small accomplices with him. They came up to me as if they knew me and followed me around as I mowed. After a while the two smaller dogs vanished and this puppy stayed.

                I completed mowing and he was still here. I went into the garage and removed my dirty clothes. I went into the house to take a shower. Later when I returned to the garage I noticed one of my shoes was missing. I naturally assume that the puppy had taken it. I went to the front porch and there laying in the Jasmin was my shoe and a puppy dead, asleep.

                Later in the day, a lady in a pickup truck was observed driving very slowly down the street. I instinctively knew she was looking for a dog. I learned that the puppy was named Buddy and was a golden retriever. The other two escapees’ were her neighbor’s dogs. I told her he had been here but had left. She continued up the street in search of the puppies.

                Later I saw her drive by on her way home and she waved, so I assume she had found Buddy.

That’s my story and I am sticking with it!

Don Ford

Yes he is dead 04.17.17

                The photo below says it all.

 

That puppy is dead tired laying in our Jasmin plants.

                I was mowing Friday afternoon when I was approached by three dogs, one of which was this puppy. He had two small accomplices with him. They came up to me as if they knew me and followed me around as I mowed. After a while the two smaller dogs vanished and this puppy stayed.

                I completed mowing and he was still here. I went into the garage and removed my dirty clothes. I went into the house to take a shower. Later when I returned to the garage I noticed one of my shoes was missing. I naturally assume that the puppy had taken it. I went to the front porch and there laying in the Jasmin was my shoe and a puppy dead, asleep.

                Later in the day, a lady in a pickup truck was observed driving very slowly down the street. I instinctively knew she was looking for a dog. I learned that the puppy was named Buddy and was a golden retriever. The other two escapees’ were her neighbor’s dogs. I told her he had been here but had left. She continued up the street in search of the puppies.

                Later I saw her drive by on her way home and she waved, so I assume she had found Buddy.

That’s my story and I am sticking with it!

Don Ford

On my knees again 04.14.17

I have been pulling small oak trees out of the ground in my front yard.

 

I have filled three buckets with these seedling oak trees, and the attached acorns. In the photo below we see four of these seedling oaks. An inquisitive person might ask, “How many were there and did you get them all?” There were hundreds and no I did not get them all. The three, two gallon buckets represented about half of the crop. 

 

            Since I am a good student as long as I don’t have to read the instructions, I learned I was able to get the entire seedling and root system most of the time when I used a circular motion as I pulled upward. I also observed, “When I pull them with my right hand I made a counterclockwise circular motion, when using my left hand it was just the opposite motion, which is clockwise for the one reader who has difficulty comprehending. I crawled around about half of the front yard in this endeavor. Yep, my fingers are sore.

            During this endeavor I learned, if you want to talk to your neighbors one should get on their hands and knees in the front yard. Neighbors for some reason have a need to talk, when you are trying to work. Sit outside in the old rocker and they will never stop to talk, all you get is a wave.

                Changing the subject:

                My previous posting was titled red line in the sand and it was about a white line on the road caused by bird droppings. Now if you did not read that wonderful posting you know what it was about and you don’t need to go back and read it.

            This morning as I was beginning my morning walk, I observed another white line on the street. This white line was not cause by bird droppings. It must have been placed there by a higher authority. Could it have been placed there in an effort to keep me focused when I walk? This white line went all the way down the street, directing my attention to the red diamond sign I focus on when I walk. Click to enlarge.

            When I reached the end of the block there was another white line on the other side of the street directing me back up the street. This same white line directed me down Arkansas Street helping me keep my focus on the air conditioner next to the house at the end of the block. When I turned at the end of Arkansas and started back toward the Homestead, there was a white line directing me back to the starting point. Does it seem like the force is strong with me!

 

            There was an unusual event that occurred in Hewitt yesterday. As I was on my hands and knees, praying to a higher authority, asking that all these oak seedlings would miraculously be removed from my yard, a street sweeper came up and down our street. This street sweeper is a large truck with a very big vacuum on it. It cleaned the streets very nicely. After the street sweeper had cleaned the streets, that is when the white line appeared. Would you believe the sweeper cleaned the dust and dirt off the street exposing the white line left by a higher authority?

            I guess it is possible the sweeper made the white line as it drove up and down the street.

Have a good Easter, and consider the true meaning of Easter!

Don Ford