Perfection 06.30.17

                Although some people do not want to refer to themselves as being perfect, I don’t mind. Now as you may know I am somewhat less than perfect, but some of the things I do and or write about, are actually perfect! I have taken a photo in the back yard of the Ford Homestead. The grand kids were swimming and I was standing there as the life guard when I observed perfection.            

                We were in the shade but the sun was cutting through the trees and there were spots of sun light hitting me and the ground. As I moved to get out of the sun light and back into the shade I noticed the sun shining on some small flowers. I reached for the somewhat smart phone and took the following photo. This photo is as close as possible to being perfect as anything can be.

                It is as if I had planned the photo and provided the light, but this is nature in its best!

If you do not click on this photo to enjoy the beauty, the perfection of something so simple, then you are the one who is missing out on a wonderful life experience!

Beauty is all around us, look and you shall see!

Don Ford

Three types 06.29.17

            In today’s sermon, lesson, disclosure or any term you want to use, I will present my view of how prayers are answered. In today sermon, I am focused on healings after prayer, but answers to any prayer may be considered in this discourse. 

I feel, it is necessary to present this information in order to help some believers understand, that praying for something, “does not mean it will always happen in a flash”. In truth, the flash answer to prayer (Miracle) is rather rare.             

            As I see it there are three methods used to answer ones prayer, all of which have been provided by your God. These methods, as I know them are, Miracle, Normal and Understanding. Some of these titles may seem odd to you, so I will attempt to explain. 

            “Miracle”, one prays and one immediately receives. This doesn’t happen often, and when it does, many are skeptical and do not believe. 

            “Normal”, The normal healing process is built into the human body by God. Praying for a healing indicates one has faith, and faith indicates a positive attitude which in itself makes most situations better. The positive attitude or God, (however you want to look at it) turns on the bodies healing process and the healing comes over a period of time.  

            “Understanding”, is the least considered method of answers to prayer. One prays for something to happen such as a healing or help with a situation. The answer to their prayer comes when their Deity gives them an understanding that they should seek help from a person who is knowledgeable in this type situation, such as a lawyer, contractor, human resources, a doctor or possibly a friend. With that understanding, this person then takes action, (taking action is helping yourself, rather than expecting God to do your work) by getting help with their situation. The help they receive is the answer to their prayer.

 

Questions or comments?

 

Don Ford

Water leak 06.28.17

                The following are some photos of the recent repair project to the Ford’s water system. There was a leak, and it was under the drive way. It was decided to put a new water line from the meter box to the house. Photos to follow.

They made a trench along the driveway, around the end and to the house.

Water connected, they left the trench open all night. I cleaned the drive way so I could bring our vehicles back in for the night. I also picked up the larger rocks that were dug up, so they would not be reintroduced into the trench and new water line.

They returned the next day and filled in the trench.

                As we see, the trench has been covered and the drive cleaned off. All I need to do now is to back the Ford’s Chevy back onto the drive. Don’t ask what all this cost, just send your donations to the Ford Homestead Foundation in amounts of $100 or more, thanks. 

                Now we need to get the ice maker repaired, yep the top ice maker stopped working and that is the one that my first wife uses!

                Next we have to take Tres to the vet, which will probably cost more than the water line repair. Oh, we are taking our cat Molly to the vet also.

When you donate to The Ford Foundation,

Please indicate where you want the funds to be used,

Water line repair, Vet for dog, vet for cat!

Don Ford

Ghosts are they real 06.27.17

                Have you ever seen a better title? The correct answer is NO! It’s my blog, and if I think it’s the best title ever then, “it is”!

                Today is Sunday, and this will be posted at a later date. Why do I provide you with pertinent information, because I want you to understand the setting of this writing? My wife has been feeling bad today, she says she may have a kidney infection, so I have tried to let her rest and not bother her. Yes I have checked with her about every 30 minutes to see if she needs anything. Having the water turned off don’t help, as she and I use the rest rooms. Yes I turn the water on so we can flush the commodes.

                I have been sitting outside playing some solitaire and I have had some peanuts along with an adult beverage. As I sat there it occurred to me that it is cooler inside than outside and I also thought about ghosts for some unknown reason.

                I have two real ghost stories. First off, let me assure you, there are ghosts, but the two that I have experienced would not harm anyone.

                The most recent experience was when I was staying at my sister’s home in Missouri, a couple weeks ago. I did not tell her of the experience, as she has told me of hearing noises in her home many times. I had gone to bed and was in the bed for a couple minutes when I saw something float across the ceiling. It was more or less lines, kind of like an outline of something. My eyes were partially open when the siting took place. When I opened my eyes wide open there was nothing there.  I thought that was odd, but I pushed the specter out of my mind, as just being tired.

                I rolled over making myself comfortable. As I lay there I felt something walk up the bed along my back. Now this was just like when our cat Molly gets on the bed behind me at home. She will walk up the bed and when she gets to my shoulder she will use her paw, and touch my shoulder so I will roll over and pet her. I actually rolled over to see if there was something on the bed with me, there was not! 

                There was another time when I was about 13 maybe 14 years old. We lived on south Ellis Street in Missouri. My brother and I slept upstairs, I had the front bed room and he had the larger back bed room. I had been in bed for a while when I heard Jack open the door at the bottom of the stairs. The door closed and I could hear him sneaking up the stairs. I knew he was going to try to scare me, so I slipped out of bed and eased over to the door. I stood there with a big grin on my face, knowing I was going to scare him! The stairs squeaked when he stepped on each step as he got closer to the top of the stairs.

                The time was right, I jumped out and hollered, “Surprise”, very loud! There was no one there. I heard something step on each step as it came up the stairs, but then there was no one there. I wasn’t dreaming, I was awake!

                Ghosts are real! You don’t have to agree, but I am right!          

May all your ghosts be friendly!

Don Ford

It rained 06.26.17

                Saturday morning the rain came through Hewitt and there was some close sounding thunder (lightning) early that morn. All total we received, per the Ford Homestead’s rain gage, one and one eighth inch of precipitation but that is not the entire water story. We have a water line leaking near the drive way which was discovered Friday afternoon. We are in hopes that it is not under the drive way.

                Friday afternoon I call the plumber who was busy, he said they might be able to get to us on Saturday. I then proceeded to dig where the leak was coming out of the ground. I would dig dirt out and it would appear dry until I went to the meter and turned the water on. It would bubble up from the bottom of the hole I was digging. Each time I dug down deeper the leak was always at the bottom of the hole. I dug about 3 feet down and did not find the pipe. The pipe is about a foot deep at the meter box and about 18 inches deep where it goes into the house.

                We left the water off all night except we turned it on to take showers before bed.                

                Saturday the plumber called and said they would be here on Monday. He would send someone over to dig down to the pipe, and then the plumber would come over and fix it. If you want to donate to the pipe repair fund, you may do so on line!

                As my spouse of 48 years and I sat in the TV room Friday night and talked, yes it is unusual that we talk, but we did, I noted that even though I was unhappy about the leak, and that we would have to pay a bunch of money for the repair, “if that is the worst thing that happens, then things aren’t too bad”!

                We will have a heck of a water bill as we have filled that darn pool and now this leak!

 

                This weekend any time we wanted to use water as in, flush a toilet, wash your hands or just get a drink we had to turn the water on at the meter. Yes we had bottled water for drinking but that is not as convenient as going to the faucet.

                The plumbers are here and they have decided to run a new water line. That way they don’t have to break up the driveway. How much will this cost, who knows.

                We should be thankful for what we have. Having the water turned on and off several time each day and not being able to turn a faucet on without first turning the water on at the meter is a pain in the back side! Think about people who do not have running water, inside plumbing, or any safe water at all.  We live in a much blessed country!

 

Leak not, or ye shall pay!

 

Don Ford

In Common 06.22.17

                As I understand it, the days will be getting shorter, as summer is on its way out! That doesn’t mean it is going to get cooler, it’s not! Look it up if you don’t believe me!

                Let’s get to the subject at hand, but first let me say, there will be some photos at the end of this short but well written article.

                What do they have in common?

                Shoes, rocks, weeds, flowers, socks, bowls, sticks, chairs, feet, dresses, and hands, are just a small list of items one can expect to see in our new tenants mouth. Tres has two modes, one is sleeping and one is playing. Sleeping is so nice and relaxing but it doesn’t last long enough. When he is awake he is biting on and chewing on everything.

                At one point I heard an odd sounding noise, I turned the TV down as I thought there was something gnawing on wood inside the wall behind my chair. I was wrong on all accounts. Tres was gnawing on something but it wasn’t wood and it wasn’t in the wall. There is a lamp next to my chair, it has a metal base that has three metal legs. Please don’t get ahead of me, let me tell the story, when you jump ahead and decide for yourself as to what I am going to say, it just makes me feel not needed!

                Back to my story; Tres was chewing on the metal leg of the lamp. I am glad they are just puppy teeth as he will likely wear them out in a month or so.

                The following photos are for your enjoyment, there may be short comments on some of the photos.

I have cleaned the Ford’s Gold wing in preparation to sell it.

Tres wanted to help clean the bike.

Flowers for your enjoyment. Click on the photo to see the beauty.

 

Yes that is the photographer’s finger on the lower left. One should try to be more professional!

May your day be filled with sweet smelling flowers!

Don Ford

Another video from the Ford's Drone   06.21.17

Breakfast, Lunch or a snake? 06.21.17

                I hate to always be talking about being on a fixed income, you know, “Being retired and needy”! Those of us who are retired and do not have a part time job, or in some way have other income other than just the little social security check, find it difficult to make ends meet.

                Now that I have said that, what is the meaning of that old statement, “Make ends meet”? How and why would anyone want to make ends meet? What ends?

                If you have a line of say 200 people, who are waiting to get into an event, and you bring those from the end of the line (those who arrive last) around so those who are at the head of the line (those who arrive first) would meet, one of two things would happen.

                One: when one end of a line meets with the other end of the line, you have what is known in the scientific world as, “A circle”. Those of us in the scientific community know, “A circle has no beginning and no end”! Those 200 people who were in line and are now in a circle, would be there forever as there is no end and no beginning to the circle. 

                Two: when the last to arrive in line, were brought to meet with those who arrived first, “making the ends meet”, there would be one big fight!

                Now you can see, either way, we do not want to ever make the ends meet! Why would you get me started talking about this? It has nothing to do with Breakfast or Lunch!

                Food sounds good, as I sit here entering this into the computer. My grandson just came in and wanted a peppermint stick. I found him and me both a peppermint stick, nice.  Now I am not as hungry.         

          

      The above photo is taken from my drone, it is not too high off the ground at this point. I also have posted video from the drone on my blog. I could view the video from my computer but not from my phone.

                I have taken another photo which I will post below. This photo was taken while I was walking this morning. Had I have found this item earlier, I could have had it for breakfast or lunch. It had been there too long so no lunch for me today.

                Road kill is ok if you find it shortly after the kill. I guess we will go hungry again today.  I know someone will want to know what kind it is, I believe it is a, “Rattle head copper moccasin”, some people call them Rat snakes. Yes you may click to enlarge.

                The Rattle head copper moccasin is one of the best tasting snakes around. Now they are very boney but the meat is all white meat. I like them deep fried but they can be baked. Some jalapeno peppers filled with cheese go good with snake meat. If this reptile had not been squashed he would have made me an excellent meal! 

Enjoy your lunch, while knowing I will have none!

Don Ford