April 14, 2023

            Well, it is Friday again and I again have nothing to provide to you, my favorite reader of this blog, that would be interesting. Heck, I don’t think I did anything yesterday, if I did, I can’t remember what I did. Ole retired people on a fixed income don’t have anything to remember, they just sit or lay around all day doing nothing.

            As an example, would you believe I have no memory of going outside and digging up three ole dead rose bush stubs, and roots, from the front flower bed. I don’t remember that two of them had a tree starting to grow in them, so there were extra roots and digging. Heck I probably had to get the small hand ax to chop some of those roots out of the ground. I might have had a plastic bag which had previously had topsoil in it, that I put the chopped roots in.

            Who knows I might have used the topsoil that was previously in that bag, to cover a plastic pipe that provides water for one of the sprinklers. This pipe may have been beside the walkway.

            I might have watered some of the plants in the back 40 while my present wife was transferring a flower from one pot into another pot. Did I help with that transfer due to the pot and flower being very large, I might have, who knows? Do I need to water the berry beds today, probably, there might be a bunch of green berries on the vines, and if so, they might like a drink.

            Heck, we might have even washed the dog yesterday, I know he needed it, and he does smell better now. Speaking of the dog, I might have taken a photo yesterday evening when I was closing the window blinds, if I did I will post it for your enlightenment.

            The photo was taken in the bedroom we refer to as the kid's bedroom. There are two beds, but we can only see one in the photo. You may have noticed that Tres is on the bed looking at me and Molly is sitting on the table kind of looking at Tres.

            If I had been outside yesterday, I may have been made aware that we seem to have baby birds in all the bird houses, due to the little bird sounds coming from the houses when one walks by. I guess having babies this time of year is normal, but it seems a little early to me.

            Heck, I might have gotten my cleaning from the cleaners yesterday, I might have gone to the teller machine, and my favorite wife and I might have gone out to supper yesterday, if ole people could just remember.

            It was a nice day yesterday, so my first wife and I probably sat outside for an hour or so after getting home from the restaurant.

            All in all, we might have had a good day, if we could just remember!

            Well, I guess that is it for now, we hope you have a nice day with lots of friends and family, please stay safe.

Who did what?

Senior ole retired person who might have done something yesterday, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

April 13, 2023

            It is Thursday the 13^th, is Thursday the 13^th as weird as Friday the 13^th? I just thought I would ask, and you have not responded. Wow, I sit here all alone typing data into the Ford’s ole computer and no one will respond to my questions or thoughts. Wait a minute, I am glad you have not responded, some of those responses can be negative and hurtful to an ole senior person.

            I have started this day out as usual; Tres did get the so-called newspaper from out front; I did get a burrito and a cup of coffee before sitting down at the ole computer, yes that means I have been out and about early this morning. Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise! Evidently, I aint a man, cause I aint wealthy or wise.

            Speaking of wise, yesterday I was attempting to do my bible study homework when it wanted me to pick out some pronouns, from several verses, and write them in the homework book. That is when I said enough is enough. Heck I just verily know what a noun is, and now they expect me to know what a pronoun is. I gave up, put the book down and walked away. What does a pronoun have to do with the destruction of a nation in the ole testament?

            Yesterday was kind of a do-nothing day, I did water some flowers out front and since Alex has done all the yard work, there was little for me to do. I did get some extra reading time with the bible; I have been reading Psalms and I wanted to get done so I could start reading other parts of the bible. I do find some parts more interesting than others. This reading is for my own personal gratification, not having anything to do with the bible study. The bible study class to me, and I am not a good student, seems to be very repetitive.  

            Topic swap; I have a couple things I need to do today, go to the teller machine and get out $5.00 stipend, get some shirts from the cleaners, call the vet, did up a couple dead plants, help my favorite wife re-pot a couple plants, then reposition a couple plants, eat lunch, take a nap, get Alex and Dave and bring them to their home.

            Another topic: My first wife and I were sitting out yesterday afternoon when neighbors from across the street came over. We always enjoy lively conversations with friends. These friends are getting some concrete work done, and they are remodeling their kitchen. It must be nice to have enough money to do nice things.

            Well, I guess I will stop for now, we hope you have an outstanding day, filled with love and kindness, please be safe.

Nouns and pronouns?

Senior ole person who never went to kindergarten, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

April 12, 2023

            The following will probably not be interesting to you so you are not required to read this. I believe that most things in my life have occurred with some Divine Guidance. Below I have a couple items of my belief. Again, I say, you are not required to read these.

Highschool, auto mechanic class

In my senior year of high school, I was in an auto mechanic class, Mr. Mac, as all the students called him, (his name was McNealy) was the teacher. I was very much into mechanical work; it came very easy to me. I understood how the many mechanical parts of a car worked. At the end of auto mechanic class, myself and one other student were told that our names were given to the local Chevy dealer, and we can get a job there. Instead of going to work as a mechanic I went to the local newspaper and got a job.

I now believe that I had been guided by Divine Inspiration to go to the newspaper and work, likely due to prayers from my parents. I was in the distribution part of the paper, we made sure the papers got to the paper boys, yep there were paperboys back in those days. I also took samples of the ads that were going to run in the paper, get them approved by the business, then bring them back to the printer.

 

National guard duty

Shortly after getting out of high school, while all the drafting for the military was going on, a friend asked me to go and join the national guard with him. I told him I was not interested in the national guard, but he talked me into going to the meeting with him saying, I did not have to join, he just did not want to go to the meeting alone. I joined the Missouri National Guard and I guess Jerry did also, although I do not remember ever seeing him at a meeting.

Now I did not want to join, a friend talks me into joining, it kept me out of the Vietnam war, tell me that wasn’t due to Divine Guidance.

 

National guard active duty 

Now I worked at the newspaper when I was sent to active duty for 6 months. My boss at the paper told me, “I would not have a job at the paper when I got back from active duty”.

After the active duty was completed, I went to work at G E Supply Co. (GESCO) and I am glad I did. It was a part of General Electric but this was a small warehouse where we sold to electricians and the utilities. I learned a lot about electrical work dealing with electricians. At times an electrician would bring in a small piece of cardboard with some drawing scribbled on it and say, I need these items, I am going to get a cup of coffee I will be back in a little while. Then I would need to understand what he had drawn and have it ready when he came back. I learned a lot working at GESCO.

Working there I learned everything from unloading trucks, checking product in, stocking the product, filling orders, loading trucks, cleaning the building, counter sales, and inventory control. All that experience is a big part of the reason why I got a job at HWI (Hardware Wholesalers Inc). Yes, I again think there was Divine Guidance involved in working at GESCO, which brought me to HWI!

            Topic swap: My favorite wife did pull some weeds from a flower bed and plants some flowers yesterday, then she allowed me to water these flowers. I did review the berry beds and provide some water to the berry beds and various plants in the back 40.

            I guess I should stop for now, we hope your day is peaceful, yet productive and safe.

Divine Guidance nice

Senior ole person who needs to water a few plants out front, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

April 11, 2023

            Wow, which was better, yesterday or yesternight? Now before we get into the meat of this subject, did you even notice the word, “Yesternight”? I typed the word yesternight into the computer and spell check did not say I was wrong. I had assumed that it was not a recognized word, and that I was being a smartie pants providing a new word, when I learned, it is an accepted word. I even went to the cell phone and it verified the word. Wow, even ole people can learn things.

            Back to the meat of the subject, “which was better, yesterday or yesternight”. Please allow me to begin with yesterday. Our yard man Alex and I, did get a cup of coffee for me, and something with a fancy name for him, at the Star coffee place before we begin the yard work.

            Arriving at home refreshed due to the beverages, he got started. Our yard man got the walk behind mower from the shed and began mowing the front yard. completing that portion of the task he then, using the gas-powered string trimmer, began trimming the front yard. I did offer a couple tips as to how I use the trimmer, and Alex, the yard man, did an outstanding job considering it was his first-time trimming.

            We did take a short break for lunch, you know, left over from Sunday’s meal. Lunch completed we went back outside and headed for the back 40. Alex the yard man took the walk behind mower and mowed a few places that are difficult or impossible to get to with the riding mower, while I picked up debris and Poopa-Loopa from the yard. That completed, Alex got the riding mower out and checked the tire air pressure, checked the oil, and filled it with gas.

            Everything mowed, Alex and I discussed the back 40 and we decided that next time we would get the string trimmer and trim, rather than using the walk behind mower.  Alex did a real good job.

            Now let’s get into yesternight. Yesterevening I drove out to the church where we have the bible study class. The class was interesting, and yes, I did get to participate. My comment about yesternight have to do with sleeping. Now I am a light sleeper, I wake up several times and roll over a bunch of times each night. Last night was different, I went to bed a little after 9:00 and I woke up at 4:30 this morning. I sat up on the side of the bed and looked at the clock, I could not believe it was 4:30. I did go to the little boy’s room to relieve some pent-up pressures and then returned to the ole bed.

            Now I usually get up at 5:00, so I had almost another 30 minutes of bed time. I got back into bed and made myself very comfortable. The next thing I knew it was about 5:45. The point to all this is, I haven’t had that good of a night’s sleep since I don’t know when.

            Alex must have work really hard to make me that sleepy!

            I guess that is all for now, I have zero plans for today, we hope you have some good plans, stay safe and as always be nice to someone.

Great sleep

Senior ole person who might make a cup of coffee, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

April 10, 2023

            We had a good day here at the Ford Homestead yesterday, our family was here and we had lots of lively conversation along with some very good food. My favorite wife worked too long at preparing the food, but we all enjoyed the fruit of her efforts. How did you like that play on words, food and fruit. Ok, I thought the comment was interesting, but not as interesting as the black berry cobbler. I think most of us enjoyed the cobbler and some of the family took some home with them. I had some cobbler last night with ice cream, and it was very good.

            I made an agreement with Alex before they left, and he will come over today and be our yard man. The front yard needs to be mowed and trimmed, and the back 40 also needs mowing and trimming. There is plenty work for our yard person.

            After family members left for their homes, I was allowed to get a few minutes of nap time before our adopted family members arrived. These adopted family refer to us as uncle and aunt, and have done so for many years. We all enjoyed some good food as we sat at the table spreading some lively conversation. At one point the black berries became part of the conversation, so myself and John went out and reviewed the black berry beds. I told him a little about working with the berries, and that you need to learn how to use the word ouch, regularly. 

            After all the adopted family members had gone and things in the house were straightened up, my favorite wife and I went outside and rested for a while. It was later than usual when we went out but the weather was good and the rest and review of the day was needed.

            I guess that is about it for now, I need to get a cup of homemade coffee and kick back for a while before I go get Alex, our yard man, and start the mowing process. Who knows, he may talk me into going to the star coffee place to get us a couple cups, before he starts the work.

            We hope you have a very good day, while you are being nice to all the ole people. Today you should try to be productive and for goodness’ sake, be safe!

Left overs are good

Senior ole person who will have some left overs for lunch, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

April 9, 2023

            Today is Easter, we hope you will have a good day, and think about the resurrection. Jesus went through a terrible amount of abuse, and was crucified on a cross for all mankind. He was buried in a tomb, and on the third day, he came back to life. Jesus went through all that abuse and pain as a final sacrifice for you and me, we should ask for forgiveness and believe in him.

            Topic change; if you read yesterday’s post, you now understand my thoughts on evolution and on God creating man in his own image.

If you did not read yesterday’s post, you should stop reading this post, and go read yesterday’s post, then come back to this post.

For that one person who has read about Adam and Eve, I would like to propose a thought about, “The Garden of Eden”. As I see it, The Garden of Eden was a secured area with everything needed for a safe and happy life. There were all types of vegetation, there were fruit trees and streams of water, man was put there to cultivate and keep the garden. In the garden there was also a tree of, “the knowledge of good and evil”, and Adam was told, “you shall not eat of it, for in the day you eat from it you will surely die”.

Now we have a good mental picture of the garden, and as I understand it, man could not get out, and almost nothing on the outside could get in. I assume the security was to protect man from any beast or beings who were in the process of evolution.

The Serpent was evil, he was able to get into the garden where he talked Eve into eating from the tree of knowledge. I assume the Serpent was allowed in, to see if the humans would accept temptation or not. We know what happened then, they were put out of the garden because they now knew right from wrong. If they would have been allowed to stay in the garden, they could have eaten from the tree of life and lived for ever. Question; could one eat from the tree of life one time and live forever, or would one need to eat from the tree of life on some regular basis, to live forever?

I wonder what would have happened if they would not have accepted the temptation of the serpent. Would they still be there, or would they have been allowed to eat from the tree of life, live forever, and also populate the earth? 

Subject change; I have a photo that I will share with you of some green, soon to be black berries.

             Yes, I will soon need to be checking the berry beds daily.

I guess that is enough commentary for today, we hope you have a good day, filled with love and many blessings.

Garden of Eden!

Senior ole retired person who looks at things differently than others, Don the Ford    

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

April 8, 2023

            Good morning, or good day, or good evening, depending on when you read this wonder filled blog posting. Yes, I am assuming that you can read, and we know a couple of you have trouble reading or understanding the words I use in my posts. Wait a minute, maybe it is me who has trouble understanding the words I use. I am glad that I have spell check, as I have never been able to spell like real people do. 

I was watching one of the TV shows yesterday and the subject was evolution from hundreds of thousands of years ago. Now some people believe there was no evolution on this earth and that God created man, while others believe all things evolved. I don’t know where you stand on this subject but I will be more than happy to reveal my thoughts.

I now assume that most people have a one-track mind. By that I mean, you believe the way you do, and no one can change your mind, and that is ok, assuming you don’t want to ever evolve (change your understanding and increase your knowledge). I will present my thought on this subject and then see if I can find something else to write about.

I believe that evolution has occurred over thousands of years, here on earth, and all the other planets that are in the universe. I believe that God watched the evolution here on earth and other planets and at some point, decided to create his own race of humans, “Adam and Eve”, and put them on earth. Now you see that I have a two-track mind.

I have written a story about how our universe was started, which might be fiction, or maybe it is a true story, and it is too long for you to read. If you had read my story, you might understand where my double minded thoughts come from.

Topic swap; my favorite wife Donna and I went to the HEB yesterday. Now if you think about that for a moment you will likely ask, “why”? Yesterday was Good Friday, everyone was out trying to get the things they needed for the Easter Sunday meal. The parking lot is divided into two parts, one part closer to the store and the other part further away. Well, both parts were filled with vehicles.

I had informed my present wife that I would drop her off at the door and then attempt to find a parking space. When she completed her purchasing, she can call me, and I will drive to the door and get her. She went in and I started around the lot looking for a spot, when I saw a vehicle pulling out of a spot, this parking spot was right in front of the door. Was that good luck or am I just blessed that much, maybe both.

Back at home, I thought about the Cuban Cigar I had, which I had smoked in part some time back. I kept it in a container so it would not dry out. I decided to get the Cuban Cigar out and finish smoking it. Now I like to smoke these cigars occasionally, but they are too expensive to have very often, but I do not inhale the smoke. Yes, I went out front where neighbors could see me, but they were all inside taking naps. 

A different subject; our friend who usually drops by on Friday afternoon and sits outside with us, did not show up yesterday. I guess it was too cool to sit outside, heck I wasn’t going to sit outside either.

Well, I think I will get a cup of homemade coffee and see what is on TV, maybe there will be a good black and white movie on. We hope your weekend is good, be nice to ole people, and as usual, stay safe.

Meaning of Easter

Senior ole person who has a two-track mind, when it works, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

April 7, 2023

            Today is known as Good Friday, and as I have said, the kids are out of school today. My only two reasons to leave the homestead today will be, to get Dave from work, and to get a breakfast burrito, which I have already purchased, and I have also eaten the burrito. Did I get a free cup of star coffee, yes, I did!

            I do encourage everyone to consider the reason for Good Friday and Easter, and I am not referring to candy eggs. Take some time and read the bible, there are stories in the bible that causes me to think and wonder, it can do the same for you.

            I did check the rain gage this morning, and over the last two days we have received a little over six tenths of an inch (for the one person, and we know who you are, that is a tenth over one half inch). The rain is said to continue on and off today, and we need the rain but the cool weather we could do without.

            The Tres and Molly seem to be getting along very well during these cool and rainy days, neither of them wanting to go outside in the wet weather. I have a photo of the two as they were resting in the hallway behind where I sit here at the ole computer. 

            Well, I guess the mowing of the yards will be put off until Monday, and the grandkids are still out of school, so I should have a yard man to do the work. 

            My present spouse has stated that she will begin to work on items for the Easter Sunday meal, as I understand it, there will be a black berry cobbler and many other foods for family and friends. This favorite wife of mine puts in way more effort for these family meals than she should, but the food is always very good.

            Well, I am out of topics for today, I could go into some ole time memory like “skinny dipping”, but I know that you don’t like my ole memories. If I was to talk about getting naked when we were kids, one story would be as follows. 

            My friend Steve lived out in the country, and across the road that ran in front of his house was Juden creek. On the other side of the creek was a big forest covered hill. After one would climb up that hill and down the other side, we would be in what was known as, “The Bird Sanctuary”. This entire area was all woods, and we never saw any people in there, but there was a pond at the bottom of the hill. Occasionally, some of us boys would visit the sanctuary and go skinny dipping in the pond.

            As an adult I would not recommend swimming in a pond that had no access by road. If one of us kids would have had a problem when swimming in that pond, it would have been a disaster. Kids don’t think about what might happen, when they are focused on having what they consider as fun.

            Anyway, I will not bore you with an ole memory like that. We hope your day is both safe and productive. Have a good weekend and consider the meaning of Easter!

Skinny dipper!

Senior ole person who has participated in swimming without… Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!