Change - Impatience - Fireproof

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I thought it was time to revamp the blog design again. St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated next month, so I thought I would add a bit of green. I may change the header again, but I like the silo scene... it is serene and serenity is what I need :-) The background is a quilt square called Four Leaf Clover from Dawn's Quilting Clip Art. Dawn has created a lot of beautiful quilt squares.




We are going to get rather cold on Sunday... for us 45° for a high is cold :-)... the weather channel has 50° as the high. The local weather guy says maybe a flurry of snow... should we move further South :-) Anyway our temporary heater probably won't keep the house warm enough so Frank called around to find out who might have a propane heater in stock. He found one and he rode with me and went inside the place to buy it.

We then went by Sam's Club. Frank stayed in the car. It seemed like it took me forever there. We got there a couple of minutes before opening and of course their clock is slower than my watch. I'm waiting by the door and would be within the first few in the store. The lady came to unlock the door and had the wrong key. She waved us to go to the out door to go in... that puts me at about number 35 in line to get in. So I have to wait to get in and get a cart.

I found the things I need and get in the line where the lady is scanning with the hand-held scanner... that way I don't have to take the things out of my cart. At the next register a bottle of some sort of pills was spilled and the lady had to go and clean that up. I was next to in line... so I have to put my items on the belt and my purpose in getting in that particular line was defeated.

Then I try using Frank's debit card. I slid it through several times and it refused to be read. Then the cashier slid it several more times and it finally took. I punch in what I thought the pin number was and it said wrong pin... I'm sure I had it right, but by this time I just said I will use my credit card. My debit card was deactivated by the bank. You have to use your card within three months or it get deactivated and we didn't know that. I will have to get a new card and I just haven't felt like going by the bank.

For some reason Frank's right foot started bothering him and he descibes it like a stone bruise. He thought maybe his ankle brace would help the pain. Of course I couldn't find it. So after Sam's Club I stopped by the drug store and looked for one. They didn't have any in stock like he wanted.

I tend to get frustrated more easily these days :-( I wonder where all my patience went!

Wednesday we watched FIREPROOF. We both thought it was a pretty good movie. The movie was Filmed here in our hometown, Albany Georgia and surrounding communities. The scene at the railroad tracks was filmed in Shellman where my Mama lives. The place in the movie where the cross is we can't place where that is, but all the other places we recognize. Perhaps where the cross scene takes place is at one of the nearby plantations. We both recommend the movie. The makers have a blog about the movie at http://fireproofthemovie.blogspot.com/. I got lost in the blog just preparing this paragraph :-)

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I finished my flowerbed project. In a month or so I will probably add more plants to the bed... we'll see.

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One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life. -- Chinese Proverb

Flowerbed - Frank

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You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. -- author unknown.

I haven't dug in the flower beds in several years because of my back... and knee. Since my surgery my back is feeling pretty good. So today, a beautiful day with a high temp of 75°, I decided to do a bit of digging in one of the flower beds. It is a small flower bed. It holds a couple of butterfly bushes a few bulbs... I think irises and amaryllis... and mexican petunias. Frank made this flower bed for me last year. It had a lot of grass in it. It is difficult to keep the grass out of the flower beds in our yard. I worked ten to fifteen minutes at a time today to get the project done. As soon as my back got achy I rested. I only have to put some pine straw in the bed and I will be finished. Wood chips would work better, but the pine straw is free. Of course I have to haul the weeds out of the yard. I have them in a wheel barrel... I'm not sure I can push the wheel barrel. I will try tomorrow and if I can't I will ask our neighbor or my father-in-law to do it for me. The bed needs a bit of water. It is suppose to rain Saturday, so I will wait for the heavens to water the flower bed. Of course Sunday it will turn cold again.

While digging in the flower bed I noticed that insects are showing up. A wasp lit near where I was digging, but disappeared before I got back with my camera. The carpenter bees are flying around Frank's workshop. That is not good. They bore holes into the wood.

As I pulled some grass out of the flower bed I unearthed this millipede.... at least I think that is what it is. I don't know all my insects and haven't looked at bugguide.net yet to see what it is. These aren't my best insect pictures. I'm shaky with my camera in hand. You can click on the pictures to enlarge... to open in a new window hold the ctrl button down as you click and you won't have to reload this page. Some of you though may not find insects as interesting as I do and think: yuck! That is okay :-)







I do think that digging in the dirt is good for the soul.

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Frank is doing better... just wants the drain tube out. That is where most of his pain is from right now. As far as the results of the pathology of the tumor... it is confusing to us. The tumor was a neuroendocrine tumor. They seem to be rare and there are several varities of them. Trying to read about them... we just get more confused. The surgeon was confused about the report and sat down with the pathologist and went over the report with him. The surgeon went to the local oncologist and talked to them. Today he was suppose to talk with another group. We hope at Frank's appointment on Tuesday that there will be clear answers.

I plan on setting aside some time tomorrow to do a bit of blog reading... but a rainy day is good for it too :-)

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Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. -- John Wooden

Flowers and Birds

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It has been cool but pleasant the past couple of days. Later in the week the weather warms back up into the 70s.

This morning my hands were cold from taking the laundry out of the washer and putting it into the dryer. I came in the house to warm my hands by the heater. It is a propane heater that looks like a fireplace. The pilot was out. I tried to relight it, but I could only get a spark ever once in a while. Frank... bless his heart... he tried to get it started too. No luck. The igniter has probably gone bad. We'll wait to fix it. We don't run the heater a lot. It is not run at all at night and most days it is off by noon time. I brought in Frank's heater that he has for his dark room and his dad brought over a small propane heater. They should keep us warm enough until we can replace the igniter. Last time Frank had surgery we had a broken water pipe. We had to call the plumber to run new pipe. This is something that Frank would ordinarily fix himself.

I thought I would share a few pictures. I'm still shaky and the wind was blowing, so a bit of a blur and noise (grain) in the pictures.... click on them to enlarge and they may look a little bit better. If you hold down the ctrl button on your keyboard when you click the picture will open in a new tab and you won't have to reload this page.

Our Red Bud tree isn't blooming, but one is blooming in the wooded area up the street. I'm afraid our tree is dying.




The Cherry Laurel Trees are blooming too. The Robins and Cedar Waxwings love the berries of these trees. The berries were in the shade, so no picture of them, but they are black in color and about the size of a grape. Small bees... maybe honey bees... were flying around the blooms, but they were higher up and out of camera range.






The Azaleas are beginning to bloom... and this is with temps in the upper twenties early in the morning. We have two shrubs of azaleas in the yard. The other one has paler blooms. They aren't quite open yet.




The American Robins are hiding in the shadows today. I did spot one high up in this tree. Of course he is giving me a butt shot.




This little Tufted Titmouse was pecking away at a sunflower seed. He flew to several limbs in the dogwood tree trying to avoid me. The dogwood trees are beginning to bud.



I'm hoping to get more practice in with my camera.... it has been way too long.

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Frank is getting stronger. He is having to sleep in his recliner. He thinks there might be a problem sleeping in our bed with the J(ackson) P(ratt) drain tube. I tend to wake up earlier than him. I sometimes turn the tv on in the bedroom until he awakens.

I have to be careful and not make Frank laugh too hard.. that hurts him. I got hooked on a movie the other morning FIGHTING TEMPTATION. It starred Cuba Gooding Jr. It was funny movie. It had some good music and of course a love story. I told Frank I could continue watching it in the bedroom if it was too painful for him. He said no that he needed to laugh. It was good to laugh.

Frank's doctor appointment was changed from tomorrow afternoon at one to tomorrow morning at ten. That news perked him up... a little closer to finding out what our next steps are.

I caught up with reading blogs and then fell quickly behind again... I promise I will pay a visit soon.

Again, your prayers are so appreciated. They have uplifted me.

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How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself. So always think positively. -- Norman Vincent Peale

Star Magnolia -- Frank

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Star Magnolia

I didn't get to take pictures of these flowers last year nor this year. The picture below was taken 08 February 2007 with my Sony F717. The trees this year are now dropping their blooms and leafing out. They are basically white flowers with a pinkish tint. The tree/shrub was introduced to America in the 1860s and are native to Japan.

On Thursday 12 February Frank's surgery started at 5 pm and ended at 11 pm. It was a very long day.


We made it home from the hospital yesterday morning. It is so good to be home! Frank is doing good. He is tolerating the pain well except when he has to cough... then he hugs a pillow to help calm the pain and yelps a little. He still has the JP drain in and a bunch of staples in his stomach... they were unable to do the surgery laparoscopically.

Frank sees the doctor on Tuesday. By then there should be a thorough report on the tumor... yes tumor. The pathology says an endocrine tumor... but if it cancerous or benign is yet to be determined... or we simply aren't being told until the surgeon has all the information he wants in order to proceed.

Needless to say we are both tired, but extremely happy to be out of the hospital. The nurses and nurse's aides were super.

I will soon start reading your wonderful blogs... I just need some rest before doing so.

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Gray skies are just clouds passing over. - - Duke Ellington

Lakes -- Frank

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The lakes we like to go to are pretty close to home. This sunrise picture was taken at Cotton Hill Park near Ft. Gaines Georgia which is about an hour and a half drive for us. The lake is Lake Walter F. George.

This sunset picture was taken at Georgia State Veterans Park near Cordele Georgia which is about a 45 minute trip for us. The lake is Lake Blackshear.

Both lakes are man-made and beautiful. They both have great fishing and boating. Veterans Park has golfing, but there is golfing near Cotton Hill. We don't golf. We do fish and hike and sometimes we borrow Frank's parent's boat. Our little jonboat is okay in the inlets, but out on the lake it is dangerous if the wind kicks up. The lakes are far enough away from home to be able to relax and forget about work.... even though we don't have jobs outside the home we work!

We hope soon to expand the number of lakes we frequent :-)

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Frank had his appointment with the oncologist surgeon yesterday. The doctor answered all of Frank's questions.... there was almost a book of them :-) The surgery will be sometime tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon. For those just looking in.... Frank has a mass in his pancreas. The doctors do not think it is cancerous, but the only way to know for sure is to remove part of the pancreas. It is possible they may have to remove his spleen too.

Yesterday was busy. We left the house at 10 am for the doctor's appointment. When we finished there we went over to the hospital and did all of the good stuff that had to be done there. We arrived at the hospital at noon and left at 3 pm. We then dropped some things off at our family doctor's office .

Next was whatever meal that comes between lunch and supper. We were starving and went to Ryan's to eat.

Then we did our shopping. I hate shopping in the afternoon. Sam's Club wasn't bad, but Wal-Mart was awful. They needed at least six more registers open.

We arrived home at 5:30 pm. We took a much needed rest. In the evening we tried watching NCIS, but cable kept going out a lot and in a little. Of course it went out right at the most important parts.

Today is busy. Laundry is being done and then later vacuuming and mopping. Some household duties were missed when we were sick. Frank wants to help out before surgery, so I won't have so much to keep up with afterward. He usually does the vacuuming and mopping.

I am in the process of hemming a pair of jeans for me... I kept hoping they would shrink in length in the wash :-) I also have two pj bottoms to hem for Frank. I'm lost at the sewing machine... I haven't used it much in the last few years. I hope it needs no adjustments.

There was a time I made a lot of clothes for me and our children. I sewed a lot of craft items too. One time I was going to sew some small bears for a church bazaar. I got the pattern from a magazine and the bear looked much better in their pictures than what I turned out. I thought the bear was so ugly and threw it in the trash can by the sewing machine. Of course David... then about 4 or 5 years old picks the bear out of the trash can and claims it as his bear. He named him Ugly Bear and still has him... David is now 36 years old :-)

Okay.. I went back to hemming and as I was threading the machine Frank came in and asked me if I was sure that I could still operate the machine. I told him that he knew me and "that machine" didn't always get along and it would probably like me much better if he left the room. It's fun being married to Frank :-)

Well one more pair of pjs to hem and then I will eat lunch. Frank has to be on just liquids the rest of the day. I'm cooking a Healthy Choice Dinner for my lunch. I hope it will be good.

I'm not sure I will get back on before Frank's surgery to read what is happening in your lives, but I will try. Frank will be in the hospital a minimum of 4 or 5 days.

Frank and I appreciate your prayers.

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Prayer is not merely an occasional impulse to which we respond when we are in trouble: prayer is a life attitude. -- Walter A. Mueller

Beautiful Weather! - A Word

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It is a sunny day today. At 3:00 pm it is 75°... now isn't that just perfect! This kind of weather makes me want to be at the lake.... maybe watching the geese in the early morning hours.

This morning I had an appointment with the surgeon that did my back surgery. A couple of x-rays were taken and I am healing well. He said I can do pretty much whatever I think I can do without hurting myself. I go back for another check-up with him in November.

After that we went to Wal-Mart. Frank had bought some Fruit of the Loom pocket tees in the four-pack. He got one pack in the wrong size, so we exchanged them. Then we had breakfast at Burger King.

Next stop was the Marine Base to talk to the Tricare Lady. The ambulance service that we had to use back in November doesn't seem to want to submit the insurance correctly, but they want their money now. Oh... and they put a threatening note in the bill that says the insurance commissioner says we have to pay it now. Well, we never pay until its gone through our insurance... otherwise we can only guess at what we have to pay. Sometimes we know exactly what our part is... like our copay for doctor visits... for an ambulance we have no idea of what is our part until we get the EOB from Tricare. The company's billing service isn't local, so you can't just go and visit them and talk to them about your bill. Frank called them after we got the first bill to tell them that they needed to refile and was met with rudeness. Don't you just love it :-) Hey.. did my sarcasm show through :-D

After we got home I started some laundry and went through my email. Frank worked on his questions for the oncologist surgeon tomorrow. Then it was time to eat leftovers. I think the tomatoes and black eye peas tasted even better today. I forgot to mention that I threw a jalepeno pepper into the pot.

We watched Desperate Housewives. We record a lot of tv shows. We go to bed around 9 pm.

I folded the clothes... not one of my favorite chores :-D I washed the tee shirts Frank bought and I told him that he better try one on.... they look kind of small. He tried one on and sure enough it was just a little tight. It fit nothing like the single-pack Fruit of the Loom tee he bought the week before. He didn't want to take them back so I now have eight navy blue pocket tees and four light blue pocket tees. They are a bit loose on me, but will be good for wearing around the house. If Frank loses more weight... then I'll give them back to him. I found a drawer for them... just took out a bunch of short sleeved sweaters that I never wear out of the drawer . The sweaters will go to the Salvation Army. I am past due in going through my closet and drawers to remove clothes that I haven't worn in forever.

Frank was looking through the truck for something and came across a pair of pants I thought I had lost. I guess I put them in there just in case I needed to change after one of our visits to Stubbs Acres. It is funny.... I have been looking hard for that pair of pants for a couple of months. Last Friday when we went to the Rice Bowl we both got a fortune cookie. Mine reads: "Your lost item will be found next week." This is the first time I've ever had a fortune cookie come true. I told Frank that I should use the numbers on the fortune and play the lottery... maybe I would win :-D

Frank washed the travel trailer. I washed the bird feeders and filled them. I also washed the living room windows... well the outside. Now I need to clean the inside of them.

Frank saw a butterfly flying around, but as soon as I brought the camera out the butterfly disappeared. I think it was a Cloudless Sulphur like the butterfly in this picture that I took with my old Sony f717 a couple of years back. The one today looked yellow. The one pictured below is a female. The markings are stronger in the female.

I thought I would find time for making brownies and granola.... the day is slipping away... so maybe another day. I sure did enjoy my time outside today.

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A Word -- Antenna

Ancient Roman sailors hung their sails from a horizontal arm, or yard, which they called an antenna. Eventually the nautical term came to designate horns, or feelers, of insects that resemble yards of a ship.

The development of sound transmission without use of wires required the invention of receiving devices, many of which had a superficial resemblance to an insect's antenna. Although today's technology has made it possible to eliminate them from many devices, the word "antenna" remains alive and well as a designation for receiving gear that is essential to weather cubes and countless numbers of radios and radio-controlled devices.

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Be life long or short, its completeness depends on what it was lived for. -- David Starr Jordan

The Weekend

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Saturday was a busy day. I read a lot of blogs in the morning. Then Frank and I went for a short walk up to the hardware and seed store... we walked maybe a bit over a half of a mile. They didn't have the type of lettuce Frank wanted to plant in the garden. So we took a ride over to a feed and seed store. Frank wanted seed and all they had were plants. He wasn't sure he wanted to go ahead and get the plants. He wrote down the variety and we came back to the house to read up on the variety. He decided to go back and buy the plants. He bought some carrot seeds too.

After lunch... which I can't remember what we had now... we drove over to Circuit City to see if they had any bargains. We were hoping to find a computer desk... they were out. They had no camera lenses for our cameras or filters. We thought we might like another external hard drive. We found one just like we bought on our trip last year, but the one that was 25% off in Circuit City cost about $9 more than the one we bought last year... you have to watch those sales; sometimes they aren't a sale at all.

Then we walked over to Michael's just next door. My nose was working and I could smell the potpourri very well!... so we didn't stay long in there and bought nothing. Then we went next door into Home Depot looking for bird seed. We bought none... it is cheaper at Tractor Supply. How about that... went shopping and bought nothing :-)

I tell you after all that walking we were tired, so the only thing I did after we got home was rest and then the dishes. Oh... finally remember what we ate. Frank cooked a nice shrimp soup and I baked some fish fillets and some baked sweet potato wedges. For the wedges... cut potatoes into wedges or slices... about one inch. In a mixing bowl place some oil and whatever spices you like and mix together. Then add sweet potatoes coating well with oil mixture. For the sweet potatoes I usually use cinnamon and black coarse-ground pepper (salt if you like). Bake at 425° until they begin to brown. The amount of oil depends on the amount of potatoes... a couple of tablespoons is enough for the amount to fill a jelly roll pan. The same can be done for regular potatoes; I don't think cinnamon goes well with them, but basil, paprika and red or black coarse pepper work well. Don't peel... keep the nutrients.

This morning we went to Wal-Mart. I looked through all the cold and sinus meds to see if anything would help this lingering cough. I finally thought it through that what I have now is probably my normal allergies causing the annoying post-nasal drip and cough. So I decided I would just take an antihistamine when I got home. I take Equate Chlortabs. They are cheap and work. It did help today. Frank is much better too.

After we returned home and put everything away Frank worked in his vegetable garden. I trimmed dead growth out of the flower pots and trimmed the butterfly bushes back. I had no idea how to do it... I only planted them last spring. I was careful not to overdo my back. Trim a bit and stand straight and then continue on. It only took me about 10 minutes. I don't have many plants in pots right now. Then is was time to cook dinner... our midday meal.

Today we had broiled pork chops, corn meal muffins, rice and blackeye peas with onion and chopped stewed tomatoes. The blackeye peas with onion and chopped stewed tomatoes are served over the rice. I am a syrup sopper... so I grabbed the cane syrup to go with my corn meal muffins. That's my sweet for today. I have brownies on my mind though. Ummm... maybe tomorrow. I also want to make some granola... maybe I can do both. There is enough food for dinner tomorrow... so for sure I should have time to do some fun cooking :-)

I washed a lot of dishes while I was cooking.... I do miss having a dishwasher... there are a few more to wash, but I will get them later.

After dinner I took my camera outside, but not much happening except for this Horace's Duskywing Skipper was fluttering around the vegetable garden. Of course he would not light on the grass which would make a much better background. He is a bit blurry because he was in motion. I used all auto setting today. I usually only use auto focus. I imagine he is a bit dark. I have a hard time editing pictures on this laptop. One turn of the head changes the look of a picture.

I do want all of y'all to know that I do read all your comments. I do appreciate each one of them. I'm really feeling at home here in the blog world.

To answer some questions now...

I will glad to help any of y'all ID birds or even insects. My contact information is no secret, so just send me an email with your questions.

Grammy asked me what type of picture editing software I use. Way back in the late 1990s I started using Microsoft's program called Picture It! It eventually morphed into DIP (Digital Image Pro) The version I use now is version 10. Microsoft decided to stop making the program. They think that what is contained in Vista Windows is sufficient. It is not sufficient for me because I do like to make frames and do other things to photos that can't be done with the picture editing software with Vista. I tried trial versions of Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. The latter program is especially hard for me. DIP does some of the same things as PSP and in less steps... so some of my friends use both programs. I will eventually have to bite the bullet and get another picture editing program, but as long as my DIP works I will continue with it.

Several people have also asked me if I know other Goff families living elsewhere. Frank's Dad was born and raised around Lucedale Mississippi. His family migrated from SC. We're having a bit of trouble tracing his line back because there are three William Goffs about the same age in the censuses. We need to go and dig in the courthouse records to figure out which William Goff to follow back.

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It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted. --Mary O'Connor

Doctor - Bird Watching

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Frank and I went to the doctor today. The good news is we will live :-) We just need some antibiotics to help us get better. The doctor came in coughing... but not badly. We're thinking... oh no more sickness for us to catch! The doctor said he wasn't running a fever and not contagious... mmm... should we believe him. The doctor spent about an hour with us. He really wants us well so Frank can have his surgery. I have direct orders from the doctor not to be spending the night in the hospital with Frank. He doesn't want me to do it because of my bad back and neck. I told him that I will do what I need to do :-)

Even though the MRI didn't show anything that would be causing the pain in my neck and shoulder and causing the numbness in my fingers it did show that my neck is going to probably give me lots of pain down the road. Something (for the life of me the word is not coming to me as to what it is called) is narrowing in places, a bone spur and of course the arthritis that I knew I had. As for my shoulder... the doctor wants me to hang in there a while longer. He is going to look at the MRI images and see if he sees anything different than the radiologist. Our top priority right now is getting Frank through this upcoming surgery.

We've been concerned about having a private room at the hospital for Frank. The doctor's wife works in administration in there and after we left the doctor called his wife. There was a message on the answering machine when we got home from the doctor himself assuring us that Frank would have a private room. A doctor that actually calls you... very unusual here.

After our visit with the doctor we went to the Marine Base to get our prescriptions filled... except the antibiotic for Frank, the base doesn't carry that one. We went into the commissary and bought coffee and vitamin c... the doctor said for us to take that to hopefully help us get well. He also wanted us to take zinc lozenges, but they didn't have them. I've never had any luck with either one of those helping with a cold, but we will do it anyway... it can't hurt.

It was lunch time by then so we stopped by The Rice Bowl, a Chinese food restaurant, for carryout. Then on to Rite Aid Drugstore for Frank's antibiotics. Then sweet home; dinner; and recorded tv shows.

After dinner Frank went to get a load of horse manure for the garden plot. It was a small load and he swore to me he would not overdo. When he got back he told me he barely broke a sweat.

While he was gone I raised the blind in the living room and took a few bird pictures. The window is beyond dirty. The pictures are awful, but I will share them anyway :-)

I think this is a female pine warbler.

These are Chipping Sparrows. That one in the back has seed husk on his beak.

Since it was so pretty out I decided to walk around the yard with my camera. I had hoped to get a picture of a Cedar Waxwing, but no luck in a good one... only one of just its tail. I saw a large woodpecker, but it was so high in the pecan tree that I couldn't get a picture of it and with my eyes I couldn't tell what type he was. I saw a Downy Woodpecker, but the camera wouldn't auto focus on him and by time I got him focused in he flew :-(

There were lots of American Robins in the Cherry Laurels trees just beyond our fence line. There is a lot of shade there with a few bright spots, but of course the birds won't pose for me. I did get this one picture. Of course the auto focus focused on the limb.

So a day of no luck with good pictures. It was fun walking in the sun and hearing and seeing the birds. Maybe tomorrow I'll take another walk with my camera.

I promise I will do some blog reading tomorrow.

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Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit. -- Peter Ustinov

Award and A Word

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Dorothy over at Counting My Blessings also awarded me The Lemonade Award. It would really please me if my friends would grab this award for themselves. Blogs I follow can be found in the far column.... so that is the best I can link right now. My eyes just are not up to copying and pasting links right now. If you are in that list grab the award. I promise I will catch up on reading soon. My eyes just need a bit of rest.

Here are the rules:

Put the logo on your blog or post.

Nominate at least 10 blogs, which show great attitude and/or gratitude!

Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

Share the love and link to this post, and to the person from whom you received your award.

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Cartoons by Andertoons

I thought today that I would share an email that I got from my dear friend, Martha. I've known Martha over the internet for several years now and always find her interesting. I used to be a bit nervous in writing her because she is a former school teacher and my writing skills are just not up to par. I think I have forgotten everything I ever learned in my English classes. She overlooks that and really listens to me.... that is a good friend.

Martha sometimes sends me emails entitled "A Word". She has given me permission to use these emails. They always bring knowledge to me and hope they will do the same for you.

To Boot

The phrase "pulled himself up by his bootstraps" is used admiringly to describe a self-made success. Drawing only on his or her own inner resources, without help from any outside source, this person has made a mark in life.

Early computer programmers faced an obstacle: the memories of their computers were wiped clean each time the machines were turned off. To address this problem, the programmers needed to enter a short program called a "bootstrap loader" each time the machine was turned on. Once this program was read, the computer could then perform more complex functions. The short program gave the machine a "bootstrap" it could then use to perform tasks; without it, the computer was useless.

Over time, programmers figured out ways to design software so computers could perform this function automatically, and bootstrap loaders are now part of the basic makeup of any operating system. Pulling oneself up by the bootstrap is means of restarting one's situation. The expression lives on in the phrase "to boot," which today simply means to turn on, but reflects decades of efforts of computer programmers to make computers easier to use.

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I hope you enjoyed that little bit of information. Frank and I are just resting today and hoping this virus will leave us any minute. I am hoping that soon I will be able to get back into my walking. I've really missed it. I've only walked around the yard the past couple of weeks. I'm sorry that today's post is mostly copy and paste, but my vision gets really blurry looking at the screen.... more rest and I'll catch up soon.

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I talked to Mama on Tuesday. What has been causing her pain since she did that little twisty thing when she almost fell a couple of days before Christmas is a compression fracture. The doctor has her using a bone growth stimulator similar to the one in the picture below. Hopefully it will help Mama heal and her pain will decrease.




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Everyone has his day and some days last longer than others. -- Winston Churchill

An Award

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Sharon over at a Second Helping and Grammy over at The Empty Nester have both awarded me the Lemonade Award. I appreciate both of them for thinking of me and I appreciate their friendship.






The Lemonade Award is for sites that show gratitude and a wonderful attitude.

Rules for the award:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Nominate your favorites and link to this post.

Each of my blogging friends deserve this award. So if you haven't received this award feel free to grab it. Please take a look at my friends' blogs; the links are in the far column to the right. They are each sweet angels to me.

We are feeling better in the Goff household. Maybe we'll be well by time we see the doctor on Friday. I have felt a bit tired yesterday and today and my eyes don't want to stare at the computer. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be able to catch up on reading blogs and eventually get to my Flickr friends too.

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A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half-cracked. -- Bernard Meltzer

Donuts

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I just wanted to post a picture and I thought of handsome Lightning. He is one of my in-law's cats. I have to be fair and post of a picture of his sister, Precious.

They had a brother but he got ran over. Frank and I get to play with them with we go over for a visit.

Okay.. back to my title... Donuts. Joy over at Doodlebug mentioned one time that she likes donut holes. Oh.. today is her 10th birthday... drop by and wish her a Happy Birthday. Then Michelle at Chocolate and Marmalade Tea posted how her mischievous cat, Quincy, stole and ate a donut. Michelle posted really cute pictures, so it is a must to check out too.

Of course all this talk of donut holes and donuts made me want donuts. I still can't taste foods much... darn cold is still hanging on... so no donuts will be bought or made here until our taste buds come back.

I wanted to share an easy recipe. I got this recipe from an old recipe book when we were stationed in Hawaii. I don't have the name of the book or author and am pretty sure the copyright is out of date... so maybe I won't get sued :-) The recipe is for Malasadas. They are also known as Portuguese Doughnuts. The recipe makes a lot. I used half the recipe when I used to make them.

MALASADAS
(PORTUGUESE DOUGHNUTS)

8 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 pint milk
4 cups flour
2 yeast cakes (two packets of active dry yeast is equivalent)

Sift the flour, salt and sugar together. Place yeast in 1 cup of warm milk and blend well. Pour this mixture into bowl with about 2½ cups of the dry ingredients and stir. Gradually add the second cup of milk and rest of flour mixture. When thoroughly mixed, cover bowl and let rise.

When dough has risen sufficiently and appears light in texture drop by tablespoon into hot fat and fry until golden brown.

The recipe says to drizzle with warm honey, but I rolled them in powdered sugar and cinnamon most of the time. That is what my children liked. They could also be drizzled with chocolate or vanilla icing and sprinkles added... Quincy would like the sprinkles :-)

Use a healthy oil and control the portions and you will be fine and not destroy your healthy diet. Treat yourself ever once in while with something you like.

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Frank had to reschedule his appointment with the oncologist surgeon for the second time. We just are not over these colds. I am better, I went about an hour without coughing.. that is progress :-) For some reason I've had a cough worse than Frank. I don't think I have bronchitis or pneumonia. We both may have a sinus infection. Frank made us appointments with our family doctor... the soonest he could get is Friday morning. If we get worse before our appointments we can always go to one of the convenient care places.

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We were stationed at Ft. Shafter in Hawaii from the first part of July 1973 until sometime in August 1974. They dissolved Frank's unit so it was a short tour. Frank and I want to go back for a visit.

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Anyhow, the hole in the doughnut is at least digestible. - - H.L. Mencken

Bright and Gaudy

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Bright and Gaudy is my mood :-) Perhaps that is why I made the Valentine banner so.. so gaudy :-) I'm usually a bit more reserved.

I also added some music... which isn't gaudy or bright, a bit romantic maybe. The player is at the bottom of the page if you don't want to listen or hit your mute button.

Today some bright and beautiful subjects.... you may not think so, but I do :-)

Milkweed Assassin Bug

It was on the azalea bush and covered with pollen.

These predacious bugs suck body fluids from prey, such as small to medium sized armyworms, earthworms, rootworm and cucumber beetle adults and other soft bodied insects. So they are very good for your garden.... unless you have a butterfly garden. They also like caterpillars for dinner. Don't touch them... they have a nasty bite.

Green Anole

Male anoles perform rituals of dominance and territoriality. They show their dominance by bobbing their heads, usually through pushup-like movements. They also flare their dewlap (red flap on throat). When threatened by another male, the opponents begin with head bobbing and flaring. Then they extend their throat (different than dewlap) to enlarge their body profile, they turn lateral to their opponent, showing the side profile of their body. They also erect crests along the back, and form an eyespot. These performances are intended to intimidate the other anole. The loser of the confrontation performs submissive head bobbing and retreats to a different territory.

One dull picture here :-)

The green anole can change its color based on its mood and surroundings such as the female in the photo above. In green anoles, the females are characterized by a paledorsal stripe extending from neck to tail, generally smaller body, and a smaller head with a shorter snout. They also have a dewlap, but it is much smaller than the male's and not as bright.

Green anoles live on a variety of insects such as crickets, moths and spiders.

They are found in the Southeastern United States from Florida to eastern Texas and north to Oklahoma and North Carolina. Green anoles can also be found in the Bahamas, Cuba, and Mexico. They are sold in some pet stores.

Crimson Butterflies

The foliage is a rich maroon-burgundy all season... year-round here in the South.

The blooms begin in mid-spring, arising on 8-inch stems of bright red. They open gradually, giving you fresh color for many, many weeks. The heaviest bloom is in late spring, but the flowers continue through summer and even into fall.

Growing just 18 to 24 inches tall and spreading just as wide, 'Crimson Butterflies' makes a nice edging or border standout and they grow well in a container... that is what I've done. It remains attractive even when not in bloom.

It is a hardy perennial native to Texas, Louisiana, and Mexico. It is ideal for warm-weather climates like here in SW Georgia. Crimson Butterflies tolerates drought, heat and humidity.

Crimson Butterflies is one in a series bred by Howard Bentley of Australia. It is an offspring of the renowned 'Siskiyou Pink' .

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Frank and I are better, but the colds continue to hang in there. Last night was the most sleep I've gotten in over a week. I'll be glad when these colds leave. Frank said I lied to him... I told him they should be gone in about a week... which would have been Thursday. I told him that it was just a guesstimate. I should be upset with him... his cold symptoms were several hours ahead of mine, so he is the one that gave me this cold :-)

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Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world. -- George Bernard Shaw