Musical Interlude - Enjoy

Bob sent me the link to this. It is worth sharing.

Miles (and Bailey) on Monday

Jon was getting ready for his trip to Utah so he had to have some "hugs" from Miles.

You can see that Miles is not to sure about this. But Jon does it all the time so he guesses it is OK

And (at Jon's insistence) he had to try on Jon's new warm vest.
He is not to sure about this either.

So, today Bailey had an appointment at the groomer's He co-opted a jacket of mine to rest on and Miles decided that since Bailey wasn't here he could sleep on it.

Bailey came back from the groomer with a new jacket. Bailey is getting older and he does not like the cold. So Jon bought him a sweater. I got him a new, red, hockey hoodie at the groomers. He seems to like it.


And of course, the first thing to do when you come home is go to the door and go outside to take care of business.

After taking care of things he has to give it the "sniff test." And then he has to undergo Miles' "sniff test" - he passes.

Greeting Bailey from Jay Simser on Vimeo.

This is not much of a video but you can see what Bailey has to put up with. Kids!

FULL DITCHES

Photo and text by Bob Kelly
Click to embiggen

The rural gravel roads running east and west tend to look like this on their north side, particularly if the field near them is bare from plowing. The ditches are full, and new or blowing snow has no where to go but here and form magnificent, delicate, artistically sculptured creations that only Mother Nature could create. Cold and winds as deadly as we have experienced lately combined with excessive amounts of snow have made it difficult and sometimes life threatening for folks to be out and about. Only in seeing this kind of beauty can one begin to tolerate winter in Iowa! It was most definitely warmer, more comfortable, and less life threatening in Antarctica in December than it is here right now. I think I would like to go back! Enjoy the patterns and designs, but avoid being out in it, if you can!

I forgot to mention

Last night at the Concert there was a drawing for a trip to Las Vegas. The woman who won it was seated behind me. I gave her my traditional $1 to gamble for me. If she wins I won't get anything as I didn't tell her who I was. No matter.

What happened next was fun. Another name was drawn and a young man came out on stage. He was carrying a red rose and he started to speak. He told of how one year ago he had brought a girl who was a long time friend to the DSM Symphony concert. Then he said he had begun dating her and now tonight he had something to ask her.

He then dropped down on one knee and proposed. It was a beautiful moment. I have thoughts about weddings (I am allergic) but it was sweet and I enjoyed the moment. There is something of a romantic in me after all. Any way I was going to blog about it and it was so late I forgot. But it does make me wonder. Anybody out in the Blogosphere want to share their proposal story. Just leave it in the comments if you want. Thanks for stopping by. Hugs, j

Addendum: Yes, she accepted the proposal.

Found For Friday

Rabbit, Rabbit - Good Luck all month (Year)

Stolen from Grandmère Mimi - (Blame her)

A bear walks into a bar in Billings , Montana and sits down. He bangs on the bar with his paw and demands a beer.The bartender approaches and says,'We don't serve beer to bears in bars in Billings

'The bear, becoming angry, demands again that he be served a beer.The bartender tells him again, more forcefully,'We don't serve beer to belligerent bears in bars in Billings .

'The bear, very angry now, says,'If you don't serve me a beer, I'm going to eat that lady sitting at the end of the bar.'The bartender says,'Sorry, we don't serve beer to Belligerent, bully bears in bars in Billings

'The bear goes to the end of the bar, and, as promised, eats the woman. He comes back to his seat and again demands a beer.

The bartender states,'Sorry, but we especially don't serve beer to belligerent, bully bears in bars in Billings who are on drugs.'The bear looks at him quizzically and says,'I'm not on drugs.'(You're gonna love me for this...)

The bartender says,'You are now.That was a barbitchyouate.



WHO SAYS WE'RE NOT RICH!!!


Silver in the Hair

Gold in the Teeth.
Stones in the Kidneys

Titanium in the knees and hips
Sugar in the Blood.

Lead in the backside.

Iron in the Arteries.

And an inexhaustible supply of Natural Gas.


I never thought I'd accumulate such wealth..
Our Mexican maid asked for a pay increase. My wife was very upset about this and decided to talk to her about the raise.

She asked: "Now, Maria, why do you want a pay increase?"

Maria: "Well, Señora, there are three reasons why I want an increase. The first is that I iron better than you."

Wife: "Who said you iron better than me?"

Maria: "Your husband said so."

Wife: "Oh."

Maria: "The second reason is that I am a better cook than you are."

Wife: "Nonsense! Who said you were a better cook than me?"

Maria: "Your husband did."

Wife: "Oh."

Maria: "My third reason is that I am a better lover than you."

Wife (really furious now): "Did my husband say that as well?"

Maria: "No, Señora . . . the gardener did."

Wife: "So how much do you want?"
What do mathematicians do when they are constipated?


They work it out with a pencil.


There was a man who worked for the Post Office whose job was to process all the mail that had illegible addresses.

One day, a letter came addressed in a shaky handwriting to God with no actual address. He thought he should open it to see what it was about.

The letter read:

Dear God,

I am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension.

Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension payment.

Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with, have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope. Can you please help me?

Sincerely, Edna

The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other workers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few dollars.

By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which they put into an envelope and sent to the woman.


The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends.

Christmas came and went.

A few days later, another letter came from the same old lady to God.

All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened.

It read:

Dear God,

How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me?

Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift.

By the way, there was $4 missing.

I think it might have been those bastards at the post office.

Sincerely, Edna

You gotta LOVE EDNA!!!!!







Top Ten ways to get thrown out of chemistry lab

10. Pretend an electron got stuck in your ear, and insist on describing the sound to others.

9. Give a cup of liquid nitrogen to a classmate and ask, "Does this taste funny to you?"

8. Consistently write three atoms of potassium as "KKK."

7. Mutter repeatedly, "Not again... not again... not again."

6. When it's very quiet, suddenly cry out, "My eyes!"

5. Deny the existence of chemicals.

4. Begin pronouncing everything your immigrant lab instructor says exactly the way he/she says it.

3. Casually walk to the front of the room and urinate in a beaker.

2. Pop a paper bag at the crucial moment when the professor is about to pour the sulfuric acid

1. Show up with a 55-gallon drum of fertilizer and express an interest in federal buildings.



After the revival had concluded, the three pastors were discussing the results with one another.

The Methodist minister said, "The revival worked out great for us! We gained 4 new families."

The Baptist preacher said, "We did better than that! We gained 6 new families."

The Presbyterian pastor said, "Well, we did even better than that! We got rid of our 10 biggest trouble makers!"




The Company Christmas Party

by Grandmère Mimi
Jack woke up with a huge hangover after attending his company's Christmas party. He's not normally a drinker, and couldn't even remember how he got home from the party.

As bad as he was feeling, he wondered if he did something wrong.

Jack forced himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is a couple of aspirins next to a glass of water on the bedside table.

And, next to them, a single red rose!

Jack sat up and saw his clothing in front of him, all clean and pressed. He looked around the room and saw that it was in perfect order, spotlessly clean. So was the rest of the house.

He took the aspirins, cringing when he looked in the bathroom mirror and saw that he had a black eye.

Then he noticed a note hanging on the corner of the mirror, written in red with little hearts on it and a kiss mark from his wife in lipstick. "Honey," it read, "breakfast is on the stove. I left early to go get groceries to make you your favorite dinner tonight. I love you, darling!

Jack stumbled to the kitchen, and sure enough, there was a hot breakfast, steaming hot coffee, and the morning newspaper.

His son was also at the table, eating.

Jack asked, "Son... what happened last night?"

"Well, you came home after 3 A.M., drunk and out of your mind. You fell over the coffee table and broke it, then puked in the hallway and got that black eye when you ran into the door."

Confused, he asked his son, "So, why is everything in such perfect order, so clean? Why do I have a rose and breakfast on the table waiting for me?"

His son replied, "Oh, that. Well, Mom dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your pants off, you screamed, 'Leave me alone, lady, I'm married!' "

Broken Coffee Table $89.99
Hot Breakfast $5.20
Two Aspirins $.38
Saying the right thing, at the right time . . . Priceless!
A little boy got on the bus, sat next to a man reading a book, and noticed he had his collar on backwards. The little boy asked why he wore his collar backwards.

The man, who was a priest, said, 'I am a Father.'

The little boy replied, 'My Daddy doesn't wear his collar like that.'

The priest looked up from his book and answered, ''I am the Father of many.'

The boy said, ''My Dad has 4 boys, 4 girls and two grandchildren and he doesn't wear his collar that way!'

The priest, getting impatient, said. 'I am the Father of hundreds', and went back to reading his book.

The little boy sat quietly thinking for a while, then leaned over and said, 'Maybe you should wear a condom and put your pants on backwards instead of your collar.'
An elderly gent was invited to an old friends' home for dinner one evening. He was impressed by the way his buddy preceded every request to his wife with endearing terms such as: Honey, My Love, Darling, Sweetheart, Pumpkin, etc. The couple had been married almost 70 years and, clearly, they were still very much in love.

While the wife was in the kitchen, the man leaned over to his host, 'I think it's wonderful that, after all these years, you still call your wife those loving pet names.

'The old man hung his head. 'I have to tell you the truth,' he said, 'Her name slipped my mind about 10 years ago and I'm scared to death to ask the cranky old bitch what her name is.'
The Reverend Billy Graham tells of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was.

When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, "If you'll come to the Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to Heaven."

"I don't think I'll be there," the boy said. "You don't even know your way to the post office."
Dancing Prospector

An old prospector shuffled into the town of El Indio, Texas, leading an tired old mule. The old man headed straight for the only saloon in town to clear his parched throat. He walked up to the saloon and tied his old mule to the hitch rail. As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, "Hey old man, have you ever danced?" The old man looked up at the gunslinger andsaid, "No, I never did dance . . . never really wanted to."

A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, "Well, you old fool, you're gonna' dance now!" and started shooting at the old man's feet. The prospector, not wanting to get a toe blown off, started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet. Everybody was laughing, fit to be tied.

When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon. The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barreled shotgun, and cocked both hammers. The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air.

The crowd stopped laughing immediately. The young gunslinger heard the sounds too, and he turned around very slowly. The silence was almost deafening. The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels.

The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands, as he quietly said, "Son, have you ever kissed a mule's ass?"

The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, "No sir. . . . But . . . I've always
wanted to."

There are two lessons for us all here:

1. Dont waste ammunition.
2. Dont mess with old people.
While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his 5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead robin.. Feeling that proper burial should be performed, they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the deceased. The minister's son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said: 'Glory be unto the Faaather, and unto the Sonnn, and into the hole he goooes.' (I want this line used at my funeral!)

Little Susie goes home from school and tells her mum that the boys keep asking her to do cartwheels because she's very good at them.
Mum said: "YOU should say NO! They only want to look at your undies".
Susie said: "I know they do that's why I hide them in my backpack"

A drunk was proudly showing off his new apartment to a couple of his friends late one night. He led the way to his bedroom where there was a big brass gong and a mallet.

'What's with that big brass gong?' one of the guests asked.

'It's not a gong. It's a talking clock,' the drunk replied.

'A talking clock? Seriously?' asked his astonished friend.

'Yup,' replied the drunk.

'How's it work?' the friend asked, squinting at it.

'Watch,' the drunk replied. He picked up the mallet, gave the gong an ear-shattering pound, and stepped back.

The three stood looking at one another for a moment.......

Suddenly, someone on the other side of the wall screamed, 'You asshole! It's three-fifteen in the morning!
AMAZING SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES:

1. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.

2. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.

3. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.

4. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

5. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.

6. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.

7. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.

DAILY THOUGHT:

SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.
Two Minnesotans are sitting in a boat.

So Ole asks Sven, "Why do scuba divers always fall backwards off 'der
boats?"

To which Sven replies,"Well, you know, if they fell forwards they'd still
be in 'da frickin' boat!"

There ya have it...

A police officer in a small town stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street.

"But, officer," the man began, "I can explain"

"Just be quiet," snapped the officer. "I'm going to let you cool your heels in jail until the chief gets back."

"But, officer, I just wanted to say"

"And I said to keep quiet! You're going to jail!"

A few hours later the officer looked in on his prisoner and said, "Lucky for you that the chief's at his daughter's wedding. He'll be in a good mood when he gets back."

"Don't count on it," answered the fellow in the cell. "I'm the groom."
Every parent with growing children should have one!

John was a salesman's delight when it came to any kind of unusual gimmicks. His wife Marsha had long ago given up trying to get him to change.
One day John came home with another one of his unusual purchases. It was a robot that John claimed was actually a lie detector.
It was about 5:30 that afternoon when Tommy, their 11 year old son, returned home from school. Tommy was over 2 hours late.
"Where have you been? Why are you over 2 hours late getting home?" asked John.
"Several of us went to the library to work on an extra credit project," said Tommy... The robot walked around the table and slapped Tommy, knocking him completely out of his chair.
"Son," said John, "this robot is a lie detector, now tell us where you really were after school."
"We went to Bobby's house and watched a movie." said Tommy.
"What did you watch?" asked Marsha.
"The Ten Commandments." answered Tommy... The robot went around to Tommy and once again slapped him, knocking him off his chair again.
With his lip quivering, Tommy got up, sat down and said, "I am sorry I lied. We really watched a tape called 'Sex Queen'"
"I am ashamed of you son," said John. "When I was your age, I never lied to my parents." The robot walked around to John and delivered a whack that nearly knocked him out of his chair.
Marsha doubled over in laughter, almost in tears and said, "Boy, did you ever ask for that one! You can't be too mad with Tommy. After all, he is your son!"
The robot walked around to Marsha and knocked her out of her chair.

Thanks for stopping by - HUGS for the New Year. Have a happy one!

It is 2010

I went to Des Moines tonight to the Des Moines Symphony's New Year's Eve Pops
Frank's Way A Tribute to Frank Sinatra with Steve Lippia and the Des Moines Big Band. It was wonderful. You know I really should go to more Symphony events. I love it and the Civic Center is easy to get to with good parking and a Skywalk from the ramp to the Center. I went down early enough to eat at Jethro's Barbecue (Ham sandwich and Waffle fries and a glass of Jamison) Every screen had the Insight Bowl on it and every time Iowa State scored the place went nuts. (I found out after the Concert that Iowa State won 14-13

I sat next to a delightful lady from North Carolina (Lives near Ashville - Jon and I actually stayed there one time on one of our trips.) and we had a nice conversation. She and her husband were here visiting her daughter who lives in Urbandale. I saw several friends and had two of Frank's Drinks. One - three shots of Jack Daniels on the Rocks and the other an "Old Blue Eyes" which had Blue Curacao, vodka and Sprite in it and when I took my blood sugar at 11:30 after I got home it was only 111.

Anyway it was a great evening. Music is the universal language and the Frank Sinatra songs were all familiar and well done. In fact, if you closed your eyes you thought you were actually at a Frank Sinatra Concert. They finished off the concert with the song Frank stole from Liza Minnelli. (If you know what that was you can put it in the comments.) And the 2200 in attendance sang Auld Lang Syne.

There were two numbers which were not Sinatra Numbers performed by the Orchestra. The William Tell Overture and The Blue Danube Waltz. Both were flawless. The Des Moines Big Band also performed with them. They are a marvelous Jazz orchestra and the first time I heard them was at the Scottish Rite Gala in October. I am going to go see them at Adventureland where they perform every Monday night. They were formed the year I graduated from High School - 1959 and are celebrating their 50th Anniversary.

It was a wonderful way to top of what has been, for me, a pretty good year. I hope you had a safe and sane New Year's Eve and this next decade is good to you - Hugs, and ARTYAL.

Speaking of that I got a really nice text message from Trevor on the way home and since I don't text I called him. It was wonderful to hear from him and to talk to him Nite nite. j