Monday, April 21, 2014

from the paper

1. The Dallas Paper has a group of guys known as the BBQ Posse.  Once in a while they drive around eating at BBQ joints perhaps hitting 4 ro 5  in a single day.  I am sure their reviews are honest and exacting, as in, who would eat BBQ and then lie about it.  Sunday's paper had the latest article from them.  They hit 4 places on their latest trip:
       BBQ on the Brazos in Cresson   www.bbqonthebrazos.com
       Lazy S&M BBQ in Joshua  - facebook site  (I do wonder about the S&M bit)
       Jambo's BBQ Shack in Rendon     www.jambosbbqshack.com
and
       Pit Stop BBQ in Waxahachie     www.pitstopbbq.net
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The newspaper photo  (Sunday  page 6K)  shows a sandwich called the Mount Jambo.    Two pieces of Texas Toast enclosing meat piled high  -  brisket (both sliced and chopped), pulled pork, smoked sausage, smoked bologna, and pork ribs.  It cost $14.95.   I want to thank writer Gary Jacobson of the News and his photographer Tom Fox for setting me up to spend WAY-TOO MUCH MONEY for a barbeque sandwich at Jambo's sometime in the near future.   Fox knows how to photograph a tempting meal.
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I might add they gave a plug for Hutchins BBQ in McKinney who has an all-you-can-eat barbeque for $16.59 as the best BBQ value in the state.
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2.  A friend tells me that I can buy insurance for this Blog.  I suppose it keeps me covered if I say something wrong.   I do wonder if the above report on BBQ sets me up for being sued for plagiarism - or copyright infringement.   That was not a question.  It was a thought.
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3.  Both AOL news and the Dallas News had articles today about a young couple who recently died.  Helen and Kenneth Felumlee married in the 40s and died 70 years later within 18 hours of each other.  Helen died first at 92 yrs old.  Kenneth, 91, died 18 hours later.  The article implies he began to fade within moments of her death.  There is more, but you can find the full story if you just look for it somewhere.  Parts of the story are simply sweet.    
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4.   I won't go into the details on this one either - I am sure it must be online somewhere.   In Jerusalem the Christian Orthodox group gets together at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - believed to be the tomb of Jesus - and the priest go in and come out with fire which is handed out to everyone.  They call it Holy Fire because the flame appears spontaneously from His tomb.   Tens of thousands of worshipers participate in this Holy Fire thing.  You'd think at my age that I would have heard of this before now.  Most Interesting celebration.
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Prolly enough.
I might mention that the International polka festival is coming to Ennis sometime this next month. It is really a fun Polka Party.  Y'all should go see and Hear.  
Yours truly in Oom Pah Land.
m3

Sunday, April 20, 2014

grocery list

Went to our favorite HEB grocery store on Saturday. In the produce dept on top of the sweet taters was a piece of notebook paper. Written on the paper in really big print and a big black marker was the following: (I quote)
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2 - CABBAGE HEADS

3 - COLLARD GREENS

3 - MUSTARD GREENS

3 - TURNIPS GREENS

4 LB. SWEET POTATOES

                    IF SMALL GET 4 EA.
                    BUNCHES!

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Therapy

I graduated today - or rather, I graduated again today.  After a month, 3 times a week, I have left my therapy.  For some reason my children laugh when I say I am in therapy. They have implied that I needed to be in therapy for some time.
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I suppose there is a need for clarification.  I have been in physical therapy for a month.  Yes, it was not fun.  Yes, I would go back if I were told.  No, it did not help my brain to be there.  I shall now explain.
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Last May or maybe June, my wife said to me,  "I'm going walking.  Do you want to come with me?"  The obvious answer for me is normally, "No."  But on this particular day I put on my shoes and dutifully paddled out the front door after her.  I wear my floppy hat on these excursions.
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As I have probably mentioned before, we live on a hill.  I have to walk up the hill to the road or down the hill to the lake.  They brought in 100 load of dirt to make us a pad for the house to live.  I walked up the hill.  About 3 steps down the road, my ankle had a pain.  I have normal pains all the time, muscle spasms, creaking knees, and all the typical bits that people my age endure.
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I continued down the road for a while.  The pain increased.  Maybe 50 to 100 yards down the path, I called it quits and went home to sit and ponder.  The pain in the ankle didn't go away.  Anywhere I walked, there was a sharp pain right under the left ankle bone.  Then, a few nights later that ankle pain reached up and grabbed me throwing me out of bed.  That was something.  At night when it kicked in, I rolled out of bed and stood on the foot, much like you might do if you have a cramp in your leg.  The pain would go away.
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You might be able to figure out why I blame my wife for my ankle pain.  No Walkie, no Painie.   She says I am the reason for the pain in her neck.  Suppose we are even.
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I figured out that if I laid on my left side with the left leg pulled up and the foot at a normal angle, the ankle didn't hurt.   I love that.  How often am I able to get "angle" and "ankle" written in the same sentence?  Prose must be my mistress.
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It became obvious that a trip to the foot doctor was in order.  I had seen him before about a tendon that needed stretching out.  Wore a nighttime boot for that affliction.
He looked at my swollen ankle and produced a hmmmmm worthy of any fine doctor.
Petty.  Did I mention it is Dr. Petty?   He must have a first name.  I forget.  He has great bedside manner, always smiling and informative.   It was decided that I would wear an ankle brace which had straps wrapping around the bottom of the foot.  I put on the brace - not accurate - his 12 yr old nurse put it on me.   Most nurse types in doctor's offices look to be 12 years old when you are my age.  Maybe she was 14.
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I wore that ankle brace from June until now religiously.   I even bought a 2nd brace online that was easier to strap on.  Every 2 to 3 weeks, it was back to Dr. Petty - pay the $10 co-pay - he would hmmmm and we would move on.   Then, something new, in September he sent me for an MRI on the ankle.  The MRI trip might be a blog all its own.
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The results came in.  There is a tendon that runs down the back of the leg and wraps around the outside of your ankle.  This tendon had split, vertically - up and down - not horizontally across.   It was taking its time healing.  But, now we knew what was wrong.   He showed me on the report where the tendon had already healed - but more was needed.  The pain had grown less as I started learning to ignore.   
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In October's doctor visit, the doc had been hit with the same problem.  He was wearing his ankle brace.  We bonded.   By November, his brace was off; he was healed.   Not me.  Finally in February, it was decided that I should go to therapy.   This was after December and January's shots into the ankle.  That is fun.  They spray it with a cold stuff so you can't feel the needle inserting. . . I went to Therapy - uh, physical therapy.
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This blog ( or blug, for the older visitors ) has gone on too long.   Tomorrow, I may write a missive on the P.T.   Not know for my physical attributes, physical therapy is a new adventure for the plump of heart.  Stay tuned.   It may take a week to get back to this.
luv ya,
mtz 

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

pot pouring

saw some things recently - in person and in the paper.
1.   eating at our local Sirloin Stockade.  A 30 sumpin yr old female walked past - dressed in a T-shirt.  The shirt read Witches of Gaia - - whatever that means.  She looked pretty tough.
2.  Walking into Walmart when we met a young couple.  They were walking towards their car followed by their little boy.  I'd guess he was about 4 or 5.     His little legs were scurrying as fast as he could go.  All the time, he had his left stuck inside his shirt and under his right arm - in his arm pit, if you will.   All the way, he was pumping that right arm up and down to create "that"  hilarious sound that all little boys crave to emit.  I heard no sounds.  But, he kept pumping away - and hurrying.  The parents completely ignored him.  Wanna bet his dad taught him the trick?  Or some kid in day care?
3.  back to the Sirloin Stockade.  We sat at a corner table.  In the center was a table for six - which held 4 rather large individuals.  3 guys and a gal.  Actually, they were cowboys = so three steers and a heifer.   It was Sunday.  The boys wore Cowboy church shirts - she wore the same in the T-shirt style.   Embroidered shirts.  They were nice.   Down the sleeve of one guy were the letters  S F C M.   
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After a little bit of snooping, I was able to read the back of her T-shirt.
"Spurrin' for Christ Ministry"
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I don't want to give the appearance of making fun of this.  I think that is a great bit.  The Cowboy Churches seem to fit a particular fine place in this world.  Good for them.
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But it made me stop and think of different possible church groups.  I tried in vain to create other ones.
TFCM  - Flute players:  Trilling for Christ Ministry
SFCM - clarinets:   squeaking for....
BFCM - trumpets:   blasting for ...
SBFCM - Skate boarding for....
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That's enough.  You get the idea.
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I would like to write a paragraph about Bitcoins.   If you don't know anything about them, consider yourself ahead of the game.  In my opinion, only a nitwit would invest in a bitcoin.  Nitwit.  They had the big theft a few weeks ago that is beyond my comprehension.    I just don't understand.     Nitbit-coins.  The paper reported that our govt. IRS has decided that trading in nitbits is subject to income tax.   GADZ
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more later
m