Still cold and tired , not sure why . I haven't been feeling sick , no nausea , headache , fever , or other symptoms . I just seem to be unable to get comfortably warm , and practically fall asleep here at my desk . Combined with a general malaise and a dismaying lack of motivation , I haven't really been working as hard as I should on this or any other projects . So , I tell you again , good night and God bless .

     Warmer today than yesterday by several degrees , and also in the house . No matter , I was freezing before I got up from the heated waterbed , and have been chilled all day . I don't feel sickly or weird , just not comfortably warm . This afternoon , I could barely keep my eyes open at the computer , so
I covered up in my recliner but was still cold . I have a heater running under my desk right now , and it's about 70 in here , and I am not yet completely comfortable . I hope I'm not coming down with something , I'm already exhausted . Our friends came by for a short visit , we always enjoy their company . I never feel too tired to visit with welcome guests . Anyway , I'm going to leave you with a simple lesson today , judge not , lest ye be judged . God bless you all , and good night .

  Well , everyone , I know you're getting tired of my excuses for not posting much of interest . My lack of creativity on some days is annoying to me too . Even more annoying is the fatigue , the constant feeling of having been overworked and under rested . Today isn't too much different from those days , I got our son up at 4:30 , got back up at 6 for a Hardee's monster biscuit , and just stayed up . Now it's after 11 PM , I just started this post , and I've paid for that fast-food sandwich all day , in the form of loud and sulfurous flatulence . Nearly as noxious as egg mcmuffin farts , which are some of the most deadly . Two of those on a road trip and you can make your rear seat passengers vomit before dinnertime . I took the boy back to Nurse Ratched this evening , had to crack a window in the 15 degree weather . So , long story short , I am beat , or as a gynecologist might say , bushed . I am heading to bed very soon , good night , God bless , see ya tomorrow .

  Hey , ho , here we go , up in here to try some mo . Tired , folks , just tired . Some days are better than others , some streams don't care whence they flow . No codes or hidden meanings here , just spewing words to and fro . What's not right in my mind we might never know . Regardless I think I'll end this just sew .
  And I found that exhausting , that little bit of not-quite-prose , I keep having these episodes where it's an effort to form coherent thoughts . I mean it requires quite an effort , mentally , to sort the ideas and translate them to something you readers can relate to . After sitting here a few hours , surfing my usual humor and political pages , Facebook , and watching late night TV , I am still not close to coming up with an interesting post . So , as the outdoor temp hovers around 10 degrees , and the wind talks to the cloudless sky , I try to crawl out of the depression I find myself immersed in . It is time for bed , and prayer , and rest . Good night , all , be excellent to each other , and God bless .

  A beautiful day today , around 60 degrees , gusty but not too windy . I got outside this afternoon and got a few things done , enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine . Tonight a low of 9 , tomorrow's high 11 . Strong northwest winds tonight . Glad I took advantage of today's thaw . I bagged up 2 barrels of aluminum cans for recycling , I need to install a crusher at the back of the house to compact them . I have one at the garage but in this seesaw weather it's just not convenient enough for this lazy old fat man .
  The video above is of one of my favorites , from way back when . We've lost a lot of friends along the way , from many causes . Drug abuse is a dark , dark road sometimes .  Anyway , I plan to get some rest soon , so I say again  , hasta la taco , smell ya later , good night and God bless .

   Another nice day , and tomorrow too , but windy . Monday , back to the teens for highs . Good night , God bless .

  So , can anyone explain why my page views has dropped to 3 or 4 a day , suddenly and without warning ? Is it the donations button I added to try to help finance my charity projects ? The sponsored ads that so far have paid exactly 0 ? My empathy for the less fortunate ? I'm not going to stop posting just because few are reading , but I intend to try to keep helping others as best I can with my current minimal finances . Are my posts really that boring ? Were 67 out of 70 page views really just crawlers and bots ? Doesn't matter to me , bringing in cash was not the original purpose of this blog , nor is it now a priority . Good night , God bless .

  Very cold here today , not sure it got out of single digits . Bright , clear skies , so it will be bitter again tonight . The younger son says it was 4 below for the high today with wind chills of minus 30 and colder , where he is in Minnesota . It's not supposed to be too windy here tonight , but that will probably make the actual air temperature that much colder . Our local homeless seem to have found a warm place , the 24 hour laundry , where they can sleep it off until someone comes in and frightens them away . Our friends have also found evidence there is at least one car burglar/sneak thief . We worry about the safety and health of customers , as well as the female daytime employees . Maybe soon we can arrive at a reasonable solution to this dilemma .
  Once again it is time for me to sign out , so I say to all of you , good night and God bless .

  Yes , I am here , sorry about yesterday . I was trying to connect with some local homeless folks , but was unable to do so . With wind chills of 20 below at night , and no shelters in town , I fear for their well being , as most seem to be alcoholics or addicts . Of course , that Republitard voice in my head says if they can afford hobby supplies like liquor , smack , and coffin nails , they should re-order their priorities . This dichotomy in thinking is a true moral dilemma for Christians like myself . I am temporarily out of winter coats , but part of me wants to find these guys , get them warmly dressed and fed , and help them find a temperate place to be at night . Temperate , as in moderate temperature , and temperate , as in abstaining from alcohol and drugs . Another part says , if your use of free will means throwing your money away on substances that destroy your life , to the point at which you sleep wherever you can pass out without getting caught , maybe that's what you deserve . There are programs out there to try to deal with these populations , but money is tight for them , and the people aren't usually cooperative . Even if it means crashing in abandoned buildings and 24 hour businesses , as long as they can fuel their vices . I pray God will guide me in this endeavor , as I don't care to see anyone suffer , even if it is by their own hand .
  So , more mundane trivia about my day . I made myself breakfast for lunch , 3 egg omelet with onion , diced tomatoes and chilies , deli ham and shredded colby cheese , sprinkled with sriracha , better than any I have had in a restaurant . Just now , 10:30 PM , I am having tacitos as I work , with more sriracha . Man , I really like this stuff , better than Tobasco or Frank's . I have evolved into a pepper-belly white boy , as many times I have found myself to be a caucasian minority in the workplace , or the neighborhood . I revel in the cross-culturalism that modern life in this great melting pot of a country . Our elder son is day-tripping this job in Missouri with our son-in-law , so he is here in the evenings while this project lasts .
  And , again it's time to leave my brain droppings here , and get some rest . Money is not the root of evil , the love of money is the problem . Greed , in other words . Money is necessary to survive in the world , but how much is enough , after which "more" becomes the object and aspiration of greed . If you're sleeping in a warm bed , eating well , and generally getting by all right , count your blessings . Be satisfied with what you have . Most of us are well blessed by a loving , generous God , and we should be thankful that we are . And there is nothing wrong with money , or the honest accumulation of money , as long as it doesn't replace love , kindness , and generosity in your heart . I seem to have lost my focus here and begun to ramble . So long , good night , and may God continue to bless your lives .

  Folks , I have some odd scheduling tonight , so this is a placeholder to say I've not skipped out , and will return with an accounting . God bless you all .

  As I'm sure you've noticed the paypal "Donate" button on the right sidebar , under the word ministry . This is to help me continue with my feeding of the hungry and clothing of those in need . If you click the yellow button , it takes you to a secure paypal payment site . If you would like to contribute , please do . Until I achieve tax-exempt status , I cannot issue tax deductible receipts . And yes , I have to report and pay taxes on any donations . And , thank you in advance for your generosity , but don't feel guilty if you can't .
  After a few days of fairly good mood and function , I am moving and thinking a little slower today . My urologist's nurse said she would get my Flomax prescription re-started , I hope it arrives soon . Since running out I have a rough time starting a urine flow in the mornings when I first get up . No real difference in the pain  when urinating though , and I'm still waiting for her call . So , no lesson or homilies for the day , just a wish that you all be happy , healthy , and prosper according to God's plan for you . Good evening and God bless .

  Starting really late again , but hopefully not stopping too short this time . Our older son left for Carlinville or someplace in that area . I always refer to him as "older" because he is our oldest son but our middle child . His brother , who is our youngest son and our youngest child , at 25 , is leaving for Minnesota in the morning , with a stop in Pekin to pick up their operator . Hopefully he will get a good night's sleep as it's about a 13-14 hour trip . As the driver , though , he gets paid for that time . Maybe it will be warmer there this time around .
  I just came to the realization that my memory foam pillow has dementia , and it's getting worse . I have a contour pillow that I use on the back of my desk chair , and after a few months it's about an inch thick . Still , it's better than no pillow at all , and it makes this worn old chair a bit more comfortable .
  For supper we had Ritz Cheddar Chicken , my wife likes to try new recipes to stave off culinary boredom . This had a creamy sauce to pour over the finished chicken , and plated up to be a beautiful presentation , and was quite tasty as well . Canned peas and instant mashed potatoes made it a complete , delicious meal . Having both boys here to eat made it even more pleasant . By the bye , I also found a setting that I didn't know was there , to allow and restrict comments . I hope I now have it set so you readers can comment if you so desire . I know that both my schedule and my style are pretty erratic , but I have every intention of attempting to provide varied commentary on any number of subjects . I also intend to keep inserting "journal entries" and autobiographical stories and memories . These things don't always occur according to our own plans , more truthfully they combine God's will and our own free will , and that is as it should be . The more we trust God's wisdom , and follow the path he sets for us , the easier it becomes to achieve both your goals , and God's . Remember always to treat others as you would wish to be treated , and God sees , and lightens your own burdens . So , my friends , I conclude today's lesson , and wish you all you need , and to be treated well , and to find inner peace as one of the greatest of God's earthly blessings . Good night , and sleep the sleep of the righteous .

  Another decent day , overcast but not too cold . Today it's home made spaghetti for supper , tasty and nutritious . For some reason my browser , Chrome , has become maddeningly slow , so I'm going to save this and attempt some cleaning and repairs and a reboot , maybe things will improve .
  OK , I'm back . I usually do my maintenance every night after I'm done posting and browsing , but we'll see if I've fixed the problem after I work here this afternoon . It's hard to tell right off , but Adobe was whining to update flash on one machine , and reader on the other . Hopefully that's all that was clogging the pipes . So far we have had no problems , a few hours later . Applications receiving updates can be annoying but are necessary to keep everything functioning smoothly . Kind of like humans and social contact , you need to spend a little time catching up on the people in your lives . I know there are people who can live with no human contact , but they are few . A few words , a smile , a touch , just the sharing of company , are the human way of updating our mental and emotional software . This is why I repeatedly tell you , " be good to one another " . You don't have to spend anything to enrich someones day , a smile doesn't even use any of your time , just slip it into whatever interactions you are having . A kind word or a helping hand may cost a few seconds of your time , but the warmth of pleasant communication is priceless . Treat yourself and someone else to a little "good feeling" , by making a point to be pleasant to those around you , as often as you can . It's easy , and best of all it's free .
  Well , I suppose I flatter myself to feel skilled at leading a story into a lesson , but it wasn't really planned , just serendipitous . Regardless , I try to think of my ramblings as lessons , not sermons . I want to enlighten , not to preach . So , let's think of this part of each post as a non-dogmatic benediction , where I tell you so long and wish God's blessings upon you . Good day .

   Another early ( for me ) awakening , doctors and lawyers always seem to call at 8AM or 5PM  . It's cold today , between 9 and 10 AM the temp here dropped 10 degrees . It was flurrying before noon and snowing after , accumulated maybe an inch .
   Our friends brought over some ground beef and buns after I offered to cook , so we had cheeseburgers , fries , and onion ringers , leftover rice and beans , and a couple hours of pleasant visiting . Good night , all , and God bless .

  A pleasant good morning to everyone , and it actually is still morning . I hope you all have been well , and prosper according to your needs . 48 degrees at lunchtime , nice for this time of year . Our youngest made it in early this morning safe and sound . They fled a blizzard in Minnesota , so our weather will be spring-like for him . He worked 10 hours yesterday then drove 13 home . He is the only one on the crew with a driver's license . Not to mention the only one osha and msha certified , and the only one with a transportation worker ID from the TSA .
  Took the older boy back to Nurse Ratched's after he got here from work , a 2 hour round trip , made mostly pleasant by a moon just past full , and light traffic . He goes back to work Monday , a blessing to the purse this time of year . The younger should go back then , too , so it will be quiet here again for a while .
  I've been up since shortly after 8 , to look for our friend's work keyring , which she had misplaced . She found it just as I finished looking here , but I'm still hoping to get my body clock adjusted , so I stayed up . That means I might wrap this up at a reasonable hour , and get to sleep early . Again tonight my wife is watching Idol , so that's good for a little comic relief .
  I try nightly , starting about 9 , to "put everything to bed" so to speak , before time slips into tomorrowland . For some reason , it's always nearly midnight ( it's 10:47 as I type this ) before I get everything taken care of . So , I wish you a good night's rest , and a blessed day tomorrow , in Jesus' name . 'Til tomorrow , hope to see you then .

  OK , I'm trying again to post some sort of content on here , outside influences having greatly diminished my productivity lately . Tonight our older son is here , to catch a ride in the morning to a safety class , and the younger was leaving Minnesota on his way home . The older one and his mother are watching American Idol , I like the first couple weeks because of the stupidity factor . I don't understand how some of these people get the idea that what they have is talent . Are they so spoiled or special that no one can bear to tell them the truth ? Are whole communities completely tone deaf and arrhythmic ? Not sure about the word but if it describes an out-of-rhythm heart , why not a person without proper rhythm ? Have these folks never heard their recorded voice ? Anyway , I know it's not nice to make fun of the handicapped , but when you put yourself out there , in front of millions , you pretty much asked for it . And it truly is amusing . I fall into the category of no musical talent , but I have no delusions as to my abilities . Besides being way too old , I have no desire to impress talentless judges or senseless fans , so you've dodged a bullet on that one .
  In the interest of trying to rest at night , I am logging out now , and wishing you all good night and God bless .

  Well , please forgive my blunder in timing here , I was otherwise occupied and lost track of time . The result is that this post is
  And that , folks , is the exact point at which my ISP dropped my connection , about midnite last night . I am posting this tidbit so you don't think I've absconded . God bless you all and bear with me , for a fresh post later today .

  Another beautiful day here on the west middle coast . Nearly 60 degrees , not too breezy , all-around nice . Got a few things done , for a change . Because of a need to do more tomorrow , I have taken an industrial strength antihistamine that is prescribed to me as an anti-psychotic . This should help me to fall asleep at a reasonable hour , and the hangover wasn't too bad last time . Anyway , here we go again , good night and God bless .
  I am updating a post for the first time to say I think I have the advertising thing mostly worked out . Remember your feedback is welcomed in the comments . And please bear with me , there is a LOT I don't know yet . Good day once more .

  Good afternoon , my friends , I am here earlier than I have been recently . I will try to come up with some stories or rants throughout the day , so bear with me . I looked at the temp on the north side of the house , 49 degrees at 4PM . And at 5:30 it is still 45 , with a strong south breeze . That was in the south yard , on the capillary thermometer , the one out front is bimetal . I have a couple remote-read digitals but they don't seem to respond too well lately for unknown reasons . Finally set my garbage at the curb , last Sunday's snow prevented that last week so it's a double load now . And at 11PM it's still 42 out , maybe won't drop much more says the meteorologist .
  Tomorrow I have a fairly busy day planned , job hunt , van sticker , other things that won't come to me just now . I just hope my memory doesn't fail me anywhere important .So , as much as I enjoy keeping this diary/journal/commentary/ reminiscence/blog , I'll tell you all good night and God bless .

  A nice , sunny day out , snow is melting but still around . I didn't check the high temp but at 6:30PM it was still 40 degrees . Not bad for early January , especially after last weeks deep freeze . I'm still having problems forming coherent content , I feel guilty , like I am letting you down . Allow me to extend my apologies and tell you good night , and may God bless you all .

  Long day , ran errands this evening , still trying to get my wife well . We ate at the Chestnut Cafe in Desoto , good food , large portions , very reasonable prices . The rain has started melting the snow , but it is taking a while here . When you cross the line into Jackson County , the residual snow was much less than just a few hundred feet west . I have to assume their initial accumulation was considerably less than ours . I'm just glad this is in liquid state and the air is not too cold . South of the levee the white is nearly gone , but 10 or so miles northwest , I still have 2 foot drifts in my yard , and we don't have any trees to limit exposure .
  So about 4 hours after eating supper , I was feeling a mite peckish . I heated up a leftover baked potato and taco meat , added diced tomatoes and chilies , shredded cheese and sour cream , a tacotater , I suppose . In any case , it was quite good . And now we come to that point in my day where I feel the need to wrap things up . Be excellent to each other , rest well , and praise God . Good night .

  Here I am again , hopeful to find a topic of interest today . It's a tad warmer out so maybe my thought processes won't be so viscous this evening . I still have trouble getting up to speed , I blame it on the brain injury seventeen years ago . Most politicians who deny the facts about man-made climate change don't have that excuse . Either they haven't researched it , or they are lying to convince you that being poisoned by dirty energy is cool . We have to change the way we do things , especially making and using energy . More and better alternatives are steadily being found . This is just one area where mankind's worst enemy is man . I am spoiled and lazy , and have no desire to return to stone age technology . But , it's something we need to be working on , for the sake of our descendants . What I mean is working on sustainable and renewable forms of usable energy , not reverting to ancient ways .
  Hey , guess what ? It's not 10PM yet , and I've managed to churn out roughly a third of a page , even if it is just the ramblings of a fat , toothless old man , who has been recycling for over 50 years . This does not mean everything I've done has been environmentally sound , just that I've tried to be more aware than most . And because I'm tired , and the boss here , but mostly because I can , I'll say good night , God bless , and have a wonderful tomorrow .

  9PM , nothing to say yet , not even the trivial drivel I usually pass off as a blog . Strange how my mind goes from whirlwind to vacuum without warning , rhyme , or reason . I will not abandon you , dear reader , but sometimes I won't entertain you , either . I wish you all health, peace , and prosperity , and all of God's blessings . Thanks for stopping by , and good night .

  Another lazy day , slept about 4 hours this morning . I may go out this afternoon and shovel the walks and clean off the car . Hopefully the car will start , haven't tried it yet , but some friend's cars wouldn't yesterday .  The car started just fine , cleared it off and thawed it out , delivered baked goods to our friends , no problems . Now the meteorologist says warming up over the next few days , but who knows how long that will last . Unlike yesterday , today a relevant stream of thought has eluded me , so you , the reader , gets short shrift . Good night and may God bless .

  Cold , cold , cold this morning , maybe 12"-14" of snow , temp around 0 despite the sun . I have no plans to venture beyond my own small domain , God willing . A family member/city employee came this afternoon and cleared our court , small town style . Last night I made strip steaks and baked potato , so today for my late breakfast (3:30PM) I had leftover ham , bacon , potatoes , scrambled with 3 eggs and triple cheddar , served on flour tortilla with tomatoes and green chilies and sriracha . Excellent , and easy . For supper , leftover spaghetti  , excellent when freshly made , sublime after a couple days in the refrigerator .
  I don't know quite what to think when I realize this has become as much a personal journal as a commentary blog . I suppose it comes back to that premise of the porous canoe , and finding a comfortable niche in which to write . Some days I find myself more communicative and candid than others , you can see by the short , featureless paragraphs I use to get out of working here . I have many more story arcs to expose for your consideration , and some to continue , also . As I've stated in the past , when this process is working well , it's very therapeutic and calming . It lets the constant swirling in my mind slow it's pace and find it's center of balance . I have been trying to control this most of my life , the "swirling" of the mind . Some days I manage better than others , but at least I'm not locked away , or addicted , or homeless . This is not the case with many fellow veterans , some of whom fight a daily struggle just to survive . Thanks to modern chemistry , I am mostly able to retain control , even as the illness , call it what you will , continues to advance . So now , having calmed myself by spewing words from my fingertips , I bid you all , peace , love , happiness , and understanding . God bless you , and good night .

  I fell asleep this morning before the snow started , but start it did , got up around 10 to find everything covered . Not sure what we have as the wind is vicious so there are bare spots , and drifts as deep as a couple feet . If I have to hazard a guess I would say 4"-6" , and just now , 2PM , the flakes have gotten larger and the wind is swirling in an extreme manner . The temp is now 18 , and the predicted low tonight is minus 8 degrees . Our youngest is in Minnesota , where it is much colder . They are not working today or tomorrow due to the extreme cold . Living where we do it amazes us the people driving around , and we know they're not all going to or from work . Now at 9:30 it has stopped snowing but the wind is still wicked sharp . I took trash out to the tote , first I pushed a foot off the top of the stoop , that drift was close to 3 feet . It was impossible to measure because of drifting , some of my back lawn is bare grass , some is drifted 3 feet or more . I shoveled that stoop and the front porch and walk , wouldn't wager on them staying clear . Other than that I've worked indoors all day , reordering my office space , and digging out towers to scavenge together another computer . It's after midnight once more , so good night , God bless , stay warm .

  Well , here we go , awaiting another round of winter weather , and deadly cold temperatures . It's been a good while since we've had daytime highs below zero F . It started lightly sleeting here about 9PM , but the air temp is still above freezing . At 11:30 it's coming down heavier but it is still 33 degrees . I will probably be up all night , or most of it , as watching the snow fall from inside a warm house is a favorite activity . Now at 1AM it's light drizzle , appears to be freezing on the parked cars , still about 32 deg. . I am going to log off now , thanks to modern technology I can watch the snow from the comfort of my bed . So , good night , do right , praise God , may He bless you always .

  Having a better day today , no pill , only a couple small outbursts in traffic . We took our friends to Golden Corral for dinner , I had 4 plates , and still wasn't uncomfortable . I dealt with traffic pretty well on the way home , having satiated myself with buffet grub . In the middle of Carbondale I got to test the ABS when someone in an older Buick tried to merge left into the point in space that we occupied . Quick reflexes still available if I really need them , then a block later he turns , in the opposite direction . And in Murphysboro , a small car in front of us signaled to turn right , then slipped into the left-turn lane , and turned left . We eventually arrived safely at home , after a stop at WalMart for donuts and clearance . And of course , Krispy Kreme chocolate pies . Our meal was very good , as usual , I tried a steak for the first time there , rare , tender , and tasty . I'm eagerly awaiting a milk gravy WonderFall , and fried cubed potatoes and such for dipping . How cool would that be , amirite ? Slipped that bit of slang in there just to see if you're paying attention . Sound it out : am i rite ? OK , enough of that , and of blogging so late , but hey , at least my madness is temporarily back under control . Oh , yeah , I saw a friend's daughter , an independent woman in her early twenties , and asked after her father . She said she hadn't talked to him since October , though they only live a couple miles apart . This saddened me greatly , but reassured me that I'm not the only person around who sometimes has difficulty working out problems . I will pray for them and hope they work out their differences soon . He has been a friend for over 40 years , and she seems a caring , competent young lass . Anyway , having run on even later , I'll bid you all good night and God bless you all .

  Hello from lala land , everyone . I am well medicated and not quite myself today , still better than yesterday . Had company for a short while , always an enjoyable evening . We are all going out to eat tomorrow , so hopefully it will be a better day . Not completely lucid tonight so good day and God bless .

  Had a little episode today , long story short , I took a chill pill , still not quite right . Good night to you all , be blessed by God .