Well , here I am , after a dizzying week of minor and major events . Don't take that to mean I'll be here every day , but I will check in from time to time . My wife had 4 Dr. appointments this week , and we went to Carbondale on an empty day to catch a sale . The younger son called from the bar about 10:30 PM Friday , to contact our friend , whose father had fallen and hit his head , and was unconscious for 10 or 15 minutes . He rode with him in the ambulance while I picked up the friend and drove her to the local ER . The personnel there packaged him up and sent him by helicopter to St. Louis . His daughter and I went to our respective homes and dressed for travel . We got to the hospital at 4:00 AM , and he was in surgery  , but was out and in ICU by maybe 5 . We , my wife and me , stayed with her until her sister and other family arrived . Today he is doing remarkably well , they have the ventilator and the shunt out , and should have him in a regular room soon . We got home just before 1 PM Saturday , and the daughter is on her way home , with her daughter as I write this at 8 PM Sunday . Here , I would like to thank our loving God , for having someone there to make sure he got help , the ambulance crew who got him safely to Chester Memorial hospital , the Professionals at the ER there who got him ready to travel , the Pilot and flight Medics who got him to Barnes Jewish hospital , the Surgeons , Doctors , Nurses and People who operated right away , and Family Members who came to be with him on very short notice , and God again for bringing him through this terrifying experience alive and lucid , and all those Folks who prayed for his recovery . Man , that was a whopper of a sentence , wasn't it ? We will continue to pray for his quick and complete recovery , as well as peaceful minds for him and his family .
   Now , having witnessed to you a first-person story of God's Grace and Mercy , I am logging out for today , to catch up chores and get some rest . Be good to one another and may God richly bless you all .

   I know it's been over a week , but despite the rumors , I am neither deceased or incarcerated . Things have been very busy , and money extremely scarce . For now , carry on , I shall return , and may God bless you all .

   I'm sorry I didn't appear yesterday , but personal obligations have been using extra time . I will try to be here at least every few days , and when I have something to say . Good night and God bless you all .

   Well , folks , it's been a long day . I got to sleep about 2 this morning , got up at 4:30 to get the older boy up , then back up at 8 to wait for the cable guy . The upstairs non-DVR box had lost it's mind and wouldn't respond to a reset . The appointment was for between 8 and noon , he called at 11:30 to say he'd be a little late . In the waiting I did dishes and laundry , and more organizing in my office . When the older son came in , showered and had supper , I drove him the 40 miles home . The younger one got in about 11 PM from New Ulm , Minnesota , where they worked this week . I reheated his supper , and am now trying to finish my day . It wasn't too bad , but I am tired as always , and hope to rest soon . Now is when I bid you good day , and wish you God's blessings .

   Hello , ladies and gentlemen , and welcome to the show . I have been pondering the clash between belligerent right-wingnuts and some Central American women and children refugees . When did the American "conservative" citizen become a screeching , hate filled maniac ? what makes it OK to shout and curse at busloads of innocents ? You'll notice I said refugees , not "illegal immigrants" . Way back in the very early 1980s I worked at a machine tool dealer in Houston , Tx. as a mechanic and electrician . Harris County was booming , with massive construction projects , and more jobs than workers . My boss , an old money Harris County Harris , born and raised just outside the city , spoke both English and Spanish fluently , and always hired "illegals" to do scut work around the shop , and his and his parents' homes . Our "cleaners" insisted on the rear rail doors being open at least 2 feet , for easy escape from "Immigra" . When anyone in business attire came into the shop area , they were gone like a shot , but always returned to work the next day . These 2 blonde , blue eyed young men were from Guatemala , and spoke no English . They talked a little about turmoil and lawlessness in their home country , and the month-long trip to get to the U.S. . Beatings , torture and killings were perpetrated by the government , the military , rebels and drug cartels alike . Depending on your wealth , or your kin , or your real or rumored activities and speech , could make you a victim at any moment . Our painter , Rudy , aka Rodolpho Diaz  , as his falsified papers identified him , was from San Salvador , El Salvador .He spoke some English and was always learning more , we taught each other as we could . He told me many times of the violence , poverty , and political unrest in his homeland . His real name was Arneval Donaldo Donar , But his documents , very expensive even then , showed him to be Sen'or Diaz , so we called him Rudy . Even the boss , his friend and benefactor , didn't know his real name . So , what am I leading up to with this little tale of 3 young Latino men , and the premise that a long arduous journey , fraught with danger ,was a fair trade for breaking the law to escape a primitive 3rd world country ? The stories behind those women and children , and so many others traveling here illegally , are probably quite similar to those I heard first-hand in Texas . How small must your tightly sealed mind be to attack mothers and their children , and children all alone , for fleeing a place where their lives are worth less than a cup of coffee ? Would Jesus Christ approve of hating "the other" so fiercely that He would drive them away , curse and spit on them ? I know He would not , and these self-described "patriots" know it too . They take God's Holy Word and twist and mangle it to suit their own agenda , they understand exactly what they do and how wrong they are , but satan's advocates stir and incite them , and they follow willingly .
   My Bible still says " Love one another as I have loved you " , so these folks are not only wrong in their actions , but wrong in their hearts . My " go-to " lesson of the Golden Rule applies in this case , as it does in nearly all . That is my studied opinion on this subject , and I pray those folks ( protesters ) see how wrong they are , repent and get right with God . As for you , my invisible friends , good night , and God bless .

   OK , all , I have caught up some paperwork , and now am not nearly as anxious as I was . I have a couple calls to wait on this week , then I should be in good shape , mentally . Anyway , it's midnite , I'm exhausted , and about ready for bed . Good night , peace , God bless you all .

   I said I'd be back , and here I am . I hope you're not expecting a long discourse on any subject , as I'm quite busy with paperwork , and on deadline . So , I haven't run away just yet , good night and God bless .

   Just a short check-in to boast that our 14 year old granddaughter borrowed a book , to read for pleasure . I can't begin to tell you how proud I am . Good night , God bless .