The Muse is Loose

Well you should!......that is if you can catch one! They have two sets of wings that are transparent and can take the critter six different directions! There are 225 species of these odonates in Texas alone. A lot of folks have the hobby of oding. They have six legs but do not walk very well. They hold their wings away from the body as they rest. ( O, I meant to tell you, I am talking about Dragonflies and Damselflies.)

Why should I embrace these insects called "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", among some Europeans? The Norwegian name for them is "eye poker". In Portugal they are "eye snatcher". In Southern United States the term snake doctor comes from a folk belief the dragonfly followed snakes around and stitched them back together when they were injured.In Japan, however, they are seen as symbols of courage, strength and happiness.

Why should we embrace these strange-looking insects that are everywhere this year? They are our much-needed friends, eating at the swarms of mosquitoes infesting many places after all the rains. They also eat flies, bees, ants, and butterflies.

As I went for my walk this morning down to the bay and back, I had a dragonfly suspend right in front of me for several minutes. I had NO mosquitoes bother me during that time. He left and in moments I had one of the pesty critters after me. Was the dragonfly clearing my path? I would like to think so.

Most of the dragonfly's life is as a nymph. They are born in the water and have extendable jaws to catch mosquito larvae. (Also tadpoles and fish). Their larvae stage may be as long as FIVE YEARS. When they decide to really become a dragonfly they crawl up on a reed and the exposure to air starts them to breathe. The skin splits and they leave the larval skin, pump their wings, and go off flying in six different directions!

What a creature!!! Wonder who thought of that? You know Who! The One who made the intricate workings of your mind and body, then implanted into you a living soul!

Have you hugged an anisoptera today?

(This brainy information comes through the courtesy of Wikipedia. I didn't even know they eat mosquitoes.)

No, not the "T" formation in football. The T Model Ford! The government has suggested that cars and trucks will be required by 2025 to be operating at 62 MPG. That would be with a hybrid car on gas and electric power. Wow, I can hardly wait to buy one of those creampuffs. Let's see, if I live that long, I will be 93. If I don't make it that long I will be operating on far better efficiency without having to stop for fuel or a charge! I don't know what the fuel efficiency of the T was, but with some batteries installed it might meet the requirements. No AC however...or TV...or cell phone charge....or eighteen sets of lights inside and out. Those things all drain the battery. No burglar alarms or turn signals. You stick your arm out the window...straight and you turn left; crooked up and you turn right. It will be fun, folks.

By the way, have you ever noticed that songs about Heaven have us walking the streets of gold. How about riding? How about flying? Are we going to have to walk everywhere? That's what one song says, "I'm gonna' walk all over God's heaven.". Doesn't sound heavenly to me! "I'm gonna' fly all over God's Heaven!". I LIKE THAT. Drop in at a church tomorrow. It will help you.

Have you been to all the places in this world you would really like to visit? I certainly have not. The news discourages me from wanting to go to Europe and some other places. I don't even want to go to Falcon Lake after Mexican hoodlums killed a man out on the lake with his wife on jet skis. We are so "wimpy" today that we do little about such acts. Why not send some "touristy-looking" marines down there with jet boats and automatic weapons? Since we have a supposed "war on drugs" wouldn't that be a good place for some action? (I have been watching too many old western movies).

I did visit the old court room and hanging platform (replica) of Judge Parker's in Fort Smith. Parker was serving during the wild and wooly days when Oklahoma was a territory. Bandits of all kinds went there for refuge. Parker went after them with deputies. As they brought these killers back, he held court and sentenced most of them to hang. There were no appeals allowed. Over a hundred were sentenced and seventy-plus were hanged. It was an effective deterrent. Later the government started allowing appeals so the process ground to an ineffective halt. It was almost like an assembly line. Parker had THREE gallows built side by side. The other side of this coin was that a lot of deputies died going after these guys in Oklahoma territory.

I strayed from my original blogthought (new word?) It came from a fortune cookie at noon today. "Sometimes travel to new places leads to great transformation." I immediately thought of Heaven! It will have many new places to see. The transformation is assured. There will be no concern of bandits, terrorists, or war. What a wonderful thought that is. Have a great week!

I made a late evening hospital visit to Corpus. It was like a different city as traffic had cleared and an orange sun edged toward the waters of the bay. I crossed the "covered bridge" where crews will be working for months to scrape paint and bring added life to the Harbor Bridge. Passing through downtown, and by the city library, I noticed a man who had already selected his bed for the evening. Do mosquitoes bite transients? I know the Karankawa indians used bear grease to ward off the critters. There is a shortage of bear grease in Corpus.

There was a threesome, all dressed in black, and moving swiftly. One wore a blue sash across his chest like a scout might wear, if it were khaki. I did not see any merit badges displayed. They appeared to be all business. I was glad to be in the car. Returning to Rockport the sun had now dipped out of sight. It's rays were still splashing the skies with color. Hawks were scattered along the way, carefully spacing their distance from each other. Hawks do not like to be crowded by others. They would still take a fat vole or field mouse for an evening snack. Even a dove or careless sparrow would suffice.

Now the lights of cars and street lamps have changed the scene. I am glad to make the right turn at that strange STOP SIGN on 3036 that tells only the cars turning LEFT to stop. One better stay in the far right lane when he/she turns right. You can be ticketed or you can be sent on a trip to the emergency room.

The lights of our little home on Seventh Street were comforting. I was glad to leave the big city to it's own routines. Why are most "street people" men? They have a far better opportunity for work. Just wondering, as I remember the ones I saw this evening. My bed looks good. Thank you, Lord.

No, not the one involving politics, it STAYS on! I am talking about the race to see who plays in the World's Series. My favorite team, the Astros, didn't even come close this year. Two of their players from earlier in the season made it. They were traded to playoff teams. Lance Berkman has been a favorite of mine for several years. He had a terrible slump along with an injury so they gave him a break and traded him to the Yankees. He helped them BIG in winning tonight. There is no way I will root for the Yankees, however. I will go with the Rangers. They were Bobby's team. He would have loved to be watching all this unfold. I am pulling for the Rangers.

On the football side of the coin my Razorbacks play my Aggies Saturday. These are my two favorite college teams. I will have to go with the Hogs. They lost a heartbreaker to Alabama. The Aggies have a fine quarterback and a very good team. It should be a fun game.

So how long do we remember the losers...or winners? Not very long usually, unless we are like my old friend of days past, Johnny Jackson. He knew the World Series winners from years gone by and the winning pitchers. I saw him at a Baptist convention several years ago. I opened the conversation like this, "Hi Johnny! Who won the World Series in 1937 and in how many games and who was the winning pitcher in the last game?" He rattled it off. I had no way of checking him but I knew it was right. Maybe it will be the Rangers in 2010. I might remember that for a few weeks if they do.

Have you had a reason to notice that today is 10-10-10? We had an ebb tide yesterday. That power- house from Alabama ( with a Texas quarterback) showed they were human. They also proved South Carolina has a really good team.

The Rangers have created a dilemma for themselves. Today's game becomes larger than life. Were they to lose today, that intangible called " momentum" would favor Tampa Bay. Interesting.

The Razorbacks gave away many opportunities yesterday, and won in spite of it. They will not be allowed that luxury next week. It was a fun game and a tough Aggie loss. They shot themselves in the foot too many times.The Corps is to blame. They aren't teaching markmanship like they should.

These October days have been WON-DER-FUL!! A few showers are splattering around Rockport. They are most welcome.

The Midlothian Panthers won their FIRST DISTRICT GAME as a FIVE A team in beating Mansfield Legacy 16-14 Friday night. It did not come easy. Next week they are playing one of the better football teams in Texas, in Cedar Hill. They don't just beat you. They destroy you!

This morning my message was "What Do You Have In Your Hand?. It was from the story of Moses. I had a walking stick and threw it down in the aisle, hoping it might turn into a snake. Didn't happen. I guess that is best because I would NEVER have picked it up by the tail. "Sorry, Lord. I am not into reptiles!!!" (Maybe that's why He didn't act.)

Nuff said.

In fourteen hundred and ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue
He sat in the street
And tickled his feet
In fourteen ninety-two.

Nothing like a childhood poem to help us remember an event. I needed a lot of poems on math, but no one wrote any!

As federal employees enjoy a Columbus Day respite, others scream loud protests that the man was as heinous as Hitler. One enraged anti-Columbus writer said he caused the death of millions. There were only 90 men on his boat. Who really knows at this point? There were, and are still injustices happening around the world.

My question of puzzlement is why he sat in the street and tickled his feet? I guess I will never know. I do know this: If you happen to have an original copy of "Columbus's Book of Entitlements" lying around your house you might want to hustle it off to a depository and call an insurance man. There were only four of these books printed. One is among the treasured articles at the Library of Congress. It was printed in 1502 and is worth zillions of dollars. It lists this explorer's special privileges he was entitled to.

I was perusing my own Book of Entitlements this morning. I found this. "Keep yourself in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life." How about that for an entitlement? " To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son."

I don't know what the Royalty promised Columbus but I know what the King of Kings has promised us. Life forever with free water! You can't beat that.

The latest involves the San Andreas fault along the coast of California. An earthquake is in the offing that might top any before. It would reach hundreds of miles. Cities would fall into the sea.
Many thousands would be killed. California would be devastated. When? That is the unanswered question. Could be next week. Could be a hundred years...or more.

Yellowstone is due to explode. It would send choking volcanic ash around the country and the world. The Park would be baked and all wildlife and people would die. When? Could be next week, or a hundred years from now.

Hurricane hitting New York City. A category four or five storm would devastate this city. Thousands would drown and millions would be homeless. The business heart of our nation with Wall Street would disappear. When? Might be next year or a hundred years.

How do we live and go about our daily chores in such settings? We just do. There are no guaranteed promises for tomorrow for any of us. We all live under a cloud of impending disaster. It has been so from the beginning.

Living positively in a negative environment is challenging. It ought to be easier for Believers. Often it is not, for we do not practice what we preach. Don't let the "doomsday" reports get you down.

We cannot easily imagine what it would be like to be buried beneath a Chilean desert. Those men had to accept they would not survive. How could they possibly escape when the entrance to that shaft was impassable?

But someone up there believed the impossible was possible and so a plan emerged. It would take more than TWO MONTHS to be completed. No one had ever lived that long beneath the surface. The men below and the ones above kept working and believing....and now it is happening! It is so good to see and hear of mankind caring. Hopefully, this will be a message to the world of today that we are our brother's keepers.

We Believers need to remember those about us who are entrapped and buried by their sin. We have at our fingertips and on our lips a plan of rescue. It is not through reform or anything we can do to deserve the rescue. It is a Divine Gift offered through the Son.

"Rescue the perishing. Care for the dying. Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave. Weep o'er the erring one. Lift up the fallen. Tell them of Jesus, the Mighty to save."

I went to HEB early this morning. I usually go early. You only have to step around the stocking clerks crawling about on the floor. It is about 40 degrees which feels great. My goal was to "pick up a few things". Among those things on my list was bread. Have you guys bought bread lately? I stood at that shelving and shook my head in amazement. There were at least forty different kinds of bread. They were honey-coated and barley baked and wheat and rye and white wheat and pumpernickle, and........ where is the "light bread"??? I see it, but they didn't spell it right. It is now "lite" bread in various shades and sizes.

I remember as a boy only going to a bread rack. In Arkansas there were two brands. Holsum, and Colonial. That company forever planted their slogan in my brain. "Colonial is good bread". I can imagine the nursing home folks saying, "Now what is your name? Try to recall your name. I will give you a hint, Mr. Pogue. Now, can you tell me your name?" " Uh..... Colonial is good bread?"

Well, I did remember to get a loaf of bread. I cannot at this moment tell you the brand. It was 100% whole grain wheat bread and tasted like it, toasted. I even bought some cow's milk at the store. It wasn't called that of course. It was 1% Hill Country Fare.

I went to HEB early this morning. I usually go early. You only have to step around the stocking clerks crawling about on the floor. It is about 40 degrees which feels great. My goal was to "pick up a few things". Among those things on my list was bread. Have you guys bought bread lately? I stood at that shelving and shook my head in amazement. There were at least forty different kinds of bread. They were honey-coated and barley baked and wheat and rye and white wheat and pumpernickle, and........ where is the "light bread"??? I see it, but they didn't spell it right. It is now "lite" bread in various shades and sizes.

I remember as a boy only going to a bread rack. In Arkansas there were two brands. Holsum, and Colonial. That company forever planted their slogan in my brain. "Colonial is good bread". I can imagine the nursing home folks saying, "Now what is your name? Try to recall your name. I will give you a hint, Mr. Pogue. Now, can you tell me your name?" " Uh..... Colonial is good bread?"

Well, I did remember to get a loaf of bread. I cannot at this moment tell you the brand. It was 100% whole grain wheat bread and tasted like it, toasted. I even bought some cow's milk at the store. It wasn't called that of course. It was 1% Hill Country Fare.

I listened to it on the computer. The Midlothian Panthers (where our son-in-law is a high school coach) went up against the district favorite and past State Champion, Cedar Hill. No one expected them to win except the guys playing, and their coaches. Midlothian came away with a 27-20 victory tonight! The stadium was going WILD!!! Our daughter could hardly talk. I cannot imagine the excitement of the team.

I wrote Coach Lee Wiginton a letter this week. I congratulated him for his first 5A win last Friday, then reminded him of a game when he was Head Coach at Comfort. They were facing a state-ranked undefeated Blanco. It was at Blanco's stadium and Halloween Night. It was their home-coming.Comfort played beyond themselves and won. I told Coach Wiginton they could do it Friday night..... in MIDLOTHIAN....and they did!!

Meanwhile, the Rangers allowed a beautiful lead slip away to the Yankees. Well, you can't win them all. They do need to win FOUR, however, if they want to hang up World Series bunting. We shall see. Come on, Rangers!!

If you are following the Rangers in their run for the World Series you know the name Josh Hamilton. This 6'4" center fielder led the Major Leagues this year with a batting average of 359. In 1930 a better-known name led with 359. He was Babe Ruth. At 358 that year a ball player who would later farm in Wharton when we lived there, Carl Reynolds, came in second to the Babe. I knew Carl and hunted on his Colorado River farm. His grand-son , Neal, would be our son, Lee's, friend in High School. I sang "The Lord's Prayer" at Carl Reynolds funeral.

Josh Hamilton has had a rocky career. At 29 he seems to have it all together. He was a first round draft player in 1999, drafted by Tampa Bay out of high school. He was sent to the minors. He was by himself and found his way to the wrong crowd. He had his first drink and cocaine on the same night. Curiosity led to addiction. In and out of drug rehab he finally went clean for five months. In that time he met and married Katie. A month later she was pregnant. A month after that he was using again. The story is a long and painful one. They separated.He left baseball. He lost 50 pounds. He ended up at his grandmother's house asking if she would take him in. She hardly recognized Josh. He had become a Christian at 18 but Satan got his grips on this young man to defeat him. Katie never gave up on him. With God's help he gave up alcohol and drugs. He commited himself anew to follow the Lord. In 2007 he was reinstated to baseball. He was traded to the Rangers.

When the Rangers won their division a few days ago they popped champagne in the clubhouse. Josh didn't participate. When they won the first playoff series the guys decided to simply use soda water out of deference to their leader, Josh.

Will they beat out the Yankees and make it to the World Series? That won't be easy, but it would be great. Please pray for Josh Hamilton. You know the Devil is working overtime to destroy his Christian witness. It is a great story of struggle and victory to this point.

I do remember a setting hen from my childhood. She had a dozen or more eggs under her. The days came for hatching. Little chicks scrambled about. Nothing cuter unless it is ducklings; but something was wrong in the nest. There were two eggs with no cracks from pecking inside. I remember taking the eggs and cracking them. There were little chick forms but they never made it for whatever reason. I learned an old adage later in life. You know it. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch". Kenny Rodgers would come along singing "The Gambler". One of his lines was this: "You never count your money while your sittin' at the table. There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealins' done." Not being a gambler I still can understand that. Not being a chicken farmer I also understand not counting unhatched chickens.

Not being a football coach or owner, I still understand BOTH those little sayings. It was obvious to me, a novice, that the Cowboys didn't have their engine running smoothly in pre-season. "Not to worry!" was their excuse. When the season began they sputtered about making inexcusable mistakes, "Not to worry! buy your Super Bowl tickets to see them play!" They would be the FIRST HOST TEAM to play in their home stadium. It would be at the Taj Mahal of owner Jones. I was already thinking, "Someone is counting dead chicks." Barring an incredible finish the Cowboys are going to find plenty of time to count their money when the seasons done....it won't contain a Super Bowl bonus.

Well, if you mean the one I see in the mirror, it wasn't easy! It has taken over seventy-eight years of hard work! (Ha). I do have a mug that is beautiful. In fact, I have several. You see, while some folks collect salt shakers or frig magnets, I collect mugs. The mugs I have jar my memory of great places and people. This morning I am sipping from my Wall Drug mug from South Dakota. Remind me to tell you about that place! Other mugs in the cabinet, each with a special memory, are these: Bisbee Breakfast Club, Cheers-Boston, Crater Lake, Red River, Alaska, Grandkids, El Ray Inn Santa Fe, Yellowstone, Branson, Mystic Seaport Conn.

Two mugs are my favorites for hot coffee. They are the Alaska and the Cheers mugs. Makers built a big, rounded rim. It protects from burning ones lips when the java is like lava. I like for them, for the most part, to be from places I have been. Ann's favorite mug is from a set given her from Chloye and Powell Pogue. She drinks her tea from one of them every morning.

I have time for one more mug shot....of coffee .... then off to wherever. By the way,
"How did YOU get such an ugly mug?" GO RANGERS!!!

Yesterday I told you I was drinking from a mug from Wall Drug. Let me tell (or retell) some of the story of this place.

Ted and Dorothy Hustead bought a Drug Store in Wall, South Dakota. It was 1931. The town had a population of 326. It was during the Depression. The population was mostly farmers who had been broken by the Depression. Ted's father had died and left him $3000.00. They invested it in the store. They wanted to be in a small town with a Catholic church. Wall met those qualifications.

A cousin told them, "That town is in the middle of nowhere." Dorothy's father said: "Wall is just about as Godforsaken as you can get". They set a goal of five years to see what might happen. It was on a highway to the Badlands and to Mount Rushmore not yet completed.

In 1936 nothing much had changed except the highway traffic. Cars were coming by in droves heading for Rushmore on Route 16A. They weren't stopping. The Hustead's needed a way to stop the traffic. They made some "Burma Shave" type signs saying, GET A SODA GET A ROOT BEER TURN NEXT CORNER JUST AS NEAR TO HIGHWAY 16 AND 14....FREE ICE WATER WALL DRUG. By the time the signs were in place people were stopping. For hours they gave free ice water to folks in non-air conditioned cars. They also SOLD ice cream ...and other things. By the next summer they had to hire eight girls to help. Today, if you visit there it is like a little Disney World. There is 50,000 sf of store, plus things outside. The ice water is still free! The day we stopped at Wall Drug there were almost 1,000 motorcycles parked outside. They were going to and from Sturgis, South Dakota, (the cycle event of the world) and to and from Rushmore. Today, Wall is located on I- 90. Thousands drive by daily. Thousands also make the stop at this famous "watering hole" and tourist trap. It is a phenomenon...Wall Drug.

This old saying is relevant for the week-end. The water will hit the wheel in Arlington when the Rangers face the rejuvenated Yankees. Those guys are some of the best money can buy. They can rise to most any occasion. Rangers need to send them packing first thing Saturday morning!

High School starts getting real interesting as to standings. Crucial games are on tap. The ones who play as a team and avoid errors often come out on top. In the college ranks we can hardly believe OREGON is at the head of the race. What about TCU? What about Boise State? Guys who can win on a blue field ought to be on top!

Then there are the PROS. The guys with big money and big egos are in a state of playing confusion. They have all discovered good teams can and do lose. The Cowboys have quickly galloped off into the sunset. "Hi Yo, Jones Boys! Away!!!"

With the Rangers win this is only the second time a Texas team has been in the world series. The Houston Astros made it a few years ago but they failed miserably. This Ranger team can play. They also have excellent pitching. I thought they would be facing the Phillies but the Giants are making a run. It will be loads of fun......I hope.

I listened to the Midlothian Football game on the computer in one room and dashed to the living room to watch the Rangers-Yankees. I didn't mind because both of my teams won! The Midlothian team took a 54-31 victory over Grand Prairie. They have two more games to play. They are 5 and 3 for the season in a higher league (5A) and with a first year coach in Lee Wiginton. Last year in (4A) they were 1-9, so you can imagine the excitement in that school and city.

Saturday the BIG BOYS play. Some interesting matches due. Stay tuned.

just feel like you didn't have a BLOG rising from your very being? I did.........today.

Time will tell whether or not the Texas Rangers can gun down the Giants. They are a surprising opponent, considering the Phillies were favorites with deep pitching. The San Francisco Giants, like the Rangers, have no World Series pennants. There are many, however, in the history of this team.

They were once the New York Giants. Their beginnings go back to the 1880's. New York had the Yankees, Giants, and Dodgers of Brooklyn. Baseball was THE game in Gotham. The Giants moved to San Francisco and the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. The Mets then came to New York. It is all about money.

The Giants had Barry Bonds. We all know about him. He broke all the home run records. It seems he and some others might have had steroidal help. Barry Bonds played his last game for the Giants in September three years ago. He went 0-3 in his last game. Prepare to hear about him in days to come. This was Willie Mays' team as well. He will be visual. There will also be an underpaid pitcher named Barry Zito, getting only $127 million for his seven year contract.

Bring on the Giants! " The bigger they are the harder they fall."

Monday evening Ann and I attended the Young Life banquet and fund raiser at Paws and Taws. The place was FILLED with adults and Young Lifers. They served a meal followed by some fun and inspiration. Finally, a plea to help the organization financially. It was great to hear the local group has a hundred plus kids involved. Lives are being re-directed and changed. Christian witness is taking place on campus. City leaders were there, from the Editor to the Head Football Coach. They were even sponsoring tables!

The Area Director is Shane Sampson. He is doing a great work in impacting kids for a life of meaning and purpose. One of his "boys", Todd Farnsworth, gave a wonderful testimony of how he has taken Young Life to the High School campus at San Marcos. I came away feeling a boost in my spirits and hope for our kids. These kinds of events don't usually make the pages of a paper but they are happening all around. I am grateful for each person who pours energy and financial help into groups like Young Life. Here is their Mission Statement:

Our mission is to introduce teenagers to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith. We accomplish our purpose by praying for young people, going where kids are, and building personal relationships with them. We win the right to be heard by stepping into their lives and developing true friendships with them through Contact Work, Club, Camp, Campaigners, and Church."

Can't beat that!

This afternoon in Taft at First Baptist Church I am to lead in the funeral service for Janelle Barecky, a long-time member of that church. I mention it to you in the BLOG because of two rather unusual circumstances. Today would have been her birthday. Instead of a birthday party there is a funeral service. Secondly, Janelle was a single Mom. She raised two great kids back in the sixties when doing so was not very easy. (I doubt if it ever is.) She held two and even three jobs at times to care for Jan and John. They are adults with beautiful families today. Janelle had a long and difficult battle with cancer. Through it all her life-long friend, Roylene Hunt, was there to help in a thousand ways. Friends like this one are priceless

Janelle gave her life to Christ as a youth. She walked the same aisle her casket will roll down today. She was baptized in the appointed place above our choir loft.She stood at that altar for her wedding.

It is at times like this that our anchor in things eternal catches on a Rock and holds us through the storm. How people dash on toward eternity with no preparation for it is beyond my imagination. The God who created us made perfect plans for us to follow. His Son was a part of those plans through the Cross. How can we neglect so great a salvation? How can we?

An article from Associated Press in the Caller Times this morning informs us commercials are shrinking in length. They are down to fifteen seconds from thirty seconds. That is a move in the right direction! The reason? Well, THAT is NOT good news. They have figured our attention spans are getting shorter. I haven't been able to figure out what most thirty- second commercials were trying to sell! It may be hopeless with fifteen second spots. The other side of the coin is that they will HIT US MORE times. We will see a commercial and then again a minute later. You have been seeing that already, haven't you? You have been seeing that already, haven't you? Expect to see more of that little trick. You have been seeing that already, haven't you?

The article told of five ads being shown in a minute and a half during one program. Two of those ads were for Dunkin Donuts. I couldn't take many of those until I would be on the road looking for a Dunkin, or any other kind.

With decreased attention spans it will mean shorter sermons in the future. That will mean shorter naps among the listeners, which will create unsafe driving conditions for long commuters to the church house. Surgical operations will have to be shrunk in length because of doctor's less attention span. "No, I didn't get all the gall bladder this time. I was losing my concentration so I had to sew him up. I managed to get the gall. I will try for the bladder tomorrow." Wal-Mart will have check-out aisles for FIVE items instead of ten or twenty. Stop lights will stay green for only ten seconds. Caution light will be one second. Phones will only ring twice. Magazines will have six pages. Clocks will be reduced to twelve hour increments. There will have to be 730 days in a year or simply add more years. That could mean that a person might then live to be 200!

Look, folks. This is really a big deal. With attention spans decreasing people will.....

There has been a near epidemic in Major League baseball with bats breaking. Pieces of these weapons have ended up in the stands over and again. It is amazing that someone not on the playing field has not been killed by a flying bat.

The Rangers have solved that problem to a great extent during the first two games of the World Series. DON'T HIT A BALL! It seems that contact with the ball is causing most, if not all of the breaking bat episodes. They have also nearly solved the dangers of being beaten by the "long ball" (home run to you neophytes). Walk the guys! I thought I was watching little league again as pitchers walked five men in a row, throwing a pittance of strikes. Even then the "long ball" wasn't avoided successfully. They'll be flying home to Dallas today (if they can get the plane started). We will see if they plan to join the ranks of the Cowboys in no-win,no way land. Let's hope they snap out of their doldrums and start playing Yankee-killer ball again.

In the meantime, sports fans, the weather is now more like the Fall of old. It makes Cowboys and Rangers winning and losing less important. The air is brisk and inviting for those long delayed and promised health walks.

I am going to press the buttons to see if this satan-afflicted computer will allow my BLOG to enter the other world. We have a hate, hate relationship going on. I barely wake it up and it wants to restart. Other weird, halloween-like things are happening frequently. It is possessed for sure. Here goes a triiiiiiiiiiii.............

The Caller Times headline this morning is "U.S.-bound terror plot thwarted". Yemen is claimed to be the source. Yemen Branch of Al-Qaida is claimed the culprit. YEMEN is a small country that backs up to Saudi Arabia. It has shoreline on the Sea of Aden and the Red Sea. It was at one of their ports the USS Cole was attacked, killing 17 seamen. One of them was from Rockport. It was from Yemen that a bomb plot came last Christmas toward a passenger plane headed for Detroit.

The country's motto is : GOD, COUNTRY, REVOLUTION, UNITY. Think on that. They are 99% Muslim of one sect or another. They have a population of 23 million. The capitol is Sana'a with more than a million people. It is one of the poorest countries in Arabia. It is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden. Their birth rate is an AVERAGE of SIX children per mother! Scary!

It is estimated Yemen has 60 million plus guns. There is a civil war going on, as is usual. It is NOT a safe place to travel. There are 20,000 Yemenis living in the U.S., with most of them in Michigan. The language is Arabic. It is estimated their capitol, Sana'a, will be the first capitol to literally run out of water. What happens then? Our aid to Yemen this year is 63 million. Much of that is military assistance to train their troops against Al- Qaida. (Do you really think that is working?) Their capitol is 507 miles from the sacred site of Mecca.

So here is my report from another of our "friends" around the world. Beware, friends. Homeland Security is as porous as our borders. There will be another "incident" like the Twin Towers and Pentagon. We are at war and don't even know what the enemy looks like. Christians are also at war. Our enemy is Satan, but he disguises his intentions well. He will attack a church or family with no provocation. He is defeating and destroying lives across the land. Beware, friends.

Little Orphan Annie's come to my house to stay,
To wash the cups and saucers up and brush the crumbs away.
To shoo the chickens from the porch and dust the hearth and sweep,
and make the fire and bake the bread to earn her board and keep.
While all us other children, when the supper things is done,
we sit around the kitchen fire and has the mostest fun,
a listening to the witch tales that Annie tells about
and the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!

Once there was a little boy who wouldn't say his prayers,
and when he went to bed at night away up stairs,
his mammy heard him holler and his daddy heard him bawl,
and when they turned the covers down he wasn't there at all!
They searched him in the attic room and cubby hole and press
and even up the chimney flue and every wheres' I guess,
but all they ever found of him was just his pants and round-abouts
and the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out

Once there was a little girl who always laughed and grinned
and made fun of everyone, of all her blood and kin,
and once when there was company and old folks was there,
she mocked them and shocked them and said she didn't care
And just as she turned on her heels and to go and run and hide,
there was two great big black things a standing by her side,
They snatched her through the ceiling fore she knew what shes about.
and the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!

When the night is dark and scary and the moon is full
and creatures are a flying and the wind goes whooooooooo
You better mind your parents and your teachers fond and dear,
and cherish them that loves ya, and dry the orphans tear,
and help the poor and needy ones that cluster all about,
or the goblins will get ya if you don't watch out!

James Whitcomb Riley

The first bubble blew apart over at Jones' Taj Mahal. The worst team in pro football has the best facilities in which to play. Does it help? Only if you win. How a team can play so badly is just amazing. I know Romo is hurt but it is much more than that. Time for some folks to join the common folks in the unemployment line.Some of those folks have earned a place in the soup line.

Not so far away another bubble has sprung a leak. It could spray all over come tomorrow night. It isn't that the guys are quitting. They seem to be trying too hard against a team that seems to have it all. They can pitch and field and run. At this point the Giants are giants on the field. "Fe Fi Fo Fum", the Giants will take the larger sum. " Cut down the bean stalk! Alas, too late. These Giants are heading for the Golden Gate." I can hear the Rangers escaping the fray, shouting ,Hi Yo Silver, Away!! Away! (I wonder if Tonto can hit a slider.)