tag:,2010:/2 2010-09-09T01:13:58Z Movable Type 3.35 tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1757 2010-09-09T01:00:19Z 2010-09-09T01:13:58Z

"Almost" hurricanes often have terrible complexes and attitudes. Hermine was no different. Try as He did he never quite made it to hurricane status. That calls for 74 MPH winds. He could only muster them in the high sixties. It...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com "Almost" hurricanes often have terrible complexes and attitudes. Hermine was no different. Try as He did he never quite made it to hurricane status. That calls for 74 MPH winds. He could only muster them in the high sixties. It angered him so he began knocking out power in the Valley. When he finished there, several thousand were without electricity. Next, Hermine targeted an inland route as he swept up through South Texas. The "eye" went over Alice. Trees fell and power went out on up to Beeville and beyond. He wasn't through. He aimed at the larger cities, even to the Fort Worth area. He left in his wake small storms that have "popped up" all day in various locations. Water is high in the bays and lowland spots. It doesn't pay to take a tropical storm lightly. They are like a snake: When you think they are going to crawl away they can coil and strike. They remind me of another serpent of note. He crawled into a garden one day, looking for all purposes like a house pet. Wrong! This creature struck out at the folks living there, and the results are still causing storms around the world. Tropical storms AND snakes simply can't be trusted. They will strike when you least expect it. tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1755 2010-09-07T12:49:22Z 2010-09-07T13:05:38Z

Most agree Hermine is a female name. It is not a popular one. The last time it made the top 100 list in names in the US was 1917. Anyway, she came for a visit last night and is lingering...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com Most agree Hermine is a female name. It is not a popular one. The last time it made the top 100 list in names in the US was 1917. Anyway, she came for a visit last night and is lingering this morning. Word has it she will leave after lunch today. Hermine was a sweetie. She brought us needed rain but didn't try to wash us in the bay. She has blown the limbs about and brought some of the dead and weakened ones down, but no holes in the roof. She came rather quietly with no booming thunder or lightning flashes. She did have an "eye" when passing by. It was over by Alice. We received the outer bands. Some of our wind gusts were probably fifty miles an hour. Hermine reminds us all what a category III or IV storm would be like. It makes us hope and pray one does not come this way. I will now go out and retrieve the paper and read about what the storm was like. Hey, I was in it! Hermine is leaving and we are hap-py. We're ready for a sky of blue.. We're glad she moved on to soak another Now, our plants are hap-py too! (Sing to "You Are My Sunshine") tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1753 2010-09-06T12:50:50Z 2010-09-06T13:07:30Z

We had no idea he/she was coming when we retired last evening. A banging outside made us aware that a house guest had arrived unannounced. The name is Hermine. Not knowing spanish very well I am not sure if this...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com We had no idea he/she was coming when we retired last evening. A banging outside made us aware that a house guest had arrived unannounced. The name is Hermine. Not knowing spanish very well I am not sure if this is male or female. Time will tell. Hermine is a Tropical Storm with winds of 45 MPH. It is expected to find landfall below or around Brownsville and then sweep inland and up the coast bringing much-needed rain to our parched South Texas land. Crops are in, so there should be no threat to them. We should be aware that these storms have "minds" of their own and can decide they don't want to go ashore. They want to stay in the Gulf and grow into something bigger. I hope Hermine has no such wish.We do not have the storm, but the outer bands or disturbance that accompanies such a storm. Storms in our lives have a way of coming just as quickly as Hermine. They are just as unpredictable when they come. Whether we are good or bad, young or old, rich or poor, makes no difference to a storm. It simply comes and hits whatever is in it's path. Our prayer is something like the one expressed in this old song: "When the storms of life are raging, stand by me.When the storms of life are raging, stand by me. When the waves are tossing me like a ship upon the sea. Thou, the Ruler of the waters, stand by me." tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1751 2010-09-04T19:35:30Z 2010-09-04T19:46:50Z

Some people retire and they mean it. They are done and finished with whatever they did to make a living and draw a paycheck. Others will retire, then later have a change of heart and take on a less important...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com Some people retire and they mean it. They are done and finished with whatever they did to make a living and draw a paycheck. Others will retire, then later have a change of heart and take on a less important and lesser paying job to fill in some time. THEN....there are those who RETIRE and hear all the nice words, and get their little "over the hill" gifts, then TURN AROUND and jump with both feet back into the fray. Not once or twice, but again and again. They simply FAKE a retirement, never really meaning to do so. I know a preacher who is real good at this. He has FAKED his retirement a number of times, but keeps coming back like a copper penny (that's the good kind). Charles Fake is closing out his Houston ministry at Timbergrove tomorrow. They didn't know what a great preacher and guy they were blessed to have. They will know it quickly in their future, deemed to be rather brief. Charles will be coming back to Rockport next week. Think he might be retired? Think he might stay that way? Time will tell, but I have my idea. Welcome home, Charles! tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1750 2010-09-03T14:21:59Z 2010-09-03T14:43:05Z

As I did my morning walk and listened to Tom Linn and KLUX I heard him say there was a fifty per- cent chance of rain today. I had plenty of time to think about that. Fifty per-cent goes both...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com As I did my morning walk and listened to Tom Linn and KLUX I heard him say there was a fifty per- cent chance of rain today. I had plenty of time to think about that. Fifty per-cent goes both directions. Which half will come our way? Percentages are just that and nothing more. A person playing Russian roulette with a six shooter has a twenty-per cent chance of disaster if he/she tries it one time. Is that good enough odds to do such an act of stupidity? I don't think so. Ted Williams was one of the best hitters ever to play baseball. His batting average, above 400 for a season, is still an all-time record. We say "that is incredible", and it is. On the other hand, it says that he made an out more often than he got a hit, which doesn't sound as great. It all depends on how you look at percentages. We live in a percentage world. They dominate in money issues as well as health. From the athletic field to the cotton field we are interested in this strange call of percentages. So are there some that are a sure thing? Yes. The Book gives some startling percentages. It tells us Jesus was and is the Son of God. That is 100%. It reminds us God created this world, and we were the Crown of His creation. 100%. It tells us through belief in Christ as His Son and as Savior gives us unearned eternal life. 100%. Let's go with the best percentages! I have to run check the car windows. I just heard it THUNDER! tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1748 2010-09-02T04:00:22Z 2010-09-02T04:19:07Z

I came home from church in Taft. The TV was on ABC. I knew Ann had been watching "Wheel of Fortune". She had just left it on. Some three-hour program was playing. I was on the phone but was watching...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com I came home from church in Taft. The TV was on ABC. I knew Ann had been watching "Wheel of Fortune". She had just left it on. Some three-hour program was playing. I was on the phone but was watching the words spelled out across the screen. A "rock" singing and playing group were making their noise...I could not believe the words that came out. I copied some of them down. Here is what they sang: "I'm your Rock and Roll Jesus. Testify. Get down on your knees. We're all sex and drugs and I practice what I preach". This was repeated over and over. This nauseous piece was followed by some thing where there was a feeble effort to wave flags as they sang. I do not know the group...they were pitiful. Their message being sent out was disgusting. At the same time thousands of Border Patrol and Military are making an attempt to slow down the tons of dope coming across the border to supply guys like the ones singing...and many of their listeners. Country music like I enjoyed years ago is gone. The hard- rock bunch moved over where the money is and are cashing in with their trash. Some so-called Christian music has some of the same sounds. The words are better, but the music is what grabs young people. We had best be careful or this stuff will come right in and sit down on the first pew. I supplied a few years ago at a Baptist church in our area. They had a loud band playing during the song service. Finally, when the group finished and I got up to preach they all left the stage and went out the side door. They had NOT been there for an earlier service. They had simply done "their thing" and they were out of there. I was really upset by that discourtesy and ignorance on their part of what the music is for at church. Just an old guy griping? Maybe, but it is much more than that when Jesus is mocked and drugs are promoted on ABC. tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1746 2010-09-01T02:40:25Z 2010-09-01T03:06:41Z

It isn't really snow, of course, but looks a bit like it melting along the roadways in areas near gins and cotton fields. It is cotton. At places there are solid stacks of the white stuff along the roadways. It...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com It isn't really snow, of course, but looks a bit like it melting along the roadways in areas near gins and cotton fields. It is cotton. At places there are solid stacks of the white stuff along the roadways. It is a sign that the last of our summer crops are clearing the fields. First is the grain followed by cotton. By Labor Day most of the cotton is either in stacks covered with colored tarps or it is sitting in rows near a gin. I haven't heard the results but think the crops were good this year. None too soon after two disasterous years in a row. Windfarms are kicking in, with their giant blades slowing turning and supplying current to some far away places. As I drive toward Taft the towers get in alignment and make it appear that two windmills are tangled with each other. Others stand aloof and alone, it appears. This is all a strange new portrait on what used to be level fields of blackland soil. Some chose to leave their farms as it always had been, refusing the generous offers of leasing land and building roads in some of the best soil in the country. I salute those who did not go for the extra dollars so generously offered. Time will tell who made the wisest decisions. I do know this, the countryside view is forever changed. Taft has had as their slogan, "The Friendliest Cotton Pickin' Town In Texas". I know that fitted when we made our home there in the sixties, and again in the eighties and nineties. I am not so sure today. I do know there are some wonderful folks living there. I am still the interim pastor at First Baptist. I hope soon they will find a man to lead them to the next phase of their life as a church.In the meantime I am blessed to be a part of Taft a little each week. tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1744 2010-08-30T20:18:05Z 2010-08-30T20:35:10Z

Friday evening Laura Duprie and I attended the first game of the season in Midlothian. This school has just been moved up to FIVE- A. They played Grapevine, a two-time state champion, in earlier years. Midlothian lost 30-27 in overtime....

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com Friday evening Laura Duprie and I attended the first game of the season in Midlothian. This school has just been moved up to FIVE- A. They played Grapevine, a two-time state champion, in earlier years. Midlothian lost 30-27 in overtime. We were fed in the VIP boxes high above this beautiful stadium. It was coach's families night. They were playing on their new artificial turf. Thursday evening Dempsey's freshman team was the first to play on it. A huge screen is on one end of the field with a giant scoreboard. More than 5,000 people were there. Saturday evening at the University of Texas stadium in Austin, Lake Travis, and Westlake, squared off in a season opener. Lake Travis hasn't lost in three years. Their quarterback from last year is now the UT starter. Ann has a great- nephew, Turney Maurer, who is starting wingback for the team. They came from behind and beat Westlake. There were 30,000 at the game! Dallas's billion dollar home for the Cowboys apparently needs a few players who can play the game like they are hungry and want to win. They have been talking about Super Bowl sixteen games too soon. It will be interesting to watch and see what unfolds or folds up. tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1742 2010-08-30T02:53:25Z 2010-08-30T03:26:32Z

Out of New Hartford, N.Y. comes a story saying police reported a woman had a sneezing fit that caused her to drive off the road and plow into some trees and a fence. It happened to Mary Jane Amelio, a...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com Out of New Hartford, N.Y. comes a story saying police reported a woman had a sneezing fit that caused her to drive off the road and plow into some trees and a fence. It happened to Mary Jane Amelio, a sixty-two year old woman. She was taken to the hospital in fair condition with injuries to her head, back, neck, and leg. To add insult to injury the police ticketed the poor woman for failure to keep right. Apparently the men in blue have never dealt with allergies. They give little warning. The nose begins to burn a bit then it strikes. Food and spray can go everywhere. The eyes close involuntarily. One sneeze follows another. I had TEN in a row on one occasion this week-end. I was not driving at the time, but could have been. This is something fairly new for me in the world of allergies. Were I there in New Hartford I would go with Mary Jane to help her contest that ticket, that is, when she gets out of the hospital. This can be a rather serious problem, certainly nothing to sneeze at. Here is the bizarre story of the week: A woman known for hoarding was found dead this week crushed beneath her collected junk that was so impassable even police dogs could not penetrate it. She had been missing four months! Her husband found her under a floor to ceiling pile of collected trash,clothing,knickknacks and other junk. Strong odors hindered the search that was attempted several times! They lived in a desert-front cul-de-sac near the Las Vegas strip. Her husband Bill had no idea she was there in the same house. They had been searching the desert for her when she could not be found in the house. Have you EVER heard of something more weird? She was a hoarder. The worst kind. Billie Jean was a pack-rat. It was like her accumulated junk finally turned on her and cried out "enough!!". I also wonder about Bill. How could he stand that aroma? Sneezers and hoarders face special dangers. tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1740 2010-08-26T11:00:58Z 2010-08-26T11:07:46Z

It is August 26 and Ann's birthday. This is number seventy-five and counting. She is already out of bed and getting ready to travel. We plan to go to Midlothian and see family. Lee hopes to come over. Jeanne Warren...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com It is August 26 and Ann's birthday. This is number seventy-five and counting. She is already out of bed and getting ready to travel. We plan to go to Midlothian and see family. Lee hopes to come over. Jeanne Warren and Charlie are coming. Monna Miller. That is the kind of birthday Ann enjoys. I am not looking forward to the 300 mile drive but will endure it. Plans are to be back late Saturday so I can meet my responsibility at Taft on Sunday. We are on the road again. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, Dear Ann. Happy birthday to you! (And many more)" tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1737 2010-08-25T16:03:02Z 2010-08-25T16:20:45Z

For aspiring pilots there comes a day when you solo. You get in and take off , fly, and land, with no instructor by your side. Soloing has to be a bit nerve-testing. I have only soloed once. I was...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com For aspiring pilots there comes a day when you solo. You get in and take off , fly, and land, with no instructor by your side. Soloing has to be a bit nerve-testing. I have only soloed once. I was a college student at Ouachita. A friend told me he had a plane rented for a half-hour. Would I like to go up with him> I had never been in a plane of any kind so I told him "sure". I met him at the local airport in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. They had a little Piper Cub-type plane already out on the runway. We went to the plane and strapped ourselves in. After warming the engines he taxied to the end of the runway and took off. It was fun! We circled around the area and even over the campus. Thirty minutes can go by quickly and they were expensive minutes, so we prepared to land. I casually asked Jim how long he had been flying. He casually informed me this was his first time without an instructor! I was on his solo flight! That meant he had never landed an airplane on his own, but we were getting ready for that to happen. Fright took over. I couldn't believe I had volunteered to go on Jim's solo flight. After bouncing real good he got the plane on the runway and I deplaned, shaky but in one piece. It is a good idea to check with any pilot who offers you a ride to see if he has ever done this before. tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1735 2010-08-24T13:00:35Z 2010-08-24T13:25:11Z

It began innocently enough in the middle of the day yesterday. A little message appeared giving warning that we had been invaded. It wouldn't go away. Soon other red-colored little imps joined it, gleefully dancing all over the screen shouting...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com It began innocently enough in the middle of the day yesterday. A little message appeared giving warning that we had been invaded. It wouldn't go away. Soon other red-colored little imps joined it, gleefully dancing all over the screen shouting computer profanities. I made a brave move. I called Ann. She can sometimes bring computer back to normalcy. It was no use. It had been invaded by the devils of megabyte land. They were loving it.It was frightening to me. An earlier formula given us by Dwight the computer guru was some help. It seemed, however, to anger the machine that we were seeking to cleanse it. Finally, in desperation, we called the Houston Holy Man. With incantations and patience the machine was brought under control late last evening. I was afraid to touch it this morning. Ann bravely gave it a try. At this moment all seems to be under control. It is amazing how something completely under control can quickly become uncontrollable. It can happen with a vehicle, boat, fire, appetite, or temper. It seems all the imps of hell move in to destroy. . Watch that innocent-looking little piece of equipment on your desk. It will turn on you like a wild bear. Ours did yesterday. ("Settle down, imp!") tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1733 2010-08-23T11:30:00Z 2010-08-23T11:49:40Z

It's an early Monday morning so I am not capable of anything very inspiring or normal. So this is what I have in mind: The world's all-time largest omelet. First of all, we need a pan: Let's just take the...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com It's an early Monday morning so I am not capable of anything very inspiring or normal. So this is what I have in mind: The world's all-time largest omelet. First of all, we need a pan: Let's just take the top off of one of those huge refinery tanks. Get some diesel burners to heat this pan. Now we need cooking oil. There is plenty available along the shores of Mississippi and Louisiana. It will be perfect for this project. Get a couples of tons of salt and dump in the oil. Stir the oil and salt with an air-boat motor suspended by a crane over the pot. (Got the picture) Now it is time for the eggs. Where in the world will we get enough eggs? No problem! Send refrigerated trucks to Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms in Iowa. They will gladly donate the eggs. You see they just recalled more than FIVE HUNDRED MILLION eggs because of possible salmonella poisonings experienced by several hundred persons. Dump those half billion eggs in that fresh oil and stoke the fire! There you have it! A Guiness record omelet never to be broken! We go from the biggest oil spill in history to the biggest egg recall. We are doing nothing half-way in this country right now. If that didn't make you hungry for a good omelet this morning, nothing will. I am heading for HEB right now. We are OUT of eggs. tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1731 2010-08-21T13:37:42Z 2010-08-21T13:50:06Z

This time of year we Gulf Coast residents check the tropics daily to see what depression might be threatening to become a tropical storm or hurricane. They are quiet right now. One depression is weakening. No storms? No so! First...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com This time of year we Gulf Coast residents check the tropics daily to see what depression might be threatening to become a tropical storm or hurricane. They are quiet right now. One depression is weakening. No storms? No so! First of all, dangerous, oppressive, heat is bearing down on Texas and other places. While some are burning flood waters are churning. Folks are having record floods and rain. It is happening, not out in the gulf, but in our own backyards. Do you remember the oil leaks in your life you were most concerned about? They were not in the Gulf and BP created. They were under your vehicle. An oil leak usually spelled trouble and lots of money to repair an engine. I remember carrying spare quarts of oil in the back of my old car for the engine and transmission. I knew the inevitable was coming. A picture of our travel in life? I think so. As we get older the machine starts to develop problems. We hope to stave them off as best we can with pills and diet and exercise. Some of that will work for awhile, but we know the truth....there will be a major breakdown and the towing truck will put that old crate away. What do we do? Order a NEW ONE before it happens. Pick out all the options. Make a down payment, then set back and enjoy each day this old vehicle decides to start and putter out in life. tag:www.dalepogue.com,2010://2.1730 2010-08-20T20:14:55Z 2010-08-20T20:37:00Z

After our Arizona trip I thought some reflections were appropriate. Here are some I have. 1. It is a blessing to have Christian friends - we all laughed together and tried to win in the games we played, but no...

Dale Pogue www.dalepogue.com After our Arizona trip I thought some reflections were appropriate. Here are some I have. 1. It is a blessing to have Christian friends - we all laughed together and tried to win in the games we played, but no one got mad or threw things. It was natural for us to reach for hands at the table and ask God's blessing, be it in a cabin or cafe. 2. People are the same everywhere - lots of them good and a few not so good. However, we must remember wherever we are that being "good" or a "good person" is not enough. Jesus didn't even want to be called "good". "There is only One who is good". Was His comment. 3. This world is incredibly diverse and complicated. The High Desert is alive with all kinds of life. An insect is under each rock. Plants with tiny blooms we have never seen can suddenly appear with a shower or rain. Birds somehow know how to maneuver through the mountains and desert to destinations far away. Their GPS's are incredibly tiny and extremely accurate. 4. We tower over all His creation as the ultimate. God breathed into us and gave us living souls. That separated us from the wiliest animal on earth. We are all really important to God and He has a plan for those who will follow Him. 5. The Native Americans were totally misunderstood and horribly mistreated. 6. A sea breeze is a blessing as long as it is contained. 7. Interstate TEN at eighty MPH (Legal) is still pretty boring. 8. Never ride in a trailer on the highway or anywhere else. They come apart like a match box when they flip at sixty-five. We saw that. 9. Where two or three are gathered together you can have church. Six is really a big crowd.