Nothing like sleeping in your own bed!

Buddy and Sissy came home last night.

I am amazed that modern medicine can take you, rip you from stem to stern, fix you up and sent you on your way in less than a week!!!

But then again, not.

Because it is a blessing from the Lord that makes these things possible. We see His handy work in all things. From the tiniest bug crawling on a blade of grass, to the knowledge and skills He gives doctor to perform surgeries.

God still perform miracles. Today, he chooses to work through the hands of physicians. The Lord is not slack - 2 Peter 2:3. We thank God for the miracles and blessing in our lives!!! And for his longsuffering toward us-ward.

Jury Duty

I was called for Jury Duty. Actually, I got a letter in the mail about 3 weeks ago. The last time I got one of these, I was called the evening before I was to report. The civil case was settled out of court.

Not this time...The Clerk of Courts goes to church with us, and he told me that the cases in consideration during this term were criminal.

Number 14

That was my juror number, so I was sure to be in the pool for the first trial. With over 80 fellow citizens in the court room about half were polled by the lawyers. In the voir dire process of the first trial (Murder and Robbery), I was deferred. I know that the District Attorney gave me a check mark for selection (I saw him make the mark), so the Defense Attorney must have had objection of my regard for his client.

But it ain't over. I must call the clerk's office tomorrow afternoon for another trial and possible selection on Thursday morning.

I heard on the news that I am in good company.

MIAMI (AP) - Janet Reno, the country's former chief prosecutor, was called to a far humbler position Monday: She reported for jury duty.

Reno, also a former Miami-Dade state attorney, was among a pool of jurors on a robbery and aggravated battery case.

"I did it because I think it is important that everyone responds," Reno told The Associated Press.

The former U.S. attorney general survived the initial round of questioning: No, she's never been arrested. Yes, she knows many police officers and prosecutors.

Defense attorney Rod Vereen said Reno would certainly be a fair and impartial juror, but doubted if his client would want her on the case.

"She hired the prosecutor," Vereen told The Miami Herald.

Update Update

Buddy was moved from CICU to a regular room

All tubes (incoming and outgoing) have been removed

He is eating

He is walking

Estimated time for departure: Thursday!!!

Happy Birthday, Sarah!!!

News from CICU

Buddy was in surgery for over six hours. Around 11:00 (four hours into the operating session) the Surgical Nurse gave Sissy (that's what we call Martha) a progress report, "They have completed two bypasses and have started on replacing a damaged valve."

As long as you got the vehicle on the rack for an oil change, might as well change the transmission fluid also...

Last night was kinda rough for Buddy. Post-op nausea was his constant companion.

When Sissy walked into his room this morning, he greeted her with a huge smile!

We thank God for caring for Buddy and Sissy yesterday. And we pray for continuing strength in the coming days!

Brother

Being the middle child with two sisters, I thought I wanted a brother instead of all those girls around the house. I would spend countless hours by myself in the red clay fields and in the oak Woods, near my childhood home. I took be forty years to find my brother.

George, we call him Buddy, is that man. We married sisters, two of the most beatiful ladies in Georgia, I tell ya! He was the best man at our wedding, we have worked on keeping the grass cut on the farm and have eaten more meals together than I can begin to count. In fact, while I was looking for pictures for this post... I couldn't find one of Buddy where he wasn't eating!!!

Not only is he my brother-in-law, but he is my brother in Christ.

Tomorrow morning at 7:30, Buddy is schedule for surgery! Open heart sugery!! His third!!!

So I am praying for my brother, won't you???

Along came a Spider

A couple of them actually!

We were riding back from the Beaver Pond and passing by the Butterfly Patch - that's when I saw the her. A huge Banana Spider (Nephila clavipes) or Golden silk Orb-weaver was perched in its web with a Black Swallowtail butterfly hanging just below. Well, the wings were hanging there, the thorax was missing!

After taking Mrs. Banana's picture, Sarah saw a bee in the leaves of a nearby weed. I wasn't until I had downloaded the photos that I realize what was going on. Great camouflage!

Green Lynx Spider - Peucetia viridans

Wanna Ride, Boy???

Metro is one spoiled rotten puppy...

There are things that must happen everyday for him to be happy.

Before I leave for work each morning, he must have a morsel from the Pup-peroni jar.
Napping in the recliner.
He will follow Sarah around the pen, making sure the chickens and goats are fed and watered.
A morning nap with Sarah in bed.
A bowl of his Beneful Dog Food
Napping on the couch
Necessary walks outside
And beginning about an hour after sun down, he is ready for bed!

The other thing he needs to make his day complete???

Riding on the golf car. He loves our outings to the Beaver Pond and looking for the Bunny Rabbits in the woods and planted pines. Once in morning and once when I get home from work. He will whine and bark until he gets his way...

ROTTEN!!!

Another Year

On a Friday afternoon, 55 years ago today, in the living room of Ruth Higgins...

Mom and Dad said their vows!!!

You're Outta Here!!!

Protecting his players. That is what he does best. 132 times he has taken the walk from field and down the steps from the dugout toward the clubhouse - all the time, still making his case. No one does it better than Bobby Cox. The Atlanta Braves Skipper has now done it more times than anyone!!! To keep his players on the field, Bobby Cox and other managers will take up the battle against the guys in blue.

Throwing down a line-up card.
Touching an umpire
Arguing Balls/Strikes
Using Certain Words

Those are a few of the things that will get the Manager the index finger.

Bobby Cox now own the record for the most ejection in a baseball career. The 75 year old milestone was previous held by John McGraw. While McGraw received 14 of his ejections during his playing career - all of Cox's ejections have come while he's been a manager.

Chipper Jones was batting in the fifth with two outs and runners at second and third. He was called out on strikes by Home Plate umpire, Ted Barrett. Chipper didn't like the call (and the replay showed it was definitely inside). Chipper flipped his bat some 80 feet toward the Braves dugout, then chucked his helmet nearly as far. As Chipper was heading toward his fielding position at third base, he was still quite verbal. Bobby charged the field and took over the argument. Barrett tossed Cox.

"Just routine arguing balls and strikes, and he was ejected for that,'' Barrett said. "Nothing out of the ordinary from other ejections.''

Oh, by the way. Chipper hit a game winning RBI in the bottom of the Ninth.

San Francisco 4
Atlanta 5

It's a Southern Thang

Having lunch this week with folk from work has got me to thinking. Dana is not a southern girl. She is from (shutter) New Jersey. A couple of years ago on her first visit to Georgia, we took her to one of those All.Y'all.Can.Eat buffets. With a "what's that" look, she passed by the Turnip Greens, Fat Back, Fried Corn Bread and Fried Green Tomatoes. Instead she placed spoonfuls of Mac'n Cheese and Green Beans and a piece of Baked Chicken. Only three items? She doesn't understand the concept of some of EVERYTHING goes on your plate!

But this trip, she ordered Sweetea. Wayne, Larry and I were in shock!!! Is she becoming assimilated? Well, maybe not. She still got the Mac’n Cheese at lunch on Thursday. But she did drink Sweetea each day at lunch. And before she left she had her MDR of grease, enough to last her a good long time.

There are four ingredients in Sweetea (it is all one word):

The tea bag(s)

Sugar and lots of it (one cup per 1/2 gallon)

Ice and lots of it

and the Water...You must start with GOOD WATER. It must not be mixed with chlorine. Chlorine will kill the taste buds of a true Southerner. The best water comes from the south. Thousands of years away from the pollution of modern man and stored in the aquifer. The sweetness (in the south, even our water is sweet) obtain by digging yo'self a deep well. 250 to 300 feet deep will do nicely. I would put the H-two-O that comes from my kitchen sink against any thing that sets on grocery shelves in a plastic bottle. What, you don't have a deep well and an aquifer running under your house?

Well, bless your heart...

And if your water is coming from some pipe the the city put in - Well, bless your heart - at least run your drinking and tea making water through a filter (Thank Goodness for Brita).

Lightning Bugs

Mid summer nights of my youth were filled with the small glowing insects. I was always able to find an empty Mason jar in the smoke house. Poke holes into a lid with a nail, and there you have it: the perfect night light - for a few hours anyway. The fields to the west of the house and across the road would sparkle and glow with thousands of the bugs.

Just don't call them Fireflies in middle Tennessee. That would be like calling fizzy cola drinks; soda or pop instead of "a coke" or "a cold drink".

Lightning Bugs in south Georgia? We have very few to none! In fact, I have seen zero, nil, none this year.

But this weekend, I will have an opportunity to see another light show in the summer sky. Particles traveling as fast as 133,200 mph will be entering the Earth's atmosphere - causing as many as 90-100 streaks per hour. The peak times for the Perseid meteoroids this year are during the early morning to dawn hours. Maybe an afternoon nap is in order!

*Chuck Hunt's capture of a 2006 Perseid meteorid on Space.com

Daylight, Tennessee

The old post office/general store is most likely no longer. It wasn't looking so structurally sound some 31 years ago when the photo was taken.

Sherry was working for the Southern Standard, the local newspaper, at the time. She was taking photos, developing and printing in the lab on High Street. I was about to enter my freshman year at MTSU, when I asked her to take a photo of the old run down building. We drove down the steep hill on the dirt road that then ran parallel to Charles Creek. It was the same path that the school bus took right after picking us in the mornings. I remember that I purposely sat on the left side of the bus so I could gaze at the old boards.

When the green shingle house was built in spring of 1960, none of the mail coming to our home had a Zip Code affixed along with the Route 1, Daylight address. The Postal Zip Codes were established for the entire country on July 1, 1963 and sometime before that date the move was made to the main Post Office on the Court House Square in McMinnville. Along with Centertown, Ivring College, Dibrell and other small operations - the postmasters then became letter carriers. Two generations of the Womack family delivered the mail for as long as our family lived on "Route 8".

And yes, that is a tree growing through the roof.

Shhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

To help occupy their son during church services a young couple supplied him with toy cars...

You remember the kind - like Matchbox or Hot Wheels. Only now they are called Diecast Replicas.

This worked well until the lad started adding sound effects to his play.

"Vroooooooom, Vroooooooom, Vroooooooom."

His parents tried to quieten him but he continued.

"Vroooooooom, Vroooooooom, Vroooooooom."

Finally the preacher, in frustration, paused his sermon, "Son, will you please STOP!!!"

"Screeeeeeeeech."

'Nuff Said

755

Photo credit: Fox Sports


At least it has finally happened...

Padres Fan Nabs No. 755 Home Run Ball

Photo credit: Lenny Ignelzi / AP

“I’m pretty ecstatic,” said Adam Hughes, a 33-year-old plumber from suburban La Jolla. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”