Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Thriftstore Shopping

The tragedy of life is that people who hold different views very often finish up disliking not each others' views, but each other. It should be possible to differ with a man and yet remain friends. (William Barclay, the Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, p. 48)

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On Monday we went to the 25% Off Sale at the thrift store. I found a book about creating webpages by Laura Lemay. Part of the book was about Style Sheets which interests me. Much to my dismay the price, written in grease pencil, had been rubbed off. I took the book to the area where they price the merchandise knowing full-well that they wouldn't price the book for me. Late yesterday I went back to the store to see if I could find the book. As I entered the store I was encouraged because there was a small sign by the door announcing that books and CDs were 50% off. I didn't find the book.

I bought five CDs and four books. The CDs I bought were: Santana - Supernatural (71 cents); Dvorak - Symphony No. 9 and Te Deum (71 cents); Tammy Wynette - The Best Of (40 cents); Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 (40 cents); Brahms and Schumann - Symphonies No. 1 (40 cents).

The four books I purchased were: Rick Steves - Italian - Phrase Book and Dictionary (40 cents), I needed this because I want to be able to read the Facebook postings of the Dalu family in Italy; William P. Young - The Shack (40 cents), I bought this one to replace a copy I gave to someone else before I read it; Mike Magee - The Book of Choices (71 cents); Thomas Kinkaide (71 cents), I may already have a copy of this one, my memory failed me.

While at the thrift store I dropped off three donation items that should have left our house long ago.

Mr. Dickie
27/Oct/2010 8:22

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Ron Witt Honored

Commitment requires a decision of the mind followed by an act of the will that you will follow through regardless of the difficulty or cost. (The One Year Mini For Men, 19 October)

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I didn't post to my two Google blogs from 22 October to 25 October. I was busy taking care of two pressing matters. First I took care of some banking business. Then I helped our daughter rent storage space and begin moving out of her apartment. I took the two back seats out of the minivan. This allowed us to move several items of furniture without damaging anything. She is supposed to be out of her apartment by the end of the month.

Congratulations to cousin-in-law, Ron Witt, who had a school administration building named after him on Sunday October 24th. Ron served the schools in Millard, Nebraska during his entire career. He started as a teacher and coach and rose to be superintendent of schools.

Mr. Dickie
26/Oct/2010 9:51

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Talent in Government

The need for the best talent in positions of political responsibility is not only great, but mounts with each stroke of history's clock. (Dwight D. Eisenhower)
21/Oct/2010 10:07

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Past Failures

Do not mis-spend time over past failures. (Twenty-Four Hours a Day, 13 October) 20/Oct/2010 8:44

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Meditation

Meditation is, the quiet and sustained application of the mind to the contemplation of a "spiritual truth." Its purpose is to "deflect" our minds from the problems we are experiencing, to raise our thoughts above the grievances and discontent that color our thinking. (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 17 October)
19/Oct/2010 8:33

Monday, October 18, 2010

Addiction

An addiction, once it becomes a habit, also becomes an obsession, a true insanity that condemns a person to continue using against their will. (after Bill in As Bill Sees It, p. 283) 18/Oct/2010 8:07

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Lifestyle

...lifestyle is a pretty good heart indicator. (Sortor and McQuade, The Word On Life, 15 October)
17/Oct/2010 9:45

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Hang Tough

Hang tough, when the going gets tough. (after Wisdom For The Way by Charles R. Swindoll, p. 282) 16/Oct/2010 8:06

Friday, October 15, 2010

Decision Making

Each of us has the right and the obligation to make our own decisions. It is character-destroying to usurp that right. (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 11 October)

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Stop Criticizing

Stop criticizing others, or it will all come back on you. If you forgive others, you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37, in The One-Year Mini For Men, 8 October)
14/Oct/2010 11:40

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I didn't post to either blog yesterday. I was busy at a long appointment with my doctor in the morning and a couple hours being a taxi for Cyndi while she took care of car title business at the MVA in the afternoon.

On the evening of October 13th I watched a very nice program on PBS MPT2 - When Worlds Collide, hosted by Ruben Martinez. The program dealt with the Spanish conquest of The Americas and the mining of the gold and silver belonging to the conquered native Americans. I highly recommend watching this show.

Mr. Dickie
14/Oct/2010 11:45

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Grand Ole Opry

No man is great who thinks himself so, and no man is good who does not strive to secure the happiness and comfort of others. (Woodrow Wilson)

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This morning Melva and I went out to spread the remaining four bags of mulch on the backyard flower gardens. After we got the mulch on the ground I continued working along the back fence digging out volunteer raspberry plants and poison ivy. I also trimmed the tops all of the iris plants. To finish the job we are going to need several more bags of mulch.

In the afternoon I watched a tape of the live GAC show Country Comes Home - the return of the Grand Ole Opry after the heavy flooding that took place in Nashville, TN in May. I thought Charlie Daniels and Montgomery Gentry stole the show with their rendition of The Night The Devil Came Down to Georgia. It's been a long time since I listened to any country music on either the radio or television. I knew the names of many of the performers but I wasn't familiar with their singing styles.

Mr. Dickie
12/Oct/2010 14:38

Monday, October 11, 2010

Falling Prey

How easy to fall prey to meaningless talk, cliche-ridden responses, and mindless activities! (Charles R. Swindoll, Wisdom For The Way, p. 280) 11/Oct/2010 7:05

Sunday, October 10, 2010

You Can Bank On It

Of course you are at perfect liberty to handle this matter any way you please. (As Bill Sees It, p. 273)

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Today is 10-10-10 Day.

I'm trying to redeem a certificate of deposit at U.S. Bank. I called them on October 1st, the day the CD matured. Yesterday, eight days later, I received a letter from them telling me that they are going to do what I requested. Of course, there is still no sign of a check from the bank. I'm planning to redeem all of the certificates I have at this bank. The idea of having to go through this process several times is upsetting.

Yesterday was a very nice fall day. I went for two walks. First I walked by myself in the neighborhood for forty minutes. When Melva came home from work (the boss asked her to work an extra day) we walked again.

Mr. Dickie
10/Oct/2010 9:10

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Bonding

Of course you are at perfect liberty to handle this matter any way you please. (As Bill Sees It, p. 273)

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Cyndi returned yesterday from Louisville, KY. She arrived at Baltimore - Washington International airport. She took the train from the airport to the New Carrollton subway station. She arrived at the passenger pickup area a few minutes after I parked. I was outside of the minivan looking at the new parking meters trying to understand when they require money. We all went out to eat supper at Plato's in College Park. She spent the night at our house. I'll take her to her apartment today.

Mr. Dickie
9/Oct/2010 8:46

Friday, October 8, 2010

What We Came To Do

Time slips. Days pass. Years fade. And life ends. And what we came to do must be done while there is time. (Max Lucado, Grace For The Moment, 7 October)

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I didn't attend the computer club election meeting. Some business at the bank and post office took too long.

Yesterday afternoon we went to the 25% off sale at the double thrift store on New Hampshire Avenue. It was a good day for buying CDs. For $7.83 I bought eleven for myself. I also bought two Depeche Mode for Cyndi.
  • Vince Gill - High Lonesome Sound
  • Vince Gill - Souvenirs
  • Vince Gill - I Still Believe in You
  • Vince Gill - When Love Finds You
  • Vince Gill - The Best of
  • Alan Jackson - Don't Rock the Jukebox
  • Suzy Bogguss - Aces
  • Brooks & Dunn - Brand New Man
  • Martina McBride - Wild Angels
  • Lorrie Morgan - War Paint
  • Bonnie Raitt - Luck of the Draw
Mr. Dickie
8/Oct/2010 9:00

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Discipline

If you want to put a stop to mediocrity, to replace excuses with fresh determination and procrastination with tough-minded perseverance you need discipline. (Charles R. Swindoll, Wisdom For The Way, p. 272)

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I went for a morning walk in the neighborhood. I was outside for about an hour. I stopped to talk to the next door neighbor for about ten minutes. The weather was cool. A great morning for a walk.

I'm still working on banking projects. I'm trying to learn more about TreasuryDirect which I think I can use to keep track of Savings Bond maturity.

Mr. Dickie
6/Oct/2010 13:13

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Sanity and Serenity

...an honest appraisal of ourselves will open the way to improvement and start us on the upward climb to sanity and serenity. (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 28 September)
5/Oct/2010 8:47

Monday, October 4, 2010

In The Muck and Mire

In the muck and mire of what we call life, there is death, and we have been in it so long we've grown accustomed to the stink. (Max Lucado, in His Miracles, p. 271)

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Yesterday's highlights were trimming the edges of the lawn with my weed wacker and then mowing the grass. Late in the afternoon I went to Bethesda to pick up some items from Cyndi's apartment. She is moving out by the end of the month. It started to rain during the last two miles of the trip back to our house and then continued to rain all night long. I didn't unload anything from the minivan.

My high school friend, Thad, called in the evening. We had a nice visit.

Mr. Dickie
4/Oct/2010 8:46

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Facebook

Be careful what you think because your thoughts run your life. (Max Lucado, Grace For The Moment, 28 September)
3/Oct/2010 7:50

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Yesterday, Facebook friend, Noel G. posted that The Grand Ole Opry was reopening after being closed by the flooding of Nashville a while back. Noel posted that on Saturday night, the 2nd, there would be a two-hour grand reopening show on the Great American Country (GAC) channel. I intended to watch the program. I also put a tape in the VCR. Shortly after the show began another Facebook friend, Jim, called. We had a nice long talk and I never got back to watching the show.

Melva and I did some fall yard work yesterday. Melva spread the mulch while I dug up two azaleas and pruned a lilac bush. It was a perfect day for being outside.

Mr. Dickie
3/Oct/2010 7:58

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Getting Started

You're not going to start at the top, but until you start somewhere, you're going nowhere. (Sortor and McQuade, The Word On Life, 28 September) 2/Oct/2010 7:57

Friday, October 1, 2010

A Valuable Truth

It has taken me seventy-five years to discover this most valuable truth; I am not in charge of my life - or anyone else's for that matter. (Marilyn Morgan King, Daily Guideposts - 2008, 23 September) 1/Oct/2010 9:24