Biblical Alternative to Easter. Let Us Keep the Feast. Guarding A Dead Rosebush. Update.

 

For “Scripture Sunday:

The Biblical Alternative to Easter

“Are you letting religious traditions getting in the way of a real, authentic relationship with God and Jesus Christ? There’s an answer to this problem, and it lies in the biblical festivals observed and taught by Jesus Himself.

Jesus clearly teaches us that a religious tradition, even one that seems to honor God, can actually separate us from God!

A story has been told about a Russian czar who was strolling around the palace grounds and saw a guard standing in a neglected, barren patch of dirt. He approached the guard and asked him why he was standing alone in this spot. The guard said he had orders to do so.

The czar called the captain of the guard, and the captain said that there had always been orders to post a guard there. No one knew why. A search of the archives showed that at the time of Catherine the Great a prized rose bush grew in that part of the palace grounds. A guard had been posted to keep people from picking the roses.

The problem was that Catherine the Great—and the prized rose bush—had died many decades before. Year after year a guard was posted in a meaningless spot, and no one knew why. It had become tradition.

Traditions can be good, and traditions can be bad. Do you practice some religious traditions that may be diverting you from what God actually wants in your life?

Traditions can get in the way of authentic Christianity

Like the sentry in the story of the czar and the rose bush, could you be diligently standing guard over religious traditions that have no real spiritual meaning?……..

The Christian observance of the Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread

But we do know of a festival period observed by the earliest Christians that commemorated Jesus Christ’s death and being raised to lead their lives. It was a festival period—actually two festivals right next to one another—that provided a profound connection between much earlier commanded observances and the Messiah. And most importantly, these observances were biblical —not mere human tradition.

One of the places we find this festival period mentioned is in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.

We know that the Corinthians were primarily Greeks who had converted to Christianity. For example, Paul tells them to stop being involved in traditional pagan practices that Jewish Christians would not have observed.

Replace the Easter tradition with biblical truth

Easter can feel like a wonderful tradition—a time of baskets filled with candy and colored eggs, a time for friends and family, a time to attend a special religious service. But understand this: It is a non-biblical tradition that actually comes from ancient paganism, from the worship of the fertility goddess Ishtar (Ashtoreth in the Bible). This is why Easter’s most popular symbols are eggs and rabbits—they’re ancient fertility symbols!

The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, on the other hand, are biblical observances ordained by God, observed by Jesus, taught to gentiles in the early Church and imbued with the Christian gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.

This festival period is the biblical alternative to Easter—the right observance to choose. The Christian Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread are filled with rich and meaningful symbols of Christ’s death, resurrection and present work to spiritually deleaven—to spiritually cleanse and heal—those who turn to God. It’s more than human tradition. It is God’s revelation to humanity!”

Excerpts from: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/the-biblical-alternative-to-easter

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Let Us Keep the Feast

“1 Corinthians 5:8

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The apostle Paul wrote more than 20 years after Christ’s death that this mostly gentile congregation in Corinth should “keep the feast” of Unleavened Bread. From the analogy he uses here, it is clear the members were well acquainted with the removal of physical leaven for that week, and he wanted them to think more deeply about the spiritual lessons of replacing sin with godly thoughts and actions.”

Study more about the meaning of this festival in “The Feast of Unleavened Bread: Pursuing a Life of Righteousness.” Read about the meanings of all seven festivals in “Festival Meaning: What Are the Meanings of Each of God’s Festivals?”

From: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/let-us-keep-the-feast/

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Guarding A Dead Rosebush

An Amazing Fact: “Years ago in the old Russian Empire the ruling czar, Nicholas II, was strolling through his vast palace gardens when he came upon a lonely guard standing at attention in a secluded corner of the great meandering gardens. “What are you guarding?” asked the inquisitive ruler. “To tell you the truth, O Great Sovereign, I have no idea, but the captain of the guard ordered me to this post,” the sentry replied.

Czar Nicholas then summoned the captain and made further inquiries as to what was being guarded. The captain of the guard replied, “O Great Sovereign, there are clear written regulations specifying that a guard was to be assigned to that precise corner at all times and this has been done as long as I can remember.” The curious czar then ordered a search to find out why.  The palace archives finally yielded the answer. Years before, Catherine the Great had planted a special rose bush in that corner, and she had firmly ordered a sentry to be posted there to guard it so nothing might disturb or damage it. Now, one hundred years later, even though the rose bush had died long before, sentries were still guarding the now barren corner of dirt, even though no one knew why!

Traditions of faith can be valuable. They may be useful in preserving special experiences or ideals handed down by family or culture. However, we should be careful in what we spend our time guarding! Many religions zealously defend rituals which have lost their meaning. People may faithfully stand by traditions but not know why.

There is a more serious concern regarding traditions that Jesus warned us about. If a custom should ever stand in conflict with the commandments of God, it should be thrown out.

Christ told us that holding such traditions makes “the word of God of no effect” (Mark 7:13). It’s a good idea to reflect on the traditions we keep. Do they conflict with God’s law? If so, we are stepping away from the Bible. It’s like standing guard over a dead bush.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. Mark 7:7-8

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Finding a Cure for Cancer

And you wonder why doctors don’t prescribe natural food instead of trying to fix us with chemical prescriptions.   We would all be healthy and no longer need the doctors.  It’s all about the money! “You are what you eat, and what it ate!!”

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Update:

Another unnecessary trip to Homeland Security in Houston to take my marriage certificate that I had taken there before.  The first time the man didn’t want to see it as he said that my driver’s license was enough.  Then I got a letter saying that they wanted to have a copy faxed to them any way.  After spending several hours trying to navigate to the right place, I still couldn’t fax it as their website was so messed up. Calling didn’t produce a real person and just more options which if you didn’t choose the right number, it would say “Bye” and hang up on you.  But I was able to make an appointment online. 

At this second appointment on Monday, which was in a different location, another man said that they didn’t take documents there and to send them by snail mail to Overland Park, KS.  I could have done that 3 weeks ago if they had given me that option.   Their left hand obviously doesn’t know what their right hand is doing. 

All this because my green card needed to be renewed so that I could apply for Social Security.  Now that my main source of income, renting out my guest house which is now destroyed,  I need to get all that is due to me.   He also said that I could use my passport at the Social Security office as my new green card could take up to a year to arrive.

But my British passport expired in 1991, so I had to make a whole new application online and it was easy.  Yesterday our pastor signed as a counter signer for me, verified my passport photos, etc.  Now that has to be sent registered mail to Her Majesty’s Passport Office in England tomorrow.  So much paperwork is making my head swim.

Jay and I have done a little bit more work to the guest house repairs.  Finally, we got the kitchen linoleum (sheet vinyl) cut and fitted right.  We had to move the new wall between the new kitchen and new bathroom a fraction of an inch to make the wall square and to let the lino lie down right.  It was another worker who had installed that wall, not Jay.  We temporaily moved some of the old lower kitchen cabinets into the new kitchen, just to get a feel of how the floor plan will work.  It is a good thing it wasn’t set in stone, as we did have to change it up a bit.  Also we have been working on the wiring, moving outlets up above counter-height.  Other outlets will be installed on a whole new circuit in the new wall between the new kitchen and new bathroom.

Jay has been suffering from allergies and sniffling most of the time and so he didn’t go to church.  I had to wait until the cats were picked up for Adoption Day before I could leave.   Three more new ladies attended, a mother and two daughters came this Sabbath, and we sure do hope they will continue to come.  Another new lady who had been absent sick for a couple of weeks was welcomed back.  Sometimes it is a very small congregation and other times the pews are mostly filled.  But no matter how many, we all feel like a family with great fellowship and pray for the ones that are not present.

For the church potluck, I took a Cucumber Casserole (A what!  Look it up!) and also chicken gumbo and rice.  As I didn’t have much rice I also took some barley cooked in chicken bone broth and that was more popular than the rice.

Now that we are through Exodus we started the first 6 chapters in Leviticus for the main Bible reading. The others were Isa. 43:21-44:23 and Heb 10:1-12.  The Teaching was about doing right and Galations 5:15-26.

15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;

20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions

21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Good words to live by.

Even though Spring has sprung it has been cold the last couple of days.

Audubon's Oriole. Bird Group Names. Bats Are Not Blind. Hummingbirds. BirdNote: Bird Songs Go to Hollywood! Hoover Dam. Oskar Schindler.

 

For "Winged Wednesday":

Audubon's Oriole

"The song of Audubon’s Oriole—a low, slurred warble—almost sounds like a person learning to whistle. Both males and females sing a series of long notes, often calling to each other as they forage or come and go from the nest.

Once known as the Black-headed Oriole, Audubon’s Oriole is the only yellow oriole with a black hood and a yellow back found in the United States. Less than five percent of its population occurs in the U.S., making it a much sought-after species by listers.

The bird was once common in the Lower Rio Grande Valley but began to decline there in the 1920s because of the destruction of thorn and riparian forests for agriculture. Populations have declined significantly not only in Texas but in much of its Mexican range, following conversion of its preferred habitat to crops and pastureland. Brood parasitism by the Bronzed Cowbird, facilitated by habitat fragmentation, is also a major problem.

Audubon’s Oriole is a priority species for the Rio Grande Joint Venture, which includes ABC and a network of private and public partners. The best hope for this species’ recovery are efforts to protect and restore native vegetation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley."

Help ABC conserve this and other birds and their habitats! Range Map by ABC

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Very Strange Bird Group Names

“These group nouns are rarely used, even by scientists, but they nonetheless represent our own species' collective creativity for linguistics — not to mention our deep-rooted affinity for nature."    A Partial List:

A bevy of quail
A bouquet of pheasants [when flushed]
A brood of hens
A building of rooks
A cast of hawks [or falcons]
A charm of finches
A colony of penguins
A company of parrots
A congregation of plovers
A cover of coots
A covey of partridges [or grouse or ptarmigans]
A deceit of lapwings
A descent of woodpeckers
A dissimulation of birds
A dole of doves
An exaltation of larks
A fall of woodcocks
A flight of swallows [or doves, goshawks, or cormorants]
A gaggle of geese [wild or domesticated]
A host of sparrows
A kettle of hawks [riding a thermal]
A murmuration of starlings
A murder of crows
A muster of storks
A nye of pheasants [on the ground]
An ostentation of peacocks
A paddling of ducks [on the water]
A parliament of owls
A party of jays
A peep of chickens
A pitying of turtledoves
A raft of ducks
A rafter of turkeys
A siege of herons
A skein of geese [in flight]
A sord of mallards
A spring of teal
A tidings of magpies
A trip of dotterel
An unkindness of ravens
A watch of nightingales
A wedge of swans [or geese, flying in a "V"]
A wisp of snipe.    From: http://baltimorebirdclub.org/gnlist.html

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Bats Have Good Eyesight

An Amazing Fact: "Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind. In fact, many bats have exceptionally good eyesight designed for low levels of light.

Bats are nocturnal creatures and can be found all over the world, from Canada to warm tropical climates. To get around in the dark, many bats rely on a sophisticated form of sonar known as echolocation. With this detection method, bats emit short pulses of high-frequency sounds that are usually well above the threshold of human hearing. The sound waves spread out in front of the bat, striking any objects in its flight path and bouncing back in the form of an echo. By using this God-given radar, bats are able to discern the direction, distance, speed, and in some instances, the size and density of the objects around them."

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Are you missing your hummingbirds?

"Are you missing your hummingbirds? Many species of hummingbirds have already migrated south for the winter, though some species will be present year-round.  We've assembled some terrific hummingbird images on our website to ease the pain until they return next spring. And where in North America can you find hummingbirds year-round? 

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BirdNote: Bird Songs Go to Hollywood!

 

Upcoming Shows

Pied-billed Grebe  SUNDAY Bird Songs Go to Hollywood by Bob Sundstrom  LISTEN NOW ►

Aqua Tower, Chicago  MONDAY  Architecture With Birds in Mind Featuring Jeanne Gang, founder and principal of Studio Gang Architects    LISTEN NOW ►

Swainson's Thrush  TUESDAY  How Evolution Works Featuring Dr. Mike Webster, Director, Macaulay Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology  LISTEN NOW ►

Rufous-collared Sparrow  WEDNESDAY  Tico-Tico by Bob Sundstrom  LISTEN NOW ►

Wood Thrush  THURSDAY Geolocators Reveal Secrets of Landbird Migration by Todd Peterson  LISTEN NOW ►

Canada Geese   FRIDAY  Canada Geese - Migratory or Not by Frances Wood  LISTEN NOW ►

Steller's Jay  SATURDAY Landscaping for Wildlife II Featuring Russell Link, wildlife biologist with the Washington Dep't. of Fish and Wildlife  LISTEN NOW ►

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On This Day:

Hoover Dam begins transmitting electricity to Los Angeles, Oct 9, 1936:

"On this day in 1936, harnessing the power of the mighty Colorado River, Hoover Dam begins sending electricity over transmission lines spanning 266 miles of mountains and deserts to run the lights, radios, and stoves of Los Angeles.

Under the guidance of the Federal Reclamation Bureau, Hoover Dam became one part of a much larger multipurpose water development project that tamed the wild Colorado River for the use of the growing number of western farmers, ranchers, and city dwellers. Water that had once flowed freely to the ocean now was impounded in the 115-mile-long Lake Mead. Massive aqueducts channeled millions of gallons of Colorado River water to California where it continues to this day to flow from Los Angeles faucets and irrigate vast stretches of fertile cropland.

With Hoover Dam, the federal government set out to demonstrate that the aridity of a region once called the Great American Desert need be no serious obstacle to its full settlement and development. However, as rapidly growing western cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Phoenix today face increasing difficulties in obtaining the water they need, it remains to be seen if the Great American Desert might still dictate its own limits to western growth."

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Oskar Schindler dies, Oct 9, 1974:

"German businessman Oskar Schindler, credited with saving 1,200 Jews from the Holocaust, dies at the age of 66.

A member of the Nazi Party, he ran an enamel-works factory in Krakow during the German occupation of Poland, employing workers from the nearby Jewish ghetto. When the ghetto was liquidated, he persuaded Nazi officials to allow the transfer of his workers to the Plaszow labor camp, thus saving them from deportation to the death camps. In 1944, all Jews at Plaszow were sent to Auschwitz, but Schindler, at great risk to himself, bribed officials into allowing him to keep his workers and set up a factory in a safer location in occupied Czechoslovakia. By the war's end, he was penniless, but he had saved 1,200 Jews.

Schindler's grave in Jerusalem. The Hebrew inscription reads: "Righteous Among the Nations"; the German inscription reads: "The Unforgettable Lifesaver of 1200 Persecuted Jews".

In 1962, he was declared a Righteous Gentile by Yad Vashem, Israel's official agency for remembering the Holocaust. According to his wishes, he was buried in Israel at the Catholic cemetery on Mount Zion."

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Yesterday:

Misty and I went to pick up Jay, and had a walk down there.  While I was gone, Animal Control picked up the trap with the two feral cats.  My yard was in great need of mowing, and Jay likes to mow.  It took him a while as the grass was very long from all the recent intermittent rains. I think it would have been too much for Ray's bad back.  But because of that rain the burn ban was lifted, so we finally got rid of some of the pile of brush and pine needles.  Then I took Jay home and stopped at the mail box to pick up the mail.

Meanwhile, Ray was inside vacuuming ceiling fans and reloading the air cleaner filters with AC filters cut to size.  Much cheaper than buying the new cartridges for the air cleaners. The carbon part can be bought separately, so I have a stock of that.  I was trying to keep Ray and Jay apart, because they just haven't been getting along since  Jay caused all that trouble up here when he was drunk a while back.  

Medicare had asked me to scan and fax some documents to their office.   That's when I found out about more programs which are different on this computer.  It took me a while to get that sorted out, but I got it done. I don't fax very often, so I don't need a fax machine any more and just use a free fax site, http://faxzero.com/ on my computer.

The afternoon was spent going through all the mail, recycling all the ads, and shredding all the junk.  I only go to the mail box about every two weeks.

It's turning chillier at night, and I had to put the winter bedspread back on my bed.  Another 'windows and doors open' day.

Bluebirds. "Best Laid Plans…" Kittens. Cargo Trailer Shelf Cabinet.

For "Winged Wednesday", let's look at the different beautiful bluebirds:

Western Bluebird Reintroduction, they fly the birds there!

"American Bird Conservation (http://www.abcbirds.org)/ and a coalition of partners are working to reintroduce Western Bluebirds to the San Juan Islands in Washington State. The project is off to a great start with nesting pairs returning to the island. See www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/stories/081208.html for more details."

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Male Eastern Bluebird
"Wally the Eastern Bluebird eats a mealworm, then takes one back to his babies. He and his mate Nora are among the many birds that frequent our feeding station this 2009 season. A couple of days after this video was taken, Wally brought two fledglings nearby, and carried mealworms to them, like the good daddy he is."   Video July 7, 2009

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More Eastern Bluebirds:

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Attracting Mountain Bluebirds
"To attract mountain bluebirds, place bird house boxes in large expanses of land or large farms that are between 5,000 and 10,000 feet in elevation. Attract the mountain variety of bluebird with information from an active Audubon member in this free video on bluebirds".

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How to attract bluebirds to your backyard to eat and to raise their families using mealworms:

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Now, for an ugly bird:

California Condor


"The California Condor is North America's largest flying bird, with an impressive wingspan of over nine feet and a weight of over 20 pounds. Condors are long-lived birds; they can survive up to 60 years in the wild. They become sexually mature at six or seven years of age, and lay only one egg per year.

By 1987, habitat degradation, poisoning, and shooting had almost extirpated the California Condor in the wild, and so the 22 individuals remaining were captured for captive breeding programs. These programs were successful, and brought the California Condor back from the brink of extinction; condors are now being reintroduced into the wild each year. Unfortunately, lead poisoning, mostly from spent ammunition, continues to be a major threat to these reintroduced populations.

Besides lead poisoning, condors are at risk from collisions with power lines. Ravens and Golden Eagles can also pose a threat to eggs and nestlings respectively. Reintroduced populations are still dependent on human intervention for their continued survival."
Learn more about ABC's efforts to prevent lead poisoning of condors and other birds and support our efforts
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Yesterday, I said it too soon, " Nothing going on today".

I wanted to have a quiet day just trying to get some rest and relaxation, but it didn't work out that way.  "Best laid plans of mice and men...."

Ray showed up, unexpectedly, and we did some caulking in the cargo trailer,  I  helped him because his back was hurting.  We also repaired the dead bolt lock on the front door of the trailer. We had to drill new holes for the screws, and move the striker plate down.  Now, at least, someone can lock themselves in.

The cable for internet and TV went out in the morning.  I called them, but just got a recording saying that a wide spread area was out. So I went about vacuuming, sanitizing litter boxes, washing critter blankies, and other laundry, etc.    The animals knew something was different, as it was so quiet.

Misty had managed to get through the maze to Bobcat's box, and left litter crumbs at the entrance.  That upset Bobcat, so she went back to the old litter box place and poopied there.   She is 15 years old, so I gave in, sanitized everything, and moved it back to the old place where Misty can't get at it.  It means more work for me there, but less than the new place is causing.  So Dizzy-Dick was right, you can't fool clever old Misty!

Two of the orphan kittens are eating me out of house and home, so I have to replenish their canned kitten food bowl often.  But the third kitten, Pebbles, not the puny one, still won't eat, she just wants her bottle.  So I have to drop everything and bottle feed her, while the other two eat by themselves.  I have tried putting some canned food on her tongue and she will swallow it, but then refuses it, so I have to make her a bottle.  I add some kitty vitamins with taurine, to help her along.  I hope she 'grows up' soon.  Precious, the puny one, refuses a bottle, she says " I am a big girl, now"!

Still no TV or cable after several hours, so I moved some furniture to get to a splice in a phone line, added a two-way, and got my old laptop on 'dial-up'.  At least it has a 'phone hole'.  So does my desktop, which is a faster computer, but I couldn't make the dial-up work on it, even after removing my printer/fax from the equation.  I think it is something to do with another phone splice that is behind some furniture that I couldn't move.  When we designed this house, a computer area wasn't even a thought, so the phone lines aren't in the right place in that room.  That laptop hadn't been used for a while, so it spent all it resources updating, so the dial-up was so slow that I just gave up.  I don't know how I managed to use dial-up for two years before we got cable.

Finally, about 7.00PM the cable and TV came back on.  So much for a day of R & R!
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Today:

Ray is at the doctor's, and so Jay I made more areas for him to paint when he returns tomorrow.

We installed the insulation and paneling in the next little full length cabinet by the front door.  This is not a very deep space, only about 12", so it couldn't be used as part of the closet.
We didn't have any left over paneling long enough with the pattern going the right way, so used the cut-offs from the walls, matched the pattern up very carefully, and installed each section. 
This cabinet will have a door, but will have drawers and shelves inside, so we can match up the shelves with the splices, so they won't show. 




Then we cut the stiles and rails for it, so that Ray can prime and paint them.

It started out very humid, warm and muggy, so we expected some welcome rain, but it didn't happen, today.

Food Expiration Dates. Ah, Back To My Own Bed

What do they really mean?

(Photo: Getty Images)

"Are you one of those people who pour the milk down the drain on the expiration date?

Expiration dates on food products can protect consumer health, but those dates are really more about quality than safety, and if not properly understood, they can also encourage consumers to discard food that is perfectly safe to eat.

A recent poll of more than 2,000 adults showed that most of us discard food we believe is unsafe to eat, which is a good thing, of course, but it is important that we understand what food expiration dates mean before we dump our food -- and our money -- down the drain or into the garbage. On average, in the U.S. we waste about 14% of the food we buy each year. The average American family of four throws out around $600 worth of groceries every year. 

 

Which five foods are most often feared as being unsafe after the printed date? According to ShelfLifeAdvice.com, we are most wary of milk, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, yogurt, and eggs, and the site offers these helpful explanations:

• Milk: If properly refrigerated, milk will remain safe, nutritious, and tasty for about a week after the sell-by date and will probably be safe to drink longer than that, though there’s a decline in nutritional value and taste.

• Cottage cheese: Pasteurized cottage cheese lasts for 10-14 days after the date on the carton.

• Mayonnaise: Unopened, refrigerated Kraft mayonnaise can be kept for 30 days after its expiration date or 3-4 months after opening, the company told ShelfLifeAdvice.

• Yogurt: Yogurt will remain good 7-10 days after its sell-by date.

• Eggs: Properly refrigerated eggs should last at least 3-5 weeks after the sell-by date, according to Professor Joe Regenstein, a food scientist at Cornell University. Note: Use of either a sell-by or expiration (EXP) date is not federally required, but may be state required, as defined by the egg laws in the state where the eggs are marketed.

The “Use-By” Date

The “use-by” or “best if used-by” date indicates the last day that the item is at its best quality as far as taste, texture, appearance, odor, and nutritional value. The decline after that is gradual. The use-by date refers to product that has not yet been opened.

The “Sell By” Date

The “sell by” date is not really a matter of food safety, but a notice to stores that the product should be taken off the shelf because it will begin to decline in quality after that date."

More at: http://green.yahoo.com/blog/care2/54/food-expiration-dates-what-do-they-really-mean.html

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Today:

Ah!  Bliss!  Back to my own bed, all made up and comfy again, so I got a good night's sleep.   We all love our own beds, hence so many RVers!

 

Ray and I did quite a few jobs today.   He finished mowing and weed eating, and he put another coat of paint on the back door, but we have decided that there is something wrong with the paint.  So I have to buy more.

 

The wireless doorbell wouldn't work, again.  Yesterday when I put new 'D' batteries in the base unit, it worked for a while.    We put another new little battery in the push button part, even though the one in there tested good, and have it working again, but I don't know for how long.  I could buy a new bell, but it took such a long time to find one that didn't interact with the two-way radios going by on the busy road behind me.

 

My phone had been acting up for a couple of days.  If someone called, it would just sound like repetitive little chirps.  The answering machine wouldn't come on, so I thought it must have gone bad.  No, it hadn't, I disconnected that, and it still chirped.  We went to the outside box and sprayed all the connections with contact cleaner.  No, that's not it.  We came inside, sprayed and checked each phone in the house.  We used Ray's cell to check them, as he has more minutes than I do on my $20 a month Senior plan.  

Finally, I took my printer/fax off that phone line, and that fixed it.  I used to have two phone lines coming in here, but the fax hasn't worked since I disconnected the second line.  It was handy to use dial-up when the unstable cable went out, and still have my house phone working.   The cable company says they have all the glitches repaired now, so I had it disconnected.

 

Now that Jim, the mechanic/welder has been so slow working on the cargo/stealth trailer, due to his bad knee, it can't be returned to the side lot for now. 

 

Pamala and Nigel, my sister-in-law and brother from England, have already left the Niagara Falls area.  Here is Pamala in the cabover camper they bought for this "Trip of a Lifetime". 

They should be heading to Chicago to pick up the east end of Rte 66, and arriving here in about a week. 

They will have to park at my other Full Hook-Up beside the workshop, as their rig is too tall to go in my RVport.  Probably just as well, it will be next to the tools and Nigel wants to work on his rig here, before they ship it to England.

We had marked with blocks where Jim was supposed to put the trailer on the side lot where it would be away from the power lines, so we can get up on the roof and check out the AC.

 

Now, the trailer will have to be parked in front of the workshop, so we put the blocks away today.

RV FIRE Tips. Just Cleaning. FAX.

"As you sit around the campfire with other RVers, you'll hear plenty of discussions on the "do's and don'ts" of RVing. Some of the most heated discussions center on whether or not to leave pilot lights lit when driving or towing your RV down the road. We've commented on this topic before. One thing we hope most RVers can agree on is this:
"ALWAYS shut off your pilot lights or any automatic lighting systems for propane appliances before you refuel--for any sort of fuel. "

"The owner, and Indiana man, inserted the gas hose nozzle in his tank, and when the pump started off, the force of the fuel flow blew the nozzle back out of the tank. Unfortunately, the nozzle was stuck in the full open position, blasting gasoline onto the concrete apron and under this Class B motorhome.
The man speculates that a pilot light, still turned on in his rig, gave the gas vapor an ignition point. While his wife and dog were able to bail out of the rig and save their lives, the rig and their possessions where a total loss."   Source: http://www.dailycomet.com/
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Fire Safety Tip from Mac McCoy:      Tires and Brakes.
Tires and brakes are the culprit in almost 20 percent of fires. A dragging brake can create enough friction to ignite a tire or brake fluid. Some of the worst fires are those caused when one tire of a dual or tandem pair goes flat and then scuffs and ignites, long before the driver feels any change in handling.

At each stop, give your tires at least an eyeball check. Remember a pressure gauge reading on hot tires isn’t accurate.  Tap duals with a club and listen for a difference in sound; you can often tell if one is going soft."
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Another Fire Safety Tip from Mac McCoy:     Shake It!

Invert and shake your dry-powder or dry-chemical extinguisher monthly to loosen the powder. The jarring of the coach does not loosen the powder; in fact, it packs the powder, which may make your extinguisher ineffective.
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Another good and important  read: http://rvnow.rvtravel.com/2010/04/handling-kitchen-oil-fire-in-your-rv.html
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Knowing these facts can save lives:
Mac sells the foam fire extinguishers, which are far superior to the regular ones. "That's why I recommend the NEW foam/wetting agent and/or the NEW wetting agent fire extinguishers. These NEW extinguishers are the extinguishers of the future."
Also:   http://www.macthefireguy.com/34_fire_facts_that_can_save_your.htm
Mac The Fire Guy's site: http://www.macthefireguy.com/
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Yesterday:


 Jay and I cleaned up all the pine needles from the yard, and the ones he swept off the roof from the day before, and burned them.

We also cleaned the siding on the front of the house by the front door, the entrance porch and steps.  The little red, white and blue bouquet has been on my door since 9/11.

There is usually blue indoor outdoor carpet on the steps and triangular deck, but we took it off to scrub the deck boards.  The "Wipe Your Paws" mat does a good job, but the blue carpet sure stops a lot of dirt from tracking in.


The screen porch siding got a wash, too. 
My little Red Maple tree planted to give shade to the house, (eventually), is growing. 
Last year it would give shade to one lizard, I think we are up to three lizards, now!

This morning:

Ray and I vacuumed AC filters, ceiling fans, and put new 'stuffing' in the 3 air cleaners.  We make our own stuffing from AC filters, instead of buying the ready made filters.  About three times a year we renew the carbon filters in them, too, as  you can buy sheets of it.

While we were vacuuming the back of my PC, we undid the extra phone line that I had disconnected, and hooked it up to my main land line.  The line goes to the HP All-In-One first, then back to the PC.  I put a splitter in the phone line going to the PC, and the laptop, so I won't have to switch the line from one to the other.  Getting under my desk and fiddling with anything on the back of the PC is a PITA, and knees!  Especially when the power is out.

As I am on Broadband, I only use dial-up when the cable and/or power is out, so the extra phone line was superfluous.  The phone company assured me that I can still get, and receive faxes, if I am not on the phone.

If you don't have a fax machine handy and you fax often, it might be easier to pay http://faxzero.com/  and fax through email.

I am debating whether to get an Auto Alert, http://www.bomara.com/cps/aa.htm  but unless we have another major hurricane knock out the power for a few days, I wouldn't need it.   But if we did, I would really need it.  Anyone have one of those?  I can recharge my laptop in my RV.  
I have a new Emerson Switchboard, but never used it, as it has such terrible reviews.

I think Spring passed us by, as it feels like Summer today.

RVs vs. Buses. FREE Fax.

And you wondered why I full timed in converted buses? 50 second video:
http://www.rvvideos.com/2010/01/see-how-easily-travel-trailer-can-fall.html

Here is a 6 minute video about a converted school bus:   http://www.rvvideos.com/2010/01/school-bus-converted-to-motorhome-is.html
He shows the differences in the construction.

Even when this bus was righted, it was still all in one piece.

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Send a fax FREE to anywhere in the U.S. and Canada, through the Internet:

     http://faxzero.com/

• 
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• 
  Ad on the cover page
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  Fax 1 document - maximum 3 pages                                                                         Just the Fax!
• Maximum 2 free faxes per day.

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Premium Fax:

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• 
  Fax 1 document - max 15 pages
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I thought this might be useful to know if you are on the road with just your laptop, or your fax won’t work. 

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Do you need a new shredder?  A 2.23 minute video of a new one out: http://www.ssiworld.com/watch/the_monster.htm

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I wasn’t ready when Ray arrived to work this morning.   My daughter and I had been talking on the phone, and then we tried out my new Skype equipment.  She has Skype too, as that is what our family in England uses.   It worked great.

Today Ray and I re-did the screen on my patio door that goes onto the screen porch.  ‘Patches’ had found a weak spot at the bottom and pushed the screen loose.  ‘Pretty’ the headstrong Siamese, had originally done that.  After it had been securely tucked back in again, with a splining tool, we cut some 1/2” x 1/2” metal mesh and carefully folded over the edges so there wouldn't be any sharp bits, and screwed it to the outside frame.  She won’t be able to do that again.

When I got my RV, my late DH and I did the same thing to that screen door, so that when we traveled with the cats, they couldn’t push out the screen, and get out.

Then we took Ray’s patio door panels out.  First, you remove the fixed one, that is just a few screws, then you can lift up on the slider, and pull it out.  We needed to see what was causing one of the wheels to make a screeching noise.  It has been greased with many products, to no avail.  I had to take a picture of how that wheel assembly looks, as I can’t leave the door off.  Each brand is slightly different, and there are 126 different ones!   http://www.swisco.com/cl/Patio-Glass-Door-Single-Wheel-Rollers   I am just going to buy new wheels for it, as I think they are ‘plum wore out’! 

I bought that door, used, in 1990, so it has been around a few days.