150527 Flash Floods

My sister called me because I hadn't called her. It didn't occur to me that the national news would say that all of Texas had washed away. No, just half of it...

My dad had no flooding, but this was a bridge near where he lives. Yes, that on the left is what's left of the road which was forced off of its moorings on the right.

This is Houston. The water rose faster than these people could get off the street.

 This was taken AFTER the waters receded a bit:

Again, after waters receded. The blue thing is a couch in a tree above people's heads.

Downtown Austin was a lake.

 This was a house. Houses in Wimberley look like this today:

My family is safe and dry. We live above the flood plain for the Medina River. Every year, it floods somewhere in Texas, but usually, the flood is small or affects only unpopulated areas. San Antonio was hit so often, that the city built an underground river system, starting in 1937. WE don't have many pictures like this because of it. We do have some stories. I have one from Saturday.

While driving home Saturday afternoon, the rain stopped. The road had puddles, but otherwise seemed clear. Several of us traveled the speed limit on a five lane road when suddenly, water appeared all around! Culebra Creek was hidden behind businesses, houses, and trees to my left. The water reached my bumper before I knew that water was on the road! The two cars to my right stalled out and drifted. The truck to my left slowed to a stop. I prayed for God to keep my little car moving forward, and I applied the gas. After I passed the new lake, the police put up barricades. To God be the glory, because my car could have been a statistic.

Someone expressed it accurately. Texas has two kinds of weather: drought or flood. Earlier this month, we were laboring under a multi-year drought. Now, we aren't.

150419 Obvious Anniversary -- For Some

So, yeah, it's an infamous anniversary, but no comment.

Instead, let me tell you about this TV show I started watching. It took four or five episodes to find out what the real story was. That might just be Russian character. They are big on hiding the real agenda. That was true in Czarist Russia, the Soviet Era, and today. Why do I like the language? OK, it sounds cool, but I have no desire to live under any form of government that they ever tried to inflict on their citizens. They also have some nice scenery, but yada, yada, yada...

While the English title is, "The Day After," that's not what it says in Russian. As near as I can figure, it says, "Ran After" or "To Run After" or something like that. There is a lot of running involved. Half of Moscow is dead, and the larger portions of those not dead are undead. Only twelve people are neither dead nor undead. I'm guessing that this show would be a lot less interesting if it were in English and filmed in places with which I am familiar. Meanwhile, I'm hearing native speakers converse, (or scream as the case may be), in a language I wish to learn better. :D

Testimonial: Plantar Faciitis

I had this. It is frustrating and disheartening, but this woman solved it with a similar method. :)

Planter Faciitis

150404 Resurrection

04 April 2015 Yesterday, I ate non-standard fare, because I went to visit my dad. I have already forgotten most of it, so I won't record. We ate out at a Mexican restaurant, but their fajita salad was just a salad without a taco shell. They put the little tortilla chips on top, so I removed them as I would croutons. The fajita cooked chicken was spiced well, and the sliced avocado was perfectly decadent. It was an almost perfect Atkins meal! Next time, I may bring, or ask for, an ounce of olive oil as a dressing. Other than that, I had an Atkins shake and some pork rinds and other 'legal' food. I totally forgot how other people view Holy Week. People before me have done research. I've followed their research, and searched it myself, so I offer these verses: Romans 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Rom 14:5 "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." Tradition likes to say that somehow God squeezed 72 hours between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. I've known of this time conundrum most of my life, and finally found the solution about thirty years ago. For instance, last year, Passover (High Sabbath) started Wednesday at sunset. The regular weekly Sabbath ended Saturday at sunset. 72 hours. Hebrew days start and end at sunset, not sunrise. Therefore, I don't celebrate "Good" Friday. (What was good about torture and death?) This bothers family and friends because they don't like the 500 page refutation, which is backed by scripture and legitimate research. Instead of subscribing to tradition, I rejoice at the Resurrection. He is risen. He is risen indeed.

150325 Odor Remover

Homemade Febreze-like smell remover:

A clean, empty spray bottle
1 tablespoon baking soda
2 cups distilled water
5-10 drops essential oil (Example: lemon, orange, Thieves, Christmas Spirit, Purification* etc.)

Measure the baking soda into a bowl and add the essential oil on top.

Using a fork, mix the oil into the baking soda to help keep the oil suspended in the water.

Put the baking soda/oil mixture into the spray bottle and top off with the distilled water. Shake before use.

*If you have pets, then Purification has the added benefit of killing fleas and ticks. :)

150325 Facebook Won't Load

Maybe that's a good thing. I spend too much time with it anyway. It was how I kept up with politics, but God knows more of what is going on. He knows what's going to happen tomorrow, so He can tell me. The Bible is relevant today, because the nature of humans has not changed. We are the same as the first man, if not dumber.

So, here's some ancient wisdom:

Proverbs 15:1,2
"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
"The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness."

Kind of reminds a person of politics today. Happy Wednesday!

150320 Essential Oil "Morphine Bomb"

No, there are no opiates in it. For the last few days, I felt like seeping garbage. I probably smell funny, too. A week or so ago, I bragged that I hadn't had so much as a cold for years, and guess what? I have a cold, or a flu, or the creeping crud. I am feeling like nine-day-old vomit that the dog won't touch. Why is it that a cold feels so much worse than a near-death experience?

Last week, a friend asked me about the "Morphine Bomb". It was all over Facebook for awhile. Essential oil people claim that it alleviates pain. I made one for Moon, and she said her migraine left. Then that Mack Truck hit me...

I was laying in bed wondering if I could possibly feel any worse when I realized that the oils I used on Moon were still on the counter.

Five drops each into a gelatin capsule makes a pain-killing combo that also makes me happy. I wonder if this stuff is addictive? My sinus cavities are still stuffed and draining out the back, so my throat is still scratchy, but the pain is gone. Did I mention that it also made me happy?

It's not cheap; it costs about $5 a dose, but compared to chemical meds, it's a bargain! These three bottles together cost $240.00 and make about 50 capsules. In come cases, money CAN buy happiness. In additions to certain other properties, Frankincense is a mood lifter. ;)

Find these and other oils under "Product Line"