Home again, home again, jiggity jig

November 30, 2006  (unedited from the email I sent to several of my friends.)

What an amazing trip!  This will be long! 

Some of you are aware that I was quite nervous about going on a last second cruise by myself.  Like God couldn't take care of me, or something!!  Really, the concern was finding someone to talk to (a necessary thing, don't you know!) and hang out with for 4 days.  God is good.

Let me start with getting sick the first night.  Well, several people actually got SICK, I just felt like it.  The sea was a little rough.  Come morning, things were much better.  There is a pressure point in the crease of the wrist, which, when pressed hard enough and long enough, will relieve motion sickness.  Works fairly well.

Dinner the first night was nearly uneventful compared to the last 3.  There were 3 men, 2 women, all traveling alone.  Then Joan arrived.  She took over the table, requiring all of us to introduce ourselves.  She ended up running the conversation (can you imagine, it wasn't me!) for most of the rest of the trip, which wasn't so bad.  Cheryl and Greg, both in their 30's and partyers, spent a lot of time together.  Bob, Joan and I kept up our end of the chatter.  The other gentleman was an eldery very soft-spoken Peurto Rican who didn't really have much to say, or not that we could tell.  Of course, with 3 chatty women, who would have been able to hear him, anyway!

Monday night the waitstaff sang "O Solo Mio", none of them being Italian.  Tuesday night they danced around the dining room, along with several of the guests.  Gerry, the head waiter for our section, dressed up like Batman.  He was a hoot!  Wednesday night Gerry ala Michael Jackson showed up while the rest of the staff was doing something equally noisy and fun - seems they sang and choreographed "Pretty Woman".  Perhaps Greg, the 30 something gentleman, will send pictures of Michael Jackson.

The first day, Sunday, was at sea.  Can't remember what on earth I did that day.  Nothing memorable.  Monday we stopped in Freeport Bahamas.  The port isn't very close to 'downtown', which looked more residential than business.  There were several government buildings of more than one story, but everything else was low, old, very colorful (my favorite part about the islands).  Then the tour took us to the beach and resort area.  Night and day.  On the way we saw lots of houses that would have fit in just about any coastal town subdivision in the south.  Again, the colors were wonderful!  Mostly warm medium shades of green, coral, pink, yellow.  A few smurf blue shades.  Most had various colored tile roofs, with a few metal ones that replaced the hurricane-damaged tile.  Lots of fruit trees.  Several damaged houses that appear to have been abandoned.

The resort was - a resort.  The standard complement of Gucci, Cartier, etc, shops.  On the way back from the beach, having a few minutes to spend before Charlene and I (lawyer from Regina, SK, Canada who said several times to my comments "I was just thinking that!")  headed back to the bus, we stopped in a jewelry store.  There was a beautiful blue topaz/peridot necklace and matching earrings for $500.  I'm sure the price was decent, as the stones weren't small.  However, the thought crossed through my mind "how many Bible could you buy with that much money?"  I didn't buy the jewelry.

Ah, Nassau!!  This could take a while. 

My tour wasn't one that was operated or contracted by Celebrity Cruise Lines.  I was the only one from the boat to take that particular tour.  There was an 84-year old taxi driver waiting to pick me up.  His baseball cap said "Jesus is my Boss".  Of course we got to talking about salvation and other good conversation along that line.  I told him about the John/Romans I planned to deliver after returning from the tour.  He said he knew the church and would take me there. 

The taxi stand is no longer beside the boat.  Since 9-11 there is now a coast guard cutter with 50 cal. in the pier area, and the passengers must walk about 1/4 mile to the shopping area that is behind a fence.  It's accessible to the local public on foot, but not by vehicle. 

From the taxi stand Leroy (the old taxi driver) took me through very narrow and congested streets to the tour bus - a van.  There were 5 of us in all.  The driver was a preacher.  Reminded me somewhat of James Earl Jones.  As we were running late, there wasn't much sightseeing until we got to Paradise Island.  A wrap-around aquarium was very nice.  There were the standard yachts, brightly colored condos, and the Atlantis resort.  There is a walkway connecting two buildings, which look like a castle.  Above the walkway is a suite that rents for a paltry $25,000 a night - with a 4 night minimum!!!!  Now, let me ask you, "How many Bibles could you buy with THAT much money"!!??

Upon returning to the taxi stand, James Earl Jones made sure I found Leroy, who then took me to Calvary Hatian Baptist Church.  He made sure that Marcelyn (the church secretary) was a respectable fellow, and was willing to make sure I was taken care of.  Marcelyn called the preacher, who had just gone somewhere, knowing only that I was to arrive that day, but not when or how I would get there.  While we were waiting for the preacher to arrive, we had a tour of the building. 

They have recently more than doubled the size of their buiding.  It's a very nice addition.  Pastor Henri Cher-Aime said they have about 400-450 people attending services of a Sunday morning, including about 100 kids.  It's beyond my imagination to figure out how all those people would have fit in the original two-story building!  God has blessed them with a very nice place now.  Pastor Henri did mention a need for parking and a place for homeless people.  There is a building next door, but the price is $300K!!  A daunting number for a healthy American church with that many attendees, let alone one in the Bahamas! 

After Pastor Henri arrived, we went to the pier so I could retrieve the Bibles.  On the way back to the church, it was beyond me not to comment on the driving skills of the locals, not to mention that he was turning the wrong side of the street!  Well, according to our custom in the US.  You see, they drive on the left side of the road in the Bahamas.  So when he turned right from the left side of the road and stayed in the left-hand lane, it was for all the world like we should get run into any second!  He thought my reaction quite funny!  Even volunteered to let me drive 'when I come back'.  He and Marcelyn were certain that I should have stayed, and, failing that, I must return at my first opportunity.  To which I told them that I can come back anytime.  Just pray me down there!  They have need of many more bibles and tracts, which I would be happy to deliver any time God allows such a trip.

Pastor Henri had quite a time.  I took pictures of the building (that may or may not turn out, as the flash didn't appear to be working too well) and especially of the churchfolk with the J/R, to take back to church here.  That was easy.  The fun part came when he went to take his wife home before taking me back to the pier.  First his wife left her keys at home, since he had his.  But he didn't.  So we went to school to get the key from their son.  His key was home also.  Then the preacher discovered in the excitement of Bibles, picture taking and leave-taking he had left his cell phone at church.  Eventually, we left his wife at their tenants' and he called a relative who has a spare key.  Last I knew, they still hadn't gotten into the house.  It's been 2 days.  By now, one would hope!

God worked so many miracles in the arranging of that trip, it's a wonder to me!   Shirleen Godfrey (the widow of the founder of the work) tried to arrange things in her absence, but alas, that is not always possible.  (Sorry, Shirleen, I didn't get to call your daughter...)  My idea of how it would/could work was completely without knowledge, but God!  He worked things out to perfection!

Yesterday, I discovered my dinner companion Bob is a PK, and was interested in taking J/R with him on his travels to deliver to missionaries in the States once he knows where they are, and who needs what.  And there is a nice young lady from South Africa who works in the jewlery shop on the ship who expressed an interest in receiving them to distribute amongst the crew, who are almost all foreign - from India, Tunisia, Romania, Moldova, Italy, etc. (Yes, I did buy some jewlry - tanzanite necklace and earrings at a price that was amazingly cheap, considering.  Had I not, I wouldn't have met Ardi.   How many ways can one can justify spending money?)

So, all in all, the trip was a huge success!!!  Not only did God take care of my fears of going on my first vacation alone, he provided me with good Christian companionship, arranged transportation to deliver the Bibles, and set up 11 more contacts to spread the Gospel!  (Pastor Henri's church supports 7 Hatian churches and another one in Nassau.)

Missionary Mike Kelly said to me once when I commented that I'd be a missionary in a heartbeat if God would call me, but failing that love to take a missions trip, "You are already a missionary, and every trip can be a missions trip!"  How true!

When can I go again, Lord??!! 

The Book is at the publishers!

Just a short blurb.  (Funny.  Blurb.com is where my book "Come Home, A Prodigal Daughter's Story" is currently available.)

After much discussion and debate with myself - and a little with my husband - I decided to publish  the book with Xulon Press.  That will make it available on Amazon.com and any bookstore that is willing to order it for you.  It will also be available on Kindle.

The publishing date will be sometime before Christmas.  The title has been changed to "It's So Much Fun Watchin' God, Book One, The Prodigal". 

I plan on a series of books about Watchin' God, so it seemed good to start with this.  The next one will be . . . I don't know, maybe "Where have you been all these years?"  Or maybe "Lost - Again!"  (since I have several stories about being lost and the cool things God does under those circumstances.)  Or Maybe something about moving, since I've moved - 75 times!

But I'm taking a short break from the writing process.  No more books for a few months, at least.  Then there are hundreds of emails to scour for stories I've sent to friends over the years. 

Off to work on a table.  See ya later!

De-Cluttering by way of James 5:1-3

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen,

(There is an update at the bottom, so don't get too disgusted with the pictures that follow.)

As I was crusing facebook (when I should have been going to bed) I came across this 30-day De-Cluttering challenge from Sondra Lyn at home.

"One of the things he (James) addresses in this book is hoarding! Seriously, can you believe that? The Bible talks about hoarding?! Who knew??   
1Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. ² Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. - James 5:1-3

Guilty as charged!  Well, to be a little easy on myself, I am perfectly willing to give stuff away, so perhaps it's not as bad as all that, right??  Or not.  Giving it aways is one thing.  Throwing it away - that's difficult.  Donating it is okay.  EXCEPT that I MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE IT SOME DAY!!

Sound familiar?  

My 'craft room/office ' is undergoing a re-purposing, as I have collected a futon 'for guests'.  In my defense, we have had people stay with us for a few weeks at a time in the last 3 years, and the sleeping arrangements were less than desireable.  This will make it more comfortable in the event we have long term - or short term - guests.  Most of the boxes of pure D junk are sitting in the living room or have been moved to the basement.  I'm working on fixing a few pieces of furniture to make it easier to work in there.  But it's not going well or fast.  My husband has to walk around piles of boxes and unboxed junk to get to his favorite chair.  I cannot think straight for all the chaos.

So, I have officially signed up for the challenge with Sondra Lyn.    Join me.  Go to her blog to sign up!  Please remind me that I must get this cleaned up - this week would be good!!  I don't expect to have everything done in a week, but I need to be able to have the boxes put away and the stacks of stuff off flat surfaces.  (I just read the 30 day challenge day-by-day lisit.  I'm rushing the program quite a bit!)

Who's up for taking this challenge with me?   Who will post comments every so often to see how I'm doing?

UPDATE:  (The very next [whole] day!)   

  
The dining room table was too small, and on Monday we used this table frame for dinner in the craft room - the only room in the house that was large enough and clean enough to sit P, a guest, and me.  I liked it, so yesterday (the day after I took the pictures) one of the 2'x6' pieces of plywood originally intended to replace the door of the shed became the top of my new dining room table.  It's 50" long, since the frame is 48" long and I wanted a little overhang.  The frame is a little low, so I went downstairs to my stash of pieces and parts to find 2 boards that I could attatch to the bottom of the plywood.  Score.  

The picture - a piece of luaun that I had considered using on top of the plywood for a smoother surface, but it's a bit warped from sitting around too long.   In order to have something to hang the board with, I went outside to my stash of wood, and picked out slats from a defunct futon frame to staple to the back of the very thin plywood.  A short piece of picture-hanging wire is stapled to the top pice of wood.  The table cloth (picked up in Alaska on my trip this summer) is duct-taped to the back.  This 'picture' is a quick fix; I wanted to get something on the wall to take this picture.  I still need to figure out a good system to attach cloth to the frame and be able to change it out with the seasons.

 

Fiascos Followed by Faith

     In July P and his mother (Maa) and I planned to take a little vacation to Alaska.  P and I left at 6 a.m. and stopped in Phoenix for a 10 our layover to visit my youngest son J.  Maa was to follow at 4:30 p.m.   We would all then catch a plane at 7:45 p.m. and head up to Anchorage.
     Good plan, right?
      Turns out I had to go up a month early.  At least the price was right!  I picked up a one-way ticket the day before I left for $300!  (Check out www.cheapoair.com and buy the tickets as close to the date you want to leave as you can manage.  Check several different days, cuz just one day can make the difference.)  After 3 weeks I came home and flew back up with P and Maa.  I wanted to visit my son.

     Our flight out of Boston went off without a hitch.  We arrived in Phoenix and had a nice visit with J.   The weather was pretty nice: 115 degrees in the sunshine (cuz there wasn't any shade!  Did you know that the best parking spaces are not closest to the door?  They're the ones in the shade.)  For us, the 30% humidity was fantastic.  For the locals, it was sweltering and muggy.  Goes to show it's all a matter of perspective!

     We were advised to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before Maa's flight was to arrive, since the rush-hour traffic could be horrendous.  We took that advice.  The USO at the airport is very nice.  Tons of sugary snacks.  Computers.  TV room.  No bathroom.
     The trouble started when we looked up Maa's incoming flight. There was only a 45 minute layover, which wouldn't have been bad, considering the arrival and departure gates were fairly close.  Howsomever. . . her flight was about 30 minutes late.  We had no intention of following the admonition of the gate agents who insisted we would have to leave on our scheduled flight, since they wouldn't reschedule our flight without charging about $1500 for the privilege.  (That's a $200 per ticket change fee, and the difference between what we paid for our tickets and the going rack rate.)  Before her plane arrived Maa was already booked on another flight at 7 a.m.
     Would YOU leave your 82 year old mother to fend for herself over night in a strange airport??  Yeah, well, neither did we.  As her (now 1 hour late) flight was arriving I went over to the service desk to see if we could all get on the same flight the next morning.  There was an agent at the desk I had not talked to.  I explained the situation to her (minus the part about having to pay for a ticket change).  She looked up the flight the next morning and said there would be no problem getting us all on that flight.  "Wait!  How about the same flight number, just tomorrow night?"   "Let me look", she said.  "Yes, I can get you all on that flight."  YAY!!  Thanks Lord!!  And no mention of charging us for the privilege, either.  Double YAY!!  Thanks Lord!!
     I called the hotel we were to have stayed at in Anchorage and released our room.  They didn't charge us.  I'm sure it was rented before long.  There was an air show in town, and the room was on the Air Force Base.  I also called the Anchorage car rental agency to cancel our car, since we wouldn't be able to pick it up on schedule.  I'm equally certain it was rented without any trouble.  Someone was thrilled to find it.  Daddy, who works for a car rental agency, said we would have been lucky that the car was actually on the lot in the first place!
     We headed over to the Raddison Inn and paid a grand total of $75 for a double room, compliments of the discount from the airlines.  The next morning we rented another car and planned to head down toward Tuscon.  Maa had friends there.  We were treated to a very tasty lunch and good company, and then we headed back up to the airport. 
     The next thing to take care of was a hotel room in Anchorage when we arrived at 12:45 a.m.  I looked on Hotels.com and found - - - 3 rooms in all of Anchorage: $215 per night, $425 and $35 per person.  The last was at a hostel.  The room had 2 bunkbeds, and specifically said 'NOT CO-ED'.  I was hoping maybe they'd let it slide if we bought all 4 beds because we were a family.  The agent from Hotels.com assured us it would be okay.  I booked the room, thankful we didn't have to spend a minimum of $215 to sleep for 6 hours.  Thanks again, Lord.
     I wish I had a picture of the next fisaco.  There is a picture of the car that was purchased a few weeks earlier on that impromptu trip to Fairbanks. The thing that worried me a bit was the transmission - it didn't like reverse too well.  It's a 5-speed manual.  To find reverse you have to put it in 5th first and drop it straight down into reverse.  So my mechanic friend discovered after I left to go back to Boston for a week.  I never had had any luck with reverse.  She's not too pretty, and only 2 doors, but at 44 mpg I'd have P drive, and I'd ride in the back seat if necessary!

     Except the friend who was keeping it for me between trips and was delivering it to the airport left me a text message:  Wiper motor broke.  Torrential rains.  Can't deliver tonight.  Will tomorrow work?  . .  Uh. . . no.  We had a 5 hour trip to Healy and needed to be there by 6 pm, and he wouldn't be able to deliver it before 7 pm.
     Okay Lord.  No point in worrying about it tonight, says I to myself and anyone listening.  "Let's head over to the hotel and get some sleep and worry about the car in the morning."
     It was a nice thought, ya know??  But there was no room at the Inn.  Seems the confirmation number was there, but the reservation never made it to their system.  Several someones were sound asleep in our beds.
     Sounds like a combo of the biblical 'no room at the Inn' and Goldilocks, doesn't it??
     No point in raisin' Cain.  If there were no beds, there were no beds.  Back to the airport in the rain (and a second $25 taxi ride).  At least it was safe and dry.  $50 to sleep on the benches at the airport. . .  (you know - the price of two taxi rides?)  But we found 3 benches together that were flat, instead of those concave seats with arm rests between each seat.  Thanks Lord!
     Maa got a few hours of sleep.  P and I did not.  About 5:30 P and I had come to the conclusion that we didn't trust the little blue car.  Back to Hotwire.com to look up cars.  You remember those '3 hotel rooms'?  There were 3 cars to match.  The cheapest one was $150 a day.  Plus all the other stuff they tack on to that daily rate, like additional drivers and insurance.  Lord, this isn't going to work.  We can't afford that.         
     Light bulb!  Try my other favorite website, Cheapoair.com.  And right there, in front of God and everybody, was also 3 cars - but the first one was only $51 a day!!  Quick!  Hit the 'select' button!!  Conveniently, I am automatically signed in to that site.  I quick went down to the car rental place at the airport - where the car was supposedly located - to see if they had the confirmation and the car.  Not trusting such easy reservations after the Inn fiasco.  They did!  And the agent asked me how I got such a good deal, because that particular car goes for $200 a day!!  Yes, indeed!  God was working overtime!  THANKS LORD!! I said out loud to everyone in range of my voice.
(UPDATE!  I just stumbled upon that website where I found the car.  It wasn't CheapoAir after all, but Cheapair!  I must have selected the wrong site from the list of options on my tablet.  But God knew where to send me!!  Amazing!)
     We picked up the car and headed up to Healy for a town reunion.  On the way up it crossed my mind to check our reservations.  No idea why I would think of that. . . .  Originally, I had booked 2 cabins for Friday night, one for us and one for my parents, but that got changed, so I rearranged the reservation to 1 cabin for Friday and Saturday night.  At least that's what they guy said he did. . .  Are you surprised yet??  Two cabins, Friday night.  I calmly explained what I had done with the reservations, and asked if they had anything available on Saturday night.  "No?  Okay.  You'll refund the money for the extra cabin?  Thanks!  I appreciate it."   Just that calmly, honest.
 

     The next morning P was talking to an Amish couple who had been told the night before that there were no available cabins - and then suddenly there was!  Isn't that just like God??
     For Saturday night we had no idea where we would sleep.  On the way to the reunion picnic we passed Faith Hill Lodge out in the middle of nowhere. The price was more than we wanted to pay, so P said he'd think about it.  The owner said to make him an offer.  P did, it was accepted, and we slept in the largest room of the whole trip!  (Not including the 3-bedroom townhouse we had for 3 days down in Anchorage at the end of the trip.)
     Now, tell me - was that a bunch of work on God's part or what?!  Don't you just love a good Watchin' God  story?!


    

Elusive Parts

Watchin’ God – Lord, I’m Lost – Again!

Elusive Parts

Prelude

Once long ago I owned a 1987 Plymouth Colt E.  At one point it needed the engine bearings redone.  No problem, it just required money.  So we thought. 

A few days after the Colt was in the shop the mechanic called.  It would be a few more days, and by the way, would I be willing to drive the 2.5 hour RT to pick up the parts.  Seems the bearings didn't fit. 

Turned out that the external parts of the car were for a 1987 model, but the interior engine parts were for the 1986 model.  The date of manufacture was August 1986 – just one month short of the model year change in September.  What you see is not always what you get, evidently.

Loved the car.  Wish I had another one. 

Fast forward 15 years.

Chapter 1

A chance discovery of old photographs prompted the search for a friend of long ago.  That’s a whole other story! 

The gentleman in question (PR) happened to mention that he was looking for an elusive part to his car.  He was in Boston, I in South Georgia.  He and his mechanic had both tried to find the part, with no success.  Since it was necessary to fix the car in order for it to pass inspection and be roadworthy, I attempted to locate the part, calling all over the country.  I did locate one in Jacksonville, FL, but for some reason we didn’t acquire it.  In retrospect, $100 for the whole assembly when only a small part was necessary would have seemed a good deal.  But alas, it didn’t happen.  Not to worry – there was a few months grace before it had to be fixed.

When PR and I were married, I moved up from South Georgia to the suburbs of Boston.  The traffic was horrendous, as far as I was concerned.  Not to mention that the streets where we lived are narrow and congested.  Our street was a narrow two-lane, with parking on one side.  The duplex parking only allowed us one off-street space, so I’d have to parallel park – not my forte`.  My car was donated to my youngest son, as I had no intention of driving (or trying to park!) at my new home. 

It was literally 6 months before I would drive south of I-95.  When I had a doctor’s appointment 3 miles from work through a nice quiet suburban area I went to work with PR and then drove around north of I-95 all day.  Sometimes I’d go shopping or perhaps hang out at a library until it was time to go home.  Sometimes a visit to PR’s parents was on the agenda, rarely planned in advance.  And sometimes I’d just drive around and get lost.

One day I started to make an impromptu and unannounced visit with my in-laws after dropping PR off at work.  For some reason I took exit 37 off 495, and turned out to be. . . lost. 

It's always fun to get lost.  There's usually a reason or someone whom God wants me to give a tract.  So I kept an eye out that day for what could be the reason.  When I saw a “carpet remnant sale” sign it seemed like a good place to stop, since we were in the market for a piece of carpet.  I figured God was working down my shopping list.

Don't ask me how I missed the carpet place.  The back warehouse bay door was open, with carpet rolls all over the racks lining the walls.  But I didn't notice it...  Instead I talked to the group of guys outside the bay at a machine shop next door to the carpet place.  There were also 4 old solid-wood kitchen chairs stacked outside a dumpster.  It would be good to ask the guys if they were free for the taking.  For a confirmed junker, that’s an invitation to stop even if I hadn’t been lost!

Never being the shy one at an impromptu meeting, I parked the car and walked over to the group of guys. 

“Hi!  Can you help me?  I’m lost.  Well, actually I'm saved, but I don't know where the carpet store is.”  

They got a kick out of me not being able to find the warehouse door immediately to the left of their shop.  In the course of conversation, I mentioned stopping because we needed a small piece of carpet.  Pointing out the chairs, I said I'd love to have them, too, but didn't really need them.  One of the guys said they were fair game, since they had been sitting beside that dumpster for 3 weeks.

I tried to get all four chairs in the car.  It could have been done, except we had a rider that day who took up a spot in the back seat.  I did take 2 of them, though, and said I'd be back the next week or so to pick up the rest if they were still there, then went next door to look at carpet. 

The carpet guy, Matthew, was nice and showed me what he had, albeit not much in the line of what I wanted.  In the end he gave me a small remnant left over from a stairway project.  I thanked him kindly and gave him a Chick tract.  After all, what’s the point in being lost if you can’t spread a little gospel seed?

I think the tract was “Somebody Angry?”, which chronicles the relationship between a country’s negative relationship with modern-day Israel and political or physical problems - plagues, destruction, political demise, etc.  In the case of America, every time we go against Israel it seems we have suffered at the hands of either our enemies (the bombing of the USS Cole, the Embassy, 9-11), or at the hand of God (Hurricane Katrina, severe and damaging weather in unexpected places, etc).  http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1055/1055_01.asp

Never did make it to visit my in-laws that day.  And they were none the wiser.

The next weekend PR and I stopped to pick up the chairs.  No one was at either shop.

Chapter 2

Fast forward to several weeks later.

There was a bible class in Haverhill on Wednesday afternoons that I attended.  Exit 37 on 495 is on the usual route.  Every Wednesday as I approached that exit, God would tell me to stop and see Matthew about another piece of carpet for the bedroom.  I always chicken out, because the carpet is only an excuse for talking about the tract.  It's easy to do that on the spur of the moment, but to go intentionally . . . that's a different story.

Several Wednesday’s into the class I knew I was going to get the same message.   It was one of those 8-hour days, and the class didn’t start for another 2 hours.  It was only a 20 minute trip from the exit in question.  This time I finally said (out loud) “Yeah, OK Lord...  But you'll have to tell me what to say!!”  (Always a good idea anyway!)

When I pulled into the warehouse area, the carpet store was closed for the day! 

"Now Lord, what on earth was that about???"  I asked.  Then it hit me!  There is a MACHINE shop next door!  Maybe they will have some idea about the car part.  So I asked, and was sent to Jack's Used Auto Parts just down the road.

Now, I usually am pretty familiar with engine specs on my vehicle, so I was surprised when the guy behind the counter at Jack's asked if the Taurus has flex fuel.

Blank stare.  I’d never heard of such a thing.

A kindly gentleman behind the first guy explained to me “flex fuel” indicated the car used either gas or ethanol.  When I asked how to determine that, he said there would be a tag on the side of the car indicating such. 

No such thing to my knowledge.  I said “no”.  So the guy at the computer typed in the appropriate info and printed out a list of 6 vehicles that matched the model year and engine. 

The list indicated OHV and I understood our car to be OHC.  After a bit, I got to wondering if they were the same thing.  Every now and then it becomes obvious that my knowledge is lacking.  I called the local Ford dealership.  After asking about the OHV/OHC and explaining about the part we were looking for, the nice guy at the parts counter wanted to order the part for me.  Sure, I'd let him look.  Never know when something will show up.  So I gave him the parts number, from the blow-up diagram I got from a previous unfruitful trip to that same shop. 

Then he said a strange thing - 'Oh, it's for a flex fuel engine.'

Say WHAT??  How could I determine that from my vehicle?  He said there would be a label on the side of the car, or failing that on a white tag by the radiator.  I looked on the side of the car.  Nothing.   With the phone in hand, I popped the hood and asked the parts guy “where's the radiator?!”  He must have been either laughing or rolling his eyes at that!  I couldn’t see him, which is probably just as well.  (In my defense, there is no obvious radiator!  But I figured where there's a fan, there must be a radiator.) 

No label on the car, no white tag by anything that would pass for a radiator.  Still, as the parts guy and Jake the mechanic said - it's a California emissions engine . . .  Interesting.

And of course, the parts guy found out the part is no longer manufactured, and no dearlership in the country has it in stock.  I thanked him when he suggested my only recourse was junk yards.  Been there, done that.  No luck yet.

Then it hit me.

Remember the Colt?  The parts weren't what the engine specs said they should be.  I wonder . . .  could the same thing be true of this part?

Chapter 3

Saturday PR and I went up to Jack's to see.  I had the list in hand, so we didn't even have to stop at the long line at the front desk to get a list.

We were only able to locate 4 of the 6 vehicles on the list.  The first 3 didn’t have the easily identifiable but elusive part.  PR found the fourth car while I was up the aisle looking in another location.  The car was in such a position as to be difficult to get to the hood latch.  PR had to tug on the passenger door pretty hard to get it open.  Then there was glass in the seat.  He did finally manage to climb through the car to reach the hood latch.  And didn't even get glass in his seat.

Since I was standing by the front of the car, I got to be the one to open the hood.  And there it was!  Sitting pretty as you please - the part we have been looking for for 6 months! 

Thank you LORD!

We had a few tools with us, but the bolts were pretty rusted and we forgot the WD-40.  Besides, it was going to be a difficult task getting to the bolt with the car on the ground.  We stopped at the office on the way out and PR sent me in to ask about having someone help me take the part off the car when we came back later.  It was only 5 minutes to closing, so I would have to come back on one of those 8-hour days while I was killing time.

In an exuberant mood, I called a friend of mine in AK and asked if she'd send one of her mechanics over to take the part off for us.  She laughed and said “Yeah, sure.  Give me a minute to arrange for a flight!”   Hey, it would have been cheaper to pay for the plane ticket and expenses than to have to buy a new car over that missing piece! 

The following Wednesday I stopped at the junk yard to spray the part down with WD-40, hoping to come back with PR on Friday to attempt to remove it.  But Lo! A nice gentleman offered on Wednesday to have it off the car and waiting for us on Friday!  Of course I took him up on it!

The part cost us a grand total of $5.

The car lasted for a few more months, when it failed the yearly inspection.  Seems the struts were no longer being supported by the rusted-out car frame.  The mechanic who did the inspection suggested I take it to our mechanic for an estimate on the repair.  Jake called me a few hours after I dropped the car off at the shop.  “So, what kind of truck are you buying for PR?”  Seems that not only was the frame rusted out, but the floor pan also had a hole in the back seat.  That would explain why it felt soft under the carpet.  And also why there was exhaust smell in the car. 

We had just 2 weeks prior to this bad news bought a used car, and were in the process of moving to within a mile of work, so the loss of the Taurus wasn’t dramatic.

Jake kept the car and parted out the good pieces to people he knew who needed it.  There was a gentleman who needed tires but couldn’t afford them, and we had just put a whole new set on the car.   I’m not sure what became of that precious and difficult to locate part, but Jake was careful to remove it before the car went to the crusher!

Don’t you just love a good “Lord, I’m lost – again” Watchin’ God story?!

Junkin' (and my List)

(I'm too lazy to write up a real post, but wanted to get this out there, so you get the draft. . .)

Saturday junkin'

found printer - for $8!! (on my list)


Memorial day
showed up just in time to help mary put up tent
went out junkin
found round table for dining room and a box of books for Nelly
chairs didn't work with new table, so took them to Mary's
arrived just in time to help take the tent down before the wind blew it away.
she had just got in a tv/computer monitor
I sold her the chairs for the price of the monitor.  Score!
which we will use for Saturday night program at church to watch a The Gospel of John from youtube and/or visiting missionaries who might need something to hook up their laptop.

And since I now have an extra printer, the old one went down to church.
stopped at a junk shop and was given a whole shipping box full of childrens books for Nelly!
picked up a 42" round patio table on the way home
this weekend I wanted a futon for the sunporch
found the futon frame on the way home.
as well as a door for the bathroom - on my list! 
and a patio rug, 12" wall cabinet, better bed frame than the one we have (also on the list)
you should see the car when it's loaded with found stuff!  sadly, it's always dark when we get home, and we unload it then, so no picture.

A Few of My Favorite Links

(For some reason this 'page' disappeared, and I cannot get it back, so I'm making a 'post' instead.)

What I use for my 'Attitude Adjustments' (I have to be careful what I say, since I'm not a doctor, etc.)


Metabolic Advantage  This stuff saved my life more than once.  The only reason there needed to be 'more than once' is because I stopped taking it on the advice of a doc.

Stress Soother  This is for when the Metabolic Advantage isn't enough, or if I have forgotten to take it and don't have any within reach.  For me, the Stress Soother works really fast - within minutes.  I give the stuff away all the time, I believe in it that much.  And reports are that it works for other people, too.

To help my mind stop racing when I want to go to sleep  (As with anything, it may or may not work for you.  I find that alternating them every so often helps.)


Sleep Balm

Stress Soother
(Updated with the correct link.  Sorry!)  Cool!  It also comes in a stick!  Great idea!

Thyroid info

Wilson's Syndrome
A temperature-related syndrome.  Very interesting and informative site.  Info for doctors and laymen.

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/
Explains the difference between natural and synthetic thyroid hormone treatments, as well as several pages with effects of thyroid problems.  Excellent read.

Save the Toes and Legs
http://www.wehelpsavetoes.biz/Products.html
www.rebuildermedical.com

My Favorite Blogger/Home/Craft Sites

http://thefrugalhomemaker.com/

http://www.exquisitelyunremarkable.com/

http://www.favecrafts.com/ 

http://hometalk.com/

www.agracefull-life.com/

http://www.fourgenerationsoneroof.com/

http://junquemagnet.blogspot.com/ 

www.prettyhandygirl.com/

http://www.justagirlblog.com/

www.mommyiscoocoo.com

www.brightnest.com

http://roadkillrescue.net/

God even saves . . . Toes!

     My husband has had a big purple toe.  The podiatrist took one look at it, poked a large needle in it and drew no blood, and made an immediate appointment with the vascular surgeon for him.  The doc wanted to do surgery immediately.  First, an angiogram, where they run a camera down the vein in the leg.  He said there was a very long blockage, and advised surgery within the week, because he was going on vacation the following week and things could go from bad to worse rapidly. 

Feb 2

     I wasn't so thrilled with anything the doc was saying, and had my husband send a long list of questions to the doc the day before the 'necessary' vein replacement surgery.  Turns out the 'blockage' was only 50% blood flow. . .  Suffice it to say, by the time we finished talking, my husband decided to go for a second opinion.
     Actually, he decided to go for some of God's pharmacy.  You see, on the first appoinmtent I asked the surgeon if nitric oxide would do anything for the situation.  "It would be ideal, but you can't just take a pill".  Little did he know.

Feb 11

     Several years ago I found this stuff for someone with diabetes, hoping they would take it.  Didn't happen, so I sold one bag of the tea to a guy who had pain in his legs from a clot in some small veins, and gave one bag to a lady who was on the heart transplant list with terrible veins.  (Back then, the stuff was sold in loose leaf bags to make tea.  Now it comes in capsules.  Much easier!  And doesn't taste and smell like dirty socks.)  The guy with pains in his legs asked where he could get more, because after only one month his leg stopped hurting!  The lady on the heart transplant list went to the doc a month or two later and he took her off the list!!  That's all I can tell you about those two people, but it's plumb amazing!
     However, I can tell you about my husband's toe.  In 4 weeks it went from being purple and hurting like the dickens just to look at it, to nearly pain-free and back to a nice normal pink.  He also used the oil and gangrene stuff - Kit A.  We ordered the stuff separately, as you must take the capsules, and there is a 4-pack for the price of 3.  Somewhere I read it was recommended to take 6 caps a day for his condition, so he did.  And here's the results.  One month, folks.  Instead of having surgery immediately, and follow-up surgery every 3-7 years for the rest of his life, complete with pills and hospital bills.  I'm a happy camper!

March 1

http://www.wehelpsavetoes.biz/Products.html
On the left sidebar, go to Shopping Cart to order.  Make sure to check out the entire list, because some of the products you can get a good deal on if you order more than one at a time, as with the Wild Ransom Leaf.

UPDATE:  P went to the podiatrist, who was properly amazed at the progress - and all without surgery!  Goes to show why I love to say It's So Much Fun Watchin' God!  

UPDATE again:  5/21/2016  The last several months my extremities have been swelling after sitting in front of the computer for too long, to the point of being noticeable, not just feeling tight.  When I read a medical report that mentioned I was developing hardening of the arteries, I decided it was time to take some action. After less than one bag of WRL (taken in one rounded teaspoon in about 4 ounces of warm water) the swelling is almost non-existent.  Thanks Lord!

UPDATE yet again!  5/27/2016  So, the CT that picked up the above mentioned problems came back clear!  You figure it out.  I'm going to say it was the WRL!

**THIS POST IS NOT DESIGNED TO, AND DOES NOT, PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. All content, including text, graphics, images and information available on or through this post is for general informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE, OR DELAY IN SEEKING IT, BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON THIS POST. NEVER RELY ON INFORMATION ON THIS WEB SITE IN PLACE OF SEEKING PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE.

Furnaces that go BOOM in the morning

   

   
     Two weeks ago we arrived at our 'vacation home' to discover the oil tank was empty, and it was very cold in the trailer.  Since it was on Friday after all the delivery services were closed, and we didn't want to pay extra for delivery on the weekend, it was Monday before we could even call anyone to have some delivered, and Wednesday before it could be delivered.  The temperature those few days was down around zero (or lower) at night.  But we have two nice safe space heaters: an oil-filled electric radiator and an infrared.  We hung out in a small room with the door closed.  Luckily, there is a small half-bath attached. Thanks Lord!
     The good thing is that my new tenants had paid the rent (early) a few days before we discovered the oil problem, so there was just enough extra unplanned money to pay for the extra unplanned oil delivery.  Don't you just love Watchin' God??
     Since the oil had to be paid for in advance or on delivery, I had to stay while Paul went back home to work.  Paul arranged for the neighbor to came over and started the furnace for me (since I didn't take my cousin's husband up on his offer of telephone support to do it).  While the neighbor was doing that, he pointed out a few other things I might want to know: where the emergency shutoff switch was for the boiler, and a comment about a friend whose furnace wouldn't work because the batteries in the thermostat were dead.

See the Red switch cover plate?  That's the emergency shut off switch.  It was obscured by a cabinet a day ago.

     Don't you know that a week later - the furnace stopped working!
     And it was only the batteries in the thermostat.
     God is good about giving us the information we need.  Thanks Lord!

     The desire to replace the very thick wall-to-wall carpet took hold of me again last weekend, because it's next to impossible to vacuum and has been subject to cats for 12 years prior to our owning the place.  We found a piece of carpet remnant that was long enough, and arranged to have it installed. Only the price of delivery for that piece was the same as the difference in the original and sale price. . .  And I really liked another piece much better, since we would basically have to pay full price.  Only there was no more of the piece I liked better.  And before the installer would install it, there had to be a measurement by the company.  Okay. . . But that meant I would get to have to stay for another week.
     In the meantime, I figured since there was all that time to kill, I would hang the wallpaper that was stashed in a cabinet would look nice on the living room walls, even though I had acquired it for another room at about 1/20th of the retail price.  So I primed the wall behind the sofa Sunday night.
     Monday morning I get a phone call from the carpet estimator.  Could they come later that day?  "But of course!" says I.  I decide to cut the carpet off the dining room so the estimator would know exactly where I wanted it to stop.  That went well.  The trim pieces for the space that was cut out for the 'entry way' fit perfectly along the new straight-across-the-room edge.  Amazing!  Thanks Lord!  The vinyl underneath is in decent shape, and we plan to cover it eventually with sticky 'oak' vinyl strips that we purchased last year for dirt cheap.  I really like the look of the long dining/living room now that there is a definite dividing line.  And who in their right mind puts dense light colored carpet under a table, anyway??  At some point the white stuff has to go, but probably not until I'm ready to put down the 'oak'.

     The wallpaper is still in it's wrapper. . .

     Tuesday morning I got up, washed my face, combed my hair and heard this loud B-O-O-M!
     It's not unusual for a door to the bathroom closet to fall, (because I haven't put up the trim and hung the door yet) but I was standing right in front of it, and it definitely had not fallen.  I walked out of the bathroom looking for what could have made the noise to discover smoke in the hallway - and as far as my eye could see through the kitchen, dining room and living room!
     Quick, turn off (the recently discovered) emergency shut off switch!
     I called the furnace man who cleaned it at the beginning of last year's heating season.  Voice mail.
     I called the oil company to see if they had a recommendation.  They gave me the name of the man who does their work for them.  Voice mail.
     So I called Home Depot.  Yes, they have someone who can look at it for me.  The nice gentleman in plumbing took my information and said the heating man would call me in a few minutes.  Two hours go by. . .  nothing.  I was just about to call to find out what happened when the guy from HD called and said he had given his repairman the wrong number.  Within a minute, I get a call from them.  A light goes off in my brain at the name of the company.  I've had them come out to give me an estimate before.  They're outrageously expensive.  But this is the heater.  We have to have it.  And it can go on the HD credit card, right?
     The man came to give me an estimate later on Tuesday.  $4000!!!   Truly, I was expecting something along that line, and maybe even a bit more, so I wasn't shocked.  At least I was able to share some helpful personal information and this blog site with the furnace man.  God puts people in your way to help, sometimes to be a help.  This was the 'help' situation.  Later that night my facebook friends were aghast at the price, offering advice on how to fix it, and even offering to come down from Alaska to do it.  It was decided that perhaps a second opinion might be a good idea, before Thursday when the expensive people showed up. 
     The wallpaper is still in the wrapper. . . It really will look good when it's up.
     Wednesday morning I got a call about the carpet, and had to put off installing it, since an annoyance is a lot less important than a necessity.  Besides, now that I cut off the carpet under the dining room table, the vacuuming would be a lot easier and I really like it.
     My next project was calling one of those two furnace guys I hadn't been able to get ahold* of yesterday.  I chose the one recommended by the oil company.  This time when I got voice mail, I took them up on the 'in case of emergency' and sent a page.  He called me back immediately.
     We discussed his payment policy (cash or check, thank you very much) and that I don't have a car, so he would have to take me down to the credit union to get the cash.  He was okay with that.  Turns out he was only a few minutes away from our house when I called, so he was here in no time flat.
     "This isn't good," he said with a frown.
     The cap had blown off the chimney and was in the yard.  The fire box was bowed.  "That must have been quite a 'boom.'  It's really going to need to be replaced."  (Sorry. I forgot to take pictures.)
     His price to replace the unit: $2550.
     And we had the cash.  Of course, the plane tickets to Alaska to go to 2 reunions this summer would have to wait until I found a better price (the only reason we still had the money) and Paul works some overtime to save up for them.
     The furnace guy left to pick up the furnace and his son to come help him.  When they tried to get it into the spot, they were having some trouble.  "Lord, would you please help them get that thing in there?"  I said out loud to no one in particular (except, of course, God.)  The furnace man thought I was talking to him, and he hadn't heard what I said, since he was working on getting that thing in place.  I told him I was just talking to God, and what I had asked for.  He made some comment and went back to work.
     When they were finished, he said that was the easiest installation he had done in a long time.  I smiled, and reminded him of my prayer.
     If I hadn't been here the trailer could very well have burnt to the ground.  Yes, all this stuff get's annoying sometimes, but I'm glad God didn't take me too seriously when I complain that it would be "nice if all this stuff just disappeared!"

UPDATE:  This morning P forwarded an email that I sent him 11 months before this incident.  You may find it interesting.
Friday, April 5, 2013 10:47:34 AM
"Got a home warranty for the house in GA.  Can't get one for the trailer if it's over 10 years old.  .... hmmm... since this trailer was built in 1966, I don't think we'll be getting one for here, huh?  It will, therefore, be on God to keep the heater running or supply the cash to get it replaced in the event that is necessary at some point in the future."
Which just goes to prove why It's so much fun Watchin' God!!

*
definition of 'ahold'
1. Illiterate spelling of 'a hold'.
2. Broken keyboard spelling of 'a hold'.
  or

a little less condemning
to find or communicate with someone: I'd like to get ahold of Debbie and talk to her about this.

    

How many ways did you find that God showed up and worked out things in advance?


   

The Prayer That Can Send You to Hell

The Prayer That Can Send You To HELL

25 February 2013 at 11:55  (Look at that!  I posted this to my NCCarlson fb page a year and a day ago!)

 

     Strange as it may seem, there is a prayer that can send you to hell!  And it’s the ‘sinner’s prayer’.
     I can hear you thinking ‘What are you talking about?!’ 
     If you believe that ‘once saved, always saved’, repeating the sinner’s prayer – or asking Jesus to save you – can actually keep you from getting saved.  The reason for that is that many people think just saying the words will do the trick.  Bingo! You’re saved!  Now no matter what I do, or don’t do, I’m going to heaven!
     It’s not so easy.  There are conditions.  Yes, conditions.  You must see yourself as God sees you – a sinner.  No excuses, no ‘I’m doing the best I can’, no ‘I’m not as bad as the next guy, even though I am bad’.  Also, you must be willing to trust Jesus Christ to save you.  Trust involves being willing to put your life on the line, and actually doing it.  You can believe the airplane can fly, but until you are willing to actually get in the plane and let it take off with you inside, you don’t really trust the plane.  Same with knowing that the blood of Jesus will wash away your sins, and his resurrection will make it possible for you to live with him for eternity.  As long as you think you are responsible or can do anything for your salvation, you aren’t trusting Jesus Christ.  You can’t flap your arms and help the plane stay in the air.  Neither can you do anything to help Jesus save you.
     Until you are willing to acknowledge and accept as life or death fact, and reach out and take the payment offered, without trying to help, you are still on your way to hell!  Repeating a bunch of words isn’t what saves you.  It’s transferring your sin and trust from yourself to Jesus Christ that saves you (repenting).
     If you’ve ‘said the prayer’ and there is no change in your attitude about God, no little voice inside that says ‘you did wrong’ when you cross the line the Bible draws about sin, no desire to know more about Jesus Christ, and you think that prayer has saved you, you’ve prayed the prayer that can send you to hell!
     The reason?  Because you think ‘once saved, always saved’.  Which, by the way, is true.  God said ‘have everlasting life’ and ‘is passed from death unto life’ – that’s forever - you get it, you got it.  The kicker is that you must be saved in the first place.  Are you?
     If you’ve been relying on a prayer you prayed, no matter your age when you said it, but there is no evidence in your life and heart to support such a claim, don’t just say yet another prayer.  Ask God to show you.  When you are convicted (you can’t get away from the thought that you need to be saved), then tell God that you are tired of leaning on yourself, and accept the payment Jesus made on the cross for your sins.  Jesus is waiting for you to acknowledge your doubts and fears, so he can give you peace and complete assurance.  And maybe the salvation you thought you had in the first place.  You’ll go to hell without it.

Dining Room Project - The Wall

Where to start?

This old trailer had no character, though it was in fairly decent shape (or so we thought.  See here for what I get for thinking!)  And I loved the kitchen.  A u-shaped arrangement and a bit of space over the cabinets will win me over any day.  That extra space gives me some other place to decorate.  In this case, one of the legs of the U backed up to the dining room.  That gave me a place above the dining room to decorate!  Yay!  hmmmm... I wonder if I have a picture of the ivy I put up there for a few weeks.  It's gone now.  Not enough light, and there is cloth covered wire snaking around the top of the cabinets.

Oh, wait.  This is supposed to be about the dining room...  Okay.  'The Wall'.




The very first thing to go - no kidding about 5 minutes after we bought the place - was that white cabinet under the wall air conditioner!  The shelf over the AC unit and the living room window came down also.

See that wall with the rooster border?  It's a 6' wide expanse of gray 'wood tone' paneling with those awful cardboard strips covering the seams.  Those strips  had to go!  Well, after the rooster border across the top.



I wanted a venetian plaster kind of look above a wallpaper wainscot.

Having done that before, using regular mud (what is that stuff officially called??) I knew that in order to prevent any dings from showing through white it would be best to tint the mud.  I had to beg the paint mixer at Lowes to attempt to tint it, and provided a sample of the dining room color to try to match, since I planned to use the same willow green (That isn't the official name.  I think I mixed a few colors I had laying around.  I do that a lot.)  The color of the mud definitely was not the same!  The mud base is different from paint base...

color I wanted to match

This is what I got.

But I took the mud home and tried it on the wall.  Better to have it too dark under the paint than white.  This is what I got.

And I loved it!!  Reminds me of moss.  I love moss covered rocks, and this was a good start on a garden theme. 

Oh!  And look at how it goes so well with the picture I picked up at a thrift shop for $3!  A plan is emerging!  I never - well, rarely - have a plan.  That way if things don't go as planned I don't feel bad, because - how can you go wrong if there isn't a plan??  Besides, my space is always evolving, depending on what is available.

I took the sample board to try to get it matched.  Didn't come out anywhere near the same.  Especially since the mud was a much duller color when it dried.  I never did figure out how to have the paint guys match the wet color...  Well, at least not 'shoot' the color to match it.

What I did was take a bag of wet mud with me and scan the paint chips for something close.  Nothing at Lowe's or Home Depot...   I finally found 'Spanish Olive' at Walmart, and added a bit of black.  That was a pretty close match.  Not as vibrant as the wet mud, but close.

And check out the picture against that wall!  Beautiful!  Draws you right in to the middle of the painting.

The wainscoting was up, and I finally got to use the trim that I've been looking for a place to use since before Lowe's was Lowe's in Anchorage AK (pre-1998)  This is what it looks like in the kitchen.  For the dining room I didn't paint the leaves.

That outlet on the right of the window was in the way, so I had to cut a piece out of the trim.  And this is how you fix the trim when you use the chisel on the grain before cutting the trim across the grain - the split has a tendency to run!  Since this is $10 a stick, and I was running out, I had to fix it.    Notice the plastic on top of the trim to keep the glue from sticking to the spring clamp.  Only I notice that the trim has been repaired.

After painting, papering and trimming the wall, that white formica buffet needed something...  I tried a nice green contact paper with white paisley.  The problem with it is that the buffet is 6' long and the paper only comes in 5' lengths at the Dollar Tree.  And it was too much green in one spot.  Next plan??

A trip to Walmart netted a pinkish beige granite Contact paper.   Aaahh.  Much better.  It was very easy to do.  Just clean the formica well with TSP to make sure all the grease and dirt is removed, and carefully apply the contact paper.  There was a bit left over on the front, which I simply cut off with a razor blade knife against the lip of the formica.  Made a clean cut.  And it looks like the real thing, don't you think?

I'm debating if I want to paint the window wall that beautiful green also, or maybe the color of the trim.

Before and After

 

Aside from the obvious addition of furniture, how many differnt things do you see in these two pictures?  And do you want to see the projects?  (Too bad, I'm going to post them anyway!  lol)