They Walk Among Us

Just when we thought there are no new species to be found nature surprises us yet again.....

They are referred to as homo slackass-erectus created by natural genetic downward evolution through constant spineless posturing and spasmodic upper limb gestures, which new research has shown to cause shorter legs and an inability to ambulate other than in an awkward shuffling gait. The "drag-crotch" shape also seems to effect brain function. Expect no eye contact or intelligent verbal communication. History shows that this species mostly receives food stamps and full government care. Unfortunately most are highly fertile.

I was sent the above in an email and thought it funny. I don't know why anyone in their right mind would wear their pants around their knees with their underwear showing. 


I met a missionary this morning that lives in the Ukraine and serves mainly the orphans there. He will be our guest speaker at our men's breakfast on Saturday, February 16th. I hope the men enjoy meeting and hearing him as much as I did.

We ordered new windows for the front of our house this afternoon as well as new gutters for the front. We couldn't afford to get all the windows in the house done at the same time but we will get the same price next year for the second batch and the following year for the rest. Will be a great improvement for the house and will help keep the heating and cooling bills down.

Our dog Cody got out the front this afternoon and found a skunk. It was still alive and Cody was tossing it around. Fortunately he didn't get sprayed. I brought him in the house and immediately put him out the back in the fenced yard. I went back out the front an hour later to see the skunk but it was gone. I didn't look forward to having to get rid of it.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Yesterday at this time in the evening it was 68. Now, 24 hours later, it is 36. We had over 2" of rain and very high winds, up to 60 MPH. We were fortunate again in not having any wind damage. But this has been a very wet January with going on 9" of rain. 

Started the day with my weekly Bible study at the YMCA followed by almost three hours of physical exercise. Road the exercise for 8 minutes (1.9 miles), went through the 14 machines lifting 22,215 pounds, walked for 30 minutes (1.4 miles), and finished with a 10 minute swim (500 meters).

I went to my spine doctor for a followup from my lumbar epidural last month. She wants me to get a least one physical therapy session to teach me exercises that I can do at home. So I go there next Tuesday. Other that that she said I was doing good without having much residual pain.

Took some teenagers from our church to a Christian concert this evening. Of course they all knew the group (Aaron Keyes) but I had never heard of them. I guess I don't listen to the "right" kind of music. The group  had a good message for the thousand or so kids there. This concert was a prelude to a weekend long "D-Now" series of studies and talks about being a Christian. Happens every year about this time.

Warm Day in Northern Alabama

It was a very warm day today for the end of January. Got up to around 72 and is still 68 at 10:00 pm. But we are under a weather watch, expecting high winds and a lot of rain starting around 5:00 tomorrow morning. I got a new rain gauge that I put out this afternoon so I will be able to get a more exact reading on how much rain we get.

The schools here do not know what to expect from the weather so they have decided to be safe and start from one to two hours late tomorrow. 

I had my quarterly checkup with the heart research center this morning. I don't know if I am taking the actual research drug or a placebo, but if I go by my A1C results I think I am talking the actual drug. In the year that I have been on it my A1C has dropped from 6.7 to 5.8, which is just about a normal level. After completing the first year I now go to an every six month checkup. They also raised the amount I get for each visit from $25 to $40. Not a lot but it will pay for a nice evening on the town for Judy and I.

Tomorrow I go to see the spine doctor to follow up on my pain levels after the epidural I had in December. I am doing much better with pain only when I sit on certain seats, like at church :-) I very seldom take the pain medicine that she prescribed which is a good indicator of my pain.

Started going back to a men's Bible study Wednesday mornings at the YMCA, after which I work out for a couple of hours. Enjoying both!

Exercise Day

I am trying to make it to the YMCA on Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's. I made it this morning and after riding the exercise bike for 8 minutes and 1.85 miles I did the round of 18 weight machines. It felt good today and I raised my total weight lifted to 21,895. I will keep at that weight for this week and then go up a little next week. I want to keep it in slow and easy stages.

I came home after stopping at Wal-Mart and after having some breakfast I took Cody (our dog) for a walk. On the way back home I played the trash cart fairy by returning the neighbors' trash carts back to their garages. One of them called and asked if I was the one who did it. 

I so wanted to take a nap this afternoon but I refrained from doing it so I would be more tired tonight. We had lasagna for supper and half a bagel. For dessert I had an apple and a clementine. Maybe if I can continue the exercise and watching how much I eat I will be able to lose some weight.

Nice Quiet Sunday

This was a nice quiet day for both Judy and I. We went to our church, where I sang in the choir and then had dinner at The Shak, a local restaurant close to our church. Had enough to eat that we brought some home for supper this evening.

We both took naps this afternoon and then watched some TV before coming back to our computers, Judy to play a game on hers, and me to read some mail and to enter my daily blog.

All in all a very satisfying day.

I was going to get up early so I could get to the health fair at the YMCA when it first opened but I fooled around, having breakfast, reading the morning paper, having my coffee, and just taking my time to get ready. I finally made it to the fair around 10:00. I was sort of disappointed in the fair itself. I didn't think it was as good as previous fairs were.

I left the fair after about an hour and went to the Von Brawn Center in Huntsville for the annual RV Show. My main reason for going was to talk to the various RV vendors about renting an RV for a week or 10 days during the summer. Judy's 50th high school reunion is the first week in August and she would like to go. But she would not be able to withstand the trip in our van since she has to stop every 45-60 minutes for a pit stop and can't get comfortable in the seats. Hence the RV rental. I talked to all of the vendors but only two of them rent them. The one who had a brochure on rentals had the prices in it. It won't be cheap! I figure it to run about $5K for 10 days including the rental, insurance, park fees, and fuel. Will just have to see.

Came home and read all the different material I got at both the health fair and the RV show. Wanted to take a nap but decided not to and just try to get to bed early. So goes the day in the life of Ken Mitchell.

False Alarm! No Freezing Rain or Sleet!

The weather folks had the whole area on alert for freezing rain and/or sleet starting after 2:00 this morning. But nothing happened until mid-day when all we got was rain with temps in the 40's. 

After going to our cardiologist for Judy's appointment we went up to see Daniel, Teri and Anthony. Here are a few pictures from our visit:

Daniel playing one of his electronic games.

Daniel thinking about his game.

Teri and Daniel.

What a cutie!

My dear wife of almost 47 years - Judy.

Daniel likes his cupcake but not on his hands!

With a little bit of cupcake froasting!

He got stuck in the quilt rack where he wasn't supposed to be.

Daniel and his Daddy, Anthony.

We had a very nice visit with all of them. Always good to spend time with our children and the grandchildren.

Sleet and Ice Again?

After a few days of sunny but cold weather we are under a freezing rain advisory. Most of the area schools here is Northern Alabama will start at least 2 hours late. Hopefully it will not affect me from going to workout at the YMCA.


We are going to Teri's tomorrow afternoon after Judy's doctor appointment. Teri told Daniel (our grandson) that we were coming to see him and he said "I love gammie and gampa." He is such a cutie. 

Here are our thoughts on housework:

Enough said :-)

5:30 am is Way Too Early to Get Up!

I set my alarm for 5:30 this morning so I could get up and to the YMCA for a weekly Bible study I used to go to before Judy had her surgery 14 months ago. I haven't been up that early for a long time. But I made it to the study, which was good, and then worked out on the various weight machines for an hour or so. Lifted a total weight of 18,995 pounds, not too bad for not having done it for such a long time. I figured that I would start easy bu doing the minimum number of reps for each of the 14 machines and a very low weight compared to what I was doing before. I guess I will go again on Friday.

We had a representative come this afternoon from a walk-in bath tub manufacturer, I was able not to choke too much when he told us the installed price. He said with the discounts it would come to about $14,500! Gasp! He really did not do a hard sell but he did want us to make the decision to buy one but we told him that we had to talk it over in private, think about it for a few days, and pray about it. He accepted our decision but not too happily. Right now we have better things to do with 14K,

Church was good this evening as well as choir practice. Now to get a snack, read some, and then off to bed.

A Very Dull Day

This has been a very dull day. Got up early, read paper, did crossword, and read some of my book. Took Judy to her doctor's where she got a real good prognosis. 

Stopped at CiCi's Pizza for an early dinner and went home. Our power went out for about an hour so Judy decided she might as well take a nap.

That's all folks!

I am an American

Let me ramble for a little this evening. I am an American, born and raised here in the good old USA. I am not a "dash-American"! By that I mean I am not a Mexican-American, African-American, Asian-American, Euro-American, or any other kind of hyphenated-American. And I absolutely hate (YES HATE) those hyphenated terms. If you were born here then you are an American by birth. If you were born elsewhere but migrated here legally then you are still an American. I think that the use of these hyphenated descriptions lead to more diversity and division among the races that they help. So lets stop their use and just call ourselves Americans.

And as far as those who have who have migrated here illegally should return to the places where they came from and enter the country legally. My grandparents did as well as my mother. So they can too!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I took Judy to the Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) clinic this afternoon and she got a good bill of health. She doesn't have to go back for three weeks. Tomorrow afternoon I take her to the endocrinologist and then on Friday to the heart doctor for a checkup. I still have to change her wet-to-dry bandages every day but the wound is getting smaller each day as it heals up.

The weather here is turning cold tonight with the temperature in the teens. I know it isn't as cold as back up north but is not as nice as Tucson, AZ, is. Oh well, we will just have to put up with it.

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Revelations 2:7

In case you may have missed the title of my blog I changed it today from "Ken's Daily Blog" to "The Ramblings of a Damn Yankee". Also, in case you didn't know the difference between a "Yankee" and a "Damn Yankee" it is this: A "Yankee" comes from the North to the South for a visit and goes back up North. A "Damn Yankee" comes from the North to the South for a visit and stays! Just a little tidbit of useless information.

Today started very early at around 2:30 am when I am awakened out of a sound sleep by a tinkling of a bell. Judy uses this bell to get my attention since we sleep in different bedrooms due to her having a hospital bed after her open heart surgery. So I get up to see what is the problem and she says that the toilet is running in the master bath and she can't lift the cover off the tank. So I go to see what the problem is and find that the chain is tangled and won't let the tank ball return to it's seated position. So I fix it and go back to bed but I can't sleep and lie there for 2 hours. When I finally get back to sleep for a couple of hours my alarm goes off telling me that it is time to get up for church. I did take about an hour nap this afternoon but still need more sleep.

Church was good this morning and I did manage to stay awake for the entire service.

I had made a roast for dinner that was ready when we got home and it was delicious. After dinner I made peanut butter cookies just to have around for snacking.

All in all it was a very good day. 

I like quiet days

It has been another very quiet day here in Alabama. Slept in and then went to Lowe's and WalMart. Took a nap this afternoon, and watched Iron Chef America. Nothing really exciting!

I talked to my Uncle George up in West Branch, MI, this evening. He is doing pretty good for being 86. He lives in a duplex right now during the winder months but is waiting for a place in a retirement home. He said that he is near the top of the waiting list so hopefully her will get it soon. He plans on selling his lake front cottage within the next year. He already has a prospective buyer, his neighbor across the street.

Looking forward to our church service in the morning. And then those men interested in another Bible study will meet in the afternoon. Not sure what we will be studying but I will leave it up to them. I will be leading the class but try not to do any actual teaching. I want the class members to participate both during the class meeting time as well as at home during the week.

By the way, all our snow is gone and we are supposed to have sunny days for the next week or so. 

It's Friday and the Sun Was Shining All Day!

Today we had a full day of sunshine, the first full day in over nine days. And it is supposed to stay sunny for the next week or so. One of my FaceBook friends said that she had to remember what she did with her sunglasses since it was so long ago that she needed them.

To change the subject, the other day I had a discussion about the removal of God from our schools. That person's feeling was that God was not taken out of schools but I begged to differ. The following quote is from When Prayer Was Taken Out of Schools:

"In 1962, the Court examined a simple twenty-two word prayer, first used to negate prayer in schools:

'Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country.'

This simple prayer, said by children, acknowledged God. Americans’ indifference allowed the removal of prayer from our schools. This is but one of the steps toward complete destruction of America’s original Judeo-Christian educational system. This value-free environment has resulted in chaos."

The link shown above shows some statistics and graphs of the life of our schools, young people, and people in general since that Supreme Court case decision.

The problem as I see it is that too many people in our nation as well as around the world have religion but not know the one and only true God. Just knowing about Jesus is not enough. Even Satan and him minions know about Jesus. You need to know Him as your Savior, give your life to Him, and trust Him with all your heart mind and soul.

Enough preaching. Today was a good day for both Judy and I. Another lazy day of getting up late and taking it easy. Tomorrow I will have to go to the market for bread, milk and potatoes. Seems like the wrong time to go for those items as most folks go get them before the winter weather hits but we didn't need them then.

Snow in Alabama!

It started out as a slight drizzle but turned to snow flurries by mid-morning. By the time it stopped we had about an inch. Then this afternoon we saw something that we have not seen for over a week: the SUN! Since the ground was not all that cold the snow started melting but we still have a nice covering until tomorrow.

Our front yard with birds at the feeder.

Our dog Cody trying to see what all this white stuff is.

I changed my doctor's appointment for tomorrow since I really didn't want to get out even if the snow melts. I do need to go the grocery store sometime, probably on Saturday.

Just another lazy day for the old retired folks here in Alabama, lol.

The rain has stopped for a little while. But it is supposed to start again during the night and turn to snow tomorrow with a possible accumulation of 2-3". 


I have determined that the solution for the problems with safety in our schools is not armed guards and is not arming the teachers and other school staff. What is needed is to put God back in our schools and He will protect our children, teachers, and other administration folks.

It is still raining! Now over 6" in the last 60 hours or so. We feel like Noah on top of the mountain. A lot of flooding around which is keeping a lot of schools from opening on time. We are just thankful that the temperature is not below freezing or else we would be having a lot more trees and limbs falling. As it it our yard has a lot of branches lying on the ground as well one on my shed. Gives me something to do once it stops raining and dries up some.

Today was another lazy day. The repairman came and fixed our dryer and now I can start washing and drying clothes again. Next up is to get someone to come out and see what is wrong with our side by side refrigerator. But that will have to wait until the next time the eagle flies (when our SS checks get deposited).

We watched another episode of the "Titanic: Blood and Steel" mini series. Only two more episodes to watch. It has been very interesting even though it is fiction based on a real event.

It has been a rainy day today. It started out around 48 but has continually dropped to about 34 at this time. We have gotten over 3" of rain today and we are under flood watches as well as a winter storm watch. I let the dog out a few minutes ago and it is not a mixture of rain and sleet. 


We didn't go anywhere today due to the weather. This past weekend was a free weekend for Encore and other pay channels. We started watching "Titanic: Blood and Steel" and taped the ones that were on after I went to church mid-afternoon. We watched all but three of the episodes today and will probably watch the rest tomorrow. I noticed that you can get the series at Amazon if anyone is interested.

Our dryer has stopped working so we have a repairman coming in the morning. We have only had it for 3-4 years. Hopefully it is something simple and won't cost a bunch on money.

I need to go to Wal-Mart sometime tomorrow to get Judy some female items. Maybe the rain sill have stopped by the time I go. 

I have had to put a tarp over my car because the moon roof leaks and gathers in the trough around it. It is supposed to drain automatically but it doesn't so covering it up works best.

Well, it is Sunday evening. It has been a good day starting with church this morning and a working meeting this afternoon to discuss with other members of our church what we would like the church to be doing over the next six months. Some ideas included Vacation Bible School, spring revival, and various activities for senior citizens, youth, children, women and men. A lot of good ideas but time will tell if they actually happen.


I just got through changing Judy's wet-to-dry dressing over what remains of her open heart surgery wound. She has had a hard time of it due to staph infections and three debridements. But the end is in sight.

This is a light week as far as doctor visits go: one for Judy, one for me, and a congestive heart failure (CHF)  visit for Judy. Next week is even lighter so far with only doctor visit for Judy.

I am going to try to head back to the YMCA this week and restart my workouts on the exercise cycle, weight machine, and walking and swimming. It has been almost 14 months since I was there so I know I need to start back on an easy level and work my way back up to where I once was.

This is my first attempt at blogging! Not sure what I am supposed to put here but here goes anyway!


It is overcast here in Northern Alabama with the temperature at an unseasonal 70 degrees. Judy is trying to straighten out all her clothes, hanging those that need hanging, storing those that are for Christmas, and trying to find places for all the rest. Good Luck!

Hopefully I will remember to write something each day but please forgive me if I forget or don't have anything good to say. Also please forgive any spelling or punctuation errors. My fingers don't always do what I tell them to do!