Wednesday, May 20, 2015

"A" is for the word, Alphabet

"A" is for the word, Alphabet.  How did it get that name?  Pretty simple but a lot don't think about that when we use it.

The first two letters of the Greek alphabet were Alpha and Beta.  The Latin language put these together to get their name for the letters, "Alphabet".

Did you know that there are 40 sounds of the Alphabet letters in the English language but only 26 letter?  Some letters have more than one sound.

Here are some alphabet fun alphabet related words that I'll bet you didn't know until you looked them up.  I won't be betting an English teacher or someone who teaches the alphabet though.  That person will know these or some of them:
Majuscules
pangram
lipogram (check the best known example for this one)
 . . . [click on the bottom two for answers, Google the first]

These and more interesting 'facts about the Alphabet' can be found from the "About Education" people.  Or Google "Facts and History about the English Alphabet"

 - Jenny is now on her eleventh series of Alphabe Thursday (my sixth).  With 52 weeks in a year and 26 letters in the alphabet she is now in her fifth year.  I am linked to her blog, GO HERE for more participants and their offerings.

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# posted by Jim : 5/20/2015 06:58:00 PM  12 comments

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Six Pictures — My Alphabe-Thursday (4th), the letter "S"

"S" is for Stupid Crooks:

 
Stupid for getting caught between the posts of the sign

 
Stupid for attracting so much attention

 
Stupid for trying to escape by joining a car chase

 
Stupid for stealing a car with easy to remember license plates

 
Stupid for trying to hide in the checkout line of a Home Goods store
(its customers are all women)
 
 [click on any picture to get a larger viewing size]
 
Stupid for trying to hide behind Mrs. Jim's plush toy, a baby Mike the LSU Tiger
 
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Today I am linked again (this is the first one of the fourth series for me) with Teacher Jenny at her Alphabet Thursday Letter "S" blog (Link)  (My Older series post links, 1st, 2nd, 3rd)

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Mrs. Jim fell and broke her hip on Saturday afternoon late, September 13.  We got her to the E.R. at St. Luke's Hospital in The Woodlands (Houston, Texas suburb).  She was admitted that evening and has surgery for a partial right hip replacement on Monday.
 
On Thursday she was transferred to the Reliant (health care) North Houston for rehab.  This Friday, the 26th, we are expecting for her to come home.  She will continue rehab either on an outpatient basis or will use home health.  We hope for discharge orders for us coming to a rehab facility.

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# posted by Jim : 9/25/2014 12:03:00 AM  15 comments

Thursday, June 28, 2012

My Alphabe-Thursday -- "F" -- Things in a Row -- Two Questions --

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Click on any picture to see it larger.  Your 'Back' button will get you back to here.
"F" is for Fruit:  I took these pictures at my local Kroger Grocery Store in Willis, Texas.  They are also very fitting for my Thursday Things in a Row post.  Texas merchants are proud to be able to sell merchandise which has originated in Texas.  Hence the sign.
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"F" is for Flathead Ford:  This restored 1934 Ford V8 Tudor belongs to one of our car club members.  Our Montgomery Country (Texas) Early Ford V8 Club met on June 2, 2012, at one of our member's home.  We ate, kicked tires, toured the members Texas ranch home, and had a club meeting (link).
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The pictures below are of the Flathead V8 engine of three cars.  Please notice for Thursday Things in a Row posting Ford positioned the spark plugs all in a row.   The first engine on the left is from the 1934 Ford pictured above.  The second is of a members 1936 Ford, while the one on the right is in a 1952 Ford V8 Pickup.
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Ford manufactured the Ford Flathead engines for his cars from 1932 through 1953.  In 1954 the Ford V8's were the newer modern Overhead Valve V8 engines.

You can check out more Alphabe-Thursday 'F' assignments with Miss Jenny at the head of the class. You can find her here. You might even like to join us as we go through the alphabet, one letter per week.

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For more things in a row please visit Pat's Things in a Row post. You might like to post your own 'Things in a Row.'

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And now for my Thursday Two Questions: (See Thursday Two Questions by Self Sagacity for more reading. You could also make your own by checking in at this link.)
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Last week 's post was about gourmet and public transportation. The responses were very interesting.
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My Two Questions for this week:
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1. What are your produce buying methods?
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First we check the weekly specials at Krogers, H.E.B, and Brookshire Brothers.  We also try to buy items in season.  Then for the rest we 'splurge' on what seems to be good at the moment we are shopping.  The local Kroger store is our favorite place to shop.  Sometimes we end up at Sams when we cook for a crowd.
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2. What is your favorite fruit?  How often do you get to eat it?
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Bananas for ice cream and apples to eat with cheese or make apple pie are about equally my favorites.  I like most fruits after these, probably starting with oranges and then grapes.  (I hardly ever buy grapes if they are over 99¢ a pound which would be a sale price.)

Bonus Question:  Did you fly your American flag for Flag Day on June 14?
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Yes, Mrs. Jim and I did fly it on our pole in the ground out in the front yard flower bed.
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The picture here is an old July 4, 2006, one on Adi's Meme.  I took a picture this year for flag day but wanted to get Adi back on the blog.  She six years older now than in this picture but still gets around good.  Good that is, with her arthritis pills and shots.

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# posted by Jim : 6/28/2012 12:03:00 AM  20 comments

Thursday, June 14, 2012

My Alphabe-Thursday -- "D" -- Things in a Row -- Two Questions --

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"D" is for Deer: I played golf this Tuesday(I'll also be playing this morning, Thursday).  I am back into my routine again now.  Tuesdays I play with the fellows in Mrs. Jim's Sunday school Class.  Then Tursdays I am playing with either Mrs. Jim or the guys here in our subdivision on the courses here where we live.  Tuesdays we play around on the various public course.

What's that got to do with deer?  If you look closely you will see a deer walking up the hill where our ball should land after we hit it from where Butch is standing.  Actually the ball should go up the hill further still, but with duffers like me and some of the others you never know really, where the ball will go.
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"D" is for Dining: A couple of weeks ago we had 'gourmet dining' in our subdivision.  We do this three times a year.  Groups of four couples gather together to eat at one of the coupls home.  All of the couples cook their meal off the same menu.  We have about nine groups doing this within a common time period of two months.  This is repeated two more times with different menus.

Things in a row:  This is my Thursday Things in a Row picture entry for this week, the people sitting at the dining table.

This was our main course. It was baked mauii mauii fish on a bed of spinach and rice.  The host always cooks the entrée, makes the appetizer, and buys the wine.

The menu:
Appetizer:  Smoked Salmon Tartare on Belgian Endive (on yesterday's blog);
Second Course: Cream of  Sweet Corn Soup with Wild Mushrooms;
Third Course:  Roasted Mauii Mauii, Brazed Collard Greens, Charleston Red Rice, and Pecan-Shallot "Cracklins"; and
Fourth Course:  Rustic Texas Peach Tarts (Mrs. Jim made these, yummy, yummy!)

The other three couples were responsible for those not provided by the host.  The costs of everything was shared.  Including wine even for teetotallers.
"D" is for Double decker red bus: These are prevelant in London.  A visit there would not be complete without riding one.  Our granddaughter, BP, prefers riding the bus to school rather than taking the tube (subway).

We were shopping and eating on and around Baker Street and caught the next bus which was the one that goes by Karen's flat.  I wish that Houston had better mass transit.  It will never be the cities like NYC or Chicago without.  We have a hodge podge of bus routes and one above ground train route.  That and taxi cabs.  Most people who live here have their own cars, one or more for each driver in the family.  So why build a rail system?

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You can check out more Alphabe-Thursday 'C' assignments with Miss Jenny at the head of the class. You can find her here. You might even like to join us as we go through the alphabet, one letter per week.

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For more things in a row please visit Pat's Things in a Row post. You might like to post your own 'Things in a Row.'

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And now for my Thursday Two Questions: (See Thursday Two Questions by Self Sagacity for more reading. You could also make your own by checking in at this link.)
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Last week 's post was about old cars, having and liking them.  The responses were very interesting. 

My Two Questions for this week:
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1. How do you go about eating with friends. Do problems arise?
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Gourmet Dining and Dining In are two organized activities we have here.  Also Mrs. Jim's Sunday school class has a group of around 30-40 who meet and eat at one of the various restaurants in town weekly after church.
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Problems involving paying are solved by going Dutch in the restaurants and sharing the costs of the meals eaten in the homes.  Some folks object to sharing the cost of wine when they don't drink any wine.

2. .Do you have a favorable public transportation where you live?  Why or why not? (As you read in my post above, we have very little in the GREAT metropolis of Houston, Texas.) 

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# posted by Jim : 6/14/2012 12:03:00 AM  22 comments

Thursday, July 12, 2012

My Alphabe-Thursday -- "H" -- Things in a Row -- Two Questions --

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"H" is for hush puppies.
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Hush puppies  (link) are pretty much Southern food served with fried fish. That is unless we are talking of shoe brands (link). The eating kind are basically corn bread rolled into a ball and deep fried (recipe link).
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Why are they called 'hush puppies?'.Mrs. Jim said her grandmother would make them almost every day. The hound dogs--like Adi--would gather round and howl a little, they knew their turn was coming.

Then Grandma would call out, "Hush puppy! Hush puppy, hush!," as she would throw each dog in turn his or her hush puppy, hot from the pan. I have no idea how many hush puppies make a hound dog quiet down. We don't feed Adi hush puppies so I for sure don't know and Mrs. Jim can't remember how many it took her grandma to throw before the dogs did hush.

"H" is also for Hors d'Oeuvres
On the right is a small dish served as appetizers (some had been eaten before I snapped this picture) in our local Kountry Katfish Restaurant. You recognize the hush puppies and in the smaller dish is a serving of pickled green tomatoes. Served as hors d'oeuvres, they are free. A plate is served to about every four guests with refills as needed.

Thursday Things in a Row:  These skewers consist of tortellinis stuffed with cheese, lightly cooked in oil peas in the pods, and yellow and red roasted small tomatoes.  Mrs. Jim serves these as when  a group meets at our home.  This will happen again Friday night for six couples to play dominoes, Texas 42 style.  [click on the picture to see my rows of  hors d'oeuvres a little better.]

Finally, I wanted to show you my retired pair of Hush Puppy shoes.  The problem is that they should have been stored on this shelf.  You see they aren't there.  I assure you that I did not throw them away.  They were the ones I wore to the Holy Land in 1980.
I know that many times my Hush Puppy shoes crossed the paths that Jesus Christ had walked as he traveled throughout Israel.  We stayed there in Jerusalem for six days and seven nights, using that city as a base for our travels, also through out present day Israel and Palestine.  Palestine was a country with no territory back then.
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You can check out more Alphabe-Thursday 'H' assignments with Miss Jenny at the head of the class. You can find her here. You might even like to join us as we go through the alphabet, one letter per week.

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For more things in a row please visit Pat's Things in a Row post. You might like to post your own 'Things in a Row.'

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And now for my Thursday Two Questions: (See Thursday Two Questions by Self Sagacity for more reading. You could also make your own by checking in at this link.)
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Last week 's post was about greats in your lives and how you were celebrating national holidays. The responses were very interesting.
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My Two Questions for this week:
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1. When did you eat your first hush puppy?  Tell us a bit about that experience.

I  had never eaten hush puppies until I moved to Houston when I was thirty-one years old.  Hush puppies are not very popular in the Midwest, West Texas, or New England, the areas where I previously had lived.
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2. How do like Hush Puppy shoes?
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I have told about the one pair above.  I used to wear Hush Puppies most all of the time, even for dress-going-to-church shoes.  Now-a-days I cannot as my foot doctor has told me to wear only athletic shoes, like running or training shoes.  And then I ave to put arch supports in them per his order..

Bonus Question: What is your favorite appetizer, or hors d'oeuvres dish?

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# posted by Jim : 7/12/2012 12:39:00 AM  25 comments

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

A Jam — My Alphabe-Thursday -- "J" -- Two Questions -- Things in a Row

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"J" is for Jam -- like, "hey, I got myself in a little bit of a Jam." (start of a phone conversation)
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"You see I dropped my iPhone in the changing booth at WalMart and now the cops have got me  for, well I don't really know what for."
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"Well, did you get arrested?"
"Not exactly but they think that I put a ... ," muffled, "sob, sniff, sob, sniffle ... "
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"They think I put a camera on the floor to watch the girls change clothes (more sniffles)."
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"What is going on there now?  When are you coming home?"
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"They are holding me in the back of a police car."
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"Are you coming home?"
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"They are checking the phone to see if there are any pictures that I took tonight."
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"Can you come home?"
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"It sounds like it, like they are going to take me home.  But they want then to talk with you, Mom."
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"Oh."
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"Oh."
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Real life in the day of a Houston Police team.  I first heard it on the TV news and then found it in the Houston Chronicle .
http://blog.chron.com/newswatch/2012/07/tomball-man-accused-of-recording-teen-in-girls-dressing-room/
If that link has expired I have the contents recorded here on another blog of mine. 
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[click on picture for larger size view] .....
"Jam" is also used to spread on bread, pancakes, and biscuits.
Here at our house I found these in the refrigerator and have them lined up into two little rows. The rows are for my Thursday Things in a Row part of this post.
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In the packets we see the real "Jam" in case you haven't seen any lately. The first is from a breakfast at our new Burger King and is called "Strawberry Jam" and I put it on my biscuit half that I didn't eat with the sausage.
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Also in that row is a packet from MacDonald's but it is called "Strawberry Preserves." I used it for the same way as the Burger King jam. (Prior post link, scroll down to the MacDonald's sack picture)
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The next row has a jar of "Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves" (link). These have become my favorite Strawberry Preserves and are made in the U.S. I was first introduced to them in a small hotel in Paris where they were served for breakfast in a small individual portion-sized jars which were made in France.
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Next in line is a jar of "Polaner All Fruit with Fiber Raspberry seedless" which you might recall is NOT Jelly in the 'pass the jelly' commercial (link).
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Lastly is a jar of Fig Preserves that Mrs. Jim made.  We eat this mostly with our morning biscuits which Mrs. Jim also makes, from scratch.
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.For more things in a row please visit Pat's Things in a Row post. You might like to post your own 'Things in a Row.'
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You can check out more Alphabe-Thursday 'J' assignments with Miss Jenny at the head of the class. You can find her here. You might even like to join us as we go through the alphabet, one letter per week.

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And now for my Thursday Two Questions: (See Thursday Two Questions by Self Sagacity for more reading. You could also make your own by checking in at this link.)
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Last week 's post and questions were about Wild Flowers, Blue, and/or Outside Activities.
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My Two Questions for this week (you can answer just one if you wish):
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1. What is you favorite "Jam" used to spread onto bread, etc? 
Actually most anything that Mrs. Jim makes is tons better than store bought.
2. Any "Jam" that you got into where you had to call Mom?
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I have lived a charmed life and have escaped that hard of a punishment for my baddies.
Bonus Question: What should my bonus question have been today?
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# posted by Jim : 7/25/2012 09:14:00 PM  20 comments

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

— My Alphabe-Thursday, "Z" Cars I Have Known — "Z" Two Questions

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Posted in respect for Aphabe- Thursday's Letter "Z"



The Letter "Z" is the last letter of our English alphabet.  Strangely enough, the English do not use this letter very often.   I refer to you our English (American)  "Z".  (Google Search for "use of letter Z in british english" )

I would have picked "Z" for Zebra but I did not have a picture of one on file.  And I wasn't about to run down the 65 miles to the Houston Zoo for one.  I did try one toy store and found no toy Zebra there.

So I picked "Z" for "Z" Cars instead.  I just happened to have had a couple of blogs written about the two here.

First, above, is a BMW "Z4" Car.  The Z4 was introduced in 2002 and is still in production with an improved model. (Google Search for "BMW Z4") (Jim's 2008 blog featuring this car) BTW, this "Z" is owned by a lady friend of ours.  For this picture it is sitting in our church parking lot.
 
Second, to the left on my NAPA calendar, is a 1968 Chevrolet "Z"-28 Camero.  My son had a 1968 Camero painted blue and white like this in high school.  His was an "RS" Camero. (Jim's 2010 blog featuring this car)

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Now for my Thursday Two Questions.

I really enjoyed your responses to my Yellow Car post of last week.  I did have a couple of Yellow Toy Cars that I did not post about.
My Two Questions for this week (you can answer just one if you wish):
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1. If your older relative willed you his one of his Z Cars like these above, would you want the newer BMW or the older Chevy, which would you want?  Why that one? I
It would be a toss-up for me.  I think neither car is very desirable for my wants.
. aell
2. Do you have or would you like to have a collector car?  What might it be? 
I have a 1950 Ford Tudor and a 1974 Ford Mustang II Ghia. My 1998 Ford Mustang GT convertible has a few years to go before it will be a collector car.
Bonus Question: What is your favorite "Z" word?  Or "Z" Car?.

—My Thursday Two Questions post is for Amanda.

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— I posted the above for Alphabe-Thursday 'Z' assignments with Miss Jenny at the head of the class. You can find her by clicking right here.
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# posted by Jim : 11/14/2012 10:19:00 PM  19 comments

Thursday, September 04, 2014

Six Pictures — My Alphabe-Thursday (4th), the letter "P" -- and a Quiz

"P" is for 'Petty things' and for 'Petty things' that I like.
The quiz:  You can guess which is 'petty' and which is 'pretty'
 
"P" is for Putting, here when playing miniature golf. 
I hope KP, our youngest grandchild, makes her Putt.
 
"P" is for Peanut butter.  I eat about a jar and a half a week. 
That is now that the amount has reduced from 18 ounces to 16. 
 
"P" is for Pancakes. This was the first BEAR pancake she made for the day.  Guess who got to eat that one?  Mrs. Jim has made BEAR pancakes for all of our six grandchildren. This time it was was for KP.
 
"P" is for Potatoes. KP ate all these and her grilled cheese sandwich. 
They both looked really good. 
 
"P" is for Playhouse.  There was a 'parade of playhouses' display (Casas for Casa!) of assorted styled playhouses.  The playhouses are to be sold next week at auction to benefit CASA, Child Advocates of Montgomery County.  Mrs. Jim picked this one, she likes the color blue.  It is contemporary style and should sell well.  Lots of $$$.
 
(Oh, yes, today is National Wildlife Day, try to stop by the zoo on your way home.)
(you can click on any picture for a screen sized view) 
 
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Photos copyright, © Jimmiehov 2014, all rights reserved
 
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Today I am linked again (this is the first one of the fourth series for me) with Teacher Jenny at her Alphabet Thursday Letter "P" blog (Link)  (My Older series post links, 1st, 2nd, 3rd)

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# posted by Jim : 9/04/2014 12:05:00 AM  15 comments

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Eight Pictures — My Alphabe-Thursday (4th), the letter "O"

"O" is for 'Old things' and for 'Omelets', both items I like.
(Oh, yes, today is National Bow Tie Day, wear yours please)
(you can click on any picture for a screen sized view) 

Here for the old things
 First, Old cars


 
This 1929 Model A Ford belongs (he may have traded it off by now) to my friend, John.
 
Next will be Old buildings

 
Old General Store at Washington, Texas
(near where our Texas Constitution was formed back in 1836 when we became a country)

 
A cute little Old house in Key West Florida
(we visited there this spring in April, caught it on our walk to down town)

 
A nice Old hotel in Wales
(we visited northern Wales this May for a few days, train from London to Shrewsbury, U.K, rented a car, stayed at B&B's in and around Barmouth, Wales, U.K.  Visited with friends at Northampton after turning car back.)


 
Nice Old Southwark Cathedral in London U.K.
(One fourth of my heritage is with U.K. families, the Fletchers and the Crams.  I think the Fletcher on this plaque is the Poet, John Fletcher [1579-1625][Link].  The Fetchers settled in Massachusetts--cousin, Moses Fletcher, came on the Mayflower--then moved to New Hampshire, and finally settled in Maine.  My Fletcher and Cram moved to Nebraska, married, and founded the town, Fletcher, Nebraska (town since dissolved, post office closed).


 
Nice Old red corrugated steel sided shed I found here.  
It is on the way from Conroe to our town, Montgomery (Texas suburbs of Houston)
I am sure there is an old car or two stored here.  Think so?
 
Oh yes, the Omelet?  I have pictures, I really like those.  I made Omelets for Mrs. Jim and me for lunch yesterday.  Sorry, I didn't take a picture this time.  It wasn't so very pretty.  But it sure did taste good.  It was an egg, onion, corned beef, and cheddar cheese Omelet.
 
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Photos copyright, © Jimmiehov 2014, all rights reserved
 
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Today I am linked again (this is the first one of the fourth series for me) with Teacher Jenny at her Alphabet Thursday Letter O (Link)  (My Older series post links, 1st, 2nd, 3rd)
 

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# posted by Jim : 8/28/2014 11:42:00 AM  18 comments

Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Meet Tim -- Four Pictures — My Alphabe-Thursday (4th), the letter "T"

 
"T" is for Tim, my youngest son
 
 
Tim with Mrs. Jim and me
 
 
Tim with his younger daughter and her fiancé.
Jenna and Thomas will be getting married this month.
 
 
Tim with Megan and James, his
older daughter and her husband.
 
Tim is an ornery 53 now. He has a heart of love, he just gave his dog away to three children in PetCo this Saturday night on his way to our house. Their dog had been stolen and his just loved those kids.  Tim misses her as since he is single now the dog was someone who loved him to come home to.
 
He came to our house to change out the garbage disposal which had bitten the dust.  While Tim was here he also put the dryer duct hose back on, I am thinking tighter than I had been able.  AND he brought us some of Conroe, Texas's best BBQ from McKenzie's Barbeque.  That hit the spot for our supper.
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Today I am linked again (this is the first one of the fourth series for me) with Teacher Jenny at her Alphabet Thursday Letter "T" blog (Link)  (My Older series post links, 1st, 2nd, 3rd)

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# posted by Jim : 10/01/2014 04:52:00 PM  8 comments

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