115 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 9-12+13-20”

  4. Good Morning. I am off to show property to RP (you prayed for him when he had surgery for a cancerous bladder). This will be our third time out. Hopefully we will find what he wants today.
    I also have another couple I have written an offer for, but it is a backup offer and I really don’t think they have a chance of getting it, but I sure would like for them to.
    BG seems to be fine.
    Little Miss is awake, so off I go

    Liked by 5 people

  6. Oh dear,,,puddles on the floor?! Will you be able to get brother to come over and take a look at it Janice? Hoping you get a quick resolve…plumbing issues are never fun! 😠
    It will be a day of spiffing up the house. We are to have small group here on Tuesday and I have the first phase of a dental implant that morning…so today will be dusting and deep cleaning areas that need that attention. The snow is all melted and the sun is shining. I will try to clean some windows now that DJ brought that up last night…I too look at the time of day and what the windows might look like to visitors…mine are always dusty and streaked!! Why must it be sooo difficult?

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  8. I think I could make quilts out of the dust I have right now. Mentioned that to someone and she said, “Well, we cannot have anyone over, so what is the point?” Lol. How many of us only clean and dust for others? It is a great motivator. I have had it in mind to do for quite awhile now, but find it more of a challenge since my husband retired. I am not complaining, however. I am glad for everyday I have him.

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  9. We dust on Saturday morning clean up. Company would therefore come on Fridays. But that is fine with me.

    Though Jo did call me out on the overbleached guest bathroom. Why she did not mention the nonfunctioning faucet, you will have to ask her.

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  14. Thanks Mumsee”
    Not much going on around here. i.e. Everything is normal.
    I pray for you and others here regularly. Not during my devotion time, but as events and reminders occur.

    Liked by 3 people

  15. I hear the neighbor playing Crosby, Stiils, Nash and Young. Pleasant. I an soaking a towel I put down in the kitchen floor before I prewash and then wash it with another load. I probably just need a sink replacement but I will be thinking more about what I can do or how to make do. My brother is helping Art today. He does get paid for his help.

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  18. Yep, dusting and window washing are in my future. I may get a few windows done today. I figure if I do one side of the house each day, I won’t wreck my shoulder and neck.

    My house is an absolute disaster, but now that I am officially unemployed I will have time to slowly get things upside right and clean.

    The garden is just about done for the year. Everything has been harvested except the carrots and the squash. The carrots can be harvested any time now because they have had their touch of frost, but the squash are not nearly ready – I guess we’ll be covering those at night from now on.

    Friends of ours have offered us the use of their timeshare in the mountains. How do timeshares even work?

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  19. I mop the floors everyday…shh don’t tell Mumsee but our dog lives in the house and brings paw prints, pine needles and such into the house…..floors are wood and show all the “stuff”! I dust a couple times a week…it is so dusty around here. The windows outside get washed a couple times a year weather permitting. Inside they are cleaned as I sit noticing how filthy they appear.
    Having husband and daughter in the house makes it difficult to clean. When they were both gone last week I accomplished so much around here! I keep telling them to just give me ONE day alone so I can clean!! (I had just finished cleaning the kitchen, polishing countertops, ridding all fingerprints from fridge, microwave, dishwasher, oven…7pm…daughter comes in as I was exiting…I lamented to her “you aren’t going to mess up my clean kitchen are you?!…she was offended when I asked her to get her kitchen stuff over with by the time I am done with dinner clean up…ugh)

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  20. If I mail you a ticket, NancyJill, will you come?

    I tried to give up dusting in honor of my mother at her death. I only dusted when she visited anyway.

    My husband just looked at me 25 years ago when I made that announcement.

    Now I just do it when I can’t stand it anymore.

    Outside windows? May the sky isn’t so dirty outside after all?

    I do vacuum.

    I can’t work in a dirty kitchen, so that’s always in order.

    And laundry, of course, is my official hobby.

    Like

  23. Kare, the timeshare, if like ours, will be like a very nice and comfy resort villa. You can choose to pay for maid service or not. We don’t get that. At the end of your time you will have a list of chores such as putting used linens and such in a certain location, taking out the trash, and making sure things are left as you found them. Most timeshares have a full kitchen so you either bring food from home or grocery shop if available near the timeshare. Some people probably go out to eat the whole time but we choose to do that a few times and then I cook the rest of the meals. Most timeshares offer a daily activity schedule for those interested in such things. Some activities are free and some may have a cost. They would not typically have room service meals like a nice hotel, but otherwise it is similar as a good base for exploring an area.

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  25. October of 2018 Mr P went to Tuscaloosa for weekend to see Alabama play. While he was gone, I scrubbed the house from top to bottom, moved things around to make them more attractive. Organized everything. For one night my house was calm, serene, and peaceful. I soaked it up. It was spotless. All the beds were made. I basked in it.
    He came home took the back cushiions off the sofa, moved things around, and put them where they were “supposed” to be.
    One of us vacuums ocassionally, I keep the hall bathroom clean, and when I can’t stand it I clean the kitchen.

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  32. My left shoulder has only gotten worse, so that added to the challenge of the dusting. A friend told me about a hair remover for arm pits she found when she had frozen shoulder. I picked up some and it does work. I will be patient, since I know from experience it should go away at some point. It is waking up at night that bothers me most. Always something.

    My vacuum was leaving some black marks on the carpet today. I was not happy. They did come off with a spot cleaner. It is old and has worked well, however.

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  33. People! Clean your screens! I just washed my kitchen window screen – first I vacuumed it, then I propped it in the shower and sprayed it with Mr. Clean and let is sit for a few minutes. Then I took a wet wash cloth and very gently rubbed both sides of the screen – I had to turn the cloth a few times, it was so dirty. Then I rinsed it (and the runoff water was filthy) and laid it between two towels to dry. What a difference!!! I can see clearly now, the grime is gone!!

    Liked by 5 people

  34. I will–when this is all over. Right now, I’m not opening the windows for anything! Mr. Clean, huh? We might be able to buy that in the story right now–disinfectant aisles are bare. Headed to Costco on Monday and hoping I can get some there.

    Liked by 1 person

  36. Kare- your last line reminds of the song “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone…”

    I wish I could get my screens out to clean them and the outside glass. We got new windows, and because of the size we got ones that slide. The screen is such that it doesn’t seem to come out at all. I guess I’ll have to call the installer and ask how it’s done if I get ambitious enough to wash them.

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  37. I thought of that song, too. Only wish my eyes could see clearly the dirty windows . . . sometimes there are advantages to poor vision. Look Ma, no wrinkles. It’s one way to discover the fountain of youth ♡ Just call me Pollyanna.

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  39. Michelle, definitely wait until the smoke and ash are gone. I used regular lemon Mr. Clean that I put into an old spray bottle.

    Like

  40. She did that on purpose, that Kare and her song…

    Ok, I would admit to the reason I don’t wash my screens. Nineteen year old has pretty much obliterated many of them, What she did not destroy, twenty two’s dog did. He kept her outside but she pawed at the screens. She is a tall dog. One of the reasons we did not want to rent to him, and didn’t. So I only have three intact screens left. Kind of disappointed when I saw the dog had gotten the guest room sliding door screen as well. I suppose I could wash them. Somebody will have to go buy some mr clean.

    I will see clearly now, the grime is gone….tee hee.

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  41. Janice, I like the new vacuum I got for Christmas a couple of years ago. But we don’t have any carpet and it rarely gets used. When I use it, I am very happy with it. It is a Dyson. Cordless. I watched how well it did on daughter’s carpets and wood floors and was impressed so was given one.

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  42. I need something that’s good on hard floors mostly.

    Received a card from the youth group at church, explaining they were reaching out to the church’s older members and those who are otherwise also at high risk and so haven’t been able to make it to church; they sent notes of encouragement.

    Since when am I an “old” person? Haha. Yeah, I know. But really, I guess we all have such stereotypes of older people and it’s jarring to realize some people now have that stereotype of … you! Weird.

    Well, a sweet gesture, even so.

    +++++++++++++++++

    I got over to Office Depot to pick up printer ink and paper and then spent a couple hours watering out back and in front, feels good to catch up on that — and the flowers, Charlie Brown and my dying grass look a little better.

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  46. Chuck volunteered to come sit with Elvera so I could attend an 8:00 service at church.
    I turned it down.
    we have to arrive at a certain time at a specified door wearing a mask, etc.
    It ain’t the same. So” I’lll pass.

    I really doubt this is necessary. But it’s the law.
    The Lord knows how this fits into His plans.

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  47. DJ must be stronger than she looks. I could see her throwing a rug or two, but them runners can be pretty heavy, plus they’re fast and hard to catch. 🙂

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  52. Happiest of Birthdays to you dear Mumsee!! 🎂 🎈 🎉 💐 💥 🍨 ♥️
    The smoke that drifts into our region does mess up the outside of the windows. I recall after the Black Forest fire all of our windows had a thick black film inside and out. We did the initial cleaning but it required a good downpour of rain to expel the ash and soot from the trees and house….Continuing to lift those in the path of these fires up in prayer…dirty windows pale in knowing what others are facing right now 😢
    Dj I chuckled at your post concerning the youth reaching out to the “elderly”….yep…we are there. If they could only see how youthful I am in mind and spirit 😂

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  53. Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday, Mumsee!
    I thank God that He made a way for you to be here with us to celebrate you today! You have been a wonderful influence on so many lives. May you have the sweetest of birthdays as you take stock of the years and how you have been available for God’s purposes in building His kingdom here on earth. You are one of my heroes on earth for how you and Mike have helped the unloved and needy. ♡

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  54. My mother said something similar to NancyJill’s reflection.

    “You know, in my mind I’m only about 18.”

    Since I WAS 18 at the time, I was horrified.

    But that probably explains why we’re so good at deciphering what are kids/grandkids are thinking.

    Outside of recent technology, of course!

    I have a small lightweight Miele vacuum, we call “the princess vacuum,” Mr. Engineer purchased for my birthday. (I think I’ll buy HIM a bottle of Mr. Clean for his birthday tomorrow). Very expensive and I don’t like the location of the on/off switch.

    I was happy with my Kenmore that lasted 15 years and had a perfect on/off switch along with the ability to go from floors to rug with the touch of a toe.

    The princess requires a change of dressing (vacuum heads) and special cooing and coaxing to start work.

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  56. I feel blessed today with a working brain. Someone commented on my Instagram post, “IKR.” My first thought was what in the world does that mean. Then all of a sudden I knew it had to be “I know, right.” Yes! The little fluff that’s still left can still understand context. Thanking God for that. Next on the agenda is the Sunday on the phone prayer gathering.

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  57. I had a high end vacuum by Nilfisk that bit the dust. I really liked it. I may look into those again but probably don’t need that much now. It was specially designed for people with airborne allergies like Wesley had. If I got another one it would be with the expectation that he would own it one day.

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  58. I’ve had a Rainbow vacuum for 21 years now. If you aren’t familiar it has a water basin on the bottom of the vacuum and all that you vacuum up goes in it and you throw it away each time. It’s really gross to see what comes up off of your floors. The manufacturer used to recommend putting in front of your AC intake filter and turn it on for an hour to filter the air and clean all the dust out. It’s a pain to get out and put together to use, but I will take it over anything else.

    What I really want right now is a Goovi. DJ you may want to look into getting one.

    https://www.smarthomesforliving.com/goovi-1600pa-robotic-vacuum-cleaner-review/

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  59. Happy Birthday, Mumsee! My husband was a Friday the 13th baby also. Born as the sun was rising that February morning, my MIL reports.

    Do you know what time of day you were born?

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  60. I think I have a Hoover vacuum…it was top rated and since I only have carpet in the three bedrooms upstairs, two of which are guest rooms, it hardly gets used. But it works well.
    A friend of ours is moving back to Ohio and as he was cleaning out his basement he discovered a 1965 Kirby that was his parent’s. Paul brought it home and is fixing the wheels and belt 🙃
    We had a Rainbow when I was growing up and Mom still has it. She would smush a little piney scented capsule in it after filling the base with water…I still recall how that scent filled that tiny house.

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  61. Happy Birthday Mumsee! FB sent me the reminder this morning. 🙂

    That Kenmore sounds like a good fit for me, I hate hassling changing parts. I need something simple and basic. I like the idea of a robot vacuum and the cat would also like that.

    Virtual church begins in an hour.

    My mom also told me at one time she felt the same inside as she did when she was a young woman.

    On the card ministry, I was thinking it probably would be better not to say who’s being targeted, but rather just that it’s an outreach for those who haven’t been able to get back to in-person worship yet.

    I still have a “healthy” respect for this virus, personally. We still don’t know a lot about it.

    I wonder how Grace Community church will fare this morning, continuing to meet in defiance of the county injunction.

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  62. My daughter has a small vacuum that sits on a charger so it doesn’t have a cord. The good part of that is that the two littles can use it and enjoy being a help. Quick to get all of that food off the floor when they are done eating.
    My son, who has a dog and cat, got his wife one of the robot vacuums. It is programmed to vacuum every night. They just have to pick up toys and up up the dining room chairs. Trouble is they also have a downstairs and an upstairs. This only gets the main floor and remembers where the stairs are so it doesn’t go off the edge.

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  63. Happy Birthday Mumsee!! It was so special to drive for two very long days to visit you. You have to be committed to see Mumsee. You have such a small corner in an out of the way place. yet God is using you mightily.

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  64. “What Islamists and ‘Wokeists’ Have in Common” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

    “In the debates after 9/11, many people sought materialist explanations for the attacks. American foreign policy in the Middle East was blamed, or lack of education and employment opportunities in the Arab world. I argued that none of these could explain the motivations of the plotters and hijackers, who in any case were far from underprivileged. Their goal was religious and political: to wage jihad against their kin if they didn’t accept a literal interpretation of Islam, to denounce Arab governments as corrupt and their Western allies as infidels, and ultimately to overthrow the established order in the Middle East and establish a caliphate.

    “… Nineteen years on, we see a similar dynamic, only this time it is within our borders. Naive observers explain this summer’s protests in terms of African-Americans’ material disadvantages. These are real, as are the (worse) socio-economic problems of the Arab world. But they aren’t the main driver of the protests, which appear to be led mainly by well-off white people.”

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-islamists-and-wokeists-have-in-common-11599779507

    Liked by 1 person

  66. Happy Birthday, Mumsee!

    My last two years before college (ages 20-22) I worked in a drugstore in Sun City AZ. (Meaning the average age of my customers was about 75.) One day in the parking lot I saw a license plate O2B 21. I myself was 21 at the time, so I made a mental note to appreciate it while I could. 🙂 Truth is I’ve generally enjoyed each year more than the one before, with just two exceptions I can think of (13 and one year in my late twenties that I had a bad housing situation, a volunteer situation under poor management, and at the end of the year my car broke down at 11:00 at night–on the way home from that volunteer situation–and needed a new engine). This year is a bad one in a lot of ways and I’ll be happy to have it over with, but we’re getting through it and we’re together.

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  68. My computer won'[t let me “LIKE” Cheryl’s 1:37. However, that is a critical truth. We totally misunderstand if we think it’s anything beyond Islam.
    Their “Bible” says to fight infidels where you find them.
    They are always at war with us.

    This problem won’t be solved until the Lord returns. However, having said that, I regret the way China is treating Muslims in Western China. I am against religious persecution of any sort.

    Kim, they problems you have on Dec. 31 carry over to Jan. 1. They need to be settled now, if possible.

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  69. Thank you for all the kind birthday wishes. It has been a lovely birthday so far. I made sour dough bagels for breakfast. As summer is nearing a close, it is time to start baking things.

    Down to eleven at church this morning. But it was good to get together where we are in Matthew. We social distance fairly easily in our big room in the community center. But church online was good as well, where we are in Ephesians.

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  70. Happy Birthday, Mumsee!

    I was born on a Friday the 13th, too, and I think Peter’s son was as well. Must be a good day to be born on.

    *******
    As for vacuums, I have a Shark. I have no idea if it is considered particularly good by those who know about vacuum cleaners, but it seems much better than my old one, so it seems good to me. I like being able to empty the part where the dirt and pet fur congregate each time I vacuum rather than have to deal occasionally with vacuum cleaner bag.

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  71. I believe Dr. Fauci has most recently said we need to be prepared to deal with this virus through the end of 2021 (allowing for the time it’s going to take to find, test and approve a vaccine and develop it enough to be readily available).

    (Virtual) church was good, we covered a survey of Galatians today.

    Liked by 2 people

  75. Has anyone read the book by Frank Charles Laubach, Prayer: The Mightiest Force in the World? It was recommended by a former missionary at my church. I just read through the contents and it looks quite interesting. It is an older book and not long (less than 100 pages). I am wondering if perhaps Michelle read it during her time of research for one of her books?

    Liked by 1 person

  76. Happy birthday, Mumsee!!!

    I have a central vac system, which works amazingly. However, hauling out the big long hose and winding it back up again is a pain.

    I would love to have a Dyson, stick type, cordless vacuum to just do a room a day or when there’s a mess for a quick clean. I have had dried mud on the back door mat for days now because neither of us has the gumption to get the long hose out. Sigh.

    In other news, I could actually see out my kitchen window this morning when the sun was shining on it!!! Also, my screens may be dirtier than those in the city because of oil and wood heat and living on a gravel road. And poplar fuzz – that makes a screen opaque.

    Liked by 4 people

  78. Oh, I am happy that I looked up Nilfisk vacuums. It reminded me of where I bought the one I loved. It was from National Allergy Supply. I purchased a number of things from that business to get our home in better shape to deal with Wesley’s allergies and asthma when he was around two years old (28+ years ago). I can get a model for less than I thought I could that has the excellent filter system on it. Thank you all for helping me to think more about what is available. There are a lot of good choices, but if we’ve personally had something that we’ve been pleased with in the past, don’t we tend to gravitate back to that product? I did not think it would be affordable, but after all these years, I think they have more options now. I think that I paid about $750.00 way back then. Now I can get a smaller model for around $500.00+.

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  79. It seems I remember a door-to-door salesman pitching the Rainbow vacuum to my mother, and he did a demo of it in our home many years ago. It was quite impressive. My mother did not purchase it. We always had the good old Kenmore vacuums when I was growing up.

    Like

  83. My brother tried being a Rainbow salesman. I think he only sold one- to my sister. It got a lot of use as any time someone in the church was moving the Rainbow went to clean both houses. I think the reason no one else bought one was the cost- $800 in the early 80s.

    We have an old Hoover that rarely gets used now that the only carpet is in the hallway and a bedroom full of stuff from the rooms “under construction”.

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  87. DJ – When there is finally a vaccine, there are going to be a whole lot of people who will denounce it as something nefarious. I already see them gearing up for that in their current FB posts. (Because Covid is merely an engineered virus – or a faked pandemic – to usher in a vaccine to track and control the populace, ya know.)

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  89. Oh, I didn’t know that Kizzie. Good to beware!

    (Kidding, of course; as long as it’s thoroughly tested and deemed safe and at least generally effective, I’ll gladly take my assigned place in line, thank you.)

    Liked by 1 person

  92. Yep, I have already heard that the Covid-19 vaccine is Bill Gates’s nefarious plan to sterilize people, and also that it will change people’s DNA and make them whole different people. (And the people explaining what they have heard will “explain” it in pseudo-scientific language.)

    And today I heard from one of my own brothers that claim MacArthur made that the CDC just “admitted” that only 6% of the deaths are actually from COVID-19. No, that isn’t what the statistic means. It means that only 6% of people who died of it had no (known) secondary issue, no co-morbidity. If you get pneumonia from having COVID, that pneumonia may be listed as another aspect of the cause of death (even though it too is COVID). If you are more vulnerable to infection because you have cancer or asthma or compromised immune system or heart issues or diabetes or any of several other things, and you get COVID-19, you are more likely to die than a healthy 20-year-old is. But that doesn’t mean that COVID-19 isn’t what killed you and you “really” died of obesity or diabetes. It just means you are more vulnerable and more likely to die. In some cases. another underlying factor may have actually been more important in the death than COVID-19 was. Then again, a 95-year-old who has a heart attack is more likely to die than is a 40-year-old with a heart attack. But we still say the heart attack is the reason he died (assuming we know he had one). The 94/6 percent statistic really only says that a healthy person is less likely to die of COVID, not that a person with underlying issues “didn’t really” die of COVID.

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  95. Chas, there are a lot of people saying that (1) since most of the people who are dying of COVID-19 also had one or more other causes of death listed on their death certificate, that those people didn’t “really” die of COVID and therefore it isn’t actually a very serious disease. A 45-year-old man who has diabetes and who gets COVID is more likely to die of it than is a person with no underlying health issues. That doesn’t mean he “really” died of diabetes; it means he is more vulnerable because of the diabetes.

    Some of the same people are saying (2) if they do come out with a vaccine, I’m not going to take it, because it won’t really be a vaccine against the (not very serious) COVID-19. It’s really a chance for the government to get huge numbers of people to submit to having something bad done to their bodies. Some are saying that everyone who gets the vaccine will be permanently sterilized by it, and some are saying that it changes your DNA and makes you a totally different person. The vaccine hasn’t even been developed yet, but somehow the “secret” of what it really does has gotten out. Some really weird conspiracy theories are out there.

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  96. Chas – Columbo was a popular detective show on in the 70s. Columbo was a disheveled detective who kind of rambled a bit, and didn’t seem too bright, but that was his way of tricking the bad guys into underestimating him while he went about solving the crime. Very enjoyable.

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  97. Cheryl – Isn’t there also a theory that a microchip will be injected into us with a vaccine?

    Were you able to explain about the co-morbidities to your brother?

    I don’t have any sort of medical education, but I know about co-morbidities, and that a large percentage of people have them. I have been shocked (and disappointed) by the number of otherwise intelligent people who have shared that idea about the 6%.

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  103. Kizzie, yes, I’ve heard the microchip, too. I think it’s part of the birth control one, but who knows how many theories are floating around.

    I explained the co-morbidities to my brother, but not sure he understood the point that his understanding was actually wrong, not just something that needed fine-tuning. I did acknowledge that statistics are often wrong and thus not totally reliable. But that’s a whole lot different than “only 6% of the people actually died of COVID-19.” Maybe it’s 95%, I don’t know. Then again, maybe more people have died of it than we know. Maybe some that are labeled as heart attacks or other causes actually had it. I don’t know. He said what lots of people have said, “Shutting down the economy actually killed a lot more people!” I doubt that’s true, but what I told him is I have no idea, all I know is I’m more interested in subjects other than politics and as a Christian I’m called to be faithful in my own sphere.

    Mumsee, indeed MacArthur and his elders need great wisdom. I think that is true of any pastor, particularly one in the public eye.

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  110. I just shared that meme with a friend in AZ. She shot back, “Doesn’t apply here.”

    Monk is my all-time favorite. Mr. Relaxation has found and been enjoying the old The Saint TV show starirng Roger Moore before 007.

    Liked by 1 person

  111. All the stores have mountains of Halloween candy right now. But there will be no (or minimal) trick-or-treating, parties, or haunted houses. Who’s going to buy all that candy?

    Liked by 1 person

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