The America West Video

The West
The following video is from YouTube and it shows time Lapse scenes over California, Idaho, and Nevada. It is accompanied by some Royalty free music that makes this video relaxing and enjoyable.

 

I think the west is beautiful. In the  past we have enjoyed some visits to Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. I took the pictures on the right at the Grand Canyon back in the early 1990s.

But it seems I am always thankful to get back to the green hills and mountains of East Tennessee. I guess it’s true, “There’s no place like home.”

Close to home
My good friend, Darnell, sent me the following picture yesterday. It seems they had some snow in Bristol, and he found this robin wondering about this cold weather. Thanks for the picture, Darnell, it’s a good one!

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

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Quote of the Day

I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. 
~Edward Everett Hale

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Joke of the Day

A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day. "In English," he said, "A double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."

A voice from the back of the room piped up, 'Yeah, right.'

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The Ice at Ingles

At Ingles
At our Ingles Supermarket in Kingsport, Tennessee, they sell ice inside the store. Here’s a picture of the ice display. I took these pictures will my cell phone last week.

On the left side of the ice box you will find 10 pound bags of cubed ice. And on the right side you will find 20 pound bags of cubed ice.

Here’s the sign for the 10 pound bags of ice. Only 99 cents.
	Well what about 20 pound bags? You would think they would be around $1.98 or maybe a little cheaper. Right? Well, here’s the surprise!
You could buy 3 bags of the 10 pound ice bags for $2.97. That’s 31 cents less than the 20 pound bag, and you would have 30 pounds of ice.	Where’s the logic in this?

I wonder how many people buy the 20# bag of ice and think they got a good deal?

April 7, 2009 – Snow!
We woke up this morning to a cool 32 degrees and about 1/2 inch of snow. Here’s a few pictures I took at 7 AM…

The boat is covered with a blanket… a white blanket of snow. No fishing today!
The dogwood in the front yard is just starting to bloom. The blooms are filled with a white icing of snow.
The azaleas in the front yard are not in full bloom. The blooms that are out are mixed with fluffy snow.

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

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Quote of the Day

Swallow your pride occasionally, it's non-fattening! 
~Author Unknown

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Joke of the Day

Joe grew up in a small town, then moved away to attend college and law school. He decided to come back to the small town because he could be a big man in this small town. He really wanted to impress everyone. He opened his new law office, but business was very slow at first.

One day, he saw a man coming up the sidewalk. He decided to make a big impression on this new client when he arrived. As the man came to the door, Joe picked up the phone. He motioned the man in, all the while talking. "No. Absolutely not. You tell those clowns in New York that I won't settle this case for less than one million. Yes. The Appeals Court has agreed to hear that case next week. I'll be handling the primary argument and the other members of my team will provide support. Okay. Tell the DA that I'll meet with him next week to discuss the details. "

This sort of thing went on for almost five minutes. All the while the man sat patiently as Joe rattled instructions. Finally, Joe put down the phone and turned to the man. "I'm sorry for the delay, but as you can see, I'm very busy. What can I do for you?"

The man replied, "I'm from the phone company. I came to hook up your phone."

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Volleyball

Kara’s Playing Volleyball 
Last Friday night we watched Kara and her team play volleyball. It was around 7 years ago that I watched my other Granddaughter, Mandy, play volleyball for her high school in the state volleyball tournament in Murfreesboro, TN. Now 7 years later I am watching my other Granddaughter play volleyball. Here’s a few pictures of Kara and her team.

(Mandy, maybe you can teach Kara some of your moves.)

Pre Game Team Talk	On the court.
Watch Kara serve!	Ready!
Waiting	The Game is Over. Coach says,“We have a lot to do in practice”

This Week
The week is beginning to look very busy. On Tuesday I go for a stress test at The Heart Center (follow up from my December heart attack). Then another doctor appointment on Thursday. And Friday is when I see the heart doctor to discuss the results of the stress test.

It’s going to be hard to schedule any fishing this week! But the weather forecast for this week doesn’t favor fishing anyway. So all is well.

 

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
I heard that we should not ask God to direct our footsteps if we were not willing to move our feet!

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Quote of the Day

We are perverse creatures and never satisfied. 
~Nan Fairbrother

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Joke of the Day

A little boy went up to his father and asked: 'Dad, where did my intelligence come from?' The father replied. 'Well, son, you must have got it from your mother, cause I still have mine.'

And…

'Mr. Clark, I have reviewed this case very carefully,' the divorce Court Judge said, 'And I've decided to give your wife $775 a week,' '

That's very fair, your honor,' the husband said. 'And every now and then I'll try to send her a few bucks myself.'

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Age and Retirement

Tweety Bird
A friend sent me an email the other day saying that Tweety Bird had reached 60 years of age. The picture definitely shows that Tweety Bird has aged over the past 60 years, and I know how Tweety feels.

Here’s an old cartoon of Tweety Bird and Sylvester the Cat if you care to watch. It last a little less than 7 minutes.

Tweety Bird Cartoon

Retirement
I know exactly how this guy thinks!

 
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

 

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
God wants full custody,
not just weekend visits.

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Quote of the Day

All marriages are happy.  It's the living together afterward that causes all the trouble.
~Raymond Hull

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Joke of the Day

A certain English lady visited Switzerland and was having difficulty finding a room, so she asked the local schoolmaster to help her. After a satisfactory room had been found, she returned to her home and did some packing.

Suddenly, it occurred to her that she hadn't noticed a W.C. (in England, the toilet is called a Water Closet), so she wrote the schoolmaster about the W.C.

The Schoolmaster, not knowing the meaning, asked the parish priest and together they decided that it must mean "Wayside Chapel." He wrote her the following letter:

Dear Madame,

It is my pleasure to inform you that there is a W.C. just 9 miles from your home, in the center of a grove of pine trees. It seats 229 people, and it is open on Thursdays and Sundays. This is an unfortunate situation if you are in the habit of going regularly. You will, no doubt, be glad to hear that some people bring their lunches and make a day of it.

I would especially recommend Thursdays, for then there is an Organ accompaniment. The acoustics in the W.C. are excellent; even the most delicate sound can be heard.

My son was married in the W.C. and there was such a rush for seats that 10 people had to sit in the same seat. The looks on their faces were very interesting.

My wife is sickly but dedicated. She doesn't go regularly, and she hasn't gone for nearly a year.

I will be glad to reserve a seat in the W.C. for you, where you will be seen and heard by everyone.

Hoping I have been of some assistance.

Sincerely yours,
The Schoolmaster

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Model Railroads

I Like Trains!
When I was a younger boy I worked with my train set. I had a Lionel Santa Fe (I still have it and it runs). I play with it maybe once a year these days, usually when Zachary comes to play with me. This picture shows Zachary several years ago watching my old Santa Fe go around the track.

But talk about Model Railroads!!! You might want to check out the “size” of the following layouts in the following two videos.

Now check out the following video for a a different size of railroad layout (Too big for my garage!).

 

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
You can make progress or excuses,
but you can’t make both.

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Quote of the Day

Pain of mind is worse than pain of body.
~Latin Proverb

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Joke of the Day

Two Alabama men were sitting out on a back road visiting. All at once there was a tapping on the window.

"I think there is a ghost tapping on the window!"

Sure enough a wizened face with long flowing white hair was there just out side the window.

The Alabama man driving shoved his foot down on the gas and immediately was doing 60 miles and hour.

"Step on it!" "He's still out there!" And sure enough, there was another tapping at the window.

The driver shoved his foot to the floor again! This time he was doing ninety (90) miles an hour.

Still the ghostly figure tapped on the window.

"You better giver 'er some more gas!" "He's still out there."

"I can't go any faster, I've got her up to 120 miles an hour.

About that time the little old man motioned for the passenger to roll the window down, which he did.

"Say Boys!" "I was wanting to know, do you need a shove to get out of this mud hole?"

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A Trillion Dollars

Money 
It used to be our government talked in terms of millions of dollars, but now it has escalated to more than even billions. Now they talk about trillions of dollars.

It’s hard to comprehend a trillion dollars, but the following web site helps us understand what a trillion dollars is what about. Click below, because you need to know.

A Trillion Dollars

I think I know what the government means when they talk about going green. It has nothing to do with the environment.

My Guestbook
Just a reminder for you to sign my guestbook…
So if you have not signed it click here:

Sign Tennessee Granddaddy’s Guestbook

The only requirement is your name, a brief note, and enter the verification code. I will really appreciate it!

Daylight Saving Time

 

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
Joy is not something we go search for,

it is something that must be inside of us.

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Quote of the Day

If a mistake is not a stepping stone, it is a mistake.
~Eli Siegel

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Joke of the Day

An old Wild West fort is about to be attacked. The wily old General sends for his trusty Indian Scout. "You must use all your years of skill in trying to estimate the sort of army we are up against here."

The trusty Indian Scout laid down and put his ear to the ground... "Large war party," he says, "maybe three hundred braves, four chiefs, two on black stallions, two on white stallions. All have war paint ... many, many guns. Medicine man also with them."

"Good grief!" exclaims the General, "you can tell all of that just by listening to the ground???"

"No, General," replied the Scout, "I can see under the gate."

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Piranha Hybrids found in East Tennessee Lake

Bad Fishing Forecast
You’ve all heard of the piranha fish that typically live in South American rivers. They are famous for their sharp teeth and humongous appetite for meat. I’ve heard stories about these fish all my life. I heard that for natives to cross a river with a herd of cattle that they would go upstream and sacrifice one cow to the fish, and then hurry down stream and cross with the rest of the herd while the piranhas were eating the upstream cow. In minutes, the cow would be stripped to the bone, and nothing left but a skeleton.

To my regret a similar fish is  now thriving in my favorite fishing lake, Douglas. It seems that pet stores have sold piranhas to locals for their aquariums. Through the years a few were let loose in Douglas Lake. Well it wasn’t long before the fish were laying eggs and reproducing. As you can see from the picture of the piranhas above, they are similar to a crappie. So it seems that  the piranha and crappie have begun to cross breed in Douglas Lake, creating a new hybrid they have named the crapiranha, which are growing to weights of 5-6 pounds.

This picture shows the typical teeth in a 3 pound crapiranha. No one knows the limit on how big these fish will reach. One biologist predicted they could grow as large as 15 pounds, and they would have a mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

While these hybrids are still good to eat they are difficult and dangerous to catch. In the past we used to catch crappie using 4 pound mono on light tackle. Now 10 pound braid is needed with steel leaders using heavy tackle. For landing the fish, dip nets are useless, and fishermen need to use gaffs. If you catch one, use extreme caution. While they look harmless, they can be very dangerous.

I also heard about two fishermen who recently caught 10 crapiranhas. They used steel mesh gloves to unhook the fish and put them in the live well. Before the day was over the fish had eaten a hole through the fiberglass boat and escaped, but not before one of the fishermen suffered severe bites on his arms while trying to catch one of the escaping fish.

It is surely a sad time for fishermen on Douglas Lake. And swimmers and water skiers should beware as the weather warms.

~ Tennessee Granddaddy, April 1, 2009
Have a nice April Fool’s Day!

 

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:
Going to church will soften your heart,
but it will not pull the weeds.

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Quote of the Day

The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money.
~Author Unknown

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Joke of the Day

After a ship sank in the ocean, three men ended up stranded in a lifeboat. They floated around for days without food or water. One afternoon a bottle floated up to the boat. The men grabbed the bottle and when they pulled the cork out of the bottle, a genie appeared.

'I'll grant each of you a single wish,' said the genie.

'I wish I was home,' said the first man. Then, poof! he disappeared.

'I wish I was home, too,' said the second man. Poof! He disappeared too.

The third man looked around. 'Gee, I'm kind of lonely,' he said. 'I wish my friends were here with me.'

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