Thursday, June 25, 2015

Amazon Fire TV is incompatible with Antennae broadcast TV.

I refuse to pay for cable TV because it is priced too high. This is kind of a moot point because I wouldn't have the money even if I wanted to get cable.  We use broadcast antennae TV combined with an Amazon Fire TV internet device which does not have any monthly fee.  We were having a little trouble with the reception on the antennae until we started unplugging the Fire TV box when we want to watch broadcast over the air.  The Fire TV box definitely interferes with reception of broadcast TV on certain days and therefore needs to be unplugged.  This is a minor inconvenience but it is worth it to me to eliminate the cable bill.

I doubt I would watch any cable TV even if we had it.  All I watch on TV is news and American football.  The Amazon 50 mile range antennae gets excellent reception if set up correctly and it picks up all local channels.  The Fire TV operating over the internet has access to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime video, numerous news apps, games, many other types of apps and more stuff than I want to watch.  Why would anyone pay all that money for cable TV
when its all just junk anyways?

Coffee is a gift from God !

Drinking my coffee at 5 AM makes me feel almost human again.  I believe that coffee can cure most ills and human attitudes.  They used to have free espresso at the Froedtert GI clinic but they stopped that practice by the time I left for Aurora. The Aurora Hartford clinic has free coffee which is great because its my home away from home.  Nothing seems that bad when you drink that first cup of coffee in the morning.

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Page views on my blog just went over 47,000

Coat of arms of Isle of Man (Latin motto trans...
Coat of arms of Isle of Man (Latin motto translates "Wherever you throw me, I will stand") (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The total page views of my blog just went over 47,000.  That would seem to be a good thing from my point of view.  About 15 percent of the page views seem to be from countries other than the United States.  I am not sure why so many people in Portugal are reading my posts but it gives me a sense of enjoyment that someone is reading them. I used to have some readers from the Isle of Man but they seem to have abandoned interest in reading the blog.  I had to look up where the Isle of Man was exactly which was kind of fun so I wish you guys would start reading again.  The agricultural life style on the Isle of Man was kind of intriguing to me and the coat of arms is outstanding.

Electronic Cigarettes may not be the best.

English: Electronic cigarette charger
English: Electronic cigarette charger (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Electronic Cigarettes may not be the best thing in the world to use but I think that they are better than using tobacco cigarettes.  Electronic Cigarettes do not seem to pose a health risk from what I have read about them.  Tobacco cigarettes will kill you in a slow gruesome fashion.  I don't use either but I know many people using both types.  Addiction to nicotine is nothing to be proud about but at least you don't need to die if you use Electronic Cigarettes to get nicotine into your bloodstream.  I have seen people die from tobacco and its not pretty.

Zucherberg rules.

Some relatives of mine live in constant fear of giving out any information or pictures on Social Media such as Facebook.  I don't believe its too much of a problem because there are many other sources and ways that their information can be compromised.  I think Zucherberg may be right that nothing is really private.  It just doesn't do any good to retreat into some type of stone age fortress attitude because the internet makes it all public anyways.  If you think you live in isolation from the world you are simply mistaken.  Everybody can find out just about anything.

Still I suppose its necessary to respect the wishes of a person that does not want any pictures about themselves on Facebook.  Its kind of quaint.  Sort of like the Amish in Pennsylvania or some primitive tribe in New Guinea.

Portable barn with ax cut beams.





The people who built this barn never imagined that someone would disassemble it and move it to another state. 

Friday, June 19, 2015

Moving barns to Michigan


I remember this blizzard well.  I became snow blind while trying to walk from the barn to our house and I almost continued walking into a large open field.  Fortunately I stumbled into this snowbank and was able to reorient my directions. Everything you see here is now long gone.  The shed collapsed and the silos were destroyed.  The barn however fared better.  Someone in Michigan bought the barn and reassembled it for nostalgia purposes because of its ax cut beams.  Its nice that someone is able to appreciate it.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Bible verse to remember !

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?






Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Is patience a virtue?

Waiting patiently at GLS in Oconomowoc for my older son to finish work. This is not practice waiting. This is the real thing.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Helping a relative fix this old porch back up to its former glory.


Planning to repair this old porch with a relative. I know she is desperate to repair it because she is willing to let me help .  I am definitely not a carpenter and I am really slow because of Crohns.  I don't know how well this will go but maybe I can get my sons to help.  We are not going to change the basic structure of the porch but we are just going to replace all the parts with treated wood.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Recommended websites for Old Testament questions.

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...
Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The following websites were recommended to me for the purpose of studying Old Testament views of God.  I will be taking a look at them.  Someone asked me some questions regarding the described physical manifestations of God in the Old Testament that I was unsure how to answer.

https://answersingenesis.org/jesus-christ/incarnation/theophanies-in-the-old-testament/

http://www.christology101.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Christology-101-Lesson-4-Christophanies.pdf


Friday, June 12, 2015

Gay Marriage and Adoption of children


Secular gay marriage and secular adoption by gay parents should be allowed in the United States. Religious organizations should be exempt from any government requirement to allow gay marriage or forced adoption by gay parents.

Homosexuality may not be morally acceptable to religious organizations but many other human activities are also unacceptable to various types of religions but these people are still allowed to adopt. The danger to religious organizations and individuals is that government will be used to force an unacceptable secular morality on religious marriage and adoption. 

I have heard some news reports that Churches in Great Britain are starting to be forced by law to accept homosexual marriage. Businesses such as bakeries are being forced to participate in homosexual marriages in our own country or face severe fines. Forcing religious adoption agencies to grant adoptions to couples opposed to their religious beliefs is probably next.  That is unfair and wrong.  People should be free to choose what they want to do and what organizations they want to associate themselves with.  You are free to leave religious organizations but you are not free to impose your own values on others by using the guise of the government.

Friday, June 5, 2015

Roof was put on in one day and looks good.

C & K roofers did a good job and finished our roof in one day.  I am not sure if we really needed a roof at this time but the house inspector questioned it and that seems to trigger the USDA to require a new roof. I guess we got a new roof whether we need one or not. Better than having a leak in the middle of winter or a thunderstorm.  Hope the roof lasts for a while. I think the USDA is cool.
Nutrition Assistance for Puerto Rico is a fede...
Nutrition Assistance for Puerto Rico is a federal aid program of the US Department of Agriculture. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Rabbits everywhere !

Our property is overrun with rabbits. There are rabbits under our porch and in my garden.  Our neighbor lets his pet rabbit loose and then can't catch it.
They are cute but I would think they will start to pose a health hazard unless some type of action is taken.  I am trying some rabbit repellent and I will eventually start blocking their entrances with one way exclusion devices to avoid harming them. The neighbors seem to be divided on what to do about the rabbits.  Some people seem to be feeding them corn and others propose we eat them.  I just hope they find a nice new home far away from me.