"No idea is so outlandish that it should not be considered with a searching but at the same time a steady eye." ~ Winston Churchill

Mom, our niece Angela, her granddaughter, taken yesterday.

Update on my mom: I was able to spend Saturday with her. She was doing much better. It's clear that she has a not so good day followed by a better day. I think it's the combination of all of the above that has happened to her over the past six weeks. It was a blessing to see both her and dad. We laughed a lot. Maybe too loud at times because they came and shut the door. Thanks so much for remembering her in prayer. God is at work in her life and in all of us who are connected. Amen.

Happy Monday to one and all as we get this work week kicked off here on this February 6, 2017. I'm glad to send out a big howdy for the 2,497th time from me to all those who find themselves on this page. That's without regard to how you got here. It happens. To me. Often. I'm out there looking for something and I accidentally land on something that turns out to be interesting. I can't guarantee that to be the case for any accidental tourists that land on my blog. But, it could happen. As for the number of blogs I've produced, I guess from my viewpoint, the steady knock wears the rock. I've heard and used that little saying a number of times during my sojourn, however, I found out it is really obscure. If you Google it with quotes, it only yields three responses. Two of those refer to the same article about using a steady hand in raising a child with Autism. The third one is from yours truly. That's right! Little ole me. It was from a blog I published on Thursday, December 13, 2013. I used that figure of speech when talking about the progression of world events over time and their impact on the nation of Israel, and how these seemingly disconnected happenings collectively fulfill Bible prophecy. I know. That sounds really serious and really deep. That's what I thought as well. I actually surprise myself sometimes. But, then again, making comments certainly doesn't always imply understanding. I'm very certain my blogs, over time, stand as proof of that.

Truth, no doubt, can be, and often is, stranger than fiction. A read an article with photos about a 106-year-old Brazilian lady who recently robbed the cradle by marrying her 66-year-old suitor. He had recently arrived at the retirement center where she lived. They saw each other and it was love at first sight. What does this tell us? It's never too late. Love rules. Or, we do live in a strange world. The other day I was hoping to catch some sports news as I drove down the road so I tuned to a 24-hour sports radio station. They were doing a live remote broadcast from a local sports bar. I thought with the Super Bowl looming, that would be the most talked about subject. Wrong. The so-called sportscasters were actually surveying the waitresses in trying to answer a very important question. These ladies were described as being young and scantily clad. The question: "How old can a man be with a younger woman before people think him to be creepy?" Those who responded thought they would not want to be dating a man over 30, although one said maybe 35 at the most. I have no idea what that has to do with sports but I will tell you that stuff like that pretty much dominates the airwaves these days. They obviously didn't do a show like that at the retirement center in Brazil. The age difference in that wedding was 40 years.

You may have wanted to see a photo from that unusual wedding event. I thought the ones in the article were somewhat pitiful, therefore, I chose to not share one. However, feel free to find the story and you can judge for yourself. You might have noticed how many people are concerned about robotics and how they have the potential to displace real workers. I saw a posting from one of my Santa brothers and he was putting everyone on notice about a new product being offered to professional photographers. It is a plastic Santa arm and hand that attaches to a stand. It comes with a nice velvet sleeve and white glove. The idea is to have a set where the child can be photographed holding the hand of the fake Santa. He included a picture and it actually looked pretty good. What will they think of next? The fellow who posted this piece of news seemed a little rattled by it and wanted others to know this might be an indication of things to come. I'm pretty much neutral about things like that. Now when they get a life-like Santa Claus robot, well, that might be a cause for concern. On second thought, while I enjoy doing Santa, if it were to go away tomorrow we would just move on down the road. I'm sure we could find something to occupy our time. Or, maybe I will have more time to perfect my recliner snoozing activities. I might be able to compete in the recliner snoozing games. I'm not sure where they are being held next, but it is something I could look forward to. Take care and may God bless us all. Amen. ....More later.