My new song: "Thank God and Greyhound she's home." All rights reserved.

I know many have seen the TV coverage when the Pope arrives in a country. I'm not sure the current one does this, but, many of his predecessors would bow down and kiss the ground as a gesture of love. That's the urge I had when you-know-who got home Sunday afternoon. Hey, it's Monday so I decided to start out with that bit of personal good news here on this June 26, 2017. She put up a photo of them on the bus last Friday as they made their way back to Louisiana from Branson. She has her own following of Facebook peeps, her Bible study friends, and others, who were responding with all kinds of flowery words of safety, fun, and enjoyment. One even said that she should get some rest. I almost responded. But, my wife, (and others), have often mentioned that my form of comical anecdote is not necessarily always interpreted in the way that I intend. Rest? She's been on vacation in Branson for a week but they are saying that Honey should rest up. Bless her heart! They had a saying back in the day and I'm not sure it's in use anymore. It puts it this way, 'that's enough to gag a maggot.' But, I didn't respond which demonstrates once again my sensitivity and restraint. I think I hear a chorus out there. Thanks for your concern because if I am hearing what's being said, you are telling me that I'm the one in need of rest. And, they tell me folks don't get it. They do. They really do.

If you think coming up with three paragraphs every day is easy, you should try it sometime. That's why I end up with some lame stuff from time to time. And, I will be the first to admit there are times when I'm not necessarily thrilled with the finished product, however, I don't always have time to do much about it. The other day when I was running late with my blog it did puzzle several of my early readers. I had to admit the truth. I somehow overslept. That is, overslept for me. I was still at work at 5:30 a.m., but, that's really late for me. When who-know-who asked, I told her I was under a lot of stress. I thought that would be as good as any excuse. Probably better than the one I heard a preacher say one time. He said when you miss Church don't try to come up with some flimsy excuse. Instead, just say, "I couldn't come because I have a banana in the refrigerator." I went with stress because it's more or less universal. Right? She texted me back that I should take my burdens to the Lord and leave them there. I thanked her for her input. I may have thrown in a few other words that are not really needed or appropriate in order to tell the story. Why did I oversleep? I cannot tell a lie. I have no idea. I may have dreamed that I got up, therefore, I suppose I thought I was already at work. How does that one sound?

Robert Irvine,  Food Network

I finally went and had my dental checkup last Friday morning. They bugged me for several months and when I finally agreed to an appointment, can you guess what happened next? You are so right. They called and asked if I could reschedule. They do that nearly every time. This time I decided to hold my ground. I told them absolutely not. It would be early or not at all, period. They agreed to keep it and I got there ready to be difficult if they kept me waiting like they so often do. They didn't. They took me five minutes early. The hygienist lady could not have been any nicer. They had done a root canal early last year with a crown to follow. I was pretty ticked off at the way the root canal went so I had not gone through with the crown. I knew it needed to be done. The fellow who was supposed to do the root canal wasn't there the day I went in. They offered me a substitute. I had never seen him before. He looked like a young Michael J. Fox. The 45 minute procedure ended up taking nearly an hour and a half. At any rate, I knew I needed to finish that project. The hygienist called in the dentist. He looked like either a professional wrestler or that cook on the Food Network. He was all swelled up with his muscles bulging. When he advised me that I needed to get this done sooner, not later, because of what might happen, what could I say? Anything you say. Yes Sir. I did mention to them that when they text me to remind me about my appointment that I could do without the runaway use of the exclamation points when warning me of the dire consequences that can occur if I fail to show up or notify them of any changes at least 24 hours in advance. They just smiled. I get that a lot. And, there you were, thinking your life is challenging. Take care and may God bless. Amen. ....More later.