"Lil Miss Biscuit's role in our lives: 1) Calm us down when we are stressed. 2) Stress us out when we are calm." ~ adapted from a dog joke

Yes and Amen. Praise the Lord. Good to be back here with you folks on this day, Tuesday, August 26, 2025. After sharing the artificial intelligence overview in yesterday's blog, well, it may have prompted the question as to whether I've been using AI to write my daily visits. The answer is a resounding no, however, I will be the first to posit how they may have been better had AI produced them, but, that would not be me. Right? There are already jokes circulating about the use of this newest flavor of technology. I read where one technical fellow remarked, "To keep your job safe from AI you had better be using AI to do a better job." That one is quite the conundrum. Another person said this, "I'm not worried about AI taking my job because only an idiot would do my job and AI is much smarter than that." I suppose that's a case of job security. My point? We have not heard the last about AI and whether we hear about it or not, it will slowly be invading nearly every aspect of human life. Meanwhile, back on the blogger farm, that's where they get planted and grow up each day, joking only, yes, back on the blogger farm, it is National Dog Day here in our country, the United States of America. Yes. I do recognize there is something to be championed every single day and most of the time whatever it recognizes has sponsors that profit from the recognition. You know. Like pet food companies, animal veterinarians, pet groomers, pet toy makers, and all things pet related. Having said that, Lil Miss Biscuit, well, she pretty much operates on this basis: Everyday is National Pet Day here at the ole blogger farm. Trust me. It is. It really is.

 

I thought I would post that little graphic as a PSA, Public Service Announcement. Just trying to be a good citizen and fellow traveler here on the so called terrestrial ball. If you do not read my blog until tomorrow you will need to adjust the number of sleeps indicated, as in, do the math. Time is getting away from us this year and it comes with a lot of wear and tear. Our eldest son, Chris, who will be 60 in October, he came over to install a new hot water heater. He is a very talented jack of all trades and master of many. He began his mechanical orientation at a very young age when at 7 or 8 he would take apart stuff that was broken and he would look at it and figure out how to fix it. Not me. I typically would break it more when trying to take it apart. I should know more. I was raised to know more. But, I missed out on the handyman gene and all things mechanical were difficult for me. At any rate, he replaced the hot water heater and I helped. Enough help to get all the family stirred up, including Uncle Bursy, bursitis, Cousin Arthur, arthritis, and brother-in-law, Tendy, as in tendonitis. The wife and I had previously purchased the new unit at one of the huge hardware conglomerate locations. We got it to the check out and they sent for a fellow we called The Muscle to help us load it onto the pickup truck. He looked like a stand-in for one of the old Tarzan movies, maybe in his early 20's. We, or mostly he, got it on the truck. I then used twine to tie it down. It weighed 160 pounds. When we got to the house I had figured out my approach to unloading it. The wife did not care for my approach which was mostly me manhandling it. As I was wrestling it to the tailgate, a fellow in a small auto parts delivery pickup did a u-turn and came back to see if he could help. He and I together got it off the truck. He announced that at 60 he often had issues with his knees and feet. I told him I was 79. He exclaimed, "Good for you!" My wife told him he was a God-send. I thought a good neighbor might suffice but she is right to thank God for any and all blessings. We got the new one in. It produces really good hot water. Looking at all of it makes me share this bit of insight: Any of these types of things, no matter what they are, keep this in mind, they are never easy. Never. Okay. I hear you. Some are wishing I would use artificial intelligence because it would probably be shorter. Rambling is my claim to fame. Thanks for tuning in and may God add His blessings. Amen.