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Tea Cake Cookies 1 cup butter softened 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 2 tablespoonfuls buttermilk 5  cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla Combine butter and 2 cups sugar gradually beating well. Add eggs 1 at a time beating well Add buttermilk beating well Combine flour and baking powder Gradually add flour to creamed mixture Stir in vanilla Chill dough for several hours Roll dough to 1/4 inch on lightly floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters Place 1 inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheet Sprinkle with sugar Baker at 400 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes and remove to cool Makes 4 dozen cookies

On July 31st, I died.... After having several weeks of discomfort in my neck and jawline, I made an appointment to see my PCP to determine what was going on. The consensus seemed to center around a gall bladder problem. But he suggested that we should rule out cardiac. Once I got over to the hospital, I had a wait of 20 minutes or more before I was sent up to my room. Immediately I was taken for a chest x-ray. Once I got back I saw my nurse and the lab tech were there and I lay down to let her get the blood. As I leaned back, I felt a wave of nausea and everything went quiet and dark.  I became aware again after a short period of time, I'm unsure how long. and from there it was a lengthy process to be transported to Grandview where I received a heart catherization and ultimately, bypass grafts. It was literally like hitting the off switch on your computer.

In 1980, researchers at Dartmouth University conducted a study that was supposed to shake our understanding of perception and reality. Participants were told they would be taking part in a psychological experiment that examines how people react to facial disorders. Everyone had a deceptively real scar put on their cheek with theater make-up. Participants looked in the mirror and were reminded of their purpose: to interact with strangers and then report how they were treated. Then came the clue to the trial order. Shortly before they were sent out, the mask designers said they needed to make one final correction. In reality, they completely removed the scar. The participants continued to believe that they were created, and went out into the world with this conviction. When they returned, they reported predictable things. People have been rude. Repulsive. Odd. Some said others looked away more often. Some felt sympathy. But there was no distortion. The only thing that had changed was the...

  Effigies are used in grieving by  providing a tangible representation of what has been lost, allowing a mourner to connect with who or what they've lost , which can help with the process of acceptance and emotional expression, particularly when the loss is sudden or traumatic;  they can be used to focus grief and memories around a physical likeness, offering a sense of continued presence even in their absence

I always try to help Rachael with Hubbard/Rockford if asked. They had me down for 3 days but at last minute asked for the other day. Work at Rockford is slow so working isn't hard, but not following my usual routine tired me out a bit.  I still had some work I could take care of up in Cullman. Some bushhog work and other little items but the high temps held me back a bit. I did ride my bike a little and got in some of my walking in addition to some chores. Max needed to be delivered to Charlotte, SC for his drum major camp. I volunteered to take him. I was glad to be able to perform this chore for him but the long trip up and back combined with extra heavy traffic in the Atlanta are, which extended to within 30 miles of Alabama, combined to really tire me out. There had been a problem with my left rear wisdom tooth for over a year, so I decided I should get it taken care of before I wound up isolated somewhere in PEI. The extraction didn't appear to be problematic until just be...

"Imagine a group of adults playing make-believe like young children, building an elaborate fantasy world with imaginary characters, rules, and events. Except in this case, the adults fully believe their made-up world is real and factual. They passionately discuss the details, promote the existence of fictional beings, and defend the internal logic of their pretend universe as if it were objective truth. To an outside observer, it's jarring and almost sad to see grown adults suspend their critical faculties and wholeheartedly embrace fanciful notions with zero credible evidence. It's as if their ability to rationally evaluate claims has been swept away by a potent mix of wishful thinking, gullibility, and a stubborn self-assuredness that doesn't require proof. This detachment from evidence and reason is akin to the unselfconscious credulity of a child getting swept up in the magic of their own imagination. Except children have the excuse of being, well, children. For ad...