Everybody Loves A Polka!!!!!  June 7 2003

 I was just looking up the words to the Bicycle Polka. Does anyone know the words to that polka? "I'm gonna buy a bi, bi, bi, bicycle...It will be my cicle; it will be your cicle; its gonna melt your heart like an ice cicle; we're on a bicycle going by by....". I have the 78rpm record upstairs, if it hasn't crumbled by now. You look at 78s funny and they fall apart. If you know the words let me know. If you don't, I will have to get out my 78 and try to make a tape of it. I should have an old tape of it somewhere come to think of it....

I am listening to the late repeat of "The Power Hour", short-wave talk show. You can listen via short-wave radio as well as online. Just go to http://www.thepowerhour.com You can also go to http://www.gcnlive.com to hear it as well. At "GCN Live" you can catch all the programs that are carried on the network. A third alternative place to hear GCN programs is M2KTalk. I think it is at http://www.m2ktalk.com ? Of course I don’t agree with a lot of the things on this talk show. I like Radio Free America instead. But this makes nice background.

I think it may be storming outside. If it is, I need to get off the computer. It would be nice to know if anyone is reading this blog. I know two or three people have read it some. I just wonder if anyone else is reading this. You can leave replies or comments at the end of each section.

The frequency just died. This means that the station is changing frequencies. I need to find something on the radio or I will hear this loud hum for hours. The next station in the memory has a wonderful DXing program on it. “DXing with Cumbre” (spelling). This is a program with DXing news. DXing is trying to pick up far away stations via radio or television. I like MW (AM) DXing the best. That is trying to listen to far away AM stations at night. I like stations out of Chicago, and Toronto. One of my favorites is Des Moines Iowa. I get them better than St. Louis a lot of the time. I find that very strange! Of course I listen to WSM in Nashville most of the time (at night).

We try to do some TVDX by trying to get TVOntario on our "local" Channel 32. And sometimes I like to watch the French CBC (Radio Canada) on Channel 54. Lately instead of Radio Canada we have been getting a domestic English station on 54. It is from one of the cities around our area. It was funny to see part of "The West Wing" on Radio Canada. The actors mouths moved in English but the sound that came out was in French. AND the actors and actresses voices sounded different than I was used to. Dubbing at its finest!!

Now they are playing the part of the program that deals with "Pirate" radio. Pirate radio is unlicensed radio. It is fun to try and pick up Pirate radio on short-wave. The durned ol' FCC just de-regulated our old AM (MW) to the ground!!!! At night, every other station is either, the "hookey pook" guy; national sports talk station; Radio Disney; or some other big conglomerate radio station. The local stations with local talk programs are becoming a thing of the past. AND it will get even worse now.

There is a case I found on the net where this town had a train derailment. It was at night and they needed to evacuate people. The city "fathers" went to the "local" radio stations to put evacuation announcements on the radio. When they telephoned the radio stations, no one was "home". These "local" stations were owned by big conglomerates and the programming originated out of state. Everything was automated and at night they had no one at the stations. It was a wonderful scenario. Ha! Ha! Ok enough of that I guess...

My mother taught me how to shop!!!! I am so grateful!!!!!! Douglas and I are always finding deals!! I buy clothes at a fancy department store. It used to be Detroit's famous local department store, "Hudson's". Now, they call it, "Marshall Field's". It is owned by "Target". I like to buy clothes off the clearance racks. I got a pair of Ralph Lauren jeans for about $17.00USD once. (USD = USDollars) Very recently, I got a pair of nice soft merino wool pants. They are by a famous designer I had never heard of before, "Eileen Fisher". The pants were originally, $198.00USD. They marked them down to, $39.57USD. When we saw them on the rack, they were marked down even further to $19.27USD. Can you believe that???? (Made in Hong Kong of Italian Wool.) They are wonderfully soft and luxurious feeling. I would have never paid $198.00USD for them!!

Of course I remember sitting in our nearest "Needless Markup" having lunch once. Douglas took me there as part of my birthday present. We had half a sandwich and a cup of soup for $7.00 or something like that. (It was a large half a sandwich.) We got to talking to this lady who was wearing a fur coat. (We were "tourists"---she was a "regular".) The mall we were in is full of fancy stores like "Needless Markup". They have no "ordinary" stores, like "JC Penney" and "Sears". This lady in the fur coat was marveling at the bargains to be found in the mall. We had just come from "Burberrys" (spelling). I had always wanted to see what the "Burberry Look" cost. They had trench coats at half price----which was $500.00USD. What a bargain!!!!

I am listening to WHRI or is it WHRA?? World Harvest Radio out of Noblesville Indiana (spelling). They have two transmitters (WHRI and WHRA). We were cleaning out the ol' car. Inside one of the storage

slots or pockets in the door I found a piece of paper slid up inside a "crack". I opened it up and found a nice surprise. We went through Oklahoma on May 3, 1996. I knew we traveled there many times going to Texas during the 1990's. But I would have never remembered the exact date and time. We passed through the "QuickTrip" #71 (for gas?) in Tulsa at 10:19 on May 3, 1996.

I found my little "trip" notebook with reminders of good restaurants/bad motels etc. It was on the shelf in the house, along with other notebooks. I knew I had one of these. I just couldn't find it the last trip we took to Texas. If you ever go through, Effingham, Illinois and you want good food at fairly decent prices, try "Niemerg's Steak House". They are a "family" restaurant with good food. You have to ask for directions to "Niemerg's". Of course for "better" food at more expensive prices, eat at the Ramada Inn there in Effingham. They have wonderful food and the coffee is excellent!! The Ramada Inn in Effingham is historic in that they are the only one in the country with the old-fashioned sign. It is considered "racist" by some. But the city "fathers" of Effingham passed a law so that this Ramada Inn would keep their old sign. If you ever stay at the Ramada Inn in Effingham, pay attention and remember the beautiful wooden staircase. People go up and down it like we did, yet when they re-visit there, they forget that the place had such a beautiful staircase. We asked if it was something new and they get asked that by a lot of people evidently. There are cheaper places to stay in Effingham. But if nothing else have a meal at the Ramada Inn once in your life. And don’t forget to ogle the staircase as you walk past it.

Distrust the government that FEARS your gun!!!! We see lots of conservative (far right-wing; anti-government; "hate"; Ha!) bumper stickers and signs the further west and south we travel. I have a note and a business card in my trip notebook,---Avoid If Possible--- Econo Lodge at Exit 235 Airport in Tulsa, Ok. Of course we end up staying there anyway!! Douglas likes to plan his driving so that he arrives at a motel in time to eat and spend time in the pool relaxing. (This takes time, because you have to wait a while after eating before you can hit the pool.) He likes to plan it so that he does not drive too long each day. Sometimes that means it is better to stay on the "other side" of a city rather than stay "this side of" it. That is, sometimes it is better for him to start the day having driven through town already. And this Econo Lodge is the only motel on the "other side" of Tulsa.

Of course it is right next to "breakfast"----a Shoney's or Denny's. I like Shoney's and Cracker Barrel. We don't eat at Cracker Barrel much because they are so expensive. Would the readers of this blog help me with a letter writing campaign? I would like to write to Furr's;

Luby's; Piccadilly; and Morrison's so that, maybe if we try hard enough, they will open one in Michigan. I ache to eat at a catfoodteria (cafeteria) something awful sometimes!! I really miss having each food in its own separate dish. And I miss the taste of the carrot and raisin salad. I know the perfect location for one----AND the building is empty and for lease right now!!

http://www.lubys.com/index.asp http://www.piccadilly.com/ My! Oh My! I was looking up the spelling and web address for Morrison’s and just found out it was bought out by Piccadilly. Gee whizzz!! http://www.iammorrison.com/history.htm   http://www.furrs.net/

The reason we call them a "catfoodteria" is because: We used to eat a lot at Morrison's in Virginia. They had another one in Virginia, but I forget the name of it. Morrison's was the nicest one. Of course "Morrison's" reminded us of "Morris the Cat" a cat in a cat food advertisement. So we called, "Morrison's", "Morris The Cat's"... and that is why we call that type of place a "catfoodteria".

The city we live in is doing something I do not agree with. They want to tear down? (or renovate?) this building which held a department store. The city nearly has a deal worked out with a lucrative business that will move in there. The only catch is, this one storeowner. There is one store left in the block. The owner is holding out for more money---or "he" does not want to move. Don't know which. So the city wants to condemn "his" store and move "him" out by force. How unfair. Of course I don't know all the details, but it sounds unfair to me. What if the "guy" is trying to make some retirement money so "he" can get out of the business all together???

Notice how I was "politically un-correct" and I used the all inclusive male pronoun in that last paragraph. At one time, it was correct English to use the male pronoun if you did not know the gender of the person. I guess you are supposed to know instinctively, the gender of the person these days, in order to be "politically correct". I also use the anti-feminist word, "actress" somewhere in this section. "I wonder, does this make me sexist???", she laughed. I happen to think that no woman can be an "actor" unless she has a sex change operation. But that is not how the situation is viewed these days. Why is it that some women try so hard to be "male"??? What is the "crime" in being a real woman and being feminine!!????

I should go now. The hour is up. I think the station is changing frequencies again. At least they are giving out their address...that means the hour is up. The news is on... Besides, as usual, I am getting hungry again. I just had a peanut butter sandwich or as they call them in the U.K., a "sarnie". A "sarnie" is a sandwich in the UK. A "bacon buttie" is a specific type of "sarnie" over there. I don't know how to make it, but think it is bacon and butter.

"Turn Your Radio On" is on now. It is a Christian Music program. This is the type of music Mom listens to on the Gaither's (spelling). Actually it almost sounds like hymns sung in the "Barbershop" style.

Hopefully I can go to a garage sale or estate sale tomorrow. I said I would buy my friend in China something. A lot of the stuff you see at garage sales, is "made in China" anyway. He could probably buy it there cheaper than I could mail it to him. I am still looking for a Chinese Bible for him. I need one in Mandarin Simplified. Most Bibles I find just say "Chinese" on them. I need a specific dialect. If you see a Bible in Mandarin Simplified at a garage sale please get it for me!! You can order them online, but it is difficult to find one in the proper type of Chinese. I have an old (1940's) Chinese English dictionary. I don't know what dialect. The only thing is that the Communists "modernized" Mandarin since the 1940's.

This dictionary was originally compiled by Missionaries. I have grown to have quite a growing collection of books by and about missionaries. If you have any titles of books, by and about missionaries, that should be added to the collection let me know. I have one book about Canadian missionaries in China. I got it at a thrift store in Canada. If you ever come and visit us, we can go thrift shopping in Canada. They have neater stuff than we do here… Maybe I can write about missionaries some other time. I have been thinking about that lately.

Right now the radio station is having trouble coming in. There is a distinct noise fading in and out. It sounds sort of like an airplane propeller; someone loosely buzzing their lips; a loud cat purring; or an old man snoring like they portray it in the cartoons (or how they portray snoring in mechanical Santa Clauses).

This is your friend signing off.... I have listened long enough to this frequency, that they are repeating "DXing With Cumbre".... I should go eat a bowl of raisin bran and then hit the hay. I have been on a raisin bran kick lately... No! I haven't kicked the box....I have developed a habit or addiction that I need to kick!! Ha!.... See you later...