We have friends in Houston who asked Darling and me to be in prayer for their son-in-law’s father who was involved in a bad auto accident down in Dothan, Alabama. He is bleeding internally and is not doing well at all. We ask that you join us in remembering him in your prayers. His name is Lamar. …5/1/10…I spoke with friends in Houston this morning and Lamar is doing much better, but still has a ways to go..Thanks for your prayers and please continue to remember him….5/3…our friends say Lamar is still 50/50 and will probably be in CCU for another 2 weeks..They report many tubes still attached to him..All of the family members are very tired and Lamar and his wife and family still need your prayers…5/6 update…Lamar is some better but is still in CCU but apparently each day show a little improvement…Please continue to pray for Lamar and his family..

I was looking through one of my old song books from my quartet days…When we did a program, no books were allowed…We memorized all the songs we performed at each concert. So when I open a song book to almost any page, I know the song and can sing them…Every once in a while I like to review some of them and renew my memory banks with the words….Today I read one I had forgotten or maybe we never sang this verse: “When your youthful days are gone and old age is stealing on, And your body bends beneath the weight of care; He will never leave you then, He’ll go with you to the end; Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.” Good advise from a good old song and it is certainly applicable in my case. copyright 1916 by C. A. Tindley, Leave it There…copyright renewed 1944 assigned to Hope Publishing Co.

Last night the other household member put a couple of whole unpeeled potatoes in a pan to cook. I’m talking late last night….bed time late…Then this morning I found out why…She took about a half pound of turkey sausage, chopped some onion in it and cooked until done…Then she diced the potatoes, she added some green chile (mild, but with some left over hot), some chicken broth and a little flour to thicken mixture, cooked a while longer…Then she scrambled some “egg beaters”and served the mixture over a big helping of the scrambled eggs beaters, and served with a hot buttered flour tortilla….it’s great …as tony the tiger says….We use the Bueno Brand, frozen green chile, chopped,  mild, but hot will work if you can tolerate it…Bueno is an Albuquerque based company, but they ship to many markets and they are very good…If you would like this recipe write me at pete@hesterbooks.com and I will e-mail it to you….Darling got this recipe from her hair dresser….Sound familiar?….Pete

Here is another of my chapters from my “Cousins” book  that was based on a real happenings. Again, some names are changed and some tall tales told, but the cousin almost drowning was very real and frightening. Click on the blue title to read. It will be stored in he downloads for future readings.Chapter 12, Distant Cousins. This book has never been published but I did copyright it in the year 2000. I hope you enjoy it….Pete

I am not sure I understand exactly what profiling is….How about old bald headed white men? Could that be profiling if police are looking for one? A tattooed guy, could he be profiled? How about this…Five men, illegals,  are between the border and Sierra Vista, AZ.  A border patrol agent spots them and gives chase. He catches one of them. Profiling? One of the four gets nearly to Benson, still carrying his jug of water and is caught. Profiling? Two get to Benson and are in McDonald’s eating  and the Agent is pretty sure these are the guys and arrest them. Profiling? One gets away and hires on with a construction crew near Tucson. The same Agent spots him and enters the site to arrest him. Profiling? Which of those, if any, is profiling? Oh, and while at the site, a couple of others fit the physical description of the guilty guy and he ask for id. Profiling?….I can see where we are building a case for all Americans to carry a passport or official id….It’s coming….Check points on highways…They are here and will become more widespread….Count on it….I don’t know how far away it is but we are pushing to get there….If something or someone looks suspicious, officials need to be able to investigate…If you are innocent, its ok….if you are guilty, you are caught…And that’s the way it should be….It’s not racial profiling, its smart….

For three or four weeks now I have been after the “other household Member” to trim my toe nails. “Go get a pedicure” she says. “No, says I, my toes are tender and they will hurt me.” “Well, then, do them yourself she says.”…..There just ain’t no giving in to that woman… I try my best but my dang big belly gets in the way,  I trim them jagged and I can’t get in the corners, the nails are digging into my big toes and I am limping around….Well, today at the Walmart store, they have 2 for 1 day….She drags me with her, all the way, me whimpering and carrying on all the way…She get  the guy and I get the lady, both of them from China or Korea and the lady says something that sounds like “cut off your toes”…”No, no, trim, trim…..Careful, I have tender feet, you know..tender feet….”Ah so, ah so ” or something like that and she goes to soaking my feet for a while, then gently clips the nails, then gets long pieces from the sides of the big toes…and junk, (oh,well, you don’t need to hear all the gory details)…then she lotions my feet and legs and rubs them for a long, long time….This woman has won me over….Shoot, Pedicures are the only way to go..The other “household member” will never, ever, touch my feet again…And she paid the bill….My feet feel good fellers…so  do your self a favor and get a pedicure….It don’t hurt…..Pete

I am not sure of the number of years ago, but it was several, or was it many?…Anyway, we took no. 1  grandson out to Washington Ranch, near White City, NM for a visit. We knew the folks who ran the CARC Farm out there. In the bunk house at that time there were all manner of stuff heads…Deer, elk, moose, wild cats, on and on they go, all around the walls. No. 1 was about five years old at the time and the folks would show a head and we would stop and discuss it, etc. Finally, over the fire place there was a javelina hog, teeth barred and all….No. 1 stopped, shocked and pointed at it exclaiming, “What the hell is that?” An uproar from all the grownups erupted….Grandma still says to this day that No. 1 got that from Grandpa. And I ain’t saying yes and I  ain’t saying no….I still think it was cute….

While watching the weather channel today, two tornadoes were shown to be touching down in Pickens County, AL and one just across the Mississippi line in Columbus. I sure hope there was not serious damage nor injuries inflected there. I do not miss that part of life in the south. Every once in a while you hear of a tornado around New Mexico, but not very often. We have a lot of dust storm and while aggravating, they are normally not deadly. I hope you folks who read these posts from down that way will let us know if you had any damage around your place……I sure hope you did not…Pete

If you read the comments with this post, Don says Columbus made it ok during these storms. Just across the state line from Columbus on Highway 82 is my sister-in-laws place, a few miles from Ethelsville, AL. I spoke to her tonight, 4/26/2010  and she reported a big black storm went directly overhead without touching down or seeing a spout, so no damage done there. But it would be scary having those things come at you. Anyway, it was also over Reform but she had not heard of any damages over there either. Well, it was a answer to prayer, but we better keep praying as this seems like it is going to be a long, stormy summer….Pete

Ok, tell you what let’s do….We start a new party….Called The Christians….It will be a moderate conversative party, as we know the liberals will not change…. Christians or not, the hard core political  right will not change…Leaving us, what ever we are, the in-be -tweens and even though we cannot all agree on  all the Bible says, all of us believe in Jesus Christ as the answer….Even then, we will not believe in all the other party members say but we will be close enough that we can lose a vote to an internal opponent, but not destroy the system…Know what I mean?….I think its about time….You call it what you will but I hope you can agree with the concept….”I may not be a democrat, nor republician neither be, but I am an American, Christ centered still for me!” ….

Rev. Graham’s statements from awhile back were inappropriate says the Army and he is being disinvited from Pentagon prayer service. What Rev. Graham said in 2001 was that he finds Islam offensive, describing Islam as evil and he wanted those folks to know that Jesus Christ died for their sins. Col. Tom Collins said Grahams remarks were “not appropriate” and further stating that “We’re an all-inclusive military. We honor all faiths….Our message to our service and civilian work force is about the need for diversity and appreciation of all faiths.” Graham says he will continue to pray for the troops to “give them guidance, wisdom and protection as they serve this great country.” Franklin’s dad, Billy was called on to pray with and for the Presidents at the White House, I’m not sure when that practice stopped. I’ll bet that is over for a while also, don’t you…I’m sad…Times are a changing….I guess some folks that “voted for change” may be getting a little more than they really wanted…..Is it just me?

It does make me doubt my post of a couple of days ago….America, A Christian Nation…

No. 1 grandson has already presented me with a great grand son, a very special guy. This little fellow is special to the whole family. I mentioned him to let you know how old this story really is…. My story is from years ago when no. 1 grand son was small, maybe five or six…His mom had been ill and we had her at a doctor’s office in Las Cruces. While Mom was in the doctors office, no. 1 grandson, wife and me were strolling outside, on the east side overlooking the city. No. 1 asked his grand mother to take him to McDonald’. She said, “I don’t know where a McDonald’s is, there may not be one here.” “Yes there is,” he says, pointing to the golden arches visible from many blocks away, “follow my finger!” So, since that time,  our comment when one of us can see something that the other does not, we point and say, “follow my finger”…. Pointing is ok at times,huh?….I sure hope so ’cause we say, “follow my finger” a lot anymore….