It's raining here on SoCal. It started to sprinkle here at Casa de Fergie on Sunday afternoon around 4:00 pm. According to my unofficial rain gauge (shown bellow) we got about a half an inch of rain overnight.

The first of the four storms we were expecting came through Monday afternoon, and between about noon and 4:00 pm we received about 1 1/2 inches of rain. These rain totals seem to agree with the weather reports on the Monday night news.

I'm sure my good friend Jack got twice the amount of rain we did as he lives in the foothills of La Verne and in a bit of a rain forest area.

Karen and I went to lunch at the Northwoods Inn in Covina Monday and ended up driving home in the storm. The 60 freeway was stopped at the 71 expressway so we got off and made our way westward along Chino Ave. There were several intersections that were flooded and it was quite exciting getting home. When we got into our neighborhood, we found the storm drains flooded.

The news shows rain falling in the San Fernando Valley as I type. We are expecting another 1-2 inches from this storm.

I found this license plate cover while getting on the freeway last week. Says it all I think.

Other responses from Pat Robertson's recent statements about the Haiti earthquake:



<

It is not often you discover something you enjoy is also really good for your health, but researchers came up with startling results when looking at whether sex was good for your health, Forbes magazine has reported.

One of the most credible studies correlating overall health with sexual frequency, Queens University in Belfast tracked the mortality of 1,000 middle-aged men over the course of a decade.

The study was designed to compare persons of comparable circumstances, age and health. It's findings, published in 1997 in the British Medical Journal, were that men who reported the highest frequency of orgasm enjoyed a death rate half that of the laggards.

Others studies show that having sex even a few times a week may help the following:

-Improved sense of smell. After sex, production of the hormone prolactin surges. This in turn causes stem cells in the brain to develop new neurons in the brain's olfactory bulb, it's smell center.

- Reduced risk of heart attack. In a 2001 follow-on to the Queens University study mentioned above, researchers focused on cardiovascular health. Their findings? That by having sex three or more times a week, men reduced their risk of heart attack or stroke by half.

-Weight loss, overall fitness. British researchers have determined that the equivalent of six Big Macs can be worked off by having sex three times a week for a year. Muscular contractions during intercourse works the pelvis, thighs, buttocks, arms, neck and thorax. Sex also boosts production of testosterone which leads to stronger bones and muscles.

-Reduced depression. A 2002 study of 293 women reported by American psychologist Gordon Galllup showed that sexually active participants whose male partners did not use condoms were less subject to depression than those that did. One theory of causality: Prostoglandin, a hormone found in semen, may be absorbed in the female genital tract, thus modulating female hormones.

-Pain relief. Immediately before orgasm, levels of the hormone oxytocin surge to five times their normal level. This in turn releases endorphins, which alleviate the pain from everything from headache to arthritis to even migraine. In women, sex also prompts production of estrogen which can reduce the pain of PMS.

- Less-frequent colds and flu. Wilkes University in Pennsylvania says individuals who have sex once or twice a week show 30% higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A, which is known to boost the immune system.

-Better bladder control. You've heard of Kegel exercises? You do them whether you know it or not, every time you stem your flow of urine. This same set of muscles is worked during sex.

-A happier prostate. Some urologists believe they see a relationship between infrequency of ejaculation and cancer of the prostate. The causal argument goes like this: To produce seminal fluid, the prostate and the seminal vesicles take such substances from the blood as zinc, citric acid and potassium, and concentrate them 600 times. Any carcinogens present in the blood likewise would be concentrated. Rather than having carcinogens hanging around causing trouble, it's better to evict them. A recent study published by the British Journal of Urology International asserts that men in their 20's can reduce by a third their chance of getting prostate cancer by ejaculating more than five times a week.

To: Karen

From: Ferg
XOXOXOX

Keeping marriage sacred

Right wing religionist Pat Robertson has shot his mouth off again, this time over the cause of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Pat Robertson, who you may recall blamed 9/11 on the feminists and hurricanes Katrina and Andrew on the the gays, came out on Wednesday on "The 700 Club" and blamed the earthquake on a deal the Haitians made with the devil.

Pat Robertson stated, "something happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French, uh you know, Napoleon the third and whatever, and they got together and swore a pact with the devil. They said we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French. True story. And so the devil said "Okay, it's a deal." And they kicked the French out. The Haitians revolted and got themselves free. Ever since they have been cursed by one thing or another."

But do not despair for Robertson sees a happy ending coming from all of Haiti's suffering. Robertson says, "we need to pray for them and a great turning to God. And out of this, I'm optimistic something good may come."

I find it especially sad that this man would exploit this tragedy to promote his religious beliefs. Cursed by who? One has to wonder if Robertson isn't saying that his "loving Christian God" has taken this opportunity to extract some payback against the Haitian people for turning their back on him and making a deal with the devil. It would certainly fit right in with other old testament stories now wouldn't it.

Sad. Very sad.

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Haiti Tuesday afternoon. Some say the quake lasted three minutes. It's believed 100,000 people may be dead. This reminds me that I need to check on our earthquake supplies.

All those thick cement walls remind me of the buildings in nearby Puerto Rico. The thick cement walls are built to withstand a hurricane. They were no match for a 7.0 earthquake.

There have been dozens of aftershocks reported, some that measured as high as 5.9 in magnitude. A 5.9 earthquake by itself would surely get your attention.

My farmville farm with morning glories in full bloom.

My first thoughts as well!!!

This was the target of our trip; Barclay College. Barclay College is a bible college run by the Friends Church. There are 200 students in attendance, including Jim's granddaughter Marissa. The school consists of an administration building, a library, a gymnasium, and two dorms. There are six classrooms scattered around the campus.

This is the thriving metropolis of Haviland, Kansas, the home of Barclay College. This is main street and I think there was one street light in town.

We made it back to sunny SoCal in one piece on Wednesday evening. Jim and I had a great time traveling together again. It had been quite awhile since we traveled together. Sunday evening I got an urge for a chocolate shake so I bundled up and walked across the parking lot to the McDonald's. After braving the cold, I was told that their ice cream machine was out of order. Very disappointing!!!

We woke up Monday morning to 11 degrees!!! We stopped in Greensburg, Kansas and talked with a lady who lived thru the F5 tornado that wiped out the entire city in May of 2008. It was quite interesting talking with her. She and her son rode out the tornado in the hallway of her house. The tornado was preceded by fist size hail. She remembers hearing a roar approaching her like a train and then all the windows in here house blew out. The walls shook violently for a couple of minutes as the tornado was over a mile wide. Her house was destroyed, leaning on wall.
Seven people died in the tornado. A couple were hiding in their basement when the tornado lifted their house up off it's foundation. Then they were killed when a car landed in their basement. Amazing!!

We drove all day to Monte Vista, Colorado where we stayed in the residence of Jim's friend Wanda. Wanda lives on a 40 acre farm and raises alpacas. Alpacas are a small relative of the llama, primarily raised in Peru. They are raised for their fiber which is spun into fiber used to knit sweaters and scarfs.

Tuesday morning we woke to an outside temperature of 2 degrees. After breakfast, we went out and helped Wanda with chores, including feeding the alpacas. They are very skittish at first, but eventually would eat out of our hands.

By the time we made it out to do chores the temps had climbed to a blistering 13 degrees. Jim borrowed this stunning hat from Wanda. I was wearing a long sleeve shirt, a hoody sweatshirt, and my warmest jacket. Add to that a wool cap and gloves.


This great looking red barn was apparently built by the original owner back in the 1860's!! Look how clear the sky is in the background.

We drove all day Tuesday, mostly through mountains, and ended up in Gallup, Nm. Wednesday we drove home. It's good to get away, and always good to get home. It was a great trip.

Day two of the road trip had us driving from Albuquerque, NM, to Haviland, Kansas. We drove about 450 miles today.

We didn't see any snow fall from the sky, but we found this area about 60 miles east of Greensburg, Kansas, where it had snowed earlier and the fields and trees were still white. It was interesting that as we drove under this cloud cover, the temps dropped from 45 to 25 in about 30 minutes.

We arrived at Barcklay College in Haviland, Kansas, at about 5:30 pm CST. After unloading the girl's stuff into their dorm room, we all went to dinner at Pizza Hut. Jim and I are now safely tucked into our room at a Days Inn in nearby Pratt, Kansas. Oh by the way, the temp is 19 degrees and expected to get to 11 overnight!!!

Road Trip!!!

I'm off on a brief road trip with my good friend OB. We left Saturday morning from my house at just after 6:20 am and got to Albuquerque, NM at about 7:30 MST. We had clear skies and clear roads all the way.

Our main objective is to deliver OB's granddaughter, Merissa (right) and her friend, Katie (left) to their college in Kansas. Classes start Monday.

We found a lot of snow on the side of the road and in drifts at the Burger King in Flagstaff, Az.

I helped OB by driving for about four hours as he took several cat naps.

Stopped in Gallop, NM for gas and found the bucket for the window squeegee frozen. The lowest temp so far has been 33 degrees. Should see colder temps tomorrow as we go east.