I'll bet I sleep tonight.

I don't think I slept more than an hour last night.  Then we were off to the hospital about 5:30 this morning.

Now that we know Carl is doing OK I'm, suddenly, really exhausted.  It's going to be an early bedtime tonight.  Even earlier than usual!  I'm thinking it will be the came for Carl!

Carl is recovering for his triple bypass heart surgery that took all morning and into the early part of the afternoon today.

It took a bit longer than they expected due to some unforeseen complications but all is well and now his recovery begins.

He'll be in the hospital for about 5 days.

This was my first chance to see the new hospital and what a beautiful place it is.  If you have to be sick, that's a great place to be.

 

Kathy's birthday is tomorrow and Carl getting through this surgery with good results is, probably, the best birthday gift she could possibly get!

Carl was surfing the internet, trying to find out where babies come from and he came across this.

Carl sent this:

IT'S RELATIVES DAY AND I'VE GOT 'EM COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK

THE COUSINS WENT OUT TO EAT LAST NIGHT

I keep hoping that some year they'll behave while they're out in public but I don't think that will ever happen.

Carl was shoveling it in even before Roger finished saying the prayer.

Donnie was eating with both hands....

While Dorothy bowed her head in shame and pretended she was with another party.

A SUMMER PAST

ATTENTION CARL

Carl, usually, takes a mid-winter break to golf in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  It's one of Americas favorite spots for golf so there are a lot of golf carts in town.

With gas so high, it's tempting to hop on the golf cart to make a quick run to the grocery store and save the gas in the car for longer trips.  Currently, folks in Myrtle Beach are allowed, by law, to travel up to 2 miles from their home on their golf carts but come October 1 the limit will be increased to 4 miles.  Folks, with the carts, are happy about that but would be even happier if it was increased to....say....10 miles!

SCENES OF RITA, ROGER, CARL AND KATHY'S MACKINAC TRIP

Their Bed and Breakfast

Their buggy ride

Below click on "Mackinac Island" to see a great map of the area.

Now we know who was on the prairie.

ROGER TELLS ALL:
"The wanderer on the prairie is none other than our own Wild Bill (Carl) Tabbert."

THIS IS CARL'S CONTRIBUTION TO TODAYS DISCUSSION

I pointed to two old drunks sitting across the bar from us and told my friend "That's us in 10 years".
He said "That's a mirror, stupid".

GOOD ONE FROM CARL

MY FAVORITE ANIMAL

Our teacher asked what my favorite animal was, and I said, "Fried chicken."

She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone else laughed.

My parents told me to always tell the truth. I did. Fried chicken is my favorite animal.

I told my dad what happened, and he said my teacher was probably a member of PETA.

He said they love animals very much.

I do,  too. Especially chicken, pork and beef. Anyway, my teacher sent me to  the principal's office.

I told him what happened, and he laughed, too. Then he told me not to do it again.

The next day in class my teacher asked me what my favorite live animal  was.

I told her it was chicken. She asked me why, so I told her it was because you could make them into fried chicken.

She sent me back to the principal's office. He laughed, and told me not to do it again.

I don't understand. My parents taught me to be honest, but my teacher doesn't like it when I am.

Today, my teacher asked us to tell her what famous person we admire most. I told her, "Colonel Sanders."

Guess where I am now...
 

IT'S GONNA BE A WILD NIGHT AROUND HERE!

I've got three movies to watch and a big pot of home made chicken soup bubbling in the crock pot.

Meanwhile, Rita, Roger, Carl and Kathy are going play cards into the New Year and, just in case they sip one card too many, Carl and Katy are going to sleep over in the spare bedroom.

Don't tell me we don't know how to celebrate the new year!

THE SEASON FOR GIVING IS ALSO THE SEASON FOR TAKING!

IN HOUSTON, WILLARD SAYS:
"Outdoor decorations are being stolen or vandilized. SICK! And people have been advised to have UPS and FedEx packages left or picked up at secure locations as Thieves are stealing them from people's front doors when packages are left and no there's no one home to sign for them."

BLAME CARL FOR THIS

CARL SENT ANOTHER GOOD ONE

I love Christmas lights.  They remind me of politicians.  They all hang together, half of them don't work, and the ones that do aren't that bright.

ANOTHER GOOD ONE FROM CARL

A man was walking down the street when he was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless man who asked him for a couple of dollars for dinner.

The man took out his wallet, extracted ten dollars and asked, "If I give you this money, will you buy some beer with it instead of dinner?"

"No, I had to stop drinking years ago," the homeless man replied.

"Will you use it to go fishing instead of buying food?" the man asked.

"No, I don't waste time fishing," the homeless man said. "I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive."

"Will you spend this on greens' fees at a golf course instead of food?" the man asked.

"Are you NUTS??" replied the homeless man. "I haven't played golf in 20 years!"

"Well," said the man, "I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you home for a terrific dinner cooked by my wife."

The homeless man was astounded.

"Won't your wife be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty and I probably smell pretty disgusting."

The man replied, "That's okay It's important for her to see what a man looks like after he has given up beer, fishing, and golf."

CARL'S CONTRIBUTION THIS MORNING

The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a Nativity Scene in the United States' Capital this Christmas season. This isn't for any religious reason. They simply have not been able to find Three Wise Men in the Nation's Capitol. A search for a Virgin continues. There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.

No wonder Carl has been playing golf all these years.

According to the ECONOMIST website, a recent study found that executives who don't play golf are paid 17% less on average than executives who do play golf.

THE GREAT WHITE HUNTERS