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For several years now I have been looking at used Miata's but unless someone wanted a war pension for them, they were usually pretty ragged out. Today, Linda and I found one locally for a good price and took a look at it and it looked a lot better than I expected. The guy that had it had just gotten it from his mother who has had it for the last five years. It looks totally unmolested. He said the timing belt had been changed about 20,000 miles ago and it had a new alternator and battery. The interior and the top looked to be in very good condition. The two things I am not real crazy about is it is white, but the paint is in very good condition and it is an automatic, which Linda wanted because she says she could never learn how to drive a stick. We took it for a short ride and it seemed to be very solid. The engine was quiet and the trans shifted nice and firm. I did smell the trans fluid before I started it and it smelled good. My hope is to upgrade the wheels and tires as it still has the stock ones and I want to add a trailer hitch so I can pull the Time Out camper behind it. With all the upgrades I am doing to my bike and getting this and being retired, I am really looking for spring. I can not post any pictures yet as I have not picked it up and he has not officially gotten the title yet, as it is in the mail where he transferred it over from his mother. I know I will never find another website like this one, but if any of you have any good suggestions, let me know. RandyA

To all our members affected by this Huricane, please know that your in our thoughts and were talking with the man upstairs for y'all to get your lives back to normal. PLEASE be careful, if you dont have to go out....DONT. This is nasty stuff mother nature is throwing at you. If there's anything we can do to help y'all please let us know....all the best to you folks.

A man observed a woman in the grocery store with a three year old girl in her basket. As they passed the cookie section, the child asked for cookies and her mother told her "no." The little girl immediately began to whine and fuss, and the mother said quietly, "Now Ellen, we just have half of the aisles left to go through; don`t be upset. It won`t be long." He passed the Mother again in the candy aisle. Of course, the little girl began to shout for candy. When she was told she couldn`t have any, she began to cry. The mother said, "There, there, Ellen, don`t cry. Only two more aisles to go, and then we`ll be checking out." The man again happened to be behind the pair at the check-out, where the little girl immediately began to clamour for gum and burst into a terrible tantrum upon discovering there would be no gum purchased today. The mother patiently said, "Ellen, we`ll be through this check out stand in five minutes, and then you can go home and have a nice nap." The man followed them out to the parking lot and stopped the woman to compliment her. "I couldn`t help noticing how patient you were with little Ellen..." The mother broke in, "My little girl`s name is Tammy... I`m Ellen."

Mary's oldest daughter gave birth to our first grand daughter today. Mila was born this afternoon at 3:04 PM, 7 lbs 13 oz, 21 inches. Mother, daughter and grandmother are all doing fine.

John's (and Dianne) mother passed away on the 6th of June. Details below. I would ask for prayers for the family during this difficult time and for safe travels for friends and especially John's brother who has a far distance to get here. DOWNTON, Marie Peacefully, with family by her side on Wednesday June 6, 2012 at the Brampton Civic Hospital at the age of 78. Beloved wife of the late Harvey (1989). Loving mother of Rick (Elaine), John (Dianne), Michael (Noel) and Chris (Stella). Cherished Grandma of Sheri, Jamie , Bailey , Holly , Ryan, Adam and Madison. Devoted Great-Grandma of Callum , Molly and Malakai . She will be missed by many other family members, close friends and all who knew her. The family will receive friend on Sunday June 10, 2012 at the Scott Funeral Home "Brampton Chapel", 289 Main N. Brampton (905 451 1100) from 1 - 2 p.m. followed by a funeral service in the chapel at 2 p.m. Cremation to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Salvation Army or the Humane Society. You are invited to sign Marie's online book of condolences at www.scottbrampton.ca

Brad t's mother passed away tonight. Don't know any details, Rhonda ask to pass it on to you guys as she couldn't get on the computer. I would ask for prayers for the family.

Soo, Carl did it again, surprising wife Marca with a party! He didn't get the 60 volunteers he hoped for but came close. We sure had a great time and it was fantastic to see friends again. Besides Marcarl, there was Wizard765, Relic, Brad T and NaughT, The Count, XJ1100 who I didn't get a chance to say hi to, Chubby Checker, Moe, Yoopie, Gail minus the tall and bald one (HalRSV99), Gary N., and Midicat, of course all with spouses except Gail, but she brought her mother in law. There were a few others as well, and I'm probably forgetting a member or 2 so my appologies. Anyway, per Carl's request, here's some of the pictures. Other attendees feel free to post your pictures...

http://us.mg5.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=1%5f7964%5fAN1VimIAATN2TrwDsgOobjnjttU&pid=2&fid=Inbox&inline=1 A mother is driving her little girl to her friend's house for a play date. ' Mommy ,' the little girl asks, 'how old are you?' 'Honey, you are not supposed to ask a lady her age,' the mother replied. 'It's not polite.' 'OK', the little girl says, 'How much do you weigh?' 'Now really,' the mother says, 'those are personal questions and are really none of your business.' Undaunted, the little girl asks, 'Why did you and Daddy get a divorce?' 'That's enough questions, young lady! Honestly!' The exasperated mother walks away as the two friends begin to play. ' My Mom won't tell me anything about her,' the little girl says to her friend. 'Well,' says the friend, 'all you need to do is look at her driver's license. It's like a report card, it has everything on it.' Later that night the little girl says to her mother, 'I know how old you are. You are 32.' The mother is surprised and asks, 'How did you find that out? 'I also know that you weigh 130 pounds.' The mother is past surprised and shocked now. 'How in Heaven's name did you find that out?' 'And,' the little girl says triumphantly, 'I know why you and daddy got a divorce.' 'Oh really?' the mother asks. 'Why?' http://us.mg5.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=1%5f7964%5fAN1VimIAATN2TrwDsgOobjnjttU&pid=3&fid=Inbox&inline=1 'Because you got an F in sex.' --

Nathan ( brother from a diferent mother) called me today. He needed someone to talk to and cry with. Today the doctors told his mother that the lumps on her throat and head and lymphoma. I have no idea what stage or how far along she is in her battle except that she was just diagnosed. Momma Adkins is a very special woman.She has been nurse friend to every one she has known for 51 yrs. Either family or friends. Now when its her turn to relax this comes along. I am here asking with Nathans permision that if anyone can spare a moment to share this story with the big man upstairs it will be apreciated. This woman deseves better and I will personally be sending my knee mail for her as much as I can Many thanks as Ive personally seen what this group can acomplish when it teems up in prayer. David

My daughter delivered my first grandbaby today at 11:30 Sophia Gracelynn 6lbs 1 oz. Mother and daughter are doing well.

May 18th brought my 13th grandchild. Her name is Emmah Nicole weighed 7 lbs 14 ozs. 21" long mother and baby doing fine BTW my oldest grand child (now 20) and youngest Emmah have the same Birthday

The coach had put together the perfect team for the Cleveland Browns. The only thing that was missing was a good quarterback. He had scouted all the colleges and even the Canadian and European Leagues, but he couldn't find a ringer who could ensure a Super Bowl win. Then one night while watching CNN he saw a war-zone scene in Afghanistan . In one corner of the background, he spotted a young Afghan soldier with a truly incredible arm. He threw a hand-grenade straight into a 15th story window 100 yards away. KABOOM! He threw another hand-grenade 75 yards away, right into a chimney. KA-BLOOEY! Then he threw another at a passing car going 90 mph. BULLS-EYE! "I've got to get this guy!" Coach said to himself. "He has the perfect arm!" So, he brings him to the States and teaches him the great game of football. And the Browns go on to win the Super Bowl. The young Afghan is hailed as the great hero of football, and when the coach asks him what he wants, all the young man wants is to call his mother. "Mom," he says into the phone, "I just won the Super Bowl!" "I don't want to talk to you, the old woman says."You are not my son!" "I don't think you understand, Mother," the young man pleads. "I've won the greatest sporting event in the world. I'm here among thousands of my adoring fans." "No! Let me tell you!" his mother retorts. "At this very moment, there are gunshots all around us. The neighborhood is a pile of rubble. Your two brothers were beaten within an inch of their lives last week, and I have to keep your sister in the house so she doesn’t get raped!" The old lady pauses, and then tearfully says, "I will never forgive you for making us move to Cleveland !!”

Reality has finally set in. My Son leaves Tuesday May 17Th for Ft Benning Ga. He has graduated high School, is turning 18, and leaving for the Army at the same time. I have 2 sons of which both now are out of High School. Both hold Diplomas. Both are turning into 2 of the best young adults I have had an honor in raising. At 18, and 19 yrs old they have been with me full time since they were 1 and 2. For 17 years they have been my everything. Now both are young men on their own. Pride and emptiness have hit me at once. As a Father who has raised his children without a active Mother for 17 years we have bonded in ways that cannot be described. From there first diaper change, to kindergarten graduation, and now onto manhood we have done it together and I could not be any more proud of them then I am right now. Sure gonna be empty round the house for a while.

I have a friend who makes the loveliest jewellery using all natural stones. Each design is individual. It's amazing what mother nature can produce, take a look............. http://www.janinestonedesigns.blogspot.com/

JOKES THAT CAN BE TOLD IN CHURCH Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, 'Why is the bride dressed in white?'' The mother replied, 'Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life.' The child thought about this for a moment then said, 'So why is the groom wearing black?' ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Bible class. As she ran she prayed, 'Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please don't let me be late!' While she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again! As she ran she once again began to pray, 'Dear Lord, please don't let me be late...But please don't shove me either!' ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, 'My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50.' The second boy says, 'That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100.' The third boy says, 'I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!' ~~~~~~~~~~~~ An elderly woman died last month. Having never married , she requested no male pallbearers. In her handwritten instructions for her memorial service, she wrote, 'They wouldn't take me out while I was alive, I don't want them to take me out when I'm dead.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A police recruit was asked during the exam, 'What would you do if you had to arrest your own mother?' He answered, 'Call for backup.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them to Jerusalem . A small child replied, 'They couldn't get a baby-sitter.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to 'Honor thy father and thy mother,' she asked, 'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?' Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, 'Thou shall not kill.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~ At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs. Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and she said, 'Johnny, what is the matter?' Little Johnny responded, 'I have pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two boys were walking home from Sunday school after hearing a strong preaching on the devil. One said to the other, 'What do you think about all this Satan stuff?' The other boy replied, 'Well, you know how Santa Claus turned out. It's probably just your Dad.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~ You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing! Take heed and pass these along to people who need a laugh. I thought you would enjoy this....times are tough right now...for all of us...so we need something to make the day a happy place. "They" haven't found a way to tax you for laughing yet.

A mother and her 5-year-old son were flying Air New Zealand from Auckland to Sydney. The son (who had been looking out the window) turned to his mother and asked, 'If big dogs have baby dogs and big cats have baby cats, why don't big planes have baby planes?" The mother, who couldn't think of an answer, told her son to ask the flight attendant So the little guy walks up to the galley and asks the flight attendant,' If big dogs have baby dogs and big cats have baby cats, why don't big planes have baby planes?" The flight attendant responded, "Did your mother tell you to ask me that?" The boy said, "Yes, she did. "Well, then, please tell your mother that there are no baby planes because Air New Zealand always pulls out on time. And ask her explain that to you."

A little boy comes down to breakfast. Since they live on a farm, his mother asks if he had done his chores. "Not yet," said the little boy. His mother tells him no breakfast until he does his chores. Well, he's a little pissed off, so he goes to feed the chickens, and he kicks a chicken. He goes to feed the cows, and he kicks a cow. He goes to feed the pigs, and he kicks a pig. He goes back in for breakfast and his mother gives him a bowl of dry cereal. "How come I don't get any eggs and bacon? Why don't I have any milk in my cereal?" he asks? "Well," his mother says, "I saw you kick a chicken, so you don't get any eggs for a week. I saw you kick the pig, so you don't get any bacon for a week either. I saw you kick the cow so for a week you aren't getting any milk." Just then, his father comes down for breakfast and kicks the cat halfway across the kitchen. The little boy looks up at his mother with a smile, and says, "You gonna tell him or should I?"

My mother in law took a fall early this fall. Her ribs kept hurting etc. and she finally went in and had some x-rays etc done. When doing this they happened to find some spots in each lung. They biopsied (spelling?) one right away, and on monday morning went in and removed a very suspicous spot on the other lung. The surgery went well and she is recovering just fine. The results came in this afternoon. It is non cancerous as well. Great news for a person who has been a smoker for many years. The docs attribute the spot/growth to scar tissue etc. as a result of her having pneumonia in the past. So the fall was a blessing in hind sight. Nothing was broken, and she is in better health now. Besides she quit smoking since going to the doctor. What a way to start her retiremnet. Her last day of work was Dec 31st. So thanks to those that let me bend their ear a little bit the last few nights on chat. It was kind of nice having somebody to talk to since my wife was at the hospital with her mother. You just cant talk to your kids quite the same way. So again, thanks guys.....

This is a wonderful story ... Be patient & please read it until the end .... I promise you'll enjoy it ....it was sent to me by ibents.... This is a story of an aging couple told by their son who was President of NBC NEWS. This is a wonderful piece by Michael Gartner, editor of newspapers large and small and president of NBC News. In 1997, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. It is well worth reading, and a few good chuckles are guaranteed. Here goes ... My father never drove a car. Well, that's not quite right. I should say I never saw him drive a car. He quit driving in 1927, when he was 25 years old, and the last car he drove was a 1926 Whippet. "In those days," he told me when he was in his 90s, "to drive a car you had to do things with your hands, and do things with your feet, and look every which way, and I decided you could walk through life and enjoy it or drive through life and miss it." At which point my mother, a sometimes salty Irishwoman, chimed in: "Oh, bull ****!" she said. "He hit a horse." "Well," my father said, "there was that, too." So my brother and I grew up in a household without a car. The neighbors all had cars -- the Kollingses next door had a green 1941Dodge, the VanLaninghams across the street a gray 1936 Plymouth, the Hopsons two doors down a black 1941 Ford -- but we had none. My father, a newspaperman in Des Moines , would take the streetcar to work and, often as not, walk the 3 miles home. If he took the streetcar home, my mother and brother and I would walk the three blocks to the streetcar stop, meet him and walk home together. My brother, David, was born in 1935, and I was born in 1938, and sometimes, at dinner, we'd ask how come all the neighbors had cars but we had none. "No one in the family drives," my mother would explain, and that was that. But, sometimes, my father would say, "But as soon as one of you boys turns 16, we'll get one." It was as if he wasn't sure which one of us would turn 16 first. But, sure enough , my brother turned 16 before I did, so in 1951 my parents bought a used 1950 Chevrolet from a friend who ran the parts department at a Chevy dealership downtown. It was a four-door, white model, stick shift, fender skirts, loaded with everything, and, since my parents didn't drive, it more or less became my brother's car. Having a car but not being able to drive didn't bother my father, but it didn't make sense to my mother. So in 1952, when she was 43 years old, she asked a friend to teach her to drive. She learned in a nearby cemetery, the place where I learned to drive the following year and where, a generation later, I took my two sons to practice driving. The cemetery probably was my father's idea. "Who can your mother hurt in the cemetery?" I remember him saying more than once. For the next 45 years or so, until she was 90, my mother was the driver in the family. Neither she nor my father had any sense of direction, but he loaded up on maps -- though they seldom left the city limits -- and appointed himself navigator. It seemed to work. Still, they both continued to walk a lot. My mother was a devout Catholic, and my father an equally devout agnostic, an arrangement that didn't seem to bother either of them through their 75 years of marriage. (Yes, 75 years, and they were deeply in love the entire time.) He retired when he was 70, and nearly every morning for the next 20 years or so, he would walk with her the mile to St. Augustin's Church. She would walk down and sit in the front pew, and he would wait in the back until he saw which of the parish's two priests was on duty that morning. If it was the pastor, my father then would go out and take a 2-mile walk, meeting my mother at the end of the service and walking her home. If it was the assistant pastor, he'd take just a 1-mile walk and then head back to the church. He called the priests "Father Fast" and "Father Slow." After he retired, my father almost always accompanied my mother whenever she drove anywhere, even if he had no reason to go along. If she were going to the beauty parlor, he'd sit in the car and read, or go take a stroll or, if it was summer, have her keep the engine running so he could listen to the Cubs game on the radio. In the evening, then, when I'd stop by, he'd explain: "The Cubs lost again. The millionaire on second base made a bad throw to the millionaire on first base, so the multimillionaire on third base scored." If she were going to the grocery store, he would go along to carry the bags out -- and to make sure she loaded up on ice cream. As I said, he was always the navigator, and once, when he was 95 and she was 88 and still driving, he said to me, "Do you want to know the secret of a long life?" "I guess so," I said, knowing it probably would be something bizarre. "No left turns," he said. "What?" I asked. "No left turns," he repeated. "Several years ago, your mother and I read an article that said most accidents that old people are in happen when they turn left in front of oncoming traffic. As you get older, your eyesight worsens, and you can lose your depth perception, it said. So your mother and I decided never again to make a left turn." "What?" I said again. "No left turns," he said. "Think about it.. Three rights are the same as a left, and that's a lot safer. So we always make three rights." "You're kidding!" I said, and I turned to my mother for support. "No," she said, "your father is right. We make three rights. It works." But then she added: "Except when your father loses count." I was driving at the time, and I almost drove off the road as I started laughing. "Loses count?" I asked. "Yes," my father admitted, "that sometimes happens. But it's not a problem. You just make seven rights, and you're okay again." I couldn't resist. "Do you ever go for 11?" I asked. "No," he said " If we miss it at seven, we just come home and call it a bad day. Besides, nothing in life is so important it can't be put off another day or another week." My mother was never in an accident, but one evening she handed me her car keys and said she had decided to quit driving. That was in 1999, when she was 90. She lived four more years, until 2003. My father died the next year, at 102. They both died in the bungalow they had moved into in 1937 and bought a few years later for $3,000. (Sixty years later, my brother and I paid $8,000 to have a shower put in the tiny bathroom -- the house had never had one. My father would have died then and there if he knew the shower cost nearly three times what he paid for the house.) He continued to walk daily -- he had me get him a treadmill when he was 101 because he was afraid he'd fall on the icy sidewalks but wanted to keep exercising -- and he was of sound mind and sound body until the moment he died. One September afternoon in 2004, he and my son went with me when I had to give a talk in a neighboring town, and it was clear to all three of us that he was wearing out, though we had the usual wide-ranging conversation about politics and newspapers and things in the news. A few weeks earlier, he had told my son, "You know, Mike, the first hundred years are a lot easier than the second hundred." At one point in our drive that Saturday, he said, "You know, I'm probably not going to live much longer." "You're probably right," I said. "Why would you say that?" He countered, somewhat irritated. "Because you're 102 years old," I said.. "Yes," he said, "you're right." He stayed in bed all the next day. That night, I suggested to my son and daughter that we sit up with him through the night. He appreciated it, he said, though at one point, apparently seeing us look gloomy, he said: "I would like to make an announcement. No one in this room is dead yet" An hour or so later, he spoke his last words: "I want you to know," he said, clearly and lucidly, "that I am in no pain. I am very comfortable. And I have had as happy a life as anyone on this earth could ever have." A short time later, he died. I miss him a lot, and I think about him a lot. I've wondered now and then how it was that my family and I were so lucky that he lived so long. I can't figure out if it was because he walked through life, Or because he quit taking left turns. " Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the one's who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance,take it & if it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it wouldmost likely be worth it." ENJOY LIFE NOW - IT HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE! gunk:smile5:

Thought the site might be interested in info contained on the following help from St. Jude to a military mother on her return (I think mother) finding her son seriously ill. Here's the site as I copied it today on the news: (Hope it works) http://www.tg.stjude.org/patients/max/?tngsourcecode=THWAOLDO11&plt=THWAOLDO1112&icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl10%7Csec1_lnk3%7C185815 Jack Z:Venture:

to be - BUT when a day old kitten shows up in your flowers and climbs on top of a barrel and is screaming loud enough to get you attention, what are you supposed to do ?? Well, I picked it up, put it in a basket, put a lamp on it and fed it. The next day the mother showed up to be fed, we had been feeding her for a couple weeks 'cause she was obviously pregnant and I offered the kitten to her with food but she ate and left w/o the kitten. Now what ?? more feed every 3 to 4 hours, lamp to keep her warm, just assuming a female - too young to tell. Finally moved it into the house from the garage and continue feeding and etc. That was 9 days ago - had several opportunities to present kitten to the mother but she still rejects it. I guess we have a new house cat - hopefully our original cat will accept the kitten, she hasn't so far but maybe - - -

...She gained a son! Saturday at 11:30 Michelle Sparceno became Mrs. Glen Malek!! It was a beautiful cerimony and the reception in the evening was at a wonderful reception hal and everyone had a fantastic time! The reception line was sort of comical with Michelle having 2 sets of parents whereas the groom only has her mother left so even though she married into the Malek family she had more of her family to receive guests. Took a ton of pictures, about 500...

my daughter informed my wife and i that we are going to be grandparents, as she is 3 months pregnant. does that make me a "Grand Mother" now?

I got a nice first ride of the season last weekend. I've been out of town all week but talked to my wife last night and she told me that the ground is covered with snow again now. Cruel trick mother nature...VERY CRUEL TRICK. I'm headed home today but doesn't look like there will be a ride this weekend.

...or "you-should-do-the-things-your-mother-told-you-do" During the last meet and eat I attended my "mother" gave me a valve adjustment tool along with a bag of pads; "mother" told me to make sure I recorded everything to keep the whole process very organized. So I decided to make up this little table in MS Excel (no formulae, just a table). You can print it out and have a handy sheet to record all your values. I've found it very helpful; thanks for your advice, "Mother". This should be useful whether you own a first or a second generation Venture....IF you want to do what Mother says you should do.