Glen Brammell

Since everybody knows I have a truck, I was helping a friend move the other day. When people know you have a truck, they always want you to help them move. Anyway, my friend asks if I wanted an old sewing machine that he had in the upstairs bedroom. It looked interesting and so I took it.

The machine was very old and it was a Singer. I looked up the serial number online and discovered that the machine was made in 1892. My first thought was that it may be worth a lot of money. It turns out that there are many machines like it and that they are a dime a dozen. I guess I learned a lesson today.

It seems that the country of China is not only exporting billions of dollars in goods to other countries. They are also exporting Panda bears to some zoos. The most recent zoo to get a pair of pandas is in Scotland where two bears named Sunshine and Sweetie arrived at their new home.

The Scotts hope that this will raise tourism and give their zoo some international attention. China is racking in the money as the Scots are paying nearly a million dollars a year for the use of the Pandas.

While there are many examples of brave American soldiers, there are some that we rarely hear about. These American fighters are actually dogs. The army has many special uses for the animals that help sniff out bombs and track insurgents.

Many feel that the dogs don’t receive the tribute they deserve and want to see more done to protect them. The handlers of the dogs say that the care they receive is top-notch and that they have happy productive lives. I’m just glad they are on our side.

The wind and rain are pretty bad outside right now. The hurricane Irene is approaching us and is getting worse. We are not really in a flood zone and so I feel good about that, but the wind and water could threaten our home. We were able to take some precautions though and I am glad we did.

We put everything up in the yard and made sure all the loose items were packed away. We have plenty of food and water as well as candles in case the power goes out. I think we’ll be alright and make it through the storm.

My car battery has been failing over the last several days. I had to get a jump start from friends at work just to get home the other day. This morning, it was dead again and I was lucky a neighbor of mine came to the rescue and got me on the road again.

I went to a local auto parts store and was surprised that a decent battery costs nearly $100 dollars. I had to buy one though and they put it in for me. Now at least I can start my car and get where I’m going. Cars sure are expensive!