On one of our vacation trips to South Carolina we had the pleasure of taking along Tim’s then Girlfriend Elisa with us, as most of you know she is now our Daughter-in-law so I am allowed to pick on her a bit because she is my favorite and she wouldn’t expect any less. We first met Elisa when she was just a youngster; she was the best friend of a cousin and visited our house several times back when the kids were young enough to think one another had cooties and had no intention of being boyfriend and girlfriend.
Elisa is a picky eater and was not real impressed with the buffet we found in Jackson, Tennessee that included crawdads nor the seafood restaurant in South Carolina where we enjoyed Frog Legs, she and Cindy are on the same page when it comes to this type of food so they always find an alternative choice that is not nasty.
We got into Cherokee, NC and she was so happy to be able to walk the downtown area with Tim just like all the other couples were doing, we kind of stayed back and let them enjoy their time together as we were enjoying ours, Elisa found some trinket she wanted and insisted on paying with her own money which she was carrying inside her jeans pocket, she had a one hundred dollar bill and a few ones the item was just a couple dollars so she paid and went on her way, later on she found something a bit more expensive and fretted and discussed with Tim whether or not to break her one hundred dollar bill, they decided it was worth it and she reached inside her pocket to find her money was gone, evidently it had fallen out when she paid for her last purchase, she told us what had happened and we went back to the store in hopes someone found it and turned it in, but you all know the answer her money was long gone.
Tim got himself all worked up wanting to find her money but that was all in vain because in my opinion at this point there is nothing to be done other than pick up and continue the vacation, we got it to South Carolina and made a trip back up into North Carolina with my Sister and her family to the theme park Carowinds, now if you ever get into NC around Charlotte this park is well worth a visit, it is actually both in NC and SC as the state line runs through the park. With Elisa’s money gone we of course didn’t let her go without, Tim took care of anything she needed and actually allowed her to hold his wallet while he went on the rides she didn’t want to go on, while sitting out one of these thrill rides she was with a couple of our nieces sitting in the shade and talking, evidently while sitting there she laid Tim’s wallet beside her and there it laid when the girls got up and walked away.
Tim was livid when he asked for his wallet only to find it was gone, we scoured the whole area where they were sitting and nothing was found, to make a long story short his wallet turned up in Lost And Found with everything in it minus his money which was a couple hundred bucks, Now little Miss Elisa and I had a long talk, she was not allowed to carry any money the rest of the trip, she was not allowed to look at any money and she actually felt so bad about losing money not once but twice on the same trip.
Now believe it or not after we got home Elisa got herself a job and paid Tim back all the money she had lost, he did not ask her to do this but she insisted, we later bought a small car for her and allowed her to make payments to us like you would a bank, I wrote up a contract and spread out the note long enough to where she could afford the payments, to our surprise in six months time she had paid the note in full, and guess who is handling the money now in their marriage? Yes you guessed Elisa is very thrifty and smart with the finances of their household, her losing this money evidently taught her a lesson and I am proud she is one to learn from her mistakes, Tim and Elisa are in the process of buying a home of their own and it is now looking like we just may be hitting the road to go and visit Tim and Elisa because as you are reading this her water has broken and it looks like little Benjamin Wyatt is on his way.
..to be continued as the results come in
Life as seen through my eyes
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
You Know I Was Winning
Randy bought a Red Chevy pickup with a V-8 engine that he was so proud of, after driving a GMC Sonoma with a four cylinder for a while the V-8 I know just got to him a bit, he “accidentally” spun the tires at the stop sign on the end of our street a number of times and I had mentioned this to him more than once but just got that grin when he promised to be more careful next time.
Randy worked at a local grocery store in produce and Scott one of my other sons was working there also as a stocker, actually all four of our boys had bagged groceries at S and S one time or another. Randy and Scott were always poking fun at one another about whose vehicle was faster, Scott was driving a Camaro at the time and while shopping Cindy had witnessed the insults being thrown at Randy from Scott about how slow his truck must be only to hear the reply of how that truck could “Smoke” Scott’s Camaro anytime. There were a lot of laughs, and from what I have been told this went on all the time.
The store closes at 9pm and both boys were to get off at closing time this particular night, at 9:05pm Randy’s name comes across the scanner in a BOLO (be on the lookout for) with the description of his truck, our good friend Nancy called to say she had heard this information on the scanner, Cindy called Randy immediately and when he finally answered all he said was:
Randy: Mom can’t talk right now.
Cindy: And Why Not?
Randy: I got pulled over, talking to the police.
Cindy: What did you do?
Randy: Racing, Gotta go Mom I will be right there.
Cindy turns to me and says he got pulled over for racing. I am thinking to myself that in the town we lived, and in between our house and where he worked there was no place for him to be racing other than residential streets, Cindy says I bet it was Scotty!! I said Scotty how in the world did Scotty get in this? Cindy tells me I bet he was racing with Scotty, I argued the point that I really didn’t think so, because at this time I didn’t know about all the challenges being thrown between Randy and Scott, Cindy was yelling the details of what she had heard the boys saying to each other at the store from her path of pacing on the sidewalk when we see the headlights of Randy’s truck coming slowly down the street, right on his bumper is one of the City Police cars, Randy pulls to a stop in front of the house and the Police Officer waves to us and drives away knowing that no explanation from him was needed, Randy steps out of the truck and commences to tell us how he would pay for everything and it wouldn’t cost us a dime. To make a long story short he had in his hand “Defective Equipment” “Reckless Driving” and “Drag Racing” tickets and Scott had exactly the same tickets in his possession minus the defective equipment ticket we found out later on.
Picture this, S and S Grocery sits on one end of the parking lot and on the complete other end is a small movie theatre, it’s closing time and the parking lot is empty, these two have been ragging one another all day about who had the fastest vehicle, so like any other red blooded American boy would do, rather than go to the country for a race they lined up right then and there, from what I hear the burnout was rather impressive and they were side by side when they passed the police officer sitting beside the theater watching them from the other end of the parking lot, the light bar came on and Randy stopped with the police car right behind him, rather than stopping Scott made a left turn since the police were not behind him and continued down the road, the police officer pulled around Randy and went after Scott with lights and siren blaring, Randy must have thought he got a pass so he made a right and headed toward the house, he noticed the dash lights were not working so he pulled into the church parking lot about halfway home to check to see if the fuse was blown since this also controlled the taillights, while squatted down looking at the fuse box with a flashlight he hears a voice behind him saying “You really didn’t think you were going to get away with this did you?”, he said he dropped his head and said “No Sir” turned around to see a large police officer silhouetted by the flashing lights of five police cars sitting behind him, he climbed onto the seat of his truck and that’s when Cindy had called.
Now as far as stepping out of the truck and saying, “ I will pay for everything, this won’t cost you a dime” was not exactly the right way to start explaining this to us. Cindy answered something like “Your #*%& right you will be the one paying for it, now who were you racing with?” when he replied “Scotty” and Cindy gave me that I told you so look and right then and there I knew it was going to be a long evening.
Both boys went to court and paid their debt to society so to say and still to this day look at each other and say, “You know I was winning”
My thanks to a few of the Cars characters for coming by today to help illustrate this little story about one of Randy and Scott’s most expensive racing experiences, it wasn’t as expensive as the profits from the movie but was pretty costly both financially and points wise for the both of them, my advise is that if you are going to drag race take it out into the country or to a sanctioned drag strip, if you choose to line up in a parking lot then make sure you look around to see exactly who is in the audience and be prepared to pay the price.
Randy worked at a local grocery store in produce and Scott one of my other sons was working there also as a stocker, actually all four of our boys had bagged groceries at S and S one time or another. Randy and Scott were always poking fun at one another about whose vehicle was faster, Scott was driving a Camaro at the time and while shopping Cindy had witnessed the insults being thrown at Randy from Scott about how slow his truck must be only to hear the reply of how that truck could “Smoke” Scott’s Camaro anytime. There were a lot of laughs, and from what I have been told this went on all the time.
The store closes at 9pm and both boys were to get off at closing time this particular night, at 9:05pm Randy’s name comes across the scanner in a BOLO (be on the lookout for) with the description of his truck, our good friend Nancy called to say she had heard this information on the scanner, Cindy called Randy immediately and when he finally answered all he said was:
Randy: Mom can’t talk right now.
Cindy: And Why Not?
Randy: I got pulled over, talking to the police.
Cindy: What did you do?
Randy: Racing, Gotta go Mom I will be right there.
Cindy turns to me and says he got pulled over for racing. I am thinking to myself that in the town we lived, and in between our house and where he worked there was no place for him to be racing other than residential streets, Cindy says I bet it was Scotty!! I said Scotty how in the world did Scotty get in this? Cindy tells me I bet he was racing with Scotty, I argued the point that I really didn’t think so, because at this time I didn’t know about all the challenges being thrown between Randy and Scott, Cindy was yelling the details of what she had heard the boys saying to each other at the store from her path of pacing on the sidewalk when we see the headlights of Randy’s truck coming slowly down the street, right on his bumper is one of the City Police cars, Randy pulls to a stop in front of the house and the Police Officer waves to us and drives away knowing that no explanation from him was needed, Randy steps out of the truck and commences to tell us how he would pay for everything and it wouldn’t cost us a dime. To make a long story short he had in his hand “Defective Equipment” “Reckless Driving” and “Drag Racing” tickets and Scott had exactly the same tickets in his possession minus the defective equipment ticket we found out later on.
Picture this, S and S Grocery sits on one end of the parking lot and on the complete other end is a small movie theatre, it’s closing time and the parking lot is empty, these two have been ragging one another all day about who had the fastest vehicle, so like any other red blooded American boy would do, rather than go to the country for a race they lined up right then and there, from what I hear the burnout was rather impressive and they were side by side when they passed the police officer sitting beside the theater watching them from the other end of the parking lot, the light bar came on and Randy stopped with the police car right behind him, rather than stopping Scott made a left turn since the police were not behind him and continued down the road, the police officer pulled around Randy and went after Scott with lights and siren blaring, Randy must have thought he got a pass so he made a right and headed toward the house, he noticed the dash lights were not working so he pulled into the church parking lot about halfway home to check to see if the fuse was blown since this also controlled the taillights, while squatted down looking at the fuse box with a flashlight he hears a voice behind him saying “You really didn’t think you were going to get away with this did you?”, he said he dropped his head and said “No Sir” turned around to see a large police officer silhouetted by the flashing lights of five police cars sitting behind him, he climbed onto the seat of his truck and that’s when Cindy had called.
Both boys went to court and paid their debt to society so to say and still to this day look at each other and say, “You know I was winning”
My thanks to a few of the Cars characters for coming by today to help illustrate this little story about one of Randy and Scott’s most expensive racing experiences, it wasn’t as expensive as the profits from the movie but was pretty costly both financially and points wise for the both of them, my advise is that if you are going to drag race take it out into the country or to a sanctioned drag strip, if you choose to line up in a parking lot then make sure you look around to see exactly who is in the audience and be prepared to pay the price.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Benji Mustang Sally's Colt
Click Here to Enjoy :^)
Buy One Get One Free
Most of you who have been with us for a while remember when we went down and adopted Cindy’s horse “Mustang Sally” and you have read that we had the suspicion that she just may be pregnant although when we asked the shelter workers if Sally was pregnant the answer was “Not that we know of” well about 8:20pm last night the answer came to us. I made the joke this morning while we were out viewing the newest member of our family that the shelter actually gave us a good deal because it appears we got a Buy One Get One Free deal.
Sally began acting like she was having a few labor pains and contractions yesterday so our watch on her was a bit closer than normal, she actually laid down once and rolled a bit while she did a little stretching routine, when she stood her shape was beginning to change a bit, her belly had a noticeable lump that was not there before and it doesn’t take a genius to figure what was happening.
About 8:00pm she began to get a bit agitated and Cindy yelled for me to come out because it appeared Sally’s water had broke, by the time I got out her bag was hanging out, it looked like a white balloon sort of and then out popped a leg, Sally was still walking around at this point, she pushed a bit and the nose appeared next to the hoof of the other front leg, she laid down at this point and out came the head, I could see the blaze of white between his eyes at this point, she had a hard time due to the other leg being bent a little but did a fantastic job of delivering this baby, at the end she was so worn out that the colt had to kick his back legs out on his own bringing himself fully into this world around 8:20pm last night.
She seemed to ignore him a bit at first and we were all worried for a little while until he tried to stand and bumped his head on the pipe corral, he laid back and gave out a soft whinny which was pretty neat to hear and Sally looked back at him and answered with a whinny of her own, this is when the Momma came out in her, she began cleaning him up and nudging him to stand which he soon did and this morning he is actually attempting to run a bit and is doing the nurse for a bit, run around, then lay down and nap routine.
It was amazing to watch this birth from start to finish, it was a blessing that he came into this world as strong and healthy as he appears considering the problems Sally had been through before we got her, I wanted to share this miracle of life we got to witness last night with you and hopefully the Grandbaby will follow pretty quickly because it appears Granny and Papa just may have him a pony already.
Sally began acting like she was having a few labor pains and contractions yesterday so our watch on her was a bit closer than normal, she actually laid down once and rolled a bit while she did a little stretching routine, when she stood her shape was beginning to change a bit, her belly had a noticeable lump that was not there before and it doesn’t take a genius to figure what was happening.
About 8:00pm she began to get a bit agitated and Cindy yelled for me to come out because it appeared Sally’s water had broke, by the time I got out her bag was hanging out, it looked like a white balloon sort of and then out popped a leg, Sally was still walking around at this point, she pushed a bit and the nose appeared next to the hoof of the other front leg, she laid down at this point and out came the head, I could see the blaze of white between his eyes at this point, she had a hard time due to the other leg being bent a little but did a fantastic job of delivering this baby, at the end she was so worn out that the colt had to kick his back legs out on his own bringing himself fully into this world around 8:20pm last night.
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| Midway through the actual birth |
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Chicken Ranch
Now that all the construction is finally completed on the new Chicken Coop/Pen I thought I had better fill you all in on the happenings of the last few days with our so called Chicken Ranch.
The chicks have all gotten big enough to get themselves up in the morning and put themselves to bed at night so to say and actually are becoming quite entertaining to watch, there is one that was a good bit smaller than the rest of them from the start and she is coming along really well.
The coop itself has two windows facing the horse pasture and vent holes at the roof level, two perches at different levels made from tree limbs and a couple of nesting boxes that can be accessed from the rear without having to go inside the pen, a larger door where we can get inside if need be and a small access door for the chickens with a ramp made from limbs. The pen is completely enclosed with wire and a six-foot door to walk through.
All of the chicks really stick together and are doing good, one has come through as the leader and all the others seem to listen to the smallest one out of the bunch.
So everyone please stand and give your full attention to the newly named leader of the Chicken Ranch, coming down the ramp I would like to introduce you all to the little chicken we are fondly calling:
The chicks have all gotten big enough to get themselves up in the morning and put themselves to bed at night so to say and actually are becoming quite entertaining to watch, there is one that was a good bit smaller than the rest of them from the start and she is coming along really well.
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| The chicks gathering around me |
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| Looking at the coop from inside the pen |
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| Back side with access door to nesting boxes |
So everyone please stand and give your full attention to the newly named leader of the Chicken Ranch, coming down the ramp I would like to introduce you all to the little chicken we are fondly calling:
Bossy Betty
Monday, July 26, 2010
Duck Tape?
Saturday being our Anniversary we planned to have ourselves a Date Night so to say to celebrate the day, the plan was to include The Cheesecake Factory for supper and to wing it from there.
On Friday Cindy drove over to Calimesa to run some errands and when she got back the taillight lens that I have been pushing back into place and thinking I should add a bit of glue to for the last year was now missing, evidently while on the freeway it came loose and disappeared into the wild unknown, I know it has vanished because we have retraced the path she drove and nothing red other than plastic Dixie Cups are to be found, now here it is Saturday and our plan to drive all the way to Riverside without a taillight lens will surely include sitting on the side of the road explaining to a CHP Officer how I had actually ordered a replacement light and it was on it’s way to our home even as we were speaking, I know that sounds like an old “the check is in the mail” story but I did order one, so to get us by until then we picked up a roll of Cherry Red duct tape at Walgreens..
OK I’m going to get off track here for a minute so bear with me, I picked up this roll of duct tape and I know you all have seen this brand and this one gets to me, the name on the label reads Duck Tape, OK now this is where my brain goes into high gear because this type of tape was created to tape Ducts not Ducks, now just picture this if it were the other way around and the label Duck Tape was actual and not a play on words, then this could be the result..
OK back to the story, we got home and I removed the taillight and completely covered the surface in neatly laid straight lines of Cherry Red Duct/Duck tape, I replaced the light and it looks so good that I am thinking about removing the other lens and using some more of this so called Duck Tape or in NASCAR language 200 Mile An Hour Tape, Cindy had another plan to which caused me to leave it alone and I am now waiting for the new light to arrive before the taillights will again match, but for now we are sort of legal because the light does shine through the tape just fine.
The Cheesecake Factory is pricey but a very nice place to eat and yes they serve more than just Cheesecake, although a slice of the cheesecake ranges anywhere from seven bucks to seven and a half so needless to say we didn’t bring any home with us, I ordered the Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo which was out of this world and a few insulin shots later until the next morning so was my blood sugar but I have to say I would order it again but judge my amount to eat and insulin dose a bit different next time. Cindy had a Crispy Beef that they prepared in the orange sauce that the Orange Chicken is cooked in and she raved about it, she couldn’t eat all of it so about half of her plate came home with us, to give you an example of the amount just the part Cindy brought home fed two other people. Dessert was a slice of cheesecake with Happy Anniversary written in chocolate syrup around the plate with hearts and the ticket which was as I mentioned before very pricey but well worth it for the experience of a candle light dinner with my wife.
Walking our meal off at the mall next door was pretty entertaining also, we love to people watch and some of the styles of dress is enough to make you grin just to think of them, a lot of kids with the skinny jeans but sagging at the same time, the hairstyles everywhere from neon colored tips to Mohawks makes you remember back when we were that age, we looked a whole lot better than that. And speaking of looks Cindy is a lady who wears no makeup what so ever, she never has except on rare occasions and this day was not one of those occasions, there was a makeup display in the center aisle of the mall and the young lady there asked Cindy if she had time to give the products a look, Cindy made the mistake of saying yes and answered none when asked what type makeup she was wearing, a Mini Makeover later we were back to walking through the mall with Cindy now wearing a completely new face, it didn’t look bad but Cindy requires no makeup in my opinion, we spent the rest of the night laughing and joking with Bob and Martha talking about everything from politics and school policies to chicken coops and skunk skin caps, I know that’s not a typical topic but our friendship is anything but typical, we had a good evening out on our Date Night even though Bob and Martha didn’t go with us at least Martha and Bobs Sister Kathy got to eat at the Cheesecake Factory in the comfort of their own home due to the generosity of my wife.
On Friday Cindy drove over to Calimesa to run some errands and when she got back the taillight lens that I have been pushing back into place and thinking I should add a bit of glue to for the last year was now missing, evidently while on the freeway it came loose and disappeared into the wild unknown, I know it has vanished because we have retraced the path she drove and nothing red other than plastic Dixie Cups are to be found, now here it is Saturday and our plan to drive all the way to Riverside without a taillight lens will surely include sitting on the side of the road explaining to a CHP Officer how I had actually ordered a replacement light and it was on it’s way to our home even as we were speaking, I know that sounds like an old “the check is in the mail” story but I did order one, so to get us by until then we picked up a roll of Cherry Red duct tape at Walgreens..
OK I’m going to get off track here for a minute so bear with me, I picked up this roll of duct tape and I know you all have seen this brand and this one gets to me, the name on the label reads Duck Tape, OK now this is where my brain goes into high gear because this type of tape was created to tape Ducts not Ducks, now just picture this if it were the other way around and the label Duck Tape was actual and not a play on words, then this could be the result..
Walking our meal off at the mall next door was pretty entertaining also, we love to people watch and some of the styles of dress is enough to make you grin just to think of them, a lot of kids with the skinny jeans but sagging at the same time, the hairstyles everywhere from neon colored tips to Mohawks makes you remember back when we were that age, we looked a whole lot better than that. And speaking of looks Cindy is a lady who wears no makeup what so ever, she never has except on rare occasions and this day was not one of those occasions, there was a makeup display in the center aisle of the mall and the young lady there asked Cindy if she had time to give the products a look, Cindy made the mistake of saying yes and answered none when asked what type makeup she was wearing, a Mini Makeover later we were back to walking through the mall with Cindy now wearing a completely new face, it didn’t look bad but Cindy requires no makeup in my opinion, we spent the rest of the night laughing and joking with Bob and Martha talking about everything from politics and school policies to chicken coops and skunk skin caps, I know that’s not a typical topic but our friendship is anything but typical, we had a good evening out on our Date Night even though Bob and Martha didn’t go with us at least Martha and Bobs Sister Kathy got to eat at the Cheesecake Factory in the comfort of their own home due to the generosity of my wife.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Thinking About Friends
Ok here I am, I don’t claim to write like Jimmy but here we go. I was just sitting here thinking about friends, you know the ones that are there no matter what, and then you have those who are just fly by night friends. And then you have those that just don’t know when not to cross that line with your kids, and when they do you see red and when you try to talk to them about it they just can’t get it , well I have them all. But I like to think that I am one of those friend that are there for life to help you along when you need it and never cross the line when it comes to the kids. I like to think that I would be one of those friend that if I should mess up that when I was talked to about it I could understand that I was wrong and say I am sorry and still think of you has a good friend, most of my friends are like family you just would not know what to do without them. now for the friends on here you all have been wonderful to Jimmy and I Love You for that. I know you all are real friends thank you for that. Well I did my best and thought I would throw one out there.
Cindy
Cindy
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Happy Anniversary Cindy
I’m going to step back a bit and do a repost for today, when I posted The Bakers Daughter about a month ago my good Buddy Ron asked if it was our anniversary and I thought then that this story should have been told on our anniversary, today is the thirteenth anniversary of the day Cindy and I said I do, so without further ado.
The Bakers Daughter
Born in Holland He departed the Netherlands May 23rd 1903 on the ship SS Noordam arriving at the port in New York, New York on June 1st 1903, he made a home in Kalamazoo Michigan and returned to The Netherlands in 1906 to purchase a ticket to America for his bridesmaid. She left Groningen, Netherlands from the port in Rotterdam on April 6th 1907 with the ticket to Michigan paid for by him on the ship Niew Amsterdam she arrived at the port in New York where he was waiting for her. They married and lived in Comstock, Michigan working as Celery Farmers, after his death she returned to the Netherlands for a visit with their three children returning back to the USA June 25th 1928.
While there the youngest son learned the trade of baker and in 1945 he moved to California bringing his wife and the first three of four children born to this family, the last son being born in California. Yucaipa, California was the home of the bakery he started and for thirteen years the family proudly ran this successful bakery.
His oldest son worked along side his Dad in the family bakery learning the trade mastered in Holland from his Dad the son of a proud Dutch immigrant. In 1960 this Son married the love of his life and from this union a Daughter was born, this Daughter the Great Grand Daughter of the man who bought a ticket to America for the Woman he loved and crossed the ocean to live the American Dream is the Girl who said yes when I asked her to marry me.
Happy Anniversary Cindy..I Love You!!
The Bakers Daughter
Born in Holland He departed the Netherlands May 23rd 1903 on the ship SS Noordam arriving at the port in New York, New York on June 1st 1903, he made a home in Kalamazoo Michigan and returned to The Netherlands in 1906 to purchase a ticket to America for his bridesmaid. She left Groningen, Netherlands from the port in Rotterdam on April 6th 1907 with the ticket to Michigan paid for by him on the ship Niew Amsterdam she arrived at the port in New York where he was waiting for her. They married and lived in Comstock, Michigan working as Celery Farmers, after his death she returned to the Netherlands for a visit with their three children returning back to the USA June 25th 1928.
While there the youngest son learned the trade of baker and in 1945 he moved to California bringing his wife and the first three of four children born to this family, the last son being born in California. Yucaipa, California was the home of the bakery he started and for thirteen years the family proudly ran this successful bakery.
His oldest son worked along side his Dad in the family bakery learning the trade mastered in Holland from his Dad the son of a proud Dutch immigrant. In 1960 this Son married the love of his life and from this union a Daughter was born, this Daughter the Great Grand Daughter of the man who bought a ticket to America for the Woman he loved and crossed the ocean to live the American Dream is the Girl who said yes when I asked her to marry me.
Happy Anniversary Cindy..I Love You!!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
What Would Have Been?
What would have been? I have mentioned numerous times that we need not worry about things we cannot change and furthermore we can’t change the way people feel about us because that is something totally up to that person and not us.
I look back on situations and think What if I had done this differently would things be better now? And what if I had taken a different road would these people still be in my life? See this type of thinking is something we all do at times and in my opinion there is nothing wrong with this type of thinking as long as you don’t let it consume you.
What ifs are nothing more than that, just a what if, there is nothing we can do about decisions we made long ago and if we had made different decisions then where would we be right now, had we made a different choice back then would we be without someone we hold dear today? And if we had a chance to do it all over again how many of us would make exactly the same decision we made back then?
My point here is that we all seem to judge ourselves so to say and wish we had done it different when in reality we actually did it the way we were supposed to back then because we are right where we are supposed to be right now, whether we realize it or not.
Enjoy what you have and look forward to what is coming in your future, we don’t always know what is coming and that is just a part of living life, so slow down and live the life you have right now because as good as it is, it’s only going to be better each day you are living it.
I look back on situations and think What if I had done this differently would things be better now? And what if I had taken a different road would these people still be in my life? See this type of thinking is something we all do at times and in my opinion there is nothing wrong with this type of thinking as long as you don’t let it consume you.
What ifs are nothing more than that, just a what if, there is nothing we can do about decisions we made long ago and if we had made different decisions then where would we be right now, had we made a different choice back then would we be without someone we hold dear today? And if we had a chance to do it all over again how many of us would make exactly the same decision we made back then?
My point here is that we all seem to judge ourselves so to say and wish we had done it different when in reality we actually did it the way we were supposed to back then because we are right where we are supposed to be right now, whether we realize it or not.
Enjoy what you have and look forward to what is coming in your future, we don’t always know what is coming and that is just a part of living life, so slow down and live the life you have right now because as good as it is, it’s only going to be better each day you are living it.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Letting It Go
Rants and raves come and go and ranting on our blogs is part of life and all of us are expected to throw one out there once in a while because we all need each other to help us get through the stuff that life throws at us. Ranting gets things off your chest, raving defiantly gets it off your chest just in a louder manner, one of those that require all CAP LOCKED LETTERS or stuff written in all Bold Letters, whatever it takes just do it and let your friends be there for you.
Now if you want to rant and rave just because you can and you have no intention of ever letting it go, then how can you ever expect to get over anything and how can you expect your friends to actually understand you? People are going to be themselves no matter what you think they should be and they are going to handle situations in their own manner whether you think it is right or not, so my suggestion is to not worry about what anyone else is doing unless it is directly affecting your life and if their actions are invading your life then you have a right to bitch but if what they are doing is in their own space then your bitching is falling on deaf ears and rightly so.
We all have a right to our own opinions but we should never force our opinions on others when they have a different one, and we should never expect someone to act in a manner of our choosing because that is not how life works. If you have made a mistake then apologize and make amends by letting it go, if you feel someone should follow your rules then you are asking a bit much and you have no right holding a grudge against those who are not involved directly.
We are all different people and that is what makes us great, our differences keeps life going in a fun and interesting manner, if everyone was the same and followed each others demands the we would be no more than a flock of sheep and life would be unbearably boring, so rather than being boring let us all have a fun life enjoying each others differences.
This post points at no one directly it just gets a few thoughts off my chest, if you have an opinion on this subject throw me a comment, if you feel your ears burning thinking I am pointing at you then take a look in the mirror and ask the person you see what you can do to make amends for the actions that are making you feel pointed out.
Now if you want to rant and rave just because you can and you have no intention of ever letting it go, then how can you ever expect to get over anything and how can you expect your friends to actually understand you? People are going to be themselves no matter what you think they should be and they are going to handle situations in their own manner whether you think it is right or not, so my suggestion is to not worry about what anyone else is doing unless it is directly affecting your life and if their actions are invading your life then you have a right to bitch but if what they are doing is in their own space then your bitching is falling on deaf ears and rightly so.
We all have a right to our own opinions but we should never force our opinions on others when they have a different one, and we should never expect someone to act in a manner of our choosing because that is not how life works. If you have made a mistake then apologize and make amends by letting it go, if you feel someone should follow your rules then you are asking a bit much and you have no right holding a grudge against those who are not involved directly.
We are all different people and that is what makes us great, our differences keeps life going in a fun and interesting manner, if everyone was the same and followed each others demands the we would be no more than a flock of sheep and life would be unbearably boring, so rather than being boring let us all have a fun life enjoying each others differences.
This post points at no one directly it just gets a few thoughts off my chest, if you have an opinion on this subject throw me a comment, if you feel your ears burning thinking I am pointing at you then take a look in the mirror and ask the person you see what you can do to make amends for the actions that are making you feel pointed out.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Attacked From Above
I’m still working on the chicken pen/coop and in the meantime the chicks are getting bigger and will soon have outgrown their small cages I made them for the time being, I lost one a couple weeks ago for a few minutes, one of the black chicks jumped out of the cage while I was moving them from the night cage to the outside cage for the day, OK here I am thinking I have just given one of Cindy’s chicks to the dogs because Buddy Cindy’s Dads Border Collie was sitting at the fence just waiting for the chick which was running around like a chicken with it’s.., well we weren’t there yet but Buddy was close.
I made a dive for the chick which didn’t work because next thing after I had missed my chance to grab it the chick was in little Dixie’s mouth, Dixie is standing there with the chick flopping around in her mouth and I just knew the chick was a goner, I yelled for her to drop it and she obeyed leaving the chick running around again, I picked it up and gave it a look over, there was not as much as a wet feather on this chick, the chick had no injuries what so ever and I see now that my little sidekick Dixie had actually caught it for me and was just holding it had I just come to her and taken it rather than telling her to drop it.
This reminded me of a little bird incident we had back when Dixie was a pup. We planted grass in areas of our front yard and had the areas all roped off to keep unnecessary foot traffic from it, the front of our house was covered with all types of bushes and flowers and they were all growing well, Cindy and I were sitting on the porch and Dixie was milling around in the yard when all of a sudden we hear what sounded like a shrill scream coming from the front of the house, Dixie is nowhere to be seen and the sound is coming from the tall four o clock flowers which were shaking like crazy.
Out from the flowers Dixie comes backing out of quickly with a baby Blue Jay in her mouth and the little bird was letting out the awful scream we had heard, Cindy makes a dive off the porch jumping the ropes and is yelling for Dixie to “Drop It, Drop It, Drop It” which Dixie does and the bird makes a couple hops then turns and attacks Dixie, the fight was on again Dixie has the screaming bird in her mouth and Cindy is yelling “Drop It, Drop It, Drop It” and again when dropped the baby Blue Jay attacks Dixie, this happened about three times and could have gone on for a while at this rate but Cindy grabbed Dixie and now in addition to the screaming baby Blue Jay hopping toward her as she is jumping the ropes coming back toward the porch carrying Dixie, she now has a Momma Blue Jay dive bombing her and in addition to the shrill screech of this bird she was very quick too, Cindy thank goodness was faster she ducked and bobbed each time the bird aimed at her head and made it into the house leaving me sitting laughing on the porch.
I went in and had to laugh again at our tough little Daschund with her tail curled high above her back looking like an Irish Setters, the hair standing on her back said she was ready for a rematch and she was now scratching at the door for me to let her out, the Momma Blue Jay and the Baby were now across the street but the shrill screech threats were still coming from the Momma, there were no injuries that I could see on any of them including Cindy, we enjoyed the rest of our evening watching Dixie growl with her nose through the fence at the baby Blue Jay across the street sitting on the porch rail screeching back at her, Cindy nor I wanted to walk off the porch to look for Momma but I am sure she was watching from the trees.
I made a dive for the chick which didn’t work because next thing after I had missed my chance to grab it the chick was in little Dixie’s mouth, Dixie is standing there with the chick flopping around in her mouth and I just knew the chick was a goner, I yelled for her to drop it and she obeyed leaving the chick running around again, I picked it up and gave it a look over, there was not as much as a wet feather on this chick, the chick had no injuries what so ever and I see now that my little sidekick Dixie had actually caught it for me and was just holding it had I just come to her and taken it rather than telling her to drop it.
This reminded me of a little bird incident we had back when Dixie was a pup. We planted grass in areas of our front yard and had the areas all roped off to keep unnecessary foot traffic from it, the front of our house was covered with all types of bushes and flowers and they were all growing well, Cindy and I were sitting on the porch and Dixie was milling around in the yard when all of a sudden we hear what sounded like a shrill scream coming from the front of the house, Dixie is nowhere to be seen and the sound is coming from the tall four o clock flowers which were shaking like crazy.
Out from the flowers Dixie comes backing out of quickly with a baby Blue Jay in her mouth and the little bird was letting out the awful scream we had heard, Cindy makes a dive off the porch jumping the ropes and is yelling for Dixie to “Drop It, Drop It, Drop It” which Dixie does and the bird makes a couple hops then turns and attacks Dixie, the fight was on again Dixie has the screaming bird in her mouth and Cindy is yelling “Drop It, Drop It, Drop It” and again when dropped the baby Blue Jay attacks Dixie, this happened about three times and could have gone on for a while at this rate but Cindy grabbed Dixie and now in addition to the screaming baby Blue Jay hopping toward her as she is jumping the ropes coming back toward the porch carrying Dixie, she now has a Momma Blue Jay dive bombing her and in addition to the shrill screech of this bird she was very quick too, Cindy thank goodness was faster she ducked and bobbed each time the bird aimed at her head and made it into the house leaving me sitting laughing on the porch.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Robbing Parts For Mine
A busy day ahead but that’s OK with me because this bit of work for today will be inside, the temperatures here have been so hot this last week that it is unreal so I’ll opt for some work time under the air conditioning.
Cindy’s Birthday was yesterday and we had a lot of fun, along with her Mom and Dad we met up with her Brother for a Birthday lunch at the New York Pizzeria and ate absolutely more than we could hold, it was early so it was almost like having the place to ourselves, and in lieu of a Birthday Cake we got to bring a complete whole large pizza home with us as the eyes were bigger than the stomach when placing the order, but that’s OK a couple slices of Sausage, Pepperoni, and Cashew Pizza for lunch today will be pretty good. We had supper with Bob and Martha which was a load of fun, and in lieu of a song and slice of cake Cindy got a cupcake and a candle with a “here ya go enjoy, we don’t sing—happy birthday” from the restaurant, but Martha ordered a seven layer slab of chocolate cake that I could feel the richness of when they passed by me with it that Cindy fully enjoyed.
I had planned on getting Cindy a new computer for her birthday and needless to say I have done a lot of looking and figuring to come up with the best bang for the buck so to say to get her the best that we can afford, we each have our own computer and the way this started was that she got me one for my birthday a few years back and my old one was cleaned up and she took it as her own, so now every time I get mine upgraded then Cindy gets my old one, I decided to break this cycle and get her a “Brand New” one of her very own without all of my stuff already on it, we set a price range and she picked the one she wanted but her Dad overheard us discussing the plan and chipped in so needless to say she is getting a much bigger and better system.
We went down after lunch and skipped over all the sales pitch by showing them exactly which system we needed, we discussed all the options and added the virus protection that we wanted rather than the trial version because you can’t be too careful these days as you all know, it was set up to be optimized and remove all the trial version crap that comes with a new system you never use and in two hours time her system was ready for pickup, I had visions of a black and white VW bug sliding into our driveway and men in shirt and ties falling all out running around like the Keystone Cops until we pointed them into the right direction, then like a NASCAR Pit crew they were to jump onto Cindy’s desk and with precision performance the new system would be up and running with all of her stuff from the old one saved and added in a record time of 12.2 seconds, but like I said that was a vision and I will begin the task of saving what she wants from the old system and getting her new one going right after I post this.
So by this afternoon Cindy will be up and running on a shiny new computer with all the bells and whistles, and I will be looking into her old one to see if I can rob any parts to make mine a bit faster, am I jealous that she has a new one and I am robbing parts for mine, heck no it actually feels pretty good.
Cindy’s Birthday was yesterday and we had a lot of fun, along with her Mom and Dad we met up with her Brother for a Birthday lunch at the New York Pizzeria and ate absolutely more than we could hold, it was early so it was almost like having the place to ourselves, and in lieu of a Birthday Cake we got to bring a complete whole large pizza home with us as the eyes were bigger than the stomach when placing the order, but that’s OK a couple slices of Sausage, Pepperoni, and Cashew Pizza for lunch today will be pretty good. We had supper with Bob and Martha which was a load of fun, and in lieu of a song and slice of cake Cindy got a cupcake and a candle with a “here ya go enjoy, we don’t sing—happy birthday” from the restaurant, but Martha ordered a seven layer slab of chocolate cake that I could feel the richness of when they passed by me with it that Cindy fully enjoyed.
I had planned on getting Cindy a new computer for her birthday and needless to say I have done a lot of looking and figuring to come up with the best bang for the buck so to say to get her the best that we can afford, we each have our own computer and the way this started was that she got me one for my birthday a few years back and my old one was cleaned up and she took it as her own, so now every time I get mine upgraded then Cindy gets my old one, I decided to break this cycle and get her a “Brand New” one of her very own without all of my stuff already on it, we set a price range and she picked the one she wanted but her Dad overheard us discussing the plan and chipped in so needless to say she is getting a much bigger and better system.
We went down after lunch and skipped over all the sales pitch by showing them exactly which system we needed, we discussed all the options and added the virus protection that we wanted rather than the trial version because you can’t be too careful these days as you all know, it was set up to be optimized and remove all the trial version crap that comes with a new system you never use and in two hours time her system was ready for pickup, I had visions of a black and white VW bug sliding into our driveway and men in shirt and ties falling all out running around like the Keystone Cops until we pointed them into the right direction, then like a NASCAR Pit crew they were to jump onto Cindy’s desk and with precision performance the new system would be up and running with all of her stuff from the old one saved and added in a record time of 12.2 seconds, but like I said that was a vision and I will begin the task of saving what she wants from the old system and getting her new one going right after I post this.
So by this afternoon Cindy will be up and running on a shiny new computer with all the bells and whistles, and I will be looking into her old one to see if I can rob any parts to make mine a bit faster, am I jealous that she has a new one and I am robbing parts for mine, heck no it actually feels pretty good.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
She's Some Kind Of Wonderful
I met this girl when I walked into her business while I was working for the water company, over the next few years I ran into her several times and she always treated me well we actually struck up a friendship and discussed our children, the weather, and whatever else friends discuss when seeing one another, she even coached my youngest son in t-ball she had a big impact on his life in those early years and I never knew at the time how much of an impact she would have on mine later on.
After about ten years of friendship she and I both found ourselves unmarried and often saw each other and always asked how the other was doing, she once came into the water company to pay her bill and yelled at me as I walked by “Hey Jimmy we are going out tonight, why don’t you meet up with us” I said I would think about it and went about my business, why would I rain on her parade so to say by showing up on her outing, she was a friend and I know she was just being nice now that she knew I was alone, I was too dumb at the time to realize that she was in a round about way asking me out and “we” was a group of friends. The stars finally lined up, the tables turned, someone smacked me on the back of the head or whatever you want to call it but she handed me her phone number at the ball field one evening while we were watching the kids play ball, soon we had our first date and next week will be our thirteenth wedding anniversary but Today join me in wishing a Happy Birthday to:
After about ten years of friendship she and I both found ourselves unmarried and often saw each other and always asked how the other was doing, she once came into the water company to pay her bill and yelled at me as I walked by “Hey Jimmy we are going out tonight, why don’t you meet up with us” I said I would think about it and went about my business, why would I rain on her parade so to say by showing up on her outing, she was a friend and I know she was just being nice now that she knew I was alone, I was too dumb at the time to realize that she was in a round about way asking me out and “we” was a group of friends. The stars finally lined up, the tables turned, someone smacked me on the back of the head or whatever you want to call it but she handed me her phone number at the ball field one evening while we were watching the kids play ball, soon we had our first date and next week will be our thirteenth wedding anniversary but Today join me in wishing a Happy Birthday to:
A Wonderful Mother, My Love, And My Best Friend
Happy Birthday Cindy
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Blank White Door
He woke up early in the morning just in time to shower and have a bit of breakfast before the wife and he had to head out for the dreaded Doctors appointment she had made for him, the drive was about a half an hour away so he had time to ramble on about years gone by with her while she glanced his way once in a while and nodded in an attempt to let him know she was listening, he was thinking this appointment is useless all they are going to do is the same as they did last time, they will tell him three words and throw a folded piece of paper onto the floor and ask him to pick it up, at the end of the visit they are going to sit and stare blankly as he tries to remember the words, he really doesn’t want to go through any more of these tests because they have already told him he was demented which he sees as an insult, the wife argues that this is not what they told him they said that he has dementia, same difference in his mind he tell her and he would rather they just go on and call it Old Timers, the wife laughs and says it’s Alzheimer’s and we can call it that if you want to.
Sitting in the waiting room he feels everyone is looking and talking about him, this goes on for what seems like hours before the nurse finally opens the door and calls a name, the wife stands up and holds out her hand, he just stares and asks where are we going? The nurse just called you Hun so come on let’s go. Sitting in the room and waiting for the Doctor to come in took as long as the wait outside, it seemed like forever, the wife stood up and said she had to go to the restroom and told him she would be right back, he replied OK and told her to not take too long, she laughed and replied I won’t and you don’t go anywhere OK, he smiled as the door closed and he just sat there staring at that blank white door.
There was a knock and in comes a young man saying Hello Sir are you about ready for lunch? Lunch he thinks, I didn’t know they were serving lunch he tells the young man and asks how long before the Doctor comes in, now Sir you get lunch at this same time everyday and if you need to see the Doctor you need to let the nurse know, let the nurse know? Hell that’s why I am here to see the Doctor and I don’t like this game you are playing, I want my wife why is it taking her so long to get back, the young man tells him to settle down and he would go and get the nurse, the door closes and immediately reopens with a smiling young lady in drab green scrubs coming his way, I want my wife he exclaims and she replies now Sir lets eat our lunch, what the hell are you doing serving lunch he asks and again asks for his wife, the young nurse grasps his hand and says now Sir you know lunch comes everyday at this time and your wife has been gone for several years now, you remember that don’t you? He looks around and notices that he is sitting in a wheelchair and the room now has a bed and TV in it, he looks at the ceiling and screams as the nurse closes the blank white door.
Looking around he sees pictures of people he doesn’t know and among them are pictures of his lovely young wife, she has been gone to the restroom long enough to be done, he hopes she hasn’t gotten herself turned around on her way back because he really needs her about right now, getting himself up out of the wheelchair he has a recollection of people coming in to visit, people he has never seen before calling him Dad and Uncle Somebody, the little kids hiding behind these folks trying to both look at him but not make eye contact at the same time, he makes his way over to the sink to wash his face and looking back at him in the mirror is a man who looks a whole lot like his Grandpa, this is strange he thinks and opens the door on the cabinet to look behind before looking at the mirror again to see this stranger looking back, the blank white door opens and he looks around for his wife only to see the young girl in the drab green scrubs again, it’s time for bed Sir she says and laughs as she tells him that it is also time for him to quit admiring himself in the mirror, he reluctantly lays down on the bed thinking to himself that this is just not right, the wife will be here any minute she just has to be on her way back by now, somebody go and find my wife please he yells as the white door closes again.
Light from the window is reflecting from behind and back into his face from that blank white door as he lies on the bed, the door opens and all he can see is the waistline that is covered in drab green material, Sir it’s time for your bath are you going to get up and let me do that for you today, he is curled into a fetal position and all of a sudden can’t seem to move, can’t seem to remember nor even answer the questions she continues to ask him, he feels really tired and she leans down to look into his face, Sir are you awake? Can You Hear Me? Sir, Sir.. He closes his eyes as he hears that damned white door open and close again.
The sound of an alarm goes off suddenly and he is startled to feel an arm across his chest, the bed bounces with the feel of someone getting up and he rolls over to see a clock that reads 7:05, he looks around and the room sure looks different, smaller with a lot more familiar and comfortable feeling, glancing to the other side of the room he sees a door open revealing his beautiful wife who says Good Morning Hun, you have just enough time to get a shower and a bit of breakfast before we have to leave for your Doctors appointment.
This fictional account is my first attempt at addressing a condition that hits home with a lot of people including us. Alzheimer’s strikes a large number of people each year, I have not done any research to gain numbers but wanted to get your attention with what can and sometimes does happen with this condition. Loss of memory is just a small part of this and loss of memory brings on anger and loss of time. So if you know someone with this condition try your best to spend a bit of quality time with them if possible, they may not remember fully what has happened or what is going on but giving them the comfort of knowing you are there during this time will go a long way before they can no longer remember you at all.
Sitting in the waiting room he feels everyone is looking and talking about him, this goes on for what seems like hours before the nurse finally opens the door and calls a name, the wife stands up and holds out her hand, he just stares and asks where are we going? The nurse just called you Hun so come on let’s go. Sitting in the room and waiting for the Doctor to come in took as long as the wait outside, it seemed like forever, the wife stood up and said she had to go to the restroom and told him she would be right back, he replied OK and told her to not take too long, she laughed and replied I won’t and you don’t go anywhere OK, he smiled as the door closed and he just sat there staring at that blank white door.
There was a knock and in comes a young man saying Hello Sir are you about ready for lunch? Lunch he thinks, I didn’t know they were serving lunch he tells the young man and asks how long before the Doctor comes in, now Sir you get lunch at this same time everyday and if you need to see the Doctor you need to let the nurse know, let the nurse know? Hell that’s why I am here to see the Doctor and I don’t like this game you are playing, I want my wife why is it taking her so long to get back, the young man tells him to settle down and he would go and get the nurse, the door closes and immediately reopens with a smiling young lady in drab green scrubs coming his way, I want my wife he exclaims and she replies now Sir lets eat our lunch, what the hell are you doing serving lunch he asks and again asks for his wife, the young nurse grasps his hand and says now Sir you know lunch comes everyday at this time and your wife has been gone for several years now, you remember that don’t you? He looks around and notices that he is sitting in a wheelchair and the room now has a bed and TV in it, he looks at the ceiling and screams as the nurse closes the blank white door.
Looking around he sees pictures of people he doesn’t know and among them are pictures of his lovely young wife, she has been gone to the restroom long enough to be done, he hopes she hasn’t gotten herself turned around on her way back because he really needs her about right now, getting himself up out of the wheelchair he has a recollection of people coming in to visit, people he has never seen before calling him Dad and Uncle Somebody, the little kids hiding behind these folks trying to both look at him but not make eye contact at the same time, he makes his way over to the sink to wash his face and looking back at him in the mirror is a man who looks a whole lot like his Grandpa, this is strange he thinks and opens the door on the cabinet to look behind before looking at the mirror again to see this stranger looking back, the blank white door opens and he looks around for his wife only to see the young girl in the drab green scrubs again, it’s time for bed Sir she says and laughs as she tells him that it is also time for him to quit admiring himself in the mirror, he reluctantly lays down on the bed thinking to himself that this is just not right, the wife will be here any minute she just has to be on her way back by now, somebody go and find my wife please he yells as the white door closes again.
Light from the window is reflecting from behind and back into his face from that blank white door as he lies on the bed, the door opens and all he can see is the waistline that is covered in drab green material, Sir it’s time for your bath are you going to get up and let me do that for you today, he is curled into a fetal position and all of a sudden can’t seem to move, can’t seem to remember nor even answer the questions she continues to ask him, he feels really tired and she leans down to look into his face, Sir are you awake? Can You Hear Me? Sir, Sir.. He closes his eyes as he hears that damned white door open and close again.
The sound of an alarm goes off suddenly and he is startled to feel an arm across his chest, the bed bounces with the feel of someone getting up and he rolls over to see a clock that reads 7:05, he looks around and the room sure looks different, smaller with a lot more familiar and comfortable feeling, glancing to the other side of the room he sees a door open revealing his beautiful wife who says Good Morning Hun, you have just enough time to get a shower and a bit of breakfast before we have to leave for your Doctors appointment.
This fictional account is my first attempt at addressing a condition that hits home with a lot of people including us. Alzheimer’s strikes a large number of people each year, I have not done any research to gain numbers but wanted to get your attention with what can and sometimes does happen with this condition. Loss of memory is just a small part of this and loss of memory brings on anger and loss of time. So if you know someone with this condition try your best to spend a bit of quality time with them if possible, they may not remember fully what has happened or what is going on but giving them the comfort of knowing you are there during this time will go a long way before they can no longer remember you at all.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Laughing At Yourself, Or At Me
In my little welcome speech on the left I say “bad days come and go, the good ones stick in your heart for a lifetime, and that you have to laugh at yourself to really enjoy life because if you don’t then you just hear the laughter of everyone else”, with that said I have poked fun at Cindy a good bit here and she has been a good sport about it, so let’s turn the table a little once just for her and the rest of you too.
I like good days because they do outnumber the bad ones, and I do like laughter whether it be from a little kid, you know what I am saying those belly laughs that just go on and on till you can’t stop yourself from laughing to the snickers you hear over your shoulder from someone you love who you didn’t know was watching you when you messed up, although it may get under your skin for a minute you know that you would have laughed too had the shoe been on the other foot, and speaking of the shoe being on the other foot I said I would turn the tables here today for Cindy.
Have you ever had a bright idea that just didn’t work as well as you thought it would when you thought about it, kind of like the time the ignition switch was broken in my old pickup truck and instead of buying a new one I installed a couple of light switches like you have in your house, one for power and the other to be held in the on position until the truck started, I even had a switch plate cover on it and it did look out of place sitting there on the dash looking like it should be on a kitchen wall but that’s another story, today was mowing day here at our house, last week was hell as the mower broke down and me with my extensive mechanical abilities and hardheadedness finally gave up and read last rights to the lawnmower, well almost read last rights because I don’t give up that easy and you can start a truck with two light switches if they are installed properly or proper for this application.
I did everything I could from taking the top off of the mower and attaching a piece of bailing wire to the carburetor linkage thingy so I could manually adjust it while I was starting it to keep it running, I can hear you laughing already so go ahead because this is what this post is all about we are laughing at Jimmy today, here I am with my fingers slipping off the wire while I am pulling on it while at the same time I am pulling the start rope and holding the bar against the handle at the same time, OK do you see the problem here? That takes three hands; so back to my mechanical abilities/Southern engineering or what ever you want to call it, I first bend a loop in my wire so my fingers don’t slip and I go get more bailing wire and I know this is a no no, but I did tie down the handle thingy so I didn’t have to hold it down while I was pulling the wire and the start rope at the same time, now I had to add pushing the primer bulb over and over once it started while adjusting the wire thingy and I actually had it running until the wire slipped off the handle, Yes I said a bad word and Cindy came off the porch with tears in her eyes to offer her assistance just about the time I was giving it CPR, I thought she would maybe pull the start rope and hold the handle while I pushed the bulb and adjusted the wire, but No she had to have a better idea, she read last rights to my mower and drove me to town to buy a new one which works much better after all, I don’t have to tie anything down and it starts on the first pull. The old one is now behind my shop just in case I need it.
Today I got out the new mower and had the yard done in about a quarter of the time and Cindy’s Dad mowed the back on the riding mower, I got out the blower to clean up the mess from the clippings blowing on the driveway and just knew that the small amount of gas would last for this one small job which it didn’t and about three quarters of the way through it ran out, I took it back to the garage and found the gas can empty, this blower takes the gas you mix with oil so I get the oil and add to the can, I fill it with gas and replace the cap and give it a shake to get things mixed up whew glad I got the cap on tight, now to finish up what I started I walk back down and give the start rope a pull, it fires up and runs for just a minute then stops, OK I had run it out of gas so I figure it hadn’t picked up yet so I prime it good and give it another pull, it fires right up and runs until I pull the trigger, I do this three more times, pull the filter and sit to think why it wont run now when I look down to see the still empty tank, I mixed the gas and shook it good but never put any in the blower..go figure.
After lunch I go to my shop to hopefully finish up the chicken coop which is coming together nicely if I say so myself, I will post a picture when I get it finished. I am working on the rafters figuring the angles to keep everything looking straight, I only messed one up before I got the next one right, as of right now I have one done so cross your fingers for me because this shouldn’t be a big project with only a couple more to go.
Flies really bother me and I keep a can of Off to spray myself while I am working with power tools especially, and I don’t always remember to spray myself before I am in the middle of something, you know that fly you swat at that you always miss to return right back where he started as many times as you want to swat at him, well this one was on the hand I was guiding the skill saw with, and his little friend had landed on my nose which really freaks me out, so I take a deep breath and shut everything down, walk calmly over to my workbench, pick up the spray and walk back to the door, I spray both arms and the back of my neck, I think about the one that was on my nose and taking a short cut which I know is a no no, I decide to spray myself in the face, I tightly close my eyes and feel the spray hit my face as it should have, I hold my breath for a minute waiting for the air to clear and open my eyes to see that I can’t see, now this is what happens when you spray your glasses with Off.
I was sure happy for Cindy to come out and ask if I wanted to take a break and during this break I am writing a post so that all of you and Cindy can laugh at Jimmy, because right Jimmy is laughing at himself and hoping that nothing else happens today because that would be too funny.
I like good days because they do outnumber the bad ones, and I do like laughter whether it be from a little kid, you know what I am saying those belly laughs that just go on and on till you can’t stop yourself from laughing to the snickers you hear over your shoulder from someone you love who you didn’t know was watching you when you messed up, although it may get under your skin for a minute you know that you would have laughed too had the shoe been on the other foot, and speaking of the shoe being on the other foot I said I would turn the tables here today for Cindy.
Have you ever had a bright idea that just didn’t work as well as you thought it would when you thought about it, kind of like the time the ignition switch was broken in my old pickup truck and instead of buying a new one I installed a couple of light switches like you have in your house, one for power and the other to be held in the on position until the truck started, I even had a switch plate cover on it and it did look out of place sitting there on the dash looking like it should be on a kitchen wall but that’s another story, today was mowing day here at our house, last week was hell as the mower broke down and me with my extensive mechanical abilities and hardheadedness finally gave up and read last rights to the lawnmower, well almost read last rights because I don’t give up that easy and you can start a truck with two light switches if they are installed properly or proper for this application.
I did everything I could from taking the top off of the mower and attaching a piece of bailing wire to the carburetor linkage thingy so I could manually adjust it while I was starting it to keep it running, I can hear you laughing already so go ahead because this is what this post is all about we are laughing at Jimmy today, here I am with my fingers slipping off the wire while I am pulling on it while at the same time I am pulling the start rope and holding the bar against the handle at the same time, OK do you see the problem here? That takes three hands; so back to my mechanical abilities/Southern engineering or what ever you want to call it, I first bend a loop in my wire so my fingers don’t slip and I go get more bailing wire and I know this is a no no, but I did tie down the handle thingy so I didn’t have to hold it down while I was pulling the wire and the start rope at the same time, now I had to add pushing the primer bulb over and over once it started while adjusting the wire thingy and I actually had it running until the wire slipped off the handle, Yes I said a bad word and Cindy came off the porch with tears in her eyes to offer her assistance just about the time I was giving it CPR, I thought she would maybe pull the start rope and hold the handle while I pushed the bulb and adjusted the wire, but No she had to have a better idea, she read last rights to my mower and drove me to town to buy a new one which works much better after all, I don’t have to tie anything down and it starts on the first pull. The old one is now behind my shop just in case I need it.
Today I got out the new mower and had the yard done in about a quarter of the time and Cindy’s Dad mowed the back on the riding mower, I got out the blower to clean up the mess from the clippings blowing on the driveway and just knew that the small amount of gas would last for this one small job which it didn’t and about three quarters of the way through it ran out, I took it back to the garage and found the gas can empty, this blower takes the gas you mix with oil so I get the oil and add to the can, I fill it with gas and replace the cap and give it a shake to get things mixed up whew glad I got the cap on tight, now to finish up what I started I walk back down and give the start rope a pull, it fires up and runs for just a minute then stops, OK I had run it out of gas so I figure it hadn’t picked up yet so I prime it good and give it another pull, it fires right up and runs until I pull the trigger, I do this three more times, pull the filter and sit to think why it wont run now when I look down to see the still empty tank, I mixed the gas and shook it good but never put any in the blower..go figure.
After lunch I go to my shop to hopefully finish up the chicken coop which is coming together nicely if I say so myself, I will post a picture when I get it finished. I am working on the rafters figuring the angles to keep everything looking straight, I only messed one up before I got the next one right, as of right now I have one done so cross your fingers for me because this shouldn’t be a big project with only a couple more to go.
Flies really bother me and I keep a can of Off to spray myself while I am working with power tools especially, and I don’t always remember to spray myself before I am in the middle of something, you know that fly you swat at that you always miss to return right back where he started as many times as you want to swat at him, well this one was on the hand I was guiding the skill saw with, and his little friend had landed on my nose which really freaks me out, so I take a deep breath and shut everything down, walk calmly over to my workbench, pick up the spray and walk back to the door, I spray both arms and the back of my neck, I think about the one that was on my nose and taking a short cut which I know is a no no, I decide to spray myself in the face, I tightly close my eyes and feel the spray hit my face as it should have, I hold my breath for a minute waiting for the air to clear and open my eyes to see that I can’t see, now this is what happens when you spray your glasses with Off.
I was sure happy for Cindy to come out and ask if I wanted to take a break and during this break I am writing a post so that all of you and Cindy can laugh at Jimmy, because right Jimmy is laughing at himself and hoping that nothing else happens today because that would be too funny.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead what do you see, go ahead and do it just turn your head and squint your eyes if need be and look into the future, look as far ahead or as close as you want but take just a minute and ponder what you really see if you think about it?
What you really see is wishes and dreams of things you want to happen, in my life I have a new Grandbaby that will be born in the next month sometime and looking out the back door we just may have a colt any day, as far as the Grand Baby goes I know his name will be Benjamin and I hope for him to be healthy and a Papa’s Boy, Benjamin’s Mom has done real well as far as taking care of herself so I have no fears about this birth. The colt I also hope to be healthy but time will tell because the Mom is the rescue horse we adopted for Cindy and we have no way of knowing when she was bred, I hope for a healthy colt but that is a wish and nothing I can see until the colt arrives.
Looking ahead I hope for a long life but as you all know the Good Lord can take us any day and until he does we need to have as much fun living the life He has given us, Looking back a few of you have mentioned living in the moment and I don’t disagree with you because living in the moment is within our control, where Looking Ahead or Behind we have no control over whatsoever.
Look ahead and see what you can see coming up in your life and get ready for it as best as you can, Babies, Grandbabies, Jobs, Moves, Marriages, New Friends, New Mates, Losses, Death, Sickness, and Health are all possibilities, we all will have good times and sadness in our futures but as I have pointed out in many of my posts we can’t dwell on the bad stuff and spend our lives worrying about things we can’t change, am I trying to convince you or myself with this point? Not sure that any of us need convincing but it feels good to talk about it once in a while because I need reminded every now and then.
Looking Back I see things that make me both happy and sad, I see a lot of potential blog posts that make me smile, Looking right now I see a lot of good friends who grace me with their comments and suggestions about the things I look back upon, Looking Ahead I see many years of happiness filled with these same friends, new Grandbabies that I plan to spoil while teaching to ride that colt, and living my life out with Cindy no matter where we live or how long the Good Lord allows me to enjoy this fantastic ride we call life.
Looking Ahead gives us hope and stretches our imaginations with the dreams we are hoping to achieve, Living in the moment keeps us comfortable with who we are and what we are doing right now, and looking back makes us laugh, cry, remember, and see where we have been that got us to where we are in this moment.
I’m going to end this post just like I did my last one with one addition just because I think it fits here too. Always look forward and plan for new things, live in the moment to keep control on your life and sanity as this will help make living fun, and look back once in a while to remember but don’t dwell on things that don’t matter, Life is a blessing and if you can live it without worry then your life will be filled with joy, if you let worry consume your thoughts then life will pass you by before you know it.
What you really see is wishes and dreams of things you want to happen, in my life I have a new Grandbaby that will be born in the next month sometime and looking out the back door we just may have a colt any day, as far as the Grand Baby goes I know his name will be Benjamin and I hope for him to be healthy and a Papa’s Boy, Benjamin’s Mom has done real well as far as taking care of herself so I have no fears about this birth. The colt I also hope to be healthy but time will tell because the Mom is the rescue horse we adopted for Cindy and we have no way of knowing when she was bred, I hope for a healthy colt but that is a wish and nothing I can see until the colt arrives.
Looking ahead I hope for a long life but as you all know the Good Lord can take us any day and until he does we need to have as much fun living the life He has given us, Looking back a few of you have mentioned living in the moment and I don’t disagree with you because living in the moment is within our control, where Looking Ahead or Behind we have no control over whatsoever.
Look ahead and see what you can see coming up in your life and get ready for it as best as you can, Babies, Grandbabies, Jobs, Moves, Marriages, New Friends, New Mates, Losses, Death, Sickness, and Health are all possibilities, we all will have good times and sadness in our futures but as I have pointed out in many of my posts we can’t dwell on the bad stuff and spend our lives worrying about things we can’t change, am I trying to convince you or myself with this point? Not sure that any of us need convincing but it feels good to talk about it once in a while because I need reminded every now and then.
Looking Back I see things that make me both happy and sad, I see a lot of potential blog posts that make me smile, Looking right now I see a lot of good friends who grace me with their comments and suggestions about the things I look back upon, Looking Ahead I see many years of happiness filled with these same friends, new Grandbabies that I plan to spoil while teaching to ride that colt, and living my life out with Cindy no matter where we live or how long the Good Lord allows me to enjoy this fantastic ride we call life.
Looking Ahead gives us hope and stretches our imaginations with the dreams we are hoping to achieve, Living in the moment keeps us comfortable with who we are and what we are doing right now, and looking back makes us laugh, cry, remember, and see where we have been that got us to where we are in this moment.
I’m going to end this post just like I did my last one with one addition just because I think it fits here too. Always look forward and plan for new things, live in the moment to keep control on your life and sanity as this will help make living fun, and look back once in a while to remember but don’t dwell on things that don’t matter, Life is a blessing and if you can live it without worry then your life will be filled with joy, if you let worry consume your thoughts then life will pass you by before you know it.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Looking Back
Looking back I remember always being in control of myself, and being comfortable in the fact that I knew where I was going and where I was going to end up in my lifetime. Then all of a sudden I outgrew my teenage years and somewhere along the way I got my brain handed back to me, not exactly sure when that happened or even if it has happened yet, but I have come to realize that things sure look different now than they did then.
Looking back everything was so easy, jobs were easy to find and if I didn’t like what I was doing I could always find another job, yeah-right sounds easy doesn’t it? Actually I had a hand in helping my Mom care for my younger siblings, Mom and I went in together and rented a trailer which she paid rent one week and I the next, she bought groceries one week and I the next, Mom had finally gotten up the nerve to end a bad marriage and I stepped in to help her get on her feet so to say, she wasn’t a bad Mom or anything like that she just needed a little help that she never asked for and I was the oldest, I guess it would have been easy for me to move out and leave her with one less mouth to feed but that wouldn’t have been the right thing to do in my opinion.
Looking back we did pretty well, we had food on the table and the rent was paid, my brother who is a year younger than me got married and moved out so that made it a little easier to meet the grocery bill, one of the hardest things I ever had to do was once while buying groceries I had both my little Sisters with me and the oldest loved these Marshmallow cookies, I promised her she could have a pack and she picked one up, when we got to the register I was so embarrassed standing there counting out the money knowing darn well I didn’t have enough to pay the bill, now with disgusted looks and snide comments coming from the people waiting behind us I had to make the choice of what to put back, heck I was just a teenager at the time and the little sisters were unaware fully of what was going on but the thing that made me feel worst of all was that the marshmallow cookies were one of the things that had to be put back, Sissy never fussed but the look on her face just killed me, next trip to the store those marshmallow cookies were the first thing in the basket and I made sure I had the money for them. I finally moved out when Mom found the Love of her life and began a new chapter with a man who treated her well. The girls both grew up and have families of their own and as you all know I have a good life with Cindy.
Looking back I see a lot of life lessons that teach us simple things like life is not fair and others that teach you life is good because of those lessons showing you that life is not always easy. I really have no point here other than Looking back does no more than remind you of where you came from, to be truly happy you need to look forward because there are better things coming your way, looking back you can’t change anything, but looking forward you can adjust to what you see coming and enjoy what you have now.
Always look forward and plan for new things, look back once in a while to remember but don’t dwell on things that don’t matter, Life is a blessing and if you can live it without worry then your life will be filled with joy, if you let worry consume your thoughts then life will pass you by before you know it.
Looking back I wonder if Sis has any marshmallow cookies in her cookie jar right now?
Looking back everything was so easy, jobs were easy to find and if I didn’t like what I was doing I could always find another job, yeah-right sounds easy doesn’t it? Actually I had a hand in helping my Mom care for my younger siblings, Mom and I went in together and rented a trailer which she paid rent one week and I the next, she bought groceries one week and I the next, Mom had finally gotten up the nerve to end a bad marriage and I stepped in to help her get on her feet so to say, she wasn’t a bad Mom or anything like that she just needed a little help that she never asked for and I was the oldest, I guess it would have been easy for me to move out and leave her with one less mouth to feed but that wouldn’t have been the right thing to do in my opinion.
Looking back we did pretty well, we had food on the table and the rent was paid, my brother who is a year younger than me got married and moved out so that made it a little easier to meet the grocery bill, one of the hardest things I ever had to do was once while buying groceries I had both my little Sisters with me and the oldest loved these Marshmallow cookies, I promised her she could have a pack and she picked one up, when we got to the register I was so embarrassed standing there counting out the money knowing darn well I didn’t have enough to pay the bill, now with disgusted looks and snide comments coming from the people waiting behind us I had to make the choice of what to put back, heck I was just a teenager at the time and the little sisters were unaware fully of what was going on but the thing that made me feel worst of all was that the marshmallow cookies were one of the things that had to be put back, Sissy never fussed but the look on her face just killed me, next trip to the store those marshmallow cookies were the first thing in the basket and I made sure I had the money for them. I finally moved out when Mom found the Love of her life and began a new chapter with a man who treated her well. The girls both grew up and have families of their own and as you all know I have a good life with Cindy.
Looking back I see a lot of life lessons that teach us simple things like life is not fair and others that teach you life is good because of those lessons showing you that life is not always easy. I really have no point here other than Looking back does no more than remind you of where you came from, to be truly happy you need to look forward because there are better things coming your way, looking back you can’t change anything, but looking forward you can adjust to what you see coming and enjoy what you have now.
Always look forward and plan for new things, look back once in a while to remember but don’t dwell on things that don’t matter, Life is a blessing and if you can live it without worry then your life will be filled with joy, if you let worry consume your thoughts then life will pass you by before you know it.
Looking back I wonder if Sis has any marshmallow cookies in her cookie jar right now?
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Free Eggs
I have been kind of holding off on doing a “Chicken Update” but here goes, you remember the Chicken With No Name that joined our family last month, if you don’t then click the link and get a laugh at where this all started.
I did build a small “A” shaped coop/shelter and fenced in a small area with chicken wire attached to the existing fence behind my shop, and the chicken we are calling Happy is an egg laying fool as they say, in the last seven days she has graced us with six eggs so I suppose she is earning her keep, pretty good for a “free” chicken right.
As you know there is nothing for free, Cindy did go ahead and talk her husband into buying some more chicks as you already figured and for the last couple days I have been drawing up plans and buying supplies to build a new chicken coop for the new flock that will be joining Happy behind the shop, they are quickly outgrowing the temporary cages I have for them and joining Happy just may come quicker than expected.
Today I spent figuring out and building nesting boxes, tonight we went and bought more lumber and paint to match the shop and garage, they asked which paint we wanted I said the cheap stuff, he said well what are you painting, Cindy said we need “Chicken Coop Paint” the man laughed and said seriously what are you painting because if you buy the cheap stuff you will use twice as much paint than if you go ahead and buy the expensive stuff it’s not like you are really painting a chicken coop, I told him yes sir I am actually painting a chicken coop, he replied then the cheap stuff is what you need.
This little egg layer that came into our life for free has added six more chicks, about $200.00 worth of lumber and wire, paint, feed, and a lot more work than I had expected to do, especially taking up the space behind my shop, but look at it this way there is a positive that came with this little chicken named Happy.
Now we don’t have to buy eggs
I did build a small “A” shaped coop/shelter and fenced in a small area with chicken wire attached to the existing fence behind my shop, and the chicken we are calling Happy is an egg laying fool as they say, in the last seven days she has graced us with six eggs so I suppose she is earning her keep, pretty good for a “free” chicken right.
As you know there is nothing for free, Cindy did go ahead and talk her husband into buying some more chicks as you already figured and for the last couple days I have been drawing up plans and buying supplies to build a new chicken coop for the new flock that will be joining Happy behind the shop, they are quickly outgrowing the temporary cages I have for them and joining Happy just may come quicker than expected.
Today I spent figuring out and building nesting boxes, tonight we went and bought more lumber and paint to match the shop and garage, they asked which paint we wanted I said the cheap stuff, he said well what are you painting, Cindy said we need “Chicken Coop Paint” the man laughed and said seriously what are you painting because if you buy the cheap stuff you will use twice as much paint than if you go ahead and buy the expensive stuff it’s not like you are really painting a chicken coop, I told him yes sir I am actually painting a chicken coop, he replied then the cheap stuff is what you need.
This little egg layer that came into our life for free has added six more chicks, about $200.00 worth of lumber and wire, paint, feed, and a lot more work than I had expected to do, especially taking up the space behind my shop, but look at it this way there is a positive that came with this little chicken named Happy.
Now we don’t have to buy eggs
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Grass Is Always Greener
I mentioned song lyrics and Lynyrd Skynyrd a couple posts back, one of their songs I always liked is The Ballad of Curtis Loew and thinking of this song reminds me of a good friend I had while we lived in New Mexico.
David lived across the street and I really didn’t get to know him well until I retired, I would be out in the garage working on something to pass the time and look across the street and see him doing the same, I crossed the street to introduce myself and it wasn’t long that we were talking every single day, I’d open my garage door in the morning and sip my coffee until his garage opened then our day began.
David was a large man with a resounding laugh that you could hear all over the neighborhood, we all called him Big Dave except for little Emily who called him The Hulk, he was a very intelligent man who had retired from the Air Force as a Jet Engine Mechanic and Electronics Engineer, he had a lot of degrees to back up his claims and anything mechanical he could either fix or show you how, advise on which car to buy “Big Dave” was the man to ask, once we were looking at a small pickup for Randy and Big Dave came over to give it a look, Dave would never walk right up to a vehicle and raise the hood, he would start about a half block away and completely look it over, he glanced at the way it sat and how the doors aligned, he looked at the tires and looked underneath for the typical leaks and other things that only Dave knew, once he was satisfied he would raise the hood then ask for the vehicle to be started, on this particular truck Dave said the price was fair and he would not be scared to own it, only thing he said the water pump would be failing in four months and for Randy to save his money and buy one ahead of time, “When it goes out, park it in my driveway and I’ll show you how to change it out”, exactly four months later it failed and Randy was under the hood with Dave pointing the way through the repairs.
Big Dave was a man of common sense in spite of his education, and whenever he was needed he was there whether to calm my wife down, water the forgotten lawn while we were gone, or to run off the guy who was where he wasn’t supposed to be, yes Dave as I mentioned before was a large man with a deep voice, he never raised his voice but he had a way and tone that either calmed you down or struck fear inside you depending on what the discussion was about. Once while we were on vacation he told us he would keep an eye on the house and asked who was supposed to be there while we were gone, we told him that Nancy would be taking in the mail and feeding the dogs and Melissa would probably pop in and out while we were away, Melissa did show up one night and had a friend show up soon after she did, this young man was inside the house when a Large Black Man showed up at the door and asked him for his name, told him that he wasn’t supposed to be there and for him to make his way to his car, Melissa stepped in stating he was a friend of hers and Big Dave explained to her that she was allowed since we had told him she would be popping in but we didn’t mention this Boy and that he would be leaving on his own or with some help, the Boy made the wise decision and we could hear Big Dave laughing as Melissa was crying and telling us what he had done to embarrass her.
Cindy and I put in a new lawn, all the way from rotor tilling and removing all the weeds, grub killer and fertilizer and of course new grass seed, roped the area off so no one could walk on it and did the seemingly never ending watering routine to get it all started, Big Dave would come across and sit on the porch and compliment us on our hard work, Cindy made the statement of how good his yard looked and Dave would just smile and Thank her, then she made the mistake of saying “I wish our yard looked as good as yours” Big Dave stood up and laid a hand on her shoulder and said “Follow me child” and started across the street, I followed along because I knew this was going to be good and by the time I got there Cindy was looking at Dave’s lawn and he was saying “Now it don’t look so good up close does it” Cindy was amazed at how well it looked from our porch, he pointed and told her to look back at our lawn from where we were standing it looked lush and green with no bare spots showing, with the mention of this Dave told her “The Grass is always greener on the other side of the street” and in Big Dave style began jumping and laughing that loud laugh that made you feel good all over.
Dave had a heart attack and was air lifted to Lubbock Texas where he underwent surgery and beat all the odds given him, he returned home and soon we were sitting on our porch listening to him laugh and watching him jump up and down in the happy manner he had, he mentioned the work going on at his house and that he wanted a metal lizard and a cactus for the yard, he laughed about the color choice which he called pink and was really back to being himself, next morning the garage door didn’t open and we found out later that he was back in Lubbock and was now on dialysis, we loaded up in the van to go see him stopping to pick up a card I ran across a cactus plant and picked it up, I told Cindy at least we would be half way to the metal lizard and cactus dream for Dave and on our way out of the store hanging on a shelf there was the metal lizard we added to our purchase, Dave got such a laugh out of this and told us they would be placed in his yard, he looked at me and asked “How is my house looking Jim?” I told him “Well Dave I hate to tell you this man, but It’s Pink”, to which he laughed loudly, we had a good time visiting with Dave and his wife that Saturday and told him we would return on Monday to see him again, we made the hour and a half drive home and his Daughter was crossing the street to our house, she was crying and those tears told us Dave was gone.
The Ballad Of Curtis Loew was one of the songs that was most always playing while he was visiting in my garage he and I listened to that song a million times I know, and now here I was sitting sipping my coffee watching the garage door not open across the street.
Play me a song Curtis Leow … hey Curtis Leow
I wish that you was here so everyone would know
People said you were useless … them people all are fools
'Cause Curtis you're the finest picker to ever play the blues
Mmmmm …
David lived across the street and I really didn’t get to know him well until I retired, I would be out in the garage working on something to pass the time and look across the street and see him doing the same, I crossed the street to introduce myself and it wasn’t long that we were talking every single day, I’d open my garage door in the morning and sip my coffee until his garage opened then our day began.
David was a large man with a resounding laugh that you could hear all over the neighborhood, we all called him Big Dave except for little Emily who called him The Hulk, he was a very intelligent man who had retired from the Air Force as a Jet Engine Mechanic and Electronics Engineer, he had a lot of degrees to back up his claims and anything mechanical he could either fix or show you how, advise on which car to buy “Big Dave” was the man to ask, once we were looking at a small pickup for Randy and Big Dave came over to give it a look, Dave would never walk right up to a vehicle and raise the hood, he would start about a half block away and completely look it over, he glanced at the way it sat and how the doors aligned, he looked at the tires and looked underneath for the typical leaks and other things that only Dave knew, once he was satisfied he would raise the hood then ask for the vehicle to be started, on this particular truck Dave said the price was fair and he would not be scared to own it, only thing he said the water pump would be failing in four months and for Randy to save his money and buy one ahead of time, “When it goes out, park it in my driveway and I’ll show you how to change it out”, exactly four months later it failed and Randy was under the hood with Dave pointing the way through the repairs.
Big Dave was a man of common sense in spite of his education, and whenever he was needed he was there whether to calm my wife down, water the forgotten lawn while we were gone, or to run off the guy who was where he wasn’t supposed to be, yes Dave as I mentioned before was a large man with a deep voice, he never raised his voice but he had a way and tone that either calmed you down or struck fear inside you depending on what the discussion was about. Once while we were on vacation he told us he would keep an eye on the house and asked who was supposed to be there while we were gone, we told him that Nancy would be taking in the mail and feeding the dogs and Melissa would probably pop in and out while we were away, Melissa did show up one night and had a friend show up soon after she did, this young man was inside the house when a Large Black Man showed up at the door and asked him for his name, told him that he wasn’t supposed to be there and for him to make his way to his car, Melissa stepped in stating he was a friend of hers and Big Dave explained to her that she was allowed since we had told him she would be popping in but we didn’t mention this Boy and that he would be leaving on his own or with some help, the Boy made the wise decision and we could hear Big Dave laughing as Melissa was crying and telling us what he had done to embarrass her.
Cindy and I put in a new lawn, all the way from rotor tilling and removing all the weeds, grub killer and fertilizer and of course new grass seed, roped the area off so no one could walk on it and did the seemingly never ending watering routine to get it all started, Big Dave would come across and sit on the porch and compliment us on our hard work, Cindy made the statement of how good his yard looked and Dave would just smile and Thank her, then she made the mistake of saying “I wish our yard looked as good as yours” Big Dave stood up and laid a hand on her shoulder and said “Follow me child” and started across the street, I followed along because I knew this was going to be good and by the time I got there Cindy was looking at Dave’s lawn and he was saying “Now it don’t look so good up close does it” Cindy was amazed at how well it looked from our porch, he pointed and told her to look back at our lawn from where we were standing it looked lush and green with no bare spots showing, with the mention of this Dave told her “The Grass is always greener on the other side of the street” and in Big Dave style began jumping and laughing that loud laugh that made you feel good all over.
Dave had a heart attack and was air lifted to Lubbock Texas where he underwent surgery and beat all the odds given him, he returned home and soon we were sitting on our porch listening to him laugh and watching him jump up and down in the happy manner he had, he mentioned the work going on at his house and that he wanted a metal lizard and a cactus for the yard, he laughed about the color choice which he called pink and was really back to being himself, next morning the garage door didn’t open and we found out later that he was back in Lubbock and was now on dialysis, we loaded up in the van to go see him stopping to pick up a card I ran across a cactus plant and picked it up, I told Cindy at least we would be half way to the metal lizard and cactus dream for Dave and on our way out of the store hanging on a shelf there was the metal lizard we added to our purchase, Dave got such a laugh out of this and told us they would be placed in his yard, he looked at me and asked “How is my house looking Jim?” I told him “Well Dave I hate to tell you this man, but It’s Pink”, to which he laughed loudly, we had a good time visiting with Dave and his wife that Saturday and told him we would return on Monday to see him again, we made the hour and a half drive home and his Daughter was crossing the street to our house, she was crying and those tears told us Dave was gone.
The Ballad Of Curtis Loew was one of the songs that was most always playing while he was visiting in my garage he and I listened to that song a million times I know, and now here I was sitting sipping my coffee watching the garage door not open across the street.
Play me a song Curtis Leow … hey Curtis Leow
I wish that you was here so everyone would know
People said you were useless … them people all are fools
'Cause Curtis you're the finest picker to ever play the blues
Mmmmm …
Monday, July 5, 2010
That Was All I Had To Say
I have mentioned before how I relate song lyrics to life, I think that’s the idea when most people write a song isn’t it? Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote a lot that pointed right at society and life in general and I could talk for hours there but today lets look at Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, Touch Of Grey is a catchy tune and the words don’t make much sense to most but I like this song really well:
Here is the first verse, you just gotta love where we are going, it’s already morning and you just don’t feel like getting up quite yet, Must be getting early…well draw the curtains and go back to sleep but you have to care whether you want to or not because that morning sky is telling you to get up and get your day started.
You inevitably run into someone with a problem, the child who just remembered that a homework project is due this morning, the guy trying to get around you on the freeway or the one yelling hold the door for the elevator, maybe even the boss who just knows that you were the one who caused his long list of problems this morning, Sorry that you feel that way, don’t hide your feelings tell me how you really feel.
Finances are always there to give us problems, we have all been there and will be there again, heck most of us just may be there right now, it’s even worse than it appears and we always see the worst of things when money is tight, the kids are actually smarter than we give them credit for, I really think most kids have their brains removed when they hit their teens only to be returned to them at a later date.
The shoe is on the hand it fits, the end result here is life is what it is and no matter how you live it this life is yours, we all have schedules and commitments, kids who are not doing exactly what they should be when they should, and living paycheck to paycheck just makes us appreciate the things we finally get around to paying off when we finally pay them off. We all end up with a touch of grey heck I am gaining more than a touch, but you have to appreciate what you have and take care of your own, life is what it is and a lot of things can’t be changed because it is not up to you to change it, so enjoy life and sing a silly song every once in a while because “it’s alright” and amongst those lyrics that just make no sense just may be a lesson. That was all I had to say because life in general really is alright.
It must be getting early Clocks are running late
Paint by numbers morning sky Looks so phony
Dawn is breaking everywhere Light a candle, curse the glare
Draw the curtains, I don't care 'Cause it's alright
Here is the first verse, you just gotta love where we are going, it’s already morning and you just don’t feel like getting up quite yet, Must be getting early…well draw the curtains and go back to sleep but you have to care whether you want to or not because that morning sky is telling you to get up and get your day started.
I see you got your list out Say your piece and get out
Yes I got the gist of it But it's alright
Sorry that you feel that way The only thing there is to say
Every silver lining's got a Touch of grey
You inevitably run into someone with a problem, the child who just remembered that a homework project is due this morning, the guy trying to get around you on the freeway or the one yelling hold the door for the elevator, maybe even the boss who just knows that you were the one who caused his long list of problems this morning, Sorry that you feel that way, don’t hide your feelings tell me how you really feel.
I know the rent is in arrears The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears But it's alright
Cows are giving kerosene The kid can't read at seventeen
The words he knows are all obscene But it's alright
Finances are always there to give us problems, we have all been there and will be there again, heck most of us just may be there right now, it’s even worse than it appears and we always see the worst of things when money is tight, the kids are actually smarter than we give them credit for, I really think most kids have their brains removed when they hit their teens only to be returned to them at a later date.
The shoe is on the hand it fits There's really nothing much to it
Whistle through your teeth and split 'Cause it's alright
Oh well a touch of grey Kind of suits you anyway
That was all I had to say And it's alright
The shoe is on the hand it fits, the end result here is life is what it is and no matter how you live it this life is yours, we all have schedules and commitments, kids who are not doing exactly what they should be when they should, and living paycheck to paycheck just makes us appreciate the things we finally get around to paying off when we finally pay them off. We all end up with a touch of grey heck I am gaining more than a touch, but you have to appreciate what you have and take care of your own, life is what it is and a lot of things can’t be changed because it is not up to you to change it, so enjoy life and sing a silly song every once in a while because “it’s alright” and amongst those lyrics that just make no sense just may be a lesson. That was all I had to say because life in general really is alright.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Only One Who Fought
He was born in Culpeper County Virginia in 1764 and moved with his family into North Carolina where they settled in what is now Guilford County in about 1770, less than ten years later he turned out as a volunteer in Surry County, NC under Captain A Bostick and was placed in the charge of a Captain Shepherd at the Courthouse there, he remained nearly two weeks before being discharged and allowed to go home before beginning his service in the Revolutionary War.
He was drafted to join Colonel Charles Porterfield’s Light Artillery under the charge of Captain Brashears who was wounded and died at the Rugeley's Mills Battle in Camden South Carolina on August 16 1780, so at the age of 16 he was involved in the Battle known as Gates Defeat and saw his first Captain die. He served a tour of three months out of the State of North Carolina and upon returning home he substituted in the place of another man who was also from Surry County N.C. Under the command of Capt Edwin Hickman he went with General Nathanael Greene to the South where he was wounded and put into the hospital or else he would have been in the Battle at Eutaw Springs SC on Sep 8th 1781 where his General was defeated, this was also the last major engagement of the war in the Carolinas. He remained until the army returned over the Congaree River when he joined them and went Northward to where he was discharged at a place about thirteen miles South of Salisbury NC.
On his return home he was drafted and turned out again as himself for about a month before being sent home only to be called out again this time in the scouting service for another three months, This last mentioned service he performed he found his own horse and was in the service as a Horseman although there is no evidence to prove this fact, other than the testimony of those who served with him according to his pension application dated March 12th 1833 in Pickens District South Carolina where he had moved at the end of the Revolutionary War.
He was sixty nine years old when he applied for this pension for his service to the United States during the Revolutionary war; his pension was approved on May 16th 1833 at the age of 70 his pension of a $20.00 Annual Allowance began and he lived for another ten years before his death in what is now Pickens County, South Carolina.
This is only one of the fine men who fought, suffered and sacrificed to give us the freedom we still fight for and defend today, take a moment to remember what men like this man went through to assure us of the privileges we now enjoy and possibly take for granted. I gathered this information from this mans pension records and what drew me to this particular man is the fact that he is my 4th Great Grandfather who was born with the same name I proudly carry today.
He was drafted to join Colonel Charles Porterfield’s Light Artillery under the charge of Captain Brashears who was wounded and died at the Rugeley's Mills Battle in Camden South Carolina on August 16 1780, so at the age of 16 he was involved in the Battle known as Gates Defeat and saw his first Captain die. He served a tour of three months out of the State of North Carolina and upon returning home he substituted in the place of another man who was also from Surry County N.C. Under the command of Capt Edwin Hickman he went with General Nathanael Greene to the South where he was wounded and put into the hospital or else he would have been in the Battle at Eutaw Springs SC on Sep 8th 1781 where his General was defeated, this was also the last major engagement of the war in the Carolinas. He remained until the army returned over the Congaree River when he joined them and went Northward to where he was discharged at a place about thirteen miles South of Salisbury NC.
On his return home he was drafted and turned out again as himself for about a month before being sent home only to be called out again this time in the scouting service for another three months, This last mentioned service he performed he found his own horse and was in the service as a Horseman although there is no evidence to prove this fact, other than the testimony of those who served with him according to his pension application dated March 12th 1833 in Pickens District South Carolina where he had moved at the end of the Revolutionary War.
He was sixty nine years old when he applied for this pension for his service to the United States during the Revolutionary war; his pension was approved on May 16th 1833 at the age of 70 his pension of a $20.00 Annual Allowance began and he lived for another ten years before his death in what is now Pickens County, South Carolina.
This is only one of the fine men who fought, suffered and sacrificed to give us the freedom we still fight for and defend today, take a moment to remember what men like this man went through to assure us of the privileges we now enjoy and possibly take for granted. I gathered this information from this mans pension records and what drew me to this particular man is the fact that he is my 4th Great Grandfather who was born with the same name I proudly carry today.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Really Mom It Wasn’t Me
Don’t you just love kids and the way they look at things, the way they express themselves or the things they think they can do either to make you laugh or save the world, I going to list a few things our kids have said that I get a laugh at every time I think of them:
Randy: “Stand back everybody, its just a little old gardener snake”
Making his way through a crowd of kids at the lake looking at a small snake slithering through the sand, next thing we saw was the snake attached to his finger, the crowd vanishing and him yelling “MOM!!”
Melissa: “Really Mom it wasn’t me it was the Dog”
When we walked in to find Melissa sitting in the middle of her Christmas gifts opened on the floor after we had given her permission to go home early from a Christmas party at a friends house as long as she didn’t peek at the gifts, teeth marks later proved the dog really did it.
Tim: “Hey Look at me rubbing my wiener”
What we heard rather than Hey Look I am giving Dixie a massage.
Scott: “Look Cotton has a Heart On”
Pointing at the new rabies tag shaped like a heart on his uncles dogs collar, during a family gathering where everyone heard him but few saw what he was doing.
Steve: “I have a dog named Lacey”
Responding to the cute little girl who made her way across the street and introduced herself to him as Lacey.
Randy: “Stand back everybody, its just a little old gardener snake”
Making his way through a crowd of kids at the lake looking at a small snake slithering through the sand, next thing we saw was the snake attached to his finger, the crowd vanishing and him yelling “MOM!!”
Melissa: “Really Mom it wasn’t me it was the Dog”
When we walked in to find Melissa sitting in the middle of her Christmas gifts opened on the floor after we had given her permission to go home early from a Christmas party at a friends house as long as she didn’t peek at the gifts, teeth marks later proved the dog really did it.
What we heard rather than Hey Look I am giving Dixie a massage.
Scott: “Look Cotton has a Heart On”
Pointing at the new rabies tag shaped like a heart on his uncles dogs collar, during a family gathering where everyone heard him but few saw what he was doing.
Steve: “I have a dog named Lacey”
Responding to the cute little girl who made her way across the street and introduced herself to him as Lacey.
Friday, July 2, 2010
My Mexican Girlfriend
Started this morning way too early in my opinion, wanted to sleep in but really had to get going on mowing the rest of the pasture I was telling you about yesterday, it’s much easier to get it done before the heat of the day sits in, so I got myself up and got my morning going with the checking of the blood sugar and Cindy getting to stick a needle in my arm which I know she just hates doing because she likes to poke it in and then ask me some random questions while she is injecting the insulin, she knows I am not going to move or answer since I am deathly afraid of needles so she just grins and keeps talking, I have asked her over and over not to do this but I know next time she is going to do it anyway, not sure if she does this to show me that it is really OK or if it is some sadistic jolly she gets by seeing the fear on my face, either way it works and I am reasonably healthy because of this morning ritual we have and don’t tell her but I’m really not scared of her.
To show her I got right on that mowing, by getting myself a cup of coffee and sitting on the porch with her for a long talk while I waited for the heat of the day to grow just a bit, but the cup did get empty and I had to get the tractor going because I had stalled long enough, and I did get finished just in time for lunch which worked out real good for me because the blood sugar was telling me it was time to eat.
After lunch I wanted to get the front yard mowed but it was really hot by then and Cindy said she had a good idea. “Why don’t you sit on the porch with your wife for a while” I told her because you don’t like it when I do that and to make a long story short we sat on the porch and enjoyed a glass of tea together which was really nice, I did play on the computer for a bit and she got her Farmville Farming done before Suppertime rolled around.
We went up to Cherry Valley and enjoyed Mexican Food at the El Charro with Cindy’s parents, Cindy’s Mom is convinced that the waitress was trying to pick me up and is kind of upset that Cindy was not jealous because the waitress had confirmed twice that I did not want beans and rice, I made a joke when she asked if we wanted anything else something like, “Now you have it down that I don’t want beans and rice right” and she laughed, this sadly turned to that I was possibly flirting back, Cindy and I always have fun with people when we are out but with the Alzheimer’s I know this is going to be questioned again over and over the next few days and hopefully I wont be running off with the waitress at the Mexican Restaurant.
We got home to find the temperature just right for mowing so I dragged out the push mower to tackle the front yard, I may not be too old to cut the mustard but my lawn mower evidently is, I got half the front yard mowed tonight and guess what… well maybe I shouldn’t have cut that mustard out in the round pen and by the street with it last week, so I suppose I will go and get myself a new mower tomorrow, seriously it is old and the cost to keep it running is more than it is worth so there you go--I’m still going to blame it on the mustard, and enjoy a nice cool drink with my wife and get up early again tomorrow to go mower shopping.
To show her I got right on that mowing, by getting myself a cup of coffee and sitting on the porch with her for a long talk while I waited for the heat of the day to grow just a bit, but the cup did get empty and I had to get the tractor going because I had stalled long enough, and I did get finished just in time for lunch which worked out real good for me because the blood sugar was telling me it was time to eat.
After lunch I wanted to get the front yard mowed but it was really hot by then and Cindy said she had a good idea. “Why don’t you sit on the porch with your wife for a while” I told her because you don’t like it when I do that and to make a long story short we sat on the porch and enjoyed a glass of tea together which was really nice, I did play on the computer for a bit and she got her Farmville Farming done before Suppertime rolled around.
We went up to Cherry Valley and enjoyed Mexican Food at the El Charro with Cindy’s parents, Cindy’s Mom is convinced that the waitress was trying to pick me up and is kind of upset that Cindy was not jealous because the waitress had confirmed twice that I did not want beans and rice, I made a joke when she asked if we wanted anything else something like, “Now you have it down that I don’t want beans and rice right” and she laughed, this sadly turned to that I was possibly flirting back, Cindy and I always have fun with people when we are out but with the Alzheimer’s I know this is going to be questioned again over and over the next few days and hopefully I wont be running off with the waitress at the Mexican Restaurant.
We got home to find the temperature just right for mowing so I dragged out the push mower to tackle the front yard, I may not be too old to cut the mustard but my lawn mower evidently is, I got half the front yard mowed tonight and guess what… well maybe I shouldn’t have cut that mustard out in the round pen and by the street with it last week, so I suppose I will go and get myself a new mower tomorrow, seriously it is old and the cost to keep it running is more than it is worth so there you go--I’m still going to blame it on the mustard, and enjoy a nice cool drink with my wife and get up early again tomorrow to go mower shopping.
I Just Realized
I just realized it has been a long time since I played along with tags and such so here goes:
Angelia over at Living, Loving, Laughing... tagged me to answer a few things I have come to realize and to be fair I am not going to tag anyone in specific but if any of you want to play along please do so...
1. I’ve come to realize that my chest-size…changes depending on what I’m talking about.
2. I’ve come to realize that my job….was one I really enjoyed.
3. I’ve come to realize that when I’m driving…I really have to pay attention.
4. I’ve come to realize that I need…very little to be happy.
5. I’ve come to realize that I have lost…people I love and nothing I do can change that.
6. I’ve come to realize that I hate…the attitude of people who look down on others.
7. I’ve come to realize that if I’m drunk…I would be laughing but it has been a long time since I was drunk.
8. I’ve come to realize that money….is not as important as people think it is.
9. I’ve come to realize that certain people…will never change and it’s not up to me to judge.
10. I’ve come to realize that I’ll always…fear certain things but will continue to fight them.
11. I’ve come to realize that my sibling(s)…are who they are and I am no longer responsible for them.
12. I’ve come to realize that my mom…is a whole lot like my wife when it comes to the kids.
13. I’ve come to realize that my cell phone…is non existant.
14. I’ve come to realize that when I woke up this morning…I was not ready to get up.
15. I’ve come to realize that my first love is…to make my family proud.
16. I’ve come to realize that right now I am thinking about…getting everything ready for company on Sunday.
17. I’ve come to realize that my dad…is getting older and really should retire.
18. I’ve come to realize that when I get on Facebook…I don’t take the time that I should to communicate with old friends I have found.
19. I’ve come to realize that today…has only begun and I can get more done.
20. I’ve come to realize that my best friend(s)…are very few.
21. I’ve come to realize that my spouse…is the one I should have married first.
22. I’ve come to realize that I really want to…live a long life.
23. I’ve come to realize that life…goes on whether you are worrying or happy, so don’t worry….
24. I’ve come to realize that this weekend…we will have a lot of Family here for a BBQ.
25. I’ve come to realize that next weekend…is a long way off and not a factor yet.
26.I’ve come to realize that my (step)children…are really good kids.
27. I’ve come to realize that when life gives you lemons….I give them to Cindy because she likes a little tea with her lemons.
Now it's your turn just copy the questions and give us your answers and if you don't want to then that's OK too, throw a comment my way and look for another post real soon :^)
Angelia over at Living, Loving, Laughing... tagged me to answer a few things I have come to realize and to be fair I am not going to tag anyone in specific but if any of you want to play along please do so...
1. I’ve come to realize that my chest-size…changes depending on what I’m talking about.
2. I’ve come to realize that my job….was one I really enjoyed.
3. I’ve come to realize that when I’m driving…I really have to pay attention.
4. I’ve come to realize that I need…very little to be happy.
5. I’ve come to realize that I have lost…people I love and nothing I do can change that.
6. I’ve come to realize that I hate…the attitude of people who look down on others.
7. I’ve come to realize that if I’m drunk…I would be laughing but it has been a long time since I was drunk.
8. I’ve come to realize that money….is not as important as people think it is.
9. I’ve come to realize that certain people…will never change and it’s not up to me to judge.
10. I’ve come to realize that I’ll always…fear certain things but will continue to fight them.
11. I’ve come to realize that my sibling(s)…are who they are and I am no longer responsible for them.
12. I’ve come to realize that my mom…is a whole lot like my wife when it comes to the kids.
13. I’ve come to realize that my cell phone…is non existant.
14. I’ve come to realize that when I woke up this morning…I was not ready to get up.
15. I’ve come to realize that my first love is…to make my family proud.
16. I’ve come to realize that right now I am thinking about…getting everything ready for company on Sunday.
17. I’ve come to realize that my dad…is getting older and really should retire.
18. I’ve come to realize that when I get on Facebook…I don’t take the time that I should to communicate with old friends I have found.
19. I’ve come to realize that today…has only begun and I can get more done.
20. I’ve come to realize that my best friend(s)…are very few.
21. I’ve come to realize that my spouse…is the one I should have married first.
22. I’ve come to realize that I really want to…live a long life.
23. I’ve come to realize that life…goes on whether you are worrying or happy, so don’t worry….
24. I’ve come to realize that this weekend…we will have a lot of Family here for a BBQ.
25. I’ve come to realize that next weekend…is a long way off and not a factor yet.
26.I’ve come to realize that my (step)children…are really good kids.
27. I’ve come to realize that when life gives you lemons….I give them to Cindy because she likes a little tea with her lemons.
Now it's your turn just copy the questions and give us your answers and if you don't want to then that's OK too, throw a comment my way and look for another post real soon :^)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Too Old To Cut The Mustard
I have heard this expression all of my life, Ernest Tubb, Buck Owens and several others have sung “Too old, too old, he's too old. To cut the mustard anymore” I have been doing some research (very little actually) to find an origin and basically it just points to a person who can’t perform a task, job or whatever to their potential or a person who is too old to do anything properly anymore, some of the definitions and opinions go deeper but here is how I see it and how it fits into my life.
Mustard weed is a plant we have growing all over the place here, it’s tough especially as it gets taller and our pasture is loaded down with it, this stuff is so tough the horses wont even eat it, I see the goats on the hill back behind us looking down and laughing as I am mowing and I wonder if they would eat this stuff? I think of the song “Too old, too old, he's too old. To cut the mustard anymore” every time I am out mowing because the majority of what I am mowing is mustard, so in a sense I am cutting the mustard. Out around the mailbox and some spots in the yard yep there it is more mustard and here I am out pulling it up by the roots which look big enough to be carrots sometimes, in the dry ground it seems like they will not come up too easy so here I go I whoop out my pocketknife and cut the root in half so I can dispose of the plant, I have just cut the mustard again, Cindy’s Dad and I went out and cleaned along the fence and the round pen out back, we had our “Shovels, Rakes, and Implements of Destruction” working the mustard weed over we spent all morning that day cutting the mustard.
This morning I mowed about half of our property and have just got out of the shower so that I am no longer covered with dust and pollen from the mustard flowers, I am about worn out for now and tomorrow is another day to which I just may jump on the other half and take on the task of cutting more mustard.
I just want you to know that I am not too old to cut the mustard and with the proper tools you can cut the mustard for a long time, so go on out and get your shovel or hoe for the small jobs, jump on that tractor or grab the mower for the bigger jobs, and if you just want to prove to that youngster that spouts off that you are too old to cut the mustard, whoop out that pocket knife and snip one in half just because you can, you are never too old to cut the mustard, just smile and remember with age comes wisdom and you are smart enough to use whatever tool you need to cut the mustard.
Mustard weed is a plant we have growing all over the place here, it’s tough especially as it gets taller and our pasture is loaded down with it, this stuff is so tough the horses wont even eat it, I see the goats on the hill back behind us looking down and laughing as I am mowing and I wonder if they would eat this stuff? I think of the song “Too old, too old, he's too old. To cut the mustard anymore” every time I am out mowing because the majority of what I am mowing is mustard, so in a sense I am cutting the mustard. Out around the mailbox and some spots in the yard yep there it is more mustard and here I am out pulling it up by the roots which look big enough to be carrots sometimes, in the dry ground it seems like they will not come up too easy so here I go I whoop out my pocketknife and cut the root in half so I can dispose of the plant, I have just cut the mustard again, Cindy’s Dad and I went out and cleaned along the fence and the round pen out back, we had our “Shovels, Rakes, and Implements of Destruction” working the mustard weed over we spent all morning that day cutting the mustard.
I just want you to know that I am not too old to cut the mustard and with the proper tools you can cut the mustard for a long time, so go on out and get your shovel or hoe for the small jobs, jump on that tractor or grab the mower for the bigger jobs, and if you just want to prove to that youngster that spouts off that you are too old to cut the mustard, whoop out that pocket knife and snip one in half just because you can, you are never too old to cut the mustard, just smile and remember with age comes wisdom and you are smart enough to use whatever tool you need to cut the mustard.
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