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 |  They say:"Third time's a charm". We shall see. Welcome to my third blog on WDC, |
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** The above picture has graced both my other blogs and of course I had to have it here...Me and my sweetie. This is my third blog here on WDC. This is, in effect, my house. So please come on in and make yourself at home. Please don't mind the mess because this part is still under construction and I will be adding stuff in the next few weeks until I get it the way I want it. About the Title: "Tor's House"....Well in a way, this is what a blog is to many of us. It is our way of inviting the world into our personal space. Just like in real life, I will endeavor to be the best host to my guests that I can be, but you must understand...in my house I tend to speak my mind. I apologize in advance for any who may feel uncomfortable. What will you find here? Oh that's easy....Humor, strong opinion, and even some philosophical musings....or what passes for that with a dumb ole country boy. So I welcome everyone...come in and let's sit and chew the fat awhile. Let's talk about stuff and see if we can figure out the answers to the world's problems....or what to make for lunch...whichever. |
| I had occasion, the other day to read a little of the writings of Thomas Paine. The work I was looking over was The American Crisis, published in 1776 and I have to say that his words ring as true today as they did two hundred and thirty-three years ago. One phrase in particular struck me deeply as I read. What we attain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Now of course Mr. Paine was talking about Freedom, but it occurs to me that what he said is true about everything in our lives. It is my opinion that the above phrase describes much of the problem we have today in America. This is why our country finds itself in such dire straits finically. We, here in America have come to feel that we are entitled to only the best. A wallet full of credit cards, a big nice home, a new car sitting in the driveway.....we feel we are entitled to all these things. Credit card companies dole out cards like Halloween candy; never mind that most of can't afford the high interest rates. Banks use whatever method necessary to put anybody in a new house with no money down and low payments....at first. Zero down and Zero interst for two years will get you any brand new car you want....how you pay it off is your problem. After all...we are entitled to only the best aren't we? No. We are entitled to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Notice that it said: "Pursuit". We get to chase those dreams, but nobody said we are entitled to them....they have to be earned. When did we start believing that all these things should be handed to us on a silver platter just because we are breathing air? I remember when I had to show a hard-nosed banker that not only could I come up with a 10 or 20% down payment, but I had to prove that I was finically able to pay the monthly notes on my current income at the time. Same with the new car. Credit cards were something that most sane people shied away from and those that did get ONE, tried as hard as they could to pay that damn balance off each month in an effort to keep from having to pay the steep late fees. Besides, back in the beginning, a person would not stand a chance of getting that card without a sterling credit history. So what happened? Somewhere along the way, somebody convinced us that if one person lived in a nice house on the hill, drove a new car, and had the convenience of the credit cards, then we should all have them. Banks got greedy, Car companies got greedy, and Credit Card companies got greedy. They figured out that the more people they put in those houses and cars and gave credit cards too, the more money THEY would make. Late fees, Percentage rates meant they could make more money as the buyer fell further behind. Can't pay for the house and the car...no problem, the banks just foreclosed and resold them....sweet deal. All the time, like mice on a wheel, we went round and round, trying to pay for what we couldn't afford and if...finally...we could not do it, well no problem, just let it all go back and start over again. I know people who have gone bankrupt three or four times and are still able to buy all the toys they desire...a never ending circle. "What we attain too cheap, we esteem too lightly." Is there anything America esteems today? That was what I was trying to say yesterday in my blog. It wasn't so much about how we celebrate Memorial Day or even about what I went through personally...it was about what America seems to have lost. We have indeed lost something in this country. We have become soft and weak in many ways. Maybe if we once again had to pay a dear price for these "entitlements" maybe we will once again esteem them more dearly. It's a thought. |
| The house is quiet this morning...too quiet. I am alone here at my computer desk while the dogs play outside, the caged birds call from the front porch and the goats and horses graze on the tender foliage in their pastures. Too quiet. This morning, about eight o'clock, I kissed my wife goodbye and she left with Rick and Evie, my SIL to travel to Memphis. She is scheduled to catch a plane to Seattle, Washington at noon. Rick and Evie are taking Mel to the airport because seeing her walk away from me at an airport is simply something I could not do again and she agreed. She said it would be harder for her if I were there, so we decided to say our goodbyes on our own front porch...a place where we joyfully greet each other each day when I return from work. Too many times over the last eight years we have had to say goodbye to each other at airports for protracted periods of time as either one or the other of us flew off to fulfill family, friends, or business needs. The last time it happened was when I had to fly back to Houston for almost a week to give a deposition in a court case involving Walmart and I swore to Mel after that that neither of us would ever again have to stand in a damned airport and say goodbye to the other one again. Then Richard, her son, got cancer. So this morning she is flying to Washington to be by his side while he recuperates from his operation and to help Richard's wife, Lindsey care for both Richard and their son Aric. We both agreed; She belongs there now just as any mother would belong....taking care of her only son. So once again, one of us is flying away while the other waits at home. If we had been able to swing two tickets I would have been right there at her side, but that wasn't in the cards. Which brings us to this morning...eight o'clock....on the front porch of Almosta Ranch. We held each other tightly and kissed in a long, tender kiss...we were both on the verge of crying, both of us with tears in our eyes and I whispered in her ear. "One last time, my love...then never again will we be apart." She nodded quickly and whispered back. "Oh yes baby, this is the last time we say goodbye." She then turned and walked quickly to where Rick and Evie were standing by the truck. They all got in and Evie started out the driveway. I stood on the edge of the porch and waved as they pulled out onto the dirt road in front of our home and I continued to wave until they were out of sight. She was gone. Now for three weeks I will wait for nothing more than the day when she pulls back into our driveway again.....when I can breathe again....be whole again. It's too quiet here............ |
| Throughout history the horse has enjoyed a special relationship with man. It was the horse that allowed man to become mobile and to cover larger distances and haul loads with them. It was the horse that re-invented warfare and armies in ancient times. More importantly though, from the very beginning, the horse had a certain rapport with humans which bordered upon the mystical. The horse seems to be able to reach humans on an emotional level, so much so that merely being around the animals tends to soothe the human spirits and calm his fears. I learned of the magic of the horse many years ago as a youth in Texas. My horse and my dog were my best friends...indeed, they were almost my only friends. From day one that Skipper, my horse, came into my life, I was able to find refuge from all worries while on her back riding across the landscape or just spending time with her...grooming her quietly in her stall. Over the years I got away from living with horses and lived instead in a world without their companionship. Mel has reintroduced me to the joys of the horse though, through the ownership of four of our own. Well yesterday, she decided that it was time for my son, Ricky to be exposed to that same magical rapport that only comes between horse and man. I was once guilty of calling Mel a "Horse Whisperer" to which she scoffed and told me that a "whisperer" denotes someone who TALKS to horses, it is more important to LISTEN to them...to understand what they are trying to tell you. She insists that they talk to you through their body language and you must learn to recognize what they are saying and how to react to that. I stand corrected. So, yesterday was a "school day" for both Ricky and Lucy, our mare. You see Lucy is what is called: Green Broke. She won't buck you off, but she isn't rein-broke and doesn't know "go" and "stop" commands and when to increase speed....all the things one needs in a horse in order to ride with any degree of safety and comfort. Well, yesterday Mel took Ricky out to the pasture and had him but a halter and rope on Lucy and bring her up to the house. She then instructed him in how to put the saddle on Lucy and the bridle. After he had Lucy equipped with these, she then told him: "Mount up." Of course Rick was full of false bravado, telling us he could ride a horse with the best of them. It seems that at some point he had actually ridden a well-broke horse. He had never been on a horse that was as uneducated as he was though. Rick stepped up onto the saddle and made himself comfortable then Mel told him to take Lucy around the pasture at a walk. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Everything went very well at first until Rick had made almost one circuit of the pasture, then Lucy got tired of all the walking and just stopped. Rick sat there in the saddle a moment then leaned forward and touched her sides with his heels...nothing. He looked over at us for help. "What now"? Here he is...looking for the gas pedal, it would seem. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I looked over at Mel and whispered: "This is a case of whose riding who, the boy hasn't got a clue. I think it's time for you to mount up and send them both to school, don't you." At first, she refused that idea. When Mel was younger, she was a superb horse trainer and gave riding lessons regularity, but this damned decease she suffers from has robbed her muscles of almost all their strength and the meds have caused her weight to skyrocket until now she has begun to feel that she can no longer do what she once did...she was afraid to try, I think. "Look," I told her, "I will get you in the damned saddle, don't worry about anything, just do what you know how to do." So I did. Then something magical happened. Once she was astride the horse, her whole demeanor changed. It was as if she and the horse became one and she wheeled Lucy around and took off....not in the pasture, but down the open road! Rick stood beside me with his mouth hanging open as Mel rode down the road quickly, then turned again and rode back to the house and into the pasture. She then began to put Lucy through her paces...walk, trot, walk again, turn left, turn right...all without any hesitation from Lucy. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Rick and I stood and watched her work that horse and I was smiling from ear to ear....That was my baby at her best...and her happiest. Rick turned to me and said quietly: "Damn, that is one amazing woman, dad." "Hell boy, I've known that from the first day I met her." Just another day on Almosta Ranch. |
| It is six fifteen in the morning and my good buddy Dan and his lovely wife Linda are on the road heading Southwest....hopefully. The knucklehead called Mel yesterday early in the day and told her he was either just entering Missouri, or Montana...he wasn't sure but at least they both started with an "M". They did, however make it to Missouri....a couple of hours late and he arrived at my Wallmart and picked me up by five o'clock....yeah, I didn't make it eight hours, go figure. So we traveled onward to Almosta Ranch where Mel conducted the five-dollar tour for Dan and Linda. Unfortunately, Dan locked his truck up upon arriving at our place and I was unable to sneak one of the orphan puppies into the back seat. After the tour, we retired to the house and spent some quality time talking with Dan regaling us with tales of his trip to the Civil War Battle grounds. Mel and I then took them on a whirlwind tour of the small town of Doniphan which took about ten minutes and then it was onward to Poplar Bluff where we enjoyed a leisurely two hour dinner and conversation at an All-you-can-eat cafe....our favorite place. As wonderful as it was to see our two friends, it was at the same time, disappointing. The disappointing factor was the fact that we had so little time to visit. You see, any time Dan and I get together, we need at least a couple of days just to get all our stories told. But, sadly, it was not to be. Both Dan and Linda were eager to get home and check on Max. I really can't blame them, after all they had been on the road over a week and had visited about thirty states...ten of them by accident....Dan is blaming google mapping for all his wrong turns...yeah, right. So now my good buddy, PlannerDan  is on the road and headed back to God's country: Texas and I miss him already. He and Linda have a singular distinction though. They are the very first of our friends or family to ever visit Almosta Ranch and I am so happy that they were our first guests to visit our dream.God bless you buddy. You take care of Linda and yourself and hurry up and get back here when you have about a week to spend with us. We can practice for our Mississippi trip by taking the canoe out on the Current River.  |
| This is my first full eight hour day back at work. Dan and Linda will be arriving in Poplar Bluff about three this afternoon and will meet up with Mel to tour Almosta Ranch and visit until I get home about eight thirty tonight. Should be an interesting and very full day. |
| As I wrote that fun little entry yesterday a few of the "facts" that I listed seemed a bit off to me. This was, of course, a cute email I had received and not anything of my own making. So I spent most of the rest of the day checking out that list of little known facts that made up a part of the entry. I would like to say that I was surprised by the results of my investigations, but I really wasn't....this is the Internet after all. I discovered that there were no more than two of those facts that were really true. The rest were merely cleverly made up factoids. A few of them held a grain of truth, but no more than that. All of them met one requirement for any Urban/Internet legend....they sounded reasonable when you considered their stories. I will reward the first person who guesses the true from the false "facts" 1000GPs. You see, that is the trouble with the Internet...people can put anything on it and call it fact. This should also be a lesson to all those who turn to the Internet to glean "Facts" to use when trying to prove a point or debate a subject. Just because you found it on some website doesn't make it true, just like just being able to copy/paste the words make you an expert. In other news.....Anyone who wants to read a real quality piece of writing in the blog format today should go read Kim Ashby 's entry called: "Invalid Entry"  Yesterday marked the passing of a legend....at least around here. The Grey Ghost contracted a fatal decease and dropped her transmission. RIP ole girl, you took me many miles and never let me down. Hell she even waited until I got her home to drop dead...was that thoughtful of her or what. I'm not sure what else can happen...in fact I'm scared to even think about it. I go to work at seven o'clock tonight and get off at eleven...part of a week of four hour days I am forced to work. It just keeps getting better and better don't it! The good news is this doctor crap is done with and next week I start working full eight hour days. It'll be good to buy food again!  |
In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the rule of thumb' ------------------------------------------- Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden'...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language. ------------------------------------------- The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone. ------------------------------------------- Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury. (Note: this was written before all of "stimulus" packages!) ------------------------------------------- Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better. ------------------------------------------- Coca-Cola was originally green. -------------------------------- ---------- It is impossible to lick your elbow. ------------------------------------------- The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska ------------------------------------------- The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...) ------------------------------------------- The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38% ---------------------------------------------------------------- Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair. ---------------------------------------------------------------- The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades - King David Hearts - Charlemagne Clubs -Alexander, the Great Diamonds - Julius Caesar --------------------------------------------------------------- 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321 --------------------------------------------------------------- Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what? A. Their birthplace -------------------------------------------------------------- Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested? A. Obsession ---------------------------------------------------------------- Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'? A. One thousand ---------------------------------------------------------------- Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common? A. All were invented by women ---------------------------------------------------------------- Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil? A. Honey ---------------------------------------------------------------- Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year? A. Father's Day ------------------------------------------------------------ In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase........ 'goodnight, sleep tight.' ---------------------------------------------------------------- It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon. ---------------------------------------------------------------- In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.' It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's' ---------------------------------------------------------------- Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice. ---------------------------------------------------------------- At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow! ---------------------------------------------------------------- YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2009 when... 1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave. 2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years. 3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three. 4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you. 5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses. 6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries. 7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen 8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it. 10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee. 11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : ) 12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing. 13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message. 14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list. 15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list. |
| Yesterday a man I consider a friend posted a blog entry in which he announced his intention of taking a hiatus from WDC before finally leaving the site this summer. One reason he gave for his moving on was that Blogville had become "Stagnant". I read and re-read the entry a few times and each time I came to the same conclusion...the word "stagnant" was somehow wrong. So, being a basically lazy person and not wanting to go to the trouble of pulling down my dog-eared edition of Webster's Dictionary from the shelf, I turned to the computer: "Hey, Computer, define "stagnant" for me." "That's simple," it replied. "Just look in the mirror." "Keep that up and I'm turning you on to Twitter and leaving you there!" "Shit, that's the trouble with you humans; you can't take a joke." "Just do it." So this is what my computer came up with..... dead(a): not circulating or flowing; "dead air"; "dead water"; "stagnant water" not growing or changing; without force or vitality wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn Lacking freshness, motion, flow, progress, or change; stale; motionless; still en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stagnant stagnancy - stagnation: inactivity of liquids; being stagnant; standing still; without current or circulation stagnancy - stagnation: a state of inactivity (in business or art etc); "economic growth of less than 1% per year is considered to be economic stagnation" wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn stagnantly - In a stagnant manner en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stagnantly Not moving in a current or stream, still (air or water) resweb.llu.edu/rford/docs/VGD/GSLVT/gslglossary.html (stag-nayt) verb Something that is suffering from not being active or moving forward such as polluted water or a person stuck in a situation www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp Well okay then....that's more like it. After looking over the above list, I decided that I was right....Blogville had not become stagnant. You see, there is a constant state of change going on in Blogville, a constant current of movement, of new writers coming in while older ones drop to the wayside. Ideas and insights are in a constant state of flux here in Blogville, if only we look close enough to see them. I think what sometimes happens is that we, the individual writer and reader, becomes stagnant. Let's face it anyone who does this thing for any length of time, changes. My first blog: "Invalid Item" bears little resemblance to my current blog, while my second blog: "Invalid Item" much more closely resembled what I write now.My first blog was, for the most part, impersonal attempts to entertain and educate whatever stray reader might stumble across it. However, by the end of that blog, a curious thing had happened....I got to actually KNOW my readers because I had begun to read their blogs as well. This changed my writing. By the time I started my second blog, I had stopped writing impersonal "pieces" and had started merely "talking" to friends. This feeling of familiarity fostered by getting to know my readers personally caused certain changes in my writing style. I found myself becoming less confrontational and less sharp in my humor and opinions so that, just like in real life, I would not hurt the feelings of someone I had come to consider a friend. Change...not stagnation. The problem is, that as a reader, we are a finicky lot. After months and months....sometimes even years...of reading specific blogs, we get to the point where we know what will be written in a given blog before we ever read a new entry. Come on...be honest....You know, every time you click on my blog you will be getting any one of a certain sort of entry. I will either be ranting against Big Government because I am a conservative Independent, or I will be sharing some corn pone jokes because that is the sort of humor I have, or I will be relating some tale from my past because my past served to mold me into what I am today. That, in a nutshell is my blog. Even though I try hard to make it different and unique each entry, it still falls within the margins of what I know and what I can write about. So you see, the stagnation comes not with the written word, but with the reader. If you read one author for any length of time, you become so familiar with their work that it seems never to change. I once tried to read the works of one author who had written a series of 10 books, which seems to be the trend these days, and by the time I had finished the sixth one, I knew what the other four books were going to be....hell I could have written the story for him. Therefore if there is stagnation, then it is in the familiarity of the reader for the words of the writer, not in Blogville. In Blogville we have a population of talented writers who daily put out their words, thoughts, and ideals for any who care to read. The list of writers is constantly changing, the writers themselves are constantly changing in their style and content. There are new "houses" going up constantly in Blogville and behind the doors of those new places live writers we have never met before. Does that sound like something stagnant? I have to conclude that, on this subject, my dear friend was mistaken. Even though I respect his writing and consider him one of the best on this site or any other site, I must respectfully disagree with the use of the word: "Stagnant". In conclusion, if any of you out there start to feel like Blogville is becoming stagnant, then I suggest that you venture down streets in the city you have not gone before and visit blog-houses you have never visited before....you may just be surprised at what you find. |
| Ten thirty-five in the morning and I have just retreated from my front porch after watching a storm of gigantic proportions blow across the western sky. The storm is upon us now; the rain falling sideways in thick sheets. Lightening flashes and the thunder rolls over our heads like close-by artillery fire from God's cannon. As I watched the storm this morning, I was reminded of all the other storms I have weathered throughout my life to this point. I have seen hurricanes without number howl in from the Gulf Coast in all their form and fury. So many times have I battened down my home and property and hunkered down to meet these giants and....afterwards...so many times have I dug out, cleared the damage, and continued on. I was reminded of all the times I have watched the approach of man-made storms; storms of steel and fire that reached out violent feelers toward me as they searched out flesh and blood. Here too, I would hunker down, lower my head, and endure until it passed....so glad to be alive afterwards that I gave no thought to those who were taken. Then there were all those smaller, yet no less intense, personal storms...squalls...like marriages that fell apart and deaths of loved ones that rolled over me through the years. I weathered them all; some easier than others, but all hard. Like most everyone of a certain age, I find myself remembering those storms of the past. Most I weathered, but some which knocked me down, but all of which I survived. This storm, today, is upon me now...the windows shake with the fury of the wind and the trees bend before the force of the driving rain. The thing I have learned after so many years though, is that the storm will pass....there is strength in that knowledge. All of us go through storms, both natural and man-made and it is the sure and certain knowledge that each of those storms, no matter how intense, no matter how hurtful, will all pass...given time. It is up to us, not only how we weather those storms, but whether or not we persevere afterwards. We are all like trees before a storm. Some of us are strong and straight Oaks, we refuse to bend and we stand straight...until the mighty wind finally overcomes us and blows us down. Others are like the Willow trees that bend in all winds...give with the pressure....survive the hardest of blows. Unlike trees though, each of us has the freedom to choose how we meet the storms of life; hard and unyielding, or pliant, supple, and giving with the wind. May your storms be mild and may you always bend with the wind, my friends. |
| How To Install A Home Security System In The South 1. Go to a second-hand store and buy a pair of men's used size 14-16 work boots. 2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of Guns and Ammo Magazine. 3. Put a few giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazines. 4. Leave a note on your door that reads: Hey Bubba, Me, Big Jim, Duke and Slim went for more ammunition. Back in an hour. Don't mess with the pit bulls - they attacked the mailman this morning and messed him up real bad. I don't think Killer took part in it but it was hard to tell from all the blood. Anyway, I locked all four of 'em in the house. Better wait outside. "Cooter" An Obituary of note: Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights I Want It Now Someone Else Is To Blame I'm A Victim Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. |
| Everything that needs to be said in my blog today has already been said and much better than I could do it too. My dear wife, Melinda pretty much caught everyone up on life on Almosta Ranch and what's going on with me and her, and the family, in her entry: "Invalid Entry" . I would just like to add my own heartfelt THANK YOU to the anonymous person who gifted her with an upgrade so that she could continue to blog. She really is good at this medium whether she admits it or not. |
| I have always considered myself a lucky man. The two main influences in my life was my father and my uncle Frank and between them, these two brothers shared with me the wealth of knowledge and experience they had acquired throughout their lives. Now their favorite method of teaching these lessons was the use of pithy old sayings which had been passed down to them from God know's where, and even sharing a few that were their own original quotes which I have continued to pass down to my own children. Whether these observations on the human condition were their own, or merely ones they had heard and "made" their own, makes no difference. The important thing was that these two men tended to live by these old sayings like some folks strive to live by the ten commandants. To them, these little gems were LAW. It is my intention, this morning, to share a few of those old sayings with you....some you've no doubt heard before and some will probably be new to you. On the subject of dating and finding a suitable wife, my daddy use to be fond of sayin: "Boy, you wouldn't go to a junk yard to buy a quality car that will last you a long time, so why go a bar looking for love. Upon seeing two dark haired parents walking with their new RED headed baby, uncle Frank Opined: "Looks to me like sombody's fence was down and a stray bull got in his pasture." On the subject of human confrontations daddy always said: "If you see a fight is unavoidable, don't talk..just do it while he's talking. To which uncle Frank added: {i] "There ain't but two blows that count in any fight...the first one and the last one. You might not always get in the first one but you damn sure better be the one that gets that last one in And of course, not to be outdone, dad had to come back with an old favorite of his: "Remember boy, it ain't the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog." Ah yes, words to live by and I took each of them to heart. I remember once, at the deer camp where a number of their friends had gathered to go on the opening day hunt the next morning. These gatherings around the campfire, deep in the woods always took on the flavor of a huge party and of course there was a poker game always going on. Well I was seventeen and for the first time, I was invited, by some of those old hunters, to join in the game. After about an hour of playing, I was just about wiped out. Uncle Frank walked up behind my seat and watched the play for a few minutes, then he gave the other players a hard look and said to me: "Boy, if you set at a poker table for a half hour and can't spot the sucker...he might be you." Needless to say, I cashed in what few chips I had and I left the table....Point taken....Lesson learned. I think that the most important lessons I ever learned from those two men was lessons dealing with Right and Wrong. Dad use to always say: "I would rather be legally wrong but morally right, than the other way around." Uncle Frank's favorite saying was: "If you can't do business with a man on his handshake, then he ain't much of a man." There were more...many, many, more and they covered almost every aspect of life. The funny thing is, rather than fade with age, the memory of these teachings are as strong with me today as the first day I ever heard them. Yup, I'm a lucky man because every time I recall one of those sayings it is like having the man who said them sitting right here next to me.....now that is a good thing. |
For your reading enjoyment today I bring you a cautionary tale about a boy, a man, and their Donkey. There is a lesson here that you might want to remember in everyday life. It also holds true for those of us who try to blog. I hope each of you at least get a chuckle from it An old man, a boy & a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey & the old man walked. As they went along they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking & the boy was riding. The man & boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions. Later, they passed some people that remarked, "What a shame, he makes that little boy walk." They then decided they both would walk! Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So, they both rode the donkey. Now they passed some people that shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey. The boy & man said they were probably right, so they decide to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal & he fell into the river and drowned. The moral of the story? If you try to please everyone, you might as well... Kiss your ass good-bye! Have A Nice Day & Be Careful With Your Donkey |
| I have been sitting on my back porch watching the rain. It has been raining for two days now and it suddenly came to me...even the rain here is different. You see, in Texas most of the time, we would have quick, violent, spring and summer storms. They would hit with little forewarning and dump three and sometimes, six inches of rain on the parched land in an hour's time. The storm would then move on, making way for the bright hot sun to continue baking the land. This sort of weather...wild storms followed by harsh sun made the land more fit for ranchers than farmers. It was perfect land for hard, independent men who raised hardy stock of cattle which was shipped all over the world. Here, as I said, it is different. Here in Missouri you have clearly defined seasons with their own individual weather patterns. Here, in the spring we have long, slow, drenching rains that fall upon the Earth for days at a time. The land soaks up this water and stores it for the energy it needs to nurture acres and acres of crops...corn, wheat, soybeans. This is, after all, the nation's breadbasket; the place where farmers rule and crops are laid by each season to feed the country. This is one of the things I love about this great country of ours....the geographical differences. If you look closely you can see the story of each different part of America, told in the pattern of its weather. It is the rain and the heat, the cold and the winds that mold not only the land, but the people who live upon that land. So here I sit, watching the gentle rain as it molds this place and those of us who live here. ****************************************************** In other news, I have just received the answer to all America's financial problems in my e-mail....who knew it could be so easy. You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan: There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations: 1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed. 2) They MUST buy a new American CAR. Forty million cars ordered - Auto Industry fixed. 3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed . It can't get any easier than that! If more money is needed, have all members of Congress to pay their taxes... |
| I noticed, this morning, that my blog has just passed the 9,000 views mark and has moved up near the top of page three on the Most Viewed list. Normally this would bring me some sense of accomplishment but then I made the mistake of reading a few blogs. In a blog I have never read before, I ran across this little gem of a description: "gun-slingin' retard from Texas". This was used to, of course, describe our former President. This hit me like a ton of bricks and instead of being angry, it saddened me deeply. I pose this writer a question... I am from Texas, and in my youth I slung some guns...effectively, so does this make me a retard? You want to know what I think? Well I believe this country is divided to such a degree that has not been seen since the 1840's and 50's, prior to the Civil War. We have become a nation of two camps, one liberal and one conservative. Both these camps have some right on their side and both, to some degree are wrong. We have come to the point where quotes such as the one above is not only condoned, but encouraged. I am sick and tired of it. I am tired of being labeled as a retard as soon as someone hears my accent and make no mistake about it....that is what happens often times. Liberals hear a drawl and automatically dismiss you as being somehow "Retarded", or at least something of lesser intelligence than themselves. It is this sort of attitude which sooner or later will lead to violence. Conservatives are no better. When faced with someone who uses a more studied vocabulary we scorn them as elitist who live in ivory towers. I hate what is happening to this country. I hate that we are moving further and further apart and we seem unable to show respect to anyone who disagrees with us. Just like America before the Civil War we are becoming so polarized that soon there will be no backing down....and then what....Gettysburg revisited? So my little experiment in open, honest, and respectful debate was a success....then I go and read what is going on in other blogs...what some really think. It makes me sick to my stomach. What is the importance of reaching silly blog goals if all the while the country I love and bled for, is sliding down the crapper while two camps of intolerant people rip at each other's throats? I am really not sure if what we do here really matters anymore. Are we just here to impress each other with our words or are we here to grow, learn, and make a difference? Maybe that is a question each of us needs to examine and to answer. |
| I want to take a moment and personally thank each and every person who commented on my last entry. That entry was an attempt...poor though it might have been....to engage bloggers in open, honest, and polite, discussion of issues facing all of us right now. I must say that both sides in the discussion were very well represented and by bloggers who know how to discuss something without shouting and calling names. You guys are a class bunch of people, whether I agree with you are not. So please, those of you who haven't added your thoughts yet, please scroll down to the last entry and join in the discussion/debate. Share your thoughts with the rest of us and let's keep this dialogue going a bit longer. |
| A week or so ago it was reported that a NATO ship had stopped pirates in the middle of a hijacking attempt and captured a number of the bad guys. They then had to turn the pirates loose because they had no POLICY concerning the arrest of pirates on the high seas. I am surprised that nothing much was made of this....am I the only person who thinks this was ridiculous? No Policy? Let me get this straight....you are NATO. You are in the area to STOP pirates from preying on shipping. You intervene and capture pirates trying to board a ship and YOU HAVE NO POLICY??? I got a policy for you: Take their guns away from them and then politely invite them to swim home. Send the word out that if you head out on the high seas as a pirate and you are caught.....you won't see home again. Unless you are really a good swimmer. ************************************** I'm curious, do you believe that members of the CIA or the Military who used "Water-boarding" or any other type of aggressive interrogation be charged with a crime and jailed? How about the members of Congress who gave the OK to use these methods, should they too be charged with a crime and jailed? And, yes, there was a Congressional Oversight Committee which gave the OK on all the methods used. Here's another question for you and I really would like to read your answer...Do you believe we are still in a war on Terrorism? Do you believe that the term "War" is too strong when used to describe our efforts to stop terrorist? Do you think that we should put more effort into negotiating with terrorist groups and less effort in hunting them down and killing them? Do you think the UN should be in charge of the whole thing? And the final question: "Do you believe that anyone who believes strongly that the present administration is wrong should be labeled an "Extremist"? |
| So much bad news on the television these days, so much gloom and doom, so much unremitting hopelessness; is it any wonder that we have moments of desperation followed by days of confusion. Television news is not the only one to blame either as one might think. A few channels I use to swear by have jumped on the bandwagon with a vengeance. There was a time when I kept my television glued to the History Network, History International, Discovery, National Geographic and the Science channels. They always held themselves somewhat above the crass commercialism rampant on the Networks. Not anymore. Now, on any given day, on any of the above networks, you can find such things as: Mega Disasters, Mega Tsunami, Super Volcano, Life After People, Mayan Prophecies: 2012, Yeah, I get it: THE WORLD WILL END IN THREE YEARS! What's your point? And, if the gloom and doom don't get you, these same networks that once held to a higher standard of broadcasting now gives us....REALITY SHOWS! Yes indeed, dear reader, now we can turn on what was before, considered an educational channel and watch the real life antics of Lumberjacks as they denude a forest, Fishermen as they empty a sea, and Dawg, the Bounty hunter as he.....well whatever he does. We get to listen to them scream and curse at each other, we get to see them fall down, jump around, and generally go about whatever it is they call Life. I have to wonder how the executives of these networks decide something like this is a good idea. "Hey, I got a great idea. Let's follow a bunch of bubbas with chain saws around the woods and watch them cut trees and yell at each other." And on what alternate universe is this considered fodder for THE FREAKING HISTORY CHANNEL? Every one of those channels I listed above carry crap like this now and if that wasn't bad enough, you have the whole line up of UFO shows and Ghost Busters, and Alien Encounter shows...... Is it any wonder we are such a messed up bunch of idiots in this country? Where is the quality, where is the education....WHERE THE HELL IS MY HISTORY CHANNEL? |
| Not your lucky day....I'm making two entries. Well, the other entry was just a "Yada, yada" about what's going on with me and this one is my serious type blog entry. Picture entry one as the "Potatoes" and this one the "Meat" if you will. For those of you who read my blog a few days ago, you will remember me writing about the practical jokes my old daddy use to play on us kids. If you don't remember, then here is the link: "Invalid Entry" Anyway, I'm here to report that the apple does not fall far from the tree. I think my daddy would have been proud of me. You see, a couple of days ago I took my son Rick out to the back side of the ranch and showed him the side fence which had, over the years, fallen into disrepair. His first job on Almosta ranch was to patch and rebuild that line of fence. Early in the morning we set out with a wagon full of tools and wire, nails and hammer. I planned on staying with him the first day to make sure he knew what I wanted and that he would be able to handle the job alone after that. Mel tagged along as chief supervisor and we set to work. As we mended and patched the fence and set new posts, Mel and I told Rick all about Missouri's efforts to re-introduce Black Bear into the state. Rick was not impressed, having I fear read one too many tales of bear attack in Field and Stream magazine. We took a break after a few hours and I sent Rick back up to the house to get some stuff we had forgotten and Mel and I relaxed on a log and just enjoyed being outdoors on such a glorious day. Suddenly I turned to her and said.... "Oh Hun, I just had a thought." "Uh oh, this isn't going to be good is it." I just grinned and jumped up from the log. I hurried over to the dry stream bed which our fence was going to cross and I knelt among the rocks and sand. I look around and found a nice sized stick and then set about scratching the hard surface until I had some loose dirt about the size of both my hands. Then, using great care, I set about creating a very life-like facsimile of a BEAR TRACK! Now let me be the first to admit that this fake track would have in no way fooled anybody who had ever seen a real bear track or anyone who was the least at home in the wild and around wild animals. I wasn't worried, I knew my "Target" well. Sure enough, within a few minutes of finishing the track, I was rewarded by the return of my son from the house. "Hey Rick," I called to him in a casual voice. "You remember last night when the dogs were raising cain and we couldn't figure out what they were barking at?" "Yeah, they barked for hours. Did you figure out what was bothering them?" I motioned him over to the bogus bear track and pointed it out to him. "Yeah, here's what did it...a BEAR!" He starred down at the giant track, his face lost all it's color and his eyes widened saucer-like. His mouth fell open. "B..b..bear?" "Yup, but don't worry, he was probably just passing through...I hope." Well that did it. The boy spent the next hour jerking and jumping at every leave that rustled and every twig that broke. There was a couple of times I thought he was going to suffer from whip-lash, poor guy. I tried to help him out, I told him: "Hey don't worry, they usually will give a loud snort right before they charge so we should have a chance to run." "Run, hell," he retorted, "I'm climbing the first tree I come to." "Uh black bears climb like squirrels." "CRAP!" After a couple of hours of this Mel and I could stand it no longer. She looked at me and I looked at her...Rick looked at EVERYTHING around him...and Mel and I burst out laughing. I collapsed onto the ground laughing. Rick suddenly realized he had been had and looked as if someone had hit him between the eyes with a club. "GOTTCHA!" He hung his head and just stood there....GOTTEN. Mel put her arm around him and softly explained how I had made the track myself....there was no bear. Good thing she explained it to him cause I was unable to talk for giggling. Yup, daddy would have been proud of me. |
| I had my doctor's appointment yesterday; a follow-up to evaluate my progress. As a result of that, I am off for ANOTHER week. The doctor was not satisfied with my rate of recovery and decided that I was not yet fit to return to work. This completely sucks. On a brighter note, Almosta Ranch is getting some much needed TLC in the form of my son who has thrown himself into the role of ranch hand with a gusto. He has cleared and burned large amounts of downed trees from the ice-storm and has completed repairs to the side fence on the back pasture. At this rate we shall have two more fenced pastures and room enough to bring all our horses onto the ranch. Of course all I can do is sit on the side-lines and supervise and I can't even do that very long without giving out. In spite of everything, life goes on here on Almosta Ranch. |
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Sad to see you go, but glad to have kept up with you via OS. 
