roosters-raucous-ramblings

2007-06-22T02:35:00.000-07:00

Friday Fun

It’s a wonderful, great, and surely fun Friday. I am ready to get this day over with and to get home and have some fun. That’s what I need and that is what is going to happen. I really love my Fridays. I am surely going to have a great weekend.

Today a buddy of mine will take my wife out to lunch. She hooked him up with a free airline ticket and then helped him with some travel plans. So he will take us out to lunch. That will be nice.

I am up to 15,500 words on my screenplay. I got a little off on my count yesterday in my journal. At any rate I am doing nicely on the whole deal. I need to get up to around 17,ooo words after the weekend. I have more writing to do and that will slow me down on the screenplay a bit. I like the screenplay format. I am going to have to write another when I finish this one. I might do a stage play of some sort. We will see.

Work is going to get a whole lot busier in the next couple of weeks if things hold true to form. We got four jobs just yesterday. So we are looking up. I am ready for that.

We had more rain yesterday. That is always good. It was not much, but it stayed cloudy for a second day in a row. That helps cool it down and then we don’t get all the evaporation of the water.

That’s it. I will post this and move on to other things. I will check in later!!

2007-06-21T02:51:00.000-07:00

Thursday Trappings

I was resting really well in my bed last night and this morning when the alarm rang. Yes, the alarm rang! I usually beat the alarm, but not this morning. Then I lay back down and slept more. So I am a bit late, but that’s OK. I can make up the time at some point.

Besides, I get to work at 7 and I can really get there at 8. So I will just be a little later than normal. That will make the day seem shorter if I got to work later.

We had rain all day yesterday. I did not check my rain guage, but we had some very hard rain for a bit and then it got slow and steady. We had lightning, wind, thunder and heavy rain for a bit. My garden surely enjoyed it.

Suzie, on the other hand, did not. Our baby girl was not herself last night. I think she may have been scared of all of the inclement weather. She is fine this morning. She slept well. She must have been stressed out.

I went to a small meeting last night sponsored by the magazine. We looked at a short presentation on identity theft as it relates to some things concerning what we do with our writing. Also, I got another assignment. We need some quick turnaround on this one. It’s just about the Spurs and winning the championship.

I have to go. It’s getting later and I need to get some things done. More later!!

2007-06-20T02:38:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Warpath

We are at Hump Day. That is a good deal. I love it as the week goes on. I am ready for the weekend already, but I have to get through a few days of doing some other stuff first. As I always say, by about 3 pm this afternoon I will be able to see some light at the end of the weekly work tunnel.

It’s not going to be cool anytime soon. LOL! We are in that summer pattern and it’s just hot. And somewhat dry. We still need some rain to fall, but at regular intervals. We have had plenty rain already. It needs to continue to fall every now and then. We were so dry for so long it has affected many things long term.

I am up to 13,500 words on my screenplay. I am coming along well. The story is coming along well. It’s cute and fun to write. I am on pace to make the 20,000 word mark and have a great story to boot.

Work is a bit worrisome right now.We are not that busy. We need jobs. And much more than we have been getting. I am sure it will all bust loose before too long. We need some work.

That’s all for now. I will write more later. I need to write a few more things here and then head on to work. More later!!

2007-06-19T02:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Trappings

We are here at a lovely Tuesday morning in south central Texas. The morning has started out well for me and my babies. My wife is a little shaky this morning. The poor old girl woke up and asked me why I was writing at 1 o’clock in the morning. I informed her it was 4:30! My poor baby lost some sleep. She will be fine. She can sleep another hour and a half or so. She will be OK.

Monday was Ok; for a Monday!! I did a lot at work and I was happy with the day. I wrote a lot. I made sure I had some fun. So, for a Monday, it was just fine.

Today will be even better. I will get to work and do some great things again. I just feel like it’s going to be a great day. We’ll get some new jobs. We’ll begin to get very busy again and then it will be a nice day.

12,500! That’s my word count on my screenplay. It’s coming along nicely also. I really enjoy writing like that. I am going to have to try writing a serious one after this one. I like the format and style to have to do it in. If anyone has any suggestions for a story please let me know.

We have settled into a summer weather pattern now. It will be about 75° this morning with a high in the low 90’s. We have a slight and it’s subject to have a pop up shower at any time.

The tropics have been quiet so far. There has not been much activity. I really feel we are going to have a hurricane in the Gulf this year that comes our way. I just have that feeling. We will see.

That’s it for this morning. I have a great day ahead of me. I am ready to go and get it started. More later!!

2007-06-18T02:13:00.000-07:00

MONDAY MAYHEM

Here we are back at another bad Monday. I just hate them. I need another day off. I need to be able to stay home all the time. LOL. I guess I need to continue to work on my writing and little by little it will happen. I just don’t like Monday’s. The feeling of getting to work on Monday morning is not a good one. Sometimes I just sit in my truck not really wanting to go in. But eventually I do and I usually have a pretty good day. That is what I will do today.

My wife’s birthday was Saturday and it was not a good one for her. She got all down and depressed early on Saturday morning about several things; mainly stuff about her family. We went several places and got her some things, but she was not happy. We did go out and eat a nice meal. So it was not that bad a day. Yesterday we had a much nicer time. We went out again and did some fun things.

My wife needs to be happier and she is working on that. She has a plan and is working on it. I think she will do fine and it will all be great in the end. It will involve several remedies and steps, but she is up to it. I think she knows it’s time to move on from some things and begin to live again.

We had rain on Friday and Saturday nights. That was nice. My garden really loved it. I have many tomatoes on my bushes. My butter beans and pole beans are doing nicely. I have tons of hot peppers on my plants. My strawberries are doing nicely. The whole garden is doing great. I am happy and it will continue to grow and prosper. We are getting just enough rain to keep it looking great.

I am up to 11,400 words on my screenplay. That is good. I have to take some time off to write some stuff for the magazine and that put me behind. I figure to get to around 12,000 words by the end of the day. In the four days left this week I want to get to 15,000 words. Over the weekend I will write a thousand and get to 16,000. That will put me at the 24th. For the four days next week I want to get up to at least 18,000 words. That will get me to the 28th. Over the last two days I will need to write 2,000 words. I know I will beat these estimates, but I want to make sure I am at least on track to make the limit even if I have other things to write.

That’s all. I have to go. I have to write other things and then get me and my babies ready for the day. More later!!

2007-06-15T02:15:00.000-07:00

Finally Friday; Finally Finished (NBA); Friday Focus

It finally here, Friday. And all the good things that go with it. Mainly it’s the last day of the day and I have the weekend staring at me. I love my weekends. I am ready for it. I am ready to get this day over with and to begin my few days off. It’s my wife’s birthday this week so we have some plans and big happenings to have fun.

Has there ever been a more boring NBA Finals? The last two games were close and were not even exciting. I told everyone that when Cleveland won the East, with LeBron holding the trophy up and wearing the “champions” T-shirt, that they had cashed in their chips. They forgot they had to play another series. This whole deal was woeful. It’s almost embarassing to be a part of the deal. I have not been a big NBA fan, but I am from San Antonio so you want to see your local team do good. These games were just awful. I was a lukewarm fan of the game. Now, I am pretty sure I’ll be no fan of the game.

I sent my last article to the magazine yesterday. Now, it will just be time to get paid in a week or so. I love getting my check. I love the extra money. It shows that I am progressing toward my goal of being a writer. Of course, they wouldn’t have to pay me at all and I’d still write, but it’s nice to know I am being recognized for my work. I will keep it up.

It’s been hot and dry as I mentioned earlier in the week. I watered my garden on Wednesday. If we don’t have any rain I will have to do so again this weekend. The whole garden looks great. I just have to make sure it continues to do as well as it can. I also have to start thinking of a fall garden. That’s next on my list. I will order some seeds and get that started in the next month or so.

It’s time to go. I need to get my day started and get it over with so I can start to have fun. More later!!

2007-06-14T02:34:00.000-07:00

Thursday Thoughts

I slept a little longer than normal last night. So I am a bit rushed for time. I will make this fast and furious.

One of our toilets does not flush. Yet, it does not overflow when we flush it. It all happened in the middle of the night so I was not really away, but something is going on. I used the plunger and it did no good. I’ll see how it goes for a bit this morning and then we will see.

Game 4 of the NBA Finals is tonight. How boring is this one going to be? I want to see some excitement in the games. I think we can all remember the days with Magic Johnson and the Lakers playing the Celtics with Larry Bird. That’s what I want to see.

It will be hot again. I can write that until about November now. Ha Ha!!

I’ll send my last article to Miss Fernandez at the magazine this morning. I am having some fun. I hope she likes this one. I am ready to see my work in print.

I have got to go and get ready for work after doing my animal stuff. More later!!

2007-06-13T02:10:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Warpath; Excruciating NBA Finals; More

We are now at Hump Day. I know around 3 pm today I will be able to see just a little light at the end of the tunnel. It will just a speck of round daylight a long ways off. That’s good though.

Yesterday at work was OK. We are getting busier and that’s nice. It gets a bit hectic when that starts to happen. I had a fair day. It could have been better. I won’t go into details. I don’t have time.

It hot and dry again. The weather is typical for this time of year. The low yesterday was around 74°. The high was like 93°. That’s pretty warm. We don’t have much chances for rain, but a small shower could pop up every now and then.

Are the NBA Finals boring or what? The warm-ups before the game are more exciting than the game. The Spurs will sweep the championship series and lose points in the public’s eye for being real champions. Cleveland is more than a farce. These guys can’t do anything. They had 50 points at the end of the 3rd quarter! I know winning championships is what counts, but you have to show some flair in winning the big ones to be called a real champ. The Spurs are not showing much in the deal. They are showing they can beat Cleveland and that’s just not saying much! People are not going to watch boring. This finals series is going to hurt the NBA, big time.

I wrote well last night. I have finished my organic wine article and gotten through the rough draft of an aritcle on Fernando Botero. I will send the organic wine piece this morning and read over the other article tonight and send it tomorrow. I am doing well on that writing. I have not written on my screenplay. I will need to catch up on that soon. I don’t have the time right now.

That’s it. I have to go and do some more productive things. More later!!

2007-06-12T02:18:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Trappings; Dad’s Birthday; Tidbits

Ok, so Monday was not too bad, but it was hectic. I made it though. Now, we are at Tuesday morning and I am up and writing. I had a good nights sleep except for one thing. I kept thinking today was going to be Wednesday. I don’t know why. I think I will be fine though.

It’s my Dad’s birthday today. He’s 107! Well, OK, he’s 76. He’s still in good shape and gets around well. He drives well, but he can’t drive in Houston or a big city such as that. He still works down at our ranch. He’s active in civic organizations and such. So he’s doing well. He pays attention to all the news and sports along with having a lifelong interest in the weather. Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you!!

I wrote like mad last night. I actually finished my organic wine article which I did not think I’d be able to do. I will not send it just yet. I want to spend some time re-reading it before I send it in. I have another article to do for Amuze. So I am having a great time doing that.

NBA Finals Game 3 tonight!! The Cavaliers are at home! Maybe they can keep the game within striking distance tonight. We’ll see. If they are going to do anything this would be the time. I don’t expect much from them. I could be wrong though.

I have to go. I have to write a few more things in other places. I will begin my new article tonight so I won’t have much time to write until tomorrow morning. More later!!

2007-06-11T01:56:00.000-07:00

Another Bad Monday; NBA Finals Game 2; More Rooster News

It’s another bad work Monday. I just hate those Monday’s. The worse feeling of all is when you get to the building and realize you have all week to work. I will be fine. It’s just a temporary thing and it gets better quickly.

It will be hot. We can all be sure that will happen. It’s getting a little dry. We have not had any rain for a week or so and it’s been hot so you know it will be dry. The normal pattern for this time of year has set in. The lows will be in the lower to mid-70’s and the highs near 90 to the low 90’s.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are just a farce. I knew that. They were behind by 29 points in the game last night. It took a 22-4 run just to make the score respectable at the end. I am tell everyone again. They did all the wanted to do when they got to the finals. That was the end of them. This is not a good finals for people to watch.

I had a great garden day yesterday. I did a lot of stuff in the yard and garden. I mowed grass first. That needed to be done. Then I had to clean up in a few areas where limbs had fallen and such. I fertilized with Media HastaGro and Superthrive. They make a great combination. I made more trellises for my plants to climb on and I add some string to help them climb also. The garden is looking great. I picked more beans. I have small butter beans on my plants. I have some fairly nice size tomatoes. I have strawberries. All in all the whole garden looks great. I will keep it up.

I did not write much this weekend. Actually I did not write at all. I answered some e-mails and such, but no writing in my journal or on my articles. So I have to get busy today. I will do that. I did my research for my articles though. Actually, I may have done a little too much research on my organic wine piece. I drank just about a whole bottle of wine yesterday afternoon. I got a little tipsy. That’s why I did not write last night.

I have to go right now to write a few things. I will make sure I have a great day whether it is a Monday or no. More later!!

2007-06-08T02:06:00.000-07:00

Friday Frolic; NBA Finals Game 1, etc

It’s finally Friday and I am pretty happy although I will have to work Saturday all day. It’s my crew Saturday where I will have to go in and take care of the crews. That’s fine though. I will be up for it.

I am looking forward to 5 pm today even if I have to work tomorrow. It will be a great feeling to get my weekend started. My night tonight will have to be pretty tame though. I will write some and go to bed early, after we go out to eat. So that won’t be too bad.

I did meet with Miss Fernandez yesterday. It was a good meeting. One of my articles is already written and she liked it. A second article I will redo and have much fun doing it. I will keep my journal updated.

I had mentioned this earlier and my wife laughed last night while watching Game 1 of the NBA Finals. After beating Detroit this past weekend many pictures showed LeBron James holding up a trophy with a shirt that said “Champions”. Well, that was “Champions” of the Eastern Division. I told my wife they are forgetting they had one more series to go.

Last night they proved they had forgotten about trying to win the big one. Cleveland did what they wanted to accomplish when they won the Eastern Conference. At the end of the third quarter last night they had 49 points. You are not going to be in many games by having 49 points at the end of the third quarter in the NbA. LeBron scored 14 in the whole game.

The series that’s supposed to be one everyone wants to see started out as a big dud. That was one of the most boring games you will ever watch. It will have to get better for me to watch. It won’t matter though.Cleveland won all they wanted to win last weekend.

That’s all for now. It will be hot today. No, it’s not global warming! It’s just late spring in south central Texas. More later!!

2007-06-07T02:09:00.000-07:00

Thursday Trials

It’s Thursday. I am still on my early week. It’s fun to go in early and get started. It just makes for a very long day. When I get there at this time of year the sun is not up yet, but it’s getting some daylight. It’s fun to sit outside and watch it get more and more light.

I will have to journey at lunch to meet with Miss Fernandez at Amuze Magazine. I have two articles this month and I imagine she wants changes. Of course, the last time she called and wanted to meet she gave me another article to write. We will see. I just have a feeling she wants some changes on what I have sent in. Maybe I am wrong. We will see.

We are busier at work. That makes for a better day. I prefer to be busy when it’s all over.

I guess there will be more banter today on the immigration bill. That’s a tough deal. We need to allow some people to come into the country. But they have to come legally, not illegally. I don’t have much faith in our politicians to come up with a good, comprehensive plan for this deal. We will see.

I have to go. I have to write more on my screenplay. I am up to 7600 words at this point. I am coming along nicely. I will write more later!!

2007-06-06T02:05:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Warpath

Today is the anniversary of D-Day. What a fitting title to the writing of the day as “Wednesday Warpath”. If the left, liberals, Democrats and big media in the country today had been around at the outset of D-Day and all the horrific happenings of that day and period in general I fear we would be speaking German or Japanese right now. They are so cowardly it is amazing.

The following is a small story from twenty years ago or so. It sums it nicely the kind of men who took up the battle for us back then, just as we have great men and women taking up the battle for us today. The only think different back then was the whole country supported and fought the war. Today, we have our left in this country opposing the war for political gain. It has cost many lives and will continue to cause American lives to be lost as they give aid and comfort to our enemy.

“HELL”

As we were sitting in my bar room once, a young lady walked in with a pad, pen, and tape recorder in her hand. I was tending bar while my usual crowd of card players and patrons milled about doing their regular stuff.
“Hi,”, the young lady said as she bellied up to the bar. “I am going around the country looking for stories from World War II for a book I am researching. I stop in places like this and gather stories from people who fought in the war. Do you have any men who took part in the war?”
“Yes, ma’am, we do,” I told her. “We have quite an array of gentlemen who fought in the war. I don’t know how many will want to talk about it, but you are free to ask any questions you may have as long as you don’t bother my card games too much.”
The lady agreed and set out to find someone to give her some information on the big war. She talked to several guys who I did not think were the best representatives to dish out stories about the war. I was not about to question their patriotism, but I just had never heard that these guys were in the thick of things during the war. As I sat shaking my head after listening to these couple of guys the young author came back to me and asked if I had a problem. I told her I did not think those guys were the best sources of war stories.
About this time an older gentlemen by the name of Mr. Mickey was about to deal the cards for the next hand. I knew he had been in the war and had fought at D-Day. I told her if she wanted a good story she should ask him. He heard the exchange between us, but kept right on dealing.
He never looked up as he dealt, but told the young lady, “Come sit down by me honey and I will make one statement for you that you can use in your book if you like.” As he finished dealing the cards he pulled a chair from the corner and motioned the girl to come and sit down. She walked over with her pad and recorder. The room got very quiet. Every eye and ear in the room was trained on Mr. Mickey, a man of very few words but plenty integrity.
This is what Mr. Mickey had to say. “I am going to say this and we will talk no more of the war. On the morning of the invasion I was on one of those troops transports. We were huddled down in the belly of those things waiting for the front gates to drop so we could rush the shore. When the front gates of the carrier dropped my feet were some of the first ones to hit the water and then the shore. What came after that was pure chaos, horror, and terror all rolled up into one. If I die and go to HELL it won’t be much worse than what I endured that day,”
With that statement Mr. Mickey turned to the young lady and asked her if that was good enough. She nodded her head, happy with that statement. Mr. Mickey turned back to face the card game and asked, “Who needs cards?”

2007-06-05T02:02:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Trappings

Monday’s in the books and gone. It was a pretty good day. I had a good day writing and work was not too bad, but also not too good. I was trying to finish a job and send it out, but the survey crew had some points that were wrong that had to be fixed. So I guess that job will go out today and make another one I was working on late. So be it.

I am doing well on my screenplay. I did not mention that yesterday morning. I have written 5,024 words up to this point. So I am 24% complete on the first, really rough draft after 4 days. I will write a few words this morning and then more tonight.

We had a hot, but sunny day yesterday. There were some clouds though. Today we will see more of the same. We are in that summer time pattern here in south central Texas. The environmentalists and whacked-out global warming religion crowd will call it “global warming”. In south central Texas we just call it summer.

My wife had a pretty good day yesterday. She was off and rested up big time. She needs a summer without our niece to catch up and rest up. This will do her good. She needs to take it easy and rest after work each night. Then she can begin to do some things over the weekend and next week. She needs rest.

This will be all. I have other things to write this morning. I will try to write more tonight or at lunch in my computer journal. I have to write on the screenplay first. More later!!

2007-06-04T02:09:00.000-07:00

Oh Yeah, It’s Monday

Last Monday was a great Monday. This Monday is not so great. I have to go to work! That’s not so bad. It’s also my early week and I love going early. This could be a long week because it’s also my scheduled Saturday to work. We’ll see how it all goes.

We had some rain last night. There was bad rain in the area, but we escpaed the most serious part of the weather. We were in need of some rain as the garden was beginning to dry out along with the rest of the area. So the rain was welcome. The bad weather moved just to the north of San Antonio.

The garden looks nice. I have small tomatoes on my plants. I picked more beans yesterday. I have small peppers on all my peppers plants. My butter beans have flowers. My herbs are growing nicely. It’s a great looking garden at this point. My Morning glories are just glorious. They are inching up the trellis putting on a grand display of beauty. I love them.

My wife will be off today. She had a big weekend and will stay home and take it easy today. She needs to sleep. She needs to rest. She will have time to catch up now.

Our niece is in Mississippi. She can spend the summer with her biological family and see how it’s like to live with them. This is not the best thing in the world for her. It’s also not the worst. Her mother is willing to let her stay for the summer which is not bad. Maybe her mother is ready to step up and do some good for the child. We will see in the long run. I hope the child has fun and has a great summer.

That’s all. I will run now. I have much to do before I leave for work. I have to be there around 6 am which is fine. I can do that. I just want to make sure I give myself time to do that. More later!!

2007-06-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I Wonder

What are the Cavaliers thinking?
Several years ago there was a commercial on TV that sums up the Cleveland Cavaliers. The ad went something like this. A group of weekend warrior softball players, the Beavers I think, took the field. The first batter comes up and hits a ground ball that’s fielded cleanly by an infielder and thrown to first to record an out. At this point the celebration begins! It’s just the first out of the game. They have much more work to do.

So you can see where I am going with this. The picture I saw on the Internet this morning showed LeBron James with a shirt that said “champions” and a trophy held above his head.

They have just about handed the real title to the San Antonio Spurs. The Cavaliers won their championship last night. Someone needs to remind them to be the real champions they have one more series to go. I think they began their celebration a little too early.

Who invited those guys and why did they get to host a regional?
I am talking about the San Diego State baseball team coached by former Major Leaguer Tony Gwynn. This team was ranked high all year; in the Top Ten. I did some griping about that. And it turns out I was right. This bunch of dummies lost out in two games at an NCAA baseball regional on their home field. Who ranked them so high?

Look, this is like one of those things where the Dixie Chicks won a music award. They did not win the award for their music. They won the award for their politics. This was the same deal. San Diego State did not get to this dance on their own merits. They made their way all season because of their coach and who he was!

There’s more but I will quit here.

2007-06-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

Politics, Politics, Politics; Some of My Views

You elected them
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070603/ap_on_go_co/congress_pet_projects;_ylt=AvOQTpeSMK1aOfbydEuHVDvMWM0

The headline on this story reads: Democrats hid pet projects from voters! Yes, you elected them. You thought the GOP was bad and look at what you have done for us. Now, stick to the topic of my writing if you want to comment. No “yes, but” comments on this. I have given you the argument the Republicans were bad. It’s just that the Democrats are much worse. They campaigned on no more pork or earmarks. And you fell for it hook line and sinker! I did not fall for it. I am much too smart. I have way too much common sense. Look at yourself in the mirror if you voted this bunch in! What do you see? I see a sucker at best. I can’t write what I really think of you. Ha Ha!!

Democrats have a tough time with agenda
This was another article that I won’t look up. The Democrats don’t have an agenda. Their agenda was whining, bitching, moaning and complaining until they got elected. Think of it this way; all of you who support the left, liberals, Democrats and such in this country go into your work in the morning and do on your job as the Democrats did in trying to get ahead. You want to get ahead at work don’t you? You know you do. Go around the office, jobsite, or wherever you work and use the same tactic to further your agenda so to speak. Bitch, whine, moan, complain and blame everyone but yourself and see where you wind up before too long!

News reporters are bottom of the barrel scum (I’m being kind)
The reporter or reporterette stands outside of the White House. You can see the building in the background. And to a person they give us the same news each and every day. The words “an embarrassment for the White House” are uttered almost without fail each time. The thing that is embarassing about the whole deal are the correspondents covering the news. I would never give the news they way these commie, pinko, faggots do. I’d never make a foreign entity look like the better player in the deal. I just wouldn’t. But then I am patriotic American. Most of our media people are decidedly anti-American. Just listen to them give the news.

2007-06-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Screenplay Started; Work; Garden and Watering; Tidbits

It’s a wonderful Saturday here in south central Texas. It’s a bit warm, 84° at present. We do have some humidity. That’s just south Texas in June though. It is not too bad out, but some hot days are coming.

I did start my screenplay last night. I am over 10% of the way to making the 20,000 word mark. I will have to write more than that to finish my story though. It’s a good, cute little story that I think has some great potential. I will write this first very rough draft and we can go from there.

I went to work for a bit this morning. I have not done that in quite a while. We don’t have the volume of work that we used to, but we do have work. My boss had left early yesterday and did not tell my much so I had to do a few things on my own. I can do that. I have the ability to take charge if I have to. I don’t always have the go ahead. We all have to be Alexander Haig every now and then. I just wanted to make sure my guys working we doing OK. I hate to send them out and then not take care of them. So that’s what I did this morning.

I have been in the garden a bit watering and fooling with my plants. We did not have any rain this week so I decided to water today. I am going to give the whole garden a good soaking. It needs that. I have my plants doing pretty well. They are not all doing well so I will keep up this watering schedule as long as I need to. I want to at least have my garden hang on through the brutal summer months so it can pick up again in the fall.

My wife, niece and a couple of the niece’s little friends are at Fiesta Texas today. They are having a great time I am sure. They will be worn out when they get home, but it will have been worth it.

The niece leaves for Mississippi tomorrow. She is going to stay all summer. My wife needs the break, big time. She needs time to recover and get back on track. The niece must think my wife is a nail because all she does is hammer her. Going back to Mississippi is not the best thing for the girl, but we are not going to stand in the way of her spending time with her mother. She needs to do this and we will allow it.

That’s all I have time for. I need to write a few other things and then move on to some more productive stuff. I am having a great Saturday and I know it will continue. More later!!

2007-06-01T01:51:00.000-07:00

Friday Footsteps

Today is the first of June. I am beginning another month of writing. I love to start new months. I began last month on a good note and I will do the same this month. I have plenty to write about this morning so I got up early to get started. That is always a good thing.

Last night was a “blue moon” here in south central Texas. A blue moon is the second full moon in a month. They are not very rare, but they are rare enough. Hence the saying “once in a blue moon”. They occur on average once every 36 months. The blue moon in our region was in May. In some parts of the world the moon is not full until today so their blue moon will be in June. If you want to hear a good song about a blue moon listen to Nanci Griffith’s “Once In A Very Blue Moon”. It’s one of my all-time favorite songs.

Work will be hectic today. I have much to do. I am not in the mood to work a whole ton of hours on a Friday. I imagine I will just have to go in for a bit tomorrow. I have not done that in many months, but I might have to go tomorrow to catch up on a few things. I have some jobs due in the next few days. We might not meet all the deadlines, but we will see. I have to do my best to make some things happen. I will try to get them all done.

I have not started on the project yet, but this month is the ScriptFrenzy writing contest. You have one month to write a screenplay or stageplay. I am going to do it. It’s a daunting task with all the other things I plan to write about, but I am going to do it. I will probably start tonight after work. I have a great story in mind. It will be about my animals so it would be a cartoon-type movie. My present babies are going to be bringing the ashes of their dearly departed sisters, Annabelle and Dottie, back to Louisiana. They plan to make sure their ashes reside at our old place that those babies loved so much. It will be a cute, sometimes funny, heart-warming little story. I think I can do a good job of it. I have never written a screenplay before, but so what. I can do this. I am going to do it. I will do it well.

So, I better get to doing some of the stuff I am planning on doing for the day. I will try to write more later. I need to write plenty of different things over the weekend and do some stuff in the yard. I will be busy. I will write. I will garden. It’s just going to take a orderly process to do all I need and want to do. I may have to write it all down so I can stay on course during the whole time. That won’t be hard. It will just be something I’ll have to stay on top of. I will keep this journal and all my blogs informed of my progress. More later!!

2007-05-31T02:39:00.000-07:00

Thursday Topics

It just seems like today should be Friday for some reason. That is not good. Tomorrow will feel like I am working on a Saturday and I will get all discombobulated. I will be fine. I just feel like it should be Friday.

The graduation ceremony went fine yesterday. I told my niece when she got her certificate to give it to my big man Charlie. I told her he was sitting by the door. He would run home with it. In case there was a recount or something the diploma would already be home. Hey, possession is 9/10’s of the law isn’t it?

We are nearing a full moon. This full moom will be a Blue Moon. I will write more about this one later. I love full moons. I don’t act any more weird during a full moon than normal, but I love to go out and look at the lit up landscape on full moon nights. I prefer them in winter when the air is crisp and cold.

My dogs are with me this morning, but no cats. The cats are milling about waiting for breakfast. Our newest puppy, Suzie Q., decided to play with a frog outside in the middle of the night. I had let her go to use the bathroom when she spied this pretty big frog. She put him down pretty quick after she got a good taste of him. I will have to find him this morning and hide him from her some kind of way. We will see if he is still around.

I am not really feeling like going in to work. I just think I would be better staying at home. I also know I need to play bills and be a good employee.So I will head on to work and do my usual great job. I will try to write more later!!

2007-05-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks Mom and Dad!

It was the spring of 1975. I was 17 and a senior in high school. I was going places. I was big time. I had the world by the tail. You all remember those days.

I came home from school one day and my Mom and Dad were standing in the hall. They were looking in their master bedroom and then my room which was right next to their’s. I watched for a minute as they looked in their room. Then they walked a few steps and looked in mine. They weren’t saying much they were just looking.

I walked down the hall and asked what they were doing. My Mom gave me some story about the color scheme not being right and matching. I had no reason to think anything was up other than a new coat of paint in one of the rooms. I never saw them looking any more that spring or summer. A new coat of paint was never applied either. So I pretty much forgot about what I had seen.

On the day I was leaving for college my Mom and Dad were pretty upset, or at least I thought they were. I was pretty upset too. I had packed my car and I was getting ready to head off on my own. I was going to make, and leave, my mark on the world. I also knew I had old Mom and Dad to fall back on if need be. Well, at least that’s what I thought. As I got in my car I rolled the window down. My Mom and Dad were both standing their looking at me.

My Dad looked a little forelorn and asked, “So this is it son. Do you think you are ever going to come back home?”
I was a bit sad, but I knew I had to reply saying, “No Dad. This is probably it. I might come back for a short visit every now and then, but it won’t be too often.”
A big smile crossed both my Mom and Dad’s face. My Mom turned to my Dad and said, “Good. We can finally tear out that wall between our bedroom and his and instead of a master bedroom we will have a master suite.”As I drove off I thought I could see them getting the tools out to knock down the wall!! Thanks Mom and Dad!

2007-05-30T02:17:00.000-07:00

She Made It!; Other Tidbits!!

Our niece, who we have custody of, will graduate to middle school today. She had to find out if she had passed the math part of the TAKS test and she did. We are so very proud of her. This is a child who has been abandoned by her parents for the most part, yet she is finding ways to hang on and do a little better all the time. She is moving on to the 6th Grade. We are all happy.

She will go and spend the summer with her mother in Mississippi. This is probably not the best thing in the big picture. But we are not going to keep the child from her mother and half-siblings in Mississippi. The poor old girl needs some closure, or at least to find out what her mom is all about. Maybe seeing the difference between the way they live and we live will open her eyes to what she has in Texas. We’ll see.

We are not as busy at work as we should be. And that is not good. This is the time of year we are normally busy and getting busier. So we need to get more work some kind of way. I am a bit worried about the whole deal. We usually break out of slumps like this fairly easily. I just like to see plenty work coming in and it is not.

I have gotten back in touch with a lady that needs help with several writing projects. I hope we can do some business. I am up for doing stuff like that. I sent my two articles to Amuze yesterday. I am ready to write more and more. We will see how this works out.

I will end this and move on to other things. I want to have some fun today and will be so proud when my niece gets her diploma handed to her. More later!!

2007-05-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

Some Nutty Political Stuff

Cindy Sheehan Giving It Up

The old girl is giving up on being the face of the anti-war, anti-American front. A quote from her, "However, when I started to hold the Democratic Party to the same standards that I held the Republican party, support for my cause started to erode……". You know why? I have been blogging about this for a long, long time and have really been saying this since last year's elections. If you bought into the liberal, left, big media, Democrat camp you just went wrong. They are much worse than the Republicans. Yet, they were handed power and even leftist loonies like Sheehan can see that now. It's time for American to stand up and realize they have been played by the left, not the right!

Sheehan says she rather live under Hugo Chavez. But she was leaving Texas and heading to California. See, she's not serious. Why didn't she leave Texas and head for Caracas. I will buy the ticket. I bet many others will help out. She's just one big liar, cheat, no-count big mouth bi…. that found her 15 minutes in the limelight. She's of no use to anyone anymore; not even the LEFT!!

"Smelly" Putin: Europe A "Powder Keg"

He said that right after Russia launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple independent warheads. He had said that deployment of a U.S. missile shield in Europe would turn the continent into "a powder keg"! Is that a self-fulfilling prophecy or what. The guy is nuts. He is exactly the reason Europe needs a missile shield. Or he needs a missile fired at his head.

Assad, and the "ASS" part is the operative part of that word, wins re-election in Syria

He got 97% of the vote. I think that was a bit of an upset to me. I just though him being the only idiot on the ballot he'd get 100%. Can you imagine what would have happened if he had opposition? I can't stand to look at the worthless swine. The media treats this like it's a "news" story. Of course, it doesn't take much to sucker our media in. The news story say he has modernized Syria. That means they have faster camels now! Is this story BS or what?

2007-05-29T02:15:00.000-07:00

MAn Old Bad Tuesday! Back To Work!!; My Take On A Few Things

That’s correct. It’s an old bad Tuesday this week. I was off yesterday, but that did not make much difference on how I felt to start the week this week. Tuesday has just taken the place of Monday. I don’t imagine I thought I’d wake up to be a ball of fire about getting to work today. I will be fine in a bit though. It’s just hard to wake up and get going.

My babies are not worried about waking up at all right now. Casey is on the mattress she always sleeps on sleeping away. Charlie is on the floor snoring. Suzie Q. is burrowed under the pillows on the futon enjoying her rest. Their cat brother, Pierre’, is curled up on the mattress with Casey. Sam is sleeping on a towel in the bathroom. B.W. is in the living room on the back of the sofa resting. The outside cat, Mr.Whisker’s, is milling around I am sure waiting on his breakfast.

It will be partly cloudy today with seasonable temps. The low this morning will be in the upper 60’s. The highs will be in the lower 80’s. We should have partly cloudy skies. That will be the pattern all week, but we will have more sun later in the week. Our chances for rain are around 30% each day.

Marquise Hill, a former LSU and present New England Patriot, drowned in Lake Pontchartrain over the weekend. He was involved in a jet ski accident. He was not wearing a life preserver nor a location device. Any time you are on the water like that you need both of those things. He lost his life by being stupid. Put your life vest on at least.

The Miss Universe pageant was held last night. I was riveted to the TV. Well, not exactly, but I did catch some of the action and read about some of it. Miss Sweden dropped out because the pageant demeans women. Now how old is that knucklehead? Do you think this was her first pageant? I bet she has been in them since she was about 4 years old. Is she just realizing this? What an idiot!! The crowd booed Miss USA because of their perception we are mean to illegal immigrant. I wish there was a way we could hang all those dummies. Keep your people in your county. The key word here is “illegal”. They don’t belong here. There’s probably more. I bet the winner is going to speak out against hunger and poverty in the world or something along those lines. It’s all one big waste of time.

I have to get my articles to the magazine today. I promised them today and they are going today. I think they are pretty good. I will read over them one more time and make sure I have them like I want them and send them off.

So I will do that now. I have to get going. I need to get to work early to get some crews headed off to work. They have a long drive today and a lot of work to do. I will write more later.

2007-05-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day; Pay Tribute To Our Fallen!

Today is Memorial Day. So we all need to remember our fallen soldiers, of all our wars, that made the greatest sacrifice a man, or woman, can make. America is the freest and bravest of all nations. We fight for what is just and right. We have given mankind all over the globe hope with our presence. Make no mistake about it; our soldiers, men and women, will fight for the cause of freedom, not only for us, but for any people who yearn for it.

This will be a great day. It’s a great Monday for me. Right now, I’d usually be sitting in front of a computer screen messing up someboyd’s survey. Today will be a day off. I have much to do and have had a pretty good day already.

We have some sun this morning. Our chances of rain have gone way down. All the rain is now to our east. The forecasters had predicted rain all through the weekend. We had some rain Saturday night, but then we have had no more. Some areas got plenty. They are having flooding problems in those areas. We will have normal temps for the next week to 10-days. The lows will be in the upper 60’s and the highs will be in the mid-80’s. We’ll have a lot of clouds early in the week and more sun later in the week into the weekend.

I am still working on the second article for the magazine. I have to finish it today. I don’t think that will be hard. I just need to get motivated to do so. I promised it to the editors tomorrow so I will get that done. I guess I better start working on that and not worry about this. More later!!

2007-05-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

Drought!; Not Anymore!!

We had 3.5” of rain here in south central Texas last night. That will push our rainfall total for the year past the 21” mark. So I am officially declaring the drought over. This announcement comes from the Rooster Institute of Meteorlogical Studies. This is some very welcome news for the region which has been so dry for a few years now.

Back in 2002, near the 4th of July, we had record rains. The rainfall total for my neighborhood was 20” over a four day period. That’s about 2/3 of the average yearly rainfall for the area. Since that time rain has been sparodic and most of the time not plentiful enough. But now that has changed.

The Edwards Aquifer will reach 680’ in the next day or two. That is 30’ above mandatory conservation measures. It will be hard to have enough dry weather during the summer to get the aquifer level down to 650’ and the mandatory conservation measures. So the rain has done the aquifer good also.

Of course, the yard and garden loves the precipitation. That is key also. My garden looks great this year. I may have a few more problems with weeds, but I will take that problem anyday instead of not having enough water. The garden is off to a good start and will have a better chance of staying healthy if we can continue to get rain.

There will be some brutally hot days coming up. We normally have temps close to 100° for long stretches and a few days during the summer get over 100%. We can also have extended periods with little or no rain. We will have to see how all that plays out during this summer.

We will take what we have gotten up to this point. The rainfall totals are adequate. The aquifer is doing fine. The yard and garden is looking great. Lets hope it stays that way.

2007-05-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

Let’s Get This Great Weekend Started

It actually started yesterday around 4:30 PM when I jumped in my truck to come home. That was a great feeling. I wanted to get off to a good start and we did.

I picked up my niece at her after school daycare. We went to Taco Bell\KFC to get something to eat. Then we played in the video arcade for a bit. I love those games also. I am big on Galaga and Pinball. We came home to clean up a bit before the wife got home. I played on the Internet some, but did not blog. My wife got home around 10:30. We talked for a bit. She had to tell me about her trip, a debriefing, before we went to bed. I had a great rest and am now ready to get started.

There will be much to do. I won’t dwell on that right now. I will just write about it after I am done. I will go out and check on my garden first thing. We have had so much rain this year and it’s doing the garden good. I just want to see how it looks this fine morning.

I have to write. I am beginning my writing with this wiring here. I hope to do so many more times over the weekend. I want to have a great writing weekend in all the writing I do. Have I put the word writing in this paragraph enough.

OK, so here goes. I am going to get started on a wonderful day and weekend. I will make sure it all goes well. More later!!

2007-05-25T02:44:00.000-07:00

Finally Friday

It seems like it took Friday a long time to get here. I have had a great week though. It just seems like a long week. It is Friday though and I love my Friday’s.

At 5 pm today I will be a very happy guy. I will be ready to come home and have some fun. I hope no one is driving slow in front of me on the way home. I might have to run over them.

My wife is still in California. She is having a big old time out there. She’s doing some “California living” as my Grandfahter used to say. That meant anyone living kind of high or fast. So my wife is doing some real California living. I will have to blog about that and my Grandfather at some point.

We had some rain last night and we have a big chance of rain today, tonight and tomorrow. A front is close to the area and trying to push through. They are not very strong at this time of year. They don’t change the temperature much, but they can wreak havoc with rain and storms. The temps will be in the mid 60’s for lows and in the upper 70’s for highs the next few days. That is not too bad.

I will have to write over the weekend. I am planning on doing plenty of it. I have to finish my first article, just minor changes and write the second one for the magazine. I plan to write plenty to my friends. I plan blog a lot. I plan to write a few of my short stories.

This will be a three-day weekend. I just love not having to work on a Monday. I love my Sunday nights when I don’t have to get up and go to work on Monday. I am really looking forward to all of it.

That’s all for now. I have to get up and get going. I have starving animals. I have to get ready for work. I have to make sure the niece is ready for school. More later!!

2007-05-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

A Pastoral Scene!

A long time ago I got in a pretty bad car wreck. I had numerous injuries that were pretty life threatening. I stayed in the hospital for a couple of weeks. In the melee I had broken my jaw and had to have it wired shut. That is a tough deal. Well, the day finally came to take the wires out of my mouth. I had been looking forward to the day it would happen, but I also realized there is probably no easy way to get wires out of your head without hurting you a little bit. So I just assumed they knocked you out and when you woke up the deal was over.

I had made my appointment early. I wanted to get it over with. I went in to the oral surgeon’s office. A nice nurse grabbed me and told me she was going to lead me around and show me all the examination rooms in the office. I found this a bit odd and asked why she would do that. The nurse explained to me that since getting these wires pulled out was a bit traumatizing the rooms were set up to make you as much at ease as possible. She told me all the rooms had “pastoral” scenes painted on the wall and all had a big window with trees, birds, frogs and such you could watch. The whole experience was based on “pastoral” type deals to ease your mind.

Well, my mind was not impressed. I told her I did not think any type of pastoral scene was going to help me out. She asked me what I thought I needed to get through the ordeal. I looked straight at her and told her, “Just knock me out! When I wake up I want it to be all over. I don’t want pastoral scenes.”

2007-05-24T02:46:00.000-07:00

Thursday Tune-Up

I am tuning up for the weekend. That is what today will be. I can always make Friday. Plus tomorrow is a Friday before a three-day weekend. So I will tune-up for my weekend today. I am going to enjoy and extra day off. That will be nice.

The wife is on business trip. She gets to do this pretty often. And it’s pretty nice for her. She’s going to California for a few days. Of course, she flies first class. She says at the best hotels and eats at the best restaurants. So that’s not bad for here. Of course, she is very good at what she does. I know she will have a good time and get some work done.

The weather will be more of the same for the area. We will have the low 70’s this morning. It will be near 80° this afternoon. Then we do the same again tomorrow. We will have this pattern for a bit although the lows might dip into the upper 60’s. We will have a 30-40% chance of rain the whole time. So we are stuck in this pattern for a bit.

I have not been doing too well on my writing. I have been answering some messages from some new friends. Over the weekend I will finish my articles and get them off. I will try to write a few new things as I will have an extra day off. So this will be a great writing weekend.

That’s all for now. I need to try and write much more later today and over the weekend. I will keep my journal posted.

2007-05-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

This Chance Meeting Brought Back Some Sad Memories

He was a first baseman. A very good first baseman I might add. He was a very solid hitter; nearly .400 in college. He was smart, funny, articulate and a big man on campus; maybe THE big man on campus. He was attending an elite university a long way from home. Minor league baseball was definitely a possibility with the Major Leagues a farther reach. This young guy was my cousin and a wonderful person along with being a great athlete. It all did not matter.

On the way home from school at the end of the spring semester, while about halfway home and sitting at a red light, a loaded cement truck tipped over and fell on my cousin’s car. It crushed him and killed him instantly. A great life snuffed out on the most bizarre event.

I cried big time on this one. It was one of the cries where I had to go out in my back yard and gather my dogs. We sat in the corner of the yard and I cried. I cried because of all the potential that had just gone to waste. My dogs hung close with me all day that day. They knew I was upset.

A chance meeting today brought it all back. That’s why I am a bit sad, actually very sad right now.

At work I walked into our print room. There were three ladies there. They were from a staffing agency that had sent a van driver to work for us for a couple of months. They were in the area and just stopped by to check on their driver. It was lunch and no one was around who could help them. They said they’d wait until the print room supervisor got back from lunch which was only a few minutes away. So they introduced themselves to me. Two were full time employees of the agency. The third lady was a young girl who was working for the summer as an intern.

I introduced myself and the young lady smiled right away. This is the conversation we had and the one that brought back the sad memories.

Young lady: You are from Louisiana aren’t you?
Me: Yes, I am.
Young lady: I can tell from your accent. (at this point a big tear came down from both her eyes)
Me: I figured that. (at this point I noticed a broach she had with the letters of the college my cousin had gone to)
Young lady: I had a good friend who I went to school with from Louisiana who was killed a few years ago.
Me: Was his name (and I told her my cousin’s name)
Young lady: Oh, my God! How did you know that?
Me: The young guy was my cousin. His death was a real tragedy.
Young lady: He was such a wonderful person. I miss him so much.
Me: We all do!

I felt very bad all day. The things this young guy could have accomplished if he had lived were unlimited. But we don’t know how many days we have on Earth. So live all them as full as you can. You never know when you number might be up. All I know is that I was sad when it was happened. I was sad when I talked to this young lady. And I am sad right now. Enough said.

2007-05-23T02:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Warpath

Well, I got up a little earlier today than yesterday. So at least I have time to write some. I hate oversleeping, but I do that at times. I guess sometimes you need more rest than you think. I get up plenty early so I did not have any trouble getting to work early. I am always at work for 7 instead of 8.

We had to bring my baby dog, Suzie, to the vet yesterday. She was scratching a lot over the past few days. It’s just a food allergy. So we will buy her some good food to help out with that. She is a big girl now. She weighs 64 pounds. She’s not fat, she’s just tall. She lived at the vet clinic for 10 weeks before we adopted her, after two people adopted her and brought her back. So she is a favorite of the staff. They really love my Suzie.And my Suzie loves them. She thinks she owns the place. She remembers the people there. She is a good baby.

I did not do too well on my writing last night. I spent time answering e-mail and message and such. I did not want to get too far behind on all of that. It’s important to do that also. I will have to do better on my writing today. I will try to write at lunch and make sure I get some words down for my journal and the blogs.

It just seems it ought to be later in the week and later in the month to me. I guess I got discombobulated somewhere along the way. I am going to have to catch up to the week and month at some point I would imagine.

At work we are getting the summer interns. That’s nice. I like to see all the young people getting some experience and doing some good work. Of course, there will be some nice young ladies in the mix I am sure. I will have to get to know them. Ha Ha!!

Ok, that’s it. I will go. I have to try and write some things of substance for my blogs and journal. I am just writing stuff down that’s pretty general in nature. While that is important, I really need to write better. More later!!

2007-05-22T02:57:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Trappings

The bed sure felt good last night. I slept in about an hour more than normal. I leave myself plenty of time so I will have to make this short and catch up later. I had a good night, but I guess I wanted to sleep.

We had a nice shower last night. That really will help the garden. It rained yesterday and last night. So we are getting plenty rain. For the past few years we have had big deficits when it came to rain. The garden loves it. The yard loves it. The aquifer loves it. So I love it also.

Today is Tuesday. I know I will have a good day. I just need to get it started and take it a bit at a time. I iwll have much to do at work and not enough time to do it all. That’s just that way that is though. I have to work on my second article for the magazine. I got some information on the stuff last night and will begin to write it today. So I am well on my way to do well with that.

Ok, so I have no more time. I am late and need to catch up. More later!

2007-05-22T02:54:00.000-07:00

Don’t Make Me Have To Come Back!

Louisiana, late 60’s and early’s 70’s, was a time of radical change. Schools were finally being integrated. Uncertainty was the norm for all children, black and white. While many white students left the public schools altogether quite a few stayed. My brother and I were public school men all the way except for two years when my brother was going to be bussed to a school far away. During this time my Dad sent him to the closest school possible, a private school. My Dad did not believe in busing, or private schools, but he chose the lesser of two evils.

When it was time for my brother to come back to the local public school, the whole system was in disarray. As the busing calmed down teachers were moved. It was a chaotic time. The locals schools were suddenly inahabited by new teachers and students. No one was really familiar with each other or what was going on.

My brother was in the eighth at this point. He was a straight-A student who rarely made a “B” on anything. His teacher was new at the school having been moved from one of the segregated schools in the area. The first test my brother took was a Louisiana History test. Naturally, he made a 100 on the test. The teacher promptly told him he had cheated and gave him a “0”. My brother brought this test paper home and showed it to my Mother. My Dad was working off for a week at a time at the time.

Well, my Dad came home. He was not happy. A trip to the school did not do much good. The principal, who knew our family and how great a student my brother was, sided with the teacher. My Dad did not say anything. He told my brother to let him know when the next test was. The next test was the following week. So my Dad went to work, but came back home to be there for when the test was being given. He called the school and announced he would be present for the test. The principal called the local police. The chief himself came, but only to observe. He knew my Dad was a fair man and just wanted to make things right.

After discussing the deal with the teacher and principal it was decided my brother would be given his test where he could not cheat. My Dad pulled his desk in the middle of the hall. The local policeman sat out in the hall with my brother to make sure he did not cheat. The test was given. My brother sat in the hall and took his test. After the test was over my Dad made sure it was graded right away. What did my brother make? Well, he made a 100, of course.

My Dad was not very happy. As a matter of fact he was so livid the local policeman had to remind him he’d take him in if he had to. My Dad thought about that for a second. I really think he was thinking of making a stand and getting it all out in the open with the local news and all. He decided not to do that though. The principal and the teacher were both standing in the hall as my Daddy began to leave. As he was passing by them he stopped and told them both, “Don’t make me have to come back!” He had gotten his point across.

2007-05-21T02:39:00.000-07:00

Pretty Good Weekend, But Back To Work

It was a very nice weekend, but it’s back to work today. I will be fine. I just hate Monday’s. The worse feeling is when you drive up to work on Monday morning. When you step out of your vehicle you realize you have all week to work. I am looking forward to next week or the end of this week when we will have a three-day weekend.

I had a devil of a time writing one of the articles for the magazine. It’s about driving in the city, or hitting the road, with energy saving vehicles, or hybrids. There is a lot of information on the cars, but a lot of it is conflicting. Also it was hard to get good hard facts on how many cars or in the city and how far they drive each day. I mined it all out, but it was not easy. You can’t call a salesman or a car dealership and ask about hybrid cars. They inflate the mileage figures by a lot. I have it done though. Now, I need to start on the second article which will be much easier. It will be about organic wine and spirits.

The weather was beautiful this week. We had some sun and clouds, but it was not too hot. It will warm up for the early part of the week and stay seasonable for the week. We will have some chances of rain.

My garden is fine. I will have some squash to pick soon. I have more green beans coming and some new plants that are looking great. I have flowers on some of my tomatoes. My peppers are picking up also. I have some hot peppers that are doing great. I added to my trellis for my Morning glories. They are doing superb. My lima beans are growing like crazy, but I don’t see any limas. The cowpeas are doing nicely also. The garden is looking Ok. I have to keep up with it as best as I can.

That’s it for this Monday morning. I will have a busy day today. I may try to write some more tonight, but I have the article to work on. I will see what goes on. More later!!

2007-05-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

My Commentary On Some Of The News

Israel strikes home of hamas lawmaker

I would be much happier if the headline had read they struck at the home of “every” hamas lawmaker. Look, all these Palestinians are no good. Israel needs to wipe them off the face of the earth and be done with them. That’s what they have vowed to do Israel.

Democrats are well.....really stupid

They want a “no-confidence” vote on Alberto Gonzales. Before they seek one on him they better try to get themselves right. They actually trail the President in approval numbers. I think the Congress, led by the Democrats, have already been given a vote of no-confidence. And for all you Democratic dummies and idiots this is not Europe or some place where they have a parliamentary government. We don’t do votes of no-confidence here. So get your head out of yours butts and govern like you were elected to do! By the way, I just held a vote and Arlen Specter has been voted the second dumbest guy on the planet and the third mostly ugly man on the planet.

Now, that’s a spokesperson...and cheers to the White House

The White House called Jimmy Carter “increasingly irrelevant” today. Can you hit a nail on the head any more solid? Carter was irrelevant when they elected him President. He has spent most of the past 30 years proving how stupid he actually is. I say let him speak. That’s because as long as he is on this planet all of you can honestly say you are not the dumbest person on it.

2007-05-18T02:21:00.000-07:00

Fantastic Friday!

Yes, it’s Fantastic Friday! I love Friday’s. This one is going to be really great. First of all it’s payday!! I will be able to get some extra money and hopefully enjoy a few extra things this weekend. I am looking forward to quitting time this afternoon. I just can’t wait.

The weekend will be busy. I have to get to work on some writing along with some yard and garden work. The plan is to get started fairly early tomorrow. I will do some writing first. Then I will get in my garden. They yard work is not the most important thing to do, but it will get done also. I will do some writing and then get outside. I will alternate doing that all day long for the most part. I will almost certainly barbecue something tomorrow for dinner. I am just waiting to see what the wife thinks. I plan on enjoying my weekend big time.

Tonight may be a night where I go drink a beer or two. I will just have to see. I know my best drinking buddy is not available tonight. He has his son and will bring him to the Spurs game. His son just cramps my style too often! I had several people mention going out to get a beer or two. I will see what they say. I don’t want to stay long. I just want to get out and have a bit of for a short while. I will see what I can drum up. I have a nice, young lady who might want to go and get a few drinks and talk. That is my Number One option, but she has to get in touch with me and then we will see. It’s nothing bad. She just wants to talk. We are friends.

I will try to get some good rest tonight, but I want to sleep some and wake up some. I wake up and check things out on the Internet and then write a bit. Then I go back to bed. I might even go outside and take a walk with my dogs. I will do plenty of things tonight and it will be fun.

I am getting in the mood, or market, for a small, portable telepscope. Meade makes a 4.5” “goto” model telescope that is fancy and small. It only closts $300. So that might be something I can buy soon. I really want to get back in involved with my astronomy hobby on a big time scale. I have kind of feel off the wagon in the deal.

The nice lady who wrote to me about the articles did not get back in touch yesterday. I really want to hear from her soon. I think it would be something that would be great for both of us. I think she will get back in touch soon. I am ready to hear from her.

That’s all for the beginning of this Fantastic Friday. I am ready for a great day and then an even greater weekend. More later!!

2007-05-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

My Take On Some News\Political Type Things

Will of the people?

That will of the people thing is getting confusing to me. The Senate voted 67-29 to reject defunding the Iraq War. I thought all these votes were going to be slam dunks for the Democrats. The only bills they have passed in the whole deal have been so full of pork it's been silly. Maybe this is the will of the people!

Think the President's Ratings are low?

President Bush's approval rating is 33%. The Congress that the left claims was overwhelmingly elected is lower than that. It's like 29%. So someone explain to me why the media and left in general think the Democrats are doing so well. They are awful. And that's not according to me and Rush Limbaugh (well, Lumbard, if you are Al Sharpton). That's according to the news media who do the polls.

Think Big Oil is Bad? Try Big Food!!

Grocery prices are rising at their highest rate in years. This is not good. We are all going to starve before too long because we won't be able to buy food. Big Oil is not that bad. It's Big Food that has me worried.

Witnesses say he was there!

Michael Vick has tried to feign any responsilbility on, well….anything he's pretty much done wrong. He says he was never at the house where some dogfighting activity occurred. Some witnesses say that's not so. I don't think Vick has the ability or the desire to tell the truth. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is a real "girly" man. He's more no count than Vick. Show some guts man!!

2007-05-17T02:32:00.000-07:00

Tenacious Thursday

I don’t know where I pulled the name for this blog from. I just feel like today is going to be that kind of day. I have much to do at work. I have much to do around home. I just think it’s going to be a “tenacious” day. I will try to make it as “non-tenacious” as I can. We will see.

I have some news that might be pretty good for my writing. I met a lady who needs some help with writing something for the local paper and the local business journal. I have sent her my writing credentials. I hope she is serious about this and gets back to me. I am holding out some high hopes in this deal. I want to help out and I want to get some exposure at the same time. So this might be a pretty good deal for both of us. I will keep my journal posted. I would love to get into write a few things on the side just like this might be.

We had some rain early yesterday morning. That made it a little more humid during the day, but it was good for the garden. I like that. We will have the same weather pattern over the next few days, but it will be just a little cooler.

I have to end this now and get going. I stayed in bed a little longer than I should have this morning and now I am pressed for time. I will post this and move on to better things. More later!!

2007-05-16T02:10:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Warpath

It is Hump Day, the middle of the week. By around 3 pm break at work today I will be able to see a little speck of light at the end of the work week. I will enjoy getting home and doing my usual Wednesday night stuff. It will be a great day followed by a wonderful evening at home.

Last night we went to an art show at the niece’s elementary school. The children showed of their wares. Even though was a Grade 1-5 show I was impressed by these children. My niece made a mask and it was great. She is artistic. She has a gift. We are going to really have to cultivate that in her.

My squash are looking great. I even have some flowers on my tomatoes. So things are looking pretty good in the garden. My Morning glories are really starting to climb up my homemade trellis.

The Suns got the raw end of the deal in the suspension thing. I am like the owner of the Suns; the Spurs did all the dirty work and now the Suns have to pay. Let me tell you something about that game. In the second quarter Tim Duncan came off the bench. It’s on video if you care to find it. It’s in print if you care to read about it. The NBA said since there was no altercation they would not suspend him. How crazy is that? You leave the bench during an altercation and that is bad. I could understand that if this were being done fairly. But you leave the bench after a regular play..........for no reason other than to get up to do whatever they guy was going to do. That’s where a suspension should be given. Go figure. I’d be mad if I were the Suns.

It will be warm and we’ll have a few more clouds today than we have been having. The temps won’t be quite as bad. So this will be a great day. There is a slight chance of rain.

I am going now. I will write more later.

2007-05-15T02:23:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Trappings

That old bad Monday is gone. It was not a really bad day. Things moved along smoothly and I got a lot done with my writing. So it was a good day.

It was hot yesterday. The high almost reached 90°. Right now we have 66° and clear skies. We’ll see clouds and sun today with a high in the mid-80’s. So that is not too bad.

My squash plants finally have a few squash on them. I am seeing four or give. By the weekend I might be able to pick several of them. I have several dishes in mind when they are ready. I love to pick things from my garden.

Yesterday I started another little Moleskine book. That just excites me. I like finishing a book also. They are part of me. I carry one everywhere I go. I jot down stories, happenings and such. I don’t ever see me not using one. Everyone should have at least one.

I tried to watch some of the Spurs-Suns game last night. I quit after starting, but I caught the end of the game. I saw when Robert Horry knocked Steve Nash into the scorer’s table. Well, I guess you better call body-checked him into the scorer’s table. I don’t like Steve Nash. Let me say that right off the bat. But the Spurs are some dirty players. Horry’s act, Bowen is just dirty all the time and some of the other things they do. I can’t pull for that. Just play the game. I don’t see the Suns doing all that stuff. I am not impressed with the Spurs at all. They are not doing right.

That’s all for today. I will write more later. I think I have some function to go to at school for my niece tonight. I don’t like going to these things but sometimes you have to. I might have to write more at lunch if I can write as much tonight. More later!!

2007-05-14T16:30:00.000-07:00

Tongue-in-Cheek Look At Some News

John Edwards is an idiot!

The guy worked for Fortress Investment Group. They are one of the big players in the subprime market that is getting so much air time nowdays. These companies are taking advantage of the "Second America" that Edwards always champions. Yet, he worked for the people who were taking advantage of the people he champions. This guy is just rotten, wrong and in general a commie, pinko, well….you all know the last word. Edwards says he knows nothing about all of this. You know, I can believe that! He knows nothing about nothing in my book.

U.S. cancer survival rates much higher than rest of world

And much higher than countries with socialized medicine. Yet, the Democrats want to showcase this socialist medicine as part of their agenda. People you are being duped by these clowns.

Howard Dean's Web experts helping out in '08 campaigns

Yeah, that's why Dean is President right now. He did wonders with the Internet in '04!!

Gas Prices Hit New Record At The Pump

That's music to my ears. I am pretty sure my energy company stock is going to go up. Why not invest in the stock instead of bitching about the high prices?

2007-05-14T02:25:00.000-07:00

Start Of Another Week

It’s another bad old Monday and the start of another week. I am almost glad the weekend is over though. My wife was in a very, very, very bad mood yesterday. She woke up in a bad mood and for her that’s it, and well for everyone else it is too. She is not going to change her mood once she gets that way until maybe she sleeps and wakes up differently. So it was not a good day. My wife made sure it wasn’t.

We start another work week. I really don’t know what we have up for the week. I think we have some new jobs to work on. Our bosses have a big meeting this morning and I am sure some new work will get passed out. So that’s nice. We are getting busier all the time and that keeps things nice.

I will have to come up with a few ideas for my article writing for the magazine. The editor knows we have to continually change and get better. I will talk with a couple of people who are experts in what I want to write about and see how it goes from there. We are going to try to maybe target a few clubs for each issue and some signature drinks that they have. This will be fun. I’ll get to do some “research” and have some fun while doing it. I think this will work out nicely.

Our days are getting longer and warmer. It will be nearly 90° for highs in the first part of the week. The lows will be near 70°. It will be cooler toward the end of the week. Of course, when the temps start getting close to 90° there’s always a chance of rain. We have some chance but not much until later in the week.

I will close on that note. I will try to write more at lunch and then again tonight. I want to try and have a great writing day and week. I did not write last night like I wanted because I was aggravated with my wife so I just went to bed. More later!!

2007-05-13T06:28:00.000-07:00

What Do You Do Your First Day In Heaven?

I wrote this several days ago, but have been too sad to put it up!

(I know before I write this that someone is going to comment and tell me there are no dogs in Heaven. I will then ask if there are cats. Then I will be told that there are no animals in Heaven. Well, I want to say right now that I don't think that's true. If God created a Heaven and is not going to allow our babies in I can honestly say that a lot of us probably won't want to go anyway. So that's my standard answer. If my babies ain't going I ain't going either. Heaven is supposed to be perfect. Our little animals have to be there.)

I can imagine my Dottie is having a ball, literally. I am sure she busted into Heaven liked she owned the place. St. Peter was happy to see her. He had a bunch of tennis balls waiting for her. Dottie's sister, Annabelle, who passed on at the beginning of the year, was there waiting on her. They had a big reunion. Dottie went to check on her bed and the environs she'd be staying in. I'd think it was a pretty big area to run around in and have fun. She'd want a place to sleep that was kind of dark and cool in the summer and actually the winter also. She might even ask for a Taliban cave for the coldest of days. But then I would imagine all the days in Heaven are perfect.

After being satisfied of the sleeping arrangment, Dottie would have taken off for the kitchen. She would have checked out all of the place and made sure the food was up to snuff. They would have had to show her the Marro Bones. She was big on them. After the kitchen inspection, Dottie would have gone out to the ball field. She will be the next big star in Heaven. I can see her now; shagging pop flys with Mickey, Ted and all the other greats. She played catch with St. Peter first.

I suspect after all that excitement she would have taken a nap. After that first nap I am sure she woke up hungry and barked at the kitchen door.

My baby is gone, but she is not forgotten. She will never be forgotten. I am sure she will be happy in her new home. I know I am happy for her. She will be missed. She will always be loved. I love you Dottie. I miss you so much already.

2007-05-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

She’s Gone

In her prime she could catch flyballs. I could throw a tennis ball as high as I could. My Dalmatian dog, Dottie, would snatch it, run it back to me and head on back for another throw. She was great at wormburners also. Those are the kinds of balls that skid along the ground, burning the back of the worms in the ground. She once made a Wille Mays over the head catch. Yes, my Dottie was a great player.

Deaf from birth, Dottie compensated for that defect by honing other skills to make up for it. I don’t know if being deaf ever hurt her. I don’t think she would have listened if she could have heard. Dottie has an extraordinary ability to smell things. She also had an uncanny ability to know when you were around even if she had not seen you. She was an amazing dog.

Dottie had diabetes for the last four years of her life. On the end the insulin quit working. Her blood sugar rose to heights off the scale. For the four years though my wife and I gave her two shots per day and she did fine. We did well also. Dottie has lost most of her eyesight by the end. That did not slow her down much. She had the yard and streets we walked on mapped out pretty well. Rarely did she miss a turn or forget to step up for a curb.

I really don’t want to write too much about it all right now. I will do so more over the weekend. I just want to go to bed now and rest. I need to close my eyes and remember my baby in her heyday. I will get on with living and the healing tomorrow.

2007-05-10T02:41:00.000-07:00

Poor Old Dottie; This Hurts, But It Might Be The Day

I have not written about his because it has just been too painful. I have to write about it this morning though. We will have to bring my Dalmatian, Dottie, to the vet. She is just not doing well. The poor old girl just has a plethora of problems and I am afraid they have all caught up to her. This might be her last day. I will let the vet look at her and we might have to make the decision to put her down. I am not going to let her suffer or let her live a life that is too degraded from what she can normally live. I love her and I am not going to let her suffer.

Dottie has never been able to hear. She’s got diabetes and has lost a lot of her eyesight. She was doing good until a few days ago. I just think she is going down pretty fast. She has been drinking plenty of water. She just does not want to eat well. I think her kidneys are failing. So it does not look good for the old girl. She is 12. We have been taking very good care of her. If it’s her time then we are going to do what is right and let her go.

This is tough. Dottie was our first dog baby. She has been a wonderful animal over the years. It is so hard to let them go. I have gotten so attached and love her so much. I will not let her suffer though.

So, it’s time to go. I have to to and check on the old girl. Pray for her if you don’t mind. She might need to go to doggie heaven soon. More later!!

2007-05-09T02:49:00.000-07:00

That Bed Sure Felt Good This Morning

I could have slept a lot longer this morning. As a matter of fact, if a starving cat had not jumped on me I still might be sleeping. I will write this in a hurry and then have to get going. I don’t have much time.

I did not write much last night. I am sending off some stories to Writer’s Relief. They review them and maybe I can get lucky and have them sent on to some agents and such. They are three short stories that will give someone an idea of how and what I write. Maybe I will get luck and get some exposure in the deal. I need and want some.

It will still be warm and a bit muggy. We had a nice breeze yesterday. The temps will range from 74° to the mid-80’s with just a very slight chance of rain.

I will go sign the copyrights to my latest articles at lunch and then get a check. Drinks are on me Friday. If anyone wants a drink just let me know.

I have to run. I have a lot to and a short time to do it. More later!!

2007-05-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

Is This Going Around...................?

A few years back my Dad need bypass surgery to repair 5 blockages near his heart. Even though this is major surgery it is not as rough as it once was. If fact, it is now pretty commonplace in the country and probably the industrialized nations of the world. My Dad did well and has recovered nicely.

After his surgery has was lying in his hospital bed once day. His doctor was going to be off that day. Some other doctor was going to come around and check on my Dad.

This new doctor came in the room and introduced himself. He looked at my Dad’s charts and seemed quite pleased. Dad was really doing well. The doctor asked my Dad a few questions. He was steadily writing on the chart as my Dad talked. All of a sudden the doctor stopped and looked down at my Dad.

He asked my Dad, “Are you from Morganza?”
My Dad answered, “Yes, I am. Why do you ask that?”
“Do you know Karl Dorman?”, the doctor aksed.
“Why yes,” my Dad retorted, “He’s my next door neighbor.”
“Well, he’s in here for the same thing you are. Is this going around the neighborhood or something?”

2007-05-08T02:29:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Thoughts and Commentary

Monday was not that bad a day. It was also not that good a day. But it was one that I could live with. So we will move on to Tuesday now. I will call my Tuesday writing the title above. I think I need a title for each day of the week. That’s what I might do for my regular and normal journal entry.

Tomorrow at lunch I will go and sign the copyrights for my articles for this month’s edition of Amuze. That is always fun. First of all, after the signing I get a little check which is my drinking money. I will have two articles in this month’s edition. I love to see my name in print. I love to see my work in print. It’s just so much fun. Don’t tell the editor, but she really would not have to pay me at all to write what I do. I’d pay her. The magazine is getting better all the time. I just hope I can continue to contribute in my small way for a long, long time.

It will be warm and humid today. The whole week looks like that. I really enjoy nice weather with plenty of sun. We just won’t see much sun for the week. That will be fine though. I can live with that.

My trellis I built for my Morning glories over the weekend is already doing it’s job. The plants are beginning to climb up it. This will form a nice screen and really a fence by the middle of the summer or so. I need to expand it and make sure I continue to do things like that in my garden. Otherwise, the garden is looking fine. My squash are not doing the best. I have many, many blooms, but no squash. I need to figure out what is going on there.

We are having a “debt” counseling lunch tomorrow at work! I wonder if they are going to teach us to get into debt or get out of debt at the thing.

I have time for no more writing. I have to go and feed my starving herd of animals and then move on to getting ready for work, real early work. We broke the record for survery crews working for us yesterday. We had 29 crews which is the most we have ever had. That means things are good. Bye for now.

2007-05-07T01:48:00.000-07:00

You Guessed It; Another Bad Monday

It it another bad Monday after a pretty good weekend.These Monday’s come way too fast. When do I get one off. It will be in a few weeks won’t it. I can’t wait.

The sun came out briefly for about half an hour yesterday afternoon. That was around 5 pm. After being depressed all weekend because I did not see any sun the sun comes out that late, too late to do much, and I get depressed because of that. We won’t see a whole lot of sun for the week. By the weekend we’ll see some if the weather people are correct. We have some chances for rain this week also.

It’s my early week at work. I will open up at 6. I love to do that. I like getting to work early and getting things ready for our survey crews. I will also have to stay later this afternoon. I like to do that also. The extra time spent at work is not fun, but when I get the check in a couple of Fridays it will be fun. So I will go and do my job and have fun while doing it.

I missed work Friday to stay home with my niece. She was sick and really did not feel well all weekend. My wife does not feel well right now. She is not going to go to work today. She needs to stay home and rest. She needs a day just to be here when there is some peace and quiet. She has eight nurses to take care of her, 4 cats and 4 dogs. They are all great when you are sick.They really take care of you.

I want to try to get this week off with some good writing. I’ll write now in this journal and then a few more things elsewhere. I am going to try to get a good writing going at lunch. That will be nice. And then I will grab some time to do so tonight. That is the plan and it will happen. More later!!

2007-05-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

Mr. Sarkozy, The Winner; miss royal, THE LOSER!!

France voted today to turn to the right a bit by electing Nicolas Sarkozy to be president. I don’t know how much of a turn to the right this will be, but it will be pretty significant. A “conservative” in France is probably still a bit to the left of a conservative here in the U.S.. It does give me hope that France may be moving into a more mainstream government.

One thing France can not stand is more Socialism. It has just about killed them. They were dying a slow death. Mr. Chirac, a conservative in name only, steered the country on a path that made things worse. Sarkozy says he is going to undo some things and go in the opposite direction as Mr. Chirac. That remains to be seen. He does have a bunch of legislators to deal with.

France’s 35 hour work week will come under scrutiny. It should. The country has a high rate of unemployment. Output from workers is declining. It’s just not too good for their economy. Mr. Sarkozy might be the man for that job.

Of course, the poor will fuss and do as they normally do. But they would do that no matter who would have won. Their love affair with Royal would not have been long-lived because she could not have possibly given them all they wanted. So I don’t think France is going to be too worried about that segment of their society. That bunch needs to produce more.

This was all interesting to watch. It remains to be seen how much Mr. Sarkozy can do. I think he might be the man for the job. There will be some pain. There will be some tough times for the French. Can they stand the heat in that kitchen? That is the big question. If they can they will be just fine. If they can’t they are in for some tougher times.

2007-05-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

A Fine Sunday Morning

(for all you former and still present writingup.com bloggers; the site is down again)

Yes, it is a fine Sunday morning. I have been up for a bit, but I was up and down several times last night. Most people couldn’t rest like that, but I love it. I went to bed around 9 and woke up several times to check out things on the Internet. I wrote a little bit. I went out with my dogs around 3am. That’s the life for me. I need to do something to make sure I can live it all the time. That’s on me. I need to get on the ball and make it happen.

Yesterday was a nice day. We had clouds all day and that put a damper on my fun. I am solar-powered. I stole that line from a friend, but it’s so true of me. I got out in the garden. Are any of you tired of hearing about my garden? I won’t ever tire of writing about it. So I will give a brief report on the state of my garden.

I made several trellises (or should that be “trelli”) yesterday. One is for my Morning glories that are needing to climb. I made a nice, natural looking trellis for them to climb on. Well, the trellis is natural in general. It’s made of bamboo and string. I also planted some more pole beans seeds and made a trellis for those also. I love to make little structures like that for my garden. I don’t buy those ready made un-natural things to put in my garden.

I planted more cowpeas. The ones that I had planted earlier are doing just fine. They are looking great. My tomatoes are looking good. The cold weather affected them, but I think they will do fine in the long run. They are looking fine. My squash have plenty of flowers, but no fruit yet. Go figure. I will pick more of the green beans today. The butter beans are looking fine. The lima beans are doing nicely also. My basil is not looking good.The cold got to it. I will have strawberries, or at least a few in a week or so. My hot peppers need to be picked. I have some on them. My cilantro will be clipped today. I need to make some pico!

I also raked and picked up some debris to add to the compost pile. Compost piles are so much fun to me! Everyone should like compost piles. I have four around my yard. They are the key to growing more soil and making your garden more productive. So all of you need to get to making some soil.

That’s enough about the garden. I will move on to some other things.

Street Sense won the Kentucky Derby with Calvin Borel riding. At one point, early in this race, Street Sense was second to last. He finished with a great kick and won fairly easily. Borel is from St. Martinville, LA. Louisiana might not be known for a lot of good things, but they have produced some wonderful jockeys.

All the horses, and they are still babies, made the journey around the track without incident. I don’t want to see another Barbaro type thing. An interesting fact is that many Arab sheiks and such come to Kentucky to buy horses, but don’t race them here. They bring them back to the Middle East and race them. One of the reasons why is they don’t generally race the horses over there at such a young age. They wait until they are older.

The Queen was there. The Queen of England that is. She looked pretty good and seemed to enjoy the race. It’s always good to have the queen here.

I could write a lot more, but it’s time to prepare breakfast. I am a pretty good day. Today we are going to have sweet rolls, sausage, hash browns and scrambled eggs. I will write more later.

2007-05-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

I Hate Drive-Thru Lines

Ok, so this morning I wake up happy. I had a great night. I slept well. I got up seveal times to jump on the Internet to see how things were going. I had my dogs sleep with me. Oh, it was just a wonderful slumber. I get up and I decide to go get some breakfast. I get my wife’s order and my niece’s and I head off. I drive up in the drive-thru line and I ......well, I know I am in trouble already.

In front of me is a very large SUV. It is filled with kids. Mom, that’s a soccer mom, is taking the whole pee-wee soccer team to get something to eat and going through the drive-thru. I know I am in trouble the minute she drives up to the order microphone. She begins to talk. She looks at the machine with the microphone. Then her head turns swiftly back to the kids in the back. They are all hollering at one time. She’s hollering at them. They are hollering back. Her head turns back to the mic. She blurts out one thing she wants. Her head turns back to the back of the vehicle. The kids are hollering. She’s hollering. All the while I am sitting back just watching this spectacle.

I am thinking to myself. The people working in the fast food place make minimum wage. Their employers are forced by the federal government to pay them that. Most are not worth that much. What do you think the chances are the soccer mom’s order is going to be correct. Mom couldn’t tell you what she ordered after it was all over anyway. I am just sitting and listening.

Mom hollers out more instructions. She keeps changing the order. The person taking the order is asking questions trying to get the order correct. The soccer mom keeps hollering into the mike and then turning to the back of the SUV to find out what the kids want. This goes on for a few mintues. Finally it seems the ordeal is over. The order, or orders, have been placed. All is quiet. Mom begins to drive forward. I begin to drive forward to finally get my order in. But wait, mom drives forward about five feet and slams the vehicle in reverse. She needs to get back to the order window. She’s not finished yet. I give some ground.

The mike that takes the orders must get activated when a car drives up the correct way. If you back in it must not know you are there. Soccer mom sits for a few seconds. Then she begins hollering for someone to pick up. No one seems to be home. Finally someone opens the mike and ask if they could take “your” order. The lady spouts out more stuff. She never says she’s the same person who just ordered. The order is taken and she drives away.

Now, it’s my turn. I explain what went on. I don’t think the person taking the orders is worried about that. I drive up to the window to pay. It’s pretty early so only one window is operating. You pay and get your order at the same window. Mom is trying to pay. Orders begin coming out of the window. Mom is handing the bags out and kids are hollering again. Of course, the orders are not correct. The kids are hollering. Mom is hollering at the people working. The manager is at the window trying to sort things out. Mom’s debit card did not go through. She’s looking for cash now. Kids are hollering their orders are not correct. I figure my meal will be cold by the time I pick it up. The manager tells the mom to pull forward and they can sort things out.

I drive up to the window. I ask if they understood what I said about the lady backing up at the drive-thru order window. I was told that yes they did. I am handed my order. I get a kids meal with orange juice along with some kind of toy!! I hand it back and tell them that order is for the SUV in front of me. They finally run down my order. It’s correct.

Meanwhile, mom is still hunting for cash. I holler at the manager and ask how much money the lady needs. She needs $4 the guy tells him. I drive up close and he comes up to my truck. I hand him a $5 bill. He looks relieved. Kids are still hollering. Orders are still being corrected. I drive off to go back home with my order. I keep looking back to see when the SUV will drive off. When I turn to go down my street it’s still parked. Maybe I should go back now, it’s been several hours, and see if she ever got it all straight.

I hate drive-thru lines!!

2007-05-04T09:15:00.000-07:00

Sick Day for the Niece

I am at home today with my niece. She is sick. She just didn’t feel well this morning. She rarely misses school. So we stayed home. It is my turn to stay home when she is sick. So I am here and let me let you in on a little secret. She is not a good patient. Ha Ha!! She is just resting and she always need me to bring her something. We’ll be fine. I have to take care of the old girl.

I have been able to play ball with my Suzie Q girl. My other dogs seem to be officially retired from ball playing. It’s cloudy and dreary, but we have gone out to play a few times and have all the fun we can have. We will make a few more trips today just to have fun.

I will try to write some. I have been trying to organize and seperate my writings in groups so I can go in and edit and get them ready to send off hopefully for publication. That is the goal. I will make a trip after while to buy some CD’s to store all of this one. I have CD’s with groups of stories all over. I have to make several and keep them in different places just in case. So I will continue to do that today.

I have gone out and looked at my garden. I think it needs more sun. We have been having plenty of rain which is great. We have just not had enough sun to make the plants grow to their optimum capability. I have picked beans and hot peppers so far so my garden is doing OK, but not great. I will continue to make sure it grows and does as well as it can for the area it is in.

This is an update on how my day is going. I really hope I can write more later. I want to have a great writing weekend and this will be the start of it. I am not in the biggest writing mood, but I am feeling it coming on. Come back and read me later. I will be checking in on and off all day. More later!!

2007-05-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

Retirement and Life Expectancy

A year or so back we were given a couple of papers at work during a seminar. One dealt with retirement and the other with life expectancy. I answered all the questions then. I did not like what I saw. So I am going to revisit the thing and see how I stand now. I want to say right off the bat it does not look pretty.

I did the life expectancy test first. I answered the questions truthfully and to the best of knowledge. After all, I can’t see what’s going on inside my body. What did this test tell me? It told me I died three years ago. A disclaimer at the bottom of the test said if I happened to still be alive I better hurry up and pay my life insurance bill because that condition was not going to last much longer.

So I retook the test. I am not going to say that I did not answer the questions truthfully. I changed some of my answers to some things I was planning on doing in the future to better my health. This result came out much better. I am happy to say that the predicted age of impending demise was up to 67. I was still not satisfied with that.

So I took the test again and answered the questions in a manner that showed I’d start from now and do everything that was needed to be done to keep me healthy. I was really pleased with that result. I am going to live to be 81. I have to quit drinking beer, run 1 mile a day, eat salads the rest of my life, quit chasing young girls, don’t have any fun and pray a lot. I can do all of that!!

Then I moved on to the retirement planning part. I was very surprised to find out the result of this test. If I continue to do the things I am doing now with my money I will be able to retire at the age of 103. If I get that second job like I have planned on doing I will be able to retire at 97. And if my investments return 27.176% per year I will be able to retire at the age of 87. Not to worry there though. I’ll be dead at 81!

I refigured the numbers and I came up with a much better outcome after making a few adjustments to my financial picture. I have to make a few minor modifications and I’ll be able to retire at age 80. That will give me a good solid year to have fun before I die. All I have to do is eat one meal a day (that will help with my weight problem also), walk to work each day, live under a bridge, don’t send my niece to college, quit making charitable donations and don’t travel anywhere.

So all of these things are not hard for me to do. With just a few minor modifications to my life style I will be able to retire at age 80 and live comfortably until age 81. Well,....I just read social security won’t survive that long. I was counting on it. Raise that retirement age to 87. And my best stock just went bankrupt. Let me figure...I can retire at 97 now? What’s that! My former 401K was stolen by the company vice-president. Well, I am back up to 103 for a retirement age. It won’t matter. By that time I’ll have been dead for 22 years!!

2007-05-03T02:41:00.000-07:00

Thursday Commentary

We had a pretty good storm last night. There was plenty of lightning and thunder. It rained some, but not real hard. This was not one of those killer storms that tore everything up. Well, at least not here. We did have some bad weather in this area and around Texas yesterday.

We’ll have clouds early and then a little sun today and tomorrow. The temps will be normal. There won’t be much of a chance for rain. I will check on the weekend weather later on. I hope we can get a little sun.

I have to be at work at 6 this morning. I love to go early. I just don’t like the getting up part. It will all be fine once I get there. I like to get there early and get my crew going. That’s fun.

Our niece got in a bit of trouble at school and I’m really livid. She did not pass the math part of the TAKS, or competency, test in school. She has been going to tutoring. We got an e-mail from her teacher yesterday saying she had taken a bit of an “attitude” in the sessions and was disrupting some of the other students. Of course, she denies this. She may have to be removed from the tutoring sessions. We are going to get to the bottom of this. She had better tell me the truth. I am not happy.

That’s it for me. I have to go and begin to get ready for my early, early day. I will try to write at lunch and again tonight. I am ready to take on the day. More later!!

2007-05-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

Desecration!

This happened while I was in college. I was going to class in the Life Sciences building. The building was eight stories tall and I had a class on the top floor. I walked up to the elevator. As I walked up the door opened and I jumped on. Several people were behind me and I held the door for them. There were several older people dressed nicely, probably instructors, myself and an Indian lady about 30 years old in the elevator. She was dressed in her traditional garb with a long headress on or whatever it is called.

As the door closed I noticed something. My fly was open. There was not much room to move in th elevator, but I was able to turn sideways just a little and zip the thing closed. I felt much better until........the elevator stopped on about the 5th floor and the Indian lady began to walk out of the elevator. Her head pulled back and I kind of moved forward. You guessed it. I had zipped up the end of her headwear in my fly. As she tried to walk out she pulled pretty hard. The head gear started to come off her head. She had to stop before that happened.

At this point several people, or maybe everyone, realized what was going on. They could see I had zipped up the garment in my fly. I was furiously trying to unzip my fly and get the thing uncaught. It would not come loose though. It was stuck. This poor lady made a last lunge and the whole deal fell off her head onto the floor with me standing right behind her with the other end stuck in my fly.

With a mighty tug I got the piece of fabric loose and my fly open. I grabbed the whole headress and tried to hand it to the poor Indian lady. She just looked at me with a sense of horror on her face. All she could keep saying was, “You have desecrated my garment. You have desecrated my garment.” One of the older ladies in the elevator hit me with her purse and hollered out, “Pervert”. What could I do?

Everybody was staring at me. I was standing in the middle of the 5th floor hallway with my fly open and a Gomer Pyle look on my face. Needless to say I did not go to class that day. I just went back home and went to sleep for a bit. This was one of the most embarassing moments in my entire life.

2007-05-02T02:43:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Wisdom

There’s a lot of “wisdom” in these posts you all better read up! HA HA!! You might learn a thing or two by doing so.

There was some thunder and lightning near the area last night, but we had no bad weather. It rained just a bit though. On the radar this morning we have some light rain to the northwest of us. It’s just a small patch. We’ll have most cloudy skies with some chance of rain for the next few days. We won’t see much sun. I don’t like that. Like one of my friends on here said; I am solar-powered.

We had a Lunch Bunch meeting at work yesterday. This is where the various teams at work meet and greet each other. It’s fun and we always have prizes and such. Yesterday the theme was to bring your favorite stuff animal to the meeting. Prizes were given for the cutest, best story and oldest. My best stuffed animal and the only one I would have ever considered bringing is in Louisiana with my niece.

It’s “Mike the Tiger”, the LSU mascot. My Dad bought this Tiger at the LSU gift shop before I was born. I will be 50 in September. Mike will be 50 in August. That would have easily won the oldest prize. It may also have won the best story also. I just don’t think Mike would travel well these days. He rests in a coveted and protected spot in my niece’s bedroom.

Yesterday was not a bad day. I got a lot done at work. Today will be about the same. I am gearing up to go and have some fun!

That’s all for now. I am a few minutes late this morning and I have to make some time up to get my schedule back on tract. I will try to write at lunch today and then again tonight. Enough said. More later!!

2007-05-01T02:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Thoughts and Commentary

I made it through Monday, the very bad old day. Once I got to work it was Ok. Today will be a great day also. I just have that feeling.

We had a terrible rain shower yesterday. The line of showers showed up on the radar screen as a brown\purple color. And that is about as bad as it can get. It rained 2.5” at my house in about half an hour. It was a gully washer. It was a turd floater. We are not in a drought now. We have been getting rain on a pretty regular basis, which is good.

My garden got beat up a bit. That is just the way it is when it rains as hard as it did. Things will be fine out there though. I picked some of my French green beans Saturday. I will have more to pick by tomorrow probably. They are doing so well. I will check on the garden tomorrow and give everyone a middle of the week report.

I had a great writing day yesterday. I wrote early in the morning. I wrote at lunch. And I wrote again last night. I like days when I do that. I can’t write today. I have a lunch meeting. We’ll see how I can do the rest of the day with my writing.

I am going to keep this short this morning. I know it will be a nice day. Enough said. More later!!

2007-04-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

Fortune Tellers; Olmert; Lauer; Gore; And My Views

They Didn't See It Coming!

Ok, so I am watching the NFL Draft Saturday. Some Philadelphia Eagles fans start to boo and show thumbs down on a draft pick. I did not sit to see who it was because that was not really important to me. Sunday I get to thinking about this and go back and check it out. But I found out something much more interesting about Philadelphia in the mean time. The city found an old statue that bars fortune tellers. So the city shuts like 15 or 16 of them down! Naturally all 16 are upset and planning on suing and such. They were all surprised by what went on. Come on! These people were fortune tellers. Shouldn't they have seen this coming?

Olmert; Slammed By Commission

He should be. The Israeli's fought Hezbollah like we are fighting the terrorists and bad guys in Iran. We are trying not to kill too many of them. We are fighting a politically correct war. You are not going to win many like that. Hezbollah kind of dug in, literally. They went underground. If I had been in charge of the war for Israel I would have blasted them to pieces underground. There would be one big hole about 20 miles wide where Hezbollah had been hiding.

"Where in the world is Matt Lauer?"

A headline asks that on MSNBC. I don't know where he is and I hope we lose him. Maybe he will stay lost.

Don’t Normally Pull For al-Qaida, But………….

George Tenet says al-Qaida tried to kill Al Gore! That's one I wish they would have made good on.

2007-04-30T02:22:00.000-07:00

It’s Here Again, Monday!

I swear we had a Monday, well.........last Monday. But it seems like it was only two days ago. How do they come so fast? Why do they come so fast? Oh well, I have to begin my week somewhere and it’s a good time right now. So here I go!

It’s 71° right now. Our high will be in the mid-70’s today. It will be seasonable for the week for the most part. When I checked the radar there is a big blob of green to our northwest. We have a big chance of rain for today and tonight. The chance is 80%. We are getting some much needed rain now after several years of drought. The garden will love this rain.

Work today I am sure will be fun. We are busy at work, but it’s not overwhelming. I guessed we are just “whelmed”. That makes for a nice day for the most part. I think we are going to get very busy in the not too distant future. Those times are not fun, but they happen from time to time.

I wrote a second article for the magazine Friday night and Saturday morning. I had to work quick, smart and fast. I turned out a very nice article. The editor needed some help and that’s what I am here for. I am not the best of writers. That’s why it takes all the little things I do to keep me in good stead with the magazine. I enjoyed being under the gun with a fast deadline approaching. It will be nice to see my name on two articles. That’s going to be something else.

I am going to go now. I have some starving animals looking at me. They are ready to eat and they want it now. I will write more later. I hopefully can write at lunch and then again tonight. I am kind of getting back into a writing mood. Enough said. More later!!

2007-04-29T17:29:00.000-07:00

The Dems, Left, Liberals, Big Media Are Lost!

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty”

Is that a quote or what? Does that not sum up the way I feel about the United States of America?

Old Dick Cheney..........wait, Cheney can’t come up with a quote like that. He’s too dumb. Old W can sure come up.......wait, he’s way too dumb for that. He can’t get that many words out of his mouth at one talking. Well, you know those words had to come from the greatest conservative of all time probably during the battle to bust apart the Soviet Union, Ronald Reagan. Naw, he couldn’t stay up that long. He couldn’t read that sentence without falling asleep.

This is going to hurt the left big time. These words were uttered by the greatest Democrat of all time; no not Bill Clinton, but JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY! Todays left, liberals, big media and Democrats have lost their way. They have lost their will to defend liberty. Our country by extension has lost it’s will to defend liberty, for all! Think about it you leftinistas! You portray this great land as weak and getting ready to throw in the towel. Oh wait, by the actions of your leaders you have already thrown in the towel. We have already lost. That’s pathetic.

2007-04-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Conversations With My Animals

You know if you have animals you talk to them. They are able to understand a lot of what we tell them. We are also able to understand a lot of what the “say”. This writing will illustrate some of the conversations I have with my animals.

With Sam: (she’s 17 and still bad; she fusses all the time, but you have to know her meow’s and what they mean)!

“You’ve got to quit fighting. You are 17 years old. That’s going to kill you one of these days.”
“Sam, it’s 3:30. You have 2 and 1/2 hours before dinner.”

With Pierre’: (our alpha animal; 7 pounds of pure bad, or at least he thinks he is):

“You better get away from the dog food bowl. Charlie weighs 90# and he’s hungry.”
“Come down from there. The reason you don’t have any front teeth now is that you’ve knocked them out from jumping down from that high”.
“Get off the paper. You can’t read. Why do you always lay on the article I want to read.”

B.W.: (our big, big man cat; he’s always hungry):

“You can’t be hungry again. We just fed you an hour ago. We are not going to feed you 15 times a day.”
“You better not bite me. I am just warning you.”
“Quit peeing on everything. You pass up the litter box to go and pee on something.”

Mr. Whiskers: (our outside cat; he just showed up one day!!):

“Where have you been. Look at you. You are all beat up and you missed dinner again. It’s Sunday noon.”
“Where have you been now. Look at you. Why is the neighbor’s dog barking. What have you done?”
“The neighbor is over here looking around. What kind of mischief are you into this time?”

Casey: (a twin sister of Charlie; she’s part dog, part cat and all Casey):

“Casey get up. It’s time to go out. You have to go out and use the bathroom.”
“It’s not inclement weather. It’s only a few clouds. Get you butt out!”
“I know you tore up that pillow. Don’t give me that innocent look. You still have cotton stuck in your mouth.”

Charlie: (my big, big, big man Lab; he’s the sweetest dog you have ever seen):

“Pierre only weighs 7 pounds. Don’t rush the good bowl!”
“You ate some of that pillow also. You still have cotton in your mouth also.”
“Be careful when when you rush the fence. There could be Taliban on the other side.”

Suzie: (our new dog and puppy; a peppy little thing):

“Suzie, we have played ball 8 times today. That’s enough.”
“Suzie! Quit scrimmaging with Pierre’!”
“That’s my pillow. Now, move over and quit hogging the bed.”
“I never thought you’d eat a mushroom.”

Dottie: (my poor old Dalmatian; deaf from birth and now mostly blind):

“Well, it’s no use to tell Dottie anything. First of all, she can’t hear and second, she wouldn’t listen if she could.”
“Come on old girl. Lets go for a walk.”
“My first baby. Come on old girl. Let Daddy give you a hug.”

Sometimes in the morning you have all the animals fussing about breakfast. They are all looking at me, pawing at me and in general, just being a nuisance. They are looking as if to say:

“We don’t tell time by a clock. We tell time by our stomachs!”

You know you talk to yours also. And they understand what you say. And you can be made to understand them also.

2007-04-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

A Short Writing; Magazine Needs Help

I am in a writing mood, but I kind of got short circuited in the deal. As I sat down to write I got an e-mail from the magazine I write for. An article is needed ASAP for the next issue. This is when I am at my best. I am going to jump into the thing and make sure I write a great article in the shortest time possible. I want to be valuable to the magazine in more ways than one.

As many of you can tell I am not the most elqoquent of writers. So I have to make up for it in many other ways. Being able to do some acceptable work on short notice is one thing I can do fairly well. That’s why I try very hard to make things work.

So I wanted to write more, but I have to do. Work has to be done. This is exciting. To be up against a very short deadline gets my juices boiling. Wish me luck. I will check in again when I can.

2007-04-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

Media, Dems, Liberals, Left; They Are Just Funny

Show Me The Mandate

Ok, so they claim they were given a mandate in the last election to do so much. If you are a minimum wage worker you might be a bit ticked off on this whole deal. Where is your money? The Democrats were also going to get us out of Iraq. So they have a vote to seal this deal and it gets 218 votes. The losing side got 208! That was in the House. The Senate vote was 51-46!! The total vote in the Congress was 269-254; hardly a landslide and\or a mandate. That’s 51.43% of the vote in favor of a timeteable.

Now, it does not take a mathematical genius to determine this is not a mandate of any kind. The President is going to veto the bill and the Congress can't override it; neither the House or Senate. So this is just politics by the left. They don't give a rat's butt about our troops other than wanting them to lose in Iraq. Winning is not an option for the Democrats, left, liberals and big media in this country. We have to lose by golly and they are doing their best to make sure that happens.

The vote is so close in the deal, almost split 50-50, that the President holds all the cards in the deal. The Democrats have to do what he wants or they are going to hurt this country more than they already have. And by the way, an overwhleming majority of our Congress voted to go to war, and many, still in the Congress, want to cancel that vote. Well, they can't. If the President of the United States is party to this then these Congressmen are also.

Poll: Deep Skepticism on…………..

Iraq! I would have thought the headline would a have read, "Deep Skepticism on the Media". I mean, they report bad and terrible and worse news all the time on Iraq. You never see good news about Iraq unless someone like Rush Limbaugh brings it to us. Then the media sponsors a poll and says there is skepticism about Iraq. Well, what do you think they were trying to get at. Of course, most Americans are stupid enough to fall for anything and they have proved that in the past few years.

Sheryl Crow; Only Kidding!

Of course, she was only kidding about the one square thing. She really doesn't use any! Do you think if she were kidding about the one square thing she might also be kidding about the whole global warming issue? But Miss David really wants you to unplug your toaster to save energy when it is not in use!

2007-04-26T02:36:00.000-07:00

Need To Change A Few Things; Won’t Be Easy

I have been thinking a lot lately about my writing and such. I really want to be a writer, but I have a regular job that takes up so much of my day. I wake up at 4 am to write. I write some at lunch. I write a little after getting things done in the afternoon at home. I sleep about 6-6 1/2 hours per night. I can’t sleep any less. So something has to give.

In my journal, like this writing here, I have to get away from just writing about everyday mundane stuff in the mornings. Who wants to read that? I am going to have a change what I write somewhat. I have not decided on a final solution to what and when I am going to write about things, but I will begin to formulate a grand plan.

In a few weeks I will take a few days off from work and have a mini retreat to get things rolling. In conjunction with the retreat I am going to go on a juice fast to get my body back in balance. It will not be easy. I have to take control of a few things and this is the way I am going to do it. I will find a program to help cleanse and detoxify my body and try to jump start a few things. That is what I plan on doing and see how I can kick it up a notch in my life.

I can write about the everyday stuff in my little black moleskine book. I will be able to use my writing times for more substanstial stuff. That sounds like a plan to me.

It was a beautiful day yesterday after the clouds cleared. Today will be just the same. It’s 52° right now. I will enjoy today. Tonight will be around 60° and we’ll see a few more clouds.

It’s time to head on to my morning routine. I am ready to do some great work today and then come home to some great fun. Enough said. More later!!

2007-04-25T02:57:00.000-07:00

Big Storm; Nice Now

We had a terrible bit of weather last night. A huge, and bad, storm passed through beginning a few minutes after midnight. This was the same storm that killed a handful of people in Del Rio, Texas. We had a tornado warning for a bit. There was big lightning and thunder. I love a storm at night, but this one was a bit much for even me. I will have to check on my garden to see how it looks. We have some stars right now. So maybe it will be a great day.

It was nice to have our home back. Brother-in-law is getting settled into his new place. We are going to be much better off without him staying here. He needed a place of his own. So this will be nice and good. I am ready for some normalcy in my life.

I am late this morning so I will leave my writing at this. I will not be able to write at lunch because we have a class. I will pick up this evening and write more. Enough said. More later!!

2007-04-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

Rooster’s Take On The News

More Benedict Arnold Reid

Ok, so the guys says the war is lost. I am not going into the politics of the thing here. I am just using some common sense to show how stupid this whole statement is. If you were on that baseball team I mentioned last night with Reid and he made this statement in the middle of a game I'd have zonked him with a bat. He'd have "Louisville Slugger" permanently tattooed to his forehead. But it goes further than that. Do you think a guy who made that statement in the baseball game is going to lead the team to a state championship in football? Do you see what I am getting at? The guy is a loser. He's a traitor. He's just no good. He's anti-American. Don't tell me we can beat a bunch of Third World Wingnuts with the people and equipment we have. We can't, and don't, because of people like Reid and the left in the country; the liberals, Democrats, and overwhleming majority of the big media.

No Time For Petraeus

The general is coming back to Washington and guess what. The House, led by Nutcase, oh I meant Nancy, Pelosi does not have time to hear him. They wont' have time to let him come talk as it stands right now. Is that not amazing? They don't want to hear what he has to say. He might actually mention something about us winning the war. Is the left in the land just devoid or what?

"One-Square Crow"

She just absurd! If she is going to tell us to do this why does she not show us how to do it! She's trying to say she was just joking. She's lying. All the rest of the stuff she says is supposed to be truthful and correct. So why just joke about this? She meant what she said. I'd like her to give us a demonstration on how to do it.

Crow-David \ Rove

They went up to Rove at a dinner recently. It was not a political dinner, but they attacked the guy anyway. They claim Rove treated them roughly. He did not treat them as roughly as I would have treated them in the same situation. They walked out under their own power didn't they? I wouldn't have been so kind. I can't say how much people like Crow and David disgust me. They are cancers on society.

2007-04-24T02:35:00.000-07:00

Oh, Happy Day!!

I think that’s an old Edwin Hawkins Singers song isn’t it? And it sums up my feelings pretty good today. That’s because brother-in-law finally got the go ahead to get his place. He can move in this morning. OH, HAPPY DAY!! Look, I know this was the right thing to do. I know it was right to let him live with us. He would have been out on the street. I have never been so depressed and feeling so bad in my own house. So I am happy. My wife is happy. My big male Lab, Charlie, is surely going to be happy. It’s a happy day.

We are going to have a day with some light rain first and then chance for thunderstorms from this afternoon through the night. I love storms at night. There won’t be much sun over the next few days. I don’t like that. I am solar-powered.

Yesterday was a rough day. Work was terrible. We are getting too much to do. My truck would not start and I had to buy a battery. I got to work and there was no Dr. Pepper in the machine. I even went to the bathroom one time and both stalls were occupied. So it seems that everything I was doing went wrong. But it got better as the day went on. I had a great day writing. So it got better and things will be even better today.

I will cut my writing off at that today. I will write more at lunch and later on. Enough said. More later!!

2007-04-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

The Crazy (and Wrong) Left

Obama and "verbal violence"

Obama talked about "verbal violence" several weeks ago. He was talking about Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the conservatives in the country. I wonder if Obama is going to speak out against Alec Baldwin and the real "VERBAL VIOLENCE" he put out in the phone call to his 11-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER!! I guess it's only violence when a conservative talks.

Benedict Arnold Reid

That's what Rush Limbaugh called him. And how correct is Rush. Think about if you played on some kind of sports team and one of your teammates in the middle of the game stood up and said the fray was "lost". If Reid were on my baseball team and announced in the middle of the game we had lost....he’d have the words “Louisville Slugger” permanently tatooed to his forehead. This shows how the liberals think. Reid is one of the very top dogs for the liberals and in the middle of the game he's saying we lost. If this is not treason what would you consider treason? I'd like to know. So here’s a few defintions of treason:

Treason: Violation of allegiance toward one's country or sovereign, especially the betrayal of one's country by waging war against it or by consciously and purposely acting to aid its enemies.

Main Entry: trea·son
Pronunciation: 'trEz-&noun
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French treison crime of violence against a person to whom allegiance is owed, literally, betrayal, from Old French traïson, from traïr to betray, from Latin tradere to hand over, surrender
: the offense of attempting to overthrow the government of one's country or of assisting its enemies in war; specifically : the act of levying war against the United States or adhering to or giving aid and comfort to its enemies by one who owes it allegiance —trea·son·ous /-&s/ adjective

There's more, but I think Benedict Arnold Reid and the rest of the liberals fit these descriptions pretty well.

Sarkozy and Royal; this should be fun

Royal is a lefty, a real lefty and Sarkozy is a conservative. There's only one question to ask yourself if you are a Frenchman at this point. Can France stand any more Socialism or leftist government. Chirac was not a real conservative, but he was enough of one to be called conservative and things did not work out too well for France during his tenure. Steering any more to the left will leave the country in shambles. We'll see what happens.

2007-04-23T02:39:00.000-07:00

Another One; Those Old Bad Monday’s

It’s here again; Monday. Didn’t we just have a Monday about three days ago. Oh well, at least I am up and trying to get started. Not getting up would not be too good. Well, not getting up because I had a reason to sleep, like being off, would not be bad. Not getting up because I was dead would be another story!

The weather will be seasonable for the next few days. We will have small chance of rain with no a whole lot of sun. The sun needs to shine for me to have really great days. I am surely solar-powered. The lows in the middle of the week will be in the 50’s. We had better enjoy that here. In the next month or so the low’s will be in the 70’s and maybe even low 80’s.

The weekend was just not the best. It’s hard to feel comfortable in my own house with brother-in-law around. I know I have beat that dead horse for the past few months, but that’s just the way I feel. I need to grab hold of the situation. I need to be more upbeat and positive in my life. I did plenty in my garden. I keep adding seeds each week. In that way I can extend my growing season and get the most of my plants over an extended period of time. I will have the French green beans I planted to eat sometimes this weekend. They are looking great. I have squash that are looking fine also. I used a hot pepper from my garden last night to make pico de gallo. So things in the garden are looking up.

That’s all for this morning. I need to have a great day. I know I will. Enough said. More later!!

2007-04-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

Been Down and Out; Something’s Got to Give

This is not good. I have not been doing well lately. And yes, it’s all because of brother-in-law still being here. It’s been just “one more” week for too many weeks now. I need my home back. I need my life back. I need my routine back. My wife feels the same way. This is not good!

I have not been writing as much or as well as I can. I am depressed. I am feeling depressed. I know I am depressed. I may need mental health help in a bit. I think I will be fine after brother in law leaves. That should be soon, but I am not getting my hopes up. I have never felt like this before. And I have been doing better in the past week or so than I was before. I know it will get better. At this stage in my life I don’t need this. I need to be happy and have good things happen to me.

It’s terrible all around. There’s no privacy. There’s no money. Someone has to feed brother-in-law. He eats and drinks a lot. We are already raising his daughter. My retirement place in the Hill ‘Country gets further away each day the guys stays here. This is not good. I don’t know what else to say and do except to ride out the storm. It will be fine. I just need to do what is right and good.

I made a promise to myself to write several funny stories during the coming week. I can do that and it will pick me up. I am going to make sure I start to be more postive and upbeat about things. I am also not going to stress that there is no ice in the icemaker in my icebox because brother-in-law drinks 16 Dr. Pepper’s each day. Ok, that’s all of that. I just need to vent.

I will try to write better stuff and stay on top of things. It will get back to normal and I will be allright. Enough said. More later!!

2007-04-19T02:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday Thoughts and Commentary

I get home from work yesterday and my brother-in-law is waiting for the mailman. He’s waiting for his first Social Security disability check. It did not come. He got ticked off. He called them. He ranted. He raved. He could not understand why I did not understand his anger. Well.....

I finally told him what I thought. First of all when I get a check I’ve already made those two weeks of work and have worked another full week. The operative word in that deal is worked. I could complain if my check did not come. I told him he’s on the no-work free plan so just be happy you will get a check. Plus, he’s staying at my house, eating my food, drinking my drinks, watching my TV! Just hang tight until the check comes. He’s lost nothing. I am not really happy the guy is living with me, but don’t blame the government for not sending your free check.

Simon is happy. A lot of other people are happy. My wife is happy. My niece is happy. Sanjaya got voted off American Idol last night. I don’t ever watch. I just know what I have read and heard from my wife and others. I do know they have some people who are not very attractive on this year. It’s going to be hard to market that. Read into that Taylor Hicks. I don’t think he’s burning it up! I did see the girl sing “Broken Wing” the other night. She’s good and she’s not bad looking.

We will have nice weather again today. It will be cool this morning, warm this afternoon with plenty sunshine. It does not get much better than this.

It’s time to get up. Do you think they are going to be showing anything on the news about the killings at Virginia Tech? It’s on 24/7 isn’t it? Enough said. More later!!

2007-04-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

What’s Wrong With America?!

That's the question the big media is asking. I am going to answer that question right away. The problem with America is the big media and the left in general. Those are some very strong words, but they are ones that I believe in.

Last week the First Amendment was under attack. This week it's the Second Amendment. Why ask the question, "What's wrong with America", when the questions that should be asked are "What's wrong with Imus?" and "What's wrong with Cho?". The only people who did wrong in these instances were Imus and Cho. That's not the question that's being asked though. The rate of murder/manslaughter in this country per 100,000 population is around 5.5. So that means out of every 100,000 people 99,994.5 don't murder or kill in any manner. So why does anyone think America has something wrong with it? There is something wrong with a miniscule amount of the population.

But………….if you try to stand up and say that the miniscule portion of the population who would kill needs some type of help or needs to be institutionalized who would be the first bunch to stand up? You know my answer; the big media and left in general. You don't think we could identify killers such as Cho? He was indentified! A professor referred him to counseling. Cho could not be made to attend. This professor even taught him all by herself. This guy was nuts. He was off kilter. He should have been put away a long time ago. Yet, there are many in this land who would have not stood for that. They would have stood up and defended Cho's right to be nuts and crazy. We see it from time to time. And from time to time we are left with carnage and death like at Virginia Tech.

I think we can easily identify most of the people who do things like Cho did. That's not the problem. The problem is being able to do something about him before he kills, maims and injures. We have to deal heavily with people such as this. Don't champion his cause? Don’t stand up for his right to be a nutcase? Stand up for what is good in America. Stand up for the rights of the 99.9945% of American's who live without killing. It's not hard. It just takes some doing. If you want to champion the causes and rights of a killer like Cho just be ready for some death and destruction every now and then.

Nothing is wrong with America. The problem here are the dummies who stand up for the wrong people. You know who you are. As long as people in this country are willing to do that expect bad things to happen every now and then.

2007-04-18T02:21:00.000-07:00

Hump Day Happenings

It will be a great day here in south central Texas in more than one way. I just know it’s going to be something nice. I am starting to feel better. I am starting to get that positive feeling back into things.

Our weather is going to be very nice. It is 59° right now and we have clear skies. It will be clear all day with a high of around 80°. It can get much better than that. Tonight will be clear with a low around 60°. We’ll have seasonal temps with partly cloudy skies and some chances of rain over the weekend and into early next week. That is great weather.

Brother-in-law will be gone soon. Today he should get his first Social Security check. So even if the housing authority does not come through right away he will have money to stay somewhere; like a motel. We already have one picked out. I want him gone.

Payday is Friday. I have a few extra hours on it. I don’t usually work too much, but I have some extra money coming my way. Maybe we can splurge some in the deal. I am going to make sure we use it wisely.

I have some small beans on my French bean plants in my garden. I love that. I just love it when I can begin to pick produce to put on our table. That makes it all worthwhile.

Nothing earth shattering to report this morning. I will have a great day and then come home to a great night. That is what I like. Enough said. More later!!

2007-04-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

Guys With Ear Problems.............Including Vincent

My brother-in-law has an earache. I imagine he does. His sister, who is my wife, and his daughter order him around all the time. I don’t like the guy, but they do him wrong a lot of times. So I can see why his ear hurts. When a guys ear hurts it’s generally because of some woman giving him grief.

That happens to me a lot. It seems it’s most prevalent during house cleaning. My wife orders me around the whole time. She also corrects me on how to clean correctly. I’d love to tell her if she doesn’t like the way I clean she can do it all, but I thought I might not try that. I notice after I finish cleaning my ears always hurt. I think I have finally put two and two together. That five-spot has really opened my eyes. I see why my ears hurt a lot also.

All guy’s ears hurt for this same reason. Most of us have some woman to tell us stuff all the time. After hearing about all you have done wrong most of the time your ear has to hurt. It’s a really simple scientific explanation. Your ear has good feeling and bad feeling nerve receptors. The good feeling ones do just that. They make us feel good. When I hear the song “Whiter Shade of Pale” the good ear receptors kick in and there’s a party going on in my ear. When my wife starts to berate me because I put the toilet tissue on the holder wrong the bad ear receptors kick in and my ear starts to hurt. That’s as simple as I can explain it.

That’s what happened to Vincent..........Van Gogh that is. History says he broke up with his girlfriend and he cut off his ear.......well, why would you cut off your ear for a woman? He did not want to. After they broke up he wanted to win her back. He tried really hard. But he had to listen to all she had to say. She was just hammering poor old Vince. She was telling him stuff like he was a good painter, but he wasn’t going to get famous until after he died. And she wanted some money and a good life before then. Finally his ear got to hurting so bad he just cut it off and handed it to her. He told her to talk to it. He was in the middle of painting “Starry, Starry Night” and he needed to finish.

2007-04-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

Stuff In The News

Laurie David says uplug your toaster to save energy and other things!
This nutcase is scary. Of course, we all know her. She and Ms. Crow are on the big bus tour helping us out with "global warming". According to these two even blizzards and record cold, which they won't mention, are due to "global warming". David also says we have more CO2 in our atmosphere than in the last 650,000 years. We don't know before that because they weren't keeping records back then!! How does she know this? How does anyone know this? What happened in the past when we had more CO2 in the atmosphere than now? How did that happen? I could puke when I see someone like David trying to speak on a subject she knows nothing about. There was a bit of funny on the bus trip though. Before they were to speak one morning Crow asked David how come the toast was taking so long to cook!!

Cho Seung-Hui - now that's a nut!
I am a bit disappointed in this whole deal. The guy was Korean. This just does not fit the bill of a mass killer. That's usually the domain of white guys. I bet he spent a lot of time with white people!

President Bush is pressing the Democrats for a vote on Iraq
That's one thing the Democrats really don't want to do. All they want is rhetoric. They don't want to actually have to stand up and have a vote on anything as controversial as this war. What are they going to do? Either they vote to cut off funding and America does not want to leave it's soldiers high and dry or they give in to the President. Either way they lose. They are in a tough spot. I mean they have the numbers. It's their game. They can vote whenever they want to. The Republicans can't do anything about it in the House and very little in the Senate. So why don't we see a vote. Any way the vote goes for the Democrats they are going to come out looking bad. The President has the big trump card in this deal.

2007-04-17T02:44:00.000-07:00

It’s Tuesday And I Aint Really Happy

I am not the happiest of campers at this moment. And I just got up. I have my work day ahead and stuff like that. Brother-in-law has just about drove me to the breaking point. Last night was just horrible. My wife had to holler at the guy to just go to sleep. Turn the lights off. Turn the TV off. Just be quiet. I am going to just knock him out shortly. I’d just toss him out, but, again, we have custody of his daughter. She is very worried about her Dad. I am at wit’s end. This is not good. I hope the housing people come through soon. I am so depressed and angry right now it’s not funny.

I hate feeling like this. I need fun and happy. This is surely not that. I have to get back to normal and do all my normal stuff so I can feel good about it all. I have never run into this before and it’s just not good.

Today will be a great day though. I will make sure of that once I get up. I am going to tackle the day with a renewed sense of vitality. I am going to make sure I have fun. I am going to make sure I am positive. I will pick myself up out of this funk.

Better writing will follow tonight. I will write in a more positive tone. I will write another funny short story. It will be better. Enough said. More later!!

2007-04-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

He Just Kind Of Wandered In........

I grew up poor in rural Louisiana. In the country there was not a lot of excitement, but a lot of hard work. There was also 4-H. In the country you just had to be in 4-H. City folk were too cool for a program like that. They had CYO and other programs. None involved animals.

I had my sights set on raising a hog for the 4-H contest in the parish. Visions of a grand hog winning first prize at the parish fair and bringing me untold riches danced in my head. The biggest problem I was facing was that a hog costs money. Money was in short supply around our house. I had a job, but all of my money was used to help feed and support the family. My Dad knew my wishes though and he told me to use my money to buy a hog. He’d help me go and get one.

And get a hog I did. It was a fine looking old fellow. At least that’s the way he looks to me now; many years after the fact. We brought the old guy home and began to “raise” him. I say raise because we did not have the money it took to get feed for a hog. He ate what we did not eat. That was not much for a hog. After the family ate around our house it looked like a swarm of locusts had passed through the kitchen. There just was not a lot of slop for a hog to eat.

My hog grew, but very slowly. The ag teacher at the school passed and shook his head when he saw my hog. The teacher informed me that my hog should weigh about 100 pounds more than he did for this stage in his life. First place was so far off. At the rate my hog was growing I would not even be able to bring him to the contest. He’d look like we had him on a diet.

Then one day I woke up to find my hog gone. I guess he finally figured I can find some better living somewhere else. I had gone out to check on him and he was just gone. I was sad, but I knew he was not having a good life living with us. So I wished him well wherever he had ventured. The 4-H contest was a month away so I did not have time to do anything else. I resigned myself to the fact that this was a great learning experience and next year I would do much better.

One morning, about two weeks later, I woke up and lo and behold, a gigantic hog stood in our yard. I ran over to the hog, but it was not mine. It had just wandered in. My Dad worked off for a month or so at a time so I had no one to help me out. I just led the hog to our pen and put him in. I figured someone would come looking for him.

No one did. The livestock contest was just a couple days away. My Dad had asked a friend of his to bring me and the hog to the show. The guy drove up and marveled at what a nice pig I had. He told me my Dad had told him the pig did not look too well. So we drove to the parish livestock show and fair.

My hog did me well. He made me proud. He came out 2nd place. He was sold for the princely sum of $27. This was a lot of money back then. I did not know what to do. I knew the money should not be mine, but $27 would help the family out a lot. My Dad arrived home several days later. I showed him the $27 and he was quite proud, but also quite skeptical. He saw right through the whole thing. Yet, to him $27 was a lot of money. It was going to become one of those don’t ask, don’t tell things.

The very next day at school we had to go to religion or Catechism class. Back in those days the classes were taught at the public schools. If you were of a different religion you could leave if you wanted or stay and get some Catholic learning. I did some learning that class. The class was about being honest and doing what was right. I knew what I had to do.

I went home and told my Daddy the whole story. He knew it was not my hog, but was not going to say anything. He still had the $27 in his wallet. He also told me Mr. Laverne, who lived about five miles down the road, had lost a very good hog.

“What do you think we should do son?”, my Dad asked
“We have to bring Mr. Laverne the money, Dad. It’s the right thing to do.”

So we drove to Mr. Laverne’s house. I walked up to the door while my Dad stood back a ways.

“Mr. Laverne, I have some money here for you. It’s $27. A fine looking hog wandered by the house a couple of weeks before the 4-H contest. Mine had run away. So I used your hog. He won 2nd place in the 4-H livestock show at the parish fair. This is your money not mine.”

Mr. Laverne looked on with a big smile.

“You are a very honest young man. I am glad I found out what happend to my old hog. I figured he had just run away. I tell you what. You keep the $27. It’s a lot of money, but you earned it for being honest and raising a hog and helping out with another one. So keep it. Your Dad should be proud of you.”

So in the end the story turned out just fine. I gave my Dad $20 of the $27 I had. I kept $7. That was a princely sum back in the day for a young guy. What did I buy myself? Nothing really. I used the money to take my Mom and Dad and my brother to town to see the movies one Saturday night.

2007-04-16T02:41:00.000-07:00

Is It Monday Again and Still A Bit Depressed

How many Monday’s are there in a year? The calendar says 52, but I think there are more than that. At least it feels like there are more than that. We have another Monday to deal with today. I think I am going to have a great Monday. It’s just going to be getting through it and having some good fun both at work and home.

I am still a bit depressed. My wife is also. We had a long talk over the weekend and we both know it’s not good to feel like that. Brother-in-law has really put us in a bad way. The problem is we have custody of his daughter. We’d just toss the guy out, but our niece is scared to death about what is going to happen to her Dad if we do that. It’s all going to end on a good note. I just want it to end quickly instead of lingering on. His first Social Security check is supposed to be here Wednesday. So he will be gone soon one way or the other. I am a bit depressed but I am feeling better.

The weekend weather was great. It was sunny for the most part. Yesterday was grand. I got in the garden and did a bunch of stuff. You can’t beat that. It’s 48° right now. That’s nice. Today will be partly cloudy with a high in the low 70’s. It will be windy. Tonight will be in the upper 50’s with partly cloudy skies and some wind. We’ll have a chance of rain tomorrow with highs in the low 70’s in the area. That’s nice.

It’s time to get ready for work. I am going to have a great day. There will be much work and some play. All in all it will turn out great. Enough said. More later!!

2007-04-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

Here At Last............Friday

It’s finally here. It seems like Monday was such a long time ago. I am ready to have a great day and then drink a few beers after work. That’s the plan right now.

Today will be mostly cloudy and in the low 80’s. We will have mid 50’s tonight with a chance of some strong storms. The weekend looks nice, but it will be cooler and with plenty of wind. That’s the weather outlook.

Tonight after work my drinking buddy and I will go out to the park and have a few beers with the guys. This is something we used to do all the time, but got away from. So we will have some fun there and then I will go home and have a good night at home. That’s the plan for today.

I have much to do over the weekend. I will have to work a bit. I want to get in the garden some. I have to finish my taxes. Yes, we owe! I want to cook some, barbecue at least once. That’s the plan for the weekend.

I won’t write much this morning. The Internet is too slow. I will catch up over the weekend. Enough said.

2007-04-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

Big Man Charlie Does Not Like Brother-In-Law

Charlie is my big-man, male, Laboratory Retrieving dog. He’s about 90 pounds of real dog. He’s about as docile as an animal can get. Well, except, for when my brother-in-law is too close to him. Brother-in-law has been living with us for a bit now. I guess Charlie can sense the wife and I are stressed to the max. Charlie is smart enough to figure out that the only new thing around is brother-in-law so he must be the cause of our angst.

Charlie wants to eat brother-in-law. He knows he can’t, but he can wish can’t he. The first sign of this was when brother-in-law fussed at and hit, lightly, our newest dog, Suzie. Suzie came running in the room where Charlie and I were. She was somewhat scared and had her feelings hurt. Charlie knew just what to do. He came to check out Suzie to make sure she was all right. When he was satisfied that she was fine he took off down the hall heading toward brother-in-law. I stopped him, but the deal was on then. Charlie has been eyeing brother-in-law with a wary eye since then.

One night brother-in-law and my wife were discussing his Social Security deal. Brother-in-law got animated and loud. I was taking a shower and could hear him. When I pulled back the curtain after the shower my big man was just sitting by the shower. He had that, “can’t I just eat him” look on his face.

Last night, I was sleeping with my two labs, Charlie and his twin sister, Casey, and Suzie on the futon in our extra bedroom. About 3 am brother-in-law got up to get some ice for a cold drink (he does not sleep at night). He pushed the lever for the ice to fall in the drink. I was sleeping very close to Charlie. When Charlie heard brother-in-law he growled that low growl a dog uses from time to time, “Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr”. I told him to calm down. He wan’t on duty at that time of night.

Don’t even ask about Casey. She does not bark or growl or otherwise let on to her feelings about brother-in-law. I know her though. If her brother, Charlie, is not in favor of brother-in-law, then Casey is not either. Casey would not waste time growling and snarling though. If she ever got enough she would just go on and eat brother-in-law.

My dogs are the most docile animals in the world. So you know how sorry brother-in-law must be for them to want to eat him. They know they can’t though. They can still wish!!

2007-04-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

Global Warming,Crimus Imus,Iran,Birkhead,Katie,Nappy Headed Ho

Global Warming Wacko's

The global warming crowd is sure they are correct. They have "science" to back their theory up. They also have Al Gore. What more could you want? You know what I'd like. I'd like a better forecast for April 18,2007; one week from now. How can this global warming bunch tell me what it's going to be like on April 18, 2040 when they can't predict with much accuracy what's going to happen next week? They are wacked out. My brother-in-law is a bit wacked out in the head and so are these global warming alarmists.

Crimus Imus Update

Like six people listen to him! I have listened to all the talk shows and such. A few people on our local talk shows had never heard of the guy before this episode. Yet, they are experts now. He interviews all the big media types and politicians, people like Chris Matthews and such. And now they make like they don’t even know him. The big media makes like this guy is a big deal and he's nothing in radio. You want to see something in radio. Check out Rush Limbaughs audience! Check out the ratings. And why can all the minorities and such get away with calling women "nappy headed hos", but Imus can't. If Shoepick Toothpick can use the term Imus can to. No foul. No harm. No problem. Besides, if you don't like the way Imus runs his show don't listen to him which most people don't do anyway.

Another Iran update!

The headline reads "U.S.: Iran training Iraqi bomb makers". Has it occurred to you liberal wingnuts that Iran has already declared war on us. I'd say they did almost 30 years ago when they grabbed our hostages. Today they thumb their noses at the UN and the world and continue to do what they want. Wake up everyone. War has already been declared on us. That's why Ol' Roosters plan calls for nuking the Iranians.

Birkhead Bananas!

Larry Birkhead, the father of Anna Nicole Simpson's baby, was just as happy as he could be yesterday to find out he fathered the child. You would have thought it would have been a bittersweet moment for him. I mean he might have the baby, but he does not have the mother anymore. Yet, he was all happy. I think the first words he uttered when finding out he was the father were, "Show me the money".

Oh Yea, Katie Copied!!

Katie Couric seems to have "lifted" some words from a Wall Street Journal column. You can read the story below and see for yourself.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18046837/site/newsweek/

You ask why would someone of Couric's stature do this. She was sure to get caught. All of these leftist, liberal idiots in our media are pathological. Couric can't help it. Well, if you read the article you will see Katie is really not at fault. Even though the show is called "Katie Couric's Notebook" she really doesn't write the stuff. A producer was fired for "writing" the stuff. What does Katie actually do? I know. Based on her solid performance as a newsperson she has led CBS to third (and that's last) place in the news wars!!

You Wanna See A Real "Nappy Headed Ho"?

Try the woman who ruined the lives of the three Duke lacrosse players plus the coach and really the rest of the team after their season was cancelled. These three white guys were presumed guilty and it was all because they are white and the "victim" was black! Pure and simple. No evidence against them. Just pure hate. This was a hate crime against these three white guys. Call it what you want, but Ol' Rooster is calling that like he sees it. The woman who leveled these charges should be dealt with harshly. Lying and ruining these guys lives is not a light matter. So I repeat again; this liar is a "nappy headed ho".

2007-04-11T02:26:00.000-07:00

Hump Day Hallucinations

I figure if it’s good enough for brother-in-law it’s good enough for me!

Today is going to be gorgeous. The forecast calls for abundant sunshine! It’s clear right now. The temperature is 58°. It will go to 81°. That’s all I need to hear.

I will go in to work early. I like that. It’s clear and cool. I will get a lot done today and have a great day.

Paolo Nutini - that’s the name we are seeing each and every day on the MSN opening page when I open the Internet. I clicked on the song that’s supposed to be his signature offering. He sings pretty well, but he sounded like he had a rock in his shoe! At least we saw him on the page and not the Dixie Chicks.

My garden is growing well. I had some damage from the freeze over the weekend, but I will just have to plant more stuff. I can salvage most of the plants I think. I will not get out until the weekend and make a big determination of what to do.

That’s all I have time for. I will make sure I wrote more and better later.

2007-04-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

It Was All Relative To The Cost Of Beer!

A long time ago I was sitting in Calculus class. The instructor handed us a test back and I had made a fair grade. I was confused about question #10 on the test. So I asked the teacher about the question. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Where did question #10 come from?
Instructor: That one came right out of the book. Did you not study that part of the chapter?
Me: I don’t even have the book!
Instructor: Why did you not buy the book?
Me: Well, it cost $80 and I did not want to spend that much money. Do you know how many beers you can buy with $80?
Instructor: But you have to have the book!

That was my thinking way back in college. First of all the book contained 3 classes. I knew I was not going to be able to pass all three calculus classes. So it would have been a waste of money to buy the book. I figured if I would pass any of the classes without the book it would be the first one. I did not need the book to pass that class. I would have been taking away from my beer drinking money and I could not do that.

Back then everything I did was all relative to the cost of beer. Let’s just say beer was my “benchmark”. Any purchase had to pass the beer test. Let’s look at some examples: (beer cost 50 cents in those days)

It’s Thursday night and I have $10. How did I handle that? Well, if I had enough food in the refrigerator I had no problem. I would eat at home and then go out and drink 20 beers. If I had to eat I had a bit of a decision to make. I would have taken $5 and gotten a Big Mac, fries, and a drink. The other $5 would have gotten me 10 beers.

It’s time to go home; an hour’s drive. I have $4. I could have used the money to buy gas for the car. It would have gotten me about 11 gallons back then. I could have driven home and back easily for $4. Nope. That’s not what I would have done. I would have used $2 to buy gas for the car. I would have been able to get home one way. I would have bought 4 beers which would have been one drink every 15 minutes. My Mom would have filled my car up for me to get back to school.

I am at the grocery store. I have $40. Groceries for the week including a case of beer would cost me about $45. The problem is 24 beers won’t last the whole week. I need two cases of beer. No problem. I buy two cases of beer and cut down on the food. I figure I can drink my dinner for a couple of nights.

So as you can see by these examples everything I did back then was relative to the cost of beer. I still do that somewhat today. If you don’t use this system try it. It’s makes good economic sense.

2007-04-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

Made Some Changes To My Template

I took some time here at lunch to make some changes to my template and the way it looks. No more bold, old black and white stuff for the Rooster. I'm going color. I am going to jazz it up a bit. So come back to check out more later on. You need some of the wit and wisdom I am going to put on these pages.

2007-04-10T02:21:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Morning Thoughts

The usual old bad Monday was not quite as bad as normal. Neither of my teammates at work was there so I had the day to work at my leisure and get some things done. I worked at a good steady pace all day and got plenty done. That was very nice. It was just good to be away from home. That is strange, very strange, for me to say that. With all that has been going on around here it was just better to be at work.

Brother-in-law went down to the Social Security office yesterday. They called my wife immediately. At least they could tell brother-in-law was not the person to be talking to. The gist of the whole conversation with the Social Security people is that they don’t know anything. Yes, brother-in-law has been approved, but that’s about th extent of their knowledge. My wife asked if she could talk to someone who knew what was going on. Let’s just say she never did. So we know brother-in-law will be some benefits soon, but no one is exactly sure when that will be.

I know he has to go soon; very soon. You can’t live with a crazy person in your house. You just can’t. My big male lab, Charlie, is subject to eat brother-in-law at any time. He has had enough of the erratic behavior from the guy. Charlie knows not to get out of line, but he wants to and I can’t blame him.

It’s been an ordeal having brother-in-law living with us. It can’t go on much longer. Well, I guess it could, but the “us” part would not be part of the deal. I’d sure be gone. So we will see what happens in the next few days. His social worker is supposed to bring him somewhere to look at places to stay.

It is 54° right now. Our high today will reach 80°. We will have AM clouds and PM sun. The sun part is music to my ears. We have fog right now which is does not happen very often here in Texas. I will take the sun.

That’s it for the morning. It’s my early week at work so I don’t get to write as much as I like. Enough said. More later!!

2007-04-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Pelosi Punchless; Crimus Imus; Iranium; Torture

Nancy, Nancy, Nancy!

Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives, made a trip to the Middle East recently. I called her a traitor. Now, I find she's a liar. She told the Syrian leader that the Israelis were ready to talk peace. Well, Mr. Olmert, the Israeli leader, quickly denied that "fact". You see, to Pelosi "fact" is her opinion. Even though the Israelis said no such thing she just made it up and reported it to the world as "fact" when clearly it was not. How dangerous is Pelosi? You would think she is very dangerous, but she really is not. Everyone knows she's nothing but a clown. Syria played her for a fool. That bunch of no-goods would do anything to make the present Administration look bad and make it look like they are in the mainstream of things. She took that bait.

Crimus Imus!!

You would have thought this guy committed the biggest crime of the century when he called Rutgers basketball players "nappy headed hos". He's been apologizing since he said it and is still apologizing now. He has met with the rev sharpton and probably apologized again. I would not apologize on a deal like this. Rappers use terms like this all the time and it's called entertaiment. Well, Imus is an entertainer. So in my book what he said was just entertainment. He's weak to apologize for saying what he did.

Iran, Iran, Iran…….. Nuclear, Nuclear, Nuclear

Iran is "expanding" it nuclear process. This comes from their President Ahmadinejad (the MAD in there is correct). How long are we going to sit back and allow them to process uranium. They are going keep dong this until they are taken care of. I am still willing to invite them to talk about it all. I will send the invitation on the tip of a very large bomb. We should just go ahead and nuke 'em. That's all they are going to understand.

Iran "tortured" British soldiers…..yet, our left is silent.

Very silent is our left is about the "torture" of British soldiers captured by the Iranians. As much as the left, liberals, Democrats and big-media decried our torture of Iraqis a while back I would have thought they would have really jumped up and down about the Iranians torturing these British soldiers. I guess I was wrong. Maybe in the left's eyes only the U.S. can do wrong!

2006-05-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

Random Ramblings

These are just various and sundry thoughts on what is going on in my world right now. Some are irreverant and others are not. Some might just be WAT’s (Wild A--Theories). My wife says I have plenty of them.

My opinion piece in the local paper, which is a pretty big paper, got some good press. I was only saying that we will have to deal with Iran at some point or another. I did it tongue-in-cheek and most of the people who don’t agree with me on the subject thought it was a pretty good work. I hope I can write more. One of the reasons we better deal with Iran is because there is one bunch who will take care of them if things get too bad. I did not even approach that subject. Who might that be? That would be the Israeli’s. We better keep them out of the fray. They fight to win!!

We had class at lunch today. It was Ok, but not great. We had one girl from our group who talked for most of the time. She was well-organized and gave a great presentation. I was impressed. Well, I kind of like this girl to start off with so I would probably be impressed with most anything she did. But she did a great job. After her, one of our “professional” guys gave a short talk\demonstration. He was not the best. He doesn’t prepare for his classes. So it was OK, but not great. We did get a free meal, but it was from Chick-Fil-A!!

Everyday it’s getting to 90°. That’s hot, but that’s the way it is. We’ll have this weather for a long, long time. Also, we are having trouble getting rain. I have my rain-dance gear ready. That means the garden is not doing the best. I will have to watch it closely and water it. Most of my plants are doing OK though, but they would prefer rainwater.

In a discussion at work today someone asked if I thought of my animals as people. What do you mean think of them as people. They are people. I even write stories about them being just like real people. At the last Olympics we won every single gold medal given out. The most amazing performance was by my tuxedo cat, Pierre’. In the 70-m ski jump he jumped in Italy and landed in Switzerland! The officials wouldn’t even let him on the 90-m hill.

The price of gas went down five cents. I sure hope they don’t want to cut out any or all of that $100 they are planning on giving us. I wish we could have some honest discussion on the profits the oil companies make. Yes, they make massive profits from a dollar standpoint. Everyone mentions that. They also make ultra-massive revenues. Their profit margins are not that high. Why doesn’t anyone call my bank to task? They charge very high interest rates on loans and credit cards, but pay near zero percent to me. I’d like to see them have to answer some questions.

It’s mayhaw season back home in Louisiana. My family is harvesting the berries for wine, jelly, and syrup. My brother can make it all for you. The rest of the family does their part also. I miss out on that.

I will continue these ramblings later. I will post this and move on to other fun things. Like sleep after a trip out with my dogs for a last walk. They are people also. Casey once won the Tour de France. She rode the whole 2,400 miles in one day. She averaged a little over 100 mph. She rode down the street to the finish line. The presented her with a trophy for her victory along with a check. She tore the check up and strode over to the River Seine where she flung the trophy and her bike into it! You would have to know my Casey to understand that story. More later!

2006-05-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

GOP can’t buy much for $100!

Man, these guys need to learn to pander. You can’t buy much for $100. I am originally from Louisiana. I have stated many times something I heard in a Louisiana History class; “most states tolerate corruption, Louisiana demands it”. So why didn’t the GOP find an old-timey political boss from Louisiana and learn how to buy people off.

First of all the math is all wrong. I have a small truck. It costs me $30 to fill up and I fill up once every two weeks. So I spend $15 per week on gas. An official from the Administration said these high gas prices could be around for three years. So why low-ball me by giving me $100. It needs to be more like $2340. That’s how much I will spend in three years at the present cost. We can revisit the money if the prices rise. But don’t play me for being stupid. I might be kind of stupid, but I ain’t that stupid.

Then the GOP needs to learn to use props when they suggest a program such as this. Go on site and give us some dramtic footage of what you mean to do. Like, show up at the bank and have a few Congressman and Senators giving out money to people who pass buy. Explain to the world that this will be you in a very short time. Don’t let the Democrats gain all the leverage on the issue. The GOP has the upper hand here. The Democrats don’t have any money to give away for such a program. They use their money to keep their base in line.

Also explain the program in terms we all can understand. Don’t give us this “you have to pay taxes to get some money back”. What kind of program is that? Just give the money to everyone. Make sure you are seen advocating giving it away to people who don’t pay taxes at all. Be fair to all Americans.

Make sure Rush Limbaugh is your point man. He might be a little high, but even being high he’s a good man to have on your side. He can reach a lot of people. If he has any of those pills left over maybe they can be sold for extra money to give away also.

Take pages out of the Democratic playbook, but not from recently. Go back about 50 years and try some of those tactics. It worked for a lot of years for them. I don’t see why it can’t work now.

And most of all; try to look concerned. This is poor America here who is getting raped by big and bigger oil. When you get on TV have that “look”. The “look” is one like Bill Clinton would have when he spoke of poor people, or Chuck Schumer when he panders to his base. Look pained. Look like you have constipation. Sit and stand in a strain.

Come on GOP. If you are going to pander to us voters learn to play the game. I am a bit insulted by $100 and I am a good Republican. Up the ante a bit. Promote your agenda using props. Make sure we all get a piece of the action. Hire a good point man. Steal plays from the other team. And most important of all, look like you are concerned. After all, it’s my money you need to give back to me.

2006-04-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

Looney Clooney; At Least He Means Well

George Clooney recently took a trip to Darfur along with his father to draw attention to the plight of the people of Darfur. I have to give George and his father some credit here. They went alone. There were no escorts to help them out or protect them. If you follow the news though you know about Darfur. It did not take George Clooney and his dad to bring this situation to light. It has gone on for a long, long time. Much too long.

An interesting part of the filming in the area was the conducting of the interviews with the local people. Clooney’s dad interviewed some of the locals. He asked his questions in English and the locals listened and began to answer in a native tongue which was then translated for the viewer into English. I found this very interesting.

Clooney also took part in a rally today that was supposed to spur the White House to action on the problem in Darfur. Well, as well as that may be Mr. Clooney took his rally to the wrong place. Washington has done more than it’s fair share of giving aid and comfort to the people of the region. Could we do more? I am sure we could, maybe. But lets look at some facts and figures before we jump on the good old USA once again.

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP), based in Rome, said it was slashing the food rations for more than six million people in the Sudan in half. The reason is donor countries have quit giving money to the organization. The annual appeal for the area is $746 million. To date only $238 million or about a third of the money has been received for the program. Of the $238 million, the United States has given $188 million, or 79% of the aid. Italy was the only major European country to contribute so far giving $1.2 million.

What? No France, or Germany, or Great Britain, or Spain, or any of the other major European countries. It seems Mr. Clooney should have taken his appeal to Europe. The good old USA is doing it’s part in the deal. Many of our critics from Europe don’t seem to be holding up their end of this deal. And the rest of the world can’t be doing very well either. They have contributed $50 million to this dire situation.

As usual the United States will bear the brunt of the criticism in the whole mess. But we are doing a great job, as we always do. I give the President a lot of credit in this deal. He has held up our end of the bargain. That’s more than the most of the rest of the world can say about the deal, especially the Europeans. In times of need, of any kind, the United States of America always does what is right.

2006-04-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

How Will The Left And Democrats Spin This Good News

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12529451/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12495804/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12494555/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12478734/

U.S. economy rebounds strongly in first quarter
New home sales see biggest gain in 13 years
U.S. durable goods orders surge in March
Consumer confidence highest in 4 years

The four headlines above correspond to the links I have above in this piece. How do you think the Democrats and left will spin this bit of good news. Do you think they will embrace the fact that our economy is pointing up and doing great? Do you think they will say it’s good news for Americans that good economic news continues to pour in from all quarters? No, they will not. That’s because then they would have to admit George W. Bush’s policies are working! And yes they are working. And they are working pretty well by all measures.

If you read the pieces the “experts”, “analysts”, and whoever had predicted something much worse than actually happened. They have been wrong now for about 60 months in a row. How can these people be experts on economics if they never get the economic news correct? I will bet they are all lefties and hate George Bush!

The whole country should hail great economic news such as this. I know I do. A rising tide raises all ships. The left won’t and can’t agree with that. They should be happy. What will we get from them. I will bet they will whine, moan, and complain about the whole deal. And why are they doing that. Good news about our country is bad news for them. They just can’t stand to have good news come out of the deal. They need bad news to enhance their position to get back in power. Good news is awful for them. What a way to be? The left has to be miserable most of the time. When bad news is good and good news is bad you are just a pretty pathetic group. And I think that hits the nail on the head for the Democrats and left in general.

Oh yea, I will hear the chorus from the left. Just keep to the facts here. Tell where any of this news is bad. Tell me you are happy to see some economic policies working. Tell me the “experts” were wrong again and George W. Bush’s policies are working. The numbers sure don’t lie.

2006-04-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

Government Is Not Going To Bring Prices Of Energy Down

The whole country seems to be in turmoil over gasoline prices. Oil companies makes billions of dollars profit on staggering amounts of revenue. Banks and credit card companies rape up with interest rates and get away scot free. No one questions their 25% profits. Water bills go up in most places along with electricity bills and other utilties much faster than our incomes grow. We all complain, mostly about the gas companies, but nothing will change until the people change it. Government is never going to change things such as this.

The Democrats claim they are a friend of the little man, but they have yet to do anything to help out I have seen. They were in control of the Congress for many years, most of the time in sole possession, and they never did anything to amount to a hill of beans. They will talk and beat their chests like they are doing now, but they don’t ever say anything of any substance. They won’t lift a finger to help anyone out. They only want to get back in power. They will not float a plan to bring energy prices down. They want people to get mad at the Republicans and vote them out of office so they can get back in power. They could put forth a plan right now to drive down prices and win a big majority in Congress in the next elections. They can’t because they don’t have a plan. Never had! Never will!

The Republicans let the thing ride. They lose the battle on the publicity front all the time. Of course, about 90% of the media is against them, but they could do better in getting what they are going to do across. They are in power. They need to call the shots. They only react to what public opinion says. They get caught with their pants down most of the time. They are no better than anyone else in fixing our energy problems.

As an electorate we need to throw the bums out of office. We need some good energy plans that allow the common man to take advantage of alternative energy sources. Tax policy needs to accompany these plans. Wind, solar, hydro, and whatever else needs to be on the table. Let’s give the people something on invest in and change the way we use energy. We need to screen the candidates closely and elect people who follow the will of the people who elect them. Until we do that.....we’ll pay out the nose, and gas tank, for a lot of stuff.

2006-04-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

Cal-Berkeley: More Of A Threat Than Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia

At the liberal bastion of whatever in California two psychologists, Jack and Jeanne H. Block, tracked nursery school kids for 20 years. They analyzed their findings and proclaimed that liberals were happier than conservatives and the study gave us more insight into the makeup of liberals and conservatives. Several other studies mentioned in the article with this one showed just the opposite.

First of all, these children still had to be very young even after 20 years of study. At this age most of us would tend to be much more liberal than when we get a bit older. But that is just my opinion. It happened to me and some of my family and friends so I think that might be the case.

The study said conservatives were, “easily victimized, easily offended, indecisive, fearful, rigid, inhibited, and relatively over-controlled and vulnerable.” These traits can be found in all the great conservatives I know! Rush Limbaugh, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, to name a few, had these traits. The study went to to say these kids were likely to develop troubled personalities. The professors also described conservatives as “uncomfortable with encertainty.....constricted in their behaviors, judging self against conformist norms, and moralistic.”

What? How off base can a study be. Come on people. This study is about as big a bunch of hogwash and bull as I have ever heard about. Cal-Berkeley is one of the biggest threats to the country that exists. The education students get at this so-called university is of dubious value in my estimation. This university poses a bigger threat to our great land than Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia combined.

2006-04-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

When Andrea Bocelli Sings, I Cry!

There is no way I can hear that heavenly voice and not be moved to tears. I will never pass a radio station, or a TV program, or any other type of media when I hear Andrea Bocelli singing. He moves me that much. His voice has to be the best in the world. I know there are many fine singers in this world. But I don’t know if any compare to him. He is awesome.

2006-04-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

It’s The Democrats As Usual; Whine, Moan, and Complain!

Instead of offering concrete plans to bring the price of gasoline down the Democrats resort to their age old bag of tricks. That is to whine, moan, and complain.

Here’s some exceprts from MSN.com:

Democrats hammer at Bush

Still, Democrats are hammering Bush and his Republican colleagues for failing to come up with a strategy that would cut prices soon. They hope to harness voter anger over the trend and, by Election Day, turn it against the Republicans who control Congress.

In an April 20 memo to candidates, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recommended that Democrats running for Congress "hold an event at a gas station . . . and pledge that, as a member of Congress, you will fight for families in your district, not the oil and gas executives for which this Republican Congress has fought so hard."

Notice the words, “hope to harness voter anger”! They are not planning on offering any plan to counteract the higher price of gasoline. They just want the voters to get angry at the Republicans and vote them back in power!! They are going to “fight for families”, but they never mention how. That means they are going to get on all the media they can and whine, moan, and complain and feel your pain.

Has anyone ever thought of this? I know a sure fire way the Democrats can get back in control in November. They could win about 90% of the seats in Congress. They could force the President to resign the day after the election. How can they do that? Why wait until November to bring the prices of gasoline down? The Democrats could put forth their plan and bring the gasoline prices down to about $1.50 and win the whole world over.

You know why they are not going to do that? They don’t have a plan for gasoline prices. They don’t have a plan for anything. All they want to do is whine, moan, and complain. They have perfected that. It’s an art form for them.

2006-04-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Democrats Pressure On Gas Prices; & I Want That Republican Rascal!

The headline read, “Democrats Put Pressure On Gas Prices”. Man, I thought that was a good thing. I mean I own stock in an energy company. When I read the article though they want to keep prices down. Imagine that! They didn’t say how they plan to do so. I think they know it’s just attention grabbing. No, the Democrats wouldn’t do that.

And the Dems have finally caught on to the game. First I want that card carrying Republican rascal that let the cat out of the bag. It’s a widely known fact in America that Democrats pay more for their gas. That’s a fact that can’t be denied. Republicans pay less for their gas. They must. The Democrats seem to think they are the only ones affected by the rising gas prices.

There is a formula, The Gas Formula, the GOP uses to calculate gas prices for their members. It goes: RGP= DGP - 75 cents! RGP stands for Republican Gas Price. DGP stands for Democrat Gas Price. So as you can see if you are a member of the Republican Party you pay 75 cents less per gallon of gas. It would be better for all you Democrats to join the Republican Party. You could at least save on gas and maybe even be on the winning side of a few elections.

So now the GOP has been found out. High gas prices don’t affect them as much. They get a break based on The Gas Formula. I still need to find that dirty Republican rascal that let America on to this.

2006-04-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

Those Gas Prices Keep On Rising; Great!

People act like all they can do is whine and moan about gas prices going up. There are plenty of strategies that one can use to take advantage of the prices going up or at least keep yourself from paying too much for gas. I guess it’s easier to bitch about the whole thing. It’s someone elses fault then.

The easiest way to take advantage of the rise in gas prices is to buy stock in the companies that sell the product. That would seem to be the most logical way to capitalize on this situation. One could also trade in and get a smaller car thereby using less gas. People could carpool. That’s a good idea. You could ride the bus. That’s a good one.

I buy stock in a large energy company. I have been rewarded handsomely. It’s not hard to do and I use some of my 401K money to do so. You don’t have to complain. You can do something about this.

The United States has not allowed a refinery to be built in a very long time. The oil and gas industry is so highly regulated that a refinery would be much too costly to build. Even if an energy company decided to take the plunge to build a new refienry can you imagine the uproar from the enviromental crowd? The refiners have invested billions of dollars in upgrades and new technologies to get more out of the refineries they have online right now. At some point they want their investment back.

The price of a barrel of oil may fluctuate a bit, but high prices are here to stay. And demand continues to grow. So there is little hope of prices ever going down, at least in the near future. As China and India and other developing countries use a greater share of the world’s oil the price will continue to rise. If the United States does not keep pace there will be a day when we won’t be able to get all the oil we need to run our country.

High prices are here to stay. There are many factors that drive the market. Bashing the oil companies may make us feel better, but it does no good in solving the problem of high gas prices. There are things we all can do to take advantage of high gas prices. There are things we can do to help ourselves use less gas and save money. They require action; not whining and crying.

2006-04-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

Today was our 12th Wedding Anniversary

It does not seem like that long. Twelve years ago my wife and I stepped in front of family and friends and promised to love and cherish each other for the rest of our lives. The promises we made that day ring true these few years later.

I still love my wife with all my heart and soul. She is the reason for my existence. My heart beats for her. My every move and action is for her. I could not live without her in my life right now. That is being very dependent on a single person. But that is the way it is.

Have there been tough times? You can bet there have been. They don’t bear mentioning here, but everyone can rest assured we have had some monumental problems. Yet, our love has been strong enough through it all to last, and flourish. We will still be loving each other for years to come. There is no doubt about that. And we will still be married.

I guess the easiest way to get across what I am trying to say about our marriage is this; if I had to do it all over again I would jump in head first like I did twelve years ago.

2006-04-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Donald Rumsfeld: Maybe He Thought The Situtation Was In Hand!

So much anger and ire have been directed at Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as of late that it makes me begin to wonder. Just what makes this one guy the culprit of all that is wrong with our military in Iraq. It seems the left in general, the liberals and Democrats, have made Mr. Rumsfeld the whipping boy for the whole affair in Iraq. To be sure there have been many, many things that have gone right. Our media, for some reason, does not want to tell us that part of the story. They sure like to beat a guy if they have a chance though.

On the talk shows, TV news shows, newspapers, and Internet, Mr. Rumsfeld has borne the brunt of the criticism on the handling of the war in Iraq. While Mr. Rumsfeld has made some mistakes, as all Secretary’s of Defense do, he should not have to bear the burden of all the mistakes the military has made in Iraq.

A few frequent questions that arise have me wondering. The critics ask why did he not ask questions or do something when the munitions depots were being raided or the National Museum was being plundered by the Iraqi’s. While there may be no easy answer to these questions, I have a few thoughts on just what Mr. Rumsfeld might have been thinking.

Is it too far-fetched to think the Secretary may have thought our Armed Forces had the situation under control? Mr. Rumsfeld surely had to think when the American generals, along with other officers, found out the weapons caches were being plundered they would take action to stop it. The same thing would hold true for the National Museum. Or any other similar situation in the country.

It appears we just sat by and let the Iraqi’s pretty much plunder what they wanted. Mr. Rumsfeld sits in Washington D.C. His office is at the Pentagon. He does not work in the Theatre of Operations. Our generals lead the war in that arena. Mr. Rumsfeld has to depend on these generals, and by extension, officers of lesser rank to do what is right and proper in the field. Mr. Rumsfeld has to trust our soliders to stop actions such as plunder and pillage.

After the fall of Saddam the whole of Iraq was in chaos. A people held in bondage for so long were suddenly cut loose of chains. When it was time for them to stand up and do right they chose to destroy their own country. They have to step up and share a lot of the blame for that. Our military should have stepped in and restored and kept order in this chaotic time. I think our Secretary of Defense thought our officers would have handled the situation better.

Mr. Rumsfeld has to take his share of the blame for the happenings in Iraq. He is the top dog. If our military would have gone ahead and done the proper thing at the right time Iraq would be in much better shape now. And our military would be looked on in a much kinder light. Mr. Rumsfeld has had a lot of hateful venom slung at him. I am not sure he deserves all that. Our Armed Forces could have made a big difference in all of this.

So maybe when we hear some retired and digruntled generals criticizing Mr. Rumsfeld and his handling of the war, we should ask these generals to take a long hard look at their actions in the field. They may have been the ones who dropped the ball. They would need to deflect some heat off themselves!