Re-Introduction

For the first of what I hope is the next 1000 blog posts, I thought it might be fun to re-introduce myself to new people that stop by. Here are a few facts about MUD:

• I am a married, retired, ex Colonel in the National Guard. The love of my life is my wife of 40 years who at least tolerates me.
• We have everything we need and most of what we want. I am a reformed smoker and drinker and for a lot of reasons seem to piss of members of the family. I say what I am thinking. A lot of that comes from the fact that I am a kind of fire and forget kind of guy and they hold grudges. Don't ever feel sorry for us about anything. Our life's work has been to get to this point alive and kicking. Ta-Da, we are here. I tell Barb all the time that I hope no one feels bad when I die. I have lived a great life and regret little.
• I was born in 1947 to a WWII veteran. Barb was born in 46 to a Vet who fought in Europe and got home a little earlier than my dad did. I wound up in Vietnam in 1968. The Military was the best thing that ever happened to me, and in some ways, the worst. Survival was the name of the game and I did. I did bring home some of those pesky Malaria parasites but with the help of the VA they are gone and haven't come back. The best thing, no the second best thing was the GI Bill and how it helped us get me through College. The best thing has been Barb and I darned sure better not forget it.
• After 10 years of attending college between Military service and working, I finally graduated from KU. I love to learn and hated to learn just what they taught to a Business School student. I learned a lot of theory but not a hell of a lot of real world, practical stuff. Barb graduated from Wichita State and got her masters in Special Ed from KU. We are both KU Basketball fans. Last year we traveled to Waco and Lubbock to watch KU play. Fun trips. Why are we basketball fans? We live near Kansas City and our professional baseball and Football teams suck.......Big Time.
• Right now we are looking for a used car to let us travel. We have a 96 Buick Skylark with almost 120,000 miles on it and it ain't long for the world. We want a new car that gets 50 MPG and costs less than $10,000. Yeah, lots of luck on that one. We will settle for a 4 door car that will get near 30 MPG and has less than 30,000 miles. Lots of those out there but nothing yet that just puts the most of our desires together. The good news is that I don't need it today and we can pay cash.
• A tornado blew down out house in 1983 and Barb and I rebuilt that house acting as our own contractors. If it was visible and showed, she was responsible. If it was mechanical it was my job. She has such good taste and I am nearly color blind (or at least to anything not green) In the late 1980's, we started looking for a place to build a house near the city but with the feel of the country. We found 18 acres we call rabbit run. We built a 3,000 square foot house and love it. We have trees and more trees, with trees in between.
• Barb loves to garden and I love to cook and build things. I have most of the tools I need to do about anything and some I can't even find.
• My favorite new quote was from George Burns. When Carl reiner asked him about his sex life at 83, George said, "It is a lot like trying to put oysters in a slot machine."

I got the name MUD from my niece, Carrie Ann who broke some front teeth out when I scared her one time ages ago. As she was eating ice cream and crying she said mean uncle Denny and my sister said yes, your name is MUD. So here I am and there I go.

MUD