Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, GO KU!

I stand amazed at the results of the 2007 football season so far. I like many of my brethren were simply tolerating the football season as it soon would end and Basketball would start. Now in the anticipated time of round ball start, I find myself watching an 8-0 football team win another game. To win against A&M is a feat but to win there where the 12th man is a big part of the game is truly amazing. It has to be in a big part to the coaching. Imagine you are in a place where you can't hear yourself think let alone call plays so everyone else can hear. The KU team went into that stadium well prepared and they executed what they planned. In years past, the KU football team would find a way to lose the game in the closing moments and now they are able to hold off other teams when the minutes are ticking off. The TV announcers talked about the Colorado altitude killing the hawks and then the momentum in Waco swinging to the A&M team. KU WON!
KU will host Nebraska and Oklahoma State and play at Iowa State. Then the big game against Missouri in Kaufman Stadium in KC. I hope the game there is as big as the OU/Texas game is and keeps growing.
Man this crow pie is killing me about Boston. The Rockies won 7 straight games to get into the playoffs and now they can make their bats work. No more bad words about the Red Sox. They are for real and playing well.
MUD

Eat'n Crow

Man was I ever wrong about the first game of the World Series. The Rockies were rusty and red sox were on fire. They brought their "A" game, "B" game and silenced the bats from Colorado. I stand corrected. It should be a good series and not another Colorado Sweep.
The new house is about complete on the inside. I cleaned out my tools and brought a truck load of stuff home. We will have Dave's birthday p[arty there tomorrow night. I have some killer steak and chicken for fajitas and I'm sure that between Barb and me there will be good stuff to go with the good stuff. I'm pretty sure there will be some rice, black beans and chips. I'm not sure about the dessert but can assume it will be a cake decorated by Barb.
Pictures will be posted tomorrow or the house in all it's trim. I need to figure out how to clean the terrazzo where the kids got paint on the living room floor. There is a good tree wax sealer that I think is little more than a liquid wax. I'll take the buffer tomorrow and see what that does.
Tonight I got to sample tomorrow's steak as a preview and man was it great.
MUD

It's a lie!

Don't let anyone tell you that there aren't enough Guardsmen or equipment to do State duty because of the War in Iraq. The equipment issued to Guard units is based on the Federal mission. If they can use it in a State status, bonus. Just how many fire engines do you thin there in the guard? There are some but a lot of it is State issued equipment or located at remote training sites.
California is one of the places most Emergency Planners go to learn how to do emergency preparedness planning and operations. The school at San Louis Obispo is the best. They spend several days work shopping the roles of all the players in an emergency and then have a big CPX where it is all put into action. I swear they are the best.
California has a system where Guardsmen can go on State Active Duty in small stages or full time.They are used to reinforce the civlian agencies. back to the fire engines and dump trucks. I will bet that the State of California has more fire engines and dump trucks than the entire Guard.
I am fully confident that California can and will respond to this emergency the best they can. The Guard there will do their best and in the long run they will recover.
As for the President going there to visit, I have never found that a visitor hurts anything we were doing and in fact the soldiers, firemen, paramedics and policemen will appreciate that he cared enough to come there. The Lt Governor of California is an idiot and needs to sit down and shut up.

World Series

Last night I went to the store to pick up some snacks. Ice cream, potato chips and some Little Debbie snack cakes. When I got home I searched the channels for the series and found that I was a day early. Dang, I hate it when I am out of the loop on something and get it all wrong. Oh well, the German Chocolate ice cream with the caramel goo was soo good. Perhaps tonight I will get it correct.
The Boston red Socks had better show up with their "A" game or it will be a continuation of the Rockies straight sweep of their series. They won two of three games this year at Fenway and outscored the red hose big time.
This is the one time of the year that I watch baseball. Kind of like my flirtations with the NBA after the college round ball season ends. I will watch the championships but the regular pro season just doesn't inspire me much. I really liked the San Antonio Spurs and actually attended a couple of games while there in Texas. They haven't shown me much lately and they are a great team without a lo of spirit. When Dennis Rodman played for them it was unpredictable. The admiral Dave Robinson and Dennis Rodman had spirit and you could see the joy in their eyes. (Perhaps it was the gleam off all his gold and tattoo's in Rodman's case)
Better run and get some trim nails to finish the bead board in the kitchen. We need to get that done and the final trim installed today. Clean up tomorrow and party Friday.
MUD

My Idea of a Good Time!

What are some of the things I enjoy in life:

• I really enjoy spending time with a dog. I haven't done enough of it lately and I am not a better person. I really love puppies and watching them learn.
• Ice Cream. In my dessert column there is a yes where Ice Cream is listed. Add chocolate and nuts and Oh My! Vanilla is for cake, strawberries and/or apple pie.
  
• Old cars. I really like Chevy's but mostly because I have some limited knowledge of them.
  
• Being tired if there is a good reason like I worked hard. I have never liked doing nothing and I think it is good that I can still do a few hours of work. Yes, I do get tired but hey, for a 60 year young person I do OK.
• People in general. I find it invigorating to have a group of people and to find a solution to a problem. Can we spell EXTROVERT boys and girls.
• Grilled steak. I will eat chicken but given free access and it is a big ole' hunk of cow for me. If you add a salad and a baked potato, you can skip dessert. Might want some ice cream a couple of hours later but I would want ice cream if I ate green beans, soy beans or any beans
• Singing along with any kind of music. This drives some people crazy but I don't care.
• Potato Chips. Not those baked imitation kind, the kind you have to go wash your hands and wipe the salt off your face when you finish. I will eat corn chips if there is a great salsa for a dip. A local restaurant puts fresh Cilantro in theirs and I love it.
  
• Beer! I now drink non-alcohol beer but after a hot day of work there is just nothing better than a cold beer.
  
• In this order, My wife, my son and his wife. Mostly this based on the length of time I have known them. I have grown to really like my brother-in-law and his dog, Grissy. The rest of the family is generally liked in no specific order. Well, perhaps Mom is a little higher on the list than some.
  
• Positive things! I hate, hate! is that a double negative?

MUD

Hillary for President?

On a trip ( a couple of years ago) to the KC airport one of the passengers was an obnoxious New Yorker and she was obviously trying to stir up an argument. She praised Al Franken and then launched into how good Hillary was as a US Senator. After letting her expound I simple asked her, "What has she done?" The response was that she was a good Senator for New York and everyone there loves her. I said that is fine but Hillary is a US Senator from New York and she should be doing her best for the US not just New York. The woman's husband said that I made a good point and he had never thought about it before. If she is so good for New York why isn't she in the Governor's mansion in Albany or serving in the New York Senate?
Hillary's only move (as the First Lady) into something that would have a national impact was her Socialized Medicine move and the US Congress told her that we could not afford to kill our golden goose.
Hillary has never run anything larger than the staff of the White house and to run the country would be OJT. Can we afford to let her OJT that job? Read some of Bill's Campaign staff's opinions of Hillary and her legendary temper. The staff would rather fall on their swords than tell her bad news. Ask the people who lost their life savings when "White Water" caused a Savings and Loan to collapse. She was a Lawyer that set up most of that effort and no one holds her responsible.
Can you trust the judgment of a woman that let her husband cheat (over and over) and not haul his ashes to the divorce wood shed? Is her political ambition more important than what is accepted in the Heartland?
I personally want the steadiness of a Fred Thompson, the get it done of a Mitt Romney or the experience of a Rudy . (Oh hell, I can't spell his last name and get it past spell checker) I don't want to vote for a side of party that is moving towards the Christian Conservative side of the house but I sure as hell don't want to throw out the bathwater and the baby.
The following are some of the issues I support:

• Abortion - I think abortion is a horrible way to have birth control on a personal level but I sure as hell don't want my Government interjecting its self into what is a thing between a woman and her doctor.
  
• US Projection of Power - If the other countries of the World would stand up and do things right through the UN, I would feel a damn site safer. Then I would probably complain about the UN doing too much. Sheesh, there is no clear winner in this dog fight.
  
• The US/Mexican Border war - I am not sure how to get it done but the combination of the America's would solve this. Europe has put it all together and made it work. We need to realize that this is a Global problem and solve it. A damn fence just gives us a warm feeling but it is a lot like wetting our pants in a dark suit. "It gives us a warm feeling but no one will really notice".
  
• Government Intrusion into our lives - When everything goes to hell, it is a good thing. When everything is running up and normal, it needs to be reduced. I would sunset almost every law and make the Congress/State/local Governments decide what to keep not come up with fancy dancy ways to add more. I would cause things to be run and paid for at the lowest possible level. Need I point out anything more bad than "No Child Left Behind"? National Dictates without the funding.
  
• Capital Punishment - I believe in the "Mad Dog" rule. If what you have done is so bad that only a mad dog would do such a thing they should put in an express lane to have you put to death. Rape and kill a child, Kill a mother and cut her baby out of her womb, kill multiple times and you go to the front of the line.
  
• Military Spending - This is one of the few things we are making for ourselves and if we stop doing this, what the hell will we do for jobs? If you want to transfer, say 5%, of the Military spending, do it in stages. If you gave the schools an extra 5% this year they could not spend it. Do it next year at 1% then 2% the next and then 3% and they will have a chance to get there and re-build infrastructure they need.
  
• Not In MY Backyard - Some day we will go to our electrical switch and when we turn it on nothing will happen. Gas will eventually reach $8.00 a gallon and we will be at the mercy of the world for energy. We must build some either Nuclear (Yes, I almost spelled it nukler) or coal plants and get hauling on alternatives damn soon or we will be in a hurt. I don't care if the environmentalists think wind mills are ugly. I don't care if Hydrogen stored in bulk is an explosive. Find a way to overcome the problems and do it damn fast. If our Government can't solve this problem, what the hell do they have to do that is more important. At least give us some slogans to make us feel warm and fuzzy. (See the dark suit analogy in Mexican/US war part of this post)
  
• Stem Cell Research - I believe that modern science can and will find ways to fix some of our problems. How and where are details I want them to figure out. Again why is the Federal Government involved in this? Because they don't have enough tough things to keep them damn busy. This is personal to me because my father died of Parkinson's and not a day doesn't go by that I don't look for tell tale signs of it in me. I we are going to live to 100, I want to live strong as I can. (Without falling down a lot)
  

Crap, I spent way too long on this. I feel confident that most people will see the heading and by pass it. Oh well, (Dark Suit) I feel better.
MUD

Trim, Trim and more trim!

As I near the end of the house project, there is more trim to do than I can get done in a day. Today I installed a door on a closet in the bathroom and put a door on the hot water heater enclosure. I managed to trim out a window or two and tomorrow is the big day.
I convinced Da Barbs that the kitchen wall that was not detailed the bottom couple of feet would be best covered with bead board. Tomorrow I will start that project. I have a stud finder with a built in level. I will start with a good reference point and carry that throughout the kitchen. With a three inch bottom trim I should be able to make it all come together and not look like a carnival fun house. I'll try to get some good pictures and get them on the net soon. Barb sent pictures before and after of the kitchen. Scary.
I need about three days outside and the weather here is flat crappy. It rained hard and stayed cloudy the rest of the day. In spite of the hard work and the heater running I just got a chill this afternoon. A couple of bowls of good hot soup fixed that.
See ya all later. MUD

One More Thing!

I was listening to a discussion of pain and an interesting thing was said. Most people can feel pain from one place only. If your back hurts and you crack some ribs, the rib pain will cancel the back pain for a while. Seems that some pain clinics will deliberately cause short term pain to cancel out chronic pain. Seems like the mind and body can be fooled into paying attention to the new pain and when it stops the chronic or old pain just isn't there.
This sounded a lot like mumbo jumbo until I started thinking about my pain. As long as my ribs hurt, the back just didn't. Now that the ribs are on the heal the back is much better. Who Knew?

MUD

Thoughts From The Field

I don't know where to attribute all these thoughts so I will just report them and let you sort out ownership:

• An article in the paper said that old men should fight all our wars for the following reasons; Old men don't think about sex every ten seconds so they would have an extra 28,000 seconds a week to think about the enemy. Old men actually like guns and would take a lot better care of them. Old men are used to having someone nag and yell at them so Basic Training would be easier. No one ever outran a bullet so running is overrated. There is a lot to be said about the wisdom of the aged vs the strength of the young. It would be easier for the Drill Sergeant to yell, "Drop and give me one". Other than the PT tests, I never saw a push up in the Army. Many old men would love to have an excuse to get away from home. (That works both ways) Grumpy old men would make for a better soldier to hate the enemy. Besides all this, old men wake up early (Bladder Control Problems) and can sleep anywhere.
  
• Our Niece Jennifer had one of her young crews chosen to go back east to row in a big prestigious regatta. (Read Big, Big Honor) It is the "Head of the Charles" river near Boston. I am watching the results but it is a little too early for the race results to be posted even unofficially. Their boat was put on the KU boat trailer and on the way there someone crashed into the trailer and broke the ass end off their boat. (Yes, I know it is probably called the stern or bow but hey, this is my story) The good news is that the boat building company that they bought it from is there and loaned them a new boat. Boy talk about planned obsolescence. I wish them well today. It is truly an honor to have someone as pretty, bright and talented in the family. But hey, there are nieces that I would have loved to have for our daughter all over Barb's family and mine.
• Don't let anyone tell you that retirement means a life of ease and glory. I didn't work this hard or as long when I worked full time. I have a list that is about three pages long of "Honey Do's" that I am avoiding. Actually I am just a little late starting today but will get there eventually.
• Who would have thought the KU Football team would be 7-0 and 3-0 in the Big 12. It was a hoot when the TV broadcasters started talking about how the altitude would wear out the KU team (The game was in Boulder, CO) and they would pull an Oklahoma and lose it in the last half of the second half. (yes the 4th Quarter) Didn't happen ! KU won 19 to 13. GO Hawks! Bonus was they put that game on ESPN and I didn't nap all the way through it. The first half was a little slow so I did get in a little nap.
  
• In today's paper there was an ad for sweat pants with cargo pockets, a billfold pocket and a zipper in the front. The only draw back was they don't come in Dress Green or Tulip Yellow. Can we say Christmas present for Kenny, boys and girls? Now to find something worthy of Grissy.
• Our outside Tom Cat showed back up yesterday. Tiger the cat wasn't here when we got home from our trip. I guess he was out some where begging/hunting for food. Barb was out planting some flowers and that cat actually took a swipe at Barb for ignoring him when he mewed for food. I think it was a love swipe for our being gone but I'll promise you that it is just no way to win your way into her heart.
  
• When Barb and I were both working it was always easy to have money left at the end of the month. It was a bonus to have the drill check coming in and to have a slush fund. Now with the income not equal to or greater than outgo, it is a challenge. Not a big challenge, but one that a lot of last minute purchases on the new house and a trip to Idaho didn't complicate.
  
• Did you ever notice that the amount of stuff you have is always equal to or greater than the space to store it? Right now I am approaching either some serious organizing or the old pile in on top of the old pile routine. It is great to have a lot of new tools to help do the work but I smell a conspiracy to do more brewing. Oh well, what the hell, it is only the rest of my life.
  
• I saw a clock in that special stuff catalog on the plane coming home that was about my speed. It has the days of the week only on the dial. Kind of like the time my dad talked me out of my new Timex watch. He later told me that it told him three things more than he needed to know. I won that deal as he left me his Gold "25 year" Hamilton watch from Beech Aircraft. I don't wear it much but I do on special occasions.
• I stopped wearing my fancy Seiko watch when the band broke. I figured that I had been too rough. The replacement band was almost $80 to replace. I found out that if I didn't wear it during the day while working, the battery just didn't get charged up enough. I guess it is a lot like a metaphor for life; "If you don't use it you lose it." I have always said that a man should not own anything he doesn't use. Fancy China plates, antique cars and tools.
  

Oh well, I can wax eloquently here all day and in the end of the day the only thing I will have accomplished is to reach the end of the day. Better get my act together.
MUD

I love it When a Plan comes Together

For what seems like an eternity I have been restoring the new house from a wreck to what is a solid pretty house. There are things about the house that I would do different with enough time and $ but mostly it is a solid really redone place. I am not sure when Dave and his wife will move in but I hear rumblings about using the dish washer in the new place.
Today was to be curtain shopping but Da Barb's couldn't get together for whatever reason. I spent the day doing trim work. Coming together well and if I can hide the nails from the brad nailer should look pretty good.
I am waiting for the KU vs Colorado game at 4:30. Should be a good game. I hope they can get it done and KU on a plane before the snow gets there. I would think it would be great if they would come out of there with a win but hey they are 6-0 and I don't think they will win all their games.
My real challenge is to get the game on and stay awake for the entire game. Seems like the down time just cries out for a nap. More to come tomorrow. MUD

Places in Idaho By Barb

This is a nice little lake along the snake river. It looks like a staging area for ducks headed south,


















This is the Snake River By Twin Falls












Another View of the River by Twin Falls











This is the bathroom in Balanced Rock Park


















This is Balanced Rock



















All these Pictures were taken and edited by Barb.
MUD

Took the Day Off

Yesterday I spent the first day back putting a new 40 gallon water heater in the big rental house.
I decided that a day off would be in order so I started with the soldier's delight, a haircut. Shaggy just isn't my style.
I spent some time at the hardware store and made a trip to Harbor Freight. Bought some things to get my tools and stuff organized. I have a goal to have all my plumbing tools in one bucket (with an organizer) and my mechanic tools in a tool box. As it is it is spread from pillar to post and then some. I'll bet it takes me a week or two just to get re-organized after we finish Dave's house. I don't think I will gt quite as anal as my dad was and build plywood boxes for the saw, drill and tile cutter. Never say never.
During the last month there were a couple of things that broke and I just didn't get fixed. One was the bar stool in the kitchen. One leg of the four broke and I had it in the garage out of sight. The other was the towel/robe hook by the shower that kept falling off. I bought a used chair and put the legs from that one on the seat of the old one. The towel hook just got replaced for $3.99. Both jobs took a little time but no big deal. I think my plumbers bucket turned out nice but the real test will be when I need something and can't find it. I know there is some plumbers putty and some PVC cement still not in the bucket.
My barber was about to leave when I got there as hs wife was going to the hospital to pick up their new baby. I guess the baby's heart didn't seal the hole that bypasses the lungs and they had to go in and sew it up. Great young couple I wish them well. Two little boys and the desire to have at least one girl.
Better run. Have a great weekend. MUD

More Random Thoughts

I met Barbara through a blind date when I was stationed at Fort Irwin, California. (now known as the National Desert Training Center) I had been on post for about 6 weeks and a friend of mine was talking to his girlfriend on the phone there in the day room. I asked him if he was talking to his girl in Barstow or Bath, Maine. He said Barstow. To shut me up he agreed to ask Jane if she had a friend I could date. That blind date led to what will be in February 40 years of married life.
My favorite car in the whole wide world is almost always the one I am driving. Sadly, the 53 pickup has so many issues it just doesn't make the list. I need to spend some time and $ on the 57 to get it back into shape for it to be fun to drive. An air-conditioner, better steering, disk brakes on the front and a good radio will make it one hell of a car. I am not crazy about the carburetor on the engine, and I have been reading about a lot of after market stuff to make it run better. I really had a fun time driving Volvo's over the years. Dollar per mile they have been a pretty good investment and almost always fun to drive.
Today was put in a new water heater day. I had to work in a little closet that was about 4 feet wide and the heater was about three feet of that. It really wasn't all that hard to do and everything hooked up and worked. I could have used a little help to get the old heater out and the new heater inside. At least I was smart enough to drain the old heater before I tried to muscle it out. Lets see, 40 gallons of water at 8lbs per. 300 Lbs/+ that I couldn't have done myself. I wonder how long it will take me to empty out the dead heater out of the bed of the truck. Can't say there is much of a market for old leaky one's.
It must be the Monsoon season here in Kansas. Everything is soggy and it rained all day today. The humidity and the cold air makes it seem more damp and cold to me than I like. Don't mind working up a sweat if the air is hot. Cold and sweaty is clammy to me
Oh well, will go over to the the create site and see If I can load some people and places pictures.
MUD

Idaho, Places and People

Where do you think they are going to jump from?
Snake River Bridge in Twin Falls
My favorite Girls at the party. From left to rightAllison, Kay-Kay and Grissy. They were eating grapes and giggling as the dog also ate them.

Did Ya notice?

When I am tired, I am a lot less apt to smile and tend to be a lot more negative in my comments.
I am an early riser and after a quick cup of coffee am ready to go
I always try to take tests early in the AM. Back in school it was better for me to get a good nights sleep than cram for a test.
Someone said your subconscious mind never forgets. For me I can play solitaire on the computer and answer questions on Jeopardy. Wonder if my subconscious is listening and feeding me answers?
The first nights sleep in your own bed after traveling is always a treat.
The damn water heater at the rental house can last for 20 years but take a short one week trip and it leaks? I will go over and see if they got it fixed and how much it cost. Good thing I have a little of the travel $ stuck in the back of a suitcase.
Do you dream a lot or do you just not remember them. I dream vivid dreams.
That little "Bladder Warning Alarm" goes "PEE,PEE,PEE" until you get up and pee.
MUD

We're Back!

It is nearing midnight on 16 October and I had to test drive this computer after setting it up. I did realize that the battery in this laptop is toast and without a power plug in this is a 20lb anchor.
A fun time was had by all. Good Night. More to follow... MUD

Why we are here

Almost 40 years ago I met a wonderful young woman when I was stationed in Southern California. Now her family has figured out that they just have to live with me as I am not going away. We celebrated her Dad's birthday in the park. Picture one is the group together and laughing. They had a ball.
Picture two is the Johnny Appleseed of Recumbent bike riding. He rides, manufactures and plants the idea to ride one everywhere he goes. He's my bud and my brother-in-law.
Picture three is me doing what I can do. Two soups, ham and hot dogs. If they went home hungry, they were on a diet.
The last picture is Barb and I. I cooked and she took pictures. A good time was had by all.
MUD 10.14.07

Much Better

Man is this vacation thing a lot of fun. My ribs are a lot better and my system seems to be working well otherwise. I'll try to get some pictures of the scenery here Going to spend the day getting ready for the party in the park tomorrow. Scoped out the site tonight and things look pretty good.

The first picture is Balancing Rock Park. It a Twin Falls County, Idaho park and is beautiful.

The second picture is the famous balancing rock that looks like a head done by an impressionist to me. Magnificent scenery after driving miles of what looked like Kansas crossed with a desert.

The third picture is a pond and was covered with ducks preparing for their migration south. It was fairly early and the Snake river had a lot of fog. this is right along US 30 west of Twin Falls.
More tomorrow night after the party in the park. BYE MUD

Ribs

It should seem odd that someone that is so fond of BBQ ribs would break some. I will tell you that after a week and a half I only moan when I pick up things and lean to the right. Most of the time it is ony a minor side pain and the good news is it is just enough to help me not notice my feet and my back hurt. Gotta run, Barb's awake and has plans. MUD

How did this simple Job get so Hard?

Somewhere between sure I can do that and oh my, this is hard is about three days of looking at something so simple but so hard to do. I'm not sure what I could have done to simplify the process but there must be a way. Oh well, a little grout and it will all be done.
Things are moving to a close but nothing is easy.
Thanks for reading. MUD

Tile Counter

Kitchen Counter Tile

Once upon a time, many years ago, I watched as Barb's sister SandyKay tiled a kitchen sink. When she was done it was beautiful. I thought no sweat, I can do pretty and not even break a sweat. WRONG! It is tough to get it all looking good and even. I haven't even started the grout and I am a couple of days into this project. Part of my problem is my inability to lean over for extended lengths of time but my other problem is having the tile saw on the back porch about 25 feet from the counter I am working on. Man is Kenny a great help but it would have been nice to have someone guide me as I try to keep this mess from becoming ugly.
I am good for about three and a half hours and then I need to sit down. If I drop something I just have to ask Dave to pick it up. It is a royal pain in the side but he has a good attitude about it and helps a lot.
I'll include a picture of the tile tomorrow if I can get it all laid. They have pewter colored grout but I am not sure what that is. MUD

Three Broken Ribs

After wimping around for four days I finally went to the Doctor yesterday. I have three broken ribs but in spite of a little blood from a bruised kidney it seems to be working OK. It only hurts when I am first getting up and sitting down. The doctor says there is little they can do but wait it out. They have some good meds but they mostly make me hurt a little less and constipate the heck out of me. That is a problem when straining hurts like heck.
Oh well, I'll probable get back on the horse and ride tomorrow in spite of the hurt and just will know there will be things I can't do. MUD

Fall Down, Go Thud!

Yesterday I was in a hurry and rushed out to the truck by the back deck. Instead of using the steps, I used a concrete block to step down. Bad choice! The block turned over and I fell on the steps I should have used. I probably cracked a rib or two on my right side. It feels like a bad sprain you would have in your ankle. The last time I fell that hard I went to the hospital and they said I had a cracked rib and there wasn't anything they could do. It was sore as hell when I first got up this morning but two Naproxin Sodium (Aleve) knocked down the pain so I can get around.
It really hurts the most when I try to get up and down. Needless to say I am taking the day light today.
I don't understand the costs of things today. I can go to Harbor Freight and buy a Chinese made tile saw for $49.00 on sale or rent one for $46.00 a day. Even if the Chicago Brand dies it is a bargain the second day. I also went to a second hand store here in Topeka and bought a seldom used router for $29.00 and a new one would be at least $99.00. My fancy dancy Craftsman router died ugly.
I sure am glad that I have my brother-in-law, Ken. here to help. He and I are getting close to having this ended and he is looking forward to not having me harass him. I Will miss the thumping of little feet as Grissy runs between windows and patrolling for the yard cat. She starts from one window on the rug and runs over to the wood floor in the dining room. 90% of the time you will find the rug over in the corner all bunched up where she slides to a halt and the rug doesn't. She has to be getting in better shape from all the exercise. She was sleeping all day and now she runs or sleeps.
Hope you all have a great Sunday and get some rest.
MUD

Another Week!

Man is the work going fast now. The temperatures are a lot lower and the work is coming to a conclusion. There is still a lot to do and we are working down the list now.
We painted all the kitchen cabinets white and the wall yellow. It was a horrible purple (plum?) color with dark cabinets. It is now bright yellow and will be beautiful when we get the counter top installed and the tile laid. I have a lot of wood trim to install but I think it will go fast once we get a system set up. There is a little bit of tile to put up on a wall in the bathroom and a little interior painting to be done yet.
Barb and I have tickets for a flight in October so I hope we can keep crashing down the list without crashing. I do need to do something fun at the end of the day but don't have the energy.
MUD

Anther Day, Bunch of Dollars

No, this isn't a Sergio Leone story in the Clint Eastwood style. It kind of is like a, "Fist Full of Dollars" but it is to me like a pocket book empty of dollars. This simple rehab has turned into a discussion of what things cost vs. what is useful. A simple thing like a laminate counter top could turn into a $1000 dollar nightmare at the drop of a wallet. Hell, we can cover the entire floor of three rooms with a laminate for what it costs to cover a counter.
We are working on closing this job down and it is like landing an aircraft carrier full of airplanes before it gets dark. Just as you think you have something done, you look at the level and realize that there is no way the floor is going to work unless you take part of it up and make it level first.
My building buddy and his furry friend just came downstairs and I had better get off this machine so he can check his morning mail.
Have a fun day out there.
MUD

Hard Work and darn little fun

This turning a beat up house into a nice home for David has turned into a lot of work. I have my brother-in-law here and we both have worked darned hard and long. Today we needed to get a couple of things done and worked way longer than we should have. I know he is wanting to go to the Pow-Wow at the lake and I'll bet he is too tired to go there tonight. Oh well, I'll give him a couple of days off and I'll bet he bounces back in good fashion.
I can tell we are on the down ward slide on getting it ready but there are a few things that have me puzzled. I'm just not sure how to finish the siding job where the bottom of the siding is just shot. Water has turned it to mush beneath the trim on the bottom of the wall. I have replaced it on the front and spliced it on the back. The ends need some help but I am pretty sure that I don't want to tear it all off and am not sure if just trimming it up will be the long term answer I am looking for. I think I'll take tomorrow off and sit on the mower for a while. I have some pretty good ideas when I can just sit and go in big circles. Oh well, I'll get some pictures up here soon and get on with my life. MUD

Back to the Bike Trail

It has finally cooled off a few degrees and today after breakfast I plan to go over to the lake and hit the trails. More pictures to follow. Forgot the camera but the ride was magnificent. Seems like a lifetime since I had a chance to feel the wind in my face. I swear that bike riding takes me as near to my youth as anything I can do. We rode down the west side of the lake about three miles and came back. Nice ride and great weather. Most of the people you might find on the trail on Saturday were in church or sleeping it off in bed.
We are a little worried about my little buddy. She fell off the seat in the car and hurt her foot. That foot has been a little hurt in the past and she really favors it today. I think she likes to be carried which adds to the symptoms. Might fire up the mower and do a little mowing today. I have a 1 PM appointment to show the house. Our potential renters didn't show up last weekend like they promised. Oh well.
On the good side of the ledger, Dave and his wife Barb will be driving a newer car on Monday. They got a 2001 Malibu for a really good price. It's only money after all.
MUD

Pictures of "My Little Buddy"

Photo one is the Old Retired Fart and his buddy. Picture two is my buddy looking for the cat and trouble. It is great to have the sound of little paws thumping through the house. I thin it is funny when the birds start flapping their wings and Grissy barks to tell them to "knock it off". No matter how hot and tired I am at the end of a day it is nice to stop and pet her as she wags her tail.
MUD

Took the Afternoon Off

It was so hot that after a morning of hard work we took the afternoon off. I tried to keep hydrated but it took three bottles of water at lunch and a 20 OZ Pepsi to replace the sweat. I did notice that my right hand man Putt-Putt didn't complain. He worked as hard as I did and stayed with me step by step.
The work at our new property is going well and things are looking better by the day. We do have a major job in the kitchen left and a lot of finish work but I'm sure that in the end it will all work out. I hope you are all well and surviving the heat. It will be fall soon and things will be better.
MUD

Too Hot to Tango

The daytime temps are near 100 and the "Heat Index" has been in the range of 110 here in the heartland. We are able to get in about 6 hours of serious work in the AM but in the afternoon it s reduced to puttering inside the house in the shade. There is no air conditioning (yet) so it is open the windows and deal with the flies.
Morning remembrance - On about our third day in Basic Training the Senior Drill Instructor stood before us and said," Two things I hate in this world, Cruits (Recruits, new soldiers) and flies. The more I see of you Cruits the better I like those little green flies." Nothing like a rousing speech to get our blood flowing.
We have most of the junk mucked out in the trailer and are starting on painting prep. I still need to have the heating and cooling replaced. Half of the ductwork is not connected and there is no really good return air system. Can we say money boys and girls.
MUD

Borne Ultimatum

Went to a great movie last night and was not left wanting. The Borne series has been one of my favorites and the third leg of this trilogy is right on. It even left the door open for Jason Borne to come back to Nexa, Missouri and resume his life. There is only one minor thing in the whole series that bothers me and that is the unsteadiness of the camera during the car chase scenes. I tend to almost get motion sickness but thank god in most of the movies I have eaten a bucket of pop corn and it is so dry there isn't any way I could puke.
Barb spent a couple hours on her feet with Barbara (Dave's Wife) and while they shopped and she stayed home. Darn!
Putt-Putt and I are taking a day off and not going out in the noon day sun. Both of us needed a day off. I felt like every thing hurt in my body and after a day off I feel 100% better.
MUD

My Birthday Cigar

Once a year on or near my birthday I purchase a fine cigar and enjoy a leisurely smoke. Over the years since I stopped smoking for real, I have watched the price of a good cigar rise from a couple of dollars to "say what". A couple of years ago the cigar was $8.00 and I almost skipped the treat. This year with tax it was $12.00. I guess that is one pleasure that will probably be falling off my radar.
Things are going well at the new investment property. At least we have been investing a lot in it. The biggest difference is as we remove more and more things from the inside the smoke and stale smell is dissipating. With a little more cleaning, a good coat of paint and replacement of the curtains I expect things to be in fine shape soon. Still have a minor pesky water leak to find yet.
The temperature here in the Heartland has finally started acting like it is summer. To add to the misery, the humidity is high. It feels like Panama about 4 in the afternoon. We have had about the right amount of rain and man is the corn growing out of sight. In fact Barb was saying that we ha had about 24 inches of our normal 29 inches of rain so far this year.
One roofer I talked to about an estimate said that he has not had a good week most of the summer. Now he has to remain on site to keep the guys from spending the afternoon hanging around the water cooler. I can't imagine being on the roof after about 11 AM in this heat.
Today is the Saturday that you can turn in Chemicals to the County at no cost. I have about 2/3rds of the pickup bed full of half empty cans of things unknown. The guy we purchased the house from was a Terrazzo worker and he had a house full of strange chemicals. There is one shed that I haven't even really gone into and it has probably another pickup bed full of strange things that hardens or does things to other chemicals .
It has been nice to have my brother-in-law, Putt-Putt, here to talk to. I can bounce ideas off him and discuss what options to take on the house. It was funny yesterday he and Dave were talking about a light fixture he wife had said "needs to go". Putt-Putt has been working the electricity issues and replacing switches and outlets. When they looked at the ugly ceiling fixture they couldn't see any switch that would make it work. Our test bulb did not work so they really began to look for the problem. When the four screws that held it up were loosened, it came down completely. There never was any wire connecting the light to anything. Problem solved.
Oh well, I could go on for days about the things we have found and the minor problems we are encountering. Should be a fun summer and fall.
MUD

If I had known I was going to live this long, I'd taken better care of myself!

Today opens a new door for me. I am officially on the Retired List from a 30 year Military Career and will finally start drawing my Retired Military retirement. This starts on my 60th birthday and will pay out until Barb is no longer alive. That will be a long time unless stupidity steps in and something bad happens.
The work at the new house is going well and it is so nice to have Barb's brother Kenny here to help and discuss things with. I get to spend a few minutes each day petting his dog Grissy and that's a bonus. There is just something about petting a dog that puts a smile on your face and in your heart.
Talk about your great birthday presents, I got a call from the Reimers in Morocco. They sang Happy Birthday in English and Arabic. When I asked Kendra if she was going to a French School this fall she said We We (it might be Wi Wi but spell checker doesn't know French any better than I do) Their giggles were a light in my life and it was great to hear from them. They gave me some info on a program that will allow us to call them cheap and we could hook up and see them on our computer.
Better get off here so I can go eat cake and watermelon. Bonus dude!
MUD

Trouble with Things

When it rains, it pours. The electric meter box at the new house had been tampered with and the electric company would not re-install the meter until I had it replaced. No big amount of work but it was a $175.00 expense. The rental house air conditioner went south and that was another $100.00 service call today. Oh well, I should be glad that I could afford to have both of them fixed. I did meet a couple of nice guys and we did have a nice chat. Note - Went back over to clean the carpets and found the air conditioner dead as a door nail. Another visit and more parts. Another $128.00 visit. Oh well...
After looking at the roof on the new house, I am pretty sure that it will take a complete re-roof and I am looking at just what to do. One of the plans I saw called for a metal roof over a wooden grid and some sheet insulation.
Better run and get some things done.
MUD

Dum, Dah Dum Dum, DUMB!

Yesterday Barb worked and then took a cake decorating class. I went over to the new house and worked inside and outside until after 3 PM. Yes, it was in the 90's and the heat factor was near 100. I didn't throw up but I did make myself sick by getting too hot. Thank god for air conditioning here at Rabbit Run. I cooled off with a shower and then sat in front of a fan for about an hour. OK, anytime I sit anywhere for an hour a nap happens. I like the way that sounds. A Nap Happens!
One part of retirement that has happened to the Mrs is that she watches way too many programs about making things and changing things. Add to that the weight watcher diet suggestions and you wind up eating low fat crescent rolls. Aren't they supposed to be rich and tasty with pats of butter on them? Barb has the blue bottle of some butter substitute and they each get a squirt to make them taste like they have real butter in them. "Bravo Sierra" or just bs. There was a painting left at the rental house and Barb had to bring it home to see, "How it looks" in the living room. It wasn't enough that she put that one up, she had to look at all the pictures and next thing you know, I'll be moving them all. Oh well, at least she has good taste and is not artistically challenged like I am.
I think I am going to rent one of those big green trash containers this week to yard off all the trash left in the rental house and the new investment house. You just can't imagine the amount of junk that you can accumulate and then not haul off. I can but the only thing I can do is fill trash bags and wait for the trash container.
Oh well, better go and get something done before it gets too hot. 4832
MUD

I will be a little slow Posting for a while

I am right in the middle of preparing my rental house so I can rent it and working on the new investment house getting it ready to start the rehab. I worked outside today in the heat until 3 PM and I'm glad I quit when I did. It was all I could do to load the mower back in to the pick up truck. Help is on the way but I have a lot to do so I'll be kind of sporadic here.
You all have fun out there but be careful.
MUD

Problems With Plans

One person that commented said that he did not do much planning because in his life things quickly changed and his plans went in the toilet quickly. I was reminded of several things about planning I failed to mentioned. Here are some:

• The rule in Combat is that a plan is often good until the first round is fired. The Murphy's law is if the plan is easy, it is wrong. You are either lost or about to be ambushed.
• Plans last longer if they have input from more people and are formulated over a longer time so more input can be incorporated. If you are in a combat unit and enemy is in the wire of your position, you don't call a staff meeting and discuss what to do. Grab your rifles and go shoot the som bitches. On the other hand looking at the factors of Enemy, Terrain, Weather ,time distance and personnel on hand just might be the start of a good plan if you have three hours to plan, give two of those hours to the subordinate to plan how he is going to make your idiot ideas a reality.
• A really good plan poorly executed is often better than a bad plan executed with skill. (Unless the guy is lucky as heck)
• In a lot of cases, trying to figure out what to do as a training exercise will help develop way of doing things that save time, money and lives.
  

The final point is that if you think through what you are going to do you will often find ways that just don't look obvious on the surface. I don't know how many times I worked on something one day and the next day over a cup of coffee the answer would just occur to me. Those are the Ahhhhh! moments as opposed to the Ah Shits when things happen that you didn't think about or expect. MUD

A Plan for Life

Today I went to the barbershop for my monthly trim. My barber is totally bald. I wonder if what they say about cooks applies to barbers. You know, never trust a skinny cook or a bald barber. On the counter was a book he was reading. It was a book about having a Plan for God to run his life. I asked him if he had a plan to help in the issue or if he was going to leave it up to God? It kind of took him a minute to reply. Now I know I had him, this guy has an opinion about everything including a good joke now and then.
He mumbled some things about being a good father and husband. I said those things everyone should do their best to be, but what is he going to do to make his life better.
The basic way to build a plan is to first assess where you are. If you can't find where you are, there is just no way you can figure out where you want to be. n case you haven't figured out step two, where is it you want to be? The last step is to figure out how to get from where you are to where you want to be.
I think this works out if you break it down into areas. Education, finance, personal relationships, housing and transportation. Your goals in these areas should be near term, mid term and long range.
The one area we did agree on was that real estate was a good place to start building. I think if we had spent a little more time we could have also agreed that education is a great base. I had to go meet Barb for lunch so we didn't continue any deeper. Your Thoughts? MUD

One More Thing

Right now seems to be a good time to refinance or do a second mortgage to improve your property. The local credit union was more than happy to loan us $60,000 with no closing cost or fees at 6.6%.
It doesn't help the bottom line on our balance sheet but in the long run it should make for a better life. 4748
MUD

Ground Truth in Financing

OK, if you think you understand what it truly costs to borrow money, you can skip this lesson. If you want to see what I think it truly costs to borrow money, read on.

Just today I saw a refinance your home at $300,000 for around $900 a month. Lets see

$300,000 at 7% per year is an interest payment of $1750 per month. Somewhere it doesn't compute. If you pay it off in 5 years the principle payment would be $5,000 or 6750 per month plus taxes and insurance. If it was paid off in 30 years the principle payment would be between 800 and 900 per month for a payment of $2650 or $2750 per month. (plus taxes and Insurance)

What scares me is that when I see houses on the West Coast they are so grossly inflated that how could anyone buy one. I see the homes that would sell here for less than $100,000 selling for $800,000 to $900,000.

So, if you think you are in the market to finance or refinance be sure you are armed with the complete information. Hey, don't forget the inspections, title search and closing costs. If you have less than 80% of the price of the home outstanding when you close the deal you can generally close for little. More than that expect the costs to be $2,000 or $3,000 and in some cases points on the loan. (points are percentages so three points is 3% of the total of the loan)

Confused? Just do your homework.
Dennis

Friday the 13th?

OK all you triscadecaphobics out there, I missed Friday the 13th entirely. I guess my overly busy schedule just got in the way of reading what was really going on in the world.
Did I tell you about the latest watermelon? We were on the west side of town and they had a fruit stand near the mall and sitting on the counter were some of the best looking watermelons. I selected one and gave it the thump test. It was right on the top of its game and about as ripe as you would want it. When they sound a little slosshy, beware that they are overripe. This 50 lb melon was only $6.00 and we ate on it all week. I finished the last piece last night and I'm pretty sure that I won't want another one for at least, well, until tomorrow. Barb noticed how much room there was in the refrigerator after the beast was gone. I swear that uncut it just fitted on the entire lower rack. Lovely large round light green melon with dark green stripes. Sweet and cold.
Our new couch is so big that Dave and I had to work hard to get it in the house. Thanks to his hard work it came in. I had him so late that I didn't have time to carry off the old recliner.
The house deal is still working and we are about to finish the financing on our end. We'll see how it all works out in the end. More to follow tomorrow.
MUD

Ghosts?

Either we have ghosts or someone just came into the house upstairs while I was downstairs. I kind of expected Barb but was not sure of the time she is due home. She worked this morning at Michael's and is attending a cake decorating class for a couple of hours after that. I heard one of the doors close upstairs and hollered Hello like I always do. No dog barks, no one in the driveway. Do you believe in Ghosts? I would like to but I really don't.
MUD

Well, Double Crap!

We went over to NFM to pick up a brown sofa and after a half hour wait to get the paperwork done, went over to the pick up point to get the sofa. The brought it our and put it on the truck. I went to get Barb and when she came out to the truck, she looked at it and it was the same black sofa they had tried to deliver yesterday. I don't know why they thought it was any more brown today than yesterday. Another line, another wait and finally they brought out a brown leather flex steel couch. YES!
When I got it home, I found that the great big heavy som'bitch is a monster and I'm not sure if Dave and I will be able to get it off the pick up and inside. I will know in a little while when he gets here. If we can't, I'll put it in the garage and figure out a way to sucker some big guys over to help. I think about 4 will be the right number.
You know what, I think I should have bought it from the local company and had them put it where I wanted it. Double Crap!
MUD

Well Crap!

After 27 years of faithful service our couch needed replaced. We went to Nebraska Furniture Mart in Kansas City and they had a beautiful "FlexSteel" leather couch on sale. It was almost $500 dollars cheaper than here in Topeka so we wrote them a check. I yarded out the old couch today in preparation of a delivery.
When the truck got here, I saw the couch and it was the black floor model we saw at the store but didn't like the color. We ordered the Brown one and was told it was in stock. They took the new one back and will deliver the correct color next Thursday. I busted up the old one so now I am without a couch to nap on until then. Well Crap!
Oh well, what the hell, what the heck do I care! MUD

Morning in the Heartland

I started the first post with some heavy political rant and decided that even I didn't give a damn about the 2008 election. Why have you suffer through my narrow pointed view for a few nuggets of my BS.
Barb and I are in the middle of a Real Estate deal to acquire some property near us. It is about a mile and a half north of our house and sits on three acres. Typical of Barb's searches, it appears to be a darned good deal and looks like we are on track to close by the end of July. It is kind of rough but has a lot of potential.
When we watch TV, we see programs from LA where they buy a house and "Flip it". They start with 1400 sq ft homes and pay $700,00 for the old place. They strip out the guts, replace everything and sell it for $900,000. Are they crazy? For that kind of money here you could buy the biggest and best house in Topeka.
Have you noticed that car problems seem to run in spurts? We had to drag Dave's car out of the garage because the Olds transmission shot craps. He put in a new heater core and still has a leak somewhere. I'm not sure what's wrong but it will have to be replaced by winter. The olds will probably go to the salvage soon. I love how that car looks but it just isn't right. Seems like one of the check instrument lights is on constantly. Get one fixed and another pops up. I guess when you drive a car in excess of 150,000 miles you should expect problems.
It is rainy here today. Just what we need, more rain. South of here there are flood watches again. Just what they need. Oh well, gotta run.
MUD

What do You Do?

This is the rear view of our investment property. It is not too far from our house and we think we are getting a good price. The nice thing is that it has a lot of potential and is in our school district.
This is the front view and don't pay attention to the objects in the yard or the lack of mowing. It will be given a lot of attention soon. It needs a place in the roof fixed and a lot of cleaning and maintenance. The deck in the other photo needs to be jacked up and a couple of supports put on it.
Barb is always looking for a good deal and I think she has stumbled into a great one this time. e'll see but I have high hopes this will be a good place for someone to live in. Perhaps Dave and his wife Barb will be the lucky owners when the work is finished. Yes, it will have a locked gate and a security system soon!
MUD

Some of my Pictures

Guess who is coming to dinner at my house? My pal Grissy and her person. I can't use his name or post his picture. I have been sworn to secrecy.

What happens to old fools in Vegas? They meet people from far away lands and strange costumes.
Two of my favorite people and their new friends. Some more Las Vegas people at the Hilton. You have to go there sometime. Their Monorail shuttle is neat and the Startreck Experience is great.
Gotta run. Have fun out there.
MUD

Beginning of the End

Lat night on "60 Minutes" the Comptroller General of the United States said that we are spending ourselves into a debt that can ruin our economy. He said the biggest problem is that the Politicians seem to want to spend more and that the people our there in the US just don't care. In the last election here in Topeka only 16% of the people got out and voted in the election. That meant that just a little over half or 9% (the majority of 16% is 9%) of the eligible voters decided who was going to lead our Political battles.
So, boys and girls, it is not action by our Government that is the problem, it is the inaction by the electorate.
What scares me about the future is not that Social Security will go away, but that it will scale back or be eroded by inflation so that the pay down of the National Debt is in inflated dollars and the future of us all will be at risk. Yes, you will get $12,000 a year but it will be worth what $6,000 is today. Medicaid and Medicare is going to expense itself into the biggest budget item and eat a hole in the National Budget.
Oh well, that's the future and I am going to go live today. 4546
MUD

Another Good Idea!

William A. Ward:
"Before you speak, listen.
Before you write, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you invest, investigate.
Before you criticize, wait.
Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try.
Before you retire, save.
Before you die, give."

Some other thoughts:
From Murphy's rules of Combat:
If the going is easy it is an ambush.
If you are making good time, you are probably lost.
Friendly fire isn't.
If your flank is important, don't count on someone else to guard it.

MUD

Attitude

By Charles Swindoll
" The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life
Attitude to me is more important than facts.
It is more important , than the past, than education,
than money. than circumstances, than failure , than successes,
than what other people say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
It will make or break a company... a church... a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day
regarding the the attitude we will embrace that day.
We cannot change our past... We cannot change the fact
that people will act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on one string, we have
and that is attitude...
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me
and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...
We are in charge of our attitudes. "

4511
MUD

Destiny

Watch your thoughts;
they become your words
Watch your words;
they become your actions
Watch your actions:
They become your habits
Watch your habits;
They become your character
Watch your character;
for it will become your destiny

Hillel the Elder, Jewish Rabbi and teacher

I beg your Pardon?

I think it is way too funny that the one time President Bush has used his pardon ability everyone cries big wet tears. Where was the protest when President Clinton pardoned 120 people the last few days of his presidency? Do you all remember that President Ford pardoned Nixon? At least people should study history and get it half right. I hope they do have a panel examine the Presidential Pardon issue and make sure that everyone has the right information. The Constitution should be the final answer.
Another example of stupid things people say is the 9-11 theory that President Bush conspired to blow up the Trade Center Buildings in New York. Rosie and her conspiracy buddies continue to rant that it wasn't planes full of people and gas, but explosives that took the buildings down. Then, they turn around and say that president Bush is dumb and incompetent. Now, boys and girls, either the President is dumb or he was so smart that he was able to carry off one of the most complex hoaxes in the history of mankind. "Ain't happening McGee"
My final and closing statement is concerning people that make a living saying things that confuse and amuse others. Rush Limbaugh and Michael Moore are people that have a job making things look different and make money from that process. Neither are a fly on the ass of important things in our lives and should be considered entertainment. Listen to their programs or attend their movies. But, remember that they aren't the final answer in any argument. Kind of like reading the Readers Digest as the final answer on any issue. They can condense things into cohesive statements but just because it makes sense doesn't mean it is the only or correct answer. Have a great day out there.
MUD

Things to see in Vegas

Topless Babes. About a 1950 Model Ford

1955 2 Dr Chevy w/ blower hole in hood

$100,000 spent on a 1957 Chevy 2 door Belair.

These are the kinds of things an old guy loves to see in the City of Secrets. What happens in Vegas often is forgotten and it is not until I re-look at the pictures that I can remember what happened on Fremont Street.

Next year it will have been 40 years since Barb and I tied the knot in the Chapel of the Bells.
MUD

Damn Tags,

I wil do this only because I'm bored. I hate these and the idea that I can't come up with something worth reading/saying without them. Oh well, Here goes.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was in the process of retiring from the National Guard. It was a time of change for me and I was unsure of what I wanted to do. I was too young to really retire but too old to work as hard as I had in the past.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Spending the summer with Barb and trying to figure out what we were going to do.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Ice Cream
2. Salty snacks like peanuts and chips
3. Chex Mix but I have to add dry roasted peanuts because when they took them out it really left the taste bland.
4. Licorice
5. Cup of coffee, black, hot and in a big mug.

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1. As a former barber shopper there are several songs I not only know the words but can sing most of the four parts. Just know that you don't want to know them as they are all OLD.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Invest..Invest..Invest
2. Change my phone number
3. Make sure Dave gets his college finished
4. Buy a new old car. Try to imagine a 57 chevy with a new v6 motor and gets 25 MPG
5. Take as many of the family as wants on a trip.

Five bad habits:
1. Not bing able to suffer fools gladly.
2. Being convinced that everyone wants to hear the truth.
3. Old Cars
4. Being Judgmental w/o enough compassion
5. ......

Five things you like doing:
1. Car Trips w/ Barb when her back doesn't hurt
2. Working on old cars
3. Reading
4. Riding my recumbent
5. talking w/ Barb

Five things you would never wear again:
This is such a girl thing. I have absolutely no taste in clothes and other than go naked, I'm pretty much OK with about anything. I hope to have Barb buy most of my clothes for the rest of my life.

Five favorite toys:
1. Computer
2. Digital Camera
3. 57 Chevy
4.53 Chevy PU
5. Dogs

MUD

4th Of July

For almost 60 years, I have been alive to witness the enthusiasm children have for the 4th of July. For me it started on the east side of Wichita in the early 50's and the summer fun with firecrackers. We would wake up on the 4th all excited and spend the day blowing up things with firecrackers and eating. Dad would grill hamburgers and we would eat them with mustard and potato chips all washed down with Pepsi. We were pretty poor so the nighttime fireworks was mostly limited to a package of sparklers or two. While they are pretty, the chance of stepping on a hot sparkler wire took a lot of fun out of it.
During the 60's, the United States was as confused and war torn as today. Seems like the entire world wanted the era to be symbolized by the US flag flying at half mast or in a burning pile somewhere. I remember the fireworks but not near as much the firecrackers as the fireworks displays in the evenings at one drive-in theater or another. By the late 60's, I found myself in uniform and during the darkness we wanted it absolutely dark. If there were bright lights and rockets screaming, it was for real.
It took a few years f the 70's to settle the war and the gas lines made it an interesting time. By the late 70's the main worry for most of us was how to make a living and pay our debts with inflation kicking in. 12% for a home loan was about average and wages weren't keeping up. But, the 4th of July became a fun holiday with the birth of our son and his wide eyed amazement at the fireworks.
During the 80's, I was again in uniform but in the Guard and trying to live the good life as best as we knew how. I was a proud American and took great pride in saluting the flag each morning as I went to work. We did have a little excitement in 1983 as a tornado ripped our house off the foundation but hey, we were OK and the house was only things. I'm pretty sure that if I look hard there are still a few things that have dirt on them in the storage room that date to 1983. Our son continued to grow up and he really discovered fireworks for the wonderful way they blew up things. One of his favorites was the little paper tanks. He could take three or four of them and a small package of fireworks and spend hours setting off the tanks and then blowing them up. During this time we did a lot of grilling and hamburgers were still high on my list of favorites. For a couple of years we spent the evening of the 4th over at my sisters watching fireworks being set off in their back yard and at the lake Sherwood by all of the other neighbors.
The 90's were mostly a blur as our careers kept us busy and the events of life kept our attention. We all waived the flag as our troops came home form that border war to free Kuwait from Saddam's illegal incursion. The local veteran's group also sponsored a welcome home parade for the Vietnam Veteran's and invited us to be in the parade. Finally got to walk in a parade proudly and be recognized for my service.
As the 90's ended, so did my wearing of my uniform. From 1966 to 1997 I wore the uniform of my country proudly. The flag is a symbol of my nation and I have the same pride today as I did when I first wore green.
We have let the politicians again return the flag to a less respected spot. It flies as a symbol of Freedom and remember that the walls are to keep others from coming here, not to keep us in. It must be a pretty damned special place to attract the hatred of the rest of the world. I think they want exactly what we have and are as willing to die to get it as we are to protect it.
Today I hope you can be as proud of our country as I am. It never was perfect but it is damn near as good as it gets. The price of freedom is high and we need to be glad we paid the price.
4444
MUD

What do you do?

The question of the day is what do you do when you have everything you need and most of what you want? Buy Real Estate! Looks like the Petty's are signing a contract to purchase some land with a mobile home on it. The home is on a foundation but it needs a lot of work to bring it up to speed. The good news is Barb in her usual style has found a piece of property at darn near wholesale prices. I swear that woman has bargain stamped on her soul.

For all you planners out there, have you stumbled on the basic breakdown for a life plan? Start out with where are you? Do a real look see at everything from finances to education. Find someone that can do a simple balance sheet and put your finances on it. (I use Quicken) Ask yourself realistically where do you want to go? Where do you see yourself if five year increments. Then the hard answer is "How Do I get There from Here"? Like the journey of a Thousand Miles it begins with the first step. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Once you know what you need to do, those become your visions. Look at each vision and set the major step you need to take in each vision. For example - If you need a better job, do you need more education. Vision, better Job. First Goal get more education. Program? what do you need and how to pay for it? Steps, 1 apply for the school you need, Step 2 look for finding methods, 3 attend school (while working hard) 4 pay for it.

I think a lot of people are doing this but not in an organized fashion. Competition for assets and attention often dissuades us from achieving our goals. It would be easy to buy that new car with available credit but the assets used for that could be really essential to the accomplishment of a later goal.

Most of us have sufficient income to live the way we desire. It happens that a lot of us don't understand what we really want. It was easy for Barb and I to start out in a 38 foot Mobile home while we went to school. The cheap housing allowed us to accumulate education so we could then get paid for our work. Then we worked to get additional education and qualify for promotions. (If you think going to the Officer Advance Course, Command and General Staff College wasn't education, you just don't understand) Now that we are near the end of our working careers, we have a lot of time and resources to now live the way we desire.

The old saying was that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. I think it starts with a good plan, then the first step. Get out there and attack life like it was your life! No one said you couldn't win!
MUD

It has stopped!

For a little while the rain has stopped. It is still cloudy and dark so I won't place any bets that we are completely out of the rain. I estimate that we got another 3 inches in the last 24 hours. There isn't a lot of standing water in the yard but I can hear the stream at the bottom of the hill running. It is normally only a trickle to dry this time of year.
Barb and I are looking at an investment property north of here. It is priced a good amount under the appraised value but in need of a lot of work. After seeing the home our nephew bought in Spring Valley, NV we have high hopes. The trash makes the house not show well at all. It needs to be secured against entry but that's no big deal for a locksmith like me. It might give Dave and his wife a chance to move into our school district. Probably will sell their home once we get this deal done and them moved.
Pancakes on the table, gotta run. 4385
MUD