So many places to Go!

Good Morning Sports Fans.

The Master Gardner (MG) and I are holed up here in Heartland with lots of "want to get the heck away" but little motivation to select a place to go. Our motivation is to wake up once in a while in a place where a jacket is enough not a heavy coat. That leaves several places to go, but no inspiration. Been to Hawaii, Phoenix, Florida and San Diego. I could throw in Vietnam but I assure you that it was no vacation the first time.



One of the ideas I had was a train trip. I looked up a trip through Dallas and they wanted almost $400 and the trip took up through St. Louis and took 36 hours. Heck, I can drive there in a lot less time and about 1/3 the cost. I have never taken a long train trip and now I see why. Unless I was afraid to fly, it just isn't the ideal way to get anywhere.



I did solve the mysterious appearance of a dictionary by my computer workstation. There were two by Barb's machine when we reorganized and she was just sure that I would need one. Unless I lose my spell checker, I probably won't use it but I'll keep it handy just in case.



I cleaned my port hole to the world yesterday and man can I see a lot of details I had been missing. Mostly the view to the south is birds and feeders but there is a lot of activity because it has been so cold. Yesterday it seemed that a troop of Robbins found our yard to peck through. We normally have one or two around all winter and a small group pass through in the spring and fall. Seems like there were about 50 and in a disorganized eating frenzy.

Has anyone noticed that the Big XII s holding its own in the bowls. Mississippi did beat the 3rd best team in the South Division and Oregon beat the 4th best team in the South Division but, Missouri, KU, Nebraska and Texas have all won. That is a pretty impressive 2/3rds of all the bowl games played and won so far. We will see Thursday just how the National Championship works out. I think it will be a game that will come close to having 100 points scored by the combined team scores. Defense be damned, it will be a win by the team that gets to the goal line the most times. Oklahoma has compiled 600 yards of offense several times this year. Florida will put it on you every chance they get. Should be a fitting game for the National Championship.

MUD

Christmas Presents Gone Wild!

This is as close to what we put together as I could find. To tell the truth, I really don't remember which one of the Barbie doll houses we put together other it was multi storied.

One of Barb's many magazines had a short story about Christmas Presents over the years and the mad rush some people have to get them. It should be no surprise to any parent that the Advertising blitz each year just makes the latest game, doll or red rider a "Have to Have" to the kids out there watching too much TV.

I could tell you about some of the things I wanted as a kid but my most memorable Christmas present was the Tree House Barbie caper. After an evening of fun at my brother's house the kids finally went to bed and it was time to put the presents under the tree. All went well until the new "Stepmother from Hell" decided that after consuming way too much Scotch my brother and I would assemble the tree house. I would have handed her the tools and gone to bed but I think at that point there was a slim hope that if all went well that marriage could be salvaged. That dream died sometime the next year but on to the doll house.

I am sure that most normal guys would be able to put tab A in Slot A but somewhere the translation of the Chinese to English and the diagram things just didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. I'm sure that even completely sober (we weren't) it would have been a challenge. I think that about 4 AM things came together in such a manner that it stood by its self and we drifted off to bed. I might ad that by this point we had been up at least 4 hours longer than anyone else. About the first glimmer of light, the kids hit the floor with squeals of delight. Being a kid myself (at least inside) I rolled out of bed and promptly fell to my knees with a hang over that three aspirins, two glasses of water and half of a pot of coffee did not fix.

The kids did their best to be about as happy as the commercials. Somewhere near the end of the early morning fun my little niece looked at the tree house and said that Santa didn't do a very good job putting it together. It didn't look like the picture. I got out the tools and with about 10 minutes of her help had that sucker looking like the picture and all was well.

Had we waited until sobriety and day break coincided the niece would have been very happy to help put that damn tree house together. I'm convinced that adults have such strange ideas of what kids expect that they go to lengths beyond reason to attempt to make Christmas everything they ever wanted and then some.

Happy New Year.

MUD

Dang I hate it when that Happens!

I read that black labs don't get adopted as fast as golden or yellow labs. They said you can't see their eyes as well and people don't trust them. This is one of the nicest dogs that ever fetched a stick. Taco is definitely a lover dog.

I came downstairs all set to write another pithy Blog and stopped to read a message from my bud Ken. I expended a lot of energy and laughter in writing him a reply and I just forgot what I came here to write about. Oh well, you didn't know so you might even read the rest of this blog and think it was what I fully intended.

Yesterday afternoon about 3:30 PM, the Kansas Jay Hawks just finished playing basketball on TV. They were a team to the end and held off a good Tennessee team for a win in Allen Field House. I hadn't really been outside much and it was 64 degrees and I said to Barb I'm going, want to come with me or not? We both left our coats home and braved out in the warmth that a south breeze brings. About half way across Topeka, the air ahead of us looked like Los Angeles smog and I wondered if that cold front was pushing its way here. Dang right! Barb went into one store and I went to Target to get a big ol'e bag of popcorn. I came back out and sat in the car. I noticed that the windows were fogging up but hey, inside listening to the radio and eating popcorn it was nice. By the time Barb got back it was 20 degrees colder, a northerly wind (20-30 MPH) was blowing and it was cold. On the way home the check gauges light came on and I knew it was time to refill the gas tank. I stood out there and put $19.00 worth of gas in and clicked it off there. My ears were so cold I was afraid to try to warm them up. Stupid! It wasn't quite as Bad as the Day the Miami Dolphins came to Arrow Head a couple of weekends back. One of the Flipper players looked at the ground temperature thermometer and said, "It is no degrees out here. It is so cold that even the thermometer won't find anything to read."

This morning it is in the lower teens here and that's almost a 50 degree drop in less than 24 hours. I'm not sure that is a record but it is a good example of what the weather is like in January in Kansas.

Today we are set to go to a movie and have dinner with the kids. I'll damn sure take my coat this time. Stay warm and have hot chocolate thoughts.

MUD

PS, the pithy comment I was going to write was about Christmas Presents Gone Wild. Oh well, I have tomorrow's topic. Dang Partzheimers.

Finally!

After many years of using her old MAC, Barb finally let me replace it with a new MAC. It is about three times faster and has enough memory to store a telephone book full of information. I sat it up on my computer desk along with my notebook to get as much running as I could. As an IBM kind of guy, I am very limited on how to make the MAC really fly. I cannot imagine why MAC hasn't dropped the insistence on one button and reliance on drop down menu's. Yesterday she allowed me to move it over to her computer station so she can use it there and the old one when she needs it. I need to find a good MAC Geek Squad member and have him come over and 'splain things to me. I was gong to buy the MAC For Dummies book but Barb convinced me that I wasn't smart enough about MACs to even be considered a Dummy.

On that same line of thought, Barb mentioned that it is about 11 AM and I hadn't updated my Blog. I told her that I was sitting here with the compose screen open and just kind of hit a mental lapse on what to write. She said I needed to have a life before I could write about one. Time to, "Get the hell out of Dodge", or at least Tecumseh.

My good buddy Two Dogs, put a link in his blog that just killed me. For years I have has a motto that said, "Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things." Look him up and see what some poor ladies password was.

MUD

My List of Good Food & Bad Cars

Yes, I do have a good book but I felt like telling you about Good Food I have eaten and Bad Cars I have driven. Lets start with my favorite thing, FOOD!:

1. I think that of all the things I have consumed in my life, right up there on the top of things to eat is Ham and Beans with a side of cornbread. Just took the bone out of a spiral ham (with lots of meat still attached) added a few onions and celery boiled them like Kidneys (You know, boil the piss out of them) added beans and served with the corn bread made to the specifications on the side of the Corn Meal box. This just gets better each day after made and today it was fabulous. I am not a dry bean snob and will eat beans right out of the can in my soups.
2. I think Baby Back Ribs are about the best thing a guy could eat. In fact I have the wife convinced that some day we will go through Memphis just to see if their dry rubbed ribs are better than the wet mopped ones. Might have to eat them in Kansas City on the way down or back.
3. On our last trip to Tulsa, we stopped at the TA Truck stop at I-35 and US75. The fried chicken on their buffet was about the best I have eaten anywhere, anytime. Many of you know it as BETO truck stop. It is about the middle of the road to Burlington, Emporia Topeka and Ottawa. You can get a giant cinnamon roll and a great cup of coffee but I try to time my trips through there to hit the buffet. If we really aren't hungry there is a Wendy's for those days when a double grease/cheese burger is on your mind. Might even eat a Frosty.
4. Gumbo and Rice. I prefer the seafood kind but the rest of the crew likes chicken and beef. For a kid from Kansas, I just love the mystery of all the seafood flavors mixed in with some great peppers, Okra and Onions. I used some calamari this last time and it was a great addition.
5. Rib Tip Special at Grover's Smoke House. When they trim up the ribs, all sorts of wonderful meat is trimmed off the ribs. Take these chunks, smoke them and put Grover's BBQ sauce on it and dig in. I'll bet even though I lick my fingers, I'll go through 7 or 8 napkins. It comes with a side of fries. None of that sissy slaw for me.
6. Beef Bulgogi with a side of Kim chi and rice. This Korean dish is grilled at the table and is like a Korean Philly Beef sandwich without the bun and cheese. Right now I am between good Korean Restaurants locally so the supply is somewhat limited. We have an "Oriental" restaurant here that has Mexican cooks. They do OK but nothing like when it is cooked at your table over a miniature Mongolian BBQ grill. (My friend tells me that KA-Gogi is to be avoided. It used to go woof.
7. I am trying to think if I have ever had a steak I didn't love? Yes, the Water Buffalo in Vietnam and the steak in Germany that was overpriced and had a pat of some strange butter that tasted like someone had put grass in the butter to be funny. For the most part cook me anything Medium Rare and hold the A-1 for the side. If you use a good smoky fire like I do, leave off the A-1. About any sides will do. Small dinner salad, baked potato and a steak. None of those sissy desserts after a good steak.
8. One year we hosted a dinner for the 5th US Army Commander as he made a visit to Kansas. I started with a hunk of Brisket that I smoke on the grill for a couple of hours. Brought it in and cooked it in the oven for a couple more hours and let it cool. Slice that sucker and an hour before dinner (the next day is best) slather it in BBQ sauce and put it in the oven. We served Hot German Potato salad as a side. I think one of the guys also gave me a couple of Pheasant and I smoked them and they were served as an appetiser. No one went home hungry.
9. Smoked Turkey. I think a hickory smoked turkey is about the best way to go. I have them baked, deep fried and roasted and I like my hickory smoked turkey the best. I like a garlic smashed potatoes side and I don't care what else you do if you will just leave the damn liver out of the gravy.
10. One time I had a group of students scheduled for a class. There just wasn't an empty class room anywhere so I got permission to bring them to Rabbit Run. One of the students was a part time chef and he asked if he could do the salad. He took the greens and put them in cold water. he sliced the carrots and everything else into small bits. When he put that salad together it was so crisp that people couldn't hear when they were eating the salad. He made a Roquefort or Blue Cheese dressing that was to die for. So I will eat a great salad pretty much anytime I can get one.

CARS - Be forewarned that I have driven a lot of cars and have many favorites. This list is limited to one's that I hated:

1. Last night Jay Leno had Wonda Sikes on his program and she agrees that in the realm of bad cars the PT Cruiser is about as bad as it gets. It is a cute little car but noisy and a pain to drive. Her comment went, "Give them a Bail out but don't let them make the PT Cruiser anymore.
2. My all time bad car I owned was the VEGA. Again, cute car, great design but the guy that made the engine out of silicone impregnated aluminum should have to eat engines as bad as they did. Small water leak, good by head gasket and block. Manage to keep the engine together for 50,000 miles and the EPA would make the air in your driveway a super fund sight. Smoke works than Minnesota killing mosquitoes.
3. 69 Chevelle. Great car to look at but the 305 engine was the worst gas hog I ever owned. on a good day it would get 12 on the highway. Put that car on ice and I swear a hog could outrun it.
4. Almost any old Flat Head V-8 Ford car with a 6 volt system. These things cracked heads so bad you would thin k they were mafia enforcers. The battery charging system and the starting system was just never in balance. The only way I could get mine started if it was cool was to carry a 12 volt battery and extension cables to jump it. Then you had to be real careful to disconnect the 12 volt batter quick or it would fry the coil, points and wires in between the battery and the starter.
5. Renault Dauphine. If you lived in France, had a dealer nearby and didn't drive this car more than 30 miles a week, they would last almost forever. (Or it would seem like it) Bring it to the USA where people drive 30 miles a day at highway speeds and they were terrible. In high school I had a girl friend that owned one of these wonderful cars and at least one night a week I would take it to the gas station where I worked the other evenings and give it a good going over. The seals leaked into the rear brakes so cleaning out oil once a week was mandatory. The one my dad talked me into buying would do 45 in third and only go 45 in fourth. There was one hill that I could go 50 going down only because there was no cross traffic and I wouldn't have to stop fast.
6. 71-80 something full sized Chevrolet's. These gas guzzlers had a real issue throwing hubcaps at people as they drove down the highway. They were at best expensive gas hogs and should have never been made. I test drove a station wagon one time and after one block of driving what felt like a battleship we went back to the dealership. It just kills me that today they are still out there and the kids will buy one for $500 and put $2000 dollars worth of tires and rims on them and drive like they had good sense. I thin k it also takes about $1500 worth of new suspension to put those 20 inch tires on.
7. Ford Falcons. Just the name should say it all. Even when my buddy managed to build a frame and put a 327 engine in his Falcon, it was a piece of crap.
8. Chrysler K-Cars. When the Government bailed out Chrysler in the 70's, to keep up the payments on the loan, the GSA bought K-Cars to fill the fleet. I was stranded more times in a K-Car than in almost any of the junk I owned and I owned quite a few junkers. Lordy, whatever you do don't hit a deer in one. Did that and darned near totaled that sucker. None of the doors ever opened and closed properly after that.
9. Any British Car with a Lucas Ignition. Do you know why the British drink warm beer? because they have Lucas Refrigerators.
10. I will leave one open for your vote_________________________________

MUD

Character

Is it just me or does this picture of Austin make him look like that baby in the on line stock purchasing commercial who orders stock on-line and then erps up his last meal? Barb said that Austin is cute in this little striped outfit, but it would just make me look fat. I would just say this is what the future is all about.

It is not what you do when people are watching that cites the amount of character you have. It is what you do when no one is watching. Here are a couple of times in my life that I use as an example of my character.

Back in 1969 or early 1970, I was back on the college campus at Wichita State after a tour in Vietnam. I happened to be in the bathroom of the Campus Activity Center (CAC) and a student ran in and said come quick they are burning a US flag out front of the CAC. I calmly told him that I had a spotless record but I wouldn't mind having an arrest there for kicking someones ass for burning the flag I had just fought for. I told him to run along and play and don't invite me. You have every right to be an ass but don't expect me to play games with my patriotism.

A friend of mine there at WSU who had not been drafted into the service and remained on the Campus, came to me with a Business proposal. He needed about $100 to set up a lab to make drugs and guaranteed that I would get either double my money or nothing for my investment. He would guarantee that no one would know. Guess who didn't finance a drug lab? No, to my knowledge he didn't get caught but it was a matter of principle.

In the area of right decisions I make, I would like to point out that I often make Barb the heavy when I know that the thing under consideration is stupid. I will haul her out as the sounding board and use her brilliant "flashes of the obvious" when I had no intention of doing such a stupid thing to start with. I can count on one hand (no, one finger raised in a salute) the times she has ever gone along with a stupid idea. After all, she did marry me and come to Kansas.

In the long haul of things, the other day on our trip to Tulsa, I asked Barb what would you have done different from your game plan we discussed back in the Yermo dump in 1967? (That was one place we could go to be alone when we were dating.) She said that perhaps the location might have been different, but the end result was where she was going. I guess it is a good thing I came along for the ride.

MUD

While I was Out Yesterday

There is a really great guy that runs a bike shop over by Washburn University here in Topeka. He was in an area that was slated for upgrades and he didn't want to move. The Developer finally built around his shop and he remains in business. I thought that this Country was built on fairness and the right to own your property. It seems that the City of Topeka has joined in with the developer to put Jerry out of business. Here are a few of the injustices done to Jerry.

• The city condemned the parking area behind his building and took it for the Developer to make money off of. Don't let anyone tell you that the laws only support public works.
  
• The City dug up the parking area in front of his store and connected the gas lines to the two adjoining stores and cut his off. He has only a wood stove to heat his building.
  
• He is being taken to court and sued for $250,000 or the right for the developer to change the decor of Jerry shop and Jerry has to pay or it.
  
• One day Jerry's sewer stopped working and he realized that the city cut his sewer line off. He has to put a porta potty on his sidewalk to use the bathroom.
  
• The city tried to say that the porta potty was blocking the sidewalk and when they finally saw it the realized that it didn't. Then they tried to say it was on the easement but it wasn't.

If there was ever a guy that should hate the city and the developer, Jerry is it. I am going to cut a load of fire wood and take it to him as the weather cools down. I am also going to buy a new headlight/taillight outfit from him even though I can get it cheaper on the Internet.

One other note is that Jerry doesn't carry recumbents anymore. He said that at the bike show this year almost no one was at the Bentrider's booths. I did notice that they are all over a grand each and I'll bet the inventory cost and the pending legal problems don't help.

Oh well, I think I'll go for a bike ride and get over it.

MUD

Went to the Dog Show

Just as I got there my favorite kind of dog was being judged. The Dachshunds had done each category of Short hair, long hair, wire hair and standard and the best of the four types were being judged. A black and Tan long hair won best of the breed.

She was a pretty as Grissy and her hair was so well groomed that it shined. I did notice a hair ball on one ear that I would have combed out but the handler didn't seem concerned.

Right after the judging I saw two of the cutest dachshunds in a crate that I hadn't seen in the long hair competition. They were as blond as a pair of Cocker spaniels and were a sweet pair. Their handler was pissed off that they weren't selected in their category and kenneled them up and walked away. I didn't see the owner take them away.

For me the toughest class to judge would have been the Dobermans. There were 35 of them and other than a chocolate one now and then they looked almost identical. What a bunch of pretty dogs and not one guard dog in the bunch. They were all sweet and loved to sniff strangers and get petted. One came up and nudged my camera lens and I had to clean off a nose print. He was thrilled to have me pet him and I was thrilled that he didn't tear off my arm or something. It was a fun day and my feet hurt.

MUD

One Day's Haul

The Master Gardner came in from her daily trip to the garden with a load of newly picked produce. I love fresh stuff from the garden. Every once in a while I do want to go consume copious quantities of meat but hey, it's a guy thing. Have a great meal out there.
MUD

A little Help

Just so you will know, the Master Gardner here at Rabbit Run has a Masters Degree in Special Education. As she racked up the Graduate Hours, she attended a lot of workshops and classes while writing more papers than I write blogs. All good stuff, but some was more fun than others. Most notable of the entire process (at least for me) were the Love and Logic workshops given by Jim Fay.

In addition to being a pretty straight forward person with a very logical approach, he is funny as hell when he tells you about the real world examples of his process. Whenever Barb went to one of the conferences, I tried to sit in on at least one or two of the instructional periods. He mostly tells you to focus your reaction to the child's behavior to the action and shows you how not to transfer that to the child as anger. It also helps you watch others as they parent their children and know that their frustration could be a lot less if they just had a little help from Jim & Company.

The real great thing about Jim's work is that he really has reached out to the schools and his material is available through most school counselors. There is a really good DVD set that gives you a bunch of coping strategies and let me show you how they work.

Your child comes home in a really bad funk. He or she throws he books down and announces that "I am never going back to school". Instead of being angry about the book throwing, Jim would tell you to ask the child to do something with you that you know they enjoy. After spending a while regaining their emotions (and giving you a chance to figure out what you are going to do) in a very non emotional setting be the adult and lead a discussion on how you love them and why you feel that education is very much worth the hassle. Your example of Love in a calm environment gives them hope that they will someday be able to be calm when their hormones cause them to think the world is out of control.

Yesterday at Wal*Mart I saw a child very angry that her mother had told her to sit down in the cart and not to stand up. Mother told her," For the third and last time, I am telling you to sit the hell down or I'll blister you butt". Jim's approach would have been for the mother to calmly tell the little girl that she is loved so much that if she fell out of the cart she would feel so bad. Everyone would be mad at mother if she got hurt.

If you are struggling with a relationship (especially children) got to your school and see if the counselor has some material from Jim Fay to help you make a difference.

MUD

Volleyball Story

The school I attended from Kindergarten through the 9th grade had a focus on Volleyball that just made it a part of every recess and gym class. Because there was two bus runs, there was also volleyball prior to school from the time the first bus run arrived until the first bell of classes. It was a fun and easy game and most of us played as much as we could.

In the 8th grade, I didn't make the volleyball team for some reason. I think the boys coach didn't like me because I didn't play basketball that year. Whatever, but the team went to a tournament at another school there in Wichita. The entire team left the gym after their game and went across the street to the DQ. The Coach fired the entire team. That day, the coach selected an entirely new team and I went to the tournament with that group the second and third night.

Our team, the second best team in our school, went to that tournament and cleaned the clock of all the teams we played. I have always had a fondness for winning and that cemented my love of the game.

In Officer Candidate School at fort Sill, OK, the Company Commander asked us to put together a team to play in the post tournament. We didn't have any time to practice but we did have several players over six feet tall. We went to the tournament the first night expecting to have a little fun and if we were lucky win a game or two. We waxed a team of one of the training units and played a second team in our side of the bracket in a tournament. We won both games the first night and played a second night. We won both games that night and played for the Post Championship and won that game. Because we were in Training to become officers, the second place team went on to the All Army Championships. I'll bet we could have won at least a couple of games but alas it was not allowed for us. I have always wondered if had we been a regular unit if we could have gone on and perhaps put some players on the Olympic Team. Instead, we all pinned on the 2nd Lieutenant bars and went on to our first units. Mine put me in line to go to Vietnam as a Forward Observer and I went. Oh well, I still enjoy watching volleyball even if they have changed the rules so I have a tough time keeping score.

MUD

Critters n such

Living here in the Heartland has dangers other than the misplaced bag of Zucchini. I have posted the Northern Black Widow and my brother-in-law killed a two foot copperhead with pictures on his e-mail. My niece was visiting her father in Texas and got stung by a wasp and her picture was so gruesome that I wouldn't post it here.

Yesterday I went up to Dave's place in search of some metal edging I was sure was in his storage shed. Not paying attention, I opened the door to find a six inch wasp nest, fully manned on the back of the door. One got me on the neck before I retreated out of their territory. I went back armed with some flying insect spray and got stung again on my finger as I sprayed the nest. At least I did find the edging I needed.

Later on, I went out to the other shed and got the riding mower out and there were wasps everywhere. They were working on a nest on the ceiling and at least they weren't as mad over my shaking the door as the last bunch. This time I had Dave's Black Flag and it sprays a stream about 10 or 15 feet and they were an easy kill.

The sting on my neck is just a small bump this morning but the finger is kind of swollen and sore. I guess that wasp was really inclined to get me and the other one just wanted me to go away.

Today it is kind of overcast and we have thunderstorms predicted for later on. I had some plans to do some roofing at the rental house but it will have to wait for a better day. Have a great day out there.

MUD

Leadership Vs. Management

I firmly believe that people need to be good mangers of their assets. You need to make money and spend less than you make. You need to spend a little on preventative maintenance and replace those things you can't fix. Good managers understand needs and wants and spend on the priority of needs first and wants when there is money. I won't get into the whole carbon footprint thing but if you can reduce yours, why not.

With that said, it is leadership that is the most misunderstood. Leadership is that gentle persuasion of others to do what they know is the right thing and have them think it is their idea. Motivate your kids and subordinates to feel good about positive things and learn from the mistakes. It is hard to understand the difference between motivators and dis-satisfiers. For example - One time a General officer made a comment in his big opening meeting that one of the mess halls at Camp Ripley was so ugly that people just didn't want to eat there. It turned out that the mess hall he pointed out was mine. I found out that my mess team had fed almost 500 more people than we were told to expect. Damn right it wasn't pretty, but the food was good. I spoke with about 25 people that ate there and they bragged about the leadership my Mess Sergeant used to meet the crush and get those people fed. I looked that General up and personally told him that he was all wet and I felt his remarks were ill chosen and a dissatisfied to most of us. Instead of using the example to praise how people can raise above the circumstances he chose to punish in public those that should have been praised. Had he brought that Mess Sergeant to the podium and given him an award he could have raised the standard across his Brigade. By using a negative he failed. To add bad to worse, food is not a motivator. It is only a dis-satisfier when it is bad. When you have a lot of work to do, you eat to stay fueled.

The next time someone makes a mistake, give them a hug and say that they will learn from the mistakes and to do the best they can. Look for a few positive things to say about your kids and subordinates each day and pretty soon they will think you are a miracle worker. Hit them and they will learn to hit. Berate them and they will learn to say bad things about others.

After all, what would we think of JFK if he had said, "Ask not what you can do for your Country, ask what our country can do for you." He made a mistake in the Bay of Pigs fiasco and moved on smartly.

Think about what you can do to have a positive impact and not worry about the "what ifs" unless you are using them to motivate.

MUD

What Do you do when it is Zuccini Season

After you have taken about a million pictures of the flowers, insects and deer, what do you do and where do you eat?




After you have eaten all the spicy chicken at Churches that you can stand, what do you eat?




You make a zucchini, diced tomato and Garbanzo bean chili and dig in. I noticed that there were two cupcakes yesterday and Barb admitted that it was a part of her balanced diet to eat cupcakes to offset all the zucchini. You never know how a meal that is good for you will attack. I haven't eaten garbanzo beans enough lately to know if they are powerful like regular beans.

But most importantly, in the Heartland, lock your doors as most of us that have them have them in quantity and the zucchini grow fast and big. Be afraid, very afraid. You never know who will sneak a bag of them in your car and slink away.

MUD

Just List'n to tunes

This morning when I got all ready to write here on this blog, a CD by the Prairie Rose Wranglers just fell right off the shelf and into my lap. So, I am listening to cowboy songs while I try to write this. It makes singing along kind of hard but I don't think anyone will notice.



The Prairie Rose Wranglers sing at the Prairie Rose down by Benton, KS and put on a great show. You go in and eat a chuck wagon meal and then get to laugh as they sing and tell jokes that are just my speed. They take the kids into the next room and let them watch movies and then to sing a Deep in the Heart of Texas when they all come back into the dinning room. Great evening. My favorite song by far is the "Cool Clear water" song. I have a tenor falsetto and get to sing the words "water" as a kind of over harmony along with the CD. Puts a smile on my mug that will last all day. I don't want to be serious when I listen to a comedian or attend a show. Ron White is just almost too cerebral for my taste. Good old Jeff and his redneck jokes are more my speed after 7 PM. Speaking of Jeff Foxworthy, did you hear my Red Neck Joke? You might not be a redneck if your car has a Bra and your wife doesn't need one.


The following is a Political Comment. Why does Barry not have a sense of humor? You can't tell stories about his name, his ears, his wife, his friends, his birth certificate and the list goes on... I can't believe that anyone really takes himself that serious unless some thing's wrong. I don't suffer fools gladly if they take themselves too serious. If you read this blog, you probably know that making fun of myself is a past time I enjoy. Did I mention John Edwards? A man with a wife about to die from Cancer needs to keep his pecker out of the payroll. What a dick head. Speaking of "Dick Heads" did you hear that Bill Clinton gave a speech about monogamy and its link to stopping the spread of Aids. (Instead of calling him Mr President, I capitalized dick head) That is about as strange as if the Pope made an advertisement for the Tiller Abortion Clinic. For the record, I think Abortion is a wrong thing to do, but I sure as hell don't want the Government involved with a decision made between a woman and her doctor. I damn sure don't need people telling me what they want if they have signs and yell at me. If you want to be committed, go to the Mayo Clinic.

Did you read that The "Reverend" Freddy Phelps's bunch of protesters tired to go to Canada to show their signs. Got stopped at the border as being undesirable. Man I wish there was some way we could do that right here in Topeka. You never know when you will be driving past some church or public building and there they are all signed up. If they weren't so stupid, I might think it was OK. I can't tolerate people using the first amendment to protect them when what they say is just so dumb that people shake their head and say, "That ain't right".

Oh well, on with the day. Listened to the CD twice and this is all I can think of writing.

MUD

I Don't mind Them picking them...

But I do mind if they eat them all and don't share. This is a photo of our new deer visitor and her two fawns. They are basically out in the open in our orchard and eat the apples. I haven't taken any pictures of the turkeys eating the grapes but the neighbors say they see them all the time. Oh well

MUD

Forgot the Dang Camera

This is Julie and the girls as they arrived in Wichita almost a month ago.

We went over to a party in Julie & Gerald's old neighborhood here in Topeka and met some mighty nice people and got to update my Special K hugs. But, wouldn't you know it, I forgot to bring the camera so warm feelings is all I have to show you for my time. Take my word for it, Julie and Gerald just know how to bring special people together. I guess it is their kindness and love that just brings out the best in people. It remind me of the warm and big hugs I would get from my mother when I was little.

I have bleary eyes from reading two books and watching the Olympics at all hours. Some darn nice young folks did a lot of hard work and their work shined as brightly as their medals. The Chinese brought Yau Ming home to highlight their basketball team but the US just creamed them. In their honor, I had Chinese food yesterday but an hour later I wanted to be home watching the swimming. The only thing prettier than watching the men's 4X100 free stile win over the French was the clip of Natalie Coughlin on the program this morning. That is sure a couple of purdy young thangs. Speaking of the French being beat by .08 seconds, they should be familiar with that feeling. From Napoleon to Vietnam, the French have been on the losing side more times than most people remember. I am amazed that when the Russians moved their tanks into Georgia, that the French didn't run up the white flag. I am still mad that one of my family members said that my name is a derivative of Petit and not English Petty. Those dang French can't be trusted to get something as small as my name right.

I really do hope that the Russians and the Georgians smooth their problems out soon. Just once in my lifetime I would like to see the UN get their act together and bring that stupid incursion to a halt.

Quick, raise your hand if you care who is the VP nominees for Barry and John. The choices enumerated on the TV this morning are as varied as Kathleen Sibelius for Barry and Lieberman for McCain. That's just too weird to think about this early in the morning. Perhaps when I have my third cup of coffee I'll be able to get my head in that game. (notice the sports reference after how many hours of the Olympics)

I tried to find some way to use bleary eyed that was better. Kind of like "Blearily" he said. (Spell checker didn't underline that so I guess I can leave it in)

Oh well, miles to go ad things to do. Have a great day out there.

MUD

13,000 Visitors

Thank You to all the people that visit this blog. I'll try to keep it light and variable. If you have any ideas, sound off in the comment section and I'll try to comply with your wishes.

MUD

Pornography, Heartland style

My readership is down a little so I thought I would experiment with things that might improve my readership. I will start with Male Nudity









Follow that with female nudity! (Naked Ladies)








Wild and wet party goer.









Dare I say Pussy:









A Picture of my buns:











And Finally a naked beach picture.






If this causes you to be ashamed of me, I apologize in advance. What else doe you have to do on a rainy day. Read a book? Watch the Olympics, write stupid things on your blog? Oh well...

MUD

Art Imitating Reality

After a long career in the Military, I am a little hard of hearing. It started on the rifle range and ended in the Field Artillery. The Master Gardner (aka Head Gardner) is always after me to get my hearing tested. I know what's wrong, I hear poorly in one ear and can't hear out of the other. My right ear is worse because of a concussion and that is side she sits on when I drive. Add a little traffic noise and I can't hear her when we drive without her speaking a lot more loud.

The Olympics are in full swing and yes, I will watch things that I would normally not watch. So far I watched the USA Women defeat Japan in soccer and their is dressage currently showing. I wouldn't normally watch horsing around unless it is in an R rated movie. Now if they could include something like a tractor pull in the horse show, I might watch eagerly. Yes Marv, it was a full pull for that horse from Jamaica. That Clydesdale isn't pretty and jumping that hurdle just wasn't possible but look at that form and distance.

It will be a lot cooler today here in the heartland and we might even get a little rain. I do have a little house cleaning to do and a load of dishes to wash. With a good book and the Olympics, there won't be any shortage of things to do. Hope you all have a great day out there.

MUF (That is MUD to those of you with good hearing)