The bride and my daughter are in San Diego packing up my mom’s house. I will be rearranging my basement this weekend to make room for the stuff we are having shipped. My basement is 1000 sq ft so I will have plenty of room. I was looking into a storage unit but the cost and inconvenience did not make sense to me.

Mom and I took off yesterday and headed for Wendover NV. It is on the Stateline between Utah and Nevada. It is where all of Northern Utah goes to gamble. We took the 2 ½ hour drive, parked in the parking lot in Utah and walked through the front door of casino into Nevada. Had a wonderful prime rib buffet and mom helped me go through $70 on the slot machines. It was fun and well worth the money.

The bride and I will leave this coming Friday for our cruise and to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. My sister will fly in from Georgia and spend the week with mom. It will be nice to get away and relax. As soon as I get back I will have both of my knees replaced. They have giving me fits for a number of years and having gotten so much worse in the past year. I figure if I am going to improve my quality of life I should do it now while I am still young enough to enjoy it. Between the cruise and my surgery I will be out of the office for at least 5 weeks. I am getting a lap top so I can keep up with my work from home. I have been in this particular position for 11 years and I have been one deep the entire time. Now it seems management has figure out that nobody else knows how to do my job and are in a panic. I am in charge of nonnuclear munitions loading for the F-16, and I am the weight and balance authority for the aircraft.

They have assigned fellow to be my alternate this past Thursday. I know him by sight but don’t know where he sits. He works in another building and I don’t think I have spoken to him more then two or three time ever, and that was about fishing. One of my bosses asked if there were classes that teach my job. I explained to him that I learned it through 11 years of on the job training.

Retirement is looking better and better all the time. I believe I have about 129 days until I am eligible. One more cup of coffee while I read the paper and I will tackle the basement. Wish me luck.

Things are going well with mom here. She has put on some weight and is enjoying herself. I have gotten most of the items completed that I need to for her to stay. I'll admit that most of these she does not know about. I tell tell her that she was staying. She got upset and told me if she stayed she would just pout. I told her that was fine. She pouted for a couple of hours and now she is just being herself.

It was a fight and a half to get my mom up here. My eldest son and my daughter got the job done. Mom does not know that she is not going home. As I have said before she can not live alone anymore. The comparison of her now and the picture I post a couple of weeks ago is dramatic. She has lost so much weight I would bet she is down between 20 to 30 pounds. She is getting three squares a day now.

I went to an assisted living facility this morning to check the place out. I did not get any warm fuzzies over the place. I think I am going to see how mom does here for a while. Get some weight put back on her and stimulate the old brain matter some. I need prayer

September 9th, 2001 was the first meeting of Alpine church. It was held in a Jr. High school auditorium. The past few years we have had services in the terrace playhouse. This morning just a little over six years from when we started we held our first meeting in our own church building.

It was exciting to walk through the facility, the smell of fresh paint, walls yet to be marred by kids in the children’s church, the nervousness of making sure I was not the first one to spill coffee in the new sanctuary. You could feel the excitement of the congregation. Some of the detail work has yet to be completed and the church offices are not finished but the important stuff is done.

We attended the early service but I did not get there early enough to get the back row, I had to sit one row up from the back. But even that did not dampen my mood, Bryan (senior pastor) and Steve (associate pastor) gave a wonderful sermon on something. I am just not sure what, but it was good.


The bride and I have not been real faithful in our attendance for the past year or so. A lot of it has been health related and some has been laziness. I do believe that after my upcoming procedures and recovery I will be a little more faithful. At least that is what the bride tells me. Okay I am just kidding on that one. I do what to be a little more faithful in my attendance. But it is a very nice Sunday and San Diego just scored on their opening drive.


The couple in the picture is Bryan and his bride Tracy.

This has been a some what stressful day. I won’t go into all the details or how much time I have spent on the phone. It seems that it is time to bring mom up for San Diego for good. Mom will be 87 this coming March and she has lived alone for 35 years. She has been in the same house for 50 years this coming November. But we all (Me, the bride, my sister, my kids) believe that it is time. I was ready to head down to California in the morning, but it seems that I can wait until the 15th of November when she comes up for Thanksgiving. Mom will be able to help me mend from up coming surgeries. I am having three procedures scheduled between 5 Nov and 13 Nov.
(This is another blog)

Mom always has a great time while she is up here. When she is relocated she will be surrounded by family, one of her two kids (me) two of her three grandkids, and all three of her great grandkids. Mom is very resistant to the move as of today. But I believe that she will warm up to it as time moves on. I know for a fact that she will be very happy once she is settled in. The basement will be made in to her living quarters, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. She will spend the evenings with the bride and I. Until the basement is finished she will have one of the spare bedrooms and the guest bath. I told my sister that mom will not have to worry about all the stuff she worries about: house insurance, groceries, utilities, water, nothing. There are still some road blocks in the future so I will pray this works out for the best.

I am back

Headed for the airport. I'll be gone most of the week. See ya

I had four trees taken out of the backyard yesterday. The tree’s roots were starting to cause some damage and the trees put down an unbelievable amount of leaves every fall.

I called Ernesto’s tree service, good choice. Ernesto and his brother showed up early yesterday morning. It appears they were one man short of a full crew. Ernesto explained one guy did not show up and he offered me a job right then and there. I rushed in and told the bride I had found my calling and I knew what I was going to do after I retired. Those dreams went up in flames in just seconds.

I managed to stay almost out of the way for the rest of the day. I would pull a couple of branches toward the chipper shedder and watched these guys attack my trees with what can only described a work ethic that would wake me up from a dead sleep in a cold sweat. I really believe I could have never hung with these guys even in my younger days. I had made some plans in my head on how I would have taken down the trees. It could have been summed up as renting cherry picker and whacking away with a chain saw. Not these guys, They showed a great deal experience and knowledge, one climbed each tree and took each branch off as he went up. I watched as he would grab the branches swing them behind his back to make sure each one landed in my backyard. The other would line them up to feed into the shredder. There were ropes and pulleys and things hooked to the trunk of one of trees to help do something. Man it was great. It was non stop from the time they got there until they left. Other the wood I requested they leave there was nothing left except foot prints. They wood they left was cut up into bite size chucks that I can split and use in the fire place next year. Well worth the money.

The bride and I, plus another couple went out for a wonderful dinner last night. We took the gondola to the top of Snow Basin (local ski resort) for a fine dinning buffet. It is a 20 minute gondola ride to the top of the mountain and on top is the Needles lodge. The views are just great and I almost took some pictures. We were seated by a window, the bride and I took the seats where our backs were more towards the window. We had been up just last week and our friends had not been there before. After we were seated the feeding frenzy soon began. First trip I took started me off with Mussels on the half shell, shrimp with cocktail sauce, prime rib, lamb, white Sea bass, And some other stuff. The sea bass is cooked for you as you wait, Fantastic. Last week they had sword fish which was equally as good. My second trip involved more sea bass and lobster ravioli, very good stuff. I really wanted a third trip to the buffet line but I had to save some room for the dessert table. Okay I had no more room but I was not going to let that stop me. The young lady that was waiting our table clearing the used plates and keeping the drinks filled told me “make me proud” as I advanced on the desserts. Strawberries and pineapple dipped in chocolate, cinnamon dough balls covered with caramel sauce, key lime custard in individual curst, baked apples, and chocolate everywhere. I forget if I only went up once or twice. I did not want to look like oinker so I sat at the table and picked off the brides plate. Kellie (the other lady with us) and I finished off dinner with a glass of wine. A pleasant trip back done the mountain and the evening was all but done. At the bottom of the lift Kellie picked up a job application for the up coming ski season. She retired from government work a few years ago and a little extra income is always nice.

We are having a small dinner party this evening, Kellie her husband Allan, Kellie’s sister Lonnie and her husband Terry, John and Adrianna, and Debbie and Dave. The bride has turkey in the oven and baked an angel food cake this morning. The other lady’s are bringing the side dishes. I am looking forward to the fellowship. We always seem to have a good time and laugh until it hurts.

Don't this make you feel safer on the streets of Utah. Utah is one of seven states that makes it easy for illegal immigrants to drive but really does not require that we know who they are. You will see in the article that the ‘privilege card” allows the illegal to drive but can not be used for identification. I would bet that none of the 62 applicants ( number from artical)for the privilege cards that used the same address will have insurance. This is wrong on so many levels

I have so much I have wanted to blog about. Things that are going on in the government that makes me just shake my head and wonder why. But I have had blogger’s block. I will try to break out this weekend and pour my wit and wisdom into my blog. I will admit that I have never before but there is always a first time.

I went fishing yesterday with Nate. We went to Willard bay and had set there about and hour. Had a couple of bites and I had landed a catfish worthy of eating. Then Nate started to snivel about not being able to listen to “car talk” (funny talk radio show), and it being slow fishing. So we packed it in and went to catch carp on the Bear River. The carp we had caught last week were in the smoker so I decided not to keep any I caught this time until I determined if they were any good. We fished a couple of places on the river and caught a number of carp. Plus we could listen to car talk so Nate was happy.

Dropped Nate off at his place and headed home. Dumped all my stuff went out to check on the fish. I figured they had a couple hours more until they were done. I was wrong. They were done and looking and tasting pretty good. I love to pick at the fish as I take them out of the smoker, the dogs like it also. I was pulling the racks out putting the fish on a plate nibbling on some fish and giving small tid bits to the dogs. I though I had only put in three racks of fish put I pulled the top rack (number four) out and it was full of fish. It was dry and brittle. That is weird because the top rack is the furthest away from the heat and always the moistest. I picked at some, and it being so brittle it broke off chucks and hit the ground. The dogs were on it. I turned the rack and saw the skin of the fish and it was trout. The rack had been in the smoker since I had done my last batch of fish. I was spitting fish out of and pushing the dogs away from the fish on the ground. I figure it was not going to hurt me but why take a chance. Smoking fish s a way to preserver the meat, the smoker had sat in the basement which is a cool and it would have been fine. Just drier then most
The bride and I are heading out the door for church so I will talk with you all at a later date.

MS Coulter says it all (maybe a lot of it) on her blog. Worth the read

Had wonderful time fishing, we even caught some. Nate has been crowned the new Carp King. I have to believe he could catch a carp on dry land. I never saw the likes of it in my life It was like the carp were lined up saying “me next, please take me next” The outing was relaxing and just all around fun. We kept a number of fish we caught, and they were all carp. I did catch a few catfish; I never have seen catfish that little. Honestly I caught two cats that were no more then 3 inches long. These little guys had been picking at our bait all morning long. This is the same place were another friend and I had caught some pretty good sized cats 6-7 weeks ago, but nothing this outing.

I got the carp all filleted out and I will smoke them next weekend. I make a basic brine of water sugar and salt. I soak the fillets for 24 hours give them a light rinse let them dry for an hour then begin the smoking process. You really only smoke the fish for the first 2 hours or so then the rest is drying the meat. That can take 12 or more hours. I soak my wood chips first, it makes them burn longer and you get more smoke flavor.

The bride has made plans for the next weekend. She and a girl friend are going shopping on Saturday. That should give me a kitchen pass to go fishing again. I just need to figure out where. I am leaning towards the mountains and catching some trout. What I could do is head for the place I wanted to go camping this weekend. Marsh Lake or I could stay in town and fish one of the community ponds. The fish and game department keep them stocked with all kinds o fish. With the price of gas this may be a great option. Something to think about.

Update, my knees are trash and it is known that I will have to have a knee replacement on each one. This last Wednesday as I was getting the trailer ready for the weekend when Dusty (one of my dogs) made his escape. I saw his little furry tail going up and over the hill. So I am off like a herd of turtles. I will admit that I am not too quick anymore. The bride jumps in her car and me on foot. The little guy stays about twenty feet ahead of me as he explores the neighbor’s yards and a garage or two. I do manage to get in front of him so I can start to head my little buddy back towards the house. The bride pulls into the garage and Dusty runs to her and jumps into her arms. I am sure that he is saying “don’t let dad get me” As I am walking down the hill my knee buckles. This is the knee I had scoped about three weeks ago. It hurts a lot and I snivel and whine. I am sure that I have damaged it again. The bride tells me that we are not going camping and I agree with her. It that point in time I am not sure if I could handle setting up the trailer and doing the work to go camping. I call my buddy Nate and explain what has happened. Him and his bride were going with us. I don’t think he is real happy but he said the concern is about my knee. I take a pain pill and go sit in the backyard and mope.

Anyway I got a fishing spot that I can drive to and not have to walk more then the length of the truck to fish. So me and Nate are going fishing tomorrow. We will catch catfish and carp. Around here carp is a trash fish. Use to be that folks would catch them and throw them on the bank and let them rot. That practice is against the law now. But I have always heard that carp is very good eating if you smoke it. I have a smoker and I am planning to give it a shot. I will post the results of this endeavor some time soon.

I am not a happy camper, literally. I have made plans with my buddy Nate to go camping this weekend. I want to go to Marsh Lake on the north side of the Uinta Mountains. It is a beautiful spot and the fishing is great. I called to make reservations for the camp ground. I am three days out from camping and you need to reserve your site no less then four days out. So I can not reserve Friday, and I can not reserve Saturday because it is a minimum of two days on the weekend. We do not want to stay through till Monday. We could take off very early on Friday morning (Nate does not do early very well) and take our chanced that we can find a spot, but my bride does not think that is a good idea. Most the camp grounds are full for this coming weekend I have checked. I believe the plan will be for the two of us and are respective brides to head for the south slope of the Uinta’s and try to find a spot at Shady Dell camp ground. It is all first come first serve. I think the bride and I will take of earlier on Friday to secure a couple of spots. Nate and his bride can meet us there. I will admit that this is my fault for not calling sooner but I am still upset. Once I get the trailer set up and catch a few fish I will be much better. Until then look out.

I was over at Walrilla's wondering and he had a link to this article. I guess it is not really an artical but it is worth the time to read.

My daughter called at 5:30 this morning. Of course there was panic when I saw her name on caller ID. Nobody calls that early unless there is trouble. Her first word where “there is nothing wrong”, she was dropping her husband off at work and she want to come by to borrow my chain saw. She was taking down a few trees in her yard. She was at the house by 5:45 and I gave her a quick lesson on how to run the chain saw. This is a 20” gas powered tree killing machine. She had never used one before. She said she was good to go. All was good with the world. The bride and I headed off work.

About 8:15 I get a text message from my baby girl. “STUPID CHAIN SAW”, I had a very short meeting at 9:00 so I told her I would stop by as soon as I was done. I used the saw just a month ago and it had run just fine. So I thinking this is no big deal and I head down the road. I call my boss and tell her that I have taken off and will settle up with my leave when I get back.

I make a call to let the girl know that I am on my way and she asked if I could back into the driveway so I could take a load of limbs and stuff to the green dump in town. I am a dad and she is daddy’s little girl so I say no big deal. I try the chain saw and nothing it will not run. I have a spare sparkplug in the carrying case and I swap it out with the old one. It runs like a champ. Jill shows me what she is up to and this is no job for one person. I have my gym clothes in the truck and I change shirts and I am taking down trees. The trees have grown up and into over head lines. Not power but cable and phone lines. The chain on my saw is a little dull (like the operator) but is cutting fairly well. I cut the tree to fall away from the line but next to her garage. There is about two feet clearance between the garage and the tree with the line on the other side. The tree comes down hit the garage and my head. I figure my head broke the fall and save the garage. Not harm no foul. We cut off the branches and cut the tree into bite size chunks. I move on the next tree and this one is a little trickier. Then chain on the saw has given up the ghost, will not cut anymore. I need a break any way so I send the girl off to Home depot to fine a new chain or an electric chain saw. They are not very expense and I figure I could use one around the house. One or the other would do the job. She is gone and I get to spend time with my granddaughter Ava. This is a treat and I love to watch her. Jill comes back with both a new chain and an electric chain saw. There is no stopping us now. The second tree comes down without much of a problem. It hangs up in the lines just for a few seconds and then it comes tumbling down. Lines are intact and we get to cut this tree up into little pieces. This stopping by to help out turned into an all day project but I had a great time doing it. I take one more trip to the green dump and I am off. Jill and her husband can finish up the job. I left both chainsaws over at their place. I will admit that I hurt in places I forgot I had. But I feel good about it.

All in all it was a good day. When I was sitting out side watching Ava I figured this is what it is going to like when I retire. I have 196 days until I am eligible. I won’t go then but I can and that has to be a good feeling.

I had a very good time in the desert yesterday. My buddy Nate and I did not go chasing after jackrabbits. Nate figured with having my knee scoped last week I should stay close to the truck. I really think he did not relish the idea of dragging me back to the truck if I hurt myself. Each of us sighted in a couple of rifles at 100 yards, plus we did a lot of plinking. Plinking is done mostly with 22’s and is some of the best fun you can have with guns. I cleaned my rifles this morning and I will take care of the handguns a little later.

I was telling Nate that I may hold off on picking up any additional firearms for the next year. I really need to put some money aside. The bride and I are planning on a cruise to Alaska with her sister and husband, I have my Alaskan fishing trip in September, and the bride’s brother has invited me to go hunting in Montana next fall. The bride asked me how much we could afford and I replied “we are going to find out”. I checked my power ball numbers and I still am not rich, so I will put away some money.

This is a great artical on fighting the war

I am trying to work up the energy to go out and do some much needed yard work. Maybe one more cup of coffee will do the trick.

My little girl turns 30 today. The bride and I have called and I sang happy birthday to her. We will meet a little later today and have lunch in a park near her house.

My knee is feeling better and I think I will be to work in the morning. The bride wants me to take the whole week off. I don’t see the point in that. Either place I am going to be sitting most of the day. I won’t go back to the gym until I talk with the Dr. on Wednesday. My buddy Nate and I are headed from the desert this coming weekend to exercise our second amendment rights. Always remember the second amendment makes all the others possible. I have bore sighted a new scope on my mini 14 but I need to put it on paper to see how it is really shooting. I'll drag the shooting bench, gun rest, and spotting scope along and just have a grand time. I think most of the big bore stuff will be heading out with us. To my friend Dave you have an open invitation to head out with us anytime you come to the states.

I feel the need to get away and get in touch with my masculine side. I need a fishing and/or hunting trip. This weekend is out of the question I am recovering from my knee being scoped. It is sore and stiff but I am sure that it is getting better. Stairs are kicking my butt right now, so I avoid them as much as I can. It is little hard to when you live in a two story house with a basement. We have the carpet cleaning guy coming this morning, so I have vacuumed the living room and I mopped the kitchen. See what I mean I need to get in touch with my masculine side. I did have hunting and fishing shows on the TV while I was doing house work so it is not as bad as it seems.

My buddy Nate called to check on me last night. I do appreciate that. He was on his way to the minor league baseball game. I have thought about taking the bride to some of the games. But I don’t want to sit in the sun with the temperatures hitting 100 degrees. It has been cooling off a little so I may rethink about going. Could be a good diversion from the day to day goings on.

My buddy Nate explained to me how he knew God was a loving God, God made grass and weeds the same color. Now I am not sure that I agree with his theology but it did make me chuckle. It was almost 100 degrees again today. The air conditioning at work still does not work It has been tough this summer. I explained to my boss that I am sure they will fix the A/C by Fall.

I go in for arthroscopic surgery on my left knee this Thursday. I hurt it at my granddaughter’s birthday party. One year old girls can get pretty rough.

Ava spent Friday night and most of Saturday with us. What a joy she is. Ava is a blessing

I checked my power ball numbers this morning. I still have to go to work. sigh

My tooth has stopped hurting. The infection was into my jaw bone, even with the root cannel and the tooth all cleaned out I was still in pain. I woke up this morning and no pain. I have the day off so I am busy doing a bunch of house work. We are having a dinner party tonight and the bride is at work. She special ordered a vacuum cleaner with an oversized handle just to make sure that it fit me. We all know that the vacuum cleaner is ergonomically designed to fit a women’s hand. Women’s feet are smaller so they can get closer to the sink. The facts are the facts and all I am saying that it is just the way it is. ;-)

Worldnet daily sometimes has to be taken with a grain of salt. But here is a very good article on drunk drivers and their Immigration status

Oh my, I ended up getting a root cannel to morning. I left from work with my tooth throbbing, got to the dentist and the numbing shot was wonderful. I felt nothing through out the whole ordeal. Went back to work (my boss said she was amazed that I came back after a Root cannel) I have some stuff that is on a very short suspense and I was feeling no pain. About a half hour ago the shot wore off and I am feeling a lot of pain. I punched out and came home. I took some pills and should be feeling better here shortly. Man do I hurt.

My daughter in law is brand new to blogging. Maybe you could stop by and say hi.

It is going to be a warm one today. The forecast is for 101 degrees. This will be the twelfth day of 100 degrees or higher so far this year. I went out and did some much needed work in the garden. The sun popped up over the mountains and it got a little to warm for me. It seems Saturday morning is about the only time I can get out to do yard work. We leave the house around 5:30 each morning and get home anywhere between 4:00 and 6:00 in the evening. By that time we are too tired and it is too hot to do more then drag the hose around the yard. The great state of Utah is still on fire and there seems to be more fires all the time. Most are started by lightening. We get thunder heads moving across the state and they will produce the lightening but the rain does not reach the ground. It is to hot and too dry so it evaporates before it gets to the earth.

I thought about going fishing this morning but the bed would not let go. I slept in until 6:45. It felt great and I needed the sleep. The bride is still asleep and I am going to enjoy another cup of coffee. I love quite mornings like this, a little coffee and little prayer, a little yard work and hunting shows on TV. God is good and I am blessed.

San Diego is caving in to the pressure of the muslium community. What is not said in this article is the children are given a special room and prayer rugs provide by the tax payers of San Diego county. This prayer time is segregated for muslium only. I wonder what would be said if these were Christan kids wanting a bible club or prayer meeting. Oh wait they already tried that and there has to be separation of church and state. American had better wake up, these “prayer times” will soon need to be lead by a Muslim cleric that very likely will preach the hate that is coming from many of the worlds Islamic leaders. Trust me this will come back and bite us in the butt

It looks like the United States is not the only society with a left leaning agenda for school aged children

July 13, 2007
British schools cut Churchill from curriculum
Clarice Feldman
In a continuing move to suck the brains out of British schoolchildren, the curriculum board has decided to make teaching about Winston Churchill no longer mandatory to leave more school time for more "relevant subjects".
Britain's cigar-chomping World War Two PM - famed for his two-finger victory salute - was removed from a list of figures secondary school children must learn about.

Instead they will be taught about "relevant" issues such as global warming and drug dangers. Churchill's grandson, Tory MP Nicholas Soames, branded the move "total madness."

The decision to axe Churchill is part of a major shake-up aimed at dragging the national curriculum into the 21st century, it was claimed last night.

But the plan - hatched by advisers - angered schools secretary Ed Balls, who vowed to probe ALL the changes to the curriculum.

The proposals will see traditional timetables torn up, with pupils focusing on modern "relevant" topics such as drug and booze abuse, climate change and GM foods.

Churchill - voted the greatest ever Briton - goes off the required lessons list, along with Hitler, Gandhi, Stalin and Martin Luther King.

There will also be no need to mention the Wars of the Roses, Elizabeth I or Henry VIII.
With terrorists stalking the UK and Islamofascism threatening all of the West and its values, I can hardly think of a more stupid move than to replace teaching about Churchill with global warming and GM foods.

We got home from mom’s Sunday afternoon. We were able to get through the wild fire in the middle of the state. They had closed I -15 Saturday and open the road for a short period on Sunday. We happened to make it through; I -15 was closed again after we were safely on the other side. The fire is approaching 500 square miles. Just think about that for awhile.

I will have a chemically induce stress test tomorrow. These are not a lot of fun. They shoot you full of meds that raise your heart beat. It is the only way to get my hear beat to the level they need for the test. I think they are going to pump me full of radioactive dye and take my picture. Yep, it is nothing but fun tomorrow. What is really bad is no coffee for 24 hours prior to the test. No chocolate, no wine, no food after midnight, no nothing. Yes I will be living the dream come morning. In all honesty I don’t think it is all that bad. The meds suck but the rest in no big deal. I count my blessings, I am still alive and healthy for a broken down fellow.

I leave this afternoon for San Diego. The bride and I are packing up the dogs and going to visit mom. It will be a nice visit and we will get out of the heat for a couple of days.

My sister goes in for back surgery today. She has a cist growing out of her spine and pressing against the nerve in her back. She is in a great deal of pain. She almost did not get to have the surgery, she had an EKG just before the surgery and it was abnormal. It appears she has a slight blockage of an artery in her heart. She had triple bypass a year ago and she was freaked out. It came back 23% blocked so it should not be a problem.

I have been having some problems with my knees lately and I know I will have to get them replaced. I will wait until next year if I can. If I had them done now I would not be healed up enough for the cruise we are taking in October. That would be BAD!!

They have offered an early retirement at work and I have been thinking about it. If I put in for it and was accepted I would be unemployed by the end of September. I want to be retired but I don’t think I am ready for this “early out”. I am eligible for retirement in February. Then if they offer an early retirement I would not have to take any penalties that make a big difference on the bottom line.
I hope everybody has a safe and enjoyable 4th of July. See ya

My oldest son turns 32 today, I am not sure how that happened but I guess it did, Happy Birthday son. (none of my kids read my blog).

My youngest son and his wife spent the night last Saturday on the way to Sacramento. They joined up with her parents and went to visit an aunt. They left behind their three dogs. If my math is correct my two and their three mean I have five dogs at my house. My dogs are on the small side. We have a corgi at 25 pound and we have a Pomeranian mix that tips the scales at 17 pounds. The boy’s dogs are a basset hound, golden retriever, and a german sheppard. It has been chaotic to say the least; at least they all seem to get along (kind of). I went on the dreaded backyard patrol yesterday and was amazed at how much poop these guys can lay down. A snow shovel and a rake took care of the job.



My corgi digs all the time, she does not try and get out she just goes around looking for where she thinks a hole might be and takes out all the dirt until she finds it. She is very good at finding holes. While I was out in the yard yesterday Bruno (the Sheppard) decided he could find holes. I mean holes. There is a hole next to one of the supports of the deck that you could bury a Volkswagen. I fill this one in tonight.



It sounds like my buddy Nate has hurt his back. We had planes to go prairie dog hunting this Friday but I am sure he will not be up to it. So I am going cat fishing my freind Rickey. It should be fun and I enjoy smoked cat fish, and yes I know it is hard to keep them lit.

Ms. Malkin Has an eye opening look at human rights violations in Iran. It amazes me that this can go on and nobody seems to tell the story. At least not our main stream media.

I stole this from another blog

The next time you hear a politician use the word “billion” in a casual manner, remember that they are the ones spending your tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.

a. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
b. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
c. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
d. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
e. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in your brain, let’s take a look at New Orleans. It’s amazing what you can learn with some simple division.

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans. Interesting number, so what does it mean?

a. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.
b. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans, your home gets $1,329,787.
c. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D. C. and Louisiana - HELLO!!! . Are all your calculators broken?? This is too true to be very funny.

Tax his land,
Tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirts,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his booze,
Tax his beers,
If he cries,
Tax his tears.
Tax his bills,
Tax his gas,
Tax his notes,
Tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.
If he hollers,
Tax him more,
Tax him until he’s good and sore.
Tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.
Put these words upon his tomb,
“Taxes drove me to my doom!”
And when he’s gone,
We won’t relax,
We’ll still be after the inheritance TAX!!

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax),
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),
Liquor Tax,
Luxury Tax,
Marriage License Tax,
Medicare Tax,
Property Tax,
Real Estate Tax,
Service charge taxes,
Social Security Tax,
Road Usage Tax (Truckers),
Sales Taxes,
Recreational Vehicle Tax,
School Tax,
State Income Tax,
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),
Telephone Federal Excise Tax,
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax,
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax,
Telephone State and Local Tax,
Telephone Usage Charge Tax,
Utility Tax,
Vehicle License Registration Tax,
Vehicle Sales Tax,
Watercraft Registration Tax,
Well Permit Tax,
Workers Compensation Tax.

COMMENTS: Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago and there was prosperity, absolutely no national debt, the largest middle class in the world and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What happened??

I’ll tell you what happened. Liberalism happened.

I just had a very nice lunch with an old friend and coworker. He is retiring next Tuesday. We have been friends since we first met over 25 years ago. We both realize that we will not see each other very much after his retirement. He has been a good friend and I am going to miss him.

We talked a lot about what the after life (being retired) would bring. He has his airframe and power plant license and has been buying wrecked planes to rebuild and doing quite well with it. So he will be plenty busy. Me on the other hand I still need to figure something out. Looking at my calendar I have 252 days until I am eligible to go (not that I am counting). I have told the bride she will come home to a clean house, hot dinner, and me in nothing more then an apron. She told me to find a hobby. My buddy Dave seems to have fun driving a bus for kids. The only problem I would have with that is I don’t like kids that much. Grand kids are different, those I like.

I have thought about buying wooden furniture at yard sales and refinishing it. I am not out to make a lot of money but I am out to keep myself busy. I do believe I would have a pretty good chance to come back as a contractor, but if I have to work full time I might as well stay doing what I do.

I know this may sound weird but I would like to retire to spend more time with the dogs. The bride and I are gone at the minimum 10 1/2 hours a day. The dogs seem to have fun running up and down the fences barking at the neighbor dogs but I think they would like one of us home. Lot of stuff to think about.

Ms. Malkin has hit the nail on the head again. We could greatly reduce the illgal imagrant problem if the government would just do it's job.

Ava is one year old.

Liberal Quicksand This guy is an intersting read,. His lastest post about Hillary is thought provoking and scary

BobG Helped me out with the link thing. Thanks

I just checked my numbers. I did not win the power ball lottery. I guess I'll go into the office.

A very quite day at home, the bride is doing okay, not great but okay. I am a little tired and not really busting it getting things done. Went to the desert yesterday and did some shooting. It was a pleasant day and had a good time.

I have tried to figure out how in put links in my blog, so far I have failed. I will admit that I have not lost any sleep over this but it would be nice to do sometimes.


The bride and I have tickets to go see Faith Hill and Tim McGraw (country western) in concert tomorrow night. We will be in the nose bleed section but the tickets were free so I can not complain. The bride has just informed me that she is bored. I will go see what little adventure will make her unbored ( I just invented this word).

June 4: A militant Web site releases video showing the identification cards of two American soldiers.
Al-Qaida group says 3 abducted GIs were slain


So they kill prisoners of war (pow), where is the out cry? The world went nuts when they were shown pictures of muslim pow’s naked in the care of Americans, but they claim to have killed our troops and there is not out cry. We allow our pow’s to read the qur’an, pray to the east and eat food only allowed by their faith. While I am sure that the barbarians tortured our GI’s before they killed them. They torture and kill their own people.
When are we going to wake up and realize that this is not a peaceful religion and these are not civilized people? I honestly believe they will bring the fight here to America. We had better be ready

Jim and me

We ate good too.

Brother Danny

I am back from my fishing trip. We had a wondeful time caught a bunch of fish,all going into the smoker. We are making plans for going again next year. I'll post some more pictures

I am heading off for what has turned into an annual fishing trip to Flaming gorge (google it). My trailer is hooked up. I have just a few things left to pack and I am ready. Jim (son’s father in law) is bringing his boat and Danny (from church) is coming along. It should be a very good time. The fishing report is good for the gorge and I am hoping to bring back plenty of fish for the smoker. I’ll let you know how it goes and maybe a picture or two.

Food for thought

As we celebrate this Memorial Day weekend we are bombarded with public safety commercials about the stepped up enforcement of the seatbelt laws. Don’t get me wrong I believe seatbelts saves lives and should be used. I am just amazed that law enforcement agencies will pull over citizens for not using a seatbelt and refuse to enforce immigration laws. Which is the greater harm to the country not using the seatbelt or a mass invasion of the United States?

It is done, the bride has gone nuclear. I just have to give her a wide berth for a couple of days plus I get to sleep in the guest room. How much fun is that? We are sure that this is going to help. But we are both a little anxious.

It looks like the majority of the brides health problems may be related to her thyroid. This would include her mini strokes. At least that is what the doctor said this morning. They have decided to “kill” her thyroid. She will take a radioactive pill and in a matter of weeks it will be dead. She will need meds for the rest of her life to take the place of what her thyroid produced. So there we have it, some answers and something we can work with. I thank God that this was all it was. I want to thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.

Headed out for breakfast on mother's day

This is the bride of my buddy and my bride (the one on the right)

This is an old cabin on my buddy's property

This is were I have been for the last eleven days. We had a wonderful vacation. I did not try and post anything from my buddy's computer, he still has dial up. I will post a few more pictures

I am putting some last minute touches on the house cleaning before we leave for vacation. I doubt that I will post anything until I get back. God bless and take care

Our friends have headed back to Mississippi and we had a wonderful time with the visit. I went into the office for only two hours this morning and I will be on leave until the 21st of May. I am looking forward to this trip as much as the bride is.

I ordered a 1000 rounds of Wolf .223 and it should arrive on the 10th. The lady that is dog sitting for us will be here to sign for the package. I am splitting the ammo with friend Nate. He does not have a gun that will fit this ammo but this will give him the incentive to go get one. That is how I got my first 45 ACP. Some guy gave me around 500 rounds of old WWII surplus ammo. I figured if I had the ammo I might as well get the gun that uses it. Anyway that is the rational I used with the bride and it worked.
It has gotten to the point to where she hardly rolls her eyes anymore when I come home with a new gun or a bunch of ammo.

She is feeling a little better, but still gets very tired. She has not had any numbness for over a week now. This can only be a good thing. I think I will go check the mail and take something for a head ache.

The bride was feeling a little poorly this morning. She has come into work for the past two days, and she came in today. I believe that she plans to go home at lunch. She says that she needs to rest, and I agree.

I spent some time on the phone last night talking with the Lockheed rep that works my conference. He was telling me that everything went well. I do appreciate the guys I work with; they really stepped up for me when I left Sunday.

The bride and I have plans to go visit friends in Pennsylvania this coming Wednesday. She stills wants to go. Most of the time when she accompanies me on the trip to PA it is go, go, go. We have been known to run up and down the eastern seaboard. This year she will sit around with Tammy (my buddy’s wife) drink diet coke and eat potatoes chips. My buddy Craig and I will spend most of the time fishing.

We have a close friend that will house and dog sitting for us. The house is no big deal I just don’t want to put the dogs in a kennel. We had gone for 11 years without any kind of pet and I was happy. When it looked like we may end up with the first dog I told the bride it would tie us down or at the least complicate our life. It did not seem to matter and we ended up with Foxy, then we ended up with Dusty. They have tied us down some and have complicated our lives but I would not have it any other way. There is not a day goes by that the dogs do not make me laugh out load. Dogs have to be a blessing from God.

I came home today a week early from my meetings. The bride ended up in the emergency room again last night. The same symptoms as last time only this time they were accompanied by a horrendous headache. She called me in California to say that a friend was taking her to the hospital. She was given morphine for her head and it did not help. The bride was released around 11:00pm when they could not find anything wrong. We talked on the phone for awhile and she assured me that she was okay. I was talking with one of my work associates this morning and when the bride called in tears saying that she was not feeling well and wished I was home. I gave my signature authority to the representative for the Air Combat Command and I caught the first plane headed home. She is asleep on the couch and I will be taking her for some test in the morning. I may show up at work for a couple of hours to take care of some business and explain to my supervision what is going on.
I will admit that I am a little worried

I have spent the entire morning in the emergency room with the bride. It seems while she was at work her right side went numb. It started in her leg and ran up her side, shoulder, neck and face. She drove herself to the ER and I met her there. They ran all kinds of test and scans, they found almost nothing. She is to follow up with our primary care Dr and a neurologist. Depending on how she does will determine if I go on my trip

This weekend will be spent getting ready for a two week business trip. I am planning on buying some new slacks and blue jeans, maybe a couple of shirts. I’ll leave Monday the 23rd of April and return Friday the 4th of May. The bride and I take off on the 9th of May and will be gone until the 19th. I just don’t travel as well as I use to but I am sure that I’ll have some fun on both trips.

I turned in my travel voucher for my last trip and was notified the voucher was paid. While I was looking it over I noticed that I had claimed my lodging twice. I was over paid by $310. I immediately sent an e mail notifying anyone who would listen I had been overpaid. I was instructed to go in and amend my voucher. I will receive an e mail with instructions on how to repay the money. I did something like this a number of years ago. I found the error and I reported it. I was sent a letter telling me to repay the money. The letter made it sound like I had stole the money and they had caught me. I am sure that the e mail will be along the same lines.

There is going to be a big gun show the weekend of the 28th. I really wanted to go pick up sound clips and ammo. I was going to spilt 1000 rounds of .223 with buddy Nate but I did not hook up to give him money. So Nate if you read this and you want to pick up the ammo from the outfit from Montana I am good for the coin. That being said if you find some 15 round G19 clips for around $20 I am good for a couple, maybe a couple of 25 round clips for the mini 14 or at least one 5 or 10 rounder.

I should be able to blog once in awhile while I am gone. I know all two of you will be waiting for my wit and wisdom. Nate don’t feel obligated it is no big deal there will be another gun show. Dave old buddy keep me in your prayers.

Massacre at Virginia Tech University, 32 dead for no other reason then some whacked out man decided to kill. It is a shame beyond belief.

The anti gunners have already started to raise their battle cry. “No Guns, guns are evil” I have even heard it is time to repeal the second amendment. What I saw in this tragedy was a microcosm of an unarmed society. Nobody at the school was allowed the chance to defend themselves. The University trumped state laws buy not allowing concealed permit holders to bring their weapons on campus. They violated their constitutional rights. They became no more then sheep herded into a slaughter house to be killed.

The crazed gunman did buy the guns legally. It has been reported that he ground off the serial numbers making the guns illegal, making him guilty of a felony. So because of the guns used in the crime the anti gunners want to repel the second amendment.

"University gunman left violent writings". It has been reported that the writing were so disturbing, hateful, and violent that the gun man had to go to counseling. Possibly the first amendment should be put on the chopping block. Why somebody should be allowed to foster and compound hatful thoughts that they may or may not act on. First amendment has got to go.

I am home, it took a little while to get here but I made it. I left Terra Haute Indiana yesterday around noon. The airport is in Indianapolis we had plenty of time so we stopped at the Indianapolis 500 motor speedway. It was a lot of fun we went through the hall of fame and even got to take lap around the race track. It was in a bus but still fun. The two gentlemen that were with me dropped me off two hours before my flight and life was good. We had heard reports of some weather related problems around the Dallas, Fort Worth airport (DFW). This is where my connecting flight was. I figured no big deal I would still get home. They (don’t you love “they”) slipped my departure time buy a half an hour. No big deal I had a three and a half hour lay over in DFW. We roll out from the gate and the pilot shuts the plane down. Explaining that we won’t be allowed to leave for a while and he is saving gas. So we sit for about half hour, no big deal I have a lot of time for my connecting flight. Soon we are off and flying heading south west 28,000 feet and making great time. About the time we are scheduled to arrive we are still flying and flying and flying. The pilot comes on over the radio and explains that there are a bunch of planes in a holding pattern. We circle DFW for about an hour when a flight attendant comes through and told us that DFW had been evacuated due to tornados at the airport and surrounding areas. I guess that everybody came back to the airport because we landed. My 8:50 pm flight was now scheduled for 10:15 pm, cool. I got to my gate and was waiting. They came up with a new time, 10:45 again cool. 11:15, 11:45, and 12:15 am, 12:30 and so on and so on. We were given the excuse that the flight that needs to connect with our air craft was setting on the tarmac and could not get to the gate. 01:30, 1:45 we boarded the aircraft. I got a blanket snuggled down into my seat and was ready to go home. Then it happens, the announcement saying that the aircraft had to have a “hail” inspection and the flight was canceled. We march off the plane and line up in the terminal to try and find out what is going to happen to us. It is almost 3:00 am before I get to the ticket counter and say “just get me home” I get booked on another airline for 8:30 am. No offer a hotel and I am turned down when I ask for a food voucher for breakfast I the morning. I toddle off to my new terminal and to look for a piece of floor to call my own. I find a nice chunk of floor right next to the window and the gate I need. I think I doze off around 4:00 am and I wake up about an hour later to a cold air drifting in form the window and the sounds of the airport coming to life. I grab a bit of breakfast and some coffee, board the plane around 8:00 and I am off for an uneventful flight home. I do manage to catch a couple of cat naps on the flight. That did help. I am home safe and sound, but I don’t have any luggage. I have had a tracer put on my bag and I just called the 1 800 number but they can’t seem to find my stuff. I am sure it will show up, and if it doesn’t I needed some new clothes anyway.

The hotel I am staying at has a compter and it is hooked up to the internet so here I am . This part of Indianna is very pretty and the folks are very nice. Talking wih some of the locals there is a lot of hunting and fishng to be done. The price of homes is cheaper then Utah (by half) and the property tax is a lot less. I was telling all this to the bride the other day and she asked if we were going to retire there. I said it was something to think about. Sometimes I think I would love to pull the plug and just move anywhere, other times I think that I really do like Utah and we have so many friends there. I am sure that is where we are going to stay. I will be glad when this trip is over. I will only be home for a week before I head out again.

I leave on a business trip this weekend. My plane takes off at 06:00 Easter morning. I am not crazy about this but it is just life, and I have 327 days until I can retire. I’ll be gone all week returning late Friday night. I expect to walk into the house around midnight.

I’ll be home for a week then be headed it for two weeks. This schedule is really messing up my spring fishing plans. Reading the fishing report (aka lying report) in the paper most of the local waters are having some great fishing action.


My youngest son is coming for visit today. It will be good to see him for a couple of days. His wife could not get off of work so it is just him. He has admitted that he is homesick. Living in the Denver area it is only an eight hour drive so we can se each other a couple three times a year.

The pastor of our church bought a new house. We went over to inspect the place and found it was beautiful. This is a brand new home they moved into in February. It is a rambler with a walkout basement. They are young couple with two small children and this house will be prefect to raise a family. The only problem I came across with the house is the bride now has a case of new house fever. The house we live in now will be paid for in thirty six months. I don’t think I want to start over again, but I will wait to find out how I really feel about this. I am sure that the bride will let me know soon.

The bride went to worship team practice last night. I clean the kitchen and watched “Are you smarter then a 5th grader” This is a funny show and the answer is “NO” I am not smarter then a 5ht grader. I am blown away by some of the question these kids answer. I would guess that if I was in school and studying the answers would be easier. They had a young lady on last night that had a 3.5 GPA in high school and collage; she could not answer all the questions. She did walk away with $100,000. Not a bad payday for someone that can’t hang with a 10 year old.

I am taking off early today so I will be able to watch Ava. I think she has fun with grandpa, I know I have a great time watching her.

I have been off work for the past two days. It seems I picked up a touch of the stomach flu. It has not been much fun. I am feeling better today although my stomach is still on edge. I thinking I will go back to work in the morning. I just don’t want to pass this on to others in the office. I get upset with people that think the world will stop if they don’t go to work and spread their germs everywhere infecting the rest of the staff.

Read this and pay attention to the bold print. Hello when does an illegal get to vote in this country?

Immigrants, supporters rally in downtown

By Anna Gorman, Times Staff Writer
11:59 AM PDT, March 25, 2007

Hundreds of immigrants and their supporters rallied today at the Los Angeles Sports Arena to push for immigration reform and an end to work site raids and deportations.

"The government has to listen to us," said Raymundo Aguilar, 40, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. "We aren't just a few, we are millions."

The event, which featured mariachi music and speeches by politicians, marks the one-year anniversary of the massive march in the streets of Los Angeles. It also comes just a week after legislation was proposed that would offer illegal immigrants a pass to citizenship.

Participants carried American flags and waved banners saying "We want immigration reform now." They chanted "Si, se pueda," or "Yes, we can."

Though the mood was hopeful, several said the rally lacked the same energy and numbers as last year's protests. They expressed frustration that immigration reform had still not occurred.

"We marched, we voted, and nothing," said Lida Vidal, 34, who came here illegally 17 years ago from Mexico. "I still don't have papers."

Another group was gathering at La Placita, the historic adobe church across from Olvera Street, before heading to the downtown federal building to protest immigration raids.

The planned speakers at the Sports Arena event include Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) and Representative Hilda Solis (D-El Monte). A separate group of anti-illegal immigration advocates is scheduled to hold a counter protest downtown today.

I have made two fishing trips to Alaska in the past couple of years. I have had a wonderful time each time I have gone. Although I broke my ankle and tore my bicep from my shoulder this last trip I still had fun. The Yakutat Lodge is owned by Jill and Ken Fanning. I have some friends that have gone every year for the past 10 or 12 years. I have gone twice and we all agree that Jill was the one to keep the place running. We found out that Jill past away this past December she died in her sleep from a heart attack. She will be missed by everyone who met her; she was a very nice lady.

It seems that the place is starting to come apart at the seams. One of my fishing buddies talked with a long time employee of the lodge at the Sportsman Expo in Salt Lake City last week. It will be a shame if this place goes under. The price is fairly reasonable even though the accommodations are rough, and I do mean rough. Not very many women I know are man enough to stay at this place. I know a few guys that would have a hard time. One of the rooms has a sheet of plastic on the ceiling to divert the rain water from the bed directly under it. I have been told that the plastic has been there since the year 2000. I know for a fact that the plastic does not work every time. I was not the one sleeping under the plastic but I did get to laugh at the guy who did.

I have been pricing alternatives and I have been hit with sticker shock. The bride was taken back even more then I was. If she could just pull down this next promotion I am sure that would take care of the problem or if I could win the lottery. Either would work for me.

FIREARMS REFRESHER COURSE

1. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.

2. A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.

3. Colt: The original point and click interface.

4. Gun control is not about guns; it's about control.

5. If guns are outlawed, can we use swords?

6. If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words.

7. "Free" men do not ask permission to bear arms.

8. If you don't know your rights you don't have any.

9. Those who trade liberty for security have neither.

10. The United States Constitution (c) 1791. All Rights reserved.

11. What part of "shall not be infringed" do you not understand?

12. The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the others.

13. 64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.

1 4. Guns only have two enemies: rust and politicians.

15. Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.

16. You don't shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.

17. 911 - government sponsored Dial-a-Prayer.

18. Assault is a behavior, not a device .

19. Criminals love gun control -- it makes their jobs safer.

20. If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.

21. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.

22. You only have the rights you are willing to fight for.

23. Enforce the "gun control laws" we ALREADY have, don't make more.

24. When you remove the people's right to bear arms, you create slaves.

25. The American Revolution would never have happened with gun
control.

26. "A government of the people, by the people, for the people..."



"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not."
Thomas Jefferson

Mom in her new outfit,

I got home from San Diego Sunday around noon. It was a good visit for the most part. My sister did come down with bronchitis and I ended up taking her to the emergency room twice. It may sound a little dramatic but she did have open heart surgery 8 months ago and it is better to safe then sorry. Because of her illness we did not go to Disneyland.

We did go to Indio CA. Mom had told my sister that she wanted to go see Aggie and Harold’s house and grave. I always called them Aunt Aggie and Uncle Harold. Very nice folks and very close friends of my mom. I spent a good deal of my youth in Indio; we would make the trip at least once a month to go for a visit. Indio was a small dusty mostly Mexican community. Aunt Aggie made the best tacos in the world bar none. It had been thirty years since any of us had been there. The last time was for Aunt Aggie’s funeral. Uncle Harold had died some years earlier.

Indio has boomed into a thriving city and new housing developments have sprung up all over the place. We knew they lived on avenue 48 but between the three of us we could not remember the house number. As we drove down avenue 48 all I saw was new homes. I figure we would never find the place. We came to an intersection and it was like a time machine. It was a dusty little Mexican settlement. The house was exactly as it was thirty years go. We sat out front for a few minutes and let the past soak in. Mom wanted to find the cemetery and the graves. The cemetery is on avenue 52, so off we went. The staff there took us right to the graves. Mom was very quite, I went back to the car got a bottle of water and a rag to clean the head stone. Mom wanted to come back with some flowers. We found a wonderful little Mexican restaurant had lunch bought a nice bunch of flowers for her friends.

I am leaving tomorrow for San Diego. My sister is flying in from Georgia and I will drive down. Next week is my mom’s 86th birthday and my sister’s 58th. It will be fun; we are planning on going to Disneyland. I rent a wheelchair for mom and push her all over the place. With mom in the wheelchair I am pretty sure that we will be moved up to the front of the line on all the rides.

I am breaking the trip into two days both going and coming. With the blood clotting problems I have had I think it is the wise thing to do. I have been instructed to stop every two hours and get out and walk around. This will be my plan; I am in no big hurry. I have a room in Mesquite Nevada on the out bound portion. I should get there around 6:00 or 7:00 in the evening. Have a nice dinner lose some quarters in the slot machines and get good nights sleep. Depending on what time I take off from Mesquite I should be in San Diego early afternoon. My sister will not arrive until Saturday so it will give my plenty of time to convince mom that I have always been the best child and my sister was the one to cause all the trouble.

My daughter and her husband will drive down to San Diego late next week. The trips just seem to coincide. My sister will be able to see their daughter/my granddaughter. She has told me that she is looking forward to this. I’ll not be bloging for the next week. I should have some pictures to share and stories to tell when I get back.

Yesterday was a warm ,but somewhat windy day. This morning I woke up to snow almost belly deep to small dogs. It is still coming down

I drove out to the desert yesterday. I spent more time driving then I did in the desert. It is a three hour round trip and I spent at 2 ½ hours doing stuff. I spent most of the time shooting and a little bit exploring. It was good alone time. I find that I can connect with God a little better when I get off by myself from time to time.

I shot up a couple of pie pans. They just do not hold up to the .223 round, but it is great fun to make them jump all over the place.

I got home in time to take the bride out for dinner and tell her I was sorry about the pie pans.

It has snowed about five inches over night I am headed out to make a bunch of noise with the snow blower. Life is good

I am home alone with three dogs and one granddaughter. This in it’s self can be a dangerous combination.

Things were going well, Ava in her highchair just finishing the last course of her lunch before nap time. The dogs are outside running up and down the fence barking at the neighbor’s dog. Life is good, grandpa is in control. It had seemed like a long time since I had seen any of the dogs at the back door wanting to get in. I leave little Ava a in her highchair and step out back. NO dogs, I start to holler and one of the neighbors yells back that the dogs are in the front.

Chopper, my daughter’s dog is not a problem he will come when you call him. My two mutts will run and run until they are done playing with you. So I have three dogs out front and one granddaughter in the highchair. I am spinning around on the front porch figuring out which way I should go. Luckily most of the neighbors are chasing my dogs. Mrs. Rommer is standing by the door so I ask her to go in and watch Ava. That is taking care of. I call Chopper and he runs for the front door (good dog) I am down to two dogs on the loose. Both of my dogs run into the house across the street. They had left the front door open. Things are looking good. I see Mike coming towards me with Foxy in his arms. I get the leash on Foxy and Dusty makes a run for it. He is gone heading for yards that he has yet to explore. After a couple of laps around a house he gets trapped in a back yard of some people I don’t know. They are not home so I can be a little bolder going through their gate. Just because Dusty is in a backyard does not mean that he is caught. I try coaxing, chasing, pleading and bribing. He comes close and he is gone. I finally grab him. So I have a dog on the leash and I dog in my arms. Things should be good. Foxy is jumping at Dusty because I am holding him. Jealous little mutt, She manages to pull her head out of her collar. But she is following me to the house, and then Pico (neighbor’s dog) comes into her view. She is off. Mike manages to grab Foxy as she is chasing Pico around his legs. So now everybody is in the house and Mrs. Rommer can be relived of the Ava watch. I find out that Chopper pushed my gate open and started this affair. I get Ava laid down for a nap and keep the dogs in the house so I can go about boarding up the gate.

The gate is secure, Ava is sleeping and the dogs are too muddy to come in before I give them bath. I think I can relax now.

Tragedy in Utah

Trolley Square's winding hallways became a shooting gallery for an 18-year-old gunman in a trench coat who fired a shotgun randomly at customers, killing five and wounding four before being killed by police.

I am truly taken back by the brutality of this incident. It hits close to home for a number of reasons. Trolley Square is our favorite place to go in Salt Lake City. We wander down there at least once a month to have dinner at the Spaghetti Factory. We have been to or at least by all the stores mentioned in the news reports. As the bride and I sat and watched the story unfold on the TV we both could imagine being in the places mentioned. I have to believe that this murder will taint all of us in Utah for years to come. Like it or not Utah has always been perceived as a relatively innocent place to live and visit. That perception has changed, at least in my eyes. I know that going to Trolley Square will be different now. I thank God that there was an armed man to confront the gunman. He was an off duty police officer from Ogden. But being off duty he is no more then an armed citizen. I have to believe that he saved a number of lives last night. He is a hero in any sense of the word. To go up against a man with a shotgun armed only with a hand gun speaks loudly for his character.

I wonder how many of us would react if confronted in similar scenario. For those of you who don’t know Utah is a right to carry state. That means as long as you are a citizen with a clean record and have past all the back ground checks you will be given a permit to carry a concealed weapon (hand gun). There are many law abiding citizens of Utah that carry everyday. This is a good thing in my opinion, but I am surprised that there were not any other armed citizens at the mall. If there was I wonder why no one else confronted the killer. But again I don’t know how I would react if in the same situation.

My thoughts and prays go out to the families of the victims.

A lot of this stuff goes on in and around National parks on the border. Americans can not even safely enjoy our own country


TUCSON, Ariz. -- Gunmen confronted nine or 10 illegal immigrants in a vehicle along a known smuggling corridor northwest of Tucson, killing three men Thursday and injuring at least two other people, authorities said.

One man was found dead on a dirt road frequented by human smugglers near the Silverbell mine more than 20 miles northwest of Tucson.

Authorities later found two more men dead about 10 miles north in the cab of the pickup truck that had been carrying the migrants, said Rick Kastigar, the Pima County sheriff's criminal investigations chief.

Those two men were among six or seven people in the group who were taken against their will, officials said.

Investigators were not certain why the group was attacked. "Of course, there was human trafficking, and we're thinking it was possibly that they were attacked by bandits," sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jim Ogden said.

Gangs of armed bandits have been known to roam border areas and prey on illegal immigrants as they cross into the country. Feuding among smuggling organizations also is not uncommon, where one group will steal a load of migrants from another, essentially kidnapping them and demanding ransoms from their relatives to gain their freedom.

Kastigar said the migrants were in a white pickup truck heading north when four men armed with assault rifles in a second vehicle forced it to stop.

During a confrontation, one man was shot and killed. Two people were shot and wounded: a woman who sustained a neck wound and a man who suffered a hand injury that took off several fingers, Kastigar said.

Sheriff's Sgt. James Ogden said the two wounded migrants had "very, very serious injuries." Both were taken to an area hospital.

Two more men who were not injured were taken into custody as witnesses and were questioned by investigators, Ogden said.

Kastigar said the confrontation near Tucson occurred about 12 hours after an incident more than 70 miles south, near the border at Sasabe, in which 18 illegal immigrants were robbed at gunpoint by four heavily armed men wearing ski masks.

It wasn't clear whether the events were related.

The bride’s sister is at the airport and on her way back home. It was a very nice visit and the sisters had a grand time. I am pretty sure that I am broke but they had fun.

It is imperative that I buy some ¾ inch plywood this week. My friend Nate and I are building shooting benches. Nate picked up the legs and I will pick up the wood. Any way I think that is how it is working out.

The bride and I were discussing relocating after we retire and we keep coming back to staying here. Utah has been our home for the past 28 years and we like it. I will admit that it is not very retirement friendly with their tax structure but all our friends and most of our family is here.

I was looking at real estate on the internet this morning and I found a wonderful house in Georgia. 4 bed rooms and 3 full baths for maybe ¾’s of what we could get out of the place we live now. So we could cash out on the house back there and put money in the bank. My sister lives in Georgia not to many miles form where this house is so I would have family there. It is only 386 days until I can retire, but who is counting? .

The bride’s sister is here for a visit. This is a good thing, she is a very nice lady and we get along very well. The bride has taken the rest of the week off from work and they are headed down to Gardener Village. Gardener Village is the ultimate “chick” place. It is a collection of old homes from around Utah moved to an old grist mill and turned into boutiques. You know the places where girls can buy dead weeds stuck in Styrofoam and call it a wall hanging. Anyway they have a great restaurant (Archibale's) and enough shops to keep the sisters happy all day.

A little history on this place, The grist mill was established back in 1850’s I believe by Archibale Gardner. He was a polygamist with a bunch of wives. In the restaurant you will see a number of pictures of his brides of the month. There is one picture that has captured my interest. It was wife number 9 I believe and this drawing of Mrs. Gardener looks exactly like me. I am not kidding about this one. It is weird but good for some laughs. I have sat under this picture a few times and it is funny to watch the waitress do a double take. All I can say about Mrs. Gardener number 9, she was a handsome women.

Lunch is served

This is my buddy Rickey

This is my friend Leroy poking holes n the ice

I went ice fishing today. It was the first time in years and I forgot how cold you can get. No fish but had a great time on the ice with friends

Never mind the date on the picture it is wrong. The picture was taken today

An impromptu day off., I was joking with the bride this morning. I mentioned that we should go to Idaho and buy some lottery tickets so we could both retire. She took me at my word and we have both called into work. So when the sun comes up and we get dressed for the day we will be heading north.

I mentioned that I had bought my wife an MP3 player for her birthday and I had to take it back. Yesterday at lunch my buddy Nate and I went to Circuit city and bought her an Ipod. I figured I was home free. The Ipod did not have FM radio in it. So back it went and I ended up buying a different MP3 player, she is now happy, and that is what I live for. I guess the third time is a charm.

Time to go enjoy my coffee in front of the fire and wait for the sun to come over the mountains, have a great day

I bought my bride an MP3 player this afternoon for her birthday (Sunday). I specifically asked if I could down load songs from a CD, of course I was told yes. This MP3 was made exclusively for Best Buy. We were given a 2 month free subscription to BEST BUY MUSIC STORE MANAGER. It appears that this MP3 player made exclusively for Best Buy will not let you rip CD’s you can only down load music from BEST BUY MUSIC STORE MANAGER ( $14 a month). Which I am upset about, but what is even worse I can not get BEST BUY MUSIC STORE MANAGER to load on my computer. I spent minimum of 45 minutes on the phone with Ann from tech support. She had uninstall and reinstall the software 4 or 5 times. I paid $223 for this unit and I do believe it will be going back this weekend. I would take it back first thing in the morning but I am heading for the gun show in Salt Lake City. I sold a rifle last weekend at a small gun show up in Ogden. I need to replace with a different rifle. So between me exercising my second amendment rights and taking the bride to http://www.lacaille.com/ for her birthday my Saturday is pretty well shot. The return will have to wait until Sunday after church.

My San Diego Chargers just lost the playoff game. They are out of the playoffs. This was a heart breaker. It was ours to lose and we did. We got some really stupid penalties. But it is only a game. Win or lose they are still my Chargers.

My body aches everywhere, I have little to no energy, I did not go to work today, and tomorrow is not looking to good. I am supposed to go to birthday party tonight. That is not going to happen. I am glad I have snow in the yard that way I am not feeling guilty about not doing yard work.

U.S. Protests Mexican Decision To Give GPS Devices To Illegal ImmigrantsJanuary 4, 2007 8:01 p.m. EST
Matthew Borghese - All Headline News Staff Writer

Mexico City, Mexico (AHN) - U.S. officials are in an uproar after the Mexican government approved a bill which will issue global positioning satellite (GPS) tracking devices to emigrants crossing into America illegally. Mexico says it will issue an estimated 200,000 devices in 2007, in an effort to save hundreds of lives as the crossing North grows even deadlier in the hot summer months. The move is seen as a protest against Washington's efforts to build a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border to curb the growing problem of "undocumented workers."
Mexican officials say the crossing, which is usually led by a guide, called a "coyote," is dangerous and deadly. Often, a coyote will take the payment and simply leave the immigrants stranded in the desert, or even hold them for ransom.


If the Mexican wants to save hundreds of lives, maybe they should fix Mexico and provide jobs, Do away with the corruption, and keep their people home. I believe this should be considered an act of war by the Mexican government. They are aiding in the invasion of the United States.

The government has lost its mind and in doing so is stabbing honest tax paying citizens in the back. It seems that there is an agreement with the Mexican government to allow Mexican citizen to cross our border (legal or illegal) and work for 18 months and this allows them full social security benefits. We all know social security system is in trouble. Many Americans count on the money that they paid into the system to see them through till their dying day. Most Americans have worked their entire life paying their social security tax in the belief that the money would be there. But now in as little as 18 months you can receive social security , but only if you are not a citizen of the United States. All this time I was taught that our elected officials were to represent the citizens that sent them to Washington. I guess I was fooled.