In the world of bazaar I think this ranks pretty high. Yesterday my downstairs toilet erupted. I had left the house to take a friend to a doctor’s appointment. When I came home I found water and very small shredded pieces of toilet paper coating every surface of the bathroom. Thank God there was no fecal matter to be found. But this went at least four feet up the walls, all over the vanity, mirror, floors and had blown out into the hallway. I ran down to the basement and found everything was fine then ran up stairs to check the bathrooms up there and nothing was wrong. I flushed and the toilets and it seemed I was good to go (no pun intended). .

Before I left to help out my buddy I had notice a smell coming from the master bath shower drain. I figure maybe some bacteria had grown and I pour a good amount of bleach down the drain. Maybe the bleach reacted with the gas and the downstairs potty was the first place the pressure could release. Anyway I was told I could not put bleach in the drain anymore. I am glad I was not sitting on the pot when it blew. I am sure it would be embarrassing to explain what happened at the emergency room as they pick small pieces of embedded paper out of the backside. I am off to see what adventures await me today. Wish me luck.

It‘s been awhile and I have done a lot. The trip to Yellowstone was wonderful, a good time spent with friends. I did get a call from the assisted living center where mom lives and was told that she was in a lot of pain from a fall she had taken. I was 6 hours away and I was stressed just a little bit. My buddy Jim and his wife Maese were house and dog sitting for us and they were kind enough to go and sit with mom in the emergency room. After many test the staff at the hospital could find nothing wrong with mom. Jim and his bride took mom back to the assisted living center and mom promptly forgot she went to the hospital. Thanks to wonderful friends I was able to relax and finish our long weekend.

The bride and I took a trip to Durango CO. to celebrate our 38th anniversary, again just a great weekend. We rode the Durango-Silverton narrow gage railroad, a seven hour round trip but a lot of fun and beautiful country. I figure out the only way to see the part of the country is to be young and in really good shape or ride the railroad. I choose the latter.


My youngest son wanted me to fly over to Denver for a visit. Again it was a good time (I believe I am beginning to sound redundant). I did make an impulse buy while I was out there. I became the proud owner of a new Smith and Wesson M&P9. I found that it is pretty easy to fly with firearms. At least of southwest Airlines, Just make sure it is unloaded and securely locked in your checked luggage. I declared that I had a firearm and was asked to show that it was unload. I was the escorted with my luggage to the TSA and a simple x-ray and it was done. I picked up my luggage and gun at the other end of my trip.

The bride’s sister is in town for a visit and the girls are out spending money and having fun. I have relegated to keeping the house picked up and doing dishes. But I really don’t mind.

I am still alive,just don't have much to say

Headed for Yellowstone in the morning. The bride and I are headed up with three other couples. I know this will be fun. full report next week

I am doing much better, I still have a headache that just won't leave and my balance is a little off. I can just be sitting minding mu own business and the room will start to spin, but I do feel better.

My new granddaughter is just beautiful. I have not had much of a chance to spoil her yet but I'll be working on it.

I need to get out and do some yard work in the morning. Things have just gotten a Little out of hand. I just need to get started and it will go pretty fast.

encephalitis, I have it and I don't like it. been down just over a week and I am getting better but have a long way to go. I have a brand new granddaughter that I have not seen yet, and she is only 8 miles away. I just don't have the energy and I am in too much pain.

Do you remember where you were 9 years ago today? Do you remember 3000 dead on American soil? NEVER FORGET, NEVER SURRENDER.

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever." --Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Query 18, 1781

Craig and Tammy went home yesterday, BUMMER!! But we had a wonderful time The bride spent most of the week spending money and decorating the house. Craig and I spent most of the time fishing. It just does not get much better then that.

I have been invite to go fishing in the morning with my buddy Nate. We are headed for Wilard bay looking for wipers. I hope we find some........

"[A] wise and frugal government ... shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government." --Thomas Jefferson

My buddy Craig and his wife Tammy came for a visit. They live in Pennsylvania and we get together every year. At least Craig and I trade trips every other year. We have been friends for 30 years and it is more like family the a friendship. God has blessed me with this friendship.

We will get Craig an out of state fishing license here in a little bit and most of the week will be spent fishing. Seeing how Tammy is along on this trip there will be some chick things that need to be done, I not sure what but I know I'll be told as soon as I have the need to know.

Tammy and the bride are talking and laughing so I guess I'll go do the breakfast dishes. see-ya

I think I will go see the 10:00 showing of the expendables. I know the bride is not interested in an action flick and I need to see a movie where old guys are still tough. But first I need to do the dishes, but I'll have a mean look on my face.

Went to my post op on Tuesday and the Dr said I was doing great and I had no restrictions. So yesterday a buddy of mine wanted to go shooting and I said "sure". This morning I have placed some restrictions on myself. The shoulder is very sore. I am glad we only used handguns and not rifles. Need coffee............bye

I am feeling much better. The shoulder is still very sore but is on the mend. I was able to sneak out in the truck and go to the store. It was great to get out of the house for awhile. The bride and I are going to see mom and pick up her dirty laundry. Not much else, just wish it was football season. GO CHARGERS

My surgery went well, however shortly after I got home I was gasping for breath after any movement. I have had blood clots in the lungs twice before and this felt a lot like that. The bride hauled me off to the emergency room and after many tests and many hours it was determined that I had aspirated something during surgery and it had settled in my right lung. The DR called it phenomena and give me some antibiotics. The pain from the surgery is not as bad as I thought it would be and I am able to manage with some pain killers.

Having shoulder surgery on Wednesday. I figure I will not post anything for awhile. I am lousy at typing with two hands and be twice as lousy with one.

Had a bar-b-que at the house last night, invited a few freinds and had a wonderful time. Hamburgers and hotdogs abounded. The bride made her homemade baked bean and mac salad. It was nothing but fun. I am thinking I will do it again before the end of summer.

Just want to wish my daughter HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Just got back from my walk, sometimes the walk is no fun but I do feel great when I get done. Funny how that works we all go through tough times and it drags you down but when you get through you feel fine. That is as deep as I am going today.

I will be taking mom out for lunch in awhile, first I need to do a load of laundry for her and put some weed and feed on the lawn. Some important papers have been misplaced and the house was torn to shreds trying to locate them. I need to put the house together again and start the search over. At least I know where the papers are not and I can proceed searching other areas. Of all the things I have lost I miss my mind the most. I am off like a heard of turtles , see ya

I am home safe and sound from the great state of Alaska, had a wonderful time and even caught some fish. It seems the allergies I have been complaining about were really a sinus infection. The bride took me to Urgent Care almost as soon as I got home from the trip. I am on some antibiotics and I think I am getting better, Just not sure yet. I know I have almost zero energy. I think it is nap time. Bye bye

Time is getting close. I am headed for Alaska Friday morning for a week of fishing. I will be in a different location from my previous Alaskan fishing trips and guess I be fishing the Kenai River for Red Salmon. My past trips we were targeting silver (Coho) salmon which are a wonderful sport fish and taste good to boot. I understand that the red salmon smoke up the best and I smoke almost all the fish I catch I figure this will work out well.

There will be four of us on the trip my buddy Jim, Scott, his wife Nancy and myself. We have a cabin lined up that is within walking distance of the river and is in or very near the town of Soldotna. The trip it self has spiraled a little out of control for price but, there is a quote I that like “Life is a big canvas, throw all the paint you can” and that is how I am approaching this trip.

I am sure that I will have a number of adventures to report when I return. Until then take care and be safe.

Town Hall

Allergies are kicking my butt this morning. I did not go for my walk and I am not going to do any housework. I am going to watch TV and think about going back to bed.

I went to Senator Orrin Hatch’s town hall meeting last night. Senator Hatch is one of the most powerful men in Washington having been there for 34 years. I was able to express my belief that the founding fathers did not imagine career politicians, and that power corrupts and the D.C. in Washington stands for District of Corruption. I asked the Senator if he would support term limits for congress. That is when it got a little heated. The good senator told me that there were term limits already. My darling bride said she was sure he meant that if didn’t like the guy you could vote him or her out of office. But that is not what was said. After his comment I don’t think I needed the microphone that I was using. I explained that he had been in the senate for 34 years and he was shooting for another 6 years. When the subject of a constitution amendment limiting congressional terms be proposed the good senator in no uncertain terms that he would not waste his time writing a amendment that had no chance of passing. There were a few calls from the audience saying “just write it’ and the answer was “NO”

So it appears that we have a government out of control government in place that will not listen to us and is almost impossible to change. Things that make you go “hummm”

It is a beautiful summer day in northern Utah. The kind of day that makes you glad not to be in an office some place. Spent most of yesterday on a lake with my buddy Nate, We managed to catch our limit of trout. I managed to talk Nate into taking all the fish. It is not that I don’t like fish but I just finished smoking about 15 maybe 20 pounds of trout and salmon and I have plenty for fish. I kept 1/3 of the smoked fish and handed out the other 2/3 to Nate and Jim. The fish was from our last fishing trip to Flaming Gorge.


I slept in a little later then normal this morning and got a late start on my walk. It had warmed up enough that it affected the quality of the walk and I did struggle a little. But I figure if I keep plugging along it will only get better.

I misplaced my to do list which has really worked out for the best. I have forgotten what was on it so I don’t have to do any chores, Makes for a relaxing day.

It is raining and will be raining for the next few days. Parts of the state are flooding or have flooded. I figure it must be global warming (sarcasm that was sarcasm). All in all life is going very well. My buddy Nate just got his boat fixed and wants to go fishing. But it is raining and will be raining for the next few days. So maybe Monday would be good. Tuesday would not be good, I have a doctor’s appointment in the early afternoon and I know if the fish are biting we will not leave the water. Wednesday would also be good; looking at my schedule any day next week would be good except Tuesday.

I took my mom to the hospital today for a yearly treatment for her bones. The bone density test she had a few months ago showed she was at moderate risk for just breaking. This treatment should stop her bone loss. We got done about lunch time and she wanted a burger for lunch. We ended up at the Red Robin and they do put out a tasty burger. The bride and I went out for a little shopping and trying to figure out what to do for date night.

We figured out date night, the bride made hamburgers and French fries. We have a fire in the fireplace and we are watching TV. Maybe we will hit the garage sales in the morning.

One of my three readers has complained that I do not post much anymore. Never really sure if I posted a lot but I have slowed down. I explained that since I retired I have been too busy to spend time on the computer. He expressed some doubt in this fact. He is retiring at the end of September and he'll learn that there is not rest for the retired. I need to turn off the water in the garden so I will sign off now. Only the Lord knows how many tasks will come from just turning off water.

I have not dropped off the face of the earth, but I have been busy. I left on the 9th of May with a couple of buddies and went fishing at Flaming Gorge , left the Gorge on the 12th did laundry and the bride and I headed of Las Vegas s on the 13th. Met up with my buddy of 30 years and his wife, had a wonderful time and lost a lot of money. Came home on the 16th and I took off for Denver to visit my son on the 17th. Got home on the 20th and here I sit. The bride and I did go out with some friends to see a Beatles tribute band (1964 the Tribute) in Salt lake last night. Those guys were very good and put on a great show. Today the bride had decided to tackle the computer / throw anything in there to hide it room. We have made a very large dent in the room and thrown out a lot of stuff that should have been tossed when we hid it in the room. Not much else going on and I don’t plan any more trips until the 16th of July when I leave for Alaska to go fishing.

I had a tough night last night. The dogs woke me up about 1:30 this morning and I could not get back to sleep. I think I am going to survive. Had a great visit with an old friend from our pre retirement days, I had not seen him in a year or so and he bought breakfast. Good visit.

I had a cup of coffee with mom today and again explained to her why she was living in an assisted living center. I know my explanation did not take hold and I will have go over it again, again, and again. I know this must be hard for mom, her dementia continues to worsen. But on the bright side we did see a number of Lazuli Buntings at the bird feeder. Really pretty birds I have only seen them once in my back yard but there was at least three pair at the assisted living center, and that is only a half mile from my house.

Buddy Nate and I attempted fishing at Willard bay and again we were forced to retreat to the sanctuary of the marina. We did manage to last about 10 minutes in the main part of the bay this time. But having waves come over the bow of the boat is not my idea of a really good fishing trip. I figure we should have a good fishing trip starting this Sunday. Nate, Jim and my self head for three days at Flaming gorge. We always have a good time and manage to catch a fish or two along the way. As soon as we get back the bride and I will head to Las Vegas to see my buddy Craig and his wife for the weekend. Life is good and God is great.

It's snowing, and snowing hard. I had some work I was going to do outside but it will have to wait until another day

The bride and I went and saw mom at the assisted living center yesterday. We checked he out and went for a ice cream cone and a nice ride. She seems to be doing just fine and is getting use to the place.

I built a picnic table for my granddaughter. It turned out better then I had hoped. Can't wait to give it to her.

Spent most of the day cleaning up the yard. mainly working on the fire wood pile. I still have some to split and some to stack. I will spend a good deal of the spring and summer getting some more wood and getting ready for winter. We all know in Utah winter is just around the corner

I am in Colorado this week spending some time with my son. I always have a great time while I am out here, both he and his wife are wonderful and we spend most of the time laughing. The boy and I will be working on put a tile backsplash in his kitchen. That means the first thing we do this morning is go tool shopping. Life is good, and God is great.

Springtime in Utah, this is my backyard this morning. I think it is a little too early to plant tomatoes.








This is the bear chair I made for my youngest granddaughter. It was a fun project and she does seem to enjoy it. My next project is a child size picnic table. I have the plans and look forward to the construction phase.

I am moving mom into an assisted living center this weekend. I am not happy about it but feel this is for the best. I don't feel I give mom the care that she needs, but I do try. My bride and freinds have noticed a downward turn in my attitude and in my health. The stress of being a full time caregiver can be overwhelming. I just hope that I am doing the right thing. I ask you please to keep me in your thoughts and prayers

It's been busy around here. My sister was out for a visit. We had a wonderful time laughed most of the week.

Mom has not been doing so good, I believe she had a small stroke a week ago Saturday. At one point she did not know who I was. She seems to be doing better but there is a difference in her mannerisms. Plus she has had an infection of some kind. The Dr. prescribed some antibiotics and she is doing somewhat better.

The weather was beautiful today and I got some yard work accomplished. I have a full day of yard work planned for tomorrow.

I was chastised in my own backyard this afternoon. I was setting on a bench in the backyard and it seems that two dark eyed junco’s have set up housekeeping in one of my birdhouses. I have to assume that I disturbing their move in. I didn’t think that they would be using the houses this early, but it made me smile. I had two additional birdhouses I had just built and they went up today.

Tomorrow my friend Nate and I are headed to the desert and exercise our Second amendment right. It will be good to get out and burn some powder. Nate, Jim, and I have put in for the muzzle loader deer hunt this year. So I will be taking my muzzle loader out and see if I can remember how to make it go boom.

Some people's kids. Some bonehead went to the airport was in the process of declaring their gun and the weapon discharged injuring a skycap. For Pete's sake why would you not triple check the weapon before you leave the house? Anybody that handles firearms should know what condition the weapon is in at all times. This will give the anti gunners something too chatter about

Things are going well in my little corner of the world. The bride and I are headed down to Salt Lake City to watch a performance of Swan Lake and then to dinner at Benihana’s.

We spent last weekend in Salt Lake City just for a small get away. Had a very dear friend stay with mom, and just had a great time. We ended up buying the droid phone and monthly data package which allows internet access from the phone and so many cool buttons and whistles. It is the very latest in high tech time wasting.

I have spent a lot of time this week out in the shop puttering around. “Puttering “is just such a cool word. It covers so many aspects of life. You can putter in the garden, in the shop, the garage, and even in the house and you don’t have to accomplish anything. I mean how cool is that? The bride has called me from her work to ask what I am doing and I say “puttering” and I am covered. Life just doesn’t get much better then that.

I believe I will get one more cup of coffee and go putter some where. Have a blessed day and take care.

This is a true story only the names will be changed to protect the naïve. The battery in my watch died about a week ago. The bride told me I should go to J.C. Penny’s and get it replaced. So I went to Penny’s and ask the young lady (we will call her Thor the Norse god of thunder and lighting) at the jewelry department of they replaced watch batteries. Thor said it is $9.99 and she would be glad to help me. I handed her my watch which is about 6 years old. And off she went around the corner of the jewelry counter. In just a matter of minutes Thor was back saying that she did not have the correct size battery and recommended a store that might have it. I could see her struggle getting the back of my watch reinstalled. She pushed and pushed to no avail. Again she headed around the corner of the jewelry counter, this time I followed. Penny’s has a little watch press used to install the back plate of watches. I stood by having a conversation with young lady and seeing she was having just rough time of it. I jokingly commented “I would take a hammer to the sucker.” In a matter of seconds I heard a “whump, whump” and I saw Thor smacking my watch with a hammer. I yelled “ I was kidding” and she looked at me with horror in her eyes and stammering “ don’t say that, please don’t say that” By this time I am doubled over laughing as Thor goes on explaining that she does not know what she was thinking and she would have never done this on her own. All this time I am laughing uncontrollable. Thor brings me my watch and the little watch press and together we try and reassemble my watch. I am looking at the tattered inner workings and I realize the old watch has ticked its last tock. I am still laughing when Thor asks if I want a new watch. I tell her sure why not, but I told her I did not want her too get into trouble. . I was asked what I paid for the watch which was $50.00 along time ago. Thor says I can have $47.00 credit and I pick out a $60.00 watch. Her little fingers are flying all over the cash register and she tells me I will owe $3.99. I get the receipt and Thor has given me a bunch of discounts. So I went to the store too buy a $10.00 battery and I walked out with a $4.00 watch.

I changed the fuel filter in my truck yesterday, I deeded it was not too cold. I also did the air filter.

I can tell we are coming out of winter even though they are predicting snow for this weekend. It will be late March or early April until can even think about putting anything in the ground. It will probably be that long until the snow is gone from my yard. Sometimes I wished I lived someplace warm. Anymore I get this way around Febuary. I don’t do the cold like I use too. I could spend hours sitting on a frozen lake trying to pull fish up through a small hole in the ice and not be bothered at all. Or I would take off for the desert and tramp all over Gods frozen land looking for rabbits. Now I get upset if I have forgotten to turn on the heated seats in the bride’s car. Yes it is sad I have become soft and I whine about things, but I do it well.

Tomorrow is a day filled with errands with the bride (she has the day off) , and a surprise birthday party in the evening. Saturday is a gun show here in town. A few friends and I plan to attend. I really don’t need anything but it is fun to hang with some buddies and look at guns and ammo. Who knows I may find something I can not live with out that I just don’t know about yet. Time will tell, take care

Took my truck in to have my transmission, and transfer case serviced along with an oil change, it set me back a little but you do what you have to do. As soon as I determine that it is not to cold I will change the fuel filter.

The owner of the transmission shop showed me the pan off my tranny and pointed out there were more metal shaving then they would have expected. Told me to watch out for slipping or hard shifting, the old tranny seems to run out real strong but I will pay more attention to it. A rebuild on it will run about $2600, which is a lot cheaper then a new truck. The bride and I will put a category in the budget to save for the repair if needed. It is our endeavor to never use credit again. If we don’t have the cash we don’t need it.

Things are going pretty well in the household. The bride is counting the days until she can retire. As it stands right now it is just under three years, but rumors abound about an early out. I think we can swing it if she pulls the plug. We only have one bill left (it’s a big one) and we are on track to have it paid in two years time. It will be glorious to have no debt at all. I have just been informed that I need to fix the light in my mom’s bathroom. See-ya

My daughter informed us that we will be grandparents again. I am a happy camper

Been awhile since I had anything to say, life has been somewhat emotional lately. It looked like I was going to have to put mom is an assisted living facility. Tension in the house was off the scale. We took mom to a new doctor that specializes in the elderly and she put mom on an additionally medication that has done wonders so far.

I have a lawyer working on making me mom’s guardian, and conservator. This is a necessary step. I have talked with my sister and she thinks this is for the best. Sometimes life is not fun.

I blogged about my son’s in laws losing their son just before Christmas, his daughter, their granddaughter fell off the kitchen counter last night and they had to use life flight to transport her to primary children’s hospital today. She has a concussion, cracked skull, and had internal bleeding in the brain. The last report I had was the child was doing well and the bleeding had stopped. Please keep her in your prayers and thoughts.

Happy New Year.!!! I woke up this morning to find one of the dogs had pooped in the house. Not really the way I wanted to start my year. I am hoping that it only gets better from here.

The bride and I stayed up to see the New Year in last night and now I remember why we don’t stay up any more. It was no big deal and we ate way too many snacks waiting for the stroke of midnight.

I did something I am proud of. I came across a bag of firecrackers laying around the house, and knowing that they are illegal in the Great State of Utah I knew I had to get rid of them. The bride and I love to watch law enforcement type shows. On many of these shows I watch the contraband gathered by the many law enforcement agencies get destroyed by fire, and that is what I did. At midnight last night I put a match to the firecrackers. In less then a minute they were gone and I felt so much better knowing that I had dome the right thing.

The bride has just wandered downstairs and I think I should go spend some time with her, besides my coffee cup is empty. Again Happy New Years to all

I just had to delete my Christmas post. I had a comment that looked like Chinese writing. Interspersed in this post was the word "sex", it also appeared to be a link, and no I
I did not click on it. I figured at best this would infect the computer with a virus and at worst it it was porn. I want nothing to do with either.

On Wednesday Dec 9 my daughter in law's 25 year old brother passed away. We have been busy helping the family any way we can. There will be a "celebration of life" service this evening and a family graveside funeral tomorrow. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers.

Home safe and sound after a wonderful week visiting my son and his bride; plus watching as much football as we could in one week. Went on another ride along with Nick (He is a cop) . This was my third ride along and the second time we had a dead body. Nick was calling me the angel of death. Seeing someone dead is never the highlight of my trip but it is interesting to see how the situation is handled.

I did enjoy the Chargers beating the Broncos last week and the seats were the best I have had for any sporting event. We were 14 rows from the field and it was fantastic, the fact that the charges won buy the score of 32 to 3 help a lot.

The Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful and we laughed during the whole meal. My son did the majority of the cooking and is a wonderful cook. The only down side to the trip was having to put down one of Nick’s dogs. It was hard but had to be done. I was able to help share the grief and was glad I was there for my boy and his wife.

I am headed off for Denver in the morning. My youngest son and I will be attending the Chargers vs Broncos game; we will be decked out in our finest San Diego yelling at the top of our lung. I can not wait. I will stay through Thanksgiving and return home the following Saturday. The bride and mom will come out to Denver Tuesday before Thanksgiving should be a good time.

Safety tip.. Do NOT vacuum around the fireplace when you have a fire going. I took the vacuum extension and was cleaning off the hearth, when I was done I could smell something really bad. None of the dogs were around so I could not blame them. With my keen eye I noticed a large amount of smoke coming out of the vacuum. I figure this was not good and I carried it outside opened it up and the vacuum bag was smoldering away. I pulled the bag out and tossed it into the snow. All was good on the home front. I explained what happened to the bride and she still wants me to vacuum, I can’t seem to catch a break.

The brides sister is in town and the girls have been on the go every since her plane touched down. They seem to be having a wonderful time. I have no idea how much this is going to cost, but I would bet it going to be a lot.

The Internet has been going on about Obama plans to sign a world treaty end privet ownership of guns. Even if he signs this piece of crap I doubt it could be ratified by the congress. If they do ratify I would bet it would get real ugly over here.

Not much going on in my life. I did take mom for a pedicure, and manicure today. She loves being pampered.

I have sent my e mail off to Home Depot on my protest for the firing of the gentleman for wearing his “One nation under God” button.
This is a quote from the pledge of allegiance, so is Home depot anti God or anti America, or both? This is one more example of political correctness gone awry. I have spent thousand of dollars at Home Depot and I told them no more. It looks like Lowes gets all my money now.

A week of anniversaries for me, Oct 28th is my wedding anniversary, Oct 30 is my heart attack anniversary, and Oct 31 is my service comp date for the government. I will be married to my bride for 37 years, 8 years since my heart attack, and 36 years since I started with the government. Since I retired at the first of the year my service comp date has lost much of its meaning. The heart attack still means a bunch too me. For those of you that know me well know I have been in the hospital every fall since the heart attack. This year I am hoping to stay out, and not every year has been heart related. There were the two years with blood clots in the lungs, there was the double knee replacement and let’s not forget my ATV rollover and the life flight out of the desert, and to think fall use to be my favorite time of the year.

The bride and I are headed off to Disneyland in the morning. We will be home Monday. I was also invited to go fishing this weekend. Out of the two I know where I would rather be, but will keep that to myself. Just in case the bride happens to read my blog. It will be a good time and she has been wanting to go for a very long time. A little known secret about Disneyland history: I was there the first day it opened. It was pretty short at the time but mom said I had fun. As much fun as a two year old can have in a stroller. Maybe I still look good in mouse ears

President Obama has won the Nobel peace prize. What a joke. He was nominated less then two weeks after he took office. He had barely had time to find all the bathrooms in the Whitehouse much less do anything of substance. The only thing the man has done is increase the debt, surround himself with left wing socialist, government take over major manufacturing, and abuse power buy firing the head of a corporation with absolutely no constitutional authority . The president has managed to make himself look the fool in an attempt to hold the Olympics in Chicago. I am sure his main goal was to increase the wealth of his cronies. All the time troops in Afghanistan are pleading for help. You make the decision on what is more important for a president, the Olympics or the men and women on the ground in a war zone? I know which way I would lean, but then I am not the chosen one.

I pray for my country and hope we can survive the on slot of stupidity that is being forced on us. God Bless America

The bride and I are headed off for a vacation. We will spend two days in NYC, then get on a cruise ship for New England and Canada. Should be nothing but fun....

Not much going on in my life. Just finished a cup of coffee and I am watching the price is right with mom. Stayed up late last night watching football. The Chargers beat the much hated Raiders; however they did not look good but a win is a win.

I picked up a truck load of fire wood yesterday afternoon. Both the bride and mom love fires and I go through a lot of wood every winter.

I feels like fall is coming, it is cool in the mornings and you can feel the change in the air.

Got home today from a relaxing weekend in Las Vegas. We saw three shows and they were great, Terry Fator, defending the caveman, and Jersey Boys.

Pulled some carrots out of the garden today and used them in a carrot-cake recipe I found on the web. I was just wondering if I was suppose to wash the carrots before I mixed them into the batter?

The bride and I are headed to Las Vegas this weekend. We have tickets to a couple of shows and plan on having a very relaxing weekend.

Yesterday was an all guy type of day. It started off with a couple of buddies and I having breakfast, and then going to a gun show. I bought a gun and 1,000 rounds of ammo. I finished of the day with an evening fishing trip and we caught some very nice fish. Just fun all day long.

inner ear infection has got me down

I guess I should update what has been going on. Last Friday they hauled mom off in an ambulance. Mom passed out, it seems that she got dehydrated and her blood pressure bottomed out. Scary to say the least. I have her drinking a lot of water and Gatorade and she is doing so much better.

I took mom to the mountains today. She gets bored setting around the house so I try to keep her busy. We were up around 10,000 feet in elevation and mom walked about 25 yards total and I was not sure I would get her back in the truck. I figure the air was just to thin for her. I started back down the mountain at full speed. I had driven about 5 minutes when she started complaining about how fast I was driving. I knew she was okay, I turned the truck around and headed back over the mountain. ( We traveled from Kamas UT to Evanston WY ) . Had nice lunch in Evanston and came home. All and all we traveled a little over 200 miles and had a good time.

Had breakfast this morning with some old friends that retired a couple of years before I did. It was good to see them and we all had a good meal and laughed the whole time. That just about does it for an update on me and mine.

Busy morning so far. I started off with coffee, the only way to start the morning. I spent a good portion of the morning splitting fire wood. It will be 97 degrees today but I know winter is just around the corner and I have to get it done. I finished off pulling weeds from around the bird feeder and picking tomatoes, peppers, and onions from the garden. I figure to use all as ingredients (not the weeds) in great sandwiches for lunch.
I called an old friend that retired a couple of years before me and planned a fishing trip for tomorrow morning. Both of us being fishermen we figure to spend most of the morning lying to each other and have a good time.

I just had a great conversation with Dave, a friend I met bloging. Dave is from Scotland. and a heck of a nice guy. Utilizing SKYPE and my new wireless laptop with a built in webcam we talked for a little over 15 minutes I have decided SKYPE is a wonderful thing. With SKYPE I am able to talk to anyone in the world free. Dave tried to talk me into using SKYPE a few years ago but I was resistant. That was foolish of me. I look forward to having conversations with Dave in the future, and any of you that have SKYPE let me know.

Not real happy right now. I took mom out for lunch; we met the bride at one of her favorite restaurants. That part was a lot of fun. A gentleman and his wife came in saying that someone with a big white truck had a flat tire. Turn out it was me. I got out my air compressor and pumped up the tire enough to get me to Discount tires where I had purchased the tires a couple of years ago. I figured to get the flat fixed and all would be good. I got to looking at my tires and realized that they were just about worn out. You could see the wear indicator and I had about 3/32 of tread left. I have only put a little over 30,000 miles on the 60,000 mile Pirelli tires. I was not a happy camper. I had the inflation up to specs and I rotated the tires every time they were due. I did everything right, but they did not live up to their marketing. Talking with the young man behind the counter I let him know I was upset. They did prorate the old tires to the tune of $332. But it still cost me $600 for a set of four new tires. I did not go back with the Pirellis I choose the Pathfinder all terrain. If I do not have good luck with these tires I will be going back to Big O tires or maybe Les Swab. Anyway that was my lunch date with mom.

Ava goes swimming

The bride and I went to the opera (Carmen) last night. We had front row center seats. The seats were great and the talent was amazing. However I was a little frustrated to start. I believe this was my first opera, and my first thought was this is America, speak English! It wasn’t until I was halfway through the first act when I found the sub titles, they where on a small screen at the very top of the stage. This made the experience so much more enjoyable. I had read the synopsis of the opera so I had a general idea of what was happening but the sub titles put it all together.

I finally got to sleep last night about 1:00am. That is very late for me. The dogs got me up about 6:30 this morning to go out. I thought about staying up, but it was a fleeting thought thank goodness. I had been up about an hour or so when mom came in to tell me the pool (above ground) was ‘spilling out”. Now she claims that she does not know what happening, but one of the filter hoses was lying on the ground. I figure my momma was trying to straighten up and things went awry. All you can do is smile and put things back together.

The bride is out with a girl friend doing girl stuff. All three of us (bride, mom, and myself) are headed for a bar-b-que this afternoon. I love summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This E mail is making the rounds and I felt it needed to be shared. Our country is about 180 degree out!

Band of Brothers Hero

From a buddy. May 'Shifty RIP.
Frank
---------------------
We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services.

I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy
Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st
Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the
History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10
episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't
know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having
trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he
was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol
of the 101st Airborne, on his hat.

Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne
or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the
101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served,
and how many jumps he made.

Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so,
and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped.

At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training
jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know
where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.

I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what
D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into
Holland, into Arnhem." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . .
and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day.

I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said
"Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are
left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart
was in my throat and I didn't know w hat to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in
Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back
to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came
forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have
it, that I'd take his in coach.

He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are
still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make
an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And
mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer.

There was no parade.

No big event in Staples Center.

No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage.

No weeping fans on television.

And that's not right.

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet
way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to
the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty.

Had a fun day fishing with my buddy Nate and his "new" thirty year old boat. The boat and motor are both thirty three yeas old and work great. We putted around East Canyon reservoir most of the day and even caught some fish. Nate did out fish me two to one, but he owns the boat and I want to get invited out again so I made sure some of the fish I had on the line got off before I boated them, just don't tell Nate.

I'll be headed outside soon to do a little bit of yard work. I see a couple of weeds that need to challenged, I believe I'll be up to the task. It should be 92 degrees today so I want to split some wood befor it gets to warm. All and all it wil be a quite day at the house.

I have seen a pair of Blackheaded Grosbeaks at my bird feeder lately. The new bird feed has been bringing better variety of birds. I do enjoy setting on the deck and watching the birds. My sister thinks I am a nerd but what does she know.

My dogs know how to relax. I am sure they had a tough day of running around the backyard and barking at the neighbors dog. Top to bottom is Dusty, Foxy, and Maggie, and they are NOT spoiled.

I am leaving in the morning. Headed off to the Denver area to visit my son for a few days. I decided to drive so I could take a few guns along to do some shooting with the Boy. Planning on shooting his AR 15. That is his patrol gun, he is a cop. I'll take along my mini 14 and a borrowed Taurus 1911. I want the boy to shoot that Taurus and see that it is a quality weapon. Talk to you guys sometime in the future,.

Got back from flaming Gorge on Wednesday. Fishing was wonderful, but catching was not so good. The lake level was raising quickly and the fish were scattered . The weather got bad every afternoon and we were chased off the lake. Wednesday morning the skies opened up as we prepared to launch the boat.. we turned the truck around and headed for home. But we did have a great time. There was more then one discussion about going back this fall. I hope that we do.

Got a point and shoot video camera and mom was the first victim

I am headed for Flaming Gorge again. I leave first thing in the morning and will be home sometime Wednesday. Packing rain gear this time, it is suppose to be some what wet. I'll post pictures when I get home.

WASHINGTON -- A gunman opened fire inside the Holocaust Memorial Museum in the nation's capital Wednesday, shooting and reportedly killing a security guard before other officers returned fire and shot the assailant, officials said.
WTTG, the FOX affiliate in Washington, has confirmed that the 39-year-old guard who was shot has died of his injuries after being taken to a hospital.
Police are now looking at an elderly man identified as James Von Brunn as the shooter, FOX News has learned -- though D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier would not confirm the identity of the suspect.
A man named James Von Brunn operates a white supremacist Web site, Holy Western Empire, that carries several anti-Semitic statements. A biography of Brunn posted on the site says he is a World War II veteran who served time in federal prison for trying to make a "citizens arrest" of Federal Reserve Board members in 1981.



Any way you want to look at this it is terrible. I pray for those that have shot. But I am amazed that the news is all over this white supremacy nut job, but will hardly mention the Muslim wing nut that killed a US solider at a recruiting office last week.

It seems the Left is attacking Conservatives blaming those who attended the
‘Tea Party's” for the cause of this attack, they need to remember that their number one President Obama wants to meet with another Holocaust denier, President Ahmadinejad.”

Busy day, mom and I got haircuts, I had blood drawn, I put "miracle gro" on the garden, and I changed the filter for my air conditioner/ furnace. This is one of those big high efficient type filter that is a bit of a pain to change. But it is done and should be good for the next six months. I also bought some locks for my gate and my work shop. I had a key lock on the shop but every time I went out there I forgot the key. So I have a combination lock now. Now to sit back eat a banana and maybe have a glass of wine.

The bride and I went to the Fleetwood Mac concert last night and it was wonderful. I did confess to my bride of almost 37 years that I had been in love with Stevie Nicks years ago. She made me promise that there would be no lusting during the concert. I pretty much kept my promise. However I did fall in love again. Stevie came out in the flowing warps that made her look almost mystical and her haunting voice and lyrics captured me again. It was two plus hours of great music and wonderful memories. The singing stopped and she walked off the stage and out of my life. It was over, and I left with the bride just as happy as a man could be even though I can not convince the bride to change her name to Stevie but I'm working on it.

Got back from fishing yesterday.
We were on the water before sunrise and it was worth the early get up time.

Jim with one of his many fish.

Nate was tearing up on catching fish. A good time had by all

I am leaving tomorrow afternoon for a two day fishing trip to Flaming Gorge. I know that this will be a good time. I am driving so I need to clean out my truck so I won't catch that much grief from my buddies. They do tend to whine from time to time.

Found this on a gun forum and thought it was funny

A Canadian is sort of like an American, but without a gun.

I had no idea that being retired would be so busy. It seems lately that I do not have a minute to call my own. To be honest taking care of my mom is a full time job. I don't like to leave her alone for long periods of time. I see her dementia is progressing, her health is great. I think she is in better health than I am. She does get confused and she forgets what she has said within seconds of saying it. I can't tell you how many times I answer the same question in any given hour. But what I have read about dementia is you answer the question like it is the first time they have asked it, to them it is the first time. My mom is happy and she is safe. To me that is the important thing.

I am not going to say that I am getting old, but everytime I walked out of my buddy's house there were vultures lurking about.

The fishing was very slow this trip and it rained almost everyday. We still had a good time and I will show you a few pics from my trip.

The vultures were starting to get on my nerves

I am home

I am headed off to Pennsylvania and I’ll be back in a little over a week.

It is a crime to use some one's ID and/or SSN, but in the great state of Colorado it seems the ACLU is take this issue to the state supreme court on the behalf of illegal aliens. If a citizen of the United States were to use a false ID or some one's SSN they would go to jail. But it seems that the ACLU and others on the left will swept breaking the law by illegals under the rug. To me this is so wrong on so many levels.

Men’s breakfast this morning at church, and the bride and I have been cleaning out closets and drawers this afternoon, pretty busy day. It has turned cold and it may rain a little. I think it is about time to settle down in front of a fire and watch some tube.

It has been a fairly busy morning, Had some blood drawn, blood pressure checked,picked up meds for mom, and met the bride for lunch. I also picked up some brake pads for the truck. I will do the brakes in the morning and I plan on splitting some wood this afternoon. It has turned out to be a beautiful day and the forecast is for great weather for the rest of the week. I had planned to go fishing on Thursday but my Thursday morning got clogged up. Mom and I were going for haircuts this morning. The lady that does our hair had to take he daughter to the doctor, some kind of a rash or something. She called and asked if we could come Thursday. So I will go Friday (Nate get your poles ready). I figure to head out about 8:00 Thursday morning. (Nate I'll be at your house about 8:15). That's about it for the day, not rebel rousing, no protest, no nothing.

more pics

I attended one of the many Tax day Tea Parties held around the nation. The crowd in Salt Lake City was about a 1000 strong. The protesters were polite and well behaved. A lot of the signs were directed at Obama but many were bi partisan as was mine. The government is out of control in its spending and the folks in congress are more interested in staying in power then doing what is good for the country. The turn out across the nation was incredible but you are hard pressed to find it mentioned by the main stream media. It seems that the average citizen is dismissed by media giants ABC, NBC, and CBS. The only full coverage was done by FOX news.

If you watched FOX would have seen 15000-20000 protesters in Texas, 1000’s in New York City, Boston, and cities all across the nation. The speakers asked that we keep the movement alive by burn up the lines to the White House and congress, to use our e mail and blogs to keep information moving. There is a good chance that you will see more of a political slant in my blog, and I will try to keep in bi partisan. If you sit back and take a long hard look at both parties they both are working towards big government and take more control in our daily lives Both parties have spent us into debt, both parties waste money on pork. Both parties have to wake up and listen to the people. After all it is We the People. BTW President Obama said he was not aware of the protest. Maybe he should look out his window.




















I took about 80 pictures but I am only going to post a few.
Above is a shot of the crowd.

















Yep that is me.

My buddies, I took this just as the protesters were starting to assemble. The middle guy is my buddy Nate from Wasted Electrons.

I am headed for a Tea Party in the morning. The federal government is out of control. They no longer repersent the people and it is about time we make some noise.

Happy Easter

He has risen

With this kind of mind set the days are number for the United States.

MA: State Representative Pam Richardson WANTS Voting Rights, In-State Tuition, and Driver's Licenses for ILLEGAL ALIENS

Garden boxes

I have built two garden boxes, now all I need is dirt. The land fill (county dump) has "green area" where you can buy mulch and compost for a good price. I think it is about $10 a truck load. So next week I will make two or three trips to the dump and buy my compost. Many tomatoes and peppers will be grown this year. The bride and I will figure out just what to plant. I have tried gardens in the past but I traveled so much for the government when I came back it was to weeds and dead plants. Now that I am retired I should have a much easier time with the garden. I'll keep you posted.

red river flooding

I am so confused, where is the riots, the looting, the masses waiting for someone else to do the work? click here

Got this in a email

So, Let's Recap--

1. The American people elect a black president with a total of142 days experience as a US Senator from the most politically-corrupt state in America whose governor is ousted from office. The President's first official act is to order the close of Gitmo and make sure terrorists civil rights are not violated. (He screwed up!!)

2. The U.S. Congress rushes to confirm a black Attorney General, Eric Holder, whose law firm we later find out represents seventeen Gitmo Terrorists.

3. The CIA Boss appointee, Leon Panetta, has absolutely no experience, has a daughter Linda we find out, who is a true radical anti-American activist and a supporter of all the Anti-American regimes in the western hemisphere.

4. We got the most corrupt female in America as Secretary of State; bought and paid for. (You can put lipstick on a pig, but it will still have cankles!)

5. We got a Tax Cheat for Treasury Secretary who files his own taxes.

6. A Commerce Secretary nominee who withdrew due to corruption charges.

7. A Tax cheat nominee for Chief Performance Officer who withdrew under charges.

8. A Labor Secretary nominee who withdrew under charges of unethical conduct.

9. A Sec'y HHS nominee who withdrew under charges of cheating on his taxes. (

10. Multiple appointments of former lobbyists after an absolute campaign statement that no lobbyists would be appointed. And that's just the first three weeks. . . but who's counting?

America is being run by the modern-day Three Stooges ~ Barrack, Nancy, and Hilary ~ and they are still trying to define stimulus..."it's spending"....

The congress passes the $800,000,000,000 (that's $800 billion)pork loaded spending bill where the government gives you a smidgen of your tax dollars ($13 perweek) making you feel so good about yourself [stimulated] that you want to run out to Wal-Mart and buy a new Chinese-made HDTV and go home and watch Telemundo!

Yee-haw!!! Only in America, what a country... We are lost... Here's the good news though... Obama took Air Force One to Denver to sign the stimulus package, wasting as much as 10,000 gallons of fuel. Don't you just love this guy? In these times "I'll keep my God, my freedom, my gun and my money. You can keep "THE CHANGE".

I have been a busy boy for the past few days. I don’t think I accomplished anything but I have been busy. If the weather holds I will build my garden boxes tomorrow afternoon.. I plan to build two right now and maybe more later. I have all the lumber stacked up in my shop just hoping the snow that is forecast holds off until the evening. The bride and I are going to a birthday party this evening and I know we are going to have fun. She is catching a few winks in the recliner right now. I am going to make mom some dinner before we leave or she won’t eat.

The plumber is down in the basement putting in a new water heater. The old one was 13 years old and had just started to leak. I looked into the tankless water heaters but decided on a traditional tank heater. In case you are wondering it is a 50 gallon tank.

Wallowing in my own self pity did not work out to well. Nobody seemed to care. So I quite after about 30 minutes. One thing that helped me was I noticed one of the bird houses I built seem to have a bird living in it. I think that is about as cool as it gets. I have plans to build some garden boxes next week. I think that above ground gardening in the way to go. It really cuts down on weeds and having to bend over. I plan some tomatoes, peppers, and what ever else the bride suggest. I have some gourds seed that I want to plant and use the gourds for bird houses. I am going to be a busy man. To bad it is suppose to snow today.

I sold my ATV yesterday. I was in a pretty bad accident last November and decided it was in my best interest not to ride anymore. I have to admit I am bummed that I got rid of the machine. I am going to wallow in my own self pity for a little while just to see how that works for me. I'll keep you posted...

I went fishing yesterday, it was cold and the water was murky. I lasted about 40 minuets and head off for different adventures. First stop was harbor freight tools. I picked up a saw horse, a bunch of shop rags, and something else I can’t remember right now. My daughter called and wanted me to go pick up a kennel for her new puppy. She had found one on KSL.com and told the folks I was on my way. I got to the street and called the kennel people because I could not find their house. I was told that they had sold it just before I got there. Ticked me of but what can you do? I did find a great kennel out in Morgan for the price of free. I figured I could afford that and I took it.

It looks like Barry Obama is starting to show his true colors. He wanted to start charging the wounded vets of the war for their wounds. He figures he could save 540 million dollars. This is the same guy that just gave 154 Billion bucks to AIG and did not say anything about the Hugh bonus ($10’s of millions) the executives received until the public out cry was too loud to shut out. It seems that when Barry was a senator from the great state of Illinois he took about $100,000 from AIG. Could it be Barry is as dirty and crooked as his Chicago cronies?

The speaker of the house, third in line for President Nancy Pelosi was caught on tape talking with a bunch of illegal immigrants and saying that they were patriotic and that our immigration laws were UN American.. It seems that the democrats are bound and determined to ruin this country

Had a nice weekend hanging with friends and doing guy stuff, we went to the sportsmen’s expo on Friday and out to the desert Saturday. The desert consisted of many guns and a lot of expended ammo. Many cardboard targets and soda cans died that day. I spent a couple of hours on Sunday cleaning guns. I have to admit I love the smell of Hoppes #9. I think I am going to go fishing sometime this week, it all depends on the weather. I have to admit I am blessed and I am loving life..

We had a party and it was great. At least I think it was great. Everybody seemed to have a good time. Many friends and some family were there all to celebrate mom’s 88th birthday and the burning of our mortgage.

My sister left this morning and is on her way back to Georgia. So we are putting the house back together and will return to normal in a day or two. By normal I mean consumption of food. I believe we put away enough food to feed a small African nation for a week. I know my cardiologist is going to yell at me. I‘ll see her a littler later this month.

This Friday I am hooking up with some buddies and headed for the sportsmen’s expo. There will be a lot of Alaskan outfitters there, this will allow us to pick one for our upcoming salmon trip (planned for 2010). Saturday may include a trip to the desert with a different group of desperados, although my normal group will be invited. I figure the more there is the more guns there will be. See-ya

I am having a great visit with my sister; she has been here since Feb 26th and will leave March 8th. We have been on the go everyday seeing and doing. Today the bride and my sister will go and order stuff for my mom’s birthday party this Saturday. We have invited many friends and family and this is going to be a good time.

I have noticed that some of the smaller bodies of water are ice free so I plan to buy my new fishing license and hit some local fishing spots after my sister leaves. This is not serious fishing; it is getting out of the house fishing. I am just about tired of winter and look forward to spring.