Darryl refused to join

Justice for Darryl

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by Ben Shapiro 14 Jul 2013 981 post a comment

On Thursday, July 11, police discovered the rotting body of 17-year-old Darryl Green, a black child from the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. Green’s body was found behind a boarded-up house in the 6500-block of South Damen, face down on basement stairs. The body was so badly decomposed that originally, local news reports suggested that he had died of blunt force trauma. On Friday, an autopsy showed he had been shot to death. Relatives reported that Green had refused to join a gang at school.

Meanwhile, members of the media including Reverend Al Sharpton and Reverend Jesse Jackson focused on the “not guilty” verdict in the George Zimmerman trial over Trayvon Martin. The only media outlets that have covered the murder of Darryl Green are The Chicago Sun-Times and ABC 7 Chicago. The New York Times’ Joe Nocera mentioned Green in passing in a blog post devoted to highlighting gun crimes across the country. President Obama has not commented on Green’s death. Neither have any other politicians, including local Congressmen Danny Davis and Bobby Rush, or Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Neither has anyone at MSNBC, CNN, ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, The Washington Post, Associated Press, Reuters, or throughout the Hollywood community.


#JusticeForDarryl



Ben Shapiro is Editor-At-Large of Breitbart News and author of the New York Times bestseller “Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America” (Threshold Editions, January 8, 2013).

Legal Pot

This country is becoming more and more liberal.  Not so many years in the past certain activities were frowned upon because they were considered wrong.  Maybe no one could tell you exactly why the thing was wrong but in your heart you just knew it wasn't the thing to do.  Values have changed and what was once unthinkable has now become more than just an under the radar activity but openly practiced and if not accepted at least tolerated. 

Pot smoking is one of those things.  Of course at one time it wasn't illegal.  It didn't have to be as no one did it.  I don't know who was the first to smoke this stuff or why they wanted to but they did.  Criminals smoked the stuff but then again they did lots of stupid stuff.  I really don't know when or why enough people started smoking marijuana  that society felt threatened enough to make this stuff illegal.  I don't know why anyone needs or wants to drink alcohol or abuse drugs, legal or illegal.  But they do.  They sniff paint, buy white powder from a thug in a dark alley or in neighborhoods no descent person would venture into during the daylight  much less after dark, and inject liquids into their veins willingly with dirty needles when they fear getting a shot by a professional at the local medical clinic. 

Personally it makes no difference if pot is legal or illegal as I've never tried it, used it, nor do I ever intend to, not even to only inhale.  I believe the time is coming when pot is legal.  After all women were given the right to vote, blacks were integrated into the school system, women can kill unborn babies legally, homosexuals can serve openly in the military, and if little Johnny   decides he wants to dress like a girl he has to be allowed to use the girls restroom at school.  What smoking a joint in the grand scheme of things? 

The truth is I am surprised that pot has not already been legalized.  After all, tobacco has been demonized (and rightly so)  so the big tobacco companies are having to force their products overseas more and more.  They will eventually have to stop producing cigarettes and certain economies will suffer greatly.  North Carolina is one of those economies as big tobacco as always been a vital player in our well being. 

With the push to ban smoking and reduce the number of smokers, it would make sense to substitute marijuana joints for cigarettes.  The equipment and distribution network is already in place.  Ohm I know when this does occur people will be smoking marijuana at their leisure just like they did cigarettes twenty years ago.  Not sure just exactly how that is going to affect traffic accidents and insurance rates and job performance but it doesn't promise to be a pretty picture.  But then again that's why it is illegal. 

One is the lonliest number

Being isolated is a terrible thing.  Separation is used as punishment in our prison systems and as a form of torture in Korean and Vietnamese prisoner of war camps.   One can be lonely in a crowd.  One of the worst forms though comes about through the loss of a loved one. 

I have a friend who married his high school sweetheart (but not until after his military service was complete) and stayed married to her until her death 48 years after they said "I do".  He is really a likeable fellow and has friends but as he told me "no friend is going to spend the night and talk, listen, and care like a spouse would". 

All I can be is a friend  and I just don't know how to help him out of his depression.  It is serious as he has thought about suicide to relieve the loneliness.  What can I do to help? 

Darwin Award NOMINEE

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. —A man has died after an accident he was involved in while setting off fireworks, according to Greenville County Deputy Coroner Mike Ellis.

Ellis said Robin Rhodes Smith, 54, died on the way to the hospital Thursday night.

According to Ellis, the incident happened on Hilltop Drive at 9:18 p.m.

Ellis said Smith was using lock-and-load launcher which involves dropping a flaming ball packet into a tube.

He said Smith was having an issue getting the device to work so he took the flaming ball packet out of the tube, used a pocket knife to put holes in the packet and put a fuse from another firework in it.

Witnesses told Ellis that Smith put the flaming ball packet in upside down and it went off and hit him in the chest.

Ellis said the base of the launcher is supposed to be put on the ground but Smith was holding the launcher in his hand with the base in the direction of his chest.

Read more: http://www.wyff4.com/news/local-news/greenville-news/coroner-upstate-man-dies-after-fireworks-shoots-into-his-chest/-/9654794/20850620/-/dhks6w/-/index.html#ixzz2YNsLwVdZ




Official cause of death was blunt force drama to the chest.  Unofficial cause was stupidity. 

DEATH OF A GARDEN

The last bit of rain is finally succeeding in killing most of my garden.  Potato plants died long ago and early on seeds were rotting before they could germinate.  I did my best to save my tomato plants
but they are finally succumbing to excess water.  Pumpkins rotted on the vine, cantaloupes are yellow, kale is tough and onions are soft.  Beets and radishes didn't grow.  It's just a disaster.  My okra is hardly bigger than some of the grass that came up in the garden space.  Not a single bit of clover germinated.  If there if there is anything edible from the garden it does me not good as it is so muddy getting into the garden is near impossible. 

If I had a raised garden bed drainage would have been much better and I would be looking at a bountiful harvest so as much as I would like to blame the weather I really can't.  Making a raised garden bed is expensive and I'm not sure I could ever grow enough crops to justify the expense. 

My pumpkin patch is a double disaster.  Not only am I going to get few if any pumpkins, the pumpkin leaves that I counted on to shade the ground to retard weed growth just aren't there so I have an acre full of weeds.  I guess I'll just have to save my money and hire someone to ploy the field for me this winter. 

I don't think there is much, if anything, left to do for the garden.  I did pick two squash, 4 cucumbers,
a couple of tomatoes, and about 8 pounds of kale.  It wasn't a total loss but not very cost effective this year.  Like the cubs fans say, there is always next year.

Lost FOB

I purchased a used vehicle today.  I think I got a good buy even though the car is nine years old.  It looks almost like a brand new one with only 60,500 miles on it.  After I agreed to purchase the car and the paperwork was filled out I noticed the salesman only had one key.  I asked about the second one and he said the paperwork showed two.  He couldn't find it. 

I inquired later about ordering a new FOB and was told a new one was $50.00 plus there would be a forty-five dollar fee for programing it.    Somehow I don't think that is right.  If I lost it sure I should pay.  But the dealership misplaced it.  I think they should make it good.  Don't you?

Your working environment

I've worked in retail for most of my life.  With the exception of one construction job, and a couple of manufacturing jobs, most of my life has been in retail and most of that in grocery retail.   I've never worked in an office.  It's probably true that more of todays jobs involve office environments than when I started out but there are a lot of people who work manufacturing, retail and service industries who are not office workers.  Why do Web Masters like Yahoo write so many articles that relate to the business man/office worker and ignore the rest of us? 

Bizy Bodies

I never wanted to be a Bizy Body but sometimes ones neighbors just do stuff that is so outrageous that one just can't help but notice and want to do something about.  Well, I have one of those neighbors. 

First, he build a wooden shed, outbuilding, storage building, or whatever you want to call it.  I had to listen to the Mexican Pokka everyday for 5 months but I suffered through it.  After it was built he wrapped it with tar paper.  I don't mean he covered it with tar paper.  I mean he literally wrapped it in the stuff.  Tar paper on one end flaps in the breeze.  It's an eye sore. 

he had some trees cut done and then he burned the brush.  He set a neighbors outbuilding ablaze while burning his brush.  He did not get a builder's permit nor did he anchor his building.  He didn't get a burning permit either. 

Oh, did I mention he built the building with it overlapping the property line?  Yea, it's built about 2 or more feet across the line. 

For the past year he has kept two pit bull puppies on his back porch.  No affection, no play time, no attention to their needs.  Last week he got rid of one of them.  Now he has that one tied to a tree in his back yard.  He still gives it no affection, attention, or exercise. 

The frustrating thing is there isn't a thing I can do about it. 

Weather extremes

I've lived in Randleman for 4 years, in Randolph County for six years and this part of the state for the past 28 years and if I have learned one thing is that we never have an over abundance of rain.  Sure, one year when I lived in Archdale it rained so much that, even though I lived on high ground, my koi ponds overflowed so much I had fish swimming in my back yard.  But that was just for a few days and then back to normal. 

It rained so much this spring my tomato plants were turning yellow.  They are nice and green now and starting to produce although the tomatoes are small.  My kale got tough because I couldn't get into the garden to pick it.  Half my potatoes rotted in the ground, and many of my melon plants are still yellow from too much water.  Grass has taken over a lot of my garden space because I can't get into the garden to weed it. 

I replanted some items because seeds were rotting in the ground from the excess water.  It has been a bad year for gardeners and farmers.  I planted the crops that need a lot of water at the bottom of my sloping garden space and that is the area that is the muddiest and the plants are doing the worst. 

I've never seen a summer like we are having now.  Last year was hot and dry and I didn't think one could buy a drop of rain.  My fish pond was being sucked dry by the heat and the water was a thick green from the excess algae growth.  This year the pond has overflowed constantly, the water is fairly normal even though I had to go without a pump for a couple of weeks. 

The cooler temperatures are nice this year but all this water is a bit much.  I don't suppose we will  ever have weather that makes everyone happy but a little less rain than we are having this year and a little more than last year would be nice.  Everything in moderation, I suppose, is the answer. 

Dennis Rodman wins Nobel Peace Prize

Not really .  Well, at least not yet.  He thinks he should receive it and I'm not so sure he isn't being considered.  Barrack Obama won it a few years back and cheapened the prize.  If Dennis Rodman wins one might as well hand them out to everyone that has never been arrested for a violent crime. 

Dennis Rodman's visit to North Korea did nothing to advance peace.  In fact it was shortly after his visit there that North Korea threatened to start a war.  Let him go to Chicago or La and bring peace to the streets of those cities or sent him off to Mexico to end the drug wars between gangs and between drug lords and the police. 

I think it hilarious that one conversation with an unstable man that almost caused a war is a poor excuse for thinking one is entitled to the Nobel Peace prize.  How did Rodman get a passport anyway? 

A legal question

"A man died late last night after being shot and run over.

Philadelphia Police say the yet-to-be-identified man was shot multiple times along the 4500 block of Morris Street -- near where Route 1 crosses through Fernhill Park -- in the city’s Germantown neighborhood around 10 p.m.

The victim managed to stumble down the street despite being shot twice in the back and once in the wrist, according to investigators. He eventually collapsed in the street.

A passing driver didn’t see the man passed out and wound up running over the man.

Police rushed the shooting victim to Temple University Hospital where he died from his wounds.

The driver who struck the shooting victim stopped and wasn’t charged, police said."

The above story was just reported and is true.  My question is this:  since the victim did not die of his bullet wounds would he be guilty of murder?  I would think not since he did not actually kill the man.
Some may feel he is guilty of some degree of murder since his actions (shooting the man twice) lead to the mans eventual death and he should have known that his actions of shooting the man and leaving him without calling for help would likely lead to the mans death. 

All of this is academic if investigators determine that the man who ran the victim over is also the shooter. 

Road Rage

An Orlando man was killed in an alleged road rage shooting after he called 911 to report someone was chasing him. What would you do in a similar situation?
The victim, Fred William Turner, 47, was driving on Interstate 4 on Saturday afternoon when he made the 911 call. The other car then pulled up beside him, and someone inside pulled out what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon, Turner told a dispatcher.
The dispatcher then heard multiple gunshots, Orlando's WKMG-TV reports. Turner was found dead at the scene.

As the road rage shooting investigation continues, Orlando authorities are looking for the gunman. The suspect is believed to have been driving a newer model gray Ford Taurus with tinted windows, according to WKMG.
If caught, the shooter could potentially face a first-degree murder charge in Florida. While first-degree murder generally requires premeditation, even a few seconds of contemplation can suffice under the law.
So what should drivers do if they're caught in similarly scary road-rage situations? Here are a few tips:

• Don't egg on aggressive drivers. You must realize that you can't control another driver's behavior -- but you can control your own. When another driver cuts you off or gives you the middle finger, don't engage him. Doing so could spell the difference between life and death. It may be best to try to put distance between you and the other driver, or even just take the next exit or turnoff.
• Know your own driving style. If you have a habit of tailgating, flashing headlights, making undignified gestures or talking on your cell phone, others may see you as an aggressive driver. This means you may need to keep your driving in check. When one aggressive driver engages another, things can escalate very quickly. Try to take the high road in such situations.
• Don't be the instigator. Don't be the driver who inspires the wrath of other drivers -- the one who drives way under the speed limit, skips turn signals, slows down excessively early for exits, accelerates unevenly and hogs lanes. If you don't improve these potentially annoying driving habits, you may provoke a road rage attack.
• Call 911. If you've taken all of the above precautions and find someone following you or making you fear for your safety, call the police immediately. There are a number of things you can do to make an effective 911 call, like describing the person who's chasing you, along with your present location and direction of travel. Above all, don't get out of your car, and don't hang up on the dispatcher.

In the Orlando road rage shooting, investigators still aren't sure what led up to the deadly confontation. Turner told the dispatcher he hadn't done anything to trigger the dispute, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.
Related Resources:

I was attacked in Marion, NC by a man who was mad because he couldn't merge onto the interstate and blamed me.  He bent the top of my car.  The police told him he needed to find a better way to handle his aggression and then let him go.  The police then left me on the street with my engine running and me locked out of my car. 

Sometimes one is better off not calling the cops.

tomatoes: The Superfood Cure-All

I love tomatoes and always have know they were good and good for you but an article on Yahoo sings the praises of a tomato as a super food.  The article says they improve eye sight, reduce your chances of having a stroke and/or heart attack along with other virtues, like reduces your chances of getting sunburned. 

I've eaten several out of my garden although all the rain threatened to kill all my tomato plants.  A friend of mine lost all 72 of his put I only lost one.  The fruits are smaller than normal but are beginning to ripen so in the next several weeks I should be getting plenty off the vine.  I'm getting excited as I love home grown fresh tomatoes. 

Wild blackberries are starting to ripen too.  I've picked a couple of handfuls but I don't have many vines and they are hard to get to this year.  I'm starting me a run of seedless blackberry plants.  I only have one now but will expand them next year after I move one run of grapes. 

My blueberry bushes are really growing this year but I discovered they are subject to cedar rust too.  I've cut down many cedar trees but I can't go onto other people's property and I have a couple I set out as a privacy border but I treat them to prevent the formation of cedar rust.  It doesn't seem as bad this year and I'm hoping as my grape vines get longer and some other plants get larger it will help prevent cedar rust from attacking my fruit trees and bushes. 

My black cherry tree had a few berries this year; about five or so.  Hopefully  my other cherry trees will start producing next year although it could be another two or three years before they flower out. 

My peaches are small.  I'm not sure if that is due to all the rain or not.  0

Visitation Sunday

This Sunday we will be giving away a new bible to the member who brings the most visitors to church.  I don't need the bible but I would like to win any way.  So I invite you to come to One Way BAPTIST in Randleman on July 7, 2013.  If you are faithful to your regular church, and I hope that you are, maybe you would like to come to the 6 pm service.  I'd like to met you and thank you for reading my blog.  We could sure use the encouragement your coming would give to use, especially if you bring some of your family and friends as well. 

Rising interest rates

Home prices are at an historic low as are interest rates but things are changing Home prices are starting to creep upwards and so are interest rates.  The latest is that they are now at or about 4.46% on average.  I don't know if that is good or not for the economy or the job market.  I do know that the empty houses in the neighborhood are all about to emerge from bankruptcy and will soon be on the market.  I want a good neighbor but I'm afraid another person in the neighborhood may get that house.  Or rather his son. 

   This man has five or six souped up Mustangs and dodge's in his yard and he likes racing the engines.  These things are almost as loud as NASCAR cars and can be annoying especially in the late evening.  His son is buying the doge from his dad and he wants to buy the house next to me. 

These homes would make great rental property.  There are three of them in the neighborhood. 

Weight loss and tiny diet tweaks

A few years ago I went to the doctor and discovered I was a walking dead man.  I started a diet and exercise program.  My wife and I purchased a WII and worked out with it everyday.  I started eating breakfast and taking my lunch.  My daily noon meal was a can of low sodium soup and an apple.  I ate a normal supper but quit the snaking.  Over the course of the next 18 months I lost fifty pounds.  After I retired I went to the gym everyday and walked 5 miles in an hour and 10 minutes while sticking to the diet that had gained me that big weight loss.  My abs were like rocks but my weight stayed the same. 
      I started feeling bad and went to the doctor.  She determined I was a type one diabetic and put me on insulin.  'You will gain 10 or twelve pounds" she warned.  Well it's was more like 25 and although I eat the same as I did when I lost the fifty plus I only drink coffee (unsweetened half-caf) in the morning and water the rest of the day I can't seem to lose a single additional pound. 
      Switching from insulin to metformin and glipizide hasn't helped except that I've quit gaining weight.   That's why I laugh whenever I read all these weight loss tips.  I eat tons of fruits and vegetables.  If you regularly read my blog you know I have cherry tress, grape vines, blackberries, peach trees, apple trees, and two vegetable gardens.  I'm very active physically so I should be dropping a lot of weight but I'm not. 
   The experts are correct though.  Eating breakfast keeps up ones energy level and reduces their hunger and will most likely result in eating less for lunch.  Water replaces all those empty calories in sugary soft drinks which should be a big boost to weight loss.  Exercise makes one feel better and increases ones energy level.  Eating fresh or frozen vegetables and fresh fruits help keep processed foods and fatty foods out of ones diet. 
    I will figure out what I need to do to lose the weight gain caused by my medication but until then I'll just keep working and trying.  When I succeed I'll let you know. 

The garden

My garden is finally producing.  I know I have been picking kale for a month but that's over as the leaves have started to curl and the kale is now tough.  I lost half my potato crop and only picked a few radishes but I picked green beans and squash yesterday and cucumbers and tomatoes today.  My beets are ready to pick and my onions can be harvested at any time now.  I love eating fresh food from the garden. 

Competition for affection

When I was a young person and saw a girl I liked I only had competition from other white males but that began to change by the time I entered college.  In the last thirty years one had to worry about any male.     Now it seems that any other person, male or female, of any race is fair competition for the love of the person you like. 

It was once said "It's all fair in love and war.  Now, I suppose it really is."

How does one spell Smithfield in Chinese?

The Chinese have offered $34.00 a share or about 447 million dollars for Smithfield, the world's largest producer of hos and pork products.  Isn't it bad enough that everything we buy is made in China and our country is bankrolled by China but now part of our food supply will be controlled by China as well. 

Exactly who is the strongest and most influential country in the world? China is a world power but not through politics or military might but through business.  It seems we are gladly giving ourselves over to a country that dislikes us.  I really think we need to stop and think long and hard about what is going on here. 

Of course this may be a good thing too because China can never afford to attack the USA.  We owe her too much money and China's business can't survive it she destroys her business base.  In forty years I can just imagine someone making a phone call and receiving this message:  for Chinese press one, for Spanish, press two.  I can also imagine the caller responding "This is America and we speak Spanish.  If I wanted to speak Chinese I'd move   to Africa." 

Church contest

July 7, 2013 One Way Baptist is having a visitation contest.  The member who has the most visitors will win a new Scofield bible.  We had a contest last month and one lady had 13 visitors.  It seems she is a shew in to win the bible also.  I don't have any family or friends in this area.  I lived and worked in Greensboro and most of the time I lived in Randleman it was out in the country.  I know a few people but no one I would call a friend. 

I would love to have everyone that reads this blog to come to church on June 7.  I don't care about winning the bible:  I already have three.  If I win then someone whom I invited can have the bible.  No, I believe everyone who comes will receive a blessing.  I don't want anyone to miss out what they will receive when they come. 

Please be there.  June 7.  One Way Baptist Church in Randleman, NC.

Death of a Classmate

When I was young I played sports: track, football and baseball.  Baseball was my favorite by far and I was good at the game.  My first year I played in the outfield but after that I became a catcher.   I was all conference in school and on the all star team during the summer leagues.  There was a red headed guy, Kelly Rudisill who was a catcher too.  We played on the same team twice and each time I beat him out for the first string position but each time the league separated us. 

I was better behind the plate and working with the pitchers but Kelly was a better hitter than I was so on the All Star teams Kelly was always number one.  My last year in school I hurt my arm and my eyes got bad so I had to give up playing baseball.  Kelly went on to college where he became on of the best that ever played for his school. 

There was one other thing that Kelly finally won out on.  He got the girl.  I had a serious crush on the blonde that sat in front of me in algebra class in the 11th grade.  In the many years after school when reunions come around I always wondered what happened with her.  I never went to one and most likely never will.  It wasn't until a couple of years ago I started receiving a newsletter from my graduating class.  Some of my friends had passed away over the years.  I think the two most shocking was the star of the baseball and football team died in his twenties of a heart attack and a friend of mine and fellow track star passed away not long ago. When we were in school he held the NC state record in the mile run. 

But the death of Kelly was the biggest shock of all.  He was still married to his high school sweetheart, the girl I had the crush on.  He was 11 days younger than me.  He seemed to have had the life I wanted:  the beautiful blonde, sports star, college graduate, beautiful kids and grandkids, and a successful business career.    I don't regret my life but his always seemed to be just a little bit better.  Until now. 

I'm really sad for his wife and his children and the rest of his family.  I'm sad for him too because even at our age there is a lot of life left to live and a lot to be accomplished.  As a kid he always made me work harder to beat him out for a common position.  Now that he is gone he is still making me work harder because I know now how precious life is.  I'm not going to waste what he can't have.  Rest in peace Kelly. 

Used car deal

I drive a 1994 Ford Pickup with 198,000 mile son it. I was driving it to Hickory once a month but I'm just not sure its safe to do some plus its hard my Mom to get in and out of it.  I would like to find a reliable vehicle that would be more comfortable than my car or truck that is really nice but I don't want to pay a lot for it. 

I found a van at a dealership that is extra sharp.  A 2004 with 58000 miles on it but it is a cash deal and the dealer wants $8900.00 for it.  Kelly Blue book has a retail price of $4600.00 but the dealer says they use NADA which shows a price about a thousand  more.  Even that only brings retail to
$5600.00.  The dealer still wants $7500.00.  I pointed out that the NADA price already includes a profit and I'm not giving them an extra 2 grand on top of that.  I know the car is extra clean, low mileage and they had to fork out a few hundred to bring the vehicle up to maintenance so I think $6500.00 is more than adequate. 

So what do you think?   

I have to go but where?

It seems there is some controversy about where a transgender child should go.  A fifth grade child, Nicole, was identified as male on her birth certificate but has preferred being a girl had been allowed to use the girls restroom until the grandfather of a fifth grade boy complained. 

Why would a boy object to  a female using the girls restroom?  I can think of several reasons: 1.  He is curious as to what a transgender person looks like 2.  He wants some privacy to taunt the child and is upset because Nicole gets to use a restroom he can't go into 3.  He's attracted to Nicole but likes the boy part but can use her girl parts as a cover.  4.  The family are a bunch of jerks you see a way of making some money. 

In any case the child did not choose to be a transgender person and I certainly would not to want to be one.  The child should be given the respect and privacy as any other child.  It is said that between 1.5 and 2% of all births are to a transgender child although most suffer from only mild conditions.  About .03% , or 3 people out of 10,000 are born a true transgender so while rare it does happen more often than we might think it does. 

One would have thought that it would have been a girl to complain  about someone who could be a boy in their restroom.  I'm not sure how the other students knew that Nicole was neither a true boy nor a true girl.  I never questioned what parts another student (pupil, I suppose is the correct word) had went I grew up.  Stupid me thought if a person dressed like a girl, looked like a girl, and used the girls restroom it was probably a girl. 

It seems to me that people get involved in to many things that are none of their business.   

New Ramp: but I had to pay for this one.

When I first got my shed 4 years ago I need a ramp so I looked around the neighborhood and found some straight lumber.  Most of it came from the trash pile where a house was being repaired.  I found a bunch of 2 x 6 of various lengths and pieced them together than then topped them off with 4 or 5 pieces of subflooring to make my ramp.  It really turned out to be a good sturdy ramp that served my needs just fine until this year. 

I have always mowed my grass with a 21" self-propelled mower  so my ramp, 36" wide, was quite adequate.  This year I purchased a rider which has a 42" mower deck.  (plus it has a chute )  It was quite tricky to drive a 42" mower up a 36" ramp.  One has to come up the ramp at such an angle that three wheels are on the ramp at all times plus the chute clears the entrance as well. 

I purchased a 4 x 8 piece of subflooring plus two 2x6x12 .  I cut 2 feet off each end of the 2 x6 x 12 and nailed the ten foot lengths to the support bracket under the entrance making the width of all the 2x6 54" wide.  Then I nailed the subflooring onto the 2 x 6's leaving two inches on one side and 4' on the other side closet to the door opening.  I took the old piece of subflooring and cut it to fit over the remaining  space, an area of about 2 x 4.5'.  The total cost of my new ramp was only $40.00.  I hated to spent the money but one just isn't going to fine a piece of 4 x 8 subflooring and 2 2x6x12 pieces of treated lumber just lying around. 

Oh the two feet I cut off the end/  I know I could have purchased 2 x6 x10  pieces of lumber but then I would not have had support braces for under the ramp.  I know it isn't the best looking ramp in the world but it is sturdy and wide enough to do the job and that's what really matters afterall.    

I didn't want everything to be a water garden

I have two fish ponds or water gardens, however one wants to view them but with all this rain it seems everything now is a water garden.  The tomato plants have yellow leaves and the plants are scrawny, the potato plants are turning yellow and dying and my seeds have been moved around by the constant rain.  I just sowed clover in  my garden to cut down on weeds and to try to get nitrogen back into the soil but the rain is going to wash the seeds so the clover will come up heavy in some places and not at all in others.     That's not what I need or want. 

With the droughts we have faced in years past I just am not prepared for this much rain.  I have to admit my water plants look fabulous especially my new bog gardens.  I planted some of my water Iris in dry soil a few years back because water Iris bloom after regular Iris do.  I had my doubts if they would survive but I planted them deeper than I would have regular Iris.  This year they are so thick and a dark green in color and had beautiful blooms.  The blooms are all but gone now but my lilies are taking over now. 

That's one thing I enjoy about my yard is I have something in bloom almost year round.   Early on its the fruit trees, bugle weed, phlox, and jonicals.  Then I have my Iris and purple ice (the purple ice will bloom through fall) and now the tiger lilies, day lilies, Easter lilies, and Cana lilies.  My mums are beginning to head up now into large, perfectly round mounds of large green leaves. 

Soon my cone flowers and daises will take over and my buttery fly bushes, roses, and my wildflower and sunflower gardens will be in full bloom as well as my pickerel in my water garden. 

In the fall my mums will bloom and my fruit trees and grape vines will begin to give up their harvest.  Hopefully in 2015 my cherry trees will begin to bloom as they will be in their fifth year then.

Things get better every year as the plants grow larger and begin to multiply.  I'm seriously considering doing my yard in clover instead on grass in the future.  Needs less care and don't need to be mowed as often.  We'll see. 

Easily offended part 3

It is hard to believe one woman can keep a saga going this long.  Her son, the man that claims he was offended when the remark was made that it would be better to understand and live the teachings of Christ than to merely memorize scripture is now supposedly going to be a missionary.  That is fine, well and good.  I'm proud of him.  Nothing was ever said to the woman so why is she so bent out of shape.  If anything she should have instructed her son how to handle controversies in a biblical manner.  Getting mad and start gossiping is not a proper way to handle things in a secular setting much less a church.  That's what people do I guess but it is wrong.

Well the anger of this women is going just a little too far.  I make DVD's for the shut-ins of the church.  I purchased the camera on my dime and give of my time to make and distribute these DVD's.  For the first year I purchased the materials as well.  One of the ladies I made the DVD's for passed away on March 1, 2013 and the angry lady asked me if I could make copies of all the DVD's since no one knew what happened to the set the deceased lady had.  I believe there were 35 or so DVS's and that did take awhile to make new ones: somewhere around 10 to 15 minutes each.  That adds up to 8 or nine hours plus the cost of the DVD's. 

The Sunday after I gave the angry lady the back DVD's she had me a stack of 24 DVD's in Jewel cases.  She said she purchased a stack of 100 DVD's.  I had the church treasurer write her a check for the full amount and asked the lady to bring me the remainder of the DVD's as we don't charge for the service, which she did.   

Now it seems that she is calling people and telling them she wants her blank DVD's back and considers me a thief for keeping them.  She is calling me a thief when the last time she was a church she was nearly out of gas and the pastor and his wife and my wife scrapped up thirty dollars to get this lady some gas and even followed her to the service station to make sure she could get there.  She never repaid the pastor, his wife or my wife. 

I don't want her to repay my wife and I don't believe the pastor is worried about the money he and his wife gave to her.  What I would like is all the people who read this blog and are Christians to include this woman and her son in your prayers.  I won't mind if you included me in your prayers either. 

Why anyone cares is beyond me

Yahoo homepage headline "

Beyonce Bares Midriff, Attends Kanye West's Birthday Party in New York City

Beyonce bares her midriff at Kanye West's birthday party in New York City on Saturday, June 8

Us Weekly"

 

 

Loved ones go missing, people are fighting for their lives, surgeons perform living saving operations and people walk the aisle at their local church and theirs lives are transformed through salvation and no one seems to care but let a movie star or famous performer show a little belly button and that is front page news. 

 

Tell me again what makes this country the greatest NATION ON EARTH? 

Every ones favorite subject

   The weather.  Maybe not yours but seldom does a day goes by when someone doesn't mention the weather.  In my life it's my wife.  I don't get out much myself.  I normally don't talk much about the weather even just as an ice breaker or conversation started but with such a wet winter and now such a wet spring even I am blogging about the weather.  In the last seven days there has been 8 inches on water in my rain gauge, 4 from the last two days alone. 

   During a brief break in the rain, sometime last week a neighbor asked me why the bottom leaves on her tomato plants were turning yellow.  She seemed somewhat surprised when I told her we've had too much rain.  I'm not sure she believed me but too much rain (or water) can prevent a plant from sucking up needed nutrients from the soil.  Water is good and necessary but even plants  need something a little more substantial. 

  When a plant drinks too much water and takes in to few nutrients it subjects the plant to various diseases.  There just isn't much we can do about the amount of rain the plants have received.  I wish I could have stored  more of the rain water.  I do have two fish ponds, one around 1500 gallons and the other around 300 but my fish prefer that I leave the water where it is.  My two rain barrels help some but together they represent around a hundred or so gallons.  Not really that much in the grand scheme of things. 

   If I could afford to I would dig myself a runoff pond a capture 10000 gallons or so of water then I could have a luscious lawn and a thriving garden  but if I dug a pond that deep I wouldn't have room for the garden or the lawn. 

  I can live with the cooler weather and the rain.  I just hope that isn't our allotment for the summer. 

  

Racial combined families

Traditional called racially mixed I prefer to call them racially combined families.  Mixed conjures up visions of two substances that don't normally go together that one has to put together by force, like oil and water.  Once things settle down the two substances will begin to separate unless force keeps them together.  Combining on the other hand brings up more pleasant images like mixing chocolate and peanut butter to create a different taste, 

I have observed that the children of combined race families seem to be more attractive than those of same race families.  I may be wrong but it just seems that way to me.  To be honest, I doubt there are many true bloodlines left anymore so it should not be that big of a deal anymore.  To me, it seems the sooner races are eliminated the better off we will be as people.  Just think, no more whites to feel superior and no more blacks to feel proud, just a nation full of beautiful Americans. 

I know that is unlikely to happen because some people just have to hate  but we can call them combined families instead of mixed even if all it does is change the picture in our minds.   

neighbors kid in jail again

His parents seem to be nice people.  The kids are lazy no-good bums.  When they are home they stay on the front porch and drink beer.  When I first moved here they still lived at home and their baby mommas would drop the babies off when it was their turn to watch the kids.  Sometimes I had to listen to these  child/women beat on the front doors for up to an hour while they were trying to get the men to answer the door. 

I suppose the occasions when they do show up in the neighborhood it is most likely when they aren't in jail and have a temporary housing problem.  But when the men are here there are constant visitors.  One night the skinny woman with no teeth that lives up the street drove her Kia Soul   done here to see him and the taller boy turned the music full blast.  I walked over and asked the younger, smaller one to turn it down and he was polite, said "yes Sir" and turned the music to a normal volume.  The tall one came out "What's the problem?"  I told him his music was too loud.  He replied "What's an acceptable volume for you?" 

"As long as I can't hear it," was my reply. 

"That's impossible," he retorted.  "You might as well call the police now." 

"Okay, I will."

They did leave the volume down and the woman stayed another ten minutes and left. 

It seems that a woman went to the police and complained that the man had borrowed her car in exchange for $100.00 worth of crack and now he wouldn't give her car back.  Stupid woman gave the police permission to search the vehicle.  Dogs are drug sniffing dogs and would not have alerted on the meat she had stolen from Wal-Mart.  I guess she needed a fix so bad she couldn't take the stuff home and put in a refrigerator first. 

She was arrested for larceny and procession of stolen goods and he was arrested on an outstanding warrant of failure to appear.  With him in jail I know it will be quiet in the neighborhood for awhile. 

TGIF, if I worked.

It really doesn't matter as much what day of the week it is when one is retired as I don't have to schedule all my activities around what I have to do  Sundays for church and Tuesday morning to get the trash out are about the only things I have to work around and the Tuesday thing is really flexible.  Normally I mow the grass at home on Thursdays and at church on Fridays but because of the rain I mowed at the church yesterday morning.  My yard can wait.  But with all the rain there isn't much I can do.  It's too wet to even go fishing.  If I had a job I would have something to do.  I could go shopping but there isn't much I need or really want.

The wife and I ate at the new Hwy 55 in Randleman.  In Greensboro they are called Andy's.  I'm not sure why they mix their name like they do but it is what it is.  I really like the ones I have eaten at previously and the Randleman location is no exception.  There is a little blonde that works there that is so small she looks like a small ten year old and is  cuter than  anyone   has a right to be.  Her smile was just about as big as she was. 

Next time I go I might try something besides a burger.  The frozen custard isn't as good as ice cream but better than soft serve. 

I was hoping my brother in law could have joined us for lunch but he was leaving Friday to head back home to Oklahoma so there just wasn't time to work it into the activities he had already planned.  I would have delayed my plans until after tornado season if it was me.  Kind of makes one glad that what we get around here is just mostly rain, and normally not even enough of that.  Sometimes we just have to look at another's situation to realize the things we want to complain about would be a blessing to them.  So I'll just be thankful that its some day of the week and glad its Friday for you.    

Let the sun shine in

I didn't much care for the second grade.  We had to learn cursive and I learned to spell "bureau".  The second grade is where I learned that I didn't do well in front of others.  I don't think I cared for my teacher much or my mom says I didn't.  But I do remember one happy moment from that year when I was 7.  I've always remembered the chorus but never could remember any of the other words.  Thank goodness for the internet.  So here are the words to "Let the Sun Shine in" .


Mommy told me something
A little kid should know
It's all about the devil
And I learned to hate him so
She said he causes trouble when you let him in your room
He'll never ever leave you if your heart is filled with gloom

Chorus:
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Smilers never lose
And Frowners never win
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Open up your heart and let the sun shine in

When you are unhappy
The devil wears a grin
But oh he starts to run in
When the light comes prowling in
I know he'll be unhappy
Cause I'll never wear a frown
Maybe if we keep on smiling
He'll get tired of hanging 'round
If I forget to say my prayers
The devil jumps with glee
But he feels so awful awful
When he sees me on my knees
So if you feel of trouble
And you never seem to move
Just open up your heart and let the sun shine in

(Chorus)

Suuuuun Shiiiiiine iiiiiin
Suuuuun Shiiiiiine iiiiiin

Mommy told me someting
A little kid should know
It's all about the devil
And i learned to hate him so
If I forget to say my prayers
The devil jumps with glee
But he feels so awful awful
When he sees me on my knees
So if you feel of trouble
And you never seem to move
Just open up your heart and let the sun shine in

(Chorus)

Should prostitution be decriminalized?

46% of people responding to a survey believe prostitution is a victimless crime and should not be illegal.  I am not among that number but not for the reasons one mat think.  My views have nothing to do with my religion or my religious views.  I believe a person has a right to their own lifestyle choices.  I have made mine and think I should be allowed to live my life my way and you can make yours and I'll not criticize you for your choices.  If a person decides they want to earn money by charging money to have sex with whomever wants to pay them then I am fine with that, but with the following exceptions:

1.  If the prostitution is working in the employ of another or has a lover, boyfriend, husband, or another person in her life that is sustained by  a prostitutes income. 

2.  The prostitute is addicted to or uses any addictive or illegal substance

3.  Is mentally ill.

4.  Is a convicted felon. 

In other words, if a person is  working as a prostitute entirely free from outside influence whether that influence is a person, a substance, or an mental condition and is not now or every has been involved in felonious criminal activity then that person should be free to charge for her services. 

I do believe that girls and/or women  that are involved in forced prostitution should be treated as victims and not criminals and those that are mentally ill or addicted to drugs or alcohol should receive treatment for their addictions and proper support to give them the opportunity to change their lives.  If, however, they fail to take advantage of those opportunities, then they should have to go through the judicial system like any other criminal.   

names of sport teams

 It is, or was, common practice to name teams after symbols of strength or courage like Eagles and hawks or after things to be feared like devils, tornadoes, or hurricanes.  Another source of names   is animals like cougars, lion, bears, and tigers.  Fierce fighting men like cowboys, Vikings, Indians, redskins, and Spartans come to mind. 

No one is suggesting that the fighting Irish is offensive to people of Irish descent and as a North Carolinian I am not in the least offended by the University of North Carolina calling themselves the tar heels. That was a name earned by North Carolina soldiers who were willing to stand and fight, like their heels were stuck in tar, rather than turn and run. 

Somehow people have got on this kick that any thing to do with native Americans has to be offensive.  The college I graduated from was know as the Braves when I attended but now they are the sissies (no wait, that might be offensive to gays.   Maybe it was the girlies.  No, that is offensive to women.  You know, I think they just call themselves "team".  They even leave off the name of the school because the school is named after a whole tribe of Indians, oh excuse me, Native Americans.  Certainly don't want to offend anyone from India. 

If we can't name a sports team after a group of people based on their brave character then we should also drop animal names.  After all they can't speak for themselves and they may only attack humans in the wild because they were offended and have no way to express their embarrassment. 

I don't think we should use names even if the animals are small and creepy like the crawdads or grasshoppers.  And what about peoples occupation?  After all maybe the steel workers of Pittsburg don't like being referred to as Steelers or   the workers in Wisconsin may be upset being referred to as Packers.   I'm sure they are capably of doing other things.  Would they be less capable if they were called the Green Bay Office workers or the Pittsburgh secretaries. 

We might have to be careful even if we name them after inanimate objects.  After all the Chicago neckties might offend some that prefer bowties or Texas ties.  Oh wait, can you call them Texas ties?

We can't even name them after plants.  The roses might be offended if you call them the Colorado Orchids.  Can't just call them flowers because the Detroit dandelions might be offended because they aren't included. 

Since congress wants the Washington football franchise to change the name from Redskins and the Washington baseball teams once used the name Senators, maybe calling the football team the "stupid Politian's" has some merit.  Or is that offensive too. 

Vatican Corrects Pope

Wow.  The head of the largest Christian Organization in the world said he though atheists could still go to heaven if they do good.  The Pope must not read his Bible much.  But when he was corrected the Vatican stated that they think atheists would go to hell.  They think? 

First let me say that Catholics and I disagree on many issues but as long as when can agree on Calvary then we can be brothers.  God does not send anyone to hell.  I have heard many people say "Well a good God wouldn't send that person to hell."  They are absolutely correct.  Hell was created for Satan and his angels.  John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son so that whosoever believeth in him should not die but have ever lasting life.  The bible also makes it clear that we can never be good enough to earn our way into heaven. 

Romans 5:12 tells us that by one mans sin entered into the world and death came by that sin  to all people for everyone has sinned.  But God loved us enough to make an avenue of escape and by accepting what Jesus accomplished on the cross and following him, Jesus will accept our guilt onto him   and pay our penalty.  Our penalty is eternal separation from God, or the second death. 

The scriptures urge us to accept this day whom you will serve.  You cannot serve two masters and if you reject Christ you will be forever with your master Satan.  You don't have to be a bad person by human standards or even an atheist.  God doesn't sent you to hell.  That is your personal choice. 

Some people want to play Christian.  They will go to church and live a good life but they still prefer to make the  decisions about how they live their life.  Jesus taught us that a person who saves his own life shall lose it but a person who loses his life for the gospels sake shall find it.  Jesus will make good on that promise even though you may have a hard time believing that. 

The scriptures are clear about who will be accepted into heaven and who will not be.      We don't have to wonder if we'll make it or not.  You cannot be good enough so you can take that notion off the table.  Salvation isn't a scale weighing our goodness versus our mistakes.  No, our salvation depends on our relationship with Christ.  If we reject Christ here then he will reject us in the life to come. 

Stumps removed

The city is upset with us for all the brush they have had to haul away from the church.  What started as an effort to cut back on a few weeds morphed into an idea to clear enough space to plant some pumpkins then into a more ambitious plan to clean all the weeds from the property.  Once half the property was cleared it was obvious it was going to take a lot of work to clear the other half.  Besides the brush there were many trees that had been cut down a few years prior and left laying on the ground.  It took me 7 months to clear that space and I gave away as much wood as I could and burned several stacks of wood and brush so it wouldn't have to be hauled to the curb.   Even so, almost every Thursday for three or four  months the city had a truck load to pick up. 

With the winter being so wet, we experienced some serious parking problems as the ground stayed wet and soft all winter.  We decided to cut down the cedar trees along the roadside.  We cut two down then a month or so later we cut down two more and then two weeks after that we cut down the remaining 6, plus we had to cut 5 oaks and a gum tree in order to move or out building.  All the limbs and trimmings we left at the curb.  Now the city says they have done enough. 

We dug the stumps out of the ground yesterday, all ten of them.  "No" the city said.  So one day in the future we will have to find a way to haul the stumps off.  In the mean time I have the wood of six big trees to give away, a lot of raking to do plus some tree roots to gather up so we can park cars there.  We will be okay until it rains then the new parking area will be muddy.  We will have to save up to purchase gravel and for our tiny church that is going to take awhile.   

Florida teen rejects plea deal in underage same-sex case

Most of you should be familiar with this case but in case you are not, it is , in a nutshell this:  A seventeen year old girl began a sexual affair with a 14 year old girl but affair the girl turned 18, she was arrested and charged with a sex crime.  She was offered a deal of, I believe, two years of electronic monitoring and has to register as a sex offender.  If convicted she faces at least 5 years in prison. 

She thinks she did nothing wrong and she also believes that the few months the affair continued after she turned 18 should be no big deal since it wasn't a crime before she turned 18.  Unfortunately her thinking is askew in this matter.  The day before you turn 16, you can't drive.  The day before you turn 18 you can't be drafted (if there was still a draft).  The day before you turn 21 you cannot legally drink. 

The law is clear:  if you are over eighteen and your lover is more than three years younger than you then you have committed a sex crime.  Legally   you are an adult having sex with a minor.  What if she was 16 and three months and she went to obtain her driving privileges and the state said "Well, you are just a few days over 16 so that doesn't matter so we are not granting you driving privileges.  I'm sure too her those days over 16 would be a big deal.  They either are or are not so laws are made so everyone would know what is and is not acceptable. 

As much as she feels she did nothing wrong she did do something wrong and her feelings do not matter:  it is the law that matters.  We have laws to protect the innocent.  The girl thinks she should be innocent.  She isn't but the jury may find her so out of sympathy.  I wouldn't bet on it.  Of course the jury may decide that the law is stupid and decide to ignore the law, which is also the jury's right.  But that isn't likely to happen either.  I've never heard of it happening although for many years judges would instruct the jury to first judge the law then judge the accused. 

As hard as it is for this young women to accept her punishment, it is better that she accept the plea deal and avoid jail.  That's even hard to suggest but it is really best for her. 

Update to easily offended

Sunday as come and gone and the mother and son did not attend church today but they did make a trip to a members house.  On the Tuesday that I supposedly offended the son we had mowed the yard of an elderly member of the church.  I have no idea what he could possible say that would strengthen their position to do me harm no can I understand why they are so angry.  Even if I said something out of line .. No, if I said something out of line I would apologize.  I didn't but I apologized anyway.

When the mans grandmother was alive I made DVD's of the church services for her and I served as her pall bearer in March of this year after she passed away.  Neither the ladies daughter or grandson have ever darkened the doors of the church prior to the funeral. 

I know I really should not be writing about this incident but it is so upsetting because I tried to be kind to the women even though she is mentally unstable and I believe her church attendance was a misguided attempt to have the love the church had for her mother to be transferred to her.  After one service she became a little upset when she asked if I had captured her testimony with my camera and I said no, I only record the preaching.  She never testified after that. 

I explained to her and her son the proper, biblical way to handle a complaint but they refuse to talk with me or the pastor.  I have given them two apologies and if they are not willing to accept that then I have to assume that their actions in contacting another church member is an act intended to bolster their efforts to find some way to do me harm.   It is just so frustrating to live a good life and to try to encourage someone and steer them in the right direction and then to have them turn and then trey to do me harm. 

It is therapeutic to write about the incident although I can't make sense of it.  I've been down the last several days because of this   I know I shouldn't be but I really cared about the man and was hoping to groom him for a position of church leadership one day.  I/m always aware that people will disappoint but I never thought that they would have turned so quickly.  I suppose all that is left to do is to continue to pray and ask for God's guidance. 

Retirement and camping in an RV

When I was in the Navy I pulled some tours of Vietnam and during the first of those tours I was stationed at an air base in Da Nang and met a guy named David.  We left Vietnam together and both landed in the Philippines where we both married native girls.  We have kept in touch during the last forty-three years, visiting each other every couple of years.  I worked in pharmacies and grocery stores while David worked for General Motors, as did his wife.  They both received buyout packages to retire early, then were called back a few years later, the received a second severance package. 
  With the first, they purchased an apartment complex and a small camper.  David hired his son, Dave, to manage the apartments for him and David and his wife, Chris, went camping.  After the second stint of work, David and Chris bought a  RV, the kind with the pop out side. and a nice jeep Wrangler to pull behind it.  They live most of their life on the road visiting various camp grounds in the south from Ohio to Florida.  I haven't been able to visited them but once in the last eight years because they can only stay in one place for two weeks. 
  At first I was a little envious, with him having good jobs and retiring early and being able to visit various places.  It's like being on a permanent vacation.  They see different places and meet different people and seem to be really happy.   But I'm happy too. 
  I live just a ten minute drive away from a lake where I can fish.  I have built two little fish ponds in  my yard plus with all the trees and flower gardens I have planted its like living in a scenic area.  I have vegetable gardens to eat fresh produce from, plenty of shade from the trees, flowers gardens that has something blooming in them 10 months out of the year, plenty of friends, and lots of things to see and do close to home.   There really is no place he can visit that can offer him more than I already have.  I do have something he doesn't.  That is a purpose.  He is enjoying life and so do I but I spent much of my time in helping others.  Sometimes I'll mow the yard of a friend, or visit with someone who isn't feeling well, or show someone how to live a more fulfilling and useful life. 
  Perhaps my life isn't as fun as David's but I really wouldn't enjoy camping out 10 months a year, having to live in a cramped RV and moving every two weeks.  I've had a couple of little tastes of what that would be like a few times in my life.  That isn't who I am.

me

Easily offended

I suppose if it wasn't me it would be someone else eventually.  I've been kind and do my best to live according to the scriptures.  I don't live right in order to be right I live right because I'm in the correct relationship.  If you don't know what I mean you might as well quit reading. 

I work hard at the church taking care of the yard and facilities, supporting the pastor, the church as a whole, and individual members, not for any special recognition but because that is a reflection of where my heart is.  I suppose it is beyond some people's abilities to see past their own lives to realize that sometimes someone else just may have their best interest at heart. 

There is a young man who has started coming to the church, along with his mother.  When I say young man I'm talking younger than me.  I suppose the man is in his thirties.  Anyway he has been memorizing scriptures and that is a good thing.  I told him that I didn't know that many because I surround myself with reference guides and can easily find the scriptures I need.  Truly I wish I could quote more but there are just so many.  Psalms 119 tells us to hide his word in our heart.  I don't think it is as important to be able to quote chapter and verse as it is to understand and practice the precepts of the bible. 

In the last couple of years I have met three men who could quote large sections of scripture.  One was a backstabber, one was a user, and the other just an uneducated fool who has no idea what the scripture he just quoted actually means.  His goal in life it seems is to go from church to church finding fault.  it's either the music, or the décor, or the song choice, or the dress code, or, well, you get the picture.  He will find fault with something.  Another of the three was what we call a Pharisee because to him Christianity is a set of rules and not a relationship.  Even so, the rules are for others and not for him because he will say one thing but live entirely different.  You call him a hypocrite but he is beyond being hypocritical. 

The third guy just has an over inflated image of himself and his abilities.  Neither man lives like a Christian should.   I'm not questioning their salvation and I'm not criticizing them.   I just stating the facts to prove my point.  My point is that being able to quote scriptures without understanding them or without applying them to your life is a fallacy. 

Well, it seems that my point of view was offensive to the younger man and because he was offended his mother became irate and now they won't speak to the preacher, return my phone call, or even answer the door when I went by to speak to them. 

Their actions prove my point that although  he can quote big blocks of scripture he has become easily offended and has withdrew himself from fellowship with me and the church.  That isn't the way Christ has instructed us to live.  That's my point. 

I have a dilemma

I hate it when people do stupid things and I am the only one that notices and I have to make the decision of how to handle the situation.  Do I ignore it or discuss it with higher authority? 

Jodi Arias

Jodi Arias is a convicted murderer.  It wasn't just a normal everyday kind of murder even though it was the killing of her boyfriend.  The man was naked, taking a shower when he was shot, stabbed, and strangled; shot and stabbed many times.  It was vicious and brutal.  She claimed self-defense.   

She is a liar and not a good one at that.  I suppose since she is attractive with a large set of boobs that somehow makes her newsworthy but I really don't think she should be treated as a celebrity.  She put on a slide show of family and friends and told the court of her many talents and bragged about how smart she is and what wonderful things she could accomplish if not given the death penalty.  Many intelligent people have been guilty of murder:  even serial murder.   They peeked our interest as to the why of their crimes.  This woman is trying to gather sympathy and she is playing people, especially the media people, like a fine violin.  It's that very flaw in her personality that let her to believe she could kill and get away with it.  The murder she committed was a mistake.  She meant to do it.  She wants us to now believe that he was a good person and she has no idea what happened to her that caused her to do what she did.  It was a fluke, a mistake, totally out of character because she is such a talented and intelligent person who is loved by others and has so much to offer. 

She is cold and heartless caring only for what benefits her and she would kill again if she deemed it in her best interest.  She acts like she should be given an office and a studio and treated as someone special, a staff member perhaps, while she is locked away.  She just hasn't come to grips with the fact that she has been found guilty of murder and she is to be locked away like the rest of the undesirables. Just because she is pretty and sexy and intelligent and talented doesn't mean she isn't just as dangerous as any street thug.  She is, perhaps more dangerous because people just don't see anything to fear in her.  She may be a pretty snake but she is a snake, nonetheless.  A deadly snake.

weight loss myths

I was just looking at an article that promises you will lose 8 pounds in two weeks by substituting one food for another, like switching up egg and cheese with veggies on an omelet or eating a bagel instead of an English muffin.  I eat two eggs and 1/2 cup of cheerios or plain oatmeal for breakfast now.  I once ate just the cup of Cheerios but wanted to change from high fiber to high protein diet.  I drink nothing but coffee and water; lots and lots of water.  For supper I have a bowl of light chicken noodle soup (160 calories) and an apple.  I guess lunch is my downfall as I actually eat a meal but I try to keep it light and healthy. 

So far I have lost nothing.  Before I retired I had lost fifty pounds eating more than I do now.  It's not the work as I work harder and am more physical that when I was employed and it isn't the exercise as I walked five miles every morning in an hour and ten minutes.  It's like I say "I'm going to lose weight" and my body says "no, you're not".  So far my stubborn boding is winning the weight loss wars. 

I'm sure many of the tips and tricks you read will work for most people but we aren't all the same and what works for you may not work for me.  What once worked for me no longer does so I know that to be true.  If I knew the secret that would work for everyone then I certainly wouldn't be giving that secret away for free.    Well, I probably would.  I guess that's why I'm not rich as I don't believe in making money from the misery of others. 

Hospital error

My mother-in-law was discharged from the R------- hospital today and my sister-in-law has medical power of attorney so my sister-in-law was sent the discharge papers for her mom.  Attached to the discharge form were the discharge forms of several other patients which contain sensitive information. of course. 

I'm not naming the hospital but not to protect them but to protect me.  Most likely my sister-in-law will return the papers to the hospital and I'll end up in an indefensible position because I'll not have proof of incompetence.  Let us just say it be better that my sister-in-law was the one the papers went to than maybe someone else. 

Belhaven

I was just looking over my latest copy of "Our State" when I came across an article on Belhaven.  I really like the articles on the small towns, in this case 1659 residents, because the writer is able to capture the character of the place much better than one can do justice to larger places, say like Hickory.  Fortunately, North Carolina is full of small towns and they seem to have a personality unique to themselves. 

Belhaven is the home of "Little Eva" born there. becoming famous for the song "Do the Locomotion" and moved back there to live and now to rest forever.  Another resident won a super bowl ring with the Green Bay Packers. The mention of their lives struck a cord with me.  In bigger towns where many people go on to fame and fortune few people pay much attention, even in their former neighborhoods but in small towns like Belhaven they stand out and are remembered because the chances of someone from such a small place becoming famous is rare and for one of them to return there to live out their days is rarer still. 

It's remarkable that one person can do something so well that they become famous for doing what they did but in most cases the fame comes from the entertainment industry (sports and music are both entertainment) I suppose the other way to being immortalized is to become a famous politician like a governor or a President.  People seldom become famous for just being good people, although I can think of a few.  (Okay, just one.) 

Yesterday a lady stopped by my church while I was there doing lawn work and some repair work.  Some trees had recently been cut and she expressed her sadness as her father was the person who had planted the trees.  She was disappointed when I allowed her to look at the inside of the church.  A plaque inscribed with the names of the members was no longer there and the old wooden pews had been replaced.  It was different than when she attended church there as a young child and the memories were not honored. 

I wish I had the plaque and a more complete history of the church, when it was started and who were all the former pastors.  I have heard the names of a few of the former preachers but I don't know their history.  The church was vacant for awhile before pastor Catrell took over and he closed it down before Rev. Garrett revived the church.  U suppose our most famous member was Dora Tickle because she sat under many of the former pastors but she passed away Feb. 27th of this year. 

No, she isn't famous like the football player or the famous singer, and her reputation will probably fade with the passing of those that knew her, but people of her character are rare, especially in little churches like One Way Baptist.     

Queen of Southgate

I received an e-mail from someone who actually read my book, Queen of Southgate.  He said he really enjoyed the book.  It's not the stuff that best sellers are made of.  In fact, the subject is something most people would like to ignore, especially the people of Greensboro.  It's good to know some people out that appreciated all the effort in went into making that book. 

Special thanks

A very special thanks goes out to Richard Mercer. for the help he gave One Way Baptist Church in clearing its lot after all the work that has been there.  Last month Mr. Mercer helped carry off some old wood that had been laying around the lot for years.  Twice in the last several weeks he has come out to drag brush and rake stems from the property after huge trees were cut. 

What makes his help so appreciated is the fact that Mr. Mercer is not a member or the church nor has he ever attended a service.  Hic contributions are rare.  We thank you.

Cutting trees

 A few members of Wayside Baptist in Thomasville came up a couple of Saturdays to help us cut some cedar trees and move our outbuilding.  With the wet winter we had parking even for our tiny church was problematic.  On several occasions we had to have vehicles towed out of the mud and on one  occasion a tow truck had to be towed.  There was a row of cedar trees next to the road from one end of the church property to the other .  One couldn't park there as the cedars left dropping on vehicles and the lack of room made it hard to turn around.  Now that the cedars are gone and the shed is moved, it has opened things up to effectively double our parking.  Once we get the stumps removed parking will be much more convenient.  It sure would be nice if we could get some help with gravel or paving. 

There is some discussion about having a bbq chicken dinner to raise funds and we may raise a hundred dollars or so after expenses but that is a far cry from what is needed.  If we had better parking I believe our little church would grow faster.  It's hard for a small group of people to accomplish great things monetarily.  As far as the spiritual side of things I believe we have accomplished as much or more than many or our largest churches.  I've seen the spirit move, transforming lives and accomplishing great things there. 

Hauling the brush to the curb for the city to remove is back breaking work and I'm sure the workers from the city aren't really happy with all the brush we have piled up this year but we are nearing the end of this phase.  Most of the other trees are small.  We may give the city a break until after pumpkin harvest but we'll just have to wait and see how that goes.    

Spreading lies

I am a Christian and have no qualms about admitting so and as a Christian I do my best to live a life that follows the examples that Jesus set for us.  Christ taught his followers how to solve differences.  It really doesn't matter if you are the one at fault or the other person is at fault.  If you have something against your brother or your brother has something against you go to him and tell him he is forgiven.  Then you can come back and God will listen to your prayer. 

If there is a problem in the church go to the person that is doing wrong and speak with them about it.  If the situation isn't corrected then take several others with you and if that doesn't work take the matter before the entire church. 

When a person makes a slip-up do not talk about them but just love them and encourage them.  If  someone is making serious errors in judgment on a continual bases then you should follow the second set of steps. 

What you don't want to do is to tell others especially others that are not of your church or have a need to know).    If the perceived wrong is strictly personal  and nota biblical error, just let it go.  Why try to hurt other people. 

An example of what I'm talking about is this:  a pastor was scheduled for surgery and asked a young man who was just starting out to come and help him while he recovered.  The young man came and was accompanied by his fiancée and her mother.  The pastor did well enough that he was able to conduct the Sunday morning services but did let the young man preach the evening services.  After a couple of months the young man asked the pastor about becoming the associate pastor.  The pastor said no as the church was small and he didn't need as associate. 

For the next couple of months things went on as they had but changed one day when the younger preacher was asked to take over a small church whose pastor had died.  Now it seems, the young preacher now mother-in-law is telling people that the pastor did her son-in-law wrong. 

I don't know what the perceived offense was but I do know that what she is doing is not the biblical way of handling things.  For the life of me I just don't understand how someone who raised her children in church who claims to be a Christian and who sings at fellowship meetings and sits under many different preacher can be a gossip and backbiter and have no clue as to how a Christian is supposed to handle such matters. 

Personally I' like to slap her but as a Christian I'll just have to love her and pray for her. 

Mother falls out of a party bus

It seems the news is full of tragedies for bachelorettes this morning.  It one story 5 women going to a bachelorette party died when a limo caught fire and they were trapped inside.  In this story a young mother was on a party bus celebrating at a bachelorette party.  She fell out of the emergency door. 

In case you aren't aware of what a party bus is, it is really a school bus that someone drives around while other people have a good time.  It is a way for lots of people to get from one place to another and still party without having to drive.  The idea seems great but those parties do come with risks, especially from how people act when they are having a good time.  Sometimes they do foolish things like stick their head out of the window.  Sometimes there is a telephone pole or sign post on the side of the road. 

In this case the lady was at the back of the bus.  Now we all know from riding a school bus in our youth or a city bus or even an airplane one of the rules is that you must be seated while the vehicle is in motion.  Even if the emergency door was faulty if the woman had been seated she would not have fallen out. 

One of three things happened:  Someone opened the door and pushed her out, she opened the door on purpose and jumped, or she was standing near the door and was jostled up against the door by a friend, a bump or her own actions and fell out the door. 

A relative has already starting saying stuff that is setting up the bases of a lawsuit.  He said "Why wasn't the emergency door secured?"  I know he's looking for someone or something to blame other than the victim but he is way out of line with that statement.  Emergency doors have to remain open:  it is the law and it is that way for a really good reason. 

In the Colorado theater shooting some families sued the theater for not providing enough security.  People, we have to start thinking for ourselves.  Inspect the situation and if the theater doesn't have enough security don't go.  if you want to ride a bus and they follow the law and have an emergency door that is working properly and you want it secured, then don't get on the bus.  What if there was an accident and you could not crawl to the front of the bus.  I would bet you would want an unsecured emergency door then. 

Sometimes we  get away with doing stupid stuff.  Ever run a stop sign and was glad no one was in the intersection but you?  Every let your car drift over the center line.  No tractor-trailer on the other side, thank goodness.  But sometimes we do stupid things and there is a severe price to pay.  More than likely that is what happened here. 

My condolences to the family and I am deeply sad for the young child who lost her mother. 

lottery winnings

My old military buddy and I were discussing lottery winnings and he thinks it is a ripoff that the lottery wants to give the winnings out over thirty years.  I totally disagree.  Now we are not talking about winning a few hundred over even a few thousand and many a little more than a million or two.  We're talking about big winnings, the kind that don't just change the direction of your life but changes
everything about your life.  let's say 90 million on up to the skies the limit. 

If it's ninety million spread over 30 years that's three million a year.  In one lump sum you are talking maybe 54 million give or take a million or two either way.  Chances are if ones the 54 he will never be worth the ninety million dollars.  In fact about the only way he will every accumulate that much is to save the 54 and only withdraw it when it reaches 90 million and that will happen ins , say, 30 years.   

Taking the three million leaves almost $5,000.00 a day for thirty years.  In vest wisely and it could last the rest of your life and the lives of your children.  But even if you are stupid and blow the $3,000,000.00 its okay.  Next year you will receive another three million.  Screw that up too and there is no real reason to worry.  The year after that you will receive another three million.  However, it's a different story if you take the lump sum. 

For one thing, you never knew you had so many relatives that had great ideas for a successful business but only need a little help getting started.  Buying a nice house, one  worthy of a millionaire, and of course, a couple of fancy cars and a great vacation.     It just wouldn't do if you didn't so something nice for your parents, your siblings and  a couple of your closest friends. 

Really?  You are really going to work Monday?  Now I really didn't think so.  You have your own idea for a great business. 

The trouble with the whole scenario is it cost a lot more to heat and cool and upkeep that big house than you every dreamed that it would and it is too big for you and your spouse to keep up.  You had no idea that landscapers and housekeepers costs so much.  Running a business was much tougher than you every dreamed it would be and all those friends with bright ideas can attest to the fact that turning a good idea into a profitable business takes more than money.  At least it takes more than they have and more than you are willing to let go of. 

Yea, all those millions were great for a few years but the money is going fast and the friends went faster.  The cars are depreciating and don't look so hot now.  They just look broken down and that dream home turned out to be a money pit.  All those fancy clothes don't fit now that you have gained so much weight from eating out so often.

It's hard to believe but people still think you are rich and are making your life miserable by begging for money to see them through a rough period or to get their great idea off the ground.  You really wish you had your old life  back but you can't.  You haven't worked in years. 

Retirement advise

I have read the same advise in two different articles about how to maximize your retirement money.  According to some experts, it is best to live from your 401(k) or other retirement money and exhaust it before filing for social security thereby increasing your monthly take when you do file.  While that is true I think there are some problems with that advise, at least for married people.

Really, the ideal is for the younger spouse (usually the wife who earned less than the husband)  to delay taking Social Security until after her husband passes away so that she will have adequate benefits to live on.  This plan could possible be the best way for the couple to maximize their income during retirement.  It would take some calculating to determine that. 

According to the Social Security office, it does not matter if you take payments at 62 or 72, if you just live to the normal age of people born in your birth year, you would receive the exact same total benefit amount, so the benefit of delaying the taking of social security will only be advantageous to one if they live longer than expected.  If one takes the money earlier and really doesn't need it then there is no reason one cannot invest the money.

The way I see things, If the husband has x number of dollars in a retirement account and is drawing social security, then it is probable best if the wife, upon retirement, drawn social security and leave her retirement savings alone, contrary to the experts advise.  If her and her husband are about the same age and had similar incomes, and they live to their life expectancy or die before that age, and she took her social security, then her retirement savings would have been intact for her heirs but if she had taken the "experts advise" then all of the retirement money would have been spent and the only beneficiary would have been the government. 

I do believe she would have been fine with the lower social security amount as the retirement savings would have grown significantly (in all likelihood) in a good retirement investment account  or at least held its own in a more conservative account.   I know the experts claim she doesn't need her retirement account as her husbands should take care of that but what if he got sick and they spent his on trying to save his life  or the family was faced with another catastrophe that claimed a large portion of his retirement account?   

Maybe it's just me but I believe it is best to keep ones retirement account and live from a slightly lower social security benefit. 

Stuff I won't eat

I'm not talking about vegetables as I like most and the ones I don't a little ketchup masks the taste of some and holding my nose and swallowing quickly takes care of the rest.   Just because it's meat don't think I'm going to give it a try.  I'm a southern born meat and potatoes man so you can keep your strong flavored fish, lamb and most shellfish.  If it's not steak, chicken or pork I'm not going to eat it and just because it came from a cow, chicken, or pig doesn't mean I will wither. 
  Once, after having nothing to eat for three days I refused to consume some K-rations.  I just wasn't that hungry yet.  I'm not eating fish eggs, even at $100.00 an ounce, any kind of animal product that has not been cooked, especially if it is still alive, a product called tofu, chickpeas, or humus.  The mere thought makes me queasy.

Slit decision

Quoted from a Yahoo article decision

"Former Strikeforce lightweight titleholder and current UFC lightweight contender Gilbert Melendez lost a razor-close slit decision to reigning UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 7 on April 20, but gained confidence if the two ever rematch."

MMA Weekly

 

 

Maybe it was a split decision.  Half of me thinks the word is wrong and the other half thinks maybe it isn't. 

Obama says Mexico ready

"President Barack Obama on Friday cast Mexico as a nation ready to take "its rightful place in the world" and move past the drug battles and violence..."

I about fell out of my chair laughing.  ROFLOL