Watch video to see a picture

I know ad revenue is important but I believe things are going a little overboard.  An article claims their is a much see picture and when you click to see it you are shown a video with an ad leading off and probably a talking head  describing what you are about to see and then a split second view of the picture you were promised.  Yahoo is really bad about this.  It is becoming as irritating a bling expecting you to click on a link every third word. 

Preacher arrested,protest averted

Rev Jones was arrested while transporting 2, 998 Qurans soaked in kerosene which he intended to set ablaze.  He was charged with transporting fuel unsafely, an improperly registered trailer, and a misdemeanor weapons charge.  Jones is 62 and his associate pastor, 41, was also arrested. 

I understand his sentiments and I also understand his desire to protest the 9-1-1 attack ad I understand that the 2998 Qurans represented one for each death in the twin towers and I am fully aware he is within his constitutional  rights to protest and to burn the books.  There are far better ways  to protest 9-1-1.  To blame a culture and/or an entire religion for the acts of a few radicals is wrong.

Encouragement

My blog post F.R.O.G. had well over 300 hits and that is an encouragement to me.  My blog is really a personal journal of my thoughts and feelings and I share them in case someone somewhere finds them interesting or thought provoking. I've never encouragement my family and friends to read it.  In fact I prefer that they don't as it gives me more freedom to say what I want to say with less danger of hurting someone I care about.  A good example of this is a former co-worker who is still a friend today.  I would not want him to know one of the reasons I decided to retire was he was so sloppy at work that I was finding it difficult to work with him anymore.  My blog was a good way to vent my frustrations without offending anyone.

My blogs seldom get more than 4 to 12 hits and I really never expected anymore.  I did have one with over to hundred hits but that one had an odd title and was actually an interesting email that as making the rounds that I wanted to share.   What makes my F.R.O.G. post so unusual is it is one that is totally original from my own life and experiences.  I wish I knew why that one has been so popular,  If I knew then maybe I would be able to write more post that had some readership.   I think it may be a fluke but in any case I hope that someone reposts it somewhere and it gets lots of readership.  If one person decides to turn their life over to God because of that blog I would be most happy. 

I teach Sunday School and sometimes I get emotional when I talk about my savior.  Sometimes I wish I didn't because I think people become overly sympathetic towards me and miss the entire meaning of my lesson.  I never want it to be about me. 

The real reason you are unhappy at work

That is the title of an article on Yahoo and the reasons given indicate that if you have a problem at work the problem is you.  Really?  I have to admit that sometimes an employee develops a bad attitude and it is obvious to everyone that the only problem is them but when a large number of people have the same feelings about the job they are doing or the location where they perform their job maybe it is the boss, the company policy or just the nature of the job. 

Like the problem of being bored at work.  The solution given is to talk with your boss. 

When I was in the Navy stationed aboard an aircraft carrier  was assigned to a special job while I was awaiting clearance to do my regular duties.  My "assigned" job was titled compartment cleaner.  I was given a bucket, a capful of pine sol, a sponge, a steel wool pad, and a bottle of liquid wax.  My job was to go down a long hall way and scrape the wax off with my steel wool pad and then to rewax the floor.  Then I was to go to the bathroom and clean it.  When I finished that then I was to go back into the hall way and scrape off the wax with my steel wool pad and rewax.  The I was to go into the bathroom and clean it.  Then I was to go back to the hall way and scrape the wax with a steel wool pad.  Rinse and repeat all day everyday. 

Talk to my boss?  In the Navy you have to put things in the form of a request chit, or a least one did 40 years ago, so I did. I was called to the anchor room to face a panel of 5 officers and questioned for three hours about why I wasn't satisfied with my job. 

I remember the day I turned in my final notice at my regular job.  I was finishing up one assignment when I was given my new assignment.  I needed some material to finish my first job and when I went to get the stuff I needed my boss said to me "This is my bar and I decide when last call is". 
 What he was implying was that I had decided I was finished working for the day and he wanted me to know that that decision was his to make.  Well, he was wrong.  I could have been like most people and left the cleanup of the old job for the next person to do so I didn't have to push so hard to get the next job done but I'm not like that.  I want to leave things like I would want to find them. 

The next day I informed the company of my desire to retire. 

Sometimes you do work for jerks and sometimes it is the job.  For those of you in that situation my heart goes out to you. 

10 Things You Could Do To Burn More Calories

"10 Things You Could Do To Burn More Calories" is a title of an article on Yahoo.  Drink green tea and had hot peppers to food I do on a regular bases.  Green tea is about the only thing I drink other than water.  I don't get down to exercise nor do I play sports.  That is hard on us old folks.  For 5 months I walked 5 miles in an hour and ten minutes every morning while doing eight or the ten recommended things in this article.  I didn't lose a single pound.

I seem to be to the point where I have no metabolism left to speed up. 

F.R.O.G.

Forever Relying on God:

In the short time I've been going to One Way Baptist Church in Randleman, NC I've seen and been involved in some miraculous things.  I suppose the first was the limb stuck in a tree.  It was a huge limb and I had been trying to get it out of the tree for six months with no success.  I even got a former  football lineman (NFL quality player) and another big man to help me but even the three of us couldn't move it. I was afraid that when it did fall out of the tree someone would be hurt but I couldn't get it out. 

A week or so after the three of us tried to get it out and failed we were having a cookout for the community and I was really afraid of that limb.  I knew the only way it was coming down was for God to remove it.  The day before the cookout I walked over to the tree, asked God to remove it and the tree limb just fell out. 

Another miraculous thing I saw happened when I was clearing the back lot.  There was a tree stump that was so large it had eleven trunks, each at least 12 inches thick, growing from it.  I had no way to cut it up and I really needed it gone.  I almost had the entire lot cleared except for that huge stump.  One night I prayed and told God that He would have to remove the stump because I couldn't. 

The next morning a man came by and picked up all the free firewood I had cut and asked me if I had anything else.  "Just that big ole stump" I said, figuring he would just walk away after seeing the size of that thing.  "Just give me fifteen minutes" he replied and in a few minutes he had it cut up.  The next day he came back with his son and they carried the stump away. 

God healed my wife from her aneurysm which is one of the most documented cases of God's miraculous ways.  Today God helped me out again.  I have an old pickup truck and I promised my wife I would trade it for a trailer to pull the lawn mower with but I pretty much gave up on that idea.  Today I was working at the church when the preacher came by to meet some workmen putting cool seal on the roof.  I mentioned to the preacher I wanted to swap the truck for a trailer and he suggested I sell the truck and buy a trailer.  That isn't what I promised my wife so I vetoed the suggestion. 

The workers needed a caulking gun so I went back to the house to get one for them and when I returned the preacher told me one of the workers said he would build me a trailer like theirs in exchange for my truck.  "I need a trailer hitch put on my van.  Can you take care of that too?" 
He said he would. 

That is four things I needed but couldn't do or get and yet all were provided me at the time I needed them.  That's not counting the money He provided when I was faced with all of my wife's hospital bills nor the things that He has done for the church.  You can believe what you want to believe  but I know the truth. 

The atheists suing over "under God" in the pledge asked "can you imagine sending your child to school and he is faced with that ever day?"  Why yes I can.  What I can't imagine is why would one want to go to school without God or anywhere else for that matter. 

I don't want to give the impression I think God is just a supernatural being that is here just to help me out with problems.  I work hard for God doing whatever he needs me to do, going where he needs me to go, and I pray daily and read his word daily and I put my full faith and trust in him.  I love my God and cannot imagine life without him.  In fact there is no life without God. 

And that fact brings me to the greatest thing I have seen God do and that is change lives and change someone's destination.  If you don't believe in him you should and if you believe but don't live for him then your belief is for nothing  "for the devils also believe." 

If you want a place to go where the truth is preached then you are welcome at One Way Baptist Church in Randleman, NC.   

Syrian situation

John Kerry stated yesterday that the President could authorize attacks on Syria  regardless of how congress votes on Obama's  request to start launch a strike against Syria.  Personally, I think it is about time we let Russia or China or the Middle East handle this problem.  Wouldn't it be ironic for the Nobel Peace Prize winner to start another war we can't win .  I wonder how this one will become the fault of George W. Bush? 

A friend in need of help

I have a friend in need of some help.  My friend is 81 and he lives alone.  His wife, his life-long companion, died about ten years ago and my friend  is missing her badly.  I suppose as he gets less mobile he thinks about her more and more and he has become severely depressed. 

We think of depression as a deep state of sadness that makes us cry and unable to function but my friend is a man and men often handle problems differently.  Often a man with depression will be fidgety or hyper as it were and become angry, shutting people e cares about out of his life.  That is my friend now.  He ignores everyone, refuses to take phone calls and ignores us when we come to visit or pass on the street.  It's like we are strangers and he is afraid of us. 

I know the man has contemplated suicide and the last time I saw him he was trying to set it up so his life insurance would pay the funeral home directly.   He has one son and a grandson but I don't know them.  exactly what am I supposed to do? 

I'm confused part two

Yesterday afternoon my wife handled me a booklet.  It had come with her laptop and told about quick web and how to set up a network.  I plugged in my Ethernet cable, set up a brand new network, and gave the password to m wife for her computer and we were good to go.  it was very easy once I had the instructions. 

I'm confused and need technical help.

I have a desktop which I love but my wife prefers her laptop.  She decided to get her a new one and gave me her old one.  While she was struggling to learn her new computer, I took my laptop and hooked it to the big screen TV and set the laptop on my desk.  I liked that since it took up less room but I didn't get to enjoy the setup.  She got her computer set up but noticed she didn't have a secure internet connection so she changed her setting.  I lost my connection on my laptop so I had to undo everything I had done and now I can't connect to the internet with my laptop unless I use the Ethernet cable.  No wireless connection.  So, can this problem be solved? 

Article finally published

When I agreed to be a guest columnist for the faith section in the local paper I was given a schedule of when the articles would run.  I was to write two columns but when the first one was due it didn't appear.  It has been at least six weeks since my schedule said it was to run so I had even forgotten about it.  In fact, I didn't renew my subscription to the paper after being with them for the four years I've lived in the area. 

One of my wife's friends called to say she saw it in the paper yesterday.  What a shocker.  If you happen to read the column just be aware the typo's are not mine. 

Restaurant refuses Iraq War Veteran and service dog

Oxford, Mass.  A man with a service dog is refused service.  The man is suffering from PTS and needs the dog to calm him in stressful situations wasn't allowed to bring the dog into the restaurant.  I guess because you can't see the affliction it isn't real. 
        Still, I don't like seeing animals in places I'm trying to eat at or from like a grocery store and especially restaurants.    There is a reason the health department bans this practice for the rest of us but the law is the law.  Of course the local law can't help so he has to sue in federal court.  Either that or just go to a more accepting place to eat. 
        I was once in the US Navy and had just completed my tour of service including three years overseas and two tours in a war zone and was at the Charleston Naval base to be discharged.  it snowed and there was no transportation out of Charleston so I was forced to spend an extra day or two on base so I went to the store on base to pick up a few grocery items and an officer refused me service.  I understand the mans frustration.   We didn't have post traumatic stress back then though so we just had to learn other ways to deal with our problems. 
        

Motivation behind singing

   The Isaac's were appearing in Burlington last week for a benefit for an outreach program that aids the poor, especially the homeless.  I understand why the outreach program booked the Isaacs for the benefit as they have won many awards for their songs, their writing, and their productions. 

If one has to classify their music it would be more into the bluegrass/country style.  I'm not a music critic but I do know that the group, a mother and her three children, are very good at what they do.  But being good at what one does is not necessarily a good thing.  If the motivation behind why you do what you do is different than your stated goal then I'm not so sure it's a good thing. 

What exactly do I mean by that?  It can be argued that the motivation behind all our actions  is to  earn a living and to a certain extent that would be true but that doesn't allow for all the volunteers,
or people who put in way more effort into their endeavors than the rewards they ever hope to gain.  I have no problem with  singers getting paid for their music or preachers getting paid for their service.  After all, we all  need food, clothing, and shelter.  Most singers sign because of two reasons:  one is they enjoy signing and making music, and two, if one is successful it pays well.  In some cases it pays really, really well.  If I paid out my hard earned money to see a singing group I expect them to be good and to entertain me. 

Let me be perfectly clear.  I do not know the Isaacs outside of what I read and what they said at the performance last week I have no clue who they are.  I know nothing about how they live their lives.  I draw my conclusions of who they are by their actions that I observed. They appeared to me to be a group of people, in this case family, that has chosen to make a living signing music for a living and they have chosen bluegrass/ country  gospel as the type of music they sign.  Actually spreading the gospel and uplifting the name of Christ is not a motivation in doing what they do at all.  Their music was not really gospel or Christian music.  It was moral music  but that isn't exactly the same thing. 

If one truly loved Christ and was motivated to spread the gospel then that love and motivation would be reflected in their speech and their actions.  Honestly, many singers and even some preachers are in the business solely to make a living.  I cannot say that the Isaacs are not Christians.  Christianity has nothing to do with how often one goes to church or what one does to make money but on what kind of relationship one has with Christ. 

What I saw was a family that was very good at what they did and that loved each other.  That is a good thing.  I'm not saying they a phonies as they never said they were anything other than who they showed themselves to be.  They are entertainers singing bluegrass/country gospel music. 

It's what you voted for

No, not you, the reader, but the person who wrote the statement below.  I believe Ohio was one of the critical states in the last election.  I have a friend from Ohio.  Our friendship survived the election but just barely and not entirely intact.  He is a big Obama supporter.  He was posting about Obama virtues every day.  At one point he had three or four posts that showed up on my facebook page every day. 

He is retired so I don' know how Obama care will effect him but it seems some of his fellow Ohioians aren't too happy.    

"Let's see. My employer is the Federal Government. So when they make me go on Obama Care, it will affect me. My premiums will go up at LEAST double for the same type of insurance. As Ohio is one of the states that will get hit the hardest on premiums, looks like my affordable health care is a myth. Thanks for nothing. "

gay marriage and the church

No, I'm not talking about the Catholic church but you local assembly.  The pastors at those churches are facing a dilemma because some are fearful if a gay couple asks them to preform the ceremony and they refuse then they are likely to get sued. 

Going forward make it a policy that wedding ceremonies are preformed for church members only.  if the church accepts gay members then perform the ceremony but if the local congregation does not accept gays as members then say no.   

Amana

Microwave oven Microwave oven

A 1946 experiment with a new magnetron, a vacuum tube that releases energy to power radar equipment, was not initially meant to heat up leftovers. While working with the 750 pound machine, one scientist, Dr. Percy Spencer, noticed that a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted.
After some experimenting, Dr. Spencer had by-chance discovered a way to heat food in the hefty enclosed box.
The countertop microwave oven was first introduced to the public in 1967 by the Amana Corporation. The price tag? Roughly $5,000.


My parents didn't pay $5,000.00 for theirs but they did purchase one of the first microwaves to come out:  amana odf
Amana of course.  It lasted exactly 40 years.  It had an analog clock and a dial you turned to set the time but it was a microwave. 

'Million Muslim March' Planned On 9/11 Anniversary

Now that we'll have them all together I wonder if the terrorists will reveal in their demonstration or see it as an opportunity to do harm? 

I help people too and I got screwed

 "I help people too and I got screwed" was the response one lady gave to a dissertation I made about helping people.  Yes, that can and will happen.  There are limits to what one should do and one has to know when and how to say no.  It's not a good idea to take in homeless strangers, depart with money directly to people or to put yourself into a position where people become dependent and expectant of your help. 

I give of my time, effort, expertise, and bounty but I don't give my money (I have little ) or my processions (I have few),    I give my friendship and my moral support but when someone starts asking for stuff I have to say no.  I don't mind at all helping someone along the way or making their lives happier or easier, even if it is just for a moment, but I don't like anyone expecting me to do things because it changes the situation from me being a giver to one of the other person being a taker.  Once you are being taken for anything then you are setting yourself up to "be screwed" as this lady was. 

Today was easier

First thing after breakfast I replanted all the iris I dug up yesterday into the new garden space.  It took me until lunch time to finish that little chore.  After lunch I went to the service station to get gas for the lawn mower and then loaded up my equipment and headed over to the church to mow the grass there.  It took a little less than an hour with the rider then another twenty minutes with the walk-behind mower.  Then I used the leaf blower to clear the excess grass, then packed everything away and headed home.  I unloaded and put everything back into its proper lace.  From the time I started 912:00) until I finished (3:30) took 3 1/2 hours but only an hour and a half was spent actually cutting grass. 

It is highly unusual for me to cut my grass on Wednesday and the Church's on Thursday but it is so wet in the am I mowed in the afternoon when thing were drier.  I also wanted to move the schedule up in case it rains.  I'm still sore and I'm tired but not nearly as so as I was yesterday. 

My kitty finally paid me some attention today.  I took her to the vets Tuesday for her polio booster and another shot.  Ryder likes to be petted but she does not like to be picked up.  I had cancelled two previous vet visits because I could not catch Ryder but I managed to get her into the cage Tuesday.  She has ignored me since she came home from the vets. 

I once thought it might be a good idea to put a collar on her and then  just snap a leash  on her when I need to take her somewhere.  As thing worked out, that was a very bad idea.  Ryder is a lot of fun and she is a loving cat but just never try to pick her up.

Busy day

Up early this morning to take care of a few things around the house.  First I painted a couple of mesh tables for my wife than I stained the ramp.  I spent the remainder of the morning tilling a new garden space and then I dug up all our Iris to move into the new garden spot.  After lunch I moved the glads to another location in the front yard and then I mowed the yard.  I didn't get to rake up the mulch or to weed-eat before supper but tomorrow is another day. 

I think the mowing was harder on me than using the tiller was this morning but I am rather stiff and sore.  At my age I guess that's to be expected.  Tomorrow I need to replant all those iris plants.  Hopefully I can get done in time to mow the church lawn. 

I need a weed trimmer and saw one on the internet for $125.00 but the man said the belt keeps coming off.  I want to have it checked out before I purchase it but he doesn't seem to want me too.  Red flag or what/ 

Dog Days and Dog Owners

My neighbor owned two boxers which he frequently let run loose.  The puppies were huge and liked to venture over to my house where they would dig up my flowers and jump in my koi pond in an attempt to catch my fish.  They would growl and bark at me and showed no fear.  I suppose I did because those dogs frightened me.  After being cornered one day the only way to change my situation was to call the police.  It seems that for a long while calling the police on his dogs were a monthly occurrence. 

Finally facing the ire of the local police department my neighbor got rid of one of the boxers and started obeying the local lease laws with the other.  About  two months or three months ago while working at the church helping to removed 11 tree stumps I saw a cute little dog running down the middle of the street dragging a tie down stake and a chain behind it.  It was in serious danger of getting run over, struck by a piece of heavy equipment or getting lost forever.  I caught the cut little fellow and pushed its tie down stake in the ground, and gave it some water.  I knew I couldn't keep the dog nor could I just leave it there so I notified the police.  It turned out the dog was owned by a lady Randleman  police officer.

I have another neighbor that ties his down out in the back yard 24/7 365 days a year.  I've blogged about that poor dog several times and did so just recently.  For the second time in recent weeks the dog has gotten loose and she wants to come play with me.  Today I was trying to change the battery in my truck when this poor creature runs up and starts jumping on me.  My wife had just come home and since she is now disabled due to a severe brain injury and is unstable on her feet at best I was afraid this dog would jump on her and hurt her and/or cause her to fall. This dog is strong and has long thick nails that hurt. 

Anyway I notified the police as I can't take care of this animal and it wouldn't let me take it home.  The owner wasn't home so I couldn't notify him to come and get it.  Well when the police gets there the boxer owner comes over claiming I am a racist and only call the police on non white people.  It may be true that the only two people in the neighborhood that I have complained about their dogs may not be white but theirs are the only dogs that have come into my yard and damaged my property or made me uncomfortable.  To be perfectly honest I thought the man who accused me of being prejudiced against non-whites was white.  His wife is white and all the kids are white and all his friends are white.  To tell the truth I don't really care what color you are. 

Be a responsible dog owner.  Fence your dog in, keep it in the house, or leave it tied up outside in the cool of the day for only short periods of time and keep it from hurting me and damaging my property and we will get along just fine. 

animal cruelty

It is extremely upsetting to witness animal cruelty and to be powerless to do anything about it.  I had looked forward to Randleman passing the law about tying animals outside and leaving them tied for long periods of time but the city tabled the measure.  Technically leaving a dog tied up 24/7 everyday without adequate food or water is not illegal even though it is cruel to say the least.  I think tying one up  even if it had adequate access to cool water is wrong.  If your animal does not have an area it can run and play in nor have human interaction then you shouldn't have an animal, 

I am open to legal suggestions on how to bring relief to these tortured dogs. 

Grey Savage

According to one book there are 50 shades of gray but according to this Grey everything is black or white. 

I realize the One Way Baptist is meeting in one of the smallest church buildings ever and that the building is over two hundred years old buy one should not be confused by the size of the building or its age.  Rev Charles Garrett is an exciting preacher and Dr. Grey Savage has outdone himself this week in revival services.  Wednesday is the last day and if you want a blessing then be there.  This is some of the best preaching I've ever heard.

Actually it is more than just good preaching.  What is happening can change lives.  I believe it will when it is all said and done. 

One Way is located on Sunset in Randleman and the meeting starts at 7. 

Mystery of the vanishing hearing aid solved

He was sitting in the living room in his lounge chair when his ear began to itch.  He removed his hearing aid to relieve the itch and it slipped from his grasp and no amount of searching could reveal the location of the aid.  The next morning his wife was busy gathering up trash for trash day when she noticed an object laying in the legs of the TV trays he kept behind his bedroom door.  There is was.


Unless one is extremely hard of hearing one cannot imagine the decreased quality of life on suffers from not being able to hear and how important hearing aids are.  The shame of the whole matter is how expensive they are.  Even budget hearing aids are $300.00 or more dollars and seem to be fraught  with problems. 

My mom, 88, has  an extremely severe hearing loss and cannot afford even the least expensive aids.  To help her I purchased her a sound amplifier for 19.99 and have her a set of padded ear phones.  They seem to serve her well but aren't as convenient  or efficient as real hearing aids are.  I wish there were a way to make some serviceable for less than a hundred dollars so more people could get help. 

disappearing hearing aid

     His right ear began to itch while he was relaxing in his favorite chair after a busy day.  Up and about at 3:30 am, he was staining his front porch by 7.  At nine thirty he put his paint away, loaded his pickup truck with tools and headed to the church to accept three loads of gravel. 

While the backhoe operator did his job spreading the gravel, he busied himself with picking up rocks and sticks from the recently ploughed ground and then pulled some weeds in the pumpkin patch.  After the gravel man was finished he grabbed his big push broom and swept off the roadway and then hosed it down.  By twelve thirty he was on his way back home to finish up his projects there.

He recoated the front porch with the semi-transparent water based cedar stain and then went to work on the back porch.  He finished all his stain but decided against going to the store to purchase more as he had other problems to attend to.  Most pressing was dealing with Duke Energy over a change they made to the church's' electric bill.  It didn't take all that long to handle the problem: it was just thirty minutes or so he really didn't have to spare.

He still had to put all his tools away, rewind the hose, fix the chip in his windshield, and make sure the church was ready for the big meeting that night.  He got home in time to shower, get dressed and grab a little something for dinner before heading out again.   It was 9:30pm when the service ended and he could finally go home and relax.

He removed the hearing aid from his right ear so he could relieve the itch but he lost his grip on the tiny thing and felt it slide down his neck onto his right shoulder.  He reacted quickly in trying to grab the hearing aid before it could hit the ground.  When he did he scrapped a fingernail across his right cheek, leaving a small gash that wanted to bleed.   Now faced with two problems, he wasn't sure how best to handled the situation.  In order to tend to the cut he didn't to retrieve a bandage but moving about with a loose hearing aid about could result in damaging the aid. 

While he was reasoning the situation out his wife, acting instinctually, rushed over and pushed the button on his power chair.  He wasn't prepared for that move and while fearful the movement of the power chair might damage the hearing aid or cause it to fall into a space that couldn't be reached, he didn't have time to react to prevent her from moving the chair. 

The hearing aid had vanished and no amount of searching for it would reveal results.  The entire areas was search and all possible locations were checked into but it just wasn't there.  How could something just disappear like that?  He didn't know either but it had happened.  The hearing aid just vanished. 

Trayvon Martin's Parents: If He Were White, 'This Never Would've Happened'

"What if" is a stupid game.  No one knows what would have happened if he had been white.  Maybe if he had been white he wouldn't have been living in the ghetto.  Maybe if he had been white he would have went home instead of standing around white Zimmerman used the phone in his car.   If he had been white this wouldn't have made national news. 

If Trayvon had been white maybe his parents would be divorced because the mother had a baby of a different race than the father.  We can play this "What if" game all day and half the night but it would not make any difference.  Is the mother saying that if her son had been white he would have been a better person?  Is the father saying that if his son had been white he would have won the fight? 

We can't deal in "What if's"  What if I had not hurt my arm in high school could I have been in the major leagues?  If I had been taller, or better looking, or had not got drafted during Vietnam or...  I did hurt my arm, I am not tall,  and I look like what I look like, and I did get drafted.  What if doesn't matter. 

I know.  People play this game all the time.  "What if I had not been late to work on that fateful day of Sept 11.  We cannot live by what if.  We have to live in the real world and deal with the decisions we make and the hand that life has dealt us.  We were not born 100 years ago, a different race, or in a different place, or with a different face.  What if Ted Bundy's mother had told him the truth and not claimed to be his sister?  "What if" makes for good TV (Quantum Leap, anyone?)   but it isn't real.  We can only play the "What if" game before something happens.  Maybe if we did we would make far better decisions. 

Miley Cyrus had a wardrobe malfunction

How quaint.  She now joins a long list of celebrities who can't keep their clothes on.  The headlines claim she had an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction and they were correct.  No she wasn't embarrassed.  I was.  That is one ugly woman with a punk haircut.  When her bra came loose my face turned red.  She acted like she was pleased with herself. 

Stevie Wonder boycotts Florida

Stevie Wonder boycotts Florida over verdict,  saying that he will never perform in that state again.  Next time a non-black is on trial for murder in the death of a black person instead of having a fair trial as guaranteed by our constitution a state should just call up Stevie Wonder and have him pronounce the verdict.  After all he is blind like lady justice.

The funny thing about that is he really doesn't know he is black because he can't see.  He has just accepted someone else's word about his skin color.  He has accepted on faith that he is a certain color
so we should accept on faith that without hearing all the evidence, interviewing any witnesses, or knowing exactly what the legal definition of the charges against Zimmerman were, he has announced his verdict.  Shame on Florida for using judges and lawyers and such to determine quilt or innocence.

After all Stevie Wonder has to know the truth because, after all, he is famous and has been told he is black.  Geez, we should know better by now than to do things the legal way.  Just hand people over to Al Sharpton, Jesse Jr. and Stevie Wonder.  After all, they brand of justice has to be just as fair as that of the KKK.

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.