More Ramblin's

For the life of me I cannot understand why our troops are still in Iraq. I normally don't comment on these issues but this time it just does not make sense. The country is erupting into a civil war and our people are being caught in the middle. We are not making any headway nor will we make any headway in changing their attitudes or establishing democracy. For centuries those people have known nothing but civil unrest, dictatorships and that is just the way it is. Maybe if their women finally get to have some say in the political arena some difference might come about. I just read today's paper about more bombings, more killings and what is it accomplishing? Absolutely nothing.

Received word yesterday that one of our grandchildren is at UCLA Medical Center in a coma. We are very concerned and quite frankly expect the worst. He has been deteriorating for a long time now and is terminally ill so maybe this is the time he leaves us. I feel for his family who really struggle knowing why these things happen, what happens after death and will we be together at another time. Hopefully they will see the light and start doing what they should have been doing a long time ago. Our prayers are certainly centered on him this day.

Cheryl says I am in a black and white mood today. I don't know where she gets these silly notions. I think maybe she is not in the mood for my teasing or singing. Women! You know I used to say that if it weren't for sex I would hate women. Now I say if it weren't for their darn good cooking, waiting on their man, housekeeping, willingness to be in servitude and knowing their man is the best thing they have in their lives; I might hate women. (Just kidding ladies!) I know you guys have earned the right to your soap shows, your laying around the and napping most of the time the kids and husband are gone while eating chocolate. Man what a life that must be. Take my sister in law Janet. She tells her poor, sickly, crippled husband that she goes to work and slaves but in reality she goes to work and talks, talks, talks. If they put her in the laundry they would not need a dryer; they would just put the wet clothes in front of her. (Yes, Janet I still love you:))

I think the reason my wife likes working with children so much is so she can revert back to being a child for a while. Men, on the other hand, face reality and realize they must do what men do. Earn a living for the wife to spend, suffer quietly during those special times of the month, be a counselor, a religious advisor, a referee and all other things that need taking care when the woman becomes upset. If he did not then life would be short and miserable. We hardly get to play with our toys, we never get to go and do the things we want and to watch something as simple as a ball game on the TV is like facing the bear in her den. No wonder I call my daughter in law "Ol Grizz"!!

Well this blog ought to get the web buzzing so I will close and go hide in case someone knows where I live. Have a nice day.

My First Try At Cooking

Well it is getting close to that time of year again when the boat must take to the water. We took a drive past the old fishing hole the other day and found it still has a lot of ice over it. However the nice weather we are having gets the old fishing blood flowing.

I got to thinking the other day about the time I tried my hand at cooking some pancakes for the first time. I was about 16 years old and had been hired to campjack for a sheep outfit for the summer. Campjacking is being the slave to the sheepherder but is a great life if you can get along with cantakerous sheepherders. You get to live in the mountains for the summer however this sheepherder was so onery that I only lasted about a week.

Anyway, we got up the first morning and he told me to cook some pancakes and eggs while he went and checked the sheep to see if they were all right. No problem. You just take some flour, mix water with it and presto, you have pancakes. Wellllllll, not quite so fast there sonny boy. When he came back I proceeded to cook those pancakes. They were so pale white that the snow was yellow beside them and for some reason they would not cook up. He asked me what I did and when I told him he about busted a gut laughing. Several years later he seen me in a group setting and just had to tell the story and finish with, "We had to beat the dogs to make them eat those pancakes." Very funny. I am happy to report that I am a much better cook now, thank you very much.

We went out to the town where we hope we are moving and visited the church there to see what the people were like. Very nice and friendly. One lady got me good though. I like to pull peoples legs a little especially when they don't know me. She asked me where we were coming from and I told her that I had just been released from prison. Unbeknown to me my wife was behind me rolling her eyes and the lady caught on very quickly. "Well," she said. "My husband and I are here under the witness protection program." Dumb me, "You are!" I got suckered in on that one hook, line and sinker. I will keep my eye on that woman from now on, she is sharp.

Time to close. Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Have a nice day.

The Peeping Tom

This girl I know lives on the fourth floor of an apartment, and even though it is a fairly good neighborhood, she has been having trouble with a Peeping Tom that lives next door...

Every time she goes out on her balcony to catch a bit of sun while wearing her bikini, this Peeping Tom looks over from his balcony as soon as she removes her top, and stares at her...

She has complained to the superintendent about this Peeping Tom, but he says she must have positive proof before he can do a thing --

She FINALLY got a picture of him while he was staring at her... I have a lot of things to do this morning so this will do for my blog. If you have seen this before then I apologize; if you have not then enjoy.

Have a nice day.

Country Music Is Driving Me Crazy!!!

Now for my friend LOWA, "this" is a cow-a-saki motorcycle and should always be left in the garage. Can't you see yourself and your husband riding around the streets of Washington on this beauty?

As I have mentioned a couple of times I am in the process of converting cassette tapes to cd for my cousin. He has nothing but country western music which is all right I suppose although I personally think one should broaden their music appreciation a little more than just country western. I have just finished 6 cassettes of Conway Twitty and have come to the conclusion the guy is a dip. The words of his songs are less than inspiring, in fact they are down right disgusting. To top it all off he did his redition of "Danny Boy" that was so bad I am surprised he didn't get a visit from the Molly Mcguires (MacGuires). It was an insult to any and all Irish people. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Cheryl made the comment to me this morning that she was going to start writing her version of some of my stories so everyone would get them straight. Why she would make this comment is beyond my focus. I am incapable of telling anything but the honest to God facts with no distortions of any kind.

Our daughter Katie called last night to report on her family and school. All is well and she is getting A's in her medical classes which pleases us a great deal. We keep hoping that she will see this thing through and place her in the position for a better job and life. It has been a struggle with 10 kids, and ex that won't leave her alone nor will he support her in any way.

Sure hope we hear something on the house we are trying to purchase. We are living out of boxes right now and the person who bought this house wants us out. It is our fault that we have not heard anything yet because we placed an addendum on the original offer so some things would be fixed. Such is the life of house buying. YUCK!!!

Guess I will close for now. Got a ton of things to do and must get started. Have a nice day.

It's A Beautiful Day

Now the purpose of this picture is for those of you who might be suffering from too much stress. If you see two dolphins jumping you are okay and your stress levels are normal. However if you see anything but two dolphins jumping you are under way too much stress and need to slow down a bit.

It is clear, cold but beautiful here today. The temperature is on the upswing and I feel spring just around the corner. This year has been much better than last in the fact that most of the snow has been in the mountains where it belongs and not so bad down here on the valley floor.

You can tell a boring blog when the author is talking about the weather.

About the Olympics. Did I read the news right? Finland defeated Canada in hockey? Must have been a misprint. I see where Wayne Gretsky is quite upset with his teams play and rightfully so. Canada should win the gold with ease but they are not playing like they should. The women's team on the other hand did great. Congratulations! Of course our American olympians are performing their usual antics with showboating causing a gold loss amongst other things.

One of my favorite TV programs is Dancing With The Stars. I mention this because it reminds me of a story from my life. I don't know how to dance. Me on the dance floor is like watching a one man demolition derby. No woman's feet are safe. When I was younger I played for the dances in a dance band we had in high school. If I had sweet notions for a girl it would make me furious to see her out there with some guy, all snuggled up. and there I was making music for them. Anyway I did not learn how to dance.

Now where in the courting manual does it say that you have to be able to dance in order to win the affections of a girl? While dating Cheryl I suffered humiliation like no man should suffer by taking her to a few dances. Once we were married I told her a compromise must be made; no more dances for me. That was the compromise. Naturally my wife likes to dance. She was quite good at dancing on roller skates and won a competition one time doing it. No matter, I was not giving in to dancing.

It never failed. We would go to a dance and someone would come rushing up and deliver the old "let's trade partners" speal. If looks could kill then I am guilty of many a murder. I would stomp the poor woman's feet til they were mush.

Now I like to watch programs such as Dancing With The Stars but don't ask me to a dance 'cause it ain't gonna happen.

Got to get back to my cousin's tapes. I just finished a slug of Johnny Cash and now into Willie Nelson with Conway Twitty on deck. Yee Haw, what a country person I am becoming. I told Cheryl I will welcome some good old dance band music when this is all over.

Have a nice day everyone.

Short But Sweet

Is this how Monday mornings sometimes greet you? In my case it doesn't matter whether it is Monday or not there are just some mornings worse than others. Hope this finds everyone doing better than the picture.

This will be very short. Old folks rule and young folks drool. That is the saying from yesterday's activities. We went out to our daughters place for Sunday dinner, which was very good by the way, and after that we played several games of cribbage with Amber. Oh, how she was crowing about how she would teach me a lesson or two on the fine arts of cribbage. NOT!!
Her lower lip was trembling and the most sarcastic remarks were coming from her. Then to keep pouring salt into a sore wound Cheryl played her a couple of games of cribbage and skunked her. Hah,hah, hah. Oh, how the lip was trembling then. Actually we had a lot of fun and a lot of good natured ribbing was going on. We have enjoyed visiting with Amber and look forward to the time she returns home.:)

When we were in New Mexico visiting our son we were introduced to a new way of letting people know they had overstayed their welcome. You take a pineapple and cut the top off, then serve it to the one you would like to see go home. That is supposed to be a signal that they have been around long enough. I have given a whole case of pineapple to Amber but she is still here!!

My wife just committed what I call the unpardonable sin. There are not many things she could do that would cause me to be upset enough to threaten divorce but she managed to accomplish it this morning. I am still trying to calm down a little and be rational before I have a talk with her. What was this atrocity she is guilty of? Hmmmmmmmm.

SHE TRIED TO STEAL A PIECE OF MY BACON FROM MY BREAKFAST!!! YOU DON'T STEAL THE MAN'S BACON!!

Have a nice day everyone. The Ramblin Irishman is going to do some more Yee Hawing and more packing of items in the house.

My Other Life

This picture is of Cheryl on a "bad" day. I know I make her out to be all sweet and loving but let me tell you when her eyes are green the cat and I head for the nearest safe place.

Do any of you watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Where do they get these judges from and what gives them the right to belittle someone in front of a national audience. Last night that jerk, Len, told Jerry Rice he was the worst. You just don't do that. Maybe Jerry's dance wasn't as good as the others but you don't tell him, "you are the worst". Jerry showed he was a real gentleman in the way he handled it. That Carrie Ann is nothing but a snobby snot and Bruno, well the name says it all. Of course my favorite, Stacey with the long legs, did her usual best. The contest truly is between Drew and her with Lisa coming in third. In my opinion Lisa tries to use her sexuality too much to draw votes. Okay, enough from the arm chair quarterback.

Hollyberry the pill I use you would not want since it is designed for men only. (Read between the lines) Dottie thank you so much for the information on your blog and I do appreciate and understand some of your reasoning. Schlaum (I know I spelled that wrong so forgive me) I just come across pictures that I think are funny or have a story to associate with them so I keep them in a file on my computer. Thank all of you for reading my blog. You must lead some very boring lives to want to read my drivel. Of course all you Canadians are just getting indoor plumbing so reading is still down on the list. (Oh I think I will pay for that one.)

I was thinking last night about my life before my marriage. This was back in the days when I sowed a few wild oats, nothing serious but still a little wild. I was raised by a religious family of Mormons, we call ourselves Latter Day Saints, but I was a true Scot-Irish person who resented authority and rebelled every chance I got. Naturally I got tired of all the restrictions, or so I thought, on my personal life. I did not like being told who I could pal around with nor did I like being told I could not do this or that.

I worked in Jackson, WY for the Teton Forest Service and each weekend we would come back from the mountains to have some R&R and play some fast pitch softball. One weekend my friends and I met up with some girls from "Iowa" (Sarah are you reading this?) and we proceeded to become inebriated quite well. In the process we decided we were going to go and poach a deer; at midnight no less. As luck would have it a stupid deer crossed our path and I shot it with a 22 rifle and killed it with one shot. Even drunk I was a good shot. We took it home to hang up in the shed, which did not make anyone very happy there. Then we left for Jackson for the rest of the evening and next day.

The next day I had a softball game and the girls wanted to go and watch. I parked my old 59 Ford next to the backstop, went to play some softball, while the girls procurred a case of beer and was getting higher than a kite on the hood of my car. Who should pull up beside my car to watch the game but my folks and my sister. I didn't dare even look to see what those girls were doing but I could sure hear them. Needless to say the folks kept looking at my car, looking at those girls and then glaring out at me.

I mention this because it is funny now but at the time I knew I was in some serious doo doo. If looks could kill, that night I met my death many times over.

Do I tell my kids these stories? Yes, I do. They know how their Dad feels about drinking and families and realize that was another life that I have left far behind. When I met Cheryl and she decided we should get married I told her I used to drink somewhat but if I was getting married it had no place in my life as a family man and have never touched it since. I will say this though; on those days when it is very hot and dry the thoughts of an ice cold beer sure seem good. Some day I will write about how I cured myself of drinking hard liquor. Just the smell of that stuff makes me want to vomit.

So there you have it. Another chapter in the boring life of the Ramblin' Irishman who has turned to sainthood. Thanks again for reading my blog and letting me read yours. (Hah, as if you can stop me from reading yours.)

Off to do some more YEEEE HAWWWING!!!

A Much Better Day

This picture is about how I have been feeling lately. Needed wheels to move me and not straying too far from the porcelain throne. Seen the doctor yesterday (finally) and got a new pill that had almost instant relief for me so am feeling much, much better today. Now if they could invent a pill that would instantly improve ones looks I would be walking in tall cotton.

What a storm went through here the past two days. I thought maybe I was back in good old Idaho enjoying a regular blizzard but it wasn't quite that good. We must have gotten at least 8 - 10 inches of snow here on the valley floor but it was nothing like what those poor folks got back east. You know who I feel sorry for during these times (more than at others) is the homeless, the poor and the destitute. I see stories about these rich guys playing with their toys to make themselves look all that more important and I cringe a little. How many people could they help with a donation to feed, clothe or provide shelter? You ever wonder what you would do with your money if you were filthy rich?

When we taught Career Development workshops we would ask the question; If someone left you all the money you could possibly need to exist on, but the one stipulation was you had to work a full times job and donate all your earnings to the poor, what job would you choose to do the rest of your life? We had some very interesting answers. It is not as easy to answer as one might think.

A story about my daughter Leslie. When my oldest son, Kip, graduated from high school in Rock Springs, WY we, of course, had a small party in his honor. Now Rock Springs is about 200 or so miles from Idaho Falls, ID and the reason I mention it is because unbeknown to me my wife had invited some people from that area that I did not particularly care for. The wife was okay but the husband was an absolute butt head. He would constantly hit on my wife right in front of me and you just don't do that, especially to one with a lot of Irish blood.

As we were setting in the graduation ceremony I kept asking my wife if she thought they would actually come to our place. Naturally Leslie was listening to this conversation. Then I made the comment that maybe they could not find us and that Cheryl should have given them wrong directions to the house. I continued on by saying other things in a derogatory manner which I should not have been saying. As luck would have it they did not show up at the graduation ceremony so I thought to myself that I was home free.

Leslie went home with some of the other people that night and we came a little later. When I got home who should be sitting in our living room but the ones I had hoped would not find us. The first thing out of the guy's mouth was, "I hear you hoped we wouldn't find you." Naturally I about died. I asked where he heard a statement like that and he said it was from my daughter. (The one with the BIG mouth) Talk about doing the fast stepping and fast talking to get out of a situation. The evening proceeded on a better basis but now that I think about it we have never heard from those people since. Thank you Leslie!!!

The moral of my story. If you don't want something to be repeated then don't say it in the first place. However, if you want something to be repeated just call my daughter Leslie 'cause she can't keep a secret.

Thanks to all of you who have asked how I have been doing. Surgery is scheduled for March 13 and the doctor will not take no for an answer. He said my bladder is in the shape of an 90 year old and that is not good. Thank you for your prayers in behalf of Amber; the snowstorm was perfect. (Just kidding Cootie Bug, I still love you)

And now folks it is back to more country western music. YEEE HAWWW

True Ramblins 'Bout Nothing

I have been listening to so much country western music while I convert my cousin's cassettes to cd that I am starting to act like a geetar peeker. (Hence the picture)

I see that Sadam Hussein is going on a hunger strike in protest. Now this is something that I cannot figure out. What good does it do to starve yourself just to protest something? In Sadam case I say let him starve. It would save everyone millions of dollars if he should just up and expire.

Got up this morning to find about six to eight inches of new snow on the ground. I guess I had better repent of my light hearted jabs at the Canadian olympic team. They take that kind of stuff serious and send things like snowstorms your way. Sheesh, just joking guys.

Guess what? After spending 5 days looking for my doctor so I could get some relief from my problems, I finally found him. I have an appointment today and possibly he might do some surgery this weekend although I am not holding my breath. I know my neighbors must think I am some kind of hermit because I never come out of my house. I don't dare! Just walking the length of the house sends me rushing to the porcelain kingdom.

We still don't know the final verdict on the house we placed an offer on. We found some things we felt should be addressed before we purchased and the other side is mulling things over. Since it is a foreclosed house I am hoping the bank will be wanting to unload it and let us move in. I don't think I am being unreasonable by asking that all the water leaks are fixed, the termites are sprayed for and the heating is working in good condition.

Haven't had much sleep lately so am not focusing too well. Think I will close and go take a nap for a few minutes. The medical problem won't allow me to sleep more than 45 minutes at a time if even that long. Take care and LOWA thanks for helping me understand your handle but I still disagree with you about the motorcycle. A motorcycle is to be treated like a delicate woman or flower; with much tlc. A car, on the other hand, is just a metal contraption used to transport people and objects, not to turn heads as it roars down the road.:)

I wanted to ask LOWA, are you related to Lara or friends or just met on the blog? Actually it is none of my nosy business so you don't have to tell me if you don't want.

I am begging for everyone's prayers (if you pray) this coming weekend. The mother ship is actually coming and depositing Amber and you cannot imagine the horror of that. It means my life will be disrupted and I will be abused. I guess it could be worse; it could be my sister in law, Janet. hee hee. Yes, Janet I still love you.

Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Happy Valentine Day

Happy Valentine Day to everyone. I hope all of you have romance or at least some kindness for those around you. Thanks to Avon I managed to remember this year and Cheryl is happy. I got her a beautiful ring and some earrings. My wife has more jewelry than she can wear in a lifetime, although I will give her credit her jewelry is not the expensive kind. She is more the kind that likes the unusual. Being a pre-school teacher and administrator the kids loved to see what she would wear from day to day. I think even the rest of the staff found great amusement in it as well. Of course there was another lady there, by the name of Kay, that was just as funky and they made a great team.

I was asking Cheryl what were some of the more amusing Valentine Days she has had with me and she only came up with one. Several years ago, when the kids were still home, I bought her a lovely necklace. I asked my girls to help me surprise Mom with it and this is what they came up with. They placed it in a dish of green salad and served it to her with the meal. I was having a panic attack because I knew she liked to put dressing on her salads and I could just see that necklace all covered with 1000 Island. Luck would have it she stirred her salad first and found the necklace and all was well.

I normally don't take these type of specialty days too seriously. Christmas is the big one of course. I have always told my wife I don't need a special day to show her how much I love her. If I feel like getting her a gift I will do it without any special reason other than I love her.

Now Lowe, about the motorcycle in the garage vs the van in the garage; the motorcycle wins all hands down. My bike used to stay where it was warm and comfortable, afterall it is our baby you know. Am I saying that right? The handle is Lowe, right? Anyway I enjoy your comments on my blogs; yours and all the others that write. My kids don't even read them so guess what their Christmas will be. I print out each days blog.

Well, my son in law and daughter are here bugging me so I better quit 'cause I can't concentrate with them talking to me. Have a nice day and be romantic for crying out loud.

Country Music

For the life of me I cannot figure out why blogger will not let pictures be uploaded early in the morning. I have tried several times in the mornings and unsuccessful each time. Later on in the day it is okay. Guess I will have to start writing later in the day.

About country music; I am setting here recording cassettes onto cds and looking at the various artists when who should pop up in the middle of "Country Music 20 Greates Hits" but Tom Jones. Tom Jones!! When did he become a country music star? Surely someone must be pulling my leg. I will admit I am not the most ardent country music listener but come on; Tom Jones?

Rough weekend. I never even made it to church or the jail. I am hoping the doctor will have some miracle pill for me when I call him this morning. Right now I feel like I am the King of the Porcelain Kingdom and I want to relinguish my crown to anyone who wants it.

Now let me discuss women for a second. Why is it that when a woman wants to go somewhere, and the weather is good, she can jump in a car and away she goes with no thought as to her man. However let the weather be a little on the cold side and she cannot venture out long enough to start the car and let it warm up a little bit. No sir, the man must drag himself out in the cold; it doesn't matter whether or not he is not feeling well; then he must start the car, scrape the windows so she can zoom off into the unknown and leave him alone and sick or needng extra TLC.

Have you noticed how they are the "weaker" sex until it is something they want to do or a point they want to make?

About the winter olympics. I think the USA has a bunch of spoiled brats for the most part. Take the Kwan situation; she did not compete to earn her spot on the team; she did not fulfill the regulations the others had to fulfill, yet she earned a spot just by being who she was. The Hughes girl should have been on the team from the get go. Granted she is on it now but that is a moot point. Bode Miller and some of the others managed to let the USA down. I was not impressed with Miller when I watched the 60 Minutes show with him. He has no loyalty to the USA team, he just looks out for himself.

For the life of me I do not know what "curling" is. No I have not watched because I cannot stand the announcers and all the blabbering they do. I remember Pat Summerall and (shoot I just forgot the other guys name) when they did football. They would only talk when necessary and did not feel they had to repeat the same thing over and over and treat the audience like they were a bunch of idiots. Where are the good announcers anymore.

Dang, I am on a roll today. Must be because I have been averaging about two hours sleep each night for the last 4 days. I have got to get my plumbing fixed.

This is the Ramblin Irishman signing off and hopefully will be back with a different and more pleasing attitude.

Don't know why my health is going down hill

What a weekend I am having. For some reason my plumbing has gone bad and I cannot void my fluids. To top that Cheryl and I believe I have hemorraghed my intestine somehow cause blood is coming too freely. Now how does that opening grab everyone? Last night I got about 1 hour sleep due to up and down and visiting the kingdom of the porcelain crown. I would go and see the doctor but it is the weekend and the only ones on duty are the trainees. Our doctor only works 4 days a week or at least that is the only time we can see him. Sheesh!!

My cousin left me about 300 cassette tapes he wants converted to cd and that is a trial right now. I have played the first one so much I think I have the words memorized. Of course it is not all the kind of music I like to listen to. Right now George Jones is singing the "Bartender Blues" and I never have really liked Georges style of singing. Sounds a little on the nasal side.

Gripe, gripe, gripe. I was supposed to attend a world wide meeting today for our church but did not make it. Cheryl went and said it was great. A major concern about what is happening to the families in the world. Very scary indeed.

Well many have commented on the Olymic games starting. I just wish they could get through them without all the political stuff that goes one. I like to watch ice skating. I can't believe that Tanya Harding still gets the media coverage that she is getting. I guess those who do wrong get compensated. Oh well, I like dancing with the stars even though it has its areas of concern. That Stacey has the longest legs I have see in a long time, plus she is good looking. Go Stacey.

Enough of this boring blog. Like The Foaming Moan said, it is my blog so I can be boring if I want although I would rather be amusing.

Tiz a good Friday (No, not Good Friday)

Having read my brother in law's blog I just had to post this picture. He is into NASCAR whereas I am into football. To me NASCAR is about as exciting as watching paint dry or metal rust. (How did you like that comparison Matt?) Actually some of the races are fun to watch as they get near the end.

Had a cousin and his wife stop in and spend the night with us and had a great time visiting. He is an old fart, at least 6 months older than me, and shows it. I, on the other hand, am still young, vibrant, got black hair instead of gray or white and full of mischief. (There might be some that will say full of BS but that would not be true.) My cousing wants me to convert all his cassettes to cd's and I don't have a program for it. Anyone out there have a good suggestion as to which program would be good to get? Next he wants to convert his VHS to DVD and so do I since we both have well over 200 of them. Anyone out there have any good suggestions for this as well?

Cheryl is having second thoughts about doing her surgery next week. She wants to wait until summer when school is out, we are moved and time is on her side. I can't make the decision for her so I am letting her sort it out in her mind. Only she knows how bad she is hurting. She is so afraid that I will suffer from lack of food while she is down. The silly woman, I know she will need therapy and so a great exercise is getting up and fixing my meals. My goodness after all I do for her by changing the tv stations with the remote the least she could do is fix a meal. (I am sure all of you would agree.)

Here are a couple of pictures to brighten your day. I hope "Brain" is doing well. I am kind of surprised at how many of you are in a motherly way and hope both you and the little one are doing great. You know it is actually the husband that suffers through a pregnancy not the wife.

Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Have You Missed Me? :)

I have had some of you wondering if everything was all right here at home since I have not written anything for a while. Things are fine. I am suffering from blog bloc. Actually I have been in a bit of a depression lately and don't let anyone fool you, depressions are hell. Out of my six children, 4 of them take anti-depressants and I have been on them for about 10 years or so and wished I had them when I was a teen-ager. The doctors say it is some chemical imbalance or whatever. I know when I stopped taking my medicine the whole family could tell right away.

Update on Cheryl: she goes into the doctor next week for (I won't spell this right) arthroscopic surgery on her knee she damaged when she fell. Apparently she tore the miscus in her kneecap and it needs to be fixed to prevent further future damage.

The house thing has been stressing me out. There are so many rules and regulations that must be followed and all of them take their sweet time in being achieved. We have placed an offer, received a counter-offer, then placed another offer and now are awaiting the decision by the seller. We are hoping there will be no problems 'cause we sure like the community. We stopped by the school there the other day and both of us can obtain part time work.

Sorry about no humourous statements today. Guess I am in too serious of a mood lately. I promise I will repent and get back to my old self very shortly.

Just had a good old breakfast of ham, eggs and grits. If you have never eaten grits you are missing a treat. When I was on my mission for the LDS church, way back when the covered wagons were the mode of transportation, my companion and I decided to try grits one day. We made a BIG old pot of them. We tried milk and sugar with them, we tried honey with them, we tried butter and syrup with them, finally we threw them out in the garbage. Never had grits again until Cheryl fixed them; they are not so bad after all.

Good grief we received some very frightening news last night. The mother ship is depositing one of its rejects on our doorstep next week. Amber is coming to Utah! I cried for two hours after I heard the news. What did we do to the aliens to make them treat us like that? I am sorry but I refuse to be nice when she is here. If I was nice she would wonder if I was sick. Someday I will post a picture we took of Amber and you all will see what I am talking about. Right now all our pictures are packed and I refuse to dig through things to find them.

Have a nice day everyone.

Very Tired Today

I guess congratulations are in order for the Pittsburg Steelers. Oh, that hurt so much to admit my team was defeated. Being the good sport that I am I will admit Pittsburg played a good game and they deserved it.

I am very tired today. Have not been able to sleep much the past few nights. This morning Cheryl and I were up at 5:00 am so she could go get an MRI on her knee and leg. Sure hope they find out what the problem is so she can get back to normal. I am a lousy caregiver and an even lousier cook.

Got to take a trip today so must get going. Hope everyone had a good weekend. Here is an item my sister, Sharon, sent to me, hope you enjoy it too.

Understanding Engineers:

A priest, a doctor, and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers.

The engineer fumed, "What's with those blokes? We must have been waiting for fifteen minutes!"

The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such inept golf!"

The priest said, "Here comes the greens keeper. Let's have a word with him." He said, "Hello, George! what's wrong with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?"

The greens keeper replied, "Oh, yes. That's a group of blind fire fighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime."

The group fell silent for a moment. The priest said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight."

The doctor said, "Good idea. I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist colleague and see if there's anything he can do for them."

The engineer said, "Why can't they play at night?"

My Wife Really Has A Mean Streak

I don't know where I get all these pictures from. If someone sees them and says, "Hey, I sent that to him!", all I can say is thank you and forgive me for not getting permission to use them.

As you can tell by the title of today's ramblings I have remembered when my wife was not so sweet and loving, in fact she was a down right rotten person.

We were living in Riggins, Idaho and decided one day to go fishing at a spot everyone had told us about. To get to this "real good" fishing hole we had to walk about two miles down into a canyon, but the trail was a real good one. Before we even got to the trail we had to drive down a VERY steep hill. I was on my dirt bike and Cheryl was following in our 1953 Chervrolet pickup. (Sure wish I had that one back) As I was descending down the hill she kept getting closer to my rear tire with the pickup. I looked back and made a motion for her to back off; she just smiled and waved at me like, "Hi dear, yes I see you too." When we got to where we could park I started to give her an Irish blessing in a truck drivers language. She said, "But I had the brake on all the way. The hill was too steep." Women drivers.

We then proceeded down the hill to the river far below. Naturally it was a warm day but the going was easy and I never gave it another thought. After spending several hours catching nothing but ghost fish we decided to get out of there. Now the scenario changed. We had two miles of nothing but uphill climbing to do and good trail or not it was not easy. I, being the pig that I am, had eaten all my lunch, drank all my water and had eaten the orange we had brought. I had nothing for liquid.

As we were climbing I, of course, got extremely thirsty. Now Cheryl had used a little wisdom and had saved some of her water and her orange. I begged, I pleaded and I groveled for a drink which she relented and let me have a sip or two. This was before we had even got one half the way up. When we reached the half-way point I was again begging for a drink but Cheryl, being the inconsiderate person she can be, had drank all her water. Ah, but she still had the orange. "Please, please, please." I begged. "Just a tiny slice." No sir, she was not sharing.

Three quarters of the way up I was in my death thros. (Not sure of the spelling) Cheryl would take a tiny slice of that orange, hold it up in front of me and then place it in her mouth. Oh, she was so lucky I did not have a gun. My mouth was pure cotton by then, my legs were trembling and I was so dehydrated I know I could not sweat but did that appeal to her kindness. Oh no!!

You know what that rotten woman did? She held up one of the last two slices of orange and made me agree to do something very special for her if she would give me a slice. I was so desparate that I agreed. I don't remember what it was but knowing her it was probably a new dress that cost at least $50. She is so rotten.

We got to the top of the trail and still had to get out of the place where we had parked the pickup. The hill was so steep that I had it in granny gear and even then the wheels would slip and the truck would bounce from bucking. Now the bad part was that it was a very steep canyon wall we were trying to go up and the truck kept trying to slide over to the edge. Nothing but sagebrush between us and the river far, far below. We made it obviously, or I would not be telling the story today, but I never went there again.

We found out later from those who had gone there and fished that they always leave water about half way down for the return trip. No gun that day either.

So there you have it. The true nature of my wife came out that day which lets me know when things are tough she will turn on me like a viscious animal. Anytime I get to bugging her about something I want she just lets me know the story of the orange and for some reason I shut right up. If anyone ever meets my wife don't let the sweet innocent nature of her fool you. Deep down she is MEAN, MEAN, MEAN.

I Like Genealogy

I put in a rough night last night. Don't know why. Just could not sleep so got up and made another hat from yarn. Sorry for not having my own words today but the local genealogy library sent this in their newsletter and it was too good to pass up. Hope you enjoy it too.

GENEALOGY POX

WARNING!! Very contagious to mature adults.

NO KNOWN CURE.

SYMPTOMS:

Mumbles to self

Makes secret calls at night.

Hides phone bill from spouse.

Has strange far away look in eyes.

Has strong compulsion to write letters.

Always includes a check in these letters.

Swears at mailman when he leaves no mail.

Continual complaints for names, dates, and places.

Patient has blank expression, sometimes deaf to spouse and children.

Has no taste for work of any kind, except feverishly looking through records at libraries.

Has compulsions to frequently visit strange places, such as cemeteries, ruins, and remote, desolate country areas.

TREATMENT:

Medication is useless

Disease is not fatal, but gets progressively worse.

Patient should subscribe to as many societies, newsgroups, surname lists, and genealogical magazines as possible.

The usual nature of this disease is; The sicker one gets, the more he or she enjoys it.

Author unknown

No!! This is not a self portrait of me. Let's get that little mis-understanding corrected right now. This is a picture my friend Iowamom sent me and I thought it was very funny. Cheryl and I used to belong to TOPS and it would be very appropriate there.

I want to thank Luce and Lowa for responding to my computer needs. It will be a few days before I try anything and then see how it goes.

Today I wished I had magical abilities then I would be able to fix Cheryl's problem. My sweetheart fell yesterday and banged her leg up quite badly. She is using my cane or the crutches to get around, popping pain pills to ease the pain and waiting to make an appointment with the doctor, which will be a joke in its own right. (I have lost all faith in todays doctors)

We went to the Legacy House yesterday to play bingo, the first time we have ever played bingo, and as we were leaving she stepped off the curb the wrong way which started the whole chain of events. For years I have wondered about my wife and her ability to fall so easily. There were times she would be walking down a hallway and just trip. Good old me, I would get angry from frustration and start saying things that I should not. I have never been one to have a problem with my balance and so I don't appreciate what she has to deal with. My face turned even redder when we discovered she has Parkinson disease and that stumbling and falling is a normal thing with the disease. Now I am a lot more empathetic. Yesterday all I said was, "My hell, Cheryl are you all right?" Now that is a marked improvement from the past.

It really pains me to see my wife in any kind of discomfort. She is an unbelievably good person and I guess I feel she should be exempt from those kind of things. Actually what it is, I am afraid she won't be able to feed me and that causes REAL CONCERN. She tells me I have a long way to go to be a good caregiver. Now why would she say that? I turn on the TV (with the remote and NO she is not allowed to touch it), I show concern when she forgets to bring my drink, I only make her clean the toilet once in a while whether she is crippled or not. A man must have a clean pot to p in. ( I didn't really say that did I?)

When she was pregnant and delivering one of our children the doctor and I were talking about hunting and she was so rude about it. She wanted gas to help with her pain right in the middle of our conversation. We looked at her and said, "Be quiet woman, we are busy right now." Nah, I actually took her hand and told her to just think of me and the pain would go away.

I took her horse back riding for her first time and as she was riding the horse decided to lay down right in the middle of a stream. I was laughing so hard I couldn't speak. She was screaming, "What do I do? What do I do?" All I could say was, "Get off." For some reason she didn't appreciate my advice.

Got to go. Got the breakfast call.