Well, I will try this again. Blogger creates some interesting problems every now and again.

I don't have a picture to post today but will have one of my new granddaughter very soon. Yesterday Amber Nicole Nielsen joined our family and we welcomed her with open arms. (Until she is a teenager) She was born about 10:30am and Mother and daughter are doing fine. Amber already likes her Grandfather best 'cause she smiles everytime I talk to her. Grandma is at their house watching her two brothers who are wondering what the big deal is.

For those of you who inquired, Cheryl likes all Trekkie movies and characters. I, on the other hand, liked #7 ( I think that is what they called her) aka Jeri Ryan in real life. Hubba, hubba.

A friend of mine (yes, I do have SOME friends) sent me the following historical article and I wanted to share it with you. No matter what country we are from or who we are this should apply to all of us.

A Tale of Six Boys

Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade class from Clinton, WI. where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.

On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II.

Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, "Where are you guys from?" I told him that we were from Wisconsin "Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around,Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story." (James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who has since passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington,D.C., but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night.)

When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.) "My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo,Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called "Flags of Our Fathers" which is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me.

Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game,a game called "War." But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old.

(He pointed to the statue) "You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph... a photograph of his girl friend. Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men.

The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.'

The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero.' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?' You take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32 .. ten years after this picture was taken.

The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky. A fun-lovin' hill billy boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night. Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hill billy boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead,it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram upto his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. The neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.

The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews When Walter Cronkite's producers, or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say, 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually, hewas sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press. You see, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes,'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed in pain. When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said,'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.

So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time."

Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heart felt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero none the less. We need to remember that God created this vast and glorious world for us to live in, freely, but also at great sacrifice. Let us never forget from the Revolutionary War to the current War on Terrorism and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom. Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also pray for those still in murderous unrest around the world. STOP and thank God for being alive and being free at someone else's sacrifice. God Bless You and God Bless America. REMINDER: Everyday that you can wake up free, it's going to be a great day.

Have a nice day everyone.

For those of you who like to fish for Crappie and Blue Gill you can tell we don't mess with "little" fishies. They have to be "LARGE" or we throw them back.

I had an interesting moment on the freeway the other day. I was driving along when this Washington car passed me like I was going backwards. The license plate read "hckymom" and I instantly thought of LOWA and wondered if she had traveled down from Washington to see what real country looks like.:) I couldn't tell if there were tatoos on her. Hey LOWA if you read this what kind of tat did you decide on for this time?

The heat has lifted a little bit today and we are having thundershowers which are sure welcome. Of course with thundershowers come the intensified humidity. Never satisfied am I! Oh wonderful, it is now hailing. My poor garden does not stand a chance this year.

I am trying to pass my CDL so I can drive school bus. Boy they sure have changed the system since I last had a CDL. I spent two hours just pre-tripping the bus today and will be tested on it next week. Luckily I am friends with the state tester so maybe he will consider being lenient with me. I often wonder how some of the drivers I see got their license and after finishing what I am doing to get mine I still wonder.

I sure wish you guys would not encourage Cheryl and her behavior. She is now flying through space with the Star Trek guys............... again!

Have a nice day everyone.

For those of you who like to fish this is how we find our fish in Idaho. No fancey gadgets, no expensive electronic equipment, just one dumb person who can hold their breath a long time.

I think my wife has been hanging out with the Star Trek crew too long. Worse yet, she watched E.T. the other night and when she was done she started acting really weird. She was going around the house stretching her neck as far as she could and pointing at the ceiling.

Tim: Cheryl what are you doing?

Cheryl: Go home.

Tim: What?

Cheryl: Go home.

Now I have wondered about her family for a long time but maybe this is more concrete evidence that I might have good reason for my wonderings.

Then she starts touching things with her finger and pretending she is zapping them.

Tim: Stay away from me you crazy old woman.

Cheryl: Me fix. (As she tries to touch me)

Tim: Pow, right to the moon Alice. (The Honeymooners for those of you who are so young.)

Cheryl: Me go home.

Tim: Take the kids with you.:)

Now I ask you is that normal behavior for one who is considered a lady in many circles? I now sleep with one eye open out of fear that she just might be very strange.

Have a nice day everyone.

Here in Idaho rodeos are a BIG thing. I don't know how many out there enjoy this type of sport but when I saw this picture it cracked me up. It is amazing what people can do with images any more. I guess we need to encourage LUCE to do more things like this.:)

Man is it hot. I am gettin grumpy from the heat and that is just not like me. It is amazing what mother nature can do to a sweet, loving, good natured Irishman; he is a whole different person.

I was talking the other day to a truck driver and we started swapping stories. It reminded me of the time I left my daughter on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. If I have blogged this story please forgive a failing mind.

I was pulling mobile homes for a while and each day I would go from Idaho Falls to Boise and return. During the summer I would take the kids with me for two reasons; they needed a break from Mom and she needed a break from them and I liked the company. This particular day I took my daughter Katie and my son Mike who were about 6 and 8 years old respectively.

Naturally they got bored and would start hasseling each other back in the sleeper berth. Being the patient person I am I just ignored it and let them do their thing. I picked up the home and was coming across an open stretch of Idaho when I thought I had blown a tire on the home. I pulled over, looked at my kids, told them to wait in the truck while I walked around to see if everything was all right.

It was, so I got back in and proceeded to head on down the road. Mike started tapping me on the shoulder and asked, "Where is Katie?" By this time in the day their constant jangling had gotten me to ignore them completely so that is what I did. Again Mike asked, "Dad, where is Katie?" Again I just ignored him. One more time. "Dad, where is Katie?" I looked at him and said, "What in the hell do you mean where is Katie?" I knew she was in the sleeper fooling around.

I turned my head so I could see the sleeper quite well and about had a heart attack. No Katie. The wheels locked up on truck and trailer and my heart sunk to my toes. I just knew I had run over her. Mike and she liked to play on the tongue of the trailer while I was checking things out at the plant. I looked in my mirror and all I could see was a tiny black speck running just as hard as she could to catch my truck.

About that time a highway repair truck came along and called me on the CB. "Hey, wideload did you lose something back here?" You can't imagine my relief and at the same time my anger. He came back and said, "I don't think you are going to have to do much to her, she is one scared little girl." I thanked him and he brought her up to the truck.

After she got in and set in the passenger seat she didn't say a word, not one word. I looked at her and said, quite calmly, "Are you going to do that again?" A very pale face looked at me and shook her head NO. She was a model citizen the rest of the way which was about 150 miles.

Kids, they give you gray hairs at any age.

Have a nice day everyone.

No, I am not referring to Cheryl. I am just upholding the feelings of men in general. I just thought the caption was funny.

Will someone please turn down the heat. We are setting new records for this part of the country which probably is nothing compared to other parts that are suffering.

Cheryl had pizza the other day which is a very good sign of recovery. No more coddling her, she has to do her work just like the rest of us in this house. We all have our responsibilities and Gus (the cat) and I are to hold down the bed and it requires us being in the prone position a good deal. We can't be bothered with cleaning and etc.

No granddaughter yet. Reports are that she will be here very shortly which keeps us looking at the cabbage patch.

Thanks to all for advice on the gardening thing. I found a book that tells me how to plant and what to plant to control insects.

Not much happening at our house. All the excitement seems to be with our children in Utah and New Mexico right now. All three are in some process of obtaining homes which is good. We like to see our kids doing well. The other two in California sure need to get out of that state but not until schooling is done and so forth.

"Beautifully Stated"

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will.

You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.

You'll fight with your bestfriend.

You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.

You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love.

Take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

~anonymous~

Have a nice day everyone.

For those of you who might imbibe and need a driver sometime, this is how it is done in Idaho.

Took Cheryl for a sandwich last night and came across some funny cards. Quite naturally I had to share them with anyone and everyone.

Wellllllllll, our church has caught up to us. Cheryl is now in the Young Women's Presidency and I am in the High Priests leadership. We were really enjoying our vacation. For those of you who don't know what I am talking about I guess you will have to ask some of your Mormon friends and find out. Watch it though, they will try and convert you to Mormonism. hee, hee.

Boy it has been hot here lately. Maybe I better do some repenting or quit picking on Cheryl so much.

Not much to talk about today. Just wanted everyone to know I had not died. What a sad loss that would be for this old world.

Okay here is a question for those of you who have beautiful vegetable gardens. Is it not true that plants can be placed next to one another which will help keep insects off? I am planning my garden for next year already and am not sure what to plant next to what and have the most effect. (Probably clear as mud) My tomatoes are doing very well this year but that is about all. I need to work on the soil this winter to help it out.

Guess I will close since I am so boring that I am putting myself to sleep.

Here is a story about Lil LeRoy.

Lil Leroy

Little Leroy came into the kitchen where his mother was making dinner. His birthday was coming up and he thought this was a good time to tell his mother what he wanted. "Mom, I want a bike for my birthday."

Little Leroy was a bit of a troublemaker. He had gotten into trouble at school and at home.

Leroy's mother asked him if he thought he deservedto get a bike for his birthday. Little Leroy, of course, thought he did.

Leroy's mother, being a Christian woman, wanted him to reflect on his behavior over the last year and write a letter to God and tell him why he deserved a bike for his birthday. Little Leroy stomped up the steps to his room and sat down to write God a letter.

LETTER 1:
Dear God:I have been a very good boy this year and I would like a bike for my birthday. I want a red one. Your friend, Leroy

Leroy knew this wasn't true. He had not been a very good boy this year, so he tore up the letter and started over.

LETTER 2:
Dear God:This is your friend Leroy. I have been a pretty good boy this year, and I would like a red bike for my birthday. Thank you, Leroy

Leroy knew this wasn't true either. He tore up the letter and started again.

LETTER 3:
Dear God:I have been an OK boy this year and I would really like a red bike for my birthday. Leroy

Leroy knew he could not send this letter to God either, so he wrote another letter.

LETTER 4:
Dear God:I know I haven't been a good boy this year. I am very sorry. I will be a good boy if you just send me a red bike for my birthday. Thank you, Leroy

Leroy knew, even if it was true, this letter was not going to get him a bike. By now, Leroy was very upset. He went downstairs and told his mother he wanted to go to church. Leroy's mother thought her plan had worked because Leroy looked very sad. "Just be home in time for dinner," his mother said.

Leroy walked down the street to the church and up to the altar. He looked around to see if anyone was there. He picked up a statue of the Virgin Mary. He slipped it under his shirt and ran out of the church, down the street, into his house, and up to his room. He shut the door to his room and sat down with a piece of paper and a pen. Leroy began to write his letter to God.

LETTER 5:
I GOT YOUR MAMA. IF YOU WANT TO SEE HER AGAIN, SEND THE BIKE.
Signed, YOU KNOW WHO

Have a nice day everyone.

Grandma and Rylie playing together

My goodness. So many things have happened since my last blog. First, my daughter had a false alarm and there is no baby. She spent the day at the hospital and finally the doctor told her to go home it just wasn't going to happen yet. In a way we are all grateful since her due date in not until the first of August. We spent the day at her place and watched the grandsons for her. Kind of like the old saying, "Here I sit all broken hearted. Came to poop but only farted."

Took Cheryl to the doctor on Monday to have her staples removed. She is doing so very well. There were 45 staples to be removed. Now she is home and even cooking a little bit. I don't think she likes my cooking very well although she did ask me to make some fried potatoes for her. Apparently she liked very much the ones I did make.

I am finding out that being a caregiver is a very demanding job. Every time I start to do one of my projects Cheryl seems to need me for something and my project doesn't get done. Then there is the laundry, the cleaning, the vacuuming and the list goes on. I don't think men were made for this type of stuff. We are the hunters and gatherers and our women are the fixers and preparers; leastwise that sounds good to me.:)

Lowa anytime I can be of assistance in genealogy just ask. This town in England that I am extracting is only 700 population but I swear half of the children there are b...ds, hmmm, I don't like using that word, they are children with no father being claimed. Speaking of extraction, I had better get busy and finish this set of records or I will be fired.

Schaumi are you telling me that your husbands birthday is the 8th of July? Must be an exceptionally good man if he was born in July.

Thanks to all of you for your birthday wishes and thoughts for Cheryl.

Have a nice day everyone.

I am a very modest fellow and not prone to bragging at all. However, I must pass this on to all of you.

Ahem:

Happy birthday to me.
Happy birthday to me.

Happy birthday dear, sweet, loving, adorable, perfect in every sense, ME!!
Happy birthday to ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy Smokes!! Just got a call from my daughter and she might have her baby today. What a birthday present that would be. Got to go gang. Will let you know what happens.

Have a nice day everyone.

Hi Everyone,

Well, she is home, she is lippy and she beat me three times in cribbage. Once while she was under the influence of morphine. She will get no mercy from me.

Cheryl is doing as well as can be expected. She gets around amazingly well and has no restrictions on her diet. If fact she was encouraged to eat anything she wants to make sure her system has restarted like it should. She is still in a lot of pain and takes Vicodin quite often but I see improvement almost daily. I am doing the cooking, cleaning, washing, all those lovely chores that men normally don't like to do, but when the chips are down, one must hire a maid. Ha, ha.

Sorry for not blogging sooner but time really does go by fast when you are having fun. I haven't read any blogs for so long you might think I was the one who had the operation. I started doing name extractions again, which is something I really like to do, and it can be quite time consuming also. I am digitizing records from England for all those who like to do genealogy. It is interesting to note that in a town of 700 people there sure was a lot of hanky panky going on. There are a lot of "spinsters" who had children out of wedlock and everyone named their child Elizabeth, Mary, Thomas or John. Can you imagine walking down the street and someone hollers, "Hey, John", and half the population turns around to see who wants them? Mercy.

Well, since we are back to normal here in this household, well, as normal as can be, I will close with this set of "Laws" that my cousin sent to me.

Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch or you'll have to pee.

Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of probability: The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

Law of the Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.

Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

Variation Law: If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).

Bath Theorem: When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

Law of Close Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

Law of Bio Mechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

Theater Rule: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.

Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

Murphy's Law of Lockers: If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

Law of Dirty Rugs/Carpets: The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich of landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.

Law of Location: No matter where you go, there you are.

Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

Brown's Law: If the shoe fits, it's ugly.

Oliver's Law: A closed mouth gathers no feet.

Wilson's Law: As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.


Tim's Law: Have a nice day everyone!!

Hi, everyone,

Just a quick update on Cheryl. She is doing as well as can be expected. Her system refuses to start back up and that is a wee bit of a concern. The operation took about 3 hours and two surgeons. They remove about 1/2 of her colon and then stretched the remaining intestine to re-hook her up. Needless to say she is in a bit of pain but she is walking and being sassy so that is a good sign. Will post more when I get her home. I spend most of my time with her and when I am home I am very tired and just want to sleep, not get on the computer.

Have a nice day everyone.