Speaking of refunds. Has anyone received this supposed money from the government that is going to stimulate the economy? Our country is in such a big mess.

I called my wife a big poop this morning and she really is. She wants $500 by the end of May so she can pay for a birthday present she is getting me. I am not one who wants or likes big fancy things or to have someone spend a lot of money on me. I would rather spend the same amount doing something for the two of us. Oh well, guess I will have to just enjoy it.

I don't know how many watch American Idol. I don't watch it at all but today's news caught my eye. Apparently none of the contestants did very well with Neil Diamond songs. I don't know why people don't like Neil Diamond's music 'cause I thought some of his songs were quite good.

I used to watch Dancing With The Stars but when some contestants were kicked off while others who could not dance any better than I were left on, it was time to change the channel. I now have only three programs that I like to watch; Ghost Whisperer, Moonlight, and NCIS. Ghost Whisperer is getting too redundant, Moonlight... the woman is a hotty, and NCIS I just like the interaction the writers have created, plus the women are hotties. (This hotty thing seems to be very important.)

Sarah, my friend and relative in Iowa sent me this thing about "what is my tree." I am going to include it today (if I can) so you can see what your tree is.

Find your birthday and then find your tree. This is cool and somewhat accurate. Then send it to your friends, including the one that sent it to you, so they can find out what tree you fell from, but do not forget to change the subject line to your tree. Find your tree below and see how accurate it is...

Dec 23 to Jan 01	Apple Tree
Jan 01 to Jan 11	Fir Tree
Jan 12 to Jan 24	Elm Tree
Jan 25 to Feb 03	Cypress Tree
Feb 04 to Feb 08	Poplar Tree
Feb 09 to Feb 18	Cedar Tree
Feb 19 to Feb 28	Pine Tree
Mar 01 to Mar 10	Weeping Willow Tree
Mar 11 to Mar 20	Lime Tree
Mar 21 (only)	Oak Tree
Mar 22 to Mar 31	Hazelnut Tree
Apr 01 to Apr 10	Rowan Tree
Apr 11 to Apr 20	Maple Tree
Apr 21 to Apr 30	Walnut Tree
May 01 to May 14	Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24	Chestnut Tree
May 25 to Jun 03	Ash Tree
Jun 04 to Jun 13	Hornbeam Tree
Jun 14 to Jun 23	Fig Tree
Jun 24 (only)	Birch Tree
Jun 25 to Jul 04	Apple Tree
Jul 05 to Jul 14	Fir Tree
Jul 15 to Jul 25	Elm Tree
Jul 26 to Aug 04	Cypress Tree
Aug 05 to Aug 13	Poplar Tree
Aug 14 to Aug 23	Cedar Tree
Aug 24 to Sep 01	Pine Tree
Sep 02 to Sep 12	Weeping Willow Tree
Sep 13 to Sep 22	Lime Tree
Sep 23 (only)	Olive Tree
Sep 24 to Oct 03	Hazelnut Tree
Oct 04 to Oct 13	Rowan Tree
Oct 14 to Oct 23	Maple Tree
Oct 24 to Nov 11	Walnut Tree
Nov 12 to Nov 21	Chestnut Tree
Nov 22 to Dec 01	Ash Tree
Dec 02 to Dec 11	Hornbeam Tree
Dec 12 to Dec 21	Fig Tree
Dec 22 (only)	Beech Tree

TREES (in alphabetical order)

Apple Tree (Love) -- quiet and shy at times, lots of charm, appeal, And attraction, pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, adventurous, sensitive, loyal in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, many talents, loves children, needs affectionate partner.

Ash Tree (Ambition) -- extremely attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with fate, can be very egotistic, reliable, restless lover, sometimes money rules over the heart, demands attention, needs love and much emotional support.

Beech Tree (Creative) -- has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.).

Birch Tree (Inspiration) -- vivacious, attractive, elegant, friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.

Cedar Tree (Confidence ) -- of rare strength, knows how to adapt, Likes unexpected presents, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, a great speaker, determined, often impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waits for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.

Chestnut Tree (Honesty) -- of unusual stature, impressive, well-developed sense of justice, fun to be around, a planner, born diplomat, can be irritated easily, sensitive of others feelings, hard worker, sometimes acts superior, feels not understood at times, fiercely family oriented, very loyal in love, physically fit.

Cypress Tree (Faithfulness) -- strong, muscular, adaptable, takes What life has to give but doesn't necessarily like it, strives to be content, optimistic, wants to be financially in dependent, wants love and affection, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered at times, can be unruly and careless, loves to gain knowledge, needs to be needed.

Elm Tree (Noble-mindedness ) -- pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.

Fig Tree (Sensibility ) -- very strong minded, a bit self-willed, honest, loyal, independent, hates contradiction or arguments, hard worker when wants to be, loves life and friends, enjoys children and animals, sexually oriented, great sense of humor, has artistic talent and great intelligence.

Fir tree (Mysterious ) -- extraordinary taste, handles stress well, loves anything beautiful, stubborn, tends to care for those close to them, hard to trust others, yet a social butterfly, likes idleness and laziness after long demanding hours at work, rather modest, talented, unselfish, many friends, very reliable.

Hazelnut Tree (Extraordinary ) -- charming, sense of humor, very demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics, popular, quite moody, sexually oriented, honest, a perfectionist, has a precise sense of judgment and expects complete fairness.

Hornbeam Tree (Good Taste) -- of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egoistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgment in an emotional partner, dreams of unusual lovers, is seldom happy with its feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of its decisions, very conscientious.

Lime Tree (Doubt) - intelligent, hard working, accepts what life dishes out, but not before trying to change bad circumstances into good ones, hates fighting and stress, enjoys getaway vacations, may appear tough, but is actually soft and relenting, always willing to make sacrifices for family and friends, has many talents but not always enough time to use them, great leadership qualities, is jealous at times but extremely loyal.

Maple Tree (Independence of Mind ) -- no ordinary person, full of imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.

Oak Tree (Brave)-- robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.

Olive Tree (Wisdom) -- loves sun, warmth and kind feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.

Pine Tree (Peacemaker) -- loves agreeable company, craves peace and harmony, loves to help others, active imagination, likes to write poetry, not fashion conscious, great compassion, friendly to all, falls strongly in love but will leave if betrayed or lied to, emotionally soft, low self-esteem, needs affection and reassurance.

Poplar Tree (Uncertainty)-- looks very decorative, talented, not very self-confident, extremely courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy , often lonely, great animosity, great artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.

Rowan Tree (Sensitivity) -- full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest, and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

Walnut Tree (Passion) -- unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromise.

Weeping Willow (Melancholy) - likes to be stress free, loves family life, full of hopes and dreams, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful, musically inclined, loves to travel to exotic places, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with when pressured, sometimes demanding, good intuition, suffers in love until they find that one loyal, steadfast partner; loves to make others laugh.

My tree was a fir tree. Yep, I "AM" mysterious.

Guess I will close now. My runs start up today and am busy the rest of the week.

Have a nice day everyone.

I love this picture because it reminds me of my daughter's two dogs, Major and Ruby.

I just had to post a comment today about some of the news items I have viewed. Shell announced that it has ONLY made a 25% profit from petroleum sales. Isn't that terrible, only 25%. And to think they buy most of their oil from OPEC... this is just shocking news. How will they maintain their lifestyle?

Another little tidbit concerning gasoline. A ranking official announced that there is no gas shortage... well, duh. That news alone should raise the price another 25 cents per gallon.

A sickening video I viewed on the Internet news the other day. A man took his "TWO" year old child and was forcing it to smoke pot. To further show off his intelligence he had it videotaped, then pawned the video player for money but forgot to take the tape out. The pawn shop owner found it, called the authorities and voila, someone is in jail for giving pot to a minor.

I have not had time to check too many blogs lately. The snow has quit for a couple of days and it is time to plant so everything can freeze. Got the garden spot rototilled yesterday, today is fixing water pipes and pruning the apple tree......................................... maybe.

Been sick, again, for about a week or better. Seems like any cold or virus comes around good old Tim has to catch it. The problem is that when I do catch it I get it worse than most people. Oh well.

Foam, how is that child doing? Yes, I would like to know what the medical problem is.

OK. Here is the question of the day posed by my wife Cheryl. In ballet if a female is called a ballerina, what is the male called? (I won't tell you what I thought it was but he smiles a lot.)

That is all for today now that I have you asleep at your computer.

Have a nice day everyone.

Just a quickie today. I read Pam's post and took one of those quizzes to see how romantic I was and this was the answer....

You're a hopeless romantic. You require ample doses of warmth and sentiment. You embroider your fantasies; they titillate you and lift you out of the ordinary. You're the cockeyed optimist of song, a dreamy, maybe impractical idealist, the willing victim of infatuation.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

Have a nice day everyone.

Someone sent me this picture and the way things are going I thought it appropriate to post.

What a spring we are having. Every day it seems we have a snowstorm of sorts and if it does not snow then we have winds that are very bad. I sure will be glad when the political arena settles down so the winds will at least calm down.

Took a group to Boise the other week and hit winds of 60 mph according to the radio. We didn't have snowstorms but we sure had very bad dust storms. A couple of times I seriously thought I was going to lose the bus from being blown off the road.

Cheryl is doing fine. We are still waiting to see a heart specialist and in the mean time the doctors are trying medicines to help her. She will not listen to me about slowing down a bit and it worries me but what can I do? She is a big girl and I cannot be around her all the time.

Only three more weeks of school and then I am not sure what I am going to do. I wanted to get a summer job driving charter bus but Cheryl doesn't want me to. I guess I will have to force myself to do more fishing. I have wanted to fish this spring but not with the snow and cold.

I sure miss my bud Foam. Heck I miss all my blogging buds and I thank you for your comments about Cheryl. Pam you put some of the most beautiful photos on line. I never think to carry a camera with me and I have seen some very good chances for pictures.

I guess all the kids are doing fine. When we don't hear from them that means they are ok or into mischief. (wonder why the spell checker tells me that ok or okay is misspelled?)

That is all for today. Nothing exciting in our lives here.

Have a nice day everyone.

Now how can I not love someone as crazy as this? My wife and her Red Hat Society. Hmmm.

My post today is for someone I know as "Diana" who lives back East. In your blog you have mentioned that one of your children is ill and I couldn't help but think this has been a long time for an illness to remain. What exactly is wrong? Do you have anyone coming over to help you and to look after him while you are gone? Don't try to be too stubborn and not get help if you need it.

About Cheryl. She is doing much better. We go see our own doctor this Friday and that starts the procedure of getting her to a heart specialist. She still gets tired easily and we have to keep a close watch on her heart rate but it only seems to jump when "I" come around. Now is that true love or what?

This week is going to be busy. I leave in a couple of hours for an overnighter in Boise, ID and then there will be runs every day with band, orchestra, baseball and track. It is a definite sign that school is coming to an end for this year. Then I will be crying because I don't have anything to do and Cheryl will have her "honey do" list a mile long. Oh woooo is me. (Okay, so I don't know how to spell whoa, whoah, wooa, and the list goes on.)

Read Foam's blog about a whole s___load of people coming to visit. That is the price you pay for being so darned popular. In my case we had some friends from California stop by our house a few years ago and they have never been back since. I think some of the anonymous phone calls we receive might be them checking to see if we are home. "Whew", they say, "It's a good thing we called or we would have been caught stopping. Keep driving honey!" (Just kidding Kay and Jon)

I knew this crazy weather would do just what it is doing. Two inches of snow last Friday morning and now it is very warm. Go figure. The baseball boys didn't know how to play in warm weather and got beat badly. There wasn't even a wind to make the curve balls really curve. There was enough breeze to stir the dust and make the umpires miss a few calls on our team though. I don't understand why the opposing team doesn't get those kind of calls.

Got to quit. Diana if you don't want to answer via the blog just email me about your boy.

Have a nice day everyone.

Yes Foam, my smarty pants friend, the shamrock pj's do exist and I am proud of them so there. PHHHHTTTTT!!!!

Thanks to all for your kind thoughts concerning Cheryl. She is home now and feeling much better but it definitely was a wake up call. She is extremely tired, rightfully so, and my daughter and I are clamping down on her activities for a few days. I have a couple of runs, one of them is an overnighter, so my daughter is coming to stay with Mom. Okay, enough about the crazy old woman I am married to. I want to talk about me, me, ME!!!

Well, that was a short conversation.

Pamela, wherever did you get the idea that you were not good looking? You are not only good looking but sophisticated, a genius, intellectual beyond words, and that is not bad for a person who answers to "Shorty".

Cindy, it is so good to hear from you again. How are things down in the great state of Colorado? Have I ever told you that we used to live in Greeley, CO? Lovely place if you like smelling cow feed yards with every breath you take.

Just finished watching the movie with Will Smith about the guy who became a stock broker. While the ending was superb, I found the movie depressing due to all the things that happened to that poor man.

Enough of this boring blog.

Have a nice day everyone.

No pictures today, just information. I know several people read my blog so they can keep up with Cheryl and I so here is some new information.

Last night Cheryl had, what we thought was, a heart attack. I have never seen her look so bad in my life so off to the emergency room we rushed. They were waiting for us and immediately wheeled her into the room and started performing all kinds of tests. Come to find out her heart rate in the atrium was around 200 and the heart rate in the (I think it is called the ventricle) was around 50. Needless to say she had no blood moving, no oxygen coming to the body and things were kind of scary. He was afraid more of stroke or clots than an actual heart stoppage. They pumped different drugs into her to slow down the atrial rate but it took all night to finally get it down to 80.

She is home now and doing much better. I think this was kind of a wake up call for her to realize she is no spring chicken (or even a German one) and that she cannot be doing things like she used to.

That was our excitement for the day.

Have a nice day everyone.

Yep, this is me with my beasty. We have had a lot of fun over the past two years. Guess I will post some more pictures.













It is old like me but still has some kick to it.














This is Grandpa's, better known as Papa, little dancer. She will be two this year.

I get a kick out the mothers in this picture, including my daughter.

Okay, so I might have jumped the gun about quitting blogging. It DOES get in your blood but breaks are necessary for me so who knows what will come later. Thanks for the comments though. It is interesting how you gain friends even though we have never met. I often worry about some of my comments and how they might be misconstrued. There are so many wierdo's out there in cyberland that make people nervous. I want you all to rest assured that even though I might make comments about how good looking you are or something of that nature, I am totally harmless. My wife often kids me that if some lady took me serious and made an advance of her own that I would run like a spooked animal.

Today we go to sign papers for our house refinancing. I will be so glad when it is all done and I know where we stand for a while. The company that was carrying the contract raised the interest to 9.25% and that is just plumb rediculous in these times. You would think that their goal is to repossess houses.

Today is clear and beautiful but cold. Spring is going to come here some day. Probably do like it did in California a few times, go from cold to very hot. I can't believe that I just swore on the blog. I said........................... shudder............................. California. Blech, aaagghhh, cough, choke.

That ought to be enough for today. Maybe one more picture that features the shamrock pajama bottoms.

Yes, I even wear them outside. It keeps the neighbors, dogs, kids, flies and mosquitoes away.







Have a nice day everyone.

Well, I just finished watching the LDS conference and was impressed with the advice given to young mothers to stop, smell the roses, and enjoy your family. As the speaker mentioned, sometimes we get too involved with extracurricular activities that takes us away from each other. Not all are that important... are they?

My goodness I am beginning to think that we are having one of those springs that will continue giving us snow up to the 4th of July. Wouldn't be the first time but it has been a while. The forecast is for snow all week. How much snow is yet to be seen, but never the less it is cold.

Took the girl's softball team on an overnighter where they played four games in two days. It was soooooooo cold and the wind blew soooooooo hard that it took all enjoyment out of playing and watching. Cheryl went with me on this trip and all she did was read her book all the time. Boring. Next time I am taking my girlfriend... her name is Cheryl too.

Been thinking of giving up blogging. I can't seem to think of anything interesting to talk about and lately I haven't even been getting any good pictures. I did receive a picture of a rattlesnake that had swallowed four golfballs but since I am afraid of snakes I didn't want to keep the picture. Now I am not sure I want to try golf either.

Have a nice day everyone.

I am sitting here in Provo, UT using my son in laws computer which is an I-Mac and I am having issues with it.

I woke up yesterday and what did I see? Snowballs dropping from the apricot tree. Spring had brought such a nice surprise. Snowballs dropping right before my eyes. Yep, we received 3-4 inches of new snow. The roads were full of ice which made driving about 40 mph and yet that woman of mine insisted she was still going to Utah. I would have worried myself sick so I decided to come along with her although there is absolutely nothing for me to do. Oh, the sad life I live.

Foam I detected a hint of grumpiness from your blog lately. Hope the smile fairy has visited your home again. Can't have an unhappy Foam. As I tell Cheryl, go take some happy pills.

Pam, thanks for the hawk picture. It was the very one you had mentioned and now I am watching. I liked the picture so much that I am using it for my screen background.

Took the baseball team for a trip to Burley, ID last Saturday. When they got off the bus the temperature was 20 degrees with a wind blowing about 25-30 mph. I figured the wind chill factor had to be about zero degrees. I got so cold just watching them that I forced myself back onto the bus with the heater running. It was a tough job but someone had to do it. The big sissy's only played one game of a double header and called the other one due to cold. Sheesh, kids are just not tough these days.

I am earning the name of deerslayer at my work. I hit another one with my pickup the other morning. When there are about 1000 of them all over the road it is hard to see all of them.

I would really like to think of something clever or funny to share but this old brain has gone. Sorry.

Have a nice day everyone.