With the elections coming up I felt this picture from Maxine was appropriate. It is so hard to chose anymore. Politicians have dirtied their names so bad that now no one trusts any of them and I am sure there has to be a few good ones out there.

I promised Dana that I would tell the story about my son and his ability to take medicine and if I have told this story before, I apologize.

Cheryl and I lived in Madison, Ohio for a couple of years (that is where she is from) and while there we got to be real good friends with another couple who had a boat. Often we would go to Lake Erie to water ski and just have fun with our young families. Our oldest son, Kip, was about 1 1/2 years old, just getting around on his own quite well.

One weekend while at the lake we were having a great time skiing and roasting wieners and marshmallows when we noticed Kip was off by himself, on the beach, and was eating something. Upon investigating we found that he had discovered a dead fish and proceeded to start eating eat. As new parents we, of course, freaked out. Thoughts of all kinds of poisoning or diseases entered our minds. We grabbed that kid and off to the house we went to call the doctor.

Call number one: "Doctor this is what happened, what do we do? What do we do?"
He said, "Calm down and I want you to put your finger down his throat and make him upchuck."

"Okay, okay we can do that." Cheryl stuck her finger down his throat and he bit her so hard that her finger was bleeding.

Call the doctor again. "Doctor, doctor what do we do? He won't upchuck and my finger is bleeding."

This time the doctor said, "Give him a raw egg and that will make him upchuck. You might put a bandaid on your finger."

"Okay, okay we can do that." I held him and Cheryl got the egg, broke it and put it in his mouth. Slurp!! He thought that was so good he wanted another one.

Call the doctor once more. "Doctor, doctor what do we do? He took the egg and wanted another one." This time I think the doctor was laughing 'cause this is the advice he gave us.

"If that kid has survived the finger, the egg and the parents, just give him a glass of milk and put him to bed. He will be fine."

That was our first experience of many to come with that kid. He has a scar running down the full length of his back from when he slid off a well house and hooked a nail as he did so. He has several scars on his front from a tree falling on him and several different operations of some sort. He is the one in our family that we always said, "If it is going to happen it will happen to him."

So Dana taking bottled medicine is a piece of cake compared to raw eggs and fingers down the throat.:) Brandon should be grateful.

Schaumi I can sure tell you are either busy or just burned out with blogging. I check several times to see what mischief you have been up to but no new stuff. By the way the German students I picked up were very nice and polite. I almost thought they were Irish at first.

Have a nice day everyone.

I had to think long and hard before posting this picture. I sense a little discomfort in it.

What the heck is going on in this country anymore? Killing Amish people who are some of the most gentle, peace loving people there are. Where are all of these sickos coming from. No wonder so many are turning to home schooling for educating their children. The school environment is getting so dangerous that I am glad none of my kids attend anymore although I worry about my grandchildren.

The worst thing that I can remember happening in my high school was when someone put a skunk in the heating system of the school. Whew, that will always be remembered. Later one of those boys turned out to be sheriff in our community. Go figure.

Picked up the German exchange students last night and they were a very well groomed, well mannered group of young people. One of the chaperones was good looking also. Now some might ask, what is an old fart like you doing checking out the younger ladies? I am old, not dead although Cheryl will debate that issue quite vigorously.

Going to Ririe, ID tomorrow and wished the team had to play all day and half the night. I would take my waders, fishing pole and gear and head for the Snake River.

Guess this is all for today. UK John I will get to visit your blog soon (I hope). I did like the looks of your greenhouse and wished I had one here. I would try and raise tomatoes all year round.

Have a nice day everyone.

I get the craziest pictures sent to me and I just have to pass them on or post them.

I had a chance to glance at Schaumi's blog with the egg picture and a comment by K-9 reminded me of a situation I had when I was about 4 or 5 years old and I remember it very well.

I had just started living with my adopted family and for some reason I could not get enough to eat. Morning time especially found me starving for more breakfast. Often the other kids would not finish their meals and the remains were given to the dog. It would be oatmeal or eggs or whatever. I would wait until the dish for the dog was placed outside and then I would go and eat all of it.

The dog, Old Tip, would stand there and watch but I guess he was plotting his revenge 'cause one day as I was dining in his dish he walked up to me, grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and drug me away. Then he proceeded to finish the meal without as much as a backward glance. Needless to say it startled me so bad that I never bothered Old Tip's food anymore.

So Schaumi you reminded me of something I had forgotten, thank you. I don't know if my kids know about this story or not.

Have a nice day everyone.

I have often wondered what makes baby diapers smell so bad and after seeing this picture I now know what it is. Mercy!!!

A very, very short blog tonight. I just got my schedule for next week and the first run I have to make is to Salt Lake City to pick up a group of ..................................................................................Germans from the airport. I have yet to find out who, what and why. All I know is the school superintendant is the one who asked for the bus. I sure hope they can speak English 'cause my German consists of Guten Tag, Danke, Bitte. Where is that Schaumi when you need her? Will have updates on this run at a later date.

Have a nice day everyone.

I know I have posted this picture before and the reason I post it again is to show who I am talking about with the medical problems that have cropped up. Rylie, on the left, is the most serious and is being treated by the doctors at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. We should know by Friday just how serious a problem she has. It has the doctors in a buzz I do know that.

Amber, we found out, has similar problems but not as serious and since it was caught at an earlier stage she should be all right with theraputic treatment.

Both girls have some sort of neck development problems. Don't ask me to tell what cause I can't pronounce the word. Rylie did not get caught soon enough and is undergoing professional treatment while Amber is being taken care of at home.

Rylie also has another undeveloped spot on her head (not the normal soft spot) and that is where the real serious concern comes from. There is a possiblity of brain damage, although she shows no indication of it right now, and if the worst case senario was to develop it could lead to death. Needless to say her parents are quite distraught and asking themselves what did they do wrong. We keep telling them they did nothing wrong and it is just one of those things we don't expect, but they still have to come to terms with it all.

I was thinking about this blogging thing. I started writing so my kids would have something about their parents but they never read my blogs. I have gained some friends whom I probably will never meet but even they get bored after a while. I am beginning to wonder if anyone (other than Schaumi) reads these things and is it worth continuing. There are just days that there is nothing to write about. Oh, by the way, did I ever tell the story about some idiot jumping on my truck in LA when I was going about 60 mph? Probably did and don't remember it.

For someone with nothing to say I sure have a long blog.

Have a nice day everyone.

I don't drink but sometimes I find these kind of pictures funny.

Does anyone know what "blogger beta" is? Is it any better than "blogger"? It wouldn't take a great deal to accomplish that but I am curious.

We are back to being boring, as if we ever left it. The only concern we are dealing with (major concern that is) is our granddaughter Rylie. Apparently she has a soft spot on her head that could cause some extremely serious consequences. She has been to the Children's hospital for tests and everyone is waiting for the results. It is not good, we know that and she is such a cutie.

Going to the Red Lobster tonight. Each year Cheryl and I watch for the shrimp feast and we go and piiiiiiiig out. Another couple wants to go with us so it should be fun.

Pulled the tomato, bean, and pepper plants today. Now to see if the tomatos will turn ripe in the bag with newspaper and an apple. Cheryl made the best apple butter the other day. No wonder I fight the battle of the bulge with a good cook like that.

Well, got to close and do some name extraction.

Have a nice day everyone.

I don't have to leave until later this afternoon so thought I would blog.

Yes, Tiger Sue, name extraction is a lot of fun and very rewarding. I find it interesting to do death certificates especially. The listed reasons for death can be quite shocking at times. I came across a family who had burned in a fire, several murders, a suicide or two, and various other reasons for passing on. It is very sobering to see how many children suffered from the plague, abuse or whatever. Right now I am doing the Pittsburg, PA census and marriage from Norfolk, England. Are you doing the new church program on the Internet? It is the greatest. I just got called to be the assistant stake director for name extraction.

Okay, I am in a griping mood today. Must be caused by my several trips and the
*&^%$#@!!! drivers out there on the road. When I drove truck it was a common thing that most of the time you could spot a Utah or New York driver without seeing their license plates. Mind you all states have these problems but these two states always stood out the most.

Can anyone out there tell me what the official designation of a left lane on a freeway is? Not guessing, but the legal definition.

How I wish there was an invention that could truly dim headlights when a car was within 500 feet of you whether from the front or from behind. I know they have tried but so far nothing very successful has happened. Where is this excellent German engineering when you need it?

Anyway about the left lane on a freeway. I have never seen two states so bad about driving in the left lane all the time. I mean these guys never leave it. It don't matter whether the speed limit is 45 or 95 that is where they drive, most of the time going slower than anyone else, and everyone can kiss their royal behinds. Last night I watched the license plates of those who were in the "wrong" lane and I swear 95% of them were from Utah. I feel somewhat uncomfortable about passing on the right side of someone because they might wake up and suddenly swing to the right and cause a fender bender. Aaaagggghhhh, Utahns!!!!! Of course there were a "few" Idahoans doing the same thing but they were from the Blackfoot reservation.

I have this saying from my earlier years, "Oh Lord it's hard to be humble when you are perfect in every way."

Aleaha thank you for the last update on A.J. Sounds like things are getting back to normal and it will just take time for the old geezer to get back to his crotchity old ways.:)

Here is a story I thought you might enjoy.

Mother-in-law killed

A newlywed farmer and his wife were visited by her mother, who immediately demanded an inspection of the place. The farmer had genuinely tried to be friendly to his new mother-in-law, hoping that it could be a friendly, non-antagonistic relationship. All to no avail though, as she kept nagging them at every opportunity, demanding changes, offering unwanted advice, and generally making life unbearable to the farmer and his new bride.

While they were walking through the barn, during the forced inspection, the farmer's mule suddenly reared up and kicked the mother-in-law in the head, killing her instantly. It was a shock to all no matter their feelings toward her demanding ways.

At the funeral service a few days later, the farmer stood near the casket and greeted folks as they walked by. The pastor noticed that whenever a woman would whisper something to the farmer, he would nod his head yes and say something. Whenever a man walked by and whispered to the farmer, however, he would shake his head no, and mumble a reply.

Very curious as to this bizarre behavior, the pastor later asked the farmer what that was all about.

The farmer replied, "The women would say, 'What a terrible tragedy' and I would nod my head and say, 'Yes, it was.' The men would then ask, 'Can I borrow that mule?' and I would shake my head and say, 'Can't. It's all booked up for a year.'"

Have a nice day everyone.

Being one who fights the battle of the bulge I was quite shocked to find that after all these years the weighing procedure has been done wrong. I don't remember who sent me this picture but I got quite a kick out of it. Maybe it was Dana that sent it to me and now we know how she lost so much weight.:)

We got our first snow the other day. It never made it to the valley floor but it was mighty close on the foothills. The wind was blowing and very cold. I loved it. I felt sorry for the kids playing soccor though. Those uniforms are not made for keeping them warm. At least the ones running up and down the field were somewhat warm but the goalies had nothing else to do but stand there and freeze. Lots of goals scored in the game.

Cheryl has been quite good lately. No mischief to report. She has been canning pears and apples so that keeps her fairly busy. Still lippy though. I keep singing the song to her about an attitude adjustment but she ignores me. I wanted to do something special last night (heh, heh, heh), but she said she had a headache and didn't want to. Not too often I want to drive 35 miles to eat at Red Lobster. (I hope that is what all of you understood me to mean.)

Another busy week staring me in the face but not like last week. The school even put me up in a motel one night so I wouldn't have to drive home and then return withing a couple of hours. Someone asked me how I could drive bus since I have been on disability, I forget who it was that asked. Welllllllll, quite frankly I was a little surprised myself. I went to the doctor and he approved it so here I be. I truly expected him to deny me but he felt after two operations and etc, etc I was good for this. I will be honest in saying my disability does not affect my driving for short distances (200 miles tops) but longer than that it would be a problem. I don't have to lift anything, which I could not do, so it works out.

Last week I took a bunch of girls to a volleyball game and on the way home they got to be quite noisy. I got their attention and motioned for them to hold it down. From the back came this voice saying, "We're sorry Mr. Bus Driver. You know you love us anyway." I couldn't help but start laughing and told them I was still thinking about that one. The kids have treated me very well.

Hope everyone is doing well. Sorry for not getting to your blogs or posting like I want to. When I am not driving I am doing name extractions from old documents so they can be put in an electronic format and put out for the genealogical world. It is truly rewarding to do this.

Have a nice day everyone.

I want you to know I do read different blogs but lately I just have not had time to make too many comments. Schaumi I tried several times one day to post a comment but the system just would not let me in. Must have put an Irish block on it.

I found out how to bring total silence to a bus full of kids (girls actually). On the way home from a game the other night the volleyball team was a singing and expending lots of energy. I waited for a pause in between songs and then started howling like a dog who's ears were hurting. I think I shocked them because no driver has ever acted that way before. Once the shock wore off the laughter started and the songs grew louder. I love hauling kids like that. They keep me young at heart.

Took the varsity volleyball team to Idaho Falls yesterday, (they got their behinders kicked quite badly) but on the way home I could not believe how many vehicles were on the highway. This is Idaho for crying out loud. Half the states population had to have been driving last night and half of the half had their bright lights on. We are farmers in this country. What happened to the good old farmer who went to bed at 10:00pm right after the news and was up at the crack of dawn? I am talking about midnight last night and it was bumper to bumper traffic. California yes, but Idaho no, no, no.

I had a guy flip me off the other day. It shocked the girls that he would do it. I was trying to make a turn off a busy street and this guy and the female he was with had me blocked. I pointed to where I was trying to go and motioned to them that if they would just back up a little I could get out of the way. "SALUTE!!" Now, I don't take salutes very well. I have been known to break fingers over things like that. I invited him to come over to the bus and we would discuss the situation like gentlemen but he didn't want no part of that. Oh well, it is water under the bridge now. I felt bad that I reacted like I did and wanted to discuss his "salute" in person. People can be so ignorant at times.

Cheryl is having a Red Hat meeting here today. I cannot figure out women. (DUH) As if they don't have enough to do but then they go and start up these clubs or whatever because they need a social life. What better social life can you have than with your husband? Why get married? We husbands can take care of all your needs! Sorry Dana but I just had to say this. Luce will probably tear me apart and what Schaumi will say... well you know Germans. Oh, I have a story to tell. Looks like this is a long blog but when I look at next weeks schedule this will probably be my last blog for a week.

A soldier was in the middle of a firefight when he ran out of bullets. Surrounded by the enemy he frantically looked around for some means to defend himself. Nothing. As a final desparate gesture to the advancing enemy he pointed his finger and went, "Bang, bang, bang." To his surprise three of the enemy fell down dead in their tracks. "Hmmmm," he said, "What caused that?" Pointing his finger again he went, "Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang," and several more of the enemy fell dead. Finally all that was left of the enemy was one lone soldier. Smiling to himself the man pointed his finger at the enemy and went "BANG." Nothing happened. The enemy soldier just kept marching toward him. "Bang, bang, bang," Nothing and the enemy was gettin uncomfortably close. "Rat ta tat,tat,tat; Bang, bang, bang", but the finger failed him this time. The enemy soldier marched up to the man, stomped him in the ground and continued on his way. The man drug his poor torn up body to the rim of his foxhole wondering what kind of enemy he just encountered. As he watched his enemy's back he could hear him say, "Tanka, tanka, tanka."

Have a nice day everyone.

For some reason I got to thinking the other day about some of the situations Cheryl and I have encountered and I remembered the one where she got a speeding ticket which I thought was funny but she sure didn't.

I was pulling mobile homes for a living and had picked one up in Caldwell, then headed for Idaho Falls, ID. Along the way I became horribly sick and had to stop in the small town of American Falls, ID. I called Cheryl and she came and got me. Five days later when I was finally able to raise my head up we headed back to American Falls so I could bring the trailer on to Idaho Falls.

Just out of American Falls there is a radar tower that sets off the radar detector in the car or truck. We were traveling along, Cheryl following me in the car, when the radar detector started beeping. Since we both had CB's I told Cheryl not to worry about anything that I was sure it was not a state trooper. How wrong I was. We were both going about 10 miles over the speed limit when he passed us on the other side of the freeway. Immediately his lights came on and over to our side he came.

Cheryl grabbed the CB mike and called me to tell me a highway patrolman was coming up behind her with his lights on. Well now what was I supposed to do, stop and say hi? I don't think so. I wished her well and told her I would see her at home. When the patrolman asked her what the hurry was she told him she was just following me. His reply was that I was going too fast but she was the one getting the ticket. I laughed until my sides hurt when she told me all about it. To this day she has not forgiven me. No sense of humour in that woman.

Of course the sad part of the whole story is that I had to pay the fine no matter what although it did not show up on my driving record. Lost a little bit of my sense of humour then.

Have a nice day everyone.

Have you ever seen the movie, "Invaders From Mars"? I watched that movie as a child and it scared the living dickens out of me. We would sleep outside on the lawn, look at the stars and just know the "Invaders From Mars" were coming to get us. People would get sucked down in the sand and later appear out of nowhere with marks on their necks and then they would do strange things.

As I got older I realized this was all fiction and the fear left me... until the other day. I have told you about the young woman I know that lives in Colorado and how she was abducted by space aliens. I have always suspected they did strange things to her by some of the things she would do. Now I have undisputable proof that they did something to her and she has just cause for her actions. This is a picture of a mark they put on her neck while she was in the mother ship. Now my fear has rekindled and I am afraid to go to sleep at night because I know she will send her space buddies to do bad things to me.



We just had a minnie family reunion. The occastion was Amber Nicole being blessed and named in our church. Our daughter Katherine, from California, surprised us all by showing up with her husband and children. We haven't seen them for several years and it was a great surprise. Those grandchildren have grown so much. We had a good time but I have reached that stage in life where I enjoy seeing the tail lights as they round the corner headed for their home. Sure makes you feel good when those grandchildren make a beeline for you and just hug you to pieces.

Here is a picture of all the women (biological) in my life. I have another granddaughter from another marriage but I consider her my granddaughter just as much as I do the biological ones.



Of course we still claim Amber (the space abductee) as one of our family but as you can tell from her picture we wonder why. (She would be disappointed if I said something nice)



She was trying to be a pirate and accidently poked herself in the eye with her sword.

Guess that is all for now. My brother in law is doing very well now and is out of intensive care and should be out of the hospital in a week or so. Still some healing to be done but at least he is acting more normal.

Have a nice day everyone.

I have a few minutes so will post something.

I will admit something about hauling kids, teenagers, around the area. They do keep you young feeling. All that chatter and enthusiasm can be contagious at times, irritating at others.

There is a rule that I am sure is nationwide and I emphasize it everytime I start a trip, no moving around the bus while it is in motion. All it would take is a sharp stop or swerve and someone could get hurt. Trust kids to come up with an alternative solution for their needs. Last night I am driving along interstate 84 when a movement caught my eye in the mirror. A girl had decided she needed to move from the back to the front where some of her friends were so she was on her hands and knees crawling up the aisle. Just at the time I looked up she looked up and seen me watching her. Talk about a silly grin. I couldn't help but start laughing.

I know in some of my previous posts I have been somewhat critical of soccor. Having taken the time to watch a couple of games I now find I do enjoy watching the kids play 'cause they play with such intensity. Yesterday, however, I found the perfect sport to truly call "BORING". I took the cross-country team to one of its meets. I repeat "BORING". Even watching paint dry is more exciting.

I now know why Schaumi and others like her do enjoy teaching even with the bad days. Kids can do the funniest things. Cheryl comes home and tells me some of the most interesting stories from second graders.

Oops, the breakfast call has sounded. Gotta go.

Have a nice day everyone.

Whew, what a week. Fun, but what a week. Cheryl even went with me to Cokeville, WY and she seemed to enjoy herself. Mercy, some of those volleyball players are tall for high school. However, the ones that caught my eye were the short ones who were so full of energy they could run circles around the taller girls. Coming back the bus was soooooo quiet cause the girls were plumb wore out.

Not much to say since I spent the time off doing a lot of sleeping and going to church. Even did a little sleeping in church. I think I was tired also.

Well, today is another beginning of another week. Lots of exciting things will be happening. I already got up and fixed the car that has been broken down for about three weeks. Mercy, I am on a roll.

Have a nice day everyone. Chery just called for breakfast and I must keep my priorities straight.:)

WOMEN!!! It used to be that I would say, "If it weren't for sex I would hate women." Now, I have to say, "If they didn't turn out to be such good cooks I would hate women." (Just kidding gals)

It doesn't matter the age, they don't listen. Take yesterday for example. Part of my pre-trip instructions, which come from the school district, is to make all passengers aware of safety issues such as remaining in your seat when the vehicle is in motion. Do not open safety hatches unless it is an emergency. On my particular bus it is, don't open the windows, they are all emergency exits. Did they comprehend? No!! Did they listen? No!! Did I repeat myself several times? Yes!!

This is the girls soccor team that I am talking about. Soccor. It is a game that makes paint drying look exciting. (Just kidding again) Back to my issues. I no sooner got the words out of my mouth about the windows when almost every window in that bus was opened. The coach and I just shook our heads in disbelief. Remain seated... oh how I wish. There must have been a large pile of ants in one section of the bus cause that particular group could not stay seated if their lives depended on it.

I worry about it somewhat. All it takes is one quick stomp on the brakes and someone could be seriously injured.

All in all though, they were a good bunch of kids. Wound up tighter than most clocks, but a good bunch.

I didn't get home until 0130 and so I am going to go and take a little nappy pooh since I got to leave again at 1500 this afternoon. (That is 3:00pm for those from Germany and England)

Have a nice day everyone.

No pictures today. Looks like I need to replenish my supply of pictures when I get the chance.

How did my first trip go? Well, it went very nicely. I felt sorry for the kids though. It was one very hot day and they played their hearts out (won both games) but I kept expecting someone to drop from heat exhaustion. One girl got kicked so hard in the knee that I didn't think she would be able to walk but she just smiled and said it hurts a little. Me, I would have been yelping all over the place.

I don't know if Saturday was an exception but they were some of the nicest and most courteous kids I have been around. Maybe it was because I threatened to turn off the air conditioning if they mis-behaved.:)

Today I go in for some more training and a dinner. Tomorrow I drive to Rupert, Id, Wednesday I drive to Pocatello, ID, Thursday I drive to Burley, ID and Friday and Saturday I got to Cokeville, WY for an overnight trip. Yep, they are keeping me busy right now. I love it.

If my blog does not produce much this week it is because I am a little busy. My niece stopped by yesterday and surprised me by saying she reads my blogs quite often. It would be interesting to know who all reads them and why they don't comment. I have to be careful what I say about my relatives because several of them read the blog.:)

My brother in law is not doing good. What should have been a fairly routine operation has turned into a full fledged life and death movement. I highly doubt he knew I was in his room but I whispered in his ear that someone needs to get better so the snow can be shoveled this winter. I don't think he appreciated that kind of encouragement.

Good to see some of you are back blogging. We all have our dry and busy spells don't we. Since I don't have any pictures I will leave this thought....

Butt Surgery
A married couple was in a terrible accident where the
woman's face was severely burned. The doctor told the husband that
they couldn't graft any skin from her body because she was too skinny.
So the husband offered to donate some of his own skin.

However, the only skin on his body that the doctor felt was
suitable would have to come from his buttocks.

The husband and wife agreed that they would tell no one
about where the skin came from, and requested that the doctor also
honor their secret. After all, this was a very delicate matter.

After the surgery was completed, everyone was astounded
at the woman's new beauty. She looked more beautiful than she ever
had before! All her friends and relatives just went on and on about her
youthful beauty!

One day, she was alone with her husband, and she was
overcome with emotion at his sacrifice. She said, "Dear, I just
want to thank you for everything you did for me. How can I possibly
repay you?"

"My darling," he replied, "I get all the thanks I need
every time I see your mother kiss you on the cheek."

I can't remember if I included this before or not... oh well, I AM getting old you know.

Have a nice day everyone.

This picture reminds of me of how I feel when Cheryl is driving. hee, hee

What a week this has been. You educators have more meetings than most people. Cheryl interiviewed for a job at the elementary school on Monday morning, received the job on Monday afternoon, attended an all day orientation on Tuesday and then had a picnic on Wednesday. I, on the other hand had a meeting on Tuesday, picnic on Wednesday, training on Wednesday and I forget what else there was.

Yesterday we drove to Provo, UT to see our youngest daughter's new house. Well, new to them but an older home that is soooooooo much better than what they were living in. We had a good time but I sure have gotten away from rush hour traffic. After visiting her we then went to a hospital in SLC where my brother in law had open heart surgery and is not doing well at all. He has been in a medically induced coma for over a week and does not seem to respond to treatment. He sure looked bad when we seen him. We wish him all the best and keep him in our prayers.

Speaking of prayers one of our friends sent this following poem and I thought I should share it with all of you. I sure hope everyone is doing all right. The blogging sure takes a beating when all of us are having so much fun in life.


Jake, the rancher, went one day to fix a distant fence.
The wind was cold and gusty and the clouds rolled gray and dense.

As he pounded the last staples in and gathered tools to go.
The temperature had fallen, the wind and snow began to blow.

When he finally reached his pickup, he felt a heavy heart.
From the sound of that ignition, he knew it wouldn't start.

So Jake did what most of us would do if we had been there.
He humbly bowed his balding head and sent aloft a prayer.

As he turned the key for the last time, he softly cursed his luck.
They found him three days later, frozen stiff in that old truck.

Now Jake had been around in life and done his share of roaming.
But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked -- it looked just like Wyoming!

Of all the saints in Heaven, his favorite was St. Peter.
(Now, this line ain't needed but it helps with rhyme and meter)

So they set and talked a minute or two, or maybe it was three.
Nobody was keeping' score -- in Heaven time is free.

"I've always heard," Jake said to Pete, "that God will answer prayer,
But, one time I asked for help, well, he just plain wasn't there."

"Does God answer prayers of some, and ignore the prayers of others?
That don't seem exactly square -- I know all men are brothers."

"Or does he randomly reply, without good rhyme or reason?
Maybe, it's the time of day, the weather or the season."

"Now I ain't trying to act smart, it's just the way I feel.
And I was wondering', could you tell me -- what the heck's the deal?!"

Peter listened very patiently and when Jake was done.
There were smiles of recognition, and he said, "So, you're the one!!"

"That day your truck, it wouldn't start, and you sent your prayer a flying,
You gave us all a real bad time, with hundreds of us trying."

"A thousand angels rushed, to check the status of your file, But
you know, Jake, we hadn't heard from you in quite a long while."

"And though all prayers are answered, and God ain't got no quota,
He didn't recognize your voice, and started a truck in Minnesota."

BETTER KEEP IN TOUCH


Have a nice day everyone.

This reminds me of Cheryl and her friend Donna. Couple of old farts in a convertible trying to relive their youth. They are trying to start a Red Hat Society chapter here in this area which is not a bad thing. Here it is the church and nothing else and sometimes that is just not enough.

Yesterday our teacher gave us some pointers on the importance of keeping a journal of your life activities. I will admit I am not very good at this but keep trying in my own simple way. So I will share an experience in my life that was humorous and yet serious.

I lived in the town of Driggs, Idaho where most people scratch out a living the best way they can. Of course the place has changed so much now that I don't know what they do. Anyway, I got a job helping my relative in the forest and we were spraying pine trees for beetles that were killing them. Our chemicals consisted of some kind of killing agent mixed with diesel fuel. Nasty job.

As we worked we would notice what we called red-topped trees which are pine trees completely dead but the needles are still there, but very dry. I don't know how the practice got started but it was great fun to light a match to the bottom of one of these red-topped trees just to watch it go up in flames.

Well, as luck would have it we come across one tree that was all by itself, the safest kind of red-top to burn. Close by were about six to eight green, healthy trees but we just knew they wouldn't be hurt. Mind you this is in the spring and there was still snow everywhere so dryness in the forest was not an issue.

I put the match to the bottom limb of the red-top and "whoosh" flames shot to the top. What my relative and I never took into consideration is the intense heat that comes from these trees. Even though the green ones were supposedly a safe distance away the nearest one caught on fire.

I don't know if you have heard the term of trees exploding but believe me when I say, they do just that. It is a very scary sound. Not only did the nearest one catch on fire and explode but so did about six others all in a row. By the time the sixth one caught and exploded this little boy was on his knees praying to God that He would stop things from going any further. I even promised to be a good boy for a while.

Luckily it stopped but we were both quite shaken by the events of the day. Needless to say I have NEVER performed that stupid trick again.

So there you have it... another tale from the Ramblin Irishman. Hope you enjoyed it.

Have a nice day everyone.

I can sure tell everyone is starting to think very seriously about school starting. Teachers are getting their classrooms ready, college students are already on the road and school districts are getting their transportation vehicles ready. Busy, busy, busy. On top of all that the county fairs are going like crazy. Kids are primping their animals, adults are showing off their creations and here in Idaho the rodeos are a dime a dozen. I still have not gone to one. Cheryl wants to but seems like she always has some other thing going when the rodeo is on. At our county fair they have an "antique" catagory so I thought that next year I would enter Cheryl. Never know she might bring first place.:) They don't have a catagory for me which would be the old, broken down pieces of junk.

Here the farmers are harvesting grain like there is no tomorrow. Each time the sky clouds up and looks like rain you can hear the anti-rain chanting going on.

What do I do when all of this is going on? Well, normally I would go fishing and enjoy myself but this year I lucked out and got a job with the Preston (Napoleon Dynamite) school district. I will be driving the activity bus to ball games, musical thingys, more ball games and etc. Actually I am looking forward to it very much.

Well so much for my boring life. Think I will take Cheryl and go check out a campground that people have been telling us about. Might even try a little fishing.

I cannot close without showing off a picture of my two new granddaughters. Everyone was trying to get Amber to quit putting her hands in front of her face while they photographed her so Rylie took matters into her own hands.




Have a nice day everyone.

I don't know why but this picture just made me think of some of my blogging friends. Hmmmmmmmmm.

Have a nice day everyone.

This is Rylie Ann who is all dressed up for her naming and blessing. We did not realize it at the time of purchase but the dress makes her look like she has angel wings. It was a great event and poor Rylie got passed around to so many relatives that she started becoming quite grumpy.



Who can resist those big blue eyes?



She finally said she had enough and goodnight.



This was her cousin Jeremy who looks like he lost the fight. Apparently he fell asleep on the floor and a spider decided to have lunch and this is the results. We all felt so bad for the little guy.

That is all for today.

Have a nice day everyone.

Okay, okay it is a picture of a fat man fishing, but he is a happy fat man. Last Saturday we were at my daughter and son in law's place for the blessing and naming of Rylie Ann. Mike's Father is a professional guide on the Provo river and he took Mike and I fishing. I have never been fly fishing and it was a blast. Today's blog is all about ME, ME, ME.



Mike and I with the one I caught and finally landed. Man, with the swift water tugging on the line that fish felt like it was a monster. I actually caught three but two of them got off the hook.



It takes lots of serious concentration. Ha,ha.



It is small, about 14 inches, but at least I caught it and it was mine, mine, mine.

Have a nice day everyone.

This is a picture of my brand new granddaughter. She takes after her Grandfather soooo much. I will try and post another picture if blogger will let me.

I am going to try and post some pictures of my new granddaughter. I have tried half a dozen times already but this blogger outfit seems to be having it's usual problems. I might start searching for a new site to blog from if this continues.

Just tried again and it failed. Does anyone have some good suggestions as to a blogging site that has fewer problems?

Oh blessed relief. It rained and the temperature has dropped at least 20 degrees. Even at my daughters place, which is generally cool, it has been very hot.

Spent Sunday holding my new granddaughter and telling her how cute she is. Her name is Amber Nicole in case I forgot to mention it.

I am rambling 'cause the brain is fried.

Have a nice day everyone.

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.

I don't know if I posted this picture before but it is very true to life. Cheryl and I feel as if we are at the last two pictures in our lives.

This will probably be my last blog until after Cheryl's operation which is tomorrow. I plan on staying at the hospital until I know all is well and she just needs rest. Since we live 60 miles from the hospital it is a little hard to run back and forth.

My daughter, Leslie, has been staying with us for the past week along with our granddaughter Rylie. Lots of diapers that Grandpa had forgotten about. It reminded me of a story about our next to the oldest son.

When Pat was alive Cheryl was a youth leader for our church and it required her to be at meetings quite a bit. Naturally, Dad was the babysitter. That darned Pat would wait until the car taillights were just around the corner and he would mess his pants like he was never going to have the chance again. I mean it was the kind where you had to put him in the tub to clean him up. It would have been okay if he did it only once in a while, except he would do it every time his mother would leave. If he hadn't have been so sick I would have killed him.

One time Cheryl and I decided to trick him. Actually Cheryl would not believe me when I would say he did it before she made the first corner. She got in the car and slowly drove around the block a couple of times. I just knew he would let me have it. That little pup didn't do a darned thing. Cheryl came into the house to check and he was just smiling and happy and she just knew I was a big fibber. She got into the car and before she hit the first corner he let me have it with full throttle. Oh, that kid. They learn at an early age to torment parents.

Well, this weekend is the 4th of July and I hope everyone will be safe and happy. I hope everyone will fly the flag honoring our country and those who provided us with so much freedom.

Have a nice day everyone.

I received this picture of a naked woman the other day and just had to share it with everyone. Yep, this is our Rylie Roo taking a bath. She is a pill and cute as can be. (A little predjudice goes a long way this time) We sure are enjoying the visit of Leslie and Rylie and wished they were a little closer. Leslie worries us a little 'cause she has tumors that are quite large. One is 3 pounds and the other is 4 or 5 pounds, I think. The doctors are monitoring her progress and just waiting for her body to settle down from having Rylie.

I was thinking the other day of little things that make life a pleasure and here are some of mine.

1) A cold drink of water on a hot day. You can feel it go all the way down to the bottom of the stomach.

2) The touch of my wife's hand when we are just sitting and watching a movie.

3) Watching two squirrel play with one another, oblivious to who is watching.

4) Listening to children or grandchildren as they play and are making their own make believe world.

5) Taking a drive with no particular place to go in mind, just viewing God's creation.

6) The thrill of seeing seeds turn into plants.

7) Having all my children call and say they love us.

8) An extra large pizza with all the toppings.

9) An ice cold drink of milk.

10) Having friends that don't want anything other than to be a friend.

Have a nice day everyone.

I have probably mentioned this before but... I am a movie buff. I like to watch movies. I guess it is because, like books, they allow me to use my imagination at times. Of course there are some movies that leave nothing to the imagination; we don't watch those. Last night I watched "Elecktra ", again. I will say this for Jennifer Garner, she has quite the swing in her get a long. I also received, as a Father's day present the movies, "Batman Begins" and "The Work and The Glory II". I was going to borrow "Narnia" from my daughter but her husband, Mr. Forgetful, forgot it.

Update on Cheryl. The surgery is Wednesday, June 28 and will be in Logan, UT. She will be in the hospital for about 4 days, depending on how she does in recovery. The she will be home but not able to do much for about 4 - 6 weeks. She keeps telling me that she is ruining our 4th of July weekend but I don't see how she figures that. We never go anywhere due to high traffic volume so we would be home anyway. Also, she is getting repaired something that has bothered her way too long in her life.

Our daughter, Leslie, is here visiting with us. Of course she brought our newest granddaughter, Rylie, and she is a pill. I think she likes her grandpa best. Other than that life has been very quiet and uneventful. I think I warned everyone that I was a boring person.

I got to thinking the other day, (yes, I know that is very dangerous), about the little things in life that bring a person pleasure. One of them is breakfast and I just got the word so will write about this another time.

Have a good day everyone.

Some have asked how Cheryl's doctor visit turned out. Wellllllllllllllllllllllllll, she is having surgery next week, the 28th, to have a part of her large intestine removed. She is like an unstable stick of dynamite that is going to go off some day but no one knows when. She has diverticuli real bad and the fear is one of them becoming infected and bursting causing infection to spread throughout her system. All the doc would say is, "We don't want that." She will be in the hospital for about a week and then home recuperating for about six weeks. Naturally she is nervous. Cheryl has never been one to go to hospitals very much for her own needs. I, of course, will be taking very good care of her as long as it does not interfere with fishing, eating, tv, and sleeping.

My cousin and friend back in Iowa sent this to me and I found it very funny. Please don't be offended by it; it is just intended for humour.

Men's answer to Maxine. Men strike back! ! ! ! ! ! !

How many men does it take to open a beer? None. It should be opened when she brings it.

Why is a laundromat a really bad place to pick up a woman? Because a woman who can't even afford a washing machine will probably never be able to support you.

Why do women have smaller feet than men? It's one of those "evolutionary things" that allows them to stand closer to the kitchen sink.

If your dog is barking at the back door and your wife is yelling at the front door, who do you let in first? The dog, of course. He'll shut up once you let him in.

What's worse than a Male Chauvinist Pig? A woman who won't do what she's told.

Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

Have a nice day everyone.

Cheryl and I have not been getting much rest at night lately so my addled brain might not make much sense today.

Hope all fathers had a great Father's Day. Mine was fantastic. Cheryl waited on me like a queen should wait on her king and I loved it. She made me eggs, hashbrowns and bacon for breakfast and for dinner we had T-bone steaks (I bbq'd), mashed potatoes with fresh creamed peas for gravy. Yum, yum. All the kids except for one daughter called me and I loved it. We always hang up laughing about something. My oldest daughter, Kate, always tries to embarrass me somehow and she usually manages to do it.

After Kate's call I got to thinking about some of the things we did in our home while the kids were smaller. I went and obtained a folding chair and painted it fire engine red. When I asked one of my children to come and have a visit with me and I pointed to the red chair they knew they were in serious trouble. After a while it got to be the joke of the house at times.

I used to ask my children to come and have an interview with me. This was a one on one time where they could talk about anything they wanted just with their dad. I heard some unusual comments which made me try very hard not to laugh 'cause to them it was very serious. Often, if I would set down with one child to have an interview the others would not let me rest until I had an interview with them as well. Even in their teen-age years we had these conversations and I am glad I did. I hope it helped them with some of their problems. I have good kids, I just don't let them know it. Hah, hah!!!

Well, Cheryl has something smelling awfully good in the kitchen so I had better meander out there and check it out. Won't be blogging tomorrow because I have to take her to the doctor and see what is happening inside of her. She gets to suffering an awful lot.

Amber, how was the funeral? How are you feeling? Are you licking this pneumonia thing or is it still bothering you?

Schaumi I wish I knew you in person. You sound like a lot of fun and I truly enjoy your remarks on my blog.

Don't know what has happened to Lowa lately. Found out that Luce is a sneaky little rascal. Mayden is crying because her Carolina Hurricanes are going down tonight.

Have a nice day everyone.

This is my sweetheart when I first met her. Hubba, hubba. The picture was wrinkled but she still is very pretty.

I don't know how many of you watched Star Trek when it was on television but for those who did do you remember the encounters with the Borg? I have decided mosquitos are like the Borg. You try one thing to deter them and it works for a while until they adapt and then you have to try something new. I take vitamin B-6 because in the past it has been a very effective deterent for mosquitos without all that oily spray and nonsense. These mountain mosquitos adapted and I now have several lumps to prove they can bite and bite well.

I get a kick out of reading "tagging" blogs cause you can learn a lot about people. I normally don't do them because my brain can't think of answers for the questions. Some of those who do answer the questions really have a flair for writing since their answers are so good. Cheryl and I were discussing one "tag" this morning and I have to share it. The question: What are some of your comments on a daily basis?

Tim: 1) I love you more Cheryl. 2) Whatever. 3) Gus, you are a big fat lazy cat. 4) Ma, you are a crazy old woman. 5) There are no *&^%$#@!!! fish in this lake. (Might not say that everyday but close) 6) (I was only going to do 5 but this one popped into my head) Cheryl, the phone is for you.

Cheryl: 1) blah, blah, blah and everything. 2) I love you more, I think. (Hey, when I do the typing I put it as I hear it.) 3) Don't even think it buddy boy. 4) Are you going to sleep all day? ( I am sure she is referring to the cat) 5) You better be nice to me or you won't get fed.

Guess I had better quit before Cheryl finds out I am not paying the bills but am writing a blog. Serious consequences could be the result. Crazy old woman anyway.

Have a nice day everyone.

Just got back from a 2 day camping trip. It was GREAT!!! The angels were holding a bowling tournament, the fireworks were going off all over the place, it rained, it hailed, it was just super. We snuggled down in the camper and listened to the rain hit the roof and slept like a pair of babies. There were a couple of thunder boomers that literally shook the camper. Loved it.

Have you ever heard or read the story of Rip Van Winkle? We mentioned it to one of our daughters and she gave us the strangest look. Apparently we never read this story to her when she was younger and the schools didn't mention it either. Now I have to find a copy for my own so I can read it to my grandchildren. Cheryl and I mentioned the angels were bowling one day and all around us thought we had lost it. Rip Van Winkle silly people. I remember that story as well as Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear and Brer Fox from Uncle Remus as being some of my all time favorites.

Of course all good things have their down sides as well. The mosquitoes were somewhat obnoxious. The black flies were bothersome. The fish didn't like one thing that I offered them. I had a fellow pull up next to me on the lake and with one cast he caught a beautiful trout and then proceeded to catch 4 more. Me, I caught nothing. The next day I had nibbles but no takers. A boat pulls up to the bank just down from me and I hear, "Oh, way to go big guy." The fellow had caught a magnificent trout on a plastic worm. Trout normally will not hit plastic worms. I grumbled some more. The bottom line, I got skunked and everyone else got fish. *&^%$#@!!!

Guess that is all for now. Will go and play Word Whomp and nurse my hurt feelings. Heck, even Dana could outfish me.:)

Have a nice day everyone.

What a weekend! What a weekend!!! Two of our children and their families were here for three days and as happy as I was to see them, I have to admit I was happy to see the taillights on their cars as they left. It wasn't so bad with just the kids but the dogs that came also were almost more than I could bear. Two of them were doberman pinchers and the other two were dachsunds. I had dog crap in my dining room, dog pee in my hallway, I had dogs that kept jumping up on me and I hate that. I had a grandson that went to the basement to play his video games and he only surfaced when he wanted food or to torment everyone.

We went fishing since it was free fishing day in Idaho. What did we see? Ten thousand cars from Utah. Now I know Utah has free fishing also. Not only did we not catch any fish but most everyone got sunburned. Hummph.

Sunday Cheryl and I were the speakers in our church meeting. Who fashionably shows up late so they can make a grand entrance but my children. Our talks turned out okay I guess since no one threw any rotten tomatoes or other materials at us. One lady said I made her cry.

Things are back to normal now though. The cat has come out of hiding, we think we have found all the misplaced toys, all the dirty diapers have been sent to the landfill and the refridgerator is empty. The most important part of all is they left me with at least 3/4 gallon of milk. We all know that milk is the nectar of the Gods.

It must have been birthday time in this town. We celebrated three birthdays, our next door neighbors celebrated three birthdays and they told us of another party going on doing the same. I tell you some of these winters are long and hard here in Idaho and June bears the fruit of such.

I have been told I will get the camper checked out for sure this week and we are going camping. Cheryl, who is usually very quiet during visits, said she wants peace and solitude for a couple of days. Maybe we will even catch some fish this time since no one will be throwing rocks in the water, tangling lines like crazy and constantly asking for more bait on their hooks. (And I am talking about the adults)

Have a nice day everyone. I will try to visit your blogs but make no promises this week. Often I will read them without making comments so don't think I am ignoring you.:)

Have a nice day everyone.

This is about how Cheryl and I feel on a Friday night. Friday's used to be movie and pizza night but somehow it is changing to other things. (No, not sex)

I don't know how much I will be blogging this week since it looks like a very busy week coming at us. The kids who live within a 150 miles of us are coming with our new granddaughter. The kids who live within 70 miles of us are coming with our grandsons and we are all going to enjoy free fishing day here in Idaho. Cheryl tells me I have to get the camper ready so we can take it to the lake so I have a feeling I am going to be busy. Of course I have to schedule nap times each day as well.

Too bad all of you aren't close by so you could come to my church and listen to me preach. :) Should be interesting and fun, I hope. I agreed to talk mainly because when I am done they never ask me again. Cheryl, on the other hand, is so sweet and loving and walks on water that they always want her back.

Well I am getting closer to driving truck again. I have a friend who hauls milk and he is going to take me with him so I can get the feel of the rig. Once I do that I will take the skills test and hopefully become a full fledged terror on the highway again.

Got to go and do some stuff for Cheryl so will close with this story.

Grandma and birth control

A doctor that had been seeing an 80-year-old woman for most of her life finally retired.

At her next checkup, the new doctor told her to bring a list of all the medicines that had been prescribed for her.

As the young doctor was looking through these, his eyes grew wide as he realized she had a prescription for birth control pills.

"Mrs. Smith, do you realize these are BIRTH CONTROL pills?"

"Yes, they help me sleep at night."

"Mrs. Smith, I assure you there is absolutely NOTHING in these that could possibly help you sleep!"

She reached out and patted the young Doctor's knee.

"Yes, dear, I know that. But every morning, I grind one up and mix it in the glass of orange juice that my 16 year old granddaughter drinks..................................And believe me, it helps me sleep at night."

You gotta love Grandmas!

Have a nice day everyone.

Okay, I am going to show my ignorance here. What in the world does LOL mean on the Internet? I see this a lot and have no idea what it is all about. I know there is a version of shorthand used by many on the net but I never could grab the hang of it.

Yes, Cheryl is and was a pre-school teacher for over 25 years. I kept asking her if she would like to get her degree and move up but she loved her work, she loves little kids and she loved where she was working and was so loyal that she would not leave. She tried it once and worked for a time with a government agency teaching children but the politics were so bad she quit and went back to good old Darla and stayed there until the business closed. For those who might be LDS she was a primary worker, president and stake president for over 25 years as well then she graduated to the young women's program.

Does anyone know what the word twitterpated means? This is a word I learned while living in Utah and I think it means when someone is so caught up with someone else that they lose their sense of bearing. Dana does that sound like anyone you know. I think it happens a lot when people think they are in love.

Got to go. Guests coming, lawn needs trimming, garden needs watering, belly needs feeding and body needs napping. I am a busy man.

Have a nice day everyone.

Now this is a true Mama Bear. Look at those feet. Cheryl had a bear picnic at her school and my wife is not one to go unless she is dressed for the theme. She said she had a lot of fun and everyone loved her slippers. She is a corker that woman.

She had a tooth fall out yesterday and she would not step outside the house until I agreed to take her to the dentist and get it fixed. I think it had something to do with me calling her "Snaggletooth" from the cartoons. We have some friends from California stopping tomorrow and she was not going to entertain them looking like that. They would have understood.

This crazy weather. It goes from snowing last weekend to 85 degrees today. Great way to catch a summer flu. I normally am not bothered by allergies but lately it has been really bad. Too much stuff blowing up from Salt Lake City I guess.

I sure appreciated all your remarks to my last blog. All of you are very kind.

This is going to be very short 'cause I have a bunch of things to go do. Been working on obtaining a government grant and the paperwork is enough to drive a crazy man sane. Probably won't get it but sure hope we do. Our house has an old oil furnace and if something isn't done we will be going without heat this winter. Might have to move to Texas or something. Help me Lord, please help me.

Have a nice day everyone.