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.

I hope this works okay. I found an old video of Cheryl and I dancing. Enjoy.


You really didn't think it was me did you?

Have a nice day everyone.

Just Goofing Around

Movie Reviews

I was trying to post the picture that said what my blog reading level was. Pam said hers was a genius but mine was only grade school level. Sounds about right. I am trying to learn how all of you do some of the things you do but so far no luck.

Have a nice day everyone.

PS. Hey I did it. Now I can graduate to third grade.

Isn't this the gospel truth. Why speculators are allowed to run wild with prices on commodities is something I just don't understand. I guess that is why they are rich and sap's like me are poor.

I can truthfully say I just finished the bus run from Hell. The kids were great, the roads were great, Cheryl was with me and that was great so why do I say it was the run from Hell? I had two leaders with me, one for the cheer squad and one for the dance group and they fought like cats all the time. I felt like I had been scratched, bitten, kicked and all the other things cats do when they fight. Next time I am wearing a black and white striped shirt since I am the designated referee. I told Cheryl that this year was a learning experience and next year I will be a harda-s. I was so glad when the last person departed from the bus and I could go home. Now my boss is in the middle of a battle with the school hierarchy over the run. Good luck boss.

Enough of my whimpering.

How was everyone's Easter? Cheryl and I were so tired that we slept most of it after we returned home from church. Our daughter, Katherine, was here from Nevada and that was a pleasant visit. The weather did it's usual Easter thing in raining, snowing, sunshine and now we have fog.

I guess I am the only one who had not heard that song "I Just Don't Look Good Naked Anymore." I had never heard of the performer but Pamela, that elderly lady in Washington, said she knew of him when she was 10, I think. Mercy, does that tell ones age or what.:))

I apologize to everyone for not making comments on their blogs. Time has been a precious commodity lately and I just have not taken the time to write. I do read them though.

Well, I killed another (*&^%$#@!!! deer the other day. The things are all over the highways here. I had just left our home, in my pickup, and was going about 55 mph when out of the barrow ditch it came on a dead run. I hit the brakes but still got it with my right side. Now I have a headlight to purchase and fix. Could have been worse I guess. I sure will be glad when they decide to go back into the hills for the summer.

Do any of you ever get blog writers blackout? At times I can remember what I would like to write about but when the time comes to actually write I have forgotten everything. Boring... I know.

Guess I will close. Thanks to all who make comments on my blog. I feel like my day is not complete when I don't hear from some of you. Interesting how friendships develop without even seeing one another. Pam would you send me a picture of that hawk you mentioned a while back. I want to look for it here. (Bet you don't remember what I am talking about.) Sw--? Hawk or something like that. Foam, my bud, how are you getting along with all those kids now? Just think, summer is coming up real soon and it will be beach time or camping time with your favorite drink and your feet propped up. Alice and Lowa all I can say to the both of you is, "I Am Truly Sorry.", that you are from Canada and lead a sheltered life. By the way LOWA, I thought I had made a comment about your hair but it never posted so maybe I didn't. Alice, where are those "special" emails with the snowmen pictures or something of that nature. I miss those. Don't be turning good on me.:)) Spicy is good. Dana it is good to see you able to write again. You need to slow down lady or you are going to have health problems.

Enough for today. Cheryl took a picture of my bus and me and once I get it downloaded I will post it.

Have a nice day everyone.

I hope this works out. Alice, in Canada, sent me this clip. I wondered if she had met me and I didn't remember it. Enjoy, cause it is definitely me.

Have a nice day everyone, except Alice.

This is a rare animal and to be able to capture it on film is exciting. It was found in
Canada.

I have seen a sure sign that spring is almost here. Snowbirds are returning. Now for those of you who do not know what a snowbird is, they are a different kind of species that migrates south in the fall and returns in the spring. Now that in itself does not sound so different since a lot of birds do that but these birds are generally quite old, crippled, and rather than fly they drive themselves to warmer climates where they set around with other snowbirds and tell tall tales about their youth. They always seem to travel in pairs with the male being paunchy and generally bald and the female being grandmotherly with a white head. (Of course only her hairdresser knows for sure what color she should be.)

Our two snowbirds showed up last Tuesday. They had wintered in St. George, Utah. They play banjo's and love country western music.

I think my wife is taking advantage of me. Just because I did not have a run the first part of the week I have been assigned the tasks of washing clothes, carrying things downstairs, cleaning toilets, going to the post office and many other wifely tasks. What does she do? Gets up, gives me a cold breakfast and goes to work where she plays all day with little children. Yep, I am being taken advantage of. I haven't even been able to squeeze in a fishing trip or even get my gear ready. When the hour of her return is near I start to tremble and shake if I have not finished my chores 'cause she beats me for being lazy, or worse, she deprives me of my supper. I live an abused life, I just hide it well. I cannot even have my girlfriend come over to visit 'cause my spouse has spies throughout the neighborhood that watch our house almost 24 hours a day.

Did I mention that I have a LOT of Irish blood in me and sometimes the blarney comes out.

Time for my morning nap so will close. Hope everyone is well and happy.

Have a nice day everyone.

There is no reason for this picture other than I like it. I thought it was very special.

My run got canceled today due to bad weather so I had a chance to visit other blogs and finish a book I have been reading. It is called "The Eye of the World" by Robert Jordan. At first I didn't think I would continue reading because it started out kind of slow for me but the plot picked up as well as the action. This book has a lot of similarities to the Lord of the Ring series. Instead of a ring being the focal point it is three young men. Of course they encounter many kinds of beings, dangers and strange people in their travels to the eye of the world. Once again the world is in mortal danger from the "dark side" and they have to prevent it from being destroyed.

What I had a hard time with was the names of people and places. These names must be from old Celtic or Welsh times and I could not even begin to pronounce them. I must not forget the evil warriors that were much like those in Lord of the Rings. These are called Trollocs and seemingly undestroyable. There is a Dark Lord who has fire coming out his eyes and mouth and is a really nasty sort of individual.

There is no cussing, no sexual encounters, just good old fiction action. I liked it.

I also finished reading "The Golden Compass". Again the names and some of the words were hard for a poor uneducated person like me to read. I read this book mainly because there are so many religious groups who were opposing it and I wanted to know why so I could guide my grandchildren. I didn't find anymore wrong with this book than I did with the Harry Potter series... and I liked Harry Potter.

Now if I speak about authors that I really like then Louis L'Amour is right there amongst the top 5 or so. I love western reading. The hero, the heroine (sp), the bad guy, the horses, the guns, the whiskey, the fights, the romance. Oh John Wayne where are you when we need you? I always loved the part where the hero mounts his horse, tips his hat to the beautiful young woman and rides off into the sunset. "No, no", she cries but he keeps going and then pauses on the crest of the hill. (There is always a crest of the hill) "I'm sorry my dear, but my horse needs me more." And he rides away. Sighhhhhhhhhhh, what a man.

I also finished reading "The Teachings of Joseph Smith". Now whether you like the man and his organization or not he truly suffered a great deal at the hands of mobsters. I don't think I would have the stamina to withstand what he went through. It would crush me to have friends turn against me, family turn against me and the world thinking I am a bad person.

Okay enough with the book reviews.

Here in this area we have an unusual number of hawks that fly through each spring and fall. I have seen so many hawks lately and each one is fascinating. I even got to see a falcon chasing a bird and that was poetry in motion. While waiting in Boise one day two geese came in for a landing and performed it so smoothly that any pilot would be jealous. Beautiful to watch.

The *&^%$#@!!! deer are down from the mountains and they are an ever threat on the highways. If I seen one I know I seen a thousand the other day.

Guess that is about all for today. Remember when I first started blogging I said I was boring. Wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll, now you have proof.

Have a nice day everyone.

Ah, tis one of the best days of the year... the wearin of the green. Actually I think it is a day set aside for all Irishmen and Irishwomen to have an excuse to drink and frolic. Hmmmm, if only I drank and frolic'd. Now listen Foam, my friend, I was speaking about cabbage and beer being a deadly concoction mainly from listening to others speak of it. Well, maybe in another life I might have imbibed a touch but not anymore.

My goodness after reading the comments on my last blog maybe I should try corn beef and cabbage. LOWA I do like sauerkraut and cold slaw but that is the extent of my cabbage eating.

Since this is St. Patrick's day and I KNOW all of you are wearing green today, I will post some more pictures.

Now who can resist a lovely Irish lass with her fiddle and green hat? All of you must have a little Irish blood because I feel you are pretty too. Cheryl is all dressed in green and I CERTAINLY am although I would not want a picture taken of me. I have black pants with bright green shamrocks all over them and the word "Guiness" filling in the blank spots. My shirt is green striped. Bring on the fun.

Now for the life of me I cannot figure out why a green frog with a green hat. Cheryl likes to collect frogs... says they remind her of me. Hmmmm. Now one more picture that is more a self portrait than anything else.

Yep, that is me at my best, green eyes and all. (Just kidding of course)
What kind of blogger would I be if I did not talk about St. Patrick's day today? I have mentioned it before and I will mention it again... I am proud of my Irish heritage. They worked hard, played hard, and laughed hard. They loved music and so do I. My favorite song is, "I Just Don't Look Good Naked Anymore". (Thank you Alice)

Another hard week coming up. Another trip to Boise. I am beginning to know every bump on the road from here to there. Saturday we had a vicious snow squall come through that left about 10 inches of snow in a very short space, caused all kinds of accidents, left the roads icy as all get out for a while, and almost blew my bus into an 18 wheeler. I was really fighting the wind for a while. However the group of youngsters were an exceptionally good group and we had a lot of fun.

Saturday was Cheryl's birthday. Unfortunately I was not here to celebrate it with her but our two daughters got with her and they had a fun day; probably more fun than if Dad had been there. I gave her a couple of pins to wear. One was a Red Hat pin and the other was a frog under an umbrella. (She said she liked it.)

Last night the moon had a very large ring around it. If memory serves me correctly it means stormy weather is coming for about a week or longer. As I read the weather forecast this morning it seemed to bear out my convictions. I do know a small ring around the moon means it is going to be cold.

Okay, enough of my intellect. Remember Easter is coming next Sunday and while it is a commemoration of our Savior please don't forget to say, "I love you" to your loved ones.

Hope everyone is well and happy and don't forget that the most important thing to do today is... KISS AN IRISHMAN!!!

Have a nice day everyone.

I will try and sneak a post in today. The school has had me running hard and the only reason I have a few minutes today is because I don't leave until 4:00 pm.
Someone sent me this picture of a Canadian bicycle and I just had to post it. I have often wondered what made them different but now I am starting to see the proof.



I know most of you have seen this picture but I still find it funny. There have been times that Cheryl has wanted to put me up for sale but she didn't have enough money to pay someone to take me.

I don't care how you present this type of food to me I still don't like it. Cheryl claims I must not be a true Irishman because I don't like cornbeef and cabbage. You doggone right I don't like it. The only thing cabbage is good for is to cause a flatulence problem. Add some beer and you have the makings of a dangerous, dangerous, DANGEROUS situation.

Got to go. Have a nice day everyone.

This label had to be designed by a man. Way to go fella!! Should receive a prize for this.



This is a picture my friend LOWA should show her husband so she can get her own motorcycle. I don't know if any of the rest of you ride but you might consider this. I can just see Merle and Jen on this. Two free spirits.

This is my pal Foams travel car. She took this to Mississippi. Sigh... you got to give that girl credit for southern thinking and German ingenuity..:)












Not much to say this day so thought I would post these thought provoking pictures.

Be safe, be careful, and have a nice day everyone.

This is a picture I took some time ago with my new camera. I call it a cyclops dragonfly. I don't know if it would be good enough to enter in a Wordless Wednesday blog or not What do you guys think.

Just piddling around for a few minutes waiting to leave for a funeral of a good friend. She was an independent spirit who truly hated to have anyone help her, even when her health was failing. She will be missed. She and I had an interesting relationship in that I could say things to her that she would not take offense to yet if anyone else said the same thing she would blow up.

I lay in bed last night thinking how time changes people. When we were first married, and for several years after that, we would snuggle up to each other, kiss, fondle, and do the thing that married couples do at that age. Often the words would be spoken, "Ohhhhhh, that feels so good."

Now we lay there with our backs to one another, just enjoying the body warmth on our backs and still the words are the same. "Ohhhhhh, that feels so good." Young people, and some old ones, life changes as you get older and more brittle. The simple pleasures you enjoy at an older age are just as intimate but accomplished in a different manner.:)

Have been researching Merle and Jen's blogs for appropriate material to include in a religious lesson tomorrow at church. Those gals crack me up. Jen just told me that they have a law in Australia where cats are not allowed outside after 6:00 pm. Mercy, if they have laws like that for cats I wonder what the laws are like for children? In our town we have a 10:00 pm curfew for children but nothing for cats. I think I will bring that up to my council member next time I see him.

Time to go.

Be safe, be careful and have a nice day.

This is soooooo me. Sometimes I have to get after myself for not acting my age.

Cheryl is feeling better this morning. She was picking on me big time before she left for work. She also left an endless list of chores to do. It is plain to see that I am going to have to have an attitude adjustment with that woman.

By the way... welcome Gledwood and Angel to my blog and I hope you return often.

I think it was Jeanette who said she would like a siamese cat. Me too. Gledwood, those Australian women show up in the darndest places and the jokes they tell... whooooeeeee. Jen likes to pick on us poor Irishman though. Actually I am an American through and through but both of my grandparents were from Ireland, except one who was Welsh, and so I have quite a bit of Irish blood flowing in these veins. I am proud of my Irish heritage but in all honesty being an American is #1 with being an Idahoan #2. Just think of how terrible it would have been to be a Canadian. (Just kidding guys) I would have to like hockey, fishing, the Queen, and cowgirls. Three out of four ain't bad.

Angel you have come quite a ways from where you were born to where you live. Do you miss your homeland much? Sounds like you have a great attitude toward your husband and that is the way it should be. Even after all these years I would hate to think of life without my Cheryl.

I now have three big fat doves that are eating at the bird table outside. They are fun to watch and I was told that they are a type of South American dove that is not found in the US that much.

Last night I could have used a shotgun. Two cats decided to duke it out right underneath our bedroom window. Talk about a noise.

Well my sweethearts birthday is in the month of March and I am already planning a big dinner at the local truck stop. Maybe I will splurge and take her across the street to Taco Heaven or whatever the name is. Never, ever accuse an Irishman of not having romance in his blood.

Got to close and get some of these chores done. I am taking the brainiac's on a trip today to a competition. It is fun to watch these sort of things although I have not a clue as to what some of the questions they are asked mean.

Be safe, be happy and have a nice day everyone.

This is just how I feel. I met a Japanese man one time (his wife was Dutch) who said to me, "I don't drink, I don't smoke but by golly I am going to eat." and eat he did. I really enjoyed that couple and wonder what ever become of them.

Well the state wrestling tournament is over, the young men are back to school and the poor bus driver is still trying to regain his lost sleep. I have a serious problem when I take athletic teams anywhere... I like to watch the contests. Saturday I put in about 18 hours by the time they finished and I got them back home. To top it all off I hit a deer just outside of Preston. Not much I could do about it because it came at full speed out of nowhere. I can shoot animals and it doesn't bother me too much but to run over them, even a little mouse, I get a sickening feeling.

Strange weather the Canadians are sending us. Snow, rain, snow, sunshine, rain then snow again. It is like they cannot make up their minds as to how to punish us here in the US.

We are once again petless. (I know it is not a word.) Our new cat had attacked Cheryl and put a nice gash across her face which she will have a scar now and then it attacked me and scratched me fairly good on the hand. It only attacked when it did not like something we were doing with it but still it made us worry what would happen if the grandkids were here. Plus Cheryl and I have had serious allergies since it arrived... so anyhow it is now gone. I think if I get another cat it will be a Siamese kitten that I can raise and train right from the start. At least they don't shed like the others do, or so I am told.

I went to an Applebee's for the first time while I was on the trip. I really liked it. I had a bourbon street steak that was just delicious. I think I like Cajun cooking. Of course any restaurant is only as good as it's cook.

Did I tell you, Pam, that after you posted the picture of a downy woodpecker we had one in our tree. I wouldn't have known what it was if you hadn't have posted your picture. Thank you. We are going to purchase a book on birds of north America so we can identify them easier.

Good to have Foam back... no, I don't know why, but it is good. Foam is a good person... it is just that there are only two kinds of good in this world; no good and good for nothing. Bwah ha ha ha.
I love you Foam.:)

I know of others who read my blog but never make a comment so I will say "hi" to those "OLD " grannies down in Bakersfield, CA. Cheryl has been under the weather for a bit but she is doing much better now.

Sarah, I hope you read this, I would love to attend but I am not much at preparing something of that nature. If you knew my history you would find that reunions are not my strong point.

Well, who haven't I picked on. Got a fairly easy week this week so should be able to blog a little more often.

Be safe, be careful and have a nice day everyone.

This is my son in law, Robin, who is quite a character. As you can tell his kids think quite highly of him as well. That blonde one in the front is quite the character, heck, they are all characters.

I don't know why, but I was thinking about death and the many different ways it affects all of us. It is hard to lose the companionship of a loved one or a dear friend. They leave a void in our lives that is hard to fill if it really can be filled. Yet, all of us will have to deal with this emotion at one time or another. What does death mean? Is that it? Is there no more to look forward to?

If you are a believer in religion then the answer is YES, there is more to it than what we might know. If that is true then we all need to find out just what is going to happen and prepare for the next phase of life. I am not going to sit here and preach to anyone but it is important for personal relief to know some of the answers for questions that confront us. Me, personally, well I believe in Christ and His teachings. If I am mislead then I am in for a great surprise. I just cannot imagine enjoying my wife and family so much during this life to never see them again or be with them again when I die. Okay, enough on this subject.

Got another long week ahead of me. Taking the wrestling team to Boise, ID for the state tournament. Should be fun but tiring.

Oh, for those who might be wondering what I did do for Cheryl on Valentine Day I took her to the local truck stop for supper. Now if that is not romantic I don't know what is. She had a country fried steak with eggs and hash browns. I did not spare the dollars on this evening and topped it off with a piece of lemon pie. I am so pleased with myself. She is soooooo lucky to have married a romantic like me. When we finished we came home and watched TV.

I am always picking on poor Hillary but she does things that really bug me. First there was the crying act. Then there was the firing of her campaign manager and now it is the dirt slinging and accusations. Is that the kind of President she is going to be? When the going gets tough is she going to start crying? Is she going to start firing everyone because things did not turn out the way she thought they should? Will she start slamming other world leaders and calling them liars and thieves which should do wonders for the American image that is already torn to shreds.

Shut up Tim. This is not a political broadcast.

Due the the cold and snow we started putting out bird feed for the little ones. At first there were only about two or three that would come and eat. Now there are about 20 to 30 regulars with more in the trees. I even saw a downy woodpecker and was able to identify it due to Pam's posting of a picture on her web site. Kinda neat. We are noticing a few Robins lately which means spring is definitely on its way. When I see my first Killdeer then I will know it is here.

Of course we feed the squirrels also. Bunch of little pigs. At first we only had two that came everyday but now we have up to 8 or 9 that know when food is being served. Our cat just sits in front of the sliding glass door and never blinks his eyes. I think one of the squirrels stuck its tongue out at him the other day.

If I don't get to your blogs and make comments on them please forgive me. I do read them but sometimes I just don't have the time (or the ambition) to make comments. I do enjoy each and everyone of them.

Guess I will close for today. Got to leave at 8:00 am tomorrow and don't know when I will be back so this will be it for this week. Have a great week and be safe.

Have a nice day everyone.

Don't laugh too hard. All of us reach this age some day.

This will probably be my only post this week although one never knows what is going to happen. I do know I will be gone on an overnighter with the wrestling team but other than that I am not sure what I am doing. Took the cheerleaders and dance team to a competition last Saturday. I am always amazed at the level of competition and how good some of those kids are. I really enjoyed watching.

Last week we had some SERIOUS snow and wind storms. Roads were closed, schools were closed and, of course, accidents everywhere. I worry so much about Cheryl when she is out in those conditions but she seems to handle herself very well. Must be the training she received from her husband. Some of the schools were still involved in basketball tournaments and even though they were told it might be best to cancel they did not. The results... they spent time waiting in one of the schools and a local church for the roads to open. Some of our own kids did not get home until after 6-7 pm and then the only way was to have a snowplow go in front of the bus. It was very interesting.

Having snow days reminded me of when I was a kid. We used to have some jim dandy blizzards in Teton Valley where I lived. When we had a snow day I liked to strap on some skis or snowshoes and head for the canyon a couple of miles away. It might be raging out on the flats but the canyon was always so peaceful and quiet. One has to experience it to know what I am talking about when I say it is peaceful to snowshoe in virgin snow, listen to a bubbling brook and hear the wind blowing in the top of the trees. It is so relaxing.

Some days we would pop popcorn (the old way), read books, listen to "good" music and play games like Rook, or Old Maid. My sisters always cheated cause no one is that good. I would lie in front of the heat vent and sleep. Yep, those were the good days. When I had my ham radio I would spend time in my room just blabbing to everyone and anyone I could reach.

In our valley all the farming areas where certain families had settled had a name. Ours was called Darby, then there was Cedron, Chapin, Victor, Bates, Clawson, Felt, and Cache to name a few. If we met someone new and they said they were from Darby, for instance, everyone would know instantly where they lived.

Our valley used to be known mainly as Pierre's Hole because of the white man and Indian trading that would go on in it. It was known for outlaws, Indian wars and many other kinds of stuff. Now it is nothing but homes, homes, and more homes with the land posted for no trespassing. I don't go there any more because it just isn't home to me now. I go up the Darby canyon where I spent so much time as a kid and all I see are people, people and more people. It is called progress I guess. An area where the Crow and Blackfoot Indians had a major battle used to be littered with arrowheads and etc but now... homes and people.

That darned Cheryl came home with a cat the other day. After Gus died we swore we would have no more pets. She must have been absent on the day we had that conversation. We named the new cat Felix. We are noticing that where ever he came from he never learned to play. He is very protective of his food but I can live with that cause I am protective of my food as well. Almost had to give Cheryl a clout to the ear this morning cause she stole a piece of my bacon. YOU JUST DON'T STEAL A MAN'S BACON!!!

Pam and Foam I can just see you guys reading about blowing raspberries and setting there trying it to see how you do it. You had me a giggling there for a few minutes. I'm just glad I didn't mention the flatulence problem Cheryl has and the conversations we have over that. No, you don't need to try it and give me an example.:)

I guess this is it for today. I have laundry to do, wood to bring in and the list goes on. It is hard being married to a bossy woman. She even had to gall to tell me, no that was ordered me, to purchase a couple of new white shirts since mine are about 8 years old. Now if that is not bossy then I don't know what is.

Almost Valentine's day and I don't know what to get my sweetheart. Cheryl will get what I give her but my sweetheart gets something special. I guess I will give her a good dose of me. That would brighten anyone's day, right? Right!!

Hey Merle and Jeanette do you guys celebrate Valentine day in Australia?

By the way I think I have two OLD Grannies in California who read my blog, (Kay and Darla). If you do then you folks have a happy Valentine day also.

Have a nice day everyone.

Why this picture? Because Cheryl calls me her "Bear" and thought the picture appropriate.

Just got a few minutes this "am" before setting out again so thought I would mention a conversation between Cheryl and I last night. I am sure many people have similar conversations about things that make no sense what so ever.

Cheryl, of course, was teasing me and I blew her a raspberry. I do this when I can not think of anything wise or humorous to say. The conversation:

Tim: Did you know that when you blow a raspberry your upper lip vibrates?

Cheryl: (After trying her own raspberry), My upper lip doesn't vibrate, it is my lower lip.

Tim: Well dislexic people do things backwards. (Blows another raspberry), nope it is the upper lip.

Cheryl: If you say so but mine is still the lower lip.

And the conversation continues with juicy raspberries being blown at full steam.

Another conversation we had.

Tim: Did you know I can suck my upper lip up my nose?

Cheryl: Well why would I want to know that?

Tim: You're just jealous because you can't do it.

Cheryl: I can to. (Makes many feeble attempts to suck her lip up her nose... can't do it)

Enter our daughter Kim into the conversation.

Kim: You guys are weird. Look Mom I can suck my lip up my nose.

We all stand around doing strange things with our lips and noses.

Another conversation between Cheryl and I.

Tim: Did you know that if you take a worm and turn him inside out, then a robin comes along and eats that worm, the worm will actually think he is eating the robin.

Cheryl: Why would I want to know this? Why not turn the robin inside out?

Tim: You crazy old woman you don't get the big picture here.

Cheryl: Guess what? I don't really care either.

Now I am telling you we have very interesting conversations in our home. Do any of you readers have interesting conversations in your homes?

I smell bacon cooking so this must end. Hope your day has been brightened and you are safe and happy. Some of you had better be taking your med's and don't pull that headache stuff on your poor spouse.

Have a nice day everyone.

This is Clem and Hagatha's wedding cake.


Poor old Clem. You would have thought that he learned something from his wedding cake.

This will be my one and only post this week. I am back to work and my schedule has me running very hard for the entire week. Lucky everyone who reads this stuff.

Mercy, we have been getting the snow the past few days. I swear it put a foot down yesterday and is still snowing lightly. The mountains look so beautiful with all that white.

Today is a day of mourning for me. The Patriots lost yesterday. No, the Patriots got the snot kicked out of them. It was so evident who was fired up and who was not. Oh well.

I just cannot think of any wise and humorous things to say so will close and see all of you next week.

Have a nice day everyone. Oh, thank you for all the nice comments on Cheryl and my pictures. The stories I could tell on that wife of mine.:)

Yep, this was Cheryl when we were first married. One hot Mama.


Yep, this was me when I was about 24 years old.

Since I don't have much to say I will just let you enjoy:):)

Have a nice day everyone.