Two Sunday's ago we had a guest minister
(Rev. Wayne Olson). The subject of his
sermon was "How to Get Out of a Rut". I
think we all, at times, feel like our life
has gotten into a rut and we are at a loss on
how to change it. I wrote down the things he
suggested and I would like to pass them on to
you with the hope they will guide you if you
need help.
" Assume responsibility for your life
" Believe you can change
" Make friends with your regrets (what a
novel concept!)
" Clarify what you really need
" Stop worrying about what others say
" Stop waiting for ideal circumstances
" Do something bold and dramatic, refuse
to procrastinate
" Do it now
I have promised myself that I will store
these points somewhere in the dusty bins of
my brain and use them whenever I get that
"rut" feeling. As our minister pointed out,
you are in a rut when you can take your hands
off the wheel of your life and it travels,
unassisted, down life's highway.
When my boat capsized last month I lost my
cellphone (it doesn't like water) and my
wallet (same reason). My wallet needed
replacing anyway. It's pretty bad when you
pull your wallet out to extract a credit
card, or money, and it has staples placed in
strategic places to hold something together.
For some reason I am reluctant to replace my
wallet. Maybe, it's because over the years
it has shaped itself to fit snugly to my hip,
or, it has become soft and pliant. For
whatever reason, I normally keep the thing
until I am ashamed to pull it out of my
pocket.
One of the very nice attributes Jerilyn has
is whenever you tell her you need to do
something she helps wholeheartedly. I told
her I needed to replace my wallet and it
immediately went to the top of her ToDo list,
so off we went searching for wallets (at the
best price of course). I must have looked
at a two dozen wallets. After awhile I
became confused and had no idea what I had
looked at previously and which ones I
preferred. Unwilling to let Jerilyn see my
confusion, I decided to pick one at the very
next rack we encountered. I am now the proud
owner of a new black wallet that is a mite
too big for me to extract easily from my
pocket. I have to become part contortionist
to get that darn thing out of my pants. I
keep thinking that it will get smaller as
time goes by, but I'm quite sure that is not
true.
My cellphone (the Krave that got wet when I
went for a swim) had to be replaced since it
failed to respond to my efforts to get it up
and running. I called Verizon to see how
much it would cost to replace it
($240-normally $300). I looked on Craig's
List and found several in the area, with
prices ranging from $125 - $200. I finally
bought one from a local resident for $80. It
works fine and I am very pleased with it. I
guess the point here is, if you want to buy
something for 1/3 retail and are determined,
you can do so. I have had a few
disappointments using this technique, but a
good buy will easily wipe out any previous
loss (or doubt). This is not for the faint
of heart.
I recently decided that my old 1996 Dodge Ram
needed a new paint job. Paint had started to
flake off in various places and it had begun
to look a little tattered and worn (sorta
like me). Being two-toned (white/gray), I
knew, would cost more. Freddy's (a local
paint shop about a mile from the house)
wanted $2500 (ouch!). I could not bring
myself to put $2500 into a paint job for a
$4000 truck. What to do? I called our local
Earl Schieb franchise and took our truck in
for an estimate. Earl says, "I can paint
your truck for………$725!). I really tried to
keep that big smile off my face (you know,
like they do in poker). That sparkling,
beautiful, truck is setting in our driveway
and I smile every time I walk by it. Hey,
pretty things make me happy.
As I looked back over this missive, trying to
detect misspelled words and grammatical
errors (which I am not very good at doing), I
noticed that several of my musings were about
the price of something. That got me to
wondering if, maybe, what I paid for
something was being given to much importance.
I know that when I was young that was very
important to dad. He always got delight from
buying something at a ridiculously low price.
It could be that each time I buy something on
the cheap I'm saying "Hey Dad, whatta you
think of that price?". Of course, I'm
probably not saying anything to him when the
purchase turns out to be a dud.
I ran across this in an article and wanted to
pass it on to you: "Large-scale studies have
shown that changing lifestyle could prevent
at least 90-95% of all heart disease. Thus,
the disease that accounts for more premature
deaths and costs Americans more than any
other illness is almost completely
preventable, and even reversible, simply by
changing lifestyle. What we eat, how we
respond to stress, whether or not we smoke
cigarettes, how much exercise we get, and the
quality of our relationships and social
support may be as powerful as drugs and
surgery in treating (not just preventing)
many chronic diseases.". I certainly was
unaware of this fact. Guess I need to push
harder to lose more weight. Jerilyn says I'm
losing brain cells because I'm not getting
enough sleep (at least 7 hours per night she
says). If I lose more weight, I guess I'll
just be an old fool
Monday, August 17, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
07-09-09
Well, I finally decided to replace my PC. It is 10 years old and was last upgraded in 2005. The new one is the fastest one available now (big smile J). I have no doubt it will be dislodged from that lofty perch within a few months. I could give you a list of all the bells & whistles, but I will spare you the gristly details. Isn’t it odd, how what makes one person giddy with glee bores someone else to tears. I just got tired of getting up in the morning and having the darn thing take 10-12 minutes to boot up. I suspect it was because of all the things I have it doing during that time, but I’m hoping the new one can process all that stuff much faster. I want to boot-up in 2-3 minutes. Jerilyn asked me how much it cost and when I told her I expected to see a shocked look on her face. Much to my surprise it didn’t seem to give her heartburn. I think it’s because she knows how important this is to me. Isn’t it odd when something others hate can make someone else so happy?
I was thinking the other day about “best friends” and I wondered how many best friends can you have? You would think that you could only have one “best friend”. That it would be singular, not plural. But, I’m not so sure that is true. I think I have many best friends. What qualifies one as a best friend? I believe the first requirement is frequent contact. The next would be that you have to enjoy the contact and the third would be that you share with that person things you don’t share with everyone else. Those three things, though simplistic, are the things I see in my “best friends”. I also have “dear friends”. Mostly, dear friends are the ones that I have less contact with, but, nevertheless, I enjoy their company. “Gear friends” are the people I see infrequently, but, enjoy being around. Of course, family has its own set of rules. Mostly, you put relatives in the “Best Friend” slot whether they deserve it or not. I have a few relatives that, probably, should be in the “good friends” category, but, I refuse to put them there. Reminds me of an old saying, “God chooses your relatives, you choose your friends”.
It has been a struggle, but, I finally completed our amended state & federal tax forms. We received some late information this month that had a big impact on our return. This is the first time I have ever filed an amended return and it wasn’t easily accomplished. I hope someone in Washington, D.C. decides to do something about the complexity of our taxing system. Sometimes, I think it would be better to hire someone to do it. This quote comes to mind, "Taxes are what we pay for civilized society."…..Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Well, Jerilyn and I are back from a 10 day vacation. We visited family and friends in southwest Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee & North Carolina. During that trip I attended my 50th high school class reunion. It always great to gather with these fine people and reminisce about our high school days and talk about what’s happening in our lives. At our class reunion eleven of my classmates and I, along with our spouse, visited my high school buddy’s home. My best guess is that he is worth about $2 billion. He told me that he recently sold his coal mining business for $1.2 billion. This was my first, and probably only, opportunity to see how the uber-wealthy live. I was told his home was 48,000 square feet and adjoins his golf course. His driveway was ½ mile long and as we drove along I began to feel as if I was driving our car on a golf course. After a good visit with him and his gracious wife and dinner at their clubhouse, we left around 11:00 pm with me feeling that I could never be entirely happy again . I have often heard that money can’t make you happy. Let me tell ya, that couple looked mighty happy to me. Don’t get me wrong, I know I live a good life, but Jimmy’s life has to be outstanding. Envy is a terrible thing!
As I set her on this beautiful Thursday morning writing this missive I am thinking of the wonderful time I spent with relatives on our recent trip. We visited with two of my aunts (Helen & Beulah) who just recently turned 85 & 80 respectfully. As we sat together and thumbed thru old photos of years gone by, memories long filed away in some dusty part of my mind, came cascading back. We visited with one of my high school teachers (Grace) who will turn 100 in December. We also had a good visit with my cousins (Harold & wife Willis and Jesse & wife Kathy), and my granddaughters in Tennessee. We also visited our dear friends Dick & Mille who just recently moved from their home here in Virginia to a retirement home in Tennessee. It was such a delight to see them again. There are so many people in my life that contribute to my happiness that I find it hard to imagine what those that lack this network do to make life enjoyable. Unfortunately, I do know people like that and they seem to wonder thru life aimlessly. I always include those unfortunate souls in my prayers.
Jerilyn and I have just concluded watching her youngest grandson (Brandon, 14) play on his baseball allstar team. They lost last night in the championship game 4-0, but he played wonderfully during the tourney and seemed to have a good time. The nights we spent at the ball field took us away from our nightly routine of watching TV as we eat our dinner (8pm) and put us in a place where people cheer wildly, criticize without remorse and eat like there is no tomorrow. My adopted sister, Mary, is president of the Phoebus Little League and she made us feel so welcome. The food from the concession stand was great, the nights were cool and the quality of the games were excellent. I strongly recommend an evening of baseball if it is available in your area.
I was thinking the other day about “best friends” and I wondered how many best friends can you have? You would think that you could only have one “best friend”. That it would be singular, not plural. But, I’m not so sure that is true. I think I have many best friends. What qualifies one as a best friend? I believe the first requirement is frequent contact. The next would be that you have to enjoy the contact and the third would be that you share with that person things you don’t share with everyone else. Those three things, though simplistic, are the things I see in my “best friends”. I also have “dear friends”. Mostly, dear friends are the ones that I have less contact with, but, nevertheless, I enjoy their company. “Gear friends” are the people I see infrequently, but, enjoy being around. Of course, family has its own set of rules. Mostly, you put relatives in the “Best Friend” slot whether they deserve it or not. I have a few relatives that, probably, should be in the “good friends” category, but, I refuse to put them there. Reminds me of an old saying, “God chooses your relatives, you choose your friends”.
It has been a struggle, but, I finally completed our amended state & federal tax forms. We received some late information this month that had a big impact on our return. This is the first time I have ever filed an amended return and it wasn’t easily accomplished. I hope someone in Washington, D.C. decides to do something about the complexity of our taxing system. Sometimes, I think it would be better to hire someone to do it. This quote comes to mind, "Taxes are what we pay for civilized society."…..Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Well, Jerilyn and I are back from a 10 day vacation. We visited family and friends in southwest Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee & North Carolina. During that trip I attended my 50th high school class reunion. It always great to gather with these fine people and reminisce about our high school days and talk about what’s happening in our lives. At our class reunion eleven of my classmates and I, along with our spouse, visited my high school buddy’s home. My best guess is that he is worth about $2 billion. He told me that he recently sold his coal mining business for $1.2 billion. This was my first, and probably only, opportunity to see how the uber-wealthy live. I was told his home was 48,000 square feet and adjoins his golf course. His driveway was ½ mile long and as we drove along I began to feel as if I was driving our car on a golf course. After a good visit with him and his gracious wife and dinner at their clubhouse, we left around 11:00 pm with me feeling that I could never be entirely happy again . I have often heard that money can’t make you happy. Let me tell ya, that couple looked mighty happy to me. Don’t get me wrong, I know I live a good life, but Jimmy’s life has to be outstanding. Envy is a terrible thing!
As I set her on this beautiful Thursday morning writing this missive I am thinking of the wonderful time I spent with relatives on our recent trip. We visited with two of my aunts (Helen & Beulah) who just recently turned 85 & 80 respectfully. As we sat together and thumbed thru old photos of years gone by, memories long filed away in some dusty part of my mind, came cascading back. We visited with one of my high school teachers (Grace) who will turn 100 in December. We also had a good visit with my cousins (Harold & wife Willis and Jesse & wife Kathy), and my granddaughters in Tennessee. We also visited our dear friends Dick & Mille who just recently moved from their home here in Virginia to a retirement home in Tennessee. It was such a delight to see them again. There are so many people in my life that contribute to my happiness that I find it hard to imagine what those that lack this network do to make life enjoyable. Unfortunately, I do know people like that and they seem to wonder thru life aimlessly. I always include those unfortunate souls in my prayers.
Jerilyn and I have just concluded watching her youngest grandson (Brandon, 14) play on his baseball allstar team. They lost last night in the championship game 4-0, but he played wonderfully during the tourney and seemed to have a good time. The nights we spent at the ball field took us away from our nightly routine of watching TV as we eat our dinner (8pm) and put us in a place where people cheer wildly, criticize without remorse and eat like there is no tomorrow. My adopted sister, Mary, is president of the Phoebus Little League and she made us feel so welcome. The food from the concession stand was great, the nights were cool and the quality of the games were excellent. I strongly recommend an evening of baseball if it is available in your area.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
05-24-2009
On March 27th Jerilyn's brother, Wayne, passed away. He was 72
years old, suffered from juvenile diabetes and for the past 5
years and was on dialysis. Wayne was a good guy, a genius with
all things mechanical and could talk on almost any subject. A
conversation with him was entertaining and informative. I didn't
always agree with him, but I always enjoyed him. He was my "go
to guy" if I had problems with my lawn tractor (I bought it from
him). His niece, Rachel, gave a moving eulogy at his funeral.
You could easily sense how much those dear to him were going to
miss him. The world definitely needs more people like Wayne
Moger.
I just recently finished preparing and submitting my tax forms
and as luck would have it, I received a change from a firm we own
stock in that changes the way the dividends are reported. The
change is so significant (positively), that we will need to amend
our returns. Like you, I despise the paperwork required to file
tax returns. To my way of thinking, everyone that makes over
$30,000 per year pays 10% and voila it is done! The important
thing here is the politicians would not be allowed to tinker with
it. If they did, eventually, it would have so many exceptions we
would be back to where we are now. The other thing I would do is
require all of our different governments (federal,state,local) to
balance their budgets. They should only be allowed to borrow
money for emergencies and that would have to be approved by a
council of ordinary citizens (not politicians). I know all of
this sounds overly simplistic, but I have discovered that
"simple" can add value to plenty of things.
On June 12th & 13th Jerilyn and I will be attending my 50th high
school class reunion in my hometown. We have one every 5 years
and they are always enjoyable. With this visit I am able to look
at my classmates and discern how much I have aged. Every morning
I get up, wash my face, shave and look in the mirror as I comb my
hair, noticing the wrinkles that slowly spread, like swampland
from too much rain, all over my face. I read that if you smile
too much it will cause wrinkles (Sophia Loren). I must have had
a constant smile most of my life. On the bright side I get
discounts at all the stores without asking and I get called "sir"
a lot. People open doors for me often and inform me to be
careful when I have to step up or down something. My mother said
to me one time, several years before she passed away, "Tommy Joe,
how old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" . My
answer now probably would be 50, but I have to admit, these old
bones are showing their wear and tear.
I have been working on installing an outside light down by the
pier. This project has taken much longer than I anticipated. I
had to dig a trench 120 feet, past several trees and thru two
flower beds. The light is mounted 15 feet high on one of our
trees. Being one that doesn't like heights has proven to be a
real hindrance to this project. I have several friends that have
fallen off ladders and been severely injured, so this hasn't
helped me in my effort to overcome this fear. The need for the
light became necessary when our neighbors down the creek (Dick &
Millie) had their light go on the fritz and were unable to get
it working. Jerilyn depended on that light to be able to see
when it was raining at night. The unhappiness on her face was
not what I wanted to see, hence the need for the light.
Thankfully, the project is nearing the end. At least the hard
part is done (digging the trench and mounting the light).
Two of our dear friends (Dick & Millie) moved to North Carolina a
few weeks ago. We were sad to see them go. Both of them were
very active in our church (Tabernacle United Methodist) and
Millie sang in the choir. They moved into a retirement community
out there to be near their daughter. To do so, they needed to
downsize their belongings. I currently am the proud owner of
Dick's boat, his weather station, several winches, a pair of work
shoes and a real nifty hat. Every day I put his shoes on I
think of him. What a nice reminder of a dear friend.
A single friend of mine wrote me recently about being lonely. I
was able to commiserate with her, because, I too, experienced
that after my first wife and I separated. I have come to the
conclusion that life is like having all your friends and
relatives on a bus. That bus runs the same route constantly.
People you care for get off and never get back on. Loneliness
and sadness occur each time that happens. You try to replace
those dear people with the new passengers that get on. There
seems to be a need to have a certain occupancy level on that bus.
I believe we all need a network of friends to make our life
enjoyable. None of us want to ride the bus of life alone. At
some point our turn comes to step off that bus. I will judge my
life on how many of those remaining miss me.
years old, suffered from juvenile diabetes and for the past 5
years and was on dialysis. Wayne was a good guy, a genius with
all things mechanical and could talk on almost any subject. A
conversation with him was entertaining and informative. I didn't
always agree with him, but I always enjoyed him. He was my "go
to guy" if I had problems with my lawn tractor (I bought it from
him). His niece, Rachel, gave a moving eulogy at his funeral.
You could easily sense how much those dear to him were going to
miss him. The world definitely needs more people like Wayne
Moger.
I just recently finished preparing and submitting my tax forms
and as luck would have it, I received a change from a firm we own
stock in that changes the way the dividends are reported. The
change is so significant (positively), that we will need to amend
our returns. Like you, I despise the paperwork required to file
tax returns. To my way of thinking, everyone that makes over
$30,000 per year pays 10% and voila it is done! The important
thing here is the politicians would not be allowed to tinker with
it. If they did, eventually, it would have so many exceptions we
would be back to where we are now. The other thing I would do is
require all of our different governments (federal,state,local) to
balance their budgets. They should only be allowed to borrow
money for emergencies and that would have to be approved by a
council of ordinary citizens (not politicians). I know all of
this sounds overly simplistic, but I have discovered that
"simple" can add value to plenty of things.
On June 12th & 13th Jerilyn and I will be attending my 50th high
school class reunion in my hometown. We have one every 5 years
and they are always enjoyable. With this visit I am able to look
at my classmates and discern how much I have aged. Every morning
I get up, wash my face, shave and look in the mirror as I comb my
hair, noticing the wrinkles that slowly spread, like swampland
from too much rain, all over my face. I read that if you smile
too much it will cause wrinkles (Sophia Loren). I must have had
a constant smile most of my life. On the bright side I get
discounts at all the stores without asking and I get called "sir"
a lot. People open doors for me often and inform me to be
careful when I have to step up or down something. My mother said
to me one time, several years before she passed away, "Tommy Joe,
how old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" . My
answer now probably would be 50, but I have to admit, these old
bones are showing their wear and tear.
I have been working on installing an outside light down by the
pier. This project has taken much longer than I anticipated. I
had to dig a trench 120 feet, past several trees and thru two
flower beds. The light is mounted 15 feet high on one of our
trees. Being one that doesn't like heights has proven to be a
real hindrance to this project. I have several friends that have
fallen off ladders and been severely injured, so this hasn't
helped me in my effort to overcome this fear. The need for the
light became necessary when our neighbors down the creek (Dick &
Millie) had their light go on the fritz and were unable to get
it working. Jerilyn depended on that light to be able to see
when it was raining at night. The unhappiness on her face was
not what I wanted to see, hence the need for the light.
Thankfully, the project is nearing the end. At least the hard
part is done (digging the trench and mounting the light).
Two of our dear friends (Dick & Millie) moved to North Carolina a
few weeks ago. We were sad to see them go. Both of them were
very active in our church (Tabernacle United Methodist) and
Millie sang in the choir. They moved into a retirement community
out there to be near their daughter. To do so, they needed to
downsize their belongings. I currently am the proud owner of
Dick's boat, his weather station, several winches, a pair of work
shoes and a real nifty hat. Every day I put his shoes on I
think of him. What a nice reminder of a dear friend.
A single friend of mine wrote me recently about being lonely. I
was able to commiserate with her, because, I too, experienced
that after my first wife and I separated. I have come to the
conclusion that life is like having all your friends and
relatives on a bus. That bus runs the same route constantly.
People you care for get off and never get back on. Loneliness
and sadness occur each time that happens. You try to replace
those dear people with the new passengers that get on. There
seems to be a need to have a certain occupancy level on that bus.
I believe we all need a network of friends to make our life
enjoyable. None of us want to ride the bus of life alone. At
some point our turn comes to step off that bus. I will judge my
life on how many of those remaining miss me.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
02-01-2009
We just returned from a week in Las Vegas
with two close friends (Don/Louise). What a
wonderful time we had. I have to say that I didn't
expect to see that much glitz & glitter. Things
cost a lot out there, but if you look, you can
find reasonable prices. Most of the shows we
attended were reasonably priced, but then again,
we did not see any of the big name stars
(Midler,Deion,Jones,etc).This was the wrong time
of the year for them I guess, they all were out of
town. Besides, they cost at least $100 and we
were looking for tics in the $40-$50 range. Our
only excursion out of Vegas was to the Hoover Dam.
The dam was quite impressive and I could recite a
lot of facts about it that even I will forget in a
couple of weeks. The employees there love to play
with the word "Dam", Dam Guide, Dam food, Dam
steps, etc. At first it was amusing, but
somewhere along the line it became annoying.
Guess I should say I was glad to get out of the
dam place (I wasn't, I enjoyed the visit).
As we all know, vacations, normally, include a lot
of good eating and this vacation was no exception.
I was trimming down as we flew into Vegas and
fattening up when we flew out. I could tell by
the way the plane strained to get airborne. We
were told while there, the name Las Vegas means
"The Meadow" in Spanish. This place is in the
middle of the Mohave desert. There are no meadows
around. We were told that the town did not begin
to grow until the railroad came through and then
the Hoover Dam construction was started and 5,000
men were employed, camps were built for their
families and the town started to expand. After
the dam was completed, I imagine they had to come
up with a plan to keep people in the middle of the
desert, so they came up with the idea of legalized
gambling and prostitution. I guess that did the
trick. As you walk the sidewalks of Vegas, there
are lines of guys trying to hand you a business
card with half-naked women on them and phone
numbers to call. They do not care that you have
an attractive woman holding your arm, they will
shove that card in your face. They have vehicles
going up and down the streets with seductive women
on a billboard, begging you to call. I'm guessing
the term "Sin City" was coined for Vegas. The
biggest reason to go to Vegas? For me, it was to
see, perhaps, the glitziest city on earth.
My Vertigo seems to be getting better. The
weather has been cold here and I have been running
on our machine upstairs and lifting weights. Both
of us are anxious to get back to the Noland Trail.
Jerilyn is a little apprehensive because of her
previously broken foot (July). We are planning on
doing the trail this coming week. Meanwhile,
there are plenty of inside project for me to do.
Tax time is fast approaching and preparations are
underway for that dreaded task. I'm looking for a
better result than last year's. The meltdown of
the economy still has all of us worried. I must
say, I still do not understand the bailout of the
banks. I know that if our government was bankrupt
and went to the banks for a loan, they would say
"You don't qualify for a loan! You're broke".
Now, let me see, if the table is reversed, why do
they deserve a loan from us?
As most of you know, I spent 43 years working at
our local shipyard, mostly in finance, but toward
the end, in the computer operations area. During
the 80's & 90's, the shipyards attitude was that
they needed to balance their navy work with
commercial work, in other words, don't put all of
your eggs in one basket. Unfortunately, they were
unable to do that and are in the unenviable
position of being purely a defense contractor. If
you are a banker and most of your loans are to
unqualified borrowers, or, you make cars and all
of them get poor mileage, what happens to your
business when your primary customer faulters? I
gotta stop this, my head is starting to hurt!
Jerilyn & I read the Upper Room before turning in
at night. Last night's message was that we are
responsible for all of God's creatures. We have
four birdfeeders and two bird baths. I now know
why we have them. I currently have 7 people on my
prayer list. I wonder if The Lord ever tires of
hearing my pleas for them? He never says so,
but, he is a compassionate God, so I'm sure he
would never be rude. With close to 7 billion
people on this earth, have you ever wondered how
he handles all those request? The thought
overwhelms me.
with two close friends (Don/Louise). What a
wonderful time we had. I have to say that I didn't
expect to see that much glitz & glitter. Things
cost a lot out there, but if you look, you can
find reasonable prices. Most of the shows we
attended were reasonably priced, but then again,
we did not see any of the big name stars
(Midler,Deion,Jones,etc).
of the year for them I guess, they all were out of
town. Besides, they cost at least $100 and we
were looking for tics in the $40-$50 range. Our
only excursion out of Vegas was to the Hoover Dam.
The dam was quite impressive and I could recite a
lot of facts about it that even I will forget in a
couple of weeks. The employees there love to play
with the word "Dam", Dam Guide, Dam food, Dam
steps, etc. At first it was amusing, but
somewhere along the line it became annoying.
Guess I should say I was glad to get out of the
dam place (I wasn't, I enjoyed the visit).
As we all know, vacations, normally, include a lot
of good eating and this vacation was no exception.
I was trimming down as we flew into Vegas and
fattening up when we flew out. I could tell by
the way the plane strained to get airborne. We
were told while there, the name Las Vegas means
"The Meadow" in Spanish. This place is in the
middle of the Mohave desert. There are no meadows
around. We were told that the town did not begin
to grow until the railroad came through and then
the Hoover Dam construction was started and 5,000
men were employed, camps were built for their
families and the town started to expand. After
the dam was completed, I imagine they had to come
up with a plan to keep people in the middle of the
desert, so they came up with the idea of legalized
gambling and prostitution. I guess that did the
trick. As you walk the sidewalks of Vegas, there
are lines of guys trying to hand you a business
card with half-naked women on them and phone
numbers to call. They do not care that you have
an attractive woman holding your arm, they will
shove that card in your face. They have vehicles
going up and down the streets with seductive women
on a billboard, begging you to call. I'm guessing
the term "Sin City" was coined for Vegas. The
biggest reason to go to Vegas? For me, it was to
see, perhaps, the glitziest city on earth.
My Vertigo seems to be getting better. The
weather has been cold here and I have been running
on our machine upstairs and lifting weights. Both
of us are anxious to get back to the Noland Trail.
Jerilyn is a little apprehensive because of her
previously broken foot (July). We are planning on
doing the trail this coming week. Meanwhile,
there are plenty of inside project for me to do.
Tax time is fast approaching and preparations are
underway for that dreaded task. I'm looking for a
better result than last year's. The meltdown of
the economy still has all of us worried. I must
say, I still do not understand the bailout of the
banks. I know that if our government was bankrupt
and went to the banks for a loan, they would say
"You don't qualify for a loan! You're broke".
Now, let me see, if the table is reversed, why do
they deserve a loan from us?
As most of you know, I spent 43 years working at
our local shipyard, mostly in finance, but toward
the end, in the computer operations area. During
the 80's & 90's, the shipyards attitude was that
they needed to balance their navy work with
commercial work, in other words, don't put all of
your eggs in one basket. Unfortunately, they were
unable to do that and are in the unenviable
position of being purely a defense contractor. If
you are a banker and most of your loans are to
unqualified borrowers, or, you make cars and all
of them get poor mileage, what happens to your
business when your primary customer faulters? I
gotta stop this, my head is starting to hurt!
Jerilyn & I read the Upper Room before turning in
at night. Last night's message was that we are
responsible for all of God's creatures. We have
four birdfeeders and two bird baths. I now know
why we have them. I currently have 7 people on my
prayer list. I wonder if The Lord ever tires of
hearing my pleas for them? He never says so,
but, he is a compassionate God, so I'm sure he
would never be rude. With close to 7 billion
people on this earth, have you ever wondered how
he handles all those request? The thought
overwhelms me.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
01-19-2009
I recently read an article titled “America’s Coalition of The Ignorant”, which says, in part, that we have a profound ignorance of our nation’s history and institutions. It stated that the overall average was 49% and college educated citizens scored 57% on the correct answers to 33 questions on a test given by The American Civil Literacy Program. Being an inquisitive guy, and wondering how I stacked up against everyone else, I went to the website and took the test here (click on “Take the Quiz” at the bottom). I read a lot, so I expected that I would do quite well. Unfortunately, not as well as I assumed I would. The questions were a little tougher than anticipated and I misread one. Some were educated guesses, others, a little less so. I missed 8 for a 76% score. Not bad, but it definitely deflated my ego somewhat. I believe most of us (not you, silly), have an inflated estimation of how much we really know. I remember as a young 20 year old in the US Air Force I wanted to get into OCS (Officer Candidate School). I took a two part test that took nearly 6 hours to complete. The results came back in a couple of days and I passed one part, but failed the other. I was saddened by the news. That was my first experience in failing in a major undertaking. It made me more determined to succeed throughout the rest of my life and it served me well. Looking back from my current prospective, had I passed that test and became an Air Force officer, I would have made the service a career and my life would have changed dramatically. Probably, most of us can think of crossroads in our life.
As most of you know, my brother Jerry died on December 16th. It has been over a month now and I still miss him. It has been a year since my Uncle KD passed away and I still think of him most days, so I expect it to be the same for my brother. The biggest difference in losing the two of them is KD wanted to live and Jerry was ready to die. Neither of them seemed to be afraid of death. Somehow, I have always thought that death was something to fear. I know the Bible tells us that death is just a transition from one life to another, but I think most of us are reluctant to give up the known for the unknown. Something in me tells me that death, on some level, must hurt. There has to be a reason that we do not look forward to dying. You would think that at my age I would have all this figured out, but admittedly, I do not. Maybe, before the big transition occurs, I will.
Well, the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving and Christmas is over and things are returning to normal around here. Our winter has turned very cold, but as of yet, no snow. The weatherman keeps calling for it now and then, but it has not materialized. I put the snow plow on my lawn tractor (aka “Big Red”) a few months ago and it sets idly in the garage waiting for snow to happen. Jerilyn and I have not run our favorite trail in several months because of the cold. I have been running on the machine upstairs in the pool room and lifting weights. It isn’t nearly as much fun as running the trail around Lake Maury. I got on the scale in early January and was up to 212 lbs. Fortunately, I still have the will power to change when I need to and I am down to 207 with plans to hit 200 by early march. My 50th high school reunion is in June and my goal is to be at 192. Nothing motivates like vanity!
We leave for Las Vegas soon and will be gone for 5 days. We are not much on gambling, but have been told there is plenty of things to do. We intend to watch quite a few show, tour some of the surrounding areas and enjoy the company of our good friends Don & Louise. We have not informed Jerilyn’s mother (Gladys) yet, but that will happen pretty soon. We always dread that part. She gets so upset whenever we leave town. I guess, when you’re ninety years old and your primary care providers travel, you worry something will happen to them. Anyway, if you happen to hear a thunderous boom within the next week, you will know where it came from.
For the past few days I have been suffering from Vertigo (a feeling you are about to fall). It is caused by the inner ear and seems to happen to me during the winter months (Jan-Mar) when the humidity is low (25-40%). There are things I can do to temporarily correct it, but it will always come back if I position my head in a certain manner. Fortunately, I have not been incapacitated by this condition and it normally only last a few weeks and then goes away for a year. I do not expect it to interfere with the above mentioned trip to Vegas.
Jerilyn and I went with a friend yesterday (Saturday) who was in need of a new car. She knew exactly what she wanted, she only needed us for moral support and, perhaps, some advice. Five hours later she was on her way home with a shinny, new, silver Nissan Versa and a big smile all over her face. Funny, how buying a new car can change your attitude about life in general. A new car, somehow, makes you feel good about yourself. Like, hey, I’ve worked hard all my life, I deserve this luxury. After seeing a lot of your friends driving around in new vehicles, now it is your turn. Ain’t life great!
As most of you know, my brother Jerry died on December 16th. It has been over a month now and I still miss him. It has been a year since my Uncle KD passed away and I still think of him most days, so I expect it to be the same for my brother. The biggest difference in losing the two of them is KD wanted to live and Jerry was ready to die. Neither of them seemed to be afraid of death. Somehow, I have always thought that death was something to fear. I know the Bible tells us that death is just a transition from one life to another, but I think most of us are reluctant to give up the known for the unknown. Something in me tells me that death, on some level, must hurt. There has to be a reason that we do not look forward to dying. You would think that at my age I would have all this figured out, but admittedly, I do not. Maybe, before the big transition occurs, I will.
Well, the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving and Christmas is over and things are returning to normal around here. Our winter has turned very cold, but as of yet, no snow. The weatherman keeps calling for it now and then, but it has not materialized. I put the snow plow on my lawn tractor (aka “Big Red”) a few months ago and it sets idly in the garage waiting for snow to happen. Jerilyn and I have not run our favorite trail in several months because of the cold. I have been running on the machine upstairs in the pool room and lifting weights. It isn’t nearly as much fun as running the trail around Lake Maury. I got on the scale in early January and was up to 212 lbs. Fortunately, I still have the will power to change when I need to and I am down to 207 with plans to hit 200 by early march. My 50th high school reunion is in June and my goal is to be at 192. Nothing motivates like vanity!
We leave for Las Vegas soon and will be gone for 5 days. We are not much on gambling, but have been told there is plenty of things to do. We intend to watch quite a few show, tour some of the surrounding areas and enjoy the company of our good friends Don & Louise. We have not informed Jerilyn’s mother (Gladys) yet, but that will happen pretty soon. We always dread that part. She gets so upset whenever we leave town. I guess, when you’re ninety years old and your primary care providers travel, you worry something will happen to them. Anyway, if you happen to hear a thunderous boom within the next week, you will know where it came from.
For the past few days I have been suffering from Vertigo (a feeling you are about to fall). It is caused by the inner ear and seems to happen to me during the winter months (Jan-Mar) when the humidity is low (25-40%). There are things I can do to temporarily correct it, but it will always come back if I position my head in a certain manner. Fortunately, I have not been incapacitated by this condition and it normally only last a few weeks and then goes away for a year. I do not expect it to interfere with the above mentioned trip to Vegas.
Jerilyn and I went with a friend yesterday (Saturday) who was in need of a new car. She knew exactly what she wanted, she only needed us for moral support and, perhaps, some advice. Five hours later she was on her way home with a shinny, new, silver Nissan Versa and a big smile all over her face. Funny, how buying a new car can change your attitude about life in general. A new car, somehow, makes you feel good about yourself. Like, hey, I’ve worked hard all my life, I deserve this luxury. After seeing a lot of your friends driving around in new vehicles, now it is your turn. Ain’t life great!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
11-19-2008
I recently completed a project to remedy a space problem in my tool shed. I have a push lawnmower and a yard vacuum. The yard vacuum was acquired back last summer and is used to dispose of the many leaves that float down on our yard during the fall. Well, anyway, setting in my shed side by side took up a lot of my valuable floor space. With a little effort I was able to design a platform that would let one sit atop the other. Now I have enough space to accumulate a lot of other stuff. When I transition to the other side I will be looking down (hopefully) with pity for those poor souls responsible for sifting thru my collection of things I just had to have. My motto is “throw away nothin’ “, if I do, I will need it again within days.
The temp has dropped around here. The days are in the low to mid-forties and the nights drop down in the low-thirties, with a wind chill in the twenties. The birds have been hitting the feeders hard and all the animals in our backyard are using the bird bath for their water supply. Jerilyn noticed that our big bird feeder was being depleted rapidly and we suspected it was the raccoon that hides under our shed during the day. The other night around 6:45pm (it gets dark here around 5pm), she turned on the outside light and, sure ‘nuff, there he was, hanging from the feeder munching away on the sunflower seeds. I retrieve the big 9 volt flashlight and shine it on him through the window, but he ignores it and keeps on eating. Finally, Jerilyn goes to the back door, opens it and yells for him to leave. He does immediately and now we take the feeder in at night and put it out the next morning. Poor guy, if he wasn’t so piggy we would be glad to share it with him. The squirrels do the same thing, but they eat a little and leave. We have a couple of possum’s somewhere around here, but I haven’t seen them lately.
Our family room looks a lot better now. The wallpaper was stripped, the walls and ceiling were painted and new carpet has been installed. It doesn’t look like the same room. When I suggested to Jerilyn that we move the furniture to different places , i.e. move the TV to another corner of the room, etc, she would have to no parts of that idea. She will replace things, but not with something different. She has a strong dislike for change. If I force a change on her, like getting a cell phone, she will eventually adapt and accept the change, but she will not do it willingly. I try not to do too much forcing. It is never good for a relationship. She is much the same way with me. I guess it’s the old give and take thing.
I have been busy during the cold weather trying to convert some VHS tapes to DVD. I have the necessary software & hardware to do that, but it does take quite a bit of time. Right now, I am converting the class of 1957 high school reunion (in 1987) for a very close friend. I know a lot of people on that tape because I graduated from that same school in 1959. Everyone in that tape was in their late forties and now they are in their late sixties. What a difference 20 years makes. I imagine the next 20 are going to be the toughest for me. My mother-in-law is ninety and I look at her and say to myself, “In twenty years I’m going to look like that.” I’m sure my kids look at me and say the same thing. Wrinkles, gray hair and creaky joints sure are hard to get use to. I just hope I don’t get cranky.
If you are a fan of the singer Jewel and you visit her website on November 28th you can get her new "Perfectly Clear" album for a $1 donation to charity: http://www.jeweljk.com/index.php .
The gas prices in our neighborhood are down to $1.69/gal. I never thought I would see gas prices that low again. A barrel of oil is currently selling for $54, down from a high of $147 in July. There are 42 gallons of oil in a barrel and that will make 23 gallons of gas, the rest is used for jet fuel, lubricants, etc. I just hope the lower prices do not encourage us to continue buying large vehicles. All the car companies are offering big incentives. I hope we all resist the urge to buy cars that get poor gas mileage, thus, forcing them to come up with better MPG vehicles.
Herewith are a few select quotes I thought you would enjoy:
“We dare not trust our wit for making our house pleasant, so we buy ice cream.”……Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.”……James Dent
And finally, “Eat less cottage cheese and more ice cream.”….Erma Bombeck
The temp has dropped around here. The days are in the low to mid-forties and the nights drop down in the low-thirties, with a wind chill in the twenties. The birds have been hitting the feeders hard and all the animals in our backyard are using the bird bath for their water supply. Jerilyn noticed that our big bird feeder was being depleted rapidly and we suspected it was the raccoon that hides under our shed during the day. The other night around 6:45pm (it gets dark here around 5pm), she turned on the outside light and, sure ‘nuff, there he was, hanging from the feeder munching away on the sunflower seeds. I retrieve the big 9 volt flashlight and shine it on him through the window, but he ignores it and keeps on eating. Finally, Jerilyn goes to the back door, opens it and yells for him to leave. He does immediately and now we take the feeder in at night and put it out the next morning. Poor guy, if he wasn’t so piggy we would be glad to share it with him. The squirrels do the same thing, but they eat a little and leave. We have a couple of possum’s somewhere around here, but I haven’t seen them lately.
Our family room looks a lot better now. The wallpaper was stripped, the walls and ceiling were painted and new carpet has been installed. It doesn’t look like the same room. When I suggested to Jerilyn that we move the furniture to different places , i.e. move the TV to another corner of the room, etc, she would have to no parts of that idea. She will replace things, but not with something different. She has a strong dislike for change. If I force a change on her, like getting a cell phone, she will eventually adapt and accept the change, but she will not do it willingly. I try not to do too much forcing. It is never good for a relationship. She is much the same way with me. I guess it’s the old give and take thing.
I have been busy during the cold weather trying to convert some VHS tapes to DVD. I have the necessary software & hardware to do that, but it does take quite a bit of time. Right now, I am converting the class of 1957 high school reunion (in 1987) for a very close friend. I know a lot of people on that tape because I graduated from that same school in 1959. Everyone in that tape was in their late forties and now they are in their late sixties. What a difference 20 years makes. I imagine the next 20 are going to be the toughest for me. My mother-in-law is ninety and I look at her and say to myself, “In twenty years I’m going to look like that.” I’m sure my kids look at me and say the same thing. Wrinkles, gray hair and creaky joints sure are hard to get use to. I just hope I don’t get cranky.
If you are a fan of the singer Jewel and you visit her website on November 28th you can get her new "Perfectly Clear" album for a $1 donation to charity: http://www.jeweljk.com/index.php .
The gas prices in our neighborhood are down to $1.69/gal. I never thought I would see gas prices that low again. A barrel of oil is currently selling for $54, down from a high of $147 in July. There are 42 gallons of oil in a barrel and that will make 23 gallons of gas, the rest is used for jet fuel, lubricants, etc. I just hope the lower prices do not encourage us to continue buying large vehicles. All the car companies are offering big incentives. I hope we all resist the urge to buy cars that get poor gas mileage, thus, forcing them to come up with better MPG vehicles.
Herewith are a few select quotes I thought you would enjoy:
“We dare not trust our wit for making our house pleasant, so we buy ice cream.”……Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.”……James Dent
And finally, “Eat less cottage cheese and more ice cream.”….Erma Bombeck
Sunday, November 9, 2008
11-08-2008
A lot of things we encounter in our daily lives bring back memories. Like you, I get a few e-mails reminding me of what it was like 50 years ago. Seems we long for simpler times. Personally, I like things the way they are now. I like the friends I have now. I like the modern conveniences we have today. I enjoy the ability to connect with people so very far away. I wonder how many of us would actually go back to our childhood, or early adulthood, if we actually had to stay there. Sure, there were a lot of good times, but, there was a lot of loneliness. I had relatives that I very seldom had contact with. Not true today. I have friends in far off places that I seldom see, but, have contact with on a weekly basis. A lot of what I had to do as a teenager, or young adult, to entertain myself revolved around our TV. No so today. I cannot remember the last time I was bored (notice I did not say "the last time I was boring"). I certainly do not take all the credit for my life being so interesting. A lot of that praise goes to my wonderful friends and relatives. I firmly believe that you reap what you sow. "Be not deceived, God is not mocked; whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he reap." (Galatians 6:7). Could be a good thing for all of us to take to heart. If we want our life to be interesting, acquire interesting friends and do interesting things. Of course, I would be remiss if I did not tell you that Jerilyn is responsible for a very large part of my happiness. And, I do assume, since all my friends are interesting, therefore, their lives are interesting to them. I wonder if I am assuming too much?
Aren’t we all glad that the elections are over. I was so tired of answering our phone, only to find out that someone representing a politician was on the line encouraging me to vote for their candidate. I was amazed at how brutal a lot of the campaigns were. Somehow, we have to get out the message to our politicians that we want them to run a positive campaign. I read somewhere that studies have shown if you scare people, more of them will vote. I find it exceedingly difficult to believe that is true. Oh, did I tell you I saw Elvis in a shopping center the other day? I’m afraid if I examine myself too closely I will find that I live in a fantasy world.
I, like you, have been watching my investment very closely. Sadly, they are down approximately 25%. The one account that I personally manage online at TDAmeritrade is down 50%. Needless to say, I am expecting President-Elect Obama to figure out a way to restore our faith in our financial system and get our economy growing again. I have to admit to you that I did, indeed, vote for Obama in the election (as if it were a big surprise to you based on my previous musings). I think I only had one friend vote for him, so consequently, I get looked at as a "poor misguided soul". I feel compelled to say that I think he loves our country as much as we do and that he will only do what is good for us as a nation. From what I have read, his close friends and advisors think his government will closely resemble that of Poppy Bush (left of center). Only time will tell. I believe he is a reasonable man and will act as reasonable people do.
Jerilyn and I went to a Dolly Parton Concert the other night and had a wonderful time. The only downer was that I, occasionally, had nosebleed due to the fact we were so high up. Six of us (Don/Louise, Mary/granddaughter Melissa, Jerilyn & I), piled into Melissa’s van and headed off in the rain to the concert in Norfolk. It is absolutely amazing how much good conversation occurs when you put six friends together in a moving vehicle. At times, I felt sorry for Melissa (15), being in an enclosed environment with 5 people over 60 years old. Being the good person she is, she never let on that we were "older than dirt" and listened to our chatter attentively. Dolly, at age 62, put on a dazzling show for two hours. I was impressed with her interaction with the audience. If you get a chance to attend one of her concerts I feel certain you will enjoy it. I would guess about 8,000 people attended. She is not a top tier attraction, but certainly worth the price of admission.
It gives me great pleasure to say that, for now, the painting and plaster repair work is complete. It will be resumed next year, but for now it has stopped. In a few days, we will have the carpet replaced in the Family Room and then we start preparations for Thanksgiving and Christmas. What a wonder time of year. The leaves are floating to the ground and the trees are so beautiful. Just as spring is an inspiration, so is fall. I often wonder how we can see so much beauty in the world and not believe in God. In church today I learned there are 100 million church members in the United States, but only half of them attend service, on average, 85 per service. In our church, that figure (85) holds true. That is so sad. Unfortunately, Jerilyn and I are not there every Sunday. That has to be something we work on.
Aren’t we all glad that the elections are over. I was so tired of answering our phone, only to find out that someone representing a politician was on the line encouraging me to vote for their candidate. I was amazed at how brutal a lot of the campaigns were. Somehow, we have to get out the message to our politicians that we want them to run a positive campaign. I read somewhere that studies have shown if you scare people, more of them will vote. I find it exceedingly difficult to believe that is true. Oh, did I tell you I saw Elvis in a shopping center the other day? I’m afraid if I examine myself too closely I will find that I live in a fantasy world.
I, like you, have been watching my investment very closely. Sadly, they are down approximately 25%. The one account that I personally manage online at TDAmeritrade is down 50%. Needless to say, I am expecting President-Elect Obama to figure out a way to restore our faith in our financial system and get our economy growing again. I have to admit to you that I did, indeed, vote for Obama in the election (as if it were a big surprise to you based on my previous musings). I think I only had one friend vote for him, so consequently, I get looked at as a "poor misguided soul". I feel compelled to say that I think he loves our country as much as we do and that he will only do what is good for us as a nation. From what I have read, his close friends and advisors think his government will closely resemble that of Poppy Bush (left of center). Only time will tell. I believe he is a reasonable man and will act as reasonable people do.
Jerilyn and I went to a Dolly Parton Concert the other night and had a wonderful time. The only downer was that I, occasionally, had nosebleed due to the fact we were so high up. Six of us (Don/Louise, Mary/granddaughter Melissa, Jerilyn & I), piled into Melissa’s van and headed off in the rain to the concert in Norfolk. It is absolutely amazing how much good conversation occurs when you put six friends together in a moving vehicle. At times, I felt sorry for Melissa (15), being in an enclosed environment with 5 people over 60 years old. Being the good person she is, she never let on that we were "older than dirt" and listened to our chatter attentively. Dolly, at age 62, put on a dazzling show for two hours. I was impressed with her interaction with the audience. If you get a chance to attend one of her concerts I feel certain you will enjoy it. I would guess about 8,000 people attended. She is not a top tier attraction, but certainly worth the price of admission.
It gives me great pleasure to say that, for now, the painting and plaster repair work is complete. It will be resumed next year, but for now it has stopped. In a few days, we will have the carpet replaced in the Family Room and then we start preparations for Thanksgiving and Christmas. What a wonder time of year. The leaves are floating to the ground and the trees are so beautiful. Just as spring is an inspiration, so is fall. I often wonder how we can see so much beauty in the world and not believe in God. In church today I learned there are 100 million church members in the United States, but only half of them attend service, on average, 85 per service. In our church, that figure (85) holds true. That is so sad. Unfortunately, Jerilyn and I are not there every Sunday. That has to be something we work on.
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