Life Goes On

Well I have been working some each week. Just about the time I start getting in shape and used to being on my feet all day then I get another 3 or 4 days off again.
I find it real interesting there are 5 different school building and I believe 17 or 18 custodians and only 4 subs and I am working every week. Most of the times it is because some one is sick. I do know that the flu has hit the schools real hard but sometimes I think they are just using their sick leave as soon as they accrue it. Oh well it gives me work so I am not complaining.
Other than that life keeps on going whether I like what it is doing or not but as I always say.

It Is What It Is

Rod

Sore

So what happens when you have worked for 14 years basically behind a desk and then add 10 months of being unemployed on top of that and then you go to work as a custodian?
Sore muscles some I had even forgot I had.
Job has been great no being the boss no having to worry about anyone else just do my job and go home. My wife commented that it was nice to see me come home and not be wound tight and having a smile on my face.

It is what it is

Rod

News

I got a job!
Yes and it is with the school district so it has good benefits and all.
Kind of shocked the unemployment people they were a little amazed that there was even openings there. And then I have no experience but they hired me on the fact of 17+ years at my last job.
Other than that things are going as smooth as can be expected.

It is what it is

Rod

The Final Inspection

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell.'

Author Unknown~

I saw this on Gords blog and just had to share it

Rod

Procrastination?

I was reading Edifice Rex and she was telling about her trials and errors with fixing her water system and it made me think of what I did this weekend.
About 2 years ago I bought a chipper for chipping weeds branches and corn stalks basically making mulch. So we fired it up for the first time and was chopping up basically weeds so it was not getting worked too hard. After about 15 minutes I noticed that the motor was stating to bog down more and more even when just running by it's self with no load.
It was about that time I noticed the oil on the ground so I shut it off and investigated the problem. Well the oil drain plug had fell out and all the oil was now on the ground. I put the plug back in and filled it up with oil again but it was too late seized tight.
I went back to where I had bought it but guess what it was not their problem that I had not checked to make sure it was tight. So not having a lot of extra money at the time there it sat and sat. For two plus years it sat collecting dust.
This weekend we moved the last of our treasures and it was one of them. Put it in the back of our place here. Yesterday we lost power for about 4 hours and having nothing else to do I decided to at least see if I could get the motor off and if you have ever been around a yard chipper you know that you basically have to total disassemble it to get the blades off so you then can get the motor off.
So after a lot of wrench twisting I had most of the shrouds off and just for the heck of it though I would see if I could spin the blades by hand and with a small amount of effort they started to spin. And the longer I spun them the easier it got.
Ok then being the rocket scientist I am put some gas in it give a couple of pulls and it fires up and runs like a champ. Shut it off put all the shrouds and guards back on and a couple of hours later have reduced th brush pile behind the house into a pile of chips.
Now as I was doing this I kept kicking myself in the rear wondering why had I not tried this before but as you know..

It is what it is

Rod

Something I Found Interesting

I saw this the other day and after a lot of thought on it I decided to share it with you. From what I can find out from researching it is that it is true.
Now I normally do not post things like this but it is so interesting I just had to share it.

So go HERE and watch.

It is what it is

Rod

This And That

I know I have not been good at keep this updated but we have been busy. Not by plan but hey it does happen.
We went to my wife's aunt and uncles to meet her parents and visit them and while we were there her uncle was working on a small plumbing project so I volunteered to help. Well what started out to be a small project kept growing and growing until we nearly replaced all the plumbing in the whole house.
But as he said the original main part of that house had been built in the late 1800's and who knows when it was plumbed the first time. It was one of those deals where it was cheaper to replace it then to spend the money trying to fix each individual leak and there was a lot of them.
We got home from that and had about a week here at home and then her sister called and it was not good. My wife's mother was having some tests done at the hospital and while they were waiting on her to get them done My wife's dad who has very bad diabetes went into insulin shock which also started working on his heart condition so he was in the emergency room with that and mean while her mother was reacting to some of the meds the doctors gave her for the tests. So they both ended up being admitted to the hospital and we were on our way driving for 8 hours to get there.
Well by the time we got there they were both home and seemed to be fine which is good. So while we were there I ended up doing some tree trimming and some other small projects for them on their small farm.
One nice thing about being unemployed is hey honey we need to stay another day. No problem!

It is what it is
Rod

Still Here

Yes I am still here. Health has not been the best for some reason and have had a few attacks from the pancreatitis. But over all things have been fine.
Moving is almost over just a few more treasures to sort through. Man I hate moving but it is something we all have to do from time to time.
So I am just dealing with the different federal and state agencies to try and get the final paper work done so I can go back to school and get some training so I can get back to work. Boy those people sure can wear you out wit the seemingly endless paper work and hoops they make you jump through.

It Is What It Is

Rod

Storm

We had a storm come through yesterday. Here is a couple of pictures at my house. Drove around town and we did not get it as bad as others but it was a good one.




Yesterday after the storm on the second picture it looked like a small lake there!

Right now it sounds like a chain saw convention hit town.

It is what it is

Rod

Guess What I Did?

We went on a short trip to go and visit the in laws and of course I just had to get in a little fishing!

These are just some of the Cat fish we caught on the first day/evening/night/morning... Ok we stayed out all night and I believe it was 4 am when I finally crawled into bed.
Would of kept at it except for we ran out of stringers to put the fish on. Was a real nice trip and we went far enough away from home to forget about all the stuff still left to do here.

It is what it is

Rod

Things

Yes I am still alive! Just do not want to rant at you so I have been staying away.
Guess what...we still are sorting through our treasures trying to decide if we really do need to keep it or not. I have a new idea. People need to move every couple of years so that the treasures do not build up too much.
We have found stuff that we just had to keep from the last time we moved 12 years ago. Now the key word here is found. Now we have went 12 years without this treasure so you would think hey we do not need that right.............

It is what it is

Rod

Happy Birthday

Hey today is Lydias birthday so everyone needs to go to her site and wish her a happy birthday!

You know they only come once a year so lets make it a good one for her.

Hmmm 39 again...

It is what it is

Rod

Need A Laugh?

We all know those cute little computer symbols called 'emoticons,'

:) means a smile and

:( is a frown..

Sometimes these are represented by

:-)

:-(

Well, how about some 'ASSICONS?'
Here goes:


(_!_) a regular ass


(__!__) a fat ass


(!) a tight ass


(_*_) an ass hole


{_!_} a swishy ass


(_o_) an ass that's been around

(_x_) kiss my ass


(_X_) leave my ass alone


(_zzz_) a tired ass


(_E=mc2_) a smart ass


(_$_) Money coming out of his ass


(_?_) Dumb Ass

It is what it is

Rod

Still Moving

You know I have came to a realization...I have too much junk, treasures, toys, crap call it what you want I have too much of it.

We down sized on our new house went from a 1,700 SQ/Ft full garage to a 1,100 SQ/FT no garage and there is not enough room.

So what treasures to get rid of..well we started with the old adage when was the last time I used it and then moved to will I need it in the future to why the heck did I keep that to begin with!

Oh well got the important stuff down. Bed, food, computer!

It is what it is

Rod

Busy

Well we have been so busy trying to get move and all but....
I just had to take a day off and do a little fishing. Was a great day and we limited out on rainbow trout. Went to a small man made lake that was built in the early 1900's for a water supply for a gold mine at the time.
Oh and guess what I remembered the camera!


Now how does that look?
Just another part of my world near here.

It is what it is

Rod

To Good Not To Pass On

Daddy, how was I born?
A little boy goes to his father and asks 'Daddy, how was I born?'

The father answers, 'Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said:






'You got Male!'

It is what it is
Rod

Exercise For People Over 50

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.

Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags.

Then try 50-lb potato bags and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (I’m at this level.)

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag.

I think I need to start this...

It is what it is

Rod

The Problem Is...

Why is it that every time I sit here and try to write a post all that comes to mind is the bad? I have started and deleted a lot of writings. I just seem to get going and then it turns to the dark side.
Well how about a little news then.
I never did get called for work. No big surprise to me first of all because of the job they were talking to me about and now guess what...they are starting to lay people off again.
We are now down to 2 vehicles had to let them have the car back so now we have zero in car payments and the insurance dropped nicely also.
Looks like we are moving. The bank just does not seem to want to work at all with us so hey they can have it back. We found a smaller place near here with a big yard for our dogs and they are real easy going on if we want to put in a garden and some more flower beds. Did not even hesitate when we asked if we could put in a fence to separate the front yard from the back.
Nice thing is that there is no hurry on the move so we can do it a little at a time and put the stuff away before we take more over so that will be nice. Going to have to thin out a bunch of stuff. We have been bad about keeping things that we really do not need.
Well that is enough for now just wanted to give you a little update.

It is what it is

Rod

Interesting

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water..

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance way. Hence the saying a thresh hold.

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat.. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old..

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat..

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock a person out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a ...dead ringer..

I do not know if these are true or not but they are real interesting

It is what it is

Rod

Nothing Much

Sorry about not posting just have not had much to say is all.
But you can be mad at me. We went for a little drive wandering around the mountains near here and I forgot to take the camera. So you will just have to take my word on it that it was beautiful.
I love the woods at this time of year everything fresh and new. Grass is all green and a nice breeze blowing.
Did not see any wild life running about but maybe next time.

It is what it is

Rod

Still Waiting

So here it is Monday evening and guess what..No call from my "interveiw"
Maybe I am over qualified? But I bet the excuse would be that they do not believe I am the right person for the job.
Well I for one am not going to lose any sleep over it.

It is what it is

Rod

Sunday Funnies

LIFE AFTER DEATH:
'DO YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH?' THE BOSS ASKED ONE OF HIS EMPLOYEES
'YES, SIR,' THE NEW EMPLOYEE REPLIED.
'WELL, THEN, THAT MAKES EVERYTHING JUST FINE,' THE BOSS WENT ON.
'AFTER YOU LEFT EARLY YESTERDAY TO GO TO YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S FUNERAL,
SHE STOPPED IN TO SEE YOU!

PALM SUNDAY:
IT WAS PALM SUNDAY AND, BECAUSE OF A SORE THROAT, FIVE-YEAR-OLD JOHNNY STAYED HOME FROM CHURCH WITH A SITTER. WHEN THE FAMILY RETURNED HOME,
THEY WERE CARRYING SEVERAL PALM BRANCHES. THE BOY ASKED WHAT THEY WERE FOR. 'PEOPLE HELD THEM OVER JESUS ' HEAD AS HE WALKED BY.'
'WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT,' THE BOY FUMED, 'THE ONE SUNDAY I DON'T GO, HE SHOWS UP!'

CHILDREN'S SERMON:
ONE EASTER SUNDAY MORNING AS THE MINISTER WAS PREACHING THE CHILDREN'S
SERMON, HE REACHED INTO HIS BAG OF PROPS AND PULLED OUT AN EGG. HE POINTED AT THE EGG AND ASKED THE CHILDREN, 'WHAT'S IN HERE?' 'I KNOW!'
A LITTLE BOY EXCLAIMED. 'PANTYHOSE!! '

SUPPORT A FAMILY:
THE PROSPECTIVE FATHER-IN-LAW ASKED, 'YOUNG MAN, CAN YOU SUPPORT A FAMILY?'
THE SURPRISED GROOM-TO-BE REPLIED, 'WELL, NO. I WAS JUST PLANNING TO
SUPPORT YOUR DAUGHTER. THE REST OF YOU WILL HAVE TO FEND FOR YOURSELVES.'

FIRST TIME USHERS! :
A LITTLE BOY IN CHURCH FOR THE FIRST TIME WATCHED AS THE USHERS PASSED
AROUND THE OFFERING PLATES.
WHEN THEY CAME NEAR HIS PEW, THE BOY SAID LOUDLY, 'DON'T PAY FOR ME
DADDY I'M UNDER FIVE.'

PRAYERS:
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER ASKED, 'NOW, JOHNNY, TELL ME, DO YOU SAY
PRAYERS BEFORE EATING ?' 'NO SIR,' HE REPLIED, 'WE DON'T HAVE TO, MY
MOM IS A GOOD COOK!'

CLIMB THE WALLS:
'OH, I SURE AM HAPPY TO SEE YOU,' THE LITTLE BOY SAID TO HIS GRANDMOTHER ON HIS MOTHER'S SIDE. 'NOW MAYBE DAD DY WILL DO THE TRICK HE HAS BEEN PROMISING US.'
THE GRANDMOTHER WAS CURIOUS.. 'WHAT TRICK IS THAT?' SHE ASKED..
'I HEARD HIM TELL MOMMY THAT HE WOULD CLIMB THE WALLS IF YOU CAME TO
VISIT,' THE LITTLE BOY ANSWERED.

THE MOOD RING:
MY HUSBAND BOUGHT ME A MOOD RING THE OTHER DAY. WHEN I'M IN A GOOD
MOOD IT TURNS GREEN. WHEN I'M IN A BAD MOOD, IT LEAVES A RED MARK ON
HIS FOREHEAD

THE WATER PISTOL:
WHEN MY THREE-YEAR-OLD SON OPENED THE BIRTHDAY GIFT FROM HIS
GRANDMOTHER, HE DISCOVERED A WATER PISTOL.. HE SQUEALED WITH DELIGHT
AND HEADED FOR THE NEAREST SINK.
I WAS NOT SO PLEASED. I TURNED TO MOM AND SAID, 'I'M SURPRISED AT YOU.
DON'T YOU REMEMBER HOW WE USED TO DRIVE YOU CRAZY WITH WATER GUNS?'
MOM SMILED AND THEN REPLIED..... 'I REMEMBER!!'


A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses. She started her class by saying, 'Everyone who thinks they're stupid, stand up!'
After a few seconds, Little Davie stood up. The teacher said, 'Do you think you're stupid, Little Davie ?'
'No, ma'am, but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself!'


Little Davie watched, fascinated, as his mother smoothed cold cream on her face.
'Why do you do that, mommy?' he asked.
'To make myself beautiful,' said his mother, who then began removing the cream with a tissue.
'What's the matter?' asked Little Davie . 'Giving up?'

GRANDMA'S AGE :

LITTLE JOHNNY ASKED HIS GRANDMA HOW OLD SHE WAS.
GRANDMA ANSWERED, '39 AND HOLDING.'
JOHNNY THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT, AND THEN SAID, 'AND HOW OLD WOULD YOU BE
IF YOU LET GO?'

It is what it is

Rod

They Interveiwed Me

Yes I did not stutter they interviewed me.
It was not your normal interview but they did have a few interesting questions.
My favorite was and what experience do you have that will benefit us...You have got to be kidding I worked there for 16+ years. But I answered them anyway.
Well lets see I can do all management positions here and all the scheduling on top of my working knowledge that I have of the machines and oh yes I can drive lift truck also...What did they expect.
So they then ask me what jobs I felt I could do on the floor. Physical labor type, So I told them my concerns and the big boss said that he noticed that I was concerned about certain jobs being to physical.
Well of course I am concerned I am not a young pup anymore and I have been in management for the last 14 years. Did he think he could do all the jobs out there?
So I told him that I was not one to blow smoke up anyone butt and I sure as hell was not going to kiss any ones either. He said that yes he had heard that about me. So my reply was and so now you know why I am where I am then.
What do you mean by that he asked. So I told him straight out that there was some people that worked there that did not like to hear the truth and just wanted someone to be a yes man and not ask any questions about certain decisions just give me a yes sir and kiss my butt.
So I was told that they would get back with me....hmmm have not heard anything yet...maybe they are still looking for a butt kisser.

It is what it is

Rod

Got A Call Today

From my old job.
Seems that they want me to come up and have a chat with them. I am sure it will not be about my old job and would really be surprised if it was a better job. So I guess I will just have to wait and see what it is.
Nothing certain because when they called my son back they told him what it was. But I have to go and talk to them.
I will keep you updated as to what happens tomorrow.

It is what it is

Rod

I Was Told Off Today

By Pixie the pug.
Seems as she feels I have not been playing with her enough and she wanted to let me know.
I walked into the living room earlier and she jumped down from her perch on top of the sofa and proceeded to start yiping and barking at me with all the little turns and tag wags saying hey dad remember me.
So we had a 10 minute hand fight and now she is content and back on her perch snoring! She either thought I needed to calm down or she needed the exercise I do not know for sure but she had fun while it lasted.

It is what it is

Rod

Memorable Old Phrases

Do you remember any of these?

1. A Bone to Pick (someone who wants to discuss a disagreement)
2. An Axe to Grind (Someone who has a hidden motive. This phrase is said to have originated from Benjamin Franklin who told a story about a devious man who asked how a grinding wheel worked. He ended up walking away with his axe sharpened free of charge)
3. One bad apple spoils the whole barrel (one corrupt person can cause all the others to go bad if you don't remove the bad one)
4. At sea (lost or not understanding something)
5. Bad Egg (Someone who was not a good person)
6. Barking at a knot (meaning that your efforts were as useless as a dog barking at a knot.)
7. Barking up the wrong tree (talking about something that was completely the wrong issue with the wrong person)
8. Bee in your bonnet (To have an idea that won't let loose )
9. Been through the mill (had a rough time of it)
10.Between hay and grass (Not a child or an adult)
11. Blinky (Between sweet and sour as in milk)
12. Calaboose (a jail)
13. Catawampus (Something that sits crooked such as a piece of furniture sitting at an angle)
14. Dicker (To barter or trade)
15. Feather in Your Cap (to accomplish a goal. This came from years ago in wartime when warriors might receive a feather they would put in their cap for defeating an enemy)
16. Hold your horses (Be patient!)
17. Hoosegow ( a jail)
18. I reckon (I suppose)
19. Jawing/Jawboning (Talking or arguing)
20. Kit and caboodle (The whole thing)
21. Madder than an wet hen (really angry)
22. Needs taken down a notch or two (like notches in a belt usually a young person who thinks too highly of himself and needs a lesson)
23.No Spring Chicken (Not young anymore)
24.Persnickety (overly particular or snobbish)
25.Pert-near (short for pretty near)
26.Pretty is as pretty does (your actions are more important than your looks)
27.Red up (clean the house)
28.Scalawag (a rascal or unprincipled person)
29.Scarce as hen's teeth (something difficult to obtain)
30.Skedaddle (Get out of here quickly)
31. Sparking (courting)
32.Straight From the Horse's Mouth (privileged information from the one concerned)
33.Stringing around, gallivanting around, or piddling (Not doing anything of value)
34.Sunday go to meetin' dress (The best dress you had)
35.We wash up real fine (is another goodie)
36.Tie the Knot (to get married)
37.Too many irons in the fire (to be involved in too many things)
38.Tuckered out (tired and all worn out)
39. Under the weather (not feeling well - this term came from going below deck on ships due to sea sickness thus you go below or under the weather)
40.Wearing your 'best bib and tucker' (Being all dressed up)
41. You ain't the only duck in the pond (It's not all about you)

It is what it is

Rod

You Are Important

Sometimes we just need to be reminded!

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by: holding up a $20.00 bill In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.

He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied, "What if I do this?"

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.

You are special Don't EVER forget it."

Count your blessings, not your problems.

"And remember: amateurs built the ark ....professionals built the Titanic.

It is what it is

Rod

Spam Anyone?

For some reason lately I have been getting a unbelievable amount of spam on one of my e-mail accounts. So I noticed that a lot of them had a disclaimer saying I could unsubscribe from them. Never realized I had subscribed to them to begin with but hey if I can stop them great.

So I started to unsubscribe from them and guess what. They started coming at even greater amounts then they had at first. So I kept at it and started reading all the small print they put on the unsubscribe page.

Seems that it takes them from 24 hours to get this 30 days to take you off their list. What a crock they sure as hell did not take that long to put me on the list to begin with. One place even sent me 20 more mails all the same on the same day I unsubscribed!

It just goes to show you first it was junk mail then our favorite telemarketer calls and now spam. Don't theses people have something better to do? Obviously they must work as they keep sending them.

Now if we could just figure out where they get our e-mail accounts from to begin with maybe we would have a chance to stop them.

It is what it is

Rod

Need To Laugh?

CARDIOLOGIST'S FUNERAL


A cardiologist died and was given an elaborate funeral.

A huge heart covered in flowers stood behind the casket during the service.

Following the eulogy, the heart opened, and the casket rolled inside. The heart then closed, sealing the doctor in the beautiful heart forever.

At that point, one of the mourners burst into laughter. When all eyes stared at him, he said, "I'm sorry, I was just thinking of my own funeral.........I'm a gynecologist."

The proctologist fainted

It is what it is

Rod

Peace And Quite

Ahh here that???
We shut off our land line today and I had never realized how much it was stressing me to be getting all those calls even though I did not answer them.

Got a call from the bank yesterday that I did answer. Asked the nice gentleman on the phone why he was calling. So he asked me what I meant so I said that the last lady I had talked to had said that she was turning me into the foreclosure department so why was he wasting his and my time.

But he said maybe there is something we can do. So i asked him if he was another so called specialist to which he responded yes. Ok then can you lower my payments to a level that I can afford at this time? No he said you are at the lowest we can go.

Well then you are wasting both of our time then. He asked how long we planned on staying in the house. I responded with I will be here until you kick me out. He did not seem to happy about that but they are the ones that don't want to help.

So I figure we have 4 maybe 5 months before we have to move.

It is what it is

Rod

Time For Some Fun

Irish College Entrance Exam


Now, scroll down for the answers











That's all right....I didn't pass either...

It is what it is

Rod

Wandering Thoughts

My mind has been wandering some today from my daily reading on the internet.

A lot of what you are able to read about these days is about the swine flu out break, epidemic, plague, joke. Just depends on who was writing about it and if the so called facts they read are true or not. Heck the news places each have different stories and accounts of what has or has not happened. So once again you do not know what to believe or not believe.

Do I feel that there is a threat? Yes anytime that there is a virus going around that can kill you and they have no vaccine for it then I am worried. But then how many people die each year from the normal flu viruses?

Now do not get me wrong here I am not trying to step on any toes or piss anyone off. It just does not make any sense to me is all.

I have a disease that has been around for years and they have not even came close to find out for sure what causes it and or even come close to a cure for it. Sure it is not a very common one but you would think they would of found something by now.

How would you like it when your hurting and sick and all they do is tell you go on a clear liquid diet and give you pain pills? And you know that it is slowly killing you.

Real comforting especially when you go to the specialists office and all of the doctors there have heard or it but I am their first case. In fact I have made them do a lot of reading about it because I knew more about it then they did. But that is another story.

Ok then what about cancer? Aids? I could keep on going but what good will that be.

Now the part that I have heard about swine flu is that it is a man made virus! Now why in the world would they do this for? Your guess is as good as mine.

But I will close with this...Do not screw with mother nature...It will kick your butt every time!

It is what it is

Rod

Grandkid

We had a surprise today.

Pixies daughter Gretchen came for a visit. We had not seen her in over a year but as you can see mother and daughter acted like it was only yesterday.

Fancy on the other hand did not like her at all growled and snapped at her. Was quite funny actually.

It is what it is

Rod

Question For You

What do you think would happen if we followed these rules?

(1) Press 1 for English is immediately banned. English is the official language; speak it or wait at the border until you can.

(2) We will immediately go into a two year isolationist posture to straighten out the country's attitude. NO imports, no exports. We will use the Wal-Mart's policy, If we don't got it, you don't need it.

(3) When imports are allowed, there will be a 100% import tax on it.

(4) All retired military personnel will be required to man one of our many observation towers on the southern border (six month tour). They will be under strict orders not to fire on SOUTHBOUND aliens.

(5) Social security will immediately return to its original state. If you didn't put nothing in, you ain't getting nothing out. The president nor any other politician will be able to touch it.

(6) Welfare - Checks will be handed out on Fridays at the end of the 40 hour school week and the successful completion of urinalysis and a passing grade.

(7) Professional Athletes--Steroids. The FIRST time you check positive you're banned for life.

(8) Crime - We will adopt the Turkish method, the first time you steal, you lose your right hand. There is no more life sentences. If convicted of murder, you will be put to death by the same method you chose for your victim; gun, knife, strangulation, etc.

(9) One export will be allowed, Wheat. The world needs to eat. A bushel of wheat will be the exact price of a barrel of oil.

(10) All foreign aid using American taxpayer money will immediately cease, and the saved money will pay off the national debt and ultimately lower taxes. When disasters occur around the world, we'll ask the American people if they want to donate to a disaster fund, and each citizen can make the decision whether it's a worthy cause.

(11) The Pledge of Allegiance will be said every day at school and every day in Congress.

(12) The National Anthem will be played at all appropriate ceremonies, sporting events, outings, etc.

Sorry if this steps on anyone's toes

GOD BLESS AMERICA

It is what it is.

Rod

This Is America

After hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough. Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German or any other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close. NOT sorry if this offends anyone because this is MY COUNTRY - IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP -- please pass this along..
I am not against immigration -- just come through like everyone else. APPLY FIRST - Get a sponsor; have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past -- and GOD BLESS AMERICA!

PART OF THE PROBLEM
Think about this: If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone -- YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!
It is Time for America to Speak up!

Calling an illegal alien an 'undocumented immigrant' is like calling a drug dealer an 'unlicensed pharmacist'

I checked this on Snopes and it is not true but it does make my blood pressure rise just thinking about it. And I will bet you that it has been brought up more than once.

It is what it is

Rod

The Fun Continues

Some things do not make any sense. Like this one.

I was talking to the bank about my mortgage. Since I have been unemployed I have not been able to make payments due to medical insurance costs. Now due to my medical conditions I can not go with out insurance as I could be in the hospital tomorrow or at any time. Just the savings on prescriptions alone makes it mandatory that I have it.

Well part of the stimulus package was a health care tax care (HCTC) program that pays 80% of a qualified participants COBRA health care insurance. I qualified so now I will be able to make a partial payment so I called to talk to a mortgage specialist at the bank to see what could be done.

First of all I got the feeling that this so called specialist was doing nothing other than reading from a script and that their only job was to try anything possible to get money out of me. The lady was not nice at all and even tried to humiliate me. One of her solutions was to borrow the money from someone else to catch the back payments up. Now how smart is that add to the vultures?

After a while I guess she got tired of talking to me and offered to connect me to the foreclosure department. So I asked if that was how they helped a person to rework their mortgage. She said that as far as she could see that was the only solution.

Ok I said but would it not be better to get some money until things changed for me rather than let the house sit empty because they all ready had 4 houses foreclosed on in this area did they really want another. And even if they did sell it they would not even get close to the amount owed.

Now here is the good part. She said oh do not worry we will get our money. Really I said I do believe that it is against the law in my state for you to do that. Her reply was I see you have done your home work.

She then said if I paid my mortgage current then maybe they could do something for us. But she needed to know right now. Sorry but I need to know for sure before I can do that I repiled. Her response was what are you going to do put your family out on the street? No I replied but for what was needed to catch up my mortgage I could rent a house for a year.

So about this time she did start getting nicer but told me that she had no choice but to send it to the next step. Fine I said do what you need to do just stop calling. So the next step showed up in the form of a certified letter stateing what I already knew. We are behind on our payments.

So now we will wait and see what happens next. Have done some reaseach and we probably have around 4 to 5 months before they can officially kick us out.

I have been checking into the produce the note thing that I have heard about of the news and internet. The more I have reseached it the more I do believe that this is a nessisary thing to follow up on as if they have sold the note to another bank they then can come after you for the note and even though bank 1 has foreclosed on your house you are still liable to bank 2 because they have the note.

Now I have not wrote this for anyones sympathy but more of a documentary of what you could expect if it happens to you.

It is what it is

Rod

MRI

You ever had a MRI? Well I had my first one yesterday so they could check out my pancreas and see how things were going.

People who had been through it before were more than happy to tell me about how they did not like going into the machine as it made them claustrophobic. Well I do not have that problem and it was not bad for me.

The machine is very noisy but they now have music for you to listen to so that was a lot better. The only thing I noticed while going through the procedure was that when they went to take a picture I got a weird warming feeling inside my stomach. When it was all over the tech said that it was normal for that.

But to be honest with you the whole time I was in there and I kept feeling that sensation I only had one thought on my mind.

Am I the hamster in the microwave???

It is what it is

Rod

Since We Are On The Topic

WHAT A DOG !!

A man had just settled into his seat next to the window on the plane when another man sits down in the aisle seat and puts his black Labrador in the middle seat next to the man...

The first man looks very quizzically at the dog and asks why the dog is allowed on the plane.

The second man explains that he is a Drug Enforcement Agency officer and the dog is a 'Sniffer dog'.. 'His name is Smithy and he's the best there is. I'll show you once we get airborne, when I put him to work.'

The plane takes off, and once it has leveled out, the agent says:

Watch this.' He tells Smithy to 'search'.

Smithy jumps down, walks along the aisle, and finally sits very purposefully next to a woman for several seconds. Smithy then returns to his seat and puts one paw on the agent's arm.

The agent says, 'Good boy', and he turns to the man and says: 'That woman is in possession of marijuana, so I'm making a note of her seat number and the authorities will apprehend her when we land.'

'Say, that's pretty neat,' replies the first man.

Once again, the agent sends Smithy to search the aisles. The Lab sniffs about, sits down beside a man for a few seconds, returns to his seat and this time, he places TWO paws on the agent's arm. The agent says, 'That man is carrying cocaine, so again, I'm making note of his seat number for the police.'

'I like it!' says his seat mate.

The agent then tells Smithy to 'search' again.

Smithy walks up and down the aisles for a little while, sits down for a moment and then comes racing back to the agent, jumps into the middle seat and proceeds to poop all over the place.

The first man is really amazed by this behavior and can't figure out how or why a well-trained dog would behave like this, so he asks the agent 'What's going on?'

The agent nervously replies, 'He just found a bomb.'

It is what it is

Rod

A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year-old)

When I read this story it made me wonder what the world would be like if we all lived by these simple rules.

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.'

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy-ride..

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy...

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

It is what it is

Rod

It Is Official

(l-r) Katie Collins, Coach Turner-Bolton, Alyxe Bruns

EUGENE, Ore. – Willamette HS girl’s basketball players Alyxe Bruns and Katie Collins and Stayton HS product Kelsey Atkins have been announced as the first recruits for the 2009-2010, according to Northwest Christian University women’s basketball coach Liz Turner-Bolton.

Bolton said, “I am pleased and excited to be adding three strong guards to our program for next season. All three of these girls have been extremely successful in their high school endeavors and have come from programs with a rich tradition of excellence. Their experience, work ethic and defensive tenacity will add stability and depth to our program.”

Bruns was a 2009 McDonalds High School All-American nominee is the most decorated athlete to come into the NCU program after leading the Willamette Wolverines to back-to-back 5A state championships. Bruns was a First-Team All-State selection as a senior, averaging 8.9 points per game.

“Ally Bruns is one of the quickest players in the state and will be a force to contain in transition,” said Bolton. “She provides instant offense with her shooting abilities and can put up big numbers in a hurry.”

As you can see my niece Ally received a full ride scholarship for her basketball achievements.

It is what it is

Rod

Fears

I have done a lot of hunting in my life starting out as a kid hunting with my Dads family. It was always a time of year that we always looked forward too and we had a great time.

As the years passed and my uncles grew older and no longer could go hunting my Dad lost interest in hunting and the game department started a draw system for rifle hunting. As you guessed I did not draw a tag one year so I started bow hunting as there was no draw for tags at that time.

One year we were hunting in this area that had a lot of logs torn up and rocks turned over. One of the guys I was hunting with had no idea what could of caused all that. So I finally told him that it was because of bears looking for food.

Little did I know but he was scared of bears and it seemed to be that every where we hunted that year had lots of sign of bears. He asked me why I was not scared of them and I gave him some excuse for a answer just trying to calm him down.

A couple of years later I was hunting with another friend and there was cougar tracks every where. He did not have to ask me what they were as they are rather distinctive.

We had got lucky that year and were hunting a road closure area so that meant we had to pack every thing out on pack boards. So we had loaded the first pack and my buddy shouldered it and headed off by himself as the rest of us worked at loading another pack.

I took this one and headed out of the canyon that we were in and was about half the way back to the rigs when I caught my buddy trudging along with his pack. I walked up and caught him and he looked over and said thank God it is you I thought it was a cougar coming after me.

So the rest of the way back to the trucks we talked about cougars and I found out that he had a big time fear of cougars. So I told him about my other buddy that was scared of bears as we were walking along. He also asked me why I was not scared of them and once again I also gave him an excuse for a answer to calm him down.

Ok now for the truth I have a very high respect for bears but normally they will just run from you unless it is a sow with cubs. Now with cougars yes I do have a fear of them as they can sneak up on you and you will never know what hits you.

But I had one secret weapon when I was hunting with these two buddies. They were both big boys. I never did tell them until years later that the reason I never had to worry about bears or cougars when hunting with them was...

I could out run them!

It is what it is

Rod

A Little Humor

Two elderly ladies had been friends for many decades. Over the years they had shared all kinds of activities and adventures. Lately, their activities had been limited to meeting a few times a week to play cards.

One day they were playing cards when one looked at the other and said, 'Now don't get mad at me....I know we've been friends for a long time.....but I just can't think of your name! I've thought and thought, but I can't remember it. Please tell me what your name is.' Her friend glared at her. For at least three minutes she just stared and glared at her.

Finally she said, 'How soon do you need to know?'



THE SENILITY PRAYER
Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do,
and the eyesight to tell the difference.

It is what it is

Rod

Easter Traditions

When our boys were young we always did the traditional Easter egg hunt for them. They loved it and as the years went by they would then hide them again and again for each other until the eggs were basically trashed and falling apart.

One year when we lived on the farm we hid the eggs and then they went and found them all except one that we could not remember where it was hid. Oh well it was only one egg so we did not think much of it.

So of course they went ahead and started hiding them for each other and as they kept doing it more and more eggs kept coming up missing. Now they were not to old then so they did not hide them to well and could not put them up to high so I decided that maybe I should go find them..

As I was looking for them they continued with their game but I was having no luck locating any of the missing eggs. I then decided that maybe if I watched them maybe I would have a clue as to where they might be.

So one boy went into the house and the other was hiding the eggs and I noticed that they were not hidden that well which made the missing eggs even more strange.

Well he finished and headed to get his brother so he could find the eggs and it was about then that I discovered the mystery behind the missing eggs.

Our cow dog was sneaking in behind them and eating them shell and all.

I am sure you all have your traditions that you do for Easter every year and we will do our normal with a potluck type dinner at my parents with our sons.

So if you do or don't observe Easter just be sure to have a good day.

It is what it is

Rod

Bull Riding

When I was working on farms I worked for a few different farmers. One of them had bought the place next to us for his son to farm since the home place was to small for two families to make a living on.

He also raised registered Herfords for breeding stock. He had about 5 or 6 herd bulls and a few cows. The bulls were enormous running from 2,000 pounds up.

All the bulls I had ever been around you had to keep an eye on at all times as they can be a little ornery at times especially if it was someone they did not know.

One day they had me go to the home place to change the water and of course the water also had to be changed in the bull pasture. I started changing the water and the biggest of the bulls decided that he needed to head my way.

I was hurriedly trying to do my work and stay ahead of this huge animal but as fate would put it I got detained long enough for him to catch me. Just before he got to me I turned around so maybe I would have a chance to run one way or the other.

He plodded right up to me and did not even stop to smell me or nothing. He just started to rub his head on me. He was as tame as a dog and all he wanted was to get scratched on.

So later I was telling the farmer about it and he said that a couple of years before that he had a guy working for him that used to ride him kind of like a horse.

So me being me the next time I changed the water in the bull pasture I just had to do it and jumped on him.

I had no more and got on his back and he started off across the pasture at a slow but steady gait taking me back to the barn where I was wanting to go anyway. So when we got there he stopped and I slid off him and gave him a good scratching and went on my way.

So it became a routine for us. Every time I changed the water in his pasture he would then give me a ride back to the barn. We even had our picture taken by some tourist that were driving by and saw us and just had to have a picture for their friends in the city so they would believe them.

Now I bet this story did not turn out like you thought. But...

It is what it is

Rod

Old Farmers Advice

*Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

*Life ain't about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.

*Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.

*Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

*A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

*Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

*Meanness don't jest happen overnight.

*Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

*Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

*It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

*You cannot unsay a cruel word.

*Every path has a few puddles.

*When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

* The easiest way to eat crow is while it's still warm, 'cause the colder it gets, the harder it is to swaller.

* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

* It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with watches you shave his face in the mirror every mornin'.

* Always drink upstream from the herd.

* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

*If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

*Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.

*Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

It is what it is

Rod

Branding Calves

Growing up in the country and working on ranches part of the job/fun was branding calves. So here is some of the episodes that I have seen/been through.

When I was a kid I was introduced to the rite of spring branding going to a cousins place and helping him. Branding is a lot like that where people help others especially family. They make a day or sometimes two days and there is lots of good food kind of like a big party at times.

My cousin had a small place so he did not have many cows so we did not use horses or a calf table to brand with. We just put them in a small pen and waded in and caught them by hand and threw them on the ground and took care of them. Usually it always seemed to be that the biggest calves were the last to be done but one year it happened to be the smallest one. He was small enough that we had just over looked him. Well he was spotted and my grand father was closes to him so he grabbed him and all hell broke loose that calf was not liking it at all and was jumping and kicking and just flat out going crazy.

The rest of us for some reason were finding it quite humorous just watching this 50 pound calf pretty much winning this battle. When my grand father finally got him some what under control the rest of us joined in and helped out. Later on our way home my grand father was not in a very good mood so I asked him what was wrong. So he told me he thought he had broke a rib and was just a little upset that it was the smallest calf in the pen that had done it.

When I got older and was working on a ranch we would have 600 head of calves to brand so it took us 2 days. With that many head to do they had a calf table to use.

For you that do not know a calf table is a small squeeze chute that will tip the calf on its side so you can work on them easier.

So the second year that I worked there they decided that they were going to brand all the calves in one day so they borrowed another calf table from another ranch and had some cousins from the city come out to help.

One of their cousins that showed up was a big kid well over 6 foot tall and 200 plus pounds most of it muscle. He was very proud of his strength and liked to show it off at any time possible. The one problem he had was that he was afraid of the calves.

My job was ear making and dehorning and I had to do both tables so I was running back and forth doing that and if they missed a calf going through the chute is was also my job to catch them and stuff them back in.

Well I could not be in two places at the same time and they missed one at the table I was not at and he got away and it took a lot of time to catch him again. So the owner decided that we needed some one to watch what ever chute I was not at so that would not happen again. Well Jerry being the biggest was the chosen one.

Things went fine as they were catching the calves but then it happened and they missed one and Jerry was there. Ok now imagine this you have a 200 plus pound very strong kid face to face with a maybe 90 pound calf. Jerry was just dancing around in front of this calf waving his arms and I still do not know what he was thinking but it did stop the calf.

Well I had finished on the calf I was working on and had started to head that way when all of this was going on. I just ran over there and pushed Jerry out of the way and jumped the calf and stuffed him back in the chute.

Now at the time this happened I was maybe just a little bit over 5 foot tall and might of weighed 115 pounds soaking wet.

So there was a lot of ribbing at Jerry about that and he was not liking it at all. As expected it was not too much later and they missed another one. This one was rather small maybe 60 pounds and Jerry was still smarting from the last one so this one had no chance and Jerry felt a lot better about life.

I have done very few brandings like what you see on TV with the horses and roping the calves as I am not very good with a rope. So when I do go to these I am mainly ground crew but that is fine with me.

I was at one and we had the calves in a pen and were down to the last calf and no one was even getting close to roping it. They kept running the calf around and missing. So one time they ran the calf close to me so I grabbed it and flanked it down so we could get the job done. I was not very appreciated so one of the guys rode around behind me and preceded to rope me and drag me off through the dirt.

So on the next pen I said I wanted to rope and they put the guy that had roped me on the ground crew as I had hoped. Well needless to say I never did rope a calf but I did rope him twice and it made him real mad but everyone else basically told him that he had started it and if he did not like it to leave.

So that is some of my experiences branding calves.

It is what it is

Rod

$100

A little boy wanted $100.00 very badly and prayed for weeks, but nothing happened .

Then he decided to write God a letter requesting the $100.00.

When the postal authorities received the letter to God , USA , they decided to send it to the president.

The president was so amused that he instructed his secretary to send the little boy a $ 5.00 bill.

The president thought this would appear to be a lot of money to a little boy.

The little boy was delighted with the $5.00 bill and sat down to write a thank-you note to God, which read:

Dear God: Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I noticed that for some reason you sent it through Washington D.C.. and those assholes took $95.00 in taxes.

It is what it is

Rod

The Chase Continued

Here we go again another episode of chasing wild horses.

This time we were in a area that we could not take the pickups so we were using horses instead. Real wild west stuff!

We had a temporary corral set up and Mike had located the horses the day before so we saddled up the horses and set out after them.

Now let me give you a little idea of what we had going here. One of the horses we were riding was a thoroughbred tall built for running. The rest were Quarter horses good all around breed except for one...my horse. I had Sundance. Sundance was a cayuse horse. That was what the Indians called a wild horse that they caught and then broke to ride.

Now wild horses are not the big horses you see on the westerns or read about in the novels. They are small because as they tend to get inbred.

I still to this day believe they did it for a laugh to have the white boy on the smallest horse but that was not all. They also stole my hat and told me that I had to wear one of theirs. Ok I can play along with them where is my hat then.

They sent one of the kids to get my special hat and he returned with a ball cap but it had stuffed cow horns on the side kind of like a viking hat but with a bill. Ok give it to me I will go ahead and amuse you. So I put it on and not one smile or grin or nothing just a all right lets go.

We took off and trotted for about 5 miles until we finally spotted the wild horses and then we had to sneak around them so we could chase them back to the corral.

We got around them and then put the boots to our horses and off we went the chase was on!

Now the terrain around here is not very flat. I have posted pictures of the mountains and we were chasing these horses in the foot hills. Steep hills and a lot of brush and trees and rocks.

Well we took off after the horses yelling and hollering and they took off like they had been shot at with us in hot pursuit. Well everyone else was in hot pursuit as Sundance was not that big and also not as fast as the other horses.

I will never forget that chase When we topped the first hill I could not see the wild horses at all but the kid on the Thoroughbred was just topping the next hill and the Quarter horses were starting up the next hill. I was getting left behind real quick. So I tried to get Sundance to go faster but then it dawned on me that he was giving me all he had so we just chugged along while everyone else was having the real fun.

So having nothing else to really occupy my mind I started to pay more attention to my horse I was riding. Now I have rode a lot of different horses in my life having worked on ranches and have even owned my fair share so I do know a little bit about them.

Well by the time Sundance and I had topped out on the 3rd. hill I could no longer even see anybody else. I could here them whooping and hollering and see the dust cloud but that was it. It was around this time that I realized that even though I was on a little horse he was a very fine animal. He had not slacked off of his pace and was not breathing very heavy and was a fine animal for the terrain we were in. Not one slip or stumble and I did not have to give him much direction he knew what was needed and was giving me everything he had.

Well we kept going for all he had and then a couple of hills later I suddenly saw another rider but he was not running anymore and the horse was done wore out. It was the Thoroughbred fast but no endurance. As I came up to him he just waved me on by yelling at me not to stop so I kept on going.

By having to go up and down the hills we probably had 10 or more miles to go to get back to the corrals and as the miles went by my little cayuse horse slowly but surely caught and passed everyone else and as they had dropped off the wild horses had slowed down so we were able to catch them just before we topped the last hill before the corral.

Everything ended up as planned I was able to get the wild horses close enough to the corral that the riders waiting there on fresh horses were able to take over and we caught them.

But then the ribbing started as the the other rider showed up on their spent horses about the white boy showing them up and of course there was plenty pointed at me and my cayuse horse and oh of course my hat.

But I got even with them and kept the hat! You should of seen the look on their faces when I told them to keep my old hat I liked the one they traded to me a lot better.

It is what it is

Rod

What A Day

April fools...right!

Everything started out just fine you know opened my eyes great! But it soon changed.

We have been having some problems with the power lately. Lights flickering and dimming and then everything would be fine again. But then it would start again. So one day I had the power company come over and they checked everything out on their end and it was fine. I then talked to a electrician friend and he said to make sure all the grounds were good and tight and if that did not fix it to replace the main breaker.

Well I did as he said and tightened all the grounds in the main breaker box but the problem only became worse. Ok then put in a new main breaker and it stopped. For about 3 days and then back it came.

Now what do I do? Since we had the house was over 25 years old I decided I would go ahead and replace the rest of the receptacles in the house and see if one of the old ones I had not already changed was bad. Once again the problem disappeared for a short while and then started again but not as bad as before.

About that time we also noticed the it was not all the lights flickering just some of them and then just intermittently. That left us scratching our heads and wondering what it could be. Until this morning.

I was sitting at my computer and it suddenly shut down and then tried to restart but could not. Oh great I thought April 1st. virus day and I got it. About that time my wife opened the refrigerator door and the light was real dim. I went around the house and checked other lights and some were fine and others were real dim. Now what?

I went to the breaker box and checked the power with my voltage meter and what is this one leg is at 120 volts and the other is at 70 volts. Definite problem here so I called the power company so they could come and check it out on their end again.

The same power employee showed up and of course was kidding me about it but when he pulled the cover off the meter base box the problem was then very apparent. One lug was completely melted. Wonderful so I shut off all the main breakers while he got into the lift and unhooked the power lines at the pole and then pulled the meter.

I was talking to him as he was pulling the meter and said that I would call him to hook everything back up as soon as I replaced it. Oh no he said it has to be done by a electrician and they have to give him a letter of responsibility before he could put the meter back in.

Well after 4 phone calls I finally found a electrician that would come right over and look at it and yes it would be fixed today.

He showed up and was looking at things and said that if we were lucky it would only cost $400 and that if we were not it would then be $2000. I must of had that WTF look on my face as he then explained that by state law he could only replace 1 part. And since he was going to have to change the box out that was the one part. Now if he has to change out more like the wire going to the breaker box he then has to replace it all from the power pole to the breaker box.

Ok I said where is the lucky part. Well if the original electrician has left enough slack in the line from the breaker box to the meter box then I would be lucky. Well I was lucky as there was more than enough slack in the line so we were able to pull it through and it will only cost me $400. Whew!

Now the real sad part of this whole thing is that of the $400 total cost to fix it $100 of it was for the permit! And then I found out the inspector will not even make it here until Friday! But that is why there is the letter of responsibility so they can turn the power back on and I did not have to wait.

So how was your April fools day?

It is what it is

Rod

My New Neighbors

I have been watching 2 crows that have decided to build their nest in a tree in my back yard. It has been quite interesting to watch.

They started about 1 week ago and in the beginning the female was doing all the building poking and weaving the sticks to I guess build the base. The male would bring stick ad stuff to her and she would do the building. It was funny at first because some of the sticks he would bring she would discard and he would fly down and pick them up again and try to give it back but no she would not take them.

After the base was built then both have started to build with first one then the other busy weaving the branches in to form the nest. But I have noticed that the male will show up with his stick and hurriedly put it in and then when the female shows up she spends a little more time. Probably fixing his along with putting hers in.

The one real nice thing of them building their nest in my back yard other then the entertainment value is the fact that I have no branches laying on the ground in my back or front yard so that is quite nice for a change.

I was watching them today and started thinking that if I was being a normal human being I would be missing this entertaining real life documentary that is going on in my back yard watching some garbage on the TV.

It is what it is

Rod

Explaination

As you have noticed I have not had allot to say lately just been posting interesting things or jokes I have found.

Well the truth is I have allot to say but it is not of the most positive matter and I don't want to rant at you so I have chose no to.

I guess basically I'm waiting to see what is going to happen with our world yours and mine. But don't worry I'm sure that things will change one way or the other and I will no longer be able to contain myself.

Don't worry I am fine just keeping quite...Unbelievable as that can be!

It is what it is

Rod

Do You Remember

What happened the year you were born, when your kids were born, any year that might have some importance to you.
You might be surprised at what you find out.

_1900_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1900.html )
_1901_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1901.html )
_1902_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1902.html )
_1903_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1903.html )
_1904_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1904.html )
_1905_ (http://www.infoplease.com/year/1905.html )
_1906_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1906.html )
_1907_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1907.html
_1908_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1908.html )
_1909_ ( http://www..infoplease.com/year/1909.html )
_1910_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1910.html)
_1911_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1911.html )
_1912_ ( http://www..infoplease.com/year/1912.html )
_1913_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1913.html )
_1914_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1914.html )
_1915_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1915.html )
_1916_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1916.html )
_1917_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1917.html )
_1918_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1918.html )
_1919_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1919.html )
_1920_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1920.html )
_1921_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1921.html )
_1922_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1922.html )
_1923_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1923.html )
_19 24_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1924.html )
_1925_ ( http://www.infoplease..com/year/1925.html )
_1926_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1926.html )
_1927_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1927.html )
_1928_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1928.html )
_1929_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1929.html )
_1930_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1930.html )
_1931_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1931.html )
_1932_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1932.html )
_1933_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1933.html )
_1934_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1934.html )
_1935_ ( http://www..infoplease.com/year/1935.html )
_1936_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/ 1936.html )
_1937_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1937.html )
_1938_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1938.html )
_1939_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1939.html )
_1940_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1940.html )
_1941_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1941.html )
_1942_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1942.html )
_1943_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1943.html )
_1944_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1944.html )
_1945_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1945.html )
_1946_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1946.html )
_1947_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1947.html )
_1948_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1948.html )
_1949_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1949.html )
_1950_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1950.html )
_1951_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1951.html )
_1952_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1952.html )
_1953_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1953.html )
_1954_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1954.html )
_1955_ ( http://www.infop lease.com/year/1955.html )
_1956_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1956.html )
_1957_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1957.html )
_1958_ ( http://www..infoplease.com/year/1958.html )
_1959_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1959.html )
_1960_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1960.html )
_1961_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1961.html )
_1962_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1962.html )
_1963_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1963.html )
_1964_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1964.html )
_1965_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1965.html )
_1966_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1966.html )
_1967_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1967.html )
_1968_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1968.html )
_1969_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1969.html )
_1970_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1970.html )
_1971_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1971.html )
_1972_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1972.html )
_1973_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1973.html )
_1974_ ( h ttp://www.infoplease.com/year/1974.html )
_1975_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1975.html )
_1976_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1976.html )
_1977_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1977.html )
_1978_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1978.html )
_1979_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1979.html )
_1980_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1980.html )
_1981_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1981.html )
_1982_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1982.html )
_1983_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1983.html )
_1984_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1984.html )
_1985_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1985.html )
_1986_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1986.html )
_1987_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1987.html )
_1988_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1988.html )
_1989_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1989.html )
_1990_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1990.html )
_1991_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1991.html )
_1992_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1992.html )
_1993_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1993.html )
_1994_ ( http://www.infoplease..com/year/1994.html )
_1995_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1995.html )
_1996_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1996.html )
_1997_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1997.html )
_1998_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1998.html )
_1999_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/1999.html )
_2000_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/2000.html )
_2001_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/2001.html )
_2002_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/2002.html )
_2003_ ( http://www.infoplease.com/year/2003.html )
_2004_ ( http://www..infoplease.com/year/2004.html )
_2005_ (http://www.infoplease.com/year/2005.html )
_2006_ (http://www.infoplease.com/year/2006.html )


It is what it is


Rod