Never Going Back Again
1 year ago
Friday, January 30, 2009
My Part Of The World
Welcome to my part of the world. I'm not going to comment on the pictures just let you enjoy!
Paradise Gone
Yes it is true. Paradise (work) is gone!
Was called into work yesterday to be given my final paycheck. They even took the time to stamp it as such.
So 16+ years, missing parts of three fingers a lot of gray hair and for what.....
Well I don't know, my mind is going a hundred miles a minute...
Ok working on a plan.
Unemployment benefits as is will last for about 11 months. I have a meeting with them tomorrow to see if I can qualify for more programs now that I'm 100% laid off.
I also have meeting with an investment guy on Tuesday to roll my profit sharing into an IRA so it is more liquid to help me make ends meet.
Been in contact with the lenders, we qualify for hardship programs on the house and car...house we will try to keep but the car...probably not.
We are looking at everything right now...what do we need, what don't we need, what can we live without and what we can not live without.
According to the news, California is out of money and all benefits cut off, on hold. Makes one wonder how long Oregon can keep on with the ever increasing demand.
Here's a good one when I was leaving my ex-paradise there was a news bulletin on the radio...Unemployment levels are at the highest level since the depression...no shit Sherlock!
Sorry had to add that!
So I will stop at that but will keep you updated on my progress or lack of it, at a later time.
So the saying is getting pushed to the limits right now but...
It is what it is
Or as a dear friend likes to remind me...
It is what you make of it.
Rod
Was called into work yesterday to be given my final paycheck. They even took the time to stamp it as such.
So 16+ years, missing parts of three fingers a lot of gray hair and for what.....
Well I don't know, my mind is going a hundred miles a minute...
Ok working on a plan.
Unemployment benefits as is will last for about 11 months. I have a meeting with them tomorrow to see if I can qualify for more programs now that I'm 100% laid off.
I also have meeting with an investment guy on Tuesday to roll my profit sharing into an IRA so it is more liquid to help me make ends meet.
Been in contact with the lenders, we qualify for hardship programs on the house and car...house we will try to keep but the car...probably not.
We are looking at everything right now...what do we need, what don't we need, what can we live without and what we can not live without.
According to the news, California is out of money and all benefits cut off, on hold. Makes one wonder how long Oregon can keep on with the ever increasing demand.
Here's a good one when I was leaving my ex-paradise there was a news bulletin on the radio...Unemployment levels are at the highest level since the depression...no shit Sherlock!
Sorry had to add that!
So I will stop at that but will keep you updated on my progress or lack of it, at a later time.
So the saying is getting pushed to the limits right now but...
It is what it is
Or as a dear friend likes to remind me...
It is what you make of it.
Rod
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Chase Is On
In an earlier post I mentioned about some of my exploits on the Rez.
So today we'll talk about chasing the wild horses.
My friend Tim called me one day and asked if I wanted to go and chase Wild horses with his family. Are you kidding, you bet! lets go!
We went to Tim's parents house and got prepared and headed out. We drove out of the town of Warm Springs for about 15 miles took a left turn and headed into the hills for about another 5 miles and met up with Tim's brother Mike at a make shift corral.
Mike had headed up earlier to locate the horses so he told us where they were and they set the plan.
Now we all have seen how they do it in the movies. Mount up and chase them on another horse, right...wrong. Four of us got into a couple of new 1/2 ton 4WD Dodge pickups and headed out.
We headed out on a sorry excuse for a road and drove for about 3 or 4 miles and found the horses close to where Mike had said they would be, and then the chase was on!
Immediate turn and put the pedal to the metal swerving around anything big like rocks, trees, big bushes all the time keeping a eye on the horses. Well everything was going according to plan, we were able to get on the other side of the horses and Tim's other brother Daniel was on the other and we were headed in the right direction. Things were progressing well, until we came to a draw in the hills (small canyon) we were at the top of it so we did not have to go in it but Daniel did not have that choice, so over the edge he went. We slowed down (finally) to wait for the horses to show up on the other side, but no horses. About that time we spotted them headed out the bottom of the draw!
Things were not right so now what I had thought was fast before wasn't. Tim drove like a crazy man right down the bottom of the draw after them. Along the way we ran into Daniel and his buddy changing the rear tire.
Found out later that they clipped a stump...Clipped? They tore the whole side wall out lucky the rear end stayed in place.
Well we made it out the bottom! But, now the horses were headed in the wrong direction and no matter what we tried could not get them turned and headed in the right direction! Instead we just ended up running in big circles.
Finally here comes Daniel to the rescue we get them headed in the right direction and the chase settles down to a more orderly fashion. Things went well until we got close to the corral and Mike had been wondering what was taking so long and had rode out on his horse to see where we were. Not a real good idea but it did eventually turn out to be a good one.
Well the Wild horses spotted him and decided that this was not the right direction after all and took a hard right turn! So off we go again at break neck speed to try and turn them back again.
A couple of big circles later, we get headed back in the right direction and top the last hill and what do we see but Mike again! But this time he had his horse flat out with the wild horses hot on his back. Was quite a sight ! Really made you wonder who was chasing who. Now I will give one thing to Mike he was thinking he headed straight into the corral and the wild horses just followed him in.
So that was my first experience with chasing wild horses with my native friends. There is more, but don't want to bore some of you and the others will have to come back again as I will talk more about it sometime later....
It is what it is
Rod
So today we'll talk about chasing the wild horses.
My friend Tim called me one day and asked if I wanted to go and chase Wild horses with his family. Are you kidding, you bet! lets go!
We went to Tim's parents house and got prepared and headed out. We drove out of the town of Warm Springs for about 15 miles took a left turn and headed into the hills for about another 5 miles and met up with Tim's brother Mike at a make shift corral.
Mike had headed up earlier to locate the horses so he told us where they were and they set the plan.
Now we all have seen how they do it in the movies. Mount up and chase them on another horse, right...wrong. Four of us got into a couple of new 1/2 ton 4WD Dodge pickups and headed out.
We headed out on a sorry excuse for a road and drove for about 3 or 4 miles and found the horses close to where Mike had said they would be, and then the chase was on!
Immediate turn and put the pedal to the metal swerving around anything big like rocks, trees, big bushes all the time keeping a eye on the horses. Well everything was going according to plan, we were able to get on the other side of the horses and Tim's other brother Daniel was on the other and we were headed in the right direction. Things were progressing well, until we came to a draw in the hills (small canyon) we were at the top of it so we did not have to go in it but Daniel did not have that choice, so over the edge he went. We slowed down (finally) to wait for the horses to show up on the other side, but no horses. About that time we spotted them headed out the bottom of the draw!
Things were not right so now what I had thought was fast before wasn't. Tim drove like a crazy man right down the bottom of the draw after them. Along the way we ran into Daniel and his buddy changing the rear tire.
Found out later that they clipped a stump...Clipped? They tore the whole side wall out lucky the rear end stayed in place.
Well we made it out the bottom! But, now the horses were headed in the wrong direction and no matter what we tried could not get them turned and headed in the right direction! Instead we just ended up running in big circles.
Finally here comes Daniel to the rescue we get them headed in the right direction and the chase settles down to a more orderly fashion. Things went well until we got close to the corral and Mike had been wondering what was taking so long and had rode out on his horse to see where we were. Not a real good idea but it did eventually turn out to be a good one.
Well the Wild horses spotted him and decided that this was not the right direction after all and took a hard right turn! So off we go again at break neck speed to try and turn them back again.
A couple of big circles later, we get headed back in the right direction and top the last hill and what do we see but Mike again! But this time he had his horse flat out with the wild horses hot on his back. Was quite a sight ! Really made you wonder who was chasing who. Now I will give one thing to Mike he was thinking he headed straight into the corral and the wild horses just followed him in.
So that was my first experience with chasing wild horses with my native friends. There is more, but don't want to bore some of you and the others will have to come back again as I will talk more about it sometime later....
It is what it is
Rod
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Dealing With The State
Was reading Serenitys Blog yesterday and decided that you might want to know what happens when you deal with the state!
For the first time in my 46 years I'm laid off and collecting unemployment!
So let's talk about that then.
First off you don't even have to go to the unemployment office anymore...Imagine that they do it all on the computer. No phone calls, no press 1 for English, no talking to a warm body...actually kinda nice. Now get this, if you do go to the office and ask them a question, guess where they send you....and I quote "All your questions are answered on our web site".
So I went to their site and started the process and it asked for my name and social security number! Wait a minute here put my social number on the net haven't they heard or identity theft?? Oh but that's ok I have identity protection cost me 200 dollars 1 million dollar guarantee! Besides maybe if somebody steals my identity they would get some of my bills...they sure as hell are not going to get any credit because I sure can't.
So fearlessly I do as instructed and promptly get told sorry that name and number do not match you will need to go to the nearest office to fix this problem. Hmm maybe some poor sucker was already trying!
Ok so I was just there and they sent me home to do it what the heck is going on here! So back to the office and they take my card type it in and it shows as me And the very nice lady tells me that I need to go back home and try again and if I have the same problem to come back and someone would then sit down with me and help me. Made me wonder if they had stock in the oil companies.
So back home and success. I'm me! All signed up and ready to go all I have to do is fill out a stupid form each week again online and get this if you are unemployed you have to stay at home you can not leave for the week that you are laid off as this will make you forfeit your benefits for that week. Oh and yes you need to be actively looking for work....right only laid off for a week.
Ok enough about that episode but do have another.
Now I don't know if all of you read Hermit Jims Blog but he had a funny song on it the other day about your memory or lack of it. Well I suffer from Partstimers! Huh what's that ok I'll explain part of the time I know where I'm at and the rest of the time I wonder where I've been!
So now that you know what that is here's what happened to me. I had partstimers getting my drivers license renewed by lets see 2+ years. Could of sworn the notification had just shown up in the mail last week! But hey the joke is on me when I went to the division of motor vehicles, Wheww Now that's a mouth full so let's go by their preferred name DMV.
Ok where was I DMV right...Ok I show up there and they tell me it is your personal responsibility to keep track of when your license renewal date is. Right half the time I forget where I'm going before I get there!
Well since my license was 2+ years expired I needed to take the written and driving tests again. Ok fine lets get started. Passed the written with a stellar 83%...missed one more and would of had to wait a week. Look at the lady behind the counter and asked her when I could take the driving test but wait the phone is ringing and that is more important than a warm body, right!
She takes the call and then turns around and tells this guy that his 11 o'clock driving appointment was cancelled...Quick look at the watch 10:45 Hmm maybe it's my lucky day and spoke up and said great lets go....but nope forgot who I was dealing with here a government agency....I'm promptly told that I need to go home and call this number that they give you and make a appointment.....I can't make it here? No they changed that you need to call that number...ok look at the number...Hmmm it's the DMV number for the office that I'm at figure that.
So go home and set the appointment for the following week. Show up promptly on time for my appointment do the paperwork and wait a moment, have to pay a 9 dollar fee to take the test which pays for the insurance for the guy to give you the test...ok shell out 9 bucks let's go...gotta wait he is the only one there the other person had to step out for a moment for personal reasons. Wait patiently and she shows up great lets go.
Well the test went ok dinged me because I didn't use my rearview mirror coming up to a stop sign. Even pointed at it..Ok I said but did you not notice that I have a canopy on the back he said yes well you can not see too well thru the canopy so I was using my side view mirrors and being me made sure I pointed them out to him. So he decided that maybe I was correct on that one.
We went inside to do the rest of the paperwork and pay for the license. But wait a minute here don't I get my 9 bucks back we didn't have any wrecks and I did bring him back alive.
Well I don't believe I need to tell you the answer to that because...
It is what it is
Need I say more?
Rod
P.S. Just got notification from the employment dept. by snail mail!
Due to the large amount of claims your payments will be delayed by 7 to 10 working days.
Now ain't that just a fine thing!
For the first time in my 46 years I'm laid off and collecting unemployment!
So let's talk about that then.
First off you don't even have to go to the unemployment office anymore...Imagine that they do it all on the computer. No phone calls, no press 1 for English, no talking to a warm body...actually kinda nice. Now get this, if you do go to the office and ask them a question, guess where they send you....and I quote "All your questions are answered on our web site".
So I went to their site and started the process and it asked for my name and social security number! Wait a minute here put my social number on the net haven't they heard or identity theft?? Oh but that's ok I have identity protection cost me 200 dollars 1 million dollar guarantee! Besides maybe if somebody steals my identity they would get some of my bills...they sure as hell are not going to get any credit because I sure can't.
So fearlessly I do as instructed and promptly get told sorry that name and number do not match you will need to go to the nearest office to fix this problem. Hmm maybe some poor sucker was already trying!
Ok so I was just there and they sent me home to do it what the heck is going on here! So back to the office and they take my card type it in and it shows as me And the very nice lady tells me that I need to go back home and try again and if I have the same problem to come back and someone would then sit down with me and help me. Made me wonder if they had stock in the oil companies.
So back home and success. I'm me! All signed up and ready to go all I have to do is fill out a stupid form each week again online and get this if you are unemployed you have to stay at home you can not leave for the week that you are laid off as this will make you forfeit your benefits for that week. Oh and yes you need to be actively looking for work....right only laid off for a week.
Ok enough about that episode but do have another.
Now I don't know if all of you read Hermit Jims Blog but he had a funny song on it the other day about your memory or lack of it. Well I suffer from Partstimers! Huh what's that ok I'll explain part of the time I know where I'm at and the rest of the time I wonder where I've been!
So now that you know what that is here's what happened to me. I had partstimers getting my drivers license renewed by lets see 2+ years. Could of sworn the notification had just shown up in the mail last week! But hey the joke is on me when I went to the division of motor vehicles, Wheww Now that's a mouth full so let's go by their preferred name DMV.
Ok where was I DMV right...Ok I show up there and they tell me it is your personal responsibility to keep track of when your license renewal date is. Right half the time I forget where I'm going before I get there!
Well since my license was 2+ years expired I needed to take the written and driving tests again. Ok fine lets get started. Passed the written with a stellar 83%...missed one more and would of had to wait a week. Look at the lady behind the counter and asked her when I could take the driving test but wait the phone is ringing and that is more important than a warm body, right!
She takes the call and then turns around and tells this guy that his 11 o'clock driving appointment was cancelled...Quick look at the watch 10:45 Hmm maybe it's my lucky day and spoke up and said great lets go....but nope forgot who I was dealing with here a government agency....I'm promptly told that I need to go home and call this number that they give you and make a appointment.....I can't make it here? No they changed that you need to call that number...ok look at the number...Hmmm it's the DMV number for the office that I'm at figure that.
So go home and set the appointment for the following week. Show up promptly on time for my appointment do the paperwork and wait a moment, have to pay a 9 dollar fee to take the test which pays for the insurance for the guy to give you the test...ok shell out 9 bucks let's go...gotta wait he is the only one there the other person had to step out for a moment for personal reasons. Wait patiently and she shows up great lets go.
Well the test went ok dinged me because I didn't use my rearview mirror coming up to a stop sign. Even pointed at it..Ok I said but did you not notice that I have a canopy on the back he said yes well you can not see too well thru the canopy so I was using my side view mirrors and being me made sure I pointed them out to him. So he decided that maybe I was correct on that one.
We went inside to do the rest of the paperwork and pay for the license. But wait a minute here don't I get my 9 bucks back we didn't have any wrecks and I did bring him back alive.
Well I don't believe I need to tell you the answer to that because...
It is what it is
Need I say more?
Rod
P.S. Just got notification from the employment dept. by snail mail!
Due to the large amount of claims your payments will be delayed by 7 to 10 working days.
Now ain't that just a fine thing!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Double Tuesday
Couldn't pass on this Kodak moment!
Remember there is another post for today below so do not forget to read it
Remember there is another post for today below so do not forget to read it
Just Another Day
Or so I thought.
It was the summer after my freshman year in high school just another day of work on the farm.
Had been home for a long lunch and was heading back to work on my motorcycle as usual, when the bike started to cut out.
Now, motorcycles back then were nothing compared to today's bikes. You were constantly working on them to keep them running. Seems like something was always going wrong with them! So rather than pull over and stop I just kinda leaned over and reached down and started to adjust the carburetor, lean it out nope not better ok then richen it up hey that's better.... ok, then a little bit more, and great! I remember sitting back up and looking ahead just in time to hit a pickup.
The next thing I remember is being under the truck trying to get out and my legs felt funny so I looked at them and remember thinking, my toes should not be touching like that. Turned out that I broke both my legs below the knees.
Lucky for me I knew the guy in the pickup so he loaded me up and took me to the hospital where they set my legs and put me in long leg casts.
So I spent the next 6 hot weeks in a chase lounge or wheel chair! getting placed where I was could not move around too much. 6 weeks of nothing. Did not get TV so I did a lot of reading, built a lot of models, anything to not go crazy.
Finally the 6 weeks was up and it was time to go see the specialist! They had me show up at lunch time as they had no idea how long it would take. Could go into a lot of boring details here, but the only points that still stick out was that I was put into short leg casts (Who hoo) and when I was being wheeled out I'll never forget when they opened the door to the waiting room. It was full of people and one guy stuck out. He was feeling really sorry for himself and he was making sure everyone knew it but when he saw me there was an immediate attitude change, in fact that happened in the whole room.
So the rest of my summer was spent occupying myself as best as I could. After 6 weeks tied to a wheel chair I had plenty of energy but was limited to what I could do. There was of course my friend who stopped by each day after changing water and took me to his house to help me keep my sanity.
The rest is basically anticlimactic as I healed twice as fast as the doctors were expecting and have had no side effects from it.
Now the weird part of this story is that I had put my helmet on that day don't know why probably had not used it for a month, but luckily I did for it was the only thing that saved my life. Interesting how things like that go...
It is what it is
Rod
It was the summer after my freshman year in high school just another day of work on the farm.
Had been home for a long lunch and was heading back to work on my motorcycle as usual, when the bike started to cut out.
Now, motorcycles back then were nothing compared to today's bikes. You were constantly working on them to keep them running. Seems like something was always going wrong with them! So rather than pull over and stop I just kinda leaned over and reached down and started to adjust the carburetor, lean it out nope not better ok then richen it up hey that's better.... ok, then a little bit more, and great! I remember sitting back up and looking ahead just in time to hit a pickup.
The next thing I remember is being under the truck trying to get out and my legs felt funny so I looked at them and remember thinking, my toes should not be touching like that. Turned out that I broke both my legs below the knees.
Lucky for me I knew the guy in the pickup so he loaded me up and took me to the hospital where they set my legs and put me in long leg casts.
So I spent the next 6 hot weeks in a chase lounge or wheel chair! getting placed where I was could not move around too much. 6 weeks of nothing. Did not get TV so I did a lot of reading, built a lot of models, anything to not go crazy.
Finally the 6 weeks was up and it was time to go see the specialist! They had me show up at lunch time as they had no idea how long it would take. Could go into a lot of boring details here, but the only points that still stick out was that I was put into short leg casts (Who hoo) and when I was being wheeled out I'll never forget when they opened the door to the waiting room. It was full of people and one guy stuck out. He was feeling really sorry for himself and he was making sure everyone knew it but when he saw me there was an immediate attitude change, in fact that happened in the whole room.
So the rest of my summer was spent occupying myself as best as I could. After 6 weeks tied to a wheel chair I had plenty of energy but was limited to what I could do. There was of course my friend who stopped by each day after changing water and took me to his house to help me keep my sanity.
The rest is basically anticlimactic as I healed twice as fast as the doctors were expecting and have had no side effects from it.
Now the weird part of this story is that I had put my helmet on that day don't know why probably had not used it for a month, but luckily I did for it was the only thing that saved my life. Interesting how things like that go...
It is what it is
Rod
Sunday, January 25, 2009
My Native Friends
My town is located next to an Indian reservation called The Confederated Tribes Of Warm Springs. It is actually three different tribes, (Hence the confederated). We have the Wasco, Paiute, and Warm Springs tribes located there.
So this will be about some of my native friends and some experiences I have had with them.
First let me try and describe the three different tribes.
The Paiute Indian is the biggest of the three, most of the men are 6 foot or taller and the women are a little shorter. They are big people with flat features and tend to be the hardest to make friends with.
Then there are the Wasco Indians who are of average height but are very stocky and are plain of features. They are by far the meanest of the three tribes, more trouble makers and they love to fight. But if you do make a friend with one you will have a friend for life.
And last is the Warm Springs Indian who also are of average size but are the most elegant of the three. They are one of the better looking tribes in the US. They are by far the easiest going of the three tribes, they just love to joke and laugh, so this makes them the easiest to get to know.
Now don't get me wrong here I have friends from all three tribes so I am trying to give a honest opinion here.
Indians are some of the most spiritualistic people there ever was. Everything is for a reason and everything that happened around them was for a purpose or was a sign of good or bad to come.
They are also very superstitious, For example if a family member dies they can not go and gather berries or fruit or hunt for one year.
They have stories about every animal that was around. For example the Coyote is a messenger. It is good if he is heading towards you he has no message, if he is headed away from you unless he stops and looks back at you, then it is bad news.
A lot of what has been portrayed in movies about them is not true but there was some that were very close to the truth. The movie Dances With Wolves did a very good job explaining how they were and how they lived. Even today a lot of them tend to be free spirited people. But like all races it only take a few bad apples to spoil it for the rest.
Ok now to some of my friends and adventures about living next to the rez. (that's what we call it)
Lets start with Mike, I call him Chief. Mike is not from Warm Springs his tribe is in Washington, so they did not live on the rez but in town.
Mike and I got to know each other in school doing sports and it is a small town where we raised a little hell now and again. Mike is easy going and it takes a lot to make him mad, but then he gets over it real fast. He loves to joke around and one of his favorite sayings is Honest Injun. Now imagine that coming out of a 6 foot tall 200 pound Indian man.
Tim and I also met in high school thru sports but did not really get to know each other until we had graduated. He was a Warm Springs Indian, so was very easy going always looking for a good time. I spent the most time on the rez. with him and his family.
There are wild horses on the rez. and one of their favorite pastimes then was chasing them. Well there was a bad disease with no cure so all the wild horses needed to be caught and tested and being the free spirit I was at the time I was more than happy to help. I'll stop there as this is a long story so I will post more about it later.
Then there was Bill he was a Wasco Indian and loved to fight and raise hell. He was older than me and I got acquainted with him thru my brother as they were good friends.
Bill always called me little brother and treated me like it. One time Tim talked me into going into one of the local bars that was best know as the Indian bar. So in we went there was only two non natives in the bar, myself and the bar tender who walked up to me and asked if I was crazy. At the time I was wondering that myself.
Well to make a long story short I was spotted and the trouble was starting but here came Bill to the rescue. He walked over and asked me how I was doing (don't remember my reply) and then turned around and asked if anyone had a problem with his little brother having a beer with them. Whew all I can say was after that I never did have any problems with any natives again.
One of our dearest friends is Danielle she is also a Warm Springs Indian very beautiful and loves to have a good time. I knew her in school but we did not get very close until the last couple of years. She is in contact with us almost every day. She stops by at least once a week. Even has her boys call us their uncle and aunt. She will literally give you her last dollar and not expect it back. She is probably my wife's nearest dearest friend and we just love her to death.
So these are a few of my native friends. I will write about some of our exploits later. I don't want to bore you too long because...
It is what it is
And I want you to come back!
Rod
So this will be about some of my native friends and some experiences I have had with them.
First let me try and describe the three different tribes.
The Paiute Indian is the biggest of the three, most of the men are 6 foot or taller and the women are a little shorter. They are big people with flat features and tend to be the hardest to make friends with.
Then there are the Wasco Indians who are of average height but are very stocky and are plain of features. They are by far the meanest of the three tribes, more trouble makers and they love to fight. But if you do make a friend with one you will have a friend for life.
And last is the Warm Springs Indian who also are of average size but are the most elegant of the three. They are one of the better looking tribes in the US. They are by far the easiest going of the three tribes, they just love to joke and laugh, so this makes them the easiest to get to know.
Now don't get me wrong here I have friends from all three tribes so I am trying to give a honest opinion here.
Indians are some of the most spiritualistic people there ever was. Everything is for a reason and everything that happened around them was for a purpose or was a sign of good or bad to come.
They are also very superstitious, For example if a family member dies they can not go and gather berries or fruit or hunt for one year.
They have stories about every animal that was around. For example the Coyote is a messenger. It is good if he is heading towards you he has no message, if he is headed away from you unless he stops and looks back at you, then it is bad news.
A lot of what has been portrayed in movies about them is not true but there was some that were very close to the truth. The movie Dances With Wolves did a very good job explaining how they were and how they lived. Even today a lot of them tend to be free spirited people. But like all races it only take a few bad apples to spoil it for the rest.
Ok now to some of my friends and adventures about living next to the rez. (that's what we call it)
Lets start with Mike, I call him Chief. Mike is not from Warm Springs his tribe is in Washington, so they did not live on the rez but in town.
Mike and I got to know each other in school doing sports and it is a small town where we raised a little hell now and again. Mike is easy going and it takes a lot to make him mad, but then he gets over it real fast. He loves to joke around and one of his favorite sayings is Honest Injun. Now imagine that coming out of a 6 foot tall 200 pound Indian man.
Tim and I also met in high school thru sports but did not really get to know each other until we had graduated. He was a Warm Springs Indian, so was very easy going always looking for a good time. I spent the most time on the rez. with him and his family.
There are wild horses on the rez. and one of their favorite pastimes then was chasing them. Well there was a bad disease with no cure so all the wild horses needed to be caught and tested and being the free spirit I was at the time I was more than happy to help. I'll stop there as this is a long story so I will post more about it later.
Then there was Bill he was a Wasco Indian and loved to fight and raise hell. He was older than me and I got acquainted with him thru my brother as they were good friends.
Bill always called me little brother and treated me like it. One time Tim talked me into going into one of the local bars that was best know as the Indian bar. So in we went there was only two non natives in the bar, myself and the bar tender who walked up to me and asked if I was crazy. At the time I was wondering that myself.
Well to make a long story short I was spotted and the trouble was starting but here came Bill to the rescue. He walked over and asked me how I was doing (don't remember my reply) and then turned around and asked if anyone had a problem with his little brother having a beer with them. Whew all I can say was after that I never did have any problems with any natives again.
One of our dearest friends is Danielle she is also a Warm Springs Indian very beautiful and loves to have a good time. I knew her in school but we did not get very close until the last couple of years. She is in contact with us almost every day. She stops by at least once a week. Even has her boys call us their uncle and aunt. She will literally give you her last dollar and not expect it back. She is probably my wife's nearest dearest friend and we just love her to death.
So these are a few of my native friends. I will write about some of our exploits later. I don't want to bore you too long because...
It is what it is
And I want you to come back!
Rod
Riding High
Either you have done it or have wanted to do it.
Owning a fancy car/truck.
I myself have had a few for example 69 Camaro, 79 AMX. But the one that I really went crazy with, and made it into a true show rig was a 1983 Toyota pickup!
Now you might ask why did I pick that. Well it was what I owned at the time and aftermarket parts were becoming plentiful for them.
So I took a perfectly good truck and made it worthless. Looked real good to drive it, but that was about it.
Ok enough of that, now to the story. We headed over the mountain in the early spring in the before mentioned AMX and caught a late snow storm so what should of been a 3 hour drive became a 5 hour drive.
Was so fed up with that car, that the first thing we did when we finally made it over the mountain was to find a Toyota dealer! Then, Rod was driving a new rig.
Honestly had been wanting one for some time and that snow storm just sealed the deal.
We stopped on the way home to make sure the 4 wheel drive worked, and set off for the snow only to find it had all melted off, clear roads the whole way home!
I drove it for a year basically in stock trim and had some great times with it. One day I was looking thru a magazine and ....hey what's this? A lift kit for Toyotas, man no body had a truck in central Oregon with a lift kit in it..ok how much? hmmm got the money...then picked up the phone and ordered it. Oh yes had to get the fancy roll bar also.
The kit and roll bar arrived so I took them out to my parents place to hide them and also went to the local tire dealer and ordered the recommended tires and waited until the weekend.
Saturday showed up and there I was a wrenching away took about 4 hours to install everything but I did get it done then snuck it into the tire dealer and then hid the truck from prying eyes waiting for the right time to reveal my new creation...night time.
After what seemed like an eternity it was officially dark, time for the surprise. I headed to one of the local hang outs to show off the biggest baddest Toyota in central Oregon! It was amazing! Instant crowd and everyone asking questions, looking it over wanting rides, the works. After awhile a couple of buddies and I decided to take it out and play in the snow so we procured some beverages and off we went to the high country close to town.
So to make a long story short, we found the snow, drove in the snow tipped truck over...did not see the stump. No one was hurt only casualty was pride, some beverages, and two front teeth of yours truly. Did not hurt as I had enough liquid pain killer in me for that.
Five mile walk back for help rescued truck and the next day took the biggest baddest wrecked Toyota in central Oregon to the body shop!
It took 2 months to get it fixed and oh yes a new bigger lift kit and tires, lots of lights, fancy paint job, more chrome, and if I had remembered right in the short time I had driven it, it was gutless so there were some minor engine changes made as well.
Finally, got it out of the shop and it was a highway queen did not dare take it off road for fear of repeating what happened before and could not risk scratching that paint no way.
So I had a show truck, and I was invited to a lot of them all over the state in the daily driver category. Everyone loved it, even if it was impractical for anything other than driving down the road.
To give you an idea of how impractical it was... got maybe 5 miles to the gallon, 5th gear was a creature feature that never was used, could not drive on slick roads of any kind. But it did look good. And did I happen to mention it was a girl magnet hmm might of been the reason..don't know but probably was.
It was a work in progress always adding this or that to it so one day sat down and figured out how much was invested.. WOW.. how much more was needed for the rest of the project...WOW now let's rethink this.
Ok it's impractical, very bad fuel mileage, basically a money pit.... ok I'm done time to sell..right now. Everyone wanted it, but imagine this nobody had money! So I traded it in, and learned a very costly lesson. But it does bring back good memories and bad. And, everyone either wants to or has done it before.
It is what it is
Even when it is stupid
Rod
Owning a fancy car/truck.
I myself have had a few for example 69 Camaro, 79 AMX. But the one that I really went crazy with, and made it into a true show rig was a 1983 Toyota pickup!
Now you might ask why did I pick that. Well it was what I owned at the time and aftermarket parts were becoming plentiful for them.
So I took a perfectly good truck and made it worthless. Looked real good to drive it, but that was about it.
Ok enough of that, now to the story. We headed over the mountain in the early spring in the before mentioned AMX and caught a late snow storm so what should of been a 3 hour drive became a 5 hour drive.
Was so fed up with that car, that the first thing we did when we finally made it over the mountain was to find a Toyota dealer! Then, Rod was driving a new rig.
Honestly had been wanting one for some time and that snow storm just sealed the deal.
We stopped on the way home to make sure the 4 wheel drive worked, and set off for the snow only to find it had all melted off, clear roads the whole way home!
I drove it for a year basically in stock trim and had some great times with it. One day I was looking thru a magazine and ....hey what's this? A lift kit for Toyotas, man no body had a truck in central Oregon with a lift kit in it..ok how much? hmmm got the money...then picked up the phone and ordered it. Oh yes had to get the fancy roll bar also.
The kit and roll bar arrived so I took them out to my parents place to hide them and also went to the local tire dealer and ordered the recommended tires and waited until the weekend.
Saturday showed up and there I was a wrenching away took about 4 hours to install everything but I did get it done then snuck it into the tire dealer and then hid the truck from prying eyes waiting for the right time to reveal my new creation...night time.
After what seemed like an eternity it was officially dark, time for the surprise. I headed to one of the local hang outs to show off the biggest baddest Toyota in central Oregon! It was amazing! Instant crowd and everyone asking questions, looking it over wanting rides, the works. After awhile a couple of buddies and I decided to take it out and play in the snow so we procured some beverages and off we went to the high country close to town.
So to make a long story short, we found the snow, drove in the snow tipped truck over...did not see the stump. No one was hurt only casualty was pride, some beverages, and two front teeth of yours truly. Did not hurt as I had enough liquid pain killer in me for that.
Five mile walk back for help rescued truck and the next day took the biggest baddest wrecked Toyota in central Oregon to the body shop!
It took 2 months to get it fixed and oh yes a new bigger lift kit and tires, lots of lights, fancy paint job, more chrome, and if I had remembered right in the short time I had driven it, it was gutless so there were some minor engine changes made as well.
Finally, got it out of the shop and it was a highway queen did not dare take it off road for fear of repeating what happened before and could not risk scratching that paint no way.
So I had a show truck, and I was invited to a lot of them all over the state in the daily driver category. Everyone loved it, even if it was impractical for anything other than driving down the road.
To give you an idea of how impractical it was... got maybe 5 miles to the gallon, 5th gear was a creature feature that never was used, could not drive on slick roads of any kind. But it did look good. And did I happen to mention it was a girl magnet hmm might of been the reason..don't know but probably was.
It was a work in progress always adding this or that to it so one day sat down and figured out how much was invested.. WOW.. how much more was needed for the rest of the project...WOW now let's rethink this.
Ok it's impractical, very bad fuel mileage, basically a money pit.... ok I'm done time to sell..right now. Everyone wanted it, but imagine this nobody had money! So I traded it in, and learned a very costly lesson. But it does bring back good memories and bad. And, everyone either wants to or has done it before.
It is what it is
Even when it is stupid
Rod
Saturday, January 24, 2009
When Time Stood Still
Everyone has had it happen to them... when time stops. Be it from love, fright, whatever but it has happened to us all.
This is my story about when time stood still.
It was a normal week for us, I was working and my wife was a stay at home mom at the time. I got up and went to work as usual and my wife called and said she was taking our oldest son to the doctor again.
He was 6 at the time and had been having problems off and on for 6 months with what the doctors thought was a sinus problem. But that morning he had been acting fine and then all of the sudden grabbed his head and started screaming! So off to the doc he went.
I did not think much of it and continued working as usual.
About 2 hours later the boss came running into the plant and told me I had an important phone call! It was my mother, she was the office manager at the doctors office and she told me that they had sent my son to a specialist in a town nearby, as they could not figure out what was wrong with him at the local clinic and my wife had not had time to call me.
Ok great, maybe we will get to the bottom of this!
Another couple of hours go by and here comes the boss again. This time my mother is there. All right what's up now. So I go out and talk with her, she says we need to go to the specialist right now! The doctor had called her and asked if she could get me there ASAP.
Well what a drive! It tool about 30 minutes but seem like a eternity.
Got to the doctors but we were sent right back to her office..now what? She thanked us for coming so quickly and we headed to one of the rooms where my wife and son were waiting.
We went in and shortly after that was when.....time stood still.
She took out a CAT scan they did of my sons head, and you did not need to be a dr. to know something was not right...a huge spot in his brain area!
That was when Time stood still!
Now let me give you a short family history here.
6 relatives of mine had all been diagnosed with brain tumors none had lived longer than 6 months so you can guess what is going thru my mind.
The doctor gave us a choice of where we could go so we chose Portland and were told get there asap!
We tied up what loose ends we could, and headed for Portland a 3 hour trip plenty of time to think of all the worst case scenarios possible' Pure hell.
Finally got there and was sent straight up to the children's hospital where they were waiting on us. Got to the front desk there, where a doctor was also waiting. He grabs the CAT scan from my hand and motions for me to follow him while they checked in my son.
Well, it was life threatening but did not require immediate surgery we would be placed in line and or the first opening they had. We asked him when that would be he said possibly in 7 to 10 days but we had to stay at the hospital in case an opening came up.
They would only let one parent stay in the room overnight so dad was regulated to the car for the rest of the night...wasn't gonna sleep anyway.
So the next day we were sitting around and waiting when all of the sudden in rushed 3 nurses telling us you're up we have an opening! 4 hours later the surgery was over, and the doctor told us that they felt very good with the results so that was a relief.
The next 3 days were spent in ICU with no problems or side effects so they sent us back to the children's hospital. Now this whole time they had said nothing about the tumor, was it malignant or not, no one said.
Shortly after we had settled in at the children's hospital the doctor stopped by to check his progress. By this time I had had enough and asked him about the tumor.
Turned out to be benign! In fact, he said that for children it was a very common type of tumor and that they usually grew in the brain.
So the story finishes with my son now being 22 with little to no side effects, did have a hard time growing up but will cover that some other time. But he is the only family member to have
survived a brain tumor.
So I will end this now because....
It is what it is
Rod
This is my story about when time stood still.
It was a normal week for us, I was working and my wife was a stay at home mom at the time. I got up and went to work as usual and my wife called and said she was taking our oldest son to the doctor again.
He was 6 at the time and had been having problems off and on for 6 months with what the doctors thought was a sinus problem. But that morning he had been acting fine and then all of the sudden grabbed his head and started screaming! So off to the doc he went.
I did not think much of it and continued working as usual.
About 2 hours later the boss came running into the plant and told me I had an important phone call! It was my mother, she was the office manager at the doctors office and she told me that they had sent my son to a specialist in a town nearby, as they could not figure out what was wrong with him at the local clinic and my wife had not had time to call me.
Ok great, maybe we will get to the bottom of this!
Another couple of hours go by and here comes the boss again. This time my mother is there. All right what's up now. So I go out and talk with her, she says we need to go to the specialist right now! The doctor had called her and asked if she could get me there ASAP.
Well what a drive! It tool about 30 minutes but seem like a eternity.
Got to the doctors but we were sent right back to her office..now what? She thanked us for coming so quickly and we headed to one of the rooms where my wife and son were waiting.
We went in and shortly after that was when.....time stood still.
She took out a CAT scan they did of my sons head, and you did not need to be a dr. to know something was not right...a huge spot in his brain area!
That was when Time stood still!
Now let me give you a short family history here.
6 relatives of mine had all been diagnosed with brain tumors none had lived longer than 6 months so you can guess what is going thru my mind.
The doctor gave us a choice of where we could go so we chose Portland and were told get there asap!
We tied up what loose ends we could, and headed for Portland a 3 hour trip plenty of time to think of all the worst case scenarios possible' Pure hell.
Finally got there and was sent straight up to the children's hospital where they were waiting on us. Got to the front desk there, where a doctor was also waiting. He grabs the CAT scan from my hand and motions for me to follow him while they checked in my son.
Well, it was life threatening but did not require immediate surgery we would be placed in line and or the first opening they had. We asked him when that would be he said possibly in 7 to 10 days but we had to stay at the hospital in case an opening came up.
They would only let one parent stay in the room overnight so dad was regulated to the car for the rest of the night...wasn't gonna sleep anyway.
So the next day we were sitting around and waiting when all of the sudden in rushed 3 nurses telling us you're up we have an opening! 4 hours later the surgery was over, and the doctor told us that they felt very good with the results so that was a relief.
The next 3 days were spent in ICU with no problems or side effects so they sent us back to the children's hospital. Now this whole time they had said nothing about the tumor, was it malignant or not, no one said.
Shortly after we had settled in at the children's hospital the doctor stopped by to check his progress. By this time I had had enough and asked him about the tumor.
Turned out to be benign! In fact, he said that for children it was a very common type of tumor and that they usually grew in the brain.
So the story finishes with my son now being 22 with little to no side effects, did have a hard time growing up but will cover that some other time. But he is the only family member to have
survived a brain tumor.
So I will end this now because....
It is what it is
Rod
Friday, January 23, 2009
Paradise Again
Ok this might be getting a little old but here's another update from Paradise (work).
Update from this last week 25% laid off 15 in my plant alone. Let me give you a little perspective of this.
2 years ago there was 75 people working in my plant.. as of today there is a total of 34! over 50 percent cutback in 2 years.
And then on top of that we are now working one week on one week off with the one week we do work being around 25 hours.
As a friend of mine put it today "This economy is going to screw the average American" well from my point of view it already has.
But on the upside it does give me more time at home living on love!
Well that is about the end of my rant this time as I'm sure there will be more.
I just remembered a interesting thing that happened to me today that I want to share. I normally do not read horoscopes but the local scandal sheet came today and for some reason I read my horoscope, so here it is.
You're making to much of an issue with something that happened at work. Let it go or it's likely to cause a festering wound. A change of scenery can help.
Kind of weird but then...
It is what it is
Rod
Update from this last week 25% laid off 15 in my plant alone. Let me give you a little perspective of this.
2 years ago there was 75 people working in my plant.. as of today there is a total of 34! over 50 percent cutback in 2 years.
And then on top of that we are now working one week on one week off with the one week we do work being around 25 hours.
As a friend of mine put it today "This economy is going to screw the average American" well from my point of view it already has.
But on the upside it does give me more time at home living on love!
Well that is about the end of my rant this time as I'm sure there will be more.
I just remembered a interesting thing that happened to me today that I want to share. I normally do not read horoscopes but the local scandal sheet came today and for some reason I read my horoscope, so here it is.
You're making to much of an issue with something that happened at work. Let it go or it's likely to cause a festering wound. A change of scenery can help.
Kind of weird but then...
It is what it is
Rod
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Today let's talk about my newfound Blogging friends.
So lets start at the begining I started out follow John at 9Planetreveiws. Don't remember how I found his blog but caught it at a time that I was looking for some help with my online adventures and he made alot of sense to me. Now John fully follows the mantra that it is his Blog and he will put on it what he damn well pleases, which is what makes him the unique individual that he is. Oh and behind that facade is a heart of gold. If you don't believe me, read his blog and you will see.
Well Johns blog led me to Judy at Blondies online Info Guide To Riches. Which is basically what it says but then you do get snippets of her life and her surroundings.
Blondie has been around the net for some time and has alot of connections so she has good insight for her proposals.
Blondies blog led me to HermitJim At Coffee With The Hermit. Now with Jims blog you don't know what you will get from day to day.
Jim Lives in a big city and wants out..badly but he is not leaving until he is prepared, so you will be able to follow him and his roomies thru his adventures with this. You will also get his veiw point on the worlds happenings with the occasional laid back blog with cartoons.
Blondies blog also led me to Missi at Obscure Labyrinth. Her blog is a mixture of mostly her present life and some business news.
Now I had been thinking about starting my own blog for some time amd Missi had one post to her blog about her childhood that really got me thinking about it. She touched me so much with that writing that I actually commented back to her.
Missi lives in Austraila so it was very interesting for me to learn about the culture and way of life there.
And not to be forgotten is my blogging buddy Lydia at Serentity Talk. Lydia talks about her life and spiritual learnings and you never can tell what it will be because as she puts it, it is a chit chat blog.
Lydia is who pushed me over the edge and got me to start blogging. I had been reading her blog on and off for about 6 months found her off of Johns site.
I met her on a social site I had joined. first one I had joined , had no idea what I was doing kept getting these freind requests so I would accept them wondering all the time what was going on. Finally had a lady post a message on my page about how you should go to the other persons page and check them out before you accept their requests so I started doing that. Got a request from Lydia to be her friend so I went to her page to check it out so look at her picture....hmmm good looking ok I'm sold, that's it you're my friend.
Well after a while I learned that people use social sites to pitch new biz ops and one day got one from Lydia. Well usually I just read and delete but she had sent one I had just joined off of Johns site so I emailed her back sorry but already had joined. Well she replied back that I should share these new ops with her so I sent a few and got her veiw point you know back and forth.
So one day I deceided to read Sernity Talks and it had been awhile so I ended up all the way on the bottom and there was her profile pic..no way that face looks familiar checked out her profile...you have got to be kidding me Lydia from the social site no way.
Well that started a whole new line of emails so now I call her my editor as she helps me with my content and spelling and grammer and total support.
So my next freind came from what you are reading my blog Edain at English, Pagen and in Canada. Ok English I know what that is and try to speak it... Pagen let's see ok Google that aww witchcraft lets go check it out... Hey this isn't bad Not at all what I thought it would be... Kinda interesting...Ok I will follow this.
Edains blog is more of a chit chat type with her beliefs and knowledge tied in. Have grown to really enjoy it.
Next was Cygnus at My Song. He found me from his uncles Jims blog. Now Cygnus has a dream and a plan and that is mainly what he blogs about. I would tell you what it is but you need to read it first hand. I believe you will find it very interesting!
So there are my online blogging friends Love them or Hate them. That's your choice.
These are the people that I have chosen to follow at this time on a daily basis. It is so exciting wondering what thier next blog will be and some you need to visit more thm once a day because they have a habit of adding to them.
Ok you have now met my friends like them or no but...
It is what it is
And they are my friends
Rod
So lets start at the begining I started out follow John at 9Planetreveiws. Don't remember how I found his blog but caught it at a time that I was looking for some help with my online adventures and he made alot of sense to me. Now John fully follows the mantra that it is his Blog and he will put on it what he damn well pleases, which is what makes him the unique individual that he is. Oh and behind that facade is a heart of gold. If you don't believe me, read his blog and you will see.
Well Johns blog led me to Judy at Blondies online Info Guide To Riches. Which is basically what it says but then you do get snippets of her life and her surroundings.
Blondie has been around the net for some time and has alot of connections so she has good insight for her proposals.
Blondies blog led me to HermitJim At Coffee With The Hermit. Now with Jims blog you don't know what you will get from day to day.
Jim Lives in a big city and wants out..badly but he is not leaving until he is prepared, so you will be able to follow him and his roomies thru his adventures with this. You will also get his veiw point on the worlds happenings with the occasional laid back blog with cartoons.
Blondies blog also led me to Missi at Obscure Labyrinth. Her blog is a mixture of mostly her present life and some business news.
Now I had been thinking about starting my own blog for some time amd Missi had one post to her blog about her childhood that really got me thinking about it. She touched me so much with that writing that I actually commented back to her.
Missi lives in Austraila so it was very interesting for me to learn about the culture and way of life there.
And not to be forgotten is my blogging buddy Lydia at Serentity Talk. Lydia talks about her life and spiritual learnings and you never can tell what it will be because as she puts it, it is a chit chat blog.
Lydia is who pushed me over the edge and got me to start blogging. I had been reading her blog on and off for about 6 months found her off of Johns site.
I met her on a social site I had joined. first one I had joined , had no idea what I was doing kept getting these freind requests so I would accept them wondering all the time what was going on. Finally had a lady post a message on my page about how you should go to the other persons page and check them out before you accept their requests so I started doing that. Got a request from Lydia to be her friend so I went to her page to check it out so look at her picture....hmmm good looking ok I'm sold, that's it you're my friend.
Well after a while I learned that people use social sites to pitch new biz ops and one day got one from Lydia. Well usually I just read and delete but she had sent one I had just joined off of Johns site so I emailed her back sorry but already had joined. Well she replied back that I should share these new ops with her so I sent a few and got her veiw point you know back and forth.
So one day I deceided to read Sernity Talks and it had been awhile so I ended up all the way on the bottom and there was her profile pic..no way that face looks familiar checked out her profile...you have got to be kidding me Lydia from the social site no way.
Well that started a whole new line of emails so now I call her my editor as she helps me with my content and spelling and grammer and total support.
So my next freind came from what you are reading my blog Edain at English, Pagen and in Canada. Ok English I know what that is and try to speak it... Pagen let's see ok Google that aww witchcraft lets go check it out... Hey this isn't bad Not at all what I thought it would be... Kinda interesting...Ok I will follow this.
Edains blog is more of a chit chat type with her beliefs and knowledge tied in. Have grown to really enjoy it.
Next was Cygnus at My Song. He found me from his uncles Jims blog. Now Cygnus has a dream and a plan and that is mainly what he blogs about. I would tell you what it is but you need to read it first hand. I believe you will find it very interesting!
So there are my online blogging friends Love them or Hate them. That's your choice.
These are the people that I have chosen to follow at this time on a daily basis. It is so exciting wondering what thier next blog will be and some you need to visit more thm once a day because they have a habit of adding to them.
Ok you have now met my friends like them or no but...
It is what it is
And they are my friends
Rod
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Airplanes And Flying
I was introduced to flying at a somewhat young age I believe I was 12 the first time I went up. It was a cessna 175 that my friends dad owned. we took off and he flew around for awhile and then asked me if I wanted to fly (are you kidding me YES!) so I took over the controls and did what I was told to do, to find my house.
Well what I thought would be easy, wasn't! But I finally found it, so we buzzed by my parents as they were outside and then went back and landed.
Well I loved it so much that my friends dad decided he would teach us to fly! (I still believe he used it for an excuse to be in his plane) So we went thru the whole routine; Takeoffs, Landings, 20 min. turns, Stalls you name it we did it.
We ended up with all of our training and groundschool done, but had to wait until we turned 16 to be able to solo! But, by that time, wellllll our intrests had changed just a little bit...CARS...GIRLS so we never did follow thru with it.
I had another friends dad that was a crop duster flew an old Stearman bi-wing you know an old barn storming type of plane. Well he had a leak in the tank and needed someone small enought to fit in the tank to fix it and me being a small person at the time got the job.
Well to make a long story short after I finished he asked if I wanted to go up for a short flight. Sure I did but there is one small problem!
Only one seat! Where the front seat used to be, was now the tank!
So I pointed that out to him and he said no problem just stay in the tank. So off we went ,and what a ride! He took me out to a field and showed me what it was like to crop dust!! All I can say is WOW!
I also used to help them mix loads to spray the fields with. So, one time he called and asked if I could help him. I showed up at the airport just out of town and he had the plane sitting outside the hanger but there were no chemicals set out to mix. So being a little curious I asked him what was up? Were we not going to spray today? His reply was yes we are, but it was going to be at a town that was 30 miles away!
Well why didn't he tell me so I could of met him there!!!
So I asked him that, and his response was that I was going to fly on the plane with him!!!
Ok, but the tank was sealed shut, so where was I going to ride?
About that time he produced a pair of insulated coveralls and said put these on and ride the wing!! So being young and dumb that's what I did it really wasn't too bad once you got used to your legs hanging in the breeze!
Believe it or not! But as I say...
It is what it is
Rod
Well what I thought would be easy, wasn't! But I finally found it, so we buzzed by my parents as they were outside and then went back and landed.
Well I loved it so much that my friends dad decided he would teach us to fly! (I still believe he used it for an excuse to be in his plane) So we went thru the whole routine; Takeoffs, Landings, 20 min. turns, Stalls you name it we did it.
We ended up with all of our training and groundschool done, but had to wait until we turned 16 to be able to solo! But, by that time, wellllll our intrests had changed just a little bit...CARS...GIRLS so we never did follow thru with it.
I had another friends dad that was a crop duster flew an old Stearman bi-wing you know an old barn storming type of plane. Well he had a leak in the tank and needed someone small enought to fit in the tank to fix it and me being a small person at the time got the job.
Well to make a long story short after I finished he asked if I wanted to go up for a short flight. Sure I did but there is one small problem!
Only one seat! Where the front seat used to be, was now the tank!
So I pointed that out to him and he said no problem just stay in the tank. So off we went ,and what a ride! He took me out to a field and showed me what it was like to crop dust!! All I can say is WOW!
I also used to help them mix loads to spray the fields with. So, one time he called and asked if I could help him. I showed up at the airport just out of town and he had the plane sitting outside the hanger but there were no chemicals set out to mix. So being a little curious I asked him what was up? Were we not going to spray today? His reply was yes we are, but it was going to be at a town that was 30 miles away!
Well why didn't he tell me so I could of met him there!!!
So I asked him that, and his response was that I was going to fly on the plane with him!!!
Ok, but the tank was sealed shut, so where was I going to ride?
About that time he produced a pair of insulated coveralls and said put these on and ride the wing!! So being young and dumb that's what I did it really wasn't too bad once you got used to your legs hanging in the breeze!
Believe it or not! But as I say...
It is what it is
Rod
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
My Little Freinds
This is all for a friend (who will remain anonymous)
I would like to introduce you to my two current little friends.
I would like to introduce you to my two current little friends.
Being her curious self and always wanting to be the center of attention is Fancy and in the back ground being her normal laid back self is Pixie.
Now Fancy is a bundle of joy packed into 20 lbs. of pure energy she loves to play 24/7 none stop.
Where as this is Pixies favorate pastime.
For you that don't know these are heater puppies
Here she is being tongue puppy
These are sleepy time puppies
The home alarm system is now activated!
OK now you have seen and learned a little bit about my current friends I hoped you enjoyed the pictures. They are good companions and have proved to be joy to be around.
I personaly believe everyone should have at least one pet because...
I personaly believe everyone should have at least one pet because...
It is what it is
Rod
Rod
Monday, January 19, 2009
Here's Your Sign
Ok everyone has heard that saying....So how many times in your life have you wanted to say that to someone?
Well here are two examples that happened to me in less than 1 weeks time.
Now before I start there is a short disclaimer.....This is not meant to offend anyone in any way shape or form.I will be discussing people and I will be talking about situations that all people do not agree with but these are true stories.
So here it goes....
I was bow hunting one year and we headed into a wilderness area to be as far away from other hunters as possible. So I was sneaking thru the woods and saw something that did not look right you know out of place.
So being the curious type I headed that way. Well to my surprise it was two Herbal Americans that had backpacked into the woods, and had built themselves a small shelter. By the time I had figured out what it was, and was getting ready to turn around and leave, one of them pops out of the shelter and sees me.
Ok now picture this I'm in full camo with a compond bow in my hand.So the first words out of his mouth are and I quote "What are you doing down here, hunting?"
I only answered his question with a yes but in my mind was those famous words...
HERE'S YOUR SIGN!
Ok not two or three days later we needed to go to town for fuel for my truck so to town we went stopping at one of the local gas stations. The attendent came out and started to put fuel in my truck and kinda leaned up against it looked at me in my camos looked in the bed of the my truck and asked me if we had got anything.
Ok imagination time again I had a white truck at that time that was brand new and we had been lucky that year so there was alot of evidence of it in the bed.
Well this time I could not resist looked him square in the eyes and said....Nope they sell these new trucks this way....
I didn't need to say the rest because as you know...
It is what it is
And he knew it
Rod
Well here are two examples that happened to me in less than 1 weeks time.
Now before I start there is a short disclaimer.....This is not meant to offend anyone in any way shape or form.I will be discussing people and I will be talking about situations that all people do not agree with but these are true stories.
So here it goes....
I was bow hunting one year and we headed into a wilderness area to be as far away from other hunters as possible. So I was sneaking thru the woods and saw something that did not look right you know out of place.
So being the curious type I headed that way. Well to my surprise it was two Herbal Americans that had backpacked into the woods, and had built themselves a small shelter. By the time I had figured out what it was, and was getting ready to turn around and leave, one of them pops out of the shelter and sees me.
Ok now picture this I'm in full camo with a compond bow in my hand.So the first words out of his mouth are and I quote "What are you doing down here, hunting?"
I only answered his question with a yes but in my mind was those famous words...
HERE'S YOUR SIGN!
Ok not two or three days later we needed to go to town for fuel for my truck so to town we went stopping at one of the local gas stations. The attendent came out and started to put fuel in my truck and kinda leaned up against it looked at me in my camos looked in the bed of the my truck and asked me if we had got anything.
Ok imagination time again I had a white truck at that time that was brand new and we had been lucky that year so there was alot of evidence of it in the bed.
Well this time I could not resist looked him square in the eyes and said....Nope they sell these new trucks this way....
I didn't need to say the rest because as you know...
It is what it is
And he knew it
Rod
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Remember Lee?
While writing yesterdays blog, I was reminded of an email I received not too long ago. I am not a real political type but this does tie in with my last post. Lets hope that our new president can be this man! Just remember when you read this that I did not write it but do believe in alot of the content.
Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes? He's now 82 years old and has a new book, 'Where Have All The Leaders Gone?'.
Lee Iacocca Says:
'Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder! We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course.'
Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned, 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the bums out!'
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the ' America ' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest 'C' is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership, with crisis being the first.)
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here's where we stand.
We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving.
We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country.
We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.
Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble.
Our borders are like sieves.
The middle class is being squeezed every which way.
These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope - I believe in America . In my lifetime, I've had the privilege of living through some of America 's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: The 'Great Depression,' 'World War II,' the 'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy Assassination,' the 'Vietnam War,' the 1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.
If I've learned one thing, it's this: 'You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a "Call to Action" for people who, like me, believe in America '. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had 'enough.'
Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and care about. It's our country, folks, and it's our future. Our future is at stake!!
DEFINITION OF A STUPID AMERICAN : A VOTER WHO VOTES FOR THE SAME PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS TERM AFTER TERM AND EXPECTS A CHANGE.
WAKE UP AMERICA, WE NEED NEW BLOOD IN CONGRESS.
Ok now we have some new blood starting let us hope that they can see the light and become the leader that we need before it is too late. I for one have been affected by what is going on with our economy and it does not look like it is getting better.
Just remember this..
It is what it is
Rod
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Paradise
This happened to me 2 weeks ago at the end of another day in paradise (work).
Was a normal day until at the end. Was told that the company was down sizing again (don't worry still have a job) but anyway thay are cutting out upper management positions (ok I am middle management... wrong). My position is now going to one of the ex upper management individuals and get this I get to train him since I have done such a good job!!!
So now after 16+ years 14+ in management I'm back in production whoo hoo at least I am not doing a real physical job as my health issues would not allow it. But yes there was the pay cut that came with the job move and now I will be lucky to get 25 hours a week instead of the 40 I was used too.
With my wife losing her job earlier this year and then this guess we will be living on luv because there will be no money for anything else!!
Well then yesterday I go to work and guess what I have my old job back but...and this is a quote "Your pay scale will remain the same"
What kinda B.S. is that, what a way to get another pay cut but still have the responsibilities, and then they wonder why there is no company support and morale is low HELLO did they take a pay cut???
What pisses me off about all this is where is my econonmic bail out??? The man does not care about the masses only the big corporations that donate money for his enjoyment. Ok enough whining and crying you know the saying...
It is what it is
Or as my friend Lydia says
It is what we make of it
Just think about that one now!
Rod
Was a normal day until at the end. Was told that the company was down sizing again (don't worry still have a job) but anyway thay are cutting out upper management positions (ok I am middle management... wrong). My position is now going to one of the ex upper management individuals and get this I get to train him since I have done such a good job!!!
So now after 16+ years 14+ in management I'm back in production whoo hoo at least I am not doing a real physical job as my health issues would not allow it. But yes there was the pay cut that came with the job move and now I will be lucky to get 25 hours a week instead of the 40 I was used too.
With my wife losing her job earlier this year and then this guess we will be living on luv because there will be no money for anything else!!
Well then yesterday I go to work and guess what I have my old job back but...and this is a quote "Your pay scale will remain the same"
What kinda B.S. is that, what a way to get another pay cut but still have the responsibilities, and then they wonder why there is no company support and morale is low HELLO did they take a pay cut???
What pisses me off about all this is where is my econonmic bail out??? The man does not care about the masses only the big corporations that donate money for his enjoyment. Ok enough whining and crying you know the saying...
It is what it is
Or as my friend Lydia says
It is what we make of it
Just think about that one now!
Rod
Friday, January 16, 2009
A Way Of Life
Was thinking about some of the jobs I have had in the past and thought I would share this summer job I had when I was in school. I got a job working on a small ranch (17,000 acres) about 20 miles out of town.
Spent my first summer there as a general ranch hand changed water put up hay worked cattle and I swear fixed every inch of fence on that place.
Now a short story about that. Once they dropped me off to walk a fence line it started about 5 miles from the ranch house and wandered cross county for about 10 miles. It was the middle of July and was around 100 degrees and when they dropped me off they said If they had time they would park a pickup at the other end for me to drive back in...well you guessed it got done and no truck! had to walk back and when I got back they were mad at how long it had took me until I explained the situation to them.
One other time we after we had branded we were driving the cattle up the road to pasture and myself and one of the owners sons were riding drag and some people from a state south of Oregon pulled up in their fancy car eyes as big as saucers and asked me if I was a real cowboy! Now you have to understand that we had just spent two days working cattle so we were hot tired and our feet hurt so we had on tennis shoes no chaps ball caps not even close to looking like a cowboy. Well I was nice and told them that at that time yes I was on a horse herding cattle so they could say that I was a cowboy...Pleased them greatly!
So as the saying goes
It is what it is Rod
Thursday, January 15, 2009
A Quick Note
I have just figured out how to save drafts so I can now post earlier in the day. You might want to come back and check later in the day as I might feel the need to vent!! or add some words of wisdom :)
Just For Fun
Have got some comments about my profile pic and the fish in it. I have told them that it is just a baby so I thought I would show what a big one looked like.
Good thing they have no teeth!
Here is another pic in response to Lydias comments.
It is what it is
Rod
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A Short History
Since this is a new Blog and I suspect most people who might happen on it know nothing about me so I will give a brief history about me.
I have lived my whole life in small towns in central Oregon basically born and raised a redneck. Had the normal childhood for a small town lived 18 miles from town with no TV reception so read alot and learned to entertain myself. (no videos games back then!)
Started working on a farm at a very young age (11) but that was acceptable back then and it kept the boredom down during the summers. Graduated from high school and just kept on working never went to collage never wanted to. Have worked at a variety of things but have spent most of my time working at a mill for the last 16+ years.
Now with the way the economy is and not really knowing if I have a job from one week to the next brought me to the Net and it's ups and downs. But I have made some real good friends here. So as far as I'm concerned it has been worth it.
Ok enough of that for now I'm sure I will expand greatly on different episodes of my life in later days.
As my favorite saying goes...
It Is What It Is
Rod
I have lived my whole life in small towns in central Oregon basically born and raised a redneck. Had the normal childhood for a small town lived 18 miles from town with no TV reception so read alot and learned to entertain myself. (no videos games back then!)
Started working on a farm at a very young age (11) but that was acceptable back then and it kept the boredom down during the summers. Graduated from high school and just kept on working never went to collage never wanted to. Have worked at a variety of things but have spent most of my time working at a mill for the last 16+ years.
Now with the way the economy is and not really knowing if I have a job from one week to the next brought me to the Net and it's ups and downs. But I have made some real good friends here. So as far as I'm concerned it has been worth it.
Ok enough of that for now I'm sure I will expand greatly on different episodes of my life in later days.
As my favorite saying goes...
It Is What It Is
Rod
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Beginnings
Ok first off you can thank my friend Lydia for starting this as I did not have the courage to do this on my own.
About this blog I will wander all over the place past present future who knows where we will end up so just sit back read and hopefully enjoy.
Also I will post as often as possible but there will be times that I'm at a loss for words and this will be a inactive blog day (hopefully not for more than one day)
About this blog I will wander all over the place past present future who knows where we will end up so just sit back read and hopefully enjoy.
Also I will post as often as possible but there will be times that I'm at a loss for words and this will be a inactive blog day (hopefully not for more than one day)
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