Useless Facts

Been feeling a little under the weather lately so here you go. Maybe tomorrow you can share in some more of my wisdom!

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

(Hardly seems worth it.)


If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.

(Now that's more like it !)


The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.

(O.M.G.!)


A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes.

(In my next life, I want to be a pig..)


A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. (Creepy.)

(I'm still not over the pig.)


Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour

(Don't try this at home, maybe at work)


The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.

(Honey, I'm home. What the...?!)


The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.
(30 minutes.. Lucky pig! Can you imagine?)


The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.

(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)


Some lions mate over 50 times a day.

(I still want to be a pig in my next life...quality over quantity)


Butterflies taste with their feet.

(Something I always wanted to know.)


The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.(Hmmmmmm......)


Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.

(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)


Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.

(Okay, so that would be a good thing)


A cat's urine glows under a black light.

(I wonder who was paid to figure that out?)


An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

( I know some people like that.)


Starfish have no brains

(I know some people like that too.)


Polar bears are left-handed. (If they switch, they'll live a lot longer)


Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

(What about that pig??)


It is what it is


Rod

Just A Joke For Today

A DEA officer stops at a ranch in Oregon, and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, 'I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs.'

The old rancher says, 'Okay, but do not go in that field over there' and he points out the location.

The DEA officer verbally explodes saying, 'Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me.' Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removes his badge and proudly displays it to the farmer. 'See this badge? This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish...on any land. No questions asked or answers given. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?'

The old rancher nods politely, apologizes, and goes about his chores.

A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the DEA officer running for his life chased close behind by the rancher's prize bull. With every step the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he'll get "horned" before he reaches safety. The officer is clearly terrified. The old rancher throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs.....

'Your badge! Show him your badge!

It is what it is
Be careful when you come to my state!
Rod

Got Me Thinking

Was reading Jims Blog yesterday and the comments and it got me to thinking.

Well as you all know I have lived all my life in small towns so I had never thought of things the same way as those who are living in big cities. When I was a kid growing up here I could not get away with anything, everybody knew me and my parents, so it was only a phone call, and then..Well you know.

Just to give you an idea of how backwards I was when my wife and I first got married we went to Portland, and went to a mall and I got out of the car did not lock the door, hell I even left the keys in it. When we got back my wife about had a fit. You can't do that in a city what were you thinking. Well I had owned that rig for about 2 years at that time and I think that the keys had only been out of it maybe 3 or 4 times. One time I had my checkbook stolen for about 4 hours before it was returned to me by one of the store owners here at town. They even arrested the guy the next day.

So therein lies a big problem. When I do go to a big city I don't think about someone trying to harm me or my wife, never concerned me. Guess I had always thought that I could handle it if it happened to me. I have been in my fair share of scrapes through the years and had came out ok on most so always had thought that would be enough...but maybe not.

Blending in with the crowd is something I had not even thought of no concern in anyway shape or form. My wife always said it was easy to find me when we were in Vegas because I was one of the few there with a hat on. Carrying some sort of protection like a walking stick or carrying my car keys with the point sticking out never even considered it and would of never thought of it.

The only time that I ever carry any protection with me is when we travel, and I know we will be driving at night. There are a lot of open roads around here where people have stopped to help a car that is broke down just to find out the hard way that they are nothing but bandits. I have only stopped once for a broken down car and it was broken down so the guy got in the truck with me and the first words out of his mouth were just so you know I have a gun on me and opened up his coat to show it to me. Well it was ok because I also had a gun on me too and I was kind enough to show it to him lifting it out of my lap from under my coat. Well we had a good laugh about it at the time but I have never stopped to help a broken down car along side the road again and never will. Sorry about your bad luck have a good night.

So if you do go and read Jims Blog take what he has said and add it to my last paragraph and take notice.

It is what it is

Rod

What To Do

Ok I have ranted about not having a job and it's pitfalls but I was brought to a new reality yesterday.

My youngest son still has his job at the mill but they are working short hours, and therein lies the problem. If he works too many hours it cuts into his unemployment benefits which was supplementing his pay. He has worked enough hours the last 2 weeks to get no help from unemployment.

The problem that has now shown it's ugly head is that he is not making enough money to be able to make his payments. Now he does not live high on the hog his rent is only $300 a month and his truck payment is the same. That will basically use up his pay checks for the month. That still leaves power, gas, food. and insurance.

All this time all I have worried about was the people without jobs but had never thought about the ones having to work shortened hours.

Ok back to my son, Do I offer for him to come back home again. The last time was a nightmare ending with me basically throwing him out as he was being a deadbeat and not paying for anything. Oh he had money when it was for something he wanted but none to help out at home.

I'm also very happy with an empty nest, my wife and I have never got along better in our 25+ years of being married. So I am at odds with what is the right thing to do or to be selfish.

Hell even with him here and helping with payments we probably won't be able to keep the house, Then what?
Guess it is time to swallow the pride and sit him and my wife down and discuss this situation and see where it ends up. Maybe with a little financial help from him we can keep the house longer..Who knows...

It is what it is

Rod

Good Times

Man time flies when your retired. (Ha Ha) Always wanted to retire early.

It seems I was just here writing not an hour ago, but now another day has passed. So what did I get accomplished today? Nothing, but the good thing is it will still be there for me tomorrow when I wake up..Yippee.

Did watch the NASCAR race yesterday. My guy didn't win, bummer. And then they have to keep rubbing it in my face about the race next week in Las Vegas. You see I have tickets but due to my present financial situation can not go.

We have been going to the races for the last 4 years. Always have a great time, never run out of things to do. That city never sleeps, it's go go go 24 hours a day. Love that city. And if you have never been there, the commercials you see are so true; what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

The first time we went there I was not too excited about it, and was talking to a friend that had went there. He was telling me how great it was and one of the last things he said was that you don't go to Vegas to sleep. Yeah right I thought! Well was I ever wrong.

We got there for a 3 day 4 night stay and we did the typical tourist thing walked down Las Vegas boulevard stopping at the different casinos, playing a little, lots of people big deal, what is so great about this? First night we went to dinner and my wife drank a little too much so she was early to bed but not me. I had a plan.

So after I put her to bed I went to see if I could succeed with my plan. 20 dollars, a black jack table see if it would last long enough for me to get good and drunk. Good plan, right? Well I succeeded, don't have any idea what time it was as there are no clocks in the casinos but still had money when the stool at the black jack table started to have a hard time staying upright.

So I staggered off to bed and got about 2 hours of sleep when my wife woke me up by dumping 100 silver dollars on me! She had hit a 100 dollar jackpot and was ready to go.

Well lets go then, and up I got, and away we headed back down the strip. Now I was still not to impressed with Vegas, until we were in one of the big casinos and it hit me...I don't know anyone here and they don't know me, and I will probably never see these people again in my life. So the fun began.

My wife was holding a bucket of quarters so I grabbed them from her and started down a row of machines stuffing quarters in and yelling at her come on baby daddy wants a jackpot. She was not too impressed, but started pulling the handles and following me. When I hit the end of the row I ran back to the first machine and started right back down the row the whole time cheering the machines on!

Well after the second pass we started to get an audience, and they were cheering us on, so my wife started to get into it then. I believe we came out a little ahead money wise, but it was fun.
Well to make a long story short after I had calmed down my wife and she saw that nobody really cared we had the time of our life.

And my plan..Worked every time that trip 20 dollars, and never more for me each day. The last day we were there, my wife and I got a lucky streak and won over 2,000 dollars! So we came home with money ahead. Sleep well? I ended up getting about 14 hours on 3 day 4 night stay so it was true, you do not go there to sleep.

It is what it is

Rod

Feel Good Moments

I spent allot of time today letting my mind wander and I kept thinking about the small things that mean so much to me.

I worked swing shift for 10 years straight while my sons were young so as I have told you before I tried to spend allot of the weekends spending quality time with them.

I also enjoyed bow hunting allot so I would take one or the other with me on most weekends. We had a deal that what ever happened up hunting stayed there. So if they wanted a soda pop for breakfast so be it but it stayed there.

So one morning we were headed out and my son asked if he could have a pop. Sure no problem, stopped and got him one out of the cooler. All the sudden he started laughing and jumped into the back seat and started rummaging around. He popped up still giggling and jumped back into the front seat with a bag of potato chips. I still get a smile on my face ever time I remember the look on his face and that giggle.

There was one time that they got out of school before I had to go to work so I went to pick them up. I was sitting there some what impatiently watching other kids coming out and wondering where my sons were. Well they finally came out the door and stood there looking for their mothers car, Looked by me a couple of times. So now it was starting to amuse me so I just sat there and watched them.

It probably took them about 15 minutes of looking before one of them spotted me and they both were so excited that I had showed up to pick them up. It is another of those small things that when I remember it I always catch myself smiling.

There was one time My youngest son and I were making a hunt and we were in sight of the truck and he spotted a cow in the trees. He looked at me and that was all it took and off he went chasing that cow off through the woods. He did not go far and came back with such a look of joy on his face as if he had done something sooo bad.

Call it what you want feel good moments the small things but we all have them

It is what it is

Rod

At A Loss

For words that is.

I have a case of bloggers block...Sounds good anyway...It is my story!

Basically I have some ideas but cannot get them into words at this time. Tired of ranting at you guys so I'm going to take the day off and see if I can refresh my out look.

Don't worry not going off the deep end on you just need to change my perspective on a few things.

Hey I did wake up this morning so things started out good

It is what it is

Rod

Amazed

Look at what I got!

I have received a blog award from Serenity

This is the award and the stipulations for accepting:
This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.

The rules to follow are: 1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link. 2) Pass the award to another 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.


Well I got my notification last night but was too overwhelmed to do anything with it until now.
To have anyone think enough of me or my dribble, and give me this kind of overwhelmed me. I have not been on the blogging scene that long so I thank Lydia again. Without her well timed kick in the butt, this probably would of never happened.

Now the hard part. I don't follow that many blogs, and would be surprised if 15 people follow mine, so I don't know 15 blogs that I feel are worthy of this but...

Don't you think that I can't at least come up with 1 maybe 2...

The problem is I don't know how to contact them so it is going to be a big surprise for them!

First is Missi with Obscure Labyrinth. She has bared her soul to us, and I admire her for that. She helped to inspire me to go ahead and say whats on my mind.

Second is Edain with English, Pagen and in Canada. She is like me and has not been blogging for to long but has a good following and has accomplished allot in her short time on the Internet.

There are more that I could give this to, but they have already been given this recognition so I will leave it at 2.

Thanks again to Lydia, and all my blogging friends.

It is what it is

Rod

Some Wandering Thoughts

I have started this post with no idea where it will head. But have some wandering thoughts for you.

Remember when you read this that you are reading the thoughts of an average middle class American with a high school education who was born and raised as a small town boy.

As I have said before I read a lot of different Blogs, and other things on the internet that catch my eye at the time. Some things I have noticed is that no one believes that the stimulus plan is going to help, and you are finding more and more about self sustained living.

Now about the stimulus plan, I am still trying to read through all of it but I do not see where they believe the stimulus is going to happen. Most of it is in tax cuts that will go to the people that are not in need of it. If what I have read is true the average middle American will see around 15 dollars a month in tax cuts.

Ok now my question is who is hurting the most from our failing economy...the middle class. So once again they have passed right over he bread winners of our country.

Just for an example of who is really running our country let me take you back to the late 1980's. I had a small business at the time that we had to close down for various reasons but anyway we had to file double bankruptcy, one for the business and one personal. We were at the hearing and I thought it was all over, but the judge had one last question about a deal that had happened just before we closed down.

Ok the only people that would be interested in that deal would be the bank.
So I asked him who he worked for and he said the federal government. I then asked him why he was asking a question for the bank if he was working for the federal government and if they had wanted to know the answer why were they not present as they had been notified so they could ask their own questions. Well he got very red in the face and closed the hearing right there. So in my mind it shows that the banks were running things even back then.

So my thoughts are if the banks have been running things for this long and we are where we are then why not let them get out of it on their own. If they fail they fail. I'm sorry if that sounds evil on my part but because of them or who ever has done this I have failed period no fault of mine other than trying to live the great American dream. Ok enough of that.

Now a lot of my other readings were blogs on prepping. At first I read them because I got a big laugh off of some of them. They were not prepping for anything but a war...How many guns I've got , how many bullets I've got, stuff like that. But I have noticed a shift in them.

Now you read allot about prepping for food, water, shelter. More worst case scenario than who has the most guns. They are talking about canning food making your own soaps and how to save money period. It is amazing what you can do to save money in your home. Some of these people have put allot of time and energy into it. Some are even to the point of being self sustaining on very small parcels of land.

My grandmother was raise on a homestead where they had no electricity, no running water, no frills a bare bones life style so there is a wealth of information I'm going to start collecting. If you are interested in any of this go to Jims Blog as he has a bunch of sites on his blog that cover this information.

Well I'm gonna close now before I start a full on rant. Just remember...

It is what it is...

Rod

Just Another Day

Now you might not believe this but I got a call from the bank on the car today.


They wanted to know when the payment was coming.


So I explained to the nice lady that I was unemployed and that it was not feasible at this time to make the payment. She then asked if I were getting unemployment. Yes, but most of that was going to health insurance. So she asked if I thought that was necessary. Yes so I gave her my health conditions. So here comes the winner and I quote " Can you borrow the money to make the payment".


Right so I asked her how that would help. She said well then you could make the car payment. Ok could not let it pass. So I asked her if I could get a loan so I could make the payment then. She said no, No I said are you not a bank? She said yes but they could not do that. Why not I asked? She said that I already could not make the payment why would they loan me money to do it. Exactly I said (Here's your sign) come and get it and oh by the way bring gas as it is out!


Enough of that, kinda makes you laugh.


Here's a site that lets you keep track of the stimulus plan...


Recovery.gov

In typical government fashion you get redirected to 10 or 50 different sites to get all of it. Guess they need to show you that all of the departments are working for you.


It is what it is


Rod

Stress Management

There are allot of people in the U.S. going through my same predicament so here is how I handle the stress.

My Winter ritual is sure to change when the weather gets better.

I wake up in the morning in a bed, still have a roof over my head..Things are looking good so far.

Wiggle around some, no great pains...Getting better.

Get up turn on the lights and TV...Still got power great.

Heat some water for my morning cup...Waters still on getting better.

Read my emails and my favorite blogs...Still got Internet, things are going good.

Chat with my friend some...That always puts a smile on my face.

Eat breakfast..Still got food!!

Look at the clock..Hey it's time to harass the bank.

Call the bank...Want to let them know that their house didn't burn down in the last 3 days.

Call the other bank...Hey your car is still here..you want me to deliver it...Can't, it's out of gas you will need to come and get it

The mail shows up great...

Taxes are do on the house ...Need to call them and tell them that I don't own the house the bank does..will have to remember to tell the bank next time I call them.

Chat some more with my friend...More smiles.

Check my business dealings on the Internet...Not bad..Not real good..Not allot of money there to begin with...Still good keeps me occupied.

Lunch..Hey still have food great.

Watch some TV...There are some great shows out there.

Work on my blog...Change this move that put it all back start a post maybe finish maybe not..

Oh of course add in allot of play time with my little furry friends...Do I need to add to that.

Do some more reading on the Internet...What subject am I interested in today?

Chat with my friend some more...Smiles again.

Dinner...Hey still have food.

Work on blog while chatting..Multi tasking...More smiles.

Finish blog post and send to my favorite editor...

Yawn time for bed ..Hey lived through another great day.

Oh also some time during the day log in and check for jobs...Now that will make you laugh.

Never have to look at a clock.

Don't usually know what day of the week it is and don't really care.

But the best part is that I get to spend all my time at home in fairly good health with my pretty wife.

Always wanted to retire early...

It is what it is.

Rod

A Lesson Learned

I was going to write about how some people are always so negative but every time I sit down and try to start my mind wanders.

Yesterday I went to a friends house to watch the car race with some other friends and the first topic we talked about was their work. How long they were going to stay employed what the future held for us all.

They were quizzing me a lot about how we were doing and what was out there and what to expect if and when it happens to them...That's how bleak it is here in our small part of the world.
My day started out with some reading on the Internet and when I read Jims blog yesterday it about floored me. Had never even thought about that before. It made me think if that was how it is, how much more could be cut.

It has gotten to the point in my life where I no longer can watch the news on TV. It upsets me that much. I get angry and my hands start shaking and my two stress monitors (the furry friends) let me know about it. How do those reporters stand there with their pretty little smiles and lie to us?

So after listening to my friends concerns, reading Jims blog, and just letting my mind wander I came to a conclusion.

I can't rant at someone for being negative when there is no positive input in their lives. I don't know what they are going through. But with the way things are looking for us (and I mean all of us) I can certainly see where it would be hard to keep a positive outlook for them.

In an earlier post I talked about how my friends here on the Internet have positive attitudes and that I was trying to surround myself with these people. So whenever I'm around negative people I try to steer the conversation in a more positive direction. Well today I was outnumbered so I let them rant, answered their questions, asked them questions in return, and let the conversation go in whatever direction it went.

Well it finally was more focused on the fact that what they were so worried about was where I'm at now. No job. It was brought up that my wife and I were looking good and seemed to be handling our situation very well.

So I explained to them that at first it was not like that but once we decided that it was out of our control that we basically sat down and decided to take it one month at a time. Can we pay our bills this month? Yes, ok great. No, ok then, this is what we can pay, and this is what we can't pay, and this is what we have to do to handle that situation. And then we pay those bills and then we basically forget about it.

Well they all said that they could not do that and my reply was...

It is what it is...

And you can not change it...

But then I added my good friends comment..

It is what you make of it...

And the rest of the day was nothing but fun and laughter...

Amazing what happens when you let them blow off a little steam first

Rod

Holiday

As far as I'm concerned today should be a national holiday.
So no post for today!

NASCAR.COM Video - Duel 1: Final laps

See you at the races...

It is what it is

Rod

The Emails We All Love

Spam, ain't it great? Thought I would keep a log of what I received in a day (with my color commentary of course).

So lets start

This is what hit the deleted file for one day!

{{{{ Are You Struggling To Make Money Online? }}}}‏...Nope very successful..not

I love discounts, but 80% is just nuts‏...Yeah for the poor sap that buys it

New Surf Site-Launching Feb 1st.‏....Ahh another scammer getting a head start

A Flatter Tummy‏....Hmm can still see my toes don't need that

YOUR Opportunity Is NOW - Do NOT WASTE IT!‏....Ok I opened that one but it was sent to somebody called John not for me

A Glimpse Into Tomorrow!‏....Hey buy an E book and see into the future

URGENT! YOUR $250 In Free Advertising Is Waiting-Claim It NOW‏....What, and get more spam?

Do you like to shop, but hate standing in lines and fighting crowds?...Hey lets check it out..Hmm nothing but trinkets and garbage just what I need

LifeScript Daily Horoscope - January 27, 2009‏....Just what I need somebody else telling me what to do

He paid Google over $500K‏....Do I need to comment on this

100,000’s of internet marketers all of whom are exactly your target market is a dream come true...Another traffic exchange all ready supposedly have the best of the best..sorry

No Skills - No Experience - No Excuse‏...."The Poor Man's Revolution"...So you had better watch out

=> 5 Minutes To 'Guru' Status...What do I get..The answer to what to sell to customers and clients...Instant bonus pages that's what I want.

what happened Rodney? are you ok?...of course I am can't you see

RE: How simple is simple Rodney?‏...,interesting don't remember sending them a Email...just checked nope I didn't

Have You Ever Seen Something This Easy Rodney?....Oh yipee more bonus pages..Wait a moment same pages different spammer

Advance your career with an online MBA‏...Ok just to make sure you can read they sent this one 4 times must be a test

Work From Home Auction Success (Details Inside)...This world famous rebate scam oh I mean program

Is Your Traffic Zooming?‏... Great another Traffic exchange

5 Steps to Mastering Pillow Talk‏... Did you know that pillows talk..just kidding

It's live Rodney ... and YOU save 50% today!...No not a warm body just go to this site an buy this scam

LAUNCHED 10 MINUTES AGO !!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT MISS THIS!!!!!!!‏...Interesting must be a relaunch got this same one yesterday

Rodney, You Can Turn $40 into 6 figures‏...And it only took one day to set up...no thanks

JetBlue/Disneyland packages from $375 pp‏...Can't afford the house payment but lets go on a trip anyway

Learn how to make as much as $107,389 in six months with Google....Well at least they give a timeline

ClickBanker has all New Leads‏...News for them they are all new leads for me

Seen on 60 Minutes Sunday. Anti Aging Pill‏...What and put up with more of this fun

New on DVD: Fireproof and more‏... Why buy it for that price I can rent 4 or 5 other movies as well

You could get money for your old jewelry‏...Hey look at this commercials on the net and again gotta send it twice to make sure

Make over $100k in just 6 Months Working from Home...Hey wait a minute here got this earlier

Google but the amount went down...must be the economy

{{{{ Are You Struggling To Make Money Online? }}}}...Again thought I had already answered this one...oops different idiot

PROMPT RESPONSE PLEASE.‏...Ok this one is great this guy needs help getting his deceased clients money out of a over seas bank. Well I'm supposed to have the same last name.... unfortunate for him I don't

Apartments Everywhere. Find one with us.‏...might want to keep this one...never can tell

Complement of the day‏...needs help transferring 19.5 mill to the US and guess what I get 30%...That's it I'm I'm rich...right

583 Leads in 14 Seconds Rodney‏...And that is how long it will take them to delete the message also

A Special Offer for True Coffee Lovers. Gevalia's Coffee Lover's Kit!‏...Hmm think I should send them Jims addy

*****Open Position at Beauchamp Interiors****‏...Might be needing this... oops book keeping not my cup of tea

Looking for an auto insurance quote? (details inside)‏...Hey they will save me up to 600 dollars on my car insurance...Don't pay that much now...free insurance...I doubt it

Rodney, You can succeed where others fail‏...Shit I can't succeed where others succeed

Save Your House From Foreclosure Today‏...Don't need that yet but maybe..naw not yet.

How To Make Money Fast Online‏...Hey type articles..Have a hard enough time typing this

Get this video of you created (for free) and use it to do house deals‏... In this economy right..Hell the bank don't even want it back

You Promise to Keep This Quiet?...Yah but your not..hey get this that's all there is no message

Colorado Technical University's Flexible Options‏...And it only takes 15 months

Rodney Gillett 777 Sw Willies‏...seems that they have a package for me...hey she even has the same last name...how nice...a Walmart card

Update your Credit Report with GoFreeCredit - it's Free!...Think they can erase it

The 6 Shooter Bonus is waiting for you in Silver Dollar Casino‏...look you can lose your money from the comfort of your own home

Hold on to your home‏...Ahh some competition here

Rodney, Are You Going to Be a Leader... or a Victim of the Economy?‏...Is that a honest question

How To Get Free Advertising By Participating In E-mail Discussion Lists‏...Is this not called organized spam

Survey Opportunity: Be an Instant Winner of 1 to 3 Dollars‏...Ok but guess what you have to qualify..you know sign up for this buy that

7x2=6,710,894 math don't lie!!...Ok I see...Receive $6,710,894.20 profits just by referring 2 !...sound easy enough

re.gillett: Your Check is Still Waiting‏...Great then send it...oh surveys again

Rodney, Thinking of a membership site?...Noooo

You Need This Lead Software‏...Hey I changed my name it is now [[firstname]]

Gain inches the fast way‏...no comment (I'm tall enough)

Looking for a pet urn? Find the perfect tribute...nope mine are doing just fine thank you:

O__Her Hot *Secret* Explains Everything__:O‏...Darn another downline builder

NEW SAFELIST Just Launched! FREE Pro Membership for first 150‏...Hey a safelist with 51 members

$87,979 in FREE Spending Money!..how foreclosures..Don't need that I can just wait on my own

And of course my all time favorite
NOTIFICATION FROM FBI WASHINGTON D.C‏...seems I have a over due contract payment with a company I have never heard of

Ok there they are unfortunately I can not stop these or unsubscribe have tried. And like most of you this is only 1 of my accounts.

Just consider them commercials

It is what it is

Rod

Computer Woes

About 6 months ago we replaced our old computer with a new one and set the old one up in a spare room but it was not connected to the Internet so we had bought a wireless network for it.

So after a lot of procrastination on my part I decided that today was the day to install it. Notice I said day, was told when we bought it that it was real simple to install. Well I must be a real simple person as it was a small nightmare for me.

Ok started out and decided to put the router on the new computer and the Wireless adaptor on the old thought that it would be more apt to take the simple part of the new technology. Got the router all set up and loaded on the new computer in record time...for me...not to difficult actually.

So went to the antique and put the disk in and it downloads with no problem...great...wrong. Did not connect to the network. Hmmm ok time for the directions. (hey I am a guy). Ok directions say put the disk in and follow the tutorial...great here we go. Painstakingly follow the tutorial just to find out that my computer is too old and will not recognize the wireless adapter.

Now you have to realize it has probably been 2 or 3 hours by now. And back to square one do not pass go do not collect 200 dollars.

So took the router off the new computer and set it up on the old one with no problems. See I know what I'm doing now. Take the wireless adapter and disc sit down at new computer and install it hey no problems again..see I told you I knew what I was doing.

Wrong! Computer recognizes the device but does not recognize the network...settings are not correct. Great now what do I do? Already read the tutorial and have done that still no Internet.

Hmm maybe if I uninstall everything and start over..ok that's what I'll do.

Did I tell you that the new computer has Vista on it? Well it does and for the most part I have been real happy with it. Well uninstalling programs on it is not the same as XP as I found out but finally got it done.

Reinstalled the software for the wireless adapter and hey what's this? It is working...real slow but working. Heck I can write faster than this! Hmm what is going on here.

Ok lets clear all old stuff off and see what happens...Ahh much better. Except things are just not running like they should be. But it is better than it was so I'm ok for now it's only been 4 or 5 hours now anyway.

Now like I have said I'm not real good with this new technology so I was limping along and the light came on...Hey it didn't have me restart the computer hmm maybe with Vista you don't need to...oh what the hell reboot and guess what...

It is what it is

And running like new

Rod

The American Dream

So what is the American dream?
Own your home
Drive a nice car
Send your kids to college
Retire early
I'm sure there is allot more that can be added to this list.
So have you been able to achieve this dream?
Myself...? No, not even close.
Why..because I was living the American dream.
But I was doing what allot of Americans trying to live the dream did.
Spend more than you make.
You know buy your house and the market goes up, hey refinance pay off bills. Right?
And then just build them up again gotta have bigger and better toys.
The one with the most toys wins right?
Well unfortunately, this lesson is being taught to a lot of us the hard way.
The bad part is, I saw it happening to me and my family, and had started working at fixing it. But it was too late.
And unfortunately I am not alone. We are a steadily growing fraternity.
Just read your newspaper. There seems to be no end to it.

It is what it is

Rod

Some Things I've Learned

Ok one thing I have learned in the last 2 weeks that I have been unemployed is that if your a middle aged American citizen with no minor children living at home you are screwed as far as getting any help from the government.

So what else have I learned you might ask.

Well I have learned allot of things from my wanderings on the Internet.

I learned that the new economic stimulus plan is going to screw me even more being a middle class citizen.

I learned that you can make your own laundry detergent for next to nothing.

I learned that there is good reason that life as we know it will change in 2012.

I learned the difference between spiritualism and orthodox religion.

I learned that there are allot of people preparing for the end of civilization as we know it.

I learned that bankruptcy is a joke unless you are a big corporation.

I learned not to put my phone number on forms.

I learned that you don't always get what you think you are going to get when you click on a link.

I learned that there are a bunch of places on the Internet that only want your email addy so they can A) spam you or B) sell it to someone else so they can spam you.

I learned that if you do not have your filters set right that no matter what you search you will get at least 15 porn sites.

I learned that for every honest person on the Internet there is at least 5 or more that are nothing but scammers.

I learned that you do not buy anything on the Internet until you have at least hit the red X, you would be surprised at the discounts then offered.

I learned that social sites are great places to meet people and get allot of spam all at the same time.

I learned that you can make some great friends on the Internet.

I learned that the news is different on the Internet than what they show you on TV.

So what are my thoughts on this...Enjoy yourself!

My greatest fun is reading the blogs all of them. I'm fairly diversified in my readings, some investment, some chit chat, some preppers, some about beliefs and some that are just flat out hilarious.

Now in all of these categories there are the extremist and then the ones that are trying to teach you. I tend to like the ones that try to teach rather than preach.

So what good has this done for me..I feel allot and the best part is that it has only just begun there is more out there for me to discover good or bad it will all be a positive in the end.

It is what it is

Rod

Family Times

When my sons were younger and I was working swing shift, family time came at a premium.

One thing I always remembered before we moved to the farm was going camping. We had some great times fishing and shooting guns so I thought that would be great for us to do.

One problem...the mommy was not real keen on the idea of camping in a tent. Not one who likes to be that close to nature. So did the best I could and we bought a fully self contained camp trailer plus generator take the tv some movies all the comforts of home.

So we went camping a few times and it was ok but more than 3 days and mommy was ready to go home..now. So we were just doing 1 or 2 day trips which was fine with me I love the woods and the peace and quiet (when someone was not watching a movie).

I had started to bow hunt around that time and both boys were interested in it, so we bought bows for the whole family (yes mommy to) and started to go to 3D bow shoots. Now I'm going to tell the truth here I am a better teacher than shooter as my wife and boys have many trophies from the shoots and I have none. But we did have a lot of fun. My wife would have the trailer loaded with food so when I got home on Saturday at 2 am all I had to do was hook up to the trailer wake them up and away we would go to the next shoot usually getting there in time to set up the trailer and then go shoot the first round. The shoots were 2 day events with a round each morning and after that you could shoot again for fun or go sit at camp and relax. Or for me, take a nap as I had usually been up for over 24 hours by then.

In the early evenings they would have what they called a smoker round where everyone that competed would put in a dollar and the top 3 positions were paid. These usually consisted of unrealistic shots way out of your comfort zone and usually could only see part of the target and you could only have one arrow so if you lost it or it broke you were out.

I always shot the smoker rounds not to win money but it was fun and you were able to meet a lot of new people. The boys always went to watch but never to shoot as the their bows did not have enough range for the shots we tried.

At one shoot there was this old guy there that shot a recurve bow and he wanted to shoot the smoker round but we all had a unfair advantage over him so the group decided to let him shoot at a closer distance. Just what the boys needed to hear ad off they ran to get their bows and a dollar from their mom.

I was unaware of this happening until they showed up with their bows and a dollar each. Everyone was getting a good laugh out of this while telling them that they were to young to shoot. So I asked them if they were afraid that they were going to lose to a couple of kids. Well that changed their minds so they took their money and would let them shoot with the old man.

So we started the round and the boys were not doing too bad at first until my oldest son broke his arrow and was out just leaving my youngest.

As the shoot progressed people were falling out, including myself, but my youngest was still going and as we went along he had a growing rooting section for him. As we were progressing through the targets they would let everyone know who was in the top three places but everyone started asking where my son was at, so they stared telling his spot also. I don't remember where he was when they first started to give his place, but after they did, he started climbing rapidly.

Don't know if it was helping him shoot better, but it was putting a lot of pressure on the others and they started missing and losing their arrows which only helped him. Heard more than one comment about; I can't lose to that kid.

Well he ended up taking 3rd place so there was a lot of ribbing going on about that. I still have to hear about that one, from time to time, from him.

The best part of all this, was when they both grew up and got jobs and were working swing shift they have both told me how much they appreciated what I did for them not sleeping, so we could go and have family time together and the great memories they had from it.

Now that just about made my life for me.

It is what it is

Rod

Ponderings

Ever since being laid off I have had plenty of time to ponder allot of things.

I'm in my mid 40's worked middle management most of those years so my chances of being called back or finding another job in that area are slim to none. So what are my options? Ok lets take an inventory.

Age is a problem in a production type job. There are hundreds of young bodies out there that are unemployed also and would be able to perform at a higher level than I would.

Health.... I have Pancreatitis which is a terrible disease that has no cure and becomes progressively worse as time goes by. Does not look good on a resume.

So as far as jobs go I'm limited on what I can do. I am not expecting to be called back to my old job so best to try and work something else out.

Unemployment will last for about 7 months. Rolled my profit sharing into a IRA so I can use that to supplement my unemployment.

Ok have the income covered now the out going.

Bills, we were able to at least come close to them until I got notification of my insurance costs...OH MY GOD almost half of my unemployment each month! Unfortunately, with my medical problems, I cannot go without coverage at this time.

So that made one decision easy, bye bye car. But what else? We already have tv cost cut to bare bones looking at what will be cheaper on phone land line versus cell. Have called all creditors some are more than willing to help others don't even want to talk about it.

Most treat you like a second class citizen, did get a pleasant surprise the other day had a very helpful and understanding individual. As he put it he is hearing my story more and more and he is trying to do his job as best as he can so he is not part of that story.

So currently we are contemplating all venues, debt restructuring, even bankruptcy. Kinda makes you wonder about spending your whole life working for the man and for what...? Guess there is no one to blame except the sorry individual that looks back at me in the mirror..right?

Ok enough of the pity party time to move on.

Now everyone has heard about the next great stimulus plan...that's now pushing $1,000,000,000.00...now that's allot of zeros...which is exactly what I'm planning on getting zero. Now lets say they give each of us say...lets be conservative here...$200,000.00... now where is that money going to go and what good is that going to be.

Remember that I'm just a small town boy here but what I believe would happen is that most of that money will end up right where they are intending it to go but there would be a whole lot of people like me that would not be in the shape we're in because we would no longer have mortgage payments or car payments because we would pay off our creditors. So in my uneducated mind not only would the money go where they want it but the amount of debt in the U.S. would be cut down drastically.

Oh well, at least it sounds good but...

It is what it is

Rod

Idle Thoughts

Could not focus on any one thing today so I'm going to wander all over the place and see where we end up.

My son was over today with a couple of friends and they were talking about the stories they could tell their kids when they grew older.

The statement that gave me the best chuckle was that they were born before the Internet. Ok, how about before color TV or better yet do you remember taking all the tubes out of your TV and taking them to the store to check for the one that was burned out. They were aghast when they were told that there was only AM radio.

That makes me remember about a time I was giving my mother in law a bad time about how old she was and made the remark that she was older than penicillin....she got real serious and said that yes she was and was there a problem with that. Oops kinda back fired on me!

Was helping my oldest son work on his pickup the other day..ok lets get this right I was dong the work and he was watching. We were replacing the idler arm and of course it had a ball joint that needed to be broke loose.

Don't know if you have ever done that but it can be real easy or usually not. This was a case of the latter. I thought that I had the right tool for the job called a pickel fork but did not. My son volunteered to go get one so off he went.

After some time had passed he came back with the right tool so I asked him what had took so long. He went to every place he could think of and could not find one and when he asked about it nobody had never heard of one. He finally went to a friends house and he had one. So after we got done I called around and finally found someone that knew what it was but that it was a special order item only.

This also got me to thinking about some things about cars. My sons and their friends are always bringing their vehicles over for me to "help" them to work on. Did not think much of it until the pickel fork episode.

The vehicles I currently drive are a 92 Toyota pickup that I can usually fix anything that breaks on it, But parked next to it is a 2004 Ford Escape Hybrid that I will not touch if at all possible. Open the hood and you can not even see the motor. Easy to locate the dip stick though. Spark plugs ok if you say so never seen them myself but they have to be there somewhere.

The days of working on your own vehicle are disappearing just like replacing the tubes on your TV. And it shows in our young. Their parents never had to work on their vehicles and it shows in the kids. But hey If I need help with my computer guess who I call.

Well that's enough wandering for today.

Feeling better thanks to my friends (you know who you are)

Just got to remember...

It is what it is

Rod

Nothing Good To Say

Sorry but I do not believe that I will post today.
I did not have a good day yesterday.
So rather than bore you with self pity or a meaningless rant I have chosen to make this an inactive blog day.



It is what it is



Rod

Unbelievable

After reading some of my friends blogs yesterday I had to share this...


The Tax Poem


At first I thought this was funny....then I realized the awful truth of it.
Be sure to read all the way to the end.


Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.


Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.


Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!


Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.


Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.


Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.


Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.


Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.


Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.


When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.


Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid.


Put these words
Upon his tomb,
Taxes drove me to my doom...


'When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.


Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax


STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.


We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middleclass in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.


What in the hell happened?


Can you spell 'politicians?'


And I still have to 'press 1' for English!?


I don't think I need to say anymore...


It is what it is
So what are we going to do about it?
Rod

My Little Caring Friends

Last night while working on my blog post I was having difficulties with what I was wanting to do, and unknown to me I was stressing about it. So you ask how did I find out? Easy. Pixie our pug made me realize it.

She was sleeping on the sofa and all if the sudden jumped down and made sure that she got my attention so I scratched her on the head but this was not enough she kept at it until I let her in my lap for a serious petting and hand washing.

Well as I kept loving on her I realized I was stressing over something as stupid as a blog post. I actually felt it go away. Totally amazing.

That made me think of some other times that this has happened.

Saturday I got worked up about something from the past but this time it was Fancy that came to the rescue. She would not let me out of her sight! Everywhere I went she was right behind me, until I finally gave her a good loving and once again learned that I was stressing over something stupid.

People can say what they want about dogs and cats but they have unbelievable perception of their world and can sense when you are not right with yourself.

Back a few years ago I had real high blood pressure and was having to keep a log for the doctors so they could adjust my meds. as needed. Well Pixie was just a young pug and full of energy. We usually play fetch for about an hour each night to wear her out so we could go to bed. This particular night I had taken my blood pressure and had logged it and then decided it was time to start wearing the pug out for bed.

For some reason she did not want to play fetch so I ended up on the floor hand fighting with her.Well she was ecstatic growling and barking and started doing power runs it was really hilarious. An interesting thing happened I could actually tell that my blood pressure was going down so I checked and it had by quite a bit.!

Ok that is enough for today. I was at a standstill on what to write tonight and thought it was going to be an inactive blog day. But, one of my little friends came to the rescue.

It is what it is

Rod

Being Positive

I've met allot of new friends here on the net and by far most of them all talk about the same thing.

Being positive.

Those of you who have read through my blog, know I am going through a very stressful time right now. Adding to that is my oldest son now being laid off from paradise also.

Here is a glimpse of what I read most everyday.

Lets start with Hermit Jim and his nephew Cygnus, They both have a tendency to rant about the world and were it is heading but if you follow them on a daily basis you will find the positive in them.

They each have a dream and a plan that they are following and that makes it positive. They put out allot of information on how to plan on surviving this world currently and how to survive the worst if it comes.

Then there is Johns Blog What can I say here this man does allot of research on the net and you will not always like what you see but unfortunately it is true. Yet John also has a positive he is prepared in his mind and soul through his learning's to accept whatever happens in this world good or bad he will be ready.

Now lets talk about Edains Blog she also has some concerns she talks about but then you have your posts about raising your own food and preparing it. She is also following her dream with allot of success.

Ok then there is Missi's Blog. She has had a very tough life and still keeps a rosy attitude. Again she has a plan and is following it. She has her rants but they always tend to come out positive.

We now come to Genes Blog he has a post on it now about a exercise in positive thinking. Gene always looks for the bet in everything refuses to let negativity into his life.

And last we come to Lydias Blog. She does have her occasional rants about the world and where it is heading but it is coming from her heart. She hates to see people suffer especially when it is someone she knows. If you read her blog she also has allot of teachings about her learning's to help get rid of the negative around you. And how to see the world in a different way, like through someone else's eyes.

Basically I am thanking each and everyone of these people because even though I have not personally met them they have helped me in my difficult time. Without having been following them in their blogs I would right now be wallowing in self pity thinking it was the end of my little part of the world.

I know that I have been using there teachings, because my son came over today after he was laid off and said that because of my attitude he was not going to let it bother him either. We sat down and set him a plan to follow and he left with a great attitude and a smile on his face.

Now you're not going to believe the last words out of his mouth as he was leaving.

He looked me square in the eyes and said....

Dad, It is what it is
Hmmm maybe sometimes they do listen

Rod

Small Town Rodeos

Now I know you have all watched Rodeos on TV. The PBR or the National Finals, but what you don't see, or have not been shown, is the...well for loss of better words the half time show.

Now in the big Rodeos they bring in an act, or the bull fighters put on a show. But that is not always the case in a small town...we need to be creative.

Being raised in a small town, we all went through our stage of wanting to be a cowboy! In fact, some big time Rodeo Cowboys live within 20 miles of me. I'll give you a couple of names that are well know now; Clint Corey and Ross Colman. So it can be a big thing in a small country town.

I had my first experiences riding at Cowdeos that are for kids 14 and under. They have a variety of events for each age group starting with mutton busting for the young kids, calf riding for the
next group, and cow riding for the older kids.

So I started out at the bottom and worked my way up with no great success other than to say I never did get hurt...Pride don't count.

Enough of that lets get back to the story.

At our local arena the chutes did not have numbers on them they had sponsors so instead of the announcer saying now coming out of chute number 3, it was now coming out of the Olsens Saddlery chute, or who ever was the sponsor.

Well they came up with this Idea to have a wild cow riding contest and the sponsors had to provide a 3 person team for the event and the team won the prize money.

The trick they pulled was they did not tell them about it until the first day of the Rodeo, so they had no time to prepare teams. Most of the sponsors were big companies that had allot of men working for them so they recruited from the employees. All except one who I mentioned earlier Olsens Saddlery.

They were a small mom and pop business which had maybe four people working for them, and most of them were female. So Ray the owner went recruiting and for some reason I was first on his list.

So Ray got a hold of me and explained the situation to me, and asked if I could help...Of course I can. So I went and talked a couple of friends into doing it with me with promises of riches to be made...100 dollars for first place or something like that, split 3 ways. But they got a free ticket into the Rodeo!

Some of you might have seen wild horse races well it is the same, 3 people anchor on the end of the rope. A mugger who got the cow around the neck and slowed her down and the rider who put the rope on the cow and rode her across the arena. Now they added a little twist to this since it was cows we were riding. After you crossed the line with rider still aboard, you then had to take the halter off and run it back to the judges.

Ok we had the team together and were ready for the first day of a two day event. We showed up and we are the youngest there, by at least 10 years! So, we had to take the ribbing about being the young punks.

It was our time to go, so we got in front of the chute and they hand us the rope that is attached to the halter on the cow and got ready to start the count down. Time for some last minute plans..8 cows times 3 men each that's allot of bodies and animals to get ran over by!

We devised this last minute plan to throw open the chute and all three of us try to keep the cow in the chute. While I mount up and ride. 3, 2. 1, go throw open the chute and the 3 of us jump this cow and she just stands there as pretty as you please! Kinda looks at us like; Hi guys how's it going...? Wonderful could not be better! So we put the rope on no problem, get on her no problem, in fact she stood and let us pull the rope tight, great!

They let her go and she just stood there perfectly happy! They had to pull her out of the chute with the rope and herd her down the arena at a stately walk and the whole time I'm watching 7 other cows with riders cross the line with their anchors and muggers in hot pursuit. I can still remember thinking well there goes the money.

Well we finish our slow walk and finally cross the line..had no problem stopping our cow, she didn't want to go any where as it was! Took the halter off and walked to the judges. We got FIRST place! Because ?..nobody else could catch their cows.

Had a great laugh from that one.

Day two same people same place only different cows. Ok plan worked great first day so why change it. 3, 2, 1, go throw open the chute rush the cow..same results she just stands there.

Put the rope on her, She just stands there, I jump on her back, all hell breaks loose. Now this cow knew how to buck and liked it. So this time we were not the last cow across but the first with yours truly doing his best to stay on.

Well for some reason unknown even at this time she decided that that was enough and put the brakes on hard with me flying over her head in a pile in front of her! She then decided that maybe I should see what it was like to be rode because her next jump was on top of me doing her best tap dance.

Well I really don't remember a whole lot after that but finally came to my senses and realized that I was not in a good position and had better get outta there. Struggled to my feet and took a couple of steps just to meet my new girl friend again and she had to say hi again.

I'm not really sure what I did to piss her off at me so much but she had me down again and was giving it to me again but that was her mistake as my help came to the rescue and got the halter off her and helped me outta there, still got third place.

Well the following year we were dumb enough to do it again but this time it was all kids so we did not do so well.

At least there was no one hurt that year...

It is what it is

Rod

A Short Story

This happened to me on a trip to Southern California.


Was down in Vista California visiting my grandparents doing the whole tourist thing Disneyland, Universal Studios Lego Land, San Diego Zoo well all of them.



So every morning my grandmothers husband Carl and I would go to the grocery store for the days meals. He loves to shop so they keep very little food at home.


My first shock when we got to the store was that they sold all kinds of alcohol there you name it and it is at the grocery store. In Oregon you ave to go to a Liquor store that is ran by the state. Was also the first time I had ever seen Crispy Creme donuts yummy.


There was on trip that really stands out in my mind tho.


Now I don't know if all of you know this but the water that comes out of the tap in Southern California is not fit for man or beast to drink terrible. So bottled water is real big there and you see trucks delivering it everywhere.


Ok now knowing that but being a small town boy I never thought that there would be a whole aisle dedicated to nothing but water. I was wandering down this aisle in amazement when suddenly I was brought to a halt in total awe.


Where I live there is a small water bottling plant. We have some of the best water in the world straight out of the ground 99.9% pure. the water went underground before the first nuclear tests as it has no radioactivity in it.


What do I see but a big portion of the display has Earth2o water from my home town. I guess I must of had a strange look on my face as this lady kindly tells we that it is the greatest water in the world and that I should definitely buy it.


Well being a little bit at a loss for words I agreed. She then asked me if I had ever had it which made me chuckle. She asked what was so funny so I told her.


Yeah I know back home we flush our toilets and wash our cars with it. Now she had the funny look you know like yeah ok right.


It ended up taking me and Carl about 20 minutes to explain to her that it was the water that came out of the taps at home and make her believe it.



So if you drink Earth2o water or any water bottled by Opal springs bottling company you have had a chance to try a little bit of my part of the world...


It is what it is


Thank God I'm a country boy


Rod

Living In The Country

Had a small problem last night and it made me think about some things.

At around 5 PM yesterday the power went off. Not unusual it happens every where. So did not think a whole lot about it since shortly after it happened heard sirens going off. Thought that might of been a car wreck and they took out a power pole. We needed to run to town but when we stepped out the door surprise all the neighbors had power!

Great, grabbed a flashlight went to the breaker box main breaker is tripped, tried to reset it but no go! Broken. Well luckily the hardware store was still open so got a new breaker and fixed it.

Ok that was no big thing but it brought to mind one thing that happened when we lived 20 out of town. It was Christmas eve and we had finished opening gifts and doing the normal Christmas cheer and things had wound down and we were all heading to bed. I went to get a drink of water and when I turned it on..nothing.

Ok something must be wrong with the pump so I grabbed a flashlight and went to investigate. Did not have to go far to see we had a problem there was water gushing out of the ground. Great. Ran to the pump house and turned off the pump and then ran to my parents house and told my dad of the problem and went back to survey the situation.

Seems that a shut off valve that went to a sprinkler spigot had decided that it did not want to be in one piece any more, and had broke. It was cold but not that bad ,and we had it well insulated but it was old. Well no other choice but to dive in and fix it. Cold or not, need to have water.

Took off my coat had a little pep talk with myself and got on my hands and knees and put my arm in the hole. To my surprise the water was warm....Oh great the hot water heaters are draining. My dad was headed down by that time, so I yelled at him to shut off the hot water heaters so the elements would not burn out. After he got that done is was just a matter of getting the right tools and parts to fix, the whole time laying in 2 inches of rapidly cooling water.

Don't know who had it worse, me or my dad, who probably put in 3 miles that night running for parts. So after we got it fixed and the pump running again my cousin who was probably around 15 at the time helped..ok he held the flashlight..he is a city boy born and raised.

Well I had stood up soaking wet no hot water for a shower, cold, need I say more? But he pipes up with I'm never going to live in the country...Why I asked thru chattering teeth...His comment was something along the line of that he would not do anything like that you pay people to do that stuff.

City boy he did not understand we did it because..

It is what it is

And who is going to get a plumber at that time anyway?

Rod