Rods Wanderings

Quick Update

2010-10-01T12:35:00.001-07:00

Well it has been a while so here is the Readers Digest version of what has been happening since I took my blogger vacation.
I now have a full time job working for the local school district as a custodian. Excellent benefits good bosses and hopefully it looks like some job security.
Had a short stay at the hospital due to the pancreas had a good attack and now have a new high mark set for pain levels...it was not good at all But you know morphine is a wonderful drug for pain hehe.
Other than that not much is going on can not really afford to do much so tend to stay at home cheaper that way.

It Is What It Is

Rod

IT IS WHAT IT IS

2010-09-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been away for so long but I now have a full time job as a custodian and I have had some health issues to deal with.
Even had to spend a short time in the hospital...yuck.
No promises but I will try to post some to try and keep you updated.

Rod

Life Goes On

2009-12-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

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

It Is What It Is

Rod

Sore

2009-11-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

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

It is what it is

Rod

News

2009-11-17T11:47:00.000-08:00

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

It is what it is

Rod

The Final Inspection

2009-11-11T19:27:00.000-08:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Author Unknown~

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

Rod

Procrastination?

2009-10-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

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

It is what it is

Rod

Something I Found Interesting

2009-10-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

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

So go HERE and watch.

It is what it is

Rod

This And That

2009-09-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

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

It is what it is
Rod

Still Here

2009-08-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

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

It Is What It Is

Rod

Storm

2009-08-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Guess What I Did?

2009-07-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Things

2009-07-12T20:52:00.001-07:00

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

It is what it is

Rod

Happy Birthday

2009-07-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

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

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

Hmmm 39 again...

It is what it is

Rod

Need A Laugh?

2009-06-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

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

:) means a smile and

:( is a frown..

Sometimes these are represented by

:-)

:-(

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

(_!_) a regular ass

(__!__) a fat ass

(!) a tight ass

(_*_) an ass hole

{_!_} a swishy ass

(_o_) an ass that's been around

(_x_) kiss my ass

(_X_) leave my ass alone

(_zzz_) a tired ass

(_E=mc2_) a smart ass

(_$_) Money coming out of his ass

(_?_) Dumb Ass

It is what it is

Rod

Still Moving

2009-06-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Busy

2009-06-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

To Good Not To Pass On

2009-06-05T23:08:00.001-07:00

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

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

'You got Male!'

It is what it is
Rod

Exercise For People Over 50

2009-05-31T20:14:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

I think I need to start this...

It is what it is

Rod

The Problem Is...

2009-05-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

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

It is what it is

Rod

Interesting

2009-05-22T18:11:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Nothing Much

2009-05-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

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

It is what it is

Rod

Still Waiting

2009-05-18T18:36:00.001-07:00

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

It is what it is

Rod

Sunday Funnies

2009-05-16T23:29:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GRANDMA'S AGE :

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

It is what it is

Rod

They Interveiwed Me

2009-05-15T17:02:00.000-07:00

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

It is what it is

Rod

Got A Call Today

2009-05-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

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

It is what it is

Rod

I Was Told Off Today

2009-05-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

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

It is what it is

Rod

Memorable Old Phrases

2009-05-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

Do you remember any of these?

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

It is what it is

Rod

You Are Important

2009-05-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we just need to be reminded!

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

Hands started going up.

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

He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

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

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

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

Still the hands went into the air.

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

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

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

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

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

You are special Don't EVER forget it."

Count your blessings, not your problems.

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

It is what it is

Rod

Spam Anyone?

2009-05-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Need To Laugh?

2009-05-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

CARDIOLOGIST'S FUNERAL

A cardiologist died and was given an elaborate funeral.

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

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

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

The proctologist fainted

It is what it is

Rod

Peace And Quite

2009-05-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Time For Some Fun

2009-04-30T22:51:00.001-07:00

Irish College Entrance Exam

Now, scroll down for the answers

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

It is what it is

Rod

Wandering Thoughts

2009-04-29T19:15:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Grandkid

2009-04-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

We had a surprise today.

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Question For You

2009-04-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sorry if this steps on anyone's toes

GOD BLESS AMERICA

It is what it is.

Rod

This Is America

2009-04-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

The Fun Continues

2009-04-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

MRI

2009-04-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

Am I the hamster in the microwave???

It is what it is

Rod

Since We Are On The Topic

2009-04-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

WHAT A DOG !!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'I like it!' says his seat mate.

The agent then tells Smithy to 'search' again.

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

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

2009-04-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

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

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

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

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

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

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

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

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

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

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

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

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

It is what it is

Rod

It Is Official

2009-04-15T20:40:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Fears

2009-04-14T22:05:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I could out run them!

It is what it is

Rod

A Little Humor

2009-04-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Easter Traditions

2009-04-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Bull Riding

2009-04-10T16:36:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Old Farmers Advice

2009-04-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

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

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

*Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.

*Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

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

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

*Meanness don't jest happen overnight.

*Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

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

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

*You cannot unsay a cruel word.

*Every path has a few puddles.

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

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

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

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

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

* Always drink upstream from the herd.

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

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

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

*Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.

*Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

It is what it is

Rod

Branding Calves

2009-04-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So that is some of my experiences branding calves.

It is what it is

Rod

$100

2009-04-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

The Chase Continued

2009-04-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

Here we go again another episode of chasing wild horses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

What A Day

2009-04-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

April fools...right!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So how was your April fools day?

It is what it is

Rod

My New Neighbors

2009-03-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Explaination

2009-03-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

Do You Remember

2009-03-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

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

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

It is what it is

Rod

The New Gold Rush

2009-03-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Read about this and thought I would share it.

Within an hour of downtown Los Angeles, people are seeking that one sure commodity

"I'm here to find gold," said Kevin Brown. "I'm a studio lighting technician in Hollywood, between the writers strike that happened last year, and the Screen Actors Guild, whatever they want to call it. Lately I've had to turn to having to do it for extra cash."

Geologists estimate that during the gold rush of 1849 in California, about 80 percent of the gold was never found. Today, with the price of gold soaring and the economy falling, the idea of panning, digging or diving for precious metal has become serious business.

"There's definitely gold nuggets down in the bottom here," Brown said. "Just a matter of getting 30 feet down lower than any old timer or modern prospector has done."

And, for people willing to put in the effort, it's paying off.

"I just wanted a little California gold. That's all I initially started at," said David Perkins, an unemployed aerospace worker from the South Bay. "And, one thing led to another, and within my first year, I actually picked up close to two pounds of gold."

Where's the best place to find gold? In the Mother Lode country just east of Modesto, Calif., experts say.

But prospecting is not easy money. It takes time and a lot of hard work. John Gurney, who came out to California from the East Coast to find gold, was able to pull out about $35,000 worth of gold nuggets over a couple of months. Then there was a dry spell -- and now, John is at it again.

"Some days you sit here and make two cents. Some days you make a couple of hundred dollars. I had one good day and made about $10,000," Gurney said.

This was another one of those good days. Gurney was able to recover several hundred dollars in gold nuggets from the river. And, after running the dirt through a sluice, he took the rest down to the river and sifted out the gold.

"See these two pieces," said Gurney. "They're just sitting right there."

California's second gold rush has also created at least one recession-proof business.

Keene Engineering of Chatsworth, Calif., makes the equipment you need to find gold -- from plastic pans to large commercial rigs. The owners say their business has doubled.

"There are hundreds of people coming in here to buy gold pans and sluice boxes, and take their chances of finding gold in the local hills and mountains," said sales manager Patrick Keene. "There is a whole new flood of prospectors and miners."

Gold also is found in Southern California along riverbanks in the San Gabriel Mountains. One hot spot is a canyon above Azusa, where the road is often lined with campers.

"Back in my childhood, I use to come up quite a bit with my parents," said David Perkins. "But not until I was in my early 20s did I know that gold was in the river. There aren't many places like this. Once more people find out about it, it's going to get really crowded up here this year."

When asked if prospectors give out the location of a really good find, Perkins responded, "If we're sitting on a good spot with good gold, we're going to tell you to go about a mile down the river and that's where you're going to find the gold."

It is what it is

Rod

Could Not Help It

2009-03-25T11:06:00.001-07:00

The funniest Staff Meeting Ever!

The boss of a Madison Avenue advertising agency called a spontaneous
staff meeting in the middle of a particularly stressful week. (This is
one pretty sharp boss!) When everyone gathered, the boss, who
understood the benefits of having fun, told the burnt out staff the
purpose of the meeting was to have a quick contest. The theme: Viagra
advertising slogans..
The only rule was they had to use past ad slogans, originally written
for other products that captured the essence of Viagra. Slight
variations were acceptable.
About 7 minutes later, they turned in their suggestions and created a
Top 10 List. With all the laughter and camaraderie, the rest of the
week went very well for everyone! The top 10 were:

10. Viagra, Whaazzzz up!

9. Viagra, The quicker pecker picker upper.

8. Viagra, like a rock!

7. Viagra, When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.

6 Viagra, Be all that you can be.

5. Viagra, Reach out and touch someone.

4.. Viagra, Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.

3. Viagra, Home of the whopper!

2.. Viagra, We bring good things to Life!

And the unanimous number one slogan:

1.. This is your peepee. This is your peepee on drugs

It is what it is

Rod

Conniving Old Women.....

2009-03-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

Three mischievous Grandmas were sitting on a bench outside a nursing home when an old Grandpa walked by. And one of the Grandmas yelled out saying, 'We bet we can tell exactly how old you are.'

The old man said, 'There is no way you can guess it, you silly old biddies.'

One of the Grandmas said, 'Sure we can! Just drop your pants and we'll tell you your exact age.'

Embarrassed just a little, but anxious to prove them wrong, he dropped his pants

The Grandmas asked him to first turn around a couple of times and to jump up and down several times. Then they all piped up and said, 'You're 87 years old!'

Standing with his pants down around his ankles, the old gent asked, 'How in the world did you guess?'

Slapping their knees and grinning from ear to ear, the three old ladies happily yelled in unison - - -

'We were at your birthday party yesterday!'

Gents beware..

It is what it is

Rod

Spring Has Sprung?

2009-03-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

Where?

We have had the most interesting weather since it has officially been declared spring. Wind, rain, snow, sun all on the same day and sometimes all at once.

Maybe it is just that I have been able to see it this year compared to years past. Don't know for sure but it has been interesting.

Take today for example. Started out looking like it was going to be fairly nice with a broken cloud cover but no mother nature had other plans.

It started out with a light fog that lifted and then came back from the west but look to the east and the sun was shining. But the fog prevailed and set in for a short while but then a cold north wind came up and blew that out but it brought rain and then snow. Yea!

I guess I'm just ready for winter to be over been reading about people already starting gardens and able to go out in the nice weather and here we are still having winter like conditions.

Well what do I expect living in Oregon. The saying here is only two types of people try to predict the weather here...Fools and Newcomers.

It is what it is

Rod

State Of...

2009-03-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Now with the extra time I have on my hands I have been doing allot of reading about the economy and the TARP payments and of the fiasco going on with AIG. Basically what I understand from what I have read is that the economy is at almost the same levels just before the depression. Is it going to happen again...who knows. But let us hope that it does not.

Now my parents were born at the end of the depression so they do not remember it at all. So that leaves my grandmother. But she was raised on a ranch her parents had homesteaded so except for people always stopping by the ranch for work she had no other way to tell that there was anything different.

On the other hand my wife's parents do remember the depression and they were effected by it greatly. Her dad probably had it the worst as they were in Oklahoma when the depression started and headed west and were basically fruit tramps moving up and down the west coast where ever there was fruit to be picked.

He has told me that when they did have any money to buy food that it was usually beans and they would cook them plain most of the time. The first few meals would just basically be the water from the beans and as they added water to them and recooked them they would eventually just have a kind of mush to eat.

During the winter time when there was little to no food they actually had rock soup. His mother would put on a big production even going to the trouble to wrap it up like it had came from the store so they would think it would be great.

The only time they were able to eat enough was when they were picking fruit and then it usually made them sick. Only occasionally did they ever have any meat or milk and everything they owned could be put in or on a old car that they had.

One thing I always found interesting was that they still to this day like beans. When I first met them there was always a pot of beans on the stove and my father in law would eat some every meal. Still would except for health reasons. I know for a fact that when ever we go to visit them that there will be a pot of beans ready when I get there as I like them also and that is his excuse to have some.

So maybe as a suggestion you might want to ask any old timers you know about what it was like then and how they survived just in case. You might be surprised what you can learn.

It is what it is

Rod

It Figures

2009-03-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

After I wrote my post yesterday I thought I would go ahead and answer the phone today no matter what the caller ID said. Might give me some good things to rant about.

Guess what...

Only got 5 calls today.

And only one was from a creditor...

It is what it is

Rod

Hard Times

2009-03-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

I was reading Johns blog today and this is what he had to say.

Now, I wish to remind you: Don't give up! I know these times are hard, especially on families where one or both have lost their jobs. It leads to breakups, many a time. But I wish to tell you... don't give up! Better times will come. Stick together, right now, no matter what.

Now I feel that he pretty well covered it with that statement.

So what do you do. It gets real depressing getting calls all the time from bill collectors but they are just doing their jobs also. But it does irritate me when it is one that has got federal bail out money. And some of the things they say. Do you really need to have health insurance? Well yes I do I have pancreatitis And it can flare up at any time leading to time in the hospital and numerous other expenses. Not even wanting to consider what the bill would be for meds. without insurance.

So we have started screening our calls because all it does when we answer them is either depress us or piss us off and we don't need that at this time. So if you call us it had better say your name or we don't answer it.

We have chose to consider this as a early retirement or at least that is what we are calling it. Makes things better if you can at least try and laugh at them.

So if your in our situation where both are unemployed do not blame your old job. They are just trying to keep the doors open them selves it was a business decision nothing personal. I knew that I was probably going to be laid off long before it happened. I could see the steps they were going through to cut costs and they had got to the point where seniority did not matter any more it was how can we operate at the lowest cost possible. So that meant that middle, upper management was going to get cuts and they trimmed the fat.

So do I believe things are going to get better for me... Yes I do.

Depending on what happens with the mass of paper work I have filled out and sent in to various government agencies I believe I have a plan for what ever the out come. So plan ahead look in the mirror so to speak and look at the worst case and you will be able to figure something out.

I have heard the horror stories of marriages breaking up and people committing suicide and just going off the deep end because of this. I personally can not even fathom that. Maybe they need to start a blog so they can rant at who ever all they want...works for me. Just remember this.

Bad things happen to good people to and you don't always have control over it happening.

It is what it is

Rod

Cead Mile Failte

2009-03-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

(A Hundred Thousand Welcomes)

St. Patrick's Day, is Ireland's biggest national holiday as well as a holy day. It marks the anniversary of the death of the missionary who became the patron Saint of Ireland.

He was born in Wales around AD 385. His given name was Maewyn. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity.

May St. Patrick guard you wherever you go
and guide you in whatever you do.
And may his loving protection
be a blessing to you always.
~Irish Blessing~

It is what it is

Rod

Starting Young

2009-03-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

Was talking with a friend today and the subject came up about working when we were kids. I started at a very young age (11) where as they did not start until they were 14. The difference was that I lived in the country and they lived in a city so if the laws were the same they were not enforced here.

My first job was working on a farm changing hand lines that they used to water the crops with. We were paid 5 cents a pipe and if we stayed all summer we got a 1 cent per pipe bonus. If we did any hourly work the pay was $1.75 per hour. so on a good day I might make 5 dollars, but back then that was good money for a kid.

Well as the years went by I got paid more and I was able to change more pipes so my daily income rose. Also with age I was able to do more tractor work so there was less down time.

I always had new motorcycles and nice cars nice clothes it was great but we worked our butts off doing it. One year my brother and myself and a friend decided we were going to make a bunch of money that year so we took on more work at other farms in the area. Well everything was going fine until my brother hurt his knee and could not work for 4 weeks.

I will never forget that 4 weeks. We would start work at first light and if we had a good day it would not be totally dark when I got home at the end of the day. So we were working 14 to 16 hours a day 7 days a week. Made good money for that 4 weeks but had no life at all.

So I started working on farms when I was 11 and stopped when I was 18 so spent 7 years changing pipe. Kids around here now a days would not even consider doing that kind of work, it is beneath them.

The first farmers I worked for were two old bachelors who were both in their early 70's at the time just could not give it up. Quite the characters they were and actually made work kind of fun. They did not throw anything away they had barns full of junk and their houses were also interesting. When they sold the farm and we helped them move there was news papers in their houses 20 years old.

Well I could go on for quite some time on this subject but won't. I do believe that kids should be able to work as it will instill good work ethics in them.

It is what it is

Rod

Shocked

2009-03-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was a little bored so I was doing a little surfing and found this.

This totals up to $332,308,777,500.00

When is this going to stop?

What truly amazes me is that some of the banks are listed more than once!

So what does a small town boy think about this? Ok I will tell you.

Well first go here.

At the time that I wrote this it said 305,996,225. So you do a little division and come up with $1,085.99 for every living body that is a resident of the USA. Not citizens but residents so this takes in everyone.

Ok now go here and you will see that 24.5% of the population is under the age of 18 so that would leave us with 231,027,150. Ok now a little more division. and you come up with $1,438.40.
Now refer back to here And you will see that 12.6% of the population is over the age of 65 so that would leave us with 192,471,626. Time for some more division and you come up with $1,726.53.

Now if you go here you can see how many Tax returns were filed for 2006 and that is 136,100,000 so if you use that figure you come up with $2441.65 that is everyone that filed their returns for that year so the number could be lower.

Now using the number of tax returns filed is probably the more accurate number as it would represent the number of tax payers in the USA.

I have some comments that I could make on some of the names listed but I have decided that it would not be the right thing for me to do at this time. You can make your own opinions you do not need mine. The shock factor should be enough.

It is what it is

Rod

Be Careful What You Say

2009-03-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid my dad always at us about wasting food.

If we went out to eat pizza he would give us a bad time about leaving the crusts. His favorite saying was you know son there is a little kid in Vietnam that would give his eye teeth for that piece of crust. So we would go ahead and eat it to shut him up.

One time we had went out to a Chinese restaurant and there was a older Chinese couple there eating and when they got up to leave dad made sure to point out that their plates were cleaned up.

So to keep this story short one time I took my parents out to dinner for pizza and I had noticed that my dad was not eating his crusts. I still to this day eat my crusts because of him and the way he raised me. So it became time to leave and I told them that there was one thing that had to be taken care of first.

I looked my dad square in the eye and told him that there was little kids in (insert country here) that would give their eye teeth for his crusts right now. And I kept a straight face the whole time. He promptly started eating away at his crusts and that was when I lost it and started laughing.

I believe my mother enjoyed it more than I did.

It is what it is

Rod

State Champs

2009-03-08T18:06:00.000-07:00

My niece plays basketball in high school and her team won the 5A state championship last night.

This is her in action with the ball.

In 4 years of playing high school ball her team has made it to the state play offs all 4 years and won it twice. But this year was the best as they went undefeated 29-0. Their overall record for 4 years was 95-14 with 6 of those loses her first year.

So congratulations to them

It is what it is

Rod

Things

2009-03-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry about not posting but a little under the weather and dealing with the state has kept me very busy lately.

A little update on the happenings around here.

First about me, I have migraine headaches and they come in cycles and it seems to be that time they tend to be worse some days than others but it does make it hard to concentrate.

Second, Dealing with government agencies is driving me crazy...go here try this and then if that don't work come back and see us and we will then try this..send in this paper work and then wait 5 days and give them a call just to find out that they have not got to your paper work and you need to call back in another 5 days.

Been doing a little research on what we will do if we lose the house. Have found some real interesting options and we are considering them.

Well that will be it for today will see where my mind wanders today and might have a little story for you tomorrow.

It is what it is

Rod

Busy Day

2009-03-05T07:31:00.000-08:00

Sorry to disappoint you but I have a very busy day to day so no post.

Get to go play with the state some more and then get to practice my mechanics skills on my sons truck!

It is what it is

Rod

Family

2009-03-04T06:59:00.001-08:00

Today I'm going to share with you a couple of pictures that have a lot of meaning and bring back a lot of memories.

One thing you don't see in today's world is families being close together. For some people to do this, if they even had the chance, would take a lot of travel to get them all together.

So lets start

This is 5 generations of my family

Now lets start with the oldest and work our way down.
You have my Great grandma Bootsie and then her son my Grandfather Jack then my mother Linda, myself and my oldest son Nels.

Don't ask me for ages all I can remember is that Nels was about 10 months old then.
Now that is some thing you don't see much today but there is more.

Here is another 5 generations taken on the same day.

Once again we will start from oldest to youngest.
We start with my great grandmother Fay, and then my grandmother Vera, my mother, myself, and Nels.

Now about ages on this one I do know that my great grandmother in this photo is 100 years old when this was taken. Unfortunately we never did this with my youngest son as we could have.

Now back to the start of this. Everyone in these photos lived in the same town. In fact Nels and I were the only ones that had to travel as all the rest lived on the same small farm together.
This was how I was raised, with my family all living together, and helping each other out. We had a big garden that all of us helped take care of. Basically anything that came up we all pitched in one way or the other to get it fixed and or taken care of.

I plan on telling you stories in the future about these two grand ladies and about how they grew up compared with the modern day world we now live in.

It is what it is

Rod

P.S. I forgot to thank Serenity for also giving me the Triple award yesterday. I'm sorry for that because I do appreciate any and all recognition I get from my daily dribbles.

I'm Honored

2009-03-03T07:42:00.001-08:00

Look at the surprise Hermit Jim gave me.

What a honor for someone to think enough of my dribble to give me this!

Ok there are some rules involved so here they are.
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude.(If you don't have 10, its ok.)3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Ok now most of the blogs I follow already have been nominated but there is a few that have not so they will be the lucky recipients of this great award.

1 Blondie's Online Info Guide to Riches
3 Obscure Labyrinth

Now these are listed in no order of importance I enjoy and read each one.
Once again I would like to thank Jim for this. It means allot to me to have been selected by him for this award

It is what it is

Rod

The County Fair

2009-03-02T07:02:00.000-08:00

Boy do I remember when I was a kid and how exciting it was to go to the fair. The animals, the rodeo, the carnival, great fun.

But now it has been at least 3 years since I have went and in the last 10 years have probably only went 3 times. Why you might ask? Well then I will let you know why.

For 14 years my wife was a 4H leader and we had a rabbit club for the kids that were too young to have big animals. It was fun and there are a lot of kids that went through our club that still consider us part of their extended family. We also had some interesting things happen during years as leaders.

The one that sticks out in my mind the most is when we got a call from a hysterical mother wondering what we were doing teaching her daughter that.

Ok what is that..Well part of 4H is teaching how to tell the difference between males and females and animal husbandry. Guess what the subject was that day. So after a very long conversation with one very upset mother my wife finally got her to understand that it was part of 4H.

Now back to the fair...Everyone has been to a county fair but did you ever think about what it took to get it together and keep it running and then take it back down? Ok probably not, but after 13 years of putting it together, and then being stuck there for 16+ hours everyday and then taking it all back down when someone says fair to me all I can think of is work.

Ok not all of my memories are bad so I will share some of the funnier ones with you.

My oldest son was showing his rabbit, and his mother had drilled into him how he had to watch the judge, don't take your eyes off the judge. So there were 4 other kids with him and they all set their rabbits down on the table, and the judge walked up and started to look at the rabbits slowly walking down the table. My son was doing exactly as he was told and did not take his eyes off the judge..even though his rabbit was tired of sitting there and had went over to the rabbit next to him and was trying his best to molest it. I don't know what was funnier watching his rabbit or watching my wife..she was in a state of shock. But hey my son was doing exactly what he was told to do.

After the rabbits, my boys grew up and went to having sheep. My oldest son loved it, and worked with his lamb every day. Now my youngest was not even close to caring, and spent as little time as he could with his. Well at the sale that year he I took his sheep to the sale ring and sent him in with it. It was not too pretty but he did get it around the ring once and it sold, so it was time for them to leave but his lamb decided that it had gone far enough! Well the crowd was getting a good chuckle out of it and I was amused by it myself but the sale had to go on.

I went into the show ring and grabbed the sheep under the jaw like you are supposed to and it followed me right out. But while this is all going on the auctioneer is giving a running commentary and it finished with; Oh Oh here comes Daddy.

So after 13 years of doing this, some of the kids we had started with were now in their early twenties and it was last year that we were 4H leaders and the boys were showing sheep again. One of the boys we had in our original group showed up and was looking at the sheep. Now we had known this kid for 13 years and he was in fact working under me at the mill at that time. He was a handful when he was young but had grow up into a real good young man.

Well my wife spotted him across the sheep pens and yelled out at him..and I quote. "Hey Shelton, what are you up to, looking for a new girl friend". Well I will close with that...

It is what it is

Rod

Kids Got To Love Them

2009-03-01T06:52:00.000-08:00

Was thinking back when my boys were young and chuckling to my self about some of the things they did and said through the years. For example.

When my oldest son got so he was crawling we could not keep him out of the drawers in the kitchen until we gave him one for him to put his toys in and that stopped it he had his own drawer so he did not need to get in any others. Worked for both boys, which was kind of surprising.

I also chuckle every time I think about when my youngest was in a walker and my oldest son took a toy from him. Mad OMG he took off after him in that walker and eventually cornered him, got his toy back, and gave him a piece of his mind! Didn't understand a word he said but he did have allot to say.

There was also one thing that happened that still to this day amazes me. My oldest always had ear infections so he had to take allot of liquid children's medicine and that usually ended up with me sitting on him and force feeding him...not much fun. Well one time I had the medicine in my hand and sat down in front of him and for some reason said to him; now how do you want to do this on your own, or do I have to sit on you and do it? Well he looked at me and then held his hands out so I gave him the medicine and he drank it right down, and we never did have to force it down him again no matter how bad it tasted.

When the boys got a little older one day my wife turned around in the kitchen and there was a great big spider crawling across the floor (she hates spiders). So she screamed and that made the youngest come running to see what was wrong. My wife pointed at the spider and told him that was why she had screamed. So being a little boy he trotted over and smashed the spider with his bare foot and proudly exclaimed to his mother. There mys got it for you mom.

And now for the best one.

The boys were eating dinner one night at the breakfast bar we had at the time and my wife was doing dishes at the sink. We lived way out in the country at that time and never pulled the shades so at night the window worked like a mirror. Well the boys were being boys and were fooling around as much as they were eating and finally one of them did something that made mommy mad so she yelled at whoever to knock off whatever they had done. The whole time with her back to them.
A short time after she got done, my youngest son kinda leaned over to his brother and said. "See I told you she does have eyes in the back of her head"

My wife had to leave the kitchen after that...

It is what it is

Rod

Useless Facts

2009-02-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-26T17:12:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-25T06:47:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-24T06:57:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-23T06:47:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-20T06:01:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-19T06:53:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-17T07:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-15T07:02:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-14T05:06:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-13T05:57:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-12T03:26:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-11T06:21:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-07T06:39:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-05T06:37:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-04T07:38:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-03T06:35:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-02T07:13:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-01T06:57:00.000-08:00

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

My Part Of The World

2009-01-30T14:41:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my part of the world. I'm not going to comment on the pictures just let you enjoy!

So there is part of my world hope you enjoyed it.

I will post more pictures from later wanderings...

It is what it is

Oh yeah thought I would add one of Me and my pretty wife.

Rod & E