Dammit!

So... School bus driver calls in, says "one of the creeks is backed up out Dorena Lake. This is not unusual following a high water event, but we take every call seriously so...

This is unusual. We do indeed take this serious.

The record fails to show hours of rowing around with pike poles looking for the 'end of the culvert'. No-one has seen the 'end of the cuvert' since it was installed in '62.

This is my co-worker. The one who "swims like a brick". He is not happy in,on, or under water. He is not happy now.

A decision is made, pumps arrive  and are placed. Surveyors from Engineering Section are called to locate 'end of culvert' which by now is suspected to lie outside of pike pole range.

Indeed not. surveyor plants flag at waters edge and proclaims, 80' out and 60' down!

More pumping.

As the water is lowered, so are the pumps.

Big bosses arrive to inspect the progress

and indeed there is progress

notice the rope?

Look for the white ribbon tied to it. That was the water level after three days of pumping. 2,000 gal a min. 24hrs a day.For three days.

For 12 days. Any mathematicians out there?


Aha!

Now we can do this the easy way,

Or the real easy way...

We do love our little toys here..

Now lets look at the lessons learned here. mainly, EVERY deep pipe gets inspected for beaver activity, on a schedule. And if you think that is a waste of taxpayers money, just ask for the bill for ignorance!

Let's get it on!!

I thought having a blog would give me a place- a forum- a symposium of all things that matter to me.

Well, apparently not.

I care about traditional values, but got tired of writing about them. I began to pander to the five people who followed my Blog and left comments. I began to crave these comments and the affirmation.

This means, after much self analysis; that what I really care about is affirmation.

Tell me I'm ok. Tell me I'm right. Tell me, Tell me, me me me.......

Once this little period of self loathing worked it's way out, I sought to relate my life.

Come to find out, I'm too busy and wore out living my life, I don't care to write about it! 

But-

Mother always said I was best at brute strength and orneriness and so I persist.

In order of , well in some kind of order

I'm teaching a middle school youth class on Sunday nights. Started off with a worldview, Creation Science based study intended to give them a basis in critical thinking and a foundation for withstanding the Darwinian religion posing as fact. In a nutshell I hope they understand that, using the same scientific reasoning that gave us understanding of 'how stuff works' and other classical 'If this then that' scenarios, I hope they now understand that a belief in a creator is not on par with fairys and unicorns, or a form of sociological wish fulfillment, but rather a reasonable proposition that bears serious thought and a genuine response.

Bottom line, reader, either there is a God, or not.

Do you trust the bias of others, or do you REALLY look into it, with the same diligence you give you next car purchase, and tenacity you exhibit in pursuing you particular passion?

It matters.

It is a lot of work.

And in our society, it's a uphill, against the current, make you look like a wacko type proposition.

Having gone through all that, establishing the very concept of God as something worthy of consideration, I now proceed to expose more of the bias in Darwinian religion. This Sunday night, anomalous evidence in the fossil record, focusing on the origins of man and radio isotope dating methods.

Conclusions drawn from assumptions cannot be considered facts.

Not in research

or theory

or life.

Next is parenting my children, who are homeschooled by my wonderful, talented and long suffering wife.

Aged 15,12,9,and 7, evenly split 'tween boys and girls, I am pretty much lost most of the time. Workin on it. Always.

Speaking of work, I am blessed with stability and opportunity. I am more richly blessed with a Christian brother and the ability to constantly, daily, work out our salvation (and misconceptions!).

Too much yard work, a lot of gardening, not enough to farm, chickens and their eggs all of this is supposed to make us more self sufficient, so far it seems to cost a lot of money.

 nothing like a fresh laid egg for breakfast though!

On top of all this ( and More) there is my pursuit of a Black belt in Tae Kwon do. This is a major exercise in perseverance. 'Nuff said.

So-

Monday night sewing club (for the girls)

Tuesday, Thursday,Friday Martial arts

Wednesday night youth group at church

Redneck Saturday night (fun for the whole family!)

Church Sunday morning, teaching Sunday night,

40 hrs at work,

On call during foul weather,

I'm wore out just listing this!

I can go on and on, ( and I will). If any of this sounds interesting to you, check back,(leave a comment, It makes me feel justified in spending the time to write!)

and enjoy your life!

HOLYFREAKINCRAP

So I volunteered to help out with ATA Northwest for a last minute fundraiser last night.

The Job-clean up Matt Knight arena at the UofO after their big win in the Collage Basketball Invitaional. (I Think that is what CBI stand for....)

The Crew-anyone who was willing to drop what they were doing on short notice and pick up litter and walk a million miles of stadium stairs until 2am

Thats right. 2am.

At least that is when we got home.

The Payoff. $1000.00 for Team Pride to help those of us who can't really afford ATA to be able to participate.

so crappy.

so late

so worth it

I Will Myself to Blog.

Weekend update:  for what that's worth, citizens.

So many things are spinning and yet there is this sense that everything is proceeding on as it always has.

                                                                           Is it? 


I've heard there is a Chinese saying, ( and how do we know it wasn't some Hungarian, or even a brush Hippie from Humboldt county that comes up this stuff-I mean we can't all be ultra-cool Chinese Philophists!
When I have My Big Thought , it will attributed to Fu Man Chu 'cause that will be infinitely cooler, don't cha think?)


The saying is actually a blessing, " May you live in interesting times."

Well baby, we got it.




 Citizen, I had the great fortune to be raised by my grandparents, who survived this:

And this

They built this:

And now we.. I mean I, can't even maintain it. Potholes. School closures. Unemployment. This worries me.


And now this right wing bomb thrower, Glenn Beck comes out with news that the 'former' big wheel in one of America's most influential Unions has a plan to sabotage the economy. In May.



I listened to the unedited tape, and you can take a listen here.


Is Beck a kook? Maybe. Are polluticions on both sides sellouts to an agenda and ideology that would make my forefathers puke? Certainly. (I read the book 'Sellout' by David P. Schippers, you should too since all the major players are still active, including the VP.)

And Rick Santorum, GOP Presidential hopeful

What if Beck is right?

Maybe you don't like his agenda? Ok. Even my 15 yr old son recognizes that EVERYONE has an Agenda. Even you.


Do you really feel like everything is fine?  Does it seem like the people in charge are in fact pursuing your best interest's?

Dick Daring has only one word for this,  TERM LIMITS!!!!!

(I also find myself fuming and cursing under my breath a lot, but that never comes to anything)


Always remember, Citizen; just because your paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get you!

I could label this 'thar she blows' but that would be most lame....

OK Citizens, time for a reality check.

WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MOTIVATION, ?

What would motivate you to 'toss a caber'??

Or wear a kilt?

Or wear kilts while tossing cabers?

How about brotherhood,

and family?

I have to say, good Citizen, that Dick Daring found plenty of both while training at a top secret facility, a multi-purpose compound whose goals included finding the very limits of gastronomical endurance and spiritual stamina.

Also on further reflection, kilts would come in handy if you needed to 'toss a big log'......

However.

When the log being tossed weighs 20,000 pounds,

And is tossed by 60 MPH wind

What would motivate you then?

Why would you purpose to go on, knowing the devastation is likely worse ahead,

or possibly coming down on your own head?

I suppose we could say we ran into the thick of it because we didn't know better, but I won't lie, we did.

Nor were we caught up in the moment.

Every moment was it's own terrifying reminder who frail we were.

But our boy's were there.

We had set out to bring them home, and by the time this storm looked really serious, we were pretty much committed.

So we pressed on.

 And retrieved our sons, and in the middle of their encounter with a truly dangerous storm  together we found shelter, and made decisions, and acted together to cut our way out when it was over.

What motivates you?

As for me, brotherhood,

Family.

Weekend Update

Wow-big weekend, did so much, not the least of which was to get the Web hooked up! Funny, the 'Rest of the World' makes a phone call, pays the man, and bing bang boom-you have service!


Not I! Oh no.


First- no land line at the Bunker for at least 5 years...any body see a problem here? You betcha! Nasty cobweb skanky 'find the mystery phone line and fix it' kind of problems.


But, the crimper tool I have for doing computer terminal ends wont do phone. Sigh. This calls for a trip to town


One note to all y'all that dream of living out in the country and leaving town behind,(like I did), that means leaving town and then driving to town for EVERY LITTLE THING ! Every one thinks we are prepping for the Apocalypse because we buy everything in bulk (and I mean everything that is bulky is bought bulky,)

But no, I'm just tired of driving to town. Again.


On the way, my cheapo, gas sipping car tells me it needs a little something to sip. No problem, as soon as I get this thing here. And run over there. And o crap, the car doesnt run right now. Because I ran it so low on fuel that it sucked up the sludge off the bottom of the tank.


So. New fuel filter. From Town. Drove by my old house while getting said filter (the one I sold so we could move to the country) and got all nostalgic.....



For.......




Redneck Saturday nights, playing guitar and roasting stuff around the fire pit.

Farm fresh eggs we grew ourselves. Kinda

Big gardens full o goodness and flowers

friends who are neighbors

nieghbors who live half a mile away......

I could go on and on, but then someone might get envious and start dreaming of a semi-rural life and sell their house in town and find someplace not to far out but far enough and start buying in bulk and having to step and fetch stuff from the very place they left behind and then regret it.

But not me

Not ever

Where have you been?????

Gone, baby gone. Off the Net, the grid, hunkered down in the TOP SECRET SECURE LOCATION.

truly. Who Knew that the internet bill had to be payed every, single month? And they get grumpy and shut you down if you dont. So remember boys and girls, if you cant live without it ( whatever it is) and you want your girl (who blogs) to be happy (and blog) pay up and keep it up!

Since everyone wants a good laugh, and making you laugh is important to me, lets start this off right......

oh yeah, insert funny stuff here, i dont have any. better luck next time