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

Let me help...

What is the most stressful time of your professional year?

Is it April and May, for all you bookkeepers and accountants?

Or June through October for the construction contractor.

Maybe its every couple weeks when payroll is due, or when you have to, must do this or that for a client and if you don't, well.....

Consider that time, thing, deal that takes all your concentration, and see the strain and worry of it reflected on the face of the highway worker who plowed your way to work, or school or possibly even hospital.

Know that he feels personally responsible for your safety, and that he would much rather be home, taking a snow day, sledding with his kids.

Will he make over the mountain one more, two more, four more times tonight without 'finding' the invisible edge of the road? Can he be gentle with his equipment, make it last long enough to get you and you kids where they need to be, or will it breakdown and lose him hours?

And what about those kids, driving way to fast and that road he just cleared, will they make another corner, another mile? Who will be there first to pull them from their car, to call for help.


Consider his family, who want to share their day, and be with him, and all he wants is to eat, shower and shut down. To wake up for the next shift to see that all his effort, skill and professionalism gained him nothing.

Four more inches of snow, freezing rain and a tricky commute.

Let me help, I'll go first, just give me room to work.



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Wow

My friend buried his wife yesterday.

I hadn't much opportunity to ask him how he was doing, I was certain he was absolutely overwhelmed and I didn't want to add yet another "how you holdin' up?''

I do know that she is what stabilized him and brought him back to Christ. And I assumed with her being literally torn away he would be angry and defiant toward God.

I'm sure I would. And on both counts, I would be wrong.

Growing up, my friend was just enough younger than me, I always considered him and his wife "kids". I was his counselor and 'cabin dad' at summer camp. I watched him grow up, screw up, and mature. In fact the picture I used for my profile was taken from a softball game this summer where he hit 9 home runs. I remember thinking what a man he had become and of all it had took to get him there. It all looked good, babies, job, beautiful wife, the whole deal.

All I can say is she faced death on her (figurative) feet, had one week to bring closure to her life as a mother, wife and friend and demanded that no one cry for her. I watched him put his wife in a hearse, and then wrap his huge arms around his aunt, to comfort her.

God uses all things for good. That is His Way.

I wonder how, why, and ignorantly search for answers. And someday I may think I have the answers, and that I now I have understanding.

And on both counts, I'm sure I'll be wrong.



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Still here

Dear Citizens, thank you for checking in, it has been too long since my last post and I feel I should DO SOMETHING. But I cant. I am too depressed over the death of my friends 28 year old wife and mother of his two way too young kids to be witty and charming. And I am too emotionally constipated to cry about it on the Blogosphere. I lost my mom when I was the age of his oldest and all I know for sure is that it is possible to continue breathing, walking and living, that one day will continue to follow another, whether he wishes to or not. If he loses faith, if he can no longer trust and believe in God thats ok- I'm certain God still believes in him.

Abject Apologies

I am so very sorry Citizens- I violated one of my arbitrary and self imposed rules and BITCHED ABOUT MY LIFE ON THE BLOG! (this is where I swear never to do it again, but We both know thats a lie)

Any how, Have I ever told you about this guy I know who prefaces every third ( or fourth) word with 'anyhow'? Absolutely charming man, comes from a family of timber barons who own millions of dollars worth of trees and acreage here and elsewhere. Anyhow, he's the black sheep of the family, and not to be stereotypical, but while the rest of his family live in typical miserly Scottish fashion, he is a bit more worldly and anyhow, when he recently go married, he decided to buy a new car to safely ensconce his growing family. Anyhow, his dad and mine used to cut timber together and it was never a surprise to see Dave on the front porch, waiting to hire Dad for some job. Dad calls Dave one time to share in salmon he had caught and anyhow, as Dave left his driveway he saw two of his sons, working on a gate. They asked him where he was goin and, anyhow, he replied "I think I'll go salmon fishing.'' So Dave comes back ten minutes later, after meeting Dad at the end of the lane, with this thirty pound salmon, and his boys see that fish and ol Steve just cant get over it! Steve's the one who wanted a real nice, dependable car for his wife and kids and anyhow he got a real good one, a buff colored 1984 Ford plumbers van with sliding side door and room in the back for a couple chain saw's, gas and a few spare tires. No wheels. Just the tires. Anyhow, Steve is cool, and he's been growing his beard for seventeen years!

Steve saves a lot of money every month by not having a car payment. So do I. And, most months I feel brilliant as I drive my bought and paid for transportation. Problem is, my car, that gets 35 miles to the gallon, (and that makes me happy) is broke down and in major pieces in my shop(not so happy). Engine out, transmission separated, and awaiting parts. This seems like a lot of work for two $22 parts. And it is. So when I get it all back together and I'm driving to work remember-don't laugh, it's paid for.

Drowning in a dry well

Ok- Ok! Got it! Miriam- leaving said political sign in place is 'right', insomuch as it is an extension of that citizens liberty in the area of self expression, wayward thought and the advertisement thereof.
However, if said sign was placed on the County Right of Way, ( and is contrary to your deeply held political convictions,(yes Mrs OFallon, that is oxymoronic, and yes I'm aware you can't begin a parenthetical thought without concluding the first) then please notify the proper authority to have it removed.
Forging onward, I must say that for someone who professes to love liberty and despises the encroachment of government, I should have lots to say about the most recent developments in our economic and political landscape. If the truth were told, I am quite certain that my positions would align nicely with yours, not in the preaching to the choir kind of way but in the I HAVE NO $%&@()&& CLUE WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!!!!!!!! and therefore your guess is literally as good as mine.
The Bible says that being double minded is like a 'ship tossed upon the waves, blown from place to place'. So rather than be blown from place to place, I have thrown out the anchor and feel like I'm riding this one out. I feel like we are being lied to. I have no trust in my government who would lead me, nor do I trust any information I can glean from the media who would mis lead me.
Besides, saturday ( aside from being a proper noun and deserving capitalization) is opening day of deer season for rifle hunters,and my son, Headstrong Boy will be participating in his first ever 'pack yer own gun, by gawd for real' hunt. You have been duly warned.
I am freaking out about this. I haven't filled a deer tag in 15 YEARS! My son thinks this is voluntary, some kind of self imposed penance. I really do like hunting, I just don't like getting up at o'dark thirty to do it. And then, when I do, STILL nothing, which makes the next predawn sojourn all the more difficult to justify.
No pressure.
Oh, yeah-my car is up on blocks 'cause I got to pull the engine, again, which just pisses me off and that's all I'm going to say about that.
AND, I started stacking the firewood for this winter for my mother and myself and I only have half of what I need.....
which makes me feel defeated
AND this very qualified and likable guy who has been with The Company for only two years (compared to my ten) is being promoted to a job similar to one that I was recently passed over for.....
which makes me feel irrelevant.
All these things and more have lead to preoccupation and sucked my will to blog.
I leave you with that Citizen, and thanks for sticking with me, I like to hear from you.