Monday, December 28, 2009

Stories from my sister Frances (199)

My Dear sister Frances and her hubby Ralph Hengst have been gone for a few years.
But she wrote some stories true ones about her life and her Grandson Rick Callahan
who is a writer for the Associated Press in Indy shares them from time to time...So
I guess Rick gets his desire to write honestly from his grandmother.  So this arrived
today from my niece Roxanne Winnings so thought I would today turn my blog site over
to a guest writer, my sister Frances Lahrman to share with you all...Stories are over
80 years old, closer to 90, but still alive here today. Note at right tells of the
basketball talent of Ralph Hengst..I had no idea but am not surprised he was a winner.
And the team may have lost a "valuable man" when he graduated but I think we all know
a young female who gained one....... 

By Frances Lahrman
"Just Pretending"
Just a glimpse of how my two older sisters and I used to spend our time, and what
times they were. When we three get together we sit and talk and laugh about the way
we used to pretend like we were Edra, Kreda Ay Mericaus, and Medra. Where we got the
names I don’t know. We would dress up fancy in some of mother’s old style
dresses and gee, but we did strut.
One time I went home to visit with grandmother and grandfather. Where grandfather
worked there was a handsome boy, Jim Fowler, who thought he was just it. And when I
saw him I did too, although I was only about seven years old. When I came home I
told my sisters of my new beau, Jim Fowler. After that, when we played house we were
always expecting Jim Fowler to call on us.
Then came the dispute _ which one was to have him? It usually settled that he should
never go steady. What fun we had just pretending we were someone else.

====="My Patent"
Between the ages of six to nine, one is prone to mischief. For one likes to explore,
or find out what isn’t clear to him. So that’s the reason this story can be
told.
There was a large pond on the Parker farm, where we used to live, that always took
my eye. Being little, mother never allowed me to go to the pond alone.
Each evening during the winter months, mother would drive the ducks up from the
pond. I would often go with her.
One afternoon as I was playing in the back yard, I spied the old red hen and her
seven baby chickens. I was just thinking how tiresome those poor little chickens
must be following their mother around from morning till night, while those little
ducks are out swimming all day long.
I went into the house to get a box, and sneaked out quietly, for I never dared let
mother catch me at this. Packing all seven chickens in it, I was determined to find
out why chickens can’t swim while ducks can.
When I reached the pond each little duck was swimming with the greatest of ease.
Well, that is very simple I thought. So I took one of the chickens and put it into
the water, but for all the kicking and flopping that went on, it then disappeared. I
thought if you want to play hide-go-seek, just go ahead. I took another chicken and
it went through the same gestures, and another, and another, until there were only
two left. I looked all around the pond, but not a chicken was in sight, when all of
a sudden two came to the top, and do you know they were floating on their side. I
was certainly surprised to find out that they had taught themselves to sink or
float. Later all five of them were floating.
As I was just ready to put the last two in the water, so they could float, one
chicken washed to the bank. I picked it up, but my goodness it was dead. I then
realized what I had done. I found out that ducks can swim but chickens can’t.
Most people try experiments, and if they are successful they receive patents, but as
you know my experiment didn’t work, therefore; I received something similar to a
patent but in a different form.

I got to share a footnote here about the first story that mentions "Jim Fowler"
My grandfather worked for the Fowlers on South Street which is now the Tippecanoe
County Muesum and called the Fowler House.  He was a custodian of some sort taking
care of the horses and buggies' and the wine cellar I have heard, maybe linking to
my desire to taste and partake in fine wines.  Well, I doubt Frances ever dated the
boy from the wealthy Fowler family, but she did date and marry the boy who lived up
the road at the corner of 200 South and 900 East.  Ralph was a gem and she could have
done no better....Picture at the right takes some explaining.  I know it is goofy
but it was taken for a purpose. The story is my brothers were in the service in the
1940's and my mom and sisters took this and sent it to him for a laugh.  He was
embarrased, and did not share it with his buddies but kept it quiet...good move

Another note the "parker place" she refers to is still standing, an abandoned farm
house and barn along I65 just south of the new Clarian/Arnett Hospital.




Saturday, December 26, 2009

Christmas is over, but good as always. (198)

Well I have listened to my Christmas CD's playing now for at least a month. Everyday most of the day while I worked on the house, wrapped gifts, ate breakfast, enjoyed wine and cheese at 5, whenever, it has been good. All the old favorites, White Christmas, Chestnuts Roasting, I could go on and on but you get the idea and probably the idea that starting tomorrow I won't be listening to all these wonderful songs...for at least 11 months, then I will be ready again, I am sure. But for now, well I think I am ready for whatever is coming at us the rest of this year and then the bitter cold months, the Indiana Winter of January and February. They are just plain cold and I hope to spend at least part of this time in good ole Naples Florida....Which by the way is as my blog title states the third phase of my yearly rotation...First come Corn that I plant and followed closely by Beans, then a long lull while that stuff grows, matures and is harvested...But then the last phase the Naples part, and surely a welcome phase especially with what goes on here in Indiana those two winter months.

But getting ahead of myself here a bit, I do want to put a wrap on Christmas with this blog. Today was the last of the many parties I attended. Today my dear friend sweet pea had her party at her house with her family and close friends. She got me nice gifts too, I did well unwrapping my many gifts and she did well also. All of us did well, young and older, that would be me and even buddy the wonder dog did good. He got a nice winter jacket with a boilermaker logo on the back for him to wear out in this bitter cold winter ahead when he has to go outside and relieve himself....Buddy is such a good doggie, he never makes a mess anywhere, well except for onetime he got direa but we just won't go there, and I didn't but instead put him in the garage and kind of "left town". But anyway we ain't going there, were concentrating on Buddy being a real wonder dog which he is....Anyway I slipped it on him and to the right side here is the only pic I am posting from today of Buddy modeling his new Boiler Jersey...He loved it wore it all day long inside and out. I told him he looked stunning and marvelous in it so he just kept it on. He is a great dog, thinks himself a person and not a dog at all, his mom has spoiled him just a tad maybe.

Also over the right side is my Son John's family in their rendesion of the Christmas Story where the kid gets his wish of a Red Ryder BB gun...I love that movie, used to watch it each season, but anyway it is a comic spoof of this movie, good for a laugh.

Today I noticed an ad on my blog for Persimmon Trees. I kind of have a soft spot in my heart for exotic trees so could not resist the idea of having a couple Japanese Persimmon trees in my little forest here I call home. They are the really big persimmons that you see in the grocery stores all year long, just had to try them so I did. Now I wait till spring for them to be shipped and then I plant and hopefully someday harvest them as I do my Indiana variety.

So, here we are, I am glad it is all over for this year. Was a good Christmas, sometimes dampened a bit with memories of the past, but for the most part moving on an building some new ones, that can be built on then in future years. I hope that each of you out there had a good Christmas also

Monday, December 14, 2009

INVICTUS the movie......and Happy Birthday John..(197)

Gosh I can not believe it but Hollywood, via director Clint Eastwood has done it again...Sweet Pea and I have now seen three movies in a row that are kind of like the old days...They make sense and some times a tear or two...I love good movies and I detest most that are by my rating system "garbage". But here we are the streak of excellent movies now setting at three. First came the Amelia Earhart movie, Then Blind Side which I did not write about but it was one great movie...But now comes "INVICTUS", a really great true story about the first black president of South Africa, Nelson Mandella who was in prison for almost 30 years. But when Aparti I think it was called broke down he was released, ran for president and won....Morgan Freeman who looks like him played the part well...Matt Damon played the captain of the Rugby team...Anyway sports was used to unite the people of the nation, black and white...absolutely great movie, don't miss it.....

My rating is two thumbs up on this one which is equivelant to SIX Stars......

And 41 years ago my son John was born this date....I got 30 years on him but waiting on him to "catch up"....Seems like the older one gets for sure time does, "speed up"....I always heard that growing up and dismissed it as nosence, but like so many things I ignored and did not believe it is true. Time does speed up every decade after 40 I think time speeds up by 10% and not exaggerating one bit believe me....So not sure he can catch me as my clock is now running 30% faster than his...I better forget that idea, he ain't gonna catch me....

Happy Birthday John......

Friday, December 11, 2009

Christmas Traditions (196)

Well, I can think of two for sure...One being gaining weight, boy that is a tradition that goes all the way back to my childhood and I am sure yours. And probably as far back as when food could be cooked and shared with ones family...Its a great time of year to "push food" onto folk, makes ya feel good to share your food..And of course they can't say "no thanks", no way, so down the hatch it goes and guess what? Come January there is a New Years resolution to...................yep lose some pounds...

But another one and the one I want tell about for sure is the Lahrman Men's Christmas Breakfast.
I think my brother Joe or Bob came up with the idea and according to my brother Joe who lives in Mulberry this little tradition got started about 35 years ago he say's...Maybe more maybe a couple less I forgot the announcement he made at our meeting last Saturday morning....But anyway his memory serves him to say that at first it all started with just the three "farmin" Lahrman Boys getting together for breakfast for Christmas sometime in the 1970's....Joe said that after a few years of that that we decided to invite our banking brother Larry and let him in on the fun...After a few years of the Lahrman Boy's Christmas, liberalism crept in and we decided to allow the sons of the Lahrman Boys to attend our little shindig and the four brothers usually popping for the bill for their son's breakfast.....

Then after that the son's in laws were allowed and then we just threw open the doors at some point not too many years ago and we now allow in laws, out laws, as long as you are a decendant of our dad Lawrence Lahrman, who just turned 119 this month or if you are married to a decendant male or female...So our crowd grows, gets a little bigger each and every year...We meet at the New York City Grill on Teal Road, I think the first saturday morning in December and we take up the whole east part of the building...We have fun, we eat of course and we visit and we have an annual picture taken as you see here at the right side...So goes our tradition of the gathering of the Lawrence Lahrman decendants..If everyone has been good all year we usually pick up the tab for our linage, and probably one reason this event grows in numbers, and popularity....I hope I can make at least 20 more of these, and hope the money holds out, we will see...

Merry Christmas Everyone....

Monday, December 7, 2009

Family Christmas 2009 and Christmas Parade (195)

The family Christmas gathering happened for my family yesterday...We started with a "brunch" at 11 am...it was good, we had some really good stuff to eat and plenty of it...just what we all probably did not need but, "its Christmas"...Will we ever learn? Probably not because that is the way we Americans seem to celebrate the Holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Easter, they are all eating and drinking events it seems.....We are stuck with it and I for one don't know what to do to change it..Maybe the Democrats will come up with something on that, they are very big on change, so who knows after Heathcare, Global warming, the economy, and the wars are solved well these genius's will maybe just take on and change Holiday Celebrations...

OK how in the hell did politics get into the middle of my Christmas message here? Lets move on here, it was a good day and all went well...Again the food was fabulous, the gifts we all got were very nice, Sweet Pea made it out, all my kids were here and looking successful. Most of the grand kids were here but some were tied up elsewhere, in School, in the military, or at work...But for the most part as my picasso of pictures to the right will show a lot were here and all had a good time. We had the meal, shucked our gift wrap and looked over our gifts recieved and stayed on schedule to make the Lafayette Indiana Christmas Parade. We had too because again this year a member of our clan was elected "Snow Princess" from an elementry school...Yep Sophie Post was our snow princess and the reason a lot of us froze our tookis's off until her magisty had passed in review...I for one would be for holding these Christmas Parades in maybe September. The problem being the darn thing last so long, as they put half the people in Tippecanoe County in the parade, so then the other half of the people have to show up to watch it. My son John has used his car for our family snow princess's and prince, the last few years and that is great but he don't even get cold...He has a heater in that car, and I'm sure it is on high, so yeal bring it on, drive slowly down main street, smiling and looking at the viewers struggling to raise their arms and produce a smile on their faces. Most of our politicians show up for this, the smart ones walk, just to stay warm but some dress real warm and ride on floats....smiling and probably wondering what the hell did I do to deserve this?

Well that's my family Christmas so far...While typing this I consumed a can of candied pretzels, figuring that a pretty balanced lunch for this time of year, and called the Tippecanoe County Clerks office to find out that I owe them $127.50 for a "ticket" that I was lucky enough to obtain on one of my last days of harvest....Just a normal preventive check there Mr. Lahrman the DOT officer said...Hit those brakes Mr. Lahrman, ow ow, must be a fuse out, most likely that's usually it Mr. Lahrman, and hey 3 of those tires on the tag axle sure don't have much tread...Here you go Mr. Lahrman call this number they will let you know if you owe anything....fuse 98cents, tires and tubes 760 bucks at All Star Tire... the experience "priceless" everything else went on my mastercard...

Merry Christmas out there everyone, everone needs a little "stimulus" this time of year, especially this year with change in the air....don't forget those good missionary's and charities...

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Obama on Afganistan and my Christmas Tree (194)

The occupant of the white house, has finally done something I approve of. Gee I almost called him the President but will hold that respect to see how some of the nutsville stuff he has going on turns out. But for now he is the occupant, and the occupant did finally make a good decision I feel on his long awaited decision on this war. And I am not too upset on his approach to making the decision. Some of my Marine friends are but I think sometimes sleeping on things a bit is good.

I like the idea of 18 more months with a larger force to hunt down and destroy as many bad guys as we can find. I also like the idea that we shift this war to the people who benefit from the freedom they can have if they are willing to step up to the plate and grab the vision of a free nation.
Maybe they are not capable of that if not then I say and I hope the nation will say that they are not then worth the price of our blood on their battlefields. In 18 months we will have a handle on that and if not then start the withdraw of our forces except for a few trainers maybe. But this old business of staying there forever like we have in Europe and Korea is not good, not good at all. And we should do likewise as soon as possible in Korea...Let them know this is their freedom and do you want it or not...and then get the hell out of their also and Europe...By the way Mike Huckabee has also complimented Obama on his decision and that is why Mr. Huckabee would make this nation one whale of a good President/commander in chief...

If things go good and Obama gets reelected, I guess so be it but I hope not...I hope it is Huck or Mike Pence with maybe S. Palin as the VP choice...we will see.

But to more important matters, its Christmas time and hey I got a tree...its ugly, I know but it's my tree....I walked across the field to the west to a fence line where it has been growing and I have been watching it for maybe 6 years. It has no distinct top at all and its as fat as it is tall but once cut, I had not the heart to put it on my burn pile until it had its turn as my first tree in a long time...You see Linda and I got into the habit of doing Naples before Christmas so we got out of the habit..but I thought it would be fun and the family is descending on my place this Sunday morning for a brunch and exchange...wine, poo-poo's you know all that goes with it, maybe even my award winning pumpkin pie and persimmon pudding...and then we are all going to the Christmas Parade where yet another grandchild will be riding in the back of a convertible...Sophie Post got the job this year at Cole Elementary...by the way she is turning out the lights on my participation at cole after this year. I went to grandparents day and I said well where is Tabby at and she informed me that Tabby who was snow princess a couple years ago also had moved on to Wainwright...She said I am the only one here now grandpa and next year I go to Wainwright also...So that's it for Cole, I am out of there, no more visits for me unless I live too long, and get invited to great grandparents days there....who knows?

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Gov.Mike Huckabee at Purdue (193)

Sweet Pea and I went to Purdue last night to the annual Right to Life banquet....It was great and the Overtones quartet provided some great singing...even impressing the main speaker Mike Huckabee...I would not be surprised to see the boys from Rossville Indiana invited someday to be on the Huckabee TV show on Fox network.

Gov. Huckabee gave a great moving speech about the importance of the sanctity of life from the "womb to the tomb"...The man is a great American and would if this country were to do the wise thing be a great President for this nation. But I doubt that the voters will embrase this man, as the average voter today does not want a man that will be good long term for the Nation. Instead the average voter today wants a man that will be good short term for them....And that same lack of wisdom goes all the way into congress on many matters...Not what is good for the nation but what is going to get me noticed and reelected. Lets face it we are a nation of very very spoiled people.

There was a 12 year old lad who got up and gave a memorized 15 minute speech also on the sanctity of life...Good greif was this kid good..when he finished he got a long standing ovation from the maybe 8 to 900 people there. Gov Huckabee had a hard act to follow I kid you not. When he first was introduced he stated that maybe we had seen a political career launched here tonight, not mine but this young lad, Collin Knolhoff. Mike Huckabee said my goodness this lad has more going for him at 12 than most serving in congress right now...He was totally amazing, I think I have and all of us not seen the last of Collin Knolhoff, mark my word. I would not be surprised to see him invited to the Huckabee show also....

My friend Connie Basham served as master of ceremonies I would say and did a great job. We would be well served with her in the Courthouse, the state house or congress...She like Gov Huckabee would do the things good for our nation long term win or lose she would take the high road.

Two of my daughters attended with spouses and some grand daughters, it was a wonderful night.......Oh yesterday was my dad's birthday...he would be 119.....gosh I miss him.

No pictures, I forgot my camera but just as well the crowd was so large I was never close to the Governor....

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving to All (192)

Tomorrow is the best Holiday of the Year, Thanksgiving and this farmer/blogger is going to just enjoy the day. I am going to just be thankful for all I have. Thankful for the lessons learned in my life. Thankful for the friends I have met along the way. And the good family I have still. The lady friend that I met just over two years ago now, and enjoy a caring loving relationship with. Thankful for my children, a great son who is a better dad than I ever was, four wonderful, loving daughters who are great homemakers and socker moms with lipstick to boot. A great daughter in law and four great son in laws.. Thankful they all have good work and provide well for their kids and planning for retirement some day.....Thankful for good health, a warm comfy home with even a new fireplace and work yet to be done on it. Thankful for a shingle roof that does not allow water into my home. Thankful for a nice Chevy truck that now is no longer a Perdidal, but instead has two working headlights, fixed today under the good Chevy warranty. Thankful for my buddies in my Promise Keepers Bible Study....Thankful for grass to mow in the summertime and thankful that now it has taken a break from growing till spring...Thankful for a snow blower that may be needed this winter. Thankful for 19 grandkids of all ages...Thankful they all have jobs, doing well or are still in school. Thankful for the RV that sits in my barn and awaits the trip to Naples each winter. Thankful for memories of great times past, and even dreams that some nights transport me back in time to revisit those memories.

I have a lot to be thankful for but foremost for a loving God that forgives my many sins and mistakes of the past. And the assurance of salvation for an eternity given by HIS grace to all believers....We don't earn it nor deserve it, but we can claim it, that is a huge gift to surely be thankful for. With that I will close this and thank him in advance for all the good food we will all partake of tomorrow Thanksgiving Day....

Happy Thanksgiving to you all....

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The Fireplace (191)

Today it happened. A fireplace was born right here in this house. Randy Denham told me a few weeks back that Rick Zellers was maybe the best brick mason in Indiana. After today, I think he may just be right. His work is precise and creative. Rick ask me a couple times if I wanted this or wanted it that way. Finally I said, "you know Rick, your the doctor here, you make it look the best you can and I know I will like it...Sure enough I loved the fireplace, it just looks warm and cozy without yet striking a match. I told Rick when it was done that "I knew if I just kept my mouth shut it would turn out great, and it did...Experience and creativity carried the day here. Will wait a couple days for it to "cure" out before starting a fire but I am excited about it. It will offer a great place to watch a fire burn, maybe with a glass of my favorite Brown County Wine, Old Barrel Port and maybe a little cheese and crackers.

Yes they are a bit dirty and messy at times, but for my money there is nothing like watching the glow of a fire place burning and crackling and popping. Never the same twice, always something different, kind of like a sunset I guess. Always the same but always slightly different. And of course the warmth of it all especially on those first few really cold days of winter ahead of us. Maybe the first really good blizzard with snow blowing every which way but Sunday. Yes that is when its the best, cold and lots of blowing snow, that is when you know you did the right thing, installing a messy, dirty fireplace....Yes it was the right thing to do...

OH and one other important fact...I looked up the chimney and if Santa has not put on a lot of pounds he can make it down....Merry Christmas

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Warren Buffet and Me on Taxation (190)

Warren has a bit more money than I, so I think we will talk about his ideals but I do agree with him that the very wealthy have been getting way too big of a slice of the pie for way to many years. On WGN one of my favorite radio stations (AM 720) yesterday was a news item that Mr. Buffet stated that his secretary who he pays $60,000 a year, paid about a 30% tax rate last year. He earning I think it was 51 million paid a rate of 17%. And he just used the legal deducts etc. available to him and the other very rich of the nation. And maybe the reason he voted democratic to try and rectify this injustice. Why would a guy like him blow the whistle on getting to big a slice of pie? Well I think because he is an honest man who loves the American system of free enterprise and knows that the rich are being allowed to get unfairly favored in our system. For what its worth I agree with Mr. Buffet. I was always under the assumption that when you got into the millions that you paid something like 50% tax rate. Well that is probably so if you don't take advantage of what deducts that are available legally to use.

So maybe this Republican is kind of a "hybrid" republican as when it comes to taxes I do believe in paying my share and willingly do so. But I don't like hearing about others that are legally allowed to not pay what they maybe should. This needs fixed for sure. And I know that correcting this will not even come close to balancing the budget of this "budget busting" administations grandure everything for everybody for votes spending....But it is surely a good place to start.

But I do know if I were the "taxations czar" how I would proceed and it would surely balance the budget.

1. In any given year congress would be forced to tax equally for dollars spent. A common sense fix to this nightmare we are in.
2. If this was the case pork barrel spending would end because tax payers would insist on bare essential spending because they would know they would have to pay for it that year and it could not be paid by borrowing and burdening the future generations. And that it would not be paid by just printing additional money and lowering the value of our dollar.

We are I think very close to a breaking point for our nation and I am very concerned that one day maybe not far off we will be a nation of "have nots"....Not just the poor but all of us if the dollar collapses which it could we could go from recession to depression and into chaos in rapid order. It would not be a pretty sight when folks realized they now have nothing. I don't even like to think of chaos is the streets and man turning on each other just for survival but we may not be far from it....gosh I hope I am wrong.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Using what you have including a son in law (189)

I did not know what to call this story. But my old antenna on my 40 foot tower was down to two CBS channels...It was getting to me, with Katie Curic as my only choice for the evening news "I was hurting" to say the least. She loves Obama and anything he thinks of to do and I fully understand the guy is a "promise them anything and everything" kind of guy. So me and Katie just don't mess well anymore. So I had to do something. My son in law Cris Post is an electronics wizard, works at Caterpillar here in Lafayette, very successful so this little job was really "small taters" for him.
But he said you know there is not many rods on that antenna of yours anymore it could be time for a new one and while were are at it a new rotor as they don't cost much.

So that is what we did and wouldn't you know it the day I planned to lower the tower 2 son in laws and my son were "out of town". So it was Cris and I and the thinking cap had to go on to work this out. Usually in the past 4 people stand by the tower and one on the roof with a rope tied to the tower and the 4 on the ground kind of "walk it down" and then walk it back up when its repaired. So instead we put the front of the loader against the tower and just backed up...it worked.

So we came up with putting the front end loader on the tractor and replacing the manual labor part. Then we usually laid it across the grain truck and then used a ladder to get up to the antenna to work. But while shelling corn that morning it came to me that maybe if I filled the hopper with corn to stand on that the height of this machine could be about perfect for a platform for my electrical engineer with a masters in business I will add, to perform his magic. Well as you can see to the right it was great, a well oiled machine we were that fine day and what a beautiful day it was.

And now the exciting part we got it back up put the bolts back in the hinged base and went inside for the test. Cris set it to scan the channels and low and behold I went from two very liberal Network channels to a selection of 29 free TV digital channels and I am located 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis. And did not even turn the rotor around to take in maybe Ft. Wayne or Champaign Ill, maybe could pick up 2 or three more? Hey, I am in "tall cotton" here now. I got the local fox channel, I got NBC and ABC and all the public and christian tv anyone could ever want...But mainly I don't have to watch Katie anymore worship her idol the current occupant of the white house. Actually CNN is the real Communist Network News for sure but CBS is leaning hard in that direction the last year or two...Fox leads the polls and for good reason....

By the way the corn harvest is progressing slow but good....the yields are about average in some fields, very good in the one I am in now and not so good in the one I did last week. But the main thing is its getting done maybe about a week left at the present 2 loads a day pace. All of my corn goes directly to the two Tate and Lyle corn sweetener plants here in Lafayette. And my corn having gotten planted a little late not because of mono or lazyness, but wet weather, is still carrying pretty high moisture content. Tate and Lyle is working with me on it and taking two of my wet loads per day and it blends in with other dryer corn that is coming in...they are good people to work with....all is good...corn going to town and now watching NBC and ABC and Fox....

Oh, by the way Veterans day was great, I do agree with Obama's assesment of the current men and women serving our nation. They equal the "greatest generation" of WW TWO...they are a great dedicated group of warriors...

And the nation is responding to celebrate veterans day more so than in the past. At noon I stopped by the" Applebees" eatery, and enjoyed a free 6 oz steak with some potatoes and veggies.
Last night I talked sweet pea into accomponing me to eat at the "Texas Road House" which was again free for me and on my way I went by "Mike's Car Wash" for a on the house honor veterans wash job. Then after dinner on my way home Susan called and alerted me that Culvers Ice cream, which she passes on her way home, was offering a free Sundae to all vets...But I had enough honoring for one day, I proceeded to my new "Denver Mattress" king size bed for the ultimate treet, 8 hours of rest....

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Happy Birthday to the Marines (188)

Today is the 234th birthday of the Marine Corps. Happy Birthday Marines!

Three years ago today my wife and I were honored to be present when the President and other dignataries dedicated the new Marine Corps museum near Washington DC. It was a day about like today, partly sunny and fairly warm. It was a great day and Linda although hurting from her oncoming cancer, I think enjoyed the day. She got to see the President maybe 150 to 200 feet in front of us. He gave a great speech and then awarded the first medal of honor in the war on terror to a Marine who had given his life in Irag. His parents were there to accept the award but did not come forward. A couple days later we saw them accept it in a white house ceremony. Also today was the day that Marine Captain from South Dakota, honored Linda by pushing her around the grounds before the ceremony. It was a good day, I will never forget it, nor the Captain, nor the time I spent in the Marines. ( The Captain and my Linda can be seen at right here at the bottom of all the pictures)

Today there was an honor ceremony at Ft. Hood also. Those that died by the hand of the Army Major Muslim terrorist were remembered. Our current occupant of the white house has trouble using the work terrorist or war on terror. I don't know his problem but he definately has one about the whole matter. But had this Major shouted out Jesus Christ before the shooting I am sure he would have been a religious finatic of the first degree...but for now he is just a burned out counselor who kind of flipped out....I hope soon our occupant of the white house will evolve from a community organizer to become our commander in chief and turn to the job of protecting this nations from all enemy's foriegn and domestic, and forget about all these socialistic ideas and ideals that go along with everything for everybody. That is communism and will not work.

We will learn a lot more as time passes but can you believe that this man bought two guns in August, sent emails to know terrorist and even spouted out before many soldiers how wrong this nation is to fight muslim terrorist? I can't nor can I believe where this nation may be headed.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Amelia Earhart the movie (187)

We went to see the new movie last evening about Amelia Earhart. Sweet Pea said the ratings have not been that good on the movie but we went anyway. Man, I don't know who rates movies and who decides what to make movies about. But I tell you instead of 1.5 stars in our paper this movie needs 5 or maybe 6. We are giving it two thumbs up and that converts to 6 stars. I watched the other night the real biography of Miss Earhart a four part deal so that I would know the facts before hollywood added its take on it. They followed the facts well and that impressed me and the movie was done well. I got into it could not help admiring this couragous young woman and surely felt sad at the last when she was lost in the pacific. Not to ruin the movie for you we all know she lost her life in real time trying to fly around the world...Almost made it but there was blame there in the end that maybe should not have happened that would have allowed her to succeed...

I guess Hollywood spent quite a lot of time here at Purdue University gathering info about her and Purdues envolvement with her life. They did a good job portraying this and Purdue was well mentioned and well represented..Go see the movie Hilary Swank did a great job and the resemblance was pretty darn true to life's real pictures of Amelia..Richard Gere was good also as here promotor and lover...

When I go to movies and watch the many previews we just set there and share our heads thinking why on God's green earth would anyone in Hollywood waste their money on some of these movies? And then my head keeps shaking when I think, OK they do it for money but why would anyone spend good dollars seeing this junk? And then a really good movie hits the scene and it gets a low rating...go figure....see the movie

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Persimmons and wet corn....(186)

Well this harvest is somewhat "frustrating" for me at least. My soybeans are done and that is good as these rains keep coming which is not good for soybean harvest conditions...But now the corn is next and that is not going so good. I have all of my corn contracted .to the Tate and Lyle corn sweetener plant here in Lafayette. And they like to have the moisture content on the corn coming in at 18% or lower. A week ago I took samples in from two of my driest fields. It tested 19% and 21%. I told them well I guess I will work on my house for a week and see what happens. I did that and guess what happened the moisture did not go down. I took samples in today and it was the same, so here I set waiting for better drying weather. But I had other harvest that needed done and that was picking persimmons and today I got the last of them, about 4 to 5 gallons. Last week I picked 3 gallons of persimmons and squeezed them, run them through the colendar and I got 1 gallon of pulp to make goody stuff like persimmon pudding with. Last year sweet pea did some for thanksgiving and it was DYNOMITE...Really good stuff so I know what I am doing here, I am gather goodness to be had at some later date. I can not wait, I kid you not Persimmon Pudding is just borderline "too good". But I figure, hey you don't have to eat all of it at Thanksgiving and Christmas. You can spread this stuff out, have some at Easter time, First day of spring, 4th of July whatever as good as that stuff is whatever day you pick will be a good one...So tomorrow I will get the pulp from them and should get about a gallon and a half of the sweet goodness and into the freezer it will go.

The persimmon picking today was kind of a war between me and the little beetles that seem to be everywhere these days. They kind of look a little like lady bugs maybe, but they are basically pains in the ass, as far as I am concerned. They were on a lot of the persimmons, did not notice them 10 days ago or so when I picked the first of the crop...But today I had to blow them off a lot of the persimmons before dropping them into the bucket...I will need to check them good tomorrow before squeesing them...Sweet pea will not tolerate beetles in the pulp. I just killed two of them crawing up the inside of my sweet shirt. I crunched them with my fingers, they should have stayed outside.

I mowed my lawn today also for the "last" time this year. I think the two favorite times to mow your lawn are the first and last time each year. In between well it's fun but not as much fun as the first and last times. I noticed the trees are telling us that winter is just around the corner here in Indiana. The cypress needles are turning brownish in color. I should take picture as it is pretty. Some of the trees have lost the leaves some are just beginning to fall, but it all says, "get ready", winter is coming. I don't like winter, I guess it reminds me that we are all mortal maybe, I don't know but I don't like winter at all. I guess the only good thing about winter is spring coming next, that I like, I like it a lot.

OK amigo's that does it for tonight....semper fi.....

PS... just got an email from Shirley Claiborne in Florida. She tells me my lemon tree is loaded.
My God will this harvest season ever end? Well maybe the neighbors will use them up before I get there...I hope so the thing I really like about that lemon tree is when it blooms in Feb and March..the fragrance is pure heaven.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

New Challenges for College Kids (185)

Just came across this video to the right of an advertisement for a College in Chicago. Maybe a whole lot of "tonge in cheek" going on here but we all need a laugh now and then and this one made me laugh. So click on, watch it, laugh and then move on and get on with life as we know it here in 2009. My blog is not much today, am tired and fussy, worked hard today, need a bath and then a nice warm bed....Good Night Amigo's

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Subaru of Indiana Auto Plant and then Pa Pa's (184)

Yesterday was a good one..I toured the Subaru Auto Plant here in Lafayette for the third time in 20 years it has been in operation. I was totally impressed with this tour given by our guide named Tom. It was great and in this day and age of depressed everything this plant and Subaru in general is a shining light of what we can do if we just decide to 'get it on'.......

Maybe I paid better attention this time but my heavens they are doing it right there. I have to say that if I were in the market for an automobile I would have to consider this companies products at or very near the top of the list...And if Subaru is too hard to say they also make the Toyota Camry there also. About 800 Camry's a day as a matter of fact and about 850 Subaru's also. 3000 men and women are enjoying employment there at this time. I am proud to say I live almost within the shadows of this plant, well I am 2 miles south, but I can if I climb up my TV tower I can see the smoke stacks on the plant. But without smoke, they do a terrific job of holding down emissions and re-cycling at this plant. Nothing goes to a land fill, it is an absolutely clean, lean impressive place here in Lafayette Indiana.

A couple stats I remember hearing on the tour that impressed me were the average auto purchased in the US gets traded by the original owner in 2.5 years...The average Subaru owner keeps his car 7.4 years and 95% of the Subaru's sold are still running on the road 10 years later.
The work force is non union making 22 bucks an hour to start and moving to 25 after 3 months. Health care is provided with 0 deductible. Is it any wonder they have a 3.1% turnover in employees each year? I suspect you take out the retirees and it don't leave a whole lot leaving there for a better job if any. So I proved it again the slow learner mode of this writer, it took 3 tours over 20 years but I finally got it....Subaru is one fine auto and auto manufacturer and one I will definatly someday consider heavily and most likely own and see if I can help add to that stat of owning it for over 7.4 years.

If you are contemplating a new car, I would recommend strongly that you take this plant tour and look at the cars in the entry way to the plant. They do tours about everyday Mon-Friday and although most are scheduled groups if you were to call and talk to Tom Elger 765-449-6250 and explain your looking before you buy I know he would let you tag along on one of these tours.
But you can go on line and see some of the things on the tour by clicking on plant tour and taking a look...here that is,

www.subaru-sia.com


Now after that excellent part of my day I called sweet pea and said, "hey lets go pa pa hunting, as it's got to be about the end of the season for it"...She called a friend she works with Sharon who along with her hubby "Lar" own a 40 acre heaven on the middle fork of the wildcat creek.
Friend Sharon allowed us to tromp her woods near the creek and shake a few of the Pa pa trees that grow there in the flood plain of said creek. We had a great time, got a few burrs on our clothes but that comes with the territory I guess. But we each had a 5 gallon bucket and when we finally tired of this we had them half full and they started to be a little heavy to carry for too long a period. So we called it quits for this year but the picture to the right shows what 129 Indiana Pa Pa's look like as they ly there for a couple days ripening just a bit. Then when they are soft to touch we will eat a few but most of them will be wrapped in newspaper and put into the freezer for winter off season treats. And treats they are we thaw them cut them in half at the belt line and with spoon in hand proceed to scoop out the wonderful custard like insides. Working the large seeds around inside your mouth as you enjoy the fruit then very professionally spitting the seed back onto the spoon to be deposited in the trash can or saved to be planted next spring if your the Johnny Pa Pa seed type like someone I know.

Right under my pa pa picture is a link to a private citizens assesment of the new health care bill being shoved down our throats...I tell you what boys and girls if you have not taken the time to watch this video your missing something worthwhile...nuff said...

Thursday, October 8, 2009

2009 Harvest is underway and Healthcare be commin (183

Well its always good to get harvest started. The soybeans are always ready first and then the corn. But this year it is all going to be late. Normally I would have been harvesting beans a month ago but the crop went in late due to wet weather. And speaking of wet weather that is what we have today and tomorrow. As the fall proceeds forward it seems that the good days get fewer and the not so good for harvest days, become more plentiful. I am thankful that facing this that I am a small hobby level farmer these days. I feel for the guys with a lot of crops to harvest before winter this year. My harvester is 24 years old this fall, but still a good machine. I rebuilt the sicle or knive on the grain head of the harvester day before yesterday. It had a few years on it since I had done that...It will probably be the last time I will ever have to do that, I think it will last at least 3 years and my guess is that by that time I will be ready to fully retire as far as farming goes. But not totally sure, the way the country is headed it may become a necessity to have this additional income. Our economy is not a pretty sight, I don't see how it will ever recover. I hope it does, but we have this love affair with imported lower cost goods that are made outside the USA. By getting all these items real cheap it leaves us enough money to purchase cell phones, which by the way are no doubt made in china or japan, for everyone even the kids. Some are like little computers and my heavens you can play lots of games and send text messages even while driving to your friends. Or setting in class at school or college maybe...Whatever these low cost imported goods allow us other luxuries also not made in the USA. I wonder what percent of jobs needed for us to support ourselves have to leave the country before we figure it out? Maybe all of them, I guess I am not the sole slow learner.

And when most everything we consume comes from other countries that is a lot of jobs that have been moved to those countries. It was profitable for the companies to move there because they could then sell us the stuff at much lower cost which we all just dearly love....Everytime Walmart slashes everyday prices lower you can bet another job left the country. So where will our people get jobs if we are not making the goods that we consume? We really need to start paying attention to what we are doing. A friend in my Bible study told me resently that his wife purchased a can of peaches made in China. Is that a good thing when we grow peaches in Georgia and Michigan?

So maybe for now I will hang on to my day job of hobby farmer. Takes about two or three days to get a harvester ship shape and then you never know if it will run well all through harvesting or if you will be repairing many many more things as time goes on...I guess that is a little stress that a farmer must endure and maybe makes him not a stranger to prayer, even to "keep it running Lord".

So back to harvesting, I have 15 of my 75 acres of beans complete so I guess that would put me at 20%, at least a respectible first day considering not starting until 3 PM because of wetness from a slight rain the day before...The warm sunshine and slight breeze dried out the damp pods and allowed them to pop open and release the beans as they passed through the harvester ending up in my grain tank and then my truck and thus a once a year paycheck for the farmers.

My harvesting will keep me manually busy for the next few weeks but mentally I will be concerned for our country and where it is headed. This administration seems content to busy itself with getting us all health insurance at who knows what horrendous cost to us all...How that will address the real issue of getting people back to work I have not got a clue. And with leadership of change for changes sake and for no good reason, we are in some deep doo doo...and I fear with this particular "occupant" of the white house and the equally unqualified leadership in congress our ship of state is sailing into the perfect storm....buckle down the hatches...

Monday, September 28, 2009

Healthcare bill explained and an encounter today with Dolly Parton (182)

I think every American should take the time to click on the two segments to the right side here that will bring up a excellent explaination of this Healthcare Bill being shoved at us by our president and his congress...His name is John C. Crawford, I admire his efforts for us all.....Please click on Part 1 and then Part 2 and listen what this man from Texas who has studied the bill has to say about it...He used his own money and represents no party but himself but he represents all of us very well with his video that he sent at his own expense to all the members of congress...

OK today is our last day in Branson MO.....we have had a great time...I tell you this it is a great place to come and enjoy the over 100 great shows that are offered and relax...It is a place of much talent, and a place honoring God and Country like no other....We like it here and now have also found that it is a great place to fish for trout and will be coming back here hopefully next march for a week of fishing, camping and yes more shows to watch...

But I must share that today we went to see a Dolly Parton impersonator....she was for real, and had it all, the blonde hair, "the girls", she called them, and the voice and the figure...Anyway we sat in the middle back behind most of the people...during her act she would come off the stage and set on some of the mens laps and mess with their hair and stuff and sing to them...was all fun..getting to the tail end of the act she moves back where we were and moved into our row which was empty except for Susan and I....Susan said "aw aw here she comes"....sure enough she came over to me and said I bet you being bashful and all, thought if you were to set all the way back here that you would be safe didn't you?...I said yeal I hoped so...she said I need you up on stage with me to help me out and I pleaded please no but she would not take that for an answer so away I went up on the stage...there was a stool and a cowboy hat...she sat me down messed with my hair, said it looked like kind of a birds nest, unbottoned my shirt and ran her hand around my chest...thought I would die yeal right,,, anyway then putting the hat on me setting on my lap and singing a song about me coming in here dressed like that or something like that...not sure of the title...she finished the song and I was "let go", thank God....it was scary but kind of fun and would you know it we left the camera in the motor home....so no pics, maybe best anyway left with only words...

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Socialized Healthcare (181}

First thing I want you to do here before you read any of my ideas is to click on what Ronald Reagan had to say about this huge problem of today way back when he was just an actor in Hollywood...Please do it it will be worth the listen. Gosh is it any wonder this great man went on to be the good President that he was?

And take his advise here too, about contacting your congressman and senators...As much as we all like to gripe about government it is the only real mechanism that we have to change what is wrong with it all, and to make sure that what is right with it all happens.

It just seems like every so often this thing raises its ugly head and tries to make it across the goal line. We had it with Bill Clinton and his wife's grandstand play to bring in socialized medicine. We survived that one and now here it comes again with Mr. Obama...Can somebody say lets put this nonsense to bed and then say good night and leave it lay...

Yes there are things that could be improved about our system, but we sure don't want or need a total government in charge system like is being pushed by the democrats... We need to work on it but take our time and get it right.

I think people are getting the message out there and I think there is a glimmer of hope that we can again put this nonsense of rushing into socialism to bed, I hope so...

I am grateful for the reporting done on Fox News these days...They are all over exposing the things that need to be exposed. And so encouraged with the ratings they are getting the last few weeks of 5 times the next closest networks. That means people are tired of the "yes men" always bowing to and patting Obama's everyword on the back. It does get a little sickening at times...And so the ratings is it any wonder but I guess I had lost faith in the common man's common sense in some respects..But it seems people are starting to get it about what is going on these days...Why I see where Katie Curic an out of the closet Obama worshipper, is going to enterview Glenn Beck on CBS....I guess CBS is finally waking up to the fact that people are watching this guy so lets get him on and try and make him look bad...

On weekends I enjoy the Mike Huckabee show on Fox...it is light hearted but he is a man of wisdom I do believe and I hope he will make another run at the white house in 2012...

I am also getting encouraged with the ridiculous leadership being portrayed by the democrats in congress and the executive branch, that come next year we will replace a lot of them with people who can think about what is good long term for the nation as a whole and not just a bunch of hand out programs that make all of us "cripples" when we are not crippled and our nation then top heavy and in danger of sinking instead of being there to protect our position in the world today.

I am afraid some hard work lies ahead for us all...We have got to make stuff here and buy the stuff made here, its the only way we will survive long term...the buy it cheap chicken has come home to roost.....wipe your feet before coming in the house....

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Taking the Reins for my own Healthcare (180)

You know I think one of the big problems with today's Healthcare cost is the fact that we just don't want to be bothered. I really do we want Big Brother or our Doctor or our Insurance Provider to do it all for us, and we are willing to pay a heavy amount upfront to rid ourselves of accounting and involvement into our own workings of our health care cost. The last 6 years I have been on Medicare I have seen my Supplement Insurance go from 1000 dollars the first year to last years premium of 2200 dollars. And a couple months ago when my new bill came it was for $2350 and it got me to thinking. Thinking is good, sometimes it pays off to think about and investigate where are money is going. So first I had to find out just how this Medicare/Supplement things even works, you know it kinda helps if you do that first. Well that did not take to long, you see first Medicare is billed and they are the ones that set the pay amount a doctor or other provider is to be paid for a service for our health care. And I learned that they then pay the provider/doctor/hospital 80% of the accepted amount and then my supplement paid the other 20% and with my PLAN F that I had purchased through Anthem Blue Cross 6 years ago I never ever saw a bill for my needs. That is good, I loved it, I just got what I needed and paid my yearly bill that went from 1000 to 2350 in those 6 years.

So armed with my quickly learned knowledge of the "system", I decided to see what I was getting for my 2,350 dollars per year. I had knee surgery a little over a year ago, I see a skin doctor twice a year and my GP I check in with about every 3 months for ongoing odds and ends but nothing major...My ticker and my other essentials are for the most part functioning well....So I called Anthem and ask for a print out of all they had paid in my behalf for the last 2 years. The results came in a few days and I saw that they had paid a total of 2000 dollars over that time but had collected from me about 4300 dollars. That kind of got my attention, but then I realized that part of this is having the coverage in case I get the big quadruple heart by pass or have to fight cancer or other really bad stuff ahead...But I just could not seem to let it just go away and I was told by a couple people that Bankers Life and Casualty was a good company. So I called them and set up and interview. I told the agent I was interested in what they had to offer but was hoping to lower my cost of protection. Turns out Bankers did have the plan that I believe will keep me a little busy writing small checks now and then but will save me some big bucks down the road.

You see I had "Plan F", with Anthem and never saw a bill but it does not cover any drug expense, and that I was OK with as I get my 6 drugs that keep me going at Wal-Mart using the generic stuff for 10 bucks for a 90 day supply...So for about 20 bucks a month I am purring like a kitten getting a back rub....as far as drugs are concerned and that has been my healthcare cost for the last 6 years, well except for me paying eye and dental expense although some of my eye doctoring is covered by Medicare also. And of course that big bill I have been paying to Anthem for my Supplement Plan F....

Well to make this long story not get to long Bankers Life offered me the same Plan F but with a 2000 dollar deductible for a fee of 326 dollars...I checked with Anthem and they did not offer a high deductible Plan F so I made the switch...Anthem and I parted ways I kept my 2350 dollars and gave 326 of it to Banker Life for the same plan but with a high deductible...So now I will see bills for the 20% that Medicare does not pay. I will still have them bill Bankers Life each and every time so as to keep them abreast of what I am paying...And if I should have the big stuff happen to me I will go through the deductible pretty quickly but then they will kick in and pay everything after I pay my 2000 dollars...So unless I have missed something here I think I have taken a good course. Instead of paying 2350 up front, I now will pay a maximum if I have bad stuff happen to me of 2326, but if I stay green side up the next few years and go along like I have been, I most likely will pay the average of 1000 per year in bills and I will keep that 1350 dollars a year in my pocket or somewhere inbetween, but regardless from my vantage point I can not loose....

Now I think this could also benefit the whole healthcare system, because while I am paying these little trivial bills now and then until I reach the 2000 deductible, I am also personally involved in the cost of my healthcare. Will I go without healthcare to save a little money? No I won't, but I may from time to time say do I really need that procedure done that the doctor says may help me, or will I be just as well off without it. I don't know for sure as I am just beginning this journey, but I think personally it will be good to be more involved in the cost of my care, and at the same time I like the idea of most likely saving some pretty big money each year. And at the same time having the same plan that I had before and knowing that my maximum payout will not be any more even if I have catastrophic things happen to me...

I think it is going to be fun....and others may want to think about the same and long term for healthcare cost in this country we may all benefit.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Persimmons Pecans and Paw Paw's (179)

This farmers rotation and blog title is Corn and Beans and Naples and the potential for all three of those is "good" at this juncture of time. But I think before that, during that and maybe even after all of it there will be mixed in from time to time some really fun and delicious goodness headed our way...God has been good this year as most years to Indiana...and I guess for the most part to the heartland of the nation...Was a wet spring, stayed wet and cool most of the early summer and has now turned off rather dry but coolness has prevailed for the most part...My electric bill this August was one half of last year and last year being about normal...Now this weather pattern has most likely produced a good corn crop, I walked through mine today and yes it is good, the soy bean crop is also good but the late dryness the last month has taken the top off the yeilds on beans...I am pretty sure the crop will still be fair but we have likely lost 10 bushels per acre with this late dryness which could have been much worst had we gotten heat with it...Coolness was good.

But as seen in the three pictures to the right side of story 179 here there are other exciting things grown here in Hoosierland, USA....Nothing quite like Persimmon Pudding...Now I am not sure if they are called differently but, I have enjoyed it two ways, one as a real pudding, and one baked into kind of a brownie type deal that also is excellent....both served warm and your in for a treat that is hard to beat. Comes with a price though as all good things. After the first good frost these persimmons get softer and sweeter, and kind of "mushy", before that they will make you pucker like alum for sure...But the frost kind of takes the pucker right out of them and into the colander you throw them...You know that cone shaped apparatus with holes in it...then you take that little wooden bat and around and around you go for quite some time, maybe a good time to enjoy a glass of nice wine even as you squeese the squeesens out of these now soft and goey little fruits...But soon all you have left in the colander is many seeds and some hulls and the good stuff has found its way through the many holes and fallen into a pan below...There in lies the makins for the many reciepe's you will find for Persimmon pulp on google maybe...or call your grandma maybe she has one...

Second pic is somewhat an odd crop for this far north, but Pecans can be grown here and this years crop looks interesting...The pecans are not as large as in Georgia or in your grocery store at Christmas time but the price is right and if I haul out enough for one pecan pie I will probably be happy with that, it's the novelty of it all I guess on this one...

Now last but surely not least are the Paw Paw's....Wow I have written about these baby's last year and this year they are as last, "gorgeous". And here again the first good hard frost ripens these Indiana Banana's real quickly. Last year Sweet Pea and I located a nice patch of paw paw trees in a 'woods' that will remain unnamed for sure. But this year as we hunted mushrooms there we noticed the patch drops down over a hill and is a lot larger than we originally thought it to be...So now Paw Paws are going to be something we will have fun with as we visit this area a time or two with a couple 5 gallon buckets and we bring out a lot of good eating....They are fabulous kind of a custard type inside after you pinch them in half...You develope a taste for them year after year, they just keep getting better..Also we have learned to freeze them easily by wrapping each in newspaper and dropping them into the freezer for a winter time "thaw and chaw", enjoy....

Well there you have my three P's for today, all good, all some work and all some fun....Have a great day...The grain markets surged today on early frost scares for the upper mid west the last of this month...if that comes true then maybe our first good frost will not be far behind and after that well you know what I will be doing...Persimmons, Pecans, and Paw Paw's

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Socialistic Healthcare and Bagworms (178)

Looks can be very decieving. For years I looked at these objects in the picture to the right and thought they were some sort of pine cones...they look like a cone attached to the pine trees...One day Phil Burket stopped by my place and noticed them and said boy you got bag worms bad on this tree...I admitted I did not recognize I had a problem and thought they were some sort of pine cones...He said no the worms are pretty darn smart and they disguise themselves that way, but when your not watching a worm crawls out the top of these and proceeds to eat your tree...You better get after these if you like this tree...Well now I know and I pick these things off each year from my trees and the numbers are getting less but not much...But just last week I found a couple golden globe jupiters or what ever they are along my side walk about 6 feet tall that when pulling the outer foliage apart I found was just lousy with these terrorist bagworms....I got the chain saw and I cut them off at ground level..I put them on my burn pile and they burned very well...there had to be over a thousand of them, to many to pick off one at a time but not too many to fuel a really good cleansing fire.....I may have found the source of my problems, hope so...

It is amazing how nature can be that intelligent that a moth or whatever constructs this really tough home from material that makes it so decieving that it could fool an average bear like me...I admit it they did it, but I have also admitted in the past to slow learnership now and then...but man when I finally get it these guys are now on my terror level of red....

But now comes this Healthcare that seems to be on peoples minds so awful much these days. I just don't know, I admit it I don't know for sure, but I do feel we need something, but we don't need a blank check approach. I think we have to be very careful here as some of these adgenda's this administration has seem to me to be moving us dangerously close to a socialistic government....I think this wanting to be able to give everyone a lot of things just may be a Trojan Horse at our door or simpler terms, maybe a lot of "bagworms"....

This President scares me to death. He is so smooth in his delivery of all of these "ideas for change", but I have a pretty good sense of how salesmanship works, I was one for a period of time, and I just can read from it all that this guy really does not have answers just ideas and they are grandure idea's that very liberal factions in this nations absolutely love....But they do flirt with socialism and that does scare me, it is not what this nation was about at birth but it could be what puts us into a downward spiral that could then someday surprise us all when the worm comes out of the bag and eats our tree....

I hope Congress will take it slow and maybe do something very very basic as far as health insureance for those who are not able to afford it...But man I hope they keep it very basic as compared to making it a "right" to "equal" healthcare is just wrong and something this nation can not afford. I am sorry but you take the reward out of scratching and earning a living here in this nation and we will be in big and I mean big trouble....Our liberal factions have been flirting with this kind of stuff a long time, chipping away at peoples needs, and providing things that frankly put ambitions to work and be successful on hold somewhat. The Banking fiasco we just cleaned up with way to much tax money was caused by these liberal factions providing demands to provide way to much lending to people who just did not qualify and in way to large amounts...no way were they going to be able to return what was lent to them....and the stock fiasco was tied to the same liberal manueving that then sold these bad loans to people for investments...they were investements alright, investments in con games and dead end ideas of very liberal people...

I hope we can somehow turn this around and get back to basic government for the common good of all but allow us to help ourselves....It is a huge problem and it is good that people are finally taking notice of it, maybe we have turned a corner I hope so....but lots of work lies ahead for sure....Some how last night I just felt like I was being sold a car that may have been flood damaged, things just don't add up with the savings words and government being able to wave the magic wan and somehow we all live happily ever after....we need to proceed with much caution....

Some how it seems to me a more pressing thing is getting our people to work not healthcare....
And somehow getting people to instill patriotism in their daily lives and buying habits....How will we ever get people to work when everything we buy is imported from countries that do work and make the stuff? It is for this slow learner, seemingly a pretty simple thing...we make our socks, our cars, our food, our clothing, our hardwood flooring and floor tile, our lumber, all right here, that will put people to work..and if need be to be competitive we burn coal and firewood and we burn ethanol in our cars, we tell the liberals to go fly thier kites elsewhere..maybe its too late, I hope not....but real problems are being put aside for fluff of raising our society to a level that none of us can afford....

Friday, September 4, 2009

Museum of the U.S. Marines (177)

On my recent visit to DC with TogetherWeServed.com we were offered a very special time inside the Museum of the Marine Corps near Quantico Virginia. On Friday after closing they reopened it just for our appoximately 160 some people for private viewing and banquet in the great hall in the center of the museum. It was a memorable time for all of us...Great open bar, great dinner and a few good speakers including our own Maj. Wes Prater the founder of our good web site and Gen Ron Christmas the man who has overseen the fund raising, construction and now operation of this hallowed place.

If ever you motor along I-95 on your way north or south try and take a couple hours out of your schedule to stop by and view what is offered free inside. You can not miss the place as it has a huge aluminum beam protuding into the Virginia sky. That encompassed with the architecture itself supposedly depicts the image of the flag raising moment of raising the flag over Iwo Jima in the Pacific during world war two...I guess that photo is no doubt not only the most published photo of the war but also the defining moment in time of the Marine Corps...But inside the museum you will find many many of these defining moments that make up the history of this great part of this nations defense forces. These forces and the people who served in them have made the USA unlike what we are told, but the most looked up to and envied nation ever to inhabit this God made world. We have without a doubt what it takes to be a solid citizen among nations of this world...We need appologize to no one, we have and still are the cop on the beat for this world and were we not there, well I think it would be a pretty scary world.

Inside this museum you will see life like displays that almost put you into the front lines with these events that they depict...My Picaso at the right is pictures from that night and if you click on it you will be able to make them larger or look at them individually... I hope you will take the time as the picaso is small and does not do them justice. The tatered flag on display there at this time has a very interesting story with it and lucky for me a volunteer from the museum was standing there and shared it with me.....During the early stages of the war the Japs were expanding their territory after the Pearl Harbor attack...We had Marine Corps forces protecting the Island of Wake in the Pacific. They wanted it and invaded and this flag was flying there that day. They killed every marine on that island that day, I remember seeing a movie when in high school about Wake Island...Anyway the commanding officer of the Jap forces claimed the flag as a personal souviner and took it home with him to Japan. No one knew of it until he recently died and his widow was very gracious and said, "this flag belongs to the Marines"...anyway the Marines of course treasure this flag and it is displayed in a rotation with other flags such as the Iwo Jima flags that were raised over that island during the war.

I joined the Marine Corps Association long ago because there was a dream of constructing this museum....And I have donated some funds from time to time to them for this purpose...I think the idea of building it completely with donated funds was a great idea....the work is still happening and more funds are needed so I hope any fellow marines that read this and maybe others who choose to will help out....They have bricks for sale to leave you mark there or to commemorate a loved one maybe. I did a brick in honor of my Boot Camp Platoon a few years back...It is along the sidewalk walking up the hill...I have another one still to be laid that I made in memory of my wife Linda who died a few months back of cancer....she was a trooper and accompanied me to the dedication of the museum on Nov. 10, 2006 just a few months before she died...If you go to the pictures on the right side of this blog and span all the way down, you will see one of my favorite photo's of her with a Marine Captain who honored us with his presents that day as we arrived at the ceremony....I will never forget him, he was a vet of both Iraq and Afganistan like my grandson Lucas. He met us at the Bus and told me I would need to clear security as the President was there that day, but that this fine lady would not have to because she was with him....he stayed with us for maybe 45 minutes showing us around before returning to his duties as a official greeter...Glad I am typing this as I still get a frog in the throat talking about it...But the placement of this brick leads to my final story for todays blog....

A Chapel overlooking the museum on a small hill was planned for the future...A former marine visiting from California toured the museum and learned of the proposed future chapel...I like this story about his generousity and the flexiblility that this museum exhibited after recieving it...
He of course is very successful in the food business there but does want to remain anonyomus but credits his success to his marine training and experiences. Anyway he and his wife upon departure from the museum gave a envelope with a check in side and simply stated that with this money they would like to see the chapel project accelerated....The check was for 5 million dollars....the museum started digging up on the hill before the end of that week....The Chapel is almost complete I looked it over and it will be dedicated next month. And Linda's Lahrman's brick will be there...

Semper Fi, one last story coming yet about the reunion that gunny Bill and I are setting up for next year...

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

No One Parades like Marines (176)

This will not be news to most of my readership, maybe no one but it is a fact, when it comes to Parades and doing it flawless, you better have Marines....

And two weeks ago today Gunny Bill and I arrived in Wash. DC for a reunion of "Togetherweserved.com". We went a couple days early to spend time organizing a reunion for our old boot camp Platoon for next August 2010...And lucky for us as shown in the first pic at right was the last parade of the season at the Marine Iwo Jima Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery...
I guess they normally stop them sooner in August but they had a rain date to make up or something like that...Some dignitary did not get their parade and wanted one...So they got it and we were lucky to have seen it...Of the two excellent Parades by the Men and Officers of 8th and I Marine Barracks DC, I must tell you this one was by far the most enjoyable...Probably because it is still very light as it is a "Sunset" Parade...Happens on Tuesday evening in early summer I guess...

But with the Iwo Memorial with its 35 foot tall statues of the 6 men, and Raising of the Flag on Mt. Sarabatche, Iwo Jima as a back drop, I mean what a great place for Marines to Parade, it can not be beat, we loved it and thanks to M/Sgt. Hunter and his men we found our way into the bleacher seats as the dignitaries did not need all of them. The Band was good, the music was great the Marines paraded flawlessly and the silent drill team was both silent of commands but their execution of there movements were bold and crisp....Those M-1 rifles with chrome bayonets attached being tossed end over end back and forth to each other are something to behold. The posting of colors and seeing the battle flag of the Marines entrusted to the 8th and I Marines was great...I must say again "no one does it better" than these guys and when given the command "order arms" and maybe a couple hundred rifle butts hitting the deck with one crisp pop in the time of a mila-second, it to one who appreciates the effort put forth, sends chills down the spine....

These officers and enlisted at 8th and I do parades very well but their jobs around DC area are many. They train much on riot control for the DC area and we hope that will never happen but sure they have a plan if it should. And they are charged with ceremonial duties around town including the white house detail and the Marine funerals at Arlington...All in all they are busy, very busy when you consider these many duties and these precision parades they do so well.

Again on Friday night we witnessed these same Marines maybe even more of them parading as they do most Friday nights all summer long through August at the 8th and I Marine Barracks. It is located close to the Capitol and is maybe the oldest Marine Base built in 1801...It also was a great parade but for it with our large group we ended up in the end zone area opposite the commandants house....Not as good a place to view that parade as the seats I had 6 years ago when I saw it for the first time with my wife and 3 grand daughters...But still very nice, pictures are not as good as it is dark before it starts..But again a great parade by greater paraders....

Now the last pic is a keepsake from my trip...and it is cool and not hot and I must explain. We were privileged to get to eat with the Marines in the chow hall before the parade. The meal was excellent by my standards of what I remember marine meals to be....some said it was so so, but I remember those days and believe me by those standards it was very excellent...Well anyway back to the subject the tray, the mess sargeant said he had a few scratched trays that no longer were fit for service and we could have one if we liked...Most of us jumped on that offer, why not.
Anyway the bus drivers offered to collect them and put them in the busses till the parade was over...Most allowed that to happen, me I chose to hang on to mine, I guess I was afraid it would just not get back to me later...Carried it into the parade grounds as did maybe a good 50 others.
Settled in for the parade on the top row of the endzone seats and a Master Sargeant gets our attention down front and holds up a tray he had taken from one of our members. He states loudly that these trays are Marine Corps property and "we want them back no questions asked"...So most of them were passed forward and collected and returned to the mess hall...except for one, it stayed between my legs out of sight. A Marine next to me said are you keeping that and I said, "well I am gonna try cause it was given to me and I think there is a mixup here for sure, will take my chances"....After the parade I walked out the gate with it under my arm in sight of some of the Marines...I made it out without a challenge, so I have my keepsake of the 8th and I visit..Not sure what the hell I will do with it, maybe when I make SOS why I will just get it out and put it on that tray and enjoy it...Maybe steak and eggs on Sunday or maybe I will just hang it on a wall somewhere....It is a nice tray.....

Semper Fi,

Jack

OH a PS is in order here...Today is the anniversary of my last birthday two years ago when I reached 69...So I guess you could say I'm 69 and 24 months or you could say I am just waiting on others to catch up...More importantly, one year from today our platoon 3002 San Diego/1956 will begin our reunion in DC doing about the same stuff I did last week..it will be fun....

Friday, August 21, 2009

Our Visit to Bethesda Hospital (175)

Last week in DC, we were offered the opportunity to make the trip up to Bethesda Naval Hospital to share some time one on one with wounded troops from Iraq and Afganistan...It required getting up at 4 am to make the trip on the metro train on our second day there. And Gunny Bill and I did not give it a second thought, we jumped on that opportunity and are so glad we did......

We did not know who we would visit or what we would do or say. And a little bit apprehensive I guess about maybe the whole thing and it would have been easy to just sleep in and take in the DC sights that day. But we knew it was the right thing to do and turned out it was, and we enjoyed sharing time with these men and women being treated at the Hospital....Gunny does this kind of stuff in Omaha quite a bit, but I have not and I guess it was I not we that was concerned if I would be able to make anyone's day a little better....

We visited with about a dozen mostly men who had suffered servere concusions being blown up some more than once by explosions...Most of them suffered from memory problems as it kind of scrambles the grey matter I guess...I think the help they get is working and that some day they will be fine and out working and adding their contribution to society....The Marine I am seen with told me his father and granddad were both Marines and that he joined up and requested infantry against his dad wishes...But he is about to land a job as a police officer soon he told me and I think he will be a good one...Some were more willing to talk than others, I think probably different stages of progress in treatment was the case.

We each had a chance to give them a pep talk as a group before the one on one...My thoughts were that they had suffered for our cause and that we were grateful but for them always to remember the foundation that they had as a Marine...It will serve them well going forward...and many sucessful men and women share the same solid core values foundation as do they....

But then the one on one talks were good probably as much for us than them in a sense...I guess I came away grateful that our troops are being cared for and the time is being taken to make sure they are back to as near as normal as possible before sending them on their way....I guess our mission that day was with the "walking wounded" and that was OK...I had invisioned men lying
in beds with legs and arms amputated or in traction much like my friend Randy Kington who was paralized in Viet Nam...In his book, "What a Life", he wrote he credits the system with great marks on the care he was given and the meeting of his every need...he went on to be a very sucessful man....I hope and pray that all of these young people whom we met will also....

It was a long day, but a memorable one that I am glad we were able to do....

Semper fi.........................................

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The Home of the Marine Commandant (174)

Wow, where to start, I guess right here, having spent the past week in Wash. DC with a bunch of swell US Marines. I guess I will make my first blog on the most impressive thing we did while there in DC. We were allowed to tour the home of the Commandant, 4 star General James T. Conway. He is the 34th Commandant of the Marines and most of them have lived in this gorgeous three story home. It is located at the north end of the parade field at the "8th and I Streets" Marine Corps barracks in DC. The spot for the base was actually chosen by President Thomas Jefferson and the barracks to house the Marines and the Commandants home was built in 1801...That goes back a fir piece and this home in which the commandants have lived since is now the oldest continually inhabited home in DC. In the war of 1812 the Brits took over the town and burned just about everything including the White House but they used this as their headquarters while there and for some reason spared this beautiful home....

The commandants wife was ever so gracious, greeting us at the front door by first name, as we had name tags, and then along with help from maybe a half dozen Marines from the barracks showed us all three floors of the home. Even allowing a few including myself, to use the bath rooms while there...Also while there in the first picture, I seized the moment so to speak, there was the commandants personal office, and the chair was empty and I handed my camera to a fellow Marine and in I went, I just could not resist, sorry Sir, but I did not bother that container of nice cigars you had, nor did anyone else...You can trust Marines even older ones........

When nature called while there I went outside and told a Sargeant that I needed to find a head and could he direct me to one...he said, "sir there are several right there in the living quarters", at which I then said I could not use them it just would not be right, how close is another one?
But he took me back in and said it was quite OK....A Corporal from the mid 50's using not only an officers head, but the highest officer in the Corps just did not seem to me to be "OK", but it was and I did....And there you have the respect and discipline and graciousness that make up our "Espirit De Corps", that I guess only Marines understand....

The second picture down on this posting is Commandant David Shoup. He was born and raised in Battleground, Indiana. He no doubt grew up playing soldier in the battle field located just a few blocks from his home now a antique store in the middle of town. So from that he went on to join the Marines and won the medal of honor on the Island of Tarawa in the south pacific during world war two...From there he went on to become the highest Marine in the early 1960's.....So I guess he is one of my favorite commandants along with the most recent ones like Gen Krulak, Gen Jones, Gen Haggee, and now Gen Conway.......Gen Jones went on after his term as Commandant to be picked by President Bush to be the head of all the Nato troops in Europe. And he now has been picked to hang out in the white house as the chief military advisor to President Obama.....I feel good about this man hangin out there, and advising as best he can, to a President that I have serious doubts about...It is good to have him in that capacity...

And so here starts a few blogs on my great DC adventure. Lying ahead will be blogs forthcoming about such things as the Sunset Parade on Tuesdays, The Evening Parade on Friday, The officers and men who inhabit the 8th and I barracks, our visit to Bethesday Naval Hospital, our visit and banquet in the great hall of the Museum of the Marine Corps, the reunion that Gunny Bill Robinson and I have planned for next August in DC, and maybe a few other topics along the way...It was one hell of a week and good friends were met and great memories made....

Semper Fidelis

Corporal Jack the Happy Hoosier.......

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Sunroom Done, Wedding and U.S. Marines (173)

Well for what its worth, I do like it even the red neck part..It turned out just about as good as I expected. Had planned to use plexaglass on that roof but that would have made it pretty classy, and may have made some of my red neck friends uncomfortable when they seen it. So I went for this stuff called foamcore and to be honest it was less than half the money of plexaglass...The experts tell me plexaglass would crack eventually and fade and discolor, did not take long to get me convinced I did not need to spend 800 on something that was going to not hold up. Instead 300 paid to Meyer Plastics in Lafayette for a super material similar to PVC pipe material...Should last for years and just rednecky enough and classy enough to impress both my classy and red neck buddies....Anyway slideshow pics to the right show it off along with some before pictures of the porch we closed in....glad it is done...............................................

But the main thing is the outside is 100% complete, the inside is still to go and I will get to it someday not sure though when...I work on it from time to time when nothing better to do...But this week lots of social stuff to take advantage of...Lilly my granddaughter is getting married Saturday to a great guy Ryan..She took her time and found a keeper for sure.....and Susan and I get to go to the rehearsal dinner friday night.Lilly and Ryan were guest writers on this blog once, if you write Lilly and Ryan in the search box it will bring up their story...maybe they will write again about the wedding.....so big week end a coming...then on Sunday her Uncle Jack Kaiser is to be inducted into the Loeb Stadium Hall of Fame...He being deceased she has been asked to be there and accept the award for the family. It will happen at the Colt World Series game that day...He was an outstanding coach in Illinois she tells me...should be a fun time.....

Had about and inch of rain a few days ago that the corn and beans sure liked, but more is needed soon and now they tell us a heat wave is coming next week but it should only last about a week and hopefully may produce some thundershowers like heat waves sometimes do.

Well next week I fly to Wash. DC and attend a Marine Corps fun week with 150 "still marines", touring the Pentagon, Arlington Cemetery, and the new Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico VA.....Being accompanied by a friend Bill Robinson and the two of us will be choosing a hotel and making an adjenda for our old Marine Boot Camp Platoon 3002 Fifty Four year reunion next August.
We will also be attending the Marine Sunset Parade on Tuesday at Arlington Cemetery...Never been to that and looking forward to it...It takes place around the Iwo Jima Monument on the north side of Arlington Cemetery....Then on Friday night we will also be in attendance at the Marine Barracks at 8th and I streets in DC for the 'evening parade' put on by the Marine Band and the 400 Marines stationed there...They do ceremonial duties around DC including the white house and they do the burials at Arlington and they practice riot control all week as they are located just a few blocks from the Nations Capital building....hope they never have to use them but I know they do practice for it a lot....then on Friday night they offer free to the public a really cool parade featuring the Marines Silent Drill Team...The Commandant of the Marines lives in an old Mansion at the north end of the drill field and usually attends these parades each week...I was there once about 6 years ago maybe with Linda and three granddaugters...It was a great parade of such precision that it sometimes sent chills down my spine...Like at one point when they give the order for "order arms" and both rifle companies A and B with a total of 400 young Marines bring their M-1 rifles to their sides....I guess you have to have been part of this to get that emotional over it but I know it takes an awful lot of practice for 400 rifle butts to hit concrete in the exact same mega second...and I do mean mega second, it is awesome.....

Then the silent drill team takes front and center with their completely silent no verbal commands and tosses rifles back and forth to each other spinning in mid air with bayonets attached.....that has to take who knows how much training...and always comes off without a hitch....Semper Fi...........oooh/rraaaahhh............it will be fun.....

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

"Corn Field Sex 2009", better late than never....

Maybe the longer you wait the better it is, let hope so here as we are talking the mating season here in much of the midwest being 3 to 4 weeks behind what has become normal the last few years. But the picture second one down shows the stage of a lot of corn here in Indiana. The silks have just emerged, the corn is healthy silks are plentiful and polen is falling from the male counterpart the tassel on top of the stalks. Yes it is happening "Sex in the Cornfield 2009", these plants are getting it on, as I sense that they sense time is of the essence here...It is August not early July and time is a wasting for corn developement......

I think that the corn market has awakened to that fact also, 'finally', yesterday we had a good move up actually the last 3 trading sessions have seen up tics but yesterday it got exciting...I think the market is doing its job of price discovery for this years crop and realizes the drop in price since the government declared a large acreage increase for this years crop a month ago, may have been overdone. And on top of it all is the possibility of this much cooler than normal summer producing a real market mover, especially with these late planted crops, an early 'frost'....We are probably headed back to near 4 dollar corn instead of flirting as we did with 3 dollar corn......

But also a villian has appeared as has been a problem in past years. In the first picture you see sex being inhibited somewhat as these Japenese beatle villians eat the silks of the corn as fast as they emerge from the ear. This can dampen the polination process but usually enough polen falls and at some point when this family of beatles takes a nap or a break, the silks can gather in the polen and the process can proceed anyway and the micro polen sperms can find there way to the tubular silks and once inside start their voyage to the point of origin on the corn cob and a new kernal of corn will happen.....

So my readership as you tour the fields of the midwest this week should you hear a few "aahhhs" now and then with your window rolled down you will know that things are good, that nature although behind a bit is having its way in these corn fields...all is good...Have a great week

Monday, July 27, 2009

Sticky Keys......(171)

Wow, Hallaliuya and Praise the Lord...I thought I may lost you all, maybe have been out of business...Whats up you say?

Well the last couple days my computer took on a life of its own, not sure how it happened but when I would want to type something it would have to hold down each key for say three seconds or so and then it would appear on the screen...talk about nerve racking and frustrating that was it....I googled the problem and it said to get rid of the sticky key function you had to hit the Shift Key five times and it would go away...well mine would not so I figured I was going to have to do something different...but got on today and low and behold and thank the Lord its gone....I am back in business....May be monkey business but its business and I am back in it....

I hate unexpected problems as do we all but I guess we need them now and then to appreciate the good things we have at our fingertips when all is going hunkydoory....an old terminology my mom used...Make no sense at all I know, but I know it means wonderful, could not be better even, that is what hunkydoory really means...now you know, so have a great hunkydoory day out there....

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Peg, Pies and Pescadora's (170)

July 25 my sister Peg's Birthday...She is 79 and 24 months today. She will never see this as she has not a clue on pulling up this blog, or saving it in her favorites. She is challenged a little that way I guess...But she is a great sister...10 years and one month older than I...Love ya sis ...

Pie, the first picture to the right is my very first effort at a blackberry pie...and hey I may be the only one but I am impressed...and it taste almost as good as it looks....going out as soon as I post this and pick some more of those confounded blackberries....they may be good when the snow is flying this winter....

And the third P today is Pescadora's....that is spanish for "fishermen" and I had them today...My son in law Todd and his son Brendan..they kicked ass in the pond and left the fish for me....so I got work todo.....after I pick black berries...they had a good time the fish were really biting...

Friday, July 24, 2009

The Red Neck Moon Roof and Picking and Eating Blackberries (169)

Not nearly as exciting as last years "sex in the corn field" topics, I know, but got to give at least a few words to this years wonderful black berries that are but 100 yards from my back door.. S. P. and I found them about a week ago in the middle of a native grass area. They just pop up wild from birds flying over and dropping the seeds already coated with fertilizer so how could they fail. Well that probably happened 5 years ago and since then they have spread out by the root systems to a patch about 100 feet in diameter....They are loaded and they are delicious. Last week we made a pie and a cobbler..the pie was far the best so will be promoting another one of those this weekend maybe...I found a recipe on google for Grandma's super blackberry pie and well it's just gotta happen....Lots of them out there if your close by, bring your bowl and fill it up....

I bounced out of bed this a.m. and said to myself, "self you should pick just a few berries for your bite size bowl of shredded wheat cereal"....I soon was on my way out the door getting my feet a bit wet in the morning heavy dew, but gosh they looked so good I filled the bowl instead, but luck had it I had another bowl for the cereal and plucked a few off the top and into that bowl...it was good but probably not as good as Grandma's Blackberry pie is gonna be....

Working on my Michael Jackson Red Neck Moon Roof today should finish it up except for the top that will keep out the rain over the porch swing....It's gonna get just a tad bit more red necky as I found out yesterday that the plexiglass I had planned to cover it with is about 900 bucks...I was thinking maybe 250 not knowing how much the stuff cost....So I have pretty much decided on a product called Tuftex Polycarb, I found on google, that is a corrigated clear, smoke or white, but definately not the classyness of the plexiglass I had planned....But maybe no one will notice and if they do they probably will just roll their eyes and not say much....have a great day...

Thursday, July 16, 2009

"Guns an Roses",.....(168)

Well maybe not how about a Canon and Sweet Peas????

Today I visited Fort Pickens here on Pensacola Island or whatever its called...Nice old fort always fun to visit these efforts and walk where our hero's have walked...Big guns provided protection for our coast lines back a hundred years or more....big guns... This big canon was capable of hurling a 300 pound piece of steel about 12 miles out to sea...Must of made one heck of a boom....its on a round rail that allowed it to be turned 360 degrees...I like this kind of stuff of course...I am into protecting our country and way of life that we enjoy...But then we add sweet pea to the mix...

She said I'd be walking home if I posted any of these shots but I will take my chances after all it is "my truck" we arrived and will be departing in....I think I am safe...

Anyway could not find a full sand dollar today but did find about 50 cents worth of one. As you can see to the right...first me with a big gun then a sand dollar well about 50 cents worth and then through the hole lies a sweet pea...

We be headed home tomorrow enough of this it back to work time...