Greg's General Store

Forgiveness; Easier said than done.

2011-08-27T03:15:00.000-07:00

People who know me and know me well would have a hard time believing it but I have a problem with forgiveness. Yes it's true. These days, when someone does something that bothers me I let them know right away and go on with my life. So I am not adding people to “the list” these days even though one of my favorite sayings is; “You just made the list.” (a line from the movie "Stripes") And truth be known, that list is my hate list. Yes I have one and I have always had one even though it is no longer growing.

As I matured, I was able to clear my list for the most part but there were a few people who have remained on it. These were people who over my life hurt me deeply, leaving scars that have stayed with me. But I recently realized that keeping this hatred, even tucked deeply away is robbing me of my ability to totally be happy. So I have decided to let it go, to forget and forgive. So let me clear the air and get some things off my chest and put this list behind me. Some of these may sound foolish or meaningless to you but for me they were huge.

First was that little red haired boy in grade school: You know who you are. You chased me around and hit me every chance you got. You took or smashed my lunches whenever you found where I hid them. Many times you didn’t find my lunch bag hidden deep in the bushes but it would be full of ants when I went to eat lunch. What you didn’t know was that we were poor. My parents had to scrape to make that jelly sandwich. I didn’t mind the punches but I needed that food and often went hungry. And to this day if I get an ant in my food I won’t eat it. I throw it away. But since you were probably a product of bad parents and doing it to get attention, I forgive you.

All you jocks that picked on me in Junior high and made fun of me by playing mean tricks on me, and all those “it” girls who laughed when I was the brunt of those jokes: You just don’t know how much you changed my life. You set the stage for my shyness and I crawled inside my shell and refused to reach out to anyone for over 25 years. It wasn’t until I was in my 40’s that I realized that people do like me and not all people are evil. So you took away a big part of my life but I still forgive you.

My baseball coach, I hated you in the worst way: You never gave me a chance to prove myself. You only let me play when the game was already won and you sat there quietly while the players played jokes on me in the dugout. But the biggest thing I ever hated you for was the time that you embarrassed me like I have never been embarrassed before or after that day. It was most likely nothing to you but those scars have stayed with me for over 40 years. All I wanted was a chance to prove myself.

So when the big game came and we were behind by one run in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded and me up, I just knew it was going to be the day. But you told me just to stand there and not swing. You told me to lean into the plate and either get hit by the ball or take the walk. A walk means we tie you said, and the next guy may get a hit. You told me "if I swung I was off the team" and I wanted to belong to something so bad that I did as you told me even though they threw easy pitches over the plate that I knew I could hit. So I stood there while they called; strike one, strike two, strike three, you’re out, as my father watched from the bleachers and I listened to the sound of laughter. I couldn’t even look him in the eye on that ride home and I never played organized sports again. But I forgive you for putting that game above my feelings. It was wrong but I forgive you.

My ex-wife. Wow you sure messed up a lot of people’s lives. I won’t go into details but it was the lying that made me divorce you. To this day I still don’t know how you could put your hand on a Bible and swear to God that you didn’t do what you did. And then when the evidence came out that you were lying you couldn’t find the words to say; I’m sorry. But all that is behind me now so I forgive you too. But you better ask someone else for forgiveness.

My mother: What can I say? Most people would find it hard to imagine that you can love and hate the same person. Trust me though, it is possible. My mother’s favorite nursery rhyme was; “There was a little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. And when she was good she was very very good but when she was bad she was horrid. “ I think she was talking about herself. We had good times when I was young, lots of them. And not that many bad times either. But when they were bad they were very very bad. My mother was bi-polar back when bi-polar wasn’t cool. And that was back before they even knew what it was so there was nothing to take for it. Needless to say, I had to dodge a lot of thrown dishes. So for all the times you hurt me, I forgive you. Just because you are my mother.

Some would naturally assume that I hate my brothers. The ones that are hooked on drugs that is. But the truth is I don’t hate them. I pity them, pray for them and keep my distance but I don’t hate them. I do however hate the drugs, and I hate what they have become.

I saved the best for last. Or should I say the hardest to forgive for last. “Me”. Over my lifetime, I did a lot of things that I am not proud of and there were a few people that I hurt as I went along my path. It was never malicious or intentional but I hurt them just the same. And even though I said; I’m sorry, I never forgave myself. If you are one of those people, again, I am sorry. Would you please forgive me?

So today I am throwing away my hate list because it is just too heavy to carry around anymore. I am putting hatred behind me. And if you were one of the ones on my list I hope you forgive me for hating you in the first place. In reality, I am not sure if ever really hated you personally as much as I hated your actions. There, it's done and I feel better already.

And as always, have a great day,

Greg

Thankful Thursday, just being thankful

2011-08-25T01:59:00.000-07:00

As are most people here in Charleston, we are very thankful that Irene is going to pass us by. Of course there is always a possibility that she will change directions and come our way. Most people are confident but only God knows for sure so I am keeping an eye out.

I am also thankful that I finally took the leap and went to a Yoga class. I was hesitant because I wasn't sure what to expect but I loved it. I have been talking and thinking lately about letting my inner light shine more and wouldn't you know it but that is what the instructor kept saying in the class. So I take it as a message to me and I will do just that.

I still have the daily trials and tribulations just like always but I am getting things under control. And yes I am thankful that my blood pressure is down. So what are you thankful for today? Won't you join me in saying thanks.

Have a great day,
Greg

Ilene go away

2011-08-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

Well the latest storm track has Ilene missing us. But the bad news is that it has the eye only missing us by 15 miles. That means if it stays on track, it will pass right over us. Just pray that it stays relatively small and that it passes at low tied. The storm surge is what we worry about here in "The Low Country". Our house though is about 15 feet higher than the houses in the City of Charleston so if we flood then Charleston will be under water.

I am not too worried about this one but then I was going to ride out Hugo in Ga. if it had hit there. And I was living in a trailer at the time. I know not too smart. Lucky for me it turned at the last minute but not lucky for Charleston. Right now I also have friends in the Bahamas so I am sure they are scrambling to get out.

We could use the rain and all but the wine festival at Irvin House Vineyards is supposed to be next Saturday and it is supposed to hit on Saturday. It doesn't look good so if you are here looking for festival information please come back in a few days and I will update you on what is going on. And for the rest of you....

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, It's what I am thinking.

2011-08-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

Wow I have so much to be thankful for today but let me start with a story.

This morning I got to get up late because I had blood-work scheduled around 8 am. Compared to my regular schedule of being at work at 6:30 this was like heaven. I got to sleep in until 5:30, whooo hooo. The only bad part about my morning was that I couldn’t eat before the blood work. But since I had extra time this morning, I made breakfast for my family before I headed out.

So there I was on my way to the appointment and I see a big cloud over the ocean with the sun behind it. It would have made an awesome picture if I had my camera with me but I didn’t. As I drove, I kept looking at the cloud from time to time trying to see some kind of shape in it. (maybe a dog, or a face or anything that looked like something other than a cloud) But all I could see was this dark cloud with a bright silver lining. And that is when the thought popped into my mind; If only it looked like “Tater Baby Jesus”.

Ok for those who are just joining me, way back in my early days of blogging, I grew this potato that looked like the Baby Jesus. I swear I am not making this up. It was about the same time that someone saw Jesus’ face in their ultrasound but that had nothing to do with my discovery. So I named this little spud; Tater Baby Jesus. And I kept it for the longest time until my wife said I was insane and she made me throw it out. I told her that "you can't throw away Jesus" and she threatened to have me locked up.

Anyway as I searched the clouds for shapes, the thought of TBJ popped into my mind and it made me smile but the smile didn’t last long. Less than 10 seconds later, the radio announcer said: “Here’s an interesting story and it has to do with potatoes and God. Again I must say I am not making this up. So within 10 seconds of me “thinking” Tater Jesus, the radio announcer said “Potato and God”. Isn’t that amazing? I know it gave me chills too. The story turned out to be about a man that said he was working for God and he began throwing potatoes at a woman in Wally World so she wouldn't go to hell. And you thought I was crazy!

So this happening made me think about thoughts and actions. I have always tried to think before I act and I do think it is a good philosophy to have. I know lots of people who don’t do this and they often end up with egg on their face or they have to apologize for something they did without thinking. If you give it a few seconds of thought then you may hold off on doing something that deep down you may not want to do. And there is always the other side of the coin where some people who act without thinking may not care who they offend or make mad. It’s possible. But I am one of those people who care about what others think and I care about how I make others feel. So I take those few seconds and check the runner (myself) so to speak and decide what I want to do.

But this radio thing made me wonder about my thoughts. Over the past few weeks, months and years I have had some major trials and tribulations. And although I have for the most part kept my feelings to myself, (could this be why my blood pressure is so high?)I still had those feelings? Sometimes I felt like getting even, getting revenge or just coming back with a nasty comment. Like I said, for the most part I didn’t do it but I did think it. So does this make me a bad person? The Bible says that God knows your thoughts even before you think them so He must know them after you brought them into your mind. That means just thinking bad thoughts is a bad thing. But fortunately God knows what is happening in my life and maybe He is testing me and understands why I thought the way I did. And who knows, maybe I will get extra credit for not acting on my thoughts. I wonder if I passed the test?

So I guess what I am saying is this week, I am thankful for being able to remain calm most of the time and I am thankful that God will forgive me for my mean thoughts. Don’t you wish everyone was so forgiving? Oh and I thank God for such an awesome sunrise. Maybe that was a picture of God.

(Disclaimer; my family may disagree with me being calm most of the time but if they only knew what I go through sometimes)

Have a great day,

Greg

Now it makes sense

2011-08-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

Through all this budget debate, I kept wondering what could be so difficult about passing a budget? I mean it's dollars and cents, nothing more....or is it?

Today I heard that they took the gray wolf off the endangered animal list. Funny, I never heard anything about it. How did something like this get passed without anyone knowing about it? Hmmm here is a hint;

Sen. Orrin Hatch expressed, “I couldn’t be more pleased with the inclusion of wolf-delisting language in the budget bill that passed this week.

Milkawhat?

What did this have to do with the budget? Not much I have to say. Apparently by taking an animal off the endangered list it saves us thousands of dollars. Hmmmm Trillion/Thousand. Sounds like a drop in the bucket to me. Maybe it's time to take senators off the endangered list and save the country millions of dollars.

It make me wonder what else was in that bill. I am going to do some research and find out. Enquiring minds want to know.

I'm just saying.

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

You know I have said it before and I will say it again. I could sit here pouting and complaining about all the things that have gone wrong today, this week, this month and this year but I'm not going to do it. I still have a choice and my choice is to be thankful for the little things in life.

Take this afternoon for example. My chipper shreader needs repairs so I spent the entire afternoon, from the moment I got home until it was dark working on it. So what could be the positive side of this? Well just before I began working, I put a pile of pears from my tree out back by the woods. About a half hour later, I saw something brown out there. Ok I didn't have my glasses on which is why I only saw something brown. I picked up my binoculars and guess what I saw? A good sized doe with twin fawns. About a half hour passed and they were joined by another doe and then by a buck. All in my back yard. Take that city folks. :)

No it didn't help me fix the chipper shreader but it did make me feel good seeing the deer in the yard. I am so thankful that I live in the country where I can see God's creatures like that.

Have a great day,
Greg

Isn't outsourcing great?

2011-08-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

Please allow me to complain but I promise it will be short and to the point. Is it just me or is everyone outsourcing these days? And I have nothing against talking with someone from India or Brazil but when I am trying to communicate with someone about something technical wouldn't it be better to talk to someone who speaks the same language? And I think it should be their primary language not a second language.

The other day I called a company that had the word American in the name. So when I called the 800 number I assumed that since it was American XYZ company I would dial through to someone in America. Wrong. The person on the other end was in India and we had trouble communicating. She kept saying; So what you are asking is......and I kept saying no. After about a half hour I gave up.

A few months ago I called a company in California and they had a Mexican operator. Now how smart is that? So the first person you talk to in California is from Mexico and doesn't speak English very well.

Now a friend of mine, actually two friends of mine have told me that I can ask for an operator in the United States and they have to connect me to one. Does anyone know if that is true. I mean I like talking with people from other countries but not when I am trying to do business. And that won't help with the California thing.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Thank God for Grandmothers

2011-08-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

We didn’t have a lot to be thankful for when we were growing up. We were pretty poor, my parents often fought and to say that our house was neat and tidy would be a gross misrepresentation. One thing we did have, was great grandmothers. Not Great Grandmothers but great “Grandmothers”. You know what I mean. And both of them for the most part raised their families alone. One grandfather left and the other was an alcoholic so the grandmothers did what they had to do.

This past weekend I traveled to the town where I was born to attend the funeral of one of my uncles; Russell Cushing. He died at the age of 95 and he lived a good life. He was a great family man and kept himself physically, mentally and spiritually active right up to when he died. Had he not had cancer I am confident he would have lived well past the age of 100. He was the oldest living native of Ormond Beach at the time of his death. Even though he will be missed I am sure he is in Heaven and smiling down on us. I am thankful for all the family that I had growing up but as I said it is the grandmothers that I am most thankful for.

I spent many hours with my grandmothers as I was growing up. I loved talking with them and hearing stories from the past. They were both special people and held the families together. My grandmother Green had it especially hard because she was a TB survivor. Back in those days they just took you to an asylum to die when you got TB but somehow she survived. I often spent the day with her talking about gardening and birds and nature in general. She died the same year that I retired from the Navy but due to my mother being mad at me at the time she purposely didn’t let me know.

So Grandma Green passed away without me being able to say goodbye and it was weeks before I even knew she was gone. Every time I visited the old town I meant to visit her grave but I just never found the time. I was always on a tight schedule when I was in town so I never made it to see her. It’s hard to believe that so many years have passed. So this time since I was in town and not on a schedule I promised myself that I would visit her grave and say goodbye.

Grandma had selected her grave site herself and I have to say she did a great job. My sister took me there and I was happy to see a well maintained cemetery. It was on one of the few hills in Daytona. Grandma’s grave was at the top of the hill overlooking the entire place.

There was a huge oak tree nearby and a statue of Jesus just to her left. So the first thing that came to mind was “she is at the right hand of Jesus looking down on us”. I knew it. If anyone was going to be there it would be her. But it was so symbolic that it made me feel good inside.

We talked for a while and I said I just wish I could have had the chance to say goodbye. Then
something very unusual happened.

As I was just about to walk away, a huge hawk appeared out of nowhere and flew up and landed on the statue which was about 25 feet away. Now I don’t know if you know anything about hawks but they don’t like being out in the open like that so close to people unless they are hunting. But this hawk wasn’t hunting. He was just sitting there looking at us. And I mean looking right at us. I had my camera with me since I wanted to get some photos of the area so I raised it and took a photo and he didn’t even fly away. I turned to my sister and said; What do you think? She just smiled and said; Who knows, it's possible. We walked to the car and the hawk remained perched on the statue until we were out of site.

I whispered Goodbye Grandma as we drove away but I am sure I will return. So I thank God for Grandmothers.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday....I'mmmmm Baaaaack

2011-07-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Why do I hear crickets? I know I know I have been gone too long but now I am back so I hope to regain some of my faithful followers.

A lot has happened in the past weeks and months and a lot of it was bad. But instead of focusing on the bad things I will look at the bright side. In the past week, my boat broke down again and I had a flat tire on my car. The good news is we were able to make it back to the boat landing without having to paddle and the tire went flat while the car was parked at home and not while driving down the highway. So I am thankful for both of those things.

I am also very thankful for all the rain that we got over the past few days. I think we got over 6 inches and lots more in some other areas. It is so nice not to have dust rise up as I walk across the lawn. Of course this means someone will have to mow the grass this week but it is worth it.

What I am saying is even though I have had tons of troubles over the past few months, things could always have been worse and I am thankful to God for that.

Have a great day,
Greg

Letter to the Editor and Chief.

2011-07-27T01:53:00.000-07:00

Mr. President, Men and Women of Congress and Senators:

I know you are all busy these days trying to get the budget passed (IE: pouting, throwing temper tantrums and pointing fingers) which is why I didn’t bother sending this to you. Most likely it would be lost in the tons of letters that you already have and that you have no intention of reading. I am hoping however that those of you who follow my blog (and I know the numbers are great) will read this and take it to heart.

Coming up with a balanced budget isn’t that hard. Millions of Americans have been doing it for years and with less and less each year and some of us are making it. Yes many of us are struggling but we are still in the green which is more than I can say for your budget. So I thought I would go over some basics and maybe that would help you out.

For starters there are only three things that you have to consider; How much money you have coming in and how much you have going out.

Now some of you didn’t even catch the mistake I just typed because like the health bill you didn’t bother to read it. But let me break the going out into two parts and that will make three things. In the “going out” category we have wants and needs. To put it simply, I make X amount of money and I spend it on wants and needs. If the going out is more than the coming in part then we have a deficit. It’s as simple as that. Let’s say I make 100 dollars a day and my daily bills total 100 dollars then it doesn’t matter that I want a snickers bar, I can’t have it no matter how satisfying it would be. Are you still with me? If not, suck the lip back in and pay attention.

So let’s look at an example more relevant to our country’s situation. I will simplify it so even you can understand. Let’s say we take in 100 billion in taxes and other under the table money. (I’m just giving an example here) And that we have in the going out category; SS payments totaling 50 billion, military bills totaling 50 billion, 100 billion in financial aid to countries that hate us and 30 billion to save the blue winged dragon fly. Step one is to put these items in the wants or needs category. Come on, you can do it.

Hint; Just because someone put a little extra in the collection plate to help you get elected does not increase the importance of an item.

It looks to me like there are two needs; SS and military and if we do the math that leaves ZERO dollars so we can’t give out the financial aid to the countries that hate us and we may lose the blue winged dragon fly.

News flash: Those countries are still going to hate us and we may lose the dragonfly anyway no matter what we do so why spend the money.

So guys and girls in Washington, put your petty ideas and special interest items aside and get this budget thing done. If not, the economy isn’t the only thing that will be crashing down. Remember if the country runs out of money you won’t get paid either. And if you are thinking about raising taxes, I like that idea. But raise everyone’s taxes by an equal percent. Or maybe I should just go to my boss and tell him that I am out of money so he HAS to pay me more and see how that flies.

And have a great day,

Greg

In case you are wondering....

2011-07-25T01:41:00.000-07:00

Yes I am still alive. I wish I could say that I am doing well but the truth is I am still struggling. It has been one thing after another in my life and to tell the truth I am getting pretty tired of it. When I get one thing behind me there are two more in front of me taking its place. At this rate I will never get caught up. You name it, it has broken on me lately.

They say that when life gets this tough, God is testing you and making you stronger for something big. It must be something really big is all I have to say. My wife and I were laughing about this last night. Yes we can still laugh about it because we know that things can always get worse or be worse. I know it is only a phase we are going through or at least I hope so but just in case I am saving up wood and nails to build a very big boat for when the flood comes. :)

I will return and write again soon I promise.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday. The last?

2011-05-19T01:49:00.000-07:00

Well its Thursday and that makes it Thankful Thursday but the question is where there be a next Thursday. The doomsday people say Saturday is when the end will start so if so this will be my last Thankful Thursday. I will write more on that next week. I am not counting on anything happening this weekend. Well nothing bad anyway. On a good note though I am thankful for having great kids. This weekend I am going along on a field trip as a chaperon. I really am looking forward to it and I am so thankful for the opportunity to do something with my youngest. Well its time to pack so I have to cut this short. See you next week. Well that is if.....

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday I'm glad I feel bad

2011-05-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

Well since I was late last week I am going to be early this week. Ok truth is I am at the library and I won't have another chance to write so here goes.

Unlike a lot of people I know, when I do something that I know in my heart is wrong, I feel bad about it. Like when I arugue with someone, or when I tell a little fib or when I simply take the easy way out of a situation. Lately I have had to deal with a lot of difficult people and I let my guard down and went down to their level. But unlike them, I felt bad about it and hope and pray I don't do it again.

So today's Thankful Thursday is a simple one; I am Thankful that I have that little voice inside my head that scolds me when I take the wrong road. And I do take it from time to time no matter how hard I try. But I do keep trying.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday/Friday

2011-05-06T01:42:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm late but I did want to get in a quick Thankful post.

I am very thankful this week even if I still don't have a computer. But I am adjusting to not having one and realizing that I had become addicted to it. What in the world did we do before computers. I may just try to live without it now forever. The one at the library is free and it is nice and quiet down there. I have a lot going on and a lot to be thankful for so just let me say Thank you God for everything.

Have a great day,
Greg

Three Little Birds, well kinda

2011-05-03T01:29:00.000-07:00

If you didn’t know it, Three Little Birds is the name of a Bob Marley song. It is one of my favorites too. But it also goes along with what I am writing about today. First off I want to say high 5 to our military for getting you know who. I am not going to say his name because I don’t want to draw any attention to him or what he stood for. Let’s just say he got what was coming to him. When you sow death and destruction you reap death and destruction. More on that later.

Ok bird #1: On Saturday my wife and I, along with a friend were sitting on our patio. It was a really nice day with the sun shining through the trees and a humming bird began buzzing around our heads. He wanted to go the feeders but obviously he didn’t like the quality of the food so my wife washed the feeder and I got him some fresh hummingbird food. It was only a few minutes before he returned and this time sat and drank a bunch of food.

All of a sudden he sped off as if something startled him. And that is when his trouble began. Instead of going around our little screened porch, he ran right into the screen at full speed. I am not sure how fast they fly but it seems like it is very fast and this little guy was moving. However unlike other birds that I have seen run into screens, this guy didn’t bounce off. Apparently his long beak hit first and speared right through the screen leaving him stuck on the screen like a bug on a windshield. But he was still alive and he sat there buzzing or should I say humming.

I quickly jumped up and came to his aid. I gently put my hand around his body and then a finger on each side of his beak and backed him out. It only took a few seconds and when I opened my hand he quickly flew away. A short time later he returned to the feeder. At least I think it was the same one. This time when he left the feeder he headed in the opposite direction. Hmmm smart bird.

Bird #2: Ok this was actually the third bird and it wasn’t really a bird but it is worth writing about. While I was on my way to work yesterday morning, up ahead in my headlights I saw something on the edge of the road. No, not a deer but I did see a few that morning. it wasn'It was right on the white line so I had to swerve to go around it. It was a great horned owl and it was just standing there looking at me. I am not used to seeing them standing on the ground so I can only imagine that it had caught something and was about to fly away. Yes I know it was an owl and not a bird but there isn’t a song got goes; Three Little Owls. Or at least I don’t know about one.

Bird #3: This was actually the second bird story and it was actually three birds in itself but I want a big finish so I put this one last. Haha. I know times are hard but this is ridiculous. Someone killed a squirrel with their car in front of our driveway over the weekend. I was going to go out and move it off the road but before I could get there a buzzard flew down and got it. The buzzard was soon joined by two more. So here we have three huge buzzards eating one little squirrel. Talk about hard times. But I have a solution.

OK so back to paragraph 1. It seems no one wanted the body so they gave him a “proper” burial at sea. First off why did he deserve a proper burial and secondly; “No one wanted the body”….are you serious? Can you say redneck? Has no one ever heard of ebay? I mean come on. I am sure there is some fool out there that would have paid millions or even billons for the body. I can see it now…some big game hunter’s trophy room. You know. On the wall. Ok maybe not.

But of course there were those three hungry buzzards. I’m just saying…

Have a nice day,

Greg

Thankful Thursday, Thanks for?

2011-04-28T01:36:00.000-07:00

I remember watching an old Jimmy Stewart movie Shenandoah when I was young. In the movie his wife; a good Christian woman had died and he was raising his 6 son’s and one daughter alone. As they sat down to dinner one evening, he gave the following prayer:

“Lord, we cleared this land. We plowed it, sowed it, and harvest it. We cooked the harvest. It wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t be eating it if we hadn’t done it all ourselves. We worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel, but we thank you Lord just the same for the food we’re about to eat, amen.”

Lately that is how I feel. I have “things” but nothing fancy. I live in a modest home and drive an inexpensive car. I work hard every day and have worked since I was 16 but seldom have money. It seems like something is always breaking around my house so I seldom have the luxury to just sit and relax. And on the few occasions that I have a chance to do something relaxing like going out in my boat, in the back of my mind I have that long list of things that I need to do because I can’t afford to pay anyone else to do them.

In the past year I have had to fix cars, boats, pumps, computers, wells, septic systems, doors windows, animals, school projects, electrical things, mechanical things, hydraulics, transmissions, etc, etc and all with knowledge that I taught myself. Other than the electrical part, I never had a lick of training on anything I fixed. I either found an instruction book or I just went into it blind and “Tried” to see if I could fix it. For the most part I was able to figure the things out. I worked in rain, wind, cold heat and in swarms of mosquitoes, fire ants and sand gnats that would make a saint curse.

I have prayed for some kind of relief, any relief at all. Maybe a short period where nothing breaks or a check that arrives that was lost in the mail. A few days off with nothing at all to do would also be nice but so far no relief in sight. I fixed all these things by myself. Yes I got some help from my family but for the most part I did it alone. I got up early, worked until it was dark, cut my hands, got things in my face and eyes, hurt my knees and back. I fixed things myself and if I hadn’t done it, things wouldn’t have gotten done. God I am not sure what or how you helped me fix all the things that broke in the last year but I thank you anyway.

Amen

PS, Thanks for not sending any flooding, fires or earthquakes my way and keeping me strong enough to face another day.

Thanks for a great day,
Greg

Hello from the Library

2011-04-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone (hearing crickets here).

My computer is on the disabled list at the moment which is why I didn't post last week. I am still trying to find the parts to fix it. No that's not quite true, I am still trying to find the money to buy the parts to fix it. Computer parts just aren't in my budget at the moment.

So here I am at the public library blogging. But on the bright side this is free. If they would just open the library at 4 am I wouldn't have any reason to have internet at home. I may just get rid of it yet. That would go along with my downsizing and simplifying phase I am currently going through. But anyway.....

Some good news. I got my boat working. Yea me!!! So we got to go out in the boat last weekend and man was that nice. Lets just hope it keeps running. And now it is on to bigger and better repairs. I am on a roll though so I can do it. :)

Well not much else to say right now. As Arnold said; I'll be back!!!

Take care and have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, the golden years

2011-04-07T01:51:00.000-07:00

As I struggled to get out of bed this morning, I got to thinking about why they call these the golden years. I mean I don't have a lot of gold. Maybe it is for the wealthy. Maybe it has something to do with bladder control or should I say the lack of bladder control. I just don't know anymore and to tell the truth I really don't care to have any gold. You can't take it with you so why have it. I am starting to think that way about everything. I think it is time to downsize in many ways.

So today I am just thankful for the little things in life:

Getting up each morning even when it hurts.

The kids even when they drive me crazy.

My wife even when she drives me crazy. (just kidding dear)

My job even when I dread going in sometimes.

My car even though it kills me to put gas in it at these prices.

And I am thankful that this thing called life is only temporary.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, let it rain

2011-03-31T01:48:00.000-07:00

You know a lot of people get upset when it rains but not me.

First off I sleep like a baby when it rains. There is something very soothing about the sound of rain when I am trying to sleep.

Secondly it makes things feel so fresh and clean. And this time of year that is especially true since it washes away all that pollen. You can see little yellow puddles all around after it rains.

And finally rain is needed to make the flowers grow. And you all know how I love plants.

So today I am simply going to say I am thankful for the rain. I know there are a lot of other things on my list but this morning, rain is at the top. So have a great day and be thankful for whatever joy life brings you.

Greg

Spring is here

2011-03-27T03:54:00.000-07:00

It's officially spring now per the calendar and also per Mother Nature. I woke up this morning to the sound of rain on the roof and some relief from all this pollen. As much as I love spring, I also dislike the way my allergies make me feel. But as I said this morning I have some relief and I am loving this slightly cooler weather and rain. I think it is going to be a great Sunday.

I spent my Saturday working in the yard and making bluebird houses. In order to stay outside I have to wear a dust mask but at least I can go out. I just hope I don't get tanned with a little white mouth. That would look strange. Anyway, I had a great day and I have some photos to share.

Have a great Sunday,
Greg

See why I am tired

2011-03-26T03:16:00.000-07:00

This happened a few nights ago. And I am still trying to recover.

Well it all started with the allergy attack that I had during the day. It was one of the worst ones I can remember. My eyes were swollen, my throat, ears and even my skin itched. So I got some Benedryl and off I went to bed. Around 12:20 though it began to wear off and I was having trouble breathing. So I decided to move to the couch where I could prop myself up and maybe get some more sleep. And that’s when the craziness started.

I actually thought that I would get right back to sleep when suddenly a car passing our house honked its horn. I assumed that there was a possum or maybe a venomous duck or something like that out there so I tried to relax again. And I was relaxing again when the same thing happened; Honk Honk. And shortly after that it happened again. Well I thought to myself; enough is enough so I turned on the outside light and opened the front door and stepped out. And what to my wondering eyes should appear but 8 tiny raindeer. No sleigh just a bunch of deer. They were grazing in the front yard out near the road.

People let me tell you something from someone who knows. If there are deer on the side of the road, the last thing you want to do is honk your horn. Yes it will make them run but when they run they have two options; Run in the woods or run in the street and with my track record I know which direction they will head. Just slow down and let they stay where they were in the first place. Anyway back to my story. So I yelled at them and flashed the lights on and off a few times and they went across the street into the woods.

Finally I thought I could get some rest. And again I was about to drift off when I heard a startling sound. Thump thump……Thump thump. It sounded like someone walking on our deck. And since it was about 1 am, that isn’t a good sound.

Now when I was younger I watched a lot of scary movies and if there is one thing I learned; Never and I mean never look when you hear something scary because you really don’t want to see that is making the noise. Ok let me digress here for a second. Many years ago (like 40) I was visiting someone and sleeping in their guest room. I heard a noise early in the morning just before dawn so like a fool I slowly rose to look out the window and found myself face to face with a peeping tom and our faces were only about a foot apart. See what I mean, never look.

But the sound continued and I began thinking of my options. Option 1 was to go get my shotgun and then look out the window. But that would involve walking in front of the window and who or whatever was out there would see me and maybe “get” me. So I chose option 2 which was to go against logic and just look out the window. And that is what I did knowing full well that if I saw someone on my deck I would scream like a girl and most likely faint.

So as the sound continued, I slowly looked out the window and to my relief there wasn’t anyone on our deck. There was however a very large raccoon that was eating some leftover cat food. And he kept rocking the food bowl which was making the thumping noise. Now the window was open with only a screen between us and I shouted “get out of here” but the raccoon just looked at me and continued eating. So I went over to the door, turned on the porch light and eased the door open. This raccoon continued to eat so I clapped my hands and again shouted “get out of here”. This time he backed up a foot or so but didn’t run. At this point we were only about 4 feet apart and he was a full grown raccoon.

So I looked around for something to throw at it. I found something not too heavy and I threw it at the vermin and he ran back a few more feet. So I shut the door and tried to sleep again. But alas he came back again and I had to find something larger to throw at him. This time he ran away further but I wasn’t able to fall asleep again on the couch so I went back to bed.

Then a few minutes after I got in bed, the power went out for a few seconds but it was long enough to reset all the clocks. So I had to get up and reset my alarm. And you wonder why I am tired today. Ha. Is anyone interested in some venison or maybe a coon skin cap? I may have some for sale in the near future.

Have a great day,

Greg

Thankful Thursday, It's that time of year again.

2011-03-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

Yes it's spring and you know that that means....Allergy season. Not only are the cars yellow but right now the air is too. If you are in an area that doesn't have bad pollen, you don't know what you are missing. Just be thankful for that.

Right now I am so thankful for Benedryl. A few hours ago as I was driving home through the yellow air, my eyes began to bug out a bit. Yes my eyes were swelling. That went along with my scratchy throat, eyes, skin and hair.. Yes I believe my hair even itches. So I stopped by the local drug store and got some Benedryl. And now I am feeling better. I am by no means feeling good but at least I am not feeling like walking death anymore.

I am thankful that I volunteered to take the lead on the United way campaign where I work. I went to my first meeting today and I saw some people I know. It is always nice to see old friends.

I am thankful that the bluebirds have already decided to use the house I put up on Sunday. I am also thankful that I can make these houses myself. (photo to follow)

I am thankful that my youngest made it through this past grading session with no failing grades. Talk about a load off my shoulders.

And finally, I am thankful again for my green thumb. The plants are doing well and I think that they will do even better this year since we are downsizing a big.

Have a Great Thankful Thursday,
Greg

Saturday report

2011-03-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

First off let me say it was a lovely day on Saturday. And I got what I thought was a great spot at the flea market. After that, things went south.

Yes Saturday I headed to the world famous Ladson Flea Market. In case you are the only one who has never been there, let me give you some of the highlights. They have the famous flea market restaurant which is famous for things like burnt bacon biscuits, cold coffee and something that sort of resembles sausage on a bun. Sometimes it is best not to know.

Now remember it is pollen season and the air was already yellow but add to that the dust from the cars racing by and you have an atmosphere worse than anything in Japan. I kid you not. It is bad. Real bad. I washed my face almost every half hour and I had to take a shower when I got home.

The vendors are special too. Next to me was a family that one would expect to see in a low rent trailer park. (not that there is anything wrong with trailer parks) I'm just saying. Let me just give you a description and see what you think.

It was a mixed couple, he was black and she was white trash and I had no problem with that. And then there was the child from her first boyfriend or should I say before her current boyfriend. I know this from the conversations I overheard. And I could tell that this young lady came from some good stock. I'm talking way back in the holler Kentucky stock. She had that deliverance (married to your cousin look) She must have been around 12 or 13 and already old enough to take an occasional puff from her mother's and her mother's boyfriend's cigarette. And yes they were not only smoking but chain smoking. There wasn't a minute during the day that at least one of them wasn't smoking.

Are we getting a lovely picture here?

Anyway, she weighed around 25o lbs she was wearing a tight stretch shirt and shorts. And that shirt was so tight it was not only riding down at the top but up at the bottom. On occasion it would quickly slip up over her round belly and expose her entire stomach and also the nice ink on her back. Hold on I just threw up in my mouth a bit.

She kept losing the "girls" too and having to re-stuff them back in her shirt. And speaking of ink, she also had ink on the girls and on her arms. The boyfriend was equally attractive, sporting some ink himself. At least the girl didn't have any at least not on her back or butt or breasts because she was happily showing them off to anyone who passed by.

Now they did have some quality merchandise that they were selling. They had some toasters and can openers and some other small appliances that were still in the original boxes. Of course the boxes had gotten wet but that didn't hurt the contents I am sure. And they were selling these items for only 15 dollars each. Not too bad considering this past Christmas, Target had them for 3 dollars. They also had some used clothing but I am sure it smelled of cigarettes or worse.

And then there are the people there buying stuff. To the girl with the "you know you want it" t-shirt.....No we don't. And to the girl with the "I'm too sexy for my shirt" t-shirt.....No you aren't. And finally hot pants, leopard print high heeled shoes with fur on them and a pink shirt with the words: "I know you are jealous" may work on the runway but never at a flea market.

Sorry no photos, I didn't want to break my camera.

I'm just saying.

Have a great Sunday,
Greg

Thankful Thursday

2011-03-17T01:41:00.001-07:00

Another week has come and gone. Where does the time go? But with all that is happening in the world it is understandable that time is flying.

This week I am so thankful just to have a roof over my head at night. Just think of all those people in Japan that can't say that one simple thing. Life is good for me and I am so thankful for the little things I have.

I am struggling with allergies at the moment but I know it could always be worse. I am thankful that it isn't worse.

I am thankful for old friends that have come back into my life. It's great to relive old memories and remember the good old days.

I am thankful that it is Thursday and I since I am taking tomorrow off, I have a long weekend ahead of me. I will be making bird houses tomorrow to take to the flea market.

Finally I am thankful for my wife. Tomorrow is her birthday so I will also be making a cake and fixing a special dinner for her. I am just looking forward to spending the day with her.

Have a Blessed day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, yes I am back.

2011-03-10T01:37:00.000-08:00

I may not be able to post every Thursday or every week for that matter but I have decided to keep my blog alive and post when I can. Funny thing though, now that I "quit blogging because I didn't have the time" I have had more time to blog. Go figure.

So today I am thankful that I am still blogging. I do love it and I am thankful that I still have some followers.

And I am also thankful that yesterday I got over my fear and gave blood. Not just one pint but two. They have this new thing where if your red blood count is high, they can take two pints and put back some of the other fluids. It made me feel good to give again since I used to do it all the time.

I have also taken over the United Way campaign where I work and I am still raising money for the Good Neighbor Fund. In addition I will be helping someone else at work raise money for the Heart Fund. I guess I am just in a giving mood and I am thankful for that.

And finally, I am thankful for my youngest son who keeps me on his toes. Today is his birthday and he is turning 14. Where does the time go?

Have a Blessed day,
Greg

How I lost $10,000 today

2011-03-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. I know I said that I had lost my zest for blogging and I had and then Bahm!!! Along comes something so amazing and blog worthy that I just had to write about it.

I thought I had seen it all until this afternoon. I went down to the boat landing near my house to let my son do some kayaking. When we got there, a family was trying to load their jet ski. But their trailer broke in half so they had to come up with another idea. Hmmm what to do, what to do? Wait I know, we can get the jet ski into the back of our truck. But how do we do that? Wait I know, we can back the truck down the boat landing until the water comes up in the truck bed and then we can just float it in. And that's what they did.

They backed their truck down the ramp, into the salt water until there was about a foot of water in the bed. Now the truck was still running so there were bubbles coming up from the tail pipe. And then two guys got in the water and pushed the jet ski into the truck. Then they very slowly drove the truck up the ramp and tied the jet ski in.

Now the reason I lost $10,000 is because I didn't have my camera. If I did, and if I had filmed what was going on, I am sure that I would have won the $10,000 grand prize on America's Funniest Videos. I am positive of it. Only in the south.

And have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Time to move on.

2011-02-23T15:44:00.000-08:00

After a long thought process I have decided to leave “Blogworld.” It’s not because I haven’t enjoyed it or because I haven’t met some great people through blogging because I have. But there are other reasons that are pushing me to change directions and break away from blogging. The first and most obvious is the time involved. Back when I had more time to devote to blogging, I had a large following. I posted almost daily and I visited a number of your blogs just as frequently.

Over the past year, my life has gotten so hectic that I almost never have time to blog and when I do I am so hurried that I really don’t put the time into my posts to write anything solid. The last holdout was my Thankful Thursday posts which even though I enjoy doing, I don’t "feel" them like I used to. It’s not that I am not thankful because I am. In fact every Thursday now I wake up and the first thing on my mind is thinking of what I am thankful for. And I do have so much to be thankful for. And to those who stuck with me until the end I want to say thank you and I am sorry for giving up.

This past week and a half has been one of the worst times in my life. Although the events of this time didn’t directly lead me to quitting my blogging it did force me to meditate and take some “me-time” and that is how I can to this conclusion.

If you didn’t already know, my brother in law passed away on Sunday the 12th. It wasn’t totally unexpected but the end came quickly for him. About 5 years ago David was diagnosed with lung cancer and after the treatments he was left with only a half of lung. He was able to breathe though and function normally except that he couldn’t exert himself like before.

Over the past few months it became more difficult for him to breathe but he was still doing fairly well. Then about a week before he died, he began having more serious problems. They found something in his lung so they put him under in order to check it out. While he was under he passed away. I am so thankful that he left us in a condition of no pain. And I am 100% positive he knew it was his time to go and was ready.

The ironic thing about a death is that it brings out both the best and worst in people. And this death was no exception. I saw a side of people I never knew existed. I will leave it at that. It is kind of like being around someone who has been drinking. If you have ever heard someone say “you don’t want to be around so-in-so when they are drunk, I have news for you. Being drunk doesn’t make someone into a bad person. It just brings out what the person is normally suppressing. A bad drunk is a bad person. They just usually hide it well. I know. I come from a long line of alcoholics.

Right after he passed, I heard someone say; “Why did God let him die? We prayed for a miracle. Why didn’t God answer our prayers?” I think God letting him go was the miracle. He was ready, he had a full life and he was beginning to struggle just to breathe. He did more in his 55 years that some people do in 100. To me not making him hold on and suffer was a miracle and again I thank God for that. So when you pray for a miracle remember that you may not get exactly what you were asking for.

This past week I also got a virus on my computer. Talk about bad timing. We were supposed to go out of town and I needed to print out the hotel reservations. I also had to get directions and check the bank balance and send emails and check my facebook page and my work emails and and and….. And that’s when it hit me. This computer thing is running my life. I mean I have to be on it enough at work so why am I spending so much time on it at home? It just doesn’t make sense. And when I get a virus like this, I take it as a personal attack on my privacy. The government won’t do anything about these hackers.

In fact a lot of time they are hired by people like Microsoft after they destroy millions of computers just because they are so smart. If I were in charge I would have a different fate for them. Like I would see how well they write a virus program with their toes because they have no fingers. You know an eye for an eye kind of thing. Anyway that is water under the bridge. I will clean my computer and get some new memory. And that brought up my next thought; “memory?”

It seems anymore when we see the word “memory” we think of computer memory. And that stands to reason since most humans revolve around the computer instead of what really means something; Life itself. This past weekend I attended the wedding of one of my nieces. It was a wonderful wedding and reception and I enjoyed everything about it including those little scallops wrapped in bacon and prawns the size of little lobsters. Can you say yum!! On the way to the wedding there was an airplane doing some sky writing. We watched as he made a smiley face and then spelled out the words "Jesus Loves you." I thought that was pretty cool.
One of best parts of the wedding was seeing some old friends. “Richard and Susan”. They have stayed in contact with my sister and I knew them quite well “back in the day.” We attended the same church when I was very young and we went to the same church camp. I actually went to camp with Susan’s brother Paul and their father drove us. Wow that was over 40 years ago but I can remember it like it was yesterday. The wedding and reception were quite a ways apart so we rode there in a bus. I sat in front of Richard and Susan and we sang some old church camp songs. Now THAT is a memory.

I started out blogging as a method to draw people to my real estate website. When I quit selling real estate I continued to blog and write stories. I think I wrote some pretty genuine heartfelt stories back then and much of it was very therapeutic for me. But now I feel the need to spend more time with my family and create new memories. Unlike computer memories, real memories can’t be erased or hacked. And real memories are something that you can take with you no matter what.

So I am no longer going to blog, or facebook, or twitter and I am going to concentrate on meeting people face to face or calling them on the phone where I can hear their voice or see what is in their eyes. I think it is much more personal, much more real and the way it was meant to be. Now I don’t hold it against anyone who wants to blog or facebook or twitter, especially if you are separated by many miles. But it makes me wonder when I have lived in the same house for 30 years and had the same phone number for that long why some people have only contacted me via facebook. I do have a phone. I think it is a way to say, hey I am still out here, I know you are still out there, I want to say hi, or whatever but I don’t want direct contact so let’s just leave it at that.

Anyway, I still enjoy writing and may someday write that book that I always dreamed about. I will still be around so if you want to contact me, call or write and yes you can still email me. Well for now anyway. I may give that up someday as well.

And have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Rain and more Rain

2011-02-10T01:44:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain on the roof. So that occupied my mind until I realized that it is Thursday and time for Thankful Thursday. This week has been hectic for me but I still have time to stop and be thankful.

I am thankful for this rain although I do believe we have had enough for now. The yard is soaked. On the other hand we just put in some winter plants so they are getting watered very well.

I am thankful for the strength that God has given me to get over some recent hurdles. I am still in mid-air but I believe that I will make it over them all.

I am thankful that God kept me safe yesterday on my drive home. I had 5 close calls in traffic but I made it home safely. All the close calls were due to cell phone use in heavy traffic. People put away those cell phones when you are driving.

I am thankful that my house is dry and warm. I can hear the wind howling outside but all is well in here.

I am so thankful for the ability to keep calm with all the chaos in my life right now. If there is one thing I have improved on in the last year it is this ability.

So even if you life is in chaos like mine, take the time to stop and say thanks. Things could be a lot worse.

Have a great day,
Greg

I got the diet man blues.

2011-02-03T16:16:00.000-08:00

When I was a child, I used to stand in front of the refrigerator and just stare into space, hoping that something good to eat would jump out at me. Well nothing good every jumped out at me. Of course I was never on a diet back then. But we are on a diet now. The only way we are able to stay on our diet is to remove all goodies from the house. I mean you can't snack on junk if there isn't any junk in the house.

I know it's a weak method of dieting but it does work. Because a box of cookies in our house would last about as long as a one legged chicken in Ethiopia. About two minutes I would guess. Not long at all.

So tonight my youngest son went to the refrigerator and did the open and stare routine. But guess what? He saw something. It was cold, sweet and not on our diet. It was an ice cream sandwich. I had fallen out of the box and it free for the taking.

Have you ever seen what chickens do when you toss a juicy worm in the midst of them? Well that's what it looked like in our living room but it wasn't chickens and a worm. It was starving people and an ice cream sandwich. I opted out of the frenzy, heading for another room. I figured that once you dissected that ice cream sandwich into 4 pieces it wouldn't be worth the struggle. So I gave up my share of that ice cream sandwich.

But then a few minutes later the same boy went back to the refrigerator and guess what? He found another one. By the time I came back into the living room both sandwiches were just a memory. Oh well I missed my chance. But tomorrow is weigh in day and I think I lost again this week.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Its almost spring

2011-02-03T01:21:00.000-08:00

If yesterday was any indication, spring is just around the corner. Not only did the groundhog not see his shadow but here in SC it was sunny and 75. I will take that anytime in February.

So the first thing I am thankful for is that lovely day we had yesterday. Today will be 25 degrees colder but at least we had one day.

I am thankful that I am doing well on my diet. I will be down another two lbs this week making it a total of 8 lbs lost in three weeks. I can do it.

I am thankful that although we aren't getting more this year we are adjusting and living with less. I really don't mind but it took some getting use to.

I am happy that our chickens are doing well. Two days ago, a hawk tried to get to them but they all managed to escape. They are still laying eggs as of yesterday anyway.

I am happy that it is Thursday and Friday is just around the corner. It has been a hectic week for me at work and I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend. It is supposed to rain but I have no outside activities planned so bring on the rain.

Please join me in saying thanks and have a great day,
Greg

On the edge

2011-02-01T15:04:00.000-08:00

I have never been much of a trend setter. I mean I still wear bell bottoms and sandals. The only good news is that those things are coming back into style. So when I heard about this thing called a droid, I decided just to wait.

I mean why rush into anything that involves technology. Before you know it, it will be obsolete and you can get it for free. And I was right. Well it isn't free yet but it will be. Before long, out came the Android. And that is quickly becoming passé.

So I decided to come up with my own idea…something cutting edge….something so “far out” that no one else has even thought of it. And it came to me. It is kind of a cross between the Android and a pet rock. I call it an Asteroid.

Not that kind of Asteroid, this kind of Asteroid:

See how easily it fits in the palm of my hand? I have the first one I am happy to say but I am willing to go out and get more for you for a small fee. So what does the Asteroid do you might ask? Well before we get to that let me tell you a couple of other things about this wonderful device.

First off it doesn’t need batteries. That alone is worth a fortune.

And it doesn’t make that annoying ((((((((DROID)))))))) sound. In fact it doesn’t make any sounds so it will never wake you up if you are sleeping. It also won’t interrupt any business meetings or disturb you while you are on the phone.

It also comes with a 100% money back guarantee that it will never go bad, so you don’t have to buy a warranty. See how much your savings are adding up?

Asteroids are pretty much indestructible so if you drop it you never have to worry about breaking it.

And finally no two Asteroids are the same. (it’s a scientific fact) so you will never get yours mixed up with someone else’s.

So what does it do you might ask. Well not a whole lot to tell the truth. It does look good and it can be used as a paper weight when you aren’t trying. And you could be the first person you know to own one and isn’t that cool enough?

So send me your money and I will send you an Asteroid. Don’t wait too long or you won’t be the first to own one.

And have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday. I blame it on old age.

2011-01-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been just sitting around relaxing and all of a sudden you get the feeling that you are forgetting something or that you have forgotten something. Well such is the case with me and it is getting more and more frequent. Just a few minutes ago I was sitting here letting my mind wander and I thought mmmmm tomorrow is Friday. And that's when it hit me. If tomorrow is Friday then today is Thursday and that means Thankful Thursday and its evening and I haven't posted yet. Now don't give me that look. You know the look I Mean:

But fear not because it is still Thursday and the kids are busy so I get to use the computer and do my post.

This week I am very thankful for quiet time. I really enjoy my quiet time because it gives me a chance to think and reflect. Last weekend it was very quiet and peaceful around our house so I took some bird photos. Unfortunately there were no birds to be found so I had to give it some time and they finally came back. I think I know why they left.

No birds there.

None here

Here is one, wait thats not a real bird

I think I know why they left

I am very thankful that we have lots of birds where we live. It always reminds me of the passage about not worrying because the birds in the sky don't worry and God takes care of them. We should get an honorable mention here because we spend a fortune on bird food.

I am thankful that my diet is still going well. I didn't lose as much this week as last but I still lost and that makes me happy and thankful.

I am thankful that my BIL is again recovering. He went back to the ER for a few days but he is supposed to come home tomorrow. Just a touch of pneumonia I hear.

And finally last but certainly not least. I am thankful for my family who takes care of things around the house while I am off bringing home the bacon. Man some bacon sounds good right now. No no I am on a diet.

Have a great Thankful Thursday
Greg

Thankful Thursday

2011-01-19T15:37:00.000-08:00

Well I had an awesome week last week. Those that follow me on Facebook know that things have finally fallen into place and I was able to get some much needed rest. I have so much to be thankful for so let me get right to it.

We have had some really great weather this week. We got a break from building fires in the greenhouse which means I got some extra sleep. I am so thankful for the warmer weather.

This week I got some financial issues in order. Without going into detail let me just say that it is giving us some relief. I am thankful for that.

The warmer weather allowed us to get some yard work done and I am thankful that I am in shape enough to do yard work.

I am thankful that I am doing well on my diet. So far so good. I am thankful that I have the will power to lose weight still at age 45. Ahem.

I am thankful that I remembered to do this post on Wednesday night instead of having to rush and get it done at 4 am on Thursday. I know that isn't that big of a deal for some people but I hate having to rush.

So please join me in being thankful this week. I am sure you have something to be thankful for.

Greg

Thankful Thursday, "Just Enough"

2011-01-13T01:47:00.000-08:00

Wow Thursday already. Another week has come and gone. (Thursday to Thursday that is)
I wasn't sure if I would be able to write this morning because my computer was acting up when I first turned it on and I had to track down the bad file before I could continue. I am not sure where this google file is coming from but I am going to keep an eye out for it now.

It was a good week for me. I didn't get everything that I wanted but I did get everything that I needed. I had enough troubles to keep me trying but enough successes to keep me smiling. I had more good times than bad and although nothing jumps out as spectacular for me this week I am still healthy and happy and that's enough to say: Thank you God for all you have given me. I know I will never be rich and famous but I do think I make a difference in at least a few people's lives.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, giving it up

2011-01-06T01:23:00.000-08:00

Well if you are just joining us, Thursday is the day that I devote my blog to giving thanks. I give thanks every single day for all the gifts that I receive but on Thursday I write some of them down. And although I am giving up lots of things these days I am not giving up my blogging. I enjoy it too much. So let me list a few things that I am thankful for.

I am thankful that we all made it through 2010. I said WE because if you are reading this then you are here with me as well. Although it wasn't my best year I did make it through and I still have a lot to be thankful for.

I am thankful that I woke up to a warm house and that I do have a nice house to live in. It isn't anything fancy but it is clean, warm and there is a lot of love inside.

I am thankful that for the most part I am feeling pretty good these days. I am on another diet by the way and I am losing some lbs. Along with that I am giving up some things that are bad for me and I am feeling better for it.

I am thankful for blog friends new and old. I Like it when I get comments from old friends and new ones as well.

And finally I am thankful that I am getting a few projects behind me. Even though I keep getting more plied on top, God gave me the determination to keep pushing onward.

So what are you thankful for today? Please pause for a moment and say thanks with me. And have a great day,
Greg

Enough is enough

2011-01-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

You know just when you think you have heard and seen it all, someone or something comes along and makes you say NO WAY.

I love reading Craigslist. In fact I think they should call it Gregslist. I might use that name when I decide to make my own trader page so don't get any ideas. And there are some pretty crazy things on Craigslist but this one the other day really took the cake. It went something like this:

Wanted....ramp for our pig

Well I am sorry but I just had to read that post. In my head I imagined an sweet elderly couple that needed a ramp so that their pig could get on the porch or into the barn or something like that. But I was wrong. What they needed was a ramp so that their pot bellied pig could get into bed with them. That's right, this couple sleeps with their potbellied pig and because it is "so large that they can't lift it" they need a ramp.

Is anyone grossed out here like I am. My mother used to say; if you lay down with dogs, you get up with fleas but what do you get when you lay down with pigs? Bacon? I just don't know. Now I tried to imagine a little pink pig like Arnold Ziffel

but I think we are talking more like this:

And that is just wrong.

Sorry I had to speak out on this one.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Out with the old, in with the new

2010-12-30T01:43:00.000-08:00

Well this is my last Thankful Thursday post for 2010. And I do think it is time for some changes. Since I am trying to cut back everywhere, I am no longer going to use Mr. Linky. I know it is only a few cents here and there but pennies add up to dollars and I need all of those I can get. So I will still be posting and you can still join in just by leaving a comment. So here is my list for the week.

I am thankful that I made it through 2010. (at least I think I will make it, I have two days left. It was a very rough year for me financially, mentally and physically but I made it.

I am thankful that we had a great Christmas and instead of asking people what they got this year I am asking what they gave this year. Its a new approach and I think a good one.

Right now I am thankful for this great cup of coffee. Although I wasn't able to cut out my caffeine totally this year I am doing to about a quarter of what I used to take in. And I do love my coffee.

I am thankful for some warmer weather. It looks like we have a week of nice weather ahead of us and I could use a break from this cold.

And lastly but certainly not leastly, (I made that word up) I am thankful for all my blog friends who hung in there while I was a blog slacker. I did make a few new ones this year as well.

Have a great day and expect more changes on my blog this year.

Greg

Thankful Thursday, Late again

2010-12-23T16:04:00.001-08:00

Well I am just now getting to my Thankful Thursday post. I know I am late. I got up this morning a little late and I thought about rushing and getting a post out but then I thought to myself; is anyone even reading these posts? I know I have a few faithful followers but I only knew of two or three. So I went to work and at work all of a sudden I got an email from my sister asking me if everything was ok. She then asked where my TT post was. Hmmm I never knew she wingas reading them. So I guess more people are reading them than comment so I apologize for being slack this morning. And here is my Thankful Thursday list:

First off I am very thankful for having 4 full days from work. That's a big whoooo hoooo. (not whoot whoot since I am banned from saying that) Now that isn't saying anything bad against work I just need some time to unwind and recharge my batteries.

I am thankful that Christmas is just two days away. I can't wait. I have the ham ready to bake.

I am thankful That 2010 is just about over. This wasn't the best of years for me but it is behind me now and I am looking forward to a good year.

I am so thankful that I am more mature than some people I know. I can't mention any names here but if they were to read my blog they would know.

I am thankful that we still have plenty of fire wood. We have been burning it like crazy but it looks like we have enough.

Please join me in being thankful,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Sorry I'm late.

2010-12-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

But as the saying goes....Better late than never. I am going to use the excuse that the weather was bad but the truth is I just didn't sleep well so my mind wasn't working when I got up.

The first thing I am thankful for is that the cold snap is over. I can't believe that it got that cold this early in the year. It's only getting down in the 40's tonight and I can handle that.

I am thankful that Christmas is just around the corner. We are all ready and I can't wait.

I am thankful for my computer virus protection. I had an attack but it was caught before it got in.

I am thankful that our chickens are still laying eggs despite this cold weather. We now have more eggs than we can use but we are able to sell the extras.

I am thankful that everyone in my family is healthy this time of year. I hope it continues.

So what are you thankful for this week? Please join me in saying thanks.

Greg

Thankful Thursday, It's cold outside.

2010-12-09T01:30:00.000-08:00

Yes it is Thursday already and my brain is almost frozen but I am still going to write a Thankful Thursday post. I could whine and complain and say; It's too cold but I am not going to do that. I like Thankful Thursday too much to complain today.

I got up last night at 1:00 and went outside to put wood in the greenhouse stove. Yes it was cold, yes I was tired but it needed to be done and so I did it. This morning, the plants are safe and warm thanks to me. God however gave me the caring attitude to keep me going.

So this Thursday instead of a list I just want to say Thank you God for giving me the opportunities to make a difference. I would prefer it if the weather was warmer but God gave me the opportunity to get wood this past summer and he has given me my health to give me the strength to get up at 1 am to keep the fire going. So many people these days are looking for the easy way out instead of looking for a way to get themselves out. I am so thankful that I know the difference and that I know where my strength comes from.

So today when you pray for something, try praying for strength and wisdom instead of the easy way out. It works for me.

Have a Blessed day,
Greg

Happy Holidays...Thankful Thursday

2010-12-02T01:22:00.000-08:00

This weeks list is an easy one. I have so much to be thankful for that I could write a book. But since it is 43o AM I will stick with just 5.

I am thankful for free firewood. We (mostly my wife) spent the summer gathering wood for the winter and now we are nice and toasty even though it is 36 outside. The greenhouse is warm too.

I am thankful that I live in the country. While heading out to put wood in the greenhouse stove about 30 minutes ago, I opened the front door to find two deer standing 30 feet from me. They ran off as I went outside but they stayed in the yard off at a distance and kept an eye on me.

I am thankful for a great opportunity to raise money for needy children. The spaghetti dinner went well and we ended up with enough money to buy a lot of toys to go along with the Christmas food baskets. Now I get to go shopping. I love seeing the look on the checkout girl's face when I wheel in two carts full of toys.

I am thankful for earlybird specials on black Friday. I think the best deal we got was New Balance tennis shoes for get this: $14 dollars each. That's a big ho ho ho.

I am thankful that we had a wonderful Thanksgiving and it was peaceful with no arguing and the weather was nice enough so we were able to eat outside on the deck.

Have a Thankful day, and please join me in giving thanks.
Greg

Thankful Thursday (Thanksgiving)

2010-11-25T03:03:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go? This was a short week for most of us and now it is Thursday already. I woke up early to start getting everything ready for our Thanksgiving meal. Most of the stuff was made ready last night but it was a good excuse to get up and get some coffee in me. All I have left to do is stuff the turkey and get it in the oven. And yes I do still stuff mine just because it is tradition. I make my own stuffing too using fresh herbs and I don't think you can beat the flavor.

So the first thing I am thankful for today is that it is Thanksgiving and I was able to buy everything I needed for this meal.

I am also thankful that I have a family to enjoy the meal with. Last night I stopped by Home Depot to get a few things. As I was checking out, I asked the lady at the counter if she was all ready for Thanksgiving. She said; Yes, kind of, I have a chicken to bake. She then followed up by saying that she had several invitations but that she felt that this year it would be best to spend the day alone. I have a feeling that she recently lost her husband or something like that. I thought about asking her to join us but I lost my nerve.

I am thankful that I haven't given up on fixing my wife's car. In case you didn't know, her transmission went out so I pulled it to replace a seal. I put it all back together and it ran great for about 40 miles. But then the seal went out again so now I have to pull it again. However even though this sounds like a setback, I determined that the transmission was good and I feel good about having the ability to do such a thing. I am thinking I can get it done this time in a much shorter time.

I am thankful that my mother is still with us this Thanksgiving. By "with us" I mean that she is still alive but she is down in Florida. I will be hosting my MIL this Thanksgiving. It is just going to be the 5 of us and I like it small like that.

Lastly I am thankful for this great weather we have been having. Right now it is 60 degrees and it is supposed to get into the 70's today with no rain. That means I can cook my turkey on the grill like I have done for as long as I can remember. The menu for today is;

Turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potato casserole, corn, green beans, rolls, cranberry sauce and of course pumpkin and cherry pie. We are keeping it light this year. haha

Have a great Thanksgiving,
Greg

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

Well I have a lot to be thankful for again this week. Things are going well for us and I have nothing but blue skies ahead. At least I hope that is what's ahead. Today I am only listing one thing I am thankful for but it is a biggie.

Today I put on a dinner at work to raise money for Good Neighbor Fund toys. What we do is collect toys to send along with the Christmas food baskets. That way the families are fed and the children get something under the tree on Christmas morning. And here is why I volunteered to do it:

When I was 16 our church gave out Christmas food baskets. My best friend and I delivered a few of the baskets ourselves. One of the houses was a little shack in the woods behind a bar. The shack was about 20 ft by 20 ft. There was a kitchen with no windows, a tiny living room, a bathroom with no door and one bedroom. When we arrived to drop off the groceries, a young girl answered the door. She was about 10 and wearing a dirty one piece bathing suit. She was the oldest child and the baby sitter for her two younger siblings. The younger kids were about 5 and 3. The two younger children were also dirty and sitting on the wooden floor. There were no toys in sight.

There was an open can of baked beans on the stove burner that we assumed was their breakfast. We asked where their parents were and the oldest girl said that her mother was out and that she didn't have a father. (the mother was most likely in the bar, "working")Anyway we dropped off the groceries and then went to leave. When we got to the car we realized that we missed one of the bags. So we went back to the house and knocked on the door again. When the door was open, we could see the two younger children on the floor eating some of the bread that we dropped off. Apparently they were starving. So my friend and I went and got some toys and brought them back for the kids. We also got some people from the church to donate some used children's clothing.

So today I am thankful that I have never had to go without like so many children in the world have to do. And that is why I raise money for needy children.

Have a blessed day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, What happened to fall?

2010-11-11T01:11:00.000-08:00

Well somehow we went straight from summer to winter. This past week, we had temperatures in the low 30's and it is only the beginning of November. I guess it must be global warming. Anyway I had an awesome week and I have a lot to be thankful for so let me get right to it.

This past weekend I made the trip down to Florida to see my mother. I heard she wasn't doing well so I wanted to visit her. I am happy to say that she is doing better than I expected and that she recognized me. I was afraid that she wouldn't. We had a good visit and the trip went well but you know what they say, there is no place like home.

I am also thankful that I finally got the transmission out of my wife's car. This has been an ongoing project and I have made it to the halfway point.

I am thankful for farm fresh eggs. Our little hens are laying now and we are getting three eggs a day. They are great too and so much better than the ones you get in the store.

I am thankful for a lower electric bill. This cooler weather has allowed us to turn off the AC and our electric bills are much lower than usual.

I am thankful that Thanksgiving us just around the corner. We are planning on keeping it simple this year but I will be having my turkey and stuffing.

Have a great day and please join me in being Thankful,
Greg

Thankful Thursday. More little things

2010-11-04T01:34:00.000-07:00

Another week sped by and I woke up this morning thinking; Oh God I haven't posted my Thankful Thursday post yet and not only that, I haven't even begin thinking about it yet. With what I had done yesterday though it is understandable. And I do have so much to be thankful for that it will be very easy to come up with a list.

First off I am so glad that my colonoscopy is over with and the doctor said; see you in 10 years. That will put me up in my golden years and who knows what life will be like then. So I am thankful for a clean bill of health from my checkup. (and no horseshoe) See yesterdays post.

I am thankful that my kids are doing so well in school. The youngest brought home that great report card so we got him his first new bike. Up to this point all he had was hand me downs. And my oldest son got a new car that he is paying for believe it or not.

I am thankful that I am making progress on fixing my wife's car. It has transmission problems and we don't have an extra 3000 at the moment to get it fixed. So slowly but surely I am pulling her transmission in hopes that it is just a seal and I can fix it. I am impressed that I have made it this far and not lost my temper. That in itself is a blessing.

I am thankful that the elections came out as I had hoped. I don't want to get political here but lets just say that the majority of the people that I voted for won. (Go Nikki) Did I say that?

I am so thankful that I don't live in Hatti right now. Earth quakes, floods, famine
cholera and now a hurricane. We have it so good here in the United States but many people just don't appreciate it.

Have a great day and please join me in giving thanks.
Greg

Just my luck.

2010-11-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

My wife says I have the luck of the Irish. Good things always seem to happen to me. I have also been told that I have a horseshoe stuck somewhere but I am not going to say where. But today I found out that the first was true but not the latter.

After 5 years of fighting it, I got forced into having my 50 thousand mile checkup. Also known as the dreaded colonoscopy. Now that it is over I have to say that the procedure was nothing but the goop that they have you drink the day before was the worst thing I have even put in my mouth. And I ate slugs in Italy. It tasted like lemonade but it had the consistency of thick gravy. I got the first bottle down ok but had to choke the second one down. If given the option, take the pills.

The procedure was nothing and here is the lucky part: I got there early and the person who was supposed to go before me was late so they let me go first. So I was in and out in less than an hour. And I only remember about 30 minutes of it because those were some good drugs they gave me. Anywhoo, guess what? I got a clean bill of health and no there wasn't a horseshoe in there. At least he didn't find it if there was.

So here are some signs that you may have picked the wrong Gastroenterologist:

He actually likes the taste of that liquid goo they make you drink.

He got his diploma while serving a prison sentence.
His website has a live web-cam feature.

“He” turns out to be a “she” and you overhear her talking about her recent painful divorce and how men know nothing about pain.

He wears a miner’s outfit complete with helmet, light and lifeline.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, relief at last

2010-10-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

Well its almost Thursday and I have so much to be thankful for it isn't funny. For the last 5 months we have been struggling trying to get our mortgage redone while the interest rates were so low. There has been one snag after another but finally we got it done.

So the first thing I am thankful for is some financial relief. Its about time but I am truly thankful.

I am also thankful that many other things are falling into place in my life. I am getting some projects behind me. I have been burdened down with so many things that it feels good to get some breathing room.

I am thankful that we have some cooler weather on the way. They are calling for highs in the 70's this weekend.

I am thankful that my chickens are all laying now. We only have three hens but we are getting three farm fresh eggs every day.

I am thankful that my youngest got a good report card. I think it is going to be a good school year.

Have a great Thankful Thursday
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Little things

2010-10-21T01:29:00.000-07:00

Wow where did this week go? I got up this morning and didn't even think about it being Thursday already. But when I turned on my computer, I opened my blog and realized; I'm late, I'm late....for a very important date. It can't be Thursday already can it? Anyway let me get going since I have to leave for work soon.

I am thankful that I got up early for some reason this morning. I must have subchoncioushly known that it was Thursday and that I needed to do my post. However it is 430 am and I can barely spell my name at this hour much less subconsciously. Hey I did it. I must be waking up.

I am thankful that we finally got our home loan to go through. After struggling with a certain bank of America for over 4 months, we switched banks and got done in 30 days. Now it is on to bigger and better things.

I am thankful for out hottub because my shoulder has really been hurting me and the hottub gives me some temporary relief.

I am thankful for our cats which keep us all amused. However we lost Mr. T last week so we are all a little sad at the moment. He ventured out in the street and was hit by a car. Even our other cats seem to know he isn't here. He will be dearly missed by all of us. I miss the little games he used to play. He would wake us up around 3 am to go outside by hitting the window blinds in our room. But when I would get up to open the door he would hide under the couch and make me hunt for him to let him out. He was a special cat.

I am really thankful for this cooler weather. It is a welcome relief from the summer heat.

Well that's about it for the day. 5 simple little things that I am thankful for. In all things give thanks. I know you have something to be thankful for too so please join me in saying thanks.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, 33 reasons to be thankful

2010-10-14T01:45:00.000-07:00

I could come up with a personal list of things that I am thankful for but with the events of yesterday in Chile, they all seem so small. I watched some of the rescue and it took my breath away. This Thursday I just want to say Thank you God for returning these men to their families. I loved what one of the miners said when he reached the top: He said that God and the devil were both down there with him and he had a choice to make. Then he held up his bible and said Thank you God.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Fall edition.

2010-10-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Well I had a funny post all ready and then I realized that it was time for Thankful Thursday. So you will have to wait a few days for that post. So here we go again with the top 5 things I am thankful for this week. Well they may not always be the top 5 but they are the first 5 that popped into my brain.

I am thankful that we are starting to get some cooler weather. Although I don’t mind hot days and I prefer them to cold, I do like spring and fall. And even though fall precedes winter it is my favorite because of the lack of pollen. I still suffer from hay fever so spring can be miserable for me.

I am thankful that my family caught fish last weekend. It is always nice to have fresh fish and even nicer when they are free and you know where they came from.

I am thankful that my garden is still doing well even in the cooler weather. I have a bunch of peppers ready for picking. I have some really hot ones and some sweet ones too. Last Friday my wife made chili with some of my peppers and it was awesome. I have the recipe if anyone wants it.

I am thankful that I have the sense to avoid dangerous situations. The other day, late in the evening, just about dark this young man was driving his four wheeler down the road with no headlights on. And it was camouflaged to boot so it was just about impossible to see. I almost pulled out in front of him and I was driving a pickup truck. I know who would have lost in that accident.

I am thankful for the awesome mornings we have been having lately. This morning I saw a great horned owl on my drive to work and then there was that awesome sliver of moon just before dawn. With clear skies like that, winter isn’t far off but I am still thankful.

Have a great day and please join me in being thankful.

Greg

Thankful Thursday, here comes the rain again.

2010-09-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

But this time it's real rain and not troubles I am writing about. Yes we had lots of rain today and we have a lot more on the way. But I am always thankful for the rain. That is unless it rains for 40 days and 40 nights. And that is only because my boat needs work.

I am also thankful that I have a warm dry place to lay my head. When I think about all the homeless people in the world I am very thankful to have my little house.

I am also thankful that we have food on the table and have never had to go hungry.

I am thankful that our plants are growing well now that we have had some rain.

And finally I am thankful that the part I wanted to get to fix the boat wasn't in stock. While I was waiting for it to come in, I did some more troubleshooting and I found out that it wasn't the part that I needed. Had the part been in stock, I would have gotten it and they don't take returns. That little setback turned out to be a blessing.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, I need a break

2010-09-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

Is it crazy out there or what? If I told you all the trouble I have been through this year you would swear my name was Job. But it is Greg and I refuse to let life get me down. Even though I had had a hard year I am still thankful and wish to continue this meme. But this week I am swamped with work, home life and just everything. So I am not giving up because I am still thankful for everything in life. But like I said I swamped so let me make this a brief post and I will get back to my regular post next week.

I am thankful for family, friends, a good job (even though it makes me wonder sometimes), Blog friends, my God given talents, great school grades, plants, rain, free things, etc etc. Let me just say I am thankful and you should be too. If you are reading this you are alive too and that alone is something to be thankful for.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Senior Moment

2010-09-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

This week I went to the Senior Center. No not to move in but to help out. Our company participates in the United Way Day of Caring and each year. If work allows, I try to volunteer. Last year we had to work but this year I was able to do it. This year we helped out at a local Senior Center and also at the homes of some of the seniors. Even though I said on my volunteer form that I was good with plants and gardening, I ended up at the center doing odd jobs. But it turned out to be great anyway.

I started my day by erecting handicap parking signs for the parking spaces. While we were doing this, one lady drove up and ran over my work bucket (which was not in the parking space). This leads me to believe that these signs were really needed. When she went inside I noticed that she had several nice scrapes on her car which told me that she may also need glasses. I guess I could say that I am thankful that it was the bucket and not me that got run over.

My next project was to wash handicap vans. These vans were about 8 or 9 feet tall and I had to get on a step ladder just to wash the top. It’s no wonder I can’t see around these big vans in my little 4 ft car. While on the ladder, someone handed me a pressure washer to “help me out” but when I pulled the trigger to rinse off the top of the van, it almost threw me off the ladder. I am thankful that I didn’t fall and get hurt. I made sure to brace myself before I tried that again.

After the “van wash”, it was time for lunch so I went inside and joined the others. There were about an equal number of workers and elderly people and we let them eat first. There was one older woman who reminded me of my late Grandmother Green and she refused to eat before the workers. After we all ate, she got in line and fixed her plate. She also went around and shook everyone’s hand and said thanks for helping out. After lunch I noticed her walking herself home. I am thankful for people like that who make it easy to help others out.

During lunch I noticed that another elderly woman had fixed her plate with two double cheeseburgers, one chili dog, two bags of chips and coleslaw. I thought; there is no way that this woman could possibly eat that much in one sitting and I was right. When she finished eating (the coleslaw and hotdog) she covered her plate with her napkin and took the rest home. I am so thankful that God provides for me and my family and that he allows me to provide for others when they are in need.

After lunch I laid bricks for a new walkway. They weren’t that heavy but the bending over about killed me. When I finished that I helped wash cars again. I did notice a few people who had also finished their jobs but they just stood around instead of pitching in somewhere else. I am thankful that I am not one of those people who can stand around watching other people work.

Finally about 2:30 all the jobs were coming to an end so I went inside to cool off. They were still cleaning up after lunch so I helped move tables which set the stage for the best part of the day. Some of the women that I work with were teaching line dances to some of the seniors. They were begging for some of us guys to join in but no one seemed to want to do it. Well I am not scared so I jumped out on the dance floor. One of the ladies who was trying to learn the “Electric Slide” said; No I don’t need anyone to show me, I will just watch him. (pointing to me) I still got it……. ok ok she was about 80 but Anywhoo…..

We all had a great time and I left feeling good about myself. And the best part is I made some new friends and I am thankful for that.

Have a great day,

Greg

Thankful Thursday, We have options

2010-09-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

I think the interesting thing about life is that we all have options. When I hear the people at work complaining about making 25 dollars an hour and having to do certain things I come back with; you could always quit if it upsets you that much. Funny thing though, no one quits. Anywhoo, this week I made some choices on some options that I had and I think we are heading in the right directions. It is too early to blog about it but I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This week has been a good one for me. For starters I am thankful that I only have a 4 day work week. I had 4 nice days off and got some much done it isn't funny. It is nice to get projects behind you.

I am thankful that we had fresh fish to eat last weekend. There is nothing quite like fresh fish.

I also had a great day at the market last weekend and I am thankful for that. God provides for me and my family and I am thankful for that. Of course I have to work hard for my money but I am willing to do that.

I am thankful that we are starting to get some cooler weather. It was only 89 today. Can you say cold snap?

I am thankful that no matter how bad things seem to be I just keep looking at that light at the end of the tunnel. I can't explain it but I just do.

Have a great day,
Greg

Fish tale

2010-09-03T10:30:00.001-07:00

I took the day off and my wife, my oldest son and I went fishing. I hate to brag but I think we know who the fisherman is in the family. The weather was just about perfect and we found a great spot. My son caught a ton of speckled trout but they were all about an inch shy of the limit so they all went back. My wife and I each caught one keeper though so we are having fish for dinner.

Now since most of you think fishermen are liars I won't tell any tall tales. I have photos and photos never lie. And here they are:

My fish:

Diane's little fish:

And please disregard this photo. I think the angle makes it misleading. :)

OK OK maybe her fish was a little bigger but mine had spunk.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Roller coaster ride.

2010-09-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

Well after last weeks great advances we took a few hits this week. It wasn't all bad though and I did make some progress in some areas.

I am thankful for the wonderful weather we had at Saturday's Grape Stomp at the Vineyard. It was so nice and the crowd was awesome. We had a great day.

I am thankful that I got my parts in for my boats. With any luck I will have them both running well by the weekend.

I am thankful that I held my temper this week when I really wanted to let a few people have it. I think I showed that I was the bigger person.

I am thankful for my sister who is taking care of our Mother. I know I couldn't do it. I am sure she is tested daily.

I am thankful that Earl didn't come our way. That is the last thing we need. It has made it cooler though and that is a nice change.

Have a great day,
Greg

And that's the truth

2010-08-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

Now where did this "it's ok to lie" thing start. I don't know for sure but some people say it started with a certain president that lied about what he did and was never punished for it. I am not one to judge but when someone says Technically I did not do whatever that is a lie. Which leads me to my topic for today....Not telling the truth.

It’s not what you say that counts, it’s what you don’t say. Now who remembers that game show? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone? Ok you can tell me in private because that would be showing your or should I say Our age. I don’t even remember the show all that well but I do remember the intro where they said their name in kind of a catchy way. I seem to recall it was kind of a fill in the blank game show and the contestant had to do the filling. Anywhoo.

Truth in advertising:

We have been doing some window (and craigslist) shopping lately for a few items and I got to thinking about advertising or more precisely truth in advertising. I remember when I got my first car. It was a 1969 VW square back sedan with a sunroof. Sounds pretty snazzy I know but it had its share of problems. For starters the radio didn’t work and it had some surface rust but I planned on getting it painted so I didn’t mind.

As most teenagers do, the first thing I did was to get a radio for the car. And not just any radio, it was an AM/FM radio and it had transistors not tubes. I know I was a big spender and it was the best that radio shack had to offer at the time. I think I paid $60 for it including speakers. The good news is that I only paid $250 for the car and I paid cash for it. The bad news is even though I had it painted it wasn’t long before the rust started showing through again. And there seemed to be rust everywhere on it.

When I bought the car, I got it from a “friend” of my father’s. He told us that it just had some surface rust and that the engine had just been overhauled. I never questioned why the engine had to be overhauled even though it was low mileage and he never volunteered the information. He also never told me why he was selling the car so cheap and I assumed it was because he was doing my father a favor. So technically he wasn’t lying. It was about 6 months later when I found out the truth about my little car.

Apparently the previous owner drove it down onto the beach in Daytona. Driving on the beach was allowed and free back then so that part isn’t anything special. However he parked it close to the water at low tide and got the car stuck. The tide came in and flooded the car up to the seats. It also flooded the engine with seawater which is why the engine had to be overhauled. That explained the rust. The car still ran well and did have that new stereo so I kept it.

When I joined the Navy, I figured it would be a while until I needed a car so I “sold” it to my brother. He agreed to make payments every month. While I was in boot camp, he totaled the car and quit paying me because “why would I keep paying you….the car is no good now” I guess that was in the fine print somewhere but I didn’t see it that way.

But the funny thing about back in the day is that most car "dealers" were truthful in their advertizing. If they put an ad in the news paper for trucks for $5000 dollars, you could go to the lot and actually find many trucks for that price. These days, the advertisements are nothing more than lead-ins to get you to the dealership. Most of the time you would be lucky to find one of the trucks at all and if you do, it most surely won’t be for the advertised price. And when you question their integrity they will show you the ad and point to the disclaimer at the bottom in teeny tiny print that says something like “exclusions apply” or “not all dealers have advertised cars” or something similar.

The last time I went shopping for a car, I asked the salesman that same thing. I said; wouldn’t it be more honest to put everything up in large print instead of hiding the negative things in fine print? He didn’t have an answer other than everyone does it. So I am guessing since everyone does it, it is ok. At least as far as he was concerned it was but not in my book.

Truth in asking:

Last week while searching through Craigslist (I love Craigslist by the way) I came across an ad from a lady asking for free women’s clothing. Here is what the ad said and I am paraphrasing:

My husband just found out he has brain cancer and he can’t work. I need some new clothes but I can’t afford to buy them with him not working.

Ok let me stop right here and say I felt sorry for the woman at this point and thought if I had some extra clothes I would gladly give them to her. But she continued:

Hospice has already stepped in and I have lost some weight so none of my clothes fit me so I am looking for something in a 4/5.

Hmmm something smells fishy here, but she goes on:

My husband didn’t have insurance and he just died so I really need some nice clothes to look for a job.

Now all that was in the same post, written on the same day, so…...

Either that was one really aggressive cancer or she is really slow at typing. I’m not poking fun, I am just saying.

Truth in sincerity:

Last week I also saw an interesting request on our company bulletin board. A woman was looking for a car for her daughter so she could drive to college. Because it was a long distance she was looking for a “very reliable car. She also asked that it be in very good condition (I am guessing because a girl just has to look good) and she mentioned a specific kind of car that she wanted (it was a kind that her daughter really liked). She then said that she only had $800 dollars to spend on the car and oh yes, one last request: She would really like a convertible. No way….Yes way.

I thought to myself; That takes a lot of nerve to post something like that. First off if she really just wanted a reliable car she would have taken anything out there that got good mileage and ran well. Secondly my first car wasn’t much less than that when you included the price, paint job and radio. And that was 1973. Is a moped a convertible? Those are really dependable.

Have a great day,

Greg

Thankful Thursday, It's getting better all the time

2010-08-26T01:03:00.000-07:00

You know without even having to think of it, just being alive and well is in itself enough to be thankful for these days. With all that is going on in the world I am blessed just to be healthy and to have a place to call my own. However things seem to be on an upward path for me at the moment so I am going to list a few special things that I am thankful for.

My oldest has officially started college now. Wow it is hard to believe. He will be the first male in the family to go to college since I started back in 1974. I never finished though but hopefully he will.

My youngest is doing well in school. I know it is only the first week but still starting on the right path is a step in the right direction.

As I said above I am healthy and that is a big thing. My wife and mother also continue to improve and I am thankful for that.

We got more rain. After that long drought we are getting rain on a regular basis now. I am thankful that I don't have to go out in the dark each morning and turn on the sprinklers.

I am also thankful for opportunities that I am given. This Saturday I am running the hotdog stand at the annual grape stomp down at the winery. I will be working with my youngest son this year and we are hoping to break the bank. Ok not really but we are hoping to do well enough to take the family out to dinner and maybe play a round of golf.

So what are you thankful for today? Please join me in being thankful. It is what helped me through the tough times.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Back to school.

2010-08-19T01:07:00.000-07:00

For the first time in a long time I don't have to dig deep to do this post. So many positive things are starting to happen for me now that I will have to chose which ones to post. Funny thing though I almost forgot to do this. I woke up this morning thinking; Oh no, it's Thursday and I haven't even given it a thought. Then I remembered that I have been thankful for so long(even through the hard times)that I don't even realize that I am thankful. It's like they say; If you do something long enough it becomes easier and you don't even have to think about it.

The kids are back in school around Charleston. My son started yesterday and although it is still too soon to tell, I have a feeling that he will do good this year. I am thankful for that.

My older son just enrolled in College. This week we found out that he got the SC Life scholarship. That is a big financial gain for us and I am thankful for that. Yes we might actually get a college gradgiate (spelled incorrectly on purpose) in the family. I started but never completed my degree.

Last night I dropped the fuel tank on his car to repair the fuel pump. This was another first for me and that just goes to show you that at age 55 you can still learn things.

I am finally getting caught up at work. Things are improving there as well and for that I am thankful.

My mother is out of the hospital and back in rehab. Oh this is too much. While I was just typing that, the commercial came on for Life alert. So while I typed, in the background I heard; "I've fallen and I can't get up" That is what happened to my Mother. That was spooky.

I am going to put in a #6 today. (somebody stop me) Anywhoo, my wife is doing much better and starting to get around the house a bit. Yesterday we took back the wheel chair and walker that she borrowed. She is now just using crutches.

Have a great day, Drive safely, watch out for children.
Greg

Thankful Thursday. This is a tough one.

2010-08-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

It’s Thankful Thursday again. I am not sure where to start this week. Life in general has been pretty trying for me lately. I have had mental trials, monetary trials and now physical trials.

I will start by saying I am thankful just to be alive. Without going into detail I have a number of medical problems at the moment but at least I am alive. Enough about that.

My mother isn’t doing well but at least she is hanging on. I have a friend who’s mother is 20 years younger and she isn’t doing well either. The mother that is. And my mother’s problems are minor compared to her mother’s problems. I am thankful that she is 82 and still around.

Oh I just realized that my eye is feeling better. I know I said I wouldn’t dwell on my medical problems but my eye got infected today for some reason. I just put drops in it and it is feeling better now. I am thankful for modern medicine.

I am thankful that I avoided an accident the other day. This crazy diver was texting in heavy traffic and she almost slammed into me. After that she quit texting though but soon I noticed that she was scratching off instant lottery tickets while driving. Some people amaze me.

I am thankful for little signs of hope. The other day while I was driving home, my son noticed that there was a huge cross in the sky made of clouds. He tried to get a photo of it but failed. All I can say was that it was amazing. I told him it was a sign and he asked if I was serious. I just said maybe it is, who knows.

Have a great Thankful Thursday,
Greg

Dining in Paris

2010-08-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

I have never actually been to Paris but I would like to go there someday. Reason: I am a big fan of the food. I love French fries, French dressing and French bread. But now that I think of it, I am not a big fan of French toast so maybe I will have to have something a little more American for breakfast. Maybe a crepe or a pancake. I have however dinned in a little Italian Café on the shores of the Mediterranean, enjoyed a lamb dinner in a castle in Scotland and cracked lobster in Nova Scotia. But as everyone knows if you want great meatloaf there is only one place to go; Cracker Bucket! (name changed slightly to protect the guilty)

As luck would have it, on Wednesday, while we returned from our training session, there was a Cracker Bucket just off the highway. We all quickly agreed that it was what we wanted. The parking lot was full as usual because everyone loves Cracker Bucket. Or at least everyone in Orangeburg SC does. That is where this restaurant happened to be. And as is usually the case, there were a number of people rocking in the chairs on the front porch. I don’t quite know what the fascination with rocking outdoors when the heat index is 110 but to each his own.

We entered the restaurant through the trinket store. If you have been to Cracker Bucket, you know what I am talking about. If you haven’t, just imagine an indoor flea market but the junk is all new. After pushing our way through the maze of useless stuff we arrived at the counter with the “Please wait to be seated” sign. (all the fine restaurants have those signs) While we were waiting, I quickly sized up all the waitresses and came to the conclusion that we would end up with Miss Happy: Aka Alice without a smile. Remember that show Alice? If you do, hold on to that memory because another character will reappear in this story.

So the mate-ter-D (another French word I know) takes us to our table after asking the obvious question; “How many are in your party?” and; “would you like smoking or non smoking?” And a lovely table it was. It was right next to the smoking section but lucky for us the two sections are separated by a lattice panel which everyone knows can block smoke. As I looked around the room the first thing I noticed was a young man perhaps around 8 with a long Mohawk haircut. It was kind of like a mullet without the tail if you can picture that. He had that thin inbred look like one gets when their family tree has no branches. But I am sure that wasn’t his fault and on the bright side he could get an acting role as an extra if they every do a remake of the movie Deliverance. Oh and he could also be a poster child for Ritalin but again that wasn’t his fault.

So this fine young man comes up to the table next to us and dares the kid there to “Pick him up by the cheeks” Obviously they were friends because the second kid does it. That’s what friends are for. He literally grabbed this little Deliverance boy by the cheeks and lifted him off the ground. I kid you not. And not once but twice. At this point I am thinking the boy could also get a job with Circus Olay. I was totally amazed but it was short lived because our waitress “Happy Alice” showed up to take our orders. After a hearty greeting of; Haaaw Yu ta-day? She took our orders.

Now I know I said I was going to have the meatloaf but that was Tuesday’s special and this was Wednesday and all I could think about was that it might be left from the previous day so I ordered the cheeseburger. But right after I ordered it, I noticed a warning on the menu saying uncooked meat may kill you so I asked for it very well done. And trust me it was VERY well done when it arrived.

Let me back up a bit. Right after we ordered, this couple came in and sat across from me. She appeared to be about 50 to 60 and was with a man around 60 to 70. She had big hair that reminded me of Flo in the television show Alice. (see how this story is falling into place) Anywhoo she had on clothes similar to what Flo used to wear. She was proud of what she had and obviously wanted to show the “girls” off because he blouse was open almost down to her naval. The sad part is the “girls” weren’t trying to get out they were trying to head south if you know what I mean.

Now get this picture: We are trying to eat our meal. There is a maniac child running loose in the restaurant who has red cheeks where he was picked up. I have Flo sitting across from me (I think she was giving me the eye but it may have been an eye twitch) and the guy on the other side of the lattice panel has a smokers cough. So for some reason I zero in on the coughing sound and realize that there must be 30 people in this restaurant who are coughing. I start thinking about SAR’s and wondering when this town got infected and then Flo does something totally amazing. She takes a break from eating her salad to scratch her head. But since she obviously didn’t own a hair brush that left only one option; You guessed it, she scratched her head with her fork. And then, went back to her salad. I almost gagged. Ok I did gag but it was just a little one.

And that’s when it hit me. You don’t get entertainment like this at some fancy French restaurant. Well at least without paying for it. They need a sign outside that says “Free entertainment while you eat” at Cracker Bucket that is. I'm just saying.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Greener Grass

2010-08-05T01:35:00.001-07:00

I just spent almost three days in a class up at our new campus. It is brand new and my initial though as I walked across the babbling brook and down the walkway that was lined with lush green grass was; I wish I had it this good. But after getting inside and taking an full look around two other thoughts come to mind; Don't judge a book by it's cover and The grass isn't always greener. Although the condition of the interior was immaculate, the offices were all tiny little cubes and there were row upon row of them. The food was overpriced and no one could see that beautiful view from their office. I will keep what I have.

So the first thing I am thankful for this week is my old shabby office. I only share my office with three people not two hundred and I like the people in my office. That wasn't the case in the big new building.

I am also thankful that the three of us don't constantly complain. Some of the people in the class did nothing but complain about everything under the sun. Again I have it pretty good.

I am thankful for clean water. Since the bottled water in the new campus was $1.25 a bottle, I decided to just drink tap water. YUCK. Talk about nasty. Then on our way back home on Wednesday we stopped at a restaurant (see tomorrow's post about that) and I got water with my dinner. Again the lemon in the water couldn't cover up the bad taste. I will stick with my water.

I am thankful this morning for some aches and pains. At 55 I am still able to work in my yard and get around pretty good. I know these pains will go away but they do remind me to be thankful I am still able to work.

I am thankful that I have a job that allows me to take time off. I plan on taking Friday off to get a few things done around my house. Of course I will throw in a little fun along with the work. I may even go to the gym to work out some of these kinks.

So be thankful for what you have and quit looking over that fence. Have a wonderful Thankful Thursday,

Greg

Thankful Thursday, As time flys by

2010-07-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that tomorrow is Thursday already. Where did the week go? My only regret is that I had several posts planned but didn't have enough time to post them so here I am again with back to back Thankful Thursdays. Better that than nothing.

Ok first off if you follow me on Facebook (and I am sure everyone does, haha) then you know I passed a milestone in my life this week. One of my mother's favorite sayings was: "If I live to be a hundred and ten........" Well I am not a hundred and ten but I am half way there. And I am still alive and well.

I am also thankful that at the ripe old age of 55 I am still able to do more things than most people I know. I may be old but I feel young. God has been good to me and kept me whole.

I am thankful that I can still make a difference in people's lives. Even though I sometimes feel like I am taken for granted by people who I work with, I can see that I make a difference and I am happy with that.

I am thankful that even though I have my down moments, I still push to the top and get back on the positive note.

I am thankful for all my blog friends who stick with me through thick and thin. Yes I know my posting has been a bit thin lately but I am trying to do better. Thanks for sticking with me.

Have a great day,
Greg

Yes Dear it's Thankful Thursday

2010-07-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know I have been playing Dr. Dad this week. My wife had an operation and I took some time off to take care of her. If you follow me on Facebook you already know this so I may not be telling you anything you don't already know. Anywhoo she is doing better and recovering nicely although she just tried to kill herself by hopping across the room on one foot to get a Kleenex. So even though it has been another trying week, I am thankful for a lot of things: (and yes I have been saying yes dear a lot lately)

First off I am thankful that my wife is recovering faster than anticipated. She had a bone fragment removed from her heel and the doctor said it was the worst one he had seen in a long time. No wonder she was in so much pain.

I am thankful for living in the country where I can see sights like this. This was a visitor we had on Saturday around mid day.

It's raining as I type this so I am adding it to my list. It has been bone dry (no pun intended honey) and we really needed this. Rain feels and smells so good. I may just run outside and enjoy the cooler temperature.

I wish I could say I was thankful for patience but I failed in this area this week. I lost my temper several times this week but I feel bad about it and for that I am thankful. Some people don't feel any remorse when they do something wrong.

I am thankful that tomorrow is payday. It has been a tight two weeks money wise and tomorrow we will get some relief. Kind of like the rain is giving us some relief tonight. Although it may be temporary, a little relief is better than none at all.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday on Wednesday

2010-07-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

Well here I am doing my Thankful Thursday post on Wednesday night again. Well the truth is I have such a busy day scheduled for tomorrow I know I won't have time to post in the morning.

Tomorrow my wife is having an operation on her heel which has been a long time coming. She has been begging to have it done and tomorrow is the big day. I am thankful for that.

I am thankful that I am getting to have Friday off too. I will be staying home to take care of my wife while her heel heals.

I am thankful that my son will be covering for me at the market on Saturday while I again nurse my wife back to health. It is actually going to take a long time but I hope to help her through the first few days anyway.

I am thankful that we are starting to get rain on a regular basis. Everything is again turning green. We have lots of flowers blooming.

And finally I am thankful that I didn't totally lose it this week. I did kick a copy machine, yell at a gas station attendant, slam a few doors and tell a few people what I had on my mind. But I didn't lose it and I am thankful for that.

Have a great day,
Greg

Life in the slow lane.

2010-07-08T13:28:00.001-07:00

First off let me apologize for my recent Thankful Thursday post. I made lots of mistakes. I have excuses though and here they are:

I was tired. It was 4 am.

I wrote the post earlier but forgot to save it.

I was in a hurry, running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get ready for an appraiser.

Speaking of that you should see my chickens. You remember the cute little chickens we got this spring? Well they have gotten quite big now. And three of the “hens” are bigger than the other three. And these three tall “hens” have gotten quite aggressive. I am guessing we aren’t going to get many eggs from those three “hens” because they seem to have an attitude. It may be time to trade these three for some shorter chickens.

Anywhoo, back to the slow lane……

Some days on my way to work I stop in at my favorite gas station for a cup of coffee. It is my favorite because they do have great coffee and it is always fresh. Well most of the time anyway. Also there is a girl that works there that often gives me my coffee for free. I am not sure why, she just does it. I am guessing it is because I am always smiling and in a good mood and that is rare at 430 in the morning at a gas station. I guess I stand out because I look out of place.

This gas station also sells lottery tickets. But like many gas stations they only sell them from one cash register. I think it has something to do with accounting and keeping track of lottery sales. But whatever the reason they do it. So somewhere up in their food chain,(AKA upper management) someone decided that it would be a good idea to put up a sign so everyone knows which line to get into when they want lottery tickets. That part makes good sense but here is where the plan went astray. Obviously someone passed the buck down the chain (to the worker bees) when it came to hanging this sign.

Now I am not ragging on the gas station employees. There are some great ones. I put the girl who gives me the free coffee at the top of that list. However there are also some employees there that ummmm how do I say this gently….. there are some employees there that aren’t working their way through law school or medical school. Case in point; I had the good fortune (NOT) to talk with someone the other day while in a fast food restaurant line and he said it best: (and this is a quote) “Some of them people aint too bright. I know I cus I used to work there. I quit cus I had problems with the manager. That’s where yer problems really is. Them managers is morons.” Now who can argue with that!!!!

OK where was I? Oh that’s right, the lottery line. So somehow the people at the bottom of the food chain at the gas station were told to put up this sign to make things work more smoothly. Now if it had been me, I would have hung the sign high over the lottery cash register because it says “Lottery this register only” This would have allowed anyone checking out to see the sign. But where do you think the worker bees put the sign? That’s right, taped to the counter where the only one who could see it was the person already there at the register. A lot of good that did. It kind of reminded me of those directional arrows that they paint on the road just before you get to an intersection. Unless you are the only one on the road, good luck seeing them. Usually they are covered up by the cars in front of you and you are forced to change lanes quickly at the last minute. Soooooo……

Yesterday on my way to work, I felt the need for more caffeine so I stopped. The line was particularly long so my coffee friend came out from the back and opened up the other line. She was seeing two customers to one compared to the other cashier. (Can you tell where the problem was?) So I am up to third in line when the other person finally says; I will take the next customer. The guy in front of me switched to the other line and then said; I want 5 power ball tickets to which the cashier said: (you guessed it) sorry you will have to get in the other line. Here’s your sign. Grrrrrrr. Someone else got in that line so I stay put because it only made sense. OK OK I was hoping for free coffee. And I did get it along with a free doughnut. Double Bonus!!!! Life is good!!!!

When I left the gas station I was in a good mood and I settled into the slow (right) lane to enjoy my ride. But I had one of those special people behind me. I was doing the speed limit but this person felt the need to get right on my bumper. He was so close to me that I couldn’t see his headlights. It made me nervous since it was in a construction zone so I moved over to the fast (left) lane and let the moron pass me on the right. I tried to rationalize what he was doing thinking he must be turning right soon so he wanted to stay in the right lane. Wrong!!! After he passed me on the right he moved into the left lane just ahead of me and turned left.

On second thought just leave the lottery sign where it is. It wouldn’t do any good. You can’t fix stupid.

Have a great day,

Greg

Thankful Thursday, Are you protected?

2010-07-08T01:01:00.000-07:00

I have done some pretty stupid things over the course of my lifetime. By all rights I shouldn't be here typing this but for some reason God has protected me. Some of the things I have done should have killed me but I am still here so I must be doing something right.

Like the time we tried to see how close we could get to the back of a semi-truck while it sped down the highway. Oh and we were on a motorcycle. I think it was 10 feet and we were going 90 mph. Not too smart I know.

Then there was the time I went cliff diving. I dove off of a 100 ft cliff into a river that I knew nothing about. I almost got knocked out not to mention almost ripping both arms from my socket. Obviously it is harder than it looks. So is the water when you dive from that high.

And there was the time we went into a restricted area while in Italy. We stumbled upon some guys loading automatic weapons into their car. We had to hurry to get out of there before they noticed us.

Just yesterday on my way home, I got stopped by a train. As luck would have it, I was in a hurry so they stopped the train before it totally cleared the road so the gates stayed down. We sat there and sat there for over 30 minutes. Finally some people began slipping through the gates and crossing behind the train. Finally I had enough too and I decided to go for it. About half way up the line, a lady pulled out in front of me to do the same thing. She was going a bit slower though so she held me up. Just as we got near the front of the line to make the cross we saw blue lights coming from a side road. We quickly found an open spot to pull back into the waiting line. Another lady decided to go for it though and was given a hefty ticket for crossing the tracks. Had that car not pulled in front of me, I would have gotten that ticket. Whew that was a close one.

So I am thankful for all the things that God does to protect me even when I do something stupid.

I am thankful for the cooler weather we had last week, I needed a break from that heat wave and it came just in time.

I am thankful for my family who worked hard this past week trying to get the house looking for for an appraiser visit. He comes today. Pray for us. We need a good appraisal.

I am thankful for the strength that God gives me to continue when most people would simply give up. Don't think I haven't considered it but in the end I push on.

I am thankful for all the little things that make my day. Sometimes all I need is a little ray of sunshine through the clouds to keep me goign.

So what are you thankful for today? I am sure you can come up with something.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday... I need a shovel.

2010-06-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

I need a shovel because I may have to dig deep for this one. Seriously,even though I have a lot to be thankful for this week has been less than outstanding. Friday night our washing machine died. No biggie, we got two marginal years use out of it. It hasn't been the best investment we ever made. But thanks to the miracle of credit we were able to get a new one. And that was just the beginning of our week.

I went to the "other flea market" on Saturday to try and sell a few day lilies while they were blooming. Around 10, someone came up and said; Sir did you know your tire was flat? DOES IT EVER END? CALGON TAKE ME AWAY!!!! So I packed up quickly and managed to make it to a gas station where I was able to pump up the tire before it went totally flat.

So on Saturday night I installed the new washer. The rest of the week was going well until today when my garden well pump sucked air and ruined the check valve and now I have to make major repairs. Ok enough whining. I am still thankful. Things could have been a lot worse. So here is my list.

I am thankful that we have great credit and it seems that everyone in town wants to lend us money. If you want to be added to that list just tell me what the interest rate is.

I am thankful that my tire didn't go flat while I was out in the sticks where there was no gas station.

I am thankful that I am able to install my own washing machine. I know a lot of people who have to call a plumber to do that.

I am thankful that I was able to figure out what was wrong with my water pump and right now I think I can fix it easily enough. Maybe I should be a plumber.

Oh I almost forgot. Last Thursday, when I went to the local dump site....There on the ground was a shovel. I guess it was a sign of things to come. I am thankful for the free shovel. :)

Have a great day and focus on the positive.

Greg

What are you "saying?"

2010-06-30T01:39:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love how some people rattle off wise sayings? I know a couple of people who have a saying that fits almost every situation. But if you know me, you know I like to analyze everything so I just can't let it go sometimes. Take this one for instance:

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks" I hear that a lot and I have a feeling the old dog they are referring to is me. My first thought is why not? A 95 year old woman graduated from college recently so I know it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks too. And you can't use a shock collar on a 95 year old woman either and you can on an old dog. Well I guess you could but it might be frowned on by some people.

But more importantly why would you want to teach an old dog new tricks. I am talking dogs here people forget about the 95 year old woman. I mean imagine you have had this dog for say 10 years and one day you wake up and think: Hmmmm I wonder if I can teach Spike to shake hands? Why didn't you do that when Spike was a puppy? It would have been a lot easier.

I really don't think it is so much that you can't teach him new tricks I think it is more that you start thinking Spike may not be around much longer so why bother. Not that there is anything wrong with going to college at 95. That's all I'm saying.

Have a great day,
Greg

I voted for Thankful Thursday

2010-06-24T01:09:00.000-07:00

Yes it's Thankful Thursday time again. And it is back by popular vote. I toyed with the idea of giving it up due to time restrictions but a lot of you voted (emailed me) and said keep it going so here I am and since it is Thursday, here we go.

I am thankful for the chance to vote in our primary elections. Just think of all the people who don't get to do that. And we had a runoff here and I voted in that as well. Remember if you don't use it you lose it so go out and vote whenever you can. The only sad part is that a lot of people don't vote or they vote based on a name or a color. For instance I heard a lot of people voted for Al Green because the name sounded familiar. I guess they were "Tired of being alone." Wrong Al Green people.

I am thankful for opportunities to make a few extra dollars. They really are all around us if we just look. God has been very good to us in this area. No 100 million dollar lottery but a few dollars in a coffee can.

I am again thankful for the ability to fix things that God gave me. I am amazed at the people who can't repair anything and I can fix almost everything. Notice I said almost.

I am thankful for family. This week our youngest has been away at 4-H camp and we really do miss him. It's funny, those little things he does which upset us just don't matter.

I am thankful that this week is almost over. It has been really hot and I have been doing some outside work. If you want to sweat, just come to SC. Hey that could be a new motto. :)

Have a great day and be thankful,
Greg

That deer in the headlight look.

2010-06-23T01:28:00.000-07:00

I swore I wasn't going to post anymore deer stories because I think they were jinxing me but I have to tell just one more. I will keep it short. Yesterday on my way to work Bambi decided to take a walk on the wild side and cross the road in front of me. Bad move for a dear you know. Anywhoo she didn't run, jump, trot or even sashay not that a deer can sashay, she just walked. So I came to a stop while she cleared my lane. But she didn't continue walking she just got in the other lane and stood there.

It was a face off...man against beast as she stood there looking at me not 10 feet from me and right beside my car. Not knowing what to do, I rolled the window down and spoke to her; "You know, this is why you guys keep getting hit. You can't just stand in the road." Bambi just stood there looking at me while I spoke and then gave me that "Like whatever" look as she turned and walked slowly away. The nerve of some animals. That took a lot of gall to just stand there. What if I had a gun?

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, I see the light

2010-06-17T01:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to another Thankful Thursday. I want to thank everyone who stuck with me through the darkness. Yes I have been a bit down lately and some of you have noticed and commented but now I am beginning to see a small glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and I am hoping it isn't a train. :)For the first time in what seems like forever I had had a lot of good things happen to me and I don't have to search for thankful items. Some of these may sound trivial but little things add up.

First off I do want to thank everyone who has been giving me pep talks and keeping me motivated to keep pushing on. You know who you are and so does God and he thanks you as well.

I finally got my little boat running well. It took persistence and a lot of hard work but it is running well now. The reason this is such a biggie is because with money so tight, going out in the boat is the only vacation my family is getting. Those family boat rides seem like heaven.

Our insurance is going to pay for my son's teeth to be fixed. I have two insurance companies, one for medical and the other for dental. As it turned out neither covered wisdom tooth removals so we were left high and dry and my son needed his removed. One dentist was booked so we went to another who said they would submit the paperwork even if we aren't covered. Well the insurance company said they would cover most of it anyway. That's a big money load off our shoulders.

We got rain this week. It only gave us one day of relief but some is better than none. I am still getting lots of cucumbers and peppers if anyone wants some. :)

It looks like we can get our house refinanced which will give us some more breathing room. Even though we were making it, it was by the skin of our teeth and that skin was starting to get a bit thin. (too much brushing I guess) Anywhoo things look good and we should be doing better in a month or two. Keep praying for us but I think we are on the right track.

I could actually go on but I am going to leave it at 5. No sense being boastful. Did you notice this was actually done on Thursday this week? See things are getting better.

Have a wonderful day and please join me in being thankful
Greg

Thankful Thursday, I think?

2010-06-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and sat and thought for a while; Is it Wednesday or Thursday? On one hand I wanted it to be Thursday because that would mean the weekend was one day closer. However if it was Thursday then I missed my Thankful Thursday post and that would have upset me deeply. But I realized that today is Wednesday so I had time to write my post. But I had a very busy day and I was just about to hit the hay when I realized that again I had almost missed writing my post. So let me get right to it so I can go to bed. :)

I am thankful that when my wife's car broke down on Monday that the kids weren't hurt. My oldest son was driving it when the transmission went out. If you remember we just had it fixed to the tune of 2000 dollars and we just went past the warranty period. Oh well, its only money.

I am thankful that I only have two more days of OSHA training. I haven't had this much fun since I had a root canal.

I am thankful that I got new tires on my car. It was beginning to shake and it was starting to make me sick.

I am thankful that the graduation party went very well last Saturday. Everyone who came got along well and they were very generous. The graduate liked that part too.

I am just thankful to be alive right now. With all that is going on in my life it doesn't take much to make me happy. The simple things in life are the best and sometimes that is all I have.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, it's summertime.

2010-06-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

It's officially summer. Or so the weatherman says. From what I have seen it has been summer for quite some time now. We have already had some upper 90 degree weather and we are into that summer weather pattern. You can also tell it is summer because a lot of people are complaining about the heat. You won't hear me complain because I prefer heat over cold. But let me get to my Thankful Thursday post since that is what this is all about. With so much going well for me right now it is hard to pick just a few but here goes:

First off my oldest son graduated from high school. Even though that doesn't sound like anything earth shattering, there are a lot of kids dropping out these days. I am thankful that he stuck with it.

I am thankful for the fresh cucumbers and tomatoes that I just picked from my garden. There is nothing quite like fresh veggies that you grew yourself. Ok maybe I had a little help from God.

I am thankful that the two snakes that I flushed out this week weren't poisonous. One was a glass snake and the other was a rat snake. The glass snake actually crawled across my hand while I was working on my hands and knees and the rat snake was the biggest one I have ever seen. It was about 4 ft long.

I am thankful for all the free plants I got last Saturday from a friend of mine. She got them from a friend and then passed them along to me. Now all I have to do is re-pot them and I can either sell them or keep them for myself.

I am again thankful for the rain that God has given us. We have been getting it at night and we wake up with the air smelling fresh.

I hope you have something to be thankful for this week. I am sure you can think of something.

Have a great day,
Greg

Memorial Day photos

2010-05-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

Well we had an absolutely wonderful Memorial Day. I got up early and we worked from sunup to sundown. But then to me this day isn't about having a good time. It is about remembering those who died so that we could spend the day with our families. And I did get to spend the day with my family and they worked right along side of me. One of the things we did today was to work in our gardens. So here are a few photos that I took today. I hope you enjoy them.

This is a water lily in our pond.

This is one the cats that we rescued. His name is Tigger Tiger.

This is one of our day lilies. It is called Plum Crazy

This is a pink Day lily.

This day lily is called an Orange Sherbet.

This is a Purple Mexican Petunia with a moth in it.

This day lily is called Lemonade

This is our main Hydrangea. It can change from pink to blue if you change the PH of the soil.

This is a French Hydrangea

I caught this Dragon Fly by our fish pond.

Check out how big our chickens have gotten.

This is a Chevron daylily.

And finally this is an Angel Wing Begonia.

I hope you had a very special Memorial Day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday. I think.

2010-05-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

I think it is almost Thursday and if that is the case, then it is time for Thankful Thursday. Again it has been a really busy week for me and I apologize for not visiting your blogs like I would like to. I really want to but life is really hectic for me these days. But in all this hecticktivity, (I just made that word up, what do you think?) I can still find things to be thankful for.

This past weekend I was able to help out a fellow vendor down at the market. I am always thankful when I can help someone. Our neighbor down there showed up driving a truck with a manual transmission. The only problem is that she didn't know how to drive one. And downtown Charleston is not the place to learn. So when it came time to leave, My son drove their truck home and I took the other girl in my truck. We got them home safely. Lets hope she got some lessons in this week.

I managed to keep my cool so far this week at work and I am thankful for that. But you know what they say; The week aint over yet. I am taking Friday off though so I only have one day to go. It has been a trying week for me.

I am thankful that my boys only have one week of school left. When they graduate they turn into my slaves for the summer. Its my oldest son's senior year so he turns into my slave forever. Bwahahahahahaha

I am thankful that the deer were in my yard this morning and not in the street. However when I first saw the glowing eyes staring at me in the dark I wasn't so happy. I watched too many scary movies when I was young and those eyes usually belong to some kind of evil creature. Wait deer are evil. To me in my car anyway.

I am so happy that I don't live on the gulf coast right now. What a mess we have gotten into. And I am also happy that I no longer work for a certain British Petroleum company. I'm just saying.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, looking for that silver lining.

2010-05-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

It may not seem like things are getting better for me but they are. If you judge only by the frequency of my posts you may get a different impression. Yes I am still very busy with everything from work to special projects but I am slowly but surely getting things done. Every day I check another thing or two off my list of "things to do today". I really doubt if there will be a time that I have no list but that is ok too. God's plan for me isn't to be a loafer.

This week I am thankful for a bunch of things but I will only list 5.

1. Fresh veggies from my garden. This week I picked squash and cucumbers. I have peppers about ready to pick and my zucchini is just about ready too. Tomatoes aren’t that far off.

2. A totally awesome concert by my middle schooler. The new band director they got this year is outstanding and is really doing a great job working with all the kids.

3. I am thankful for another great day at the market this past weekend. They were calling for rain but it held off and we ended up having a great day.

4. And speaking of rain we got some nice rain earlier this week. We (my wife) have been having to water all day long and that rain gave my well a break. I am always thankful for rain.

5. Finally I am thankful for my thankful attitude. With all the troubles and worries in this world, God has given me the ability to see the silver lining in almost everything. Sometimes it takes me a while but I can usually find it. Many people that I work with like to focus on the clouds and refuse to look for that silver lining. Every morning I am met with a room full of pouting people and I do my best to cheer them up. This morning I decided to start putting happy quotes on my morning report. This morning it was; “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Abraham Lincoln said that. At the end of the meeting we got into a discussion about why I put that on the report and someone piped up and said; He got shot, how happy is that?

Oh well I tied. Please join me in being thankful this week. I am sure you have something to be thankful for. How about life itself.

Have a great day,

Greg

Thankful Thursday, We can do this

2010-05-13T01:32:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone and welcome to Thankful Thursday. To tell the truth I woke up this morning, unprepared, thinking that I would only write a goodbye post and graciously bow out of blogging forever. Life isn't easy for me these days. I have more problems than most people would be able to deal with. Between family, work and financial commitments I am just about broke. My mental and physical bank account is drained and there is no relief in site. However through it all, I keep getting little glimpses of hope and that keeps me going. When I logged on this morning to make that goodbye post, I had some great comments on my last post. Those little comments (along with some really strong coffee) gave me the strength to keep moving and not give up. So here are the little things I am thankful for this morning;

I am thankful for the person at work who told me this week that they didn't mind helping me because I am a nice person.

I am thankful for the two 100's that my youngest son brought home from school yesterday. I knew he could do it.

I am thankful for my oldest son who is picking up the slack while I work these 10 hour days. Living out in the country like we do makes it hard to do all those errands when I have to work late.

I am thankful for my wife who is out there every day watering the garden for us with a brace on her foot. She is hurting but she keeps doing what she can.

And finally I am thankful for all the great comments that I get on my blog. You never know the difference one little comment can make in someone's life. When life gets us down, it's nice to know we are not alone. And I would like to apologize for not visiting your blogs like I used to. As soon as this life slows down I will get back to it.

Have a great day,
Greg

Random Dozen, Unknows theme edition

2010-05-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

I don't know if there is a theme this week for the random dozen. I don't know if there has to be one other than being random. If I had to guess I would say it was high school memories. So here I go with my answers;

1. Please share one memory of your high school graduation. Pics would be great!

My high school graduation was pretty uneventful. It was very formal and the participants and guests all dressed up. No one did anything “funny”. The other day we went to a college graduation and that wasn’t the case. I saw one lady with cut off jeans and there were more babies there than in a maternity ward. People blew horns and others shouted and screamed. We couldn’t even hear the speaker over all the babies crying. What’s up with that?

2. What is one "emergency use" item you keep in your vehicle at all times?

The only emergency use item in my car is the spare tire. I would however like to get one of those cattle gates to keep the deer off my car.

3. In your region, do you celebrate graduation open houses? Addendum: (If so,) how many open houses/bridal showers/weddings are on your upcoming events calendar?

We are having a little get together for our son for his graduation but other than that we have nothing on our social calendar. We are considered boring.

4. Tell me one truth you believe about motherhood.

It doesn’t take much effort to be a mother but it takes a lot of work to be a good mother. Just my opinion based on personal observation.

5. What was the last thing you broke?

That would be a little electrical sensor plug on my son’s car. When we were putting it back together I noticed it was broken so I am assuming that I did it. It may have already been broken though.

6. On average, how many pieces of junk mail do you receive daily?

Usually I get between 40 and 60 emails a day but sometimes it is as high as 80. Of those about 10 to 20 are junk and the rest are just things that don't interest me.

7. Do you like to shop by catalog?

No but I like shopping on line. Of course there is the ever popular VS catalog. :)

8. Is lawn maintenance at your house a "his job," a "her job" or "his/her job" or "that's why we have teenagers" job?

It is mostly a her job but we are trying to turn it into “that’s why we have teenagers” job.

9. Which room would you like to redecorate in your home?

The dining room but we would have to make it larger to do so.

10. Do you read a newspaper regularly, or do you read most of your news on line?

All on line for me. I read whatever pops up after I read my email and that’s about it. Right now they are saying the environment is almost at the point of no return. Imagine that.

11. Do you believe everything happens for a reason?

Yes but sometimes it just isn’t very obvious. Take the oil rig disaster for instance. I think it is telling us not to drill off the coast.

12. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

That’s a good question. I used to be more worried about doing the right thing but I am changing my ways and now trying to do things right. Doing the right thing for you isn’t always doing the right thing for someone else. It gets really complicated. If you do something right who can argue with that?

Have a great day,
Greg

Garden photos

2010-05-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Ok I am finally getting to posting a few photos. Some are from my garden and some others are just flowers that we grow. I even threw in a photo from the air show a few weeks ago. I hope you like them.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Welcome Visitors

2010-05-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday and time for another edition of Thankful Thursday. It hasn't been a good week for me or so it seems. God is surely testing me. And I have to admit I lost my cool at first. But in the end I decided to let it all go and let Him handle everything. If this is what you have planned for me God then I am thankful that you think I am worth testing.

My fist item of thankfulness today may sound kind of strange. I am as always thankful for all my new visitors and followers. However, I have recently picked up a bunch of foreign followers. I have a confession: I only know how to speak/read English. So although everyone is welcome here, please leave your comments in English so I can respond. Please.

I am thankful this week for the biggest test of my life. Can you say IRS Audit? I think the remaining hair that I have that wasn't gray is now turning. But you know what? This too will pass and the good news is there will be no IRS in heaven. All our debts will be paid. Please God give me a sign that this is true.

I am thankful for another great weekend at the market. Although life is getting hard we are making it. I am thankful for every opportunity that I get. Repeat after me; Hard work is good for you.

I am thankful for the little things in life that make me laugh. Like when someone said in reference to Cinco de Mayo: "I thought that was in February." No that would be Cinco De Febrero.

And finally I am thankful for all the rain we had this past week. You should see my garden. Wait you will this weekend. I am going to take photos. Right now we have squash, tomatoes, peppers and cukes on the vine.

Have a Great day,
Greg

Random Life, Random Dozen

2010-05-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

I am participating in the Random Dozen meme over at Second Cup of Coffee again this week. As usual I haven't a clue where she gets the theme or the questions. But I play along anyway just to amuse her. :) So without further ado:

1. What was the last thing about which you procrastinated?

There are so many things I could say here, it is hard to pick just one. Right now I am procrastinating on a report my boss wants. I finally figured how to handle the things I don’t want to do. If you put the ball in someone else’s court you can sit idly by while they procrastinate. It works try it.

2. How long does it take you to fall asleep, and do you sleep through the night?
I usually fall asleep in less than 5 minutes. However I am up off and on all night.

3. Which decade would you choose to exemplify your favorite fashion styles?

I think the 70’s were pretty hip. There is nothing like jeans with stuff written all over them when the bottom is frayed. I was cool.

4. What is your personal best dish to feed a crowd?

“Off the cuff humor.” Almost every day at work, someone will make a totally moronic statement and I can’t help but come back with a witty remark. I make a lot of people laugh. Now if we are talking real food, I would have to say lasagna. I do make a mean one.

5. Are you an impulse shopper? What was the last thing you bought on impulse?

Not usually but sometimes I see something I just have to have. It’s usually food. You should never shop while hungry. Last week I went grocery shopping at the commissary. I wanted to get some sardines because I have been reading about how good they are for you. I came home with some sardines in Louisiana hot sauce. How could anyone resist them? (note to self; Don’t buy them again)

6. What is one wish you have for your own funeral?

I want a simple funeral. Nothing too fancy. Just a 5 mile procession on a mule drawn wagon being lead by a Dixieland band playing a dirge, When we get to our house they break into “When the Saints go marching in” and everyone has a big party. (notice I said “we”. I plan on being there) Well duh, it’s my party. As I said, nothing fancy.

7. If it's true that joy is in found in the simple things in life, what does your joy look like today?

Oh you don’t even want to go there. Ok I know this is bad but lately I have been in a mood and what I really need is to see someone who does something stupid get what’s coming to him. I just saw it on the internet. That guy that ran out on the field at the baseball game and got tazed. I like that. Simple but enjoyable entertainment.

8. What is your favorite type of bread?

Pumpernickel with lots of butter.

9. What trait do you fear developing the most? (Laziness, greediness, grumpiness, etc.)

Fear??? I guess it would be grumpiness. I have my moments now but I would hate to be that way all the time.

10. What trait would you like most to develop?

Is wealth a trait? Right now I could use a little extra pocket money. I think I am the way I want to be most of the time.

11. Which room in your house best reflects your personality? Why?

I really can’t relate to a room. I am more of the outside type of person.

12. How do you maintain balance in your life regarding, work, family, church, other organizations and activities, and blogging?

Balance? What is that? I just try to do it all and usually fail.

Have a great day,
Greg

It could only happen ot me.

2010-05-02T16:52:00.000-07:00

So there we were on Saturday, on our way home from the marketrday. We were driving along, minding our own business, not hurting anyone. We were on the Island Connector, heading toward James Island. We had a car right on our tail but life was good. As we drove along, I looked in the rear view mirror and said to my son; hey something looks funny with that tarp.

Ok since we take plants to the market we put a 6' by 8' tarp over the truck bed. This keeps the wind from damaging the plants. But to keep it down we usually attach it to the truck body. Well yours truly came up with an easier way to to attach it. Just strap it to the big wooden table that I made. It sounded good. Really. I mean this table weighs about 60 lbs so it was pretty heavy, so what could go wrong?

Have you ever seen one of those drag races where they use the parachutes to stop the cars? Well that's what I saw in the rear view mirror. But our parachute wasn't attached to the truck, just the table. So all of a sudden this tarp blows up like a parachute, and I screamed OMG there goes the table. Now we were doing 55 mph and there was a very small car following close behind me.

So I swerve off the road and as I get in the breakdown lane all I can think of is; Where's the table? I mean I couldn't see it anymore and although the car that was following me too close swerved, it didn't crash. My first impulse was to just step on it and speed off. But then I remembered that the banner from the winery was attached to that table so I had to stop. I figured that it bounced off the bridge into the water.

But after I got off the road, I discovered that the table was still hanging on by a bunji chord. Talk about a stroke of luck. And that is just a sample of what I have been going through lately.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday #72

2010-04-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

I have lost count but I think we are on #72. I will go with that. :)I am also having to post this on Wednesday night because I have to get up early in the morning. Does anyone else get up at 330?

There are so many things I could complain about today….But I am not going to. Instead I am going to be thankful for the positive things that have happened this week.

Those storms that blew through the other night were really something. They let a lot of destruction in their path. But in all that chaos just think how many people survived. I am amazed and thankful that more people weren’t hurt or killed. It could have been a lot worse.

I had another great workout this week. I may have lost a pound or two but more importantly I am getting in better shape. I will be starting a new diet this week and I am excited and thankful about that.

I am thankful that we didn’t get any more rain in this last set of storms. I know a lot of people are begging for rain but on our island we still have enough ground water. We have to put on boots to pick the iris flowers because it is like a swamp where they are planted.

I am thankful that we were able to save a baby bird this past week. I know this sounds like a little thing but it was a miracle that he lived. One of our cats had him and we managed to get him away before he was injured. Since the baby chicks are still small we haven’t put them in their larger pen yet. That made an excellent bird cage for the baby. He rested all night and by the next day he was strong enough to fly away. He was ready to leave too because another of our cats spent the night sleeping on top of the cage. I should have taken a photo.

I am thankful that my allergies are much better. I haven’t sneezed all day and I am back to just taking fish oil and no meds. I am finally starting to come out of my drug induced coma too which is a great feeling.

I have a lot more to be thankful for but I will leave it with 5. Why don’t you join me this week and be thankful. Sign up below.

Have a great day,

Greg

Be Very Afraid!!!

2010-04-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

Stephen Hawking says:

I have to ask, who is Stephen Hawking? How on earth has he figured out that there are aliens out there and how does he know that they aren’t friendly? I have been hearing a lot about this man in the news lately. Apparently he has figured out things that other scientists have been unable to. Is it possible that the aliens have been talking directly to him and that is how he knows?

I am not trying to belittle this man. And I am by no means poking fun at him for his physical impairments. I mean apparently he has some smarts since he does have a college education.(I do however work with some morons who have one of those college degrees….I’m just saying) But where does this guy get his ideas? Since he spends most of his day on the internet I can only assume he gets his information the same place I get mine; Google searches. And if my assumptions are correct then he will most likely find my blog and this post. So I am sending this message out to him just like we sent those spacecrafts out there for aliens to find. (sorry I am not including a photo of a naked man and woman like we did in those spaceships)

Dear Stephen

I know you have your theories but I have mine. And mine are in my opinion as valid as yours. So let’s just assume that there are aliens out there. Since the universe is "billions of years old," what are they waiting on? Why aren’t they here already? Maybe they are? Maybe we are the aliens. Wouldn’t that be a hoot. Maybe we are aliens and dogs were here first. We took over and now they have to obey us.(Insert evil laugh)

So what are you basing your assumptions on? From what I read, you are using calculations based on probability and statistics. Since there are so many stars and planets out there, chances are there must be life somewhere out there. That makes sense. Using that same analogy, since there are 10 billion-billion sand gnats in our state, one of them just may be intelligent so we better stop slapping them. (That aint going to happen.)Swat, there goes another intelligent sand gnat.

Ok where was I? Aliens. So you think that there are aliens out there and it is a bad idea for us to try to contact them because they are mean and will kill us. You think they are more like the one on the movie Aliens and not like Alf, ET or Mork from Ork. Nanu nanu According to you, we should be very quiet and very afraid because they want what we got. Should we hide too? Is it time?

----------------------------------------

Now I don’t believe a word of this violent alien thing. Remember my previous post about aliens and how they frequent trailer parks? And remember when I discussed the destruction they left behind in the form of tornadoes or after wake as they say in the aircraft biz? Well as I stated before this destruction isn’t intentional. I mean who could harm someone like this:

Or people like this:

But I will say that he most likely knows more about the subject than I do. After all, he is an astrophysicist. Heck I have trouble even spelling that word much less knowing what it means. If I had to guess I think that means he studies physical growths in space dogs.

Phys which is short for physical, cicist which is how I would spell cyst since I can’t spell and Astro which is a space dog owned by the Jetsons;

So that is why he is an expert on space and aliens. Of so it seems. But that would also make me think he would go with the Alf alien. But whatever.

Anyway I am not buying this whole mean alien thing. We all have our ideas of what aliens really look like and I found mine the old fashion way; Google.

Oops, I should have searched for space girls not spice girls. My bad.

Have a great day,

Greg

Thankful Thursday, The choice is yours.

2010-04-22T01:17:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been thinking a lot about choices. I don’t know why but I have. Over my life I think I have made some great choices. Yes I have made some bad ones too but for the most part my choices have been good ones. I don’t always know what causes me to make good decisions but somehow I just do. Some other people don’t make sound decisions;

Take this guy the other day in traffic. I was in one of those long merge zones where the road goes from two lanes to one. I just happened to be right at the end of the merge zone (which was about 1000 ft long) when traffic came to a standstill. All the cars were in a nice neat line. From behind me, I saw a motorcycle approaching rapidly in the other lane. Apparently he didn’t see the “merge left” sign or he just didn’t care. He continued to speed along and I was starting to think he wasn’t going to stop. I was about 4 feet behind the car in front of me which was also stopped. When the guy got right beside me he simply turned left and pulled in front of me sideways. Now how smart is that?

Shortly after that we started moving and as we got just down the road a bit he proceeded to pass about 20 cars with a sharp turn approaching. There was a double yellow line but he didn’t seem to care. Some people are like that. They just don’t care about themselves or others. Funny thing is when I got where I work he was pulling into the building next to mine just a few seconds before me. I am glad that I am not like that. I do care about myself and others which brings me to my thankful items;

I am thankful that I continue to push myself and workout. I really do want to get into shape and the exercising is starting to pay off. Even though I don’t seem to be losing any weight my pants are getting looser. Sometimes I feel like I just don’t have the energy to do it but I press on. I almost skipped out on my body pump class this week but I am glad I went. It was a good decision to go. The class was packed and it was a lot of fun. I may never be in “great shape” but I keep working at it.

1 Corinthians

16Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

(I keep working on my temple even if it kind of looks like an old shack.)

I am thankful that I have a good job and that I am able to do it well. No matter what or how much my boss throws at me, I somehow get through it. I sometimes think that upsets people around me. They get an assignment and do nothing but whine about it. When I get an assignment I just do it and get it behind me. Yes that leads to more work but I get a lot done and in the end I go home just like the rest of them only with a better attitude. It was a difficult choice to come here because it meant a pay cut but it has been well worth it.

I am thankful that when I was in the traffic situation mentioned above I had the patients not to lay on the horn like a lot of people would do. I had that choice, he most likely had it coming but I made the choice to act civilized and be the bigger person. I know some people who would have even inched forward a bit till they almost bumped him. I will let God handle him.

I am thankful for the rain we had last night. Our garden is starting to look really good and a little rain should make it look even better. The rain also washed away some pollen so I am feeling a bit better today. Although I could take more medications and most likely feel better in the short term I think that it is best to take as few as possible. I am not nearly as drowsy today as I have been. Maybe the worst is behind me now.

I am thankful for all the other opportunities that I have been given. I am a workaholic but that is better than being lazy and not working at all. Years ago, when I just got out of high school I had a really easy job. I didn’t make much money but it was very easy work and most likely I could have stayed there and worked without a care in the world. But instead I made the decision to join the Navy and I think that was a great choice. When I hear about old friends who have done nothing with their lives I know I made some good choices. Ok maybe do know why I have made some great decisions. I had a little help. Thank you God.

I think God gives us choices every day. What we do with them is up to us. I Pray that you are making good choices with the opportunities that God gives you.

Have a great day,

Greg

Rapid fire random dozen.

2010-04-21T01:30:00.000-07:00

I called this Rapid fire because I am tired, hungry, and I only have 30 minutes to get this done before I leave for work. I was going to skip it this week but Enquiring minds want to know.....

1. Ever had any run-ins with the "library police?"

Yes I was shushed when I was younger for talking in the library. It didn't go on my permanent record though so I am ok.

2. Do you have a special organizational plan and place for wrapping paper, gift bags, etc., or do you just purchase whatever you need as you give gifts?

I just buy some when I need it. I am lazy in this department.

3. Have you ever been in (first-hand witness) a natural disaster?

Yes I was there when the Teeton Dam broke back in I think it was 1975. I was fishing on the snake river at the time but far enough away from the dam that I made it home before the wave hit. I did go down to the river though and watch the stuff flow by.

4. What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?

No such thing. Sorry Lid this is so out of the box. Not even I can go there. Ask BM song is and I could write a book. Notice I called him BM.

5. What's the best costume you've ever worn?

There have been so many. I think the year we went to the Elks Lodge on Halloween as flower children was pretty funny. I had a long wig on and peace signs all over my clothes. I had on my Jesus sandals too. I was also wearing John Lennon glasses and handing out flowers. A friend of mine was there who just happened to be a Marine. Of course he was dressed as a Marine. (how original) Anywhoo I approached him and handed him a flower and said; "Make love not war" from back in the day and he told me to get the %@#* away from him and I laughed and said; Wait, it's me....Greg and he busted out laughing too.

6. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?

Ha, with my english skills....Thesaurus 100 to 1.

7. What's your favorite breakfast food?

Coffee, two creams, two sugars. I am having it now. I am having my second cup too.

8. Have you ever purchased anything from an infomercial?

Who hasn't had a Chia Pet? How could I resist?

9. Have you ever crawled through a window?

More times than I care to admit.

10. Do you believe in love at first sight?

Yes. When I first saw my wife I knew she was the one.

11. How man pairs of jeans do you own?

Three but as soon as I lose about 20 lbs I am going to buy some more.

12. If someone were going to bake a cake to honor/represent you, what would it be? (Think creatively, like Duff and Crew on "Ace of Cakes.")

Sorry I am out of time, energy and creativity. Always have to slip in a hard one don't you Lid. Since I am about out of time I will have to go with something simple. Everyone knows my favorite is German Chocolate. Every year for my birthday that is what I asked for. Sometimes I even got it.

Have a great day,
Greg

Flea Market Report

2010-04-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

You know sometimes you have to rack your brain for something to blog about and other times life just throws you an across the plate pitch and all you have to do is swing to get a home run. This was one of those cases. Now before I get started, let me warn you. This post is not suitable for young children so if there are any around have them leave the room now. And If you happen to have one of those little air sickness bags handy, you may want to get it out and have it ready……

We still have way too many day lilies so I made another trip to the Ladson Flea Market. (Insert thunder sound track) My day started off badly when I woke up at 330 with a mild case of vertigo. My allergies had kicked up so I was spinning just a bit. I wasn’t able to get back to sleep so I got up at 445 anyway and got ready to go. I was able to get a great spot though and I thought; Wow it’s going to be a great day.

Around 8 came the daily gangsta parade with the leader planning one of my favorite songs. It goes something like this: I’m a bad Blanking blanker and I got a blanking blank at home and I blank her and I don’t mind if she knows I’m a blanking blanker. And this guy was playing this song so loud you could hear it two blocks away. Yes I have that one on my IPOD….NOT!!! But that’s a whole different story so let me get to the point. Shortly after the parade a couple pulled into the spot beside me.

Now this was no ordinary couple. Picture this: Larry the cable guy meets Aunt Bea( from Andy Griffith). I kid you not, she looked just like Aunt Bea. When they had their table ready to go, I dropped by to see what they had. It was an assortment of junk like I have never seen. There was a little of this and a little of that and not a whole lot of anything. The guy introduced himself and I could immediately tell they were first class. First off he had on a camouflaged t-shirt with only a few holes in it. Then he had on a nascar ball cap but the thing that set him apart from the average man was the huge wad of chew in his cheek. I mean it looked like he had a golf ball logged in his jaw. It was amazing.

So the whole time we are talking he has brown drool running out of the corners of his mouth all the way down to his chin. It was a sight to see and it was all I could do not to throw up. Then Aunt Bea smiles and I realize she only has two teeth and they are kind of brown. But other than that, she does look just like Aunt Bea. Well the day went on and every time Aunt Bea went for a walk, Larry came over to visit. I guess he liked my company. About the third time he came over he brought along some crackers and a soda and proceeded to eat them without taking the huge wad of chew out of his mouth. Again I had to fight the urge to throw up.

While he was talking to me he kept trying to get my attention by poking me in the arm and saying things like “Hey Bo listen to this.” I was listening but I couldn’t make eye contact for fear if seeing more goo dripping out of his mouth. But being the kind of person I am, I tried not to judge these two people so I didn’t say anything and looked away whenever he came by. But then it happened:

I was sitting there minding my own business when a customer approached their table. He began looking through a box of tapes that they had. He didn’t find anything he was interested in and then Aunt Bea spoke up; We got some adult movies too if you want to see em. And that’s’ the point when I threw up in my mouth just a bit. I am sorry, I can only take so much. Just the thought of those two sitting at home watching porn was too much to handle.

One other funny thing that happened was when Larry came over and asked; Did you grow them plants? I wanted to say, no I stole them, here’s your sign. But in the end I sold a lot of day lilies and that is a good thing. During the day, though a lady came up to look at my plants. She had on a pair of the tightest jeans I have ever seen. As she left my table she dropped something and bent over to get it and I wondered if they were going to give way. There on the back of her jeans (which were four sizes too small) was the word “Guess” and without thinking, the number 275 popped into my head. Sorry it was a long day.

Have a great one,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Spring has sprung.

2010-04-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

I have so much to be thankful for this week so let me get right to my list. Yes it is only Wednesday night but I discovered that a lot of you blog after midnight and since this is a Thursday post it will be Thursday when you read this. Feel free to comment early. :)

First and foremost on my list is the fact that my Brother in Law is home safely from the hospital. He had some heart problems but he seems to be doing fine now. Do you remember when you could go into the hospital for anything this side of a common cold and they would keep you over night just to make sure you were ok? These days you go in for a heart procedure and they want to send you home less than 24 hours later. Either we are getting stronger or the insurance companies are.

I am so thankful that I am doing better as far as my allergies. This was the worst year for as long as I can remember but I am starting to do better. I have actually gotten sleep for two nights in a row now. I continue to exercise too and I think I may even be building a few muscles. Yes it’s true.

I am again thankful for all my blogger friends. I get so much support from you all. I appreciate all your comments on here and the emails that I sometimes get from you. This is a great support group. So when is the blogger convention?

I am thankful for all the rain we had this spring. My garden is doing very well and it won’t be long before we are eating fresh vegetables. The strawberries are in on our island too and I am thinking about going to get some soon. There is nothing quite like fresh fruit and vegetables. Buy local when you can people.

I am thankful that God is in control and displaying His power every day. I know a lot of people think the world is about to come to an end and everything is going badly but there are millions of little miracles happening all around us if we just look for them. Lately I have had to resist the urge to get revenge on some people who I felt needed to get theirs. I was patient however and sure enough they got their just “reward” from their own wrong doing. Be patient, let God handle the revenge. That’s my advice for you today.

Have a great Day,

Greg

Random Dozen

2010-04-14T01:27:00.000-07:00

1. How do you feel about "Gladiator" sandals, also called "Roman" or "Jesus" sandals? A fashion yea or nay?

Believe it or not I had a pair back in the day. That was back in the 70’s for those who don’t know when “The day” was. And yes I wore them.

2. What is your favorite pizza?

Double pepperoni and double cheese. I like it nice and gooey.

3. There are plans in the works to sell roughly 1,000 items from Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. This means you could buy Picard's chair for your family room. If not a Star Trek item, what prop, background, set, etc. from what TV or movie would you buy if you could?
[Ex: Hurley's "I Love my Shih tzu" shirt from LOST, the plantation home "Tara" from Gone With the Wind, or Tracy's tambourine from the Partridge Family.]

I would like to have Noah’s house from the movie “The Notebook” because I got married there. I would turn it into a bed and breakfast and do weddings there.

4. Name a local food or restaurant that your area is famous for.

Shrimp and Grits is a biggie around these parts. Almost every restaurant tries to make it but a lot of them fail. You don’t just boil grits and shrimp together…Yuck.

5. What is your current favorite snack?

As I mentioned earlier, I am partial to Vinegar and Salt chips this time of year because of their soothing effect if you eat them whole.

6. Hypothetical: You are required to be a reality show contestant. Which show would you choose based on your probability of success? (You cannot choose "none.")

A. Dancing with the Stars
B. Biggest Loser
C. Survivor

I think I would do great at all of them because I do good when I am in the spotlight. Since there are too many whiners on the Biggest Loser and too much drama on Survivor I think I would pick “A”. I think I could learn to dance well.

7. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being uninhabitable and 10 being cleanliness that meets the standards of OCD, how clean is your vehicle's interior?

I would give it a 1. Currently the floors are littered with used Tissues and the mats are covered with dirt and pollen.

8. It doesn't feel like Spring until _________.

I sneeze till I get dizzy. Been there already.

9. Something that made you laugh really hard recently is ____.

“Date Night” the movie.

10. Tell me about a goal you're working toward.

Making it until Friday. It's been a trying week and it is only Wednesday.

11. Share a thought-provoking or inspiring quote this week.

“You just made the list” From the Psycho speech in the movie Stripes. I use it all the time and people don’t know if it is a good or bad list. You just made the list Lid with this weeks Random Dozen.

12. Name one thing that you do as a parent that you absolutely know will make your kids happy. If you're not a parent, feel free to substitute "friend" or nomenclature that works for you.

I bring home food. They like to eat. Pretty simple isn’t it?

Have a Great day,

Greg

Thank God It's Monday

2010-04-12T01:15:00.000-07:00

I actually thank God for every day I have and you should too.

We had a great weekend and the Market was just outstanding. Talk about a large crowd. At one point I heard a person say that there were too many people there because it was hard to get through the crowd. The weather was just perfect and there wasn't as much pollen as there had been. I was a little uncomfortable but I managed.

The only negative thing that happened all weekend came while I was driving. As I was turning off the highway and going down a long sweeping off ramp, my nose started running. (more allergies) So I grabbed a tissue and blew my nose but as I did, one of my ears popped. When that happened, my equilibrium got thrown off and I had a mild vertigo attack. If you have ever had vertigo you know what I am talking about and if you haven't well just read on.

So now the gentle turn ahead turns into a banked turn like at the Daytona International Speedway and I feel the need to go with it. Since I take that same route every day coming home from work, I was able to fight the feeling and ease the truck off the road where I sat until the world stopped spinning. I was lucky that the attack was mild otherwise I may have crashed. It only took a few moments for the feeling to go away.

On another note, my BIL is still in the hospital. They kept him for observation and he is having a procedure done this morning. Please keep him in your prayers.

Have a great Monday,
GReg

Top 10 Allergy signs

2010-04-10T02:09:00.000-07:00

Some of us go our whole lives devoted to a cause, trying to be the best at what we do. For some it is an uphill battle all the way while for others it comes quite easy and naturally. It’s like they were born with a “gift.” The goal is to be the best, the first or the top in whatever we have chosen as our life’s ambition. On rare occasions when we know we can’t be the best we opt for being the worst just to get some notoriety. For some it may be sports, for others it is business but for me, its allergies. Yes I think I have the worst allergies on the planet and I will argue with anyone who disagrees. I argue a lot when I am like this. Just ask my family.

Nothing irks me more than to hear someone with mild allergies complaining about how bad they have it. It never fails if I mention that I am suffering, some hypochondriac will chime in wanting to get a piece of the action; “Oh I know what you mean. They are really bad this year. I had to take a Claritin twice last week.” You make me laugh. That’s right, I want to laugh in their face and say something like; Allergies. You have no idea what allergies are. But then I was once like they are and thought I had it bad back then as well.

So I decided that perhaps some of you out there are in the same boat and think you have bad allergies. I am sorry to tell you this but it will only get worse. You have no idea what it will be like one day so to clue you in, I have come up with the top 10 signs that you have bad allergies. And here they are:

#10

While brushing your teeth you have wondered if it might feel good to brush your itchy eyes. And you have an electric tooth brush.

#9

Death Valley sounds like a nice place to live since there are no trees or grass there.

#8

Your favorite snack is vinegar and salt potato chips because you discovered that if you eat them whole they feel really good as they scratch their way down your throat.

#7

You change the words to every song you hear to make them all about allergies or pollen.

“I like dreamin, cause dreamin can make you mine” becomes “I hate pollen, cause pollen can make you sick”

“go on take the money and run” becomes “go on take the pollen and run”

Or

“in the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream” becomes “in the day we sweat it out on the streets of another allergy attack”

You get the picture

#6

The first thing you say when you wake up in the morning is; It’s going to be a great(sneeze,cough,blow), oh God not again, (sneeze,cough,blow),why me Lord?

#5

You have ever rubbed jalapeño juice in your eyes by mistake and thought; hey that feels pretty good.

#4

You feel so bad you wouldn’t even wish this on your worst enemy. And you have wished some pretty bad things on them in the past.

#3

You have ever sat down and done the math to see if it is possible become dehydrated from blowing your nose. Eventually you have to run out of body fluid according to my calculations.

#2

You have considered committing suicide because the thought of eternally burning in hell sounds like a step up from how you feel at the moment. (Not really but it has been close a couple of times.)

And the # 1 sign that you have bad allergies is;

Whenever you hear about a forest fire you laugh out loud uncontrollably and shout burn baby burn, pollen inferno. (another song for #7)

Have a nice allergy free day,

Greg

Achooo

As an added note, The weather channel said this was the worst year for allergies in about 10 years but they also said the worst is behind us now. I hope for once they are right,

Thankful Thursday

2010-04-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

It's spring and it's Thursday so it is time again to be thankful. I could focus on the fact that I am suffering from bad allergies but I will instead of be thankful for the good things in life.

I am thankful for the warm weather we are having. I have my garden planted and everything is coming up. It won't be long and we will be eating fresh veggies.

I am thankful for a great day at the Market. We had an outstanding day last Saturday which we really needed. I am praying the good fortune continues.

I am again thankful for Patients. I think my patients is growing stronger. A lot of people have short fuses these days but I have managed to keep mine unlit. I take a few moments, and think about what I am about to say or do and I usually decide I will be the bigger person. I thank God for giving me strength in this area.

I am thankful that I have the determination to get back in shape. It's 345 am. I only got 4 hours sleep last night. I am running on adrenalin but I am heading to the gym this morning. It's something I have to do for myself. Wish me luck.

I am thankful that my brother in law is doing ok. He had a mild heart attack over the weekend and is in ICU. Hopefully by the time most of you read this, he will be back home. Keep praying that this is the case.

In case you noticed that this is dated Wednesday, I started this last night so I could go to the gym this morning. Am I dedicated or crazy?

As an added note, it took me 4 tries to get Mr. Linky hooked up. It's going to be a long day. :)

Have a great day,
Greg

My last Random Dozen

2010-04-07T01:34:00.000-07:00

April fools. My father used to say; April fools has gone past and you're the biggest fool at last. I guess that applies. Anywhoo here we go with the first Random Dozen in April.

1. Define a great relationship. Two great things that go great together. Kind of like salt and pepper, ketchup and mustard, Tom and Jerry. Wait that last one didn’t go together all that well. But you know what I mean. Seriously Diane and I have a great relationship. We are identical in some ways but totally different in others so we keep each other in check.

2. Why is it called a "drive-through" if you have to stop? (Real question: What was the last food/drink you purchased at a drive-through?) That would be two plain McChicken sandwiches. It’s one of the few things my youngest will eat. But the real question should be why not drive-by’s. I mean when was the last time you actually drove "through" something. Now that I think of it, the only real drive through I have ever seen was an ABC liquor store down in Florida. You actually drive into the building. That was a very long time ago though and I doubt they still do that.

3. As I type this, the Butler Bulldogs are getting ready to play in the NCAA championship game. Every Hoosier is hysterical about this except me. So in honor of the Bulldogs ... what is your favorite breed of dog? (I tried.)

I am really not a dog person so I will say my favorite dog is Oscar Mayor. And not those beef things either, the real ones.

4. If you had to move to a state besides the one you currently live in, where would you move?

I currently live in a state of confusion but I wouldn’t mind moving to Texas. Texas has always fascinated me.

5. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

I would have eaten less of that salmonella salad. Mom used to cut up chicken on a wooden cutting board, rinse it briefly and then cut up the salad on the same board. I thought it was normal to get the flu about once a month. No kidding.

6. Who's the funniest person you know?

Me. I make myself laugh sometimes. Ok not true. I make myself laugh all the time.

7. Did you get enough sleep last night?

Not even close. I am running on caffeine right now. It’s 8:15 pm and I am about to go to bed. (update. It's now 5 am and although I could use a little more sleep I slept better last night)

8. What's the first thing you thought about this morning?

Why is this alarm going off when I want to sleep?

9. Grilled or Fried? –HONESTLY

Linda I am from the south. There is only one way….Fried.

10. Are you afraid of the dark?

Most defiantly. I have been that way all my life. I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks, I do I do.

11.When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a forest ranger. I thought it would be pretty cool to sit up in one of those big towers and watch for fires. It's the picture I had in my head of what a forest ranger did. I will write about the incident that changed my mind in another post.

12. If you had one word to describe yourself , what would you choose?

People have always used the word Friendly to describe me so I will go with that. I have always been friendly but when I was younger I was shy so it took me a while to meet someone. Once I did, we usually became friends.

Have a great day,
Greg

Weekend update.

2010-04-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

This is Weekend Update with Baby Momma?????

Anywhoo, this is how my weekend shaped up.

Scammer robs waitress. I saw the whole thing.
Alien pollen strikes SC man on Good Friday no less.
Market sales up, weirdo’s down.
Birthday party flops when guest of honor doesn’t show.
Father and son pick up chicks. Talk about a role model.
Wonderful Easter. News at 11. OK it’s close enough….

So Thursday night I go to pick up my son at golf practice. I had about an hour to wait so I went to the 19th hole for something to eat and drink. While I am there this flim-flam guy comes in and does some fancy fast talking and before we knew it he had left with more money than he came in with. This guy was slick and good with his hands. It wasn’t until he left that the waitress and I realized she had been robbed. Watch out people.

Friday I worked out in the garden all day. By the time nightfall came, we did have everything ready for the market but I had a massive allergy headache and I couldn’t breathe. I got little sleep but I did manage to get up bright and early for the market. It was like invasion of the body snatchers though because I wasn’t my normal chipper self with only two hours sleep.

The crowd at the market was great and the good part was that none of the freaks from the flea market showed up. Ok maybe one or two did but they were on their best behavior. Our sales were way up compared to last year and we are hoping for a great year.
This is what the market looked like at 7:30 am:

This is what the crowd looked like at 10 am:

This is our booth:

So shortly after we got home went to my BIL’s house for birthday party. It was my MIL’s birthday. So there we were relaxing, cooking burgers and someone said; What time is the birthday girl going to show up? Then our niece said; I don’t know didn’t you call her? No I thought you called her. Oops no one called the birthday girl. Talk about a surprise party. LOL So we called her and she already had dinner plans so we ate anyway and had our own party. No comment.

So after the party my son and I decide to go pick up chicks. It’s ok I had my wife’s blessing. She went with us too. We went to Tractor Supply because they have the best chicks and we got ourselves 6 little red chickens. In about 6 months we should be eating fresh eggs. Well unless they turn out to be roosters. Then we may be eating chickens. Ok we wouldn't do that but we would give them away.

Sunday started out great. I sat outside and enjoyed my morning coffee and listened to the birds sing. I have never heard so many birds singing. They must have known it was a special day too. This dove showed up and I thought that was pretty special. The rest of the day was outstanding too and you couldn’t have asked for a more perfect Easter. I hope yours was special too.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Easter edition

2010-04-01T01:08:00.000-07:00

I have so much to be thankful for this week but to get to that thankful point I had to exhibit a trait that sometimes gives me a lot of trouble; Patients.

Remember last week. I struggled with a decision between doing what would have made me feel good at the time and doing what I knew in my heart was right. Well I chose the latter. I let not one but two people I work with run off with their mouths trying to take credit for work I did. To call them down in front of our boss would have made me feel better but it would have also made me look like a pretty petty person.(say that three times quickly) So I remained quiet. Well not being content with their own pat on the back, both men tried to put me down a bit to make themselves look even better. They both went to bosses boss to point out how great they were and how off the mark I was. The only problem was that I was right all along and they both ended up exposing their own lack of abilities. That’s what greed does to you.

Psalm 37:7

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

I am thankful that I was patient and that I didn’t let these guys drag me down with them.

As some of you know I struggle with allergies. Mostly it is hay fever but this isn’t just any hay fever I have it worse than anyone I know. I will have sneeze attacks where I sneeze 20 times in a row, get dizzy and pull the muscles in my ribs. It isn’t a pretty site. I have also been known to get hives on really bad pollen days. I have taken every medicine known to man and nothing works for me. All the medicine did was make me very sleepy and raise my blood pressure. But I still had the allergy attacks.

So my wife’s Chiropractor who went through medical school by the way suggested that I get off the meds and start taking fish oil tablets daily. I had my doubts but I went for it anyway. OK he threatened to tell my regular doctor I had high blood pressure and needed more meds if I didn’t give it a try so I did it. And guess what? I am no worse off and my blood pressure is dropping. In fact I have discovered that my allergy attacks were only temporary and if I simply relax for a few minutes when I have one the attack goes away on it’s own. Again more patients.

I am thankful that I am coping with my allergies in a more natural way now.

This week I am also thankful for all the new followers that I have. I have actually been posting less but gaining readers. If anyone can give me a logical explanation for this I want to hear it. There was a time when I tried to post every day just to gain new readers and now they are coming on board all by themselves. So welcome new readers and please join in if you feel the urge to do so. Ok I am not above nudging if I need to that too. Remember that line from the movie; Field of Dreams? Well here is my take off; “If you write it, they will come.” You may quote me on that.

I know I posted a similar photo yesterday but I wanted to do another today. I am so thankful that I Have two great boys at home. Even though they occasionally give me grey hair and drive me nuts they are both great. I am thankful for both of them. The youngest had his first band competition on Tuesday and they scored Superior. Not too bad for their first competition. In addition to playing the trumpet, he also plays the guitar and plays a pretty mean video game. Sorry about the photo quality. It was hard taking a photo in a dark room with no flash.

And finally I am thankful that the market starts this weekend. Money has been tight this past winter but we somehow managed to squeak through. In addition to enjoying my time at the market,(meeting new people and seeing old friends) I make a little extra money which helps us afford a few luxuries like movies and dining out. We could make it without this but it is nice to have a little extra cash for family fun. I may even splurge this weekend on a nice ham and fix a big Easter dinner. As you can see we have a few plants ready for the market.

Have a great day and have a wonderful Easter everyone,

Greg

Random Dozen, Easter edition

2010-03-31T01:39:00.000-07:00

Here we go again. I am too lazy to copy the special logo that goes along with this today so I am using the old one.

1. How do you feel about the marshmallow Easter Peeps?
I love peeps….they taste like chicken.

2. Chickens are notoriously nervous creatures. When you are nervous, what is the best way to calm down?
Can I say drugs? Nothing calms me down like a Valium. Just kidding. Quiet time is what I need to calm down.

3. People say, "April showers bring May flowers." Do you enjoy Spring rains?
I do because they wash away lots of pollen. I have hay fever.

4. When I was randomly flipping through TV channels this week, I saw a show in which tattoo parlor employees received tattoos of a co-worker's face on their bodies. I can't imagine having a portrait of a colleague tattooed on me. But if someone forced you to receive a portrait tattoo (face only) of anyone, who would it be? Why?
How about the invisible man. Does that count? I don’t care for ink.

5. Would you rather have a tattoo (any kind) or a nose ring?
Nose rings are for pigs and cows. I am sorry if one of you has a child with one or God forbid you have one but that is the way I feel.

6. Do you have any special plans for Easter?
Not really this year. We haven’t even discussed what we will be eating and that is a first. I would like a nice salad.

7. Cadbury Eggs or Reese Eggs?
Buck buck buck buck….Do I need to say more? PS. I already ate mine. I snooped, I found, I ate.

8. What was the last thing/person you took a picture of?
Oh I love you Linda. I was hoping there was a way that I could fit a brag in here. My youngest son had his band contest yesterday. They ended up with a Superior. I am so proud of him and the other members of the band who got a Superior yesterday. Oops I already said that.

9. What book are you reading now, or what was the last one?
I read “Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I highly recommend it.

10. What do you think is the most difficult task when it comes to Spring cleaning?
Pulling weeds. My back is aching as I write this.

11. How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?
I think I have one pair but I can never find them because my boys are always borrowing them.

12. Which color makes you happiest?
Green, show me the money. LOL Seriously I just like green.

Bonus Joke (not part of the Random): Why did the Easter egg hide?
He was a little chicken!

So I guess we are supposed to add a joke here….

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To show the possums it could be done.

Have a great day,
Greg

Busy weekend

2010-03-29T01:33:00.000-07:00

Where did that weekend go. It was a really busy one but a great one too. We got so much stuff done it isn't funny. The Market is only 5 days away but we are ready to go. (for once) We have a new table to accent our new display and we think it will make a big difference. It's all about presentation and we think the changes will be for the better.

It looks like winter is behind us now. At least in our area. We put in some veggies over the weekend and just in time. It has been raining all night and it is still raining this morning. As long as the seeds don't wash away we should have a good crop. I will have photos in about a week to show you. We already have onions and the potatoes are looking good.

We are by no means well off but God is providing for us and we have everything we need and a few things we want as well. We are learning to do more with less and that is a good thing. Of course they are expecting the same at the office; More with less but I can handle it if they can.

Have a great day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday #70

2010-03-25T01:03:00.001-07:00

There are a lot of changes taking place in our world. Some are good but some are bad. And because of the bad changes, a lot of people are worrying. And because they are worrying, they are getting sick. Then they worry about being sick and not being able to take care of the things in their life that they are responsible for and then others around them begin to worry and they get sick.

Have you noticed now many people are getting sick these days? It is alarming. Some people say it is because of the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. But a lot of it is simply due to stress from worrying.

So today I want to center “my” Thankful Thursday about worrying, or more importantly not worrying because only God knows what tomorrow will bring.

Matthew 6:

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

I am thankful for my life and the fact that I am able to get up every morning and head out to work. I am not confined to a bed or a wheelchair but even if I was I would be thankful just to be alive.

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?

I am thankful for the birds and all the other animals that make up this great world.

28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

I am thankful for my gardening abilities and the fact that I can (with God’s help) grow lovely flowers.

30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

I am thankful that no matter what has happened over the last few years, I was still able to put food on the table. Even when I was totally broke (or at least it felt like it), we had food to eat. And sometimes I didn’t know where the food came from but it did come and I am thankful for that.

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I am thankful for today and even though I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, I will not worry about it. I am confident that even in all this chaos God has a plan and it is a great plan. I want to give a special shout out to Kat over at Heart to Heart. She is having an operation today and I ask that you keep her in your prayers.

Have a great day,

Greg

Random Dozen Spring edition.

2010-03-23T17:23:00.000-07:00

The theme is Spring . . . and any other random questions that crept in. Lid is spending some time with a friend so we have a substitute leader today. Just follow the links and you will get there.

1. What is your favorite sign of Spring?

This is easy: “YARD SALE” These signs tend to pop up in spring as people clean out their garages.

2. Did you remember to spring forward on March 14? If not, how did it impact your day?

Yes I remembered. It didn’t impact me at all.

3. If soil, time, talent and climate were no problem, what vegetable would you plant in a garden this year?

Cucumbers. With any luck by the time I post this, they will be in the ground.

4. If soil, time, talent and climate were no problem, what fruit would you plant?

I would love to grow peaches but I have tried and they take a lot of work. Mine always do well for a year or two but then get a fungus and die.

5. What is your least favorite insect?

Stink bugs. They DON’T taste like chicken. My regular readers know what I am talking about.

6. March 22 was World Water Day. To celebrate, here are some water questions. Do you drink bottled water? If so, what brand?

If I do drink bottled water I really don’t care what brand it is. Usually I will buy a bottle when I am desperate but then I refill it from the tap and keep using it over and over. No one needs to know.

7. Have you ever been somewhere that it was not safe to drink the local water? If so, how did you handle that?

Yes. When we were in Dominica Republic they said not to drink the water. We drank other things like fruit juice.

8. How many glasses of water do you drink per day?

Not enough I am sure. Maybe 2 or 3.

9. March 24 is the birthday of Harry Houdini. Have you ever watched a professional magic show? Share.

Only on TV and I was not impressed. There is no such thing as magic. It is all illusion and trickery. Sort of like what just happened in Washington. Wait did I say that? Sorry I couldn’t resist.

10. Have you ever been a participant in a professional magic show (up on stage!)?

No and I don’t intend to do it anytime soon.

11. March 24 is also the birthday of Steve McQueen and Clyde Barrow. Do you like Westerns or gangster movies? If so, what is your favorite?

You spelled Gangsta wrong. I love the old Clint Eastwood westerns. Remember this?

Your wanted Wales?

Reckon I'm right popular. You a bounty hunter?

A man's got to do something for a living these days.

Dyin' ain't much of a living, boy

(From The Outlaw Josey Wales.)

12. (Really random) What U.S. state that you've never visited would you like to visit someday?

Well I have been to most of them but I will say New Mexico. I love deserts and I think there are some down there. I have been to enough cold wet places. I could use some desert weather right about now.

Have a great day,
Greg