Al Frankin

How proud Minnesota must be of Al Frankin. He sure put Joe Lieberman in his place.......how dare he ask for a few more moments to conclude his remarks. If he let Joe do it then he'd have to let everyone have a few more moments. John McCain said " in 22 years in the Senate he had never heard of anyone every objecting to a Senator having a few more moments to conclude." It took an idiot like Frankin to be the first. I think all other Democrats were embarassed also. And then to blame Harry Reid really took the cake. Frankin doesn't have a clue......nor do those in Minnesota who voted for him.

Christmas

“Tis the season to be jolly”. What does that really mean? Are you suppose to be happy, funny and jovial during the Christmas season. When does the Christmas season officially start…..Dec. 1st,….the day after Thanksgiving….right after the first snow fall? At WalMart and other large department stores the Christmas season starts before Halloween. Some people start shopping for Christmas presents late summer. The day after Christmas you go out and buy Christmas decorations and Christmas cards for next year. . Why not just make the Christmas season year round?........because the Christmas season has become too stressful, that's why! Did I send out enough Christmas Cards…. do I have to write a Christmas Letter with them…..should I send pictures….have I bought enough presents for the kids…..did I buy the right presents…..have I spent the exact same amount of money on each kid….did I spend enough….my friend “Joe” brought us an expensive wine last Christmas and we had forgot to get him anything so this year do we buy something that costs about the same as the wine for him….all the relatives, on both sides of the family, would like us to visit them this Christmas but there just isn’t enough time to visit all so who do we slight….of course you want your family to be with you on Christmas Eve but your kid’s spouse’s family wants them to be with them…..should you have decorated outside since all your neighbors have……how much should you decorate inside your home…..The list goes on! It's no wonder that being depressed is at it's highest during the Christmas time.
The President of our Church Council said it best, when we saw him at the grocery store. “Boy will I be glad when this is all over!”
Yesterday afternoon we went to our grandchildren’s school Christmas program. They expressed to the audience what Christmas is all about……they sang “Happy Birthday Jesus”! How do you think Jesus feels watching everyone focusing all their attention on everything BUT his birthday. Oh sure we all go to church on Christmas Eve and sing “Silent Night” …..at the same time we’re thinking about supper and gifts at home. Christmas should be celebrated the same as Easter…….no gifts…no cards…no decorations (except Easter Lilies). Just truly reflect and celebrate Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection.
If you want to have a “Give presents once a year for being good”…fine …have at it… but do not combine it with a birthday party for our Savior. Do it before Thanksgiving when the weather is a little nicer so relatives can get together a little easier and then really celebrate the birth of our Lord as we should….sincerely, humbly and reverently.
Maybe I’m too cynical about the “Christmas Season” but sometime I think we all tend to forget what Christmas is truely all about.

Health Care

I just received a recap of the first 500 pages of HR3200 – America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. If you want it, is available on the internet…. http://209.157.64.200/focus/news/2311011/posts?page=8 If you do, go to “SKIP TO COMMENTS”….. right after comment #13 is the actual wording for regulating Doctors fees. It will make you head spin!!….and scare you!!!

Here are some of my Highlights?????
Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with FREE health care services.
Page 59: The Federal government will have direct, real-time, access to all individual bank accounts including electronic funds transfer.
Page 65: Taxpayers will SUBSIDIZE all union retiree and community organizer plans. Read SEIU, UAW, ACORN)
Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individual for Government-run healthcare.
Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes. (To me, this would just encourage them
not to become US citizens so they never will have to pay taxes or pay for healthcare)
Page 195: Officers and Employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL financial and personal records.
Page 203: The TAX imposed under this section shall not be treated as a TAX. HUH??? Kind of like “It depends what the definition of IS….IS”
Page 241: Doctors: no matter the specialty, will all be paid the same……A Heart specialist will be paid the same as a foot doctor or a Doctor of Chiropractic…..oh yeah that will work well!!!!!
Page 268: Government will regulate the purchase or rental of power-driven wheelchairs.
Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion without Government approval.
Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals
Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills and durable powers of attorney. (This would appear to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.)
Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of –life treatment. (ORDERS!!!)
Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consultant will be used to dictate treatment as patient’s health deteriorates
which includes an ORDER for end-of-life plans. (AN ORDER from the Government as to when life should end)
Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of –life

I am beside myself. How could this great country get itself into such a jam?? How could the Democrats possibly be in favor of this bill? When the Government can control and ration your healthcare, has access to all you personal records including financial, confiscate however much money they want through taxes and then tell you how much you can earn (Doctors are all paid the same), allow illegal aliens into the country and then let them have access to all the freedoms and privileges Americans have fought for and earned., the country has then become a pure, Socialist Country. If we allow this to continue, that is where we are heading and it’s closer than you think.
Make sure your Democratic Representatives are aware of how you feel. They cannot support this bill!!!

New AmericanParty

Someday the Republican Party will get a backbone…probably not while I’m not alive. Judge Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed to be the next Supreme Court Justice. We knew it would happen….it was a done deal…..the Democrats did not need any Republican votes. Guess what…8 Republicans voted for her. Why? For what reason? Sotomayor ranks right up there with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who by the way was confirmed 96 -3 in the Senate. At that time the Republicans did not think it was right to block a President's (Clinton)nominee. It was the President's right to nominate whom ever he wanted. Ginsburg is without a doubt the most liberal justice on the court. She is pretty much against anything that the Republicans stand for. So again, why would any Republican vote for Sotosmayor? Because they do not want to be seen as opposing Democrat nominees. Of course the Democrats never opposed Republican nominees…other than Bork, Thomas, Alito, Roberts (for which few if any Democrats voted for) The Democratic leadership would not even let some of Presidents Bush's District Judge nomonees even come up for a debate and vote....remember?? Oh that’s right, those nominees weren’t qualified to be on the Supreme Court so they had to oppose them. Sotomayor is extremely qualified, except for her writings, court decisions, and statements.... but hey, nobody is perfect.
It is about time that potential Republican candidates take a litmus test. They will follow Republican Party line and vote, anytime the Democrats lie, mislead, ignore American values, morals and principals or do anything that will weaken the United States of America. If they do not want to agree to that then they can run as an Independent not as a Republican. YOU CANNOT APPEASE DEMOCRATS!!!! They will eventually just stab you in the back ….ask President George W. Bush…he tried and got steamrollered.
I would not be surprised to see the rise of a strong new American Party!!

Disagreements

“To disagree is to: fail to agree or to differ in opinion.”

Too often in life we disagree with someone because our opinion is different than theirs. At that point we are bound and determined to sway them to our side. We use logic, quotes, definitions, news or book articles, expert Scholars, and our own convoluted thought process…anything to make our point. Of course the other side does the same thing. The other side will not admit you have a valid point….that’s admitting defeat. So it becomes frustrating and a stalemate.

This is particularly true in Politics. The Republicans and Democrats disagree….because they are Republicans and Democrats……they are suppose to disagree. For Heaven’s sake do not let facts get in the way of a good argument. The hypocrisy on both sides is astronomical. Negative things that were said about President Bush are now being said about President Obama……..the difference…….with Bush he was a buffoon, a liar, in over his head, had incompetent people surrounding him, etc. The Democrats made the charges and of course people were not outraged, they just laughed...those silly Democrats! With Obama you are a racist if you dare question his people or policies. You don’t dare disagree with Obama because you will be labeled a trouble maker, out of the mainstream, a mob who interrupts town hall meetings. The Tea Parties are really the right wing fringe minority, accordingly to the Democrats. I really think that the American people are fed up with his style of government and cannot wait until the 2010 elections. You can disagree with the Democrats but do not let them get away with the lies and distortions. Make sure they are held accountable for their actions. Once they are out of office……if you want….. you can then forgive them :>)

Summer Recital

Pictures of my granddaughters summer piano recital at the teachers house. There where about 12 kids who played at varous levels of skill.......one small girl who has had 2 lessons and played the "scale" for us....to an older boy (high school level) who played "Bach" and a composition of his own. Everyone did a super job......of course by granddaughter was the best!! Her brother is one of her biggest fans.

Republican

I wonder if the Democrats have a similiar list.........Sure would like to see it!

Empowerment

For many years now, I have been involved, one way or another, in the political process. I have worked on several campaigns, been to the rallies, made phone calls on behalf of a candidate, delivered yard signs and passed out literature, even had one candidate running for Governor come to my house,..... but I have never "called my congressman" in Washington....until today. At the Delaware Country Fair parade, the Republicans had a Float (of sorts...a pickup with banners) and were handing out small fact sheets. It urged citizens to "Call their Senator" and tell them to vote NO on HR 2454.....The Cap & Trade bill. I did...called both of my Senators...one Democratic and one Republican. I felt a sense of empowerment......I had actually told my Senators exactly how "I" feel! Unfortunately, too often today citizens do not get involved in the political process...but are the first ones to complain when things don't go the way they wanted or expected. You may recall that several years ago the Democrats tried to push through a Bill which gave amnesty to illegal aliens. The Washington switchboards were flooded with calls from citizens who were outraged at the thought of rewarding those who broke our law. The Bill went down in defeat. Phones calls do matter. We can stop all this wasteful spending if we "Flood" the switchboards with our opinions.......we just need to CALL!

Tractors

This is a picture of old "Farmall" tractors. They are in a grove of trees next to the road to our house. I am not sure if they are one mans hobby or several owners who put them there. They showed up just before the 4th of July. People stop to look at them. Note the visitors toward the end of the row. Pretty Cool!!

Picnic

A picture of Backbone Lake located in BackBone State Park. BackBone is about 15 miles NW of Manchester. It is a huge park and was the first state park created in Iowa.

This is the swimming beach with the boat house in the center of the picture. You can rent various paddle boats and kayaks.

Setting up for the Weenie Roast... The fire is going.

Enjoying the food...Hot Dogs,

Brats, Hamburgers, Chips, Watermelon, etc.

Sitting around solving

all the worlds problems..

taking a nap (Bruce)

____________________________________________________________________

With our friends we had an old fashion picnic today. Went to Backbone State Park and had a Weenie Roast. The weather was beautiful...high 70's - low 80's...but we were in the shade and there was a cool breeze. Perfect! We stopped for ice cream cones at Strawberry Point on the way home. We decided we have to do it again this fall.

Construction

We are doing some remolding to the exterior of the house. It all started when we realized we need a new roof. We figured as long as the workers are already here we'll have them do some other work. It's taking a lot longer than we had planned on. Our project is low on the totem pole for the construction crew. They are building a huge house and are behind schedule so they get to us when time allows. The top two pictures are Ella's play house being move. Ella and Murphy do not use it anymore so they agreed to give it to a couple of little girls around 3-4 years old. They are thrilled with it. Their dad did the moving. The left middle picture shows the lower deck and hot tub gone. We're not sure exactly what we're going to do back there but we do have some ideas. That will be next years project. The right middle picture show the workers and scaffolding for the shingles. It had rained quite a bit so the front end loader really tore up the yard.....front, back and the side. We really can't plant seed until they are done. The larger bottom picture shows the wall and water fountain gone. We are pouring a new slab, steps and side walk. The idea is to create a garden like setting where the fountain used to be. There will be a shorter wall to define the area but it won't be as long. Hopefull the workers will get back the week of the 13th, and get the cement poured. They are also going to rebuild the steps from the laundry room down to the back yard.
So many projects....so little time and money!!!

Lies

Listening to a guest host for Glen Beck the other day, I was amazed at what he was saying. Although I have known about everything he was saying, I never put it together as a "whole picture" Obama LIES!! On the campaign trail he said "Anyone making less then $250,000 will not see their taxes go up...not one dime...not just payroll taxes but any type or form of tax." He has said this on several occasions. He is now proposing a new tax on cigarettes. I guess everyone who smokes will get a card saying that they make less than $250,000. They'll just show the card to the clerk who will then deduct the new tax from the pack they are buying. He is also proposing a "surtax" on cell phone usage of around 25%. Everyone who has a cell phone (which is just about everyone these days) will have the new tax on their monthly bill. He is pushing hard on the "energy bill" which will raise taxes on those who use gas and oil, which is just about everyone! The cap and trade bill is a joke as Spain has already proven and it will hurt those who can least afford it. Why do we always think WE can do something better at what someone else has already failed at?? Canada and England health care for instance. And speaking of health care, the additional cost for health care will be an employer tax which YOU will end up paying for through payroll deduction. Chris Dodd said on the Senate floor "there are 50 million Americans without health care." #1.... There are not 50 million...a more accurate number is a little over 46 million.....(notice the "round up?) #2.....10-12 million are not Americans....They are illegal aliens. I know I have gone through the numbers before, but the actual number of Americans who do not have and cannot get affordable health care is less than 12 million. 12 million is a lot of people ...but it is only 4/10ths of one percent of the population....WE DO NOT HAVE A HEALTH CARE CRISIS!!! It is a manufactured crisis. Do we need tort reform and reform on the health insurance companies, the hospitals and doctors?....absolutely! Work on that, instead of just throwing more money at the problem and adding another "Entitlement"....which seems to Congress' only solution.
Remember when Obama said shortly after his inauguration "if we don't pass this stimulus bill by this Friday, unemployment will go to 8.2 to 8.5 %. The 750 billion dollar stimulus bill was rushed through and passed. Guess what.....the unemployment numbers came out yesterday and it's at 9.5%. We could have saved the 750 billion dollars as it didn't make a difference. I also heard that only 6% of the 750 billion has been spent and most of what has been spend has not been job creators. Obama and his handlers do not have a clue on how to run a country. Independent voters, as well as some cross over Republicans and some Democrats (according to a survey) who voted for Obama are mad and wish they hadn't voted for him. Why?....because his spending is out of control and he is more liberal than they were led to believe! They don't trust or believe him anymore. Well duh!!
We can only hope that what damage is being done can be reversed in 2010 when the Republicans regain control. By the way, Mitt Romney is the Republican front runner, at this time, for the 2012 presidential election. A news commentator said "He's squeaky clean and brilliant when it come to finances. The liberal press keeps harping on his Massachusetts Health Care Program when he was Governor. They keep saying that 27% do not like his health care program. What about the other 73%. My guess is that the 27% are hard core Democrats.
We survived Jimmy Carter and we will survive Barack Obama (although Iran and N. Korea might have something to say about that). After the Jimmy Carter fiasco the Republicans had 12 years of the Presidency.
Get your yard sign early....."Romney for President"

Thoughts

I feel sorry for the decent, rational, educated people of Minnesota today. To elect Al Franken is the height of irresponsibility, and stupidity. Minnesota has now become the offical laughing stock of the Nation. I always thought that Minnsota was suppose to be a highly educated state. After Jesse "The Body" and now Franken, who is next.....Alex Baldwin? It has now become a punch line to a joke. Minnesota...... a nice place to visit but not to live.

Ramblings

I think political correctness has gone too far. To many people get their bloomers in a ruffle over a remark or something they see. I just read an article in the newspaper, about a Luther Collage women’s rugby team, dressing in attire that offended some people. This was a spring social event with the theme “gangsters and preps”. Some of the women wore baggy pants, bandannas and fake “grills” on their teeth. They now have apologized for their insensitivity. Evidently their attire was viewed as a stereotypical depiction of young black men. Here’s where I have a problem. Is it not true that some do dress like that? Why would you be offended if you don’t dress that way? And if you do dress that way, why would you be offended. You dress that way to get attention…because you think its cool….you are making a statement! You should be flattered that someone is dressing like you….to copy someone is the most sincere form of flattery. In this country you have a right to dress and look anyway you like. And I have a right to make fun of you if you look like an idiot! It’s OK to make mockery of the President of the United States. Calling him an idiot, a buffoon or stupid, without one shred of evidence to back up the remarks and everyone thinks it’s funny. Dressing up like a gangster rap artist to make fun of him and now you’ve just insulted the entire black population. Making fun of President Bush is perfectly OK but say anything that can be construed as insensitive about President Obama and you are a racist. If you dress and act like an idiot, I am going to say you are an idiot. You can feign outrage all you want but unless you change, I’m still going to think you are an idiot. I am now officially older than dirt and have earned that prerogative! Get over it!

Humor

Willie went to the revival and listened to the preacher. After a while, the preacher asked anyone with needs to come forward and be prayed over. Willie got in line.
When it was his turn, the preacher said, "Willie, what do you want me to pray about?"
"Preacher, I need you to pray for my hearing," he replied.
So the preacher put one finger in Willie's ear and the other on his head and prayed.
After a few minutes, he removed his hands and said "Well, Willie, how's your hearing now?"
Willie scratched his head and said, "I don't know, preacher. It's not until next Wednesday at the courthouse!"

Vacation

Summer vacation with family….at the lake….a tradition. For close to 35 years my whole family, mom and dad, sisters and spouses, children with their spouses and grandkids have been going to the same resort. We started with one cabin and now require three. Everyone looks forward to it. After 35 years you’d think we would know exactly what to take such as; how much food will be required, type of clothes to pack, what fishing gear will be needed, etc. Do we??? Nope!

Every year my wife gets out the “LIST”. This list has evolved over the years and it contains all the items that each cabin should bring in terms of supplies and food that will be shared. Everyone is on the list so everyone will know what their responsibly is. Pretty simple you’d think. Actually after all these years you would think the LIST would be memorized……it would be automatic….everyone just shows up and would know they have brought exactly what they were suppose to bring. Well, every year you wouldn’t believe the phone calls and e-mails with questions about the LIST. The first problem is that no one seems to remember where they put the LIST after last year. Copies are then sent out but there are always questions….. “Is this LIST from last year or two years ago?”…..”Do we need that much cooking oil?” “I think everyone should bring their own trash bags!” “Should I bring sardines?”……..the LIST needs to be revised and re-sent to everyone. Then you start shopping for most of the items, months before you leave. It’s more important to buy Cheerios now, at $3.79 a box than to pay $3.89 a box when we get to the resort. Forget about the fact that the extra weight and space required in the van will decrease the mileage per gallon hence cost more money for gas which will outweigh the savings realized by buying the food and supplies ahead of time.

The other big item that needs to be planned for is fishing gear. As it stands right now, our 3 cabins can supply fishing gear for the entire resort, which are 28 cabins. The poles, reels, tackle boxes, landing nets and depth finder, take up most of the space in the van when we start to pack. And each year we always seem to find new special lures, poles or reels we absolutely have to have. Do we catch fish……yes. The amount is a different story. Years ago, we would go out every day; early in the morning, mid afternoon and early evening. We would then have a fish fry on Friday, with plenty of fish to go around. Now a cabin may go out in the morning and some cabins may go out in the evening but the amount of fish caught is limited. We barely catch enough for an appetizer for a few people. Most of the time, it’s not worth the effort of making the mess. I know what you are thinking…….there isn’t any fish in the lake. There are ….it’s just that when we are there it is a little too early for the fish to be active. If we were to go a few weeks later we’d fill the stringers.

Do we still have a good time?? With golf on premises (with tournaments), tennis, boat rides, bingo, water skiing, minnow races, sand castle building, kids fishing contest…. now could we not?? 3 more weeks and we’ll be there!

Birds

Since I last Blogged about putting up the bird feeders, the birds have been flocking :>) to the feeders. The lastest additions have been the Cedar Waxwing, Indgo Bunting, Cardinal, Common Redpoll, Junco, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers and Baltimore Oriole. There is one bird I can't identify as it doesn't stay long enought to take a picture and I can't find it in my book. I forgot how much these birds eat! So far, I do not have any squirrels, but I'm sure they'll be around in the near future
This morning I saw two new ones in the yard but not at the feeders.....a Scarlet Tanager and a Blue Bird. It's fun to see them back again!

Plants

Ah…the rite of spring…….planting flowers. I cannot believe so many decisions have to be made. What to plant is always the most overwhelming problem and you are always competing with neighbors and friends. “The Jones’s yard looks so nice, why can’t ours?” First, you have to make sure of what “Climate” you live in as certain plants do not thrive well in the Northern states. I have found that out! Did you know you cannot plant a Palm tree in Iowa??? Second…Where are you going to plant, as you need to know how much sun will be available and how much is needed for certain plants….8 hrs of direct sun, 4-8 hours of direct sun, sunny to partly shady, mostly shade with some sun, all shady? Next…..height has to be considered…..you can’t have short plants behind tall plants. Type of soil…. compacted, loose, mixed with sand or potting soil…will it drain well? How often does it need to be watered?.....everyday…..just keep moist….keep fairly dry…..do not over water or under water…..not sure what “over or under” equates to in cups, pints or gallons? Must fertilizer...but not too much! How much is too much? The more I fertilizer me, the bigger I get! Are you planting annuals or perennials? Each has different care instructions. Colors….here is where it really gets tricky….my wife likes reds, whites, and blues and I like yellows. The only plants that are yellow, in our yard, are dandelions. I guess that’s not tricky at all…it’s pretty decisive. One of the biggest problems we have is critters! We live in a wooded area and the animals view our plants as a buffet. My wife spent an hour planting some Moss Roses in a wire egg basket. They didn’t last even 24 hours. Something has pulled them up and nibbled them off. We have now bought a “Deer and Rabbit” repellent spray to try to keep the animals away from the other plants. The biggest problem with the spray is that it smells like real strong urine. When the wind is just right the whole yard stinks to high heaven!! Plus you have to spray it every week to 10 days or when it rains…whichever comes first. Evidently the neighborhood dog likes it as he is now here sniffing everywhere?
Next year we are just going to “Plant” artificial flowers. We can plant any kind of plant we want, they will already be in bloom, don’t have to water or fertilize, and the critters will leave them alone. Why didn’t we think of this long ago?

Mothers Day

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! Where would we be without mothers? Really…where would we be? We wouldn’t have been born! Mothers are what gave us our life. Who else can say that? They have nurtured us as babies and infants, read to us, played house with us, encouraged us, consoled us, praised us, scolded us, protected us and loved us. No one comes between a mother and her child! And what has she asked in return? She wants nothing more than to be proud of us and to raise grandchildren. What have we given her in return? Grey hair, sleepless nights, ulcers…..and grandchildren!
Happy Mothers day should be everyday! I know I can speak for my sisters and I……we couldn’t have asked for a greater mom! Thanks mom, for all you have done for us…we love you very much!! Tom, Sandra and Sharon

RAMBLINGS

President Obama is going to raise 60 billion dollars by taxing the wealthiest Americans. 60,000 Americans will each pay 1 million dollars more each year. I don't know how many rich Americans will have to pay; I just used 1 million dollars more in taxes as a starting point. (1,ooo,ooo x 60,000 = 60 billion) There may be more than 60,000 that get targeted. This money will go to “Universal Health Care”, which is estimated to cost 1 trillion dollars. When you divide 60 billion into 1 trillion, it would take over 16 ½ years to pay for. How many of you out there think that 1 trillion will be the final number??? The rich are not the only one whose taxes will be raised!
All of this is not my point! Donald Trump was on Fox News this morning and when the host talked about the 60 billion more from the rich, Mr. Trump said “I don’t like this!!” I ask, Mr. Trump what were you and your rich celebrity friends thinking when you were endorsing Obama? During the campaign Obama said many times that he was going to raise the taxes of the rich? Did you think he was kidding, he really didn’t mean it or it wouldn't apply to you and your friends? And you don’t like this??? I guarantee we poor slups believed him and know it will trickle down to us! And we can’t afford it! The U.S. Constitution says nothing about entitlements. Medicare, Social Security, welfare, etc……..we are going to “entitle” the U.S. into the poor house……….based on the deficit, we are already there! Health Care will push us over the brink.

Ramblings

Let me get this straight. According to a TV spot, an old man is mad at the oil companies, for raising the price of gas and has just about had enough of them! (I think it was T Boone Pickens) He seemed to be advocating alternative energy sources like “Wind Turbines”. “Facts….nothing but the facts madam!” The average price of gas was $1.78 in 2005 and $2.28 in 2006. The average price today is approximately $2.09. Fact…..the price of gas is now lower than 2006, 2007, and 2008. The price went up in 2006 – 2008 because the price of imported oil, from foreign sources, went to $148.00 a barrel. The outcry, from the American people, to find more oil sources at home caused the price of oil from foreign countries to go down. It wasn’t the U.S. oil companies that caused the gas prices to rise. By all accounts, the United States has more than enough oil reserves to wean ourselves from the clutches of foreign countries. We could be virtually self-sufficient with our own oil……..we just have to drill for it…….and there is the rub! Congress won’t allow it.
Getting back to the wind turbines. I am for exploring all forms of alternative energy……. wind, coal, natural gas, nuclear,…..you name it. But to subtlety suggest we should start exploring wind turbines as a means to get rid of the need for big oil companies is just plain dishonest!! Fact…..Airplanes, trains, trucks, cars, SUVs, motorcycles……all need fuel derived from oil. America’s economy depends on transportation. Only 1½ % of all transportation uses something other than oil/gas. I have never seen a wind powered car or truck. Even the Hybrid cars need backup gas. The electric batteries only last for so long and then the gas engine has to kick in which runs a generator to recharge the batteries. Batteries need to be recharged. You couldn’t take a long trip with batteries alone. Batteries are big and heavy. Longer trips would require bigger batteries which would weight more which would require bigger batteries…..a vicious cycle. So……be honest…..it will be years before we have an alternate fuel source for transportation. Until then, explore for our own oil and look for ways to make transportation more fuel efficient and still safe. Quite beating up the oil companies…..they are not the bad guys!! The oil companies make 8% profit after expenses…….Microsoft makes over 25%......get mad at Microsoft and stop using your computer.
P.S. I’m sure everyone knows T Boone Pickens has invested heavily in Wind Turbines and would profit greatly from the sale of them.

Follow up

My mistake ......I was wrong. They did get to the bottom of it. It only took 12 days to figure out who authorized if. I guess Louis had the authority to get Air Force One to fly over the Statue of Liberty. What other authorities do White House Aides have???? Louis said the "Controversy" had made it impossible to effectively lead the White House Military Office..........how about the "stupidity"??? Can you say scape goat??? Just think of how many people would have to be involved to pull-off this fly-over?? I cannot believe Obama didn't even have a hint of it!

WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House aide resigned Friday for his role in Air Force One's $328,835 photo-op flyover above New York City that sparked panic and flashbacks to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Louis Caldera said the controversy had made it impossible for him to effectively lead the White House Military Office. "Moreover, it has become a distraction in the important work you are doing as president," Caldera said in his resignation letter to President Obama.
MEMO: Operation cost $328,835
The sight of the huge passenger jet and an F-16 fighter plane flying past the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan financial district sent panicked office workers streaming into the streets on April 27. Obama said it would not happen again.

Don't hold your breath!!

Birds

After several years without bird feeders, I was able to put some out yesterday. We are re-modeling the lower deck and I took down the steps from the top deck, temporarily, which means the raccoons do not have access to the feeders or plants up there. After years of putting up with them destroying our plants (digging in the planters looking for bulbs) and emptying the sunflower seed feeder in just one night, we took away the plants and feeders. They would also leave their "calling card" on the deck and steps when they left. After putting up the feeders just yesterday afternoon, this morning I have already seen, Gold Finches, Pine Siskins, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Hummingbirds, and a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. Cool!!! Welcome back! Now to start adding the potted plants again.

Just for laughs

Driving to town this morning on the interstate, I looked over to my left and there was a woman in a brand new Mustang doing 65mph with her face up next to her rearview mirror putting on her eyeliner! I looked away for a couple of seconds and when I looked back she was drifting over into my lane, still working on her makeup!
It scared me so badly, I dropped my electric shaver, which knocked the donut out of my hand. In all of the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees against the steering wheel, my cell phone got knocked away from my ear and fell into the coffee between my legs, which splashed and burned my thigh, put out my cigarette, ruined my phone and disconnected an important call!!

Darn women drivers!

Ramblings

Waiters and waitresses….. What an interesting job. Here is a job that takes the attitude of a Saint to be successful. You must serve a customer with a smile and pleasant voice even though they are either in a real hurry or just want to sit and gab for hours over a cup of coffee and you have to keep filling the coffee cup. The customers can be demanding, rude or condescending, change their mind for what they want even if the order has been placed with the kitchen, want their food prepared a special way, claim they told you something when in fact they forgot to tell you. They then feign outrage. They blame you when the food is late, cold, not prepared properly….things out of your control. They’re mad at you when your water glass is not filled immediately after they have taken the last sip, yet do not want you “hovering” and interrupting their conversations when you have a question. You have to be part psychic, part psychologist, part Shirley Temple, part diplomatic, and very sympathetic and consoling when they are not happy. You are all of these things because of the “Tip”. The tips are the bulk of your salary. You cannot make a decent living on the minimum wage your employer pays. He is also counting on you receiving decent tips. You need the tips.
If you “Wait” in an high end restaurant, like Morton’s Steakhouse, your tips can be huge and you can make a great living……at an average restaurant like Applebee’s or T.G.I. Friday’s you can make a very nice living…..at a Ma and Pa diner, you will struggle to get ahead. The inequity is that you will probably do the exact same amount of work in each type of restaurant. In many Ma & Pa cafes you actually do more work as you have to set up and clean your own tables. It used to be that a “tip” was a little extra reward for exceptional service. Now tips are mainly determined by a % of the total bill, not the service provided. Customers automatically give a tip of 15-20% unless the service was pathetic.….then they will usually tip 10% or less…..but still tip. In some cases today, if you have 8 or more at your table the “Tip” (gratuity) is automatically added to the bill. Evidently it’s assumed that you have received exceptional service and they are just saving the customer time trying to figure how much of a tip should be left. Why don’t they just say ”if you are going to sit here, at one long table, with 7 other people we are going to charge you 15% more because large tables tip less than normal and the waitress’ do not want to wait on large tables. ”? Why say it’s a gratuity…be honest and say it’s a way to insure the waitress gets a decent tip. Note: I have been told that if you do complain about the automatic tip, the management will take it off.
Now the flip side. Some waiters/waitress’ are dumber than door knobs. They have no business serving customers……not if the owners want the customers to return. You can tell them what you want several times and they will still mess it up. “Oh I thought you said you wanted mustard on your mashed potatoes” Water? Forget it…you only get one full glass. How many times have you seen your order, at the service window, ready to be brought to you, hot and your waiter doesn’t see it? By the time you finally get it, it’s cold. Sometimes instead of staggering the food, they bring you the soup, salad and main dish all at once. There is hardly room on the table to fit all of it. Why?....because they forgot to bring the soup and salad separately and then remembered when the main dish was ready to serve. How many times does the waitress say “Who ordered their steak medium with hash browns? Or…..she brings you some other table’s food. She should know who ordered what…that’s part of her job! Typically these type of waitress’s are young, this isn’t going to be their full time profession and their mind is elsewhere. You are much better off having an older person serve you. They take pride in what they do…making sure they get the order right (after you order they repeat it back to you to make sure they understood)…..your satisfaction is important to them….they enjoy their work and earn their tips! Usually this is their full time job, and they want your dining experience to be enjoyable. They do deserve a larger gratuity!
Now my pet peeve! Waitress’s can be prompt, courteous, helpful, and cheerful when you first sit down, when you order, when the food and desert comes…….but …….where are they when it’s time for the check????? I’m done…I want to get out of here…..I want to pay and go…. Nothing lowers the amount of money I leave for a tip more, than having to wait for the check! That’s just me!

Follow up

Just a quick follow up on a blog I wrote 6 days ago. The one about the "Air Force One fly-over" of New York City. Reporters asked about it yesterday and guess what.....they still haven't gotten to the bottom of it. Suprise suprise! Oh ...and the official pictures taken, of the fly-over, aren't being released by the White House. It cost the tax payers close to $400,000 for the photos yet we can't see them! What do you want to bet that this just gets swept under the rug and forgot about?? What's wrong with this picture?

Quotes

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” - Mark Twain

Travel

I was watching a Western movie the other day and the good guys formed a posse and went after some bad guys. They were galloping as fast as they could to try to catch them……but ….how did they know where to go? There weren’t any paved roads, street signs, maps or GPS to follow…..just a few buggy tracks and a stage coach road. On a horse you don’t need a road. You can go anywhere you want. How many times did the lawmen take a wrong turn or get lost? Did they ever truly catch the bad guys?
Imagine if you wanted to go to Tombstone Arizona from St. Paul Minnesota in 1880. How would you plan for such a trip? It is 1,292 miles from St. Paul to Tombstone. A horse with a rider can comfortably travel 20 miles a day…..30 miles if you push it on occasion…. 30 miles if you were pulling a buggy, as it is easier on the horse. (This is a fact from the Amish) That means it would take at least 1½ - 2 months or more to get to Tombstone. How much money will you need to take? What provisions do you take, such as food, clothing, ammunition, bedroll, toilet paper, matches, soap, toothbrush etc. How many days will the provisions last? You will obviously have to replenish supplies along the way. What towns will you be going thru and will you have to go out of your way to get to a town for supplies which will make the trip even longer. How many wrong turns? You also have to factor in water, food and rest for the horse. How much time will you spend looking for water? What about inclement weather? Where would you find shelter? There were no telephones or cell phones or GPS to ask for directions and the maps were quite crude. Will there be a job for you in Tombstone when you get there? Mine for silver? What if the best spots for silver are taken? Where will you stay? There weren’t any Holiday Inns and you couldn’t call the local Tombstone hotel for reservations. My guess is that there wasn’t a direct telegraph line to Tombstone. It took a lot of courage to embark on a trip like that. But then again, that’s the way it was…..the sense of adventure…the pioneer spirit…the possibility of “Striking it rich!” You really didn’t plan for the trip; you just figured you’d live off the land and the hospitality of strangers and “Go for it!” So what if it took 2-3 months to get there, what better things did you have to do? The only question was “would it be worth it?”
I was having supper with a couple of friends Friday night and a trip to Arizona, next year, was brought up. It was decided that four of us in one van would never work what with all the provisions we’d have to take. The talk was to spend a month touring the Arizona Territories. How many clothes will we all have to take? All we have!! You never know what the weather is going to be like. It may be hot….shorts and cut off sleeves….it may be cool……long pants, long sleeves and a light jacket for the evening…….it may be cold…sweat shirts and heavy jackets. Women also have to have clothes for slightly hot, slightly cool and slightly cold. Can’t forget 4 sets of golf clubs golf balls, golf shoes, golf caps, and golf shirts. (Not to be confused with the above regular shirts.) This trip will take all of 3 days to get there, with one of the days reserved for sightseeing, so we will need movies for the DVD player in the van, a cooler for pop and water (maybe a wine cooler) and ice, a cooler for sandwich fixings, and a travel basket with utensils, plates, cups, napkins and snacks….lots of snacks! In that I am going along, we have to include medical supplies.....lots of medical supplies! Enough to cover any contingency, short of amputation. Don’t forget digital cameras, video cameras, cell phones and computers so we can get our e-mails or look up area attractions on the Internet. We will need current maps and a GPS navigation system. It can be up to 30 miles between towns and we might get lost. Our friends have one which they have named “Florence”. Sometimes Florence gets confused and misleads you with road directions but she is great at finding restaurants, gas stations and hotels. Don't forget to make room reservations and have our mail forwarded for a couple of weeks. When packing, we also will need to leave plenty of room for all the souvenirs certain people will buy. We have decided that we either have to take two vans or pull a U-Haul trailer. We could never plan a trip like this in 1880…..we’d need to take two stagecoaches. If we start planning right now we might be ready to go next March.

church

This morning in church we had a guest Pastor. He is now retired but had been confirmed in our church 57 years ago. He was reminiscing about how the sanctuary had not changed much in 57 years. He pointed out that to the left of the altar was an area, with 3 rows of benches, where the Junior Choir used to sit every Sunday. People only sit there now when we have a full church. Otherwise it’s empty. Jenn is right...what ever happened to Junior Choirs?
Today we had the full force of loud children. First the kindergarten and preschool children sang for us. They sang the first verse of 7 different songs. It was so enjoyable! However we also sat between two loud and crying children during the service. We sat up front just behind a couple that we know. In the row in front of them sat, a mom, dad and their 2 little boys. The oldest was in the kid’s program so mom wanted to video tape the program. The youngest would not sit still and made noise throughout the service….during the literary he bumped his head and was crying quite loud, for quite a few minutes….did mom or dad take him outside…no-o-o-o. Right behind us sat a family whom also had a young boy in the kid’s program. They also had a younger boy who was really noisy the entire service. He sat directly behind me…..me… who is also hard of hearing. I’m not sure that I really heard anything except him, during the service.
You can’t be too mad at loud children in church as it is a good thing that their parents are bringing them to church. You just wish that they would sit toward the back so it would be easier to take the child out into the narthex when they cry or get too loud. They should be more respectful of those around them who are trying to listen to the service. Amen!

Church

Wit and Wisdom for the Aged has blogged several times about silence in church. I think that the church experience, as a whole, has changed over the past 50 years. I also think every person has their own individual idea on how the experience in church should be. As I was growing up in Nebraska, church seemed very structured and Holy. As I recall there was a nursery/children’s room, in the balcony, where parents with small antsy children or babies, could watch and enjoy the service behind glass. The little kids could play and the babies could cry without disrupting the service. You had the traditional service with traditional songs and every thing seemed very reverent. Once a month, you always went to the communion rail and knelt for the Sacraments, given by the ordained Pastors. Communion was treated very special. “Gosh darn” was exactly like taking the Lords name in vain, according to the Pastors wife. The adult and children’s choir always wore robes. Everyone dressed up for church….suits, ties, and dresses. You didn’t have services on Saturday evening for the convenience of the members. Sunday was the day for worship and a day of rest. This was God’s house and you respected it! That didn’t change for years.
When I was in High School and we were going to a different church, the tradition seemed to change a little. You still wore suits and ties but there were some who were a little more casual. The choirs still wore robes, still went to the rail for the Sacraments…..but it was a little nosier…..it seemed more of a social gathering than visiting “God’s house”. I remember going to a Catholic church several times and thinking…….Wow....this place really feels special! The genuflecting, making the sign of the cross, the incense, the Latin readings, the hugeness and old architecture of the building, the ceremony…..you really felt you were in a very special place. I didn’t get the same feeling when I went into my church. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked my church and was involved with many of the youth activities. I’m talking about inner feelings.
I don’t know why it has changed but today it sure has. Today we have 3 different types of services...Contemporary...Traditional.....Less traditional. Why do we need three different ones? Depending on the service, the Lord's Prayer is even different. Try saying the one you have known for years when everyone else is saying it different. Every service, where I am a member, Communion is administered by the Pastor and lay people, some which are very young with little or no training. (The members who administer the Sacraments to “Shut-Ins” do have the training.) You go to the railing once a month. The other times it’s “drive by”, walking up to the front, stay standing, you are given the Sacraments and then walk back to your pew. You sing songs that you don’t know, never heard of, can’t follow the beat…..so you don’t sing….just read the words to yourself. In the old days you’d practice new songs before the service so you knew how to sing them. Our Choir only wears Robes for special occasions like Christmas and Easter time. All other times they just dress casual. Our members wear shorts, flip flops, cut offs, blue jeans, T-shirts, nice casual cloths and the older folks still wear suits, ties and dresses(very few). During the Saturday night service the Pastor doesn’t even wear a robe and the service is shorter. Kids are playing and babies are crying during the services. Occasionally parents will take them outside but not often enough. Do I like my church? It is super! I don’t remember another church that has made me feel more welcome and special. I also know that has a lot to do with me wanting a closeness with a church, a wanting to participate in the activities and be an active member. Do I miss the feelings I had years ago? Absolutely! Would I like to see some things change? Yes. Should I work for some of the changes that I like even thought others think differently? For sure! But, as my Dad always said “Go with the Flow”. After hearing about the problems of other congregations, there is nowhere I’d rather be, than at my little church!

Quotes

You can't tax the rich and give it to the poor and produce a fair economic system. Brent Littlefield

Ramblings

OK...I've tried to lay off President Obama.....But I can't help myself. He just keeps giving me ammunition. I listened to his "News Conference" last night. I takes him forever to answer a question and even then he really dances around it. When he was asked at the end "as President, what has surprised him, humbled him" etc., he was all over the place with his answer yet not really answering. And then he tried to make a joke about it....."How busy I am! I'd be happy if all I had to worry about were two wars, the worst economy since the Great Depression (why do Democrats always forget about the Carter years? Those years, by any standard, where worse than now!), universal health care, border security, unemployment and bailouts". (I'm paraphrasing) He'd be happy???? That's exactly all he should be working on (except universal health care). Instead he is flying all over the country for "Town Hall meetings", which are completely choreographed, looking for photo ops, yet doing one of the dumbest things a President could do......An Air Force One, low level, fly over "ground zero", in New York city for a photo trailed by two fighter jets and not tell anyone in New York, not even the Mayor, it's going to happen? He's outraged and claims he wasn't aware of it and wants an investigation on what happened and to report back to him in two weeks. Hum...let's see...if you were a CEO and wanted an answer on what happened, you'd have an answer in couple of hours, at the most. Seriously, do you think some one can take Air Force One on a Photo shoot and the President NOT know. If he really didn't know, it proves he is in over his head and his "Handlers" are making all the decisions. Back to the press conference. He didn't take one question from Fox News, which is watched by more people than any other cable news channel. Did he think no one would question why he called on the other major networks and not Fox?? In his mind he is only the President to those who swoon over him or agree with him. You can tell he is lost without the TelePrompter because he rambles, searching for the right thing to say. Did you see on Glenn Beck, a few days ago, where Obama was giving a speech and the teleprompter was evidently out of sequence. He stopped speaking, told someone the teleprompter was showing something he had already said and then waited.....didn't say anything, until it was corrected. It was embarrassing to watch because he is our President and yet he was stumped as to what to say. Unlike Sara Palin, during the Republican Convention, when her teleprompter went out.......she didn't miss a beat....remember the "Hockey Mom" joke? No one even knew her teleprompter went out until later. One Obama advisor is quoted as saying that Mr. Obama is looking at installing a computer screen in White House podiums so "it would make it easier for the comms (communications) guys to pass along information without being obvious about it." The notion that a computer technician is queuing up the president's answers to questions is disturbing. One can easily imagine a Saturday Night Live skit where a technician waits with a canned set of answers to possible questions and from time to time cues up the wrong one. The major news outlets call him "Brilliant, smart, engaging, refreshing"! I'd call him something else but he's my President also.

RAMBLINGS

I haven’t Blogged for a while and some have asked why. I have writers block. Don’t know what to blog about. Should I stick to basically one theme and write/rant about President Obama and the Democrats….should I keep it light and not too serious and find things that are humorous…..should I showcase the Grand Kids or trips we’ve taken……or all of the above? I blog when a notion strikes me….when I have something to say or have something others may find interesting or amusing. It seemed that over the last few months I always had something to say. Now I’m blank!
Right now there are no good golf stories as my hand has not completely healed from my fall. Still can’t grip a club. Can’t golf now anyway…..too cold and rainy. The weather likes to tease us…..Friday was a gorgeous day…..mid 70’s, sunny, light wind,….. Perfect!! Saturday it stared raining, got cold and now, Sunday morning, we’re having thunderstorms. It’s cold, 49 , and will be raining until Tuesday. I know, I know, you are waiting for my snide little comment about “Global Warming”. A ha, there is something I can write about. “Global Warming”.
I feel the “Global Warming” crowd is losing steam and credibility because they are merging with "Clean Environment" but still using the “Global Warming” mantra. Scientific evidence has proven that the oceans have actually cooled 1 degree over the last 10 years. Their side really only has consensus not facts. They know that if they say "Global Warming" enough, people will believe it and they will not have to prove it. The Antarctica ice is increasing and the Arctic Ice is decreasing. If the whole Earth is warming wouldn’t the Antarctica is be melting also. The Antarctic ice increasing is a fact that the “Global Warming” crowd fails to mention in their literature. They use to say the “Ice Caps” are melting ….now they just say the Arctic Ice is melting. In the mid 1930’s the United States was the warmest it has been in 100 years….that’s a fact. We are NOT smart enough to actually affect the weather temperature. If we were, why do we have floods, blizzards, heat waves, cold spells….couldn't we just eliminate those problems? Why do temperatures vary all over the world……..vary between Florida and Minnesota? This is the earth that God has given us. He and only he can change it. Should we be good stewards of the land….of course! We must strive to keep our rivers and streams clean, our air unpolluted, replenish our forests, drive cleaner cars, be enthusiastic about conserving our energy resources, keep trash in the landfill not on the roadways….keep Mother Earth clean. Do not lump that in with “Global Warming”. Our government should spend it’s time working with China, Korea and other countries that couldn't care less about pollution and worry less about our environment “problems”…..we do not have a problem and we do “get It”…..just stay our of our pockets. Trying to “BUY” our way out of a problem that doesn’t exist is just another Liberal policy that will fail but cost taxpayers dearly!

Ramblings

What a country we live in. School officials can strip search a young teen age girl because she might have some Ibuprofen on her. The last time I checked, you can buy Ibuprofen at any Walmart without a prescription, in any quantity. However, the U.S military can not embarrass, slap, scare or harass a captured terrorist, even though the terrorist is known to have information about future attacks against the U.S., which puts American Citizens at risk. The American President's first and foremost job is to keep the United States safe from her enemies. How safe do you feel under President Obama? If it wasn't so serious you would have to laugh at the stupidity and recklessness of Liberals!

Quotes

What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies. ~Rudolph Giuliani

GRANDCHILDREN

My Grand Daughter in her "Hip Hop" outfit

One of the great things about living in a small town is the sense of community. You seem to know so many more people than if you were living in a larger town. In a large town or city you basically are familiar with people in your neighborhood, church or at work. You go to school functions but know very few other people other than your children’s friends. Where we live, my wife knows everyone! Me? I getting better.
My grand daughter had a dance recital the other night. It was at the High School auditorium and the place was packed. They had two shows, one at 4:00 p.m. and one at 7:00p.m. Between the two shows, I think at least ½ the town came to see it whether they had kids in it or not. Her dance teacher teaches each class, Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballet, and Tap and had 4 different classes based on age. Going to the recital, all I really wanted to see was my grand daughter. I wasn’t too enthused about sitting thru all the other classes. I figured it was going to be a long night. It was so enjoyable! 22 routines, all ages, all skill levels. It was so well planned, it only took 54 minutes. All the kids did an awesome job! Seeing the smiles on their faces and sensing their pride of accomplishment was beautiful. The community had come together to celebrated the result of their children’s hard work through out the year. This was my first dance recital and I can’t wait for next year. My grand daughter can’t either!

Ramblings

Listening to Rush today, he brought up a good point. President Obama during the campaign stated that the United States should have a dialog with our enemies..Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, etc. Why is it the the President does not want to have a dialog with his U.S. "Enemies"....Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, Mark Levin, etc. Why not sit down with them, have a summit and "Clear the Air"?? Just maybe there may be some common ground. Instead he sends out his surrogates to vilify them because, although they are U.S. citizens, they disagree with his agenda and policies. It's beneath him to talk to U.S. citizens with a differing view point but he will meet with countries that profess hatred for the United States. 55 million U.S. citizens did not vote for him but he is ignoring them instead of listening to their viewpoint. There is a feeling, a movement, something is going on in the U.S.....Democrates, Republicans, Independents. He is not the "Breath of Fresh Air" everyone was hoping for. Instead he is scarring people and they have no reason to believe him anymore. He policies are radically different than what he was promoting during the campaign. We may have to wait four years to vote him out but we can reclaim the Senate and House in two years and that should slow him down and maybe reverse some of the damage he is doing. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

Quotes

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.........Winston Churchill

Giving

I read the Wit and Wisdom for the Aged blog this morning about charitable giving. I couldn’t agree more that you should know how your charitable money is being spent. I attended a Mission meeting, at our church last night, and the whole meeting was about whom we can feasibly support with our limited recourses. We have identified 9 programs that have asked for or would like our help. The mission for our Mission Group is to figure out how to help all, in a meaningful way. Our small church helps support 2 Missions, one in Nigeria and the other in Guatemala, flood relief, tornado relief, food shelves, etc. and the requests just keep coming.
As we go through life, every year, we are asked to contribute to many causes: Red Cross, March of Dimes, Cancer Research, Salvation Army, United Way, Homeless Shelters, Food Shelves, Operation Santa Claus..….the list goes on. On top of this there are the youth program fund raisers for various sports, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Band….you get the picture. Someone is always asking for some sort of donation from your hard earned money. As Americans we are extremely generous and normally do not hesitate to help our youth, help the needy or to give someone assistance. But when we do give money we do have a right to know or ask how it is spent. Too often those in charge of “Charities” abuse our trust. One of the International Charities our church sends money to, spends close to 25% for administration costs. Looking at their organization chart it seems to me they are top heavy in salaried employees. Some say 25% is normal….I disagree…..10-12% is a little more typical. When we send our churches money to Nigeria we send it directly to the Mission, not to the ELCA regional office in Chicago. That way we know 100% of the money reaches the Mission. The American taxpayer is cynical of the way Congress spends their tax money. They have had enough! Let’s hope that anger does not spill over to charitable giving because there are certainly those who can use our help and would really struggle without it.

Say What?

For high blood pressure suffers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.

Injury

When ever you travel on vacation, one of your concerns is:”What happens if you are injured and need a doctor?” You always have the comfort of your own doctor and hospital when around home. Dateline: April 9, 2009, Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Tennessee……Klutzy man falls in the street. On the way home from the Masters we decided to do some sightseeing. Our friends had never been to a Civil War Battlefield so we decided to go to Lookout Mountain, the site of the “Battle above the Clouds”. After visiting the Battlefield, we were coming out of the visitor’s center, I was reading a brochure, stepped off a curb wrong, and fell to the street. I remember thinking “Oh boy, this is going to hurt”. It did. Now I know why Pro Wrestlers make small cuts above their eyes to promote bleeding. I had a small scrape above my eye but looking at the amount of blood you’d swear I had a massive head wound. My right pinky finger was bent completely back against the back of my hand. I was sure I broke it. I actually moved it and it popped back to the correct position. There was a large gash at the last joint, next to the palm, of that pinky. Our friend who was with, an ex EMTI, said it definitely needed stitches. There were other bumps and scraps but the eye and finger were the concerns. Here is where the fun begins. After getting directions, at the visitor’s center, where the nearest hospital was, we headed over to it…..about 20 minutes away. As I checked in at the receptionist desk, I said I had heard horror stories of waiting for hours to be seen. I wasn’t in real pain so if it was going to take a while we’d go elsewhere……not sure where, maybe up to Nashville, but we weren’t going to sit around. She said “It shouldn’t take long…things are moving rather quickly”. “Shouldn’t take long” was approx. 45 minutes before I got called. A nurse got all my pertinent information and said “our rooms are full and it might take awhile”. Of course this was after he had put my ID bracelet on and I was now under their care. I told him we were from out of town, on our way home, and wanted to get going. He left, came back 10 minutes later and took me to a room. Within 15 minutes a Doctor came in. He looked at the eye, took the bandage off, left it off and said it would be fine. It had stopped bleeding. Didn’t even bother to clean it. He took the little finger bent it forward and asked if it hurt…it didn’t. He then bend it backward and asked if it hurt….*#!&*#.....YES…..&%^$#@!!! He had opened the gash so you could see the bone and tendons. He said “yep it needs stitches; I’ll get my nurse to clean it up. We’ll also need to schedule x-rays to make sure the bone isn’t chipped or cracked.” 15 minutes later, enter Goober Pyle. Gomer Pyle would have been an upgrade. This “Nurse” must have been on OJT. He first started cleaning the around wound with alcohol which was OK, however he was holding the injured finger while doing it, instead of the whole hand, which was not comfortable to say the least! He just did a half a--ed job of cleaning and then left to scheduled an x-ray. Over the course of the next hour Goober came in and set up the cart with everything needed for stitches. He was pouring alcohol into a pan when he spilled it all over the cart. He didn’t even attempt to clean it up. He mentioned that he couldn’t understand why it was taking so long for the x-rays. After 60-75 minutes. the doctor came in and said he is going to sew it up before the x-rays but I couldn’t check out until he had a chance to see them. He then produced a needle that was at least 3” long and was going to “numb” up the finger. Did that hurt???? %$#*&%^…. YES….. *&^$%#@*..... Novocain at a Dentist office is a piece of cake. After washing the wound out, he stitched it up. 15 minutes later another Nurse came and took me for x-rays. That took 30 minutes. Enter Goober to bandage me up with a splint. My granddaughter could do a better job of bandaging. He was completely un-coordinated and made a huge mess of the bandaging. He was not gentle or concerned about the injury and I was glad the novicane was still working. Otherwise, Goober and I would have had words!! It would have made a great comedy sketch. (we re-bandaged at the hotel that night). The doctor looked at the x-rays and found the finger wasn’t cracked or had any chips, so I was discharged. The doctor gave me a prescription for pain killers and said it could be filled at the hospital pharmacy. After 10-15 minutes, the Pharmacy said it didn’t have a contract with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Iowa so we would have to pay cash. After over 4 hours at the Hospital we were finally back on the road. My conclusions are: do not believe them when they say “It shouldn’t take too long”, avoid all injuries in or around Chattanooga, make sure your insurance is acceptable when traveling the southern states, and finally before anything else, ask if Goober is on duty.

Golf

Well The Masters is over and my man didn’t win. Kenny Perry would have been a Great Masters Champion….someone every golfer could look up to. He’s a “lunch bag” type of player. Does his work, appreciates and is polite to the fans, then goes home to his family. He could live anywhere he wants but lives in the very small town, in Kentucky, where he grew up. He isn’t flashy, conceited, or emotional. When he loses he doesn’t blame the Course, or how the Course was set-up to favor certain players, the weather, bad breaks or lucky competitors, like Sergio did after this Masters. He takes full responsibility and gives full Kudos to the winner. During an interview several years ago he said “If a fan wants my autograph it is my responsibly to give him a signature he can read.” Of all the signatures I have gathered over the years, Kenny Perry’s is the most legible. Take a look at the Masters Flag picture above. Name any of the other players who have signed the flag. I could give you the names and you still wouldn’t be able to pick them out. He is truly the definition of “Class Act”! I look forward to rooting for him next year.

Golf

Augusta National Golf Club…..The Masters….. There are thousands of golf courses all over the world but none are quite like Augusta National or tournaments as unique as “The Masters”. It is the only Major Championship played at the same course every year. It is a “good old boys club” for men with 300 members. A cigar smoking….card playing….scotch drinking…… golf playing ….rich…... men’s club. There are no dues...they just add up all the expenses for the year, divide by 300 and send a bill. (The member with the least amount of money is worth over $30,000,000.... Gates & Buffett are members) There is not a tennis court or swimming pool. There are no social memberships. In fact, you can’t ask to join…there are no applications. You must be invited to join by a member. The Tournament was first played back in the 30’s, as a fun time for the friends of Bobby Jones and its members. Patrons were invited strictly for their enjoyment. It is not a PGA event. It was never held as a means to make money. This is still evident today. The tickets are very cheap. ($40.00 for the Par 3 Tournament) You can’t buy tickets (Badges) for the regular Tournament as they have been sold out since around ‘68 and the waiting list for tickets was closed around ‘78. A Badge for one day is being scalped for $1,200.00. You can still get a practice round ticket for Monday, Tuesday or the Par 3 on Wednesday but even those are determined by a lottery. Only 40,000 sold and over 125,00 applications. Parking is on premises and free, food is cheaper than an average food stand, (see Pic), and patrons are called patrons or guests not spectators or fans. One TV announcer was banned from the Tournament for calling the patrons a mob, in jest. That was over 20 years ago and he still is not forgiven. No hooting or hollering, no running…just polite cheering and clapping. There are no souvenir tents..…there are permanent merchandise buildings. Every worker is happy and friendly. Patron restrooms are similar to a school restroom.....permanent, large, bright and clean. The grounds are pristine. I have not found a weed anywhere on the course and I have been there 3 times. No kidding…If I found one I was going to take a picture of it! All other tournaments aspire to be like the Masters. As you can tell, I am pretty impressed with Augusta National. This year we got to go to the Par 3 Tournament. (Augusta National also has a Par 3 Course on the premises and it is just as nice as the big course) It is just a fun time for the players who use their kids, relatives or friends as caddies. We were sitting right next to the 6th green. Watched Greg Norman (Caddie Chris Evert) get a hole in one, watched Jack, Arnie and Gary play together, …..really got to see all the favorites up close and personal. If you are a golf nut like me, The Masters is like going to the Super Bowl, Final Four, and World Series all at once. It was worth driving down there in the rain, snow and cold, a total of 5 days on the road, and a trip to the hospital, in Chattanooga, for 4 stitches…..but more on that later.

Say What?

I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.

Travel

As you get older, the decisions you must make, change. Your decisions about your job, finances, your kids, your house and car, take second seat to: where are or what are we going to eat tonight, did your get a tee time, when does Walmart have their spring flowers on sale and what should we buy, should we wallpaper or paint, we need to change the look of our kitchen....you know, important things! Today our decision is should we leave early for our vacation to Georgia. We were planing on leaving early tomorrow morning but there is a storm going to hit this afternoon and won't be over til tomorrow morning. The storm is producing snow, sleet and ice. If it isn't over until tomorrow morning, will the roads be OK to travel on? Plus the Storm is heading southeast so we would probably be running into it tomorrow as well. However, the farther South we go, the less chance of snow. Rain is easier to drive in. Maybe we should just wait until later tomorrow morning and see what the roads are like . Problem with that is that will mean having to drive longer, on Monday and Tuesday, than we had planned. We have one traveler that doesn't do well on long trips in the car. Of course one of us says "let's leave today", the other "let's wait until tomorrow". We have a 3 hour window to make the decision. We'll probably wait until the last minute....no sense making a decision now.

Update: We're leaving in 1/2 hour. We'll talk to you when we get back on Friday. I'm not taking the computer along......no room.