Phone lines

I have been very scarce of late due to a phone line that goes bad after a few minutes of use. A call to Bell South hasn't fixed the problem. The technician found a good working phone line when here. As a mechanic I can relate to that! I am using our second line to post this while wife isn't working on it. I hope The landscaping I did over the last two weeks didn't hurt the line. Cable is headed our way, and I am hopeful that we will get high speed internet. Should know in a week or two. Thanks to our friend Bob, and The Texas State Guard for helping the victims of Katrina. Thanks also to our friends up north for supporting the Red Cross. On the recent bombings in Iraq, I would remind everyone that yes, you are your brothers keeper. One cannot make those car bombs without someone seeing and knowing something. This puts the blood of the innocents on the hands of those that did nothing to stop this outrage. There are days in every life when it seems pointless to go on, but go on we must. Lend a thought, prayer, or hand when you can, and smooth the road for all that follow.

Fall

No TV tonight, I've had enough death and destruction. Fall has come to the midlands of South Carolina, bringing Browns and reds, and Forrest smells. Temps in the mid eighties by day and upper sixties at night The grass has slowed a bunch and I will not have to mow this weekend. This is good as I'm spending ten hours at the boyscout camp Saturday. Who Knows, I may be the elusive Snipe! :) Grant us peace Lord, and watch over us, one and all and keep us.

New Orleans

I have been watching the debate over whether to rebuild the city or not with much interest.
It seems to me that the answer is very simple. I have seen many things in my life, some that I wish I had never seen. Some things inspire me forever. Logic would tell us that no coastal city should be below sea level. Logic is right. Now for the other side of the coin.
New Orleans is far more than a place that is home for a few hundred thousand souls. It is the home of a type of culture that doesn't exist outside of that area. You can hear good jazz anywhere, but it sounds better in preservation hall! Always will. You can't hear good delta blues outside the delta, period! You gotta smell it and taste it! The food comes from what is available there. Won't work in New York. I offer you a simple analogy. I and many of you would pay good money for our friend Diane's art. Why? Because it speaks to our souls. (It should as it comes from her soul) The food the music, the very way of life speaks to my soul. If it doesn't speak to yours..........You weren't listening.

Hurricane post

Mrs. C took me to New Orleans for a week on business some years ago. We were watching the coverage on Fox News and she reminded me of a sight we saw. We were staying at the hyatt across from the superdome, and decided to forgo the shuttle to the Quarter and walk. As we walked along you could see ahead there was a crazy woman ranting and cursing in front of us about a block. She was a tall and well built black woman wearing a bright yellow sun dress. She looked very beautiful but for the yelling and cursing. She also got physical with a few trash cans along the way. All of the pedestrians crossed to the other side of the street until they were about a block past her. We wondered if someone is taking care of those people during this time. We hope and pray, may God feed and cover those that can't themselves.

New post

I have been very busy lately landscaping the yard and taking care of my other obligations. I saw that dcat had commented about the top down season almost being over for her. It is just beginning here. Makes me want to get to work on wifes roadster. (don't know where the time will come from) I am creating a spot in the yard for the memory of a woman I hardy knew. Her name was Miss Jo. She was the one that took me to meet and get my red Doberman, Reese, yes like the peanut butter cup. She was a tireless worker for the Doberman rescue in the in the area. When she died, we went and bought a white bench from her estate. I have painted it green and put it in a shaded place in the yard looking out at the water. It sits next to a small creek that flows in the spring. I have also planted a Chaste tree in front of the house. I have a pic but you know who got his nose in the act! Love you too Cooper. Found a snake skin out there too! On a more serious matter, if you have any prayers to use, I think New Orleans could use them. That is one of my favorite cites to visit, I hope it is still there after this storm.
Ps sorry no pics. Won't load.

More on God

It has been said that the devil is everywhere, even in the churches fighting his fight. So is god. We went out to eat at the local bar yesterday, kind of a redneck and biker bar. Most folks know everyone in there by sight if not by name. The conversation was of a regular that is battling cancer, and losing fast. He has no family except the patrons of that bar. In the last week one of them has moved in with him to take care of him and be there when hospice can't. He wanted to come and spend a little time with his friends, looking out at the lake and having a beer. They went to get a wheel chair and then him for a while. I have seen some nasty things in that bar, but also some wonderful acts by very good people. The battle rages on.

One last shot.

Hi all, I didn't run away. I did enjoy a weekend in the mountains not to far from Dons neck o the woods. I got to see the train wreck from the movie The Fugitive, and some nice scenery. I don't particularly like mountains but they seem to recharge me. I had one more piece of bad news, my daughter called and left me a message that one of the girls in my neighborhood died of cancer. She died about 4 months after her husband. We were never that close, but never that far either. She had my back a few times, and I hers as we grew up. Sylvia, I will always remember your eyes, and your smile. Now you will light up more then just the room you enter!
Had my first court ordered counseling session. Mostly just orientation, but some other stuff too. I thought it was very powerful, and worth the price of admission. John if you're lurking, you too should give it a try. They tell me that they can show you why you are an ass, and how to fix it.(if possible)
On a final note I would like to thank all of you for standing with me and offering your support. It is great to know that you are there!

I love you Unk!

Tonight I learned of the passing of my favorite uncle from my dads side. He was a very spiritual man, that believed in the hereafter with a passion. I come from a blue collar family that does hard work. He was a concrete man as was my dad, and I in my younger days. In my hometown you can't walk a mile without seeing a tree that I planted or a sidewalk he laid. We shared many projects together, that combined both our skills. When my mother died, he was there to help me load her into the hearse when the snow kept the pallbearers away. I am glad that I had the chance to tell you that I love you. May god bless you uncle Leonard C

I think I need a priest

I was supposed to start my court ordered counseling yesterday. I got off work an hour early to get there.Just outside of town I took my eye off the road for a sec and when I looked up there was a blazer in front of me going very slow. I rearended it, sending it into a ditch. It rolled I think once, tossing three kids around like dolls inside. I don't know how anyone is, except me. I'm ok with just a twingy neck. The Grandfather of the kids came over to me to check on me and tell me it was just bumps and bruises. I hope he was right. I don't know what is going on with my life right now, but it is getting hard to see the bright side of anything. No prayers for me but if you could spare a few for a woman named Vicky Anderson and her children I would appreciate it.

Saturday

I have now solved some of my computer problems with an updated version of Explorer. Yippeeee!
This means I now have spell check, and can post pics from my comp instead of doing the floppy disk shuffle. Most importantly, I have the recover post button so I might not lose my more creative garbage. I would like to say hello to a new reader of my blog. She is a neighbor and a very good friend. I do hope she comments here as I respect her opinions. I have had all kinds of problems this week with my daughter. The grand experiment of letting her be on her own has gone bad, and now she will be going back to her mothers house. She is very unhappy about this but it must be. Teenagers are so damn hard to deal with sometimes. I wish she would learn that there are consequences for her actions. A pic for Cat. More of our back yard.

I didn't do a good job.

I didn't do a good job of getting my point across in my last post.
It was more of a statement of the difference between holy men.
One died giving last rites, while others sit in their mosques and spew hate.
I did a little research and found father Judge had a lifetime of good works behind him. I have known a priest or two that were like that. On the other hand we have a Muqtadda al Sodder (spelling?) that uses his mosque as a fortress to conduct war from.
I remember seeing the Pakistanis protesting us after 9/11 and thinking, "Don't they know we are the good guys?" The simple answer is yes they know, but they are on the other side. If you're a part of the "Death to America" crowd, even just in a demonstration then you have chosen a side. I am not a man of god, or a hero. I'm just a guy that will defend his country and way of life against all enemies, any way I can.
I gave a bum a dollar one day, knowing that it would come back and bite me. Sure enough I became a favorite target of that person. I got to know him a little bit, and learned a life lesson or two. He had a wife and two children, and they lived in a park not far from where I worked. They had to travel miles to get to the Christian rescue mission and get food. She was a diabetic and sometimes couldn't wait. They didn't feed or take care of her at her mosque, yet she went every day. One day I wasn't around and the mission was to far, she died. I believe that some of those clerics like to see downtrodden people as a means to an end, instead of a soul to lift.

A Man of God

On a day when evil seemed to rule, there were other stories. Evil was met full on by thousands of heroes and a man of God. In little more then a month we again remember that hellish day when our innocence died. I do not understand why a Cleric or imam can have such authority without deeds, and a Priest can have deeds without authority. Is the world really that blind? I understand that some are not catholic or even of any faith, but everybody recognizes the difference between good and evil. God Bless and God Speed, Father Judge.

My favorite!

Here he is!

Look who's pic I got!

Yep, it's him. He tried to run, and he tried to hide. Note the dirty unwashed look. Ive got more for another time. Wait till you see Lee.

My view on sunday morning. Dennis is already sending clouds here. Almost all of Mrs. C's family is in the bullseye in Escambia counties Florida and Alabama.

Lets try a couple more!

Cooper Dog geting ready for another adventure!

Guess who

I found this old camera and decided to see if I could get it to work. Not bad for a freebie

Way past mad!

I just saw on Fox News that the Italians are gonna cut and run.
Did they not see their hostage stand and show the world how a brave man dies? What does it take to make the world stand and fight? I was and am still a small man with a handicap. That combination got me a fight a day in school. You either learn to stand or run. I chose to stand! I do not understand the mentality of those that will hide under the bed and hope the boogyman passes them by. It aint gonna happen kids. I admire the British for their stiff upper lip, and courage but, I think a little emotion goes a long way to win a fight. When I start cryin it's time to be runnin. The nut bags that have done these terrible things need to remember that hate is a two way street. If you wanna take me to meet Allah, ok. But when we go, I'm going with my hands wrapped around your damn throat! It is the natural state of man that some will lead, some will follow, some won't budge, and some will run. Care to guess where I fall in that list?

Our Independence Day

Took the boat out last night to watch the fireworks displays. Two displays ten or fifteen miles apart. Turned on the radio and listened to the soundtrack that went with it. I began to reflect on the meaning of our independence. It all started with wanting to practice religion of choice without persecution, and that led to freedom.
Freedom for us, (I include Canada as well) is not the freedom from something, but the freedom to something. We have taken the freedom from and turned it into the freedom to............
The poor and the oppressed of this world have taken America to the top. It is the freedom to dream, and chase that dream that allows us to lead the world. It requires big dreamers to be able to move away from the known and start over. To chase those dreams means hard work, and lots of sweat and tears. Because we are examples of that freedom and work ethic, We don't fail in the missions we undertake. It will be interesting to see the changes in Iraq and Afghanistan when they have freedom to, also.

Quick post

Hi one and all! I am making a quick post to tell you that my girlfriend is going to be away for a few days getting updated. It is time to get something besides win 95 that will be able to use the web accelerator and the spell check. Should only take a few days. I will try to have a post for the weekend on wifes main comp. If not, then please be safe this weekend.

Tom