It's New Year's Eve (Day) and what would have been my Dad's 89th Birthday.
He has been gone for a long time, and I still miss him every day. Aside from teaching me which end of a gun is the dangerous one (no, it's not the one with the little hole in it, it's the one with the operator attached) he imparted a lot of wisdom about family and life in general. Any of you who know me have heard most of this before, but I thought I would impart a few gems, derived from the other things he taught me, as a way to ring out the old year.
***************************
There are only three things you need to do to successfully raise children: Love them, love them, and love them. Of course, you will need to deal with the inevitable "You did what?!" moments, but one of the three things listed above will equip you.
A father's main job is to provide his family with a safe place to learn how to deal with all the crud that life will throw at them. His secondary job is to impart what his father taught him, and what he learned while coping with being an adult, to his children.
Girls will mature faster than boys. Actually, girls will mature, boys will remain 12 years old at the core until they die of old age. The inner Peter Pan keeps old men from being lousy grandfathers.
If you want to learn how to love your children or your spouse, listen to your dog. He does not know how to not love unconditionally. You may have to make a few course corrections, but unconditional love of your family will give you a map to a happy life.
Government is like a laxative. Unless you are really lucky, you will need it every once in a while, but you will be up to your neck in effluent if you rely on it too much.
God will not throw anything your way that you cannot ultimately deal with successfully. You might not enjoy the trip, but arriving at the end of the problem will be worth the grief.
Life is like the little kid who dove into the stable full of horse crap because he knew there was a pony in there someplace. It may be unpleasant, but there's a reward at the end.
Never trust a cat.
Never pet a stray dog. Make him your friend first, but keep your fingers away from his front end while you're doing it.
Engage brain before operating mouth.
Y'all get the general idea. Life is a blessing, and how you deal with its little "opportunities" is entirely up to your own outlook. You'll be happy if you look at the good side of events, and Ebeneezer Scrooge (pre-ghosts) if you don't. It's your choice.
Thanks, Dad. I think you taught me well, and I pray that I'm up to the task of passing it along.
Stay well, and make the best of your opportunities in the New Year.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Christmas Wishes
Is 9:6 KJV
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:11-14 KJV
Just a quick note to wish all who see this a blessed Christmas full of wonder at the gift we celebrate on December 25. Do not forget the reason for the celebration. We are saved by the gift of Christ, entirely undeserved and given by a loving God. Isaiah foresaw it, Luke reported it, and I am blessed to have known it.
Merry Christmas from the Road Less Traveled
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Birthday Wishes
Happy Birthday, Mom. I hope this 44th anniversary of your 39th birthday is as good as they get. We miss you and always hope to see you soon. Stay warm.
And to my nephew Paul, who officially joins the rest of us who are the same age as Jack Benny today, make it the best one ever. We're proud of your nearly 20 years of service with the Navy. (...and mark the last weekend of March on your calendar for Mountain Madness 2010.)
And to my nephew Paul, who officially joins the rest of us who are the same age as Jack Benny today, make it the best one ever. We're proud of your nearly 20 years of service with the Navy. (...and mark the last weekend of March on your calendar for Mountain Madness 2010.)
The More Things Change...
...the more they stay the same.
Last year it was Gracie the kitten in the Christmas tree. This year, it's George the cat. Same cat, same tree, different name, compliments of the vet, who had more practice at determining the sex of a kitten than my wife.
Stay well, and Merry Christmas.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Climate Change
A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be. - Albert Einstein
It's been an interesting day on the Environmental Front. President Oh-Bummer is meeting with OwlGore to discuss climate change, the EPA has declared that CO2 is a threat to public health, and idiots are running around Washington like rats escaping a tenement fire.
Every time I hear a conversation about climate change, I hear the word "consensus", as in "Scientific consensus proves that mankind is contributing to climate change." 500 or so years ago, the "scientific consensus" was that the world was flat, and if you sailed too far, you would fall off the edge. The consensus was once that Earth was the center of the universe. The consensus once was that the proper way to treat a disease was to drain the "evil humors" out of the body with about half of the blood.
Scientific consensus is always wrong. Science is a search for the truth, and the truth is always unknown. Thomas Edison once said, "We don't know one millionth of one percent about anything." He was right. We will never truly understand all there is to know about anything. We have theories that seem to fit the way we observe things working, but the more we observe, the more we discover that our theories are lacking. One brilliant person will get a thought that leads to the discovery of a larger truth that proves the consensus wrong. He will be branded a heretic, denier, or worse, but eventually he will be proved correct.
I am more inclined to believe the one person who has a reasoned and researched objection to consensus, than to fall in line and blindly follow the dumb masses (say it aloud 3 times) who preach the party line. Historically, the heretics have usually been proven correct.
The fact that the EPA has made this "finding" is alarming. We're about to be slammed with regulations on everything that releases anything that might be considered a "greenhouse gas". Look for catalytic converters on cows. The alarming thing is that there is no check and balance mechanism in place that would allow us to modify this ruling. Congress is held in check by the threat of being voted out of office. The EPA can act like the Emperor of the Known Universe and ban things by fiat.
It is time to rise up and let our elected representatives know that we're tired of not being represented. It's time to unite and remind those in positions of power that this country was founded on the principle that "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed". It is time to remove our consent if common sense and freedom are not returned to the thought processes of those who rule us.
Take a look at the quote from Ayn Rand on the right of this page, and use it as a filter to examine this EPA ruling.
Stay well, and keep breathing, despite what the EPA says.
It's been an interesting day on the Environmental Front. President Oh-Bummer is meeting with OwlGore to discuss climate change, the EPA has declared that CO2 is a threat to public health, and idiots are running around Washington like rats escaping a tenement fire.
Every time I hear a conversation about climate change, I hear the word "consensus", as in "Scientific consensus proves that mankind is contributing to climate change." 500 or so years ago, the "scientific consensus" was that the world was flat, and if you sailed too far, you would fall off the edge. The consensus was once that Earth was the center of the universe. The consensus once was that the proper way to treat a disease was to drain the "evil humors" out of the body with about half of the blood.
Scientific consensus is always wrong. Science is a search for the truth, and the truth is always unknown. Thomas Edison once said, "We don't know one millionth of one percent about anything." He was right. We will never truly understand all there is to know about anything. We have theories that seem to fit the way we observe things working, but the more we observe, the more we discover that our theories are lacking. One brilliant person will get a thought that leads to the discovery of a larger truth that proves the consensus wrong. He will be branded a heretic, denier, or worse, but eventually he will be proved correct.
I am more inclined to believe the one person who has a reasoned and researched objection to consensus, than to fall in line and blindly follow the dumb masses (say it aloud 3 times) who preach the party line. Historically, the heretics have usually been proven correct.
The fact that the EPA has made this "finding" is alarming. We're about to be slammed with regulations on everything that releases anything that might be considered a "greenhouse gas". Look for catalytic converters on cows. The alarming thing is that there is no check and balance mechanism in place that would allow us to modify this ruling. Congress is held in check by the threat of being voted out of office. The EPA can act like the Emperor of the Known Universe and ban things by fiat.
It is time to rise up and let our elected representatives know that we're tired of not being represented. It's time to unite and remind those in positions of power that this country was founded on the principle that "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed". It is time to remove our consent if common sense and freedom are not returned to the thought processes of those who rule us.
Take a look at the quote from Ayn Rand on the right of this page, and use it as a filter to examine this EPA ruling.
Stay well, and keep breathing, despite what the EPA says.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Health Care
Warning: This is a political rant. Run away if you believe that government is the answer to everything.
The Story of Og.
Once upon a time, Og climbed out of his cave, and noticed that his club arm had a little twinge in it, so he went to Ooblek, the medicine man, and swapped some nice flint arrowheads for herbs, chanting, and smoke wafted around by an eagle's wing. Ooblek earned a nice living searching for herbs and bartering arrow heads in exchange for his knowledge as a healer. All was right with the Neanderthal world.
As he was going home, Og thought of the time it took to make 5 arrowheads, and that it was too much to pay for the treatment he had received. He rounded up a handful of his friends, and went to Oomlaut, the Chief with his grievance, and announced that he could no longer afford to pay for herbs and smoke, and what was Oomlaut going to do about it?
Oomlaut called the tribal council together (omitting Ooblek) and they decided that the services of the medicine man would be free to all of the tribe. Og and his buddies were elated.
Soon Ooblek was inundated with cave rats with runny noses, and as the word spread, troglodytes seeking aid from other tribes. His day was so full that he soon ran out of herbs, his eagle wing lost its feathers from overwork, and he took up flint napping and quit practicing medicine.
Winter came, and the tribe all died.
There are several lessons to be learned here. Health care is not a right. Government leaders don't want to know how something works before they change it, and excessive demand leads to shortage and eventual disaster.
There is no right to health care. We have a right to seek and purchase health care, but no right to obtain it. You may wonder "Why do you say that?". Rights are actions we can take without infringing on the ability of others to act as they choose. Rights proceed from God's gift of free will and his admonition to love others as we love ourselves. If you are alone on a desert island, you have a right to do anything you want. If there are other people present, your actions carry responsibilities and your rights are diminished when they have an effect on others.
Health care cannot be a right because there has to be a provider of the care. The act of demanding health care places a restriction on the action of the health care provider since the service requires the time of the person providing it.
The Beneficent Oz (A. K. A. Congress) after listening to the wailing and gnashing of teeth from constituent land, decided that health care is broke and needs to be fixed. No one has asked how it got broken because the answer is that Oz broke it, with mandated coverage and free medical care for people who won't pay (but will vote). It's broken because of the self interest of Congress. They will do whatever we let them if it will help them stay in their powerful jobs.
The only thing that is certain about the bills before Congress right now is that, if they are passed, they will create shortages, rationing, and eventual calamity. Our doctors will be overrun with patients, overworked, and eventually will change careers or retire. The possibility of financial reward from Medicine will decline, fewer bright young people will seek medical degrees, and the situation will feed on itself until our country is populated by people who have a life expectancy of 40 years.
Winter is coming, folks. Call your congressmen and let them know how you feel. Tell them your vote will go elsewhere if they ram this abomination down our throats. If you really want to stir the puddin', ask which article of the Constitution gives Congress the ability to force individuals to purchase anything, let alone health insurance.
Live long, and prosper, while you still can.
The Story of Og.
Once upon a time, Og climbed out of his cave, and noticed that his club arm had a little twinge in it, so he went to Ooblek, the medicine man, and swapped some nice flint arrowheads for herbs, chanting, and smoke wafted around by an eagle's wing. Ooblek earned a nice living searching for herbs and bartering arrow heads in exchange for his knowledge as a healer. All was right with the Neanderthal world.
As he was going home, Og thought of the time it took to make 5 arrowheads, and that it was too much to pay for the treatment he had received. He rounded up a handful of his friends, and went to Oomlaut, the Chief with his grievance, and announced that he could no longer afford to pay for herbs and smoke, and what was Oomlaut going to do about it?
Oomlaut called the tribal council together (omitting Ooblek) and they decided that the services of the medicine man would be free to all of the tribe. Og and his buddies were elated.
Soon Ooblek was inundated with cave rats with runny noses, and as the word spread, troglodytes seeking aid from other tribes. His day was so full that he soon ran out of herbs, his eagle wing lost its feathers from overwork, and he took up flint napping and quit practicing medicine.
Winter came, and the tribe all died.
There are several lessons to be learned here. Health care is not a right. Government leaders don't want to know how something works before they change it, and excessive demand leads to shortage and eventual disaster.
There is no right to health care. We have a right to seek and purchase health care, but no right to obtain it. You may wonder "Why do you say that?". Rights are actions we can take without infringing on the ability of others to act as they choose. Rights proceed from God's gift of free will and his admonition to love others as we love ourselves. If you are alone on a desert island, you have a right to do anything you want. If there are other people present, your actions carry responsibilities and your rights are diminished when they have an effect on others.
Health care cannot be a right because there has to be a provider of the care. The act of demanding health care places a restriction on the action of the health care provider since the service requires the time of the person providing it.
The Beneficent Oz (A. K. A. Congress) after listening to the wailing and gnashing of teeth from constituent land, decided that health care is broke and needs to be fixed. No one has asked how it got broken because the answer is that Oz broke it, with mandated coverage and free medical care for people who won't pay (but will vote). It's broken because of the self interest of Congress. They will do whatever we let them if it will help them stay in their powerful jobs.
The only thing that is certain about the bills before Congress right now is that, if they are passed, they will create shortages, rationing, and eventual calamity. Our doctors will be overrun with patients, overworked, and eventually will change careers or retire. The possibility of financial reward from Medicine will decline, fewer bright young people will seek medical degrees, and the situation will feed on itself until our country is populated by people who have a life expectancy of 40 years.
Winter is coming, folks. Call your congressmen and let them know how you feel. Tell them your vote will go elsewhere if they ram this abomination down our throats. If you really want to stir the puddin', ask which article of the Constitution gives Congress the ability to force individuals to purchase anything, let alone health insurance.
Live long, and prosper, while you still can.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Oh, Give Thanks....
...unto the Lord, for his mercy endures forever.
This Thanksgiving week has given me pause to reflect on the things for which I have good reason to be thankful. A brief list follows.
Marilyn and My Family. I have been truly blessed to be married to the most wonderful woman on earth for over 40 years. She's a constant source of delight and wonderment, and has given me 4 exceptional children who have grown into adults anyone would be proud of. I'm looking forward to spending some time with all of them (and totally blowing my diet :) ). Mention of family compels me to specifically include the people my children have chosen to spend their lives with. Without exception, they've chosen well, and I'm proud to have them and their children as part of the family.
America. She may be on the down side of middle age, but she's still the best place on the planet to raise a family. May God guide her people and our leaders to keep her that way.
Our Service Men and Women. Those who serve in the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy are worthy of our most heart-felt gratitude. Their sacrifice to keep us safe and free should be cause to personally thank every one of them that you see in uniform.
My Parents and Grandparents. They sacrificed a lot to make me the person I am, and I am always grateful to have learned from them. Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa Brockmann, Grandma and Grandpa Blake, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wisdom and values you have shared with me. Your wise counsel guides me every time I interact with my Grandchildren. I hope I can pass on what you gave me.
My Friends. I have been blessed to hang out with some of the best people who walk the planet. I've rarely seen any of you when I did not learn something, or been outrageously amused. You, collectively, are proof that growing older is mandatory, but growing up is highly overrated. Stay young, regardless of how many birthdays you celebrate.
My Health. I may have a few (well deserved) defects, take enough pills each morning that I sound like a castanet when I come down the stairs, and am becoming more high-maintenance, but I am healthy enough to enjoy life, and can still make the leap into my Jeep when I want to go somewhere.
There are a lot more things I could list here, but I think I've hit the high spots.
Stay well, and take time this Thanksgiving Day to give truly heart-felt thanks to our God, because he truly is unendingly merciful and loving.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Jobu Smiled
It was a terrific camping trip, despite the fact that Jobu tried to sabotage it from the start.
Jon and I were planning to depart early on Thursday morning, following a Wednesday full of preparation. Jon had taken my vintage Dodge Dakota 4x4 and loaded it with all of his stuff: A couple of pop-up canopies, sleeping bags, and about a ton of aged cedar and cherry fire wood. It was sitting in the driveway ready to roll. My trailer was loaded to the roof with another ton of stoves, cots, tents, my 12x24 PVC cooking shelter, the flag pole, and enough flammable material to vaporize a good size mountain. There were axes, mauls, food, chairs, tables, sleeping bags, lanterns, and water. We were set.
Then Jobu got nasty. Jon jumped in the truck, and tried to start it. We got a low groan from the starter, and nothing else. OK, I said, we'll jump it off. The jumper cables were strung from the Jeep to the truck, and we tried again. This time, the headlights came on when Jon turned the key, and smoke billowed out from behind the grille. It seems that the wiring for the driving lights had, as most home mechanics will understand, found the one sharp edge in the engine compartment where a short would cause the most damage. After a frantic round of unwiring the driving lights, and several more attempts to start it, we abandoned the truck in the driveway, threw Jon's gear on top of the stuff already in the trailer, and hit the road in the Jeep.
By 1:30 we were on the mountain, having greeted Ted who had secured the campsite the previous evening, setting up camp. The tent, dining canopies, and assorted other junk were soon where they would remain for the next several days. Shortly after all this was completed, Pete arrived with his tent, and the keg. Things were looking up.
The weather forecast for the weekend did not look good. Thursday morning, the disaster loving freaks at the Weather Channel were gloating over an ugly orange mass over Missouri and Arkansas which was slated to drop a rain of biblical proportion over north Georgia on Friday and Saturday. Thursday was beautiful, though, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Pete threw some ribs in the smoker, and as evening approached, we steamed some broccoli, and fried some sweet potatoes to go with the ribs. It was a great evening, and just after dinner, Kevin, and Joe arrived, and got their goodies set up. Bob arrived shortly after.
Around 6:00 Friday morning the sky opened up. The rain on the tarp over the tent sounded like hail on a tin roof. I was bummed. Jobu had raised his ugly head again. But, as usual, I was wrong. It rained about a 10th of an inch, and turned to partly cloudy for the remainder of Friday. Jerry, Matt, his dog Buddy, Jason, and Blake arrived during the day. Our group was complete.
Just before dinner on Friday, a strange dog wandered into our camp, followed by a couple of young men who were camped a few hundred yards downstream from us. They were there to check out our campsite, and warn us to be on the lookout for any of their charges that might wander out of their campsite during the night. The charges were 14 troubled kids on an "Outward Bound" type wilderness weekend. We told the counselors that we would hog-tie any wayward kids who invaded our camp, and parted with two new friends. I really admire the work that these guys are doing, and pray that they are successful.
Friday evening's meal was Burgers and whatever else we could cook in a skillet. Very tasty, and the conversation around the campsite was lively, to say the least.
I cranked up my NOAA weather radio after dinner, and "Stephen Hawking" was telling us to search for gopher wood and round up two of every living thing. Typical. When Ted, Joe, and I are all in camp together, there's always a monsoon.
It rained about 1/2 inch over night, and Saturday dawned overcast and gloomy. I knew we were ready to be drowned. As usual, I was wrong. The clouds started to develop breaks, and things were looking up.
Pete, Jason, Matt, and I all had Jeeps. Joe, Teddy, and Bob had 4x4 trucks. We decided to seek out the nastiest roads we could find and make sure the 4 wheel drives were all in working order. We assembled our convoy and started out for Earl's Ford. The road is paved for about the first half mile, then turns to gravel, mud, and large rocks, with a substantial stream crossing thrown in for good measure. Just before the end of the pavement, we came upon an old Toyota pickup stopped in the middle of the road to allow a squirrel to cross. Wrong. A sunburned arm, camouflage cap, and a single shot 12 gauge materialized out of the passenger window. Kaboom! A clean miss, and Rocky the Squirrel made a hasty exit to the left. Redneck #2 ejected his empty and the fore arm of the shotgun at the same time. While he was retrieving the parts of his shotgun, our little group went around them, and pulled over on the shoulder to await the rest of our group. My comment as we got out of the cars was "Now THERE'S something you don't see every day!"
Arriving at the water crossing, we decided that 2' of fast flowing water was too much for some of our group and headed for rougher roads. The one we found was about a mile of trash can sized rocks, mud, wet leaves, and fallen limbs that climbed to within 300 feet of the summit of the second highest point in Georgia. Nobody broke anything on the way up, and when we reached the clearing at the end of the "road" 5 of the group (and the dog) took off on foot for the observation platform at the summit. In light of my recent encounter with a wasp, I stayed behind and visited with Dan Brown's latest book.
The report from the top was that the 30-mile view was down to about 30 feet due to the cloud that had settled over the summit. Moses, call your office.
The trip down the mountain had one interesting event. I was about 50 yards behind Matt and Buddy, picking my way over the rocks when I noticed Matt had stopped. He was trying to coax Buddy back into the Jeep. Somewhere in the foggy recesses of his canine brain, Buddy had decided to catch one of the sticks that were flashing by the window at about 2 MPH. He finally caught one. Matt said he looked over to see how the dog was doing, and saw a tail disappearing out the window. Buddy was OK, but a little bewildered and considerably enlightened to the dangers of grabbing stuff from a moving car.
Back at camp, we were sitting around the fire anticipating another great meal (pulled pork barbecue) when a green truck with a DNR sticker on it, and a trailer pulled into our camp. Oh Crud! It was the notorious Ranger Dan. But one more time, Jobu smiled. The young DNR officer had a rather sad looking bear cub in the trailer, and was planning to release him just beyond our campsite. He said if he let them go along Walnut Fork, they all headed upstream and wound up in North Carolina, where they weren't his problem any longer. We had a nice chat with the officer and decided that maybe Ranger-you-must-be-doing-something-I-can-bust-you-for-Dan was the exception to the rule. This guy was cool. We mentioned our encounter with the squirrel "hunters" to him, and he asked if we had a tag number. We said no, but described the truck. He said he didn't need the tag and asked if the guys looked drunk. Considering that they were shooting from a vehicle in a public road, in front of a residence, with 3 witnesses behind them, the odds were pretty much in favor of inebriation.
After he left to release the bear elsewhere, we had another great meal, and sat around bemoaning the drubbing UGA took from Tennessee that afternoon. I looked up, and saw stars. Maybe we would make it through the weekend without being washed down the Walnut Fork.
Sunday dawned partly cloudy and perfect for breaking camp. The tents were dry, and most of the stuff packed away, could stay packed until the next trip. Perfect.
The trip home was uneventful, and Jon and I both spent way too much time in the shower (separately, you perverts!) scrubbing campfire smoke out of our pores.
The trip was Mental Floss, and Jobu truly smiled on us for a change.
Stay well and be safe.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Holy Smoke! Our Baby's 30!
Happy Birthday, Jon. I hope you have a great one.
It's hard to believe that you're 30 today. It seems like yesterday that we were watching you march with the elementary school band, or attending football games where you played.
Over the years you've made us proud you are our son. You've been an athlete, musician, student, husband, father, and one of the best kids a parent could hope for.
God bless you and yours in everything you do.
Love ya much.
Mom and Dad
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)