It Was a Full Weekend.

I am truly blessed.  This past weekend was full of Family, Friends, and Fellowship.

On Saturday, we met at my son Bob's home to celebrate his 40th Birthday (which was actually on Sunday).  He has always been a delight and a constant source of wonderment.  Over the years he has continually amazed me with his wit and quick humor, his love for his wife, daughter, siblings, and parents, his energy, and his willingness to work for what he wants.  A man could not hope for a better Son. 

Another cause for celebration this weekend was today's birthday of my daughter Gretchen.  She's always been our wild child, and kept us hopping with her antics.  She's the kind of person who will speak her mind when she encounters something she likes, and also when she comes across something she dislikes.  Her honesty and love for her brothers and sister, nieces, nephews, friends and parents knows no bounds.  I am fortunate to have her in my family.

 

The primary cause for celebration this weekend was the gathering of the clan at our home to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.  Easter has always been a special time for me, because it reminds me of how much I am actually loved by God.  I am saved, through God's grace, because I believe in the promise He made thousands of years ago and fulfilled with the blameless life, death and resurrection of his Son.  

There were 14 of us running around, eating good food, searching for plastic eggs, and generally enjoying each other's company for most of the afternoon yesterday.  This morning, the house is quiet, but the echos of love and family ring loud.

Stay well.

A Lesson in American History

Two hundred and thirty five years ago, following several speakers in favor of peace at any cost with the British, Patrick Henry rose to speak  to the Virginia house of delegates:

No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope that it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen, if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve.
This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty towards the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?
For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth -- to know the worst and to provide for it. I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years, to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House?
Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with these warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation -- the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motives for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies?
No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer on the subject? Nothing.
We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves longer.
Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament.
Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne. In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope.
If we wish to be free -- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending -- if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!
They tell us, sir, that we are weak -- unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?
Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of the means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.
The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable -- and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come!
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, "Peace! Peace!" -- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!

 I wish I had half his courage and ability.

Let the Countdown Begin

In just 8 short days, I'll be packed and ready for the spring version of Mountain Madness. 

In case some of you are new to this, MM is where my sons and I and about 18 of our closest friends load up tons of camping gear and repair to the North Georgia mountains to welcome the opening of trout season.

Typically, we camp in a Wildlife Management Area and proceed to scare the bejesus out of the local fauna.  Our fishing is always the excuse for going where no cell phone has worked before and sitting around a campfire that can be seen from space, arguing whether the capital of the world is Milwaukee or Lynchburg.

The days leading up to the Opener are filled with trail rides, hikes, food, drunkshoes, paintball target practice, and general fooling around.  Opening day is usually reserved for wandering around with a fish pole looking at idiots taking stocked trout out of a stream you can spit across.  Every now and then, we'll actually fish, too.

Speaking of food, the menu typically consists of a breakfast that will stop your heart (eggs, bacon, sausage, and black coffee), a freestyle lunch, and supper around the campfire.  This is a major undertaking.  One night the younger guys will do barbecue (ribs, pulled pork, etc), the next night the old guys will cut up a beef tenderloin into a slew of steaks, and fry potatoes to go with it.  Sometimes there's camp chili, which has been variable in the past, due mainly to who cooked it and how well he was armed.  The sidearms are necessary to keep the losers of the drunkshoes (horseshoes combined with a keg of beer and drinking penalties for lousy throws) tournament from enhancing the chili while it's cooking.  Sometimes we cook fish, too.

Regardless of the reasons for going, the trip is a good time to catch up on life with old friends, new friends, and children, cousins and second cousins of old friends. 

I'm looking forward to it.

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

It's been a long time since you came into our lives, but all of the memories that matter, since then, are good ones.  When you were born, we had just moved from Nebraska.  I had no job, and things were pretty grim. 

All of my negative feelings disappeared the first time I saw you.  You filled our hearts with love and wonder, and have been doing that ever since.  Within 3 weeks of your birth, I was working where I spent 37 years, and things have been improving steadily ever since.  You've constantly filled your Mother's and my hearts with joy.

You, your boys, and your husband never fail to lift our spirits with your great attitude, and a personality that makes every one who meets you love you.

Sandra Joy, you truly are.

Happy Birthday.

Brain Static and White Noise.

There are a lot of things going on around the homestead this weekend.  We're blessed with a 4 day visit from Violet, The Empress of the Known Universe, also known as our 2 year old Granddaughter.  She's currently in the living room playing with a doll house and the Hoosier Cupboard that was rescued from my Mom's basement.  The cat, on the other hand is cowering in the den.  He's not a big fan of two-year-olds.  Wally, the Weather Dog, on still another hand, has taken up his post by the storm door to repel boarders.

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The weather is supposed to be sunny with seasonal normal temperatures this weekend.  It will be a break from the Snow of the Week we've had for the last few.

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Congress is busy.  I wonder what it's going to take to make them stop.

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The news media are busy.  I've put wedges under the left side of my TV to slant things back to the right.

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For some mysterious reason, God is busy trying to break third world countries into gravel.  Haiti and Chile have been shaken, stirred, and submerged by earthquakes.  It's a shame there's not a fault line under Washington, D. C..

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Crazy people are busy shooting things up.  Unhinged whackoids have fired on Army bases, The Pentagon, and Universities.  Conventional "wisdom" would demand that we take all the guns away from law abiding citizens to ensure that only people with no regard for the law will be armed, and we can all be in the same peril as those who work and learn in gun-free environments.

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Why do home schooled students consistently out-perform those who attend public schools?  And why are we striving for "Excellence" in public education when we should be struggling to get public education up to mediocre?  (Thank you Thomas Sowell.)

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Why is our President so insistent on completely destroying the best health care system on the planet?  It may have a few problems, but if Universal Health Care (like Canada's system) is so great, why did the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador come to the USA for heart surgery?  Our health care problems can best be solved by getting Government out of the health business, not by nationalizing 1/6th of our economy.

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Why can't I think of anything cheerful and upbeat to write about?  I think I'll go play with the Granddaughter.

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Stay well.


Footnote:  Playing with a 2 year old is good for the soul.  I feel much better now.

Heaviest Element Yet Known to Science Discovered

This is stolen without the slightest remorse from "The Patriot Post".

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California has now identified with certainty the heaviest element known to science.
The new element, Pelosium (PL), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.
These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.
Pelosium is inert, and has no charge and no magnetism. Nevertheless, it can be detected because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Pelosium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second, to take from 4 days to 4 years to complete.
Pelosium has a normal half-life of 2 years. It does not decay, but instead undergoes a biennial reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.
Pelosium mass will increase over time, since each reorganization will promote many morons to become isodopes.
This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Pelosium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass.
When catalyzed with money, Pelosium becomes Senatorium, an element that radiates just as much energy as Pelosium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

Happy Valentine's Day

To my Grandchildren: Violet, Sara, Sam, and Tyler. You're a joy to be near and a constant source of amazement.  Continue to grow into the strong, Christian young people who will lead us through this century.

To my Children:  Jon, Gretchen, Sandy, and Bob.  You make me proud to be your father.  You've given me more joy than I could ever imagine, brought new and interesting people into the family, have provided the world's best grandchildren, and keep me from taking root in my den and turning into an old person.

To my Mom:  I love you and miss you a lot.

And finally (recycled from last year, because I can't think of a better way to say it) To Marilyn:

The title of Trisha Yearwood's album, "Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love" pretty well sums up the last 40 or so years of my life.

In the fall of 1967, I was attending a small junior college in a smaller town in the Midwest. One of the highlights of life in that town was the annual Fall Festival, a kind of County Fair/Oktoberfest held in September when the weather was still decent enough to be on the street without a parka after dark. Since there was a) little traffic, and b) no place to set up a midway, the main street of the town was blocked off and sprouted carnival rides, food vendors, craft displays, and a stage for the country music performers.

My roommate and I decided that, being Friday, and seeing that we were tired of watching mildew grow on the grout in the dormitory bathroom, we would see what was happening downtown (a 3 minute walk from the dorm). (I told you it was a small town). We wandered around for a while, and he met up with a girl he knew. Marilyn was with her, and was the most beautiful young woman I had ever seen. The fact that she found the skinny, bespectacled, nerd that I was (and probably still am) interesting was icing on the cake. I was immediately smitten. I still am, and always will be.

So, you see, Marilyn and I are probably the only people you will ever meet who can say that they ran into the love of their life in the middle of Main Street...on foot. :)

Nearly 43 years have passed, filled with triumphs, tragedies, gains, losses, children and grandchildren. Every event has been a blessing that has caused us to grow, but the one constant has been Marilyn and our love for each other. I don't want to contemplate life without her. This Summer, we will celebrate our 41st anniversary, and I'm planning on at least 20 more.

Marilyn, I love you, and always will. You make life worth living.

Bob

Happy Birthday Marilyn

You've been the center of my universe for over 40 years, my right hand, my solid foundation, my friend, lover, mother to my children, and loving grandmother to theirs, and I would not change a minute of it.  The luckiest day of my  life, was September 19, 1967 when I met you at the Concordia Fall Festival, and it has just been getting better ever since.

I love you with all of my heart, and wish you the Happiest of birthdays.

Bob

OK, I've been gone for a while.

You may wonder just what the heck I've been up to.

The past week has been spent getting to know my siblings (4 sisters and a brother) again as we cleaned up my Mom's house.  Mom moved out a couple of years ago to convalesce from hip replacement surgery first with sister Nicki in Warrenton, Georgia, then with another sister Amy in Saline, Michigan.  In her absence my brother and at least one sister had been living in the house.  Lack of income and inclination to maintain it left it a mess, and a bunch of the 5 bedrooms were being used to store "treasures".

The basement had been Dad's shop, and in the 18 years since his death had become a purgatory for items nobody wanted to throw away.  Nicki, Amy, her friend Randy, and I spent the best part of the week schlepping stuff out of that mold farm into the back yard and eventually into a 40 yard dumpster.

This:

Came from here:

...And it was a LOT of work.

Many thanks to my children Bob, Gretchen and Jonathan, my brother and sisters, Randy, niece Joanna, nephew Donald and friend Donald for all of the hard, (almost) volunteer work.

The plan is for Randy, who is a contractor, to return in a few weeks with my brother to get the house in shape to sell.  Between Randy's expertise, my stash of tools, my brother's more-or-less free labor, and the help of whoever we can hire from the Home Depot parking lot, we should have about a month's worth of work to turn it back into a potential home.

In the interim, my sons and I will return to finish reclaiming the back yard from 20 years of wild growth, and falling pine limbs.

With a lot of hard work, and more volunteers, we should be able to give Mom a reasonable nest-egg.

Again thanks to all.

Stay well, and stay warm and dry.  It's raining, again, here.

An Interesting Weekend

We had a nice visit with the youngest this weekend.

Our youngest granddaughter was here spreading joy and toy kitchen accouterments around like snow in Cleveland.  She ran non-stop all day offering everyone tea, cookies, and just about anything else she whipped up in her little kitchen.  The picture is her and her daddy in a down moment watching "Peter Pan" in the den.

The other youngest was Shelby.  She's a husky mix, and belongs to Gretchen, my youngest daughter.  She seems to be a pretty smart little pup, whines at the door when nature calls, and enjoyed playing with Wally, who tolerated her presence like the veteran he is.

After all the excitement of the last week or so, the house is terribly quiet now that everybody has gone to their respective homes.  The good thing is that it will all happen again soon.  I'm blessed with a family other people can only dream of.

Stay well, and stay warm.