God is telling me I'm Fat

Like I didn't know already.

I have my excuses, like work, like something hurts, like I'm a whiny baby.

This morning I walked down to the street. It was a beautiful day and warm. I looked down the street and saw an interesting profile. Looked like a weight machine. I wondered what kind of shape it was in, so I strolled over.

Mumh, looks Ok.

I went home and grabbed a two wheeled dolly, and, uhh, recycled it. It has two weight stations, one for fly's, presses, and curls. The other for leg extensions, pull downs, rowing and other things I will discover, surely.

I cleaned out the garage, washed the unit and drug it in, first work out and I didn't even use the machine.

As the good Lord has provided, so will I work.

Looks like I'm out of excuses.

The Elephant in the Room

I went to say good by to a friend today. She is the sister I always wanted, and tells me I am the brother she never had. Very high praise indeed.

She is the person who, as far as I know, has never done a bad thing to anyone. I have known her for thirty years, and will miss her for as long as I live.

She moved away several years ago and I lost track. A time or two I would run into mutual friends who would give me up dates. Like most people I was so busy trying to live that I lost touch with the very best people I know.

One friend told me she had developed breast cancer and another told me she was in remission. I didn't even know where to start looking to find her.

Just past the end of my nose would have been a start, but I was so busy.

While Christmas shopping I ran into a mutual friend who knew what was going on, the lady told me that she has bone cancer, that has spread to her brain.

TLOML and I resolved that I should visit and be quick about it, for that chance once lost could not be recovered. I called a friend today to start tracking her down, and found she was visiting her old home near here. I made a call and as quick as I could drove to where she was.

I held the speed down to something under a hundred. There was no reason to hurry, but I wanted to have as much time with her as I could. Walking in was as hard as anything I have done in a long time.

Manly image and expectations be damned. I wanted to be strong for her, well, I blew that one out my whatever. After a litte while I calmed down enough to feel her acceptance of her fate. She was not bitter or afraid. I hope that when my time comes I can muster one tenth of the grace she wears like a crown.

We visited for about four hours and I held her hand the whole time. We talked and laughed about all our old friends and things we had done. We spent our time catching up on all the things I had missed.

We talked about everything except the elephant in the room.

When I finally had to say good bye, and it was a final farewell, for I know I will never see her in this life again, we gently touched the subject.

I kissed her forehead and her hand and told her that I loved her and would miss her forever.

An angel will soon leave us and the world will be a poorer place with out her.

Happiest of New Years,

.... to one and all!

No!
Really!
We have all seen so much in the past year that was depressing to devastating to grim.
I hope for each of my friends, local and on the interweb, a year that they can look back on with nothing but enjoyment.

We haven't had one of those in a while.

Saw this at Hollys place....

and like it because I have done a lot of these things, and it's just fun.

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb. a calf, but not a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a Marathon. (half marathon)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse. (Lunar, and solar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke. (but I never been that drunk.)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted (drawn.)
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. (2/3 of the way up)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.( given and recieved)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person. (Walked in, 4000ft down)
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
93. Lost a loved one

91. Met someone famous.

92. Joined a book club.

.94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

A lot of water under the bridge, and most of those things not completed are on the list. If some of the really odd jobs come through, the rest may follow.

Tomorrow is the day....

Lay off tomorrow,,,,,,WHOOOOO!!!! HOOOOO!!!!

Most of my life I've dreaded a lay off. Now it's a normal part of the job, and welcome.

The LOML is flying up so we can do tourist things, amongst other important activities! :>)

Almost two months of six night weeks, ready for a break I am!

Fortune smiles.....

....on the homestead. Our storm passed to our west. We got some wind and some rain. No damage. the power flickered but didn't go off. A "going over" with the mower and clear the roof with the leaf blower and we're good. We may not be done yet but it's close.

Thanks to the Master of the Deep.

To all my friends,,, you know who you are!

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer.
One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. 'I want to repay you,' said the nobleman. 'You saved my son's life.' 'No, I can't accept payment for what I did,' the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel. 'Is that your son?' the nobleman asked. 'Yes,' the farmer replied proudly. 'I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.' And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman?

Lord Randolph Churchill.

His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: What goes around comes around.
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.
It's National Friendship Week.
Send this to everyone you consider A FRIEND.
Pass this on, and brighten someone's day.

AN IRISH FRIENDSHIP WISH:
May there always be work for your hands to do;May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your windowpane;
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
Send this to all of your friends.

I have no idea if this is true, good story any way.

From The Love Of My Life..

It is time to change from REDNECK humor to TRUE AMERICAN Humor!
Only it isn't seen as HUMOR, but the Correct way to LIVE YOUR LIFE !

If you feel the same, Pass this on to your True American friends.
Y'all know Who they are...

You Might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: It Never occurred to you to be offended by the phrase, 'One nation, under God.'

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You've never protested About seeing the 10 Commandments posted in public places.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You still say 'Christmas' instead of 'Winter Festival.'

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You bow your head when Someone prays.

You Might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You stand and place your hand over your heart when they play theNational Anthem.

You Might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You treat Viet Nam vets with great respect, and always have.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You've Never burned an American flag.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You know what you believe and you aren't Afraid to say so, no matter who is listening.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You respect your elders And expect your kids to do the same.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You'd give your last Dollar to a friend.

I Believe that most, like me, have just enough TRUE AMERICAN In them to have the same Beliefs as those talked about in this post.

God Bless The U S A ! Amen

AND PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM IN ENGLISH.

By the Grace of God and the Luck of the Irish; The Brass Dragon

A new thing for me...

I did something today that my dad advised against.

I got my first tattoo.

The industrial safety nabobs require that I remove my wedding rings each time I do hands on work. That in itself is not a bad thing because an accident that would merely mash a finger with out a ring will often amputate the digit wearing a ring.

The rings are important to me, the symbol of my commitment to the Love of My Life is more important than a finger, after all I have nine more.

My father’s wedding ring could not be replaced for all the money in the world.

So, I have to remove the rings, and I feel the need to bear the mark of my commitment, always.

What to do?

A wedding band, in ink, to replace the gold I have to remove.

Not too bad an experience, if you don’t mind putting your hand in a running blender and leaving it there until the "artist" says you can remove it.

I only had to ask for a break once.

Now I am marked for life as a married man.

There is only one message today...

Merry Christmas to the world!

May God Bless you and Keep you!

May you and all those you love have a wonderful day!

From DW and The Love of My Life!

Some things you just can't do....

The Love of My Life and I were discussing the little confection pictured here. She allowed that whom some ever gave her that particular garment should give her a smaller size. I denied buying it, and suggested perhaps her youngest had purchased it.

Whereupon she informed me that they were so big, I could put them on. (!!!!!!!!)

Nope! Ain't happening.

I figured the sight of my hairy butt and such hangin' out of a red lace thong would put the Dog in therapy for life, and I just can't afford that.

Thank God for pets!

A friend has passed

.
A friend and coworker of twenty five years has passed away. A month ago he was the picture of health. He had "bruised his back" and went to a chiropractor for an adjustment. The chiropractor noticed some bumps in an unusual place and recommended he see his physician. His physician discovered advanced bone and lung cancer. He lived less than a month.

We will miss his smile and humor. He is survived by a wife and I believe two children.

Remember them in your prayers.

My toast to all who will no longer grace us with their presence: Good friends, good food, good conversation, we will miss you badly. Till me meet again.

Happy St. Patricks Day

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
The Sun shine warm upon your face,
The Rains fall softly on your fields,
And until we meet again ,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand,
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
May the Lord cause his face to shine upon you
and give you peace

This is St Peters Church, The Rock Cashel.

I sit here with a Guinness in hand, I wish each and every one of you the best, on this festive occasion.

And Lastly, may you be in Heaven an hour, before the Devil knows you're dead!