Merry Christmas

I just wanted to tell everyone Merry Christmas. Well... and Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends.

MAVERICK PRIDE

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt

April 23, 1910

The Mavericks lost to Tularosa 35 - 0 today, but aside from the agony of defeat that I am sure you are feeling right now, in the long run you are champions. Yes this is a cold comfort I am sure, but you are great. The last game did not end like we wanted it to, but I.. WE are proud of you. It is not an easy task to win as much as you did, and you are to be congratulated. Your spirit of team pride carries on with the whole town of Lordsburg. "Winning isn't everything," that is a phrase you will hear, but don't think it a meaningless saying. Many wars were won after a number of lost battles. Just look at the big picture, and you will see that this is true even here. Did you gain from this season, and did you learn something? This was a defining moment, that shows character, and in a defining moment either you define the moment or the moment defines you. In the face of defeat, did you try? Did you do all you could do? Just getting there showed you tried, and I am sure you did all you could do. It is possible to make NO mistakes, and still fall short. In defeat did you show the character of a champion? That is what you are. You left here champions, our champions, to face another town's champions. When you return you will still be our champions. Don't forget that. To try and fail does not define a loser, that is a trait revealed in the character and attitude of the one who fell. Are you going to let it make you a loser? That is up to you.You went there a champion, and even though you fell short, a champion you will remain. The lion may one day fall, but if he does fall, he fell a lion. Trophies are great, but in the end it is what is in your heart that you take with you.

Thankful

I have been thinking that I have left my blog alone for quite some time, and need to update. Things here are going good. We are getting ready for thanksgiving, and Christmas. It has been a pretty good year for the most part. We are blessed.

I am thankful for my family. Those that are still here, and those that have gone on. I am thankful for my health and my infirmities, one showing my strength, and the other making me stronger. I am thankful for my job, and the living it has provided for me and my family. I am thankful for my house, and my home. I am thankful for my freedom, and the blood that paid for it. I am thankful for my soul and for the blood that paid for it. I am thankful for a ton of little things that make my life easy, and for a ton of things that make my life hard. I am thankful every minute (nearly every minute), that I am alive, and thankful that I live (a separate thing entirely). I am thankful for a loving wife, and the understanding that she has. I am thankful every day that she is with me and stands by me. She supports me in the good and the bad that happens. I know I am not perfect. I am to hell and gone from perfect, but she bolsters me, supports me, and keeps my in check. Thank you Patti.

I imagine that I will spend the rest of my life working to pay off the foibles in my life, and if that is my lot, so be it. I may live from month to month, but in a larger sense (a BIG picture sense) I am rich. My life could not be any better, and I am thankful.

It is my prayer that all of you are as blessed and thankful too.

Veterans Day 11-11-09

The Mansions of the Lord

-

To fallen soldiers let us sing
Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing
Our broken brothers let us bring
To the Mansions of the Lord
-
No more bleeding, no more fight
No prayers pleading through the night
Just divine embrace, eternal light
In the Mansions of the Lord.
-
Where no mothers cry and no children weep
We will stand and guard though the angels sleep
On through the ages safely keep
The Mansions of the Lord.

-

Remembering those who have served, and those who have sacrificed on the battlefields and on the home front.

Thank you

Patti

Day after day I must face a world of strangers
Where I don't belong, I'm not that strong
It's nice to know that there's someone I can turn to
Who will always care, you're always there

When there's no getting over that rainbow
When my smallest of dreams won't come true
I can take all the madness the world has to give
But I won't last a day without you

So many times when the city seems to be without a friendly face
A lonely place
It's nice to know that you'll be there if I need you
And you'll always smile, it's all worthwhile

When there's no getting over that rainbow
When my smallest of dreams won't come true
I can take all the madness the world has to give
But I won't last a day without you

Touch me and I end up singing
Troubles seem to up and disappear
You touch me with the love you're bringing
I can't really lose when you're near

If all my friends have forgotten half their promises
They're not unkind, just hard to find
One look at you and I know that I could learn to live
Without the rest, I found the best

When there's no getting over that rainbow
When my smallest of dreams won't come true
I can take all the madness the world has to give
But I won't last a day without you

Deer of Higher Learning

WNMU has apparently gotten some unofficial mascots. A herd of deer were outside the PD building as I was leaving my class this evening. It was quite a surprise! At least with them hanging out on campus I won't be hitting them on the highway.

One Love

One Love! One Heart!

Let's get together and feel all right.

Hear the children cryin' (One Love!);

Hear the children cryin' (One Heart!),

Sayin': give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;

Sayin': let's get together and feel all right.

....

Let them all pass all their dirty remarks (One Love!);

There is one question I'd really love to ask (One Heart!):

Is there a place for the hopeless sinner,

Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own beliefs?

One Love! What about the one heart? One Heart!

What about - ? Let's get together and feel all right!

....

As it was in the beginning (One Love!);

So shall it be in the end (One Heart!),

All right!

Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;

Let's get together and feel all right.

....

One more thing!

Let's get together to fight this Holy Armagiddyon (One Love!),

So when the Man comes there will be no, no doom (One Song!).

Have pity on those whose chances grows t'inner;

There ain't no hiding place from the Father of Creation.

Sayin': One Love!

What about the One Heart? (One Heart!)

What about the - ? Let's get together and feel all right.

....

I'm pleadin' to mankind! (One Love!);

Oh, Lord!

(One Heart) Wo-ooh!

Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;

Let's get together and feel all right.

Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;

Let's get together and feel all right.

....

More and more I am liking Bob Marley.

SCUMBAG

On March 10, 1977 , Roman Polanski, then aged 44, raped 13-year-old Samantha Gailey. When it looked like he might actually have to do time in prison for raping a child, Polanski fled to London on February 1, 1978.

On September 26, 2009, Polanski was arrested by Swiss police at Zürich Airport while trying to enter Switzerland, in relation to his outstanding 1978 U.S. arrest warrant. He is trying to get released so that he won't have to return to the United States to face prosecution for his crime.

A number of celebrities, by means of a public manifesto, whose concluding statements were "Roman Polanski is a French citizen, an artist of international reputation, now threatened to be extradited. This extradition, if brought into effect, would carry a heavy load of consequences as well as deprive the film-maker of his freedom". The signatories concluded: "we demand the immediate release of Roman Polanski."

Roman Polanski is a child molester and justice is about to come down on him. He has made a pretty good life for himself, but hopefully that is about change. Some of Hollywood is backing this dirtbag, and maybe we should redefine why they are celebrities. It is time for decent people to stand up to the slime that permeates society, and hides from prosecution because they are rich or have a name. I am reminded of a tune that was popular a couple of years ago.

"Grandpappy told my pappy, back in my day, son
A man had to answer for the wicked that he done
Take all the rope in Texas
Find a tall oak tree, round up all of them bad boys
Hang them high in the street for all the people to see...

...We got too many gangsters doing dirty deeds
We've got too much corruption, too much crime in the streets
Its time the long arm of the law put a few more in the ground
Send em all to their maker and he'll settle em down
You can bet he'll set em down."
Beer for my Horses, Toby Keith, 2003

In my humble opinion this is the type of justice we need to give out to such scum. A tall tree and a short drop at the end of a rope. If the judge releases him on bail, I will consider him a accessory to the crime after the fact. Hollywood... GO TO HELL! Your big name means nothing to me. You are sewer rats that got lucky, and if I had my way you would be back in that sewer that you came from. I don't care what a few actors feel about one of their own. He needs to pay for his crime, and if they are so soft on child molestation maybe they need to be taken down a notch or two themselves. I'm not talking about violence, but they should be outcasts, and their name should be connected with their views on sex with children. Jane Fonda knows that kind of pain from her stupidity, and although she has done well for herself, she knows she screwed up.

It's time we as a people stood up for decency, and quit turning a blind eye. WE NEED TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN! We need to put these people away, and make an example out of each and every one of them. We need to make their pain so bad, that sex with a child will turn their stomach (as it should). If we turn a blind eye, then we are just as bad as he is. We as a society need to grow a spine, and stop this from happening everywhere, to any child. If we don't, then we should fall like dry leaves.

POOR BUCK!!!

Buck has been confined to the kitchen while we are at work, as long as our baby gates hold up. The kitchen is covered with linoleum from the 70's. Vinyl covered that doesn't absorb anything that isn't on there for days. THAT is essential for a new puppy.

Poor Buck, he does not like being in the confines of the kitchen... However, if you look at the 1970's pattern on our carpet, you will notice that it is design of a variety of brown splotches on tan. I call that pattern, puppy poo camouflage. Not something you want in your house in the early days of house breaking. It requires a sharp eye, and light stepping. At least soldiers have a mine detector... they don't make things like that for puppy owners. Puppies, LIKE BUCK, like to leave little IED's (improvised excreted device) in places where you least expect it. We are very vigilant and keep a sharp eye on him when he roams the house. When the signs pop up we distract him long enough to get him out side, but he is a little sneak sometimes. I'll be glad when we can trust him like we do Red.

When You Spend Over a Billion on a Stadium...

You should be able to have a little privacy in your private box during Cowboy Stadium's inaugural game. I mean it was his money right?

Hey man don't point that at me.

OMG! Jerry...
Ok, I don't want to know...

Buck Visits Red

If looks could kill...

Red is unsure of Buck, and is staring him down.

Buck does not know this.

A wiener dog standoff.

Buck pokes his head up to say hi.

Awwww.

The whole idea was for Buck to get acquainted with Red. I only borrowed Buck for a few hours, but the whole time Red was TICKED off. He wouldn't have anything to do with Buck, and avoided him at all costs. I never thought Red would be a deadbeat dad.

Son of Red

Red Investigating Buck
He's not housebroke yet... here we go again!

Buck's Brother and Sisters

Patti and Grandpuppy

Awwww he likes her.

Disneyland Dreamin'

We had a fantastic visit to Disneyland this year! It was a little later and a lot hotter, but it was quality time none the less. We are home finally! Since I left to go to St Louis on the 10th of June, I have only spent about 5 days at home, and here it is the 19th of July. The rest of the time has been spent in either motels or on the Disney Wonder. I am happy to sleep in my own bed, but who is going to make it tomorrow?

One of my favorite rides steaming into Tomorrowland Station on a round trip tour of the "Magic Kingdom."

Aboard the Columbia. Disneyland's Sailing ship that does laps around the "Rivers of America" at Disneyland.

Lining up to blast up the ramp on California Screamin, the Awesome roller coaster at California Adventure

(right before I quickly took off the hat so that the coaster would not do it for me).

Poor guys... It must be 200 degrees in those latex suits. I am melting as I take the pic. I am standing at an ice cream vendor.

The Happiest Place on Earth...

That's right we went back to the "holy land"... OK not the holy land, but we went to Disneyland (and we don't worship Walt) with my brother and his family. We have had a great time!

Steve and Sam going into the park
California Screamin'
An opportunity to get drenched

Mickey's Fun Wheel

Hollywood Tower Hotel

Twilight Zone

Tower of Terror

Some More Catch and Release

We had a visitor when we got home. Patti called me at work and said that she stepped over a rattlesnake on our back porch as she was going into the house, and was wondering if I could come and dispatch him to another plain of existence. I on the other hand felt that I could catch him and put him where he could be of benefit. Somewhere that he can catch mice, crickets, and other bugs.

When I got home I moved a few things on our porch and found him coiled up behind our couch. Poor guy, looked scared... I got a 52 oz glass from the truck stop and coaxed him into it, shut the lid tight, and took him into the desert. Good for the snake, good for me, good for Patti and Corky.

As it turns out, he was a Pituophis catenifer or Bull Snake. He is non venomous relative of the Gopher Snake and harmless to people. He tries to act like a rattler by shaking his tail and striking (a behavior that nearly got him killed) to ward off predators. I was asking for sticks and buckets to get him, Patti kept bringing me shovels and hoes. I guess she is in favor of other plain of existence idea.

The Bowfin (AKA Mudfish)

Every year I go fishing here in Florida, I catch a Bowfin. These are considered trash fish and not worth the time it takes to remove the hook, for good reason they have teeth. I was telling my friends in New Mexico I was catching "Mudfish" and I would get a strange look from them as they asked, "what is a Mudfish?" I didn't know, and I never took it's picture, until now.

Bowfin are the lone survivors of an earlier primitive family of fish known mostly through fossils. In addition to gills, these fish have a modified air bladder, like the gar, that enables them to use surface air that it gulps in and to live in polluted or stagnant water unsuitable for most fish. The swim bladder is lined with blood vessels and can serve as a lung.

The bowfin is commonly used as laboratory test animal because of its status as a "living fossil." It is easy to maintain and has interesting behavioral and physiological temperaments.

They are fighters when caught on sporting tackle, but they are generally considered poor eating. Their eggs however are said to be good tasting. Food critics have given "Cajun caviar," a delicacy made from the eggs of bowfin, rave reviews.

The list of alternative names is lengthy, but the most common are "mudfish", "dogfish, " "grinnel", "grindel", "cotton fish", "swamp muskie," "lawyer," and "tchoupique".

Fishing at Lake Panasoffkee part 2

Okay, this time I was legal. We kept the fish we caught!

Wendell and I took the boat we had on the Gulf yesterday to Lake Pan. It is a nice sized party boat, a 30 footer with a kitchenette and a closet built for a toilet (bucket with a seat). We did pretty good. We caught a number of catfish, brim, and something Wendell called a mudfish. 21 fish in all. We used hotdogs and shiners for bait, but the most important thing was talking to the fish. Wendell said I needed to do it to catch the fish, I laughed, but when I humored him and tried it within a second (honestly) I had a bite. I was out talking to the fish after that.

We started out moving to a few fish bed around the lake, but Wendell noticed that they had been fished recently so we moved the boat into a creek that feeds into Lake Pan.

Fun fun fun!

Thanks again Wendell

Out on the Gulf

Yesterday we went out on the Gulf of Mexico on a pontoon boat with my cousin Wendell. We did some scallop diving about nine miles out. We caught a few fish... a puffer fish (which I understand is very poisonous), a small barracuda (full of teeth), a couple of small perch, and Danneel caught a speckled salt water trout (that she refused to touch). The trout was the largest fish of the day. It measured out at 14.75 inches making it 0.25 inches to short to keep. We also did some scallop diving! I was all about the diving... I found 15. It's kinda like Easter egg hunting under the sea. You have to be careful with them too, as they can clamp down pretty hard. During this we had a stingray encounter. The stingray scared a kid in out party pretty bad. He was screaming "get me out... HELP!!!" I stayed in the water looking for scallops though. He came over to me curious about what I was doing in his neck of the woods and we circled each other for awhile. We had a lot of fun and caught some UV rays to boot.

Thanks Wendell!

I'm scallop diving

What we were after

Smile

Danneel and her trout (she didn't want to touch it... Girls!!!)

What I was swimming with

Fishing at Lake Panasoffkee

Yesterday Patti Danneel and I went for a little ride, and decided to go to Lake Panasoffkee (Lake Pan to some of the locals). We wanted to get out during a break in the rain storms and see something. Lake Pan is close by so we "gassed" up the truck and went for a ride.

When we got to Lake Pan we went over to my cousin's house to get a look at their 8 foot tall tomato plants. I asked if they were doing some nuclear testing or something like that. Why can't mine grow like that?

Afterward we drove over to my Aunt Alice's house. She has a little cottage on the lake with its own dock. We visited with her for a while, then she came out with fishing poles. We spent a couple of hours catching brim, and a few shiners using bread for bait. They were small fish, but fun to catch. It's not like we were out there fishing for our supper, although there were a few edible ones. In total we caught about 20 fish in about an hour's time.


We then went to "Catfish Johnny's" for dinner. Catfish Johnny is a local musician who started a restaurant a few miles west of Interstate 75, Exit 321. The restaurant specializes in Southern-style dishes like catfish, alligator, frog legs, as well as shrimp and other seafood

http://www.catfishjohnny.com/.


We had a good time.


With a records breaking brim


Patti caught a few too

CATFISH JOHNNY'S

Had some snow crab legs, mmmmm