tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52558522012-01-20T21:57:33.854-06:00Personal Log<br><br> (I also have a "thoughts on life" blog called <a href="http://dear_world.blogspot.com">"Dear_World"</a>)Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.comBlogger4681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-49827450517418938272012-01-20T19:31:00.014-06:002012-01-20T21:57:33.867-06:00

Trenton outside River Eagle Hobbies in Boonville We had Trenton for several days in early/mid November while Mommy and Daddy went to Chicago for a hemophilia event.   We even drove Trenton and daddy up to the train station in LaPlata, MO to see him off.  We saw three REAL trains in about 20 minutes, and daddy got on one and took off. The train station manager let Trenton come back behind the

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-75444153906062560282011-11-16T08:15:00.001-06:002011-11-16T08:16:01.286-06:00

"Papa, please stay." Trenton grabbed my right pinky with his little hand as we went to leave their house the night of his birthday party.  We had just told him it was time for us to go home. We stayed another 10 minutes. (this post sat as a draft for months, and I never finished it.  But I want to remember this.  So I'm going to go ahead and post the fragment.) note to self:  This had

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-21579328174870621112011-08-25T16:25:00.006-05:002011-09-13T12:03:48.782-05:00

I'm still learning to use my BOSS BR-600 recording "studio".   Here's a Freddy Jones Band cover. That's me on guitar, me on lead vocals, and me on backing vocals. :-) Update: learned the auto-punch-in/out feature. Went back and edited out some of the really bad off-key warbles, and changed the harmonies on the "a matter of your pride" to lower harmonies which is more like the original, and

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-489785194584455652011-06-19T22:04:00.003-05:002011-06-20T12:10:11.077-05:00

Brian wanted to take Trenton to Rock Bridge Park today for Fathers Day, and he invited me along.  I, like Brian, hadn't been there in years.  And I've been thinking about taking Trenton out to a creek to splash around and have fun.  Throwing rocks and sticks.  They came by the house to get me, and as soon as he got in the house, it was "Come on, Papa.  Are going to the park." We packed along

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-21066717359190645022011-04-12T16:27:00.002-05:002011-04-12T16:27:57.917-05:00

I had a really strange dream last night where Vicki and I were at a wedding reception that was outside where we sat at picnic tables. They had apparently hired Johnny Mathis to sing for them -- I don't know, to entertain the guests at the reception. He was sitting at our table singing songs without accompaniment. Very strange. He launched into "Moon River" ... and Vicki and I started singing

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-35070822851246176852011-01-27T16:53:00.002-06:002011-01-29T15:48:12.373-06:00

The other day, it hit me.  Being a grandpa is a lot like being a superhero.  That is, if you're doing it right. Love, trust, and he thinks I can do anything. There's nothing I can't fix in his little mind. Which, from his point of view ... that's probably what it looks like. I came home from work, and my little grandson was already there.  I opened the door, and I hear this little "Pop is here!

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-30424167117629663352010-12-06T16:57:00.002-06:002010-12-06T16:58:37.869-06:00

I apologize.  It's been a long hiatus.  I never finished the vacation posts from last August, and I kept putting off new posts until I finished those, and, well ... you see where that's gotten me. Meanwhile my young grandchild continues to provide me with more joy than I could have possibly imagined.   He's talking so much now.   Apparently, the other night (he's a little over 2 and a half now

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-74646221823497413342010-08-11T22:27:00.001-05:002010-08-26T10:04:02.635-05:00

Wednesday morning rolled around, and it was time for the Groves to pack up and go.  I took the opportunity to organize my own gear so that Thursday morning my teardown could be as quick as possible.   We had some breakfast and they set about tearing down their tent.  I organized mine, and tore the food bin with the melted spot (from the exhaust) apart, throwing the remaining food in my Sam's Club

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-8876023294261762432010-08-10T21:01:00.007-05:002010-08-24T22:02:41.087-05:00

It was about 4:00 in the afternoon by this time, and I knew we didn't have a whole long time before sunset and a cool down.  It was around 80 degrees in the valley, as opposed to the 55 degrees in the mid-day heat up on the mountain. Mark and the kids got right in the cold water the moment we reached the spot Cassie had in mind.  I had put on my quick dry shorts and a quick dry shirt thinking I

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-72461907190335807642010-08-10T20:00:00.001-05:002010-08-24T21:39:36.624-05:00

Tuesday dawned with bright sunshine and a little kickup in the wind, but not too bad.  My little gasoline/kerosene stove made coffee for us again, thanks to Mark's coffee supply and efforts.  Apparently it burns more gas than a lantern, though.  I didn't bring extra fuel, but since the lantern wasn't ever used on this trip, I raided its tank for more. Perfect day to hit the high country.  Mostly

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-74275823633408641172010-08-09T20:50:00.078-05:002010-08-24T21:14:59.538-05:00

Monday morning came early, as it usually does when you're camping.  Our neighbors this morning appeared to be a pair of grandparents and a couple of grandsons. Nice enough people. We still weren't sure whether we'd do Trail Ridge Road and hit a mountaintop or two, or go to the Bear Lake area. The weather decided for us.  The clouds had the high mountains socked in, and it was raining up there ..

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-38631618497026151252010-08-08T22:41:00.000-05:002010-08-24T21:14:59.538-05:00

Previous years in RMNP, I've lucked out without reservations and been able to stay in Moraine Park, which I think is the cream of the crop as far as campgrounds go in the park.  But we were staying at a very popular time, where we had to stay in a first-come first-serve campground.   The lady I had talked to a couple of weeks before said that Sunday morning is an excellent time to get a campsite

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-49143503042575499842010-08-07T21:31:00.000-05:002010-08-24T21:14:59.538-05:00

Starting in Kansas definitely cuts a couple of hours off of MY trip, but heading to RMNP adds at least an hour to, say, Idaho Springs -- where I've started my vacations out there 3 times so far, at least.   We stayed in communication via walkie talkie, and were easily able to coordinate stopping for gas and bathroom breaks.   Cassie and I listened to some Beatles (she's into the Beatles right now

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-89597683009595437182010-08-06T20:28:00.000-05:002010-08-24T21:14:59.538-05:00

So earlier this year Mark decided to take the kids to Colorado to Rocky Mountain National Park.  They'd never seen mountains.  Not in person anyway.   I hadn't been to the Rockies since the last time Mark & I went in 2007, and it was looking increasingly like Vicki's schedule wasn't going to allow a trip with her, so I asked Mark if he minded if I tagged along. We were going to go in July, but

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-25345398121808092502010-08-03T21:39:00.006-05:002011-02-11T16:43:38.939-06:00

Heading out to the Rockies this Saturday with my best bud and my two godchildren.  Been meaning to write a song about my favorite place in the world.  Above the Tree Line in the mountains.  One just sort of fell out of my brain onto the guitar over the weekend.  Thinkin' about maybe doing some filming for a video of it while we're there.  This is a kind of a first draft of the song. Above the

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-75366665252013238912010-07-19T11:26:00.002-05:002010-07-19T11:48:01.475-05:00

So, big auto mechanic weekend for me.  I decided to install my new trailer hitch on Saturday, and to replace my cruise control on Sunday. So Saturday I got the hitch installed ok.   So far, so good.  And I knew I should get an early start on the cruise control on Sunday. So I went out as soon as the rain stopped on Sunday morning.  It was cloudy and cool.   Ish.  For this time of year. Took

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-55258283337344364602010-06-15T09:13:00.007-05:002010-06-15T11:20:54.548-05:00

Last weekend Ryan, Kristie, John, Ali, Kevin, Marken, Brian, Kristin, and Vicki and I (nice size group!) headed down to Alley Spring and the Jack's Fork River for the traditional summer float trip. It was a bit disjointed, schedule-wise this time.  Kristie couldn't get off until 2:00 on friday.  Kevin and Marken couldn't leave St. Louis until about that time either.  Ryan and John went down

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-64878436699194110202010-05-18T16:50:00.000-05:002010-05-18T16:50:47.139-05:00

Walking Bird.  I decided that's gonna be my Indian name.   Why did I decide I wanted an Indian name?  'Cause I want one.  That's why.  So I'll have an alter-ego when I'm playing my Native American flute.  (Yeah, I know they're really not "Indians".  So just stop right there.) See, I like to hike way up high ... and birds go high, but I, of course, can't fly.  So I walk everywhere.  I soar like

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-91560229598860284482010-04-29T22:33:00.004-05:002010-04-30T18:25:51.821-05:00

Scotty was right.  Trenton is starting to get a vocabulary, and it's happening fast.  It's very cool to watch him learn to communicate verbally.  Plus it gives you a glimpse into just how much he's been absorbing. It looks like he's settled on "Bop" for my name for now. It's short for "Papa" ... kind of like "Pop!". I love it. He's been calling me that for several weeks now. He says "nyyyyeeew"

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-70326937332529191292010-03-12T16:00:00.002-06:002010-03-12T16:15:22.111-06:00

Well, the "Papa" from last Thanksgiving only came out once. After that it was back to Trenton naming everybody around him, "Mama", "Dada", "Nana", "Uncle" ... but when they asked him  who I was he would just smile and look away. My guess is that it was too hard and he didn't want to mess it up. But last week it went up to "Pa", and now it's "a-Pa".  "Papa" can't be far behind! A couple of

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-36010518024073953492010-03-01T15:55:00.003-06:002010-03-01T16:03:51.411-06:00

Eight years ago today, I apparently rewrote a popular song so that it would apply to a fairly complex process I scripted to move people's mailboxes from one site to another with the University system (Columbia, Kansas City, St. Louis, Rolla, and between faculty/staff and student domains, or "sites"). It was a perl script that used an oracle table and tweaked a couple of others to integrate it

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-25184554406358170282010-02-09T15:15:00.002-06:002010-02-09T15:21:47.132-06:00

Every year on February 9, I remember one particular February 9th, 1971 in the San Fernando Valley, in what has apparently been called the Sylmar Quake. So I tip my hat to my brothers and cousins and all who were there that hair raising day.  I remember ... I was asleep.  I think it was just after 6:00am.  My bed was shaking and bouncing, much like it sometimes did in my nightmares.   So I tried

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-27838863485550199782010-01-26T16:53:00.000-06:002010-01-26T16:53:39.882-06:00

Lookie what Vicki got me for my birthday. A 500mm mirror lens.  And a rifle-butt stock camera holder to hold it steady. Haven't had time or opportunity to really play with it yet, though.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-62999309382381151302010-01-05T14:27:00.001-06:002010-01-05T14:29:17.731-06:00

Very cool.  You can wear your paracord, and BAM!  In an emergency, you've got about 12 feet of cord you can use. On your wrist.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-11771533204036799472009-12-23T11:50:00.028-06:002010-01-06T15:02:34.592-06:00

I really can't rank these.  These are just my favorites, and they are for various reasons. I mentioned before I like classic jazz Christmas music, and for a Classic Jazz Christmas album, you cannot beat Columbia Records' "Jingle Bell Jazz".   I bought this album on vinyl years ago and I NEVER get tired of it.  The CD version dropped one track, but it was the track I liked the least, so I wasn't

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-57454327794229602622009-12-23T10:53:00.002-06:002009-12-23T15:42:27.977-06:00

That I own. Obviously ... this comes from my love for classic pinup art ;-) Coming it at #3, it's Diana Krall's "Christmas Songs" album, with her lavish green dress and just about perfectly shaped calves.  Plus, the music is mostly classic Krall -- piano trio jazz sound applied to Christmas music.  Good album.  Well done. #2 is Blacktop Records' Blues, Mistletoe, and Santa's Little Helper.  

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-27553053262039705382009-12-11T14:04:00.000-06:002009-12-11T14:04:05.863-06:00

The other night I was having a dream. In the dream, I was in a bed.  The room wasn't bright, but it wasn't dark either.  My back was to the room, and I had a sheet over me, pulled tight up to my neck. I sensed an evil presence behind me.  I didn't want to, but I knew I had to face it and deal with it.  No idea what it was or what I was going to do about it, but it was a situation that needed

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-7760256935296396342009-12-11T13:52:00.001-06:002009-12-11T13:53:06.831-06:00

Yay!  Finally.  We had Thanksgiving Saturday with the boys and their families.   Started with the traditional Strawberry Crepes in the morning.   Turkey and pie in the late afternoon and evening.  Vicki made some homemade cranberry sauce and got some really really good frozen corn that Trenton loved (and surprisingly he was a big fan of the cranberries as well). Also, right after dinner he was

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-41985836985928277362009-12-03T15:16:00.000-06:002009-12-03T15:16:25.412-06:00

On the way to work this morning.... a little traffic backup.  This is what caused it.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-82692579852378748312009-11-19T16:56:00.011-06:002009-12-03T14:33:40.593-06:00

Hear me roar. Trenton is a little chatterbox. No words, yet, outside of Mama, Dada, Nana, and ... my name ... "Gah". /gäh/ We get to babysit regularly, and I'm still going to swimming "classes" with him, Mommy & Me classes that Kristin teaches at the F.I.T. Center.  So, in order to swim with Trenton, of course, I have to go as a Mommy, which is a little embarrassing, but at least I had to

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-80028509713659292642009-10-22T15:56:00.011-05:002009-10-22T16:33:57.874-05:00

Trenton came over for a few hours yesterday after work while his mom got some things done. Heh. Always happy to take him out of her hair.Vicki was pooped -- they're running her ragged at work, so I came home to be the primary attention-giver for while (and you know how much I just hate that!). It was a warm, cloudy evening. Figured he'd want to go to the park just down the block from us. Of

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-54361396377433857662009-10-06T10:26:00.002-05:002009-10-06T10:47:35.031-05:00

Went back yesterday to finish splitting the wood. Dropped by Orschelns to pick up a fiberglass maul handle, only to discover that you have to glue these on with an epoxy that takes 24 hours to cure. And I needed to finish splitting it yesterday.So I bought a hickory handle and drove 15 miles up to Sam's place and started splitting. Two or three logs later... the hickory handle broke.So I drove it

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-1094439451475979242009-10-05T09:02:00.008-05:002009-10-05T22:48:37.033-05:00

... chasing another hummingbird.The hummingbirds are about gone. Fall is here, and the leaves are about ready to turn. In about a week, I expect spectacular showiness. Need to get the camera dusted off. Ok, who am I kidding? With Trenton around, it never needs dusting off.Back in early September Trenton found the swiming pool hanging in the garage and wanted it out. It was just barely warm enough

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-45146223220650382982009-09-06T20:53:00.005-05:002009-09-06T21:04:24.232-05:00

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-28745990370757441872009-09-06T20:13:00.010-05:002009-09-06T22:43:42.083-05:00

So Vicki's off in Fort Wayne, visiting her mom and starting the packing process for her move down here next spring. And about two Novembers ago, I bought tiles and materials to do our front porch and two bathrooms. Got the front porch and the guest bathroom done, but didn't get to our bathroom by Thanksgiving. And there was no way I was doing it over The Holidays.So almost two years later,

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-50565977554521967362009-09-01T21:22:00.004-05:002009-09-02T09:14:02.389-05:00

It has been pointed out that it has been a very long time since my last update.I'm going to blame much of it on Facebook, which provides a way to give quick updates with little thought and the associated time investment put behind them. But there are others out there in my family and friends fold who are not on facebook ... plus, this makes a nice diary to go back to and see what was going on in

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-34093001639027360082009-07-24T10:35:00.003-05:002009-07-24T10:55:40.385-05:00

Last week I stepped outside to load up my bicycle for my commute to work, and saw a rabbit in my garden boldly munching on some vegetation. Need to get a new battery for that electric fence.Anyway, as I went to chase the rabbit off, it occured to me that as a kid, I rooted for Peter Rabbit.Now I'm Mr. McGreggor.(I wanted to get a picture to illustrate this post before posting, and I almost got

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-66881736534267789432009-06-23T15:48:00.008-05:002010-06-09T22:14:07.478-05:00

We'd been looking forward to Summer Float 2009 for quite some time. Made a facebook "event", discussed it with the attendees. Coordinated who was bringing what, and advised newer people what to bring and what to expect. Painstakingly packed. But I couldn't find my hand-held GPS. It was bugging me.Kevin and Marken, as well as Brian and Kristin ... were coming down this year from our side, and John

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-78335266190710368122009-06-11T09:54:00.004-05:002009-06-11T10:36:59.280-05:00

We were babysitting for Trenton on Brian & Kristin's date night. Vicki had changed her clothes and come into the kitchen. It was about 5:30 pm.Trenton walked up to Vicki, grabbed her hand, and led her over to the kitchen table where his chair & booster seat are. He removed the tray, and handed it to me, and started pushing the chair away from the table. 14.5 months. He may not be able to talk

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-26067984286588841282009-06-09T13:19:00.002-05:002009-06-09T13:20:10.177-05:00

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-65676654554739139342009-06-04T15:07:00.006-05:002009-06-04T15:13:46.140-05:00

While I was listening to Diana Krall's "Quiet Nights" on Rhapsody, it suggested another artist ... one I hadn't heard of.Now THIS is the way to approach classic material. A little emotion, a little flair. Great voice, and great use of it. She has 3 albums to date. The latest one just went on sale (right).It was all really good stuff. I remember hearing "Day In, Day Out" and thinking - "now that's

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-62788818955287088262009-06-01T15:37:00.016-05:002009-06-04T15:15:06.553-05:00

Several years ago after hearing her version of Nat Cole's "Frim Fram Sauce", I bought Diana Krall's "All For You" ... which is an excellent album I'd recommend for anyone's collection. So I got "Steppin' Out", "Only Trust Your Heart", "Love Scenes", and "When I Look In Your Eyes" ... all with some nice piano trio work that worked well with her vocals.Since I liked all the others, when "The Look

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-743034712594130282009-05-30T20:51:00.012-05:002009-06-01T16:17:57.283-05:00

Today cousin Dawn and her youngest daughter Ciara came to putz around taking pictures. I thought I'd take them down where I took one of my all time favorite shots ... at Eagle Bluffs Conservation area by the Missouri river. Of course, when I took that shot, it was evening and later in the summer. Still, I thought there might be more wildlife around.We saw a snake, a bunch of buzzards, a deer....

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-61606436822081778872009-05-21T21:27:00.000-05:002009-05-21T21:28:48.333-05:00

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-10521434878987103112009-05-19T16:24:00.001-05:002009-05-19T16:26:24.850-05:00

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-82819381941409606712009-05-12T20:59:00.008-05:002009-05-14T08:59:29.344-05:00

Friday was Mother's birthday (Vicki's mom ... when I use the term "Mother" as a proper name, I'm typically referring to her. Mom refers to my mom, typically, unless it's clear by context.)Anyway, Mother turned 90 Friday, and Vicki wanted to do something special so we went to Churchill's. Churchill's is probably the finest restaurant in Columbia. There may be one or two with as good food and

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-84901453186252360242009-05-08T08:16:00.008-05:002009-05-09T12:51:40.006-05:00

Well, we certainly can't complain about not enough rain this spring. This latest bout started last night. The Williams' came over to drop off their little mini roto-tiller for me to use to dig up my little 8x8 garden... but that won't be happening for a while now. Anyway, we watched last night's episode of Supernatural ... a show we got into a while back. Not sure I like some of where it's going

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-6498300649851545762009-05-04T15:51:00.013-05:002009-05-06T11:05:56.756-05:00

On the way down to North Carolina, we stopped at Berea, KY because Mom was reminiscing about going down with her sister Fern with their spouses to visit her sister Ruth down in Atlanta years ago. It's known for Berea College, geared toward low-income students. There are a lot of crafts in the area, and Mom remembered a nice dress shop at which she said she and Fern almost always bought something

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-6655381329871975852009-05-01T21:31:00.009-05:002009-05-02T10:23:55.189-05:00

Well, we just got back from our great adventure out east, where I grabbed another state for the list of States I've Been In (if just barely) ... North Carolina.Everyone thinks "oh, the beach". Well ... no. We were about as far away from the beach as you could be and still be in North Carolina. Which was fine. The Smokey Mountains are pretty. Especially when you get to stay in a nice cabin with

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-320835450872524832009-04-30T16:53:00.002-05:002009-04-30T16:58:40.591-05:00

More later.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-78781901616982209022009-04-20T16:18:00.002-05:002009-04-20T16:25:38.919-05:00

I'm a sucker for stuff like this. For some reason it popped up when I hit the Google site. Ok, so mostly it was this lady to the left. Some of the other faces were a bit, uh... dramatic for me. But I've always been a sucker for women in hats, and women in styles of the 30's through 50's.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-83144519023871780472009-04-19T22:18:00.003-05:002009-04-19T22:27:49.012-05:00

Well.... not "college drunken stupor" wild. Just hectic and worldwindesque.This was the long planned weekend The Groves were coming to visit. It was unsure until Friday afternoon if Cami was coming because of a work project she had. There was rain in the forecast for most of the weekend... but let's go back to Friday morning.Friday morning we got a call from Kristin wondering if we could take

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-7956523675427244832009-03-29T20:03:00.011-05:002009-03-30T14:32:03.158-05:00

There was a gun show at the fairgrounds this weekend, which, of course, I went to. I just like hanging out at them. Looking at stuff. Talking to people. Maybe buying a thing or two. Oven frog. Forceps. Camp chair. Ammo. Sometimes even a gun.It also seems like a lot of times when they're having a gun show, they're having a horse show at the same time, be it at Midway or the Fairgrounds. And

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-41097960739787028102009-03-12T21:38:00.006-05:002009-03-12T21:43:48.670-05:00

Just so you don't get the impression I hog the baby all the time...

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-55008415486547573342009-03-12T20:48:00.007-05:002009-03-12T21:32:31.001-05:00

I remember when we were kids... when Daylight Saving Time would start, we would get up in the morning for school that next monday and say, "what are you doing up?? See? Look! " [opens window shade to reveal darkness outside] "It's night! Go back to bed!!!Well, I had that experience this past Monday Morning again, and I had to joke with Vicki about itBut seriously, it hasn't seemed to affect me

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-79114249171021093062009-03-01T22:11:00.006-06:002009-03-01T22:23:24.509-06:00

Yeah, so this is how I spend a lot of my time now. Hanging out with this little fellow, babysitting to make life easier on his mommy, and to make life a lot more fun for me, his grandpa, or "Papa Phil", as I've been dubbed.Today when I was alone with him for a while while everyone else went out to look at houses, I'd sit and play the guitar on the floor. He isn't interrupting me as much anymore.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-57479246683253866292009-02-12T14:32:00.010-06:002009-05-07T15:15:19.496-05:00

25. Everybody's got a cousin in Miami24. I want a smart woman in a real short skirt23. Cliches. Good ways -- to say what you mean and mean what you say.22. We're just cavemen in faded blue jeans21. The more we learn, the less we know -- what you keep is what you can't let go.20. They don't dance like Carmen no more19. The left foot will follow where the right foot has travelled18. There's booze

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-74992839705760587622009-02-01T14:22:00.005-06:002009-02-09T16:40:21.333-06:00

(I backdated this post a few days so it would jive with our anniversary)Seventeen years. And they just keep rolling by. I've seen so many fall by the wayside over the past few years. So, how do we do it?Well, we're both basically nice people, and we try not to forget that about ourselves or each other. This means cutting each other slack when the other is stressing about something, or tired. And

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-87267770536716169402009-01-13T12:55:00.005-06:002009-01-13T14:07:42.536-06:00

After the insane camping escapade, of course, I got back to a problem car. Vicki's car had been towed to University Garage. We suspected the transmission, as I've known of two 1990's ford Taurus' having transmissions that conked out around 70-80,000 miles, plus I've read on the net that it is not uncommon for those transmissions to do that. Ours is a 2003. I was kind of hoping whatever issue that

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-7941307291653630632009-01-08T10:38:00.009-06:002009-01-08T11:08:03.326-06:00

Kinda musty in here [sneeze!]. Let's see if we can dust off the cobwebs.The holidays are always busy for us, but that is a good thing. It means we have family and friends to be busy with.Vicki went up solo and got her mother from Fort Wayne the weekend of the 21st. This was mostly because Ryan and Scott wanted to do the Winter Walkabout on the 21st, the shortest day of the year. It had been

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-41342584689547593272009-01-05T22:20:00.001-06:002009-01-08T11:08:37.591-06:00

In the meantime

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-88280969476245457722008-12-19T11:46:00.004-06:002008-12-19T11:52:25.582-06:00

In no particular order. And this post may be updated. These are the songs themselves, not necessarily a given performance.GaudeteThe Boar's Head CarolBring a Torch Jeannette IsabellaThe Wexford CarolIn the Bleak MidwinterGood King WenceslausThe Gloucester WassailI Saw Three ShipsCarol of the BellsThe Coventry Carol I Wonder As I Wander

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-87408752736280806142008-12-15T15:56:00.005-06:002008-12-15T16:38:55.524-06:00

Well it's been about a month now, hasn't it? One of my longer dry spells. There's been a lot going on. Besides going and getting mother-in-law for Thanksgiving and taking her back the next weekend (well, Sunday/Monday).We had the whole gang for Thanksgiving. Mother-in-Law, Brian, Kristin, & Trenton as well as Kevin and Kristin's brother Brian. There's no more Angela. She's out of the picture for

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-92156373861720015382008-11-16T21:54:00.005-06:002008-11-17T15:37:14.219-06:00

We spent much of the last week babysitting Trenton while Brian & Kristin were in Denver for a hemophilia conference.Despite some not incredibly restful nights, I'm gonna miss the guy in the morning. Just have a sleepy Trenton fall asleep in your lap once and you'll know what I mean. The kid's like cocaine. One hit, and you're hooked.Bath time was always fun. Kristin has a little froggie "towel"

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-19087294193734431882008-11-10T14:42:00.009-06:002008-11-10T15:30:04.462-06:00

Couple of weeks ago we went out to Shryock's Corn maze here with Brian, Kristin, Trenton, Ryan, and Kristie. We'd gone a couple of years ago. It's not terribly exciting, but it's a "fall" thing to do and there's that whole "togetherness" and "it's all about the people" thing. Plus I brought my camera (that's like saying "the ocean has water in it", I know).The timing was great as we were there

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-45695081401510616222008-11-01T14:49:00.005-05:002008-11-01T15:10:33.326-05:00

I've had Dundee's famous Honey Brown ale many times, and it's always been on my list as a good quality for the price brown ale. I have also had their pale ale from time to time, which I am impressed with.A few weeks ago while vistiting Mark & Cami in Olathe, I made a run to the liquor store to see if they had my favorite pumpkin ale, Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale. And I spied a Dundee variety 12-

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-27711251577203920182008-10-29T21:05:00.002-05:002008-10-29T21:59:46.853-05:00

Continuing from the Carmel post, the next day, Paul and I indeed went to Point Lobos, named for the barking of the Sea Lions on the rocks out there (for those who don't know, "lobo" is Spanish for "wolf" -- sea wolves, I suppose.We started out on a nature tour of the area, but it was going slow and there wasn't much new the guy had to say after a while. I learned the limitations of using the

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-17703479417702841112008-10-27T11:30:00.005-05:002008-10-27T11:49:12.943-05:00

How do you like them apples?McCain came to Columbia and last week and ate at Buckingham's BBQ (run by Joe the BBQ-er).Buckingham's is right next to Brian's security business, and he slipped in there with Trenton and got a picture taken shaking McCain's hand. My grandson's "brush with greatness". Brian is "Joe the Security Business Owner".

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-1024137028320332152008-10-21T22:39:00.005-05:002008-10-27T11:28:39.823-05:00

Drove up to Fort Wayne Thursday, hung out there Friday, then flew from Indianapolis to San Jose on Saturday. Vicki's cousin Paul picked us up at the airport and brought us to their stupendously lovely house in Carmel, CA. Carmel is at the north end of the Big Sur region of California, so there are lots of lovely things to see nearby. Sunday he drove us up to Monterey, by Cannery Row, and along

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-17752435385734996392008-10-10T20:08:00.005-05:002008-10-10T21:54:27.088-05:00

Last weekend we shuttled off to Kansas City to see Cami's friend Coleen (that's /koh-leen/) get married to Steve, who we'd met at Mark & Cami's holiday party last year. Vicki had met Coleen at at another ladies party a couple of years ago. I'd met her at a BBQ at the Lipsky's place last summer, I think. Nice woman. Smart. Pretty. We were glad to see her find such a nice guy.We went to the

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-2714339118209579482008-10-01T08:40:00.011-05:002008-10-01T16:54:19.729-05:00

[queue Van Halen - Jump!]Something Vicki's always wanted to do... and something I just don't have an itch for... has been jumping out of an airplane.Her friend Linn Lyons found a place down in Rolla, and they planned a trip. Vicki told Kevin about it, and apparently he had the same death-defying urge. And so it was set.Angela feels the same way as I do about jumping. It just seems like such an

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-32462096777639723192008-09-24T20:52:00.009-05:002008-09-24T21:43:18.388-05:00

My photographer friend Megan Owens and her husband Rodd are on vacation for a few weeks. (I shamelessly heisted their photo off of her blog so you can see who I'm talking about - yeah, two photographers and not a damned picture taken between us last night) They live in northern Idaho, and they drove out through the Dakotas and down through Iowa and Moberly/Macon Missouri, where she has

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-20594066192803546752008-09-24T20:35:00.006-05:002008-09-24T21:38:50.637-05:00

Our grandson has a mild/moderate case of hemophilia. It's a pretty rare, genetic "bleeding disorder".Kristin's starting a blog about being a Hemophilia Mom.We went to Kansas City last weekend with Kristin (and Trenton!) for a regional hemophilia conference and learned quite a bit about it. I was a little freaked out hearing the stories of especially the severe cases and what can happen to their

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-21206302902628264752008-09-14T17:04:00.003-05:002008-09-14T18:05:59.129-05:00

Well folks, if you've been following along, you'll recall the great drainage project of 2008, where I replaced much of the sump pump hose with PVC pipe, running it the 6 feet up the wall, out through the hole, back down a bit to near the ground, and out away from the house to a downspout diverter.I cleaned a gutter, and have had no more problems with water coming in the basement.That is, until

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-66966318145651903922008-09-04T22:02:00.003-05:002008-09-04T22:31:07.906-05:00

Yeah. I've been bad, bad, bad about posting.Somewhere back in there my MP3 player's hard drive went out. I use it a lot. 30 GB of music on a 40 GB player. But it turns out you can replace those hard drives, and the music was replacable. With a bigger one. So now I have a 60 GB player. Which comes in handy on those long trips.Ummm, what else, what else? Our grandson -- who is seriously the cutest

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-28988217095200747562008-08-17T20:50:00.011-05:002008-08-17T21:43:03.949-05:00

We went to the State Fair this weekend with Ryan and Krsitie. They'd never been. And the weather was lovely. It's usually eleventy-jillion degrees and humid as Florida in August around here, and this year it's been different. It was about 85 degrees, sunny, breezy, and relatively low humidity.Kristie and Vicki rode a couple of rides -- we've never done that before. I'd do it for a buck or two a

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-38955079043207711242008-07-31T15:14:00.006-05:002008-07-31T15:22:57.609-05:00

This is almost scary. You've heard the whole "no straight lines in nature" bit. There's a potted plant here on our deck about 3 or 4 feet from the wild grape vine. And darned if this picture doesn't show that it is specifically reaching for the plant. It hasn't actually REACHED the plant yet, there's about an inch to spare. But there's no droop in that branch. It has a purpose. It knows it's

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-5547507061517143412008-07-31T09:45:00.001-05:002008-07-31T09:46:55.964-05:00

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-53993362649480117922008-07-30T10:17:00.002-05:002008-07-30T10:18:10.133-05:00

That's all I have to say today.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-57621296681408609052008-07-29T19:20:00.009-05:002008-07-29T19:54:33.360-05:00

It's true. Cami is 40. She made it. Life can now begin.Or shall we say, "Cami-Cami"? Cami is wife of my college friend, adopted brother, and all around best friend, Mark. Mother of our God-Children. And responsible for introducing me to TikiBar TV.Mark and Cami put on a big bash, working their little tails off to entertain ~40 people. Friends, family, their kids. Mark smoked up two huge briskets

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-35612116770869453632008-07-28T14:23:00.001-05:002008-07-28T14:24:38.879-05:00

Wow. Statcounter says I've had 13,000 hits as of just a few minutes ago on this blog. Since ... 2003, I think?Who knew I was that interesting?

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-29672004935601969502008-07-23T11:40:00.002-05:002008-07-23T11:41:22.794-05:00

Get the Bubble Wrap widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox!

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-46672066373998098822008-07-21T21:31:00.023-05:002008-07-23T11:25:51.009-05:00

Just got back from a week in Vegas.Well... not excactly. We went to visit Vicki's cousin Jim and his wife Carol. They live in the Spring Mountains just to the northwest of Las Vegas. Home of Mt. Charleston. Mt. Charleston is the highest peak on southern Nevada, coming in at 82 feet under 12,000.So of course I wanted to climb it. Jim even had a parter lined up for me to make the trek -- a local

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-68601553756290538172008-07-21T10:05:00.000-05:002008-07-22T22:11:15.602-05:00

But it's going to take a little while. We were gone for a week. And no, this is not the Rockies. I'll leave you with this while I finish it.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-34523024228668350702008-07-02T22:00:00.004-05:002008-07-07T10:22:42.334-05:00

My bobble-hula doll Leilani has been in the back of my car for a few years now. She came with a cheap plastic skirt, which I replaced with a home-made embroidery thread skirt.Which doesn't make me any less of a man. ;-)The sun bleached out her skin in several areas, and the combed out embroidery threads were falling off her waist band. She needed a make over.I didn't take any "before" pictures,

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-18729899613017273382008-06-27T21:01:00.003-05:002008-06-27T21:12:24.926-05:00

Ha! That one's for Chrissy.For the longest time most of my posts had song references in them, if not in the title. And they were often in the title.But the point here is that this has been the wettest first 6 months of the year on record here. Which hasn't been a problem for us, as we're at least 60' above the nearest creek.However, we've had some water leak into the basement. Which is

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-60875708224371778552008-06-27T20:49:00.005-05:002008-06-27T21:00:16.649-05:00

Vicki bought Trenton a "Baby Einstein" playmat. With animals and a big blinky sun that plays songs and all kinds of things to look at. He's not to the point of actually playing with things yet, but things catch his attention. Hasn't quite figured out the "I can control things outside of myself" yet. Well, other than adults. Who feed and comfort. You get to wish which one he wants at any given

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-28938845763639326792008-06-25T21:43:00.007-05:002010-06-09T22:14:07.478-05:00

The Hard-Core Four went on the summer float last weekend. Left Friday morning for the Alley Spring Campground, and filled Skyler (Molly's replacement -- that's Kristie's car) to the gills with the grammy bags on top. They hold most of the actual camping equipment.We were there by 1:00 or so in the afternoon, got camp set up, and then went down to sit in the Jack's Fork River in the shade with a

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-60415004322834283842008-06-17T21:45:00.004-05:002008-06-17T22:18:09.030-05:00

I got off work today, got to my bike, and the rear tire was flat. Because this has happened before, I carry a can that has "fix a flat" stuff in it that at least partially inflates the tire. I dug it out, and it worked to some extent. It was pretty messy. The tire wasn't fully inflated. But it was enough to get home.When I got home, I needed to run to the store. I changed out of my biking clothes

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-90071491919291955202008-06-13T08:37:00.002-05:002008-06-13T08:45:52.562-05:00

It's been a very wet spring. We have this strip of ... well, supposedly "lawn" between the sidewalk and the curb that gets baked in the afternoon sun. It has a few patchy bits of bluegrass in it, and what looks like some lespedesia. And dirt. Mostly, it's the dirt.In the wintertime when it's wet and above freezing, it's mud. In the summertime, it's depressing hard baked dirt with a few

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-86374045690086768802008-06-04T22:14:00.002-05:002008-06-04T22:15:18.446-05:00

Just 'cause ... you know... cute and all.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-76864391148970923042008-06-04T21:02:00.006-05:002008-06-04T22:12:55.465-05:00

Now where was I?Oh, yes, Aunt Pat and Kaity came to visit ... they got here a couple of Monday nights ago ... so it's been quite some time since I've posted, eh? They stayed for a couple of days and we did a lot of visiting and they went off to Uncle Eddie's.Usually it's Tom & Betty who put together some ethnic themed dinner for Mothers'/Fathers' day. This time Jeff, Joel, and I put it together.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-85739653570910642072008-05-25T21:34:00.002-05:002008-05-25T21:46:48.301-05:00

It's spring. Just about summer. And we've actually done some cleaning. I did some carpet cleaning last weekend. Also re-stained the deck, and converted the bird bath over to the summer configuration. In the summertime, I have a modified trash can with a filter basket sitting in a hole in the top ... there's a water pump in the bottom, and I have an overflow with a chute from the bird bath

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-13172313064230689202008-05-21T14:49:00.003-05:002008-05-21T14:54:46.224-05:00

Heard some folks joking around on the radio... someone asking what "Cumin" was, and the reply was "it's a seasoning". "Well which of the four seasons is it?"Because I'm a bit twisted, I thought "Was it Frankie Valli, Tommy DiVito, Nick Massi, or Bob Gaudio?I know. Baaaad pun. Shhh. Hey, "C". Big girls don't cry!

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-83599320966853911842008-05-15T16:02:00.004-05:002008-05-15T16:22:16.550-05:00

I have repaired shoes many times over the years using lots of different adhesives, including the famous "Shoe Goo".I repair lots of stuff. I have kind of a McGyver reputation. I hate buying new stuff if the old stuff will do, especially if replacing the old stuff with new stuff requires a significant amount of money.I have a nice pair of shoes I like, but the sole material kept coming loose,

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-26189345177454137462008-05-15T12:23:00.004-05:002008-05-15T12:26:59.490-05:00

The heat pump is officially replaced. I also had a whole house humidifier added. 13 SEER, non-freon, and q-u-i-e-t. Vicki's going to love that last part.House still smells a little like chemicals. I know it's wierd to get excited about HVAC. But I guess that's part of being an adult. :-/ Hey, it's GOOD to be excited about something you just dropped six and a half grand on.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-46205106682033120092008-05-15T10:09:00.007-05:002008-06-06T16:22:53.436-05:00

Went up to Fort Wayne to pick Vicki's mom up for Mothers' Day, her birthday, and Trenton's baptism.Pretty uneventful trip. I did notice the old sign for the old Ramada in Effingham from when it was Keller's, discarded out between the hotel parking lot and the gas station parking lot. That was a very significant landmark over the years in our travels back and forth to Indiana, or just meeting in

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-85374772728322744522008-04-30T10:29:00.014-05:002008-04-30T15:27:00.960-05:00

Ryan and I peeled off almost 1,000 rounds of 9mm ammo at a tactical self-defense training course last saturday. My hands hurt, because I was shooting relatively big ammo out of a relatively small pistol. We shot right and left handed, both handed, used baracades as protection -- leaned out from the left and the right and landed shots on steel targets. In a course like this you basically learn

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-73056674418867139182008-04-23T20:22:00.014-05:002008-04-28T09:37:42.102-05:00

Spring has sprung. The pear trees on the street are actually almost done blooming, and the redbud has busted out. The daffodils, now that I think of it, are only a memory.Baby Trenton had a brief period of stuffiness... poor guy. Less than 3 weeks old (well, he's 3 weeks today) and already had a bout of trouble breathing. He is changing every day... we get over there every few days to see him.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5255852.post-41801303140483129822008-04-10T16:40:00.006-05:002008-04-15T21:13:21.065-05:00

At my funeral, which hopefully will be a long time from now, but...Ever since I first heard this Eric Johnson tune on Ah Via Musicom, I thought that at the very end, when everybody's leaving, they should play this.That's the ticket! Thanks for showing up, now get out and go on with your lives and think of this music whenever you think of me!

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01514033542507136460noreply@blogger.com0