SUN and FUN

Just a couple days after my last post the weather broke and the Sun dried up all the rain. It did on the surface anyways. I have been VERY busy with few breaks between anything. As crazy as it gets I'd take this over being rained out any day.

Funny how things get very busy and a lot of things end up happening. My truck broke down for starters. I have always said "If nothing is breaking down then nothing is happening." I only paid $500 for it a year and a half ago. It did good. Besides all that, it is a rear wheel bearing that went out. I have a friend with scads of truck parts that center on this model of GMC/Chevy trucks. With us both being busy it has been tough getting a new heavier axle swapped out. In the meantime I found another truck. The state of Nevada, Division of Forestry, was retiring an '86 Chevy 1-ton dually 4x4 diesel truck with a service bed on it and only 66,000 miles. The price they had on it would've only bought the service bed out of a salvage yard. It is just exactly what I have forever and always looked for though I realize it needs a little updating. I flew to Las Vegas with one of my helpers at 10:00pm, got off the plane, walked out to the parking deck, checked out the truck, signed paper work, got in a left for home by 11:30pm. I felt like Lot leaving Sodom and Gomorrah as the light of Las Vegas disappeared in the mirrors. About 20 minutes later we were crossing the Hoover Dam. Wish it was daylight then. By the way, they are building a new bridge over the dam that must be another 500+ feet higher. Anyways the trip home took us down to Kingman, AZ and across I-40 all the way to Memphis, TN. I took the guy with me so we could get the truck and not stop for any reason other than food and fuel. He'd never seen that part of the world so his eyes were bugged out the whole next day. In the morning we stopped for food at Grants, NM. We met up with a friend of mine out there who is an old soul. He is extremely knowledgeable on old war rifles and current trends on such collectibles. We had a good breakfast and off we went. I wish we could have stopped in Albuquerque to take in the tram and see a few folks I know out there but time just didn't allow for it. Sandia sure is a sight to see from the interstate but even more so from the top. The difference in climate a few feet can make is amazing.

We broke down just east of Tucumcari, NM which is about 100 miles west of Amarillo, TX. It was the fuel pump. For some strange reason, the pump would leak if the left side tank was on, but if we switched it to the right side it did not leak. So, off we went, hitting Amarillo just exactly at dinner time. How convenient! It just so happens to be the home of The Big Texan Steakhouse. You know, the one with the 72oz steak. Yep, we ate good that night! If you ever are in Amarillo you must stop there. It is just off the interstate on the north side.

We made our way through Oklahoma. I have made this trip across I-40 numerous times. For the most part it seemed like Arkansas always had the roughest roads. I got to tell you folks, Oklahoma roads are not OK!They are by far worse than Arkansas now. The stiff suspension in the truck made us airborne more than once. It made the slow trip across the 300 or so miles too miserable to ever get any shuteye. Right about the time we got ready to cross into AR the road smoothed out enough for me to get a little sleep. Wouldn't you know though, the suspicious folks at the Arkansas DoT would be sitting there watching for ex-forestry trucks from Nevada going through without a regular tag. Yeah, at 63mph we were driving it like we stole it. We got pulled over and hassled. After the uniform let us go at 1 or 2am we switched up and I drove a while. Of course by this time we started switching up every couple hours. Somewhere before Little Rock I was back in the passenger seat and by Memphis I was driving again. I finished the trip from there.

I sure do like this truck!

Rain and Pain

I suppose my excuses for not posting are all getting washed away. The strangely frequent and often heavy rain we have been blessed with for the last nearly three months has finally gotten to me. Things have been slowed due to the weather this whole time but now it is stopped. Here I sit before daylight listening to the rain pound the roof AGAIN. Last week about this time all the weather wizards said it would be dry all this week. I bet against them and won...just wish I would have declared whatever it was I was to wager. I have heard some say they have never seen rain like this and in a way I haven't either. This is supposed to be the last of four dry months. Our drought is normally now. Not that I want a drought but give me a break lol. Anyways I have seen much MORE rain here over a longer period but it wasn't during this time of year. Many say this is gonna be a rough winter too. I tend to agree except that I have been saying that the last couple winters and neither was too rough.

Whenever the weather folks, where ever they are, like to speculate on rain chances I get a chuckle. You have to take their percentages and add your own formula to get the true meaning of the prediction. Because of the odd rain pattern that started three months early I had to make adjustments but it normally goes like this for the winter months. A 20% chance of rain simply means it is going to rain at least 20% of the day. By itself that is a lot of rain when it happens every day. I am not talking about the north western type of drizzle. I am talking hog washers. Folks here tend to say "Ah it ain't rainin'" until they begin to experience symptoms of water boarding while putting groceries in the car. If the weather puppets call for a 50% (cop out)chance of rain then it means it is going to rain all the waking hours of the day, or at least all the time you can remember on that date. 100%....well....That just means it's BEEN raining for days and everyone has given up. I need a weather job. Forget the almanac obviously but anyone can look outside and the incessant flood and say it's a 100% chance.

I am actually not complaining. Let God handle it. In the meantime I'll wait for a few days of sunshine so I can get back to work. I got pockets to feed!

Been a While

I sure do hate that I have not had time to post lately. There are several things to post about too. The baby Louie is getting fat and more cute everyday. His mom is doing well too. She says there is still a little discomfort from her left kidney area but it is overall tolerable. Again, we really appreciate everyone's prayers and help in getting us through the rough summer.

Since Louie has been home for a week or so I have been VERY busy. People like to say they are busy. You know what I am talking about. Well, I normally have a truck driver who moves the timber during the day and sometimes I would help get that done. This whole time I have not had a driver. The breakdowns and issues with the pregnancy caused me to lose the driver I had. Now, the equipment is running strong, I am having to haul it all, and I have another machine that will really get things rolling soon. So, even though I have been leaving early and getting home late most every day I am NOT complaining. I've just been busy and that is my excuse for not posting.

I have to tell you about this new machine, the up coming gun show, and this new (to us) lawnmower that looks like a little train engine. Talk about some HAPPY kids! I'll post some pics with that too. Anyways, God Bless Y'all! and 'til then, NIGHTERS!

Hillside Surprise

I sure did mean to get to this sooner. Ever since we brought Louie home I have been working at a break neck pace to catch up on bills and to take advantage of some very good deals. I promised to share our experience with Hillside Hospital with everyone as soon as I got the chance so here it is.

I have lived in this county for 30+ years and while I don't know any of the "important folks" and really don't care to, I do know some folks who are indeed important. I know this area real well too. From most every road to the hills and hollows in this county and a good deal about the surrounding counties and towns. For most of these years, as far as I ever knew, Hillside Hospital had a questionable reputation. I can't say just how well deserved or not deserved it was but I can tell you that Hillside Hospital has earned my respect in several ways. Small town hospitals catch a lot of grief as people tend to relate the number of patients leaving the little hospitals for the big town hospitals to received more specialized treatment with receiving better care. After everything that has happened this summer I have come to the conclusion that people generally don't even know what "care" is. Chalk that one up in my LONG list of words people regularly misuse and abuse. The funny thing is I don't give much of a rip about good language skills. I just can't stand to see very meaningful words getting tossed around carelessly. Words like Love, Hate, Judge, Race, God, Faith, Wealth, Poor, and the list goes on.....but now I add the word "Care". At Hillside my wife received care. It takes a good hospital, staff, and doctor to know when they have reached the end of the road in treating a patient and if and when a patient needs to move on to a facility with better tools or experience to better treat someone's illness. Before they sent Misty off to Nashville we got to know all the nurses by name and nearly all of them seemed to have a genuine concern for her. Not only that, but they also seemed to have intrinsic value tying their performance, the patient's well being, and the reputation of the hospital. It seemed as though when any one of those subjects were brought up, one or both of the others were talked about in the same conversation. I can go on for a while about this but I will leave it there.

Hats off to Hillside Hospital for a job well done. God Bless you guys and gals.


-Daniel

Meet "Louie!"

He's finally here! Meet "Ronald Louis Walker" aka "Louie!" our seventh child. After all the prob and circumstance leading up to his arrival, I think his mother and I will agree, it was definitely worth it! He is a gorgeous baby taking after the rest of his siblings of course. He was born at 6:07pm on August the 25th, 2009. He was 8lbs 9oz, 20.5 inches long, with dark hair (which is a first), an olive complexion, and it is hard to tell what color his eyes will be but probably blue. I will share more about the experience and those around us while it all went down....or out....however ya want to think of it. For now I am going to post a few pics for y'all to enjoy.

Here is Misty and Louie the next afternoon. Ain't they precious?

Here he is with me on Friday out getting some "indirect sunlight" around lunch time by the little tractor.

Here he is with his great uncle Ronnie from whom he gets his first name "Ronald".

Here is Louie with my parents Papa, Mamaw, Misty, and Me moments after he was born.

Michael turns 17

My oldest child is turning 17 today. It is hard to know where to start telling you about this guy. I will get more into his story when I dig up a more recent picture of him but for now I want to say that I love him very much. He is big, strong, very thoughtful, and apparently quite the looker. His teen years have been inundated a flood of pretty little women who think he is superman. He plays football for a local high school and does really well with it. The downside is that the program has taken ownership of him. I rarely see him and that kills me. Anyways, in spite of all he is tuning out to be a great young man. I think he will make a great husband and father to some lucky young lady out there. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Michael! I love you bud.

-Dad

Almost Normal

Hey Folks,

It has been a little while since I have posted, I know. As you might have guessed things have been a bit up in the air. Between Misty's illness and all the break downs at work preceding it, I have gotten behind on everything.

Misty is doing much better and we thank everyone for the prayers and concerns. We also want to thank all of our friends who really stepped up and helped us get through it. I would name folks but I am not sure they want that. We are on the home stretch to having a new little boy running around the house and everyone is excited! His name will be Ronald Louis Walker. We will call him "Louie" because his first name is that of an uncle. So far we have kept family names but generally use the middle name if that relative is still sucking up oxygen. It has worked out great. Louis happens to be the male version of my mother's middle name Louise and Louis is also the name of a dear friend who work on language development in Malaysia. Sheesh, we miss those great people.

I am back at work. The equipment is running though not up to par. I think this coming week will be the best in a long time. WOOHOO! I will post soon and thanks for stopping by!

Angelic Update 2

Misty made it home Saturday late afternoon. She is slowly but surely having less pain from the inflammation of the kidney and ureter. The doc did say that she could be off any pain meds after a period of time but only if she continues to take the antibiotics. She felt good enough last night, 7/21/09, to actually do school work for her last Masters class. She did start having a good bit of pain late in the evening though. She went all day and only needed one pain killer. That is fantastic! We really appreciate all the prayers. We certainly believe they are answered.

When we got home I went around seeing what all was needed as far as food and supplies. I knew our awesome friends had brought some food by. I had no idea that there was no more room left in our deep freezer because it is full of prepared meals. There was also a pair of large dishes full of roast beef and fixin's! It took three nights of our large family eating the delicious stuff to make it go away lol. With Misty still being in pain when we got home, and on through Monday, one of our friends came over with her kids (who happen to be our kids' friends) and stayed with misty while I got some work done. Then Tuesday the same thing happened as another friend came over with her kids. What a wonderful group of friends we have. I don't know what else to say. We are blessed.

Angelic Update

We finally got to see the specialist this afternoon. He explained that an invasive procedure is not likely due to Misty's progression. This is because all her blood work and tests are coming back "sterile", meaning they are clear of infection. He also said that she will likely go home mid weekend. She still has inflammation and irritation that is causing her some deep pain. They are still using Demerol as she needs it seemingly less and less. She is not entirely out of the woods but things are looking very good. On the current plan she will end up at home by Sunday and will have to continue taking antibiotics to keep her blood and urine sterile until the end of the pregnancy. If not, then this situation would relapse as the baby and uterus grows and puts ever more pressure against her kidney and urinary tracts. So overall we are cautiously optimistic.

Again, thank The Lord for His magnificent plan and for the great members of our family and group of friends. Surely, these people have shown that the "Body of Christ" is manifested among us.

-Daniel

Trial of an Angel

The angel of course is my wife Misty. We are sitting here, as I enter this post, in the High Risk Pregnancy Center at the Women's Pavilion of Centennial Hospital in Nashville, TN. You should not be overly alarmed, though we do appreciate prayers and concerns for Misty and the baby's health. If there is anyone who reads this post who doesn't already know I apologize for not getting to you sooner. We have relied somewhat on a rather large and heaven sent group of friends to help up work out the logistics of information and getting our children cared for.

Here is what happened so far...
Last Tuesday, July 7th I believe, Misty began complaining about some back pain that simple tylenol or percogesic was not working on. She is one tough gal, so, whatever pain she complains about tends to be something that would have ALREADY hospitalized most others. At some point that evening she had me rub that area on her back for a little while trying to relieve the pain. She was able to take a couple extra OTCs that helped her rest better but not good enough. Wednesday it began to get more serious and having seen the slight lump in her back that seemed odd I suggested that this could be a kidney infection. Being the long suffering lady she is, she explained that she had been through this before and it felt like a strained muscle. Wednesday night she had experienced some chills and shivering and eventually she got up around 11ish and got in a hot shower while complaining about the muscle not relaxing. I checked on her for a moment and then called the mid-wife about the situation. She said that if the problem persisted to call her and she would come over.

Thursday morning Misty was shivering much more and getting feverish so around daybreak I called the mid-wife and she came to the house within moments it seemed. After taking a sample and a quick test the mid-wife determined she indeed had an infection. She gave a short list of options and suggested taking Cystex (which we had) for the moment and Cyprofloxacin that she would call in to the local drug store. All the reasonable doctors and caregivers would suggest the same. It takes a little time for the Cypro to work so we gave it the 48 hour window to allow it to do its work. In the meantime we managed pain with a heating pad I got from my mother and whatever OTC might help.

By Friday night she had slowly built more pain and less actual relief from the symptoms of the kidney infection. More OTCs were not working and the trembling remained. Saturday we called the mid-wife again and she sent us to a walk-in clinic where we thought she was to receive better pain meds and a much better antibiotic. Things didn't happen quite like that but you try your best to trust professionals and use the advice to find the best results. To complicate things Misty is just too tough. The whole idea of going through the ER and getting poor service, as is often the case for us, accompanied with all the fallout of having done it and being no better for it just remained the last option.

Saturday evening rolled around and one pain pill seemed to help or at least take the edge off while, we hoped, the prescriptions and other treatments such as plenty of cranberry juice were going to get rid of the infection. At just about 11 o'clock again Misty woke up with trembling and shivering so violent I thought she could be convulsing, going into shock, triggering early labor as she was 32 weeks along, or who knows what. We both knew then she had to go on to the ER as there was nothing else to do. She got back in the shower, got the chills to calm down, and I called my mother to come stay with the kids. We got to the hospital at about 11:45 Saturday night. They were actually pretty good at getting a basic picture of the situation. The only bad experience was a young nurse trying to catheterize Misty for a sample when all they really needed was a cup. The young nurse was really causing Misty a lot of pain over and above what she already felt. The nurse otherwise seemed great so I do not want to make any more of it. Things just didn't go right.

The ER folks figured out she had all manner of low counts in her blood and a severe kidney infection. Importantly was noted low potassium and sodium with high nitrites if I remember exactly. After nearly 4 hours hanging around in the ER Misty was admitted to the OB wing due to the pregnancy. They made a bit of a pin cushion out of her though the poking and prodding is a necessary evil. They hooked her up with umpteen fluids, antibiotics, and light pain meds. Part of the reason she had such low electrolytes is that her appetite had been shot since the pain set in days before. It seemed as though the staff had all the information we had about the past week and that should have lead to certain conclusions.

The nurses and lab took blood and urine samples two or three times a day. They finally hooked her up with some morphine and regular tylenol to help break the pain and severe trembling which was always followed by a 6 or so degree jump in her body temperature. I have been with this woman more than 17 years and was there for the birth of all 5 of our kids and I have never seen her in such pain and restlessness. Even with regular I.V. administered rounds of morphine she still did not rest well due to the pain. The veteran doctors and staffers all said that they had never seen such a case as they had with Misty. Much of the fatigue was brought on due to the fact she was getting copious amounts of I.V. fluids and she drank lots of water. That resulted in up to four trips per hour to the rest room. She was drifting in and out of consciousness from absolutely no rest and no appetite. How can anyone rest like that? She was getting to the point of having illusions and not being able to give time or place to any thoughts whether reality or not. My heart breaks to even think of it. She is one heck of a fighter though. She plows through pain and adversity all the while trying and sometimes succeeding at cracking a good and fresh joke.

This is when anyone who has been through such an ordeal and step back and thank The Lord for having such a caring group of family and friends. I gotta say that all the years of my life I asked God to help me find the kind of people who are willing to go the distance in our time of need and who appreciate others who would do the same. There is no doubt that He has provided us with those kind of people. They are proving it all day and each day this endures. Between my parents, Misty's brother, and a long list of said friends, our kids are being taken excellent care of and I am able to be sure that I or a very trusted friend is with Misty at every moment. That means so much to me. In fact, one of the friends stepped up in an unexpectedly and great way. After I had asked several times about options for getting her some kind of relief that wasn't happening under the current routine I was thinking there may not be anything more to help her rest. The one friend had come to sit with Misty while I took a shot at getting some work done. While I was gone this friend managed to almost conjure up a way for Misty actually start getting the right medicine that would provide a measurable difference. They stopped the morphine and started back with delauden. Not only that but they gave her a pump too! By the time I got back Misty was actually making sense and her countenance had changed dramatically for the better.

I stayed with her through the night, as every night, helping her around though she did sleep much better, and so did I. The next day another friend shows up to be with her while I shuffled the kids around and try to get some work done. By the time I got the kids in the van headed to another dear friend's house I had missed a few calls. (the back roads are cell phone dead) When I got signal I called the friend back. Misty was too upset for me to understand so our friend explains that the doctor had said Misty could not receive the necessary care where she was and they are sending her to Nashville to a specialist. I quickly got the kids moved and got things together along with many more phone calls and a few hours later we got here.

The folks at Hillside Hospital were great and most notably neighborly. It is a shame there is not a urology or high risk specialist in Pulaski that could keep us close. Here they obviously have the routine down. More detailed and more proactive but not quite as friendly. The noise in the big town is much higher and the relatively high number of thuggish types can be heard late in the evening whether they are just in another room down the hall or six floors below on the street. I do feel confident that Misty will get the help she needs here. I can already tell you, the switch to Demerol in the I.V. had really afforded the rest she has needed all along! She has sawn up at least 5 tractor trailer loads of stave logs already!

Before I stop this meandering long post I want everyone to know the baby is doing great! All his vitals are perfect though our only concern is that this 33 week baby is measuring 36 weeks! Thank You Lord for all the great people in our life and thank You for seeing us through this uneasy time.

-Daniel

On Broken Wings

My little girl learned how to fly a week ago. At the tender age of ten years old Carly took flight right off the side of this hill. Our chip and tar driveway leads down to a concrete drive coming up the hill. Well, I am told that Carly, her brothers and her friends from Minor Hill were riding in circles on that concrete drive where it opens up on top of the hill. She says that at some point she lost the ability to steer. This sent her careening off the hill with enough speed to take flight. All it took was a nice sized boulder off the side of the driveway to provide the lift needed to make her nightmares come true. Upon liftoff she was flung over the front of the bike and into a small tree. She says she landed on her left arm with it extended and hand down. That very position, with enough force, can cause a chip fracture of the ulna right at the elbow.

They all said she laughed for a few seconds and then began to cry for a short time. She did some complaining but did not appear to be in agony so we kept checking her elbow out for a day. I told her to let me know if the pain doesn't subside or if she feels that she needs to go to the hospital. The next evening she timidly said she was ready to go to the doc. I thought it was probably sprained or maybe a torn muscle. After the x-rays it was obvious that there was a piece of bone that had mostly separated from the elbow joint. She is a tough girl. Of course she has to be growing up with what will be six brothers by September.

She is taking it well. I remember breaking my arm when I was 12. This may be some right of passage in my family. I hope not. It was a compound fracture breaking both radius and ulna and then they broke through the skin. It was nasty and I passed out at first! I did not take it well. My oldest son Michael broke his arm when he was 11 very much the same way I did. A compound fracture breaking both bones in his left forearm. I guess what makes me so jealous of Carly is that SHE gets the "goretex" cast that allows her to GO SWIMMING! Those did not exist 25 years ago. That just ain't right.

I plan on getting a pic or two of her when she isn't expecting it. It may be the only way I will get away with a picture of her in a cast. I love that girl.

Just checking in again

Hey Folks,

It has been a while since I have posted. It has a lot to do with being busy with work even though we can't actually DO any work. I have had a series of break downs that have killed finances and clouded my mind. The last few weeks have been spent searching for parts and making repairs to the Caterpillar. I fixed the trans charge pump for the second time and that didn't help. I fixed the valve stack in the transmission and that worked great. A day and a half later the transfer case tore up. AHHHHHHH! I give up! I sold the old thing and took the money to find a nice engine to go in my OTHER skidder which has been down for 11 months as I waited to find a good affordable engine that will swap with mine directly. That never happened.

So, I found an engine out of a Ford Coca-Cola semi. Ford can't leave well enough alone. They made ridiculous changes to the very simple design which makes life hell for anyone who wants to save money by buying a used engine out of one of their trucks. As a result I had to have a friend cut a billet into an intake plenum for the air to air swap with my intercooler. I also had to order custom injector lines to make up for the big difference in the intakes ($400). I had to bend the lines to move around the various components. Those injector lines hold some 2500 to 4500 pounds of pressure each. It may have been the toughest part of the engine swap. Other outrageously tough things to get done include swapping exhaust manifolds, turbos oil and water lines, charge pumps and compressors, and making the different style of pump work with the old set up.....geez. It's almost done. I think by this time tomorrow we will be ready to crank the thing up assuming the Cummins diesel specialists have any idea what they are doing when clocking the turbo. I may do that myself even though I don't have the right tools.

I am grateful that this is the bulk of what I have to complain about in my personal life. Just don't get me started on politics. Y'all have a nice rest of the day and God Bless. I am about to go out and roast marshmallows with the kids and their guests.

Ghost of Birthdays Past

I had said that I would likely post a lot about my wife and my father this month because of their birthdays but I was wrong. They both really deserve much recognition for making this world a better place. It had struck me however that I could not put into words what I feel for them both. Where would it start and where would it end? I just want to say I am extremely thankful for both of them and I pray we, all three, live many more years as part of the solution in this crazy world.

Torture?

There was recently a new thread started at my school over torture and who was winning the debate. Those leftist school folks are always trying to keep people occupied with stuff like this while the leftist government goes on doing what it wills to. Here is my response.

Is there a debate over torture? I have heard an awful lot of debating over whether or not the USA should do anything or nothing to individuals who have lots of information concerning how more of my fellow countrymen and "citizens of the world" are going to die at their hands. Whatever the debate is, it's wrong.

Let's try an alternative! Freedom is the answer. Set them free. In process set me free too. It seems the leftist government we now have is more worried about protecting criminals whether they are criminals against individuals are large groups. Let the fools who wish to harm us come. Let me defend my family without fear of retribution for doing what it takes to protect the ones I love from harm, death or worst yet, fear. Even suggesting that I could feasibly do this with any amount of righteousness makes me suspect to the leftist regimes that run this country and have for a number of years.

The only reason there is any consternation happening over "torture" is that as individuals we are not free. The gov steps in and says they can protect us rather than we protect ourselves. When they fail the problem magnifies because the language has been forcefully centered on the idea that the failing government is going to fix the problem. It is weak minded, gutless, embarrassing, frankly nothing like me. I can go on for days about it. Where have all the men gone?

Water World

Is it just me or is there a real disconnect between big government, big money and real solutions? I realize that there are a lot of ideas out there and each one would certainly have to be researched and justified. However, what gets me is that every time there is some “crisis” that normal people have to reconcile, through vicarious representation, the big gov., or corp. solution is nearly always worse than the original crisis. I don’t know about you but this is where I always start my thought processes when it comes to how Biggy (gov, corp) solves issues, trumped up for political or financial reasons or otherwise.
One fine example is the whole save the planet bunch in California. There is the little smelt minnow in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River deltas that is the center piece of not only environmental policy, but humanitarian policy of California’s overflowing cistern of fools. The environuts, for many years, have fought to enlist every animal they possibly can onto the endangered species list. Not only that, they have ever fought to widen the parameters on which endangered species are identified. It’s mighty convenient to have a bunch of leftist, communistic, microcosm dwelling, closed minded, money loving politicians on your side to help get over public opinion. I suppose the law enforcement arms of the left are there to ensure that no one can stand against the pure nonsense that the CA gov. is forcing not only on millions of its own citizens but also on the citizens of every other state. Frankly, it is the law that protects them from the people who end up paying for all the foolishness.
In case you were wondering what has me so twisted up about this recent blast of environmental doo doo flying in everyone’s face, it is based on the ever present consternation of the left that involves the importance of human life and activity verses the mere possibility that a certain species of minnow might become more endangered.
HERE’S THE KICKER! The river water that feeds the entire San Joaquin Valley has been shut off because some of the minnows have been caught in the turnbuckles or water diverting equipment and it is instead simply sent out to the Pacific Ocean. Okay, I realize that there has been less rain than normal and that doesn’t help anyone out there. There has also been less snow in the winters that ends up melted and in the rivers and reservoirs in the area. So here we are, after the planting season, and Biggy has decided that now is the time to turn off the water that has been supplied to the thousands of farmers and hundreds of thousands of jobs since circa 1968. Some of you cold blooded, city dwelling, environuts feel justified and perhaps like heroes for potentially making the life of a certain kind of fish easier by choking the life and livelihood out of millions, yeah, millions of hard working individuals who pay for your miserable existence. When I have to pay more for my strawberries or spinach or the times I can’t get my favorite California grown fresh fruits and veggies I will be even angrier at YOU.
The EPA and its minions are in the way of everything including green energy. The biggest reason they are so behind the green push now is that the EPA and it minions have it all under their control. If anyone thinks they don’t, try physically doing anything about issues that help the masses sustain life, let alone LIBERTY. You will have to deal with a bunch of hacks that can’t make it in the real world. They will be loaded up with devices, paper work, attitudes, sometimes long hair, and dressed in a hilarious ensemble. It looks as if your little corner of the world requires survival, or at least safari gear complete with khaki shorts, a button down short sleeve, and that safari hat! I am NOT KIDDING! Trust me; I deal with these creeps regularly. The insult to injury is that they are ALL on the dole of the government which WE finance.
I guess after all this I should at least offer an idea of just what to do for the poor folks in California who are trying to FEED AMERICA. Water is arguably the most important commodity there is. Without it, what is there? So I was thinking(don’t be scared), why don’t we treat water like oil in the way that oil is moved over thousands of miles by pipelines. I know, water IS moved in pipelines over hundreds of miles but not thousands. Move water from places where it is more abundant to places where it can be put to BETTER use. Yep, it would cost hundreds of millions. It also would have to pass the scrutiny of thousands of scum of the earth environuts and politicians too. I mean really, they do not want “problems” to be solved. Not only would it solve the water issue out in the San Joaquin Valley, but it would save 100,000 jobs, create thousands of new jobs, it would help keep our food more available, and the cost of it down. An important thing to remember is that the CA “Valley” is at a lower elevation than the northern end of the Mississippi river. I have stood on the banks of the Mississippi River in Rowher, AR watching the river flow so fast that every place where there was a point in the bank it caused whirlpools that would swallow small boats. It was close to, or over, a mile across just gushing southward. That is a LOT of water simply going out to sea. Wouldn’t taking an itsy bitsy fraction of it help the world anyways by slowing the “devastating” desalinization of the world’s oceans? The supply doesn’t have to be all the time. I have seen how our rainy season and the California rainy season are often oscillating anyways. While the Northwest has lots of water it is usually only in the winter. Besides, there is a sufficient supply of total fools up there to stifle any opportunity to help anyone else. So the best case would be an upper MS River (above Saint Louis) water line or “aqua duct” to central California. There are a few others that could fill reservoirs along the way too.
What am I thinking? With all the money hog politicians and envirofools, it’ll never work. What do you folks think?
I will post soon on how to solve the GM, Chrysler issue in America too. Yeah I got the answers!

May Be

Hey Folks,

The month of May should have some interesting posts as it contains my father's and my wife's birthdays. I will have a good bit to say about them both. Maybe not too much. If you folks have any messages for me, you can leave them after this post or others...I will get them.

I am going to be bothered for quite some time over the passing of Charles Filyaw but hopefully this is the last you'll have to deal with it. I really appreciate the kind words and messages I have received on the blog and in emails. I had no clue that it would be searched and then spread over the globe. I am just happy that everyone who contacted me had known him as I did. You were blessed by knowing him too then. We will certainly never think of him without a sigh and a thankful heart.

I also wanted to point out the new gadgets. You did notice the music if you had your speakers on. I will change it around fairly often but I do have my favs. I also have a couple links. One to my wife's blog and one to Alan Keyes. I once heard D.L. Hughley on a radio show proclaim his support for Barrack Hussein O' who cares. He said that this was the first time he had a chance to vote for a black man for president.......hummm. So, D.L. is a moron too. Add that to his talents. I guess ole Jesse Jackson doesn't mind a good slapping around now and then. After all Jesse is a real black man, not some amalgamation of sorts, and he is an American no doubt. Forget him though! D.L. in his infinite stupidity totally skipped Alan Keyes. I would've been in shock if he did otherwise. Alan Keyes is a real black man...or African American if you must. The thing is, he's darker than either of the three other famous black men I mentioned. In spite of D.L.'s obvious assumptions about his epidermis, Alan Keyes has escaped captivity without losing his deep appreciation for his roots. D.L. and his ilk are forever unappreciative of their past and will never learn from history except strategies to erase it. It's just another puff of smoke from the recipricator I realized...... and then I turned the knob.

Goodbye Dear Friend

I sure was enjoying my day. It was a nice warm day. In fact it was perfect. I went into work to get things started. Talked to the guys a little about life and then went to pick up some daily supplies to be sure they could work through the day. I decided my time was better at home with my family rather than sitting at work all day only to do a couple things that could be done in the first hour of Monday. I stopped by the post office and mailed off some walnut stock blanks to a recent friend in Texas. I got home about 10:30 and Misty and the kids were happy to see me. I got a few things done that I have been meaning to do around the house. We went to town to eat and went to a nephew's b-day party. It was good seeing some of the extended family. When it was over we took the long way home. It sure is beautiful going that way. There are hills, valleys, creeks, bridges, trestles, and all the scenic explanations of just why this area is commonly called the land of milk and honey. Never mind all the dairy farms with beekeeping as an extra source of income. Walking outside the house I was smiling at the wafting aromas of black locust blooms and at how the honeysuckle vines are taking shape. I was watching all the kids running around being happy and precious and so so so valuable to my purpose.

After taking care of a few other things around the property I felt somewhat unsettled over the fact that the day was going by with not enough getting done. We gathered in or close to the house. I sat on the computer for a few moments downloading a few new songs and made a list of sentimental songs to listen to while I was updating my blog and leaving notes with friends. We had eaten sort of late for lunch and then topped it off with b-day cake etc. Being the somewhat lazy day it was I promised the kids we just have my famous choco shakes for dinner. Like it was gonna be a problem. I was getting ready to make those and while I walked by the phone it rang. It was my father with some of the worst news I have gotten in a long time.

My father informed me that he had just gotten a call and that Charles Filyaw had passed during the night before. Immediately and even now my sense is to just vomit! He said that Charles' family had been trying to get in touch with him for a day. They went over to check on him and found him in bed. We don't know exactly how he left us but no matter what the coroner says I know it was heartbreak that closed the door.

I know it isn't my place to do it and I know that I could not deliver it in a way that could cover his life with all the respect it deserves but I would give the eulogy if they asked me to. I don't know. I would likely crumble and make a fool of myself trying but I could come up with many kind words about a man that blessed my life so deeply. It's hard to even begin to explain why I feel this way. What a terrible thing that has happened to this earth it seems. We lost a great one for now.

I met Charles Filyaw at Faith Chapel in Huntsville, Alabama back in the mid 1980s. I was a young teenager with a burgeoning interest in music and math. I also was always up for a good laugh. At this same time in my life I was going through the normal changes that 12 and 13 year old kids do. During those years I carried a lot of weight about the world and its sinful ways. Back then and now I have had a strong sense for the type of people I am communicating with if only on a spiritual level. I was always attracted to people who have certain perspectives on life. Charles was one of those people. It seemed like 90% of the people I knew were sold out, or weak minded, or even insulted the rest of us by having this "front" with a smile. You know, the kind that frown through their teeth. Charles was nothing like them. He usually had a big smile and a deep laugh with greetings that would make Old Saint Nick jealous. The fact that he was 15 or so years older than me and just that much younger than others meant nothing. He was one of those folks that met you where you were in life. I remember my brother David and I going over to his house where he still lived at home with his parents. We'd drive some old car and start off talking about it or who knows what. No matter how it started we ALWAYS ended up laughing the night away. Charles had me laughing so hard one evening that I literally could not eat the next day. We could say one word covering anything and somehow, someway, with incredible wit, Charles would start us over on another line of jokes revolving around that word for at least an hour. I suppose we finally got too tired to laugh at about daybreak. It was so much fun, so uplifting, and so mentally engaging that we made sort of a ritual out of it. You cannot imagine how much I miss that. Charles turned out to be a pretty good picker and was an amazing mathematician. As the next few years passed I took music and math lessons from him but ended up learning more about just being a good person. He possessed the sort of genuine character that is far too rare for this needy planet.

I remember being in church or any number of other places and seeing him hanging out with folks regarded as "less than" by the uppity social climbing church people we knew. Some were very poor, some very lost, some just having a tough time, and even some were church people. One thing I never heard from him was any sort of condemnation for anyone. I remember bringing it up one day to him about all these various characters he'd spend time with. He looked me dead in the eye and said something I take with me everywhere I go. "It's only the grace of God that saves us. We have no way of knowing what has or is happening in that person's life. I am a sinner too and I cannot treat them like they are any less worthy than I am". At that moment I made one of the biggest steps of my life in my walk with The Lord. To this day I fail to hold up that banner as he did but I know this truth and it gets me through.

Charles for all the years I knew him was a big man. He had kinky curly hair and wore glasses. The depression that I suspect started during his time in school followed him like a shadow. I know he was made fun of and that he had very low self esteem at many points in his life. In my view this brought other problems to him. Among them was the fact that very FEW women see value in a man with these flaws even if he could have been the man they were dreaming of. I know he was the kind hearted and thoughtful type of man that all the complaining women talk about wanting to find. Nonetheless, as far as I know the man never had a steady girlfriend. I believe this could have been the beginning of the end for him. What a terrible shame. This really bothers me about our miserable society.

Back during the first week of September, 2007 I was in Grand Forks, ND. When I had left Tennessee a couple days before it was 98 degrees. In Grand Forks it was 26 and snowing. I was so amazed by this I called a few folks to tell them about it. One of the first folks I thought about was Charles. I hadn't talked to him in a long time and missed the hilarious conversations we reliably had over the years. We talked for a few minutes and shared a few laughs but very quickly the conversation turned serious. He talked about being 50 years old and how he feels so much of his life has been wasted. He talked about this woman in his life that wouldn't commit or was playing games. He talked about trying to start a family of some kind, even if it was ready made. This was going to be a key to him having some kind of fulfillment. He seemed very down on himself about how that part of life passed him by. There I sat, listening to him hold back tears while I had so much to be so thankful for. I have a beautiful wife and six amazing children. It was like standing on the other side of a raging river and wanting to help him cross. Time doesn't always heal. All those times he truly lifted my spirits came back to me. I tried to encourage him as we talked for a good 2 hours. Towards the end, after he had poured out his heart, we did manage to share a few more laughs, but there was definite change in the tone of what was left of our knowing each other. I contacted him a few more times and there was some signs of hope and despair but there was no sign that his time on earth would soon be over. I feel I could have been a better friend.

To sum it up, I realize that he wasn't a perfect person. Who is? I am not sure how other folks knew him but if I were God, I would usher Charles in the gate myself. He deserves it. I sure look forward to seeing him again.

In disbelief,
-Daniel

Bullwinkle

Here is the squirrel I have been yakking about. I was working in the woods and had cut a large hickory tree. While the saw was still idling and I was looking at the next tree I heard I high pitched squeal, and then another, and then together I heard two. I turned off the saw and it was evident that there was some little furry babies somewhere, who knows where, close to me on the ground. I followed the sound for a minute or so and located them next to a extremely rotten box elder tree that had broken over in the wind. They were laying on the ground next to the tree sprawled out as in shock. I got them together and folded my shirt up and brought them to the truck. I had a box and a spare shirt I put in there with them.

This isn't the first time I have found various animals in the woods out of their nests. Sometimes it's my fault but if you walk in the woods day after day you will see babies kicked out of the nest, or they possibly fell out. Birds, rabbits, snakes, and among others, squirrels can be found lurking around or crying out on any given day in the woods of the south. It's like a dinner bell for predatory animals as you can imagine. I do occasionally see that happen too. There are some things I have learned. There is nothing you can do to save any animal if the conditions aren't just right. First off they have to be old enough to live without their mother but young enough not to be totally wild. They also cannot be hurt much. Any little problem turns into a battle for their survival. I suppose that is the way God intended it. That's good enough for me. Save the ones you can and realize you can't save them all.

So these two squirrels were obviously beside themselves and were a little scared at first. I went by the local Dollar General Store, a great little store, and bought a big plastic tub with a top, some cashews, almonds, and some bird seed just in case that was the ticket. Got home and the kids came running out to greet me as usual. There have been enough times that I had a surprise for them that they are ever anxious to see what daddy has hidden in the truck. Much to their amazement I had two li'l bitty squirrels. They were very excited and had names spewing forth like formula from a bottle fed baby. Somewhere along the way I mentioned "Rocky" from "Rocky and Bullwinkle". It was a hit. So that was their names and the competition began for which belonged to who. At any rate the appetite and general behavior of the smaller Rocky made me think he wouldn't make it. He did take in a good bit of liquid nourishment but wasn't too excited about eating. We tried several different types of food for him but nothing really got him going. One day, when I got home, the kids came out to tell me Rocky had suddenly kicked the thimble. That seems to be the way it always happens.

In the meantime, Bullwinkle was living large, and still is. That is one fat and spoiled squirrel! He rips up those cashews, almonds, various other nuts, and even the occasional Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Peanut M&M. Don't worry, we don't give him much chocolate. He has this mansion of a cage meant for a ferret complete with tubes, slides, ladders and even a freaking hammock! That jerk. He sure does make a good little indoor pet and the kids are thrilled every time they see him or hold him. If you ever get to hold him yourself be sure to take a little advice. Tuck in your shirt. Otherwise you will be bothered worse than a Toys R Us display of Tickle Me Elmo.

Enjoy

Levi Turned Two

I really have let time get by this go around. Levi turned two on March 30, 2009. Geez, he is screaming even now. Anyways, other than the fairly regular screeching over trivial pursuits, he is completely awesome. His name is actually Daniel Levi. His first name came from me of course. Daniel Levi is the sixth child of mine and I am the sixth of my father's. I know what you are thinking....if he choses to name is his sixth child Daniel that one will be Daniel the 666th...BS.... I have heard this sort of retort a few times by now. Either embrace or be angry over the power of numbers, which I do both, but never fear it. Speaking of which, it just so happens that Levi was born when I was 34. Well I was also born when my father was 34. There is a very similar age spread over the last four sibling too. Sister was 8, brother 4, brother 2 when he was born. Almost the same as when I was born. My parents often said I was a very easy child to deal with which is most often the case with Levi. I guess he has some extra spices in the mix.

His mannerisms are funny too. He attempts to cover his face and be embarrassed when being the center of attention turns out to be more than he bargains for. One of the funniest things he does regularly during the last couple months is talking about what all daddy kills... Well, however it is, other than a deer I am not sure he has seen me kill anything beyond a fly. Even the deer was not shot in his sight. Even so, he growls, then says 'Dog kill.... daddy kill' among other things. He snarls his face and raises his hands beside his face with his fingers in attack mode and then relaxes and solemnly declares death, via daddy, on whatever.

If you ever wanted to get some powerful hugs or big wet kisses, they are available on request, so long as he is not in a fit of cataclysmic rage over not being allowed to go out and play with the tornadoes or maybe just over the Wii remotes. Seriously, Levi is incredibly precious and if you know him you must agree. Otherwise you'll have to pry two Daniels off your head. Capiche?

Gordon's Birthday

It's been a while since I have had the chance to post, so I have let a couple b-days get by without posting something. Tonight I am going to say a little bit about my 5th child, Gordon. He entered this world on March 25th,2005.

I have been sitting here trying to think of what kind of short description there is to let everyone know him a little better. The best I could do, cheesy as it is, would be "Lion Heart". I am not entirely sure if he is going to be a small boned kid. He has started out that way but he is growing and sometimes surprises us all with his ability to move things. Another impressive thing about this kid is that he is so quick to learn everything. He was quick to talk, walk,potty train, ride without training wheels and is now very articulate in his speech. There isn't even a hint of a southern accent! That may be the one thing that concerns me. lol..... I guess by now we have figured out with those attributes alone that he is very deliberate and focused on progressing his affect on the world. Suffice to say he just can't freakin' wait to level up with the biggest of his siblings.

It is so cool to watch him jump on his little bitty bike and hit the dirt bike trail made by his older brother, Charles, every time Charles gets his dirt bike out. Charles flies out of sight for a second and comes back around followed by a little boy pedaling his heart out with a smile clearly visible from 300 yards. (due to his chipmunk cheeks)The very idea of discouraging him is a non issue. You simply won't. He also has a bit of a temper. Of course, when he is being pissy and screaming, we have to consider buying paint for the walls closest to him. Often times however he is just kinda upset, or even being coy about his feelings. That is when he is really funny. The facial expressions of trying to look mad while also trying to hide the fact that he is insanely happy about something that has made his day. What a precious part of his character that I hope we remember forever.

Checking In

I was just thinking.....what if it said "checking out"..... It's all about perspective I guess. Anyways, it has been yet another long week of stress and anxious money shuffling. It isn't a bad thing to do when you have plenty of money. Of course I don't have it, so the problem has been having enough to keep work going and having enough to start the next week. What's worse is many others whom I either owe or who owe me seem to think I have lots of $. The grass does seem greener where ever I'm not standing. On the up side, if you know I am not loaded, then you are most likely a friend or at least friendly. If you have any doubts then you can't be a friend because you don't know me! lol

This week started out looking great. I spent four days last week rebuilding the hydraulic system on one machine. Monday we moved lots of material. Tuesday we got one pull up to the landing and the transmission pump went out on that same machine. We didn't know for a while what the problem was so I called the equipment place and they put me on the right track. I had to go buy a pressure gauge to read the pressure coming off the transmission filter. It was running about 25% of normal. So the next step was to replace the filter. It looked bad but replacing it did not return the pressure at all. The only logical thing left was the trans pump which controls the shifting and direction of the transmission. That afternoon we spent pulling the hydraulic pump, then the trans pump. When I took the pump apart it was obvious what was wrong. The insides were wore out badly. I then ordered the new pump and picked it up the next morning, bright and early($1300!). I gotta say I got a great deal on this machine. It was nearly scrap metal priced. I suppose the guys that had it didn't even know where to start fixing it. It looks like they never cleaned it or check anything on it. Every filter in it has been jammed with crud and all the hydraulic cylinders and seals were leaky. I think there are about two more seals to fix and I have to rebuild the brakes. After that it really will be like a new one.

Maybe by this time next year I will have everything updated for work. I am still not sure where this road is taking me but there have been some doors opening. Y'all have a good rest of the day.

-DCW

Crazy Weather Crazier People

All those pics I posted of the snow that fell on March 1st are viewed a good bit. I hope to post some pics I took later that day of some of the same shots. By 1pm the snow was GONE. The following Monday the temps reached 81F....27C for those who love alternative metrics.

For the last nearly 20 years I have been complaining and carrying on about the insanity that is a bonding agent between leftists and political power. It really boils down to "self", but look at all the ways one can glorify his or her own existence. The primary catalyst for the last 20 or so years is all about the environment. Even in pretending that you are really helping others it really is all about you looking good and feeling good about how you look...good. The only problem is that, to folks like me, you look like a witless moron.

If I could be a judge for a day and I could be given the opportunity to resolve issues about the environmentalists I think most folks would, I dunno, invest. Imagine sitting in court and hearing a case involving an environmental group and a group of foresters. In every case the environuts seek to shut down such operations as it "is proven" to cause X amount of environmental damage. It somehow is worse than a forest fire? Anyways I would set up a standard that got all environmental groups past and present that wish to stop the flow of forest products from our plentiful woods together for one simple rule. Sure, we can stop all logging of public lands that equal up to what represents their consumptive capacity as the environuts that they are. In trade, all those who signed the petition or voted to stop forest operations will now have to live without ANY forest products in their lives, forever.

Is that a deal?

Can you imagine how your life would change? (supposing you were one of them) Can't have a vehicle because, if nothing else, much of the rubber used comes from rubber trees. Many of the parts, including the electronics, use resins straight from the woods. There is a lot of food ya can't have either. Might be because the food is from a tree that is monocultured, some of the food itself is derived from the tree, and last but not least, the packaging is almost 100% from the forest. Even what you thought was plastic might be cellophane or "super paper". Cotton is a type of tree. Look out ladies and gents....no comfy clothes. Did you know there is an ever growing percentage of electricity that is now generated with biomass? In some places that is all that is used. And your house? Lumber, linoleum,furniture, that fancy cutting board has to go. Okay...so you could be one of those folks that never bathes and never shaves... It is your right to be ugly and smelly, but it is my right to threaten you for stinking up the air I breath and messing up my view. You should also remember that staying warm is not an option. Even that broken up, dried out piece of wood that taunts you in the winter is, was, or will be food and or shelter for some precious creature, but not you, because you aren't precious at all. Gosh, not much left of you now. Your poor kids! They are going to be dumber than rocks. The paper, pencils, desks, and many of the teaching tools will no longer be allowed in your life. Maybe you don't mind going back to cuneiform written with chisels.

If you did all these things and thought you had the upper hand just wait until someone brings up the fact that basically all the east and much of the west was covered in timber. Even steel and many other products including the food in your life come from ground that had to be stripped for you to have the life you do. So, just do us all a favor! Move to the Sahara and carve out a living over there. It'll be a perfect fit. You and your children will be illiterate, ugly, smelly, probably starving, and you will have to use your hand to clean your backside. Hope you like your new life. I know I will be enjoying your absence too!

God Bless!

Daniel

Once a year......

The pics uploaded in reverse from what I thought it would. Oh well! I will have a few more soon. Enjoy!










Well, I remember saying "what a way to bring in December" on December 1st 2008. It snowed but never did stick. Well fast forward to March 1st 2009. Got it right this time even though the ground is too warm to keep from melting it like butter in the microwave. It is fun while it lasts.

Make a Grown Man Cry

Sheeeeweeeee! Lordy have mercy. My son had an airsoft war with about 10 of his fellow home schooled friends plus a cousin who is not home schooled. It was a hoot. It sounded like mini warfare. Machine guns blazing and commands being yelled back and forth. Then there was the ocassional "hey, I hit you" rebutted by "no, you missed" and so forth. The rains came an went and came back again. The door needs new hinges. Nice mud spots at the front door. Glad my wife is going to take care of that. Anyways, the new Wii system is a hit. Makes me break a sweat and then tells everyone I am 52 years old according to my initial performance. Of course I had no idea what I was doing. Second go around I was suddenly 30 yrs old. The thing also says I am borderline obese. I'll admit I am a little heavier than I'd like to be but no one ever thinks I am fat. Not even close. Oh well, that would never make me cry. The boys kept me up kinda late. I considered getting teary eyed at about 1am and they were still cranking out the laughter. Soon after that I made them shut'er down. Being that tired couldn't make me cry either.

I laid down in the trundle bed in the little boys room. My bed was occupied by the wife and the two littlest of my kids. The big boys slept camping style in the den. So, I lucked out and got the most comfy bed in the house. I was really burning up the Zs with pleasant dreams and what not. I am not sure what happened with all the euphoric sleep business. About 4:30am I got the urge to visit the lavatory and realized that I was about to die. I was well on my way to cringing and crying through what should have been a mid morning exercise in relief. Some how I had cracked a big tooth on the bottom right side of my jaws. OMG....I kept it together for a while by a routine of ice cubes, excedrine migraine, and changing positions. By about 6:30 this morning I was getting ready to let it go.....asked the wife where's anything to help....but nothing more. I was dog tired and the kiddos were starting to move again. Here comes the tears, almost. As my luck goes.....I hate to say providence in this case......this kind of thing ALWAYS and forever happens on a Friday night into a Saturday morning. I can't go to a dentist around here. By this time I can barely hold it back. Clambering my hands on my head thinking about an emergency room visit where a doc can tell me there is nothing he can do because it is a dental situation, and oh btw, here is a $400 bill. It would've been worth it and those saps know it. ugh I found some amoxicillin pills left over from my girl having an ear infection a while back. Two of those and a couple hours later I could tell there was a slight downward trend in the pain category. Then My father was in town and he obliged to bring something from the store. He brings this stuff that looks right out of the hospital. Complete with mini cotton balls and tweezers to dip them into some serious business in the form of a liquid. Then you place it on the tooth that hurts like a murderous terrorist. That stuff is no joke. Where is the guy that came up with that......he needs a good ole handshake. And thanks dad....you da man! It did say not to let any of the liquid get on anything else and you can bet I did let it. Lit my lower lip on fire, but I'd do that ten times over.

After all that I realized I didn't shed a tear! SO HA! You thought I cried. I takes a good movie to do that. Not some silly old near death tooth pain. You need to grow up.

Meet Nonman

All my life I have been followed around by this character. He shows up in many different capacities. Sometimes he's in a uniform enjoying gravy. Sometimes he turns out to be one of those creeps that works for big brother and spends all his time figuring out what everyone is doing wrong. Yet other times this Nonman simply exists in an amazing tapestry of life not knowing where he comes from or how his existence is even possible. We feed him and clothe him. We entrust him with our destiny every two years, but every four if he is even less of a man. Most times he owns no land and has little to lose because he has no idea what true wealth is. He may have a small lot with a huge house. He may have an expensive four wheel drive vehicle with outrageous capacity to get things done but, he does nothing, really. Then again he may have nothing at all. In any case, this character, Nonman, are many, and is like a dark cloud over this country and especially in my life. They come from all walks, creeds, and colors. Every once in a while I will share stories about Nonman. Many of you will be able to relate. Hopefully you will relate as one who knows but not one who is. God help us all. We must change this.

Guest book

Hey folks, I just wanted to let everyone know about the Guest Book at the bottom of the page. If you don't mind please sign it. I really enjoy meeting new folks all over the country and the world. It's a good thing. Y'all stop in any time.

DCW

Charles Turns 12

This pic was taken in the summer of 08.

Yep, it's still birthday season at my house. January, February, and March together have five birthdays clustered in them. My oldest has his in August and this next could be in August too.

Right in the middle of it all is Charles, my second child. Odd as it sounds, Charles spoiled his parents as a baby and a toddler. While we watched other parents catch holy hell from their kids we were somewhat beside ourselves at how pleasant and charming our son was. My first son was also very easy to keep. We'd hear other parents go on and on about how tough it was to raise a child so we started wondering if it was simply the parenting, or some spiritual rift, some other environmental duress, or if it just was the child's character. To this day I still believe it isn't just the child's born-in attitude. I think a lot of it stems from anxiety kids get from mom going to work when the baby is 6 weeks old. I can't really say much more other than we have been blessed to have Charles.

I have watched him at a very young age do things you'd expect only from adults. For instance, he will step in where he sees peers about to fight or act ridiculous and talk sense to them. I remember Charles being in play areas with strange kids and being so friendly. Even when the other kids first contact with him was mean and aggressive he would find ways to calm them and make friends, if it was possible. I guess you call it diplomacy and at that he is a natural.

It breaks my heart to watch him get older. I remember when he turned 6 we had his birthday party at the local community center. At his request we had a dance party complete with a disco ball and boom/wack music. We turned down the lights, turned on the black lights and got out there with Charles and a bunch of his little friends and tore it up. The only down side was my whole family mostly just sitting there watching....ugh. He was so in to it. He wore a bright white long sleeve that glowed in the black lights and stayed towards the back making moves I'd never seen before or since. It was such a success we did it the next year with even more friends. By the time he turned eight he was too cool or mature or something. We have tried every year since then to do that again but he just won't agree to it. I will get him though. He has a couple little brothers that are all about dancing and he will be at their birthday/dance parties.

I will certainly have a lot more stories about this guy to share in the future. He is something else. He is a gift, a blessing, and a value added entity where ever he can be found.

-Dad

Isaac the Entertainer

Isaac was a three year boy who couldn't be discouraged and who would definitely be diagnosed with "ADD" or some other attention disorder if we didn't home-school him. He certainly can make or break your enjoyment of a given time period. My wife and Isaac and the other kids were at a get together with other home-school families at a private park. There were other folks there as well because this is a popular local swimming/fishing hole on a scenic creek in Tennessee. One older gray headed gentlman was tending to his grandkids. He was wearing what you might expect, overalls etc. My son notices him and begins calling on him verly loudly, HEE HAW! HEY HEE HAW! To this day, my wife and I can't figure out where he got that term. We swear he has never seen the show.

That wasn't enough. He always wants to go places with me. I can't start towards my shoes without him practically static clinging to me. So on one occassion I took him to the big truck parts place to get some things for an 18 wheeler. I was standing at the counter as Isaac was circling back and forth through my legs. I noticed a tall black man walking into the parts area. As the man was about to pass by where I stood, Isaac jumped out from behind me, spread his legs shoulder wide as if he would stop the man, threw his hand out towards the man pointing, and began shaking his rear while yelling HIP HOP! I thought he was going to chase the ole guy down yelling HIP HOP over and over. The parts guys were in tears as we could hear the black man laughing his way down the hall.

Art?

This post was originally in response to a thread in a CTU forum covering Arts and Entertainment. The top of the thread was, "Is art a necessity or a luxury?"
I felt compelled to post this because I was gassed by all the moronic answers to that question. It just kills me. I wish I could share all of those but I think it would be illegal to do that.


Hello folks,

Well, since we all can make some sort of claim to art, whether we know that or not, I have to comment on this thread.

I wonder how many people have ever looked up the definition for the word "art". The idea of describing or defining it is like one man, using only his hands, trying to hold a hundred pounds of oiled and loose ping pong balls all at once. Even the scholars have a hard time defining it. The best and most relative definition I can find is "skill in conducting any human activity".

I do have a background in some fine arts, from music and dance to crafts such as ceramics but was any of that necessary? That's a big NO!I didn't have to do those things. None of those things by themselves sheltered, fed, or even helped with either. Were those forms of art a luxury? That's a big YES! I was afforded those things as was my mother, as was those who afforded it to the schools where she honed her skills. It took lots of money. Sure, I can pick up a few twigs from the woods and fashion them into a functional or visually enhanced object, and that would be art, but to who? The next man might be about to freeze if he doesn't build a fire, so my "art" quickly becomes a tool for a real necessity. I said all of this to scratch the surface of why I think it is a ridiculous question.

The real question is whether or not art is in everything or in nothing. I say it is in everything instead of a necessity. So how can I identify art? Let me count the ways. Art is the way a person operates though it may not always be evident. I could spell my name by painting the wheels of an 18 wheeler and driving backwards in a small parking lot. I have seen people talk others into things I can't imagine doing myself. My wife is a work of art. She does such an amazing job keeping the house clean, going to school full time, doing her job bookkeeping in the home office, and home schooling the kids. Who dares say that these things are not artful? So then, we all express art somehow, even if it is figuring out a way to do nothing, and trust me, that IS an art for some.

In closing, I suggest that claiming art, or "fine art" is merely a sophisticated way to try separating yourself from the common man, or it is another way of saying there could possibly be someone who is not an "artist". To me art is not what we see on many college campuses and municipal lawns. These resemble the most useless, indescribable, and expensive stack of manipulated metal or concrete which pays tribute to only itself. Art is useful. Art is a method. Art is priceless. Art is simple, true, and absolute. Art is because the Creator is.

With Respect,

DCW

Some history

I think most of you know about this but some I am sure do not. The easiest way to describe my occupation is to simply say I am a logger. This picture is from a job I did in Ardmore, TN. It is a large red oak in a 16 acre swamp. I cut it around the second week of July 2008. It was incredibly hot that day. This tree is actually not that big compared to many others. I will try to dig up some pics of trees I cut that were over 7 feet across the stump. Most folks have no idea that these trees are all over the place here. Oh well, sorry tree huggers, y'all know what to do! So I am a logger. That really is the bulk of what I do but not nearly what I have done or can do. So here is a scratch on the surface of my life. I grew up on a farm basically. Before I turned 6 years old we did live on a military base so I barely have a claim to that life. My father retired from the USMC back in 1978. We left Camp Pendleton with four of us kids still living at home and a six horse trailer full of horses and other stuff. The Oceanside area of CA is very arid. There is lots of gritty soil and dry grass. I suppose it is good for something but I don't know what. lol When we got to TN on August 5th 1978 we unloaded the horses. You should have seen how they went nuts. They had never seen such green pastures and foliage galore. They ran and ran and then ran some more. When they got done with that they turned around and pranced for a good long while. That day I learned what a happy horse looked like. California must be like prison camp to them.

So here we were, suddenly becoming farmers. Not that we didn't know anything about horses, just that we kept them at the stables in CA. It's a lot different than actually doing all the farm related work. I can't say what it might be like farming in CA but I can tell you that it didn't take long to both dread and to appreciate this style of existence. Our farm which, I still live on, is about five miles from the nearest store and about 25 miles from the nearest town of any size. In my opinion we aren't far enough out in the boonies. City folks are always getting on my nerves out here. Trouble is that it is getting worse every passing year. They dump animals and trash out here. They pay WAY too much for the land and then still try to act like they know anything more than the nearest stump. The punk kids come out to take a swipe at being country. They fail miserably with loud exhaust and booming stereos. Then they go into the neighbors hay fields and tear them up slinging mud during the rainy winters. What a bunch of government educated morons. Anyways, I learned early about digging fence post holes and breaking the ever present rocks up in the hole to make it deeper. I remember the first time I ever saw a bush hog sling a rock. Damn that hurt. I had no clue what was coming through the high grass like a bullet. Wouldn't have mattered because I didn't have time to do anything about it. It took me a few minutes to get myself together after that.

Back when I was a teen there wasn't much way to make any cash. I worked on neighbors farms. The work varied from building and mending fences to worming animals or running equipment. Eventually I followed my brothers into the woods to cut firewood. Turned out to be the one thing I could make real cash at and get a heck of a workout at the same time. I bought my first car by cutting firewood. It was a 1965 Buick Wildcat convertible. What a sweet ride it was. Oh well, maybe one day I will restore it. When I win the lottery like everything else. I did manage to do other jobs. My first job working for someone else as a regular employee was teaching dance. Crazy huh? I answered an ad looking for ballroom dance instructors. They said they would train me so off I went working most early evenings at a dance studio. Was funny because I would dress in a suit, drive an old truck loaded with firewood to town, teach a few hours, and then go deliver firewood. I dunno, it just worked. I continued to teach dance here and there for a few years after that but by now it has been too long. I also worked in a small kiddy park with rides etc, drove a limo a little bit, worked in purchasing for an electronics contractor, and various other manufacturing jobs. I tried quite a few different types of work but through it all I still cut firewood. With my desire to be my own boss, and all the time I spent in the woods it was a natural gravitation to become a timber harvester. There are a lot of reasons I continue to do it even though there really isn't much money in it. There are many more reasons to quit but all of those reasons do not add up to the reasons I'd quit most anything else. It is never the job really, it's the people. Seeing how a rather large percentage of the population sucks, I am happy to be out there, mostly alone with the trees, animals, bugs etc. We all have a clear understanding of each other! lol People flip flop and back stab whereas all these other environmental factors are ever dependable. Except maybe the weather. It can suck too! I have just generally explained some of my perspective. There is a lot of other things that happened along the way. I am sure I will fill in the blanks over time. I plan on sharing some events from our own funny farm back in the day. You'll love it, trust me.

Still headed home

So we headed east on hwy 50. I knew I’d have a mountain or two to climb. I also thought there was a good chance I would run into some snow. What I hadn’t figured on was about to make itself known. There is a little town in Nevada called Austin. It sits on the side of a mountain, literally. I remember going up the main drag through town in a fairly steep climb. It was the middle of the night so I was not sure of the totality of the climb. Leaving town the road narrowed back to two lanes and then a sharp left and a very steep climb came right after. We all know how the mountain roads twist around and change elevation. As I was beginning to wonder if the mountain had a top to it I could see some stars low to the horizon on my right, looking east. I thought maybe that next curve would get me over the top. It would have right then except I heard a grinding noise, followed by a high pitched whine, and closed out with a loud clunking sound, all coming from my 15 turn-around transmission. The truck came to a pretty quick stop and I realized that this mountain was no place to be on a Friday night before a big snow storm knowing that every possible place that could help was closed and would not likely be open until Monday.
Like many of us do in a situation like that, I found God again. I am ashamed to say it but I should have been calling on Him all day, every day. So I prayed a good bit worried for my son and my family that would wonder what happened. All day I had no signal to speak of since I left I-80 in the morning. Sitting up there with the snow coming down, at 11pm or so, I picked up a faint signal that came and went on my phone. I decided to start calling around by first using information to get numbers of big truck dealers. Dealers generally have a 24 hr road service that can get you going. Even though I just knew I would not be going, I gave it a try. I actually talked to a couple dealer service people but no one could do anything about me because all the big tow trucks were already out due to the storm and it would be at least morning. I kept praying as an hour passed making calls. Then I manage to get in touch with an outfit that could come get me and a place that would work on the truck too. When I added up the total cost of getting towed and rebuilding the transmission I was looking at a minimum of $9,000. That is nuts! My heart sank deep down. Another hour passed by. I just laid it in God’s lap as best I could. Then I felt He wanted me to try the transmission again. So as I already done many times, I moved the five position stick into each gear and finally the 4th position engaged! Then I thought about the three ranges of low, medium, and high for a total of 15 speeds. So if it works in fourth low, then it might work in mid and high. Scared to take it out of gear once I got it in, I eased off the clutch. Slowly the truck started shaking around having a hard time getting going on the steep incline with a heavy load and a bad gear to start out with, but IT WORKED. OMG I teared up a bit thanking God for this little miracle. With about 2,000 miles to go I figured if He willed me to go in the 5mph gear all the way I would. I topped the mountain and started off the other side crawling along slow as anything. On the way down I passed a couple wrecks on the twisted two lane covered in ice and snow. From there, the snow just got worse for hundreds of miles. Right before I got to the bottom of the mountain I decided to try going to mid range and that worked. As I gained up to about 15mph I decided to go into high and it worked too. I hit the little straight away going 65mph! I was so thankful that this happened. It meant that if I could keep going that I might get back to the land of milk and honey in a couple days! It wasn’t long that I could go so fast. The next mountain to climb was a few miles off and I would repeat getting into low and going back to high at the bottom of the other side many times.
Eventually I got to the town of Ely NV, pronounced e-lee, with snow everywhere and a little truck stop with food and showers. I was extremely tired but didn’t care. We had to get cleaned up and get something to eat first. After that I slept real good for a few hours. All of these things went on throughout the night an my son was almost clueless that there was any trouble. It is amazing how much children believe in their dads and we just take it for granted.
I will start from here in the next post, hopefully in a few days.

Goldstrike headed home

When I got back into the part of the world with cell signal I immediately started calling all the agents and brokers I knew that could help me find a load home. I had thrown some feelers out on my way over but there is a problem with getting a load to go when you haven't gotten the one you're carrying off yet. I have been caught in the situation and everyone gets upset. Anyhow, I had no luck up to that point as northern NV is pretty empty and not too much manufacturing is going on so loads are scarce for people not from the area. The locals get all the loads going out though one slips through now and then and a lucky flatbedder heads out. So we get back to the truck stop there in Carlin on I-80 and I feverishly make calls knowing that no load meant we were going to be stuck there all weekend at least. Truck stops typically have what we call load boards. It is a tv monitor with all loads available including for what type of truck, the origin, destination, weight, broker, phone number, and sometimes the pay rate. I spent hours monitoring the monitor like an anxious stock broker. Eventually one popped up for Memphis, TN. A full heavy load to be picked up some 250 miles away. It's a long ways to deadhead (go empty) but it was my only chance so I made the call and set it up. We were going to pick up magnesium oxide. It sounds dangerous but I think it is a main ingredient in Tums or some other ant-acids.
We headed farther west on I-80 to a town called Battle Mountain. There wasn’t much there but it sure did have a monster of a mountain hovering over it. What an impressive sight! My son still talks about it two years later. At Battle Mountain we headed south on NV hwy 305. That highway is a pretty long stretch of nothingness with long views as the ground in front of us mostly sloped downwards and the sky opened for miles to either side before being abruptly shortened by the distant mountains. Along this road were occasional old military vehicles just sitting by the road with various weapon systems on them. I doubt seriously the missiles and guns on the trucks were any count but still an odd sight to see having not entered a military base (that I know of). Somewhere along the way there is this rest stop that consisted of a gravel turn off, a trash can, and a concrete slab style open air building about the size of an average living room. There were two bathrooms inside and no indication of what gender was to use which. So I went in one and Charles went in the other. I saw what looked like a fancy bucket sitting in one corner and nothing more. There was probably enough room in that “restroom” to place 50 buckets just like it in there. I eased over to the plastic structure coming out of the floor and peered down. I figured that this would be one of those environmentally conscious outhouse style jobs except there was no fancy bulletin with scientific explanations of what those freaks are going to do with my deposits. Then it occurred to me that they had no water anywhere close and this is the way it has to be done. At that moment I hear a rather loud voice call out to me, “hey dad, is this the toilet? This is gross! I can see a big pile about 10 feet down.” I chuckled to myself a little bit and yelled into the abyss, “yes son, that is the toilet, try not to plug it up.” He gave a chuckle in return and said, “at least there is some tp.” When we got back in the truck I sure was happy I kept a box of baby wipes with me. I tears me up not to have soap and water in the facilities.
The next turn was onto US highway 50. There was a sign proudly proclaiming it as “The Loneliest Road”. I am sure there is little argument over it. The town of Austin, NV was just to our left but we headed right into nothingness again. Somewhere on that strip of two lane travel was another interesting sight. Here it was in the middle of winter, in the middle of nowhere, in a place where even the stalwart cotton woods refused to grow was a tree covered in a strange foliage right by the road. I slowed down to a crawl and we creped by in disbelief at the big cotton wood tree covered in pairs of shoes. It wasn’t the craziest thing I’d ever seen but it ranked high in the weird category. All this stuff I am telling you about you can read about through various internet resources and you should. So onward to the next turn off a good ways away.
When we got to NV highway 361 that only went left (south), there was a sign welcoming us to “Middlegate Junction”. Okay I thought, so I wonder what we’re going to see. When we made the left, there was this little saloon looking building on the right with a big lot to pull into, so being a couple hours along after the last stop, we pulled in to see if there was any business being done. No cars or even a wisp of sound other that the wind sliding around the dried up thistles. Even though I have been in rodeos and roped a horse or two, I never felt closer to being a cowboy than exactly right then. I imagined the spurs on my boots as I walked up to the wood planked awning. I grabbed the door and it opened with ease, I looked inside and there was a lady standing behind a bar. There was also a couple tables, drink coolers and convenience items on shelves. She welcomed me in so I turned back to Charles who was waiting in the truck and motioned for him to c’mon. It was actually a decent little place. Before long a couple other folks came in that looked like the real deal desert dwellers. She asked if we were hungry as if she could see it in our eyes. In a few minutes we were sitting at one of the creaking tables enjoying bacon cheeseburgers. Those were probably some of the best burgers we’d ever had.
After introducing ourselves to the others we paid the bill and headed to the city of Gabbs where the magnesium oxide mine is. I guess it was nearly an hour, give or take, to the mine. We could see the city 30 or 40 minutes before we got there. I had compared it to being in a plane on approach for a long time. We finally got there and had to climb a steep incline up to the mine which was on the side of a mountain. It took a long time to get loaded because other trucks were there too, but it took even longer to cover the load in a tarp. After running the jakes (engine brakes) all the way down the steep grade we went back up 361 for a long slow rise back up to Middlegate Junction. By the time we got on our way it was pretty late and hours had passed. I needed fuel for the truck and the little Middle Gate Junction store had an old diesel pump just for folks like me. When we got back there were a couple cars there but a bunch of people. The place was sort of hopping. I went in to grab a couple sodas for the road and pay for fuel which was quite high. On my way out I there was a guy and a gal that were drunk and wanted to go with us back east. After getting a short story from them on what they knew about my area I finally got away.
Remember the snow storm that shut Denver down the week before Christmas of 2006? Well I found out it was about to start as I turned back on US Highway 50. I knew for sure that I-80 would be shut down so I had to figure out what to do. Going back south to I-40 was bad for several reasons on top of being several hundred miles out of the way. I called my father who grew up around 50 and asked him if it was a good road. He assured me it was a good road but there would be a couple mountains to climb. It also would cut my miles going east a good number as well as help dodge the storm. Well, even after everything that was about to happen, I still say it was the best choice.

It gets a bit crazy after this.