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