Justamereblog

Adios Muchachos

2007-03-15T19:00:00.000-06:00

It's been fun and all but all things must come to an end. Lately things have been so busy for me and it appears that it will continue to pile up. So...I'll be turning of the bloglight at Justamereblog. For exactly how long is hard to say. It may be for a short while or for good. There's just no way to know right now.

It's been fun and entertaining and I wish you all the best of luck in things to come.

Until then, goodbye.

The Guy in the Back

7 - T - 4

2007-03-15T05:57:00.000-06:00

It's Day 74 of no beer.

No alcohol of any kind.

I still eat just as much.

I still don't exercise regularly.

But I've still lost about 10-12 pounds.

And it's starting to show.

Notice the belt? I've had to tighten up a notch on it. I could even go one more but it just looks better this way.

I'm kind of anxious to see what the summer brings when I start skiing and getting a bit more active. Time will tell.

Happy HNT!

Stop by the Back Row and let Os know if you played along this week.

PS - Yeah, that's a pink shirt. What of it?

He's like a hair in a biscuit

2007-03-14T20:43:00.000-06:00

He just keeps hanging in there!

I can't believe that Brandon is gone and Sanjaya isn't. I think syphillis would be easier to get rid of than this sissy-ass SOB. It has to be the "anti-Idol" groups trying to make a mockery of the hit show. That's the only reason he can still be on the show. If you don't like Idol, just fuckin' change the channel already! No need in literally ruining someone's chances at a life-changing opportunity. He can NOT sing. Hell, he can't even hula that well. Send the bitch packing! Please.

I heard some guys on the radio this morning talking about Brandon. They were waiting to see him come out with some mirrored shades and throw down with "American Woman" in true Lenny style. Looks like that ain't gonna be happening any time soon.

I was a bit shocked that Phil stacy was in the bottom three but I guess stranger things have happened. Like Sanjaya still being on the show next week. And pigs flying. Whatever. I'm on the vergoe of boycotting the show til he's voted off. Yes, it makes me that ill to see him hanging around.

I think Melinda Doolittle is your next Idol. And Sanjaya is the new William Hung. I think I need to go to bed and quit thinking about it. Goodnight all.

Short and to the point

2007-02-28T21:10:00.000-06:00

The rest of the contestants should save us the trouble and leave Lakisha, Melinda and Sabrina to duke it out. If they don't make up the final 3, there ain't a dog in Georgia. (How's that for a hick metaphor?)

They should combine Idol with Extreme Makeover and make the contest really interesting. Here are my picks for the teams:

1) Lakisha and Jenny Craig. Or maybe Kirstie Ally. Need I elaborate?

2) Melinda and Montel Williams. She needs to read his book, "Move Over Mountain". Simon nailed it tonight when he said she really didn't know how good she was.

3) Sabrina and Dr. Robert Rey of "Dr. 90210" fame. If she had a nose job, she'd be as good-looking as she is enjoyable to hear singing.

That's it for the night. Early favorites often stumble so...I may have to pick another finisher later. But for now, these are my views.

We may have a race after all.

2007-02-27T21:43:00.000-06:00

So the guys on American Idol actually showed up for the singing part of the competition tonight. They might even stand a chance against the girls after all. Doubtful at this point, but still possible.

I think the front-runner is fast becoming Chris Richardson. He is really showing promise to be a real performer, not to mention the fact that he really does have a good voice.
Phil Stacy, Chris Sligh and Blake Lewis are my other picks to win, place or show for the guys. And for the love of Allah, could ya'll PLEASE quit voting for that Sanjaya dude (or dudette). Just hearing him talk is creepy enough, let alone listening to him sing. Send his ass home! Please? I'll even toss in Jared to make it a set. Deal?

I'm anxious to see if anything is mentioned tomorrow night about Antonella Barba's recent publicity. Maybe the judges will be willing to accept a "favor" or two to "throw her a bone". She may as well concede. Lakisha, Melinda, Sabrina and Stephanie are about to lap the field.

Later, kids. It's bedtime.

What's it worth?

2007-02-25T19:35:00.000-06:00

Last night, I was preparing to make strawberry shortcake (Yes, my culinary skills go well beyond grilling) when I ran across this peculiar-looking strawberry. I thought it looked a LOT like a pair of plump, red lips.

Don't you agree?

I put it on top of the glaze container for a size reference. It's more than a mouthful for sure. Whatcha think? Should I try to sell it on eBay?

We rode down to the lake this afternoon to spend a little time with some friends and to pick out our lot for the summer at the "yacht club". I snapped this pic from the boat ramp.

It's a little hard to tell from the pic, but the wind was blowing so hard that the waves are white-capping. I prefer to just stay on shore when it gets this rough. It's no fun fighting the wind the entire time.

Right place. Right time.

2007-02-24T16:58:00.000-06:00

Getting up early isn't always a bad thing. If I had slept for 5 more minutes on Friday morning, I would have missed this altogether:

Same camera setting, 45 seconds after the first pic was taken:

30 seconds after this pic and the sky looked "ordinary" again. I suppose timing really is everything.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Inventory Control

2007-02-23T20:54:00.000-06:00

Spotted at a BP station on my way to work:

Need a closer view?

Mardi Gras HNT

2007-02-21T22:24:00.000-06:00

Last year we had a party for my wife's birthday. That party had a Mardi Gras theme. I adopted a pretty cool hat as "mine" and wore it for the evening. After the party we all went to a club for drinks and dancing and other celebratory fun. I still had the hat on at the club. The notoriety the hat generated was unreal. All the women loved it. The men tried to buy it. One guy even offered me $50 for it. No Sale.

What better subject for a Mardi Gras HNT than that hat?

Happy HNT!

Be sure to let Os know if you played along.

Whooooo-Wee!!!

2007-02-21T21:05:00.000-06:00

Dem gurls can sang!

Can you say "Night and Day"? That's the difference between the girls on American Idol performing tonight and the guys last night.

Right out of the gate, Stephanie Edwards set the mark for the evening. I was thinking that this song would be on the Season 6 CD already. The next two girls were so-so but nowhere close to Stephanie. And then came Sabrina Sloan's time to shine. And did she ever. She made it a 2-horse race for sure then.

Not until the 9th performance did another person even come close. That person was Melinda Doolittle, the meek little background singer that aspires to be a front person someday. She laid it out there for them all to get a look at. She can kiss her back-up career bye-bye. She's got her head in the wind now and no one is going to make her step back ever again. And as if they were saving the best for last...Lakisha Jones put the lid on the bucket. She sang her ass off! (And might I add, that's quite a bit of ass) The judges acted like they were ready to cut the season short and just give her the title and spare the others the agony of competing every week.

If I'm picking an early favorite, it's between Sabrina and Lakisha. I really like Gina Glockson too. She has the perfect personality. She's straight-up without being cocky. She's modest enough to accept a compliment as well as critique.

I'm thinking the guys will have to step up if they want a chance at the finale. The girls were better 3-to-1 tonight. Tomorrow night, 2 guys and 2 girls will be sent home. Did you vote yet?

Ooooo...that had to sting a bit!

2007-02-20T21:07:00.000-06:00

Tonight was the first "real" night of the American Idol competition. And I think the standout favorite performance of the night was by Ryan Seacrest. Especially in the closing seconds when he thanked Randy and Paula for a great job. And made no mention of Simon. At all. And the look that he got from Simon...Ouch.

Earlier in the night, Chris Sligh had offered a retalliatory comment to Simon's interpretation of his performance. He sang an alternative song (I think it was "Anyone but Me" but can't remember exactly) and Simon made some smart-ass remark (imagine that) about his performance being similar to "some student gig" at a college or something. Chris shot back with something like, "I know the song is popular, That's why I chose it, for the audience. Just because I don't sing like Il Divo or the TeleTubbies doesn't mean I won't get the votes." Then Ryan and Simon had words about the remark being insulting to Simon, who "discovered" the TeleTubbies. And that just escalated for the rest of the night.

Enough of the drama, on to the singing. My personal fave of the night was Blake Lewis. aka the Beat Box Boy. His voice was so smooth and the song choice was perfect. And now the title of it escapes my tired little brain too. I think it was a Manilow song. I have it Tivo'd I could go rewind it if it was vvery important. But it's not so..wait til tomorrow and look it up on the Idol website.

My picks to go home on Thursday are Sanjaya and Jared. Neither were very impressive tonight.

I've had a rough day today. I'll tell you all about it later. I'm heading to bed to fall asleep while watching CSI: Miami. That Eva La Rue is a hottie and Emily Proctor is a close second. ;)

Who Got Laid?

2007-02-15T07:16:00.000-06:00

As most of you know, I/We decided to install laminate flooring over the weekend. It wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be, but I still have 2 more rooms to do so there'll be plenty of time for me to change my mind about that.

This is the "Before":

The den was pretty simple actually. Just three AC/heating vents and two electrical outlets to cut around.
This is "During":

I was cutting around one of the floor outlets in that pic. Notice the scrap "template"?

And here is the "After":

It looks even nicer if you're standing in the room but maybe you can get the idea.

And this is "After the After":

Even though I was wearing kneepads, all that crawling around caused a blister on my knee. Not only did it cause a blister, it caused the blister to pop. Sexy, huh?

It only took about 13-14 hours total to get it all done. The kitchen will be a bit more trying due to all the cabinets that have to be cut around. I think we're starting the demolition on the tile tonight or Friday. I can hardly wait. Anyone in a samaritous mood? (I think I might have just made that word up, but you have to admit that it sounds good.)

Let Os know if you got nekkid this week.

It's Valentine's Day.

2007-02-14T18:29:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

I warned you.

2007-02-13T21:16:00.000-06:00

So I've been a bad blogger for a day or 3. I told ya'll I'd be busy. I'll be back to normal posting as soon as I get a break.

The flooring is partially finished. The den is done. The kitchen and dining rooms will take longer but I think I got the knack of it now. The foyer will be last and easiest of all. I took some pics but will wait til later to post them.

I'm going to bed early. Good night.

Annoying people

2007-02-09T05:42:00.000-06:00

Next time you are sitting next to someone who irritates you on a plane or train or wherever, follow the instructions below...

1. Quietly and calmly open up your laptop case.

2. Remove your laptop.

3. Boot it.

4. Make sure the person who won't leave you alone can see the screen.

5. Open your email client to this message.

6. Close your eyes and tilt your head up to the sky.

7. Then hit this link

Don't Forget!

2007-02-08T07:17:00.000-06:00

Today is special for more than just being HNT. I marked it on my desk planner in bold bright neon yellow just to help me ~~remember~~ count down the days until it got here.
See?

If you look closely, you can read "Trade Show" on that date. 90% of the people that I deal with on a daily basis are at that trade show. They're busy rubbing elbows with customers, promoting specials from our vendors and trying to help the customers make money while increasing sales for the company as well. This means that for the past 2 days, my job has been pretty laid back. The phone calls dropped from hundreds (I'm not exaggerating) to more like dozens. And I can handle dozens with ease.

Speaking of ease....

This is what my week has been like compared to a normal week. Makes me almost feel guilty for taking home a paycheck this week. I said "almost". (If any of my bosses are reading this, this pic was staged. I was not actually kicked back with nothing to do. There is a PILE of work just out of view to the right. I resumed my duties immediately following the click of the shutter.)

But that isn't the real reason I had the calendar marked. That was just coincidental. The main reason is that today is my wife's birthday! She turns (edited for security reasons) today! Wish her Happy Birthday, won't you?

Don't forget to drop by The Back Row and check on the rest of the crowd. I hear they're half-nekkid over there.

And so it begins...

2007-02-04T11:31:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, we took the first step on a long-awaited project that, while it is what we have been wanting to do for almost 2 years, it's also something that I have been dreading for nearly as long.

Here's that first step:

A closer look:

That's 32 boxes of laminate flooring. 800 square feet of knee-killing beauty.

Aside from the financial aspect of it, this was probably the easiest step of the whole thing. I think now is a good time to mention that I have to remove nearly 400 square feet of ceramic tile and cement backerboard before we can do the kitchen and dining room. The backerboard was put down to stay put. I know. I put it down. It has 2" screws every 6-8 inches across the whooooooole area. That equates to about 2400 screws that have been mortared over with thinset cement, leaving little or no chance off unscrewing them. I'll have to break up the board, then either grind off what's left of the screws or try to break them off flush with the subfloor. Either way, it's going to be aggravating. Add to it the fact that we will have to live here while it's going on. And the only available time to work on it will be at night and on the weekends. Now you see why I've been dreading it. But the end result will be worth the few hours I spend cussing and getting cussed at.

If I'm MIA for a little while, fear not for I am just busy with things other than blogging. I plan to start ripping the carpet out of the den tonight and starting with the (hopefully) "easy part" first. The den is 24'x22' with no fancy corners. All square cuts. I should be able to knock it out in a few hours.

Wish me luck. And wish her patience.

He's baaaaaaaack! And other useless babble.

2007-02-02T20:36:00.000-06:00

~~Lock up your daughters and your livestock! He's on the loose again!~~ Ladies and Gentlemen, put your hands together in a warm, heartfelt welcome (back) for our old buddy Chuck! If you haven't already...get your asses over there and tell him how glad you are that he's back. Lie to him if you have to. He'd do the same for you!

Thanks to NoOne's repeated ~~whining because my blog still worked and hers didn't~~ comments on my HNT post, Blogger apparently realized that they had forgotten to make me convert to the new Beta format. That all changed tonight. I was forced to switch before I could continue. Now I get to enjoy all the server errors and other assorted headaches that everyone else has been bitching about. What ever would I do without friends like her?

Actually, the switch went well and the new system isn't so bad. Yet anyway. I may even like it better. OK, a little better. So far.

We (the wife, myself and both dogs) went to swap the batteries on my trail camera this afternoon. I had a few decent pics on it but not the "Muy Grande" that I'm hoping to see there before spring. I know he's there. It's just a matter of time and timing. I'm planning on leaving it out all summer too. Updates coming as they occur.

I need a good idea for a Super Bowl party meal. Any help from the gallery?

Mile-High HNT

2007-02-01T05:32:00.000-06:00

Today is a day that my wife holds with almost as much reverence as "Black Friday." This is the day AFTER deer season. Her marriage is once again whole and sacred. There will still be a few weekends of taking down stands and making sure that feeders and mineral stations are kept full and operational. But she enjoys getting out and riding the 4-wheeler with me when I do those things so it won't be the same as my leaving her home alone most every weekend from October 15th til the end of January.

I did have a pretty good season overall. Pics are here, here and here if you're interested. I had other chances but I chose to let a few deer "go to grow" and hope to reap the rewards in the years to come.

Remember last week's HNT post? When I told you all I had something planned for this week? Sitting in a tree for hours on end gives you time to think about a lot of things. Life, love, the pursuit of ~~monster bucks~~ happiness, etc. And I've even spent a little time thinking of ideas that I could do while sitting in a tree enjoying the quiet time in the great outdoors. I've posted a few of those as HNT's. So now, as the season draws to a close, I'll have to think of other ideas that aren't hunting-related. But, I still have another week to think about the next HNT post. "Carpe' Diem" and all that stuff. Right?

Here's the one I've had planned for nearly two weeks now. Before putting all of my hunting gear away for 9 more months, I decided to try a little creativity.

(And yes, I carry both knives while hunting. I was a Boy Scout, remember?) And before SomeOne makes another comment about geezers, Ol' Man is a brand of treestand.
See?

This idea also hit me Saturday morning so I decided to just make it a "2-fer" this week. (Does this give me a credit balance in case I can't come up with one later on?)

I carved this about 33-35 feet up an oak tree. If I hang a stand in the same tree next year, I'll be sure to take another picture of it. And I know 35 feet high is a little bit shy of a mile, but you have to admit...it was a catchy title.

Swing by The Back Row to see the rest of the half-nekkid people!

20

2007-01-30T20:21:00.001-06:00

20 hicks from the 'Ham to the 'Wood.

Tonight was the night for the Birmingham auditions for American Idol. 20 people made it through to Hollywood for a chance to keep the streak alive. In case you live under a rock, Alabama is home to (and I quote Ryan Seacrest here) "more Idol superstars than any other state."

My fave of the night was the Justin Guarini/Jask Osborn/Jack Black kid with the jokes. He sings decent enough but will be entertaining to watch, if only for the dry humor that he brings with him. And (Lord help us) there is another "bumpkin" in the mix. The "blue-eyed bombshell" with the severely dysfunctional family made it through. Hopefully, she'll brush up on her pronunciations for "Salmon" and "Calamari" before "pulling a Pickler" while in Hollywood.

I will admit that the night's auditions did show a few of the "more interesting" hopefuls but I also happily add that some of those were from out of state. And the producers did make mention of how graciously the ones turned down accepted the news. It even amazed the judges that the folks down here understand that "I'm sorry but it's a No" doesn't mean that one should immediately break into an even worse song, plead with the judges to reconsider or even "pitch a hissy fit" and make fools of themselves.

I would also like to add that Mayfield's Turtle Tracks Ice Cream is proof that there really is a God.

That just about does it.

2007-01-28T21:37:00.000-06:00

My hunting season is over.

Final score:
Me-2
Deer-2

Rematch scheduled for October.

The season officially ends Wednesday but I have to work. Being a breadwinner sucks sometimes.

Hopefully, you all had a pleasant weekend.

P.S. Turkey season opens April 20.

Monastery Life

2007-01-26T17:23:00.000-06:00

A young monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to helping the other monks in copying the old canons and laws of the church by hand.

He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from copies, not from the original manuscript. So, the new monk goes to the head abbot to question this, pointing out that if someone made even a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up! In fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies.

The head monk says, "We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son."
He goes down into the dark caves underneath the monastery where the original manuscripts are held as archives in a locked vault that hasn't been opened for hundreds of years. Hours go by and nobody sees the old abbot.

So, the young monk gets worried and goes down to look for him. He sees him banging his head against the wall and wailing,
"We missed the 'R'!; We missed the 'R'!"

His forehead is all bloody and bruised and he is crying uncontrollably. The young monk asks the old abbot, "What's wrong, Father?"

With a choking voice, the old abbot replies, "The word was..
CELEB R ATE!!!"

Decisions, Decisions.

2007-01-25T05:26:00.000-06:00

Or the lack thereof.

I was having a bit of a mental block on what to post for HNT this week. I did snap one pic last night but it was just too much like last week's so I decided to just keep it for later. Maybe.

So as I was sitting here, drumming my fingers on the desk, listening to a little Buffett...the idea hit me.

The meditative drumming of my fingers would be good enough. It'll have to be. That's all I've got this week.
I've actually planned one for next week though! Tune in and see what it is.

Meanwhile, go see Os for more, better-prepared folks with more nekkidness.

Happy HNT, everyone!

Redneck Pick Up Lines

2007-01-23T06:08:00.000-06:00

I can only pray these don't work. Can you imagine the genetic offspring created by combining the DNA from someone that would even use these lines with the person that actually fell for them?

1) Did you fart?
cuz you shore blew me away.

2) Are yer parents retarded?
cuz ya sure are special.

3) My Love fer you is like diarrhea .
I can't hold it in.

4) Do you have a library card?
cuz I'd like to sign you out.

5) Is there a mirror in yer pants?
cuz I can see myself in em.

7) You might not be the best lookin girl here, but beauty's only a light
switch away.

8) Man - "Fat Penguin!"
Woman - "WHAT?"
Man - "I just wanted to say something that would break the ice."

9) I know I'm not no Fred Flintstone,
but I bet I can make yer bed-rock.

10) I can't find my puppy, can you help me find him?
I think he went inta this cheap motel room.

11) Yer eyes are as blue as winder cleaner.

12) If yer gunna regret this in the mornin, we kin sleep til afternoon.

and.... the best for last!

13) Yer face reminds me of a wrench,
ever time I think about it my nuts tighten up.

I knew I was forgetting something!

2007-01-21T15:57:00.000-06:00

Ever had that feeling? That you're missing something but can't quite figure out what it is? Sure you have.

Imagine my surprise when ~~the smart one in the bunch~~ my wife told me Saturday morning that "Nashville Star" is back on TV again. And that she had watched the replay of previously-aired episode while I was ~~wasting time~~ hunting Saturday morning. Surprised that we haven't even seen it advertised once this year, I asked the all customary questions. "How many episodes have we missed?", "Are the singers any good this year?", "Who're the hosts this year?", "When's it on during the week?", "Who got voted off?", "Any hotties on this year?". (I didn't actually ask her the one about the hotties. I added that for comedic value. Did it work? No? OK, movin' right along.) I must

Luckily, the show has only been on for 2 weeks, since January 11th. I've watched most of the past performances online at the website and really can't pick a favorite this soon. But I'll be tuned in to the USA Network at 9PM Central for the next 8-10 Thursday nights (set your TiVo if you have it) to start my own eliminations.

Now is the time of year that I really enjoy TV. Prison Break, 24, American Idol, Nashville Star...all I need now is for Big Brother to hurry up and begin and we'll be set for the week.

It's back to work tomorrow.

Ugh.

"Now taking applications"

2007-01-20T20:48:00.000-06:00

I think I need to start my own handyman show. Applications are now being accepted for the next "Tool Time Girl." All applicants must furnish their own nail apron for the interview.

I'm just kidding about the show. And the applications. But I did do a little more "fixer-upping" this morning. And I did have a "Tim Taylor" moment as well.

Remember when I replaced the lavatory faucet in the master bath? And I told you that I was planning on replacing the kitchen faucets next? Yes, I did tell you that. Go look.

See? I told you. Anyway, we have an island in the kitchen with a regular sink on one side and a bar sink on the other. We bought new matching faucets for both the other night and I decided that today was as good a time as any to do it.

Standard sink before:

Remember how I said I hated those single handle faucets?

Standard sink after:

I like this one much better.

The faucet on the bar sink already had two handles but it was dripping and needed an odd cartridge-style kit to repair it. I couldn't find the part (and I like the idea of both faucets matching) so I just bought a whole new faucet assembly.

Bar sink before:

Bar sink after:

Notice how they look amazingly similar?

That's because that's still the old faucet. I didn't know until I was ready to disassemble the old faucet that the bar sink is a single hole sink, meaning it has only one hole above the basin that the faucet fits in. The new faucet is for a "2-hole application." Now in some cases, this might sound like something that only a fool would complain about. But plumbing isn't one of those cases.

I got online and checked at Lowe's. The only faucet for a bar sink they have is the one like we bought. Unless you want to replace the faucet AND the sink. Then they offer the combo for $22 more than what we paid for the faucet alone. But the faucet looks like a cheap POS. See? It's been decided that we'll just buy the replacement sink and faucet, then replace the faucet with the nicer, matching one that we bought for it. So the bar sink will be another project for a later date. I just shut off the water to it since we rarely use it anyway. I'll pick up the new sink next weekend (or maybe the next) and hopefully finish up the last of the faucet replacements for a while.

I went hunting this morning and let a young buck live another day. I took a few photos and shot a brief video of him. If I had been hunting with my bow, I think I would have taken the shot. He was standing directly beneath me for at least a full minute. And within 30 feet for a total of maybe 5 minutes. Here's a couple of the photos. (Courtesy of ImageShack because Blogger is acting up AGAIN)
From about 40 feet away (with zoom):

Here he is as he was walking from underneath my stand, 30 feet above him:

I'm going back to the same stand in the morning and I may not be in such a kind mood if I see him again. So wish him luck. I'm off to bed now. I got up early and have to be up early again.

I hope you're all enjoying the weekend.

Laid Back HNT

2007-01-18T05:25:00.000-06:00

It's cold and windy outside.

So what?

Nothing like kicking back on the sofa after dinner in front of a nice roaring fire. With your sweetheart's head in your lap. Yep, it's pretty hard to top that.

Happy HNT.

Don't forget to drop by the Back Row to let Os know you're participating this week.

Idol go South!!

2007-01-17T21:31:00.000-06:00

This is Season 6 of American Idol. The first two auditions were held in Minneapolis and Seattle. They both showed little promise of anything Idol-worthy.

A little something to ponder:

Texas offered up the first (and currently most successful) Idol ever, Kelly Clarkson.

Alabama has produced two Idols, Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks. And also a first runner-up with Bo Bice.

North Carolina has Fantasia Barrino as their very own Idol.

Oklahoma sent Carrie Underwood to instant fame as CMA's Horizon Award winner and Female Vocalist of the Year after winning Idol 5.

Six southerners. Five 1/2 American Idols. Coincidence? I think not.

The next audition is in Memphis, TN. I'll bet the farm we'll see some real talent from there. The bluesy, black gospel influence is prevalent throughout the region and that's the stuff that has made 4 of the 5 Idols really stand out.

Time will tell. One thing for sure. It can't get much worse.

TGIB, Out.

I could be the next American Idol!!

2007-01-16T22:07:00.000-06:00

As long as the competition was limited to the Minneapolis-St. Paul auditions, that is.

Tonight's auditions, in a word...SUCKED! I found more entertainment in the judge's heckling than the tryouts. And I must say, Jewel is the epitomy of wholesome good looks. We have a friend that could pass for her twin. Seriously. I didn't realize just how much they do look alike until my wife pointed it out tonight. And what's even more bizarre, the friend's name is Jill. I even referred to Jewel as Jill one time while commenting about something. It's weird.

Anyway, it has to get better than this. Surely.

Next stop...Seattle.

24

2007-01-14T08:06:00.000-06:00

Things I have said in the past 24 hours:

1- "It shouldn't take long at all. There's not that much roof on the whole house and we're only doing the back side and the new addition.."

2- "I thought you said we'd be nailing shingles by 9 o'clock?"

3- "Tell (your brother) to move the ladder so we can get down and we'll start bringing up the bundles and get everything ready."

4- "What are going to do? Jump off the front of the house?"

5- "Don't do that. Man, you're gonna break your damn leg."

6- "Dammit, (other sensible buddy)! He just broke his leg!"

7- "Dude...you're fucked up. Why didn't you just wait for (your brother) to move the ladder?"

8- (thought to myself when the paramedics cut his sock off) "Holy shit! That's his bone...and it's sticking way out of his leg. Why is it so hot all of a sudden? I think I'm gonna back over here and sit down a minute. I think they have it under control now."

9- (spoken as the doors to the ambulance were being closed) "Well (Geronimo's brother), I guess that makes you the foreman now."

And last but not least:

10 - "I told you so!"

Saturday morning, I was supposed to go help my friend/neighbor/co-worker put a roof on a new addition that he built onto a rental house that he owns. The job was supposed to be simple enough. 4 guys with hammers nailing on less than 10 squares (30 bundles) of shingles. 3 hours of work, maybe 4 tops. But only because there were several cuts to be made and 2 valleys to "lace". Once I arrived "on-site", he and his brother were running behind and still had a few more carpentry tasks to complete before we could get started on the roof. So the 4th buddy and myself set about preparing the roof for the new shingles. We tore off the temporary felt paper covering, removed the ridgecap, swept everything down and decided that while the two brothers finished the last few minutes of construction, we would just back the truck up to the eave of the house and one of us would hand the bundles of shingles up to the other one. The eave was only about 7 feet from the ground, no major task.

Sounds pretty good so far, right? It gets better (or worse). Keep reading.

The other brother is using the only ladder we have to cut off a ridgebeam under the gable of the new addition. So the neighbor friend (knows henceforth as "Geronimo") decides that we don't need to wait for the brother to finish and move the ladder. He'll just jump off the front of the house "like he's done a hundred times before" because, and I quote, "It ain't that high." (See where this is leading?) I'm standing about 3 feet from the eave of the house and tell him to just wait, we'd get the ladder and move the truck. I told him as he was squating down, "Man, you're gonna break your damn leg."

To make a longer story short. He did just that. When he hit the ground, me and Buddy #4 saw the leg fold up sideways. I yelled at his brother to get us the ladder and to go check on him because he just broke his leg. 911 was called. When the paramedics removed his sock, I almost puked. The bone was sticking at least 2 inches out of his skin. I had to quit looking at it or I would have been sick. He was taken to the local hospital and then transferred to a major medical facility for immediate surgery. We went to the hospital last night and he admitted that it was "stupid, stupid, stupid" to try that at his age (44). And that he wasn't as young (or light) as he used to be.

We finished half of the house with the other brother assuming the role of "crew boss" and will finish the rest this morning. Hopefully, without incident.

Anyone believe in intuition? My wife told me that when I left to go help them, she had "a bad feeling" and said a little prayer to not let anything happen to me up on that roof. She missed it by 3 feet.

Short but Funny

2007-01-12T18:43:00.000-06:00

From an email I received earlier in the week:

I dialed a number and got the following recording:

"I am not available right now, but
thank you for caring enough to call.
I am making some changes in my life.
Please leave a message after the beep.
If I do not return your call,
You are one of the changes."

*********

Aspire to inspire before you expire.

*********

My wife and I had words,
But I didn't get to use mine.

*********

Frustration is trying to find your glasses without your glasses.

*********

Blessed are those who can give without remembering,
and take without forgetting.

*********

The irony of life is that, by the time

*********

You're old enough to know your way around, you're not going anywhere.

*********

God made man before woman so as to give him time to think
of an answer for her first question.

*********

I was always taught to respect my elders,
but it keeps getting harder to find one.

*********

Every morning is the dawn of a new error.

*********

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides,
flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to
another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we
sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

What. A. Game.

2007-01-08T22:59:00.000-06:00

Florida - 41
Ohio State - 14

The SEC is underestimated yet again. When will they learn?

It's past my bedtime now. Good night.

Some Pig!!

2007-01-07T13:32:00.000-06:00

I can only imagine what Charlotte might have woven into her web after seeing this. Probably something along the lines of "Holy Shit!!"

Here's the news story:

Georgia Hunter Bags 'Hogzilla'

FAYETTE COUNTY -- An urban legend comes to life, and meets its death in northeast Georgia.

A boar weighing 1,100 pounds was shot and killed in a Fayette County neighborhood.

Residents say the wild hog had been tearing up their yards for years.

These so-called "hogzillas" have been spotted and killed in south Georgia in recent years, but the Department of Natural Resources is trying to determine if the pig shot in Fayette County this week is a state record.

People passing by the Coursey house are amazed by the boar hanging from a tree in the front yard. William Coursey, an avid hunter, shot the pig in a neighbor's yard.

Coursey says the boar is one of four that had been roaming the neighborhood, uprooting yards for seven years. He says the other three animals may have been killed previously.

He says he thought it was myth until now. Coursey and his son took the hog to a local weigh station, where it weighed in at 1,100 pounds. It's an estimated 9 feet long.

The Courseys believe the hefty hog may be the biggest ever, based on statistics they say they found in a local hunting magazine.

Experts say the large pigs are "feral," meaning they were once domesticated but now run wild. They can be dangerous, and the DNR urges that you call wildlife experts to remove the animals.

The story aired on CNN also. Here's a link to the video.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few years ago there was an internet story about a guy in Alapaha, Georgia that had supposedly killed a similar-sized wild feral hog. The rumors were that the hog weighed over 1000 pounds but the man had buried it before anyone could actually verify the weight and size of it. Here is a copy of that story as it circulated the internet:

Giant Hog Killed on a Plantation in Georgia

ALAPAHA, Georgia (AP) -- Around these parts, they are calling it Hogzilla: a 12-foot-long wild hog recently killed on a plantation and now quickly becoming a part of local legend.

The plantation's owner claims the hog weighed 1,000 pounds and had 9-inch tusks. But few people have actually seen the hog -- the only proof being a photo that shows the dead beast hanging from a rope.

Whether the hog ever actually existed or is some sort of Faulknerian myth, it has definitely been the topic of conversation in small towns across southern Georgia.

"People just back up and ask 'Is it real?' They can't believe that there's a hog that big in the woods," said Drew White, who has a copy of the photo on display at an auto parts store in Tifton, about 17 miles away.

Chris Griffin said he killed the beast last month at the River Oak Plantation, where he is a hunting guide, and has been showing off the picture around this small farming community ever since. The hog is nearly twice as long as the 6-foot-tall Griffin, who is seen standing next to it in the photo.

"They say 'Man, you look like a dwarf compared to that thing,"' he said Wednesday.
The picture is all Griffin has to back up his claims. He and Ken Holyoak, owner of the plantation, buried the beast on the property and did not want to hassle with slaughtering it since the meat of large feral hogs is typically not very good.

Holyoak said he decided that the hog's head also wasn't worth keeping because it was too large to mount on a wall. He said the head has the diameter of a tire on a compact car.
"We had to lift him with a backhoe," he said.

No one maintains official records on hog kills in Georgia. But Department of Natural Resources biologist Kent Kammermeyer, who helped write a booklet on feral-hog problems in the state, said he has never heard of one as large as Hogzilla.

Holyoak said the plantation's previous record was a 695-pound hog shot several years ago. Enough wild hogs roam Holyoak's plantation that he has made it a side business to allow people to hunt them, but he said "Hogzilla" was too big to let someone else shoot.

"We killed it because we didn't want to take a chance of him getting away. Somebody else would have shot it," he said.

Feral hogs, popularly known as wild hogs, are domestic hogs that escaped from farms and began living off the land. They lay waste to corn and peanut fields and deprive more than 100 species -- including squirrels and deer -- of food.

"It's a big problem and it's getting worse," Kammermeyer said. "If you have a lot of hogs, you're going to have problems. Hogs are very aggressive. They run deer off and they can be dangerous if wounded or cornered."

Holyoak said he had to climb into a deer stand a few years back to escape a raging hog that circled around for six hours, foaming at the mouth and snapping at branches.

"They say bears get mad when you mess with their babies," Holyoak said. "Hogs don't need a reason to get mad and come after you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As part of a documentary on feral pigs, National Geographic sent an expert to Georgia to try to find the buried remains of the giant hog to both estimate its size and to try to figure out exactly what type of pig it was.
With the help of the hunting guide who shot the pig, Chris Griffin, the remains were found and it did turn out to be a really big animal.
The stories circulated on the Internet estimated its weight to be 1,000 pounds, which was close.
National Geographic estimated the original weight to be 800 pounds and said the pig was about 7 1/2 feet in length, a lot of bacon.
Through DNA tests they also determined that it was a mix between domestic and wild pig.

****************************************************************
In other news:
The birthday party went well. I didn't drink anything stronger than a Sierra Mist or Diet Pepsi. I still didn't go hunting yesterday because, although I didn't drink anything, it was still about 2AM when we got home. No way was I going to climb a tree and try to stay awake after only 2 hours of sleep in the past 24. No sense in testing my safety harness anytime soon.

Last night, we got together with several more friends to celebrate another birthday. Dinner at Ruby Tuesday's followed by a stop at a nearby nightclub for a few drinks and some dancing. Again, the drink of choice...Diet Coke, on the rocks. It's actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. Cheaper too. Designated drivers drink free at this club. =)
So maybe, just maybe, another resolution will hold fast this year. I'm sure there will be the occasional beer/mixed drink at some point in the future, but I'll accept that as a victory nonetheless. A drink or two all along will be a far cry from buying 2-3 cases of beer nearly EVERY weekend.

And today, the rain is back. But the radar shows a sizable break in the system so I may just ease over to the lease to see what's going on. If nothing else, to check my trail camera.

Good news - Better news

2007-01-05T17:59:00.000-06:00

Good news: The rains were out of here by around noon or shortly after. I headed to the woods and moved a stand to the "honeyhole" that I had found last weekend. Then I walked about a mile to the other side of the property and sat for a couple of hours.

Better news: Clear skies forecasted for tonight. We're going to a surprise birthday party for a friend. One of my resolutions was to quit drinking and "live healthier." Tonight will be the first test of the resolve. But I plan on being back up at 4AM to go sit in the stand I put up today so maybe that will shore up any weak moments during the evening. It's hard to get up after only 3 hours of sleep, especially with a pounding head.

I'll let you all know how it comes out. Hopefully there will be a "Great news" added to this in the morning.

Oh well....

2007-01-05T05:58:00.000-06:00

I took the day off hoping to do a little hunting. I don't mind hunting in the rain as long as it's a light rain with no lightning. Today ain't that day.

That mean little red streak of severe weather is bearing down on us pretty quickly. Tornado warnings are in effect for the two adjacent counties west of us as I type. I'm still hoping that it will move through pretty fast and maybe I can salvage an afternoon hunt.

But I do have other things to do as well. Go hang out at the local diner with the breakfast bunch. Get the truck serviced. Watch TV. Read blogs. Have lunch with my wife. Just to name a few. Fear not for I shall not be bored.

Have good day. I'm just hanging out waiting it out.

Eye on the New year

2007-01-04T05:25:00.000-06:00

It took me almost 40 years to finally keep a resolution. That resolution was to start a blog and keep it going. I did it. Tuesday was the one year mark for this blog. It's been fun, entertaining and even educational. I've been introduced to several people that I consider to be "buddies" now, while never having actually met any of them.
I've shared the ups and downs and most everything in between with you guys over the past year. And it's really been meaningful to share in the lives of all of you as well.

One year down. Next one up and on the way.

I'm looking forward to whatever the upcoming year has in store.

Be sure to go see Os if you played along this week.

Happy HNT!

I almost missed it!!

2007-01-02T18:49:00.000-06:00

My blog is one year old today!!

Here's to one resolution kept from last year. Let's see if I can do it again this year.

Happy New Year to you all!!!

A picture is worth 1000 words

2007-01-01T14:02:00.000-06:00

I seem to recall a certain ~~NoOne~~ "SomeOne" doubting the Tigers' chances against Nebraska. This post might ring a bell.

'Nuff said.

Auburn Tigers - 2007 AT&T Cotton Bowl Champs!

Rain, Rain, Go away.

2006-12-31T12:35:00.000-06:00

Come again some other.... month.

It's been raining for about 15 hours now and I'm ready for it to move on out. I'm wanting to hit the woods this afternoon. I went hunting yesterday morning before the rains set in and did a little extra scouting after leaving my stand. I ran across what appears to be a very promising location. There's only a month of hunting season left and I want to spend a good bit of that month in this new spot. I plan on setting up my trail camera in the area this afternoon or tomorrow so maybe I'll have a better idea of what's moving through there. The rut (breeding season) is kicking in and the bucks are becoming a lot more active, thus making them more vulnerable. The weather for the next few days is supposed to be cool and clear and that's ideal hunting weather. Maybe I'll have the chance to go again tomorrow afternoon. I have an annual "New Year's Day Men's Breakfast" to attend at a neighbor's house at 8:30 in the morning so going hunting won't be possible beforehand.

The debate is still on for the evening's plans. It's between a bonfire/cookout at one place or dinner with friends at their house followed by a party at the local country club. The radar shows the rain is almost gone but a bonfire will surely be a muddy mess after the recent amounts of rainfall. But it is outside and there will be no annoying cigarette smoke to deal with. The country club is almost within walking distance so the trip home afterwards would be short and simple. The bonfire is about 15 miles away. Pros and cons to each so we may just use the infallible stand-by method of.....the coin-flip.

Whatever your plans are for the evening, I hope they are safe and enjoyable. Have fun and hopefully, I will see you all back here in 2007.

Best wishes and Happy New Year.

Year-End HNT

2006-12-28T04:03:00.000-06:00

For the third and final installment of the December HNT Plans, we were asked to pick our own favorite HNT from the past year. Being the devout conformist that I am, I tried picking one. But, I really didn't have a favorite. All of the posts drew about the same number of comments. All were positive. There really wasn't a clear way to choose a favorite. And seeing as how there were SO many of them, I decided to create one of the animated photo viewers that I've seen on numerous sites as of late and include them all.

Cool Slideshows

I'll leave it up to the masses. Let me know which one is the your favorite, if any. Don't forget to stop by The Back Row and let Os know you've played along.

Christmas in Dixie?

2006-12-24T07:43:00.000-06:00

Just browsing around a hunting forum and found this amusing little video clip.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Santa Claus is coming where?

2006-12-22T05:33:00.000-06:00

Stolen from MG:

Maybe all this time he's been calling for Ho's when he hits the rooftops?

Santa: Ho! Ho! Ho!

Ho: Here, Santa! Over here!

Santa: Damn, Rudolph! You missed it by two houses this time. Is that nose of yours losing its mojo?

Christmas HNT - Phase 2 of 3

2006-12-21T00:22:00.000-06:00

In accordance to the plans for Phase 2 of the HNT Plans for Christmas which suggests that I pick 3 HNT/Bloggers and list the gift that I would choose for each of them.

My three picks are:

1) The first one that jumped out at me was MG. I started reading her blog some time ago and I've tried to keep up with things over there. The majority of her posts are fun and upbeat with the occasional rant that we all post at one time or another. Lately it seems that she has been faced with a few situations/decisions that have caused her to have to really dig deep inside herself looking for all the "right answers". My gift to her would one "do-over", redeemable at will to erase any moment in time and all the after-effects resulting from it. Hopefully, this would allow her to either change something that has happened, or to step out there and try something new with no worries about negative fallout.

2) The second wish goes to a new blogger that I've been reading for the past few weeks, thanks to Os and his friendly reminders. Her name is Teri. She's a young lady starting a new life in a new place all on her own. That alone would be enough to keep the stress levels right up around the breakdown mark. Add to that this post, and things could easily begin to get even more stressful. My little brother has served 3 tours in Iraq already and will probably be going back sometime in the Spring of '07. I know well the anxiety associated with having a loved one in harm's way 24/7. My wish for her would be a safe return for her brother, preferrably with all of his military comrades in tow and healthy.

3) I struggled with finding a third HNT/Blogger that would fall into the confines of the rules set forth for the week's theme. Scrolling through the list of HNT blogs I noticed that all of the ones that I have been reading were highlighted in purple. This made it a little easier to focus. I noticed a blog that I haven't read in a while but clicked on it just to maybe read a bit and catch up on the latest happenings. It didn't take very long to remember why I enjoyed reading this blog. She is one of the most intelligent, most versatile women I think I have read to date. She can spit out a complete psycho-analysis of Creation vs. evolution so deep that it will make you rethink your own interpretations, take a deep breath, tell us about her parenting woes with a hormonal son and, in the very next breath, speak of the NHL in such a manner as to make one want to suit up before morning. And all of this while battling a terrible disease that turns her own body against itself. A befitting gift to such a strong-minded woman would be the cure for Lupus. But from reading more and more of her blog, I dare say she would probably see to it that many others were cured before she accepted the cure herself. She seems that compassionate to the plight of her fellow sufferers. I'm sure most of you have figured out by now that this last wish goes to none other than the Queen of Ass.

This was a lot harder than I thought it would be and almost made me not even participate. But it really makes you think of the people behind the words on the screen and wonder what they would really enjoy for a holiday gift from a stranger.

I'd like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for the holiday season and beyond.

Swing by The Back Row to check out the rest of the well-wishers and wishees this week.

Filler Post

2006-12-19T20:37:00.000-06:00

This is merely a post to at least provide a little buffer between the HNT posts, since it will probably be Thursday before I post again.

It was a very busy weekend. We (my wife and I) cleaned up all the leaves and pinestraw in the yard on Saturday. And might I add, that was a LOT of leaves and pinestraw. I did a little math based on the size of the trailer that we used to haul it to the curb with and come up with a rough estimate of nearly 1000 cubic feet of straw and leaves. (For the mathmatically-challenged, that would the equivalent to a cube that was 10' high, 10' wide and 10' high.) The better part of Sunday was spent running hither and yon and making arrangements to do even more work NEXT Saturday. We have a 100' tall pine tree beside the house that has died due to pine beetle damage and it has to be cut down and cleared away before it falls on the house or into the pool. So if you need me next Saturday between the hours of 8AM and God-knows-when, I'll be cutting and hauling wood. Feel free to stop by. All hands welcome. I'll even provide the cold beer upon completion of the job.

It's been a tough week already at work. I think I must have OD'd on Mondays or something. Somehow, it seems that I've wound up with two of them in a row. Tomorrow is the hump at least. Make it past noon and at least it's not as long as it has been. Hopefully, you're all having a good week thus far.

Here's to the weekend, wherever it is. However short it may be.

Christmas HNT - Phase 1 of 3

2006-12-14T05:07:00.000-06:00

In compliance with Phase One of the HNT Plans for December...

Here is a picture of our Christmas tree for this year. Don't be hatin' on the darker strip about halfway up it, either. The lights were there. Well, technically...they're still there. But...

They are have been rendered inoperable.

You can thank the cute little black and white puppy. Remember the cute little black and white puppy in this post? Yeah, that one.
Puppies tend to like to chew on things. And it doesn't always have to be Christmas tree lights. Sometimes....

...it's Christmas presents. Nothing a little wrapping paper won't cure though.

For the real part of this HNT, I want to show you all a very unique Christmas ornament.

Doesn't look too unique, huh? Care to guess what it's made from?

here's the story behind it:
I was a delivery driver for 13 years and delivered product all over the southeastern U.S. I had a regular route to Panama City Beach, FL for almost 7 1/2 years. Over that length of time, you meet people and see them every week and some of them become pretty good friends. Such was the case with a couple in a little tiny (not even one stoplight) town in north Florida. They ran a little country store that did a great business. They also had a pretty good breakfast crowd every Tuesday morning when we got there. The delivery would take over an hour to complete and I was constantly in and out of the store, interacting with the patrons. I even got to know several of them on a first name basis. Even wound up buying a horse from one of the old men there. My wife and I even stopped in there a couple of times on the way to the beach just to say "Hi".

Each Christmas, "Miss Betty" would make a big tin of cookies and candy and give it to me the week of Christmas. I would usually have them a card or something but rarely much more. One year, she gave me this ornament and the simplicity of it was amazing. I never would have thought of this myself. Ever. But I guess if you give someone enough time to think, they'll eventually think of everything.

But who would ever guess that you could make a pretty neat-looking Santa Claus....

...from an oyster shell?

Merry Christmas and Happy HNT!!

Go tell Os if you're spreading the cheer this week.

And the third time's a charm

2006-12-10T19:18:00.000-06:00

This makes three posts for me today. Three. A new personal record. I usually do good to post three times a week. I guess I can slack off the rest of the week if I need to.

This one is just to make you wish you had "smellevision". Remember the recipe I posted last weekend? This one? Yeah, that's the one.

Care to guess what we had for dinner tonight? Want a hint?

I just have two things to say.

Yum.
Yum.

Who needs Bob?

2006-12-10T13:49:00.000-06:00

Bob Vila, that is. I know some of you were already raising your hands. I didn't mean that Bob.

I just completed yet another home improvement project. That's 2 in less than a month. Maybe I should get my own TV show or something. The weekend before Thanksgiving, I replaced the laminate edgebanding around the kitchen countertops with wood trim. See?

That top right corner you see up there? It used to be a radius corner, or rounded. I had to cut it off straight to make the trim fit. I had 3 more corners on another countertop that had to be cut too. Can you say "nervous"? If I had messed either of those up, it would have meant replacing the whole countertop. Luckily, it worked out like I had ~~hoped~~ ~~prayed~~ planned.
Today's project was one that I have been meaning to do almost since we bought the place. This is the lavatory faucet in our master bath. I hate faucets like this.

I have always hated them. I've already replaced the one that was in the other bathroom when we remodeled it a couple of years ago. And replacing this one was one of those things that I kept waiting to get a round tuit. It started dripping a little not too long ago when the handle was returned to the "off" position, but would stop if you moved the handle just a little left of center. Simple enough remedy until I got a round tuit, right? Well guess what I found today? This .
And with that rare find combined with about an hour of working in close quarters ~~and 5 minutes of cussing under my breath~~, we no longer have to worry with "left of center is off". Ta-daa!!

(and now Blogger has decided it doesn't want to host that particular pic. WTF? I guess that's why it's always good to have a backup plan)
I'm much more pleased with this one than the old one. And as simple as it was to do, I probably need my ass beat for not doing it sooner. I will admit to reconnecting the "hot" and "cold" supply lines backwards because I didn't pay attention when I disconnected them as to which was which. The plumbing is stubbed out of the end wall, not directly underneath the faucet and the valves are one above the other, not side-by-side like they usually are. So the "hot on the left, cold on the right" thing was not applicable in my case. But it only took about 5 minutes to fix that little problem.
I'll be replacing the faucets in the kitchen next. And I think the next project after that is wood laminate flooring in the den. My knees will love me for that one. Anyone feeling generous?

Hmmm...maybe having Bob Vila over for a while isn't such a bad idea.

Sunday Funnies

2006-12-10T09:15:00.000-06:00

I'm home from another morning spent in the deer woods. I didn't see the first deer but enjoyed the peace and quiet nonetheless. It was an unusually still morning. I don't think I even heard a gunshot the whole time I was out there. Apparently, the deer weren't moving anywhere else either.
I took a little walkabout when I got out of my stand with the intentions of picking up my trail cam on the way back to the truck. After grabbing it, I walked on the way I was heading rather than go back around the way I came in. This would be only the second time all year I had been on this side of the property with the first time being back in early October. Now that the leaves have fallen and the grass is dormant, you can really see heavily used trails alot better now. Wanna guess what I found? Yep. I had noticed the trail back in the early season but it was really hard to tell how much it was being used then because the grass and weeds are so pliable, they just bend away and spring back. Not anymore. The deer have it so stomped down now it looks like a cow trail winding through the brush. I've already got my tree picked out and will be hanging a stand in it, maybe even as soon as this afternoon. That's the hidden beauty of not killing a deer every time. You can have more time to get out and scout new locations. And find promising places to maybe add to the growing list of "honeyholes." And who don't love a good honeyhole?

In other news...here's a few jokes I ran across last night.

The Good,Bad and Ugly

Good: Your wife is pregnant.
Bad: It's triplets.
Ugly: You had a vasectomy five years ago.

Good: Your wife's not talking to you.
Bad: She wants a divorce.
Ugly:She's a lawyer.

Good: Your son is finally maturing.
Bad: He's involved with the woman next door.
Ugly: So are you.

Good: Your hubby and you agree, no more kids.
Bad: You can't find your birth control pills.
Ugly: Your daughter borrowed them.

Good: Your husband understands fashion.
Bad: He's a cross-dresser.
Ugly: He looks better than you.

Good: You give the "birds and bees" talk to your daughter.
Bad: She keeps interrupting.
Ugly: With corrections.

Good: The postman is early.
Bad: He's wearing fatigues and carrying a shotgun.
Ugly: You gave him nothing for Christmas.

Good: Your son is dating someone new.
Bad: It's another man.
Ugly: He's your best friend.

Good: Your daughter got a new job.
Bad: As a hooker.
Ugly: Your coworkers are her best clients.
Way ugly: She makes more money than you do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Old Butch

John the farmer was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens), called "pullets" and eight or ten roosters, whose job was to fertilize the eggs.

The farmer kept records and any rooster that didn't perform went into the soup pot and was replaced. That took an awful lot of his time so he bought a set of tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell had a different tone so John could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing.

Now he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report simply by listening to the bells. The farmer's favorite rooster was old Butch, and a very fine specimen he was, too.

But on this particular morning John noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all! John went to investigate.

The other roosters were chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing. The pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover.

But to Farmer John's amazement, Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring. He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.

John was so proud of Butch, he entered him in the Renfrew County Fair and Butch became an overnight sensation among the judges.

The result...The judges not only awarded Butch the No Bell Piece Prize but they also awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well.

Clearly Butch was a politician in the making: who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.

Nice rack(s)!

2006-12-09T11:51:00.000-06:00

I found this picture of a couple of great racks over at one of the hunting blogs I like to read. Mike Hanback's Big Buck Zone. Here's the link to the whole post if you're interested.

I slept in this morning and didn't go hunting. It was cold as hell (high teens) and I drank a beer or 17 at a friend's house last night so that didn't help with the motivation. I'm heading out in a few minutes to make a few adjustments on one of my tree stands that was initially set up for bowhunting. I just need to move it down a little farther off the ridgeline and deeper into the hardwoods. The leaves are all off the trees now and with the added range of hunting with a rifle, I want to be able to watch the whole hillside. I'll be hunting this stand in the morning so maybe there'll be a new post of a success story.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Hall of Fame HNT

2006-12-07T03:57:00.000-06:00

A month or so ago, my wife and I took a trip to Nashville. Semi-complimentary thanks to a local radio station contest. And we all know how well I do at contests. One after another, it's just something that I'm usually good at. I kick ass at Wheel of Fortune.

One of the primary reasons for going was to visit the Grand Ole Opry. Mainly because that was what the prize was for winning the contest, two tickets to an Opry show. This is the front of the "new" Opry House. The "old" Opry venue was at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville.

While there, we saw performances by "Whispering Bill" Anderson, Lorrie Morgan (still a hottie), Barbara Mandrell, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Chely Wright, Blaine Larson, Rodney Akins, Randy Owen, Riders in the Sky, Mike Snider and a couple of others that I can't remember at the moment. It was a great night at the Opry. We really enjoyed the show and plan on going back again.

We also went to the Country Music Hall of Fame. This was high on my "to do" list. And it was pouring rain that day so not much else to do but find an indoor activity and make the best of it.

This is the view from outside the Hall of Fame.

We learned that the building was not just some abstract design but instead was purposely built to simulate certain objects associated with country music. The upswept curve of the roofline is a replica of the tailfin of a 1957 Cadillac, Elvis Presley's car of choice. The window placement is patterned after the keys on a piano. The stack of discs on the far left represents the progression of music media through the years. The largest being a vinyl album, or 33 1/3RPM. With the other 3 being, respectively, a 78RPM, a 45RPM and a compact disc.

Inside the Hall of Fame was about as interesting a tour as I have ever been on. Memorabilia from the music of the mountain families in the hills of Tennessee to the modern-day greats that anyone in America, and possibly the world over, would recognize as a country music artist.

ne particular exhibit was a series of huge plasma screens broadcastiong interview loops with various country music stars recounting the trials and triumphs during their struggles to make it onto the country music scene. On one of the screens, I noticed Garth Brooks talking and gesturing. The audio is amazingly designed so that you can only hear the interview by standing directly in front of the screen. I had barely stepped into the "sound field" and heard him telling about leaving it all behind in Oklahoma hoping to make it to Nashville and blah blah Sandy yadda yadda we had each other yak yak yak met so & so that gave me a chance....and I thought, "He's fixing to cry. Money says he wells up and has to stop for a second."

Did I lie? Typical Garth.

Blogger started acting up so I had to use ImageShack to host this one. Click it to big it.

I chose this pic this week for two reasons. First, the artist is the most recent of the all-time greats to pass away, Johnny Cash. This is the Martin guitar that he played for many, many years.

Secondly, looking a little closer, you can see me taking a picture not only "of me" but "by me" as well.

Happy HNT!

And remember to go tell Os if you did the deed this week.

Caught him with his pecker sticking out

2006-12-03T19:07:00.000-06:00

I snapped these Saturday while hunting using the digital zoom on the camera. The tree was probably 150 feet from me. I wish I had taken my swing-arm camera mount with me. I could have fastened it to the shooting rail on the stand and steadied the camera a little better.

I think they turned out OK for the conditions.

One more reason I enjoy the outdoors.

Pretty good day, start to finish.

2006-12-03T08:20:00.000-06:00

I went hunting Saturday morning (surprise) and killed a coyote and a doe.

I don't think even Wile E. Coyote could get over what was ailing this one.

Here's the doe. This bitch was HUGE. By far the biggest doe I've killed in years. Plenty of meat on this ol' gal.

We had a cookout last night and grilled the tenderloins and backstraps. Everyone liked them better than the hamburgers and buffalo wings. Even the people that "don't like deer meat" liked the way I prepared it. It's hard to ~~believe~~ tell you're eating venison when it's that good.

Wanna know the secret recipe? I'll tell you but don't tell anyone else. Deal?

I trim ALL the fat from the backstraps and loins. The fat is largely responsible for the "gamey" taste that most people associate with venison. I cut the backstraps into medallions about 1" thick. I just cut the two tenderloins in half to make four pieces of meat. I then soak them in Moore's Original Marinade for at least 2-3 hours. I usually just put the meat in a Ziploc bag and add enough of the Moore's to cover it. I like to squeeze as much air out of the bag as I can before sealing it. Place the bag(s) in a large bowl and keep it refrigerated. I knead the bags about every 30 minutes or so to make sure that all the pieces are evenly marinated.
Then I peel 6-8 cloves of fresh garlic and chop them pretty finely. Depending on the size of the cloves, you should wind up with about a tablespoon of fresh garlic. Mix the garlic with 2 sticks of softened butter (not margarine). Make sure the garlic is incorporated evenly throughout the butter and then put it in the refrigerator until the meat is ready. This lets the garlic "marry" with the butter for a really good flavor. (I guess you could use store-bought garlic butter but don't blame me if yours doesn't turn out as good as mine)

Once the meat is marinated to your liking, take it out of the marinade and let it drain. Take a sharp knife and make a cut along the edge of each medallion, almost all the way through and about 1/3 of the way around. You're wanting to create a pocket in the middle of the meat. Coarsely chop an onion. I usually cut it into pieces that are 1/2" or so. Chop 8-10 fresh jalapeno peppers to about the same size as your onion pieces. I remove the seeds from mine because I don't like a lot of "heat" with the flavor but I do enjoy the taste. If you want it hotter, leave the seeds in.

Place a small dollop (I use about a quarter-sized one) of the garlic butter in the pocket of each medallion. Put one or 2 pieces each of onion and pepper in next. Wrap each medallion with a slice of thick-sliced bacon and peg the end with a toothpick or bamboo skewer. Grill over medium heat to the desired doneness. I usually cook mine for about 15-20 minutes, turning them only once.

That's all there is to it.

Serve them with mashed potatoes or wild rice. Mmmm. Mmmm. Good.

If you decide to try this, drop me an email and let me know how it turned out.

Two-hand Tag

2006-12-01T21:09:00.000-06:00

I've been tagged. Not once but twice. Aren't I just the special one?

This is how it works:
Each player of this game starts with the "6 weird things about you". In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. People who get tagged need to write a blog post of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1) I used to eat my meals one food item at a time. I would eat all of one thing before starting on another. Notsomuch now but I still eat the majority of some things before starting on the rest.

2) I can't shave with a single-blade razor such as a Bic Shaver. I have to have a multi-blade razor with a pivoting head. I look like I've been hit with a belt sander after trying to use a regular razor.

3) The sound of a metal fork scraping against someone's teeth will make me cringe like no other sound in the world. Nails on a chalkboard have no effect on me but the fork thing will get you asked once, then warned once, and then threatened with being stabbed should it continue.

4) I have a hard time asking people for help of any type. I will gladly help my friends do almost anything they ask but I seldom ask for the favor to be returned. I'll usually find a way to get the task finished without asking anyone for help, even if it takes much longer alone.

5) I have to have all my paper money facing the same way. I carry a "front pocket wallet" thats mainly just a card wallet with a money clip on the outside. The bills are situated with all of the President's "right side up" and in order by denomination, with the $1's being on the outside when folded in the money clip.

6) I lightly grind or "tap" my teeth together when in deep thought. I was doing it just now when trying to think of this last "weird" thing. I usually tap my molars together in alternating order. (l-r-l-r-l-r)

Everyone I normally read has already been tagged by someone else to do this, some more than once. So, being the non-conformist that I am, I won't officially tag anyone. Yeah, I'm a rule-breaker like that. But if you feel so inclined, do it on your own and comment here saying that you've played.

I Spy with my Private Eye

2006-11-30T05:15:00.000-06:00

One of my pastimes is outdoor photography. I love taking pics at the lake, when we're camping, the sun setting in the pines in my backyard and especially when I'm hunting. But not all of the pics I "take" are taken by me personally. I have 2 trail cameras that are heat and motion activated. They come in very handy for scouting game movement or even catching trespassers.
Here's some of the game pictures from them:

I have tons of these photos of deer, coons, squirrels and even an armadillo. It's like Christmas morning when I go to check the memory cards. You never know what will be on there. Maybe one day, Ill post some of the others. But....

Since this is an HNT post.....

And since the rules of HNT state that the picture should be taken "of you or by you"....

And technically speaking, I didn't take either of these.....

I'll add this one.

This is what happens when you can't remember if you hit the "mode" button to start the 30-second delay before the camera arms. I did.

Have no worries, the lens didn't break. ;)

Happy HNT!

Go tell Os if you played along.

Puppy Love

2006-11-24T05:43:00.000-06:00

This was just too cute not to share.

These are our dogs, Cooper and Buddy (l to r) resting on the sofa after all the Thanksgiving festivities had died down.

Altogether now.... Awwwwww.

They really are best buddies. They always lay together. I just happened to have the camera close by when my wife noticed them.

HNT #3

2006-11-23T10:46:00.000-06:00

Shhhhh.

Be vewy vewy quiet. I'm hunting wabbits.

I took my daughter deer hunting this morning and, while sitting in a tree, remembered that it was Half-Nekkid Thursday and I had yet to post anything. I had a Thanksgiving-themed one planned but it didn't work out so...Here's whatcha get in its place.

Walk quietly over to see Os for more half-nekkidness.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all and Happy HNT!

Move along...Nothing to see here.

2006-11-21T19:50:00.000-06:00

I've got nothing to post about other than the fact of having nothing to post about. Things have been pretty steady this week, both at work and at home and I really haven't thought too much about posting anything.

We're still deciding who all will be here Thursday, if anybody. Or if some other family member will be playing host/hostess. A head count is always quite helpful before cooking all day long. I'll be hunting Thursday morning so my part in the cooking will be minimal. Thanksgiving Day has always been a lucky day for me in the woods. I always seem to either kill something or at least have the chance and pass on it. I do know I'll be deep-frying a turkey for my MIL so I'll probably be home around 8AM regardless of my hunting success.

I'm not sure if I'll post again by Thursday so...in the event that I don't. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

And that makes 5!!

2006-11-18T19:12:00.000-06:00

In a row.

War Damn Eagle!!

Doctors and Guns

2006-11-17T18:59:00.000-06:00

I thought I would offer these little "points to ponder". Tomorrow is opening day for the firearms deer season and I thought it slightly appropriate. OK, very slightly, but deal with it.

Guns:
(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000. Yes, that is 80
million.
(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year in all age groups is
1,500.
(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.0000188

Doctors:
(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000 .
(B) Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year are 120,000.
(C) Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171 .

*Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services*

Statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous
than
gun owners.

Remember, "Guns don't kill people, doctors do."

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors
before this gets completely out of hand!

P.S. - Out of concern for the public at large, I have withheld the statistics
on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek
medical attention.

HNT 2

2006-11-16T05:30:00.000-06:00

Back in July, we bought a new truck. It came with a 3-month introductory subscription to XM Radio. We listened to XM 5-10 times more than the FM stations . About 3-4 weeks ago, the wife and I left to go somewhere and the XM didn't work. All we got was the Intro station and some other off-the-wall BS station. The free trial was over. We hadn't been 30 minutes out of the driveway before she was on the cell calling the XM "hook me back up" line. I'm telling you, it's like crack. Addictive as hell. I used to drive a truck and knew just when and where I'd have to change stations to keep out of the static. We went to Nashville and back with the XM and never changed the station once. It's pretty cool.
.
I snapped this pic with my cell phone while on my way to work the other day. And before you call me a banker for going to work at 10:30 in the morning, I had to go to the dentist at 8 for a cleaning (no cavities!!) and this was afterwards. Aren't I the model employee for even going in that day?

For my HNT this week, I want to show you my favorite XM station.

Station #16 - Highway 16

They play the latest country hits and a lot of the songs from the newer albums that haven't been released as singles for "normal" radio air-time. They have really good interviews with the artists, too. They'll discuss all the album details and some of the stories behind certain songs. It's more than just music. It's real entertainment. There's also 253 more channels with everything from Showtunes to Disney to Comedy to News. Oh yeah, and a NASCAR channel too. What's not to love about it?

Happy HNT and be sure to tell Os if you played along this week.

What did he say?

2006-11-14T20:35:00.000-06:00

I tried to embed the video player but it wouldn't work right.

Just click here.

I think the funniest thing to me is the big jackass grin at the end.

Early Morning Meeting

2006-11-11T16:49:00.000-06:00

My neighbor and I were going to cut firewood this morning and as I was walking around to the back of the house, I noticed a spiderweb covered in the morning dew. The sun was just breaking over the trees and had the web lit up like tiny crystals. I went back and got the camera and made a few pics of it. This is the one that turned out the best. The pic doesn't do it justice but there are few times when a 2-dimensional image can truly replicate the beauty of such things.

NoOne used a macro shot for her HNT this week. I commented that I was still toying around with the macro settings on my camera but could never quite get the clarity in the pics that I was hoping for, at least on a consistent basis. I had managed to get a few decent pics of flowers back in the spring. I posted those here. Looking at the spider sitting in the middle of its web, I decided I'd try to get a close-up of it. I took 3 pics before getting this one.

It turned out OK but I still couldn't get as close as I would have liked to. I think I just need to break out the user's manual and figure out how to manually adjust a few things, if that is even an option. Right now, I'm just using the "Close Up" setting (for objects closer than 26 inches) and it's just not doing like I want it to.
But...it's all trial and error. And the trial is half the fun.
Any tips on f-stop and focal lengths and any other adjustments that I can try would be welcomed and appreciated.

I hope you are all having a good weekend.

Numero Uno HNT

2006-11-09T05:21:00.000-06:00

I visit a few blogs regularly that participate in Half-Nekkid Thursday. I think the whole concept of "nekkid" as opposed to "naked" is pretty cool (not that I'm opposed to a lilttle nakedness all along). I think I'm going to try this HNT thing for a while. Maybe not every week but at least when I can. So, this will be my very first HNT submission, trying to hitch a ride on the HNT bandwagon.

I would also like to "point out" (pardon the pun) the nick on my thumb.

If you're a regular reader, you'll know I killed a deer last Saturday. That post is just below this one. I spent about 3 hours on Sunday afternoon preparing the meat to be made into jerky. This involves boning, trimming, slicing, etc. Lots of knife work. I guess I should mention that I keep all of my knives nearly surgically-sharp. And it never fails that if I kill a deer, or help a buddy that kills one, somewhere along the way, I'll always manage to at least nick myself. I did manage to skin the deer, quarter the meat and cape the hide for the taxidermist on Saturday without injury. And I hate to admit it, but I was almost proud of myself when I was finished and washing everything up and realized I hadn't cut myself. Our daughter had invited us to the game Saturday afternoon so I put the meat in the outside refrigerator, hopped in the shower and then we headed on over to her house, Band-Aid free.
Then Sunday rolled around and I started on the prep work for the jerky. I used both hindquarters which would weigh around 35-40 pounds together. After the bones were removed and all the fat, tendons, etc. were trimmed away, I wound up with about 15-20 pounds of perfectly lean venison, ready for the dehydrator.

Along with the customary nick that I had managed to elude the day before.

I hope it's all worth it

2006-11-07T21:05:00.000-06:00

Now I know why beef jerky is over $20 per pound. It's work!

I've already spent about 5 hours on this deer jerky and it's just now in the Ziploc bags marinating. I'll start the actual cooking tomorrow. It takes about 8 hours per batch so that will be another day's worth of waiting. I hope it turns out tasty and tender.

Time will tell.

Even Steven

2006-11-04T19:47:00.000-06:00

Awhile back, I posted this.

This morning, I tied the score. This is the biggest bow kill ever for me. And the wife has agreed to having him mounted as long as I hang it (or one of the other two I already have mounted) in my office and not in the den.

Gun season is still 2 weeks away and the pressure for success has just been lifted. ;)

I killed a great buck. Auburn won. Bama lost. Where does it end? Is this Utopia? Can it get any better? I'm looking outside now to see if Ed McMahon is driving up to tell me I just won a million dollars in the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes.

Ya'll have a great weekend. I know I am.

Note to self:

2006-11-01T19:14:00.000-06:00

In the future, upload your pics to Blogger sometime other than the night before HNT.

I'll try again later.

Back Home

2006-10-29T20:26:00.000-06:00

We're back from Music City, safe and sound. I'll get some pics and further details up tomorrow maybe. But I want to at least tell you a good joke that I heard at the Opry Saturday night. To start with...you'd have to hear the guy telling it to really find it as funny as we did. His name is Mike Snider and he is as country as a brown egg. He makes the guys from Deliverance sound like college professors. The boy has got an accent. Now for the joke:

This farmer was standing in the yard with his 3 boys. The oldest says to him, "Paw, I'm 16 now and I'd like to be thinking it's about time to be getting me a car."
The farmer tells his son, "Yessir, I'll agree. It's time we start thinking about it. But we have to get that John Deere in the barn paid off first. Then we can see about getting you a car."
His middle boy spoke up. "Paw, I'm 14 now. All them other boys my age have got 4-wheelers. I'd sure like to have me a 4-wheeler."
The father replied, "I can understand that. And as soon as we get that John Deere yonder paid off, we'll see about getting you a 4-wheeler."
The youngest son pipes in, "Paw, I'm almost 12. I think it's time I get me a bicycle. You think I could have a bicycle?"
The man looks down at his youngest and says, "I know you want a bicycle. And as soon as we get that John Deere paid off, we'll definitely get to work on getting you one."
About that time, a hen walks by with a rooster following close behind her. The rooster cuts the hen off and climbs up on her back. The youngest boy walks over and kicks the rooster off of the hen and says..."Ain't nobody riding nothing around here 'til we get that John Deere paid off."

Again, you'd have to hear him telling it to really appreciate it. But it's still funny as hell.

I'll get some pics up for ya'll tomorrow maybe. Have a good night!

Not that you'll miss me but...

2006-10-26T04:40:00.000-06:00

...the wife and I are leaving this morning heading to Nashville for the weekend. A mini-vacation, of sorts. I won two free passes to the Grand Ole Opry a few weeks ago and this weekend will be the best time to use them. Several good artists will be there Saturday night, including Lorrie Morgan and Blaine Larsen.
We'll be back sometime Sunday so I'll try to get a post up with at least a few pics/details.

Ya'll have a great rest of the week and a better weekend!

Rain Delay

2006-10-22T16:11:00.000-06:00

I got up about midnight and noticed it was raining pretty good. I was hoping it would stop about daylight so I could go hunting. I was pleased to see that it had indeed stopped when I got back up at 5AM. I got dressed and headed out for the woods.When I got to my usual parking spot, I changed into my hunting clothes and then walked about 1/2 mile to my treestand. It was barely light enough to see and I walked right up on one deer feeding under a big oak tree that I have been meaning to put a stand in or near for the past 3 weeks. (Note to self: Put stand in big oak) I think she surprised (read as "scared") me as about bad as I did her. I went on to the stand I would be hunting from and got everything situated "like I like it". About that time, it started to rain. Not a hard rain, but a steady rain. I've stuck it out before and intended to do the same this morning as I assumed it was just a rogue shower passing through. I stood up and tried to make myself as skinny as possible to minimize the area exposed to the rain. This worked great for the first 10 minutes. Then it got harder and harder and eventually was raining so hard, I could barely see the ground beneath me. And that "get skinny" trick? It works fine in a light rain or even a short hard rain. But when the rain soaks through your clothes across your upper back and shoulders and starts running down the rest of your body. It's time to be looking for shelter. Did I mention I had a poncho in my backpack...in my hunting closet...at home? (Note to self: Bring backpack the next time it looks like rain) After I was pretty much soaked to the skin, I decided to get down and go home. One of my main concerns was my cell phone. I keep it with me but turned off just in case something happens and I need help or something. It was in my shirt pocket under my ScentBlocker jacket and the rain was already running down my back so I knew it was just a matter of time before it started down my chest. And it's a company phone. I would hate to go tell the boss that I ruined it because I didn't have sense enough to come in out of the rain.So I'm hoofing it double-time back to the truck and can really start to tell I didn't sit there very long after the 1/2 mile hike in. And the fact that it's 80% uphill isn't helping matters. It gets easier later in the season after I've walked to and from these stands about 75 times. Nothing like walking up and down hills to get in shape.And you would know as soon as I can see the truck, the rain stops. Completely. Notsomuch as a sprinkle. But it's too late now. I'm already soaked. And I'm too damn tired to walk back to the stand. The wind is wrong to hunt either of the other 2 (closer) stands I have up on this property. And the truck is right there in plain sight. Too much temptation to turn around now. So I change out of my wet clothes and head back home. On the way, I run into another hellacious rainstorm. I'm driving west. The rain is headed east. I realize that I've made a good decision to come on home because had I walked back to that stand, I would have been there probably about 10-20 minutes when this little storm passed over. And there was no way I would have tried to sit through this one. It was worse than the one that got me to leave to begin with.So I got home, threw my wet clothes in the washer and start it up. Then I cooked sausage and pancakes for the women. Tossed the clothes in the dryer and enjoyed a hot and hearty breakfast in the dryness of the great indoors.I had planned on going back this afternoon but the wind is pretty brisk and out of the west and that's not the most ideal of conditions for any of my stands. So I just seasoned up 4 cornish hens, stuffed then with chunks of onion and a couple of cloves of garlic and put them on the rotisserie. The ladies whipped up some good eats to go along with them. They've ran an errand while the hens finished cooking so I'm waiting on them to get back. I was kicked back on the patio, drinking a Coors Light (or 5) and watching the grill when I decided I'd come throw up a quick post about the day's misadventures. And here I am. And now here I go, back to the grill and the beer.

So how was your weekend?

Laugh, dammit! It's almost the weekend.

2006-10-19T20:56:00.000-06:00

Dr. Parker, the biology instructor at a posh suburban girl's junior college, said during class, "Miss Smith, would you please name the organ of the human body, which under the appropriate conditions, expands to six times its normal size, and define the conditions."

Miss Smith gasped, blushed deeply, then said freezingly, Dr. Parker, I do not think that is a proper question to ask me, you should be asking a boy. And I assure you my parents will hear of this." With that she sat down, very red-faced.

Unperturbed, Dr. Parker called on Miss Johnson and asked the same question. Miss Johnson, with composure, replied, "The pupil of the eye, in dim light."

"Correct," said Dr. Parker. "And now, Miss Smith, I have three things to say to you. One, you have not studied your lesson. Two, you have a dirty mind. And three, you will some day be faced with a dreadful disappointment."

******************************************

There was a farmer, sitting on the front porch of his house this one hot summer day, when this kid comes walking down the road carrying a big bundle of wire.

"Hey kid!" the farmer says. "Where ya goin' with that wire?"

"Well," the kid drawls, "this here ain't just any ol' wire, this here's chicken wire -- I'm fixin' to catch me some chickens!"

"You can't catch chickens with chicken wire!"

"Sure I can!" the kid says, and takes off down the road. He comes back at the end of the day and sure enough, he's got a whole mess of chickens caught in his chicken wire.

Well, the farmer's sitting on his porch the next day, and the same kid comes walking down the lane, carrying a big roll of tape.

"Hey kid!" the farmer yells. "Where ya goin' with that tape?" "Well, this here ain't just any ol' tape, this here's duck tape -- I'm fixin' to catch me some ducks!"

"You can't catch ducks with duck tape!" the farmer yells back. "Sure I can!" the kid says, and takes off down the road. He comes back at the end of the day and again, the farmer can't believe his eyes. The kid had a whole bunch of ducks all wrapped up tightly in his tape.

The next day the farmer's sitting on his porch again, and the kid comes walking down the road carrying a stick.

"Hey kid!" the farmer says. "Where ya goin' with that stick?"

"Well, this here ain't just any old stick, this here's ***** willow."

"Hang on," the farmer says, "I'll get my hat."

******************************************

Shoot him now? Or wait?

2006-10-18T20:43:00.000-06:00

One evening a man was at home watching TV and eating peanuts.
He'd toss them in the air, then catch them in his mouth. In the
middle of catching one, his wife asked him a question, and as he
turned to answer her, a peanut fell in his ear.

He tried and tried to dig it out but succeeded in only pushing it
in deeper. He called his wife for assistance, and after hours of
trying they became worried and decided to go to the hospital.

As they were ready to go out the door, their daughter came home
with her date. After being informed of the problem, their
daughter's date said he could get the peanut out.

The young man told the father to sit down, then proceeded to
shove two fingers up the father's nose and told him to blow hard.
When the father blew, the peanut flew out of his ear.

The mother and daughter jumped and yelled for joy. The young man
insisted that it was nothing and the daughter took the young man
out to the kitchen for something to eat.

Once he was gone, the mother turned to the father and said,

"That's so wonderful! Isn't he smart? What do you think he's
going to be when he grows older?"

The father replied

"From the smell of his fingers, our son in-law."

Is it Friday yet?

2006-10-17T20:45:00.000-06:00

The week so far has been a busy one for me. Work is still wide open despite the passing of our usual "busy season". Labor Day usually marks the winding down point for us. Damned if I don't think someone moved Labor Day. Add to it the fact that 2 weeks ago, the company implemented a completely new host system that is supposed to replace 5 operating systems that we were using. I'm not sure they thought this whole thing through. Technical difficulties abound but seem to be slowly getting corrected as each day passes. If there's one department I'm glad I'm not in right now...it's Data Managing. The boys in IT are earning those dimes this month for sure.
I suppose if I'd go on to bed, the middle of the week would hurry upon us. And then it would be downhill from there. Only thing about that is, Fridays have been the worst days of all the past 2 weeks. It just makes the beer taste better in the afternoons though.
Best of luck to you all in the week ahead. I'm waiting on Saturday. It is hunting season, you know. Nothing like sitting in the peaceful woods at sunrise to get stress out of your system.

Good night, all.

Deer - 1 Me - 0

2006-10-15T13:02:00.000-06:00

The first round of the season opener fell in the favor of the quarry. Saturday morning, I had a "gimme" shot at a doe as she passed by my stand at about 8-10 yeards. But as I drew my bow, my elbow brushed the strap of my safety harness. She heard it and stopped behind a tree, offering no chance for a shot. She stood there for about 45 seconds trying to figure out what the noise was and exactly where it came from. She decided not to chance it and turned and went back the way she had come. She never really spooked but just seemed a little nervous as she trotted back up the hill. I sat there another 3 hours and saw nothing but a bunch of birds anda couple of squirrels.
I didn't go Saturday afternoon as I had a big wedding to attend. And I don't say "big" lightly. It was a huge event. I took a few pictures just to show you what I mean. I'll post them later. We stayed at the after-party until about 1AM and I didn't quite feel like going hunting this morning. But I'm heading out in about an hour though. Maybe I'll have a worthwhile update for you shortly.

Update:
I didn't see any deer this afternoon but I did have a visit from an armadillo that refused to go away. He just hung around my stand digging and scratching and basically raising a ruckus. After about 10 minutes, I decided I'd just fire a warning shot to scare him away. Oops! Sorry about that, Mr. 'Dillo. But enjoy the new ventilation.

Now hear this.

2006-10-12T19:25:00.000-06:00

This blog no longer allows anonymous comments. There is a certain amount of accountablity to be expected if you want to comment here. The ones that matter, won't mind the changes. The ones that mind, don't really matter.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

I know you didn't....

2006-10-10T20:22:00.000-06:00

Can you believe this? Some ~~chicken shit~~ deeply concerned animal lover left an anonymous comment on the previous post about me hunting. I was going to respond to it in the comments but...this is roomier and I was needing another post anyway.

Here is the comment:
Anonymous said...
You shoot metal tipped sticks into a totally harmless animal.I hope you fall out of a tree and break your leg...you won't die but you'll feel an equivalent amout of pain. That is so f-ing sick....find a time machine and go back to when you could'nt go to Publix. Spend your killing time doing something positive.

Despite the ill wishes, grammatical errors and misspelled words, I sorta get the message that this person thinks I'm some type of barbaric maimer of harmless little animals. I will do my darndest to dispel any such myth.

So, here goes:

First off, if you have such a bold opinion, be man (or woman) enough to at least use your name. Anonymous comments are like silent farts, just some asshole talking shit and hoping no one finds out who it was for fear of confrontation and forced accountability. Secondly, your ignorance is wasted here. I'll continue to hunt as long as it's legal to do so, no matter what your opinion, or anyone else's might be.

OK, that was the childish, smart-ass section of my remarks.

Now, on to the good parts.
As for shopping at Publix, I hope you don't think the beef, pork, chicken, etc. that is sold there comes from a comfortable ranch in an ideal climate where the animals are tended to with the kindest of care until they die gracefully of natural causes. Whether you choose to recognize it or not, that $12 filet that looks so delicious in the case at the supermarket was penned, fed and herded to slaughter. Ever witnessed a cow being slaughtered? My guess would be..NO. Just as I'd confidently say that you've probably never seen a deer harvested with modern-day archery equipment. Why else would you think I would use a "metal tipped stick" to do so? Such is not the case, no more so than a surgeon uses a "hunk of stainless steel" to perform surgery. From a pain point of view, I've seen deer get shot with an arrow through the heart and both lungs and they just flinched as if if startled by a low-flying bird or something. They were obviously unaware that they were bleeding to death where they stood. The arrows used today are highly-developed weapons and, when in capable hands, can humanely dispatch a wide range of animals with far greater respect and compassion than the market killers show for the animals that are on sale at your local Publix. We won't even get into the whole "free-roaming" principle that offers wildlife a far greater advantage than commercially-raised market animals. Try to get within 60 feet of an animal that can hear 6 times better than you and can smell 50 times better. This is the same principle that allows the deer to infiltrate urban neighborhoods and browse on the shrubbery and other plants in the landscaped lawns. They do this because the population has outgrown the local habitat and they are starving to death. The need to survive in the midst of the ongoing urban sprawl forces them to cross busy streets and highways. The number of deer/auto collisions has tripled in the past 2 years. There are hundreds of people with a far greater education and understanding than yourself that are aware of the detriments of a deer herd that remains unchecked. There is a natural method of selection known as "the food chain" that ensures that the strongest of each species will survive. Man is at the top of that food chain. Although a bear, lion or some other large predator could easily kill a human, we posess the ability to reason, adapt and overcome. Hence the coming of the Industrial Age. We no longer use "sticks and strings" to do what our ancestors did. We have designed weapons that give us advantages far outweighing the natural predatory instincts of any animal in the world. We are the dominant predator in the world. Bar none. The population of the nation's herd has to be managed and hunters are the most efficient management tool in existence. And the monies generated from the sale of hunting licenses, tags and permits allow the government to continue to operate such programs as State parks, wildlife refuges, veterinary programs and even education courses for ~~asinine~~ misinformed people such as yourself to better appreciate the benefits of the hunting lifestyle with hopes that you can someday see that hunting goes far beyond skulking through the woods with a taste for blood and an itchy trigger finger. How's that for positive production? How much money does PETA or the SPCA give to the government for such programs? I really can't say because I don't keep up with the negativity that they seem to feed on. I prefer to direct my efforts towards preventing a "harmless" 200-pound animal with 6-10 bony daggers on his head from jumping into the front seat of your car when you pick your kids up from soccer practice. Or crashing into the local lingerie shop. Hell, I might even be able to keep one from running through the aisles of the local Publix.
I could go on for days about this but I think I'm going to watch a hunting show. Tune in later and I may even have a few pictures from an actual hunt. Now, go hug a tree and kiss a skunk or whatever you non-hunters do to feel better. Then go do something worthwhile like shutting down a puppy farm somewhere. Or falling on a metal-tipped stick.

Whew!!!

2006-10-08T19:26:00.000-06:00

Can you say "tired"?

My ass is dragging tonight! I won't say that I'm out of shape, but I do know I have to start walking more if I'm going to hunt this year. I recruited my neighbor next door to go help me put up a few more treestands today. And after about 4 hours of walking through the woods, trudging up and down hills, climbing trees, trimming branches. hanging off the side of trees while attaching the stands...did I mention the trudging up and down hills? My knees are killing me now.

Next Saturday is the opening day of bowseason here in Alabama and I've been a little too busy with other stuff lately or I would have had all this done a month ago. Now it's crunch time and I had to make up for putting it off this long. We got 3 more stands up (for a total of 4) and I also set up a timed feeder on the other side of the lease. I hung my trail cam about 15 feet from it to maybe get an idea of what's using the trail next to it and if there's enough "traffic" there to warrant hanging another stand over there. Of course, the feeder will be out of there before I hunt it, since that would be against the law to hunt near it.

My buddy took a couple of years of forestry and pointed out two small persimmon trees that I had never noticed before. Finding these two got us to looking closer and we did find one mature one along the edge of the woods that was bearing fruit this year. Deer love persimmons and will walk a good ways to feed on them. I picked out a good tree for a stand next year and cleared a few vines that were growing up into the persimmon. I'll fertilize it in a few more weeks and then again in the spring, hopefully increasing the fruit output next year. We found a few more in other places but they are all too small to produce fruit. I plan to clear away any competitive growth and fertilize these as well. It takes about 8-10 years for them to really produce fruit and a few of these are really close to being that old. Maybe the fertilizer will help to speed them up a year or so.

I did take my bow out and practice a little this afternoon. Gave everything the final once-over and put it back in the case, ready for Saturday. Man, I love this time of year! To me, this is better than Christmas.

Did I mention we trudged up and down hills all afternoon? Where's my ibuprofen?

We took the boat to the lake one last time yesterday. I added some fuel stabilizer and wanted to make sure it was in the system good. We rode around for a couple of hours and then brought her back home. I still have to winterize it and cover it up. But that can wait for a few more days. Or weeks.

I'm heading to my recliner for a while and then to bed. I hope you all had a good weekend.

2006-10-06T17:46:00.000-06:00

Read the ad... It was allegedly an actual ad on KSL 8's Classified section. I didn't call the number to see. I figured this guy was in enough trouble.

Post Date:
Aug 7th, 2006

Expire Date:
Sep 6th, 2006

$10,000

06' Suzuki GSXR 1000

Farmington, UT 84025 - Aug 7, 2006

2006 Suzuki 1000. This bike is perfect! It has 1000 miles and has had its 500 mile dealer service. (Expensive) It's been adult ridden, all wheels have always been on the ground. I use it as a cruiser/commuter. I'm selling it because it was purchased without proper consent of a loving wife. Apparently "do whatever the f*** you want" doesn't mean what I thought. Call me, Steve. (801)867-8292

Not hilarious...but funny

2006-10-05T21:06:00.000-06:00

http://www.mrcomputerservices.com/DancingHippo.htm

Mental block ahead

2006-10-04T18:25:00.000-06:00

This is just a short post to let folks know I'm still around but have no clue what to write about.
So...in the nature of Sir Snagley himself, I will open the forum to questions. Ask me a question, and I will do my best to answer it.

Amen, Tubby!!

2006-10-01T18:48:00.000-06:00

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville doesn't care if another too-close-for-comfort win fails to impress poll voters or the national media.

Tuberville found himself once again facing doubters after the second-ranked Tigers' 24-17 victory at South Carolina that wasn't secured until the Gamecocks' final pass into the end zone fell incomplete.

"We're not going to turn our season into apologizing every week that we won by one or two points," he said Friday.

The Tigers (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) certainly aren't piling up style points along with the victories. There was the 7-3 win over LSU, the victory over Buffalo that was fairly close until the fourth quarter, and now another survival contest against an underdog team.

But the laid-back Tuberville got a little testy amid questions about the outsiders' take on his team.

"If they think that wasn't a tough ball game to play, they need to come watch an SEC game," he said. "I saw the two teams in front of us (in the Harris Interactive poll) play close games last week, too.

"It's not about style points. It's about winning games. I could care less what they're looking for, to be honest with you. We're not going to get the respect anyway, for some reason. We're going to earn it. We're going to keep playing like we're playing. We're not in this business to impress anybody, other than our fans and our football team."

The Tigers had trouble stopping the passing and running of quarterback Syvelle Newton.

Newton threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jared Cook to bring the Gamecocks within a touchdown. He then led them back downfield. Auburn didn't clinch the win until Patrick Lee tipped away Newton's fourth-down pass to Sidney Rice in the end zone on the final play.

"We learned a pretty good lesson," Tuberville said. "We've got to contain a quarterback like that and make him stay in the pocket, and we didn't do that."

He said he wasn't surprised the game was so close. Regardless, with the win, "I've got a smile on my face."

But the Thursday game also leaves him with some time Saturday to check out No. 1 Ohio State and No. 3 Southern California, the two teams ranked ahead of Auburn in the Harris poll, a component of the BCS rankings.

"I'd be interested to see some games this weekend, some of these so-called high-ranked teams," Tuberville said. "I like our football team. We've got some less-than-strong points in some areas. I'm not going to say weaknesses, because I don't think we've got a whole lot.

"If the SEC has to prove anything to anybody around the country, then something's wrong."

The Tigers host Arkansas and No. 5 Florida in the next two weeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll just go ahead and say what Tommy was trying not to but wanted to more than anything.....F**K the BCS and their prejudicial rankings!!! Twice in the last 4 years Auburn has been screwed out of the chance to play for a national title due to the BCS and the bullshit way that the "computers" rank teams weekly. There's truly no justification in the "rules of the rankings" and how they come up with who falls where in the polls. If you win by 1 point or 100 points, it's a win. You should be credited with the win. If you have 2, 3, 4 or 10 teams that go undefeated all season, you should have some type of playoff to see who goes on to the championship. Anybody can lose on any given day. Anyone remember a little story about David and Goliath? Why not just have a playoff system? Every other collegiate sport in Division 1-A has playoffs. Why not football? Each bowl game could be an elimination round, thereby insuring that no sponsorship would be lost. The championship bowl could rotate like the Super Bowl does. A different venue every year. That way, everyone would get the chance to see "the best of the best" eventually. It'll work if they would just give it a chance. Don't you think?
I'll get off my soapbox now.

My weekend in review:
We helped a close friend move on Saturday. We moved all the large stuff early and while the ladies were unpacking, we were assisting his wife's brother in laying hardwood flooring. I crawled all over his house installing the quarter-round shoe molding. It turned out pretty well . Although there were a few times that my knees were really beginning to re-evaluate the friendship. But he did buy us lunch and dinner so...I guess it wasn't so bad. Besides, he's always pretty eager to help me out when I need a hand with something.
Today, i felt like I'd been hit by a truck when I got out of bed. I guess it was the walking, lifting, pulling, crawling, etc. that I'm not used to doing that did it. But we went over and helped finish up with the moving and then came home around 11 or so. We grabbed a bite for lunch and then went to the woods. My wife milled about with the dogs while I put up a tree stand in preparation for the opening day of bow season in 2 weeks. Then we came home, washed the truck and fired up the grill. Grilled pork chops, garlic mashed potatoes, cream corn and some sort of cheesy bisuit. Damn good eating, if I do say so myself. Now I'm in that relaxing mode where I just begin to hate that tomorrow is Monday. But I'll get over it soon enough. Probably in about 4-5 days.

Hope you all enjoyed the weekend. I'm off to the recliner for a little TV.

I want to!!!

2006-09-29T04:43:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to post this one for a long time. Some people have trouble viewing these videos so I decided to run a little test. I'm posting in 2 different formats. Try them both and let me know which one works best and I'll start using that format in the future. Or I may just do them both. It's not that much extra effort.

Here's the Javascript version:
Sugarland - Want To

And here's the regular version:

Want To
By Sugarland
CodesAndLyrics.com

I think it just might be the best one yet. And the song is pretty good too.

Whew!

2006-09-28T21:10:00.000-06:00

Auburn - 24 South Carolina - 17

It was close, but it's football. Not horseshoes or hand grenades. Close doesn't count.

War Eagle!

Airline Humor

2006-09-27T19:19:00.000-06:00

After every flight, pilots fill out a form called a gripe sheet, which
conveys to the mechanics problems encountered with the aircraft during
the flight that need repair or correction. The mechanics read and correct
the problem, and then respond in writing on the lower half of the form what
remedial action was taken, and the pilot reviews the gripe sheets before
the next flight. Never let it be said that ground crews and engineers
lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints and problems as submitted by Qantas pilots and the solution recorded by
maintenance engineers.
(By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that
has never had an accident.)

(P = The problem logged by the pilot.)
(S = The solution and action taken by the engineers.)

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute
descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what they're there for.

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget
pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget

Not that I'd rub it in or anything.....

2006-09-26T17:13:00.000-06:00

But...

War Damn Eagle!

Lemonade, anyone?

2006-09-25T15:02:00.000-06:00

I thought this was funny as hell.

The Sound of Music....

2006-09-22T15:26:00.000-06:00

....is a top popping on a Friday afternoon.

I hope you all have a good weekend.

Shhhh. Be vewy vewy quiet.

2006-09-17T16:54:00.000-06:00

We're hunting snapalopes.

I was watching a little Spike TV earlier and saw this commercial. Being an avid hunter myself, I thought it was a pretty amusing ad pitch so I decided to check out the website. It's pretty funny.

Click here to learn all about snapalope hunting.

And while I'm posting, I would like to add a big WAR EAGLE! They played an awesome game yesterday and defeated LSU 7-3. LSU really impressed me though. They lost a lot of starters this year but you can't tell it. I'd hate to have to play them again this year.

One Ad Miller probably won't run on TV

2006-09-14T20:05:00.000-06:00

Grasping at straws

2006-09-13T20:27:00.000-06:00

I saw this tonight on IMF and thought it was a pretty neat video. I'm not really crazy about the song but it's tolerable. Don't worry about me buying the last copy down at Sam Goody's, though.

It's Not Your Fault
By New Found Glory
CodesAndLyrics.com

In other news: Can Tucker Carlson get any whiter? The boy is eat up with it. He has about as much rhythm as a game of dominoes. Was anyone surprised to see him get the boot on tonight's Dancing with the Stars? My top 3 stars to make the finals are, in order from best to worst:
1. Mario Lopez
2. Emmett Smith
3. Willa Ford
Keep an eye on them and let's see how well I judge dancing. The professionals dancing the Mambo tonight was worth putting up with Tom Jones' singing. That was really entertaining.

Can you tell I'm struggling for material here? Is it time for Idol to return yet?

Ya'll have a good night.

WTF?

2006-09-12T17:26:00.000-06:00

I don't know what is going on but I could only see one post earlier and NO sidebar on my blog. I paid the rent on the place. I swear I did.

May We Never Forget

2006-09-11T04:20:00.000-06:00

When You Come Back To Me Again
By Garth Brooks
CodesAndLyrics.com

Revenge is sweet

2006-09-10T10:05:00.000-06:00

And so is TiVo.
I know it's been a while since I ~~rubbed it in about~~ mentioned that one of the greatest joys of Tivo is not having to BE at home when something is on TV that I really want to see. So I won't mention it now, either.
Last night, Ohio State took on Texas in Austin. #1 vs. #2 (in both polls). And I was hell-bent on watching that game. But it was also the night we were having a birthday dinner for a good friend of ours.

Conflicting schedules! Oh, the delimna!

NOT!

Set the timer. Go have food and fun (and beer) with friends. Relax. Crisis averted.

I watched the game about 7AM this morning and was very impressed with both teams. I know Kelwhy will beg to differ, but I think Texas is "just as good" as OSU and could beat them any given Saturday. The stats show that the teams were about as evenly matched (in this particular game) as you could hope for. But stats don't win ball games. Points do. And Texas could have racked up over 1000 yards in a single game but if they can't get it in the painted grass, it was all for fun and exercise. OSU put the ball where it counted. Over the goal line and through the uprights. And all on the right Saturday! And that makes all the difference in the world on the plane ride home. Congratulations to the Buckeyes and all the OSU fans out there.

My beloved AU Tigers handed it to MSU yesterday. On a platter, too. Which was to be expected if you're one for the averages. Auburn is 18-1 in previous meetings with the 'Dogs. But I will give Sylvester (Croom) credit for one thing. He shut down the best rusher in the SEC, Kenny Irons. But unfortunately for him, Auburn had more eggs in other baskets.
LSU is coming to town next week. I can't wait. I'm hoping to score a pair of tickets and join the 80,000 on the Plains for probably the best game Auburn will play this year. wish me luck. I hope your team won this weekend, unless you're a Bama or SoCal fan. Most especially SoCal. More on that AND the idiocy that is the BCS later.

I'm going outside to enjoy the fall-like weather.

On my way home

2006-09-08T15:09:00.000-06:00

I've seen a few other blogs where people did this the other day and thought it would be pretty cool. Os said to keep it to a dozen pics or so but even he couldn't do it and he just drives across town. I have an hour drive so how can I just pick 12? He also asked for it to be done on Tuesday, but it's Friday now. I'm just a fountain of non-conformity, eh? Sorry, Os?
Come along if you like. This is the average trip home every day. If you get tired before we get home, feel free to get out. But after you do it for 12 years, you don't even notice the distance anymore.

I've just left the office and am getting ready turn left. Only 51 more miles to go!

Interstate ahead! Watch out for prostitutes on this little stretch. There are truck stops on either side of the interstate and the ladies just looooove them some truckers.

Gotta love the 5 o'clock circus. Merge with caution.

No explanation needed here. I think you can figure out what this place is.

This is the Hyundai Assembly Plant. They make the Hyundai Sonata here. Soon to add the Hyundai Sante Fe.

The Hyundai offices next door to the assembly plant.

A few miles out of town, the traffic thins out and I can bring her up to cruising altitude. If you're in law enforcement, this picture has been digitally altered. I never get above 70 MPH. Never.

Smooth sailing. Clear skies. Little to no turbulence expected.

Landing gear down, on final approach. Thank you for flying with us and I hope the experience has been a pleasant one.

The stockyard on the left as soon as you get off the interstate. I've heard the cafe in there is really good.

Now for the "country roads" part of the trip. Quit humming John Denver! (Caught you, didn't I?) This is the section of the trip home that I like to "unwind the mind".

4 miles to the end of that road. Hang a left and watch for cows in the road.

More smooth sailing on more country roads.

As soon as I make the next turn, I see the "po-po" with the speedtrap trying to snag someone heading north. Eyes front, Hands at 10 & 2.

Chicken houses aplenty.

Only 9 more miles to...

civilization. Sort of.

They're building a new bank by the Dollar General.

Did I mention that I drive the country roads home?

This is a Tier 1 supplier to the Hyundai plant. This is Dongwon Autoparts. They make the plastic housings for several of the electric/electronic components.

These donkeys are always right here by the road in the afternoons. I never see then in the mornings.

This is Chowel Weldparts. A Tier 2 supplier for Hyundai. They build metal racks, carts and other stuff for use in the Tier 1 plants.

This is another Tier 1 plant, SMART, Alabama. A division of ShinYung Metals. They stamp all the steel body and frame parts for the Hyundai assembly plant. You can't appreciate the size of this building until you see an 18-wheeler sitting in the doorway and it looks like a Tonka toy.

The entrance to the SMART plant.

This is the home of the "World's Largest Peanut Boil". Every Labor Day weekend, the Shriners boil tons and tons of peanuts and sell them here and downtown. The money goes to the Shriners Hospital for burned and crippled children. The big white building behind it is the Sister Schubert's Bakery.

The bridge over the Patsaliga River is pretty much the city limits. Hometown folks call it the PATS-a-laga.

This is a Veteran's Memorial as you're coming into the main part of town. The guy that keeps it all neat and tidy is a Vietnam veteran.

My old Alma Mater. Home of the Tigers.

I told ya'll it was dry around here. The water is usually all the way up the the guy wires in the foreground. See that fountain out in the middle? If the pond was at the normal level, you'd only see the tips of the perimeter jets and about 6 inches of the center one. I'd guess it's about 4 feet low right now.

Honey!! I'm home!! This is my street. If you're ever down this way, just remember...if you can't stop...wave.

This concludes this part of the virtual experience. Please keep your hands and feet inside the ride until it comes to a complete stop. Please exit to the left of the ride and make your way to the exits located at either end of the facility. Thank you again for making us part of your day.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

Crikey!

2006-09-04T05:45:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14663786/

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2006-09-02T06:34:00.000-06:00

Today marks the 17th anniversary of one of the best decisions I ever made. When I decided to stand there and say "I do" and hope like hell she followed suit. She did. We did. And here we are.

It's been a wild ride filled with ups and downs. But I'd stand in line for days to buy a ticket to ride all over again. This video sums it up really nicely. Not to mention that this happens to be one of her favorite artists.

And just in case she reads this....Happy Anniversary, baby!! I got you on my mind!!

PS. I figured out what was wrong with the boat yesterday and fixed it. She is once again seaworthy. Just in time for the big weekend.

A little of it all

2006-08-30T18:52:00.000-06:00

Tonight's post is gonna be like jambalaya...a lot of random stuff just all tossed in to make one (hopefully) good post.

First things first. And you can listen to the music while you read the rest of the post. How considerate of me. No?

I was over at No One's blog earlier and saw that she had a video up tonight. This got me to thinking about posting one of my own. Not my own video but you know...a video video. A real one. Not that mine aren't real but ...maybe I need to stop over-explaining and get back on the topic here.
I remembered hearing a song as I was driving home from work that is fast becoming a Top 5 for me. It's more likely a Top 3 song right now. So I did the search and it's not available yet. Which totally sucks. But I did find another song that is a kick-ass song by the same group. Here ya go:

Down In Mississippi (Up To No Good)
By Sugarland
CodesAndLyrics.com

Is it just me or is Jennifer Nettles hot enough to make a Pekingese break a logging chain? That woman could make the Pope do porn.
If you might be wondering what the song I had oriinally planned to post, it's called "Want To". And if you get a chance to hear it...listen to the last word of the second verse. The way she says "float" is why I say she could corrupt the Pope.

Moving on....
I posted last night about the diary room antics of Will and Boogie, aka Chill Town. I checked my email earlier and found this:

Props go out to my good blogger-buddy Chuck for the email. According to his email, this was drawn by a 16 year old girl. Thanks, Chuck!

Are done yet?

Nope. Not yet.

Butt almost. (Typo intentional, read on to see why)

Here's proof that you can never run out of uses for the one of the greatest products in all of America.....and possibly the world.

The End.

Chill Town Strikes again!

2006-08-29T21:29:00.000-06:00

For anyone not watching Big brother All-Stars, just let me fill you in on a little something.

Will and Boogie are ruthless!!! But I love them as a team!!!

They are playing Erika like an old pot with a wooden spoon. What makes it worse is the fact that she knows it! She even admitted to expecting the "bro's before ho's" thing to kick in within a week or so.

That little dual diary room skit that Will and Boogie put on at the end had me almost in tears. I loved the little pillow fight in the pantry after Janelle won the POV too. Which, by the way, was as impressive as any I've seen to date. She is good at the game and they really need to smoke her ass soon or she'll probably win the whole shebang.

All I can say is Danielle will be eating at Ruby Tuesday's before you know it. No more BB Slop for her after Thursday.

That will be all for now.

Say goodnight, Gracie.

Lawbreakers Beware!!

2006-08-28T18:04:00.000-06:00

This is just a warning to any wannabe hoodlums that might even think about trying to hide out in White Oak Shores, Alabama:

Don't even think about it!! Lest ye be prepared to face the unyielding wrath of the local authorities.

The stealth and agility of this man are matched by few and surpassed by none.

Look into the steely eyes and fear him.

We went over there this weekend and stayed with friends through Sunday morning. There were a couple of highs and lows.

High: I finally got the new ignition switch in the boat and it ran beautifully.
Low: Right up until the motor that trims the outboard up and down quit trimming it down.

High: I don't think this repair will be very costly or time-consuming.
Low: No matter the simplicity of the repair, the boat is again resting peacefully in the shed, awaiting repair. This is not the fun part of owning a boat.

High: I helped my buddy clear some brush from the ditch on either side of his drive and it looks 100% better.
Low: I now have poison ivy on both arms, among other places.

We came home early Sunday because my wife had a funeral to attend. A co-worker from several years ago And friend for many more years) lost her husband to cancer on Friday. I stayed home and got all the yardwork finished while she did that.

My brother-in-law brought his boys over for a swim in the pool yesterday. I was working on a little project under the carport when they drove up. No sooner had the boys gotten to the edge of the pool, when they came running back yelling, "There's a snake in the pool! A baby one!"
So I walk out there and sure enough, there is a snake in the pool. If you are a devout member of the SPCA, please find comfort knowing that the demise was swift and, most assuredly, as painless as humanly possible. Not that I give a rat's ass, so long as it ended up dead. I think it might have been a water moccasin, but I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that I don't have to worry about that particular snake getting in the pool again. Or biting me or the wife next time we decide to go for a moonlight swim. We've found one snake in the pool each year since we've lived here. I guess we're good for another year now. Why can't I just have crazy squirrels in my pool like Julie has?

So that's the weekend in a nutshell. Exciting, huh?

Speaking of nutshells, anyone know any good remedies for poison ivy?

Life is good.

2006-08-22T20:31:00.000-06:00

And the food ain't too bad either.

We'd been planning on trying this recipe for about 2 weeks now. And tonight, we did. And I must say, it was pretty damn good. Even if I did do all the work. And it was soooooo hard, as you can tell by the recipe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Smoked Tuna Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1 pouch StarKist Hickory Smoked Tuna
1/2 cup Colby-Jack cheese blend, shredded
1/8 cup Green onions, thinly sliced
1-1/2 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1/8 cup Roasted red pepper cut into small strips
2 Flour tortillas, burrito size

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix tuna, cream cheese, shredded cheese, pepper strips and sliced onions until blended. Spread tuna mixture on one tortilla shell, to the edges. Top with the other tortilla shell. Spray a large skillet, lightly, with vegetable spray and heat. Brown the shell in the skillet until golden brown on each side, approximately 2-3 minutes each side. Cut shell into 8 wedges and serve.

Prep Time: 5-8 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-6 minutes

Serves: 2 or 8 Appetizers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I doubled everything and made 2 large quesadillas. They are very filling. I ate one and was stuffed. Try 'em. They're super easy and very good.

After dinner, I was invited to go for a moonlight swim, which I gladly accepted. It was so nice and peaceful out there. We really enjoyed it. It had been a pretty stressful day at the office and it felt good to unwind with a beer or 2. Could things get any better? We shall see.

Now I'm ready to go to bed.

Goodnight, John Boy. ;)

Monday, Monday, Go away...

2006-08-20T20:49:00.000-06:00

We're back from a GREAT weekend at the beach. And I dread going back to work tomorrow. Anyone want to write me an excuse? I feel a little *cough* under the *cough* weather. Must have been too much of the night air.

We got a little later start than we had wanted to Saturday morning but still hit the sand by 11AM or so. I gave a dude $20 to rent a set of lounge chairs and a big umbrella for the rest of the day. It was a near-perfect day for the beach. White sand, emerald-green waters, moderate surf, slight offshore breeze to keep you cool, no phones and most especially...it was just the 2 of us. The only thing keeping it from being perfect was the seaweed. And even it wasn't that bad.

Would you give $20 to have this view for the whole afternoon? *cue surf sounds and salt air aroma*

We hung out on the beach until about 4:30 or so. We stayed in the water for the most part. I'd make a trip to the umbrella when we needed a beer but mostly, we just bobbed in the surf and talked and enjoyed each other's company all afternoon.

We did go ahead and get a room before we hit the sand. We decided that right after we got down there and saw how nice the weather was. After the beach fun, we went to the room and got a shower and took a nice little nap. We'd been up since about 3:30AM but that's a whole 'nother story that I don't even want to get into. (But I will say it had to do with our "alleged" empty nest.)

After the nap, we went to "The Boathouse" as planned. Now that I have the pictures, I'll elaborate a little more on this place. It's just as the name implies. An old boathouse that has been converted into a small restaurant/bar. And by small, I mean the main dining area is only about 15 feet wide and maybe 25-30 feet long. There's just one big table in the middle that runs the length of the room and 2 booths against each wall. Theres a bar at one end and a door leading out onto the deck on the other. The deck is only about 4 feet wide and goes around 2 sides of the boathouse. Needless to say, when you go here, expect to either be friendly or be miserable. I think that's the one thing I enjoy about it the most. It's like hanging out with 30-40 good friends that you just haven't met yet. We met a couple from Lebanon, TN and really enjoyed their company a lot.

There's $1 bills stapled everywhere in the place. People use a Sharpie and write their names or some other message on the money and staple it anywhere they can find an empty spot. And money isn't all that's left hanging around the place.

There's bras, panties, caps, shirts and numerous other articles of clothing that have been donated for decorations.

The guy in the corner to the right of the back door is Tom Phillips. He has been the sole act here for as long as I can remember. He sings and plays the acoustic guitar. He also has some sort of digital accompaniment that he uses for piano and drums/percussion backup. Oh yeah, and there's a couple or 3 tamborines and a washboard lying about that the patrons are welcomed to pick up and join in the mix. I requested a song last night (A Pirate Looks at Forty) and instead of just singing it, he announced to everybody in there that I was going to help him sing it. So I did. And I joined him on several other songs before the night was over. Mostly Jimmy Buffett songs but I do remember singing "Long-Haired Outlaw", "Family Tradition" and "You Never Even Called Me by My Name", to name a few. Did I mention the ""congo lines"? Yeah, we had (to quote Chuck) "copius amounts" of beer and fun.

We got back to the room about 1:30 (I think) and crashed until about 8 this morning. We loaded up about 10 and went to the Waffle House for breakfast and then headed home. After we got everything unloaded and situated, she hit the couch and started watching something on Lifetime so I kicked back in the recliner with the iPod and took me a siesta pequeña.

It has been a really relaxing and enjoyable weekend. Probably the best one in a long time for both of us. Why does it take getting away like this to make you realize just how bad you've been needing to get away like this?

So...

What did ya'll do this weekend?