Ignorance Killed the Cat. . .

Ignorance killed the cat, curiosity was framed.

Thanks and giving were combined for this day many of us are celebrating. I suspect for the originators it was thanks for being alive. Half of the "Pilgrims" didn't make it through the first winter. Don't forget that half of the crew of the Mayflower didn't either. It wasn't a three hour tour with Gilligan for them. For the women, it was worst. Can you imagine arriving at your destination and them having to stay on the boat waiting for the men to find a Holiday Inn, err, piece of ground to camp on? Some were on board for six months before stepping foot on dirt. Some never made it to shore.

Giving of yourself. Volunteer somehow. Grow something and give to neighbors. Spend time with family. More than one way to skin a cat so to speak.

Which leads to a question of why is there a picture of chicks leading a post about cats, thanks and giving?

We have many cats and each has a place in my heart, though fewer places occupied would be okay. I am thanking Maureen for making me a chicken owner, and I can't wait to see where I will be giving next.

When is. . .

When does a family have too many animals? Some would say never. We are animal people, period. All shapes, genders, colors, and species. Well, maybe not like Noah at this time.

But it feels like it.

Cracked Around the Edges

Sometimes don't you feel like Humpty Dumpty? Yesterday I didn't get to the tile laying, but I did clean the floor. Vacuumed and wiped down clean. Today maybe the layout of the tile.

What I did do was sheath the roof of the water heater closet. By code, I think. Double wall vent pipe, 1 1/2" from combustible material, metal ring(handcut),door. The door will have to wait for another day. Temporary door cover for now. As always more decisions about how to finish. Sometimes using found and scrap material, and using all of it makes a job harder. But at least little or no waste in the dump.

What I also did was visit with family and friends. The Powells came by to get some eggs. With two little ones, Faith and Easton, I get to practice being a grandpa. Kids, don't get any ideas! Faith and I jump roped at the volleyball game recently and had a hoot. Henny-Penny and the Girls have been producing so Maureen offered some to the Powells. (I work with Mike, actually for Mike. Wendy just passed her admin test, Congrats!) They got a tour of the mess we call an suburban farm, and pet the chickens, dogs and cats.

While they were here most of the Kelloggs showed up. They were visiting Ken's father, Betty and were on their way home from Pendleton with Daniel. Daniel just graduated from Basic training with the Marines, HooYah! I haven't seen him in years and he has changed. Grown up. He commented as he looked up to Wilson, "When did you grow up?" I thought the same of him. Michael came down from Chico, so only Mark and David were missing. We talked for a while and they continued on the parent tour. Great to see them.

Today it's on to school work, tile, Freecycle and church, but not in that order. We are going to the Presbyterian Church to hear Jim speak. He is working there part-time and filling in the pulpit. We fenaggled a table and chairs off Freecycle for Robert and need to pick it up. While in Visalia we hope to pick up some drywall that's been offered. Maybe a stop at one of the big-box hardware emporiums and finish with a partridge and a pear tree. I may work on the kitchen backsplash instead of, or in addition to the cabana tile job. We shall see as the day unfolds.

I didn't realize so much wine was needed to dry peanuts. Thankfully, Sofie didn't mind.

Crusty and Happy. . .

Old goes without saying. Overall, I'm happy in my gray.



Do you ever wonder what the bottom of your water heater looks like? I hope not like this.

Big weekend ahead. Laying tile for the first time. We hope to get most of the tile laid in the bathroom of the cabana so that by next weekend we can have a working commode in that water closet.

I also am sadly thankful that the rains didn't show up until after I finish roofing the "new" water heater closet.Sad because we need the rain, but thankful that I have a few more days to finish the closet.



Brad is home for Thanksgiving. It's nice to have him around. We watched the latest Star Trek last night and I have to admit it was pretty good.

Annie went to the midnight madness of Twilight with friends. I vaguely remember discovering midnight movies in college, those after "studying" things to watch to wind down. The only time I see midnight now is when I wake up with an upset stomach or the dogs are barking at someone "sodding"* our front sidewalk.

Sam is now in Fayetteville, NC at Fort Bragg as many know. He calls a few times a week and seems happy. He's looking forward to being home for Christmas. I didn't ask him if he is going to the Sarah Palin book signing Monday. He says Fayetteville has been nice and good weather after Hurricane Ida left town.

Wilson is his happy self again. Senior portfolio, termpaper and Psychology notebook out of the way helps.

Maureen and I are just eating our way to bliss. Maureen is trying new foodstuffs and I'm happy to oblige and eat it. We picked pomegranates from the alley behind us and she made jam with it. Good stuff!

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday. I'm sure the weird will creep in somehow, but that just makes for another adventure.

*When the son and friends of a friend were recently planning to toilet paper our yard for Annie, the wise father suggested that they use the leftover sod from their landscaping project instead. He thought Mrs. Garver wouldn't like the TP in the front garden. We ended up with a sod front walkway.

Pan = all + cea = cure

Many people believe that technology is going to save the world. I don't. After Jesus, people using un-common sense are going to prolong what we think is the world. People's reliance upon technology is going to ruin and destroy the world.

Last night towards the end of our high school football game a local man collapsed. This is a man that had helped many in the community, has given countless hours to many groups and organizations, advised numerous citizens through the years. He collapsed while he was again giving; he was working at the barbecue the Kiwanis does before, during and after the game. Just as he has for years. His son and a local doctor administered CPR until the EMT's could arrive. As the game ended, something he would enjoy to watch as he tended the fire, he lay unconscious with no pulse as people prayed and fought for his life as the ambulance arrived.

Ray is living today. The doctor and the son pumping and breathing. The EMT's doing what they know. The hospital techncians working their machines. A local man is alive because technology was used and worked at the proper time.

What caused the "attack?" Bad diet? No. Lack of exercise? No.

Wrong medication. Bad technology at the wrong time.

Thank You. . .

. . .To all that have served and are serving. Let us never forget what brought us to the Eleventh hour of the Eleventh day of the Eleventh month of 1918. And let us strive not to repeat it.

CONFUCIUS:
He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:
Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.

MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN:
We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.

MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN:
You're not obligated to win. You're obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day.

MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN:
Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.

MOHANDAS K. GANDHI:
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

RALPH WALDO EMERSON:
Religion is to do right. It is to love, it is to serve, it is to think, it is to be humble.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.:
Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN:
A lot of people are waiting for Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi to come back -- but they are gone. We are it. It is up to us. It is up to you.

Minimalist Blog

http://mnmlist.com/

How Many Stop Signs Must a Man Run Through. . .

. . .Before he knows something is wrong. Sung to the tune of "Blowin' in the Wind."

Media reports of 80% of Americans saying they do not like the Healthcare Bill. A virtual 50-50 vote (50.6/49.4)along party lines of those actually allowed to vote. A document 1990 pages long. Answer honestly, how many have read every page of War and Peace (1225 pages) and Moby Dick (822 pages)?

All this and the bill is now our children's children's problem. Still passed after all the debate and protest for and against, the crude, stupid and mean comments from both sides. Do you wonder why the rest of the world laughs at the USA? Why America is being compared to the Roman Empire just before the fall? When will wisdom enter the debate?


Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Revelation 2:10

Fat, Dumb and Happy

I hope Maureen will give a better description somewhere, but I wanted to mention tonights dinner. 100% grass-fed beef hamburger patties on home-made buns, home grown sweet potato fries, water from the tap and only the wine from Santa Rosa being non-local. Good stuff and a hearty "Cool Beans!" for a great meal and company.

We went to the farmers market in Visalia between soccer games again today and ran into some friends, old and new. We bought the aforementioned beef from Springville and some fruits and vegi's. I have a feeling this is going to become a habit. My dream is to ride the local bus from Exeter to Visalia and to the market, or bus then bike to the market. That adventure will have to wait.

Hurry Up, and Wait

Sam's moving. He finally got his orders and is moving to beautiful North Carolina, Fort Bragg to be precise. Don't know all the details, but do know Sam has a 8 hour bus ride today.

Today is the end of the second 6-week grading period. A time typically fraught with drama, intrigue, tears, parents raising their voices, joy and a feeling of reprieve in some cases. For teachers, it means a long weekend grading, recording and inputing data into a computer.

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

I've been thinking about the past year quite a bit and wonder where we're heading. I'd like to review some of the things we've done as well as think of where we'll be in another year. Things like the "No China and No New Clothes" challenge. Kind of an update or "slice in time." How I'm beginning to dislike that phrase. Not as much as "Children First," which has taken a negative connotation in this town.

I'll start with today's election. With the past five years of controversies regarding the high school, there is no election because only the incumbents ran for reelection. As the kids would say, "Whaddup?" Big changes ahead and no outcry? SNAFU comes to mind.

More to come.