Welcome

Welcome to Phelan and thanks for stopping by.    Stop by often and leave your 2 cents.  I always try to answer all comments.



               HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. 

God Bless--johnnyb

Recreational Vehicle

We have always wanted an RV so we could travel around, see a little country now that we are retired.  We saved and saved for years and finally have been able to make a down payment on the RV of our dreams.  I hope nobody is too envious of our new acquisition.

I also hope nobody takes me serious on this!  It would be an attention getter though.---johnnyb

Welcome

I want to welcome Mandy and Laura.  Thanks for hitting the button.  I will always try to answer all comments.  Sometimes it might not be the same day, but I will  do it.  If there is anyone that I have missed as a new follower, let me know.  Sometimes my follower plays tricks an me. 

A little before 7 AM our  weather alert machine sounded off.  Very unusual for this time of year.  The alert was for a high wind warning for the area.  Sustained winds of 30-50 MPH with gusts of 70-8- MPH can be expected from middle of the morning through early evening. Just flipping lovely!!  The year started with a blizzard, so I guess it just as well end up crappy weather also.  Night before last we had a thunderstorm go through.  Once again not something that will happen often in the winter.  Thunder snow occasionally,  but this was rain (very little),  lightning (a lot), and thunder (a lot).  Just weird.  We have had a lot of high winds in the past year.  Sustaining winds, night and day, for 2 or 3 days.  Doesn't subside at night.  I hate wind!!!!!  I need to get out and make sure everything is tied down.  We don't have the little ankle biters anymore, so I won't have to worry about them blowing away.  (Kids returned from Montana on Wednesday night, and picked up dogs on Thursday).  

Made arrangements yesterday to get a load of manure for the garden.  Hopefully over the next year we can get the ground amended for a better garden area.  I will start working it in as soon as possible.  The ground is not good at all.  There was a church on that lot years ago.  When they tore it down, it was just pushed into the basement and buried.  Lots of  pieces of foundation, glass nails, but nothing of value yet. 

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year.  My wishes for the new year are that we may all have the best year possible in the conditions we are in, or what may develop over the next months.  May
God Bless all and above all this Great Country that we live in.   I pray for those who have given their lives over the past year to fight for what they believe in, and their families who have also sacrificed so much.  Not just the past year, but for the last 235 years.  So many have fought and died for the freedom we have today.  We must not let anything or anybody take that from us.---johnnyb

HAPPY NEW YEAR  







 

Sunset on the High Plains

Caught these pics sunset tonight.  Just wanted to share the beauty of it.----johnnyb

End of the year, already?

Seems like this year has gone by way to fast.  Haven't done a whole lot this week.  Been doing some cleaning, burning trash, etc.  Had to take the jeep to the doctor this week.  Funny noise that wasn't supposed to be there.  Wheel bearings starting to go bad.  Not serious yet, but will get it fixed soon.  An expense that was not planned.  Not much choice in the matter.  It's the only vehicle we have, so we have to keep it in good shape.  Not only that, it's paid for.   Approaching 200,000 miles on it.  Been a good vehicle. 

 Hope everyone is sliding from this year to the next with not many problems.  I read the other day that people look forward to the new year so they can continue with all their bad habits from the old year.  Lots of truth there.  I don't know if all my habits are bad habits, but they are tried, true and tested!

I guess the above is my quote for the day.  Sounds good to me.

God Bless all---johnnyb

Day After Ponderings

 For the person who thought they got everything they needed for Christmas. 

I hope everyone is enjoying the season.  I see rain is falling in parts of Texas.  Has to be better than a white Christmas.   Just hope there is enough to do some good.  Our daytime temps are in the 40's and 50's.  Melting the snow and drying up some of the mud.  My seasonal depression is easing now that the days are lengthening.  (Hey a couple of minutes is enough to start me towards spring).   A lot of winter left though.
Carol notice some daffodils popping through the ground.  Way to early for that here. 

Been thinking about the past year and everything I wanted to get done.  Got the sleeping cabin finished.  That was our #1 priority.  There were other things, but there is next year, (I hope).  We have projects in mind to help with our prepping.  Some we will be able start during the late winter months.  On thing high on the list is a manual water pump.  Seen some advertised, but haven't  followed up yet. Right now water would be a problem if the electricity went out.  Got to have water!!  We hope to add some chickens.  We are going to raise quail again this year.  It seemed to be a success last year.   Our friend from Colorado called last week to say that the quail had been ordered for the first week in June.  It was a very interesting experiment and alot of fun.  Quail are such strange creatures.  Our dogs will be looking forward to them also. The list will probably get longer as time goes.  We are looking at more storage for canned goods.  There will never be enough room for that.

Time to go.  Coffee is cold, dogs and I have had our cheerios, so I guess we are ready to meet the day head-on, at least until nap time!

Thought for the day--"many people look forward to the New Year for new start to old habits."--unknown.

God Bless all---johnnyb

Merry Christmas

From us here in the "middle of somewhere", we wish all a Very Merry Christmas, and the best wishes for a the coming year, good bad or indifferent!

God Bless all on this day----johnnyb, carol, dinka, annie, bella and the two ankle biters,  hurley and bo.

Gangsta' Baby

Just some humor to share.  God Bless---johnnyb

Crafts, canning and dogs

Another winter storm blowing through the area today.  Nothing big,  just a pain in the you know what.  We are dog sitting for a week.  Two Yorkies.  Quite a difference when you are used to big dogs, and then here comes the ankle-bitters.  They are getting along pretty good.  The smallest of the two has put the Labs in their place a couple of times,  but then has paid for it another time. It will be a fun week.  They belong to the daughter and family in Nebraska.  They left yesterday for Montana to visit one of their boys and wife.  He is in the Air Force.  They made it as far as Cheyenne last night and had to shut it down because of the weather.  Will continue on today.

Carol and a friend have been doing some crafts.  They made baskets this week.  They had fun doing it, and will do something else next week.  Keeps them out of trouble and off the streets.  Safer that way you know.  I'm probably in trouble now.  Oh well.  such is life.  The baskets turned out pretty good for being kind of experimental.  All materials were re-purposed except for the staples used to fasten sides to the bottom. 

Carol canned chicken and chicken broth yesterday.  We had bought some chicken parts and pieces (legs and thighs) on sale.  Will make good  eating.  Chicken and home-made noodles kind of enters my head.  Haven't had that for......oh about 2 weeks!    We freeze a lot of stuff and the can it in the winter.  Don't have to heat the house when it is 110 outside!  Just nice to have the food stocked away.

Hmmmm--Looks like Carol is the only one doing anything around here.  Not really.  My work is all behind the scenes.  You will find my name in the credits! (You will have to take my word for that, because if you notice there are no credits).

Thought for the day-"23. What this country needs are more unemployed politicians."-- Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)

God Bless all.  Be safe.  If you can't be safe at least be careful----johnnyb

Baby picture????

After Duke's comment  on my post of  Men Who Lack Supervision #1 that he wouldn't send any more home pictures, I decided to post one of his baby pictures.

God Bless all--johnnyb

Men who lack supervision #1

 Just some humor to start the week.  God Bless all--johnnyb

Lazy Saturday Morning.

Sitting here having my coffee and contemplating the day.  The dogs and I have had our toasted oats for the day.  Theirs is the honey toasted and mine regular.  Too much sugar in the honey toasted for my system.  Dinka, the Grand Dame of the crew just has a dog treat.  Or usually treats, plural.   Her routine starts anytime between 7AM and 10AM.  Usually the latter.  She never has been an early riser.  Upon rising she immediately wants out, regardless of what we may be doing.  She usually will not accept a treat at this time.  Not the way it is done.  After a time of wandering aimlessly about, trying to find the exactly perfect spot,  and I mean it has to be perfect, she will do her morning "stuff".  After this she comes to the back door and barks.  She won't come in, but sits there looking at me like I am a complete idiot.  At this time she will take a dog treat and either eat it or bury it for future use.  When the snow melts we will probably find all of these brown crumb spots all over the yard.  Then she will come back to the door and we do it all over again.  It's like Johnnyb's mcdoggles drive up window.  We watched her the other morning wander around the yard for quite a while looking for  a place to bury the treat and finally gave up and ate it. dog's can be such a source of amusement if a person will take the time to watch.  The other two, Bella and Annie,  have a different routine.  You can almost set your watch by them in the morning.  They are ready to go out a 7AM every morning.  Bunny patrol, you know.  Important stuff.  Once in a while they will catch a rabbit, but not often. The rabbit will generally make it through the fence before they catch it.  Then they are back in for cheerios,  and back to bed. 

I hope everyone has a good weekend. Please pray for all that are in need.  I guess when you think about it, that would be about all of us.  We all are in need in one form or the other.   Prayers are answered, just not always like we want.

God Bless all--johnnyb

Welcome

Thanks and welcome to those who have hit the follow button.  Stop by often and give your 2 cents.   I will try to answer all comments.

The dogs are bored today. Foggy and chilly. They don't stay outside too long. Bella likes to have her picture taken.  Actually she like the flash.  She is becoming paranoid with light reflections.  She can spend hours outside waiting for a reflection from a door or whatever.  She is a nut.  Freezing moisture all night.  Everything was ice earlier this morning.  It has since warmed above freezing and the ice is gone.  It probably will return tonight. 

Carol and I have been putting some thoughts on some craft projects that she and a friend are going to work on.  They like to use re-purposed materials to do the projects.  I am the head of the research department (scavenging and foraging.)  It is fun. Keeps me out of trouble.

Thought for the day--"It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends."--J.K. Rowling

God Bless all--johnnyb

Early Christmas

We had kids here for the weekend.  One daughter and family from west central Kansas spent the weekend.  Another daughter  and SIL from  Nebraska were here on Saturday.  Always fun to have grandkids around for a while.    Two are teenagers and one is a 6 y/o terror on two legs..  I would be worn out if I had to try to keep up with him for a while.  I, the SILs and older grandkids did some shooting .  We always try to do so when they are here.  I finally got to shoot my Model 1891 Argentine Mauser.  My dad had bought it back in the 1960's.  I had shot it a little at the time, but it was never shot much.  It had just set around for years in a back closet.  My brother didn't really want it, so I took it a couple of years ago.  I cleaned it up checked it out the best I could.  Everything seemed to be ok with it.  Amoo was a problem.  765 X  53.  Finally found some.  It is fun to shoot.  The gun is all original.  All serial numbers on the gun match.  Right down to the cleaning rod.  Only thing I don't have is a bayonet.  I have seen them somewhere on the net.  Will have to search.   Would be a great addition to the weapon.  Anyway we all had fun shooting it.  Probably won't shoot it a whole lot.  Nice to have.  Good conversation piece.  By the serial number, it was manufactured in 1892.

Weather warmed a little the past few days.  Melted the snow a little.  We are supposed to have some freezing drizzle and a little snow tomorrow.  Bring it on!  Not much I can do about it.  Got good books to read,   a few inside projects to do, and a couple of new seed catalogs to look at, so I am set.

Lesson for the day' mostly for the benefit of my female friends:

REMEMBER THIS AT CHRISTMAS TIME …

 

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. 

Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring.

Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl.

We should've known…...

ONLY women would be able to drag a fat-ass man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

God Bless all,  have a good week and keep all others in your prayers---johnnyb

Out of the deepfreeze

The weather is finally warming bit. Warmed into the 30's yesterday. Tuesday morning it was -14 degrees F. 10 degrees above zero this morning. There is forecast a few flurries today and then warming for the weekend. Upper 40's by Sunday. The snow starting to melt, so it will be slushy mess in a couple of days. Good moisture since the ground is not completely frozen yet.
Had a couple of pheasant hunters staying in our cabin for a couple of nights. The small heater
didn't keep up well when it was so cold that one night. We had worried about them, but it was no problem. They live in Colorado in the mountains, and said they usually sleep with the windows open during the winter. One said at his house, you could make ice cubes in the bedroom. We had plenty of blankets anyway. I was afraid the heater wasn't working good, so I went to town and got another. Figured between the two it would keep the temp up a little better. It did, and they told me it got too warm and they had to shut one off! They are a part of a group 7 that hunts here every year. The guy that brings them here owns a house right next to us. He just had too many for the beds he has, so we took the overflow. Most are from Colorado, a couple of them from eastern Nebraska. It is always fun having them here. We have been friends with the one that owns the house for about 16 years. He comes here a half a dozen times or more a year. Hunting in the fall, winter, and spring, and just chillin' in the summer. Very good people. We take care of his house and yard when he isn't here.

We have kids coming for an early Christmas this weekend. One daughter and grandkids. Always fun to have them. One grandson likes to do some shooting, so I have been making sure everything is in order in that category. Shoot mostly black powder. He thinks it is pretty neat.
The rest of our Christmas is kind of helter-skelter. One son is State Trooper, another son is an Emergency Dispatcher, SIL is a city policeman, another daughter's significant other is Deputy Sheriff. Only the dispatcher and the deputy are in the same town. Shift work is hard to plan around. The other daughter and family only live 20 miles away, so that is not a problem. They work 9-5 jobs so it is easier.

We both enjoy rodeos, and have been watching the National Finals this week. It just makes my bones hurt even more just watching. I don't see how they can do it day after day. I suppose they will feel it more in later years. We used to go to more rodeos, but the price of gas kind of prohibits it.

Quote for the day--"We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress".- Will Rogers

God Bless all, be good, and if you can't be good, at least be safe!--johnnyb

Storms end

The blow is over. It wasn't too bad. A few drifts, but nothing major. No roads closed or anything like that. Ended up with about a foot of the white stuff. As you can see from the pics, the dogs had fun playing in the snow. Temperature is about 4 F this morning. Had to get that from the internet as the thermometer froze up yesterday. Supposed to be colder tomorrow night. -5 to -10 degrees F. The brass monkeys will be in trouble again. Poor guys. Oh well, it could be a lot worse. I'll not complain too much because we aren't as cold as some parts of the country. It will warm up someday, and then we can get into garden mode. House is warm. Burning about a bag of wood pellets a day. Lots cheaper than propane.

Need to finish my coffee and start removing some of the drifts from around the house. God Bless all--johnnyb

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

We are getting a nice winter storm this morning. Weather reports say 4-10 inches for this area. We already have about 4 inches so I'm guessing we will be in the upper end of the spectrum. No wind yet, but it is supposed to pick up to about 30 MPH during the day. It will probably pile up in the road ditches and fence rows where it doesn't do much good. Oh well it is December, so this can be expected. It is kind of pretty so far. I've got coffee on, the dogs have been out,(and right back in), got some good friends to follow on their blogs and a good book to read. I think I am set for the day.

Quote for today-"Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.-- Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

God Bless all and be safe--johnnyb

Life as a child

Just want to pass this little story on. Author unknown. Just plain amusing.


Life as a child.

Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little badass compound bow beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow.

That got boring, so being the 10 yr. old Dukes of Hazard fan that I was, I quickly advanced to taking strips of cut up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied around the end and was sending flaming arrows all over the place

One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large rotten oak stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and saw a shiny brand new can of starting fluid (ether). The light bulb went off in my head.

I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I thought that it would probably just spray out in a disappointing manner. Let’s face it, to a 10 yr. old mouth-breather like myself ether really doesn't 'sound' flammable.

So, I went back into the house and got a 1 pound can of Pyrodex (black powder for muzzle loader rifles). At this point, I set the can of ether on the stump and opened up the can of black powder.

Did you know that a 1955 40-horse Farmall tractor tire will take 6 rounds before it goes down? Tough son of a gun!

My intentions were to sprinkle a little bit around the ether can but it all sorta dumped out on me. No biggie, 1 lb. of Pyrodex and 16 oz. of ether should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker you know?

You know what? Forget that, I'm going back in the house for the other can. Yes, I got a second can of Pyrodex and dumped it too. Now we're cookin'.

I stepped back about 15 ft. and lit the 2 stroke arrow. I drew the nock to my cheek and took aim.

As I released I heard a clunk as the arrow launched from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my dad getting out of the truck... OH SHOOT!

He just got home from work. So help me God it took 10 minutes for that arrow to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking towards me in slow motion with a "what in the world are you doing?" look in his eyes.

I turned back towards my target just in time to see the arrow pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of Pyrodex and into the can. Oh shoot.

When the shock wave hit it knocked me off my feet. I don't know if it was the actual compression wave that threw me back or just reflex jerk back from 235 fricking decibels of sound. I caught a half a millisecond glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion and I will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all hovering 1 ft. above the ground as far as I could see. It was like a little low-to-the-ground layer of dust fog full of grasshoppers, spiders, and a worm or two.

The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this... THE FRICKING DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE. There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate going into the pasture. Notice I said "was". That son of a gun got up and ran off.

So here I am, on the ground blown completely out of my shoes with my Thundercats t-shirt shredded, my dad is on the other side of the carport having what I can only assume is a Vietnam flashback:

ECHO BRAVO CHARLIE YOU'RE BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE. DAMN IT
CEASE FIRE!!!!!

His hat has blown off and is 30 ft. behind him in the driveway. All windows on the north side of the house are blown out and there is a slow-rolling mushroom cloud about 2000 ft. over our backyard.

There is a Honda 185 3-wheeler parked on the other side of the yard and the fenders are drooped down and are now touching the tires.

I wish I knew what I said to my dad at this moment. I don't know - I know I said something. I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own head. I don't think he heard me either... not that it would really matter. I don't remember much from this point on. I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I felt a sharp pain, blacked out, woke later ... repeat this process for an hour or so and you get the idea.

I remember at one point my mom had to give me CPR, and Dad was screaming Bring him back to life so I can kill him again." Thanks Mom.

One thing is for sure... I never had to mow around that stump again. Mom had been complaining about that thing for years and dad never did anything about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled business.

Dad sold his muzzle loader a week or so later. I still have some sort of bone growth abnormality, either from the blast or the beating, or both.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, get your kids into archery. It's good discipline and will teach them skills they can use later on in life.

Author Unknown

Welcome

Thanks to That Guy for hitting the follow button. I try to answer all comments. Stop by, put in your 2 cents.

Compound Security

I thought that I would introduce everyone to our compound security unit. They are a wild, loud-mouthed crazy bunch. They are very loyal to the cause. They fear nothing. Well, maybe that's not a correct statement. Actually to put it more correctly, the fear nothing on the other side of the fence!

First there is Captain Dinka (more affectionately known as Tank). Part Golden Retriever, part Yellow Lab. 8 1/2 years old. Naturally born leader. Bravely leads the group from her camouflaged position she has dug into Carol's favorite flower bed.
Here she is getting ready to interrogate extremist quail. Can't be to careful these days. She was explaining the hazards of trying to escape.

Whenever Captain Dinka is tied up in important meetings or taking a nap, (which is usually the case), she turns things over to the "Sarge", Annie. Annie is a 7 1/2 year old cross between a yellow lab and a doberman. Annie is in charge of the "bunny" squad. She is on constant patrol on the perimeter fence making sure there are no breaches. A fearless dog, until a storm comes up and then it is anxiety attack time. In the house, behind the chair or bed, shaking like a leaf.

Next in line is Private Bella. Bella is part chocolate lab, black lab, and whatever else happened up the alley. 1 1/2 years old. She is still in training at the moment. Her specialty now is anything that moves. Anything blowing through the yard is fair game. She is pretty deadly with reflections of light from doors, windows, etc. She has a real hi-pitched voice, so she is the danger, alert sounder. When she sounds off, the others have to roll. Danger abounds. This picture is of Bella cooling of in the sprinkler after a hot day of keeping everyone safe.

This picture is of all three, heads together, trying to decide if water-boarding will be necessary on the suspected terrorist quail. They travel without luggage, they live in hiding in the wild. They are pretty secretive. All indications of a terrorist cell. Could be others in the area. Waterboarding may be needed to discover the main bunch!

All kidding aside, these dogs have been our "kids at home" for the past 8 years. The have been great companions and protectors. I spent a few years working in juvenile justice system as an intake officer, surveillance and transport office. I was gone a lot at night, so it was a comfort to me to know that they were there with Carol.(The pistol on the lampstand was too).
The love that a dog shows for its master is the greatest love that can be shown. They are there for you 24/7. Agape love. They will give there life to protect.
We bought Dinka from a litter of nine, I believe. Annie was a pound puppy. Bell was a birthday gift to Carol from a Grandson. They are a great source of entertainment. They each have there little quirks, and routines that they go through each day. Dinka is starting to show her years. She sleeps a lot. Has to have medicine daily for achy joints. She has had two knee surgeries. They are house dogs. We have almost 1/2 an acre fenced off that they run in. They never have been penned up. They are the greatest!

God Bless all--johnnyb

Tis the season

First it was Black Friday. I don't know if there was a name for Saturday and Sunday. Then comes Cyber Monday. I received an email from one e-cataloge calling today Tremendous Tuesday. Then what--Wicked Wednesday-prices so low there are just plain evil. Let's see--how about Thirsty Thursday. By now it is beerthirty. Enough with the commercialism. What happened to all the traditions of Christmas. What's wrong with a Christmas that is based on what the real meaning of Christmas is. I understand that the Magi bore expensive gifts to the baby Jesus. They were bearing gifts for a "King". I know there is those out there that think they deserve all the expensive things, but I don't think there is anyone out there that deserves the gifts that the baby Jesus received.

It seems that kids today want Transformers, all the fancy games, etc. What is wrong with a plain old fashioned Christmas with a few gifts that are hand-made, either by you or someone you know. Craft fairs are a good place for this. Nothing fancy, just something that means something. "It's the thought that counts" doesn't seem to come into play like it used to. Kids will tear through the packages, paper, bows and tape flying everywhere. No "thanks Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad". You might hear "but Billy got more than I did." That one really gets me. No concept whatever. I suppose you can point a finger at parents, and rightfully so. We have tendency to spoil them. It is our right, especially as Grandparents. But we need to be teaching them, not spoiling them quite as much. TV doesn't help. Schools would like to take the Christ out of the season. Big business looks at Christmas as to how profitable it was to them.
It all comes back to us as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, just plain sensible adults to try to bring back a little sense to the season.
No Happy Holidays from here, but plenty of --MERRY CHRISTMAS, MERRY CHRISTMAS.

God bless--johnnyb

The Pack Rat Saga

A pack rat decided to take up residence in what will be my little workshop. I hadn't really had time to mess with him while doing the sleeping cabin. I would see it from time to time. It even got so bold as to sit up in the rafters and watch me. Got to be kind of amusing, (only for me, I might add). Last week it was time to put an end to his adventures. Picked up a rat trap at the hardware store, set it with a nice bit of peanut butter. Next morning it was over. John 1, rat 0! Yesterday I started cleaning its nest or whatever you call it. It had got into the insulation when I was insulating the cabin area. There was a trash bag full.(I had to re-insulate part of one wall). The insulation was what became its swapping material. There were pipe fittings, screws, pvc pipe connections, nuts and bolts, etc. In each box where it had gotten something out of, there was insulation left as trade. If the size of the nest was any indication of the winter ahead, we are in deep doo-doo(or snow)! I hope not, but can't do much about it, if it is. As long as we can get to the library every two weeks it's bring it on.

Another month is about all but a memory. Seems like it really zipped by. It can't go fast enough for me. Seed catalogs are coming now and I can't wait for spring to get here. Should be a law against mailing seed catalogs before the first of the year!

Quote for the day--"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office."-- Aesop

Everybody have a safe and prosperous week. God Bless--johnnyb

Welcome

Welcome 45er over at Barrel Smoke. Thanks for hitting the button. I will always try to answer comments as soon as possible,so please put in your 2 cents.

God Bless---johnnyb

Dumb butt study of the day

The following article was found on WEBMD:

Bacteria Flourish in Public Restrooms
Study Shows Many Strains of Bacteria Are Common on Surfaces in Public Restrooms

We needed this study, why? There must be more people living under a rock than I thought!

Hope everyone had a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving. We had an enjoyable day with family.

Quote for the day--" Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner."-- James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

Have a good one--God Bless all--johnnyb

No title necessary, nor more words than Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish all my friends out there a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone can share the day with family or friends. To my friends in other parts of the world I still say Happy Thanksgiving. It doesn't have to be just a day or a holiday. I would hope that everyone gives thanks daily for what we have, be it little or small.
We are spending the day with family about 100 miles away. Won't be able to spend a long day there, but will be able to see most of the grandkids, and that is always good. We usually don't stay away from home for too long. We have a friend who will look in on the dogs and make sure they haven't excavated the house and moved it next door! Once again--a Happy thanksgiving to all.
God Bless--johnnyb

Tools Explained

I received this from a friend and thought I would pass it on. I'm sure a lot of you can relate--johnnyb

Tools Explained –


DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light . Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, 'Oh sh--!'

CUTOFF SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle ... It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VICE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXY-ACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes , trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.

CROWBAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

UTILITY KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

SON-OF-A-BITCH TOOL: (A personal favorite!!) Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling 'Son of a BITCH!' at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

Guard Dogs and Lampshades

Here is a picture of two of our dogs in their daily routine of protecting the property. They diligently check every little thing to make sure that all is well. Here they are checking the inside of their eyelids.
Boy I feel safe!

As I stated before, we repurposed a lot of stuff for the cabin. Lamps and lampshades among them. We had these old fixtures we were going to use, but the lampshade weren't in the best condition. So the artist and craftsman came out in Carol and she took care of that situation. She hot-glued sticks to the frame of the shades. Took a lot of sticks to do the two shades. I think they came out real good and kept with our theme of "rustic". I didn't escape the project entirely. I was the stick gatherer and all around "gofer' for the project.It is always fun to do things like this, especially when they are a success. In the back ground of the second pic, you can see the dogs are still on duty. Dinka is making sure the ceiling is ok. Nothing is going to intrude from that direction! Bella is just bored.

Cold this morning. 10 above. Should warm into the 40's today. Almost 70 on Friday and then the weekend turned to doo-doo. 30's all weekend.
Time to go for now. I should really do something besides drink coffee all morning.

Quote for today--"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session".-- Mark Twain (1866)
God Bless all--johnnyb

Cabin pics

Finally, the inside of the cabin is done. It has been quite a process, but fun to do. Next year we will build a porch. As you can see we have a "faux" (pallet) porch for now. Need to replenish the wood supplies. The first picture is right after we bought the place. I think there is some other pics on some older posts that show the "mess" we bought. When the second pic was taken, I wondered how it was going to work. Nothing was square, or plumb. But oh well here goes! The electrical, insulation, sheet rock for the ceiling, front door.and 2 X 6's for the floor joist were new materials. Everything else was repurposed, beg, borrowed or stolen. Just joking. Nothing stolen. The walls are old house and barn siding. Most of the wood was bare from the elements. Just took a little scraping and cleaning and they were ready to paint. They soaked up a lot of paint. Not all of the siding was the same type. The house siding was a different width than the barn siding. Didn't pay any attention to it. Didn't care. Gives it the look we were after. The back door was an old door I found lying around. The hardware was from the old house I am tearing down. The latch and door knob are the old flush mount type. That is all that was in the old house on the doors. I think most of them work. Some of the lumber was dimension lumber, so I had to plan accordingly. The floor is from pallets. One sanding, stain,and polyurethane and it was good to go. It is done and ready for occupancy the first of December.
Quote for today--"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."-- Mark Twain

Have a good weekend, be safe and God Bless--johnnyb

Headline of the day!!!!

Since 1978, at least 37 people have died as a result of shaking vending machines in an attempt to get free merchandise. More than 100 have been injured.

Does anybody even care? Actually not a headline from anything, just from a list of useless information. Didn't really have a lot to say this morning,so I just put that in. Actually I do have a lot I could say this morning, but I don't know where to start. I'll just let others say it and I will comment. Some are much better at putting it down than I am. Sometimes it is hard to be objective and make good sense when everything just pisses me off.
Quote for today--"The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.
-- Ronald Reagan
Everybody have a good one and keep the faith. God Bless--johnnyb

Snowfall

Nice wet snow this morning. Only a couple of inches, but the moisture is needed. Big snow flakes now and no wind. Unusual to see snow falling straight down here. Usually is horizontal because of the wind. Nothing to stop it except barb wire fence and a thistle here and there. Wind is supposed to come up later in the day, so it will pile all the snow up where it isn't needed.
Pretty well have the cabin done. A little touch-up painting to do. Got the back door hung yesterday. Went in ok. We were surprised. Never know when using "recycled" materials how things will fit. We started moving some of the stuff in yesterday afternoon. We have been collecting and storing things in the house, which isn't all that big, so it is nice to get that stuff out. I will include pics when I get them taken.

Quote for today-"I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."
-- Winston Churchill
God Bless all and have a good one wherever you are and whatever you are doing.--johnnyb

Hunting Season

Beautiful fall weather. A little dry, but nice temps. Been good weather to just be out doing something. Pheasant season opened this week-end. Will run through the end of January. Sounded like a war zone around the countryside yesterday. There are some friends coming in Wednesday from Colorado to do some hunting. They are son's of a very good friend who has a house near us. Then in December he will be here with a bunch of guys to hunt for a few days. A couple of them will stay in our cabin, so will need to get it finished up. I enjoy pheasant hunting, but don't care much for the meat. I'll eat it, but would rather leave it for others. Besides that I don't have a shotgun. Authorities frown on me using my 54 cal muzzle loader. No sense of humor there. There seems to be a lot of birds in this area. East of us the weather was a little harsher this past spring and summer, killing a lot of the birds. Deer season will start next month. Quite a few deer also. There has been some wasting disease infecting the white-tail population. I understand the mule deer aren't infected. Plenty of both.
People come a long ways to hunt the game around here. They traipse around the weeds, snow, cold, sit in tree stands, and love every minute of it. The funny part of it is, I can sit in my yard and daily see deer, pheasants, turkeys come within rock throwing distance. I must be getting lazy in my old age. I have always enjoyed hunting, but unless I have to, I am just happy to let others try to keep the wild population in check.
Quote for the day--"I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." Winston Churchill.

God Bless all and have a good day--johnnyb

Hunting season

What can I add to this!!God Bless--johnnyb

Veterans Day

Enough Said. God Bless---johnnyb

Good morning USA

Another of my winter projects. Hope to be able to fire it soon. Nice sunny day today. Storm never developed. Could have used the moisture. I think we will continue work on the cabin today. Ceiling paint will be next. There is one door to hang, then trim and it should be ready. Next spring we will put a porch on it. Need to get more wood for that. We will stay with the recycled wood if possible. I have stated this before, but this has been fun project.
Quote for today from Dwight D. Eisenhower--"In preparing for battle I have always found that plans were useless, but planning is indispensable."

God Bless--johnnyb

Dreary day

Cold, cloudy ,misty, snowy, and the wind is supposed to be on the way. All the ingredients for a crappy day. We could get a few inches of snow. They keep changing the forecast, so we don't know what is coming. Hope everyone has missed earthquakes, tornadoes the past few days. We didn't feel any shaking in NW Kansas,but farther east they did. Bad weather was southeast of us yesterday. Had a few drops of rain was about all.
For everyone living south of here, there are a bunch of geese headed your way. They usually have gone through by now, but yesterday they had it in road gear, south bound and glory. After about 3 circles, I heard the lead goose holler at the ends of the V to "put their butts on suck and hang on, 'cause it might get rough!"
Thought for the day from Thomas Jefferson--" A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have."

God Bless all today---johnnyb

Where I have and have not been

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots.
Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have
to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my
friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not
too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not
to visit there too often.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.

One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the
adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all
the stimuli I can get!

Author Unknown

Cabin pics

Just a couple of pics of the inside of the sleeping cabin we have been working the past few months. The floor is recycled from 2X4 pallets, each 32" long. Went over them once with a commercial sander, stained, and we have put two coats of polyurethane as a top coat. The walls are old house and barn siding from an old house that I am tearing down, sanded and repainted. Only thing left is one door to hand, trim around windows and walls, and paint the ceiling. We have pheasant hunters staying in it the first of December, so everything is going ok.

MDR--I did't recycle nails or screws either. The nails were the old square nails. I've kept a lot of them, just because. Funny story--One day I was in the hardware store and I showed a square nail to the person waiting on me and jokingly asked if they had anything like that. She said she didn't think they did, but they could probably order some. (She was serious!) I told her I would just use what they had on the shelf. I hope she doesn't try to order some.

The other picture is an early morning in NW Kansas. God Bless all and keep up a smile. It will make others wonder what you are up to.---johnnyb

Good morning

Can't think of anything of extreme interest to talk about this morning. I woke up breathing this morning, so I guess that is a good sign. Would not have been a good start to the day had I not.
Anyway I just want to say good morning, or evening, depending on where you are located, to all my friends out there. God Bless and have a good one!--johnnyb

God be with you

Just sitting here, having my pancakes and peanut butter, and coffee, thinking about the day ahead. Carol and I already had a plan of action for the day, but was just thinking (which is dangerous), of what we were doing, when I asked myself,"Self, what does God want me to do today?" Have you ever done that? We all have such busy lives. Even in retirement it seems we are busier than ever. We are sometimes so busy that we forget to do the one all important thing every day. Turn your day over to Him everyday before you leave the house. He likes to be invited into our lives. He doesn't mind helping us go about our daily routines. Today as we we work on our little sleeping cabin, He will be right there beside us. As we are down on our hands and knees, He is right there with us to help us back up because the knees hurt so bad. He is there on the ladder with me to tell me not to stand on the top rung. (I should know that anyway, but you know how it is!) He will do these things daily, but we need to ask Him into our lives. Just remember He is the Teacher, the Comforter. He will always be there for us when we fall, but we have to be there for Him also.
To end this I would ask any who read this to stop right now, take a moment as I am and turn your day over to Him. You will feel much better during the day knowing that His strength is with you. God Bless all. Have a safe Halloween.----johnnyb

From the Middle of Somewhere

Not a lot going on in our small part of the world, in the middle of somewhere. Just been nice fall weather the past few days. We have had heavy frost the past few mornings. Yesterday we looked at the wood cookstove that we have acquired. Made some measurements to make sure it will fit into our sleeping cabin. Everything checks out ok, so I can install the door. I had the door framed, but didn't want to go any farther in case we would have to install a larger door. Had other things I needed to do, but just was not in the mood. Watched a couple of football games, checked out the inside of my eyelids, and called it good. One of my teams won,(go Huskers) and one lost. Oklahoma came to play yesterday. Oh well 7-1 isn't a bad record.
Friday nite I went to our Grandson's football game. They are undefeated. If they can get past next week against a team that they have already defeated, they will be well on their way to the championship game. But there are still some good opponents to get by yet.
Keep the faith and may God Bless all who these words may touch.---johnnyb

word of the day

Ineptocracy (in-ep-toc’-ra-cy) - a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.--johnnyb

The Beast and the Beauty

35 degrees and a little moisture, maybe a white flake occasionally. Just one of those days where I feel like my get-up-and-go, got-up-and-went! Not supposed to get much snow, but I'm not in the mood for any. More west in Colorado. I think winter is getting a foot hold.
We have been doing a few projects the past few days. Carol worked on the raised beds some more. I have been gathering up old old lumber from the tear-down house for use in the garden. We need to check around the railroad tracks for some more old ties. We used up all we had collected. Just hope we can control the weeds better. Also been working in the cabin. Had to get more siding, so I can get the walls completed. We dug up some parsnips, and a few potatoes that were still in the ground. Made a good meal. We will deep mulch the parsnips and gather as we need them over the winter. What is left we will pull in the spring and can. We won't need to plant any next year as we still have some from a couple of years back. Just checked the temp. Heat wave. Up to 39 degrees F.
I've been reading of the Feds test of the EAS on 11-9-2011. Matt has a good post and comments on his site, and I just decided to do a little more reading on the subject.I guess it just alarms me that something like this is possible. I realize why the system was developed. One form or another has been in place since the old Conelrad system we grew up with during the early Cold War years. The weather service uses The system to put out alerts. We monitor weather radio during the severe weather months. the system wasn't used during 9-11, Oklahoma bombing or other emergency situations. Why now? It is just to convenient for those in power to be able to shut down all airwaves for their own benefit. That is my problem and thoughts to the situation. Scaaaary!!!!!!!
The sunsets have been really awesome lately. I like to include them occasionally just as a reminder of the beauty of God's work. I would liked to have been able to observe the Northern Lights. Haven't heard of any reports around here. We didn't look, so if they were it is our own fault for not seeing them.
Thought for today from Dr Seuss--"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."--God Bless All--johnnyb