Another Job

Along about the time my brother Dab asked about the catalog, my wife Pam took a call asking if we could paint. Can we paint? If it's for money and is honest work, we are diversified enough in skill that we can do most anything. If we can't, we just get a book a read...then we can!

Anyway, I told her to accept the job and for the last two day's we have been working on repair and painting two duplexes. So far I've got over forty hour's invested in just three day's and probably have another ten to go on the first duplex. Will be back at it in the beginning of the next week.

With the hours put in, I've been just staying there instead of the seventy mile daily drive.

We are blessed and the good work is happening. This also makes the guilt of buying a sawmill in these hard times much easier to accept.

Thank you God!

If you want to be Right...DO RIGHT!

Some Good Work

A couple of weeks ago my brother Dab called and asked if I could design a retail catalog for one of his clients. I told him I thought I could and sent him a copy of one I had created as a prototype.

The client liked it and a few days later I was sitting with her designing a catalog. I was told it would probably just be more like an eight page brochure. It turned out to be over forty pages.

After the preliminary work we met again and made some changes and finalized it for her to take to the publisher.

She was happy...I was happy, and Dab was happy.

I really enjoyed this kind of work and hope to do more of it.

Also the money came in very handy. I have been planning for some ten years to someday buy a sawmill so I could process lumber from tree to furniture with no middle-person (I am being politically correct) taking their share.

Last week I ordered the mill and expect to receive it today.

I am excited at the prospect it will provide and pray it will be a good investment.

I Concede

It would seem that many people I know haven't heard that the Presidential election has ended.

I am speaking directly to most (not all) democrat leaning people in my life. Barak Hussein Obama has been elected to be the next president of the United States of America!

You are now free to give it a rest. I do not need to hear about how bad McCain & Palin are, and how they will lead the nation to doom.

While I will openly admit that I did vote on a large part (not all...gasp) a republican ticket; I actually voted for a few democrats on the state level. As I've always maintained, I AM AN INDEPENDENT! The reason I voted the way I did was based on a lack of a better choice. If I had my way Dean would be our new president.

So, based on your new information, I concede the election to the democratic ticket. You will now have all control of our government. You no longer have to bash McCain or Palin as neither of them is any threat to the well being of our nation. Quit beating a dead horse already.

One thing to remember...if Barak Hussein Obama, Joe Biden, Congress, and the YMCA proves to make a better nation, I will thank you for your wisdom. On the other hand, anything that goes badly I will also look in your direction for making a bad decision. It's all on your shoulders now and I will highly encourage you to accept the responsibility in kind. Good or bad...you own it now..

I do hope for a much better future.

Brave New Life

I've finally decided to share a bit that is going on in our lives.

For some time we have worked with a company that provides in-store promotions for primarily Wal-Mart; in addition to other retailers. We've been doing this for a few years and are quite good at it.

A little while ago we got word that Wal-Mart was going to select one company to go with and they did. The company they chose is a giant and had the strength to leverage the move, which means we have no work.

At first we were angry, then came the fear that is associated with the current economic times we are in. Out of Work! Not a very comforting situation to be in. We pulled on our pants of courage and on we push.

We also do other contract work and are being a bit successful in securing more contracts/clients. We're very resourceful and have to just push on. This is not the worst we've seen as a family and I'm quite confident we will do well.. In fact, we usually do just the opposite of that which society seems to be doing. In easy times we usually see hard times. In hard times...we are successful as it provides a time for survival through quick and responsive resourcefulness.

In other direction's we have decided to pursue a business that we have prayed hard on and truly believe will be a success. It is one business that does not pay any attention to time's or economy. If it doesn't' work, it will only be for a lack on my part. I can accept that. I truly don't mind taking responsibility for what I do. I see it much better than living at the will of someone else.

Is it better to be a successful slave, or fail while being a free man. I can live with myself.

If you want to be Right...Do RIGHT!

I'm Going Native!

We, and I assume many of you, watched the election results roll in tonight with much excitement and anxiety. As is always the case, the electoral votes waxed for one candidate and waned for the other. I voted the waning ticket and I was disappointed. But, I've got a new President-Elect, and being an American, I am obliged to accept him as such. I'll get in line.

A couple of things really stuck out tonight to me.

First, Sen. McCain gave one of the most bipartisan and gracious concession speeches I have ever heard. He didn't go on about anything but acceptance of OUR choice. He urged us to support his opponent and congratulated him in his win. No bitterness and no anger. What I saw tonight was a true gentleman and an honorable statesman.

I do fear we made the wrong choice, and that is my birthright as an American to hold this opinion. I pray that President-Elect Obama proves to be a wise and righteous leader. If he doesn't be the President we need, I know where the fault will lie. Squarely on the shoulder's of George W. Bush.

Think about it.

• Iraq....George W. Bush.
• Flopping economy....George W. Bush
• Hurricane Katrina....George W. Bush (he should have diverted that nasty storm)
• Iraq....George W. Bush
• Everyone in the world hates us....George W. Bush
• High gas prices....George W. Bush
• Fuel pump went out on my van....George W. Bush
• Global warming....George W. Bush
• My chainsaw quit running....George W. Bush
• Iraq....George W. Bush
• I caught Type II diabetes....George W. Bush
• Someone in the military got killed....George W. Bush (no disrespect meant...serious)
• Wal-Mart ran out of bell pepper's....George W. Bush

If something (anything) went wrong in the last eight year's, it was George's work. Talk about one seriously powerful dude.

Back on point, the second thing that stuck out was the African American vote. While scanning the different network's, one comment made by many African Americans was one of pride for an African American being president. It would seem that for many, it was the man's race that was up for election, and not the man himself. Not all, but many insinuated that this was the case. If this is right, we may be in big trouble. I honestly do pray that Barak surrounds himself with truly wise people and is man enough to listen.

Likewise, I know that many "white" people wouldn't vote for Barak due to the fact that he is not fully white. This is just as bad. Vote for the RIGHT American...whomever they may be. Here we are in the 21st century and race/gender still plays such a role. Look at who they are and what they have done in life, then vote. What is wrong with us?

Now, based on what I've seen, I have decided to claim my heritage to advantage. I've been pondering going into public service and now believe it to be the right direction to move toward. Unlike Barak Obama, I'm not half white, but more along the lines of one quarter white. The rest of my blood runs Native (Cherokee). That's right! I can lay a large claim to what most of you white people who through inheritance, have stolen from my inheritance. Therefore, I am not among the majority and I believe it due time for me to finally advance my particular ethnic brethren.

Until tonight, I have honestly held a race neutral view of myself and my fellow citizens. We were all simply American. I have to blame this on my father; a fine and honorable man he was. I remember once asking him why he wouldn't even try to assure our name on the Indian role. He explained that while he was proud of our heritage, that it was the United States of America that held his military service. He also explained that he wanted no advantage over any of his neighbors. We were simply Americans. Honestly, are we not all native Americans?

I've also been disturbed by the many interview's I've seen on the news in recent weeks. There has seemed to be a directive to get out and see what the African American thinks...almost to exclusion. What about what I think? Are we living in such an unenlightened time that a Native American could not hold an opinion on their potential President? Does my blood make me unworthy while the blood of another is more worthy? Lord, let me be wrong and let us all have enough integrity to pray for our new leader's.

The future (2012),

President G. Redneck (remember my name)

We Voted!

Today was the big day! We got up early and put on our best dud's. I even donned my cowboy hat, boots, and lucky belt buckle.

The first pic is of our local polling place. I know, I know...you are thinking I must live in Beverly Hills or some place equally as affluent, but you would be wrong. Just because I live in the middle of Redneck Estates doesn't mean that we play things down. In fact, some thought the fancy facility might take away from the event at hand; it was decided that we should just leave the antenna standing and go ahead and allow the voter's to use the executive parking facility. I think it just added to the grand event taking place.

If you look close, you can see an elder gent in the white whip (car) and a dog in the white pickup truck wondering who I was and why was I taking their picture. I was fortunate to have gotten that shot. As we were pulling away, I could see security swarming in the rear view mirror.

This pic of the princess is my 6-yr. old Katie. She was excited because I let her drive down our driveway. Actually she steered as I held her on my lap, but to her, she was the pilot. I wish though that she would quit sticking her tongue out every time the camera comes out.

Was a big day indeed...

Go Vote

When it comes to politics and my country...some call me a zealot, and other people call me a patriot. I think I'm just a little bit of both.

Now if you ask me what my honest opinion of the whole voting issue is, I would have to say I'm not so confident in the whole process. Does my vote REALLY matter...probably not. But, I can say that it does entitle me to participate in the process and allows me the right to gripe.

When I speak to people who open with a complaint of the government I always ask if they voted. If not, then I don't value their opinion. Why should I listen to someone who won't even take the time to do something as simple as voting.

The truth is that the electoral college makes our pick for us and I'm not about to even try to explain the whole process.

On the other hand, when it comes to policy, the President actually has little power. He/she is the leader, but is heavily managed by the other two branches of government; judicial & legislative.

Now we don't have much power over the judicial, but the legislative is a whole other story. If you really want to make a difference, then get on the phone to your legislator's. Tell them how you feel and don't be shy about reminding them that it is "they" who represent "you".

The president has the power to veto anything that congress might throw his/her way, but only once. If our legislator's follow our call and push something back through, then the President is trumped.

While I do have a definite opinion of who our leader's should be, I will accept whomever we get and intend to use my right of petition to our legislator's to ensure that I have a small touch on the steering wheel.

I implore you to get out and vote; grab your right to gripe about whatever you want. Also get proactive and do a quick study on who you want to represent you to your state and federal government(s). Either way, you WILL be governed and if you choose to have no part in it, then do you really have any right to be upset with anything the government does.

The passive citizen soon becomes a slave to the government. The proactive citizen encourages freedom.

It's time to decide who you are...I choose to be the patriotic zealot

Doctor-Doctor...Give Me the News...

The trip to the doctor went pretty well...or so I thought.

Went in and my glucose log pleased to doctor as did my weight. They ended up with a general blood sample and sent me on my way.

A day later I got a call asking me to come in and visit with the doc. Now this really scared the good wife. Didn't the visit go good. Turns out that my blood work had somehow came back bad. The only real concern I had was over my liver, and that's what troubled me a bit.

Anyway, the next day I'm back in the office waiting for the hammer upside my head when he came in with a very somber look and began the eulogy.

Turns out that the bad news was that my cholesterol had risen a couple of points and thought it worthy of discussion. My "big" glucose test turned out very well and, "whatever it was that I was doing..I needed to keep doing." My liver showed no indication of ongoing damage and all else was improved.

Now...why in the world could he not have just called and told me about the cholesterol? Something like, "hey there gimpy...your cholesterol has risen a bit and I would like your permission to call in a prescription...sound good?"

The reason is that there is just so much red tape to mess with. Could he document the discussion and agreed upon treatment with no receipt of a visit to the office? No...would just be a phone call.

As a child, I can still remember having the mumps and the horror of looking out the window and seeing the town doctor walking up our street carrying his black bag of torture. Do I ever miss those days of reason and trust...