To do List

When you’re a child most parents give you a chore list. The chores were generally done after school or at least before bed time. At first the chores start out as mainly learning to pick up things in your room and make your bed. As a child grows so does the type of chores that would be expected of you in the home.

Sometimes parents would have the kids help with kitchen duties which would mean one would wash the other would dry. Each time they would rotate from what they had done the previous time. Often times when there is more than a couple of children the others may have to be responsible for taking out the trash or something of that nature.

As for the outdoor chore list mowing, raking leaves and other maintenance to the yard would be done by the dad and possibly the children. In some cases the entire family would help in the process of cleaning up.

Now as we get older the list are no longer called chore list more than likely it’s called a honey dew list. Now I’m sure most of the men would tend to agree whoever come up with that ridiculous saying had to come from a woman. Over the years my list typically would be small and easy to keep on track with the things needing repaired or whatever. I find now after many years of being married, children to take care and now grandchildren added to the mix the list seems to have taken over the refrigerator.

Every now and again my wife will take the list cut in half and replace it on the fridge. I think she believes that if the list is not as long the quicker it will get done. Although, she means well by making me think that it’s all good I know and she knows there is just never enough time in the day to get everything done.

So since this we have removed the list and started one in our head of what is more important and what can wait. Believe me at times we’ve come to the conclusion a list is for the birds. We get more accomplished by playing it by ear than having the pressure of looking at an endless list of household chores. So far we’ve managed to survive over 30 years of this so I’m sure life will go on without a chore list.

Remember guys a honey dew list never goes away she will always find something incredibly crazy to add to it. By the way I have a TV to fix and as of an hour ago a water heater. Good luck guys. Thank goodness Christmas break is just about here so I can get started on my task just as soon as I finish my finals the fun begins. Wish all of you good luck on your finals.

News Broadcast and Newspapers

How much news is too much? In some cases I personally feel that news should be kept directly in the place in which it happened. To many times when an incident happens some other crazy person decides to take things into their own hands and see if they can get away with the same kind of stunt.

Let’s just use one occurrence where the Smith girl kills her children by drowning them in a car. She lies over and over about what happened to her children. Only to find out that she was the one who had killed them. Now we have the Anthony story where her little girl comes up missing and a lot of evidence points to her as to doing something to the little girl. How much is enough? Is it really necessary to publish this all over the world so that we can get all these lunatics out there trying to copycat what the other one done to see if they can get away with it.

OJ Simpson is another case in which you couldn’t even turn on your television without finding him all over it. Too much of this is going around that people are convinced and just crazy enough to try and manipulate just like he did. They are wasting taxpayer’s money.

How many shootings have we seen in the schools all over the place? I can tell you from my point of interpretation way to many. Bomb threats are out there. Too much publicity, it’s not making the problems go away just making the nuts out there on our streets think of ways to do the same thing.

 Newspapers are just as ruthless about writing negative publicity. When you pick up a paper anymore it’s all about the horrible things going on in our country and around the world. What ever happened to reporting positive news? I think that people in general like hearing all of this and that is why the ratings are so high when they’re broadcasting the kidnappings, home invasions, arson, bank robberies, and the list just goes on forever. Is the negative news drawing people to the programs?

It’s only a matter of opinion that in some of these cases such as a kidnapping and a few others be altered to the entire world. Keeping things a little closer to the hometown might and I say might keep others from repeating such malicious crimes. It’s only a theory.

Growing Up

Who says that growing up will be fun and easy. Being a child you go through periods of your life when all the responsibility is on your parents. Starting at birth your parents feed, bathe, and change your clothes and so on. As you begin to reach three or four your parents are having you dress and feed yourself among other things. Now all this sounds wonderful not having a care in the world but it gets a lot tougher as years go by.

Once you start school your responsibilities increase from doing your homework, cleaning your room, basically picking up for yourself. Becoming a young teenager is where you first begin to find out just how easy you’ve had it for 11 or 12 years with your parents doing most of the work for you.

Let’s begin with age 16, you want a car and now you think your parents will be getting you one. Nice if they can afford it. But what about those parents who are not so lucky to have the funds. Does this make them a bad parent? Being a bad parent has nothing to do with buying or not buying you something. In some cases the parents may want to buy the car but they also want you as their child to learn to take responsibility for things they want. So here’s where the first part of a child showing they’re not growing up. They tell the parents that they never do anything for them; my friends’ parents did why can’t you? Telling your parents this won’t get you the car, however if you were to approach them by saying would you help me out if I get a job and help with making the payment. This is definitely a sign of adulthood.

Stage one of thinking everything should be given to them is a sure sign of childishness. Being selfish is when you expect others to do for you. The first sign of growing up is when you first of all show respect for your parents. This is a line you should never cross.

As you become an adult you need to take responsibility, be independent by getting a job and supporting yourself. Remember you don’t have to let others walk all over you and use you as their doormat. It’s not easy being an adult, life isn’t always fair. There will be days when all is right with the world and you find yourself thinking wow being an adult is so much fun. But then all days are not picture perfect.

It’s all about how you handle a bad situation. If you let the problem over take you and give up then you’re only failing yourself. Always keep in mind that someone else could have it just a little bit worse. As some of you have already figured out in life some individuals never grow up they always depend on someone else to do the work for them. So when someone asks you what do you want to be when you grow up how will you respond?

Family

 Family the very word itself can be tremendously powerful. They are people you can lean on for sound advice and trust what they tell you. They are dependable and be there for one another at a time of need. They should be happy and excited whenever they get the chance to spend time with one another. The truth is, family in most cases is just the opposite.

 I grew up the youngest of six children, three years age difference from me and my next oldest sibling. I myself never had the luxury of being close to any of my siblings although I longed for it greatly. Since there was the age difference I was always too young to hang out with them in their eyes therefore never really bonding with any of them.

  When I was in the sixth grade my mother and father were divorced. This led to even more separation. By this point my three oldest siblings had already moved away from home which left one brother and one of my sisters and I still at home. My brother and sister stayed with dad and I went with mom. This would turn out to be even more of a separation amongst my siblings and me.

After graduating from High School I married and went into the military. This was the beginning of even a longer separation from family. Although, I had a wonderful wife and three beautiful children I still longed for my parents and siblings and the closeness that they shared with one another. During part of my military career we were overseas twice once in Panama and the other in Germany. So the visit home became even less and so did the distance of our relationship.

Nevertheless, my family and I survived being in the military. Our soon to be family were other military families that were in the same boat as we were. Distant from their loved ones the bond with friends was even closer than being with family.

Years later we returned back around family but by that time so many years have passed and the closeness just wasn’t there. Overtime things had begun to change and we were becoming a family again. Why is it that when you don’t live in the same town you find that your still consider an outsider. Although, I have still have not given up on one day being part of a family who shows they care regardless of the miles between them.

Every year my wife and I have a family get together and invite everyone. In most cases at least half or a little more show up. We have a great time swimming, grilling out, and just visiting. We had about 50 show up this year and that’s only about half of them. I know when the day ends and I hear the sound of the garage door closing its like total silence, that is, until next year. Happy Holidays to everyone. Enjoy spending time with family and friends.

“Work” Worth it or Not

 From a very young boy I have held a steady job. Sometimes it makes you wonder is it really worth it or not? Looking at today’s generation where people are doing everything they can to keep from working and would just as soon live off of the system. Oh yeah, the system I am referring to is you and me the little ole’ tax payer. To me this makes no sense whatsoever. To work and earn your own way instills pride, sense of worth, and the list will just go on. Bottom line is at the end of the day you will feel so much better about yourself as opposed to letting the system support you.

 This is exactly what I have thought all these years but however, when you see the deadbeat low down dirty scandal who thrives off of the system (you and me), and what you see they are prevailing better than the hard working man. This makes me extremely infuriated. Our system is so backwards it would rather help someone who refuses to help themselves then to help the Ninety year old retired lady that may need assistance with a heating bill or the Forty-Five year old working man that gives his blood sweat and tears on a daily basis to help keep our society stay running, but may need a little help with a deferment on either a house or car payment due to not getting full hours at work that week.

 We have got to change the way we do things. People should be rewarded by trying to support themselves instead of the other way around. If you don’t want to work, there are many of organizations out there that will assist you in your bills and help with food they will find you a home and in some cases build you a home. The only requirement is, don’t do anything to help yourself and you will have many people standing in line waiting to help.

 Our System should be setup for the working man and woman to show if you do all you can to support yourself you will succeed because if times get tough and things are looking a little blue, you would always know that there would be someone, or some organization that would be there to help you if needed. Instead of hearing you make too much money and you are barely making enough money to stay afloat and in most cases are sinking like a sunken battleship.

So, I guess what I am trying to say; Is it really worth it? Should the average Joe work three jobs to barely make ends meet? I would say yes it is worth it. When you  can lift your head every morning and go to bed every night with the pride that you know you did your part to make the world a better place whether it was smiling at the doorman and saying good morning when you left your apartment that morning or serving the Scrambled eggs and bacon  at the local diner for the customer that is in too big of a hurry to grab breakfast before leaving home to a CEO of a multibillion dollar company that holds the stressful burden of the interests of  hundreds or even thousands of employees that may work for them. There is not a single job that is not worthy of having or needed so, just as long as you are doing something to do your part to insure you can provide for yourself and or family , be proud of whatever it is and say YES. Work is worth it.

Truck Drivers

Truck drivers are hero’s in disguise. They have been given a really bad rap for quite some time. Most people when they see or think of a truck driver they envision a person who is dirty, uneducated, rude, crude, obnoxious individuals. This is far from being so. What you do not know is what they have to endure to become a professional driver in the first place.

 To be a professional driver you have to endure extensive training from backing that big ole’ rig to city and highway driving. Night and day driving, Classroom instruction and this is just the beginning of what is to come ahead.

 A professional over the road driver is away from their family for two or three weeks at a time. They have to deal with the stress from home without being there to help remedy the problem. They have to deal with the daily road conditions and weather conditions to ensure they can deliver their freight on time safely and damage free, They have to be cognitive to you and I (four-wheeler’s) as the professional driver calls a personal vehicle. They have to watch our every move knowing at any moment we are going to cut in front of them to get off at the next exit since we were not paying close attention to where we were and almost past where we needed to be.

 They have to be aware of you and I when we are entering the freeway and not paying attention to look to see if anyone is there till we get to the end of the ramp. A professional driver needs to pay very close attention when they are traveling in town trying to deliver their load and make sure we are not going to sneak up in their blind side or since we are on our cell phone or reading a newspaper or putting on makeup for all the ladies out there. The professional driver has to stay aware at all times to ensure we do not sway into their lane.

 This is just a little of what a professional driver has to go through..

 What we also fail to appreciate is without them we would not have anything delivered to us. We would not have the luxury of driving that car that we are in or having the clothes we like nor the food we eat. Are you starting to get the big picture? Without the professional driver we would be in very bad shape.. So, when you are out on the highway or just at a red light in town, take the time to wave and appreciate that person next to you in that very large truck for the efforts on their part of supporting our wants and needs on a daily basis.

 The Professional driver is the very backbone for our whole way of life.

The Great Outdoors

            With all the hype of technology and indoor activities, people often forget about the wonderful world outside, and what Mother Nature has blessed us with.  Along with the obvious beauty of the outdoors, there are also many activities that can be done outside, including camping, fishing, and hunting.

            Not everybody is made for the outdoor-life, but there’s something magical about getting some fresh air and camping under the stars.  Camping doesn’t have to be completely “roughing it,” however; many people can still enjoy the outdoors from a camper or a tent with a few minor luxuries of home like a stove and a shower.  If camping in a tent is your cup of tea, then there’s portable camping stoves that can be ran by propane.  Whether it is on a stove or an open camp fire, you have to have someplace to cook all of the day’s catches from a successful fishing trip.

            For a lot of people fishing is a very relaxing past time, it gives a person the opportunity to admire natures many amenities and also adds the excitement of the rod and reel.  People fish for many reasons, for many different kinds of fish, and many different places.  For example people can fish for whatever they catch in an open lake; however there are still restrictions on the size of fish and amount you are allowed to keep.  One type of lake fishing is night fishing, which is self-explanatory in nature because you take a drop spot light and fish after dark.  This kind of fishing attracts certain species of fish, whereas regular fishing you never know what type of fish you end up with on the other end of the pole.  Equipped on some boats is a fish finder, which gives you a good idea of fish that are currently under the boat as you pass over.  Only the serious fisherman would require a fish finder to help maximize their fish bring-home-rate.  For some people fishing can be a boring waiting game similar to golf, so a more exciting option could be hunting.

            Hunting can include a wide variety of activities and animals. A couple main types of hunting are gun and bow season.  Both require purchasing a license to hunt, and when hunting with a gun may require an additional permit to carry the gun.  Fishing is a sport that also requires a license purchase in order to participate.  Most license purchases can be made at sporting-goods stores and even Wal-Mart for a small fee. Deer, elk, and quail are the more well-known types of animals hunted however there are many other types in different regions of the world.  A lot of people choose to wear camouflage while they are stalking their prey, or even choose a hidden perch to get a hidden birds-eye view of the area in a tree stand.

            So whether it is simply sitting on your back porch watching the sun go down, or enjoying one of the many exciting outdoor activities I have mentioned, it’s important to take time out of your day to get outside and admire the beautiful outdoors and shut off the electronics. Don’t get me wrong there’s nothing wrong with technology, but saving the DVR for the rainy days, isn’t such a bad idea.

Television for Children

Over time television shows have changed drastically. When I was a child Little Rascals was a great kid show and I’m sure that there are some things in the show that may or may not be appropriate. I can also remember as a kid that Road Runner was probably the most violent show I watched. Today, however, the shows children are allowed to watch today have become progressively more violent in appearance. The language has increased even more in shows such as Sponge Bob. It’s no wonder that children today have little or no idea as to what name calling can do to another child or person.

My grandchildren absolutely love watching shows such as Sponge Bob, Phineas and Ferb, Power Rangers, Ben 10; Ultimate Alien and so many more. Although, I just not sure how healthy any of these shows are for the kids. Sponge Bob for instance runs around in his underwear and this is supposed to be acceptable behavior, how can this be healthy. I last new that we taught our children that wearing clothes was the proper thing to do. The language can sometimes be a little out there as well. I don’t think it’s acceptable to call someone stupid or any other name for that matter.

I remember when my kids were living at home they ask if they could watch South Park, after turning the show to the channel our answer was absolutely not. Looking back as to the reason why we wouldn’t let them watch the show, I still believe that we had made the right decision.

Parents need to monitor television shows frequently. The reason for this is because over time the show that once seems to be appropriate for a family to watch is no longer. The Simpsons is just one example of how quickly a show can change over the years.

Who is responsible for what our children watch? The guardians of the children are responsible for the shows they watch it’s not for the network to dictate at what age a child should be a loud to watch a particular program. However, it is their responsibility to give a rating of what they consider to be age appropriate.

Every household raises their children differently and it’s up to each individual to deem what they think is or isn’t a good influence on their child. Shows tend to bring out a lot in children as well as adults. It’s up to parents, teachers and others in the community to be good role models for the children of our future. Be more aware of what games, shows, and music your children are participating in. This might be a real eye opener to some folks just seeing what kind cartoon characters are being used as role models for their children.                 

Popcorn Ceilings

Popcorn ceilings were originally started back in the 50’s and continued well into the 80’s in homes everywhere. Now personally I believe that reason the popcorn ceiling style was ever created was to keep the imperfections of the ceiling from being noticeable to the homeowner. Popcorn ceilings collects a lot of dust and very difficult to maintain. It’s not as simple as taking a roller and going over it without having a ton of stuff falling off the ceiling as you roll.

Popcorn ceiling is nothing more than a texture that is sprayed onto the ceiling. Today it is more common for the ceiling to not have the texture. The popcorn ceiling is generally sprayed on rather than rolling. Most contractors will not take the time to roll on the popcorn ceiling because it will take more time and it’s not as cost effective for them.

By choosing to have the popcorn ceiling the homeowner will have to contend with several things one is when the

Now one of the reasons I am talking to you about a popcorn ceiling is because our home has it throughout the house. My wife has always disliked the ceilings. So one day we decided to remove the popcorn look from one of the rooms. Now mind you she calls it cottage cheese. Now removing the popcorn texture from the ceiling was very simple.

The room was approximately 12 x 12 and it took about an hour to remove the texture from the ceiling. The only thing required to remove the texture was a ladder, trash bag, scraper, water bottle and two well rested arms. The scraper was purchased from Lowe’s and if I hadn’t done this personally to my ceiling I would have told you that your crazy if you believe the job will be easy.

The texture came down so quick and easy that we will be removing it from every room in the house. The removal of the texture is very quick. What is so time consuming is removing everything from the rooms.

Something that I am going to tell you is quite funny. Although, when it happened it was so funny to my wife. We both went to pick up the paint supplies to start our project. We were given the advice to add sand texture to the gallon of paint to hide in small imperfections from the removal of the popcorn. So the next morning while I was at work she decides to start the project of painting.

So here’s what happened she added a half box of the sand texture to a fresh gallon of paint. Next she opens the new roller and proceeds to put paint on the roller. She then begins to paint a small area and suddenly the texture from the paint begins to fall on to her face, arms and floor. She gets down from the ladder looks up and she has just covered her ceiling with a fresh new popcorn look. She was so aggravated that she called me at work and told me it looked like spit wads on the ceiling. I couldn’t help but laugh. Of course she laughs about it now but she didn’t when it happened. So lesson learned can’t always take advice from an employee.

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Givers and Takers

There are givers and then there are takers. What are you? You would like to think that the majority of people are givers but that is not exactly true. Let’s just say that we have more takers in this world than we do givers. I am not saying that a person always needs to be a giver but it’s not right for anyone person to constantly be the taker.

When you do something for someone you should be doing it because you want to not for something in return. Over the years I have found that more and more people want something in return for their kindness. For example; if you mow your neighbor’s yard, shovel the snow off their driveway, rake up leaves are you doing it because you feel they need the help or because you want them to do something for you. I would hope because you wanted to do something nice for someone.

Last year when the snow was three foot deep several of our neighbors, my wife and I were out helping each other to remove the snow. None of us was expecting something from the other for helping out one another it was just an act of kindness. It’s nice to know that others actions are just as your own and not expecting something from you in return. It’s a shame that more people couldn’t conform to doing for others just as a mere act of kindheartedness.

Takers are like a poison that will emotionally drain you when you’re around them. If you are around them long enough their negative attitude will eat at you. A taker is generally not a happy person unless someone is giving them something. They are what most would consider a dream executioner. Most of the times they don’t even say show gratitude you for what they receive. They are just waiting for the next moment that they can get you to give into their demands of whatever it is they need.

Givers are people who do for others. They show their appreciation for the things that people do for them. Givers take responsibility for their actions. They don’t blame or criticize others for their imperfections. Being a giver means owning up to what you do in life. Givers are takers as well for the fact they do take accountability for what they do.

It’s important to be a giver and a taker as well in your personal and professional lives. Take the initiative to be both and you will be productive at work and anything else you do in your life.

Friends

 Do you really need friends? Some would say not at all. Some would say for sure for sure. Well let’s take a little closer look at friends.

 A friend can be there to console you when you are down. Or be there to share in the glory when you succeed also a friend can be there if you need to borrow something or just need someone to talk to.

 Your friend can be the best man in your wedding or the one lending an ear when you get a divorce. A friend can be your drinking buddy or your ride to the AA meeting. A friend can loan you their car to go to that first job interview or be there to help when the layoff notice arrives.

 No matter what you and your friend have to go through you always know that they are there for you through and through.  This is the true definition of a friend.

 Now on the other hand in most cases it is just a word that holds no meaning at all. When you are down and really need someone one, depending on the situation this so called friend may stab you in the back. When you try to share your successions with your friend it may do nothing but sound like gloating and the so called friend shows animosity towards you.

 Not only is he the best man at your wedding he is hitting on your wife to be to try to make her his catch of the day.  This friend in a lot of cases is the cause of the divorce you and your spouse are going through. Instead of offering you a ride when you have had one too many drinks he lets you drive away then reports you drinking and driving. Your friend can throw you under the bus at your job to make them look good.

 Now through all the good comments and negative comments above I would have to say the good outweighs the bad and yes it is good to have friends. It is a very lonely world without having anyone to talk to or turn to in good times and bad. So, remember to not be afraid to be a friend. A true friend to someone because true friendships can last a lifetime and you will find that  at some point in your life if you do not have anyone to turn to things just do not work as smoothly as they do when you have that loyal friend that you can turn to  too give or receive advise. We all need someone and to pretend we don’t is just downright foolish.

 Somewhere out there right now it could be the person to the left of you or the person to the right of you that could turn out to be a very good friend to you if you would just give them half a chance.