2007 Here

We fight against the chains of 2006 straining and tugging to pull ourselves into the new year. It seems to me maybe we should drag our feet in this ordeal and perhaps take a little more time to get things right before we run headlong into another year. We can't do that though, hell time is wasting even as I write. Maybe if we move fast enough no one will catch all the mistakes we made last year. There is something about looking ahead of course, with the jobs and families our days become like a roller coaster that we can't find the exit on. Everything is rush rush hurry, don't have any time, need to run, have a plane to catch, business meeting, get papers fixed for old folks home for the folks, I'll get back to you on that, and oh yeah, the divorce, what to do with the kids? People, what have we allowed to happen with our families and our lives?

I don't know what I will try to do this year. I have three-hundred and sixty-five days ahead of me. I could use most of them to work on all I didn't do with the last 365 days. It really is a shame to see all those hours go to waste, that's 8,760 hours I had at my disposal last year. This year I'll sleep away about 2,555 hours if I manage to get my average 7 a day. I have 6,205 left from that and next there is eating, watching TV, and computer time, and on and on and...Wait a minute, seems like this is what happened to that last 8,760 hours from 2006. I have to make some serious adjustments with this coming year I know there has got to be more to life than that. The years come and go until we finally pass away. The years continue although under someone else's' watch. We need to make the most of each day and work to believe in good and what is right again.

I feel there are still days we can look forward to with the hope of our country uniting and becoming whole again. It will take will power and faith and some biting of our tongues. Letting the world know the threads of our country which have blown loose and frail from bickering and nay saying can be woven back into a cloak of great strength and glory. Let the world know once again when our trials are straining us at our roots and all hope seems lost, we as a great and mighty nation can come together under one banner and can complete the tasks which are at hand. We can rid ourselves of this plague of terror that has raised its' head against us and those that worship freedom throughout the world if we remain strong in the face of our enemies and ask Gods help.

I close this year with a prayer that God continues with his protective hand over this nation and ask that he give direction and wisdom to our leaders. Bless the troops and all their families, to give them strength and give patience to us all. Bless us as a people to take pride back in the United States of America.

Chapter ?

The airways were filled today with coverage of President Ford, Saddam, James Brown and repeated footage of the same clips played over and over since midnight and throughout the entire day. I suppose that's the way it has to be at times when certain events break into your Holidays. I also suppose if I had a real life that I would never have noticed those facts huh?

Saddam is gone now and that chapter of Iraq is complete, however we are not at the part of the book where it says, "The End". The exact ending continues to be vague but don't let your prayers for our servicemen and women weaken as they begin the new year away from those they love. It isn't going to be easy to find hope every day we're in Iraq but we must try for the sake of our troops and their loved ones. Come together again America, for the sake of those who gave their all for this venture and those that stand prepared to give now.

Wake up Iraq! Look at whats been handed to you. A tyrant is gone, your dreams are at hand, take back your country from the thugs, murderers, and all those that would squash the dreams you have for you and your children. We can only do so much and America has a limit.

Compromise, never on principal

The time approaches for Saddam to draw that last breath of air and pass from this world where he judged others to that other world where he will be judged. His passing will be noticed briefly but perhaps his passing will be felt as a good thing by many Iraqis whose lives were thrown in turmoil by this brutal dictator. No longer will he have his henchmen knocking down doors and hauling people off to their deaths. Iraq stands at the brink of a new life for itself. It has the opportunity to join the ranks of the civilized world and become a partner in pursuing goals fit for its' people. This time frame will not last indefinitely and decisions must be made without delay.

Our troops are being held back in their jobs by all the formalities and rules of engagement which undoubtedly have cost many their lives. I regret deeply this holding back of our men to do what they have trained for and are willing to do. I ask President Bush and all involved in decisions here and in Iraq, please give these brave valiant young men and women the chance to complete this mission, don't tie their hands in this war. And now a word on our media; Where has this sudden praise for republican success come from? The media praising the job of Jerry Ford and all the time professing their admiration for his bringing together of the country. One must ask oneself about these acclaims for a Republican president. All the outpouring makes me pretty nervous. Think about it for a minute, when was the last time this happened and why is it happening at this time?

Lets see for a minute, could it have anything to do with the fact the Democrats are coming into power and this is their first strike? You know, lets praise how accommodating, how bi-partisan, how well things went when Mr Ford was president. He didn't raise a fuss about much at all. He provided amnesty for all those draft dodgers from Vietnam. Mainly he provides a false argument for them. Lets do it like Jerry did it. Go along with whatever the democrats want to do then you are being bi-partisan, you are working to get along, we are being conciliatory. This is why they and the media are going out of their way to bring attention to Mr Ford. This way they can subtly hint how the republicans should act now, in other words go along to get along, damn you principals.

If they want suddenly to praise a Republican president how about heaping those accolades on Ronald Reagan. He is certainly worth those honors. Gerald Ford was a good and decent man and deserves all the honors given to one who served his country in the role Mr Ford served. He was what many say the country needed at that time and I am sure he did as best he could to serve his country. I honor him for his allegiance to God and Country and the country owes him for his service. I sure didn't hear this from the Democrats or the media for Reagan. I only say this sure sounds fishy when democrats and media come to praise Republicans living or dead. This is just to try and hedge themselves as they take power, "Why can't we all just get along?"

Magic of politics

A few days from the election now and it seems Houdini has reappeared. It is an opposite scene I look upon from what my eyes beheld only days prior to the election. Where has all this sudden emergence of bipartisanship come from? Is this some new found form of life that has suddenly materialized? Perhaps, it is the miracle of stem cell research. This new form of life, this new creation I speak of is the new majority party. It has to be a new creation because that is the only reason I can come up with which would explain this sudden reversal in attitude.

When Ms Pelosi became leader of the Democratic party, orders from her was, there was to be no across the aisle help given to the Republican majority. Suddenly, the veil has been rent and the truth presented through this great miracle election. Now, she finds herself in the position of leadership, the eyes of the country upon her and Ms Pelosi, this warm hearted grandmother, wants to do the work of the people. Is it the miracle of embryonic stem cell research? Perhaps it's nothing more than slight of hand that may be good enough to fool some people but it isn't quite good enough to pass for Houdini.

Look for the new majority to attempt to live up to what their party is not at heart. I think the heart of the new majority has not changed at all and their colors will once again shine through the facade. Will I give them a chance? I will certainly do that and all the while pray I am wrong. It is for this country that I seek strength. If this change comes from this election then, fine with me. Time will quick enough spread light on the plans and ideas presented, and no amount of magic nor slight of hand will fool those watching closely.

Now What?

I don't know how much can be taken from the results of this election. It seems there was a decided push by the Democratic side to make this a referendum on the president. In some cases this perhaps could be true, at the same time I don't see the election as any kind of mandate on the part of the Democrats.

I hope there comes a realization from the conservative party that it is time for them to go back to the basics. The basics to me would be lower taxes, less government, strong military, and continuing the push on family values. The conservative voters don't want words to soothe their ears, they want action and results. No longer should the party of Reagan reward Republicans with their votes if they go back into office and fail to keep their promises. No longer will I give my vote to the politician that fails to work for the conservative interests but instead will worry more about his position than his promise to the voters.

The coming weeks and months will unfold and the cordial smiles will fade as the inner workings of the party chairpersons and members start their transformation into the new party in power. Perhaps I will be wrong, perhaps Charlie Rangle won't try to repeal tax cuts, perhaps John Conyers don't really want to impeach Bush, perhaps the Dems really don't want to tie up the congress with hearings, and perhaps Ms Pelosi doesn't think that Bush is unbalanced. I think that it may be very hard if not impossible for the Democrats to resist the power of this new power. No longer are they the minority and the power to control is what is at stake, and the urge will be strong, that urge to play, that game that no one wins, and that is the game of, payback.

Republicans must take a good look at the results of this election and then realize where they went wrong and then get about the job of correcting their course. They will have to go back to the roots of the conservative party, keeping taxes low, protecting this country, that includes, the border with Mexico, and there has to be a decrease in the spending and shrinking the size of this goverment. These are the priorities and they should be kept in mind this time.

To vote or not to vote?

Time has continued to pass and I have done little to impede its' progress. Much of my mind has been consumed with family matters which has taken a good deal of energy from me. Here soon I hope to put some of those worries behind me. The days ahead are where we must focus our attention. The past holds lessons and experiences which will help guide us through the challenges that lie ahead. I hope we all have remembered enough of certain lessons that we are able to apply them at the right time, otherwise we as a country are probably in for some unwanted surprises down the road.

The time is now, election time that is, and my absentee ballot has been sent in, and with sincere pride I might add, because I have done my part in this amazing experience we call democracy. I hope there are multitudes of citizen patriots out there who have done the same by absentee ballot or those of you that will be doing so in person. To those of you that may consider not participating in this, "fought and died for right", I plead with you, don't allow all those lives that have been given, to have been given in vain. Honor those who fought and died to give us this right of voting that we might choose our leaders by exercising this right. Do it for those fallen, do it for yourself, do it for your children, do it for this great country, but regardless, Do It!

A change in the air

I wanted to make a short post this morning about some changes to this little chat spot of mine. I have written about some of my activities with nothing yet said to upset anyone or to speak some of the thoughts really on my mind and that just seems to me wasteful on my part. I hate to have this place here where I can rant and rave and not use it for that reason. Surely there are some things I can come up with that can tick someone off or at least present a better idea of what goes on in this old head of mine. I guess we will see. I haven't gotten into the political part of life, but because this is such a critical time and subject I feel I have to do some of that. No better place to tick folks off than to start rubbing them about their politics.

Those of you that don't have a particular point of view I trust you will have one by the time a couple months pass, or at least I hope so anyway. I am out of here for now and will return next week to see what I can put in here to make this a bit more interesting.

Turkey Hunt in Pinion

The day was overcast and cool and while Vick was busy taking pictures I took a minute to just enjoy being there. We were expecting fewer folks to be in this area because of all the bad weather and road washouts but, as usual we were fooled. Lots of people had their plans to come and hunt as did we. We had rain each day and the nights were nice and cool. Lots of food for just two guys but we did our best not to bring any back with us.

Vick got his turkey the first morning out as we neared the top of one of the peaks not far from camp. Hunters as far away as Kansas, California, and Tennessee were just moving in to set up camp in that area as we made our way to the top. Later in the day the roads began to be more heavily traveled with four wheelers and folks began to scout and set up for their deer and elk hunts this activity also moved the birds we had spotted out of the area. I was not able to fill my turkey tag so once again it's Vick 1, Carl 0.

Many hours were filled, "even if my turkey tag wasn't', by just driving in the Lincoln National Forrest and enjoying the tall pines and the cool mountain air. We noticed the beginnings of color change in the aspens but there is still a ways to go before they create those beautiful fall scenes you see in the magazines. I look forward to going back there soon.

We sat around the campfire each night and on a couple occasions the bugle from an elk could be heard across the valley and we listened closely to those calls just trying to soak it all in. I took some pictures of our trip but, pictures seldom convey what you are seeing because it is more than just visual, there are the smells, the wind, the sounds, and the actual joy of being able to experience all this at once. Pictures help to show much of what was seen but they leave a great deal left unsaid.

I look forward to my next hunt or outing whichever it may be. I want to try and get enough pictures gathered for a decent slidesow that will show more of what I do when trips like this are made. I have quite a few already and if I would get my butt in gear I could do one now. Perhaps?

Today went by very fast. Diane came over to mow the back yard and in the process I got involved with helping out some. The riding mower came in handy, plus it saves time and energy. This was Dianes' first time to use the riding mower and she wanted to mow as if she was still using the push mower cutting only about 20 inch strips. I think near the end she finally began to see what I was trying to get her to do by using the wheel of the mower to judge distance and to get the most out of each pass.

I managed to get the water tank on the camper drained and flushed today and just now refilled it before I came in for the night. The morning will be interesting as I make those last looks around and then of course, there will be the wondering about what I left. When all is said and done the main thing is to get on the road at which point it will be too late to worry about it any further. I am looking forward to the trip and will fill in the blanks when I get back.

All of you take care and give pause Monday to remember those that lost their lives on 9-11 and pray God grant our leaders wisdom and the courage to stand strong in these trying times we now face. United we must stand but still we may undergo tremendous strain and turmoil. The election comes soon and I would hate to see those come to power this fall whose agenda would be to waste precious time and resources with investigation on top of investigation and in so doing lose what momentum we have in this confrontation with radical Islam. Think long and hard about the people that may end up in leadership positions after this election.

I will be there to pull the lever when the time comes this fall and although I am not totally happy with what did not get done this session, but knowing that, I look ahead and realize all the things that will not get done should the Democrats win this fall. Nancy Pelosi speaker of the house, how does that sound?

The packing continues

I am still in the process of packing for the turkey hunt. I found out that Hwy 24 from Dunken to Pinion has some washouts and is closed to traffic for some time. I will now drive on to Mayhill and meet Vick and from there we will head south on that end of Hwy 24 and check out some of the places around the Dog Canyon area for a place to camp. Lots of the roads where we would normally be driving are absolutely impassable till the road crews get in there and do their repairs.

The rain and washouts may limit some of the choices to camp this year. Oh well, what ever will be will be as the saying goes. I have lots of things left to do before I'm ready to leave Hobbs but I am still working towards the goal and will have all done when the time arrives I'm sure. I will try to get a bit more information in here tomorrow and see what is going on that is exciting and fill you in, yeah right as if exciting goes on in my life. I will check in here tomorrow and until then I'm outta here.

August comes to a close and as always I start to think of fall. I love this time of the year. The weather seems to start that trend in temperatures where the nights are cooler and sleep brings more rest. I still can't put my finger on the one thing that makes the fall special regardless how hard I try. Something is stirred within my soul and I feel so much more alive than other times of the year. I want to feel the cold air against my face and breathe in that sharp cold. I want to hear the crunching of leaves as I walk beneath the bare limbs of summer's favorite shade tree, to see clouds through empty limbs stretched skyward and geese in formation headed to winters playground till their sun returns, I want this to last but I know each season has but a short life lest we become too content within ourselves.

The 10th of September I head to Pinion for several days with my friend Vick to do some hunting again. Fall turkey hunt is a great time to be in Pinion. We have that coffee in the morning which always tastes stronger and hotter than any place on earth. There will be the sun soon peeking over the mountains, but not too soon since the mountains help maintain that early morning a little while longer than does the buildings in the towns or cities. The drive around the area over the days of the hunt, looking and enjoying all the sites and sounds that this area has to offer will fill the hours not spent on hunting. These sights and sounds will not go to waste for there will be memories and pictures to relive the trip once we have driven the miles back home.

Helen leaves the 5th for her trip back to California and this place will be lacking the smells of food cooking in the kitchen the sounds of cleaning and knowing someone else is here. The place is quieter but more empty too. Not too long and her trips to the west coast will come to an end and she will spend those cool fall days back here in Hobbs and watch the leaves fall and the limbs become bare and perhaps she will notice the formation of geese as they head South.

Turkey hunt at Pinion

I have another small trip planned soon. This trip will be to Pinion NM for the fall turkey hunt. My friends Vick and Ed will be there again this year and I will meet them in our usual camping spot around Sunflower Canyon. I really look forward to this time of year in the high country around Pinion. There is something special about the place this time of year that makes you feel so much more alive. I don't know if it is just being out of Hobbs or if it has something to do with the altitude and the coolness of the place. I do know I enjoy being there a lot.

I want to get more pictures this time. Last time I failed to complete a full story with the pictures I had taken. I still have work to do there when it comes to getting pictures so, lots of time this year will be dedicated to notes and plenty of pictures. By the way, if I get a turkey that will be good too. Before the hunt I have got to get busy with some repairs. The camper has some tears in the tent material and needs to be patched, water pump needs replacing, and the piece of tarp I have for a front awning or porch has need of some engineering of sorts. This will be important if we get any rain like we have had around Hobbs lately. Going in and out of the camper when it is raining makes a hell of a mess if you don't have a place to remove muddy stuff before going in the camper.

I will fill in the blanks in the days to come about the pinion turkey run. I still have work to do in the attic with the insulation and I may have put it off for the last time today. I go in the morning to pick up the trailer to haul the insulation on and then I make a trip to Home Depot to pick it up and at that point time to get with it. I will return tomorrow with news of what work gets done in the attic.

Antelope Hunt 2006

I went with my friend Vick this weekend to enjoy a visit and be a part of his antelope hunt for 2006. The hunt went well with Vick getting his antelope on the ground at 10:15 Saturday morning. A good shot at 261 yards brought the animal to the ground and closed the hunt. Afterwards we enjoyed the time going over things in our past and looking forward to the next hunt which will be a turkey hunt for September back in Pinion, New Mexico.

I am running behind on posting again which seems to be the norm rather than an oddity for me. I will do as best as I can but expect somewhat less and one shouldn't be disappointed. I will try to place his antelope in this post.

From Ivie

Here it is, July 19th and I write from Ivie today. I've had several problems with the mail system and the net in general but maybe today they will let me through to say howdy from Texas. I have stayed pretty close to the shade since I came down and have ventured out to fish only a couple times. I feel that by the weekend we will have a cooler couple days and I hope we take advantage of that to fish some.

Rufus was down when I got here but had to leave this past Wednesday to go back for a job. I did get the skype hooked up long enough to talk to Helen and then to Rufus for a few minutes. He's looking to be fairly busy for some time and don't know exactly when he will be back down. The patio here is framed up now and will be screened as soon as Rufus gets the screen to us. The fence is slowly coming to the point of being painted white and completed hopefully by Sunday. I have helped on that project in the cool of the mornings but when the sun gets up very far I shut down.

Doug has gone to play poker at the Owls' Roost. This is a bar where the local patrons enjoy dancing and live music. I don't think the live bands get there but maybe every three weeks or so at this time. I don't know how much Doug will donate to the cause since he did say he was going to be back in a couple hours. Here's to Doug!

Stuck in ill-ville

Here it is Friday the 7th of July and I was hoping to be at Lake Ivie at this time. Luck sometimes is good to us and then other times it is no more than what it is. I've been down with something and have lain in bed for the better part of the past three days. I am doing better thanks in part to the great homemade chicken soup my sister made for me this morning. I am having some problems with the hip again and it causes a great amount of pain at times. Along with the other aches and pain from this flu like yuck I have the hip wanted its' attention much like the little Kim in North Korea wants his attention. A shame we can't give that little bastard what I have, sort of a carrot if you know what I mean.

I am hoping that Monday brings with it the healthier side of me and travel will be in the forecast if that is the situation. I am looking forward to the visit to the lake as always and hope I am not disappointed this time around. In conjunction with this visit there comes the connection to the outside world that is due to take place there when I go down. I hope to get hooked up to the internet and have TV on this visit to the lake. We will see. Much to think about and hopefully much to do when I finally get to the lake this time.

Here it is Wednesday and I realize it has been some time since I last posted so here I go. Helen came in Tuesday and the kids were with her. They were excited to be here and looking forward to some fun in the big city. Today was a day for swimming and also some riding around the neighborhood on the golf cart. Helen rode with them and let each one have their turn driving. I could see from their faces that this was a hit with them. Tomorrow will be another swim day and from there well, I have no idea.

I will get some pictures up perhaps tomorrow and let the kids see how the site looks with their smiling faces peering back at them. The post will become more regular here in the near future and perhaps I can get more focused on what I want this to be about. Till tomorrow when the smiling faces of our visitors from California appear I will close this post.

Just to let you know I am still here I wanted to put something in the blog today. I haven't felt really great the last few days and have stayed in the bed a little more than normal. I suppose whatever it is will either take up roots or, once it finds out it really isn't cramping my style, it will move on to the next victim.

Having some problems with a camera I got recently or, to put it more precise, I'm having problems installing an internet camera I recently bought. It appears that I need not only the IP address and subnet mask of the camera but I need to assign a gateway and DNS to correspond with the network address. Hello, Why are all my buddies fishermen and not tech folks? What to do now is the question at hand. I need to sleep on this. Yeah right, as if that will help, later.

summer and plans

The month of May draws to a close and summer stands ready to welcome all those who look forward to this time of year. I don't deal with the summer heat as well as I did in years gone by but, still I survive. With the temperatures getting into the hundreds already here in this part of the country perhaps you can see my reasoning when I talk about the heat. The summer season will change though, and fall will take its' place and with that it gives reason to continue and not complain too loudly. Planning ahead makes all this easier and gives reason for me to deal with the heat and just keep the whining to a minimum.

Vick showed up and spent the night Sunday and we had a great visit. They made the trip in from Oklahoma City and left out Monday morning headed back to Las Cruces. It's always great to see old friends and sit and reminisce. When Vick and I visit we are forever talking about the next hunt as well as the last one and where we think the best water will be for our next couple day fishing trip. We sat and recalled some of the places that no longer permit entry to hunt or fish due either to the encroachment of people and business or due to nature and weather in its normal cycle. Take those particulars along with some new regulations by the state and you will see old hunting and fishing areas being regulated away from the very individuals that provide those state employed people with their salary, ironic huh?

We laid out some plans for a couple new adventures in spite of those gripes and now all I have to do is just hope finance and health permit the trip to those places to actually happen. Never is there enough planning and plotting for these excursions, there just aren't enough hours in just one night to plan these trips out. We did try Sunday night to do just that but, we finally gave up after midnight. With the plans we have in mind I guess it will have to hold me over till we get together again and follow up on them or sit back down and do some more plotting. There is a deer and elk hunt that we've lined out for a couple months down the road, also Lake Elephant Butte here in New Mexico is supposed to be drained in early July so, we want to try a stripper fishing trip before that takes place. Don't know if it will happen or not but then again, a lot of the fun is in the anticipation of the trip. For now I will let the memories of those trips replay till some new trips hit the billboards.

Memorial Day

This day I sit and think back on those brave individuals that have given their all in defense of this great country. I am thankful to them because without those men and women we could not stand here and enjoy the freedoms that this nation has been given by those brave individuals. Those brave men of courage went into the face of battle and willingly fought and often times gave their very lives for country and for countrymen. They fought for that ideal that America was something more than just a country, but was a country which from the beginning was blessed of God. Let those brave warriors be remembered always. Let their struggles be looked upon as an inspiration for those that would volunteer to follow in their footsteps and serve their country even this day. And let those of us who are the recipients of that courage be eternally grateful and pray their sacrifice not be wasted or trivialized by the everyday bickering of our politics. God bless America and God bless our troops.

friends and gumbo

My old friend and his girlfriend will be coming to town tomorrow and hopefully they will be staying overnight. He wanted me to make them some gumbo to which I agreed. The deal is this, if they eat they have to stay, that's the new rules. Vick and I met back in 85 just after I moved to Hobbs and we became quite good friends almost immediately. There was always trucks to work on, repairs on our houses, bar-b-que, beer, and more work on the trucks. Over the years we enjoyed countless hours of hunting and fishing in those public areas of southeast New Mexico where other folks enjoyed these things as well.

The number of hunters and fishermen in the public areas increased over the years so we moved from these overused spots to the more out of the way places that we constantly searched out. The knowledge Vick had of this area was key to much of the success we had in our hunting and fishing trips. He worked in the oil fields helping to build locations for tank batteries and often had to make the roads as well. Since this work was done in areas that hadn't seen much in the way of people it left him with a wealth of information not only of the locations and routes into these places, but on the dove,quail and deer as well. Another plus with all this was, if there was a rancher to be dealt with in getting access to the land he knew who to talk to.

Not only did I have to put up with the fact he was the trail blazer, Vick was also an excellent shot and seldom let me forget. I could do a fair amount of bragging when it came to fishing but not so much on the hunts. Although I improved over the years with my shooting I still am not the shot that Vick is, and to this day he can smoke me every time, so his bragging stood that test, but I tell you this bit of information, when it comes to a gumbo, I can smoke his butt , having said that, I'll leave the rest for another time.

well enough to complain

Today was one of those days that ended up not quite where I thought it would. I was supposed to lend a hand... Let's see now I'm supposed to be the driver and ferry a couple riders in this relocation of autos/moving program for Kenneth, that don't sound too bad. Slight change of plans there, I lost that driver position right out of the gate when I turned out to be the other half of the entire relocation/moving crew. I managed to do the required part but in the process I overworked this old frame by helping load and certain other things and now I will have to maintain a low, near the bed profile, for a coupe days and do the recuperation thing. One of my bad traits is that I fail to listen to myself in those situations of doing for others. I don't know if it is just being hard-headed or if I am a glutton for punishment. In either case the favor is done.

Now for these politicians, for the life of me I can't find a reason in the world to not bring the border to a complete shut down for a while. When it comes to the issue of people coming over the border illegally the government should do that now, and in the same breath, they should immediately start with a tamper proof identification card. If the government can't do the cards fast enough, then give the job to Visa and MasterCard because they sure as hell don't have any problem sending out millions of damn credit cards every year to people who can't afford them so may as well give them the job. Instead of credit cards it would be ID cards that would eliminate the excuse of those employers hiring the illegal workers. Talk about that for starters but don't even begin talking about this 3 year touchy feely phased in crap, called a path to citizenship or guest worker it's all the same stuff regard;ess it never has worked in the past and it won't work now. Remove the incentive and you don't have to worry about rounding up millions of illegals. It's simple, with no work or handouts I can promise they will find their way back home. I don't know if our elected folks are merely hard-headed or if they are just point blank stupid, I'm leaning to the latter. I'm hoping too, that some of those folks up there run headlong into a rude awakening come election Tuesday on their next go-round. Why do these politicians stir me so when I don't feel well?

health & politics

I just came from the hospital where I had visited with Kenneth for a little while. He hasn't been recovering very fast because of the infection which had set in after the surgery. The doctor said he will require about four weeks of antibiotics intravenous and he should be set to go then. Worry over his daughter and her actions are creating a lot of stress and not helping at all in his recovery. I hate that, but there is little an outsider can do when it comes to the internal workings of the family.

I brought him some bananas, oranges and apples and visited for about thirty minutes. That was enough hospital for me. He wants to move his van and car to a different location as soon as possible. He is worried about it being vandalized where it is now. He was in the middle of moving from a place on the south end of town out to a trailer park when this hospital episode hit. The guys will take care of the vehicles and I'm sure that will help with some of the stress for him. Life has a way of helping us prioritize things, it acts as an incentive you might say.

Tomorrow the senate votes on the immigration bill. I don't know what will happen once it runs headlong into the house bill although I do have my druthers. I feel strongly there must be a priority on controlling the people crossing illegally into this country and then somewhere down the road you can figure what would be the next step in this process. The bed does call and I am going to respond.

country clod

Not sure where to start today. I just finished watching a few minutes of Imus and caught part of a conversation he was having with Andy Rooney. The subject of the Dixie Chicks came up and of course Andy as usual showed his uppity-ness and how he "believed" country music was so un-sophisticated and those that listened to country music were just as un-sophisticated. This, un-sophistication remark, was not one of people just being different but was said in a way to demean a segment of the population and their choice of music. Now I don't want to get into the subject of the Chicks, but I happen to listen to a variety of music genres, country being but one of those and for a moment I felt insulted with this arrogance Mr Rooney showed. Thank goodness that lasted but a few seconds when I remembered who it was that was making the remarks.

I'm one of those un-sophisticated people but I don't hold any prejudice against those that enjoy the classics. I am from the country I was born and raised in the country. I enjoy those things that some people refer to as country such as, trips into the woods and listening to the sounds of nature and the fishing and hunting, believing in the value of families and the strength that comes from that, believing it's proper to respect my elders even as I become older, believing there is right and wrong, believing in God, believing this country is special and being proud of its' might, and also believing folks that listen to music which talks about these things shouldn't be demeaned by some people because they don't prefer Brahms or Beethoven. Andy Rooney may have it right when he says I'm unsophisticated if it means my beliefs aren't jaded with the self-righteous superior-minded vision that some, perhaps like Mr Rooney have of themselves. Hope "ya'll" have a good day Mr Rooney.

Quick Ivie Trip

One short trip to Brantley, that was the plan. It's Sunday evening now and I am back from Lake Ivie. The trip to Brantley turned into a trip to Ivie to bring the pontoon boat and check out how it would handle with the new top on it. Saturday morning we took the pontoon for a short fishing run and then went back in once we saw everything was good to go with the work Rufus had done on it. Later in the day we took the small speedboat and made our way back into some of the creeks and fished for a couple more hours catching a few largemouth bass and three whites before calling it a day. Next trip down we hope to settle in on the pontoon and just spend the night out on it and fish. Hey, with the temperature this time of the year night fishing is the way to go.

When we arrived at Ivie Saturday about noon, the lake was being used by the tournament fishermen with five separate groups holding events this weekend. The crowd was sizeable and once again I was unable to gather any results of the winners or the winning weight. Everyone seemed to come in with fish, and although the temperature was 100 degrees and above it didn't stop the fishermen from hitting the lake and staying out till weigh-in times of two and three o'clock.

The Sportsman Lounge, which recently got their license to sell alcohol with meals, probably had a good return on that investment from the groups that fished this weekend. Well after dark, from across the street where we stay, we could hear the guys from the tournament as they re-lived the day with all the tales and laughter and those inevitable, "one that got away", stories that always prevail in the midst of fishermen trying to out do the last guys' fishing story. They settled down before we turned in and they all made it up next morning in time to make it to the landing for the next day of fishing, so other than a headache here and there they probably enjoyed their stay.

I'm outa here till later.

Scope out Skype 2.0

Here is a bit of news that I find refreshing. The Skype system now allows you to make free calls to any landline or cell phone number in the USA for free now till the end of the year. You need to download the new version and then follow the directions. Nothing to it and you can go to calling right away. I tried it out on my number here and although there is the slightest of delays the quality of the system is quite satisfactory. I would suggest to those that use Skype and haven't already done so, to go ahead and download the new version and start making those free calls.

I am heading out in a little while with Rufus on a short run to Lake Brantley. Brantley is just outside Carlsbad New Mexico. He has a boat that he's selling and wants to do a final check on everything before he lets it go. Don't want an angry fisherman coming back to your house before daylight wanting to jump ugly on you about a bad boat buy. I sure wouldn't anyway. Check back later.

Sunset from Lake Ivie

This was sunset from the east side of lake Ivie. We rode through the park as the deer were coming out to feed. The lake looks perfect from here and where the lake meets land in the background is the area we fished that morning. There are several picnic spots in this area and are ideal for a family outing. The boat ramp lies back to the Northwest from this location and has a four ramp launching area and a very nice Pavillion for larger group activities. The weekend of May 5-6 was host to another fishing tournament and the competition turned out well from the amount of vehicles parked at the landing. I was unable to have the results of that competition available to post.  

home again

Doug and I made it back from the fishing trip in good health. I had been in hopes of finding a way to get on line while at the lake but was unable to do so. I failed to keep track of things the way you need to so you can tell folks about your trip. The only answer to that problem is to make another trip down as soon as possible and try to remember to write things down when they are fresh in my mind. It was great to leave everyday worries back here where they belong and not have the added weight aboard the boat each time we headed out to fish.

I read a couple books while there and picked and strummed on the guitar most every night for at least twenty minutes each sitting. Could you imagine the number of sittings I would have to have before one could actually sit down and hear something worthwhile come from my fingers across the strings of that little Gibson guitar. That amount of time would be unavailable in my life to get to that point. Of course you realize you wouldn't find tickets to hear me play anything so you don't need to worry having to save your coins for that concert.

The time will come when serious items will get brought up here also and find some interesting things to post. I had good intentions of posting some pictures but was unable to gather enough of anything while I was there this time to make it worthwhile. That lies down the road not so far away but till then, I will just say I am back home and looking forward to my next trip to Ivie. Hope to include some of the activities of this trip in future posts.

Everything here was in good shape when we returned. I did have to send in a late payment on something I forgot to mail before leaving Hobbs but even that wasn't a problem. Now to get back in rhythm with life here for that period of time that it takes till I'm able to head out to Lake Ivie once again.

And Then Came Wednesday

I knew it would get here and sure enough just like times from the past Wednesday came to call once more. Lake Ivie, that's the place we are headed to tomorrow morning. How slow the time has passed in anticipation for this trip. You know, it really isn't that big a deal, this fishing trip to the lake. There are places I could go that may be in some way perhaps classier or fancy but, on second thought, "hell yeah it's a big deal", and I am looking forward even to the long drive in the heat of the day if necessary. The time is at hand come daylight.

On another note of more consequences, Kenneth called tonight from the hospital. The day before his sister Jewell was to be buried he did something to the rotator cuff on the left shoulder. He explained tonight that he had been in ICU since Saturday night but was unable to call and let anyone know. There was a rift between he and his daughter about which he didn't go into details over and hence, he hasn't anyone to give him a hand with personal stuff and he doesn't have anyone to come check in on him. Our conversation was interesting.

Somewhere back in the past he and I had a difficult moment that never got talked about, and in that, a tension has been with us for a few years, We still were decent to one another in our meetings and in groups where we happened to appear together. Still the air was never cleared over this incident which was, as in most cases, quite insignificant. We managed to visit tonight for several minutes and in the conversation I explained that those things past were just that, past. Here he was in need of a helping hand for someone to give in what ever measure it may require and any feelings or emotions associated with those ill times should be let go of once and for all.

The visit ended on good terms and with the agreement that my niece or I would check in on him and take all his calls for visits or whatever. I told him to not worry about things and that we would do all we could to help him out till that time he could manage on his own or family could give him a hand. I will bring him a cup of his favorite coffee from McDonald's in the morning before we leave to go to the lake. I could not leave in good conscience should I not do that.

May First

Today is the first and all the news this morning is related to the illegal folks coming over the borders. It is a strange thing to see all these peoples talking about their rights. It comes to mind that this is a sovereign nation and there are laws on the books which should have meaning to everybody. America isn't some fast food place where you pick and choose which of the laws you want to obey. America comes as a package and the rights that those people are claiming comes with many responsibilities. One of those would be called obeying the laws which this country has concerning immigration. I am opposed whole heartedly to this influx of people coming into the country in an illegal manner. Their slogan of a day free of illegal immigrants, maybe thats not a bad idea, perhaps they could expand the length of the boycott from a day to say perhaps........ "Well, you get the idea".

Two more days till I head out to the lake. Rufus is trying to get the roof on the pontoon boat fixed today. I think today will be the day it gets done. I intend to get a couple pictures of the work and post them later today. I need to do some errands and gather some grocery items and try to finish some packing and see where I am with all this by daylight tomorrow. I get tired of the preparation but it is necessary to get to the next step, right?

Waiting for Ivie

Not much going on today here other than the usual. There is five more days till we head down to Lake Ivie. I can't recall when I felt this excited about going fishing. Perhaps it is because the last time I went fishing was months ago. Nothing stirs me quite so much as getting organized for a hunting or fishing trip. I enjoy the preparation almost as much as the actual trip. The let down of these types of trip is the packing up for that drive back home. It means the time away from problems has passed and it's now time to get back into the grind of the every day life. Even that I suppose could be a source of some comfort just knowing that before you can go again you have to make the grind for a while.

I will check in here tomorrow morning and see what is happening and make a post on things. Tomorrow we are supposed to go help Rufus for a while and put the top on the boat. That job will start around 9am because he and his wife usually go to one of the local restaurants to have breakfast before he starts any projects. So, till after breakfast.

Thursday is almost gone. I had my dentist appointment today in Denver City, Texas. I took the opportunity to ride over with Doug and the trip turned out to be quite nice. It has been a while since I was out doing any riding over the roads and just doing nothing more than enjoying the time. The time for our trip to Lake Ivie is getting closer each day and I am really looking forward to it.

I stopped to see Rufus today and ended up giving him a bit of help with a project which involves putting a roof on his pontoon boat. I managed to help place a few braces up and hold them while he attached them to the frame. The whole event probably took no more than an hour and a half I would guess but sure seemed much longer. He has some aluminum skin that he is going to rivet to the top of the boat frame and it will be a great improvement, especially on days when it is so hot. There will be some plexi glass for the side that can be removed easily for fishing and then put back up against the wind or rain.

Wednesday draws near and I am ready to make the trip to Lake Ivie. Quite a lot of "stuff" lies on the spare bed waiting to be packed for the trip, electronics, guitar and lots of camera equipment and some computer projects I need to work on also. I have more to gather, then some final sorting or perhaps grading to eliminate the excess. For now I must get ready for bed and try to rest up for the trip.

The time sure gets away from me lately. I'm going to make a trip to Lake Ivie, Texas come next Wednesday. I hope to stay down there for perhaps a couple of weeks but, if not that, well then a week will help out. I intend to bring Laura Ingraham along on the trip as well as Tony Blankley. My backup will be the big fella Newt. Of course they will be coming in book form only but, hey you take what you can get right?

I'm looking forward to meeting some of the local folks there at Lake Ivie and shooting some pictures when I'm not fishing. There is a local cafe and motel there in Voss, Texas called (TSL) The Sportsmans Lounge. TSL serves up some mighty fine eating around breakfast time that I am going to partake in. I've heard their other meals do quite well with the customers also. I'll have time to check it all out while I'm down there and I'll let you know how much I gain.

Fishing, reading and my guitar will be my companions for that period of time. I hope there is some access to the internet so I'm able to check in on things otherwise I'm going to be at a loss when it comes to information. Maybe I can post a picture of the TSL when I post that trophy bass I catch from the lake. That is for next week meanwhile there are several more days here which must be filled before I head out to Texas.

The beginning

This is my blog, to irritate or to praise or to commend whatever may present itself to me, it is here I can release some of the things that lay dormant in my thoughts. I have to admit from the onset that I have no idea where the thoughts will end up and exactly what I want to convey in the whole blogging process. Perhaps it could end up like some things in the past, to stop suddenly without warning or to drag along with spurts and sputters. Then on the other hand it may just be what I have been looking for.

I will spend quite some time in learning about blogger.com before I get too carried away the newness of this project. I mean by that I want to do some posting, do some reading of others before I get to the point of sharing my words. I hope it doesn't take too long to do this and I hope in the process I learn enough to post intelligently. I don't want to put stuff down just to stir emotions without cause. So I have begun crossing this frontier and I hope it spans forever.