Lawn mowing?

Well...bought that new lawnmower a while ago (first of spring).  Mowed twice...everything died, haven't mowed since.  We got some rain and I'll be danged if the yard greened right up!  Hard to believe.  So I broke out the mower and mowed...for the third time this year.  Wow!  Then I weed eated and edged and didn't take that long.  Then I notice some big old tree growing in my bushes so I figured I'd do some trimming while I was at it.  Did too.  But...half way through that 4 inch across tree my battery died.  Recharged I charged into it again.  Dang that tree was one dense sucker and wet too.  I was huffing and puffing so I decided to take a little break.  Been a hour now and I ain't made it back out there. 

Can you say "Procrastination!"  But I'll be danged if its gonna win!  Just ain't figured out just when I'll claim victory.  Did discover them danged bushes claimed first blood.  Back of my hand looked like raw hamburger.  The older you get the easier you bleed and then don't know how it happened.  Who was it that said "old age ain't for sissies"?

Windy

Dang, you mean I was right?

Well...my oldest daughter passed a compliment on to me the other night at dinner.  She said her bosses attorney had been having a conversation with some high level muckatee muck in the finance world and had some advice that had proved I wasn't a danged nut after all.  She said the concensus was that I was right and this fellow agreed...the best investments in this trying time was...(wait for it)... guns and gold!  Holy cow, been doing that for a while and didn't know I was a financial genius.

Yep, got started when I found a place that sold U.S. government issued military firearms and I bought the gun (or one like it) that my Dad carried in WW2, an M1 Garand.  The one Patton called the finest battle implement ever made.  This one was made by the Springfield Armory.  Loved it so much I decided on a second one by a different manufacturer.  This next one was made by the Harrington and Richardson (H and R) people.  Both shoot extremely well for being 60 some odd years old.  Then these same people started offering the M1 carbine for sale and I got hooked.  Final talley was 6 from different manufacturers.  First was from Inland, a division of General Motors.  Next was made by Underwood, Elliot, Fisher, the typewriter company.  Then came one from Winchester (had a bow and arrow carved into it).  Next one from a place called Quality Hardware out of Chicago.  Then the most rare (fewest made) one made by Rockola, (yep, the jukebox company).  And lastly to honor my Dad who worked for the Post Office for 30 years I got one built by the National Postal Meter company.  They all still shoot well and I keep 'em cleaned and polished military style.  And that's just a few of my investments.  But I'm proud of every one.  We'll talk about the gold later!
Windy

Grey matter is important!

I have been suffering from a rare malady that I knew nothing about until the first time it reared its ugly head and slapped me down a peg or two.  The technical name is BPPV short for Benign Proxysmal Positional Vertigo.  It makes the room spin around.  Well, I've got it again.  Its caused (supposedly) by a piece of calcium breaking loose in the inner ear and floating around causing all kinds of hell.  There is no remedy for the stuff but some head twisting exercize to try and lodge the calcium back into place somewhere.  I will say that motorcycle riding and the world spinning around are not a good combination.  But I am confident in knowing that it will subside and leave me waiting for the next time it occurs.  Thank goodness there was about a year since the last time.  It ain't funny, but I'll survive I hope.  Also survived the expedition into the wild with 7 kids 4 years and under up Oklahoma way.  We just thought we were wearing them out...it was us that wore out.  One youngster got sick and went home with parents early Sunday.  The rest of us decided that we needed a day of rest before heading off to work again on Tuesday so we cut our trip short and came home Sunday afternoon.  It was still enjoyable, just tiring.  All rested now and looking forward to the next time.
Windy

How you fixed for wildfires?

Well, me and the kids and the grandkids are due a little trip with the motorhome up Oklahoma way...then I saw that they have as many wildfires as Texas does so I tried to find out the locations of those fires, since some were along I35 and thats the route we're taking.  Nothing...not one detailed map showing where they were...lots of jawing about them but no real info.  We're headed to what used to be the smallest national park in the United States (Platt National) until they changed the name to pay tribute to the Indians they bought the land from, now its called Chickasaw National Recreation Area.  Ever heard of hydrogen sulfide (you would certainly know it if you had, its the rotten egg smell)?  This park was built in the '30's by the WPA and the CCC camps.  Small but beautiful.  Hope the weather and wildfires let us enjoy Labor Day weekend.  Lots of grandkids to take fishin' and swimmin'.
Well ya'll be good out there,
Windy

Surprise, surprise!

Well we celebrated a birthday for the youngest grandson yesterday (he's one) and all was going well till the last "gift" to be unwrapped.  It was Tshirts for her boys from their mama and emblazoned on them was a surprise announcement, "I'm going to be a big brother".  Yep another grandson is on the way.  She said this was as big a surprise to her as it was to us.  She had been having some pain in her side and decided to go to the doctor Monday to see about it and when the doctor came back in after some tests she announced that daughter was pregnant again.  Daughter said that can't be.  Last time she had to have fertility drugs for months just to get pregnant.  And she didn't know?  Nope, 4 months along and she didn't know.  Youngster is due just before Christmas, and its another boy.  Man, I had nothing but girls and they all have nothing but boys.  Guess the good Lord knew what He was doing and gave me what I could handle!  Thanks Lord!
Bye,
Windy

Fixin' things...not fixin' to fix things

Well I trotted off to the "john" this morning to take care of business and while I was enthroned on the "porcelain throne" my locked bathroom door swung open.  Well that was much to my surprise as you might guess.  Set about to render that problem not a problem anymore.  Got out the old cordless drill/screwdriver (with the new lithium ion batteries, ni cads have a memory, lithium don't that means if you use it for 5 minutes then recharge them, they only remember the 5 minutes and so thats all the charge they will hold and I got danged tired of running out of juice only 5 minutes into a job) anyway remembered a little trick my dad had taught me years ago (thanks Dad) about taking off the hinge and stuffing a piece of cardboard behind it to raise the catch to catch the striker plate again.  Did that...it didn't work as well as I had remembered.  So pulled the striker plate and carved some more room lower down for a recess and redrilled the holes and reinstalled the plate.  That worked!  Now that danged ghost is just gonna have to walk through that door if he wants to come in and spy on me in the john!
All for now,
Windy

Giving up the ghost

Well my dear old mother is not ready to settle down just yet.  I say that in regard to her car.  When she had it inspected several months ago the man passed it but said that she had oil in her radiator water.  Oops!  Sure enough my cousins checked it out and replaced the head gasket...but in the process of flushing the system they discovered, not surprisingly...oil in her radiator...again.  In checking with Saturn who are no longer in business, they found a service bulletin with info about a persistent crack in the block of most engines.  (Maybe thats why they went out of business)  She bought the car in 1996...the service bulletin came out in 1997.  A little late for warranty work...THEY'RE OUT OF BUSINESS.  Well at 91 she still wants to be independent and I say great, go to it Mom.  Just kinda wonder how much longer she's gonna need to drive or can.  Oh well, the boys are looking for her something to replace hers.  Gotta love her!
Bye,
Windy