Alone with the dogs...

Soul-mate has left for the weekend, which means that I am alone with our three dogs. This is always an anxious time for our spoiled and anthropomorphic canines. There is Bee, the  female Cairn Terrier, who never likes to be far from Soul-mate's presence. (unless there is a mole or squirrel to stalk) She is very sensitive and hates loud shouting or yelling, fireworks, and the howling winds, which never happens here unless...(well..I would rather not say...this is the internet (lol). Then there is Cooper, the Alpha-male wannabe. He was my 50th B-day present from the Soul-mate, and she has never forgotten to ask for my forgiveness  every day of his life. He has been having possession issues lately..""Mine!!"  Plus he has also been having identity issues because of the youngest , Bandit. There is this battle over which one of them gets to sit at the right hand of the true Alpha Male, me. Bandit is a fireplug of a terrier-mix who has only one speed...Fast! He is a fast and in your face type of dog.

When ever Soul-mate is away these dogs could care less if I am here. She doesn't believe me but it true. All they want to do is sit in front of the window and pine for her. Not eating or wanting to play..just pining and walking aimlessly throughout the house. (they act frightening similar to how I act when she is gone) They will sit for hours watching out the window waiting to see her car pull into the driveway but, this weekend they are really messed up because I have the car, and it is parked in the driveway and no Mommy.

So,  here I am alone with these neurotic dogs, when an eruption of barking and clawing and snarling and slobbering at the front window starts..... and then... a dreaded knocking on the door. Not knowing who it was, I attempted the old tried and true "hide in the bathroom until they get tired and walk away" ploy, but this interloper was a committed disturber and he went to his plan B, the door bell...repeatedly!  I was stuck. Realizing that it might be something or someone important, I decided to close off the dogs inside the house, while I opened the the garage door to meet whomever was outside....Big mistake.......... Damn!

Standing there was  a Census taker. The same Census taker that had taped a note to our garage door earlier in the week stating we owed more information to the Government....(other than the number of U.S. citizens living within the home, duh?). We had decided after seeing this video that we are not going to answer all those personal questions and just easily supply them with stuff we don't want to divulge. I puffed out my chest and stood firm, only providing him with the number of "humans" living at this address. But he already had our names and ages written down on piece of paper in our "file". He said that he got them at the courthouse off our property tax papers! I told him since those were public records then he can use them. The remainder of the info needed was our race (which I found ridiculous since he was standing in front of me) and  a telephone number (which I refused to provide) Damn government man!!

I suddenly started feeling like a jerk though. I could tell that the man was not liking my attitude and I know that I was not the only person to give him grief just for doing the job he was told to do. Census takers are temp workers and it would have to be one of the worst type of doorknocker jobs out there. Heck, Jehovah Witnesses do it for there beliefs. As I shook his hand after he got all the info I was going to give him (it is the principal of the thing), I left by saying, "I would hate to have your job" with some empathy. He replied, "I am definitely ready for the job to be over". I sensed he was carrying some Census takers battlefield wounds. So tomorrow at church I need to repent for my sins toward him and pray for him.

Yikes!

We've done tethered trials before, which usually end with passengers shrieking and screaming in fear, but this is the first time we've actually taken to the skies unaided. Ordinarily, you would look over the edge of the basket to peer at the ground below but there is something very disconcerting about seeing it right beneath your feet.

Some things I have stepped in along the way....

I am a big proponent of the concept of consumption taxes, so this idea from a Republican Senator appeals to me. I would like to see more toll roads and bridges. If I use a service, which a road is in all actuality, then I should be obliged to pay for its use. I am not entitled to it at no cost . A pay as we go plan is the best business model.



Perhaps it’s time to rethink not just birthright citizenship, but citizenship in general, and what it means.

Perhaps to be a citizen should be defined as being able to partake in the running of the country, and those unwilling to do the things necessary to become one will have to accept the decisions of those who have done so, or find another nation in which to reside, one perhaps more congenial to their lack of civic responsibility. That is, citizens would be eligible to vote and run for or be appointed to public office — civilians would not.

I have the most respect for immigrants that love this country so much that they go the extra mile to attain citizenship.


We cannot see God except as he is made manifest through us, and in the covenant of marriage his faithfulness is beautiful


Liberals and the tolerance crowd have no concept of "hallowed ground"..even when faced with evil people and beliefs.

After midnight musings.....

Received a bit of good news tonight via email from Soul Mate concerning a friend that was having major surgery. Appears prayers have been answered and good reports indicate a major hurdle and challenge has been averted.

It is times like these when we all look inward with our lives and memories. Death is the great evangelist.Many a person has turned away from their wayward paths when death or tragedy invaded their lives. Memories of past losses come flooding to the surface of our thoughts.

I have seen my share of death in my life. I am the youngest of a family of 5 children, of which there are only 2 remaining siblings. My father's side had 5 siblings and my mother was the middle of 10 children...all dead. Funerals and wakes were a big part of my life and upbringing. My mother instilled me that death was a forgone conclusion and that we will never escape it. She was from an era where death was not a stranger. Her childhood friends died from common childhood diseases like measles and contracted polio. She was not a religious or I can't even say she was a believer or not, but I believe that she knew that there was something better on the other side of this life.Yet there was still a fete de'complete attitude with Mom. She stood by calmly and quietly as we mourned my father, her mother and her siblings, always knowing her time would come soon enough.

This is my Dad. Has been gone so long that I only have small bits of memory of him. I remember I was always proud to see him drive that wrecker home. 

An Introduction

I have made it through the first 2 days of blogging and am finally getting the hang of this blogging thing. After posting my first posts I have done some tweaking and editing and have gotten a good grasp of what I need to do to compile my postings. Apologies.

I am a man that is extremely happily married to a wonderful woman, Leslie, (this will give me some points with her..lol) and we live with 3 crazy dogs (more on them later) in St. Charles MO (in the heart of the USA). I work in a call center for a large telecommunications company which provides me with enough walking around money to have the luxury of posting to this blog. 

Leslie came into my life like a sweet breath from God. My true soul mate and best friend. After traveling that broken road my whole life, with its broken hearts and disappointments, the Lord provided me with my one true helper. She is always there for me and I hopefully am there for her. Soul mates come, if you are lucky, just once in your life. If you find one, grab them and never let them go. I love you Sweet Pea!

from our honeymoon in Colorado

Walking club

Just returned from our Pastor's house tonight for our monthly walking club. This was our second meeting and even though it has been horribly, horribly hot these last few weeks, the temps and humidity were not too bad. We walked a different path tonight and was good to get some exercise ( much needed). Afterward, we sat around their pool and soaked our feet, while Pastor went through some devotions. His focus has been on "walking". Scripture is full of examples and he was referencing passages in regard to the Hebrew 11:1-16 and cross referencing that to the Genesis accounts of Enoch, Noah and Abraham in regard to how these men of faith "walked" with God. That segwayed into a discussion on how we must walk through our challenges in life and how we must take all our challenges one step at a time.

The one thing that hit me tonight and made me meditate on, was a remark Pastor said. "God does not let us know our future."....Wow! What would we do if we knew our future? Would we be able to handle it?.....somehow I don't believe we could. God is so merciful that he lets us walk this path of life, not alone, but with Him. That is if we allow Him. Even though the scriptures don't say it, it makes sense to me that when Adam and Eve ate that fruit from the tree of good and evil they may have been given the power to see their lives in full and that is why they were so afraid. Imagine knowing what challenges are coming your way in life. It would be horrifying. Yet, Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden. They knew Him intimately. They also knew of His mercy. That alone made the walk easier.

Yet, imagine you are someone who doesn't know Him or denies Him. Those challenges must be very sobering. Christopher Hitchens is a writer and proud atheist  that has been diagnosed with cancer and is dying. I found this video of an interview so sad because the man has dug himself so deep into that atheist hole he cannot bring himself to see his answer to his mortality is the faith that brings us eternal life.

Can't we all just agree that this is evil?
I really don't think that if a  Christian Church organization was practicing this type of religious practices, the "tolerant political class" would not leave one church building standing. They would be calling in the bulldozers to raze them all!

A Blog is Born!!

Today is the first day of my blogging life. After many years and countless hours in front of this screen reading other people's thoughts and writings, I have finally got this blog started. I am not sure where these blog posts will lead but I believe it will be interesting road to travel.

The name comes from my favorite parable found in Luke's Gospel (Lk 15:11-32). It is my favorite parable because it  reflects all our lives. I doubt there are none of us that have not lived the life of a Prodigal Son in one way or another. I admit that I have "longed to fill (my) stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating" many times in my life; after being wasteful and frivolous with all that God had provided for me. My monies..my possessions...my loves were all wasted and spent recklessly on selfish needs and pleasures. But, unlike the Son in Jesus' parable, I am not a fast learner or traveler. I am still struggling on that long road home to my Father and know that "while I am still a long way off, my Father sees me and is filled with compassion for me." The scripture never states how long the Son was out in the world squandering his wealth. Was he in his 20's...30's..40's...or like me and in his 50's? Whatever age, we all find ourselves thinking and dreaming of going home and making amends for all we have done.

The parable of the the Lost Son is such a great example of the Church  also. So many story lines can be gleaned from it because there are so many things that are not mentioned or explained. Did the lost son stay or did his old wasteful self rear its head and drive him away again?..or did his acceptance back into the fold drive the older son away because of the fear of losing his "earned" spot at the Father's side? If you were to look around the pews of your church you could find fellow members that can fit the mold of either son.