House news

There is major movement on the house news.

Sunday, we made an offer somewhat lower than the asking price and slightly lower than what we were willing to pay.

Tuesday, the counter offer came in. They agreed to all the terms (this stays, we do this, y'all do that.) The money counter was the exact price we had in mind to pay. We accepted and now have a contract on the house. It has to appraise for the agreed on price (which it should very easily.) It has to pass the home inspection and the termite inspection.

My mortgage broker is faxing the pre approval letter to the realtor. From there we get the appraisal. Then the inspections. The closing is set for July 28th. We hope to push that to the week earlier. It will give us time to get settled before I have to be back at school on August 1.

Dancing the happy feet dance.

What a day ...

It was a good day with friends.

The afternoon was spent at the picnic with about 50 friends. Then the eveing was spent singing karaoke with about 30 old friends. It was grand. I could stand a few days like that a week, lol.

The picnic was lots of fun with the good food, good company, and the water wars. It was a good eating, good talking, wet dripping time. I brought the Nuke dip. It was a great hit. The recipe:

2 lbs Velveeta Cheese (cubed)
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 lb. Hot Breakfast Sausage
24 oz Hot Pace Picante
16 oz Diced Hot Banana Peppers
16 oz Diced Jalapenos
12 oz Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)
1 Onion (Diced)
Habanera Pepper Juice (to suit taste)

Cook the burger and sausage in the juice from the banana peppers. Melt the cheese with the picante. Add the other ingredients. Eat with chips. Eat with scrambled eggs. Eat on a hamburger. Eat it on your finger. It is good and hot.

It has a great taste along with the heat. The best thing is that you can adjust the heat to suit your own individual taste.

Try it.

Dead horses

Ode to a dead horse beater

through this site
here we gather
to beat the horse
that died in his lather

the subject is whipped
til nothing doth remain
but still our whips
know no refrain

even now we whip
not the horse laying dead
but the new horses
ridden by repliers instead

can we stop this nonsense
can we stop the bloody fray
before there are no more horses
to take us home today ?

Ron

“Life is a series of unexploded events
held precariously together
by this fleeting facade we call order."

Counting the days

I am counting the days until vacation time.

time to relax

time to move slowly

time to sleep late

time to sing the night away

time to enjoy life

time to refresh for the new school year awaits

Vacation will start with a bang, albeit a wet bang. I am looking forward to the water gun wars of the coming weekend. There will be much mirth and laughter. It will be good to see some old friends. It is my understanding that some friends from Louisville are even making the trip.

Today has been interesting. Usually, the school and the State are crying that we are spending too much money. Today, my Principal calls me and tells me that I absolutely must spend $800 today, on tools and material. I put my calculating skills to work and spent it all. I like it when they say "Spend."

Well, free time (lunch) is over.

Y'all have a great day.

"Semper et infirmi est animi exiguique voluptas Ultio."
Revenge is always the weak pleasure of a little and narrow mind.

Two more days of classes

I just finished two days of classes on some training equipment I inherited from the former program. The classes were in Danville. It was a nice 40 mile one way trip. The classes were fun and informative. That's the kind of classes I like. All I have to do now is convince my Principal and the state that I need the $30,000 that is required to purchase and update the systems that are there.

I have this week of school left and then vacation begins. I will be off 4 weeks over the summer, although I will spend some of that at a teachers conference in Louisville. I have to do that networking thing. For the most part, the teachers I have met are more than willing to share their teaching skills and secrets with the new guys like me.

There is not much else going on around here. We are getting things ready for a picnic this weekend. We are going to spend time with friends and colleagues. There will be burgers and dogs, water balloons and water guns, and vast amounts friends. It hopes to be a good time.

Y'all have fun.

OK .. I wrote something new

A Hero

As a growing boy
I had several heroes
Some wore capes
Some flew through the air
Some had webs
While others had glowing repulsor beams

My childhood heroes
Came in various sizes, shapes, and colors
They had special powers
With super secret identities
They had super foes
To provide spectacular battles

As I grew,
My heroes changed
They became more real
And worked their special abilities
In the real world
The same real world I lived in

They were leaders
Men and women of peace
Or champions of important causes
They battled injustices
With the powers of the mind
And the weapon of the pen

Older now
And looking across a stretch of time
That sees the changes
Wrought by a near lifetime
Of growing and changing
My heroes have become closer

The caped flying warrior of justice
Still brings the smile to my boyish heart
The champions of world issues
Still stir my being to fight the good fight
However, now I can see the heroes
That have been with me all my life

You didn’t put on a cape and fight my foes
But you did keep me safe
You didn’t fight hunger in the world arena
But you worked, everyday, and fed a family
You have always been my champion
Even when the sparkle in my eyes
Was captured by some far distant star

You are one of my heroes, Dad
Even when I didn’t know what heroes were
You were there filling those shoes
Today, you will just smile
And say you were doing what fathers do
But, I will know,
That is part of being a hero too

Thanks for all the years
Of being my unsung hero

Ron Simpson
June 18, 2006

Happy Fathers Day

I think I will cheat a post today ... (actually use someone else's words)

My dad chased monsters from the dark
He checked underneath my bed
And he could lift me with one arm
Way up over top of his head
He could loosen rusty bolts
With a quick turn of his wrist
He pulled splinters from his hand
And never even flinched
In thirteen years Id never seen him cry
But the day that grandpa died, I realized

Unsinkable ships sink
Unbreakable walls break
Sometimes the things you think could never happen
Happens just like that
Unbendable steel bends
If the fury of the wind is unstoppable
Ive learned to never underestimate
The impossible

From "The Impossible" by Joe Nichols

Dads are human too ...

And from my old bag of bones ...

The Child I Never Saw

When I met him,
He was as old as anyone I knew,
As we walked,
He aged, and I grew;
I never knew him unknowing,
I never saw him young,
I saw that shining warrior,
Of which many songs were sung;
He held me,
He clothed me,
He fed me,
I was the child,
He could not be;
As I played hide-n-seek,
He saw what my tomorrows might be,
He worked,And he dreamed, for me;
He held faith,
He harbored hope,
He kept the dream,
I never saw the child,
But, hand in hand,
We walked in times stream;
The man I am today,
Belongs to the child I never saw.

Thanks, Dad.

Ron Simpson, Jr.
June 21, 2001

Going on ...

I have thought about this a good portion of the day. I have even consulted the Bible a time or two. I was at a loss of how to proceed. Parts of me wanted to retaliate against those that would speak harshly to me. Parts of me wanted to break down and just cry. Still, there were other parts that wanted to hide in the corner and other parts that wanted to just stop thinking about it at all.

I have come to these conclusions.

I cannot stop people from thinking what they wish to think, no matter how vehemently I defend or decry the situation.

No matter how well thought or elegant, any response will change nothing and serve only to perpetuate the situation.

This cannot change who I have fought to become unless I allow it to get inside me and fester (Isaiah 59 about cockatrice eggs.)

I will have to live with the consequences of my decisions, as will those around me.

I will not allow this to live in my heart or my head. (A friend told me once, you can't stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop him from making a nest in your hair.)

I have a wonderful circle of friends and the best 'best friend' ever.

I love my children and my hand will always be open to them.

The only door I have closed is the door to the past, and I refuse to open it again.

There was one chance to live a perfect life, and someone already beat me to that.

I am still looking forward to tomorrow and all the beauty it can bring.

Living is a good thing.

something I got in Email

Boycott Huge Success

The Counties of San Diego, Imperial, Los Angeles and Orange reported the statistics for the Boycott and Rally by the Latino Communities was a resounding success.

1. Retailers reported sales were down 4.2%
2. Shoplifting was down 67%
3. Traffic collisions involving Uninsured drivers were down 42%
4. Gang related violence was down 71%
5. Street corner 'Orange' sales were down 85%
6. Illegal dumping was down 53%
7. Hospital Emergency Rooms reported 86% fewer non insured patients.
8. County Services reported 65% fewer Welfare Claims.

The County Commissioners are recommending a Boycott be held at least once a week for the foreseeable future.

Take it in the humor in which it is intended !!

Unbelievable

My baby graduated from High School last night ... sniffle sniffle

part of my gift ...

My gift

For most of your life, we have held something in safekeeping for you
We have doled out small amounts when the situation warranted
But for the most part, have kept it, in trust, waiting for a day like today
Today, you fulfilled a parents dream, and trust me, we have had plenty

It started in your toddler years, in little bitty increments
It progressed through your early school years.
We trusted you with small amounts, but it is such a volatile substance,
It had to be so closely monitored and carefully measured
There were times you demanded it
However, you were still not ready
Even today, it is extremely dangerous to use,
Nevertheless, we must have faith that you are ready to handle it fully

It is not in this envelope
Although, additional gifts may gather here

It is out there,
Outside the doors
Out there in the real world
Out there, where it usage has the greatest impact
It is choice
You are standing under a caution light,
With roads running out past the horizon
In every direction
The World is open to you
There is no one there to make you go
Save choice
There is no one there to make you stop
Save choice
It is a gift more valuable than the checks you gather today
It is more valuable than the cards, or the party

You are now a creature of choice
There are no rules
You can do whatever you choose, from here
There are consequences to choice, but no barriers

Enjoy all the gifts you accumulate today
But, use choice the wisest


Dad

Absentee

The Governor of KY is being indicted today. His lawyers will attend the arraignment, but he will not. The Governor is too busy to be there. He is in Florida on vacation.

I think this shows a complete contempt for the legal system. As Governor , he should be the shining example of legal compliance. Even if he thinks this indictment is politically motivated and has no merit, he, as our chief legal officer, should be using all diligence, to give credence to the legal system.

I know he is not required to be at the proceedings, but his disregard, considering his position, is contemptible, in my eyes.
I have not seen the evidence in the case. I have only seen the actions of the parties involved. The Governors actions speak volumes, maybe more than he intended. He should be in every court proceeding, proclaiming his innocence. He should answer every reporters question, proclaiming his innocence.

Just my take ...

Quite a pair

A friend of about 40 years died this week. I have known his entire family most of my life. He was 42. I wrote this for his mom, in memory of him ...

Quite A Pair

It was a long time ago and yesterday,
you came into my life crying and cooing;
Eventually, you were toddling, holding my hand as you went
we made quite the pair;
One day, right on time and way too soon,
you let go of my hand and made it to the chair without falling;

Time passed, trikes gave way to bikes,
training wheels held you up and saved your knees;
That dreaded day came and the training wheels were gone,
my hand on the seat as you pedaled along;
I let go of that seat and watched you ride ,
filled with sadness and swelling with parents pride;

I let go of your hand the day you started school,
and watched you ride away on that big yellow bus;
I let go of your hand when you walked across that stage,
and someone gave significant paper and a handshake of congratulations;

I let go of your hand when you took the hand of your wife,
and I watched, as Mom's do, as you started a brand new life;

Today, I will let go of your hand one more time
and you will walk a walk you must take alone,
but ... before you go,
there is something you need to know

I really didn't let go the day you made it to the chair;
I still held the seat the day you circled the yard;
I held you all the way to school, in that big yellow bus;
I walked across that stage with you, hand in hand,
We made quite a pair;
I did watch you take her hand in yours, but mine remained there too;
Even today, as you walk the final walk, on the path you chose
I will not let go of your hand;

Someday, we may walk, hand in hand,
down a street of purest gold,
and the angels will stop and smile,
because, we make quite a pair.

Ron Simpson Jr.
June 7, 2006

In Memory
Ricky Blevins

Something different

The Assault

I thought it was a shallow pool, like a rain puddle
The sun would come up in the morning and chase it away
I had no idea it would overwhelm my life and change it forever
There was no clue that it would be this engulfing force

By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late
I was in its terribly powerful grasp
As much as I struggled, it was to no avail
I only entangled myself more in this bondage

Wave after wave inundated me
Invading my very core
Surrounding me at every port
Leaving me without an avenue of flight

Fear crushed me
Hope of release fled
I was trapped
Without chance of liberation

Slipping under
I marveled that this could happen to me
All my care was undone
All my caution unraveled

How could this be
How could this happen
How could I
How could I fall in love?

Ron Simpson Jr.
June 2, 2006

FRIDAY !!!!

I used to work for a contractor that killed all the excitement of Friday. We worked 6 days a week, so Friday wasn't the end of the work week, and we got paid on Thursday, so it wasn't payday. Talk about your downer. Anyway, it is the end of the work week for me, today, so YEAH !!

My hand is somewhat better. It is throbbing at the moment. I probably shouldn't be typing this, but if I weren't, I would be typing something else for work, so there would be typing either way. I am working on a course syllabus for each of the classes I teach to put into my Program Assessment Box. They have to be ready for inspection by Friday next. I have a class all next week and will not be here at the school to work on mine. I will be working some at home in the evenings to finish it up, but am trying to get as much done now as I can. (pain not withstanding)

I just printed Syllabus number one, three more to go, yipeeee.

I am still sleeping in the sitting position. Tammy abandoned the bed last night to sleep on the couch with me. She says she just can't sleep as well or at all if I am not in there. That is one of my superhero powers, I guess.

I have discovered an activity that the pain loves more than typing. That is driving. It hates driving. There is something about the position it has to be in and the vibration of driving that seems to aggravate it. The combination of the days work and the drive home make it flare way up.

BUT ... It is FRIDAY !!!!

I know, my pain does not know it is Friday, but I do.

The tests from the DR visit should be available on Monday. Then we will know if we are pursuing the proper treatment. I know it still hurts like a Raz-a-fraz-a-braz-a-racker when I try to write.

well, it is time to get back to the grindstone, and there is a random thought running around in my head, that might need attention sooner than later.

I might be back ...

The hand news

Well, I am off work today. I do not need to be driving.

Writing is difficult. It is weird. I can bend the two outside fingers all the way to the palm with no pain. I can bend the middle two fingers all the way to the palm with not pain. But, if I try to bend any three fingers, the pain is nearly unbearable. Tuesday, at work, I was addressing the envelop to send my assignment to Dr. D. I had the pen in my hand, holding it with my first finger and my thumb, and writing very sloppily. I twitched my middle finger and bent it in, instinctively. The PAIN shot to a 15. I broke out in a sweat. I almost threw up.

In 30 years of working construction, I cannot remember a pain that hurt as much. I still had to finish the address (which I did, painfully.) Then I had to drive home, picking Chris up along the way. I was in so much pain in my left hand, I couldn't even grab my seatbelt. When I picked Chris up, I had him hand me the seatbelt. I drove to Lex and met Tammy. We did the switch (Chris.) Then, I went home and took drugs. Eventually, the pain waned.

I went to my DR yesterday. She suspects that it is Gout. I never thought of that. The symptoms fit. She put me on several meds and told me to continue with the neurontin, if it works. So, here I am, not hurting as much (pain is at a 3 level now on a 1 to 10 scale with 10 being intolerable,) not stoned this time, and still sleeping on the couch because laying down makes it hurt more ('bout an 8.)

Doc put me on Methylprednisolone and Cephalexin. She sent me for X-rays.

I have a follow up appt next week.

Oh yeah, I can now bend three fingers at once.

The neurontin post

I am under the influence of Neurontin. It is a nerve pain kind of drug. I have done something to my left hand. It is screaming pain messages to my brain. The middle two fingers of my four fingers feel like that are in a vice. A dear friend, who happens to be a Physicians Assistant, told me to put some ice on it, take the neurontin, and ibuprofin. I took the N pill before talking to her. I was slurring slightly and rambling on like crazy. (Sorry, J)

Anyway ...

There is a situation that may be coming to a close this week. It involves the old house that I gave up in my one and only divorce. It is causing trouble with Tammy and I buying a house. We think we have it resolved, though.

What it brought to mind was my 'closest to a Rod Serling' moment. It was a Twilight Zone moment.

I was living in Northern Ohio (a displaced Kentuckian). I was working there and surrounding areas. At the time, I was working in PA on a Nuke Plant. There was work coming up at home and I decided to come back for it. It was the building of Toyota in G'Town. I drove back and forth for several months. While here in Lexington, I looked for a house.

I found a house and decided to buy it. Kaye (the then wife) was still in Ohio and very much pregnant. I told dad the address and he started looking. He owned a house in that neighborhood when I was two years old. He checked, and sure enough, it was the same house.

That wasn't the only thing though. Dad bought the house when he was 29 yrs old. I was 29 yrs old. It was the first house he bought. It was the first house I bought. Mom was pregnant with her 4th kid which turned out to be their 3rd girl. Kaye was pregnant with our 3rd girl. I fully expected to see Rod Serling in the front yard when we got there after signing the papers.

Anywho ... That was my Rod Serling moment.

I just took my 'before bed' dose. I am headed off to Stonerville now. It was odd earlier. I rarely take drugs. I take daily doses of Synthroid, but not regular anything for anything else. It took a while for the drugs to take effect, but when it hit, IT HIT. Tammy was having fun just watching me, she said.

She is about to watch me go to sleep. lol.

At the risk of over posting .....

Tendrils

Loves tender vines
Wrapped around my heart
Holding it secure
Feeling every reverberation
Entwined
Interlaced
Becoming more one
Than anything else
Holding
Embracing
Addicted to the caress
Of sweet bondage
Protecting
Bearing the pain
The tendrils of love
Wrapped around my heart
Growing
Feeding from the gentle stream
Nourished by the wound
Of loves barbed arrow
Symbiotic
Nurturing needs
Fulfilling the wants
Selfless and selfish
Reveling in the embrace
The tendrils of love
Wrapped around my heart
Never leave me free
Never leave me in want
Feel my feted breathing
Feel my coursing pain
Feel my anguished desire
Never leave me free
Wrap me more
In the tendrils of your love

Ron Simpson, Jr.
May 27, 2006

Here are '100 or so' things about me.

Some may surprise ya. I am not sure they are in order of importance as much as in order of popping into my head. Some are very important , while others are trivial.

1) I am 48 and proud of every year it took to get here.
2) I am married for the second time (almost 3 yrs) after 20 years the first time and 6 years of being single.
3) I have seen 6 decades. I saw the last of the 50's, the 60's, the 70's, the 80's, the 90's, and now the 00's.
4) I have 3 daughters and share 2 sons and 2 daughters with Tammy.
5) Kyle (Tammy's youngest) has an obsession with favorite things and IS my favorite 10 year old living in the house with me.
6) I have four grandkids and one on the way.
7) Occasionally, Tammy and I take leave of our senses and bring 3 of them to the house to spend the night.
8) I am a licensed Master Electrician in the state of Kentucky (go CATS)
9) After 27 years working in the construction end of electricity, I have changed careers and started teaching in a high school vocational school.
10) I am overweight, if that matters, you may discontinue reading.
11) I have arthritis in my back.
12) My thyroid is seriously screwed up.
13) No matter how comfortable you get in your skin, you never completely get over the 'want to be liked' syndrome.
14) I was an Ordained Minister for 20 years.
15) I was assistant pastor of a church at one time.
16) I was head of the Church Growth Dept for the state of KY in the religious organization to which I belonged.
17) I was also head of the Christian Education Dept (foreshadowing?).
18) I believe in miracles.
19) I believe in Angels.
20) I believe in God.
21) I believe there is a Devil and I believe he works zealously.
22) I got my first transistor radio in 1970 for my 13th birthday.
23) I began singing at 8 years old, singing in church.
24) My first song was "Joshua fought the battle of Jericho," a Negro spiritual.
25) I have sung a capella in front of a crowd of 400.
26) The first time I sang Karaoke was in a small lounge at a bowling alley and it terrified me.
27) That was about 5 years ago and now my repertoire includes almost 50 songs.
28) I am singing the National Anthem at a local Triple A Baseball team home game (Go Lexington Legends!)
29) I love all kinds of music.
30) I listen mostly to country.
31) I can listen to anything except heavy metal, which is interesting, because I play the guitar and drums.
32) I played drums in elementary school until my grades dropped.
33) I played guitar in church (learned from my mom).
34) I miss the interaction of the construction site.
35) I do not miss the mud, rain, snow, sleet, cold, hot, crappy parking lots, and the general run of pricks ya run into on the average construction job.
36) I was and still am a dues paying union member.
37) I went to one year of college at UK when I was 17.
38) I got married the first time a few months before turning 20. We separated 20 days after our 20th anniversary.
39) I have worked on everything from putting lights in a garage to the backup steam redundancy system on a nuclear reactor.
40) I have helped companies build Ford trucks, GM trucks, Saturns, Subaru/Izuzu's, and Toyota's.
41) This year, 18 years after starting that job in the middle of a mud field, I took a tour of Toyota Motor Manufacturing.
42) My first ever plane flight was on a 30 passenger plane, in 1986. I was 28 yrs old.
43) I loved it and have loved flying ever since.
44) My best flight was a flight from Louisville to Ft Lauderdale, when my flight was canceled and I was bumped up to First Class. (sweet)
45) My worst flight was the same one. The original airline lost my luggage, forcing me to attend an AIDS rally in jeans.
46) I have been in love more than once.
47) I believe in soul mates.
48) I believe there is more than one out there, though.
49) I believe in kindreds.
50) I am a hopeless romantic.

Deep breath here ...

51) I am head over heels in love with Tammy.
52) I will always love Alex, which Tammy completely understands and it doesn't constrain our love at all.
53) I have dated a psycho or two.
54) I protect my friends vehemently.
55) I make friends easy and let them go reluctantly.
56) I am a passionate person.
57) While I do not hold much with ESP, I do acknowledge that I have an empathic spirit.
58) I believe there are things that are unexplainable.
59) I believe in UFOs in as much as they are Unidentified Flying Objects.
60) I do not believe in life on other planets.
61) I am a creationist.
62) I do not believe in evolution.
63) I am not put off by others that believe differently than myself, only by those that insist on shoving their beliefs down my throat without respecting that I am capable of forming opinions of my own based on both facts and feelings.
64) The best thing on my desk at work is a picture of Tammy.
65) I have a great life.
66) I do not have a perfect life.
67) A friend told me years ago that life was too short to work a job you do not love or be married to a woman you do not like.
68) I have both.
69) For all the love that lives between Tammy and myself, I genuinely like her as well. I know how to keep those feelings separate.
70) I have wonderful kids and fully recognize that I am biased.
71) I worry too much about money, even when we have enough.
72) I can be a social butterfly and/or a loner, sometimes, in the same evening.
73) I am a procrastinator.
74) Tammy and Dad are both obsessive about getting things done NOW.
75) They drive me crazy with that as much as I drive them crazy with my procrastination.
76) When we began dating, Tammy and I were amazed at how alike we are. Now we see how different we are, and that enhances our love.
77) Love grows stronger when it reaches across a difference.
78) I am a poet.
79) I am a painter.
80) I am a singer.
81) I am an amateur photographer.
82) I love animals.
83) I have 4 sisters and 1 brother.
84) We are a close family.
85) My parents, both in their 70's are still living.
86) My granny is 91 and still going strong. She is a blog in and of herself.
87) My girls give me wings and provide me roots.
88) I have a slight heart condition.
89) I do not know why, but a cold or flu is the hardest thing on me.
90) I do not smoke.
91) I do not drink.
92) I love and am faithful to my wife.
93) I am old fashioned.
94) I am a walking contradiction.
95) I own 65 plus neckties and I wear about 5 a year.
96) I prefer jeans over a suit, but am just as comfortable in either. The suit makes others uncomfortable.
97) I have way too many clothes.
98) I prefer passionate opposition to mediocre agreement.
99) I support my causes even if they wane in popularity.
100) I used to volunteer for AVOL (AIDS Volunteers Of Lexington). The words 'used to' bother me there.
101) I have only scratched the surface.

Our own little terrorist

I was trying to watch the news this evening when Kyle (10) came in to tell me that he and Caimon were playing in the yard with toy guns, running and shooting, when the troublemaker down the street drove by a few times. Within a few minutes they say police at his house. They came in to tell me. I told them to play inside for a while.

A couple minutes later there was a loud knocking at my door. I answered to find a police officer, slightly crouched, hand on his undrawn gun, in the foyer. He asked if Malcolm, who was straining to see, would bite. I assured him that he wouldn't, stepped through the door, and closed it behind me. He asked if anyone was at home. I told him that my 10 yr old son and a 9 yr old friend were playing in his room. He asked if they could step outside. Once outside, they asked the boys to tell them what happened. He told me that they had gotten a complaint from the neighbor that Kyle was brandishing a weapon and pointing it at him, threatening him.

It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. There were at least 6 police officers on the porch and in my yard. There were two others, in no uniform, with orange wrist bands. They are part of Lexington's anti-terrorist squad. The one, most seemingly sensible officer, asked to see the gun that Kyle was playing with. Kyle brought it out. It was a pistol he got at the dollar store.

This officer said he was going down to talk to the neighbor. While he was gone, one of the bicycle cops told me that if Kyle had approached him holding that toy gun that he would shoot him. I was in shock. Here on my porch, a police officer was telling me that he would have no problem shooting a 10 yr old with a plastic gun. I was flabbergasted.

The first officer returned. He asked if there was any history with this neighbor. I told him about the neighbors charge, yet unproven, about Chris stabbing him. I told him about this neighbors repeated efforts to harass us and that this was just one more attempt at perpetuating that harassment. I told him that the boys usually play in the back when we know that JH is home. I didn't know that he was home. He added that it would be a good idea for the boys to play in the back yard. I have no problem with that, but refuse to be a prisoner in my home or yard.

The police begin to leave. The anti-terrorist boys headed back to their cars. Lexington was safe once again. In the past week or so, there have been three bank robberies. The police have not caught the robbers, but by damn, they did stop a 10 yr old terrorist with a plastic gun.

Doesn't that make you sleep better at night ?

Troubled blogging

I have been unable to blog from work the last couple days. There is some glitch that will not allow blogs to come up. It is odd. Yesterday, It allowed some blogs and just ignored requests for others. Today, it ignores all requests. My attempts to pull up the blogger dashboard cause a "Gateway Timeout".

I thought I would jump on her at home and post a bit, since I will be out of town tomorrow for a Program Assessment Workshop.

Tammy and the kids are going as well. They will make a day of shopping and going to sights near Mt Vernon, KY. The last Workshop like this that I attended began at 9 am and ended around 1 pm. Hopefully, this one will follow suit. I have a friend that lives in Mt Vernon and I would love to catch up with him and grab a bite to eat.

The past couple days have been rather uneventful. My truck is fixed (fuel pump.)

Chella and Justin went to the store on Monday and the cops were called. The dude behind the counter accused her of stealing. He said she was in the night before. She wasn't. I am quite sure Chella let her mouth get away with her. He told her the cops were coming and she had to wait. They waited about 20 minutes and left. A police officer stopped them about half way home. By then, Tammy had gone out to see what was taking so long. She arrived to pick them up about the time the cop showed up.

She went to the store and talked to the dude. He told her that her son was stealing as well. Kyle is 10 yrs old. She raised her eyebrows, and her indignation, and said, "You wanna say that again?" He didn't say a word.

The cop showed up at the store, running his mouth. He told her she couldn't be there. She had requested to see the manager. She told him that everything was fine until he showed up with his bullshit. "You can't talk to me like that," he said. "I just did," she replied. She started to leave. "You cant leave," he said. "Watch me," she said. "Are you going to arrest me and charge me with asking to see a manager?"

gotta love her.

Just a regular day around here.