We had storms blow through here last night, the worst between midnight and 12:30. I saw hail the size of golf balls, experienced winds of about 30-40 miles per hour and then the storm spawned a tornado east of town. The storm and the tornado traveled due east at about 30 mph. 12-15 miles west of here 4-5 inch hail and 70 mph winds were reported. I hope everyone else is ok.
I stayed up until almost 3:00 watching the storms and my butt is dragging today.
update -noon- The trucking company my brother works for had a truck blown off the road this morning about 1:30 or 2:00 about 40 miles east of here. The wind picked a 65 - 70,000 pound tractor trailer up and threw it into the ditch. There were no tracks leading to where the rig ended up. It was PICKED UP OFF THE GROUND AND THROWN ONTO IT'S SIDE BY THE WIND. The driver is ok. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol investigated. No accident report. No tickets were issued. It was deemed an act of nature.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day
Some people treat Memorial Day as just another day off, or as a holiday that marks the start of summer. I was raised to view Memorial Day as a day set aside to remember the loss of those who "stood in the gap" as it were, ultimately sacrificing their lives so we may live the lives we live today. A poem by Kelly Strong illustrates my thoughts today.
Freedom Is Not Free
- Kelly Strong
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.
I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.
Freedom Is Not Free
- Kelly Strong
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.
I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Sweeeet!!!
Farmgirl over at Tractortracks just posted about my favorite food group, chocolate! Chocolate is one of the four food groups, right? Chocolate, coffee and iced tea, beer, and pork. I got them all, right???
Anyway, she is posting about some chocolate goodies she is going to make. If you have any stroke over there, I really, really would like to try the white chocolate tiramisu.
Anyway, she is posting about some chocolate goodies she is going to make. If you have any stroke over there, I really, really would like to try the white chocolate tiramisu.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Life Changes...AGAIN
A few days ago, my mother told me she wanted to hire a live in companion/nurse/housekeeper and said she needed me to find someone. Right now in western Oklahoma fast food joints are paying $8.00 + per hour for someone to ask "Do you want fries with that?" and the quality and/or work ethic of people available at the rate my mother could afford to pay would be questionable.
SO, I offered to move in. Now, I'm in the process of packing up when I can. You know I just went through all my stuff a few months ago but now I'm doing it again making three piles (trash, garage sale, keep) again.
I need to get this done in the next week and then grab some help to move the garage sale and keep over to my mothers house. I need to be out before June 1 so I don't have to pay another months rent.
So, about that help moving. Anyone?
Yeah, that's what I thought.
SO, I offered to move in. Now, I'm in the process of packing up when I can. You know I just went through all my stuff a few months ago but now I'm doing it again making three piles (trash, garage sale, keep) again.
I need to get this done in the next week and then grab some help to move the garage sale and keep over to my mothers house. I need to be out before June 1 so I don't have to pay another months rent.
So, about that help moving. Anyone?
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Friday, May 9, 2008
BBQ tips
I stole this from TedH over at leverguns.com.
We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity.
When a man volunteers to do the BBQ, the following chain of events are put into motion:
Routine...
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.
Here comes the important part:
(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.
More routine...
(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.
Important again
(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.
More routine....
(8 The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.
Most important of all:
(10) Everyone praises and thanks him for his cooking efforts. He then announces that we should do it again soon!
(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.' And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....
We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity.
When a man volunteers to do the BBQ, the following chain of events are put into motion:
Routine...
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.
Here comes the important part:
(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.
More routine...
(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.
Important again
(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.
More routine....
(8 The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.
Most important of all:
(10) Everyone praises and thanks him for his cooking efforts. He then announces that we should do it again soon!
(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.' And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Read It and Understand
I want all two of my liberal, anti-gun "friends" to read this post from Bayou Renaissance Man and try to wrap you poor little pea brains around it and understand. If you have a problem with it, please call me and I will explain it to you, or you could get you pre-teenage kids to explain it to you, whichever works.
Hypocrisy
You know, I have an even dozen blogs I check regularly, some through a rss reader, and some by actually going to their site. Just now, I checked my reader and there were no new posts. My first thoughts were, "You lazy bastards". However, after checking the frequency of my posts, that is hypocrisy of the first order. I apologize to both of my readers.
P.S. 40 minutes later, 2 new posts. See what I mean?
BTW: Thunderstorms yesterday. 90*F for a high temperature today. 75-80* forcasted for tomorrow. Spring is here!!! Finally!!
P.S. 40 minutes later, 2 new posts. See what I mean?
BTW: Thunderstorms yesterday. 90*F for a high temperature today. 75-80* forcasted for tomorrow. Spring is here!!! Finally!!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Feeling Crappy
Pappy's feeling crappy. Hey, that rhymes.
I'm a poet and didn't know it, but my feet show it.
They're long fellows.
Mom has a cold and I guess I've caught it from her. However, I caught it early and started treating it so hopefully it won't hurt me too bad.
Due to sickness, bills, weather, the need to use the utility trailer to haul junk with and generally life getting in the way I haven't been able to start on the camping trailer, but I hope to be able to start in the next month or so.
I'm a poet and didn't know it, but my feet show it.
They're long fellows.
Mom has a cold and I guess I've caught it from her. However, I caught it early and started treating it so hopefully it won't hurt me too bad.
Due to sickness, bills, weather, the need to use the utility trailer to haul junk with and generally life getting in the way I haven't been able to start on the camping trailer, but I hope to be able to start in the next month or so.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
No I can't sleep
What the hell is going on? (see article)
The feds think they can catalogue DNA samples from everyone they arrest, adjudged guilty or not? Why not just issue national ID? Oh, I'm sorry, they have already done that with Real ID.
Whatever happended to a right to privacy and freedom from illegal search and seizure?
How can Congress overide the Bill of Rights? Do we have any rights left anymore?
The feds think they can catalogue DNA samples from everyone they arrest, adjudged guilty or not? Why not just issue national ID? Oh, I'm sorry, they have already done that with Real ID.
Whatever happended to a right to privacy and freedom from illegal search and seizure?
How can Congress overide the Bill of Rights? Do we have any rights left anymore?
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Sad Day
I had to take Ravon and the Poot to the big city to catch their flight back to Indiana. When we got there, we went inside so they could check in for their flight. Soon, I was told the flight was delayed an hour and forty-five minutes for maintenance. This threw her late for her connecting flight out of Cleveland into Indianapolis, so they set her up with a different flight out Cleveland.
Before I left her at the airport in the big city, I asked if she needed some money and she said she was ok on cash, but when I was an hour down the road she called and said she didn't have but three dollars on her. I was ready to turn around and go back to give her the cash I should have made her take but she said she would be ok.
When she finally got to Cleveland, it turns out the newly rescheduled connecting flight had already left. I got a phone call where she was very upset, hungry and the baby was fussy. I finally got her to go to the service counter and firmly but politely ask for meal vouchers for her and Poot. Ravon said the lady was very nice, gave her vouchers, and even offered baby supplies (formula, diapers, bottle, etc) if they were needed. Last I heard, they have a flight out of Cleveland at 2100 arriving Indy 2207 and were looking for a place to eat.
What really bothers me is out of the four legs of this round trip (Indy-Houston, Houston-OKC, OKC-Cleveland, Cleveland-Indy) there were delays or rescheduling on three of them (she was held up in Houston for almost two hours because the crew was late). Granted, the airline provided about twenty dollars worth of meal vouchers, but shouldn't they have to reimburse the passenger for the time and inconvenience? I know they don't have to do this by law, but explain to me why they don't. I believe any time a flight is delayed by thirty minutes or more, said delay not being caused by something beyond the carrier's control (and the only thing I consider beyond carrier control is weather), then the carrier should be required to reimburse on the spot one half the total cost the customer spent for their ticket including taxes and airport fees. If they had to do this I believe we would see more flights running on time. I spent over four hundred dollars on their round trip tickets, and it wouldn't have hurt my feelings a bit to see Ravon put two hundred of that in her pocket.
If anything else happens, I'll update this post after I receive a phone call from her.
P.S. They arrived Indy 2215. Total travel time from my home was 14.5 hours.
Hell, I have driven from home to Indy in 13.5 hours and never ran more than 3 mph over the speed limit. I guess I need to get me a Daihatsu Charade (42 mpg at 75 mph. I know, I had an 84 model.) Then I could afford to just do the drive as needed.
Before I left her at the airport in the big city, I asked if she needed some money and she said she was ok on cash, but when I was an hour down the road she called and said she didn't have but three dollars on her. I was ready to turn around and go back to give her the cash I should have made her take but she said she would be ok.
When she finally got to Cleveland, it turns out the newly rescheduled connecting flight had already left. I got a phone call where she was very upset, hungry and the baby was fussy. I finally got her to go to the service counter and firmly but politely ask for meal vouchers for her and Poot. Ravon said the lady was very nice, gave her vouchers, and even offered baby supplies (formula, diapers, bottle, etc) if they were needed. Last I heard, they have a flight out of Cleveland at 2100 arriving Indy 2207 and were looking for a place to eat.
What really bothers me is out of the four legs of this round trip (Indy-Houston, Houston-OKC, OKC-Cleveland, Cleveland-Indy) there were delays or rescheduling on three of them (she was held up in Houston for almost two hours because the crew was late). Granted, the airline provided about twenty dollars worth of meal vouchers, but shouldn't they have to reimburse the passenger for the time and inconvenience? I know they don't have to do this by law, but explain to me why they don't. I believe any time a flight is delayed by thirty minutes or more, said delay not being caused by something beyond the carrier's control (and the only thing I consider beyond carrier control is weather), then the carrier should be required to reimburse on the spot one half the total cost the customer spent for their ticket including taxes and airport fees. If they had to do this I believe we would see more flights running on time. I spent over four hundred dollars on their round trip tickets, and it wouldn't have hurt my feelings a bit to see Ravon put two hundred of that in her pocket.
If anything else happens, I'll update this post after I receive a phone call from her.
P.S. They arrived Indy 2215. Total travel time from my home was 14.5 hours.
Hell, I have driven from home to Indy in 13.5 hours and never ran more than 3 mph over the speed limit. I guess I need to get me a Daihatsu Charade (42 mpg at 75 mph. I know, I had an 84 model.) Then I could afford to just do the drive as needed.
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