The Two Thanksgivings

This may sound like the title of a Sci-Fi holiday, but it is how I spent last week. It is an interesting sociological study, when people come together as one- how do we handle holidays? To make it real interesting- have the two people be blending families. Now you have my world.
Strange thing about this Thanksgiving- the two holidays did not involve my side of our family.
Thursday, (real Thanksgiving,) was spent in Cushing with Joy's mother. Eventually Adam and Tashina and Patrick showed up, but it was basically just the three of us. Mommo Rie can't see anymore and had been having trouble with her hearing last week, so I cooked.
This is really nothing new, I like to cook. Joy does not, and since she does other things well, I do the cooking. I made the holiday staples; potato casserole, stuffing, salad, and cooked brownies. I bought a smoked turkey breast and Mom made me a sweet potato pie, we were in business. all went well. We even got back in time to see the "horns dominate the aggies. Life is good!
Friday I found out that one of Joys sisters was going to Cushing on Saturday, and was bringing some of her family. Once again I made stuffing, brownies, and potato casserole. I had a problem with the potatoes. Brookshire Bros. was out of hash browns so I had to use some frozen hash browns I had at the house. Since there would be many people on Saturday- I made a double batch.
The Saturday Thanksgiving went well also, except my casserole was bad- it did not taste good. Luckily Joys sister made some as well, so the meal was saved. Leftovers, however, were not. At least the dogs get to eat Thanksgiving leftovers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from Lufkin to you. (More to come.)

Finally- More Rain

  Finally, we are getting some rain. While this puts a crimp on my sales calls and stump grinding, it does fill up ponds and creeks so my cows can drink. I am that weirdo that looks up at a partly cloudy sky and says "oh boy-it looks like rain!"
To further illustrate how dry it has been, I almost broke my neck Friday. Now I have your attention,("how is he going to tie no rain into neck breaking?") Fair question. Here is the bad answer.
  I was wrapping things up last week before Joy and I left for Austin. We had not gone all fall. I was missing 'Horn home games and she was missing Patrick. We even decided to skip the Panther game so we could get there at a decent hour. One of my final stops that day was at my parents house. Dad is home and doing better. I was there to pick up some books that I was going to sell in Austin.
Even though Dad is feeling better, he still does not go walking around outside. He asked when was the last time I saw the cows, and that would have been when I penned and sold some the week before. I told him I would go check on them. I went down to the "home place", where they usually hand out, but they were no where to be found. I began to walk up towards Dads and whistled.
  Our cows respond to whistling. They are called to feed time this way and it really help to find them when they bawl at the sound of the food whistle. I heard them answer and realized they were up at Dad's. In order to get to his house I had to cross Hottle Creek. Hottle may not be a major waterway, but it is a perennial stream, (it always has water.) There are crossings where animals, man included, usually cross. I started down the creek bank at one of these crossings and slipped. I landed right in the middle of the creek bed and heard my neck crack. I knew I had broken my neck and also knew Joy would be mad at me for ruining our trip. I slowly moved my arms to see if I could get to my cell phone, (although I could never explain to Joy where I was.) Then I slowly got up. I was not paralyzed at all, only muddy and sore!
  What does this have to do with rain? I landed in the middle of a creek and only got muddy! I almost broke my neck when I should have almost drowned. That is why I am glad for the rain.

Where Am I?

I can't believe it has been a week since I last posted on this forum. I haven't been super busy, I am not creatively drained, and my life has not been boring. Time seems to pass by, whether we want it to or not.
My friend David (of 365 Daves fame,) is finding out how tough it is to post every day. For those who are not "in the know," 365 Daves is a blog where David puts his,(use your favorite adjective here,) mug in photos of current events. There is a link to the left. Check it out, it is usually very funny.
I never tried to post daily, even while doing "Spikes World." Calm down. No, I am not bringing "Spikes World" back. Why? First, It was a web comic that was not well drawn. Second, even though I only updated every weekday, it was a pain to keep up to date. Not because it took a long time to draw, (obviously it did not,) but because there are some days that I had to force time to upload the work. That was not fun.
I may do another post this week-or maybe not. I just depends on how I feel. That feels great!
( By the way, you can still visit Spikes World even though it is not being updated. http://spikes-world.blogspot.com/ . )

Is God Funny?

I have always been a comedian. Actually, I have never been paid to make people laugh, so that makes me an amateur comic. I like to laugh and enjoy situations when people around me are laughing as well. I have a strong since of humor. It may be a little different, but it is strong.
I have always said that God has a since of humor, and I am betting my life on it. God could not make someone like me and not chuckle. The problem is-where in the Bible does it say say has a since of humor? The closest thing is Balaam's talking donkey. Sure, the commentaries say this is a comedy, but when you read the story the only thing light hearted is the donkey talking. Different-sure, but it is not a side splitter.
What I turn to is the passage in Genesis that tells us God made man is His image. Therefore; I know that God is Chris Rock. Why have we as people of faith dumped humor in our religious text. This may sound a little stereotypical, but aren't the Jews (God's people,) what we think of when we think of comics? Their famous humor did not make it into the Old Testament.
So, I have a thought. Surely there must have been a book of teaching that showed a strong form of humor, (made in God's image-remember?) I have a thought that this (these) books were left out, probably by priests with no since of humor. I now have a new project to write on- uncovering the ancient text of Moses's joke book.

Writers Block

I like to consider myself to be a writer. I have not had international praise for my writing, but my mother likes it and I enjoy writing. I have a very active imagination. I rarely am at a loss for things to write about or imagine. Since I claim to be a writer-an artist, this is a good thing.

Now my son Ben wants to write as well. Believe me, he has an imagination. He is very creative, (I would like to take credit for that, but his imagination is different than mine.) Now, as I listen to his thoughts and stories, I have become a critic. I am not harsh (usually) in my criticism. I try to steer him in the right directions and keep him on track.

Here is the problem. Am I the one off track? By trying to focus Ben on things I think are important or entertaining, am I giving him wrong directions. As I stated earlier, the world has not exactly rallied behind my style and proclaimed me the new great American writer.

Am I blocking my child from greatness?

Back to Normal

Now I am confused. Somehow, my posting panel changed . I could not spell check, download videos, or do many things I sometimes do. Now I can. Coincidence- or conspiracy?

I couldn't say it better Debbie.

What Happened?

What has happened to my blog? I had written out this long explanation what I did over the weekend, I went to spellcheck, and It's gone.  I blame Bender.

This is very confusing, and I don't like it! 

Good Morning?

What a morning I have already had.  I awoke very early this morning because I was hot. I kicked off my little quilt that I use at night, and eventually realized my fan wasn't working. This meant either it had broken during the night- or the power was out. I also noticed the ceiling fan wasn't blowing and our alarm clock wasn't lighting up. Either everything decided to break at once or we had no electricity.
  I tried to sleep through the situation, and hope Joy didn't wake up. Neither happened. After Joy was awake, I got up to do the nature deal, and noticed the lights were out over the whole neighborhood. Joy insisited that I call the power company and make a report.
  This meant I had to find a light, (where did I put those flashlights after Ike?) and look up the phone number. Cell phones are wonderfull, and I used mine as a flashlight and then dialed out on it.
  Trixie, (my bird dog,) became frightened by this ordeal and was crying in her house. If I was to let her out, I had to take her for a walk so she could do the "nature" thing as well. Trixie is a very nice dog and did her thing. She would not go back in her house afterwards, so I let her in our bed.
  Finally the power did come back. The A/C started again and my fan started moving air. I went back to sleep. All this happened before 2:00AM.

Why Ask Why

It's a bad morning when you start with a full e-mail box. I check my e-mail a couple of times a day, and I never have more than a dozen e-mails, and most of those are junk. This morning I go to hotmail and I had 166 messages.
  To some that sounds normal, to me that meant spam. Sure enough, someone was spaming a google group of mine. Luckily, I had put that group on moderation, so the entire group did not get the spam. I deleted the 150 junk messages and did the proper paperwork with google to try to get the spammers banned. (Is it okay to call that paperwork?)
  After spending precious time on my Wednesday morning cleaning up after this selfish and thoughtless spammer, I asked myself why would people act this way? Do the spammers really make enough money to justify this? I fgure that everyone is like me, when they see this herd of junk emails, they would NEVER even consider buying what is being advertised.
  Maybe they are being paid by the e-mail sent. Then their customers have to know why sales are down even when advetiseing is up.
  I will go about my business today. I will check on my Dad and visit customers. Hopefully I have learned something from this experience. Why ask why?
 

Sunday

I'm home. I'm happy. I'm rested.

I had a great week in Dallas, but it feels good to be home. The game was great. I got to hang out and visit with some of my best friends, and I tried a new beer. Shiner Black is Muy Bien!

Of course it was nice that the 'Horns came through for me as well

Saturday Morning

So, this is becoming an addiction. I am in Dallas and I am at the hotel computer updateing my blog. I was afraid it might come to this.
Had a great time last night. Had supper with some of my best friends. We talked about old times. Joy is always amazed that I did so many stupid things and survived. God's grace is powerful.
Getting ready to go to the Fair Grounds for the Texas/OU football game. Of course, the game is on TV. Look for me, I will be the one in the crowd wearing orange.

Palin for President

My Vote for Leader

Big Time This Weekend

There are times that you just want to step out. I have been so busy for the last few weeks, I have not really spent time with Joy. If all goes well, we are going to step out this weekend. We are going to Dallas for the Texas/OU game. We are actually skipping the panther game on Friday to spend a night away from Lufkin. After the game and cruising the fair we will drive back so we can do the Sunday School gig.
Watch out Big D.! Big Steve is stepping out!

Monday Morning

It's Monday Morning. I don't know why people hate Mondays so much. I guess it is because the restful and relaxing weekend is over and they have to get back to the grinding job. I have to admit, sometimes I look forward to Monday. Yes, I am crazy. I don't think I can be proved in court.
Here is my reason. My weekends can get too full. From games on Fridays and Saturdays, Church Sunday morning and evening, visiting with friends, going out to my parents and working on the farm, etc. Do not get me wrong-I love doing these things. They all make me happy and keep me going. Here is the simple fact. I work harder on my days off than I do on my days on. I enjoy my job, and am good at it. I look forward to seeing customers and listening to their lives, but it is not hard work.
So.. It's Monday Morning!!! (Thank God.)

Disappoinments II

Funny how life works. In today's first post I explained why Friday was a bummer day. Things can happen that bring reality to life. As I was leaving Abe, (the Lufkin stadium is Abe Martin Stadium,) I had to walk past the panther team as they made there way from the stadium back to their Field house. They were in tears and had their heads lowered. In looked at these young men and shouted "lift up your heads- you just played a hell of a game!" I saw this was a motivating moment and used it.
Then it occurred to me. If I was real, and I wanted these teen age men to pick up their heads and be proud, I had to do the same. Why should I be disappointed? My day was not that bad. I had done the best I could at living. I gave it my all. I need to lift my head and be proud. After all, I live life in Lufkin.

Disappointments

Yesterday was a day of disappointments. It started bad enough, Mother called to say that Dad was stuck half on and half off his bed, (notice how I present the positive side first?) By the time I got to there house a neighbor had helped him get into bed, but he was not doing well at all. Despite the wonderful recovery I thought he had Thursday, he was in great pain. We decided to call an ambulance and take him to the hospital.
He did not have a good day and was admitted. I spent my day in the "trauma" room at Memorial Hospital of East Texas, basically waiting on a room. Even though I did nothing, by the afternoon I was worn out.
Last night to get my mind on upbeat things I went to the Panther game. The Lufkin Panthers have been one of the best football teams in Texas this decade, (therefore one of the best in the nation.) They were playing the North Shore Mustangs in Lufkin. Lufkin had not lost at home since 2001 and North Shore was going for a state record for consecutive regular season wins, ie..this was a big game.
The Panthers gave up touchdowns on three different fumbles, and ended up with eight turnovers and lost a nail biter 28-21. That is the way my day went.

Perspective

Life in Lufkin has gotten pretty hectic. The late summer /fall season means football and hunting. When you throw in a hurricane, things can get crazy. I am not immune. I love to watch the Panthers and the 'Horns play, and usually both rip and snort,(Panthers are coughing and wheezing this year.) I do not hunt much, but I lease out tracks of my families property to hunters, so I am try to keep watch at what is going on so the property won't be destroyed. Ike did come, it blew down limbs and trees, disrupted power and cancelled football games. I also had a stump grinder so I used that to try to make extra cash. You do these things when you have children in college.
My life has been busy! Funny thing happened yesterday. (Not ha-ha funny, more of an ironic funny.) My father is getting very feeble. He has lived a good and long life, but the years are really catching up with him. On Wednesday he slipped and fell in his bathroom, so my mom called me to help get him up. This is not the first time this has happened. Usually I go over, help him get his feet back under him and lift him up. No big deal. I understand he is getting weaker, but he bounces back. Wednesday I did the drill, lifted him back on his feet and helped him to bed to recover. No big deal.
I called to check on him yesterday and my mom told me he had not gotten out of bed all day and she was not sure on what to do. Wednesdays are big days for my parents. They have two Kiwanis meetings and they go out for dinner with a group of friends they have known forever,( they are known as the "wags" for Wednesday Afternoon Group.") For Dad not to have gotten out of bed meant he was not doing well.
Most people would go to the doctor. I knew that was not an option for my father. He does not see the reason to go for medical help unless you can give specific symptoms, (my finger is chopped off, my leg is broken and protruding through the skin, I have a bad stomach ache and have been running a fever of over 102, etc.) I feared the worst.
The strange part was that finally I was going to have a day to catch up on the details of life. I did not have a lot of sales calls nor did I have a stump grinding job. Finally, I could pick up laundry, call on friends, go shopping for food, maybe even take a nap! I drove to my parents to check out the situation personally. When I arrived my mother was leaving to get her hair done. Husband may be sick, but it's Thursday morning a the beauty shop won't wait. I talked to her in the driveway and told her I would go in and check on the old man.
I was going to check on him and leave, I had things to do and people to see. Sure enough, he has laid up in bed, and not moving much. I couldn't really peek and run, so I asked him how he was doing. His answer was short and sweet. I started to head out then, he was alive. I realized I should do more. I started to talk to him about his cows, (a hot button for him.) He began to talk more. We moved into politics, (he is a yellow dog democrat like me,) and the talked about football. Bingo! Before I knew it my mother was calling to see if I was still there and if I wanted lunch. Sure, I had already wasted half my morning, I might as well dine.
I asked Dad if he wanted to come and join us for lunch, and much to my surprise he did. He trudged on a walker to the table and ate, at least he was up. Mom had to go back into town to do volunteer work at church. I stayed with Dad. It wasn't hard. After lunch he got up, (with my help,) and trudged back to bed with his walker. Then he napped.
While he napped I phoned several people to follow up with business and re-set my parents computer. They had been powerless for a week after Ike and did not properly shut down, so they had to do a full re-start, complete with six discs of data. It took a while, but was easy to do. When I finished I had to pick up the twins from school. I took them to my parents and found Dad had awaken. I knew he was addicted to free cell, and because their computer was down he could not play. I asked if wanted to get up and play on the computer, he said yes. He spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with his grandsons and playing puzzles.
I had wasted a full day- or had I ? I did not do many of the things I had planned, but the major tasks were completed, (I even went shopping on our way back home.) My father is slipping fast. I know he will not be around much longer. This is probably his last year to worry about having enough hay. This is his last football season and election. It has been uncomfortable for me to face this. Yesterday I spent quality time with my father, and those opportunities are slipping by. He started to recover from his fall. I arrived at his house to find a body barley breathing. I left him playing games and drinking diet coke. That was a great day! It is all a matter of perspective.

Frustrations

I used to think I was a very smart person. Things that I can not figure out frustrate me, especially when I see everyone else doing them. I tried all morning to attach a video to this blog and failed. I will get my friend David Runnels to school me, I know it can't be difficult to do if he can post them on his blog. As for now....I'm very frustrated.

Welcome Back

I'm Back!!
After only a few years to collect my thoughts it may be time to return to blogging. Many things have changed since the last entry. First, I have a real job now. I can only use that excuse for maybe 18 months tops. I am lazy. That should take care of the rest.
Joy and I have had life changing experiences. Both of the older boys are out of the house, and Zack is in the army now. We started a ministry for college age adults called Transitions. We nurtured that for a while and finally let it go. I am not saying it is dead, but it is in hibernation.
Recently we started a class for young couples and families, and the class named it "Foundations." I like the name and am supper excited about the possibilities. This is an area that really needs help in our church. Sometimes, it takes God a while to get it into our brains what He wants us to do.
For Foundations I set up another blog. After working on that one I realized I needed to re-open my personal blog. Sure, I tried Myspace and Facebook, but the blogger blogs, (I like the way simile,) work best for me.