Grief

The grieving process. I wish there was no process.

Merry Christmas!

Note the Highlighted Portions!

Christmas Chickens

My little family and I have arrived in the booming metropolis of Bedias, where we will spend the next week relaxing and enjoy the soothing sounds of nothing. I spent most of the day today celebrating Christmas with my in-laws. It was a good time but I found myself sitting there surrounded by great new presents for both me and my kids and all I wanted was chickens. Not chicken...chickens. My wife told me how one of her friends just got a load of new chickens and I am jealous. Is it odd that when everyone around me longs for iPads, Android phones, and video game gadgets, my wish list primarily includes some dirt to hold a few seeds, a handful of fresh eggs per day, and freedom from debt? If only Santa could stuff that down the chimney.

Almost Complete

Here is the almost finished project. I still have to attach the headlight and do some painting details and touchups. Now on to my other 5 thousand projects that have to be finished by the end of the week.

Dreaming

I had a dream about picking potatoes last night. It was a good dream.

Recall

I recall my last post due to the comment about the rocking motorcycle looking pretty good so far. I messed it up. Genius here thought he could put a layer of polyurethane over the printed (on regular printer paper) logo to give it a professional look...end result = opposite of professional. So, now I throw those pieces of the bike away and start again. Did I mention those parts were some of the biggest pain to make the first time around.

Sneak Peak - Motorcycle

The rocking motorcycle is looking pretty dang good so far...here is a quick glimpse of the logo on the "gas tank".

Skills

This is Izzy's 2nd picture she has ever drawn...other than scribbles. Not to shabby! She carefully pointed out each person. Aunt Becca is my favorite - very Picassoesque.

I know it is so prosaic to post a picture of my kid's art and brag about how splendid the funky thing is, but for me it is the start of something magnificent. I value artistic ability in its various forms above most everything else. Is not creativity the optimum jumping point for almost all intellectual (and possibly athletic) endeavors? I work hard to instill a love for art, imagination and creativity. I hope my children will draw, invent, paint, play music, sing, run, jump, mold, build and write better than I ever will.

Cowboys & Aliens

There has never been nor will there ever be a movie title more enticing! Here is the trailer.

LEAVES!

This is by far my favorite time of year. The cold winds at night seem to restore my spirit and mix my creative juices. It seems like the Fall is all of us at our best, as if we truly believe Santa is gonna find out... Autumn has always been just about perfect, but it is exponentially better with a little person who loves a leaf pile.

Little Painted People

Check out these freakin' great little people my sister has been painting. See more of her junk at http://aterpatch.blogspot.com/.

Tools!

Life is too short to stay in a job you hate. When I worked with students, I would often talk to them about what they wanted to study in college and my standard advise was this: If tomorrow morning you woke up to the sound of someone knocking at your door who was there to tell you that your long lost uncle just died and left you 10 billion dollars, what job would you select if you were still going to work everyday. I enjoy my job quite a bit (what other job allows you to fight, bluntly tell bad parents off, and drive really fast), but I work with some extremely disgruntled individuals on a daily basis. A couple of days ago I was speaking with one of those coworkers who was telling me how much they think our job sucks and how everything is so bad...blah blah blah. I proposed the 10 Billion Dollar Hypothetical to that person and it really got me thinking. What would I choose? I think I would work in the tool section of Sears.

Some More Previews

These are a few sneak peaks at the miniature house I am building my daughter for Christmas. It still has a long way to go. I will tell you one thing for sure, Santa has another thing coming if he thinks he is taking credit for this.

Attention Pot Growers:

If you make the less than wise decision to become a cultivator of cannabis here is a helpful hint - don't let it grow taller than the top of your fence dumbass!

Harmonica Hoedown

Not bad for his first time!

It has been Cold

Before Christmas

Well, it is time for me to get up off of my butt-imprinted couch and get back to business. Here are a potion of the items I have to finish designing and building before Christmas:

1. Miniature House
2. Mini Furniture, Decorations, Pictures, Plants, Bedding, Etc.
3. Rocking Motorcycle (that's right, I said Motorcycle)
4. Toddler Bed
5. Baby Doll Bed
6. Something Something Else for Someone who Reads this Blog
7. Something Something Else for Someone who Reads this Blog

Lacking

Much of this blog is devoted to my constant effort for productivity such as growing food, repurposing old furniture into more up to date pieces, and the awkward adventures of a male sewing and baking stuff. However, as of the last 3 days I have nothing to report because I sat on my can and accomplished a big pile of squat. That's right, I spent the last three days straight watching the first season of Prison Break. I have to admit - I am truly satisfied with my progress.

Dragging...

15 hour work day is too much.

Sneak Peak

I am building Isabel the most awe-inspiring doll house of all time for Christmas. Actually, I prefer to call it a miniature house because it is significantly less sissy sounding, but either way it is looking pretty dang good so far.

Pumpkin Head

My Peeps

I have spent about 3 minutes at home in the last week. I have been working 12 and 13 hour days. Every time extra work pops up I jump on that stuff like my daughter on a piece of candy. As a little 6 year old boy in Bedias once told me, "Money, Money, Yeah, Yeah!" We have officially thrown ourselves head first into a serious debt elimination action plan I like to call The Beans and Rice Initiative. Hopefully, about a year from this summer we will be free...maybe sooner.

We Love Fall

In the Woods

Quietly, I crunched my way through the woods two evenings ago looking for a young missing girl. I never found the girl, but right there in the middle of all the fast paced, high adrenaline city life, I happened upon a makeshift campsite. There was a tent made of a discarded truck bed-liner with a well-used tarp draped over the top by means of some old half-rotten fence wood, and a fire pit which consisted of bricks and old car parts. A ripped and dirty roll of foam was a bed.


I peered inside the tent and was stunned to see several stacks of books - primarily paperback suspense fiction books - but still there were books...in a homeless guys tent in the middle of a wooded area in the middle of a busy part of the city. Now, this wasn't my first homeless guy, or homeless camp for that matter, to uncover while on duty, but the books were something significantly different. That and a glaringly obvious lack of drained liquor bottles or the various evidences of drug use.


To make a long story short, I went back a few hours later and met the keeper of the books. After introductions were made (and by introductions I mean pointed guns and other unpleasant pleasantries necessary in my line of work), I spent a long time talking with my new acquaintance, David. I learned how he lost his wife to cancer and then in rapid succession lost his job, house, car, motorcycle, relationship with his daughter, and last shred of dignity.


Compassion has never been my strong point and is becoming a less and less familiar trait. So, initially I thought I was feeling an overwhelming sense of compassion for my unfortunate friend. But, as I lay awake both last night and tonight I figured out its not compassion I feel but almost a sense of envy.


I long for his simplicity. His lack of want for trivial things. His focus on the now and attention to things that really matter. He is me with a few minor differences in life's outcomes. And I am well aware I am not too far removed from his condition. Nor do I want to be.


If you pray, pray for David....and us who don't yet live in the woods.

Friends

A couple of days ago we received a call about a group of teenage boys possibly breaking into a house (an exceedingly common occurrence). The complainant who called said they saw some of the boys inside the backyard throwing guns over the fence to the rest of their companions on the other side who were quickly loading them into a vehicle.

When officers arrived at the location there was an Asian male laying on the ground semi-conscious and bleeding profusely from the head. It turns out as a particularly heavy rifle was being tossed over the fence Mr. Bloody-head looked away for a moment and caught the end of the rifle barrel right in the skull. As he lay comatose and bleeding, his partners in crime promptly jumped into their vehicle and cut their losses (namely Mr. Bloody-head).

Mr. Bloody-head then sings like a canary when questioned and all three of his companions were found, in possession of the stolen guns, and arrested. Isn't it nice to have true friends.

Note: If you live in a high crime area and have an arsenal of guns in your house, buy a dang gun safe, fool!

BOLO

Front Lawns are Dumb

I had to buy a new freakin' lawn mower! I took my old one apart twice, cleaned everything sparkly, repaired everything damaged and still no luck. So, I am officially $161 deeper in debt, but at least my useless lawn is socially acceptable. What a waste.

Former Glory

Ah cool weather. It has been low 50s at night with highs never leaving the low 70s. The fall weather makes me miss my previous home. I love my life here and my job is unparalleled in excitement, but I find myself every Autumn longing for the deep conversations with old friends. These were conversations which stretched the mind and soul. Honest, paradigm-shifting, blunt, raw, talks. The dialogues far exceeded the present ones of fantasy football results, work, beer saturated party tales and sexcapades. I desire well-read company. I desire smarter companions. I desire adults that act and think like adults.

Beefers

Try pushing this motley crew up more than a couple of hills while running.

Microwave Harassment

I have had an ongoing interaction with a woman who believes she has been the victim of covert government-inflicted microwave harassment for the past six years. "They," as she calls them, sneak into her home undetected approximately one or more times per week to steal items, move items, or return certain previously stolen items. Once each of these occurrences is discovered, she calls 911 to file a report. She lives directly in the center of my patrol area, which consequently results in nine out of every ten reports becoming my responsibility. I have been called out for pea-sized dents in exterior eves of her house, two cans of missing thirty-cent cat food, living room chairs moved 3 inches to the south of their usual position, missing files of previous police reports, a weed-eater moved from one side of the garage to another, and mysterious acorns appearing in her yard about this time every year (this last mystery was solved easy enough by pointing out the towering acorn tree in her neighbors front lawn). Acorn-type complaints have earned this lady a title of what we like to call Signal 20 - aka coo coo for cocoa puffs. Unfortunately, she has also earned a tremendous amount of disrespect from most of my colleagues. I say unfortunate because this lady is extremely intelligent. Her home is laden with books. And not fluff books, which can be found in the overwhelming majority of homes with books. I would dare say a sad approximation is only one out of one hundred homes I visit daily contains a significant amount of real, well-worn, well-read, fully digested books. My Signal 20 has books. Ceiling to floor shelves stacked with books. The topics include: advanced theoretical physics, microbiology, bacteriology, economics, calculus, statistics, theology, organic chemistry, cooking, history books covering every major war and event in history, quantum mechanics, and one whole bookcase of sheet music beside the high polished baby grand piano in her living room. These along with a handful of conversations I have had with her lead me to conclude she is significantly smarter than everyone of my work peers. So, what if she is right? Maybe "they" are after us and she is one of the only people who notices.

More Money

If I had more money...

I would just spend it.

Only Raining Outside

It is pouring! The rain has been relentless the past 2 days. For some, rain is calming, but in my line of work rain brings chaos. Yesterday at work on evening shift, in my district alone, there were 2 shootings, 8-10 major accidents (and about 4 were super major), an armed bank robbery, 2 suicide attempts, a couple of big gang fights, an innumerable number of minor accidents and assist motorist calls, and all of these were on top of the plethora of normal calls for service.It was a miserable night to be a cop.

I worked on the front desk!

Best luck ever! And it got even better. While half asleep at the desk, I decided to venture over to the vending machine to get a small candy bar to alleviate my hunger pangs due to the fact I had forgotten to eat lunch before leaving home. I inserted my dollar and just as I was about to select B-2 (Snickers) my eyes beheld something glorious down on F-8... a package of chocolate Zingers had hung up and was daintily dangling from the spiralled dispenser. Maybe, just maybe, I thought, I can score a two-fer!

F...8... Package one dropped, then....package two hung on the dispenser for an agonizing second and BOOOM! Two for the price of one!

No, I did not eat both. I gave one pack to my partner who came up to the desk to dry out and finish an accident report. While he was there a community watch group came in for a meeting and brought us chocolate chip cookies and PUNCH! And it was my Friday!

All these things and more I gleefully shared with my partners who were slogging through the pouring rain. I was the happiest hated man in the city.

Can't We All Just Get Along

Stairs Done

Treehouses

I wonder how much money I could make if I started a side business of building custom playhouses/treehouses for people. Surely wealthier individuals would fork over some buckets of cash for a sweet kid casa. I am almost done building my daughter's treehouse, which is made almost entirely from old repurposed wood. Most of it came from my garden planter boxes. On a side note, for any one who cares, the garden was an approximately 70% failure - part too blazing hot - part weeds got ahead of me. Back to the treehouse, I only spent about 30 bucks and it will be complete in the next day or two as I am just adding the final details.

Sabbatical

My summer blog sabbatical had an unexpected side effect. It produced a complete lack of creativity. Actually, not a complete lack. I made some extraordinarily cheesy cardboard buildings, which, despite the lack of craftsmanship, actually look pretty fantastic on top of my son's bookshelf. The crowns were a stolen idea I saw somewhere, but turned out to be a point of constant humor both at home and especially in public. In my ongoing quest for debt liberation, I transformed my daughter's old changing table (that's right - she is now potty trained! Bring out the band! Break out the booze!) into a little person desk. By little person, I mean tiny and young not a nanus. Although, the desk would be usable for them as well. The former diaper changing table turned little person/dwarf desk is actually the former kitchen hutch turned diaper changing table turned little person/dwarf desk. We recycle, son. The paintings mark my first real (post high school art class) attempt at acrylic painting, which coincidentally were painted on a drawing board purchased for use during my high school art class. As I said, we recycle. As the Summer sluggishly expires, so does my productivity drought. Hopefully, I can create a few new things to share.

I is Risen

Okay, back to it....narcissism be damned.

My two and a half year old daughter climbed out of the tub a few nights ago and farted so loud it scared her. My work as a father is complete.

Break

I suddenly realized yesterday that blogging is pretty much a narcissistic waste of time. So, I am going to give a rest for a while.

Athletic Babe and Fresh Produce

As of today, I have been married to a hot athletic babe for 8 years. But enough of that, let's talk about produce! The top picture is the first haul we made from our CSA farmer co-op program. It contained mangoes, peaches, bananas, lettuces, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, oranges, cucumbers, an avocado and an onion...not too shabby. We just ate giant salads which were so fresh and so good. The other picture is of my own first little harvested goods. Tomato=good; lettuce=bitter/nasty; onion=good. 2 out of 3 isn't bad.

Breakfast

I love me some breakfast. A huge delicious breakfast. Biscuits and gravy, eggs, toast, cinnamon toast, waffles, pancakes, french toast, sausage, bacon, cereal, oatmeal, cream of wheat, grits, juice, milk, muffins, donuts (yeah I said it), kolaches, cinnamon rolls, danishes, omelets, hash browns......COFFEE!

Tired

Got off work at 2200, went to bed at 2240, woke up at 0520, started work day at 0600, got off at 2200, went to bed at 2240, woke up at 0520, started work day at 0600, got off at 2200, went to bed at 2240, got up at 0630, packed the car, drove to the country, fixed up my mother-in-laws house, slept decent, ate good food, strung some barbed wire, killed a 5 foot snake, slept better, packed up the car, drove back to the city. I'm tired.

The First of Many

I dug down in the moist dirt and pulled up these two little guys last night and mixed them up with the store boughts into a batch of mashed potatoes, which, due to their presence, was extra delicious. There is just nothing like eating food you created, nourished, plucked and prepared with your own two hands. Although these small potatoes were taken before there time, I am really looking forward to digging up there big brothers in a month or two.

Speaking of fresh food, we joined a local organic farmer's co-op program, which provides a big box filled with fresh, local, organic, in-season fruits and vegetables every two weeks. The fee is less than what we spend at the local market and the food is far fresher. We are big believers in small local business practices. I mean who doesn't prefer the personal touch of a small local restaurant or market over and above the sterile unfriendly environment of big corporation operations. It is always so great when we walk into our local produce/plant market and we are greeted with unmatched enthusiasm. Let's just say my daughter is a local celebrity. Every place we go she is the center of attention....seriously, I'm waiting on the paparazzi to start following her.

There are tons of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) programs in almost every major city and surrounding areas. Why not try it out? After all, isn't it nice to trace the origin of your food farther than the shelf of the grocery store? We actually found out about ours through one of my wife's friends but you can probably find yours at http://www.localharvest.org/! Go fresh. Go local.

Going Cheap is Not Always Best

Our family plague has been eradicated and its back to business time. I spent yesterday morning mowing...and I'm talking about serious mowing, son. Two and half tanks of gas worth of mowing. I prefer to use my little reel mower as often as I can, but yesterday's job called for a little more power. So I broke out the mulching push mower. The grass growing on the back of the property was over knee-deep and out of control. It took 3-4 passes over every patch of grass to knock that junk down. It was like mowing over a small forest of trees filled with sticky vines. Rough.

A significant amount of time was also spent weeding my stupid raised beds. And by stupid I mean me not the beds. In an effort for frugality, I decided not to buy weed cloth to lay in the bottom of my beds before filling them with dirt a couple of months ago. Instead, like a ridiculous Dr. Seuss book I said,

"Oh, these leaves laid thick
------------------will do the trick!"
They did not, not at all!
-----Those weeds grew thick! Those weeds grew tall!

So, I pulled up a million weeds yesterday just so I can water it all and watch them grow right back in a few days at a rate 20x faster than the plants whose space they are invading. The never ending battle. In the fall, I will dig it all up and remedy the problem.

The good news is there are a ton of little and a couple of big green tomatoes plumping up on the vines. The beans are starting to put on little baby bean buds, and all of the squash, zucchini, cucumbers and watermelon I planted last week have sprouted. The corn is slow going but is still green and growing. Now I just keep weeding, watering and waiting.

Sickly

Sickly. I am sickly. I am a zombie. I am a sickly zombie. My daughter caught a cold somewhere (most likely from those no-good hoodlums that have been hugging on her at Stroller Strides just so they can play with her new hot wheels car) and she brought it home to share with the whole family. Let me just say, we are the nastiest sounding quartet of coughing, loogie-hocking, snot-dripping people you have ever heard. This house is a den of death and despair. I, in all my brilliance, slowly suited up in all my armor and, despite the cold-induced vertigo, made my way to the truck and subsequently the voyage all the way to work. The Gray Donkey (the affectionate name I call my truck) and I made it to work with no mishaps. I hoped against all odds for an easy day but found out we were slammed busy. They rushed me out to my beat to thwart a large scale "event" from occurring. Basically, I sat in a car for three and a half hours and thought I was going to die...not from an outside threat but death by mucus. I couldn't even see straight. Some crime fighter I was going to be for the city. Needless to say, I went home. Now, I am on drugs (let it be known I am usually totally granola when it comes to colds...water, water, flushing water...no drugs to suppress my body's natural crime-fighting abilities), but this cold is kicking my ass. I feel sleep sloshing its way in.

work...work...work........

A 14 hour and 45 minute work day is too much.

New Kitchen for Under Seven Bucks

This little kitchen I made Izzy for her 2nd birthday is entirely made of scrap wood I had lying around left over from past projects. The only things I bought were 2 packs of hinges (about $1.50/each), 2 cabinet pulls ($1.35/each), and about $0.50 worth of cloth. I don't believe I'm mistaking when I say $6.25 is a wee bit cheaper than what one of the store bought versions cost. And best of all - She loves it! In the future, I am planning on adding a refrigerator and a microwave.

*The awesome half-dozen felt sugar cookies in the oven are courtesy of my sister, complete with a cookie sheet.

Work?

I had a good vacation at Cedar Park Farm - tearing out an old fence, clearing brush, chainsawing old trees into firewood, and building a new fence. I understand normal people don't consider this a vacation. Like the quote from George Halas (famous guy in NFL history for those who don't know) says, "Nothing is work unless you'd rather be doing something else." I can't think of many things I would rather do than this kind of work. If only I could find a job doing these things that paid liked the work I go to everyday. I just need to finish paying off debts and be a full-time farmer. Who needs a bunch of money when you grow your own fruits and vegetable, raise your own meat, milk your own cows, grind your own flour, and brew your own beer. That is my goal, but for now I will keep working.

Man Machine

We are here in the hustling bustling metropolis of Bedias. The corn is creeping, the peaches plumping, the apples advancing, the beans bursting, the tomatoes towering, the potatoes popping, the sun shining and the wind wailing. That was cheesy. This place is pretty amazing in the spring though. We spent the whole day yesterday taking down a 15 year old fence. We had to chop out a significant amount of brush just to get to the fence in places and then meticulously cut the wire at every tree since they had enveloped the wire through years of growth. Once the fencing wire was removed, it was bundled and stacked for a trip to the metal recycling center. Next, all of the wooden post were pulled out, loaded into the bucket of the John Deer and stacked for a multitude of future uses.

Then out came the bulldozer. Rumbling. Bumbling. Grumbling. This machine is everything opposite of sissy. It is a true man machine, destroying anything in its path. One hundred year old tree...so what. Giant telephone poles sunk deep...big deal. Brush thicker than a Vietnam jungle...who cares. Large tractor stuck in axle deep mud...get out of there. Nothing it does is pretty. No one who drives it says the word cute. Not a dash of pink femininity can exist in its presence. Its testosterone is all consuming. Man Machine!

Today, we will tackle the task of ripping out the rest of the unwanted trees and brush, and start putting up the new fence before all the neighborhood deer realize Cedar Park farm is ripe for the taking. But right now we wait while it rains.

Possum Living

Just finished this book, and I think this is the way I wish I lived. Tell you more about it later. I'm too tired tonight.

Annie's Creek by My Mom

My mother wrote a book! If you have even a tiny lick of sense you will click as fast as you can away from this blog, over to barnesandnoble.com to buy yourself a copy today! I will even help you out - click ---> HERE!

Gang Fight

We piled into the car at 7:20am this morning and sped out of town so Nocona could run in a 5K race with one of her friends, while I was tasked with taking care of the babies (Dad's do not babysit!) We arrived just in time for her to sprint to the starting line and "bang" take off. We cheered for Mommy and the other runners for the full 2 minute-toddler-attention-span, then ran off to dance to the live band and watch ducks swimming in a pond close by. As we made our way around the pond, we were approached by several members of an angry inner-city gang that preys on unsuspecting victims enjoying a day at the park. They were snorting and honking all manners of vile communication as they grossly invaded the personal space of both me and my children. I boldly pulled on my daughter's hand bringing around behind me in order to face the leader of this pack one-on-one. He kept coming closer and closer, but I held my ground, ready for anything. Normally, guys like this run when they see me coming but not this scraggly bunch. They were moving into tactical positions, attempting to triangulate us, when all of a sudden....OUCH!...their leader snapped his head down and took a biting chunk out of my leg. Let me just tell you, I didn't care how many people were standing around watching. I kicked that goose a good feather-busting 10 feet! With that, he and his gang scurried off into the bushes with few derogatory parting honks.

We Call it a Signal 20

Ever seen a half-naked, mentally deranged, flaming homosexual, Asian guy answer his front door with his own william-hung-style karaoke cd playing in the background?

I have. And it was hilarious.

Life Emerges

You buy seeds.

You dig holes.

You bury seeds.

You water it all.

You hold your breath...

then life emerges.

Babies

Retraction

The other day I was waxing eloquently about how great spring is... I now retract everything I said. SPRING SUCKS! I have horrible allergies in the spring time. I'm talking about lay down in the bed with a wet wash cloth over my eyes because I can't even see bad. Right now I'm all fuzzy-headed, super doped up on allergy meds and feeling a fraction of relief, but I have to go to court in about 30 minutes for some crap case back in '08. It should be interesting.