Let's Really Adhere to the 2nd Amendment Then

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

There it is. That Second Amendment to the US Constitution. The one that so many of my friends believe will soon be just a memory. The same amendment those same friends believe should be held up to the letter.

I have only two things to say about the 2nd amendment:

1. It's not going away. To amend the Constitution you must get a bill through Congress and then have it ratified by 38 of the 50 states. That just will not happen in our lifetime.

2. It's already NOT being followed by law. No really. Our "militia" - the people who buy and own guns because of this Constitutionally guaranteed right - are NOT well regulated as required by the Constitution.

Let me prove my point. These are true stories, I am not making them up.

Exhibit 1: A year or so ago a friend won a hunting rifle in a charity raffle. She bought a raffle ticket at a bar where the charity event was being held. They drew her ticket number. She walked out of a bar with a rifle. That was it. She was a gun owner. There was no background check, no waiting period, no concern as to whether she was mentally unstable or a felon or anything. I have no idea how much she had to drink. Not much, knowing her, but what if the winner had been fall down drunk?

Exhibit 2: Back in 2008 a car dealership a few miles from my hometown offered a semi automatic weapon with purchase. And yes, I did know someone who went up and bought a truck and drove away with a gun in the seat beside him in that new vehicle. General manager Walter Moore said that so far, most buyers have chosen the gun, adding that he suggests they opt for a semiautomatic model "because it holds more rounds."

Exhibit 3: I have a photo of me holding a friend's son's AK 47. She might be upset if I posted it here, so I won't. She bought it for her under aged son at a gun show. He was too young to purchase it but since he wanted it and his dad didn't object...it's in her name but they used the kid's money. They do not keep ammo for it and they keep it locked in a gun safe in their home. But they bought it and walked out of a gun show with it that same day. An AK 47!

Exhibit 4: There is a 9mm handgun in my home that was bought in a private sale from a friend of a friend at work. I know nothing about that gun except it works and I got a good deal. While I'm pretty sure it's never been used in a crime I couldn't swear to it as I really don't know the friend of the friend. No paper work was filed, I brought it home with me the same afternoon I met with the friend of the friend, no background check was done, no history of the gun was investigated. I have no idea who may have owned the gun before the friend of the friend. Good thing I wasn't buying it to shoot an abusive husband or irritating boss. But then how would the seller have known what I wanted it for or what kind of person I was.

So do not preach to me the Second Amendment. Do not tell me a few regulations to make sure the true meaning of the Second Amendment is followed is infringing on your right to own a gun. No one is stopping you from owning a gun. There are those of us that would like to have a little more of the "well regulated" directive of the amendment considered. The "not be infringed" part isn't going anywhere. If you are "infringed" by making sure the second amendment is followed as written in the Constitution then you are disqualified from pushing the second amendment in my face every time you feel the gov'mint is coming for your guns. You already don't follow the written intent of the law and are more likely the reason we need to have some regulation.

The best comparison argument I have heard so far involves the state laws and certifications for driving. We regulate if you drive you have a license, we regulate you had to pass a proficiency test to get that license, some states regulate you have to take a drivers' ed class to get take the test or get a permit, we regulate you have to be a certain age to get that license, we regulate you have to be able to read and understand the traffic signs on the road, that your car is safe to be on the road with annual inspections, we regulate you have insurance on it in case you hurt someone or damage their property, we take away your right to drive if you cannot be safe, break too many traffic laws, can't see and you have to guarantee you can properly take care of your car and keep insurance on it.

If you trade or sell that vehicle you have to transfer the title to the new owner so that there is a record of ownership filed somewhere. Heck you even have to tell whether that car has been in n accident. You can't file off the VIN number or roll back the mileage. You can get a ticket for not having back up lights or driving too fast. There are regulations we live by because we want to be safe on the roads.

Would you disagree these are good ideas for automobiles and drivers? And wouldn't you agree we can do, at the very least, something similar with the 3 million plus guns we have in this country? Or should we just accept it's okay to partially follow the Constitution and not "well regulate" something a bit more deadly than your new Ford Explorer.

Unless your new car has your free gun with purchase sitting there on the seat next to you.

Bang! You're Dead

Since the horrific shootings in Connecticut there has been much discussion about how it could have been prevented. One of the most floated ideas from many of my friends who own guns (full disclosure, I won 4 handguns) is to arm the teachers. The NRA tells us the "only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." Okay...let's test that theory.

Watch More News Videos at ABC | 2012 Presidential Election | Entertainment & Celebrity News

I can shoot the hell out of skeet with a shotgun and nearly hit the same hole each time with my .36 at a shooting range. But put me in a situation like those portrayed here in the video and I'm not sure I could do much better. It's not that I don't think there would be times when a gun in the hands of a good guy might be a good idea. But as we can see here it's not the answer to our problem. No one is advocating banning handguns, no one is coming to take your hunting rifle. But to just arm "good guys" will nilly? Watch the video again ad tell me THAT'S the answer.

The Amazing Hillary

I am one of those folks who voted for Hillary Clinton when she ran against our President in the Democratic primaries. One of those folks who was upset when she lost and he didn't choose her for VP. Thrilled when she was named Secretary of State and far from shocked when she did the most amazing job of any Secretary of State in my lifetime. So it's not beyond belief that I would repost the Barbara Walter interview here. If she runs again in 2016 I will not only vote for her, I will volunteer for her campaign. If not, I will follow her next move and support any cause she champions.

Watch More News Videos at ABC | 2012 Presidential Election | Entertainment & Celebrity News

I Am Guilty

CollegeHumor's Favorite Funny Videos

And now it's the holiday season and I have already made a holiday season album for my Facebook. I take a photo every morning of the sunrise and I have an album just for food things - whether it's something I'm eating or cooking or found in the market. ugh

Grandma's Red Hot Salad

Friends are always asking me for the recipe for Grandma Lucille’s Red Hot Salad. She made it for every family holiday gathering since I can remember until she passed away. I have kept the tradition alive through the years. It’s easy to make – which is even better since I am not that good with recipes!

You’ll need:

2 boxes of cherry jello

1 med sized jar of good applesauce (don’t get store brand because it’s usually too runny)

1 bag of Brach’s red hots or cinnamon imperials – they melt best

Boil 1 1/2 cups of water and add about 2/3 of the bag of red hots to it (more if you like it real cinnamonny) Take it off the heat or they’ll stick while they melt and stir til the red hots have dissolved.

Add the red hot mixture to the jello in a good sized bowl. When you add the applesauce be sure to spoon it in carefully – if you dump it in you’ll have quite a mess and it won’t set up even. Stir it a bit to make sure the applesauce blends with the Jello and then let it set up as usual. I serve it as a side dish but it makes a great snack or desert with some Cool Whip on top.

Twelve True Days of Christmas

Every year when I was full time at KILT I read this on the air. Every year the office staff worked liked Santa's Elves to fax and email copies to listeners who wanted it. So since I am no longer able to read it to you, I will post it here. Please share with your friends and family.


The Christian’s Twelve Days of Christmas!!

The Twelve Days of Christmas are the 12 days between Christmas (December 25) and the Epiphany (January 6), which is when the three Magi arrived with Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

Origin of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”
An Underground Catechism

Most folks, I believe, are familiar with the Christmas song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. If you listen to the words carefully, it seems like nonsense set to rhyme and music. However, it was written with a serious purpose.

It is more than just a list of twelve silly gifts. Catholics in England during the period 1558-1829 were prohibited by law to practice their faith either in public or private. It was illegal to be Catholic. [Note: Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England in 1829.]

The Twelve Days of Christmas” was written in England as one of the "catechism songs”to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. In short, it was a memory aid. Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, young Catholics could sing the song without fear of imprisonment. The authorities would not know that it was a religious song. Actually, the catechism to which it referred was rather ecumenical so they could claim to be Protestant if cornered.

The songs gifts had hidden meanings to the teachings of the Catholic faith. The “true love” mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, but refers to God Himself. The “me” who received the presents refers to every baptized person, i.e. the Church. The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge in memory of the expression of Christ’s sadness over the fate of Jerusalem! “Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou would not have it so…”

The Christian’s Twelve Days of Christmas!!

A partridge in a pear tree ------- The one true God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ

2 Turtle Doves ------------------ The Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens ----------------- Faith, Hope and Charity

4 Calling Birds------------------- The Four Gospels or the Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings------------------ The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch which contains the law condemning us of our sins

6 Geese A-Laying ----------------The six days of Creation

7 Swans A-Swimming------------The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven Sacraments of the Catholic faith

8 Maids A-Milking --------------The Eight beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing ----------------The Nine Fruits of the Spirit

10 Lords A –Leaping------------The Ten Commandments

11 Pipers Piping-----------------The eleven faithful apostles

12 Drummers Drumming------The twelve point of Doctrine in the Apostles creed

Trish Yearwood's Turkey Recipe

A couple years back at the KILT 10 Man Jam Trisha Yearwood passed along her turkey recipe with the staff. Tom Fontaine, who is a really good cook, said he made it that year and it was GREAT!

So here it is if'n ya want to try it.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Rub the turkey inside and out with melted butter. Use REAL butter. Rub with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with onion, apple and celery (or whatever you want) - as much as will fit (just keep alternating onion, apple and celery until it is full.) Pour two cups of BOILING water in with the turkey and cover it. Cook for 1 hour at 500 degrees. Then, turn off the oven and go to bed. When you wake up, the turkey will be done.

DON'T OPEN THE OVEN FOR ANY REASON AFTER YOU TURN IT OFF OR YOU WILL RUIN THE TURKEY!

It is best to use a speckled pan (dark blue in color with white speckles).

Let me know how it turns out.

The Piano Guys - Beautiful!

Every few years the latest "boy band" comes along and cashes in on the tween passing fancy. One Direction is the current reincarnation of The Osmonds, The Monkees, The Jackson 5, Boyz II Men, *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Jonas Brothers and all the others. More often than not they have catchy tunes that come and go as quickly as their fame. They are ear worms that we sing along to on the radio and then forget unless you are a super die hard fan that can't let go once the boys in the band become men and we lose interest. The Piano Guys here in the viceo below take the One Direction ear worm and show us it can be a decent piece of music!

Bill Clinton Saves the Democrat Party

I'm posting this because it could very well be the perfect political speech of our time. Love him or hate him, what President Clinton did was a remarkable 46 minutes of oratory.

The end result of Clinton's speech was detailing the facts and clarifying the rhetoric in a common language everyone in the audience could understand. Don't tell me people don't want facts and policy explained to them. WE DO! No matter what the tea-tards on radio tell us, voters are not stupid.

Failure IS An Option

The Incredible Sulk

Sorry. I've been so immersed in the Olympics coverage I haven't had time to do much more than eat and sleep. But I did take my Godkids to pick up their backpacks for back to school yesterday. I've taken them for their backpacks since the first day of kindergarten. So I was looking forward to it.

We started with some grub at iHop. Then headed off to Wallyworld for their lunch boxes. Which are not the lunchboxes I had in school. (I am bidding on the Partridge Family one on Ebay - with the thermos - now!)
Then off to Academy to choose a backpack. My Godson walks in and grabs the first one I say looks like a good one. So we have to pull back and see what kind of pockets and zippers and nooks and crannies it has. He doesn't care as long as it's not too girly or kiddy.

My Goddaughter? Well, it was as though she were pickling out a prom dress. We walked from one end of the store to the other.

Looking at labels and zippers and designs and whether the plaid looked better with her hair and whether the neon checked was too flashy. There was actually the need for a mirror and a backpack fashion show. Finally after about 10 minutes of looking and posing and twirling and discussion she choose this one (and that's the lunch box too).

Whew! Glad that was done. Now off to some recreation. The Boy and I enjoy bowling and had planned on a game or three after the backpacking shopping. The Goddaughter never goes bowling with us but said she wanted to go this morning. Okay great! How fun!

We arrive and buy an hour for the three of us ($50) and tell the nice woman behind the counter our shoe size. I ask them both if they want bumpers. (The Boy and I have long since stopped using them but the Goddaughter is just 11 and not as accomplished a bowler as we are.) She shakes her head 'no'.

The Goddaughter puts on her shoes and tells me they are too small. "Get a bigger size" I tell her. She does. The Boy and I take the balls to the lane and he starts setting up our names. The Goddaughter tells me the new shoes are too small too. "Get a bigger size" I tell her again. We do this two more times. Then she says her socks are wrong. I can't do anything about the socks. She starts to do the pouty Tween face. And the induction of the Godmom to the "I am not having a good time and you are mean for not making life perfect all the time, so I will make everyone miserable for the next hour" 11 year old girl has begun.

She walks up to the foul line with a ball she has already told me is too heavy for her (it's the lightest one the alley has), turns and announces she doesn't remember how to bowl. I ask her brother to show her thinking it would be good for them to kinda do this together.

The Goddaughter is left handed but she grips the ball with her right hand. When I inquire as to her lefthandedness she tells me she can't grip things with her left hand and proceeds to throw a gutter ball. She whirls! She glares at me and stomps off in her ill fitting shoes and socks and slams her 60 pounds into a seat in the adjoining lane. Back turned, shoulders slumped, knees pulled up to her chest.

I explain that she has another ball to throw. She walks up and drops the ball on the lane and walks away. I figure I'll walk over and give her a pep talk. Tell her I'd like to help her learn how to bowl properly and make it all better in her "I won't do it if I'm not good at it immediately" world.

BUT NO!

She takes off for the bar area and as I follow she takes off for the Women's restroom. I tell her brother to go ahead and bowl his turn and I follow her. As I enter the bathroom she is just closing the stall door.

"Are you going to bowl with us?" I ask. There is no answer. "You can't sit in here all day. I will be happy to show you how I learned." No answer. "Fine. Sit in here and pout. I am going to go bowl and have fun. Come back when you want to try." And I left her sitting in the stall being mad at all things Godmom and bowling related.

Back to the lane and my turn. I tell The Boy we'll not wait for her (we are limited on time) and we don't. Finally after a while she comes trudging back from her self imposed bowling exile. I ask her if she wants to bowl. She shakes her head no and throws her self defeated body into the seat in the next lane again.   I go over and tell her she cannot sit there because someone else may need to use it and she will have to come sit with us. She glares at me as though I am stopping her from breathing and doesn't move. I get stern and tell her she will move or I will call her mother to come get her.   As she shuffles back to our lane seats she complains the shoes don't fit. I tell her we can fix that. She tells me the ball is too heavy.

I tell her I can't get her a lighter ball but I can make it easier to bowl without having to throw it like her brother and I. And I proceed to use my next frame to show her how my dad taught me. The "granny shot" of bowling. I did pretty good this way actually.

She picks up her too heavy ball and slumps up to the foul line and throws it from her midsection, pivots on her heel and plops down again. I'm starting to lose patience. She's not even trying and I can't stand that.

"Have you quit? Are you going to quit? As smart and bright as you are and you're gonna quit? Really? You won't let me show you, you won't let me help you and you won't try the way I have shown you. It will work if the ball is too heavy for you. Wow! I never thought I'd see you just give up." And I turn to bowl my frame.

I feel bad as I notice she starts to cry. But in my world you can't just quit when there are people trying to help you. You can't think that everyone around you has to stop doing what they are there to do to make your world all roses and candy when you won't even try and be part of the fun. Even if you don't want to bowl, you can't sit there and make everyone around you miserable because you realize you cannot be the center of attention 100% of the time.  And no, you can't have money for the video games when you decide you don't want to participate in the event you said you would come with us to do. If you don't want to play the game we came to play and you agreed to play then you can sit and watch us have fun.  The Boy and I bowled with our usual high fives and groans and ribbing and laughed and bowled two of the worst games we've ever bowled. And The Goddaughter sat there and sulked. (Yep, this is the actually incredible sulk.)

Finally as The Boy and I were finishing up our second game the lump on the lane said she would like to try it with bumpers. I think she had seen that we weren't THAT good and we were still having fun. Or maybe that I was constantly helping The Boy make his technique better and maybe I wasn't so mean after all.   But what I really think is that she realized I was done giving her attention for throwing immature fits and crying and stomping off and smirking and sneering and being selfish about getting her way all the time.

Now the only way to be the center of attention again was to participate and let me show her how to bowl.  

I showed her how to walk up to the fowl line properly and how to give the ball some speed by swinging her arm instead of just dropping the ball.   She asked if we could add another hour of time.   "No", I said. We had already played all the time I had money for today. She skipped off all happy in her tween world. What she had accomplished in her head I don't know.

But I know what I accomplished. I lived through the initial charge of the sullen pre-teen.

Calling All Olympians

Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps, Missy Franklin and the rest of Team USA want you to call them. Maybe. America's Olympics-bound swim stars have joined the ranks of A-listers like Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, James Franco, and more who have put their own spins on Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe." Alyssa Anderson, Kathleen Hersey and Caitlin Leverenz spearheaded the project, pulling in most of their teammates for the Jepsen tribute, including Lochte, Phelps and Franklin. (Lochte fans get an extra-special treat around 1:03, when the shirtless hunk blows the camera a kiss.)

Get Your Boots On

Most folks who know me know I rarely fly anywhere if I can't get there on Southwest Airlines. So when the Texas based company teamed up with some good deed doers, I wanted to share the story.
Myra Brandenburg, guest blogger for SWA, explains:
It’s typical for musicians of all kinds to frequent the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) on any given day, but on this particular day, country music artists Jack Ingram and Granger Smith set off on a not-so-typical adventure.
On two flights from AUS to Dallas Love Field (DAL) on July 23, Southwest Airlines Customers jettisoned the word typical. Onboard one flight was Country Music Artist Granger Smith, and on a second flight was Texas country music artist Jack Ingram, both who delighted the 137 Customers onboard with a surprise concert at 35,000 feet in the air!

The fun didn’t stop once the seat belt light came on and the plane landed. The concerts were just the beginning of a day chock full of people gathering to make a difference and show LUV and appreciation to our military. Specifically, Retired Army Specialist Jeremy Smith, who was injured in 2008 in an ambush in Afghanistan and for which he is still undergoing surgeries to repair the long term and devastating damage. After performing three songs from the front of the aircraft, Jack personally thanked Jeremy for his service to his country.

The flight was welcomed in DAL with a special water cannon salute. Once they arrived at the gate, Jeremy and his fiancée Sarah were escorted off the plane by Jack, where they were met at the end of the jetway by Southwest Airlines Employees, The Boot Girls from the Boot Campaign, General Leroy Sisco of Military Warriors Salute Foundation (a charity partner of the Boot Campaign), Granger Smith, along with a host of cheering Americans. In a moment that can only be defined as extraordinary, Jeremy and Sarah were presented with a mortgage-free home, catching them completely off-guard! This delighted many in the crowd who were wearing the Boot Campaign’s signature combat boots to show their thanks to Jeremy for his service.

Overcome by delight and disbelief, Jeremy and Sarah were then escorted over to the Southwest Airlines Headquarters parking lot, where both Granger Smith and Jack Ingram performed an exclusive concert for Southwest Employees on behalf of the Boot Campaign. While the music played, Southwest Employees swarmed the Boot Campaign tent to show their LUV for the military by getting their feet in combat boots. Proceeds from the sale of the boots are used to honor wounded military with things like mortgage free homes. Find out how you can get your Boots on the ground by visiting the website.

* Words - 2 Meanings

1. THINGY (thing-ee) n.
Female...... Any part under a car's hood.
Male..... The strap fastener on a woman's bra. ...

2. VULNERABLE (vul-ne-ra-bel) adj.
Female.... Fully opening up one's self emotionally to another.
Male..... Playing football without a cup

3. COMMUNICATION (ko-myoo-ni-kay-shon) n.
Female... The open sharing of thoughts and feelings with one's partner.
Male... Leaving a note before taking off on a fishing trip with the boys.

4. COMMITMENT (ko-mit-ment) n
Female.... A desire to get married and raise a family.
Male...... Trying not to hit on other women while out with this one.

5. ENTERTAINMENT (en-ter-tayn-ment) n.
Female.... A good movie, concert, play or book.
Male...... Anything that can be done while drinking beer.

6. FLATULENCE (flach-u-lens) n.
Female.... An embarrassing byproduct of indigestion.
Male...... A source of entertainment, self-expression, male bonding.

7 MAKING LOVE (may-king luv) n.
Female...... The greatest expression of intimacy a couple can achieve.
Male.. Call it whatever you want, just as long as we do it.

8. REMOTE CONTROL (ri-moht kon-trohl) n.
Female.... A device for changing from one TV channel to another.
Male.... A device for scanning through all 375 channels every 5 minutes.

Find Your Words

Mine were: Genius, funny and sorry. Yours?

Top 10 Summer Movies

Entertainment Tonight has come out with it's top 10 summer movies of all time. Really? This is their list...I loved #1 but it's not the best summer movie ever. There are many different lists of course. I like this one because it's got trailers and clips from the movies. My #1 choice is: "Jaws" (1975): The first real summer blockbuster, so you can blame it for opening-weekend box-office becoming the be-all end-all for movies. But you must also praise Steven Spielberg's film for being flat-out great, still as suspenseful as when it opened. First movie to open all over the place on the same day, but really, who cares about the business end. Sit back and enjoy. "We're gonna need a bigger boat." And then who's to say a movie on the best summer ones of all time has to be some blockbuster? I saw "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" yesterday. As a middle aged world traveler starting to consider my retirement and old age it struck so many different chords with me. (Plus the cast rocks!)

Who's to say movies that can do THAT aren't summer blockbusters? I expect some of your thoughts or your favorite summer movies in the comments please.

Bad Things Come in 3's

Beer, Beer, Beer

Last October I went out to California to visit my sister. Each year I go out to visit and we drink this fabulous local beer called Pliny the Elder. When I would come back home I would look for it and never find it in the liquor stores. So on that trip last year I decided I needed to ship a case back to myself. One hundred dollars for the beer and $100 for the shipping later (and a little lie to the shipping store to get liquor mailed back to me) I had it in my living room!

But why would I go to so much trouble to get a case of some microbrewed beer to my house?

Zymurgy magazine, the official publication of the American Homebrewers Association, has released its ninth-annual list of the 50 best beers in America. To assemble the list, its editors ask readers to submit lists of their top 20 favorite beers.

Russian River's acclaimed Pliny the Elder beer won the top slot for the third year in a row. At least many of the others on the list (like Sierra Nevada) have strong national distribution. The top-ranked brewery, as measured by total votes for its beers, was Delaware's Dogfish Head. The brewery's highest-ranking entrant was the hop-heavy Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, which tied for third.
Here's this year's full list (with the ones I really liked highlighted):

1. Russian River Pliny the Elder

2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

3 (tie). Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

3 (tie). Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout

5. Bell’s Hopslam

6. Stone Arrogant Bastard

7. Sierra Nevada Celebration

8 (tie). Sierra Nevada Torpedo

8 (tie). Stone Ruination

10. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

11. Stone Sublimely Self Righteous

12. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine

13. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

14 (tie). Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

14 (tie). Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale

16 (tie). Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

16 (tie). New Glarus Belgian Red

18. North Coast Old Rasputin

19. Bell’s Expedition Stout

20 (tie). Deschutes The Abyss

20 (tie). Left Hand Milk Stout

20 (tie). Odell IPA

20 (tie). Samuel Adams Noble Pils

20 (tie). Surly Furious

20 (tie). Troegs Nugget Nectar

26 (tie). Rogue Dead Guy Ale

26 (tie). Samuel Adams Boston Lager

28. Anchor Steam

29 (tie). Bear Republic Racer 5

29 (tie). Ommegang Three Philosophers

29 (tie). Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

29 (tie). Three Floyds Alpha King

29 (tie). Three Floyds Dark Lord

34 (tie). Avery Maharaja

34 (tie). Dogfish Head Indian Brown

34 (tie). Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

34 (tie). Three Floyds Gumballhead

38 (tie). Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

38 (tie). Lost Abbey Angel’s Share

38 (tie). New Belgium La Folie

38 (tie). New Belgium Ranger

38 (tie). Oskar Blues Old Chub

43 (tie). Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

43 (tie). Great Divide Yeti

43 (tie). New Belgium 1554

43 (tie). Russian River Blind Pig

43 (tie). Ska Modus Hoperandi

48 (tie). Alesmith Speedway Stout

48 (tie). Dark Horse Crooked Tree

48 (tie). Green Flash West Coast IPA

48 (tie). Summit EPA

48 (tie). Victory Prima Pils
I couldn't find any of the Bell's beers. I'm still looking for someone I know who lives somewhere it's available!

If you'd rather have an import...here's their list of Top Imports

1. Rodenbach Grand Cru, Belgium

T2. Fullers ESB, England

T2. Guinness, Ireland

T2. Rochefort 10, Belgium

T5. Duvel, Belgium

T5. Saison Dupont, Belgium

T5. St. Bernardus Abt 12, Belgium

T8. Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock, Germany

T8. Cantillon Gueuze, Belgium

T8. Chimay Grande Reserve, Belgium

T8. Orval, Belgium

T8. Samuel Smith's Nut Brown, England

T8. Unibroue La Fin du Monde, Canada

Oprah Loves You

Agree with the Supreme Court decision or not THIS is funny.

I'm Melting - Already

Yesterday my Godson came by for "chore day". He did something he wasn't supposed to do. In order to repay me he spent the day with me doing household chores.
I had a list of things I wanted to get done for a while and thought it would be great to have him help me.

But cleaning out the garage in 102 degree heat just wasn't going to happen. I did however need to get the new wine rack painted - I wish I had chosen the blue now. Oh well...
It couldn't be done in the house and the AC so we opened the garage, turned on the ceiling fan out there I installed when we had lots of friends who smoked and weren't allowed to smoke in the house and we painted. I guess we really melted. Wow! We should have done our best Wicked Witch of the West imitation.

So as summer slams down on us all keep a few things in the front of your mind. Like how to recognize heat stroke and how to choose the best sunscreen and don't think that heat index is just another silly thing weathermen talk about - it's serious and can kill you.

Any advice you have for would be chore boys in this heat, leave in the comment section.

Redneck Beer Run

Steve is not too bright...he might be resourceful when it comes to transportation. But not to sharp when it comes to interaction with local police. You have to listen all the way to the end....he has a warning for the officer that concerns Steve's sweet wife.

Kids Are Wicked Funny

A 1st grade school teacher had twenty-six students in her class. She presented each child in her classroom the 1st half of a well-known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind that these are first-graders, 6-year-olds, because the last one is a classic!
The kids responses are in blue

1. Don't change horses until they stop running.
2. Strike while the bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before Daylight Saving Time.
4. Never underestimate the power of termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but How?
6. Don't bite the hand that looks dirty.
7. No news is impossible
8. A miss is as good as a Mr.
9. You can't teach an old dog new Math
10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust Me.
12. The pen is mightier than the pigs.
13. An idle mind is the best way to relax.
14. Where there's smoke there's pollution.
15. Happy the bride who gets all the presents.
16. A penny saved is not much.
17. Two's company, three's the Musketeers.
18. Don't put off till tomorrow what you put on to go to bed.
19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and You have to blow your nose.
20. There are none so blind as Stevie Wonder.
21. Children should be seen and not spanked or grounded.
22. If at first you don't succeed get new batteries.
23. You get out of something only what you See in the picture on the box
24. When the blind lead the blind get out of the way.
25. A bird in the hand is going to poop on you.

And the WINNER and last one!
26. Better late than Pregnant

Footloose and Fancy Free

These are my shoes.
I didn't pick them out. Pickle did.
I am no longer allowed to pick out my own tennis shoes (really any shoes) since the first time I got caught choosing an old lady walking shoe.
I don't really like tennis shoes that have a bunch of color or flashiness. I stand at work 99.9% of the time and need something comfortable. I wear different colored shorts a lot and don't want some wild shoes clashing with my plaid Bermudas. I am not a canvas shoe girl either. So yes, I pick out plain ol' white, indescript and appearantly really ugly tennis shoes.
So I am no longer able to choose my own. I am given a few options and can choose between those. Okay. I get it.
So the top photo is of the current tennis shoes I chose from several I could. They aren't what I would have chosen but at least they aren't these...or these.
Now I'm not ready to take back my footware choosing rights. It's really one less thing I have to worry about doing for myself. Plus when someone doesn't like them I can blame Pickle!

On the wedding trip one of my best, dearest and most honest friends commented they were the ugliest tennis shoes ever. I smiled and said I didn't choose them because I wasn't allowed to do that anymore. Whew! Deflection of ridicule is a good thing!

Then just the other day I was leaving a friend's house - a friend who is a marathon runner and owns 1000 pair of tennis shoes and works at a fancy smancy running shoe store. As I was walking down the steps of her place she commented how much she loved me shoes.

Doh!

Patiently Parenting

When you are the Aunt or the Grandma or the God Mom you tend to want all your time with your precious kids to be happy and carefree and without that nasty parenting stuff they get at home. It's my job to take him to baseball games and let him stay up past his bedtime.


Every so often I have to take a deep breath and be the adult. I had a couple of those moments this weekend.

The one where we discussed internet safety I want to share here. I'm hoping for kudos or advice on how to follow up.

My Godson needed to be warned that there are creepy people out there on the World Wide Web. And that he doesn't need to have contact with those people.


One of these is a 52 year old fellow that he has shared "comments" with concerning videos of him drumming on his YouTube account.

My Godson has become a pretty decent drummer for a 14 year old.He posts videos of him playing on his YouTube account. I'm proud of him and his talent and am thrilled he not only knows how to drum so well but that he has mastered the YouTube technology. I am not so happy about who may be viewing the videos and encouraging him.

So when I finally put the pieces together that this "encourager" was a 52 year old man in Phoenix who was a bar band drummer I put my foot down. I explained to my Godson that even though his "friend" on line might be a safe bet he needed to discontinue his visiting with him and block him immediately.

There was a bit of a fuss from him and much defense of his "friend" who was just being nice.

I explained that if this older man were someone that wanted to lure him to Phoenix he wasn't going to be rude to him...he was going to compliment him and tell him he could come to Phoenix anytime. And that if my Godson had any thought about running away to get there and see him he needed to put those thoughts out of his head immediately.

Why? I told him why in no uncertain terms.

Because I was not going to enjoy finding him buried in a shallow grave in the sand in Phoenix one day. And THAT was a possibility if he continued to talk to this older man online.

I was not going to spend years looking for him while he's locked in some guy's basement in Phoenix being abused or murdered. And that since it I was an adult who loves him very much, it was my job to explain this stuff to him and to try and protect him from harm.

Not everyone online was a good person and not everyone who asks to be your "friend' on Facebook is your friend. Not everyone who looks at your videos is someone that cares about how well you play the drums. Not everyone needs to know who you are or where you live.

I explained that he needed to go through his friends list and delete anyone who his Mama didn't know or that he had never met or talked with in person. And that if he didn't whittle his friends list down from near 800 to 600 in the next couple days, his Mama and I would either delete his online accounts or stand over his shoulder and go through - one by one - his list of contacts until we felt comfortable with it.

How'd I do? What else should I do?

You Can't Fix Stupid

A friend sent me these actual newspaper clippings. I thought I'd give us all a laugh!











And my most favorite because I am a little sister...

Semi Retired Social Drinker

That's what I tell people I do for a living. Yep.
I'm a semi-retired social drinker.
I remember how my grandparents planned for so long to retire and travel. They talked of buying the RV and seeing the country. Grandpa retired when he hit 65 and a few years later Grandma retired early at 62. They were ready to go!
Then Grandpa had a heart attack and died. Grandma never got her RV or her tour of the coutnry with him.
As I went through life and advanced in my career I thought often about taking her on those trips. But I was working - a lot. And as my career moved on to bigger cities and more demanding positions I finally forgot to think of those travels not just for her but for myself.
Seven days a week, 12-16 hours a day with no holidays off and obly a couple weeks vacation a year made trips tough. I watched friends make road trips on three days weekends and wondered what it would be like. I longed for the day when recreation was more than an event my job sponsored.
Then one day I was downsized from the job I had given up so much of my life to do. I never looked back. It was time to be a semi-retired social drinker.
So yes, I do work part time and I do squeek by every month on those part time wages. But ya know...I get to see stuff like this.

And drive through country that looks like this and fly to places where I can sit and watch birds and people I would never have gotten to see if I hadn't decided to not wait. If I decide to wait will the person I love and want to share it with still be able to go? Will I be able to walk or see?

What if Grandma and Grandpa hadn't done the "right" thing and waited to retire and buy the RV? Would the photo I post here be from their trips as well as mine? Probably.
I know not everyone can do what I have done. Decide at 40 to work part time and put a few trips on credit cards and pay them off over time. Many have kids or jobs they don't want to leave. But me? I'm pretty happy heading out to California once a year to visit my step sister and home to visit family and friends and take off for a weekend in San Antonio or South Padre.

The social drinker part is just gravy! Especially when it happens at a jazz brunch in New Orleans!

Get Out And Live

After yesterday's post about how my Mom prepared me for life by making me learn to drive in big city traffic, I think this open letter to the youth of today is appropriate not just for the young but the young at heart!

Ben and Kristin's "Secret Life"

I bet you recognize Kristen Wiig (left) -- in spite of the aging makeup job she's donning to make her look like an elderly woman. But who is that to her left? Believe it or not it's Ben Stiller. Wearing a mask of wrinkles and age spots, glasses, and silver hair with a receding hair line, Stiller is simply unrecognizable.
While also wrinkled, Wiig, 38, can still be deciphered as she wears an emerald over coat and matching hat. Both comedic actors were spotted on the set of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" as they filmed in New York on Wednesday.
Stiller, 46, is also directing the film, about a shy and imaginative photo editor who is forced out of his daydreams and into a real-life adventure when a negative winds up missing. (Photo: Angela Weiss)
"The Secret Life," due in theaters next year, is a remake of a 1947 film of the same name, which starred Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo. And from the look of the wardrobe style on set, the remake will also be set in the '40s. (The story originally spawned from a short story by James Thurber.)
The new "Secret Life" also stars Shirley MacLaine, Patton Oswalt, Adam Scott and Kathryn Hahn.

Teach Your Daughter To Drive In The City

When I was a newly minted licensed driver my Mother never visibly flinched when I wanted to take off for "the city". The city being Kansas City, the largest metropolitian area near our little home town.
I thought it was fabulous that she allowed me to take my little 1976 Pacer X and head off for adventure. Off to Worlds of Fun I and my friends went. Off to KC Royals games we zipped on weekends. Off to the big city.
What I thought was just a very cool thing my Mom was letting me do was a very calculated plan to prepare me for life.
Many years later I found out Mom overrode my Father's objection to me driving into the city on my own. Why? Because she was determined I learn to drive in big city traffic. She never wanted me to be afraid, never wanted me to have to rely on someone else to drive me around and she sure as hell never wanted me to feel as though I was not capable of anything. The rush and crush of the traffic shouldn't be fearful. The thought process I'd need to navigate should be instintive. And the independence I'd have from mastering something as basic as driving in big city traffic would serve me the rest of my life - in so many other areas.
She was right.
Mom never learned to drive in traffic much bigger than her small town. I have seen her drive in busy traffic and honestly she is nervous, indecisive and frankly in over her head.
My Mom taught me many things. But one of the most useful was allowing me to learn how to handle whatever life may throw at me by making me learn to drive in rush hour traffic. At the time, I didn't know I was learning how to overcome most any crisis I'd encounter later. Those are the best lessons.
Thanks, Mom.

Listen to Radney Foster!!

I love love love me some Radney Foster and I am never ashamed to share that information or music and news from him.

“‘Don’t Say Goodbye’” is one of those bluesy songs that you can take a lot of differrent directions. On the original, we took it in a Waylon Jennings direction. When I play it live with the band,  I’ve been doing it really Stones-y.
But when we were doing this album, sitting in a room with just acoustic intstruments, it fell into a world I couldn’t even imagine. It got spooky and cool really quick. I just love the way it turned out. Listen and let me know what you think.” –Radney

Del Rio, TX: Unplugged and Lonesome comes out August 14, but you can pre-order here. And check his tour dates for one near you.

Going Postal

Houston as we know is a very international city. That's one of the things I most love about living in such a large metropolis. Every so often I am vividly reminded of that fact.

I had to go into the post office near my office yesterday. Usually I can just drive through and drop off mail. Yesterday, however, I was mailing some wedding photos to my Mom in a big ol' envelope and had to stand in line inside.

As I was standing there counting the minutes of my life I'll never get back; I started listening to the people around me. Two women were speaking in an African dialect, the woman in front of me was talking into her cell phone Borg ear mic in an Asian language, the woman behind me was talking on her cell in a different Asian language and the man at the counter was on his cell phone speaking in Spanish. Then a man came quickly through the door and directly to the counter. With a very thick Arabic accent he was demanding that the post office employees move their cars so his delivery trucks could park where they were.

The post office employees said that was their assigned parking and they wouldn't move them. He insisted a bit more forcefully and the entire post office business came to a skreeching halt. For almost 10 full minutes all other conversations came to a stop as we listened to the three tellers and the neighboring business owner with parking issues repeat the same things over and over.

"You must move your cars as I need to park my delivery trucks there to load them!"
"No, they're our assigned spots."
"We've parked there for years and the other owner of your business never had trouble loading his trucks."
"You need to take it up with the building management as these are our assigned spots."

Rinse - repeat.

Soon the appearant post office manager came out and directed the parking spot wrangler outside to show her what it was he needed. Whew! Now we can get our packages mailed.

No, the three tellers had to keep talking about what just happened and how they were determined not to move their cars until they were assigned other spots and that they didn't want those spots to be too far away because they weren't gonna walk around to the back of the building in the dark. (Like the post office is ever open when it's dark.)

Good grief.

Finally the African American woman who was next in line shouted, "Can ya'll get back to work now and let us get on with our lives?" She finger snapped and head bobbed and without missing a beat the tellers went back to their windows and we got on with our lives in the big city.

Wal Mart Bingo Card

Okay this is just funny. Make a few copies for your next Wal Mart visit.