The doorbell rang

It was 5pm and there I was at the 'puter checking the news when the doorbell rings? 
Really? who would want to come by after dark @ 5pm to see me in Firestone?

As I opened the door it brought tears to my eyes, yes really. 
A person that we have known for over 8 years, who has lived (until recently) with his family in a trailer with no running water had a gift under his arm. He and his family are the poorest (financially) people we know personally.
They brought us a gift, how can you come to grips with that? This is one of the most heartwarming, tearful nights I have ever encountered. Ah the Christmas spirit...

He has done various landscaping projects for us over the years, bringing his wife and family with him as he did work on our property. 
He and his family are always welcome in our home. Many times we would take his sons down into Bryce's train room to play. Or Marg would take time holding the newest baby in their family on the rug in our living room with the proud mother at her side. 
Guess that is why it is called a living room...

He is one of the hardest/strongest workers I have ever encountered. 
He is one of the most polite & trustworthy people I have ever known.
His family became our extended family, as every year they would knock on our door for Halloween, or come over monthly to fill water jugs for their home.

On one job he brought his Vaquero father from Mexico to help shovel/create a driveway for us. His father does not speak English, I do not speak Spanish. We got along well, as we could both see and respect honest hard working people. I could see and appreciate the respect a father has for a son. No matter where they come from.
It reminded me of my honeymoon in Germany when an older Hausfrau/housewife that my sister in law knew wanted to see my hands. I graciously turned my palms up and presented my hands to her, she looked at them, ran her fingers over them and smiled and told my sister in law that we were welcome in her home. One of the greatest compliments I have ever received.

Every year we would witness his family grow, from one to five children. From a young daughter translating for her father, into a young woman celebrating her Quinceanera that we were invited to attend. 
What an honor!
As a tradition, most every time he came over to do work for us we would send him home with extras from our cupboard or freezer for his growing family.
Maybe a cerveza or two for him for a job well done.

Tonight he and his family paid us the greatest honor anyone can give, a simple Christmas gift from a family that has so little.
As he presented the gift to me he apologized for the writing on the wrapping, meaning he was not sure of what he should have written. As I lifted the gift to my chest/heart and held it close, I thanked him and said; "Merry Christmas" and he replied "Merry Christmas." Nothing else needed to be said...

I can not wait to tear open the beautiful green wrapping on Christmas morning and admire a gift from the heart. 
The heart of a respected friend.

Merry Christmas

W
P.S. I add this postscript after Christmas. His gift from his family to ours was a special box of Hershey Kisses. Marg was born in Hershey...

The Christmas letter

For as many years as I can remember Mom & Dad had always sent out a "Christmas Letter" to family and close friends. Numerous years ago we started this tradition in our family. A great custom to try and uphold, though one that is hard to maintain. This type of endeavour takes dedication, stamina and a good editor, my wife. 
Every year the daunting task of condensing your life onto one page shows up around Thanksgiving. 
"Oh no, the Christmas letter is due."

Earlier this year my external hard drives (yeah two of them) both died and they were full of 30 years of family pictures! 
I started digging, and digging, praying and praying...
Low and behold in my picture file search (from another 2 hard drives that had been removed/stored when the last computer died) I came across a file titled; "Christmas Letter. "
The file was in a drive that had a backup from 8 years ago. When I opened the file there were quite a few years of letters saved and waiting for me to blow the dust off.  As I began reading into our past a nostalgic feeling started to warm my soul.
Happening to remember (amazing how the mind works) that I also had a hard copy file of previous letters stashed in an old file cabinet. Along with the left over sheets of unused Christmas letter stationary. Combining these two cherished discoveries 13 years of Christmas letters were now sorted out. 
A few years are missing but good to go for now. 
You never know what will turn up next time a piece of technology crashes! Maybe I'll find my New Year's resolutions from 20 years ago? 
No wait, don't want to see that list...
The Christmas letter has become a family tradition carried forward for what, 50 years? 
Goin' ask Mom about that one. 
Other family members partake in this practice also (thanks bro). 

Reading into the past our past, I became aware of various things.

1. My style had pretty much stayed the same (content order) not sure why, just the facts?
2. I had forgotten some of the key life events that are mentioned in the letters from various years.
3. We have been married for going on 35 years and have a wonderful life full of memories.
4. We, and our family have been blessed by God in so many ways.
5. By combining all the leftover Christmas stationary we don't have to buy any more for a few years...

Looking at the news every morning and witnessing what is taking place in our world, the simple fact that we live in America is truly remarkable. Why did God put us in this wonderful country instead of one of the troubled spots in our world?

What do I have to complain (so much) about? 
Not really anything, nothing at all. 
I have a loving wife, yeah she still loves me. We have 2 wonderful girls and 3 grand children. All of us have a roof over our heads and well, we live in America. Celebrating traditions freely and openly. 

No, our lives are not picture perfect. We have all had our difficult times, times that each of us must bear. Through faith and family we have been able to prod along in our given path.


From now on we will make a point of saving the Christmas letters we write/ receive. Placing the hard copy in the 3 ring binder we have started for, "The Christmas Letter". 
Our life, one year, one page at a time...

The Christmas Letter.

Thank you Mom (& dad)  for your perseverance. Thank you for teaching me how to be a man, a brother, a husband, a father, a grandfather and well I pray, a decent human being...

Write a letter sometime soon to someone you love just for kicks, & see what happens.

W

The meaning of the Candy Cane

By: Rev. Donald J. Barthelmeh (Cincinnati, OH.)

     Of the scenes of Christmas none is more beautiful than the shepherds on the hillside watching their flocks by night, with crook in hand, about their humble business of guarding and keeping safe their flocks. From here they receive the announcement "unto you is born a Savior." Then they joined together to go "see the great sight which had come to pass."
     The Shepherds' crook was at the first service of worship of the Christ. Its counterpart is our candy cane so old as a symbol that we have nearly forgotten its origin. We are immediately attracted by its color - the red and white. Red is for sacrifice; white is for purity. The body of the cane is white representing the life that is pure, or that may be pure. " Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
     The broad red stripe is symbolic of our Lord's sacrifice for us. We may celebrate the birth of the child Jesus, but we must also be mindful of the man, Christ. Christmas always brings us ultimately to Calvary. He gave his life of the cross in sacrifice for our sin.
     And then the many smaller stripes - these symbolize the sacrifices we must make as Christians - the offerings we would bring to be intertwined with the supreme sacrifice of our Savior. The may mean the wounded sheep he has brought into the fold, or the sufferings we must bear in witness to Him in whom we believe.
     The form as a staff suggests a symbol of service, and it suggests life is a service even as the Christian life is a worship. But of course the color and form give way to the aroma of peppermint and its pungent taste. Peppermint is akin to the aromatic herb hyssop. Recall the old Psalmist's plea: Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7
     Old Testament scholars suggest the use of hyssop not only for its delightful taste but also for medicinal purpose. A healing nature is suggested. What better symbolism at Christmas for us for we are told, "We are healed by His Stripes."
     It is candy and the candy cane is to be shared - broken into pieces for all to share. It draws us into fellowship of sharing. How good it is to remind ourselves of Jesus' statement, " This is my body broken for you." Just as Jesus' body is broken to be shared, just so, our lives as good stewards must be shared. We come to realize as children of God and sharers of Christ's life that "only as we give, shall we live!
     Love came down at Christmas all lovely and divine. Now in the Season of Christmas we seek to spread that love among all men. One symbol is the Shepherd's Crook, made visual in its implications through a candy cane. It calls us to serve; its red bands direct us to a life of sacrifice; its essence of mint relates the tastefulness of those who would share. We are also reminded that our life might be pure, made white by who would share. We are also reminded that our life might be pure, made white by sacrifice of the Savior circling ourselves and spiraling up into a life of love and peace.

     If you turn the cane upside down, it is a "J" for Jesus. We pray God blesses you and your family at Christmas in the year to come!

W
   

A Charlie Brown Christmas - Christmas Time is Here Song

How many of you remember watching this every year.
Merry Christmas!

Facebook Hiatus continues

This just amazes me...
Why would you be so stupid to go to Facebook for the news?
Really? 
Guess that is why I have stopped my personal FB page interaction. Tired of the BS from friends and family who do not get it, the truth is easy to see, for some...

http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2016/12/news-feed-fyi-addressing-hoaxes-and-fake-news/

Do you really need Zuckerberg to tell you what is happening, truthfully, in our world?

Lemons

FWPD recruitment video

Got my laugh for the day...

http://www.star-telegram.com/latest-news/article118467073.html

Yes it feels

kind of weird. Wallowing in my self initiated exile...
Though I find it interesting that what's being reported (yes you can gather news, real news without Facebook) is that I am not the only one that's removing myself/oneself from the "social media" world and the overload/stress that come from being addicted. Yeah I am still shaking a little as I type, withdrawal symptoms have set in...

My newly developed quest is to try and post/express positives and stay away from the oh so many negatives in our lives that we are bombarded with almost every minute/second of our waking lives. The curse of certain forms of technology.

With that semi, little itty bitty negative statement made, here is my positive statement/post for the day, or should I say; "I am turning over a new leaf"...

Colorado weather even after 44 years sometimes still surprises me.
We were @ 81 degrees yesterday:

The problem with trees is they always leave you with something...

Today we are @ 31 degrees and snow, with a lot of moisture in it, thank God, we need the moisture in a bad way. 

The Colorado snow fall to me is one of the most calming sights/experiences that a person can encounter. A quiet, and smell that you can't truly explain with words, some of you will remember...

W

Gone to ground

One thing that I have learned from this insane election cycle is that it is better to step back, accept who you are, look at your faith (seriously, or maybe lack of faith) and then shut up.
God is in control, there is nothing that we can do to change an election, OTHER THAN VOTE and pray!
Reportedly 85% of the Christians in America voted, well just look at the results.
Most of us do not believe President Trump is the best choice just the only choice in a flawed 2 party system.
The uber liberal/progressives failed miserably, sucking vast amounts of manna from George Soros, the great manipulator of our generation. I am so glad his check book has been lightened, and us poor whitetrash screwed him and the 1%'ers. take that to your bank and choke it down... Nothing worse for the rich than to be taken down by the low life working class that outsmarted you, makes you pissed doesn't it, wake up jack off...

Due to the division in our country that started with the current administration I relieve myself from the burden on being social (on Facebook). I have taken a hiatus from the addictive junk that comes from FB. I have unfriended some, changed some to acquaintances (yes family included) and well basically shut down my personal FB page.
Unfortunately I need FB for our business, otherwise I would have closed all of my accounts permanently? 

My blog allows me to speak my mind without the constant dribble of the whiners...

W

The truth inevitably offends...

I voted, am white, have no college education and guess what? all of us lowlifes changed the world, for good or bad.
All of the elitists college pukes think they can control us. They look down their educated nose at us, they laugh at us, they hire us to do the work they could not even imagine doing and now they are being the usual Liberal/Progressive/Democrat! 
Whining. 
Or sadder still, some Republicans that refused to stoop so low as to have to make an educated choice, yeah and educated choice. The lesser of two evils. 
Guess that college education isn't working out so well...

"The factory workers, the veterans, the cops, the kitchen help, people who plow the fields, make the trains run, pick up the trash and keep the country together and keep it moving — they are all now winners. As one, these cogs of our daily life rose up in a peaceful revolution, their only weapons the ballot box and their faith in the future." (Michael Goodwin NY Post)

When was the last time you were in a public bathroom and witnessed a worker (of any color) cleaning up and then took the time to look them in the eyes and say: "thank you, you are doing a great job"? Well I can honestly say that I do this every time I see some undereducated worker doing the work that over educated people take for granted and well just look down upon. If you have never cleaned public bathrooms before you have no room to talk, yes I have done this kind of work. 
My father & mother always told me that no matter what job you have, do it to your best abilities. Well let's just say I have had my fair share of jobs.

I never chose/wanted to go to college as I had an unpleasant time in high school and knew that I did not fit in. I learn by doing, not by what a teacher tells me I have to learn from a book. 
Though I love to read and have learned a lot by reading (what I choose to read), not what I am told to read. My wife the librarian taught me this simple fact. Every night before we go to sleep we are reading something...
My favorite book or books, you ask? easy, the Bible (New King James Version & Grandma Damon's King James) and Walden and Other Writings. Both I have read cover to cover numerous times and underline, circle and highlight what is significant. 

Well here is a list of some of the other low life, white uneducated people that have, well let's just say changed the world (a partial list that I am happy to be apart of):
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Jackson
Anne Beiler
Ansel Adams
Barbara Lynch (a chef no less)
Benjamin Franklin
Carl Lindner
Charles Culpeper
Dave Thomas
David Green
David Neeleman
Frank Lloyd Wright
George Eastman
Henry Ford
...

http://elitedaily.com/news/business/100-top-entrepreneurs-succeeded-college-degree/

Do I need to go on. 

I guess maybe all of us uneducated white people are not so stupid after all? How many people of "any color" have had their lives changed in a positive way by a caucasian, white person or any other slang word you choose to call us? 
The only one any of us (any color) need to look at is, Abe. 
How 'bout you?
Maybe just maybe we (uneducated white people) operate businesses that employ people that then take care of their families, pay taxes and well let's just say get pissed off and vote their conscience. Most of us believe in God, have probably read some of the bible, maybe attended church and well are usually decent people. 

We do not go down to the street corner and protest, riot, burn businesses, loot, all because of a person that instigated a perceived problem. 

Or their candidate did not win an election.

America is made up of people, not a color, not a party, not an education level, not a job, not a home. 

We all are Americans and yes our newly elected President has pretty big shoes to fill. Do you pray for our president? God asks us to pray for our leaders, no matter their color, race, party or beliefs. 

How 'bout we give him a chance to prove that he can lead. 

Leadership is missing in our great country. 

Strong leaders (no matter the party) make strong countries, thus making happy citizens.

W

Morimoto Waikiki Beach Honolulu Oct. 2014

It all started for me many years ago...
Once while I was watching the Food Channel (my favorite), a show called "Iron Chef" was on. I had never heard of it before and well what the heah,  I decided to give it a go.
Needless to say after watching every episode, taping, yes VHS taping most of the shows I was hooked.
The show was produced in Japan by Fuji TV with voice over in English as it was broadcast in Japanese.
What the chef's were doing was mind boggling to me. Eventually Marg also became hooked.
There was a young Chef named Masaharu Morimoto who first appeared in 1998. His cooking genius became legendary.

Well yesterday October 21st 2014 Marg & I were able to eat at one of his restaurants in Honolulu.

The experience is something that is difficult to describe. You really have to be a foodie, food snob, chef to understand...
You also have to truly enjoy eating sushi, and the art of sushi itself.

What is your passion?
Mine is eating! 
To achieve the level of eating I enjoy I have spent years cooking, learning and eating. 
In the past I have attended various culinary schools. Spent numerous hours watching the finest chef's in the world via various cooking shows and movies, learning through it all.

We had made reservations as I did not know how busy the restaurant might be, and we had a very small window to attend. 
Waikiki is not just around the corner from Firestone Colorado...
I chose lunch as it would fit our budget and schedule best. 
Our almost private lunch is to date the greatest culinary experience Marg & I have ever experienced. 
Lunch at Morimoto Honolulu...

A light rain was falling as we left our hotel, with my trusty smartphone and GPS it looked as if we could walk there. Off we went on our adventure.
Even with the blasted GPS I could not find Morimoto's. I had to ask for directions from someone who was standing outside the entrance to the restaurant, DUH...
No worries, we had arrived.

Yes we had high expectations as we had followed his career for over 20 years! 

The wait staff was very helpful and patient with a couple of hillbilly's like us...

We asked our waitress & waiter for recommendations and started on our culinary extravaganza. 

No expense will be spared, as we never thought that we would be able to do this again...

Every dish was beyond our expectations. 

The Saki sampler warmed Marg's tummy and gave her a "sun settin'" glow...

Being able to eat this caliber of food is still mind boggling to me. Marg & I had lunch at Morimoto on Waikiki...

Someday we hope to experience his creations again. Though once you have climbed Everest what else is there?

W

Tending to the herd

Motoagriculture, yep that's what I am now a master of. With 50 in the herd there is always something that needs fixin', fed or corralled. Thank God I do not have to breed them!
I now have even more respect for farmers/ranchers taking care of their herd and grazing land.

As a motoagriculturist extraordinaire I spent this amazingly hot end of October day, trying to finish up herd maintenance before winter sets in.

Replace a clutch cable
Replace a front tire
Replace a fork seal
Diagnose a no starty fucky problem, then fix it
Air up them hooves
Diagnose/fix a slipping clutch
Fix The Mule (Junior) belching problem (exhaust pipe just about ready to blow off, loose studs).

Rotate the stock from one container to another
Test ride the shit out of each of the animals I worked on (got to ride 'em like a student, ya' know).

All work done in a fenced in corral around our two 40' steel barns for our trusty herds storage.
No bloody knuckles! 
Only (yes only) a few expletives verbalized, we had a class going on near the corral. 

Couple of days before I had to do maintenance on our "grazing field" (parking lot). There was a massive divot that showed up, engineers said it was ground water problem. A few of my most trusted instructors/cowpokes and I felt that a meteor had hit the west end of our field and bounced/skipped at least another 1/2 dozen times down the parking lot/grazing land leaving smaller divots. 

Anyway we were able to repair our field damage (painting a lot of lines and dots) after the massive asphalt repair trucks came in and tore the shit out of our lovely field.
Ah life of the motoagriculturist.

Distinguished Gentleman's 2016 Ride

Wow it has been a year and Bryce & I are ready for round two.
Last year (see previous posts) was hectic just getting The Mule road worthy. Since then we have put over 4000 miles on her!
This yearly event is truly amazing, on one day throughout cities all over the world people ride motorcycles to raise funds for this wonderful charity.
Here are some of our pictures from last years event with my pillion Bryce.

Now some pictures of The Mule since last years ride, yes she won 1st place in class at a show, really I have witnesses...

Stay tuned!

Ever the entrepreneur...

Well normally I would not share my brilliant entrepreneurial expertise with everyone, but...

Iron Buffalo is moving in a new direction. Thus we are looking for ground floor investors.
First we secured the much sought after GO 4 (Meter Maid Mayhem Machine, aka 4M) contract with the city of Denver.

Now we are moving onto a bigger/better, truly unique (OK brilliant) business model. 

OK here it is, the "Money Ball".

Our first stop will be the mafia, "Need concrete boots"? Give us a call. 

Easy Quickcrete money, Boom Batta Bing.

Right?
Come on I can tell you are starting to see it aren't ya! 
Wish you had thought of this first don't you. Hah!

Need to send something to the bottom of the river, lake, ocean, bog, give us a call.
Ya' need concrete work quick? 
Iron Buffalo has got your back (or is that feet?) no job to small, size 4's are fine! No job to big, size 14 & 15's are common in this clan...
The Russian mafia will be all over this (or is that under). Heck the Ural is made in Russia! National pride angle, right? 
They really care about their comrades, "How many bags ya' need Vlad?"

Next comes the hard part, marketing. 
What should we call her? Come on get those creative juices flowing, I can't handle all of this brilliance myself.
We already have The Mule, 4M (3M was already taken) and now? 
Every machine has to have a name to effectively market to a specific demographic.

Let'r rip, this could be huge! Don't hold back tell me what you think. Yes I'll share our massive fortunes with you for the honor of naming the next beast, really!

If you are interested in investing, just send me a check.

Your budding financial adviser,
Bottom of The Bog Bill 

Maybe I should run this by Marg first, nah.