I do windows!

The holidays are approaching fast and company is coming!

　

What to do…paint your home? Update the kitchen or bathroom? Clean your windows? "There is nothing more cost effective to improve the appearance and showcase your home, than to have your windows professionally cleaned." – M. B. Lynch, REMAX realtor.

　

Interior / Exterior, Construction Clean-up, Storm Windows, Skylights, Mirrors, Screens, Sills

Typical cleaning includes inside and outside of windows. Includes screen removal and cleaning of both sides and cleaning the frame and sills.

Best tat ever!

I was in Randy Adams' tattoo shop this morning with my neice and we came up with what I am sure will be my next tattoo. What do you think?

踢我

It's Chinese for "handsome warrior".
It means "Blog? I thought you said Dog!"
Or maybe it was the Chinese government's highest award given for honor and valor.
Or it's my Chinese girlfriend's pet name for me: "Studmuffin".

I'm going to get it at the top of my back and it actually says (get this!): Kick Me. Seriously, how funny is that?! Think about it. It's the ultimate joke. I can give people the "honor and valor" line if I want or whatever name I feel like being called by my supposed Chinese girlfriend but when a real Chinese person sees it they will think, "Oh, stupid Gringo (or whatever slang they use). Haha, very funny!"

So they think I'm stupid when I really did it on purpose! Epic! Just epic!

What else should I say that it says?

I love a good quote.

I'm gonna try to use this one today myself...

I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. You see, my mule don't like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughin' at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it. Joe (Fistful of Dollars, 1964)

h/t Clint Eastwood

What would Pa think of me?

I have his wedding ring, one of his hats and a pair of his overalls, not to mention his hairdo. I'm his size and I've been told I have some of his mannerisms. I wish I could have known him better. He was in the Army as a chaplain. He was a soul-winner with the best of 'em. Mom says he could meet you as you got in an elevator and lead you to Jesus by the first floor. He had more "preacher boys" surrender to preach under his influence than anybody I've ever heard of. He prayed for me before I was born. You may never have heard of Harvey W. Graham but his influence is still affecting the world for good.

Proof!

This just proves what I have always said: women are stupid and they have cooties. Ok, maybe it doesn't prove they have cooties...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/sep/15/climate-change-gender-divide-belief

Threads

This has been a rough week for a lot of people. The week of 9/11 can be tortuous to anyone who was affected by that day and who wasn't affected in some way? Others have lost jobs or family members. Watching the news is a TV whuppin' with fires, wrecks, people dying and the usual political idiots. It seems everybody one meets should be at the top of your prayer list. We all need some good news today.

My dear friend Scott said something the other day that is helping me through what is my worst year in recent memory. He did not explain why bad things happen to good people. He did not promise it would get better. He did not even guarantee me that I was through the worst of it. Of course, I can't do justice to his eloquence, thoroghness or passion but he illustrated by saying that he visited a castle in Europe some time ago and was struck by the beauty and complexity of the tapestries that were hanging on the wall. Vast murals of fabric depicting great historical scenes took his breath away with attention to detail and intentionality of each thread.

He said up close he could see a thread running incredible distances through the other colors to make a part of what at a greater distance looked to be a beautiful painting. If one were to turn that tapestry over, though, and look at the back side it is a completely different story. Loose ends of threads hang down shaggily. The colors don't make sense, running together and stopping without making a picture at all. From the back all one sees is a bunch of mixed up colors and threads that don't seem to have a reason.

This life we live is very similar. From this side of it nothing seems to make sense. There is no pattern and it certainly is not beautiful nor even intentional. It doesn't make sense. It's not fair, fun or fine no matter how close we look. The problem is we can only see it from this side of Heaven. We can't see the intentionality that God is weaving into it with each thread of difficulty or sacrifice we have to endure. Some of the threads are good and are fun to see stitched into our personalities but often times the most beautiful parts of a tapestry are the most difficult and don't make sense when viewed from this side.

The knowledge of this won't bring back those loved ones we have lost or make up for the tragedies we all endure. It doesn't even explain everything. Nothing ever will. So enjoy the good threads that run through all of our lives. Spend time this weekend with the ones you love. Remember the fun times and in the process you will make more. But just knowing that God intentionally weaves each and every thread of our lives to make a beautiful picture is very good news.

h/t Scott Parrish This is a must-listen!

Religion of peace

This picture was taken in Talooqan, Afghanistan yesterday after these men left their prayers. They are protesting the threat of burning korans in America tomorrow.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6891AM20100910

Which one doesn't belong?

Dear Lord...

I know I haven't talked to you much, however this past year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze,
my favorite actress, Farah Fawcett,
my favorite musician, Michael Jackson,
and my favorite salesman, Billy Mayes.

I just wanted to let you know that my favorite president is Barack Obama.

Amen.

Matthew Henry 1662-1714

Peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it but truth.


A dog can whip a skunk but is it worth it? Pop

h/t DR

There should be doves in these pictures.

Look close and see the scaredest jackrabbit in the county.




This is how I feel sometimes: the only one of these in a herd of those.

Dorky

Ok, to make up for having to read that last post, here's something more fun. This picture was taken December 7, 1941. The mother of all these kids thought the world was going to end because of Pearl Harbor and so demanded that all the kids pose in the yard for this picture. My friend, Dorothy Cybil, (They called her Cyb. I call her Dorky.) is on the front row with her arms folded looking to her right and smirking. She just turned 80 this last week. I've known her and her family for about 30 years now and I have always told her that because she's so tough I'm gonna have a pair of boots made out of her hide when she dies. She thinks that is the funniest thing ever. I went to see her on her birthday and as she walked me out to the car as I was leaving I told her that if she doesn't quit shrinking all I'm gonna get is a pair of slippers! I love you, Dorky!

Ugh.

That's the best way to describe me right now. Ugh. It's 3:30 Wednesday morning and I'm obviously wide awake. Sorry, no more midnight Ambien posts anymore, by the way. I dropped that stuff about a month or so ago and usuually sleep great but tonight for some reason I can't. I went to bed early and fell right to sleep but woke up about 1:30 with my mind racing.

Well, between my mind racing and Dori wanting up on the bed, I couldn't sleep. Lots of things to think about. I'm going dove hunting in a few hours and looking forward to that. I just took the Civil Service Exam and did well. I'll find out about my score mid-month. I may have a stalker. I found one flea on one dog yesterday for the first time all year. I think I may know a great secret to how church should be done. My computer runs ALOT faster without a certain filter on it and I'm working on plans to build a storage shed out back.

Now with all that stuff to think about, what's on my mind as I wake up? Ex-wife, divorce. What a waste. Ugh. Long pause...OK, I'm not going to give you everything. In fact I may delete this post later and consider writing it as therapy. Heaven knows I need that. Don't we all? Anyway, my mind keeps coming back to how much has been wasted. The divorce was final about 2 months ago and she has been gone from the house about 5 months. I keep finding stuff that has to do with her and throwing it out or giving it to her or her mom. Pictures, keepsakes, documents...stuff. As far as I know, there is nothing with her picture or name anywhere in the house except for some Christmas stuff I need to get from the attic. I deleted every picture of her or her family from the computer and online. I chunked or sold everything else because I don't want to be reminded of her but that process is excruciating.

Looking at wedding pictures, for example, is a whoopin'! What a great day that was! All my friends and family were there and everybody was having such a good time. My first grade teacher even came! Now looking at those pictures all I see is a waste of time, money, effort, emotions and resources. I threw away pictures of the family vacations we took to Schlitterbaun. All those love notes, birthday cards and anniversary cards I had been saving: trash. Notes from my parents saying how much they loved both of us and were so proud of us. Notes from her parents saying I was the best thing to happen to their daughter. All of it is a waste of paper now. All because of choices she made. Because raising kids is hard. Because staying married is difficult. Because doing the right thing means continuing to do the right thing.

So, what's the lesson learned here? What have I learned through all of this? It's the same lesson that our kids have unfortunately learned from it as well, I'm sure. They are grown now and are working on becoming responsible citizens on their own and I'm sure that we have all learned the same lesson: never get married and if you do then absolutely don't ever have kids. That's what we have learned. How sad. What a waste. Ugh.