Can a disciple of Jesus be a "prepper"?

Short answer, yes ... and no.

Before I begin, let's be clear what I mean by "prepper".

I consider myself a "prepper" at heart. I am not one of the crazies like those depicted on shows like "Doomsday Prepper". Rather, I consider what I do to be an extension of the old Boy Scout motto "Be prepared!"

To my mind, it's a no-brainer. I have lived through too many power failures, ice-storms, and the like. It only makes sense to have some basic food supplies, candles, first aid supplies, extra propane bottle for the grill, wood for the firepit, and a little cash set aside for those times when the roads are shut down, or the electricity goes out, and the stores are immediately stripped bare by hordes of panicked people.

We tend to drive in out-of-the-way places at times, in our older vehicles. To me, it makes sense to keep a kit in the trunk with basic emergency supplies in the event that we have a breakdown, or severe weather forces us off the road, in an area devoid of shelter and cell-phone signal. A couple of blankets, a small case of bottled water, a day or two's worth of dehydrated or canned foods, and the means to build a small fire to cook it on, that just seems prudent.

I don't give a rat's patoot what the government claims about inflation figures. We all know that the price of groceries goes up and up and up, while interest on bank accounts is about as close to zero as you can get. That being the case, why not use some of the cash that might otherwise sit in the bank actually losing value, and purchase extra things with long term expiration dates. I don't mean those insanely priced "50-meal-buckets" and stuff like that. I mean extra bags of flour, sugar, boxes of pasta, pancake and biscuit mix, regular canned goods, dried beans and rice, dried and/or canned milk, stuff you can get at any grocery store. Especially if you catch them on sale. With the inflationary cost of groceries, that stuff will actually grow in value at the same time your cash money will lose value. If you buy only what you normally eat, and rotate your stock, you don't have to worry about stuff going bad and yet your pantry will get a little more well-stocked every payday.

I do a little gardening, and plan to do more. Why buy it if I can grow it cheaper? Not to mention the proven health benefits of gardening, both physical and mental. Grow enough, invest in a canner and some jars and lids, and that pantry will grow even faster, stocked with good home-grown food that hasn't been filled with who-knows-what-all chemical crap.

"Survivalism", I think, is a misnomer, at least what I practice. I consider myself a neophyte outdoorsman or woodsman, not a survivalist. Yes, much of what I practice when in the woods seems like what is called "survivalism" on TV, but I just don't like the term. I have no intention of becoming the next Grizzly Adams or Jeremiah Johnson. I'm not planning on some crazy "bug-out" scheme that takes me to the deep wilderness to avoid urban catastrophe. But, I also know that things can happen during a routine float trip, or hiking or fishing or camping trip, and so the skills and basic tools to build a fire, put together a shelter, find and purify water, and forage for edible foods is simple prudence, and, in my case at least, also a fun hobby. 

And, just for the record, I worry very very little about the usual crazy prepper things like "When the stuff hits the fan" (or SHTF scenarios), or "The end of the world as we know it" (TEOTWAWKI). Is it possible that the world could blow up in our faces? Sure. Having lived through the mess in Ferguson last summer, just a few miles from here, I'd be a fool to think otherwise. Could our government get a little crazier and a civil war actually flare up? I guess so, but I doubt it will, if only because most of our population just doesn't care enough to bother anyway. Could Putin in Russia, or that little dweeb in North Korea, or some maniac terrorist, lose what little is left of his sanity and launch an EMP or dirty bomb attack on us? Yeah, I guess so. But again, very improbable. It's not enough of a worry to send me running for the hills, that's for sure.

So, what I mean by "prepping" means taking common sense measures to guard against the real situations that anyone might find themselves in.

The question is, does this jibe with being a follower of Jesus Christ?

Let's start with the classic passage about this. Proverbs 6:6-8 urges us to consider the ways of the simple ant, which is diligent in preparing her food and gathering her harvest, compared to the lazy man who prefers sleep to work, and winds up poverty stricken.

Another passage sometimes cited is Matthew 25:1-13. In the parable of the ten virgins, five of them were foolish and did not bring extra oil for their lamps, and were eventually turned away from the Wedding Feast by the Bridegroom.

These are often contrasted with passages such as Matthew 6:24-34, where Jesus says that one cannot serve both God and money, and then points out how even the simplest wildflowers and birds are cared for by God, who will do so much more for us, and thus we should concern ourselves with His kingdom and righteousness, and let the worries of tomorrow go. There are many other passages in the gospels and the epistles that exhort us to not get hung up on money and goods but rather to leave it all in God's hands.

OK. I said at the beginning that the answer to "Can a Christian be a prepper?" has both a yes and a no answer.

I'm going to start with an emphatic "NO!". Now, before all my prepper friends get themselves into a frenzy, let me explain. We must admit, there are certain aspects to the "prepper lifestyle" that are definitely NOT things a Christian should be doing or involved in.

I am no friend of the current regime in Washington, or in Jefferson City for that matter. I am convinced that our political leaders are leading us headlong into disaster. I see our rights and freedoms being stripped away as fast as they can figure out the next step. I long for the "good ol' days" when Americans were, mostly, a free people. 

There is a very vocal percentage of "preppers" that advocate stockpiling and training with military-caliber arms in order to, if necessary, fight effectively against the government. I am sorry. As sympathetic as I am with their frustration, for I feel it myself, that is still wrong. Scripture is quite clear. As Christians, our primary citizenship is in heaven, and our role here is as ambassador for Christ to the unsaved world. The governments of the world, from the smallest village council to the most pwerful presidents and kings, are in place because God chose to allow them to be there, for whatever reason He has. I have written about this before, in my post just a few days ago. CLICK HERE to read that if you missed it. We are to be peaceful and above reproach. Armed rebellion against our own government, no matter how heinous it is, is just plain wrong. If this is what you mean by "prepping", then no, a Christian has no business anywhere near it.

Besides, from a purely pragmatic standpoint, this is pretty much a no-brainer. This is not 1776. In 21st century America, even a half-trained and equipped squad of soldiers is going to take down even the most determined and well-defended home. A platoon will take out almost any "compound". Plain and simple. Armed rebellion is just a slow and painful method of suicide.

What about things like stockpiling food and supplies? That is, unfortunately, not such a clear-cut issue. What it boils down to is attitude and perception.

"God helps those that help themselves". That is NOT in the Bible, despite what some think. Ben Franklin used it in Little Richard's Almanac in 1757. The earliest known usage is from one of Aesop's Fables. In actuality, God helps the helpless. Is. 25:4, Rom 5:6, and so forth. On the other hand, Scripture also tells us that the lazy will fail, that those who refuse to work should not be allowed to eat, and so on.

As Christians, we are responsible for toiling for our food. We are responsible for providing for ourselves and our families. We are also responsible for being hospitable and charitable, responding in open-handed joy to those in need. We absoutely trust God, 100%, to provide the means to do this, but, though He has the sovereign power to do so, He is not in the habit of simply dumping a truckload of food on our porch. Normally, He supplies us with the ability to find and keep a job that will pay for these things, either a "regular" job, or perhaps as a farmer or rancher or the like.

I trust God 100% for the very air that I breathe, the water I drink, the health I need to go about my daily business. I honor Him buy using these gifts to work to provide for myself and my family, to further the work of expanding His kingdom, and to be charitable to those that have less and may be in need.

It is not dishonoring to God, it is not being distrustful of Him, to be prudent in salting away extra foodstuffs and supplies against a day of need, IF, and ONLY IF, I do so in a clear-eyed manner that gives the glory to Him and not to my own "foresight" or "prudence".

If I take the attitude, even unspoken, that "I don't really need God because I have a fully stocked pantry, a huge garden, and plenty of guns and ammo to hunt with", then that is sinful pride, dishonoring to God, and not a Christian activity. It is practically inviting God to "show me who's boss".

If God provides me the wherewithall to store supplies, and I do so in thankfulness to Him and with the intent to use them to His glory, and I do not "skimp" on day-to-day charity and God-honoring activity to do so, then all is good.

There is one other aspect that I want to look at briefly. A common theme in the prepper community is fortifying your home and protecting your stockpiles from "the zombie apocolypse". This does not, usually, refer to "the living dead" a la George Romero movies, but to the crowds of unprepared starving people that are expected to arise in periods of really widespread and prolonged social upheaval.

As Christians, we are commanded to give to those that ask of us. To be sacrificial in our charity and our hospitality towards those in need. To be mindful of self-defense and protectful of my supplies is one thing. To refuse to help even the most wild-eyed stranger that may present himself, is quite another. If I have a large stockpile of beans, and an unruly crowd demands to be fed some of those beans, I must do so, giving God the glory for providing them. And that may mean putting some protection around the pantry, to keep someone from destroying the supplies and preventing me from serving the greatest number possible.

The bottom line is this. 

A Christian has no business being in armed rebellion against the government, no matter now terrible. If that is what you call prepping, then no, a Christian may not rightfully do so.

Stockpiling of food and supplies may or may not be done in the framework of a Christian lifestyle.

If it done out of pride, and greed, and a sense of trusting only in self and not in God to provide for future needs, then no, that is not a Christian way to live and should be shunned for the evil that it is.

If it is done in a spirit of humble thankfulness, and a sincere desire to honor God by providing for your family and for others as may need it, then yes, a Christian not ony can, but should, do so as God provides the means.

And, as Frank and Fern, "Enola Gay" of Paratus Familia, and Patrice Lewis of Rural Revolution, so often exhort on their blogs, never forget that the most important prep of all is be sure of your place in His kingdom. For it will be absolutely useless to store and stockpile and consume twenty years worth of food, only to eventually die and wind up spending an eternity in hell. Prepare for eternity first, and then look to earthly concerns.

Thanks for reading!
Ron, and the Debster

Preparedness: Friendships, health, and wellness

Well, you never know when things will go straight south on you, seemingly in the blink of an eye.

For a few days, I had been feeling a little under the weather; not really sick, but not 100%, either. But, after my normal weekend off, I went to work Monday night like usual. About 4 am, I began really feeling crappy, but I assumed it was just from being tired, and readjusting to working all night after a couple nights off. Not unusual for Monday nights . But about 5 am, I spiked a fever and became delirious, according to the guys I was working with at that moment. They got my on-site supervisor to our location, and he got me out of the van and back to the office. My wife was called, and she had my brother-in-law lead her to the East St. Louis railroad yard where I work. (She had never been there; I had always discouraged that due to the really bad neighborhood surrounding it.) By that time, the railroad nurse had shown up, and determined that my fever was 104.4. She gave me a couple of Tylenol. They were going to call an ambulance for me, but my wife agreed to take me straight to the hospital.

We got to St. Anthony's Hospital about 7 am Tuesday, and my fever was down to 102, and an hour or so later was below 100. They did some fast talking and convinced me to spend the night, so I could get some IV antibiotics and fluids into me, and some rest. That one night turned into two nights, but they finally let me out yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. I had been pumped full of several different powerful antibiotics, plus several bags of saline. I was initially diagnosed as having pneumonia, but after a chest X-ray, a CT scan, and several blood tests, that was changed to a bad upper respiratory infection.

At home now, I am on orders to rest, and have two different oral antibiotics plus a third one via a nebulizer/inhalation machine.

One truly positive takeaway form this is that since the hospital is a strict no-smoking zone, I was put on a nicotine patch, and that seems to have done a great deal to help me with my smoking addiction. I went two and a half days smoke free. I can't say that I have stuck with that completely, but I can say that from two packs per day I am down to less than half a pack per day, and I foresee being able to quit completely in the near future.

It was good to have my wife by my side throughout; she only left my hospital room to go home and take care of our dogs and run errands; she was right there with me otherwise. What a wonderful woman I am blessed with!

My best friend was in and out several times. A good friend and a Godly man. And, a couple of other really good friends from way back showed up. Also Godly men. The interesting thing about friends like that is that although we hadn't seen each other in several years, just staying in touch via Facebook, when they made their (separate) appearances, it was like we had just seen each other the day before, without a trace of awkwardness. That is a hallmark of a true friendship.

This episode has really impressed upon me the importance of regaining and then maintaining the highest level of health and fitness possible. If I had been truly healthy and in good shape, I might have avoided this all completely, or at worst just been temporarily staggered by it. But because I had let my physical fitness level get so bad, this could have literally killed me if proper, prompt, and efficient treatment wasn't available. What would have happened had it occurred during a grid-down situation?

From painful personal first-had experience, I can tell you that a true "prepper" needs to work on his/her personal preps, meaning health and fitness levels, and solid friendships, with the "beans, bullets, and band-aids" as next-tier projects.

And, most importantly, one's "preps" need to address one's relationship with the Savior. Death can be right around the corner, and it would be the height of folly to be caught unprepared for THAT.

That's enough for now.

God bless!
Ron (and the Debster)

Health updates and new stuff

Well, 2015 is off and running. At least no one close to me has died yet this year. Whew!

Some good news on the health front. My leg is healing quite nicely. The hard-core oral antibiotic regime of amoxicillin seems to have done the trick, making the short-term side-effects worth the hassle. There is still a little ways to go, but it is mostly healed up. Still have to use the mupirocin antibiotic ointment and keep it bandaged, but not for much longer.

The Debster's knees are coming along quite well. Her doctors and therapists are quite pleased with how far she has come so quickly this second time around. Won't be long and she'll be chasing me around with a rolling pin and/or frying pan, and probably catching me fairly easily. (I'm thinking I probably need to invest in a safety helmet soon.)

Not all the news was good, though. I have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic; my blood sugar numbers and other indicators are just a hair below full-blown diabetic levels. So my doc has me on meds, diet, and exercise, with a follow-up in a couple months with an endocrinologist.

Also have a pretty bad fungal infection in both feet. Doc thinks it may have contributed to the cellulitis, in fact. Podiatrist appointment later this week to begin work on that mess.

There are other issues as well, including weird hemoglobin and platelet levels. Hematologist appointment coming up for THAT. 

Geez. More doctor appointments now than in all of the last 10 years combined. The price of getting older and, more to the point, not taking care of myself to begin with. Let that be a lesson to ya!

Moving on: I've said this before, but I really mean it this time (ahem .. cough cough). Need to work on preparedness levels.

I've come to realize that I can think and talk all I want about "getting/being prepared", but if the Debster and I aren't on the same page, it's going to be tough sledding. My wife, simply put, does not think the way I do about this stuff. She was born and raised in the Great Nanny State of Illinois, and has the mindset that the government, or "somebody", or just "they", will take care of us if push comes to shove. Needless to say, that attitude makes me crazy. 

[An aside: why do people say "needless to say", and then say it anyway? If truly "needless", then don't say it; if has to be said, then don't say "needless". Nevertheless ...]

So I guess that before I get all involved with planning for long-term food storage, extensive gardening, saving money and resources, reducing dependency on others, and all that, I need to work on getting the Debster more willing to back me up. Not that she is fighting me on any of this. She is not. She simply doesn't understand the need for it, and has no real enthusiasm for it, nor much interest in active involvement. And her active participation is crucial to any serious advancement in these areas.

There are a lot of resources out there, both in print and on the Internet, about homesteading, rural living, home-farming and ranching, and the like. But so far, I haven't found much that would be of great help to us in urban preparedness. As I have mentioned before, the "bug-out" scenario, or even moving to a rural homestead, is pretty much a non-starter for us. Any prepping we do, at least for the foreseeable future, will involve a strictly urban environment, in a fairly small house on a very small city lot surrounded by homes, near major arterial roadways. Not the ideal "prepper"-type location, ya know?

Tip for saving money: don't spend loose change. Break a bill if you need to. At the end of each day, toss your loose change in a jar or can. You'd be surprised how quickly it adds up. Every so often, take a few minutes to count it. A pint-size mason jar holds $60 in loose mixed changed easily. And you know those larger prescription pill bottles, about 2" in diameter and about 2-1/2" tall? They will each hold $10 in loose change, with a little room left over. Let it pile up, and then once or twice a year, take it to the bank to exchange for folding money that you can put in your home safe or lock-box with the rest of your cash stash.

Well, that's enough for now. As always, thanks for reading!

God bless you all

Ron (& the Debster)

Update on The Debster, and cousin Crazy George goes off-grid

I thought this was worth a chuckle ...

Well, the Debster has been home for a couple of days now, and life is settling back into some semblance of normalcy. She is still pretty limited in what she can do, but is improving daily. She gets up and down the stairs from the bedroom fairly well, and is doing her prescribed exercises with only a little bit of prodding from "the management of this torture chamber", meaning me. Her incision is healing nicely. She is normally a very slow healer, so that is VERY good news. And she has begun to cut back on the pain meds, also great news. One other thing that I really hope to see happen is that as the pain recedes and she gets some normal motion back, she will be able to work on strengthening herself all around. She has been in so much pain for so long, and hence virtually an invalid, that she has allowed her muscle strength to atrophy to an alarming extent. This is going to be a long process, but I hope that by the end of the year, after the other knee has been replaced, it will speed up quickly.

I received a letter the other day from my cousin Crazy George.

Hey Ronbo! [I'll explain that later]

Well, Patsy and I finally did it! We bought a spread near [name of town redacted]. You been yammerin about self-sufficiency and going off the grid for so long that we decided you just might be right.

 We have about 100 acres. It's kind of hilly, par for the course here in the Missouri Ozarks, too rocky to be great farmland. Most of it is wooded, but there are a couple of acres fairly level and clear, with a nice sized spring-fed crick running through it.

The nearest town is about 5 miles away, and our property is about a mile down a dirt road off the county road. The closest "neighbor" is about a mile away. There are NO utilities run out here at all.

This is a stock photo of a 1971 Airstream similar to George's.
He doesn't allow photos of his. Or of anything, for that matter. Kinda paranoid.

For the moment, we are living in our Airstream camper. We haven't decided what we are going to do about a permanent abode, but we are leaning towards building a log cabin. There is no shortage of building material, that's for sure!

There is a small outbuilding that hasn't fallen down yet. I'm going to do some repairs on it, and use it to house our garden tractor and our ATV. 

We had the crick tested, and the water has no chemical pollution. So I am going to put up a 500-gallon cistern, and a generator-powered pump from the crick to keep it filled. A good charcoal filtration system should take care of other remaining impurities. Eventually we will have to figure out a better water supply; that generator uses a lot of diesel fuel. Even adapting it to run on waste oil, and bio-diesel which I will be able to make myself, it is not economical enough to be a long-term solution.

I need to run into town and pick up some supplies, so I'll be mailing this from there. Give me a call. Although I don't have cell service out here, you can leave a message and I'll be able to get it when I get to town.

Hope to see you out here visiting soon.
George

Well, I have to go as well. Time to get the Debster up, get her breakfast, and finish the laundry. More to follow soon.

God bless!
Ron

Saying hello to 2014, and a sad goodbye to a great cousin.

I haven't been posting much, obviously. Sorry about that, folks. I fully intend to be more consistent from now on.

We're starting off the new year with a sad note, unfortunately. My cousin, Vernon Buske of Alhambra, Illinois, passed away Wednesday afternoon (January 1) while taking a nap. He was 81 years young. Vern was a fabulous guy. Full of fun and stories and laughter. He will be sorely missed.

There are so many things that I want to accomplish this year.

1. Expand my garden as much as I can, considering the limited space and lack of exposure to full sun. I figure I can do better than last year, though. 

2. Completely re-vamp the basement storage room to allow for more food storage and better organization.

3. Finally finish that downstairs bedroom closet that the Debster has been after me to do.

4. Become more consistent in church attendance. It was easy to fall out of the habit, especially when I began working straight midnights. 

5. Work on losing weight and becoming healthier. With a fully-equipped YMCA just a quarter-mile from my house, this should be a slam-dunk, if I can just get off my lazy butt.

6. Do more of my own auto maintenance. I used to do almost all of it, but have gotten into the habit the last few years of taking them into the shop for even simple things like oil changes. Boo hiss!!

7. Last, but by no means least, be a better husband. My wife is the greatest treasure I have on earth, and I could, and should, do a better job of treating her that way. I'm not really a jerk, but there is always room for improvement!

There are a lot of other things floating around in my head, but no point in getting too ambitious. I know me too well to do that.

God bless you all!

"Prepping": fantasy vs reality

I have been reading and thinking a lot, lately, about "prepping". You know, the fad sweeping the country that has people buying guns and ammo in bulk, storing food and water in every possible nook and cranny, taking classes in herbal medicine, foraging for food, guerrilla warfare, seed-to-seed gardening, raising chickens and rabbits in back yards, and who-knows-what-all.

Some of what they are saying, I agree with whole-heartedly. Many years ago, I did my time as a Boy Scout, where the official motto is "Be Prepared" and where we were trained in all sorts of basic outdoor survival techniques and activities. (From what I understand, the Scouts these days are more urban-oriented, but that's OK, because that's where most kids live anyway, especially the ones that can benefit most from the program.)

A few years ago, severe storms knocked out power in a lot of areas around Saint Louis, and many homes were without electricity for up to 10 days. Though we lost our power, we were fortunate in that it was back on in just a few hours. But my mother-in-law's house was down for over a week; she stayed with us until things got back to normal. I remember the Great Blizzard in the early 80's, that had our area grid-locked for about a week. And we all know that it is proverbial around here, that just a hint of snow in the forecast will cause store shelves to be stripped of bread and milk almost instantaneously. Then there are the tornadoes that we are subject to every year. Other parts of the country have to deal, on a semi-regular basis, with floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards, tornadoes, just about every natural disaster imaginable.

Some are predicting wide-spread economic meltdowns, even civil and/or guerrilla war in our streets and countryside. That, I think, though in theory possible, is a tad far-fetched. But, you never know, I guess.

So yes, it behooves everyone to think about, and prepare for, the almost-certain eventuality of being "off the grid" for at least a short period of time at least once or twice in their lives.

But what, exactly, will this REALLY entail? Realistically speaking, running off to the woods with your trusty "bug-out bag" and living off the land while the country goes to hell in a handbasket, is pure macho fantasy. I predict that if people actually attempt this, most if not all will come running home to mamma pretty quickly, if they survive. As much wild game and edible wild plants as there may be, most areas would be hunted out and picked clean in a relatively short time. 

Those that own acreage in remote areas, and have a decent cabin built and vegetable gardens and livestock will do better, of course. They actually would stand a good chance of making it through the emergency, provided they aren't over-run by starving mobs or government troops or hordes of zombies. Or some combination of the three. But even that is not a realistic possibility for the majority of people. There simply isn't enough land available for it, and most wouldn't know what to do if they had it anyway.

So, where do I stand on this? Well, let's consider where we are starting from. Dear wife and I are in our mid-50's. Neither of us is in top physical condition. Her knees are so arthritic that she can barely walk, and she has other medical conditions as well. I am overweight and have high blood pressure and a touch of arthritis myself. So the "bug-out-bag" scenario is a non-starter for us, even if such a thing were truly viable for anyone, which I doubt. We do not own any land out in the middle of nowhere, and would be hard-pressed, money-wise, to be able to buy any. So, unless some things change drastically, we are pretty much stuck with staying where we are and riding it out. "Bugging-in", I guess you could call it.

So what should she and I be doing to "Be Prepared"? The first order of business is to get healthier. That should be easier for me than for her; most of my physical problems stem from being overweight and smoking too much. Both of those conditions can be remedied, and I have begun to work on them, Trying to lose weight and cutting back on the smoking with the goal of eventually quitting completely. I can also begin a regime of exercise to build muscle and stamina.

I put in a small vegetable garden this past year, but it did not turn out well. Good news is that I learned a lot from my mistakes, and so next year I think it will be much more productive. Growing as much of our own food in the small space available will be a help. It is healthier than store-bought, would give us a big psychological boost, and would save us money that can go towards other things. Plus would give me, and maybe Dear Wife also, some much-needed exercise.

We also need to implement a systematic plan to store a variety of basic long-shelf-life foods, toiletries, first-aid supplies, candles, all sorts of things that would be needed if the grid does go down. We also need to think about the possible need for self- and home-defense. More on these things next time.

God bless you,

Ron

PS: Heard another good joke:

Wife tells her husband, "Stop and buy a carton of milk. If they have avocados, buy six."
When he arrived home, his wife asked why he bought six cartons of milk.
He replied,

...wait for it ...

...wait for it...


"They had avocados."

Scattered thoughts ....

Congratulations to the good people of the State of Colorado! This past Tuesday, Colorado voters voted to recall two of their state senators, Democrats Angela Giron and John Morse, who was also the President of the state Senate. The recall campaign was seen as primarily a referendum on anti-2nd Amendment gun control laws for which these two voted. Even though their districts have a majority of Democratic voters, it seems pretty obvious that the citizens of those two districts are pro-2nd Amendment.

A lot of pro-gun-control legislators have definitely sat up and taken notice. Let's keep this ball rolling! The right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right of any free people, and is codified as such in our Federal Constitution. The word is spreading fast: If you as a law-maker want to mess with our fundamental rights, your job is on the line!

......

Heard a good joke the other day:

A blind guy on a bar stool shouts to the bartender, “Wanna hear a blonde joke?”
In a hushed voice, the guy next to him says, “Before you tell that joke, you should know something.
“Our bartender IS blonde, the bouncer is blonde. I’m a 6′ tall, 200 lb black belt. The guy sitting next to me is 6’2″, weighs 225, and he’s a rugby player. The fella to your right is 6’5″ pushing 300 and he’s a wrestler.
Each one of US is blonde. Think about it, Mister. Do you still wanna tell that joke?
“The blind guy says, “Nah, not if I’m gonna have to explain it five times.

.....

(Photo copied from their Facebook page)

Have you ever heard of the band, Madison Rising? They have an unbelievable beautiful rendition of our national anthem. Here is a link to it on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8C7i9kdEf8

I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical when I was first told about it. Nothing burns me up more than someone taking liberties with our beautiful National Anthem. But I will say this. Although their version is not "traditional", it is well done in a very respectful manner by young people that truly seem to love their country and all it stands for. I think it says something in their favor that a lot of veterans organizations, VFW halls, and so forth have asked them to play at their functions. So give this a listen. I'll bet that by the time the song is over, you will be up and cheering, and just may have a tear or two in your eye. It is that good!

....

I have an old 3-burner propane camp stove that runs off of one- or two-pound cans of propane, the kind that you would use on a propane torch. I am going to see if it will also attach to a larger propane tank, the size that is used on gas grills. If it doesn't, I'm going to try to find a way to adapt it to do so. Propane is much cheaper to buy that way, and the stove could run off the same tank as our grill. That way, if we ever have a situation where our utilities go down for any length of time, we will still be able to cook fairly easily without resorting to a campfire in the back yard. I'll let you know if and when I get this figured out.

Until next time ....

Ron