Dreaming Big is Half the Fun

Well, I did what I could.

I bought a ticket. I didn't win the big money; that went to Florida and Maryland. My wife threatened me with divorce if I spent another dime on lottery tickets and did not buy my ticket in Florida; it seems that's where they sell all of the winners anymore.

There used to be a show on one cable channel or another about how a big lottery win had ruined somebodies life. Week after week of disasters. Millions gone in a few years; crooked family stealing, begging letters form all over the world, looking for a free handout form what you were lucky enough to receive. DUI's divorces, bankruptcies; trouble up hill and down dale.

Maybe the lucky ones were the ones who didn't win?

Or maybe that is just the class of people buying lottery tickets? Those out for more money in an instant than they could earn in a lifetime? Those who were poor because they thought poor, and having millions didn't change their way of thinking; they just thought poor with more money to spend.

There were success storied too that I remember. One group of guys hit a big jackpot and split millions. 3 of them retired right away. The fourth was still working. Although he was driving to work in a new pickup.

For me, winning isn't everything. The dreaming I get for a few bucks is worth the expense. I also get a dose of reality with it.

How would I spend $400 million? Or; How would I spend the $200 million the government would let me keep? $400 million gets cut in half pretty quick, with the cash value of the annuity being the biggest cut. And the IRS and the Commonwealth of Kentucky getting a share. Reality first; fantasy second.

Next comes the Deal With God part; the portions you would give to each charity, if you win. Surely God will look more kindly on your numbers, if you agree to give a portion of it away? It may help. Just because it hasn't yet worked for me doesn't mean it won't work ever.

And the Family clause; each family member gets a slice of the pie; a slice that varies- like the Charity part- when you realize just how far $200 million won't go.

Then comes the Spend it on Me segment; New Car!; Wait- New Rolls Royce!; Wait; New Ferrari!, no Bentley, No Bugatti or Lamborghini or Porsche or Wait!

New House! on Land; lots of land, with 5 bedrooms, no 10 bedrooms, and a game room and a pool and a hot tub overlooking the lake I'll build so I can see one from the hot tub.

And then the next morning there are two winners; Florida and Maryland.

And you shut off the alarm drag your loser carcass out of bed and start getting ready for work. On the way there you stop for a donut and a cup of coffee.

And a lottery ticket.

Salute

Yesterday I was looking for an uplifting item to post, and had to hunt for something.

Today one dropped into my lap, in an email from a friend and fellow veteran.

The title of his email was 'No Words Needed'.

In some respects he was right. But in others, maybe less right.

The events stand on their own; the actions of this boy are proudly able to speak volumes.

But they are also worthy of comment.

I have a 9 yer old granddaughter; I know what $20 represents to a child of that age. A dollar is money; 5 bucks is heaven. $20; that's Sam Walton Rich. It represents unlimited spending. When a major purchase is $2.50, $20.00 is REAL CASH! Think about it this way: assume you just found enough cash to equal two weeks pay. Puts it into perspective, doesn't it?

We also have a child who never knew his father. He knows he was a soldier, and he knows his career as a soldier is why he is not around. Some folks would be bitter about that. The Army wouldn't represent the best we can be, but the entity that stole the most important man ever in your life as a young boy.

But he isn't. He has found money, and instead of spending on himself, or on his immediate family, he spends on his larger family, his Army Family.

Another point the article doesn't make that needs to be. Not only is this one special kid; he has one very special Mother.

This youngster didn't get this way on his own. He was formed by a woman who had every reason to be bitter, and apparently is not. What better way to honor her husband's memory than the boy she has raised?

Yesterday I went hunting for good news, and found a group of divers who rescued a shark.

Today I had good news thrust upon me, and this was the best kind of good news; it is the kind that gives me hope.

Workin' Fer a Livin'

I have been working in my new office for the last few days, and in the beautiful weather outside have been a couple of guys who do the maintenance on the building. I have worked with them both before, so I know them well enough to kid around.

Which of course I did.

But I was only half kidding.

One part of me wanted to be outside in the warm weather, using power tools and breaking a sweat.

But then I regained my sanity. Doing things like breaking up an old concrete wall, building a form and then pouring the new wall is fun, when it is a hobby, around the house. But I guarantee you it would get old in a hurry if it was your real job.

Especially when the weather turns for the worse, like it's going to do Friday. Working in the 75 degree sunshine is a lot more attractive than working in the 55 degree rain.

And I do have a job I can brag about. Not my real one, although I can and do brag about it, I had a plumbing job to do the other night, and it went very well.

My eldest boy and his wife bought a new washer and dryer, one of those fancy new front loader sets, and they didn't connect properly with the old hook ups. So we had to do some work before the new set went in.

They have a nice sized laundry room, but it was laid out funny. There was a shower in the middle of the longest wall (an el cheapo thin plastic thing that was install by a Hobbit. Had to have been; the shower head was only 5 feet off the floor.) This we removed, unceremoniously. But we saved the copper pipe. It took a few minutes to bust up the concrete they poured under the plastic pan, but even then it only took about 20 minutes to remove all traces of its existence.

Then we reconfigured the old piping so we could use it to connect the washer. Cleaning up the old copper was the hardest part, but even so we we ready to sweat the joints in about an hour. And that hour of labor saved us 30 bucks in copper pipe. It Pays to Recycle sometimes.

Sweating the joints took about 5 minutes, and then we turned on the water. No leaks anywhere; that is a job to be proud of, when reusing old pipe and old fittings.

The drain was easy; 10 feet of PVC and a couple of elbows. Done!

Then we turned to the electric for the dryer. Moving the outlet was more time consuming than we figured. The wall was concrete block, and in drilling for the new screw holes we hit a rock, and burned up the masonry bit; damn the bad luck. Another run to Lowes for more bits.

Then the hard part; moving the old set into the garage and then the new set into the laundry room. We got everything into position, hooked up and running and called it a night. In 5 hours we removed the old appliances and the junk shower, ate dinner, ran to the store for supplies, re-routed the hot and cold water lines, ran a new drain and moved the electrical outlet for the dryer and moved in and hooked up the new stuff.

Not bad for a couple of guys playing around after work. And yeah, I know a pro would have been done before we got back from our first trip to Lowes.

But then I wouldn't have had the fun of watching my grandson watch me sweat a joint and then look at me all wide-eyed and say: "Pappaw plays with fire!"

ReStore Score

The Cincinnati Chapter of Habitat for Humanity has a series of stores that sell home goods and building supplies they call the ReStore. Some are new, others used or antique. They also have appliances, both new and used. Until today all of the stores were on the Ohio side of the river, and since the only thing I buy up there is Yuegling Beer, I never had the opportunity to visit.

Today they opened a store on the good side of the river out on US 42, on left just past Mall Road. If you're local, those are enough directions. If your not local, what the Hell do you care where it's located? Since I was out in the Florence area anyway dropping in to see the grandsons I decided to stop by.

I probably shouldn't have. I could have spent $500 in there today. As it was, I spent just over $100. But what a deal! I also agree with the premise; donate the used stuff that still has life in to save space n the landfills and to allow cheapskates like me access to inexpensive, quality goods. Plus, whoever does the donating gets to cheat Obama out of a few bucks. Win-Win- WIN!!!!!

I have been needing a new garage door. The old one is still serviceable. Meaning it does go up and down, and does at least block the hole when its down. Somewhat. More or less. Its an old wood door, probably from the late 1960's, so it has done its duty and ready to retire.

But I was having issues buying a new one. $250 for a cheap one; $5-600 for a decent one. Chunk of change, to replace one that still worked. Somewhat. More or less.

Then today walking around the ReStore between the $15 ceiling fans and the $5 fluorescent light fixtures are new garage doors. Brand and style aren't important, but the doors that I have been seeing at Lowes and Home Depot in the $600 range are here for $145.00. Now that's a deal!

But wait! There's MORE!!!

Because this is the inaugural weekend, they are giving you, GIVING you I say, another 20% off of that price! Okay; I thought I had a deal before, but now's it's REALLY a DEAL!!!!

But wait; there's MORE!

IF you donate a can good too the Freestore Foodbank, they will take off another 10%!!!!

So I grabbed a garage door and two cans of green beans from the trunk, called my son- who lives close and has a minivan, and purchased myself a $600 garage door for.....

$107.00, tax title and warranty; out the door. I also couldn't resist, and bought 2 fluorescent light fixtures, complete with 4 bulbs, for $7.42. 8 bulbs would cost twice that at Home Depot.

Plus they were giving away free hot dogs, metts and brauts, so I was able to chow down on a hot dog and a couple of brauts while I was at it. No sauerkraut or horseradish, but still, for that price, who am I to complain?

So to recap: I got a $600 garage door and $80 worth of light fixtures for less than $120 bucks, plus a free lunch, and I helped out a charity that actually does good work that I support all in one afternoon.

I am hoping you stopped reading a few paragraphs ago and have already grabbed you keys.

If you haven't, then you must have more money than Romney.

The Tree and The Acorn

I know you've heard the old saw about the acorn not falling far from the tree.

Well, Saturday my second oldest officially became a redneck.

Jeff Foxworthy defines Redneck as 'a glorious lack of sophistication', a definition I agree with. But there is also a individualistic, self-sufficient bent that I think is a requirement in a good Redneck. Here is my son's story.

Apparently Saturday afternoon he wanted to watch a few movies on DVD. But His DVD player wouldn't work. So, unlike your hipster-dofus, who would grab a credit card and his password to Amazon. my son grabbed a screwdriver. And started dismantling his DVD player.  After a few screws, he discovers the problem. The drive belt between the motor and the spindle that drives the DVD unit is broke, and laying in the bottom of the player.

End of the day, right? Not by a long shot.

Our intrepid young Redneck does not let a broken part stop him. He goes On the Hunt for a replacement. But where do you find a replacement drive belt for a cheap DVD player on a Saturday afternoon?

Why in the basement of course!

Not that I have a stockpile of old DVD players in the basement; I don't. But what our Redneck Repairman is looking for is flexible piece of rubber, like a rubber band, but a whole lot smaller.

When ever I replace a burnt out headlight bulb, I replace them both, and put the one that still worked on the shelf as a spare. That way, if a blow another bulb I can put in the old one until I can get to the store for a new set.

Well, something even I didn't know is that the rubber ring that the bulb maker uses to seal the bulb into the headlight housing is exactly the same size as the drive belt in cheap DVD players.

A few seconds to slip the seal off of the bulb and Voila! a new drive belt.

The player was reassembled and has been working steadily and well ever since.

For those of us with a special bent, this is a proud moment.

Almost enough to bring a tear to an old man's eye.

Except he had to go and ruin one of my spare headlight bulbs.

A couple of anniversaries past last week without notice on the blog- My Dad's birthday on the 12th and the loss of my dog Junior on the 9th. Hard to believe they both happen in the same week every year. I didn't have a chance during the week to reminiscence, but this morning I do.

There is very little to say that would be new. Reviewing the too few faded memories, worn and scratchy; like an old film played a few too many times. Trying to find a new detail in a story or image studied many times before. Or maybe just sussing out what their lives still mean to me today.

We don't get where we are by ourselves. In some respects we are all Post Turtles, balanced where we are with the help of our friends. It is that help that makes the post we seem to be stuck on disappear, so we lose that sense of not belonging where we suddenly find ourselves. Dads always help with that feeling. Hell; it's their job to set us up on the post in the first place, and then help us grow the legs to get down.

A good dog is a help there too. When you are stuck on the post, looking for a friendly hand to help you down, that hand may just be a paw. Sometimes all you need is for a push is the gentle nudge of your dog's nose against the underside of your hand.

You miss that when it's gone.

And sometimes waste the rest of your life looking for it again.

Folks look in various places. Other friends and family. Or a new dog. Maybe in religion. Or a bottle.

But the best place to look is inside. Dad didn't help you grow those legs so you could pull them up inside your shell. You are meant to use them for every post you find yourself on. And yeah, some of those posts are longer than what you have met before. So what?

You grew legs once; grow them again.

And then thank the ones who taught you how to get down.

Today I'm in Heaven

About 10 years ago my Dad bought a BUNN coffemaker. He loved the coffee, but hated the idea that the thing was constantly hot, so he gave it to me.

I loved the thing. 5 minutes from hitting the switch to a full pot of darn near boiling tea- yeah, I drink tea, not coffee; because of a caffeine issue.

But about a year ago the damn cat knocked my BUNN off the counter and ever since it has leaked while brewing. I tried getting the parts from BUNN, but their customer service SUCKS. And, because BUNN's Customer Service SUCKS, I wasn't about to cough up a hundred bucks for a new one.

So for about 8 months I just got accustomed to adding an extra 2 cups of water to the tank and wiping up 2 cups of water from the counter. Yeah, it was a bad situation.

So I bought a $10 Rival at Walmart. Took 30 minutes to make a pot of tepid tea, and the pot was so poorly designed that it leaked whenever you poured anything from it. For the last 4 months I have still been wiping up half a cup of water from the counter every morning.

Then yesterday the wife went to a yard sale and found a BUNN for $10. This morning, for the first time in 4 months I had a HOT cup of tea in 5 minutes. I start the tea, prepare my cup with a little sugar and a little milk, pour a little milk in a bowl for Daisy, and Voila! Tea is done, and too hot to drink.

I don't care if it does rain today; Heaven on Earth has returned!

A New Search Engine

I heard about a new search engine called Start Page which, unlike all of the bigger search engines, DOES NOT track, record and distribute your search inquiries.

I hate Google for some of it's stands, just found out Bing tracks and sells your info also. Start Page uses Google and Bing to conduct the search, but your IP Address on the search shows as Start Page, not your personal IP address.

So the next time I look for The Anarchists Cook Book, The FBI won't know about it.

So, Friday I Had to Travel

I only travel for business. My idea of a perfect vacation is to never leave my property, unless I'm out of beer.

I’m serious. Why spend a fortune to go somewhere you won’t sleep well to spend a ton of money on stuff you’ll throw away or become instant consumables. Just so you can say you’ve been to Hawaii?

Don’t get me wrong; there are some things I would travel to see. I would love to go to Hawaii, but only to visit Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial, but 20 hours in the air for a day a Pearl just isn’t worth it.

I would also like to visit the Statute of Liberty. I just don’t want to go to New York to do it. The same with the Liberty Bell and Philadelphia; the Henry Ford Museum and Detroit and Washington DC and Washington DC.

I freely admit I hate cities. The bigger the city the more I hate it. I just hope I am never forced to go to New York, Chicago or LA.

I can examine why I hate cities pretty easily. They are chock full of people I don’t know. And, in my mind anyway, half of them are out to kill me or steal my stuff. And I can’t readily identify which half is which. Hell, in New York you can be as easily victimized by the punk with a gun as you could be by would-be Madoff and his pen. I just find it easier to avoid them all instead of trying to sort the wheat from the chaff on the fly.

Well, so much for the rant. Friday I had to go to Manchester Kentucky to sort out an issue I have been trying to clear by long distance for 2 years. I had to visit 4 county offices and got everything done in about 2 hours. I just cost me 6 hours on the road. But it was worth it. I was able to solve three issues that I couldn’t have otherwise. Sometimes the only way to accomplish anything is in person.

I’m just glad I was able to do it in Manchester and not Chicago.