We may spend our whole life climbing the ladder of success, only to find when we get to the top that our ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. — Thomas Merton, the American monk I just finished reading a book called Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life  by Richard Rohr. This quote was found in that book. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan monk who believes that we have two distinct parts of our lives.  After this quote he goes on to say: The task of the first half of life is to create a proper container for … Continue reading What Makes Me Significant?….

This Photo Saturday picture is perhaps one of my favorite barn pictures (I have about 500 of them).  It was taken somewhere around Moab Utah in July. Continue reading Utah Barn…

Source:  Catholic Leaders to Rep. Paul Ryan: Stop Distorting Church Teaching to Justify Immoral Budget | Faith in Public Life. “If Rep. Ryan thinks a budget that takes food and healthcare away from millions of vulnerable people upholds Catholic values, then he also probably believes Jesus was a Tea Partier who lectured the poor to stop being so lazy and work harder,” said John Gehring, Catholic Outreach Coordinator at Faith in Public Life. “This budget turns centuries of Catholic social teaching on its head. These Catholic leaders and many Catholics in the pews are tired of faith being misused to … Continue reading Catholic Leaders And The Ryan Budget….

I got into a discussion on FaceBook recently about Church/State responsibilities.  This one started out on a good friend of mine’s page where he stated: As a pastor I try to steer clear of citing personal preferences when it comes to politics. …. Having said that, I am certainly happy that a man of great integrity and moral character, Paul Ryan from Wisconsin, is a part of the conversation. Of course this brought on some other friends who stated it is absolutely necessary for pastors to point out God’s standards in guiding his flock in making the proper choices among … Continue reading Whose Responsibility???

I am going to shake off my vanity and put a picture of me for this Saturday’s photo. When we lived in New Jersey I developed a definite taste for oysters on the half shell. But I don’t usually get them unless I am close to the source. This picture was taken this Spring in  Baltimore Maryland which is close to the source :)  They were tasty indeed and the local beer was great in washing them down (as if they really need washing down). Continue reading Oysters…..

Source: Post office nears historic default on $5B payment – The Denver Post. Government agencies have a well-earned reputation of moving slowly in response to changes. I think the Post Office is a prime example of that. Here are some words from the source article indicating that molasses movement. FedEx and UPS and the Internet seem to be making the Postal Service obsolete.” Banks are promoting electronic payments, citing in part the growing uncertainty of postal mail. The federal government will stop mailing paper checks starting next year for millions of people who receive Social Security and other benefits, paying via direct … Continue reading Post office nears historic default on $5B payment – The Denver Post

Source: Gallup: No immediate bounce for Romney after Ryan VP pick – Political Hotsheet – CBS News. I am just not following all this presidential stuff like I used to but that doesn’t mean I don’t have an opinion once in a while and this is one of those whiles.  It seems strange to me that the VP pick in the GOP is from the conservative base of the party. Usually you pick a candidate that will bring in some additional votes. The Republican party certainly needs that as they seem to alienate more and more people daily. But on second … Continue reading No immediate bounce…

Study: Sea rise faster on East Coast than rest of globe – USATODAY.com. From Cape Hatteras, N.C., to just north of Boston, sea levels are rising much faster than they are around the globe, putting one of the world’s most costly coasts in danger of flooding, government researchers report. U.S. Geological Survey scientists call the 600-mile swath a “hot spot” for climbing sea levels caused by global warming. Along the region, the Atlantic Ocean is rising at an annual rate three times to four times faster than the global average since 1990, according to the study published Sunday in the journal Nature Climate Change. … Continue reading Sea rise faster on East Coast than rest of globe – USATODAY.com

I took this picture somewhere in Kansas. I think this is the mother of all silos I have ever seen.  Lots of corn…. Continue reading Gainery….

From researching previous posts I know that most businesses no longer do much on-the-job training.  That is they don’t take a green horn and teach him the skills that are necessary to make him a valuable employee. It is said that they just don’t see the profit in doing that as many will just leave for a higher pay once they have been trained. This varies remarkably from America’s past where in apprenticeships were the norm. I enjoy watching TV shows about people who build and remodel cars and motorcycles. It is interesting to watch how they do it. It is … Continue reading On The Job Training….

If you have anything to tell me of importance, for God’s sake begin at the end.    — Sara Jeannette Duncan,  1861-1922 I have never had any degree of patience in my life, especially now that I am in my senior years. So when I ran across this quote it got my immediate attention. I read quite a few fellow bloggers daily but I must admit some of them can get pretty long-winded. :)  I sometime find myself superficially skimming until I get to the last paragraph. My impatience with others is the reason I try to keep all my … Continue reading Begin At The End…..

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.  — Helen Keller Helen Keller has always been someone who has inspired me in my life. I would dreadfully fear but can’t imagine being both deaf and blind. If anyone knows about closed doors I’m sure it is her.  Yeah, I must admit that I probably spend more time looking at closed doors than I do finding new open ones. That is just my, and probably most everyone else’s, … Continue reading The Closed Door….

Here it is Photo Saturday again. I decided to use it to give you a glimpse of my new Chevy Sonic. I have had it over a month now and simply love it.  This picture was taken as we entered Moab Utah. I thought the orange mountains were a good backdrop for my inferno orange car  :) Continue reading My New Sonic…

Maybe you read here that I recently bought a new Chevy Sonic to replace my twenty year old truck. Of course that also meant getting insurance for it. It turns out that since it has such a high safety rating that the insurance is actually cheaper than our four-year old HHR. I was certainly pleasantly surprised by that! But getting insurance got me to thinking about all those commercials we see about them on TV.  It seems that every company claims that if you buy their insurance you will save $xxx a year in premiums. How can they all make … Continue reading About That Auto Insurance…

These very hot summer days are getting to me. In past years I have always rationalized having to endure the cold winter days so I could get some pleasant summer ones. I know last winter was probably the mildest one I have seen in at least twenty years so maybe these super hot summer days are in contrast to that. When I first rented a house in my bachelor days of the 1970s I hated having to mow the lawn. The lawn was no more than fifty by one hundred feet but it was the fact that I HAD to … Continue reading I Hate Crunchy Grass….

While on vacation recently we ate at a five-star restaurant at Mesa Verde.  When the meal came all the food was stacked in the middle of the plate. I know I frequently see that on the food cable channels but I never actually see people eat that food.  I know the stacking  is done because it is supposed to look better that way but how is it supposed to be eaten?  Are you supposed to un-assemble it so that it can be eaten or are you supposed to somehow pick through the layers to get what you want? I don’t … Continue reading About That Meal….

Just a quick aside to give you some words from a Sojourners email I recently received. We must all take to heart the words of Jesus in this matter. It shames me that this discussion is even necessary in our country: We have a genuine hope for a long term bipartisan solution and, in particular, a moral non-partisan commitment to protect the poor and vulnerable from being expendable in these fiscal debates. We should also say that Democratic budgets have not been models of fiscal responsibility and social justice either. But what the House budget is calling for is morally … Continue reading Aside – An Immoral Document…

Source: Insurers like that health law ruling sets their path – USATODAY.com. Companies are spending hundreds of millions on technology already to cut administrative costs, he said. Instead of buying individual health policies through agents who take up to 10% of the policy’s cost in commissions, consumers will buy coverage online or on the phone, he said, to help meet the law’s requirement that insurers spend 80% of premiums on health-care services. This is an article about how the private insurers are trying to cope with the new healthcare laws recently found to be constitutional by the Supreme court. One of … Continue reading Insurers like that health law ruling sets their path – USATODAY.com

Source: States explore new ways to tax motorists for road repair – USATODAY.com. States are looking for new ways of taxing motorists as they seek to pay for highway and bridge repair and improvements without relying on the per-gallon gasoline tax widely viewed as all but obsolete. Having to import oil from the Middle East is the primary reason so many of our kids die in our frequent foreign wars. Not giving those who don’t use as much oil as others some break is wrong-headed idea in my mind.  We need to tax the gas hogs on the road not the … Continue reading A Wrong-Headed Idea…

The one thing a man can do better than a woman is to grow a beard  – John Steinbeck (Travels with Charley) I am not used to pulling quotes from my hero John Steinbeck. That duty usually fall to my other hero Will Rogers. But when I came across this quote in Steinbeck’s book Travels with Charley recently I knew I had to include it here. My wife, like most of you guys out there already know, thoroughly believe that she can do absolutely everything better than I can. She has made a life out of constantly bringing up my … Continue reading The One Thing a Man Can Do Better Than a Woman…..

I don’t know how many times I have heard the title of this post. I defiantly don’t want people putting me in a pre-defined box! I guess that makes me ornery but I really don’t care. When someone says act your age they are really saying lie back and do what you are supposed to do. What a bummer man….   Besides that just which age do you want me to act. In my mind I feel like I am thirty-something but with the wisdom of a sixty-something. Yeah, my body seems to constantly remind me that it is older than … Continue reading Act Your Age!!!!

TODAY Health – Diet, Fitness and Wellness Blog | TODAY.com Blogs – Doctors behaving badly: 7 types to watch out for. This is a very interesting article about seven things you should watch out for in the doctor that is treating you. It isn’t often that we get this type of “insider” information about the medical establishments.  I always get a kick out of the way they say they “practice medicine”. That term is meant to infer that they don’t always get it right; they are still practicing. I don’t know about you but I certainly hope the doctor who … Continue reading About Your Doctor…..

      If a picture is worth a thousand words this one is certainly it.  Our current congress is so afraid of the NRA that they panic when ordinary citizens bring up the topic of gun control.  Yes, the NRA is a very powerful lobby but until more congressmen stand up to them they will continue to have a strangle hold on civilized debate about weapons of mass destruction….   Continue reading A Picture is…..