My time of year is approaching.....

I still cannot believe how quickly the year is passing by. I remember as child telling my dad that the time sure did fly by while we were out for summer vacation or on a beach trip or doing something else fun. Every time I would make that comment, my dad would always tell me that it goes even more quickly as you get older. As a young person, that never meant anything to me. Now, in my 40's, I realize more and more every year what my dad meant.

We are just a few months from Fall, football, and probably some news of a hurricane making landfall. This is my favorite time of the year and I wish I could just pause it when it gets here and make it last forever.

My friends and family think I am weird, but I get a little buzz when we have a hurricane or tropical storm in the Gulf. It is so amazing to me to see Mother Nature at work. I probably would not feel this way if I lived closer to the coast and had to experience major loss as the people in New Orleans and along the coastal line have, or if I had lost a loved one in a storm. But as it is, I love to track it, then sit in my screened porch with a glass of tea, and watch whatever it offers us. Here, we usually have wind damage, a lot of rain, and frequent tornadoes.

Some years, we have enjoyed the storm during the week and then enjoyed a good football game on Saturday. That is a good week for me, especially if I get to squeeze a hunting trip in, too.

Enjoy your July 4th Holiday...

But also remember those who have given their lives for our freedom. In addition to the men and women who have died in recent times, let us also remember the early times of our country. You may have seen an email containing this message, but it is worth mentioning again:

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence ?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.

FOOTBALL!

I dreamed last night that it was football season. Obviously, I was a little disappointed when I realized that it wasn't...at least on the calendar. So I had to use my imagination a little.

I turned the A/C down a little, poured myself a hot cup of coffee, checked out a few highlight clips from last season, and reminded my wife of how many days were left until FOOTBALL.

This got me to thinking about my blog that has been dead lately, so here I am. I kind of remodeled it a little while I was here, so if you find any broken links or something seems scrambled, please let me know. I added a few buttons, such as the one to click if you are following. If you have been following in the past, please let me know. It helps to motivate me in keeping this updated if I know people are reading.

Blizzard in Bama

Well, maybe not a blizzard by the standards of those areas that frequently see snow, but this is our first snow accummulation since 1993. This is the first time I have seen it snow all day since 1972. We have about 4" on the ground and it is still falling. Nothing compared to what some people see annually, but for us it is a "when hell freezes over" kind of scenario considering we are only about 2 1/2 hours from the sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.

I like to go park in a grocery store parking lot when snow is in the forecast and people-watch. All of the milk and bread in this small town was probably purchased last night. It's like they forget that it will be 40 the next day and the snow will melt.

Give us southerners an ice covered road and our Nascar minds take over as we go try it out. My wife and I just got back from taking a tour of the town, and every road we traveled had tire tracks and ruts down its side and several yards had tire tracks. Many people have "spun out" in our town today, and the racing season hasn't quite started yet.

I was there...

What a game. I have attended many Alabama football games over the years, but never one against Tennessee. I was determined to go to this one, paid dearly for the tickets, and never sat down once I got there. We got our money's worth as this one went down to the wire. It was a stressful end to a stressful week.

A few co-workers and I flew out of Atlanta the previous Monday morning to Indianapolis. We drove from there to Waterloo, IN, to work for a couple of days. From there, we drove to El Paso, IL, to work for a day, and then flew from Bloomington. IL, back to Atlanta on Friday.

I got home around 7:15 pm Friday and was in bed before 8. Slept like crazy, had a few dreams and when I woke from one dream it was only 9:20pm. I went back to sleep, dreamed again, and when I woke this time it was 11:30pm. I got out of bed, read a few articles about the next day's games, and got back in bed at 1:30 am. At 6:00 am, my wife and I climbed out of bed, got showers, and drove 4 hours to Tuscaloosa to watch Alabama and Tennessee play.

We got back home at 11:00 pm and I spent the next two days catching up on my sleep!

Roll Tide!

It's That Time Again.....

Isn't it great that football season is here again? It kind of tip-toed in on me this season as I have been busy with some personal things and did not give football much thought during the summer.

I usually look forward to the Thursday night game...the Kickoff Classic as they used to call it.....but even with ESPN's doubleheader, the games were a little more than boring this week. It seems today's schedules are a little boring, too, with only a few good match ups. Still, a day of boring football games is better than an exciting day at work (or shopping with my wife).

Football season is here, folks! We just need a new recipe for the grill and a storm brewing in the Gulf to make it official.

Hi folks! My wife and daughter are at the beach for a few days this week and my son and I are left working and fending for ourselves. No problem, they needed the break and so did we.

So I am just sitting here waiting on my goodnight call; wondering what is going to happen to the University of Alabama due to the book violation, how NASCAR will survive without CAR in their name (maybe they will change it to NAS HORSE), and anticipating the day that GM stands for Government Motors. Other than that, there is not much going on in my little corner of the world.

I haven't painted a picture in awhile, which is disappointing because I had a lot of momentum in selling them on ebay. I sold 12 paintings last year on ebay, which is not bad for a hobby and for someone who really is not artistic. I also work about 55 hours a week, so it is a miracle that I actually averaged one a month. I do have a canvas on my easel that has the beginnings of a sky on it, but that is as far as I got. If I could just get motivated, I think this one will be pretty cool if I can only create it the way I see it in my head. I got the idea for the painting while at our church revival several months ago, which I must admit is not the place where I usually get ideas. They usual come from watching people, daydreaming, and spending time outdoors. I am painting the sermon and that is all that I will say about it for now. I like to add a little twist to my paintings and things I write, and if this goes as planned and visualized, one will have to look at it for a few minutes to realize the complete story that is in this painting. How funny it would be if a person liked the painting on first glance on ebay, got in a bidding war with someone - driving the price up, won the painting, hung it on the wall, and then one day had a visitor say, "Cool religious painting." Especially if they were not a believer.

I am going to try to get this site cranked up a little and make it interesting, so please bookmark it and come back later. In a few months, we will be talking football and I would really appreciate your participation. I love football. Anybody who knows anything at all about me knows that I love football. College football. I love college football. Did I say that already?