Toy Box Tractors

My earliest memory of Grandma, was, of course, the “Tractor Grandma”. It was the highlight of our trip to get to the end of the road, as I literally thought it was at the time, and get to grandmas house! It always seemed like the drive took days and days and days and the road got worse and worse and worse. When the car would finally start slowing down on that bumpy gravel road that went straight into grandmas driveway (hence, the end of the road), I couldn’t wait to check out the tractors, cats, and toys, in that order. Oh, there was the tree house, and grandmas fabulous angel food cake with the peppermint ice cream, and the treks with grandma down to the beach to play with the Tonka toys and peddle boat, but the best part about visiting the Tractor Grandma was listening to her stories. The story about getting pulled over on the way to mutual activities in Murray’s big Bronco, the story of getting the combining done right before midnight on Saturday so they didn’t have to work on Sunday, stories of the glue bait (thats not the horses name, but it was like 25 when it finally went to the glue factory!) and of course, the stories of the cats. Grandma, Happy 85th birthday!

Blast from the past: Dipstick the dippy kitty.

So its been forever and a day since anyone has posted anything really, you know, good. (aside from the totally cute pics of isaacpunch and kadepunch over on TNT.) Anyways, i was rifling through my blog and noticed I had started a blog about Dipstick, but never posted it. Turns out, if you start one, save it, and try to post it later, it posts it to the date you started it. That was, uh.... a long time ago. Right. Copied, pasted, and added upon for your reading enjoyment.

Dipstick is a cat. A very dippy cat. Dipstick came into our lives about 3 months ago (like I said, a long time ago. When Dippy was 3 months old, we still thought he was a GIRL.), when her mommy cat disappeared and my wife took pitty on her. She was one of seven, and the only one with her distinctive markings. Sarah carefully bottle fed her and nurtured her and i got the lovely task of changing the poo-papers and bathing her daily. Dippy was a big hit with Isaac, who thinks anything that moves is cool. Especially if it has two wheels. I tried to name her (him) something cool, like Rotax, or Honda, or even 460 Big Block. In retrospect, Dipstick is a very fitting name. In more ways than one. Maybe its the fact that she (he) is an aboslute moron. Or the fact that her (his) face and paws are white like they got dipped in something. Or maybe even because she's (he's) always dipping in the toilet for her (his) drink of water. Dont you just love snuggling up to a soft fuzzy cat? Why is your face wet?

Fun with bikes!

Part of the Chantry Family Reunion- thems that gets bored with reunionizing sneaks away and makes a bunch of noise in the neighbors field! Even Olly was trying to air Bubbles out! If you look real close, you'll see my new helmet that Sarah got me for my birthday. Just came today!

Wierd.

You tell me. Think these two are related?

Scout Camp and sore feet

Well.... I'm tired. We had fun though! We left Newport around 5:00 and started hiking about 7:00. We hiked about 3 miles in, and by about 10:30 we gave up and set up camp right on the trail in the rain and the dark. It definately wasnt the best campsite, but everyone sure slept well! We woke up in the morning and broke camp. We stashed our packs and gear along the trail and hiked another mile up the trail which was covered in deadfall and broken trees- made for a fun hike! We didnt make it to the top of Hall mountian which was our intended destination. Made it back down safe and sound and stopped for ice cream in Metaline Falls! I dont know about Coreys car, but everyone in my car was out like a light for most of the drive home!

A Sampling

Digitals of the family pics steveo took for us today. Came out pretty good, hope the real ones come out better!

The last free weekend...

The last free weekend until August. Serious. We had fun though! Sarah, Steve, Eric, and I all went on the 'shortened' Selkirk loop. We left Newport around 10:30 and headed north on Hwy 20 to Tiger, then cut across the Tiger Hwy to Colville and ate at Ronnie D's! Experianced minor misting and rain on that leg. Enough that we had to stop at a thrift shop and by Sarah some new pants (that were dry) and a pair of rain pants. From there we headed south on 395 through Chewelah and on to Spokane. Between Chewelah and Spokane we experianced mondo mega super duper major amounts of rain. By this time I had about 3 inches of water in my boots. We stopped at another thrift store (spokane discount) and bought more rain gear and some dry shoes. Next stop was the General store, where we picked up a helmet for Sarah. After a quick stop at Arby's, we headed back up Hwy 2 to Newport. I think the trip was somewheres around 340 kms in about 9 hrs. It was a BLAST! Once we made it to Spokane the weather was pretty good too! Enjoy the pics!

Breaking it in.

They say if you ever get a new helmet, the very first thing you have to do with it is drop it. That way you're not affraid of scratching it. If thats the case, Isaac, Kade, Sarah, and Dipstick did an EXCELLENT job of breaking in Sarahs new couches. Dippy has been sent flying across the room twice (i'm not kidding.... she used a 700 page book each time, and had to glue the book back together the second time) for trying to claw it. Isaac and Kade have both applied liberal amounts of slime and slober, and Sarah, well, I havent been able to get her off of them yet. I guess thats a good sign?

A Definition of Abnormal.

This is a pictorial. You tell me. Is this normal?

This post HAS been pre-approved...

The Guys' Rules

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down. Finally , the guys' side of the story.We always hear "the rules "From the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side.These are "our rules !Please note.. these are all numbered "1"ON PURPOSE!
1. Men ARE not mind readers.
1. Learn to work the toilet seat.You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.We need it up, you need it down.You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides.Let it be.
1. Shopping is NOT a sport.And no, we are never going to think of it that way.
1. Crying is blackmail.
1. Ask for what you want.Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work!Strong hints do not work!Obvious hints do not work!Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly Acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only If you want help solving it. That's what we do.Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.
1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.Don't ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one
1. You can either ask us to do somethingOr tell us how you want it done.Not both.If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.Peach, for example, is a fruit, not! A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will Be scratched.We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong.We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear. 1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear Is fine... Really.
1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as motorcycles, tools, and golf.
1. You have enough clothes
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!
1. Thank you for reading this.Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

Slinkies.

Some people are like Slinkies. They're really good for nothing, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

Common Sense:

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight, and bull-strong.
Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles. When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen, anyway.
Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin’ you none.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.”

Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.
If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

What is it with me....

It seems I cant leave anything alone. For instance, about 2 months ago, i bought a motorcycle. Yes, i know, what was i thinking? I actually paid money for a motorcycle? Well, its been a great two months and me and "Alice" have had a lot of fun. She recently developed a habit of smoking when She first starts up. Well, I says to myself, i can fix that. So, 45 minutes later, it goes from this:




to this:

So, in the meantime, I think to myself, this is a perfect opportunity to install my new 12 volt conversion kit, 12:1 high comp. piston, longer duration cam, and oversized carb. All this on the bike that was bone stock, and i was going to keep it that way because its such a high demand collectors item. (said tounge-in-cheek...) Well mom and dad, at least you know where i'll be when you get here....

Jetskis are for sissys.

http://webpages.charter.net/450f_rdr/K_W_hydro.wmv The title says it all.

Leaving the Lights on.

Whats with men and their garage? It seems like almost every man I know has a fascination with garages, a fascination akin to what most people consider the infatuation that men have for power tools. Okay, maybe not ALL men, but a lot of them.

A mans home is his castle? Uhh, no. Theres someone else in charge there. Don't get me wrong, bieng in charge is not all its cracked up to be. I would hate to be the one that has to get me to take out the garbage, vacuum, put up the backsplash, finish the basement, or whatever the case may be. The garage however, is MY castle. You can always slink away to the garage in dull moments, moments of happines, and sometimes moments of anger. Sometimes you can even sleep in your garage! I have yet to experience that, although I'm trying to talk Sarah into living in a big garage someday...

The trick, then, is to find ways in which you can cross the border from one kingdom to the next. Luckily, taking the garbage out leads down a path that goes right past the garage! I also like to hedge my bets: if I ever DO make it out to the garage, I "accidentally" leave the lights on. A staple in our house is, "I'll be right back, I have to go turn the lights off in the garage. See you in an hour"

Mind Tricks.

Do you remember things that nobody else does? For example, I can recal with great clarity going out to play one morning. For some reason we had some people over for a big meal, but it seems like the meal was a breafast. Maybe someone was visiting from afar? I dont remember that part.

Anyways, I went out to play. On this particular day I found myself in the lean-to part of the barn where the pig food and old pull-type combine were stored. I dont remember if I had just fed the pigs (my chore at the farm) but I was running up the conveyor belt on the combine like it was a tread mill.

Next thing I know I'm hanging face down by my shirt, which had snagged on one of the blades on the front of the combine as I had slid accross them. I couldnt reach the ground, the combine, or my shirt, so of course I did the only thing any self respecting 6(?) year old would do- screamed bloody murder! Someone (dad, i think it was you, but my memory is kind of foggy on this part) eventually came running out and unhooked me from the combine.

I dont think I ever played on that combine again...

Happy birthday to ME!

Okay, not me, but thats the only way Isaac will sing it. Hope your birthday was a good one! We celebrated by sleeping untill noon (yes, even kade and isaac), then i spent the rest of the day wiping noses and administering antibiotics. it was great. I was then forced to take a 2 hour nap, which i didnt need, so of course it took me until 1:00 this morning to fall asleep. World, here i come!!

GROUNDBREAKING NEWS!!!

Dad, it IS possible! This post is to bid fairwell to a good friend. Not as good as some, she was only a part of the family for about a month. My heart was heavy as we loaded her into the back of the adoptive families truck, but hey. I'm sure I can find another bike to put the money towards!

A Riddle for Steve...

The limit is X, but Y is the velocity. Lets say that X - Y = Z. How much is Z?

oh great. hes one of THOSE kids....

Maybe we should have named him Napoleon... or bubble boy. Currently he wont go anywhere without his "spiderhat" and glasses. Currently, we wont go anywhere either. At least, not out in public. Kade appears to be a little more normal and so far has less calvin&hobbes tendancies. At least, Kade hasnt dumped a hole thing of dishsoap out on the glider-rocker stool and floor, and doesnt run around in only underpants... time will tell.














Sorry for the crappy phone camera pics...

Faith is....

Faith is driving a 36 year old pickup. Faith is driving that pickup more than 15 minutes away from home. Faith is taking that pickup, knowing that NONE of the gauges work, *hoping* you filled it the last time you drove it (remember, the gas gauge doesnt work), and driving it 65 miles away. REAL faith is then taking that pickup and getting on the freeway in fairly heavy traffic and winding it out to a whopping 75 miles per hour. BLIND faith is then saying to yourself, "Ah, she can take it" and bumping that speed up to 80 for another 20 miles. Man, I love the sound of a screaming 360. I guess you could say I have Faith in FORD!

Do you ever wonder why?

This picture was taken by my Mother while she was over in Mississippi. The question just begs to be asked: "Why?"? What were they thinking? "Oh, I just had some spare cash and hadn't paid tuition yet, so i figured, what better way to get the chicks!". Sorry dude. Just not working for me.

Same thing with Mississippi. My philosophy is that someone had been outside in Alasaka for a couple of days with no coat, had a serious case of the shivers, and was trying to write "my sippy" to their two year old. What with the shivers and all, it came out as Mississippi.

Okay, okay, so I really do like the wheels, the car, and the spelling. I guess I just wish I had some extra cash and a bad case of the shivers!

Licking 9 volt batterries!

No, I've never done it. But in preperation for the wiring Dad and I are going to be doing to my house this week, I remembered a great experience I had with 120 volts and substantially more current. Or rather, an experience my friend Clinton had. It even happened in a garage! (just not dorkpunch garage).

Late one evening, much to Clints neighbours disdain, we were working on one of his killer snowmobiles, a John Deere 340 Liquifire. Incedentally, this is the same sled i jumped the Ridge Park Highway on, but thats a different story.

The sled was having carb troubles at the time and we had been trying to sync them out in the alley. It got dark and we gave up and pulled the sled into the garage. Clints shop was a pretty nice setup, although it was seriously lacking in electrical outlets and lighting at the time. To this end, we had set up a set of those fancy floodlights-on-a-stand setups to illuminate our hardships. The extension cord ran from the outlet on the wall across the bay to the light stand. When we pulled the sled inside, we drove it right in to this fancy bay and popped the hood.

Now, for those of you who arent to familiar with snowmobiles, on the bottom of the ski are wearbars. They keep the ski from wearing holes through them. In these wearbars are sharp little peices of metal called skags. Remeber how we had the shop set up? With the extension cord on the floor? Well, we drove the sled right across it. Actually, we parked it with the skis resting on top of the cord, which at this point had two nice cuts in it from the skis.

Good thing it wasnt plugged in! We commenced working.

It quickly became evident that we were in need of further illumination. I was convienently close to the outlet, so i reached over and plugged it in.

Several things happened in short order. We'll just skip the part about the electricity joltling through the skis, arcing across the tie rods, and seeking out a ground. It was pretty cool to see three guys LEAP away from the sled. It took me a little longer to figure out what the deal was and why there were 3 guys just itching to plug me in...

Dontcha just hate it when your boogers freeze?

I sure do. Especialy when they freeze because its been 7 deg F for the last three days. Dang 'rents drug the weather down with em from Canada. What makes it even worse is that i almost had a free weekend and i couldve gone riding. *sigh*. On a brighter note- I got a new motorcycle!! Well, new to me. Steveo, you would like it- its a '71 Kawasuky F6- just like your old one but its a 125. I still think you shoulda hung on to that 250... Why is it that i cant ever let bikes go?

Hmm. Having re-read what I just wrote, I admit defeat. I'm to tired to change it though.... Only 9:30 and its about 3 hrs past my bedtime... g'night. *yaaawwnn*

The Pits

No, I'm not talking about Monday mornings, crappy deoderent, or melancholy feelings. I'm talking about the game. Pit. For some reason, this stupid little game really likes me. Maybe its just the fun of screaming "one one one one one two two two two two two two okay one here who'll take three three three" for an hour. Maybe its the exhiliration of playing with women, who have sharp fingernails and dont care if your hand is in the way of the card they want.

Anways, the 'rents came for a day or two, and we had a great time with them and friends playing pit last night. Hopefully their trip goes better than Steveos (aka goobersuckweasel) trip to Washington. Anyone wanna buy a Mitsubishi Mighty Max?

how NOT to dispose of unwanted vehicles.

Sorry Stevo, this tops the pics of the truck jumping in your blog. dP not to be held responsible for poor taste in music.

http://www3.telus.net/minizuk/More_Stuff/rangerdanger.wmv

Supposedly 147 feet in a Ford Ranger.

Succumbing to temptations...

Today, Feb. 2, 2006, at 4:27 p.m., Lula broke free from her mighty cocoon and awoke with a magnificent rumble. After a brief but very exciting stint from the garage to the road, Lula and i went for a short jaunt through the countryside on fairly clear roads. Then, after another brief but exciting trip down the icey pothole filled alley, she re-entered her slumber, hopefully for a much shorter time. Obviously, the picture of Lula was not taken recently. Its from last summer.

Things that go "squirt" in the night...

I used to be scared of things that went "bump" in the night. Things like Freddy Kruger, Jason, and that freaky frozen guy that would keep me under the covers not daring to breath at night. Well, Freddy, do your worst. You dont scare me anymore! Not unless you go "squirt".

Squirt, you say? Maybe I should elaborate a little bit. its more of a "skwe-EEERRRRRRTTT" most of the time. Some times its a much shorter but higher powered "SKWORT".

These are the deadly ones, as my wife found out the other night. Of course, this would be the night we are down to 2 diapers, the night she decided that the baby would probably be okay if she sampled some home made jalapeno bread. And, of course, the "SKWORT" would follow the "skwe-EEEERRRRRTT" by about two minutes, giving enough time that the diaper would be removed. This, of course, allowed us to observe the full power of the un-muffled and un-restrained "SKWORT". Remember Super Soakers? How they could shoot this huge stream of water 50 ft? They've got nothing on a good healthy newborn baby "SKWORT". I love changing the sheets and wall color at 1:00 in the morning...

temptations...

In the middle of each January, I get a bill. I kind of like this bill, as it is a sign of spring. When the bill comes, it makes me think of spring and summer and fall, nice weather, barbecues, and the wind in your face. Yes, this bill is the insurance renewal for my motorcycle.
Of course, thinking about spring and summer and fall, nice weather, barbecues, and the wind in your face can make one quite grumpy. Especially when the motorcycle is locked in the shop awaiting those spring and summer and fall days, awaiting a time void of slush and mud and cold and snow. I just cant decide weather or not I like those tempting little morsels of joy on the horizon... As mamma always used to say, be happy with what you've got, not sad for what you've not. Or something like that. Mmmm. I love heavy wet snow.

John Wayne

"Good Morning, Sir!"

"Waallll, I guess everyones entitled to their own opinion... "

-Mr. McClintock.

Tempting Bums!

Toys are a lot of fun. Do you remember having toys when you were a kid that were so much fun that they always got taken away? My brother had a gurlfiend that went to Korea and brought him back an air-soft pistol. Once Mom got sick of the little plastic balls all over the house (this probably took about 3 hours), the gun was confiscated.

Last Christmas, Steve actually found the gun in its original hiding place. We thought this was great fun. The evil glint in my mothers eye when she saw the gun informed us that one toe out of line, one yellow plastic ball left on the floor, and it was curtains for us. Well, I belive it was Christmas day, and the gun was just sitting there, so i shot Steve in the bum. Steve didnt even flinch! Hmmm... I thought to myself, It must not be that strong. So I glanced around the room for another target.

The only target that readily presented itself was the behind belonging to my dear Mother as she had her back turned to me preparing Christmas Dinner.

Steve and I had almost a full week to search for the gun in its new hidding place. It was never found. Y'know, its amazing how fast old people can move when they put there mind to it...

New Begginings

Seems like a time of newness around here... Even though its still January there is a whiff of spring in the air, the days are getting longer, work has started to pick back up, and Kade was born! Kade Orrin was born January 23, wieghed in at 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20.5 inches long. The delivery went great much to Sarahs delight! Donations are being accepted at this time and should be in the form of cash or junk motorcycles...