Dad don't know jack.

Our local radio station had a contest last week, where you could write in and tell them why your father dont know jack.If they liked your letter, you could win 2 tickets to the Jack Johnson concert coming to Spokane this summer. I'm not big on going to concerts and stuff, but it got me thinking, and you know what? I dont think my dad knows jack! Sure, he knows how to change a tire, how to build a shed, plant a garden, fix a broxen frost free hydrant, test top secret tractors, and on and on and on,but does he know how much he taught me? Does he know I was watching when he built that shed, when he prepared his Sunday lessons,when he changed that tire? Does he know how much I appreciate the things he taught me? The time he spent showing me how to mow lawns so I could go earn my own money? Like I said, I dont think Dad knows jack. Well, Dad, now you know. Thank you for being you and teaching me all those things. Happy Fathers Day!

Apples sure dont fall far from the tree...

Turn my back for a second and hes got the whole top end torn off. (okay, not really, but he was sure bent on finding a bolt that his wrench would fit on!)

An ode to Mothers!

No, not an odour, although Moms have certainly dealt with more than their fair share of those. Plus, I'm not a hundred percent certain that this is an ode but the word ode implies something lovely and melodic and worthwile to me, something like my Mother, but she is so much more. She put me on the course to becoming what I am. She kept me on that course and spurred me on. She kept on even when it wasn't apprecieated or even wanted, or even when she met with extreme resistance. She was there when it mattered most. She is still there now that I've grown and gone, continuing to help and guide, and sharing that same excitement for life to a new generation of children to her- grandchildren. Mom, you are appreciated by your children and their spouses and childern. THANK YOU for all you have done for me!

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!!