Thanks again Larry

Been feeling pretty aggravated lately, been on the weekend shift for over two years now, which consists of working every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7AM to 7PM. I leave for work around 6AM and return around 8PM, don't really have a home life for those days just shower and get to bed as soon as I can. Try and see the kids and catch up on the goings on around the home front.
Had three weekends off in July due to my elbow repairs, and that has had me rethinking my current schedule, got to do things that I can't do during the week. Went to Church three weeks in a row with my Family, and my wife didn't feel like a single parent, attended a camp out with my two oldest and the Youth group. All kinds of cool stuff a Father enjoys. Been trying to shake the sadness I have been feeling to no avail.
Decided to visit with my Wife's cousin Larry Ethier who lives about three hours from us for a much needed pep talk. SUCCESS! Need to visit him and Diane more often. Got a great shoulder to vent on and some wonderful words of wisdom. Thank you Lord. I know for a fact that he is definitely in my life for this reason.
Always wonder if Larry and I were the same age, how much trouble we would have gotten into.(LOL) As I sit here writing I wonder, " should we move closer"?

I Don't Get It?

My wife wanted me to stand next to this sign along the Blue Ridge Parkway so she could get a picture. I still don't know why.

Nice Visit

Had a great visit from a new Friend I met through other friends. Gannon McHale, an actor now working at the Barter theater in Southeast VA. He is also a former shipmate from the Sturgeon. Although he served over 15 years before I got there, and an author to boot.
It is always wonderful to meet new people and make friends, it is even cool when you can butt heads over something as trivial as Politics and still remain friends.
He even got to Jam with my son and friend Adam.
It was especially nice to have company as I seem to be trapped at home with my my left arm all wrapped up and not wanting an infection to hamper my return to work.

Looks like 16 staples and most of my spur is gone. Yes it does hurt, but it has hurt for over a month since I injured it.

Elbow problems

Had my elbow repaired on Wednesday. I had a broken bone spur removed and bursa sac removed. Hope it helps as the pain has been unbearable.

Deer

Got Jakes deer back from The Taxidermists today. Jeremiah did a Great Job! Nice shootin Jake. Actually had him as our main course at dinner tonight. also here are some little ones...

Memorial Day

Had my nephew Blaine over for a visit this weekend. He is teaching at a Golf camp in Richmond for the summer and had the whole weekend off and spent at our home. Unfortunately I work 12 hour shifts of Fri,Sat,Sun.

But I had Monday off and we had a little get together with our Neighbors and friends. Jake even had friends from church of the Female persuasion. I know I had a good time

Skating

Took the Family to Liberty University in Lynchburg and we went Ice skating. It was fun for all!

Have not put my skates on in almost ten years but when I laced them up and stepped onto the ice, the cheering started! The fans went wild! Both of them. Still was able skate and not fall. Luckily there were no NHL Scouts in the seats this time so my phone won't be ringing off the hook again...

Keep Wurkin

Life is good here in Virginia! Am enjoying myself, love the Mountains, starting to miss my Family and friends in the North...

January 20 2010

Having witnessed what happened in Massachusetts last night, woke up this morning feeling almost happy! But then as I am outside cutting wood and thinking that there are people out there that think it is the Governments job to "take care of us" I kind of got a little sad.

I gave up eight years of my life to serve this Country and am happy I did it! But the "citizens" that want us to be more socialized makes me angry! How can you give away your freedoms so easily?Well I guess if you never did anything to uphold them or haven't seen anyplace else that doesn't have our free way of life you wouldn't know what you were losing.

On more thing you young people out there, enjoy yourselves, you are young and the world is yours to explore. But you will eventually settle down once Mom and Dads money tree dries up and realize what a great responsibility you have to keep this place like it was when you grew up.

Man do I sound old.

November 09

Four deer in the freezer and one of them is going up on the wall hopefully. I got two with my bow and Jacob shot a big eight pointer with his muzzle loader on the 10th, and then a nice spike(135lbs) on Saturday with his rifle.

Kind of stinks filling the freezer already when deer hunting season goes until Jan. 2nd. Oh well there will be years of no deer too.

OCT 09

October brings a long awaited hunting season! Got this guy at the edge of our property with my crossbow about two weeks ago. He is in the freezer and will provide us with food for the upcoming year.

Also went apple picking with the Family which is always fun for me as I am a very simple person trying to live a very simple life.

On the other hand I also have been away from home on various trips for work because of all the new automation equipment we are getting in. So now I deal with many types of operating systems, and terms like Sercos, firmware, Elau, robotic interface, oh shit it goes on and on!

Oh well can't wait for November and rifle season.

Hey

Been awhile since I blogged, nothing new really. Another year has gone by and it is cool this time becuse we actually did a lot of crap!

The Boy got a new toy for deer season, and there are a few around! Can't wait!!!

Back home

Came home to Virginia today, sure is nice to be home and our first Fourth of July here in VA! Jake and I did a little celebrating! What a great Country we live in!!!

Father In-Law

My wife's father passed away in our home on June 28th. He (and wife Charlotte) were headed for Massachusetts but when he arrived at our home he decided to stay, which made us very happy. My in-laws usually stayed with us every summer, so this was a natural and normal situation for us.

He faced his illness like the Brave and Strong man he was, It was an Honor to have him at my home, I was very proud of him.

All his children and most of the grand kids came to see him and their visits were GREAT! What a wonderful family he created.

We are now staying with Michelle's brother in Auburn, Massachusetts (very nice) until Saturday when we will head back home. The weather here is cold and rainy, can't wait to get back to where it is warmer.

If a Tree Falls...

If a tree falls in the woods behind your house at 4 o'clock in the morning, does it make a sound? "YES" it does, and it is very loud!

It almost hit one of our pets too which happens to be sitting on 17 eggs. Just when you think things are getting normal and quiet something happens and it is usually pretty KEEN!

It was nice to see a turkey nest with all those eggs, but it even more cool to have one only a few feet from your backyard

Home

Really starting to feel like home for all of us now, the yard is shaping up, got a little vegetable garden going, chickens starting to grow. It all feels normal! What a wonderful spot the big guy picked out for us. From being out Turkey hunting with Jake, to fishing with Hale or just trying to keep up with little Fannie (Faith), this place beats our old home in Connecticut hands down. I can say this because I haven't seen a Copperhead in the yard yet!

Garden?

Not being ready for a vegetable garden just yet we decided to wait till next year. But after Michelle brought home some strawberry plants, Tomatoes, squash, broccoli, parsnips etc.. we had one.

We decided to harvest some natural fertilizer, because the soil here needs lots of TLC. So with the permission of our farmer neighbor to take all we wanted the kids and I headed out.

Armed with a variety of shovels we scooped to our hearts content and loaded up our dump cart (no pun intended) and headed home. Another memorable day!

Hope the kids appreciate all the things I let them do.

To Vermont

Had to take a trip to Vermont last week to attend the Funeral of a great woman, my Great Aunt Fannie. She was 88 years old and died peacefullyin her sleep.

We used to spend a lot of time vsiting her when we were young, when my dad would have a three day weekend (every third or fourth weekend) we would head to Vermont and stay in the trailer we had in Whitingham and then to the much more cosy deer camp in Readsboro. Always spending more than a few hours visiting her in between hiking trips, swimming holes and whatever mischief my Brother Chris and I got into. She always seemed ready for company no matter who or when you showed up, there was always some sort of pie ready to be eaten. It seemed that dinner would magically appear only minutes after your arrival.

I never new the real reason why we went there other than that she was my grandmother's sister, until my wife started asking questions.

My Father was abandoned by his Mother when she went to Florida with her new husband, taking only my father's sister and leaving him with his abusive Father that used to hire him out and make him sleep in a chicken coop! He finally moved in with her and she helped him through his teenage years.

Anyhow we use to try and see how many times in a row we could hit the circle on that tin building across the street from her house, or the endless hours of tennis we played gainst the same building, man we must have drove the neighbors batty!

The news of her passing hit me really hard, yup I cried! She was more like a Grandmother to me and I feel guilty of all the times I went by her house and didnt take time for a visit, the main reason is I didn't want to leave, or say goodbye.

Well at least I have a little something here in Virginia to remember herby, her name is Faith Frances Alger,( I call her fannie) who is aptly named after my great Aunt.

Beautiful Black Dirt!

Finally had some topsoil delivered, got tired of trying to grow anything in this unforgiving red clay that seems to thrive here. It was some good hard work to spread it around and the whole family was involved. Although Faith enjoyed playing in her bare feet, kinda wish I did it too as she said "hey Dad it's really soft and squishy"Now lets plant some more grass seed and hope it takes root!