March 1, 2009 06:05 - Coming to a milestone I guess...
Just got notified by SBI! ... that my 'subscription' expires in another couple weeks... It ain't possible... is it?
Geez!... I've heard the old saw 'bout time flyin'... but this is rediculous!... If it keeps up like this... I'll be 206 next Tuesday!... When I hit the button to renew, that'll start things off into the 4th Year of this site... I just can't capture the idea it's been three years!... I mean we were Just about to put the house on the market... and bought Big Red in June of '06 to have a fresh truck to start out on the 'Big Adventure'... and then added Slick... That FINE Yamaha V Star that puts a grin on my face when it's 12 degrees and people are so startled to see a motorcycle on the road! :-O
.,, Now, here we are... we still own the house... that 'Fresh Truck' now has 82,000 miles on it! ... and Slick has added something over 12,000 miles...
Seems like I've not gotten anywhere... but I'm sure rackin' up the miles goin' nowhere! :-) ... 'course... there's been Wisconsin, the Uintahs, Royal Gorge, and Zion in Utah, the Grand Canyon, Saguaro National Monument, Tombstone in Arizona, Yellowstone and the Snowies in Wyoming, the White Sands in New Mexico, the Black Hills and Mt Rushmore of the Dakotas... bumper bendin' at the end of the driveway... doctor scares... and thousands of joyous miles...
... and then goin' RV Boondocking got it's sister site... Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road... which... with a mite of luck will get in a lot more 'touring' this comin' summer... and brought unexpectedly Shining Times along with it! :-)
So... what's the point? ... I've Failed. That's right... I'm a complete Failure... I set out the summer of '06 to go... finally... Full-time RV Boondocking... I've worked like a dog... OK... Not that often... but once in a while :-) ... to get there... and yet here I sit... at my desk, in the house I've been tryin' to sell for too many summers... punchin' out this post...
SO WHAT? All it means is two things... I've been havin' a pretty good time Failing... I re-found one of the greatest joys in my world... Riding a Fine Motorcycle... and I still have a HUGE Shining Goal... gettin' out RV Boondocking Full-Time...
OK... that's three things... but who's countin'?
If that's how it all shakes out... a few road apples peppered in there amongst all those Wild Roses... I'd be a fool to complain too loudly... wouldn't I? I guess it's OK to whine once in a while... long as you can be entertaining about it... just don't take any of that too seriously OK? ...
Like Nick mentioned over on Gypsy Journal the other day... Two men walk into a barn... One fella, with a big frown on his face, sees a barn full of road apples and a lot of work to clean it up... the other grabs a shovel with a grin, and the apples start flyin'... when asked why he's so happy he replies... "There's a pony in here somewhere!"
I'm determined to find that pony!
Take Good Care Brian
March 4, 2009 09:50 - Dealing With Banks...
My advice is... DON'T!
They are populated by second level, low lifes that swim around in the same ol' festering swamp that harbors lawyers, con-men, politicians, real estate swindlers (agents), used car salesmen and hookers.
I guess, that's an insult to Hookers! At least with hookers... it's an honest deal... you get what you pay for.
Accepting the fact that the predatory behavior of the congress... and the willingness of the banks to go along with the predatory schemes of congress... has forced us to postpone attempts to sell out here, for at least a couple years, we've been trying to tie up some 'loose ends'...
...Loose ends that we had thought would be eliminated when we SOLD...
The bank and it's contracted appraiser bozo... are trying to 'embezzle' nearly $100,000 out of the value of our house... that is to say, CLAIM a value $100,000 BELOW the cost of current/replacement construction...
Jesus have mercy!
I guess they figure that if folks were silly enough to buy the, We're-gonna-rape-you-big-time-just-a-couple-years-down-the-road-so-smile, loans...a few years back... that those of us who didn't buy into that 'something for nothing' BS, are just as foolish, and will quietly accept the 'everything of ours for nothing' obscenity they're trying to foist on us now.
Can you see the steam? Sounds like a train whistle 'round here... I've got an almost irresistable urge to rope a banker and drag his sorry, mealy mouthed, carcass back and forth, by his heels, through a field of prickly pear... 'till my horse gets tired...
But... they keep pretty tight security on the bank doors... so I doubt I could get a horse into the Lobby! :-)
I know... I volunteered for this sewer... If you climb into bed with a hooker, you can't complain if you go home with crabs... but.... AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!
I long for the days when a man would look you in the eye, shake your hand, give you his word... and die before he would break that word.
I just wish I was tough enough to live a Thoreau-ean life! :-) ... Truth is, I believe ...I... am... and I believe ...I.. would live it with a grin on my face. The downside is... I'd have to live that 'Spartan' life... alone... There ain't no way, on this green earth... that herself... is gonna go live in the austerity that is a Shining Life to me... and there lies the cost I'm unwilling to pay...
... so... I'm left to hunting the trail to flank these grasping, cancerous, forked-tongue bankers...
OH Lordy, how I wish for a rope and some prickly pear!
Take Good Care... and if you've shook hands with a banker Wash Your Hands... with BLEACH!
Brian
March 6, 2009 07:14 - A new Sucker is Born Every Second...
Wasn't that how that fella Barnum... or Bailey put it? or something awful close...
Sitting at my desk, I look out the window and there sits the Eagle, waiting... On one of them suckers... :-) ... Me!
Let's face it, in spite of all I've written about not being a slave to your 'things'... That's about the box I've gotten myself into...
Do as I say... not as I do... right? I swear, I should open up a financial management school... with one, single, curriculum... just follow me around for two weeks... watch what I do... then...
... do the opposite! :-) Hell, I'll be rich in no time!
I ache to leave... right now... but there's debts we took on, a few years back... and I can't just walk on those... not and keep likin' the fella I see when I look in a mirror.... which I do a lot... 'cause he's so durn purty! :-)
The simple fact is, takin' on those debts was a mistake... a missed judgement... a big one. I knew this 'situation' was comin'... I could smell it...
But... I thought we could get done what we needed... get sold... and get gone...before the mountains fell into the sea...
OOPS... I was.... Juuuuuuusssst a mite off on that one... in our case... 'bout six months...
The past months I'd been thinking it was all happening to 'them other folks'... and we were just snagged in the fringes of this damn thing... but now we sit here... nigh on to a hundred grand poorer... 'Officially'... dishonestly... but 'Officially'...
The house is still worth more than owed... but then... it always was just 'paper wealth'... so... not really real is it?... and since we can't sell it... it's really not an asset... just a big, sucking, hole that consumes cash like I was throwin' it on a fire...
But... I keep feedin' the fire don't I? :-) ... Dumb and Dumber!
Bummer... it was 'bout the only 'paper wealth' we had 'set by'... maybe if I dump enough money on it, the fire will go out! :-)... Hmmm... now I'm soundin' like a politician I can think of! :-)
Our necessities are paid by the ongoing business at our little store... and my assorted labors... so, month to month... We eat, we've got shelter... and compared to the tribulations of others... we're sittin' pretty fine, to weather the storm.
I've always looked on our store, as our 'investment'... compensation for legitimate work done has always been the only sort of 'investment' I've ever understood... or had any confidence in. You work... you get paid... fair and honest...
Staying on the ranch, we got a late start in chasing the dollar (Dumb and Dumber again)... and we let ourselves get suckered into that other, 'investment' mentality...
'Investment Mentality'... that's about the same thing as when you see one of those fellas with the three lil' shells on a table?... and all you have to do is watch the shells... and pick the one that the pea is in... as he shuffles 'em all around?... for you to win $20!... Luck with that.
... now it would seem, that starting off on that 'investment' race was big mistake #2... a race we shouldn't have ever entered...
In hindsight... I do believe, having worn the battery out on a calculator addin' up all the costs goin' both ways, that if we'd have just kept on rentin' a decent place, and put the difference in a low interest savings account... we'd be ahead... a whole lot farther than we're behind now...
... lesson learned... Stock market, Bond market, Real Estate, Ponzi schemes... they're all 'bout the same... all rely on a fresh load of suckers every once in a while to keep the scheme goin'...
And here sits one of the biggest suckers... 'cause this guy went in to it... knowin' he could smell the road apples on the buggers boots! ... and choosin' to pretend that he didn't...
Dang!... I've seen Cows with better sense than that...
Sheesh!... Don't I feel Sheepish! :-) Hmmm... I suppose I should pick one critter to insult and stick with it huh?
Ya know what? Good!
Though I've been cornered for a while... it'll take us a while to dig out of this hole... My eyes are pretty clear at this point... I can see the shining mountains off to the west, the blue sky above and the task in front of me...
Maybe good fortune will return... maybe not... either way, the mountains are still there, the sky is still blue... and V Star or Victory Vegas, I'll have a good bike under me...
Spring is comin' close... I may not be able to roll to Alaska, but we can roll to the Snowies, Poudre Canyon, North Park... and many more...
We can learn from the past missed judgements... and make brand new blunders to make you guys shake your heads... we can go back to Mesa Verde and watch the Turkeys drift through camp...
... or Yellowstone... and wonder how we're gonna get back in the rig with that Buffalo Bull layin' right outside the door...
We can live the life we have... and not waste any more time wishin' we'd been smarter.
After all... If my Grandmother'd had wheels... she coulda been a bicycle!
Take Good Care Brian
March 7, 2009 05:36 - Many Thanks Boss, for Givin' Me the Life You Have...
...And for makin' me who I am.
If I'd asked to be humbled, I don't know that anyone could have done a better job than Deborah did yeseterday.
One more time, I'm on a rant 'bout dinero, and frustration, and such, and she comes up with the information that, diagnosed with cancer... she comes to read my blog... to recieve comfort...
Woosh...
That's the sound of an ego gettin' a little excess pressure dealt with... and the sound of proper priorities, rushin' back in to fill the space... one more time...
... and I mean, right now!
Seems like a constant battle for me... don't it? :-)
Over time, this site, and this blog has evolved into something I never set out to achieve, or even ever had any sort of a conception for...
I remember my early thoughts bein' that if I could maybe interest folks in some of the lessons I'd learned over the years, maybe I could carve it into something that could lend a lil' financial support as we hit the road.
Well, we all know how that's turned out...
But Deborah drove home the point that others, I believe, have tried here and again, to get through my skull.
Just maybe, my 'journey' has some twists and turns in it that I hadn't planned on... and just maybe... Those twists and turns will build my 'journey' into far more than I could have ever dreamed it could be... so... maybe I should shut up and listen! :-)
That a person in her situation, could tell me that she comes to me for comfort... has already made that so... and makes me feel fairly foolish... once again... for whining 'bout money or frustration... slow learner huh?
To tell a man, that his life... is of comfort to yours... is to give his life a value that I can not put into words... which is a rare thing for me. :-) I can only say I am honored. I am humbled... and I'll do my best to keep on doin' whatever it is you find worth in.
I can't promise I'll actually change much... an occasional 'rant' is likely to leak out once in a while... hopin' otherwise is hopin' for an awful lot!... you'd probably have better luck tryin' to mop up the Pacific with a sponge... but I can promise that I'll try!
And, if ya'll would just holler WHOA! once in a while, when I seem to be cookin' up a lil' too much gas... Kinda like Deb and others have done, I'd consider it a personal favor. :-)
'Cause when it's all said an' done... Friends, Family, and Shinin' Times are all that count. All that other stuff is just... well... taking up too much of my... and your... precious time...
... so let's make an effort to dump it... and toward that goal...
We're addin' some equipment to the 5er, addin' a new department to our Bead Store... for the purpose of improving our RVing/Traveling ability...
... and I'm workin' on a couple of 'artsy fartsy' things I've wanted to do...
Plenty to do and write about... if I can hold to the discipline required to stop the 'downers' from catchin' my attention!
Thank You Deborah Take Good Care Brian
March 8, 2009 06:28 - Snow, and rain, and Beads Oh My!
Beads? ... Huh?
Lookin' out the window at the ranch store yesterday afternoon... at the big ol' snow flakes comin' down... I'm thinkin', Hmmm ... Ridin' that V Star home tonight just might could be fun!
Then the little bit of freezing rain to compliment it was kinda nice.
Yup... rollin' down the road, on a motorcycle, in the winter, in the dark, lookin' at that shine on the pavement, and wonderin'..."is that wet?... or ice?"... Yes Sir! My kind of life! :-) ... but not for folks that consider 'em selves sane I guess. :-)
The fog was fun too... That one single headlight, tryin' to burn through the mist that was raised by the snow and rain hittin' the ground, that's been warmed up by the last few days of late spring like weather, keeps a biker on his toes too.
Either that... or makes him a yard ornanment for some Ol' lady to stand up next to her latest ceramic troll...
The only part I didin't like was the lumps of ice frozen on the seat. Nothing worse than goin' the 17 miles home... sittin' on ice cubes. :-)
... and now, on to the 'Beads' part...
We've dedcided to deal with this bad economy... and how it's impacted our prior planning... :-) ... hmmm... my 7P's didn't seem to work this time did it? :-) ... by expanding our lil' Store!
Yup... when things are tough... don't do less... do more!, better, wiser, more imaginative, yadda yadda yadda.
Heidi and Keriann worked on the 'new' online 'department' they're devisin' for the Bead Store yesterday... We're doin' it in two parts... Keriann (daughter) is developing a small Etsy shop... (Etsy is an online setup... something like ebay... but without the auctions)
so... it's just like ebay... only different... right... :-) anyhoo, she's doin' that... and I'm assigned the job of workin' up a full website for the store to support that etsy deal... kind of one hand washin' the other thinkin'...
So... all you RVin gals, that are doin' 'RV Recreational Activity' Beading in camp, or at home... or at work, under your desk when the boss ain't looking... sometime in the not too distant future, The Bead Cache in Fort Collins will have an online setup for the more 'special' Beads and such.... and likely some technique and project articles... still fleshin' out the ideas...
Heidi doesn't want to put the whole store on there... 'The Bead Cache Online' setup will only be what they can find that's different and 'special'...
Now ... all you Manly Men... that are rollin' your eyes and thinkin' ... that Cowboy is sittin' there, holdin' his coffee cup with his lil' finger stickin' up... are wrong!
I got a good, solid, manly, grip on that sucker!...
It's just that... well, what can I say?... I married a woman that supports me in the style of which I'm worthy! :-) ... and I can honestly say... it wasn't pushin' cows, or sellin' nuts and bolts at a ranch store that built this dang house, or bought that Big Red Truck... it was Beads!
... so... I sniff, and take a sip of coffee... and get to work... Yes sir... the Beaded Cowboy! :-) I feel so special! :-)
My Beads are waitin'... I better get to it!
Take Good Care Brian
March 9, 2009 06:06 - How do you chase the RV Boondocking Dream in a 'Down Economy'?
I'm sure, there's a lot of folks, sittin' in exactly the same place, Heidi and I are. We want to go wanderin' full or at least... Most... of the time... but we don't have the money we need for that... we have to Work... along the way...
We had big plans for the near future, that would seem to have been blown away by the seemingly sorry state of the world economy... But only if you listen... to the wrong people!
Now, I'm not sayin' it'll be easy... and in the face of the doom an' gloom of the idiot talking heads on the boob tube... fed by the bigger idiots occupying the hallowed halls of gov't...
Who are manipulated by the cannabalistic parasites that walk the corporate halls... it can even be juuuuust a touch liver quivering...
BUT...
It's my position, that there's more opportunities for a person, chasing their 'financial dreams', in Down times than there is in Up times.
Think about it... What do MOST people do when 'Hard Times' hit? Business people or otherwise? They pull back. They cut back... they do less...
So... If you are there... in the same 'business' as them... and all the competition is shrinking itself to ride out the storm... seems like there's a whole lot of the 'market' that ain't gettin' serviced don't it?
If YOU find a way to go out and take care of THOSE PEOPLE... you can continue to prosper, modestly, through the hard times... and when the 'worm turns' and the UP SIDE of the cycle returns... YOU and whatever you're doing, will be in a sweet position to take off!
All you have to do... is ... several things.
First, find a way to insulate yourself from that toxic gas those 'prime time', braindead bozos are spewin'... A good way bein'... watch the weather report, so you know whether you REALLY want to ride your motorcycle to the job or not!... and then turn that gas belchin' boob tube off!
and maybe a better way is to watch 'em, but make fun of the fools... thing is... if you're watchin' 'em, but punchin' holes in there baloney... they just might point out an opportunity to you!
Second... get your finances arranged, as best you can, to put you in a position to be able to take advantage of an opportunity when it presents.
Third... screw up your courage to go with your gut, your instinct, and against , common, wisdom. 'Cause let's face it... if you use 'common' wisdom... you're gonna get 'common' results.
Heidi an' I have lived well the last 11+ years... after bein' dirt poor on the ranch... and gettin' slapped hard by one of those 'other' recessions... Why? ... 'cause we just 'KNEW'... we could do the job better than the guy she'd been managing a store for... Who ran it out of business...
We've been sellin' Beads ever since...
Folks have asked us time after time; "You can make a living selling beads?" ... to which I reply; "You've heard of the 'worlds oldest profession'?... well... those gals needed jewelry!... Wa La... the worlds SECOND oldest profession!"... :-)
You want to keep on gettin' closer to your dreams? But people are tellin' you; "You have to wait for better times!"
I say... There ain't ever gonna be better times!... Naw... You make your own times... I know it ain't easy. Hell, I'm as vulnerable to the doom and gloom crap as anybody... If you've read here for very long, you all know that! :-)
But at some point... you got to have your thinkin' parts push your 'emotional' parts over to the side just a bit... and put your 'scheming' parts to work for a while...
Use some common sense... I mean, you can't just do something 'cause you want to... not if it just don't make any sense at all...
But... If YOU can SEE how it will work. If your guts tell you... 'This is the way'... If it's what you're heart needs to hang a grin on your face... Screw up your courage, take a deep breath... and Go for It!
It won't be easy. It will take hard work... But... if you choose your Work well... it will be your WORK... and not just a job... and it will take you to those RV Boondocking Dreams you've had...
It's what Heidi and I are doin'. We're adjusting... and pushing OUR BUSINESS forward... We ARE NOT... holding back... or waiting for BETTER TIMES...
By God... We're gonna MAKE BETTER TIMES... and you'll find us RV BOONDOCKING more as a result!
March 10, 2009 08:46 - More Miscellaneous Ramblings About Building a Better Life.
In a little bit we'll jump in Big Red ... OK ... waddle out, reach up to grip the grab bar... and hoist myself in with a grunt... and head down to Denver for a 'business' meeting!
Sounds pretty big time don't it? :-) Gonna sort out some of the site layouts and procedures with the other half of our expansion. (expansion = Putting our Bead Store Online) (The other half = Our Daughter)
Then it's get out the picks and shovels and get down to work...
So... what are you doin' to deal with 'your' situation? Sittin' at your desk worryin' if you're gonna be in the next wave of pink slips? Frettin' over supper, wonderin' if you're gonna be able to keep on takin' care of your family if the company you've sweated for, for 15 years, dumps you, to improve their profits? (few companies have any loyalty... they demand it from you, they rarely give any)
Is there something you have a passion for? Something that really holds your attention? Is there any way people get paid for bein' active in whatever that passion stirring endeavor is?
If I might be so bold, I'd suggest that you... Keep on doin' the 'job' you have, to the best of your ability... earn the dollar they pay you (and maintain your self respect)... but... start building, something, for YOU... something for your FAMILY... something that some damn cannabalistic corporation can't lay you off from for improved profitablity.
As time goes by... the emotional... and hopefully economic rewards will slowly grow... Each day the sun will shine brighter, you'll like that person you see in the mirror each morning, a little more, and if you do your home work... and your Work itself well, one day, you'll wake up and...
... Surprise! You OWN your own life... You go where YOU say... when YOU say! and NO ONE can lay you off! Sweet!
It takes a little courage... but mostly it takes imagination and hard work...
I know you're not afraid of hard work... You've been doing that for the man your whole damn life!
And ... I KNOW... you have imagination... it just might be though... that YOU don't know... It's there. You've just been conditioned your whole damn life... to do what they told you, how they told you!
You've had IDEAS, over the years... Just turn 'em loose. Brainstorm, dig up all those old ideas. Put 'em down on paper... and conjure up a way to put 'em to work putting LIFE into your life... and Build that life for yourself...
... Where you get to say; "I LOVE it! I can't believe they pay me to do this!" :-)
... and, If, there's a way to build your passion, into something that you can actually take RV Boondocking with you someday... SWEET!
Job = Grinding, mind bending labor where you trade your life for sustenance.
Work = That joyful acitvity... that blows you out of bed at "Oh Damn it's early!"... 'cause you can't wait to get back to it!... for which you are rewarded with what you need to live!
Take Good Care Brian
March 11, 2009 08:24 - So... Why has a guy that's claimed to NOT be motivated by money...
... basically been talkin' the past good little while about... makin' money?
... 'cause it's pretty simple... If you want to go RV Boondocking... either Full-Time... or just a LOT of the time... you're gonna have to have some money!
Either in the bank, or rollin' in week after week.
Motivated by it or not, in this Ol' world, if you ain't got any of it... you ain't puttin' much diesel in your tank.
My goal is to acquire the money I need, in a fashion that don't leave me drained and depressed! :-)
I'm huntin' that 'way' that's one of those; "Can't believe they pay me to do this" situations... or as close to that as I can get...
... And, I gotta tell you... this lil' gig here, writin' to you folks, and the folks on my 'other' site... Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road... and another one or two I've got simmerin' in my brain pan :-) ... is so close to "I can't believe..." that I can't see the difference!
... all I got left to do is the 'Work' to make it all come together... and I emphasize Work NOT job. For me, this writing 'thing' has come, unexpectedly, almost out of nowhere, and I am in hog heaven!
Now... some folks still put the rig in front of the truck, so to speak.
IF... your goal is to get out and spend a goodly amount of your life... wandering... or when it gets down to it... Doing anything... that ain't, itself, producing a living... you better have taken care of 'business' before hand.
Otherwise... it's gonna be a real short trip...
I, personally, prefer a situation, and prefer puttin' my efforts into buildin' that 'situation', where my 'money' ain't sittin' in a bank... or an 'investment' account... for some 'professional' to 'manage'... that's not worked out real well for a lot of other folks either... has it?...
I much prefer, and have more confidence in, my ability to do some WORK... and get paid for it... and then get on down the road... sort of a 'pay as you go', proposition.
... in here... making frugality your natural way... is a real helpful thing... the less you need... the easier it will be to do the work to produce it... leaving you a lot more time for those Shining Times... smellin' the Roses!
Truth is... if the rent is paid, the pantry is full, the tank is fueled and I have at least one new shirt hangin' in the closet... I have a real difficult time gettin' up to go into a 'job'. :-) I'd rather go play... until I need more rent money, some more groceries and a mite of diesel... Seems like I can always go do some more work...
Now... slow down... I'm not sayin' get crazy... you got to use some common sense in this deal... but if you stop and think on it a while... I think you'll see what I'm gettin' at here... even if you don't agree... which a lot of folks don't!
For those folks that think on chasin' the dream this sort of a way... what's the biggest thing in their way?
Two words.... Just Two....
And those two words just may be the two most destructive words in the English language, when some poor bugger strings 'em together and SAYS 'em...
... I CAN'T
You know what? IF... you say those nasty words... while you're scopin' out a 'difficulty' that's blockin' your RV Boondocking road, the odds are real good that YOU'RE RIGHT! Hell, you've already decided, before you even started....
If failure is an option, it's a human nature thing to find all the reasons why you should just pack it in and quit... If it's not even part of your vocabulary... the ONLY THING YOU CAN DO... is keep on searchin' out the way to fit the pieces together.
Nope, the only way to approach any difficulty, is by startin' out, prohibiting that nasty thought from even occupyin' space between your ears... as soon as that thing starts across your mind... FORCE it down a different trail... just cut off that last li'l... 't... bit
It changes your whole dang outlook... I CAN!
Yeah I know... it sounds dangerously like that politician fella... but no worries... HE's a politician... this here is plain Ol', proven, Cowboy Philosophy! :-)
So... summin' up... for now...
1. Start out, consciously, with "Failure... is NOT an option... I can do this... I just got to WORK it out!" 2. Whittle your world down to a simple, frugal, easy one... makes it easier to earn the more reasonable cost! 3. Find that 'thing' that stirs your passions... sort out the ways that might pay you for doin' it... and then, get to WORK! 4. If one way don't work out... find another... there is a way... you just have to find that sucker!
Time for me to get to my own chores...
Take Good Care Brian
March 12, 2009 07:12 - Mental Rambling... One more time...
The Boss Lady is off with a friend to Sante Fe... for another Bead Show... So I'm Bachin' again, with Buck and Lily to keep me company till Sunday night...
Workin' on the 'NEW' site for the store... which is my/our answer to the way things have shaken out over the past couple years... I'm hopin' that this is a proper answer to the 'Work smarter... at something that toots your whistle' question.
Truth be known, for me, I KNOW it's the answer... Since I seem to have grown into a world champion bucket mouth... Finding the opportunity to plant my gas onto my growing number of sites is a pretty sweet ego booster...
... and since this 'writing' gig is pretty easy to haul along... just pick up the laptop and walk outside... and don't take a lot of stength to push the buttons... It seems like just about the right pursuit for a crotchety, stove-up, Ol' road apple farmer, that wants to go RV Boondocking... don't it?
Let's just hope that the 'gas' I produce is found to be useful... and not sour, sewer gas! That would not be a real profitable enterprise to build... There's already too much competition in that arena. :-)
We're waitin' on the delivery of Heidi's new Dell Laptop... and what an ordeal that was... and a bit of a testimony about why 'some' businesses are tanking... and some continue to prosper...
We'd gone into two of the Big Box stores... looking for a 'bargain'... what she needs it for won't take a whole lot of power... she's not gonna be runnin' moon missions on the thing... or even keepin' store records, mostly email commo and online ordering for the store... and a few other odds and ends... so she has no need for one of the 'gamer' rigs...
... Well... she decides on the 1st one we'd seen, so we went back to the first 'big box' for a lil' ACER computer... the price was right... the guts in it would do what she needed...(about double what I use now) and then... we run into the WRONG employee of the place... He starts tryin' to twist her arm, tellin' her that it won't do what she needs... no she needs this and that... a bunch of noise... figurin' he could Up Sell her on some junk... and such...
Only problem is... she's been in RETAIL, and runnin' her OWN store, for a mite longer than that lil' rooster's been allowed outside alone... and if you should start twistin' her arm, with lousy customer service... she's likely to unscrew the dang thing and beat you with it!... and there I am, doin' a whole lot more than she's going to do on it... and I'm usin' a laptop with about 1/2 the memory of the one she wanted... and it works just fine...
...So... she got her nose out of joint... about six seconds before I was about to... and we walked out of the place... without a laptop... went home... and bought a Dell, by phone, for a bit more... but without all the sewer gas :-) and, in our experience... a lot better likelihood of better service, down the road... should there be an issue...
They lost the business, 'cause they didn't give the customer... what the customer wanted... and somebody else got that same business... for a bit more money... 'cause they did!
We're also waitin' on a Cradlepoint CTR500 Router from the 3G store... and an antennae... for installation in the rig... and for the time being... shifting between the rig and the house... well, the Router anyhoo...
I thought about the next bigger one... MBR1000 I think they call it... but... again... it costs more... and from what I could see, its bells an' whistles are things I'll never use... so might as well not pay for 'em...
Something else we're considering, and you might as well, if you have any sort of a similar outfit...
When we packed up and pulled out... before our deal went south... all the critters and tools were sold off... That leaves us sitting here, now that we came back to the house... with a Barn and a shop, sitting there doin' nothing... Either... I ... have to put 'em to work, doin' something for us, directly...
... or... We're looking into the possibility of renting/leasing 'em out... at a real reasonable rate.
Maybe so that could help somebody else, cut their expenses from a situation they have now... and help our expenses by kickin' a bit more into the monthly pot... win/win kind of deal? ...
... just a thought. If you've got a detached garage you don't use, or a shop building on your place?... maybe a 'Mother-in-law' apartment?... or an 'office' space over the garage?... even an extra bedroom (if havin' somebody -IN- your house fits your personality... it don't fit me!) ... something like that... which you could 'let out' for a modest contribution to YOUR pot... and at a price that could help somebody else keep things together?
... Maybe the boost would help you move a lil' closer to achieving YOUR dream?... or at the least... lighten your load a mite?
Take Good Care Brian
March 13, 2009 07:25 - It Still Seems Wierd...
I often think back... something like 15 years ago... we were still on the ranch... and I wouldn't let one of those Spawn of the Devil computers on the place... :-)
... Buuuut... the kid really needed to have one of the things around, for school and all... the way the world was developing... so I relented...
I've always had a HUGE amount of difficulty... with modernization... I'm a fella that was 'Born out of Season'... I was supposed to have been born in 1852.. not 1952... but the problem arose after a party in Heaven... somebody spilled a drink, during that shindig, all over the 'Book of Births'... and several pages got stuck together and overlooked....
...Hmmmm.... Can't ya just see a bunch of drunken angels... flappin' all over... flyin' into walls and such? :-)
... well... sometime in late '51... early '52.... a 'Birthing System Audit' ordered by the Boss discovered the error... and they dumped out a whole bunch of us! Sheesh! Talk about confusion... We just didn't fit...
What with the ability to do miracles and such... you'd think they woulda been able to put us back where we belonged!
... anyhoo... let's get back from another one of my ... tangents... :-) ...
I finally let a computer on the place... and now... here sits my puss gut butt... straddlin' a rollin' chair instead of a horse... punchin' buttons, hours a day... instead of Cows... and lovin' it ever' bit as much... it's a wierd world we live in... but it sure beats imitatin' fertilizer... don't it?
I read a book one time... yeah... one of the ones without the pictures... It talked about how if you keep your Goal, Your Dream... Focused in your mind... and then just follow all the opportunities that present... no matter where they seem to lead... They have a wierd way of takin' you... full circle... right around to where you wanted to go in the first place!...
It's like events can see the mountain in your way... and lay out a trail to take you around it. You just have to have faith and confidence... and keep the Brass ring... in kind of at least a 'fuzzy focus'... and... keep movin'.
That Circle seems to be in play here for me... All sorts of things keep blockin' my road... like they do for near ever'body else... But I keep that Ideal, stuck back there in my head and keep movin'...
We opened the Bead Cache back in '97... when we were flat, busted, broke. I mean if we'd had two nickles... one of 'em woulda been stolen!
A Bead Store sure didn't seem to have too much to do with anything I wanted to do!... but it's paid... and paid well, for all the wanderin' and Yonderin' we've done since! ... and we've not been flat busted broke... since... and no longer at the mercy of some disloyal employer...
... the only Boss... besides the Big Boss... we have to deal with is our Customers... and that's really not too dang difficult. Give respect and loyalty... you generally get it back.
I keep hammerin' on this, from different angles... 'cause I see it as maybe the biggest roadblock for a lot of folks... Who are tryin' to go RV Boondocking... or chase any other dream... they fear to have faith in themselves.
Yeah it's frightful sometimes... but Lordy... don't that adrenaline feel good when it hits? :-) Don't get stupid on me... but start hangin' it out there a mite... Have Faith in Your Own Wisdom... Live Your Life a Bit... and you know what?... Offer your friends a little moral support along the way... and they'll return the favor.
... Now... concerning that 'Bead Store'... All you Gals that do Bead Work?... that store we opened in Colorado, The Bead Cache, is now online!... I just got the Home Page carved out yesterday... or most of it... Check out it's new home page at The Bead Cache Online.
There's not much there yet... I have a LOT of work to do... and let's face it... I'm NOT a Bead-a-Holic... but all you who are... have been real good to Heidi and I... so I'm workin' hard to build a 'special' place for you to pursue your passions!... Bookmark it and keep checkin' in... There's a whole bunch we're planning to build on it for you!
... and we come full circle... this writing gig... seems to be taking me around the mountain... and off in the distance... I can see it clear... There's a fine old rig... parked out in the woods... and through the window I can see.... a bald headed, puss gutted, bushy moustached, Ol' geezer... sippin' on a cup of coffee... and tap, tap, tappin'... on a keyboard! :-)
'Till the next time...
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Take Good Care Brian
p.s. Oh yeah... Did you notice... I changed the Top Logo?... again? :-) ... whad-a-ya think?... and I changed the one on My Motorcycle site too.... Opinions anyone?
March 15, 2009 05:45 - Get in Line to Hurry Up and........wait.
Fed ex and Ups have found a new way to cut their expenses... cut the congestion in the skies, with fewer airplanes, and reduce the importation of foreign oil at the same time!
What brilliance!
They've apparently gone back to horses... that way... they can graze their fuel along the side of the highway... as the products they're delivering become obsolete on the long trip to their destination! :-)
Have you ever noticed how much your need for something rises... as you wait for its delivery? ... You lived without it for... in this case... 56 years or... oh yeah I'm not allowed to discuss any chronological references regarding herself... :-O ...
... But... ORDER the thing, and all of a sudden... "Oh Lordy! What am I gonna do?... It's not here!... The sky is falling!" :-)
anyhoo... the Buzzbox from Dell and the router from 3G were supposed to be here... according to the shippers tracking sites... on Thursday... I guess, what with the economy boomin' like it is, the poor buggers are real busy...
It's OK... Bein' on my "day job" days... I can't work at settin' that stuff up 'till Tuesday anyway... But... What am I gonna do till then?! :-)
The Bead Cache site has had a fine start... Of the three 'Homes on the Web' I've started it's had the biggest first two days of any of 'em, by a pretty large margin... That's pretty awsome...
It just goes to show ya... There IS opportunity around... If you're willing to accept it as it is... and fit it into your camp... and if Beads fit into mine... maybe there's something unexpected waitin' for yours?
... and to put some 'Rancher Speak' in here... It's been the driest winter we've had 'round here... the pasture grass is crispy. Things should be startin' to green up... but there's not a blade of green showin'... go just 40 miles west, cross the Great Divide... and they're still over 100% of normal... out here in the plains country... crispy critters...
... can make a fella glad he's not still makin' a living in the critter business... hard to get cows, sheep or even chickens to gain any weight on dust!
... Now... if that new 'puter will just show up... we can start kickin' up some more of that dust!
March 17, 2009 07:01 - It gets old don't it? Is the Challenge too Great?
More doom and gloom... everywhere you look... It's the same Ol' wore out story...
You step off in pursuit of a goal... Maybe... like somebody I can think of :-)... something pretty simple, like makin' a run to Alaska... or creating some sort of a 'project'... maybe simply starting a business of some kind.
Everything is lined out... Your plans look good, and you get to work...
But then... like is common... things go wrong... there's unexpected difficulties... maybe you can't sell the house, and it's the only thing left blockin' your road... and that shining goal you were reaching for... seems farther away.
The economy tanks... and your job... or your business seems to be circling the drain...
Dang it! Why's the world so mean to precious lil' me?
You can't help but consider, foldin' up your tent and packin' it in.
How-some-ever... If, QUIT... ain't allowed to be part of your vocabulary...
There are some unadulterated, awsome things a person can accomplish!
Here's a couple guys that are the poster children of the "Never Say Die" Society! You have to admit... the future had to look a little 'iffy' to these guys... Talk about walkin' up to the 'Edge'... and peekin' over!
but they didn't loose their heads. They weren't ready to fail!
They kept their focus... They muscled up their courage and kept on pushin'... It looks to me like they Made the world how they wanted it to be... by sheer force of will!
What can you say? ... Mouth dropping A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
Kind of reminds ya of another Pilot just recently don't it?
Think about it as you're watchin' these short videos... Look where they ended up... look how ... poor things looked halfway through... and think 'bout where they'd be if they'd just shut down and pulled the plug... at that halfway point...
So... I can honestly say...
...Yes Dear... I won't quit!... 'till I get that grass mowed... Today!. :-)
It's a Shining Day... Tell the Doom and Gloomers... "Go hide from the boogey man somewhere else... I got no time for your noise... I've got too much work to do before the meteor hits!" :-)
... and on a personal note... kind of my claim that things aren't as bad as they're bein' made out to be... my 'numbers'... on my little 'enterprise' here... are up better than 25% over last month... and have been growing strongly the past three months... after a period of 'doldrums' through the couple months prior...
I know it seems pretty bleak if, You, are one of the layed off folks... and I'm sorry for that, but I swear... You're not done... unless YOU say you are... with all the folks that ARE 'quitting'... that opens up all sorts of opportunities... for the DOERS!
So... grab onto something... and get to doin'! :-) the boat only sinks if you Quit bailin'! I swear!
March 18, 2009 08:14 - Cowboy Math... it Just Don't Add Up for ME.
Hmmm....
Isn't Colorado... between... Chicago... and Sacramento?
3G put their Router on a truck... or a plane... out of Chicago... and it rolled right on by Colorado to go to Sacramento! Geeze... I thought I heard something. :-) Then... of course... it had to come that thousand or so miles... BACK...
Now... I don't add reel gud... but... seems to me... haulin', a few tons of goods (I'm assuming that router weren't on that airplane, or truck, by itself) two thousand or so extra miles is NOT a way to maximize your profitability! ...
I wonder if Fed Ex is using the same 'Bean Counters' that AIG was/is? :-) Seems to me... you might save juuuust a little, if you stop in Denver... on your way to Sacramento... and drop off a ton or two... and save the flight... or the truck haul... back! I mean... what does it cost to fly a 747 some 2 thousand miles? ... or drive a truck?
Anyhoo... Heidi's laptop and the router showed up... finally, and I've been sittin' here trying to understand stuff I got Lil' understanding of! The greatest mysteries of the world make a lot more sense to me, than the electronical gyrations that go on inside these contraptions... when you hit a button...
One thing I can say... that 3G outfit did fine when I called 'em... the talked me through a couple of glitches that I was lost in... quick and easy... even managed to get a laugh out of 'em!
Laughter... the only way to keep from poppin' a cork sometimes... Hope they're still laughin'... when I call 'em back today... to try and get some help in tryin' to get the printer to talk through that router...
... and then... another S.A.D. moment... that's Senior Attention Defict, (a syndrome I suffer from) ... for you NON medical types...
I was unpacking the router and said..."Aw dang... they sent the wrong router."... I'd mentioned here that I was getting the CTR500 router... but... in talking to Alex at 3G... we decided that with the 'puters and printer and such that I want to use... the Cradlepoint MBR1000 would be the better pick...
... that conversation went lost in the vast, cavernous, void of 'Cowboy Headspace'... took a while to do the rememberin'...
In the end, what I found was... If you know what you're doin'... easy to hook up... If you don't... you call 3G and they say something like; " ...see that wire, with the two flat prongs on the end?... Push that into the little holes, in the flat plastic plate, you'll find, low on the wall of your room..." :-)
... or... maybe more likely; "Is there an... ADULT... there that I could talk to?" :-)
More chores to do today... bangin' away on the newest site. The online 'store' for our Bead Store.. the 'walls' are up and the shelves are in... but their ain't no Beads on those shelves at the 'Bead Cache Online'... yet. :-)...
... I keep crackin' the whip... but the two ladies involved are shootin' me 'daggers'... :-) Guess I better cut 'em some slack...
I guess with me dealin' with S.A.D. AND O.C.D. ... maybe I'm bein' Difficult? :-)
Been starting to do a search for that window that broke on the last day, of our last circle, in the Fifth Wheel... apparently, it's not going to be a real 'easy' task... or cheap!... Did a 'quick', on-line search and found nothing that seemed to match the layout of the thing...
... So finally... I called the outfit where we bought the Eagle back in '01... Jolley Roger RV, up in Cheyenne...
Typical American ingenuity... you can't replace the broken part... you have to replace the WHOLE window. In our case, the only thing that is 'bad'... is the missing 'awning' section at the bottom... It just blew off somehow. You'd think since none of the remaining window is damaged, thay you'd be able to get just that rectangular 'flap' at the bottom...
... but then... that would be reasonable... and I'd have nothing to grouse about! :-)
OK... How do I get the right window?... You have to take out the existing Window Frame... 'cause the ID # is usually stamped into the frame... on the INSIDE, hidden by the wall and surround... not out where it might be easily found for any necessary replacement...
Now that is typical engineering, ain't it?
So... in the winter... you got to open up a 3 foot whole in the wall... to get a number... then replace the window... until the new one comes... and then do it all again... really fine system... don't you think. :-)
Then he says... "that ain't the worst of it"... uh oh...
... When you DO get it... it's gonna cost you $300 to $500 dollars! Geeze... I paid maybe half that for the Top Notch, double glazed, insulated, energy efficient, special-glass-that-reflects-the-heat, windows in the house... that are about three times the size!
... They kind of got you by the tender parts don't they? ... It's not like you can run down to Home Despot and pick up a window frame that's gonna fit that hole... Life in the west I guess... so... go make a hole I guess.
To defray some of the expenses 'round here... (going back to a post of a week or so ago) ... we've decided to see if there might be a market for renting/leasing the barn (since it's sitting there, unused)... Idea being... if we can't sell out... maybe we can cut the cost a mite... and allow a mite more wandering while we wait for the cycle to turn again... had a few nibbles... but no Horse Race. We'll see what happens...
The Gals got a lot done the past few days, on preparatory work to get the Shelves stocked in the New Online Etsy Bead store we're settin' up to compliment the main... bricks an' mortar store, that's been keepin' diesel in Big Red and the pantry stocked for quite a few years now...
That new, online Bead Store should be up and running later this week... I say Should be...
... Somebody as purty as me should be livin' in luxury... not workin' for a living... but that ain't happened either... :-) ... so, we'll see what happens!... but it's comin' along.
Just keep putting one foot in front of the other... and see where I end up I guess.
Just a quick note... the geezer overslept and I'm late to make the donuts! :-)
The Bead Cache Crew got a good bit of their fancy seed Bead Mixes loaded into the Bead Cache on etsy site... So you Beadin' Gals run on over... or you can just click the link if you want to :-) and check 'em out!
... Reader Steven bonked me purty good... remindin' me 'bout RV Slavage outfits... so... for my window replacement... I'm going to hunt around for a while... and see if I might be able to even upgrade to a better window...
... but next time... you ain't gotta swing that 2X nearly so hard! :-) ... just a lil' tap on the shoulder 'll do... and... cough a little as you walk up behind me... jus tappin' the shoulder unexpected... if I didn't hear you... could shock me into a coma! :-)
March 25, 2009 08:14 - New day... New tasks... Old 'Issues' ... Still bangin' away...
Breaking out that busted window frame on the Eagle, to get an accurate replacement measurement, is going to have to wait for better weather... I'm just not ambitious enough any more, to take that on, when the wind is goin' nine-oh... The 'Blizzard' never made it here, like it did a little ways north of here... but the wind is plenty to make puttin' holes in the wall a problem, all by itself!
Seems to have let up some this morning... if the 'calmness' holds... I may start diggin' in a mite later.
Work is progressin' on the Bead Cache Site... Keriann reports there was even a sale! Woo Hoo!...
Now... If we could just get the banks to agree our house is worth more, than a hundred grand LESS, than it's construction/replacement cost... so we could sell the thing, we'd be sittin' in high clover! :-) ... Seems like if they're going to simply pull numbers out of the air... why not just pull out the one that says a place is worth... what it would cost to build it?
Common sense is a mite too much to ask for... when dealing with bankers these days... I guess...
So... In an effort to make an end run 'round those grasping, cannibals... we're/I'm palaverin' with a gal... who's interested in leasing off part of the place... something kind of like I suggested folks might try...
We've got that Barn just sittin' there... and there's plenty of folks payin' ungodly prices for boardin'... seems to me, if I can find an individual who has the ambition or desire to take on the responsibility... but lacks the facility... I have the facility... but lack the desire for the responsibility! :-)
... all we need do is whittle our pencils a mite sharper, and out compete them high dollar places...
... with a careful contract, yadda, yadda, yadda... We might could set up some sort of a bargain that is a Win-Win deal for us both... and Frees up my keister to get out doin' some damage to a good long stretch of ashpalt. :-) and Lordy... wouldn't that be Shining Times for my cross eyed self?! :-)
It gets wearisome... and your head gets sore... what with all the thumpin' into walls... I suppose it would have been easier, if My Momma had mothered a smarter fella...
But, I think I've discovered a way to actually dig out of a hole... most folks... me included... usually just keep on blindly diggin'... gettin' ever deeper... Don't work too well does it?
Now... what if... rather than diggin' down... you go just a touch sideways?... then lift that shovel a bit... and dig sideways again... only a bit higher than that first 'sideways' dig?
Then... step up on that first, higher, 'sideways' place you dug out... and do it again... each time you do it... you get higher, an' closer to the top of the hole! Awsome...
... Yup... some feller I was talking to said another guy had invented the things many years ago... when he was confronted with the same problem... He calls 'em STAIRS! :-) They say he claimed that the principle held true with a lot of other difficulties... If you attack the thing... one step at a time...
... you just might reach the top! :-)
Now... if I can just figure out how to be patient... one step at a time...
Good thing I didn't open up that wall in the fifth wheel... the storm that didn't... had a brother that is! :-)
Not a big thing... yet... but the Weather girl is all a quivery with what the 'weather model' says is gonna happen... It's an up slope, and that's where it comes from when we DO get powdered... we'll know what happened when we look back and see what did...
... but... before its socks in too hard I have to roll Big Red through the accumulating snow... to find a thermocouple... the water heater crapped out... The pilot won't stay lit... so I'm gonna take a gamble that the thermocouple is the culprit...
I'm a fella with a double dose of afflictions... and you folks that are focused soley on RV Boondocking, thought you had it bad when your Hitch Itch flares up!
I'm not only afflicted with Hitch Itch... but I've got a severe case of the Twisty Quivers!
It's a commonly found nervous condition... but generally not talked about much in polite conversation... It gets especially bad when the weather socks in... and a Motorcycle Rider can't get his scooter out onto two lane pavement, twisting though country pastures... or leaning around the steep slopes of High Mountain passes!
Sometimes, just rumbling down far western roads, the wind in your face, where you can see straight as an arrow for thirty miles, soothes those jangled nerves! No twisting required!
But I gotta tell you, sitting here, with the Hitch Itchy Twisty Quivers... ain't no pic nic! :-)
I did find a way to deal just a mite though... I found some Sweet Videos on You Tube! :-) ... that other Riders have created... and built a page for such mastepieces on MTFR (Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road) that I call Shining Videos
They seem to soothe things for a while... but it seems like I have to go back more and more often... must be like dope... the more you take... the more you need!
I can say though... this is one addiction I have not one single intention of tryin' to kick! :-)
I guess, if I'm gonna go out into the maw of a 'Blizzard' to get that Water Heater part... I better get to goin'...
March 28, 2009 05:49 - It came and went... and as is Big Red's habit...
... he needed a visit to the knuckle busters in the middle! :-)
seems almost ever' winter... (2 out of 3 so far!) right as a 'storm' of some variety is in progress, Big Red goes lame and needs some attention... Yesterday morning as that storm was haulin' out of here... leaving some small drifts... and icy roads, but nothing truly difficult... Red had to go in to the shop and get another U-Joint...
... He was in at 8:15 and out just after noon!... and still not the quickest trip... That one was when he had to be 'towed' in on the back of a flat bed... when he was brand new... and we didn't find out the problem was the ignition KEY... 'till the tow truck was sittin' in the driveway of the dealership... They gave me a new key... I started the truck... backed off the tow truck bed... and drove home! :-)
I'm thinkin' this might fix a vibration we've had for some time... at speed... weak and intermittent... but there... that would be nice if this U-joint was the source of that minor irritation...
'Nother storm supposed ot roll in next week sometime... good and bad...
Bad 'cause it gets in the way of doin' things outside... good, 'cause we need the water... some more of Lloyds balance...
... several irons in the fire on plans I've been tinkering with, as I work to re-map our 'route' into whatever our future is... and since my patience has worn lacy thin the past year or two... that Murphy fella has seen to it that...
... I find myself bein' forced to exercise some more of what lil' I got left!... arrrrrggggghhhhh! :-)
... I'm waitin' on 'final word' from bank number one... on a 'restructure' plan I have... they're takin' weeks to do what normally would be done in a matter of days... with plenty of pokes an' jabs to keep my spleen sore... and If bank number one fails the task... I've got #2 lined up and... waitin'... to make a run on it...
... I'm waitin' on a plan to sift through all it's twists and turns... to rent a portion of this place off, to counter part of the mortgage... which would free up income and time to go do 'other' things... guess what the 'Other' things are? :-)
... and I'm waitin' on a few 'semi-secret' things, that can't happen until those first couple things do... so... a whole lot of waitin' right now...
Problem is... I've been waitin' so long... I'm gettin' pretty poor at it... I'm the sort that once I make a decision... "Let's go!"... enforced Waits just aggravate my Hitch Itch... and my Twisty Quivers... arrrrrggggghhh!
March 31, 2009 08:13 - Some Days are Diamonds... Some days just leave you numb...
Not sure how to write this... and it has little to do with RV Boondocking... but a few folks seem to have noticed a pretty melancholy tone of late... so I thought I should say something about why.
Nothing desperate or out of the ordinary has happened for us personally... just the same old wearisome obstacles one after the next... wears a fella down and on occasion, you just get tired... takes a bit to 'recharge' to get out and hit it again... you don't have any real options, just put one foot in front of the other... but that don't make it any easier... so, nothing new there...
The real 'Downer' though has been outside my 'immediate' family...
While I wait, and work to find my way around the obstacles created by the 'Times', I work at a Ranch Store down the road 'bout 20 miles. Most of the people that work there are kids from the University in Fort Collins... and I have to say, bein' around those kids, helps keep a crusty Ol' Geezer from gettin' too crusty... They keep you on your toes... and usually, keep a smile on your face...
There was a little gal that worked there, Lil' Laurie. Just turned 19. Sweet Kid. She's worked with us for a couple of years.
She was sitting at her desk, almost two weeks ago, and collapsed. She'd suffered an anuerism. Laurie lingered for 10 days until Saturday evening when that gentle soul passed.
Unlike a lot of other people, In the nearly two years she'd been with us I cannot remember seeing her without a smile, or a giggle. I never heard a foul or angry word cross her lips. She was a college girl who didn't drink or smoke, didn't go hellin' around... The kid did it right, every step of the way...
... Somebody like me gets taken, you say... "Oh well... it's a miracle that old fool made it as long as he did."... but Oh Lord, It's about the most difficult thing I've ever been confronted by. Trying to understand the sense of it has taken the wind out of my sails for quite a bit now.
The only thing I can think... the only thing I can say... that puts it in any tolerable light... is to BELIEVE that the Boss didn't TAKE anything from that little girl. If anyone EARNED a place, Shining in Glory, that Little Girl was at the head of the line. The only way to accept this is to Know and Believe that those lil' bells I can hear, tinkling in the distance... are Laurie... they are her, giggling and callin' to us...
"Hey Darlin'... Don't grieve and cry for me. I'm Home! My struggles and sorrows are done with. The Boss didn't Take, Anything, from me... He GAVE me EVERYTHING!"
Our sorrow is for ourselves... Laurie wasn't punished... By God, that little Gal was Rewarded! That is one Kid, that I know, for sure and for certain, is Shining in Glory!
The testimony to her life, as short as it was, and the purity of her spirit, can be seen on the faces of the people she worked with. It's in the tears streaming down the face of a crusty Old geezer... It's in looking around and seeing the impact her short, gentle, life had... We can all take a lesson from Laurie...
