Once in a while, things do get accomplished around here. I tend to start a lot of projects, and sometimes they don’t always get finished in any kind of timely manner, but things do get accomplished.

The trees are coming along. Sara, the black lab, really enjoys digging up newly planted trees, over and over again. I, on the other hand, do not enjoy planting the same trees over and over again. Those of you who can make leaps of logic have already figured out the conflict brewing. I have found a new use for the end product of the dog’s food processing abilities. (hint: they won’t dig in their own poo)

Speaking of little helpers:

MEG was supervising the installation of the new safety gate. She says I did a fine job.

Yesterday was her first birthday, and, of course, her first official birthday ‘cake:

Yes, that is frosting all over her face. And hands. And dress. And Dad’s shirt. And Dad’s hands. What you can’t see is the frosting and crumbs all over Gramma’s floor.

In case I don’t get a chance to do so later, let me take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Show some spirit, and support! Go on, I dare you!

I double dare you!

Playing hardball, eh? OK, you asked for it -

I double dog dare you!

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday toooo meeeeeee,
Happy Birthday to me!

I pray that your Christmas was a blessed one, and that you received not what you deserved, but what you really needed.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Larry may be offensive at times, but he sure does get a point across.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. May God bless you and your family this Christmas week.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

This says it all!

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Can you believe it’s only five days ’til Christmas?

I grew up in Colorado and Ohio. I live in the Phoenix, Arizona area now. Christmas just doesn’t feel “right” here sometimes.

There’s no snow. And, no snowshovels!

Most of the trees are fake. But well decorated! There’s even a tumbleweed “tree” in Chandler - they rustle up a bunch of tumbleweeds (Russian Thistle) and tie them together in the form of a Christmas Tree, and string lights on it and everything.

I used to ice skate, or play ice hockey, or go sledding the entire month of December, as soon as school was out. If I want to do that now, it’s a good two hour drive to the nearest white stuff. I’d rather spend my time on the back porch barbecuing the steaks, thanks.

In Ohio, the ground and nearly all the water freezes in mid-November and stays that way until March of so. In Arizona, mid-November means it’s time to plant your new trees. I’m still working on mine.

Santa wears fur lined clothing in the snow country. Once he hits this area, he swaps out his boots for flip-flops and sheds his coat. The old boy would have heat stroke if he tried to keep all that fur-lined stuff on.

There’s never a problem with the malls being closed because of a snow storm here - heck, if it did snow, we’d all e out looking at it before it melted. It’s snowed twice in downtown Phoenix that I know of. Once, on Christmas Eve, in 1999, and before that it was about the middle of January in 1987 or so. My memory is getting old, so forgive me if I’m off a bit.

But one thing about Christmas, no matter where you celebrate it - it’s still the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord, for sending your Son to us, to take all our sins upon Himself, to die for those sins so that we don’t have to, so that we may join You at the last trumpet’s call.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

TMBWitW is on vacation this week, which means that I can get some projects finished up since I won’t have MEG attached.

Or does it?

This is the week before Christmas, and TMBWitW also has projects and plans. So, we work out compromises.

For example, yesterday I had planned to pick up my new table saw (new to me, the guy selling it is moving to the mountains and he doesn’t have a shop … yet) and then go over to our friend’s house and get the above-ground pool that she is giving us. Our friend has sold her house and is moving, and she doesn’t have room for the pool at the new place, and since she got it for free she offered it to us, since she knows that Logan’s therapy (pool time - he loves to swim and it doesn’t hurt his legs) is a bit pricey, she offered us the pool. Only thing is I would need to dismantle it and move it.

First thing in the morning, I headed over to the church property to get the trailer, and then called the guy I was buying the saw from. He gave me directions, and it was only then that I realized it was about an hour away. Well, the price was really good, so I didn’t quibble about the drive. Once I got the saw home, I unloaded it into the garage “for now” and headed over to our friends house. The dismantling wasn’t so bad - with the exception of a few rusted or stripped screws, the parts are easy to reassemble. So, six hours later I was unloading the pool parts into the garage also.

Now all I have to do is move both purchases into the backyard. First, though, I have to clear a space for the pool. And then build a ramp for Logan to get up to the rim and into the pool. And build a shelter for the saw. Oh, yeah - and finish planting the trees.

Why am I sitting here telling you this? I gotta get going …

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Stole this from Greybeard. Suggest you do the same.

Private note to those who have served - with, before, or since - me: Thank you.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

On this Friday, while you are wearing your Red Shirts to show your support of the troops, take a minute to examine where else you support the troops. Once they return from the hotzone, do you forget about them? Or, like most Americans, do you give to the Veteran’s Organizations that call and solicit donations from you?

How deeply have you investigated the charity that you support? I, myself, am guilty of handing my hard earned money to the wrong organization. I found that out when I read TexasFred’s pieces on Veteran Charities. Read more here and here. Then, call your charities and ask them the hard, hard questions: Where do the dollars go? How much of each dollar goes to support overhead, expenses, and salaries? How much did the organization pay to it’s highest officers last year? While you are at Fred’s. tell him I said howdy…

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!