Faith in workboots

I left the TV on to make noise for the dogs while I was gone today. If it is too quiet Carmel gets anxious. When I came in I Walk, Texas Ranger was on. It was one of the last season of shows that got super sappy.

In the last scene Walker was in a hospital room talking to a little girl who was in need of physical therapy. The little girl told him she didn't need it because God was going to heal her, and she would walk again.

Walker took a deep breath and e told her a story. The ste ory went like this.

“Years ago I knew a man who prayed every day that he would win the lottery, and when he didn't win he got mad at God.”

The little girl said that was silly.

Walker replied, “Yes, it was, because in all the years he prayed to win the lottery, he never once bought a lottery ticket.”

I used to know a preacher who called it “faith putting on its work boots”.

It is something I see all the time. Someone wants something, but they don't want to work for it. They want it to fall in their lap, but don't want to put in the work to make it happen. They want to government to provide it. It is the sad welfare mentality that is pervasive in society today.

Don't just sit and hope and pray that you get something. If you want it – work for it. Get up and go out and get to work. Dust off the work boots and get out there. Dig a few ditches, sweep some floors, paint a house, haul some junk to the scrap yard. Don;t expect it to happen.

Recently I came into a position where I needed a bigger truck. My half ton pickup was just not big enough to get it done. So what did I do? Did I sit and hope one fell into my yard? Did I search Craigslist ads and pine for a new one and complain that I didn't have one?

No I got out and worked my butt to exhaustion to earn the money. I used my little half ton truck to earn the money I needed to get a bigger one.

So you want a bigger house, a better stove, a new television? Don't wait for the government to give you one. Don't complain that you don't have what you want. Go out and use what you have to get what you want or need.

Have faith. Ask and pray. But get out and work for it.

Heath working on his car

We need more Speed Racer and less Fast and Furious.

My 3 year old has discovered the joy that is Speed Racer. Every morning when he has breakfast he starts asking for it. So I put in the DVD and Speed appears.

I was a big fan when I was younger. Then in college I got a job doing security at an empty building that had cable. I discovered it again on MTV late at night. I never missed it.

When the Fast and Furious Franchise came out I watched all of them. The acting was terrible, the driving was hilarious, the stunts were against the laws of physics, but I watched them all. It was basically a live action cartoon.

Speed was the ultimate good guy. He respected his parents. He obeyed the law. He never risked the lives of others. Even when he was racing he never cheated, never drove recklessly, and never gave up. He worked for the police. He fought evil and corruption. He was true to his girl, Trixie. He was never mean to his little brother no matter how much trouble he got in.

In short he was the complete opposite of members of the Fast and Furious gang. They were criminals. They stole. They cheated. They fought the police. They were unnecessarily cruel to others. They were completely reckless when they raced, drove, or did anything else. They were bad guys pure and simple. They destroyed most of a village in some foreign country by driving through it. And yet somehow we are supposed to root for them.

I really don't know if there is a cartoon contemporary of the Speed Racer series. However, the juxtaposition of the two shows is a view into the problems we face in this country as a whole.

We no longer root for the good guy. Cops are the enemy. Good is bad, and bad is good. Laws are to be broken. No ones life matters but your own. And the end justifies the means. Do what you want, when you want, the way you want, and don't worry about the consequences. You are entitled to whatever you think you deserve – whether you do or not.

Having the approval of those around you is the supreme justification for your actions – not right and wrong.

With this attitude we have a generation of sub humans who are so self centered they can justify murder. A police officer can, while clearly in the right, shoot a criminal who is committing a crime, and it is the officers fault because the criminal was a “good boy.”

When the word good looses all meaning the word evil does too. When evil looses its meaning then it becomes the norm.

We have websites making celebrities of people who are committing crimes. If you can get the most violent activity possible you can have the top rated video. If you have the most vile language and gore you are a shoe if for the top spot.

We have turned our backs on all that is good and become enamored with evil. It is a complete reversal of the way things should be.

F&F drivers can steal, lie, cheat, kill, and destroy – and they are the heroes. Someone as clean cut as Speed Racer would be laughed at and scoffed.

But I really believe that Speed Racer would shrug it off. He is made of sterner stuff than having to have the approval of others. He would take Trixie, rev up the Mach 5, and speed away. A man who is right and knows it doesn't need a pat on the back from everyone – he knows what he stands for.

Like I said, we need more Speed Racer and less, much less, Fast and Furious.

Speed Racer picture was taken from www.comicvine.com

Frontgaters

Today, boys and girls, Uncle Willie is going to introduce you to a new term – Frontgating. “What is that?” you say. Well allow me to explain.

I have prepared visual aids (Don't worry my doctor said they are not contagious).

Everyone knows that tailgating is when you , or someone else, drives too close to the back of another vehicle. This is a bad thing. Most states have a law that states that for every 10 miles an hour there should be one car length between you. They sometimes state it in terms of seconds, but I like the length rule. For example if you are going 10 MPH you should be 1 car length away from the car in front of you. At 20 mph- 2 car lengths and etc. At 100 MPH you should be on a racetrack or the Autobahn not a US highway.

 

However, frontgating is when someone, hopefully you are smart enough to not do this, swerves in front of you within inches of your bumper.

For example: I am driving down the interstate. I drive an 8 – 14k pound truck depending on what I am towing. I am in the right hand lane doing the speed limit. In the left hand lane is a wall of 80,000 pound semi trucks. Idiot driver comes down the on ramp matches my speed right beside my truck. IN front of me is 5 car lengths, behind me is 40 miles of clear lane. Idiot driver speeds up, swerves in front of my truck, and takes a layer of chrome off the bumper, then slows down. Idiot driver is frontgating. IT should be legal to slam into Frontgater and push him into the trees.

Another example: I am in said 8-14k pound vehicle on a 4 lane road (it doesn't matter which lane I am in). I am approaching a stop light. In front of me is enough room for me to stop and not spill my coffee and a bus load of orphan kindergarten kitten nuns (OKKN). Behind me there is enough room for a 747 to land. Idiot driver in the other lane traveling the same direction as I am roars up beside me, sees the opening between me and the bus full of OKKN and swerves in front me me causing me to lock up the brakes, spill my coffee on the windshield, and then stops short of the OKKN. It should be legal to exit my vehicle and empty my thermos full of scalding hot coffee on the heads of these frontgaters.

(I just noticed I left the Justice off the last frame)

Yet another example: I am piloting aforementioned large heavy truck on a 2 lane road. Ahead there is a side road intersection with a stop sign. As I approach at the speed limit (55 mph) I see a vehilce - usually an older luxury type automobile driven by someone who came of voting age during WWI or any aged person with a cell phone stuck to their head - approach the stop sign, almost stop, then slowwwwwwwwwly pull our right in front of my truck. As I leave skid marks on the blacktop, and my jockeys, they accelerate to approximately 1/3 of the speed limit and stay there. They pay no attention to the loud horn on my truck or the multiple tires on the truck and trailer attempting to peel the pavement up. These Frontgaters should be beaten with a stop sign until they understand the error of their ways.

Then there is one more class of Frontgater. He is more dangerous than the rest. I am driving the leviathan down the interstate. There is one of those super long on and off ramps to the left that is about a mile and a half long. On this on/off ramps there is a car – usually already wrecked, undoubtedly uninsured, meandering along, is a driver who does not know what mirrors are for. Nor is he capable of turning his head. He trots down the lane and gets almost in front of my truck and changes lanes. When my horn sounds ( and at that point his head is about even with it) he swerves back into his lane, accelerates slightly, then pulls out again with only the sound waves from the horn separating us – and slows down. It should be legal to run this Frontgater over, take his wallet and any loose change from his car, set the car on fire, and take his pants.

What brings these things to light. Well today I had to drive to Charlotte. Fortunately we did not have the trailer so I was right at 8000 pounds. Every single one of those examples happened during the trip.

I have a set of 150db air horns in the shop. This week they are going on the truck. Along with possibly a pneumatic ram to swat the Frontgaters off the earth.

Disclaimer:Uncle Willie does not condone road rage violence to be used in the instance of encountering a frontgater. This blog isin no means a legal document. If you attack a frontgater – no matter how satisfying it may be – you will be arrested and put in a jail cell with a guy named bubba who things you have a pretty smile. This goes for women too. Drive safely – don't be a frontgater!

Alone time

I had a music instructor that once told me that people have too much noise in their lives. Everywhere is a TV, radio, or phone begging for our attention. He was right.

I firmly believe that people have lost the ability to be quiet. They have lost the ability to sit with themselves and think.

I like the radio. I have one in my truck, but when I am by myself I rarely have it on. I would rather think while I drive.

These thoughts went through my head while I had the bittersweet joy of mowing the front yard for the last time this season. Mowing has always been my time. Time to be left alone. Time to think. Time to sing old songs and mangle the words with no one to laugh.

I have always enjoyed mowing. I think I spent most of my teenaged years behind one mower or another. I mowed about 10 yards a week. Not for the money, although the root beer and snickers fund was nice, but for the time alone.

For several hours a week my companion was a single cylinder push mower, the grass, and the fresh air. As I have gotten older my weapon of choice has moved up to a twin cylinder riding mower. It seems that my back doesn't like a push mower much now.

As I rode around in circles I was thinking to years ago when I would put on my tennis shoes, grab a gas can, my mower, and a ballcap, and head off across the neighborhood to mow yards. It was hard work. Our neighborhood was anything but flat, but I enjoyed it.

My dad always told everyone that I hated mowing. I didn't tell him I liked it for fear he would have found a way to make it harder. Maybe barefooted carrying weights. So I kept my enjoy met to myself, and somethow that made it more enjoyable. And made the time to think sweeter.

Today everyone has a personal entertainment system attached to their hips in the form of the smartphone. They have wires hanging from their ears that drain their brain. They cannot think. They have to be entertained.

To be honest I had a Walkman. And I listened to it, but not when I mowed.

As I pushed the mower around with its blade slicing through the grass, turning the tangled green blades into a smooth carpet, I could think. I was left alone.

If a child now has to mow a yard it is inhumane and social services gets called. If a child has to sit in silence they will explode. But to me it is one of life's little pleasures.

I recently made 3 trips to Mississippi. 600 miles one way. For the majority of that time the radio was off. The engine was entertaining enough. As the miles slipped under my tires I relaxed. I thought. I worked over problems. I came up with answers. I was alone with myself.

So take some advice from someone who enjoys the silence. Turn off the TV, turn down the radio, unhook the headset, and enjoy the time alone. It will be uncomfortable at first. You will hate the silence, but after a while your brain will engage and you can think.

Sit and watch the sunset. Watch it rain. Just enjoy being

alone.

Quality time.

It is pouring rain so I am in the house today. I don't feel like wading through the yard to do anything out there.

Recently my wife had been gone a good bit. She is taking special education teaching classes and is at the point where she is doing an internship at a local school. So on Mondays and Thursdays she is gone from 7:30 – 3:30 and on Tuesdays (today) she is gone from 7:30-9:00 pm. I am not complaining because it gives me lots of quality time with Heath – the 2 year old.

Heath is a unique child. I know every parent says that about their kids, but everyone says it about Heath. He likes to be by himself. When he is around other kids he finds his own place to play. And he is completely independent. I think if he could open the pantry and reach the peanut butter he wouldn't need us at all.

Today we went in the front bathroom to tend to the ducks (you don't keep 10 ducklings in your bathtub?) and Heath materialized behind me with two slices of bread. I have no idea where they came from. But after I filled the tub with water we fed it to the ducks. When I went in the kitchen the loaf of bread on the counter was still closed up. I honestly think the kid has a stash of food hidden somewhere.

A short time later I heard a sound and went to check on him. He had poured some fruit loops out on the floor and was eating them like a cat. I have no idea how he got the bag of cereal. Maybe it came out of his stash.

After the ducks had their 20 minutes of swim time I drained the tub. Heath didn't bring any food. He did help me get the water bowl back in the tub and fill the food dish. I think he would sleep in the tub with the ducks if I would let him.

A short time ago he found a pair of 3D glasses that we got out of a junk car yesterday. He thinks they are cool.

Finally I get a break – he went down for a nap. Maybe I will have time to put on some pants. I have been chasing him around in my bathrobe all morning.

Or maybe not. Just as I was looking for the publish button I heard a thud followed closely by a scream. Heath had climbed out on the bookshelf next to his crib and fallen off. He injured his pride, but is fine otherwise. I may need to hold off on the pants till he is actually asleep.

I am back, sorta

Well it had been a while since I blogged.

 I have no clue if anyone even reads my blog anymore. I only had two regular readers and I think they are both locked in an asylum now.

 Life has been interesting in the last 4 or so years. I have bought a new truck, sold both my old ones, had a child (well not actually me but my wife did – I helped) he is now 2, accumulated new friends, bought a ton of tools, and got into old garden tractors.

 Today I spent my time outside in my workshop cleaning up the mess.

 In the past few months I have bought 2 large toolboxes full of miscellaneous (spelling that word is the only thing I remember from accounting class in high school) tools and they were dumped into a pile in the floor.

After pushing the 80? Craftsman riding mower, that has been in my way for a year, out into the cold windy world I got busy cleaning. I have no idea how many screwdrivers I have now, but I think I could start a store selling them and become rich. After sorting through that pile I got sidetracked and started playing online on the shop computer.

While I was playing I found this blog again. So I will update it periodically. And someone may actually read it.