Books

I have about 2 dozen books that I have read countless times. These aren't counting series I've bought over the years because I love them. These are books that I enjoy because they are light, fun reading. Things like Patrick McManus, Gary Larson, Bill Amend, and Tim Allen.

I'm re-reading an old favorite right now, because I'm between books, and I probably won't make it to the library till Thursday. I'm reading Chili Dawgs Always Bark at Night by Lewis Grizzard.

He's chauvinistic, for sure, but that's his biggest downfall as a writer. I certainly wouldn't recommend him to my wife.

But he does believe in being chivalrous. And he doesn't like liberal democrats. and he's a fan of the SEC.

It's a good light read between other books, if you can get over his disdain for women golfers.

The Boy-o's Day, Part 3

Towards the afternoon, he was a butterfly. Then, there was Cookies!

What does tonight hold? Beyond sloppy joes and corn on the cob, I don't rightly know.

The Boy-o's Day, Part 2

We went to the park this morning, and Elyas ran and played with the other children all morning. We had a brief bathroom break at the library (right next door to the park), and around 11:45, we rode the carousle.

He told me that he wanted 'lettuce and tomato and peppers and cheese... And chicken!' for lunch. He seemed to enjoy it. I had chicken strips.

After lunch, we went to the beach, and he tired of that quickly. Now we're back at the park, and he's playing happily!

I'm glad he's enjoying the day!

Some Pics

The Boy-o's Day

I told Elyas that we'd do whatever he wanted to do today. The list so far:

-Eat Cereal
-Drink some Milk
-Watch Mickey

I'm gonna clean up the house real quick, and see what we're doing before lunch.

I hope he'll have fun.

Beer

I love beer. I love many different varieties, and whatever brand of craft brew is on sale, I usually buy. So at least twice a month, I end up with a 12 pack of craft brew for less than 10 bucks. My local liquor store runs good sales. This week, it's Buffalo Bill's Brewery's Orange Blossom Cream Ale. It's quite nice for the first two beers, but after that the flavor becomes overpowering. Still, I'm glad I took a chance on it. It's a nice after-dinner sipping beer.

Back to Basics

Those of you that have known me or my dad know that I grew up on a small hold farm. We only had 10 acres and a dozen cattle or so, but we also raised chickens, goats, ducks, and turkey, and we grew our own vegetables as well. When dad bought the place, He and Grandpa stretched barbed wire around all 10 acres, and they erected the barn. I grew up doing farm chores like tending animals, hauling water, weeding vegetables, and the million other mundane tasks that comes with keeping up a small farm. It was hard work, but it was fulfilling. I know the value of a day's labor.

I decided to get educated, and went on to college in hopes of not having to worry about things like the tomatoes coming in or hoof rot. I am proud of where I came from, but the work, although rewarding, can be back-breaking, too. So I went to college, and got a degree. I graduated in one of the worst economic climates in the past 20 years. I bought 4 shiny new suits after graduation and went to Florida. Me and my wife have done okay for ourselves, but I got tired of management quickly, and have gravitated back to historic interpretation, which I did in college. It doesn't pay as well, but I'm much happier.

I've been thinking about my job change a lot lately, and I've come to realise that happiness counts for a lot.

I have a nice house in a working class neighborhood, and (mostly) good neighbors. We have a picket fence. We have all the trappings of a middle-America life, and many of my friends here are envious of our situation. From the outside it does look attractive.

But I miss being self-sufficient. I miss having land where I can shoot when I feel like it. Where I can hunt duck or deer or rabbit. I miss cooking food that I grew or that I shot and processed.

My job makes me happy because while the main purpose of my job is to educate visitors, I still get to make things with my hands that I feel a pride in making. Taking pride in what you do and the things you make is important. I can't feel the same pride in filling out an accounts receivable ledger as I can in making a pot lid in the blacksmith shop. I can't take the same pride in my gumbos using all store bought ingredients as I can when I grew or raised 70% of the ingredients myself.

And I can't take the same pride in paying my sewer bill as in knowing I sunk the septic tank in the back yard myself.

I now understand why dad felt a need to be a farmer when I was young. Sure, he's semi-retired now, and lives on a street with close neighbors, but the fact is, at one point in his life he felt a NEED to live that way, and he did. And it was rewarding. And it was a good way to raise children, and bring us up with a good work ethic. I'm feeling that need.

I need to grow a garden. I need to hunt. I need to make my life with my own two hands.

Looking back on my childhood, it was an enviable life. Much more so than the one with the picket fence.

Busy

I was busy today. I ran by the bank around 11am, and what should have been a 5 minute transaction ended up taking almost 35. I wasn't in a hurry, so it was no big deal, but imagine my surprise when I looked at my 50 dollar money order, and realised it was cut for 500. Further, by looking at my account balance, it appeared that I was only drafted 50. I explained to their customer service rep what happened, and she walked over and scolded the teller that handled my transaction, which I felt bad for. He accidentally hit an extra zero on the money order machine, but he only drafted me for 50. He got a butt chewing, but I suspect that if I had been a more unsavory character and actually cashed it, be probably would have lost his job.

When I left the bank, I went and picked up my wife for lunch, and we ate at one of out favorite open-air diners, the Spanish Bakery. We wandered around downtown for another half hour, then I brought her back to work. It was a lovely break from the day-to-day.

Afterwards, I went home, and I couldn't focus on my book, and it's not because it's badly written. I just needed to do something with my hands, so I wandered out to my shop with the boy in tow, and we did some carpentry. Me and my wife have been discussing how bare our porch looked, and we came to the conclusion that we needed more seating. So today, I built a bench for the porch corner.

Now I'm blogging before I start a Roux. The gumbo I started cooking an hour ago is about ready for the roux, and I need to have dinner ready before Ghost Hunters starts.

Good evening, ya'll.

weather

Drinking coffee on the porch, and the thermometer says 49 degrees. I've been sleeping with the windows open for the past three days, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

Gotta love the Florida fall!

Antiquing

My newest find: an antique brace, or hand drill. It's English, probably Sheffield, from about 1870. It's a fine example, with a mahogony head, and it's joint is tight, as it should be. I'm digging it.