From the Heartland
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http://www.kwwl.com/story/12128238/iowa-city-group-continues-push-for-urban-chickens?redirected=true
IOWA CITY (KWWL)- Last April the group Iowa City Frien...
15 years ago
Out of Line!? Where is the line?
by Unknown on 9/17/2012 05:33:00 PM, under
I had the opportunity to have a mother of one of the YM tell me that his son needs good male influences in his life. So, she was told that if he can come to the campouts, to mutual, to Church and other activities he will get those good male influences. Needless to say he doesn't come to any of these activities, even though he is invited often. This goes with all the YM! They are all invited multiple times to participate in events and activities, yet if a parent doesn't make them, the YM will not show up. Then when they don't show up, they miss out on a lot!
If your kids weren't doing their homework or skipping out of part of school, wouldn't you be able to tell in their grades? Would that be acceptable? So, why is it as a YM leader do I find my youth leaving Church to go home after sacrament meeting, or not see some at all and find they are at home posting pics up on Facebook with their "homies." Excuses are rampant on why they can't come to some activities. I've gotten, "I've got homework.","I can't help with the sacrament, because I'm not dressed appropriately!", "I'm going to a reptile expo!", "I've got work, football, basketball." and even, "I'm going to go get a drink!" Then they never come back.
This is where I get frustrated! I want to make a list of the stupidest excuses and have them use them with me, cause as the saying goes, "One excuse is just as good as another!"
Parents, us leaders don't have much "authority" to get your kids to Church, mutual or campouts. We will show up and invite them until our faces are blue, but without you kicking their butts out the door, and making sure they get there. What do you expect us leaders to do? You are their parents, make them go! If Church isn't that important to you, let me know! That way I can know who is working for me and who is against me! You can only expect from your kids what you expect of them. If you expect nothing, you can't be surprised when you get nothing. If you don't draw a line in the sand, can they really cross the line?
I'm fairly computer savvy if you know me, you know this. But, it doesn't take a genius to see what your kids are up to. Just check on them on Facebook! I've seen my YM swear, flipping the bird and "liking" extremely inappropriate Facebook pages. When I see that they "like" a Facebook page that is marked with a sexually explicit warning on it, you are in trouble! I can't do much besides calling them on it and strongly encourage them to knock it off. But, when I only see them once in a long while, I can't even do that!
Parents, I implore you, be parents! My Dad always held out with the contingency that if we didn't like living at his house, then we can go live somewhere else. This was always the absolute trump card. When, I say when because we all hit that point, he would always tell us that we are free to go live somewhere else where they may tolerate our behavior and when we decide that what we had wasn't so bad to come talk to him. Was that a little drastic, yes! But, that was usually never pulled unless we were being drastic ourselves.
Wildlife Wound Up
by Unknown on 10/27/2011 12:20:00 AM, under
For three years I have been putting in for the deer hunt in Southern Utah in hopes of killing something bigger than a raccoon or a skunk. I came up with this area by using the statistics the DWR puts out on the success rate of the hunters in Utah. Of all these stats, Mt. Dutton, Utah came up with the best rate of return. One out of every three hunters come away with a deer.
This year was the year that me and my brothers finally drew out on Southern Utah. We spent the year planning out what we were going to do and when the day finally came we saw not a single deer! The following day was Sunday so we attended Church. Yes, we went to Church! In talking to one of the local members, he asked if we had seen a deer, or even at least a single doe. No, no we haven't even seen a single doe. He told us to take up the problem with the DWR. In thinking about this and my unsuccessful hunt, I began to do some numbers and some thinking.
So, the DWR is always jacking around with the prices of hunting tags and how you get tags. Back in the day all you needed to do was drop by your local Kmart and pick up a tag for your choice of game, deer was $45 and elk was $65. When a drawing was required you could pay $5 per hunt to apply a point towards your chances of drawing out next year.
Now days you have to buy a $26 hunting license even before you can get a tag. Everything requires a drawing now! I had to build up 3 points just to draw out a deer tag, which cost me a grand total of $107 over the three years of points. To draw out for a Deseret Land and Livestock tag it will take 12 years and $702. For a Bison it will cost $1671 over 16 years. Even after forking out all this money, who is to say that I would even get the game I'm looking for?
Now, don't get me wrong, the last two I'm willing to pay up for because they are on private land, but the deer no! Any general hunt I wouldn't pay for. The reason being is I believe the DWR is mismanaging the public lands and here is why.
On my first elk hunt, my uncle said that the amount of elk in the area had dropped because the DWR was allowing ranchers to use the land to graze their cattle on. The cattle eat the grasses shorter than an elk or deer would, so they are moving on to greener pastures. Every hunt I have been on since then has been riddled with cattle. I believe that the DWR is making money off the ranchers to let their cattle graze on these lands, so much that the elk and deer are struggling. Hence why last year the DWR reduced the amount of tags they were offering the public. They also are raising the prices of tags and using the drawing to weed out the hunters.
Rather than admitting that they have mismanaged the wildlife that they are supposed to manage, they are just trying to sweep the problem under the rug, costing people like me more than our fair share.
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This year was the year that me and my brothers finally drew out on Southern Utah. We spent the year planning out what we were going to do and when the day finally came we saw not a single deer! The following day was Sunday so we attended Church. Yes, we went to Church! In talking to one of the local members, he asked if we had seen a deer, or even at least a single doe. No, no we haven't even seen a single doe. He told us to take up the problem with the DWR. In thinking about this and my unsuccessful hunt, I began to do some numbers and some thinking.
So, the DWR is always jacking around with the prices of hunting tags and how you get tags. Back in the day all you needed to do was drop by your local Kmart and pick up a tag for your choice of game, deer was $45 and elk was $65. When a drawing was required you could pay $5 per hunt to apply a point towards your chances of drawing out next year.
Now days you have to buy a $26 hunting license even before you can get a tag. Everything requires a drawing now! I had to build up 3 points just to draw out a deer tag, which cost me a grand total of $107 over the three years of points. To draw out for a Deseret Land and Livestock tag it will take 12 years and $702. For a Bison it will cost $1671 over 16 years. Even after forking out all this money, who is to say that I would even get the game I'm looking for?
Now, don't get me wrong, the last two I'm willing to pay up for because they are on private land, but the deer no! Any general hunt I wouldn't pay for. The reason being is I believe the DWR is mismanaging the public lands and here is why.
On my first elk hunt, my uncle said that the amount of elk in the area had dropped because the DWR was allowing ranchers to use the land to graze their cattle on. The cattle eat the grasses shorter than an elk or deer would, so they are moving on to greener pastures. Every hunt I have been on since then has been riddled with cattle. I believe that the DWR is making money off the ranchers to let their cattle graze on these lands, so much that the elk and deer are struggling. Hence why last year the DWR reduced the amount of tags they were offering the public. They also are raising the prices of tags and using the drawing to weed out the hunters.
Rather than admitting that they have mismanaged the wildlife that they are supposed to manage, they are just trying to sweep the problem under the rug, costing people like me more than our fair share.
My Run in with David Winters at Long Creek Apiaries
by Unknown on 9/19/2011 11:45:00 PM, under
So, earlier this year my brother and I became interested in Russian bees. As they are the newest revolution in beekeeping as they are resistant to many of the illnesses of other breeds of Honeybees. So, we set out to find us some Russian bees and I let my brother do the research. In March, he emailed me with the information of David Winters a guy in Parrotsville, Tennessee who has Russian bees and was the cheapest breeder around. So, with the assurance that I would be receiving two 3lbs. packages of Russian bees after Memorial Day, I sent off a check for $266.10 with a Purchase Order I had made up for the transaction.
After the order was placed we began preperations for the parts needed to make the hives and to assemble them for the Russians. When the week of the promised delivery came, I checked the mailbox and the porch daily to see if they had come unannounced. But, as days past, I began to wonder what was going on. So, I sent an email to David Winters asking if there was any sort of delay. But, I got no reply. As the days turned to weeks, I began to worry as I hadn't heard from him, and I would be going on Trek and High Adventure and I wouldn't be there to pickup the bees. So, I called his number, left a message, no response, I emailed again, no response. Finally I went to his website where he stated that there was a tornado that came close by that has delayed his delivery of bees by weeks.
I can understand this. Come on a tornado! So, I began to plan for the bees arrival while I was on Trek and High Adventure as this was three weeks after the promised delivery. But again, I got home from vacation and still no bees. I fired off a frustrated letter asking if he was screwing with me, and yet I still got no response. My brother even called and left a message. Again, no response.
So, we checked his website. He had changed his scrolling banner to state that he was having some bad health and that once he filled all his orders he was no longer going to keep the business. This got my thought running as I didn't want his business rolling up on me and him disappearing into thin air with my money. So, I tried to email him again and ask when I could expect my delivery. But as he is a man of many words, I got nothing!! Finally in August I checked his site again which stated that his last batch of queens weren't any good so he wasn't going to send anymore bees out this year. That he would provide a refund at the end of August to everyone with an outstanding order.
I patiently waited a week or more and finally had it with David Winters and so that is when I began trying to see what my options were as he never directly communicated with me since he cashed my check. It was looking bleak as I would have to file in small claims court in Tennessee, which required me to go to Tennessee. That would cost more than what I paid for and didn't ensure me my money at all.
So, finally I had an idea and I contact Matt Gephardt with KUTV News. I was surprised when I got a call from him! So, I explained to him on the phone my problem and he said that this was all probably a miscommunication as in his research of this guy that he looked legitimate. But, once he called David Winters and left him a message. David called back leaving a message stating that he knows how the news people would never support his position and so he won't talk to Matt unless he gets full editing rights, which nobody would ever do.
Matt began to dig deeper, and in doing so found pages and pages of people complaining that David and his business have done this before. This is where, I began to lose hope of seeing my money again. I knew better than to send my money to any old schmo! I didn't even do any research on this guy or his company before I agreed to buy his bees!! Stupid me!!
Anyways, after doing an interview and showing Matt what I did. He did his news report and I became famous! Well, I looked more like a goober than anything!! Especially when I said, "I'm getting the screw job!" I was trying not to say anything embarrassing!!
Well, Matt recommended that I contact the Utah Division of Consumer Protection and the Tennessee Division of Consumer Protection, to which I did.
It was at this time that I got a demeaning email from David Winters saying that he never refused to give me a refund and that if I can't understand how weather has delayed him, that I will never become a successful beekeeper. To which I replied that I never claimed that he refused to refund me my money. I just said that his lack of communication was unnerving and I was officially asking for a refund and getting the state of Utah and Tennessee involved.
As I waited for things to happen, I began to read the nightmarish posts. Pages upon pages of bad deals made by David Winters. People who have been waiting for more than a year for their bees or a refund. Then, they were followed by the angry responses of David Winters, of how he claimed to be going through a divorce and that is why he hasn't filled his orders, but he also has claimed that last year was his last year to be in the bee business. Everything seemed to be excuse upon excuse!
A week later I got a letter in the mail from the State of Tennessee stating that they would contact me by letter on the case otherwise, don't call them, they'll call me. That was promising!! NOT! But, just a few days later, Adam Watson from the Utah Division of Consumer Protection called me and asked me if I had received a refund as of yet. To which I said no. He explained that in the State of Utah that it is against the law to cash a check and not fill the order within 30 days. That it also is against the law to not provide a refund.
He proceeded to tell me that he was going to call David and let him know that if he didn't provide me with a refund that he was going to nail him with a $1500 administrative citation. Which, sticks to him personally and his business so even if he was to file bankruptcy, it would still stay with him. Then if that didn't work he would slap him with another $1500 citation.
Well, needless to say, I got a check August 31st for the whopping amount of $26.61! 10% of what I had paid him!! Included with this letter was an explanation saying that once he has sold off his hives and equipment, that he would take the remaining money and divide it between me and all the others he had screwed! In layman's terms, you aren't going to get all your money back as I have already spent it.
I let Adam know this, and it was just days later on Sept. 10th I had a knock on my door from the Postlady needing me to sign for a letter. This surprised me, but then I remembered who I was working with. I signed the forms and found a letter with a check for the remaining amount. The letter made me laugh! Here is what he said:
'I recently had a long "discussion" with your state "Gestapo" investigator Adam Watson. After a review of Utah law, I have decided to refund the balance at this time, subtracting this amount to be distributed to others receiving refunds. I will also notify all queen and package producers that accept orders from beekeepers from the State of Utah that they can not take orders more than 30 days in advance of shipment or be subject to a $1500.00 fine per occurrence by the Stat of Utah. Please find enclosed a check for $239.49 for payment in full.'
Just because the State of Utah doesn't condone his actions of hosing people over, we now are living in Third Reich central?!? I guess thank goodness I do, cause I sure got my money back in a hurry!!
Lesson for me! Do some research before you buy!
Lesson for you! Buyer beware! I would rather spend the extra money with someone else that has good reviews. If you don't believe me check this out!
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?232835-Dealings-with-Long-Creek-Apiaries
30 pages of bad news!!
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After the order was placed we began preperations for the parts needed to make the hives and to assemble them for the Russians. When the week of the promised delivery came, I checked the mailbox and the porch daily to see if they had come unannounced. But, as days past, I began to wonder what was going on. So, I sent an email to David Winters asking if there was any sort of delay. But, I got no reply. As the days turned to weeks, I began to worry as I hadn't heard from him, and I would be going on Trek and High Adventure and I wouldn't be there to pickup the bees. So, I called his number, left a message, no response, I emailed again, no response. Finally I went to his website where he stated that there was a tornado that came close by that has delayed his delivery of bees by weeks.
I can understand this. Come on a tornado! So, I began to plan for the bees arrival while I was on Trek and High Adventure as this was three weeks after the promised delivery. But again, I got home from vacation and still no bees. I fired off a frustrated letter asking if he was screwing with me, and yet I still got no response. My brother even called and left a message. Again, no response.
So, we checked his website. He had changed his scrolling banner to state that he was having some bad health and that once he filled all his orders he was no longer going to keep the business. This got my thought running as I didn't want his business rolling up on me and him disappearing into thin air with my money. So, I tried to email him again and ask when I could expect my delivery. But as he is a man of many words, I got nothing!! Finally in August I checked his site again which stated that his last batch of queens weren't any good so he wasn't going to send anymore bees out this year. That he would provide a refund at the end of August to everyone with an outstanding order.
I patiently waited a week or more and finally had it with David Winters and so that is when I began trying to see what my options were as he never directly communicated with me since he cashed my check. It was looking bleak as I would have to file in small claims court in Tennessee, which required me to go to Tennessee. That would cost more than what I paid for and didn't ensure me my money at all.
So, finally I had an idea and I contact Matt Gephardt with KUTV News. I was surprised when I got a call from him! So, I explained to him on the phone my problem and he said that this was all probably a miscommunication as in his research of this guy that he looked legitimate. But, once he called David Winters and left him a message. David called back leaving a message stating that he knows how the news people would never support his position and so he won't talk to Matt unless he gets full editing rights, which nobody would ever do.
Matt began to dig deeper, and in doing so found pages and pages of people complaining that David and his business have done this before. This is where, I began to lose hope of seeing my money again. I knew better than to send my money to any old schmo! I didn't even do any research on this guy or his company before I agreed to buy his bees!! Stupid me!!
Anyways, after doing an interview and showing Matt what I did. He did his news report and I became famous! Well, I looked more like a goober than anything!! Especially when I said, "I'm getting the screw job!" I was trying not to say anything embarrassing!!
Well, Matt recommended that I contact the Utah Division of Consumer Protection and the Tennessee Division of Consumer Protection, to which I did.
It was at this time that I got a demeaning email from David Winters saying that he never refused to give me a refund and that if I can't understand how weather has delayed him, that I will never become a successful beekeeper. To which I replied that I never claimed that he refused to refund me my money. I just said that his lack of communication was unnerving and I was officially asking for a refund and getting the state of Utah and Tennessee involved.
As I waited for things to happen, I began to read the nightmarish posts. Pages upon pages of bad deals made by David Winters. People who have been waiting for more than a year for their bees or a refund. Then, they were followed by the angry responses of David Winters, of how he claimed to be going through a divorce and that is why he hasn't filled his orders, but he also has claimed that last year was his last year to be in the bee business. Everything seemed to be excuse upon excuse!
A week later I got a letter in the mail from the State of Tennessee stating that they would contact me by letter on the case otherwise, don't call them, they'll call me. That was promising!! NOT! But, just a few days later, Adam Watson from the Utah Division of Consumer Protection called me and asked me if I had received a refund as of yet. To which I said no. He explained that in the State of Utah that it is against the law to cash a check and not fill the order within 30 days. That it also is against the law to not provide a refund.
He proceeded to tell me that he was going to call David and let him know that if he didn't provide me with a refund that he was going to nail him with a $1500 administrative citation. Which, sticks to him personally and his business so even if he was to file bankruptcy, it would still stay with him. Then if that didn't work he would slap him with another $1500 citation.
Well, needless to say, I got a check August 31st for the whopping amount of $26.61! 10% of what I had paid him!! Included with this letter was an explanation saying that once he has sold off his hives and equipment, that he would take the remaining money and divide it between me and all the others he had screwed! In layman's terms, you aren't going to get all your money back as I have already spent it.
I let Adam know this, and it was just days later on Sept. 10th I had a knock on my door from the Postlady needing me to sign for a letter. This surprised me, but then I remembered who I was working with. I signed the forms and found a letter with a check for the remaining amount. The letter made me laugh! Here is what he said:
'I recently had a long "discussion" with your state "Gestapo" investigator Adam Watson. After a review of Utah law, I have decided to refund the balance at this time, subtracting this amount to be distributed to others receiving refunds. I will also notify all queen and package producers that accept orders from beekeepers from the State of Utah that they can not take orders more than 30 days in advance of shipment or be subject to a $1500.00 fine per occurrence by the Stat of Utah. Please find enclosed a check for $239.49 for payment in full.'
Just because the State of Utah doesn't condone his actions of hosing people over, we now are living in Third Reich central?!? I guess thank goodness I do, cause I sure got my money back in a hurry!!
Lesson for me! Do some research before you buy!
Lesson for you! Buyer beware! I would rather spend the extra money with someone else that has good reviews. If you don't believe me check this out!
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?232835-Dealings-with-Long-Creek-Apiaries
30 pages of bad news!!
Mother
by Unknown on 7/10/2011 03:57:00 PM, under
Well, it has been about seven months since my last post. Much has happened to cause this long break, which I will explain.
Before Thanksgiving I got a phone call from my Mom and Dad, that my Mom had been admitted into the University Hospital for her cancer as it was causing great pain in her leg, and it had gotten worse in recent days. In this phone call my parents explained that the cancer had become terminal as they couldn't give her anymore radiation and the chemotherapy was hurting her more than the cancer.
During this whole time, as it started a whole year ago, my parents ward took care of us very well. There were visits after visits from their ward family and friends. After my Mom got the terminal diagnosis, those visits only increased.
It was hard to see everyone go through this. My Mom looked pretty well. The only thing that showed was the shaking of her leg as the pain was so bad that Mon would jiggle her foot when she was in pain, which was all the time. But, slowly as the days past, you could see my Mom deteriorate. Because I would go to lunch there, it was a good time talk and spend time with her. But the pain was getting so bad that we ended up getting hospice for my Mom. They came in and have her enough medicine that she was able to near the pain, but in doing so she want always coherent. One week I didn't get a chance to visit during lunch and when we came on the weekend Mom was on oxygen and totally out of it. It was so hard to see this. The only time that she would say anything was when the medication would start the wear off and she would need some more.
During this time with Mom, my sister was able to help her out with her daily needs. Looking back I think that she was blessed to have that time with my Mom, that she wasn't able to find a job through all this. But, being that she was there all the time helping my Mom it had to be hard to go through all the events of everything. I at least only saw it when I would visit, everyone else had to live with it.
My Mom's goal through all this was to see our daughter Rebekah born and to make Thomas' wedding, both in January. But, as time progressed it was very apparent that she wasn't going to make it to either.
Through all the blessings of healing that she was given, December 19th 2010 my mother passed away. It was the exact same day that her father passed away 42 years ago to the day. I know that there was an overflowing amount of faith and prayers for my Mom to be healed, but it wasn't the Lord's will.
After having seen what my Mother went through, and I only saw a fraction, I can only imagine the pain and agony that Christ went through. I have never seen a more horrific way to die.
Evaluating my Mother's life, she was a saint! Just putting up with my Dad and his shenanigans is enough to exalt her, let alone having to raise five boys and a girl, while our Dad served the Church. When you include all she went through her with us and then her being a stalwart in the Church to the day she died, there is nothing in my eyes that would stop her from reaching the Celestial Kingdom.
The day she died I had been assigned to speak in sacrament meeting. I was sorely tempted to use my Mother's death to get out of it. But, the more and more I thought about it, the more and more I felt like I needed to do it. The night before I struggled to get down the words, but once my mind was made up to speak, I was able to get some ideas down. I decided to use my mother's death to emphasize the importance of Christ and his atonement that allows us to have the resurrection and being sealed as a family for eternity. Hopefully my message got across and people could see my point rather than focusing on my Mother's death.
We had Mom's funeral on the day before Christmas Eve. It was good, but Christmas had a new meaning and I think it forever will have a different meaning in my life.
After then, the big event was Thomas' wedding. As usual it was fun, but it lacked a certain excitement with Mom gone, the same happened when Rebekah was born. Even though they both were wonderful occasions, they just weren't the same.
In my talk at Mom's funeral I talked about how she was the glue that kept us all together. Now, with her gone it is more apparent than ever. Things are more disorganized and the draw to come over to my parent's just doesn't appeal as it used to. Mom was always the buffer between our Dad and us, as he has a problem communicating to us his wants and desires. Well, so you can imagine how strained it is now that my Mom is gone.
At Least I Will Never Become a Heroine Addict!
by Unknown on 11/22/2010 10:17:00 AM, under
"There is going to be a Blood Drive on Dec. 3rd." said the member of the Bishopric as he went through the announcements.
Just then I got a slight nudge and as I looked over at my wife she smirked at me as the announcement went on about the details of the upcoming Blood Drive. She knew she wouldn't ever find me there and was trying to tease me.
My whole life has been centered around avoiding needles. Through my youth I avoided the needle for years. Before my mission the last time I could remember getting a shot was when I was getting ready to enter elementary school. I would dodge my mother's requests to get booster shots and even just going to the doctor's in general.
When I got my mission call I dreaded having to go to the doctor as I knew what I was headed for. I had to get every shot known to man, except for Japanese Yellow Fever and Montana Yellow Fever. So in those few months between getting my call and leaving for my mission, I had to go through about 7-8 inoculations. I took them like a man, but the whole time my heart was in my throat and my breathing was rapid. Just thinking over these memories is making my heart race.
I did hear once that if you have been on the African continent that you can never donate blood again. So, I've thought of booking a flight to Africa somewhere and walking off the plane and just getting right back on.
Just the past week, my wife and I got on the topic and through talking to her, I agreed that there are only two scenarios that I can see myself donating blood. The first makes sense, but the second it quite random. The first is if there was a problem where a member of my family needed some blood. The only problem is who knows if I would even be compatible with their type, as I'm the only one who doesn't know his blood type. Second, is if one of my scouts did a blood drive for his Eagle Project, there is no way I could say no.
Now, if the parents of any of my scouts are reading this, forget all you have read!! If your one of my scouts, you better hop on it because it will only happen once and it would probably be quite the show to watch as it would take me quite a while to work up to it. You could probably even find me running around the building just trying to talk myself into it. What even makes it worse is the fact that once I've talked myself into it, the process of the paperwork, blood sample, etcetera would probably take long enough that I would have to go run around the building a couple more times before I could continue to the next steps.
I've heard that the straw, I mean needle isn't much bigger than the ones they use for injections, but when I think of the needle I can only think of them trying to jab a sharp Slurpee straw in my arm. But, what is even worse is when they need that sample before they want your blood. They stick that pen over your finger, why your finger? Isn't it one of the most sensitive parts of the body? Anyways, you just don't know when it is going to hit? Its that "surprise" that really gets me going. Who wants it be surprised when you get stabbed in the finger? At least with the needle you can prepare yourself for the Slurpee straw going into your arm.
Itchy
by Unknown on 10/20/2010 09:52:00 AM, under
Well, it has come again. For about a week or two, I get this itch that sticks with me for a while and then it will fade and won't come back for a month or two. Being so outnumbered in my little family here, it seems to inflame this itch and annoy my wife. I can't help it and the only thing that is going to stop it is for our family to finally break down and get a dog.
Now, it isn't anything to do with my wife as she is warming up to the idea, it is just a matter of getting the planets to align.
The biggest planet we are waiting for is Jupiter. Or in other words, not adding two new family members to the family at the same time. As my wife is due in Jan. it looks like it will be a while before we get used to the extra child and can think of a dog.
Then next planet is Saturn, or the breed of dog. Having had a German Shepherd, it is not hard to add it in as an option. The only problem we seem to run into is the size of the German Shepherd. My wife would like to start with a smaller breed and then get a larger dog, meaning some other breed first and a German Shepherd later. Can I blame her as she has never had a dog before? Because this is most likely a decade long commitment, I don't want to rush into a breed and find out that it is going to be a nuisance rather than an addition to our family. Since, I've only ever had a German Shepherd, I can only think that the dog we get have similar attributes.
Mars is the next planet we are working with. This planet is a little more close to home than the others, but not as big. But, the dog that I will consider to be my dog has to fit the name Thor. It has to be a Man's dog, you can't be naming toy poodles Thor. It has to be protective of our family, I need this as when I'm not there to protect my girls, I know it is there and don't have to worry.
The final planet will bring us a little more down to Earth. Well, actually it is Earth. This is to emphasize the compatibility of this dog to my family. It needs to be a family pet. It needs to be able to get along with my kids and wife. Especially with my wife! Because she will be a first time dog owner, I need a dog that is intelligent and make having a dog a pleasant experience. It needs to be easily trained as she isn't the disciplinarian in the family, it will need to quickly learn some basic ground rules that it can follow without fail.
As I have written this, I can't help but think how a German Shepherd would fit this, other than the size requirements. But, I am biased having only ever had a German Shepherd. If you want to make a breed suggestion, please leave a comment and explain yourselves on why that breed.
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Now, it isn't anything to do with my wife as she is warming up to the idea, it is just a matter of getting the planets to align.
The biggest planet we are waiting for is Jupiter. Or in other words, not adding two new family members to the family at the same time. As my wife is due in Jan. it looks like it will be a while before we get used to the extra child and can think of a dog.
Then next planet is Saturn, or the breed of dog. Having had a German Shepherd, it is not hard to add it in as an option. The only problem we seem to run into is the size of the German Shepherd. My wife would like to start with a smaller breed and then get a larger dog, meaning some other breed first and a German Shepherd later. Can I blame her as she has never had a dog before? Because this is most likely a decade long commitment, I don't want to rush into a breed and find out that it is going to be a nuisance rather than an addition to our family. Since, I've only ever had a German Shepherd, I can only think that the dog we get have similar attributes.
Mars is the next planet we are working with. This planet is a little more close to home than the others, but not as big. But, the dog that I will consider to be my dog has to fit the name Thor. It has to be a Man's dog, you can't be naming toy poodles Thor. It has to be protective of our family, I need this as when I'm not there to protect my girls, I know it is there and don't have to worry.
The final planet will bring us a little more down to Earth. Well, actually it is Earth. This is to emphasize the compatibility of this dog to my family. It needs to be a family pet. It needs to be able to get along with my kids and wife. Especially with my wife! Because she will be a first time dog owner, I need a dog that is intelligent and make having a dog a pleasant experience. It needs to be easily trained as she isn't the disciplinarian in the family, it will need to quickly learn some basic ground rules that it can follow without fail.
As I have written this, I can't help but think how a German Shepherd would fit this, other than the size requirements. But, I am biased having only ever had a German Shepherd. If you want to make a breed suggestion, please leave a comment and explain yourselves on why that breed.
Good Timber
by Unknown on 9/15/2010 11:06:00 AM, under
Does anyone realize the difference between helping someone and doing something for someone? I think the lines between these two get muddied way too often.
When someone is having difficult time doing their Math homework, and ask for help. We don't DO the homework for them, but we walk them through the steps, we try and explain the concept in different manner. But, in the end we don't physically DO their homework.
I have a load of Scouts/Deacons that I work with on at least a weekly basis. I have grown very close to them. But, one thing that I will not do is to do something for them, that they need to do. I currently am the Camping merit badge councilor. Now, they all know me and they all could easily get this merit badge if they would meet with me, but as of yet, I haven't had any takers. Now, could I just say that for Scouts one evening we are going to work on the Camping merit badge and start passing them off? Yes! Yes I could. But, the reason I don't is because they need to get use to calling councilors themselves and working with them. Since I know them very well, they all shouldn't have a problem in doing this with me. So, once they see that calling me up and working on the merit badge isn't a big deal, then they will be able to stretch a little more and advance to calling up a stranger and working with him on a different badge.
You see there is an experience that I would be robbing them, by doing this myself. This is part of growing up, this is part of scouting.
One day, I sat besides someone that I know very little of. But, as our class went on, I began to notice that she was writing a ton. As I began to observe what it was she was writing, I noticed she was doing her child's homework. On the front page was stapled a note saying the the attached worksheets needed to be done in order for her child to pass Math class. Then I began to watch this mother proceed to do the homework.
I was blown away!!! I couldn't believe my eyes. This mother was actually doing her child's homework. Now, some may say, "Oh well you don't know the situation, maybe her child isn't that smart at Math." Others may say, "Maybe they were in a jam and ran out of time so the mother was 'helping'." With school being how it is, I know that this child was fully capable of being in that class. Otherwise they would have put it in a lower level class. We can tell from the note that this child also wasn't doing very well at doing their homework, otherwise they wouldn't be under the gun like this.
No, this was a simple excuse case. "My teacher doesn't like me," or "Math is too hard," or even "I don't understand this and I need your HELP!" Anyway you cut this, it all comes down to the mother DOING her child's homework, rather than sitting down and HELPING her do her homework.
Now, remember teachers give us homework to practice concepts in preparation for a test or quiz. Then once we have mastered it, we can use these concepts in our lives and even use them to make money for ourselves. But, if our mothers, fathers, government, or anyone is there to DO things for us, rather then HELP us, we are being robbed of some experience, many times valuable ones that we shouldn't be without.
Now, because this child hadn't practiced these math principles, and when it comes down to brass tacks and she is tested on it. I guarantee that she failed. Why? Because it is the mother that is learning the concepts, not the child.
The only poem that I have ever heard that doesn't induce vomiting was written by Douglas Malloch and goes like this:
While at Scout Camp this summer we were told of a boy that had some physical limitation. But, he was bound and determined to get his Swimming merit badge. One of the requirements was for him to pass the BSA swim check. He practiced and tried all week long. Twice his leaders thought he had done it, and twice he came up saying he touched the ground and needed to start over. Finally at the end of the week, as they were preparing to close the waterfront, he tried one last time. It was this time he was able to pull through. He had finally completed his swim check.
Now this boy should be proud of what he has done. It took him a while to be able to accomplish this, but he pushed along and kept to it and it has made him a better person because of it. He showed he has more grit than most boys.
My favorite stanza is this:
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
This physically challenged boy could have confined himself to a wheelchair and moped around the camp all week long. He probably could have gotten away with pulling the handicap card and got the merit badge without all the work. But, he didn't.
I don't DO anything for my scouts. I am always there ready to HELP my scouts with anything, but I refuse to DO anything for them. I want everyone of them to become manly men, cause heaven knows there is a great shortage of them in this world. I was taught in a Scout training this quote, "Don't do for a Scout, what he can do for himself." I have stood by that saying because there is a purpose in having these boys become self reliant.
I have seen men that act like boys and boys that act like men. It isn't a physical change that defines a man from a boy, but an inner change that comes over the male sex at some time in their life. It is through growing, overcoming obstacles, and becoming self reliant and responsible for themselves and others that a boy becomes a man.
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When someone is having difficult time doing their Math homework, and ask for help. We don't DO the homework for them, but we walk them through the steps, we try and explain the concept in different manner. But, in the end we don't physically DO their homework.
I have a load of Scouts/Deacons that I work with on at least a weekly basis. I have grown very close to them. But, one thing that I will not do is to do something for them, that they need to do. I currently am the Camping merit badge councilor. Now, they all know me and they all could easily get this merit badge if they would meet with me, but as of yet, I haven't had any takers. Now, could I just say that for Scouts one evening we are going to work on the Camping merit badge and start passing them off? Yes! Yes I could. But, the reason I don't is because they need to get use to calling councilors themselves and working with them. Since I know them very well, they all shouldn't have a problem in doing this with me. So, once they see that calling me up and working on the merit badge isn't a big deal, then they will be able to stretch a little more and advance to calling up a stranger and working with him on a different badge.
You see there is an experience that I would be robbing them, by doing this myself. This is part of growing up, this is part of scouting.
One day, I sat besides someone that I know very little of. But, as our class went on, I began to notice that she was writing a ton. As I began to observe what it was she was writing, I noticed she was doing her child's homework. On the front page was stapled a note saying the the attached worksheets needed to be done in order for her child to pass Math class. Then I began to watch this mother proceed to do the homework.
I was blown away!!! I couldn't believe my eyes. This mother was actually doing her child's homework. Now, some may say, "Oh well you don't know the situation, maybe her child isn't that smart at Math." Others may say, "Maybe they were in a jam and ran out of time so the mother was 'helping'." With school being how it is, I know that this child was fully capable of being in that class. Otherwise they would have put it in a lower level class. We can tell from the note that this child also wasn't doing very well at doing their homework, otherwise they wouldn't be under the gun like this.
No, this was a simple excuse case. "My teacher doesn't like me," or "Math is too hard," or even "I don't understand this and I need your HELP!" Anyway you cut this, it all comes down to the mother DOING her child's homework, rather than sitting down and HELPING her do her homework.
Now, remember teachers give us homework to practice concepts in preparation for a test or quiz. Then once we have mastered it, we can use these concepts in our lives and even use them to make money for ourselves. But, if our mothers, fathers, government, or anyone is there to DO things for us, rather then HELP us, we are being robbed of some experience, many times valuable ones that we shouldn't be without.
Now, because this child hadn't practiced these math principles, and when it comes down to brass tacks and she is tested on it. I guarantee that she failed. Why? Because it is the mother that is learning the concepts, not the child.
The only poem that I have ever heard that doesn't induce vomiting was written by Douglas Malloch and goes like this:
Good Timber
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.
Where thickest lies the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.
While at Scout Camp this summer we were told of a boy that had some physical limitation. But, he was bound and determined to get his Swimming merit badge. One of the requirements was for him to pass the BSA swim check. He practiced and tried all week long. Twice his leaders thought he had done it, and twice he came up saying he touched the ground and needed to start over. Finally at the end of the week, as they were preparing to close the waterfront, he tried one last time. It was this time he was able to pull through. He had finally completed his swim check.
Now this boy should be proud of what he has done. It took him a while to be able to accomplish this, but he pushed along and kept to it and it has made him a better person because of it. He showed he has more grit than most boys.
My favorite stanza is this:
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
This physically challenged boy could have confined himself to a wheelchair and moped around the camp all week long. He probably could have gotten away with pulling the handicap card and got the merit badge without all the work. But, he didn't.
I don't DO anything for my scouts. I am always there ready to HELP my scouts with anything, but I refuse to DO anything for them. I want everyone of them to become manly men, cause heaven knows there is a great shortage of them in this world. I was taught in a Scout training this quote, "Don't do for a Scout, what he can do for himself." I have stood by that saying because there is a purpose in having these boys become self reliant.
I have seen men that act like boys and boys that act like men. It isn't a physical change that defines a man from a boy, but an inner change that comes over the male sex at some time in their life. It is through growing, overcoming obstacles, and becoming self reliant and responsible for themselves and others that a boy becomes a man.
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