Preston, ID

Last Saturday was our second time up to Preston in two weeks. First was the Goff family reunion and then the Johnson family reunion. Preston is a nice town. We visited Uncle Verl Goff who has a soft serve ice cream machine in his house. That was very impressive for the young folk. He also has a fun Coi pond in his backyard. The fish were none too comfortable with us gawking at them though.

The weather was nice both Saturdays. We had fun this last week visiting with all of the Woolley cousins. Natalie was in town. The kids wanted to go ride their bikes into "town" to a store. Some of the adults (Natalie) were a little apprehensive. Daniel Taylor asked if anyone had a GPS they could borrow. For heaven's sake, it's one block that way and two blocks that way. They survived. We live in a different age.

'Kung Fu' star found dead

All I want to know is if they found a pebble in his hand.

Yesterday

Just because something appears to be inevitable does not mean we have to facilitate it even though it is wrong.

Uncle Jay

Orson Scott Card had the following column today:

Here are my thoughts:

I think, perhaps there is a clarity of thought and action that the Spirit is able to communicate in urgent circumstances. Although it may not be a big deal, this very possibly will be a life changing event for Aaron.

When I was a Boy Scout we had the responsibility of running the local fireworks booth as a fund raiser. This included setting up the booth. The Scoutmaster (my uncle) and a couple of us boys were struggling with the assembly of several ungainly panels of the booth. Suddenly, the roof started to fall. The boys all ran. But, my uncle stepped in to catch the falling panel. I was struck (figuratively) , first by my very quick reaction to abandon all, and second by my uncle's clearheadedness and courage to do what he did. Now, I was probably too small and weak to be of much help. But, I realized that an adult would immediately know and do the right thing. That stuck with me and has helped me since then several times react with courage and clarity in emergencies.

Obama and CAFE Standards

Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away? - Ripley

Disaster!

I had a major disaster with my bike on Saturday. My rear dérailleur has been shifting a little sloppy lately. It seemed like it needed to put more tension on the chain. The chain was as short as it could be. So, I decided to adjust the mech. I did not touch the limiting screws. But, when I got on the bike to ride, the part swung into the spokes and disintegrated breaking two spokes along the way. It was a pretty expensive coast down the driveway. The dérailleur was $720 and the rear wheel (with dedicated carbon spokes) was close to $500. I am trying to work out their replacement.

Thought for the Day

I still take alarmists with a grain of salt. But, I've lived long enough to see what I thought was over the top concern in the '70's for the encroachment of "Humanism" and the dangers of Nationalized Education to have come true.

A(H1N1)

I hereby pledge that I will not start fist bumping instead of shaking hands.