You have found my journal of living as a gimped redneck . Here you will find my thoughts and notions . Please feel free to comment on anything you find worthy of feedback or discussion Billy Mays , a person most people can 't stand , yet someone who with little more than excitement in his voice , built a fortune for his family and those lucky enough to have employed him . A front - man , a con - man , a snake - oil salesman . . . yes a salesman . Someone that most people love to hate . There 's always a frown of bad comment when speaking of such a person . Almost like he 's some sort of magician putting people in a trance to buy his wares . What was his magic ? Did he vex people . . . . maybe had some potion . . . called upon the spirit 's . . . . no . He had a vibrant and enthusiastic voice , a twinkle in his eye , and a smile that any weary person would welcome . Almost 2 " of ice13 days with no electricityLand line down for 2 daysCell tower down for 5 daysRural Water tower ran out of water on evening of day 2 ( water recovered on day 5 ) Major damage to every treeChimney fire on day 2 Lesson 's learnedElectricity is nice , but not essential to survival ~ The first thing that grabs your attention is the lack of computer or TV . Everything just goes quiet . Next you realize that there is no hot water for bathing and dishes . You quickly learn how to heat water on the stove . Next you realize that the newer digital cook stoves won 't light ( if it 's gas ) , and forget the oven ; if you have electric appliances . . . stove , refrigerator , or freezer . . . not only will you not cook , but you will also lose most of your food . If you have electric heat you are out of luck as well . Lights ? enough said . Water " IS " essential to life ~ When it stopped flowing , panic set in . Fortunately for us , as the water flow slowed , my wife had the good sense to start filling everything she could find . Then come the realization that the toilet needed flushing and the animals would need a supply of water as well . Me and the son set out gathering ice to thaw in the bathtub . It was a chore and not very convenient , but served our purposes well . Fire is essential to life ~ Without having a fireplace / insert , we would have frozen half to death . The lows hit 12 degrees and staying warm became a challenge . We have a propane heater down stairs that seldom see much use , but worked well to stave off the cold . Back to the fireplace , with no electricity , the blower 's didn 't blow and keeping warm required a large fire going at all times . On the second morning of the ice storm I rose early and stoked the fire , then the good wife gets up a little later and re - stokes it as well . About fifteen minutes later we heard what sounded like a jet and I ran out to see fire shooting five foot out the chimney . I ran back in and had the wife wake the children and take them out to the van to stay warm while I tried to figure out what to do . All I could figGimped Redneck When I was around five years old , I had this Tonka Tractor . I loved that little tractor . It was a Christmas present that year and for about six month 's I had rolled that thing all over our yard doing all kinds of imaginary work . On one occasion I had been playing with it in the drive way and being a kid became distracted and left it there . About an hour later my Mama had to run to town and in the car we piled . In backing out , we all felt the tire hit something and fearing it was our cat , we all piled out to see . What I saw horrified me . It was my Tonka tractor smashed into pieces ; not even Daddy could fix it . On that day I wept . Still five , my sister had rescued a baby chicken from the local hatchery and she and I ( the baby chicken ) quickly became the best of friends ; I named her Jackie . My relationship with Jackie was a secret as I didn 't want my siblings to know that she and I were close for fear that they might become better friends with her . As she grew I had managed to teach her to follow me around , fly up to my outstretched arm 's , and sit on my shoulder so I could pretend that I was a pirate and Jackie was my parrot . It was our secret relationship and nobody could steal it from us because nobody knew it existed . One day me , Jackie , and Daddy were in the yard when he told me to go fetch him something . When I returned , there she was , flopping around the yard with blood going everywhere . I ran up and saw her head in Daddy 's hand and at that moment , I felt as if I had died . Daddy , thinking I was just upset because I had never witnessed anything being killed before , sent me into the house . In short order Daddy had dressed and Mama was frying her up for supper . When supper finally came , Jackie was served up on a yellow platter for all of our dining pleasure . Daddy offered the prayer and everyone started filling their plates . Mama gave me a leg and I finally lost it . I wept like there was no tomorrow . Daddy then asked what was the matter with me . I unloaded . I told him that Jackie walked with me , she would fly to me , and that she played pirate with me ; she was the parrot . She was my friend . Hearing this , Daddy looked down and apologized . He then told everyone to just stop as he left the table . He returned with a box and gathered her from each plate and asked us all to follow him out back where he conducted a funeral for my friend Jackie . He prayed and asked God to forgive him and asked that I would be able to do the same . We buried her and we all wept together . At ten years of age , my parents had bought a bike for me from the neighbors . It was the coolest bike any kid could ever want . It was green metallic with chrome fender 's . Had a sissy bar , high - boy handlebars and a banana seat . Just flat out cool , and every kid in the neighborhood new it ! Later that summer , while riding around a corner our neighbor , Old Man Vanderpool hit me . I was just bruised , but my bike didn 't survive the ordeal . The frame , forks , and front tire were twisted into a mess . Old Man Vanderpool never even saw me as he pulled his 67 ' Pontiac Tempest into his drive . Dragging my bike the block back home was one of the longest treks I had known up to that time in my life . Due to the fact that I could only drag it about ten feet before I would have to stop and rest , I had plenty of time to consider what had happened . How would I tell my parents ? Then as if drawn by some invisible magnet , every kid in the neighorhood appeared to see the spectacle of my twisted bike . Some would ask what had happened and I couldn 't even look up for fear that they might see me cry . When I finally got home , Daddy came out the door and saw me and my bike . He asked if I was okay and I nodded that I was . He then picked up my bike with one hand , and with the other led me out back . He sat the bike down and continued with me to the back of the house where nobody could see . He picked me up and told me it was okay to cry , and I did . When I was eleven , Mama and Daddy brought home a puppy that we named Happy . He quickly grew into the best dog any kid could ever wish for . He was a black cocker spaniel - poodle cross and was the kind of dog that had the wisdom of years , even as a puppy . For almost five years , Happy was always there to play when I wanted , and was content to just sit patiently by my side when I didn 't feel like playing . He had this insight that let him know when you were sad and could always cheer me up . . . he did this for the whole family . He was the last to say goodbye to Daddy as he left for work , and the first and most excited to greet him when he got home . None of us kid 's could leave the house without Happy tagging along to protect us . That 's just how he was . He never dug through the trash , nor chased a cat or car . He would always go up and greet anyone he saw during his adventures around the block . Everybody in the neighborhood knew and liked Happy . He simply was that kind of dog . . . a good dog . One morning Daddy poked his head in the door after walking out to leave for work and asked if anyone had seen Happy . Someone said that they had the night before . Daddy said , " well . . . he 's probably out runnin ' around , " and left for work . At school that same morning , Tommy , my friend whole lived a block up on the highway , came up to me and said we had to talk . I thought it strange as boy 's just don 't , " have to talk . " He took me aside in the hallway as we waited to go to class and when I looked him in the face I knew something was wrong . He then told me that Happy was dead . I said no . . . he 's not . He said yes he was , " we saw the trash truck run over him . " I told him that it was just probably some other black dog . He said , " no , it was Happy . We saw it was him as the trash man stopped , picked him up and threw him in the back of the truck . " I said , " no , it was some other dog . " The whole day I tried to tell myself that it wasn 't Happy , but inside I knew it probably was , yet I continued to hope . When I got home I nervously walked around looking for him . I was too scared to call out for fear that he would not come . After about a half hour of hoping against hope , I realized that Happy was no more . I finally just sat under the maple tree in the back yard and refused to cry . Just sitting and looking at nothing . After a short spell I heard the rumble of Daddy 's truck and felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach . I knew how much he loved Happy and I knew what was coming . He called out to Happy . Four or five times he called as he circled the house . As he walked up he asked if I knew where he was and I looked up and lost it . He knew as he sit and wept with me . We loved that good dog . For a good spell the sad things in life just seemed to take time off . I grew up , went to school , found good work and finally was blessed with a good wife . Life truly had become good and I had an appreciation for being blessed . About a year into our marriage , I received a call at work from my Father - in - law who told me that my wife was on the way to the ER . He didn 't know what was wrong but told me to meet him there . We beat her there and time just stopped . When she got there she was having sever pain in her abdomen and it was discovered that she was pregnant . PREGNANT ! It hit me like nothing else in life had ever hit me before . I was going to be a Father . Instantly life changed . There was a new meaning for my existence and I liked it . After the exam my wife got some pain meds and I just sat with her in a whole new world of potential and the hope it held . All we had to do was wait for the Dr 's to fix her and life would be good . When the doctor did come in , he explained that my wife was having an ectopic pregnancy , which meant little to me . I listened and finally asked what the procedure was to fix things . He explained that the baby couldn 't be saved . . . at that point , it wasn 't really a baby anyway . In just a few hours I had feared for my wife 's life , celebrated that she would be okay , rejoiced over being a father , and finally told that my baby would not live . I was just numb inside as I tried to be strong for my wife . I really needed to talk to Daddy , but it had to wait . . . I had responsibilities . After I got my wife home and settled , I managed to visit Daddy . I told him all that had happened . All the fear and all the hope . How I was almost a Daddy . He then shared a time in his life I had little knowledge of . His first wife and he had two son 's . The eldest was born with heart problems and had received many surgeries to preserve him . He shared how he feared losing his little boy . He then went on to tell about losing his first wife to cancer . How he held her as she passed and how his world had died . Again he spoke about loss . With a smile he told me of my brother Harold , whom I had never met . How he was a good boy . Always helpful and always had a smile . . . even when nobody was looking . He was just good . He then went on to tell me of someone running up to the house and yelling that Harold had drowned . . . they couldn 't find him . Daddy had run down to the pond and pulled his son from the water and held him . In his bedroom , me and Daddy held each other and wept for and with each other . A year later my wife gave birth to our son Samuel . I still held a place for our first child , but Sam had a place all his own and life was good . He and Daddy were best buddies . They had such the relationship . They loved playing games and one of Sam 's favorites was to sneak up on Daddy and scare him . Daddy had a huge heart , but it was tired , and when Sam would do this , Daddy would almost fall over . After a couple of minutes Daddy would recover and they would just laugh and go on having fun . Daddy always had a candy bar hid just for Sam ; didn 't matter that we were trying to limit his sugar . . . A few more years and pregnancy visited our home again . We had decided to deliver her at home and when the time came , I soon began to question our decision . Labor with this child lasted for almost 12 hours . I prayed and pleaded with God for help . I tried to bargain with Him . I promised to be a better husband and father . I honestly don 't remember what all I did deal for , but know that I surely have not been able to live up to the promises made in desperation that night . When the baby finally was being delivered her cord was wrapped tightly around her neck and we were in trouble . Again I prayed and when we went to try to loosen the cord , it just gave way and we unwrapped it . She was then quickly delivered . As I held this child , along with her mother , we wept for joy . God had delivered Josie to us that day . Josie was a peculiar baby . . . very particular . She wouldn 't let anyone but her mother and I hold her . Anybody else touch her and she would scream . She did allow one other person to hold her though . It was Daddy . They had a connection . I have never seen a newborn laugh and interact like that before or sense . A couple of months later Daddy fell ill and was taken to the hospital . The normal routine was for the Dr 's to call in the family to say goodbye and we would all gather and pray . He would always be back home in a week or so . This time when we went up to pray it was different . I just knew and so did he . Not this time . That week seemed to last a decade . As he went down over time , we seemed to do the same . It was just so . . . just not real . During this week though , I had toughened myself for the time that was coming . Daddy had raised me to understand and take security in life and death . I knew what he believed and believed what he knew . We were both ready . Then he died . As ready as I was . . . I wept , and wept , and wept . My best friend , the guardian of my secrets , my Daddy was gone . The one I needed to hold me , the only one who could hold me was no longer there . Up to the day we buried him I wept . That night I walked out to the woods beside my house and prayed . I asked God why he had taken my support ? The answer . . . It was time to stand up and be the man my Father had trained me to be . I wept no more for him . . . now I rejoice in being able to have had him for the time I did . The scariest thing for me was in realizing that I was at the top of the hill . I then realized something about my Father . I knew him to be a very strong man . Nothing could scare him . . . now I know the truth . After Daddy passed , Josie almost instantly decided that she didn 't need to scream when somebody wanted to hold her . She was happy for anyone and everyone to hold her . It was like the time she had during the life of my daddy was set aside for him . . . the rest could wait . We went on to have two more beautiful girl 's , Aubrey Grace and Katrina Elizabeth , both born at home . All went well and I had little cause for sadness or fear . Time passes and the normal struggles of life progressed as all of life does . Finally the reason for all this writing . In raising a family , sometimes it 's easy for a child to feel misunderstood and unappreciated in the teen years . My son Samuel is there and the other night he had spoken harshly to his younger sister and I wasted little time reminding him that he was a gentleman and was expected to act as such . When suppertime rolled around I called him up and there was no reply . My wife goes down to his room then comes back up asking if I knew where he was . I said he probably went out to the woods to think , like he often does . She went out the back and hollered for him to come up and usually he 's there in a few minutes . Not this time . She calls him a few more times and comes back in with a scared look saying that she can 't find him . I asked if she had called Bandaid our dog who 's usually good at barking and letting us know their whereabouts . She had and there was no answer . I then decided to go get them . Usually I will just walk to the back field and call them and they will come . This night I slipped on a light jacket and walked out and called . No answer from either of them . Then I started to get a bit scared . It was starting to get dark and it was getting cold fast , with a forecast calling for temps below freezing . I go back in and get a light and head out ; I didn 't think to put on a warm jacket . We live on the top of a mountain surrounded by many rocky gulley 's , which I know that Sam loves to climb down into . I quickly made my way to the gully that is the closest and it hit me . Daddy holding Harold after pulling him from the pond . I climbed my way down into the gully with a very bad vision in my head of my son laying hurt . . . or worse . Suddenly I knew the fear of my father . I wept and plead with God to let my little boy be okay . He wasn 't there . I assured myself that Sam would be okay . He 's good in the wood 's and Bandaid was with him . He 'll be okay . Still . . . that vision wouldn 't leave me . I spent the next hour zig - zagging my way back and forth across the hill 's and gulley 's . There was no moon and the night quickly became black . As I worked my way down the mountain my flashlight decided go dim so I mostly felt my way ; saving the light in the case I would have a desperate need for it later . I would turn it on long enough to plot a path down into the gulley 's and then back off . I could feel my way back up . I finally quit calling out to Sam and focused on Bandaid as I now knew something was wrong , and of the two of them , the dog would be the one to hear me first . After a good spell I found myself on a clear hilltop and seeing shadow 's all around I hit the light and find myself in the middle of a herd of cattle . It then hit me . My effort was futile and the wood 's were too big . It was too dark and getting colder by the minute . I have never felt so little in all my life . Right there in the middle of a herd of cattle I stopped and knew I was done . I prayed , but this time I didn 't try to bargain or make any deals . I just wept and asked God to save my little boy . All I could see was him as he scared Daddy so many times . How they would laugh and laugh after Daddy recovered from the fright . I just sit and wept for a short spell . I then got up and started walking . Not really knowing exactly where I was going I just walked silently until I remembered to call out to Bandaid . It was then that I heard a distant bark . I called out more and he barked back . I left the field and ran into the woods in the direction I thought he was . I would call and his reply would get stronger as I tripped and bounced off trees . When I knew he was close I hit the flashlight and he was standing on the edge of the woods waiting and barking . He wouldn 't come to me and I knew something was wrong . I looked around and couldn 't find Sam . I told bandaid to find Sam and he would run ahead about fifty feet and start barking so I could catch up . That dog led me through another field , across a gulley and more wood until we came to the farthest clearing behind our house and stopped . I told him to find Sam and he would run and return to me . He wasn 't sure where Sam was I start yelling out for Sam as I made my way across the field . Finally I heard a faint , " Dad . " At that , Bandaid knew where he was and took me directly to him . I found him trying to make his way back to the house . I asked him if he was okay and he said , " yeah . " I then grabbed him and stood there and wept . I wept for joy . My boy was alive and I have never been so grateful in all my life . I just held him for a spell until he said , " Dad . . . I 'm kinda cold . Can we go home ? " When we finally got back to the house he found a family that was all weeping for joy that he was alive . It was an experience that I hope he never forgets . He saw that night that he is of much value to his family and took a step in the direction of being a man . What had happened was that instead of just going to the edge of the gulley and sitting like he normally does , he just walked until he found a far gulley and decided to sit there and think . Due to no moon , the dark fell faster than he expected and he found himself in an unfamiliar place with no reference point . Our rule is that if you get lost in the woods , just stay put and I will find you . The problem he found was that he knew I wouldn 't think he would be that far out . Then it started getting cold and he didn 't have his warm coat on , so he decided that it would be better to look for a way out than just sit there and freeze . While wondering around he heard the train , which runs due east of our house and he then knew that he needed to walk away from it in order to find his way home . He was on his way home when I found him and would have made it even if I hadn 't found him first . That 's Sam & Bandaid in the picture at the top . . This last week we celebrated our daughter Aubrey Grace 's birthday as she turned eleven . We did the normal birthday stuff ; cake , candles , presents , song & a birthday spanking . For Aubrey , the party was just family ( she really doesn 't like much fanfare or spotlight ) and went just as she wished . When it came time to open the gifts she was so excited every time she got something she really wanted . When she opened the utility gifts such as a hairbrush , clothing etc . , she was just as excited . When she opened the gift her younger sister made her , which was a picture made with crayon and copy paper , she seemed to be more excited for it than anything else . What I love about Aubrey is her concern and feeling for those around her . She has developed this value for time and effort beyond her years . It meant so much to her that Katie had taken the time and effort to make something just for her . Something that no other person in the world can have . The attention of her little sister . I can honestly say that I know no other person in the world who understands that life is more than any object . Life to her is in work , not the achievement , and in this , she has achieved much wisdom and grace at such an early age . Happy Birthday Aubrey ! I 'm so proud that you are my daughter ( yes , God does bless us ) We have seen more than a decade of thinking global . A time when the singular person or community was set aside in an effort to bring the world together in one harmonious ball of humanity . Where a conscious attitude of my actions would make a positive influence on my neighbor on the other side of the globe . A time of sharing wealth with those of us who are in a lesser stance of financial life and being . We have shared our work with the rest of society . As we step down in the world of business and manufacturing , our brethren in less advanced places have found the work we have allowed them . We have chosen to protect wildlife and the rainforest ' sWe have fought for democracy while decrying our own atrocity of intervention . We will not judge any other people or nation . We have removed the bridle from all forms of media . We will accept anything . Has it worked ? During rough times I 've often found myself asking for God 's blessing upon me and the family . What else would I do ? What should I do ? Usually , that 's my first course of action . Sometimes I have to wonder why it is that God doesn 't bless me during the trial 's of life . When I look at my children , there is no single thing that I want to do more than bless them in some fashion . I often wonder about God though . . . why is it that he doesn 't hear me ? Other times I have felt when God has blessed us . It is always right in front of my eyes . Bang ! You 're blessed ! Is it that sometimes I 'm just not being good ? I don 't deserve to be blessed ? Then I look at my children and again , I always want to bless them . What gives ? When I take the time to put on my retrospective lenses , there is always one activity that is going on when I / we are being blessed . You can probably guess what it is . . . There have been times in my life when I have not asked for God 's blessing , but rather , his allowance . I cannot see anyone suffering without having this deep need to help . It is in these times that I simply ask him to let me help , and he does . It would totally amaze you at what all God has allowed this family to do when in the service of serving society . Not just Christian 's , but any of God 's creation . He has allowed us to literally feed thousand 's , to see physical healing of the body , and a whole plethora of other things that without him would be impossible . It is during these times that our problems just seem to melt away . Fear evaporates as peace and security run in . There is no time for worry , and the grind of living becomes a race into meaning and reason . In these times , we know that we were created for more than just existing . These days we are living in are certainly not the easiest of times to live in . Many are simply trying to endure while other people are hiding and hoping that somehow they will be spared . To be honest , I sometimes on want to hide away and let the shadow pass . But I am not happy when in hiding and denial just seems to push me fuPosted by