Finally……Some Results

Just a quick note, when my ideas work, as this one did, I have to smile. This is the pile I left out yesterday, with a note saying " free stuff". Some of it was good and some of it was crummy.

Here's the final result, not bad. At least it's gone! Today was trash day, for the rest of it got put in the bin.

Here's a feel good video by my hero, Billy Joe Shaver. That's Big and Rich playing with him.

That was good, wasn't it? I'm hoping we all live forever!

That's all for now, but I want you all to know I am still marching towards my dream.

Michael



RV Lifestyle….Ya Gotta Eat…..



Kettle and Thermos



Anything having is worth waiting for. That statement is one of my mini- mottos. Yes, I made that word up. One of our basic needs is food. I have always considered cooking a form of love. In the last few months, I have been trying to cook in the same manner I would if I were already living on the road. I like tasty, nutritious, easy to fix food. A few months back, I found this article on thermos cooking. It caught my attention because of its simplistic style. http://www.thermoscooking.com/.  This article convinced me of the wisdom of thermos cooking. Off I went to Target and I bought a thermos and an electric kettle. I then went to SunHarvest and bought some steel cut oats and some sun-dried cheeriness. It's pretty easy to cook and I have this for breakfast about twice a week.



Delicious

The cooking process is very simple. You put one half cup of oats and 2 cups hot water, along with the little handful of dried cherries into the thermos. 45 min. later, voila, here is the delicious result. I usually put about a half a teaspoon of butter and 2 teaspoons of raw honey with it. Not only is it good for me, it tastes great. I love cherries.

Skinned Chicken

As breakfast was cooking itself, I started the prep for my dinner. Tonight's dinner will be chicken soup aka Jewish penicillin. I have learned how to gently remove the skin in one piece leaving a ready to cook carcass, without a lot of fat. I cut out the majority of the of the bones, including the rib cage, backbone, and "chicken butt". All of this goes in my crockpot. I've had this crockpot for 25 years. After the chicken and water and Swanson's chicken stock go into the pot, I set it on low and let it cook for about four hours.



One of my chicken tricks is adding a strapped bunch of cilantro into the stock to cook, while I prepare the cooked chicken. Other ingredients are potatoes and onions, a handful of Minute Rice and whatever seasonings you prefer. I like salt, pepper, and "Slap Ya Mama". I let it all heat through and the vegetables cook, then remove the cilantro, add the chicken back in, and here the results. Absolutely delicious.

One of my ideas is to get a 12 volt crockpot. I picture myself, happily moving down the highway, the crockpot full of dinner waiting for me at the end of the journey. Have any of you ever used a 12 V crockpot? If you have, I would like hearing about it. Do you have any easy to fix, road recipes? Would you post them? I would enjoy learning how you cook, when you're on the road. Bon appétit, and here's today's music video.

Michael

ps.... Ben (click his name) and I have been posting cartoons. I love cartoons, so if you want to LOL, watch this one.







Got to Admit, I’m Cool…..Today!

What is it with Texas weather, anyway? I woke up to 36°, this morning. The forecast is to go down to 34°, tonight. My buddy left Junction, Texas, yesterday afternoon, and it was 95°. Junction is not that far from Lubbock. To my blogging friends south of here, watch out, here comes the cold. The one good thing I can gain from this is, I will not sweat while I'm doing my work today.

Close to Junction, Texas

You probably don't know this, but I had a record store during the 1970s. It really was a dream job, cause if you haven't figured it out, I absolutely love music. All kinds, really. I started pretty early, like four years old, and records on my parents record player, and actually listening to the music.

I have a very extensive vinyl record collection. Without counting, I would say over 2100 albums. For the last 10 or 12 years, they have been hiding in my upstairs closet. I have an appointment with the local record store guy, and he is interested in buying my collection. Ralph is a pretty cool guy and has been collecting as long as I have. I hope we can reach a deal that is beneficial for us. I can't imagine dragging 2100 vinyl albums down the highway. Of course, there's always the Austin Record Show. I would have the toy hauler and room to haul all those records to Austin. I'll keep you informed on how this deal goes.

All right, it's time for me to get busy. Here is your video of the day........... enjoy.

I'm sending peace love and happiness your way and lots of warm fuzzies.

Michael

Moan-Day……Ya’ll

It's Monday morning and the West Texas weather has turned cold. Three days ago I ran the air conditioner, while this morning, I had to restart the heater. Here's what it looked like at 10 AM.

Over the weekend, I made a good dent in the garage. I called a buddy to come and get whatever he wanted from my discard pile. I guess he was too busy for free stuff. I think what I'll do is line it up out front and put a "free stuff" sign up, and see what happens. I know I could probably have a yard sale, but I want to stuff gone, now. It's all part of my master plan, downsize, eliminate, purge, and be done with it. Less is more, right?

Sometime today, I'm going to go borrow a trailer. I think my house will be easier to sell if it is almost vacant. I have started packing up the things that I want to take in the RV. I read on someone's blog, don't remember which one, have they decided they wanted all new stuff in their RV. After a few weeks, they decided they wanted  their familiar things. I can relate. For instance, I have a small collection of my mother's kitchen items. Some of these items, I can remember Mom using, even before grade school. I like the nostalgic, homey feelings that I get when I use these familiar things. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying, for I will buy some new things for my RV. I don't want to completely cut the ties I have with my past. What I don't like, is this feeling that everything is up in the air.

I have found a toy hauler that has really piqued my interest. It is made by Heartland, specifically, a Cyclone 300C. Read about it here. I have actually seen one of these. Here's a picture:

Today, I'm on a mission. So it's breathe in and out, 1 foot in front of the other, and started whittling away at my master list. Here is your video of the day, so aptly named, Monday Morning......

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.

Michael

Solutions, not Problems…

I received the following e-mail the other day. I will admit that I, for one, do not understand all the foreign aid our elected officials have deemed necessary for us to spend. I would love to see world hunger eliminated, but, let's feed the hungry in our own country, first. It seems we try to cure the world's problems. How can we cure a World problem when it exists here in our own country? I know what the problems are. I don't need to hear anymore problems, what I'm interested in is solutions. It sounds like a fairytale, but I have to admit, I like the solutions presented here.

WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO TURN ON THE TV AND HEAR ANY U.S. PRESIDENT, DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN, GIVE THE FOLLOWING SPEECH?

My fellow Americans:

As you know, the defeat of the Iraq regime has been completed.

Since congress does not want to spend any more money on this war, our mission in Afghanistan is complete.

This morning I gave an order for a complete removal of all American forces from Afghanistan....

This action will be complete within 30 days.

It is now time to begin the reckoning.

Before me, I have to lists.

One list contains the names of countries which have stood by our side during the Afghan conflict.

The list is short.

Spain, Bulgaria, Australia, and Poland are some of the

countries listed here.

The other list contains everyone not on the first list.

Most of the world's nations are on that list.

My Press Secretary will be distributing copies of both lists

later this evening.

Let me start by saying that effective immediately,

foreign aid to those nations on list 2 ceases indefinitely.

The money saved during the first year alone will

pretty much pay for the cost of the Afghan war.

Then, every year thereafter I'll go to our Social Security system

so it will go broke in 20 years.

The American people are no longer going to pour money

in the Third World " HELL HOLES "

and watch those government leaders grow fat

on corruption.

Need help with a famine? Wrestling with epidemic?

Call France.

In the future, together with Congress, I will work

to redirect this money toward solving the vexing social problems

we still had at home. On that note, a word to terrorist organizations.

Screw with us and we will write you down and eliminate you

and all your friends from the face of the earth.

Thirsting for a gutsy country to terrorize?

Try France or maybe China.

I'm ordering the immediate severing of diplomatic relations with

France and Russia.

Thanks for all your help, comrades. We are retiring

from NATO as well.

I have instructed the Mayor of New York City to begin towing the many

UN diplomatic vehicles located in Manhattan with more

than two unpaid parking tickets to sites where these vehicles will be

stripped, shredded, and crushed. I don't care whatever

treaty pertains to this. You creeps have tens of thousands of unpaid tickets.

Pay those tickets tomorrow or watch your precious Benzes, Beamers,

and limos be turned over to some of the finest

chop shops in the world.

I love New York.

Special note to our neighbors: Canada, you are on List 2.

Since we are likely to be seeing a lot more of each other, you folks might

try not pissing us off for a change.

Mexico is also on List 2. Its president and his entire corrupt government

really need an attitude adjustment. I will have a couple of thousand extra tanks and infantry divisions

sitting around. Guess where I'm gonna put 'em?

Yep, Border Security.

Oh, by the way, the United States is abrogating the

NAFTA Treaty-starting now.

We're tired of the one-way highway.

Also starting immediately, we will be drilling for oil in Alaska, which will take care

of this country's oil needs for decades to come. If you're an environmentalist

who opposes this decision, I refer you to list 2 above:

if the country and move there.

It's time for Americans to focal on its own welfare and its own citizens. Some will accuse us of

isolationism. I answered them by saying, "Damn Right"

nearly a century of trying to help folks live a decent life around the world has only

earned us the undying enmity of just about everyone on the planet.

It is time to eliminate hunger in America. It's also time to

eliminate homelessness in America.

To the nations on List 1, a final thought. Thank you and we won't forget that we owe you.

To the Nations on List 2, a final thought: you might want to learn to speak Arabic.

God bless you America. Thank you and good night.

(If you can read this in English, thank a soldier)

Why can't we elect officials that are truly interested in the welfare of their citizens? What happened to accountability? What happened to America First? How did we become the world's police department? Does anyone get what I'm trying to say? Let me put it another way. You know when you're traveling on an airline? The emergency speech tells us to put OUR oxygen mask on first, before we try to help someone else. Before we "fix" the world, we have to "fix" our own problems. I'm sick and tired of our government doling out our money to foreigners that don't give a crap about the United States. Contrary to the media, we are still the greatest country that's ever been on the face of the earth.

Dad gummit, we slipped back into winter today. Here in West Texas, it's cloudy, cold (38°), and downright dreary. I did read the extended weather report and Spring will be back early this week. I have made some real progress around my house, and expect to have it cleaned out and all polished up, by the end of the week. As I mentioned earlier, I have contacted a realtor. I'm having some second thoughts, though. I'm thinking maybe, I could do better with listing it on Craigs list, eBay, and the local newspaper. I have a friend that sold his house by putting an ad in the newspaper. If you recall, my home is located in a small resort area, close to Lubbock, Texas. My friend told me that he got over 100 phone calls in the first two hours, the day the ad came out. He sold his house the same week. If I list with a realtor, the commission will be over $20,000. I really have to consider all my options. Any suggestions?
As always, I am marching towards my dream.
Michael
p.s. If you read all the way down here, here is your reward for your diligence. I guarantee you're gonna LOL

A Day in the Life of…

I got a lot of work done today on the house. It left me in a bittersweet, funk/ecstasy..... or kind of a manic depressive-extreme high/extreme-low state of mind. Today, I disassembled my office. Through the years, I had quite a man cave set up. You had to have seen it to know what I'm talking about. The high side was one more step towards my dream of escaping. The low side was when I thought of all the business deals and many hours I spent in an office. It's about 15 feet from the water, and a glass-enclosed room with excellent views. Less is more, I keep telling myself. I really do believe it. It's just that this part can be kind of, how can I say it? Nostalgic? The end of all that is familiar? Do any of you other full timers know what I'm saying? Did you go through these feelings, too? Well, here's a picture my view from the office.



We had another one of those West Texas dust storms today. Gusts up to 50 miles an hour. Breezy, as they say around here. Have you ever noticed that you can get used to almost anything? There's a lot to be said for the resilient human being. One of my very favorite quotes is from Abraham Lincoln. He said " Folks are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be". There's a lot of wisdom in that statement. One of my mentors used to tell me, "Act as if". I can put that in a more modern vernacular. Fake it until you make it. Here's the video.

I have arranged to borrow a flatbed trailer, since I've already sold mine. We have an area of downtown where men looking for day jobs congregate. My plan is to hire a couple of the biggest ones and start moving furniture into my storage unit. I am going to take pictures of everything, and post it on Craigs list. Amazingly, some of it is brand-new and has not seen the light of day for over 10 years. I had a winter home in Tucson, Arizona. When I sell that house, it just seemed easier to bring all that stuff back to Texas. I just knew I was going to find a use for it. I will certainly be glad when all this whittling down is done.


I don't know if I am vacillating. I know what I want, and that's to become a full-time RV'er. I think we get in the mindset, or a rut, if you will, where we become satisfied with the status quo. They may just say this bluntly. I've had enough of the way things were, I'm ready for some brand-new adventure. I am ready to hit the highway.

That's all for now. Here's a picture of Toby wondered what the heck's going on. Little does he know, were getting ready for a new home, new location (variable), and a whole new lifestyle. Is he ever in for an adventure!

Thanks for stopping by and as always, I marching on towards my dream. BTY, I want to reassure you, I'm not psychotic. (I know, I know, keep telling yourself that).


Michael

We all need some Inspiration, sometimes....

The realtor came yesterday. I have to admit, I made the right choice. She and I went through my house from top to bottom. When we got to the price, we came up with exactly the same figure. Everything seems to be falling in line. Now, all I have to do is clean and scrub. Oh what fun! I was looking for some inspiration today, so I went to YouTube and entered " living in my RV". Out of all the results, the following video gave me the inspiration I need.

I was sorry to learn that Elizabeth Taylor died last night. She was 79 years old. It really does seem like the old guard is fading away, doesn't it? She was around as long back as I can remember.

I was also dismayed to read that Pinetop Perkins passed away. Pinetop lived in Austin and really was a blues legend. He was 97 years old and held the distinction as the oldest Grammy winner. BB King said he was the last of the great Mississippi Bluesmen. He's been a regular fixture at the Austin blues clubs playing regular gigs up to last month. He was believed to be the last of the old-time Delta blues musicians still performing. He said that playing the blues is what kept him alive. Mr. Perkins also loves fast food and was a smoker until the day he died. " Two cheeseburgers, apple pie, a cigarette, and a pretty girl is all I want" said Perkins an interview last year. It's hard to argue with that kind of longevity.

Have you ever wondered what a "Mo-Jo" is? Click here..

Now it's time for me to get busy. Anything worth having, is worth working for. . After all, this is my dream. Thanks for stopping by . As always, TTYL.

Michael

Southern Culture on the Skids

Things seem to be going along as planned. I'm getting the house ready to sell. I should meet with the realtor sometime this week and I take that as a good sign, I really am moving on with my plans. I cleaned up a big barrel of leaves and such. I must've been doing a good job because my picky neighbor came over and looked and said, " Good Job".


Cleaning up around this house has its own rewards. I know I'm quite possibly doing routine maintenance on the old homestead, perhaps for the last time. I know, I will have maintenance on the fifth wheel, and the truck, and the Harley. I'm a pretty hip, mechanical type guy. I understand the necessity of preventive maintenance.

I found this poem this morning. I feel like it truly captures the spirit of camping. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
                                                                                                                

Texas Hill Country Spring Time

Another Spring
The seasons revolve and the years change
With no assistance or supervision.
The moon, without taking thought,
Moves in its cycle, full, crescent, and full.
The white moon enters the heart of the river;
The air is drugged with azalea blossoms;
Deep in the night a pine cone falls;
Our campfire dies out in the empty mountains.
The sharp stars flicker in the tremulous branches;
The lake is black, bottomless in the crystalline night;
High in the sky the Northern Crown
Is cut in half by the dim summit of a snow peak.
O heart, heart, so singularly
Intransigent and corruptible,
Here we lie entranced by the starlit water,
And moments that should each last forever
Slide unconsciously by us like water.
~ Kenneth Rexroth ~

See, RV'ers can have culture, too. I don't know about you, but I have a love for words. I especially like when words rhyme and have a meaning. I think it is very, very clever.

Okay enough culture, back to business. I just talked to my realtor and she is going to come out at 1:30 today. She is one of the top producing realtor's in the area and I feel like she is going to do a very good job for me. I am being careful in trying to do all the right things towards my goal of being a full-time RV'er.


Selling my house is an important key to what I'm trying to accomplish. The higher price that it brings determines the type of toy hauler I'm going to live in. I feel very fortunate, in that I have options in accomplishing my goals.


It's a big step for me to actually list my house on the open market. I'm not looking forward to the actual act of her showing this house. I am kind of a private person and really don't want strangers traipsing about my domicile. But, I do want this house sold so................ bring 'em on. Hopefully my realtor will weed out the lookie-loos and tire kickers. I'll let you know what happens.

While I'm on the subject of clever words that rhyme, here is a video by Billy Joel. He recorded this in 1989. As I recall, I thought the song was clever, but I was not a big fan of his and I didn't understand what the song was about. It's about the history of the world listed as a stream of consciousness. It goes from 1949, the year of Billy's birth to 1989. There are 119 items listed in this song. It truly is a masterpiece. Enjoy.........

That's all for now for all you culture hounds. I hope you have a wonderful day, and stay nice to each other.

Thanks for stopping by. TTYL.

Michael

Spring……..2011

Well, spring has sprung. It is an absolutely perfect day here in West Texas. As soon as I'm done here, I'm gonna go get on the Harley and air it out for a while. While I wasn't born at the start of the baby boomer era, I'm certainly a senior boomer now. What I'm saying is, I have tried to keep up as well as I can, with technology. I got my very first computer in 1983. It was an IBM - PS2. I was told it was the best on the market. Now this was before Windows, so it was operated on a DOS system. In other words, the instruction manual was bigger than the actual computer. I certainly did enter a lot of code, but the only thing I ever accomplished was an address book. A few years later I got a 386 computer. It had a very early version of Windows installed and we thought it can't get any better than this. Of course, that was over 20 years ago. I've gone through several upgrades in both computers and operating systems. I have two computers now, and both are made by HP. My favorite is my HP Pavilion laptop.



If you will notice, in the picture, there is a microphone. It's a Logitech digital microphone ran into one of the USB ports of my laptop. Why would I want a microphone on a laptop? That question brings me around to the point of today's post. Although I've tried to stay technically advanced, I went to school back in the dark ages. We didn't even have a faint inkling that the world would turn out the way it is. I never learned how to type. Oh, I can hold my own filling out forms and such, but as far as really getting down to the nitty-gritty of putting words on paper, I'm pretty slow. My attitude back then was, if I needed something typed I would hire a secretary. My, how we live and learn. One of my exes had very good typing skills. When we got the first computer, I could dictate in my natural voice, and she would type it, word for word. She was actually that fast. Although it's not easy to replace a wife, technology does allow for new sets of skills. Now I dictate that microphone, and it follows me word for word. What I'm talking about is a program of speech recognition software that automatically turns talk.... into text.

Dragon Naturally Speaking, and I quote, makes it faster and easier to create and edit documents or e-mail without typing. Just say the words they appear on the screen. Still reading from the back of the box tell Dragon what you want to do, such as" double space the document" or" search the web for Italian restaurants in Birmingham, Massachusetts," and Dragon makes it happen. I am amazed and curious at the same time. Let's put it to a little test, shall we? Let's try really hard word to spell like, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Wow and I just said the word and Dragon spelled it, exactly. Let's try some of the harder words that I run across in everyday language. Nacogdoches, Texas. Yep, I just said it and Dragon printed it. I will admit it's not 100% accurate, you have to go back and change a word occasionally, or better yet, just highlight the word or phrase and repeat what you want, and Dragon will fix it.

I'm expecting a call from the realtor this afternoon, and we're going to make an appointment for a market analysis of the coming week. I feel my mainspring tightening up as I get closer to making my transition from homeowner to " Wandering Gypsy." I don't see a great change in my lifestyle, I'll just be going mobile. I honestly expect to do most of the same things when I'm a full-timer as I do now. I'm sure I'll eat about the same things, dress pretty much the same way, watch the same type of TV programs, as I do now. I can't tell you how anxious I am to get started with my new life. It won't be long now, and I will be " Going Mobile".

 

Thanks Y'all for stopping by. See you soon.

Michael

Have You Seen This?

I'm not a big advocate of violence. I think sane and reasonable people should be able to settle their differences without resorting to violence. With that being said, I will admit that I do possess a CHL. Those letters stand for concealed handgun license. My license was issued by the state of Texas. With this license, I'm allowed to carry a concealed handgun in 32 states (includes Vermont, Alaska and Arizona. No permit needed).  That's because Texas has an agreement with those states to honor the CDL issued by them. It is an agreement known as Reciprocity. I will do whatever it takes to protect me and mine. I take the second amendment to the Constitution literally. With that being said, I would like you to watch this video about self-defense. You can reach your own conclusion about the actions of Casey Heynes. I think he was well within his rights. For some reason, YouTube keeps deleting this video.

Sorry about the text size.I took Snookie’s advice and downloaded Live Writer. I promise I will improve my LW skills. This post has been a test. I’m not sure how to use everything yet. I am having some technical difficulties. I am going to make some changes to my blog format.



In closing, I would ask you to leave your opinion about the Casey Heynes video. I think the kid was 100% within his rights, and that the little bully got just what he deserved. Little Bully's mom is also on YouTube, and says about the same thing. She thinks her son should apologize to Casey.
Talk at you later,
Michael

I Can See Clearly Now.......

I had an epiphany today. Epiphany. What a fun word to say. Let's all say it, okay? Epiphany. It is one of those words that's not used much. Originally it had religious significance. Dictionary.com describes it as:

A sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience. Before I go any further, let's hear Jimmy Cliff singing about his epiphany, shall we?

What the heck, let's just all sing along. Maybe will all have an epiphany. If you have a guitar or any other musical instrument, go get it.

                                                                                                       

I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright, bright, bright, bright, sun shiny day (2x)

/ D G D - / D G A - / D G D - / C G D - / /

I think I can make it now the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for
It's gonna be a bright, bright, bright, bright, sun shiny day

Look all around, there's nothing but blue skies
Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies

/ F - C - / F - A - C#m G C#m G C Bm A - /

{Repeat first verse}
      

 

FSBO

Now, didn't that feel good? I hope you sang along, I did. Let me tell you about my epiphany. If you've been following my writings, you know that I am in the process of downsizing my home goods. In the past six weeks, I have made considerable progress. It really has been a bittersweet experience, though.


On the one hand, it is very freeing for me to sell, donate, give to friends, or just flat throw away stuff that I don't need. I do struggle with some of my possessions. Somehow I have to strike a happy medium. Some of my artwork, I have given to special friends so that the piece is not lost, I can still enjoy it with them. Anyhow, when I get my house sold, I can become a full-time RV'er. The money experts fill me with woe, when they talk about the housing market situation. They are saying that housing sales are at an all-time low. Hopefully, I should have a pretty easy time.

Why? In my area of West Texas, the landscape is known for being flat, level, and truthfully, mundane. We are called the great High Plains, so imagine ," dust bowl". The little towns around here have some very colorful and descriptive names. Like Plainview, Levelland, Littlefield, Brownfield and Lamesa (Spanish for the table). My house, that I'm trying to sell, is located on the biggest lake in the county. There's actual vertical terrain, it makes one feel they're not living on a great big dirt pool table. I know it  has made my life more bearable , during my tenure here in West Texas. I'm trying to play my cards right and get the maximum that the market will bear. Here's a look at what I'm dealing with.(above on right side. My house is the middle one).


Part of my epiphany today, was that the realization of my dreams are actually within reach. Throughout my life, I have often wondered how I would spend my retirement. I have cooked up many scenarios of how it was going to be.  I feel very fortunate that one of those dreams was to be a full-time RV'er. The truth be known, I'm glad some of them didn't come into fruition.


Remember a few posts back, I was complaining because none of my yard equipment would start? I needed my leaf blower and tried, and tried, to start it. I went next door to borrow my neighbor's leaf blower, then his wouldn't start, either. I found a product at Home Depot called "Guaranteed to Start ". It's a fluid that you add to the gasoline. I was a little leery because it only cost $1.50. Then I read the fine print: guaranteed to start or your money back. If this product does not work, use our other product  " Mechanic in a Bottle ". I poured about 1/5 of a bottle, or 30 cents worth into the little tank. Three pulls later, it started and ran. I was absolutely amazed, so I took it next-door to my neighbor's and ask him to get his leaf blower for me. Before I poured some of this miracle product in, I asked him to look away. He did, but he asked me was I gonna give it an aspirin? This is the same leaf blower that we tried to start three days ago. I know we gave it at least 50 pulls. Tada, it started on the third pull. Absolutely amazing. I asked him did he have anything else that wouldn't run? "Yes I do, this weed eater" he said. We took it and put some in some of the 'miracle lotion' and sure enough, it started on the third pull. He said he had to get him some of that, so I just gave him what was left of the bottle.


I went back home and got the other bottle that I had bought. I have a lawn mower that was fairly new when it quit working. I rolled out from under the outdoor stairs, washed it off with a water hose and filled it up with gasoline. I put in the usual dosage of "Guaranteed to Start". I'll be darned, it started on the fourth pull. I did the same thing to the edger. Same fantastic result. I don't know about you, but I find it very frustrating when yard equipment won't start. You know the routine. You decide do the yard, put on your yard clothes, get the mower and equipment out of the shed, and then your stuff won't work. Right? I am really glad I discovered this.

After I got all the yard machines running, there was no excuse not to do the yard.. It got up to 80° today, so it felt good to work out the sun. I worked up a good sweat. And I was one step closer to having my house ready to put on the market. It's not gonna be easy, but I know I can get it if I really want it. I know where to go for inspiration and motivation. This next one I listen to often. It's Willie paying homage to Jimmy Cliff.

Thanks for stopping by. See you next time.

Michael 

Back to Reality............. sort of

If you read my last post, I was feeling very nostalgic. Spring fever... right? I felt like I should be in Daytona Beach celebrating Bike Week with my brother, instead of trudging through the purge process. I did get quite a bit done today. I don't know about you, but I suffer from that dread social disease... Procrastination. I don't know why it is, but I seem to get more done when I'm under pressure. I do feel the pressure mounting. I've already have stacks of boxes labeled RV. I'm down to my final purge. I laughed at myself today when I removed the excess coat hangers from my closets. I have made several donations to a local mission and each coat hanger represented an item of clothing. I literally filled up a large barrel with coat hangers. Why did I have all that clothing? Sheesh. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am enjoying the process of whittling down stuff I don't really need.

I was reading a fellow blogger's work this morning and listen to the video that he had posted. It was Peggy Lee singing "Is That All There Is?" I remember that song and remember feeling sad for her. You can check out Ben's blog here. I have a whole different slant to life. Instead of is that all there is, I'm still looking. I could never make a statement like that until I've seen everything. Important notice, click on  yellow Words for MORE.

U2 has always impressed me. That song was from the Joshua Tree album. To me it expresses a longing, a need for fulfillment, that I can truly relate to. I could call it a yearning in my soul. Louis l'Amour called it "youndering". It's the urge to hit the road. Some people call it the lure of the highway. The Ramblin' Man knows what I'm talking about. Here's someone else that can really explain it.

Yee Haw, Ya'll. God bless Merle Haggard. But when he says "there ain't no kind of cure for my disease", I can really relate. Have you ever noticed recurring themes in country music? If their songs are not about falling in love, or getting your heart broken, or getting drunk, they are about traveling along the highways. Need some more examples? How about Willie Nelson's " On the Road Again"? Or, Dave Dudley's" Six Days on the Road". "White Line Fever ", "Route 66", just to name a few. Here's one by Buck Owens. How many can you think of? This next one is my personal hero of mine. His name is Billy Joe Shaver. If you're not familiar with Billy Joe, learn about him here.

One of the perks of a life of travel is the opening up of one's options. Over 30 years ago, I rented a class a motorhome. I drove it into deep West Texas, actually south of Alpine. I went to a three day music festival called Boondoggle. It was there that I first heard and met Billy Joe. What an amazing man, and an even more amazing songwriter. Through the years we have maintained a friendship. If you ever get a chance to see him in person, I'm sure you will thoroughly enjoy it.

Michael and Billy Joe 2006

This is a shot of Billy Joe and I, taken backstage at the Luckenbach dance hall. Billy Joe really is a wandering gypsy. I hope I'm not wearing everyone out with these videos. I am going to include one more. These are two of my honky-tonk heroes. I can watch this last video over and over as I get ready to Take the Highway. Hmmmmm.....for some reason I can't get the blog loader to find the one I want, so please click on Haggard/Shaver.

reward for diligence

If you have taken the time and patience to read through this post and listen to all the videos, here is your reward. Thanks for stopping by and following my progress as I continue to march along into my destiny of becoming a full time RV'er. Happy Spring everyone

Michael

Daytona Dreaming...

I can tell you where I was exactly one year ago tonight. I was at the Iron Horse in Ormond, Florida. I remember it well. Naturally, my brother was with me. It's been a tradition for us to celebrate Bike Week together. He called me this morning and said he missed me. I told him that I had planned on being there, but all the necessary things had not happened yet. I did tell him that surely I would be there in October for BiketoberFest. Daytona Beach holds the first motorcycle rally of the season. Watch this video and you will get an idea of how wild and crazy Bike Week can be.

What a magnificent rite of spring. The this year marks the 70th anniversary for Bike Week. Imagine, if you can ,700,000 motorcycle enthusiasts converging on the Florida coast for10 days of fun in the sun. I didn't take the video, in fact, I welshed it  off of YouTube. Let me show you another one I found. I know it's a Harley-Davidson commercial but I like what the words say.

Okay, enough pilfered stuff. Let me show you some of the photographs I have taken of Bike Week. Florida is one of my favorite places.

Custom 3 wheeler

    

I have always said if I got too old or too stoved-up to need a three wheeler, I would probably stop riding Of course, I was a lot younger when I was making statements like that. The custom three wheeler in the picture above would make a fine geezer ride. Heck, I'd take it right now.

New "Vintage" Chopper.

Brown Pearl

The two choppers above, although they look old, are new. There were a dozen motorcycles at the show that were made to look vintage. The duct tape on the seat gave me a chuckle.

Two Fords_ Two Harleys

The  Fords and the Harleys are in my brother's driveway. We both have F350 duallys and Harley dressers. I guess it runs in the family. The white truck and the closest Harley are mine. His house is just a few miles from The Iron Horse. All I can say about the Iron Horse is that you have to see it to believe it. You can read about it here. There is no admission charge and David Allan Coe plays under the stars every night of Bike Week. If you don't know who David Allan Coe is, I'll bet you know some of his songs. My brother and I have a tradition of going to town and doing rally things, and then stopping off at the Iron Horse for the evening show. Please enjoy this video by DAC.

I wrote this post, last night. I don't know about you, but I don't really think I like daylight savings time. When I had my winter home in Tucson, I enjoyed the fact that Arizona doesn't go on daylight savings time. I guess it's all just personal preference. Did you know that Benjamin Franklin invented the concept of daylight savings time? I will leave you with another idea of his, a quote that has been attributed to him:

Once again, thanks for stopping by . I don't know about you, but I'm ready to trade restless, irritable, and discontent for happy, joyous and free. It's a beautiful spring day here in West Texas and I think I'll just go for a Harley ride. Yeah that's the ticket. And I got one more hour of daylight to do it. Thanks Ben!


Michael