Morning coffee

[Joyce]

I heard on the news, which you probably found out, that the man who threw the grenade was a loner and unhappy. I think he is more unhappy now. He didn't gain anything doing that. Your husband knows what everyone is just finding out.....

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya this mornin'! Another day in the neighborhood! Coffee's on! Make sure ya have a cup or two before ya get headed out! Paper'll be here directly! I get the editorials and the funny pages! Hell, have ya seen the letters to the editor lately! LOL. Just about enough to get ya goin' inna mornin'! LOL.

I stopped by the chat room last fer a bit last night. Mostly to give IV some **** til flatfoot gets back home. LOL.Told IV he neede to offer flatfoot that pup if he'd get over his "C". IV allowed as how flatfoot'd be over it inna week if he did that! LOL. Don't be afraid to give flatfoot a ring, folks. He enjoys it. Make sure ya give him a ration of **** and tell him I told ya to! :D

Let's see, what else was I thinkin'.....Let's see....old dogs and cats...did that.....gettin' older...did that....Jane's World's Insurgency....no, that ain't it. Hell. I lost my notes....again!

Well, I suppose I'll just improvise or somethin'! LOL.

I been playin' on the net with some stuff. Been sendin' emails to the hometown newspapers of the Marines who been transferred to Chesty's command. Can't do the others til I get their names and hometowns. Haven't gone after the families. Tryin' to leave 'em alone so they can deal with their grief themselves. That's a thought that can be argued either way, I suppose.

Been emailin' Congress and such about the war with Iraq. Sent an email to Bill Janklow. He's in the House of Representatives now. I don't figure I'll hear from him. When ya start yer email by sayin' "Hey, Marine! How the hell are ya!" Ya might not get a response from DC. 'Least not the kind yer expectin' anyway.
He's got a bigger staff now than when he was governor! LOL. On the other hand I have been gettin' some responses from Tom
Daschle. That's scary! He's braggin' about how much the Dems been doin' fer the Vets and tellin' about how bad the Republicans are that way.....wonder where the Dems were at a few years ago.....or the Rpublicans fer that matter.....

Well, I suppose.....

...it's time to warm up yer coffee and get yer head wrapped around yer day, folks. It's a new day! A new chance to get it right! A new opportunity! Go out there and take advantage of it.

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya doin' this mornin'! Coffee's on! Ya better grab a cup and get some! It ain't gettin' any hotter! Paper'll be along after a bit!

I've been watchin' that TV as long as I can every day since the war started. My eyes look like a road map, and I'm wore out just watchin'! I figger we're doin' pretty good, all things considered, but I can't seem to get my mind wrapped around much of anything else right now! I don't know if some know how important this could be, but that's just me. That's one of the reason's my little bit o' ramblin' lately has been so short.

Yeah, I know. Some of ya don't mind that a bit, do ya! LOL.

Well, over time, we've covered quite a bit here. I figger now it's just re-hashin' stuff and gettin' the fine points ironed out. Some of you folks been havin' coffee with us in the mornin' might think and see if there's any of those life principles we left out somewhere along the way. I ain't thinkin' today. I got a bad tooth. One side of my face looks like I'm a chipmunk or somethin'! I figger I'm gonna have to go see the tooth doc tomorrow whether or not I wanta. I hate 'em. They don't seem to listen much and findin' a good one is just as hard or harder than findin' a good wrench to work on yer car! LOL. Besides, I'm in the middle of playin' with the VA, fer cryin' out loud! One headache'd be about enough wouldn't ya think!

Well, I guess we're back to that listenin' thing again. Ol' Lady told me to go to the VA with it, but she must not a heard me when I told her they don't do that 'less yer hundred percent. That's what I'm dealin' with the VA over. I ain't a hundred percent yet. I did get in there once or twice. Don't ask. I told the dentist up there what my history was and he didn't listen, next thing ya know he's two hours into it and thinkin' about a dental surgeon or some such. Four hours a sittin' in that chair, altogether. One time I told him I hadda take a break. He'd been doin' it and it was my turn. Hell, my bladder was full!

Well when he was finally done I told him, well, mumbled really, through a mouth full of crud he'd stuffed in there after the stitches, " Next time some hillbilly bastard tells ya somethin', ya might listen." I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, but I ain't the dullest either. I'm a fairly big guy with a deep voice and a southern accent. Folks think I'm Jethro. Now Ellie Mae might have a step on me, but Jethro!?

Let's see, listenin' and prejudice. Well, just because ya don't care about color don't mean ya ain't prejudiced about somethin'! I don't like doctors, lawyers or cops. Cops are OK, they just doin' their jobs, but some of them...Well, sometimes it seems that doctors, lawyers and cops all come at the same time over the same stuff. If they'd combine them all into one, it'd make it easier on me. Wouldn't be so many folks to try and avoid then!

( if yer readin' between the lines, like ya oughta be doin', you might see somethin' about there bein' too much government runnin' around, ;) but that's another story!)

Well, I suppose we oughta warm up our coffee, folks! I gotta dentist to hunt down and you folks gotta get yer head wrapped around yer day.

It's a new opportunity! A new day! A new chance to get it sorted out!

[Barndog]

'Well, high there Stranger. This road go all the way to Rapid City?
Been standing here all day, and it hasn't gone anywhere yet....'
*(a variation on 'Arkansas Traveler' - a 150'ish year old traditional American song)* - that's for you, Bones.

Onto bigger and better things..... if I can find them. I got 3 dogs with heartworms (all are gonna be okay) - just sucks that they're sick....... not to mention the fact it's a quick $700. That's just for the treatments - not counting the lab work. DOH!!!!!!!
I got couple of close Marine Bro's in my 'hood - that are down - Marines in the Sandbox goin down, POW's, bombs, bankers, Send lawyers, guns and money..... the sh*t is gunna hit the fan!!!!!!

Some days....... it's okay to accept that you're the statue...... some days - you're the pigeon.

Semper Fidelis, To the Corps

Barndog

[Art Petersn]

Barndog.

it's the waiting and not knowing that gets to you.

The coffee doesn't even seem to help much these days.

Let's hope it's over quickly but I have some bad feelings the last cople of days. The rag heads might be better than anybody thought.

[mrbsox]

Morning folks. Haven't posted in here for a while, but it seems it's time.

Walked out to the patio this morning, light breeze, 50ish. No clouds, gonna be a great day. Wife and kids still asleep. And it hit me.

No smoke on the horizon, no thump thump in the distance, a good solid nights sleep. This is what were trying to give the Iraqi people. A nice quiet community where the police wave back when you acknowledge them. You can mow the lawn, water the garden, raise your flag... this is what were trying to give these people.

Why doesn't the rest of the world understand that? I went to Church Sunday, the Church of MY CHOICE. I shop where I want to shop, I fish where I want to fish, and I can cross the State line without "PAPERS".

My prayers are with President Bush, Tony Blair, AND our troops in harms way, of course. My prayers are also with the Iraqi people whom we are trying to free from a life of oppression and fear. It just simply cannot be the will of an omnipitant and all Loving God, that his children live like that. 'His will be done'

I didn't come in here this morning to spout the Bible or Preach Hell and Damnation. I just wanted to share a cup of coffee with my Brothers and Sisters. I just wanted to get a few thoughts out into the open. I just wanted to remind myself how lucky I (and my family) am to live in the only Democracy in the history of the world to last over 225 years. And with Gods grace, this is only the beginning

God Bless America, and her MARINE CORPS.

Terry

[Joyce]

Well said Terry. I feel the same way. God Bless America!!

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya this mornin! Coffee's on and it ain't doin' anything but gettin' blacker! Ya better grab a cup while it's still good! Paper'll be along after a bit!

Well, once again I don't have too much this mornin'. Well, 'cept fer shavin' my ears...well, the hairs were stickin' out on my ear lobes, so I thought I'd get 'em while I was shavin'! Sometimes that little pair of scissors doesn't do the job so well, ya know! Hell, I remember a time when I didn't have to shave but every other day to pass inspection and now I gotta shave my ears fer cryin' out loud! What're you laughin' at! **** fire. Try to share a little and see what it gets ya.

I really don't have much this mornin'. I've been sendin' my little bit o' ramblin' to some of the local newspapers and some of their newspaper forums when I can find the hometown of those Marines who bought it over there. I can't think of anything else to do. Ain't much I can do fer the folks who've lost loved ones in this fight. Hope my words are enough. I'm gonna set it out again here. Some of you have seen it about enough. To others it might be new. If ya think it might do someone any good, go ahead and forward it for me, would ya?

For the Familes of Fallen Marines

There will never be anything anyone can do to mitigate the loss of a loved one. All we can do is to be there. One thing to keep in mind, as high brow and prideful as it might seem, is that as a Marine, they'll never be forgotten. Individual names will fade with time, people will all leave us in time, and their memories will go with them when they move on to better things. We often say of fallen Marines, that they have gone on "To guard Heaven's Gates" or they've been "transferred to Chesty's command". We know where Marines go when they leave us. We drink to their memory. We remember our Brothers and Sisters. In time we will be gone, and our memories with us. Take this comfort with you as you mourn your losses. The United States Marine Corps will never be forgotten. Your Brothers and Sisters will therefore never be forgotten. Your Sons and Daughters will never be forgotten. Your Fathers and Mothers will never be forgotten.They have passed into the legend and myth that is the United States Marine Corps. They will be remembered with the likes of Pharaoh's Army, The Hordes of the Khan's, Alexander's Armies, the Legions of Rome. Other armed forces across the length of time will be remembered as being less than our equals. Your loved ones have been a part of something special. Something that cannot be readily conveyed by mere words. It is scant comfort in this present time, but it is a source of quiet pride to those who understand. A Marine will live forever. God will not abandon those who have been willing to sacrifice so much for others. Your son, and the sons and daughters of so many others will certainly never be forgotten, here on earth or before the throne of God. They are only words, but they are all I presently have to offer. Be at peace, Mother. Be at peace Father. Be you all at peace, for your family member will most certainly be guarding Heaven's Gates upon your own arrival there in the fullness of time. Semper Fidelis, Marine family. Be Proud.
Warren Bonesteel
SGT USMC 1976-1983
55 Crestview Drive
Rapid City, SD 57701
wrbones@rushmore.com
( 605 ) 721-6872

Well, now that I got ya goin' again, it's time to warm up yer coffee and get yer head sorted out. Ya gotta get ready to face the day, folks! We got another chance at 'er! It's a new opportunity! We'll get it right! We might even do it all better this time around! It's gonna be alright! We're Marines, by God! We'll make it right!!!

[Barrio_rat]

Bones, you always have plenty to share. I just hope you don't have to share that with too many other newspapers in the future and with that, a speedy return for all our brothers and sisters in the military who are getting the job done so that we may rest a little easier - or, if yer like me - watchin the TV all night long.

Y'all have a great and wonderful day...

Semper Fi!

[lurchenstein]

mrbsox
I just wanted to remind myself how lucky I (and my family) am to live in the only Democracy in the history of the world to last over 225 years. And with Gods grace, this is only the beginning

Terry, Right On Target! In these times, our liberties are even sweeter!
(Even the Bones oratories & the Leatherneck.com coverage.):D

Art Petersn
The rag heads might be better than anybody thought.

Art: I'm certainly not an expert, but I believe the Iraqis aren't better. Theyr'e just treacherous in a junkyard dog sort of way.:bandit:

[JChristin]

Bones,

Request permission to read your letter "For the Familes of Fallen Marines" at a pro-troop rally to be held in downtown Portland, Oregon.


semper fi,
jchristin

[wrbones]

Permission granted, darlin'!

[leroy8541]

Mornin Marines and every one else watching these posts. I see that I'm not the only one not getting any sleep any more, just can't seem to get away from the television any more.
Got a phone call on Monday seems old Leroy's name is still on the list, get to go to Memphis next Wed. for a Physical I tried to tell them that Leroy is old and fat I guess they will determine that for themselves. I guess if the Corps needs bodies they will get them no matter. I now have mixed emotions I will go where ever but I feel that I would be in the way in a combat situation now not a young man anymore. Nonetheless Leroy will be standing tall at the Navy hospital in one week. SEMPER FI!!

[wrbones]

Old and fat! What'd ya do Leroy! Let that pot belly get the best of ya! :D

Good luck!


Hell, the Army recruiter just called my brother two days ago. He wanted Cliff to re-tread! Thing is, my brother is one year too old, even with all of their math, and ready to have his back fused next time it quits on him!

I wonder when the CMC is gonna call me! Hell, I could still do Maintenance Control or Tech Pubs or sumpin'. None of that runnin' or standin' in formation, though! My knees are gone!

[Osotogary]

Good morning one and all. It is a little after 6 this morning and I have a severe case of tv hypnosis. Two cats have decided to "get it on" in the front yard. Maybe the yard is becoming a hot spot for feline fun and games. I hope not.
There has been no word from the young man "over there" and I'm not really expecting any based on what I see on the television or hear on the radio.
I want to thank one and all for the prayers and well wishes and the support that have headed my way in regards to my son and his fellow Marines. You folks are something else.
Have the best day, possible.

[Osotogary]

Don't spill your coffee.:)

[lurchenstein]

Hooked me with that one Gary. Looking at the first frame, I was thinking Hari Krishna.
My prayersfor your son's safety & thanks for his service to The Corps.:marine:

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell ya doin' this mornin'! Life is good ain't it! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get some! It ain't gettin' any hotter! Paper'll be here in a bit!

I was thinkin' somethin' earlier, but I fergot what it was. Looks like I need to carry a notebook with me. I was thinkin' somethin' fer mornin coffee when I was comin' home from the library yesterday. Might be a trick writin' things down when I'm drivin', though.....I'll figger somethin' out. Tape the notebook to the steerin' wheel or somethin', I reckon. 'Least that way, I'll remember where I'm goin'. Just write it down on the steerin' wheel! It had to do with the way we percieve things. Damn if I remember what it was now! Oh, well....life is! LOL.

Just so the ladies know. We don't get lost. We just ferget where we're goin' is all. A man's got other things on his mind.

If you don't know, I ain't tellin' ya! ;)

I ain't got much then, I guess. Just visitin' is all. Had to take the cat to the Vet a couple weeks ago. Got an infection in her ye somehow. Ol Lady thinks it's because I let the cat out at night. Well, the cat ain't stupid. At night, the ( the cat ) waits til the ol lady shuts the bedroom door behind her and then comes to me wantin' out. Other day, the ol lady hit the head first. I went to the bedroom about then, and the cat wasn't payin' attention. The cat went to the bathroom door thinkin' it was me and hollered to go outside. Shoulda seen the look on that cat's face when the ol lady yelled at her! LOL. Well, hell, the cat's old. She can't see as well as she used to. I guess that's what she gets fer fer havin' bad habits. The Ol Lady or the cat? Well, both, quite frankly. Seems they both want their own way about things fer some reason, and I get stuck in the middle. I could do without either, but they're company, I reckon. Plus the Ol Lady even cooks and washes clothes, and I don't reckon there's anything like havin' a cat on yer lap purrin' away fer hours on end....if ya let 'em! Only thing as good that way is havin' a dog at yer feet after a good day.

Well, I've rambled aand covered a variety of topics if ya were listenin'. Most of 'em had nothin' to do with cats, dogs or ol' ladies. And if it were done right ya had a chuckle or two to start yer day with, too.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It's gonna vbe alright. Hell, it's gotta be! Ain't nothin' better than a good cup of coffee in the mornin' with some good company to get yer day started out!

It's a new day, folks! A new opportunity! Hell, daylight's a wastin'! Get out there and take advantage of it!

[Art Petersn]

Good morning Bones, it's good to be back home so that I don;t miss your perls of wisdom. Coffeee's good this morning.

[wrbones]

People keep talkin' about this wisdom stuff.


Does it come with money or just with coffee?

[Sparrowhawk]

Originally posted by wrbones
People keep talkin' about this wisdom stuff.


Does it come with money or just with coffee?


They issued it out during the third week of boot camp training. Everyone gots some.

They issued knowledge to officers but the wisdom on how to use that knowkledge was issued to grunts. LOL

[Joyce]

Thanks for the coffee this morning.... So which one Purrs?

[wrbones]

Depends on who's sittin in my lap, darlin'! ;)

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya anyway! Coffee's on! Ya better get some! Paper'll be around when it gets here! LOL.

I don't have a thing to visit over this mornin' I used it all up visitin' with a Mom who's concerned about her son joinin' the Marine Corps. I didn't mind, but who the hell am I to try and comfort anyone about anything. Havin' had a couple kids somewhere along the way, I have an idea of what she's talkin' about, but other than that? Kinda buffalos me why folks think I know anything about anything. Now don't get me wrong! I'm as arrogant as most anybody around here! ;) Just ask around! LOL.

Anyway, I thought I'd cheat a bit and tell ya what I told her. I figger it might be somethin' to think about when ya run across some Mom or Dad somewhere who's worried their their kid. Maybe it'll be some use to some one else. Hell, I don't know.

Well, here it is:

Worryin' about her offspring:

That's a tough one. You never stop worryin' about 'em fer some reason. In addition you have the worry of yer son possibly becoming involved in a war in a few months. The thing is, about every six months or so, the Marines are involved in some sort of 'small' conflict of some sort or another. Right now nearly one half of the Marine Corps is over there and the other half is
supporting them and wishing they could be there. Normally only a small fraction of the Corp's strength is deployed at any time.

The only thing that has helped me the last few years with dealing with my own concerns is to try to understand that my ' kids ' are big enough to make their own decisions now. I can't change a thing about that. I still have trouble seeing my 24 year old daughter as anything other than that little sweet blonde headed three year old that used to touch my heart so often. Ya just have to hope ya done a good job of raisin' them.

There's nothin' to help sometimes 'cept to keep busy and don't let the worry take over yer life. It ain't gonna be easy sometimes. Try to find some inner peace about it all somewhere, is all I know.

There are numerous opportunites for him in the Marine Corps as well. Education, growth,chances to become more than either of you presently imagine. His opportunites are almost limitless and he will be held back only by his own abilities and his own desire to improve himself. The Marine Corps is a special kind of military organization. One you will look long and hard throughout history to find it's like. He will be very well trained and generally well looked after. He will be a part of a larger family. A part of the best fighting force that has ever existed. When he returns to visit you, wearing that Eagle, Globe and Anchor, he will be a man almost beyond your comprehension. That boy you raised will still be there
and will manifest himself in the most unexpected ways and at the most unexpected times, though. He'll still be your son, and proud of it, too!

He will lose friends, whether in peacetime or in war. Those losses will affect him as if they were his own flesh and blood. The things that he will see and do will change him. If he has the steel, the sand, to walk through it all, he will become a man that you will no longer recognize. He will be a United States Marine!

Sincerely,
Warren Bonesteel
SGT USMC 1976-1983

Maybe I shoulda told not to startle him when he first gets home from the recruit depot......ya think?

Anyway, warm up yer coffee, folks! Daylight's a wastin'! We got a new day out there! Time to go take it by the balls and wring some good outta it!

It'a new opportunity, folks! A new day! Don't let it whip ya!

[Art Petersn]

Very good Bones. I was never blessed with being able to put what I thought into words. You do very nicely for a young one.

Coffee is getting cold. Wish you had some donuts. Maybe it's just as well, I need to lose some weight.

[firstsgtmike]

"Maybe I shoulda told not to startle him when he first gets home from the recruit depot......ya think? "

When he came home, from MCRD, he was having dinner with his girlfriend's family. "Pass the ****en bread please" shocked them. "Pass the ****en butter" almost created strokes. His girlfriend had some words with him, and he recognized the situation and apologized.

Ten minutes later, the table was deep in conversation. "Pass the salt, please." But no one heard him. A little louder, "Pass the salt, PLEASE." And again no one paid him any attention. The third time it was, "PASS THE SALT PLEASE" and he had everyone's attention. The salt was passed, and he said, "see, I bet you thought I'd **** up again, didn't you?"

The capper of the evening came when he was asked to stand up and say a few words. As he was rising, a pack of rubbers fell out of his shirt pocket. Being a fast thinking and innovative Marine, he said, "Quick, look out the window." Everyone looked out, and there were two dogs on the lawn, screwing.

Welcome home, Marine.

[NamNuts]

Mornin Marines!

Haven't been around for mud for awhile fer give ma silly ash!

I've been gettin a taste of what my folks went through during my time in the nams! This would have kilt my dear ole mom...watching the action this closely!
My ole pa(Marine 1918-18 he never made it "Over There" and 1941-45 by this time an architec, so he was training Combat Engineers..hehe)would be watching this war nonnnnnn-stop!

Any uz old salts, get that itchy feeling...damn I'm locked n loaded let me in? Ya i have, gotta turn this briefing box off and gotto my knittin class...:D

BTW here's a partial list of some of the scumsucking hawlinwood pukes!
http://www.billyjoe.net/hollywood_stars.htm

[wrbones]

We've all got that itchy feelin', brother!

How the hell ya been! It's good to see ya! I seen ya lurkin' here and there or I'd a been huntin' for ya!

Got another one for ya: www.oscars.com Click on contact and tell 'em how ya feel! ;)

[wrbones]

'Mornin' Folks! how ya doin this mornin'!Coffee's up! Grab a cup and get some! It's hot, don't worry. It ain't always good, but it's hot! Paper'll be around in a bit!

I've been playin' on the net today. I don't have much new to say about anything. I am constantly being surprised by what keeps coming up from the colleges and peace activists and such. I guess I'm moving from somewhere in the middle to the right of the political spectrum. That puts me in the same bunch that looks for government/alien conspiracies I reckon. I did see an unidentified object when I was a kid.....I think it was about the time I realized there was something different about wimmin....;) Well she showed me hers first!

Life is good, I reckon. We've got to pick out those good memories and not let them go. Even, at times, the silly ones! We live in a time of myth and legend, whether we know it or not. A time of live lived well, of heros, of good versus evil. A time of poverty and despair. A time of world wide conflicts and the under currents that go with the all encompassing swarm for power by ruthless men and peoples. In such a time we must live, not wholly seeing what is before our faces, but fully realizing our own little piece of it. A time wherein good <I>is</I> overcoming the evil we face. We cannot know the future, for we cannot see it. Just as we cannot fully comprehend the past, for we have not lived it.

There is too much for one person to fully comprehend, and so it is....that we each live today for what it is. We take it as given to us and we do the best we can with it. What each of us then does affects the whole. Whether we live our lives in honor to the glory of some greater good, or whether we live it for avarice, greed and destruction. The whole is made from it's parts. Which is you and me. It is my contention that the whole of mankind's history is so made. Not from Pharaohs or the Hun or any words from any religious leader, but from folks like you and me. From the entirety of it's parts. You and me. It is my contention that what has gone before until now is only the great beginnings of our race....but for now....we each must live in our day to day lives. Living as best we may. Looking to the future.

In a such a way and for such a reason we have served our nation. The beacon of this little bit of time, in the opinion of this particular dilletente, is the nation wherein we live and serve. We have been a part of a great sweep of history that seems, in it's pattern, to be trying to bring the world out of anarchy and death towards a better place. A place where all may be treated well and live well. A place where life is good. Every day for everyone.

Lofty? Do I really believe all of that?

Well....ya gotta have a dream, folks. Just as well be a big one! ;)

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It's a good day fer now. Maybe you can make it a good day fer someone else in some small way. There is hope. Every day is a new opportunity! We just as well take advantage of it.

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get settled til ya get yer head to workin' this mornin'! Paper'll be along after a bit!

Well, I was wonderin' about somethin' this mornin'! Do ya know what ya believe and why ya believe it? Is it based on what ya hear from folks around ya? Peer pressure and all that. It never goes away, ya know. Is it based on what ya read and looked up for yerself? Ya do yer own learnin', or just hear it from others? Does it make sense to ya when ya looked at all of the particulars, or does it tend to break down a bit if ya look at it too long or too hard? Does any kinda history back it up at all? History is what helps us to form our belief system, as an individual or as a group or society. If ya apply the KISS principle to it, does it still hold water? I use one more thing to look at stuff I'm thinkin' over. I just say to myself, "One plus one equals two." If it adds up good without too much tweakin' of the numbers ya might be on to somethin'.

The last test fer me, is this. "Am I willin' to die for it?" Now some time ago we visited over convictions and opinions, I'm just takin' another look at it. Comin' at it all from a slightly different direction is all. When ya can look at somethin' ya believe from different directions and it's still recognizable, ya might be on to somethin'.

There's too many folks runnin' around spoutin' all kinds of **** that they won't hold themselves accountable to. I was just puttin' this out there today cause I seen a few of them lately and, no, I didn't see any of them around here. Just talkin' out loud is all. Wonderin' about things to myself.

If someone else heard me talkin' to myself and it made any sense, well and good.....just don't let anyone else hear you doin' the same thing or <I>yer</I> gonna get stuck makin' coffee inna mornin'!

Warm up yer coffee folks! It's a good day! We got another chance to go out there and do it again! Hell, who knows! Maybe we'll find a new way to screw it u...I mean get it right!

[yellowwing]

Yup! It's a fine amphibious day! Up here in Canada we finally had a support the US/UK warriors demonstration. (About freakin time!)

There were about two dozen Squeegee Kids heckling us. I really had the urge to grab one of those chicken heads and tell them I was part of the team the kept them free to to be idiots!

The gift of freedom is earned and maintained by the likes of us! The 7th Cav may get the glory of taking Baghdad but we have there arse covered for 350 miles!

Thats' enough out of me.

[Barrio_rat]

Morning all...

See yellowwing, here's where they start playin' with yer mind. Ya went and preserved their freedom to be idiots but you failed to find them a village. Yer lucky they didn't sue you over this matter, as I'm sure they would have won and would have been paid a great deal of money at your expense.

And ya used a key word there for the 7th Cav... MAY - While the 3 ID and other Army units have accomplished great things so far - the press does enjoy the Marines. Last night, before hitting the rack, I saw a report that Marines were taunting the Iraqis into fights to expose their positions. God love the Marines! I read that and thought...

'hey Bob' ... 'yeah, John' ... 'well, ya notice.. we been fighting and starvin' for near 3 days now' .. 'yeah' .. 'well, we ain't been shot at in near 2 hours' .. 'so' .. 'so, I'm rested.. you?' .. 'yeah' .. 'well, let's get some then' .. 'okay' ...

Then, somewhere in the Iraqi desert you hear...

'HEY YOU RAG HEAD DIAPER WEARING GOAT LOVIN' FREAKS... SADDAM IS A HEMAPHALITE AND SMOKES POLE!!!!'

ziiiiiiiing

'here we go!'

While the Army has bypassed every obsticle on the road to Baghdad, the Marines have hit every obsticle head on. Now, I have a few conspiracy theories on this (yeah yeah yeah) but, overall, I think there's a grander scheme here and, in the end, many of us will say ... wow cuz, I'm still waiting for 'shock and awe' I've got training films that are more devistating that what I've seen on TV (other than the loss of life). One of them grander schemes that kinda came to mind as yesterday unfolded was - supposedly Saddam is moving his troops from the West to the South and from the North to the West. All the while, there is a USMC Maj Gen in charge of 'contingency' troops of Kurds and some 'commandos' with some Marines. Since when does a Maj Gen (Marine or Not) command a few contingency troops. Who'd he **** off or, as I'm thinkin, what the hell have they got coming from the North?

Y'all have a great day

Semper Fi!

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya! Coffee's on! Ya better grab a cup and get settled! Daylight's a comin'! Paper'll be here inna bit and we can see what's goin' on in the burg.

Well, JChristin read some of my scribblin' in that Support Our Troops rally in Portland yesterday. She's keepin' me waitin', though. The little fart. Hasn't told me how it went over. I guess they had some big wigs there, too. About time some of those politicos jumped on the wagon. Now if the media would only report on those the way they do on the other folks. There's a lot of those pro America type rallies goin' on around the country right now. Folks just don't hear about all of them. Lots of web sites of one sort or another about it, too. Looks like we ain't alone!


I've spent some time playin' around with a buncha liberals on a liberal newspaper forum from the west coast. Well, it's quicker than emailin' all of them all of the time! LOL. They are so easy. Ya just gotta throw a few facts at 'em and make 'em stay on the topic, is all. They get lost when ya do that fer some reason. I almost feel like I'm cheatin' on this place! LOL. But it's so much fun and I ain't gotta worry about a jealous husband shootin' me!! I don't think, so, anyway.....No. It ain't as good as sex! It's kinda fun, though! ;)

There's a lot to think about in all of this, if ya an find a minute. The leeft wingers and the right wingers have a point about the government, though. Neither side really trusts the government. That's a good thing really. That's a part of bein' responsible for yer self and for yer fella Amerians as well. Always watch those who operate in the positions of power. They might get carried away if ya don't.

Other thing is that the two extremes are really startin' to sound a lot alike to me anymore. That's kinda funny in an ironic sort of way. Neither one of them trust Ashcroft or the patriot act. Some kinda karma circular thing goin' on there. Just hope it's not a circle jerk is all! LOL.

I don't figger folks should all agree all of the time, but when two totally opposed pole of thougt start agreein' by accident....that stretches reality a bit for me! I start lookin' fer some character inna corner in a cheap suit smokin' a cigarette! LOL.

Now. This is by way of tellin' ya to pay attention, folks! It's an interesting time we're goin' through. Ain't nothin' nowhere gonna be the same when it's through. Some kinda revolution is goin' on, both politically and socially. We need to pay attention. We haven't begun to see how 9-11 has changed our reality. At this point, the permutations are almost endless.....It's good to be alive!!

Warm up yer coffee, folks! Get yer head wrapped around yer day! Ya still gotta take out the trash and earn a livin'! We'll do alright! It ain't over til it's over! ;)

It's a new day! A new opportunity! Go out and take advantage of it!

[Barrio_rat]

Morning all....

Good words, Bones.. and just when I thought it was safe to get up in the morning yer telling me it's all gonna keep changing - and, if I'm readin between the lines well enough - not much of it will be for the better. (Yeah, I already knew that - just didn't need to be reminded of it is all).

Mowed the lawn today. 1st mow of the year. Went well. Got some funky stuff going on with the yard. Gonna have to hit Bi-Mart and get the yard spay stuff of all types and varieties. Bugs, grass, crab grass, weeds - some stuff that will kill anything and the other stuff that will kill one but nothing else, etc etc etc. I do like a green lawn though. Ain't my house, but it is where I live - hard explainin that to the wife who thinks that 'extra' money is best spent on her jewelry and such. LOL Balance... and over time at work get me through all this... LOL

I'm down to about 1/8 cord of wood - should get me through the rest of the year. Not bad - good thing it was a mild Winter. 400 bucks for 4 cord of wood and I didn't have to go scroungin to find more to make it through Spring. I got plenty of 2X8 planks if I get in a pinch though - they're a 'Summer project' to get 'em all cut up and stacked for next year. Use 'em for kindling mostly - but if it burns, I'll use it - ain't real particular on what type of wood I use to keep the house warm. As long as it's cheap and will burn, that's my criteria.

Y'all have a great and wonderful day...

Semper Fi!

[Barndog]

Extra money? What the hell is extra money? 2x8's for heatin the house? Yeah, I suppose if you don't mind creosote fires in your stovepipe. Ever seen a chimney fire? I have, and they ain't funny. Most people think mortar and brick don't burn. Well, they don't. The 'pitch' (creosote) does.

Damm 2x8's is expensive Rat. I'll burn 'em fer kindlin if'n they came from something I had torn down for someone.... and they weren't painted or treated lumber. Man, no wonder my lumber prices are so high here in Michigan. Damm guys in the Pacific NW are gettin them and burning them freshly harvested!!!! The nerve of some people.
Sergeants even.
$100/a cord? Hope that aint a face cord. Fer a 100 a cord, I'd be buying me a chainsaw. Oh wait, I have a chainsaw, 2 splitting malls, a couple good axes, a damm good truck and some chain. Too bad my back is shot. LOLOL

Well, you can always work more overtime I rekon.... Least that'll keep that 'extra money' flowing.
Or it'll keep yer sanity levels up - I always found that to me..... the real insidious part of working in the prison. My ex-wife said 'oh it can't be that bad'. Oh no you stupid b**ch. People getting stabbed, getting feces and urine thrown on ya, etc...... management constantly giving you innane B.S. (I worked in the Segregation Unit) - where we had the 'bugs (psychos, AIDS patients, rapists, the "cream of the crop", staff assaulters, etc...)
This one Captain didn't like the fact that my Son died, and I didn't work for 3 months. He made it personal.
No problems. He just never met a Marine on a personal basis.

I just became the 2nd shift Union Steward and boned the Management for a couple years, then walked away. It wasn't personal.

I still like swinging that hammer. And, nobody throws feces and urine at me anymore. I still don't have any 'extra money' either.

Semper Fidelis, To the Corps

Tony 'Barndog' Barnhart
USMC 1978-1984
MI ARNG 1984-1992

[yellowwing]

wrbones, you're spooking me! Sounds like your talking about the tip of an iceberg just on the other side of the fog. Left and Right coming together either means that truth is prevailing or that the spin doctors are getting really good!

I just hope our Commander in Chief keeps an eye on Iran and Syria. If we need our Hebrew Allies to lend a hand, then things would get ugly faster than a creoste fire! PM Sharon would have no hesitation authorizing the Big Stuff.

As far as the home front, I always believed in the Founding Fathers plans of checks and balances. And that the 2nd Amendmant is the people's ultimate check and balance.

[Barrio_rat]

Hey Barndog... I ain't all stupid! LOL These are old 2X8's - untreated and used to be a deck. They burn nice and hot (pine) as well as quickly. Mostly that's not so good (the quick part) but the house keeps the heat well. And, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I found that when I burned apple and some of those other 'hard' woods I get more build-up in the chimney. Besides, if I do need the planks, it would only be for a couple weeks, not like I'm gonna make a winter on 'em. As far as 100 bucks a cord, well got a special deal from a buddy who didn't realize how much work it was - LOL 2-3 foot rounds, cut to length. Didn't need the chainsaw but I did use a splitter. I do have 2 mauls and a fine axe and a good small axe for splittin the lil stuff.

I do know about the chimney fires... never had one, knew about the preventative proceedures. And yer right, brick don't burn - it explodes. Ya check out the Pen in Oregon they got A, C, D and E Blocks - B Block burnt to the ground in the riot and they never rebuilt it. But, as some are corrected, B Block didn't burn to the ground - brick don't burn, it explodes. Brings a whole new image to what happened back then.

I still like the job... but then, Oregon has a pretty 'easy' system. Don't know if that's good or bad - just the way it is. We don't have that many assaults - on staff or inmate and inmates live in our system, even the chomos. I work at a place with a lot of rookie staff - if they were in any other system, with the crap they pull, they'd be dead. A good many of 'em would be dead at the Pen too - but there are ways to curb behavior before that happens. It mostly has to do with training. I know what you mean about the management too... ours is anal from the word go. And our union is about the weakest damn thing I've ever seen. Won't stand up to the state - or management, helps the state screw the employees - yet damn near every employee at this place thinks it's wonderful and just love how much they do for us. LOL go figure!

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How are ya this mornin'! Coffee's on! Ya better get some! Day ain't gettin' any younger, ya know! Paper'll be around inna bit!

I been kinda thinkin' again....yeah, yeah...Drink yer coffee! You'll have yer turn! LOL. I got to wonderin' about things that don't fit yer doctrine. You know. The things that ya think ya believe and the things that ya think ya know why ya believe 'em. Every so often in life we run up against such things. One bad example is goin' to another country. Ya know it's gonna be different, but ya didn't think it was gonna be THAT different! ...or maybe ya run across a situation that just totally ain't what ya think it looks like.Yep. Life is a magician on ya sometimes. It pulls that ol' sleight of hand trick on ya and it ain't much fun! LOL. Things like that kinda make ya step back and re-think yer whole world view. "Where do things fit NOW!". See, everything ya know and believe should fit more or less together. Not as tight as a jigsaw puzzle, maybe, but like that. One kinda positive change of this sort is havin' kids! Talk about re-arrangin' yer internal landscape! Yeah, there's that biological thing goin' there, but it does a number on yer thinkin' and on yer way of lookin' at things afterwards.

Visitin' with some folks will do that to ya. I once knew a doctor who was a Levite as well. Very good doc and kind as well. Thing is that ol' boy could walk right through any metaphysical walls ya had up like they weren't even there! That'll re-arrange yer landscape, too! Still messin' with my head! LOL. Ya run across things like that sometimes. Some little thing they say or do. Some accident, whether good or bad. A success. A failure. A wedding. A divorce. A birth. A death....and yet some things...some things go so far beyond that in their impact on us..... Things that re-arrange yer landscape....

The thing is, do ya break...or do ya bend a little bit and go back to where ya were before....or do ya grow and learn and become more than you were?


Warm up yer coffee, folks. Daylight's a burnin'! We got another day to get it all sorted out! One of these days we just might get 'er done! It's a new day! A new opportunity! Go out and take advantage of it!

[mrbsox]

To all;

It's alittle after 0200 eastern time, in Jersey. I've woke up with a need I can't explain.

The news is on, and it sounds like the push towards Baghdad is moving at a pretty good clip. Sounds like reinforcing troops from other towns are running north.

Let us pray.

Most wise and loving Heavenly Father. Place your shield around or brave troops, your wisdom in their minds, and your speed in their feet, as they try to bring Peace and Freedom to these people.

Your will be done.

Amen

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How ya doin' this mornin'! Have ya had yer coffee yet? Well, coffee's on! Go ahead and grab a up! Paper'll be along inna bit....I wonder if I paid the bill this month......

Well, life goes on, don't it! I watered the yard for the first time this year! Probably shoulda done it earlier but it woulda all froze up overnight! LOL. So, I'm startin' those spring time things some of y'all been doin' fer a bit already. Right around forty outside right now, though. Looks like my bulbs are comin' up. I oughta clean that bed out a bit today or tomorrow. Get those few leaves outa there that I missed last fall. I look forward to seein' those day lilies again. They were pretty! The Irises oughta bloom a bit more. Second year for them. The few that bloomed last year were beautiful!

I might work on the skirting this year. It's a bit fraggled here and there. What? Didn't ya know I have a small bit of red neck heaven? Pretty cool, really. Cheap, dry and reasonably warm! LOL. Ain't bad 'cept fer the one neighbor. They're more red neck than red necks are! LOL. If I mention who they are you'll call me racist! LOL. Don't matter to me. If I like ya, I like ya. If I don't, I don't. Life is! People are people, it don't matter... 'cept fer left wingers. I havin' my doubts bout some of them....LOL.

I don't know that I have anything deep or multi-layered today. Just sittin' here havin' coffee and thinkin' about summer at last! Now in a couple months, I'll be hollerin' about the heat, but that ain't happened yet...not this year anyway!

Yard looks like it'll do ok. I need to get some weed and feed for it, I reckon. Keep it kinda green. One of the neighbor's had his wife get on him last summer about their yard after I told her how little I spent on mine. Best yard inna neighborhood, I spend less than thirty dollars a year on it all together. He ain't happy to see me anymore for some reason. He don't bum smokes anymore, so I guess that's ok, too! LOL. He owes me a pack come to think of it.....

Warm up yer coffee, folks! Won't be long til we can have it on the deck in the morning! Won't that be nice! Sit outside and watch the sun come up!

We'll get 'er right! It's a new day! A new opportunity! Another chance to go out and take advantage of it, maybe!

[Art Petersn]

Morning Bones.

[mrbsox]

Morning folks. 0530 in Jersey, coffee pot by the sink in the hotel is perking away.

I had a strange feeling earlier, and felt compelled to post a prayer as things progressed in Iraq. I hope that each of you are convicted, in your own ways, to an almighty power that looks over us, and beseach him to watch over our troops.

I don't consider myself a 'Bible thumper', and I don't generally interject my personal religous views on others, at least NOT in a forcefull manner.

But every morning, I give thanks for the ability NOT to wake up to a 'thump thump' on the horizon. My wife and childeren can sleep safely, I can walk the dog, fly the flag, and voice my opinions. And all of this can occur without fear of persucution.

This is what we are trying to bring to the Iraqi people. The freedom to live their lives, as they see fit, and with pride and the pursuit of happiness. My fate is in my own hands, as should theirs be.

American by birth. I'm a lucky man. I've been blessed with a good woman, a job I enjoy, and pretty good kids.I've been blessed with a Country that TRIES to look out for my rights, and a BROTHRHOOD that is willing to back it up.

Like a lot of you, I'm sure, a part of me wishes I was over there taking care of buisness, but a part of me is glad I'm home. If we served our time well, and enhanced those that enhance others, then we can rest assured that we are in good hands.

And our Troops are carring the torch WELL, Very well indeed.

So, I'm getting ready for work, and as 'bones says; "another chance to get it right". If I can enhance those I meet, and then they in turn can enhance others, WE, all of us, make it a better place to live.

My continued prayers are with our Troops, US and Britons alike, and with you, my Brothers and Sisters, as we "try to get it right"

Thanks for the coffee, and the time. Thanks for the service that gives us the Freedom to sit and chat like this.

Terry

[JChristin]

ABOUT BONES:

Just wanted to share that Bones wrote a wonderful passage titled "For The Families of Fallen Marines," which I read at a pro-rally held in downtown Portland last weekend. The crowd was estimated between 400-500 people. Holding onto a megaphone that had bad batteries, I invited a Marine Poole, 03infantry, to come down from the crowd and join with me as I read Bones' passage. What an experience, to meet another person from Leatherneck.com. Matt (03infantry) tall and proud displayed a wonderful Marine Corps bearing standing next to me while I read the passage written by Bones.

Afterwards, Matt and I shook hands, I meet and had the pleasure of shaking the hands of his father and grandfather - who where beaming with pride - with the first member of their family to enter the Marine Corps. He will make a fine Marine, one of excellance, he has that "warrior" instinct.

People approached me afterwards and commented on the passage written by Bones. It filled an empty spiritual spot for many of them. How well received was Bones' passage. It truly is a mark of excellance addressing the valor and pride, myth and legend, of the United State Marine Corps. It could of only been written by one of us.

Today, while walking to an appointment in downtown Portland, my mind shifting back and forth on concerns of business, a young couple stopped me. They asked me if I was that woman Marine who introduced that nice lookin guy who is joining the Marine Corps and read that deeply moving passage. I said I was. They thanked me and wanted me to tell Matt (03infantry) good luck on his training - that he certainly "looks" the part. Then they added something else.

They said that tears had overtaken them as I read Bones' passage. They felt overcome with emotions at that moment, as the man's father had died a Marine in Vietnam. They both hugged me and walked on. So Bones, that hug is meant for you, I accepted it on your behalf. It's your hug. Wish I could use the keyboard to draw it, but that isn't gonna work. But a huge HUG is sent to you via this forum. You words stirred peoples hearts.

semper fi,
jchristin

[wrbones]

Thanks, darlin.

I was just wantin' to offer what little comfort I could to those who know and would understand.

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya! Coffee's on! Get some while it's fresh and hot! Grab a siddown and relax fer a bit. Day ain't quite started yet! Paper'll be along after a bit! Maybe....

Well, what are we visitin' over today! I've been so busy with that online activism stuff, I dang near fergot about anything to visit over! I got Daschle all riled up...I think...Hard to tell with him these days! LOL. Sent Bill Janklow a note the other day askin' if he was doin' ok. He's the Representative for South Dakota now. Sent stuff to letters to the editor all over the country, 'cept fer maybe the middle part, places like Michigan and Oklahoma and such, and I've had a pretty good time messin' with some liberals on a liberal newspaper site. The moderator over there doesn't figure she's biased, but if anyone posts anything to do with facts and figures supportin' a conservative viewpoint it doesn't last long. I still have fun with them! LOL. I don't think my post about lookin fer black helicopters when compared to them lasted long, come to think of it! LOL.

I don't mind folks havin' opinions, as long as they have some reasonable idea of why they believe them to start with. I have some opinions about dogs, but I've dealt with dogs a bit here and there. Mostly they just need to be trained and yer set. Thing is, it takes some time. If yer dog won't heel w/o a leash, ya ain't go it trained is my opinion. I got more opinions about trainin' dogs, but that's fer another day maybe. I'm still workin' on trainin' cats. I'm not real sure who's trainin' who with them....My opinion is that they can be trained. I'm just not sure how far ya can go with it. Haven't had good luck trainin' them to heel yet. I can get them to fetch and to come when I call 'em w/o sayin' "Here kitty, kitty, kitty." Other than that...well...dealin' with folks who have opinions w/o some kinda real knowledge is kinda like trainin' cats, in my opinion. It can be done, I'm just not sure how far you'll get is all.

Now some folks on that liberal side of things are what I would call liberals. They few know what they believe and why, and they're still patriotic. America, love it or leave it types, but they still kinda lean toward the government doin' it all. Well, I think the government should help here and there, but I don't think they should do it all. Just my opinion. I can respect them. They can even tell ya why they believe the way they do without name callin' or obfuscation. Muddlin' the facts, if you will. Those kinds of liberals I can call Democrats. I've known some Democrats over the years. Most of 'em ain't too bad, 'cept fer wantin' the government to do it all. Most of the ones I've known even served in the military one time or another. Volunteers all. WW I, WWII, Korea, VietNam. Weren't anyone I know of drafted in the town I grew up in. But boy ya oughta heard 'em talk politics! Burn yer ears off sometimes! AND...they all had a reason for believein' what they did and could tell ya why they believed it. Step by step and line by line.


...and so we ought to be with everything we believe....explain what we do believe and why we believe it.

Well, we oughta warm up our coffee and get our heads wrapped around the day, I suppose! Another chance! Another opportunity! Let's go take advantage of it!

[lurchenstein]

JChristin
ABOUT BONES:
Just wanted to share that Bones wrote a wonderful passage titled "For The Families of Fallen Marines," which I read at a pro-rally held in downtown Portland

High compliments to both of you for content & delivery & to Matt for standing with you.

[JAMarine]

Just wanted to tell ya that I'm glad your here Warren. You make positive impressions on a lot of folks. Yer Coffee is good and the paper never fails to get here sooner or later.

Todays been a good day for me I guess. The 'boss' is well and still beautiful as ever and the kids are doing fine.

Lets not forget our Marine Brothers and Sisters in the kitty box. "We hold them up to you Lord to watch over and protect. Please hold tight the ones you've choosen to bring home and watch over their loved ones. Amen."

Thanks Bro for lettin me have a say.

Here's a little piece of my life at work. I need it now and again. I thought I'd share.

Fi Brother.

your friend

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya! Coffee's on! Ya best get a cup and get settled fer a minute! Ain't no sense runnin' out the door til yer eyes are open! Paper'll be along directly!

Well, what are we visitin' over this mornin'! I don't have a clue! I might think of somethin' if I ramble long enough, though! LOL. We got snow last night! I ain't kiddin' ya! Not enough to brag about, but enough to know it's there! Rained a bit before that, so I figure the roads'll be kinda slippery fer a few hours. Didn't have to water the yard yesterday, so that's a good thing. Don't have a sprinkler system. I gotta play around with a sprinkler and hose and all. Bad news is, I gotta shovel snow offa the steps and sidewalk again. I really like it up here, but I'm about ready to look for a place inna desert, maybe. All ya gotta worry about there are scorpions and such....

I've been catchin' up on my sleep a bit lately. Yersterday, I rolled over and saw what time it was, and thought, " I oughta get up, it's gettin' late". Well, I rolled over, threw the covers off and got kinda stuck. Didn't wanta move again, ya know. I thought. "Well, I almost made it." An hour later, I got cold, and bein' too lazy to pull the covers back over myself, I got up and got a cup of coffee. Just seemed to be the easier thing to do at the time....

Let's see....

I really can't think of a thing that's deep and multi-layered today. That's ok. Some of ya need a break! LOL.

Warm up yer coffee and sit a spell. Maybe in a day or two, we can have coffee on the deck.

It's a new day. A new opportunity! A new chance to get it all figgered out! Make sure ya take advantage of it!

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya! Cofee's up! Grab a cup and have a seat! Paper'll be along in a bit, maybe. We got a new delivery 'boy'. Fer some reason he's quite a bit bigger and older than the last one.....never stopped me before. I wonder why they bothered.....I didn't scare the last one! Honest! Well....not that bad anyway. He didn't scream! Actually, I don't think he was breathin' fer a minute there....must be kinda spooky, I reckon. Middle of the night, dark, quiet...and then hear a bodiless voice whisper "Boo!" in yer ear. Damn near broke my nose when he jumped. I offered him a tip fer his troubles, but I don't think he heard me. He was at the end of the block already....I don't think my evil laughter was helpin' matters any.

I have to try harder anymore to sneak up on animals and people . I must be gettin' old or somethin'.

I don't do stuff like that much. It's more effective if they don't expect it outta ya. 'Course the VA docs kinda frown on that behaviour, so I don't tell them anymore. They don't think it's funny for some reason. Well, ask me what I did today and I'm liable to tell ya! LOL.

The little things in life. Take pleasure in them. I do kinda enjoy the idea of that paperboy tellin' everyone my neighborhood is haunted, don't ya know. ;)

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It's a new day! Time to kick back a bit! It's Saturday! Take yer time. relax. Spend some time with the family! Give 'em all a big hug and tell 'em ya love 'em!So what if they look at ya funny! It'll give ya somethin' to chuckle about all day....while they wonder......

It's a new opportunity! Just as well take advantage of it!

[Sparrowhawk]

ROTFLMAO

You're determined to earn that 100% rating LOL


Kids used to ride their skate board at tiems on my drive way on their way back and forth. Dug up and old tree and had a dirt mount out in front of the house for awhile.

A kid asked me about it, and I told him,

"Do you remember that fat kid used to live down the block."

" yeah," he answered .

"Well, he kept riding his skateboard on my driveway, so, I buried him where the dirt mount is."

No kid has riden their skateboard on my driveway ever since. LOL

you're right Bones, need to take advantage of those opportunities...LOL

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya today! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and sit fer a spell! Paper'll be along directly, I imagine....

Sparrowhawk, I don't know that I can influence that VA stuff now. Last I heard it all went to the board for their decision. I still don't know why those folks don't have a sense of humor, though.

Well, I figure today I'm gonna give away a little secret. I've talked around it some before, but I'm gonna tell ya some more this mornin', I figger. Ya know how we always start out with the greetin's here. Common politeness, really, but it is a comfort, deep down inside, to hear things like that every day. A habit of sorts. The we move on to gettin' coffee and sittin fer a bit. Relaxin' before we start our day. No matter how iconoclastic we are, we enjoy hearing the sound, hearing the emotions, if you will, of others and sharing similar experiences, daily. If those emotive experiences are positive and comforting to us, we love to hear them again and again. That's why we never grow tired of hearing those close to us tell us that they love us. It's why we so enjoy common physical and emotional connectiveness, if you will allow me that word, with those close to us. If there's a story to go along with those emotive experiences, we love it even more. We regress in a way, to being a child once again, emotionally, even if only for a few moments. It is deeply comforting to us. This is one of the chief reasons I believe why we find those small habits so comforting as human beings. A cup of coffee in the morning. the way we go about our daily toilet. Which shoe or sock we put on first. It is good for us. It is well that we do it, if only for a few minutes every day. Humans are social creatures and we need it.

We also need some little encouragement from those near us that lets us know that things are going to be ok. That each new day is a new thing to be grasped and enjoyed for all that it is worth. The encouragement that tells us that no matter how bad things are, they will get better. The encouragement to keep trying, day after day, no matter what. The encouragement to keep trying. Things will get better if we don't give up. The sure knowledge that some other person on the face of this earth has experienced the same things that we have, in principle, if not in fact... and we need to know all of these things without being condescended to. We know that we are not children...

...and if we hear a story that makes us think...even a mythical typology that we recognize right away, we know what it is and we learn from it, and we grow and we think and we consider...and we all come out of that emotive experience the better for it....and if we have shared the experience with others like us...perhaps....for a moment, we have walked with the gods, and become more than we individually can hope to be on our own. That is one of many reasons that I fix coffee in the mornin'.

We can get into anthropology and sociology, but I ain't into that. ;) I just like sharin' a cup of joe with folks fer a bit inna mornin'....and maybe, somewhere along the way, I might grow a bit and maybe think of somethin' that I hadn't thought of before in a way that I hadn't done before. Life is an experiment in some ways...that's why ya need to warm up yer coffee, and get yer head wrapped around yer day! We got another chance to figger it all out!

It's a new day, folks! A new opportunity! Make sure ya take advantage of it.

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell ya doin' this mornin'! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get settled. You can start on yer day inna bit. We got a few minutes! Paper'll be along after a bit, maybe....

Well,what are we visitin' over today do ya think? Well, hell, I don't know! 'spect me to come up with somethin' good every day or what! LOL. Well, I know I can't type, but that ain't what I asked ya! LOL. Well, let's see.... I've been kepin' an eye on things around leatherneck, but I've been all over some of those liberals around the country. Those liberal newspaper forums are a blast! I don't know why I have so much fun with them! I think I got one of them about shut down. They can't really ban me. I'm nicer than their regulars! LOL. They just don't like the facts is all. Lot of times that's all I post, is facts and figures and resources. Someone responds, I answer them. Now what I do have trouble with is the fact that some folks never give up their thinkin' no matter how much ya show them. Doesn't matter how many facts, figures, pictures and what all that you reveal, they don't wanta see. Now the thing is, it ain't always liberals doin' this. It don't have much to do with politics, fer that matter. Lots of folks are that way. Instead of tryin' to learn, they get their emotions and self-esteem all involved. I still haven't really got a handle on folks like that myself. Kinda hard to understand, really, at least to me. If yer tryin' to learn, and every day is a new chance to learn anad to grow, then sometimes you're gonna get yer world view stepped on with the facts. It ain't always pleasant, but that's life. Ya learn and go on. It must be that self esteem thing, I reckon. When the world around us is all that consists of our belief systems, then havin' it change on ya is an even more uncomfortable experience. I knew a lady movie star years ago kinda like that. One day I was there when she broke a nail. Dang. She went on like it was the worst disaster in the world! Cryin' and panicin' and carryin' on.

Our worldview, I think, must consist of more than our vanity and our self esteem or we are still children. The world is not a shallow place and neither should we be.

Well, that's probably about enough ramblin' fer one day. Warm up yer coffee and get yer head wrapped around yer day, folks. It's a new day! Ya need to be payin' attention to it if ya expect to make a difference and have another go at 'er!

It's a new opportunity! Take advantage of it!

[Barrio_rat]

Mornin' all...

Yeah, Bones.. We do expect ya to come up with something good everyday! LOL Well, guess it's because people get used to things happenin' a certain way, they just tend to expect it to continue... Didn't ya mention something like that a while back? Too early to rack the noggin too much - so don't go lookin for it.

Well, finally got my taxes done. Had a bit a bind for a while there. Went with a tax program and when I went to do the taxes about two weeks ago found out it came without a "Product Key" or code for makin it work. So I had to send the thing to the manufacturer and wait for them to send one back. Got it on Saturday. Thing was, I was a bit upset cuz here I went and procrastinated and then I had to wait. Well, gettin a fair amount back this year. I don't own a house and got hit real bad by the tax man a few years ago so I let 'em take out more'n I should. Well, I like knowin' I'm gonna get some back. So, with this money I should be able to get my wood for next year, pay off a couple bills and maybe have a little left over for some fun... unless the wife eyes some jewelry.. LOL

To what you had stated, or part of it, Bones... Not only the line of thinkin that they use, when makin an argument, but also the use of facts. Not always do they use all the facts or bring in (listen to or research) opposing views. I've known a few that will throw out facts and figures but have little to back it up with. They tend to like ta 'take ya by surprise' so you can't counter 'em. Well, after a bit of research I will find that I either agree with 'em or will have facts of my own - a more complete use of the facts - that will blow their statements out of the water. My sister tends to be that way. She always needs a cause. Now, she's a vegan. Thinks using any animal in any way is wrong. Course, I haven't (for the sake of family civility) brought up that she owns a dog and 2 or 3 cats - though she did try to feed 'em vegan dog and cat food (it damn near killed 'em). She points out various animals in the world stating that they are "opportunistic carnivors." Well, so am I. Any opportunity I have to be carnivorous - I am! I also haven't hit her with the "bomb shell." I'm saving it for a most spectacular event - if it is ever needed. My father had 3 heart attacks in his life, the 3rd ending his life. I know that many of the devices used to help him stay alive were available through research in animal testing, I for one, am glad of that testing... Y'all can guess where that would go from there.... :D

Y'all have a great and wonderful day!

Semper Fi!

[Sparrowhawk]

with what is going on...

sometimes our way of thinking is so way ahead of everyone else's thinking that you just have to drag the world along with you.

Coffee's good, need a cup this time of the morning

[wrbones]

LOL> Yeah, but I don't have an Abrams to help drag the blasted world along with me!

[Barndog]

Betcha my diesel truck would help out ya jarheads......
I got some log chain and damm good tires. Theres 4-5 shovels and a chainsaw in the shop too.

You guys giving up on me?

[wrbones]

Ain't givin' up! Visit the forums of a hundred newspapers around the country. Betcha you'll see that I've been there! LOL>

Emails to Senators, Representatives, committtee members, the White House, peace protesters....

....who else was there....Oh, yeah. I've just about shut down an Iraq War discussion on a liberal website! I think they now understand that self-righteous indignation is meaningless without some facts! LOL


Well, I ain't givin' up...it just be a bit easier with an Abrams is all! ;)

[Barndog]

Who the hell said it was easy?

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya this mornin'! Coffee's on! Ya better get a cup and grab a seat somewhere. Paper'll be along in a bit. I get the funny pages!

Well, things are changin' on us, I figger. The whole geo-political, sociological, economic blah-de-blah. It's all gonna change, both in the US and abroad. Everyone's gonna be lookin' at everyone a bit different. Well, things change. Life is, and there are times when all we can do as individuals is to go along with the flow. Oh, we all have the little things we can do, and have done, to try to influence any outcomes, but the overall picture, "The Big Picture" is extremely hard to see when yer down in the dust and dirt in the middle of it. So we do the best we can and see what happens.

Now we've kinda visited over that before if ya were payin' attention. It happens to us as individuals and as social groups, both large and small. Individually, the loss of a job, a decision made, an accident, a crime, marriage, family, college or not, lots of things both good and bad come along and our lives are changed forever. Many of them we do on our own, others are imposed from without. Usually, we don't recognize these changes for what they really are or how much they impact us til long after the fact. Crossroads, if you will, in time and space. All that has happened before is gone and all that is to be will be new and different; and so it is on a larger scale.

In the area where I live it was the flood in 1972. As disastrous as it was, it set the stage for renewed growth and expansion and has at the same time put the ranches and farms of the area in a tailspin. Things both good and bad, but imposed from without if you will, affecting individuals and local society as a whole for decades to come.

Individually and as a society, whether large or small, we make minute to minute decisions based on past experience, on training and education, that build up over time, sometimes so slowly that we cannot foresee their eventual outcome. Then disaster comes, or untold peace and prosperity. All from the minute to minute decisions that we make, both individually and as a whole.

Now none of us like to have our lives disrupted, and we find it distinctly unsettling in every way. When a child falls and skins their knee, when ya go to bed late at might and yer spouse rolls over sleepily and says "What's wrong?" When yer neighbor's house burns to the ground, when all things change and everything seems most unsettled, my answer is always thus, quietly, gently, believing it as I say it, " It's ok." No matter how 'not' ok it is, it will be. We can take care of it.

Everything's safe and good and secure. It can be dealt with...and it will.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! Get yer head wrapped around yer day! Make sure yer eyes are open before ya head out! It's a new day! Make sure ya take advantage of it!

[Barrio_rat]

Morning all...

Dust and dirt.. that's what ya call this stuff I've been wadin in? LOL

Okay, first the good news... I won the lottery.

I won just enough to buy the junk food I got for my kid after soccer practice. But hey, I won! LOL

Y'all have a great and wonderful day...

Semper Fi!

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How ya doin' this mornin'! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get settled fer a bit! Paper'll be along in a bit!

So what are we visitin' over today? Dang! I just hadda clean off my desk. All of my notes scattered all over everywhere, I couldn't find nuthin' 'cept my ink pen and smokes. All those little scribblin's ya do when yer searchin' fer somethin' on the net. I hadn't cleaned that stuff offa my desk fer months!

I did think of somethin', though. Not that I was bored. Just sufferin'from a temporary brain freeze is all. LOL.

How does boredom challenge you? I have a simple solution for ya. Do somethin'. Well, you know what it's like, sometimes.Ya get so bored ya can't think straight? Yeah, this ties in with somethin' else we visited over awhile back. Nearly eighty pages of notes to sort thru and none of them titled! Good luck findin' it! ;) anyway...what 'd it tie into? Why that 'life is stuff', of course! LOL. Now if ya want, I'll go back and put some titles on that stuff, but it'll take awhile! LOL.

OK. Boredom. Ya kow how it gets sometimes. Seems like yer doin' the same thing day after day after day and it all starts to weigh ya down? Well, do somethin'! Do somethin' crazy...no not crazy enough to go to jail over, just somethin' different. Break the mold! Hell, you'll think of somehin'! Don't get anyone hurt is all! LOL. That's the challenge of bein' bored. Ya gotta find somethin' to do, than do it.

I know some of ya been runnin' yer butts off fer years, over this and that. IT gets borin' after awhile. Do like I do. There's a lake out in the plains that works for me. Just big enough to have some waves to it. Not too many people out there even in summer. Another is top go up in the Hills and go for a drive, find a place out away from everyone and have a sit. Take the ol' lady. Dump the kids and grandkids fer a bit. Do somethin'.

Do somethin' a bit different today! Have some fun. Relax. The world ain't gonna stop if ya do! Unless yer on meds and then ya might wanta take them with ya.....

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It's a new day! A new chance to get it right! A new chance to do it better this time! It's gonna be ok.

Take advantage of it!

[ladileathrnek]

RECEIVED THIS FROM A FRIEND, THOUGHT IT WAS RATHER AMUSING...THOUGHT I'D SHARE.......

Definition of a Marine!
By Gunny Hubauer. Thank you sir! How True it is!

Definition of a Marine :


AS SEEN BY HIMSELF
A handsome, well conditioned, highly trained professional killer and male idol, who makes females swoon. He wears a large Marine Corps ring and carries a finely honed combat fighting knife. His wide brimmed, cammie booney hat is crisp and perfectly shaped and he is always on time due to the reliability of his large Seiko diver's watch.

AS SEEN BY HIS WIFE
A heavy drinking, foul mouth bum, who arrives at home every six months or so, with a new tattoo and a sea bag full of filthy cammies, a large shiny ring, an oversized knife, a huge ugly watch, a dirty misshaped, wide brimmed, cammie booney hat, and an over active sex drive.

AS SEEN BY HEADQUARTERS
A drunken, brawling, HumVee stealing, woman corrupting liar, with a large Marine Corps ring, a huge Seiko divers watch, an unauthorized combat fighting knife and a fouled up cammie booney hat, worn in a non-regulation manner.

AS SEEN BY HIS COMMANDING OFFICER
A fine specimen of a drunken, brawling, HumVee stealing, woman corrupting bull****ter, who wears a large shinny ring, a fantastically accurate Seiko diver's watch, carries a finely honed, razor sharp fighting knife, and wears his cammie booney hat in a jaunty manner.

AS SEEN BY HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS
An overpaid, overrated, tax burden, who is, however, indispensable. At anytime, he will volunteer to go anywhere, to meet people and, if told to, he will kill them. He is willing to do all of this as long as he can drink, brawl, steal HumVees, corrupt women, kick cats, sing dirty songs, wear baggy cammies, a big shinny Marine Corps ring, carry a finely honed fighting knife, wear a huge Seiko diver's watch, and a salty, wide brimmed, cammie booney hat.


"Once a Marine . Always a Marine!"

Semper Fidelis

GunnyH

[Sparrowhawk]

Boredom? Hum, have never had a problem with that, household of wimen make sure of that. LOL

I had tea for our British friends, this morning and so much for that. Getting back to coffee.

[yellowwing]

I like to sing dirty songs to fight boredom. You know change the lyrics to something spicier! But I think I will pop won to the river today. Great Idea Bones, Thanks!

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How ya doin' this mornin'! What am I thinkin about? Wait til ya get some coffee first! LOL. Grab a cup and find a squat somewhere! Paper'll be along in a bit!

Well, let's see! Neighbors. Neighbors....They're kinda like business partners or roommates in a way. The best thing that ever happened to ya or yer worst nightmare, I think. That's about all that needs to be said about that. What? OK. Well, it's kinda obvious to me, I think. They can be good and kind and responsible and help ya when ya need it and not expect anything in return. They're just bein' good folks, is all. They'll keep half an eye on the kids when they see the kids runnin' around the neighborhood. Make sure they ain't doin' anything too stupid, ya know. If ya need somethin', it's yours, whether ya have to ask or not. They ain't gonna start the mower too early on a Saturday. They ain't gonna throw a loud party without at least invitin' ya or warnin' ya first. They know things you might not and they can help when ya need somethin' ya don't know about. Not to mention the inevitable and legendary cup of sugar.

Bad neighbors...well, I think we've all had some experience with that at one time or another. They'll borrow and borrow and bleed ya to death if ya let 'em. They'll always be wantin' something and will never offer to help unless they get something outta it. Noisy, nosy and messy and don't care anything for anyone but themselves. They'll be tellin' stories on ya, mostly stories that aren't true at all.

The thing is, sometimes it's a bit troublesome to tell at first. They'll all be nice and then deny that they do anything wrong at all. They won't understand your concerns about their boorish behavior or the sorry lowlifes they associate with at times. If ya ever have to call the police on 'em, it might just be simpler to move!

Folks need to watch out for each other and yet, allow the other guy the right to exercise his freedoms and rights. It's kinda hard to figure out sometimes. Just what is interference and what is genuine concern on anyone's part. Building relationships is what it boils down to, I reckon. Kinda tough for some. Kinda hard to keep up without some work. I wonder if we have the time for it anymore. What makes a good neighbor, I often wonder. Too much of a good thing is bad. Too little is sad.

Just somethin' I was wonderin' about today.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It's a good day! A new opportunity! A new chance to get it all sorted out! Make sure ya take advantage of it!

[thedrifter]

Goodmorning

Well I have been a little busy lately, that I haven't time to post.....I did try to come in a view to see what has been going on.....

Well the say it is spring here....but something went screwy this week.....
Weather in March was getting warm...too warm for this time of year, but this week.,....tempertures changed and almost went back to winter.....We even had on Monday 3 inches of snow.....Like we really wanted to see that......Mother Nature....who can predict......

I found this arcticle which I enjoyed .....so I'm placing in for all to enjoy.....

All have a good day.......

Sempers,

Roger


My "Honeydew" List

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Bit of Humor by Peter McKay
Apr 10, 2003

One morning last weekend, the sun came up brightly, signaling that, after a dismal winter, spring had finally reached our house. (Or had, at least, stopped by for a day or so. The paper said we still might get one or two more snowfalls before we're through.) Most people in our neighborhood greeted the sunshine with eagerness, but not me. Like a bear, I mostly hibernate in the winter, accomplishing very little on weekends and getting very cranky if I'm disturbed.

As I was finishing my cup of coffee at the kitchen table, my wife came in the kitchen and smiled sweetly at me.

"It's beautiful outside!" she said, gesturing. "Let's walk around the house and look at the property."

I instantly tensed up. While my wife has been known to take walks with me, they are not usually first thing in the morning and certainly not in a circle around our house. And "look at the property" meant something else entirely. It was time, I suspected, for the annual "honeydew" list of outside projects.

(We are not lame enough to actually call it that. I only know the term because a co-worker, years ago, mentioned that she was about to be married. She was so excited, she said, that she had already started coming up with extensive "honeydew" lists for her husband. When I looked confused, she said, "You know! Honeydew THIS, honeydew THAT!" I was so horrified that, for a moment, I considered calling the unsuspecting groom and telling him to bolt for his car and head for the coast.)

Nevertheless, I got up from the kitchen table and followed my wife out the door. As we walked across the lawn, she took me by the arm and put her head on my shoulder, another ominous sign.

"Boy," she said, innocently and seemingly spontaneously, "look at the shutters on the side of the house! They're a different color than the ones in front!"

I sighed, remembering the day I had painted the shutters on the front of our house blue in a fit of energy. The green shutters on the sides of the house, though, were in such bad shape (one missing numerous slats, another housing a bird's nest) that they really needed to be replaced. Painting them would be a waste of time. So I put it off. For almost two years.

As we came around the side of the house, she paused in front of all the outdoor furniture piled in a corner of the side porch. We don't keep our porch set up all winter, as we don't want the furniture to get ruined. Instead, each October, we move everything into a huge pile and cover it with a tarp. The tarp then blows off with the first heavy wind, and all our stuff is then exposed to the elements. It's just in a big ugly pile. As my wife stood nodding thoughtfully at the side porch, thinking of summer afternoons on the porch swing, I pictured myself moving heavy furniture and scrubbing mildew.

In the backyard, we paused in front of the pressure-treated swing set/play fort thing I put together from a kit a few years ago. The kids love it because it gives them something to fight over, but it's just plain ugly. Last year, confident that winter was coming and that no one was paying attention, I bragged that I was getting so good at carpentry I could rebuild it into a cute country cottage for our girls to play in, complete with little window boxes. By my wife's raised eyebrows, I could tell that she had not forgotten and that a portion of my summer would be spent out back, trying not to slice off fingers with my power saw or swear in front of the neighbors' kids.

Around the back of the house, we came across the fish pond I'd installed last year. We'd enjoyed the goldfish and the fountain all summer, but it had been a hard winter, and now, it was just a disastrous pit of melting ice embedded with dead leaves, a broken water pump, the mortal remains of two goldfish, a Shubunkin and, for some reason, a kid's bike helmet. All that was missing from this watery grave was Leonardo DiCaprio.

The pond, my wife said, was going to be bigger this year, stretching around the deck. I quickly thought of hiding my shovel or faking paralysis.

My wife turned to me and smiled. "Don't you just love it when the weather turns?" she said, opening her arms.

"No!" I growled, and pushed past her to go back in the kitchen, sit in my chair and pray for snow.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peter McKay is an attorney and writer from Pittsburgh, PA. He grew up (actually just got older) in Chicago, Philadelphia and Florida, and graduated from Penn State University as an English major. He has recently published Welcome to the Nuthouse!, a collection of columns that chronicles a year in the life of a typical suburban family


© 2003 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

[greensideout]

Let's see---better check my calendar---yeah, it's the 11th.

I came here for a cup of coffee and perhaps a little perk of thought provoking, multi-layered, around the bush and finally left to ponder statements of wisdom.

Did Bones forget to put the coffee on!!!

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How ya doin'! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get yer eyes open before ya start yer day! Paper'll be along after a bit, I reckon!

I get kinda confused about some folks at times. Might be why I have so much trouble when I go to the mall or to WalMart, I guess. First of all, for me, that's a lot of input. I watch people. Lots of people to keep an eye on at the mall....I try to learn what motivates them as individuals and as groups. Now some things make sense to me. They 'add up' if you will. Some things don't. To get things to add up, ya have to start out with the details. Small things. One plus one makes two. Then you can move on to larger things, and one plus one usually still makes two. Now individuals in groups can throw ya sometimes. It don't add up. They do the same things as the group does when they're individuals, but throw some of them individuals into a group and they change up on ya. The whole dynamics change. Things don't add up the way ya think they might. Good and bad in this, I reckon, but I was thinkin' of somethin' I ran into yesterday when I was surfin' the net.

Sems a feller was railin' against the support our troops 'pro-war' types. They was havin' a small rally and he didin't like it. He figgered if they were so pro-war, they oughta go join the military and get dirty. Basically said they were hyppocrites fer only bein' a 'pro-war' type without joinin up. Well, he had a point of sorts. But when ya think about it fer a minute, it don't add up. If nuthin' else, he shoulda been over in Iraq and bein' a human shield on that logic. It's like sayin' yer for gettin' criminals offa the street, but ya can't be that way if yer not a cop. In addition, it seemed well and good that he could have his say, but was disappointed that some one else was havin' theirs.

I couldn't make any sense out of it, however well written it was. One of those columnists. It was kinda like some of those celebrities sayin' they'd leave the country if Bush got elected. They didn't. Now that doesn't make sense to me. If ya say yer gonna do somethin', then do it. Otherwise yer a liar and nuthin' ya say after that makes any sense. If one alternative is bad, then the other is good. If ya don't go after doin' what ya think is good in that situation, then it don't make sense.

Well, I better stop before I go off onna rant.

Oh, that columnist? He didn't serve in the military...but his sister did......

Warm up yer coffee, folks! One of these days it might all make sense! LOL. It's a new day! A new opportunity! Let's take advantage of it. We've got a new chance to get it right.

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get some! Get yer eye's open! Oh, shut up. I'm workin' on it! Accidentially moved the coffee yesterday and now I'm catchin' hell. Paper'll be along in a bit. Be careful, or I'll lose that, too! ;)

The depths of wisdom can bever be plumbed, really. The same principles keep coming up again and again, but in slightly different ways. Things never really change in that venue, it's just that our perceptions change, and then, only then, do we come to an understanding that we didn't have before. That we couldn't have before. We weren't ready. Well, how do ya get ready? That's a good question. I don't really have a good answer for ya. One thing, I reckon, is to keep lookin'. To keep learnin'. Just pay attention, I guess, is as good as I can say it. One day we'll see something or hear something that sets things off for us. We might see a little kid doing something and think of something else and it all clicks, for an instant, and we know. We' might see an old man setting lookin' out his window and we know. We might see a tender expression of love or faith in another and things start to make some sense to us. What is it all about. No longer a question, but a statemment. It's all about love, I was gonna say, but it's all about that and more. Understanding. We all come to it at different times and in different ways, some learn more here and another more there, but we all come to it. Understanding...

...and understanding brings a certain peace to our hearts and our minds. Doesn't mean we have all knowledge or abilities or that we achieve perfection by any means. But that is one of the things that we come to understand...and to accept.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It's a good day! It's a new opportunity! Another chance to get it right!


and I got the coffee in the right place this time! :D

It's Saturday! Spend some time with the family today. Pay attention. Ya just might learn somethin' ya didn't know! ;)

[thedrifter]

Just stopping by to make sure that Bones is awake....LOL....I just know that he always has a fresh pot of coffee on...........I see as that the Marines are still kicking a$$ over there in Iraq.......Just makes us all proud to be Marines........

Just because we call it like it is and stand our ground, don't tolerate wannabees and phonies, we get called all kind of names.
It seems that unless you been there, you don't understand what we have been thru..........You haven't walked in our Boots, you haven't done what we have........."WE HAVE EARNED THE TITLE OF UNITED STATES MARINES WITH OUR BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS." Nobody can take it away from us.........

Sempers,

Roger:marine:

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! Coffee's on! Ya better grab a cup and get settled! It's Sunday! Time to kick back a bit and chill. Paper'll be here later on. The new paper boy's showin' up after daylight fer some reason, and it ain't 'cause daylight's comin' earlier! That one came back to haunt me, didn't it! LOL.

Well, 'cept fer almost gettin' my nose broke, it was worth it, I reckon. There's always a price to pay, ain't there! Sometimes it's worth it, though. Sometimes it's worth it...

Most of us have paid the price one way or another. A special group. I was encouraged, yesterday when I read the story about the Marines havin' to give up their booty. Marines still know how to scrounge! LOL. There'll be a few who get away with bringin' somethin' home, though! I can guarantee that! Willin' to pay the price. That's a good strategy, though. Let them think yer bein' meek and then do it anyway! LOL. They had their own black marnet goin', too! The game is sometimes worth the price, don't ya think.

I kinda miss that particular game from when I was in the Corps. I was kinda good at it. I had an ulterior motive, though. Kept 'my' birds flyin' and ready to go. Almost paid the price, too! LOL.

I like messin' with folks now and then. Teasin', ya know. It don't mean nothin'. Maybe get them to lighten up fer a bit and relax. Sometimes ya pay the price...

...damn paper's gonna be late every day for a long time now, I reckon.....

Warm up yer coffee, folks. Paper or not, it's a new day! A new opportunity! Another chance to get it right, maybe!

Make sure ya take advantage of it.

[greybeard]

I like messin' with folks now and then. Teasin', ya know. It don't mean nothin'. Maybe get them to lighten up fer a bit and relax. Sometimes ya pay the price...

One of th spices of life. Ya can't be so serious all the time-we'd all go nuts. (Are we there yet?)
Speakin of payin the price... Sometimes we aren't jokin. I'm in trouble at work, again-where there are only a couple of veterans besides myself. We build display fixtures for different retail stores(Lowes, carpet companies, Michaels craft stores, JC Penny etc) Million $$/month business just for our division. (we are part of a bigger multi state corp) We are 'shipping date' driven, so the fixtures reach the stores on the same date the installers are there and the stores are usually shut down. Shipping dates are a big deal. The usual unorganized-un-coordinated civilian mess. Never one to mince words, I once told some of the drafting engineers "I'm so glad you guys work here. It keeps you from being out there in a really important job, like our military where your mistakes would likely get some poor ground pounder killed for nothing". That didn't go over real well, but they know I'm right so not a lot was said to the contrary. fast forward a few months....

Well, you know the pictures of the troops that are circulating around-the ones where they are catching up on their rest, in between the trucks and Bradleys, in their fighting holes in the mud and on the highway? Well, someone posted some large pictures of these on the bulletin board in the plant. I promptly printed out a little header & posted it above the pictures. It said:
When you've made the shipping date these folks did, by God, THEN you've acomplished something in your life!!!

Got called in on it, since I made no secret who put it up there, & recieved the usual 'we're doing an important thing here keeping the economy running'. My explanation was straight froward.
"Most of the people here are under 30 yrs old. This is the most important thing they've ever done in their lives, and for some, the most important thing they ever will do. How do ya think they're gonna feel when they retire and have to look back and say the pinnacle of their life was building in-expensive store fixtures out of the cheapest materials money can buy like particle board & mdf, especially considering there is an ongoing war against terrorism, that is likely to last several years? " Well, it got back to corporate in Dallas, & I figured I was in deep sh*t. Not so!! The owner, it seems, is a Korean War vet. Memo came down to encourage anyone who wanted to enlist, to do so with the knowlege that their job would be here when they returned and the company would take up the slack between pay differences for a 4 yr term of enlistment. How's that for support?? I got a note from him in my paycheck envelope.
"Don, you're an arrogant old son of a gun, but I know where you are coming from on this. Please tone it down a little, but never sacrifice your integrity."

Some days it's really worth getting up in the morning.

[firstsgtmike]

It's a tremendous feeling of satisfaction when you stand tall and realize that YOU made a difference.

[thedrifter]

Here it is almost noon and I'm finally getting around to dropping in on Bones..........Coffee sure tastes good today..........going to need a couple of cups to get my thoughts straight.........LOL

I do believe that we all made a diffference when we were on active duty with our Beloved Corps..........Doesn't matter how long you served, as long as you did your job and more........Yes! We all made a difference..........We are Marines and will be always.....
The only thing is we have a change of uniform.........We still carry that look no matter what and it will always remain with us......

Greybeard, you make us proud........It shows that you are still a Marine and think like one........"SEMPER FI, BROTHER."

Time for another cup and back to work......Everybody have a great day and remember all our BROTHERS who are in
HARM'S WAY.

Sempers,

Roger:marine:

[Barrio_rat]

Morning all... Slept in a bit today. All four of us in one room and not one was awaken by the alarm going off for an hour. Oh well, guess we needed some sleep. Gonna make a late breakfast for the family - probably some Finish Pankake. It's easy to make and the family loves it. Probably fry up a few eggs, some bacon and even a few hashbrown patties - my daughter's favorite!

Oldest is playing soccer again. She's doing quite well. I'm still amazed watching her - so much natural atheletic ability. Yeah, maybe I am bragging a bit and I do try not to. For me, sports were always a challenge, I had to push myself just to be 'okay' at it and this kid picks the stuff up like she's been doing it for years. I find myself trying to find the middle ground - teaching her to push herself to stive to do better, to keep plugging along. She's 10, so I don't want to do this too much as I don't want her to become discouraged with sports. I want her to have fun. After her game, which her team lost, I asked her if she had fun - she said yes. Then I asked her if she tried her best - again, she answered yes. I told her that is the most important thing and I let her know that she played very well (because she did).

Y'all have a great and wonderful day...

Semper Fi!

[greybeard]

I can finnish a stack of pancakes pretty easy myself . Big ol gob o butter on mine please.

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya! Coffee' s on! Grab a cup and get yer eyes open! Day ain't started just yet! Paper'll be along inna bit!

Well, what have we got this mornin'? Don't grumble. Drink yer coffee! You'll feel better! ;) Monday schmonday. It's just another day! Don't mean nuthin'! LOL.

I got into that 'just another day' bit quite awhile ago. At first, it was outta dang meanness. Didn't get no birthday cake or hoildays off or nuthin' so I figgered it didn't matter what day it was. Most of my life, I've spent workin' jobs where holidays didn't matter, anniversaries didn't matter, Sunday's didn't matter, ya had to work. Nature of the job, ya know. Well, after awhile, I came to realize that one day was the same as the next. But for an entirely different reason. If ya gonna do somethin' special one day a year over somethin', birthdays, Christmas or whatever, ya just as well do for people every day or what was the point? So I do for folks and give 'em stuff whenever I'm ahead and especially when they ain't. They get to wonderin' what I'm after, which is kinda cool. Keeps 'em guessin' that way. Then they get all confused when they finally figger out I ain't after much. I kinda like that look on their faces. They might get to thinkin'. Now thinkin's hard on ya, but it's good for ya, too. Means sooner or later you'll come to some version of the truth or another. That's a good thing. Ya just might figger it all out if ya get to thinkin' fer a bit. Then ya might be worth somethin' to someone other than yer self.

So, every day's a holiday, every day's Sunday, every day can be someone's birthday and every day can be an anniversary. I do like the look on the ol' ladies face when I give her somethin'. "What's that for?" I just smile and walk away. Let <I>her</I> figger it out.... ;) it's only been fifteen years.

Warm up yer cofee, folks! Daylight's a wastin'! It's a new day! A new opportunity! Another chance to get it figgered out! We're gettin' there!

[Barrio_rat]

Morning all...

Well, it may be Monday or, just another day.. but for me, it's still the weekend! Weather providin, it'll be a fun day filled with death in the high desert. It's now whistle pig season (for those of you who aren't up on local terminology and/or ain't kept up in here - a whistle pig is a rodent much like a ground hog, prairie dog, gopher or sage rat - guess it just depends on where yer from and yeah, I know with some of those, there are minor differences). Anyway.. temps are risin and sun's been a shinin so they should be out and about. The babies ain't real grown yet but they'll be out in the next few weeks to month - those are the dumb ones that wonder what that stuff is hittin the ground around 'em - for the occasional miss. ;) On into summer, these damn animals go canabalistic. Ya shoot one and before it's dead ya got 5 others chewing and gnawin at it... I just shoot 'em for good measure by that point. Known some to steak one out and ya get 5 or more pullin on it - then it's easy targets... Others will use shotguns for effect. I like the .22 LR, simple and easy. Load up 7 - 25 round magazines and sit for a while. Couple years back I kept track and shot about 250 in 4 hours. It was a good day. Buddy of mine and I figured we killed well over a thousand his weekend here and we only shot in one area and still didn't hardly dent the population. Weather.com says it may rain so we'll see... If it's decent I'm gonna make a go of it...

Y'all have a great day...

Semper Fi!

[Barndog]

Highya fellas (gals too)

Yeah, I know - haven't been around much as of late. Trying to get this little Corporation formed. Gads what a pain in the arse. Almost as much paperwork as the Corps. LOLOL. Work is starting to pick up really good and steady...... looks like Bones might be having to work again fer a change (fer me that is) This should be a riot. Sarge, can ya grab me a beer? LOLOL I'm tired of sittin here, and my legs can't reach the fridge. Ya know, I can't wait? It'll be nothing less than an absolute pleasure to have a Marine like Bones with my company.

Just wanted you all to know - I just spent the best week of my life with my Daughter. She was here for the entire spring break from high school. My wife went to New Orleans for an IBM Conference (whoopie*sarcasm implied* on the IBM, YAY for New Orleans) - the kid and I were home alone all week together.

I dropped the kid off to one of her old GF's places , then the wife at the airport last week, then sought out a couple of Jarhead Bros........ and (but of course) proceeded to get hammered LOL (isn't that SOP??????) - for Grunts it is. Daughter come home the next morning, and sez ' Daddio...... grab that guitar, man'.
" Why's that baby" ? - "Cause we have some music to play, Mister". Guess I taught her to be direct.

My baby Daughter (shes 16 goin on oh....... I'd say 30 or so) then proceeded to sing her a$$ off for me. The whole week.
Now, she went to State Finals in Choir a couple of years running. Stopped singing this year, since the new choir coach doesn't give much of a s**t. Obviously, Kiddo does.
Now lemme tell ya somethin.......... right here, right now.. my baby brought more tears to my eyes with her voice and her talent that I ever could possibly imagine. ( I am trying to remain unbiased) About 0230 that first day (night, whatever) alone together, she says Dad, I gotta go to bed and my voice is shot..... I said honey (crying in absolute joy), now you realize I gotta spend a couple grand on microphones, a couple of amps and all that crap right? She smiled and said, "Daddy, I've been watching and listening to you play my whole life, and you're an incredibile guitar and mandolin player. You've always told me you can't sing for crap. Well here I am, Pops".

Another little secret folks.......... Barndog has been sitting on a whole footlocker of songs of Marines, Children, Brotherhood and God for a long, long time. The only real problem is...... I'm not a 'trained musician'. I play purely by ear. Not a problem at all.
It just so happens, that possibly the most influential musician of my era - for me anyways - just came out with a live CD (I have been waiting patiently, God have I been patient)

I can't tell you who, because that would spoil it. But I will tell you this - he and the 'Boys' are playing in Michigan shortly before we head to DC for the Leatherneck reunion. The weekend before in fact. I'm taking the wife and kid. In fact, the letter I've written to him goes in the mail this morning. 4 pages describing the parallels of our lives, music, beliefs in God.... and why I think that these songs of Marines, Childres, Brotherhood and God - need to be written with he and I.
I don't write music. I just play it. I know what my heart says.

My Daughter confirmed that for me this week.

Somedays, it's the most beautiful thing in the world to get up in the morning - even when you kick the birds out of the rack.

Semper Fidelis - To the Corps, and to the most beautiful child in the world - my Daughter Billi Sue

[wrbones]

Unless I'm gettin' one fer myself, you can get yer own damn beer! :D

Yer kid might be on to somethin'! Maybe in a few years, you can retire and let her take care of Daddy! LOL.

[Barndog]

Only if she wants too, Brother.... only if she wants too.

[Red Dragon]

Sure could use a good cup of coffee right about now, heard that the best coffee around is at Bones' place(that is the word on the street).
Well another day and looks good for our Brothers over in Iraq. They sure are doing good. Hope it is over with soon and they all can come home.
I usually don't put my two cents worth in but from reading the posts on this forum(refering to the whole forum), I see that certain people pass on some bad and/or poor information. They should leave it up to the professionals, but I believe that those individuals think they are better than everybody else.

Red Dragon aka HL

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get some! Get yer eyes open before ya start yer day! Paper'll be here later. Kinda sucks. If it hadn't been so much fun, I'd almost wish I hadn't scared that paperboy. The new guy hops in and outta his little car so fast, I wouldn't have time to sneak up on him anyway. He's always in kind of a hurry....he don't show up til after daylight fer some reason. Have to find someone else to screw with, I reckon. Hey! You'll do! LOL.

We don't pay attention at times. I know there are times when I don't. I started payin' attention to that idea one evenin' years ago. I used to sit under a tree out back of the place I was rentin'. Fenced back yard with an alley over the fence. I'd sit there til long after dark, smokin and havin' a cold drink. One night some kids decided to use the back yard for a short cut. Over the fence from the alley they came! Just like they owned the place! They didn't see me sittin' under the tree in the shadows, didn't see the glow from my cigarette. I let 'em get about half way across the yard before I said, "Howdy boys!" They went back the way they came pretty quick. It'd been easier if they'd just kept a goin'. Wasn't no gate to the front yard. I don't know what they were thinkin'. Fence was six foot high and nuthin' to grab onto from the inside! They made it, though! I think the one kid landed kinda rough from way it sounded. That's what ya get fer bein' inna hurry, I reckon. I could hear them runnin' down the alley afterwards. If they'd been payin' attention, they coulda gone out the front yard and avoided the fence. Of course, if they'd been payin' attention, they'd a noticed me sittin' under the tree in that lawn chair to begin with. Mighta had to walk a bit further, but they wouldn't a hadda hurry to get where they were goin'! I figure they looked a bit closer the next time they cut through someone's yard....

Little things. Details. I've gotten soft over the last ten, twelve years. I don't watch things as close as I used to when I'm out and about. Some places, payin' attention can be the difference between life and death...or gettin' hurt, anyway.

Attention to detail is a principle we all know. I was just takin' a look at it from a slightly different point of view is all. Might get ya to thinkin', maybe. Principles in life can be applied across the board, ya know. From balancin' yer check book, to settin' up a party. From countin' your tools at the end of the day, to washin' dishes. From how ya treat people to takin' care of yer dogs. It works. I'm still workin' on it myself. Payin' attention. One of these days, I just might get it right.

Just somethin' to think about this mornin'. Ain't what I was gonna visit over, but now I ain't gotta strain my brain fer somethin' to talk about tomorow. LOL.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! Get yer head wrapped around yer day! It's a new opportunity! Another chance to get it right! Just as well take advantage of it!

[Osotogary]

Good morning, one and all! Coffee sounds good. I can smell it brewing all the way down here in South Florida. What kind of coffee are you brewing in South Dakota?
Had a problem with folks coming in and out of the yard, at their leisure, a while back. I was actually going to criss-cross fishing line, about ankle high, all over the yard, with non lethal niceties attached here and there but a policeman friend of mine recommended against it. Paying attention? You bet! I would have probably been the first one to "trip and fall".
Everyone have a wonderful day.
Gary

[Art Petersn]

Morning Bones. Coffee is good as always. Your to old to be fooling around with the paper boy.

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get settled somewhere fer a minute or two! Gotta get yer head wrapped around yer day before ya take off! Peper'll be along later, I reckon.

I wasn't foolin' with the paperboy, Art! I was seriously tryin' to mess with his head! LOL. Ya gotta have fun sometimes, I guess. Besides, I don't do stuff like that everyday. Just targets of opportunity is all! :D

Well, I guess...I oughta come up[ with somethin' worth visitin' over. Self-perception. How's that fer somethin' to visit over? Kinda uncomfortable, I know. But we oughta take a good look in the metaphorical and metaphysical mirror now and then just to make sure things haven't hanged, and if they have, well, it might give us a chance to look things over and see if we