CELEBRATE LIFE.........

stopped by the paint shop today to check the water pump style on the ole 2A..seems they came with a couple of different styles.....2 plug or 1....anyway the new water pump is sitting in the garage awaiting installation...radiator to come later.....as I was leaving, the painter came out and he informed me that he would be done with it by Friday this week......

another reason to.....

CELEBRATE LIFE.....

and as we CELEBRATE LIFE...........

sorry about the delay since my last visit here.....life seems to keep me busy, and when I do have down time, I find myself enjoying other's life adventures, rather than recording my own....well, at least recording them here, for all to view....I have recorded them all in my mind's Memorex for my own enjoyment....the last couple of weeks have been very busy in my world....what with chasing the kid's sister all over the center of the state on weekends so she can play softball....then rushing home so she can play basketball that night in the PAL league...trying to keep up with the kid while he continues to grow into himself....a lot of the time I sit and look at him and wish I was his age again....he is a lot of fun to hang out with....
keeping two old jeeps running and road worthy.....cleaning up the driveway after the two old jeeps deposit their deposits on the driveway.....getting one ready for the paint shop....delivered it today...next time I see the new old jeep it should be a Michigan Yellow variation.....this past weekend was a typical recap....spent Saturday morning working and the afternoon laying some tile for the olelongroof on a job he got....the sungoddess, the kid, and the kid's sister were on their way home from Gainesville so I devoted a little time on the new old jeep before sending it to the paint shop....as I was painting the radiator, I noticed that there were quite a few fins that needed straightening out....of course this lead to a radiator leak...so off to the local parts store for radiator stop leak....following the directions on the stop leak bottle, the water pump started leaking....guess the warm up period was too long....or else the water pump was going anyway and I just chose to ignore it.....but then this leads us down a road best visited after the repairs have been made....
oh, another reason we CELEBRATE LIFE...sometimes way too seldom....
Saturday the kid ask me where we stored his baseball gear....a rather odd question since he hasn't picked up a baseball in over three years...but it seems he was invited to play in a baseball tournement on Sunday and accepted....not wanting to intrude, especially since he stated that he didn't want spectators....the longrooffan and I snuck over to see the game.....check his blog for details... but man was it fun....a scene from "Sand Lot' for sure....a bunch of 15 and 16 year olds playing a game the way it was designed....just for fun...no 'adult' supervision, no parental controls....they called their own plays and didn't argue too long on the call...a perfect way to spend a couple of hours on a beautiful Sunday afternoon....
thanks kid....
found out today that their are five teams in this league and the teams are founded, funded, and governed by the kids....what a concept.....it was a blast hanging out and enjoying a couple of cold pops with a friend while watching a good old ball game.

thanks again kid.....

thanks for an allowing your old man to CELEBRATE LIFE.... your way........

another reason to CELEBRATE LIFE....and boy does she

not being a fan of the television industry's desire to coerce me into purchasing their sponsor's product, or be entertained by their sense of what I should currently enjoy....the valuable time that I spend in front of the television is usually spent watching something mindless that allows me to finish what-ever project I am currently working on....or a Discovery channel or History channel program.....something that will educated me on a new subject.....now this is not to say that I don't enjoy a couple of television shows....."Three and a Half Men" and "Denny Crane" make me laugh.....but I have never been entertained by the current fad of 'reality shows'.....
"American Idol" to me has always seemed like a waste of time......

However, I ventured into an online article published on msn.com that really caught my attention.....I actually watched the video several times and if you take the 7 minutes to watch it, I believe you will truly understand a meaning of CELEBRATE LIFE.....I hope you enjoy it as much as I did......


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-KiGva9dV4

sorry about making you work to watch the video but embedding has been disabled

CELEBRATE LIFE..........Susan Boyle is...........

another reason for the horsefarmer to CELEBRATE LIFE...

"This is like deja vu all over again."

"You can observe a lot just by watching."

"Think! How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time?"

"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going,
because you might not get there."

"I knew I was going to take the wrong train, so I left early."

"If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else."

"You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six."

"Baseball is 90% mental -- the other half is physical."

"A nickel isn't worth a dime today."

"It gets late early out there."

"I take a two hour nap, from one o'clock to four."

"If you come to a fork in the road, take it."

"90% of the putts that are short don't go in."

"I always thought that record would stand until it was broken."

"Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel."

"The other teams could make trouble for us if they win."

"The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase."

"I didn't really say everything I said."

and thanks to Yogi Berra for more reasons to..........

CELEBRATE LIFE.....

one for the horsefarmer

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;

The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play,

And then when Cooney died at first,

and Barrows did the same,

A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair.

The restClung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;

They thought, "If only Casey could but get a whack at that

—We'd put up even money now, with Casey at the bat."

But Flynn preceded Casey,

as did also Jimmy Blake,

And the former was a hoodoo, while the latter was a cake;

So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat;

For there seemed but little chance of Casey getting to the bat.

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,

And Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball;

And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred,

There was Jimmy safe at second

and Flynn a-hugging third.

Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;

It rumbled through the valley,

it rattled in the dell;

It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,

For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;

There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile lit Casey's face.

And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,

No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt.

Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.

Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,

Defiance flashed in Casey's eye,

a sneer curled Casey's lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,

And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.

Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped —

"That ain't my style," said Casey.

"Strike one!" the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,

Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore;

"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted some one on the stand;

And it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;

He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;

He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the dun sphere flew;

But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said "Strike two!"

"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered "Fraud!"

But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.

They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,

And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.

The sneer has fled from Casey's lip, the teeth are clenched in hate;

He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.

And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,

And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright,

The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,

And somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout;

But there is no joy in Mudville

— mighty Casey has struck out.

CELEBRATE LIFE...........

for the little princess

Nelly Kelly loved baseball games,
Knew the players, knew all their names,
You could see her there ev'ry day,
Shout "Hurray" when they'd play.
Her boy friend by the name of JoeSaid,
"To Coney Isle, dear, let's go,"
Then Nelly started to fret and pout,
And to him I heard her shout.

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

Nelly Kelly was sure some fan,
She would root just like any man,
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along, good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Nelly Kelly knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the game sing this song.

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

CELEBRATE LIFE........

lazy days in the garage

guess the title tells a little about my day today.....up early and off to Mass....then waiting for
John to show up to eat our Easter Lunch.....kids and the sungoddess off to the beach.....
of course my bride made me promise to NOT start working on any of the Jeeps today...she pointed out that it was a holiday and all the neighbors had family visiting and she didn't want her house looking like hillbillies.....well, since the longroof didn't have any brake lights, and technically it is NOT a jeep, then I figured it would be alright to work on it....besides, she had just left for the beach and they will be there for several hours....plenty of time to diagnos and repair a faulty brake light....a simple matter of disassembling the skid plate from the old baby and there the switch sat....real simple and an hour later those all important brake lights were working again.....following couple of photos don't have anything to do with the longroof....got the new old jeep back after a couple of weeks of body work.....re-fabricate the tool box and repair a couple of floors spots and a complete sanding and primer and it is now ready for final paint, put the correct seats in and she looks much better......yellow with yellow wheels by next week I hope.....oh, spent an hour trying to figure out why she wouldn't start.....I had just filled the tank before I took it for body work and she ran great then......should have thought to check the fuel tank.....got no idea where those 10 gallons of gas went while the kid had it.....just glad he didn't wreck it.....

days like this allow us to.........

CELEBRATE LIFE...........

what do we do now..!??????!..

random thoughts that will keep me awake long into the night.....

Michelle Obama gave the queen a hug.....O MY GOD...WHAT IS THE WORLD COMNING TO..
imagine that, showing affection for someone in a public manner.....I can see the way in which my Father would have greeted the Queen had he been presented the honor....and there is a problem with this.???

Missouri Legislators are debating whether to allow the defense of property the same rights as the defense of life while in a home or car......guess if enough cattle are stolen because we can't shoot back, then it's time to change the law to allow defensive actions be taken.....I say let a couple of cattle rustlers get caught and then hang to the closest Oak tree....leave them there for a while too.....let them know that here is what happens to cattle rustlers......

hate to run so fast with lots of other weird stuff stil to come but the dinner bell is ringing so.....

visit here http://www.weirduniverse.net/

and then............

CELEBRATE LIFE.........

whats going on up there......

so I spent the day doing 'honey-dos' while the kids are off on missions of their own doing....
the kid's sister is out riding four-wheelers with friends and the kid is surfing at the beach....
or at least that is his story......got a call from one of my many friends that drive black and tan cars, the ones with the lights and sirens, and he called to let me know that the kid was 'cruising chicks' on the beach.....
truly his Father's son.....makes my eyes water and my heart beat a little faster.....
when questioned, the kid's response was, "the water was flat but the babes weren't"........
gotta love the kid......would make Uncle Bob proud.....
but as I am viewing the world from my lap, I notice this headline and the thoughts began....
does this explain the freezer full of beef.....or lack of leadership by the bus.......
where is the Lone Ranger when you need him.....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29979871/...

doesn't really matter much to me because the kid and I are off to fish the big bridge....
if we are lucky the longroof will join us.....but none the less....we will...

CELEBRATE LIFE...!!!!!!!!!!

random thoughts and gatherings from days gone by

been gone again and it's time to record a few thoughts and experiences.....
random thoughts from days gone by.....a lot of things got fixed in the last week or so.....
it is amazing what those little things they sell at auto parts stores called gaskets will do....spent a day last week home alone....everyone was gone....my beautiful bride and lovely daughter were off on a shopping mission to stores I have never heard of, and thankfully never visited......my son was off on a fishing adventure to the big bridge....as I sat in my "man cave", I saw something that I have walked over daily and yet had never seen....it seems that my driveway has aquired, or earned, several dark black spots over the past several months.....remember those little things called gaskets they sell at autoparts stores..??..seems when they fail they cause things to leak....
now since I own a couple of old vehicles, a Honda almost as old as my marriage, a Jeep older than my oldest brother,

another Jeep almost older than our newly elected President,

those things called gaskets on these vehicles that hold oil within the engine seemed to have failed....and how...
well, that oil that those gaskets contained seemed to find it's way onto my driveway.....leaving their tell-tale sign for all to see....so it was a call to my favorite group of guys at Beachside Auto, and several dollars later I was the owner of new gaskets that are designed to stop oil leaks.....a couple of hours spent with the kid working on his Jeep stopped the contribution to the driveway's current condition.....another hour or so stopped the old Honda's contribution, and another hour or so stopped the 47's efforts.....now all I need is another couple of hours to clean the driveway.....a good pressure washing and then a covering with white concrete mix should have it looking new again.....just the powder mix spread out thinly with a broom and walla...!!!!!..
the driveway will look as good as new.....or at least I hope.....

during all this repair and replacement I have gotten a friend to do some work on the new-old Jeep....Chris, one of the "rednecks" that we have gone four wheeling with in the past, and came to my rescue when "I stuck one and broke another"

http://http://oleragtop.blogspot.com/2009/01/stuck-one-broke-other.html with the kid and the oldlongroof, is a pretty good welder.....well the tool box is now in place as designed and the body is completely sanded and primed....the seats are ready for installation and the small amount of floor rust has been removed and new panels of steel have been welded in place....gotta love those guys that can weld....and weld good.....God bless the 'redneck' population.....but then that's what they do and we love them for it.........

.http://http://oleragtop.blogspot.com/2009/03/its-deja-vu-all-over-again.html

in a different direction.....remember the title of this entry.....one of my bigger brothers, the bus, went in on a parts jeep a little while back.....he was in need of a couple of parts and we were able to secure them at a discount.....but this leads me to my friends Red and Monna and how getting jeep parts half way across the USA is a simple matter......just load them on a truck and ship them.....of course it helps if you know someone going to St. Louis....and you have a brother that has the time to drive to St. Louis with three days notice......of course this brother has a small memory problem and noted here......

http://http://bus-plunge.blogspot.com/2009/03/forgot-camerai-hate-it-when-that.html......

but then he became a grandfather just recently so it is acceptable.....

even when we are not here, these are the types of things that enable us to......

CELEBRATE LIFE......