CAN'T GET A BREAK

I wish Lightning Strikes could get a break. Last night on her way home from the weeekend she hit a deer. It caused a significant amount of damage to her car. She couldn't drive it home so ended up getting a tow truck and bringing it back here.

I had her get a guy from here that I trust to tow her car---I will talk to him today and see if he can fix the broken washer bottle and power steering pump and make it drivable so she can go home and go to work---if she still has a job.

Guess sometimes you make your own breaks---

BUSTED

It is kind of interesting that we have had the grand kids a few days and already our house is starting to show the wear and tear from so many little ones. Yup so far a busted TV, a busted table, and several small games busted. I guess they will get better after they have been here a while but it seems like everything they touch gets busted. I am beginning to think that is why when we had young kids we didn't have much!!!!!!!!!!!

COMMENT IN CHURCH

One of the young fathers in the ward came up to me and said---my wife and I have noticed that you don't watch near as much TV as you did before you took on your grandkids---we aren't being nosey we just walk past your house every day a couple of times and we've noticed you don't sit in front of the TV much anymore---they just walk past at the wrong times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EPITOME OF SWEETNESS

Inkling wrote about the birth of our daughter a few years ago in a far away state. We lived in the backwoods---literally---50 miles from the nearest medical services.

When Inklings started labor we left our little compound driving as fast as I could get the car to go. I was stopped by a highway patrolman about 30 miles from home. I told him what was going on and he sent me on my way---he didn't offer to help. As I drove the narrow winding road for the next 20 miles I noticed that all of the large vehicles were stopped off the edge of the road---all of them---

Turned out the highway patrol man had called on the CB and notified everyone on the road of the emergency and told them to pull off the road until I had passed them---I didn't know that at the time but I didn't slow down for anything either. We lucked out and got there in time to save her life---because we had a great doctor---that worked extremely hard to keep her alive---

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS---We love you.

BIG BROWN

I have been a loyal watcher and have taped the Triple Crown races religiously for the past thirty years so that I had the very first tape of the new Triple Crown Winner. Well so much for that---I haven't taped anything on Big Brown. For the Kentucky Derby I was sure his owner/trainer was just a braggart and he wouldn't even come close running from the outside where he started number 20.

Wrong---he smoked the field---what a spectacular run for the roses. After it was over the owner said it isn't bragging if you can do it. Guess that is true. He won by more than four lengths in a tough race where the second place horse broke both of her legs during the runout on the top turn---she was put down. The next closest horse was a couple of lengths behind her.

On his way back to the winners circle he bucked the jockey off at the top of the turn. I don't believe I have ever seen a horse buck after he ran a hard race and for sure haven't seen one buck like that. The jockey was embarrassed because Big Brown was snubbed to a saddle horse and still bucked him off. Wanna talk about a horse with lots of heart---he's got it.

In the Preakness I knew he was a pretty good horse but running from mid pack (number 7) and the other jockeys talking about boxing him on the rail I was pretty sure he'd have a tough run. Yup you got it they boxed him on the rail right off the git go. The jockey took him through a small opening on the rail to the outside where he galloped along nicely gaining all the time until he was running three wide in third place. Not a good thing because every horse wide is two lengths minimum on each turn. He hung in there most of the way around the bottom turn and was just starting to go when the jockey hit him once with the whip. He hand rode the rest of the race and never used the whip again.

I don't believe I have ever seen a horse make that kind of dash for the wire---with every jump he was gaining about 1/4 length and it was amazing to watch the distance grow. The jockey looked over his right shoulder to see if he could see the other horses, then he looked over his left shoulder. He was far enough out front that he couldn't see them back there so he stood up in the stirrups and looked between his legs to see where they were. They published that shot in the paper---it is the single best racing picture I have ever seen.

During the interview after the race the jockey said he had a perfect trip and that Big Brown was not even hit by a single dirt clod. That in itself is an amazing feat in racing---that is why jockeys wear goggles.

OK so the Belmont is June 7, and I will be in parenting classes that day to meet the requirements of DCFS so I won't even get to witness the next triple crown winner. YUP---I'm picking Big Brown---right now he has won five in a row and every race he has ever ran---I don't think there is any horse in this years crop that can even start him. He's an athlete and has every appearance of being an undefeated champion. If he wins the race on June 7 he will never run again and will retire somewhere to a stud farm for the rest of his days. I can't remember how much his value has gone up the past few weeks but I'll bet the owner is way happy to have a nice little horse called BIG BROWN. WISH HE WAS MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHEW

Wednesday we picked up the youngest three grandkids from a town two hours south as authorized by DCFS (bless their tiny little heads). Friday we pick up the other two---one for the summer and the other for the weekend---we finally get to pick the final one up full time on June 14 after he has completed his little league baseball.

Wow---five kids in a couple of weeks. Not much time to prepare and no way to get younger and gain a lot more energy. Oh well I didn't do that great with the first batch so guess we'll get by this one too.

Here is the mileage summary for this week---Sunday 220 miles taking kids back, Wednesday 220 miles attending meeting and getting three kids, Friday 220 miles taking three for a visit and picking up the other two for the weekend, Sunday or Monday 220 miles taking the little league player back. Inklings also had a 450 mile round trip North this week---LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!

UN-JAZZED

I don't know what happened to the Jazz last night but when I got home they were 17 points behind---they did gain until they were only 7 down but they couldn't pull it off. They DONE GOOD to get as far as they went and the game was great. NEXT YEAR MAYBE??????

JAZZED

I think the Jazz may infact have given up their last best chance to beat LA. It was however a great game and it was fun to watch. I think that is what sports are supposed to be about right????

Anyway I loved the game even though it was late starting. I don't usually go to bed at 11:30 so it was pretty late for me.

FUNNY THINGS

We are required (by DCFS) to have a gate at the top of our stairs so that the little one (age 2) doesn't fall down the stairs. Today we were sitting in the living room visiting when the little guy opened the gate and went down the stairs. We didn't realize what he was doing until he was started down the stairs. I didn't dare yell for him to stop because I thought he might panic and fall---so now we're trying to figure out how to keep the gate kid proof.

I AM NOT SMARTER THAN A TWO YEAR OLD---THE PROOF IS IN THE STAIR WELL.

SANCTUARY

We finally got our grand kids last night. Yup all 5 of them and brought them to our house for the weekend. It is way strange being responsible for that many kids again. They and we are having some bumps adjusting to who is what and where and how things have to be.

We borrowed our sons car so we could have all the kids and us in one vehicle. It was way dirty but we took it anyway and brought it home. I was outside washing the inside of the car (which I haven't washed the inside of a car in over 10 years) and my youngest daughter came out on her way to the gym and said---"oh so you sought sanctuary outside---I'm doing mine in the gym."

I told her I hoped her legs didn't fall off from all the exercize she'd be getting in the next few months.

No matter what this is better than the way it has been for the past three months---

Another Day Another Dollar---in the hole!!!!

I am really having a hard time right now trying to figure out what is really worth anything. We have spent the past three months fighting to get our grandkids---now we are going to get them but there are still many many rules from DCFS that we have to meet.

We have to take the kids two hours south every week for family visits and that is going to be tough because we have to take two vehicles in order to have enough seat belts to get them there. We don't know if we should buy a mini van right now because we may only have the kids until August when the may be able to go home to their parents. So we struggle along just like everyone on earth struggles along hoping that we at least make decent decisions on this.

We have made it through many other hard times with a lot less stress than we are going through this go round---IT REALLY SUCKS TO GET OLD!!!!!!

P 161 What I am reading

I was tagged to do this by Inklings---Double Play by Robert B. Parker---about the body guard for and the athlete Jackie Robinson in 1947 when he broke the color barrier into major league baseball.

"It was warm. The windows were down. Burke could smell the tar and steam heat smell of the city".

Now I tag *L*, *W*, Lightning Strikes and TG.

I WANNA BE LIKE YOU DAD

We had our girls home for the weekend and it was really nice. I believe they all came down this weekend because it is the last weekend before we have our grandkids living with us---for the weekend a couple of weeks then full time. It was a fun visit and things went well with all of that.

I got mad at W because she kept telling her son get me this get me that get me the other---I finally said to Inklings--"where did we go wrong raising her so that she was like that?" She piped up and said---"I got that from watching you Dad" guess things aren't always what they appear.

ORGANIZED????????

Here are a couple of pics of the storage cabinet we built in the garage Tuesday--I think it turned out great. We had just barely finished it when Inklings called DCFS to see what they wanted to do about inspecting it. They told her they would take her word that it was done.

Yesterday (Wednesday) Inklings went to court in a town a couple of hours south with our child and the judge said we could get the grand kids. So we get to bring them here for the May 9 and May 16 weekends and then we get them full time when school gets out on May 22 or 23 and I can't remember which day it is.

SO---at this time it appears that all of the crap (and it has been crap) we have had to put up with through this ordeal (and it has been an ordeal) is worth it--it will be more worth it when the kids are here.

As far as the storage cabinet for all the poison and gas and other stuff--guess I wish I had done it earlier without having to be pushed by DCFS---our garage is much safer today than it was Monday..........

ORGANIZED?