Boo

Jillar, I think your autocorrect is playing games with you again. Or perhaps, Maddie snuck out while we weren't looking. Headed to Spain. And was named "Miss Madrid." I always knew that girl had the makings of an international superstar.

Good job Dianne.

They're really rockin' in Ogden...

Good call Jillar. This afternoon, Sugar Britches and I discussed it and we've made the decision to get a pool. We'll probably get it dug and installed either in the Fall or early Winter. We got in some pool time with the neighbors today. Miss Maddie is already able to swim short distances all on her own. The little gal would swim back-and-forth between me and Sugar Britches. She had a really determined look on her face as she kept her head above water and propelled herself with her arms and legs. That look of determination turned to pure pride when she finished. A little grin that said: "did you see what I did?" Maddie has taken to the water like a natural. When she's not swimming, she enjoys splashing around and riding on little floats. We also play a game where Sugar Britches holds Maddie and I swim underwater and "sneak up" on them. I pop up out of the water and Maddie laughs out loud every time. Boo Acres is now the future home of its very own concrete pond. Good times.

Welcome back Doreen. Hope you enjoyed the sightseeing in Scotland.

The Gus Bus is really rolling now. Drive on!

Dealing with a slight flare up of achilles tendinitis. Ever since I tore my left achilles tendon about twenty years ago, this happens from time-to-time. Took yesterday off. Did a gym bro workout this morning. No legs. No conditioning. Just upper body work. I did the bench press, seated overhead presses, and bench rows. Finished up with bicep curls to really complete the whole bro life theme of my workout. If I owned one of those "Suns Out, Guns Out" tank-tops, today would have been a perfect day to wear it.

I like The Monkees. Unironically. They had some good songs.

I'm a sucker for those over-the-top, some might say cheesy, ballads.

There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright... Guilty pleasure or not, when that chorus kicks in I'm belting it out...much to the chagrin of everyone within earshot.

And since Jo already suggested that liking this song meant I needed to turn in my "man card", might as well post it again.

I don't think I'm alone here...some of us have those songs that we like in spite of not wanting to admit that we like them. For me personally, many of these songs are tunes that were popular in the eighties. They were songs that my sister liked, so me being the pesky little brother that I was spoke often of how terrible those songs were. It was a pointless debate, but I would say things like: "Duran Duran sucks! Van Halen rules!" Heard one of those songs while I was eating lunch this afternoon. Now, I can confess that I looked this song up and listened to it again.

I would like to second what Jillar said. I remember when my grandfather was dealing with the cancer that eventually took him from us. Those visits from family and friends meant a lot to him. Good friends are a treasure. You are a great friend Linda.

Top-shelf quit. Congratulations Babs.

That old head rush was what pulled me into being a full-fledged smoker. I was doing a bit of underage drinking with my friends. One of my buddies told me: "if you smoke while you drink, it will make you buzz harder." Smoked about ten cigarettes that night. Woke up the next day wanting more nicotine. And an addiction was born. Fortunately, most of the stupid decisions I made as a teenager were easily left in the past. Those cigarettes I smoked that night represented a bad decision that would continue to be repeated for the next twenty-five years.

I heard this song on a commercial last night. I don't remember what they were trying to sell...good song though.

Doing math work with a grin on my face. Got a call this morning from a man who recently bought a warehouse at auction. There were a bunch of cylinders in there (Oxygen, Acetylene, Argon, Nitrogen). He had no use for them and just wanted them out of the way. Told us if we were willing to pick them up, we could have them free of charge. We picked up over $10,000 dollars worth of cylinders. Even with the retests and new valves, we're still coming out over $8,000 dollars to the good. There is pride in working hard and earning your keep...but that easy money is pretty damn sweet.

It wasn't health concerns or the social stigma that motivated me to quit. I got tired of planning my every waking moment around smoking. Cigarettes were dominating my life. We took different routes to get there, but the destination was the same.

Looking at the weather radar. That big storm they warned us was rolling in this afternoon has turned out to be little more than a light drizzle. I think the damage is going to be minimal...

Ever since Jo explained what "rooting" means in Australia, I've not been able to use that phrase without laughing. Good luck in the big soccer game tonight England.

Quitting smoking was the resolution that I made. The process of quitting was a catalyst for change that happened organically. I quit smoking and drinking. I started working out and cleaned up the diet. I got really interested in neuroplasticity and the psychology of changing behaviors and thought patterns. 2016 was an interesting year in my life and it all started with me saying: "That's it! I have to quit smoking." If I could drink in moderation, I would still take a sip of the hard stuff from time-to-time. My problem is that inevitably after having a couple of drinks, my mindset always turned to: "if I feel better after two drinks just think how good I'll feel after twelve more!" That's when things got weird. It's nice now...waking up in the morning as opposed to just coming to.

Safe travels Doreen. Say hello to Groundskeeper Willie for me.

Good job Katgirl.

I avoided alcohol when I first quit smoking, then decided to give up the booze for good. Haven't had a drink or a smoke in over five years. I guess you could say I went on a reverse bender, quit everything over the span of a couple of weeks. The only thing I've ever done in moderation is moderation.