Are you a list maker?

I find that I can barely function without some sort of list.  When I have a period of not getting any work done, I'll realize it's because my list is under something on my desk where I can't see it (usually a cat).

If I don't have a list of all the mundane AND important things in my life that I must get done, then I just can't remember them.  It's especially frustrating when you don't remember to write something important on the list and it gets forgotten... like school events. :/

I finally bought myself a white board JUST to keep track of my albums.  It's hanging inside the pantry door (which is right next to my desk).  I write down every person that's getting an album, what next step needs done, and when that's done it get's a big check mark.  I'm amazed at how much this has helped my productivity.  It's so satisfying to get to erase a job completely.  That means it's done and out of the house.

It also means I got paid for it!  woot!

But here's the thing.  After sharing my lament on facebook, I realized that this is probably genetic in some way.  Several of my relatives piped in to tell me they are exactly the same way, as are their kids too.

And that reminded me of poor Tanner.  That kid has it pretty bad for only being 17.  It's nothing to go into his room and find several post it notes stuck on his door frame reminding him to take the basic necessities with him.  It's also not uncommon for him to have to drive all the way back here to pick up something he forgot.

I feel your pain, brother.

Just today I forgot to mail a package to Lebanon.  I figure one more day won't kill 'em.  (it wasn't on the list).

So, I'm fairly confident that this trait came from my mom's mom.  My Grandma Leona.  You know Grandma, you did a lot of wonderful things for me, but I'd have been a lot happier if this was a recessive gene.
:p

Are you a list maker?  Has my grandma infected your family too!!!
GRANDMA!

Where do boys get their super skills?

How do some men just "know things"?  Especially things they haven't particularly been exposed to.

Tanner kind of surprises me at times, the things he knows at (almost) 18. 

Remember me talking about that LTD that used to be Gene's grandma's?  It's been sitting my yard a couple months now.  (note the weeds around it - I have to hire someone to come out and trim because no one will do it)... ANYWAY...  The chickens are in love with it. It's their new favorite places.  They hang out underneath in the shade scratching in the yard until they get a nice little hole dug to lay in.

Which at least they've stopped doing it in my driveway.  When you hit one in the middle of the night, you about break an ankle.

So anyway, this car has sat there taunting us.  We've been so busy with work or building a porch, that we just haven't had time to dedicate to the car and get it running.  So much talk about draining the tank, replacing hoses, will the carburetor need replaced?

Finally, about a week ago, I told Gene that we should let Tanner get started on working on the car.  He likes to work on his car and he could surely do the basic stuff.  Gene agreed.

I told Tanner that he could get started on it, and we went out and first got a battery for it.  Can't do anything without that.  Found out that the battery in it, had not been replaced since 1995!

Gene and I left Tanner to it to work on the deck, and within an hour heard the car start up!  This car has not moved in OVER A DECADE.

Another hour worth of fluid changes and he was driving it up and down the road.

How did he know how to do that stuff.  Gene knows a few things about cars - he works on glass for a living.  Explain it and he can do it.  Same with Tanner's dad.  But as I sat and I listend to Tanner talk to both his dad and Gene on how to get the car going and I only understood every 3rd word, I got to wondering exactly when did this happen?  Is it just a genetic thing?

But hey, I could talk about the difference between tan, buff, ivory, and ecru and they'd probably look at me like a monkey looking at a football.

However, I think that their super genetic skill is probably a lot more useful than being able to pick out winter white verses off white.

WANTED: Dead or Alive

WANTED

DEAD or ALIVE

LWC aka "Little White Chicken"

Description:
1. Little
2. White
3. a Chicken

Wanted for the theft and wanton eating of one "Boo Kitty's" krunchies from his food bowl on a regular basis.

Reward if captured alive.

NOTE:  There's really not a reward.  Kill my chicken and I'll punch you in the face.

Happy Fireworks Day

Genesis:

18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man. ”

24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.


****

Four years ago today, those words were spoken at my wedding.  A bible verse picked by Gene.

I married the best friend I've ever had in my entire life.  I always thought that idea was kind of silly, but now I understand completely.   I hope you are lucky enough to be married to YOUR best friend.  If he (she) is not your best friend, I hope you are working at making that happen.  It's rewarding.

To celebrate today, we attempted to work on the deck, which was very hard considering it was 100 degrees still at around 7 p.m.    Oh, and some of our lumber is effed up, so we gave up and called it a day.

However, we did go eat pizza, lay on a blanket and watch fireworks.  Over all, I'd call it a good day.

9 out of 10 bucks prefer Harley Davidson

I stumbled out of the bedroom a couple mornings ago with a note next to my camera "look at your pics".  It seems that a young buck happened across our yard.  (I'm sure it was a surprise, as we live in a cornfield right now). 

He sniffed the chickens.  They didn't like each other.

But he did take a liking to Gene's Harley.

Might be wise if he didn't repeat this adventure come November.