Countrydiction

Shadow, affectionately known as Boathouse, has settled in to his new residence at our house. He mourned forever his long-time family in Alexandria, VA (my son, daughter-in-law, and Kodie). Shadow came with me when Leo and Sara couldn't take any pets with them to their new assignment in Sri Lanka. Leo and Sara will probably cringe to hear this, but Shadow has about three more scars than he did before he arrived here in the woods of wild west Florida. Unlike Ozzie, my 'timid' other bulldog, Shadow will mix it up in a heartbeat. When I run Shadow runs with me, and he is the classic guard dog. If we run by a neighbor who's dogs run loose he will run ahead and stay between the dogs and me. A few times he has intruded into the yards of the other dogs and at times the other dogs took umbrage...big time! Now, Shadow has massive heart. He doesn't have extensive fighting experience. The other hounds have been slightly quicker and obviously more experienced. Bloodied ...

Oslo, my young bulldog who is affectionately called Junkyard (see the seeing eye in my profile foto), has had a run of bad luck, or stupidity. A few weeks ago he came home with blood dripping out the side of his mouth. He bled for about 24 hours and couldn't drink or eat. I don't really know if it was his tongue, gums or lips that was lacerated. I don't know if he was hit by a car or tangled with a fence or coon or what. No witnesses. He's young and he healed quickly. To top that calamity, he came limping home the other day on three legs. Somehow he tore one of the pads of his front right paw. I'm going to take him in to the vet tomorrow, my first day off since it happened. I've thought about saving a couple hundred dollars by getting my wire cutters and taking torn, dangling piece off myself. There is a race in Destin in the morning called 'Run with the Dogs.' I would have taken Oslo because he gets along with all peace loving, social people a...

One week on the new job. I was warned about the problems with staffing, but I wasn't prepared for what I've found. With all the turnover in management that has transpired in the last few months at the Y, the challenge is to form a nucleus of a new team. My boss has only been on board for a month, but he exudes confidence and enthusiasm. The mountain is steep because I not only have to jell with the new management team but we are converting to a new computer system to replace the 20 year old one, AND we are in the middle of a 90 day facility renovation. Total turmoil! I love my new job!

This has been an up and down season for the MildCats. At times fans have pulled their hair out. Sleight of hand hasn't worked...hard-nosed defense is the solution. The Cats will squeeze into the Big Dance. Who knows how long they can hold on. If Tubby has any cards left, he better whip it out. How could we know it would shake out this way?

The sabbatical is over and done. I've accepted an offer to take the membership director position at the YMCA of Fort Walton Beach . This is a job that I feel qualified for and am excited about. This area was just declared 1st on a list of the top 179 'smallest metros' by the Milken Institute, a non-profit, independent, economic think tank . The ' Best Performing Cities Index' is a measurement of where jobs are being created in America. Florida's 'large metros' rock this list! Since moving back down here to the 'emerald coast' area I've lived the life of the semi-retired, sleeping, gardening, riding motorcycle, bonding with my animals. The columnist gig lasted almost a year, but that was more like a hobby than a job. I'm rejuvenated, motivated, and ready to roll! My new boss is a retired Colonel who left Louisianna about the time Katrina hit and took the Y's director job. The Y is starting a major renovation and while that is ...

I have to get a job so I applied for the Membership Director position at the local YMCA. There were 30 other applicants and I was selected for the first cut of seven or so and we were interviewed by phone. I made the next cut and was interviewed face2face with three of the staff. Now the wait is on for them to complete all interviews. Hope I get it...

No matter whether you’re just starting out or you’re an accomplished athlete you need to set goals. With that thought in mind, I was surfing the internet back in the spring looking for a winter marathon. I had not run a marathon since Berlin in the early 80’s and I was way past due for a challenge. The Colorado Outward Bound Relay caught my eye, and my imagination. I had spent the summer of 2002 in Colorado Springs and fell in love with the Rockies. While I was there I hiked the Barr Trail to the summit of Pikes Peak (14,100 ft. elevation) and back down, which took 12 hours to do. The total distance of the hike was 25 miles. It was a mind-blowing and ear-popping experience. So, I contacted the relay’s website forum and announced that this 54 year old ‘flatlander’ was looking for a team to join. It didn’t take long to get a response back and I was invited to join the team called ‘Altitude Attitude.’ My thinking was that to endure the heat and humidity while training in this area I neede...

When I bought my first motorcycle in 2003 I soon became aware of its limitations. I learned how to ride on the Suzuki Volusia and I think it is the perfect 'first' bike. I've lusted after the 'Dragon,' as the Honda Valkyrie is called by its fans, for a couple years now. I wasn't looking to buy a new bike when I stumbled upon the Blue Angel parked on the 'Lemon Lot,' a location on Eglin AFB where employees, GI's and retired like me can display their vehicles for sale. I love this beast, the famous anti-Harley with the 'flat-6' car engine. Now I am actively looking for a job to pay for her!

The lifetime natural disaster of my parents' generation was the '37 flood that destoyed property and took many lives along the Ohio River Valley. I've seen pictures of the high water in my hometown in Kentucky. The river had to rise 30 plus feet to have water that high. And of course, the second World War was a defining tragedy of their lifetime. My generation is marked by the Vietnam War and then 9/11. As for natural disasters, I thought I would never see anything as devastating as the South Asia tsunami. But, the storm of a lifetime has just skirted my area and brought unspeakable misery to Louisiana and Mississippi. In the two days since Katrina made landfall the news got worse by the hour. In the days and weeks ahead the news will worsen by the hour. The horror puts all of our local problems in perspective. In my part of the Gulf Coast we have certainly had multiple hits by tropical storms and hurricanes in the last year. Navarre Beach, to the west o...

Column published in Northwest Florida Daily News, April 27, 2005: As much as I love the Emerald Coast beaches I have only myself to blame for buying a home 30 miles inland. But, I’ve discovered a potential way to enjoy the beach 24/7. Let’s lobby the city of Destin to install some webcams. Anyone who has a computer has probably seen web-camera images on the internet. Typically, a camera is installed on a tower or top of a tall building and directed at a point of interest. Still images are updated at regular intervals, like 30 seconds or a minute apart. You get the idea when the local TV news and weather programs show a view at sunrise from a stationary camera. Consider the benefits. For example, a local TV station in Toledo, Ohio, where my brother lives, hosts several webcams around the city. Every time I felt like complaining about the weather this winter I sought out the webcam in Toledo, and suddenly I felt warm…and giddy. Let’s say you felt the call of the surf and sand. ...

As the sun climbs daily toward its annual apex I marvel at the fact that it never takes a day off. I, on the otherhand, go into eclipse every chance I get. Writing a bi-weekly column for the local newspaper (circulation 41,000)is not all that taxing. I spend probably an hour and a half on average for each column. I've had three published and I have three drafted columns waiting in the barrel. So, no excuse for not keeping my blog fresh. I just finished a three mile run, barefoot. I love running on these dirt roads barefoot. Nike has a major marketing effort to sell their latest craze. The Nike Free 5.0 is supposed to give you that barefoot feeling when running in them. I'm going to save the $85 and leave my nekkid footprint on the landscape. The other day I ran soon after an early morning downpour. Oslo was running with me and he performed a trick I had never seen before. There were stands of rainwater along side the road and the Oz was runn...

I am so relieved. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (see ratzingerfanclub.com/blog) is now Pope Benedict XVI. There has been a growing awareness by some of us for the need of a 'muscular Christianity.' In Pope Benedict we have our Arnold Schwarzenneger. Many have noted the speed or shortness of the conclave to elect the new pope, which was the result of the unanimity of the Cardinals to continue much of the legacy of John Paul the Great. Much of the mainstream media have lamented that Benedict XVI has gone on record condemning relativism in the modern world. It's going to take a strong man with indestructible belief in truth and faith to counter the tide of the secular world, particularly in western Europe and North America, and in Benedict XVI we have that man! I believe as the pope has said that the exclusivity of the Roman Catholic faith, the Church's teaching that there is an absolute truth and that the Church was instituted by Jesus Christ, will mean a leaner, more v...

After jumping through more hoops than a circus animal I can now consider myself a professional writer. I was hired by the Northwest Florida Daily News to be one of their three new 'citizen columnists.' In other words, I'm a local columnist and I can write about whatever subject my heart desires. Man, I wanted this writing gig! My first column will be published on Wednesday, 27th of April. Initially our column will run every other week. My goal is to run weekly. The newspaper website requires a subscription to read it, so I am going to contact the webmaster and get a link to my columns which will be available here, plus I intend to get authorized to have my columns available on this blog. Nothing like a part-time job where I can work at home, in my cut-offs and Mickey Mouse house slippers!

Words, for a person who enjoys reading and writing, are like the variety of plants in our world. Regardless of what language you consider you will find it uses words which are utilitarian, some that are sustaining, and others which are beautifully descriptive. Likewise, some plants are useful for building things, some for feeding us, and many others express inspirational beauty. For example, the word ‘do’ is a no-nonsense, useful verb. The word is used for many different meanings, such as produce, solve, and suffice. Colloquially, or conversationally, ‘do’ can mean visit, deceive, or swindle. The word is used as a base for phrases such as do over, do like, and do away with. Now, I see the word ‘do’ like I see the longleaf pine tree. It used to be more common throughout the southeast, but it was over-harvested for lumber. Other trees are used for lumber now. The tree is also useful for its pine needles and its bark, both of which make fine mulch for other plants. There are als...

After three or four weeks without hearing from the newspaper after I submitted a second commentary I had given up hope of getting a columnist position. Then while I was in Austin I received an email which notified me that I made the second cut! Originally, there were 50 plus people submitting a sample. Seven of us were selected from that group. I was one of three from that group to be interviewed, which took place yesterday with the editor and one of his staff. The editor said he will notify me by early next week whether I'm selected or not. This has been like an emotional roller coaster. I submitted a third piece unsolicited and hope that it helps the cause rather than sink it. My nature doesn't allow me to just sit and wait. Lord, I'm ready to go to work and use the tools you've given me!

The Pontiff,Oct 16, 1978 to Apr 2, 2005. 

The ESPN website really blows my coals. They asked what was the most memorable clutch, end-of-game shot so far in the NCAA tournament. They gave three options to choose from: Arizona 's Salim Stoudamire beats Oklahoma State , or Bucknell's Chris McNaughton beats Kansas , or West Virginia gets a stop and a breakaway dunk to beat Creighton. Welllllllllllllllll! Everyone knows that the biggest, baddest, Packer-smacker was the three-pointer at the end of regulation to tie the score during the Kentucky-Michigan State regional final in Austin. Here's the scene: with under a minute to go Patrick Sparks, Kentucky's shooting guard, misses the front end of a one-and-one free throw bonus situation. Usually, he's clutch. Two free throws would give the Cats a one point lead. Instead MSU goes down court and makes two to give them a three point lead with a few seconds left. Here we are, three points down, clock ticking to oblivion. Sparks launches a three and misses, ...

The more I think about it I get incensed at the sloppy work at Fox News and CNN. Today, they both announced that Pope John Paul II had died. Fox attributed their source to the 'Italian media' and I switched to CNN to hear them claim their source to be the Reuters newswire. Apparently, the Vatican quashed the rumors and the cable channels soon retracted. While hearing all the pundits and analysts speaking of John Paul in the past tense all day I can't help but note how uncomfortable the media are with the stubbornness of JPII to continue the fight. Having struggled to understand the fight in the Schindlers for the life of their daughter, Terri Shiavo, the media reflect the confusion and consternation of all those who shun the weak and spurn the helpless. John Paul has marked his legacy with his insistence on the dignity of all human life. Vis-a-vis the dire portent of the life and death of Terri Schiavo, the Holy Father no doubt is walking the walk.

For those too young to remember, or who've been indoctrinated by academic revisionists, these are the two men responsible for the victory over the hegemony of Communism. Truly giants among men, prophets from God, masters of their universe. God bless the Church, and God bless America...

During my motorcycle ride to Austin TX and back (1,500 miles) and in a drive to Gulf Shores AL in my truck I observed a plethora of character types on the road. Some mosey along like they are oblivious to the chaos around them. I've been semi-retired (jobless) for a year now and I don't have to be anywhere on time except church on Sunday. But, I still race to anywhere I go. Most of the drivers on the road are apparently chronically late because they drive as if nothing better get in their way. My mind-set is to get somewhere without lollygagging. When I left Austin I took a country road through the outback, the most direct route to Houston. It was a four lane highway with massive shoulders and beautiful purple, orange and pink wildflowers flanked the sides and filled the medians. I had my camera with me but I didn't stop to take one photo because I needed to stay on course without delay. What's wrong with that attitude? So, I was on I-12 in the Baton Rouge metro...